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August surgery buddies!



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Good morning from slightly overcast San Diego (man I'm going to miss this city as I leave my home of 25 years a week from tomorrow morning).

My 1-month surgery-versary is in a few days. There was a week when I was gaining weight (yes, even following guidelines)--probably from Water retention, but it's coming off again now, and I'm less puffy having discontinued one of my two BP meds at my doctor's request. I'm down 31 pounds since the liver-shrinking diet (2 weeks before surgery).

NSVs:
1. Yesterday, I went to Target with my daughter. It was the first time in ages that my back wasn't killing me, and I didn't have to stop and rest my hand against walls to relieve the back pressure.
2. I can fit behind the wheel easier... even when my thin 17-year-old daughter forgets to put the steering wheel back up when she's done borrowing the car.
3. I've been able to stand for longer than 3 minutes without pain, which helps me do more packing (soooo much packing... the movers arrive this coming Friday).

Edited by suzecate

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8 hours ago, suzecate said:

Good morning from slightly overcast San Diego (man I'm going to miss this city as I leave my home of 25 years a week from tomorrow morning).

My 1-month surgery-versary is in a few days. There was a week when I was gaining weight (yes, even following guidelines)--probably from Water retention, but it's coming off again now, and I'm less puffy having discontinued one of my two BP meds at my doctor's request. I'm down 31 pounds since the liver-shrinking diet (2 weeks before surgery).

NSVs:
1. Yesterday, I went to Target with my daughter. It was the first time in ages that my back wasn't killing me, and I didn't have to stop and rest my hand against walls to relieve the back pressure.
2. I can fit behind the wheel easier... even when my thin 17-year-old daughter forgets to put the steering wheel back up when she's done borrowing the car.
3. I've been able to stand for longer than 3 minutes without pain, which helps me do more packing (soooo much packing... the movers arrive this coming Friday).

Great that you are experiencing so many benefits!

I wonder about my BP meds too, I too have lost 30 pounds, and I'm still taking two BP meds. I don't know if or when that will change. Last week I forgot them twice, because now I have to take them in the morning due to nausea, and mornings tend to be hectic in my household.

I did discontinue the blood sugar medication, but I would love to be able to say goodbye to at least one BP med. That would be so great.

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I am getting so frustrated. only 1 pound this past week. I lost a few the week before, but this whole first month has been mainly stalls. I am so tired of it.

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6 minutes ago, SuziDavis said:

I am getting so frustrated. only 1 pound this past week. I lost a few the week before, but this whole first month has been mainly stalls. I am so tired of it.

It's terribly frustrating, but at least you are still losing. And you've already lost 43 pounds, which is a lot!

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1 minute ago, Sunnyer said:

It's terribly frustrating, but at least you are still losing. And you've already lost 43 pounds, which is a lot!

I want to cry sometimes. 😭 and it makes me worry that I am messing up.

23 of that was before surgery... But still ok I guess.

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16 hours ago, Sunnyer said:

Great that you are experiencing so many benefits!

I wonder about my BP meds too, I too have lost 30 pounds, and I'm still taking two BP meds. I don't know if or when that will change. Last week I forgot them twice, because now I have to take them in the morning due to nausea, and mornings tend to be hectic in my household.

I did discontinue the blood sugar medication, but I would love to be able to say goodbye to at least one BP med. That would be so great.

I had terrible edema in my feet and ankles to the point where I couldn't wear shoes, so she told me to discontinue and to monitor my BP at home to see if she needs to substitute a different med. So far, even without it, it's about the same as it was before, so it looks like I only need 1. :)

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2 hours ago, SuziDavis said:

I am getting so frustrated. only 1 pound this past week. I lost a few the week before, but this whole first month has been mainly stalls. I am so tired of it.

I hear ya. I spent 6 days recently *gaining* weight every day despite following guidelines. I'm not worried, but I hope my body doesn't make that kind of week a habit. :D

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I had a check-in with my surgeon's NP and and dietician today. I was SO nervous leading up to this appointment! I was expecting to lose more weight and was nervous the nurse practicioner would be upset with me.

They said that everything is going really good. I've lost 22 pounds since my surgery date, 42 days ago.

They do want me to up my Water intake to 100 oz and walk 10,000 steps per day. That's going to be a challenge, but I'm up for it.

They also said I'm on track to get to a healthy BMI (25) at one-year post op!

