Starting the process!

countryrose7
countryrose7 Posts: 107 Member
Hi all! I am starting the process for RNY surgery this summer. I've seen my surgeon who agreed I'm a good canidate for surgery. I've done one PCP visit and I have my Psych eval 1/29. I am so ready to get this ball rolling and have the surgery.
A little bit about me.....I'm a busy SAHM to 4 beautiful kiddos. I have decided that this is MY YEAR! I can't take care of them without first taking care of me. (it's taken me 12 long years to finally come to that conclusion.) I have a lot of weight to lose, 220lbs to be exact.
So, the main point of posting this is to gather supportive, knowledgable people around me that have done RNY already.

Replies

  • Tawnykakers1
    Tawnykakers1 Posts: 206 Member
    Welcome! Great bunch of people and support here.
  • sinderstorm
    sinderstorm Posts: 225 Member
    Welcome! I did a sleeve last April, and was where you are now last year. It is an amazing ride, and there are some really awesome people in here. Read lots, and ask questions when they come up
  • gdnplnty
    gdnplnty Posts: 167 Member
    Hello and welcome! :smiley:
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    Welcome!
  • Bluemajestic
    Bluemajestic Posts: 53 Member
    Welcome! Feel free to add! :)
  • krissymae88
    krissymae88 Posts: 82 Member
    Welcome! I am still pre-surgery but I'm hoping to have RNY about a month or so from now. Its been a long and complicated process and now that I'm nearing the end of the waiting stage it feels like it has gone by so fast!
  • cabennett99
    cabennett99 Posts: 353 Member
    This is a great place for support, questions, and knowledge. Congrats on taking control of your life, it's been best thing I ever did.
  • AngieViolet
    AngieViolet Posts: 230 Member
    Congrats on putting you first! This is an great place full of awesome people! I had RNY 2 months ago. Feel free to friend me if you'd like!
  • xickel
    xickel Posts: 48 Member
    Welcome! I've been on MFP for a couple weeks now and the support has been great! I had RNY last April.
  • martabeerich
    martabeerich Posts: 195 Member
    It is a journey, for sure. But so worth it. Remember most of all to be kind to yourself. Welcome!
  • boncharlie
    boncharlie Posts: 459 Member
    Hello and welcome :)
  • cmchandler74
    cmchandler74 Posts: 507 Member
    Welcome! This is an awesome, supportive group. Glad to see you so excited to start your journey.
  • coffeeandacop
    coffeeandacop Posts: 14 Member
    Welcome to the best thing you can do for YOU! I had RNY 7/2/15...started this journey March 2015 at 347 pounds..weighed in this morning at 214! Only 15 more pounds to ONEderland! Feel free to friend me..I will be happy to help you and answer any questions! GL!!!!
  • rpyle111
    rpyle111 Posts: 1,060 Member
    edited January 2016
    Welcome! There is a lot to learn that you may not get in your program. My general advice to newbies here is to go back and read a few pages of topics to see the kinds of things that are discussed. Ask any questions you may have. Also, add as friends anyone who resonates with you or your situation, as well as a number of folks at all stages of the process. You can get food ideas for your own stage of the process, look back at anyone's diary for what they ate just post-surgery (for instance) and see the real struggles and successes that happen daily.

    Also, as you are early in the process, hit the pre-surgery program hard. Anything you lose pre-surgery is a pound you don't have to lose post-surgery. The surgery really helps for the first 6-9 months, and then the weight loss gets harder. If you can hit your goal (or close to it) in 6-9 months post-surgery, you will have a much easier time of it. These next few months as you prepare for the surgery are the perfect time to nail your habits and behaviors which will serve you well after the surgery.

    Don't see the time as a maddening delay, use it to your advantage!

    Rob
  • klingerman73
    klingerman73 Posts: 76 Member
    Welcome!!
  • countryrose7
    countryrose7 Posts: 107 Member
    Thank you all! I have been trying a very low calorie diet for the last 2 weeks and it's not helping. I've actually gained so I think my body thinks it"s in starvation mode. So much to learn!
  • countryrose7
    countryrose7 Posts: 107 Member
    Welcome to the best thing you can do for YOU! I had RNY 7/2/15...started this journey March 2015 at 347 pounds..weighed in this morning at 214! Only 15 more pounds to ONEderland! Feel free to friend me..I will be happy to help you and answer any questions! GL!!!!

