pear425

You will be ok. I've had several abnormal paps but have been ok. I have had a few procedures to look into a more serious problem but have been lucky. The best and most important thing you can do is have the test and follow up with more testing if it is abnormal again. Prevention is key. Try not to worry.

You must, must take bariatric vitamins from day one and every day for the rest of your life. Of course we all slip up and that will not ruin anything but follow your doctors instructions.

Get unflavored protein powder. It is not flavorless but you can add it to anything like soup, pudding, jello, broth, mashed potatoes etc.. You can also make any flavor shake you want with fruit and other ingredients. Check out Unjury. The chicken soup flavor is really good if you want something savory.

My surgery is today. Super nervous but ready. Waiting on the nurses to take me back.

If you still have weight to lose it wouldn't make sense to have surgery yet. Do you have rashes and skin problems in your belly area? Have you been documenting the problem with you doctor? I know these are all things insurance look at. My surgeon is clear that if we need/want plastic surgery you should weight 18-24 months.

It's hard to get the right answer since we all have different insurances and doctors office with different fees. When I hasn't initial RNY in 2005 I paid $0. Nothing not a penny. Not even a co-pay! Now this time (new insurance and new surgeon) I have a $25 co-pay each appt. $1500 surgeon fee, $240 fee for pre-op and post op nutrition classes and $15 for each supervised weight loss weigh in. The safest thing you can do to be sure is call your surgeon directly. Ask for detailed breakdown for your records.

Some hair loss is normal. Usually when you are not getting enough protein on a daily basis excess hair loss can happen.

Waking around is number 1. Then something like gas-x.

Try using a Camelback water bottle and take the straw out (so your not sucking in air). It only lets you take small sips at a time

Try looking into Bariatric Advantage Vitamins. From what I've read on here it seems like there tends to be a lot of different answers on here about vitamins. From the research I know of we need specially formulated vitamins bc of the RNY physical mechanics. Which makes sense. The body can't absorb "regular" vitamins, even those w/o surgery don't actually absorb the full amount. Bariatric Advantage has both chewable and liquid formulas that actually taste good. There is another company, Nutrametrix that is all liquids. I had RNY 9 years ago and was instructed to take Centrum, Citracal, and any Ferrous Fumarate Iron and sublingual B-12. I have developed some bad Vitamin deficiencies. My NUT recommends started the vitamins right away since they are chewable and/or liquid. Good luck!

Unjury, Isopure, Nectar and Plant Fusion all have unflavored (not tasteless though). You can mix it with just about anything.

You always should follow what your surgeon and Nut tell you to do. They are the trained professional. If you trusted them to do your surgery you should trust them with the food stages. Every surgeon has different rules, even though we are having the same procedure. It is their years of training and experience that made them dictate their post op eating plans. My revision surgeon has you go right to purée but my original surgeon 9 years ago had 6 week transition period. Also my Nut is very clear that it is all about protein. We don't count calories in the beginning.

You need Whey protein. The 4 ones the are highly recommended by the medical community and liked by patients are Unjury, Isopure, Nectar and Plant Fusion. All of them have unflavored versions that you can mix with just about anything.

Thank you Dave. You are very knowledgable with actual scientific fact and not "goggled" so called "facts". You are also post op (as am I almost 9 years) which makes your posts of more value for actual life after Bariatric surgery.

Did you drink 30 minutes before and/or after eating the chicken? To be safe give your surgeons office a call.

Check out Unjury. I believe they are all lactose free. Also Plant Fusion protein powder. They are definitely out there. You might want to ask your Nut for recommends.

Don't worry these are 100% normal. They are standardized tests and not every question is necessarily applicable to you. The reason they are repetitive is to insure you are being as truthful as possible and not trying to answer the way you "think" the doctor wants you to. It's not pass or fail. It shows the areas you may need help with and those that you do not. Some psychiatrists don't use these tests but some do. Professional preference.

Ask away! Of course ask your surgeon for all final answers, at least the medical ones! The most important thing to remember that each and every person will have a different experience. Good luck.

I totally understand having to go back to work since your a manager. Just be careful because my surgeon puts us a exercise restriction for 6 weeks especially no lifting over 20 lbs. Good luck

Not to worry. You aren't doing anything wrong. Stalls are 100% normal. Don't forget each and every person is 100% different even if you have the same starting weight. Just keep up with the doctors orders.

The salad is fine. Focus on each day one at a time. It is mine understanding the heavier your pre-op weight the more important your liver shrink. Don't know what your weight is but I don't need the diet bc my weight is 225.

I could not DISAGREE more with the nonsense about lying and playing down being bipolar. Why would you jeopardize your health by lying. The reason for the eval is not to decide if your "crazy" (I hate that word) it is to make sure you are prepared mentally and emotionally for what is to come. If you have a regular therapist or psychiatrist they should be doing your eval since they know you and your history. Your insurance already knows your diagnosis as well as your surgeon. If an eval indicates you may not be ready for this huge change then you should follow through with whatever the recommendation is to get on track. The eval is also looking for signs if psychotic behavior and the inability to make sound decisions. If you have picked a quality surgeon that you are comfortable with letting him operate on you then why wouldn't you let the professionals make the call. We all want and need this surgery but it is very, very hard mentally and emotionally. Sometimes more so then the physical part. If you are an emotional eater it will be extremely difficult to deal with the changes when you can no longer go to food. I am bipolar and have been for over 20 years. My diagnosis was never a problem when I had my surgery nine years ago nor was it a problem this time for my revision. However I am in regular counseling and adhere to my medication. When I was not on the right meds and not in therapy a couple years back I started to gain weight. Please don't lie. Despite wanting this surgery badly if you have to wait a little extra time to get mentally prepared then take advantage of it.

I am post op RNY almost 9 years but will be having a revision next week. I never wanted to have the sleeve but I have always been under the impression that the sleeve was an absolute no-no for those with GERD issues. The sleeve will make it worse or you can develop problems. If you have a strong addiction to carbs a sleeve will not be a good surgery for you. It doesn't have the restriction or malabsorption that RNY. It is really easy to graze since food slips right down w/o feeling full.

I would highly recommend getting Bariatric grade vitamins made specifically for post op patients. They are very different from one you can pick up at the store. We DO NOT and will never absorb all the actual vitamin levels in anything other then Bariatric specific ones. Especially Calcium and Vit D. The calcium has to be calcium citrate with Vit D in it. The Bariatric vitamins come in chewables,liquids, chews and sublingual. Lots of flavors and choices. Check out bariatricadvantage.com and please research the info I just gave you.

problem and they can eat a substantial bit more food. As patients we can't live on protein shakes for life. They are supplements meant especially for the early stages of post op since it is impossible to get the high numbers of protein we need. Some people still use shakes well after they are post op but they are not the main source. Just like Adkins, Southbeach, Paleo, etc... the "eat clean" all organic stuff is a fad diet. These are just junk words. Organic has no qualified meaning. Any company can put the word organic on a box. If you pick an good surgeon from a Bariatric Center of Excellence who has a qualified nut with a specialization in Bariatric nutrition and they instruct you to follow this type of diet then so be it and good luck. The surgeon and nut know best so follow their rules.