The Greater Fool

My out of the blue suggestion would be to return to your post-op nutritional plan as generally they are intended to be 'Forever.' So, when you slide away from the plan and suffer the consequences, it makes sense to return to the plan that resulted in positive results post-op as long as we stuck to it. Don't fall back on the old ideas of returning to diet after diet trying to lose the excess weight that may have been regained. Rather the WLS you had allows you to return to the new lifestyle eating plan you learned and followed post-op. You've done it before. Don't expect the same results you enjoyed in the first few months post-op. Return to the plan and stick with it through the slow but consistent weight loss you will achieve. Stick with it after you've succeeded. Good luck, Tek

Good for your surgeon. I love me some Doc's that stick to their medical guns. No one in this thread is wanting a surgery that is contraindicated. It seems everyone here is on the ball. Gold stars all around! Good luck, Tek

Generally the post-op plans are similar. At least a similar as anything since each surgeon's plan varies dramatically from other surgeons. I haven't seen a surgeon have different plans for their sleeve and bypass patents, not that I've been looking particularly closely. 30-50% of Bypass patients experience some level of dumping. If you are one of the (un)lucky ones then your surgery will be less forgiving on sugar and to a lesser degree fats. I happen to be one of the lucky folks who dumps and it has kept me on the straight and narrow. Good luck, Tek

It really comes down to you. Is the cost difference more important than getting the surgery you want. For me, getting the surgery I wanted was pretty important. For someone else money may be the more important factor. Think about it all carefully. Good luck, Tek

I've had tremendous success with my RNY at 43 with a BMI in the 80s. I would do it again in a heartbeat. At 43 I could look at my future and know it was going to be painful and short. I had to weigh that future against the possible outcomes of WLS: losing weight, doing things, living the dream... to dying on the table, severe life changing complications. I've known people at both extremes and in between. For me, then, it was a no brainer. But, 20 years earlier? When my future was looking good. Weight was a problem, but I could still go and enjoy life, do things, go places. I'm not convinced rolling the dice at 23 would have made sense for me. I could easily have lost what I had. Again, I knew people that did. Odds are it wouldn't happen to me. But, the odds have messed with me before, I almost died from a tonsillectomy when I was 4. So, I'd have to think about it hard. Good luck, Tek

Don't be terrified of dumping. *IF* you dump (only 30-50% of folks dump at all) you will dump eventually. It's a little scary the first few times because it's new and you don't know what's going to happen next. Once you understand what's happening and what's going to happen it's easier to cope with. Early on, dumping for me was an educational tool of the "what not to do" variety. The key lesson was "I don't want to do that again" and adjusted my rare off-plan choices accordingly. I learned that a lot of things affect when I dump. Stress, hunger, fatigue, and sickness make me more likely to dump. What was safe was no longer so. Some medications make dumping more likely or make dumping worse. Again, I used all this as learning experiences. So, the idea that "I can eat x amount" works until it doesn't. Most dumping experiences are mild. Sweaty, fatigue and shakes for a few minutes is most common. Certainly not the end of the world. These days it takes a convergence of stupid things to get me into dumping badly. It's probably been longer than a year, perhaps two, since a honest dumping episode happened last. I'm not exactly sure, I don't mark them on my calendar or anything. It's akin to stubbing your toe. It hurts in the moment and seems to come from nowhere. But it passes and life goes on. Living in fear is no way to live. Good luck, Tek

It's common. Eat slower, smaller bites, chew thoroughly. You'll get the hang of it. Good luck, Tek

What you describe is not dumping. It sounds like you ate too fast, you probably didn't chew well enough, and your pouch was mildly blocked. The dry-heaving is you trying to get rid of the blockage. Dumping occurs after you've eaten. It is your bodies response to eating too much sugar or fat in some cases. Your stomach / intestines put out a "We need water here" which your body responds dramatically. All this fluid in your intestines are what cause the Dumping symptoms. The symptoms include sweating, heart palpitations, nausea, gastric distress, cramps, and the forever popular diarrhea. Good luck. Tek

