CeciliaInPNW

Same issue here. I bought way too many and now can't drink them. You can put protein powder in foods until you can eat regular foods that will give you protein on their own. It's not the best, but it's a solution. Also the clear protein drinks might work better for you. I couldn't tolerate those, either. but some really like them.

I had this problem a few years ago and had to get iron infusions for several years to get my levels back to normal. I went in to the infusion clinic (where most people are getting chemo, etc.) and sat with a drip for 1-2 hours a couple times a year. It really helped with my levels as well as my energy!

I think the fact that the one passenger was going for a tummy tuck was entirely coincidental in this situation. It was reported that they were not targeted for that, but because they were believed to be involved in the drug trade. I vacation in Mexico often, and if I stopped going because of every news story about cartel activity I would be missing out big time. I understand the concern, but I think the recent kidnappings/murder incident is not related to travel to Mexico for bariatric care, etc. so you should still feel safe to follow your planned trip/surgery. I have been to Hospital los Angeles in Tijuana and felt entirely safe during the entire trip, including at the hospital, aftercare hotel and walking around the vicinity of the hospital/hotel. I hope we have helped you feel comfortable with your decision and you don't worry while on your journey.

I am almost 3 months post op bypass, and I have many days where nothing is appetizing to me. Pre-surgery I loved eggs and would eat them every day - now...they have no appeal. I don't think it's boredom, but a serious lack of interest now, if that makes sense? Some foods give me an actual nauseas reaction thinking of eating them. Foods I enjoyed before bypass when I had the sleeve. The things I actually crave are oranges and salads for some reason, but both in excess give me heartburn. I'm not sure if this is a temporary situation or my new normal? My thoughts lately have been to try to incorporate some vegan recipes into my diet, with new flavors and textures, to see how my body reacts. So I have been collecting recipes from some friends and will see how that goes after grocery shopping this weekend.

I was about a month post-op before I could drink water normally, but it got consistently better during that time. I started out with little tiny 1 oz cups my nurses gave me at the hospital and I just poured out 4-5 of those at a time and kept drinking them/re-filling all day. I did that for almost 2 weeks post-op. I found I got a lot of water in that way since the little cups didn't seem like too much and were easy to drink down. I think most people are able to drink "like normal" eventually after the swelling in our innards goes down, so you should get there in a few weeks or so.

I had the glued incisions, as well and I love to pick! I had one that the glue had started to peel away at one end, so of course I picked at it and was so sorry I did. Ended up with that incision taking months to fully close. I had to get steri strips and this spray glue to try to help it close enough to heal. It's still scabbed over to this date (surgery was 12/13/22) so not fully healed. If you see one starting to come up, try to get some glue spray to help it stay down, you will be glad you did!

That's how mine was set up as well. My insurance ended up pulling through last minute and approved my revision, but their requirement was that I had it done at the hospital instead of the surgical center. I think the way the hospital administered the anesthesia and pain meds post-surgery contributed to my having to stay over night. I had never had that reaction with previous surgeries done at the surgical center.

i was originally scheduled for outpatient but was ultimately admitted for one night, released around 11 a.m. the next morning. I was also nervous about being outpatient so I wish they would have just planned to have me over night in the first place. The recovery was a lot harder than the sleeve, which I had done outpatient. I was told the hospitals are full so they try to get you out of there day of surgery if possible, but after I was admitted I noticed my floor only had like 3 of us up there, so I don't know what the logic is. I think bypass is too serious of a surgery to go home same day.

The area around my belly button hurt after bypass, but no big bruise. Were you given blood thinners? I think that can cause easier bruising. The dizziness I address below in a reply to another comment - I believe mine was caused by low BP, which eventually resolved itself.

My BP was SUPER low after bypass for about 2-3 weeks. It hit 85/50 at one point and then lingered around the 95/60 mark for quite a while. It did make me dizzy, but I did not experience the hot flash as far as I remember.

