Deep6

Things have been going pretty smoothly since bypass surgery June 6. The stages from the surgeon and nutritionalist seem fairly accelerated (compared to others I've looked up in the Internet). I would have a bowl of cream of wheat (3/4 cup of water) or a single egg omelet (adding some cooked mushrooms or shredded smoked salmon). All fine. The canned vegetables are pretty insipid but I don't feel like I'm ready for "raw" veggies and overcooked veggies (steamed) are kinda like the canned stuff- To celebrate my passage into regular food, I took a smoked turkey leg, reheated it, then stripped all skin and tendons off, leaving me with 1/2-3/4 cup of shredded meat. It was too much! I discovered what you folks call the "foamies"-- horrible. If I could have just puked and emptied my stomach, I would have been happy, but oh, no, all that came up was that dreaded froth. I was in major discomfort for hours and wound up falling asleep sitting up. Next day, I decided to go back to basics- just protein drink, Gatorade Zero, a little hummus and 1/2 my usual portion of cream of wheat. I'm now setting up a call with the nutritionist- interestingly, his plan disclaims any recommended portion size. And when I've looked at the internet, every plan is different, with different ranges of portions. I feel much better having gotten through that experience of foamies- whether it was the density of the meat, the quantity, or the smoked flavor, I have no idea but I'm gonna stay away from smoked meats, at least for now. Because I had a hiatal hernia repair, any sort of heavy lifting, sit-ups, etc. are taboo. I am walking (ironically, the mega grocery stores provide me with a venue for that since here in Texas, it's been over 100 degrees F until a couple days ago. Typical Texas summer). So, two questions: 1.portion size- we'll see what the nutritionist says; and 2.did most of you hit overload at some point on your journey? I have been losing weight. I definitely look and feel better, easier to walk without getting winded, etc. My best to all, Deep6

Spoke to my nutritionist. He made a number of suggestions, including having some warm broth to "prime the pump." He wasn't bothered by the idea of dark meat (Ala the turkey leg, deboned and stripped of skin, that led to my frothing/foaming). So, today, for lunch, we went to a good local Japanese fish house- had Miso soup, which I rarely order, some seaweed salad and a few pieces of fatty tuna sashimi. Wonderful, no problem. He also said that lean meat in the red meat department can be a problem. Which isn't an issue for me, because my favorite steak is a ribeye, bone in, and my favorite part of that steak is the rib-eye cap, which is basically stripped of all fat and binding before preparing. Not sure I'm quite ready for that, and I'll probably only have a few bites, but as I add to my selection of foods to eat, I'm getting happier! Yay! Last night, I made chicken sueng (the chicken with chopped up scallion, water chestnuts, normally wrapped in lettuce. I didn't wrap it but had a little romaine on the side, along with peas as a side dish. I think I'm still well under my calorie limit and taking my supplements. Glad to report that enjoying real food is actually possible!!!

Very helpful. Yep, so I am gathering, and I guess I'm going to err on the side of caution. I was looking forward to a little sashimi with a few spoonfuls of seaweed salad- actually eating out at a restaurant! But, I'm gonna take it slow and careful. Gawd, that foaming/frothing was nasty! Gave me religion on this if you follow my drift. Thank you for the substantive response, ms.sss!

@Arabesque- I get it. I was told to revisit all my prescription medications with the various prescribing doctors within 2-4 weeks. I had not expected such a dramatic change so quickly after surgery. I'm taking this step by step, following the liquid diet post surgery and taking the pills to reduce potential pain (I have suffered very little and they now have a protocol that involves Gabapentin, Celebrex, Tylenol). The sleep problem has been a long running issue for me, but I figure if I'm getting a parts overhaul, I might address that too. I feel pretty positive about this whole experience- I do get hungry- but my wife pureed a cream of chicken soup which filled me up and I had a protein shake later in the evening, so I feel like I can get through this--I won't be able to do much gym work for a while- I like lifting weights. I go back to the surgeon on the 20th, so I'll see what he says on that score. Walking here is fine, except it gets really hot- I'm in Texas now and the heat is a beating. But, otherwise, I wanna get into shape to be more active. Appreciate the note. Regards to you.

