lisafrommassachusetts

I am hoping the collective wisdom of the folks on here can help me out! A year and a half post surgery, I developed an ulcer. I have been on medication for a couple of months and doing fine. However, my bariatric vitamins are a trigger for severe back and stomach pain, which lasts up to an hour and a half and at times makes work impossible until it passes. I have tried opening the capsules, taking them with food, taking them with yoghurt, taking them later in the day, drinking water before I take them. Nothing works. I need to have a multi-vitamin with iron, so I know some discomfort is probable, but for the first year and a half I was fine! Hoping someone had a similar experience, or knows of a good multi-vitamin that is less harsh on my poor stomach.

Today I "unsubscribed" from Lane Bryant emails! Although they served me very well through the years, no more plus sizes for me. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

@ShoppGirl Thanks for the great suggestion! I am going to reach out to my nutritionist, and will ask about the patches.

Wow! What a mistake I made! I had my surgery in February of 2020, and have by and large had a successful and unremarkable experience. Recently I had to go through some significant and painful dental procedures. I have not taken any Ibuprofen (Motrin), Alleve or the like since my surgery, but my dentist prescribed it and seemed to suggest he thought it would not be a problem since I had the surgery over a year ago and had no issues. HE WAS WRONG! I blame myself, because I knew better. I took the prescription strength for a couple of days, and then switched to non prescription dose for another 5 or so days. Simultaneously I could not really eat (dental surgery), and was surviving on protein drinks, pudding and mashed potatoes basically. My stomach was not feeling great, but overall ok. Then I started getting some burning and pain in my stomach, radiating into my back and shoulder. These episodes would last a half hour to an hour and then pass. I of course stopped the ibuprofen, and googled stomach lining irritation. I went on a bland diet, and was using mylanta and tums. I thought it was getting better. I WAS WRONG! I had a major attack, and was on the floor of the bathroom, vomiting bile and with severe diarrhea. My blood pressure dropped to the point I could not even sit on the toilet, but had to curl up on the floor while being this sick. I was this acutely ill for over an hour. Foolishly (ok, everything I did in this story was foolish, so continuing my bad choices...) I would not let my husband call an ambulance nor would I go to an urgent care facility because "what can they do? It's a stomach bug). Finally spoke with my PCP's office, who had me call my surgeon's office. They diagnosed an ulcer and started me on 2 medications, one for the symptoms and one to heal my stomach. It could take months to heal. I am on a bland diet, no coffee, alcohol, spicy foods, etc. It has been a week and I have not had any other attacks. I was an IDIOT, but also got lucky that it had not progressed to where it was bleeding or worse. Non WLS practitioners do not understand what really happens with WLS. If you have had the sleeve, and MUST use N-saids for any purpose, talk with your surgeon's office; they can prescribe a course of treatment to minimize the impact on your stomach. I don't know about bi-pass. I have been advised to never use them again at this point due to the damage already done.

Can I just tell you how powerful I find what you wrote here? That is exactly how I feel, when I am on top of this thing, and not being crazy about food and all of that. I am so grateful for the surgery, and grateful for the healthier, stronger, happier me. One reason why I don't come to this site too often is because of the dogmatic and/or shaming stuff. Like people who claim to have only eaten 400 calories a day for 6 months, and shame people who don't, or who go nuts if someone asks if post surgery people can tolerate an occasional piece of bacon or movie theater popcorn, or respond to someone who admits to struggling or (gasp!) falling off the wagon by becoming some sort of weird bariatric drill sergeant. I know that shaming, cajoling, and extreme deprivation have NEVER worked for me, and I literally cringe when I see some of that stuff on here. And I also know that the food hormones come back, and yes, I am actually hungry! And I most definitely do need 1000 calories a day; I regularly eat 12 to 1400 calories a day and I am still losing weight, albeit slowly. (I also have a thyroid disorder which has impacted the speed of my weight loss). I am one year out, 90 pounds thinner, and still at a "fat" BMI (28); I am 62 years old, and I am not going to be entering any bathing suit competitions! I make mostly healthy food choices, I walk a lot because I like it and it is good for my mental health, and one of the things I really miss is drinking a beer. Of course....that may just be head thirst

I am one year out today! I've lost 90 pounds, and I don't think I am done. I feel so much better! I actually have Covid right now, but it is a very mild case, thankfully. I hope that I will be back exercising next week. I will post a before and after picture one of these days! Hope you all are doing well!

