Search the Community

Long story short - had gastric bypass in July of 2019. Highest weight 400. Current weight 167 to 173. I still feel some restriction to this day. Meals are small and I don't eat high fat, high sugar food. 2 yrs ago, I started having right sided pain. It felt like ovarian pain so saw OB & had 2 ultrasounds nothing showed up there. Pain worsened & had gall bladder removed 1.5 yrs ago. Adjusted diet again to deal with gal bladder being gone and things seemed ok. A few months after the right sided pain returned. About 4 mos ago, pain got so bad at times I'd be in a ball on my bed considering going to ER (which I HATE doing). Went back to primary got CT scan. Nothing found. findings. Then he referred me for colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought finally 'this was it, we've ruled out most other things'. I also had seen blood in my stools and it was old blood, like coffee grounds so I thought ok, not hemorrhoids? Just got back home from colonoscopy & upper GI. Good news is no polyps or other concerning things. Bad news is main finding was on bypass "Patient's surgical anastomosis noted to be widely dilated, raising possibility of Dumping Syndrome as a cause". OK, we know what dumping is. Thought it was post surgery when we ate food (i.e. sugar, high fat) that processed too fast, etc. & you had dumping. Is the type of dumping they mention different from post surgery dumping? They recommend I see revision specialist. Has anyone else had revision NOT due to 1st bariatric surgery not being successful but for a "medical reason" like this (other than GERD, heartburn). I'm not even sure insurance will pay, but I have 2 yrs worth of history on this. Even it if does pay, I dread what this means - more hair loss? If I do this, will I need another in 5 yrs?. I also still feel restriction kick in although yes, nothing like 1st 2 years My highest weight right now hovers at 173. I hoped I'd get to 150 but closest I've come is 167-168. Is revision another 'nuclear detonation option'? ANYONE have a revision specialist in the North Texas area they can recommend so I can at least get a consultation (north texas = Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Keller, Bedford, Euless, Hurst and Denton) I've also wondered if there is a chance of some straggler/stone from gallbladder surgery 1.5 yrs ago that should be considered? Any input would be appreciated. This is causing issues on my job as the pain hits out of nowhere (not X amount of time before OR after a meal, that I have been able to discern. Thank you!

I don't say this alot, because it seems its not the "norm" among bariatric patients...but i consider myself one of the "lucky ones", who can seem to eat whatever i feel like and am still able to maintain my weight with little to no effort (my food log is packed with "non-diet" foods...which i need to do because my restriction is still very much in effect). i too was concerned about continually losing weight to the point of death, but it turned out all right in the end (so far). not having to worry about calorie intake (based on my natural eating habits) is something i will forever be grateful for...even if it doesn't last forever. you will find yourself hard pressed to find someone who lost too much weight to the point of medical concern around here. i can think of exactly 1 member on here who self-identified as going below healthy BMI for an extended period of time (dont know what her status is now, as she has since dropped off the forums...and at the time she was at 18 or so BMI...which was at the "top-level" of underweight...) anyway, this is my long winded way of saying enjoy the ride and try not to worry (unless of course your team is worried?)...more often than not, your worry will become a non-issue when things are all said and done. if u continue to be one of the "lucky ones" who put little effort in maintaining weight and health in the long term, yay it really is a blessing and not a curse, years out. good luck! ❤️

Yes, your relationship with food is supposed to change. How you view it, how often you eat it, what you eat, etc... Also, having a specific meal plan to follow helps a lot while you navigate your new normal. Definitely slow down your eating, start looking at what you're eating and what your calorie/carb/fat/protein intake is, look at your activity levels and adjust them accordingly, and look into speaking with your nutritionist and a bariatric therapist. This is all stuff that should have been gone over with you long before you actually had your surgery.

I agree with the others, contact your surgeon and let them know. It isn't unusual to have intolerances to protein shakes early on. I couldn't stomach them for the first several weeks. I could get in my fluids though, with diligence, but they had to either be very cold or very warm, my stomach didn't like anything in between, and even with fluids I would get this intense twisting pain with every swallow, like my stomach was trying to cartwheel inside me! But after the two week mark this started to ease. I was able to water down protein water and get it in. Then I was able to thin out protein shakes with milk and get them in. I was still nauseated daily until the 8 week mark, but meds helped with that. My surgeon said this whole track wasn't unusual, I was one of those rare patients that got the side effect of stomach spasms post surgery and they usually calm down after a few weeks. He was right! By weeks 3-4 I could drink most things without pain, as long as I kept sipping rather than trying to gulp. I'm 3 months out and still can't gulp... But this is definitely a situation where you want your surgeon's office aware of how you are feeling so they can send you in for fluid infusions if you start to show signs of dehydration. Dehydration is the number 1 complication of bariatric surgery in the early weeks, plenty of people end up with hydration infusions until the swelling goes down in their tummies enough they can get their water in.

