Midwest Grateful

I had gastric bypass on July 13, 2023. I had gastric sleeve April 5, 2016 I ended up with a hiatal hernia and horrible GERD.
Would love to connect !😀

Hi All. Had my op on Monday and expecting to go home today. Fluids are a struggle but managed to have small yoghurt this morning. Pain is bearable but mostly looking forward to sleeping in a quiet place. Still waiting to see the physician and dietitian.

For snacks:
String cheese or Cheese Slices
Beef Jerkey
Peanut Butter and a few crackers
Nuts
Occasionally a Luna Bar

For Meals:
chicken salad or tuna (I eat them right out of the package or on the Pepperage Farm Very Thin Bread)
lunch meat
P3 Protein Packs
Atkins Meals (I can usually eat half when I want something warm)

Oh wow what a photo! 🤩 And I totally agree, it's time for a name change Tiny Sue!

Thought I’d share a fun pic from my 3-year surgiversary (ok, I’m one day late, but close enough). I don’t really have a good before and after set of pictures because I used to hate being in pictures and I would avoid the camera at all costs. However, I still have a pair of size 28 pants that I wore at my highest weight of 341 pounds, and yes, I can now fit my whole 135-pound body into one leg.

I seem to be, thank you! My biggest incision is itchy so that's a good thing! I'm doing a lot of walking, including a small hill. I am looking forward to soft foods, though. The shakes are good but I don't want to burn out on them like I did riced cauliflower a few years ago.

@GreenTealael, @WanderingLass, @CarmenG, & @pintsizedmallrat...
Thank you! I appreciate your feedback. Like most of you I had my gallbladder removed (in 2017). Plus many years ago I had two cesareans, hysterectomy/oophorectomy, and two hernia repairs (the doctor who did an emergency oophorectomy cut through my first hernia repair so it had to later be redone). I'm expecting quite a bit of scar tissue. So, your comments are helpful. Amazing stories...I'm glad things worked out for you all! 💕
My surgeon did mention if the scar tissue is attached to the bowel (or small intestine, etc.) and it's too risky to work lower in the abdomen as necessary for the gastric bypass, then he will do the sleeve where he stays higher in the abdomen. I get that.
I hope you're all doing well now. WanderingLass, you JUST had your surgery, so I hope you're healing quickly. And CarmenG, you just had surgery last month. All the best to you!

@GreenTealael, @WanderingLass, @CarmenG, & @pintsizedmallrat...
Thank you! I appreciate your feedback. Like most of you I had my gallbladder removed (in 2017). Plus many years ago I had two cesareans, hysterectomy/oophorectomy, and two hernia repairs (the doctor who did an emergency oophorectomy cut through my first hernia repair so it had to later be redone). I'm expecting quite a bit of scar tissue. So, your comments are helpful. Amazing stories...I'm glad things worked out for you all! 💕
My surgeon did mention if the scar tissue is attached to the bowel (or small intestine, etc.) and it's too risky to work lower in the abdomen as necessary for the gastric bypass, then he will do the sleeve where he stays higher in the abdomen. I get that.
I hope you're all doing well now. WanderingLass, you JUST had your surgery, so I hope you're healing quickly. And CarmenG, you just had surgery last month. All the best to you!

Thank you so much and you’re right .😊

The sugar alcohols used in many artificial sweeteners cause problems for many people: diarrhoea, bloating, discomfort, …
Personally I try to avoid or reduce as many artificial sweeteners, sugar alternatives & sugar as I can. It’s hard because it’s in almost everything you buy. I did it to kill my sugar craving - it has. (Artificial sweeteners & sugar alternatives still feed your desire for sweet.). Also there is a lot of research being done into how artificial sweeteners still lead to weight gain, affect your immune system, etc. But this has been a personal choice for me. Generally if I want something sweet I’ll eat some fruit. But again it’s been my choice to do this.
I have made chia seed pudding & used vanilla extract as flavour. There is natural & added sugar in it but it’s very little. Also added milk powder which gave some sweetness (& extra protein) & a natural sugar. What about a fruit crumble? Cook up apple, berries, rhubarb or other fruit & sprinkle the top with a mix of rolled oats, coconut, nuts, a little plain flour, cinnamon a little butter & bake until golden. Use a little Monk Fruit for a touch of sweetness if the fruit is a little tart & in the crumble topping.
Congratulations on your daughter’s weight loss. So wonderful she’s been inspired by you to make changes in her life too.

Hello everyone my surgery was a success I was sleeve yesterday. I am able to keep down my Fluid and shake. You get pretty full. currently drinking out of little med. Cups. So I am no where near the marks. I am having issue with my blood pressure. But all in all I am doing well.
good luck to everyone. 🥳

Prior to my sleeve surgery, I had two exploratory surgeries for endometriosis and my gall bladder removed, so a total of 3 abdominal surgeries. No one at my surgeon's office seemed concerned about it and it was barely mentioned.

