jj7481

Never heard of this, but an interesting concept. My surgeon has never mentioned this nor have I heard anything about a card being issued from any other patients. I'm certainly looking forward to the day when I can incorporate meats back into my diet (that aren't a paste/smoothie).

Outstanding!!!

My initial meeting was a large group informational session. From there I scheduled a time to first meet with the surgeon, dietitian, and physical therapist. The first meeting covered the various options for weight loss surgery and discussing my best option for sustained weight loss. The physical primarily consisted of vital signs and general exam. The dietitian went over the pre-op diet and changes to make before surgery, but advised I wouldn't deal much with her until closer to my surgery date. Physical Therapy came to make sure I was healthy enough to perform the 13-wk pre op activity program my insurance program required (gym 3x wkly, 30 min sessions). Each surgeon is different and will also be different depending on what your insurance may require in the interim. When I was almost finished with my 13 wks I was able to schedule a pre-op diet, phone consultation with nutritionist, and get pre-op lab, EKG, etc.

I would continue to try and get a hold of your nutritionist, at the very least. Get some clarification. You're losing weight which is great but definitely need to watch your carb intake. Best of luck!

Pre-op diet sucks but your surgeon will thank you for the smaller liver. Best of luck with your surgery and future weight loss!

That's interesting that your doc has never mentioned Iron supplements. Did you have RNY or gastric sleeve performed?

As long as I didn't sleep on my stomach I was ok. Most of the time I slept on my R side.

Smart move.

It would seem you're quite aware of your realities and the eventualities if you forgo surgery. No one can make you do it but yourself. From what you illustrated you have all the pieces in place to do this, but are stuck on the negatives. What finally pushed me to have gastric bypass was seeing my little girl grow up. I came to the realization that it was selfish of me to put off surgery that will likely prolong my life. Why should't a daughter have her father around for as long as possible? There are risks with any venture you take in life. It comes down to overcoming the fear of the "what if," and seeing the "what could be."

Glad I'm not alone here. I can't seem to isolate the irritation, but every time my mother asks "So, how much have you lost now" it would annoy me to no end. Almost as if the the repetitive questioning felt like an interrogation (even though she didn't mean for it to come across that way). I know I'm new to this journey. However, so far every day has been a learning day. I take the good with the bad and adapt to move forward with the best possible mindset. I have finally stopped deflecting but more so say how loose my clothes are fitting, or how I've already had to get new pants & belt because I'm down another size. This seems to work for the time being.

Hair loss is a normal after bariatric surgery. Actually, any major surgery and rapid weight loss can cause hair loss. As they body adjust, and the weight loss slows, the hair usually regrows (barring any major nutritional deficit). The biggest nutrient associated with hair loss is Iron. This is one reason your doctor will likely harp on keeping up your iron supplements. Typically hair loss usually lasts for no more than 6 mos.

Kansas City, MO

Great idea Alex! Any established chapters around Kansas City, MO?

Part of the reason I went with weight loss surgery was to get off of all the pills that was plaguing my day. I'll gladly take the trade off that this has brought me. Now, I chew 4 tablets (mine are orange flavored) and I'm done.

My doctor and nutritionist put me onto Optisource Chewable Vitamins & Mineral Supplement. It is made by Nestles Health Science division. 4 chewable tablets daily contains all the calcium, Iron, B12, thiamine, and folate recommended by my weight loss team. The cost of this is $27 from Amazon with 5-15% saving if you do Subscribe and Save through your Prime membership. http://www.amazon.com/Optisource-Chewable-Vitamin-Mineral-Supplement/dp/B00CJB9K4K http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/products/Post-Bariatric-Surgery-Nutrition/OPTISOURCE-Chewable-Vitamin-Mineral-Supplement.html#.Vogo1NKrTcs

Early out I only weighed at my Doctor's appointments. Now I try to weigh no more than once a week (if I can remember what day it is I aim for Monday). Like Inner Surfer Girl, I initially thought I would just weigh in at doctors visits. Personally, I'm still not comfortable with weighing myself every day as of yet due to not seeing the losses, discouragement, etc. Nevertheless, I have started weighing myself once a week also just to keep tabs on progress. My family is very supportive of my choice and wants to see me succeed. Initially (when I started the pre-op diet) I was getting asked how much weight I've lost. After surgery my mother is asking almost daily. At first I was annoyed but now I know it's because she just wants to be excited with me. To each their own.

Yeah, and a common symptom of anemia is fatigue. (less oxygen getting to the tissue and brain) Stay on your hematologist to definitively isolate the culprit of your malabsorption. Also, keep in touch with your PCP so he at least stays in the loop. Like stated before....if you don't understand it have them explain in layman's terms. Don't just leave the office without understanding the what/where/why of tests and treatments. Matter of fact, many hospitals are now making a point of not ending their visit until you state you understand what's going on.

It comes down to nomenclature. Gastric Bypass or RNY seems to be the accepted terms on most boards I'm coming across.

I'm a Physician Assistant. Let me try to clarify some information you see: HGB = Hemoglobin. This is the Protein on red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to tissue, and CO2 back from tissue to lungs. HCT = Hematocrit. This is the % of red blood cells in your blood (the rest being composed of white blood cells and plasma). Low levels of HGB is anemia. From there we look at MCV on your labs which stands for Mean Corpusular Volume (the average volume of red blood cells). If a level is < 80, as in your case, it means you have what's termed microcytic anemia. Primary culprit = Iron Deficiency. Biggest bit of advice I can give you is to be your own advocate. If you doctors aren't talking.....demand they do. You have the right to request your various doctors be on the same page for congruency of care. Regardless, keep in touch with them and if you aren't satisfied.....make that known.

I feel your pain in regards to wanting foods. My problems has been now that I'm off the liquid stage I want to eat more and more solid foods than my pouch will allow. Sweets were never an issue for me as much as portions, but my body is quick to tell me when I'm trying to move too fast, i.e. trying to incorporate foods from advanced diet stages too soon. Stick with your diet plan. As easily as your mind remembers how good the sweets/carbs tasted it will also forget as you move forward and incorporate new foods.

The original product used to spray in the toilet is called Poo-Pourri. It essentially creates a film on top of the Water that keeps the smell under the water level....or at least minimizes it. http://www.amazon.com/Poo-Pourri-Before-You-Go-Toilet-2-Ounce-Original/dp/B0014DP9Y4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451753434&sr=8-1&keywords=poo-pourri+toilet+spray

I'm 18 days post op and still averaging about a 1 lb wgt loss / day. Again, it depends on your starting weight. I've also made sure to resume my exercise program so the 3 wk stall is minimized.

I was moody the first two weeks post op. Most of it was the cabin fever especially the first week when I couldn't drive and was stuck at home. Being cooped up doesn't suit me well. I can tell you it gets better. My pain was pretty much controlled three days post op. Now that I'm back to normal activity I feel good. Glad to be moving forward.

Mind if I ask why you can't lose beyond 140 lbs? Was this restriction self imposed, or did you doctor advise you of this? Like stated in the first reply you should definitely not be worry anytime soon. There are a lot of factors that play into your weight loss including your starting weight, level of activity, etc. The more you weigh typically the faster you'll lose. Regardless of that I wouldn't worry about losing too much. As long as you keep up with your f/u appointments, stay in touch with your doctor & nutritionist, and keep to the plan....you'll be fine.

Big tip: Water is your friend!