DangerMouse007

So is there no way to get rid of loose skin via rigorous exercise or some kind of serious fat burning exercises? Skin is skin I guess, but I'm wondering if there is some underlying fat or something that can be worked out through exercise to some degree. I had talked to somebody who went from 475 to 180 with a gastric sleeve, and he hated the loose skin he had. I saw him right after he had plastic surgery on his arms and stomach, and I didn't really like the scars it left. His arms looked like he had tried to commit suicide with long scars from his shoulder down below his elbow. Maybe it'll clear up later, I don't know, but it was certainly noticeable.

I had one BM the morning after I arrived home from the hospital, and then nothing for several days. I took Milk of Magnesia one ounce per hour for three hours 7 days post-op, and that worked. Then nothing again for a week so I did the MoM again one ounce per hour for three hours; that worked. Finally on the third week I had a regular BM without any "help". Thankfully I've been regular ever since.

I have been diabetic for at least 13 years (although wasn't diagnosed until 2006; I had lots of symptoms before that). I was told that since I had been a diabetic so long, RNY surgery wouldn't necessarily "cure" me like it would others, and that I may still have to take some kind of medication the rest of my life. I was also taking massive quantities of insulin pre-op. My dosage is way low now 7 weeks post-op, but I do still take insulin. 25 years is a pretty long time so you may not be completely free of it.

As mentioned, going back to work depends on your doctor. My doctor has a 3-week minimum off work (six weeks for people who do heavy labor) because he didn't want ANY distractions from me being to able to sip, sip, sip liquids all day long without having to answer phones, do whatever tasks on the computer, or any other things that come up during the normal work day. He also wouldn't let me drive for a week after surgery. Honestly, I probably was fine going back to work after a week, but he was pretty strict about it. And people heal at different paces.

August 10th baby here. With my surgeon's post-op plan, I was able to move to beef, turkey, ham, and salads(!) this last weekend. Oh, and nuts...bought a bunch of snack bags of cashews for snacks. Very happy to have a little more than tuna, pasta, or fish to eat. I was stalled out for about three weeks at least. Went out of town for about 24 hours this last Sunday through Monday and came back having lost about 8 pounds. I was like, "what the heck?!!?? Where'd it go? Did I leave it in my hotel room?" I'm thinking I should probably travel more. No medical issues directly related to the surgery although my lower back issues seem to have flared up again (discussed in another thread). These issues have also hampered my ability to do any rigorous exercise since I have to sit down every couple hundred feet of walking.

Seven weeks out here and have not had any dumping symptoms either. I have had to vomit a couple of times when things got stuck, but that was about 3 weeks ago. It was a feeling that I did not care to repeat so I'm more careful how I chew and "listen" to my body. However, I've not had anything with too much sugar since I'm already diabetic and need to watch those sorts of things anyway, and nothing too "fatty" either. I have tried all sorts of different foods now (except shellfish) as well. In a way, I wish I could experience it at least once so I know what to look for, but yeah, nothing yet.

Oh, great. I'm just 7 weeks post-op, and I've noticed that I've been feeling freakishly cold lately. Somebody told me that as I lose more weight, I'll be more sensitive to it. While I'm sure I'd rather lose the weight, being able to walk around in a short sleeve shirt and shorts in 32 degree weather may be something I truly miss. Ha ha!

Good deal! To be honest with you, if I still lived in Austin, I probably wouldn't have been so successful with my pre-op diet, and maybe even my post-op diet. Where I lived, there was literally a dozen fast food restaurants where I could stop on the way home or on the way to work to eat. I hated cooking and always went for the fast and easy. Plus, I mean seriously, the amazing food available in Austin is just way too difficult to pass up, am I right? Where I live now in upstate NY, it's all rural; windy two lane roads, places where on the map it says it's 60 miles away but actually takes 2 hours to drive there...that sort of thing. There are only three fast food restaurants within a few miles where I live and none appeal to me at all (McDonalds, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts). So I was forced to pretty much cook for myself and be more cognizant of what I was eating and how much. Oh, and the summer weather is downright fantastic for getting out and actually doing things like exercising instead of doing it in sweltering heat.

