Search the Community

I am scheduled for an RNY Wednesday May 22! I met with the surgeon last week and when his RN came in afterwards, she goes, "we can get you on the schedule on the 22nd first thing in the morning." Thinking she meant June 22, I told her that would be perfect because it would give me just over a month to get things in order at work and get the house post-op friendly. She just looked at me and said, "No... May 22nd... like two weeks from now." 😅 1) I think the thing I'm most nervous about is the questions and opinions from others. I've lost almost 100 already and get comments congratulating me for "not taking the easy way out with surgery." Now that I've announced that I'll be out of work for a few weeks for a surgery, I keep getting asked about what kind. I've defaulted to saying a hiatal hernia repair. I've only told the five people in my support team the truth. 2) I'm planning on bringing my own pillow and blanket, some comfy clothes and non-slip slippers, iPad, Kindle and a couple books (I'm a mood reader so I never know what I'm going to want to read!), toiletries and bathroom items, lip balm, and a hair tie or claw clip. 3) I'm excited to just finally have it done! I'm tired of battling diets and hormones/genetics to only be able to lose 15 pounds then hitting the plateau that eventually leaves me feeling defeated, so I give up and gain the 15 pounds plus a few more back.

Hi all, the sun is finally out and I've made my 10k step goal today for the first time since Monday at least! Thanks again for everyones support - it does help! @gracesmommy2 I have thought about SAD, but normally I'm okay in all weather, I even prefer summer holidays in the north with raincoats and wool socks and fires! I reckon I'm probably a bit anemic and low on vitamin D... and that plus the exhaustion, the being cold and the being away from home is just a bit much. I hate lugging luggage around and so tend to travel light and where as when I'm home and it's cold I just wrap out and bundle myself under covers with a hot water bottle... but when I'm travelling it's hard esp as I've mucked up on my packing for the last few trips and not packed enough warm clothes. I do have a sort of lightbox thing at home that I usually use to deal with jetlag but I've been lucky enough since my operation to only be doing short hall... I do go to Canada and the US next month though so will get my lightbox out of whatever cupboard it's hiding in when I next make it home. I'm also aware that I'm loosing fast, which I think is pretty normal as I wasn't overweight for that long ( my BMI got above 25 for the first time in my life only in 2020)... I'm on Thursday I'll be 3 months since surgery and as of today I've lost 19.75kg (43.4lbs or 3st1lbs) since my surgery so over 21% or my body weight in under 3 months ... I know that this must be doing a number on my mental state too. I was 91.1kg on the day of surgery and am now 71.35kg - however I also lost 5kg in the 2 weeks before surgery, my surgeon didn't need me to do a preop diet but just to be safe I still pretty much did a broth fast for the two weeks prior. So all in all in 15 weeks I've lost over 25kg ... and I know thats why I'm so exhausted! However I'm also happy because my team wanted me to have lost 20% total body weight at 3 months and I've exceeded that with a week to go ... I know things will get better... but I would love some proper warmth and light for more than a couple of days! @LisaCaryl I've always shed a lot of hair but haven't noticed things getting worse yet ... but I guess I'll just ride it though when it does happen! On the bright side I have to loose only another 2.2lbs to have a BMI under 25 again ... I know BMI is a crap tool ( and honestly find it a tad unfair because I reckon I have at least a couple of extra lbs of boob!) but I'm still very much looking forward to no longer being officially overweight! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and that all those far enough north got to see the boreal lights.

I thought FMLA was up to the employer, not whomever did your surgery. Or did the surgeon's office have to sign off on something verifying that they expected it would take x-number of weeks to recover (??). It's been several years for me but I don't really remember - but it could be that my clinic had to state that I would require so many weeks to recover. My employer was the entity that granted the FMLA, though. But as far as the rest of your post, yes - I would think it might take more than two weeks to recover from the DS. The surgeon's office probably should have said that you might need up to (however many) weeks... although sleeve2bypass is correct - two weeks seems pretty standard. Although the vast majority of people have sleeve or bypass, which aren't as extensive.

