Tlmarsh

You are certainly a very beautiful woman, even though you may not see it. I am so glad to hear you are seeing a therapist and a dietician. Being honest with ourselves is the key to success in this journey. We need self awareness and honesty and we can work thru anything. I get sick easily too and I have pretty severe dumping syndrome. And I get sick from eating too much carbs or the balance of carbs and Protein is off and it's hard to always keep that right. I do throw up. But I try to always keep up on protein, veggies and fruits. And focus on eating good foods and not what I can't eat. Focus on taking care of myself. I have a fear of my sugar addiction. I know it is always there, even when I am losing or maintaining my weight. It feels so out of control when I see the scale up 3 lbs and I didn't know I was eating more, etc. I know how you feel. It is hard to feel out of control. It's great to have a place like this to be able to share our journey. I am twice your age and have been on this journey a long time. For me, it's a life long journey.Mine has to do with childhood issues too. Maintenance is the hardest phase for sure. For most of us, we could gain weight easily and we could lose weight pretty easily, it's the maintenance that gets us. We will find success if we just keep on working on our issues and learning about ourselves and learning to love ourselves. Sending good thoughts your way. Tracy

When you are newly post-op my doc said not to break the rules at all because the stomach and intestines are healing and eating certain foods could cause problems with the healing. I was too scared of that to eat anything wrong.

//I wish I got dumping sometimes. The good news is a bite or two and I am good and then realize it isn't as good as I once remembered. // I consider dumping a gift for sure. I am such an addict with sugar. It's like my anabuse. (a drug alcoholics can take that makes them severely sick if they drink alcohol). Re-reading my post about cravings I can't express in words how different things are after bypass though. I can eat pizza and I do eat pizza. But now 2 small squares fill me up for the whole night. But then, pizza wasn't my pig out food ever. I can eat too much sometimes, but am being very careful not to stretch my pouch. If I ever feel like I ate too much I will eat less and go back to regular Protein shakes.

I wonder if your doctor knows your thoughts on this? I know my doc wouldn't do the surgery on someone who wasn't 110% committed to this life change choice. If you drink much now, it could become a problem after the surgery. This surgery does change your eating and your relationship with food, but it's all good changes. It gives us more control and more choice in what we do with food. The food doesn't drive us anymore, we make choices. But you said you didn't overeat. I just read an article in the paper that said many young people today don't realize they are overweight. If a person is in denial or just simply doesn't agree about their weight problems, the surgery should not be done. I would talk to your doc about this whole thing in depth before going ahead with it. Good luck!!!!! Tracy

Just think...it is much more natural for you to get these cravings now, especially because your body is losing weight so fast. And you will have these cravings as time goes on too. We all have different food issues but most of us were addicted to certain types of food or all food. For me it was simple carbs and sweets. I still have the cravings. Fortunately for me, I have bad dumping. I have eaten stuff and gotten really sick more than a few times. But, thankfully, after I get sick, it does get easier to not do it again. It seems like I forget how sick I get after awhile. Still, I never eat as much sweets as I used to...and I am down to goal pretty much. I would like to be 10 lbs lighter, but where I am now is easy to maintain. I am 2 1/2 years out from surgery. I now know I can do this long term!!!! It's not "easy" but I know I can do things to reduce my sweets cravings. Keep carbs low, keep active, exercising, keep doing my creative stuff which makes me feel more whole. It's definitely a journey that keeps going and growing.

