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Ok. I’m post op day 9 on the second stage of bariatric post op diet...full liquids. I can eat 8 oz of cream soup or tomato soup, albeit slowly, without issue. Is this normal? How much could you guys eat post op on these full liquids? Is my pouch too big?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5406732/: "The number of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (LSGs) performed worldwide as a primary bariatric procedure has grown exponentially in recent years, given the simplicity of the technique, the low complication rate and the good short- and mid-term results regarding weight loss and the resolution of co-morbidities. However, there are a limited data from long-term studies. In this study, a standardized LSG proved to be safe (no mortality and a leakage rate of 1.2%) and highly effective in terms of weight loss after 5-year of follow-up, particularly in patients with a low preoperative body mass index. This manuscript provides additional evidence supporting the role of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a stand-alone procedure for selected morbidly obese patients". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4879937/ "Perceptions of the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial metabolic effects of metabolic/bariatric operations have shifted from being mostly restrictive and malabsorption over the last 10 to 15 years to being more neuro-hormonal in origin".

My doctor makes you pay a "program fee" which is $170 and this includes 2 weeks of protein (Bariatric Advantage) and a shaker bottle. They also have a "discount program" through their office. Although, I don't quite understand the discount because the usual amount for bariatric advantage is $70 per 3 lb tub. I paid $30 over that amount. *throws my hands up in the air* Who knows. Honestly, I'll use the Bariatric Advantage for the pre op stage, but I'll be going with whatever works for me after (within program perimeters, of course). They also gave me a list of vitamins that can be used. The one thing I will say, is that the Bariatric Fusion is one that you don't need to supplement a lot with. I'm going to take some extra Vitamin D, because even without WLS I'm always low. However, my doctor said that 4 per day (which is the recommended serving on the bottle) is all that you need to take per day. I think the vitamins come out to be about $25 a month. I understand the cost of protein, because it is INSANE. But, just remind your friend that you won't be on protein supplements forever, and if you do need some, it should be minimal.

The MMPI is this long questionnaire that tries to assess whether you have problems with depression, anxiety and addiction (among other things...but questions about those three things get asked repeatedly) It's no biggie. If those problems exist...expect some follow up on them. My therapist works exclusively for my bariatric group. She also runs our weekly support group and does therapy with people running into issues after surgery. She's pretty knowledgeable about the process, and attends a lot of continuing education unique to helping bariatric patients. I like her. She's made sort of a specialty out of providing support to people going through the process. At the determination appointment, she asked me: 1. What my motivators were for wanting surgery. 2. How each of the core people in my life were reacting to my decision. 3. If I felt I had enough support from family and friends. Who were my main cheerleaders? Who were my detractors? 4. How I felt about the surgery, the process, my care, the surgeon. 5. Asked me about my history with struggling with my weight. 6. Asked me about future goals and hopes. It was actually a really nice appointment. We had coffee, laughed a lot, and she gave me a glowing recommendation. Was super easy, and I feel like I have someone knowledgeable and familiar to talk to if I hit unexpected problems down the road.

This. If you attended an information session regarding Bariatric surgery through your program you should have an idea of the major differences regarding each surgery. Some ppl are not comfortable with the bypass as they feel it is more invasive but if you have a BMI above 50, are diabetic, have GERD, etc. it is likely that a bypass may be recommended as the surgery you need. Don’t make such a decision based on cosmetic issues that have not happened yet. Read what you can, attend an information session if you have not, and ensure you make an informed decision! Best of luck to you.

There are two stages to bariatric surgery. These are the weight loss phase and the maintenance phase. The strategies to be used in each phase are different. It sounds like you wife is in the maintenance phase. This article describes my approach in the maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

According to the internet: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present. Some individuals find out they have Helicobacter pylori infection after surgery, so it is a little common. If the first line of treatments are not effective, repeating the treatment with a triple set of antibiotics is recommended. http://gi.org/guideline/treatment-of-helicobacter-pylori-infection/

Amen! This is a rant..Not to the original poster but to anyone giving medical advice on here.....Who in the hell on this board is a medical professional ? Can they show their credentials to prove it? trust the process and instructions given to you by your surgeon's office. Yes, we are adults...Make your own choices....The only one that has to be happy with your outcome is you. Anyone that says bariatrics is the easy way out can bite me! This takes work.