Just had my first milestone walk - completed the entire block at a decent pace in 15 minutes! I was worried I wouldn't even make it to the end of the street, but I got there and felt like I could keep going... so I did. I can't wait for these weight restrictions for lifting/pulling/all that jazz to be lifted so I can actually take my dog out. But he's so hyper all the time that he would do more harm than good right now. I'm trying a plan today to hopefully reach my fluid and protein goals (like adding more water to a premade shake and things like that). We'll see. Those of you who have had your first post-op appointment already, could you tell you were losing weight prior to the appointment? I can't and I'm terrified I'm doing things wrong. But I guess since I actually made it around the block in a decent time, maybe something is working. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @ShoppGirl I'm definitely going to be looking into making the proffee. Iced coffee is my fave (though honestly, I just love coffee). I foresee me making it the night before, just so that I don't have to get up even earlier when I return to work. At least until I get a rhythm going lol. Huh, I didn't even know there were different ones, other than the Protein 2o with caffeine and without. So that is good information. I've been having one of the electrolyte ones a day, because honestly it was just so much for me to drink at once. I know I really need to focus on those goals, but man... I can't even finish a premade protein shake in 30 minutes right now. I'm glad you got to enjoy your crochet group, and kudos on feeling better in your normal clothes! 27lbs is no joke, so another grats to you for sticking to it and seeing it through to the other side. And congrats as well on your NSV with the car seat! It's nice to have cheerleaders. I haven't really told many people about my surgery - my husband (obviously), a few best friends, and my in-laws. My in-laws were... probably the most negative of everyone, telling me how they knew people who had the surgery and it ended up not working for them. But I knew they were just offering their perspective. Those suggestions from your crochet group are amazing! I love Ms. Dash flavors myself, and the food processor idea is amazing. Responding to a later post - I'm glad it worked!!! Makes me look forward to that puree stage even more. I think putting a band aid over the incision under your breast is a good idea for a while. I know I'm just as nervous about my incisions (though I can't wait for these staples to be out, holy crap). So I too would be erring on the side of caution, just to make sure I didn't open them up again or anything. Ohhhhh, good information about the peas, corn and collagen. I'll have to double check my book when I get to the pureed stage. (Though someone's idea about getting baby food some time ago in this forum is still like... the best idea ever to me.) You have soft foods coming up already? That's awesome! Although, you did have surgery a bit before me, so that makes sense lol. I am nervous about doing anything beyond the full liquids currently, just because I'm not sure what to expect with my new stomach. But at the same time, I can't wait to move it right along. I'm sorry to hear about your dog. ❤️ I've never boiled chicken before. How do you know when it's ready? I'm sure as I progress, I'll definitely have more questions. Right now, I'm just focusing on my fluid and protein goals. And not overdoing it with the pain. I took myself off the narcotics because I am terrified of taking them more than necessary, but I'm not sure Tylenol is cutting it either. Maybe I'll break down and take one tonight so I can hopefully get some sleep since I've been struggling getting comfortable. Thank you for the website recommendation! I'm trying to do all the reading and stuff to make sure I can stay on top of everything. I too am a 'by the rules' person if I know the rules, and I really need this to work for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @RRenaeL23 You are very welcome! I hope that helps you out some, and you definitely deserve all the encouragement. Everyone here does. We are all each other's cheerleaders because we know what we are going through, and we're going through it together. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Hiddenroses I know what you mean about being easier to type from a desktop computer. I have to have a separate word document open to help me organize my thoughts as I'm responding to each post. That's another reason why it takes me like... a couple of days between posts. (My ADHD is also responsible for that, but shhhhhhhh.) I'm sorry that Wednesday was exhausting for you. I've had a couple of nights now where I'm just not sleeping. I can't get comfortable. I'm not in pain, but it just seems that since I took myself off my pain meds that I have been extremely tender in the abdomen lately. I do like your idea of the 'no noodle' soup, and will definitely keep that in mind for when I make it to the puree stage. I have so much stuff to get for that point, but I'm waiting until I'm actually at that point. I am looking forward to the ricotta bake that ShoppGirl has mentioned a few times. Though, admittedly, I'm just looking forward to different flavors. You are welcome again for the pillow idea. My pillow is my best friend right now, literally lol. It protects me from the overzealous dogs I have as well as just provides relief. My left side is also where most of my tenderness/pain is at this point, so being able to apply pressure there has been really helpful. And... a month or two to recover??? My husband might lose his mind lol. He still forgets I just had surgery and is like, "Will you cook dinner?" No, no I will not. You are an adult, figure it out. I am not taking any kind of collagen. The only thigns I got were what the doctor told me to get, which was my multivitiman with iron and the calcium supplements. They did not recommend anything else, so I went out of my way to make sure I didn't get anything else lol. I did not want to screw up anything regarding this surgery. I'm still using an antibacterial body wash, so I guess that's the biggest thing. So enjoy your Hibiclens while you have it! (And absolutely, if insurance paid for it - TAKE IT ALL. lol) Baritastic has been great, so I also highly recommend. It's what my bariatric team wanted me to use, and I've been using it faithfully. I have noticed a few things that had the wrong information, but it is easy enough to correct. I'm glad you got in contact with your testing center and will be meeting with a counselor soon. Honestly, getting tested was the best thing I've ever done and told me so much about myself. Finch sounds kind of like Habitica, which is what I have been using to help me set routines and habits and such. 40-60g of protein for a female? My bariatric team says a minimum of 60g of protein a day, and the more the merrier. I'm still amazed at how different offices handle things. Pre-surgery, I was averaging 90-100g of protein a day, and they were ecstatic about that. They did say the more protein I could handle before and after surgery, the less likely I would be to lose my hair and things like that. I'm still not quite up to that 60g mark post-op, but I'm hoping I might be able to hit it today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Pepper_No_Salt Welcome to full liquids! Sounds like your first post-op appointment went well! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Greekmom4 The refried beans with salsa and a little bit of mozzarella sounds yummy. I'm used to eating medium salsa, but I'm pretty sure that's a no go for a while lol. Those are also good tips for starting the soft stages of food. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @AndreaJD (I'm not sure why it suddenly won't let me tag you?) My incisions can't make up their mind if they want to hurt or if they want to itch. They seem to alternate between both, though the ones on my left side tend to hurt more than the others. I do absolutely have those moments of "I want...." though mine are more like, "I want a slice of cheese, just to have something different than liquids." There are a few times that I want things I used to have, like Cheez-Its. But I know those aren't on the table, so I am able to push those away fairly quickly. But as someone who loves a variety of food, I'm really struggling with just "I want ANYTHING different than my current liquids." I'm glad your sister is showing her support. I've been on Pinterest myself, pinning recipes for Future Me to be able to have. As for weighing, I literally do not weight myself. Only at the doctor's office. Because I DO get hyperfixated on those numbers and will absolutely derail myself mentally. Maybe I'll go to weighing myself once a month at home after a few post-op visits, but for now I'm just doing it strictly at the doctor's office.

