Life After RNY

Hi All, surgery is fast approaching and I'm still trying to settle between "old faithful" , RNY and the new Sleeve. Both surgeries seem like good option but I'm leaning a little more heavily between RNY.  I have a few questions I'm hoping you can answer for me which will help.

(The Lapband and DS are not options for me).

1. How many people eat a "regular" diet but just not as much as you would have before surgery and what are your results like?

2. How long did you find before you felt hungry again?

3. How long did it take you before you felt "normal" again?

4. Are you pleased with your results and did NOT exercise a lot?

5. Is there anything you wish you had known before surgery that you know now and think pre-ops migh tbe interested in knowing?

Thanks a bunch!!

1. How many people eat a "regular" diet but just not as much as you would have before surgery and what are your results like?

You can have a "regular" diet to a certain extent but there are things that you will have to refrain from initially like bread, rice, pasta because it will not only stall your weight loss with empty calories but also you have to ensure that you are fully healed from the surgery. The first part is the most important!

2. How long did you find before you felt hungry again?

Depends on the person but I've been told by many others that sign of hunger is also signs of dehydration. For instance, if you ate and felt hungry an hour later it could be you are just thirsty and need to up your fluid intake.

3. How long did it take you before you felt "normal" again?

About 5 days after surgery I felt normal but since it is a major surgery I did get tired easily so I needed to stay within my boundaries and NOT do regular stuff until about 2 wks after.

4. Are you pleased with your results and did NOT exercise a lot?

I'm only 5 weeks out and I was told not to exercise until 6 wks but I am more active because I have more energy. So I might not have "hit the gym" but I am extremely excited that I am more active and more than pleased with my progress!!!

5. Is there anything you wish you had known before surgery that you know now and think pre-ops might be interested in knowing?

I wish I would have known simple tips like ensuring you meet calcium/protein goals before anything else. Since we need to strive to a protein forward lifestyle (not diet since its for life), I have realized that calories are not as much as a factor.

Good luck with everything! Remember this is only based off of my experiences and opinion.

Take care!!!

Thank you SO much for your detailed response. I'm so scared that I will be the exception that manages to screw this last chance up. I'm doing research by reading info from doctors but think it's much more helpful to see what people who are living this lie have to say about it. I've been toying with the idea in my mind of living an Atkins-like diet for the rest of my life. I've even considered allowing myself 1 small serving of carbs per day (once the doc clears me for it) but I'm thinking that's how I got into this predicament in the first place. It was candy and cookies for  me. It was potatoes and pasta and rice and fried foods too. Once I am no longer considered morbidly obese again I NEVER want to come back.

5 days until you felt normal, WOW! That's very encouraging. I know this is just based on your experience but I had 2 c-sections and felt "normal" the next day so hopefully, I will bounch back from this quickly as well. I meet with my dr. on the 29th and as long as he doesn't strongly object to RNY, I'm most likely going to go this route because I've personally seen the results of it on many.

I see you are still new. Congrats!!! Also, was there anything in particular that helped you decide RNY was right for you as opposed to the other surgeries?

1.  I eat a "regular" diet but that's not the same as the diet I ate  before surgery.  Before surgery I ate a lot of foods high in starchy carbs, high in fat, and high in sugar.  Now, I limit the starchy carbs, fat and sugar, though I do eat those things sometimes.  I have dumping syndrome if I eat too much sugar, but I can tolerate a cookie or a 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt or something like that.  My results of surgey were great - I am going on five years out and at my goal weight.

2.  I felt hungry again about three months out.

3.  I had some complications, so it was several months before I felt normal again.

4.  I don't, and never have, exercised a lot and I am pleased with my results.  In general, though, I think it's healthy to exercise.

5.  I wish I'd know how common reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is after RNY.  I also wish my surgeon had given me more/better information about vitamins after RNY.

Hi Kelly,

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. With each day that passes and the more pep-talks I give myself and visit support groups, the more convinced I am that I can do this. I didn't become morbidly obese in the way that most people think I did. I didn't eat a lot of candy and cakes. I ate the starchy carbs. I'm very afraid that if I deprive myself of these things for too long that I will just binge like I used to do and I know that isn't good for me post-op for so many reasons. I'm waiting on the waiting list to see if my old therapist will take me back. I feel that I could really benefit in some extra help right now as I try to recover from my carb addiction. I'm hoping that once I start seeing results and feeling better that will be motivation enough to stay away. We'll see. I also started blogging again. That used to help when I was calorie counting.

