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Pho broth saved me in those first few weeks post op! My local place was happy to sell me a container of broth only. It was a nice change from the powdered broths and protein drinks. I’m almost 5 years PO now and have pho from time to time, mostly just the broth, meat, and veggies with a couple bites of noodles at the end of my meal if I still have any room.

Ahhh, the lovely tier 3 programme! It took an absolute age just to even be considered for that to begin with, I really feel for you. Then the added issue of thinking you would be aiming for a certain month or period of the year, to then be told last minute it's being pushed back, again and again, is genuinely the worst of it. Being completely honest too, as someone who is self-employed, I just don't earn enough regularly to commit to paying it per month. I was working 6/7 days a week between two jobs and I was barely earning more than 22-ish thousand a year salary until the end of last year. I do have the comfort of earning a little bit more now, but only in the right seasons unfortunately. I did put in a complaint yesterday to PALS, and they very quickly responded which was good of them, but it was conveniently not the woman who caused the stress to begin with. They've 'provisionally' (and I use that loosely!) let me know the 28th of March could work depending on how many others they have to schedule. Just a waiting game I suppose. Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it x

The minimum liquid intake was 48oz, and now, a week later, they tell me to try to go for 64oz. lol But they say half the liquid can be from protein shake, the rest clear liquid. I tried yogurt and it’s ok, it’s hard to eat. It supposed to be 1-2 oz of “food.” I get full with 2 spoons of yogurt. I tried cheese today and that’s a no go. I feel like I’m going to choke. Cream of wheat has been good because it’s liquidy, but then it’s high in carbs, so idk if it’s worth eating lol I too could not sleep at the hospital. Every angle hurt, and the machines kept beeping, and the nurses kept coming in to check my sugar, blood pressure etc.

I was so happy to have chicken soup flavored "shakes" to offset all the sweet stuff (until they started to taste like chemicals after surgery, lol). I was also able to put unflavored protein powder in tomato soup, and that was so nice! I would do a coffee flavored shake at breakfast, chicken soup shake for lunch, and tomato soup for dinner, plus sugar free jello. It wasn't too bad after the first several days. Mine lasted 2 weeks. Take it easier if you can, and get lots of fluid and sleep.

Yes the surgeon I met pre-op warned me at the time about hair loss but I was a bit dismissive as have (had!) such thick hair that I didn't think I would have as much fall out as I did. I am thankful for the thick hair as I think it is how I coped with it not being noticeable to others. My hair loss stopped after month six and the regrowth is strong and thick again not sure if that is luck or down to the fact that I added in the special bariatric hair vitamin, plus collagen on top of the other bariatric vitamins I take. I just don't know where the curl/kink is coming from now in the regrowth underneath. My hair is now long enough to tie back a bit but I will be getting it cut again next week to try and get closer to it all being one length at the back.

I did experience a sudden feeling of fullness that wasn't present in the beginning when I ate/drank. My doctor ordered an esophagogram and let me know it could be the nerves in my stomach healing or a stricture. For me, it turned out to just be the nerves healing and I got adjusted as the weeks went on.

It is pretty common & it can be a challenge to find foods you enjoy & can tolerate. It can be a lot of trial & error to find foods to eat. Don’t give up a good though. Sometimes you eat something one day & it’s fine but the next day your tummy is no way that’s disgusting. Then a week or so later it’s great again. It does gets better & easier as you progress. I began eating to a routine to help counter not being hungry & having no appetite because I knew I had to eat. Didn’t matter if I didn’t eat all of my portion or only ate the protein portion, as long as I was getting some nutrients in. My fridge always had leftovers in it which I’d eat for another meal that day or the next. Actually there’s still leftovers there everyday & I’m 5 years out. 😁 Eating to a routine continues to be part of my day. I’m not as rigid anymore but I find it helps keep me focussed & helps ensure I only respond to real hunger not head hunger.

