Weight gain

I had gastric sleeve surgery on June 21, 2019. At my 2 week post-op appointment, I had lost 16 pounds. I had a one month follow-up this week and I had gained 18 pounds. I gained this weight over the course of one and a half weeks. I had problems with my potassium prior to surgery and I've been going to get it checked weekly. It had come up last week so the doctor changed my fluid medicine. I was taken off of one fluid pill about two weeks ago because she felt like it was dropping my potassium. My bariatric surgeon told me that this was the very first time that he has had a patient to gain weight. What should I do?

First start weighing at home with a scale that records your percentage of water weight. I would want to be totally on top of what is going on. The doctors seem to know what is going on with fluid retention and hopefully they are working together on this.

Thanks. I just ordered another scale and I'm going to start a journal.

Be honest with yourself about what you are eating. Write everything down that you eat or drink. Count every calorie. Protein should be always eatin first. Dense protein is the best option, like a boneless skinless chicken breast. 3 to 4 oz. If you are still hungry eat as much non-starchy vegetables as you want to get full. But with restriction from the sleeve(this soon out from surgery) I don't think you should have much room left after eating your 3 to 4oz of protein first. When I was 1 to 4 months out I was eating 400 to 600 calories a day. And those calories came from protein. 6 months out I try to keep my calories to no more than 800 a day most of the week. But 2 days a week I don't limit myself. I can for sure eat more food now at 6 months out so Its even more on me now to be on top of how much I eat at each meal, how many times a day I am eating, and what types of food I am eating when I do eat. I don't eat any refined carbs or sugar anymore.

Thanks for your input. I am honest with myself. I don't eat very much because I have to drink 6 glasses of potassium daily. That fills me so I usually don't even eat breakfast. The journal will definitely help me to keep track of my caloric intake.

Does your potassium drink have a nutrition label? Even when we take medicine there can be side effects. In your case, maybe there are a lot of calories or high sugar content in the potassium drink. Calories from liquids can be just as high as calories from solids.

Your sleeve is still very new and it's highly unlikely that you're actually eating enough to gain that weight through calories. I say highly because we don't know your diet and it's very easy to get a ton of calories through liquids like "coffee" drinks and milkshakes. With this new of a sleeve, you should barely be able to manage a couple of ounces of solid protein at each meal.

The usual culprit for fast weight gain like that is going to be fluid retention. Please work with your team to make sure that everything is in line. Potassium is one of those nutrients that must be in balance because the consequences are dire if it gets out of whack.

In the meantime, follow your surgeon's guidelines and start keeping a log, just in case you need to provide one to your PCP for your potassium management. Let us know how you get on.

Jen

My brother was in a McDonald's drive thru a week after his vsg surgery..polished off an entire mcdouble in about 3mins.

That ... is not recommended! I can't even imagine trying to do that and I would be terrified of tearing something open at that point!

Jen

Yeah I know..I couldn't imagine either...and there was many other head turning things he has done since. Which is why nothing would surprise me. I think it is very possible to eat your way around this surgery. I don't want to not believe that 18lbs of water weight is possible but if that is what is going on..I would be getting tested like crazy because you might be very well going into kidney failure.

I was on a water pill for high blood pressure for over 10 years up until 2 weeks before the surgery and they stopped it and put me on a blood pressure med with no water pill because they didn't want me on anything that could make dehydration even more likely. I was very worried about my swollen legs and it's been quite an adjustment not being on my water pill anymore. Even when I feel I'm not peeing much I have had consistent weight loss every week. Really hope she finds out some answers.