Hi Gang! I'm Meow. I was scheduled for a 100cm Bypass on June 29th and they just moved me UP to June 9th! AHHHHHHH! I'm usually pretty grounded with life's hurdles but all the sudden my mind went blank and I thought "I'M NOT READY!" Any other May, June, July Bypassers want to join up and share and support? I'm not sure how to put my stats in my profile but I am 5' 5" female. Late 40s. 220# at the Doc yesterday. Goal weight is 150. Having BYPASS instead of Sleeve due to life-long reflux. Told I only need to do 3 days liquid liver shrink beforehand since my BMI is only 36. Feel both overloaded with info and under-prepared to say goodbye to the contrasting albatross/joy that is FOOD in my life. Both glad and nervous about the timing as it feels like an easier time to stay away from friends and family who social-eat until I get a handle on my new digestive system. But also I'm pretty bored as my line of work is largely halted until the conditions are far safer. Likely won't have regular work until 2021. I'm ashamed to say the last 2 months have been more of a food funeral than I anticipated so I have a lot of mind-prep to do in the next 2 weeks. I am keeping this a private journey. Only my husband and best friend know. Even keeping my tween daughter in the dark at least for now. Would love some buddies who check in frequently to go thru this with. I've been posting on other June thread but thought a BYPASS thread would be great. And of course Veterans are WELCOME to pop in and share. Share your stories with me! Let's do this together!!

1 hour ago, Groovymommy said:

Day 2 of the pre-op diet...it's not terrible. I'm not quite as hungry today as I was yesterday. However, I have a headache that WILL NOT go away. Tylenol has not helped. Drinking lots of Water has not helped. A nap didn't help. I had my pre-op appointment today and my surgeon mentioned that I might experience headaches. Did anyone else go through this when you switched to the pre-op diet? I suspect I might be having sugar withdrawal.

Hi Groovy. I am just reducing sugar and had a horrible headache yesterday and like you couldn;t take nsaids. I was told pickle juice might help. I haven't tried it as I learned this after I recovered. But you might give it a shot! Hope it helps! I just paid the final bill for my out-of-pocket surgery so that was my accomplishment for the day. So... it's happening. Feeling very apprehensive. Still hunting for a protein drink I like. Tried egg white protein this afternoon. GRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOSSSSSSS! #yuck.

13 hours ago, MaybeMeow said:

Hi Groovy. I am just reducing sugar and had a horrible headache yesterday and like you couldn;t take nsaids. I was told Pickle Juice might help. I haven't tried it as I learned this after I recovered. But you might give it a shot! Hope it helps! I just paid the final bill for my out-of-pocket surgery so that was my accomplishment for the day. So... it's happening. Feeling very apprehensive. Still hunting for a Protein Drink I like. Tried egg white Protein this afternoon. GRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOSSSSSSS! #yuck.

I hear ya on the protein drinks! All the premade ones taste totally gross to me. I can only survive by making my own with unflavored protein powder and almond milk, and adding a few berries or something for taste.

My head feels better today, so...fingers crossed?

+1 on the protein drinks from the doc. I couldn’t take down one sip because it was crazy sweet. Gag reflex sweet. Ordered some unflavored powder and switched to premier protein (which is gross but manageable).

4 minutes ago, 613cnn said:

+1 on the Protein Drinks from the doc. I couldn’t take down one sip because it was crazy sweet. Gag reflex sweet. Ordered some unflavored powder and switched to Premier Protein (which is gross but manageable).

Yup. I will say if you mix premier with coffee it's not too bad But I'm thinking I'm going to stay away from coffee the first few weeks. I usually have a cup a day and have weened down to twice a week. I have IBS and it kicks in when I'm feeling nervous. In fact it is often my only symptom of nerves or stress. And it's raging. Hard to figure out how these Pro drinks and new vitamins are settling when I have the runs. Hope that's not sharing too much. Anyone else with IBS?

4 minutes ago, MaybeMeow said:

Yup. I will say if you mix premier with coffee it's not too bad But I'm thinking I'm going to stay away from coffee the first few weeks. I usually have a cup a day and have weened down to twice a week. I have IBS and it kicks in when I'm feeling nervous. In fact it is often my only symptom of nerves or stress. And it's raging. Hard to figure out how these Pro drinks and new Vitamins are settling when I have the runs. Hope that's not sharing too much. Anyone else with IBS?

