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Good morning everyone! I had a 3.4lbs loss this week! Whooo! Hooo! I am at 164lbs and my jeans are getting baggy. Tried a couple of pair of jeans at walmart yesterday but no go. My tummy is still too big..oh well hopefully my apron will start to shrink. Going on a 3 hour horse back ride today so that should be fun. Have a great week! TMI....still having diarrhea issues really bad so will call bari doc next week for help...it is getting really old.

I'm starting day 3 of my 9 day pre opt diet. When I was eating my usual high calorie, high fat, high sugar, high carb etc diet I poo between 3 - 4 times a day. Now I'm going once a day and (sorry for the TMI) it's a bit of a strain to get it out and it isn't very much. I'm a little surprised because I'm drinking so many fluids that I assumed I'd be having even more frequent, soft/liquid stools (like diarrhea). How about you guys that are on the clear liquid diet (broth, Protein shakes, Jello, SF popsicles) diet like me? Are you experimenting irregularity compared to your own diet? Are u taking any kind of laxatives or stool softeners? I'm debating if I should call my nutritionist or wait it out.

Mine got so bad I could barely move at all and then it opened sorry for tmi ...but if its bad I'd at least call your dr ...also look for your skin to change to pink or red and be hot to the touch those are signs of infection

Hey everyone, Most of you know about my saga - of the either never fixed slipped band or the twice slipped band. I have an appt on Aug 6th - I figured it wasn't an emergency. Everynite I take 3 different reflux meds and sleep propped up on 3 pillows just to get some sleep. A couple times a week, I cough up a mouthful of stomach acid, run and spit it in the bathroom sink. Last nite, I slept pretty well till 4:30 am. I was awakened by a mouthful of acid when I coughed. Ran into the bathroom and spit it in the sink. It was then followed by a good 2 minutes of vomiting acid (brown liquid that burns). Ok, here's the TMI part - if you're squeamish you might not want to continue. I vomited up a whole black bean. Not too weird, if I'd actually had a black bean in the last day or so. Had black Beans for dinner 4 nites ago. Not only was it weird to see a whole one in there (thought I was good at chewing my food), but also that I'd eaten them 4 nites ago (Monday nite). Last nite was probably the worst stomach acid I've had thus far. Brushed my teeth and went back to bed. Actually forgot about it today till a little while ago, when I told my husband what happened. He thinks I should call my dr's office. It's now a Friday nite and there's no one in the office on the weekend. It's not truly an emergency (at least I don't think). What do you guys think about finding food in my stomach from 4 nites ago? Shouldn't that have been passed by now? I remember taking a nutrition class in college and learning you digest your food in 24 hrs. Should I be concerned? Thanks! Marci PS: I'll try not to bother you guys about my stories of acid reflux for a while!

Even though we all know we should, many of us fail to listen to what our docs and NUTs have to say; some in major ways, some in small. Now in the major ways I always listen to my doctor, I am to afraid not to. I do not want complications. But, in small ways, I fail at times. For instance, in March I went to see my doc for my 9 month check up. We discussed how I was doing- good, felt good, not getting hungry, eating 3 meals a day. I track calories in and I track by my fitbit how many calories I use- I showed the doc. During all this I was complaining that my weight loss seems to have slowed almost to a stop. After reviewing my intake and calorie burn (1200-1300 calories - 2100 to 2200 calories out), the PA said I wasn't eating enough. Now I have been over weight since I was 5 years old. Never have I been told I wasn't eating enough. I was terrified that this would cause me to regain some of what I'd lost, but I tried for a few days, a couple more pounds came off. Then I was headed out on vacation. The hubs and I went to Florida for a week and took in Disney and Sea World. During this time I was also on my monthly cycle. My band was really tight and I had a really hard time eating, even yogurt was a struggle in the morning. I was burning close to 3000 calories a day due to all the walking. When I return my weight was up 4 lbs - WTH, I hardly ate? I figured some was salt intake and apparently that was true. In a week of being back on schedule I was back down to pretrip weight. This week since being really back to normal I have increase my protein intake and started eating snacks as my doctor recommended. All week I have stayed at the 190 weight. Each day I have eaten a snack of 1 weight watchers cheese stick and about 12 grapes (if I didn't want grapes I ate half of an apple). I found this was a tasty snack and I never got hungry, always kept a satisfied feeling. This morning my weight dropped to 189.8!! Ok, this is big to me. Okay TMI I know, but I haven't gone number 2 in 3 days. So being that I haven't really pottied well and my weight went down make me feel really good. Maybe I should listen and heed instead of just hearing every little tid bit the doc says!!

