Arabesque

I’ve read of people fainting with their orthostatic hypotension post surgery but it does usually only occur a few times & then resolves itself. A few of us have persistent low blood pressure but I know I always had a tendency & it is a genetic thing in my mother’s family. Is there a history of low blood pressure in your family at all? At my higher weight my BP sat at 120/80 with random drops. So my obesity kept my BP in the normal range. Now, at a much lower weight it’s always low & I live with it without issue - just know what to do to manage mine when it happens. Have never fainted though. I have a slow heart rate too but my doctor isn’t too concerned. Not slow enough I believe to consider bradycardia. I recall someone posting here they had to get a pacemaker too but can’t recall who either. Will be interested to hear what your cardiologist says.

I agree with the others. Speak with your surgeon & dietician & see what your blood tests show is lacking. Of course this may change as you progress & are eating more & a wider variety of food. I have not taken a vitamin since 8 months post surgery because I get all I need from what I eat. (Though I do take Vit D in winter when my levels drop - too cold to go outside t get some sun 😉.)

A bypass is usually revised to a sleeve if the bypass fails: weight gain, unmanageable vitamin malabsorption issues, excessive dumping complications,... Much like a sleeve can be revised to bypass because of weight gain, GERD, etc, As others have said, any weight loss surgery can fail if you don't make permanent changes to how, what & why you eat. Post surgical benefits like loss of appetite & your restriction don’t last. They should help you to kick start your weight loss & give you time to assess your eating & establish new eating habits. Sounds like you relied on the side effects of your bypass to influence what you ate. I’d expect your bypass would have failed sooner if you didn’t experience dumping (50-60% don’t with bypass). You mentioned your tummy has stretched. It does because it is a muscle & stretches & contracts. Can’t believe any doctor would say it can’t. Consistently eating larger portions will cause it to stretch more & contract less. But is your tummy as large as it was before you had either surgery or about the size of someone who never had a weight issue? The success you have with either surgery is dependent upon you, with consideration of any complications you may have of course. We all have our reasons for choosing the surgery we did & the effort we put in to make changes are reflected in the success we have or didn’t have. Excluding the life changes that can sometimes sabotage our intentions. I chose sleeve because of the lower risk of malabsorption & dumping. I lost all my weight & more. I don’t eat like friends & family who carry weight. I don’t eat exactly like friends & family who never carried weight either. I have to work a little harder & listen more carefully to my body (what it needs, how it reacts, etc.) because it’s easier for me to gain weight. I’m sorry you are unhappy with your revision.

I only received blood thinners for 24 hrs after surgery & no more so much like @catwoman7 & @SpartanMaker. Just told to walk: little & often & I had to wear compression tight/leggings for a week. But the length of time you are prescribed blood thinners post surgery would be strongly influenced by your specific situation & needs. If you can’t contact your surgeon, maybe speak with your GP. And maybe get some compression tights/leggings if you haven’t any.

I can’t speak from experience & not from the challenges you face but there are small things you can do. Not at first of course, but you may be able to introduce low carb, high protein option swaps like the vegetable pastas, breads, wraps, tortillas, etc. Once you put the sauce on the pasta, the fillings in the breads, etc. there isn’t a lot of taste difference. There are also meals you can make where you eat the parts you can & the family have sides they enjoy separately. Like you have the mince sauce alone while your family has the full spaghetti bolognese. Or you have the meat fillings from tacos but not the shells (you can use lettuce as shells). A friend used to make large pots of soup but she’d take her serves out before adding what she couldn’t eat like before adding noodles in chicken noodle soup. She told me she never made separate meals for her family but she doesn’t have the same considerations you do. Just go through your family favourite recipes & see how you can modify them & keep everyone happy. Batch batch cooking can be your best friend. Make double the meal & freeze half so on nights you’re tempted to seek convenience foods, you have a family meal on the freezer. Or freeze extra individual serves for yourself to have on nights you can’t eat what your family wants. I love my freezer - it’s filled with many meal options. I sometimes call it my takeaway - defrost & a meal in a few minutes with help from the microwave. Quicker than the local takeaway or home delivery. This is also something to talk through with your dietician. They should be able to offer some suggestions to help modify your family meals without adding too much more to your work load. I taught for many years, I know a couple of families who were able to make some progress with managing their children with behavioural issues through dietary adjustments like less sugar, fewer high processed foods, etc. Of course they went through a lot of anguish during the transition but it was worthwhile. Of course it may be something you have explored already & it doesn’t work for everyone, I don’t know your specific situation or your child’s needs & it might be too much for you to consider or deal with currently. It was just a thought. All the best.

