goodnuff

Thank you @ausmith for the encouragement.

I am curious to know the story of anyone that had RNY who took more than 3 years to reach goal. I will be three years out in March, my lowest weight was 211.6 (for approximately 37 seconds that I was on the scale that day) I hovered around 216 from 8 - 12 months after surgery. Then life happened and things that caused depression crept back into my world. I gained 17 pounds back in a very short time and have been struggling to get them off, keep them off and continue my journey to goal. I am having the most difficult time finding peers that I can relate to. I'd love to know that there are others that struggled for more than a year at their midway point of weight loss then picked up their britches and successfully got to a healthy weight.

This last Friday, March 17,2017, marked two years since my Gastric Bypass Surgery. I'm posting this mostly for myself but also for those that are researching and wondering what it might be like further out than the first few weeks or months. My whole, long winded experience: The first 10 weeks after my surgery I followed the post-op diet to a T. My surgeon had given me the green flag for a regular diet at my one month follow-up appointment and I stayed on course. Until 5 weeks later when my niece came to visit. I thought choosing to indulge a little was an okay and well-thought out decision. I wanted to be "normal", or rather, like a skinny person, meaning occasionally choosing a few bites of less than healthy foods or Desserts When post-op members say it's a slippery slope they are not B.S-ing you. I was so impressed with my new found restraint, just one fry or 2-3 small bites of dessert and I. Was. Satisfied! Now I know, I was just ignorant. My pouch was probably still swollen. What started out as a few bites a few days in a row turned into a handful of bites once a week and only if I went specifically, and out of my way, to get it. I quickly learned how many grams of sugar I could have before I'd dump and I became an expert at playing "Sugar Limbo", eating just under the amount that would make the stick (my blood sugar) come crashing down. Then I started bringing Atkins candies into my house, it just kept sliding from there. But of course I continued to be rewarded with steady loss because well duh, that's what the honeymoon period is all about. The first 11 months I weighed in once or twice monthly and saw a steady loss through the first 8 months. From mid November to February I bounced between 211.6 and 216.9 and I was consuming 50 - 125 grams of processed sugar a day. Just one month shy of my one year anniversary I moved from a state that I loved, Colorado, back to Wisconsin to be near my daughter and her growing family. I dislike Wisconsin but I love my daughter, it was not an easy decision. I was more content and regularly active while I lived in Colorado but my I missed my daughter and she missed me. I went from working with my personal trainer twice a week, walking my dog 0.5-3 miles/day (depending on weather) and hiking 4-12 miles in the mountains most weeks to sitting on my bum looking at grey, dismal skies and snow for weeks while I waited for my new grand baby to arrive. The depression hit me like a brick wall. I turned to poor food choices more frequently and it was made easier by living with someone having pregnancy cravings, who am I not to indulge or maybe even encourage those? And a son-in-law that was more than happy to participate and contribute to my coping method. For months nothing went any of the millions of ways I had prepared myself for. I anticipated returning to work for the same hospital system that I had been employed by for 15 years before I traveled but there was not a position I was interested in. I wanted to take my nursing career in a different path so I applied for 15-20 office and public health positions and did not receive any calls. I could write a short story alone just about how that made me feel. I anticipated being back to work within 6 weeks of my move and it was 8 before I even got my first interview. It went well and the feedback was so positive that I was certain I had it on lockdown. I was told I'd know in a week, two at the most. Several weeks and calls later and even more applications sent I was told I didn't get it but they wanted me to shadow for another position I had applied for. Two weeks later I was offered a position I didn't apply for and wasn't even sure I was interested in. My savings was depleted and so was my resolve so I accepted. Meanwhile my 12 year-old dog, and best friend and traveling buddy for the previous four years, became ill. I thought it was the stress of going from just the two of us in a 1200 sq. foot apartment to us with two more adults, a newborn and two cats. I continued to turn to my old friend, food, for comfort. My processed sugar consumption was up to a minimum off 100 grams a day, my workouts were scarce and I wasn't journaling any longer. I had gained 15 pounds in 8 weeks. Even with starting to work out twice a week again I only managed to maintain at that new weight. I also aggravated a shoulder/neck injury that I had gotten the previous September when I was rear ended by a 16 year-old when she was reaching for her cell phone that fell on the passenger side floor. Just short walks or holding my grand baby left me in pain for hours. When I started my new job I experienced more stress in the first two months than I did in the 2 years of travel nursing combined. It's proven to be a tough job in a tough environment. I had taken my dog to to the vet and changed his diet several times and spent a small fortune on medications but he continued to lose weight. In August I finally got my own place and had myself convinced that was going to be the cure for what was ailing my pup. But on August 26th I returned from work to find him unable to walk, he tried to greet me at the door like normal but just kept tipping over. When I brought him in to the vet I found out he had lost another two pounds in 3 weeks and in total had lost 40% of his normal weight since becoming ill. I made the tough decision to let him rest in peace. I can not even begin to explain how that has affected me. I miss him so, so much. I continued to have severe shoulder/neck pain from the simplest activities so I pursued a diagnosis. When I went to the doctor appointment and saw the scale I woke up, a bit. I had gained 21.5 pounds in 7 months. I found a safe, affordable trainer to work with but our schedules weren't going to mesh for the rest of the calendar year! I took what I could get. But I continued to fight the premise that diet makes the biggest difference. For reasons too in depth to ever post here I'll just say, I strongly dislike being told what/how to eat by anybody. Apparently including myself. Apparently even though I worked on that issue for 5 years prior to surgery, well my entire adult life really but with true intent for the last 5 years. Btw, it turns out I sustained two tears in my shoulder and that is why more than a year later it still hurts like the dickens. I have bounced between 229 and 233 since September. Admitting that I need to make more consistent and long lasting changes to my diet is the first step in getting back on track. I was told by my team that I could expect to lose 65% by now, I've lost 50% by their calculations but 55% by my more conservative ideal weight of 165. In the past I might have apologized for writing what may appear as excuses to some but not anymore. I write it as a reflection so I can see what's going on. My weight is not where I wanted it to be at this point post-op but even worse than that my life has taken a giant throat punch in the last year and in general I'm not where I expected or even strived to be. But I don't quit anymore and I sure as shooting don't let myself only see the negatives. I have a list as long as my arm of NSV's. The most recent of which is that when I spilled the juice from my fruit cup it didn't land on me but instead went right through the gap of the legs I am now able to cross due to my 79 pound loss. Unfortunately it landed on the chair I was sitting on, creating a triangular wet spot for everyone in the meeting to see when I stood up. Not being where I think I should be does not make me less proud of where I am...

