Daisee68

I am so very sorry for your loss! He would be so proud of you and your sister for taking charge of your lives this way! Congrats on such an amazing decision! I am sure you will both do great! Keep us posted!

Every dr seems to call their phases something different. Can you be more specific - are you asking about pureed foods, soft foods, real foods? Which one?

I had my thyroid ablated with radiation in 2012 due to Graves Disease so I am also completely dependent upon Synthroid - like you I am now consider post-surgical (or post-RAI) hypothyroid. My endo did tell me prior to surgery that I would likely have an absorption issue. I have never seemed to be able to keep mine stable - even though I only take brand name, take it on an empty stomach, wait over an hour to eat, etc. Mine fluctuates a lot so I keep an eye on the symptoms. My endo will only check it every 8 to 10 weeks as he says it takes that long to really catch up. Would certainly be worth a call for a lab test for you! Good luck!

Yep. I did it but I started with just buying a couple sizes smaller (only a few pairs of pants) and then completely blew through one size before I went back to work and really had a chance to wear it. Now I am buying smaller fall clothes but buying 14/16 in sweaters which I feel will fit for quite some time since those will take a while to look too big. (I was previously wearing 22/24 tops. The 14/16 are a bit too small but will be fine soon.) By the way, if you haven't heard of poshmark.com, you have to look it up. Sort of like ebay but just women's clothes and accessories. Careful, it is addictive! I have enjoyed finding smaller versions of clothing I previously loved (silly I know) and then have started my own "closet" and selling some of my less worn larger sizes (including some with tags still on). Works for me because I know which size I wear at Lane Bryant, but if/when I have to shop other brands, not sure how successful I will be at finding stuff. It can be a little overwhelming! Anyway, I recommend checking it out to buy cheaper clothing for your transition.

​Thanks for sharing another wonderful sounding recipe! Keep it up! You need to start a blog!

Ok, my dr does not believe me when I say this, but I get bad Charlie horses when my thyroid is off. Did you happen to be hypothyroid before surgery? If so, you might need a med adjustment. My Synthroid is not absorbing correctly so my TSH went from .48 pre-op (a little too low) to 4.27 (too high for me) at 2 1/2 months post-op. Other than that, I second the pickle juice. REALLY helps.

For future reference, Excedrin has aspirin in it so it is a no no (though I confess I too took one once out of desperation). I too have struggled win this. Tylenol and a little caffeinated drink (not carbonated) might help. Let us know if your Dr has any better suggestions.

Thanks @toasty. Good perspective. You are probably.right at least in my case.

Wow! I'm jealous. I was on clear liquids for 24 hours then full liquids for a few days and then I can go to pureeds and eventually solid foods again. (My second dilation was yesterday morning.). Hope you continue to feel better and better!

Have you tried the Orange Crush water enhancer? It is SO good. And I can't say I have ever drank Orange Crush before but I like it much better than Crystal Light. I use the powder one (in a stick) and I only use 1/2 the packet for a 16.9oz bottle. Also I sometimes mix it with vanilla protein powder and water and it makes a great protein shake!

My Dr in Dallas is supposed to be offering it very soon. She was quite excited about the approval. Look forward to hearing about your experience

Start with logging. Just "thinking" you eat right could be an issue and using a food log will help you identify where you might need to change and/or give you something to provide to your NUT for help.

OK I have been drinking from a straw however my Dr office told me yesterday not too - puts air in my stomach. But do we know how that is a bad thing? I mean it doesn't seem to cause me to sip too much or give me gas. Having just had a stricture though and being a stern rule follower, I am trying to figure out if this is just nonsense and Ok to not follow or if there is real credence to it. I find I get in much more fluid if I use a straw. I know this seems a silly thing to be struggling with but I swear it is really bugging me - more than not getting soda (which I will strictly follow). Any thoughts?

2 1/2 weeks and wished I had taken at least 3.

Ugh! So frustrating! So sorry that happened! Your doctor was just looking out for you but I cant even imagine the disappointment. Glad you have a hepatologist. Definitely a good place to start. I think 2nd opinion from another surgeon might be a good idea. And I don't want to derail you but I just wanted to pass on what little I know on the subject... My aunt had fatty liver / Cirrhosis and she proceeded with bypass (back in 2010). Her doctors advised her liver was pretty far gone at this point, so they did the bypass as a last ditch effort to get the weight off. (This is really before sleeve was widely practiced.) She was a diabetic and while she did lose weight, she didn't really follow any of the food instructions and she stayed sick. Knowing what I know now, I think she was dumping constantly. I am very sorry to say that she passed away 3 1/2 years after surgery, but I really don't think the bypass had that much to do with it. It was more that she didn't change her lifestyle so her diabetes got worse which upped her insulin and therefore made her liver worse, etc. Fast forward to this year and my mom has been very worried she would have liver issues (also diabetic) and she has asked several drs but they never did anything. Finally got a new dr and they did an ultrasound and sent her to a hepatologist who told her she had Cirrhosis. She was telling dr about her sister (my aunt) and the dr said that they used to think bypass would have a positive result on cirrhosis but now they have found that it can actually make it worse and strongly advising her not to pursue weight loss surgery. Seriously not trying to discourage you at all. Just wanted to advise what I knew since it was recent. I think seeing someone at Johns Hopkins who seems to be at the top of their game for research is a great idea. Plus if your hepatologist didn't seem that concerned about it, then maybe my mom's dr was just more conservative. Hopefully you can do some more research and others from here with similar will give some advice. Keep us updated!

chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad?

