Berry78

In general, the bypass is favored for PCOS. You have quite a few comorbidities, and may want the more aggressive procedure. If you wanted to try the sleeve, it might work for you.... but be sure you are willing to consider a revision down the road if things don't turn out how you want them to. (A sleeve can be converted to a bypass or duodenal switch). The problem with revisions are they don't work as quickly or effectively as the virgin procedure, and the scar tissue gained from the first procedure makes the 2nd one a little harder to perform, and has a little more painful, lengthy recovery. Insurance companies also frequently have clauses that limit the number of procedures and revisions. Vitamins are required either way, but you'll take more of them with the bypass. One thing that will make you happy to hear.. the intestines get used to the new arrangement over the first couple years, so people with bypasses typically stop "dumping" after that time. They also absorb more nutrients as well. (This is how people start gaining after a couple years if they don't modify their diets permanently). Do plenty of research, and be comfortable with your choice. The sleeve is performed twice (?) as much as the bypass nowadays.. but it doesn't mean all those that get the sleeve have received the correct procedure for them. There are plenty of revisions being performed (mostly for newly-developed GERD). I'm 3 months out from the sleeve, and am very happy. I had high blood pressure (that has gotten better), but that was my only comorbidity.

Congrats on finally getting your procedure! You're not going to recognize yourself once you get healed up!! Your tummy/intestines can take several days to fully wake up from the anesthesia. Hopefully you'll feel better soon!

I don't have one everyday.. probably every-other-day.. but they tend to be enormous! 8-O Sounds like you may want to evaluate what you are eating/drinking. Something might not be agreeing with you. Artificial sweeteners are a possibility. (Okios yogurt acts as a laxative for me.. I eat plain greek yogurt instead). Dairy is another common culprit. Spinach increases my transit time dramatically. Are the stools formed or watery? If watery, you might become dehydrated, so need to find a solution right away. If they are formed, then you have time to experiment.

Before or after surgery? How did you know you had a problem? Sent from my SM-N920R4 using the BariatricPal App

I hazard to guess you'll be 200lbs before October 1st, and close to goal by Thanksgiving. (You are male, so you will lose about twice as fast as a female). Congrats on the surgery! Good luck!!

This is a great question for your bariatric surgeon. In general, after WLS, you should be healthier and more able to function with one kidney than before the surgery (but it probably takes a year or more for this to be true). Do you have high blood pressure? If you do, and have had it for a while, that can actually damage your kidneys, making you a poor candidate as a donor. Talk to your doctor.. but if your friend can wait around until next summer, that would be a better time for you to consider the donation. Rapid weight loss is tough on all the body's systems, and you wouldn't want to handicap that process by removing one of your own waste filters. By all means, get tested soon to find out whether you would even BE a candidate, so this isn't a question hanging over both of your heads for the next 12 or 18 months.

Brooke, you have done amazingly!! Congratulations!!! mom2tess, I'd say a month stall is a bit concerning if you aren't near goal. Time to shake things up, but without knowing what you are eating or exercise habits, it's hard to make recommendations, other than.. track everything, then go back through, analyze, and tweak. Sometimes we need to eat more and exercise less. Sometimes the opposite. Sometimes it isn't how much, but WHAT we are doing. If you say your exercise is "two miles, moderate pace, every day".. then I'll say that's great, but let's spice it up and add in some weight lifting. Sometimes our bodies can get used to one thing, and it needs a kick in the pants. Pull a switcheroo..

50lbs in a little over 4 months isn't bad. We all lose at different rates. (I had my surgery a month after you and am down 42lbs since the surgery.. so I think we're losing at about the same rate). I get how it seems slow, but it really isn't! Some of us are just taking our sweet time.. but there are probably benefits to slower losses. Our skin might handle it better (fingers crossed) Our gallbladders might be happier Our emotional state might be more calm (I am calmer than before surgery!) If you get concerned, make sure you are tracking what you are eating, and monitoring your exercise, and tweak when necessary. (Personally my exercise has been quite low, so I have lots of room to increase it). Watch for those non scale victories too! I have lost 11 inches off my hip measurement!

Congrats on getting clean! And your new family! Life has handed you a lot, and I'm proud of you for trying to get things straightened out. Usually a bypass is a one-and-done type procedure. A skilled surgeon can evaluate you to see if there is any "tweaking" that can be done, but it's better for you to focus on non-surgical options. Your stomach is still small, and your bypass is still in place. Those will continue being helpful (probably why you didn't gain ALL the weight back and more!). But at this point, it's time to get back to basics. Protein, vitamins, water, nonstarchy veggies, limited fruit and starchy veggies. No sugar or white flour. Weight loss won't be as easy as it was the first year after surgery, but it IS possible! Good luck!

Thanks! Good to know what it looks like!

