catwoman7

you can gain weight with any and all types of weight loss surgeries if you let old bad habits creep back in. Weight loss surgeries are just a tool, and you have to keep up with your part of it for it to work. And they work extremely well as long as you follow the rules. a rebound weight gain of 10-20 lbs during year 2 or 3 is VERY common. That's more your body settling in to a weight it's comfortable at. If you're diligent, you'll stabilize there - or you may even lose some or all of the rebound if you work at it. But when old habits start up again, you can definitely gain weight again - sometimes a lot of it. And sometimes all of it. what WLS mainly does is control how much you can eat AT ONE SITTING. This is an example I've used a lot: Before I had surgery, when my husband and I ordered a pizza (always a large...), we'd each eat half of it. I can't do that anymore. I can eat 1-2 pieces. It's physically painful for me if I try to eat more than that. But it would be very easy to eat 1-2 pieces at 5:00 pm, and another 1-2 pieces at 8:00 pm, and yet another 1-2 pieces before bed. So....half a large pizza. THAT is the kind of stuff you have to watch out for - that, and mindless snacking (planned snacks are fine - but mindless snacking has consequences...). so to respond to your question about whether or not maintaining after two years is difficult, yes, it is. I constantly watch what I eat. If I notice the number on the scale starting to head north - esp if it gets above my "oh crap" number (the number I do NOT want to ever go over again), it's all hands on deck until it's back under control. So yes. Obesity is a very complex, chronic condition, and we do have to keep working at it to keep the weight from coming back. But the surgery DOES make that easier. There is no way I could have ever lost over 200 lbs and maintained that loss for several years (well, mostly - I did have a rebound) without this surgery.

yea pasta tends to sit in my stomach like a brick - and I can feel the effects for a long time afterward. I can handle a little of it - like 1/2 cup (100-ish ml) - but more than that and I'm miserable.

yes - it is. They have a Keto version, too, but the protein level in that one isn't as high.

I lost over 200 lbs but I had bypass. But I just wanted to say that it took almost two years for me to lose all that. My weight loss REALLY slowed down after I hit the year mark (near the end, it was like 2 lbs a month!), but it all came off. I was stalling a lot more frequently that second year, too. So many times I thought "well, this is it...", and then I'd drop a couple more pounds. Just stick with it! Your body might not be done losing yet.

that rapid weight loss seems to affect people's inner thermostats. Sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's not. Mine was temporary - I think it just lasted a few months. But I know some people who are years out who are still freezing all the time.

Nope. It's expensive and the recovery can be painful, but it was worth every penny and all the pain.

carrots wouldn't be considered slider foods. Slider foods are things like ice cream, popcorn, and various other junk food that you can eat a lot of, and most have a lot of empty calories to boot. I eat baby carrots when I'm trying to ward off a potential binge. Reason being is that if I eat enough of them, they often irritate my stomach so much that the last thing I want to do is eat more. Not only do i not want to eat more carrots, but I don't want to eat ANYTHING! carrots are very nutritious and have very few calories. They also don't go down all that easily - as in comparison to something like ice cream. So definitely not a slider food.

yea I've become a real Ratio fan.

we started out at about the same weight, and I didn't even lose that much in a MONTH (I lost 16 lbs the first month). So you are doing fantastic, actually. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month, so you're way ahead of pack... and yes, as summerseeker said, weight loss slows way down after that first month. The big initial drop is mostly water.

I'd go to urgent care. I've never heard of people reacting to the surgery like that, but some people are allergic to certain meds or to the surgical glue or tape they use. Are you taking ursodiol? (the med some surgeons put their patients on for a few weeks to help prevent gallstones). Hives can be a side effect of that (not a common one, but I know it's a side effect because I was one of those people who got hives from it). Or it could be some other med you're reacting to. Just check with your PCP or go to urgent care. I reacted to either the surgical tape or glue when I had plastic surgery (although I didn't react to it with my RNY, oddly - but maybe it was different brand of tape/glue) - they put me on prednisone for a few days so I'd quit reacting to it. With the ursodiol I was taking after my RNY, the PA at my bariatric clinic just had me quit taking it. anyway, I doubt it was the surgery per se - but it could be some med or something that you're reacting to. They'll know what to do.

