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Have to admit I wondered thyroid too. Gall removal can cause malabsorption issues which would add to those associated with your bypass. I struggle absorbing protein & one med since my gall was removed. And my energy is lower than it was before the gall surgery 2.5yrs ago. My labs come back really well too (except the protein which vacillates between 58-61 so barely ok & that’s with meds to help). Also going through a hungry not hungry phase at the moment. Usually this last for a meal or a day or two except this time it’s been 6 or more weeks. Dropped a meal & a snack (now 3 meals & 2 snacks) cause don’t want to eat them. I am concerned as my protein intake is lower as a result. Have lost about a kilogram (2lbs) which puts me back at my lowest weight (48.4kg/about 106lbs yesterday). Not as much as you but … Hoping Christmas will sort it out as I might be tempted to eat a little more again. If it continues I’ll be calling the doctor who does my post sleeve surgery checks. She wasn’t happy 18 days ago at my last appointment when I was 49kg. (She prefers me in the 49/50kg range.) Wonder if it a combination of things with not one single thing being really out of sync or not functioning correctly is what’s happening?? Our bodies are complex & maybe yours needs some fine tuning. I hope they find some answers for you soon. All the best.

I had issues similar to yours where I started with a sleeve in 7/2020 my body started going through severe issues that I couldn’t even hold down a sip of water causing me to vomit uncontrollably in the end of 8/2020 I went to use my restroom and I collapsed. My surgical team had me enter a rehab to try and help me build up my strength and put in a PICC line. I was in the rehab for 6 weeks and the team started to work with my insurance and got permission for a revision to a bypass.(my brain started to have issues with retaining short term memories due to lack of nutrition) Had the revision to bypass done in 3/2021 My body took forever to start to regulate and start to work the way it is supposed to. I pushed myself to do as much work with my brain to get back to “normal “ as much as possible and I’d say I am about 90% recovered. Physically I’m back to “normal” most days occasionally I’ll still have a nauseous day or some dumping but I was just at my dr last week and I am down just shy of 200lbs stay strong you will get through this Family members ask me if I could rewind time if I’d still go through with the surgery and I say I may have opted for the bypass instead of the sleeve but absolutely because if I didn’t get that weight off I know without a doubt I’d be dead within a few years so even with all these issues the surgery was worth it.

Ya they said everything looked good other than Vitamin A and B12 deficiency and my protein levels where low. But I'm doing a repeat this week to check them and my liver counts since they were elevated.

From everyone I have talked to , it seems like the first 3 days are the worst. Your body just went thru trauma and it's trying to figure things out. Rest and be comfortable ! Take it slow and you'll be fine.

I had the sleeve surgery 9/26/16 and did well with it till I had my gallbladder removed in 2018 then I developed severe gastric reflux. My surgeon found that my bile duct got stuck open after they removed my gallbladder. With the bile constantly running in my sleeve it eroded it causing some precancerous changes. Once my insurance approved for a second surgery we went with changing over to a bypass in June of 2020 to fix the problem. I was very happy that we ended up doing the revision because I no longer had to sleep sitting up and my stalled weight loss finally started back up again and I was able to continue my weight loss journey. Fast forward to the present of this year I have been holding a good weight of between 137 to 145 lbs and no health issues really I just still struggled with dumping a lot cause my new pouch didn't always like food but I maintain weight with the help of shakes. Then in August of this year for some reason I just started getting where I didn't feel well and I dropped like 17 lb like it was nothing. I contacted my surgeon because I was concerned because of how weak and tired I had felt and I've noticed like vision changes my muscles or shrinking rapidly I was becoming dehydrated and all kinds of new things that I wasn't prepared for. My surgeon ordered a upper scope and a lower which come back very good. My lab showed that I did have a couple vitamin deficiencies so I increased my vitamins I actually have to go redo my labs here because I also ended up getting sick and went in the ER in my liver counts were high and they never been high before so we're checking those this week. But now I'm having a harder time eating and getting my body to absorb my nutrition even the protein shakes aren't helping maintain my body weight I am dropping weight still pretty rapidly I'm down to 124 lb now and my immune system seems to have been weakened because I get sick super easy and I try to stay away from other people otherwise that makes it harder on me and I guess get wiped out. I am currently waiting for my surgeon to call me back because I'm getting more concerned about how we come getting it's getting harder to do every daily things such as washing my hair folding my clothes and putting them away my muscles hurt and they're tired and weak and they get all cramped up. I'm blessed to have this surgery but I was never expecting that I would get this new very weird complication of just not being able to eat very well and to maintain weight. I trust my surgery team he's wonderful I'm hoping they can figure this out I'd really do not want a feeding tube or a PICC line I work with the public and that's even getting hard to do and I've almost thought about applying for disability until I get this figured out so I can quit losing weight by exertion. I'm just wondering is anybody else going through something like this or they just out of nowhere started losing weight again and they just can't seem to get it to stop. I'm worried not only for myself but for my family because my kids are still pretty young and I'm not ready to leave this world yet I still have a lot to live for. Hw: 268 SW 221lbs LW 124lns Height 5'2

