catwoman7

the two they usually measure for are ALT and AST. But not all clinics test for those, so not everyone knows their values (actually, my bariatric clinic doesn't test for them, either - I'd gone to my primary care provider for some reason or another (it's been eight or nine years, so I don't remember why) and she did some panel that included liver values. She freaked about it, but my bariatric clinic knew what was going on - and again, they were back down to normal once I was about a year out).. They go up because rapid weight loss is really hard on the liver.

you won't need any of that weeks after surgery. It's really just the first week or so. After the first week, the only thing I felt was tired - that lasted for a couple of months. I didn't use a reclining chair - I just propped a lot of pillows up on my bed. Some people do rent or use recliners the first week or two, though.

high liver enzyme levels aren't uncommon the first year or so after weight loss surgery. Rapid weight loss is really hard on livers. Mine were high for about the first year, and I've heard this several times from others as well (including people from here on Bariatric Pal). My regular doctor was really alarmed by it, but the people at my bariatric clinic knew what was going on. They went back down to normal and have been normal ever since.

I don't remember how long I took the pain meds for (I think it was hydrocodone) as it's been a few years for me, but I do remember it was really painful. Way worse than WLS. It does get better - but - UGH. In the end, I was glad I did it, though. P.S. I'm not sure what you had done, but the lower body lift (LBL) was definitely the worst pain-wise (I also had an arm lift, a breast lift, and a face/neck lift - those surgeries weren't as bad. I think it's the muscle tightening and all the lipo they do that make the LBL so painful)

my hunger signals are the same. "Full" signals are often different than they are pre-surgery, though. Since you're only. few days out, it's best to follow your plan, though. Not sure I'd trust any signals this point.

sorry that happened to you. I know there are some people for whom oral iron supplements don't "work" that well, so they have to have occasional iron infusions, although that doesn't seem to be super common (although I'm only basing that on how often I read/hear about it here and on other forums, so it may be more common than I think). Were you getting your ferritin levels checked at least yearly? It takes a long time for your iron stores to deplete, so I'm a little surprised they didn't catch this before it became a crisis. Although you did say there was some bleeding in your digestive tract, so maybe that was the culprit (?) . Anyway, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this. EDITED to add: interesting articles. And yes, bleeding in the digestive tract can definitely cause iron deficiency anemia. One of the articles talked about inflammation (which is common in obese patients) can also throw off chemical balances, which can affect vitamin/mineral absorption (for example, iron - probably explains why some people don't absorb oral iron supplements that well - although I've read they tend to do better with heme rather than non-heme iron - in fact, I know of several who take Proferrin, a heme source, because it "works" better for them than other forms of iron supplements). Anyway, interesting topic. thanks for posting the articles. And again, sorry you're dealing with this.

Just that it's going to hit you FAST. It goes right into your bloodstream. So just keep that in mind (it leaves my system quicker than it did before surgery, too..). And in general, be careful with alcohol as some people have trouble with it after surgery - cross-addiction is real! I limit myself to a glass or two of wine a couple of times a month. Between the surgery and the fact alcoholism runs in my family (two uncles), I don't want to take chances.

I do the same thing with MyFitnessPal - I enter a recipe (and if it's online, you can just put in the web address for it and MFP will import it) and put down how many servings it is. The app will divide it out to give you per serving stats.

I drank it all the time before surgery. My clinic's instructions were to give up carbonated beverages forever, but I tried Diet Coke when I was about two or three years out. I about died - it tasted like a bunch of chemicals! (which it pretty much is). I ended up dumping it - it just wasn't good anymore - it was pretty bad, to be honest. I wasn't used to it any more - it'd been too long since I'd had it. I do drink flavored sparking water now (didn't start that until after the Diet Coke fiasco - so again, 2-3 years after surgery). Some brands are too carbonated for me (which really irritates my stomach), so I have to wait a while for those to flatten out a bit before I can drink them. Other brands I can drink right away since they're not as carbonated. btw - I don't think carbonation really causes your stomach to stretch out, but it really irritates some people's stomachs (which is why most surgeons will tell you to avoid it for the first few weeks or months after surgery. After that, some surgeons say it's fine as long as it doesn't irritate your stomach, and other surgeons tell you to give it up permanently)

you might want to post in the DS forum as well (SADI is a modified version of the DS). I think you might find most of the SADI/DS people over there (although I'm not sure)

the majority are due to people who had sleeve who developed gastric reflux (GERD) that couldn't be controlled medically. They usually revise to bypass since bypass tends to improve (or in many cases, cure) GERD. a few are due to people who revise from sleeve to either bypass or SADI or DS because they didn't lose the amount of weight they'd hoped to I've seen a handful of cases in the nine or ten years I've been on here of people revising from bypass to DS (again because they didn't lose the amount of weight they'd hoped to), but that's a complicated revision that's not done very often and then there are a few cases that don't fit it any of these categories, such as Sleeve2bypass's case (she's still here on Batriatric Pal), but those are really rare

it's a modified version of the duodenal switch.

it's 50% of EXCESS body weight - not total body weight. Also, a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after hitting our lowest weight is VERY common - it happens to the vast majority of us, usually in year 3. In fact, that's why I intentionally went under my goal, to account for that very common 10-20 lb bump up. (and like you, for most of us it just kind of happens without much "effort" on our part - it's basically your body settling in at a weight it's comfortable at) so everything you said is completely normal, and certainly not indicative of failure. That said, if you DO want to lose more weight, then yes, a revision or something like a GLP-1 would likely help. But you certainly didn't fail the surgery.

