Three Years and 230 lbs later

I can't believe it's almost three years since my surgery. I haven't been on here in almost a year. I just felt like posting and saying hello and letting all you guys know that this surgery has been so worth it. I'm still losing a little every month. I still get full really fast. i still can't eat certain things. For instance, wedding cake or really anything real sweet. Cheesecake also does me in big time. I can tolerate maybe one bite and actually that does fine for me. I have found that I go in cycles with what I want to eat. I pretty much just go with what I really want to eat as long as I know it's not going to do my system in too badly. I'm very glad that my body says, "No" about certain things. For instance we went to a buffet for lunch on Sunday. I don't get my money's worth at any buffet any more. I took a full plate and ate only a bite of each thing. Except I ate 1 1/2 corn muffins and several popcorn shrimp. When I go out to eat, I usually take at least half if not more home with me or give it to my husband or son. At least then I feel like I've gotten what I paid for! It is a great feeling though to be full when you only eat a bite of everything. I say this because it was a real concern for me when I was preop. I was afraid I'd want to eat everything in site but my body wouldn't let me and I would be stressed all the time about that. Not so. When my body says stop, my head goes right along. Prior to eating, I may think I can eat more and so take bigger helpings. But I never eat it and don't want to. When I'm full I'm full and I stop. This was definitely the best decision I ever made. I've had some issues with constipation and diarrhea. I've also had esophagus spasms. I also need my arms done and a tummy tuck. I got a price of $10,400 to get it done. I guess I'm not ready to fork that over. The doc is going to try and push the tummy tuck through insurance but he said he was 99% sure it would not happen. I don't have the rashes or anything so he doesn't have much to pitch to the insurance. I guess the best thing is that I fit in regular chairs, regular seats at the movie theater and can buy regular size clothes. Also, I no longer feel like I'm the largest person in the room. If you are pre surgery or just have had surgery and you have any questions, feel free to email me. I'd be glad to tell you my experience. Good luck on your journey.

Teresa... I was going to have the lapband surgery and had been preparing for it for nearly two years...now I have changed to RNY and I'm not as fearful to have it as I had been. I am having my psych evaluation two weeks from today and I am sure all will go well. All my papers and tests have been very good and my surgeon is very enthused that I have decided on the RNY. I worry about the dumping problem and I can't remember just what happens when I will be going through that. I am very well disciplined on my food intake and 'am certain I will do well beyond surgery. I just hope there will be no complications as I live 129 miles from my surgeon and I think he would want me to go to his hospital should anything go wrong. Do you have any advice for me for pre and after surgery...I would appreciate any word you give me. Thank you and congratulations on being so sucessful on your RNY journey...Barbara

As I have talked to people, dumping or what happens after you eat something too sweet, varies for everyone. For me it always, always, always involves very, very loose stools that are sudden and unexpected. I also get some nausea and stomach growls and things like that. it has caused me sweats and extreme tiredness as well. I look at dumping syndrome as a good thing. As soon as you can identify what did it to you, you don't want to eat that again. Ever. Period. I'm glad I still have the problem because it reminds me what not to eat. Like tonight. I will confess. I had been able to eat Starburst candies. Tonight, I ate too many and the sight was not pretty. It's a good thing I was home and close to the bathroom. (Sorry for being so graphic.) Just follow your eating plan and DON'T CHEAT! For me, one of the things I did pre-surgery was to cut out caffeine. I did that first about 3 months before surgery. Then, because I was a Diet Coke addict, I moved to caffeine free diet coke and then cut out soda all together and went to Propell for about a month prior to surgery. After surgery, I figured Propell would be Ok and would have been except it tasted too sweet to me. I preferred Crystal Light. Now, I just like plain old water. Sometimes I'll have the Crystal Light. I carry in the little individual packs. the other thing for me was the protein powders. I tried all kinds pre-surgery and found the ones I liked. After surgery, I couldn't stand ANY of them. I found that I could tolerate Liquid Protein from GNC. I put it in the Crystal Light and that worked great for me. It was horrible until I found that. Pre-surgery I didn't really like yogurt but after surgery it was one of my favorite friends. I found if I did not chew my food or ate something too bulky too soon, I got esophagus spasms. It feels like your throat is tightening up and won't let go. It's quite scary. Two things helped there. First, a doctor told me to take a prilosec every day. I've had other WLS patients tell me the same thing. i'd add it to your regimen after surgery. It really helped for some reason. Not sure quite why. Also, another doc gave me nitro tablets and told me if nothing else worked to take one of those. That is my last resort and it does work. Sometimes if I massage the back of my neck it also helps. I found that i can not tolerate dairy products very well. I can do the yogurt and cheese. But milk or sugar free ice cream does not work for me. sugar free popsicles were my best friends right after surgery. For some reason, anything berry or lemon flavored worked great for me. Also, I ate ground beef that was cooked and broken up before my 6 month period. I could tolerate that bette than chicken or turkey. Both of those are very dry and I would have to cut them up in really small pieces. I think you will do great if you just follow the surgeon's eating plan. I wouldn't buy a whole lot of stuff, just enought to get you through for a few weeks. On my list would be yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, Soup (chicken noodle straining out the noodles is cheaper than chicken broth and you still have the chicken noodle that others will eat), clam chowder, pasta (when the diet says you can have it), liquid protein (I'd buy 4--32 ounce bottles), Crystal Light. I also like Cream of Wheat and the Quaker Oat Bran hot cereal with some cinnamon, splenda and a little milk. When you can eat more stuff, be sure to focus on some veggies and fruits. I know the doc says eat your protein first, but we also need the veggies and fruit that give us vitamins. All of those should come before the starches. I found water aerobics to be my exercise of choice. I also did water walking when I didn't get to the pool for the aerobics class or when I needed to go exercise earlier than the class. If you stick with it, you'll find the inches and pounds melting away. Now, skin. That's another matter. Skin won't melt. It has to be cut away and at a high price. But still even hanging skin is better than fat. Best of luck. Let me know how you do. Who's your surgeon and where are you getting it done and when? Teresa

