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The stalls aren't fun. But I've been reassured by the baritastic dietician and doctor that it is part of the process. It's just a tough thing to swallow when the number don't move. Sounds like you need a little rest from traveling. But, I understand work. The past month my sleeping habits have gone sideways. I'm constantly waking up at night. I wear a bipap for sleep apnea. Also have a smart watch that help tracks sleep. My REM sleep has been less than 45 mins a night.

Hello Everyone! It has been a while since I posted on here, but I wanted to get some input and reassurance/knowledge from others who have potentially dealt with this. I had GS surgery done on 9/5/23 and things were ROUGH at the beginning. It did not help that my surgeon is out of state an their office was not the best with returning calls and in a sense "caring" about my progress/recovery. It is a longer story for another time, as this post is about something more current but somewhat related. Since my surgery I have no gone to my follow up appointments being that 1. I decided to not work with them after the complications and lack of any kind of support/communication from my surgeons office until right before my 3 month appointment, 2. They are out of state and I had not found a primary care physician in my new state, and 3. Probably because I am stubborn as hell, LOL! On the 5th I will be 9 months post op, and after I somewhat got my food/liquid intake figured out I was able to get things moving. Being a food addict I have a love/hate relationship with food and emotional connections to them. I am not the type of food addict that if its there I am going to eat it. Once I am full I do not crave or even want to think about food. So, with the lack of hunger from the surgery I was feeling like I was unstoppable. I was eating when i thought i was hungry/knew it had been several hours. Looking back i think it was the common fear of it all that probably set me up wrong, but we live and we learn. I was afraid of eating too much and afraid to see the number go up as well. I would basically only eat at breakfast and dinner and maybe a snack somewhere in between. I thought i was doing well honestly an thought it was normal. Well here we are nearly 9 months later and I was maybe eating 5 ounces a meal and it was like a single taco or 1.5 sausage patties and some eggs. again, thought it was totally normal. Then i spoke to a friend who did the surgery and she informed me of what she was able to eat by the time I am at and i realized i am eating way way way less than what she listed. So, I have been trying to increase my portions/time in between meals. I have a food scale and weigh out majority of my ingredients and now am calorie obsessed. I am doing it to hopefully eat enough and make sure I am getting enough in me to help with my dizziness and hair loss/brittle nails issues. Since doing so though now I have MAJOR fear that i am eating too much and i am doing it wrong. I am terrified i stretched my stomach and something is not right because i am not gaining weight. I am up 4 pounds and in my terrible mind it feels like I've gained 40 pounds. I was consistently walking everyday until mid-December, but stopped due to pain in my hips (another long story), but have started walking again consistently as of last month. I am also trying to find a new doctor/surgeon here in Tuscaloosa or Birmingham to have a consistent source of information/support. But until then I am in mind panic mode. Has anyone felt this way or dealt with stretching? My family is convinced it has not stretched, but I being the crazy one worried about it feels like i have. I am open to private messages if thats a thing and willing to answer any questions as well!

Give your surgeon a call. You really shouldn’t be experiencing a lot or any pain (besides a little discomfort or lingering surgical gas pain) at this point especially after it was initially managed. Some people find sleeping in a recliner helpful or prop themselves up on extra pillows or a wedge. I presume you are still using your CPAP machine. It can be hard to meet those protein & fluid goals in the beginning. And yes you’ll have days when it is easier than others. As long as you are making an effort & can see an improvement over a couple of weeks you’ll be okay. Oh & yes those shakes can be hideous after surgery, The temporary change to your taste buds doesn’t help. I found them very grainy so texturally blah! I diluted them (added another 50% water) & fir ed myself to have one for breakfast. Tried the bone broths but they seemed so salty (glad you enjoy them). Thank gracious for cream soups & consommés. All the best.

My hair was down to the middle of my back. It really looked terrible. Split ends, super dry and brittle, no shape, emphasized my scalp and the general thinning. After my surgery, I was nervous to go too short so I went to juuuuust below my shoulders. Looked good for about 6-8 weeks and then started to show the thinning and my scalp again. This time around, I cut my hair just ABOVE my shoulders and decided to stop straightening it. My natural waves came back in full force, which helped A LOT. And it's easier to maintain and doesn't look thin at all.

