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I have done all the required classes and I have lost well over my 10% but they told me they wanted me to lose more... I was reactivated in the program at 290, I now weigh 256 and they want me at 235. That is unreasonable !!! That is why I am raising hell... I have to lose 55 pounds? I have NEVER weighed 550 pounds !!! I agree that all the classes are great info and I obviously am sticking to the diet, I have lost 34 pounds... which is what someone who weighs 340 should lose !!!

Blieve it or not my parents were my biggest opponents when I was banded...even though my father helped me pay my out of pocket expense. I really thought it was my last chance. Neither of them have ever had weight problems - my mom is in a size 14 and she thinks she is a hippo (literally) all she talks about is how fat she is. I call it the "barbie' mentality...they really don't understand. So even though I love them and they love me more than anything in this world, I chose not to tell them about RNY for a few reasons. #1 because they would worry and #2 they are the I told you sos from the band. It's a very sensative subject. It's weird now that I'm down 50 pounds they treat me differently. They have no idea how much this hurts me...I'm still me, you know? But I also know if I needed them they would be here for me. So for now, I'm keeping it to myself...I am going to order me a medical bracelet since most people don't know about my surgery - I really don't need to risk the complications if I were in an accident and not able to let anyone know about my RNY. I'm a huge dairy eater - always have been. I drink A LOT of milk, and eat a lot of chicken and yogurt. I get most of my Protein in my food, which is what my doctor recommends. I don't completely agree with everyone eating salads and taking nothing but supplements...but to each their own. I have tried the New whey powder and not a big fan and I probably need to add one supplement to my diet a day. With the band I was on the New Whey liquid Protein Bullets...however, we as RNY patients only absorb 1/2 of the protein in them. As for Vitamin supplements, I am on Calcium citrate (not carbonite - it won't absorb) for my calcium 4x a day (which I probably get in my food, but am following docs rules), I take the One A Dau Daily Multivitamins 2x a day (chewables) and I'm on nexium for my gerd/heartburn still 1x, and synthoid for my thyroid (I'm hypo).

What kind of issues has Anyone had that were discovered in pre op tests, and were not allowed to have your surgery? I'm 2 weeks away and wondering about my low Iron levels and hypo thyroidism. I'm so worried I'll b turned down. Please anyone give me any kind if positive feedback

We do have a Hypo Bandster site also. Check it out sometimes.

At least 20 yrs. ago, they finally discovered that I had Hypothyroidism . I had been tested as far as 37 yrs. ago, and even though the Dr. said it was, when I saw a specialist, and had die shot in me, with X-RAYS in a Leaded Walled Room.... They said I was fine. Turns out mine fluctuates from Hypo to Hyper says the PCP. The Endro. says no its Hypo. So I went through synthroid, it does not absorb into me. I was asked time, and time again if I even take the Medication ? Yes why do you think I'm here for a blood test, if I'm not taking them. Anyway it never worked. So I moved, and I explained it to a new PCP, and she say's she has heard of this happening, so she prescribed the Generic. Fast Forward in time I started to feel Terrible, and she told me I was at a good level. Well it got worse, so I stopped taking them. I seen her and told her, and she flipped ! Don't you know you could DIE ? NO! No one ever told me about this. So she said I'm putting you back on, and don't stop taking them ! ! ! I told her why do I want to take something, that makes me feel terrible ? I want to see a Endocrinologist... She looked at me and said your right ! I'm not qualified to deal with a problem, if its that complex. So i will send you to one. He said we start fresh, forget the past, and I guarantee you will feel better... So he put me on Armour Thyroid "a natural medication" It works ! My levels are Normal "for the first time in my life" I agree that it tastes terrible, but what are you going to do about it..... So I see him next month, and see how I am doing. But I can't complain about it. Not when it works.

I have had thyroid disease since I was 15 yrs old. I am hypothyroid as I had my thyroid removed surgically. My endo told me as I lost weight she would most likely reduce my thyroid medication. I had a check with her recently and have lost 30 pds and I am more hypo than I was before the weight loss. I have decided to keep my meds the same for the time being and recheck again in 2 mths. As you lose weight typically you should need a lower dose of thyroid medication. This thyroid business had a mind of it's own and can be quite fickle at times.

