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A blast from the past! How are you?
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
IMO you will be more satisfied (hungerwise), ingest fewer calories and carbs, and get more protein, from eating chicken breast than drinking a protein shake. Chicken, turkey, and fish are your friends right now, just don't dredge them in flour and deep fry them or anything like that!
After I recovered from open heart surgery in 2016, I got down to my goal weight, but was very weak and my muscles had disappeared. My calves were just little hanging flaps of skin on the back of my legs. I needed to exercise to build my muscles back.
I did the exercise at the hospital therapy center wearing a heart monitor. Within a month, my muscles were back but I also put on an extra 10 pounds. I decided to just accept that extra weight because I felt strong and healthy.
But that extra 10 slowly turned to an extra 30 by the beginning of 2019. It was hard to walk for any distance at all and when I would try to exercise I would end up with terrible muscle pain and cramps. In January of 2019, I joined Weigh****chers online program. By June I was back down to being 10 pounds over goal. I felt great and quit the program.
On Wednesday morning, I weighed in at 19 pounds over my goal and signed up for Weigh****chers again. I am following the program and this time plan to get to goal by June. After weight loss surgery, my weight still depends on what I eat and exercise can cause me to gain.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
You should watch some of Dr. Vuong's videos. Sometimes I think he is a whack-a-doodle, but he does have some insightful things to say.
HERE is one on revisions.
HERE is a good one dealing with the problems of WLS.
Laura in Texas
53 years old; 5'7" tall; HW: 339 (BMI=53); GW: 140 CW: 170 (BMI=27)
RNY: 09-17-08 Dr. Garth Davis
brachioplasty: 12-18-09 Dr. Wainwright; lbl/bl: 06-28-11 Dr. LoMonaco
"May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears."
I can relate to steroids injections that caused water retention, blood sugar fluctuations and appetite. But what and how much I gained was because I ate more and more sugary carbt foods because of the cravings. Post op RNY, I get lower back epidurals, and I get SI joints injections regularly. Right after injections, I have a temporary weight gain due to the steroids (2 - 4 lbs) and I get more hungry, but now I make sure I have enough dense proteins at home and I eat that, staying away from carby things.
Just gaining weight may not qualify you for sleeve revision. And if your sleeve us still good, not significantly enlarged, it would be no reason to make it smaller.
Unfortunately you need to try to get back on post WLS diet, of dense proteins, then some fat, and some non starchy veggies. You still have the tool. Unless there is something wrong with your current sleeve, a revision may not help you, but it can make you much worse health wise.
A lot of doctors would not do a knee replacement surgery unless the patient loses some weight.
We don't need to exercise to lose weight. I start exercise when I want to gain weight. Seriously. When I exercise I get more hungry, I want to eat more, and I eat more.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Some people become lactose intolerant post op WLS. If you drinking any protein shakes, make sure they are pure whey isolate, not whey concentrate or even with milk proteins or based on milk.
Also - some people became so lactose intolerant that they can't even consider getting any dairy. They get that sensitive, almost like having allergies/ intolerance (that would include milk, any whey proteins, yogurt, and even cheese).
People on here mentioned stool softeners. Some of them can be with stimulants like collace, and when I talked my my gastro and pharmacist, they both told me to try to avoid any colon stimulants. They may be taken occasionally for a very short time, not daily for weeks or months. They can cause dependency.
Magnesium, or Miralax type products work by getting more water into the colon and not by stimulating the gut muscles. They supposed to be easier on the system, and can be taken long term (my gastro told me that). But because they "bring" more liquids into the intestines, we need to make sure we drink a lot of liquids during the day to not become dehydrated. And make sure to take enough electrolytes (absorbable magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc.)
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Some people develop severe GERD after gastric sleeve surgery. Dont ignore GERD. It can cause Serious damage to your sleeve, your esophagus (Barrett's esophagus - precancerous lesions) and when aspiration acid - it can cause a severe permanent damage to the lungs.
The pain you describe - under the ribs - can also indi5liver - gallbladder issues. I had not working GB, and when I ate, I would hurt a lot (sometimes crying in pain). Breathing was really difficult when I got GB pain.
In any case - you probably need to see a specialist. Gastro doctor, and get some blood labwork. When you losing blood as you describe - you may have passed out because you lost the blood, and became severely anemic almost instantly. It is critical to do blood work, to determine if you are anemic now. That can cause shortness of breath, heart palpitations during any exertion. When my iron level dropped and my body became anemic, even 1-2 flights of stairs could leave me gasping for air. After I got iron infusions, I could run up that stairs without getting winded.
I hope you find what is going on.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Hello there!
I'm new to this site as well. It has been a godsend. I was never made to go on a liquid diet until the day prior to surgery. In terms of having my "last hurrah", I tried but nearly vomited. My body was already used to salad and water by then. What you're feeling is normal. I would say make sure you have a therapist while embarking on this journey. Sometimes we can use a little help staying on course. I have weekly visits with mine now.
You have been through a lot. It sounds like the knee replacement would be your first priority. Steroid shots increase appetite and cause more fat to be deposited. Look for other ways to deal with the pain. Ice, compression bandages or knee braces, rest, elevation, and Biofreeze help me.
You would need to talk to a surgeon about a revision to your sleeve. If you have a lot of GERD, then they might revise it to RNY. Sometimes insurance will pay for a revision when there is insufficient weight loss. The only way to find out is to ask.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
