JennyBeez

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The jumpstart to weight loss was obviously amazing, but I was surprised how quickly my usual body pain & aches stopped bothering me. My knee problems have basically vanished, and the lower back pain I had gotten so used to living with has gotten so much better. I can breath easier when doing things that used to have me out of breath -- going up 2 flights of stairs, for example. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The pre-OP shakes -- I'm lactose intolerant and have trouble with stevia, and there were no shakes my care team could find for me that didn't have one-or-both things, so I spent a good 8-9 days barely keeping anything down. The surgery itself went off without a problem, and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought -- other than the car ride home! If you get WLS, bring a pillow to clutch to you afterwards!! 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing during, nor after -- but I'm only 10wks post-OP tomorrow. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I too am on SSRIs for long-time depression & anxiety. Most days have been awesome and cheery. Even during the initial aches and pains of recovery, just knowing that things were going to start changing for the better improved my mental state. I still have bad moments / days but once I started seeing all the improvements to my life it makes it easier to push through. It certainly helps to have a good support system -- people in my life, but also honestly this forum. TBH I was in a #$%& mood all day and feeling lethargic, but logging in here I know that everyone here understands and it just makes me feel more settled. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? I am currently having a ton of problems with chicken breast. I hate 'dark meat' poultry, but tried chicken thighs recently and it's not too bad but still leaves me with a heavy feeling in my stomach -- still better than the stuck feeling in my chest that the white meat gave. I feel like no matter what I put on it or how I cook it, it's just clearly a No for now. That said, for the most part everything else has gone down well as long as I eat slowly, and make choices consistent with my care team's plan / schedule. Going from puree to soft foods was probably the hardest for me physically, because it felt so different in my stomach. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? It's early on for me, but the changes in my body's hormones seems to have stopped most of my cravings. When I'm having a rough time emotionally, I still have momentary yearnings for old 'comfort foods' but honestly just the thought of some of them will turn me off within a few minutes. (For some reason if I think about fatty oils too long, I just get nauseated). And many of my old comfort foods have just updated into healthier things I can eat. Instead of my mum's Dutch mashed potatoes, I have a smaller bowl of healthier mashed potatoes (or cauliflower, or heart of palm) with a scoop of bone broth powder to up the protein. Instead of spaghetti and meatballs, I have homemade meatballs and extra sauce -- or a ricotta bake instead of lasagna. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I've had one instance of dumping syndrome so far, and it was 100% my own fault. I knew what the culprit was immediately (white-flour leftover tortilla and more difficult chicken breast). I won't lie, I seriously wanted to die for probably an hour, and then slept the rest of the day away. It's horrid. I'm hoping that I've learned enough to take better care / caution and avoid any more instances. Other than that, recovery has been pretty smooth. All my incisions healed up without issue, the gas pain only lasted a few weeks and then there was just a strange tightness / mild soreness on one side of my body for the first 5-6 weeks. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I want to say 2-3 weeks. Around the time I started eating puree (week 3), my energy levels started bouncing back much more rapidly -- which let me walk more easily. 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 100% yes. NGL, sometimes I feel like skipping even though it's not suitable for someone my age, LOL. I feel like I've been more efficient at work post-OP just because of the energy improvement, and physically I notice the increased stamina every time I go on an errand or for a walk with my dog. (I tire her out now!) 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? For the better. Some of it is because the energy and the physical improvements make me feel better about myself in general, but part of it is kind of a trickle-down effect. I spend more time making good, healthy choices for myself, spend more time being mindful whether it's while I'm eating, or making a grocery list, cooking, etc. It's so much time spent on self-improvement and self-care. So I have less time to worry about what other people's secret thoughts or judgments might be and take people more at face value. I have less time to waste on people that bring toxicity to my life or can't respect my boundaries. It's like this microcosm of self-care made by investing my energy in my current journey has expanded it's hooks into the rest of my life. I feel like for the first time in my life, I am actually one of my top priorities. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I had moments of regret during dumping syndrome, for sure. But as soon as I recovered from that one bout, I was still happy I'd done the surgery. I think it definitely forces us to take ownership of our own health and making the best decisions we can towards that. I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with weight loss and can honestly look at their life and see themselves living in this framework for the rest of their lives. By all accounts it seems to be incredibly important to keep it all up -- the vitamins and supplements, the healthy choices and portion sizes, etc. I would NOT recommend it for anyone looking for a magic pill. This takes work, will continue to take work.

