RNYNewbie

So I am 23 days post-op from having the roux-en Y and vagotomy. I weighed in at 217 the day of surgery. I was relatively comfortable my weight...or resigned to it at least. You see, I didn't have my surgery for weight loss. I had 2 serious,non-healing ulcers. I had to have the surgery to get them removed to avoid them turning into stomach cancer. Now, don't get me wrong, the idea of losing some weight was also very attractive to me. I had no problems getting insurance to cover my surgery which was a plus. So here I am. I have lost roughly 41 pds so far. I lost the first 30 so fast it was scary. I am trying very hard to figure this diet thing out. I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing dumping syndrome as of yet but I have vomited more in the last 3 weeks than ever in my life I think. I was advanced to "soft" foods on my last Dr. visit. apparently I'm not a good judge of what is soft and ok to eat because everything seems to cause pain, nausea, or vomiting. I cannot tell when I am full until it's way too late. I eat slowly and take tiny bites but...I'm just not getting the hang of it yet. I am lucky if I get 300 calories in a day. I am sure I will get it eventually...well I'll have to. Next thing I guess I look forward to is being able to go to the gym to try and tighten and tone up all the saggy skin I have acquired so far. If it sounds like I am down and a little frustrated, it's because I am. Yes, the constant burning from acid and pain from my ulcers is gone...but I feel like I just traded it for a whole new list of burdens. I'm not sure losing weight is worth it. I miss food. On a higher note...I was also a smoker before my surgery. I have not been one now for 24 days. So I guess there's that.

Thank you James. I think the problem with my surgery and my treatment is that it was done not for weight loss but for medical diagnosis of ulcers. My surgeon is not treating me like a WLS patient. I didn't get any pre-op teaching really definitely not a specific diet. And post op I have seen him once so far and the only diet question he has really asked me is if I had experienced dumping syndrome yet. I was still on liquids only at that time. I am hoping a dietician will be of more use to me on this journey because like it or not, I DID have WLS. I appreciate all the help I can get!

Thank you! No I have an appointment with my surgeon today and I plan to request a dietician consult. I was honestly surprised he didn't get me set up with one from the get go. I cannot imagine drinking 64 oz of water and being able to eat! I drink all throughout the day and try to eat little bits and pieces here and there but I stick mostly to liquids and yogurt. A lot of Soups. Anything solid I eat, I chew to a pureed consistency before I swallow it. I'm lucky if I manage 2 or 3 oz of food at a time. I've tried multiple different Protein drinks now and most are so sweet that I cant stand to drink them. I do like the Odwalla Protein Drinks. I got some chewable vitamins but they made me throw up so I'm not doing those right now either. I'll get it though! Slow but sure and day by day!

​I had a little more pain than most. I had to have an open abdominal incision because my surgeon wasn't sure which form of bariatric surgery I would have to have until he got in and saw my ulcer locations (my surgery was because of gastric ulcers-had roux en Y) so yeah I ended up with a 5 inch incision on my upper abdomen. I had to stay in the hospital 5 days. I was up walking the first night post op. It really does help-the faster you're up and moving, the better. I was also a smoker-coughing was very painful. I no longer smoke! Pain is what a person says it is. It's different for everyone. Just don't let it go...stay on top of it. Good luck. You'll do great!!

I am 23 days post op and I have lost 41 pounds. I lost 31 pds in the first 16 days. I'm not doing so well on getting in my calories though. I've been pretty weak. I have another appointment with my surgeon tomorrow and I am going to ask for a dietician consult. I can't seem to find anything I can eat safely without pain or vomiting besides clear liquids.