My thanks, @summerseeker.

Thank you. Something to look forward to-- we took a trip to Alaska last year and I had a really hard time, out of breath, didn't have stamina. Hopefully, with this change of life, it will be easier.

Hi, just signed up, didn't see an "introducing yourself" section. Have had various gastro related issues for the last couple years, found that I did not tolerate the PPI well, but have Barrett's Esophagus, which has to be addressed. Since I gained a fair amount of weight during Covid, looks like I qualify for bypass surgery which is a recommended approach to dealing with the Barrett's. I'm still going through various qualifying phases, but the surgeon/hospital here seem to know the drill. Still need to get my cardio doc to sign off and to see my primary. At this point in my life, near 70 years old, having been reduced to the Fodmap diet to minimize GERD (acid reflux), I'm ok with the more limited post surgical diet. I'm also looking to get my mobility back-- resumed at the gym, but it isn't as easy to drop the weight as it was 10 or 15 years ago when I stopped smoking and went full maniac on diet (paleo) and exercise (2 workouts/day plus swimming, pilates, etc). Just wanted to plug in here and as things progress on this journey, tap into the knowledge base here. Glad I found this place.

I have a few places on my list, some more local, some more adventurous. I owe a visit to a friend in Utah to hear his hi-fi system which is over the top (one of my things is records). We live in Austin now, ex NY, so there's lots of driving adventures in Texas-- the countryside is beautiful, especially out west and up north where the horse ranches are. Long term- I have a dear friend in Hong Kong and want to visit Japan with somebody who knows their way around. We also used to do spur of the moment traveling, but with cats, we need to line up coverage for any lengthy trip- when I was in NY, it was easy to get to Europe; now it is more involved but we are overdue for trips there- we used to go to Paris and the countryside a lot. I'm more inclined to travel in Eastern Europe, outside the "war zone." We'll see.

@KD in CT- the surgery is almost the least of it- you'll spend far more time getting sign offs, sitting in doctor's offices waiting and getting tests done, no one of which takes much time, but cumulatively, seems to take forever. Realistically, though, it was only several months. No real pain either- I'm on one of these advanced pain relief protocols that does not involve any dope and though I'm not a tough guy on pain, I haven't experienced much at all. A little soreness if I bend, but otherwise, it's working. Now embarking on liquid diet- the pre-op diet I was on was lo cal, hi protein but normal food in smaller portions until the 14th day- then liquid. They made this easy.

OK, had the gastric bypass and hiatal hernia repair on June 6, spend the night in the hospital. Was actually able to sleep without normal sleeping drugs- because I was exhausted- got up at 3:30am to head to hospital and I think the trauma of surgery wiped me out. But, it went well- all work was done laparoscopically without the need to open me up (I was told that was a possibility if they could not do it all laproscopically). I'm now on a full liquid diet. Pain relief is accomplished without any opioids- using gabapentin, Tylenol and Celebrex. Am supposed to refrain from any protein drinks for 3 days after surgery and will start adding vitamin supplements after first (2-4 weeks) phase. There was very little bleeding (I got off blood thinners several days before surgery). I'm surprised at how good I feel- I did take a long nap after I got home- but did a fair amount of walking today (the first day after surgery). Since I am now post-op, should I start another thread or just continue this one? Thanks for your support. All the folks at the hospital and surgical team were very helpful, pleasant, they even have a discharge lounge to enable those who rely on ride shares to be picked up in a dedicated driveway. (My wife helped here with visits and transportation).