I see a Endocrinologist for my Hypo Thyroid. He has me on Armour Thyroid. It is a Natural Medication made from the Thyroid of a animal. I was skeptic at first. But the other Meds did not work on me. So I thought, what have you got to lose? Anyway it is GREAT Stuff ! I feel wonderful ! I'm awake ! and the Vitamins with choline in it helps allot, then add in the Protein shake, and I am ready to Rock n Roll all day long :party:

Mystalia, I think you are being too hard on yourself. My wife has thyroid problems and when she is either hyper or hypo thyroid it takes time for her metabolism to adjust to the increase or decrease in medication (at least 6 weeks or more). Her weight is up and down and will not stabilize until the medication take affect properly. As long as you have good restriction the weight will start coming off once your thyroid levels are normal. Exercise will help, but, be patient and recover from the thyroid issue first. Hope this helps. Jake

First let me say Thank You for all your prayers. My surgery was Friday 9/16. Here is my story and I'm sticking to it. First I am still very sore and still alot of gas. My surgery had a few complications. I have a hypo-Thyroid so this played a little issue with the surgery but not bad. Then they discovered that I was bleeding under the skin and had to put a drain and bag on. I only say this so everyone knows that not every surgery is perfect. That being said I do have to say that outside of the complications it really was a wonderful experience. The people from Belite were there with me all the time. They were great and compassionate and honestly caring. JoAnne from Belite was actually there and when she came to see me after my surgery, she immediately ran to the Dr's and told them that I did not look well. I had every Dr and nurse in my room. I tried to get up severval times after surgery to walk to relieve the gas but as I sat on the end of the bed I fell back and passed out. They were there to fix the situation and since I had to stay in bed...no walking,,,hence a slower recovery. Belite was there to pick me up, transfer me to the hospital in Tijuana for pre-op then take me to the hotel for the night. We met with the surgery team that night at the hotel and they answered every question we had. INT hospital is one of the cleanest hospitals I have ever seen and I was a little hesitant of going to Tijuana. We felt very safe. I actually felt more safe there then in some of the US cities. And we were full-time RV'ers for 10 years so I have seen alot of cities. Dr Rodriguez and his surgical team were the tops in their field. We are now thinking of going back in a few months for my husband and will not hesitate to use Belite and Dr Rodriguez. Any questions I haven't covered pleas ask. Everyone else that had their surgery done the same day as me had no problems. I think my problems were a result of a combination of a 58 yr old women 5'0 245 lbs and with a Hypo-Thyroid problem. I really can't say enough good about, INT Hospital, Dr Rodriguez and his team, and all my new friends at Belite....Thank you especially JoAnne, Jamie, Amy, and Alberta (driver) Good Luck to all approaching their surgery and my prayers will be with you all. Janet

I do not have reactive hypoglycemia . . . I am a full-blown diabetic . . . and for that reason alone, I should not have tried drinking chocolate milk (I had a serious moment of weakness!). My blood sugar was high for a couple of hours after that episode . . . But it's interesting that what some people mistake for dumping does have another possible cause.

Here's another topic with really great information and others who have the same symptoms; http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/22734-reactive-hypoglycemia/

Dumping is really rare with the sleeve even though some report it. Considering only 30% of RNY'ers dump, the % is even lower for VSG'ers. However, I developed lactose intolerance and your symptoms sound more like lactose issue rather than dumping. I was able to eat cheese and yogurt, but milk would do me in every time. Reactive hypoglycemia can also be common with the sleeve especially further out, when you have heavy fat or sugar foods after months of not consuming those foods. The lactose intolerance lasted for about a year for me post-op, and I still couldn't drink a lot of milk, but at least I could have some. Around the 3rd month of my pregnancy, it's back in full swing.

I am what Kaiser calls a "reactivated case". I was in their bariatrics program years ago but dropped out and recently have been approved to go back. In the 4 years that I was gone, I gained 40 pounds. Kaiser wants me to lose that 40 pounds before surgery and they have given me approx. 4 months to do it... They gave me a meal plan and told me to exercise. I am going to have to BUST MY A** to lose this weight in 4 months and I need some serious suggestions...

