colorado

So, I have just had a consult with the urologist for this very issue. I had 1 and only 1 UTI in my entire life before RNY and now have had 3 in one year. So I didn't get much of an answer about the UTI's, just a very expensive test where they measured and weighed the urine and then checked my bladder with an ultrasound to make sure I had completely emptied it (I had). Was told to come to the ER the next time I experienced symptoms. This is because I never had any "classic" UTI symptoms, just a lot of pain and bloating, which suggested kidney stones, something else I had never had, but most likely don't because, then the next consult was with a gastroenterologist who said none of the symptoms were due to the UTI - it just may have been coincidental - that I had pancreatitis. (I had also had a frightfully expensive (thank goodness insurance exists) set of pancreas imaging tests - So it was not as straight forward as a UTI but a complex set of issues - most likely caused by the bypass. Call your Dr for further info and testing. More that 3 UTI in a year and the gastric bypass warrant a visit to the urologist.

gaining weight in the hospital is very normal - I wish they would tell you this before you go in. I gained a whopping 20 lbs in the hospital - I started back down about 10 day after I was out - but did go back with two complications so perhaps it took a bit longer that if you did not have complications. Lost for about two weeks and then hit a stall - just held on and the scale moved more - just keep at it.

wow, I hope things work out, I did not go back to work for 6 weeks and still felt that jittery feeling at that point. I just tried to keep the protein in via, protein bars and cottage cheese, but at 9 days you must still be on liquids/puree? Do be careful with the juice - it can cause stomach upset because of the sugar - try it at home first! Can you tolerate chicken broth? Try that for some protein/liquid. Best of luck.

also for the newbies - I am 13 months post-op. I want to echo the first 8-10 weeks are the hardest - stay with it - hope for smooth sailing but expect setbacks large (complications) and small (food upsets and problems) Find a few things to eat that go down easily and stick with those for a while. I ate cottage cheese for lunch and sometimes dinner for months! It tasted good and went down easily, find what works for you. Take it one day at a time and don't obsess about the scale! Best of luck - there is light at the end of the difficult beginning times!

So I have read this one too many times. A pound is a pound. A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of ball bearings. Saying the muscle weighs more than fat is an urban myth and so untrue. You may be contouring your body differently - your body fat content may be reduced but you cannot say muscle weighs more that fat, a lb is a lb.

Was very interested in your post as I am in about the same boat, although you have gotten to a slightly lower weight than I did. I am now 13 months post op and actually stopped losing 3 months ago. I am at 190 from 256 now and have been up and down 2 lbs from this weight over the last 3 months. The amount I am consuming and working off seem to be equal. The Dr suggested exercising more times a week and more limitations of carbs but I have not been able to accomplish either. I have not given up but really don't expect any more big drops in weight. I was initially told also 18 months but I never expected to be one of those because I have always felt I consumed fewer calories than others and maintained the same (high) weight for years. I AM happy with what I have accomplished which is to have achieved a lower weight and fit in non-plus size clothing as well as coming off diabetes medications. I did dream of being "tiny" but as I mentioned I have not been able to lower my daily intake of food and output in exercise to break through this particular weight. I feel I have achieved "normal" status. I can find something to eat on most any restaurant menu - don't feel odd when out with friends for a drink - I don't feel limited by my food restrictions and am in a good place with this. I still have the urge to eat larger amounts of food - but that small stomach fills up and reminds me I am DONE! far before I eat what my eyes tell me I want to eat - so this is working. I don't find an increased energy level, I'm still tired a lot - but am lighter on my feet and move around so much easier:) I appreciate you posting and glad I got on to read today. Thanks for sharing your story. Don't be discouraged - we are in a better place for our health and self image than we were a year a go. PS - I recently read that Mayo clinic is studying gene sequences that they feel might be a predictor of who will lost the most weight from gastric bypass. The theory is (as I remember) is that if you have two copies of the gene they are studying you will have the best result, one copy, good results, no copies a least result. They are still studying this but may be an explanation of why there are such variances in people's weight loss. Not to be used as an excuse but and aid for designing how to proceed?

I am 13 month post op, close to you, I am not much of a drinker, 1 margarita every couple of months so I don't have advice on that side; however, I was warned from all sides (dr, psych, Nurse, surgeon) that alcohol addition was a common problem/transference after weight loss surgery. I was asked at every visit in the last year if I felt I was transferring addiction to drinking. I really recommend you see you DR and talk to them honestly. It makes sense, we can't eat in the volume we used to so we look for something else that we can do - and liquid funnels out rather rapidly - food does not. I urge you to see your dr:)

I had nausea first thing when I woke up for about 8 weeks. Zofran meltables right by the bed & take as soon as you wake up are the savior.