@K- they will absolutely fix the hernia as I understand it, as it is a contributor to the GERD. Interesting (well, maybe not for you) that it exacerbates the asthma. I never had any stomach problems- zero, nada, zilch- until a couple years ago, doing a long drive back from the far west, slamming coffee, eating PayDay candy bars (couldn't imagine eating one of those now) and had a burning sensation in my stomach (no mystery). I started eating Advils like crazy (also not good for stomach lining). That's what started this journey--and my GP said let's do a endoscopy/colonoscopy which resulted in the finding of Barrett's and got me on the PPIs- those in turn led to complications. I was looking for a way out of this vicious circle- since the PPIs in turn led to SIBO, which was horrible. Of course, the weight loss isn't to be discounted as a factor. Truth be told, during Covid, I quit going to the gym, was sitting on my ass and eating lots of delivery food which, all told, probably added 50 lbs. It's strange, the different paths that take us to the same point. Funny thing is, my wife was going stir crazy and I was happy as a pig in _____. I do expect that achieving and maintaining weight loss will allow me better overall health. I'm also looking forward to increased mobility without shortness of breath (I do have mild COPD but I had that for a long time and it only manifest itself if I worked out too hard and got lightheaded). I also had the hernia for a long time but it wasn't an issue until I gained all the weight.

I'm pleased to report that my surgery is now scheduled for early next week. I've been following all the pre-op guidelines to the letter- including the diet. I actually feel pretty good- way better than before and the surgery has yet to happen. Today, I did the pre-admission process at the hospital and the folks there --they have a specialized unit-- could not have been nicer. They use some method to reduce pain that does not involve opioids and the fact that I will be on a liquid diet for the first several weeks after the procedure will no doubt lead to some immediate weight loss. But then the real work begins, and I'm looking forward to it-- walking (something that has been more difficult during the last year due to weight) and eventually getting back to the gym. I am eager to get back into good physical condition. Mentally, I'm psyched. As to food and eating, I've found that even apart from the pre-op diet, my taste for a lot of food and my ability to eat large portions has already diminished due to gastric problems so I'm not going to be disappointed that I can't carve into a big honking' slab of steak. We'll see if my attitude changes over time--I never obsessed over food though I was always a good eater. It's just that all the tumult of gastric pain and reflux made it unenjoyable. And I'm really looking forward to fitting into some clothing that I've not been able to wear for a while. I know this is going to take time, but I feel like I'm fortunate to have explored this path and want to take full advantage of it. Will report back post-surgery and may have questions. The surgeon's office has been wonderful and seems to be very well coordinated with the bariatric unit of the local hospital here. I've been very impressed, having had some terrible hospital experiences in NYC when I lived there.

Alrighty! I jumped all the pre-surgery hoops, from psych profile and initial meeting with dietitian (who was great- went way beyond "food" to discussing behavior), got the cardio sign off after a chemical stress test and even though my primary was ambivalent, he talked directly to the bariatric surgeon- they know each other. It is a small medical community. Everything got submitted to Medicare for approval of insurance coverage. I use nicotine replacement therapy-- nasal spray- it helped me get off the ciggies 13 years ago and that apparently isn't a problem either. So I'm now waiting for the green light from Medicare. (I have a good supplemental program to back it up). I've got fingers crossed that it gets approved- I find my mobility worse than ever, breathing difficult given mild COPD and carrying this weight isn't just a cosmetic/ego thing- it is dragging me down. I have a hard time getting around, climbing stairs, walking any distance. Wish me luck. I'll let you know assuming I go in and get it done- I have Barrett's, GERD and atrial fib (which I attribute in part to the weight gain). I know I have work to do- this is not magic bullet, but I'm psyched! I've been on a modified FODMAP diet for a while. I'm getting close to 70 years old and want to have another ten or more years to travel and do things. I thank all of you for your support. I'm sure I'll have questions as this process continues. But, my continued thanks for this forum and its participants as a resource. regards to all, D6

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thank you. right now, just checking boxes with various med specialists to quality- psych eval, tomorrow, gastroenterologist, still need to see cardio doc and do a stress test, then to primary to sign off. Lots of hoops, but it's apparently all part of a standard practice. I'm generally a "get it done" personality, but I'm being patient with this, and doing research and learning along the way. As I get closer to the actual procedure, I'll probably have some questions. So far, no surprises.

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Thank you both!