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SuzyB Banded April 23, 2008 Lost 25 lbs before surgery from liquid diet Nothing lost yet, just getting started Just got my 2nd fill today, which was a big one, now I think Ill have restriction. I have been rather depressed. I thought I would have lost quite a bit by now, but haven't. I also have Reactive Arthritis and have been having alot of foot pain. But my family doc changed a med for me which seems to be helping both with depression and pain. So....Im doing better and am optimistic. :biggrin2:

I'm hypo and have now lost about 155-ish pounds in round numbers from my recent high weight. I'm also on a drug called Femara that causes you to gain weight and am very insulin resistant with PCOS. It's tough. I had to obsessively watch what I put in my mouth, keeping things very clean, low carb and low fat. I kept my cals between 600-800 to lose (closer to the 600 end). I still have to be around 650 or so to lose. I maintain in the 900-1200 calorie range. At 7 weeks I was eating around 400-500 calories and 6 mini meals per day of less than 100cals each. Averaging 75g of protein per day as my goal.

in the last five years i have done a lot of research on how to reduce inflammation in the body without drugs. i have issues, but managed to reduce my reactive C protein markers down into the normal range. my MIL has lupus and my good friend has both scleroderma and fibromyalgia.. all autoimmune disorders related to abnormal inflammation in the body. PM me your email or FB info and i will send you a few things. you can also like my FB page "whole health wellness" where i post a lot of things on reducing inflammation thru natural means.

Since you haven't given any specifics regarding whether you are pre or post-op; what food stage you're in, what your eating habits are, and even if you're male or female, it's kind of hard to answer! Generally speaking, the body is constantly adjusting to it's environment and reevaluating what it needs to do biochemically to adapt. So if you're losing weight in "patches" (as most of us do), it's because your body is reacting to fewer calories, changing food amount/type intake, hormonal shifts, exercise (or lack of), etc. You are not a static human being that is identical all the time, so your body needs time to "catch up" to the current situation. By the time it does, you've moved on and are introducing whole new set of variables. As long as you stick to your plan (be it pre-op, post-op or whatever), consistency will get you to your goals. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Use this time to build up your new good habits, work through frustrations with a balanced approach and try not to be reactive to the scale. Better yet, measure your progress in other ways (fitness level, clothing fit, body measurements, stamina, quality of sleep or energy levels, etc.). The scale can be deceptive and demotivating at the best of times.

I have been taking thyroid meds since 2005. And it not made me gain infact it has help. I have hypo thyroid See a specualist let the decide.

Hello, my name is Audree. I was banded in January of 2007, so over 6 years ago. My surgery was done in Mexico by Dr. Ariel Ortiz. I am a self pay lower bmi bandster. I also have the Inamed 4cc band, low profile port. My highest weight before surgery was about 195. My lowest was about 160 and I am now a little up in weight at 175 or so. Its been a few years since I was able to go back to see him for a check up or fill, so I can eat with almost no restriction. The only exception to this is right before my cycle, if I am stressed or eat to fast. I had originally been on this board even before I got banded in 2007 under the screen name Babygotback. I tried to reactivate my old account but was unable to, so I created this new one. I recently got married and have a new insurance. I was happy to find out that I could be seen here for check ups and fills by my new doctor in the States Dr. Phillippe Quilici in Burbank. I had my band checked and they said it was fine. I got a .5 fill which supposedly put me at 3.5 I thought they said. I felt very little restriction. So, I am going back this month on the 24th to get another fill. I am excited to use my band again after all this time and finally get down to my goal of 150.

Hi There again. I'll let Betsy speak to the malabsorption amount in RNY. All I really know is, it is a fact that there is more in RNY than there is for LAP-BAND as we absorb everything we eat :smile2: You ask what I would do? I would keep pursuing a diagnosis, that is for certain. I'd also pursue the band. This is my opinion only, of course--I have no medical training. The reason I'd choose the band over the other WLS procedures is that you are unsure of your thyroid condition. I would not want to permanently disable parts of my digestive tract. RNY -is- reversible, just not as easily as is a band. Also, RNY affects some other hormones, not sure if I'd really want that if I were already having endocrine problems. My thinking is that if you do get a band, whey you are hypo, you'll not really lose weight, you might even gain. When hyper, the band will help you with portion control and you'll lose, probably pretty quickly. Especially if you work the band properly. This is based on my hyper phase experience. I was HUNGRY. So I ate. Question for you, are the surgeons willing to do the band with the thyroid issues going on? Have you tried Armour thyroid? I've read that some people do much better converting it than the synthetic variety. Best wishes in your decision!

