RNY-Fall-2017

Post surg Fluid? Oh wow! This is my first surgery ever, so I’m a newbie at it! I’ve been wondering why im not losing more post durg weight!!? That might be it! Good to know, thank you! Im wondering if we can still lose if we eat reg cheese post op..? It’s such a tiny amount that I wonder why it would matter..? I use part skim cheese where I can but otherwise regular. I’m not sure about fat free or low fat stuff with the additives...? Hmm. Re: pre-op fluid wt loss I have a priceless tip: I went a whole week on broths & shakes & actually gained 3 lbs... I was perplexed & frustrated to say the least, but finally figured out the issue to wt loss. I COMPLETELY STOPPED store bought broths & MADE MY OWN WITH NO SALT!!! I swear it was about the only thing I ate (with just 2 shakes per day) so I was gorging in it, anyway after only about 2 days on no sodium broth, I had lost 7 lbs! So it was Water retention! I ended up losing 15 total on that boring bland tasteless homemade broth, but it was sooooo worth it!!!!! I made my broth with as much chicken as I could fit in the pot, water, Miss Dash for seasoning (& lots of it!), pepper, I put carrots in along with a huge onion, and a huge bunch of fresh cilantro!!

Post surg fluid retention...? This is my first surgery ever, so I’m a newbie at it. I’ve been wondering why im not losing more post surg weight!!? I’ve only lost 6 lbs (I’m 3wks post op as of today). Also, Im wondering if we can still lose if we eat reg cheese post op..? It’s such a tiny amount that I wonder why it would matter..? I use part skim cheese where I can but otherwise regular. I’m not sure about fat free or low fat stuff with the additives...? Hmm. Re: pre-op fluid wt loss I have a priceless tip: I went a whole week on broths & shakes & actually gained 3 lbs... I was perplexed & frustrated to say the least, but finally figured out the issue to wt loss. I COMPLETELY STOPPED store bought broths & MADE MY OWN WITH NO SALT!!! I swear it was about the only thing I ate (with just 2 shakes per day) so I was gorging in it, anyway after only about 2 days on no sodium broth, I had lost 7 lbs! So it was water retention! I ended up losing 15 total on that boring bland tasteless homemade broth, but it was sooooo worth it!!!!! I made my broth with as much chicken as I could fit in the pot, water, Miss Dash for seasoning (& lots of it!), pepper, I put carrots in along with a huge onion, and a huge bunch of fresh cilantro!!

Preop I was 242 day of surg 227 current is 221 ..so most is the preop fluid diet.

Wow!! Your gonna do great!! Just remember to tell them you want something for anxiety if you need it and remember we’re all waiting to hear about your big day as soon as you feel up to it!! Prayers & hugs!!! Jennifer

Oops...if it was for real!? I’m happy to have lost 21 lbs so far so I’ll take it!

Thank you @FluffyChix that’s great info! Ide heard about the 3 wk stall but didn’t really know if it was f

I’m from a family of rny-ers and we’re all nurses. I’ve NEVER ever even heard of teeth rotting out, & we all spend lots of time researching every single thing we do in life (so not sure why I’ve never come across that) but I would be cautious about whoever you read that from. Re chewing, I am only at 3 wks post op and generally chew 15-20 times to be good, but I think it’s just a general rule to follow so the last bite has ample time to “slide down” and for the next bite not to clump up in your esophagus. My mom had rny 12 years ago & I watch her eat & while she eats might eat a bit slower then before surgery, I never really see her lingering in the chewing stage.

I’m 3 wks post rny & at a stall now too. They say it hits about wk 3 so your close. I just read a rny success story who had lost 130 lbs total, but she said re: stalls, that post op she failed to lose anything til wk 6 post op! Wow!

Your doing great! I’m going to start tuna soon too-that will help and I like the nasal b12 idea for energy! Can’t wait to watch your progress too! I’m 5’8”, was 242 & down to 221 now at 3 wks post op. Scale hasn’t seemed to wanna move much this week.

Congrats!!! It’s a chore getting down protein for me too! I’m getting 2 shakes in per day still at 30 grams per shake but feel worried it’s not enough..? Are you getting more in?

I’m n Puréed diet now (3 wks Post op rny)... and I found a delish recipe called Shelly’s Ricotta Bake! You must make it & I doubled th recipe to freeze some! Also I get a squash, cut it in half & stick it in the oven with a sprinkle of brown sugar & butter. This gives you a nummy softer food you can chew to a purée in seconds...!