5 days post op finally ddca9pooped sorry tmi but super excited best feeling lol... Pains not bad today starting the day off right!!

I'm with you ladies!!! I was operated on November 12, my surgery weight was 230... when I was released from the hospital 2 days later I weighted myself and I was at 240 A weight gain of 10 pounds, but I figured it had to be all the IV that was given to me, also the swelling and keep in mind that a lot of us don't have bowel movements right away (TMI): In fact I was constipated probably 5 days before my surgery... but today is day 9... I checked my weight and I'm at 227 - sounds awesome but have you have remember I gained 10 pounds...so in really I'm down 3 pounds... but it's okay it will start to come off!!!!

Relax, it's certainly not "TMI". Most of us have been there and others that are lurking are surely dealing with some sort of constipation. If it's not blocked yet, try the stool softeners. If it's past that, your might try Magnesium Citrate. You can get it a Walgreens or any drugstore in a small bottle like a flavored drink. Refrigerate it and try to drink it all down at once. (it' has a little bitter taste, kinda like unsweetened kool-aide) Then drink as much Water as you can afterwards. It will usually start working in a couple hours. It is very gentle and cleans you out completely. More importantly, it works. Quickly. I usually keep a couple of bottles in the Fridge in case things get past the point of no return........I consider it more valuable than gold.

I'm 2 weeks post-op from my VSG, and I was doing AWESOME. Until Monday. I just woke up feeling yucky. I was nauseous, and I was supposed to be started soft foods, so I made myself some eggs and cheese for Breakfast. I could not get them down. It was like they just stuck in my esophagus and wouldn't go anywhere. I thought this was just because they were new or maybe too dry, so I tried a Protein drink for lunch and got a few sips in before it started not wanting to go down either. This worried me, obviously. It would probably be useful to mention that I haven't been able to burp when I needed to since surgery. This was a problem the first week, but once most of the gas was gone, I barely noticed. Since Monday I've barely been able to get anything down. I realized yesterday, though, that I don't think I have used the bathroom (#2) since either Friday or Saturday. Obviously not a good thing. So I took some stool softeners last night, and I've gone a little bit but I still can't really get anything down. I was wondering if anyone else had similar feelings with their constipation (because I know that it is very common) or if the pain that I'm feeling might actually be coming from something else? Just to summarize: Since Monday, anything I try to eat feels like it gets stuck in my esophagus, and it hurts. I'm hoping this is due to the constipation.

Hi, hope everyone is well. sorry if it’s TMI...but I don’t know what Is ok to do besides increasing water. Btw, I always have a water bottle with me and drink often. I’m thinking of taking a stool softener. Any other recommendations? I’m watching my portions and focus on protein and struggle to get in fruits/veggies. I’m just wondering if others go through this. Thanks!

