kc892020

Totally common. What worked for me was Miralax to "get things going" then switching to sugar free fiber gummies. I can't remember who makes them, but for whatever reason, they seemed to do the trick. Good luck!

This may sound a bit too personal, but I was wondering if anyone post-op would be willing to share their experiences with birth control? I'm nervous because in the past when I was taking the pill for acne, I gained A LOT of weight. Looking back, I'm pretty convinced it set the spark for my past obesity. I'm dead serious. So...yeah. I definitely don't trust that. But I know there's a lot of other options these days. I've never had to consider birth control for actual birth control until recently, so I thought I'd ask for other's thoughts on the subject. I know this can be a sensitive topic, so I really appreciate anyone who is willing to share their experiences. I've come far on this journey and the last thing I want to do is worry about weight regain from my method of pregnancy prevention.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to ask if anyone ever heard of and/or had a procedure called "cool sculpting" done instead of traditional plastics? According to my doctor, I might not be a good candidate for traditional, invasive plastics because of all the surgeries I've had on my reproductive organs (long story). He suggested looking into cool sculpting instead. If anyone has had this done, did you like the results? Were you satisfied? I'm not super self-conscious about my "pooch," but it would be nice to "even/smooth" things out. Thank you for your help!

Finding triggers is definitely the key. Tools also help as well. For me, I purchased the bowl and plate with all the measurements on them. Words cannot express how much they help keep me on track! I also heard of people doing "pouch resets" to regain their stopping points. I would suggest meeting with your bariatric nutritionist to discuss how to go about this if you feel the issue is no longer feeling full as quickly when you eat. If the issue is fighting temptation with forbidden foods, try looking up bariatric friendly substitutes or recipes. I've found that to be a God send. There's literally a healthy, bariatric-friendly version of every bad food out there! All it takes is a little research and recipe planning. If you're ever interested in swapping recipes or product ideas, let me know. Good luck to you! You've got this!

Hey everyone! Uff, what a crazy few months! So, even though I'm not in a relationship, it turns out I have to go on BC anyways because...tragedy struck. I'm down to only half of an ovary! I suffered TWO ovarian torsions due to enlarged, hemorrhagic cysts. I lost my right ovary completely (it died and had to be surgically removed) and the remaining half of an ovary, while it was able to be saved, had to be repositioned and reconstructed. So, needless to say, I have to take some kind of BC to control the cyst growth if I don't want to end up in premature surgical menopause. I'm only 31 so I definitely don't want that! Anyways, after trying the hormonal IUD and HATING it (TERRIBLE pain, excessive bleeding, etc), my gyno suggested a low-dose BC pill that instead of taking orally, I take vaginally. Apparently, this is something that women do if they want to help bypass the side-effects of the Pill. It's only suggested for cyst prevention however, as this method isn't super effective for preventing pregnancy. Thank you all once again for all of your input!

Hello everyone, So, since we're no longer allowed to take NSAIDs, what has helped you with menstrual cramps? Mine are so bad I'm getting nauseous. They hurt like bleeping hell! In the past, I'd take Pamprin or Advil and everything would be fine, but now I can't and Extra Strength Tylenol just isn't cutting it. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Hello to everyone and a very big thank you to all of you for taking the time to respond. Unfortunately, the guy I was seeing broke it off with me and I never had to worry about bc in the first place (sorry if TMI). It was a pretty upsetting breakup. But at least thanks to all of your input, I have some ideas for the future, if anyone special ever does come along.

Thanks! I contacted my surgeon and he basically said the same thing. I'm just afraid that I'll become dependent on them for the cramps like I was before surgery. 😕 The only other advice they told me was Tylenol.

Thanks! I've never heard of those before, will definitely look into them!

Tylenol is acceptable. Unfortunately, it just doesn't do the trick all the time. A heating pad seems to be the biggest relief so far. Thank you for the tip!

The Celebrate and Nectar brands agreed with me the best when I was on the shakes. They tasted amazing and went down very easily. BariatricPal also makes their own brand of shakes and they are VERY good. The cinnamon roll flavored one literally tastes like a blended Cinnabon. Dead serious. Good luck!

I was told by my nutritionist to check out the Great Low Carb Bread Co. Wow am I glad I did! They make it all-breads, pastas, rice...whatever you want. There's no risk of dumping or weight gain. Just stick with a serving and you'll be good. It's all about portion-control when it comes to anything with our new lifestyle. I was sharing in another post on here that the other night, I mastered the art of "bariatric friendly mac and cheese" and tbh I couldn't be happier. In addition to that company, there's a whole slew of low carb and carb-free brands of pastas, breads, etc to try. I've tried several and while pricey, they're definitely worth it if you need that occasional "pasta fix." FYI if you're wondering about sauce, Ragu and Prego both make no sugar added sauces that are quite good! Good luck!

