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Good luck to both of you! It sounds like your pre op weight loss is going well.

Welcome Paula and congratulations! I am glad to hear you made it through the process and are now on the road to recovery. Which surgery did you end up doing? I am guessing bypass given your history of reflux/Gerd.

Yes, it is completely normal. The best thing you can do is go slow and try one new thing at a time. Make sure you chew like crazy and everything will be ok. You learn to eat again by trial and error. Once you get going the fear will subside. Good luck!

@@leana123@live.com, I am so happy that you have made the decision to take care of yourself now. You are very young and have the opportunity to get your health back on track now before things get worse with your spine. I am 51 and had I known that I would be successful with WLS I would have done this 15 years ago and saved my spine. Next week I will have a 3 level cervical fusion with a 1 level Corpectomy done. I had a lumbar fusion done in 2001 so I know what I am in for and not looking forward to it. Gastric bypass was the best thing I have ever done for myself! I am down over 100 lbs in just 7.5 months with only another 45 to go. I feel absolutely fantastic! Next week I will have my spine surgery and I am bound and determined not to let it set me back. As far as being an RN goes, the reality is you have been taking care of others and focused on them all this time. God bless our nurses! Now it is time for you to focus on becoming a healthier new you! You are very young and have many more years and many more patients who will need you to be healthy. This is your time. I wish you all the best with your upcoming WLS. Please let me know if there is anything you need or questions you have. Take care of yourself!

@@CanyonBaby, Thanks so much for the update. Just know that we are all thinking about you and Dave and praying that this treatment provides the cure. God bless you both and your families!

Ok, this is really horrible to admit because I never was a big eater and I felt like such a pig afterward. My downfall was pie! I love pie! I am a great pie maker but rarely made it because I knew what would happen. My husband went away for the weekend a couple years ago and I was very bored. I decided to make a deep dish apple pie from scratch. Well I could barely wait for that pie to cool, I sliced a rather large piece and ate it. It was absolutely delicious! About an hour later I just had to have another piece. And shortly after that another piece. I ate that whole damn thing by the end of the day! A whole stinking pie! I felt like the biggest slob ever. To say the least I never made pie again when my husband was gone for fear I would eat the whole thing in one day. I remember being very ashamed that I had done that. Now, I am very happy if I snag one little bite of someone else's. It satisfies me and I am done. Usually it is too sweet and I do not bake them at home anymore. Thank goodness!

@@ishmaellisa, Also you should be getting a minimum of 1 gram of Protein for every inch you are tall. For me I am 70 inches tall, I must get at least 70 grams of protein every day. I usually shoot for 75 to 90 and hit it every day and was finally able to get all my protein at about week 4. The swelling starts to go down and it gives you more room for that protein. Good luck!

@@ishmaellisa, Thanks for sharing more info with us. From what you have described, you are not getting enough Protein and eating too many carbs. That in itself will cause you to stall. No matter how hard it is, you must focus on getting your protein in or you are actually going to get very sick. Protein is important for healing as well as weight loss. I would suggest trying a few different Protein shakes until you find the one that you like. I had trouble myself with whey protein and so my surgeon told me to switch to Premier Protein ready made shakes. They are delicious and I swear you don't get that nasty protein powder taste or grit. Each shake has 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. chocolate is the best flavor but they also have strawberries and cream as well as vanilla. You can find them at SAMs and costco in bulk or Walgreens has them in smaller packs. Drink them cold and shake them. In addition you are eating a lot of carbs. Mashed potatoes, gravy and fruit are basically all carbs. That will stall you as well. Try yogurt, cottage cheese, Beans for soft foods. If you are allowed true soft foods try chicken and fish. You should be having 2 bites of protein rich foods for every 1 bite of soft vegetables and maybe some canned soft fruit. Then of course you really should be getting a minimum of 64 oz. of Water. All of these things will help you get past this. Did your doctor give you a bariatric diet to follow? If so, they are trying to help you get the most out of your surgery. The first several months you should lose very quickly and then I promise it slows down so you need to take advantage now. Good luck!

So sorry! I remember what that is like. I itched like crazy for a while but I promise it will go away.

