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This is a great thread for ideas...but be careful, not all items will appeal to everyone! I'm looking at you Parmesan Crisps! Favorite Grocery Products - General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions - BariatricPal

I agree with what GreenTealael said. For really severe cases that can't be managed otherwise, they'll sometimes suggest a revision to bypass (which often improves - if not outright cures - GERD)

Just wanted to fill people in on what my experience has been like thus far since surgery. If you want to know something I forgot to mention, please don't hesitate to ask. HOSPITAL STAY: So I had my surgery May 19th around 10:30 am. I was in recovery and waking up by 11:45 am. All that went smoothly. The first day I was so dang tired that I drifted off and on while sitting in the chair in-between walking around and drinking. I felt bad for my husband who stay with me all day. He was totally content and happy to be there but I knew he too was tired so about 7pm I made him go home (visiting hours ended at 8 anyway). LOL When I first got to my room I was like, OMG I have HORRIBLE burning like heartburn and even complained about it. They gave me some sort of Gas chew and it didn't do jack. It wasn't until I got up and walking around that I figured out it was NOT heartburn but related to that gas inside and the walking helped that feeling subside. They gave me nothing but water or Gatorade Zero while there and I was totally fine and content with that. They mentioned medicine if I was nauseous but I never was. I felt totally fine and normal but for the one incision site that's to the right and up from my belly button. Doc said that's the typical complaint spot and where he pulls the extra stomach through so that's to be expected. But it hurt like hell when first standing from sitting and also wiping after peeing. Uggghhh. I slept in a chair sitting up that night when I could sleep which really only amounted to 3 hours total. I was given Tylenol for pain and an Oxycodone once on that first night. They sent me home with the Oxycodone too for pain and so far I have only taken it once at night to help with that pain while sleeping. The next morning they took more blood work and everything came back good and they allowed me to go home by early noon. Mostly because my pain was managed by meds and because I was easily able to get enough water down and I was not sick. Also, I did not pack much but I did pack my cell phone, charger, kindle, Biotene, Chapstick, brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, extra underwear and that was it. I did not use ANYTHING but for my brush and, right after surgery, put on my own undies and a pad since I got my period the day before surgery. I did not even use my cell phone (maybe once to post here) cause I was just so dang tired (plus trying to get my liquids in and walking) and hubby did all the updating to others for me. I mostly watched TV as it was on for background noise more than anything. MOVING AROUND: Every day is getting better but this dang incision spot is a ******!!! Can't wait for it to stop hurting cause I'm really tired of sleeping sitting up. I tried every way possible to lay down and it's just not possible! The dang area feels like it's burning and tearing apart when I do. Otherwise I'm following orders and walking around. I do not feel I still have a lot of gas issues but I most definitely feel like I am swollen about my stomach area for sure. APPEARANCE: I was actually surprised at how weird my stomach looked after surgery. Normally my stomach is smooth/one size all over and flat/round-ish (except for my little fat pouch right under my left breast that's been there forever). But upon looking at my stomach after surgery, I feel like some spots are like poofed out and others dented in, if that makes sense. Especially the bad incision spot. Strange. Not sure how else to explain it. Today is day 4 and it looks like I'm starting to bruise around most, if not all, incisions. Just slightly. FOOD/WATER: So my after diet consists of 2 weeks FULL LIQUIDS, followed by 1 week PUREE, and 2 weeks SOFT FOODS, then finally normal foods. Strange enough, I have had NO problem getting in 64 oz of liquid at all. I've had no chest pain, full feeling or sickness. A few times I had what feels like if you drink too much how it creates a sorta air bubble that hurts for a split second but then it passes. Otherwise, no issues. In fact, a few times after trying to drink/gulp like I normally would, I had to stop and remind myself that I no longer could do that. So weird cause I feel, aside from the incision pain, I would never know I even had surgery. So right now since all I've been able to ingest is liquids, I'm not sure if this is gonna be a blessing or an issue. On one hand I'm glad I can seem to "eat" and drink normal and also have had no aversions to taste. But on the other hand, I worry that will not help me in the long run to lose weight. This remains to be seen but I am scared I won't lose for this reason. So far I've had protein shakes, water, Gatorade Zero, the broths from creamed soups, sugar free popsicles and that's it. MEDICINE: I was told I wouldn't be able to swallow anything bigger than a tictac. That was a lie. I have been able to swallow all my pills, even the big ol Metformin, with no issue. POTTY: Had my first BM on my second day home. Had several a day since. No problems there either. WEIGHT: Not that I expected anything yet but, I have gotten on the scale and it's the same as it was the day of surgery. I think that's it. Can't think of anything else right now but if you have any questions please ask.