Yep. I got sleeved in 2009, and in 2011, I lost my gall bladder. These days, gall bladder surgeries are laparoscopic. However, when the surgeon put a camera into my belly button to take a look, he said he couldn't see well enough because of the sleeve scar tissue. He ended up giving me an emergency open gall bladder surgery. He said he didn't have time to wake me up and ask for permission because it was dilated to 11cm and I was septic. I actually told my revision surgeon the same thing you did about the sleeve and gall bladder scar tissue he would encounter. He told me the same thing as your doc. He said it shouldn't be a problem and that he would remove scar tissue if he had to. My revision surgery last month was laparoscopic and robot-assisted.

I had a giant ovarian cyst removed in 2013. Like, gallon of milk giant. It had adhered to my bowels and pretty much everything it could. They nicked my bowel in 3 spots removing the cyst. (Hysterectomy in 2000 but they took both ovaries with the cyst and my gall bladder for its own reasons, I'm always a special case.)
Forward to my sleeve a week ago, and my surgeon said that my bowel is adhered to my small intestine and had she been 2 inches to my left, she'd have been in my bowel. Scary thought! I joked I should get a tattoo there in case of emergency...
Sounds like your surgeon is well prepared!

When I was being converted from VSG to RNY my surgeon said I had a lot of scar tissue. It caused the surgery time to be extended but he said he took his time and got it all. It didn’t impact the quality of my WLS just added extra time in the OR.

Hi everyone!
I'm scheduled for gastric bypass on July 25th. I mentioned to my surgeon today that I was concerned he might run into a lot of scar tissue (I've had a few abdominal surgeries in the past). He informed me he'll clean up old scar tissue, but if he sees excess scarring that poses a concern he may opt to do a sleeve as a Plan B. I told him I trust his judgment.
I'm curious. Anyone here have old scar tissue cause a problem?

I hope you're getting answers today. I'm so sorry you're going through this. As @catwoman7 said, hopefully this is temporary. Keep us posted. All the best!

All of the veggie pastas i looked at in the Pasta aisle at my grocery store are loaded with carbs. I passed on them all and decided to buy a spaghetti squash, and a frozen bag of zoodles to keep on hand for a last minute easy dinner.

Hi @bluemather! Congratulations on all the achievements. I'll have to try the Peanut Butter to see if it curbs my appetite. Thanks for the tip. As far as the loose skin, I'm with you; I'm not looking forward to that, either. But I'll take it if it means I drop this weight. Keep rocking it! 🙌

I wish you well! I'm having surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio on July 27th.
Anyone else been at their Bariatric & Metabolic Center?

While I was waiting for my surgery ( which seemed like forever ) I decided to make my future self a type of scrap book. I scoured the internet for healthy recipes , articles, cartoons . My surgeon even gave me pictures of my insides while he was cutting and stapling my stomach and ready to pull it out ! Yep - those are in there,too ! LOL I drew alot of pictures, used alot of stickers and just made it fun to look through. I'm still working on it , I have alot of recipes to write out yet. It kept my mind occupied and my hands too busy to snack LOL

I had a serious case of buyer's remorse during my second week post op. I even thought, "I should've just stayed the way I was!" But I am feeling better. I try to do a lot of reading about the bypass and revisions. I'm a sleeve to bypass revision. I'm 23 days out and at a weight stall. I'm finding it hard to consume more than 56-64 oz of Water a day. I'm craving caffeine like crazy. And I'm experiencing Constipation and not sure how to add more Fiber without adding more carbs. It's tricky getting just enough of this and not too much of that. What's helping my mindset, though, is looking back at my very first pic (starting weight) and looking at my most recent. I haven't lost much (comparatively speaking), but I feel better. I can wash the dishes, cook dinner for my daughter, and bathe without running out of breath or having my back aching and burning. I can dress myself without having to sit on the bed. My skin looks fantastic. Focus on all of the things that have gotten better since your pre-op diet. Focus on the future weight loss you'll experience (even if it's going slower than you'd like). Focus on things you'll be able to consume in a couple of months. You can look up recipes and save them for month 2 and month 3 and so on. Also, I don't know if you pray, but if you do, pray for peace of mind. All of these things help me, and they may help you as well.

You will be able to eat anything like normal! However, you have to be careful about what you choose to eat! Read lablels and track the food you eat in an app. I like the baritastic app. Once you see how many calories you ate from the loaded mashed potatoes, it will make you think about eating them again! It's not worth it to go back to the old habits we all had that got us into this obese predicament! Stay strong and resist the temptations, you can do it!!!

Thought I would up date you guys, surgery went well and recovered quickly! Went back to work today! Feeling great! No remorse! Best thing I have done!

@midwest grateful I’m scheduled for 7/24!