Holy crap. Ok, so a few things. First, just because you CAN eat these foods, doesn't mean you SHOULD. You're not even close to healed. You still have numbness from nerves being cut. You could be doing damage you can't even feel yet. There's a reason we're supposed to increase our eating in stages. Second, the amount you eat is more of a head thing than a physical thing. You cannot fit the same amount of food into your new stomach that you used to, and you shouldn't be trying to. Your pouch is only so big, and you have to remember that and start working on your head hunger and your relationship with food. Third, talk to your nutritionist about how you're eating and how to get back on track with your bariatric eating plan, because if you aren't compliant now, you'll never be able to be later on. In no way should you have been eating actual, solid foods 1 week after surgery. So before you do damage that has to be surgically fixed, reach out to a bariatric therapist to help you with your relationship with food and learning the difference between real hunger and head hunger, and your nutritionist to figure out how to map out an actual way to get on track and a realistic meal plan. You might also want to talk to a nurse practitioner about what possible damage you might have done and if there's a way to kind of fix it before it gets to a surgical level.

I have seen some vitamin melts with iron at Walmart. My friend that had sleeve got hers from Bariatric Pal. I just find them expensive. 60 day $150 but it is bottles of all the different ones I will need in Melts. I think I’m going to bite the bullet and order the 60 day supply to get me started. I have a surgery date of 12/27/23 so I am hoping to be ready. I am reading back through the forum for all the suggestions and seeing what works for me.

