catwoman7
Gastric Bypass Patients-
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Everything posted by catwoman7
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Apology letter to my rectum
catwoman7 replied to Cheyanne Lee's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
must be an individual thing. I can eat corn with no issues. P.S. I didn't eat it the first couple years post-op, though. Not sure what my body's reaction would have been at that stage since I never tried it until I was out a ways from surgery -
the first stall out of the gate at around the three-week mark (although it comes earlier for some, later for others) is extremely common. We even have a name for it "the three-week stall". Almost everyone has that. In fact, if you do a search on this site for it, you'll find over 17,000 posts on it. And I am NOT kidding. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days, and the stall will break. Usually takes 1-3 weeks. And know that it's likely the first of many stalls. It's a natural part of losing weight. I think your body just has to stop and recalibrate once in a while. constipation is also a very common issue after weight loss surgery. It's probably due to the high protein diet plus some of the supplements (iron and calcium supplements are the usual culprits). A lot of us have to take daily Miralax or stool softeners to keep on top of it. Other things that might help - magnesium tablets, prunes, Smooth Move tea. You might have to experiment to see what works for you. I take a capful of Miralax every morning and have been doing it for eight years. does the dizziness occur when you stand up? If so, it's probably orthostatic hypotension - also very common early after surgery - and it eventually goes away. Until then, just stand up SLOWLY. Protein shakes also count as liquids, so it may not be as difficult as you think to hit your fluid goals. the first few weeks are a challenge, but. you'll soon have all this behind you!!
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the first couple of months are hard and a lot of people have "buyer's remorse", but you'll eventually reach the point where you'll be really happy with your decision. You'll be able to eat more types of food, will tolerate things better, etc. I can eat anything now except for really fatty meals. Before surgery my husband and I used to go out for fish fries on Friday nights, which usually consisted of fried fish, French fries, coleslaw made with mayo, and a roll with butter. I could maybe eat ONE of those things right now. Eating a plate with all the things I mentioned would land me in the bathroom, even at 8.5 years out. (I meant I could handle one fatty thing. If the rest of the things I had on the plate didn't contain much - if any - fat - like broiled fish - I would be fine. Although at restaurants I usually just eat half of what's on the plate these days, and take the rest home)
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yes. I can't remember how soon it happened, but earlier than I would have expected if it was due to loss of "insulation". Maybe a few weeks out? (maybe even sooner than that - it's been a while). I think in addition to insulation loss, there's something about the surgery that throws off your internal thermostat. The cold thing only lasted a year or so for me, but for some it seems to be a permanent "feature".
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about a week - and that's pretty common. There's not much in there yet. You might want to start taking stool softeners because that first one post-surgery can be a doozy.
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is it true dumping or just vomiting? Dumping involves sweats or chills, cramps, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat. Vomiting can happen, but it's not as common because the "action" is in your intestines. I at first thought it might be a stricture since you originally said you had bypass, and those can definitely make you vomit pretty much everything you eat, but then underneath your post you said it was sleeve - strictures are pretty rare in sleevers, so I'm not sure. what are you exact symptoms?
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I'm kind of surprised you found a surgeon that still places lap bands, too. That surgery has largely been replaced by the sleeve as the non-RNY option. My clinic quit doing lap bands even before I had my surgery eight years ago. There are definitely some people who love their lap bands and have been successful with them - but there are also a lot who've ended up having them removed and went with a sleeve or bypass.
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I lost all of my excess weight (over 200 lbs), but it did take close to two years to do it. Weight loss slows down the further out you go, but if you continue to work hard, you can always lose more weight.
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6 years postop... the long haul.
catwoman7 replied to Saxons's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
sorry to hear you're dealing with this - but just to let others know, this isn't a very common experience. -
Sleeping on back
catwoman7 replied to jacquelynn22's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I wasn't told how to sleep, either. I've always slept on my side but it wasn't that comfortable to do that immediately after my surgery, so I slept on my back for a couple of weeks. I've slept on my side ever since. -
Will the surgery take away my anxiety And thyroid disorder?
catwoman7 replied to Pink fridge's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
anxiety - no. Thyroid - I'm not sure. It does have an impact on some of your hormones, but I'm not sure about thyroid. I'd check with the surgeon and see if he or she knows. well I take that back. I just googled it. Anxiety and depression can improve in some patients - but it depends on a lot of factors - social support, weight loss success, better health, etc. So I guess it partially would depend on the types of things that tend to set off your anxiety. -
What do YOU eat in a day and Stalling
catwoman7 replied to Erin18's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm several years out so I probably shouldn't answer the first question since I've been in maintenance for a long time.. but for the first, I just made sure I was sticking to my program, weighed, measured, and logged everything I ate, and backed off on weighing myself - from daily to about once a week until the stall broke. -
I think most of us had to have a sleep study to check for sleep apnea - that's a pretty common screening for this surgery. I can't remember if that was a requirement of my insurance or my bariatric clinic. I had it closer to the beginning of my journey, though.
