Bufflehead

Another possibility to keep in mind, especially if the "almost passing out" comes right after you stand up, is orthostatic hypotension. A fair number of post-wls patients get this condition due to the rapid drop in blood pressure after surgery.

Your pharmacist can also help you figure out which pills can be switched to liquid, which can be split, crushed, etc. I had no problem with small pills and capsules immediately after surgery, it was only giant, horse-sized pills (think calcium supplements) that ever gave me any problems. I had liquid lortab and liquid vitamins but didn't need liquids or to crush any other sort of pill. Good luck!

@@cosmogirl2535 well you definitely want to have a heart to heart with your surgeon and figure out what is going on with your reflux before making any decision. And if bypass is an option for you, go to a couple of support groups where you can meet people who have actually had the surgery and they can tell you themselves how they are doing and how it has affected them. Don't just rule it out because of an emotion about your intestines, which you will never even see! You want to come to your decision based on information and consideration and advice from people like your surgeon, not based on fear. So keep an open mind and keep learning! You will do great.

Most surgeons will recommend gastric bypass for heartburn/reflux unless the heartburn is caused by a hiatal hernia, which can be repaired during your sleeve surgery. Bypass will often cure reflux, but sleeve can make it worse or even induce it in people who never had it before. So the first steps would be discussing it directly with your surgeon and possibly getting a diagnosis as to what is causing your reflux -- typically you get an upper GI imaging series or EGD scope well before any surgery that can see what is going on there. My reflux was caused by a hernia, which was repaired during my sleeve surgery. Since then, my reflux has been almost non-existent. That said, if it had been caused by something other than a hernia, I would have gone for gastric bypass. Bypass is a great surgery with awesome results, and I know many healthy, happy people who have had it and are doing fantastic.

real hunger is when you would eat just about anything to satisfy it. Maybe not human flesh or grilled slugs or something like that but just about anything else. Head hunger, boredom, habit - that's more along the lines of "I want some ice cream" or "I need to eat something while I'm watching a movie" or "I want to crunch something in my mouth." As far as calories go, it really depends on your program. For my program, at 6 weeks out, I was to stay under 600 calories per day.

Before surgery, I only told my immediate family and a couple of my closest friends. People who I knew would support me and who I felt needed to know what was going on in my life. After surgery, I don't volunteer it, but if people ask me how I lost the weight, I tell them about the surgery as well as eating low carb and high protein and obsessively logging everything on myfitnesspal

I am counting down to the season premiere of The Americans! Also looking forward to Better Call Saul. Catching up on the second season of Orange Is The New Black, finishing up The Missing, next on my stream/binge list is Top of the Lake.

beef or turkey jerky, slices of deli meat, string cheese, roast edamame, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes, pouches of flavored tuna -- there is absolutely no need for protein bars or anything like that, which are basically glorified candy bars with whey powder mixed in. Skip them.

Paleo recipes also tend to be very sleeve-friendly. Some of my favorite sites for Paleo recipes: http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex http://thingsmybellylikes.com/ http://paleogrubs.com/paleo-diet-recipes http://www.marksdailyapple.com/category/recipes/#axzz3PV7ob8v0

Sounds like ketosis, very common in low carb diets. You may get bad breath too

IMO, no weight loss for 8 months isn't a stall or a plateau, it's maintenance. Check with your medical team but it sounds like you need to either increase your exercise (without upping your calories) or keep your exercise the same and decrease your calories. According to the tests and calculations my team did, 1400 calories per day is maintenance for me and I won't lose weight eating that much. Good luck!

Are you on an acid reducer/PPI such as omeprazole or Protonix? Many times people deal with increased stomach acid after sleeve surgery, and it presents itself as hunger. If you are on an acid reducer, consider asking your doctor whether an increased dosage or switching to a different medication might be worth trying out.

Use the search engine here or even just Google "three week stall" -- you'll see, what you are going through is almost universal. Virtually everyone pauses in their weight loss somewhere around the third week out. You are right on track. Keep following your program and put the scale away for at least the next few weeks or it will make you crazy. Relax, you are normal!