The following abbreviations are commonly used on this website: ACL = Anterior cruciate ligament AGB = Adjustable gastric banding AMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible (crossfit) BB = belly button bc = because BCBS = Blue Cross/Blue Shield BED = Binge Eating Disorder bf = best friend BM = bowel movement BMI = Body Mass Index bp = blood pressure BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder or Biliary Pancreatic Diversion bs = blood sugar btw = by the way C25K = Couch Potato to Running 5K CBT = cognitive-behavioral therapy CC = common channel c diff = clostridium difficile cos or cuz = because CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure CRNP = certified registered nurse practitioners cw = current weight CXR = Chest X-Ray DDD = degenerative disc disease Dr. = doctor DS = Dumping Syndrome or Duodenal Switch EGD = Esophagogastroduodenoscopy EKG = Electrocardiography ff = fat free GERD = gastroesophageal reflux disease GI = gastrointestinal GNC = General Nutrition Corporation store GP = general practitioner or family doctor HBP = high blood pressure hr = heart rate hw = highest weight ICU = Intensive Care Unit Idk = I don’t know IMHO = in my humble (honest) opinion IMO = in my opinion IUI = Intrauterine insemination LAP Band = Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band LES = lower esophageal sphincter lol = laughing out loud LSG = Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy med = medicine MFP = my fitness pal msg = message NASH = Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis nf = non fat NG = Nasogastric NP = nurse practitioner NSAIDS = Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSV = non-Scale victory (“scale” means “weight scale”) NUT = nutritionist OA = Overeaters Anonymous omw = on my way Onederland = a magical place or destination for those trying to lose weight. It might correspond to attaining a weight in the hundreds or losing a hundred pounds. op = operation OSA = Obstructive Sleep Apnea Oz = Australia PB = Productive Burps PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCP = Primary Care Physician PICC= Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter PM = private message (email) PMS = premenstrual syndrome POSE = Primary Obesity Surgery Endolumenal postop or post–op = post-operation or post-surgery PPI = Proton Pump Inhibitors ppl = people preop or pre-op = pre-operation or pre-surgery PTSD = Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PVC = Premature ventricular contractions RA = Rheumatoid arthritis RH = reactive hypoglycemia RN = registered nurse RNY = Roux-en-Y RTD = ready to drink RYGB = Roux-en-Y gastric bypass SADI-S = single anastomosis duodeno–ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy s/f or sf = sugar free SG = Sleeve gastrectomy SIPS = stomach intestinal pylorus-sparing surgery smh = shaking my head, scratching my head SO = significant other SOB = shortness of breath sw = weight at surgery tmi = too much information TPN = total parenteral nutrition TT = tummy tuck TTC = trying to conceive Ty = Thank you. [but according to the urban dictionary “Ty” is also an abbreviation for “a total stud with a massive carrot”.] u = You UGI = Upper Gastrointestinal VSG = Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Vit = vitamin wks = weeks WLS = Weight Loss Surgery WOD = Workout of the Day w/o = without wt = weight

Haven't had one since Sunday. Had surgery Monday. Any ideas or how long does it take?

I'm 11 days out and on puréed foods . I'm not sure what I experienced but it was horrible! At the night I had refried beans with cheese and felt it had to much cheese so stopped eating them. In the Morning I had 1/4th of light Greek yogurt (strawberry) and only water after. Around 1:30 I had horrible cramps had to go #2 it wasn't diarrhea at first but I got the shakes started sweating and breathing hard. Then finally came the diarrhea (tmi sorry) the other things lasted another 3 mns or do then I was fine . Anyone know what could of caused it? I'm thinking the yogurt although I've ate it before with no prob .

Weird upset stomach! Gurgling stomach and diarrhea (sorry TMI). As if id have just eaten some bad Chinese food.. lol harleymelm

I will be one week post op tomorrow. I went to the store yesterday and i got so winded my chest hurt i could breathe but it seemed my like chest wouldnt expand enough to let me. My mom said its because i need to build up the stamina but jeez I felt like a walking heart attack. I am also having a hard time drinking my food i feel like everything is getting stuck in my throat/chest. even fluids. Anyone have any advice? I am taking gas-x and tylenol every 6 hrs and prilosec 1x day. Oh and just a quick TMI..... when should I worry about not pooping???

I can't eat 98% of food. Like you said, 3 weeks ago some things were ok, now if I eat them they totally make me nauseaus or I don't like the taste. I have NO idea what's going on....pretty irritated. If I do find a food i like ok, within 90 minutes I'll have the runs (sorry-tmi) so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to maintain any semblance of nutrition

I cheated. I confess. I really tired to hold it together through this liquid diet thing. I started my Clear liquid diet on Last Thus and last night(sat) i couldnt stand it anymore...i have to get an ultimate cheeseburger from Jack In The Box. I really tried...i almost cried over it. This is bad....now i know how i got this big...im definately realizing whenever im stressed i get cravings like a pregnant woman. So then today i said to myself....im gonna do better i dont need this and i can fight this...so i took my fiance and took him to see 2 movies today. We saw Madagacar and Monster In Law.....welllllllllllll little did i know the urge of movie theater popcorn would be in my face...so i did it again i got popcorn. I could scream i feel so guilty....i felt like goin into the bathroom and pukin it up...sorry for TMI everyone...i think i seriously have an issue with food. This is the hardest thing i have ever done in my life hands down. I need some strength. I hope my liver isnt too big because i cheated on my clear liquid diet. I will be religeous about it from now on...ive made the promise to myself and my fiance is tryin to help me get through this. I hope 3 good clear liquid diet days will be sufficiant for my liver to go down enough. Anyone bigger and have no problem with surgery after only a few days of the liquid diet...im scared i may have just ruined everything for me...why am i so weak!!!! Sorry i had to vent..someone please respond...i really do need some input...

