James Marusek

I tried Isopure, but the taste was awful. My wife seemed to like it. I used Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Creme) powder blended with water and a half a banana. That was the closest thing I could find that I could tolerate.

I’ve actually been walking 2-3 hours a day for the past several months to try and cope with my anxiety. Not all at once but like I’ll go out several times a day for 20-30 mins. (Overkill much? 😂) I’m probably going to go stir crazy post op when I’m actually unable to walk that much for awhile and that concerns me a bit. When I returned from the recovery room, I began walking every two hours around the clock. After the 2nd or 3rd time I walked (normally 5 lapses around the halls), I began to increase this to 15 lapses (around a mile). One of the nurses came in and scolded me. She said I was walking too much and that when the anesthesia wore off, I would be a lot of pain because I was walking too much. So I cut my walks back down to 5 lapses. Well I think the anesthesia wore off around 2 A.M. but I couldn't tell for sure because I did not experience any significant increase in pain levels. I also remember when the nurses came in the following morning to administer pain medicine, I declined the pain meds and the nurse gave me an ugly scowl. I don’t drink carbonated beverages but I am worried about hydration. How does one actually manage to consume 64 oz of Water a day when you have such a tiny stomach? That just seems so impossible to me at this point but I know others have done it so obviously I’m going to have to learn as well. 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 (like swimming pool water) 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 have avoided the before photo even tho I known it’s a good idea. I don’t want to know what I really look like right now. I’m going to try to make myself do it tho because what you said makes perfect sense. I may not want it now but having something to look back on will be good for me. Thank you! It is pretty important so please make the time to take a before photo.

Welcome to the board. 1. That is strange that they would not provide you with any pain medicine after the surgery. You might double check this. After my surgery, my pain levels were so low that I declined any pain medicine. Walking after surgery every two hours around the clock in the hospital helps to minimize the pain greatly. Most of the pain is gas pain and walking helps relieve it. One of the potential problems after surgery is ulcers. That is why NSAIDs are off the list of options for pain relief. You will be restricted from driving so long as you are on narcotic pain medicines. 2. After RNY gastric bypass surgery, you are required to take many vitamins for the rest of your life. This is because you body no longer synthesizes vitamins from food. That part of your stomach has been cut away, so this daily requirement is extremely important. Vitamin chemistry is important for absorption. Calcium supplements should be calcium citrate. There are also different chemistries of B12. I use the sublingual B12 and was told to use methylcobalamin. You cannot use a time-release version of B12. If you are taking iron supplements, it must be ferrous sulfate for the best absorption. Gummy vitamins are not absorbed properly and should be avoided. It is important to put a 2 hour separation between the vitamins that contain iron and those that contain calcium. So in my case I found that what works best for me is to take the iron supplements just before bedtime. I put my vitamins in a weekly pill container. I have one container for the morning and one for the night. And I use a very small glass bowl for my calcium supplements. I put my calciums in the bowl in the morning and take them throughout the day. If I am up and about I put my calciums in a ziplock bag and carry them with me. The directions I received after surgery was: Three Flintstone complete chewable multivitamins daily. Additional 65 milligrams elemental iron daily for menstruating women. 1500 to 1800 milligrams calcium citrate daily [this can be tricky because the dosage rate is per 2 capsules - therefore this can mean around 5-8 capsules per day depending on the size (petite or regular)]. 500 to 1000 micrograms sublingual B12 daily or 1000 microgram injection once monthly. 100 milligrams Thiamine (vitamin B1) daily for the first year and then weekly thereafter. But right after surgery, I lost my ability to swallow large pills and I had to crush them. It was like eating chalk. The only way I could down these was by mixing them with crystal light and drinking them down. Because they formed a paste at the bottom of the glass. I had to remix these and chug them down several times. Luckily my inability to swallow lasted only a couple months and then I was back to normal.

Since you only have a week to go, 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.

Not allowed fizzy. I found flavored water, such as Crystal Light, was a good alternative. Also I discovered Bai drink was good. I buy it by the case at Sam's club when it is on sale. Just don't get fizzy kind.

