Djmohr

That work elective is such a crock. Recently I was told that I needed a 3 level cervical spinal fusion because both my arms were weak, numb and I have severe chronic pain in my neck. They did the tests and learned that I have severe spinal stenosis and the arthritis is actually causing a severe flattening in my spinal cord. They called this an elective surgery too! My issue started 14 years before with 1 level and slight damage and it only got worse and worse by doing nothing. Had I continued to do nothing the damage would continue to get worse and possibly cause permanent damage to the nerves and my spinal cord. How can you can this elective?! When I had my bypass surgery I was very very close to needing kidney dialysis to survive. The solution, lose a massive amount of weight therefore giving my kidneys a break. But WLS is elective! I think they should redefine that word. As a patient of both of these, I felt the option of doing nothing was not an option at all! I totally agree with you guys!

Welcome! This is a great site for getting the opinions of others who went before you. Most if not all of us felt as you do right now. Ashamed of how we became obese and confused as to why it was happening to us and most certainly frustrated about losing, regaining and gaining more on top of it. It is great that you are looking at WLS as a long term solution for yourself. I remember initially being terrified of the idea but knowing I would die without intervention. Go to a weight loss seminar by your local bariatric center of excellence. They are usually free and will provide a mountain of information about all of the types of WLS, their risks and what you can expect from each. The two most effective surgeries for WLS are the Verticle Sleeve and the RNY Gastric Bypass. Both provide excellent permanent results and can be used as a tool to get yourself healthy. The biggest reason why one is chosen over the other is dependent on ones personal health history. This is why you should not choose until you meet with your WL doctor. For example, if you suffer from Reflux/Gerd already the best option for you will be bypass. This is because the sleeve and band can make this disease much worse. If you don't suffer from reflux/Gerd then you may decide that the sleeve is better for you. Either way, work with your surgeon to figure out what will work best for you. Both will get you the results you are looking for in terms of significant weight loss. Good luck to you!

I would also add to James's comments to begin to ween sugars and bad carbohydrates out of your system. Eat meals high in Protein and good vegetables. If you are not already doing this you must eat 3 meals per day. Skipping a meal only sets your metabolism wrong and messes with your system. A day might look like this: Breakfast :Scrambled eggs for breakfast with turkey bacon or 1percent cottage cheese with sliced strawberries on it or SF Greek Yogurt. lunch - salad with chicken breast and low calorie dressing - balsamic & olive oil is a good choice. Put a grilled chicken breast and hard boiled egg on it. The protein will help ensure it stays with you longer. You could even add some cheese. dinner - some type of lean protein such as baked chicken breast, turkey, pork tenderloin, fish, beef. Make a double portion of veggies and a salad with low cal dressing. If you snack have an apple with Peanut Butter or a handful of nuts or even an ounce of cheese. Stay away from: bread, Pasta, rice, white potatoes, sweets and processed foods. If you begin to do this now, it will prepare you for post surgery and you will absolutely lose weight in the process. You could also pick up some high quality Protein shakes such as Premier Protein found at costco or Sam's. You can have one as a meal or as a snack. It is high in protein, very low in sugar and tastes great. And also as James said, go for a walk everyday. 30 minutes with ensure your body gets moving in the right direction. If you cannot go 30 minutes start with 15 and work up to it. Good luck to you!

Yes, this is perfectly normal. I gained 13lbs and remember how crappy that made me feel. It is from all the fluids and gas pumped into your body during surgery. I promise over the next week that will be gone and likely more on top of that. Congratulations on your surgery. Get well soon!

@@ktscott I think you were asking me if I had trouble healing. The answer is no, it went very well for me and honestly taking off the weight made me more mobile than I had been in 20 years. Getting the proper Protein post surgery will ensure you heal well. Good luck to you!

@@auntitraci Congratulations on taking steps to get healthy! I hope you will be as happy as I am with your surgery. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself!

With drinking it is likely you are taking too much liquid in at one time. I remember how bad that hurts. Ugh! The good news is, that will get better over time. You have to remember to take it very very slow and just sip. You will find the same Is True when starting with sift foods. You will need to make sure that whatever you are trying is pretty wet so it slides down. Take very small bites and chew like crazy. I am 11 months post op and can drink a lot at one time now and I have to remind myself to chew like crazy because sometimes I still eat too fast and end up with that pain in my chest.

The bypass is the gold standard for WLS. I would suspect that your surgical team will have no problem with your choice. Any surgeon that pushes you toward a surgery better be able to explain very clearly why that is the best surgery for you. Otherwise get a new surgeon. I was originally going for the sleeve and after much discussion with both my surgeon and a gastroenterologist it was determined that bypass was the better surgery for me. This was specifically because I had severe reflux and the sleeve could make this worse for me which could have resulted in a second surgery to revise to bypass anyway.

It should definately help with that issue not hurt it. Yes there is more risk, the important thing will be to get you as mobile as possible and that means the weight loss should definately help.

The carbs in the crackers also turn to sugar and can make you dump. It might be too soon for them.

@@tls1210 I have had this same experience. I figured out that it was eggs for me. My tummy could not handle them at all. I still don't understand why. I am 11 months post op and have recently been able to eats eggs if it has other things mixed in like an omelet. Unfortunately they still feel heavy in my stomach so I can only eat about half an egg.

Nicely done! Congratulations!