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to start a post to just check-in and see how everyone is doing, regardless of what stage we are at, pre or post surgery I feel that after complaining that I wasn't feeling full, now that I am on proper food, I am feeling it, and boy is it a struggle 😂 On the plus side, I feel a lot better in myself already, and I am going to go back to the gym! Just body weight stuff and light cardio to begin with, and maybe 2-3 times a week. I notice that I am getting dizzy spells lately, probably due to struggling with eating much, so I will be mindful of that! I've had some people comment on my weight loss already - which admittedly was quite nice - they were friends and I don't mind hearing it from them, but they were just proud of me regardless, which made me feel quite good. I hope everyone is doing well ❤️

Every time I eat I go from starving to stuffed in a split second, and it's to the point where I feel sick. Is this normal? Am I stretching or hurting my sleeve? Sometimes I think I am eating more than what I should. I've been at about 900-950 calories a day. I am out 3 weeks.

Hello 5 days Post Op here... And it's OK to have those feelings. Tbh about the 2wks pre op diet I didn't follow it thru all the way. I definitely still ate everything up until maybe 4 days before my surgery. And my surgery was a success. I personally was not worried I was the opposite I was excited. I too have a husband and 3 children at home my oldest 19 and youngest 3. But all I keep reminding myself was that God's got me. And I kept watching tiktoks on Gastric Sleeve patients all positive videos. I think that's what helped me. Hope this helps 🙏 ☺️ Good luck

Wow a 6 month prep seems so long. Hard to stay motivated, I totally agree. You're clearly eating what you should be because you've lost more than you need for your surgeon. Honestly if I had a 6 month run into surgery I would have accelerated my adherence to the programme in the 6 or 8 weeks before the date itself. Agree with the others - celebrate your non scale victories (although you totally have scale victories too)! Look at where you are now compared to where you were 3 months ago. And then visualise where you will be once you have your surgery. It's hard to stick to any eating plan for 6 months. I wish you all the best.

was sooo hungry last night...i dont normally eat past 8pm, but i was hungry, AND i was determined to binge watch Bridgerton season 3, part 1 (spoiler alert: i did lol) so i fixed myself a plate of leftover thai food and ate it over 3 or so hours: clockwise from top: thai basil crispy pork belly, chicken massaman curry, deep fried taro tofu with chili oil sauce, coconut rice and a piece of roti. im totally guessing maybe 600 cals for the plate? imma also gonna guess i ate about 2/3 of it (i didn't like the curry so left most of that alone, and just had a taste of the rice and roti. pretty much ate all of the rest. p.s. am now waiting impatiently for june 13, when the remaining episodes of Bridgerton are released!!! i love me a period show.

@Alix2050 You're almost there! Fingers crossed you make it below 200 this week!

If you don't eat, your body will think it's starving and it will hold on to every little calorie, every bit of fat, everything to protect you. That will be what causes you to gain weight, or at the very least, not lose. You have to learn to walk that fine line between eating enough to stay healthy but not too much to cause weight gain. It's a learning curve, and takes a while to figure out. But you'll get there. Just make sure you get your protein in first, then carbs (from veggies and fruits), HEALTHY fats, and enough calories. The first 2 weeks, I never had more than 600 calories per day. Weeks 3 and 4 it went up to between 800 - 900 per day. Weeks 5 and 6 I was around 1000 per day. Once I was completely cleared for all exercise, I went up to 1100 - 1200 per day on non work out days and between 1300 - 1400 per day on work out days, depending on what work out I was doing that day. You absolutely HAVE to give your body the fuel it needs to survive and thrive. The point of the surgery isn't to starve yourself into being skinny. It's a tool to teach us to make better, healthier choices and stick with them.

I believe you'll need and appreciate the 7 days off. Although I felt good a couple days after surgery, I was seriously tired and lagging for quite awhile due to lack of calories, body healing... Etc. If you have the option, I would say don't rush it. Most take 2 or 3 weeks if not more since it is a major surgery, and recovering from it is a little different from other major surgeries because you can't really eat (and some can't drink much either right after surgery) so there is that major body adjustment as well.