I have Graves Disease and had my thyroid ablated with radiation about 4 years ago so I am what they call post-RAI hypo (I have no thyroid function at all on my own.). My endocrinologist said I will need to have it checked fairly often in the beginning because the med will not absorb the same as before (I had RNY). So I actually had to increase my dose twice at first and then have started reducing it slightly. I am able to tell from the symptoms when something isn't right (I get restless leg syndrome and muscle cramps in addition to hair loss when I am hypo). But I was able able to tell when it was a little too much med as I lost weight and had it checked. At 9 1/2 months post-op, I am still taking more Synthroid than I was pre-op. I can tell you it has not hindered my weight loss (I am down 100 pounds since surgery last June and 130 pounds total). My endocrinologist requires me to wait 8 weeks in between dosage changes before testing. He says at my age (48), it can take that long for the body to adjust and as you get older that time increases. It sounds like you know your symptoms pretty well and know when to get tested but I would say to treat it a bit like after your pregnancy for the first year at least until you get it stabilized. I haven't had mine tested since November but I adjusted it slightly on my own about 2 months ago and feel pretty good. I'm having it tested again in a few weeks. As for metformin, I was taking it pre-op for Type 2 Diabetes and was taken off of it by my endocrinologist during pre-op liquid diet with close monitoring of my blood sugars and then taken completely off by my bariatric surgeon in the hospital day after surgery and haven't taken it since and my blood sugars are perfectly normal and my diabetes is in remission! I know you are taking yours for PCOS but I would think you will need to go off of it at least in the early stages of taking in such little food given it can lower your blood sugar. I would definitely discuss with the prescribing Dr as well as your bariatric surgeon. Best wishes on your journey!! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Fessie, I am hypo-thyroid also and I definitely feel your pain in how slow our weight loss can be. I have lost abt the same amount as you and am 8 weeks post op. I am just thankful to finally be losing weight. What was getting me was seeing people post 25-35 pds lost that were banded around the same time as myself. These same people were posting about eating oreo Cookies and pizza, while I was staying strictly to the band diet, portion sizes and excersing. Even in the early stages on a liquid diet I lost very little. I am over being bothered by that now and will just be thankful for my pound here and there. I started a post last week for hypothyroid bandsters you should read. Shirley54 had some very encouraging things to say and shared her slow weight loss as well.

I totally agree about the reactive hypoglycemia -- sounds like the classic symptoms. If your sugar is very low, also carry glucose tabs with you as that will raise your blood sugar straight away, then the nuts/protein bar can sustain it from there. I'm afraid the latter two don't have enough immediately available glucose to keep you from going so low you pass out. If there's not enough information on here about it -- you can also read a lot about it on Thinner Times. It's a relatively frequent side effect of RnY and DS, less so for VSG, but not unheard of. Good luck and feel better!!

I agree with the suggestion about seeing a nutritionist. Perhaps the calories you're taking in aren't quite the right kind for you. I do notice that for me, the scale moves lower if I eat more...but only if it's good calories (Proteins with a very few whole wheat carbs). Keep track of your foods religiously for a couple weeks before you see the nutritionist so s/he can pinpoint where things could change. I love the app Lose It, but others prefer My Fitness Pal. Good luck!! you'll get there!! ETA: PS I am hypo too and so far my meds haven't changed since having the lap band. Are you taking them in the morning on an empty stomach (no meals for 30min to an hr)? For the first year of taking Levothyroxine, I didn't know that you had to do that. I take it right when I wake up before my shower and morning routine.

Give it time. It took me about 3 weeks with the gel, and then it wore off because it's a temporary solution to a life long problem, and I was given a vial of Test. cyp and the doors of heaven were opened! If you guys aren't getting pinned for T, and using the gel, I'd recommend talking to your doctor about injections instead. It's a more stable delivery platform and it's easier to manage doses to make sure you're not on a roller coaster ride of T. Plus, why get on T therapy if you're gonna have to worry about your wife getting a mustache because you got sweaty bumping uglies and it reactivated the gel.

Exactly this! Now I literally eat what ever I want because I exercise a lot. Early on, my cravings were for protein, fruits, and veggies. I do not eat much in the way of concentrated sugars at this point, due to reactive hypoglycemia, (said as I munch on some teddy Graham’s). 🤦🏼‍♀️With that said, I am in maintenance, ran 4 miles today, and do not want to lose weight. In maintenance, you can eat foods you want to eat providing they do not make you physically ill or cause you to gain unwanted weight.

