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You're welcome! Happy to help. I would definitely recommend finding some sort of therapist or coach to go along with you on this journey. Like you said, they give you directions on what to eat, but not really on how to eat, or how to deal with any thing else you feel or think in the process. Even though we know we're having the surgery to change how we do things in life, I think we all underestimate how much it changes, albeit, for the better. It's not terrible by any means, but in the first month I had several moments of "why didn't anybody tell me this?" lol. My advice for the next week for you, take Gas-X, walk a little every hour, even if its just a lap or two around a hallway, and move your arms around or over your head while walking to disperse the gas build up from the surgery. I didn't have any pain from the incisions, but the gas made it uncomfortable and hard to relax. Also try to get a shot glass of water in every 30-40 minutes if possible.

Oh no! I hope they get to the bottom of this and you're on your way back to surgery soon. I know how frustrating it is to get your hopes up and have it not happen. My surgery was supposed to be the 27th but it was abruptly cancelled last week because the surgery program at the hospital is closing down. I just got a new patient appointment at an affiliated program at a different hospital but not until Jan 2, so I know it will be at least mid-Jan or later for me now (probably later, realistically). Don't lose hope! It's hard not to be frustrated and angry, but try to stay positive!

I am so happy you commented on my post! Means a lot. 230 was my pregnant weights. I got done to 170 with a trainer and on my own once or twice and that was a great version on me but clearly after 3 kids I just can't do it on my own or mentally with my daily life services. 197 pre surgery is great!! ❤️ Girllll I am a donut creamer lover so I can't wait to see the weight I drop before hand as well. We won't look back after this! Please keep in touch with updates I would love to see your progress!!!

Head hunger is the worst for me, and if I eat anything with a lot of starch or sugar, I crave it constantly. I'm having to distance myself from anything with more than single-digit carbs, otherwise it takes me about 3 days to get rid of the cravings, which is misery. Also remember when chewing up and spitting out carb-heavy foods, just to get a taste, your mouth will absorb some of those carbs, which can trigger those cravings. Not so much with protein or fat heavy foods. I'm trying to remember my wife's motto, she says Little Debbies lead to Fat Deborahs. Although there's days I'd do something regrettable for one of their Christmas Cakes lol.

My gastric bypass is 2/21. I had a sleeve back in 2012. I gained weight back except that golden 25 I like to say not a total failure but not feeling great about it. I still do not have a large appetite but it was wrong choices. I been through breast cancer and I have reached a place in my life where I have had enough of self harming as I say. The surgeon puts me on pre op diet for Two weeks. I am having a bit of trouble with all the fruits and veggies. I have IBS. I stated this from beginning to all. Today I get the poops badly and called office to see if I can take imodium. I told them I was having a tough time with to much fiber. They say well if you can’t handle it you may become mal nourished from bypass. I’m like wtf. We would like you and your hubby to come in Tuesday a day before my surgery to ask any questions you may have and then a decision will be made to go forward or not. I’m saying the decision was made already. You never had an ibs patient before. In a way I think there being careful and in a way why now? I gotta be on a liquid diet only on Tuesday. Now I feel is this going to be to much for me. I don’t want to stay fat. Maybe try on my own. I went to class I did everything that I was suppose to do but I can’t help if my tummy get sick if it’s just to much fiber. It’s like 20oz of fruit and veggies combined a day. All advice is welcomed

I don't have MS, but I do have several autoimmune diseases along with Fibro and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am almost 3 months out from a traditional duodenal switch. I have found my energy level and ability to exercise has increased a lot, I no longer get post exertional malaise. I also have less pain because the surgery causes your inflammation levels to decrease and as you lose weight, those levels will continue to go down. Since I am so early out, I have not had any nutritional issues. However, my surgeon did advise I go with a longer common channel than the standard 100cm cookie cutter length that most doctors go with, because I have a history of nutritional deficiencies. I went with 175cm. I'm really glad I had the DS, I'd do it again every year if I had to just for the fact it put my diabetes and high blood pressure into remission immediately after surgery!! Plus I have more energy than I've had in 2 decades. There is a different forum that has more DS patients on it, you might try posting there. It is www.bariatricfacts.org I'm not sure if anyone there has MS, but they are great with recommendations. There's also a support group for DS patients on FB called "Duodenal Switch SUPPORT Group" and there are a TON of DS patients there, you might try posting and seeing if any have experience with the switch and MS. As for surgeons, I had my surgery done with Dr. Pilati at WakeMed Bariatrics in Cary, NC which is right outside of Raleigh. We have a number of excellent DS surgeons in this area because of our world class healthcare centers. I don't know of any in the DE area but the women at bariatricfacts might, a lot of them are vets of the surgery for 10+ years!