Greetings, First time post, occasional lurker I had surgery 3/5, and I feel like I'm so far off base in terms of my choices, and/or behavior, and/or expectations that I could really use some information, affirmations, or consolations. So quick rundown: After I followed the post-op diet for nine days exactly as given. For me that was low/no fat Greek yogurt, tomato soup made with milk, protein shakes, and water. After losing my IV weight I continued on for the next week and a half to lose a little more than 10 pounds. After that I've flatlined, and it's going on three weeks. I'm starting to panic. To be fair I currently have a really stuffy headcold and I finished my period (sorry, if that's TMI) about 10 days ago. I know that I fluctuate weight-wise when both of these things happen, but even between the cold and my lady-times I've been relatively stable; but taken together with the amount of time that's passed and that my water weight is usually only +/- 5 pounds, I feel like I really am at a standstill. My current diet is something like this: Weekdays - protein shake for breakfast, either a yogurt or some low-fat cottage cheese as a snack (90-130 cal) - if I'm especially hungry I'll sometimes have a "little plate" usually a prepackaged cheese/nut/meat tray (~160-220 cal), variable lunch (sometimes egg beaters with fat free feta, sometimes creamy soup, sometimes leftover dinner, (today's a leftover dinner day - salad with goat cheese, apples, and crispy onions with fat free dressing). I usually have another snack, same as the morning snack after that and dinner is usually some animal protein, though last night I had the previously mentioned salad and some lamb. Weekends are more variable, but I try to stick to similar meals. I'm usually getting my 60 oz of water, but lately with my sore throat, I've been falling short. I'm hitting my goal of 60g of protein almost every day. I haven't had any rice or bread, but I did have noodles in soup once, and in a frozen dinner (leftover from my pre-surgery diet). I'm incorporating raw vegetables now, so far without any problems. I don't eat candy, anything caffeinated, or carbonated, and haven't for two months. I've tried reaching out to my nutritionist and she keeps telling me that the important thing is that I hit my protein and water goals. She also told me that avocado might be a bad choice for my diet, so I haven't had those for a couple of weeks. Still I feel like I'm somehow failing this stage, and I could really use some input. The only hopeful thing on my horizon is that I'm cleared to do more physical activity this week, so I plan to join the gym here at work. I'm on a big campus, so it isn't going to be convenient, but I'm going to try to get there twice a week to start. So, forum collective, any thoughts? I'll appreciate anything that you can suggest. Thanks.

It happens to me more so lately. Mine depends on how much I'm drinking and (tmi) whether I'm pooping.

Hey all I am 8 days post VSG I had surgery on 18th Jan... I was doing ok as far as liquids go but today...well I haven’t managed to fit anything in at all...all day I feel bloated and full.. so worrying - sorry for the TMI but I haven’t done a number 2 today..so my husband said it may be because I haven’t emptied my stomach? Has anyone else had this issue at all?

