James Marusek

As a young adult, I started to gain weight. Part of this was working behind a desk (sedentary lifestyle) and part of this was due to my love of food, the flavor and taste of food especially sweets. As the years went by I was happy. But as I approached my 60's all these years of bad habits started to catch up to me. I developed high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, severe acid reflux and other problems. I tried to resort to diet and exercise but by this point my body no longer responded and instead of losing weight, I was still packing on more pounds. As I aged, so did my parents. My mom had diabetes which lead to a foot ulcer that never healed. This required constant care because she was always coming down with infections and these infections would reinfect her open wound in her foot. Because she was constantly on antibiotics her infections became antibiotic resistant. Unless we constantly monitored and applied medical therapy on her feet, these infections could quickly lead to a foot amputation. This showed me how I did not want to live the rest of my life. It was the motivation to fix my medical conditions permanently. You are young and youth feel they are immortal. But as you age, the immortality wears away. So it is a quality of life issue. I am now 66 years old. I am 27 months post-op RNY surgery. I lost 44% of my weight and have kept it off. My medical conditions have gone into remission. My stamina (ability to perform physical labor) has improved to the level when I was in my 30's. Last year I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel by hand and 50,000 pounds of concrete landscaping blocks. This year I have done almost the same.

I had no issues with bananas but I think that 3 days post-op is too soon.

Congratulations.

One individual in our Bariatric Support Group meetings had a lap band to RNY revision. His band was wearing into his stomach and had to be removed. When they did the RNY because of the scaring he had to have a smaller pouch. It meant that he had to eat smaller meals than most but he was fine with that. He was very pleased with the revision.

Congratulations and good luck with the surgery.

Experimentation is good because it can teach us, if we are open. Having said this, I do have some concerns. Are you following the meal plan set out by your surgeon? You said that you had a half a cup of chili and that you are 15 days post-op RNY. According to the plan I was given, a half a cup at one meal kicked in at Month 4. During the first 4 weeks one is restricted to full liquids and a volume of 1/4 cup. Also the ground hamburger meat used in the chili doesn't become an option until week 9. meal plans will vary from one doctor to another. But I wonder if you are pushing it and as a result not gain the maximum benefit during the "Weight Loss" phase.

I don't see any harm in reviewing the Aetna plans and see if the surgery is covered and what are the prerequisites. The plans are probably online. That should give you a good idea of coverage, but it is no guarantee. You might ask others on the site if they have Aetna insurance and how did it go for them. I personnally would wait until 1 October since it is only a month and a half off. "Preexisting conditions" seem to bother me. Maybe that is just me. I would attend a Bariatric Support Group Meeting. They are free and will get you going down the right path.

I had the same observation. I suspect that the reason why is that whenever I looked at myself in the mirror before surgery, I never really looked at myself. Since I always took the photographs in the family, I was never or rarely in them. That is why a before photograph is very important, so that you can compare it with an after photograph to truly see the results of the surgery. Here is mine at 6 months post-op. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Operation.jpg

After I gave up caffeine, I suffered for a week with withdrawal syndrome (severe headaches and body aches). Then the symptoms disappeared.

I had an issue with severe constipation. I found that eating an apple with the skin just before bedtime relieved the problem. "An apple a day keeps the constipation away". Sounds almost like a jingle. Others on this website have made other recommendations: Smooth Move Herbal Tea (available in the health food section of Krogers and other grocery stores.) 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 Aerobic Magnesium 07 Low Fat Bran Muffin (recipe). 80 calories each 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups bran Cereal 1 ¼ cups milk 1 egg ½ tablespoon applesauce optional: banana, berries, mini chocolate chips Bake 400° F for 22 minutes

I found that softer foods (chili and soups) go down easier than harder foods (steaks). I made my own high Protein chili and Soups which have about twice the protein content as store bought variety. I have included recipes in the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf Whatever you do make sure you meet the daily protein requirement laid out by your doctor. This requirement is a combination of the protein you obtain from meals combined with the protein you receive from supplements (Protein shakes, protein bars).

Truth is the best option. Have you decide when you are going to tell him. Let's say a couple months from now. How will he feel when he learns the secret downstream and that you did not even trust him with it for so long.

I will pray for your speedy recovery.

When I had surgery, I told the anesthesiologist to go light on the anesthesia. And she did. I also told them that I wanted no pain medicine after surgery. And they did that also. I had very little pain and I have good pain tolerance. I began walking from the get go. Every two hours. On my first round I did six lapse. On my second I did 15. The nurse came in a huff and told me that I should go easy on the walking. She said that when the anesthesia eventually wore off I would be in a great deal of pain because I was walking too much. (She was wrong.) Around 2 o'clock in the morning when the anesthesia wore off I could barely tell. I remember the morning visit of the nurse in charge of distributing the pain medicine. She would come in and ask me for my pain level from 1 to 10. I would tell her 0 or 1. She had a scowl and walked away almost mad because I refused any pain medicine. I did this in part because I wanted to drive as soon as possible. As long as you are on (narcotic) pain medicines you cannot drive. Having done this, it was still about a week before I began to drive again.

