Post-Op Survival Guide
Replies
-
Hi LGL Austin. It’s on amazon.com but not co.uk and .com won’t deliver to the Uk. Am going to ask my dietician. Feeling a bit despondent as have lost so little so far (3 weeks post op, only 11lbs down). Did anyone else find this?0
-
Understanding Hair Loss after Bariatric Surgery
By David Kellenberger, MPAS, RD, PA-C
The hair loss associated with bariatric surgery is called telogen effluvium and has to do with the normal hair growth cycle. It usually starts abruptly and very seldom lasts longer than 6 months. Human hair has a two stage growth cycle. The growth phase is called anagen and 90% of our hair follicles are in this phase at any given time. The resting phase is called telogen, which lasts about 1 to 6 months, with an average of 3 months. About 5-15% of our hair is in the resting phase at any given time. It is also known that telogen effluvium has to do with stress to the body and hormonal changes that can occur. Due to the stress more hair follicles can enter into the resting phase. This is important because the hair in the resting phase at the time of surgery is most likely the hair you will shed. This is why your hair sheds between 1 to 6 months after surgery (usually about3 to 4 months). When the hair starts to grow again the old hair follicle is released and you lose hair. Sometimes the hair comes out before new hair grows, yikes!So in summary, this type of hair loss is a diffuse shedding of hair as it relates to the normal hair growth cycle. It is common in men and women and all races. It occurs a little more frequently in women typically after child birth and can also happen to infants after the first month or so of life.
Why does this happen in people who have bariatric surgery? The most common reasons are:
Surgery, acute illness, trauma
Chronic disease such as liver disease or any chronic debilitating disease
Hormonal imbalance such as hypothyroidism
Crash dieting, low protein intake, anorexia, chronic iron deficiency
Heavy metal toxicity
Medications such as beta-blockers, excess vitamin A and anticoagulants (1)
So, what we have here are a few things that may be affecting people with hair loss. It starts with surgery, a very low calorie intake and possibly low protein intake. Then you add any illness along the way, an underactive thyroid, iron deficiency, or genetics and you get hair loss of about 5-15% of your hair follicles. Other nutrients implicated in hair loss include zinc, biotin, folate, vitamin B-6 and essential fatty acids. (2) If no deficiency of these nutrients exists, then they will likely be of little use.
The good news is that you can count on the hair returning unless you have a chronic illness or genetic reason for the hair thinning. The following suggestions are the best advice I can give anyone with telogen effluvium, now that we know what it is.
Relax and don’t worry. It is natural hair loss of 5-15% of your hair due to the stress of surgery and weight loss. It rarely lasts more than 6 months. It grows back. Visit your primary care doctor to be evaluated for any illness or non-nutritional reason for hair loss such as thyroid disease or other chronic illnesses. Follow our dietary prescription which calls for limited calories and exceptional diverse protein intake on a daily basis. DO NOT add a lot of protein and increase your calories so much that you sabotage your weight loss. We suggest a protein supplement that is low in sugar, for our patients we highly recommend BariClear from BariNutrition
Take a bariatric specific multi-vitamin with adequate B vitamins, folate, zinc and biotin. Don’t forget your B12 and calcium citrate with vitamin D supplements.
Avoid excessive vitamin A and high dose zinc supplements they are both potentially harmful.
Add iron if you are iron deficient based on your lab findings in consultation with your healthcare provider.
Consider adding an additional B-complex. The B vitamins are not generally toxic and the extra B vitamins with biotin may help keep your metabolism running smoothly.
Eat fish rich in omega three fatty acids several times a week or supplement with fish oil supplements in consultation with your healthcare provider.
Consider discussing minoxidil drug therapy with your healthcare provider as a possible means to grow or thicken hair. This drug has not been shown to stop the process of telogen effluvium, but given that it stimulates hair growth it may have some benefit.0 -
Dietary Guidelines after Bariatric Surgery. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/dietary_guidelines_after_gastric_bypass/
A comprehensive summary and quick reference guidelines. My surgeon has a support group, nurses, dietitians and follow up visits for ONE year included in his fee. I continue to be amazed at how many patients get little or no support or follow up care for the first year. So much dis-or MIS-information. After Megyn Kelly’s show on VSG patients who seek this surgery outside the US, I can see why people may be petrified to consider The sleeve. Educate yourself, utilize bariatric support lines, and make your Doctor or their staff accountable.0 -
Based on our findings, a competent surgeon with enough experience can realize the following weight loss numbers for patients.
