Is there anyone having these problems?

Hello Everyone... Well I read the message board all the time and see how wonderful you all are doing. I admire each of you for getting the surgery and making such a great change in your lives. I had my surgery on September 12, 2003 and as of now I have lost 86lbs. I am very happy with the results of the surgery for myself. I have the fear everyday that I might do something or eat something that will cause me to all of a sudden start-gaining weight. I try to watch what I am eating but at this time I am able to eat just about what ever I want. I wont try to eat anything that has sugar in it. I am also staying away for all fountain sodas. That was always my biggest weaknesses so there is no way I want to try them now. What if I am able to eat or drink them with out any type of effect??? Then it will be so easy to continue eating or drinking them. I guess I am just playing it safe. Here are a few things I am having problems with that I was wondering if any of you are experiencing? My hair is really falling out by the handfuls now. I take a shower and I have to clean the hair off my hands several times. I thought that by now the hair loss should start to slow down some? I have 5 children so it is hard for me to find the time to go to a gym. I do my best here at home with my exercises but I know I really need to be doing more. It is so hard for me to drink my protein drinks. Its not that I don't like them I just don't want them. Also I do feel that I have lots more energy now so I get busy and do as much as I can around the house or outside and then before you know it I am just wore out and wanting to take a nap. Its like I will have a great day and be up and doing everything I can then after a day or two of that I am in bed exhausted for a day. Well I would really love to hear if any of you are having the same problems. And also I would love to hear about how much you all have lost now. Hope to hear from you all. Fellow loser, Shella

Shella, I am experiencing the same thing. My hair is falling out but the Dr. said that after I slow down on the weight loss, it should cease . I don't go the gym either. I can't find the time. I have more energy now so my daily duties are back in full swing. I work full-time and then a full-time job around the house for 3 kids. I take a nap everyday after I come home from work. It is my time to just get back on my feet to start the new job at home. You have done great in your weight loss. I have only lost 64 pounds. I do cheat however,,,,,, I will get a small bag of M&M's and just snack on them some days, Especially around the time of the month..... Well, I don't drink as much protein as I should. I will drink at least one shake and if it is a good day, I will drink two. I take a load of pills a day so I try to spread them out throughout the day. Are you taking your vitamins? I take two chewables a day , a hair and nail vitamin, an iron pill, and then the other meds that I took before the surgery. I guess everyone is different in their weight loss but I am greatful for the pounds that are gone. I just wish that I could get the rest of it off. Great job on your diet... I can't believe that you haven't tried the chocolate. It is hard for me to stay away from but I try. Angie

Thank you Angie for the response. It sounds like you are doing wonderful. I viewed your profile and your before and after pictures are awesome. I still have such a long ways to go. But I will keep pushing and get there some day. My biggest downfall is the Mexican food. I was raised on it and love to cook it. So you can imagine all the calories I have to deal with. Leaving the chocolate hasn't been a problem for me at all. I think the hardest thing for me to not touch was the fountain soda's. I would scrap every nickel and dime in the house to get myself one every day. But I am very thankful I don't have that habit anymore. I don't take as much meds as I did before the surgery. I only take my synthroid and my vitamins. Also on a good day I will try to get a protein drink in.

Hi I am a bit confused about this board. I am from Utah, and I thought I was on a local forum for my surgeon ( Dr. Chad Halverson), but it looks like this is from all over the place? Oh well, who cares, right? Shella, I had surgery on September 29th, 2003. Last time I weighed, which was on Feb. 12th, I had lost 152 lbs! HOLY COW! But.....for those of you who haven't lost that much, don't feel out-done. I weighed in at a over-ripe 479 lbs the day of my surgery. I could no longer walk around without a wheelchair and I was home-bound. I had(still have) Lymphedema in my legs, neuropathy in my feet, Diabetes ( which started the whole nightmare of health problems in the first place), two large hernias, an inflamed gallbladder and all of my organs were enlarged. I was dying. Today, my Lymphedema is being treated, so my legs are not so swollen, my neuropathy looks like it is no longer progressing. My Diabetes is gone, my hernias are still repaired, my gallbladder is gone - ha ha. I can walk, though I am learning how to bend my knees again while I walk, and I still lack balance a bit. My surgeon is very strict with food. He and his partners approach the food topic from the standpoint that it is an addiction for those of us who are so overweight that we come to the desperation of surgery. They don't allow any breads , and very few whole grain carbs ( oatmeal or shredded wheat once a week or so). They even discourage fruits. No cofee or Tea ( caffein stimulates the appetite ) no soda, no sugar -- and they don't encourage us to ever add those things in! Boy. But must admit they have a very high weight loss success rate. They encourage proteins and vegetables, milk, very few no sugar added fruits, nuts, beans, etc. But none of that other stuff. And, they encourage strict adherance to the portions too. I am at about 1/2 to 2/3 cup each meal, and I am ahead of many in the ounces! Still, I read posts here on the forum, and wonder what everyone's surgeons rules are. You all sound so different in what you eat! I am not encouraged to have protein drinks at all. Just vitamins, vitamins, and healthy eating, exercise.... the usual. Still, I relate to the fear of gaining weight. I didn't get where I was at through healthy thinking about food and weight! I'm affraid of not sticking to my plan and gaining weight. Stupid though, really. I am very careful about what I eat and follow most of the guidelines, and my husband is an incredible support...makes and measures my meals for me when he can! I am losing hair too. Also, my body looks like a deflated baloon LOL! And about the food again, I wonder just what is right sometimes, how I will react later, what I will eat, what I won't. I just worry too much! I know that I need support groups, relation to other people like me. It can remind me who I am and how i got to where I got, and how important it is to eat right. My mind has always screwed me when it comes to food. I either think I should be able to eat like others, and attempt it one more time, or I get meticulously rigid, and try to be perfect. Or I binge and fill myself with guilt, whatever. Never peaceful, never normal. But since the surgery, I am hoping that my thinking will change, and that this time of reprieve will give me the time I need to use the resources God has given me. I have been soooo blessed! It's incredible. Plus, it truly is one day at a time. Well, that is it. I'm definitely a talker, so I'll stop while I should! Good luck everyone. Tammy

