New to this forum and country

[toddsinusa]

Hi there

I am new to this forum and country. I had my sleeve done in Australia in March last year. I don't regret the sleeve for the weight loss but I am not thrilled about the side affects or how MUCH weight I have lost and the lack of support I am (not) getting - I feel desperate however I feel like I am on my own. Anyway hoping to get some ideas/advise from people who have gone through or going through what I am.

I was 81kgs (178.6 pounds) with a REALLY high cholesterol, back problems (I needed back surgery asap but couldn't because of my weight) and heart problems in our family put me at a high risk - In Australia the BMI for the op is 35 and mine was 32 but with issues/risks they will operate a BMI of 32. I am now 44kgs (97lbs) with a BMI of 17.5 - and that is not the lowest I have been - at one point I was 42kgs (92.5lbs).

I had my surgery and had a few usual problems - dry heaving (can sleeve patients not vomit? as I just get the heaving and no fluid or sometime my spits turns to water and that just pours out my mouth.) This mostly happened if I drank too soon after eating. And then lost too much weight. I had a Dilation done in Sydney before I move to NoCal. When I got to the States my weight continued to drop so I had another dilation here.

My weight has been averaging 45-46kgs but about a week ago I started dropping and am now sitting at 44kgs and am having terrible dizzy spells and blackouts. I eat (along with healthy food) pizza, drink coke, chips, eat chocolate (which I am not a fan of but my nutritionist has said I must go for my life to get my calories up). Nothing is helping. I have cream on my cereal and I make an ensure milk shake with cream - YUCK - just to try and get the calories but still my weight won't go up.

I saw a Biatric Surgeon here and he said I may need to get a feeding tube installed if I can't get my weight up but then goes on to say that it is sore and there is risk of infections etc... He also said he could do a bypass BUT given this op has not been good for me I don't want to risk it any further - and of course he gave me a long list of complications and risks - well you can keep it thank you.

My bloods keep testing perfect. So on paper I am healthy but on the scale and if you look at me I look like a skeleton. I am so scared my organs will start packing up. Is there anyone going through this? It seems like once you have had the surgery and you are "out of the care period" (which is 12 month is OZ) then you are pretty much on your own. I keep speaking to the Biatric's nutritionist who is so lovely but she just repeats herself "You need to get your calories up" - if I could do that I wouldn't be in this position.

Anyone going through this? Any advise and please don't tell me to eat more because I would if I could! (I also asked if stretching my sleeve was an option but apparently it is not)

Thanking you in advance.

[ghost_ryder]

A user named Katrina seems to have gone through similar things. Maybe not as dramatically. You can look her up.

[Christie13]

I am so sorry to hear that you have had to go through all of this. I cannot imagine being that thin. Have you tried Boost Very High Calorie drinks? They have 530 calories in 8 oz, 22 grams protein, and 26 vitamins/minerals. Don't know if you have tried it but it could possibly help.

[zoey101]

Ghost_ryder is correct, Katrina has been through hell and back with this topic so she would most likely be the best person to reach out to. With that said I am so sorry you are experiencing this and not getting any help from anyone. About a year ago I was trying to gain weight as well although not nearly as thin as you are but I too looked like a bag of bones. Over time I have gained some weight back but now I want it to stop which I think I've leveled off. I started out at 200lbs. and hit my lowest at 128lbs. which was scary but now I'm up to 143lbs so I have been able to put 15lbs back on and I'm 2 1/2 years out. I didn't start gaining until almost my year and half mark and it was little by little. I don't know if this will make you feel any better but most people do gain I think about 15% of what they lost back after their 2 plus year mark. I hope this helps and I really hope you get the help you need and are able to put some weight on soon. Just keep plugging away and try your best! Good Luck with everything!

[toddsinusa]

That does make me feel better - I heard the 1st year is the hardest so hopefully things will tur around. I tried the boost today but only managed 1/3 of a bottle and was gaggig full. I had 2/3 of a bottle from 8.30am till 11.30am and couldn't eat lunch I was so full - this is a year after surgery - Is that normal?