I had so much pain after my sleeve. I was miserable for the first 2 weeks. I couldn't meet my fluid intake because I couldn't tolerate cold liquids at all. I was living on my pain meds and later tylenol. So I completely feel you on this. If your surgeon already knows how you're doing and says you're fine, then there's not a lot you can do. You can call them back and tell them the same stuff again (emphasize that it was initially managed but now it's not) but I'm guessing they'll tell you the same things they said last time. Sleeping propped up or in a recliner was my saving grace. I, too, am a side sleeper so finding a comfortable position the first 2 weeks was really tough. Also, I was falling asleep all the time in the beginning, so that made it worse. That's normal (sleeping a ton in the beginning) so don't worry about that. The only thing that's not negotiable (in my eyes) is the multivitamin. You absolutely HAVE to have it. If you can't tolerate the one you have, find a liquid one or chewable one in a flavor you might like better. While not preferred, maybe even gummies (they have yummy flavors, and that might help in the beginning). A capsule might also help since they have no flavor at all. Tablets can be rough in the beginning due to size and flavor. If the premade shakes are too much for you at times, try an unflavored protein shake powder. Add it to milk (I personally do almond milk) and then add a non sugar sweetener to taste (I use monk fruit sweetener because I hate Stevia). Protein and fluids are the absolute MOST important things right now (next to the multivitamin). It's ok to not hit the goals in the beginning, but you want to get as close as you can. Instead of regular broth, try different flavors of bone broth (richer taste and higher protein amounts). Try different shake flavors. Taste buds absolutely change after the surgery, so it's normal to not like the flavors you loved pre surgery (that's why you shouldn't stock up before the surgery). I also got a lot of the sugar free water flavoring powders in different flavors (you can get them at any grocery store) which gave me variety when getting in my fluids (I still use them now because I despise plain water).

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The jumpstart to weight loss was obviously amazing, but I was surprised how quickly my usual body pain & aches stopped bothering me. My knee problems have basically vanished, and the lower back pain I had gotten so used to living with has gotten so much better. I can breath easier when doing things that used to have me out of breath -- going up 2 flights of stairs, for example. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The pre-OP shakes -- I'm lactose intolerant and have trouble with stevia, and there were no shakes my care team could find for me that didn't have one-or-both things, so I spent a good 8-9 days barely keeping anything down. The surgery itself went off without a problem, and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought -- other than the car ride home! If you get WLS, bring a pillow to clutch to you afterwards!! 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing during, nor after -- but I'm only 10wks post-OP tomorrow. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I too am on SSRIs for long-time depression & anxiety. Most days have been awesome and cheery. Even during the initial aches and pains of recovery, just knowing that things were going to start changing for the better improved my mental state. I still have bad moments / days but once I started seeing all the improvements to my life it makes it easier to push through. It certainly helps to have a good support system -- people in my life, but also honestly this forum. TBH I was in a #$%& mood all day and feeling lethargic, but logging in here I know that everyone here understands and it just makes me feel more settled. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? I am currently having a ton of problems with chicken breast. I hate 'dark meat' poultry, but tried chicken thighs recently and it's not too bad but still leaves me with a heavy feeling in my stomach -- still better than the stuck feeling in my chest that the white meat gave. I feel like no matter what I put on it or how I cook it, it's just clearly a No for now. That said, for the most part everything else has gone down well as long as I eat slowly, and make choices consistent with my care team's plan / schedule. Going from puree to soft foods was probably the hardest for me physically, because it felt so different in my stomach. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? It's early on for me, but the changes in my body's hormones seems to have stopped most of my cravings. When I'm having a rough time emotionally, I still have momentary yearnings for old 'comfort foods' but honestly just the thought of some of them will turn me off within a few minutes. (For some reason if I think about fatty oils too long, I just get nauseated). And many of my old comfort foods have just updated into healthier things I can eat. Instead of my mum's Dutch mashed potatoes, I have a smaller bowl of healthier mashed potatoes (or cauliflower, or heart of palm) with a scoop of bone broth powder to up the protein. Instead of spaghetti and meatballs, I have homemade meatballs and extra sauce -- or a ricotta bake instead of lasagna. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I've had one instance of dumping syndrome so far, and it was 100% my own fault. I knew what the culprit was immediately (white-flour leftover tortilla and more difficult chicken breast). I won't lie, I seriously wanted to die for probably an hour, and then slept the rest of the day away. It's horrid. I'm hoping that I've learned enough to take better care / caution and avoid any more instances. Other than that, recovery has been pretty smooth. All my incisions healed up without issue, the gas pain only lasted a few weeks and then there was just a strange tightness / mild soreness on one side of my body for the first 5-6 weeks. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I want to say 2-3 weeks. Around the time I started eating puree (week 3), my energy levels started bouncing back much more rapidly -- which let me walk more easily. 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 100% yes. NGL, sometimes I feel like skipping even though it's not suitable for someone my age, LOL. I feel like I've been more efficient at work post-OP just because of the energy improvement, and physically I notice the increased stamina every time I go on an errand or for a walk with my dog. (I tire her out now!) 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? For the better. Some of it is because the energy and the physical improvements make me feel better about myself in general, but part of it is kind of a trickle-down effect. I spend more time making good, healthy choices for myself, spend more time being mindful whether it's while I'm eating, or making a grocery list, cooking, etc. It's so much time spent on self-improvement and self-care. So I have less time to worry about what other people's secret thoughts or judgments might be and take people more at face value. I have less time to waste on people that bring toxicity to my life or can't respect my boundaries. It's like this microcosm of self-care made by investing my energy in my current journey has expanded it's hooks into the rest of my life. I feel like for the first time in my life, I am actually one of my top priorities. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I had moments of regret during dumping syndrome, for sure. But as soon as I recovered from that one bout, I was still happy I'd done the surgery. I think it definitely forces us to take ownership of our own health and making the best decisions we can towards that. I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with weight loss and can honestly look at their life and see themselves living in this framework for the rest of their lives. By all accounts it seems to be incredibly important to keep it all up -- the vitamins and supplements, the healthy choices and portion sizes, etc. I would NOT recommend it for anyone looking for a magic pill. This takes work, will continue to take work.

