[angelmolly20]

Originally Posted by lINDA

Hey there girl,I am 58 had my Reny in 2000 I was 289 to start now i am 108,Get used to throwing up,i still do.I have no energy,i take vit.B injections,twice a month,and will for reast of my life,I"v hd 3 strokes,and my skin just all over...Good news:I lost weight,and still loosing.I can not gain weight now.

Wow.....sorry your not feeling well and have been through so much. Does your Dr. say that your WLS contributed to your strokes?

[sue4491]

Originally Posted by MISS PAULA

I do have a nut...she completely disagrees with the Dr! Problem is,shes in the same group as he is~~I have major confusion here...he says one thing,she says another.Today I did try skim milk and 1/2 cup of raisin bran.....then later had 3 crackers with cheese on them....for sinner my hubby wanted manwiches(blek)and I ate maybe 1/4 cup of the ground round I used chopped up.It made me sick and I had to use the zofran.....but I have had a betetr day today because of you guys.Thank you ever so much!!!

Hi Ms Paula!

My first impulse would be to say that some WLS surgeons may not provide the best follow up. Some surgeons who do RNY expect patients to follow up with other providers so if you bug him or her, you may get a grumpy response (like it's all your fault). So t'were me, I'd consider following up with a gastroenterologist. That person could diagnose if anything were wrong and also suggest ways of dealing with stuff.

Here are a couple of tips I've heard through the 9 years I've been involved in the WLS community:

1. Some RNY patients say that they have a hard time with milk i.e. have become "lactose intolerant". You might try the lactose free milk for example.

2. You never said if nausea was the problem or that just when you eat it doesn't go down. They would have different solutions i.e. nausea - they might try a medication. "Doesn't go down" would probably mean an endo to see what's going on in the pouch.

3. You are still a new post op and your body is getting used to a lot of change inside because of your organs being very rearranged. As you heal, you will feel better and want to eat more.

4. Always check for vitamin deficiencies - these can cause problems.

5. Dr Terry Simpson wrote in his book "Measure TWICE, eat ONCE, vomit NEVER" Measuring your food is a good idea because sometimes especially with a shiny new pouch, overfilling the pouch can cause it to come up again.

After a while, you will get used to eating slowly. Also the Magic Bullet is a great aid. You can take healthy foods which do not go down easily and get them into a state where they DO go down easily.

Just sounds like your WLS surgeon is not being very helpful and helping you to get used to using your tool so it's time to move on.

There are WLS coaches you can contact... successful patients who have a lot of great advice on how they got there. (google "WLS coach")

Hang in there - you are doing great with the weight loss and sounds like things are going better each day for you!

[MISS PAULA]

Hi There!
Thank you for responding to my post! I am seeing (for the 3rd time)a gastro doc on Monday next week.I have already had 2 dilitations to stretch the strictures(I have had 2).I do feel as if I eat too fast and a bite too much at times.....I don't know,I feel so alone in everything I do.My family has NO idea what Im going through.I HATE going to a restaraunt to eat....I HATE cooking a huge meal and not being able to eat much of it.My head tells me Im hungry but my pouch rules...I guess you know all of this.Thank you for your insight.I feel like I want to switch surgeons so at least to find one closer than Dr Dyer(4 hours).Maybe then I can have a decent answer so I won't think it is my fault.At my last appt,I ahd dropped 52 pounds...he wasnt happy...he wanted me at 70(which is where Im at now).I dropped them in less than 3 months.Is there a guideline as to how much how fast?At 6 weeks I had severe complications which cost me 11 days in the hospital.That I thought set me back....but like I said he wasnt happy.And youre right-I feel like it is ALL MY FAULT!!!!!

[DocSanae]

It isn't your fault at all, it's just your body keeping the pace that is healthy for you.
The standard losing curve is, half of your excess weight in the first 6 months, the next quarter in the next 6 months, and the last quater from 18-24 months.
So, with your expected 166lbs total loss, you should be able to lose about 83lbs when November rolls around. However, even if you don't get there, that doesn't mean that you're lazing it out, it's just your body's pace.
Just make sure your eating is good, and you are exercising regularly.
(((((((HUGS))))))

[sue4491]

Originally Posted by MISS PAULA

Hi There!
Thank you for responding to my post! I am seeing (for the 3rd time)a gastro doc on Monday next week.I have already had 2 dilitations to stretch the strictures(I have had 2).I do feel as if I eat too fast and a bite too much at times.....I don't know,I feel so alone in everything I do.My family has NO idea what Im going through.I HATE going to a restaraunt to eat....I HATE cooking a huge meal and not being able to eat much of it.My head tells me Im hungry but my pouch rules...I guess you know all of this.Thank you for your insight.

Hi Again, wow, 52 lb loss... that is AWESOME!!! and now you say you've lost 70? WOOO HOOO!!! Took me 20 months (as a non op) to lose 53 lbs! You are doing soooo well.

With regards to restaurants and big meals .... I have a stricture of the esophagus which makes swallowing difficult (from a lifelong case of GERD and scar tissue from a medical procedure in 1996). So I face many of the same issues as WLS patients in restaurants i.e. swallowing something and it not going down well, and next scene, standing in front of some toilet in the restaurant bathroom and trying to either get it to go down or get it to come up.