What the dr says about weight and the impact on the implants has some truth, but there are Drs who will give new knees to larger people, I suggest see another surgeon for a second opinion. Many of the Drs say wait, you are too young and the implants won't last that long, but I say, what about quality of life now. I'd rather slow down in 10 or 20 years when the implants wear out. Who knows, in that time they may have something better. The injections are called synvisc, or there are a couple of other brands, they are supposed to provide a kind of artificial cushion in the knee, they help a few people, they did not work for me. You can also get cortisone injections that will help for a while, you can get them every 3 months but for me they only lasted about 6 weeks, nut everyone is different how long they last. The most effective injections I had prior to surgery were Toradol (a very powerful painkiller) and a local anesthetic. Just make a note, that if you are diabetic, the cortisone will shoot your blood sugar higher for a few days. Good luck with finding some relief, a try a new Dr!

I am just coming up on a 1 year anniversary of surgery, I had left knee replacement on may, 28 2013, I had the right one done, in 2011, prior to bypass, this recovery has been much easier! I'm 53, had the 1st one at 51. Either osteo or psoriatic arthritis, Dr can't say definitively which. Pain relief since having to give up Celebrex & NSAIDs has been, h!!!. Almost stopped me from going forward with surgery, they really don't address this issue well. Tylenol is barely useful, but when I don't take it, I notice pain even more so I guess it does a little something. I use the extended release arthritis formula, the only strength that touches pain. Be careful not to take too much tylenol if you are still using narcotics as they also contain tylenol. narcotics do work for arthritis pain, but make me feel weird & you can't drive when you take them. tramadol, also known as Ultram also works but make me feel weird too & it gives me insomnia, apparently there is about 15% of the population that Ultram can do this too. So, my advice for knees, is go for replacement, don't wait, it's the only cure.

I did not tell anyone I was having this procedure except immediate family and my Drs. I just told them I was having a hernia repair and stomach procedure for the explanation of why I was gone from work. There is too much stigma attached to weight loss surgery - being fat is one of the few areas everyone feels free to comment on. II have never found that telling anyone or dieting with anyone changes what I do - or - I would have had success prior to this surgery - after all people were judging me every day as I walked trough the world. The down side of this is I have wanted to share my success with some people who would really benefit from the procedure but if I do that - it will be soon spread around and the judgements would start. I have been mostly happy with this choice of not to tell.

I have the same problem with chicken - white meat - like a chicken breast. It is very difficult to eat - I feel like I cant eat more that 3 or 4 bites and there is not room for anything else but I am still a bit hungry. I have avoided it mostly - the dark meat is much easier on the new stomach, but you may not like that - ground chicken is a good suggestion. I also can each fried chicken tenders without a problem ( I think is is the added oil for cooking) unfortunately because of the "fried" factor - so I try not to indulge in those often. I also find the chicken goes down better if I dip it in ranch dressing or some lo-cal lo-sugar dipping sauce. Hope you can find a solution.

yes, there is a motion sickness patch, you put it behind your ear - I actually had that in the hospital for nausea - I had forgotten about that until your mentioned it. Definitely try it to help, because vertigo is about the worse thing I have ever experienced - couldn't even get up off the bed. Mine resolved - think it was caused by a virus, I hope yours gets better.

Vertigo is a terrible thing. One thing that you can take to help with the symptoms and is over the counter is meclizine - a motion sickness pill. Ask at the pharmacy for it - it is readily available and cheap. Best of luck - this pill was magic when I had vertigo.

My surgeon says NO! to Celebrex or anything else in the NSAID category - I guess they have seen too many ulcers bleeding in the pouch after using NSAid's - it miserable. I had forgotten about Voltaren gel - the rheumatologist did give this to me but I having had much success with remembering or finding a good time to apply it regularly.

Thanks for your post. There seem to be many people who have had the textbook outcome from surgery with a lot of weight coming off quickly and I want to applaud their success! however, I am one of those with less than textbook success. I am 9 months postop and have lost about 60 lbs of 100 I wanted to lose. I am been at standstill since January:( Same few pounds up and down - I seem to be at an impass now - I am eating about 1/2 the amount of calories that I used to eat but apparently not enough to get below this point? I feel a frustrated but my mantra is - It is what it is - I just am moving through each day with the hope that the scale will start moving again. It just doesn't seem possible that I am not losing weight - the amount of calories I am eating now is about the same as I did on the pre-op diet that I LOST weight on - how can I be stuck? I echo the previous post - that my body seems to get at a set point and not want to move from its weight for quite a while - I am just going to keep going forward - move scale move!