[zoey101]

I'm no Dr. and can't quite answer if this is normal or not but I do know that you are not the only one this has ever happened to. I would definitely continue to reach out to your Dr. and if you don't get anywhere then I would find a new one. This doesn't sound right for someone that's a year out and in my opinion I would think you could get more food down. I do know for my first year I couldn't eat any meat at all, it just made me sick at the sight of it. I know this isn't the best thing for you but I found that crackers and cookies were super easy to get down. It goes against everything we're supposed to do but when you can't eat anything else you really have no choice at all if you want to survive. I really hope you get some answers and relief soon and can put some weight on. Good Luck with Everything!

[toddsinusa]

A typical day for me:
Latte on waking
Cereal for breakfast
Can of coke and a cheese stick for a snack at 9.30am
Handful of mixed nuts at 10.30am
Half and Beef and Blue cheese roll at lunchtime (12pm)
3pm snack is anything from: Cupcake, pizza slice, doughnut, sausage roll (puff pastry around sausage meat - Ozzie thing) Half a Peanut Butter and syrup sandwich
Dinner is whatever the family is having but a smaller portion
I noramlly have a glass of wine after dinner
Around 8.30pm I have 4-5 Ritz biscuits with smoked salmon cream cheese.

All this in a day and I can't gain a gram. My nutritionist cringes when I tell her what I am eating but she said I must keep at it because I need the calories.

I am going to wait for all the blood results to come back on Monday and then I will ping the Biatric surgeon I am seeing here although he says I only have two options:
1. A feeding tube
2. A bypass
Neiher of which I am keen on. The surgenon never says I really think this option will help you - he says you have two options and they are high risk and there are serious complication involved..... OK you have scared me enough! So i feel like I have no options. But as my husband reminds me - he is a surgeon so he cure is surgery - there is nothing else.

[RehabNurse]

All this in a day and I can't gain a gram.

I see why you cannot gain weight...it isn't much food.

Latte: 240 calories
Cereal with milk: 300 calories
Can of Coke: 140 calories
Cheese stick: 80 calories
Beef & blue cheese roll: 470 calories
Doughnut: 200 calories
Sausage roll: 195 calories
Glass of wine: 125 calories
5 Ritz crackers: 70 calories
Smoked salmon cream cheese: 80 calories for 2 TBSP
Dinner (vague): 500 calories
-----------
GRAND TOTAL: 2500 calories

By the way, I maintain my body weight of 118 to 122 pounds on upwards of 2300 calories a day. I suspect 2500 is your caloric maintenance level; therefore, you need to bump your intake up to 4000+ calories daily to see what happens.

You don't think you can eat that much? It's easy peasy: drink your calories. One 32-ounce fast food milkshake from Sonic has 2000+ calories in one single shake.

There's also a supplement called Med Pass 2.0 that is given to nursing home residents to help them gain weight. It has 480 calories per 8 ounces, so you can drink multiple servings (cups) all day and watch the weight pile on.

[zoey101]

I really can't wrap my head around the fact that they are telling you that these are your only options but if I had to choose I would definitely go with the feeding tube solely because it's not nearly as involved as the bypass. As far as the bypass goes it baffles me that they would even do that because it's another weight loss surgery. Both my Sister in-laws had it done and they started around 400lbs. and got down to around 150lbs. so I would think that would be really risky but again I'm not a Dr.. One thing I can say and again this is just my thought process but I would stop with the coke / soda / pop completely and never touch it again. Anything carbonated will fill up your stomach not only with bubbles but gas as well as bloat you on top of being an extremely unhealthy drink choice it also makes you feel extremely full. I honestly think you will be able to eat more real food because you will have more room and you will absorb it better. Those are my thoughts on this very stressful ordeal you are going through. I really hope you get some real answers and they can figure out an easier way to help you. Please let me know what the Dr. says after you see them, have a great weekend!

