The Greater Fool

I had open Gastric Bypass, mostly because I had 500+ excess pounds at the time. It does give the Docs a good view of the field, easier to get into difficult places. Even then, for me, they had some problems getting everywhere they wanted to. It does make the early recovery a bit more painful. Quite a bit more. I had about 30 staples from just below my sternum to about my waist, along with a drain. It's less fun than it sounds. While the first 3 weeks were horrible, once the staples got removed (ouch), things improved quickly. Even so, I never regretted my choice for an instant. It was the second best decision my life, my spouse being the best. Good luck, Tek

Really, this is something you should ask your medical team. It seems every surgeon has their own plan and, generally, that is what you should follow. Once you know your plan, you can get help figuring out what to eat within it. Good luck, Tek

Early post-op SF popsicles were life savers to me. I had problems eating (puree) and drinking, but SF popsicles were flavorful and went down with no issue. Later, after things settled down, they were nice snacks. Good luck, Tek

Thank you for expressing your unpopular opinion. Really, without contrary opinions this place would be horribly boring. It challenges us to reexamine what we believe and how we express ourselves. I can see how some people could view every one of the "problems" here as good things and therefore humble bragging. A problem is what you make of it. A "good problem" is life giving you lemons and choosing to make lemonade. Good luck, Tek

There are comparable ones you can pull from the interwebs. It's pure nonsense in my opinion. Why should my choice to eat less, and let's face it this is exactly what surgery is, be a restaurant's problem? When we ate less with a normal diet, was that a reason to get a discount? The other point is restaurants are unlikely to accept the card. It's something they are not a party to creating. Personally, the thought of making my surgery an issue in a restaurant with strangers is something I would ever do. Again, it's my business. I know not everyone agrees with me. It's OK, it's why Baskin's makes 31 flavors. But I believe we just need to work out following our plan without making it other peoples' problem. Somewhat like a recovering alcoholic not forcing everyone around them not to drink. Besides, early on leftovers can be wonderous things. The right full price appetizer can cover days of meals. The right meal even longer. Here I am 20+ years later and it's a long time since I bothered with leftovers. It's easier just to eat what my plan says and leave the rest. It's been this way since before I hit goal. Good luck, Tek

I, too, became a clothes horse; In crowds people used to just get out of my way, parting like the Red Sea, but now I have to just live with being part of the crowd; I used to be too large to ride the rides, now I have to ride the rides with my grandkids no matter how much I didn't want to; Good luck, Tek

I'll pass on the Multi Vita question. I will say my surgeon wanted us getting our nutrition from food. If blood work revealed deficiencies, then use supplements to address those. Calcium and Iron were those he suggested prophylactically since they were common issues; On the medic alert: No, not everyone get's one. I would say those that do get them are in the minority. My surgeon didn't feel they were necessary, and on my own research I amazingly came to the same conclusion as my surgeon. Imagine that! Common medic alert items: NG Stomach tube: There are standard practices for NG stomach tubes none of which require gastric bypass folks to warn anyone. First, NG stomach tubes are used for feeding which would not be done when you are unconscious in an emergency, once it would come to this point they will know your history or be able to see if it would be an issue; Even if this weren't the case, folks are trained to stop NG tube insertion when the slightest resistance is encountered, so the only time it would be an issue is when someone is doing it wrong already, so warning them not to do it wrong won't help; No NSAIDS: Folks won't be forcing NSAIDs on us when we are unconscious; If we are encountering a cardiac situation they may want to do a low dose aspirin, to which you want to say yes to avert heart issues. Low dose for cardiac care won't harm our tummies, I take saving my heart over saving my tummy any day of the week; Many folks take low dose aspirin daily; Dumping on Sugars: Again, they're not in the habit of forcing sugars on us if we are unconscious; Also, if in the extremely unlikely event that forcing sugar on us would be lifesaving, I'll take non-life threatening dumping over dying any day. Heck, I'll be asleep so dumping won't be a big deal. BTW, I dump and I'm still not scared; On a more philosophical level for me, I didn't want this surgery to rule my life. I was building a new normal here and I don't need special labelling to establish my new normal. Again, this is a me thing and is meaningless to the rest of the world which is why I'm not labeling myself for the rest of the world. Such medic alert bracelet's are an invitation for people to ask why, and I don't want to explain why to anyone. Hope this helps, Good luck, Tek

