ElleyOtter

My bari team told me never to go more than 3 days without pooping. I started Miralax daily while I was still in the hospital. On day 3 post-op when I still hadn't gone, I added a dose of Milk of Magnesia and that got things moving. I'm 3 months post op and if I haven't pooped in 2 days, I take Miralax to help get things moving. Thankfully I need the Miralax less often now! And yes, I track in my planner whether I've had a BM or not that day, haha!

Everyone is different. Some people don't have any dumping ever, some are sensitive to sugar, some to fats, some both sugar and fat (boooo!) And then everyone has different tolerences as well - one person may dump on a small amount of sugar and someone else may be able to tolerate more but can't do, like, ice cream or cake levels of sugar. Your team DEFINITELY should have talked to you about dumping and the possibility of it with gastric bypass/RNY. I'd be a little leery of a bariatric staff that doesn't want to be transparent with you... I'm 3 months out and have yet to have an instance of dumping (knock on wood). I'm just starting now to incorporate some fruit - I also love cherries! I haven't tried them yet though, mostly because I'd never eat the entire bag before it goes bad haha. I've had some pretty fatty things, and I'm very glad I don't seem to be a fats dumper!

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight? Literally - within days. My face started slimming out before I could comfortably get out of my recliner, haha. 2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)? RIGHT after surgery I was on a clear liquid diet for a week, then full liquids for another 2 weeks. I really liked the Gatorade Zero protein - got some protein in, and it worked well to mix my daily dose of Miralax into. On the puree stage, I loved some beans (black or pinto) pureed and then heated up with a bit of cheese and a drizzle of taco sauce. YUMMM. 3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing? I had a lot of post-operative pain because of some complications, so I struggled with pain for the first 3 weeks. Once that deep muscle pain finally went away, I felt awesome really quickly. About the time I got to start eating some foods instead of only liquids. 4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated? Some days are harder than others for sure. I'm 2 months post-op, and am motivated by all the non-scale victories - like being able to fit into the jeans that were too tight when I had to go back to the office! And I'm finally under the weight limit for my bike so I can ride it this summer! I started with walking and at firt could only make it down the street and back, and now I walk every day because it's my calming practice. I exercise 60 minutes a day most days now at 2 months post-op, mostly walking but some swimming, strength training, VR boxing... I'm constantly amazed by how much more ENERGY I have now!!

I have PCOS and struggled with infertility back when we were trying to conceive my kiddos (now ages 5 and 7). I'm only 2 months post-op RNY, but I'm hopeful that this WLS will help with my PCOS symptoms. I was told to use two forms of birth control for the first year, because the rapid weight loss and resulting hormone fluctuations can make people SUPER fertile, and my program says not to get pregnant for the first 2 years post-op. Only 2 months out and I can already tell this is the best decision I've ever made for my body. I've lost a fair amount of weight before, but with my PCOS it's always like swimming against the current and I always wind up gaining it back plus 20 lbs (like, EXACTLY 20 lbs, for some reason!) The weight is coming off so much more easily this time, and I can already feel that it's going to STAY off and not be an endless struggle. My skin has cleared up, I've got less peach fuzz facial hair (no more shaving my sideburns, yay! lol). And my abdomen, which is where I carry the most of my weight and has always been the last place for weight to come off, is now one of the fastest shrinking parts of my body! Excellent. Sending you loving and positive vibes on your journey!

Is it supposed to be 13g per MEAL instead of per DAY maybe? My program has me aiming for less than 10g sugar and 10g fat per meal if possible, but mostly focusing on hitting protein goals (80g daily).

I'm looking at y'all's post and just being jealous, lol. My surgery was 2/16 and I'm only down 20 lbs, and have been hitting my water and protein goals consistently since day 1 home from the hospital. Sometimes I'm like "Did this thing work?" and then my stomach makes crazy dinosaur noises and I know they did SOMETHING in there, LOL!

I have NO IDEA how you're supposed to meet your water goal when you can't drink for 40+ minutes (because you need to count eating time too!) out of every 2 hours. That's bonkers. I had surgery 2/16 so I'm a similar ways out as you, and my plan has me eat 1/4 cup of protein for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then supplement with a protein shake/powders to hit my protein goal. It helps a LOT to hit protein and hydration goals when you can drink part of your protein! You said "I eat 3 small meals a day, one snack and a Protein Shake" so that shouldn't be every 2 hours, right? Like I do 8 am breakfast, 12 pm lunch, 6 pm dinner, and a protein shake somewhere in there and sometimes another half a scoop of protein powder in there if my meals weren't high enough protein. Even with a snack, you should have a solid 4 hours or so between most of your meals, right? If they really want you eating every 2 hours, see if you can replace some of those with protein shakes? That's yikes! For the constipation, I'm sorry you're dealing with that! It's likely because you're not getting enough water - those stool softeners you listed work by pulling water into the stool to soften it, but if you're not getting adequate hydration all they're doing is bulking it up and not actually softening it.

Let them go find a new home, you're never going to need those clothes again. Find a consignment place if you can so you can warn some money towards your new wardrobe!!

I was told to use two forms of protection for the first year post-op because rapid weight loss can make you SUPER fertile. My program wants folks to not get pregnant for the first 2 years post-op.

I do Miralax every morning and if I still haven't pooped after 2 days add a 30 ml dose of Milk if Magnesia the night of the second no-poop day. So far that's worked for me. Good luck!!

I am 5 days PO and have had a BM the past 2 days. I started taking miralax daily while still in the hospital. When I still hadn't had a BM after a couple of days I added 30 ml of Milk of Magnesia (ew) and a mug (about 6 oz) of the Smooth Move tea. That got things moving and I've actually skipped the Miralax the past 2 days and just done Smooth Move tea in the evenings (I drink it in place of water, an ounce at a time, after its cooled to room temp). I feel like I did need that extra punch of the combo to get things moving foe the first time after surgery, but then just one solution seems to be working. My team said not to go more than 3 days without pooping and to go ahead and take Miralax daily until I start solids and can add more fiber to regulate. Good luck! You've got this!

I'm 3 days post op and my abdomen binder is the only thing keeping me getting up and walking and not depending on the oxy they gave me for pain (just Tylenol and the muscle relaxers, and I'm even down to taking the relaxers 2-3 times a day instead of 4). I love it but have heard not to wear it past a week or two post-op.

I'm on day 11 of my pre-op diet and started having some freaking out feelings today. Also just hit the point where my son's cold half-eaten grilled cheese sitting on the counter looks like the best thing ever, lol.

At least you only need to do the chewable for a while and can go to good old swallow tablets eventually!