catwoman7

you may or may not have pain. I would say based on what I've read here for the past seven years is that the majority of us have little to no pain with these surgeries. They'll send you home with pain meds, though, so if you're one of those who has pain, you'll have something to control it.

I'm several years out, but I can handle sugar just fine (unfortunately). Most restrictions are temporary - at some point, you'll be able to eat most (if not all) things, just in smaller portion sizes. P.S. about 30% of bypassers dump. Sleevers can also dump, but it's not nearly as common. But even dumpers can handle at least *some* sugar.

you're probably going through the infamous "three week stall" early. I did as well - mine was weeks 2 and 3. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you stick to the program, the stall will eventually break and you'll be on your way again. They usually last 1-3 weeks. constipation is a common issue for WLS patients. It's due to the high protein diet and some of the supplements some of us take (i.e., calcium and iron - both known to back people up). I've been taking a capful of Miralax every morning for years, and so do a lot of others. Other people take things like stool softeners or magnesium tablets - whatever works!

I haven't really heard about losing teeth (that i can recall, anyway), but I'd read about dental issues (i.e., decay) after gastric bypass. I asked my dentist about it around the time I had surgery seven years ago. He said although he'd read about it in the professional literature, he'd never seen any of this in his patients who'd had WLS. On top of that, I rarely see any posts about people experiencing dental issues either here on BP or on other WLS sites. So my take on this is, although it can happen, it's pretty rare. My dentist said decay issues (with or without WLS) are usually due to too much acid in the mouth, which can happen with excessive vomiting or acid from GERD. I rarely vomit or have issues with reflux anymore (although I did have GERD prior to WLS), but because of my concern, he wrote me a prescription for a super-fluoridated toothpaste that I use before I go to bed. He also puts a fluoride varnish on my teeth every six months. He said those two things should go a long way toward preventing any damage. To be honest, I think he did this more to placate me than anything else because I was so freaked out about it, because I have regular dental appts and take good care of my teeth - so it's likely I never would have had any issues anyway. so long way of saying - this doesn't seem to be a common issue - and if you're worried about it, have a chat with your dentist (oh -- and keep on top of dental appts, too!)

it's sleeve - there are different bougie sizes. But I'm not sure if all surgeons ask for your preference. there is one revision to bypass where they can bypass more of the small intestine for some additional weight loss- but that doesn't seem to be a very common form of revision. For a virgin surgery, I don't know that anyone ever asks for your preference...or I should say, at least I've never heard of that.

yes - but only after you're approved for solid food.

that doesn't really apply to bypass. I've never heard of people getting a choice in that.

I agree with Arabesque. Plus, dumping is not very common with sleeve patients. I suspect you just overate - or ate something that disagreed with you.

yes. Most of us do lose our hunger for awhile, and for the vast majority, it returns sometime during the first year. For me, it came back at five months out - and to be honest, I wish it never had. Although it was bizarre to get used to never being hungry, it was never in my life easier to lose weight those first few months when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food.

I started with chewables as well.

I know others who dump on ice cream - but usually dumping involves chills, dizziness, racing heart, cramping, and diarrhea. I've heard it can go on for a few hours. It CAN involve nausea, but nausea can be indicative a lot of other things, too. It's hard to tell since it could also be due to the pregnancy.

I don't really trust anything until it's been out for a few years.

H2 drugs also have issues (although again, if you have severe GERD, the drug benefits outweigh the risks). Famotodine (Pepcid) is still considered safe. My reflux was completely gone for 3-4 years after RNY. It's back now, but it's much milder and only occasional. When I get it, I usually take Famotodine and/or a magnesium-based chewable tablet (I used to take calcium-based tablets like Tums, but my endocrinologist doesn't want me overdoing it on calcium, so I switched to a magnesium-based one)

I had to take it for a year, but I had surgery seven years ago before all the bad news came out about PPIs. I think our clinic just keeps them on for six months now, unless they need it longer (it's OK for the short term, but taking it long term has risks. Of course, for people who have really bad reflux or other serious conditions, its benefits outweigh the risks).

it's actually just been three days since their surgery

it's pretty common to take up to a week for the first BM post-surgery - there's not much in there.

I agree with the person who mentioned a body scan. if you really want to know, a DEXA scan will give you a lot of info. NOT the kind they do at medical clinics - that will only give you bone density. It's the kind you can get at a sports lab or one of those commercial outfits like DEXAfit. It gives you not only bone density, but also body composition - as in how much of your weight is fat vs muscle vs bone. The commercial places charge around $100-150 for a scan. Sports labs at universities are often cheaper. I had one when I got to 146 lbs and wasn't sure if I should stop or keep going. According to the scan, I had 22% body fat, which is kind of lean for a woman, so the tech (and later, my PCP) said it was time to stop losing...I was at a really good weight (odd since I figured I could have lost another 10-20 lbs!)

I was on purees as soon as I left the hospital, so I suspect the sweet potato - as long as it was really soft - might have been OK. Not sure about the meat, though.

It sounds like you DO need a passport if you're planning to arrive in Mexico via air (I know the rules for entering Canada and Mexico have changed in recent years - used to be you didn't need a passport to enter either one) https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html

I think that's pretty common. I've always gotten freaked out before surgeries.

yea I remember that being a huge pain. One benefit of this surgery is that at one point, you won't have to deal with that any more!

yes, you'll eventually be able to eat bigger bites. Once you're a few months out, no one is going to suspect you had WLS. The only thing they may notice is that you eat smaller portions - but they'll probably just assume you're a light eater. You won't be taking microscopic bites at the time - or eating microscopic portions. This is really just the few months.

unfortunately, there are women who can only eat 1300 kcal a day in order to maintain. I know women who have to eat even fewer than that to maintain (1000-1200-ish) - and others who can eat 2000 (lucky bums!!!). It's such an individual thing. and yes -- it's possible that your body has settled in at its new setpoint. You can always go lower by cutting more calories, but that's up to you. I kind of gave up the ghost. Trying to take off more and maintaining at that lower weight was a struggle that I decided wasn't worth my effort anymore (even though I struggled with that for a couple of years and would still have days I'd like to be lower!!) on the other hand, it's also possible that your body might NOT be at its set point. I do know the last 20 lbs or so was a real bear for me to take off. We're talking like two pounds a month. But I eventually got there...

P.S. don't chase the full feeling - for one thing, most people don't feel restriction to around the time they start up on solid foods - or until the nerves that were cut during the surgery regenerate (which also tends to be around the time we move to solid foods). Plus the "full" cue is often different after surgery. I don't feel full the way I did pre-surgery. Now, it's more like a discomfort in my chest. when I feel that, I know it's time to stop, or I"m going to be sorry. Others have reported weirder things like runny noses when they're full. For now, you're better off measuring out what you're supposed to eat and just eating that. and no - your surgery is not unsuccessful. You're losing weight at a normal clip. And you'll continue to as long as you stick to your program.

I *only* lost 16 lbs the first month, and I started out at almost 400 lbs. At your low starting weight (compared to most WLS patients), 16 lbs is on the high end of what I would expect. Most of us (unless we're the size of people on "My 600 lb Life) seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course, you'll find people who lose above or below that range, but most of us fall somewhere in the range. And with your low starting weight, I would expect you'd be on the lower end of that. did you say you're taking "the PPI" AND Prilosec? Prilosec IS a PPI - it's generic name is omeprazole. If your surgeon prescribed a PPI as well, then you don't need to take store-bought Prilosec.