One reason I challenged myself to the C25K was after carrying 500+ extra pounds for a lot of years my knees weren't going to hold up for long. I never intended to do much more than just accomplish the goal (by running 5k 4 times a week for a month) and move on. But I came to really enjoy what I got out of it and next thing I knew I was binge running. It was surprising my knees held up for as long as they did and I may have pushed it a bit far. My knees and other medical issues conspired to end my running right after marathon #5 which was 18 years ago. Good luck, Tek

When I got down to about 100 pounds overweight I challenged myself to run 5k just to prove I could. I did a program similar to Couch to 5 K (C25K). It took about a month. I discovered I enjoyed running. I could use to time to put the day in order and ponder life's challenges. I started adding distance, then worked at improving time. At some point I decided on running a marathon, so got a book (Idiot's guide to Marathons) and followed the program there. The more I ran the more I enjoyed it. I lived in Las Vegas at the time and decided I would run in the Valley of Fire Marathon which was out in the desert near Lake Mead. A couple months before the marathon I had a business trip to Long Beach and as it happened the Long Beach Marathon was that weekend. I decided I would sign up and use it as a training run. I didn't really intend to finish, but as it turned out I did. It was wonderful. So my second marathon was Valley of Fire, which was up and down a hill. Very challenging. My third marathon was Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. 4th was San Francisco Marathon where I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. This was a tough one for me. I tripped at about 1/4 mile from the start, landed hard on my chin. I new there was an aid station about mile 4 on the other side of the bridge, so I said I'd get to there and call it a day. By time I got there I didn't feel bad at all, the bleeding stopped and the aches were subsiding, so I continued knowing I could cut to the half marathon if necessary. The half marathon cut off was about mile 11, and I was doing well so I just stuck with it. At about mile 13 was the first sustained uphill where I finally needed to take some deep breaths and realized I couldn't. I trudged as well as I could to the end, where they diverted me to the hospital tent then the hospital. Turned out I had a broken rib and required stitches in my chin. My 5th and last (as it turned out) was Long Beach Marathon, a year after my first. I was way past goal at this point, and couldn't eat enough to stop losing weight. For the year of marathons I ran about 90 miles a week, went through a pair of shoes every 6 weeks. I'm prouder of my marathons than I am of losing 500+ pounds. To your questions: I never worried about fuel during a run that was less that 15 miles. Over 15 I did a "goo" every 5 miles. Hydration is where I focused. That and breathing. I had to be careful as most "fuel" is heavy on sugar and I dump on sugar. I did dump a few times until I learned my tolerances of different products. I did yogurt before and after. Building stamina is what the C25K and other programs are about. Keep a running log & journal so you can see your improvement, which is extremely motivational. Be patient. Good luck, Tek

I have found that most drugs for which I feel an effect don't last as long as the label says. Generally the effect lasts about 4-5 hours where the expectation is 8 hours. I've done time-released medications and supplements, some work fine (or at least well enough), others not so much. Out of an abundance of caution, me and my medical team tend to take more pills of smaller doses more often. I spread them out through the day or in the case of 'as needed' medications, I am able to take them 'as needed' more often. Alcohol, also being a drug for which I feel an affect, works much the same as other drugs. I feel the effect quicker, it fades quicker, and on the extremely rare occasions when I achieve a hang over it starts and ends much quicker, such that by early morning it's run it's course. Hope this helps. Good luck, Tek

