catwoman7

emotional reactions and buyer's remorse are common at first, but the vast majority of us get through that and are happy with our decision to have the surgery. Also, the first few weeks can be rough in general - you feel tired and crappy sometimes, some food doesn't sit well, etc - but that will all be behind you before you know it!

I took most tablets and capsules whole as soon as I got home from the hospital. The only two I had to wait on (maybe three weeks?) were those calcium horse pills and ursodiol, since those were too big for me to swallow at first.

do a search on the "three week stall". Happens to almost everyone.

I'm not sure where you are in your journey (your profile says Pre Op, is that still current?), but many of us were told to stick to 100% whey protein isolate in the early weeks or months after surgery, because it's the most easily absorbed of the protein types. After you're able to get most or all of your protein needs met through eating food, then it doesn't matter as much - I often drink protein blends now (although technically, I don't need shakes at all now, but I like them and still drink them occasionally). Body Fortress is a blend, so it should be fine once you're a few months out, but not immediately after surgery. If you're still a pre-op, then I'd ask my surgeon. Your body probably doesn't need 100% whey protein isolate if you're pre-op, but he/she may prefer that you stick to those since you'll most likely be drinking them for awhile post-surgery. Lots of people like Syntrax products (their Nectar line is 100% whey protein isolate). Unjury products are also good, but those you have to get online through Unjury's Web site.

I would say that's a very rare case. Most of us don't dump at all, and for those who do, it would take a lot more than a bite of pie to dump. I'm not doubting what you're saying, but that would be a very extreme case.

hmmm....thanks. I'd never heard of that before.

you're thinking of sleeve to DS. The sleeve at one time was phase 1 of a DS, but it later became a standalone surgery

I've been active in the bariatric community for a few years now - on various boards and volunteering for my bariatric clinic. People are all across the board with pain (as you can probably tell by the responses here), but it seems the majority experience little to no pain. I've had other surgeries and thought this one was a breeze. I had no pain - just really sore abs that made it challenging to get in and out of bed the first few days. But the pain pills they send you home with will help with that..

if you're lactose intolerant, yes. Otherwise, no. Some people do develop lactose intolerance after surgery - sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's not. I've never had problems with dairy (fortunately!)

that's what I was going to say, too - it could just be norovirus. But I'd probably call just in case - esp if it doesn't clear up on its own in a day or two.

I'm not a sleever and didn't start out as a "lightweight", but you can control that. If you feel like you've lost too much, you can gradually increase your calories until your weight loss stops.

not everyone dumps. I never have - and most people I know who've had bypass don't. I don't know what the statistics on this are. I see 30% thrown around on here and on other boards sometimes, but I don't know if there's any hard core research behind that. It can be prevented, though, by limiting your sugar intake (many dumpers can eat *some* sugar - just not a lot of it) Artificial sweeteners don't cause dumping that I'm aware of, but some people are really sensitive to them (especially sugar alcohols - the ones whose names end in -itol). GI distress, diarrhea, etc - but this can happen to anyone, bypass or not.

it probably varies by insurance co. I'd just call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask them directly. That said, you almost certainly are not going to die. Mortality rate on the sleeve is less than 0.3%. That means you have better than a 99.7% chance of making it through. It's one of the safest surgeries out there.

yes - I had strictures (2) and yes, the relief was immediate. Although I've heard others say that their relief took a couple of days, so YMMV.

I don't think it's that uncommon for an insurance company not to cover the DS. Mine wouldn't - just RNY or VSG. I can also see why the surgeon would want the money upfront if he does a DS - because if insurance doesn't cover it, and you don't pay him after he's already done the surgery, then he's screwed. I have plastic surgery coming up (self-pay) and I have to pay in advance. I don't think that's all that uncommon...

this isn't the same surgery that it was 20 or 30 years ago. Back then it was risky. No more - techniques and mortality rate have vastly improved. It's really become almost a routine surgery. People have died having their tonsils out. But how often does that happen, really? Almost never. Same with weight loss surgery. I'm sure you will pull through just fine!

NP is wrong. Bypass often cures it. Sleeve can make it worse (not always, but often).

even if it was a 1 in 200 chance, that's 0.5% That means she has a 99.5% chance of NOT dying. Those are some pretty good odds. And I think the others might be right - I think it's actually lower than that. People can die having their tonsils out - but seriously, how often does that happen? Almost never. Same with WLS. She has nothing to worry about.

that's probably not unusual in NYC. I'm finding really high prices in the Chicago area as well. A lot of NYC-area people talk about Dr. Capella in Ramsey, NJ. He's quite a bit cheaper than most of the NYC surgeons.

I'm not sure about my genetics or my metabolism rate, but I'm female and was post-menopausal when I had surgery (age and gender make a difference). Plus between the six-month supervised diet my insurance required, and the two-week pre-op diet my surgeon required, I lost 57 lbs. People who lose a lot of weight before surgery tend to lose slower the first month, too, because they've already lost most of their "water weight". So I had three known factors going against me - and for all I know, I could have slow metabolism and some genetic reasons for it, too. I really worried that I'd never lose all my weight, but I did - over 200 lbs. I just kept plugging away, following my program. I hardly ever went off my program until I hit maintenance because I knew this was my one chance, and I wasn't going to blow it. Although I do know others who lost about that much the first month, too. It's not really all that uncommon.

to be honest, I never go into the individual forums. Otherwise I'd be on here all day. I just check for new threads on the right side of the screen. I didn't even know there was a powder room forum! P.S. I'm pretty sure you can make forums private if it's a concern - check with Alex on how to do it or set one up.

the threads show up on the margin on the right side of the screen - it's easy not to notice which conference it's coming from BTW - sorry for the intrusion! I just didn't notice the source

p.s. if you are carb sensitive (and I am NOT - but lots of people are), I would stay away from cereal. At least while you're in the weight loss phase. at one month out, you should be focusing on protein and maybe some cooked vegetables

p.s. if you are carb sensitive (and I am NOT - but lots of people are), I would stay away from cereal. At least while you're in the weight loss phase.

I followed a moderately low-carb plan (not ultra-low, like some people do), so I didn't eat cereal at all during the weight loss phase. I do now that I'm in maintenance, but not a bowl of it. I'll put 2-4 T of Kashi granola or some kind of high fiber cereal on my yogurt to give it some crunch.