Great to hear your story! It is amazing isn't it? To have a monkey on your back for years and now to be so much more free. I still deal with eating issues every day, but the issues are much easier and better than before. Keep on going!!!!! Tracy

I was a band to bypass. So glad I did it. I had problems the first year, mostly just learning experiences. If I had eaten exactly as I was told, I wouldn't have had any problems. But most of us have some addiction problems with food and we push the boundaries. Now I feel like an alcoholic who takes anabuse. It's a drug that makes an alcoholic really sick if they drink. I get really sick when I eat sugar period. Sugar was my weakness. And now that I am over 2 years out, I sometimes eat too much and then in 20 minutes I feel it. So I keep trying to remember to eat only one cup of food at any meal. Eat 3 meals per day and eat Protein first, then veggies and fruits. I do sometimes feel an emptiness inside where the sugar used to go...not in the stomach...I am learning that for me, being creative is a must. I have to have creativity in my life regularly. Some find a love of exercise and that takes the place of the food. Most of this journey is in our heads not our stomachs. And it's a wonderful journey of self awareness and learning to love ourselves from the inside out.

Gloria, I had these plateau's a few times in my first year. I would think the weight loss must be over now. Then a couple weeks later I would jump down 5 lbs or more. I wouldn't worry about it at all. As long as you are eating like you know you need to, and not eating between meals, eating junk food, etc. you will lose the weight. As far as Protein, I had a lot of foods that I couldn't tolerate at first. Now I can tolerate much more with no problems. The thing about meat and egg protein, it is more solid and it sits in the pouch longer. Something like yogurt or liquids run right thru and the fullness feeling tells the brain we are DONE eating comes from that pouch being full. Not stuffed, but we still feel stuffed easily. Even now, I find if I am eating solid protein I get full so much faster and stay full longer than when I eat softer foods that are easier to eat. I have had problems with many veggies, especially fresh uncooked ones like brocolli in a salad. I talked to my dietician about that and she said that eating 2 little brocolli "trees" is plenty. I think it has taken a long time to adjust my head to my stomach size. I don't really like most meats but I sure lost alot of weight when I ate them...But you can't eat something you get sick from. Are you really sick or is it more just uncomfortable because you are trying to eat too much of it??? I am out over 2 years now and I still can't finish one regular hamburger. About 3/4 is all I can eat.I will eat one half a bun or I can't eat half. Over time more foods will work easier. Basically it is true that protein first, then some veggie and fruit, and last if you have room, a whole grain carb. Good luck!!!!! You are in the best time of your surgery that first year. It will come off. Tracy

I have so much in common. I was very active until many back surgeries took away my ability to exercise for years...until I found Pilates on the reformer. I also was on Bi-pap with complex sleep apnea!!! After losing 40 lbs within a few months after my bypass, the sleep apnea was completely gone!!! and I just sold my machine on Craigs list. Now I have lost a total of 85 lbs very easily, and it's been 2 years. It is great. I think we all have had the fears and questions before surgery. By now you are done and maybe in alot of pain....the best is yet to come!!! Especially if you can find a way to get your exercise and build muscle. Now I am dealing with maintenance. I have gained back 8 lbs and now it's harder. I wasn't exercising the first 2 years. Now I am playing catch up! But its still all good. Enjoy your journey and keep growing as you are losing.

My dietician told me about Fairlife milk too. It is highly filtered. After my bypass, I became allergic to milk, so I started using Fairlife. It is great!!! You can get it at most grocery stores now. I am a band to bypass too. Congrats on the big decision! I am so glad I got rid of that band. It never settled right for me. The bypass is so much more practical for real life. And I lost all my weight very easily by following the rules, protein first, then some veggies and fruit. But it takes awhile to get to the regular food stage. Hang in there and remember your stomach needs time to heal right and that is why you can't eat regular foods for awhile. Good luck! Tracy

Oh, one more thought. I wonder why they don't give EVERYONE that test on the esophagus before doing sleeve surgery on them???? It sounds like having high tension esophagus muscles is pretty common. Tracy