Unfortunately, I have 3 grandkids, my husband and my son and DIL who live in the house and eat MANY things that I can't/won't have. LOL I don't expect them to change their own eating habits for me. They're all healthy. And with me being home all the time there isn't a time to do it/save it for when I'm not home either. I made a choice back in March to start eating better (to get ready for surgery and my new life) regardless of whether or not my hubby joined me. However, he too started eating low carb/no sugar and also eats whatever I make and eat for myself. BUT, he does still sometimes eat snacks and stuff that I don't and I'm totally fine with it. I feel I have more willpower and control now than I ever have before. I think that takes time.

Oh man, I found that super annoying right after surgery as well. I've always been the thirsty type - when I was a kid at school, my friends used to tease me because I would stop at multiple drinking fountains when walking somewhere. It was super frustrating after surgery when I'd go for exercise and get really thirsty, but not be able to drink as much as I felt I wanted. I also would get a pain like you describe, which I think was very much because air was collecting in my stomach but it was very hard to burp it out properly. Those first few months especially, I would pound on my stomach like I was a baby when I got that pain, which would usually make me burp and start feel better. I feel like maybe when your stomach is so small, it's hard for the air to rise to the top and escape by itself. I'm 18 months out now, and it is much improved. I still can't drink as much or as fast as I want to all the time, but the amount that I can drink at once is much more than it was right after surgery. I've mostly gotten used to it though. I am usually much better about taking water with me when I exercise and drinking something as soon as I get thirsty, rather than letting the feeling build up until I want to gulp the water down. I've also gotten used to drinking more slowly without having to stop and think about it.

Regular Food Stage: I've pretty much continued eating like I did several months BEFORE surgery (low carb/no sugar) only less. Breakfast: scrambled egg & 1 turkey sausage patty OR a one egg omelet w/cheese and/or veggies OR a turkey sausage, egg and cheese on a whole wheat Thomas' English Muffin (can only eat like half to 3 quarters of it) Lunch: tuna (with just light mayo, salt and pepper) along with 6 whole wheat crackers and a few cubes of cheese OR a few pieces of lunchmeat and cheese OR left over protein from the night before OR natural PB with some sugar free jelly on whole wheat bread. Dinner: When it comes to meat/protein it's almost always chicken (baked/cooked various ways)/shrimp/salmon/fish, etc. I TRY to also get in veggies but am usually barely able to fit them in once I eat my protein but veggies will be anything from broccoli, green beans & mushrooms, spinach, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, etc. Snacks: I don't usually snack at all during day. But if I still feel hungry after my meals I will take that opportunity to eat some sort of fruit or yogurt or cottage cheese. I usually make it a point of getting in at least two servings of fruit a day anyway. My meals don't typically include starches (hell, if I barely have room for veggies then I almost never have room for a starch) but once in a while they do and it will be something like brown rice, protein pasta, veggie pasta, potatoes, or the whole wheat/grain bread, whole wheat/grain English muffins, whole wheat/grain crackers. Stuff along those lines.

If you look at the inches of a size chart. There are more increments between sizes for the “normal” sizes.

I'm 13 months out from surgery and my calorie intake varies wildly, anywhere from 1100 to 2000 calories per day, with the vast majority of days in the 1300 to 1600 range. I'm still losing weight though, hit my lowest weight in 35 years this morning.

a 100-lb loss at the year mark is definitely within the average range (depending on your starting BMI - people with lower starting BMI's probably won't by down that much at that point), so you're fine.

I would say that if you are really concerned just ask your surgeon or the office they have answered every question out there so they should be able to help. But a few days after my surgery, I felt what I thought was a weird lump under my biggest incision (where they removed the stomach) and it really freaked me out. I thought I had a hernia or something and had that dull pain which did sometimes become sharper when I stood. For me, it ended up being where the muscle was healing together. It went away after about a month but was getting better during that time. My surgeon's office said that it's something to be concerned about if it is getting worse.