My GP warned me that it'll happen to most patients, but won't be permanent -- just something we have to put up with for 6-12mo before it stops falling out and starts growing back properly. He kind of made me feel like keeping up on my multi-vitamins & supplements were the only thing that would have it eventually stabilize, and that most 'solutions' like biotin patches and special hair treatments were just going to be an expensive placebo for time & improved nutrition. It actually kind of depressed me, because I have thin straight hair to begin with -- I can't afford much hair loss. I ended up shaving half my head (undercut only) months prior to my WLS just to be sure I could handle losing that much volume. Would love to hear from anyone with a great personal experience with additional supplements / treatments that they feel worked? But if not, I'm happy to rock a short do for the next year or so.

I feel like most of us have mental health issues prior to WLS -- related to the weight gain in the first place, and the body dysmorphia that so easily comes along with life as a 'non-standard' size. I'm not surprised at all that many of us continue to struggle with both things during/after weight loss. People that haven't had a similar life might struggle to understand. Anyone who tells someone to "just get over it" or "just get passed it" in regards to any mental health issue is flat out not helping -- whether that's because they can't empathize with the struggle directly, or something else. I've been doing a lot of personal work on 'boundaries' lately. Just want to remind everyone that it's okay to remind someone that what they're saying is not very compassionate. It doesn't have to be a fight or an attack against them, even a simple "Yeah, that's really not a helpful thing to say but thanks for the effort, I guess?" might have them re-think their own words. They don't owe us support -- nobody owes anybody, really -- but we're all humans and deserve basic compassion rather than dismissal.

[[I'm not in this situation yet (early on in my journey, 3 sizes down so far)... but hey, isn't that a WONDERFUL correction to have to make every time? Like, "OOPS, I did it again!" LOL, I feel like it would be a cheery thing to go through each time. Heck, go try on one of those 5x shirts you pick up and ooh-and-ahh over how awesomely you've done working at this. ❤️❤️❤️ ]]

I think everyone's going to be different in this case. I had RNY bypass and I was farty-as-heck up until maybe the first week of transitioning to soft-solids. I think in my case, part of it was recovery and part of it was my body re-stabilizing itself and getting used to new foods. That said, on days that I have too much sweetener in my system or am trying a new food that doesn't sit as well with me, I certainly get 'windy'. And if there is a single bean in my food, I can guarantee gas. So it may get better, and it may not. You may need a Gas-X type med, or you may just notice it's worse with certain foods. Either way, everyone poops and everyone farts. XD (Just look at other people in an accusatory-way afterwards, shift that blame.)

I just recovered from my first dumping syndrome reaction and hooo boy, for a while there I was seriously regretting having the surgery. I'm just over 9 weeks PO, and yes, I've had serious pain (and some vomiting or bad nausea) every time I stupidly re-try chicken breast. I thought that was bad enough. I. Was. Not. Prepared. So I had half a wrap yesterday for lunch. My boss bought our team lunch and he went out of his way to get me a plain wrap, no fatty sauces, with just chicken and lettuce. He bought me s gravy to dip it in so it'd be moist! I was so... touched and thankful that he'd thought so much about my restrictions that I decided to give the white meat one more try. I did NOT take into consideration the wrap (not whole wheat). I ate a little less than half of it yesterday. It went down fine, no issues. Dunked in gravy and delicious. Welllll today for lunch I ate the leftovers. Within 20 minutes of the last bite, I was forced to nap. (Looking back, felt just like an over-carbed/sugared diabetic nap.) Woke up an hour later to pre-period cramping. No big deal. Except by the time I got to the bathroom, the cramps became excruciating and I started vomiting bile. Then came the seemingly endless liquid diarrhea, fever and sweating so much I soaked my clothes like I'd been in the pouring rain. I wanted to die to make it stop. For a while, I thought maybe I was dying and this pain was a PO complication or my entire intestine rupturing, etc. (Yeah, I blame fever delerium for that). My mother tested my blood sugar while I was half out of it, and it wasn't crazy high but still much higher than my PO normal. I hope to ALL the gods that I learn my lesson from this and can avoid it ever ever ever happening again. I logically know that more mistakes are bound to happen on this journey, but oooof that hit hard.

