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My dermatologist recommended Nutrafol. I'm a little skeptical because his office sells it, but he didn't push me to buy it from them (he gave me a pamphlet and said it's available on Amazon if I'd rather buy it online). I decided not to try it at this point because it's really expensive and I'm not sure it's worth it. My dermatologist also recommended Rogaine (he said to use the men's formula because it's stronger than the women's formula) but said that if you stop using it, you'll lose any regrowth that you got from using it. It is less expensive than Nutrafol, too. I did try Vegamour for several months and as far as I can tell, it didn't make any difference. I've been taking biotin faithfully every day since surgery, and I doubt it helps, but I figure it doesn't hurt, and it's cheap, so I keep taking it. But honestly, I think the only improvement has just been from waiting for it to grow back. I had a different surgery 15 months after my gastric bypass and experienced another round of telogen effluvium, but it's been improving for the last few months even thought I gave up on growth products.

You're talking about the sleeve, right? For rny, there is a pouch because the stomach is bypassed. Nothing really gives me ick. I do have a pet peeve though concerning wls. People who have too high of expectations. For example, complain they lost "only" 15 lbs a month (that is a whopping 52500 calories less) and blame the surgery when they wouldn't have lost weight at all if it weren't for the surgery and probably would've continued gaining.

Hi there. I haven’t been on this forum for a while. Everything that you’re feeling is normal I’m right there with you. I had revision surgery six months ago due to severe Gerd and I can tell you that I am not hungry and I eat because I need to or I’m bored. I have a delayed sense of fullness but is nothing like the sleeve. My surgery was in May and it took months before I even felt that. I do have to be careful because once the fullness does hit is miserable. Even then it is nothing like the restriction that I felt from my sleeve. The valve is gone so it’s all about receptors at this point . Keep watching your portions you know what you need to consume get your protein and eat some veggies and drinking water . I was never hungry with my sleeve either. I hope that helped.

Hello, all! I had gastric bypass on December 29th, so I'm only 6 days post-op, but I hit my first personal benchmark of losing 20 lbs since my 2-week liver shrinking diet pre-surgery today. If you are a visual person who is still on your weight loss journey or are looking to gain muscle, I wanted to share an awesome FREE app that helps track your progress visually and automatically takes measurements for you. It's called Me°-Three-Sixty. (No waiting for a partner to take your measurements or trying to do it yourself while holding one end of the tape measure awkwardly in your teeth or armpit.) As you continue to take scans, you can compare two scan dates side by side, both visually and with measurements. The measurements are approximations from taking a front facing and side view photo, but as long as you are consistent in where you stand & distance from the camera, the progress will be the same but may differ from actual tape measure. I took a scan pre-surgery and then took another one today. The app calculates the change in inches and percentages between any two scans. You can also use the slider tool and see what your body might look like with a weight gain or weight loss up to a certain pound percentage. Anyway, I thought you might like to try it out while you have something to compare a "Before" photo and it can still be in an anonymous way. I also loved Baritastic app, so if you know of other awesome apps we could benefit from please drop them in this thread!

14 lbs in three weeks is pretty normal. Most people who aren't the size of the patients on "My 600 lb Life" seem to lose 15-25 lbs the first *month* after surgery. And since you're a revision patient (weight loss is usually slower for revisions than for virgin surgeries), I'd expect you'd be at the lower end of that range. You're only at the three week mark, so I'm guess you'll be 15 lbs down (if not a little more) by the end of your first month. not having an appetite at all is completely normal. Hunger usually comes back sometime during the first year after surgery. Mine came roaring back at five months out. Honestly, I wish mine had never come back. Although it was weird at first, I must admit it was easy to lose weight when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food. THings got a lot harder once my hunger and appetite came back. So take full advantage of that!! also, even though I was a slow loser from the get-go, I lost 235 lbs (at least originally - I gained about 20 lbs back in year 3, which is also common - most people have a 10-20 lb weight rebound after hitting their lowest weight). you are doing absolutely fine - actually a little better than expected since your surgery was a revision. I think you're doing great! P.S. I lost 16 lbs my first month - and I had a virgin surgery AND weighed almost 400 lbs. You're what we call a "light weight" at 222 lbs - and this is also a revision for you - so you're doing very well!

