DandelionSun

At 3 months P.O., my doctor took me off the acid reducer (omperazole, Prilosec, PPI). About a week later I developed horrible upper stomach pain, gagging, belching, feeling like I wanted to throw up and nausea. I thought it was something I ate but found out that if you are on these acid reducers for more than 4 weeks it can cause a re-bound effect when you stop the meds and cause the stomach to OVER-produce stomach acid causing you stomach pain or acid reflux symptoms. I did not know to expect this this prior to surgery and wanted to share in case anyone else developed these symptoms after they stop an acid reducer. I have a note into my doctor about what we are going to do, but online I’ve read that the rebound effect can last for 2 weeks to 3 months. You can try a different acid reducer or wean yourself off the Prilosec.

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Thank you so much - I’d like to be off completely so this sounds like a plan. My bariatric nurse just got back to me and said, yes, rebound is a thing and she didn’t read my message where I said I’d just stopped taking it. She said to go back on it and then we’ll wean off. With all the problems you’ve had, I’m sure it was very painful to go through and have additional surgeries. I hope you are doing better now. Your comment gives me hope that I can get off them eventually. Hugs!

Wow toodlrue - I’ve never heard of an L shaped esophagus! I hope you’re doing well now!

For anyone going through this and wanting to try the baking soda method, please note that baking soda contains sodium, so if you have high blood pressure or watching sodium for other reasons (kidneys, etc) please be aware of this and talk with your doctor about it first!

🤩 Thank you for that. I understand reducing the acid from the Dr’s POV during the stomach healing after surgery, but the rebound effect is horrible!! I am all for natural means of getting past this so I will discuss this with my team for sure and look up your suggestions! It’s much appreciated!!

In my 7th week post-op and I finally felt like everything came together today. I felt good, I had a great workout, my nutrition was on point and I only have 8oz of water left to drink for the day. I have to celebrate this win today - there were days of struggle and hating the protein drinks, and craving crunchy carbs, but I got through it and that lets me know I can get through hard times and cravings! it’s been so hard to get to 700-800 calories and get all my water in - but I did it today! make sure to celebrate those wins!!

Bleed it Out - Linkin Park (great for squeezing out that last minute of a run) Fire Woman - The Cult Kickstart My Heart - Motely Crue Cango - Pelari (Electronic dance music) Flight 643 - Tiesto (absolute fave, I try to run the whole 9 minutes!) Nyana - Tiestro

Congrats on your surgery! You are not alone! I know that feeling from the rash/hives from the bandages and scrub. Would a calamine lotion help at all? I had some liver issues prior to surgery but didn't have a biopsy. I did have a little bit of discomfort in that area right after surgery, but it subsided as the days went on. I would imagine that you might have some pain from the biopsy site. I totally get being over the liquid diet phase. I couldn't wait to get out of it either, but you can do it! Personally, I felt like my liver was being given a vacation during this time and the swelling around my liver went down a lot.

I used Isopure unflavored protein powder. Found it on Amazon and Target. I don’t notice a smell or taste at all. Congrats on your surgery & Good luck on finding what works best for you! 🤗

I bought some plastic ice cubes and use those now - they won’t dilute your drinks but it won’t make us feel like we're drinking endless water when the ice melts! I also filled 8 mason jars with 8 ounces each and put them in the fridge. I numbered them and use the plastic ice cubes to keep it cold. I have pretty much met my water goals since incorporating this method instead of trying to put it in a big tumbler. Although when I leave the house I do take a big tumbler and just deal - question about the hydrate - how does that work with ice?

That is absolutely hilarious!!

When they said eating and drinking would be your full time job, they weren’t kidding! I am 43 days PO and starting my soft/solid stage. Last week the bariatric nutritionist wanted me to start eating 800 calories a day and it really interferes with getting my fluids in every day since we have to wait 30 minutes prior to eating and 30 minutes after to be able to drink again. I have to wake up at 6:30 am to start my day of eating and drinking and don’t finish until 10 or 10:30 at night - and I rarely get to 750 or 800 calories. I know as time goes on my stomach size will improve in order to take more in at one time but for now I try to listen to my body and be patient! Has anyone else felt like this and how did you deal with it? Hugs to all!!

It is hard to balance the water/food ratio! As we go from liquids to solids we have to adapt. When the nutritionist told me to get 800 calories a day I was like, “where am I going to put it?” I feel most comfortable around 600 calories and 50oz of water, but she said I have to get the calories up in order to keep my metabolism going! It’s definitely a balancing act and we have to listen to our bodies!

