aBetterRay

Pork chops were a problem for me at first, but after my dilations, and conscience efforts to slice them thinly and chew sufficiently, I can get thru a portion of pork chop. Scrambled eggs are my nemesis at this time, and I hear that is common...

I feel like Indiana Jones on a search for the Holy Grail of flavor satisfaction. At first, when I found a gem, I would repeat eating it, but would eventually tire of it. I now search for the spark of flavor, then store that info in memory, coming back to that food only periodically. A few of my gems are Progresso Tomato Basil soup, Kippered Seafood Snacks, shrimp w/ cocktail sauce, Hormel tamales, garlic mashed potatoes, and pork chop. Almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, mixed tropical fruit, LF yogurt, potato salad & cottage cheese are welcome and enjoyed. I love pickles & pepperocillies, but have not attempted them yet. Being Labor Day, I'm BBQing a steak today, making deviled eggs, and preparing some seasoned potato wedges. Portion sizes will be the most disheartening, but I know what my limits are. I will abide by the wisdom of the regemine and celebrate wisely. Have a Great Holiday Weekend...

I hear you all. There are, and have been, plenty of time I wish I had never had the surgery. I LOVED the entire experience of eating. It is all psychological. This continues to weigh on my thoughts, and I feel regret at times. BUT, knowing this about myself, and how easy it would be to cheat by over eating, I now know that I NEED this tool, this procedure, to put the brakes on and force change. After having the surgery, I have taken charge by taking choice out if the equation, the choice to be wreckless with my eating habits. I HAVE to slow down and make myself aware if everything I put in me. The fear of nausea & vomiting is a great eating inhibitor, and the weight loss is a wonderful benefit. And the time it has taken me to heal and adapt to my be stomach has allowed me to slowly change the way I view my wants and needs where food and nutrition is concerned. One of these days I will actually attend a support group and see if that helps. I'm lucky to have the support of family, friends, and this group, to get thru the inconvenient times. Hang in there... This is truly life changing...

Best of luck on your trip. You've done so well, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the caves and hike so much more. We wish we could go with, but we are not ready for a strenuous hike like that. Have a great day, and share some photos later. Say HI to all...

I hear you all. There are, and have been, plenty of time I wish I had never had the surgery. I LOVED the entire experience of eating. It is all psychological. This continues to weigh on my thoughts, and I feel regret at times. BUT, knowing this about myself, and how easy it would be to cheat by over eating, I now know that I NEED this tool, this procedure, to put the brakes on and force change. After having the surgery, I have taken charge by taking choice out if the equation, the choice to be wreckless with my eating habits. I HAVE to slow down and make myself aware if everything I put in me. The fear of nausea & vomiting is a great eating inhibitor, and the weight loss is a wonderful benefit. And the time it has taken me to heal and adapt to my be stomach has allowed me to slowly change the way I view my wants and needs where food and nutrition is concerned. One of these days I will actually attend a support group and see if that helps. I'm lucky to have the support of family, friends, and this group, to get thru the inconvenient times. Hang in there... This is truly life changing...

Once I got to solid foods, I began regularly suffering from nausea & often vomiting. I kept liquids 30 minutes from eating, chewed very well, took my time, and kept new foods seperated. After a nudge from friends, I contacted my surgery team and automatically scheduled me for an endoscopy with possible balloon dilation, suspecting a severe constriction for solid foods to pass thru. Not my first choice, I followed their direction, and sure enough, the passage from my pouch to my intestines was a mere 1.5 mm, about the diameter of a pencil lead. This passage should be around 12-15 mm, or around half an inch. I ended up having three endoscopies, each with a balloon dilation to widen the hole. This took about 5 weeks for all three dilations. The first two times were a week apart to heal, and a return to clear & full liquid diets. After the third dilation, I was able to return to a full solid diet, no specific restrictions, and I'm better than ever. It's been about 3 weeks since the last dilation, and I haven't experienced any further vomiting. The doctors added Prylosec for the next 4 months to reduce stomach acid and to promote healing from the stretching and previous damage from reflux & vomiting. I do get naucious from time to time, but i beleive that is just a part of the reintroduction and testing of foods. Thank You Surgeons for correcting this complication, and putting me back on track Your issues may be of a different nature, but I hope you reach out to those who performed the procedure. Our problems are very common occurrences to them, and they should fix you up. Good luck...