I had my surgery in March and had hypothyroidism for 24 years and was on 100 mcg of synthroid. After losing 45 lbs in the first three months o went from hypo to hyperthyroid so doctor has taken me off synthroid completely. Just had blood work again last week and TSH and others thyroid levels are perfect. Just stay in contact with your doctor if you start feeling sluggish or have mental fog after losing some of your weight. I am thrilled that my metabolism has reset and I no longer need synthroid 🙂

yes. It's probably reactive hypoglycemia (RH), which isn't that uncommon among RNYers. It usually appears when you're a year or two out. I have to eat something every 3-4 hours and limit my sugar intake. If I eat a carb, I have to eat a protein with it. As long as I follow these "rules", I rarely have the problem oh - if you're getting sweats and dizziness right away after eating, it's more likely dumping. If it's an hour or two later, it's most likely RH.

Michelle - I'm not sure what causes a port infection once the intial healing has completed when erosion is NOT involved. One would have to think it must have something to do with fills, since the materials are inert and supposed to be non-reactive. Although if someone is having problems with the port suturing, like when I tore mine, I wouldn't have been surprised if it had gotten infected, since obviously I had done some internal damage. I don't know much about bacteria living inside of the body, waiting for damage - would that have to be introduced from outside, like with the fill needle? Penni? Any insight into this phenomonen? I do not have any stats as to how often port infections occur, but I do know they are considered to be one of the more common problems (next to vomiting and reflux). As long as your doc is following proper sanitary protocol, there should be a very low risk of infection from fills. But I think the caveat is there is always a risk - it's just not very high. As far as symptoms, I am assuming the area become red, hot, and tender to the touch. Maybe there is an eruption through the skin as well in severe cases? If you have one, you will know. I would not worry too much about this possibility. There does seem to be a rash of them lately, though. :sick

I am one of ones here that can honestly remember being both skinny at 5'9" 112 pounds---I was skin and bones, not much muscle---just skinny. It was not intentional---it is how I was. I ate everything in sight, and never gained an ounce. I fought like crazy to gain up to 123 pounds so my wedding gown fit! Then I had a baby---and for the first time ever I gained weight. I went home in jeans I wore before the baby. But it soon ended! When I stopped nursing, I was hospitalized for a mastitis infection that hit my blood stream and caused sepsis---I gained 80 pounds in 3 months time! Seriously! I was not eating different. It was extreme! From there I went through bad marriage, abuse, and more serious weight gain! Ironically---some of it totally intentional! (shaking head at self here!!!) Before long, the weight was totally out of control. I could lose pretty well, but it would not stay off. Then it got to where losing so much as a pound took weeks of HARD work---and even then any semblence of normalcy and it come back! I found myself facing very close to 300 pounds, and being morbidly obese. In the time since being banded, I have had to have most of my thyroid removed, and in the medical processes for that, I learned that the inability to gain when I was younger was my first sign of thyroid trouble----and the hormone change of pregnancy, and sudden cessation of nursing, flipped the switch he said from hypo- to hyper thyroidism. Not an excuse, but an explanation---it was pretty scary to be young and out of control like that. But with no insurance, I had no real options for figuring things out. Both extremes, as well as the years I spent in the middle, at a normal weight are both well in my mind, and I can say without a doubt....no questions ask--------morbid obesity brought with it much, much more personal heartache, peoples cruel comments, and open disgust from not only yourself, but even medical personel! I do remember being told I needed to gain a few pounds--by assorted relatives I seldom saw and a Dr. None of which saw me eat! More people by far were envious of how I could eat without consequences---and for the most part I ate healthy enough, just more than you would imagine for remaining so bony! My hip bones jutted out so far, I would have to sew the front pockets of my jeans closed, because the white pocket was forced out and showed! I could have ---not based on looks, but on build---beenon any magazine cover with todays stars....I was EXTREMELY thin---I referred to myself as skinny. The word did not bother me then, nor does it now. None of it compares to morbid obesity. I do not mean to be argumentive Jachut----but as I went up the scale--it got worse the higher I got. The heavier I got, the more invisible I got to parts of society, and the more others thought they could say hateful things without issue! Every single thing you have health wise, is an easy call for a Dr. It is all due to your weight! Until you have felt/heard others talk about you based on nothing but your weight...had a room fall silent when you walked in, simply because they were staring, then jerking their heads away---seen them share looks with who they were with--or been "mooed" at, (and these just a few among many, many ways people find to be cruel) morbid obesity has not touched your life. These did not all happen to me, but I have read about them right here at LBT. I have read the pain involved in each of the situations---and experienced similar things personally, or similar enough situations to know the shame, the hurt, and even the anger they invoked. Should I have gotten control much earlier, of course! I am willing to bet most of us by far wish we had found help before reaching the morbidly obese category. For many of us it didn't come until further down the path of obesity though. Depression, lack of funds, lack of availability all figure into the issue--but having seen and lived from one end of the spectrum to the other----I do believe that unless one has lived and experienced morbid obesity, it is hard to understand or explain. I also believe it is hard to explain to someone in that position (obesity in general) how much better life is, or how much better they will FEEL---at a normal healthy weight. I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up. Maybe the next LBT banner needs to be our own Dove commercial---but without me!!!! LOL Kat