For that kind of vacation, I probably would have waited a minimum of four weeks in terms of energy and until I was off purees and onto soft foods in terms of finding appropriate eating choices while on vacation/in another country. I have had no issues with needing bathrooms more than before, getting "sick," etc. but I am not sure I would have wanted to be tromping around Europe until I had my full strength back.

Extra long power cord for charging my phone and lip balm. Other than that, there was basically nothing I needed. The hospital supplies pretty much everything you'll need, and you won't be doing much of anything after other than walking, sipping, and (trying to) sleep! I did make sure I wore clothes that would be comfortable for going home post-surgery. For me that was a flowy, empire-waist dress and a cotton leisure bra that fastened in front -- no underwire! Often, depending on your surgeon's technique, you'll end up with an incision right where your bra/underwire would hit and that would hurt. Also, make sure that whoever is driving you home brings a pillow for you to tuck between your tummy and the seatbelt.

A lot of people like the GNC Total Lean shakes and EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control, as well as Pure Protein shakes. I think Pure Protein's numbers are not that far off from Premier Protein. Another possibility is Isopure RTD. I found them absolutely vile and had to cut them 50/50 with water, Powerade Zero, or G2 to choke them down -- but the numbers are really good and some people do love them. Even if you find something you like before surgery, wait until you taste it after to buy in bulk. Your tastes may change and what you loved before, you may hate after. Good luck!

Well I think their claim that they invented some process that makes their protein absorb 3x better than any other protein is hogwash. If they really had done that, they would be able to write it up and publish it in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the entire health/protein supplement industry would be beating a path to their door, begging to buy their process. Haven't seen any evidence of anything like that. And have you seen the other stuff they sell? "Testosterone booster," something called "Kranked" that allegedly gives you "superhuman strength," weird herbal supplements that look like they are supposed enhance men's, ah, sexual performance . . . I would not put anything from this creepy company in my body, let alone rely on it for nourishment post-surgery.

Lots of rest and lots of liquids are your best medicines to fight a cold whether you can swallow pills or not IMO.

I use exercise DVD's like Leslie Sansone (super low impact, great for beginners) and Kelly Coffey-Meyers (more impact, better for intermediate) and have had good luck sticking with them.

Puree doesn't really mean it needs to be creamed up like baby food. It really means the food is diced up so that you aren't swallowing large pieces. Think of the consistency of canned tuna. This may be true for some practices, but not every practice. Per my dietician's rules, virtually all food had to be actually pureed in the puree stage, in a food processor or blender. The only exceptions were poached eggs, refried Beans, yogurt, and cottage cheese. IMO it's always best to follow your own surgeon's rules rather than adopting the most liberal interpretation you can find on the internet. And if your own surgeon's rules aren't clear, call and ask for more information.

@@Samantha&Sunshine do guidelines from your surgeon cover milk? I see a lot of people telling you it is fine, but what really matters is what your surgeon/dietitian think, not strangers on the internet. My doctor absolutely did NOT allow milk on the pre-op diet. It has a lot of carbs. If the guidelines you were given do not cover milk, your surgeon may not care, but if I were you I would probably check in and ask.

One slip up won't mess up your surgery -- as long as it isn't within 24 hours before! Don't do it again, though.

running and weights.

I pureed lots of things -- it's much better than it sounds if you do it right. First, puree your meat with a tasty sauce, not water or broth. Not enough flavor in those! Then put your puree in a little ramekin, top it with some shredded cheese if you want, and heat it up in the microwave to get everything warm and the cheese melted. Some good combinations for me: chicken + marinara sauce + mozzarella cheese ground beef + bbq sauce + cheddar cheese salmon + lemon dill sauce + peccorino cheese shrimp + buffalo sauce + blue cheese thai spice tuna + sriracha sauce turkey + peanut satay sauce + jack cheese To me, baby food is absolutel vile (poor babies!) and the nutrition content is really pretty poor. YMMV. I also ate refried beans with hot sauce, Greek yogurt with peanut butter or almond butter stirred in, poached eggs, and Shelly's ricotta bake! There are all sorts of great alternatives to baby food.

@@robinswls there is a separate forum for people with DS: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1018-duodenal-switch-surgery-forum-new/ I would bet you will find more people with your surgery there, I think virtually everyone here has just had the sleeve, not the DS. Good luck!