most people lose their hunger for several months (up to a year) after surgery, so it's not likely that you'll start feeling hungry any time soon...

weight fluctuations are normal - they're due to things like water retention and how full your intestines are. And yes - weight loss does slow down quite a bit after the big drop the first month or so. Plus you may be dealing with occasional stalls, too, which are also very common. If the fluctuations are playing with your mind too much, try weighing just once or twice a week - then you'll be more focused on long-term trends and won't be distracted by the daily fluctuations.

liquids go right through you so no - not bad. Your stomach will tell you if/when you're drinking too much/too quickly. I would have been able to drink that much in four hours, too, when I was a few days out.

my insurance company had some requirements, but my surgeon only required a two-week liquid diet right before surgery, a letter of support from my PCP, and all the common tests (sleep study, bloodwork, EKG - plus I had to have a cardiac stress test since I was over 50 years old). The three- or six-month supervised diet thing is usually a requirement of insurance companies - although I suppose some surgeons might require that, too. Mine didn't.

what keeps me on track is never, ever wanting to be morbidly obese again. That's not to say I don't have an occasional day when I really blow it. I do. But I get back on track the very next day.

I should add that there are different scales for measuring ferritin (and a lot of other blood values), so what's low on one scale might not necessarily be what's low on another. Your doctor will know if it's a problem and what to do about it. Mine was 168 on my last lab - although at one time it got down to around 30. I was able to bring it up with supplements - but some people malabsorb iron supplements and have to get infusions instead. But again, your doctor will know what to do.

yes - ferritin is the amount of stored iron you have in your system. 7 is crazy low. You're probably in infusion territory, but I'm not a medical professional. Your doctor will know what to do...

oh duh - I didn't realize that was the same thing! Having had probably 20 cats in my life time, I'm very familiar with the high BUN/normal creatinine thing!

I'm not sure if that will necessarily cause problems, but you'll probably be dealing with loose skin again after you lose weight...

no - you can get either surgery. But sleeve can sometimes make it worse (it doesn't happen to everyone - and some people have even said theirs got better, but it's something like a 30% chance that it could get worse). Bypass, on the other hand, often improves if not outright cures reflux. I had reflux before my surgery, and I didn't want to take the risk. But some people are OK with that risk - and again, there's a 70% chance it WON'T make it worse. So it comes down to how comfortable you are with the risk.

make sure you're drinking lots of fluids - that can help flush things out. Even for those who aren't having potential kidney-related issues, lots of fluids are recommended if you're on a high-protein diet. I just read that being obese can also affect kidneys and their related values - so it could be that your urea level was high even before surgery (did they do a baseline on your blood values prior to surgery, including your urea levels?). I also read that having WLS normally improves all this. I agree with Arabesque - we sometimes have abnormal readings of certain values (high liver values seems to be a common one, for one) when we're in the rapid weight loss phase. They usually normalize after a few months, when weight loss slows way down. But your surgeon and/or dietitian should be aware of that. I hope someone gets back to you on this - if nothing else, for peace of mind.

I get anxious before every surgery I've had, and they always go off without a hitch! Honestly, I think my RNY was the easiest surgery I've been through.

I just read a peer-reviewed article online that said myopathy is a rare complication, but it's related to vitamin deficiency - and usually in people who haven't been taking their vitamins. It's usually resolved when they start up with supplements again. But in your case, there aren't any deficiencies showing up in your bloodwork - so yea, this one is puzzling.

I haven't heard this one before, and I've been hanging out here for eight years. People do lose muscle as they lose weight, but getting enough protein and regular exercise keeps will keep you from getting too weak. And you're right - you would think nutrient deficiencies would show up on your blood tests. I agree with toodlerue - this is kind of baffling.

mostly water aerobics and swimming because I was too big at the time to do much else. Oh yea - walking and riding stationary bikes, too.