James Marusek

The signs of dehydration in Adults are: * Increased thirst * Dry mouth * Tired or sleepy * Decreased urine output * Urine is low volume and more yellowish than normal * Headache * Dry skin * Dizziness * Few or no tears It is common for your taste buds to change after surgery. Be willing to experiment. After surgery, my taste buds changed dramatically. Even water changed. In the hospital it tasted excessively chlorinated and I could not drink it. So I experimented. Sugar free popsicles became my best friend. Some individuals find hot or cold can help with fluids. For me, I found that I could tolerate flavored water. So I began using Crystal Light. I also found a new drink Bai which I liked cold. In the winter, I found that I tolerate hot drinks such as piping hot cocoa. But you have to use the "No Sugar Added" variety. Also fine English teas were very good. The fluid requirement is met by a combination. It is not only the water that you drink each day. But also the water you drink when you take your vitamins and medicine. It is the milk you drink. It is the fluids content of the protein shakes. It is the water component of the soups you take. It is met by flavored water such as Crystal Light. It is met by sugar free popsicles. It is met by tea and decaf coffee. It is a combination of all the fluids that you consume during the day.

After surgery I became lactose intolerant. Anytime I consumed dairy, it quickly led to an upset stomach and diarrhea. I cut out the dairy and the problem went away. A word of caution. Some protein shakes contain dairy. After around two months my lactose intolerance went away and I was back to normal.

You had LapBand whereas I had Gastric Bypass so what I am saying may seem a little different but I think as far as nutrition post-op, it will be important and applicable. The three most important elements right after weight loss 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. For me weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. I began with 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 I needed to rely on supplements such as protein shakes and protein bars. So since you are in the maintenance phase, the goals will change. The elements of protein, fluid and vitamins will still be important but rather than taking them as supplements, one can eat real food to supply those needs. According to my nutritionist, meals should consist of equal parts of protein, fats and carbs after the first couple years post-op. Always put protein first. Snacks should be limited to primarily whole food options: nuts, natural nut butters, fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt with berries and almonds, tuna pouches. Avoid processed packaged foods as much as possible. In your case, you will need to assess your daily protein consumption. In general you should be consuming around 75-90 grams of protein daily. If you are under this amount, you will need to make up that difference by taking supplements such as protein shakes or protein bars. In my case I avoid sugar like the plague and try to limit some types of carbs (bread, rice, pasta) to one meal a day. Most veggies (greens) I do not constraints. It is just a matter of finding the veggies that appeal to you the most. Remember you can use fruits and veggies as snacks.

After surgery I was directed to consume 64-84 ounces of fluids per day. It is common for individuals to be unable to meet their fluid and protein requirements during the first few weeks after surgery. This is because their body is in a major heal mode. Just keep working towards those goals and you should be able to get there. It is common for your taste buds to change after surgery. Be willing to experiment. After surgery, my taste buds changed dramatically. Even water changed. In the hospital it tasted excessively chlorinated and I could not drink it. So I experimented. Sugar free popsicles became my best friend. Some individuals find hot or cold can help with fluids. For me, I found that I could tolerate flavored water. So I began using Crystal Light. I also found a new drink Bai which I liked cold. In the winter, I found that I tolerate hot drinks such as piping hot cocoa. But you have to use the "No Sugar Added" variety. Also fine English teas were very good. The fluid requirement is met by a combination. It is not only the water that you drink each day. But also the water you drink when you take your vitamins and medicine. It is the milk you drink. It is the fluids content of the protein shakes. It is the water component of the soups you take. It is met by flavored water such as Crystal Light. It is met by sugar free popsicles. It is met by tea and decaf coffee. It is a combination of all the fluids that you consume during the day.

I think constipation immediately after surgery is a common problem for some folks. Part of it is due to the small volume of food intake and the fact that the meals are liquids. The following are suggestions in threads from individuals on this website to counter constipation. * Smooth Move Herbal Tea * Prune Juice (warmed) * Prunes (4 in the morning and 4 at night) * Magnesium citrate * Insoluble fibers (Garden of Life Raw Fiber or Renew Life Triple Fiber). * Haribo Sugar Free Gummy Bears (be careful with this one because it can lead to diarrhea) * Aerobic Magnesium 07 * Ground Flax Seeds (but don’t try to grind it yourself). Use 2 tablespoons per glass of water every night before going to bed. * Bowel Clear (herbal blend) But because you are in the liquid meal stage, some of these options will not be available to you at this stage. Further down the road, I found that eating an apple each night before bedtime, normally did the trick and produced a good bowel movement in the morning. But you have to eat the skin of the apple along with the pulp of the apple for this to work. Apple sauce will not do the trick. Now the other observation is that when you are really, really bound up - say a week without a bowel movement, none of the above approaches will work. That is because you are plugged up. What does work is shoving up a glycerin suppository up you rear end. They are available by the jar over the counter in the drug store.

It depends on the type of surgery. I had gastric bypass and the weight dropped off at a very rapid pace. Sleeve patients loose weight at a much slower pace and encounter many stalls along the way. I transitioned into the Maintenance phase at around 7 months. Many sleeve patients continue to lose weight for 2 years. So be careful not to compare apples with oranges!