Thanks poss , & tec , dunno about depression, might just have 2 many k’s on the clock 😅 been hopping around 36 yrs , spose it’s got to take a toll . That is the main reason for the surgery , oh, that and 3 little grand daughters & 2 more cooking 👍 I am still under an endocrinologist, and his blood tests are fairly extensive . But, it’s a ways off , so, might be good to chuck a wedge in there. If I , per chance , Am talking to some Americans . I apologise for some occarisms’s that might have you scratching your head .

Hi all. New here. Had my surgery on 12/18/23: DS/BPD. Spent a single night in the hospital, with discharge ~1pm the following day. Apparently I'm having a somewhat rare complication, which is severe hiccups. By severe I mean where the diaphragm spasms and holds for 10 seconds, during which you cannot breathe. Fortunately, this hasn't happened more than once per day, and today I got a scrip for a drug called Reglan which should moderate the hiccups until whatever is irritating my diaphragm heals itself. Aside from that, the weight is dropping off rapidly. Lost 11 lbs on the 2 week pre-surgery 1K cal/day diet, and am losing since surgery an average of 2.3 lbs / day, which is mind blowing. Cheers, Bruce

Oh mylanta! I’m so sorry that you had such a rough time over the holidays! But I’m glad you’re back on track! I finished week 4 and FINALLY at the chewing food stage!!! So far I’ve had sautéed shrimp, a half of a piece of turkey bacon, and some ground turkey! Hallelujah! I’m looking forward to having my energy back! The cortisone shots I got in my knees have worn off, so I’m rejoicing with every pound lost that I’m inching closer to being out of pain. So far I’ve lost 30.4 since surgery. Woo-hoo! My daughter had RNY surgery Wednesday. She’s pretty pitiful right now but it’ll be nice to be able to do this journey with her when she’s feeling better. Here’s to a new year full of health and hope!! Blessings, my friends!

I had my sleeve done in April of 2012. Had decent success until 2018 when I gained ALL of the weight back. I am now 2 weeks away from getting a re-sleeve. It is with a differnt surgeon this time due to the fact my original surgeon won't do it. I am very nervous. I worry about the actual surgery. Mostly because I already have staples & such I expect it to be more difficult. I know there isn't too much on this forum about getting a re-sleeve but I was wondering if anyone has had any personal experiences with this. Wondering if it will be as successful as the 1st was oringally. NOTE: I have made the personal decision not to have the bypass as an alternative. My doctor says that it is the usual revisionj choice but I am even more scared of that surgery!

No idea why my phone always posts things twice lmboooo it may be a texture thing I know I definitely struggle with those kinds of things. You got this 💪🏼, you’ve done a week and are almost done Day 1 of week 2 just a few more. I believe in you ⭐️ I will definitely keep everyone posted.

Had my VSG surgery on Dec. 4th. The days following I’ve struggled to stay awake. Which has made getting enough fluids down. I’ve noticed room temperature or warm liquids feel easiest on my stomach at the moment. I’m not hungry or thirsty though, but I keep drinking because I know I have to. I just hope the weakness wears off and I can stay awake and be a little productive in the next week since I’m scheduled to go back to work on the 20th.

