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Very cute! You look fantastic! Happy Holidays!

It always makes me feel fantastic when someone compliments me on how great I look. So far I have not had anyone say anything quite so rude and I am not sure how I would feel or handle it but have to believe those folks close to me would not. My cute little Granddaughter keeps saying " MoMo, you look so different!" It's kind of funny when you get comments from the little ones. Anyway, I will take compliments always as a positive, it is just who I am.

It really depends on your insurance company requirements which you can find out now by calling them. This will also get the clock rolling for you if they do have a 6 month or whatever timeline. I started the process last December 26th and had surgery on September 29th. There were no delays. Just a 6 month doctor or nutritionist managed weight management. A visit with psychology. I had to choose a certified bariatric center of excellence. Then the bariatric clinic has their requirements, as well which were pretty straight forward. All of this to get you ready to live this new lifestyle of eating healthier, good meal behavior, understanding how exercise plays a role. It was very educational and I am glad they took their time because I feel like I have been given all the tools for my toolbox and now it is up to me to be successful. Good luck on your journey and feel free to reach out with any questions!

Hi there to both of you! Welcome and nice to meet you both. In my opinion this site is very helpful to people who are going through this process, I was sorry I did not find it until a week after my surgery. I could have used an ear while I was going through the year of crazy pre op requirements. Regardless, I did find it and am so thankful because I have made quite a few friends and certainly have found others like me with many of the same issues to talk to. It has been very helpful to my recovery and has helped me when I have had questions. I wish you both the best and feel free to reach out anytime! Good luck and keep us posted on surgery dates!

By the way, I have never thrown up, currently not experienced dumping and don't get nauseous. If I eat too fast, my tummy lets me know it by getting an uncomfortable tightness. I will tell you that I follow the rules for the most part.

Hi there! please don't let everything you hear scare you. If you follow all the guidelines many of these symptoms don't happen. Everyone is always afraid of malabsorption when in fact it is what helps you lose your weight. The important thing here is that you: 1. Take your required Vitamins daily/ weekly - by the way it is only 1 more than people with the sleeve take. This will help ensure your bones and hair remain healthy 2. get your recommended Protein in as soon as your new tummy will allow - this will help with healing and potential hair loss. This is also true of both surgeries 3. Stay hydrated - sip, sip, sip Water everyday. It is the best thing you can do for your body and is even more important now 4. Make sure that you go to your doctors appointments to have your blood levels checked to make sure that your Vitamin levels are where they need to be. This is important for us bypass patients so if we are missing something in our diet it gets caught. Some, not all people lose some of their hair around the 3rd, 4th month. This is usually due to both the shock of surgery and lack of protein and Iron if the have not caught up. The good news is, your hair grows back 3 times faster than it falls out. There is also a medication they can give you to assist with this. I found this was a risk worth taking for me personally and by the way, this could happen in either surgery. I initially was going to have a sleeve done and had my mind set on it. Then when I met with a bariatric doctor she asked me why I wasn't considering the bypass since I had a severe case of Gerd and type 2 diabetes. I told her I was afraid of the malabsorption issues. She spent some time educating me on the above. I then saw a gastroenterologist and he confirmed that I should not do the sleeve as it could make my Gerd worse. I went on line and started reading and asking questions just like you are. By the time I had my surgery I was convinced that the bypass was the right surgery for me. Now after reading how many people convert because they have bad reflux following sleeve surgery, I am so glad I went this route. I am down 63 lbs in 12 weeks. Diabetes is in remission, NO reflux/Gerd at all, high blood pressure gone, high cholesterol gone and stage 3 kidney disease has improved. What a gift! Good luck in your decision, please don't be afraid unless you are one of those people who decides down the road they are not going to take their vitamins or ensure they get their required protein.

I definitely follow the same process. What's worse is my hubby is currently trying to lose weight using Jenny Craig so I am really just cooking for me. That is really hard as I like to cook and crave homemade healthy food. His problem is, he cannot control his portion size and always over does it and he has not has WLS nor is he interested, he is a chicken! Anyway, I end up cooking too much and I either tire of it or it does not freeze well or my grouch pouch doesn't like it. I end up tossing it. SandYS, I had to laugh because that is what I call my pouch as well!

I will be honest with you. My surgery and post op recovery went perfectly. There was no way that I would have been able to go to a Hockey game 3 days after surgery. 3 days post op, it is very likely that you will still have a lot of gas in your belly which is very uncomfortable. Also you do not get much rest the first couple of nights. I have a very high pain tolerance, I have had 2 spinal fusions. Although the worst pain is all the gas in your belly, it is very uncomfortable and does not allow you to sit in one spot for very long at all. I was on a total clear liquid diet for the first week which leaves you feeling very weak until you can start on some protein. Not sure what your protocols will be. You should ask your doctor. You asked, so I am being honest......

Don't be scared, I know it is easy to say that but do your research, it will remove a lot of the fears. As soon as I went to my first seminar which I took online I started getting very excited. I then went to an in person seminar and began reading up on the different options for surgery. You have already taken the first steps by getting on this site, keep researching and asking a lot of questions until you are comfortable with your choices and ultimately your decision. I was 310lbs and had so many medical issues that my spouse was practically taking care of me and I hated it! Then I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease and my doctor suggested I cons Weight loss surgery. That day I started researching and 9 months later had my surgery. I am down 63 lbs in 11 weeks. My diabetes is in remission, high cholesterol is gone, high blood pressure is gone, and kidney disease has improved. I feel fantastic already and I am only 11 weeks post op! It takes a lot of hard work and patience but it is worth it. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made! Good luck to you guys!