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On 6/8/2022 at 12:52 PM, I Am Enough! said:

Very cool and we're almost exact height and weight too! Happy to share my journey and meet you :D

Hello! My name is Sam. i just had my surgery august 30th. my surgery was the RNY bypass. i was wondering did you have any issues when you were moving into your soft diet/puree? sometimes i feel that i cant eat anything other than the shakes and mashed potatoes. scrambled eggs put me into dumping im pretty sure.

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1 hour ago, robinsons8009 said:

Hello! My name is Sam. i just had my surgery august 30th. my surgery was the RNY bypass. i was wondering did you have any issues when you were moving into your soft diet/puree? sometimes i feel that i cant eat anything other than the shakes and mashed potatoes. scrambled eggs put me into dumping im pretty sure.

Hi Sam! YES, the smallest things felt like I had just swallowed a rock. It was very uncomfortable. Just do very small bites and chew, a lot.

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4 hours ago, robinsons8009 said:

Hello! My name is Sam. i just had my surgery august 30th. my surgery was the RNY bypass. i was wondering did you have any issues when you were moving into your soft diet/puree? sometimes i feel that i cant eat anything other than the shakes and mashed potatoes. scrambled eggs put me into dumping im pretty sure.

Hi Sam! Yes, those first few weeks are the hardest to endure, but I promise you it DOES get better! Be kind and safe with your new tummy. My diet during that time was everything needs to be real moist. I ate a lot of babyfood. I know that bothers some folks, but there is a wonderful selection of pureed babyfoods that a super gentle on the tummy. Amazon and Walmart carry quite a few varieties and many are organic too. I ate recipes such as grits and eggs with instant grits. Highly processed oatmeal, like the babyfood variety. Malt-o-meal. These were really good go to staples. Plus I would make SF pudding with my Protein drink and add a little almond milk. Then my pudding had a protein base. I hope you feel better soon! :)

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It's pretty amazing when you calculate the numbers! even though when I look in the mirror and I KNOW I've lost over 50Lbs so far AND my measurements tell me I have lost 17 inches off my body, it's still hard to believe. I look for more non-scale victories than the scale. The scale is only but ONE metric in my arsenal. I actually had a person I don't see very often stop me in the grocery store and looked me up and down and asked if I was sick! I said no, do I look sick? She said no, you don;t, but you look really different. I then said, well I decided to get healthy and went on a diet and have lost quite a bit of weight. I didn't feel the need to tell her anything about my surgery, because she's a busybody. But the encounter made me feel good despite her weirdness and approach. Trust the process, call your nutritionist if you have questions. Just smile at yourself everyday and know YOU ARE AWESOME!! :D

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47 minutes ago, I Am Enough! said:

Hi Sam! Yes, those first few weeks are the hardest to endure, but I promise you it DOES get better! Be kind and safe with your new tummy. My diet during that time was everything needs to be real moist. I ate a lot of babyfood. I know that bothers some folks, but there is a wonderful selection of pureed babyfoods that a super gentle on the tummy. Amazon and Walmart carry quite a few varieties and many are organic too. I ate recipes such as grits and eggs with instant grits. Highly processed oatmeal, like the babyfood variety. Malt-o-meal. These were really good go to staples. Plus I would make SF pudding with my Protein Drink and add a little almond milk. Then my pudding had a Protein base. I hope you feel better soon! :)

ive also had some ready bad pains on my right side. it seems when i try to turn a certain way i get a stabbing pain. or bendover it happens. my dr said this is normal. im back at work and its really been an issue. any advice on how to stop it? tylenol doesn't do anything

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1 hour ago, robinsons8009 said:

ive also had some ready bad pains on my right side. it seems when i try to turn a certain way i get a stabbing pain. or bendover it happens. my dr said this is normal. im back at work and its really been an issue. any advice on how to stop it? tylenol doesn't do anything

I also had those kinds of pain and after discussing it with my surgery team it was decided that I was not taking the heartburn/ gas medicine they had prescribed to me. After taking that those pains went away! You can also supplement with regular antacids, but I would definitely check with your doctor again if the pains are still persistent! Please do not take my word or any one else's word as your surgical team should give you the best advice to handle what be specific to you :)

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Has anyone experienced pain on the left side? I've had this pain on the left side for two days now, near the waist or hip, somewhere in between.

It's not acute pain, more like if I had a cut or something there, but there's nothing visible. This is lower than the surgery scars I have on my tummy and more to the side. It's unlike gas pains, at least unlike anything I've had. And I'm taking the antacids still.

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

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      1. NickelChip

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