@Loz77 I am so sorry you have had such a rough go of it! I hope your situation stabilizes soon

Way to go!

I am so impressed with your honesty! I think it will help many people as they get ready for this major change. I am almost a year out, and I find I have to work hard every day to not fall into my old eating habits. I know by now some of these habits should be second nature, but I have 60 + years of bad habits to break. A couple of things that have helped me: I try to always have an easy protein, that I like the taste of, on hand, so when I need to eat something it is not horrible! The key for me is to have it taste good! For me those proteins include: Rotisserie Chicken Salad, Hard Boiled Egg with a little salt, Siggi Yoghurt, Kibo chips and an OZ. of cheddar cheese. I also have found a herbal tea or 2 that I look forward to with some fake sugar (I use Stevia because I can't stand the taste of most of the others). I have a large mug (24 oz.) and I make tea every morning and sip on it until it is gone. That has really helped me regulate my mealtimes while I am working remotely every day! Finally, I took the advice of many and find a reason to move every hour, even if it is a 5 minute walk in the neighborhood or even around my house if it is raining! That way your metabolism remembers we aren't in a coma! lol. When I am on work calls I pace around the house, which confuses my dogs and annoys my family, but it keeps me moving. I am lucky because I love to hike, something I had given up on when I was heavier. If there is an activity you enjoy, even if it dancing to one song on the radio, or doing some calisthenics for 5 minutes, or walking in place during tv commercials, it will help up your metabolism and improve your mood. Before WLS, by a couple of years, my lifelong problems with anxiety, which I always wrote off to work stress, or just general irritability, got diagnosed. I take an anti-depressant with an anti-anxiety component, and after a couple of months on it I felt like a new person! Not for everyone, of course, but mental health care is HEALTH CARE. Good luck to you! I hope you find a good counsellor who understands disordered eating, and who understands WLS.

I am 10 months out and find I need to have quick, easy high protein meals about. I like to cook, so I will do more involved stuff on the week-ends, but here are a few go-to items for me: 1. Frozen Turkey Meatballs (with a red sauce, with canned beef gravy, with mozzarella on a bed of lettuce) 2. Bag of frozen shrimp (shrimp salad for lunch with a bag of kibo high protein chips, on a salad, with cocktail sauce as a snack, with turkey sausage, cauliflower rice and cajun spice for "jambalaya"). 3. Make ahead ground turkey with LOTs of taco seasoning...night I make it we have tacos for dinner (I have the kibo chips, family has taco shells) then for a couple of lunches I have shredded lettuce, corn and taco meat 4. Turkey sausage chili with red beans and TONS of veggies and extra chili seasoning; great for these winter evenings, and I have it for lunches all week; I use Sargento 4 cheese Mexican shredded cheese with this 5. Beef barley soup; I make it on the week-end and have it all week. Delicious and filling. 6. I keep kirkland Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough protein bars on hand for when I'm craving sweet 7. Siggi Yogurt -- I love the kind with Almond Butter as an add-in; they can be hard to find so I'll have Vanilla Siggi and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Almond or Sunflower butter. Delicious and high in protein.

@mchldck I have also been stalled for weeks. I had a tele-doc appointment today, and the PA said around 10 months out there is often a stall, although this started at 8 months. He also said after the rapid weight loss (I have lost 80 pounds) it is normal for your body to slow down. I asked him if it meant I was done, and he said emphatically "no", unless I fall off the good practices I have been (mostly😏) following. He said it may go to 2 to 3 pounds a month, which will feel unbearably slow, but to keep with it. I have 20 pounds to goal, and he reminded me that OVER shooting goal is a good thing, since most people put back on 10 pounds or so. Honestly, if I am done now I would be ok with it, but I also know I am eating low enough calories and carbs that I should still be losing weight, so I'm going to try to stick to plan and see where it goes. But it is discouraging when that scale doesn't budge, or bounces back and forth at the same weight range.