Hi everyone glad to have found you. Happy New Year. I am six month out from sleeve to bypass for severe GERD. I am still learning what this little tummy likes. Unfortunately dumping is frequent and nausea when too much carbs/sugar. My biggest frustration now is not having a trigger of when I am full until it’s too late and then I’m miserable. I just don’t feel the restriction immediately like I did with my sleeve, it’s more of a delayed reaction so I am having to pay more attention. I can say I have lost the 20 pounds I put on so that is a plus. Still have high blood pressure and had to change my meds around since no more long acting meds allowed but my cholesterol is normal for the first time in 7 years! And yes GERD is gone. I feel a little heat with spicy food but it quickly goes away. A plus to this surgery is I can eat salad again!

Almost everything checked off off my list for gastric Bypass surgery. The only thing I am waiting on is the follow up with my endochronologist next week for the results of my thyroid nodule and a test that I had done. My question is has anyone else had any thyroid problems and has not to be able to get your gastric bypass surgery done.

Hello All, I've been lurking here for a while and have appreciated your transparency and vulnerability. I was on this forum almost ten years ago after having a gastric sleeve. I never met my goal weight; over the years, the weight returned. Last month, I was only 50 pounds short of my highest weight. So, on December 12th of this year, I had a revision to gastric bypass. I feel a little discouraged right now because I don't feel I'm making the progress I expected. I lost 11 pounds my first week, but I am only down another 3 pounds for the next 3 weeks. So, I am only down 14 pounds at three weeks post-op. I do not have an appetite at all and am having difficulty getting anything down but liquids, although I was cleared to begin soft foods today. I couldn't even engage in the puree phase too much. Protein shakes are very hard to get down, so I've transitioned to Isopure (which is more of a liquid). Despite eating little to nothing, my weight loss is slow. It could also be attributed to my starting weight being a little lower than most. I started at 5'2, and my starting weight was 222. Additionally, I take bipolar meds, which are known to cause weight gain. Any words of advice or encouragement? I'm feeling down right now.

I will be have my bypass on the 9th January, Im very excited but also scared and neevous. Any advice from anyone would be appreciated, lessons learnt or looking back would you have done anything different? Xx

Hello, So, I FINALLY have my surgery date 1/13/23. It's literally FRIDAY THE 13TH....I nervous as hell. I have great friend that had bypass surgery about a year ago brig me an awesome care package. I wasn't prepared for the frankness of our conversation. No showering for a few days...just wipes. For #2's it would be difficult to "clean properly" so he gave me wipes and suggested a bidet. He said that i'd be walking the same day of surgery!! He said the walking was the best way to deal with the gas pain. This liquid diet SUCKS SO HARD!!!! I'm getting cold feet honestly. Any and all kind words will be graciously accepted.

So someone dug out this thread: https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/434528-i-am-a-food-addict-and-bypass-isnt-a-cure/ I saw several users wishing for more discussion on this. However, we don't have these discussions. If a thread like this pops up it gets some traffic and then gets buried under other threads until someone might dig it up again. So... what in your opinion is the reason we're not talking (a bit more) about this? Are people talking about these issues elsewhere? Are we too scared? Ashamed? Do we not really care? Or are we all cured after all?