The first three weeks - I won't be coy here.... were really really hard. Having bones sawed off, and replaced and drilled into place is really painful; at any weight. However, once I got to being able to move around more - once the 34 staples were removed after just over 2 weeks; I was able to start moving around more. I totally gave up on the narcotics by the end of week two. I couldn't hold them down well, and the only thing I could eat was.... basically toast with a bit of jam. I finally at about the middle of week three could start walking a bit outside instead of around my dining room table - and progressed from taking 300 steps a day to over 1000 in that third week. At week 6 I am now able to walk for about 10 minutes with a cane, twice a day, and am able to take care of myself, the house, a flock of chickens (less any heavy lifting), the dog, parrot and reptiles. I weigh basically almost half of what I did at my heaviest. With this surgery,.... right before it, I was very limited in my ability to walk. I had gained 8 pounds from my lowest. After surgery at week 2 I was up another few pounds - Surgeon told me this is normal from how much IV fluids I was getting to keep me going. I am frankly eating A LOT of healthy foods right now. On dr's and nutritionist suggestion to build back muscle, nerve and bone loss. I am told that in another couple weeks I will start to lose the weight again. I am not worried, and I can hang with the process. I am walking about 4,000 to 5000 steps a day - over what I should be for my age and where I am post op.

Well I let myself go the last 2 weeks got off Ozempic and binge ate eating all my favourites like they were my last meals. Ill take it easy till Jan 1st were I start the liquid diet again.

I would totally cry, but you'll get through it, it's only a few weeks. At scheduling it was already 3 months out for me and now it's only 4 weeks. The time went by pretty quickly, I've been keeping myself occupied with crosswords, books, tv shows, music, and little projects around the house. Getting ready for Christmas can be a focus?

I had VSG November 30th, and I’m over the liquid diet😩I’ve tried to get creative but really how creative can a girl get! I still have another week until I can add pureed foods but sheesh! I had a calcium citrate caramel chew today and it was everything 🙌🏼😩😭 just the fact I got to actually chew something was the highlight of my day!

I had VSG November 30th, and I’m over the liquid diet😩I’ve tried to get creative but really how creative can a girl get! I still have another week until I can add pureed foods but sheesh! I had a calcium citrate caramel chew today and it was everything 🙌🏼😩😭 just the fact I got to actually chew something was the highlight of my day!

Maybe it would work swapping around the food. Like save your shake for later in the day and have your meal at lunchtime or around like 3. Then maybe your sugar will be more stable and if it does start to drop you have the shake and it brings it back up. im glad you’re able to work with your dietitian on figuring it out. i am on the same diet starting next week.

Yeah, if I could I would have or had some complex carbs but its a pretty strict pre-op (no oils, butter, fruit, sauces, milk, sugar or fatty meats). Two shakes (breakfast and lunch) and then 5 oz lean meat (usually chicken or white fish) and 1 of five green veggies. They call it the liver shrinking diet. It says 800 cal but I'm barely scraping in at 550 cal a day. With the cucumber and 3 oz of sugar free jello I think I hit like 600 cal. I would get hypoglycemic when I was younger and its bad. I cry at the drop of a hat at everything but especially when overwhelmed and I get super shaky. Thankfully my dietician ok'd the snack to add and I actually feel a bit better this morning, physically and mentally.

Just had my pre-surgery assessment yesterday and my surgeon was great answering my questions and helping me with the pre-op. I was starting to get hypoglycemic in the evenings bad so he had the dietician give me some ideas to add to my pre-op. So now about 2 hr after dinner I eat a medium cucumber with a light smear of fat free cream cheese to help keep my levels even. I feel better this morning than I have in the last two weeks. Surgery next Wednesday 12/13 and on to a new life. So happy my hubby can stay at the hospital with me as well overnight. I wish all December surgerys good luck!!!

