September surgery buddies!!

[qtdoll 535]

sigh. I was in the hospital for 4 days. I swore I wasn't going to be one of those people who had to go to the ER bc I've been getting all of my fluids, Protein, Vitamins, etc but one of my medications made my blood pressure shockingly low. I couldn't even stand up & walk without almost passing out. dad had to call 911 to take me to a local hospital. All that work just for a medication to set me back. Plus the hospital food was NOT great in terms of protein. They served a lot of ground beef dishes which was a shock to my system. Back home now & gonna get back on track

[kukuiokalani 99]

i am three days away from my 2 month gastric bypass post-op and oh boy has it been a journey!

• 9/7 - laparoscopic gastric bypass (general anesthesia; overnight in hospital)
• 9/15 - began vomiting and couldn't progress eating
• 10/4 - endoscopy (general anesthesia)
• 10/12 - laparoscopic surgery to revise scar tissue build up (general anesthesia; overnight in hospital)
• 10/17 - occasional vomiting again
• 10/27 - upper GI to look for strictures or blockages
• 11/1 - endoscopy #2; balloon used to open up stricture (general anesthesia)
• 11/2 - CT scan to make sure all is good to go

as of today, it looks like i'm finally in the clear and should be able move my food progression forward to soft foods.

Edited November 4, 2022 by kukuiokalani

[Leo segovia 54]

On 10/27/2022 at 12:41 PM, Garfield1987 said:

Hi everyone/ I need everyone’s tips regarding beating exhaustion. I’m at my wits end. I cried earlier…

I am taking in about 70-90g of Protein. Not making 64 oz of Water yet but getting there- probably average 50 or so which doc said was fine. I’m taking the Vitamins. And this week has just been brutal. I’m 5 weeks post surgery and I just can barely keep my eyes open even though I’m sleeping 7-8 hrs a night.

I have my next appointment next week but I am just literally on the verge of exhaustion and don’t know what to do in the meantime. Pls tell me this is normal and I’m not the only one.

Hey I am also with low energy. I set up fitness tracker to help me view my nutrition and calories. It does help educate me and keep me on track. I m also on a higher amount of Protein. I make a large shake with 4 scoops. It gives me 104 g of protein. And drink it as I need to during the day. Once I switched to this one I feel better energy and no guilt because no sugar. Hope this helps. It works for me. But double check with your nutritionist. Best wishes and keep healthy.

[SpartanMaker 767]

On 10/27/2022 at 11:41 AM, Garfield1987 said:

Hi everyone/ I need everyone’s tips regarding beating exhaustion. I’m at my wits end. I cried earlier…

I am taking in about 70-90g of Protein. Not making 64 oz of Water yet but getting there- probably average 50 or so which doc said was fine. I’m taking the Vitamins. And this week has just been brutal. I’m 5 weeks post surgery and I just can barely keep my eyes open even though I’m sleeping 7-8 hrs a night.

I have my next appointment next week but I am just literally on the verge of exhaustion and don’t know what to do in the meantime. Pls tell me this is normal and I’m not the only one.

I'm curious how much you're exercising? This may sound counter-intuitive, but, getting regular exercise may actually help you have more energy.

Also, I think you'd be better off getting a bit less Protein and more Water. Dehydration can really sap your energy, but 70-90 grams of protein may be more than you really need at this point?

[Garfield1987 20]

On 11/03/2022 at 22:16, SpartanMaker said:

I'm curious how much you're exercising? This may sound counter-intuitive, but, getting regular exercise may actually help you have more energy.

Also, I think you'd be better off getting a bit less Protein and more Water. Dehydration can really sap your energy, but 70-90 grams of Protein may be more than you really need at this point?

Pre the exhaustion zap I was working out between 30 min to an hr depending on how much time I had. 30 minute peloton class + 30 min of strength, stretching, walking, yoga- whatever I felt like at the moment. Then boom. Could barely get out of bed.

I asked the surgeon abt the protein yesterday after reading your comment and he said to actually try to increase it… I guess I have to figure out what is the sweet spot for me.

They did liquids and banana bag in the ER. My new Water goal is 80-100 oz. I was averaging 50 or so bc it makes me really nauseous. Will be trying some flavor packets and see if that helps.

@leo thanks for the suggestion! I will look into this one.

So glad to have this community.

[Garfield1987 20]

On 11/03/2022 at 21:13, kukuiokalani said:

i am three days away from my 2 month gastric bypass post-op and oh boy has it been a journey!