It was a mix of everything for me - holiday last year where I could barely move due to ridiculous pains in my knees that wouldn’t stop. I thought it was a Rheumatoid Arthritis flare initially but nope, just Osteoarthritis because I’m fat. I was so miserable. The holiday was ruined and hubby was really worried. Had physio and steroid injections when we got back home but nothing worked. I was 55 but felt 85. It felt like I had nothing to look forward to, life seemed very small as I didn’t leave the house. Pain is constant, nothing touches it, sleep is continually disturbed and I just felt unhappy generally. I wasn’t depressed but it was a very fine line I was walking, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to tip me over into depression. I’ve always been able to see the positives in pretty much any situation but I couldn’t this time. Hubby has his own mobility problems due to nerve damage in his lower back from an op that went wrong, and all that kept going through my head was how were we going to manage with everything? I was the one who had kept everything ticking over but I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated my body, never let hubby see me naked, couldn’t play with my granddaughter, clothes were chosen just because they fit not because I actually liked them etc etc. I spoke to a female GP about HRT as I had just started it but had to change how I took it because of my weight. I was having a major panic because HRT was the only thing stopping me from acting like a crazed homicidal manic! My GP was fantastic, I actually felt listened to for the first time. It was then that I asked about what I could so about my weight as I’d had enough and nothing was working. Every time I dieted, I put it all back plus more. I’d had Orlistat that didn’t work and had looked at the jabs but couldn’t afford £250 a month. My GP didn’t hesitate and talked me through my options, saying she would support me. She referred me that week and, after a bit of hoop-jumping, I’m now on the WLS pathway. I already feel better about things and I’m excited for the future 😊