Hey Alex! I’m so glad you took the steps towards a healthier life at 31. I have been struggling with weight for my whole life. I have raised two kids, limited with things I could do with them. Ji feel days I have robbed them of memories that we could have made together. Now here I am at 55 and I ,reading your post, feel everything you’re feeling. I now have two grandchildren and the first time I took them to the fair and I was not able to go on the rides with them. It was a flashback to not being able to do things with my kids. So I took the leap too. My surgery is 12/27. sorry got sidetracked, yes the liquid diet is hard. Don’t be so hard on yourself for a slip of having a piece of cheese. The important part is you didn’t binge! That slip up is in the past. What you do today is what is important. Start over. I have taken a new thought on food. Everything I ate yesterday is done. My choices and decisions today is what is important. Find something to keep you busy. If you feel like “slipping “ take a walk then come back. Take a drink of water, shake, or make a smoothie. I have downloaded some mind games that take a lot of thinking. I will sit and play the game and before I know it time has past and it is either meal time or bedtime. I am focusing on the restrictions are only for 8 weeks. Two pre and 4-6 post. I keep reminding my self it is 8 weeks out of the 8+years I have to enjoy my new life! sorry for rambling. Wishing you the best with your surgery

I too am Puerto Rican so I understand the attachment to rice. I am 8 months post-op. I personally have had rice on a few occasions. It does not cause me any discomfort, but I haven't had it in any large amounts. I had about a tablespoon of arroz con gandules and a tablespoon of stuffing for Thanksgiving. I still follow protocol of concentrating on protein first and foremost and then veg and carbs. A small taste is fine once in awhile especially for the holidays or special occasion as long as it's not a bigger trigger for you to keep going. Even before surgery, I was used to substituting cauli rice for reg rice. It took me a long time to try bread again and when I did it was a keto bread just one slice. It sits fine, but i don't eat it often at all. I prefer a mini zero carb tortilla when the mood strikes. A pack of 12 tortillas can last me a month and I've yet to go through more than 3 slices of bread from the entire loaf. Some plans can differ, some people's preferences will differ, and sometimes your tummy chooses for you as things won't sit well. I like to live in the middle ground, where I follow my plan the greater majority of the time, but don't demonize any food. I make the choice to choose foods better for me - leaner proteins, veggies, hearts of palm pasta, little to no sugar added foods, high protein low carb snacks. Fortunately now there are many more healthier options so you don't always have to go without.

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has suffered with light headiness? Just a bit floaty can’t explain it! I’m 5 weeks post op!

I wish I knew what they have planned. They are supposed to call me to explain, but so far the only person I've spoken with is the guy who answers the phone, and he probably wasn't supposed to tell me anything. He just said, "unfortunately, the center is closing, so..." The worst part is, I've been a patient there for almost 7 years, doing nutritional and medical weight loss. I love my endocrinologist there, and the nutritionists, the staff. If they are losing their jobs, I will cry. And they are always so busy I don't see how they can afford to close. I am so mad because I had a chance to move my surgery to right before Thanksgiving, but I had to pass because it was too last minute for figuring out the childcare. Now I'm kicking myself. Literally, my insurance approval is in and everything. I have a pantry of protein powders and a bookcase of bariatric cookbooks. I have watched every video on the planet. I just needed my final pre-test, which was supposed to be next week. My mom had booked a hotel in Harvard Square to be close by the night of the surgery and take me home the next day. The kids would be off school for winter break. Now I have no idea where anything stands. I will still have my insurance for January because my husband's job doesn't start until a few days into the month so we'll have paid the premium for January, but as of February it'll have to be the new insurance, and I don't yet know what they cover, or even which insurance company it is. Plus, my deductible starts over on Jan 1, naturally.

Had my final appointment with the surgeon today - my preflight check - We are a go for take off in 3 weeks! Oh, and he is a cutie... although I'm too old to be a cougar! haha!

This is a weird thing to bring up, but I am curious if anyone else has experienced this: I had a gastric bypass back in February and for the past 2 or 3 months it seems like I have been having large and frequent bowel movements. I often go 2 times a day and sometimes even 3. It feels like I am going more now than I did before my surgery even though I am eating less than half of what I used to. I'm guessing this is due to the bypass, but it just seems like there is too much coming out of me for the amount of food going into me, it doesn't make sense.