Hi Shella, I just wanted to say Hi and let you know that you are not alone, We started at about the same weight, (347 here) I have lost 87 pounds so far and about half of my hair, lol, thank god I had very thick hair to begin with. My surgeon assures me that it will stop soon, geez I sure hope so. I tend to dump and/or feel really terrible if I eat anything with sugar, which has been a blessing for me, it really keeps me from taking a bite of anything that looks sweet. My biggest fear is that I can overeat sometimes. There are times I can only eat a few bites and be finished with my meal and be satisfied for hours and then there are times that I can eat what seems like way to much (like 2 eggs and bacon or 3/4 of a subway wrap). I try to remember that pre-op I would have ate alot more but over eating is always on my mind as a fear. I was never a napper before surgery but I find myself laying down for cat naps now, might only be for a half hour but I feel so much better afterwards. I addressed this with my doc and he thinks it is because we are so much more active now that we need a nap here and there just for our energy levels to catch up. I have been trying to do the exersize thing at home, using my treadmill (very little) and my stationary bike and walking tapes (about once a week) I cant seem to get motivated. My boss offered to pay half of my membership to the gym if I would go with her so I have my first appointment at the gym today, not sure if I can do this or not but I'm going to give it an honest try. We had to committ for 3 months so I'm trying to be positive and committ to going at least 3 times a week. We all know what got us here, somehow we need to find the stregnth to get us through all of the head games with food and exersize....Sounds like you are doing great!! Keep up the great work!! . Good luck, Reeda

Yes! My hair is falling out, also. I had a head full of reall thick hair and now it's soooo thin. I take all of the supplements and I get in two shakes most days. If I don't do two shakes, I'll eat a bar, that has about 13 grams of protein in it. So, I am getting all of my protein in, but my hair is still falling out. My PCP said it's from having the surgery and not from the bypass. Who do I believe? The nerves in my back were damaged, from having the surgery. I was told it's from not having any circulation in that area during the time I laid on the table. Whatever it was, I have a numb and painful lumbar region. I am going to Physical Therapy and doing all sorts of exercises. I also have osteoarthritis in my spine, so I have to different pains in my back. This keeps me from working out. I can't until my PT releases me. I can't wait! I have a lot more energy and I do a lot of things that I never did or haven't did in a long time. It's wonderful! I don't regret a thing. I'd do it all over again. Peace and Blessings,

Shella, let me say you look fabulous! You are doing wonderfully and all the things you mentioned happens to us all! Luckily I had a head full of thick hair cause its coming out by the handfuls when I wash and style it. Ive learned to work with it and style differently and actually it looks much better now than before surgery! I dont do my protien shakes, I eat only meat, cheese and eggs so I tend to get enough protien from what little I'm eating I think. I eat very very little. I have lost from 258 to 172 depending on if my scales hate me the day I weigh or not! Some days they really hate me and weigh me 10 lbs heavier. I havent lost an ounce in a month. I have so much more energy now and can do so many more things but still cant get motivated here lately to use my treadmill or weights. I think the weather has alot to do with it. If its pretty outside I am more likely to go out and walk than to stay stuck in the house and not walk at all. I clean desperately every day and think hey I have really worked but I know its not enough and I know I need to do more. I am loving being so much smaller but still get discouraged and think I havent lost near enough and soon enough. The loose skin makes me feel like a saggy baggy elephant and is kinda depressing but I try my best to not dwell on that. I dont get enough water in at all and like you my weakness before wls was sodas. I miss them something awful but will NOT go back to drinking them. They are part of the reason why I had to have surgery to begin with! I dont dump so I have to really school myself in not eating certain things. I dont eat bread, rice, pasta, flour, sugar, potatoes or anything sweet. I have developed a fruit tooth here lately and my latest weakness is grapes. I know I probably shouldnt have them but I keep thinking hey fruit is good for me isnt it? lol I have fell completely off the wagon with this fruit obsession. Instead of a good healthy meal or breakfast, I grab grapes. or a slice of cheese. simply put, I dont eat right at all I dont think. My hubby bless his heart says I dont eat enough to keep a cat alive. I havent since surgery. Most meals are less than 1 1/2 - 2 ounces and I had my surgery 9-22-03. All in all you are not alone, I think we all go thru some form of the things you mentioned. Its good that we all share this cause it helps to know we are not alone! Love, prayers and hugs, your fellow loser..... Carol