    Amazing loss!!! How was your pre op phase? You and I have similar starting weights though I'm a bit heavier.
  • coffeeandacop
    coffeeandacop Posts: 14 Member
    Pre-op went very smoothly as did my surgery. I was asked to lose 30 pounds and actually lost 55! Unfortunately I tend to retain a lot of the fluids from the IVs! I gained 20 pounds and have to say I was discouraged and questioning if I made the right choice...7 months later and I KNOW I did!!!
  • karajo333
    karajo333 Posts: 23 Member
    What about pain post-op? How long out of work? Saggy skin? I know I want this...I've heard so much good. Nothing is going to scare me away...I just want to know the "bad". Not necessarily bad things that have happened, just the things that you were scared going into it, just to find out it's not that bad.
  • anbrdr
    anbrdr Posts: 619 Member
    edited January 2016
    This stuff affects everyone a little differently. Personally, I was out 3 weeks, but I could have gone back to work after 2. Was glad I had the extra week, because when you are getting less than 600 cal/day, you need naps, and your brain might not be so sharp.
    Day 2-4 post op will be the most painful, provided nothing else goes wrong. I's like that for almost every type of laproscopic surgery though. Every day after day 4 was better, in my case.
    I've lost over 175. I have saggy skin, it is what it is. I look pretty good in most clothes though.
    Dehydration is a real challenging thing. So is the associated bowel issues that accompany it. even 6 months out I take a stool softener every other day or so to keep from becoming impacted/constipated.
    Some people get dumping syndrome over sugar. Mine is triggered by too much fat. Some people don't get it at all.
    There are days where I can't keep a meal or a drink down, and it comes right back up. I fast for a few hours or a day until I can keep things down. This happens mostly when my food and liquid intakes are too close together.
    It's easy to forget your new lifestyle and fall into "the old ways". Fat Logic never dies, it just goes into hiding, waiting to trip you up.
    You might lose a bunch of hair. Seems to happen to women ore than men.
  • karajo333
    karajo333 Posts: 23 Member
    Wow! Thanks for the info!
  • Michele4classic
    Michele4classic Posts: 2 Member
    Hi all! I am starting the process for RNY surgery this summer. I've seen my surgeon who agreed I'm a good canidate for surgery. I've done one PCP visit and I have my Psych eval 1/29. I am so ready to get this ball rolling and have the surgery.
    A little bit about me.....I'm a busy SAHM to 4 beautiful kiddos. I have decided that this is MY YEAR! I can't take care of them without first taking care of me. (it's taken me 12 long years to finally come to that conclusion.) I have a lot of weight to lose, 220lbs to be exact.
    So, the main point of posting this is to gather supportive, knowledgable people around me that have done RNY already.

    I am just starting too, I've seen, PCP, surgeon, dietitian, and next the appointment for Phych eval on 3/15. We can certainly support each other. I've decided the Band is a good choice for me at this time.
  • sinderstorm
    sinderstorm Posts: 225 Member
    edited March 2016
    Welcome~ I'm a SAHM to a set of twins, and had a gastric sleeve in April 2015. I've gone from 250 to 165 as of this morning, and am now working out in the gym 5 days a weeks and wearing a size 8/10. Especially if your kids are little, I will recommend having help for 2 weeks post surgery as you won't be able to lift and you tire very easily. I actually had my surgery 2 hours away and stayed with my mom for a week after surgery while my husband and mother in law handled our kids. It was hard to be away, but very good for my healing and recovery. My Mother in law stayed for 2 more weeks after I returned home, and I probably would have been ok with only one more week of help instead of 2.

    There are unique challenges of doing this with a family: my mom had an RnY in 2014 and was able to tell my dad he was on his own for food those early months so she could just focus on her food. As a mom, that wasn't an option for me. My kids got very used to me eating different food than they had, but so long as I was at the table with them, it was ok. The crockpot quickly became my friend as the act of cooking was very unappealing to me those early months, and that would allow me to dump in food and come back to their dinner several hours later. Now that I'm almost a year out, we all usually eat the same foods. I've worked on their eating habits, and we've found new favorite meals to enjoy together. I'll still make myself something else if they're having something that just doesn't sit well with me, and they're very used to that now.

    As for the loose skin, it is different for everyone. Mine is through my belly, but how much of that is weight loss vs pregnancy, I have no idea. At some point I may look into plastic surgery, but right now it is what it is, and I don't have time for a long recovery from another surgery right now. I may not be a swim suit model, but I'm so much healthier, stronger, and have more energy than I dreamt possible. So I'll take it!!!!

    Feel free to add me as a friend, my diary is open to friends