I had Lap RNY 10/1/07 at 270 lbs (5'5"). My surgery was uneventful escept for a minor miscalculation in anesthesia that left me zonked out in recovery for 4 hours... I don't blame the doc, I just react strangely to anesthesia. I was discharged the following day at noon because I was up walking around and not having any issues. The first few days home, I only needed pain meds to sleep, which I did propped up on the sofa to help with the gas in my chest. I drank too much too fast the first night home and burped it up, but didn't vomit and it wasn't painful. I was walking around the house every hour to help get rid of the gas and stiffness.

On the 5th day, I dumped horribly on my liquid vitamins. Then again the next day on my chocolate protein shake. The next day it was on a ready-to-drink protein. I gave up for a few days and went back to broth, diluted juice and soy milk. Melanie did recommend some chewable vitamins at my post-op appt. and those work fine (still using them) but me and protein were in for a tough time.

Day 10 I got to pureed foods and was enjoying that split pea soup and hummus a little too much. I dumped on the hummus and vomited for hours and then I got constipated from all the peas & fiber. Since I was all backed up, everything I ate made me nauseated. I added another 12oz of fluids and I got some probiotics & plain yogurt down and finally got rid of the blockage two days later... much to my relief. I think everyone should be reminded to eat yogurt or take probiotics after this surgery because the trauma and antibiotics kill off all the good flora in your guts which can cause gas/bloating, diarrhea, and constipation... none of which you want to experience after having your guts rearranged.

Things were going really good for a couple weeks after that. Getting in my protein (mostly Micellar Milk, cottage cheese and pureed ham in mashed potatoes) and able to eat about 1/2 cup per meal. But between weeks 4&5 I started to feel nauseated whenever I'd eat or drink anything. At first I thought it was a bug my husband brought home from work, but it didn't go away. Then I thought maybe it was stress because my kitty was in the hospital, but it didn't go away. When my stomach started to hurt even when it was empty I went in to see Dr Billing - he put me back on Prilosec and said he'd see me in two weeks (normal 2 month appt).

After seeing Melanie & Dr. B at my 2 month appt, we decided I needed to get an EGD because I was still nauseated whenever I drank something and pretty much unable to eat anything with texture -- although I was forcing down my fluids and 2 protein bullets a day (84g). Turns out I had gastritis and an ulcer that the Prilosec wasn't touching... Dr. B switched me to Nexium and things started to heal up.

During this whole ulcer fiasco, I found out that I was allergic to artificial sweeteners - especially aspartame (Nutrisweet) and sucralose (Splenda). Food allergies cause nausea and can cause ulcers. Guess what's in most of those lovely protein shakes? Yep... artificial sweeteners. So I went on the hunt for unflavored and unsweetened protein powders to get my protein back up. I am STILL looking for one that doesn't taste like sawdust or paste, no luck yet.

So, looks like I'm going to have to get all my protein from meat, eggs, dairy and soy... all 60-140 grams of it daily. Just to illustrate what that means: beef averages around 28g of protein in 3oz... which is about all I can eat in one sitting. I can't eat beef all day long, and everything else has less than that. I'm still finding hard to get in all my fluid *and* all my protein because I feel like I'm constantly putting something in my mouth and I'm just not hungry at all. And I'm still nowhere near my calorie target.

I still haven't gotten my energy back since surgery. Mostly because I couldn't eat enough until recently, but we also found I had a bad vitamin D deficiency and hypothyroidism. So I added 4000 IU of D and Armour Thyroid to my daily pill regimen and am starting to feel a bit better even if I still can't tolerate plain water, cooked fish (I can eat shashimi though) or poultry.

Here's my average day:
Take Armour thyroid
Drink for an hour (can't take acid blockers with thyroid meds)
Take Nexium #1
Drink for an hour (can't eat after Nexium)
Breakfast: Eat 3oz of protein
Take chewable Multi's and sublingual B's
Wait an hour
Drink for half-hour
Take vit D (pills - need liquid)
Snack: Eat 1oz protein
Take chewable calcium #1 and vit C
Wait an hour
Drink for half hour
Lunch: Eat 3oz protein
Wait an hour
Drink for half hour
Snack: Eat 1oz protein
Take calcium #2 and vit C
Wait an hour
Take Nexium #2
Drink for an hour (can't eat after Nexium)
Dinner: Eat 3oz protein
Wait an hour
Drink the rest of the night

I'm not getting any fruit, barely getting veggies (when I steal a bit from hubby's plate) unless you count the V8 juice I drink, and I weaned myself off the mashed potatos because they're so high in carbs. I've lost a little over 50 lbs, 35 or so since surgery... it's a little slow but I have a lot of things working against me: no energy, can't eat enough, can't exercise much (no energy), and some hormonal/metabolic issues.

Am I bummed out? Do I regret having the surgery? ABOSLUTLEY NOT!! With all these complications and issues, it's still one of the best decisions that I ever made. I'm happy with my progress even if it is a little slow because it's very doubtful that I'll ever gain back the weight I'm losing right now. I'm pretty sure I'll make goal, and maybe even make it a little below it ("Normal" BMI) but it's just going to take some time.

The moral of the story? If you don't feel good - don't wait, go see your doc and nutritionist. If you have complications - don't stress 'em they'll either get fixed or you'll find ways to work around them. The important thing is to remember that you are not in this alone - utilize your docs, nutritionist, therapist, and whatever support groups you have at your disposal. It's easier to cope with the bumps in the road if you let other people lighten your load!