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James Marusek

Gastric Bypass Patients
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Everything posted by James Marusek

  1. James Marusek

    Nectar Protein Mix

    I had the same problem with Protein shake powder. I tried to mix it by hand. I finally bought a Ninja electric blender with a single serving cup and that made the shakes palitable.
  2. James Marusek

    WEAK AND TIRED

    The three most important requirements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Fluid, Protein and Vitamin requirements. So it looks like you get a check mark for fluids. I agree with @@beggingtobehealthy, why have you not transitioned to Protein shakes. I know some programs will vary. My guidelines read: Protein supplements are to begin on day five following surgery. If you are not passing gas when you leave the hospital, do not start the protein supplement until you do. Once you are passing gas regularly, you may start the protein supplements Protein is extremely important after surgery as its job in the body is to build, repair and maintain tissues including your body's major organs and skeletal muscles. Common symptoms of protein deficiency are poor healing, fatigue, hair loss and muscle wasting. Immediately post-op, protein promotes healing of the staple line and incisions.
  3. James Marusek

    Type 1 Diabetes + Bypass?

    I had Type 2 diabetes prior to surgery and was on two types of medication for it. But after RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago it went into remission and stayed there. But Type 1 diabetes is a different beast. I know that some individuals that undergo surgery develop a type of low blood sugar called "reactive hypoglycemia". I am no doctor but it seems that the same approach that these individuals follow with this condition may be applicable to your condition. Here is one link but if you get on the computer, I believe you can find more. http://pamtremble.blogspot.com/2010/10/reactive-hypoglycemia-after-bariatric.html So your nutritionist/surgeon staff are probably the best to answer this. It is definitely a discussion point.
  4. James Marusek

    A truly lousy couple months

    Sorry to hear all about your problems. Hope things improve soon for you. It may have not done any good to try and push your friend toward surgery. My mom was diabetic and she would do the least amount of movement possible throughout the day. I tried to encourage her to get up and about more, but she refused to listen. She didn't leave her house for over 10 years unless I took her to her doctors appointments. She was the reason why I had the operation. I saw what diabetes was doing to her and decided I did not want to follow the same path. And she was the only one that made negative comments about my weight loss after surgery. And now she is in a nursing home because she has even lost that little mobility she had left. They have to use a machine to lift her out of bed and into a wheel chair.
  5. James Marusek

    Pain Scale

    I found that there was very little pain after my RNY gastric bypass surgery. So little that I did not take any pain meds after leaving the recovery room. I have a high pain tolerance. Walking daily 6 months prior to surgery on a daily basis helped reduce the pain levels significantly. I had a hernia operation years ago and it was very painful. It was an open operation. Years after that I had a second hernia operation which was done laparoscopically. This was less painful. But my gastric bypass was even less painful.
  6. James Marusek

    Years out.... anyone else?

    I am 3 years post-op RNY surgery. This is the approach I use during the maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf
  7. James Marusek

    *MALE ONLY* How Frequetnly Did You Drop Sizes?

    I went from a size 46 down to a size 33 in pants in 6 months and from a size 3X to a size Small in shirts in the same time interval. I used belts to keep my pants up during the transition. I had to cut the belts shorter and use a hole punch to make new belt holes. In the end I replaced my entire wardrobe - pants, shirts, coats, underwear, jackets, belts. The only thing I retained was my shoes. But some individuals loose a shoe size or two or it affects the width of their shoe.
  8. Good luck on your upcoming surgery. Not from North Dakota. Let us know if we can be of any help.
  9. James Marusek

    How many calories?

    After RNY surgery, weight loss is achieved by volume control. Your diet is restricted to certain types of foods and your volume of food per meal is miniscule. The three most important elements after surgery is 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. So generally we do not track calories. Following the program guidelines is important if you want to achieve the weight loss.
  10. Make sure you take a good before photograph so that you have something to compare it with.
  11. It sounds reasonable to me. I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. I went from a size 3X down to a size small in about 6 months. It is simply amazing how quick you can lose the weight.
  12. James Marusek

    Easy Way Out.....ha!

    That sounds logical to me. But many people are illogical.
  13. James Marusek

    Surgery date!

    Congratulations.
  14. James Marusek

    Upper GI done, hopefully one step closer

    One individual in our Bariatric Support Group Meeting had a band to RNY gastric bypass surgery revision because his band was wearing away into his stomach and the condition became life threatening.
  15. James Marusek

    Ready for new adventure

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

    Acne after bypass?

    As your fat cells break apart, they not only release the fat stored in the cells but also the chemicals and hormones that were in storage. Therefore some individuals experience a flush of hormones after surgery. These chemicals and hormones are flushed through your kidneys and expelled in your urine. So it is important to drink plenty of fluids and it you drink Water use filtered water instead of tap water to reduce the chemical load. This problem should disappear once you level out at the bottom of your weight loss journey.
  17. James Marusek

    band revision to GB

    One of the individuals in our Bariatric Surgery Support Group meeting went from a lap band to RNY gastric bypass revision. His band started to wear into his stomach and it became a life-threatening situation for him. He was pleased with his revision. Lost a lot of weight. I think they made his pouch a little smaller than most because of the scaring from the band removal. As a result he was not able to eat as much as most RNY patients. But that did not bother him. He lost a lot more weight with RNY than with the band.
  18. James Marusek

    Former port location pain

    I didn't have a port, so I have no way of knowing. It took almost 6 months before my incisions began to disappear. I really hated the blood thinner shots I had to give myself after surgery. It made me bruise very easily.
  19. James Marusek

    What can I expect?

    I am 3 years post-op RNY surgery. From the initial appointment with the surgeon until I had the surgery it took 9 months. There were 6 months supervised weight loss program, then over a month waiting for the insurance company to approve, then classes and pre-op testing, then second round of pre-op testing, then scheduling the surgery. I think it would also depend on the type of surgery you are having.
  20. James Marusek

    Body Dysmorphia

    One of the things that I did prior to surgery was take a before photograph. And then 6 months later I took an after photograph. I replicated the same pose. Many people cannot see the changes after weight loss surgery. In my case I was the photographer in the family so I never appeared in the photographs. When I looked in the mirror all I saw was a straight on shot, so it was easy to overlook my weight. So my before and after photo was the best way to overcome my inability to see and appreciate my weight loss.
  21. James Marusek

    Encouragement

    That was such a long time ago, the only thing I remember about the full liquid and puree stages is that they were short. After surgery, my taste buds changed. All food tasted drab. So it was hard to find something that I liked. After surgery, the most important elements are meeting your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin daily requirements. Food is secondary. That is because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Once I got to the solid stage, I found that I could add flavor back into my foods by combining food groups. I relied and still rely mainly on soft foods such as chili and Soups. They bring a lot of flavor to my meals.
  22. James Marusek

    3 more days. . . .

    Good luck on your upcoming surgery and let us know if we can be of any help when you are on the other side.
  23. James Marusek

    Puréed diet after surgery..Help!

    It took me about 6 months to reach my happy state after RNY gastric bypass surgery, when almost all the problems seemed to melt away. There are a lot of transitions along the way. The three most important elements after surgery are meeting your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin daily requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. It is also important to get some exercise each day about 30 minutes of walking. Here is my observations after my surgery. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf
  24. James Marusek

    NSV!

    Congratulations.
  25. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago and these are my experiences after surgery. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

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