toasty

@@emiko_oz I bet as a self-pay things are going to move really fast for you. No insurance rigamarole to worry about, no insurance authorization, etc. Great decision, I am sure you will be very happy. I was not sure my insurance would pay for it, but if they didn't I had already decided I would self-pay, because the health benefits are so important.

Congratulations!

My understanding from reading about this is that yes, the pouch does stretch slightly over time. I have heard that this is one of the reasons why RNY patients often eventually gain back some of the weight that was initially lost.

There were lots of hurdles to jump through on this journey, but honestly they weren't really difficult. I had to do a six-month medically-followed weight loss process, so my various other appts and tests were performed during that time. Psych eval was pretty easy, and I had to see a cardiologist as well, which was pretty much just a consult. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea for over seven years, so the sleep study was not necessary for me. I am two weeks away from surgery, so at this point I look back and it was all worth it to get to here!

Personally, this is a question I would talk to your doctor about. If you have had a problem with opiate dependency in the past, I think the doctors would work to find some non-opiate option for you, or come to some accommodation. Maybe as other said IV Tylenol, maybe something else. I know there are a number of non-habit-forming pain medications available, so they may decide on one of those.

I have seen a bunch of people on these boards mentioning about problems with reflux with the sleeve. Many of them end up having a revision to RNY because of it. If you already have reflux, my understanding is that the sleeve is not recommended, since it is likely to make it worse. By the way, congratulations on your approval and beginning the process.

My surgery is set for Sept. 11. I am starting my liquid pre-op diet next Tuesday. I am super excited but also nervous like many of you.

@@emiko_oz I am Sept. 11 as well! My Dr. only requires 5 days pre-op liquid diet, but I have decided I am going to start 10 days before, so I am starting it next Tuesday. I can't wait for the surgery (that sounds crazy, right?).

Hello! I'm 49, Male, live in San Diego, and married for 10 years (my second marriage). We have a 9-year-old daughter, who is my inspiration. Literally. One of the reasons I decided to finally get the gastric bypass is so that I would be around to see her graduate, get married, have kids, etc. More immediately, I want to be able to go bike riding with her, go with her on roller-coasters, go hiking, go camping, and do fun things with her. I am just so limited now because of my weight. My surgery is scheduled for Sept. 11, and I can't wait. Before I became so overweight, my most loved hobby was sailing. Once I have lost some weight, I will be able to take that up again, which I look forward to. I walk at least 7000 steps (I try for 10000) six days a week, and I have recently started with a personal trainer. Soon I will have to stop the personal training for a while when I am recovering from surgery, but I hope to start up again maybe in November. I really enjoy BariatricPal, and I am so glad I found it. Everyone here is awesome.

I have sleep apnea, was diagnosed 7 years ago and have had a cpap machine ever since. I love it. Never slept so well as after I got my machine. I'm hoping the WLS will eliminate my sleep apnea, but so long as I have it I am so happy to have my machine.

Hope you feel better soon.

That feeling of low blood sugar may be a form of dumping syndrome, which @@pandababe94 mentioned. They often cite things like general awful feeling, sweating, light-headedness, etc., as some symptoms of dumping syndrome, which are similar to symptoms of hypoglycemia. Maybe try SF candy, SF popsicles, or some other low-sugar form of sweet if you must have sweets. For example, Russell Stover SF Mints have no sugar, but beware that they are not low calorie.

@@Smye, I have a close friend who found out after many years of marriage, and two children, that his wife was attracted to both men and women, and who had a friend that she loved as well (although no physical relationship had yet happened). I know how powerfully difficult this was for their whole family, because like your situation they were really close too. In their case, there were lots of challenges that occurred over time. I won't go into details, since your situation will undoubtedly be different, but I want to wish you the best in your journey. Please remember that although your friendship is very important to you, that it is also important for you to take care of yourself as well, and not deny your own happiness and health (otherwise it will eventually lead to lots of suppressed resentment). Best Wishes.

Another option: I really like Vitamin Water Zero. My whole family finds it very tasty. Lots of different flavors.

Remember that drinking carbonated drinks can stretch your pouch! I certainly wouldn't drink them after all the effort to get WLS. Not worth it.

It's kinda crazy but true. Many insurances require either a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35+ and two or more Co-Morbidities. Every insurance is a bit different, so make sure you check out your own to get the details of how to qualify. The Insurance companies get very very picky when it comes to paying for bariatric surgery.