Exactly as everyone has said. If you are feel tired & low on energy, remember this also is your body telling you it needs to rest to recover from what has been a pretty major surgery. Listen to it. Nothing wrong with a nap or just lying on the couch for a while. In time you’ll even wish you still had an excuse to have a nap. If you have a few chores to do, are going to undertake some activity, going out, etc. try sipping an electrolyte drink to give you a little boost of energy. Hydralyte was my go to. I’d mix up 500ml (diluted as it was sweet) & take it work to sip during the afternoon when I’d always slump.

The gas they pump into you during surgery fills the cavity around your organs & not so much into your tummy so most is not passed by farting or burping. Apparently most gets absorbed into the water in your blood & is eventually breathed out. The more you move the more that gas moves & moving helps it escape faster. But, as it often gets trapped under the diaphragm which causes the discomfort & shoulder pain, it hurts more when you move. It’s not uncommon to experience gas pain for a good week after your surgery (I did after my gall removal). But if it persist without improving or gets worse contact your surgeon.

First it will take a lot of concentrated effort over a long period of time, eating huge amounts of food to stretch your tummy out again. You do need to be careful of portion sizes while you are healing so you don’t put too much stress on your tummy & the stitches, & staples holding it together. Though there are similarities in plans, there are also lots of differences plus there are also your individual needs to be considered (vegetarian, allergies, etc.). Which is why your surgeon &/or dietician should have provided you with the post surgical diet listing what foods you can eat when they want you to follow. They should also provide you with goals & recommendations around fluid, protein & sometimes also calories & macros. They should also advise on portion sizes. If they haven’t ask for them - they are supposed to be there to support you through this. As an example of differences, I was only given fluid, protein & portion size recommendations: 2L fluid, 60g protein, 1/4 - 1/3 cup food from purée. Some are advised more protein. Some are given caloric goals along the way like to aim for 1200 calories within a couple of months (I barely hit 900 at 6 months). There are differences in plan lengths, the stages & even the food. Once through the immediate post surgical stages & on solid foods, talk to your dietician about different eating plans you could follow while losing & would easily translate into maintenance as well. Best advice is: don't do more than you are able to do & don’t do more than you are advised to do just because you can. If you can’t eat something on your list or eat all your portion that’s okay. Eating more than your recommended portion or eating food not on your recommended list for each of the eating plan stages until you are at that stage is not the best decision.

I think the hormonal fluctuations are contributing a lot to how you are feeling. Tears, anger, frustration,… you can run the whole gamut. Things you would usually be able to handle with little or no issue, like the change of diet & re learning how to eat & what you can tolerate while you are healing, become all too much. It does get easier.

I agree, see your doctor. It seems too long to be related to your surgery. You may have developed IBS.

I had mine removed 2yrs after but there won’t be additional changes to your post surgical bariatric diet by having it removed at the same time. After I had mine removed I was back to my usual eating plan the next day. There won’t be additional wounds either as they use the same ones to remove your tummy as your gall. The post surgical discomfort was much the same between the surgeries except I had gas pain after the gall surgery & none after my sleeve. Generally, you may have a little more discomfort & gas pain simply because the surgery will be a little longer & there’s more ‘prodding & poking’ than just with the sleeve alone. The only thing you may notice after your gall removal is you may not tolerate fatty or oily foods long term but that won’t be an issue post surgery anyway with the changes to your diet to support your weight loss. I also get a build up of stomach acid as the gall isn’t there to regulate it anymore but then you’ll be prescribed a PPI (reduces acid) after your surgery anyway. Good luck with your surgery.

Yes, it’s pretty normal. Your healing & recovering from a pretty major surgery & feeling tired is yiur body telling you to rest to allow it to heal. Plus you’ve made considerable changes to your diet which takes a bit of getting used to as well. If you feel tired, rest. Don’t push yourself to do more. It does get better though you may still experience periods of tiredness at times. Try an electrolyte drink (I used hydralyte) to give you a little boost of energy on days when you have a few chores to do. Take some with you when you’re out or stop at a cafe and rest over a cup of tea. I did this often.