I am so sorry you're going through this... hopefully you're household members will recover soon and you'll remain covid free. What a scary situation. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

2020 holidays are going to be very different! I usually host 25 to 30 people; We did a backyard brunch with 12 people back in mid-October so we could see some of the extended family that usually comes knowing we would not be able to host during Covid. We will be 5 people; me, my husband, my two adult kids and my son-in-law. My daughter and her husband are moving back to NYC December 1 (they rented an Airbnb near us for the last 4 months) so we won't see them again until spring I bet. I decided to order Thanksgiving for 6 people from a local restaurant; my daughter is vegetarian and they are a vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurant. The meal includes a turkey breast and a bunch of yummy sides including vegan butternut squash macaroni and cheese, whatever that is! lol. Our Christmas will be only 3 of us, my adult son and my husband and I. We usually host 18 people for Christmas! We are using Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving as "fake Christmas season"; getting our tree, decorating the house, watching Muppets Christmas Carol (our family tradition), opening one little present each and having our traditional Christmas pancakes on Sunday morning. My daughter and SIL just bought a house, so their real present from us was some household stuff, delivered to their new house, and my son is moving into a new apartment March 1st, so we are getting him a new bed. We agreed that we would like a donation in the families name to our local foodbank as our present from the kids this year. (and grandkids, we want grandkids, but no commitment there....). Christmas Day I am sure will feel pretty isolated. We are doing an extended family zoom with all my brothers and their respective spouses/partners, my nieces and nephews, and the grand nieces and nephews. That many people on Zoom is very chaotic, but we are going to sing "The 12 days of christmas" (everyone has an assigned day) and Silent Night, as we usually sing carols when we are together. (we are almost all terrible singers, btw). I am about to go fully remote, again. I am missing my friends, missing my family, my colleagues, and I feel scared and overwhelmed at times. I am actively trying to focus on gratitude, staying in the moment, and appreciating the connections I have with so many dear people, albeit in a new form. I am also trying to get outside for walks as much as I can, and have invested in a warm and waterproof pair of walking/hiking boots and bought some thermal under things in my new size. Chasing the endorphins and Vitamin D. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! I'd love to hear how other folks are planning for this year, both from a food, health and mental health perspective.

@Deb9386that's a NSV to really be proud of! Hooray For you and your health!!!

@DenverGirl88 good luck with your recovery! I agree, we are all so different. Whatever works! Your process sounds very healthy and sustainable.

Good to hear from you @Lily66! I read about some folks who are only eating 600 or 800 calories after this long and I am amazed. I am losing slowly (very slowly) but mostly steadily. I feel so much better, I am wearing size 12 to 14, and my daughter jokes I have Benjamin Button disease. I have not returned to the gym since surgery (Covid), but I really, really need to do some weights. I own weights (2 lb and 3 lb); I bought resistance bands thinking I'd like them better, I have downloaded an 8 minute work out, and a 12 minute one...I have done everything but actually DO THE DAMN EXERCISES! lol. But with winter coming fast I need to get my heart into it. You sound like you are in a great place. I'm with you, if it stops here I am beyond grateful. I'm eating healthy, and keeping my protein high. I have also enjoyed a glass of wine on a few nights by the fire! Life is good, all in all, except for the whole 2020 being the worst year ever. Continued good luck to you!

I like Siggis brand. High protein and low carb. Not full of fake sweeteners. I like vanilla and cinnamon the best Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'll chime in and say get rid of them! I live in a hundred year old house with miniscule closets....so I have never really kept things piled up do to lack of room. I donated all my professional clothes and some formal wear to Dress for Success, and the rest to Goodwill. I have been aggressively shopping on line for a few key pieces at deep discounts to get through these stages...Thank goodness everything is on Zoom and I don't need to buy full suits. I have been pleasantly surprised by some great bargains on Evan Picone and Liz Clairborne at JC Penney on-line; I have gotten a couple of fully lined blazers for less than $30.00 each. I've bought some leggings and stretch jeans with some cute but inexpensive sweaters for casual. I'll invest in good clothes again when I stop losing weight, which I am hoping is a ways from now! Right now black leggings, black or white tank and a blazer or cardigan are my work uniform!