Interesting info! I had a lapband first, and had nothing but problems with it from the beginning. My surgeon, Dr Benn from Mpls - Southdale Weight Loss Clinic, seemed nice at first, but on the day of surgery he yelled at me in a very unprofessional manner because his staff screwed up and didn't have a letter from one of my doctors which was important about my medication during surgery. Long story short that issue was fine because the pain staff had the letter and all was well, but to have the surgeon yell at ME when I am laying there waiting for him to cut on me, was very nerve wracking. Then when my band was having major problems with me throwing up, getting stuck on every thing, etc. he blamed ME for the problems with the band. I was on an online group and I was asking him very valid questions and that made him mad. So finally, I called the clinic and was connected with a wonderful PA. She encouraged me to file a complaint against Dr Benn, which I did. Then she switched me to another surgeon, Dr Laguna, who has been wonderful. Plus she informed me that my band problems were not my fault. I kept the band in for 4 years and kept trying to work with it. When I finally gave up, I asked Dr Laguna about converting to sleeve. He said that with the problems I had with the band, he felt that my esophagus had problems with pressure in the round muscles that make up the esophagus. There was a test I could have had which involved finding out the pressure of the esophagus (there are ring like muscles that control the food pushing down and some people have more tension in those muscles, which can cause them to not work right. ) He told me he highly believed I was one with those issues so I decided to go with the gastric bypass and never had that test. I am guessing that maybe some of you that had the sleeve had those same problems and that could have caused your sleeve to fail. I don't remember all the medical terminology now, but he said that the band and the sleeve are both "high pressure" surgeries??? I think that was the word he used...and he said the GB is not. So I would be most successful with the bypass. I have had the GB for 2 years now and got down to goal weight. Now I am getting back into daily aerobic exercise in order to maintain my loss. I do have dumping, which for me is an answer to prayer because I am a sugar addict. It is like being an alcoholic on anabuse. And it works for me. I still get tempted and eat something with sugar and get sick and then I beat myself up for putting myself in that misery again But overall it has been the most successful for me. One problem I wondered about when reading about you who are converting to GB after the sleeve...I had lost most of my weight with the band and my insurance refused to pay for the GB!!! because my BMI was too low!!!!! So I actually had to gain back 30 lbs to qualify for insurance. It wasn't hard and I gained it back in 2 months just by eating frozen yogurt every single day. And I stopped exercising. And that 30 lbs came off very fast once I had surgery. But just be sure and check on the rules of your insurance company before you get too excited. Especially those of you who lost alot of weight with the sleeve and are not severely obese anymore. Good luck to you all and I can sure relate to all the pain and vomitting, etc. Hope you all find success in the end!!! Tracy

Amanda, I don't know if you like treadmill, I did it for years and got really burned out on it. But I think you could think in terms of doing 20 minutes. I am serious. I could send you a picture of myself when I was younger and that was all I ever did was 20 minutes on treadmill. I have had 5 back surgeries and can't run so I never RAN on it. Just fast walking, PLUS a couple times a week I put in a VCR tape and did a floor exercise thing for 30 minutes. When I went on my tramp I only did 15 minutes. In the 80's I read a book called "Fit or Fat" by Covert Bailey. It was one of the first books out on how muscle burns fat. In that book he said our muscles have "fat storing enzymes" and "fat burning enzymes". These enzymes grow based on what we do. And he said 12 minutes of heart rate being "in the zone" per day, 6 days a week, was all we would need to grow a bunch of the good enzymes and the bad ones would not produce so much. I did that and lost all my weight and got really firm to where I felt comfortable wearing a tube top outside in public! LOL! My stomach was flat. But anyway, if 30 minutes feels like forever for you, try 20...that gives a few to warm up and a few to cool down after. So you get 15 at heart rate. It worked for me and now I am back at it!!!! I already can see the difference in just a week of doing it. I have lost my weight but just gained back 7 lbs over this winter and now I am pushing that back down. Tracy

