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My last nutrition appointment was on Aug 31. My Doctor's office said they would submit to insurance after my Doctor was done with his notes. Sometime between that afternoon and close of business the next day. But they did warn me that the insurance company my not even get to it until this past tuesday, 9/6 due to labor day. But, before I left on the 31st I was scheduled for my last pre-surgery appointment for blood work and chest xray. As well as, my surgery date of Oct 3rd pending insurance approval to have it done at the surgery center. If not approved for surgery center and insurance wants it done at Hospital my date will be adjusted. I start my 14 day liquid diet on 9/19 based on the 10/3 surgery date. I really hope I get an approval before the 19th that way I am not on the pre-surgery diet longer.

It’s likely postural hypotension. That is your blood pressure drops on standing from lying down or sitting & takes time to be pumped up to your head. Hence the loss of vision, fainting, dizziness & wooziness. It’s very common after surgery while you’re losing weight then for most it passes. It didn’t for me & I experience it several times a day every day but low blood pressure was a pre existing & family tendency before surgery. Yes, add some electrolyte drinks & also add a little extra salt to your diet. Get up slowly & don’t move for 10 or so seconds (you’ll work out how long you need). Some say marching your feet before standing helps - it doesn’t help me. I find it very handy to keep close to a wall or furniture so when your blood pressure drops you can touch the wall or furniture to ground yourself. I’ve even been known to grab hold of a friend. 😁 I also bend over so the blood gets back up to my head more quickly.

Oops! September 19 surgery date 😀

Hi Everyone! i’m brand-new here I’m so glad to find a support group. I’m very excited that I will be getting my gastric sleeve surgery on September 19. Has anybody else gone to Tijuana for their procedure? Be slim bariatrics Is the medical group. I’m looking forward to joining conversations with everyone. I wish you all well in your journeys ☺️

I feel like today (day 10) has been the hardest on the preop diet. But I had to grill pork chops for everyone else and that’s probably why. So far I have been pretty much sticking to it though.

What phase of food are you in, 10 weeks post-op, seems like you can have soft foods but not regular foods yet. My guess is that you didn't get enough protein in your day and eating cheese sauce and fries for dinner was the straw that broke the camel's back. Also, it could be that you aren't hydrated enough either. Those two things not hydrated enough and/or not eating enough protein can kick your body's butt! Find out your daily protein goal from your doctor or dietitian and also get at least 64 ozs of clear liquids daily (this can include protein shakes and milk, too). You have been losing weight really fast, 65 lbs post-op in 10 weeks? I know men lose faster, but that is pretty insane! My instincts are telling me that you haven't been getting enough nutrition for awhile now, protein is so super important! Also, remember we had bariatric surgery to improve our health and having some fries and cheese sauce can just tempt you to eat other less healthy, low protein stuff. Good work on your loss so far, but you gotta be alive to enjoy it! Pump up that protein and water!

Hey guys I'm 10 weeks post op gastric sleeve. I have times where i stand up and get really dizzy and last night was at a friends house and ended up getting really dizzy, then lost my eyesight and ended up fainting in his kitchen. and luckily he caught me before i hit my head. Im wondering if anybody else experienced this. Not gonna lie i kinda ate a little shitty for dinner and had some fries and cheese sauce from chick fil a. So im curious whether or not what I experienced was dumping syndrome. When i woke back up i was a little shaky in the legs for a half hour and just drank a lot of Water and ended up feeling fine within like 45 minutes. Was a scary experience honestly. Also i started out before surgery at 328 and im down 65 pounds already. Which seems like a lot of weight to lose in 10 weeks