(I apologise in advance. This is going to be long and maybe a little graphic). Good question! I was moving from Japan back to Canada and with the stress of that the cramps and bowel movements became more pronounced. In particular, the stool was really different. It became very loose to pure liquid. Every colour of the rainbow came out, even a kind of translucent stool which I guess was solidified mucous. Even then I didn't think of going to the doctor until blood started appearing, which freaked me out. Unfortunately I had a trip planned to Vietnam before returning home, and I couldn't handle waiting for 3 weeks so I went to an international clinic there and they did a bunch of tests and told me they thought it was Crohn's or UC (and not cancer, which of course was my first assumption). They gave me meds and anti-inflammatories to deal with until I got back to Canada and could get tested properly. After my first colonoscopy I was told it was Crohn's-Colitis, but having seen a much better surgeon here in Japan he told me it was UC. He gave me the meds that I'm currently on (Pentasa, in both pill and enema form) and I've been happy with that. Unfortunately I have never lived in the same city as him, so going to see him regularly was a problem in the past, and now nearly impossible because of where I live now. I have yet to find a good gastroenterologist to replace him. So, instead of taking meds regularly, I take them when I have a flare-up, since I'm almost out. The problem with being obese is that a lot of doctors don't believe you could have a disease that often leaves people at the very low end of the BMI scale. One doctor in Japan told me I had diarrhea and to eat more fibre, without doing a single test to prove himself right and me wrong! This was when I was in a really bad flare-up and basically had blood and mucous pouring out of my a$$ many times a day (I know, TMI, but that's often the case with this disease). Similarly, the doctors in Canada were very reluctant to believe I had this condition until the tests came back from the colonoscopy (in fact, I remember seeing the infected areas as I was very awake (i.e. high on meds) during the entire procedure). I almost said "told you so" to the gastroenterologist when he told me I had Crohn's Colitis. He was clearly shocked at the diagnosis. I was very happy when I found my gastroenterologist here in Japan (he is not Japanese BTW) who took me seriously from the start and moved his schedule around so he could a colonoscopy the next day because he was so worried about my condition. Anyway, I have since found research articles that indicate up to 30% of people with Crohn's or UC are obese, which they can't explain. The problem with abdominal cramping and loose stools is that there are a lot of conditions that have similar symptoms, like lactose intolerance and celiac disease. I did go gluten-free for a month once (it was hard to maintain, mostly because I liked my beer in the summer months) and that helped tremendously with the symptoms (i.e. they disappeared). So clearly, even though I don't have celiac disease I have some level of gluten intolerance which causes flare-ups. Similarly, while most dairy I eat now is cheese or yogurt, when I add other things like normal milk or ice cream I get a lot of cramps so some lactose intolerance appears to be there too. But other things, like fibre (whole grains, gassy veggies, lettuce, fruit or vegetable peels, nuts, oatmeal, barley) are really problematic for me, as is alcohol (I'm off it now because I just can't deal with it). So...(sorry, this is really long!) UC symptoms include severe abdominal cramping - most of mine was in the 'corners' of the large intestine. Cramping could be caused by food or stress (sometimes delayed). Often a person has to go (#2) multiple times a day - this doesn't necessarily mean something will come out, but your rectum will be in full cramping mode, regardless of what's in your body. For me, once food or Water hits my stomach it will trigger a response in the lower GI tract, even though I know it's impossible for it to move that fast. That said, when symptomatic, food would pass through my system so fast I couldn't take any pills - birth control, Tylenol, whatever, would be sitting at the bottom of the toilet bowl an hour or two after I took it. The only time I've ever seriously lost weight is when I've been symptomatic with UC. One of the posters in the doctors office referred to "rectal urgency" which I thought was a great phrase to describe the feeling of needing to go "right now" - 30 sec or less, because you didn't know how long to hold back the cramping. I've had some accidents. The whole "never trust a fart" after weight loss surgery is true for Crohn's and UC patients as well. Sometimes the cramping is in my large intestine, sometimes the rectum. And sometimes it feels like I'm sh*tting fire acid out of my butt - like the digestive juices or something. It's very painful. If you look at the infographic here, I think a lot of UC patients have the bottom 3 types of loose stool (from loose and feathery to pure liquid). Blood and mucous are also usually part of the deal too. Even though it's always the lower bowels that are affected, I have found that antacids like Gaviscon, Tums, Pepto Bismol help reduce symptoms. I don't know why. Sometimes eating helps stop the cramping as well, which seems counterintuitive, but at least for me it would work. Okay, I gotta stop.

When did your "dumping" (hope this isn't too TMI LOL) stop? It seems like anytime I drink or eat (if Soup, pudding, etc is eating that is...) now

Hello friends! I am 5 days post op from my vsg surgery and for the most part I'm feeling pretty good. I'm rarely hungry and do my best to get fluids in through sugar free drinks, popsicles and broths. But I've been struggling with gas pains. It happens throughout the day and the only way to relieve is it to try and burp. I was wondering how long this will last? Every day has gotten better but it's still getting to be annoying and uncomfortable. Accompanying the gas pain, I have a brief minute-long moment where the air gets stuck and I feel extremely nauseous. My mouth fills with saliva as if I'm going to throw up and then never actually do. This has happened once every morning and I'm wondering if this has happened to any of you and if so how long until it went away? Sorry if this message is a little tmi btw... and thank you to those who are taking the time to read and possibly respond [emoji18]

I would rather NOT eat a thing than to have to live through these horrid runny bowels that this protein shake is giving me...OMG (sorry TMI)!! I think I'm going to get some gateraid and broth because I cannot take another minute of this. What did you drink during your pre-op diet that made it easier? Funny thing is I'm not even hungry I just want to make sure I'm putting something in my stomach.

Sorry for tmi. Did anybody else take this long? I was sleeved on Friday 4/20.