There is a brand of peanut butter powder that has flavors like cookie dough and such. I think that might be nice. And yes, the protein shake powder is way higher in protein. I feel like mixing it as a shake makes me gag, but using it as a fruit dip somehow changes how it tastes to me. I may try it with a strawberry banana shake mix I have too. Being back on liquids right now is messing with me because I've come to hate the texture of shakes. And even a more natural version made with yogurt, banana, and pb powder is making me gag today. One more week of this and then hopefully I can go back to eating soft protein and maybe a little bit of veg. I miss veg. I didn't expect to be back at square one 5 weeks post-op! As soon as I can, I'm going to have fruit dip!

on vacay this week, so every day's OOTD will be a bikini. this is the first of MANY (too many, some might say lol) that i brought with me 😉

So during my online readings and searches I’ve pondered the thought of adding B-12 injections. My levels are low and lately I’ve just been sluggish and tired….all the time. Like consistent since my last bout of Covid about 6mo ago. anywho….I’ve come across this B12 + mic injections because if I can feel less sluggish and loose a few pounds, then why not. As a side note I’ve gained a few pounds from my lowest weight. Currently 147 @ 5’5….I’ve tried to convince myself it’s due to muscle gain 😂 but summer is coming and I’m being honest with myself. My workout schedule has gone from easily 6 days a week to maybe 4 on a good week. my work schedule has been crazy. also still have the lapband….if it was a relationship I’d list it as “it’s complicated” because I love and hate it 😂 enough rambling- let me know if you’ve tried it and your thoughts! also these are self administered once approved by the dr.

I had a nice trip to Nantucket for the Daffodil festival this weekend. Lots of meals out. I had chicken teriyaki, poached eggs and kielbasa, smoked bluefish pate, mozzarella and beet salad, and scallops with bacon among other things. Got in lots of walking. Weight was unchanged this morning, but I'm curious if that is a mix of not enough water and too much salt from so many restaurant meals. So we'll see what a couple days of regular routine does for me. I'm grateful I have had no issues with foods for almost 2 weeks now. Hoping that means my stomach is finally healing properly.

Instead of posting this as a new topic I’m hoping to get the attention of those who have already had this surgery so I’m posting here. I have a question about SADI vitamins but I think the experience of Duodenal switch is pretty close with vitamins. So I thought I had really found something great when I came across the pro care health Sadi/ DS multi with iron and ADEK. . Then I started googling and the 60mg of iron in them is toxic and potentially fatal for normal anatomy. I realize we won’t absorb as much of some vitamins but since we dont know exactly the degree of malabsorbtion would I be better to start with a little lower iron like 45mg and up it if my labs are low? I already ordered two bottles of those capsules because I had points from this forum and they sell them in the bariatric pal store but now I’m thinking I may just take them a couple times a week or something. Just curious what amount if iron others take who are a little while out from SADI or DS.

My surgeon told me at my 6 week appointment that I needed to start doing more exercise. This week, I'm happy to say I've gotten out my little walking pad treadmill twice in the evenings and have been walking while watching TV. I've gone from a daily average of about 3k steps to more than 5k this week, and I'll be working toward 10k steps each day for the coming month. I can hardly wait as the weather improves to allow for more outside walking. I'm really hoping the additional activity will give the scale an added nudge in the right direction. Once I can hit 10k most days, I will start looking at ways to add resistance bands to build muscle, but if I'm honest, I have been almost completely sedentary for several years and need to pace myself for it to be sustainable. Today, I am less than 4 lbs away from the lowest weight I've recorded on my app in the past 7 years (which was 203.8 after doing the nutrition program at my old weight loss center). 203 lbs is the next milestone I have my eye on, followed by making it to 199 lbs, and then hitting 185 lbs to officially no longer be obese. I chose my weight goal of 155 lbs somewhat arbitrarily, though it's the lower end of the estimates I saw for how much I could lose on various calculators. But when it feels impossibly far away, it helps to have some smaller goals to focus on. Oh, and it's almost time to swap out my winter clothing for spring stuff, which means I will have a lot of items to take to the donation bin. Many of my long-sleeve tops are swimming on me and several pairs of jeans are hopelessly baggy. Purging my closet will be an awesome feeling!

