NovaLuna

I totally understand the frustration... haven't gone in four days myself and starting to stress about it. Funny thing is, my own surgery is supposed to have the exact OPPOSITE issue, but I'm the weirdo that even confused my surgeons office, go figure! Anyway, I hope you can figure out something that'll work for you. I've upped my fluid even more than normal, have taken Milk of Magnesia, Miralax, and bought stool softener I have yet to try and... Magnesium Citrate as my last resort because that stuff is NASTY! 🤮 My surgeons office had me cut out banana's and told me to cut out my iron for three days and just take multivitamins without and then once it clears up go back to taking only TWO instead of the THREE I WAS taking. I've decided since it didn't work LAST time (I was constipated last week too) I'm cutting it down to one with Iron and two without. I'll just tell my primary and she can do my labs more frequently to keep an eye on it since I see her on Tuesday anyway. It's frustrating, painful, and incredibly annoying! I hope it clears up for you!

Do they have chewable or liquid form because I have dysphagia due to my EOS right now and can't swallow pills and I can't get in to see my gastro doc until mid-July and who knows when they can schedule my Upper Endoscopy to stretch my throat... so I'm kind of stuck with no pills right now unless I can chew them or the meds come in liquid form.

Try cutting your calories down first. Try 800-1000 calories a day and cut your carbs. Also, avoid acidic foods https://www.healthline.com/health/acid-foods-to-avoid first. A revision should be a last resort because even that isn't guaranteed! Sorry you're going through a tough time and I hope things work out for you!

I recently had a really bad bought of constipation, which I thought was impossible given my surgery... hell, it even shocked the surgeons office, they said I was their first patient who had the Loop Duodenal Switch who had a constipation issue... -_-" Anyway, the doctor said to cut out banana's because I was eating one every day and those are known to cause constipation issues. I was also told that my iron level was probably elevated and that also causes issues so they took me off iron for three days and then told me to take one less multivitamin a day and add in one WITHOUT iron. It worked so... how are your iron levels? Do you eat banana's? I started looking up foods that cause issues and I would suggest the same. Maybe increase foods that help you go. Also, I took Miralax, but it didn't really help. Took Milk of Magnesia and it worked better for me.

Hmm. I don't think I got that... my doctor referred me to the bariatric clinic and that was that. I did six months of weigh ins and nutrition and got cleared for surgery. But it took them a month to approve the surgery and they had to schedule me another month out because they had too many in December. But then again, I was 385 pounds so... it was kind of obvious that it was medically necessary when my BMI back then was 62... I hope everything works out for you!

Depending upon what surgery you're having that may work for you, but probably only if you're having the sleeve. I WAS taking 3 Bariatric Complete Multivitamins and 3 Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate, but due to certain... circumstances (overabundant iron and raised calcium) I now only take 2 Bariatric Complete Multivitamins, 1 Celebrate Multivitamin WITHOUT Iron, and 2 Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate a day. The Bariatric Complete is $20 and with 60 pills only taking two a day means it lasts for a month. Celebrate is $22 for 60 pills and since I only take 1 a day that's a 2 month supply. The Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate is $25 for 90, but since I only take 2 a day that's a 45 day supply. So roughly that'd be $472 a year which is about $1.29 a day. It's really not that bad...

While you are at a lower BMI then most people who have the surgery you decided that it was the best choice for you in the beginning because you couldn't lose anymore weight on your own, right? It's normal to second guess your choice or even be scared of the surgery itself since you can't reverse it. So I get that. And, honestly, I don't know what you want me to say because this is YOUR life and YOU are going to have to live with whatever choice you make in the end. For me, I put off surgery for the longest time because I doubted that I'd be able to stick to such a strict diet plan, because I simply had no confidence in my own willpower. But... I decided to prepare myself before hand since I had to do six months of weigh ins just to get approved so I went on a pre-op diet that would essentially cut out all the things that I wouldn't be able to eat after surgery. I set a goal to lose 35 pounds in that six month period, and I highly doubted that I'd even succeed at that since usually it would take me six to eight months to even lose 20 pounds. But, somehow I had lost 64 pounds before my surgery and it had helped me gain the confidence that I needed to push forward with my surgery and gave me the confidence that I could actually succeed. Admittedly, hitting a two week stall recently was a huge mental hit for me, but I've been pushing on and I lost two pounds which FINALLY put me out of my stall. WLS isn't easy. I don't think anyone with common sense will tell you that it is and all the naysayers may not understand just how much work it actually takes to succeed. But, if this is something you want desperately you will work for it, and I have no doubt that you'll succeed with it. Doubt it hard to get over, but the surgery is something I don't regret. My only regret, is that I didn't do this years EARLIER. Perhaps when I weight a lot less than my max weight when I finally decided to do something about it. I wish you the best in whatever choice you make yourself!

