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Hi there, that really stinks. I had surgery in 05 and I just found out I have osteoporosis and it's really scary because I don't want to break another bone. I just am out of menopause and have an appt next month with rhumetologist. I hope everything works out for you. I don't know if my dr even checks copper
on 3/6/23 6:58 pm
Hi there!
Congratulations on maintaining your loss for all of these years. Sorry to hear about your absorption issue.
I don't have answers for you. I'm only 7.5 months out, though I just checked all of my bloodwork and copper isn't something they're checking for. Unless it's under a name I don't know/recognize. Plenty of things I've been working to calibrate due to deficiencies but if that's one, it's unknown.
I hope others are able to weigh in, and that you're doing okay! Welcome back.
HW 282, LW 123.4 (8/29/23), CW 144.4
Pre-op-33, M1-12, M2-17, M3-14, M4-11, M5-14, M6-5, M7-6, M8-5, M9-22, M10-6, M11-5, M12-2, M13-2, M14-5
Thank you for sharing your experience--I appreciate it! The spasms did finally subside, thank goodness. I'm guessing they happened because I was so soon out of surgery and things inside were still angry with me for having them cut and rearranged. I've been able to tolerate liquids really well so I'm hoping at my 2-week follow-up here in a couple of days I can advance to soft foods so I can start figuring out what soft proteins will work for me so I can start meal prepping. I teach high school so trying to find times throughout the day when I can take a short break to have a little protein will be challenging but I will make it work!
I have joined a support group on Facebook that has been super helpful so far, but I'd like to see if there is a face-to-face one locally. I'll ask my doc when I see him later this week.
Thanks again; I am thankful for whatever I can learn from y'all!
Hi everyone. I had my DS in 2004. I weighed 312 at the time and now stay between 150 and 170. I am having trouble absorbing copper. This is a big problem because I have osteoporosis. Has anyone else had trouble with copper absorption? I would appreciate any help! 
on 3/6/23 9:35 am
Is it this one?
HW 282, LW 123.4 (8/29/23), CW 144.4
Pre-op-33, M1-12, M2-17, M3-14, M4-11, M5-14, M6-5, M7-6, M8-5, M9-22, M10-6, M11-5, M12-2, M13-2, M14-5
Congrats on the surgery. I'm male, 62 yrs old, had the SADi in 2014 (300cm cc). I have mostly similar experiences to HESS DS patients except for carbs. It seems that everyone has a unique experience, and you'll only be able to answer your questions based on trial and error over several years.
My experience and those I've read here don't generally include spasms post-surgery. It doesn't seem like a big deal but your dr should offer some insight. Regarding protein, fat, and vitamins you should generally follow guidelines for the first few months and then go by your own experience and adjust annually based on lab results and also monitor based on what you see on the scale. Many people cling to their Dr. and Nutritionist after surgery but in reality, they become irrelevant very quickly. You're better off finding a good support group and finding a PCP that understands annual lab results.
My suggestions based solely on my own experience: 1) Eat heavy protein, 2) Fat Full Everything 3) Eat unlimited loads of fruits and Veggies.
I eat 20 to 30 lbs of fruit every week, 100 to 150 grams of protein daily, ice cream and avocadoes for fat, and every morning starts with a banana, chobanni strawberry greek yogurt, and oatmeal. I eat a lot of carbs (chocolate) but I get daily exercise now that I can. I also weigh myself daily, track steps on my iPhone and occasionally track what I eat to confirm nutritional content. My weight has been very stable over the past 5 years, and I'm very aware when things change even a little.
Does anyone have Brock's Pizza recipe saved? The forum doesn't go back farther than 2010 and the search function isn't working.....
Ahh thank you for this information--seems I had a BIG misconception! I appreciate you taking the time to help me get on the right track.
For me, I still see protein and fat as free food. If I am hungry, that is what I eat. You won't malabsorb as much as I do so moderate is probably the way to go. And that doesn't mean I eat sticks of butter. I just don't avoid fat and eat full fat everything.
Do some reading about fat soluble vitamins. You should avoid taking them with fat if you can. Learn about how they are metabolized. Has nothing to do with fat, has everything to do with the receptors in your gut. Fat soluble vites are stored in fat and your body will always have enough fat to do that unless your BMI is extremely underweight. You will absorb less of everything you ingest with fat. Fat decreases your transit time(how long it takes for food to go from your mouth to the toilet).
For now just take the pills and don't worry too much. Let your labs tell the tale. Best of luck to you!
Thanks for your reply--from the guidance I'm seeing in the post-op instructions from my doc's office, it's not low-fat everything thank goodness! But I did know going in there was no way I could be completely low fat anyway due to the fat-soluble vitamins needing something to dissolve in, plus I want to keep my skin and hair in good condition. I also want my bowels to function properly and don't want constipation.
They haven't counseled me on vitamins just yet but at my two-week appointment this week they indicated that's when I'd learn about what vitamins to take. I have a bariatric all-in-one vitamin pill with iron in it that I took for a few months pre-op but I don't know if it will be enough post-op. I already take a 50,000U vitamin D capsule (prescribed by my PCP) so I figure I am good there. I hadn't planned on buying any supplements from my doc's office because I know there are plenty out there that will work just as well. Right now I'm taking a sublingual B12, and a B1 tablet (doc's office recommended immediately post-op).
I'm just a little over a week out and have tried to get between 60-70 grams of protein each day and so far have been pretty good at it. I've been pretty good at hitting both protein and fluid goals the past few days so forward progress is good progress in my view. I figure that my protein goal will be between 100-120 g a day but I think you're right--maybe I should see what my next labs say. As of surgery, my protein was at 6.8 g/dL so we will see what it is in May when I have my 3-month labs run.
Thanks for the tip about gelcaps--I remember reading that those were a no-no but couldn't remember why. I appreciate your advice and counsel!
