AnnainOK

When my husband had his RNYGB, he was advised to drink nothing but Protein shakes two weeks before surgery, and Clear liquids two days before. When I did the nutrition consult for a gastric sleeve, I was told "Follow South Beach" minus the carbs. Now, my surgeon for my RNYGB said "Vegetarian diet, with Protein Shakes." I understand liver shrinking--I just don't get all the different ways folks are doing it. Is this something that is actually standardized, or is a matter of personal preference on the part of the surgeon?

Just remember, this will eventually be a new normal. Your stomach will not be the same as it was before--ever. You will not feel the same as you did before. Your relationship with food will need to change. Now is the time to examine your old eating habits and see what you need to throw out and what new habits you need to establish. Don't be paranoid. Keep educating yourself and listening to your body. My husband had the surgery in 2006. He lost a lot of weight, then regained a lot of it because he reverted back to old habits. It was the biggest thing that kept me from having my surgery before I did. When I knew it was my ONLY chance to beat my Type II diabetes, I had to give up my paranoid fear and go with it. I'm glad I did. When I start to slip, I stop, take a deep breath, and get back on track. We've had two very different experiences, and now I realize we can have two quite different outcomes. (He's also going to work on re-training his pouch.) You're doing great. Hang in there!

Everyone is different. I agree that you will find that the sensations will change once you're on completely solid, normal food. You will have to learn what the feeling just before full is, and stop there. Truly full is awful, painful, and in the early stages, dangerous to the health of your pouch. Hang in there. Keep working the program and it will happen. If for some weird reason it doesn't, talk with your doctor! Good luck!

My surgeon said that I would be medically eligible for a tummy tuck. I will have one next year, and because I'm a breast cancer survivor, I will also be allowed to have my reconstruction reconstructed to keep things neat and tidy.

Hey y'all! It's good to see how much progress everyone has made. I can't say that I've lost as much as some of y'all, but I didn't have as much to lose as some. My Type II diabetes has been in remission since two days after my surgery, and that was my whole motivation. I haven't been able to stop my high blood pressure meds, but the diabetes meds are a thing of the past. Cold. It was a cold winter. I'm hoping I'll find summer more tolerable, though. (And in my part of Oklahoma, it is most of the year!) I don't get hungry unless I go without eating for six hours or so...which I try not to do. I became sensitive to protein shakes, so now I use a flavorless protein powder in my coffee or food, as I would never get enough protein otherwise. I can't drink cold things very well, as they cause my stomach to spasm somewhat. I drink coffee now. I didn't before surgery. I've had dumping syndrome once. I have had an upset tummy on several occasions, mostly if I tried to drink something cold at a meal. Veggie and fruit skins are hard on me for some reason. No al dente veggies. Everything has to be cooked to death or I can't seem to chew them enough. I don't exercise any more than I did before...I walk with the dog a mile or two three or four times a week, but I'm naturally more active I think. I have more endurance--although the first two or three months left me really tired. I am down to a size 34 jean from a 42. This means I'll have to buy some new clothes, as I'm wearing my son's jeans now. In a medium to large T-shirt. In women's I'm at about a 14 as opposed to the 22 from a year ago. Lots of vitamins/minerals here. I can do some things I couldn't earlier, such as capsules, but not softgels. I bite the softgels and just tolerate the taste of fish oil and the like. As for medicines with alcohol content? Yeah. I'm a lightweight. Geritol makes me tipsy. And, while Nyquil doesn't have the alcohol, I'm much more sensitive to it than I once was. Two ounces of wine put me under the table. And that's it in a nutshell!

My problem is a little different than yours, but I definitely sympathize. I had bilateral mastectomies about two years before my RNY. I had lat flaps, muscle bands brought from the back to the front for support, unfortunately a blood clot caused the left muscle to die and now I have just an implant on that side. Because of the difference between the two, I had to have a smaller implant on the right. Now that I've lost weight (there was fat along with the flap for contouring), the difference is readily apparent. I'm at a point where I have to decide if I'm going to have a little revision done of the right/flap side to tighten it up and go with a smaller implant on the left, or if I'll put a larger implant on the right. I'm large-framed, so I can carry off the size C I have on the left without a problem, but it's still something I think about. I don't think you can go wrong with staying on the modest side of size. You want natural, not obvious. I had my implants done with an eye to getting my RNY, and am happy that I didn't go any larger. Best of luck to you.

I have a very large version of the daily pill organizer you mentioned. Each compartment is a 1.25" cube, and a day has four cubes. Even with all my fish oils and over-size chewables, I have enough room.

I would simply cook a smaller amount of whatever "starch" they want, and throw out the leftovers if you can't recycle them. You're going to throw them out anyway if they sit long enough in the refrigerator, so just cut out the mold time, and put them straight in! Life is too short to let leftovers cause issues, and it may well be that your dh is having trouble coping with the changes he is seeing...he may be worried that you'll find someone new. It sounds as though he needs some reassurance that he's still the one you'll want to be with once you reach your goal.