Check you hospital discharge directions. Mine said one of the reasons why you should contact your surgeon's office is: Chest pain, rapid heartbeat and/or dizziness

According to my hospital discharge directions: Walk 8-10 times daily for at least (a total of) 30 minutes (helps healing, nausea, gas, pain and to avoid constipation).

As you lose weight, the chemicals and hormones that were stored in your fat cells are being released into your body. These will pass through your kidneys and are expelled in your urine or through your sweat. But they can generate a flush of hormones during the weight loss phase. They should simmer down once you transition into maintenance. It is important to meet your daily fluid requirements, because it take fluids to flush these hormones from your system.

On the menu bar along the top of the screen, select "Forums". This will pull down a variety of choices and sub-menues. Select the most appropriate. This will open up a new screen. Hit the button that says "Start New Topic". As far as getting responses, this is done in your personal setup menu where you select notifications. At the moment not sure where this menu is at. But is key to not getting swamped with too many email notifications.

Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery. it could be due to several problems such as a stricture or an ulcer. If you are vomiting quite regularly, it needs to be tracked to ground. That sounds like that is what you are doing. Good luck.

I will pray for the success of your upcoming surgery. At your stage I would recommend three things: 1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success. 2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery. 3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

Congratulations.

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After surgery my doctor prescribed a daily dose of omeprazole for the first year. This was to allow my stomach to heal properly. After the first year I discontinued the use of omeprazole and have not experienced severe acid reflux since. I am 5 years post-op. Perhaps you might speak with your surgeon and take the same approach.

Good luck on your surgery and check back with us when you are on the other side. Remember after surgery to Walk, Walk, Walk. It will help to alleviate the gas pain. Also make sure they install a trapeze bar above your hospital bed which will help you get up out of bed with less pain after surgery and allow you to Walk, Walk, Walk.

Generally after surgery, you will be placed on a weight restriction. But if you are a couple months post-op, that restriction should be lifted by that time. Walking in the marching band should be good exercise. For the first several months you will have dietary restrictions. You will need to consume protein shakes. I blended my own from protein powder (Muscle Milk Light), but protein shakes can be bought premixed. After several months, I transitioned into using protein bars. In your case it might be a little too soon to transition to protein bars. Check with your surgeon's office. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th month that my nutritionist recommended them. Your stomach may still need a little extra time. A protein bar is probably too dense at this point. I used Quest protein bars. These bars were good in that they had high protein, minimal sugar and also contained fiber. They also came in a lot of different flavors. Protein bars are good when you are on the go and can't drag along a blender in order to mix a protein shake. A Quest protein bar contains 220 calories and provides 21 grams of protein. A Muscle Milk Light protein shake [2 scoops of powder in a 16 ounce glass] contains 210 calories and provides 25 grams of protein. So they are comparable.

Congratulations.

The transition to solid foods can be a rough one. I found that softer foods (such as chili and soups) went down much easier than harder foods (such as steak and chicken). As a result, I relied on these. I have included a few recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Welcome. As far as pointers: I would recommend three things. 1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success. 2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery. 3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

Here are some links: https://renewbariatrics.com/gastric-sleeve-ulcers-stricture/ https://www.obesitycoverage.com/uncomplicating-gastric-sleeve-complications/ https://bariatric.stopobesityforlife.com/obesity-surgery/correcting-obesity/bariatric-surgery-risks/ulcers-or-strictures/

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 meal 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. It is common for individuals after surgery to be unable to meet their protein and fluid requirements during the first couple weeks. This is because their body is in a major heal mode. Just keep working towards those daily goals. I assume you were given the protein, vitamin and fluid requirements. If not see your surgeon and nutritionist.

There is a type of low blood sugar problem that can occur after gastric bypass surgery. It is called reactive hypoglycemia. Here is a link to the condition. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass Generally this problem begins to occur several months after surgery. Since you are only a week after surgery, I suspect this is not the cause. These are the symptoms of hypoglycemia: An irregular heart rhythm * Fatigue * Pale skin * Shakiness * Anxiety * Sweating * Hunger * Irritability * Tingling sensation around the mouth * Crying out during sleep As hypoglycemia worsens, signs and symptoms may include: * Confusion, abnormal behavior or both, such as the inability to complete routine tasks * Visual disturbances, such as blurred vision * Seizures * Loss of consciousness If you were diabetic and taking medication for the condition, the medication might be driving your body into hypoglycemia. If so this is a sign that you need to cut back on the diabetic medicine. But if you were diabetic then you probably have a glucose meter and could test to see if your hypothesis (low blood sugar) is a correct one.

That was not on the list of medications that I took after surgery. You are taking the right approach - check with the doctor first.

My taste would change in time. Generally I found safe foods and stuck with them. Then my taste would change and I had to begin experimenting again until I found something else I liked. The first year is marked by transitions and experimentations. I found the softer foods (such as home-made chili and soups) went down much easier than harder foods (such as chicken and steak). So I relied on these to a greater degree. I have included some recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf