catwoman7

some drugs will do that, too - like PPI's. I now use a dry mouth toothpaste and have things like dry mouth lozenges, sprays, and gels nearby all the time.

I agree - check with your doctor. Could be a number of things, including low blood pressure, low blood sugar, an inner ear imbalance, some deficiency....hard to tell since that could be indicative of several issues.

I'm several years out, but starting at probably a year out, or maybe just a few months, I could eat enough that no one could tell I'd had weight loss surgery. Even now, at a restaurant I'll typically eat an appetizer - or else order an entree and eat about half of it, and take the other half home. Honestly, that's pretty much how several of my never-been-obese women friends eat. I'd probably be considered a "light eater", but again, it's not obvious at all that I've had surgery. and yes - I eat what my family eats, just smaller portions, and I focus on protein.

sounds like GERD. I had that before I had my bypass.

as long as you're following the plan, I wouldn't worry about it. There could be a number of factors affecting your weight loss (hormones? Constipation? Water retention?). The goal of this pre-op diet is to shrink your liver, so you're good..

it's pretty easy to hide in clothes. I've since had mine removed, but before I did, I stuck to 3/4 length (or longer) sleeves, jeans or "tummy control" leggings, and slightly oversized, long-ish tops. No one knew it was there except me and my husband (well, and my doctor). I'm in my 60s and lost over 200 lbs, so yea, I had a lot of it. Here's a picture of me BEFORE I had all the excess skin removed:

almost everyone has their first major stall within the first month of surgery...

rootbeer came out a year or two ago, the other two are brand new. I've tried the root beer - I really liked it - but some people aren't as crazy about it. I guess it depends on whether you like root beer or not. I blend mine with milk (or almond milk) and ice to make a "root beer float" I've heard a lot of positive comments about moonbeam mist (and yes, they say it tastes like Sprite), but I haven't tried it

not vanilla, but the Bariatric Advantage coconut-flavored chew isn't too far off...

they're both good surgeries, and they both have their pros and cons. Malabsorption is rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins. tooth rotting is also rare. If it were common, we'd see postings about it here, and I almost never see them, even though I've been on this site for seven years. If you're concerned, have a chat with your dentist. Mine said he'd never seen that issue in his patients who'd had WLS, although he'd read about it in the professional literature. As a precaution, he wrote me a prescription for a super-high-fluoride toothpaste to use before I go to bed, and he also does a fluoride varnish on my teeth every six months. He said those would go a long way toward preventing any problems, but to be honest, I think he did it more to placate me than anything else, because I was so concerned about it. But that's fine by me!! I've been super happy with my bypass and would make the same decision if I had to do make that decision again today.

which surgery did you have? If gastric bypass, I'd suspect a stricture - happens to about 5% of RNY patients, and it's an easy fix. Plus you're in the right time frame for one. In any event, you need to contact your clinic. This isn't normal and they need to figure out what's going on.

I wouldn't jump into things your body isn't ready for. For one thing, I wasn't cleared to do anything other than walk for the first four weeks - and I had to wait eight weeks for strength-training. Plus you want whatever fitness routine(s) you select to be sustainable. When I was still over 300 lbs, my fitness routines consisted mostly of walking and water-related stuff (swimming and water aerobics). I can now do pretty much everything, but at that weight, some exercises were too hard on my joints. I eventually was able to do them, though. so wait until your body is ready - and pick things that are enjoyable so you'll be likely to keep up with them.

they make dissolvable ones (I have a bottle of those). They dissolve right away in your mouth. Those should be fine.

that wasn't dumping - but yes, early on it's common to have food intolerances which eventually go away. Or your stomach just isn't ready for certain things - but again, temporary.

they usually charge insurance companies way more than they charge self-pays. Happened to me when I had plastic surgery. Once the insurance company denies it, you'll get the bill, and it should be whatever you agreed to pay the surgeon.

first of all, that was due to malpractice. They should have taken his complaints seriously and done diagnostic work. If they had, he likely would not have died. Secondly, although bowel obstruction is more common in bariatric patients than it is in "normies", it's still very rare. And normal people can have bowel obstruction, too - my mother-in-law had it a year ago - had to go to the hospital for emergency surgery. She weighs around 110 lbs and has never had bariatric surgery. that said, I'm very sorry about what happened to your father.

I can only answer the question on crushed pills. No, not forever. In fact, I was able to swallow all but two of mine whole as soon as I got home from the hospital. I had to wait about three weeks before I could swallow the remaining two whole.

Seven years out. I probably SHOULD take 20 minutes to eat, but I don't always. I usually eat as quickly as I did pre-surgery, although slowing down wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe I wouldn't eat as much. I still wait at least 30 minutes after I eat to drink anything. That's a lifer rule. You get used to it pretty quickly. But no, I doubt a small sip would hurt anything.

I remember reading somewhere that that's happened to people (don't know how common it is, though). I believe it's temporary.

the closer you are to a normal BMI, the slower and harder it is to lose. The last 20 lbs were a BEAR to lose for me - we're talking like 2-3 lbs a month. it isn't just us - I remember very clearly going to Weight Watchers meetings before I had surgery. I'd overhear these barely overweight women b*tching and moaning about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs, and I just wanted to roll my eyes. Yea - try losing 200 lbs! But now I totally get it...

the first couple of years I weighed myself almost every day, but the (normal) fluctuations were getting to my head, so since then I've only weighed myself once a week.

once you're a few months out, there aren't any food restrictions and although you can't eat large portions of food at one sitting, you'll be able to eat enough that people won't guess you've had weight loss surgery. I'm seven years out, and I eat around 1700-1800 calories a day (but that'll vary for everyone since it depends on several factors, including how active you are and what weight you're trying to maintain - someone maintaining at 160 or 170 lbs can eat more than someone trying to maintain at 120). as an example, when I go out to eat, I'll usually order an appetizer or else order an entree and eat half of it (and take the other half home). Honestly, that's pretty much what many of my never-been-obese women friends eat. No one ever questions it or asks if I've had surgery. They just assume I'm a "light eater".

let your clinic know. Those symptoms could be indicative of a stricture. (note I said "could be" - not "definitely"). They may want to do an upper endoscopy and check it out. If there's one there, it's an easy fix - they'll fix it while they're in there. I had two of them - at four weeks out and again at eight weeks out. About 5% of bypass patients get them, and they almost always occur 1-3 months after surgery (very rare before or after that time frame) - so you're in the right window for one, if that's what it is.

vomiting shouldn't be an issue as long as it's not severe. A lot of people vomit the first few weeks after surgery because your stomach is still healing and certain foods this early out could irritate it (I know your concern is with a stomach virus, but the same holds true...)

you'll have swelling the first few weeks which really limits how much you can eat. After that all goes down, from what I understand, it does loosen up a bit over time, but not THAT much, unless you're chronically overstuffing it.