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UPDATE - Diagnosis Gastro-jejunostomy stenosis -
catwoman7 replied to Chel1's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
strictures happen to about 5% of bypass patients. I had one, too (actually, two - one at four weeks out and one at eight weeks out. I was told they are super rare after the third month). As you said, easy fix. I felt better immediately! -
Constipation and gas
catwoman7 replied to PudgeBeGone's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
if it's been that long since your surgery, I suspect it's more likely the T3 - or maybe the combination of the two (having T3 after having bariatric surgery). I'd ask your doctor or pharmacist. -
Covids affects on Surgery
catwoman7 replied to needrealanswers's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
a lot of people who had COVID had to wait until they were over it, but since your last office visit isn't until next week and your surgery might be scheduled for several weeks out, I doubt you're going to have any issues. -
It's fall in Wisconsin and - I'm COLD !!!
catwoman7 replied to KathyLev's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
another Wisconsinite here! I had that issue the first year or so out. I don't notice it any more and haven't for a long time, but for some people, it seems to be permanent. -
Plastic surgery after bariatric surgery
catwoman7 replied to hrhdiana's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
it probably depends on your particular policy and your situation. Some companies will cover it if you have documented evidence of medical issues such as chronic rashes that don't respond to conventional treatments...and some will cover pannilectomies if your "apron" hangs below a certain level - and some don't cover plastic surgery at all (mine doesn't). As for particular policy - those can vary between employers even if they use the same insurance company. Employers can purchase coverage above and beyond basic items - or not. For example, for years my insurance company offered bariatric surgery, but it was a rider that an employer could buy - or not. My employer chose not to purchase that rider until very recently (I think two years ago) - so those of us who wanted it had to either change to a different insurance company that my employer also worked with (although it was much more expensive than the one most employees went with) - or self-pay. check on your Kaiser policy and see if it's covered. Or check with your employer's HR department - they should know, too. -
This last 50 pounds is the bane of my existence!!!
catwoman7 replied to SleeveToBypass2023's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
yes those last few pounds can be a beast to get off! I was losing like 2 lbs a month those last few months. It was so aggravating!! -
Sleeve Revision to Bypass
catwoman7 replied to SarahP1220's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
yea - unfortunately, for those that don't have it before surgery, it's sort of a crap shoot. -
I've always heard that, too, but I don't know if there's hardcore research behind that. Although that said, it's probably a good idea to break it up regardless, so you're getting some protein several times a day (at least three times - maybe more if you're allowed snacks between meals)
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Pre op Blood work
catwoman7 replied to Gothikarose's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I think fatty liver is fairly common, esp in obese people, so that one for sure shouldn't count against. you. -
Sleeve Revision to Bypass
catwoman7 replied to SarahP1220's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I haven't had that revision, but a lot of people have - mostly because of reflux. I had reflux before I had surgery, so I went with bypass the first time. -
4 weeks post up - acid reflux has returned
catwoman7 replied to Keona1323's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
PS - I just did a quick google search on this. This is NOT a scholarly article, so there's that - but it does mention that bile reflux (as opposed to acid reflux) can occur in about 5% of mini-bypass patients. It goes on to say they see it more in sleeve to mini-bypass revision patients than they do with non-revisions. Again, I don't know what kind of research is behind this because this isn't a scholarly article - they may just be basing this on their specific patients. But again, let your clinic know what's going on. Hopefully it's just some kind of flare-up. https://mexicobariatriccenter.com/bile-reflux-after-mini-gastric-bypass-surgery/ -
4 weeks post up - acid reflux has returned
catwoman7 replied to Keona1323's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
I know regular gastric bypass usually cures GERD, but I don't know about mini-bypass. It might (usually, anyway), I just don't know enough about that surgery to know one way or the other. I'd let your clinic know what's going on. Hopefully it's just a flare-up and bumping up for PPI for a while might help - but ask them before doing anything (I'm not a medical person...)