Teresa...what an awesome response, and so quickly. I wanted my surgery (lapband) done at SMDC in Duluth, Minnesota but as they have not accepted Medicare/Medicaid.I chose to go to Fridely, Minn. which is 129 miles away. They are a Center for Excellence and accept Medicare/Medicaid. I found an excellent surgeon, Dr. Fredrick Johnson who does both the lapband and RNY. I abandoned the Lapband as it is proving to be far too expensive (I would probably have to pay for all the fills) so I chose RNY and dicovered Dr. Johnson is willing to do the procedure. I need to be approved for my psych evaluation before the papers can be sent to Medicare for approval. The wait for the WLS has been nearly two years but I feel it is well worth it and I am optimistic that all will work out. Thank you so much for the wealth of information concerning preparation for the RNY and what to expect following the surgery. ...blessings, Barbara

So, are you saying that even 3 years out you're still having trouble eating many things, dumping and esophageal spasms etc? I'm unclear about how many of these things remain and to what degree. It is frightening to me to have to live like that for the rest of my life, but then again, the way I'm living right now is not any better. But, what if almost ANYTHING short of water and extremely bland food makes you dump? I don't see how people could get the nutrition they need. Thank you for your openness and honesty. It seems like you're very happy with your choice despite these side effects and complications.

I do have some problems now but nearly as many as before because I pretty much know what makes me dump. I just ate too much of the candy and that's what did it to me. That hadn't happened to me in about 6 months before that. Then, I was taking calcium and magnesium, liquid vitamins. I went to the doc about my sudden, loose stools. She told me that magnesium in the quantity I was taking it could cause that. I adjusted it down to her suggestion and I've not had the problem except when i ate the sweets the other day. If I would stay away from sweets and extreme fats, I would not have the problem. There are many things I do not eat. And I cannot eat large quantities. But, this is a good thing. Remember it was the overeating and eating the wrong things that got us to the point that we need WLS. Yes, you will have to live eating smaller portions and not eating the high fat, high sugar content like I was eating pre-surgery. But, you will be satisfied on much less. It's not like you eat a little and are still famished. I was afraid of that before surgery. i was afraid my head would still be telling me I was hungry but my physical stomach wouldn't take it. That is not the case. When my stomach is full, my head agrees and says stop. That was a first for me. I can't ever remember my head agreeing before. I eat spicy foods. I especially like fajitas and tacos. Chili does not sit well perhaps because of the beans? After surgery there were some foods i couldn't even stand to smell. I remember going to Favioli's and having to leave because the Italian food smell got to me. I go there now and will eat 1/4 of one of their submarinos and take the rest home. The smell doesn't bother me. I go to subway and get the 6-inch chicken terryaki sub and eat half of it and take the other half home. I'm really pleased to be full on much,much less. Before I would have ordered the 12 inch and eaten it all. Esophagus spasms are pretty nonexistent. I did have a minor one last week. (Must of been my week for eating the wrong things). It was because I ate too fast and didn't chew well enough. I take the prilosec daily. It seems a small price to pay to keep things working well in that area. A friend who had mini-gastric bypass had trouble with ulcers and they put her on one prilosec a day and it has been working to help prevent her ulcers. I think it works on several fronts and so that's why I'm suggesting it. My doc prescribes it and so I get it from the pharmacy with my other meds. I take Liquid vitamins, B-12, calcium, glucosamine chondrotin and a multi-vitamin. I found them through a company called eniva. I think the liquid vitamins do a lot better job than the pills. I'll be glad to give you the url for that company if you email me separately. Yes, I'm extremely pleased with the results. At least 3 other times I've lost 100 lbs and each time I gained it back plus more. I knew this yo-yo thing was not good for my body. WLS is a tool to take off the weight and keep it off for life. I'm pleased that 3 years out the tool is still working! I am a very spiritual person and for years I thought that my inability to control what I ate was a spiritual problem. After surgery, I'm convinced it was both a spiritual and a physical problem. Somehow i had gotten my stomach stretched out of proportion and it wouldn't go back. When I lost weight I still had the problem of filling that huge stomach. By physically cutting it off (when your eye offends you, pluck it out), I am now able to control my urges. When God says stop, I can stop (most of the time, I'm not perfect). My stomach, head and heart all work together now. I would say your decision to have WLS depends on how much you have to lose, how old you are and what complications you have. I am 54. I have tried all my life to loose weight. I needed to lose a lot of weight (230 lbs) and I could still loose more (at least 30 lbs--which I think is mostly skin). I had diabetes, congestive heart failure, knee problems and high blood pressure. The diabetes and CHF is gone. Knee problems are not totally gone but are much better. HBP is still there. It went away for awhile and came back. Don't know why. Doc doesn't either. It is controlled with medications. I used to think if you only had 100 or so lbs to loose that this would not be for you. But I have met many who have lost 100-150 lbs and are so pleased with WLS. I guess it's all dependent on what you want. Whatever your decision, try to be the healthiest you can, not necessarily just the prettiest. Good luck. Teresa