Jeanniebug

Great problem to have! I've had to put drawstrings in all of the pants that I work in (scrubs).

I'm 8 months post op. I have lost 53 pounds since surgery. However, I was a low-BMI patient and now I'm only a few pounds away from my surgeon's goal for me (160), so the weight is being quite stubborn. Heavier people tend to lose weight faster. You have a higher starting weight than I did, so you'll probably lose more than that. But, every body is different.

The fear of dumping has kept me from eating very much sugar. I do enjoy the protein shake ice cream that I make, though. I haven't tried it in a cone - again, fear of dumping. But, you've inspired me to try to make a cone. I have one of those Dash mini waffle bowl maker things...

I'm not arguing against weight loss meds... Everyone is different. As I said, if I could have continued taking the Ozempic, I might not have gotten the surgery.

Indeed! I took Ozempic. It worked great. If my insurance would have covered it, I might have opted to stay on that rather than get the surgery. Unfortunately, it was about $1500 a month and there was no way that we could afford that.

My surgeon told me that in January of 2022. It's not like it was 30 years ago. He said that "obesity is like cancer, it wants to come back." My surgeon's words, not mine. Are there exceptions to every rule? Of course! But, in general, for most people, obesity is going to be a lifelong battle. Weight loss medicine has come a long way and I expect it will only get better and better. But, it's not perfect. Heck, my surgeon told me that I might regain my weight and need to go on meds to get the weight back off. There's nothing wrong with having realistic expectations.

I reckon that's why they strongly discourage grazing.

No, but I remember when Olean (the food additive) came out. Anal leakage was one of the side effects. I avoided those products like the plague.

Thank you for keeping us updated. I pray all goes well!

Welcome! Some doctor's offices are awful! I'm sorry you got one of those. I'm glad to hear that you found someone who will actually help you.

When I was suffering from a rotator cuff injury, a couple of months ago, I was miserable. Tylenol wasn't doing a thing for my pain. I reached out to my surgeon's office and begged to be able to just take one dose of ibuprofen. They approved it, but told me to take omeprazole with it. NSAIDS increase your risk for ulcers. So does bariatric surgery. Combine the two and you're almost asking for a problem. The restriction on NSAIDS is forever, but it's probably not going to kill you to take them once in a while. You'll want to get approval from your team. I had already been several months post op, before trying to take it.

I'm not sure about DS patients, specifically, but I know that leafy greens can be difficult for a lot of people after WLS.

When I had my initial consultation with the surgeon, we discussed weight loss meds. He said that if I wanted to go that route, I would have to be on them for the rest of my life. That when I got off the meds, the weight would come back. That much, at least, is known. You're really not supposed to get off the meds.

Welcome! You're likely going to be fine. Make sure you learn the lesson and don't do that anymore. If you have food addiction or an eating disorder, you might want to seek help from a therapist. Edited to add: I've found that portioning out my food helps a lot. I know how much I'm allowed to eat in one sitting. I usually don't end up finishing it, but if I do, I know it's okay.

As @catwoman7 said, surgery doesn't treat food addiction. The surgery will help with hunger and satiety hormones. But, it does nothing for "head hunger". You're getting surgery on your stomach, not your brain. So, you'll be like a drug addict that has suddenly had their drug of choice taken away. Transfer addictions are very common. I started seeing a therapist, a couple of months before surgery. I knew that I was going to need to work on my brain and that most of that work was going to come a few months after surgery. I wanted to get a foundation laid and I'm so glad that I did. My therapist has been a lot of help.

Welcome! Yeah, the surgery is the easy part of this process. I found my therapist through my PCPs office. Maybe ask your surgical team if they have any recommendations..? Perhaps your county has a mental health system that can help? Try to find someone who deals with eating disorders.

My surgeon wanted me to lose 10-12 pounds, before surgery. They put me on Ozempic and that gave my body the little boost it needed, to start the weight loss. I lost 13 pounds on the Ozempic and when I had to stop taking it (because the clinic couldn't get any more samples and I couldn't afford it). They gave me a Rx for naltrexone and Wellbutrin, that seemed to help me stay on track and not gain. I had 4 months between the last of the Ozempic and my day of surgery. Maybe ask your team if there's anything that you can try. I was on OHP at the time (Oregon's version of Medicaid). They wouldn't cover the Ozempic, but they did cover both the naltrexone and Wellbutrin.

I try to make sure that at least half of what I'm eating is protein. Depending on the food, I'm eating about a cup.

Once you're able to get all your protein from solid food, you really need to stop with the supplements. It might be a few months before you're able to eat that much. As we lose weight, our protein requirements - like our calorie requirements - drop as well. My protein goal is 60 grams per day.

Because things often get overcooked in the microwave. We need our food to be really tender, at first.

There's a reason why we have to start on liquids and slowly work our way up to solid food. You have sutures that can get pieces of food stuck in them. Also, your sutures could break. Peritonitis is nothing to trifle with. Buyer's remorse is quite common. It will get better. No bite of solid food is worth your life.

This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it WILL pass.

Welcome! Remember why you're doing this. Nerves will get to you, keep focused on your reasons.

I was put on metformin, when I was diagnosed with diabetes, several years ago. It worked well. It improved my blood sugars. In addition to taking metformin, I started the keto diet. I lost 62 pounds in about 3 months. Of note, I started having hair loss. I don't know if it was the metformin, the diet, or the weight loss, but that's when I started losing my hair. I stayed on the metformin until the day of my surgery. The hair loss continued, even though I had stopped the keto diet and regained a bunch of weight.

Welcome! Like everyone else, we still have to diet and exercise to lose the weight. The surgery is just a tool that gives us a little extra help to be able to do that. At my initial consultation, my surgeon made it clear that I might not lose all the weight. He also told me that obesity is like cancer, it wants to come back. He said that if I do regain, then there are medications that can help. But, he did warn me that this is likely going to be a lifetime battle. So, you're in good company. A lot of people continue to struggle, after surgery.