I love Camino's cocoa powder. It's unsweetened so you can add your own sweetener to taste or leave plain. I find the natural sweetness of my fairlife milk is usually plenty. (my body hates stevia, so I loved being able to add a touch of splenda)

I tried the following recently: Truely Cereal - Fruit flavor. It wasn't bad, but it has a weird texture. It's made to look like fake fruit loops. Catalina Crunch - Keto friendly- Honey Graham. It's a very hard cereal so it required a long soak in my (oat) milk. Tasted fine, a little too sweet but not excessively so. Quaker High Protein instant oatmeals. I've tried a few flavors. Luckily my father likes them so he took sll the leftovers. Consistency and texture were fine, but they taste salty? Also they have actual (if reduced) sugars so I was hesitant to begin with. Didn't find it worth it. I've got an unopened box of Premier Protein - Mixed Berry cereal that looks promising. Fingers crossed. But that multigrain Special K looks right up my alley -- will be seeking that out.

You're doing just amazing -- seriously, kudos!! Keep going forward!!

(I feel like everything I ever see Arabesque comment is 100% brilliant) Can you reach out to your care team as well? My team only technically offers medical care for a year after surgery, but said I can call if I need guidance after that. They may be able to offer referrals if needed, etc. I think it's important, too, to make sure you don't punish yourself. (I don't know if you are, but throughout my lifetime of weight struggles I feel like many of my friends and relatives reluctantly admit to the same thing, where you look down at yourself / judge yourself or even 'punish' yourself for what you perceive as failings.) We're all a Work In Progress. Food can be an addiction just as much as drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or any 'bad habit'. One of my old therapists said that just like many AA members consider themselves 'in recovery' for the rest of their lives, we should look at our relationship with food also as an ongoing journey. You've got this.

I also didn't get any calorie guidelines -- even fat/etc. I got protein goals, and was just told to keep my sugars and carbs as low as I could for the first month. When I started on soft foods, they gave me a bit more advice for carb/sugar limits and fibre goals but it was a pretty broad range. My team basically said it was because every 'body' is different and will react/thrive/etc with different levels, but that while still technically in 'recovery' it's more important to focus on protein and nutrients that you need as opposed to the fats/carbs to limit. I mostly did my own research, put a limit in my food tracking app, and am making my own notes on what amounts I can have over a day and still be on track. Like for me personally, my targets are 80g+ protein, and under 45g carbs & 25g fats per day. I can go over one or the other by 5-10 grams without it seeming to affect my weight loss, as long as it's not both on the same day. (Most days it's not even an issue but I'm still only 2 months in myself. Early days!)

That's an amazing amount of weight loss in such a short time (even if it may feel like longer, lol). You look incredible. I'm so happy for you! (re: lbs vs inches, I've always cared more about the size measurements rather than the weight. I only care what the scale says because it's easier to track how I'm doing on a given week -- but I'm much happier when my clothes start to feel too loose compared to anything I see when I look at the numbers between my toes)

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for my care team and they have done a wonderful job for the most part in preparing me and responding to my post-op queries... but they've also missed things along the way that I think could've/should've been a simple thing to cover in one of the many pre-op lectures, booklets, etc -- or been wrong about 'minor' things (aka: "Take this specific multivitamin dosage/brand with your breakfast each day, and your SSRIs & BP meds, your b12, and your iron" when the multivitamin package explicitly says "DO NOT take this with iron because it inhibits iron absorption, wait until 2 hours afterwards to take any iron supplements") In other words, I think it's always in our best interest to do some research ourselves, ask around, and seek the opinions of other health professionals. My pharmacist, for example, always seems to know way more about drug & supplement interaction than any of my doctors who do the prescribing.

