jenna777

I hope it gets better for you! I am 7 months post op and I am still on a PPI twice a day. At my last appt, I told the nurse that I couldn't wean off the PPI. She said that I might be one of the few who are stuck with heartburn. And, she said that the surgeon will likely want to switch me to gastric bypass if it doesn't go away. (Heartburn/reflux over time leads to changes in the lining of the esophagus, which can turn into esophageal cancer [which, although not common, is deadly and impossible to prevent once it's headed in that direction]. I'm not ready for another surgery and am afraid of complications from GB, so I will hope and pray that it goes away over more time. I'm giving it a full year before I make any decisions.

I am 7 months post op. I used to vomit at least one meal a day, sometimes more. That just started to calm down for me. First I noticed that it wasn't happening every day. then I noticed it was only a few times per week. Now I notice that it's only twice a month. I was close to 5 months post op before I noticed it getting better. I'm not sure how helpful that is other than to say that there is hope. I did tell the nurse every time I visited. She didn't seem overly concerned. It's really important to slow down and chew, chew, chew your food. Eating too much wasn't the issue for me because I never got that far. I would get sick after the first few bites. My issue was speed, not chewing enough and also eating dry things. Since you can't drink Water when you eat, you should try to eat wet or moist foods. (BTW - they did tell you not to eat and drink at the same time, right? Stop drinking 30 min before any meal.) It got better over time. I hope it does for you, too! Definitely let your nurse or surgeon know about it so that they can help you problem solve and also make sure nothing else is going on.

It's hard to predict how your skin will react or your body will reshape, but you are very young. That should really help! A lot of it relates to genetics and your age. Go into it with the best attitude possible - "Things may not be perfect, but I will do my best to get the best results (strength training, drinking Water, Protein, etc."). Doing our best is all we can do. Set your worries free and relax in that thought - doing your best is all you can do. Focus on goal #1: getting healthy! Worry about the rest later. One thing at a time. High blood pressure at your age, combined with borderline diabetes is very, very serious in terms of heart health. I can't state that enough - the combination of the three things you mentioned are catastrophic, especially as you age. However you lose the weight, you have to get those things under control. (weight, sodium, exercise, lean protein, low carbs -- don't wait to focus on those things; start right now!) You should be way more scared of that combination than about sagging skin. Sorry to be so harsh. When I was younger (but still older than you! ~31), I lost 100 lbs and looked fabulous. I am your height and was about 10 lbs less than your weight. I didn't have any skin sag problems when I lost it. I did work out 5 times a week, both aerobic and strength. Unfortunately, eventually, (after I had a baby) I did gain it back. That is why I did the surgery. I don't want to have large ups and downs anymore. I need a more permanent tool to keep the weight down. I wish you the best! You have a great opportunity before you to turn things around. See if you can find a mantra that will resonate with you to calm your fears. Say it every day, every morning. Our thoughts are very powerful. Best wishes!

I'm struggling with heartburn, too. I'm hoping it eventually goes away. I am on prilosec twice a day, which helps. I've been waking up at night with my chest on fire. Not fun! Good luck to us - I hope it goes away!

I'm back! (surgery 3/31). The one thing I'm struggling with are the meds. I'm on Prilosec, colace, cerafate, lovenox (shots), vicoodin liquid, and a gallbladder med (actigall?). In all honesty, I haven't started the gall bladder med, but will do so next week. I love the thought of preventing an acute gall bladder attack which would be very painful, but the horse pill is a bit overwhelming. Fortunately some of the meds will start dropping off soon. Can't wait! This too shall pass!

I had my surgery on 3/31, too. Happy to connect. My surgeon also repaired my hiatus hernia during the surgery. I stayed 2 days in the hospital. I'm doing mostly liquids and a little pureed. I find the Protein shakes to be the easiest right now. I had a hard time the first day and night with heaving. Early on it was the anesthesia, but once it wore off, I started to realize that the vomiting was related to the pain button. Once I stopped with the pain meds, the vomiting stopped. My heartburn was pretty bad the first 3 days. It's getting better now. I'm on prilosec or nexium. Working hard to get my Water in. Sometimes water hurts when it goes down. Trying to take very small sips of water. Sometimes I forget and take a big gulp - that hurts! I had a little bit of a headache today. I need to push water and get more protein in. The only thing that concerns me is the soreness in my chest and back and pain when I try to take a deep breath. I'm asthmatic. I suppose the surgery is rough on the body and I know that the hiatus hernia was pretty high up. I'll give it another few days. Meanwhile, I'm practicing deep breathing to exercise my lungs. Glad to be on the other side of the surgery, though! Honestly, it wasn't that bad.