Congratulations! You look great! What has been the biggest benefit so far? Favorite "go to" meal or snack? Best NSV?

Good luck! At my program (brigham & women in Boston) there is a private Facebook group. Your program may have something similar. Ask your nutritionist if they offer an online support group. There are several hospitals around me that do bariatric surgery. If that is true for you, contact them about online support. I have found this forum helpful, and there are several posters who have consistently offered a great, non judgemental perspective, such as@catwoman7 and @ somerset. I can mostly ignore the obnoxious ones, but I'm an older curmudgeonly woman..[emoji846]. once in awhile the food shaming or conduct shaming gets to me but i try not to engage. I agree "tough love " is often used to justify being a jerk. Hang in there, the results for most of us are worth it! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome and Good Luck! I had my surgery in February; I am 61. I have lost a little over 70 pounds so far, and it is an unequivocal joy to me. I have been walking with my husband through the woods and on many trails; I am feeling so much younger and have so much more energy; I am enjoying buying clothes for the first time in years. I was very lucky in so far as my overall health before the surgery, in spite of obesity and yo-yo dieting, but I honestly did not know how TIRED I was from lugging around so much extra weight. Here is a list of things I don't dread anymore: stairs, booths, airplane seats (if we can ever fly again), walking around the block, tying my shoes! My knees ache less, my back aches less, I am wearing high heel boots occasionally, my resting heart rate is at 52. My husband, who is my biggest supporter and fan, jokes that he does not have to do the laundry anymore, because carrying the baskets from the 2nd floor to the basement is easy for me now! Go for it, you won't regret it.

Hang in there, the first few weeks are challenging! I have always hated the taste of artificial sweeteners, but find Stevia and Monk fruit a little easier to take. For protein drinks I used Iconic Protein; I like the chocolate truffle flavor. I also used the Iconic Protein powder with Fairlife milk, 1%, which gives you quite a protein punch. I also loved chicken bone broth; Swanson's makes a grab and go cup which I brought to work. Various teas helped me, including ginger with a little stevia, and Egyptian Licorice, which has a strong taste, and I liked that iced. Sugar free popsicles were also a staple for me during that first stage. Once you move into Phases 2 and 3 it gets a bit easier; Plus once the exhaustion of the surgery passes it is easier to get up and do something (even just a bit of a walk) which takes your mind off when you can eat next! I also like the sugar free Jello pudding, especially Pistachio, and don't find the artificial flavoring as strong in that as in some other things. Again, if you make it with the Fairlife Milk you get extra protein. Yogurt is also your friend! I eat Siggi's Icelandic Yogurt; low carbs and high protein. Good luck!

@Xx1jpt5xxI have been actually hungry for the last couple of days. Not head hunger, actual hunger. I have been upping the physical activity, but I have been walking 4 to 6 miles per day for months; now I am doing more stairs and hills but I'm not climbing the Alps! I think I need to watch the carbs; I have probably been eating too much fruit since we have local peaches and apples right now and I love them both at this time of the year. My calories are between 1000 and 1200 per day, so I would think I will still lose weight at this calorie level with my activity level, but then again I am nearly 62, with mid-level thyroid disease and a bum knee, so who knows. I'd like to lose another 25 pounds. Your weight loss is amazing! How are you feeling? What is the best thing about this journey so far?

For most people the cravings lessen as your body rids itself of the remaining hunger hormones...but head hunger is our "friend" for a long time! Please listen to the folks who have emphasized how dangerous eating anything solid, never mind pizza, so early is. When I went to phase 2 I had some ricotta bake, if you search on here you will find the recipe, it tasted like the best Italian food in the world to me at the time. Hang in there, it gets better and easier and you will taste food you love again!

I just ignore their recommendations. I also ignore the calories burned through exercise, it syncs with my fitbit. It's fun to see, but I don't eat any more or less based on it. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app