• 
  9/7 - laparoscopic gastric bypass (general anesthesia; overnight in hospital)
  


• 
  9/15 - began vomiting and couldn't progress eating
  


• 
  10/4 - endoscopy (general anesthesia)
  


• 
  10/12 - laparoscopic surgery to revise scar tissue build up (general anesthesia; overnight in hospital)
  


• 
  10/17 - occasional vomiting again
  


• 
  10/27 - upper GI to look for strictures or blockages
  


• 
  11/1 - endoscopy #2; balloon used to open up stricture (general anesthesia)
  


• 
  11/2 - CT scan to make sure all is good to go
  

as of today, it looks like i'm finally in the clear and should be able move my food progression forward to soft foods.

I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time and I pray it is smooth(er) sailing from here. You got this!

[Hope4NewMe 173]

17 hours ago, bbykitty said:

sigh. I was in the hospital for 4 days. I swore I wasn't going to be one of those people who had to go to the ER bc I've been getting all of my fluids, Protein, Vitamins, etc but one of my medications made my blood pressure shockingly low. I couldn't even stand up & walk without almost passing out. dad had to call 911 to take me to a local hospital. All that work just for a medication to set me back. Plus the hospital food was NOT great in terms of Protein. They served a lot of ground beef dishes which was a shock to my system. Back home now & gonna get back on track

Wow, sorry for all you have had to go through! Glad they found the cause though and hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from now on.

15 hours ago, kukuiokalani said:

as of today, it looks like i'm finally in the clear and should be able move my food progression forward to soft foods.

I'm glad they finally fixed your problem and that all looks well now. Enjoy the soft food and hopefully no more hospital time, take care!

5 hours ago, Garfield1987 said:

. My new Water goal is 80-100 oz. I was averaging 50 or so bc it makes me really nauseous. Will be trying some flavor packets and see if that helps.

Hopefully more Water will help you feel better. I have found that warm fluids are easier to drink. I change my flavors around because I get bored more easily now but I started off with Decaf coffee and used my Protein Shake as the Creamer which was 2 for 1 at least for my team. Some teams don't count anything with protein in it as a liquid but mine does. Then I switched to tea because it was fall and I love the decaf cinnamon and apple flavor but there are so many tea flavors, I can change all the time. I also did get some sugar free lemonade in different fruit flavors for when I want a cool drink too. Just having options make me drink better because I'm not dreading it as much but I have found that I can't do cold drinks anymore. Hopefully you find something that works for you. Good luck!

[kukuiokalani 99]

This week has been a game changer! 😎 I am finally able to get my Protein and food in without throwing up!

I've also found a high-protein drink I can finally stand! It's a vanilla Premier Protein (I got a big box of them from Costco) heated up in the microwave for 90 seconds, then I mix in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (just the chocolate, no sugar), and a shake of cayenne. It's delicious, warm for the colder season, and a very easy way to get in 32 g of protein, 10 g carbs. 😘

Hydration-wise, I have found that the mango peach Crystal Light is my favorite and is the easiest for me to drink Water without getting sick of it.

I hope you all are thriving! 😊

[Hope4NewMe 173]

10 hours ago, kukuiokalani said:

This week has been a game changer! 😎 I am finally able to get my Protein and food in without throwing up!

I've also found a high-protein drink I can finally stand! It's a vanilla Premier Protein (I got a big box of them from Costco) heated up in the microwave for 90 seconds, then I mix in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (just the chocolate, no sugar), and a shake of cayenne. It's delicious, warm for the colder season, and a very easy way to get in 32 g of Protein, 10 g carbs. 😘

Hydration-wise, I have found that the mango peach Crystal Light is my favorite and is the easiest for me to drink Water without getting sick of it.

I hope you all are thriving! 😊

Yay, glad that things are going well! I have not warmed up any of my premier drinks, I should try that! I have added it to Decaf coffee as a creamer, but your idea sounds awesome. My taste buds keep changing per week it seems. This week I like sf raspberry lemonade for my cold drink and apple cinnamon tea as my hot. I've also tried a few fairlife Protein Shakes and I might be leaning towards liking them more than premier even though I love premier. Mostly its because its less thick and so far I haven't gotten the occasional chunk of protein in my drink.