I have a follow up with my primary today but am fully ready to be sent to ER or go to ER if not directed to. Luckily I've been with this primary for more than a decade...heck...maybe almost 20 years and he knows 1) I am no pain weenie 2) I'm not a hypochondriac 3) I don't seek out pain meds and honestly most don't seem to be worth much HOWEVER when I'm in excruciating pain these days, I'm ready to try anything almost to get even a moment's relief The pain, as many stated, is almost like before removal. I can be in general discomfort, great discomfort or 'curl into a fetal position and try to breath thru it discomfort'. They don't warn you/inform you that having your gallbladder out is not a magic fix and also I wish I had known more about the downsides of not having a gallbladder, not that this would have changed me getting it removed or not but I sure would have been more mentally prepared. I have some of the 'follow up if you get these symptoms' type things going on but NOT the heavy hitter ones like jaundice (yellow eyes/skin) nor high fever. I've had blips of a few low grade temps, whatever they call it these days - 99.4, 99.2, 99.8. My daughters and I are odd as our normal body temps almost never show 98.6, we are all 3 about 95% of the time shown as 97.X. I don't know why and if that is even significant or just normal for many ppl. The discomfort/pain is 'alive' for sure over here (oof, and the bouts of nausea and 'flushing'/redness/clammy-soaked skin). Now I also have a continued burning sensation where..I guess my gallbladder used to be? My stomach gets very bloated/distended. I did a video the other night because I kid you not, I looked like I was 4 or 5 months pregnant. I was a bit taken a back as I'm used to seeing my saggy/deflated stomach and alarmed as I thought...OMG...how much weight have I gained over the holidays...!! (Answer - 8 pounds)...I do know in the past 2 days I've become very constipated so I just know that this is going to end up being a big focus if any scans are done. Yeah, I know...there is a lot of 'stuff' in there. The constipation is due to some unwise food choices and the fact that I'm not eating as much fiber as normal and I tend to have 'cycles' of constipation even when my diet is steady, predictable, relatively low in fat and high in fiber. I've taken stool softeners for past few days and just took a laxative. Anyone know if 2 to 4 years post surgery, can you have SO much constipation that you look VERY pregnant? For the ongoing pain/discomfort/burning I've tried: Not eating for most/90% of the day, drinking broth, doing a day of protein shakes, eating very little, eating a lot (not planned but it happened)..and none of this has impacted/alleviated the discomfort so I'm honestly..puzzled. Dang, I remember the bypass post op months when sometimes things didn't feel right - in hindsight I had some struggles with abdominal spasms and I'd get scanned and they'd be like 'nope, everything is ok'. I guess I should remember it is OK to go in and be seen and get verified that 'everything is ok' I guess that is why i honestly cringe at the thought of going to ER's, etc. Obviously I mentally know at this point that 'not going' is not a solution either. My appt with primary is in roughly 2 hours, I'll be mentally prepared to go wherever he feels is best if he does want me to go be 'seen/scanned', etc. TY to all who have taken time to comment. Hopefully for those who have not had their gallbladder removed you now know to do a bit more research/ask questions. Not saying this should change a recommendation to get a gallbladder removed but there are things you may need to do to make adjustments to your 'diet' post removal that did not get mentioned, nor was I fully aware of the gallbladder's role in our bodies and the fact that nothing else that I'm aware of 'leaps' in to take over that role. I SHOULD have done my homework. I've had 2 years of warning that my gallbladder was NOT Happy. I could have been better prepared. Blah.. Will let y'all know what I find out today and spread what my experience shows me/informs me/clarifies for me in the hope it may help someone else out down the road.

Hello Everyone! I had roux en y gastric bypass back in 2011 and have since had multiple complications that I had to have surgery to fix such as gallbladder removal and repairing a perforated ulcer. Has anyone had any success in getting revision surgery after roux-en-y with Medicaid or Tricare covering the revision? Start weight was 315. Went down to 114 (which was around the time I got very sick) and started steadily regaining in the past 2 years. I never feel full, always hungry, and always nauseous afterward with bad reflux. I was diagnosed with GERD as well. Has anyone here successfully gotten Medicaid or Tricare to cover the procedure? I am in Maryland. Thanks!