I swear I am the plateau queen. I lose 10lbs and then I am stuck, then I start losing again and I am stuck. It is very frustrating. As you can tell, I am stuck again. I know exactly what my issue is but I don't know what I can do about it right now. I am restricted from exercise due to a surgery I had on my spine in June. The worst part is I have significant pain in my back and don't see this restriction changing anytime soon. I guess the good news is, I have not gained any weight and continue to lose very very slowly with a plateau every 10lbs. I am 25 lbs from my goal. I am telling you exercise and lower carbs is the answer! If you can get yourself moving it can really help.

At 8 weeks post op you will likely be on soft foods vs. puréed foods. This means you could have some turkey in very small burped with gravy to help it slide down. You could also have a small amount of vegetable and even a bite of either sweet potatoes (if they are not all covered in marshmallow or sugar) or mashed potatoes. Here's the thing, you will find that at this stage a couple of bites and you will be done. Have those bites over 20 to 30 minutes and thanksgiving becomes about just enjoying family and friends. Last year I was at exactly the same spot, 8 weeks post op at thanksgiving and I am the chief cook in the family. Which was funny because at that stage had I been tasting as one does when they cook I would have gotten sick. I had to keep calling my son and husband to taste to make sure I had the right seasonings! I was able to eat literally just a few bites of turkey and some green Beans. It was absolutely delicious and it felt like thanksgiving to me. I also tasted a bite of pumpkin pie without the crust of course. I found at that stage it was too sweet for me and did not enjoy the flavor at all. Congratulations on taking steps to get healthy! I so wish I would have done this when I was younger! It is my one regret. Instead of you dealing with damage to your body from being obese your body should bounce back very nicely! I look forward to seeing your progress! Good luck!

@@ktscott Hi and welcome! I actually had gastric bypass instead of the sleeve because I suffered from severe reflux. I have an automatic immune disease as well called psoriatic arthritis. Every 8 weeks I get an injection of Stelara which helps with both the psoriasis as well as the joint damage. I try to avoid steroids because it makes the skin condition much worse however I recently had spine surgery and was literally forced to take both IV steroids and oral steroids for a number of weeks. I had no problems with it in terms of my new tummy but of course the steroids kicked up my psoriasis very bad,y and now I am taking a daily dose of Cyclosporine. Hopefully it won't be for too long but it is liquid and if I don't eat something or drink a Protein shake it tends to burn my tummy. I have not had that sensation in the last 11 months since my bypass. It cured my reflux. I suspect there is something like alcohol in that drug which causes the burning sensation. Anyway, there are plenty of people with RA on this site but I would not be overly concerned. If you are taking NSAIDs that won't be allowed. They can cause severe ulcers in your new tummy so they try to have you take Tylenol instead. I found after this surgery that Tylenol based pain relievers actually work. Before surgery that was not the case so I was worried about stopping Aleive. I have not missed it at all. Good luck and let me know if you have further questions!

Congratulations! Although you may be a little scared I would bet that you are also ecstatic! Get yourself to your bariatrician for advice, I am sure this happens a lot.

@@theother_onefoot Oh I definately experienced this and yes the smell probably set you off. It does pass but it will take some time before that happens. I am 11 months post op and there are still some smells and tastes that get to me but they are only a few. In the beginning it was pretty much anything that smelled or tasted sweet. It would not make me vomit but I was definately sick to my stomach. I also noticed that even the sound of someone chewing made me want to gag.

Wow! How absolutely exciting for you! Congratulations!

You look fantastic! Congratulations!

As the others have said the most important thing is to get your Water in so you don't get dehydrated. I was on a clear liquid diet for a week before I was even allowed to try Protein drinks. In priority: Water Protein Vitamins The thing that honestly worked best for me to ensure I got my liquids was to literally hold that cup in my hand and take a sip every few minutes. Good luck! You will do great!

Welcome Brad! Congratulations on getting healthy. You are already doing fantastic!

@@rmag Congratulations on getting your surgery! You are going to love to see what begins to happen now! Everyday gets you closer and closer to your dreams and goals! Good luck!

I am very excited for you! It probably feels like Christmas morning for you! I know that was how I felt. I had a huge grin on my face when they took me to surgery. I had a huge grin when I woke up in recovery. All I could think about was what this surgery was going to help me do. I am so much more healthy now and it doesn't hurt when someone sees me for the first time in a while and they are shocked. Both my sons were with me last night and both were like Mom, your getting so skinny! Apparently I am carrying my 191lbs well because no one can believe I have another 25 to go. They were shocked when I revealed my weight to them. They both said we are clearly not used to seeing you so slim. P.s. Last night I was purchasing a jacket. Normally I would buy a 3x, I had to buy a medium!! I never thought I would get into a medium again in my life! You are going to love your new lease on life!

I think many of us lost weight while waiting for surgery but most of us know what you likely already do. For someone who has the disease obesity, losing it is the easy part. Keeping it off is where we all fall down. Having weight loss surgery gives us another tool in our tool box to help in not gaining it back. You will absolutely work your behind off to lose this weight. In the end every pound that comes off, comes off for good if you follow the plan. My biggest fear is gaining my weight back. I know that I can never have the same eating habits I once did and be successful. The time you take now to change those habits will make things easier for you post WLS. Trust me, slipping back into old habits is not easy to break but having the tool definately makes it much easier. I would have already gone off plan and started gaining back if it were not for everything I have learned about nutrition and had my grouch pouch kick my butt if I misbehave. Good luck to you as you figure out what you are going to do. For me, I wish I would have done it 15 years ago before I damaged my spine and joints. I would definately not have WLS if you are truly not ready. You will only be disappointed.