HealthWise is an excellent brand for microwaveable meals. The only downside is they're not sold in stores and have to be ordered online. I find I can eat their pasta-based dishes without worrying about weight gain or dumping. Their lasagna is especially delicious. As a side note if you ever do have a hankering for pasta though, I highly recommend you try out the Great Low Carb Bread Co. I mastered bariatric-friendly macaroni and cheese thanks to their macaroni and am more than pleased! Unfortunately, a lot of what we can eat as far as "quick fixes" just aren't sold in stores and/or are hard to find. It sucks. 😕

Hello fellow ladies! I'm sure this topic has been covered A LOT on this forum, but I thought I'd post anyways. So, I'm 31 years old and have never been physically intimate with anyone before in my life. I've certainly done my sharing of dating, but in the past, it seems men were either only interested in me because I was heavy or they lost interest fast because I was heavy. I couldn't win, so naturally, I never ended up in a relationship and physical intimacy never happened. Anyways, I've been seeing someone, and (dare I say?) it is actually going amazing and is starting to get pretty serious. However, I have my...concerns. Although I'm happy and am starting to think this guy might be "the one," the trouble is, I'm TERRIFIED of getting naked with him. The only people who have ever seen me naked were myself and my gyno. What is he going to think when he sees my...pooch (it looks like that's what most people on here call it, personally, I call it my "squish")? He knows I've had gastric bypass and says I'm sexy and my "squish" won't bother him. But I don't know. I'm still scared! What if when he sees me, he changes his mind and disaster strikes? I could be overthinking this, but I think it's only natural to feel this way if a person's never been in the situation before. Does anyone have any tips for building confidence? For those who have been there before, what helped you? Was your partner critical or accepting? Thank you for your help!

Brown rice was on my "approved foods list," but I still couldn't tolerate it. I dumped SO HARD after just two small bites! Everyone's system/body is different, and many people can tolerate it well. But some, like myself, can't. It's always scary when introducing/reintroducing new foods, so keep the bites small. Good luck!

Try sugar-free items to kill the cravings. This site's store has A LOT of options for "fake treats," IE, treats that are both pre-portioned and don't contain sugar or anything to harm you (in fact, a lot contain vitamins and protein). I don't crave sweets near as much as I did pre-op, but when I do want something sweet, I find a sugar-free, bariatric-friendly product works well. Russell Stover's also makes VERY good sugar-free chocolate. Just a piece is enough to satisfy me and it's inexpensive. There's also Breyer's Carb Smart ice cream and Smucker's sugar-free hot fudge if you have a hankering for something of the ice cream nature. Their SF hot fudge I KID YOU NOT tastes EXACTLY like the real thing! I top my coffee with it and SF Cool Whip if I want a "mocha."

Thanks everybody! I found some relatively inexpensive briefs that work well.

OK ladies, so this might be a weird question, but since the weight loss surgery I've noticed that I've developed some "squish (loose skin)." It's not nearly as bad as I'd thought it was going to be, which is good, but yet, it's bad enough wear it's difficult finding panties that fit...in a way that flatter me? I suppose that's the best way to put it. Is shape wear the only answer to this problem or are there specific brands, styles, materials that can be recommended? I hope my weird question makes sense...

I don't mean to get graphic here, but I'm having a rather embarrassing problem. I'm a few weeks shy of my 1 year post-op anniversary, and have just recently been able to tolerate more solid foods like certain fruits, vegetables and grains after several months of difficulty. While this is a great relief, I can't help but notice I've been dealing with the ABSOLUTE WORST GAS of my entire life. I mean, we're talking really loud and smelly farts (again, sorry to get graphic) that are probably capable of killing a nest of rodents (which would save on extermination, but ya know...). So the question I have is, has anyone else ever experienced this, and if so, what helped alleviate it? I've been trying to get a hold of my surgeon but haven't been able to get through.

Yes, these were. and you're right, that's just what the bariatric nurse said. My body is basically trying to readjust to complex carbs and fiber. The good news is that taking a probiotic seems to be helping some.

I spoke to the bariatric nurse and It's looking like it's my body getting used to complex carbs and fiber again. I meet with my surgeon this week and I'll know more, but based on what she said, it looks like that's the issue. She told me to try a probiotic and it has provided with some relief.

So, I feel funny writing about this, but...has anyone else ever experienced a negative change in their social life post-op? I had my surgery back in January. Although my physical health has made drastic improvements, I'm afraid my mental health has taken a toll. I noticed people have been treating me very differently since having the surgery. I've been getting so many rude comments, I can't keep up. They think I "took the easy way out (not realizing it was actually quite the opposite: the last resort)," and/or are freaked out by all my new eating habits and restrictions or are saying cruel things like "oh, you'll just gain it back like so-and-so did anyway, you watch." A lot of them have also proceeded to claim my changed appearance "weirds them out." Some of my now ex-friends have even gone so far to complain that I "betrayed the body positivity movement by giving into society's expectations of what women should look like." What the actual heck? Even dating, something I thought would get better as I lost weight, is just as bad as it was before. Since I can't drink alcohol anymore or eat a lot of foods, guys have been pretty hostile. Although I've been private about my surgery while dating (simply stating I have a strict diet I need to follow), that hasn't stopped guys from being mean or rude. Bottom line here is I've lost a lot of friends this past year and my love life is no better than it was. I'm extremely lonely and depressed. Has anyone else ever encountered this? What can I do to change it? Why is there so much social stigma towards this surgery?

Thank you all for the thoughtful and helpful responses! I sincerely appreciate it very much. As always, every answer means the world to me. Thank you.

Thank you for the encouraging words! ❤️ I appreciate it.

Thank you! ❤️ I appreciate the encouraging words.