[zoey101]

Oh My Gosh! Although I never go to Sonic, we just don't have one that's close but WOW 2000 calories for a shake! it just blows my mind when you actually see the numbers in writing. I remember the days when I could eat a huge cheeseburger, large fry and large chocolate shake all in one sitting, probably 6,000 calories if not more. Now 2 1/2 years later I still can't even eat an entire $1 menu McDonalds cheeseburger without half the bun in one sitting. It makes me so grateful to have had this surgery!

[toddsinusa]

I find that if I drink the shakes - Boost, Ensure, Sustagen (from Australia) it fills me up so that I can't even eat my snacks in between. 1 Boost bottle takes me 2-3 hours to drink 2/3 of a bottle. (also overshare but I get an upset stomach from these drinks and that I can't afford)

I haven't heard of Sonic but at 2000 Calories I like the sound of it - where can I buy it from? Do I need a script for it? I will DEFO look into that! Thanks for that.

[toddsinusa]

The reasoning around the Bypass (which I have said NO to) is cause I also get severe reflux. I will be fine for about two months and then it hits me where I am wrything in pain and feel like I am having a heart attack I get such bad chest pains. I can't eat and want to die. They endescoped my stomach the last time and it was severely burnt and swollen from the reflux and I have a hernia which doesn;t help. Apparently by doing the bypass it stops the reflux issue and the reflux issues stops me eating. But this surgery has had its complications I just won't go the bypass so not an option for me! I will live on nexium and carafate (godsend) if I have to but I will not have the bypass.

[RehabNurse]

I haven't heard of Sonic but at 2000 Calories I like the sound of it - where can I buy it from? Do I need a script for it? I will DEFO look into that! Thanks for that.

Sonic is the name of a greasy-spoon fast food joint. Their locations are mostly in the South and Midwestern U.S., but a few locations are in California.

Sonic sells hand-made milkshakes in flavors such as hot fudge, caramel, banana, chocolate, vanilla, coconut cream pie, etc. The large (32 ounce) shakes have 2000 calories each.

https://www.sonicdrivein.com/menu/201-master-shakes
https://www.sonicdrivein.com/menu/162-classic-shakes

[Sandra3]

I also get severe reflux.

Hello there,

Sorry to read about your misfortune!
I'm guessing you were not a good candidate for the sleeve in the first place...(international standards do recommend a 40+BMI) but what is done is done.

So here is my 2 cents. I also had severe reflux post-op, and noticed two things. While taking a PPI for several months (mine was not Nexum but same kind, lanzoprasole) my vitamin deficiency was the worth. I also had strong nausea and did feel dizzy. I have no proof for it but I do think many of my issues where linked to taking the PPI, as soon as I was able to lower the dosage, I started to feel better.

Of course it's not easy to lower the PPI, and you have to watch carefully your diet. Chocolate, coffee or coke (do you know some people use coke to clean their toilet? it's the worth poison for your stomach!) are really aggressive for your stomach.

So you need to change your diet drastically, here not regarding your weight but to protect your sleeve, stop gradually taking the PPI (which in my book is also poison!). I found this book really helpful : "The Acid Watcher Diet: A 28-Day Reflux Prevention and Healing Program" by Dr Aviv.

Stopping the PPI is hard, but if you watch your diet, take tums to keep down the fire you can be successful. It took me several weeks but now I'm PPI free and only take tums when needed.

So first you need to change your diet, stop all "bad food" for your sleeve. Calories is not the goal here. I think if your stomach can heal, you will feel better too and your weight will stabilize.

Good luck!

PS: Also I've been studying nutrition for a while now and will take my exams next year to be a state certified nutritionist. I do believe that good nutrition can help cure or prevent many of our health issues. Because junk food is never the answer, it's loaded with chemicals...

[toddsinusa]

Hi there
Thank you for your reply - The Standards in OZ are lower than in the States. In OZ the min BMI is 35 where here it is 40. My BMI was 32.5 but I have heart issues that run in our family. I had really high Cholestrol and I needed back surgery but they wouldn't do it because of my weight. My Cardiologist motivated my op and that is how I got sleeved.
I go my Cholestrol results today and it has more than halved which I am so thrilled about.
What is PPI (Sorry not too down with the lingo).
I will defo look into that book. Thank you!