@MaybeMeow we are more twinsie than previously discovered. lol. Yes - the runs indeed. Have you and anyone else heard of vitamins through a patch? Anyone have documented success with those? (ie - bloodwork shows they are working?)

14 minutes ago, 613cnn said:

@MaybeMeow we are more twinsie than previously discovered. lol. Yes - the runs indeed. Have you and anyone else heard of Vitamins through a patch? Anyone have documented success with those? (ie - bloodwork shows they are working?)

I have! And I was SO interested. Not a lot of info online about potency but a WLS patient I follow on YOUTUBE Minnie Me In Tennessee tried them. One gave her a rash. The other seemed fine. But in her later videos she was taking oral again so I had to assume she didn't get good results with them. I wish they were great. Again, I've been doing a lot of research. Invested in expensive MaryRuth Organic liquid vitamins. They are drinkable. But they don't agree with my stomach and it's not fun to drink (though it's only a 1oz shot) I don't think I'll re-buy. I have to tell you, with the exception of D my blood work has always been good so I'm hoping that will remain after surgery. I believe my plan is to take a Bariatric Pal multi every morning with breakfast and a Calcium Cit at night with dinner. And hope. I'll add iron drops if my iron is low. I'm prepared with an additional Biotin supplement but they also mess with my stomach. I don't have particularly thick hair tho so I might power thru and start the extra biotin now. What;s your plan?

PS: The prep portion of my day today was reading old Bypass posts. Today's posts were largely positive and have filled me with more peace about this decision than I've had so far. There are people who have minimal pain including little gas, are home less than 24 hours later, can take their fluids, meds, and protein with ease, and feel downright good in a few days post surgery. Then you can click on their later posts and see their successful numbers. That is the goal. I'm going to meditate on it. For all of us!!

These are great points @MaybeMeow. Thanks for being a reminder of good outcomes even through struggles.

8 hours ago, MaybeMeow said:

I have! And I was SO interested. Not a lot of info online about potency but a WLS patient I follow on YOUTUBE Minnie Me In Tennessee tried them. One gave her a rash. The other seemed fine. But in her later videos she was taking oral again so I had to assume she didn't get good results with them. I wish they were great. Again, I've been doing a lot of research. Invested in expensive MaryRuth Organic liquid vitamins. They are drinkable. But they don't agree with my stomach and it's not fun to drink (though it's only a 1oz shot) I don't think I'll re-buy. I have to tell you, with the exception of D my blood work has always been good so I'm hoping that will remain after surgery. I believe my plan is to take a Bariatric Pal multi every morning with Breakfast and a Calcium Cit at night with dinner. And hope. I'll add Iron drops if my iron is low. I'm prepared with an additional Biotin supplement but they also mess with my stomach. I don't have particularly thick hair tho so I might power thru and start the extra biotin now. What;s your plan?

I’ve seen all of mini me in Tennessee’s videos too! Lol. I bought some of the patches and will try them, but honestly I don’t know that I’ll take the risk of them not working. They have great reviews, but I mostly for people saying they like having a patch option, Not necessarily commenting on their effectiveness , like “my blood work is great, I been taking these patches vs oral vitamins”.

So I haven’t decided the plan yet. We’ll see what the nutritionist says. Im very concerned about my hair and skin, which I was surprised to hear was a common concern. I have a lot of hair, it’s “the one thing I got”; but I learned that many folk with weight struggles feel like that. I also don’t want to have artificial sweeteners because that can trigger sugar cravings and also make me gag, so the thought of doing that for a long time isn’t awesome for me. I have yet to find unflavored vitamins that aren’t in pill form.

