staceylc

I have had the bypass for almost 5 years now. My lab work was all normal before I had surgery and my bariatric doctor recommended the bypass to me to really get the most bang for my buck and I agreed since I was relatively young. I, however, needed both iron infusions and B-12 shots after surgery. Iron was pretty immediate after (I would say a month after) due to my symptoms. The B-12 shots I needed within the past year or two (it's been a minute). The shots were discontinued because my levels have been normal but my body has never been able to absorb iron any longer and maintain it. It was bad right after surgery and especially last year (but for some reason even though I had every single symptom of the deficiency, it still took me too long to resolve and my ferritin was at 4 and iron saturation was at 5), This time around dealing with these iron infusions , I said if I would have known it would have such a HUGE effect on my body (it was never really mentioned, and I never had problems like this before so I kind of turned a blind eye to it pretty much), I probably would have opted for the sleeve instead. It takes a lot of advocating for yourself and support from your medical professionals and to be 100% compliant with everything to ensure you stay healthy along the process. Remember everyone's body will react differently. I lost a lot of weight and REALLY fast after and have lost about 150 pounds total. Good luck!

It definitely will take a little bit getting used to especially when it comes to eating. I think my biggest challenge now is getting enough protein in and finding things that won't make me sick to eat but I would do this all over again in a heartbeat if I had to. Good luck to you and let us know how it goes!

I'm 24 and almost 2 months out from surgery - good luck to you!!

I use the Bariatric Advantage chewable vitamins and chewable calcium supplements. I haven't had any problems with them and I have been using them since my surgery

I hate that people refer to it as the "easy way out" because it is definitely not easy NOR is it just an excuse or anything like that. I had to go through a 6 month required program before I could have surgery. I had to make the changes in my diet and eating habits to lose 10% of my weight before surgery. I made the commitment to make the life change. I had people around me telling me, "why can't you continue what you're doing and then you won't need surgery?" and it's just NOT that easy but no one understands unless they are going through what you're going through. I chose to block out the negativity and not let everyone know that I had the surgery because it's none of their business. This is the absolute hardest thing I have ever done and it's still a daily journey that we all have to embark on.

Good luck!!!

I had to do a 2 week liquid diet before surgery as well so the week before surgery I had last meals of things I absolutely wanted. If you're craving something, definitely go for it! I'm almost 2 months out and I don't regret making that decision at all.

Drinking water at first used to cause me pain - I would suggest taking very small sips of water. That's what my doctor told me to do and continue to sip throughout the day. But if the water still isn't settling with your stomach try switching it up to teas or skim milk or broths or even jello. They all count as your liquid intake. It may just take a little bit of time for your stomach to get used to the water. Good luck!

I had a similar type of pain but in my right side. Transferring from sitting to walking always felt terrible and it took me about 2-3 weeks before I felt a lot better. (even Just hang in there! Remember that you're still recovering from a major surgery and your body is still healing, so pain is to be expected but follow up with your doctor if you're unsure or if the pain is too severe, they might be able to recommend something different. Good luck!

I'm 7 weeks out and I still have a protein shake every morning that way I know that I'm getting in at least that much protein. I have no desire to eat still so I force myself with cottage cheese and yogurt and the only meat I can really tolerate is chicken so I've been trying to be creative with that! I would definitely agree with taking time to eat, little bites at a time. My nutritionist said that it may be a while before the stomach tolerates certain things but if you try them 3 times (at least waiting a week) and have a bad reaction, more than likely you should stay away from that food. Good luck!

I took 3 weeks off and I work in and office. I didn't have any complications returning back to work but took extra time off to make sure I was in the right mindset and able to eat more than I could on the pureed phase. I was definitely ready to get back to a little bit of normalcy!

I was fine with spicy things about week 3-4 but limited it just in case. I started with hot sauce and I would melt cheese on refried beans or melt cheese on ground turkey and put hot sauce on either so it's like a taco without the shell!

i've learned that if i eat too fast, the food will come back up, so i eat slow and chew everything at least 20-25 times to avoid any issues

my doc only allows decaf coffee to avoid any dehydration that could be caused by the caffeine

definitely call your doc if your pain meds aren't doing controlling your pain. i was in a pain for a few days after i got home from the hospital in my right side, just because of transferring out of bed or out of a chair BUT it does get better! you will feel better and just relax and take things easy while you're trying to adjust. best of luck to you!