Looking pretty fine there @Lilia_90. Actually @GreenTealael started a thread the other day where a few of us have started sharing our maintenance stories which you may find interesting. Link below. 😁 What you have gleaned already is certainly true: there are many different ways of successfully managing your maintenance. As I say, & say very often, the only right way is the way that’s right for you. In the beginning you may find you are a little more controlled about what you are doing but over time you become more flexible in your food choices, eating style & how often & how much you eat of certain things. As you progress you continue to learn more things about what you can & can do. Well that’s how I was & am now. Certainly more flexible about some things. Bring in maintenance didn’t stop me going out & socialising with friends & family. I just was & still am very conscious about what I chose to eat, how much I ate & ensured I still ate slowly. Sometimes you have to make the best decisions you can in the situation. They may not be perfect but you can’t beat yourself about it. It’s not like you’re doing it everyday. I don’t track, but do random checks especially when I introduce new foods or new recipes. It may be checking calories or looking at ingredients & swapping some out, weighing serves t check portion sizes (weighed my cooked vegetables last night as I’ve added some extra ones & wondered if I needed t adjust the portion) or changing the cooking methods. I usually weigh a few times a week. I do this as previously if I thought I was gaining I wouldn’t get on the scales - it’s not true if there’s no proof. So weighing myself every second or so day keeps me honest. PS: It takes time to get past the body dysmorphia & being able to see how you really truely look now with your weight loss. Even with the evidence of body measurements clothing sizes, photos, number on the scales it can be hard to see the reality. Those fears of looking ‘sickly thin’ are very real with the dysmorphia. Doesn’t help when people around you may still be playing catch up too: Oh, you’re so thin. Don’t lose anymore weight. You look too thin now. Try to ignore those comments & in some cases you may need to tell others to butt out & mind their own business. In time & with regularly looking at the evidence you’ll come to accept & see how you look now. Though I still am surprised sometimes by how I can comfortably fit in small seats & squeeze through tight spaces. Understanding the space I physically take up in relation to the physical space around me.

My sister who was sleeved on Aug 30th and now myself who was sleeved on Dec 28th both have trouble sleeping. I am used to being exhausted and sleep a good 8 hours a night, but since surgery, I wake after 5 hours and just can't go back to sleep. If I do get up for awhile and go back to bed I can get in another 2-3 hours. I am back to work now so I don't have the time to do back to bed. Does this ever change? Does anyone out there have a remedy? I blame it on all the Protein so I've been trying to get my daily requirements in before 2:00, but it didn't work last night. Bingo, 3:00 am and I am up for the day. Help!!!!!!!!!!!

Ty for the links @NickelChip and yay on the weight loss! Woohoo! I have a major sweet tooth also and have made these brownies twice and think they are pretty good. My twig of a hubby likes them also 😂. I mean they’re not as good as “real” brownies but honestly you get used to it if you stay away from “real” sugar which I do. (Mainly bc I know I’ll go overboard if I try eating sugar again so I just avoid it all together.) I also try to eat and cook mostly keto/very low carb most of the time. This website has some pretty good recipes and directions for freezing and stuff. I’ve tried a few recipes from another website also that I’ll link for you. i don’t make my food separate. My hubby eats whatever I cook for me, just more of it and when my kiddos (20 and 24) were here a couple of weeks ago, they ate what I made for myself also. 😉 of course I try to make stuff I knew they wouldn’t hate 😂. Try these https://thebigmansworld.com/best-fudgy-keto-brownies/ Made these a couple of nights ago https://thebigmansworld.com/keto-stuffed-peppers/ I’ve also made this and so has my daughter and she likes it too, I’ve made it once as written and then doubled the recipe once using lean ground turkey and ground pork. https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/chicken-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/ plus I’ve made a couple of other recipes on this last website that were good also just trying to mix stuff up…..I hate eating the same crap all the time. oh and we eat the egg roll in a bowl with cauliflower rice 😉

Hi there! I’m a 24 year old female who is 5’7 and 250 lbs give or take (photo for reference). I am extremely interested in receiving a gastric sleeve to help reduce some of my health concerns. I am currently pre-diabetic and taking medication for hypertension. My family has a history of heart disease, and I lost my dad when he was 42 to morbid obesity and congestive heart failure. At the end of the day, I want to live a long and healthy life full of happiness and potentially children in the future. I also suffer from anxiety and depression, and I take SSRI’s to tame my depression. I have a lot of questions, so bear with me and please answer what you can! 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? Thank you so much. This is going to help me with my journey more than you know!

