Gastric Bypass Surgery, anybody with experience?

[jbuey22]

I am getting gastric bypass done in a couple of weeks. Going in Oct. Hopefully 100lbs lighter. Not sure if this is the right forum, but I am also disabled and always travel with ecv's etc and constantly check on this forum. So I figured there is probably more like me out there who are very large and disabled who may have gone through the Bypass Surgery. I already posted on the DDP thread with questions about sharing meals and TS credits.
Has anybody traveled to WDW who has has Gastric Bypass. Any suggestions, foods to avoid, foods that work. experiences with the DDP? Please chime in we still have the option of cancelling the DDP also. I am a bit worried that I may get sick from the rich foods, or high fat foods. Please chime in I woulf greatly appreciate it. Anybody who has had this done knows, as I do, that living with the excess weight is embarrassing, uncomfortable, painfull, etc. Please help if you have had the same problems.

Thanks

 

[Connears]

I am getting gastric bypass done in a couple of weeks. Going in Oct. Hopefully 100lbs lighter. Not sure if this is the right forum, but I am also disabled and always travel with ecv's etc and constantly check on this forum. So I figured there is probably more like me out there who are very large and disabled who may have gone through the Bypass Surgery. I already posted on the DDP thread with questions about sharing meals and TS credits.
Has anybody traveled to WDW who has has Gastric Bypass. Any suggestions, foods to avoid, foods that work. experiences with the DDP? Please chime in we still have the option of cancelling the DDP also. I am a bit worried that I may get sick from the rich foods, or high fat foods. Please chime in I woulf greatly appreciate it. Anybody who has had this done knows, as I do, that living with the excess weight is embarrassing, uncomfortable, painfull, etc. Please help if you have had the same problems.

Thanks

I had GB surgery Jan 09(have lost 140lbs) and have been to wdw 3 times since and have used the DDP each time with no problem. DH and I have shared cs meals quite a bit and he may add a snack if still hungry. I usually do not finish a ts meal, and have often ordered an appetizer as a the entree with no problem( not in place of dessert, but as my entree). Many TS have great no-sugar added dessert options(The Wave, Mama Melrose, Le Cellier and others). I usually take the dessert back to resort if I'm not in the park. I have also found good choices at dinner Bomas and Tusker House buffets as they have plenty of healthy choices without all the carbs(bread and pastas are things I still don't do well) and I can take the portion size I can eat. There are plenty of healthy snack options also. The no -sugar added desserts at CS are usually horrible(brownies), so opt for fruit when I can. We thought the first year after surgery that the DDP would not be worth it for the amount I ate, but it really was worth it for the ease. Neither of us are huge dessert people, but we are DVC members and DH can snack on the ones we bring home throughtout the vacation.

Good luck
Connears

 

[jbuey22]

either there atre not many people who have had this done, or most who dont like to talk about it. Or maybe I havent given this thread enough time to develope.

Either way thank you for your experience comments.

 

[DisneyBelle99]

I had Lap Band surgery in June, and went to BLT for our first DVC experience in September. I would have wasted our money if I was on any meal plan, but I was only a few months out. My surgeons believe in restricted (as in little to none) carbs for the first couple of months, and honestly, I didn't have much of an appetite at all. The biggest hint I can give you is to watch your hydration very carefully. Remember you will be walking more, probably in greater heat, and in great risk of dehydration. There are plenty of healthy choices for food in WDW, so you will be OK. The only buffet we went to was Chef Mickeys for Breakfast. Nothing else interested me. Our previous trips we ate at every steak place there is, since I have a husband and two sons who are over 6 feet tall- real carnivores So, I don't feel like I missed anything. Seafood is not very filling, so that is a better option these days. I did share with most restaurant wait staff that I recently had surgery, and everyone was wonderful, and most supportive. Good luck. PM me if you need more info. Deb

 

[anonymousegirl]

I am very interested in this thread since I too will be getting bypass surgery later this year (mid June is the target date). I am hoping to get to WDW in September/October for MNSSHP.

 

[ericamcl]

I had gastric bypass done on July 27, 2010 - and I am currently down 151 lbs

doing my first trip to the world "Post op" in September

I too, am concerned about the food - DH is insisting on doing the DP

 

[jbuey22]

I am very interested in this thread since I too will be getting bypass surgery later this year (mid June is the target date). I am hoping to get to WDW in September/October for MNSSHP.

I really hope more people post. I have plenty of questions as I am sure this is more common than I had thought. I just hope people with experience with bariatric surgery find this post!! I will be going 6 1/2 months post op. I just am curious what the best options would be for meals at WDW.

thanks

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

I am very interested in this thread since I too will be getting bypass surgery later this year (mid June is the target date). I am hoping to get to WDW in September/October for MNSSHP.

Hi, I shared with Jeff on the DDP thread that I had Gastric Bypass surgery on February 3, 2011. At this point, I can eat cream of wheat for breakfast, a small part of an omelett with cheese, lasagna, chili, cottage cheese, applesauce, cranberry sauce as well as sugar free jello and pudding. It was surprising that I had trouble with Greek yogurt, although they did tell us we could possibly become lactose intolerant; however I don't have any problem so far with cheese. I made the mistake of buying Sherbert thinking it would be healthy. The brand we purchased was loaded with High Fructose Corn Syrup, so I went to sorbet. When I first left the hospital baby food and cream of wheat or rice were staples for me. It's also hard to get used to not gulping water, and not drinking and eating at the same time.

Best of luck to you with your journey and I hope more people who will be or have had the surgery will share their experiences.

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

I had gastric bypass done on July 27, 2010 - and I am currently down 151 lbs

doing my first trip to the world "Post op" in September

I too, am concerned about the food - DH is insisting on doing the DP

Congratulations on your weight loss. I had Gastric Bypass surgery on February 3, 2011. We are also going to the World in September and when we figured out that we could save money we switched from QSDP to the basic dining plan.

I know everyone's body processes food differently, but what can you eat at this point? Thanks for sharing.

 

[jbuey22]

Thanks for your input. I am so nervous, but you have helped me immensly. Of course we both have a wait until Disney so I will keep in touch along the way. I have posted this in both threads but I think the DDP thread was not right from the start so I will continue to update the thread I started under the dissabilities forum. But I will continue to check both. I really have the questions answered that I needed about the DDP. So thanks all that contributed and please continue to post if we have any new people or info about food problems or successes with the bypass surgery!!

Good luck to you in the future and to all that have thie same issue!!
Congrats to those who have already successfully lost weight!

Thanks so much

 

[Connears]

Thanks for your input. I am so nervous, but you have helped me immensly. Of course we both have a wait until Disney so I will keep in touch along the way. I have posted this in both threads but I think the DDP thread was not right from the start so I will continue to update the thread I started under the dissabilities forum. But I will continue to check both. I really have the questions answered that I needed about the DDP. So thanks all that contributed and please continue to post if we have any new people or info about food problems or successes with the bypass surgery!!

Good luck to you in the future and to all that have thie same issue!!
Congrats to those who have already successfully lost weight!

Thanks so much

The most important thing is to follow your dr.s post-op course to avoid any problems. We all have different responses and different food issues after the initial period....just follow direction..that's my best suggestion. I had a great recovery and 2 years+ later(140lbs off still), I know it was the best decision I have ever made. Visiting WDW is an annual trip for us and I have no issues about dining there..the right choices are there and the fun is still there!

Good luck to all,
Connears

 

[jshowe]

DH and I both had bypass surgery. I am 4 months (tomorrow) postop and he is almost 4 months. We had surgery 3 weeks apart.

We are headed to WDW in 2 weeks. Haven't been in about 5 years. We were BIG eaters so this will be a good test for us. We have DS - 15 and DD - 12 both of whom are NOT big eaters . anyway, we decided the dining plan would probably be too much. I have read many posts here in the past regarding splitting meals and purchasing kids meals. From what I understand disney is quite accommodating regarding this. DH and I plan on splitting meals or just getting appetizers and such. We are at a point where we can eat pretty much anything that "agrees" with us ... but very very small portions. the kids are flexible in what they eat so we are hoping for the best.

We booked a 2 bdroom with full kitchen so breakfast is easy. Lunches and dinners will be either in the parks or outside somewhere that we are familiar. Looking forward to our trip as we are both about 80 pounds lighter than the last time we went to WDW.

 

[prncess674]

If you go to a buffet you will be charged full adult prices even if you now eat like a bird. At the buffets you are also paying for characeter interaction and ambiance.

While we all enjoy saving money it is not worth getting sick to save a few bucks by eating a grease/carbo loaded kids meal. Look on the menu for items that you know agree with you and make your own meal. If there is a grilled chicken sandwich with fries listed on a menu but you also see meatloaf with green beans you can ask for the chick sandwich (hold the bun) and sub green beans for the fries.

 

[princess isabella]

I had the lap band done in August, I am down 75 pounds since. (yeah me, lol.. )

I am going to WDW in September and will be doing the dining plan simply because I am traveling with 2 adults who haven't had bariatric surgery.

My advice for Disney is stick to foods you have already tried before. The worst thing is to eat something new and have i get "stuck" in public. This happened to me yesterday in front of my class. I tried a bit of something and it wouldn't go down and then wouldn't come up. Not only does it hurt but it was embarrising.

The things you should most definitly avoid are pastas, rice and bread. Sometimes dense fruit is hard but protein, veggies and some fruit is fine.

Congratulations on your journey!

 

[jbuey22]

I had the lap band done in August, I am down 75 pounds since. (yeah me, lol.. )

I am going to WDW in September and will be doing the dining plan simply because I am traveling with 2 adults who haven't had bariatric surgery.

My advice for Disney is stick to foods you have already tried before. The worst thing is to eat something new and have i get "stuck" in public. This happened to me yesterday in front of my class. I tried a bit of something and it wouldn't go down and then wouldn't come up. Not only does it hurt but it was embarrising.

The things you should most definitly avoid are pastas, rice and bread. Sometimes dense fruit is hard but protein, veggies and some fruit is fine.

Congratulations on your journey!

Congratulations on your 75lbs I hope you keep losing. I see how it could be embarrasing and painful if something gets stuck. Does it make you choke? Just curious, but i guess thats why the doc tells me my bites should be the size of my pinky nail and must chew thoroughly. I am currently on a liquid diet that they put me on 3 weeks prior to the surgery. It is tough..and I mean tough! I am not hungry thats not the problem, its just that I miss eating cheeseburgers! My son had to stay over school today all the way until 8pm for his play practice. He called me and asked if I could go pick him up some McDonalds and drop it off at the school, so he could eat something. Well long story short I bought myself a double qtr pounder. I felt so bad I immediately too it out of the bag and hid it in my van. Then I dropped off his lunch and struggled all the way home (5 min ride...hehe). I made the right choice and did not eat it. Told my wife right away when she got home. I feel much better now that I made the right choice. Maybe if I had done this 15 years ago I wouldn't be in this situation!!

Good Luck!

 

[kandb]

I have 4 cousins who have had gastric bypass. My one cousin a few times maybe ate too much (a whole hot dog) or ate too fast and wound up spending over a day in bed because she felt so sick. Just wanted to mention because on vacation, we all tend to eat more then we usually do at home. Good luck.

 

[jbuey22]

I have 4 cousins who have had gastric bypass. My one cousin a few times maybe ate too much (a whole hot dog) or ate too fast and wound up spending over a day in bed because she felt so sick. Just wanted to mention because on vacation, we all tend to eat more then we usually do at home. Good luck.

I know that I have to be careful. Doesnt that really sound strange. Your cousin over ate, (a whole hot dog), thats strange because I used to eat 3 or 4 hot dogs. So it sounds strange that eating 1 is over eating. But I have been warned by my nutritionist. There are a few things that can go wrong. Yes over eating, but I hear if you eat the wrong type of food, too fatty, or greasy, you get something they call dumping syndrome. I am not gonna explain what it is but if you are curious just check wikipedia for Gastric dumping syndrome. I have heard other horror stories as well. But mostly from people who do not do what their doctor recommends. Fortunately I have 6 months to get the kinks out and I am not gonna take any chances.
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

Jeff, great call on the cheeseburger. Congratulations on making the right choice for you!!! For me right now at 7+ weeks out, the hardest part is understanding small and I mean small portion sizes. I've gotten good at chewing really well, but knowing how much is too much has been my challenge.

 

[jbuey22]

Jeff, great call on the cheeseburger. Congratulations on making the right choice for you!!! For me right now at 7+ weeks out, the hardest part is understanding small and I mean small portion sizes. I've gotten good at chewing really well, but knowing how much is too much has been my challenge.

have you experienced this thing they call "dumping syndrome"? And when you over eat just how sick do you get? but being only 7 weeks out you may not have experienced some of this? I guess I am just worried. Sorry about the questions and you or nobody else need to answer if they do not feel comfortable. Its just that I am a Disney Lover as is my whole family, wife and 2 kids, and we have our trip booked for Oct and was wondering how this operation is gonna affect my vacation. Thanks again for you constant support Cinderella.

 

[Strawberryswrly]

have you experienced this thing they call "dumping syndrome"? And when you over eat just how sick do you get? but being only 7 weeks out you may not have experienced some of this? I guess I am just worried. Sorry about the questions and you or nobody else need to answer if they do not feel comfortable. Its just that I am a Disney Lover as is my whole family, wife and 2 kids, and we have our trip booked for Oct and was wondering how this operation is gonna affect my vacation. Thanks again for you constant support Cinderella.

Hi Jeff,

I am currently 3 weeks post op and I am currently on "soft" food which is pretty much anything a baby without teeth can eat. As I read your post I couldn't be surprised at how surprised you were that a 1 hot dog was over eating.

Jeff, I hope you understand that you will not be able to eat a lot of the foods we were so use to eating. Let me give you an example of my dinner today. I ate half a cup of chicken broth and a little bit of mashed patatoes. I knew that the chicken broth was enough but how bad could it be if I were to eat 2-3 teaspoons of mashed potatoes? So... I ate the teaspoons of mashe potatoes and let me tell you. I was dying... I didn't know what to do to make the aweful pain go away. I felt like my pouch was going to explode and I was going to die.

I tried walking, curling up in a ball, laying on my stomach, I even tried vomiting. Nothing. My family was ready to take me to the emergency room but after about an hour I finally threw it up and I was so relieved.

Jeff... Your whole life will change. If you love food as much as I did this is going to be a huge change and you will miss all the foods you will no longer be able to eat. I have lost a lot weight and I am making the necessary changes. Just know that a lot of the food we are so use to eating we will no longer be able to eat for the first 6 weeks and when we do it will be in very small portions.

The hotdog isn't even recommended because of the sticky and doughy bun which can get stuck in the opening of you pouch causing severe pain; however, if you do eat half a hotdog it would be 6 weeks after surgery.

Goodluck! Do your research and I'm very happy you have decided to take a step to a healthier you.

Goodnight!