What Would Be The One Thing You'd Tell Future Bypass Patients To Help Them Through The First Few Months After Surgery?

You know your body better than anyone. If you believe something is wrong, keep pushing until someone hears you out....

that's what I would tell a future wls patient. After surgery my surgeon's team wouldn't believe me when I said something was wrong until a month later and they found out I had pneumonia, partially collapsed lung and Fluid around the lungs.

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal App

That's scary!! I hope you are doing well now!!

Follow the rules/guidelines.

I see so many posts on forums & social media where people try to advance themselves with food, try to go back to work early, lift things heavier than brute suppose to etc. All sorts of things that are out of their guidelines. I am on a Facebook group for WLS (connected with the insurance/hospital I am associated with) & people are eating mashed potato, yogurts, pudding & creamed soups when that stuff isn’t allowed on our program and they know but say, “oh but it went down fine.” Of course it did, it’s a slider food.

People fail to realize that they just had major surgery & just because you feel “okay”, doesn’t mean you can start doing whatever it is you want. That’s kind of how we got fat in the first place. This is a time to start anew, a fresh start, so follow the guidelines.

Follow your program guidelines 100% - just because you can do something outside the guidelines doesn't mean you should. It is so much easier to get into good habits from the start vs. trying to change them later when you see bad things creeping in. Lean on your support system as much as possible, especially dieticians to get new ideas for things to try that are within your guidelines. Don't get too focused on the numbers. Take lots of pictures and measurements and focus on the NSV's. And lastly don't sweat the small stuff. It's a huge emotional rollercoaster and getting worked up about how many pounds you did or didn't lose in the last day or two or if you have "stalled" because you didn't lose weight in the past 24 hours is just not worth it.

This is a lifestyle change. You will be eating high protein, low carbs & low fat the rest of your life. You will only keep this weight off if you continue to eat this way. It is not a magic pill but a tool to lose weight.

Oh my goodness this is one of the very questions I asked of my support group last week!!!

I feel like we are all given this massive amount of education and help pre-op and then we are left to our own devices post-op. It was an interesting adventure to navigate post op, but I feel like there is SUCH a HUGE lack of long term support for all bariatric patients. Yes, we have out follow up appointments.. but what about emotional, educational, physical, and all of those changes we go through that have such a massive impact on our progress and growing into these more positive improved versions of ourselves on our journey.

I was so disappointed by the lack of long term care I went back to school and am working on my Masters in Health Science (will be a registered dietician at the end of it all!). I work with the two local weight loss centers in my little forest town and have helped put together a great long term care program for patients that includes having access to nutrition, support of various types, and focuses on helping people grow in a positive direction post-op. It is so amazing to be able to help people that are at various stages of their journey and offer them support along the way,

I feel like if we knew then what we have learned now and through these journeys we would all have made healthier choices hopefully not needing to go through all of this. BUT without this journey I would not be who I am and I would not be able to have such a positive impact on the world around me and helping others as they work through and navigate their own journeys.

i'd say listen to your body. it is, for the first time in a long time, giving you very accurate signals.

if it's hungry, provide it nourishing, healthy food.

if it's not hungry, don't eat.

if it's telling you to get off your ass and walk around the block, DO IT!

if it's telling you to slow down and get more sleep, do that too.

oh, and never stop drinking more water than feels necessary, even after you've lost all your weight. kidney stones are not fun. not that i speak from experience or anything...