They decided I needed an upper GI and noticed that I had a very small hiatal hernia and that I'm beginning to develop cricopharyngeal hypertrophy. Because of the test results of that, I am now scheduled for a motility study with impedence using manometry and a 24 hour impedence ph study. Can't wait to get these tests over with so I can take my omeprezole again. This GERD is killing me since I can only take Tums right now. Have to be off the ppi medicine for a week. This should help to get my revision scheduled.

I had my surgery a day after you!!! I was also completely out of it for a few days. Haven’t vomited since the first day of the operation though. I weighed myself after a week and had lost 5lbs but I lost 20lb doing the LRD which was pure liquids for 3 weeks before my op!! I had a call from the surgeon today that said to not focus on weight for the first few weeks as it will constantly go up and down and then start to properly shift and stall and shift again when incorporating more textures and calories! I can have puréed food from next Tuesday. how are you incisions healing? I have a really awkward one that feels like a dent but it’s slowly getting there!!! hope your recovery goes well x

My surgery was yesterday! I had Bypass and stayed overnight. Happy to report zero issues. Knock on wood!!! I have to give myself a blood thinner shot 2 times a day for 2 week. And only liquid diet for 2 weeks, then reintroduce jello, pudding etc. I’m still shocked how well it went.

I completely understand your chaos and hope your surgery went well today! As to the constipation question - *absolutely* dealt with that during the liquid diet stage. I'm pretty sure it's the cutting out of almost all sugar and whatever they put in the protein shakes that does it. They had me taking 100mg of Colace twice a day during my liquid diet. I wanted to encourage you to ask for ice packs while in the hospital to help you manage your pain! I'm a week post op at home now and seem to have an ice pack against my abdomen probably 20 minutes out of every hour, still. It isn't that I'm hurting horribly, my pain is managed unless I stand for too long (NEVER would have thought merely standing long enough to cook breakfast would be so exhausting) but that ice pack and laying back at an angle is everything relief can be, at least for me personally. I'm very surprised I had to actively ASK for ice packs in the hospital; I wouldn't have thought to do so if I hadn't had a friend go through the same surgery and clue me in. Just remember the main thing about these surgeries is that there's a short road from your mouth to your belly afterward, and it has what I call a 'valve' toward the top of your stomach. You literally have to treat your belly like you would a baby and 'burp' yourself - walking helps, sitting upright and taking small sips, then rocking back and forth helps - but do NOT try to add more fluid until the tightness in your chest is relieved by a burp. It's like pumping gas into a car or like I said - burping a baby. There's a short tube from mouth to stomach and it only holds a few ounces. Until you burp and that tightness around your chest fades with the fluid being allowed to flow into your belly it literally is at maximum and efforts to drink more WILL make it come back up. I even waited to sip fluids if I knew I had to take medicine soon, to make sure I left room for the fluid it would take to get the pills down. Hopefully this helps you or someone else in recovery! I learned my lesson the first night after my surgery, one week ago - and the reflux / sicking up when I tried to go too fast did NOT feel good. I also 100% recommend getting up and slowly walking around as SOON as you can. THAT is what will make the pain start diminishing, because it rocks your body and works the gas they pumped in you for surgery back out. Best wishes! I hope it's going great for you! (ETA - Also, best wishes to your husband! I hope you two have someone on hand to help you out during your recoveries, and I will tell you from experience that it probably will feel like you're dropping more on the floor than ever before, simply because leaning down to pick it up would be painful! It requires discipline, especially if you tend toward being OCD like me, but trust me when I say trying to bend over to pick up a dropped 'whatever' is usually NOT worth it. Hugging an ice pack to your abdomen while you walk also helps tremendously at first.)