I'm not taking a bariatric multivitamin. Just a regular one.

most people with bypass don't have complications- and of those who do, they are usually minor and correctable (or in the case of dumping, preventable). Major complications with bypass are pretty rare. only about 30% of bypass patients dump. I never have, and neither do most of the other bypass patients I know. For those who do dump, it can usually be prevented by not eating a bunch of sugar or fat at one sitting (which none of us should be doing *anyway*). I threw up occasionally the first few weeks after surgery when I ate too much, too fast, or something that my stomach wasn't going to tolerate, but now I throw up about as often as I did pre-surgery - that is, very rarely. And as for food intolerances, most of those are temporary, but some can become permanent. But you'll figure out what your body will and won't tolerate pretty quickly. re: only eating a couple of bites of food. That's only in the first few weeks after surgery. For the last several years, no one would be able to tell I've had bypass surgery by watching me eat. They'd just assume I'm a "light eater", like many of my women friends who've never been obese. When I go to restaurants, if I'm not that hungry, I'll order something like an appetizer, soup, or a salad. If I AM hungry, I'll order an entree, eat half of it, and box up the rest to take home. Most of my women friends do the same thing. you're probably seeing more issues with bypass for two reasons: 1) it's a much, much more common surgery than SADI. As in a LOT more people have bypass than SADI, so of course you'll see more on it. 2). after people get over the first few weeks (which can be tough with either surgery), they usually only post when they're having some issue, because they're looking for advice or support. People who've never had issues (which would include most of us) aren't likely to post that everything is hunky-dory. as far as which to choose, they're both good surgeries. Advantage of SADI is it's a stronger surgery, and you'll likely lose more weight with it. Disadvantage is regular doctors (as opposed to bariatric surgeons) know a lot more about bypass than they do about SADI, so your PCP may not be able to help you if you have issues - they may have to refer you to a bariatric specialist (which, of course, is fine - but just something to keep in mind). Also, if you have GERD, bypass is usually the better choice, since it tends to improve GERD, if not outright cures it. SADI involves a sleeved stomach, which can cause GERD in some people (or make it worse if they already had GERD before surgery). It doesn't happen to everyone, but it IS a risk... good luck with your decision!

You are 6 days post op?? You should be getting the bulk of your protein from things like protein shakes, protein waters, fairlife milk, and other things like that. Your tummy is way too small and way too raw to be getting your protein from actual food yet. I know every surgeon varies and some do purees early, so I won't comment on that, but even then, you can't possibly get enough in on food alone to hit your protein goals. Some soft things to try on the puree and soft food stages: very softly scrambled or poached egg, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, greek yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free jello (you can even get protein jello), some even include bean purees though I found those VERY hard on my stomach. You can also puree proteins into a soup base. I did a lot of cream soups and strained soups. I was on strict liquids the first two weeks. In soft foods you can also try things like egg salad, chicken salad made with chicken thighs because they are more moist, and tuna salad, but don't add things like onion and pickle to it yet. Too rough. ETA: Generally patients are encouraged to focus on their hydration goals for the first two weeks. This is because dehydration is the number 1 complication of bariatric surgery. Our bodies have protein stores that will last us the first few weeks after surgery. So focus on those 64 oz of water and if that is going well, then you can think about getting some protein in as a bonus!

The lactose in the shakes can cause people to poop badly. There is something to take to help with lactose intolerance but I dont know what it would be called in the US. This might be something to ask at your meeting. There is also another preop diet to follow for those who are lactose intolerant. But that would normally be suggested by the dietician. Not sure why it wasnt suggested for you. Again another question for the meeting. I was not allowed fruit in my preop. If you have IBS you may find that certain fruits/foods may not agree with your tummy. Its all trial and error to find out what the culprits are that are affecting you. Fruit/vegies that have a high seed/fiber content were a no no for me before my RNY. Kiwi fruit, Zucchini, stone fruit, grapes etc are a bit of a problem but after you have the bypass you may find that you have the opposite problem and these fruits/vegies will help things to move along. It is all a bit of a learning curve. If you were to go an do it on your own these are issues that you would have to face anyway with having IBS so there no point is ditching the op at this stage. It is not part of their remit to even say "well if you cant handle it you may become malnourished". This statement smacks of shaming. It is their job to educate you in navigating it all. The RNY job is to make our bodies less capable of absorbing nutrients/calories from the food. This process is called malabsorption. This is the reason that you will be taking bariatric vitamins for the rest or your life. You will require blood tests on a yearly basis for the rest of your life to check that your body is being given the correct amount nutrients and head off any long term issues. Eating well and taking care of your body is something to focus on. I have been listening to the podcasts of The Bari Chronicles. You may find the Vitamin episode helpful. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-bari-chronicles/episodes/Multivitamins-Nutrition-For-Weight-Loss-Surgery-e2eduqv (Also available on apple podcasts. I hope it all goes well at the meeting.