Joyful on the multiple-visit part. My main question is why did my symptoms disappear for several months only to flare up like it did the last couple of weeks? And will they disappear again with the added expected weight loss I should see in the next year or so? Then, even today, while I can feel a very low-level dull pain, it's nothing like it was on Monday afternoon. Anyway, all questions for the chiropractor.

To follow up, I did get referred to a chiropractor and have an appointment next week. Will see what kind of improvement, if any, can come from it. Otherwise, PCP recommended a pain management specialist if that doesn't work.

Well, my three week stall has now hit four weeks so I'm still waiting. I've been familiar with stalls when I lost weight in the past pre-op. Some have lasted 3 months. I'm not sure that this one will last that long, but I'm a patient man.

Interesting thread. I had lots of lower back pain for the last couple of years when I walked and that would sometimes shoot down my right leg. I went to a back specialist back then, and they had me just go to physical therapy. I just kind of dealt with it. However, it seemed to go away when I lost a lot of weight pre-op. I was able to walk and stand fine with no pain. Now in the last two weeks (I'm about 7 weeks post-op) the pain is back and worse than even before. A nurse friend thought that my body may be out of balance because of the severe weight loss. Yesterday I was walking around in a mall, and my right leg felt extremely numb. I was limping. It's also been difficult to sleep. I have an appointment with my PCP this afternoon to see what he suggests. I'm guessing he'll refer me to a back specialist. I've moved 1800 miles away in the last year so I'll be seeing a different back doctor for sure. Seeing a chiropracter seems like an idea; hadn't really thought of that, but most of my pain is in my lower back and right leg.

food funeral? That's a new one on me. About 3 weeks before my surgery, I went home to Austin, TX (I live in upstate NY now), and I went pretty nuts with all the goodness that is down there and can't be found up here. But like others I made sure that two out of my three daily meals were low-calorie and relatively healthy. Otherwise I went crazy with tacos, big ass beef ribs, the crawfish trio at Pappadeaux, fried catfish, the works. While I didn't lose weight while I was gone those 10 days, I did maintain my weight. As for my last supper, I went to a local Italian Steakhouse and had their 24 ounce ribeye. I'm pretty sure now I'm never going to be able to eat that again! Actually any of it in those quantities!

Plenty of posts on this subject, but it looks like you and I had are surgeries on the same day. I lost 24 pounds in the first 3 weeks post-op, but I've been stuck here since then, even gaining back 6 pounds. I'm a little disappointed too, but I've lost and gained weight so many times (before surgery) that I'm used to these stalls. Even on my pre-op diet I lost 30 pounds in a couple of months and then stalled out for three more months before dropping another 20-25 pounds right before my surgery (some of that aided by the clear liquid diet). Hang in there! I know I am!

I work at night and sometimes have to take sleep aids to help sleep during the day (especially that first day back). Obviously you should ask your doctor, but, for sleep aids, I was told it was okay to take Tylenol PM, Benadryl, or Z-Quill. They told me it was okay to take Allegra or Claritin as well for allergies. I fly a lot, and I make sure to have some Dramamine on me when I do which was okay given the ok for me to take (and can also help you sleep). My first flight post-op is a couple of weeks away so we'll see how that goes. Thankfully it's a short hop so I'll only take the non-drowsy Dramamine. Any flight longer than 2-3 hours I take original formula Dramamine so I can sleep on the flight as well as have a calm stomach.

I am Type 2 Diabetic as well and had my gastric bypass surgery on August 10th. Before the surgery, I would take about 160-200 units of Levemir per day and nearly 200 units of Novolog per meal (depending on the meal)!! I would also take a glimipiride pill daily as well. Right after the surgery, my blood sugars were a bit high while I was in the hospital, and they kept injecting me with insulin with little to no effect. However, as soon as I arrived back home, my glucose levels were back in the 105-120 range just taking the Levemir with 10-20 units/day. About a week after surgery though, my baseline level started to creep up to 135-150 and was progressively getting higher (hit 200 a couple of times). So I eventually got back on the Novolog to bring that baseline back down to the 100-120 range. I take 10 units/meal of that now so at least the actual amount of insulin I take is way down from my pre-op levels. I do have to admit I was a little disappointed that I'm still even taking the insulin now several weeks out. They did tell me that because I've been a diabetic for so long (at least 12-13 years) and taking so much insulin pre-op, it might be a while for my body to adjust. And there's still a very slight chance that I may still need to take some kind of insulin for the rest of my life if my body still can't produce enough to keep my glucose levels in control. I have an appointment with my endo next Friday so I'll see what he has to say.

