James Marusek

How do you treat a hernia medically and not surgically? It seems sometimes the worse problems one has with weight loss surgery is dealing with the insurance companies and not the surgery itself.

Good luck on your surgery and let us know if we can be of any help. This is my experience with RNY gastric bypass surgery. I am 3 years post-op. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Yes, lifting heavy objects can cause hernias. When I was younger years before my weight loss surgery, I underwent hernia operations that were a direct cause of moving heavy objects. Generally they were in the 200 pound range. After weight loss surgery, I was restricted to a very small weight limit (5 to 10 pounds). But a few weeks after surgery, my surgeon removed the weight limit. So follow your surgeons orders and if it is close to the limit be cautious and let your body heal. I experienced very very severe constipation a few months after surgery. It comes with the territory. The only way I could clear my bowels out was to put a glycerin suppository up my rear end anytime I felt severely constipated. It is really important to make sure you meet or exceed your Fluid requirements after surgery since that can lead to severe constipation. Eventually I found and used several products that help keep my normal again. [i don't know if severe constipation can cause hernias but it sure puts a strain on your system.]

I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery and I transitioned from the Weight Loss phase to the Maintenance phase at around 7 months. This photograph describes better than words what 6 months post-op can look like.

Immediately after RNY gastric bypass surgery, I lost my ability to swallow medium to large pills. Therefore it might be wise to purchase a pill splitter and a pill crusher from your drug store. Before surgery, my mind was always focused on food and my next meal. After surgery, food was almost the last thing on my mind. The meal volume was incredibly small (2 ounces) per meal. Therefore a can of anything after surgery would make 4 or 5 meals. Plus I lost my hunger. It went completely away. Also my taste buds changed. Food that I liked lost their flavor or became intolerable to eat. Even Water took on a very chlorinated taste and was almost undrinkable. So in your preparations be Fluid. Be willing to experiment after surgery. And don't stock up on too much.

Congratulations and let us know if we can be of any help.

Sounds like a good weight loss after 5 weeks and 3 days. Keep it up.

Congratulations.

After my RNY gastric bypass surgery a few years ago I built an underground shelter. We were hit by tornadoes around 8 years ago and had a lot of damage. Anyways when we went up to the Museum of Natural History in Chicago this summer with the grandkids, I saw a cute t-shirt. It read STAY CALM AND TRY NOT TO BECOME EXTINCT. So when I got home, I had a sign made up which I hung inside my shelter. So that is the only advice I can give you for staying calm. Two things to do before surgery. 1. Take a good before photo of yourself so that you can have something to compare it with once you have surgery and lose weight. 2. Walk, walk, walk. It will really help the recovery process go smoothly and speed your recovery and also ease your pain levels. What helped for others to keep the, calm? I was just way too busy before surgery to get the jitters.

@@Loobles said That's exactly what I want to know. I'm currently taking Pregabalin, Metformin, Cyclizine and Morphine. I was wondering about how the RXY bypass especially might affect medication absorption. I've just started looking into this, so please do feel free to suggest a good starting point. I won't see a surgeon for quite a while as my clinical psychologist has said I have to lose 5% of my bodyweight before she'll start the funding request process. Thanks I don't know about the other drugs, but I used Metformin to control my diabetes prior to surgery. When I left the hospital, my diabetes went into remission and stayed there ever since. I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass. I haven't used Metformin or another drug to control diabetes since the day I entered the hospital. The change was that quick.

The pureed stage is fairly short and then you will move to solids. Solids can be difficult to transition into. For me I found that softer foods (such as chili and soups) were easier to go down than solid foods such as steaks. So when you get to that stage, I have included some recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

There is not a one size fits all answer to this. Some people recover very quickly others are a bit slower. I was in the hospital for 2 days and afterwards I was fairly able to manage on my own once I got home. But that is not everyone. Walking helps. I walked for 30 minutes each day in the 8 months before surgery, I walked every 2 hours around the clock while in the hospital. I took walking very seriously and it really accelerated my recovery and ability to cope with pain after surgery. You will need for someone to take you home. You will need for someone to help you get your prescription medicines (including the blood thinner and other meds which not all pharmacies have in stock) on the way home. I found it is best to stop at a pharmacy located near a bariatric surgery hospital because they have the best chance of having those in stock.

Congratulations and good luck on your upcoming surgery. Remember to take a good before photograph.

When I went through RNY gastric bypass surgery, the program provided me with almost a day of classes on how to prepare for surgery and all the requirements post-op. It filled a quarter inch binder. There was a lot of follow up after surgery. Every year I undergo blood work to make sure my Vitamins and minerals are adjusted post-op. They are fine tweaked. It is my impression that this is not the case for those that have surgery in Mexico. You are sort of left on your own. This lack of direction, guidance and follow-up could cause you major heartache after surgery. This would be my greater concern. Perhaps those that had surgery in Mexico could chime in and relay their experiences.