Hey there, I have been away for a very long time too. I have also gained weight by drinking Frappacino's and sugary things. It is like, I just got tired and gave up. I had a vision that my body was way to skinny at 146lbs. This was really irrational thinking on my part. After reading all my old friends story, it does seem a bit normal to put on some weight, but just how much weight is normal? I am realizing now that I still need to get back on the wagon, do a cleanse (no sugar), and promote good health in my house. I find myself really really sad. My son is 34 years old and the past year or two, he has become enormously obese. It breaks my heart. So I am looking into the Paleo way of eating. I still drink a lot of Protein shakes daily. But I have let bread back into my diet. I guess what I am saying is that I am really sad over my weight gain. I hate that I am up a size. Dieting just isn't as easy as it was in the beginning. I'm also tired. Everything everyone has spoke about here, rings true for me too. I need to get back into checking in with others to keep on track. I spoke with a case manager at my bariatric center and she told me that in order to loose weight, I need to eat less than 1000 calories. I am so happy I ran into all my old friends on this post. It brings me back to reality. It is still work.......

My response might rub a few people the wrong way, but here it is... If you want an insurance company to pay for bariatric surgery, it's easy to gain 10, 15 or 20 pounds to ensure your BMI rises to 35 with comorbid conditions (or 40 without comorbidities). If, however, you're a cash payer, it's easy to find surgeons who willingly perform surgeries on lower BMI patients. Cash is king and facilitates the ability to bypass the red tape.

My nutritionist gives out a handout with general instruction on when to take vitamins. I've attached it here, and typed up a basic version below. The standard multivitamin from Bariatric Advantage they started me on (chewable) had B12 included in it, and the ones I use now from Bariatric Advantage are capsules and have both B12 and biotin in them. Essential Multi (incl. B12): Breakfast, Dinner Calcium: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Iron: Bedtime (iron and calcium need to be taken at least 2hrs apart, otherwise they block one another from absorbing) To make sure I had my vitamins portioned out each day, I got a pill organizer with 7 separate days and 4x/day. This is the one I got. It allows me to take that day's pills with me. Post-Op Vitamin Info Sheet.pdf

I didn’t have a whole host of health problems after my sleeve- i had a host of health problems BECAUSE of my bariatric surgery and concurrent surgeries and stricture. So let’s gets that straight. Nothing that i went through was because i wasn’t a rule follower- My story is more complicated than simply saying - oh she didn’t take her Vitamins so she got sick. Not only could I not take vitamins- I could not EAT for a long time. And I mean- anything. For months. I had multiple surgeries and was in the hospital again and again for months. Taking Vitamins was basically impossible for me during the complications I went through. I would vomit profusely every time I tried because I had basically zero food in my stomach. I ended up with a pic line feeding me for months. I did end up using patch Vitamins but I only really Improved once I was able to start eating. This whole thread to me shows that people have to do things the way that works for them. Of course it’s always better to take care of your health and follow the rules. But let’s be real- most of us obese individuals aren’t too great at self care to begin with. And living by rules- that’s really tough long term. Even short term, it’s hard. I personally applaud those of you who are able to follow the doctors orders perfectly. Good for you. Do your best. But it’s realistic to also say- find what works for you and explore your options. Know that good self care isn’t easy and the surgery is a great time to get some therapy to help with that. I wish I had much earlier then I did. The surgery isn’t a magic solution that’s gonna make you be able to live on a diet for the rest of your life. Those that think that are bound to fail. But it will give you a chance to explore what works for you, break the diet cycle and get to a healthier place with some help. With the right attitude and support it can be done, even if the way you do it isn’t “perfect”. Throwing around a patronizing attitude of “well you didn’t follow the rules but I will” just shows a lack of knowledge of living with wls long term and an unrealistic idea of what to expect in terms of challenges down the line. Most of the vets get it, some are better than others at - of I don’t know, never eating carbs again or whatever. But the majority- and I’ve met many many people who have had wls know, the majority have to find something more flexible or they do regain.