*raises hand* im a sleeve. while i can't really comment if/how much my stomach "grew" or stretched, as ive never actually SEEN any before and after pics of it, i can say that while i can't eat IN ONE SITTING the vast amounts i could pack in BEFORE surgery, i can definitely eat more now IN ONE SITTING than i could IMMEDIATELY AFTER surgery (im 5+ years out now) for example: (note im talking like a regular, delivery type pizza below, NOT neapolitan/thin style nor deep dish nor pan pizzas, etc): pre-sleeve: 5-6 slices of pizza 2 months post: no pizza lol 3-5 months post: 3-4 bites of pizza 1 yr post to now: 1 regular pizza slice (like a 4x6 inch triangle) . i have been known to eat up to 2 in one sitting, but that's pushing it for me and not really comfortable. however, i could definitely eat an entire regular pizza over the course of a day. or a neapolitan style one in much less time if i really wanted to. but i dont want to, so yeah. background: 5'2" female: 235 lbs two weeks before surgery. 127 lbs goal at 7 months post. 115 lbs at one year post. 117 lbs this morning (am 5 years, 7 months out)

Hi, friends! I had the traditional duodenal switch on 04/24/2024 with Dr. Joshua Roller in Fayetteville, Arkansas. My surgery experience was fabulous and I have had zero complications following surgery. I haven't even so much as vomited since surgery. I am 5 weeks post-op and feel great! I wanted to let folks know, though, that it is their "company policy" to only provide FMLA/short term disability coverage for 2 weeks. I had done a lot of research on this surgery prior to having it and was expecting 4-6 weeks for recovery. I had previously (in 2019) had a surgery to remove my gallbladder and 2 weeks was so unbelievably inadequate for me to recover. No one asked me about my FMLA or disability paperwork until my group dietician appointment the day before my surgery (as I was an out of state patient from Ohio). The nurse said, "If anyone has FMLA paperwork, we will take it now. We provide 2 weeks off work. Any longer and we need documentation of complications to extend it." Since I was in a group setting, I felt uncomfortable contesting this. I spent a significant amount of time in distress over this, as I wouldn't even be home a full week or on solids for more than a day before they said I should return to work. They would not budge on this policy. Thankfully, my employer allowed me to take 2 extra weeks of leave, but that was a privilege extended to me and my job was not legally protected during those extra two weeks. Additionally, I was not paid at all for those extra 2 weeks because according to Dr. Roller, I only "needed" 2 weeks, not 4 weeks. I am struggling a lot financially post-op because of this, as my short term disability company has a waiting period and I only got paid for a few days of work while being out for 4 total weeks. Roller's office is phenomenal in every other way and like I said, my hospital stay and my surgery itself have been everything I hoped for and then some, BUT I think that this issue is a pretty big one for some folks. I was in no shape to return to work at 2 weeks post-op and genuinely feel that Dr. Roller's office needs get rid of this policy where they paint every patient with the same brush. I am chronically ill in other ways and I should not have needed to have complications from surgery to qualify for more than 2 weeks off from work. This disappointed me greatly.

Hi everyone, I had my lap band inserted in Nov 2016 and after the first 6 months really hated it. Felt like it ruined my social life and my relationship with food. Eventually, acid reflux became so apparent I was taking Omeprazole every day, constantly vomiting and just feeling really awful. Some days could not even drink water. Had chest pain, back pain. I was miserable. So I had the band removed last week (I’m 6 days post op) and just wondered how long it took most people to feel better? Surgery went well - the band hadn’t slipped but there was scar tissue. My acid reflux went away immediately (yay!) but am still having constant cramping in the stomach area. This moves into my back quite a bit too. Was on clear fluid diet for the first 3 days and felt pretty awful, and have now graduated to mashed/puree foods, which seems to be causing diarrhoea. Just wanted to know others experiences

Best wishes to you. Please let us know how you’re doing in the coming weeks!

Hi! I am 51 and having a revision from lap band to RNY on April 3. I’d like to hear from someone my age or older… how did your surgery go? Do you think age makes a difference?

