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My weight loss is so slow. I can't help but get discouraged. I am excerising, eating the recommended foods and drinking my water. I was banded 03/30/2011, my pre-op weight was 215 pds. I had a fill 04/30/2011 (not sure how much fill). My current weight is 205 pds. I am petite, so I need to lose about 90-100 pds. I know I did not gain it overnight, but hoped for more progress by now.

I'm also Hypo-thyroid... I'm glad I found this post. I realized that I am not alone. Few people really understand the challenges and frustrations we face.

I’m 11.5 months post op and I have lost 175 lbs total since this process. Starting weight was 358, surgery day weight was 331, current weight 183! Prior to my surgery, I was terrible at logging food, exercising regularly, and had a terrible relationship with food (addiction, portion control, etc). Of course I knew what to do conceptually but the follow through was the issue. I told myself (and truly believe) that the surgery was not the fix! It’s just a tool! A tool that allows me to fix the broken things. What I’m getting at is, although logging food is “difficult”, it’s necessary! You have to be willing do do things differently and consistently if you want to reach your goals. Set up your environment to help you be more consistent: meal plan, log your planned foods the night before or first thing in the morning. Proactivity rather than reactivity is key! I treat my food log like I budget my finances, I track input and output and plan ahead! You got this! You just have to tell yourself you’ll do what it takes. The habits that got you in this situation won’t get you out of it! Embrace your second chance at becoming the best version of yourself and focus on the inputs and the desired outputs will happen! Don’t be afraid to consult your medical team and seek mental health help if need be. We all decided we can’t do it on our own which is why we took this journey. You owe it to yourself to be better than you think you can be! Good luck!

Yes. It is called reactive hypoglycemia and it is common post RNY. It happens when you introduce too many simples or if you dont eat often enough. I have had to switch to 5 or 6 small meals a day vs 3 or it happens more frequently. A few times my sugar got so low I did not know what was happening to me and if you eat sugar to get your glucose up, it will simply happen again an hour later. It is really important to catch it early and ensure you eat Protein.....it happens more frequently if I choose to have cream of wheat for Breakfast and dont follow it an hour later with a Protein shake.

I've had hairloss related to hypothyroidism in the past. It is a common symptom of a thyroid imbalance whether it be Hypo or Hyper. If you were put on a medication when this problem was found last summer (which you should have been)then losing weight since could have caused your dosage to need to be adjusted (mine had to be lowered due to weight loss). If you were not put on medication then the hair loss could be due to ignoring the imbalance. Either way, proper treatment will resolve it. I am surprised that this was not checked during your pre-op tests for surgery. It was for me. Most check this becaue if you have a thyroid imbalance, specifically if you are hypothyroid, and it is not being treated properly it could hinder your weight loss with the lap band. You should see a good Endocrinologist to treat your thyroid problems.

I do, too. I am bipolar, as well, and I am so afraid that I will "crash" when I have surgery - or become hypo manic/irritable. food is a very important mode stabilizer for me.

Wow! ((hugs)) You've been through the wringer backwards haven't you?!!! I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know you must do something. It can't hurt to start the process and schedule in a teaching hospital if possible. That way you may have more access to the surgeon to ask your questions. I do know you need to have your med issues sorted out prior to surgery...especially when they deal with thyroid and psych meds. But I don't think it's impossible. But I'm just a schmoe on the internet that makes crap up all damn day! I'm hypo. Take endocrine therapy to keep me in cancer remission. Have so many comorbidities and am on 3 bp drugs and still fight with blood pressure every day. My metabolism is crap. But I'm pursuing this surgery with the hopes that I will have a metabolic reset that might make it easier to lose the weight. Hang in there and congrats on fighting your way through the massive grief you've experienced. You're a fighter and survivor!!!

I can eat both sugar and fat in small amounts with no problem. I have not heard of passing out from too much sugar, I have had episodes of reactive hypoglycemia and that can cause some serious symptoms.

