RobinL123

I found this in the resources section of this website, under surgery complications. WHAT IS THIS? Is this true? Please tell me this is not factual.

Anyone? Why are hernias risks increased after surgery. Is this immediately after surgery because things have been moved around, or a potential complication for a period of time? I had 2 major abdominal surgeries in the past and they were worried about hernias but I never got any. Why does this procedure seem to be a high risk for hernias? Is it caused by strain from bowel movements or vomiting? Or something else that I haven't thought of? Robin

Ieag, I started my 6 month process in October. I quit smoking on 9/29, by the end of December early January, I started smoking again. Lots of stress, the holidays, family matters etc. I picked back up. I'm now on day 2 of the 14 mg patch and doing okay. I'm fine at work all day...it's being home that makes me want to smoke. I've resisted. I hate myself for being so weak....but if you want the surgery, you have to quit. My doctor screens for nicotine. I have to be nicotine free and that includes Patches or e cigs. And to boot I have to lose at least 10lbs. I think the weight loss will be easier then the cigs, but then again, what the hell do I know. I just take it one day at a time. I will likely postpone any surgery dates until I have things under wraps. I'm so weak willed, I loathe me. Robin

I know all surgeries have risk. I wonder how this type of surgery stacks up against other elective surgeries, I will research my stats and I will flat out ask my surgeon what her statistics are. I will also see if I can research it myself.

I know all surgeries have risk. I wonder how this type of surgery stacks up against other elective surgeries, I will research my stats and I will flat out ask my surgeon what her statistics are. I will also see if I can research it myself.

Hi Folks, I posted at this site originally in late October (at the beginning of my 6 month waiting period for insurance purposes). As I'm going through all the major hoops I have to jump through to get this surgery, I'm starting to have serious reservations. I spoke to my NUT yesterday and confessed that I quit smoking for 3 months then at the end of December beginning of January I started slowly again. I'm on the patch again today and know this will be a battle for me. I can't even be on the patch a month or 2 prior to surgery. My other problem was that I gained 4 pounds in those 3 months I quit smoking and it's my impression that my team of experts expect me to behave as if I'm having the surgery next month. I'm not. According to them I should be eating several small meals a day. I work Sooooo much and have Sooooo many doctor appointments, I'm exhausted already. And don't have the time to focus on food continuously I could lie and tell them everything they want to hear, I get the impression they feel as if their doing you a favor by being ball busting big brothers. I feel my life is invaded by this team. I told the nutritionist that I might not be ready for surgery come Spring, I might need a few more months to get my mind wrapped around this and focused on living a completely different life. Finally and most importantly once this is done, there's no turning back. I have stomach problems as it is, IBS, had Diverticulitus and had it surgically removed. If I fall into the 10% that has complications.....I'll hate myself forever for doing this to myself. I weigh 230 lbs and if I lose 100 lbs I'll probably look like a cancer patient. How does one prevent too much weight loss? I'm struggling with this...any input would be appreciated. With a 6 month prep period, when did you all start taking it serious and strictly change your habits? Thanks Robin

Hi JK, How is the liquid diet going? Did you have to start it 3 days before surgery or 10 days before surgery? I'd love to hear how you feel post op. Don't forget to update us. Good luck Robin

Wow...you got in real quick, my insurance is making me run the gauntlet, which is both good and bad. Good because you can't claim you didn't know, I'm inundated with info, bad because where does one start in a six month process? I'm not going to diet for 6 months, If I stick to a April or May surgery date, February will be the time I start trying to switch to liquid diets and cut back or cut out alcohol consumption. Read more about the diet. I don't want it to be all consuming every day of my life. I want to live normally, but with a lot less food. Lose weight, get healthy, exercise more because I've lost some weight and my feet and knees don't hurt so much. But all that comes in time, not at the snap of a finger. Robin

