October 2023 surgery buddies

[Tinx 1]

Hi everyone

I found this site whilst searching for help with the feeling that something is sticking in my throat following ESG surgery almost 6 weeks ago. I see there's an App and Facebook too so will check those out.

My procedure was on 31 October in Southampton UK. Anyone else from UK here?

For me it's all going quite well although the hunger is starting to kick in now. I can only manage a little food which I'm pleased about but wonder when I will be able to get enough calories in me. Currently, I'm averaging about 500 - 600 per day. That's quite something for a person who ate a lot pre-procedure.

The biggest issue for me is this awful feeling of something being lodged in my throat but I see here that others have the same problem and that is comforting to know (though I wish it wasn't so for any of us).

Anyway, I will go look around and join in with the conversations.

Regards, Mystified

[walterblock1 28]

On 12/09/2023 at 10:30, Tanith said:

Hi all, can’t say how relieved I am in some ways to hear people are having the same challenges.

Had the sleeve on 10/30 and while have lost 21kg / 46lba so far, if anything it’s getting a lot tougher.

On one hand the extra energy and the ability to wear clothes several sizes smaller is an absolute win that genuinely has made me laugh out loud at times.

Just really struggling with eating and drinking. Am only getting maybe 50% of the recommended Water daily and even that’s a massive, massive fight. A cup of Water can take 2 hours to drink or on days like today even longer. As for three small meals of soft food, I’d probably kill to manage that right now. A few spoons of Protein yoghurt for Breakfast and if am lucky a few spoons of puréed potato / fish / scrambled egg is about as much as I can manage (and most days I feel really uncomfortable after even that). Am taking my team, chowing everything extremely carefully but no joy.



Per diet plan should be moving on from puréed food to soft food but after trying it for two days, looks like it’s a no go.

Interestingly am not in the US (am in Poland these days) and here the approach was quite different. There was no specific pre-op diet at all which I found weird. That said, surgeon was incredible and the surgery itself went very well. I guess he felt confident enough shifting an enlarged liver (I have fatty liver disease anyway so maybe he thought that it may not help enough to make it worthwhile)

Anyway, good luck all

As you heal you will be able to take in more I had mine on same day I’m in the same boat the water is a problem for me two so I try different drinks like crystal light gatorade zero and different zero sugar drinks as for the meals I take like 30-45 minutes to eat a meal with no water 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after works well for me

[ukkodiak 11]

Hi guys. Been a few weeks since I've posted here. Feeling a bit frustrated and puzzled right now. So my first six weeks weight loss was great. I lost 48 pounds in six weeks since my RNY on October 9th. However, since then I've pretty much stalled out and only lost 3 pounds in the past three weeks. I noticed my weight seemed to stall once my surgeon cleared me for solid foods.

So far I've been very blessed with my recovery. I've never experienced a single episode of nausea or dumping syndrome no matter what I eat. Not one episode from day of surgery up til now. Pork, beef, carbs, fat. Nothing seems to negatively affect me. But what really puzzles me is I seem to be able to eat much more than I should. For example, I can drink an 11ounce (330mL) Ensure in about a minute or two. Also if I don't strictly measure out my food portions, I'll easily eat more than I should, again with no nausea I should expect with overeating. I'm paranoid of stretching my new pouch out. When I brought this up with my surgeon during my follow-up, he looked puzzled as well but basically just dismissed it, saying we'll discuss it at next follow up if nothing changes.

Sometimes I wonder if he actually reduced my stomach to the size of an egg like they said it would be post-op. I definitely cannot eat near the volume I could pre-op, but I feel like I'm able to eat way too much. Such as 8 entire grilled chicken nuggets in about 10 minutes time. Otherwise, I feel great. No complications whatsoever.

I really hoping I haven't gone through all this time and money for nothing. My surgeon told me at my followup that I can expect weight loss to level out between 9-12 months post-op. And I can expect to lose half my total weight loss at 3 months. Have about another 75 lbs to go for my goal weight, so I feel like I'm on the clock here. Has anyone else out there experienced anything like this?

