catwoman7

I lost hair from months 5-9, but it wasn't much and it wasn't noticeable. I noticed about double the amount of strands in my comb every time I combed my hair out after washing it, but looking at my hair in the mirror, no, I couldn't tell - so no one else would have been able to tell, either. I didn't take anything extra since most people claim taking whatever didn't help, so I didn't bother - but I did make sure to keep on top of my protein and vitamins to keep it from getting any worse than it otherwise would - but again, my hair loss was very minimal.

I agree with Arabesque. Letting old habits slip back in is what causes weight gain. If you let that happen again after bypass, then yes, you'll gain weight again. So you'll need to really monitor yourself this time around. Even at almost eight years out, I have to watch myself like a hawk or my weight will start heading north. Arabesque is also right when she says that weight loss is almost always slower after revision - BUT...you can lose the weight again if you really work at it!!

I wasn't allowed to have veggies and dressing, but everything else is the same - I was allowed 4-5 shakes a day, 1 C each of chicken broth and V8/tomato juice, and an unlimited amount of sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, and no- or very low calorie fluids.

I get the "petite calcium citrate" tablets at Walgreens (it's a Walgreens brand). Citracal makes a petite version, too.

chews, chewables, and liquids should all be fine. Bypass patients are usually told not to take gummies, but the other versions you mentioned are fine. Make sure your calcium supplements are calcium citrate, because we don't absorb calcium carbonate well (the person above mentioned Adora - maybe those are OK for sleeve patients, but not bypass patients). The Bariatric Fusion ones the other poster mentioned are fine for bypassers, though. The first few months post-op I took Bariatric Advantage calcium chews, those are fine for us too (later I just took calcium citrate tablets)

as others have said, weight loss after revisions is almost always slower than after a virgin surgery. Plus you're starting at a lower BMI to boot (and starting BMI is another factor in how fast or slow the weight loss is). Honestly, even given that, you're still losing faster than most people who've had a revision (and even faster than some of us slow-pokes who had a virgin surgery!). You are doing great - I'd quit worrying about it. Stay if the scale if it's playing with your mind too much - maybe just weigh once a week or a couple of times a month. If the general trend is down, you're good.

it's probably the carb withdrawal (and if you were a coffee drinker, caffeine withdrawal, too). The "Keto flu" is pretty common the first three or so days. Once your body goes into ketosis (around day 3 or 4), it does get a lot better. In addition to no- or very low calorie fluids (well, plus 4-5 protein shakes), I was allowed V8/tomato juice and clear broth (I think a cup of each) every day, so I always had those since the sodium in them made me retain water, which made me feel a little fuller, and I also ate sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello with abandon since they were the only things I could have that somewhat resembled real food. There were some days I'd make the Jello that came in the larger-size boxes and eat the whole damn thing!!! Anyway, you'll get through it - and it should ease up a bit in another day or two. P.S. as others have said, the pre-op diet is the worst part of this whole thing. I was actually relieved the morning I was rolled into surgery because the godawful diet was OVER!! I found the progressive eating plan we go through after surgery (liquids, then purees, etc) way easier than that pre-op thing!!

LOL - me too!

same here - although maybe my age is a part of that? (I'm in my 60s). I love not sticking out in a crowd any more - or having people stare at me or make comments (mostly kids and teenage boys - didn't happen a lot, but it did happen...)

I lost no where NEAR 50% of my excess weight in three months. That is bizarre - I imagine very few of us have lost that quickly. I'm not sure I understand your chart, but most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month, then 10 lbs (give or take) for a few months, and then it drops...and drops...and drops. By the end (I finally stopped losing weight in month 20), I was losing like 2 lbs a month. EDIT - never mind - I get it now. So you've lost about 30 lbs in two months? That's absolutely normal. I started out heavier than you, and I'd lost 29 lbs by then. Just stick to your plan and the weight will come off. I ended up losing over 200 lbs.

re: the hair loss - that's a very well-known "feature" - I'm surprised no one ever said anything to you about it beforehand. It does stop, though -and the hair grows back. Just keep on top of your protein and vitamins. you might want to work with a therapist/counselor about the self-esteem issue. Lots of us have seen therapists for various reasons and found it very helpful.

most people do lose some hair - it usually starts about 3-6 months after surgery - so I don't think the stricture would have affected that. You likely would lose it regardless.

