Groovymommy

Hey all, how's everybody doing? I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Mine was nice and relaxed - and I ate quite a few Christmas cookies! So I had my six-month checkup with my new bariatrician, along with a bunch of labs. Good news: almost all of my labs were normal, so even though I'm not as diligent about my calcium, iron, etc. as I should be, apparently I'm doing OK. I'm not pre-diabetic anymore! So that's a big win. I only had two abnormal labs. Elevated B12: bariatrician said not to worry about this one, since B12 is water soluble and I'll pee out any excess. I attribute this to all the vitamins I'm taking, including a Prenatal & DHA gummy that I decided to try to see if it helped with my thin, weak nails. It has quite a bit of B12 in it on top of my multi. Elevated Serum Ferritin: this is a little more worrisome. It can be due to a bunch of things, including inflammation, and I am still recovering from a frozen shoulder. So maybe that's it? In any case, she suggested talking to my PCP about it (I have an appointment next week) and repeating the test in a few weeks. I'm trying not to worry too much. In general I feel really good, in fact, more energetic than I have in a long time. I don't need a daily nap anymore! My food tolerance has improved, though my stomach is still tiny as hell, so I can't eat very much. My weight loss has slowed a bit but that's fine, it was super fast for the first few months. I'm really close to my initial goal, way before the one year mark, so I'm not really very worried about slowing a bit, hitting plateaus, etc. I'm doing much better on my fluid intake by focusing less on water and more on drinking other things: unsweetened iced tea, coffee, milk, no-sugar-added juice (sometimes watered down), and lattes that I make myself with my new milk foamer (totally worth it). Protein is still low, but I eat as much as I can and do have the occasional protein shake. Also buying other high-protein foods now that I've figured out a little bit of sugar doesn't bother me, like Kodiak Cakes pancake-in-a-cup things. They are delicious. And drinking milk helps too. Anyway, just checking in. Anyone else had lab results that were unexpected?

This morning I got my Xmas present to myself when I stepped on the scale - I have finally made it to ONEDERLAND. I honestly can't remember when I last weighed less than 200 pounds. It was definitely more than 20 years ago. Couldn't have happened at a better time - I was feeling a little bit down, and this has really cheered me up. I hope you all have a wonderful, peaceful, joyful holiday and a much better 2021!

Oh no @MaybeMeow2 I can't believe you lost access to your account! That's a bummer. Glad you're making progress and feeling pretty good. I have continued to lose weight at a steady pace. Some weeks are slower than others, but the downward trend continues. I'm way ahead of where I thought I'd be, almost to Onederland in fact, which is just amazing to me. I feel generally pretty good. I threw up last night for the first time since my surgery, and it was totally my fault (I was eating some toast and I think I took too big of a bite and didn't chew thoroughly enough). Other than that, I have had a lot less nausea since I'm taking the Pepcid once a day. Finally have an appointment with the bariatrician in two weeks, and I'll get labs drawn then. Curious to see how my numbers look, because while I have been taking my vitamins and iron faithfully, I'm pretty hit or miss on the calcium. I don't really feel hungry, although I do feel cravings now and then. I have no problem eating a tiny amount of food and then feeling satisfied. I've also yet to find anything that caused me dumping syndrome. Apparently I can eat sugary things as long as it's in moderation, which is fine with me. Happy holidays, everyone!

Hey @Michael2428, that's great! Congratulations! I hear ya on the medical progress. My blood pressure has gone down (possibly TOO low, haha) and in general that's good, it was starting to get a bit high. Can't wait to get my labs in December and see how my other numbers look. @MaybeMeow real talk, I probably get 32-40 oz. of fluid a day, if I concentrate on it. I can get 48 if I try really hard. On days when I don't drink a protein drink of some kind, I probably only get 30g or so of protein. With a protein drink, I can easily hit 55g or more. Trouble is, I don't always have room for a protein drink. I just CAN'T eat much. I'm still only getting at most 500-600 calories a day. I don't have room for more than that. I wonder if I need to start drinking Ensure or some crap like that? Thank goodness the Pepcid is helping with the indigestion, but eating protein is still really difficult compared to veggies, carbs, etc. For now, I'm concentrating on drinking more fluids, so I'm forcing myself to sip water all day, even when I'm not thirsty. I never thought I'd have problems like this! Pre-surgery I was ALWAYS hungry.