Amanda, I am 5 years out from lapband and then 2 years ago converted to bypass. I have learned alot over the last 5 years and I can give some advice I wish I was told. I am 61 now and have lost 85 lbs. I had to lose 10 lbs before surgery and it was very hard. What I would do to help your future journey with WLS is to focus on exercise. The easiest time in my life to work out was when I was at home with my toddlers. When I was younger I was really into exercise and I did it at home by myself. It took so much less time and work than I expected to get in good shape. Everyone is different and what works for one doesn't work for another. Some go to gyms, some go to classes, some walk outside, some use a treadmill, etc. Anything that raises the heartrate for 15 minutes per day works. Since my bypass I knew I should exercise but I was losing weight so easily and felt so great I just didn't do it. Keeping a habit of daily workout (15 to 20 minutes per day is all I need) is crucial. Because now I am 2 years out from my surgery and I reached my low weight at one year. Beginning of this year it started going up again. I wasn't eating more. I was being a lot more sedentary. For me, lack of activity brings more lack of energy and I just feel too tired to move much. I KNOW that if I kept on working out as I lost my weight, I would not have this problem now. The more muscle mass we have, the more calories we can eat and not gain weight. As I lost the weight, I am sure my muscle mass was reducing and I was setting myself up for future weight gain. The weight loss doesn't last forever with bypass. So to get into a habit of regular aerobic movement, you would be preparing yourself to live a thin life from now on. And you would probably lose some weight too.

I agree that low hemoglobin is serious and I would talk to your gastro doctor. I am very sorry for your loss of a child. I would get in right away and keep searching until you find all the answers and get your health back!! You need to stay healthy for those kids!!!!! Tracy

Hi. I just found this post and I am pretty new here. Just wanted to see what you decided and how it's going. I had my band removed when I had my bypass. I did have alot of scar tissue that had attached to my liver and my surgeon had to spend a long time slowly cutting it away. I was thankful to have him, as the surgery attendant said he was very patient and that it's hard to do that. I have done fine with my bypass I guess. I have had many issues such as dumping syndrome and reflux I never had before. I have severe low blood sugar issues, but I do manage it all and I am so thankful to be down to my normal weight. I started at 226 and I am now 145. I would like to lose another 10 lbs but I may look too thin if I did. I wear a size 12 jeans and my pants slide on comfortably and are never tight so I am very happy!!!!! I am 61 and I just got remarried 1 year ago to my very first love from when I was 15. He is 63. I planned on having plastic surgery after I lost the weight but I don't really have much overhang, I have been doing Pilates on a reformer machine and it really works the core. So my husband said he really wouldn't care if I had the surgery or not so we decided not to. In clothes I look great now. I am glad I got rid of that damn band. It caused trouble. But I would love to hear if you kept yours. Some people with gastric bypass do have bands put in when they regain weight.

I shared my story in another post but now I found some pictures of myself before and after. Tracy

I can totally relate! I had my bypass in April 2013 and am at my goal now. One reason why I gained all my weight was I had 5 back surgeries. It was the combination of pain meds causing sweet cravings for me, no exercise, and eating from boredom. Exercise is so important to me in order to keep my weight down and to manage depression and cravings for junk food. So, as you are able, I would start walking as soon as you can. I have permanent back damage/nerve damage and I tried every kind of exercise but couldn't get back to my previous levels until I found Pilates on the reformer machine. The machine protects the back while it builds up your stomach and whole core, which then supports back muscles better. Without it I never could build up my stomach without throwing my back out. But besides that, and more important, try to go back to your proper diet - lean Protein first, then some veggies. 3 meals per day with protein Snacks in between. I just shared this in another post, but I have found myself getting off program by letting some junk food into my diet and it has brought on full cravings for junk and it has made my stomach not feel full, so I have been eating more. I have gained 5 lbs and now I am back on program and cleaning up my act. Whenever I let white carbs into my diet, it would make me fall flat. I know how easy it would be to lose all my success. I have to stay vigilant in keeping junk out of my diet. And when recovering from back surgery, the cravings were strong. You probably need alot of support during this time.