Well for a few years, I did my share of whining about my stricture (which doesn't really have a fix for it - I'm hoping in the future but.... ) and then, I decided - you know - to move on.... and find new ways of dealing with it but it's a process... not easy - it takes time.

Well a while ago, I decided that looking at a toilet in a restaurant in the middle of a meal is SO NOT where I want to be - that is so not fun. So I changed my approach. Here's what I do... I eat what I call backwards - i.e. I eat dinner for lunch - my nice soft stuff (thank you Magic Bullet! ) which is within my program and goes down nicely. Then for dinner, I seek the soft stuff - yes they DO have it at every restaurant. Mashed potatoes, (limit to 1/2 cup or a few tablespoons full if mashed - can have more if they have baked potato - leave the skin and don't put butter on it - with salt, it does taste good), avocado (love it - good fats and SOFT if you get it in the right restaurant). I sip bottled water (actually I like the fizzy water but that's not good for gastric bypass patients - bottled water tastes good though) and eat very small bites of bread and let dissolve in mouth before swallowing. (if bread works for you). Skip dessert (ok that's hard sometimes but remember how nice it feels to be so many lbs down in weight!) Going into a restaurant, having eaten one's main meal, helps to not overeat on the soft stuff. Eating soft stuff when you get there, helps to avoid the restaurant toilet scene we all hate. So lately, I have actually enjoyed going out to eat. (went out to eat TWICE in the last couple of weeks which is amazing for me!)

I mean WHY do we go out to eat? Isn't it for the ambiance of the restaurant, the company of those we go out with etc and not really the food - we can make better and more healthy food at home.... It's just kind of reprogramming the mind to deal with things a different way. And it's hard - took me years - I used to avoid dinners and restaurants like the plague but now that I have this method in place, it's no longer a problem...

It's really the same deal with dinners - eat YOUR stuff first. WLS patients are still encouraged to measure food, and watch what they eat (also to exercise if you can). Also to eat very slowly, small bites and savor the food (after a while it becomes a habit). It's all a tool and WLS is a powerful tool but takes something to get good at using it. You have a lot of really good examples here of folks who have learned to use their tool well!

You are doing sooooo well.... finding a new doc is positive.... hang in.... the best is yet to come!

[Trulykath]

Just tossing my 2 cents in...but your surgeon sounds off his rocker...I would find someone who has better follow up nutrition planning and is closer to home.....I lost 65 pounds the first 3 months (no complications) and even my surgeon told me I was WAY ahead of the game....but then again...I have yet to run into anyone who was as committed to the plan as I've been....I'm pretty relentless on myself....DDH keeps telling me to "lighten up on his girl"

(don't shoot the messenger LOL)

[not quite Barbie]

LOL, I think Kath's got it right. Your surgeon has some ridiculous expectations.

I know what you mean about the restaurants. Everytime we go someplace new and I look at the menu I get so discouraged because there's just so little to pick from that fits our lifestyle. I usually end up with the grilled chicken caesar salad (again) with the dressing on the side please. Mostly I just eat the chicken and take a few bites of the salad and dip my fork in the dressing for just a taste of the dressing. Last week, even that "taste" was too much.

DH has been on the night shift for the past month so I don't have to cook for anyone but me. That sure makes it easy, LOL. I throw a small amount of Tyson's frozen pre-cooked chicken fahita strips into a pan and "fry" them without using any oil, just what little is in the chicken. Tear a piece of lettuce up and throw a few raw veggies in a bowl with some FF dressing and that's it. Dinner's ready and one dirty pan to wash.

But yes, it's tough when you have to cook for others and you want to eat that food too. One thing I've noticed, it just doesn't taste as good as it used to. One bite and I'm thinking "phooey, this isn't worth the calories".

Good luck with your new doctor. I hope they fix it good this time so you can get on with your journey.

[MISS PAULA]

Thanks all of you!!!! It is so much better with truly good support! My scope is wednesday the 8th.....Please keep me in your prayers,as sometimes I feel that mine only go "so high" before they fall down again...I know-Its MEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....I so need to just feel good.HEY but I did join curves this week....so after wednesday Im at the gym!!!!!Love to all......Miss Paula

[momrobare]

Originally Posted by angelmolly20

Skim milk is not a bad thing to drink. Not sure why your Dr. doesnt want you having it. Im sure he has his reasons.....and liver.....I thought liver was like mega protein. HMMMMMM now Im confussed.........which doesnt take much these days...

Maybe her surgeon doesn't want her having liver because it has a LOT of iron and could bind her up?

At any rate...her surgeon should be talking WITH her and not AT her!!!!

[kawahine]

Aloha no,
I've had that same problem for months....wasn't STRICTURE, therapists said that it could have been anxiety. So I had to remove myself from the meal, relax and when I felt empty...I'd try again. Some foods that worked one day..wouldn't go down on another day. I can't say that I was eating too fast...it could be just one bite...and up everything comes...foam, heaves all.

Its getting alittle better for me now...but I can never know...and I hate that miserable feeling. I'm there with you...see your doctor though.

For a while I only ate bean soups...that would go down.

take care