Sorry to hear you had complications. I've read a lot about RH is RNY patients. It's a shame. that many people go from one extreme (diabetes) to another (RH) all in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. Why can't there be an easier and safer way that works long term? Our program basically prescribes band, sleeve and RNY patients the same vitamins which they admit are more for RNY patients and overkill for the others but it won't hurt them. (Not in those words). I know I need to find out all the labs I should be getting and learn to monitor them. I read a lot of your posts and those from others and understand what can happen if those levels get out of whack.

Had the sleeve been available when you had your surgery, do you still think you would have gone RNY?

Thanks!

Nita

I think I would have had the sleeve if my insurance would have paid for it.

Thanks for your honesty. I'm in the decision mode right now.

1. How many people eat a "regular" diet but just not as much as you would have before surgery and what are your results like?

-  I cannot tolerate pasta, breads, rice, reheated meats, ice cream - BUT I am not complaining at all!

2. How long did you find before you felt hungry again?   - Two (2) years for me

3. How long did it take you before you felt "normal" again? - It took a long time - almost 3 years - mostly because people who hadn't seen me made my weight loss the subject of the conversation.  I always wanted to be what we had in common to dominate the conversation, so it seemed like forever until I could interact "normally".

4. Are you pleased with your results and did NOT exercise a lot?  -  I have no more acid reflux, no more high cholesterol, I get paid attention to by men - you betcha I'm pleased!  Prior to WLS, I did only water aerobics; now I do aerobics and zumba.

5. Is there anything you wish you had known before surgery that you know now and think pre-ops migh tbe interested in knowing?   -  There is a big emotional adjustment that I wasn't prepared for.  Maybe that's because everyone's different.  There was comfort in knowing what I size I wore - just went into the store and bought a 3X - no big deal.  BUT, after WLS, and even to this day, I don't really know what size I take (although I don't stress about it like I used to).  I cry/tear up at the stupidest things too! 

Hi Sandie,

Congrats on your success! Also, thanks for helping me out. I pray that a day will come where I can't "tolerate" the foods you listed above. Those are all my favorites. It's funny how when you are on the outside looking in you take for granted that you would want to be small to shop at regular stores or want everyone to notice how good you looked and then when these things happen you feel it's too much attention or stressful to not know your true size. Thank you for mentioning this aspect. I'm still pre-op so I know I'm probably a little dillusional about how life will be and people will respond. I never thought that it might be hard for me to adjust. I'm hoping this topic is covered in therapy. Yes, I'm pre-planning on going to therapy to help me get through the changes. I wasn't always big. Maybe the last 7 years have been hell for me being uncomfortable in my own skin.

I'm super emotional now and hope that maybe once I have surgery, loose weight and gain confidence that it will help!

Thanks a lot!

Nita

HI,

I'm 4 weeks out after an RNY revision (original surgery in 2005) and am feeling "normal".  In fact, I felt great immediately after the revision with enhanced energy.  I'm just starting to introduce normal foods after 4 weeks on liquids and so far, so good.  I started feeling hunger a few days ago and am being very careful what I eat (nutrition value - NO JUNK).

I would strongly recommend you start introducing your lifestyle changes now; before your surgery.  I started keeping track of everything I ate in April - 3 months before surgery - which helped me identify where I was going wrong as far as food choices.

Also, exercise is a HUGE part of weight management.  Again, I started an exercise program 3 months prior to surgery and have maintained the routine.  I think falling off the exercise regimen was a big reason I re-gained weight after my first surgery.  Remember, the surgery is only one tool in your weight management toolbox.  You don't have to become a "gym rat", just try to go for a walk, walk your dog if you have one or take the stairs instead of the elevator.  It all adds up.

You may want to try a site like MyFitnessPal that has great trackers for food, exercise, weight etc.  It helped me visualize my poor food choices and also quantified calories.

The biggest thing, in my opinion, is implementing your lifestyle changes as soon as you can.  You will start to see results before your procedure which helps motivate you following the surgery.  Good luck!