Surgery for a different reason

[RNYNewbie 2]

So I am 23 days post-op from having the roux-en Y and vagotomy. I weighed in at 217 the day of surgery. I was relatively comfortable my weight...or resigned to it at least. You see, I didn't have my surgery for weight loss. I had 2 serious,non-healing ulcers. I had to have the surgery to get them removed to avoid them turning into stomach cancer. Now, don't get me wrong, the idea of losing some weight was also very attractive to me. I had no problems getting insurance to cover my surgery which was a plus. So here I am. I have lost roughly 41 pds so far. I lost the first 30 so fast it was scary. I am trying very hard to figure this diet thing out. I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing dumping syndrome as of yet but I have vomited more in the last 3 weeks than ever in my life I think. I was advanced to "soft" foods on my last Dr. visit. apparently I'm not a good judge of what is soft and ok to eat because everything seems to cause pain, nausea, or vomiting. I cannot tell when I am full until it's way too late. I eat slowly and take tiny bites but...I'm just not getting the hang of it yet. I am lucky if I get 300 calories in a day. I am sure I will get it eventually...well I'll have to. Next thing I guess I look forward to is being able to go to the gym to try and tighten and tone up all the saggy skin I have acquired so far. If it sounds like I am down and a little frustrated, it's because I am. Yes, the constant burning from acid and pain from my ulcers is gone...but I feel like I just traded it for a whole new list of burdens. I'm not sure losing weight is worth it. I miss food. On a higher note...I was also a smoker before my surgery. I have not been one now for 24 days. So I guess there's that.

[Hoping052017 97]

Congrats on the quitting smoking! Are you seeing a nutritionist/dietitian? Are you trying to drink your protien shakes, taking your Vitamins, and getting your 64oz of Water in? My RD said that the protien should be able to be cut easily with a fork. If it can't be cut with a fork then it isn't soft enough and that the portion shouldn't be any bigger than a matchbook. 1-2 ounces. Good luck with everything. You can do it!

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[RNYNewbie 2]

Congrats on the quitting smoking! Are you seeing a nutritionist/dietitian? Are you trying to drink your protien shakes, taking your Vitamins, and getting your 64oz of Water in? My RD said that the protien should be able to be cut easily with a fork. If it can't be cut with a fork then it isn't soft enough and that the portion shouldn't be any bigger than a matchbook. 1-2 ounces. Good luck with everything. You can do it!

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Thank you! No I have an appointment with my surgeon today and I plan to request a dietician consult. I was honestly surprised he didn't get me set up with one from the get go. I cannot imagine drinking 64 oz of Water and being able to eat! I drink all throughout the day and try to eat little bits and pieces here and there but I stick mostly to liquids and yogurt. A lot of Soups. Anything solid I eat, I chew to a pureed consistency before I swallow it. I'm lucky if I manage 2 or 3 oz of food at a time. I've tried multiple different Protein drinks now and most are so sweet that I cant stand to drink them. I do like the Odwalla Protein Drinks. I got some chewable vitamins but they made me throw up so I'm not doing those right now either. I'll get it though! Slow but sure and day by day!

Edited January 30, 2017 by RNYNewbie

[James Marusek 5,244]

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight.

Weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your Protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as Protein shakes.

The transition to hard foods such as steak can be very difficult. So there is no need to rush headlong into it. I relied primarily on softer foods such as chili and Soups. I am over 3 1/2 years post-op RNY. I put together a short article that describes my experiences. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

[RNYNewbie 2]

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight.

Weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your Protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as protein shakes.

The transition to hard foods such as steak can be very difficult. So there is no need to rush headlong into it. I relied primarily on softer foods such as chili and Soups. I am over 3 1/2 years post-op RNY. I put together a short article that describes my experiences. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Thank you James. I think the problem with my surgery and my treatment is that it was done not for weight loss but for medical diagnosis of ulcers. My surgeon is not treating me like a WLS patient. I didn't get any pre-op teaching really definitely not a specific diet. And post op I have seen him once so far and the only diet question he has really asked me is if I had experienced dumping syndrome yet. I was still on liquids only at that time. I am hoping a dietician will be of more use to me on this journey because like it or not, I DID have WLS. I appreciate all the help I can get!