I've been in a stall now for almost 3 weeks so not fun at all. I saw my dr, dietitian and exercise specialist and they all said I have done everything right and hitting all protein and Water goals so the only thing to do is to increase calories until the stall breaks. So they want me to get to 900 to 1000 a day, I was at around 750. Its so hard for my brain to wrap around that since my whole life I've been told that to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more. I do understand the stall too and that my body is very good at protecting itself. So I'm going to listen to the experts and just be patient and I know it will pass. Just sad because I was already a slow loser and now I've lost only 4 pounds in almost a month.

How is everyone else doing?

[Leo segovia 54]

11 hours ago, kukuiokalani said:

This week has been a game changer! 😎 I am finally able to get my Protein and food in without throwing up!

I've also found a high-protein drink I can finally stand! It's a vanilla Premier Protein (I got a big box of them from Costco) heated up in the microwave for 90 seconds, then I mix in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (just the chocolate, no sugar), and a shake of cayenne. It's delicious, warm for the colder season, and a very easy way to get in 32 g of Protein, 10 g carbs. 😘

Hydration-wise, I have found that the mango peach Crystal Light is my favorite and is the easiest for me to drink Water without getting sick of it.

I hope you all are thriving! 😊

Wonderful to read you are finding success at your difficulties. I like the blackberry lemon crystal light. Continued success!!

[Garfield1987 20]

48 minutes ago, Hope4NewMe said:

Yay, glad that things are going well! I have not warmed up any of my premier drinks, I should try that! I have added it to Decaf coffee as a Creamer, but your idea sounds awesome. My taste buds keep changing per week it seems. This week I like sf raspberry lemonade for my cold drink and apple cinnamon tea as my hot. I've also tried a few fairlife Protein Shakes and I might be leaning towards liking them more than premier even though I love premier. Mostly its because its less thick and so far I haven't gotten the occasional chunk of Protein in my drink.

I've been in a stall now for almost 3 weeks so not fun at all. I saw my dr, dietitian and exercise specialist and they all said I have done everything right and hitting all protein and Water goals so the only thing to do is to increase calories until the stall breaks. So they want me to get to 900 to 1000 a day, I was at around 750. Its so hard for my brain to wrap around that since my whole life I've been told that to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more. I do understand the stall too and that my body is very good at protecting itself. So I'm going to listen to the experts and just be patient and I know it will pass. Just sad because I was already a slow loser and now I've lost only 4 pounds in almost a month.

How is everyone else doing?

I am still dealing with extensive fatigue. They increased my Water intake to 100 oz a day to see if that helps. I used to drink abt 128-150 pre surgery and so maybe 64 oz wasn’t cutting it. I’ve tried it this week but it is not doing much. I’m hoping it helps soon bc I can’t keep up like this.

my blood work came back- they ran it twice- all of my Vitamin levels are optimal so they have no idea what is causing me to feel like this. I’m forcing myself to exercise - walking or peloton - stretching / yoga etc just to keep my body moving, but it is not helping the energy levels.

what a rollercoaster!

edit- to top it all, I’m in a stall also. Hovering around 190-193 lbs. Trying not to get discouraged and remind myself that this is a process, but man it’s been tough!

Edited November 10, 2022 by Garfield1987

[Hope4NewMe 173]

29 minutes ago, Garfield1987 said:

I am still dealing with extensive fatigue. They increased my Water intake to 100 oz a day to see if that helps. I used to drink abt 128-150 pre surgery and so maybe 64 oz wasn’t cutting it. I’ve tried it this week but it is not doing much. I’m hoping it helps soon bc I can’t keep up like this.

my blood work came back- they ran it twice- all of my Vitamin levels are optimal so they have no idea what is causing me to feel like this. I’m forcing myself to exercise - walking or peloton - stretching / yoga etc just to keep my body moving, but it is not helping the energy levels.

what a rollercoaster!

edit- to top it all, I’m in a stall also. Hovering around 190-193 lbs. Trying not to get discouraged and remind myself that this is a process, but man it’s been tough!

Sorry you are still dealing with that horrible fatigue. Its frustrating that even the experts are having trouble helping you figure it out. I hope the Water is the answer and that it will just take a little more time. Glad your Vitamins are perfect. Did they check for any other health issues? Motivation is hard when you are doing everything right and things are still not working. You are doing great though! You can do this!

[Garfield1987 20]

They’re stumped. No anemia. I have never had any medical issues, never taken any medication. I thankfully decided to make the decision to have WLS as soon as I became “approvable” and hadn’t developed major health complications. We shall see what they say.

it was very very nice to see and compare blood work though. My cholesterol is now normal whereas it was very high before. My glucose levels stabilized - I was prediabetic surgery time and now they’re normal. Seeing this reinforced that I made the right decision for my current and future health, I just have to keep at the Water thing and hope that it solves this God awful fatigue.

hope everyone is doing well!