Hi Maggie, I just read your stats, you're at 117 lbs and your goal is to get to 140, is 117 the lowest you've been or was it lower? How do you look and feel? My cousin Deb lives in Western Mass, Becket I believe and she had the surgery Oct 1st, so far, last I heard she lost 50lbs. That was a lot and so fast. Maybe you know her? Do you feel that your life orbits around what you can and cannot eat now? Can you drink alcohol at all? What is the feedback from people you know....do they say you lost too much weight? Are you experiencing any problems? What size did you start with and drop to? That's a lot of weight loss...amazing. Robin

Hi again everyone, Thanks for all the responses and advice. I'm trying to process it all. What I do know for sure is that I won't be having surgery in May, I'm going to give myself more time to become more compliant. Sure I want to lose the weight and get off all the meds that I'm on for various issues, I guess the main problem is that I don't feel very healthy to begin with. I met with the therapist who's part of the team and she was a bit off putting. She basically said due to my life being a ball of stress, that's why I'm obese. Not discussing my entire health history I thought that was a snap judgement. I wasn't obese my entire life, I packed on pounds in my 30's and late 30;s due to hormone hell, poly cystic ovaries disease and I had a complete hysterectomy at 42, so thrust into menopause at a rather young age. These issues may seem like excuses, but it's my reality. I liked the idea a woman mentioned about stuffing your bra with weights for the first weigh in. I will now look for light weight clothing for weigh ins and it's the dead of winter here. Next time I go in, I'm going in a speedo and walking through the hospital that way. That will fix em....All kidding aside. I'm on day 2 of the patch again, I hate the fact that I'm struggling with quitting, but I really love the idea of being a non smoker. This I truly want out of my life. I'm also going to set an alarm on my cell phone for every 4 hours so I eat something throughout the day, this way dinner isn't my main meal of the day. Eating right is like a full time job, you have to tote around food. Can any tell me the first steps they took to begin eating properly 3 months pre surgery? Did you make lists. Did you walk around with apples and boiled eggs and Protein shakes? I work for a living so I need to prep on Sundays for the week. I guess I need to read more about this process does anyone know of "How to" links? I'm not very familiar with this web site, I have to poke around and see if I can find some educational tools. Again, thanks for all your input and I appreciate the time you've taken to give advice. I'll know when I'm ready, I'm so not there right now. Rockin Robin

Hi Grateful, Don't hate yourself, get back on track. Isn't it a horrible feeling knowing that you put all the hard work into something and then caved. I did that with cigs for 3 months prior to surgery and caved. I have 3 more months or more if I want to get back on track. I will try the same things you've tried prior to surgery just to see if it can be done. However, if it's not required right now. I think you need to do the shakes for one week prior to surgery, wouldn't you agree doing it sooner is self sabotaging? How do you feel about that? I'm asking because I want to learn by you because I see myself doing the same thing. In other words, eating like you've already had the surgery for months beforehand can be self defeating and take a toll on your self esteem. How long until your surgery?

Hi JWheel, Thanks for the response. I'm definitely going to discuss this with my doctor. Because of my age and medical history I'm at a higher calculated risk. That's why I know it's so important for me to quit cigs forever, to improve many things in my life but also for this surgery. Do you have a surgery date scheduled yet or are you still in the long drawn out process prior to surgery? I see that you're from Scotland, is there socialized medicine there? Are you already approved and just waiting for a time slot? How long do they estimate that to be? Robin

Hey Shortie, How far along are you in the process? Do you have a surgery date? I can understand the freak out. I'm not worried about the surgery. I've had many invasive surgeries and the worst part of surgery is the recovery. Provided you don't drop dead from the surgery...lol. I laugh out of fear. Living with the major changes afterwards and the possibility of a life time of discomfort is what spooks me. I pray to God I'm a success story, but there's no sure things in life except death and taxes.

Wow....several people have read this, yet not one comment. I'm not writing this to scare anyone, I'm hoping someone can disprove this. Its not a very good statistic.

