catwoman7

oh yea - and that, too!

I don't think I even brought PJ's - and they had me in a hospital gown anyway, so I wouldn't have needed them. They also gave me those skid-free socks to put on. A lot of people like Chapstick because their lips get really dry. Honestly, I slept most of the time I was there, so I really didn't need much of anything. My husband brought my laptop over, but I was too tired and "out of it" to use it. Other than my phone and a change of clothes to wear home, I don't think I used much. Oh - a lot of people like a pillow to hold over their stomach on the way home.....

Yep... it definitely gets harder for a lot of us... sleeve and bypass alike

I don't really think they know for sure what accounts for the fact people who've had PS tend to be better about maintaining their weight, but some other theories I've come across: 1) people spend a lot of $$ for plastic surgery and thus are more motivated to keep the weight off so they don't compromise their results 2) many plastic surgeons require patients to have maintained a stable weight for 6-12 months before getting plastic surgery. Perhaps people who are able to maintain their weight for that long (6-12 months) are more likely to maintain it long term, too 3) people who self-pay for plastic surgery may have more disposable income and can afford things like gym memberships and better food, too there are a couple of other reasonable-sounding theories about this that escape me for the moment - but in the end, they don't really know what accounts for the difference, other than it DOES appear to make a difference. That's one of the (many) reasons I decided to do it.

fine by me!

people are all across the board with pain from surgery, but just based on hanging out on these boards for the last few years, I would stay most people have little to no pain from this surgery. If you're one of the unfortunate ones who does, then just keep on top of it with whatever drug your surgeon prescribes. I think I had liquid oxycodone, but I never took any. I had almost no pain.

yes - you need to do it slowly. I increased by about 100 calories/day every week or two until I hit my sweet spot (where I was maintaining - not losing or gaining).

I would go back to your surgeon to make sure everything with your sleeve is still OK. Most likely it is, but it's still good to check. If it is, it should still work - it'll just take longer this time to lose the weight. Go back to basics - protein first, then veggies, then, if you have room, a small serving of fruit or "good" carbs (like whole grains). Watch your portions. Log everything that goes into your mouth. Exercise regularly. You know the drill. it takes work to maintain a weight loss. This isn't a "set & forget" kind of deal - the surgery is a strong tool that serves as a strong tail wind to get you where you want to go, but it also requires a lot of work on your part to keep it off. At almost five years out, I still weigh/measure most things and track everything I eat. I have to stay within my maintenance calorie range or my weight starts heading north pretty quickly. Yes there are days I overdo it, but then I'm back on track the next day. I CAN'T let it get out of hand or I'll wind up gaining it back. I also weigh myself daily (although once a week is fine, too, if the daily fluctuations bother you). When my weight starts to creep out of my "acceptable" range, I'm back on it. It can be a pain sometimes, but then, I never EVER want to back where I started!!! good luck to you. You can do this!

I agree - meet with your surgeon. People lose at all different rates, but 29 lbs in 10 months is very low. Are you logging what you eat? Are you following your plan religiously? I'd definitely start by meeting with my medical team.

no. Most lose some. A few lose a lot and a few lose none at all. But most people lose some. It's more like shedding. For me, I noticed there were a lot more hairs in my comb than usual when I combed it out after washing it. But just looking at it in the mirror, I couldn't tell. A lot of people CAN tell (on themselves, that is...), but it's usually not enough that other people notice. If you lose more than usual, you can often cover it up by cutting it short or wearing it in some style that "hides" the loss. It's kind of rare that people lose it in big chunks (like someone on chemo). But again, to answer your question, no, not everyone loses hair.

you'll only be on liquid and pureed diets for a few weeks. After that, you're likely to be eating healthier than you were pre-op. Most of us focus on proteins and vegetables during the weight loss phase. Feed your kids the same thing but add something like a potato, rice, or bread for them.

unless there's something mechanically wrong with your bypass, it's sort of pointless to revise it. Other than the DS, it's the strongest surgery out there at the moment. If the problem is behavioral, revising it to something else isn't going to help you long term - you have to tackle whatever the problem is, or you're eventually going to have the same issue with the next surgery. revising from RNY to DS is a complicated and supposedly risky surgery that only a handful of surgeons are qualified to do. There are no other surgeries I know of that you can revise to from RNY other than DS.

I'm 60 and had surgery after I'd already gone through menopause. No additional supplements above and beyond what was recommended for everyone else.

the other thing about rice - even if your program allows it (and many don't), it takes up a lot of stomach space for not a lot of nutrition. You need to focus on things that give you a lot of nutritional value since your stomach is a fraction of it's original size.

most of us are supposed to aim for at least 60 grams of protein a day (I have to shoot for at least 100 grams because I malabsorb it, but most people are good at 60). I've never counted fats or carbs, but some people are on low-carb plans. Maybe some low-carbers can chime in with this one... other than that, it's protein first, then non-starchy vegetables, and then if you have room, a small serving of fruit or "good" carbs (e.g., whole grains). also, experiment with calorie ranges to see what level it's going to take to get your weight loss going again. It's going to be different for everyone, so you'll have to play around with it to find your sweet spot. Try a range for a couple of weeks, e.g., 1400-1600, and if your weight isn't starting to move in the right direction, then drop down by 100 calories (1300-1500, in this scenario) and see what happens. Rinse and repeat.

watch out for calories, though - some of that stuff is still pretty high in calories. Plus if you're following a low-carb plan, there's white flour, too...

I don't think they did a physical when I went in for that - they may have checked a couple of things, though. I think mostly they just talked to me about why I wanted the surgery, what my expectations were, and explained things for me....

check with your PCP - could be a lot of things. Some patients have trouble with orthostatic hypotension when standing up suddenly - but it could be a number of things. I had some issues about two years out. Everything was normal the day of my workup (they pretty much checked EVERYTHING), but they think it might have been, for me at least, reactive hypoglycemia - and if so, my glucose level just happened to be normal at the time they checked it. They also checked me for inner ear issues (which controls balance), urinary-related issues, God knows what else in my blood, etc. Just telling you this because there could be a lot of causes for that.

doesn't happen for everyone. If it does for you, you should notice it right away. For me, taste seemed more intense for awhile (as in sweeter things tasted sweeter, and spicy things tasted spicier), but it wasn't like I suddenly liked things that I didn't before, and vice versa.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but some people can't even tolerate a small amount of artificial sweeteners. And others can tolerate a little but not a lot. I didn't think of this, either, because artificial sweeteners don't bother me at all. But they do give some people GI distress - especially sweeteners whose names end it -itol (like xylitol)

nope - they're fine.

don't go back to liquid shakes. It's just a normal stall. Just stick to your surgeon's plan. They know what they're doing...

I always just stuck to my plan, and the weight loss would eventually start up again.

I've gained 23 lbs of an over 200 lb loss. Would like to lose 10 lbs as I felt best at that weight. I'm just going back to basics - not all the way back to liquids and purees, but the "protein first - then veggies - then if there's room, a small serving of fruit or healthy carbs (e.g., whole grain thing))". I've also stepped up my exercise - 4-5 days a week. I've always logged my food, so I'll continue to do that. The issue is I've let too many calories and not-the-greatest-food-choices back into my life, and I'd slacked off on exercise the last few months. I don't know how successful I'll be with this, but this is how a lot of other vets have tackled it. other methods I've heard that vets have had success with are Weight Watchers, Intermittent Fasting, and Keto - so any of those could be worth a try, too.

no experience with this particular scenario; however, I just wanted to say that most RNY'ers do not dump, and if you're one of the ones who do, you can control it by limiting (or avoiding) sugar.