Hello fellow Summer 2020 bypassers! Hope everyone is doing well. I'm amazed at the amount of weight that I have lost so far - I'm already 2/3 of the way to my first goal. (Well, really my only goal. I guess once I get there I'll see how I feel and decide if I need to lose more or not.) The last few weeks have been rough. Much rougher than the first couple of months, to be honest! I just don't want to eat at all. I was having a real problem with indigestion, and felt like there was a rock sitting in the middle of my chest all the time. After consulting with my surgical team and the nutritionist, they had me start taking Pepcid (generic: famotidine) daily. Now I take one tablet every morning and sometimes a second one in the evening, if I've had anything slightly spicy to eat. IT HAS HELPED SO MUCH. I feel much better, no more pain/tightness in my chest, and everything I eat doesn't automatically make me want to vomit. I never had a problem with acid, GERD, reflux, etc. before surgery but I guess now my digestive tract is just a lot more sensitive. Just lately I've been experiencing dizziness and feeling faint when I stand. I'm sure this is due to low blood pressure and I know it's a symptom of dehydration, though I don't have any other symptoms. So I'm duly attempting to sip on water, iced tea, etc. all day long. It's rough to get it down when I don't even have a desire for food, and I've gone back to making myself protein shakes on occasion because I know I'm for sure not getting enough protein from food either. Interested to hear how others are dealing with feelings of weakness or dizziness, if you've had them. What helps more? Protein or water? I'm sure the answer is probably "both." 😄 In other news, I finally saw an orthopedist for my frozen shoulder, and I'm going to PT twice a week. It's helping already. After discussing it with the doctor, I'm going to try to tough it out without the steroid injection for now, and just use cold/heat and that topical stuff (Voltaren) for pain relief. You know how you can tell you've really lost some serious weight? When your underwear doesn't fit anymore. I had to get rid of a bunch of my beloved boyshorts from MeUndies. Sad day! I kept a couple to try to turn into headbands or something, haha!

Oh man, I can relate. Four months post-op and I feel nauseated more than half of the time that I eat anything. It's totally hit or miss. I can eat a particular food and feel OK afterwards, and the next time I eat it I feel like I'm going to hurl. I also feel like there's a rock in my esophagus almost all the time. Talked to my surgeon's office and my nutritionist this week, and I'm going to start taking Pepcid to see if it helps. They had me on Omeprazole for three months post-op, and these problems really didn't start until I was done with that. I think my entire digestive tract is just a lot more sensitive than it used to be. @LisaMc47, if you feel like you can't handle solid food, try some protein shakes or drinks, if you can handle them. Sometimes I just have to resort to that, especially since eating solid protein seems to be one of my worst triggers. Also it's true, your relationship to food changes a lot. For me, I don't really take any joy in eating, even the things that I really like, and I think it's because feeling sick after eating more than half the time has conditioned me not to want to eat. Good luck, and I hope you feel better.

Hello there bypassers. Hope you're all doing well. Had a follow-up with my surgeon's office. I'm ahead of schedule according to the standards they use. I'm happy with my progress but I'm prepared for the eventual slowdowns and even plateaus that I'm sure are coming. I still don't really feel hungry, but lately I've also had a lot of problems with things making me nauseated. Some things never seem to cause a problem: cottage cheese, fruit, toast, pasta. Other things seem like they should be OK but I get super nauseated after eating just a little, even with tiny pieces and thorough chewing: steak, chicken, hamburger. Obviously it's a problem that proteins are some of the worst offenders! Something to discuss with the nutritionist next month, I guess.