Sleeve is an easier surgery for doctors to perform and it's an easier recovery usually. I was back home the day of surgery and back to normal within a week or so. My surgeon recommended it over the bypass because if it wasn't successful there was still the bypass to do later, which is what ended up happening. I got severe GERD from the sleeve and ended up gaining some weight back. I just had the revision to bypass last month and wish I had just went straight to bypass a few years ago instead of doing the sleeve first. Sleeve recovery was simple and I lost 78 lbs in a year, then my gallbladder had to be removed, acid reflux/GERD got worse, and the weight gain started right after that. I didn't have acid/GERD issues before the sleeve. Recovery after bypass was harder for me, took me about a month to get my energy levels back up, but totally worth it so far. I took 3 weeks off work, but should have taken 4 weeks, but I work from home so I got through it. Congrats on getting your surgery date!

Gastric Sleeve recovery is very different from Gastric Bypass recovery, in my own experience and from what I have seen from others.

I work from home and I took 3 weeks off and wished I had taken 4 weeks. The first 2 weeks were a blur, I don't remember much and I didn't lose the mental fog until really right at the end of that 3 week mark. I went back to work on the 4th week but immediately made a few mistakes, which is not common for me. I would recommend planning for 4 weeks off and if you feel good enough to go back to work earlier you can.

I hope your surgery went well today! I showered on day 2 but put a big plastic cover bandage the nurses gave me over my incisions to keep them dry. I was able to clean properly after all bathroom visits once I was out of post-op recovery. I was in post-op recovery for about 7 hours and they couldn't get me to wake up fully so I did have to have my nurse help me clean up after potty, which if I hadn't been so out of it I would have been totally embarrassed by it. You absolutely need to walk every 2 hours or so after surgery, as soon as you can. I'm sure they have told you that. Just do as much as you can at a time. Remember - the diet stages don't last very long. It can be super tough but it's typically about a month to progress to regular food. I just made it there, I am exactly one month post op today. Looking forward to hearing how your surgery went! Hope you keep us posted.

Hi Jeannie! I am in the same boat... have lost 20 lbs in the first couple weeks after revision to bypass, and only another 1-2 lbs the last week or so. I am one month out today. It looks like you went on to lost another 41 lbs in the next 2 months or so, is that right? That is super encouraging! I just started regular foods today, so I am hoping that jump starts my weight loss again. Did you notice anything that you did that helped yours start up again after the stall?

Stalls are normal after the initial post-surgery weight loss. Its your body's time to stop and reset and get used to the new pipes. lol It's feeling that "uh oh something is different so it must be wrong" feeling so it's holding on to all the calories it can in case your body needs them to cope with what ever stress is happening. Once it realizes there is no new stress (other than new pipes!) it will start burning the calories/fat for you again. That is my "very non-professional" explanation. Hope that helps!

Hi Dan ~ I revised to bypass 12/13. My nurses sent me home with a stack of little cups like the size of a cough syrup cup and I just put 3-4 of those out by me every day and kept drinking them and refilling and I found they really helped me get my water in and kept me sipping instead of gulping. Hope your recovery goes well!

I had an upper endoscopy which showed esophagitis resulting from the GERD/reflux. I had been waking up with acid in my throat at night and was basically eating a very high fiber diet since fiber didn’t elevate my reflux. I had regained weight. I had to appeal my insurance three times to get them to approve my hiatal hernia repair and revision to bypass. My insurance spelled out the 6 or so reasons they would approve the bypass and I qualified for 1 of them (esophagitis). I had already been under the care of my doctors dietician since my sleeve (I continued to see her under my insurance after the first year that was included in my surgery package) so I did not have to do any further diet monitoring, and the process went pretty quickly. Just the few months it’s took for the insurance appeals.

