bhopeful

I also feel like my life is on hold until the surgery.... so many emotions and hopes. I can't seem to get anything done and can't think about anything else.... My surgery is on Nov 10th.. !!!!

How long did it take you to recover from sleeve surgery? How did you feel and when did you get back to work and what kind of work do you do because obviously most sedentry jobs would be easier to get back to quicker. (My job is a mixture, both sedentary as well as lifting and carrying equipment). Just so I can get a sense of when I can get back to work. I know everyone is different but just wondering what other people's experiences have been.

So glad u all feel this too. I have about 6 weeks to surgery and can think of nothing else!!!!! Feels like it will never get here....

SOOOOO RELIEVED to hear I am not the only one...... ????

That is what I am worried about, I have a lots of clients that rely on me and no one else I can do my work. It's going to be difficult to take time off work because my clients need the job done. That's why I'm trying to get a sense of the range of time that each person takes off even though I know it is individual I at least need to have an idea of what the general range is.

Any loss after the gain??

THANK YOU for your update. SO helpful!!! I had band taken out December now being sleeved November and am so worried I won't lose.... Helps so much to hear what's happening with you. Thanks!!!!!!!

So... I had an appointment with my primary care physician to get clearance for surgery. I was hoping to have sleeve surgery in November. He was very reluctant to give me clearance and said that he does not agree with the surgery. Instead he put me on an injectable medication - Victoza. I love my doctor and I generally trust him and I was very surprised because he knows how hard I've tried over the years to lose weight. I've tried virtually everything although I have not tried medication to lose weight. He talked about how many patients he has that have had complications from weight loss surgery. And those who have gained the weight. Anyway, now I am conflicted and just wanted to get some opinions from all of you. Did any of you try weight loss medications or try the one that I mentioned? When I look online, it seems that people only lose about 5 to 10% of their excess body weight with the medication I have been put on. Just wanting your thoughts, opinions, comments. I am so, so sick, tired and despondent with being overweight my whole life and I am now 50 years old. I need to lose 100 pounds. I really don't know if medication will do it. I had my heart set on having the surgery in November after spending a long time thinking about it and trying to make the decision and now that I have finally made the decision my doctor says it's not a good idea. Aaarrrggghhh....

After surgery... Can you take tablets /capsules? Do you use liquid Vitamins and supolements. Would any of you be willing to share all the supplements and vitamins you take and whether they are liquid or another form? Are you able to limit any nutrient deficiencies with supplements ?

I know I will get a list from my doctors but just curious as to what you all are taking because I am concerned about nutrient deficiencies because I already have absorption problems because of autoimmune issues. Any way, I don't want everyone's lists to follow, just wondering the types of supplements you all take and wondering if there is consistency or if it is all individual, which I am assuming it is. Although there must be some basic things that everyone should take I assume. I would love to know what you all take.... and whether liquid or tablet.

This is a very good comment. Definitely a voice of reason. To give a little bit more information. Apart from being obese and having 100 pounds to lose, and having obesity for my whole life time, my only medical issues are low thyroid and mild sleep apnea which is well controlled. I have actually spend years working out and exercising, have worked very hard at good nutrition, but none of that has helped me lose weight. I have logged my food choices by taking pictures of many of the meals I make and eat. I was off work this summer and spend everyday exercising between 1 and 4 hours per day. Didn't lose any weight and I am so frustrated and so after considering surgery for a very long time have decided that will be my only other option. I have worked very, very hard at trying to lose weight and it seems like the only thing that will do it is being on a highly calorie restricted diet and I think the only way I can do that long term is by having weight loss surgery. Anyway, that is a long answer but just to say I do not have medical or psychological problems that would counter indicate surgery. I just have a PCP who has seen complications in some of his patients and so he is cautious.

I have always been too scared to try medication because it would have to be long term. That's why I'm wondering if anyone here has ever tried medication? My assumption is that it might be somewhat successful but then anytime I am not on the medication I will just put on weight again.

My bariatric center is a Center of Excellence (just 5 min from my home so happy about that) and they need clearance from my PCP. I know I could find another PCP and get clearance but I was just wondering what your opinion was about my PCP saying no and wanting me to do injectable medication instead. My insurance and bariatric center required a referral from my PCP. Maybe this is the case with the OP? That could make things trickier.

Sorry... Didn't make it very clear... Ah. Gotcha.

I meant people lost 5-10% of body weight with the medication he has me on.... But surgery is much more effective overall...

I have made my final decision to have the sleeve surgery. I am anxious but really hopeful and praying that this will be the final thing that actually works after a lifetime of trying to lose weight! I'm hoping to have the surgery in November. I might have left it a little late. However I was just wondering what you all had to do in preparation for the surgery? What did your surgeons require that you do before you could have the surgery? I know that I probably have to have a nutrition evaluation and training session, psych evaluation, medical testing, information sessions. What else? How long did everything take you. If I get started now do you think I can get everything done in just a few months? I have already been on restrictive diets and very strict diets for a long period of time so I don't think that I need that requirement since my doctors know about the diet I have been on. I really, really hope I can get this done by end of November.