Thanks ladies, I didn't touch my band at all while I was pregnant it stayed the same since I didn't have any problems during pregnancy. However I recently moved to Oklahoma from California I will be going out to Cali in November so maybe I can schedule a visit w/ my LB dr and talk about it that will be my one year mark with nursing so maybe I can get a fill then. I've been getting impatient and hate seeing my old self creep back. My baby only nurses and is eating some solids now but would it be a bad idea to do the two day liquid two day soft food thing to "reactivate" the band? And does anyone know if that works?

@AuthorLizzy thanks so much for your insight. I really feel motivated now ! thank you so much ! i will be " following you '' and your journey for sure. Can you give me some tips please ? do you know any others who have hypo and wls surgery that has lost slower also ? congrats and blessings on everything !! here is my personal email address also smaries_21@yahoo.com thank you!😍😍

@@bellabloom - I am so sorry you are dealing with this and my response is a bit off topic, but I wanted to mention something. Have you ever been tested for autoimmune diseases? The reason I ask is that many of your symptoms sound like what I had when they discovered I had Graves disease (and likely Hashimotos but long story on that). Graves is when your immune system attacks your thyroid and you become Hyperthyroid (not hypo which is what you hear most people have). it was discovered when I was 44 and still at 320 pounds. The thing is, I had massive hot flashes, sweating, sudden weight loss, tremors, heart palpitations, etc. With Hashimotos, your thyroid will swing wildly back and forth between hyper and hypo and some of your symptoms sound hypo (hair loss, cold, low heart rate). (I too swung back and forth which is why I think mine was also Hashimotos but they had already destroyed my thyroid before testing for Hashis.) Anyway, all to say, is it at all possible there is something else going on in your body? A good rheumatologist can run a lot of tests but if it is thyroid related, they will refer you to endocrinologist. Might be worth checking out.... Best wishes on your recovery.

One last general comment for food for thought, directed at ALL of us (particularly myself): If what Alexandra had described was really a bite on your CHILD (or beloved pet), would you have waited to seek medical attention or questioned the need for it? Would you have thought, "I should probably take Billy in, but I'd hate to waste the $20 if it's nothing."? I think we all need to take a hard look about how we care (or don't care) for our own health. Why is it that we brush off for ourselves something we'd never poo-poo if it were happening to someone else? I know that if my sister had that gallbladder-like attack I experienced earlier in the month, I would have been taking her to the emergency room kicking and screaming, instead of home to her bed like I made her do for me. I have chastized my mother for ignoring pains and symptoms that I myself would have ignored if they were mine. I'm not suggesting that we all become hypochondriacs, but... There is a fine line between being too reactive and non-reactive. Perhaps asking ourselves what we would do if it were a child in our care would help us strike a better balance. At the very least, we should do what Alexandra did and get other people's opinions, and then hopefully act on the best consensus of advice if it did not conflict with our own better sense. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

late dumping syndrome is reactive hypoglycemia (also known as postprandial hypoglycemia). It's not that uncommon in RNY patients - I don't know about sleeve patients. It seems to start when you're a couple years out.

I didn't think sleeve patients got it either, but who knows. Maybe some do but it's just not that common? Or it may not even have anything to do with your sleeve - I think even non-WLS people can get reactive hypoglycemia.

Second guessing and some regret is normal when one runs into problems. It is well to realize that whatever road you chose in the past was likely to be bumpy, even if the bumps might have been different. The bypass, in addition to having its own quirks (someone just showed up on today's recent topics column who is having reactive hypoglycemia problems - that's one of those quirks,) that can cause regrets, would not likely have been any better on helping you with your regain (RNY and VSG are very similar in that regard,) and is also more difficult to revise should you have had problems. So, there is (and was) no easy, straight answer. We follow what looks like the best road for us and take what life throws at us over time..

Has anyone else developed this after surgery? I will be at three years in September and my symptoms are worsening. I wear a monitor but find that I am crashing more and more. Yesterday my glucose dropped to 301 They are sending me to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St Lewis to evaluate my pancreas and are saying I might have to have part of it removed.