I think everyone is different. I had no issues giving up carbs or eating healthier, as long as I get results it keeps me on track. But everyone is different. I have a co-workers who had WLS and are strict about their diet years out and the results speak for themselves. I have co-workers who had WLS who aren't as strict, but don't have terrible habits, just the occasional 'bad' habit that still have good to decent results. Then I have co-workers who are years out and have gained back half their weight AT LEAST because they've gone back to their bad habits. (My place of employment has over 250 employees and weight loss surgery is fairly common there... I can think of more than a dozen people off the top of my head who've had it...). Personally, if you know that you have food addictions, then you should DEFINITELY see a psyche doctor regularly and they can help you work through it. I know if I start to struggle, I won't hesitate to make an appointment for myself if I feel I need it.

All surgeons really are different aren't they? My doctor had us go on a two week pre-op diet, but it didn't have to be straight up liquid. We were allowed all the veggies we wanted. Only a half cup of fruit a day and our protein and dairy was limited as well as our healthy fats. I ate a 1/4 cup of nuts every day during that two week diet lol. Also made giant pots of vegetable soup to tide me over. Lost almost twenty pounds in that two week period so... it DID work. Also, the surgeon said my liver looked really good so... it did it's job! It's just funny how different all the surgeons do things...

Congrats on your upcoming surgery! I had mine three and a half months ago now. The surgery part wasn't that bad... it was the gas that was a pain and trying to get fluid in. No regrets though!

I'm 32. I had the Loop DS 3 months ago, but it involves a sleeved stomach as part of the surgery, if that counts... I have a LOT of excess skin, but that's bound to happen when you lose over a hundred pounds, but I'd take it over being as heavy as I was any day of the week! And... what social life lol California is essentially shut down with really only the grocery stores, hospitals, and a few 'essential' businesses open so... I stay at home. I'm an introvert so it honesty isn't that different from my norm anyway... As to post op life, the first week or two is hard and then (for me) it was smooth sailing until two weeks ago when I hit the most ANNOYING stall EVER! I'm so annoyed about it because my weight isn't moving at all and I want to throw my scale so bad! I know it's normal to have stalls and that they can last for weeks, but it's really discouraging and I can't wait for it to be over already! -_-" So yeah, stalls happen. And they suck!

Most surgeons say to wait at least six months while some say to wait a whole year, but you're close to the six month mark so... I personally, don't think a glass would hurt, but you could always check with your surgeon.

Interesting question. I feel hunger differently now. I know when I'm hungry because my stomach makes noises when it's empty. And I get nauseous when my stomach is empty. So that's when I'm like "Ah, I'm hungry" lol. I don't know if it's the same for everyone else, but that's how it is for me. Oh, and I did a pre-diet before my surgery to get out of bad habits, which included binge eating. Now if I'm bored I just grab a popsicle since I need the fluids anyway lol.

Oh boy, the first two weeks are hard, but it does get better, I promise! I had issues with getting fluid in as well, and that was the main reason I was in the hospital for 3 days. The gas pain took almost a week to go down for me... not fun! But, I gotta say the incision spot where they removed the vast majority of my stomach from... that hurt like a b***h! I would cry just getting up and down. When I was up, I didn't want to sit because it'd hurt, and when I was down I didn't want to get up because it'd hurt... but, the time will pass faster than you think. It's like you blink and you'll be passed all that! You just have to stick it out the best you can until then. Heck, I'm three months out and it doesn't feel at all like that much time has passed already. I wish you the best in a speedy recovery!