Congratulations, that's incredibly close! You must be so proud of all your hard work along the way!

Hi everyone! So I've been scouring the internet (and the forums lol) for information on menstruation complications post WLS. I've seen plenty of 'scientific' and medical journals talk about how menstrual cycles are better regulated after Gastric Bypass & Sleeve surgeries, and even more comments from WLS patients about how their cycles went haywire, flows became excessive, pain levels increased, etc. Myself, (prior to my WLS) I've always had fairly regular cycles, always heavy flow -- other than at certain points of severe weight gain where I would start skipping (once for 6 months!) or just get trickles of a flow. Other than in my early teens, I never experienced spotting -- whether pre-cycle or between cycles. Now, 2 months post-op I've been getting ... spotting. I think. Again, I've barely ever experienced spotting before but for the past 4 days I've had red/brown discharge on liners & when I wipe. Today one of my ovaries feels sore and my lower back is acting up in a suspiciously pre-period way. I sent a message to my care team -- but they never reply on Fridays to begin with and it's a long weekend here so I doubt I'll hear back from them until Tues/Wed. Would love to get more input on people's personal experiences, whether it's recent post-op or years down the line. Commiserate, complain, let me know this is an (unfortunately) normal thing.

Honestly, I woke up from my surgery (gastric bypass RNY) feeling cold and it just never went away, LOL. Did your doc do a full bloodwork panel, with iron and all that, and check your blood pressure? Other nutrient deficiencies can have the same symptoms. I've been told by many that it's normal after weight loss and/or WLS. Yes, sometimes it's thyroid related and it's good to check that semi-regularly just in case, but you can also just legitimately be cold from the weight loss. Think about whales and blubber -- they use that fat to keep them warm in the ocean, our fat cells do the same. My hands, feet and nose are frequently cool now, and always seem to be the first places I notice the temperature around me changing. My dad (who has thyroid disease) usually has the coldest hands in the house -- but not anymore!

100% with you! I mean technically, there's no "normal" weight loss in the sense that all our bodies are different to begin with, all of us have different health complications or diet restrictions, etc -- but I think you're doing really well if it helps! I'm 2 months post-op myself and have had two 'short' stalls of about a week each time. I think at the time, one of the members in the forums mentioned that the stalls are basically your body doing a bit of a reset/reboot to find a new equilibrium before moving forwards again. Don't get discouraged! Keep at it, or maybe juggle a few of your meals/proteins around to see if a small change can kick you out of the stall. (For example, I was really reliant on greek yogurt and lowfat cottage cheese well past my puree stage. I avoided them for a few days after I noticed a stall, and ate more plant based protein and fish in the meantime -- and I honestly feel like my body responded like "oh, some new puzzle to figure out!" and shocked me out of my stall. I'm not saying change everything up but if there's a meal or a protein that you're really leaning on right now, maybe switch it up a bit and see what happens.)

I want to echo Nickel, and also point out that this is why many care teams warn you not to drink for at least 30 minutes post meal -- because the liquid will flush that meal down faster than you want it to in order to be able to absorb all those nutrients. I'm 2 months post-op, and even though I usually try to take my time with a protein shake and spread it over 30-40 minutes, sometimes at work I'll realized I downed it in 15-20 and am feeling no troubles. (But heaven forbid should I try to eat anything chewable in under 35 minutes, my body will punish me immediately lol)

I don't think it sounds abnormal At All. I was recently doing some research into something tangently related (spotting / menstrual issues) and everything I came across has been talking about how much our hormones change -- both from the surgery itself, but also all throughout weight loss, etc. Get yourself some good lube and enjoy. 😉

Everything I've read says that "detox diets" don't work at removing toxins. I've yet to find any plausible study that proves any of them flush toxins out of your system. If drinking a lot of water is part of it, that helps flush things out of your digestive system -- but even if you were only eating edibles I don't think the THC would actually be being stored anywhere in your digestive system. If you're not still in touch with your original team / dietician -- what about going back to the liquids phase for a few days? Protein shakes for protein, yogurts for probiotics, and your supplements. I would hesitate to do anything for more than a few days to restart your system, just because I think we're all a lot more susceptible to malnutrition in general after our WLS.