[SpartanMaker 767]

50 minutes ago, Garfield1987 said:

They’re stumped. No anemia. I have never had any medical issues, never taken any medication. I thankfully decided to make the decision to have WLS as soon as I became “approvable” and hadn’t developed major health complications. We shall see what they say.

it was very very nice to see and compare blood work though. My cholesterol is now normal whereas it was very high before. My glucose levels stabilized - I was prediabetic surgery time and now they’re normal. Seeing this reinforced that I made the right decision for my current and future health, I just have to keep at the Water thing and hope that it solves this God awful fatigue.

hope everyone is doing well!

Sorry you're dealing with this. Sounds like your team has ruled out most of the physical issues. but I wanted to throw a few more things out there that might be worth considering:

• Have you ever been evaluated for sleep apnea? This disease can absolutely wipe you out physically if left untreated. It would be odd for it to start post-surgery, but maybe it was masked before for some reason and you've had it for a while?
• Obviously eating a severely restricted diet means you're not getting a lot of calories in. Now this is as designed to drive weight loss, but your body should adapt to that and use fat to fuel your cellular processes. This should mean, if everything is working properly, that you get plenty of energy from the chemical decomposition of fat. Depending on what specifically you're eating, there could be something going on diet related here that may not have that process working as designed. Your gut microbiome is often overlooked as a source of issues, primarily because it's not well understood by physicians. What I mean here is that it's possible you don't really have the proper balance of good bacteria in your gut to deal with what I assume has been a significant shift in how you eat. At the very least, adding in both prebiotics and Probiotics could help shift your microbiome in the right direction.
• This one will sound bad, but it's possible this is psychosomatic. If you're not familiar with the concept, the mind is an extremely powerful thing and can absolutely make you feel like you're exhausted, even when there's no physical cause. This does not mean you're crazy, or faking it, or anything like that. The physical manifestations of psychosomatic illness are very real. FYI, stress is a huge driver of this process, so working on stress reduction would be a good first step. If needed, there are even doctors and therapists that specialize in treating psychosomatic diseases.

[Garfield1987 20]

7 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

Sorry you're dealing with this. Sounds like your team has ruled out most of the physical issues. but I wanted to throw a few more things out there that might be worth considering:

• Have you ever been evaluated for sleep apnea? This disease can absolutely wipe you out physically if left untreated. It would be odd for it to start post-surgery, but maybe it was masked before for some reason and you've had it for a while?
• Obviously eating a severely restricted diet means you're not getting a lot of calories in. Now this is as designed to drive weight loss, but your body should adapt to that and use fat to fuel your cellular processes. This should mean, if everything is working properly, that you get plenty of energy from the chemical decomposition of fat. Depending on what specifically you're eating, there could be something going on diet related here that may not have that process working as designed. Your gut microbiome is often overlooked as a source of issues, primarily because it's not well understood by physicians. What I mean here is that it's possible you don't really have the proper balance of good bacteria in your gut to deal with what I assume has been a significant shift in how you eat. At the very least, adding in both prebiotics and Probiotics could help shift your microbiome in the right direction.
• This one will sound bad, but it's possible this is psychosomatic. If you're not familiar with the concept, the mind is an extremely powerful thing and can absolutely make you feel like you're exhausted, even when there's no physical cause. This does not mean you're crazy, or faking it, or anything like that. The physical manifestations of psychosomatic illness are very real. FYI, stress is a huge driver of this process, so working on stress reduction would be a good first step. If needed, there are even doctors and therapists that specialize in treating psychosomatic diseases.

Thank you!!

1. No sleep apnea. Was evaluated before surgery, and I have an Oura ring to measure my sleep. I’m sleeping through the night (actually much better than pre surgery !!).

2. I’ll def look into probiotics. This is a good idea.

3. Looked at it being psychosomatic- this was actually my first thought bc it made zero sense to me, but my therapist doesn’t believe so. I do thankfully see a therapist who recommended getting to the bottom of any physical causes.

Next step is seeing an endocrinologist to see if there are any hormonal issues causing it. It was such an acute onset and nothing really has changed in my life or routine post surgery and this fatigue started abt 2 weeks ago and it’s just wiping me out.

I’m confident the mystery will be solved!