Hi mariposa, Well, I did not have and eroded band, but my band simply never liked me. It never gave me proper restirction, even after 2.5 years and 20+ adjustments! It also gave me night GERD and I would wake up choking on my reflux all night long. It was no bueno!! When I started to seriously consider perhaps having the band removed and maybe getting the sleeve or even the RnY, I researched and asked a million questions to lots of people. I was finally convinced that I should just go for it, and I would be happy with my decision. Guess what...??? I AM!!! My sleeve has really saved my life!! I had so many physical issues, some life threatening that today are no longer but a distant memory. High blood pressure, possible future diabetes (it ran in my family and I would get hypo/hyperglycemic sometimes - though I do still if i eat something too high in sugar!) arthritis in my knees where I was SCHEDULED to have 2 seperate knee surgeries - but NEVER NEEDED TO HAVE!!! yayy!! I was so down and perhaps even depressed... but today I'm living the life I'd dreamed about for decades and I'm feeling SKY HIGH!! I know this can be you as well! Hang in there and once you get your surgery, you will be here before you know it. Xoxo

I just want to maybe clarify this for you: Translation, voice inflection can both get lost over the typed word. The sheer fact that we do not know you from Adam, we don't know that you are a nurse, we don't know you at all, we don't know what credit should be given, because let's be honest, after 2 years and seeing people post "I'm 10 days out, can I eat jelly Beans, cheetos, etc etc or I"m 4 weeks out, supposed to be on purees, do you think it'll hurt if I gnaw down on some beef ribeye this weekend at a barbque??? Do you see why these type of statements get some of the replies??? So, remember when you post something, we can not decipher what you NEED to know. You simply stated: I am 15 days out. I am still on a full liquid diet. Do you think an ice cream cone or sundae from McDonald's is okay to eat? I Have well over the amount of calories left. This is how it reads to some of us and this might clear up why you got the reaction/replies: I'm 15 days out, supposed to be a on full liquid diet, I want to eat ice cream because I have the calorie allotment for the day. NOT, I'm 15 days out, feeling very sluggish, need calories, and was thinking about having some fat free frozen yogurt/ice cream or no sugar added ice cream. Would these cause an issue with my new sleeve or did anyone else try ice cream this early out? Those 2 statements are vastly different. My reply would have been different although I would have suggested the same alternatives, but you asked about an ice cream sundae after having a huge portion of a major organ amputated so you can lose weight, and you wanted someone else to tell you they were fine after eating ice cream. That is NOT what you asked. Perception is 9/10ths of the law, you asked a pretty vague question, and apparently wanted a completely different type of reply. Replies are reactive to the question. Maybe now, you'll see why people replied the way we did initially. Your question was then followed by caloric justification. You're a nurse, you get this situation I'm sure in your daily job. For example (my aunt is an ob nurse) and she gets questions all the time, and they are not verbalized properly, or the patient can not communicate properly, or via email replies she says she just sits there and wonders how in the h*ll this woman was able to procreate. I'll drop it at this point. You took the replies as chastising and insulting. We simply read and replied based on what you asked. We aren't mind readers, and I dropped my crystal ball years ago so unfortunately, we can only reply based on what you give us.

Weight Loss Too much weight Loss Feeling cold all the time - was temporary only through the rapid weight loss phase. My body was in maintenance through the winter, minus 140lbs, I'm pretty sure it's okay to get cold easier considering I was half the woman I was pre-op Chronic GERD Take PPI never have refulx Strictures Only a 2% risk of this occurring(should be lower with an experienced surgeon) Leaks 1% or less risk Calcium deficiencies Taking the proper calcium supplement is essential, just like taking proper, high-quality adult multi-vitamins ensure this doesn't happen. Citrate is your best option Iron deficiencies not necessary, not common if anemia is not an issue pre-op. Multi with iron helps to keep levels normal Can't take slow release drugs Incorrect, there are zero medication restrictions with the sleeve No Aspirin Absolutely false, I take a baby aspirin every day and will for the rest of my life due to a rare, genetic clotting disorder, and aspirin therapy is the only treatment Issues from Surgery Could occur with any anesthesia procedure Twisting up the sleeve (There is a technical term for this but I don't recall it) Unsure of this condition would need to know medical terminology to reply intelligently Possible dumping reactive hypoglycemia is more common and is often confused with dumping, transit time has been studied some doctors believe transit time can effect dumping/hypoglycemia, others disagree Food tolerance issues Very minimal and usually resolve the further out you are from surgery Nutritional deficiencies Only if you do not take care of yourself and do not make good food choices Hair loss that grows back True gall bladder issues Ehhh can happen to anyone after weight loss, I lost mine at 8 months post-VSG Chronic fatigue until fully recovered Can be avoided with proper fluid, vitamin, protein intake. I napped a couple of times a day for the first month or so, but I had complications related to my revision from the band. B12 must be taken sublingually or by injection due to the intrinsic factor of the stomach being removed with the VSG. Lactose intolerance, or whey intolerance can occur making protein drinks limited. That's all I can think of at this point.