sharing my experience especially for those (like me) who have never had procedures like this. Had a lot of worry going in over anesthesia, what he would find (hiatal hernia or defects) etc. My pre-op upper endoscopy was yesterday. I got a COVID test Sunday to prepare. I got to the hospital for my 7:30 am checkin. No food or drink after midnight. My Mom brought me since I could not drive after. Check in was pretty simple, mostly confirming insurance. I was sent over to the lab for a pregnancy test (lol very negative lol) and was brought upstairs to my room. In the room was a flurry of activity. I got undressed to my underpants and put a gown on. They tested my blood sugar, put in an IV and confirmed medical details. Then the anesthesiologist came in and went over more and did a quick airway exam. I was bumped from second to first because the medical staff got me ready quickly. a lovely nurse wheeled me up to the procedure room at 8:30 am. The room was chilly but that felt lovely to me. warmed blankets were available if desired. They rolled me on my side up high on some pillows. i was given a few doses of meds in the IV and breathed a full face mask of oxygen and… was out. Next thing I know I hear voices telling me I am done and everything looked great. They wheeled me back to my room and I got back at 9:05 am. I got a glass of grape juice and zoned out for 30 -45 mins before I was actually in less of a twilight state. dr came in and went over what he saw. slight anatomical abnormality that would not impact things and as he put it “everyone has things that are slightly off from textbook anatomy” … my hiatal area was loose but no herniation. looked good and safe for surgery. A few mins after 10 they said I could get dressed and get my discharge paperwork. before 10:30 I was in the car heading home. the top of my throat had a slight irritation post procedure. Kinda like when you have a minor post nasal drip from allergies that irritates your throat. That got better throughout the day and was nearly gone by bedtime. i ate and drank normally the rest of the day, but didn’t have a lot of hunger. i was a bit sluggish and tired feeling the rest of the day. Actually napped (unusual for me) for a little bit late afternoon. so overall not bad experience at all. quick, pretty painless.

It’s not an uncommon side effect of the weight loss. It usually is temporary & settles in time. But not for all of us. I’ve low blood pressure & slow heart rate like @Tomo. Should add I also always had a tendency towards drops in my pressure. It’s a family thing & it would occur more when I was at a lower weight. Now I weigh even less than in the past it’s like every day. I took my blood pressure a couple of times a day for about a month to track it’s fluctuations & noted what I’d been doing at the time but then promptly forgot to take it to my doctor. Spoke to her about it but she wasn’t too worried because of the pre disposition. Should add she initially put me on medication (fludrocortisone) when I first discussed it with her in my first year post op but it did nothing so we dropped it. Yes, I have low energy too or exhaust quickly. The low pressure means the blood is oxygenating the body as well as you need. I also have random hypoglycaemic episodes.so a fun experience when they all combine. I try to take an electrolyte drink with me if I know I’m doing anything strenuous. Otherwise I just pace myself & will rest if I think it’s getting too much. Amusingly when I had my gall out, they were concerned in post op about how low my BP was. Gave me a cup of tea to boost it - went up about 10 points & dropped again. Then gave me a shot of ephedrine. It went up 20 points & then they watched it drop right back again within a few minutes. Kept saying. It’s just me & how it usually is.

I took collagen powder & silica for about 5 or so months for the supposed benefits but didn’t see any difference. My hair didn’t grow faster than it’s usual cycle & wasn’t any thicker, my skin was much the same & my nails were the same too. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It does take time though to see any effects as it’ll only boost new growth but I should have seen some effects even for a time after I stopped. Then I started slathering on a collagen serum my beauty therapist recommended. Cost a fortune & 10 months later still no noticeable change. Gave it up & began using a vitamin C serum & within two weeks I was getting compliments about my clear & glowing skin & was being asked what I was doing from like everyone: friends, family, my former dysport lady & even my doctor. Actually had to order the vitamin C serum for my 82 year old mother she was so impressed - 😁. Maybe it works. Maybe genetics plays a role. Maybe your diet & how your body absorbs & uses nutrients contributes. Maybe hormones affects how successful it will be. Always worth giving it a go. PS - When I recently starting going to a cosmetic physician for my dysport I heard this crunchy sound as she injected my forehead (never heard it before). I asked what it was because it was weird. She said it was collagen & she loved hearing the sound. Still freaked me out.

You could tried the Vital Peptides. It has 20 grams in protein, it’s unflavored. I only mix with room temp water and I add a propel mix to it. Or just mix it with propel water, or something. Talk to your nutritionist. My surgery is 10-4-22, but after surgery I am all liquids for first 2 weeks. So I am not sure what your drs is saying or wanting. My nutritionist advised me that All fluids (shakes etc) go towards my liquid intake.