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! Yes I feel hungry sometimes after 30-60mins of a meal. So I drink water or protein shake. I do take PPI, that could be a possibility of why I still feel hungry. Most of the time it’s my head hunger craving for certain food. Also my tummy does rumble but don’t really feel hungry. I’ve been able to tell what type of hunger I am feeling. when I drink liquid, I literally sit there and drink with small sips through out the hours….when my tummy feel full from it, I come back to it later. I can feel the liquid traveling down when I drink. Yesterday was my first day being able to reach 60oz of liquid, but at night I didn’t feel well. Had my dinner at 6pm, went to sleep 11pm. I woke up feeling something up my chest and when trying to get up, I vomited. Sorry if TMI. It’s was all slimy mucus. No food. I was shivering, chills, migraine. I vomited a few times then vomited foamy bubbles… well after that I felt so much better. In search to see what is going on with me, it seems many bariatric patients go through this, but usually right after eating if they didn’t chew well or had too much food. I have tofu last night tho. It’s soft and should be easy to break down. On the bright side, It seems I am breaking my stall. From 241.6, I am now 240.6 lbs. even it’s only a little bit I am happy, because I am on this stall since 2 weeks ago, only 1 week after surgery.

I can relate to being afraid of gaining weight after working so hard to lose it. We all deal with that here. But it's a fine line between being mindful about it and developing disordered eating habits. I can speak to this because it happened to me. I was dropping weight like a champ, then I hit stall after stall, and each one lasted longer than the previous one. And I would panic. And I would restrict the amount I ate, I would kick up the intensity and frequency of my work outs. I would have anger and confusion and fear anytime I either didn't lose or I gained a little (turns out, I'm one of the ones that gains 3-5 pounds during a stall and then just sits there for weeks and weeks. Then when the stall breaks, I drop like 6-7 pounds all at once). I had to actually go to a therapist that specializes in bariatric disordered eating (not easy to find, btw) to get my head on straight. And it's still a struggle sometimes. Especially since these last 11 pounds absolutely fight me tooth and nail and just don't want to come off. I said all that to say just be very careful. I never started out intending to have these issues. I thought I'd have the surgery, lose the weight, get healthy, and bada-boom bada-bing, life would be great. But it's never that cut and dry, is it? We can become obsessed with losing the weight, seeing how low we can get the scale, getting into that lower size, looking thinner, never gaining weight again, getting that bmi just a little lower.....and before you know it, you have a whole new eating disorder that's even harder to get out of and we're doing even more damage to our bodies without even meaning to. And we can justify what we're doing because HEY, we got off our meds, we're getting healthier, we're losing the weight, we're EXTENDING OUR LIVES damn it!!! And that's harder to overcome and harder to recognize and going too far than being obese is. We knew we needed help. We knew we were doing wrong. That's why we had the surgery. But now? Now it gets harder to see what we're doing because HEALTH!! WEIGHT LOSS IS GOOD!!! NO MORE MEDS IS THE GOAL!!! JUST A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT OFF CAN'T POSSIBLY BE BAD!!! So please please just be really careful with where you're at now and where you're wanting to get to. Lastly, on the days you're working out (especially the really hard weight days) increase your protein and calories. Your body thinks it's starving, so you need to reassure it that you're not. The heavier the work out, the more your body needs. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food. So give it what it needs, in the amounts it needs, and it'll do what you want it to. Make sure you also have a larger amount of fluids than you normally would on those days, too. Dehydration can really do a number on the body, as well.

I am at the very beginning of my WLS journey and meet with the bariatric surgeon for the first time next week. What are some things you wish you had known or had asked questions about at the start?

You are welcome!! I'm one of those people that really want to know WHY I'm being told to do something. The dietitians at our practice do apply a lot of rules to everyone instead of differentiating between the surgeries, which is annoying, so I'm glad they differentiated in this respect, because type of surgery makes a big difference in a lot of things!! And yes, it is frustrating when they have a mark on a paper you are supposed to reach, but they don't take into account where you were vs where you are and the improvements you've made! Everyone's restriction is different and this is hard for a non-bariatric patient to understand. Our fullness is not like the fullness pre-op. That fullness post-op can be painful and really exhausting if we ignore it and try to push to finish something! And each person's restriction relaxes at their own rate. Some people have high restriction all the time, others it depends on the protein. 3/4 of a cup is a lot of food for any surgery a year out, but especially could be uncomfortable for a bypass because your tummies are so much smaller than even a sleeve patient. And even for those of us with sleeved stomachs, some keep high restriction permanently... I'm glad in that respect you went your own way, You are the expert of your own body, no one else can know exactly what you feel. And you are the only one who can advocate for you in that way and if the doctors and nutritionists aren't listening, you just have to research and find your own best practices... You are the one who has to live with them in the end!