8 hours ago, MaybeMeow said:

I have! And I was SO interested. Not a lot of info online about potency but a WLS patient I follow on YOUTUBE Minnie Me In Tennessee tried them. One gave her a rash. The other seemed fine. But in her later videos she was taking oral again so I had to assume she didn't get good results with them. I wish they were great. Again, I've been doing a lot of research. Invested in expensive MaryRuth Organic liquid vitamins. They are drinkable. But they don't agree with my stomach and it's not fun to drink (though it's only a 1oz shot) I don't think I'll re-buy. I have to tell you, with the exception of D my blood work has always been good so I'm hoping that will remain after surgery. I believe my plan is to take a Bariatric Pal multi every morning with Breakfast and a Calcium Cit at night with dinner. And hope. I'll add Iron drops if my iron is low. I'm prepared with an additional Biotin supplement but they also mess with my stomach. I don't have particularly thick hair tho so I might power thru and start the extra biotin now. What;s your plan?

I’ve seen all of mini me in Tennessee’s videos too! Lol. I bought some of the patches and will try them, but honestly I don’t know that I’ll take the risk of them not working. They have great reviews, but I mostly for people saying they like having a patch option, Not necessarily commenting on their effectiveness , like “my blood work is great, I been taking these patches vs oral vitamins”.

So I haven’t decided the plan yet. We’ll see what the nutritionist says. Im very concerned about my hair and skin, which I was surprised to hear was a common concern. I have a lot of hair, it’s “the one thing I got”; but I learned that many folk with weight struggles feel like that. I also don’t want to have artificial sweeteners because that can trigger sugar cravings and also make me gag, so the thought of doing that for a long time isn’t awesome for me. I have yet to find unflavored vitamins that aren’t in pill form.

Ah - here’s a study re: patch vitamins by NIH,

not super promising

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-019-04070-5

15 minutes ago, 613cnn said:

Ah - here’s a study re: patch Vitamins by NIH,

not super promising

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-019-04070-5

Ahh! You found one! Hm... certainly not looking good for Vit D, huh. Dang. I suppose you could just take an additional D. Thanks for sharing!!

Hi Bypassers! Wanna role call so we can keep track?

I'm MaybeMeow. 222 pounds and 5'5". 47 years old. First goal is 165. Hoping eventually for 150. Bypass is 4 days away on June 9th. Chose it with my surgeon instead of sleeve due to lifelong reflux. I'm very nervous.

Pre-op diet has my stomach going crazy as I don't usually do artificial sweeteners and I think that's what causing the runs. And I'm struggling with the low carb headaches. But I'm staying postiive!! Distracting myself with daily prep.

Today's prep was making Protein Jello Shots and Protein Pudding shots. Sugar Free Strawberry Jello with GenPro powder mixed in. I have 25 one-ounce "shots" that have 2 grams of protein a piece. Saving them for post op. The pudding is Fage fat free Greek blended with sugar free vanilla pudding. Each oz has 3 grams protein. Will use them starting post op day 3 to help me get thru clear and full liquids. I'll attach a pic. Took about 40 minutes to prep. I'm not much of a cook or meal planner but this was easy. How is everyone else prepping and feeling?

I’m also having my bypass on the 9th! Found out on May 28th that insurance had approved my surgery and my surgeons office had already scheduled it! So I got one last meal and started my pre-op diet. Had bloodwork and the covid test today.
My hospital bag is packed, I’m taking two hospital gowns with me, slippers, biotene spray, listerine strips, colgate wisps, crystal light, chapstick, a couple protein shakes , baby wipes, and facial wipes. So I feel really prepared and ready. So glad to see others having this procedure around the same time!

41 minutes ago, Lici said:

I’m also having my bypass on the 9th! Found out on May 28th that insurance had approved my surgery and my surgeons office had already scheduled it! So I got one last meal and started my pre-op diet. Had bloodwork and the covid test today.
My hospital bag is packed, I’m taking two hospital gowns with me, slippers, biotene spray, listerine strips, colgate wisps, crystal light, chapstick, a couple Protein Shakes , baby wipes, and facial wipes. So I feel really prepared and ready. So glad to see others having this procedure around the same time!

Well hellOOOO, @Lici Surgery twin! I've been hoping to find one. I too got "surprised" by my June 9th date. Which is probably good cuz less time to over-think. I love that you shared what you're bring in your hospital bag. Getting that together will be next on my list. Congrats and best of luck. Can't wait to compare journeys on the OTHER side of this hurdle.