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My journey began around 3 years ago. I was under the treatment of a number of specialists most recently Endocrinologists. I received a diagnosis of Hypo-Pituitary and Hypo-Thyroid. I could not pursue weight loss surgery until I had a release from my endo. I received that approval in December 2010 and began my journey with Atlanta Bariatric and Dr. Christopher Hart. My insurance is Aetna and the approval I sought required 6 months weight loss consultations. I met with a primary care and a nutritionist. I was approved in August and my surgery to place on August 31, 2011. My highest weight was 567 with my endo and my weight before surgery was 479. I am sensitive to wheat and gluten, corn and potatoes. I was well aware of what I could not eat. I needed those six months to get a good idea and what I could eat and lose weight eating. In my teens and 20’s I had experienced some events in my life which caused me to want to alter my appearance. Believing that if I made myself unattractive I could keep myself out of harms way. In my 30’s I got the help that I needed and I realized that I myself was putting myself into harms way. But I struggled with ending this cycle of self-abuse. In my late 30’s I was married and lost my appetite with my second pregnancy. It never fully returned and I thought nothing of eating once a day. If I got hungry I knew the pain would eventually subside. So fast forward into my 40’s I commit to do a better job caring for myself, but my body refuses to respond. I start to get recurrent infections, my weight loss efforts plateau soon after diets start, and I just literally feel like I am slipping away. Maybe I waited too long. The weight loss Doctor told me that I needed to see a specialist because there was something going on internally that diet and exercise alone could not address. I went to Progressive Medical and they referred me to my first Endocronologist and after extensive testing I received my diagnosis Hypo-Pituitary and Hypo-Thyroid. You know when you receive medications that help in one area but can make you ill in others? Well that was my experience. We stopped the infections and lessened the fatigue. The trade off was weight gain and becoming Insulin resistant due to the medication. That was not an acceptable trade off for me. I changed Endo’s and was freed from the medication. My body was responding positively to the positive food choices and I was infection free. So here I am it is a new day and a new chapter in my life. I have learned so much about listening to my body and I have experienced so much love and support. I look forward to being apart of a community who happen to be headed in the same direction, Health and Joy and Peace.

I am hypothyroid and take Synthroid (100 mcg) daily. I normally take it first thing in the morning and I have been fine after surgery. I was recently given direction to take my Nexxium twice daily (morning and evening). My doctor said I can't take Synthroid with a PPI because it causes problems with absorption. So this morning I take my Nexxium when I wake up and figure I will take my Synthroid about an hour before lunch. By 930 AM I was sweating profusely and felt like I was having a hot flash! The RN who works with me asked if I had taken my Synthroid. I took it at at 10 AM and within 20 minutes the sweating and hot flash was back under control. Since I hadn't thought about it, I figured I would post for the other Hypo's out there after surgery.

Gem - I can totally relate..good bye Butterfinger, BabyRuth and Snickers!... so long Papa Murphys, pizza Hut and Dominoes....and toodle ooo to pastry, maple bars, and scones. Seriously I have found that getting my pantry ready for the "after" has helped and clearing out the Cereal and Pasta dishes satisfied my hunger and cravings. The new immediate challenge is they just built a Sonic and a Little Ceasars Pizza two blocks from my house. So I will do my best to visit before we start that lovely lardless luscious liquid lifestyle on August 29th. . I'm right up there with you but we can do this liquid diet thing. I just plan on not making mine all low-calorie because I am smart enough to recognize I will faint dead away faster than you can say hypo-glycemic! So do your best and leave the rest up to God! See you soon sleeve-sis. Reb

I think I have a blood sugar meter somewhere, and I'll try to dig it up. I guess I've been avoiding directly measuring my blood sugar because FWIK non-insulemic hypoglycemia is usually caused by problems with your pancreas, which I do NOT want to contemplate... For now, since the problem seems to be related to/worsened by my caffeine intake, I'm weaning myself (further) off caffeine, and trying to stick with the "many small, protein-heavy meals," and I'm going to try to have a protein-heavy "snack" before bedtime (probably just a Protein shake). Oh, and cardio exercise, since that seems to help people with hypo-g.

So, again with the bedtime hypoglycemia, although not as bad. It's 2:00am and first I was up with the shaky/wobbly feeling, which I dealt with with a small glass of skim milk. Now I have all kinds of aches and pains and bad gas. Almost feels like flu, but it's not. So instead of reactive hypoglycemia, maybe this is just nocturnal hypoglycemia? I don't have diabetes, so this is all really confusing. I can't wait till I can see a doc again...