Many of us have to go on a liquid diet for preop liver shrinking purposes. Maybe you can try that? Keep your calories to under 1000. 3-4 weeks of a liquid diet will knock off that 15lbs easily (don't worry about losing "too much") Another option is stick with a low fat/low carb diet. Lean meats and salads with fat free dressings. Low sodium v8. Yes, it's hard, but after surgery, you'll be closer to goal, and you'll be more prepared for the restrictive postop diet.

This happens a lot. If you are going more than a few times a day, (watery), contact your doc to see if you should take something to stem the flow. You don't want to end up dehydrated. Usually things solidify when you get to eating more solid of foods.

I'll bet you're right. Maybe your liver became bruised during the surgery. Ask your doc whether Actigall might help your sludge when you go in. Keep us posted! Fingers crossed that everything comes out good!

My tummy doesn't care for most fruits. I don't get a strong reaction, just a general discomfort. Apples, oranges, watermelon, and cherries don't feel good. Bananas and blueberries have been pretty good. Peaches are ok. Tomorrow I'll try black raspberries.

It's all about presentation... With a smile, or a fork in the eye? Assuming its the former, tell her she has the better (shoes, hair, husband...) so y'all should fight it out. Whoever wins gets to be thin AND get her hubby. And BING! the bell rings...

Nice! Congrats!

With that many problems, see if you could be a candidate for revisional surgery. Bypass (could help with acid), or even a complete gastrectomy. Unfortunately, things like nerve pain might not clear up, depending on cause. Fixing the nutrition will help more than anything.

I'm 3 months post op. We've been married 16 years. My husband is heavy. My diet is my diet. I cook for me separately from what I cook for him and the kids. I would love for my hubby to jump on the health train, but it's like running into a brick wall. There is no changing him. He drinks soda, eats ice cream, etc etc. My delimma is whether to stay with him when (not if!) he has strokes and diabetes. We live with his father who has both. His older brother has had both too. How am I supposed to feel about someone that is headed down a dangerous path, and refuses to change course? (And it will be me who has to pick up the pieces)...

It is amazing how quickly we feel full and how often we need to eat, isn't it?! Glad to hear you are eating good choices.

Practice eating like a DS patient for the next couple months. 120g protein, handfuls of vitamins, etc. (Ok, well, be careful not to take too many vitamins, but check out the requirements). For 1, you'll probably knock off a few pounds. For 2, you can see just how nuts the requirements are. Most of us here wouldn't panic about carrying 30 extra pounds. This is normal and expected. Weight can and does fluctuate post op... it's all a journey in which we all have to keep working at it (forever). Even a torn meniscus should heal, allowing more exercise over time. Exercise does make you hungry, so be sure to fill up on... Salad? Eggs? Something like that. Spend your money on a pool membership, counseling, better food.. whatever. I don't know what you eat, but the downfalls of many vegetarians are sugar and white flour. Make sure those are completely cut out of your diet. Many people undergo surgery, expecting a "magic fix". It doesn't work that way. Yes, the pounds melt off effortlessly at first. And then they stop, almost always before you want them to. The rest is up to you. A DS is more likely to kill you over time via malnourishment, especially because you are a vegetarian. 30 extra pounds isn't dangerous. This surgery IS. The very fact that you are willing to dive headlong into a very dangerous situation, all in pursuit of becoming thin (not health)... I'd be willing to bet you have an eating disorder. Please get some professional help.

Nuts came late.. about 8 weeks postop. I don't always eat everything on that list.. most days I miss something. I do seem to be able to eat more than average. 3 months out and can eat a cup of food. (Thought that was supposed to be a year out!).

Coconut water brands vary wildly. Try several brands before writing them all off. You could also try adding something to them. A bit of pineapple juice or something similar. Good luck!

I was a wreck on the low carb, low fat preop and 2 week post op diets. Once I added back in carbs and fat, it's been smooth sailing. Even better than before the preop diet. My day: 4oz cottage cheese 1 piece of fruit 1oz nuts or nut butter 4oz meat or fish 1 egg 4oz beans or 8oz lentil soup I plan to add a salad when I can fit it in. I'm 3 months post op.

Milk, lifeway protein kefir, plain greek yogurt

I literally thought about surgery like a game of russian roulette. There is a gun with 20 chambers and 1 bullet. The bullet probably wouldn't kill me, but would make me worse off. The other 19 chambers contain a variety of "better off" scenarios. 3 months post op, and I'm doing much better than before. Better blood pressure, lower cholesterol, 55lbs lighter, happier, etc. We can't promise you won't get the "bullet". But we can say that you have a good chance of being better off... particularly if you are willing to change WHAT you eat, not just how much. As for the acid issue, it IS frequently a reason to consider bypass. Discuss that with your surgeon.