shellb

But you'll be buying fashionable sweaters from the sales rack of the skinny department. :-) For me it's warm shoes and something on my neck (scarf or sweater) and I'm ok even at the office. Gloves in the winter are a must.

Welcome to the cold, it's a long term side affect of the surgery. For me peronally anything under 75 is freezing and PA always seems to be under 75. When you get the shakes get hubby to crawl under te balnket with you, you'll warm up fast Carry sweaters and jackets everywhere, you'll need them. I'm four years out, the cold feeling never goes away or improves.

Wow, four years ago I was told 11mm was the max they could do. Maybe that's why I stick? You are in my prayers

One lesson at a time :-) Some are fun, wait until you shorten the seatbelt or move the seat closer to the steering wheel! 4 years. Rice, Pasta and bread are common problem foods but in time you learn what your pouch will tolerate and how much. Of course, these carbs aren't the best foods in the first place...

Don' fear the puree embrace it, add spice and flavors, make the Soup taste Mexican with spices...blend the burito in there if you must. The pouch rules your life now, you need to be kind to it early on or that eat/vomit/fear food cycle starts. You really want to avoid the stress that comes with fearing food if you can. Rice and Pasta are still expanding when freshly cooked and served. Two bites are the size of four by the time they hit the pouch, don't eat them while you're healing. If you want to eat them later on, go for things like the Uncle Ben's 90 second heat n eat, they are pre-cooked and are as expanded as their going to get. And chew, chew chew, then chew some more.

Thanks! Usually it's meat or Pasta so I'll pick some up.

It's painful and way more then feeling nauseated, nausea is normal in the first few weeks. An ulcer will feel like a fire in your chest with each bite or drink. The stoma/stricture feels like something stuck in you just below the breastbone. And you may get the foamies, just bringing up bubbles of stomach acid. Foamies aren't always stoma. It was the combo of stuck and foamies that my doctor said warranted calling the emergency surgeon line.

Anjela my heart goes out to you, I can only imagine the frustration. Each bite that passes is one bite in the right direction, take them as victories! You're in my thoughts.

Ground beef of any kind still causes issues, pain and sometimes dumping. Ground turkey works well though, I use it for Sloppy Joes, meatloaf, chile etc. Unless I tell my family they have no idea or complaints!

My Gyn explained that our fat cells also store estrogen, melt the fat and you get a rush of estrogen...tada! It abates in time. It also means you're a little pms'y the first months when your dropping. I hated the pms feeling so I did go back on the pill, there's a chewable version that's minty!

Remember to sip, little spoonsfuls, and chew to a mush, sometimes its just adjusting habits and not a stoma. And this rule applies for a lifetime, your exit will always be on the small side,to this day I count my chews anything less then 30 and there's a chance it'll stick. Oh,when something sticks, lay down on your left side and strech out you torso. I can't explain why but it helps food to pass. It may come up or go down, but it does pass. I had the structure or stoma (different doctors use different names) after my surgery four years ago. Here's the great news, I don't have significant issues eating today, the endoscopy (the stretch) did the trick. But the devil details: your gonna eat purée (you can Water it down if needed) until its fixed and sometimes you need more then one stretch. I had two, and you have to wait about 30 days between each to be safe. The most my surgeon ever did was 6. If you don't get it treated the sitting food creates an ulcer which hurts like you can't believe. Be sure to keep following up with your surgeon. Hang on, if its more the swelling and changing habits there's still help.

I had the same problem, but mine healed on the second trip, sorry to hear you've had more. You'll be ok soon if it stays open. I stayed on the puréed foods for a few weeks after the last one, until I was ready for solids. Yeah, looking back I owe the doctor an apology for my own 'THAT'S BULLSHIT!!' response to the 'food aversion'. How twisted is it that the food that once comforted now is painful? Bananas and fish where my first solids, then things started moving along. Salad is a huge first step, congrats! Long term? Well, It's been four years, 3 1/2 since the last 'stretch', occationally I get something stuck but it's not often enough or painful enough (the ulcer was the worse) to go back for another stretch. Remember to chew a lot, when I eat fast things stick. You're on the way back to 'normal' or our RNY way of eating, your attitude is too positive not to make it!