If you are often doing anything aerobic such as walking, running, sex, sports, and/or any number of other things, ones' heart learns to pump more blood so it doesn't need to beat as often. When I was binge running, my resting pulse went to 38-40. Generally this won't cause dizziness because the heart is just more efficient and can do the same job with fewer beats. If you are taking blood pressure or some other meds they may cause dizziness. Especially during the weight loss phase, meds were dosed for a larger body. Losing weight effectively makes some meds stronger. Get your Doc to (re)evaluate your meds and supplements. I had to have BP meds reduced 2 times before they ultimately got rid of them. I would say it's also a wise choice to see a doctor, even a heart doctor. Whenever I've been normal sized, even as a child, I've had Orthostatic hypotension (dizziness when standing). It was never bad nor really any concern until about 7 years after my WLS while at work, I jumped up very quickly and took a bit of a nap. Since it was in front of the CEO, he insisted I have it seen to immediately. So I got a nice ride in an ambulance and after some poking and prodding, a nice, cozy room. I had several tests, and apparently scored well since I won a brand new pacemaker! I never win anything, so it was pretty cool. Good luck, Tek

The scale not moving doesn't mean, well anything. It certainly doesn't necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong. Stalls happen. If you are following your plan then you are doing what you need to do. Just keep doing it. Get off the scale, your don't need it. Look at how it's affecting you. Your scale has you wanting to make changes just to get it moving again. Just do your plan. Get off the scale. I guess I was lucky that I was too large to fit on a home scale. I was only able to weigh at my monthly follow-ups. As a result, I never saw a stall. I had no scale to lie to me on a daily or hourly basis. I never questioned what I was doing because a number on a scale didn't move, or moved the wrong way. I just trudged along following my plan. My feedback was how I felt. Eventually I was able to fit on a home scale and for about two weeks I went crazy. It was a new experience. After a couple weeks the novelty wore off and I stopped weighing at home. My plan was doing the job, so I just kept doing it. Good luck, Tek

The biggest thing you have going for you is your age. You still have young elastic skin. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on your success. Keep up the good work. Enjoy what you've accomplished. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on your success. Good luck, Tek

You're still in the throw's of dealing with surgical medications with which they put into you, such as anesthesia. Theis can mess with your taste buds dramatically for a week or two, longer for some folks. Thus, I suggest you keep trying your favorites. You're no worse off than you are now, with a better possibility of success in drinking. Also, pay attention to what you think you may like at the moment, even something for which you never cared. This actually worked for me: For some weird reason I had a sense that something I never liked might taste good, and lo! I gave it a shot and I very much enjoyed it, and it still remains something I drink often. When all else fails, water may be what works. Again, I was never a fan of water as it upset my stomach when I drank water in any appreciable quantity. Post-op, in trying to figure something out, for whatever reason water worked well. No one was more surprised than me. Keep an open mind and keep working at it until all the anesthesia and other drugs leave your system. Fluids may help flushing the stuff out of your system. Hang in there. Good luck, Tek

1. Insurance paid for my abdominoplasty. Since my weight loss caused back issues, rashes under the pannus, among other things, the surgery was classified as "reconstructive" rather than "cosmetic." Insurance paid for it all; 2. I can't speak to your situation, but for me there is nothing I could have done to deal with the extra skin. Lipo removes fat, but we generally also have extra skin. A lot of extra skin; 3. This was the most painful experience of my life. I was warned that it would be extraordinarily painful but it was completely under sold; 4. I couldn't imagine going through what I went through outside of a hospital, even without the unexpected events that required a second emergency life saving surgery.