What are these 'calories' of which you speak? I never counted calories, my plan was much simpler. Simple plan for a simple man. More seriously, I can't see how 400 calories for 3 months is anywhere near healthy. You need to do better. Good luck, Tek

By my second week post WLS I had an amazing hankering for ricotta cheese baked into a pasta shell. As a lactose intolerant person, this wasn’t something I normally kept around the house. This thought stuck in my head for days. I finally bought the frozen stuffed shells after reading that ricotta is mostly lactose free, baked it with marinara, and ate the soft inside when it was done. My kid thought he won the lottery and I felt so so satisfied. I never craved it again. It was exactly one ounce of ricotta cheese inside one shell. I did taste the shell, which tasted like wet cardboard, and spit it out, because why bother. The idea is to think about your craving first, then plan it into your week when your body is ready. I find guilt to be a waste of time, we are all messy humans. Slow down and enjoy your craving in small healthy sizes with careful thought.

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The best part is also the hardest to explain. The best way I can put it is that pre-surgery, I had a demon in my stomach. This demon demanded rich foods and thought that if one of something tasted good, then four of something would taste amazing (this made the demon a liar, but I had to obey these lies). The surgery removed the demon. I no longer feel controlled by cravings. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The 48 hours prior to the surgery were miserable. I could only have water, Gatorades and black coffee. Then I had to take strong laxatives prior to the surgery, so I was defecating so much that my body was expelling food I hadn't even eaten yet. And I couldn't go to sleep because any flatulence had the potential to be ... explosive. So it's 1 am, I am starving, dehydrated, sitting on the john and I need to be at the hospital at 5:30. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing major. I greatly underestimated how sore my stomach would be and how long it would take for the soreness to go away. I am a stomach sleeper and it was three months before I felt comfortable sleeping on my stomach. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I love the new life. I am able to exercise (bike, jog, lift weights) like I never have, I have great energy. I can shop at pretty much any clothing store. It has allowed me to become a better version of myself. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? It was probably 8 months to a year before I felt like I could try any food and not have to worry about my stomach having trouble. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? Can't eat, as in, I physically cannot handle it? Nothing. But there are plenty of things that I used to love that I am uninterested in. Like I have no desire to eat a donut. Just seems like pure sugar to me. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I did not have dumping syndrome (although some sugar alcohols hit my stomach hard). I did have some vomiting, but it was either due to eating too fast or eating a food that my stomach wasn't ready to handle yet (I had some stewed beef at like the 90 day mark and I wasn't as ready for it as I thought I was. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I would say 90-120 days before I felt physically normal (could sleep on my stomach, could handle most foods) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? In the immediate aftermath of the surgery, no. This was my first (and so far, only) major surgery and I really underestimated how much it would sap my energy. I was walking gingerly for a while. But once I fully recovered, I have had way more energy. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, in mostly good ways. The pre-surgery success-failure cycle of yo-yo dieting impacted my psyche way more than I realized. So this state of long-term success helped greatly (and success, both great and small, is an excellent anti-depressant). Will it cure your depression? Absolutely not. To the extent that you think your problems in life are caused by your size ("I'm single because I'm overweight" or "My weight is why they won't give the promotion" or "my weight is why my mother is passive-aggressive toward me"), the surgery will not make those problems go away. I'm very lucky and very blessed to live an amazing life and the weight-loss has only further revealed what an amazing and blessed life I have. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I do not regret it. I make it a personal policy not to outright recommend it to anyone because everyone has their own journey. For many years, I saw bariatric surgery as a last resort, a kind of "pull in case of emergency" lever. I realized that I was 40+ yrs old with a wife and children and no diet had ever worked for me and I was only fooling myself if I thought the next one would do the trick. I had to either pull the lever or make peace with being morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I pulled the lever and I would pull it again without hesitation.

Yeah, if I could I would have or had some complex carbs but its a pretty strict pre-op (no oils, butter, fruit, sauces, milk, sugar or fatty meats). Two shakes (breakfast and lunch) and then 5 oz lean meat (usually chicken or white fish) and 1 of five green veggies. They call it the liver shrinking diet. It says 800 cal but I'm barely scraping in at 550 cal a day. With the cucumber and 3 oz of sugar free jello I think I hit like 600 cal. I would get hypoglycemic when I was younger and its bad. I cry at the drop of a hat at everything but especially when overwhelmed and I get super shaky. Thankfully my dietician ok'd the snack to add and I actually feel a bit better this morning, physically and mentally.