It is hard to balance the water/food ratio! As we go from liquids to solids we have to adapt. When the nutritionist told me to get 800 calories a day I was like, “where am I going to put it?” I feel most comfortable around 600 calories and 50oz of water, but she said I have to get the calories up in order to keep my metabolism going! It’s definitely a balancing act and we have to listen to our bodies!

I’ve noticed on days I work it’s definitely harder to stay on track. I work with my hands so it’s hard to stop and drink and go back to work, maybe one of those “beer hats” would work 🤣 in the beginning I had a 32 oz bottle and I would fill that up with a bottle of water and ice, but the ice would melt and it was hard to keep track and I never felt like I was making progress. So I switched to filling mason jars with 8 oz of water and numbered them. It seems to work much easier for me at home and I can see the progress. Since doing this I’ve hit 64 oz a day. When I go out, I take the water bottle with ice with me and just drink all the time and assume with the ice I get more than a 16 oz bottle of water.

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

Mine was just 24 hours of liquid prior - but my husband was 2 weeks when he had it done. in his case, (insulin dependent diabetic), he had to have an endoscopy prior to having a surgery date. He was put on a 3 day liquid diet prior to the endoscopy and it showed he had food in his stomach from 4 days prior to the liquid diet! The doctor said that diabetics don’t digest their food well. so doing our liquid phase is dependent on our challenges personally and to make sure there is no food in our stomachs as well as shrink the liver.

Early on, like 2 weeks post op, I toasted some sourdough bread and buttered it. The crunch and the aroma of fresh bread with the salty butter… I took 5 glorious bites, chewed each one and spit it out. I haven’t felt the need to do this again since then but I’m sure it’s a fairly common occurrence. Hugs to all!!

I’m 5 weeks out and having a horrible time with water. The drink mixes have been too sweet now so I try to do a little bit at a time and see when it’s flavorful but not too sweet. Even sugar free Gatorade is too sweet and I try to dilute it. After my first bout with dehydration I started to pedialyte to my water. It has sugar, but all the true hydration drinks do. it’s hella sweet too, so I dilute that as well. My problem is the doctor just told me I HAVE to up my calories to 800, as I only get between 550-650 a day. Now with all this extra food I have less time to drink because we have to wait 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after eating to drink. I just don’t have the hours in the day or the space in my stomach to drink all this water. Do you think I might have a stricture?

I just started soft foods and have had the hardest time with things tasting burnt. The bone broths that I loved prior to surgery taste horrible so I rely on protein shakes, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese and I found a no sugar jerky at Target that I can tolerate. All that dairy is hard on the bowels so I still take my stool softener from time to time. Last night I was trying to get my second shake in and I just couldn’t do. All of a sudden there was this thick clot of something in my mouth - I think the shake was building up on my tongue or something. I had to go in and scrape my tongue with a spoon to get all the buildup of the protein shake off. It was gross and I couldn’t finish the shake after that.

I just started soft foods and have had the hardest time with things tasting burnt. The bone broths that I loved prior to surgery taste horrible so I rely on protein shakes, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese and I found a no sugar jerky at Target that I can tolerate. All that dairy is hard on the bowels so I still take my stool softener from time to time. Last night I was trying to get my second shake in and I just couldn’t do. All of a sudden there was this thick clot of something in my mouth - I think the shake was building up on my tongue or something. I had to go in and scrape my tongue with a spoon to get all the buildup of the protein shake off. It was gross and I couldn’t finish the shake after that.

You can also put the protein powders into a bit of room temperature water to dissolve it first. Then whisk it slowly into whatever broth or hot food/drink after it’s dissolved. This prevents the clumping and cooling your food down.

Stalls are super frustrating! I am currently in that 3-4 week stall myself but I came across an interesting article regarding WHY it happens. Basically, your body is trying to figure out its new normal. During the low calorie liquid and puréed stage during the first 4-5 weeks, your body has gone from burning things like carbs for energy to burning fat. But during this process you had to burn through your glycogen stores as well. (Glycogen also holds a lot of water which is why we can get dehydrated even though we are drinking a lot of fluids). Our bodies are trying to find our new normal in what to burn for energy and our fluid levels are equalizing which can keep the number on the scale the same or even climb. I have a scale that gives me my water, fat and muscle composition and during this time, I am losing fat, gaining water and muscle and the scale hasn’t changed in 13 days and knowing that my body is adjusting really helped me relax. My blood pressure also dropped enough to stop my blood pressure meds!!! Be kind to yourself, give yourself good foods, drink as much water as you are able and get your movement in. As others have said here, this is a marathon, not a quick fix. Hugs to all!