Hi Forestcat Yes, I was definitely getting hungry by my first follow up appt w/the surgeon! Increasing your protein:carb ratio should help decrease your risk of reactive low blood sugars. I've had intermittent problems like that before too. To be honest, Forestcat, I was able to tolerate regular food a few wks after surgery just as long as I chewed it well. It was easier for me to get in Protein that way. That first appt took maybe 1-1.5 hrs. Not too long. I don't think they were expecting any records, but you do fill out a sheet which asks details about how much Fluid, protein, calories you are taking in, and symptoms. The dietitian reviews it w/you. There was one other person there who also had a band; we met w/the dietitian at the same time. I had my first experience w/PBs tonight! Not pleasant. Went to Red Lobster and had salmon, which was a little dry. I didn't puke, but it really felt stuck and I wanted to throw up but couldn't and didn't (thank goodness!). I got up and walked to the bathroom and stood in a stall for a while, burped as much as I can. I can definitely tell I had a fill this time, unlike the first fill! Not hungry for Breakfast anymore (Ben Meir said this would happen b/c the band is most tight in the morning). So I'm back to coffee w.protein powder only (was eating Cereal before the fill). Was warned that turkey frequently gets stuck too...will have to be careful! Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s a symptom of ‘mild dumping’ you have experienced I think. I experienced this a lot in the first few weeks and especially as you begin to learn what foods your new tummy likes and what it dislikes rather loudly too. I’d say it’s due to the advocado most likely. Swap to say a very soft poached egg instead. Try adding advocado in a few days to see if it settles better next time. Just because it didn’t quite settle today means your tantrum provoking baby tummy wasn’t quite liking what you fed it but that’s not to say it will not like it in a few days or in a week or a month for example. new tummy means many foods may cause this slight ‘hypo’ feeling even though you may have eaten these foods prior to surgery with no problems. your tummy is new. Brand new like a babies tummy - yet to try food for the first time. Like some babies will vomit, nappy soils a plenty, be colicky or dislike the food - your tummy should be considered like the babies. this feeling you have described is exactly what we all experience. Dumping is like a blood sugar hypo - in bed sweating / cold / shivering / sometimes with loo trips and vomiting and tummy pain but sometimes not. it can last for mere minutes to 5 hours and nearly always zonks you so groggily that you need to sleep. Energy drain and lethargy is instant. This doesn’t mean you’ll have extra sensitivity to dumping either - it’s literally your new tummy telling you it didn’t quite like what you ate. I hope this info and my experience helps you feel reassured. ❤️🥰

I deleted and reactivate and still having the same issues

There's plenty of people around in Australia who have been banded for 10 years. However it was made very clear to me by my surgeon that there is no longer term data, they simply do not know whether the band will last us our lifetimes. Silicon supposedly does not degrade and is non reactive in the body but who knows.

So called "early" or "early phase" dumping usually occurs 15-30 minutes after eating. "Late" dumping usually occurs 2-3 hours after eating (but one member on the board experienced it 12 hours after eating and her doctor said it was likely dumping). Early dumping is more often associated with vomiting, nausea, etc. Late dumping (reactive hypoglycemia) with weakness, shakiness and rapid heart rate. About two thirds of folks who experiencing dumping experience early dumping. The remaining one third late dumping. Dumping simply refers to partially digested food moving too quickly (dumping) from the stomach or pouch into the small intestine. My understanding is that it is usually associated with some type of abdominal surgery (not only RNY).

Update I I Ok so the Doc says I have severe obstructive sleep apnea with low oxygen and failure to up oxygen levels after an apnea event, plus hypo ventilation. So I am waiting to be fitted with a fashionable CPAP machine as we speak. Lovely. The only thing I can do is turn around my attitude, so I am happy that we have discovered the problem, that the office is working my insurance issue and that I may experience what I have read can be life changing sleep after receiving this machine. And guess what? I get to install it myself :-D