I told like literally everyone lol. I was just too excited about it, but there are a LOT of people that I work with that had weight loss surgery. Even the same surgeon lol. So I didn't have the same kind of experience that you've had to go through with small minded co-workers. Honestly, if you're uncomfortable telling people then don't. Surgery is just a tool to help us lose weight, but it won't do it on it's own. So, it'll be YOUR hard work that leads to your weight loss and that's all people need to know about it.

I had the Loop DS surgery which has a sleeved stomach as part of the surgery and they warned me about possible GERD issues in the future, stomach ulcers (because I took NSAIDS, which I haven't taken since my surgery), blood clots, Vitamin or nutrient deficiencies (though this is mostly due to the Loop DS portion), intolerance to certain foods, and incisional hernia (rare, but it happens and a patient who had the sleeve came in while I was in the surgeons office talking about it and was two years out). All these can happen months or even YEARS out of surgery. Just be aware of your own body and if something doesn't feel right call your doctor!

I like the Cauliflower pizza by Real Good Foods, but a lot of their other product use chicken as the 'crust' or 'tortilla shell' and that grosses me out. I'm really weird about food. Like, really weird, as I'm an extremely picky eater and always have been. But yeah, the Cauliflower pizza gets a thumbs up from me.

Same about starting the hair loss phase 😢 I'm 3 months post op, and my hair is thin, but... very, very long so I'm hoping the length can kind of cover up the missing bits until it starts to grow back. I mean, in 2017 I had a portion of it shaved when I had brain surgery and that grew back and I didn't stress about it so I'm trying not to do so now, but seeing the sheer amount of hair coming out is kinda scary...

I had the Loop (sips) and no it's not okay. I was told to eat all three meals and at least two snacks a day. We HAVE to have a MINIMUM of 80 grams of protein in addition to much needed nutrients that we get from food. You can't get that if you fast. We're already risking malnutrition because of the malabsorption of the DS and skipping meals is a no go. Don't do it!

I didn't even know toprimate was used for weight loss until today lol. I was prescribed it about two weeks ago for my migraines. I haven't noticed a difference in my weight loss though... and 2-3 pounds a week is actually pretty good. I average 3-4 a week with rare exceptions for more.

Keto tends to be high in fat and high in calories, the exact opposite of what the doctor wants you to do. Admittedly, it's low carb, but everything else isn't good. Also, Keto tends to work best for short periods anyway. It 'shocks' the body into working a different way. But once your body gets used to it the weight doesn't fall off like it does in the beginning. Also, most Keto dieters only eat once a day. That's not good for bariatric patients! I know a few people who do Keto so I'm basing what I know about it off of them and once they go off the Keto diet... the weight comes back. With interest. It's not worth it.

You'll lose cup sizes be prepared. I was a 54DDD. I'm a 40C now... -_-"

Honestly, I'm not sure. Everyone's bodies are different and their skin bounces back different. I'm 32 and my starting weight was 385 with a BMI of 62. I'm 268 now with a BMI of 43 and a current weight loss of 117 pounds... I have a LOT of loose skin, but that's expected for someone of my size and the fact that I've been over 300 pounds for almost half my life (Literally. I was 303 at 17! -_-"). My guess though is that yes, it'll probably be similar to the post pregnancy loose skin. Though you'll probably have some in different places then before such as some loose skin on your arms (which can be minimized with exercise) or legs (again, exercise) or even where your bra rests under your arm pits (it bugs the crap outta me!). But in the end... I'd take the loose skin over the fat any day of the week!

... you do know that you're not supposed to drink alcohol for the first year after surgery right? My surgeon was VERY clear about that! And even though some surgeons are more lax they tell you to wait at LEAST 6 months before drinking alcohol. It's gonna slow your weight loss down and I'd worry about your liver because 1 glass is like drinking 3 or 4. That's how your system is processing it now. I'm not trying to preach or anything but my uncle didn't think it was a big deal and started drinking a beer every couple of days a few months out of his surgery and in less than two years he was dead of cirrhosis of his liver when he had been perfectly healthy before his weight loss surgery. I really don't want someone elses family to have to go through that!

Topiramate for weight loss?! I take it for migraines! Is it actually supposed to help with weight loss, because I don't notice a difference... Edit: I looked it up out of curiosity and they do actually use it for weight loss in addition to using it for migraines... how weird that my doctor didn't mention that when she prescribed it to me two weeks ago lol