I had the leg compression machine in the hospital for 3 days post-op. I was not given a choice. If I was in bed then nursing staff would attach them and turn them on. I wouldn't describe them as feeling great. As I was larger than most morbidly obese patients my bed was rented especially for me presumably as punishment for my sinful ways from the loving hands of Satan himself. So, between the Satanic bed and the leg compression device I spent perhaps 6 actual hours in the bed. The rest of the time was in the guest chair. Now, I'm not sure if the guest chair was actually almost comfortable or if it benefited from unfortunate comparison with Satan's bed, but whoever screwed up and put that chair in my room will live forever with great humanitarians of our time. My Doc mentioned once that he intended to send a pair home with me, but by time my screaming and crying relented for a few moments he reconsidered. He indicated he didn't really need the suit he was wearing at the time anymore so reattaching the lapels would not be necessary. Thanks Doc. Good luck. Tek

I have never regretted my choice. I believe that my success comes down to how my team approached post-op life as learning a new lifestyle. The weight on the scale was secondary to how I was doing on the plan, how I felt, and what issues I needed help with. The RNY was a tool to support the new lifestyle. This is NOT a crash diet. Ultimately I lost about a 1/4 ton of excess weight. I've done things I never thought I wanted to do. Any WLS is forever. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. Good luck, Tek

Get rid of your scale. It's making you crazy. Good luck, Tek

In a perfect world your Doc will evaluate your situation and arrive at a medical intervention plan specific to your situation. They may start with generic guidelines but if that's where they stop it's my cue to look for a new Doc. Every medication comes with benefits and problems, its the nature of the beast. It is our Doctor's job to look at our needs and which medications will best serve us. Then we monitor for the benefits the medications provide while monitoring for the negative side effects that come with them. In evaluating my situation my medical team decided that NSAIDs were appropriate interventions for specific situations, knowing that I had to carefully monitor side effects. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), on the other hand, I was to avoid completely because of specific liver issues I enjoyed. And so it goes for every medical issue that is part of the joy of being me. I don't get my advice from strangers on the internet other than "don't listen to strangers on the internet." I will tell you this: If I was still in significant pain 4 months post-op I would already have been in constant communications with my medical team; I would not be asking the internet what to do; I would be raising a big, ugly, stink. Good luck. Tek

Physically your surgery should be healed well enough to eat or drink just about anything in 6 weeks. Virtually every dietary restriction after this point is about nutritional goals not protecting your surgery. Everyone says something different because our surgeon's programs say different things. Rule of thumb is to follow your surgeon's program. Picking and choosing from different programs effectively means you are no longer on a program, so be careful not to fall into this first trap. Many of us have had to change our relationship with food. In my family food was a central aspect of celebrations. In fact whenever anything went good we ate to celebrate. When it went bad we ate to commiserate. We ate in joy and sorrow, triumph and tragedy. Learning to deal with these emotions without food or drink was quite a change. This doesn't mean that food or drink can never be a part of these events, just that food or drink does not need to be the focal point. How you approach this early post-op period will set the foundation for your future with food and drink. We each have different goals and with those come different actions. Make sure your actions are in line with your goals. Good luck, Tek

I've done the type of fine dining that serves 6 to 12 pre-defined courses. I've found there are two strategies: 1) If most everything is appealing, which for me is rare anyhow, I just eat a byte or two of each course. Courses in this situation aren't much anyhow; 2) If several of the courses are simply not appealing, I eat a byte or four of each course in which I am interested. Since about 6 months post-op I've had enough experience to have a good feeling for both how much of what I can and should eat, with occasional surprises. So I can usually anticipate how much fine dining or rough dining I can accomplish. Just remember when you get back that vacations and special occasions are the rare exceptions. Good luck and enjoy. Tek

Continue with the guidance both physical and psychological that you need. Keep at it one day at a time. Do your own research. Good luck, Tek