Hi guys! So I had my surgery 2/22/24 and have been lurking on this forum since a few weeks before my surgery. Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to y’all that have been posting your journey whether it be struggles or wins. I come back to this topic anytime I’m having issues and y’all always make me feel better when I realize we all seem to be having the same struggles at some point or another. 😉

Hello, It’s been a week since i went through a gastric sleeve surgery and I use cannabis oils to help with other health issues, however, sometimes friends come over and i would end up vaping a little bit and now idk if its safe to vape after the surgery.

Strange isn't it, maybe it's because we're not eating as much as we was ? , when I came out of hospital I recovered so quickly, I had no pain, I didn't even need to stay in over night because I was doing so well , now a couple of months have passed I feel so week, hopefully you will feel better soon and hopefully I will too!

Ahhh ok thank you for explaining im not sure if i am off hand. I know theres 3 medications they gave me but i dont pay attention to the names ( i know thats bad) mainly just instructions on usage. I really thought i was a patient person i guess this will really test a persons limit of patience lol. 8 weeks omg no im hoping im healed wayyy before then I cannot imagine being this way for another month and half lol. But I will trek on and keep doing what i need to do.

Ahhh ok thank you for explaining im not sure if i am off hand. I know theres 3 medications they gave me but i dont pay attention to the names ( i know thats bad) mainly just instructions on usage. I really thought i was a patient person i guess this will really test a persons limit of patience lol. 8 weeks omg no im hoping im healed wayyy before then I cannot imagine being this way for another month and half lol. But I will trek on and keep doing what i need to do.

I also have the extreme nausea and then vomiting. It IS dumping syndrome. Please see the information below. https://draxe.com/health/dumping-syndrome/#:~:text=hypoglycemia symptoms. (3)-,Common Signs and Symptoms,becomes difficult because of the discomfort that follows soon after.,-Causes and Risk Common Signs and Symptoms The initial signs and symptoms of dumping syndrome occur right after eating a meal, especially if it’s high in sugar. Symptoms may include: nausea vomiting abdominal cramping and pain diarrhea bloating dizziness or feeling lightheaded weakness flushing (blushing) sweating wanting to lie down after meals increased heart rate The rapid movement of fluid into the small intestine causes dumping syndrome symptoms like abdominal distention, cramp-like contractions, bloating and diarrhea. One of the most important clinical clues for doctors who are making a diagnosis of dumping syndrome is profound fatigue after a meal, with a need to lie down. When your body releases large amounts of insulin in order to absorb the sugars that have entered the small intestine, your blood sugar levels drop. This drop causes the following symptoms of late dumping syndrome: weakness sweating dizziness rapid or irregular heart rate flushing confusion hunger aggression tremors Early dumping syndrome is the most frequent type of dumping syndrome. It may occur alone or in association with late symptoms. Sometimes dumping syndrome cannot be separated into two separate episodes. This is because early dumping symptoms blend into late dumping symptoms, seeming like an entire disease spectrum. In other cases, early dumping symptoms resolve before late dumping symptoms develop. Or, a patient may only experience late dumping symptoms. (4) Dumping syndrome can also lead to emotional symptoms. These symptoms may include anxiety and apprehension about eating, as the consumption of food and fluids becomes difficult because of the discomfort that follows soon after.

I used the same protein shakes I had pre-surgery for my 2 week diet, and I bought some protein water. I found the premixed Premier Protein were very convenient the first couple days. As time went on, I became more and more disgusted by the artificial sweetener and chemical flavor of just about every protein shake I had. Luckily my liquid phase only lasted a week. After that, I started mixing unflavored protein with milk and blending in some frozen fruit for a smoothie. Much more palatable. I have a ton of protein shake mix leftover that I will likely just throw away.