I had trouble sleeping post-op as well...except I didn't sleep well during the day either. It's getting better, but my issues are complicated by still having to be off my Celebrex for another three weeks. I did find that taking an OTC liquid sleep aid a couple nights helped kickstart getting my schedule back after getting off my painkillers after the first week. Non-habit forming and no sugar, liquid. Talk to your doctor first about adding any OTC meds to your routine. I'll share with you my Vitamin schedule: I wake up between 5:30 and 7:30AM depending on whether or not I slept well during the night. Upon arising, I take my Multi-vitamin (without iron), B Vitamins, A, D3 and Calcium. At lunch I take my Iron. I take more Calcium and D3 in the late afternoon. At night, I take my Biotin. As for eating, I'm still on full liquids until the first week of December, so I do my three Protein shakes like meals and drink a lot in between. I try to practice what I was told about not drinking a half hour before and after, just to get into the routine for when I finally hit solids. What works for one person may not work for another, just remember to keep your iron and calcium separate by at least two hours.

I've lost thirty pounds in three weeks, but gained five the first six days before I started losing...crazy, because half that time I was eating nothing! Don't compare. You're an individual. Stick to your plan and you'll get there!

Just remember, you're not dieting. You've changed your lifestyle. You're going to have stalls, plateaus, and even a reversal or two. What matters is the long haul. You're working on your health, which is a great thing. Just hang in there, keep changing your mindset when presented with challenges, and in the end, you'll win.

My surgery is October 26th. I had a complete hysterectomy in 2013, and three years of tamoxifen before that. I thought I was done with all my hormone issues, but with the beginning of my pre-op liquid diet, I'm starting to feel as though I'm experiencing a hormonal response. So I'm thinking, the body stores estrogen in fat. I'm losing fat now, with more to come. Could there still be enough residual estrogen in my system to cause me trouble? It's not going to stop me, but forewarned is fore-armed, and my husband and son will want to know if they should be prepared to duck and cover.

I cannot imagine drinking a shot of vodka now. I take a liquid supplement with 12% alcohol and 1/2 T dose gives me a buzz.

Hey folks. I am feeling much better today. You didn't know I wasn't well? I didn't mention it. When I was discharged from the hospital, they removed my JP drain, despite it continuing to fill up multiple times per day. I came home, I walked, I did everything I was supposed to, but it hurt. I took my Tylenol. The swelling started going down a little, but I had this knot around my "liver" incision, with increased swelling as my activity increased daily. By Monday, I called my contact nurse who told me that things sounded normal, especially since I wasn't running a fever. "How could I run a fever on Tylenol?" I wondered. So, I laid off the Tylenol on Tuesday, and up came my fever. I noticed a small soft spot to the side of my now-sealed incision. I sent a picture and texted the nurse my concern that I had an infection. Yesterday morning, before she could respond, I gently pushed on the area and our of a very tiny hole it drained--in great amounts. This necessitated a trip to the surgeon. He opened it up, packed it with gauze and sent me home with an antibiotic. I have to re-pack the wound a couple times a day, which hurts surprisingly less than you would think. I've felt better today than I have since my surgery. Still drinking my meals, but no complaints here!

I'm only a week out from my RNY. We raise laying hens, and eggs are a staple. Normally I would eat one whole egg with three egg whites for my breakfast, poached or scrambled. It will be interesting to see how I react to them once I get to pureed solids in December. Thus far I've fixed them for my son and husband and have no issues with sight nor smell.