I've actually been a diagnosed reactive hypoglycemic since age 14. I have kept it at bay for 15 years through my diet... even when I was obese. The secret to RHG is to never eat sugary foods alone. You must pair it with a complex carb and/or Protein. If I was to eat a candy bar alone my blood sugar would be in the 50s within a two hour window. However, if I ate a balanced meal followed by a candy bar then I would typically be okay. When you have an RHG spell orange juice is the best thing to ingest to quickly right your blood sugar levels. You can also purchase glucose tablets for these incidents (I keep a pack in my car). This is a quick fix though and must be immediatly followed by protein and/or complex carbs to stop the cycle. To be properly diagnosed for RHG you would need to see your doctor and chart your blood sugar levels and symptoms. Further testing would include scheduling a 6 hour Glucose Tolerance Test and possibly a follow-up 72 hour Glucose Tolerance Test. RHG is not something to be taken lightly. True suffers can pass out from too low of blood sugar- it's terrible, trust me. While I have lived with this issue most of my life and gotten pretty used to it, I have noticed an upswing in "incidents" since surgery. I had attributed this to having to learn how to balance my eating differently than I need pre-surgery. It never occurred to me that surgery may have exacerbated the issue. Thanks for the heads up! Amanda

Wikipedia states here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia that reactive hypoglycemia "is a medical term describing recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring within 4 hours[1] after a high carbohydrate meal" It also states "There are different kinds of reactive hypoglycemia:[4] Alimentary Hypoglycemia (consequence of dumping syndrome; it occurs in about 15% of people who have had stomach surgery)" So this it's saying that re-active hypoglycemia is a form of dumping, which I've experienced pre-surgery. You sound like your suffering from low blood sugar as eating relieves your symptoms, although wikipedia terms this as hypoglycemia and it's back to citing dumping again. I'd say you have hypoglycemia in the common usage sense and not the way it's most commonly used in the WLS community. See here for further wiki details: "Hypoglycemia (common usage) is also a term in popular culture and alternative medicine for a common, often self-diagnosed, condition characterized by shakiness and altered mood and thinking, but without measured low glucose or risk of severe harm. It is treated by changing eating patterns." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoglycemia It's something I used to experience more in my skinny teenage years due to not eating enough. The main things are to try and low carb/high protein it and to eat little and often (you have to be vigilant to not get into grazing though). I hope you can get into a better routine with your new job soon.

So after a couple of unpleasant incidents, I've done some digging, and as far as I can tell I have been suffering from reactive hypoglycemia (RHG). All of the symptoms I get are hypoglycemic (flushed/chills, nervousness, trembling, slight mental confusion, feeling like I'm going to collapse, etc., all coupled with a sort of panicky hunger -- "I have to eat NOW or I'm going to fall over!"), and it's relieved by eating (but only if I'm careful and eat high-Protein foods, carbs just make the swings worse). I'm curious if anyone else has gone through this with the sleeve. Incidentally, some call this or confuse this with "dumping syndrome" -- they're not the same, but they may be related. Eating in a way that leads to dumping apparently can dump a lot of blood-sugar spiking food into your small intestine at once, faster than your body can properly deal with. So part of the "eat every two hours" thing is to eat smaller meals and avoid dumping. The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia) mentions this. I am not diabetic, according to NUMEROUS tests by my PCP (given my weight and a family history, it seemed like a good precaution). Apparently, RHG is very common for WLS patients about 15-20 months out (I'm ~19 months out). It's made worse by not eating lots of small, high-protein meals, by not getting enough cardio, and by consuming too much caffeine. I'm guilty on all counts, but it seems like caffeine is really the worst offender for me. I don't do well with moderation, and I've discovered that when I really go overboard on caffeine, I get bad RHG, often at night. Also, it seems to be the combination of caffeine and carbs for me -- I don't drink caffeine at night, but my nighttime meals lately have been carb-heavy (spaghetti, for instance), mostly for convenience. And it seems like my RHG is happening mostly in the evening. So, I'm curious who else has struggled with this, and how you dealt with it. Unfortunately, since I changed jobs in mid-June, I'm not yet eligible for health benefits so I can't go see a doctor about this. That will be changing soon (next week, I think), but I really don't think this is an emergency condition, especially since I seem to be able to manage it by eating healthier, avoiding caffeine, and so on. Mostly I'm looking for support and advice