I eat oats once in awhile. Yes they're carb-heavy, but they're also whole grains, so they're good for you. I just eat about 1/2 cup of them at a time, though. I add some protein powder and usually some vanilla and cinnamon. I alway top them with a dollop of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt and a few berries - and I'll sometimes put some sugar free maple syrup over that, too.

In reference to a comment above, I had a DEXA scan and found it very helpful. I thought I had more weight I could lose since I was near the top of my normal BMI range - but the technician said "no - you're done. You're at 21% fat, which is on the low end for a woman". I was shocked. But like the commenter said, you're always going to have more bone and muscle than someone who's never been obese. And I remember being told at one point by someone in my clinic that that is why we often look 10 lbs lighter than the scale would suggest (you do lose bone and muscle while losing weight - but that's fine because we don't need it anymore - we had all that infrastructure to hold up all that weight we once had. We do lose some of it, but not all). some pain isn't uncommon because of shifting architecture, as someone else said. You're carrying your body differently now, and your bones and joints aren't used to it. I'm not sure if that happened to me, but I'd get major butt pain if I sat for too long. I had to buy coccyx pillows for my car and office chair. I don't really get that any more (although I keep a coccyx pillow in my car for long drives) - not sure if I just figured out how to sit on it so it doesn't produce pain, or what.. re: unrealistic goals - after successfully getting down to around 170 lbs, I told one of the staff members at my clinic that I was going to shoot for 150 (which is a normal BMI for someone my height). I was told that wasn't realistic, that only about 10-15% of their patients make it that far. Most end up in the "overweight" or "class 1 obese" category (which isn't very obese). The research I read back that up (I did end up making it - actually got quite a bit lower than that - but years later, I'm now technically "overweight"). Anyway, that's what your surgeon might have been referring to. Not many of us make it all the way down to normal BMI.

also, even before you have a rebound, your fat is going to redistribute, making you look better - less skeletal.

it should stop. Mine kept dropping until I was in the 130's - and I was really getting scared. But it stopped and I quickly bounced back into the mid-140s. It gradually increased during years 3 and 4 until I was around 170 (have lost some since then - intentionally because I was afraid it would keep heading up, and I already was looking heavier than I wanted to). It'll eventually stop - and you're very likely to have a rebound (most of us do), and you'll probably end up about where you want it to - and/or where your body feels most comfortable.

196 lbs is reasonable. My original goal was 199, and they said that was completely do-able if I was compliant with the program. Most people do end up either "overweight" or "class 1 obese" (which is not very obese...) - only about 10-15% make it to a normal BMI (my surgeon said that - and the research I've read confirms that). I told them when I hit 170 that I wanted to try for 150, and they told me that that wasn't very realistic, that not many of their patients manage to get down that low, so don't knock myself out - but I did make it (in fact, I got down to the 130s for a while - which was way too thin for me), but I did have that bounce back in year 3 that most people have. It'd be great to lose 10 lbs, but I'm OK with where I ended up. Anyway, I'm glad the appt went so well for you! You're going to be so happy you made this decision!

LOL. I was just the opposite. I was also a DD, but when I went in for my breast lift, the surgeon asked me if I wanted an augmentation, too. "NO!", I said. "I want to be a B cup - or a C at the very most". He delivered! I love my new boobs. I was so tired of being "well endowed", having occasional issues with tops that fit (especially ones that buttoned), and most of all - having men talk to my boobs instead of my face. I'm so happy with my new, smaller chest!

I suppose anything is possible, but dumping after that little amount (6 g in the whole serving, and of that, you only had three tiny bites of it) seems really unlikely. I'm not sure what was going on there. Maybe some new sensitivity to something in the combo - maybe even one of the vegetables? I know niacin (a B vitamin) can make some people flush (at least the supplements can - not sure if it's in food). I'll do some research on this - you've got my curiosity up. I'm starting to research this - some food additives can cause some people to flush - there are almost certainly food additives in the teriyaki sauce (although again, you ate very little - but then again, if you're hypersensitive to some additive, then maybe?). (I'll keep looking) This article lists several possibilities (when I click on it, it jumps to just one section of the article - but check out the whole thing - there's more in here specific to flushing after eating): https://dermnetnz.org/topics/flushing#:~:text=Flushing associated with eating is,parotid gland injury or surgery.

for some of us, both sleeve and bypass, constipation becomes a chronic "feature". It's been nine years for me so I can't remember when I stopped the (post-surgery) stool softeners, but shortly after I stopped I realized I was having frequent problems "going", so I've been taking a capful of Miralax every morning to stay on top of it. I don't back up very often, but when I do, like sleeve2bypass, I usually have to take something stronger. But from what I read and hear, many or us do take Miralax (or magnesium tablets) daily to try to prevent backups. (btw - the chronic constipation many of us deal with is probably due to the diet (high protein/low carb) and a couple of the supplements we take (calcium and iron are both known to cause constipation in some people).

