The Greater Fool

It's your body. Good luck, Tek

I agree with @ShoppGirl on play at home first. For wine of your taste preferences, try a wine site. WLS has little preference on flavor.

I think it comes down to statistics. I haven't researched statistics in the last 15 years, but it used to be 'weight at surgery' vs 'low weight post-op' vs 'ending weight' (at a specific point, like 2, 3 or 5 years post-op. So, it's really easy to say "hey, if you have a lower weight at surgery, then all the following numbers, on average, are lower. Thus, I think it ultimately is playing games with statistics. But, regardless, statistics are great for evaluating odds, but sucky on what will happen with the individual. Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Different surgeons have different philosophies. I did no liquid diet at all, ever. Doc just said don't eat after 6:00pm the night before. My puree diet started day 1 post op.

OK... "Horrific bleeding"? If this is not something that happens periodically then... Since you say it's never happened before, and you just had surgery, at the least I would definitely call your medical team. Depending on how horrific, maybe a trip to the ER. Remember, your body is under tremendous stress from the surgery and the healing. Another stress is that you are eating extremely few calories. Another stress is running 2 miles. Get help please. Heal first. Good luck Tek

First, there are people that have regretted having surgery. Generally they aren't on sites like this. Second, all those bad things that you've read about in the past are still out there. Put them in perspective right next to all the negative effects of not doing anything. Choose wisely. Third, saying goodbye to your favorite foods forever largely depends on your surgery type. Even then, none of the foods you mention are goodbye forever foods in reality. In the last month I've eaten McD's. Red meat is in my normal rotation, you can pry my hamburger out of my greasy, dead hands. I've had Peanut butter cups, though not much and not often as I've had RNY and I dump on sugar. In point of fact there is no food or drink that I cannot eat if I choose. I generally stick to my plan, so the worse the food/drink is health-wise the less often I eat/drink a little of it. All things in moderation, including moderation. Your Doctors work for you. If your Doc is not doing what you need, then you need a new Doc. You can succeed at this with the proper mind set. It is a big change for most of us. For the better, generally. Good luck, Tek

I was never aware of a stall. I was too large to fit on a home scale, or most scales anywhere, so for the first 6-8 months I wasn't able to weigh anywhere but my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. As a result of the experience once I was able to weigh at home I still chose not to, sticking with only weighing at the Doctor's office. So, I never actually experienced a stall even though there must have been some in there somewhere. Tek

My spouse is a burger fiend so I end up making them often. On a good day I can sometimes get to 1/2 a burger down. More often it's about 1/4. I've learned not to push it. The dogs (chihuahuas) eat more than I do.

I'm 18 years post-op. We each have our challenges and you seem to working yours. Keep working. Most of the core issues I had pre-op I still have. The issues with being super morbidly obese are no longer among them, which makes a lot of other things smoother. Good luck Tek

I can fit in a bathtub. With my spouse. I can roll over in bed without having to do it in stages. I can fit into a theater seat, airline seat, any seat. Horseback riding on vacation with my spouse. Kayaking on vacation. Riding bike to work. Five marathons. Running across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Just curious, how will you discern good advice from bad? Here's how I would do it. Good advice is not what you want to do. Bad advice says go for it. Or, good advice is what the angel on your left shoulder agrees with. Bad is what the demon on your right shoulder wants you to do. My safe advice that I follow almost without exception: What I would do is good, what I wouldn't do is bad. It's worked for me so far.

Judgement free: You will be drinking wine. How bad would it be? Does it matter? Should you do it? Who cares! Enjoy. Or, optionally, don't. If I were you, if I were to drink, I would choose to enjoy it. But I'm crazy that way.

I've never considered using such a card. First, I didn't share my surgery with most family. Nor with co-workers, aside from the CEO. Nor with friends or acquaintances. I certainly am not going to involve random wait staff. Next, I've never seen people that have had any other surgeries or other medical issues have cards printed up as to why the bearer requires special attention. Children's meals are typically fried and/or bland foods. Two good reasons I wouldn't order them. If a restaurant has the same food on the child's meal as on the adults why should I not be able to order the child's meal? I had a surgery that made it physically difficult to eat more than a small volume of food. My spouse chooses small quantities at a meal. We both leave food on the plate. Why should I expect to be allowed the child's meal? I've never had wait staff tell me I couldn't order a smaller* meal. Or just appetizers. Or nothing. * I didn't order smaller senior size meals until I aged into them. On the other had, wait staff gets very concerned when I only eat a few bites of whatever. Bearing in mind that I was a 6'4" 500+ pounds man, so it was pretty shocking for them to place a small volume of food before me, then come back and find it was barely touched. After some back and forth they would finally accept that I enjoyed the food and everything was OK. I don't believe a card would have made a significant difference. The tip, however, always put everyone at ease, and then they were sure I enjoyed the meal.