Folks, I'm having a terrible time navigating from the topic I posted, to the replies i'm getting in my email. When I reply through email, it bounces back to me as undelivered. I can't find the replies from my original topic matter in here. So, I'm not being rude or ignorant, I just don't have this navigation thing down yet. The person who just emailed me, why didn't I like the lap band. First off, I haven't had surgery yet, 2ndly my doctor won't do the band anymore because it has an unproven success rate.\ Robin And the gal who mentioned putting weights in your bra for your first weigh in, is a genius Wish I thought of that. Rockin Robin

Yes you will lose the girls. I have 2 friends that had drastic weight loss. One from lap band and one from stress. The lap band friend got a boob job after the weight loss. The other friends chest looks....I hate to say this.....awful. Like utters. She wears padded bras to give her some shape. I suppose the older you are the more it will affect your chest. They are in their 50's. R

Hey Onyx, You are not being paranoid, THEY ARE watching you. That's totally how I feel, I feel as if I have to constantly praise them for their invasive services and tell them exactly what they want to hear. Here's the real kick in the pants too, my nutritionist isn't exactly skinny minny either. She's a bit over weight, maybe not unhealthy, but far from a poster child. Shoot I hope they don't check out this site. The food police will send out drones...lol. I'm not all that paranoid, but don't kid yourself into thinking they aren't watching you like a hawk. What I need to learn is to not say anything if it isn't what they want to hear. Best to keep my big mouth shut!!! Good luck to you and your journey

Hi Folks, I posted at this site originally in late October (at the beginning of my 6 month waiting period for insurance purposes). As I'm going through all the major hoops I have to jump through to get this surgery, I'm starting to have serious reservations. I spoke to my NUT yesterday and confessed that I quit smoking for 3 months then at the end of December beginning of January I started slowly again. I'm on the patch again today and know this will be a battle for me. I can't even be on the patch a month or 2 prior to surgery. My other problem was that I gained 4 pounds in those 3 months I quit smoking and it's my impression that my team of experts expect me to behave as if I'm having the surgery next month. I'm not. According to them I should be eating several small meals a day. I work Sooooo much and have Sooooo many doctor appointments, I'm exhausted already. And don't have the time to focus on food continuously I could lie and tell them everything they want to hear, I get the impression they feel as if their doing you a favor by being ball busting big brothers. I feel my life is invaded by this team. I told the nutritionist that I might not be ready for surgery come Spring, I might need a few more months to get my mind wrapped around this and focused on living a completely different life. Finally and most importantly once this is done, there's no turning back. I have stomach problems as it is, IBS, had Diverticulitus and had it surgically removed. If I fall into the 10% that has complications.....I'll hate myself forever for doing this to myself. I weigh 230 lbs and if I lose 100 lbs I'll probably look like a cancer patient. How does one prevent too much weight loss? I'm struggling with this...any input would be appreciated. With a 6 month prep period, when did you all start taking it serious and strictly change your habits? Thanks Robin

Hi Jocie, I know what you mean about being consumed by stuff. If you have Tufts Navigator insurance, there's a 6 month process of this. I'm now having to take days off from work, to fulfill my monthly appointment obligations. Then I thought to myself, aside from the monthly requirements which are, the nurse practitioner, the nutritionist and I'm only required to have 2 psych visits for the whole process. Although I wouldn't mind more, I don't really have the time. So there's those 3 requirements, plus a health coach phone call each month. 1. nurse practioner 2. nutritionist 3. psych doctor (2 times during 6 months) 4. health coach - monthly scheduled phone call. What I've also thrown in the mix was all this pre-op stuff that I could have spread over the 6 month time frame and did not because the program just keeps scheduling me or telling me I need to schedule the following. 1. Upper GI series - done 2. extensive breathing test - done 3. blood work - done 4. sleep study doctor (initial visit) done, there will be about 3 more follow-ups due to sleep study requirements 5. heart doctor - scheduled but not done. In addition to these requirements, I had my gall bladder checked out because I have stones and want the gallbladder removed at the same time as surgery. (so that required and abdominal ultra sound and 2 more visits to my primary care) Also, I received a lot of reading materials and have quit smoke 9 weeks now... It's major, exhausting followup for all this....but I plan to do everything right and minimize any problems and unwanted side effects. So my advice to you is this....there's no getting around all the requirements, suck it up, try to space out the appointments so that you don't feel your life orbits around this. Good luck