August 7th isn't too far away! You're close to the preop diet. I started mine a few days ago and it's testing me, but I knew it would. If I were a smaller person, I don't think it would be such an issue. If I weren't having appetite issues even before the diet, things would be easier, too. What's helped has been sipping on broth or slurping on sugar free Jell-O all day. I go slow with those so it feels like I'm eating/taking in more than I am. I'm only nervous about one thing: the gas pains immediately after surgery. I've never had surgery before, so I am not sure what to expect. I want to have a realistic expectation of pain before experiencing it. I know I will handle it better that way. Luckily, I have a few family members who have had laparoscopic procedures before and we willing to be honest about the experience. I've been avoiding stories online of others' experiences of that moment, because we all have different pain thresholds and it's too easy to go down the rabbit hole of scary stories. Especially with AI/algorithms thinking we want to see the worst of the worst. I want to share why I made my decision to have the SADI-S vs a sleeve or bypass. While I cannot speak to what things will be like after surgery, I am confident I'm making the correct decision for myself. I'm in my 30s with no kids, but would like some. I have been struggling with my weight ballooning up and down for the last 20 years. At my heaviest, I was over 320 pounds. I hit that as I made the decision for surgery. I didn't know what surgery I wanted, so I started doing research into the best bariatric surgeons in my state. I read through their websites and looked at reviews for the surgeons through my insurance provider, google, yelp, and other such websites. Then I asked a few friends in the medical field which doctors they would want doing surgery on them. All of that narrowed my list down significantly. I ultimately went on gut instinct and don't regret it at all. My surgeon is amazing. Her teams is extremely supportive. Here's some information she gave me on my options: -- Gastric Bypass: She does not recommend the procedure to any patient. It has more points for potential surgery complications and, in her medical opinion, the highest chance for weight regain. -- Sleeve: potential to lose 70% of excess weight. Less than 1% chance for complications. -- SIPS/SADI-S: potential to lose 80% of excess weight. Less than 1% chance of surgical complications. I want to have children, and she advised that the SIPS/SADI-S (there really needs to be a better name for this) is the best choice to allow me to get pregnant a year or so post-op (depending on how I'm doing) and reenter weight loss when appropriate post-birth. I will have to work very closely with my weight loss team throughout the entire pregnancy, but it really feels like a bonus to have more support. My surgeon's office also recommends patients to very talented specialists for all surgery clearances. They all treated me like they were part of a huge team dedicated to helping me get through surgery clearance. It was amazing. I was given a packet with all the possible issues I might encounter post-op, what can be done if they happen, and how to avoid them in the first place. When I read through it spelled out in black and white, it's easy to see what my life would need to be to avoid a horrible experience. The most embarrassing ones are noted as being most common with gastric bypass than sleeve or DS. Most of these complications can be avoided by chewing well, not drinking during meals, and not overeating. One of my doctors said I am going back to being a baby again, digestively. I will need to reteach my body how to process what I eat and not be afraid to push back milestones if I'm not ready to start the next leg of the journey. I'm definitely anxious. The unknown is always scary. I'm confident at the same time because of the team I'm working with. And because of the support I have at home. I know I'm extremely lucky to have the surgeon and support I do. It's definitely a burden to afford this surgery right now, but I don't believe I will feel that way in 5 or 10 years.

