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The "Hair loss" is called Telogen Effluvium https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/effluviums#1 It's not really "Hair loss" it's just a larger % of your hair follicles going into rest at once, so when they reactivate they shed the hair they were holding and that gives the appearance of "hair loss". Fear is normal, NSAIDs are not the only pain relief out there, there are options. Pretty much everything you've listed is normal fears, and pretty much, all of those fears, you'll laugh at down the road. I was 370 at my largest. I'm 210 now, I have some extra saggy skin, but it's really not THAT bad and it's totally hidden under even decently tight clothing. Just remember, staying overweight *WILL* kill you. If something was to happen during your surgery, the best place for that to happen, is in a hospital. No one but you can tell you if what you are going to do is right for you. You have to make that call. Weigh out all the pros and cons, and make your decision based on that, no one is going to look down on you for making the best decision for your life that you can.

This may have been discussed before but for anyone covered by CIGNA or one of its affiliated companies, they have abandoned their prior formal requirement of a specific duration (e.g. 3 months) in favor of this language: • A statement from a physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner/registered dietician (i.e., other than the requesting surgeon) that the individual has failed previous attempts to achieve and maintain weight loss by medical management. This is the old language: • Medical management including evidence of active participation within the last 12 months in a weight-management program that is supervised either by a physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner or a registered dietician for a minimum of three consecutive months ((i.e., ≥ 89 days). The weight-management program must include monthly documentation of ALL of the following components:  weight  current dietary program  physical activity (e.g., exercise program) Programs such as Weight Watchers®, Jenny Craig® and Optifast® are acceptable alternatives if done in conjunction with the supervision of a physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner or registered dietician and detailed documentation of participation is available for review. However, physician-supervised programs consisting exclusively of pharmacological management are not sufficient to meet this requirement. Anyone covered by CIGNA now and going through a mandatory weight loss program under the old medical policy should request their surgeon/bariatric program to submit their request for approval NOW and not wait to finish the supervised diet. You might get some push-back from crusty bariatric practices or surgeons, but hopefully they will help you. The new policy is more favorable to patients, and because it is the medical policy in effect for anyone having surgery after October 9th, we take the position this is the operative medical policy - NOT the policy at a patient's "starting point". Call us at 1-877-992-7732 if you have questions about this or are in need of any information about what you need to do if you have been denied by your insurer - whether it is CIGNA or any other payer. Good luck to all! CIGNA medical policy effective October 9 2018.pdf

Potassium or Magnesium would be my guess. You have to take the supplements for life, I have been told there is a very high risk of a B bit deficiency which can cause irreversible nerve damage and even paralysis. Not worth the risk when it’s so easy to just take the pills

Yes, from eating or drinking to quickly. Chew, chew, chew. It's called Toad Froth.

I wasn't sure how it was going to go. But I said no candy for me and I stuck to it. My son brought back a great haul and was offered a Reeses cup (my favorite, he did not know I was not having any) and I told him no thanks. I felt proud for making it through the season candy free. The rest of the Holidays have nothing on me.

I have little flashes of it, I guess? (Sleeved 10/3/18.) When I was still miserable, post-op, was probably the worst. I didn't have the full-on "what have I done to myself?" reaction that a lot of people describe, but I was definitely having some feelings, not too many of them positive. I was only really miserable for maybe two days after surgery day, though, and the feelings receded quickly. Now I'll think about wanting to have a croissant, or something I enjoy, and be a little sad I can't. (I know that I will probably be able to have a bite or two of any treat I want again in the future, and some of those treats won't even be all that appealing, so it's really only a little sad. Certainly not sad enough to risk it so early, right?) Or I'll think about the future and about how there's a good chance I'm going to have trouble "blending in" at certain restaurants or in certain crowds of people, forever, and I get a little sad and think "maybe I shouldn't have..." but that's as far as I get, because of course I should have had this surgery. I had a comorbidity that made it pretty much a necessity. A doctor I respect once said (I'm paraphrasing) "Regret comes from indecision. If you're unsure of your decision, that's a recipe for regret." I think that's often true. If you're fully prepared (as much as one can be, just reading others' experiences and statistics and such) and really, really sure this is the right thing for you, I don't think you'll spend a lot of time regretting your choice. But a little? Yeah, I think that's likely, because, as Missouri-Lee said, it's an expensive and irreversible decision, and those always come with "what ifs."