One thing about mental hunger or cravings is that they're almost never strong enough for me to actually get into a car and drive to a store to buy something. The first few weeks, I would end up digging until I found something else to eat, but the fewer options you make available, the more you have to admit to yourself that you're just bored or (as is often my case since I work from home) procrastinating. There have been times I would find myself staring into my pantry and I'd have to ask myself what exactly I thought I would find there. It's all canned beans and pasta sauce now. Generally I just ask myself if I want a snack badly enough to drive to the store for it, and the answer is always no. Oh, and I do all my grocery shopping online for pickup now to minimize the chances of throwing impulse buys into my cart.

If he could swallow pills I would suggest Tart Cherry Extract Capsules. I suppose he could open them up and add them to applesauce. The juice is better but you have to drink 8 oz a day and while it has no added sugars it has carbs. Tart Cherry Juice has been proven in studies to reduce inflamation in people with Gout. It also is good for other inflamation. I had an issue with my eye several years ago; I was on every kind of medication from my Rheumatologist and nothing worked. This went on for months. Finally my eye doctor told me to try 8 oz of cherry Juice a day... the issued resolved in less than 2 weeks.

My surgery date is December 20th as well! My Preop Appointment is November 27th. I start my 2 week liver shrink diet on 12/6. Two weeks of one protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch and a high protein low calorie dinner consisting of 6 oz or less of a nonfried meat and unlimited nonstarchy veggies. Unlimited clear fluids, aiming for at least of 64 ounces per day. Let's do this y'all!

Thanks for the response. I saw the doctor and discussed options and will go with Sleeve. 2 surgeries, one to remove the band and heal and 2nd 3 months after for Sleeve. He admitted that some doctors do the surgery all at once but cautioned that scar tissue can be problematic. Think I'll start a new thread about Band to Sleeve. Thanks

Hey we are all human and no one on here would or should be negative. You are only asking for help after all. Go food shopping, buy the good stuff, don't buy the rubbish. Use a food log, it keeps us accountable. I expect that I will be in the same boat next week with all the Christmas excesses and then I will have to really wind my neck in and get back into the swing of things. I allow myself a treat every day as I am at target - ish. My treats are 150 - 250 calories. I track at about 1500 calories a day. I rarely make my protein goals. My team are ok with what I manage though

I had the sleeve surgery 9/26/16 and did well with it till I had my gallbladder removed in 2018 then I developed severe gastric reflux. My surgeon found that my bile duct got stuck open after they removed my gallbladder. With the bile constantly running in my sleeve it eroded it causing some precancerous changes. Once my insurance approved for a second surgery we went with changing over to a bypass in June of 2020 to fix the problem. I was very happy that we ended up doing the revision because I no longer had to sleep sitting up and my stalled weight loss finally started back up again and I was able to continue my weight loss journey. Fast forward to the present of this year I have been holding a good weight of between 137 to 145 lbs and no health issues really I just still struggled with dumping a lot cause my new pouch didn't always like food but I maintain weight with the help of shakes. Then in August of this year for some reason I just started getting where I didn't feel well and I dropped like 17 lb like it was nothing. I contacted my surgeon because I was concerned because of how weak and tired I had felt and I've noticed like vision changes my muscles or shrinking rapidly I was becoming dehydrated and all kinds of new things that I wasn't prepared for. My surgeon ordered a upper scope and a lower which come back very good. My lab showed that I did have a couple vitamin deficiencies so I increased my vitamins I actually have to go redo my labs here because I also ended up getting sick and went in the ER in my liver counts were high and they never been high before so we're checking those this week. But now I'm having a harder time eating and getting my body to absorb my nutrition even the protein shakes aren't helping maintain my body weight I am dropping weight still pretty rapidly I'm down to 124 lb now and my immune system seems to have been weakened because I get sick super easy and I try to stay away from other people otherwise that makes it harder on me and I guess get wiped out. I am currently waiting for my surgeon to call me back because I'm getting more concerned about how we come getting it's getting harder to do every daily things such as washing my hair folding my clothes and putting them away my muscles hurt and they're tired and weak and they get all cramped up. I'm blessed to have this surgery but I was never expecting that I would get this new very weird complication of just not being able to eat very well and to maintain weight. I trust my surgery team he's wonderful I'm hoping they can figure this out I'd really do not want a feeding tube or a PICC line I work with the public and that's even getting hard to do and I've almost thought about applying for disability until I get this figured out so I can quit losing weight by exertion. I'm just wondering is anybody else going through something like this or they just out of nowhere started losing weight again and they just can't seem to get it to stop. I'm worried not only for myself but for my family because my kids are still pretty young and I'm not ready to leave this world yet I still have a lot to live for. Hw: 268 SW 221lbs LW 124lns Height 5'2

