Approved for surgery, but worth the risk?

I thought I would give an update. I underwent rny on 10/8/2019 with a BMI of 29, diabetes, GERD. I was in the ER with vomiting a week later and sent home after IV fluids. That was really the only real hurdle. Was back to work after 3 weeks. Could have done 2 if absolutely had to but was still very exhausted and no stamina at that point.

My BMI is now 21. I'm 6'2" and have been stable at 161 pounds for 2 months. I now have the energy to walk 2-4 miles and to bike 15-17 miles (not on the same day). Every step I take is easier. 65 pounds total weight loss since my highest in the spring of 2019. 50 since rny. I'm very happy.

the GERD is completely gone. No dumping syndrome. Tolerating all foods in smaller portions than before.cholesterol has completely normalized

I'm off of all meds except the post up vitamins

I still have diabetes and can spite to the low 300's if I eat rice or white breast or pasta if I eat as I'm supposed to, pretty well controlled I do still have some regular insulin that I will rarely use on a sliding scale basis if I have a spike

I'm glad I did it and hope I can maintain the weight loss

my weight was dropping so much that I had to do something I was becoming too thin have been able to maintain the 21 BMI but have been eating more snacks and carbs than I should

no matter what I eat right now there is no weight gain but that could change, right?

i appreciate your support before and immediately after surgery it was extremely helpful

You are still in the honeymoon stage which typically lasts for 18 to 30 months. After that the malabsorption changes and it is harder to keep the weight off.

Your intestines are lined with hair like appendages called villi. Those villi grab the food as it flows through and hold it against the walls of the intestines so that calories can be absorbed.

After surgery many of those villi are gone and the food can pass through without the calories being absorbed. It takes somewhere in the neighborhood of two years for the body to figure out that it needs to grow more villi. For now you will probably not gain no matter what you eat and that is normal.

For the body to recover and have a bounceback regain is also normal. When that happens you will absorb calories again and need to control what you eat. This honeymoon stage is when it is easiest to figure out what foods you will eat long term. For a man it is approximately 12 calories per pound, per day. For a woman 10.

While it seems like weight loss is too much in the first two years and people feel to skinny, it is extremely rare for someone to still be too skinny after year three.

Thank you. That is extremely important and helpful information that I did not know. And a very good reminder to not become complacent. I appreciate it.