@Bizbaileymiller yeah it's really tough at first to get protein AND water. Remember that any fluid you drink counts towards your total, so if you have a protein shake or a protein water, that counts towards both protein AND fluids. Most people will never be able to get enough protein in the day without using some kind of protein supplement (shakes, bars, waters, etc.). That's why I make my protein iced coffee every morning, made with skim milk it's 35g of protein, which kick-starts my consumption for the day. I can't drink the protein waters (don't like the taste or the aftertaste of the artificial sweeteners) but if you can handle them, I'd start drinking those as much as you can. @613cnn great point about the snacks. I think that's why they discourage us from even trying them. Luckily I *love* cheese and it's got tons of protein so when I want a snack I eat a cheese stick or a string cheese. Plus that calcium 💗! The only thing I can eat a full cup of is watermelon, since it, like snacks, crunches down into nothing when you chew it. Luckily it's good for me, but don't know what I'll do when the season is over!

Dave, thanks. I'm considering it. Last time I didn't need it because it was a non-pandemic world, so I went to PT, cryotherapy, massage, etc. But if it keeps getting worse instead of improving, I'm probably going to try the shot. Hope you continue to feel better. Walking and exercise will help with the constipation, as will staying hydrated. Until I was able to eat grains, I used to just have a teaspoon of Miralax every day (luckily it dissolves in everything so you can't even tell it's there). Also I switched to the multivitamin without iron. The one that had iron in it had like 65mg which was just too much for me. After starting the vitamins without iron and taking a separate, lower dose iron supplement (18mg), my constipation got much better. The low dose is plenty for me, since I'm post-menopause. Good luck!

Hello bypassers, hope everyone is doing well. I'm 11 weeks post-surgery and just had my 3-month follow-up appointment with the Nurse Practitioner at my surgeon's office. After this I'm transitioning to a bariatrician, the doctor that I'll see annually for blood work etc. But that's not until December. I also have to see the nutritionist again in October. Anyway! I honestly can't believe that I'm almost halfway to my first goal. My hormones are weird as hell. I'm getting hot flashes again, even worse than before surgery. Those two months post-op with no hot flashes were heaven! Oh well. I went back on black cohosh, which seems to help. But as far as the hunger hormones go, I'm still doing well - I still almost never feel truly hungry. I do have the odd craving, but they're easily satisfied with a small quantity of something, like a teaspoon of ice cream, a piece of fruit, or a few cocoa-dusted almonds. I'm still eating tiny amounts, my stomach has apparently not stretched at all yet, though it does seem to be healed enough that I can eat whatever I want and don't have to restrict myself to soft foods etc. I make and drink that high-protein iced coffee every morning, and then eat lots of dairy and protein throughout the day, but I still only get up to about 60g most days. It will just have to be enough! Same deal with fluids, I can hit 50oz on most days but there's just not room enough for more than that. My biggest problem right now is my left shoulder, which is frozen. My right was frozen two years ago and I saw an ortho, went through PT, etc. It's completely recovered, and I know what to expect this time but it still sucks - frozen shoulder is SO FREAKING PAINFUL. And now I can't take NSAIDS ever again, which is um...difficult. So I'm doing stretches and strengthening exercises with bands, and then using ice, heat, and self-pity to deal with it. HA! I hope you're all feeling good and staying safe.