For apps, I didn't like myfitnesspal (free version) myself, but I use Cronometer to track food/nutrition and Medisafe as a reminder for my supplements. Both are pretty basic but that works for me. (Plus they're free with no ads and no fluff) I've only newly started on this journey, but I've been there in the past with non-WLS weight regain. You can do this -- you've done it before and you can definitely do it again. It's like any other habit addiction (smoking, biting nails, whatever) -- routine and muscle memory make it easy to get into bad habits, but are just as important when getting back into gear for the good ones. Rooting for you!

I brought too much. My hospital didn't inventory belongings so nobody complained, but with the post-op fatigue and pain meds, I didn't touch either of my 2 books or tablet. I brought a shawl I didn't need. Go as basic as you can, is my rec. Chapstick will feel like a life saver. My hospital had me bring all my meds just in case they didn't have it, but they ended up supplying everything. Wear loose, comfy clothing there and plan to just wear the same clothes going back. Slip on shoes. Hairbrush or hat, toothbrush and toothpaste. Phone charger and power bank / long charger cord. Ear plugs and or sleep mask if you're a sensitive sleeper -- but I found the painkillers helped me sleep through basically everything lol. I had no energy and no attention span.

Hahaha, Abdominal Poltergeist. Love it. Just this morning I was (holding my tummy and) picturing a Norse wyrm playing in my intestines.

I'm only a week post-op so I don't have much experience with this particular conversation -- but I've struggled with weight all my life and have had a few periods of great weight loss. And those conversations were never great, either. Honestly, I feel like the majority of people just want you to reveal "the magic solution" to them -- whether because they want an easy solution themselves, or just want to write you off as having "cheated" for your success. They don't want to hear about the tough, ongoing, lifetime of work you're putting in. Some people -- those who deeply care and connect with you -- that won't be the case. But those people that care, won't get too pushy if you set a boundary. And that's really what I wanted to talk about: setting healthy boundaries. It's nobody's business how you achieved this. Decide how much you're comfortable sharing, and allow yourself to set a clear boundary. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a bland "oh, you know, lifestyle changes" as an answer, and if they push further let them know "Honestly, I'm not comfortable talking about it. I'm healthy and happy though." Anyone who tries to push past your boundaries? Deserves the stink eye, and maybe a LOUDER repetition of exactly what you told them. At most. (But most people feel too awkward to push, I think. If they don’t, well, they don't really deserve you to be polite back. Get sassy. Ask them what part of your statement needs clarification. Ask them something extremely probing and personal back. Tell them to look up the definition of 'boundaries,' 'respect,' or 'pushiness.' Ask if they're a Taurus. Hiss at them 'Alien Abduction' and walk away. Most importantly, take care of your own emotional and mental health first -- because nobody else will prioritize it for you. 🤍

I feel you. I was in a similar place last week, mentally/emotionally. You'll definitely get through this. I'm glad you're consulting your doctor tomorrow, especially if the meds are contributing to your malaise. Right now, it sounds you're in a really tough place. Between the recovery diet being restrictive and not feeling well enough to eat, it's like this viscious cycle. The drugs and lack of nutrients/calories make you feel weaker, ill, and can zap your energy so bad it's hard to force yourself to eat/drink. (Sleep all you need to though -- our bodies definitely need that for the healing process!!) In the meantime, try to remember why you decided to go on this journey. For me, I'm looking forward to less joint pain as the pounds let up, getting my diabetes and blood pressure under control, being able to keep up a little better with my active nieces. Heh, and being able to shop for clothes that make me feel good instead of making me feel hidden. Are you on any supplements? Chewable multi vitamins and calcium/ vitamin d3 need some time to build up in your system but are definitely helpful in feeling more alive & awake.