Oh man it is so good to hear there are others feeling and dealing with the same things I am. You know I read this message board all the time and it is so good to talk to people that had their surgery around the same time as I did. Just last night a girlfriend called me and we were talking and she was telling me how much she weighed now.. I couldn't believe it, she was always smaller then I was and I hadn't seen her in along time. Well now she weighs about 30 lbs more then I do. I told my fiancé wow, I don't know how to handle this. I was always the bigger one. Now I am smaller. What a feeling. In a way it feels like my weight was a security for me and now I am losing it. I am so thankful for the surgery and for the great changes it has brought me. I can get in the floor now and role around with my kids and play. My 4 year old and I even played baseball outside. It was a blast. I feel like life is coming back into me. Thank you all for responding to my first message. You all are great. Shella

Hi Sheila and everyone else posting and reading... I had surgery on Sept. 11, 2003 and was 252 pounds. I'm down 80 pounds to 172 as of yesterday (my 6 month anniversary). I've enjoyed reading your posts and thinking about how my situation is similar or different. I guess like anything else, we are individuals so what we experience may be different from other's experiences, even with WLS. I had complications right after like bleeding (and a needed blood transfusion) in the hospital, an incision (I had open, not lap) that didn't heal for 6 weeks, nausea for about 3 solid months, etc. Today, at 6 months, I'm only battling the hair loss, which is bothering me a lot. I'm also feeling hungry often, which I didn't think happened for over a year post-op. I'm tollerating sugar and am having some in small quantities. I'm trying to be smart about it and not deprive myself, but not overindulge either. I wanted to have this surgery to change my lifestyle, not keep myself from enjoying food. I just think about my health and how good I'm looking and feeling, and it helps me stay on track. I was scared for the past 3 weeks because I'd hit a plateau and hadn't lost any weight. I automatically thought I was finished, because the BMI chart and prediction chart said at my weight, WLS could help me lost about 75 pounds. I'm happy to report that I lost another 2 pounds this week (finally!), so maybe I'm not done yet. I'm 5'6" and would like to get back to around 140 pounds, so I have about 30 more to go. I'm exercising (walking and using a ball), which I do for my heart and my health. Motivation can be a challenge to all of us, but remember why you decided to make this drastic choice to have surgery...to be healthy! I'm no longer on blood pressure meds, my cholesterol was 175 last Dec., and my sugar is now normal. That makes it worth it. Good luck to all of you!!!

Dear Sheila, Yes, and yes again! Especially the part about wanting to conquer the world in the morning and then needing a nap by early afternoon. And guess what? I have "a slender friend" with 5 children who always took an afternoon nap - not long, but always she took one. And she looks great. It's a struggle to take care of ourselves properly, isn't it? But it's mandatory that we learn. I am working harder at trying to walk than the actual walk is work, if you know what I mean. I'm betwix jobs so the gym is out for now only, but I can walk. I just need some way to trigger me daily. Haven't found it yet. I take the GNC "Hair, Skin & Nails Formula" biotine (horse) pills daily & it seems to have nearly stopped all hair loss. Your hair willl grow back. You need more biotine & protein. Casi, our bariatric nurse, turns green when we say we've cut back on protein drinks. She recommends two daily for the rest of our lives. Unless you're really good at getting the 70 gm. daily minimum on your own. It's hard to do and keep losing. Now I'm using the unflavored Any Whey Powder (protein) with all soft entrees & drinks; the drinks got too sweet. Again, GNC gives 10-20% discount the first week monthly; I got a membership card for greater discounts. Finally, be proud, Girlfriend. 86 pounds!!!! I'm a slow loser and have lost only 35 in 6 months (RNY 9-4-03), but am off 9 RXs & 2 over-the-counter medicines daily, so surgery saved my life. No, WLS gave me a life! Sparkle