Edited December 9, 2023 by ukkodiak

[Daytrppr 10]

VGS 10/16 and I’ve lost about 32lbs since the surgery. I’ve definitely hit that weird zone with no weight loss that everyone has been posting about. I’ve been bouncing around +\- 3lbs for the last four weeks. It’s hard to not be discouraged and cheat on the diet (I’m an emotional eater). So I’m looking at other wins- smaller clothes, walking the dog, going up stairs, better movement in general. I have to keep telling myself- It doesn’t have to all be based on the number on the scale.

[Daytrppr 10]

On 12/7/2023 at 5:29 PM, Charlie21467 said:

Hello my fellow October surgery buddies, I hope everyone is doing well. I had my sleeve surgery on October 3rd and two weeks ago I was cleared for regular diet. I'm wondering if anyone is having a similar problem as me... here lately it seems no matter what I eat I am getting nauseous and throwing up. I spoke to my doctor about this a couple of days ago and he said that I just have to eat slower and smaller portions. Last night I had one Ladle of homemade vegetable beef Soup and got sick shortly after. I'm wondering if any of you have experienced anything like this and how you have managed to overcome it?

Charlie-

I understand what you’re going through. Beef (after trial and error) is still a big trigger for me too. Two or three bites and I’m visiting the porcelain goddess for tribute. My doctor said to try it again in a month.

[Charlie21467 11]

1 hour ago, Daytrppr said:

Charlie-

I understand what you’re going through. Beef (after trial and error) is still a big trigger for me too. Two or three bites and I’m visiting the porcelain goddess for tribute. My doctor said to try it again in a month.

I've had to back down to a soft diet for a bit too get back on track. Thank you for the reply.

[Arendiva 22]

New year new us. How is everyone doing now that the holidays are over?

I didn't quite hit my 50pounds down by the end of the year goal that I was hoping for. But I'm down 45 pounds and I'm still very happy with that.

I'm feeling very optimistic about this year and very excited to get back into activities that my weight has been preventing me from enjoying for years (like hiking and cycling).

What non-scale goals do people have for this year?

I'm hoping to have a revenge attempt hiking the Flume Gorge ( I tried like 6 years ago and failed, though that was before my knee surgery).

[ChunkCat 676]

On 12/9/2023 at 3:07 PM, ukkodiak said:

My surgeon told me at my followup that I can expect weight loss to level out between 9-12 months post-op. And I can expect to lose half my total weight loss at 3 months. Have about another 75 lbs to go for my goal weight, so I feel like I'm on the clock here. Has anyone else out there experienced anything like this?

Actually most people lose closer to 25% - 30% of their weight in the first 3 months. You may not see half the weight gone until closer to 6 months. And the last chunk can take another 6 months or longer to come off, depending on your surgery, your activity level, your starting weight, your goal weight, etc...

To put this in perspective for you, I started at 320 but my surgery weight was 306. My goal is 180-170 lbs. I've lost 28 lbs since surgery and 42 lbs since my highest weight. I'm 2 months post op. I've been losing the same 2-4 lbs for the past month. I'm losing slower than a lot of other people, but I am still on track. I've lost at least 25% of my weight and I still have a month to go before the 3 month mark. So I am trying to just be consistent with my Protein, consistent with hydration, consistent with activity and consistent with sleep. These 4 things are the most impactful things for weight loss. Percentages matter more than the numbers themselves. And I finally measured myself and have lost 26 inches since surgery!! Big progress. even if others are going faster than me.

[Arendiva 22]

So October people as we hit our 3 month post surgery dates let's check in with each other as say where we're at and how we are doing. My 3 month date is in 3 days so I'll check back then. I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing.