@@ishmaellisa, Hi there. It would be very helpful to know more about your daily routine in order to help you. How much Fluid are you getting in? How many grams of Protein? Are you actively walking at this point or is it too soon. Have you lost any weight in the last 2 weeks or have you remained at the same weight? In other words provide a bit more information about your stall. I have had many stalls in the last 8 months and have gotten quite good at breaking them but need a bit more info. Hang in there!

I am sure you already know this but the most important thing is getting all your fluids in. What worked and still works for me is actually sitting with that Water bottle in my hand and sipping on it until I get the whole thing in. I know I have to drink 3 of them to get my 64 oz. in. I do that 3 times per day and then everything else I get is just extra. If I don't sit with the bottle in hand dipping, I don't get my water in and even 7 months out I get dehydrated.

Have you tried premier Protein ready made shakes? They each have 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. They do not taste anything like whey protein, they are actually very good. The best flavor is the chocolate, it is not sweet like some of the other options. You can get them at SAMs or costco and I have even seen them in smaller packs at Walgreens. You absolutely need to get your protein intake up.

@@wascott, I was looking for someone who had both weight loss surgery and cervical spinal surgery. I was wondering if I need to be worried about my diet at all given the required healing needed for a triple fusion with Corpectomy. They are actually removing my c5 vertebrae completely and using a donor bone to put in place. I also wondered if I would get my inch of height back. I used to be 5'11" and I now barely make 5'10"

@@cheryl M Welcome and congratulations on your upcoming weight loss surgery. July will be here before you know it!

Hi there! I am 51 years old, had bypass on 9/29. I remember feeling exactly like you do. It took me until about week 10 post op before I felt great pretty much everyday. What you are feeling is normal from what you described. I did go to Las Vegas at 8 weeks post op and stayed for 10 days. I really pushed myself hard during that time and I really think it helped me push past feeling so exhausted all the time. Right after that I started feeling better and better. Five weeks is very early. I might give it another week or two and then start pushing past it. I was told at 8 weeks post op I was fully healed (meaning, I was not going to spring a leak or have a surgical complication). That's when I started pushing through it. Good luck to you!

I was all set to have the sleeve after all the seminars I attended. Then, I saw my surgeon and I suffered from Gerd/reflux. He warned me that the sleeve can make that much worse and then we would need to treat that. If it could not be treated, they would have to change me to bypass down the road. I went home and researched like crazy and even got a second opinion from a gastroenterologist. He told me that people who have never had reflux or Gerd sometimes develop it after the sleeve. He also recommended the bypass. I made the decision to have bypass and have never second guessed it. I have not had a single episode of reflux since the day of my surgery. I am so thankful! Good luck! I wish you all the best!

I have had the bypass and so in terms of your Vitamins I would follow doctors orders to a tee. The example Vitamin you posted for chewables are what I used in the beginning. Once I was out of them I went to a small once daily vitamin. Again, follow your doctors orders with the type of surgery you are having. In terms of Protein, I was told 1 gram for every inch you are tall. For me that is a minimum of 70grams per day. I usually land between 70 and 85. I do not go above that because I have a history of stage 3 kidney disease and too much protein is hard on the kidneys. They have you taking more vitamins than I but I suspect that is because of your type of surgery. Good luck to you! You are going to do great given your preparation!

Honestly I wish I knew that I could do this, I would have done it 15 years ago before I caused so much damage to my body. I was too scared.

Congratulations! Well done!

LOL! I always read @@LipstickLady posts, they usually crack me up or provide great drama. Does that mean I am a stalker too! I was expecting so much more from this title too.

@@CanyonBaby, I am so sorry to hear that your husband is ill. my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We will be here when you are ready. God bless you!

Well said! People who think this weight will magically disappear don't yet get the fact that even after WLS it takes time and a lot of very hard work to lose each and every pound. Every time I lose a single pound I get so very excited because there are many weeks where I battle the same pound or two over and over again. Be thankful for every single pound you lose and realize it is not going to happen over night, you did not gain it overnight and I can guarantee you you won't lose it that way either.

That certainly does make you feel great doesn't it!

That is the dehydration. You have to drink tons and tons of water. You literally cannot over drink.

Yeah! I am so happy for you and green with envy. I have 9 lbs to go to hit onederland and it cannot come fast enough.