I strained all the soups I ate, even the cream ones, to ensure there weren’t any random bits of meat, vegetables or herbs. Use a fine mesh one. I liked cream of chicken soups best or would stain the noodles out of chicken & noodle ones.

Dr Matthew Weiner posted about alcohol after surgery on instagram today.

Try protein water if your taste buds are messing with you. I found most things were too sweet or too salty. I didn’t have a clear liquids stage only liquids so I could have cream soups instead of the too salty broths. And I diluted the shakes (doubled the water) to reduce the sweetness. I actually took advantage of the too sweet taste & killed my desire for anything ‘sweet’ for the long term by not introducing it back into my eating. How many more days are you on clear liquids? Maybe give your team a call to see if you can add non clear liquids earlier? Then you can add cream soups, milk, drinking yoghurt, etc. Better to do this than do the chew & spit which is really just a doorway back to bad eating habits. Are you sure you’re really hungry? While some don’t lose their hunger most do. If you are wanting to eat a specific food, taste or texture that’s head hunger. Real hunger feels different: no craving, no associated emotions (like frustration, anger, boredom, sadness), etc. You’ve been through & are going through a lot so it’s understandable to want something you used to enjoy & made you feel better. All the best.

Was over 50, lived alone, no children & wasn’t working at the time & I managed fine alone. Had a friend drop me off & pick me up from the hospital. She txt everyday to check on me as did another friend & my mum. They were the only ones I had told at the time. My neighbours knew I had surgery as I’d asked if they would mind taking out my bin for collection. They also offered to get anything I needed from the store. Honestly, I enjoyed just pottering around my house doing what I needed when I wanted &/or was up to doing it after the surgery. No demands or expectations from any one else. I spent a lot of time resting on my couch reading a bit, watching a bit of tv & dozing. I made sure I had everything I needed for the first two weeks post surgery before my operation: variety of shakes, broths & soups, hydralyte or similar electrolyte drink, over the counter meds (non NSAID pain relief, gasX, immodium, Benefibre, etc.). & so on. Some surgeons give you your scripts before your surgery so get them filled too. (I got mine while at the hospital & they filled them there before I was discharged.) Might be an opportunity to knock on a neighbour’s door & introduce yourself. I did when I moved into my new home. Both sides had children & one couple worked while the other didn’t. You don’t have to become best friends but it’s nice to have someone next door who is there if needed. We often do each other’s bins, collect mail, have a chat over the fence, keep an eye on each other’s places if we’re away & even the odd glass of wine or cup of tea.

You move & the gas moves. It’s just trying to escape your body. You can help it along by not only walking but marching on the spot & doing arm & leg lifts (carefully of course) & breathing deeply.

Ok, breath. Sounds a pretty common story so far from what you shared. You’ve lost weight (yay!) & you’ve experienced your first stall. You sound like you’re doing okay really. You didn’t say how much you’ve lost but while there are average rates of loss, some lose more rapidly, others more slowly. Age, amount you have to lose, starting weight, general health, how your body reacts, etc. will influence your rate of loss. And that’s fine. Weight loss is never a straight evenly paced downward line. It goes up & down, zigs & zags, plateaus., … As long as your general trend is downwards you’re doing great. Almost every single person experiences at least one stall. The first usually occurs around week 3 +/-. They usually last one to three weeks. They can be frustrating but are just your body taking a time out to come to terms with the changes (surgery, change of diet, weight loss, etc.) Just like you experience & react to emotional stress (like your current frustration), a stall is a physical reaction to the stress you’re physically experiencing.

Have you spoken to your surgeon? By now you should be able to eat a lot more than a couple of spoonfuls & a wide variety of foods & not feeling nauseous or throwing up (unless you eat something too dry, too coarse or eat too much or too fast of course). Personally I never had another shake after the liquid stage though I did find a good high protein yoghurt to boost my protein each day. I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating either for more than a year (wish I was still like that now though 😁). I used to eat to a schedule to ensure I got my protein & nutrients in every day (still do actually most days). Should stress that I didn’t worry too much if I didn’t eat all my portion if I didn’t want it. Even now, on days I’m not overly hungry, I’ll eat a lighter meal like a tub of yoghurt for lunch & not a heavier meat based dish. Are you doing any activity to compensate for muscle loss? I’m not an exercise/gym person but do use resistance bands & do stretches every day. The bands are great for toning muscles without adding bulk.