I was just looking into ways to avoid skin sagging, genetics, age, how long you've been overweight does play a factor. What u can do as u lose weight, get a body brush to brush your skin, it increases circulation & skin renewal. purchase a colagen cream & massage needed areas: stomach, legs arms etc. hope this helps. I am 10 days post op & anything tight on my stomach still hurts. when u are comfortable put the shapeware on. I figured, I would give myself another month but in the meantime I cam start with the above Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app

a few issues to unpack here - 1 - to answer your question, i think the hysterectomy is the primary culprit for your recent weight gain. because it's known to do that, AND because you've been drinking this whole time up til now without gaining. 2 - gaining 13 (or more) pounds is the least of your concerns. probably the biggest thing in the field of bariatric science right now is the risk of alcohol (and drug) addiction. before i got my surgery, my surgeon stressed to me (rather disturbingly) that alcohol addiction is the ONLY thing that keeps him up at night. it is a huge concern for him. it's so big, that i think it might eventually threaten the viability of the surgery. if the statistics and research keep bearing out what it has been, it's possible that they "outlaw" the surgery. why? well we all know that alcohol "hits" you harder, and longer. anything that has more dramatic effect is more easily to be abused. however, there's a mystery element going on. a recent study found it's NOT just about our new anatomy. i.e. it's not just that alcohol isn't cushioned by the stomach anymore and dumped right into the intestine. they did a study where they took two groups of rats - one with normal anatomy, and another that had a gastric bypass - and they administered alcohol into these rats intravenously. so they bypassed the entire digestive tract and made the rats equally "drunk" through IV-administered alcohol. they shockingly found that the rats with the gastric bypass ended up significantly more addicted. what does that mean? basically they don't know for sure yet, but there is something about the surgery that increases the susceptibility to addiction and substance abuse. something about the surgery changes the brain to make this the case. which is also the reason that those with gastric bypass get addicted to things like cocaine and heroin. those don't go thru the digestive tract either. this is different from "transfer addiction". that is not what's going on. so what to do? i'm in the same boat because while i wasn't an alcoholic before surgery, i was getting there. and unfortunately now that i find myself nearing my goal weight, i have started drinking again after a good 5 months off. and yes, i notice it's much stronger and more effective. so i'm worried as well. aside from finding a very sweet person on this website who has partnered up with me to support each other in our addictions (mine being alcohol, hers being a particular food), there's another strategy i'm going to try... it's called naltrexone. it's a prescription drug that has been found to have profound effects in curbing alcohol abuse. take it once a day and it basically neutralizes the "reward" signal in your brain when exposed to drugs and alcohol. so eventually you can look at a glass of wine and have zero interest in drinking it. more and more physicians are wising up to this powerful tool and prescribing it to their patients (as opposed to just telling them to join AA). i've decided i'm going to make an appt with my doctor and ask for it. i did not go thru this surgery to go from one hell to another. i want to nip it in the bud. here's an article on how naltrexone can help: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

The original poster of this thread has slipped into cross addiction, a.k.a. addiction transference. Cross addiction is a widespread occurrence in the bariatric surgery community. Now that they cannot overeat, many weight loss surgery patients pick up another addiction (e.g. alcoholism, thrill seeking, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, gaming). Basically, bariatric surgeons alter our stomachs, not our brains. Thus, people who misused food still have addicted brains and personalities after bariatric surgery. Only professional help can sufficiently address one's addictive tendencies. Wine certainly results in weight regain, especially with the quantities described, due to empty non-nutritive calories. In combination with a sedentary life, it's a perfect recipe for regain.

Look up the terms 'cross addiction' or 'addiction transference.' Cross addiction is a very common phenomenon in the bariatric surgery population. Instead of overeating, many weight loss surgery patients simply adopt another addiction (e.g. alcohol abuse, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, video gaming). Essentially, bariatric surgeons operate on our stomachs and not our brains. Therefore, overeaters who abused food still have addicted brains after weight loss surgery. Nothing, other than professional help, will properly address a person's addictive tendencies. Yes, the wine leads to weight gain, especially in the quantities you drink. It is full of empty calories. Combined with the sedentary lifestyle, it's a perfect recipe for weight regain.

