Search the Community

Hi, Just signed up today as I feel I need some support and guidance. Not had my surgery yet I was given the 18th jan but due to work I could take it but now wishing I had. So I’m reading the Bariatric Bible which is very helpful but to hear from any of you guys would be great. I’m not knowing what type of food processing machine I’d need the 2 wks diet prior is concerning me a little.

@GradyCat The condition is called gustatory rhinitis and is common in bariatric patients. It is linked to "snatiation" or sneezing after eating and is a reflex. I read somewhere that it has to do with stimulating a nerve in the upper stomach, now more sensitive or exposed due to the surgery. However, I cannot find the specific article or reference anymore. Years ago, when I had a lap band, a runny nose for me was my "signal" that I was full or getting full and needed to stop eating. Since being sleeved, I still get the runny nose, but it's not as "free-flowing" whereas the sneezing really gets my attention. In my first 6 months, I would sneeze and sneeze and sneeze to the point where my co-workers would come to my office to make sure I was alright! These days, it's pretty common for me to sneeze once or twice after a meal (more if I've overindulged).

Each practice will have varying guidelines so ask your surgeon their rules and why But a quick search on the internet and I found this site which outlines a few reasons https://www.vidawellnessandbeauty.com/caffeine-alcohol-after-bariatric-surgery-what-you-need-to-know/

No excuses, but I gained 10 pounds in 2020. COVID didn't help. Tracking my daily calorie intake backfired because the app said I needed 1200 calories/day but I really didn't. It doesn't take into account that bariatric patients have different needs. And oh I ate so much chocolate and cookies the last two weeks of the Christmas holidays. So I decided that instead of waiting for the new year, I would get back on track starting the day after Christmas, Saturday 12/26/2020. Saturday I had 670 calories and Sunday I had 720 calories. Easy peasy. No problems, no withdrawals, no cravings. I got in a 10 minute walk on Sunday and already a 20 minute walk in today (Monday). I'm feeling really good that I can follow the program like my nutritionist advised me, even though apparently for 9 months I haven't been on track. It's never too late to get healthy again. My doctor's office doesn't "count calories." Instead they focus on the macros of protein and water and portion sizes of 1/2 cup. That's all I'm going to worry about now. So I'm going to get back to basics and take that approach again and get not only these 10 regained pounds off, but hopefully 10 more to boot! I feel confident for the first time in a long time. It's a wonderful feeling. No "New Years Resolution" for me . . . just a return to the basics and a positive attitude.

they have an LGBTQIA subforum over at Obesity Help, but I don't know how active it is anymore (Bariatric Pal is definitely the more active of these two (general) forums, but I think in general, a lot of people are using Facebook groups these days. I prefer these types of forums, though...). Another option is to start one here - I know there have been other LGBTIA members here on BP in the past - there may still be a few who are current (and active) members.

Hey ladies, I discovered a really wonderful and unexpected side effect of surgery. I used to get horrific PMS cramps. The entire week before my period was me using machines, pain killers, hot baths, heating pads-anything and everything to stop the pain. I saw dozens of doctors and they all didn't know what to do. Sometimes it would be so bad I would be feverish and couldn't even go to work. Post surgery this stopped. I now get very minor pain that a painkiller can stop. If I had known that bariatric surgery could stop this I would have done the surgery years ago. I'm just wondering if anyone else experienced this?

Hey all, Brand new to this forum. Early in my process as I finally got a stage 2 approval last week 😁😁😁 so onto my six months now. Beyond the bariatric stuff... 44yr old, Single, bi-mom to 3 autistic teens (2 are gay/lesbian). Been single and working on myself and busy raising kids, the last 6 years. Plus One crazy Balinese kitty we all love. I’m another PNW person (Tacoma area), artist/designer. Love making new friends!

I had pancreatitis on November 23 ended up in the Crouse ER. Followed up with the Bariatric team at Crouse because of pancreatitis. Sent from my U693CL using BariatricPal mobile app

3/15/2017 RNY Bariatric surgery Sent from my U693CL using BariatricPal mobile app

My doc said 10,000 steps a day, so I went for it. Anyway, about the energy, I asked my PCP, the bariatric NP, and the nutritionist about the energy surge, and they all acted like they had never heard of such a thing, and even offered my sleeping pills! Got my thyroid checked, too, and it was fine. Knowing that others have experienced this as well, was reassuring, and I just chalked it up to ketosis. It slowed down and stopped after I reached goal weight, so now I can actually sleep 7-8 hours a night, and unfortunately, I have to work a bit harder to make myself exercise!