Today is 8 days post op. It seems like my innards are awaking and they don't like me right now, but that's nothing new. Yesterday I made breakfast, took a half hour brisk walk on the treadmill, went grocery shopping and made my little 2 oz food containers, baked a cake and made dinner, then folded the laundry. All told, I'm feeling much more normal again, feeling antsy to get moving and I'm having more difficulty limiting myself than motivating myself. Before the surgery I was used to either a one hour lap swim with drills, or a one hour fast walk on the treadmill with hand weights. For the liquid diet I shortened both to about 40 min and slowed a bit, no hand weights. My body still wants to move but I know that I can't get too worked up right now, I need to heal more first. I have my first Post-op appt on Tuesday, hoping I can go back to swimming next week if my incisions are healed enough? 🤞

I am turning 50 in a few months, and I've struggled with my weight most of my life. At 26, my BMI was probably around 30, but I didn't have the health issues so it was just a nuisance to me. I tried dieting and healthy eating for years, but my weight increased steadily in typical yo-yo fashion. Post-pregnancies, I spent my late 30s and early 40s in the 35-39 BMI range and started getting co-morbidities. By the time my BMI hit 40 this past year, I was aching in my feet and joints, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was prediabetic. So it's not about weight or appearance at this point but getting control of my health now, while my body can still bounce back and hopefully age more gracefully. I feel like I'm at that tipping point where if I don't act, the next decade will not end well and I will not have a good time of my senior years. This is despite all my best intentions and 7 years of actively going to a weight management doctor. All of that is to say that trying hard and knowing the right things to do rarely leads to success if you are prone to obesity. It's a disease, not a moral failing, no matter what people tell you. Unlike dieting, weight loss surgery provides lasting metabolic changes, as close to a cure as you can get. And you still will have to make all the lifestyle changes you would need to do anyway to lose weight, but they will actually work (instead of spending the next 24 years getting bigger and less healthy like I did). I have posted frequently about what a huge fan I am of Dr. Matthew Weiner's books, YouTube videos, and new podcast. Honestly, his books were life changing for me in terms of my perspective. I highly recommend starting there. He has 3 books, one is called Pound of Cure and gives great, scientifically sound information on what a healthy, set-point lowering way of eating looks like and how to get there. The second is a book that explains exactly how gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries change your metabolism and why they work (it's not just a smaller stomach and eating less!). The third is a cookbook with bariatric friendly recipes and serving sizes for different stages. These books are super fast reads. You can probably get through all three in a week (minus making all the recipes, of course!). With three months to go, my suggestion is get these books and start implementing the diet changes in a deliberate way. Start exercising in a sustainable way, working up to it little by little. See how you feel. Don't do crash diets. Don't start anything, whether food or exercise, you don't think you can basically do 90% of the time for the rest of your life, because there's no such thing as doing it for long enough to lose weight and then getting to "go back to normal." This has to become your new normal, with or without surgery. In three months, if you really aren't sure about the surgery, don't do it. It'll always be there. But know that it's an additional tool that will make the hard work you have to do either way in order to keep your health for the rest of your life more likely to stick. Without it, there's a very high (but not impossible) chance you will not be able to keep your weight in a healthy range.