Thank you. As much as thought I had prepared myself for dealing with stress so that I wouldn't turn to food for comfort it still happened. I'm thankful that I can't eat the amounts I used to and that I continued to follow the rules my dietician gave me of no fluids with food and waiting an hour after eating to start drinking again otherwise I'm certain I would have gained it all back. After I wrote this anniversary reflection I spoke with a dietician/"health coach" offered through my work. She made a comment that struck me. "Because of the RNY there are severe consequences to not providing highly nutritious food to your body. If you want to live a disease free, healthy life you need to eat nutrient dense food." Of course I have heard that before but for whatever reason it really stuck in my head this time. Since April 1st I have been focusing on logging my intake and getting at least 64 ounces of water every day. I refuse to weigh myself for at least another week but my pants are looser and according to my daughter my "turkey-waddle", all of that loose wrinkly skin under my chin, isn't as waddly. I hope our lives see less stress soon and that we gain healthier coping mechanisms too. Good luck to us!!!

Great minds...

Unfortunately, lol. But seriously, I hope that you continue healing and feel better soon.

Aggiemae, I had some terrible nursing care after my surgery along with some very obvious judgement about my choice to have it. I'm thankful for the caregivers that were amazing and supportive. I wonder if your nurse had known you were an administrator if it would have changed her attitude or if she treats others even worse?

I get so annoyed when anyone lectures me about weight loss surgery but even more so when it's a physician who's specialty isn't even bariatrics and I haven't asked for their opinion. This same thing happened in January with my rheumatologist and I ranted back then as well. Today it was a pulmonologist in Sleep Medicine that I've never met before. He sat down in front of me and told me to tell him what was going on but before I could even begin to speak he started lecturing me on how WLS doesn't keep the weight off, that I won't lose anymore weight if I don't change how I eat and that weight loss is 90-95% diet and has very little to do with physical activity but then contradicted himself when he said his physician friend eat like "a pig" and has 2 doughnuts and a huge bowl of cereal for breakfast, a HUGE lunch and dinner plus ice cream and something else and as big as a twig, he finished with "we all have to make choices. You can't just eat what you want and expect to lose more weight." All of this without asking me what I eat or how much I've lost. I wanted to be defensive but instead I said, "Thank you for your OPINION, we all have to find what works for us because we are certainly not all the same" Funny enough I followed that up with an appointment to establish care with a Bariatric clinic in my new location. I asked the NP I was seeing what percent of weight loss they considered successful, I never did get an answer but she boasted that they have seen many patients that have regained weight from other surgical locations but their own patients are more successful. Guess how long they've been doing surgeries?!? Two whopping years. I'd be more impressed if she had said it with less derision towards outside providers and less cockiness and had she given more kudos to the actual patients that are following their program and being successful rather than taking responsibility for their success. Some days I hate to admit I'm in healthcare when I see this is how people are treated. Also, I miss my old insurance and the providers I had access to the last time I lived in Wisconsin.

Thicker pasta like penne, I think if I eat one noodle too many it forms a ball in my pouch that moves through my intestines at a snail's pace feeling like a lead brick the entire time. It's been 4 days since I had some and the pain is still there. And steak [emoji17]

I'd start with the A1C. If it's elevated you could start with treatment by diet changes and start testing your blood sugars as recommended by your healthcare provider. Typically if your blood sugars remain high with diet changes the first step would be oral medication and if that doesn't work then insulin. I've worked in OB for 19 years as a labor nurse and most recently (super recent, just two months) in Maternal Fetal Medicine where we create treatment plans for both Type 1 and gestational diabetes. Keep us posted, I'm interested to know how another doctor handles this.