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on your success. Many of us used food as a coping mechanism or self medication to deal with issues. If this is true for you then having WLS may have taken a key coping mechanism away. It's likely time to talk with a therapist or behavioralist to learn new, better, healthier coping mechanisms. Many of us also had unrealistic expectations on how WLS magically change our lives. I've mentioned elsewhere that I'm an introvert and I'd long accepted it, but I still had visions of becoming a social butterfly when I lost my weight. Everything that my weight prevented I would be able to do again better than ever. Predictably, that's not how it turned out. A common meme is "we had surgery on our stomachs not our brains." Just because we lost weight doesn't mean we will automatically change. Losing our weight wasn't easy and took a rather drastic help. Changing other aspects of our lives may likewise take effort. WLS and rapid weight loss can upset your life. You are changing the status quo. Your relationships may change because your roles in them change. Work can be impacted. Even the way you perceive yourself may change, or not change quick enough, or become totally unrealistic. You may get more wanted or unwanted attention and be unsure of your response. Be sure to keep lines of communication open with your spouse, friends, and associates. Especially your spouse. You may eventually have your Saturday night whiskey. Two things here: First, be aware and careful of transfer addiction. Now that you don't have food to use as a coping mechanism many of us have turned to other often worse things like alcohol, drugs, or stand up comedy. Second, if not having your Saturday night whiskey makes you this sad then perhaps it's something you need to discuss with a therapist. To sum up find someone to help you. Heck, find a team. Your spouse can be a huge support. A close, trustworthy friend or family member could help. Forums like this can help. A therapist would be a great choice because they have the experience and resources to help build new tools. Good luck, Tek

I've been trying to write a response since you posted (last night for me). I suspect you've hit a nerve for a lot of us. You should see all the rejected drafts. I'm a guy but much of what you posted hits home for me. I've never been a social person. Invisible was my default condition and I'm generally good with that. My brother is the opposite, very outgoing, social, can act like he's known a person for years on their first meeting. Gawd I admired his ability and often was jealous of it. My son is very much the same as my brother. There were times and situations when I completely wished I could just do what they do. Over the years though I've become more accustomed to and comfortable with my invisibility. I don't do pictures, most of my outreach is in writing. I believe it's our character not our appearances that are important. As an introvert and perhaps a curmudgeon I don't 'waste' time trying to be social. Being social is work and draining for me. I don't like it, so I avoid it. I get to focus on the stuff that interests me or my spouse who likes me the way I am. I am lucky. I'm generally happy where I am. If you're not then please talk to someone you trust like your spouse, or a therapist, or if you think it's what you want, someone who can help you change. For the record, many of us are anonymous here. It's how we can be honest, vulnerable, and ask for help. Thanks for trusting us. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on your success! Medical incompetence when it comes to weight, race, or any of several other factors is horrifying. I'm sure many of us have similar stories. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on your success. Good luck, Tek

I didn't have a pre-op liquid diet. Just a 'normal' weight loss diet. My recollection was that I gained weight which was a constant worry on surgery day. My surgeon repeatedly told me he would cancel my surgery on the day of if I didn't lose weight. Gaining was freaky. As it turned out there were things beyond our control as my surgery was open and instructional for other surgeons. So gain or lose it turns out the surgery was happening no matter what. I was lucky. For once. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on your success. Good luck, Tek

Ugh... Every POV here is important. I do appreciate the kind thoughts, though. As I said, I don't think you intended offense or rudeness. Written stuff like this makes reading tone very tough. So, no need to apologize. Least of all to me. Keep up the good work. Good luck, Tek

Thanks for allowing me an opinion. I gotta think that you do not intend to be coming off the way you are to me. I'm finding it difficult to read what you've posted charitably. Frankly, you are wrong that I criticized anyone. Can you make the same claim? How did you get out of what I wrote that I have an issue not eating chips? Weird. I understand how restaurants work, I'm not sure why you felt the need to explain. As I have said multiple times already, what we do and eat is about what is on our plans and is completely about what works for each of us. I'm glad you seem to agree. Then you moved on to how this was about money and that "some of us paid for our surgeries with insurance." This completely confuses me. Insurance also paid for my surgery 20 years ago. You seem to be assuming money is not a concern for me. Like many people here I've gone through periods, even since surgery, where even a child's meal was an extravagance too far. Where did I even come near belittling the choice of a child's meal based on cost? Again, you seem to be reading things that simply are not there. With all this you presume we're good here? I want to believe you intend to be, what, helpful? But it feels to me like accusation. Please approach every post by every person here with the most charitable interpretation possible, which is how the vast majority of posts here are intended. I know sometimes folks take expressions of contrary life experience and choices as criticisms. Please don't. Good luck, Tek