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Everything posted by James Marusek
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Revision surgery hours away!
James Marusek replied to Pinkgirl1234's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
I will pray for the success of your surgery. Check back with us when you are on the other side and keep us informed of your progress. -
Several individual on this site have reported the condition. It is officially called "reactive hypoglycemia". Here is a link to the condition and the recommended approaches to deal with it. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/reactive-hypoglycemia/faq-20057778 For the majority of people, reactive hypoglycemia usually doesn't require medical treatment. It may help to pay attention to the timing and composition of your meals: * Eat several small meals and Snacks throughout the day, no more than three hours apart during the waking hours. * Eat a well-balanced diet, including lean and nonmeat sources of Protein, and high-Fiber foods, including whole grains, fruit and vegetables. * Avoid or limit sugary foods, especially on an empty stomach. * Be sure to eat food if you're consuming alcohol and avoid using sugary soft drinks as mixers.
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Congratulations and let us know if we can be of any help.
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I don't know!!! One of the causes of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is obesity. Some individuals report that as they lose weight the symptoms of ED are resolved. It is possible that you had some early stages of ED and when you lost the first 50 pounds, your body is returning to normal. I don't know about the itching.
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Goal Weight and handling comments
James Marusek replied to Pedro Valle-Inclan's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Welcome. Let us know if we can be of any help. I had a number of co-morbidities prior to surgery. They included high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, severe acid reflux (Gerd) and many others. Almost all went into remission within a couple weeks of the operation and have remained there ever since. I am 31 months post-op. That was the main reason why I had the surgery and I was definitely pleased with the results. I wrote a couple short articles about my experience with RNY gastric bypass surgery. You might find them helpful so I am providing links. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf -
Five days post op from my band to bypass revision.
James Marusek replied to cstew21's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
It does take some time to get back to normal. I didn't reach my "happy state" when all the minor problems were resolved until the 6 month mark. But it was all worth it. I found that when I sleep on my side that sliding in a pillow between my legs helped. -
4 days post op... Thoughts?
James Marusek replied to ewinslo's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 31 months ago. I had seven incision points which I believe is common. For the first week I was home I had to administer shot of blood thinner. This made my body more sensitive towards bruising. At the end of the week, I was covered with large bruises. Generally when you are in the hospital for the surgery, you gain weight because they pump your body full of fluids. It takes a few weeks for you to lose this extra Fluid weight. I found it hard to sleep at night on my side. Slipping a pillow between my legs at night helped. -
Your gas pains should be going away soon since you are 5 days post-op. Walking will make gas pains go away quickly. You may still experience hunger while you are in the liquid stage but for many this hunger seems to go away when you reach the solid stage. Many people simple miss chewing.
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The requirement is FLUIDS. The Water or milk in your Protein shakes counts towards your requirement. A glass of milk counts. The water you drink when you take your Vitamins counts. The water in a bowel of Soup counts. For me water lost its taste after surgery. But Crystal Light provided some flavoring. Later I transitioned to tea. I would drink a cup of hot cocoa (no sugar added variety) during the winter when it was cold. So it wasn't as difficult as I originally thought.
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New and Nervous!
James Marusek replied to locketsandcats's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 31 months ago and I would recommend GB or sleeve over LB. I have encountered too many patients who had LB and later had to have a revision because of problems with LB. You might also start attending bariatric surgery support group meetings. Generally these are held once per month and are free. That will allow you to meet and talk with people who either are undergoing this process or have recently had surgery. -
Day 6 post-op: feeling dizzy during the day and waking up thirsty at night
James Marusek replied to cocoa8utter's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
Not sure what is causing the dizziness. It might be low blood sugar. If you were on diabetic medicine prior to surgery and still continue to take the same dosage of medicine afterwards, it might be the cause. I was on diabetic medicine for several years prior to surgery. Two days after surgery when I left the hospital, they took me off all my diabetes medicine and I haven't used any since. But if the doctor hadn't taken me off this medicine, it is possible that my medicine could have driven my blood sugar too low and cause the dizziness. The other medical condition I had was high blood pressure. After about 2 weeks my blood pressure start to come down significantly, so I took myself off all of my high blood pressure medicine. I had been monitoring these parameters daily and continued doing so after surgery, so I felt I had significant data to monitor the reduction. Low blood pressure can also cause dizziness or lightheadedness. Your body changes very quickly after surgery and medical conditions that were treated prior to surgery may go into remission within days. Therefore you might need to readjust your medicine soon after surgery because some of these conditions may go into remission (for ever and ever). -
Band to sleeve!