Average 3 Month Expected Weight Loss 33%
Average 6 Month Expected Weight Loss 50%
Average 12 Month Expected Excess Weight Loss 65%
Average 18 Month Expected Excess Weight Loss 70%
Average Percentage of Excess Weight Loss [Graph]0 -
Hi, i'm Kelli, and I had the gastric sleeve surgery on June 14th. I must be doing something wrong... On the morning of surgery when they weighed me, i had lost 10lbs on the 2 week pre-op diet. On my 2 week appointment after surgery I hadn't lost anything. The doctor explained that they pumped me full of fluids so i would dehydrate after surgery, and that my body was still healing. I'm coming up to almost a month post-op and I am only down a few pounds since my 2 week appointment. I am getting around 6-800 calories a day. I can't drink the protein shakes as every flavor/brand i've tried, and i've tried a bunch, make me sick and nauseated. It seems most people have such great success.0
-
Here is a site that may prove helpful in determining where you should be or your chances of hitting major weight loss goals within a timeframe. A calculator is provided, enter your data and view 6, 12, 18 months averages. Note that because age, BMI, pre existing health issues may cause you to stall. You doc and nutritionist can help you. I have stalled for 3 weeks... but, let’s face it, I have been on vacation and averaging 1400 calories vs 800. My body is adjusting, I am losing inches, so the scale is not the only measure of success. Take a look.... good stuff.
https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-complete-patients-guide-to-bariatric-surgery/
1 -
This is such a great thread! I had my sleeve May 1, 2018. I'm down 37lbs. The dr said because of my age (58) and height (5') I will be a slow loser. He told me to be happy with 7lbs a month. I'm very happy with my sleeve and am good with following guidelines. About 2 weeks ago I started having food intolerance. I can't drink any protein shakes, no artificial sweeteners, no unflavored protein powder, no eggs, nothing high fat, no dairy. It's become a tad of struggle. Other than that, I'm doing great! Please ADD me if you'd like! I would appreciate friends with like goals.1
-
I think this is a great thread especially because everyone is dealing with weight loss surgery of some type. I had gastric bypass surgery on May 15 and I am down 50lbs so I feel like I making great progress. I have had some issues with introducing meats but have found that I enjoy watermelon and feta cheese combination. Ground turkey seems to work best but I think the biggest thing is to pay attention when you are eating that as soon as you are feeling full you quite. I have the same problem with protein shakes, though I did find that the ones I made from scratch with yogurt & almond milk and some kind of fruit are ok.1
-
It’s been nearly 7 months since my sleeve. Best decision I could have made. It really is an investment in myself, my health, my life. One aspect of this journey is how to deal with your changing body, what happens to your face, breasts, skin, hair, and yes... teeth. As I get closer to my ideal weight (if I stay on target 🎯 it will be my one year surgiversary on Jan 12 — I am looking at plastic surgeons and doing my due diligence. In the meantime, my sleeve and I have a mutual understanding of cooperation.0
-
Why Do Gastric Bypass Patients Get Sleepy After Eating
Bariatric patients need to make GOOD choices especially at lunch. Tips for NOT crashing after a meal.
Have you noticed since your WLS and return to regular eating a meal often causes you to become sleepy? Seriously sleepy. Drop your head in your plate sleepy.
This happens to me all the time. And there's a good reason for it. When we eat the body produces a rise in blood sugar and a surge in insulin production. This chemical activity sends tryptophan to the brain where it becomes serotonin that signals the body "Take a nap!" Here come the nods, the yawns and the blinking eyes. WLS patients are highly susceptible to post meal sleepiness because of the shortened route to the small intestine. From there the tryptophan has a fast ride to the brain shouting almost like Paul Revere "The Sleepies are coming! The Sleepies are coming!"
Now, I don't want any of you emailing my husband, but quite frequently I dramatically play the "I'm so sleepy" card and go to bed after dinner leaving him with the dishes and evening chores. (Feel free to try this at home!) In fact, he's in the kitchen now doing tonight's dishes!
This is fine for the evening meal, but what about a noonday meal? For example the business lunch. How can we socialize at our mid-day meal and not become a victim of the "Tryptophan Express" to Sleepytown?
A wise nutritional strategy for maintaining a sharp mental edge after lunch is to eat foods that give a gradual, steady release of food energy throughout the afternoon while placing only a light burden on the digestive system. Consider these strategies:
1. Emphasize healthy protein choices, like cold-water fish, beans and legumes, or a non-cream-based main dish soup or stew. Consume 60% of your volume from this group.
2. Choose a minimal serving of low-glycemic-index carbohydrates, like green salad, root vegetables in their skins, mushrooms, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, or artichoke. Consume only 20% of your food volume from this group.
3. Be sure your food choices contain healthy fats, such as cold-water fish, flaxseed oil, olive oil vinaigrette (the vinegar helps slow the release of food energy), nuts, seeds, or avocado
4. Absolutely avoid sugary, starchy, or fatty foods like soft drinks, non-whole-grain pasta, fried foods, and rich or creamy sauces and dressings
5. Skip dessert.
Rest assured, (pun intended) by making wise food choices we can be alert, responsive and LivingAfterWLS! Just say no to the Sleepies by making wholesome healthy food choices.
Kaye Bailey © 2005 - All Rights Reserved
Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com0
This discussion has been closed.