I had some pain in one of my feet several years ago. It affected only one foot and was severe. It was also very intermittent. It would come, last for a few days and then disappear. It also occurred on the foot I injured over the winter a few years ago. I spoke to my doctor about it and he said that it was likely the gout. He said there was a test for it but it was fairly unreliable. He said there is a drug that fixes it and taking the drug is the best way to test for this condition. "If you experience the pain and take the drug and the symptoms disappear then its gout." Well the next time it happened, I put a heat pad on my foot and the pain eased quickly so I never tested to see if this was the gout. Also, the occurrence of this condition has become less frequent. My mother suffers from diabetic nerve pain. This affects her feet and will knock her off her feet for awhile when it occurs. Since diabetes is related to being overweight, it seems likely this might be the cause in your case if you were diabetic.

Congratulations Good luck on your surgery and let us know if we can be of any help.

Congratulations.

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Weight loss is achieved after RNY gastric bypass surgery through volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as Protein shakes. So I am less concerned about your eating than about the fact that you are not getting in the required protein and fluids. So three things pop into my mind. The transition to solid foods can be rough. I found that softer foods (such as chili and soups) went down much easier. I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass and I still rely on these. They are my mainstay. I have included some recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf When you said "my food is stuck a few times and since then I haven't wanted to eat anything". I experience this. It is at the edge of dumping syndrome. So it is possible that if you steer away from harder foods such as steak towards softer foot such as Soups and chili, it may help. Another thought is that you may have developed a stricture. Another thought is that you might have a stomach flu. I encountered one a year ago. It lasted for a week and I completely lost my appetite and was constantly visiting the restroom.

Many things qualify for you daily Fluid requirements. They include the Water you drink when you take your Vitamins. Also the water or milk in your Protein drinks. Also the water in Soups. Some people find that they can tolerate Hot Drinks better than cold and others find the exact opposite. For me, I like cold drinks in the hot summer and hot drinks in the cold winter. Generally for me water lost its flavor after surgery. But I found that drinking flavored water such as Crystal Light, it tasted better. Lately I found a drink called Bai in Sam's Club and I buy it by the case. In the winter, I found that tea (fine English teas) were good, also decaf coffee. In the winter I like hot cocoa. I use only the "No Sugar Added" variety.

Life isn't an exact science. I was in the hospital for 2 days after RNY gastric bypass surgery. I felt well enough that if they let me, I would have gone home after the first day. But some other patients in the ward were not so well off. They had a hard time getting out of bed and walking. Some had additional complications. In my case I refused all pain medicine after I left the recovery room. I didn't need any because my pain levels were very low. I also wanted to drive soon after surgery and you cannot drive unless you are off all your pain meds. I walked each day for a half an hour in the 8 months prior to my operation and walking really put my body in shape for the operation with a quick recovery. In the hospital, I began walking almost as soon as I was put in bed after the operation. The nurse even had to meet me and tell me to lay off the walking. I think I walked 100 lapse in the hospital. So this not only contributed to a quick recovery but also I was very stable on my feet because of the lack of drugs. So what is rolling around in my head is operation on Monday. Release from hospital on Wednesday. Waiting on doctor to sign off paperwork to leave hospital so it will be in afternoon Wednesday. Husband takes you home and buys prescription meds you will need after operation to prevent blood clots. He leaves for trip to be there by Thursday. There is very little time for a hiccup. What is the plan if something gets delayed?

If you can eat a popsicle in 15 minutes, that is not too fast. There is basically no food in a sugar free popsicle. It will count towards your daily Fluid requirement. Some individuals seem to have a problem with Protein shakes where it takes them a couple hours to down one. I never had a problem there. But since you just had surgery it may take you a while to meet this requirement. In my case I had to drink 3 protein shakes (16 ounce) per day in the beginning. Some people become lactose intolerant after surgery. If I drank milk or anything with lactose, my stomach hurt and then there was a quick trip to the restroom with diarrhea. This condition went away after about 2 months. Some protein shakes use lactose.

I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. Generally before surgery, your surgical team provides a book of directions for meals post-op. So I am kind of surprised that you were not given specific directions. So you probably need to verify all the daily requirements (food types, meal volume, Protein, Fluid and vitamin). This is essential information and you definitely need this. Some individuals are having mini-gastric bypass which is a different operation and I am not completely sure how the post-op requirement vary. Those that have a mini-gastric bypass seem to tend to have been given less in the way of guidance. The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and Vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Weight loss is achieved after surgery through volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as Protein shakes. Right after surgery, your body is in a major heal mode, so several individuals find it difficult to meet their daily protein and fluid requirement. But just keep working at it and you should be able to get there in a week or two.

Congratulations. Normally they reserve the emergency row on the plane for those that are fit because they may need to open the emergency exit doors. So they perceived you as being athletically fit.

The three most important requirements after weight loss surgery is to meet your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary, because your body is converting stored fats into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Weight reduction is achieved by meal volume control. So when it comes to meals protein is first. Some carbs are O.K. such as found in fruits but stay away from processed sugars in all its many forms. But be on the lean side of carbs because it might drive hunger.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery.