Darktowerdream

Every morning after I shower or am dressed I weigh myself and mark it on a calendar. I also started to keep a simple daily note on my tablet that says the day, my weight, and what I eat. (Including calories and protein total for the day)

I am on the Autism spectrum and my surgeon did know this along with my entire medical history but I was also very straightforward and clear in my intentions on fighting for weight loss surgery. I did have assistance from my mother with all the phone calls with doctors and staff to make sure they got all the vital information for insurance and such. They said I didn’t need psych clearance. But because of childhood experience with the gamut of psychiatrists and psychologists I have not been seeing anyone and cope the best I can manage with my mother occasionally being somewhat of an interpreter. Or I write things down I need to explain. If your psychologist knows that you understand the surgery and exactly what is expected of you afterward than maybe they might be more supportive? I might be on the spectrum and not very well functioning socially and my post op has not been easy but I did ensure the surgeon that I could and would follow rules and knew this was simply a tool to help with my extreme difficulty losing weight with metabolic disorders and such. Sorry if I’m not good at my explanations but being on the spectrum should not hold you back unless you yourself don’t believe you can follow post surgery guidelines in changing your eating habits.

I posted a resource for information about medication after gastric bypass surgery on another thread but one key thing surgeons fail to mention is that you will no longer be able to take extended release/ timed release medication. No one ever mentioned anything about medication post surgery. Even knowing my chronic illness and disability. I sometimes think they just assume it will magically go away. Ive got the odd mix of ADHD and chronic Illness that causes debilitating fatigue. I used to find coffee in the evening would help calm me somewhat, clear my brain a little bit and help me fall asleep a bit faster. Not by much but sometimes just enough. I haven’t had coffee in a while though. And am too sensitive to side effects from medication. I was taking a beta blocker for orthostatic intolerance but that was timed release. I had stopped it when my insurance wouldn’t pay for name brand and it has been rough. Id assume it would help to take smaller doses paced throughout the day when you need them most. I also think it’s better long term to find medication and vitamins that come in liquid form (as well as sublingual or chewable) Keep on top of this with your psychiatrist. Doctors can be a pain when it comes ting in contact with them. Is there someone in their office that you can speak to such as an assistant? Maybe they can help you get the message to the doctor or even find out the information you need.

I feel bad if I go over 400 calories in a day. But that’s been the max I can do. Maybe a bit over if I have a higher calorie protein drink. I usually max at 50 grams protein. I think pushing to get too much protein isn’t good, your body won’t utilize it all, it converts to glucose. Being glucose intolerant I don’t push the protein too much. I get the most in the morning. Though it’s good to have protein before rest vs before exercise since you use the protein for recovery, and is not as efficient for burning for energy. Fat is more efficient for energy burning. I’m not the norm, I don’t think so at least. Issues have kept me from moving into purée foods. I ended up cheating and buying Banza chick pea pasta and find it easier to get down, easier to chew to swallow. It’s 190 calories, 14 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber for 2 ounces. There is also another protein pasta made with black soybeans called explore cuisine that has 25 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber I. 2 ounces.

fresh out of surgery I ended up in the ER and back in hospital with aspiration pneumonia, an acute UTI and critically low potassium. I’m pretty sure the uti was due to the catheter being in place so long after surgery. I don’t know why they kept it in to monitor my output until the day I was to be discharged. They kept telling me my chest pain was gas, I kept saying no it’s not. It wasn’t. Any liquids I sipped were being aspirated into my lungs. It was pneumonia. I just don’t get fevers like normal people do. Maybe my immunodeficiency. I don’t know. I went home to intermittent fevers. It would spike really high at night and go down by morning. My body doesn’t fight what it needs to. So then doctors don’t think I’m sick if my body doesn’t maintain a consistent fever. The ER did a chest X-ray, bloodwork etc. and admitted me. I hate hospitals. I got stuck there three days with IV potassium and antibiotics. The hard part was I could barely move. After my surgery I was basically bed bound, when the nurse tried to get me up to walk I made it to the hall and had to hurry back to bed before I passed out. Every chronic pain in my body screamed bloody murder all at once. This round in hospital wasn’t much better. I waited for tests, they kept trying to give me regular food so I wasn’t getting protein. Long story short, they did a swallow study which showed dysphasia and every time I drank thinner liquids, ie. Water, thinner shakes. It puts me at risk of aspiration. I’m still struggling to find the cause. It’s esophageal Dysphasia. So my gastroenterologist said it’s not his area, my ent said it’s not his area it’s neurological but so far the neurologist doesn’t know and is sending me to another neurologist. I had a bad reaction to the antibiotic I was sent home with. And ended up with severe oral thrush. Im getting those chest pains that extend down under my ribs again. I had a upper gi fluoroscopy and endoscopy. I was told I have a sliding hiatal hernia, Schatzki ring, ulcers, and a stoma stricture (severely narrow stoma) Nothing as of yet is resolved. I see my surgeon next month. I don’t regret fighting for the surgery. It was my last hope to fight against metabolic disorders and inability to exercise, to lose weight. It was eating me alive. I am having a hard time of things but most people even with complications do very well. For me it’s hard to separate out all my other medical issues from recovery.

An article on the subject: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Taste-Changes-Following-Bariatric-Surgery.aspx

It’s common for the surgery to cause sensory changes and alter taste and smell. I don’t think anyone really knows why. It’s probably tied to gut hormones and the nervous system. I remember reading 97% of people experiencing sensory change of one kind or another. But not always the same. Some people have heightened senses (ie things tasting overly sweet) altered senses or reduced. It’s probably seen as a tool to aid in weight loss. For me personally i lost my ability to properly taste food, long before I had surgery. My sense of taste and smell reduced/altered. Which makes me think it is hormone and nervous system. It# hard to find anything palatable. I cant say for certain but I’d think majority of patients find their senses normalize over time. Keep looking for things that you can tolerate the smell/taste of.

So much good advice here, all I can say is keep up the good fight and don’t give up. I saw a surgeon and knew it wasn’t going to happen but somehow I ended up at a good endocrinologist who referred me to a better place to go for help and after jumping through so many hoops, and so much worry ... it did finally happen. I did have help getting a letter from the endocrinologist about why I needed surgery and everything I tried for months (actually longer) to lose weight. Thankfully I had record with my primary care physician as well of my efforts, and a letter from the surgeon. Once my insurance finally had everything then out of the blue we get a call to schedule surgery. keep pushing and in time it will be surgery day.

I couldn’t tolerate purée at all so my surgeon ordered an upper gi fluoroscopy and also a endoscopy. There is a type of stricture that involves the esophagus, called a Schatzki’s ring. I had a upper gi fluoroscopy that showed a hiatal hernia, Schatzki’s ring, and a stoma stricture. It depends how small the stoma is how much balloon dilation you need (done during a upper endoscopy) my stoma was less than 3mm. the doctor should order tests to know exactly what is going on before deciding how to help you.

I think someone else also mentioned bone broth, make sure it’s a good sipping broth. A brand called kettle & fire actually makes a bone broth soup. Something with ginger and turmeric is helpful. A little bit of caffeine can help with pneumonia symptoms. So can peppermint tea or look for a tea called breathe easy (a medicinal tea) all you can really do is sip warm liquids, and get plenty of rest. It takes time.

I get my gummy vitamins from vitacost, they usually have extra percent off coupons on different brands. The prices are reasonable and it helped me find a multi without added iodine. I put items in my cart and usually they end up sending me an email with a nice coupon incentive to place my order. It helps.

I find soft boiled egg a little easier to tolerate than scrambled egg. Not quite soft boiled enough to eat with a spoon but soft enough to be easy to chew to purée consistency. (Kind of like how they make the egg for ramen) I slice in half and put a bit of sir Kensington’s mayo on top. i have crazy restrictions due to stricture. Hernia and Schatzki ring. And dysphasia. I sometimes wonder if the restrictive feeling or feeling sick after small amounts has more to do with an intolerance or allergy response. Ie. I tried to drink a shake with iodine. I barely had a few sips while doing laundry and ended up so sick I couldn’t finish my task. I’m a allergic to iodine l I shouldn’t have eggs either but they are a good soft protein source. you got a lot of good advice. If the problem persists mention it to your surgeon.

Yes i have posted about PEScience before. I like the blend of protein and it’s been easier for me to tolerate. Plus they put a lot of effort into not just the science of the protein blend they use but in getting the flavors right and tasting good. My nutritionist had recommended premier but I didn’t try it for two reasons, one it’s a milk protein concentrate and why protein concentrate (PEScience is a blend of whey protein isolate and casein) second it has added iodine and I’m allergic ... it does have 30 grams of protein in. RTD but I get 30 grams if I mix it with 6 ounces of ripple milk. This is their web site. https://pescience.com/ I haven’t ordered it directly from them yet. I buy it on vitacost.com. I’ve been shopping there for years. And I get coupons. I did end up buying some organic unsweetened edensoy soy milk in my recent order. 12 grams of protein for 8 ounces. I’m going to try mixing 4 ounces plus water in my shake. (It’s shelf stable packaging) just so I know I can have backups. I just got a new flavor white chocolate mint. They have cookies and cream at a really good price. That’s actually a good flavor. I’ve also got a big thing of peanut butter cookie. One tip is to mix it and put it in the fridge around 30 minutes and mix again and it thickens it and blends in any lumps. Sorry, you’d think I worked for the company. If you want an RTD as well I recommend labrada lean body salted caramel, and sometimes I like a plant based option, I like Koia Cinnamon horchata for that. I cant even discuss my attempt at purée I have a protein drink for breakfast every morning to at least get that 30 grams of protein.

I was maybe one day out from the hospital after surgery and ended up in the Er, turned out I had pneumonia, critically low potassium, an acute uti, plus was diagnosed with Dysphasia. I have immunodeficiency from lifelong chronic illness but was surprised how hard the surgery hit me. I had a rough time tolerating anything. try To find a protein drink you can tolerate and just sip very slowly to eventually drink it all. I still don’t get much more than 50-60 grams of protein at most and sometimes not quite 50. Just do your best. It’s ok. The first protein drink I tolerated a little better was labrada lean body in salted caramel. It’s good with 30 grams protein. Now I use PEScience protein powder.

I had comments about why I needed surgery or it didn’t look like I needed it. I think it was the pre op endoscopy and they said this and I said well I’m only 5’ I am over 200lb a BMI of 40, with metabolic disorders and can’t exercise due to disability ... it took that for them to get it. Im very uncomfortable when anyone makes the comment of oh but you look good. I didn’t do it for looks. And not for anyone else. I’m in a different position though from most, my chronic illnesses won’t go away. But my body can’t carry the burden of excess weight. For me- I feel like people saying, but you look good, is like saying well who cares if you’re sick, you look good. I don’t like that being the first thing people say. How you look. But I hate the how are you question just as much. Sometimes I just say. I’m breathing. Or something like that since they don’t want to really know. my sister doesn’t know I had surgery. She thinks my lifelong chronic illness isn’t even real. She has always hated me. I haven’t seen her or talked to her in years. I get that you just want your sister to understand the reasons why you are having surgery, and understand them too. It’s more than just superficial things but how you feel in your body. I have a hard time since I’ve got no support. My mom can’t understand, we ate nearly the same food and I gained weight while she stays around 100lb or less.

I’ve gone days with the scale saying the same weight. Then usually a drop. But This week seems the longest run, five days and it dropped by mere ounces only to go back up again this morning. I track every day and can’t seem to pinpoint anything that triggers when the drop happens or why. I struggle with metabolic disorders and insulin resistance. I track calories and protein but not carbs, I’d say it’s been very low carb though. The most sugar I get is from my gummy vitamins. It’s frustrating, and even if we know we aren’t alone in it, it’s still hard. My weight has always done this kind of stall I’m just afraid I will hit a wall at some point and not even get close to goal. Except I have split my goals in to three. The first is to no longer be considered obese ... I just feel like it wants to evade me. But maybe that’s just all my frustrations with everything I can’t control and I want one thing I can.

Have you been checked for anemia? Be sure to drink extra water. I have orthostatic intolerance prior to surgery. Although it’s a little different, they are similarly caused by blood pooling to your lower extremities when you stand but, with OH something happens in your body that interrupts the natural process of counteracting low blood pressure. I can suggest a few things that might possibly help. Ask your doctor about a different medication that might be more effective (and affordable to you) For me I get lightheaded, dizzy, vertigo, heart racing, exhausted etc. but mine is due to chronic illness (immunodeficiency) Try sipping a good bone broth. Go easy when you get up from sitting or laying down. Keep your head a bit raised up in bed. Try compression stockings. I know that altitude can contribute and higher altitude makes it worse. I hope you can find ways to improve this. There might be an underlying cause that your doctor needs to look into, like dehydration, anemia, or endocrine problems. You might want to see a endocrinologist to investigate.

Looks good, if you can find unsweetened plain Ripple milk, 6 ounces would make the total 30 grams of protein which is optimal and the maximum recommendation per meal. The total calories would be 170. I add about 2 oz of water or sometimes a little more. I like the company too, Ripple milk is also about water conservation.

I tried quite a few protein powders and RTD protein and I found PEScience had the best taste for me. The blend they use seems more palatable and digestible and it’s little to no sugar. I get it from Vitacost.com since I’ve shopped with them for years and get coupons. Every so often if I’m lucky it’s a big coupon (usually if I have stuff waiting in my cart to purchase) for RTD a good shake is Labrada LEAN body. In particular the salted caramel flavor. It was a bit costly so I’d bought it when it was bogo by the case from vitamin shoppe but for now I’m mixing my morning protein. Tip. I mix it and put it in the fridge at least 30 minutes so it thickens up and then blends more. I like the Ripple milk because it’s no sugar. I’m not sure why nutritionists push skim milk, my nutritionist suggests no more than 4 grams of sugar or maybe it was 5 but regular milk has much more. Target has a good price on ripple milk. I use 6 ounces a day so it does last almost a week. (Six days)

I used to drink almond milk but it has no nutritional value. I searched for a zero sugar milk alternative with protein and Now I use Ripple milk, it’s a plant based milk. Unsweetened regular or unsweetened vanilla have zero sugar, But the best thing if you have 8 ounces that’s 8 grams protein with no sugar. I think 8 ounces is 60 calories for unsweetened plain and 70 for unsweetened vanilla. i haven’t used that brand of protein, I think nutritionists are too stuck on 100% whey protein being best. I prefer a blend of whey and casein. I use PEScience brand. I mix one portion of PEScience, 6 ounces Ripple milk and some water for a total of 160 calories and 30 grams of protein (depends on the flavor protein powder) it comes out less than 1 gram sugar (certain flavors might be 2 grams) That’s my go to breakfast, though I mix In having a Koia shake every so often. (RTD Plant based protein)

Hot or iced The best tea in my opinion that is naturally decaf and naturally sweet is African red bush tea, aka. Rooibos or red tea. Or Hibiscus tea. If you need sweet licorice tea is good too. Also for natural energy without caffeine try yerba mate’ tea. And for a relaxing tea kava tea is good. I usually liked a nice strong Yorkshire gold tea or coffee in the evening and Rooibos for breakfast. I would also buy Luzianne hibiscus tea for making iced tea, and it’s naturally sweet but I use stevia and add some skinny girl flavor syrup (sugar free)

You definitely need to sort out your medication. Figure out what is necessary and what can or can’t be crushed as well as find out what medication is available in a liquid form. I live with chronic pain and insomnia amongst other things. I have yet to sort out how to deal with taking a beta blocker, I had to stop when my insurance wouldn’t pay for name brand. But I need it for orthostatic intolerance my BP is fine, but my heart races and skips beats. But it’s a timed release medication. After surgery I found out you can’t take any nsaids ever. Motrin at least took a bit of the edge off things. I am extremely sensitive to medication so I have to be careful what I take. The only thing that helped a little post op was i have chronic insomnia. I don’t go into slow wave sleep. I had tried prescription medication but it barely helped and I ended up in severe withdrawal when I stopped taking it. I keep it simple, diphenhydramine is safest and you can adjust your dose as needed. You can get unisom sleep melts that dissolve in your mouth. Or liquid form. Though I take a muscle relaxer (soma) that I have to crush. I take a combination of a unisom that is doxalamine succonate that I crush, and a unisom sleep melt that is diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl) does it always do much if anything? Sometimes just enough to fall asleep at some point vs not at all ... if you need help with anxiety maybe ask your doctor about Diazepam, it’s also a muscle relaxer and helps with anxiety. I need to ask my doctor about it myself since it’s supposed to come in liquid form. Anything in liquid form is best after surgery. Also the post above reminded me the anti nausea medication is Zofran. I got it after surgery in sublingual. I got totally distracted with a Brahminy blind snake that made a sudden appearance in my living room. So hopefully I said what I meant to say. Be sure to go over your medications with your primary care physician and also make sure to mention any persistent issues with your surgeon at your next post op appointment.

I’m afraid even the little things I want won’t be achieved. But I’d love to wear shorts that aren’t Long Bermuda, actually Im wearing exercise capris because my sizing is abnormal. I just want to fit normal clothes without discomfort and pain. Id love to walk by a store mirror and not feel disgusted by what I see. I’d like to be able reach my goal and have a thigh tuck so walking won’t be so uncomfortable. (Ok that’s a big one) I just want a normal size stomach too. I want to be able to wear a bathing suit with tankini top and boy shorts and not feel awkward. (Of course it would help if I wasn’t allergic to chlorine) I know I will never be comfortable in a regular swimsuit. Maybe get out of the habit of wearing long oversized men’s t-shirts. Though my clothes have always been fairly neutral denim and t-shirts. Skirts? Dresses? I can’t picture that. I have some new clothes in a bin I’d bought when I started gaining back weight. I bought one size up but It hit me so fast that they never actually fit. At the least I’d like them to fit, someday - comfortably loose and not too tight. Funny thing is I started writing this and forgot, and it was still here when this post popped up again. I cant have goals of exercising more, or doing more activities. My health won’t allow that. But just to not carry the burden if extra weight is enough. Just having the tool to get the weight off is enough. At least for a small goal. It won’t fix everything but just being able to move around easier in bed, and already feeling like I carry lead weights was made carrying extra pounds even harder ... i don’t know that I’ll ever shake seeing myself as being fat. But if I can reach even one goal it would be nice. For now my goal is to figure out the cause of some new medical problems and go from there.

I think I’m around 14 weeks out, a few sips of water and I get that taste in my mouth that I’m about to be sick. I’ve had a lot of trouble with drinking water post op. I did start having some difficulty prior to surgery with nausea and swallowing. But afterward I barely drink. I get nauseous no matter what I drink, I’m still on liquids with some soft foods every so often like BariatricPal soup with pasta since it’s easy to chew and get down. Still the nausea though. I drink a protein shake in the morning to get 30 grams protein. I take it slow and push past the incessant nausea. I don’t know that I can offer advice but shortly after I got out of hospital I started having intermittent fevers and went to the ER. Turned out to be aspiration pneumonia and that I have some form of dysphasia. All they know is it could be neurological. Which has nothing to do with my surgery (but my chronic illnesses) but there are other forms of dysphasia, or a stoma stricture that might make things difficult. I wouldn’t jump there just yet but do tell your doctor everything so he can order tests if necessary. And don’t hesitate to ask for anti nausea medication, they come in sublingual form. I do have to ask, what form is your medication? I was told no pills for a few months and even then they need to be small pills and not slow release. I was advised to crush the pills or take medication in liquid form (which is hard to get in certain medications) but definitely no pills.

If it makes you feel good, get a special outfit for your birthday. I am usually a denim Bermuda shorts and T-shirt person. So I’m not necessarily good for giving an opinion. But I ended up buying athletic bottoms (leggings?) since they fit two sizes and have some stretch. I just couldn’t afford to keep trying to find the right size. And I hate baggy clothes. Or too tight clothes. I did buy comfortable joggers on clearance from old navy just for post op. I always get things clearance or big sale if I need them and only buy ahead if it’s a really good price. I find brands that I know the fit. I bought one set in a size L that’s 14/16 and another set of Large thats 12/14. I buy men’s t-shirts because they are a little longer and looser and also more affordable to me. We don’t have good thrift stores, Burlington is pretty good for prices, as are Marshall’s, tjmaxx, Kohl’s if I get clearance or good coupons and sales, sometimes Target, occasionally old navy if it’s clearance or good sales. I don’t buy much and only as needed. I’m not a big spender, I’m more likely to buy for my mom than myself. I am not a good example since I have weird ocd habits with clothes. I do laundry every 8 days. I buy 4 bottoms for the week plus one for laundry day, and usually eight t-shirts to rotate through. I have one extra outfit in case I’m too sick to do laundry. Being disabled I can’t speak for workwear but finding bottoms with stretch that will fit longer helps.