This is a traditional message board. You ask your questions and anyone that has information shares it. There are years of questions and answers available where you can learn questions you never thought to ask. Good luck, Tek

Obviously, our first answer should be "ask your doc." Assuming you've done that... For me, post-op I take what I've learned works for over the years. Basically I stick with what worked pre-op: Nyquil at night. during the day for coughing/sneezing Benadryl, Robitussin, or my typical allergy stuff can often cover it. For body ache most NSAIDs do well though narcotics are generally better. I can't do Tylenol. In the first couple months post-op one must consider a surgery that is in the early stages of healing. Nyquil or syrups would not have been doable. I would have had to stick to pills or plain toughing it out as was the answer to a lot of things in the first couple months. Before folks jump to their "it's on the do not take list" my doc has no such list. My doc prefers to deal with patients as if they were unique individuals with individual requirements. This individual care is why we have Docs in the first place. Good luck, Tek

18 Years post-op. I don't really focus on weight gain / loss nor my plan. I'm pretty much on autopilot for such things. At my last medical appointment I was at the top of 'normal' BMI. That's more or less where I've been most of the time. The novel coronavirus hasn't really impacted my life other than hair cuts. I need a hair cut. Oh, the pandemic did kill a few vacations, so looking forward to those starting back up. Good luck Tek

I am a desert creature. Tek

Then we could approach this from the other side... Why would an easy way that works necessarily be bad? It's not 'real' weight loss if it doesn't involve suffering? Good Luck, Tek

WLS is a different hard way. Good luck, Tek

Exercise for it's own sake is boring. BORING. As such, I've never cared to sustain 'working out.' Even when I was much younger and decent shape I didn't do gyms. Hated it. But participating in sports I enjoyed. Games are fun, gyms not so much. When I had my surgery we lived in Las Vegas. My surgery was open (cut open stem to stern then a drain for a couple weeks) so doing much of anything wasn't going to happen. Heck, breathing barely happened because any movement was painful. Thinking of breathing was slightly less painful. Once the tubes and staples were removed we began doing all sorts of people watching and walking. The first walk I was able to make it perhaps a hundred or so meters. As time moved on and weight moved off we were walking up to 10 miles up and down the strip or wherever else we walked. Still, exercise for it's own sake was not in my plans. When I got down to a weight that began with 2-- I had an abundance of energy and thought it would be interesting to see if I could do the 'couch to 5k' program to see if I could run 5k. I had no intention of doing more than accomplishing the goal. When I managed running the 5k I found it was enjoyable. As running became part of my daily routine I found it gave me time to ponder the day ahead and to listen to audio books. A few times I tried hitting the treadmill in the gym. I did everything identical to running outside and it was pure torture. Hated every step. The gym felt crowded and I felt on display whereas outside I felt free and alone. So, I never did 'work out' in a gym. Do what you enjoy. If you like it you will do it. It's your life do it your way. Good luck, Tek

Your surgery is nowhere near your bowels. Fret not. Good luck, Tek

I have never ordered a child's menu item. Generally, children's items are geared to children's tastes. I didn't even care for them when I was a child. They are not designed for folks on strict healthy nutritional plans. I order what I want that satisfies my plan. I eat the volumes according to my plan. Leaving food on the plate is not the sin most of us seem to think it is. The cards you can get that explain you had surgery and asks for child portions are nonsense, in my opinion. My spouse naturally eats small portions so why should she be not able to present a card also? Or anyone on a diet? Why should *WE* get special treatment while dieters don't? Good luck, Tek

My scale recommendation: The new and improved No-Scale. It's free, takes up no room, does not give inconsistent numbers. Additionally, you will not get frustrated by numbers that are too high or simply refuse to change. I credit my No-scale with my apparent lack of stalls allowing me to focus on following my plan. My No-scale never tempted me to 'change things up' to get a new number on the scale. Get the No-scale today! You will be glad you did! Good luck, Tek