I am 3 years out March 15 2017 I decided to an Rny Bariatric surgery Why am I so cold. Sent from my U693CL using BariatricPal mobile app

Anna, are you taking B1 (thiamin) daily? My dietician/bariatric doctor said it is a MUST everyday even if sick. It deals with brain and nervous system functions, among others.

I weaned myself off regular coffee a couple months before surgery. Per Kaiser bariatric’s guidelines, after surgery we cannot drink beverages with carbonation (due to gases), caffeine (acid/risk of ulcers), alcohol, and sugary drinks (liquid calories). Since I started the pre-op program (July 2019) I haven’t had alcohol or surgery drinks. I DO have half-caff coffee every morning. ;-) and throughout the day water, diet Snapple, and herbal tea. I don’t miss alcohol or carbonated beverages.

You betcha. I'm 56 and get this, I had a partial hysterectomy 10 years ago! But about 6 months post-bariatric surgery, I started having a "pseudo-period" - cramps and spotting on the same cycle my period would have been. No one can figure out what's going on, not my bariatric team, not my GYN and not my primary doctor. I don't even have the anatomy anymore for a true period, but my body is obviously trying to do *something* period-like. I think this is an effect of drastic weight loss that hasn't been studied and isn't well-understood. Fortunately, it's just light spotting, so it's not a huge issue (even if it is a huge mystery).

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a January surgery date. I’ve been released for surgery by my bariatric center/dietitian and I’ve had a COVID test (negative.) My endoscopy is in four days by my surgeon and then I get my surgery date! Can’t wait!!! 😁

Hi All, new to the site. I had my bariatric surgery Sep. 21, 2020. So far I’ve lost 45 lbs, give or take the the new one day per week, 5-6 lbs of excruciating BM blockade that has become my life since surgery. My poor husband, I think he has brought home every fiber gummy, BeneFiber, stool softener, MiraLax, etc. that he can find at Walmart or CVS.... Before surgery, I never had BM constipation issues - every morning, like clock work... Post Surgery..., a once a week major headache, literally! Irritability in overdrive, bloating, excruciating back pain and constipation with no relief ... Until, bring on the suppository, followed by a full day of the exact opposite... BM URGENCY and DIARRHEA, UHG! Just like the gobs and gobs of hair shedding from my head daily (good thing my hair is thick and course) my doctor says “this too shall pass.” You just have to experiment with the different OTC products, until you find what works for you.

You're probably fine - there is a lot of variation in how quickly people recover and are able to eat more of a variety of food. But it would be good to mention this to your surgeon because there is a complication that can occur and results in the symptoms you describe. Here is a description of it: Strictures are a problem unique to the Bypass and Sleeve patients. Basically, it is a narrowing preventing food to pass normally through your digestive system. With the Bypass, strictures occur at the gastro-jejunal anastomosis (the top connection where the small bowel is attached to the gastric pouch). Sleeve patients can have a stricture anywhere along the length of the stapled stomach. A stricture will almost always occur within the first three months after surgery. Generally, a patient will complain of not being able to advance their diet beyond liquids. They may have frequent vomiting episodes, or even night time regurgitation/reflux. https://alohasurgery.com/strictures/ I doubt this is what's going on, but you are in that 3 month window when it's most likely to occur and it would be good to rule it out. Whatever is going on (even if it's just a normal slower recovery), your bariatric team can help you figure it out. Hope you feel better soon. Hugs. 🤗

Hi, it looks like you have gotten alot of responses, but I thought I'd add mine to the mix. I am 42, 5'11 and was at the beginning 334lbs. When I scheduled my first appointment with my dr, they sent out a packet and it specifically pointed out calling my insurance to make sure that bariatric/weight loss stuff was covered. I called my insurance and they asked me if I had diabetes, and I said no. They said without being diabetic, it wouldn't be covered. <Insert tears and breakdown here> I was so frustrated because my first memories are of being fed diet jello, sugar free kool-aid, things like that, I have always been the chubby kid. I did richard simmons deal a meal, jenny craig, weight watchers, calorie restriction, keto.......i lost some weight, but always gained that but more back. I called my drs office and asked them if this is true and what other questions I should be asking. I have no 'comorbidities' aside from being morbidly obese and have been obese pretty much my entire life. I called back and talked to another agent who asked about diabetes again, then about high blood pressure and sleep apnea. I have none of them. Eventually they told me that if the doctor decided that my BMI put me int he morbidly obese category and that I had tried other diets etc and had a long history of being unable to lose weight, they would approve it. In the end, I had to go through my entire history of what diets/plans/meds I had tried, my weight history, etc and I was approved. I had my bypass surgery on 12/18/2020. I hope you are able to get it approved because it is frustrating. I know what would be waiting for me if I didn't get this weight off now, all of the comorbidities that they ask about, and i am hopeful that with this tool, I will be able to avoid all that crap. Best of luck to you and happy holidays <3