I am wondering about lactose intolerance. You said that many are after RNY. I was a lapband which was revised to gastric bypass. I don't drink much milk, although my clinic has suggested 2 glasses per day. I do eat yogurt and cheese. But I have had a few glasses of milk lately and had major digestive upset right after. Could you give more info on this issue?

I had gastric bypass in 2013. It was a revision from lapband to bypass. Everything has been great as far as weight loss. I am pretty much at goal and have been for over 6 months now. But I have had issues that I question whether they are from the bypass. I never had these things before bypass. I have "low blood sugar" attacks. I call them that, and my doc's office agreed it sounds like classic low blood sugar. But what happens is, first my thinking feels a little strange, weak...then my body is weak, I feel very dizzy, I sweat - immediately am wet head to toe, have to lay down. I was told to eat Protein every 2 hours, and sometimes I do forget to eat that often...but it has happened even when I had eaten about an hour before. I eat 2 string cheese pieces and wait for this to pass. It is really scary. It has happened twice as I was driving my car. Next issue is that I have developed severe GERD. Never had it before, even with the lapband. I am on Omeprazole now. I have had bad gas lately too. I can feel it in my stomach and all thru my guts. The worst thing that happened to me, and there is no research linking this with bypass, I developed an auto immune disease 4 months after surgery. It is Alopecia Universalis. It means that your immune system attacks your hair follicles all over the body and your hair falls out all over the whole body. I am 61 years old. It is very rare for this disease to start this age. It is a genetic plus environmental trigger type of disease. But I have been reading and 80% of our immune system in in our gut. And there are people who have found "cure" for alopecia by diet change. That isn't scientific, but I really wonder...I had allergies and had a weak immune system before bypass and I really think that the bypass pushed it past the point where the alopecia could come into activity. There is no cure but there are treatments and I have shots all over my scalp every month of steroids, which fight the immune response. I now have eyelashes and eyebrows back and some head hair, although I can't go out without a wig or hat. That makes me wonder if I regret the bypass. I can't say I do. All my life my weight and my addiction to sugar have been a huge problem. As I got older it was harder to manage my weight and I am so happy to be back to my young adult weight again! Also, I do get dumping syndrome so I don't eat sweets at all. It has really helped me. Tracy

In reading your story, it sounds like a terrible nightmare. This is not a typical story of what happens after gastric bypass! It sounds like a combination of mistakes made here. First of all, in my case, I had to go to a class first, and had to spend time with my surgeon, so he could determine if I was a good candidate for this surgery. It doesn't sound like you were properly educated about this surgery in order to make an informed decision to have it. I was NEVER told that Boom! have this surgery and be thin, happy and active forever! I was told all possible problems and most importantly, I was told that this surgery would ONLY be successful if I put the time and energy into following everything my clinic gave me to do. I had to meet with a dietician many times before and after surgery, every week for the first month, then once a month where we discussed in detail what I was to eat at each phase. If I had not been able to eat, it would have been dealt with immediately! I also was well educated on taking Vitamins everyday for the rest of my life. I wasn't even allowed out of the hospital until I was able to swallow liquid in the proper amounts and all was well. This story makes it really clear to me that there are some people who never should have this surgery. If you don't or can't take your vitamins and feed your body nutrients, you will die. And unforseen medical issues that developed after surgery make me wonder about the professional level of care you received. Tracy

Jack, you posted a long time ago about esophageal spasms. I have been banded since last April but my ES didn't start until my third fill. My band wasn't tight, but I still couldn't eat solid protein. Soft food and liquids go right down. Have you learned anything new for managing them? I was treated like a crazy person by my first surgeon, who I don't see anymore. He said it was all in my head...yeah, right! That severe pain is all in my head! Now I have a new surgeon but haven't met with him yet. I would like to know as much as I can about this. My band is wide open now, I need a fill and I am scared to get one with the ES...but I need one really bad...so in 2 weeks I will get a small fill and hopefully I can go slow enough to not trigger these spasms. Tracy