Yeah, that sounds 100% within the normal range of early post-op calorie consumption. I am having gastric bypass in 3 weeks, and my program suggests 3 meals and 3 protein supplements per day for the first several weeks. In the beginning, the word "meal" is used very loosely. This is basically limited to yogurt, cream soup, cream of wheat, pudding, and applesauce. The expectation is you can maybe have a few bites. All the protein is coming from those 3 shakes (20-25g per shake). Calories are pretty much irrelevant, at least for now. Your entire metabolism has been rewired. If you follow what you're told to do, you will lose weight on a wide spectrum of calorie intakes. My program suggests no more than 200 calories per protein shake serving, with a limit of 5 grams of sugar and at least 20g protein each. So, if I had the recommended 3 shakes and went with the max calories, I would consume 600 calories in those daily supplements, plus another maybe 100-200 in "meals" depending how much of the yogurt/cream of wheat/pudding I manage to swallow. My shakes actually only have 90 calories each (23g protein), so during my pre-op liquid diet, I won't feel at all guilty if I drink 4 or 5 of them, or even 6 if needed. Post-op, I doubt that will be possible, but even then, I wouldn't see an issue with having that many if I could physically manage it. All of which is a longwinded way of saying you're doing fine! Congratulations!

I'd personally let it continue. Most of us have a rebound gain after we hit bottom - 10-20 lbs is pretty common, usually during year 3. Some people even gain more. I purposely went below my goal to account for it, and I'm really glad I did, because yep - I put on 20 lbs during year 3 (have put on about 10 more since then, which I am NOT happy about...) and yep - I looked way too skinny at my lowest weight (esp in my face), but my fat shifted around after awhile and I looked much better. Then the gain started...I sure as heck don't look too skinny now!

I had an open RNY so they idea of laying down flat was laughable... if laughing didn't hurt so much. Once the staples and drain were removed after about 3 weeks I was able to start entertaining the idea of laying flat. I entertained the idea for about another 2 weeks when I finally gave it a go. Another week and I was laying down in just about any position I put my mind to, though I didn't put my mind to it over much. By six weeks I was pretty much able to position myself in just about any way. I was a rather large fellow, so there was more of me putting pressure on tender spots than for the average bear. I didn't see any reason to push myself, it's not like I was in a race or such. Good luck, Tek

Seems pretty standard. I had 2 weeks off when I had my sleeve and when I had to have the revision to bypass a year later, also had 2 weeks then. I think they tend to only give longer if you have complications. Otherwise I think 2 weeks is pretty typical. Some doctor's offices will give longer if you specifically ask for it (not mine) but I don't think that's typical.

1 day 1 week 1 month 3 months 6 months 1 year, 2yrs, 3yrs, 4yrs had my last regularly scheduled appt at 5 years post (about 4 mnths ago). Also worth noting that i had labs (bloodwork) done each time (except the 1 day post one) and i had dexa scans/checks before surgery for baseline and every year until 5 years post.

Oh my. Two weeks is too long to go without a BM. An enema is your best option at this point, but you really do have to get help as this could have serious consequences such as an obstruction. I felt awful after 3 days of constipation. Now there’s roughage in my diet there’s usually movement every other day. are you in pain? I would not be beginning to get concerned, I would most definitely BE concerned. Please seek help.

1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT Female, 50, 5 feet 0 inches 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 6.4 kilos or 14 pounds 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 148.6 kilos or 327 pounds 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 137.6 kilos or 302 pounds 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 127.8 kilograms or 281 pounds 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 117 kilograms or 257.4 pounds 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 105.7 kilograms or 232.5 pounds

Oh no! I'm just over 5 weeks out and I've been put back on liquids due to vomiting. It started just before 3 weeks with what I thought was an isolated incident because of some fish that was too dry. I had four hours of agony before I was finally able to expel everything from my stomach and have the pain stop. But 4 days later it happened with something else, and then three days after that it seemed that anything I tried to eat was triggering pain and vomiting. So I had to go back to liquids. I've been having protein shakes and cream soups. It's been 9 days and I haven't had any more pain. I see the surgeon on Tuesday and am hoping he'll say I can start trying soft protein again. I hope your doctor gets to the bottom of the issue for you soon! I'm grateful that water isn't causing any issues for me.

3 weeks (to get staples & drain removed), monthly for first year, then quarterly for the next 1.5 years, then annually, then I moved out of state. I was a special case because I started at an exceptionally high weight, so Doc wanted to monitor me much more closely than most. Gosh, as the years go by I feel like my experience and my Doc's philosophy of weight loss is very out of touch with folks today. Good luck, Tek