James Marusek replied to crazy cute's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
There are many different types of Protein shakes and it is important to find one that you can tolerate. I found that if I blended in a half a banana, it significantly helped to improve the taste. -
I was wondering if you used Probiotics after surgery. Many times antibiotics are used after surgery. They kill not only the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria. So it is necessary after surgery to restore that bacteria to promote proper colon functioning.
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Q's from Newbie considering surgery - water, choosing Doctor, etc
James Marusek replied to Amy5000's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
There are several steps along the way. Generally they include almost a day of pre-op testing and a day of training just prior to the operation where a binder of information of resource material is provided. Dealing with the insurance companies can be a problem since many of them require 6 months or physician monitored weight loss and exercise program in order to qualify for the operations. The entire process from the initial consultation until surgery can typically take 9 months. -
Upcoming surgery January 4! Would love support!
James Marusek replied to toshbosh21's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Welcome and good luck on your surgery. Let us know if we can be of any help. -
Congratulations on your weight loss and your battle with cancer.
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It is very common to hit stalls. So just stay with the program requirements and let the magic happen.
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Autism/Mental illness/Bad Support and WLS
James Marusek replied to Tierra T Tij's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Most of us chose weight loss surgery because dieting and exercising just didn't work for us but weight loss surgery turned out to be a very viable solution. -
Congratulations on your weigh loss thus far.
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After my RNY gastric bypass surgery, I found it difficult to eat most foods. I found that softer foods. such as chili and Soups, went down much better. So that is what I stuck with. I provided some recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf
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Questions about prenatal vitamins and nutrition.
James Marusek replied to SybrgreenTX's topic in Pregnancy with Weight Loss Surgery
I recommend that you work with your nutricianist from your surgeons office. For the health of the child, losing weight during pregnancy is not desirable, because it deprives the little one from important nutrients and Vitamins. Generally weight gain at full term is O.K. if it is obtained from nutritious food such as foods with a high content of Protein and vitamins. -
5 months post op
James Marusek replied to Jasmine Smith's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Congratulations on your amazing progress. -
Patience is a virtue...... (pshh)
James Marusek replied to sassyfrass23's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
For me it was about 2 months from the time I completed the 6 month physician monitored weight loss and exercise program and the surgery. This time period had a lot of activity including: pre-op tests, second round of pre-op testing with specialist in field of concern, very detailed training course. -
Driving is a function of when you get off the pain meds. I used no pain meds after surgery and was able to drive around 4 days after surgery. Two objectives prior to surgery. 1. Walk around 30 minutes each day beginning now and walk every 2 hours after surgery. That will minimize the pain and make the recovery process smoother. 2. If you haven't given up caffeine and carbonated beverages, do that now. I went cold turkey on my 6 diet Coke a day habit and suffered a week of severe withdrawal syndrome of severe headaches and body aches. Better to get over that now than mix it up with the effects of surgery.
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talkingmountain's RNY blog
James Marusek replied to talking mountain's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Good luck on your upcoming surgery. Generally your body will determine where you land at. After giving the matter a little thought, I selected my goal weight to be on the high side of normal. Those that are underweight and those that are obese have higher mortality figures. When a person encounters a severe sickness or accident, many times the body loses weight. This can prove life threatening if one has no reserve of fat for the body to rely upon to provide energy for the body to get through the rough times.