I was only allowed to swallow very tiny pills si I was sent home with liquid vicodin. I hardly needed it and it tastes awful. Most of my pain came from the gas they use to expand your stomach. The best things that worked for that was walking, a heating pad and gas x tablets which are chewable or they have the strips. Once that gas is out of your system I thought the pain was nothing. The gas pain was not nice. By the way, the pain killers really don't help much with the gas pain, but all that gas caused everything else to hurt more because your tummy is extended. Once it is gone everything settles down. At least this was my experience.

Hi Austin! Welcome to the group and congratulations on starting your new life. There are a lot of us on this site who are in different stages of Having weight loss surgery. All of us willing to help each other. I have found this site to be so useful and have found so many new friends that have either gone through this process and are maintaining, are in the weight loss phase post surgery (like me) or about to have surgery. I have learned so much because someone on here has experienced it at one point or another. You are not alone! Feel free to reach out anytime you have questions, need help or simply want to chat. Good luck on your liquid diet, it is a challenge however very doable. Just keep your eye on the prize. It is all about getting you prepped for a safe surgery!

The other thing they both told me was that when you are trying to lose weight it is really important to change things up. Your body needs variety to not the same thing all the time.

I just went through a two week stall And am now out on the other side. What I lea was I was not taking in enough calories and was actually working out too much. I was taking in about 400 to 500 high protein, low carb calories a day. I was doing 1 full house of cardio which was burning between 250 and 300 calories about 4 days per week and then was moderately active throughout the remainder of the day.. I was literally told by my nutritionist and trainer to add more calories to my diet and back off the cardio to 30 minutes per day. I was stuck for nearly 3 weeks, as soon within 3 days of listening to them I broke my stall and have lost 3.5 lbs in the last 6 days. They said my body was in starvation mode. Not sure if this is helpful but it actually worked. I actually added calories and am now up to about 650 - 750 a day. I also use my fitness pal and a Fitbit to help me track everything? Good luck with your stall, I know it can be really frustrating!

Have you checked with your doctor? I have not had that experience. I don't think everything should be making that happen.

Congratulations! Glad to hear you are on the mend! The next phase of your transformation gets very exciting. Each new day brings new discoveries and you get to watch your body change! Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress.

I have stage 3 CKD

I am with par1959. I always loved eggs. For some crazy reason I can no longer stand the taste of them! I have tried them every way the can be made. Yuck.

Yes, all the time! I hear about people who either had horrendous complications or lost all their weight and then gained it all right back. I think some people are afraid of what they really know nothing about. I have found the best way to shut them up is to help them understand that I went into the with a great deal of reseach before moving forward. I understand the risks and the benefits to me outweigh those risks. I am one of those people who have no problem telling people that I have had WLS. I also let them know that I am no longer a diabetic, don't have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and my kidney disease has improved. Usually when they start hearing about what it can do to help someone with real medical issues or someone who is obese who has these issues to look forward to, they then back off. Many times it really does come out of fear for your safety. There are those that are simply malicious and don't want to see you thinner than them. That too can be fear related. Good luck, don't let them get the best of you. Remember all the reasons why you chose to go down this path in the first place.

I had a positive experience as well however I did find myself quite tired in those first couple of weeks. Especially the first week if you are on strictly clear liquids. I found that until I was allowed to move to full liquids which included protein drinks I felt a bit weak. Once I was allowed full liquids which was one week post op the. I started to have more energy. I would understand the type of diet your doc has you on. It seems some people go home on full liquids vs. clear and maybe they don't get that.

I had a great experience as well. I was in hospital 2 days, up and walking immediately after surgery. Most pain is from gas they use to see inside your tummy. I went home on wed. By Thursday I was done with pain killers and focusing on getting in liquids. For me sleeping was not an issue but I am lucky enough to have an adjustable bed. I would imagine that would be more difficult without one, had I not, I probably would have slept in a recliner as even in the hospital I kept myself out of my bed the majority of the time I was there. It helps alleviate all the gas and gives you a head start. I have not had any complications and I am down 62 lbs in 11 weeks.

You guys are rock Stars! I am currently living vicariously through you. I am looking forward to getting to the point where I too have lost enough weight to finish my body transformation. Keep up the great work and keep us posted on your progress!

Nice to meet you Derek! Good luck to you today. Sending warm thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery!

I have been doing quite well and I snack in between. My surgery date was 9/29 and I have lost 62 lbs. I drink 2 protein shakes with 30 grams of protein per day. I eat 3 small meals about 1/4 cup - high protein/ vegetable and then I will snack on either a light string cheese or an oz. of beef jerky. I will say my breakfast is only higher carb meal I eat and that is oatmeal with fruit and protein boost. I also do about an hour of cardio every other day, on those days I have to push some extra calories in. I am up to about 750 calories a day on those days.

Good luck! I hope all goes well today! Warm thoughts and prayers are with you.

I thought the Tylenol with codeine would be a problem for me too. The reality is I would only take one and they really did not bother me. I only ended up taking it twice before I switched to luquid Tylenol. The reality is you should be doing some resting anyway. I hated taking the liquid medicines because the alcohol in them and high sugar content made my pouch burn and made me jittery. I per safely better not taking anything and using a heating pad and gas x to deal with any gas pains. By day 2 home from the hospital I felt pretty good and was just dealing with managing all the fluids. Good luck!