VSGAnn2014

Super that your bariatric enter has that "Back on Track" program. Very cool idea. That pretty much describes most of life, doesn't it ... on track and then back on track.

Not sure what you were trying to post about Omar here. Were you a former patient of Dr. Illan as well? Nope, not a patient of Dr. Illan's and never have met The Fabulous Omar. But anyone who's curious to see what he looks like can find him among the admins at Team Illan's FB page.

That's what I call an amazing success story. Thanks for that. If you check back in and see this, would you please describe how your (loose) skin responded to the weight loss and the subsequent months of strength-building? (Also, how old are you?)

SMH.

Shaking my head.

The International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) is not a mainstream information source that many people consult or are sympatico with. Nevertheless, thank you for posting the "information" from the ISAA. What that "information" confirms is that they are peddling lies and propaganda that support their basic ideology -- people who suffer from obesity-caused maladies and diseases should accustom themselves to their suffering and, weirdly, revel in it. Strange stuff indeed.

I'm not a believer, so I just say ... go with the flow. As I have no doubt you know, everyone generates their own emotions -- but often in response to others' emotions, "vibes" and actions. In any event, it sounds like these folks are all being complimentary. If they started showing up at your door and asking you to lay your hands on them, that'd be a whole other thread!

Seriously? Allergies be damned? (I have a feeling that response would vary by diocese.) Serious suggestion: Perhaps you could hold the wafer in your mouth, but back in the pews take it out of your mouth and later on when you were alone you could chew chew chew up a bit of it?

Here's what I don't understand -- why does such "fandom" arise around specific surgeons / bariatric centers, to the point that the fandom becomes cultlike? And by "cultlike" I mean an organization (even a social group) in which criticism or inspection or even questions about a professional person is considered unseemly or disloyal? I do understand that if "Team Surgeon X" is run by people who get referral fees for signing up patients to book their medical procedures with Surgeon X, they will want to protect Surgeon X's and their own financial interests. But there's the rub--medicine is BOTH a profession AND a business. And its business aspects should NEVER outweigh medicine's professional obligations. That's the very reason why the professions (all of them) have ethical codes. In the U.S., the American Medical Association's Code of Medical Ethics applies. See http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics.page. Here's a short excerpt from that Code: The practice of medicine, and its embodiment in the clinical encounter between a patient and a physician, is fundamentally a moral activity that arises from the imperative to care for patients and to alleviate suffering. * * * The relationship between patient and physician is based on trust and gives rise to physicians’ ethical obligations to place patients’ welfare above their own self-interest and above obligations to other groups, and to advocate for their patients’ welfare. I assume that Mexican doctors and their practices have the same ethical obligations to their patients.

I call B.S. on this "consensual relationship" defense. I don't know Omar, but based on what his accusers and his defenders have written here, I know what I think of the behavior he has engaged in. It's predatory, manipulative, unethical and dangerous.

You should notify a moderator if your name was printed here, so they can remove it. Or better yet, the poster should remove it by editing her post.

What a wonderful accomplishment. I look forward to a similar show-and-tell photo display one day.

Thank you.

From another WLS forum (but not posted by me): I wanted to see if anyone has shared my experience. Before having the sleeve surgery, I have never had issues with psychological or addictive disorders. I happen to be in the field of psychology, so I knew enough to have myself screened several times for any type of food or emotional addictions and dependencies before having my surgery. Basically, I confirmed before the surgery, that I had neither an addictive disorder, nor did I have a family history of chemical dependency. I had a sleeve a couple of years ago, and I am now in alcohol treatment. I was astounded to learn from my counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists, that alcoholism is very common in patients following weight loss surgery (in my case the sleeve). I have learned from doctors that many of the origins of the neurotransmitters that regulate brain function (endorphins, serotonin, nor-epinephrine, and dopamine) actually originate in the stomach and digestive system. When this system is thrown "out of whack" so are the chemicals that control inner brain activity, frequently resulting in the brain seeking other methods of chemical regulation. The end result is often a dependency of another neuro-stimulant such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other mood affective substances. More and more research is supporting the phenomenon of people developing addictive disorders after weigh loss surgery who otherwise would not have developed them. Like I mentioned, I am now receiving outpatient, and in a 12-step program which will have to be a life-long process. I'm sure we were made aware that an existing food addiction may transition to another form of dependency, hence the requirement of psychological screening prior to surgery. I certainly was never made aware that a possible side effect of weight loss surgery was the development dependency issues WHERE NON AND EXISTED BEFORE, and neither was anyone else I know who have had the procedure. I'm not looking to start a blame-game, but I would like to reach out to others who have had my same experience. I know what I need to do, and am taking responsibility for my actions, but this whole thing looks like it has the potential for potential law suites in the future. I think the sleeve was overall a positive addition to my life, but I wish I had known how it would affect my brain chemistry so I could have better prepared.

Susan, In order to evaluate your message, I would like to know: 1. Are you now employed by (or consulting for) a bariatric clinic? If so, which one(s)? 2. Which other bariatric clinics have you been employed by (or consulted for)? 3. Were you ever employed by (or consulted for) Dr. Illan's clinic? If you won't answer these simple questions, then your declaration will be regarded by many readers as an attempt to trash-talk the competition. Ann2 P.S. FTR, I haven't been sleeved in Mexico.