I was reading up on success stories but also read a number of stories where people had sleeve surgery but had gained back the wait. So I decided to post my questions or concerns here since I had a band and I'm not considering the sleeve. I am considering having the sleeve after a failed gastric band and I am so scared. I have tried so, so, so hard with healthy eating, low-calorie eating, dieting!!!!! I even did the hCG diet which consisted of 500 cal per day for a period of six weeks. And I did eight rounds of that over a period of about three years. That is a total of 48 weeks (not back to back) of 500 cal per day. Of course I lost weight while doing that but then it all came back on again while eating "normally" which is really just about 1200 cal to around 1500 cal per day for me. So, bottom line is, I am worried about having another weight-loss surgery and not being sure if it is going to work. I have never had an unhealthy diet, and I do not consider myself an overeater with being at an average of under 1500 cal per day. But, with my completely messed up metabolism and horrible thyroid / adrenal issues, maybe I need to just be at 800 to 1000 cal per day and I think the only way I could do that is by having the sleeve because otherwise I will just be hungry and having to fight myself constantly. Sorry if I am rambling but I am really trying to decide if this surgery is worthwhile for me. I turned 50 years old a couple of months ago and I have about 100 pounds to lose. I have tried losing that weight my whole adult life with seemingly a lifetime of dieting. I am currently on a Paleo diet and I work out a lot, walking, bike riding, racquetball... And not losing! But it does seem that overwhelmingly people do lose weight with the sleeve. However, after having the gastric band and then having to have it removed because it didn't help and caused many problems, I'm so worried about additional weight loss surgery. I guess my bottom line question is for those of you who have had the surgery, and have struggles with maintaining weight loss, would you have still had the surgery even though you are struggling to keep the weight off. Other any stories of people who regret having the surgery or are those far fewer in number than success stories?

I would love to hear your opinions and experiences. I have been overweight my whole life, since the age of 8 and I am now 50. I feel like I have always had to compensate and always be the happy one and always act like I am happy go lucky and content. And yet, I've always hated being overweight and all the things that go along with that. Being a fat kid and a fat teenager was a nightmare. And then being a fat young adult was also a nightmare. I really feel like I lost out on so many life experiences. I feel that, as I'm getting older, I am tired of trying to compensate and act like everything is okay. I so hate living life being a fat person. I truly feel like I am getting more and more depressed. I have finally decided to go for sleeve surgery and hope I can get it done in November or December this year. But I have been more depressed lately and I wonder how many of you think that your weight problems contributed to your depression, for those of you that have been depressed. Do you think being overweight was a significant contributor to your feelings of depression? If you had the surgery and lost a significant amount of weight, do you feel that your depression lifted and you had more interest in life? I am so uninterested in life and feel so depressed and I really think its just from a lifetime of being overweight and never feeling good about myself. I have a really good job, a wonderful family and good support, but I am still so despondent about the fact that I work so hard and never lose weight. I would love to know what you think the relationship is with your weight problems and depression, and how they changed once you lost the weight?

Silly question.... But curious... Did your feet change size or become narrower after weight loss? What shoe sizes were you before weight loss and after?

For those of you who have lost a lot of weight : What is different about your life? Currently I am really depressed and despondent, I don't really take good care of myself, I have very little energy and don't care much about doing much. And I think a big part of it is my absolute lifelong struggle with weight and not being able to ever get anywhere. So, I'm wondering if you have felt an improvement in your self confidence? Are you doing more? Have there been big changes? Do you take more effort with your appearance etc? Do you feel that it has been life changing? I have read all of the NSV's in another thread and I think only those of us who have lived with morbid obesity for so long can understand how important those things are or understand the implications. But I am just wondering just how much your lives have changed or maybe not, with a lot of weight loss? I truly feel at the end of my tether and I am so hopeful that this weight loss surgery / sleeve will make a big difference for me. I am so, so tired of being so fat and trying so hard my whole life!

Love that .... new birthday

I also had Dr Guske for lap band surgery years ago. He put in a lap band, and then took it out after years, it was a failure. I am now thinking of going for sleeve surgery hopefully this coming November. I will definitely choose him again. He is excellent.

So I have finally decided to go for the sleeve surgery. But I have so many questions so happy to have found this group of people :-) Currently I am so very tired, have no energy, depressed and fatigued. It's probably a combination of carrying too much weight, being depressed about a lifetime of not being able to lose weight, and thyroid problems. My question to you is once you have lost the weight do you feel more energy or do you feel less energy because you are eating so little and possibly not getting enough nutrients? I seem to read differences of experience and wondering specifically what your experience is with energy levels once you have lost most of your excess weight.

@@lisaluvsgreys .... been thinking about you ... how are you doing post surgery????

i see that the longer term eating plan calls for high Protein (around 70g per day) and low carb and low fat. I really get the low carb part. However, for the past few years I have done a lot of reading about the importance of high quality fats in the diet and while not following Atkins, have generally felt better on a diet of grass fed beef and higher fat meats, coconut oil and milk, avocado etc. I worry that the very low fat diet will cause me to have problems with my memory (which has improved with higher quality fats), and with absorption of nutrients, Vitamins, minerals etc. So, is it possible to be successful while still having moderate amounts of high quality fats? Also, I currently have LOTS of veggies every day. If we are limited with volume of food, I assume blending veggies and drinking them would be OK as long as no sugary fruit added? Otherwise, how do you get the 5-7 servings of fruit and veggies needed each day for optimal health? Thanks for any input and opinions