Fl-Girl, I’m Post op rny 10/17/17...really exhausted. Thought I’de have better energy by now..?! It’s been three weeks today.

The ONE THING I would suggest getting (after my hosp experience) is a zip up or snap up mid length or long night gown for post op hospital stay & all the walking!!! It was the only thing I ended up using of all the stuff I packed!!!! Oh and a sports bra which is much more comfy while in bed & when up to walk!! I actually got a pretty cute one at Walmart! Who knew?!!

It’s hit & miss with energy, boy oh boy! Today I feel like I’ve been drained of all energy!?? I feel concerned at this fatigue! Are you experiencing this too?

Ok so tomorrows the big day for me & the last few days I've found myself, well.. to the point I am having a lot of (excess?) concern & questioning myself on surgery...can this sort of thinking be normal sometimes before a big surgery? I should point out, I've never been in surgery before, never been under general anesthesia before. Im really afraid of something going wrong. Maybe part of it comes from that-never having had any surgery experience. Nonetheless, wondering if anyone has gone through any similar sort of psychological thought process earring their surgery day. Am I feeling a NORMAL sense of fear & anxiety considering the extent of surgery which lay before me? I've been on this wt loss journey for a very long time & never questioned having surgery once. Never! So why am I feeling so apprehensive now!? Please share thoughts!??

Guys!!!!!! I’m doing AWESOME guys!!! Thank you!! I feel so great! And GUESS WHAT!! Ive list 21 pounds!! Yep! I started at my highest weight ever of 242. Then after the all fluid diet I went into surgery at 227 lbs, (be sure to use low/no sodium broths!!!!!!!) then at post op week 1 visit I was 223lbs!!!! I’ve lost a pound or two since as well ! Woo-hoo!! I’ve been A LOT sleepier the first week post op, & going in 2 week.. so My suggestions are DO NOT TRY TO GO BACK TO WORK FOR A GOOD 3 weeks post op, at least. Otherwise the fatigue may pull you backwards so be cautious! I was totally compliant and have lost 21 pounds so far in just days not even a month.. & that’s from preop fluid diet to post op fluid diet. I have only done clear broths (after not losing I finally made my own no sodium broths & the wt. started melting off!) & using Premier protein shakes with a few jellos & a few puddings. This is the REAL DEAL GUYS!! No more blood pressure meds either!! Yaay!!!! hugs to all- Jennifer

My two actual surgeries went very well (1) gastric bypass 2) cholycystectomy (gallbladder removal including a 2 inch gallstone. See attached pics). Walked a lot from day 1 and used inspiration spirometer like crazy too 10 times per hour-was very compliant and literally, just soo thrilled to be in the post-op phase. Afterwards on day 4, I had some complications, however. Temp went from 99 (was 99-99.4 post op days 1-3) to 102.6 on day 4. At the ER, all blood work was normal, but the the ct scan with contrast & chest ray showed that I have ATELECTASIS as it turns out. (An area of one of my lungs didn’t reinflate) after I was taken off the ventilator during anesthesia. This can turn into pneumonia, so I’m pushing myself even harder to do every single thing I’m supposed to as perfectly as possible even though I’ve been at home still doing the inspiration spirometer and walking to our neighborhood stopsign 2-4 times/day. I’m postoperative day 6, and now down to 99 degree fever. I’ve also had pain with bending over since the immediate post-op (the pain is deep inside & the surgeon told me it’s due to the way he overlapped the muscle he stitched back together). This seems to be getting a little better now that I’m on day 5 however. Diarrhea is chronic is was always explosive & now just chronic. Also, STRANGELY,I did NOT feel any gas or shoulder pain what so ever while in the hospital. The nurses didn’t even hear any bowel sounds ‘til mere hours before discharge too!? Was quite cool actually! I did however walk the halls at least a 45-50 times in total I’de say. (Now, my dad had a pulmonary embolism after his hernia surgery and was pronounced dead before somehow coming back to us..?) Thus, I walked each hall about every hour to three hours at least 2 times as well as throughout the night at like 1am & 3am like a freakin’ mad woman! And that wasn’t due to gas pains or shoulder pain, just to mitigate chances of a blood clot like my dad had. Anyway, still ended up that I have this lung issue now and also due to the bodies natural stress levels from surgery, I have hundreds of cold sores on my lips going up to my nose. I’m taking a Lysine (amino acid) several times/day which is greatly helping. Otherwise, I’m just sleepier than normal. The good news is that I don’t need pain meds, though I have them on hand. I do not regret having surgery of course and still feel eternally grateful to have a second chance at better health. Oh yeah- I was in 3 blood pressure meds in post op day one went off all! All BP readings actually low! Also not on CPAP for apnea now! The health benefits for me started on day 1 post op.