i have one too! (i think). tldr; ** warning this is long: skip to last paragraph if u short on time or bore easily lololozzzz ** mine pops out about 3 inches to the right (my right) of my belly button (about the size of a walnut)...always when im doing some fold over bend (like nose to knees), or bending the opposite way (like bridges), or some sort of sustained abdominal crunch (like boats). it would hurt, but ive always been able to push it back in EXECEPT once when it stayed out for about 36 hours. i booked appt with doc to check it out , but by the time my appt came around, it popped back in. then of course, their examination of me was inconclusive (couldn't find evidence of one). he told me if it happens again, take a picture, mark it with pen and come in. this was in january this year. and of course it hasn't happened since. which is both annoying and a relief since it used to happen pretty regularly...at least once a month or so for about 5 years. anyway, i did some reading and i have long SUSPECTED, based on its location and the timeline of its appearance, its an Incisional Hernia (yes i self-diagnosed myself ha). the location is about where one of the laparoscopic scars would have been had i not had a tummy tuck (my skin was yanked down so the skin scar is lower than before) AND i started getting it when my exercise efforts got more intense. i never concerned myself with it very much cuz it always popped back in. until that day it didn't. it was pretty painful. i had to keep pressure on it and bend over to provide some relief. i was so glad when it popped back in, but then upset i couldn't prove it was there, arg! doc says hernias don't get better, they just get worse over time, so eventually ill likely need surgery if indeed i have one...which we can't prove cuz that sucker is staying out of sight these days. but if/when it makes an appearance, the idea of keeping it "out" the entire time just to show my doctor sounds very unappealing to me! **shudder** p.s. on a side note, Mr. theorizes that the reason my hernia has been hiding for so long (its been 5 months since ive had one...my longest stretch of not having one since it began) is because of my increased core exercise work. i've developed some abdominal muscle and strength the past several months, and he thinks that when engaged, my core is strong enough to keep the hernia in when i do those particular exercises. so he thinks if i really want to pop it out, i should do a fold over and not engage my abdominals closed, but actually use my strength to push it out! and im like NOPE! not doing that. tldr; so...if u aren't squeamish like me, maybe you could try to push it out also so u can show ur doc? do you notice what things u are doing when it comes out? u could just keep doing those things...

Thank you. That was very helpful. The desire is definitely to chew. The food cravings I have are from Mediterranean cooking accounts on instagram. The salads look amazing. The old me would have liked at sugar and baking that way. At least the food I want is healthy. My surgeon doesn’t want me starting my vitamins until the 2 week follow up. The rationale is that getting all the fluid and protein that I need in a day should be my primary focus and he doesn’t want too much put on me all at once. im prescribed omeprazole twice daily. I’ve been taking the morning dose but not my evening dose. That also seems to me when I start feeling the “hunger”. I start taking them twice a day as prescribed.

First, don't panic! And don't compare your progress to others, if you can help it. I agree with everything Nickel said -- including the book rec. Kristin Willard's Bariatric Meal Prep is a great resource, and I also really like "The High-Protein Bariatric Cookbook" by Stacey Gulbin and "Fresh Start Bariatric Cookbook" by Sarah Kent. I think a good Bariatric book might help cover some of the information you've been missing from your 'care-team'. Is it possible that you've been focusing extra/too much on calories and not enough on what makes up those calories? My team told me that calories can be important (especially later on) but the first several months it was definitely more about making sure you're getting enough nutrients. 60-80 g protein per day minimum -- my team told me for me personally, she'd actually recommend 70-90g -- and definitely 3 meals a day (+ 1-2 protein-geared snacks). If you have to make them smaller at first since you're used to eating two meals, that should be ok. Maybe while you get back into a regular routine, make one of your meals a protein shake or protein bar? It was suggested to me that both my day (and each meal) should be 50-60% protein, and the rest of my plate should be mostly non-starchy veg -- with any starchy veg or complex carb coming in at 10-15% (20% max). The types of carbohydrates can be really important too. A whole grain/whole wheat item or a starchy but nutritious veg is going to put you in a much better place than a processed corn taco or white tortilla. Are you taking any supplements? Also, maybe check out local nutritionists and see if any of them have experience with bariatric patients.

I started my bariatric journey in October 2023. In the picture I'll post is a recent picture @ 236 lbs. the other is me last July at 363+ lbs. From October to my surgery date Feb 7th 2024 I lost 79 lbs. Around 15 of that was after the two week liquid diet leading up to surgery day. I've lost 48 lbs. since surgery. Which doesn't seem like it, since I have had stalls. Despite having a torn meniscus since last June. I workout nearly everyday. Walking when tolerable, but usually on a stationary bike along with lifting light weights. Nothing crazy. I feel like I lose inches far better than I lose pounds. For the first time since 2003-04 I can wear a large shirt without all the XXXX's on it. This was definitely worth it. But, I also feel lucky. I've not had any big issues.