Not been doing well last few days. Started Monday night when I ate a small amount of peanuts and perhaps didn't chew as well as I should have. Vomited and vomited. Not a good night. Went to work Tuesday and tried to stick with liquids including Protein shake, but Protein Shake would not stay down after only a few ounces. Got worse Tuesday evening so I went to ER Wednesday (yesterday). Of course before I went I vomited again so by the time I got there and had nothing on my stomach, I felt fine. Kept me all day. Gave me a bag of IV fluids but nothing on my stomach other than the contrast dye for the CT scan (which stayed down fine but it was following some nausea med in the IV). Nothing on CT so they sent me home. Small sips all morning then tried just the liquid from Chicfila chicken noodle Soup (no solid food - I swear). Unfortuantely vomiting started again. So here I am Thursday evening with no sustainable protein or Vitamins and very little fluids for 3 days. Pretty frustrated. They want me to go either back to ER and get scoped tomorrow by GI dr (surgeon not available). Alternatively, my surgeon's partner can do the EGD tomorrow but not sure Cigna can approve it that quickly. I know I am not dying and frankly I am grateful that perhaps they will find an actual cause for why I haven't progressed with solids as much as I thought I should. Here's hoping that they can dilate the stricture. UPDATE: Feeling better for now. Seem to have gotten rid of all that was in my stomach / esophagus so I feel better. I am going to keep drinking tiny amounts and dr office will try to get Cigna to approve EGD on emergency basis tomorrow morning and get EGD tomorrow afternoon. I feel better now that I have a plan. Sorry for all the rambling. Just needed to talk it out with my supportive Bariatric friends!

Glad they figured it out for you! I got really sick last week and went to the ER after 2 days of not keeping down food and Water and all they did was a CT scan, found nothing and sent me home. Kept vomiting the next day so my surgeon arranged EGD on the 4th day and found that I too had a stricture. Mine was very very small so they dilated it some but sent me to GI dr who I am told will have to do several dilations as they can only stretch it so far at a time. I was told to stick with liquids for a while. Just FYI in case they didn't tell you in the hospital. I have my 2nd dilation scheduled for 9 a.m. tomorrow 6 days after first). Hope to have some more info and will let you know if I find out anything of importance.

@@catwoman7 - You mean it can happen again? How far apart? Did you have the first one dilated more than once and it just grew back? Ugh I really hope not! I will be anxious to find out what they say to tomorrow! And so very ready to have food again. Did you have to stick with liquids after each dilation for a long time?

I got a call from the GI Dr and have scheduled another EGD/dilation for tomorrow at 9 am. I'm a little anxious since it is so soon after the last one (6 days) but I questioned and they said it was fine. I guess getting it done sooner rather than later is best so I can eventually get back to (or maybe really start to) eating more normally. I'm starting to worry about how to even start over but I will deal with that when I get there. I know I can always come here for great encouragement and tips.

Well not to worry you but I had similar problem and found out I had a stricture which is apparently a fairly common problem. The exit from my stomach was so small the Dr could barely get the scope through. They had to dilate it but can only do so a little at a time so they have to do it a few times. (I am 3 months post-op this weekend). I would suggest you call your surgeon and see if you can get them to schedule and endoscopy.

I agree with @djmohr. I had a July 4th party at my house only 1 month after surgery. The head hunger wasn't really that bad and I made sure there were a couple of things I could eat and had my protein shake before everyone got here. I would just encourage you not to shut yourself out of celebrations. I promise you that you will have more resolve than you realize and it won't be as much of a battle as you think.

I don't have any advice but just wanted to say so sorry you are going through all this! I hope they figure it out and fix you up soon!

You're welcome. I actually changed locations per-op because I felt the NUT was way off base and disinterested. Way happier with the choice I made! There are individual NUTs out there. Just be sure they specialize in WLS patients; otherwise, you will be even more confused.

I found the info I mentioned above for one of the experts. Her signature says: "Elizabeth Anderson MA, RD, LD Elizabeth Anderson is a registered and licensed dietitian in New Hampshire with a private practice called CrackerJack Nutrition. Elizabeth specializes in weight management with a focus in non-judgmental bariatric surgery support. Elizabeth sees patients in her office and via Skype. Email her for a 15 complimentary session to see if she can help you. eliz@crackerjacknutrition.com." I don't know her nor have used her but maybe she could be of help?? It sure sounds like your current NUT isn't helping.