Say hello to pain! Well, saying goodby to Celebrex for arthritis was my biggest fear - and has been realized. Without the help of Celebrex and other NSAID's I have been fairly miserable:( I have asked the surgeon, the nurse practitioner, my primary care - the rheumatologist - and the answer keeps being - NO NSAID's - it awful. They will give me Ultram (tramadol) - which does work for pain - but makes me feel really weird and gives me insomnia - not good. I take it sometimes when I feel desperate. I feel the same way about Tylenol - does not help much - but it does work a bit. I want to recommend the Arthritis strength of Tylenol - it is a stronger 8 hour formula - it works slightly better than the regular or extra strength. Wal-mart is the least expensive place to purchase this - their equate brand. I asked the surgeon about the extended release action with our altered system and the answer was - they don't really know - but that it is OK to take the extended form of this medication. Best of luck - I am hoping for some way to again take Celebrex????

Just wanted to chime in - I think I am the post-op weight gain record holder - 20 pounds - it was awful - came back off plus more - took about 4 weeks - just stick with it!

Hi, I was diabetic before surgery, no medication now BUT I have been having was is called reactive hypoglycemia. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/reactive-hypoglycemia/AN00934 Check out the mayo clinic info at this url. It happens to me about 3 hours after a meal, my blood sugar will plunge to about 50. Which is low. This is actually one of the know side effects of RYN - but - not one talked about too much - and it a bummer and a scary one. The "cure" is to drink about 1/2 cup of a sugary beverage such as juice or regular soda or eat sugar tablets - BUT - this can cause problems in RNY patients. I personally have to eat a snack - which will also work. I find it happens when I have not been careful to eat a balance of carbohydrates during the day and have one meal with a high concentration of carbohydrates. In theory it is easy to prevent but in practice difficult sometimes to implement. I would suggest discussing with your DR and/or nutritionist right away. It is daaangerous.

I found it difficult to sleep post-op. It got better (which doesn't help you much now) Also I have an out-of-the norm reaction to narcotic pain medication - in that it doesn't make me sleepy like it does many people, It causes insomnia. But the pain medication was very necessary so I just put up with it the insomnia and sleep whenever I am able.

The hair loss that we experience after roux en y is called tellogen effluviam. Our system basically goes into stress mode to heal our bodies from the inside out and it stops sending the signal to make your hair grow. So more falls out than is replaced. This also can happen after pregnancy or other traumatic event. The good news is that hair grows on a 3 month cycle - so it starts about 3 months out - and should end about at 6 months - although if you don't get everything balanced it can go to 9 months out. It will grow back and your hair follicles will recover. supplements and special shampoos and conditioners are mostly a waste of money - people perceive that they work because the cycle stops and hair grows back - it generally is not what you used or took (not talking here about the recommended Vitamins and supplements) but just that cycle that hair grows in. Anyone else have advice about the hair, or has your Dr given you any useful advice?

Well, I finally cleaned out my closet - and bagged and boxed up about 200 pieces of clothing. I have been so weird about getting rid of the clothes - I love shopping so I should be happy to be looking for new things - which I do - but I havent wanted to clean out the too big ones. I guess its is fear I will "need" them again. I am 8 months post-op, I had 100 lbs to lose - at 60 so far. It has been slow going for me - I'm currently in a two month, yes 60 days, stall. Just saw the nutritionist last week for some "tips". I am hoping the catharsis of closet cleaning with help my body along this week! I hope someone at Salvation Army finds a good use for all these clothes!!

I was nauseated for about 3 months - the medication is called Zofran - make sure they prescribe the tablet that dissolves on you tongue - it is magical. I had to take it before I got out of bed in the am, but then I was fine - until it wore off. Call your doc:)

I often listen to Dr. Radio on Sirius/xm and I hear a dermatologist talking about T.E. she emphaisized that you really just have to "wait" it out but DID recommend on supplement called: VIVISCAL - www.viviscal.com She said Biotin would not help T. E. - but did recommend this supplement ( unfortunately quite expensive) (she was not a stockholder in the company) this is just the only thing that was found to sometimes help. It might be worth it for you to try with your previous incidences of T. E. best of luck with your hair!

I took the full six weeks and needed every day of it - then I went back on a 4 day week - which really helped. Give yourself time! Its major surgery - just behind heart bypass.