Yes, I'd think they could do a hemoglobin A1C- "The A1C test result reflects your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months."

I had mine as well and was given mesh panties and a gigantic pad which they wanted me to remove just prior to going in for the procedure. They are used to that part of it. Unless anemia has been an issue in your past I wouldn't be concerned, if it's something you e had to treat before I'd let your surgical team know.

I had mine as well and was given mesh panties and a gigantic pad which they wanted me to remove just prior to going in for the procedure. They are used to that part of it. Unless anemia has been an issue in your past I wouldn't be concerned, if it's something you e had to treat before I'd let your surgical team know.

Similar to what I posted yesterday and as I ponder the questions @@Inner Surfer Girl posed I wonder how many of us struggle with those things, after all if I could have done even a handful of them routinely before surgery I wouldn't have needed it. However, I did commit to all of them beforehand, knowing that was what I needed to do to be successful and this was a great reminder of that commitment.

This could be a long post that details all of the woes in my life and the discoveries I've made about how I cope but it won't be. I'm just writing it "out loud" so my eyes can see it and my brain can digest it. I've gained 16 pounds in 4 months without ever reaching my goal. Time to do what is right. I can figure out the why's while or later but I can't wait to figure them out first. Ok.

Long story short, I was supposed to have my one year follow up today because I'm moving out of state next week but the office called to reschedule to next week and I'll be long gone by then. Anyway, I was going to ask about a pain I have directly below the lateral area of my left scapula nearly daily since surgery. It always started in the afternoon until this week when I've woken up with it. I'd say it's mostly a feeling of intense pressure/stretching with some burning. It doesn't seem to be related to just eating because if I have just a Protein shake it happens also. The surgeon is supposed to call me next week but until then I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this, what it ended up being and if there are any suggestions to alleviate/eliminate it? Tidbits of info: I take Prilosec daily, I'm wondering if it's my gall bladder or possibly my diet. I've tried switching my food, amounts, bite size and amount of chewing with no noticeable change.

So it turns out through the power of deduction, adjustment and finally elimination it was the Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chews causing the left scapula pain. After trying to adjust when and how I took them without any relief I stopped taking them 7 days ago and have not had any pain in as long. That was a long 11 months of pain! Now to find a replacement that won't do the same thing before all my teeth fall out, haha.

I resorted to buying quick dry sports towels to put underneath. They are thin, absorb well and dry fast. I was hoping to be able to stop using them but now I can't stand the sensation of skin on skin so I still use them. They are just a little too long now

Thanks for the responses. I strength train three times a week, see a PT and get massages regularly. It's a very localized pain that until this week only came in the afternoon, after eating or drinking lunch. The left side is where I had the majority of pain post-op too. I do plan to see someone, would have been nice to not have my appt cancelled on such short notice without an opportunity to see my surgeon before moving. I was just hoping someone else that had the same type of pain could share what theirs was. I'm certain it's somehow related to the pouch or where my bowel obstruction was seeing it started after surgery almost a year ago. I'll have to wait until I get a job and established with a doctor after my move to get any answers.

Thanks for the chuckle, that was great! I can relate, front or back clasp, bras now pose yet another way to cause discomfort post surgery. Instead of unbuttoning pants for post-meal discomfort I have had to unhook my bra a time or two.

I was as okay as one can be with having not lost anything according to the scale in 2 months. Stalls are a normal part of any weight loss, yada, yada, yada. Then today my Rheumatologist made a comment based only on my weight from two weeks ago, it hadn't changed so he says, "Looks like you've peaked. Have you asked your surgeon why your bypass stopped working?" I've loved this guy until today, now I just want to sucker punch him in the nads. Stopped working??? I go to the gym 3 times a week, according to my InBody test I've gained 3.5 pounds of muscle since November and lost 12 pounds of visceral fat. This is my first stall. It's also the first time in as long as I can remember that I didn't gain at least 5 pounds during the holidays that I would never lose. Thanks for perpetuating the myth that the only thing that matters are the numbers on a fucking scale. And...exhale.

So what was your response to his stooopid question? Unfortunately nothing close to the good stuff I came up with after I talked to him. I was stunned into silence then I told him it was my first stall in 10 months and that I doubted I was done seeing I go to the gym three times a week and eat better than I ever have. Of course my diet isn't perfect so instead of remaining strong in my conviction I sat through the rest of my infusion doubting myself. A$$hat. I think it made me more angry because of course I already have those thoughts on my own but have been good at sticking with the new healthy habits instead of just giving up when the scale stopped moving. I wish I would have told him to be more careful with his words because he shouldn't want to use the scale as the only evidence of progress in someone's health. Thanks for the support guys.

My mag citrate didn't work either. No worries, my surgeon said it didn't matter.

I try to. I know it's a tool for success for me but like most other diet tools I buck the system trying to feel "normal". I've been using myfitnesspal for a few months now but have slacked since Christmas. I would love to look at food diaries of anyone that is willing to share!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing with us, you are amazing!