It's a repeated angry rant and a forced eat carb campaign. Some how @Creekimp13 feels none of the rest of us know what we doing. Including all the medical professionals. If it was a thread on why their diet didn't work and they found this as an option (without judgment on other plans) I would have more respect for the original poster if this was an honest talk about plan alternatives Question to the original poster @Creekimp13 Why did your instructions not work for you? How far out were you when you noticed it?

Found these at H-E-B. They look good and nice and smooth for the liquid phase. No added sugar and the spinach one has 5g of protein in a cup.

My hospital experience with my VSG was great. I went to Parker Adventist hospital in Parker Colorado and it was honestly the nicest hospital I've been in. The nurses were attentive and caring while still getting the job done. Pretty much everything I needed was available to me there. This hospital didn't permit heating pads since they can cause burns but when I complained of gas pains in my shoulder blades they immediately brought me heated towels to put on my back. The room was private (all the rooms on the bariatric floor were), there was a couch, bed, and a super comfy recliner. They kept on top of my pain meds, always coming on time to give the next dose (which I definitely needed). Since they gave dialudid instead of morphine to me (I can't handle morphine) I didn't get a pain pump but they never let me go past 4 hours without a new dose. I actually felt rather pampered while there. I loved it. Not all hospitals are as nice as this one though. The year prior I had my gallbladder removed unexpectedly at a hospital near where I live and my experience was the complete opposite. I felt ignored, like I was an inconvenience to the nurses. I had a lot of pain and anxiety and if I asked for my next pain med dose I was looked at like I was a drug seeker, even if it was past time for it. They let me go 12 hours without pain meds once. It was a horrible experience. So check out the hospital you're going to ahead of time if you can.

I had a great experience. I packed WAAAAYYYYY too much stuff. All I really needed was a comb, toothbrush, a change or two of underwear, biotene spray, my phone, and my charger. I do wish I'd not packed the rest of the nonsense I took, and used the room in my bag for a heating pad. That was something that really helped the soreness when I got home. I have a history of severe nausea post-op, and my surgical team did an amazing job giving me meds to counter that. Which caused me to have complete amnesia from the pre-op room when they pushed the first sedative to an hour or so after I was in my room, which has never happened to me. Makes me want to get a copy of my records and find out exactly what they gave me. LOL. I had virtually no pain from the gas that many people complain about. My surgeon does her leak test in the OR, so something to do with the Water for that may have cleared the CO2 out more effectively, I don't know. My overall pain was there, but nothing too horrible. We'd decided on a milder pain med than she normally prescribes because I don't like the side effects of the one she normally uses, and it was sufficient. I just felt like I'd been kicked in the gut and had that residual severe soreness. The staff were great, making sure I had plenty of water and things to drink on day 1, and then Protein shakes and water on day 2 (my doc keeps us overnight to make sure we can keep fluids down well). The tech came in several times to make sure I got up and walked (which helps with the pain, but disconnecting all the stuff is annoying). Slept in short spurts, but that's typical in a hospital. Didn't have enough focus to read a book, so I played games on my phone and facebooked and watched a marathon of whatever crime drama was on TV that day. Doc came by to check on me Day 2 and discharged me. Very uneventful, which is the way we want it. You'll do great. As a nurse, I'll just say that you should work with the nurses about letting them know when you're STARTING to hurt so they can stay ahead of it with your pain meds (if you need them, some people have very little pain). Knocking pain down when it gets bad is MUCH harder than keeping it at bay. And the rest of the time, walk walk walk and sip sip sip (as soon as they let you have drinks).