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Hello Bariatric Buddies (corny right? lol) I thought I'd come on here and share my experience so far for those who may be thinking about weight loss surgery OR are scheduled to undergo surgery soon. I started my bariatric surgery journey May 4th 2021 after YEARS of wanting to do it but not having the courage to start. At that point i was 298LBS. At my heaviest i was 305LBS. What prompted me to just go for it and conquer my fears was just wanting to be healthy again. I was tired of making excuses and as sad as it sounds i was tired of looking in the mirror every day staring at myself morphing into this person i no longer wanted to be. Fortunately for me, i didn't have any MAJOR health issues, however i did/do suffer from PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome). For anyone who knows the struggles of PCOS you know trying fad diets and exercising isn't really helpful when trying to lose weight when your hormones are so imbalanced. Any who, going forward - i contacted my local bariatric surgery center and set up my initial consult. Since we're still being affected by covid, majority of my appointments were via video. My first consult they went over my eligibility requirements, health history and goals. After speaking with the nurse navigator they then scheduled my next visit with the Surgeon who would then change my life forever. So, two weeks later, i meet my surgeon VIA zoom (and let me say, i love that she was blunt, super honest and made sure my goals and perception of the surgery was realistic), she told me about herself, she asked me a few questions about my life, health history in depth, and she then went over my surgery options and what she felt would be my best choice (Gastric Bypass RNY). We ended the appointment on a good note. At that point i was feeling good, motivated and just proud of myself, like - GOSH, I'M FINALLY DOING THIS! At this point in the process, i have scheduled an appointment to get an EKG, chest X-RAY, cardiology, pulmonary, and a behavioral specialist. Over the course of 4 months i would complete each appointment and the specialists would send over their impressions over to the surgeon. September 3rd. I had my pre op class (with a dietitian). I signed a bunch of papers stating that i would not consume alcohol or use tobacco. I watched a video and then the dietitian stated that starting September 9th - until September 19th i will need to be on a full liquid pre op diet - at that point in the liquid diet you are not allowed to take any vitamin supplements, and or specific medications (they would go over that with you). September 9th came around and i started my three protein shakes a day, with drinking 64OZ of water until September 19th as advised. Let me tell you, that was the single most hardest thing that i have EVER done, but in the end i was so proud of myself. September 20th at 10:00AM i had to drink 10OZ of Magnesium Citrate to bowel cleanse in preparation for surgery the next morning. I spent all day in the bathroom. Around 1:30PM i received a call from the hospital letting me know what time i needed to be at the hospital for surgery the next day (9/21/21) which ended up being 7AM. I had so much trouble falling asleep that night as i was so excited yet SO nervous! Surgery day rolls around and i am up getting ready. We (my boyfriend and i) then make our way to the hospital, check in, and head to my pre op room to be prepped. They took my temperature, and my weight. When i started, i was 298 - the day of surgery i was 282LBS! At 9:40AM i went in for surgery and was in the OR for about 4HOURS. I spent about an hour and a half in recovery where they gave me 1OZ water every half hour, that would continue as i was transported to my room that i would stay for the next 24HOURS. My hospital stay wasn't bad, and my nurses/doctors were super attentive, supportive and courteous! They came in almost every hour to check my temperature, blood pressure, and incisions. I went home 9/22/21 at 9:40AM. 1st day home was challenging. I was in so much pain and discomfort. That quickly subsided as the days passed. But in those days, i attempted to drink water and protein and move around as much as possible because walking truly helps with the pain. Here i am 9 days post op and i am not at 100% yet but i am improving i still feel slight pain only where i have internal sutures, and i am gassy (like burping and stomach feeling bloated) - for that i use GAS-X - it's amazing! I currently weigh 273LBS which makes a total of 25LBS lost and 9LBS lost since surgery. 6 Day's post op i was back at work (I KNOW I KNOW I AM CRAZY - BUT I WORK IN AN OFFICE AT MY DESK MAJORITY OF THE DAY SO I AM OKAY).. Hopefully this helps! & if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask :)

So jealous. That would definitely be a challenge though. Good you are getting your steps in and hopefully you are at least eating the right foods. If so I can’t see you gaining that much in a short trip. Enjoy it.

One underrated tip I was given: Add more fiber. I was told to try to get at least the daily value (28g I think). I was nowhere close to it. So now I use clear unflavored fiber supplements that I can add to drinks because getting enough fiber from food alone can be challenging. I also like high fiber foods like L’oven Keto friendly wheat bread (Aldi brand) and higher fiber vegetables/foods (when I remember) https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/should-i-be-eating-more-fiber-2019022115927

Originally I was also going to use a different surgeon, but they had a wait list that would have made me wait three more months and COVID hit around that time so my surgery would have undoubtedly been delayed so I'm glad I went with a different surgeon. It worked out in the end and I'm incredibly happy with my results. It may be a different choice from your original, but I hope it works out as well for you as it did for me! I hope the rest of your journey is much smoother!

Hey Everyone! Ive had a few things come up since my last appointment with the surgeon. This was all through my GP. Turns out my iron levels are now all of a sudden super high(ferritin was 417), and my liver enzymes also high but thats been an ongoing issue for me. I rarely eat meat and have never had high iron in the past so i have no idea whats happened there. What im now concerned about is my liver! My surgeon does a standard 2 week pre op before surgery to help shrink the liver but im so scared it wont work! My GP sent me for an ultrasound of my liver and it shows moderate fatty liver disease. Ive been reading ways to shrink my liver now before my next surgeons appointment but all the results i get are what im already doing. Ive always eaten fairly well and even lately ive cut back heaps on the junk and comfort eating knowing i have the surgery coming up yet this has still happened! So fearful that itll get to the big day, they will open me up and then not operate because its too large still😭 what happens if the pre op diet just doesnt work? Im almost tempted to just start my pre op diet now! I dont even have my surgery date yet!

If the pain is on movement only, it’s likely because your moving too much or too fast, stretching too far or pulling or lifting too much. Remember you had pretty major surgery & you have a lot of internal stitches & staples holding your tummy together. Take it easy & give your body time to heal. Of course if the pain occurs without moving or gets worse contact your medical team.

Just deleted all of my food delivery/ordering apps and unsubscribed from several restaurant emails. I start my pre-op diet next week- unsure what that will look like until I meet with my dietician on Monday, but I want to be prepared for success. Let's go!

Just logged into my insurance and found out I'm approved! Yes!!!!!!

That was my pre surgery goal, but my new goal is 145. Thank you for your encouragement.

You've lost almost 100 lbs. in 6 months, and if your profile is correct, 13 lbs. from your goal of 160 lbs. By the six month mark, the average lost 30 to 40% excess weight... I would be ecstatic. Stalls are frustrating but looking at the whole picture, I would say you're doing better than the average.