MSWMike

I am almost 9 months out from surgery and here's what my weight loss has been like: months 1-3: 22 pounds lost per month months 4-6: 10 pounds lost per month months 5-9: about 4 pounds lost per month The rapid weight loss in the beginning comes from your body not getting much nutrition, so your body uses your fat stores for energy- thus causing weight loss. As you progress post-op, your pouch size increases and you can take in more food- which naturally slows the process down. Think of it as an inverse relationship: as you lose weight, you don't need as many calories to sustain your weight....and as you progress post op, you can take in more calories. Eventually, you want to be taking in less calories than you burn in a day to maintain weight loss.

If you aren't getting in the minimum of 64 ounces of liquids per day, you're at risk for dehydration. As others have suggested, talk to your nutritionist. With all of the information that's thrown at us as we are going through the process of having the surgery, we are bound to get things mixed up and forget some things. If you aren't able to get in your nutrition and liquids, it could indicate a potential issue that needs to be addressed.

The amount you lose varies from person to person and depends on what surgery you had. By the time I was 5 months post op, I lost 85 pounds (125 since I started the program 4 months prior to my surgery). You need to follow the advice and guidance from your bariatric team. 1- Follow your nutritional guidelines 2- Get your fluids 3- Exercise 4- Vitamins

I'm almost 9 months post op and still use Miralax daily. I only take about a half dose, but it does the trick. I tried other softeners- colace, senna, etc....and they did nothing. Thankfully, a bottle of Miralax lasts me about 2 months. It's a bit more expensive than the other softeners out there, but it's what works for me.

My surgeon recommended vitamin e oil. I used it and helped out a lot. I just had to make sure that I didn't use it while I still had the dermabond on my incisions (I didn't have stitches or staples). I used it twice a day and it helped out. Now that I'm about 8 months post op, I switched over to using Mederma for the scars. It's expensive (about $20 for a tube), but a little goes a long way and it really does work.

I don't dump either. When I have sugar, I typically get dizzy and lightheaded...and that's about it.

Like the poster above me said, you're likely not going to have any bowel movements for some time. You're not taking much of anything in that can be formed into a solid mass. I think it was about 2 weeks after surgery when I had my first movement....and it wasn't much. Tip: don't strain and try to force something to come out. This can cause some issues "down there!"

I started to see my chiropractor again. He believes that the numbness is coming from subluxations (misalignments) in my spine. After only one adjustment, I have noticed that the numbness has already improved. He told me that post-operatively, it will be important to get adjustments on a regular basis due to the weight loss. This will be something enjoyable for me!

I forgot to post an update after my appointment the other day! The numbness is still there, but I now have different sensations (hard to even describe what they feel like) depending on what I am doing. My surgeon says that this is a good sign, as it is a sign the nerves are waking up. It's now been 16 days since my surgery....I think my nerves should have had enough time to wake up already. I go back in another two weeks for a checkup....and I'll be sure to follow up with him again if the numbness hasn't improved.

If your surgeon has an on call number, I suggest you find out what it is. I have used my surgeon's number twice already and it has been very helpful. Since I don't know what's normal or not- it's nice to be able to ask the surgeon directly. It's definitely helped to put my mind at ease.

I saw the surgeon this afternoon. He said that the numbness in my right hand is due to 2 things. 1- the way in which I was placed in surgery 2- the fact that my hand and forearm were used as a pin cushion! He said the feeling should come back as the nerve "wakes up" after another week or so. In the meantime, I'm supposed to keep it elevated, iced if desired, and to use my hand as much as possible. As far as the numbness around my outer left knee, I was also strapped there during surgery and that he and others were leaning into me there during portions of the surgery and this too should go away relatively soon. I have another follow up next week, so we will see how things go then!

I feel like moving around would help me with the numbness. Thankfully now that I am a week out, I feel better and I feel like I can walk more.

I had my consultation with the nurse (sadly the surgeon wasn't available) this afternoon. She booked me for an appointment on Wednesday to be evaluated by the surgeon to see whether anything needs to be done. Based on what I have seen people report on here and from outside research, this seems to be a fairly normal thing after surgery- but on occasion can be an indication of other problems. I'd rather be safe than sorry, so it's off to the office I go!

I had IV's in both hands (my left was only stuck once). My right hand got butchered. They failed to get an IV line started in the right hand at one site, then they placed another IV in me during surgery, once that IV was removed, I was stuck 2 more times in the right hand for blood draws and twice in the right forearm. I suspect that has something to do with it!! I also found that I have numbness in my left leg near my knee on the outside part and below the lowest incision and above my belly button spanning about 4" on either side of my belly button. I am thankful that I have a consultation in the morning with my surgeon, so I will be bringing this up to him!

On Tuesday 7/28, I had RXY surgery. While recovering in the hospital, I noticed that my right hand was a little bit numb. It wasn't bad, but noticeable. Today, 5 days later, I have feeling back in my thumb and index finger, some in my middle finger, and my ring and pinky fingers are still pretty numb. I am sure this is related to the surgery as I didn't have this before. Has anyone experienced this?