Perhaps this is the one you are referring to: https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/403497-40-of-cancers-linked-to-obesity/ The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has identified specific types of cancers that are related to obesity and overweight: meningioma, multiple myeloma, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, and cancers of the thyroid, post-menopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus, colon and rectum (colorectal). Many of these, including colon and rectal, pancreatic, breast, liver, and ovarian are amongst the deadliest types of cancers.

Welcome to the forum. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery over 4 years ago. Both RNY and DS requires taking a lot of vitamins and supplements daily. A DS patient is required to take a little more than RNY, but for the most part, both take quite a few. So these are my observations: At the beginning the process of taking vitamins was somewhat overwhelming. it took several months before I had developed a system that worked for me. After that it wasn't too bad. It is important to put a 2 hour separation between the vitamins that contain iron and those that contain calcium. So in my case I found that what works best for me is to take the iron supplements just before bedtime. I put my vitamins in a weekly pill container. I have one container for the morning and one for the night. And I use a very small glass bowl for my calcium supplements. I put my calciums in the bowl in the morning and take them throughout the day a couple at a time. If I am up and about I put my calciums in a ziplock bag and carry them with me. I did not find the cost of these vitamins or supplements were excessive. The surgery drove many of my health conditions into remission. So the cost of the vitamins and supplements were offset by the cost of the prescription drugs that I was no longer taking. Immediately after surgery, I discovered that I lost my ability to swallow large tablets. So I had to crush or split many of these vitamins. This was a major pain. But then about the 2 month mark, I was able to swallow again, and all was right in the world.

Will do.

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

After my RNY gastric bypass surgery I became lactose intolerant. Therefore whenever I drank a glass of milk, it quickly lead to an upset stomach and diarrhea. This condition lasted two months and then went away. Dumping Syndrome is experienced mostly by RNY patients but some sleeve patients can also experience this condition. Recognize the pre-triggers and stop eating the moment you encounter them in the future. The pre-triggers can be hiccups, sneezing, excessive mucous, a change in the way food taste, and others. A runny nose is a pre-trigger. Individuals are different and their pre-triggers vary. Are you drinking decaf coffee?

Great Britain is implementing policy changes that could preclude the availability of weight loss surgery for the obese. An article this morning read: I always look to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) for our possible futures, at least concerning healthcare. CNN highlights an interesting development on the other side of the pond; elective surgery will be withheld from current smokers (no surprise there) and the obese as measured by a BMI of 30 or more (for a 5’10” male 210 pounds). And this ban is permanent. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/02/no-more-surgery-patients-unhealthy-behavior-12077 This policy is illogical unless it contains a carveout for weight loss surgery.

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

I used Quest protein bars. They have a lot of protein, low sugar, a variety of interesting flavors and have fiber. Fiber is important because one of the problems that arises from time to time is constipation.

There are probably a few points. One of the reasons why I had the surgery was that as I got older my metabolism began to self destruct. I adopted a regular exercise routine and dieted and still gained weight. So generally insurance plans in the U.S. place us on a 6 month diet and exercise program. Most of these plans do not mandate the percentage of weight to be lost pre-op but rather that we attempt it. I wonder how many people on this board lost 15% of their original weight during the pre-op stage. If this is adopted as a standard, how many would fail this test. And then suppose your knees gave out in the interim but because your BMI was above 30, that meant no knee surgery. It would be hard to do the exercise part of the program if you couldn't even walk. Also the second point is that a BMI of 30 is a low number. My insurance plan says "Surgical treatment of obesity (bariatric surgery) is covered only if: clinical records support a body mass index of 40 or greater (or 35-40 when there is at least one co-morbidity related to obesity). Data published as a part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) study in 2014 indicated that 28.1% of adults in the United Kingdom were recognised as clinically obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30. That is an awful high percentage of people to deny elective surgery to. Weight loss surgery can solve the obesity problem. If the health system really had the best interest of the people at heart, it would promote this health option by providing a carve-out.

