Another thing to look into - your copper is also related to calcium AND protein.  Once I got my copper level up, my calcium and protein went up.   How much copper are you taking, and do you know not to take it with your zinc?    

I have problems with edema, and they can't seem to find the cause of it.    It's been diagnosed as idiopathic cyclic edema - it seems to be related to my hormone levels.    I can't comment much on the hemotological apsect of your labs.     I agree that adding a couple of protein shakes in for now is a good idea, and figure out a way to get more calcium in  - I take it every time I eat.     Do make sure you get your A, D and PTH done.    Your A and zinc can also relate to your calcium and protein levels.     Confusing, huh??

 You've received some great, well-informed advice here, so I won't give you that, but speaking from personal experience, I have a friend who thought she'd be going the "safest" route by going with the VSG.   She also had a BMI of over 50.   She has lost 146 pounds and has stopped losing, with another 60 pounds left to lose.   She's beating her head against the wall right now.  At the time, she thought she'd be happy with ANY weight loss, but now she wishes she'd gone with the DS, because she will likely never get to goal now.

 Morganna,

Grapes, cantaloupe and all the fruit you are eating are all full of sugar.   KFC's cole slaw is high in sugar also.   Start counting carbs.   Keep it to 20-30 a day for a few weeks.  I guarantee you, you will lose weight.   Remember, you are absorbing 100% of the carbs you ingest.  That bowl of cereal you eat right before bed?   You absorb every single calorie.   Plus, I swear, they put stuff in fast food that makes it addictive.   It's a good thing I hate 99% of it - I swear I taste the chemicals in it.   

I'm almost six years out.    I have had pretty minimal rebound (ten pounds, and I'm looking to lose five of it before my daughter's wedding in July because I have a REALLY form-fitting dress)   I am kinda sorta watching my carbs (just cutting out sugar and candy and I avoid most white flour anyway) and this is what I ate today:

Breakfast-   Low-carb almond meal pancakes
Lunch -        Mexican fried cheese, low-carb burrito, and about two tablespoons refried beans, fresh veggies and dip
Snacks -        Popcorn, nuts
Dinner -       Salmon patties and one slice of an asparagus/ricotta tart made with puff pastry, which is relatively low-carb compared to crackers, bread, etc.
**    I'll have some Greek yogurt before bed tonight, mixed with DaVinci caramel syrup and a handful of pecans. 


Yesterday, the only carbs I ate were three corn tortillas and a square of super dark chocolate.    I do not routine eat fruit, so when I am in the mood for it, I don't feel guilty about eating a small bowl of fresh pineapple.    Also, a lot of people have lost rebound by consciously adding in a couple of protein shakes a day.    It seems to lower their cravings and the extra protein jumb-starts their weight loss.   

Just to clarify, a DS is not a gastric bypass.   It is technically a VSG with a form of intestinal bypass.   It gets really confusing when you refer to a DS as a gastric bypass, as people then assume you have had a RNY.    I am also a very stubborn calcium absorber, and although I have no stones, my oxalates are sky high.     I have been warned about the risk of kidney failure, as well as oxalate deposition disease, which is when oxalate crystals are deposited in your joints and even your eyes.   Low oxalate diets are unreliable and difficult to adhere to, especially as a DS'er.     Their success rate is also not very good, even with careful adherence.

Have your doctor also research a probiotic called h. pyelori, which inhibits oxalate formation.   When I checked last year, it was in Stage 3 clinical trials, and was expected to be marketed soon.   Lastly, don't forget that a lot of doctors know squat about this kind of stuff, so don't take your doctor's word as gospel.   Do your own research and reach out to others in the medical community.   I'll be pursuing this issue further this summer, because I have to have some tests and see some more specialists about my oxalates, and I'll let you know what I come up with.  In your case, you have more urgency because of your renal failure.   Good luck!

Jazzy, yes, kidney failure is associated with any form of malabsorptive situation, whether it is gastric bypass or the DS.   Fortunately, it is not very common, but likely could be as the rate of WLS rises.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2225562

You're still in that "melted candle" stage.    I just yesterday saw a picture of myself taken when I was about seven months out, and was shocked at how saggy and floppy I looked, and I had less to lose than you.    Now, I think, especially since I'm 51,  I look pretty freakin' normal!   Your skin does catch up some, especially since you are younger.   Good job on the weight loss!

I've had a ten pound rebound from my very lowest (too thin) weight.   As long as I don't go completely butt wild on the carbs (and I mean completely butt wild) my weight stays the same.     Just this winter, I had some rebound, and the pants that I'd been wearing for the past five years started to get too tight.   I cut back the carbs a bit, and I'm back into them.

 I dunno...I'm kind of the odd man out here, but I started enjoying food again within the first few weeks - just in much smaller doses!

 You sound perfectly normal, unfortunately, LOL.     You will likely find your improvement quite dramatic over the next few days.  Keep moving - it's good for you on many levels.    

Don't worry so much about the protein (even though GHP makes you feel like an idiot if you are not blithely gulping down 70 g of protein by the third day post-op) and concern yourself primarily with getting those fluids in!

 A VSG to DS revision should not be any more complicated than a DS, unless you are also having your sleeve revised.      What I'm wondering that you might be misinterpreting is the difference in technical difficulty between a VSG and a full DS.    Tightening up a sleeve is a procedure that I would only leave to an experienced revisionist, but a VSG to DS should be able to be performed by any vetted DS surgeon.

 Good to see you Beanie!   You look absolutely stunning - and like you've never had a weight problem in your life.   Funny, I just had basically the same thing today, but with a Flat-out Light.  6 net carbs!

 Wonderful news!  Congratulations!

 I think we all go through that scary feeling when we realize that we no longer eat as much as a small toddler; however, before I advise any further, 1)  Who is your surgeon? and 2)  What are you eating?