Hello @Averdra ! I'm so glad that you decided to speak up and join us! I feel honored to have helped inspire you - I was a big RP junkie on WoW and it even overflowed to Tumblr there for a while, for me Man, Covid is such a bear to deal with! I completely feel you on the delay - My 24 year old son moved from Missouri to Portland Oregon in the summer of 2021 and I was BEYOND excited for him to come visit me last fall. The date approached; and I got Covid for the FIRST time about four days before he was scheduled to land. It was heartbreaking to have to socially distance visit with him; he still wanted to come to be able to see his Granny and other family, plus had everything scheduled off work at that point. We risked ONE hug with my double masked, wearing plastic gloves Stupid Covid, screwing things up! That said - yeah, the dehydration weirdness that Covid can cause and the cough - it's so much better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully yours passed quickly without any lingering negative side effects. Welcome to the club, fellow WoW nerd! You certainly don't need to worry about 'jumping in' - we're all going through this at our own pace and the conversation it TOTALLY open! To @draikaina8503 - Yes, you DO got this! You're so very close now! Don't forget (if you're going to!) that this is the time to take those post op photos and measurements! We're here cheering for you to have as pain free a surgery process and recovery as possible Enjoy your sugar free popsicles if you're allowed them - not sure if it's allowed in the clear liquid state. Also, I will say that when it comes to the shakes try to prepare yourself some variety, if you can! I ended up doing french vanilla and chocolate for several days and thought I was going to lose my mind! I'm way regretting all this 'cream of' soup that I got because they just taste beyond awful to me (maybe it's the 98% free? Idk.) and wishing I'd gotten more chicken noodle soup to strain. I got a container of chicken broth but it tastes SO plain. @Onemealplan - I meant to comment previously - I've been having a lot of upper left shoulder pain as well. I wonder if maybe I had a nerve block as well - my pain hasn't been severe unless I move wrong or stand for too long trying to DO something like cook for my family, Your suggestion of a thermal cup dinged a bell for me - My fella has one of those I'll totally be using! Oh and @ShoppGirl that IS a really good idea, with the warmer. I had already been thinking along those lines but I figured I'd just set my little plate on a heating pad turned on high lol Welcome and congratulations on getting your surgery date, @caseyash30! It will be here before you know it! I just woke up from a nap and I'm pushing my limited a little to have something NOT a shake - I stirred a little bit of low fat cottage cheese in with some of my sugar free vanilla yogurt for variety. I'm mashing the heck out of the cottage cheese part and eating super slowly while also sipping a little bit of chicken broth I warmed up SLIGHTLY and added a touch of salt to. Hopefully everything sits right; so far so good. Other than water and splitting a Strawberry Premier shake 30g Protein between breakfast and lunch this is the only other thing I've 'eaten' today. I know I'm not 'graduated' to puree yet but good gravy I've been following everything to a T as far as instructions. I may have missed someone here - Oh! @ShoppGirl - Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself. To ME you seemed like Superwoman getting everything so prepared - and I completely understand that anxiety that the progress you made will be lost. I'm cheering you on and betting it won't, though! Every friend of mine I've seen go through Bariatric surgery so far ended up finding themselves bursting with energy by about month 3, and they really threw themselves into cleaning and organizing in an effort to keep busy. I've struggled with depression, anxiety, and overthinking, so I am hoping the same for myself! I didn't get as much pre-cleaning done as I would have liked and as expected, looking at the clutter is driving me up the wall! On the upside, having these mobility issues has clued me in to a few that I've now taken steps to solve for my Mother, who I live with and help care for. She was always reluctant to take regular showers and I didn't understand it until I went to shower myself and it occurred to me - the grab bar on the side of the tub is totally inadequate if you are unsteady, and there needs to be one mounted to the wall. I've already taken steps to make that happen and am very glad that this afforded me the realization @Pepper_No_Salt - Woot! You're so close as well! I hope the liquid portion of your pre-surgery diet goes smoothly and we're here cheering for your surgery and recovery to be as gentle and painless as possible! @AndreaJD - Congratulations on getting through it! Yeah, the gas pain can be SO real. I hope your recovery is going smoothly! Congratulations to @Everyone on your progress, again, sorry if I missed anyone!

Thanks for this. Very helpful because It had a bariatric risk/benefit tool hyperlinked in the article that I use to create a new post.

As @ChunkCat said you should be fine in any city which is likely where you’ll be while studying. These surgeries are performed just about everywhere these days. Find a good general practitioner (PCP) & then they should be able to refer you if you need/want. The PCP will be able to request & monitor your blood work & ensure you’re not missing out on any thing or your levels aren’t dropping too low or getting too high. They could refer you to a good dietician as well. Actual follow ups with your surgeon differ. I saw mine for the first few months & then his colleague took over & I still see her almost 5 years later. I saw him again two years later when he took my fall out though. Some never see their surgeon again unless there is an issue or a concern. You don’t need special bariatric food or vitamins after surgery. Just good, healthy, nutrient dense food the more natural & low processed the better. Some surgeons recommend specific brands for the pre & post surgery liquid stages but generally any high protein shake (pre made or powder) will work. (My cynical side says they likely have a marketing deal with that shake company.) I only had shakes for 2 weeks post surgery & I bought Atkins cause it was easily accessible at my grocery store - lol! Just check the sugar content (real & artificial) & protein content & calories. Same with vitamins, look for quality brands & check how much of each vitamin they contain so you’re not double dosing. Your blood work will help inform what vitamin supplements you actually need. All the best.

