Jeanniebug

It really could be either. Your new tummy is - essentially - in your chest, now. You might want to update your doctor with the new realization, just in case.

I worked with a therapist beginning about a month and a half before surgery, until I was over a year out. I just recently stopped seeing him. I'm still struggling with this. At my initial consultation, my surgeon told me that obesity likes to come back. That a lot of patients end up needing to go on medications, after the surgery, due to weight regain. For some of us, this is going to be a lifelong struggle, I'm afraid.

Yes, in time it should go back down. The study I saw said it starts dropping about a week after surgery. But, it won't hurt to keep in touch with your doctor. If they decide to do the holter monitor, do that - just to make sure there's no crazy coincidences happening.

If you were going to die, it wouldn't be "borderline". 😊 And it's worth noting that weight loss surgery tends to raise these levels for the first week after surgery. So that test is not definitive.

Also try different temperatures of liquids. Some people can't handle cold and some people can't handle hot. You might have to play with it.

Hi Hayley, welcome! I agree with BigZ... Call your doctor. I have a heart arrhythmia and it's scary, but not actually life threatening. Yours might be the same. So, try not to worry, but you definitely want to get checked out. Better safe than sorry.

Congratulations! If you're nervous, be sure to ask for something to calm your nerves. They can give you something.

My vision doesn't go white with the hypoglycemia. I get severe brain fog, shaking, heart racing and sweating. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to sneak up on me. If I don't eat every 2 hours - whether I'm hungry or not - I'll end end up crashing. They want me to stick to 60g of protein per day. My nutritionist wants me to stay away from protein shakes, but I do drink them on occasion. They help get something into me quickly, when my blood sugar drops. I'd say I probably drink one a week. I'm having an issue with my diaphragm that is keeping me from doing any exercise that works my core. We're working on fixing that, now. Once I'm able to start lifting weights, my protein intake won't be as much of a problem. It's so weird how different doctors have such wildly different plans.

Great job! My doctors are very happy with where I am. I've regained about 10 pounds, which I'm not super happy about, but here we are. LOL! My personal weight goal is 150. My doctor's goal for me is 163. The lowest I got was 166. I'm struggling with food choices, right now. I'm eating too much protein. But proteins are easy, grab-and-go, fast to prepare, so they're what I tend to reach for. But, they also make you gain weight, if you eat too much of them. I'm trying to strike a balance. I've also developed hypoglycemia. So, I have to eat about every 2 hours. When I prep my food, I do better with my eating. Again, the grab-and-go thing really helps. And having veggies already washed and cut up, in the fridge, encourages me to eat less protein and more vegetables - which I really need to be doing. But, overall, I'm doing really well. I'm no longer diabetic. My cholesterol is normal. My blood pressure is actually on the low end. I'm off of all my obesity-related medications. I had my final visit with my therapist, on Tuesday. He thinks I'm in a really good place and don't need him anymore. Besides a couple of little speed bumps I've had along the way (an issue with my diaphragm and the hypoglycemia) this has been an amazing, wonderful, journey. I have no regrets.

Update: Weight at 12 months post op - 167.

The requirements for surgery depend on your insurance. For my insurance, I had to have a BMI of 35+ and at least one comorbidity - or a BMI of 40 with no comorbidities. When I walked into the surgeon's office, my BMI was 35.5 and I had two comorbidities (diabetes and high cholesterol). I was a low-BMI patient, but I did qualify. I was 5'6" and weighed 233 pounds, the day I walked into my surgeon's office. Sad to say, but you might need to gain some more weight, in order to qualify.

In the early stages after bypass, there is a higher risk of dumping. I think that's why we're told to steer clear of the carby foods (aside from the weight loss aspect of things). I'm with @Arabesque, it's important that you consume highly-nutritious foods right now, while you're restricted. Perhaps adding fat will help? Again, with the risk of dumping, there may be some trial and error to work through. But fat is calorie-dense. Can you tolerate protein shakes? Adding a few of those each day might be a good way to boost your calories. Also, excess protein is stored as fat - that might be helpful for you.

Meat, beans, cottage cheese, protein bars, the occasional shake.

For me, it's been every 3 months... whenever I go in for my follow ups.

Welcome! I use the Bariatric Pal one-a-day vitamins, with 45mg of iron. It's not the smallest pill I take, but I have no problems swallowing it. I've been using them since I was about 3 months post op.