Hey guys. I'm one week out on my RNY. I am on a full liquid diet for the entire month of November. First and foremost, I'm off my diabetic meds completely, and the highest my blood sugar has been is 110, after a protein shake. If nothing else happens, it's worth it all just for this. I too am swollen. I wore size 18 pants going to the hospital. I had to dig out stretchy 22s and sweatpants to be comfortable now. I drink three Premiere Protein shakes a day. One when I first get up, 'cause I know I haven't had anything to drink for thirty minutes; one after I walk my dog, and after I take a nap in the afternoon, each for the same reason. In between I'm drinking diluted Power Ade or Diet Cranberry Juice, and a cup of some cream soup. Last night I managed a cup of chamomile tea too. As long as I drink slowly and take "ladylike" sips, I can handle it with minimal issues. I haven't been charting my volume, but my output has remained light and I'm using the restroom six or eight times a day. I can say this, I don't think about food. I've cooked for my husband and son, and done the grocery shopping without even caring. It's as though someone turned a switch off in my head. Pain. Yep. I have it over my upper left incision, accompanied by swelling, but no redness or fever. The surgeon had my JP drain removed prior to leaving the hospital Wednesday, even when the nurses thought my output was far too high, but he felt my body would re-absorb what he was seeing and because I live three hours away. I'm attributing the pain to that. All the other incisions are pain free. I spoke with the Bariatric Coordinator at the hospital on Friday, and she told me that pain, bruising and swelling at that incision was normal. I have a tendency to be too active too soon after any surgery, and I think I'm going to try to slow down just a little. It's hard for me to do, as my Lab pup, Woody, loves his walks and swimming. I may just have to throw him the ball more in the yard. My son is being quite helpful with the laundry, but I swear my house would quickly be buried under dishes and debris if I ever was afflicted with something that truly kept me on bedrest! They sent me home with my Q-pump and Tylenol #3. They would have given me Norco had the dispensing legal requirement not been so problematic with a prescription crossing state lines. I did okay for a couple days, until the T#3 started causing constipation. I had Norco at home from a previous surgery in August, so I've been taking that crushed and mixed with water. It's nasty, but effective. The surgeon also told me to forego my blood pressure meds, but I couldn't abide the 158/68 readings I was getting consistently, so started taking a minimal dose, bringing it back down to 121/68. I think it's pretty safe to say I'm going to have to lose some weight before I can go back off them completely. As to losing, I haven't--maybe a pound or two, but with the swelling, I don't really expect to see any. My face already appears thinner, I think the fat is coming off, but the water retention in my belly is keeping it from showing up on the scale. Anyway, that's how it's going here. I am reading everyone's posts and thinking of each of you...just not spending much time at a keyboard. Hang in there!

I haven't, but I wonder why they left it in so long in the first place? Regardless, I'm glad it was a problem easily resolved, and that you're pain-free now.

Hey y'all. I'm home and doing okay. Sore and gassy, but alive and well. I'm happy. I'm off my diabetic meds and my blood pressure meds. If everything stays as it is now, I'll stay off of them. Going back for my follow up on Nov. 9th.

So the other day, I called my bariatric counselor to ask if I could have egg whites, poached for Breakfast. I told her "I usually have one egg and three egg whites poached for my breakfast." I have normal cholesterol levels I'm a diabetic that has worked tremendously hard to keep my A1C at normal levels. I had to gain 15 pounds to meet my insurance company's requirements for RNY, which was a killer after a year of fighting to lose and keep off sixty pounds. I need to lose more, and haven't been able to do so. My main purpose for this surgery is in the hope of resolving my diabetes (strong, strong family history, even with normal weight relatives). I have been heavy all my life, despite numerous diets though. Her answer: "If what you always did worked, you wouldn't need gastric bypass." I said nothing as she holds my surgical future in her hands, but I honestly think she could have just said "No" and that would have been kinder. Am I just sensitive? Oh well. It's a new week, and this time next week I'll be on Clear liquids, and at a Josh Groban concert (hubby bought us tickets).

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch That's how it went. Well, except for the part where she said "You wouldn't believe it. eggs and Peanut Butter are the two things I get asked about the most." However, that was after the quoted remark. I suppose I expect more from professionals.

I'm fixin' to experience this for myself, and my theory is that because estrogen is stored in fat, even though we're post-menopausal (in my case via hysterectomy) the hormones hit our system in ways they haven't before--especially if we haven't been on hormone supplements.

I know I'm fortunate that my hubby has been through it himself. Today was better. I'm beginning to understand what has happened. I had to gain weight to qualify, as my BMI was under 35, and our insurance only does it, even with co-morbidities, above 35. To do that--after years of working hard just to lose and maintain what I have, I had to eat in ways I hadn't in a long time. Then it was boom! I had my approval and my date so close that it hit me like a ton of bricks. Even though I am careful about sugar, I'd been eating a little more than normal, and I'm probably doing withdrawls. Not much longer.

I'm five days into my pre-op diet, and I am so angry all the time, I can't stand it. I feel hormonal, but I've been post-hysterectomy for several years. I'm short-tempered. The mood swings are awful. My hubby tells me that it will get better after my surgery because I won't get hungry. I'm eating plenty of Protein. I don't know that I'm as hungry as I am just weirdly angry--or I want to cry. The only time I like how I feel is when I'm sleeping. This just seems wrong. Please tell me it changes!!

You're headed in the right direction--however, as the ex-wife of an alcoholic, be aware that you can slip into another situation like this rather easily. I would suggest some sort of counseling, maybe even an al-anon group. It takes real work to root out the issues that allow us to get sucked into an addict's life--and there are all kinds of addicts.

@@Pinkgirl1234 After three years of tamoxifen, my uterus was a mess. The oncologist agreed that my best course of action was to head further trouble off by opting for the full surgery, owing to dense tissue that could mask more trouble. I didn't want to think about it any longer.