Go back to the surgeon who removed your gall or back to emergency sooner rather than later. You shouldn’t still be experiencing pain & the other symptoms three weeks out. I wonder if you may have an infection. I had my sleeve surgery about 2 months before you had your bypass. I had my gall removed in June 2021 so 2 yrs later. Gall stones are pretty common after weight loss. I’m surprised no one picked it up or explored the possibility more deeply sooner & you had to experience gall attacks for so long. They picked up my single gall stone about 8 months after my sleeve during a ultra sound of my liver to check it was okay. I had no symptoms. When I had my first attack (yes, it was horrendous too) I I knew what it likely was. Saw my GP, got a referral back to my bariatric surgeon & he removed my gall about 2 weeks after that first attack. Yes the recovery was a little worse than my sleeve but not much - had gas pain which I didn’t with my sleeve & a little more general discomfort for a week or so. I wonder if your surgery & recovery has been longer & more arduous because your gall wasn’t in the best way (lots of inflammation, the adherences, etc.) But definitely seek medical advice.

Hey guys! It’s been a month and a half since I went through gastric bypass surgery and I’m feeling AWESOME. That being said, and after reading other blogs and q&a’s I’m still wondering how long should I wait to eat spicy food. I’m craving for kimchi like crazy!!! Some say I should wait 3 months. And it has only been 1.5. I need kimchi and spicy food ASAP! Suggestions anyone? HELP! 😂🥰

My second goal is hoping to be stable enough at goal in a year and have a tummy tuck 6 months later. I'm 10 wks post op and have about 100# to go. Am down #35 down since bypass. Glad to hear posts about post surgery.

I had my gall bladder removed years before bypass. My Surgery was extended as my rotted gallbladder ate my bile ducts so they gad to create and replace them. I don't remember much pain after 10 days. Maybe you should make a visit to the surgeon or at least family doctor.

Going on 3, maybe 4 yrs post-op. Wow, never thought there'd come a day when I didn't remember. For past 2 yrs I've endured right sided pain. At first I thought it was ovarian but got that checked (was fine) and was a bit high for ovarian. During scans of ovaries/abdomen, it was consistently noted my gallbladder was 'distended'. Sometimes I'd have attacks of pain that would last for hours. I was always stunned when scans would say no 'sludge, no stones, nada' so I thought great, another medical mystery. Finally when I ended up in ER over Christmas 'sludge' and stones were finally noted so they decided to remove it. I was in so much pain that even getting to ER is a blur (husband drove). I do know surgeon said that while gallbladder removal surgery was technically not a big surgery, the fact that I had gastric bypass did mean surgery may take a bit longer as they had less room to maneuver since abdominal area was 'segmented'. That I remember. I came to, according to my husband, hours later and I wondered wow, why did it take so long? Has anyone had gallbladder removal post weight loss surgery and experience same thing (procedure took longer, etc.) MAIN reason I'm back here after few yrs of absence is there are no other people I can go to that can give me at least comparative experiences (i.e. they've not had weight loss surgery so we are anatomically "different"). Honestly, my gastric bypass was a CAKEWALK compared to getting gallbladder out. Is this normal or have I become a weenie in 3 yrs? It literally still HURTS. I am now roughly 21 days post op and I still have right sided pain almost like my gallbladder was never removed. I mean, I know it has been but WHY does it feel like something is still just 'not right'? I figured I was just having a slow recovery and going to hospital/ER is never fun, especially during holidays. Maybe I should have gone back by now as no urgent care place will see me on this. Primary dr not available until tomorrow but what is he going to do besides refer me? Kind of kicking myself for not going back to ER but am always dreading that 'we don't see anything wrong' type conversations...although about 70% of the times I've gone to an ER, there has literally been a legit issue. My right side hurts...and honestly one area feels like it is burning/on fire. I have no fever. No yellowing of the eyes or skin...so I'm just sitting here in wait mode trying to decide what makes the most sense. Symptoms I am having besides ongoing pain and the burning sensation, is hot flashes/heat waves like NO TOMORROW! (is that from the anesthesia??)...clammy all the time...cold sweats throughout the day, nausea...sometimes brief chills..when I walk I'm having to do the same compression/pain compensation that I had after bypass surgery (although honestly I don't recall constantly feeling like I had to hold my abdomen after bypass surgery. I've done cold packs, heating pads, etc. trying to find some home remedies. I've used up the entire prescription of the muscle relaxer which was the one thing, more than the Tramadol which seemed to give some very very brief relief. Sometimes I feel like my insides are tying themselves in a knot. Only thing I can think of is I'm having abdominal spasming and that..it will abate at some point? I can't keep having this interfere with work which is another whole issue. When you tell your workplace you are having issues after gallbladder surgery...well, you know how you get that feeling especially from others who have had something like gallbladder removed where it truly was no big deal and they are wondering...why are you struggling? Some know I had gastric bypass surgery but I really don't want to have to spell it out for others..ya know? Curious to know if anyone else had similar struggles, did it go away...what did you do? Am I an idiot for not already going back to ER to get checked out instead of just continuing to be in pain or does it indeed just take us longer to recover. Interesting side note, if you ever get online access to your medical records from a hospital/doctor, sign up as I was able to read my freaking surgical notes!! Oooh, another sore point - they noted in my surgical notes my gallbladder or some part of it had grown into/adhered to something else it shouldn't have so they had to 'cut it away'...and they also noted a bile leakage they wanted to fix but could not do the preferred 'solution' as they could not maneuver so they went with a Plan 'B' (my wording). I mean...how about you tell me this stuff after the surgery so I don't have to read about it? My husband said I was gone for literal hours - longer than my bypass surgery by far. Any input even if you sailed through your gallbladder removal is welcome.