Thank you so much!!! A trick was to have the hair dresser do layers in my hair. Adds shape, depth, and fullness. And the shorter length really helps. I wash my hair twice per week. I blow dry it with a diffuser so the heat isn't directly on my scalp. I add leave in conditioner for curls and a tiny bit of curl defining mousse and then blow dry it. Once it's all set, I run my fingers through it a few times and that's literally it. Think about doing layers when you get it cut. It's hard to part with the length at first, but once you see your hair looking fuller and healthier, and it's a lot easier to manage, it takes the sting out pretty quick.

Hi All I hope you are all doing well. I had my bypass on the 16th. I had a few complications after surgery and ended up staying a bit longer in the hospital than planned. Feel I'm doing ok since I'm home, but a bit anxious. My hospital only does a liquid diet on the day of surgery and they start the puree diet on day one post-op. I'm planning on starting my soft diet in the next day or two. One thing I'm finding hard is trying to fit 3 meals, 2-3 snacks and required water into my waking day. I'm also really cold. Anyone else having these issues.

Hello, I had my surgery on 5/15/24, I had a hiatal hernia repair with the Gastro bypass and some scar tissue removal. after surgery, I was a little low on iron but walked right away, which helped with the gas pains. I completed the fluid challenge and was released to go home. At the hospital, I brought my purple folder to read over my recovery expectations a book phone a long phone charger, light robe, my comfy pillow from home, blanket, slippers, and chapstick was the main items I use for my hospital stay. I was very thankful for the nausea medicine that helped me through the beginning stages of healing. The recommendation of sugar-free Popsicles were a delightful change. I am now getting stronger and in the third week of a full liquid diet with vitamins, getting ready to merge into my purée diet on June, 5. I noticed walking helps me a lot and then a rest after and drinking a lot of fluids helps me with bowel movements. I pray you all have successful journey in your new lives. God bless, Brandi

For me, the head hunger never went away after both my surgeries. I also never lost my real hunger at all, so I had A LOT of work to do to retrain my brain. I eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. I know I'm eating enough, so when the urge to eat a specific food hits, or the desire to eat outside of those specific meals, I know I'm not actually hungry. My old habits are creeping in. I was a grazer as well as a binge eater. I was able to eat more than most men I know. In 1 sitting, I ate an appetizer, a 24oz porter steak with 2 sides, and a dessert in full by myself. That was on top of a full breakfast of 4 eggs, 2 sausage patties, 8 pieces of bacon, and 2 hashbrowns, a lunch of 2 roastbeef and cheese sandwiches that also had bacon, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes on them, and multiple snacks throughout the day. If I craved it, I ate it. If I was bored, I ate. If something sounded good from a commercial or even just a conversation, I ate it. I rewarded myself for things with food. Everything in my life revolved around food. Had a bad day? Food. Had a good day? Food. Had an argument with someone? Food. Kids or hubby drove me nuts? Food. So learning that food was necessary to live but not necessary to be happy and fulfilled was a big deal. That took me the longest. I need food to fuel my body to allow me to live the life I want, but it's not the thing that drives me or controls my happiness anymore. It's just fuel. No more, no less. Once you learn that lesson, it becomes easier. Not easy, because the head hunger is always there in some form. But ignoring it and taking stock of your body's actual needs becomes easier.

an NSV in the same vein: vacation packing is soooooo much more satisfying. our smaller clothes take up way less room so we can either: (a) bring more clothes, yay! no need to pick and choose, just bring it all!! OR (b) bring smaller luggage, yay again! i have been on many vacations now (several of them for 2 weeks or longer) where i only needed a carry on for my stuff. Win!

As the title says, I had my 6 month labs done a few weeks back (I'll be at 6 months post op Feb 21) and my 6 month check in is next week. My question is this; has anyone's lab come back hyper-hydrated? I told the dietician who called with the results (she wasn't aware my app was next week) there is no way I could be over hydrated I seldom meet my water goals much less go way over it. She said it was beyond her knowledge. I was told my white blood count was elevated as well along with my iron being too high. She told me to cut back to 18mg iron opposed to the 45mgs I was taking. The dietician never commented on my other labs so I'll have to wait for those. I'm concerned because my 6 month is with the dietician and if its beyond her she won't know. Anyone else have odd labs like this? Hyper (over) hydrated yet not drinking enough to do this? Is leukocytosis normal as well, seems my WBC's are always higher.. Although it could be my albuterol which can cause elevated white blood cells sometimes. I'm impatient and thought I'd ask here.. Unfortunately, everything I read isn't good - stupid internet but, I'm hoping its WLS related. So I thought I'd ask the experts - you! I know you aren't doctors, but you've been through WLS and know things sometimes WL clinics don't or just don't think to share. Thanks for answering!