It's been an adventure. Had my Gastric Bypass May 29, 2012, and I've lost about 80 lbs. Reduced my BP meds a bit. Everything was going well until I got to solid foods, then I could hardly keep anything down, and had to rely on ice and liquids to feel I was getting anything at all. Turned out the pouch opening was restricted at a mere 1.5 mm, so everything but liquids were backing up. Eventually friends & family insisted I speak out, and I ended up going in for 3 consecutive endoscopy and balloon dilations. My opening was stretched in stages to 8mm, 12mm, then finally to 15mm. Each time I had to revert to a clear liquid diet while healing and added Prilosec to reduce acids and promote healing. Forty five days later, the third stretch behind me, and now I am back to a full diet with no restrictions ( except for all the things we shouldn't eat anyway). I'm testing the waters of many foods, and finding my pouch much more accepting. I've gotten some conflicting dietary information from post surgery consults, but I'm holding close to original guidelines and keeping portions small, as well as slowly and thoroughly consumed. After a 2 week plateau at 75 lbs list, the additional solid protein intake has triggered a renewed loss of additional pounds. My greatest failure is my lack of desire to include more exercise to my regimen. Time and prodding will tell...

All good advice. Thanks...

Well, my post op instructions say to watch for the back and shoulder pains, as well as stomach and abdominal pains, so the symptoms on WebMD may apply. This would be a perfect opportunity to call your surgeons question line.

I absolutely agree. We each have to find what works for us, and it differs at each stage in the process. Protein any way you can...

WebMD: What are the symptoms? Most people who have gallstones do not have symptoms. If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. Pain may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area. Sometimes the pain is more severe. It may be steady, or it may come and go. Or it may get worse when you eat. http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/gallstones-topic-overview

Best of luck with your 9/5 surgery. Golden information waiting here for you. Two words: Shaved Ice. It's a life saver after surgery. Helps with liquid intake, and it's crunchy like eating food. Looking forward to your posts...

Machine Gun Boom Booms Is that a Hostess Snack Cake? Sounds like a PX-90 routine. Do what it takes, but listen to what your body is telling you. Best of luck in your travels...

Happy Belated Birthday!!! Have a slice of Angel Food Tofu Cake for me...

My doctors suggested chewable calcium tablets for my mineral needs. Is there much protein in Oragel?

Scrambled eggs were a nightmare. However, I could handle mashed hard boiled eggs. I loved eggs. As time progresses, I will attempt variations. Time to make a batch of deviled eggs to try. Good luck.

Yup. Burping, passing gas, you got a lot of gas to expel, and your system is going thru changes. My surgery was May 29, 2012, and all went well for the first 45 days. Complications began as I transitioned to more solid foods. That's when I found that my pouch hole was WAY too small, and reluctantly I had to have three endoscopies and balloon dilations to widen my opening from 1.5 mm to a final 15 mm. Not a fun time to have those procedures, but 2 weeks after the last one, all is good and getting gooder. Don't let my situation scare you, as the odds are low that it will apply to you. But, evaluate your own physical signals as you progress, and ask lots of questions. Kudos for taking the leap, and best wishes for the days, weeks, and months to follow...

Welcome everyone to this adventure. I hear your pain and concerns. My first day home after surgery was mentally devastating. All the wonderful eating experienced of the past were gone forever. At least that's how I was thinking. I had lots of tough days, being about 3 months out now, but I had lots of great days and lbs lost to show for it. My saving grace during the initial weeks: Shaved Ice. It was an unlimited source of crunchy 'food' that fulfilled my liquid intake. At times I would add flavorings or Sugar free syrups, but ice thru my food processor saved me over and over. It even helped when my stomach was uneasy. Plus, no calorie counting with ice. Stick with your given guidelines, take it slow, and evaluate each new food you reintroduce to your diet, how it sets and settles, and how it interacts with other foods and fluids. Everyone finds the combinations that work for them at each stage of their adventure. The info in these posts are solid gold, but always weigh this information in conjunction with the surgeons instructions, as well as the signals your own body is relaying to you. Best of luck to all who walk this path...