So my Surgery was on June 29 which is a little over 2 months ago but I am noticing my appetite is increasing. I just finished a 6 oz sirloin steak. Is that concerning? Should I be eating up-to 4 oz of food at a time? Am I overeating? I’m still only eating upto 1000 calorie a day but for me to be able to finish a 6 oz steak was alarming. I know people can usually eat 6 oz of food maybe 10 months out but I’m able to eat it now. Any advice? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I too was revised to RNY for GERD issues. But also trauma regain. I eventually went back to using food to cope with much trauma from 2019-2021. I was eating like a “normie” clearing restaurant sized portions like I’d never even had the sleeve. It was pathetic. But during my revision I also had a hernia fixed I never knew about so lots of good is coming out of this journey. One big rule for me: If you wouldn’t want to put it in your MyFitnessPal, don’t eat it. After about 8 months post sleeve I stopped tracking and my food intake started getting less and less bariatric friendly.

I am also going back and forth on my decision. It’s a permanent surgery. But then each time I lose weight, I gain it back plus more. Been 10 years that my weight started going up due to a very stressful divorce, menopause and then losing my mom and the pandemic, so …. My surgeon said that weight gain is typically only 10%… that is reassuring. I keep picturing myself thinner again (just going for healthy weight - not ideal weight) and healthier and more energetic that seems to help me focus on the positive of the surgery.

IMO a major culprit is that people try to adopt unsustainable lifestyles in the beginning to lose weight as fast as possible and get down to that magic BMI number (we all know that number I guess), no matter what. And then they burn out after - what time? - 10 to 14 months post-op seems to be a critical timespan for this. I've also read "and then life happened and I've fallen off the wagon" way too often. A sustainable lifestyle is sustainable even when "life happens" and the **** hits the fan. Anything else is temporary.

Fit in to my boots that are normal calf width! They have been gathering dust since 2019 😬

10 days on a stall is normal. They normally last 1-3 weeks (although I've heard of them lasting even longer). The bloating combined with infrequent urination sounds like you're retaining water. I agree with summerseeker - may be due to salt intake.

I was wrong! Smucker's sugar-free jam is just 10 kcal per Tbsp!

Yes I have had some issues. Second week f pre liquid I had been working got dizzy a few time went in and almost went down. Second time was 4 days after surgery went to see my Dr. And told him I had bad tome with bloating night before. He told me to cut back on fluids a little went home went to house and fell face first into recliner and onto floor. Not hurt but did like Dr. Said and that day made sure to time 10 min. Between drinks! Next day felt mush better spreading things out 1 oz at a time over most entire day.

Hello all! My name is Anne. I hope I'm in the right forum for this. I'm brand new here so please redirect me if necessary. I'm hoping for an accountability buddy, someone roughly a few years post op hopefully like myself, someone who needs some cheering on for keeping healthy eating habits... I had gastric roux en y back in 2019, lost 141lbs and 3 years out I've successfully kept it off - woo hoo! However, I have one BIG problem...for roughly a year now my diet has been AWFUL. I mean really bad. Lots of junk, lots of carbs, not remotely getting enough protein, you could say I've just gone off the rails. This coincides with one of the roughest times in my life with massive life challenges one after the other knocking me down, big ones, and just like life pre-surgery, I self medicate with junk food. Which is what landed me on that operating table in the first place. Believe me, I know how wrong this is. I know that the weight thing is a mind thing, that I should have self-soothing behaviors that are NOT food related. I know. But I'm 52 years old now and old (as in decades long) soothing behaviors seem to just be ingrained. I'm tired of making excuses for myself however. It's time for me to change that. It does not matter what life challenges I'm dealing with. It can only bring me harm to eat as awfully as I do. It's a miracle I haven't gained any weight back eating the way I do, and for that much I'm grateful. But nevertheless, it's downright wrong for me to treat my body so shabbily by eating this way. I just never feel good anymore, it's taking a toll, I have no energy, and it's my own doing. So I'm ready to turn this ship around. Is there anyone here who can relate to this? Anyone sliding into unhealthy eating habits? I'm hoping to connect with someone who could use an accountability buddy so to speak, so we can inspire each other to honor our bodies by treating it right by eating healthy and the way we were taught to eat following surgery. If anyone is interested, I'm assuming there's a private message feature here (again, I'm brand new, trying to navigate how all this works), shoot me a message. Regardless, best wishes to all who are in this journey together, no matter where you are on your road!