I gave mine to Goodwill and The Salvation Army. They'll take anything. I looked up giving them to shelters and churches in my area, but they had really strict requirements about quality and "being in season". Whatever, everything is in a 30 gallon trash bag...take it or leave it!

I didn't have the bruises you described, but the IV spot on my left hand did hurt for several days afterwards. I don't remember when exactly it stopped. My right hand was fine. And actually a little over two months out, I can't see the IV puncture spot on my right hand, but I can still see it on my left.

Oranges as well? Yikes! I love eating South Texas grapefruit and oranges in the winter. Going to be a long winter if I can't eat them.

My insurance required six months of "assisted weight loss" (i.e. nutrionist) with a goal of losing 5% of my weight from my first appointment to the sixth month before they would authorize the surgery. My doctor wanted me to go even further and lose 30-50 pounds before the surgery and putting me on a "lean cuisine" diet. I actually went with Healthy Choice mixed in with Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls and lost a little over 40 pounds in that 6 months (I stalled out for about 3 months though during that). He put me on a clear liquid diet 3 days before surgery (Water, broth, and Jello that didn't have to be sugar free), and I lost an additional 13 pounds that way.

I didn't have too many issues post-surgery. I normally fall asleep on my side, and I definitely couldn't do that my first night home. I had to try and fall asleep lying flat on my bed. I woke up several times throughout the first night as well to use the bathroom, I'm guessing to flush out the Water weight I had gained while in the hospital. Then I had some anxiety trying to fall asleep on my back again. I think on the second or third night I was fine sleeping on my side although I think the idea of having pillows on your sides to keep you from rolling is probably a good one. One night I woke up completely turned over on my stomach, and that certainly didn't feel good at all! Ha ha!

I don't know if my taste in vehicles has changed, but I do regret buying my Ford F-150 11 months ago. At the time I was at my heaviest (440). I test drove some cars but I felt really cramped and uncomfortable. A full sized truck was the only vehicle I felt comfortable in. Flash forward several months later on the diet my surgeon put me on to lose weight before surgery, and I was already feeling comfortable driving in rental cars or other people's vehicles. So we'll see what happens as I lose more weight now post-surgery. I do really much want a Mustang convertible, but up here in upstate NY that's pretty much just a "summer" car. I also do fly a lot, and I usually ask for the Extra Seat Option when I fly Southwest to make sure that nobody sits next to me. I'm not quite sure I want to give that up as I lose more weight, but I'll be glad to eventually be done with a seat belt extender.

Insurance required me to be on a pre-op diet for six months prior to approving my surgery. That time started in February for me this year. Around May I started getting this real feeling of dread and was beginning to wonder if this was really the surgery for me. Then I ended up googling Gastric Bypass Complications, and that nearly took me over the edge especially since I had never had surgery of any kind before, never been to the ER, never had a broken bone, nothing. However, I pushed right through that "bad" period, had my surgery a month ago, and I already feel pretty good about it. I mean, I'm sure I'll miss the big ass tacos and burritos and large plates of food that I used to eat, but I'm glad that I'm off my blood pressure medicine (just days after surgery) and hoping to hear good news about my cholesterol at the end of this month. I still have to take very small amounts of insulin to control my glucose levels, but I'm hoping at some point that'll be gone as well. Push through the doubts, think about what the end product will be and all the benefits of the surgery, and you'll be fine.

Well, everybody is different, of course. I'm a month out from my surgery, and I've done fine so far with what I've eaten. I'm still in the soft veggies, soft fruit, baked/broiled fish stage, though. Everything I've tried so far has agreed with me. The only issue I had once last week was probably me eating a bit too much, and I ended up vomiting a little. I won't do that again. I'm still 10 days away from being able to try different types of food so I'm hoping my winning streak continues.

Wow, that is rough. In my pre-op consent signing with my surgeon I had to sign a waiver saying that if he could not perform the bypass for any reason while performing the surgery, he would do the sleeve. Thankfully there were no complications, but he also had me lose 50 pounds in the six months leading up to the surgery to make sure there were no issues. I had a 3 day pre-op liquid diet that really helped put me over that 50 pound mark as well.