I had revision to bypass on 12/13/22 due to GERD/acid reflux that also caused some regain. Recovery for me was a lot worse than sleeve, but thankfully that sounds uncommon so please do not get nervous reading my story; I only tell it to share my experience. I was scheduled for outpatient surgery, but had to be admitted for one night to the hospital due to not coming out of the anesthesia quickly, an abnormal EKG post-surgery and low blood pressure issues. I spent about 8 hours in post-op recovery and was finally admitted when I didn't improve. I suspect the difference in recovery had to do with the first surgery being done at my doctor's clinic, while the bypass was performed at a hospital (insurance requirement) so same doctor, different surgical team/anesthesiologist. I was given something pre-anesthesia which the nurse told me can make coming out of anesthesia more difficult. I requested that they not give it to me, but I was asleep before the mask went on my nose, so I suspect I was given it even though the nurse told the anesthesiologist I didn't want it. I was also given fentanyl in post-op, which I would not have approved had I been awake enough to object to it. I guess it is common in emergency rooms, but I was not happy to hear them saying they were administering it to me while I was mostly asleep. I also got a corneal abrasion during surgery, which caused intense pain and watering in my left eye in post-op. They gave me drops for it and it calmed it down. Other than these issues, my post-op stay at the hospital was great - I had an amazing team of nurses that seemed like they were dedicated only to my care. Comparing to my sleeve post-op, for that surgery I was released same day just hours after surgery and aside from being sleepy for a day or two, I had no post-op issues except for constipation, which I have not had with bypass. I had a JP drain for 1 week post-surgery. I continued to have low BP for a few weeks post-surgery and very little energy. I didn't eat much for the first 2 weeks (I completely overbought on the liquids and puree foods). I was able to get my water in no problem. I wasn't able to stomach the protein shakes until week 3, they just gave me nausea. At about the 3-week mark I suddenly recovered one day from both the low BP and low energy, and now I am feeling amazing. Aside from a little heart burn a few days out of surgery I have not had any GERD/acid reflux, thank god! So far with bypass I have not regained my hunger pangs yet (yay! hope that lasts a while) and am down 20 lbs, compared to having lost 18 lbs my first month post-sleeve. I'm very happy I had the revision surgery at this point. Try to not feel frustrated, my doc told me many people need a revision, especially with GERD. I didn't realize just how much it affected my sleep, eating, daily life until it went away. Such a relief to have it gone! I wish you the best of luck in your surgery!

I had a revision to bypass on December 13th and the first few weeks were a struggle. No energy, horrible recovery compared to my VSG. i had a brief moment of "what did I do" thinking and then it was gone. At just about the 3-week mark I suddenly got ALL the energy back.. like deep cleaned my entire house energy... almost overdid it! I was SO happy to feel back to normal. You'll get there, too.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself - my name is Tracy and I was just banded on November 14th in Tijuana by Dr. Kuri. It was an amazing experience, which I will share with you briefly....I live in Washington State so it was a quick flight to San Diego and a short drive over the border to Hospital Angeles (extreamly clean and professional! and comfortable!) spent the first two nights in the hospital, Thursday and Friday with surgery Friday morning. Everything went as expected and was recooperating in the hotel Saturday morning. I was home Monday late afternoon and had no problems other than a bit of gas and discomfort from the incisions. The post-op diet for 2 weeks went ok - just recently tried to eat a few french fries and they came back up but other than that I have had no problems. I have been eating cream of wheat, yogurt, Jello, Soup broths, baby food ( I like it! ), just started eating a little dry Cereal with a little bit of milk on it (just chew it up really good) and I had some popcorn at the movies a few days ago and I was really happy I could eat it and it didn't come back up or cause any discomfort. I am 18 lbs down since my surgery just a little over 2 weeks ago. I lost 6 lbs on my LSD so I am down a total of 24 but I am counting just from surgery, so 18. But WOW - 18 lbs in 17 days? Never could have happened before! I was 270 when I started my LSD on 11-3-08, 264 day of surgery 11-14-08 and today I am 246 12-1-08. My boyfriend of 6 months who was indifferent about my surgery before (some days he would be supportive and some he would express concerns that I will get "too sexy" and leave him) is now having major issues as he sees my weight drop. He tries to say he doesnt notice any difference in me and has been picking fights with me. I have read others have had similar problems, which is why I am sharing this with you. I know he has some issues and they are his, not mine. So I am not letting him bring me down! He will either get over it or I will get over him. :biggrin: I enjoy reading your experiences and hope what I write will help others that might be thinking of getting the lap band. I am so excited for the weight loss I know is coming and all the extra energy and happiness it will bring with it! I love my life, and I know I will just love it even more when "there is a little less of me" lol

My friend & I were just banded 11-14 and we both are short and wear 20-22 sizes. We live in Aberdeen. If you still have anything let me know and we can come up and take a look!