Good for you on the venture into weight training. I've got a pool, but I'm not a self starter for activities. This adventure is supposed to be about changed to ALL aspects of my health regamine, so it's time I committed. I'm uplifted by a family member, Odiemom, who having her surgery just days after mine, had embraced the exercise requirements, and I may add a gym membership to get me on some machines. My brain works extra hard thinking up excuses to not exercise.

Yeah. Was feeling a little guilty about the lack of posting.

Ice and ice water was my saving grace. I did start with lots of bullion cube meals, chicken & beef, but it gets old fast. I began using my food processor to make shaved ice, and that filled a great need for liquids. I picked up regular and SF syrups at Smart-n-Final, and that made for a treat. Especially in the sweltering Valley summer. Yeah for shaved ice!!!

Hey all, I'm Ray, and I'm on my way to RNYGB. I've been creeping up the scale from 235lbs in 1995 to a bulging 415 at the beginning of 2011. High BP, borderline diabetic, loving food, life was good. Of course, then life expectancy for males in my family was around 62, and being 52 now, my retirement plan was to work until I literally and actually dropped. However, life puts important people in your life that can change your perspective, and that happened to me: Kellylynn. So I began to get selfish. I decided that I wanted more time on this rock, to lengthen my trip on this rock, and to do that. I needed to care about myself and my health. So, I saw the Docs, got some tests, added meds, and listened to the same old spiel about balancing those food groups and exercising towards the golden prize. However, the deep, dark, recesses of my mind continued to rule the delicious and comforting roost. I needed a tool, something aggressive, something my mind had little say so, so I decided to get radical and choose to pull the rug out from under my thunder. I'm choosing the bypass, gastric style. After tons of input, learning I could reduce or eliminate my current and future obesity-related ailments, I began my journey towards 5 tiny incisions and an even tinier stomach pouch. And, as I knock out the requirements of tests, probes, education, psychoanalysis, and about 23 lbs of initial dietary struggling, I draw nearer to a referral to a surgeon who will alter my digestive system to literally FORCE my mind out of the drivers seat. And, to be honest, I'm more than a little scared. Yeah, I'm pretty heavy, and that weight continues to take its toll, but I work, I'm active, I'm living a very happy existence, and I'm about to toss the biggest monkey wrench into my own biological gears. Fear creeps in, and my mind is trying to talk me out of it. My mind knows quite well what is about to happen, and it wants me to stop, teasing me with visions of many delicious things and countless hours of comfort from the fullness of wonderful flavors and sensations. But, as I write this down, I shall tell my mind to mind it self. I choose me, a better me, a better and healthier life, and I shall risk much, to lose more, and end up in a winning position. I just hope that position is not spent bent over a toilet seat...

Bariatric Haiku Cold whey Protein shake, Nutrition for my body, Anguish in my Heart.

Hey Odiemom. I heard you were having some issues. Boy, I tell you, this first week back to work, plus the diet change, has been no walk in the park. I've had to back up a bit to liquids to let my system heal from several vomiting sessions. I'm talking things very slow, but have stocked my shelves with many choices for trial and error. I've reduced portion sizes to an ounce or so, and put much more effort into bite sizes and chewing, and really taking lots of time to eat. I'm never full, but I'm learning to know when I'm done, no matter how little I have consumed. I am thinking of your health and progress daily, we both are. Hang in there. It's a big thing we have gone and done. We are not in a race, this is a marathon, and it is an individual journey. But we support each other, and that is important. Note: Tuesday night at ALSA is a Bariatric Support meeting, and they are showing a complete surgery. Kelly & I intend on going. Hope you and Nick could go as well. So, tell me, how are things?