Question for Post Op

ApplesScale
on 7/31/18 12:26 pm

Do you still see your dietitian after wls? I'm thinking about doing it.

Do you go to any wls support groups? If your Doctor offer it.

HW 405 Starting weight 338

Surgey Weight day of 7/26/18 308

CW 298.8 GW 180

Gwen M.
on 7/31/18 1:42 pm
VSG on 03/13/14

I asked about support groups in the QOTD for today's VSG meal post - so you might want to read the replies there.

I think I was supposed to see my nutritionist for the first year of my followups with my surgeon, so I did that. Now there's really no reason for me to schedule with her, so I don't. I just seem my surgeon every year.

VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)

Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170

TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)

Liz WantsHealthForAll
on 7/31/18 3:14 pm - Cape Cod, MA
VSG on 03/28/16

I see the nutritionist in my surgeons office every time I go in for an appointment. We are encouraged to make additional appointments with them if we feel the need. I use OH for daily support, especially the menu threads and a VSG maintenance group. I attend a monthly in-person support group and would probably go a couple times a month if there was another one close by. I have done this since my first appointment with my surgeon prior to WLS. My surgery was 28 months ago and I have been in maintenance for 20 months.

Basically, I take any and all support available that I think will help me on this lifetime journey.

Liz 5'3" HW: 219 SW: 185 GW: 125 LW: 113 Desired maintenance range: 120-123 CW: 120 (after losing 20 lb. regain)!

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 7/31/18 4:01 pm - OH

One of the two nutritionists/dietitians the hospital had quit right after I had surgery, so I didn't see or talk to anyone for my scheduled 3 month check in (except my surgeon). At 6 months, I got a phone call telling me that they were still down a person and just asking if I had any questions or concerns. Fortunately, my surgeon gave us an entire 3-ring binder of information, about half of which was devoted to nutrition and vitamins post-op, so I didn't need help.

i think for most, people, though, it can be useful if you aren't feeling sure about what and how much you are eating as long as the person you are seeing has specific training for working with WLS post-ops. Ten years ago, many of them were NOT, and they just tried to advise people based on a diabetic diet... but I expect that things have improved a great deal since then.

I went to a support group for a few months afterward, but the psychologist who was running it didn't want discussions and Q&A... he wanted to just lecture and his lectures weren't helpful for most of us.

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

(deactivated member)
on 7/31/18 6:05 pm
VSG on 01/12/17

I only saw a dietitian twice. Once for my required consult to get surgery, and another to have my RMR tested. Other than that, never felt the need to see one really.

Partlypollyanna
on 7/31/18 6:18 pm
RNY on 02/14/18

I have seen mine a couple of times since, there's a regular follow up schedule in my program. I think I will see her one more time in the first year and then annually for a bit.

I've found some value in my conversations with her, particularly leading up to and the first visit or two after surgery. My lvisit she was taking notes on what I do when I travel to share with her other clients, so we may be past peak value. Most of what i do when I travel I got from tips from the menu thread, from asking questions here, and putting options and ideas into my meal tracker so there are a lot of ways to get information. I like that I have access to her in the future if I need it because options are good.

HW: 306 SW: 282 GW: 145 (reached 2/6/19) CW:150

Jen

califsleevin
on 7/31/18 9:46 pm - CA

I saw our RD, who is a more fitness oriented RD associated with our PCP's office rather than a bariatric specialist (not really all that necessary with the VSG given its' rather "normal" characteristic) a couple of times pre-op to translate the surgeon's program dietary instructions into a specific diet/nutrition plan, and then as I was getting into maintenance to massage things for the longer term. I still see one regularly - sorta - in that one of our nephews is an RD in training (done with all the academics, into the internships now) so we get some nutritional "counseling" over some of the holiday dinners. Between the two, we have been able to keep a good grounding on nutrition fundamentals of weight control rather than the faddishness that masquerades as nutrition in so many online forums.

Support groups? Our RN program director often lead the post-op support seminars at the ASBS/ASMBS conferences, so yeah, we had support groups! We have been going to them for about fifteen years, since my wife's pre-op WLS days, and they usually have something new to learn in them between new trends in surgery, nutrition and supplement fields. The practice was one of the early adopters of probiotics after some research and presentations from one of the local producers. One of the most helpful aspects of it was being able to meet up with program vets who were several years ahead, who could provide real life evidence of how well the program worked, contrary to some of the online vets who may insist that only their cookie cutter program was the only one that could possibly work.

The format has changed some over the years as the group has evolved into more of a dinner group of mostly vets in the 10-20 out range and it has been adopted by a local surgeon (it was a remote group as our doc is 300 miles away now, but had participants from several surgeons). Sometimes there is a specific topic and/or guest, sometimes more free ranging discussion; often it is just a good opportunity for a semi-intimate small group chat with the surgeon about whatever is on our, or his, mind. It continues to be a good stabilizing force against much of the online trendiness.

1st support group/seminar - 8/03 (has it been that long?)  

Wife's DS - 5/05 w Dr. Robert Rabkin   VSG on 5/9/11 by Dr. John Rabkin

 

CerealKiller Kat71
on 8/1/18 7:44 am
RNY on 12/31/13

I didn't find much help from the regular dietician, but I have had great success seeing a bariatric endocrinologist's dietician.

IMHO, it's very important to recognize that dietary needs post-surgery, and arguably post-obesity, are very different from someone who has never suffered this disease.

Good luck to you -- you are very wise to consider these things and to find a strong support system to maximize your success.

"What you eat in private, you wear in public." --- Kat

Janet P.
on 8/2/18 6:35 am
On July 31, 2018 at 7:26 PM Pacific Time, ApplesScale wrote:

Do you still see your dietitian after wls? I'm thinking about doing it.

Do you go to any wls support groups? If your Doctor offer it.

I saw my dietitian for about a year after WLS. Once I felt I had a good handle on things, I didn't need them anymore.

Support groups are awesome. I attended my doctor's support groups for a year pre-op and then several years post-op but we had a smaller local group (about 10-15 people) who met every week for years. My surgeon was local but our smaller group were all from the same 2-3 communities. I believe that group helped me the most. If your doctor doesn't offer one consider starting your own! I'm still friends with several of those folks and it's been more than 15 years!!

Janet in Leesburg
DS 2/25/03
Hazem Elariny
-175

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