Home, I'm truly glad you've found the support here you were looking for and happy you're feeling more optimistic and doing better now. I misinterpreted your earlier posts as meaning that you had not been told by your surgeon what to eat (and what not to eat) at various points post-surgery.

Oops, wrong thread. Never mind.

Totally agree about reflux pretending to be hunger. I would bet I'm still carrying at least 25 pounds right now that I gained one terrible winter before I found out I needed a PPO.

Oh, Chad -- you're young, you're a guy (with all that wonderful high metabolism men have), and you've already lost 80 pounds. You will lose your excess weight like a house afire! What an adventure you're on. Please let us know how you're doing along the way. Very best, Ann

Greetings, sixtysomethings. I'm 68, and am waiting to be sleeved. The intake process at my (very busy) local bariatric center is glacially slow! In any event, I'm well educated. I have only one more appointment (fingers crossed) before my surgery is scheduled and my pre-surgical liver-shrink diet starts. I'm very excited, and although no specific weight loss is required by my surgeon or insurance (other than the liver-shrink one), in the last four weeks I've lost 7 pounds by watching what I eat. And in the past few months I've moved my fat a** off the recliner to walking outdoors and on a treadmill and to the NuStep. When I started counting my daily steps I rarely got more than 2,000, and now they're often over 7,000. That's a good, big change, even with my sore old knees. I am confident that after surgery I'll soon be doing my 10,000 steps/day. I love the success stories, the real stories and the community here. Here's to my soon being on the sleeved side of life. P.S. If you're not already using My Fitness Pal and Fitbit, you'd probably love them. IMHO.

LadyG, I think you'll find plenty of support here, on youtube and on Facebook -- more than you might think. Welcome to this forum. And try to breathe a little deeper. The change will seem unfamiliar, but things will keep changing the next year. The "new permanent" will take a long time to evolve.

Actually, as I understand it, those who go to Mexico don't have any hoops to jump through at all (behaviorally or educationally) -- they do varying versions (some quite minimal) of pre-op diets to shrink the liver, and then are sent on their way with some printouts. At least that's how understand it. If I'm wrong, please correct my misinformation.

OK, back to the OP ... I have not heard of "organ failure" at my bariatric center ... yet. But there's this to remember: For older people (including me -- I'm 68), we've spent much of our lives being overweight. It's been rough on our bodies already. And although I'm, fortunately, a "healthy fat person," I do not pretend to myself that my current size and lifetime of yo-yo dieting will have no negative effects on my future health -- even if I become normal-sized in the coming year and remain that way for the rest of my natural life. To think otherwise would just be ... illogical. I think you need to respect your mom's needs to become healthy -- for herself. Yes, she has familial expectations and obligations for her children and grandchildren. However, if you've got five kids already, you must agree that it's time for your mom to invest in HERSELF.

Hoo boy! I've read a lot about this online -- and seen several video blogs devoted to this subject as well. It's a fact that many marriages and relationships end during or after one partner has WLS. (I don't know the statistics, but the number goes UP after WLS, for sure. And if anyone does know the statistics, I wish you'd post them here.) Some overweight / obese people don't want to change their lifestyles -- either eating or exercise. They are very uncomfortable when their partner starts trying to live a dramatically different lifestyle than they've been accustomed to before. SOME (not all) partners of overweight / obese people simply prefer the aesthetics and sexuality of a larger person. Consequently, they are not physically attracted to a normal-sized ("too skinny") partner. Some people, after undergoing WLS and losing significant amounts of weight -- particularly people who have been overweight all their lives and who "missed" certain "normal" socializing experiences like dating multiple people, enjoying night life, flirting, being flirted with, (I'll just type it 'out loud') and having sex with new people -- find that they feel quite confined in an old, familiar, long-time relationship, and they want to go out and sow some wild oats and have new experiences. And other things. Keep talking with your partner. Try to help him discover and express what concerns and fears and other feelings are causing his resistance. And most definitely take him to your bariatric center's lectures and educational events. I have drug my poor husband's ass all over my bariatric center's events and consultations. He was all for it from Day One, but I still want him to be as educated about this as I am, so he can be fully and appropriately supportive of me as I go through it. Best wishes!

LOL! For those who are pissed because people on this thread called "Smoking!" are expressing their personal opinions in response to an OP that says ... ... you may wish to accustom yourself to the idea that this is a message board where people, when invited to express their opinions and share relevant information, are more than likely going to express their opinions and share information they think is relevant. Regarding the smoking "rule," the reason it's forbidden is that (and I'm quoting below an MD on a plastic surgery Web site): "Nicotine in all its forms retards healing after surgery. The vasoconstriction of the blood vessels is only one of the deleterious effects. It also retards the production of fibroblasts, the healing cells themselves." Oh, and if any of you want to have plastic surgery in the future, you might like to google images for pix of plastic surgery that "wasn't successful" on smokers. And on the recreational (not medical) marijuana front, I truly am gobsmacked that you would choose to undergo VSG surgery while continuing to use a drug that's widely known (and medically prescribed) to increase your appetite. And that's my opinion.