In reviewing my discharge instructions under When to call your surgeon? One of the items listed was Chest pain, rapid heartbeat and/or dizziness. This caution is probably driven by the threat of a pulmonary embolism. 50% of all patients with blood clots will develop a pulmonary embolism. The symptoms of this condition are Sudden Shortness of Breath or Chest Pain with Breathing. According to the internet: Our bodies react to surgery like any other injury. The healing process can increase blood clotting which could lead to an embolism. There is a 1% chance of blood clots occurring in the legs after surgery. This is usually prevented by giving the patient a blood thinner before and after surgery. Using elastic surgical stockings, which compress the legs and keep the blood flowing faster in the veins, is another way of preventing clotting. Keeping the operation as short as possible, and getting the patient up and walking quickly thereafter can also prevent clotting. Occasionally these blood clots can break off and go to the heart or lungs. This is referred to as a pulmonary embolism and is one of the potential causes of mortality after these operations. This risk is less than 1%. Here is another link that might be of help. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354647

I came across an article this morning that gave last minute tips on running the Marathon, more specifically the New York City Marathon. So I thought it might be of interest. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/30/lessons-novice-marathoner-last-minute-tips-marathon-day-11960

There are two phases to weight loss surgery. These are the Weight Loss phase and the Maintenance phase. They require different strategies. Weight loss is very dependent on the type of surgery you had. I had RNY and slid into the Maintenance phase at around 7 months. Weight loss was very quick and very rapid. Sleeve patients generally lose weight at a much slower pace and many do not slide into Maintenance until a couple years after surgery. So since it appears that you had sleeve, be a little careful comparing your weight loss with others who had different surgeries.

Prior to surgery I had diabetes and was taking two types of prescription medicines to control it. But even with these medicines it was still not properly controlled. I had RNY surgery. Two days after surgery, when I left the hospital, I was off all my blood pressure meds and I haven't taken any since. It was astonishing how quick my diabetes went into remission. For years I had been struggling with this disease, pricking my finger each and every day, and then it was gone.

Here are some past threads dealing with fibromyalgia and bariatric surgery: https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/400049-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-fibromyalgia/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/394106-fibromyalgia-and-sleeve/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/12326-anyone-else-have-fibromyalgia/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/380313-has-anyone-been-diagnosed-with-fibromyalgia-before-having-wls/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/227624-fibromyalgia-and-knee-joint-pain/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/275327-rheumatoid-arthritis-and-fibromyalgia/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/243911-fibromyalgia-and-vsg/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/360515-vitamins/

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

The directions I received after my RNY gastric bypass surgery was: First 4 weeks following surgery - (2 ounces per meal) - full liquids. Weeks 5-8 - (2 ounces per meal) - pureed foods. Weeks 9-15 - (3 ounces per meal) - solid foods. Months 4-6 - (4 ounces per meal) - solid foods. Months 7-9 - (5 ounces per meal) - solid foods. Months 10-12 - (6 ounces per meal) - solid foods. Months 12-18 - (7 ounces per meal) - solid foods. 18 months and beyond - (8 ounces per meal) - solid foods. 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup

Congratulations on your NSV.

Congratulations. I like your shoes.

One of the reasons why I had surgery was because of my mom. Her overweight led to diabetes and it took a terrible toll on her life. I was following in her footsteps. I became obese, developed high blood pressure and diabetes. I had surgery over 4 years ago and it corrected these problems along with others. So I am very pleased. I am 69 years old or maybe I should say 69 years young.

For the first year after surgery, my surgeon had me take Prilosec each day so that my stomach would heal properly. Since you said that your doctor stopped you from taking it after 3 months, I am not sure this is a hard and fast requirement. I am over 4 years post-op and I discontinued Prilosec 3 years ago and all is fine. The transition to solid foods (such as steak and chicken) can be rough. I found that softer foods such as chili and soups went down much easier. They also had a lot more flavor. I have included some recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf