LAWLS Bookstore

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

The Down & Dirty on Dumping

Today's article section links to several important and helpful articles about dumping syndrome. Take a look and see how you fit in a generalized picture of this phenomena that many of us consider both a blessing and a curse. Remember there is power in knowledge and we are all in this together!

Gastric Bypass Dumping Syndrome - Three Foods that Cause It
As pre-op weight loss surgery patients we are taught to fear the mysterious dumping syndrome and in most cases we are told that avoiding sugar will prevent the occurrence of dumping syndrome. So it comes as a surprise when after having a malabsorptive gastric surgery we experience symptoms that we think are dumping syndrome, yet sugar has not crossed our lips. In this article we take a look at dumping syndrome so that we can understand the full picture - beyond the sugar - and avoid the foods that may cause it. Full Article

Emergency First Aid For Gastric Bypass Dumping Syndrome
For patients of gastric bypass surgery an episode of dumping syndrome or rapid gastric emptying is physically dramatic and lifestyle disruptive. Prior to surgery patients are instructed to avoid sweet processed carbohydrates, greasy fried food and all simple carbs in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Inevitably, patients will at some point experience the symptoms of dumping after eating food that is too quickly absorbed in the small intestine. Learn what to do in the event of a gastric dumping episode. Full Article

Considering Weight Loss Surgery? Learn About Dumping Syndrome First
Morbidly obese people considering bariatric surgery typically have three surgical procedures to consider when discussing weight loss surgery with their doctor: gastric bypass, gastric banding and gastric sleeve. Dumping syndrome, an unpleasant physical reaction associated with malabsorptive gastric surgery, is one risk to be aware of when considering weight loss surgery. Full Article

Do Not Let Dumping Syndrome Ruin Your Summer Celebration
Summer is a time to celebrate warm weather, sunshine, good friends and good times - often with food and drink. But for people with weight loss surgery celebrations bring the potential for a dietary crisis called dumping syndrome that has the potential to ruin a day of good old fashioned summer time fun. Read More

Article Directory at 5 Day Pouch Test

Monday, October 04, 2010

Healthy Vigilance Benefits Women Fighting Obesity With Weight Loss Surgery

For many women, weight loss surgery is a springboard for improved vigilance regarding all personal health issues. Women in particular become champions of their own health following the massive weight loss that results from gastric bypass, adjustable gastric band (lap-band), or gastric sleeve surgery. The weight loss affords many who suffered from overall poor health due to morbid obesity a chance to actively pursue a healthier lifestyle, including proactive monitoring of health risks.

Patients are advised to develop a relationship with their general health care provider who will monitor health risks with standard testing. Below are guidelines for standard testing. However, some patients may require different tests or different frequency in testing based on their health and family history of disease.

Breast Cancer: Mammogram is the standard screening test for breast cancer. Unless there is a family history of breast cancer women should be screened beginning at age 40 with follow-up screening every 1 to 2 years on the advice of their physician.

Cervical Cancer: Women age 25 or older should have a pap smear every 1 to 3 years to screen for cervical cancer. Personal health and family history will factor in your doctors decision for the frequency of testing. Screening may stop at age 65 if advised by a physician.

Colorectal Cancer: Women should be tested for colorectal cancer beginning at age 50 with a colonoscopy. The test should be repeated every 5 to 10 years.

Diabetes: The FPG test; oral glucose tolerance test, is the standard method of screening for diabetes. With no risk factors or family history of diabetes testing for women will begin at age 45 and be repeated every 3 years.

High Blood Pressure: The familiar blood press cuff (Sphygmomanometer) is the standard test for high blood pressure. Women should be tested beginning at age 30 with monitoring every 2 years, or more frequently if blood pressure tests high.

High Cholesterol: A blood test to measure the lipoprotein profile will indicate when a woman has high cholesterol. Cholesterol levels should be measured beginning at age 20 and repeated every 5 years. More frequent testing may be prescribed for those found to have high cholesterol.
 
Osteoporosis:
A bone density test will be done to determine the health of the skeletal system. Women should be tested for osteoporosis beginning at age 65 and repeated every two years. Earlier testing may be ordered for those with a family history of osteoporosis.

Standard guidelines are set for all medical testing. However, a close relationship with your personal physician may indicate a different screening schedule for you based on your personal health history, current symptoms, and family health history. Establishing an honest and mindful relationship with a health care provider is beneficial to all seeking proactive health management.

LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood
5DayPouchTest

Saturday, October 02, 2010

You Have Arrived Dreamy Pumpkin Pie - FREE Recipe & Seasoning Sample

LivingAfterWLS and Kaye Bailey are pleased you have chosen to make us part of your long-term success with weight loss surgery. We are committed to supporting you with quality products to enhance your life and empower your success
 
The LivingAfterWLS General Store - Coupon Sale!


CELEBRATE The Sweet Life!!!
Enter Coupon Code: SWEETLIFE
Save $2.00 off ANY order -- No Minimum Purchase
Free recipe:
You Have Arrived Dreamy Pumpkin Pie

Dreamy Pumpkin Pie
Recipe includes FREE seasoning sample to make this delicious pie! Plus additional serving ideas.
A delicious WLS-Friendly addition to your autumn menu.
($1.95 Value! -- Free with order!)
Offer Expires October 8, 2010
Enter Coupon Code: SWEETLIFE
Total Coupon Value - $3.95!


SHOP NOW

Weight Gain is Not a Moral Issue

Lately the bulk of the email I have received is about weight regain: from people who have put on weight after losing it with surgery and people who are afraid they will gain weight after working so hard to lose it. As I think about it I have never met a WLS patient who is not concerned about the weight coming back. When you think about it, it makes sense. By the time we are morbidly obese we have probably lost and gained the same pounds many times over. We live in a world where being overweight and staying overweight is easy -- Losing weight is the opposite. Losing weight and keeping it off is akin to swimming upstream in a swift current.

There are a few things I hope you will remember about weight regain which may help you face it rationally with kind and gentle compassion:

Weight regain is not a moral issue. A person is not good if they lose weight and bad if they gain weight. Gained weight is a symptom of the metabolic disorder called obesity. When weight is lost and managed the disease is in remission; when weight gain occurs the disease is in relapse. Managing the disease is our responsibility and we are served well when seeking the support of others including our bariatric team, friends, family and WLS community. (Read: Four Truths About Weight Gain After WLS)

Knowledge is power. Not long ago I heard a bariatric surgeon say that patients regain weight because they were not fully educated before surgery. The fact is, life after surgery is quite overwhelming. I'm positive I retained only scant bits of information taught during my pre-op and early post-op recovery. What I know now is the pursuit of new information day in and day out is mandatory if I'm going to stay focused and enthused about weight management. The best place to learn about life after WLS is from other patients who are doing their best -- just like you -- to make this weight management experience healthy and effective.

It is never too late. If we have allowed our health problem to become a moral problem it is easy to suffer feelings of hopelessness. But it is never too late to make little changes which bring about a big difference in our life. Each new day, each new meal, each new step we take is an opportunity to nurture our body and being. It is never too late.

Today's LivingAfterWLS Digest will point you to several resources addressing the topic of weight regain after surgery. Take a moment to find something meaningful to you, and pass the word on to a friend who may be feeling down and discouraged. Remember, we are all in this together!


LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood

CHEERS - You Can Do This!
Kaye

Weight Management with Weight Loss Surgery

Three Red Flag Warnings Leading to Weight Gain After Bariatric Surgery
Before undergoing bariatric surgery for weight loss it is hard to imagine that we could possibly ever become one of "those people" who gain weight after losing it with the help of surgery. Sadly, at some point most patients who have gastric surgery as their last hope for weight loss eventually regain some weight back. It can happen quickly and without fanfare. Link here to learn about three red flags to watch for that may lead to weight regain.

Capture regain with 5 Day Pouch Test

Understanding the Liquid Restrictions of WLS
Liquid restrictions are imposed on patients of all bariatric procedures including gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve. For thirty minutes prior to eating and thirty minutes following eating patients are to abstain from drinking fluids. They must not partake of liquids while eating. Learn why liquid restrictions play a key role in weight loss for bariatric patients. Read Full Article

Restrict Liquids, Drink Lots of Water - HUH?
Making Sense of WLS Guidelines
In a country where food and drink go hand in hand weight loss surgery patients are challenged to follow the liquid restrictions as instructed by their bariatric center. But understanding and following the liquid restrictions plays a key role in long-term weight maintenance following gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, or adjustable gastric banding (lap-band) surgeries. Learn more

Friday, October 01, 2010

Restrict Liquids, Drink Lots of Water - HUH?

Making Sense of Weight Loss Surgery Guidelines

In a country where food and drink go hand in hand weight loss surgery patients are challenged to follow the liquid restrictions as instructed by their bariatric center. But understanding and following the liquid restrictions plays a key role in long-term weight maintenance following gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, or adjustable gastric banding (lap-band) surgeries.

In general, bariatric centers instruct weight loss surgery patients to avoid drinking liquids for thirty minutes before a meal, during the meal, and for thirty minutes following the meal. This easily adds up to 90 minutes of no liquids three times a day: four-and-one-half waking hours. It is easy for patients to become frustrated with these restrictions because another rule of weight loss surgery is to drink lots of water, at least 64 ounces a day. Understanding why the liquid restrictions are necessary and how water intake affects weight management will increase the likelihood a patient will follow the guidelines.

When a person undergoes any of the currently practiced bariatric and metabolic surgeries for weight loss the size of the stomach is reduced significantly to restrict the amount of food which may be eaten at a given time. The size of the restricted pouch varies by procedure, surgeon and patient. What is consistent, however, is that the smaller stomach pouch fills quickly and the patient experiences a feeling of fullness and satiation, which must be sustained following the meal to avoid hunger and cravings later. This is to keep the patient from over eating. In addition, the longer food is kept in the digestive system the more opportunity the body has to absorb and metabolize nutrients. The best way to sustain this fullness is to eat lean protein and low-glycemic complex carbohydrates in a ratio of two bites protein to one bite carbohydrate.

For many weight loss surgery patients the feeling of tightness or restriction that results following eating is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. In weight loss surgery street talk these patients learn to "eat around the pouch". In many cases that means drinking liquid with solid food which relieves the tightness as the chewed food (chyme: semi-liquid mass of partly digested food) mixes with liquids to form a more fluid liquid slurry which passes through the new stomach outlet more rapidly. The result is increased food intake because patients can eat more food during a planned meal and they are likely to eat again later because they are hungry and the slurry meal failed to satiate hunger for a reasonable amount of time.

Learn More: Understanding the Liquid Restrictions of WLS

As important as it is to follow the liquid restrictions it is equally important to drink adequate water. The body is made up of about 60 percent water. Water assists with the transport of nutrients and waste products throughout the body. Water is present in every process of human biology. Most centers recommend a minimum intake of 64 ounces a day. Others suggest morbidly obese patients drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.

Organized planning is helpful when following liquid restrictions and drinking lots of water. Begin the day with water and enjoy water between meals, which will also help keep cravings away. Keeping a glass or bottle of water at arms reach is a steady reminder to sip often and stay hydrated. Newly post-operative patients report drinking tepid or room temperature water is easier on the pouch thus making it possible to drink more.

Kaye Bailey (c) All Rights Reserved

Join the LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood - Your safe haven circle of friends who are living after weight loss surgery.
LivingAfterWLS
The Neighborhood