Ooh absolutely. I really hope it’s just like $10 difference as it was for me. Not at all worth being restricted by choice of dentist or their scheduling mess.

I will have to try the Built Bars. Currently, I eat the Protein One protein bars. 90 calories and 10 grams of protein is a pretty good ratio. My favorite is the Strawberries & Cream variety.

Countdown to surgery, 10 days out. Started liver shrinking diet September 1st

Hi guys. This is only my second post in the community at all. My surgery is September 29th. My preop diet is not just liquids. Infact I can eat but it has to be under 30 carbs a day. My plan is to drink protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and eat low carb dinner. I want to make sure my liver shrinks and I lose weight in the process. I know it'll be hard. However, I am thinking about starting this diet tomorrow to give me time to practice and mess up before I have to officially start and not mess up. Plus I am just gaining more weight by not dieting right now. I want to practice my new life style while I have a chance to mess up basically. What do yall think of this? If so, I am going to start tomorrow. A little about me I am 5' 6". HW 387 CW 345 SW ? GW 125? I don't know how to choose a good goal weight lol. I just want to be smaller than my husband who is 135. Maybe ill just see what looks good on me. However I do want to lose 200 pounds at least. I am nervous about failing again. I had the lapband when I was 19 and it never worked for me. I quickly learned to eat around it. However I was in an abusive relationship at the time and attempted suicide at the time. I was not ready for it. I am in a much better place now and I am ready for real change. I am just nervous it wont work for me. I have binge eating disorder and what if that doesn't go away? WIll I still have food on my mind 24/7? I just want to be able to say no to food. i only can now because of my vyvanse. Ugh. Im just rambling. I am sorry. Will this forum stay open after we have our surgeries or will it move to a different forum? Idk. I am just ready to have this surgery. Time until September 29th is moving so slow.

So I have a few things to update on. I haven't been super active lately because things have been crazy. First, I finally got rid of my size 26/28 clothes!!! I had them bagged up for a good week and a half and I finally pulled the trigger and got rid of them. All of my work clothes, shoes, and size 10 jewelry was donated to Dress for Success. My casual clothes and pajamas were donated equally between a local homeless shelter and a local domestic violence shelter. I'm currently in size 22/24 clothes, but they're starting to get big on me (I'm in like a size 21 lol But there isn't a size 21, so...) Once I make it to a size 18/20, I'll do it all over again. Second, I'm in another stall. I have been for the last 8 days or so. I know because it's following the same pattern as the last 2 I had. I gain 3 pounds and then sit there for weeks, then drop like 5 pounds when it breaks (first stall lasted about a week and a half. Second one lasted 2 1/2 weeks. I figure I might be looking at 3 1/2 or 4 weeks now). I'm used to it now so I'm not freaking out. BUT, my size 9 rings are too big. I need size 8 1/2 and like I said, the size 22/24 clothes are starting to be too big. So even though the scale isn't moving, I'm still winning!!! Third, I FINALLY got my appointment for the scope. The GI cocktail has helped me be able to eat some food, but I still have to be careful. I'm now on 80mg of Nexium daily and I take the GI cocktail 10-15 minutes before eating anything. I can actually sleep in my bed again, so that's good. Looking forward to this scope to get to the bottom of everything once and for all. Fourth, been working my tail off finishing my last 2 classes for my degree!!! I'm a little over half way finished, and it's been exciting. I've been working on this degree for the last 11 years, so to finally be at the finish line is amazing. I had been putting it off and as my health and weight started getting better, I just became super motivated to finish and finally have my degree. My graduation is in December, and I FULLY intend to be below 300 when I go. That's my new goal. I have 3 months. I think I can do it. I'm at 322 right now (remember I gained 3 pounds before just sitting at this weight?) so if I can lose 23 pounds in 3 months, I'll hit multiple goals at once. So excited!!!!! Well, that's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their 3 days weekend. My daughter's birthday is Tuesday, and we're letting her miss school and we're taking her out to lunch and then to do a little shopping (she's turning 16). Have a good one