It's my tailbone and thoracic area..my GP had me get two MRI's and yeah multilevel "spondylosis" was determined, but for the most part its very common in anyone (especially females) to have it at 40+ years old. I'm hoping you're right and the pain will subside after a year out..I've seen others mention the year mark a few times when their pain diminished! Thanks for confirming the 1 year PO timeframe, I have 3 more months give or take..here's hoping!

I am currently almost 6 months post op for my original procedure and am writing this from my hospital bed. I am unable to tolerate oral intake of food or fluids of any kind and am being fed via a nasojejunal tube (NJT) and TPN via a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) My surgeon along with many others that have consulted on my case are at a complete loss for what is going on and why I can't tolerate anything. I'm reaching out to fellow people who have undergone bariatric surgery in the hopes of finding someone else with a similar experience to maybe get some opinions/answers. In order to do this I will start from the beginning and tell you all my entire story. I know it's long but I am desperate so please bear with me and read to the end. I will try to explain everything but also be as brief as possible to keep it as short as possible. I had surgery at the end of November 2023. It was a One Anastamosis Gastric Bypass or "mini" bypass. The surgery was routine and there were no issues whatsoever. I couldn't tolerate fluids and my intake was too poor to be released from hospital and progressed to vomiting every time I drank anything. Was diagnosed with a stricture and it was dilated and I finally started progressing. I was discharged from hospital finally almost 2 weeks post op (booked in for further dilatations at regular intervals to slowly stretch the stricture) and was home for less than 24hrs before it began again and my surgeon readmitted me and I underwent another dilatation. Upon getting back to my room I started violently vomiting and no amount of antiemetics would settle it. Emergency CT scan confirmed the stricture was perforated and my stomach contents were leaking into my abdominal cavity. I developed sepsis and had a nasogastric tube inserted for drainage. I underwent IV antibiotics and was later rushed to surgery to repair it, however due to the damage from the infection, it required a conversion to a Roux EN Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and I needed my abdomen washed out and other infected tissue removed. It took about 5 hrs. I spent a further month in hospital recovering, initially on TPN to supplement my oral intake but was wraned off as my tolerance improved and was finally discharged. At this point in time I had progressed to a pureed diet. I was by no means meeting my requirements but the benefits of being home vs hospital given everything outweighed the negatives and my surgeon planned on seeing me weekly as well as my dietician. Now here is where is starts to get weird and my real troubles began. Just over a week later I woke up one morning and had a sip of water (with a few drops of cordial to break the surface tension) however as soon as it went down I experienced a wave of nausea. It was different from before, I can't really explain the difference but I just ignored it believing it would go away (Denial as I just wanted to get on with my life and get back to work and due to the conversion surgery, my surgeon had created an extra large opening to account for my body closing the join so that it would end up a normal size.) I started experimenting with foods and fluids, different textures, consistencies, temperatures, etc. I tried absolutely everything I could think of. About a week or so later and my intake was getting progressively worse and I was once again admitted and went straight for an endoscopy (My 3rd since 1st surgery) to dilate the suspected stricture but there wasn't one. I then underwent a barrage of tests and every general and GI surgeon/specialist in my town came and consulted on my case, as well as my surgeon consulting doctors from all over. A NGT was eventually inserted and enteral nutrition (EN) started but was not tolerated and the tube was advanced into my intestines to be a NJT, which was then tolerated but the focus was on trying to get my oral intake to be adequate. I spent weeks in hospital trying different medications, getting tests and ruling out different conditions. I was discharged on EN with the NJT on 16 hour feeds at a rate of 50ml/hr which was not enough to meet my nutrition requirements but was the Max rate I could tolerate and the belief at this stage was that the nausea would go away and I'd be able to eat again. On the 8th of May I was admitted for a gastronomy tube insertion into my remnant stomach via laparoscopy as it was finally decided that this problem was not going away and by this stage I had lost 38kg (84lbs) and was severely malnourished, despite increasing my feed rate to 60ml/hr (still not enough to meet nutritional requirements) The purpose of the gastronomy tube was not only to have a more discreet way of feeding and for comfort and whatnot but because the tube is in my remnant stomach, I should be able to tolerate a much higher rate to actually meet my nutritional requirements and spend less time attached to the feeding pump. Feeds were commenced at 20ml/hr the next day but I developed severe pain and discovered feed had soaked the dressing around the tube. I was yet again rushed into surgery as the tube was leaking. Another NJT was inserted along with a PICC line and both EN and TPN were started to maximise my nutritional status while we wait for my body to heal around the tube in order for that leak to stop happening again. I've been on IV antibiotics and whatnot since as well. I developed a fluid collection in my abdomen and needed a percutaneous drainage which failed as the fluid was too thick to aspirate and a minor infection at the insertion site and it was believed that there was a fistula however luckily that was not the case. However yesterday I had a fluroscopy in which contrasted was put into the tube to see what happens and whether it's now working correctly and that caused me to violently retch as my body tried to expel the fluid from my stomach but as its not connected to my oesophagus anymore, it was unable to do so. This has now lead me to start worrying about whether whatever issue is preventing me from tolerating anything going into my pouch is affecting my remnant stomach too. I'm now facing the prospect of permanent EN and TPN for the rest of my life and I'm not even 30. So if you or anyone you know has any ideas or similar experiences or literally anything, please let me know. Even if it's just a chat because I feel so incredibly alone in this. To anyone that made it this far, I appreciate you taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for any responses. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have as well.

