catwoman7

thanks - I neglected to tell the OP that we just had a discussion about this three days ago!

no - a lot of people do not have these issues. Although it can happen, it doesn't seem to be a common thing. I've been on this site over seven years, and have seen maybe two posts from people who are having tooth issues. I also talked to my dentist about this before I had surgery, and he said although he'd read about it in the professional literature, he's never seen it in his patients who've had WLS. my dentist said decay is usually caused by acid, and the people who have these issues are likely frequent vomiters or have untreated GERD. I was still freaked out about it, so he prescribed a super high-fluoride toothpaste for me to use before going to bed, and he also puts a fluoride varnish on my teeth every six months. To be honest, I think he probably did this just to placate me because I was so worried about it. if you stay on top of your supplements, take care of your teeth, and have regular dental checkups, you'll likely be fine.

it doesn't matter if it's bypass or sleeve. As someone else said, any major surgery can cause hair loss because of trauma to the body. I think we see it more often after WLS than some other surgeries, though, because in addition to the surgery stress, we're also taking in very few calories those first few months. not everyone loses hair. I lost very little. I barely noticed let alone anyone else. And for most people, you're the only one who'll notice it. Most pre-ops and early post-ops worry about hair loss (and loose skin, too), but I think i can speak for most of us who are a year or more out that in the grand scheme of things, it's really a blip on the screen. I don't know why I wasted even one brain cell worrying about it.

one can always lose more weight by cutting calories, but you have to decide if you're willing to do that. Given that those of us who've lost a lot of weight have heavier bones and muscles than "normies" (because you needed extra infrastructure to hold that excess weight up. Granted, you lose some of it when you lose weight, but not all of it...) - plus you may have some excess skin to boot, you probably look 10 lbs less than you weigh. even if your body isn't quite done losing, I can tell you from personal experience that those last 20 lbs are a BEAR to lose. I was losing something like 2 lbs a month the last couple of months, despite a momentous effort. The closer you are to a normal BMI, the more you're eating at equilibrium (your calories in and calories out are about the same). It's a challenge to eat less than that. SO...either your body is done losing and it'll be a struggle to lose more - or your body is NOT done losing and you're just at the point where it's really tough and slow going to get those last few lbs off.

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!