One month post (and some truthful TMI - beware!)

Hey, Everyone!

It has officially been one month since my RNY. It's been an interesting road, but I'm grateful for the surgery and know that things will even out as time goes on.

Stats:

Height: 5'5 (just about)

HW: 287

SW: 266.5

CW: 245

GW: 150?

So, I lost 21.5 lbs in my first month. I hit the goal I created in my tracker spreadsheet, but I pretty much hit it 2 weeks ago! The Stall hit me hard in weeks 3 and 4. I'm hoping I'll see some movement soon. I had my 4-week check-up and my surgeon said that I can begin exercising, so I want to throw myself into that. I haven't exercised in a while, so it is going to take some willpower to get myself back to the gym. I've already called my former trainer to set up some sessions. That will get me started and keep me honest!

Beyond hoping that my weight loss starts again soon, I'm worried that my incisions are going to look terrible. I just started using Scar Away strips at the suggestion of my Physician's Assistant, but the scars look really bad right now. Kind of circles of scarring - not just incision lines like I see in the photos of others.

I'm getting better at getting my protein in with the help of shakes and bars. The rest of the time, I'm eating things like eggs, cheese, yogurt, chicken, shrimp, etc. I'm glad that I can eat most things now so it makes it easier to go out with friends and family. I just feel guilty that I can't really eat all the leftovers all the time. I literally ate a quarter of my dinner last night and I'll try to have it 2 more times before I'll eventually trash the rest. I still need to get going on my liquids (water).

If you don't like TMI time - stop reading now! While in my stall, I was not having many bowel movements at all (and still am not really, but I started taking stool softeners). I actually gained 1.5 lbs when I was having bathroom troubles. The day after I saw my surgeon, I went to the bathroom 5 times. Painful at first, but better as the day went on. The next day, I was 2 lbs less. Ha. I'm glad I'm taking my daily stool softeners now and I hope it continues to help.

Also TMI (maybe more for the ladies...) Did you guys have crazy periods after surgery? I am on birth control and was always so regular with my periods. This period started a week early and I'm on the 10th day of the heaviest period of my life. It's making me super tired and even dizzy at times. I'm surprised I still have blood left in my body. Did this happen to anyone else? If so, did it stop after a few periods or do you still have trouble? I'm not used to a 10-day super-flow (with no signs of stopping). Help!

Anyway - my goal for month 2 is 15 lbs down, but I'll be "ok" with 10. Does this sound reasonable? Happy weekend!

You can see my (and others) weight loss each month in our signature lines... that's always a good place to look! (I was always doing it during my weight loss).

I can't speak on the periods because I had a hysterectomy several years prior to my WLS, but I do know that we are dumping a lot of hormones during the highest weight loss period, so I'm not surprised on that one.

I do want to chime in on the TMI part... first, early out from the surgery, constipation is horrible because of the pain pills, totally normal. After though, if you continue on a really low carb diet (which most all of us do for the best weight loss and maintenance) you will find that Miralax added to your water is a great way to keep things moving in that department and it's not addictive to your system. I use the SAMS brand (we don't have a Costco), and it's a staple in my life now )

Everyone scars differently, hopefully yours will get better. I'm assuming since the PA suggested the scar tape, that they've looked at them and confirmed no infection? Hope they get better!

You are doing great so far, keep on with the great job!

Thanks for your response! I have tried Miralax and it helped a bit. I read that we're not supposed to take it more than 7 days in a row, so I didn't want to keep using it. I bought a stool softener that my surgeon recommended and my PCP just said I could try 2 prunes a day if I don't want to keep taking medicines. We'll see how it goes!

Right! No infection in my incisions. There is some scar tissue under one of them (or, my PCP said it might be fluid). I'm not going to worry about it too much. My surgeon said he would look at it again at my 3-month check up. For now, I'll keep using the scar tape for a couple months as instructed and hope that they eventually look more "normal".

Take care!

check with your surgeon or PCP. My PCP said it was fine to take Miralax every day. It may say seven days on the bottle so that people don't just keeping taking it thinking they have a minor constipation issue when it could be something major going on that they really should be seeing a doctor about. I know that's the case with Mylanta (and the generic equivalents). I asked my doctor because it said seven days on the bottle of that, too, and she said it was fine to take long-term if needed. She said they put that on the bottle (at least with Mylanta) so people with serious issues don't just keep taking it and never go to see a doctor about their problem. I'm guessing it might be the same with Miralax. At any rate, my PCP said it was fine to take Miralax (and Mylanta!) daily long-term. So I'd check with yours...

Thanks! That's super helpful! Now, I have Miralax AND a stool softener! :-)

Hope I'm stating the obvious that birth control pills may not work properly when you've had bypass surgery, due to the issues with the stomach absorbing pills properly. I've been warned not to depend on the pill but to use supplemental birth control.

Hello! I had read that about birth control too. I asked my surgeon and my PCP before surgery. My surgeon said I would be fine taking my normal birth control (and I even asked about upping the dosage). My PCP looked into it and said there's no firm evidence that birth control is affected by WLS. I'll stay on my regular pill, but may also look into something "extra" when I need it. Thank you!

It is very common to have weird menstrual cycles in the first few months after surgery, due to the "hormone dump." Estrogen is stored in fat cells, so when you lose a lot of weight quickly, all of those hormones go flooding out into your body. That can screw with your period and cause heavy periods, long periods of spotting, all kinds of weirdness. Totally normal!

If you're super tired and dizzy, make sure you're taking an iron supplement!

I think your month 2 goal is super ambitious. Many folks lose a TON of weight in the first month post-op, but it slows down to 1 or 2lb per week after that. From seeing people's tickers and signature lines, I think a loss of 8 - 10lb is most common in month 2, but it really does depend on your starting weight and whatnot.

Thank you! I hope my cycle evens out in the next couple of months.

I'm hoping for large losses for the first few months, but as long as I'm losing, I'll be happy. Hoping to lose ~117 lbs in a year. It seems like a lot have people on here have done it! I really want to be one of them. One month at a time!

I think my cycle was back to normal by month 3 or so. I have an IUD, so normally my periods are very regular, so I was REALLY glad things calmed down!

I think you've got a totally reasonable long-term goal! As long as you stick to your plan and work hard, you can absolutely do it. I believe in you!!