I agree with the others - exercise only accounts for about 10% of weight loss (although it's great for your health!). It seems to be more effective once you hit maintenance (research shows this - I'm currently taking a graduate level nutrition class on obesity and weight loss). most people are encouraged to get at least 150 minutes a week of exercise for health - more for weight loss/maintenance (up to 300-ish hours). Strength training 2x a week, cardio three or more times a week, so you're doing great there. But you also need to have a routine that you like and are likely to continue long term. Your routine sounds fine - but are you OK with it? You don't need to add to it unless you really want to - unless you want to add some variety to keep it interesting. For my cardio, I rotate walking, swimming, water aerobics, biking (when the weather cooperates), and cardio dancing (such as Zumba). I also do walking videos (youtube) a lot in the winter (like "Walk Away the Pounds"). I need the variety since I'm susceptible to "fitness burnout"...

you may or may not have much - as others have said, it varies a lot. I had a ton of it as an older woman who lost over 200 lbs, but it was really easy for me to hide it in clothes. No one knew it was there except for my doctor and my husband. I've since had it removed because it was driving me nuts (because *I* knew it was there - and I also got tired of my loose stomach skin slapping up against me while exercising), but it was invisible to the outside world.

I got the bypass rather than the sleeve, but my answer would be the same regardless. The first few weeks post-surgery can be rough and some people initially do have regrets, but once they get through that, almost no one has regrets other than they wish they'd have done it sooner. Having this surgery changed (and probably saved) my life. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Best decision I've ever made!

yes! Gastric sleeve for years was phase 1 of the DS, back in the days when a lot of surgeons did the DS in two stages - first, they created a sleeved stomach, and then, several months later, they'd go back in and bypass most of the small intestine. However, enough people lost enough weight on stage 1 alone that they started offering it as a standalone surgery - and the VSG was born! long way of saying - of couse you can, since the sleeve is the first stage of the DS.

P.S. some surgeons prefer doing the sleeve because it's easier to do. If you decide you really want RNY, though - be persistent - or find a surgeon who'll do it (although you said you're OK with the sleeve now...)

I decided to have surgery during the summer of 2014, but I had to change insurance policies to one that covered it - and that wouldn't take effect until January 2015. The new company required a six- month supervised diet as part of its list of requirements for bariatric surgery, but they said I could do that before I switched over to them if I wanted, and it would still count - so I decided to at least do that much while I was waiting to be switched over. So I officially started up in the bariatric program as soon as my new insurance kicked in, in January 2015 (with my six-month diet already under my belt). I got through all the other requirements by late March, I think - and they said I could have surgery in late April/early May, but since I worked at a university, my supervisor wanted me to wait until the spring semester was over, so I had it June 3. So in other words, it was six months from the time I entered the program until I had my surgery - but I could have had it about four months after starting the program if it wasn't for work. But again, I'd already had my six-month supervised diet requirement finished before I started the program (not all insurance companies require the supervised diet, though...but many do)

low vitamin D is super common, and not just with WLS patients. A supplement should bring that back up. as far as bilirubin, sometimes liver enzymes are out of whack the first year or so after WLS because losing weight - esp as quickly as we do - is really hard on livers. I think my bilirubin was OK, but my AST and ALT levels were really high the first year. By the end of the second year, they were back to normal. Although your doctor may recommend you follow up just in case it's something else - but often that's all it is.

I can't speak for all insurance companies, but most seem to use the weight you were when you first entered the program.

sorry - I misunderstood what you were trying to say in your original post. Yes - you are correct - food will never go through the bottom 3/4 (or whatever) of your stomach again unless the surgery is reversed.

congrats! You've done very well! And you could still lose weight - albeit very slowly at this point. I continued losing until I was 20 months out. re: exercise, they say losing weight is 90% food-related, and only 10% exercise-related, so you may have lost a bit more, but probably not much. I know people who've almost never exercised and still lost a ton of weight after WLS. That said - exercise is great for your health and also helps you maintain your loss once you reach your goal - but as far as active losing, it only plays a small part.

I haven't heard that, but who knows? It might be true. I know bypassers are susceptible to vitamin deficiencies, though, because of the malabsorption. That's why it's critical for us to keep on top of our supplements - the consequences of slacking off are more severe for us than they are for sleevers. EDITED TO ADD: I'm not really sure about fasting in general, though. I know the malabsorption the first few months is super strong - you malasorb calories in addition to nutrients. Unfortunately, the malabsorption of calories seems to go away after a year or two - whereas the malabsorption of nutrients stays. I had a 20 lb regain in year 3 (which is unfortunately very common - usually 10-20 lbs), and I currently struggle to keep my weight where it is, so the part of fasting where you lose weight isn't true - or at least not for me. But maybe he meant for the first year or two? Or was referring specifically to nutrients ? Not sure.

it's pretty common for people to feel cold all the time after WLS! It evidently does something to your internal thermostat. For me it was temporary - the first few months - but for some people, it's a permanent "feature".

yep - the others are right - they're needed for digestion. And yes - bypass is technically reversible, although they don't do it unless you have serious issues that can't be resolve any other way.