Gina S.
Below are some ideas/suggestions on food/vitamins/drinks/ and so on after RNY Gastric Bypass. I am posting it here in my profile in hopes may be it may help others..... God bless!
As for gas that occurs post Gastric Bypass; mine has decreased over time. A product I found that has helped me ALOT with gas is MaxiHealth brand chewable Oraldophilus. It's a pro-biotic formula that contains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus sporogenes, which are friendly bacteria our body needs for healthy digestion and prevention of gas. Anti-biotics which are often given in the IV during surgery or after surgery kill-off the good bacteria in our intestines. This formula also contains Slippery elm bark and apple pectin which are soothing to the intestines/stomach. I bought mine at LuckyVitamin.com but I am sure they're available at other websites that sell vitamins and supplements. My Doctor also suggested Gas-X, but I feel the Oraldophilus has helped more....
As for protein intake, you definitely won't get in the required amount in the beginning, but that's to be expected. You'll be able to get more in once your able to eat a wider variety of foods. Later, you might want to take 5000 mcg of Biotin daily along with your other vitamins to help reduce or avoid hair loss. Also liquid sublingual Vitamin B Complex (we have a hard time absorbing B-Vitamins through the stomach with pills, so liquid under the tongue or shots is best way). As for protein, your tastes will mysteriously change as you progress. At first I could not tolerate the protein bullets but could drink the shakes. Later, just tthe opposite happened; go figure! I take a Centrum Adult chewable every day (my surgeon said I should start them 2 weeks post-op), as well as a chewable multi-vitamin by Greens Today brand, called Energy Boosters formula. It has an amazing amount of vitamins, minerals and all kinds of cool natural herbs and stuff, like Bee Pollen, Gingko Biloba, Maitake Mushroom, just to name a few...... For calcium, I take a chewable by Rainbow Light brand called Calcium Citrate Multi-Mins. It has 1,000 mg of calcium citrate per 3 chocolate flavored wafers, plus Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and a few others. Calcium Citrate is THE most absorbable form of Calcium for RNY patients. Most calcium sold at stores is calcium carbonate, which is harder to absorb. Almost everything I've mentioned is available at LuckyVitamin.com. They have free shipping with orders of 100. or more. I ordered several bottles of everything, to get the free shipping, because I know I'll be taking these things for the rest of my life, so might as well stock-up!
I also take Colace stool softener every day as per my Surgeon (not laxative), and a potassium tablet about 3 times a week, (otherwise I start getting cramps in my ankles at 3:00am).
Once you start eating solid foods, if I may suggest, try to keep your foods simple. I have found the more variety of foods I buy, the more I tend to eat. Also, try to avoid frozen dinners when possible. Even the so-called healthy ones usually have loads of salt and are just so "processed". Also try to never, or almost never eat breads, crackers, white flour, rice, potatoes, and anything with sugar, including natural sugar like honey. I have found if I eat carbs, I keep craving them and don't feel satisfied. I eat mostly chicken breast, tuna, fish, turkey, some soft-cooked roast beef, low-fat cheeses of all varieties, low-fat cottage cheese, occasional low-sugar yogurt, vegetables, occasional apples with a little peanut butter, occasional natural fresh fruits and berries (juices are too concentrated with sugar). My surgeon said proteins should be my main focus for life. You may go through a "mourning period" over food - I did. I missed being able to snarf on candy or to over-eat when I was upset, or to have some of the donuts someone brought in to work, but over time, I amazingly got over it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe it sometimes. Someone brought in cinnamon rolls this week and I just walked right on by, did not crave them, did not feel deprived, in a fact I felt "proud" like I was soooo above such crap! I now go in to Dunkin Donuts and order a hot sugar-free Latte with Splenda sweetener, skim milk, and toasted almond flavoring and I don't even glance at the donuts. They ask me if I want a donut and I say "no thanks". It just amazes me that that has become so "normal" for me now. I was such a sugar-addict. Before, I would buy a dozen donuts and eat most of them over a 2 day period. I made myself borderline diabetic!!!!!
As for drinks, I drink Crystal Light (pour a single packet in a bottle of water). My favorite flavor is Wild Strawberry. Ocean Spray also has those little powder packets to add to a bottle of water in Cran-apple flavor, sugar-free, really good! I also drink sugar free hot lattes, dunkin donuts brand, or I buy General Foods International Cofee or Hills brothers brand in the sugar free Lattes/Cappuchino flavors - yum! Mixes with hot water or hot water with a little milk. One thing I can not live without is my "hand mixer" or maybe it's called a "drink mixer"...... It's made by Hamilton Beach and it's electrical powered/plugs in. It is hand-held and has high/low speed. It has a little whizzer/mixer thingy on the end to mix drinks. I use it to mix powdered protein drinks so they don't have those nasty "clumps." I also use it to whiz-up a sugar free Latte with hot water, a little milk, some sugar free Latte powder, and instant coffee. It makes it frothy on the top and again, mixes it really well so there's no clumps. I bought mine on eBay. I am sure they are sold in many places. I keep a tall, kind of narrow container that I pour the drink and mix in, so that it won't splash out when I am mixing it. Then I pour it from there in to my glass or mug, and immediately rinse everything with water - very easy!
Hope this was helpful......... 
02/28/2008
Hi everyone!
My name is Gina,
I have 2 grown children, a girl, named Angel, age 27 and a boy, Christopher, age 22. My daughter has a little girl, Hannah, age 5. Unfortunately, my little grandchild is in Florida, so I don't see her much.
I had Stomach stapling back in 1995. At that time I weighed 370. The stomach stapling took me to a low of 239, but I slowly went back up to 305. I had Roux-enY Gastric Bypass on February 1st, 2008.
I wan't overweight as a child, in fact I hit 5'8" tall at age 11, and looked about 16. People told me, "you should be a model."
But, I went through some really bad things as a child, fell victim to some bad people as child, then married young (age 17) and was married 16 years to a man I can only describe as a "monster." He was extremely verbally, emotionally, and sometimes physically abusive. During that marriage, food became a great comfort to me, and I ballooned up to 370 pounds. In 1995 I saw a commercial on TV for Stomach Stapling. My insurance company approved it. As you can imagine, my husband at that time did NOT want me to have it, (better to keep your victim fat, helpless, with low self-esteem). Thank God, I had the surgery anyway, and managed to get down to 239 pounds. I left him and have never looked back. Funny, even after all these years, I still have nightmares about him once in awhile.....
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