All that excess oestrogen stored in your fat cells is released into your blood stream as you lose weight. Longer/shorter, heavier/lighter, more/less frequent cycles, more or fewer PMT symptoms can happen. For about a year all my menopausal symptoms disappeared … they all came back though unfortunately. You can also become more fertile so be careful. Many surgeons recommend doubling down on contraceptives while you are losing.

It wasn’t a problem for me except in hospital after the surgery when I had a terrible diarrhoea experience but a lot of that was influenced by excess stomach acid, the extra strong laxatives they kept giving me & some blood etc. from the surgery itself. You may notice the opposite - generally less farting & less smell (except when constipated or after taking a stool softener or laxative ☹️). Less sugar, fewer carbs, fewer/no carbonated drinks & general change of diet & eating habits help …well it did for me quite dramatically. If it does worry you, you could try that personal stop poop smell spray - can’t remember the name of it (poo pourri??). Don’t know if it works.

Yeah, that’s your body telling you to stick with the purées until you can officially start soft foods. While it’s fine to go back a stage, it’s never okay to move forward a stage without your surgeon’s go ahead. We all need time to heal. Try thinning out the purées a little more & see if that helps. Personally I found a lot of things I puréed pretty awful to eat but it was more taste than texture. Thank goodness for milky instant rolled oats, cream soups, thin scrambled eggs & yoghurt. I even ate baby food a couple of times for variety. A friend told me she loved puréeing poached chicken in lots of chicken gravy though she told me after I finished purées - lol!

Oh how awful. But I do understand about that ‘i can probably do that without issue now’ or ‘just a little bit will be fine’ thinking. Last night I ate a large bite of steak & vegetables & within a couple of minutes there was my restriction, the foamies & up came that bite. No, I can’t take large bites. No I can’t mix my protein with vegetables in a single bite (except with soup when everything is soft & mushy). Nothing like an unpleasant experience to reinforce a learning. 😁

Ok, breath. You just had a pretty major surgery. You’re going through a lot of physical, psychological & emotional changes & it takes time to sort them all out & work out what you’re doing. So feeling a little anxious is quite common. Yes, you can add additional protein powder to your shakes. You can add it to soups & broths too. Walking is the best exercise to begin as it doesn’t strain or overly tax your healing & recovering body. Remember you should limit your lifting, pulling, & reaching fir a few weeks while healing. Plus it helps with avoiding clots & with getting rid of any lingering surgical gas. Some activity is good but listen to your body as to how much you can do. Start with around your house inside &/or out a few times a day. Yes, you can go outside. (Funny they think fresh air is bad but they wander around your house with cigarette smoke over their clothes, in their hair & on their skin.) You don’t have any open wounds. The wounds are quite small usually each less than inch long & they’re covered anyway. Yes, bruising, swelling, tenderness, etc. around the wound sites is common. If it persists or gets worse contact your surgeon. Some people do have more discomfort after surgery & have trouble getting up & down to begin. Think of all the abdominal muscles that got poked, prodded & stretched (the gas alone stretches your tummy out) during the surgery. Some say sleeping in a recliner or propped up in bed helps. Others say binders help support the abdominal region. Sugar free popsicles contain artificial sweeteners which continue to feed your desire for sweet plus some can cause side effects like bloating, diarrhoea, etc. Water, shakes, soups/broths, herbal or green teas, milk, yoghurt drinks, etc. all contribute to your fluid intake. Mix it up for variety. Does your family really need to be there? I live alone & looked after myself without any issues after my both my sleeve & gall removal surgeries. Maybe it’s time to say thank you but I can manage okay alone now but I’ll call if I need help with anything.

Have you raised this with your doctor? If you can rule out the likely culprits like ketosis & dietary changes (like eating more spicy foods), there may be an underlying cause like hormonal changes, a bacterial issue, etc. which your doctor can identify.