Questions for RNYers

Oh my gosh I can't wait until I can wrap a towel around me, or take a bath where the water completely surrounds me, or take a shower where my butt doesn't keep accidentally hitting the cold shower curtain! Lol

Welcome, Alexis!  It sounds like you are doing your pre-work and thinking about questions and this lifestyle change, which is a great way to set yourself up for success.

Everyone's answers will vary.  But here is my experience:

How was your pain after surgery? No real pain, other that I felt tired and laid around and watched TV.  I had no shoulder pain from the gas, no incision pain.  I took one week off of work but could have gone back on day 5. 

How long did it take you to recover?  A week, I guess?  Surgery was Friday, I was back to work the Monday 9 days later.  I did fine working a full week in the office that week.  I was 36 at surgery.

How much have you lost?  I was 351 at 5'4" the day of surgery, got down to 160, and am more like 170 now.

What is some of the foods you can never eat again? Randomly, falafel makes me projectile vomit.  Other foods like bread or pasta don't often sit well with me so I rarely eat them.  I haven't tried rice.  I have found ways to modify some of my favorite foods.  Make a pizza with a flat out light wrap, pizza sauce, cheese, turkey pepperoni.  Make "pasta" using soy shirataki noodles from the vegetarian refrigerated section of the grocery store.  Eat ground turkey with taco seasoning along with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole (no tortillas).  I still get all of the great flavors.

What are your favorite experiences you've gained from having RNY?  The list is too long.  Crossing my legs.  Using a towel at the gym and it wraps all around me.  Sitting in a middle seat on a plane with room to spare.  Hiking.  Wearing a fitbit and consistently walking 4 miles a day.  Working out at a gym and feeling strong.  Walking into a room with more confidence than before, and I was always confident!  The list goes on and on!

Do you have any regrets? Not doing it 5 years earlier!

Do you have Iron deficiency? Nope.  My iron was low and so I take supplements.

In case they are helpful, here are my posts from losing 100 and 200 lbs.  I have also had plastics and they have totally changed my body and self-confidence.  I am the happiest RNY patient!

Good luck!

Plastics: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/plasticsurgery/5309071/X-p ost-Everything-I-wished-I-had-known-and-everything-I/

Two year surgiversary: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/5445401/My-two-year-su rgiversary-with-a-before-and-after-picture/

Thank you so much!

You've done so freaking awesome!

Now I have a suggestion for YOU! Go easy on the rice, when I was pregnant I craved rice so bad.... when I ate it, I threw up, all of it every time! There is no worse vomit than rice vomit.... It comes up in little squishy pieces that get stuck in your throat and top of your mouth and in your Nasal passage! It is soooo bad! Lol

So be soooo careful about that, if you dump a little won't be bad... but if you dont; YAAAY RICE!

welcome Alexis! This site is great-very helpful and informative. My surgery is scheduled for February 24th! My wweight has went up and down my entire adult life. I'm a type 2 diabetic with many other co-minorities. I had the lap band put in them taken out a month later due to complications, that was in 2008. It took me a long time to come to terms that I can't get better without surgical intervention. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, so I'm not too worried about the pain after surgery. I've been on my liquid diet for almost a week now, and yes, my stomach is growing, but my husband keeps reminding me that WE can do this, is going to be worth it in the end. I'm looking forward to no more insulin or other medications. The dumping scared me, but it's part of the process I guess. Good luck with your appointments, it's a long process but worth it.

Thank you for the support!  I hope the RNY works better for you! Keep me posted on how things go!

Hi Alexis, You have a lot of responses, but I thought I'd add mine too.

Pain after surgery and recovery---  not bad at all, on pain meds in Hospital. Took one pain pill the night I got home, after that Tylenol. I had surgery on a Wednesday, left the hospital on Friday (also my birthday - great present! no cake ...LOL) Laid low for the weekend. Didn't have a recliner so put one of those anti-gravity outdoor lounge chairs in my living room. By Monday went for post appt with Doc, started driving and taught a 2 hour painting class...(yes I was tired)...by Wednesday I remember standing in my kitchen going "I can't believe I had surgery a week ago". I was tired for several weeks in the afternoon. I had more of a problem with nausea. What helped me tremendously were peppermint tic tacs. The mint helped calm the nausea, and they were easy to carry around.

I have lost 194 pounds from my first Doctors Consultation.