[Eva Greeff 10]

I won't be at three months until the end of January, but I am in a stall (two weeks now). I have been at the same weight (give or take a few ounces) since January 3. It is really frustrating, but expected. I have done really well otherwise. I have not cheated and sailed through the holidays (and Disneyland) without being tempted (well, I was tempted but did not give in). I am very proud of that (and my daughter has been making bread, Cookies and muffins weekly--I have not had any of it). I think I am a slow loser, but am happy with what I have lost up until the stall. I need to drink more Water and exercise more (though the last week we have had ice storm upon ice storm), but am getting in the Protein. I am trying to concentrate on how to get a variety of healthy foods as opposed to eating the same thing. I also need to meal plan more. Is anyone tired. I get enough sleep but sometimes feel my energy is low. Anyone else having issues with that? I hope everyone is doing well. I too am curious to hear how everyone is doing.

[ukkodiak 11]

Hello everyone. Hope you are all doing well. My journey is still a bit confusing. So overall, I’m doing great. Down 65 pounds since my surgery on Oct 9th. Thing is, I was down 55 pounds after the first six weeks. And only lost 10 pounds this past six weeks. Keep hitting frequent stalls every couple weeks.

Trying to keep getting my Protein in. Biggest thing that puzzles me is the amount I can eat. Unless I strictly measure my portions, I’m able to eat a lot more than I feel I should be able to. For example, I can eat 10 grilled chicken nuggets in about 15 minutes. Also can drink about 10 ounces of Water at a time. I had RNY surgery btw.

My surgeon looked puzzled when I told him this, but then just blew it off. He told me I should be eating 4-5 bites per meal. Yeah right. More like 15-20 bites unless I strictly measure it out. But let’s face it, that’s not always possible when I work 50+ hours a week.

Oh and my hair is starting to fall out. Apparently it’s normal for RNY patients around 3 months. They have assured me it will grow back later. Sure hope so. But otherwise I feel great, moving much better and no more plantar fasciitis or knee pain. How is everyone else doing?

[Crystal Minta 5]

Wow! 65lbs is awesome. I had RNY on Oct 23. I am down 42lbs. I have had complications and my surgeon was not listening to me. I get five hour stomach aches if I try to eat food. They just sent me for a barium swallow test and sure enough… I have a stricture. Stenosis (narrowing) of the passage that leads from the stomach to the intestine. So this gets blocked and food cant get through easily. They have put me back on fluids and puree and I am absolutely miserable. I would give anything to be able to just eat food again. I go next Wed for the procedure to try to open the passage. They insert a balloon during an endoscopy and try to stretch the passage open. Im hopeful but they told me it may need to be done several times over a few months for it to work. It sounds like you are able to eat much more than most of the folks I see posting on the fb surgery weightloss support groups. If you are super active working 50 hours then maybe you can burn it off and be ok. Stalls are normal. Everybody says that. I even have them and Im literally eating no food. You would think I would be losing way more. Nope. My body wants to hold it. I track my measurements though because I did notice that even when the scale doesnt go down… the measurements are going down. There is a really cool and inexpensive tape measurer that works with an app. I got that and it tracks the measurements for me. Its all digital. I love it! Check out the app. It’s called Renpho Health. Maybe tracking measurements will make you feel better when that azzhole of a scale aint budging. lol Best of luck to you.

Edited January 17 by Crystal Minta

[ukkodiak 11]

Hi Crystal. So sorry to hear about the stenosis you’re having. I hope they can resolve that for you soon. I can’t imagine going back to liquid and puree again. I told myself never again after my surgery. That was horrible.

yeah seems like I’m eating a lot more than anyone else I’ve talked to as well. It’s very puzzling. I consider myself extremely lucky however. I’ve had no complications at all. No nausea at all. Not even when in hospital day of surgery. No matter what I eat, no problems. No dumping syndrome.

I really hope you get your situation sorted out and back to real food soon. Best of luck to you.

[Eva Greeff 10]

Crystal, I am so sorry to hear of all your issues. I really hope they are resolved quickly. It is definitely a journey. Best of luck to you!!

[Arendiva 22]

I hope that the procedure resolves your stenosis, that sounds awful to have to put up with.