@BlueParis I think the hardest part about this process is accepting that the weight loss happens over a full year, or sometimes even more! The stalls make it feel like it will never happen, even though it will. Just not as fast as we want. But you'll get where you want to be eventually if you keep doing the right things. I've been thinking about it and one of the things I think makes it hard for me right now is that part of my brain never really accepted or acknowledged the size I was when I reached my highest weight. I look at myself in the mirror now and even though I haven't been this weight in 25 years and the last time I was close to it was 7 years ago, in my head, this is what I looked like all along, so I don't see the difference. I'll admit, I saw a photo of myself from last summer and was shocked at my size. Did I really look like that? But I look at myself now and all I feel is the frustration I had in my mid-20s of "when will I lose this weight" because it feels like the last 50 lbs never even happened. I'm just back to a place where I recognize what I'm seeing in the mirror instead of pretending it's not there. @RonHall908 I'm also struggling with sleep. I started tracking with my Fitbit and I don't get what I thought I did. I go to bed around 10:30 and I don't have to be up until 7:00, so I always thought I was getting plenty, at least 7 hours and close to 8, but in reality, I wake up at 5:00 this time of year because of the sun coming up. In the past 3 weeks since I started tracking, I've averaged 6h7m and only hit 7h twice. For comparison, my tracker says I've had an average of 1h9m of REM and 1h13m deep sleep, with 45m awake and 3h44m light sleep. For the most part, I'm energetic. I get over an hour of walking in almost every day, with 38m in the moderate zone according to my tracker. I don't drink any caffeine. But I do have about 30 minutes between 2:30 and 3:00pm when I can barely keep my eyes open. After that, I tend to have a second wind and am wide awake by the time 9pm rolls around so going to bed earlier isn't a great option. I try to relax and read, but I still don't fall asleep until close to 11pm, and I can easily stay up until after midnight if I don't stop myself. Maybe this is just what my body wants?

@BlueParis Still stalled I had my 3-month appointment yesterday. It seems I'm on track based on the numbers my doctor wants to see, which is losing at least 10% of your day-of-surgery weight at the 3-month mark. For me, that would be 22.3 lbs, and I've lost 22.4 lbs. So, I just have to trust the process, I guess. I have to go in Friday morning to have blood drawn for iron and B-12 check, and I need to redo my TSH (thyroid) from my physical earlier this week because Biotin messes up the results! So I have to stop my multivitamin and my biotin supplement for 72 hours before retesting. And @Noelle74it's so true that the weight does not just "fall off." Maybe the first few weeks, but after that? It's a struggle. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of frustration. I think a lot of trial and error, too, until you find what works for you. My plan is to just keep tracking protein and water, as directed by my dietician, for the next month. I have a vacation at the end of June. If I get back from that and don't like my progress, I will try limiting carbs to under 50g per day until my 6-month check-up at the end of August. If I'm worried at that point, I will talk to doctor about adding GLP-1. But hopefully there will be no cause for concern. My next thing is to learn how to use my resistance bands! That's my goal for the coming week.