catwoman7

post-op (and even pre-op) diets are all over the place. For example, they had me on purees as soon as I left the hospital (most people do liquids for a couple of weeks before starting purees). Just follow whatever plan your clinic gave you - it could be that they have a specific plan for some particular reason...and if not, then at least you can honestly say that you've been following their plan if/when the topic comes up.

that ferritin level is crazy low. They usually give you infusions when it gets below 20 or so (some hematologists will do an infusion even when it's higher than 20). I'm surprised your previous infusions didn't do anything as that usually does the trick. Hopefully someone will refer you to a hematologist since they specialize in that area.

I had that itchy thing after my second plastic surgery. I was evidently reacting to the tape or adhesive that was used. The surgeon put me on prednisone for ten days, at which time it was safe for him to remove the tape (earlier than usual to remove it - but at least it was safe for him to do so).

my sense of taste intensified for awhile after surgery (I haven't noticed that in a long time - not sure if it eventually went away, or if I just got used to it). Sweet things tasted sweeter; spicy things tasted spicier. Unlike some people, I didn't dislike things I'd liked before, or vice versa - it's just that flavors became more intense. Sounds like that's true of you, too.

I didn't use them the first few months post-surgery, but I use them occasionally now.

waiting six months is pretty normal. In the mean time, you'll go through a lot of medical clearance testing and possibly classes. It seemed like forever for me, too ( actually, I waited a year), but I did A LOT of research during that time, worked on developing eating habits that I'd need for after surgery (and lost 57 lbs with this alone!), and felt VERY prepared the morning they rolled me into surgery. In retrospect, I'm grateful for the extra time, even though I was frustrated by it at first.

that doesn't sound normal. I'd contact your clinic.

I agree 100%. My surgeon said snacking is the biggest reason for weight regain - or for not being as successful at this as you want to be. Saving some calories for a late night snack might help, as someone else suggested. This surgery takes a lot of work - it's definitely NOT the easy way out.

it can take about a week. There's not much in there.

70 lbs in two months is a PHENOMENAL loss - way more than most people And the others are right - a pound or two here and there is likely just water, not true weight. Just weigh once or twice a week - then you'll just see the downward trends and not the day-to-day fluctuations.

yep - you're in the infamous three-week stall. Happens to the vast majority of us. If you do a search of this site on the "three week stall", you will find over 17,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding! just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a week or two. It'll eventually break and you'll be on your way again..

I didn't have any pain with mine - just some nausea in the hospital which they "fixed" with Zofran in my IV line. That said, I did have "buyer's regret" the first couple of weeks. Once I got through that stage, I never regretted my surgery for a minute. I think most of us regret the surgery at first - but once we're through that immediate post-surgery stage, the regret is long gone. Just hang in there...

I didn't have this with my RNY, but I DID have it with my second plastic surgery. The surgeon said it was likely a reaction to whatever tape or adhesive he used. He put me on prednisone for 10 days because it was too early to remove the tape (at 10 days out, it still got removed earlier than normal, but at least it was safe to do so at that point. And HE removed it, not me - he insisted he had to be the one to do it - not me and not my PCP)

at 7.5 years out, I still have a protein shake almost every morning as my morning snack. However, we discovered early on that I malabsorb protein, so I have to have at least 100 grams a day to keep my prealbumin level from tanking. I *can* reach that through food, but if I have that morning shake, I know I'll always make my goal and i don't have to worry all day about whether or not I'm making my protein goal. I'd rather have that shake and not be thinking about protein all day...

and an even better thing is, as long as you stick with the program and monitor yourself, you'll never be over 300 lbs again!

things didn't really taste different for me, but my sense of taste intensified for awhile. Sweet things tasted sweeter; spicy things tasted spicier. I don't notice it anymore - not sure if it was temporary or if I just got used to it.

yea it can take forever to get in to see specialists. It took an especially long time for me to get in for my sleep study. But take advantage of the waiting time by doing as much research as you can. By the time I actually had my surgery, I felt VERY prepared for it...

actually, there are a lot more people who never make it to goal than there are those who get that thin. But that said, if you're happy at your current weight, then maybe that's exactly where you should be!

various colors of poop is not unusual the first month or so after surgery. Fat malabsorption, iron supplements, some residual blood from the surgery - this can all affect it. If you're worried, call your clinic - but I personally wouldn't worry about it too much unless it continues after the first month or so.

if your clinic bans caffeine (either temporarily or permanently), then check to see if that tea has any (not all clinics ban caffeine - and I don't know if that particular tea contains any or not)

antibiotics aren't a problem. NSAIDs (and extended release versions of drugs) are the only things I know of that bypassers supposed to avoid.

not sure if the beltline procedure is the same as a lower body lift or not, but I had that (a lower body lift). As sommerset said, that includes front, back, mons area, and outer thighs. I went back a year later and had a breast and arm lift. recovery is kind of slow - I had a lot of pain with my lower body lift for the first few days (although they sent me home with pain killers, which helped), but after that, it was mostly just discomfort for a few weeks. I don't remember the arm/breast lifts being very painful, just uncomfortable - but again, the recovery was kind of long. that said, I'm thrilled with my results and would do it all again. P.S. I just googled this. I couldn't find "beltline procedure", but I did find "belt lipectomy" - sounds like it's the same thing as the lower body lift. So yes, I had that..

if you had bypass, it's because your pyloric valve has been bypassed, and you just have a stoma now (a small hole where digested food goes directly into the small intestine). If you drink water too soon after eating, the food gets washed from your stomach too quickly.

I'm 7.5 years out - bypass. Never dumped. I could eat a pint of ice cream and not dump (unfortunately...). Only affects about 30% of us, and for those who dump, they can control it by limiting how much sugar they eat at one sitting. never had issues with flatulence. I don't think that's too common - at any rate, I don't see a lot of posts on that. I would guess it's likely caused by eating certain carbs, though. If it happens to you, you'll probably figure out after awhile what it is that sets it off. I don't have issues with any of the "gummy" foods you mentioned, but I know some bypassers can only eat a limited amount of pasta, rice, etc. The only thing about them is that for some of us, those kinds of foods sort of sit in your stomach like a brick. They don't necessarily make people sick, but they just....sit there for a long time. Not sure if that's true for sleevers or not. I don't think you're going to find more lifestyle changes with bypass than you did with sleeve. Our clinic had everyone on the same regimen, regardless of surgery. The only thing is that with bypass, it's imperative to keep on top of your supplements because of the malabsorption factor. Slacking off on your vitamins has more consequences for bypassers than it does for sleevers. P.S. I spent two weeks in Italy in May. Had gelato every day and pizza probably five or six times. Never had issues. P.P.S. the only food that bothers my stomach is raw carrots. I find them very irritating. But I use that to my advantage. I'll start eating baby carrots when I feel a binge mood coming on. Usually they make me so uncomfortable that the last thing I want to do is eat anything else..

I think you're worrying too much about bypass issues. I never hear much about flatulence issues. I suppose some people have trouble with that, but I don't think it's super common. Same with dumping - happens to about 30% of bypassers, and if you're one who dumps, you can control it by limiting how much sugar you eat at one sitting (or fat - a minority of dumpers dump on fat). Nutritional deficiencies can be avoided if you keep on top of your supplements.