I had several medical problems prior to surgery. These included high blood pressure, diabetes, severe acid reflux, sleep apnea, frequent urination, profuse sweating. My goal for surgery was to heal my body. Within days after the operation, all those conditions went into remission and stayed there. I am 27 months post-op. There are trade-offs in life. So I accept my decision. There were many issues and problems after surgery. It took me 6 months before those problems were resolved. This was when I reached my happy state. So give it a little time, things will get better. One of the changes caused by the surgery was that my stamina (ability to perform physical labor) improved dramatically. Last year I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel and 50,000 pounds of concrete landscaping blocks by hand. I am 66 years old and I now have the stamina that I had when I was in my 30's.

A weight loss of 108 pounds isn't bad. A personal goal is just that "a goal". There are two phases to the surgery. These are "Weight Loss" phase and the "Maintenance" phase. At 7 months, my weight loss leveled off and I entered the "Maintenance" phase. For the next 6 months, my weight was flat-lined. After that I lost more weight without really trying. So at 27 months post-op, I have lost an additional 15 pounds. From my perception, the meal composition for the "Weight Loss" and the "Maintenance" phase should be different. Fats have the ability to stop hunger. Therefore during the "Maintenance" phase fats should be integrated back into one's diet.

Several months post-op I developed severe constipation. I finally found relief by eating an apple each night before I retired for the night. But you have to eat the skin of the apple. If you are not into the solid stage, I found that you can turn an apple including the skin into a type of apple sauce that will also work. Some of the other suggestions in past links were: 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 Aerobic Magnesium 07 Low Fat Bran Muffin (recipe). 80 calories each 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups bran Cereal 1 ¼ cups milk 1 egg ½ tablespoon applesauce optional: banana, berries, mini chocolate chips Bake 400° F for 22 minutes

I was unaffected by hair loss. So it depends on the person. If you do not get sufficient daily Protein, hair loss can result.

I am not sure what is causing your constant diarrhea. This doesn't sound normal. I found that eating bananas helped to control diarrhea. Bile helps to dissolve fatty foods. So without a gallbladder (which stores bile) if you eat fatty foods it will cause a stomach ache and you will need to make runs to the bathroom. So eating lean meat, fat free foods, low fat milk is important for you. Stay off fried foods. Eat small frequent meals. Probably also do not eat a large meal before bedtime.

I agree with John. One week is too optimistic to return back to work.

You should be walking from the get-go. Walk some every day. Individuals normally don't loose a lot of weight the first week. When they are in the hospital for the operation, they fill you full of fluids, so when you come out you are heavier than when you went in. You first have to lose that weight.

Two things come to mind. The first is walking. Make sure you get 30 minutes of walking daily. It will help with the recovery process. After surgery, generally they require that you walk every 2 hours (round the clock). This is to avoid blood clots. Do it. It will help in the recovery and get the soreness out. The second thing is that if you haven't cut out caffeine, do it now. I went through a week of withdrawal syndrome (severe headaches) when I went cold turkey. You don't want to compound that with the effects of the operation.

Getting insurance coverage can be difficult. Generally the hospital and surgeon have staff that can assist you. Cost is generally a major concern. There are several different forms of Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). These different forms have different outcomes. In some you lose weight faster and deeper than others. Some have a higher probability of requiring revisions. (I decided that when I underwent this surgery I did not want to undergo it again.) Some forms of surgery are better suited for any co-morbitities you may have. For example I had GERD. If I got the sleeve it would only compound this problem and RNY was better suited for this condition. You might want to get briefed on the various steps you will need to go through - psych evaluation, classes, pre-op tests etc. You may want to start to attend Bariatric Surgery Support Group Meetings. They are free and generally occur monthly. Depending on the requirements of your insurance, you may need to go through a medically monitored diet and exercise program to qualify.

Good luck on your surgery.

In my case: 1) True. My taste buds change dramatically after surgery. When I was in the hospital, I could not even drink the ice Water that they gave me because it tasted very chlorinated. The amount your taste buds change will vary from one individual to the next. 2) In my case, Yes. It was not hard to lose weight when hunger was not constantly gnawing at my bones. (But again this will vary by individual. 3) I was so addicted to food that when I was eating a meal, my only thought was what was I going to eat at my next meal. I am 27 months post-op from RNY surgery and I am not hungry. On the downside, I loved food, the taste of food but now I don't. It is something that I miss, the enjoyment of eating. But life is a trade-off.