Feeling 100% Bette, thank you so much!

My two actual surgeries went very well (1) gastric bypass 2) cholycystectomy (gallbladder removal including a 2 inch gallstone. See attached pics). Walked a lot from day 1 and used inspiration spirometer like crazy too 10 times per hour-was very compliant and literally, just soo thrilled to be in the post-op phase. Afterwards on day 4, I had some complications, however. Temp went from 99 (was 99-99.4 post op days 1-3) to 102.6 on day 4. At the ER, all blood work was normal, but the the ct scan with contrast & chest ray showed that I have ATELECTASIS as it turns out. (An area of one of my lungs didn’t reinflate) after I was taken off the ventilator during anesthesia. This can turn into pneumonia, so I’m pushing myself even harder to do every single thing I’m supposed to as perfectly as possible even though I’ve been at home still doing the inspiration spirometer and walking to our neighborhood stopsign 2-4 times/day. I’m postoperative day 6, and now down to 99 degree fever. I’ve also had pain with bending over since the immediate post-op (the pain is deep inside & the surgeon told me it’s due to the way he overlapped the muscle he stitched back together). This seems to be getting a little better now that I’m on day 5 however. Diarrhea is chronic is was always explosive & now just chronic. Also, STRANGELY,I did NOT feel any gas or shoulder pain what so ever while in the hospital. The nurses didn’t even hear any bowel sounds ‘til mere hours before discharge too!? Was quite cool actually! I did however walk the halls at least a 45-50 times in total I’de say. (Now, my dad had a pulmonary embolism after his hernia surgery and was pronounced dead before somehow coming back to us..?) Thus, I walked each hall about every hour to three hours at least 2 times as well as throughout the night at like 1am & 3am like a freakin’ mad woman! And that wasn’t due to gas pains or shoulder pain, just to mitigate chances of a blood clot like my dad had. Anyway, still ended up that I have this lung issue now and also due to the bodies natural stress levels from surgery, I have hundreds of cold sores on my lips going up to my nose. I’m taking a Lysine (amino acid) several times/day which is greatly helping. Otherwise, I’m just sleepier than normal. The good news is that I don’t need pain meds, though I have them on hand. I do not regret having surgery of course and still feel eternally grateful to have a second chance at better health. Oh yeah- I was in 3 blood pressure meds in post op day one went off all! All BP readings actually low! Also not on CPAP for apnea now! The health benefits for me started on day 1 post op.

Oh, attaching the 2 inch gall stone and my gall bladder pics! I had 2 big surgeries done- not just one. And to think the surgeon wasn’t even going to take out my gallbladder! So glad I asked for a gallbladder ultrasound before my gastric bypass surgery! I would have ended up going under anesthesia again in maybe a matter of days with s gallstone they huge!

Thanks for the thoughts & keeping me in mind guys! Surgery was great. Had some complications, however. Temp went from 99 degrees to 102.6 post op day 4. I have ATELECTASIS it turns out. (An area of one of my lungs didn’t reinflate) after I was taken off the ventilator during anesthesia. This can turn into pneumonia, so pushing myself hard to do every single thing I’m supposed to perfectly. Also had pain with bending over immediately post-op, the pain is deep inside & the surgeon told me it’s due to the way he overlapped the muscle he stitched back together. This seems to be getting a little better now that I’m on day 5 however. Diarrhea is chronic is was always explosive & now just chronic. Also, STRANGELY,I did not pass gas what so ever while in the hospital! No bowel sounds til mere hours before discharge too! No shoulder pain either! Was quite cool!!! I did however walk the halls at least a 50 times Ide say. I walked each hall about every hour to three hours at least 2 times as well as throughout the night at like 1am & 3am like a freakin’ mad woman!!! And that wasn’t due to gas pains or shoulder pain, just to mitigate chances of a blood clot! Anyway, still ended up that I have this lung issue now and also due to the bodies natural stress levels from surgery, I have hundreds of cold sores on my lips going up to my nose. I’m taking a Lysine (amino acid) several times/day which is greatly helping. Otherwise, I’m just sleepier an Normal. I do not need pain meds though I have them on hand.

Thank you FL girl! Ask for a gall bladder ultrasound & you may be surprised like I was! No symptoms & still a huge gallstone! Yes I'll keep you updated! Thank you!!!💕🙏🏼Hugs, 🌼Jennifer