Is there any diabetic on this site? I'm going for my surgery June 3rd so right now I'm on SlimFast Optima. It's day 5 for me. The surgery is new here and I'm the first one to go under the knife if I may say so. I have a question and I would appreciate if someone could help. During that time, can I do exercice and not have hypos? Right now my blood sugars are high and my endo. told me it was normal. My body is trying to adjust to what I'm doing to him...no food, no coffee only SlimFast. He said to be carefull because it's going to drop but don't know when. So I'm scared to do some exercices. If someone went through the same thing, would you please reply and give me an idea what to do?:mad: I'm so excited about that surgery. I'm doing everthing I can to help. I haven't cheated yet and I'm not planning on. God is good. He knows how I am. Right now, my Mom, my sister and someone at school are on SlimFast too because they want to support me. This Monday, at work, other teachers, the principal even the vice-principal (how's a man) are going to have SlimFast for lunch. Some even have the idea of staying on it for a couple of days. My Mom and sister are going to do it all the way. Talking about support, I can't ask for more.:thumbup: clempier

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I'm concerned about my hypothyroid too, although my doctor thinks my hypo may go away when I lose some weight. Fingers crossed!

@@Killian I am 8 weeks post op, and I am steadily losing weight. Lost 12kg (26.4 Ibs) so far. When is your surgery, and what type of surgery are you having? Sleeve or Bypass? I am finding that the more weight I lose, my Thyroxine (Synthroid) levels get too high, and I am swinging back to Hyper thyroid again .... I am glad to learn that you also skip Sunday dose. I will start this Sunday, and see what happens. I had RAI in August last year (2015), and went Hypo in December last year, 2015 On Thyroxine since January 2016, so this is a new learning curve for me. I have to have 6 weekly blood tests post surgery, seeing my Endo every 3 months, unless I get issues ..... I take my Thyroxine early in the morning, when I first wake up, on empty stomach, then go back to sleep. This way I can have my coffee and Breakfast when I get up. Calcium, I take it in the evening. With weight loss, the Synthroid levels can be affected, and doses need to be monitored and adjusted, if needed. Good luck with your surgery Cheers, Margo

I wonder if I'm having a form of reactive hypoglycemia. From what I read, it's all lumped together but reactive hypoglycemia has a drop in blood sugar too. I'm still in the pre-diabetic range but my Dr isn't concerned nor has advised me to test sugar. Just one of those things I wonder about. But the bottom line is always 'don't eat that'. I wish it was that easy! Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes I regret it and I wished I have never done it, I lost weight , I am thin but I'm not healthy. 3 years post op gbp and I'm battling what I suspect reactive hypoglycemia and dumping and vitamin issues. I am a wreck, I would advice nobody to get the surgery.

I had my sleeve April 4 in June I had an episode in a grocery story were I passed out. The episode happened twice in about a 45 min period. Went to the hospital all tests were normal. I chalked it up to waiting to long to eat but followed up with my primary care. She did a 3 hour glucose test and found within an hour my insulin level went from 10 at fasting to 211, for those not aware that's and unheard of level, which she has seen one other time and that was in someone who had also had Bariatric surgery but she was 2 years post op not 3 months. She put me on metformin hoping to regulate and I ate about every 3 hours. I thought it was takin care of until out of nowhere I had another episode a few weeks ago and have felt pretty poorly since. I can never catch a sugar drop at least not at levels I believe should make me pass out. I get a continuous glucose monitor this week to wear for a week and have an endocrinologist appt at the end of the month. I can't find much research on this issue but my doc did give me an article about it. Essentially your body thinks its starving so it over reacts to food it gets producing too much insulin dropping your blood sugar ( sort of reactive hypoglycemia but a more intense reaction). And can actually cause your pancreas to grow. I am so pumped about my weight loss ( 80 lbs in 5 months) but I did this to be healthier too and I have followed surgeons/ nuts instructions to a T and feel very discouraged by this development. Has any one else experienced this? Essentially it's nothing I am doing wrong it's just a negative reaction my body has decided to have following surgery. But again not much research out there so I thought maybe some of you may have insight.