Hmmm... there are things I don't eat...I don't think there is anything I feel I couldn't take a bite or two of... but don't eat heavy sugar or fried things. Didn't really eat anything fried except french fries before surgery. Could I eat a few? Yes. Do I? No. Funny thing is there I things that I ate and loved like french fries or pizza and I don't really miss them. I have had about 5 slices of pizza in the last 18 months. I would have had at least 50 slices in that time before...

I live in a 2 story house, ...one of the things that never gets old to me is running up and down the stairs. Before I would come downstairs for the day, and never go back up until bedtime. Now if I forget something, or want to do a load of wash I don't think anything of running up the stairs. Shopping in regular sizes doesn't get old either. If one size doesn't fit you there are other sizes to try on, you aren't the biggest size in the store.

Chasing my grandson - my favorite!

No regrets, no iron deficiency

Thank you for replying!  194 lbs is amazing! Congratulations! 

I like your appreciation for stair climbing, when my husband son, and I visit my father's house; he has a huge staircase that has three landings!  Iv noticed lately that I can barely walk up it without feeling like I can't catch my breath,  a few years ago I would run up those stairs and barely be winded for more than a few seconds! 

The main reason I'm doing this is so I can run and chase around my son!  He'll probably be walking by the time they schedule my surgery but hopefully I'm catch up before he starts running too fast! I want so badly to be the kind of mom who can play at the parks with him!

Again,  thank you for your reply! 

You can be that Mom.

Hi FG---- I may not be able to provide as many of the fantastic answers as most of the others did, however, I am hitting my 3 month post op and can share what I have gone through....

How was your pain after surgery?  --I had such minimal pain after surgery....I just got super tired very quickly if I tried to do too much too soon.  I also found that I needed some sort of protien in my system every 2-3 hours so I wouldn't "bottom out" and get the hypoglycemia stuff....NOT FUN....think of it as the flu on steroids that hits you in 1 min flat!  I set my alarm to go off as a reminder and still use it currently otherwise I can go all day without eating.

How long did it take you to recover? -- I took 3 weeks off work but I could have returned after a week...I ended up taking 2 weeks and came back early due to bordom!  Very sad but true....

How much have you lost? -- in 3 months I have lost 100+ pounds.....I find that I am having a harder time acknowledging the lbs lost or when people comment on how good I look....I am waiting for the mental aspect to catch up wth how my body looks.  I did however get SO EXCITED when I flew this last weekend and buckled my seatbealt without having to use the hidden extension in my purse....it was a very good AHHHHHH moment!

What is some of the foods you can never eat again?  --I am struggeling with a lot of foods.....chicken IS NOT my friend.....eggs, unless they are hard boiled....I also have to keep reminding myself VERY SMALL bites and go slow so I don't get sick.

What are your favorite experiences you've gained from having RNY? --the seat belt was the best to date....also, I had a very large stack of jeans I could never wear....and to pull up a brand new pair that had been in my closet for 7 years and not h ave to do the shimmy into them....was a great feeling.

Do you have any regrets? --no regrets....I DO wish I had done it sooner though....HOWEVER, I am thankful to have b een blessed to have been able to have it done now.

Do you have Iron deficiency?  --nope....and I had labs done a few weeks ago, NOT fasting....doc just wanted some basic numbers and EVERYTHING was fantastic.....I was shocked!

Additional Advice -- 1) I brought the dissolvable Gas-X strips with me to the hospital for post-op....and they helped!!  No, I was bad and didn't tell my nurse I had them however....they worked for me.  2)Small sips of water.....I use to be a water chugger and could drink 3-4 liters a day...it is a hard habit to b reak to not be able to quench my thirst like I use to....the drinker has gotten easier for me though. 3) Go easy on yourself....DON'T judge what you can or can not do based off of what others are doing, our bodies heal in our own ways and go easy on yourself....example--I am struggleing incorporating food into my planning, so I still drink shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese ect...I was given some great advice that it could take up to 6 months to transition out of shakes....listen to your body....you know what it needs or is saying...OR go to your doc/NUT. 

It's a fantastic ride to get to be on....

Holy guacamole! 100 lbs in 3 months? I'LL TAKE SOME OF THAT PLEASE lol!

Glad to get some insight on how it's like the first couple months, good luck to you, you're doing great!