catwoman7

a few years ago I started drinking a 16 oz bottle of flavored water first thing every morning - as soon as I'm out of bed, and before I eat breakfast. Once I started doing that, I rarely had problems making it up to 64 oz by the end of the day.

I'll send you a PM in a sec I do know they've been doing a lot of appts virtually lately. My follow ups, too, have all been virtual since the pandemic began. also, you may be able to have some of your pre-op stuff, like bloodwork, done locally. And if not in Freeport, UW Health does have some offices in Rockford (which would be way closer to you than Madison). Swedish American Hospital in Rockford is part of UWHealth, and I believe they have several clinics there as well. I get lab work done every year (blood), and I can go to any UWHealth lab - so I don't know why you couldn't go to one of the labs in Rockford. Or again, if there are no UWHealth labs in Freeport, they may be OK with you have it done by your local PCP. Just ask. you don't have to call them if you don't want to - you can always email Dawn and ask her. I swear that woman knows everything! I'll see if I can find her email address and I'll PM that to you as well.

it might be over in two weeks - or do yours last longer than that? Plus they may still do it - you can call and ask...

their program is also fantastic - by the time you're rolled into surgery, you'll be very well-prepared. Also, they have fabulous support afterward. I used to lead one of their pre-op classes before the COVID lockdowns started - I did it for three years, so I'm probably even more familiar with the program than most. I think you'll be very happy you went with them. P.S. I'm guessing you live in or near Rockford? I can connect you with a former patient who lives there - she did go through UW's program - not sure if she had Dr. Garren or not - but she's very involved in the bariatric community. You'll get to know people on the program's Facebook page, too (they'll add you to it (if you want to be added, that is) once you officially enter the program)

yes - I had my surgery there seven years ago - and Dr. Garren IS amazing. I would highly, highly recommend him.

you need to do whatever you can to get this back under control. Does your clinic have a dietitian or psychologist you can work with? Or if not, can they recommend someone?

a 10-20 lb weight rebound is very common after you hit bottom. In fact, I "attend" Unjury's virtual support group for people 1+ years out on Wednesday nights, and the speaker they had last week (a dietitian in Boston) said a 5%-15% gain from your lowest weight is pretty much expected, and they don't consider it a regain until it goes over 15%. Until then, it's just your body settling in at a weight it's comfortable at. That said, things do start to get trickier, because you don't want your weight to start spiraling out of control again. A lot of people set a "red line" for themselves - a weight that, once you go past it, it's all hands on deck until you get back under that red line again. so anyway - yes - it's a lifelong battle.

I agree - I don't think four days is going to make much of a difference.

those sugar alcohols (those with names ending in "-itol") do give a lot of people diarrhea. Xylitol doesn't do it for me, but maltitol does. I don't know that they're necessarily dangerous - they just give a lot of people "the runs". So yea - it'd definitely do the trick! Although people considering that might want to check with a doctor first just to be sure. I wouldn't think they'd be any more dangerous than something like Miralax, though.

I'd contact your clinic and let them know what's going on - maybe they'll make some modifications in your diet. I had the same thing - all liquids for two weeks - so I know it's tough - but your reaction to it sounds pretty extreme. I'd call.

some people's tastes change - and often it's just temporary. Mine didn't really change, they just got more intense. Sweet things tasted sweeter; spicy things tasted spicier. I don't notice it any more - not sure if it went away or if I just got used to it. I still hate bananas, though, and I used to love them. They're just sickeningly sweet to me now. But that's the only thing...

yea - that sounds like something I would do only if I was hugely backed up and needed it to pass - NOT as a daily routine to keep on top of it. for the latter, a lot of us take a capful of Miralax every day. I've been doing that for the last 6-7 years.

short-term use of PPIs is supposedly fine. People used to get on them and stay on them for years and years because it was thought until fairly recently that they were safe. *That* is what is risky. When I had my surgery seven years ago, some surgeons (including mine) kept their patients on the PPIs for the entire first year. Now it's usually 3-6 months. chronic constipation is an issue for a lot of WLS patients. It's a combination of the high-protein diet and some of the supplements many of us take (namely, calcium and iron). Many people take a capful of Miralax every morning to keep on top of it, but if you're into natural remedies, a few prunes may due the trick.

1) you're in a stall. Just make sure you're following your program to a "T", and it should eventually break 2) you're starting out at a much lower weight than many of us. Therefore, it's not going to come off as fast as if you started out weighing 300+ pounds 3). 1000 calories a day should be fine. I was eating 600-800 when I was about where you are in the journey. That 600-800 from about month 2 to almost a year out used to be pretty standard, but nowadays some surgeons are recommending higher levels. But 1000 should be fine. Again, you're likely just in a stall.

I was told to wait a year - and I waited three (years). I got pretty buzzed on just one drink - no way I could have handled two mixed drinks. Plus transfer addiction is a problem for some WLS patients - some end up with alcoholism if they're not careful. I was never a big drinker even before WLS. I'd often just order a coke or something when I was at a bar with friends. No one cared. And if they had - well, too bad. I was perfectly happy with my coke (or whatever non-alcoholic thing I happened to be drinking).

usually 1-3 weeks - although I've heard of them lasting longer. If you follow your program to a "T", the weight loss will start up again. I'm guessing you're near the end of this stall.

as long as your insurance covers bariatric surgery, I'd be very surprised if you were denied.

stalls tend to last longer the closer you get to goal weight. I remember so many times during year 2 thinking "well, this must be it...", and then the scale would drop again. It finally stopped for good at 20 months out.

bypass patient here. We were also told never to drink carbonated drinks, but some surgeons are more strict about this than others. I've seen people on here who were told they could have them once they were a few months out, as long as the carbonation didn't bother their stomach. I've tried a couple of times - when I was about three years out, I think -- and the carbonation did bother my stomach. Plus I hadn't had diet soda in so long that it tasted like a bunch of chemicals to me. Ugh. So needless to say, I never went back.

seven lbs in two weeks is about average. I lost 16 lbs the entire first month, and I started at over 300 lbs. unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", you're not going to drop 40 or 50 lbs the first month. Just based on hanging out on these boards for the last seven years, I'd say the average weight loss range for most of us "normal" WLS patients that first month is around 15-25 lbs. Yes - you'll find a few people who fall above or below that range, but I'd say a majority of us are somewhere in it. So at 7 lbs in two weeks, you're pretty normal... also, I don't know if you weighed yourself that first week, but a lot of leave the hospital a few lbs heavier than we did entering the hospital. It's because they pump you full of IV fluids while you're there. It can take a few days for it to work its way out of your system.

esophagus is still connected - it's just that most acid is produced in the lower part of the stomach, which is stapled or sewn off from the upper part that becomes the pouch.

It's pretty common to have slower weight loss with revisions than with virgin surgeries.

most multi-vitamins contain minerals. There are bariatric-specific ones that usually contain everything you need. Also, the better store-bought ones, like Centrum, are usually fine, too - but you usually have to take two of those rather than one. as long as you're meeting the recommendations of the ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons), you should be fine. ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf P.S. RNY patients (and some sleeve patients) often have to take iron and calcium (above and beyond a multivitamin - because those often don't contain enough calcium and iron for us), but other than that, I can't think of any other minerals we need that aren't contained in most good multivitamins) P.P.S. Centrum has a chewable version - and some generic equivalents have a chewable version as well. And there are also bariatric-specific multi's that have chewable versions, too.

that's odd - RNY usually improves if not outright cures GERD. Sorry you're going through this!!

I've never heard of that, but you can always ask...