I’m no braggart. This was the first time I shared unprompted about my progress except for with my boyfriend, counselor and the bariatric groups. I kinda figured since she’d asked several times about my progress she would have been happy for me...... pretty much what you guys are saying is just don’t tell any one and refuse to talk about it with any one. It’s kinda bullshit if that’s how we have to behave. Why can’t our loved ones just be happy for us?

My wife and I both had surgery last month and did have a learning curve to start moving towards the new food stages. I bought a few bariatric cook books and we have been cooking out of them to help us with the transition and it has gone really well. The Gastric Sleeve Bariatric Cookbook is the one that we have been using and it has helped us to try to meal plan easier and the food (other than the pancake recipe) have been amazing and not too terribly difficult either. It also lists the stages so that you know if a recipe can be done at a certain stage.

Yes, I take my bariatric vitamin/mineral supplements every day. My former roommate had WLS ten years ago and has had a lot of dental problems, too, including the loss of two teeth, but that could be due to other factors.

Well, I’m so sorry that has happened to you, I’m sure that was/is frustrating and expensive on top of the life changes you’ve had with the WLS. Are you still taking all your supplements you took right after surgery? I know some have opted to just take a regular or even children’s chewable vitamins, but I’d hate to take the chance. There have been a few who say they have had severe teeth problems since their surgery, so you are not alone, but thankfully it doesn’t seem to be a big problem. I’m going to ask about it when I go to my family dr and the Bariatric dr again in January.

I drink protein 2o Bariatric fusion unflavored, elevation. Sent from my U693CL using BariatricPal mobile app

There is a Kaiser FB forum you can check out. I had my surgery 3 years ago in October. I think you will really like this forum. KP Bariatric Support Group (Oregon/SW Washington)

Here in the US, the MGB is not a common option, though it has been adopted by bariatric groups in other countries. When my wife and I were first investigating WLS some twenty years ago, the MGB was kicking around the sidelines of the bariatric field trying to find its place, but it never did here, failing to gain acceptance of either the ASBS/ASMBS or the insurance industry. In the meantime, both the DS and VSG have gone mainstream. There may still be a few isolated practices that offer it on a self pay basis, and there are several groups in Mexico that offer it, mainly as a cheaper, but not necessarily better, alternative to the RNY. The main bugaboo that I recall with it has been a greater propensity toward bile reflux, which is easy to understand if you look at its anatomy. As for a revision to counter regain, It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, as its metabolic strength is so similar to the RNY - much the same as switching between the VSG and RNY, or vice versa, for weightloss/gain reasons, doesn't make a lot of sense. To counter a regain problem, one should look to a stronger procedure, which in the current world is the duodenal switch (DS). Unfortunately, that is a very complex revision which only a half dozen or so surgeons around the country are capable of doing. That would be your best shot at losing a major part of your regain, but also the hardest. There is the newer SIPS/SADI/"Loop DS" that is a simpler and more accessible procedure that seems to sit between the RNY/VSG in DS in effectiveness, but it is still working on gaining acceptance from the ASMBS and insurance industry, but it doesn't seem far off now; that would be a compromise worth looking into, but it's not an easy revision, either, as it is sleeve based procedure, so the stomach first needs to be but back together before proceeding with the revision. The RNY, overall, is a difficult configuration to work with if it's not working right. The "simple" regain fixes such as re-doing the pouch, tightening the stoma or putting a band over the pouch don't seem to work all that well - figure on losing maybe 20 lb, on average, mostly from having to go through all of the restrictive diets around surgery time again, but beyond that it is mostly individual effort (which is what one does without surgery.) The other major option may be offered is to change it to a distal RNY (as opposed to the familiar proximal RNY) which dramatically increases the malabsorption component, with the trade off of the expected increase in supplement needs and potential for more significant nutritional problems. It is not usually approved by US insurance as a primary WLS procedure, but sometimes can be justified for special circumstances. Revisions are not a simple thing - research them carefully to fully understand what is involved, and what the potential risks and benefits are. Good luck,