[savyourdvine1 110]

They have Vitamin, and Iron Patches that works really well for me. You certainly need some form of Vitamins asap

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[healthyliving23 16]

Try Core Power already made Protein shakes. They taste good and are convenient since already made. They have vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. They have light and elite(42g of Protein in a bottle).

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[Berry78 4,261]

Wowzers, there is so much to learn, and they really dumped you into the deep end. Time to learn to swim!

Tons of good wls post op meal plans on youtube, along with the explanations behind it all.

At this point, I recommend giving your tummy a break, concentrate on getting your liquids in.

Start with Water. (Assuming Water doesn't make you nauseated).

Get the 1 oz medicine cups to measure out your portions. Drink 1/2 the oz, wait 5 minutes, drink the rest. Repeat.

You should be able to consume at least 8 oz this way. If you vomit the water back up, time to call your surgeon.

Assuming you keep the water down, do the same with a Protein shake.

Good shake recipe: 1 cup plain greek yogurt, ripe banana, 4 tablespoons Peanut Butter, blend well. If it isn't sweet enough, add more banana. Can also add some Protein powder. Of course this makes quite a bit of shake that will take a while to consume.

I'm concerned to hear about all the vomiting. Not good! If Vitamins don't agree with you, they make Vitamin Patches.

Good luck!

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[Berry78 4,261]

Oh, and your stomach doesn't have the nerves in place to tell you when it is full. You need to use a measuring cup, and a meal isn't more than 1/4 cup right now. Take 20-30 minutes to eat your 1/4 cup of cottage cheese, etc.

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[Hoping052017 97]

You will get it. I'm sorry you have a Dr that isn't thinking straight. My RD gave me a schedule to be sure to get everything I needed in....at the top of the hour try to drink 2 oz of Protein shake, 15 minutes later Water, 15 minutes later 2 oz Protein Shake, 15 minutes later crystal light. That way you get in all your Fluid and Water needs.

My Dr office doesn't offer the Vitamin Patches, but I think that's a really awesome idea!

Oh! And be sure to check out the unflavored Protein powder! You can add it to your favorite Soups. Just remember to mix it into a paste with room temp water first because adding it straight to hot anything will get you glumpy mess. ;D

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[Redmaxx 740]

So I am 23 days post-op from having the roux-en Y and vagotomy. I weighed in at 217 the day of surgery. I was relatively comfortable my weight...or resigned to it at least. You see, I didn't have my surgery for weight loss. I had 2 serious,non-healing ulcers. I had to have the surgery to get them removed to avoid them turning into stomach cancer. Now, don't get me wrong, the idea of losing some weight was also very attractive to me. I had no problems getting insurance to cover my surgery which was a plus. So here I am. I have lost roughly 41 pds so far. I lost the first 30 so fast it was scary. I am trying very hard to figure this diet thing out. I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing dumping syndrome as of yet but I have vomited more in the last 3 weeks than ever in my life I think. I was advanced to "soft" foods on my last Dr. visit. apparently I'm not a good judge of what is soft and ok to eat because everything seems to cause pain, nausea, or vomiting. I cannot tell when I am full until it's way too late. I eat slowly and take tiny bites but...I'm just not getting the hang of it yet. I am lucky if I get 300 calories in a day. I am sure I will get it eventually...well I'll have to. Next thing I guess I look forward to is being able to go to the gym to try and tighten and tone up all the saggy skin I have acquired so far. If it sounds like I am down and a little frustrated, it's because I am. Yes, the constant burning from acid and pain from my ulcers is gone...but I feel like I just traded it for a whole new list of burdens. I'm not sure losing weight is worth it. I miss food. On a higher note...I was also a smoker before my surgery. I have not been one now for 24 days. So I guess there's that.

My RNY was not for weight loss either. I was 246 lbs, 5'6" tall and my BMI was only 35. However, I had Type II Diabetes, sleep Apnea, High Blood Pressure, depression and High Cholesterol. I am down 66 lbs since my surgery and my pressure on my CPAP has been dialed way down and I am only taking 250 mg Metformin twice a day(down from two types of insulin and 2000 mg Metformin). I salute you for having the surgery.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Redmaxx