I regret the surgery. I'm four years out and I'm perfectly healthy, but I'd never do it again. There were complications, a stoma (scar tissue made the new exit too small for even soft foods to pass) and a massive ulcer. But after pushing the doctor, the medical issues where all resolved with in 5 months. Mind you the extra cost was upsetting,I never want to purée a damn thing again, and being scared to eat wasn't fun but I worked past those issues in time. Pick a goal, I've reached it, on paper I'm a successful RNY. It's the loss of privacy and support that came after the surgey that's my issue. Like I've said to my shrink (yeah that continued added expense really bites) I was fat, generally unhealthy but with no co-morbidity issues, and likely to die at 50 but I WAS HAPPY and had great people in my life. I haven't changed but the world around me suddenly sees me differently. I'm not all that and a bag of chips mind you (yum, chips I miss you), it's more that I'm easy to talk to, approachable. That personality makes me a successful sales person and good friend, somehow it's a bad thing to be while I'm skinnier and in public. I was always talkative and friendly now suddenly it's perceived as flirting? People gawk at you in a mean way when you're fat, it doesn't feel any better when they gawk at you thin. The new attention makes old friends and loved ones jealous, I've lost quiet a few in the years since the RNY over how other people behave. The divorce rate post surgey is higher then 50%. I think its wholly unfair and rotten that no one said told me the bad things about change, that people around you don't always accept it. The support system you have love the idea of a healthy thinner you before your RNY, but come to hate it in real life. Had I known how negatively a positive change for me could affect people around me I would have been more careful along the way. As it is I didn't know jelousy was an issue until they were gone. A heads up that post RNY people who rejected you will want to approach you would have been great too. I really wish I could come to terms with the surgery, thus the shrink, but as I am, no I wouldn't do it again. You all have the same hopes, goals and wishes I once did, its a beautiful gift - the hope of RNY, I don't share my story to ruin it. I share it because I do regret my choice and wish with every heartbeat I didn't. I pray to stay healthy but to also be happy again at the same time. If my woeful tail helps one of you keep your love and friends I've done more for you then anyone did for me. Please, just posting this response is a huge leap of faith in the goodness this community, be kind if you reply. I completely understand Mbrock's reluctance to talk, speaking negatively here is like wearing a Hitler mask, I suspect some my think me evil. But you asked for regrets, I've torn open a scar to share, don't be mad when you hear some.

If you can get it shipped to Saudi,try unjury.com, it was the only protien I could stand after surgery. They even have a starter kit, a couple of sample packs of each flavor they offer. As far as should or shouldn't you... You have decades of living to do, take time and let yourself heal, get to know your new body, and trust your instincts more then what you 'hear you should do'. Your body will tell you if it's not ready for something loudly, clearly, and quickly, lol.

I'm four years out, let me pass on the one piece of advice that keeps me sane: stop weighing yourself since it is the worse measure of 'sucess' that we can use. As you loose the fat you will exercise more and gain muscle. Who on earth thinks that body builders are fat? Ask any buff trainer you know and they will tell you that they do not fall within the weight limits for their age - if they only measure weight and inches these buff ones are fat. Eventually gaining a little weight (muscle) is a good and heathly thing for us (though it does scare you when it happens). If you want to measure something it should be body fat percentage. There's a special scale and/or hand held device to measure if for you most gyms or doctors offices will have a one. There's a formula too you can Google if your a math-y and want to calculate it yourself. Find the chart of body fat percentages for age and gender by level of fitness (athletes/fit/acceptable/obese) on Google as well. About 5 months out I too was feeling bad, like I was failing. After talking with my doctor, my trainer, and other RNY folks, I got off the weight scale and switched to body fat %. You know I was just inside the acceptable range and within 3% of fit!? Holy s**** I was HEALTHY!! Now I had a new goal, I wanted FIT. A few more months of eating well and exercise, tada, I got there and never once did I check my weight. But even the % of fat thing got old, now I use the ultimate in simple to measure my success: Do my 'little' clothes still fit right? As soon as something feels tight I buckle down again and get on track. I crack out the food diary and exercise routine until I'm back in the little sexy black dress I bought to Celebrate reaching the 'fit' level. I have no idea how much I weigh and haven't for 3 and a 1/2 years, all I know is my clothes still fit! Even when I go for a checkup I tell the nurse before I get on the scale that I don't want to know the number, then I turn my back and get on. I keep my eyes closed for good measure (no pun intended). Getting off the a scale maybe the kindest thing to do for yourself, there are better measures of success for you then a number. Maybe for you it's playing with the kids, or walking up stairs, or running a marathon... Pick something and step down off that madding machine.