You are an adult, It's your choice. I'm no expert just another bariatric patient It does wash the food through your stomach. You may find you won't feel full or satisfied. Hunger for your next meal may start earlier.

I've still got some gas, too. It's getting better each night, but I totally feel for you. Walking helps. Using the dreaded breathing thingy...A LOT...helps. I actually phoned my bariatric group about still feeling the gas, and they said it was common. Walk, gentle stretches, move your body....it's the best you can do. That's what they advised.

I’m in my third month post op and my hair just started falling out like crazy too I take my vitamins religiously too , bought from bariatric site.. I need to add protein... ugh.

I agree that we're here to be honest, be supportive with each other, and gain as much knowledge as possible to ensure each of our journeys are successful. It's essential to forego being judgemental, and not beat up yourself or anyone else if errors in food eating occurs. I sought out a personal therapist recommended by my surgeon & nutritionist to help me with my emotional eating issues and to ensure I'm successful in losing the weight I needed to, and feel good about myself. My surgeon also provides three free support groups monthly: emotional support with a clinical psychologist, nutritional support with our dietitian/nutritionist, and bariatric support for any patients who've had surgeries. I also belong to an online post-op support group and an emotional eaters support group. To round things out, I belong to an online healing prayer circle: these three support groups are on Facebook and private. My personal therapist has me keeping a food/liquid/anything I put in my mouth journal, which also has my daily exercises and meditation included. We've chosen to ensure we've changed from being inactive to proactive by having our surgeries: that was the biggest and greatest decision demonstrating we love ourselves and deserve happiness. Your journey is my journey and I want to be as supportive of you as I am with myself, and I ask that you be supportive of me. We'll screw up, we're human, but it doesn't mean that we can't be successful. I depend upon each of you who're on this path and I'm here for you. Let's be loving to each other and celebrate what we're accomplishing in every way possible. Sent from my SCH-I545 using BariatricPal mobile app

I just bought the Fresh Start Bariatric Cookbook (there is s kindle version on Amazon) and I love it already!

Man, that is tough to hear. My surgeon was very specific about having a BMI of 35 when he submits to insurance at the end of the process. At the initial seminar, our first homework assignment was to get our insurance's bariatric policy in writing. Good for you for finding a backup plan, but the out-of-pocket costs must be irritating.

I know this is an old thread. Just hope to get this topic going again. Yes i went to an eating disorder clinic...Insurance would not cover. Third year My bariatric professionals program view me as one of their most successful patients. What they don't understand Is I have disordered thinking around my weight loss I'm obsessive in my exercise ( exercise is viewed as a great thing in life) When you over exercise its becoming an issue. The disordered thinking is driven by the fear of weight loss and being happy with the weight i'm at. I acknowledge that its preoccupying my thought and time. I am aware I push my workouts to the point of exhaustion. It's affects my blood sugar, I have brain fog, my hair loss continued. Sports injuries. I feel I have to have control of this...If I let go of maintaining the way I do...I have weight gain. When life get out of control I replaced going to food for comfort to going two plus hours to the gym.

Hi... My surgery is alsov12/18/17.. I'm on day 1 of pre op diet...(3 shakes and 1 high protein low carb meal daily... I'm still full from the shakes....but will get my grilled chicken in somehow.... My Dr told us that his pre op diet depends on BMI... I am using the bariatric advantage brand shakes from Dr. Oldham's office... Not overly sweet... Best of luck to you both... We do indeed got this!!...

I'm using Bariatric Advantage, vanilla and banana flavors. Per my Dr., I can add 1/2 small banana or 2 tbs PB2 peanut butter with chocolate protein powder. (or 1 tbs natural peanut butter) I add 10 oz 1% milk, blend in blender, add 4 ice cubes...blend on high 1 min and its a pretty good milkshake... I'm on 3 shakes daily and a small high protein LOW carb meal daily .... I've not yet had my meal today, as I'm stuffed from the shakes....