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Our program was for 18 months of follow up as part of the surgical fee, and then annually thereafter on our (or insurance's) ticket. In normal situations, follow up with the PCP is fine as they can order labs, etc. However, we find it useful to keep in touch with the surgeon for his annual follow up as a means of keeping him "on retainer" in the event something odd happens. We all have things happen as we get older, and one of the common questions that would come up in our support group (mostly veterans of 10-20 years) is that they are having some health issue, and is that related to their WLS? Usually it is not and just part of the aging process, but if there is something questionable, our PCP can call up the surgeon and ask about it, MD to MD. It is less common for something odd in our health balance to happen with a sleeve as it would be with one of the malabsorbing procedures like the DS or RNY, but that's where some odd long term nutritional balance issue is most likely, and that's where the surgeon's experience can help out.

Bowel movements the color you describe is usually do to fat malabsorption. That wouldn't be unusual since you had the Bypass and that causes some malabsorption. It is good they are doing a HIDA scan and ultrasound, as nausea with things like peanut butter could indicate you are having issues digesting fat. Some people get that when their gallbladder starts to misbehave. I have never had bloating that distends the belly like that, so I can't relate, but I have had about 6 colonoscopies for other things so if they go that route don't worry, you'll take a nap and it'll be all over. LOL The prep is definitely worse than the test. I hope they figure out what is going on! Some people develop SIBO after bariatric surgery and that can cause a lot of bloating, so if their tests don't show anything you may want to chat with a Gastro doc about that possibility!

I love this so much! I am approaching 4 weeks Post op tomorrow and I don't have a lot that fits. This weekend I am donating clothes so I can start my wardrobe. I am going to probably rock the Billie Ellish look and wear baggy pants. But I went to Old Navy and took advantage of their jean sale and got a couple of jeans that are smaller sizes. Its been such a good feeling to find that confidence! However I notice that I have no idea what my style is! I always wore t-shirt and jeans since it hid what I wanted to cover. This is fun tho! Its unimageable that that I am still shrinking.

I have a wedding to go to in a few weeks and went into my wardrobe to see if I needed a new outfit. My last summers posh frock still fits beautifully. The jacket that didn't fit yet - fits beautifully. Its such a revelation. The shoes are a different kettle of fish. My old shoes drown my feet and are flats. My new style is heeled and a narrow size smaller. So new shoes and of course a bag is now mandatory.

I had to do 4 weeks also. My live saver was asking if I could have any cucumbers or celery. They said yes. I needed something to crunch and chew on!! I found out most dill pickles are under 5 calories so I allow 2 a day of those and eat lots of sugar free jello and sugar free popsicles. Wishing you the best. I have surgery in two days!

I love this topic, I'm recently thinking about how I will want to dress when I hit my stable weight. I've reinvented myself many times over the years and now I'm going to again. Right now I'm only wearing sweatpants and pajamas since it's so cold but come summer there will be lots of dresses. I'm 7 weeks post op and already my swimsuits are baggy and I'm hesitant to get new ones, I don't know what size I'll need now, and I don't think it will fit for very long, but maybe worth it anyways then donate it. I did splurge on a pair of jeans that I love but they're starting to sag on me. This is going to be fun and a bit scary I think.

we weren't allowed coffee on the pre-op diet, or for the first three or four weeks after surgery. After that, we could drink decaf. We weren't allowed "real" coffee until about six months out. But as others have said, programs are all different.

3 weeks (to get staples & drain removed), monthly for first year, then quarterly for the next 1.5 years, then annually, then I moved out of state. I was a special case because I started at an exceptionally high weight, so Doc wanted to monitor me much more closely than most. Gosh, as the years go by I feel like my experience and my Doc's philosophy of weight loss is very out of touch with folks today. Good luck, Tek

For life? Not true at all. Stage two of the post op return to eating is purée. It usually is weeks 3 & 4 so two weeks only in the first month. The staged return to eating (usually a two week cycle of liquids, purée, soft then solid foods) is to protect & support your healing tummy. It takes about 8 weeks to fully heal. Some surgeons recommend chewing well before swallowing to help during this time too to ensure nothing too coarse or fibrous is swallowed that could impact your healing. It also makes you stop & think about your eating. I wasn’t told to do that. A couple of weeks on the solid food stage (probably early start of month 3) I was eating chicken thighs, steak, lamb chops, pork loin, etc. Yes we are advised to eat slowly. It takes a good 20 odd minutes for the message to get through that you’re full. If you eat quickly you’ll easily eat too much & be over full. It’s about being mindful when eating too. Putting your cutlery down between bites & really thinking about if you need the next bite yet or just want it is a good habit to get into. It’s actually a good practice for everyone not just bariatric patients. So many people just shovel in spoonful after spoonful of food in their mouths & before they know it they’ve eaten copious amounts of food & are groaning & uncomfortable because they are overfull. Something to be aware of is eating too much, too fast or food that is too coarse or fibrous can result in the foamies. Thick foamy saliva rises to protect your oesophagus & to help you bring up the excess food or food that is causing a blockage. I still have the foamies at times. I think my oesophagus is more sensitive. Char grilled meats & vegetables & sometimes fibrous vegetables can cause me grief. But I feel fine once I’ve bought up the offending thing, I feel fine. Last time I had an episode it was because I hadn’t trimmed my sugar snap peas well & there was string left dangling & it irritated me. Most people rarely experience it & not in the long term. There’s lots of misinformation & scary horror stories online many not based on any truth or vey little or posted to drive likes (the scarier the story the more clicks). Go to reputable medical sites & forums like this one. Generally a good idea to avoid social media too. Highly recommend the you tube videos of Dr Matt Weiner (A pound of Cure) & Dr John Pilcher. Straight forward, practical information, clearly explained.

Yes this ! I have gone from 45 years with a gas cooker, to a house that's all electric and I got a fan oven to boot. I might crack the temperatures before I die. I take your point about the plate and why do we baby our men ?