Well, I'm glad we all can help answer questions. Ik that the hypo controls it, but now I c that ghelin can affect the hypo as well. Thx

"Gold standard" is a marketing term used in selling a procedure (cynically, it has been said that it applies to the surgeons themselves, as that is where they make the most "gold") and as such is basically meaningless. Here in the States, there are four mainstream procedures that are routinely performed, and approved by the ASMBS and the US insurance industry - lap bands, RNY, VSG and DS. The bands are falling out of favor owing to their high longterm complication rate and low effectiveness, but there is still a lot of marketing push for them by their manufacturers. The RNY has been around for forty years or so, based upon procedures that had been first developed 100 years before to treat gastric cancer and other gastric maladies (Billroth II). It was an improvement over the existing malabsorptive procedures such as the JIB (jejuno ileal bypass) but it still had the longstanding tradeoffs of its basic configuration - bile reflux, marginal ulcers (aka, the "NSAID problem"), dumping syndrome and moderate nutritional deficiencies. Bile reflux has largely been eliminated in the RNY WLS procedure via tailored limb lengths, but the others remain as common side effects and are largely controlled by diet or medication restrictions and supplements. It is overall a very good and mature procedure that works well with tolerable side effects, but it is far from perfect, which is why there is been an ongoing effort in the industry to find a replacement (this is how progress is made.) The duodenal switch (DS) was developed in the mid to late 1980's, which combined a moderate level of malabsorption with a moderate level of restriction (compared to the RNY which is more highly restrictive and minimally malabsorptive) that takes care of the RNY's problems with bile reflux, dumping/reactive hypoglycemia and marginal ulcers. In exchange, it is more technically challenging for the surgeon (which is why most don't offer it) and is a little more fussy on its' supplement regimen. On the plus side, it is more effective in treating diabetes, somewhat more effective on overall average weight loss, and much better at resisting regain. It should certainly be on the radar for anyone in the high BMI ranges and/or with a history of yoyo dieting. The main thing that has held the DS back from being more popular is its complexity, which often doesn't fit in with either surgeon's skill sets or business models (can't do as many procedures in a day.) The VSG came out of the DS as it is the first phase when the DS is done in two steps. Typically the VSG stomach is made smaller, about half the size, than the DS sleeve. It overall yields similar weight loss and regain characteristics to the RNY but without the dumping/reactive hypoglycemia or marginal ulcer predispositions and is also quicker and easier for the surgeon to perform, which is why it has been gaining popularity. The primary downside is the predisposition toward acid reflux owing to the stomach volume being reduced much more than the acid producing potential, to which the body doesn't always adapt. Nothing is perfect, and they all have a place for different circumstances. Getting beyond marketing fluff, hey are all the "gold standard" when used appropriately. The next new thing that is working its way through the industry is the SIPS/SADI (sometimes called the "loop" or simplified DS) that shows some good promise of having effectiveness somewhere between the RNY and the DS, with surgical complexity on the order of the RNY (it is being promoted as being "almost as good as the DS" while being more "accessible" - simpler so more surgeons can do it. It is still usually considered by most insurance to be investigational, and has yet to gain approval by the ASMBS, but there's a good chance that it may become that RNY replacement that the industry has been looking for.

I am absolutely not a doctor but I have experienced late dumping several times. Twice after eating white rice, once from eating a baked potato (both simple carbs) and in all cases about two to three hours following eating. Late dumping is usually the result of reactive hypoglycemia. The first time I had it I checked my blood sugar and it was 37. The majority of folks (about two-thirds) who experience dumping experience early dumping. The remaining one-third experience late dumping. And it's important to remember that many never experience dumping at all. Here are a couple of links, one from WebMD and the second one from the University of Rochester Medical Center describing dumping (including late dumping). There are many more. http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/dumping-syndrome-causes-foods-treatments http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=134&ContentID=107

Some patients that undergo weight loss surgery experience reactive hypoglycemia. The following are a few links to this condition. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass/ http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060415p48tip.shtml https://www.stjoes.ca/patients-visitors/patient-education/f-j/PD 7972 Reactive Hypoglycemia after Bariatric Surgery.pdf