I was one of those "model patient" presenters at my clinic for the three years before COVID! I loved doing that! I had a partner - a VSG patient (I was RNY). I'd had a stricture at four weeks out - she never had any complications. I'm hoping we didn't sound too "vanilla" - but neither one of us had any issues (other than my stricture - which is a mild issue and very easily fixed). We were both super happy with our surgeries and both lost a ton of weight (she lost 100 lbs, I lost over 200). Although I think people found us entertaining (we were quite a pair!) and most groups asked us lots of questions. We always told the groups about the three-week stall (since it happens to almost everyone, and very few clinics mention it to their patients, so people freak out when it happens to them). Also told them about how we ate a month out, a few months out, a year out (our clinic's plan wasn't low-carb, like many of them are - it was balanced - although even given that, the typical eating YOUR presenter does sounds carb-heavy even to me). We mentioned how we typically eat when we're at a restaurant. Talked about the extra skin (my partner even lifted her shirt to show them her extra skin). Also talked about our experience with hair loss (since extra skin and hair loss are huge concerns among pre-ops). Also talked about constipation (we both have chronic constipation) and how we deal with it. And how we dress to "hide" all the extra skin (although I've since had mine removed). We always mentioned how most people lose their interest in food and hunger for several months after surgery, and how they should milk that for everything it's worth since it's way easier to lose weight when you don't give a flip about food. Basically stuff they likely would not have picked up during the classes they had with dietitian and the health psychologist. when I went through the classes in 2015, the presenter was kind of underwhelming, like yours. I'm sure he would have answered some of the questions we addressed when we were presenters, but he didn't, and the "students" wouldn't necessarily know enough at that point to even know what to ask. Shelli and I decide early on to talk about the issues they SHOULD ask about, but wouldn't know to. P.S. now I'm sitting her wishing I was still doing that - it was great fun! But COVID hit, so everything went online, and they didn't have the "model patient" class. Since everything is in person again, they may have some people doing it, but the two of us are pretty far out now (nine years), so they may have gotten people who had their surgeries just a year or two ago.

I, too, love this analogy!!

morbidity rate is 0.3% with bypass - which is super low. These aren't the same surgeries as they were years ago. They're only slightly more risky than the sleeve. Complication rate is really low, too. The most common (other than dumping) is stricture, which happens to about 5% of bypass patients, and that's an easy fix - they just do an upper endoscopy and stretch it out (I had one of those). Dumping happens to about 30% of bypass patients, and you can prevent that by not eating a ton of sugar or fat at one sitting (most dumpers can eat *some* sugar and fat, just not a ton of it at one sitting). I've never dumped, and I know lots of other bypassers who've never dumped, either. yes you do need to take supplements forever because of the malabsorption "feature" (which makes it a more powerful surgery than sleeve). But you get used to it pretty quickly. I don't even give it a thought anymore - taking them is now just part of my regular morning, afternoon, and evening routines, Most sleeve patients have to take vitamins as well - although slacking off on them has more dire consequences with bypass than it does with sleeve. Missing a day here and there - or even a few days in a row, isn't likely to cause problems. But simply not taking them can cause huge problems over time. To be honest, cutting off 3/4 of your stomach and throwing it in the garbage doesn't really seem that less radical to me than stapling across the top of your stomach and re-attaching your small intestine, but I know that thought seems really radical to a lot of people, so you're not alone in thinking that. Although unlike the sleeve, the RNY is reversible (although they'll only do that in extreme circumstances), which seemed oddly comforting to me. I chose RNY because I had GERD prior to surgery - and it did "fix" that. I'm very happy with my decision - I've had a lot of success with mine and no problems other than the aforementioned stricture I had at four weeks out. I'd make the same decision today.

obesity is a very complex condition, and it takes a multi-pronged approach to lose weight. Among other things, there are biological changes which occur when you're obese (people with obesity even have different gut bacteria than people who don't) which make it very difficult to lose weight and especially, keep it off. You have to fight biology to do it, and biology usually wins. Fewer than 5% of people who lose a lot of weight are able to keep it off. I was in that battle for decades (I'm in my mid-60s - had surgery at age 55). I cannot tell you how many times I lost 15 or 20 lbs, just to have it come back on. On my more successful attempts, I'd lose 50 or 60 lbs - but again, it just came back on - and I had 200 lbs to lose! Surgery was the only thing that ever worked for me. There's a good chance I'd be dead by now if I hadn't had it. people who've never struggled with obesity have no idea what they're talking about. Listen to your doctor and yourself, and not people who have no clue what they're talking about.