Based on everything I've read, plus discussions with my nutritionist and my surgeon's staff, the post-surgery weight loss is completely different for everyone. Some people lose a ton of weight really fast, others lose very slowly. The important thing is, fast or slow, it's still weight loss. Those of us who have lost quickly are going to slow down eventually, and we're all in it for the long haul. Honestly, losing quickly worries me a little bit, because I know I'm losing some muscle mass as well as fat. That's why it's really important for me to improve my protein intake as well as starting some strength-building exercise. My weight now is the lowest it's been since before I had my daughter in 2006, but I'm still a long way from Onederland. Gotta keep keepin' on! BTW I finally figured out a way to get a big dose of protein every day that I actually enjoy. Iced protein coffee! 10 oz of skim milk (or whatever milk you like) 1 scoop of Isopure (or any brand) unflavored protein powder 1 teaspoon of instant coffee 1 tablespoon of flavored coffee creamer Throw all that in a blender bottle, shake the hell out of it, then pour over ice. You could also blend it with ice to turn it into a frappuccino-type drink. Nutrition info: 240 cal, 2g fat, 20 g carbs, 20g sugars*, 35 g protein *These are mostly the sugars in milk, which are not simple sugars and do not cause dumping syndrome etc. You can cut about 5g of sugar by using sugar-free or unflavored creamer, but I love my vanilla creamer.

Hello my fellow bypassers! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm doing great in general, although I've been doing a lot of thinking and confronting some hard truths about myself, my relationship to food, my exercise habits (or maybe I should say LACK of exercise habits), etc. Firstly, my progress is GREAT. Almost two months and I've lost almost 40 pounds. All my clothes are now 1-2 sizes too big, which is pretty exciting. My weight hasn't been this low in YEARS, like maybe since before I had my daughter in 2006! I'm still obese of course, but damn! I feel so much better and I'm so excited about my progress. It's starting to feel REAL in a way it never has before. Very rewarding. I have not thrown up at all (knock on wood, etc.) but I have had a few episodes where I was close. This is usually a result of me being stupid and not chewing something well enough. I get a feeling like a rock in my chest, I feel nauseated, and then my mouth starts watering overtime? Ugh, it's triggering to even write about it. Sorry. On a related note, I find that I don't really enjoy food very much anymore. Even things that I do like, I can only eat a teeny-weeny amount. And my body's way of telling me I'm full is that "rock in the chest" feeling, which kind of sucks. So it's hard to enjoy something I'm eating knowing that as soon as I'm full I'm going to get that unpleasant feeling. Realizing this has me thinking a lot about my relationship to food, and how obsessed with it I used to be. I guess at this point I should be talking to a therapist or going to group therapy or something, but you know - Covid-19 has screwed up everything! So instead I journal and rant here. 😆 And exercise, ugh. I still don't like it, but I'm trying. My energy level is not terrible, but not great either. I get tired really quickly. I'm certainly not getting enough protein (I am TRYING, but damn). Also my left shoulder is frozen and it hurts like an SOB but as far as I know I'm still not allowed to take the only thing that helps with that, which is ibuprofen. So yeah, poor me, huh? Haha j/k. Taking my vitamins? Yes. Taking my calcium? Um...yes, but most days only 2/3. Getting enough water/liquids? I'm probably getting about 70% of what I should. Getting enough protein? See above, again, about 70%. Exercising? Hahahahahahahah....does walking the dog count? How about the rest of you?

I found some stuff on Amazon called "Chike" iced protein coffee. It was too expensive but it's good in that it has lots of protein and only a little bit of sucralose, so the "artificial sweetener" taste is not overwhelming. Still too sweet for me, but gave me lots of ideas for mixing up my own protein coffee using my unsweetened powder. It does have about a cup of coffee's worth of caffeine, but I'm cleared to have caffeine occasionally now. I've been drinking decaf every morning, with a tablespoon of vanilla creamer. Not the sugar-free kind, just the regular stuff. It does have sugar but not very much, and in the small quantity that I use, it has not given me any problems. Every night I dream that I'm eating something and enjoying it a lot, and then I suddenly realize that it's full of sugar and I'm going to get very, very sick! Luckily that has never happened when I'm awake! 🤣

Just shy of 31 pounds, so far. Can you not see my ticker? Maybe my permissions are screwed up.