You know that WLS snob? I shudder to admit this, but that used to be me. I deserve every bad word, evil look, or snide remark I ever get about this. Although I don't think I ever said anything directly hurtful to anyone about it, I certainly was skeptical about WLS and its benefits. I saw it as the easy way out, for people who did not have the willpower to lose weight through diet. And I have been overweight/obese since I was in my mid-20s (I am now 49). It took some mighty strong levers in my own life to finally turn around my thinking on this. I am scheduled for Gastric Bypass surgery on Sept. 11. I decided to tell all of the people around me about my surgery. I am not going out of my way to find people to tell, but I am letting those people I work with and those who are important to me (wife and daughter, brother, mom, aunts and uncles, etc.) know I am having WLS. I have found most people are curious about it, so I tell them what I know about what I will be experiencing and what I expect. So far, all of the feedback has been positive, with the exception of my mom, who is not very supportive (she thinks I should be able to do it with willpower). But whether or not they are supportive, this is my life, my decision, and my way. I hope that through sharing my journey with those around me I can help dispel myths about WLS that lead to my own ignorant judgement. I fully expect there will be those who will say, behind my back, "...can you believe he got his stomach stapled! tsk, tsk, tsk.". Oh, yes. But I refuse to hide, or drop my head in shame. I am proud and excited of my very responsible and considered decision to have WLS. And I will be proud of the results I get when I get to a healthy size, and all of these co-morbidities go away. And if they can't understand that, then that's their problem, not mine.

I think you ask a lot of great questions, but the first thing I would do is ask these questions to your doctor. Everyone's doctors are a bit different in what they recommend, and the one universal thing I hear people say is "follow your doctor's instructions". In my case, my doctor has told me to expect a four-week recovery before returning to work (I have a desk job), that I will not be cleared to drive for two weeks after surgery, no heavy lifting (more than 20 lbs) for six weeks after surgery. One other thread on here said it best: this is major surgery, not some outpatient procedure. We need to expect to take time to recover from it. That said, I have also heard from a few people that after two weeks they were stir-crazy and went right back to work. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

One more thing: how is she going to handle followup visits with the surgeon and dietitian? Need to consider that as well. Maybe someone local to her school?

Just remember she will have to have the pre-op appointments, the pre-op diet, the operation itself, and then the post-op recovery in that six week period. In my case, I am taking off four weeks before I am going back to work. But even at that point, I will still be on the pureed food stage. In your daughter's case, she will need to be able to deal with fixing her own soft foods or possibly even pureed foods in her school situation. If she's up to doing that by herself (since she is 5 hours away from you when she's there), then maybe it could be done over the winter break.

Are there any GB people out there who got the surgery over 5 years ago? I am interested in hearing from people who had the surgery a while ago, and finding out what issues you encountered over the long term. Did your weight increase eventually from your goal weight? Do eating patterns change over time? Do you still experience dumping syndrome? What other things might you tell a GB newbie about what to expect long-term?

Interesting. I am using premiere protein from Costco, but I also bought Isopure in case my lactose intolerance becomes worse after surgery.

Congratulations!

I am 4 weeks away from my RNY surgery (on Sept. 11). About six months ago, I was still on the fence whether I wanted to get sleeve or RNY. To be perfectly honest, a part of me felt that if I got the sleeve, I would not have to worry about dumping syndrome, which seemed very scary. What if it happened when I was at a restaurant? I was thinking that yeah, with the sleeve every once in a while I would be able to eat "normally" and have a whole piece of cake or something similar, without worrying about throwing up. I was also freaked out about all of the malabsorption issues with RNY, having to be on Vitamins for life, having such a small stomach, etc. I was worried about being "normal". For myself, I finally came to realize that the RNY was the way to go. I came to realize that the thoughts I was having were attempts to excuse continuing my poor eating behaviors. When I finally realized that, and I was able to look objectively, I concluded that the RNY was the best for me for a number of reasons. 1. It is the "gold standard". If I am going to do this, I don't want to fool around with anything except the approach with proven long-term results. 2. I am trying to see dumping syndrome as a positive: it will keep me from eating things I shouldn't. Just another POSITIVE tool for me. 3. RNY provides the most dramatic weight loss of any of the surgical techniques. I am no longer worried about eating "normal". Normal for me will be having a BMI under 30. Normal is not eating cakes and candies...I can give that up. This is a highly personal decision. Be sure you have a nice long talk with yourself about your motivations, and try to objectively look at which surgery (if any) will provide you with the best benefits for you. But be sure you are real with yourself, and not fooling yourself about your motivations.

I'm looking into Vitamins for post-op, and I am wondering whether I should be getting liquid Calcium for the liquid phase of my diet, or if I can use the chewable kind? I am looking at the Bariatric Advantage "chewy bites", because they look tasty, but I am not sure I will be able to tolerate the chewy bites during my first few weeks. Anyone have any suggestions?