A dozen years since my sleeve. Maintaining my weight... I am now 67 years old. I have been bone on bone on both knees for years. I finally had the first knee replacement. Let me tell you.... this is no joke. I am very stoic and don't get crazy about anything. The level of pain in the first few weeks was epic. However the thing that has me totally entranced is that I am now in Physical Therapy doing my rehabilitation. And getting stronger for the second knee replacement that I will get in late Spring... After 4 grueling sessions; I am walking, moving well, and have almost 100% function in my surgical knee. I can't get over the comments from the PT and surgeon - About how my "normal" weight allowed me to do so well. My weight is still high. I know that. But I am comfortable where I am, and this is where I have been for a few years, and is my lowest adult weight ever. HECK. NORMAL WEIGHT ? No one is commenting on me being super obese, or needing to lose weight. Instead the focus is on strength and eating well, and getting stronger . What a huge difference.

I called again this morning and the person who answered let slip that the entire weight management center at the hospital is closing. So, I am not the only person impacted by far. He said that a manager is supposed to call everyone to explain, but still nothing has happened. Maybe tomorrow? As for what happens next, I'm not sure. The hospital was recently acquired by another big Boston hospital, which has a bariatric department of its own. I assume they are trying to integrate all of the departments across the system to eliminate redundancies, but their communication so far has been appalling. Why they wouldn't have planned for this by shutting down the pipeline of patients months ago so that all surgeries were completed before the closure is a mystery. I attended my full day immersion class in August and completed all my requirements on October 6. At that point, they were booking 10+ weeks out and there was no indication anything was changing. This isn't an independent bariatric practice where I could see there being management or money issues, but a center that is part of a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. I find it shocking to say the least. I've spent most of the day wishing whichever faceless bureaucratic suit responsible for this trips and falls into a fiery pit. Clearly emotional intelligence was not a job requirement.

i totally understand those sentiments. i am so sick of protein shakes. ..i would rather not eat than drink another! I think having full liquids 14 days prior to surgery AND continue after surgery is exhausting. they should change the preop. if I only had 2 weeks after surgery, this would be a breeze at 1 week in. but i was literally done with shakes before surgery! LOL.

Just a quick follow up, I'm 2 weeks post op and doing well. I was happy with my experience at Blossom. At first, I did have concerns with it being just a surgery center and not in a hospital, but I was treated well by the staff and surgeon, and haven't had complications. I'm also pleased with their level of communication before and after the surgery. I got checked out by my primary care yesterday and he was happy with the results too. At this point I definitely recommend them. Definitely follow their instructions pre-op and post-op, and it will make it easier.

The food addiction is real, and combining that with surgery not being an instant cure all that fixes your problems, while still allowing you to eat as you did before is a double whammy. I'm dealing with missing the food I used to eat, and it stays on my mind constantly still. I'm only 2 weeks out from my procedure, but not regretting it so far. As @ChunkCat and others have said, basically kissing diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol goodbye is what makes the compromise worth it to me. Five years or so ago, before I started having debilitating problems with all of those, I probably would've regretted it, but since my health declined significantly in the last year, to the point that I was a burden on my wife and family, I had to make this change. I don't know if this will help anyone that is on the fence or regretting having it done, but take it from me, if you can avoid having the uncontrolled blood sugars issues even with meds, not knowing if I'm going to pass out or have my heart feel like its going to beat out of my chest from hypertension and tachycardia, it is worth it. My dizzy spells and stroke-level blood pressure have already subsided thankfully. I'm already off my diabetes meds, just on a reduced dose of my blood pressure medicine, which my primary care thinks I can wean off of by March. Not trying to sound condescending, because you are going through a lot of trauma in this process, but consider yourself lucky that you can avoid this happening to you. It came out of nowhere and slapped me, and if this helps you from having it happen, I'm glad you had it done. Yes there's limitations after surgery, but you can live without that constant fear of death hanging over your head. Please seek the therapy you need to at least get things off your chest, but also to help learn new habits to replace the ones you spent a lifetime building. Just venting to my therapist helps me a lot. Sorry, rant over. Just wanted to help reframe things if I can.

So, what was the first thing you ate when you were able?? Thank you! It's not that I'm hungry...it's just that I'm tired of drinking these shakes and broths. I keep on reading all this stuff like being able to eat eggs after 2 weeks liquid like a cheese omelet....and so I start anticipating it. Or i read about eating oatmeal....anything but this protein shakes! And maybe if i can make like a protein smoothie myself....I don't know....it's just hard. Appreciate you responses.