I'm from Boston Mass and I'm going through the Center for Weight Management and Weight Loss Surgery through the Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford. My name is Robin and I won't be having the surgery until early Spring. I'm month 2 into the 6 month requirement by my insurance (Tufts). I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the appointments and all the pre-op appointments and the lack of accommodating working people with early evening appointments. I'm having to take days off and schedule 2 to 3 appointments for that day to satisfy the necessary criteria for that month. Also, I was informed that I have to lose 20 lbs pre-surgery and keep it off until the surgery. I'm not sure if I should just wait until after the holidays or start now for fear of putting any pounds on during the holidays. I realize this requirement is a test to determine my adherence to the program and also to reduce liver fat to minimize recovery or complications. One more point, I'm 5 weeks into being smoke free. I quit using the patch because I needed to quit for a thousand reasons, 2, The surgery won't be preformed if you're an active smoker. I have to ween myself off the patch because you have to be nicotine free. I'm not sure if anyone else has to quit smoking? It makes it that much harder to lose weight for the surgery. Again, I'm just overwhelmed by everything....anyone else in Mass or anywhere in the same boat? I would love to get to know some local folks who are very pre-op and pick their brains for helpful hints. Drop me a line if you're interested in becoming chums. Robin

Hi Folks, I'm in the prerequisite 6 month process of my weight loss journey. I have multiple required appointments with doctors, hospitals, therapists and nutritionists. In addition to this requirements, a 6 month life coach. All this is required to get insurance to pay for the surgery and to be approved by my doctor for surgery. Also, I have to quit smoking or they won't do the surgery. I'm on day 5 of my quit and that seems to be going well. I want to heal properly from what I assume will be gastric bypass surgery. There are many questions that I have about the process and to be honest with you, it's a bit overwhelming with all the criteria that must be met. I'm 49 years old and have been overweight for over 20 years and I have high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. I want to turn 50 with these problems behind me. What initially concerns me is the negative feedback I've received from acquaintances/friends at work. It seems that many people think it's a horrible idea. However, my family and close friends think it's a great idea, due to my health issues. As a result of the negative feedback from various people, I've resided to NOT discuss the topic with them. Did anyone else experience this behavior? If so, what did you do about it? Thanks, Robin Also, another concern I have is looking sickly upon drastic weight loss. Do you think it's a good idea to do weight training prior to surgery (intensely) to tone/build your muscles prior to (for lack of a better term) wasting? What has been your experience? I'm also considering buying up boost and ensure food supplements (whenever on sale) in the six months prior to surgery. That stuff is expensive and I also want to get a bullet to make Protein shakes...I like the idea of having simple meals for a while, not having to cook or plan meals. Did anyone else stock up on these products, Vitamins included and if so, which kinds. question questions questions.....I'm loaded with them....please bare with me Any input will be appreciated.

Boston Mass and would love to find an actual physical support group. That would be cool. I'm sure my hospital and group will turn me on to some resources.

I have paid time off, but I'd have to save it for that. I just calculated today that if I saved all my time starting after this month, I'd have 23 paid days off. That's a little over a month, especially a month with a holiday...like April for patriots day here in Mass. I am very familiar with abdominal surgery and I'm not a fool thinking I'd bounce back easily, besides the healing process, keep in mind you'll pretty much be starving. I'd say that's hard to feel anything but tired. However, that's where eating right and getting your Protein and fat in, so you have strength. You can make low fat choices, but you need fat for energy and also for your digestion system. Also, I'll be close to 50 by the time I have surgery. after each major surgery I had in the past, I noticed it takes a bit longer to bounce back, I don't see this one being any different. I hope 4 weeks will be enough for me and I pray I'm not part of the 1% who have complications. Robin

Fantastic! Keep up the good work

I will try to plan for 3 weeks at the least and 4 at the most. I need to save all my time from now until then so I can recover at my own pace. A month is all I can afford, I can't afford to do anymore. Robin