Hi guys! I have bypass surgery on 9th January, and overall very nervous! I had a gastric sleeve in 2016, and the gas pain post op was horrendous, I am seeiously freaking out about this happening again. Has anyone got any advice from their experience apart feom peppermint juice?

I had gastric bypass 5 days ago, and I echo this exact experience: 6 incisions and the lower left is the most red and bruised. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

How long after gastric bypass can I have queso fresco?

I'm looking forward to finding out what Plan B is and hoping he can really fix up the hernia issue so I can have the bypass and as well be done with constant recurring hernias and get this weight off. I didn't even know I had another hernia because I just had a major hernia surgery a couple of years ago and everything was all fixed up. Adhesions can't be prevented I guess

I went in for surgery on Thursday the 29th to convert my sleeve to a gastric bypass due to weight loss failure. When I woke up from anesthesia I got the bad news that my surgeon was unable to do the surgery safely. When he got in my belly he found all of the mesh from my hernia surgeries as well as a new recurring hernia I didn't know I had. Apparently I have adhesions of the mesh to my bowel. He says he can repair it and isn't giving up on me but we need a plan B. I cried the entire day I was so upset. Waking up to pain and incisions only to discover the surgery didn't happen after so much preparation for that day I was completely overwhelmed with a feeling of grief. I'm really hoping he is able to fix my hernias and mesh successfully so he can complete the conversion to bypass. Has anyone else gone in for surgery and had the surgeon not be able to perform the surgery? I'm still feeling bummed and I don't really know exactly what's next until I speak to my surgeon again and my new incisions completely heal. Happy New Year

Hi all, I had my gastric bypass Dec 21st and I've been doing really well up until 2 and a half days ago when I started to experience this painful nausea that would kind of come and go on and off since then. I had to take my pain meds from the hospital to actually sleep the last 2 nights because it was so awful. I did note that the day it started I did try a new good and a very small amount but it was tomato based soup and thought maybe I royally pissed my stomach /intestines off. I also got my period which made me feel like extra crap as well. Tonight I've been up trying to walk and settle it as I could not sleep and vomited but nothing came up just a bit of foam. It did alleviate the feeling a little but my goodness this feels awful I did talk to my surgeon and he did thing it might be related to the new food I introduced, had anyone else had this issue? Sent from my SM-A515U using BariatricPal mobile app

I don’t have any medical advice for you. I can only share that all my food funerals before my own bypass were a total waste of time, money, and energy. In six months you will again have the choice to eat absolutely everything you could possibly crave. So why now? Are you self sabotaging? Ask yourself the hard questions then do the hard inner work. Therapy, treadmill, phone a friend, OA there’s lots of positive choices. Some of us “get you,” no judgment, I’m currently looking at my son’s box of Funny Bones on New Years Eve.