Thanks for this. Very helpful because It had a bariatric risk/benefit tool hyperlinked in the article that I use to create a new post.

i had a bit of difficulty getting my protein shakes the first 2 weeks, i used protein powders and i had to water them down ALOT to get it down. i probably only consumed maybe the equivalent 1 cup of a pre-made protein shake the entire first 14 days post surgery. it was a issue of aversion for me...it was just so unappealing and gag-inducing. that and i was just so exhausted that there just wasn't enough awake time to drink. my water consumption wasn't that great either, probably sipped maybe less than 2 cups a day (warm/hot water cuz it felt better)...and i did this from a 1oz medicine cup all day long...soooo annoying omg. first two weeks i probably had less than 400 calories each ENTIRE WEEK. but magically (on day 13 to be exact), i accidentally found out i could could gulp down water...i was so thirsty that i forgot i was supposed to sip...and it was wonderful lol. so much more satisfying than those sad sips from the stupid medicine cup. after that i was gulping down litres of ice water. and protein shakes cuz i just would water then down alot with ice water and down them. solid food on the other hand took a little longer master...but that's another story. now i drink lots and eat lots (avg 1800 cals a day) for a bariatric patient, but not quite like a "regular" person, lol....and im 5+ years out. long story short: hang in there, it gets better by increments. keep in contact with your doc and team, and there is no need to worry of they aren't. good luck ❤️

If I'm doing patches (which some doc offices do not approve of so YMMV), I order directly from Patch Aid. Otherwise, I usually order from here, Bariatric Pal Store. The Celebrate Chewables are okay, I'm used to eating Tums all day so the chalky doesn't bug me too much. It is just chewing 4 of them a day, makes me want to vomit. I prefer patches to the chewables.

Thanks for responding! No, wegovy doesn't work forever, and I had heard that as body physiology heals post bariatric surgery and normalizes (6-12 months post surgery) appetite returns. I'm more interested in that first 6 months when most weight loss occurs. I've been able to maintain my weight post Wegovy, so I'm not incredibly worried about when my appetite starts normalizing. I was just curious about the difference in how we feel post surgery vs medication.

I'm glad you are feeling better!! Learning to eat slow is definitely a challenge. I still catch myself sometimes. I get food bored too so I try to eat a variety of things. I don't usually weigh out my food, but I do portion it out/estimate the portion and log it to make sure my macros are on target. It is crucial for DS patients to get enough protein in and if you aren't tracking it you might not be getting enough. It'll eventually show in your labs, but once your protein level drops in labs it is a huge pain to get back up. So it is best to just track it... You don't have to be as exact as weighing, but a good estimation is worthwhile and will also teach you how to understand what correct bariatric portions are for you. My surgeon likes his patients to stay in ketosis for a while so I aim for 120 grams of protein, less than 50 total carbs (usually less than 40 total carbs for me to be safe), and I aim for about 100 grams of fat for good brain health. I don't eat at specific times. That's too much planning. LOL I drink a protein shake as soon as I wake up, then eat a meal about an hour later, and eat every 3 hours after that until I go to bed! I usually end up eating about 5 times a day. I ascribe to the "eat less more often" method and so does my surgeon. I discovered soon after surgery that I need to eat within 3 hours, anything past that and I start to feel exhausted and have no energy and get moody. I feel my best if I eat within 3 hours of my last meal throughout the day... Sometimes eating is a protein snack like a bag of protein chips and a few pickles. Sometimes eating is more meal-like like keto chicken tenders with steamed asparagus. But I always eat by that mark or I pay for it. I also pay for it if I don't get enough fluids in a day, so I watch that. Monitoring your food and water can feel triggering for some people due to past diet attempts. But it is important to reframe it as a caretaking behavior as much as possible, especially for DS patients because our dietary needs are so important to be on target with.

I have considered it, I even made an Instagram account, but I have yet to post because I am so nervous/scared. I even turned off commenting on Instagram. I was thinking maybe YouTube would be better since I feel like people who are genuine would likely search for bariatric topics on YouTube, rather than have a new channel suggestion in their feed like on other sites. Might eliminate some of the mean people.