I'm 18 years post-op. My restriction is still pretty much like it's always been since about 2 months. My plan has been the same since day 1 post op. I was pretty strict about following my plan until the plan became my normal. The only time I get 'full' is when I'm stressed in some way which causes my pouch capacity to reduce. If I'm not paying attention it's not a happy experience. If I'm where you are health-wise when I'm where you are age-wise, I think I'll consider it a job well done. I've had a few transient issues that weren't because of my surgery. But, my surgery didn't help and often added a level of difficulty. Still wouldn't change a thing. Good luck. Tek

More narcotics.

There are strong and weak opinions for and against. There are folks who claim no difference to pre-op and others who claim a vast difference. My experience (RNY) won't matter much for you, so I won't share it. Based on how your question is asked I'm going to assume that you will be doing some social/work drinking after an appropriate healing period. I would suggest experimenting privately at home first so you know how it will affect you. Of course, if you do this social/work drinking daily or weekly, that may be a horse of a different color. Good luck. Tek

Preach it Sister! These 'fixes' are what we called 'crash diets' pre-op. How did they work pre-op for folks? They are STILL crash diets. No good for you short or long term.

Today is 18 years. I have plenty of regrets. None of them are related to my RNY. My weight has fluctuated up and down over the years. I don't really focus on weight anymore. I'm a happy, healthy, active camper.

Caveat: Surgeons have their own ways of doing things so I only am positive about what my Doc did. My Doc used a special tool that created the staple lines and bisected the stomach in one process. Doc said that if the stomach wasn't bisected that staple line failure over time was more common. I asked about reversing RNY and he said that yes, it could be reversed, but it was akin to knocking down a house then rebuilding it again from the rubble. It will work but it won't be pretty and it won't work the same.

Optimally, no. At least according to my surgeon. Such scar tissue attaching would have been an adhesion and undesirable. Nothing is required to hold the stomach in place before surgery or after.

Actually, I think it is this sort of simplified picture that spawns the question. A lot of detail is left out that leaves things "hanging in mid abdomen" as it were. To understand the concept of surgery, we don't really need all the complicated detail. However, the more complete and scaled 'before' picture shows how there is a lot more going on around the stomach, so not much room or direction for things to move about willy-nilly.

I know things DO move around. My heart used to be in my stomach.

First, my apologies for confusing you with another poster. Good thing I didn't call you names . Another message board I participate in spent a lot of time on this case so I am familiar. My mind actually went to this case when "bad day" and killing were mixed. This case has it all: sex workers, race, killing, stupid spokesman. The "excusing tone" the sheriff spokesman used was unacceptable and he was removed from the case because of it. If the point is "men are treated differently" this is an exceptionally poor example since the male killer will be going to prison and the male sheriff was punished because of his tone. If no one had challenged the tone then it would perhaps be a fine example. As it is, not so much.

And where exactly is anyone dismissing this event with "boys will be boys," as you claimed? No one in that article, or in general (aside from disreputable sorts) is excusing what this man did. Not because he "had a bad day." Not because "boys will be boys." This is the claim I took exception to. But, again, I agreed with what I believed your intended claim is. That the same actions by men and women are viewed differently. By both men and women.

I'm sorry but I've never heard of a man shooting a bunch of people, or beating his wife and kids dismissed with "boys will be boys." Except in certain religious circles family abuse is hidden because it's in no way acceptable. I believe you over stated your case. But I agree more generally with your premise (and oddly, @TimC's), that men and women generally respond to and are treated differently for the same actions. By both men and women. While there will be changes as society changes, I believe it will always be a part of the human condition. Observing that men and women are one way or another statistically may true in the general but useless when applied to the specific. That's how statistics work. Tek