catwoman7

a lot of us go through that "what have I done" stage right after surgery. It'll pass pretty quickly. As for failing, if you stick to your program, you won't fail.

lots of us take Miralax. Some people take magnesium pills or drink Smooth Move tea. Just experiment with different treatments and combos of treatments and see what works for you. Just keep on top of it. You can get badly backed up fast!

I started out *way* bigger than you. I have it, but it's very easy to hide. No one knows it's there except for me, my husband, and my doctor. You're starting out much lighter than I did, so you most l likely won't have as much as I do. Of course, *you'll* see it and it might bother you, but other people probably won't. So having plastic surgery will most likely be a choice rather than a necessity (well, that's true in my case, too..)

I don't really know the answer to this, but I would imagine the one they pull the stomach through (in the VSG) might be a bit bigger. As far as the ones they use to put their tools, lights, etc, through, they're probably about the same (I think I had around seven of them altogether)

p.s. I wouldn't base my decision on that, by the way. You may have health issues that might make one more appropriate for you than the other. Your surgeon should discuss that with you. They're both excellent surgeries and I've come across a lot of people on these boards who've been successful with both.

I hate to say this, but a lot of us deal with chronic constipation after surgery. I think it has more to do with the diet (high protein) than anything else. You're probably getting it because of all the protein in those shakes...

you lost it way faster than I ever did.

VSG is a quicker surgery (although my RNY only took an hour), but I don't know about recovery time. I would have assumed they'd be about the same, but I've never seen statistics on it, so who knows.

definitely go in for the gall bladder issues - they may need to remove it as for liver enzymes, it's not uncommon for them to be elevated for a couple of years after WLS, because rapid weight loss is really hard on livers. But 10x more than average seems really high (at least to me - but then what do I know?) - I'd ask someone about that.

btw - check out realself.com for reviews - lots of plastic surgeons have been reviewed there. From everything I've read, you want a plastic surgeon who specializes in people who've had massive weight loss, or at minimum, they've done boatloads of them. It's supposedly one of the more complicated surgeries, so you want someone who's done a lot of them. Dr. Fisher specializes in them - I think that's pretty much all he does.

someone on another forum I'm on really liked John LoMonaco in Houston. I know he's sometimes featured on that show "Skin Tight". Most of the other really well-known surgeons (who specialize in WLS patients) that I've read a lot about are on the coasts, although I'm sure there are good surgeons in a lot of places - they just aren't as well-known among bariatric patients. Fisher is definitely well-known, though.

btw - I haven't had plastics yet, but Peter Fisher is on my short list. He's also very reasonably priced compared to other US surgeons who do this (you could probably do better price-wise if you travel abroad, but his prices are good for the US). And yes - plastic surgery is usually self-pay. Sometimes insurance will cover it - or at least some of it - if you've had a lot of documented problems with the loose skin, though - like chronic rashes - but unfortunately, I've never had anything like that.

You're lucky you're in San Antonio. Peter Fisher is one of the best there is, and he's located in San Antonio! People go to him from all over the country.

dumping is uncommon with VSG because you still have use of your pyloric valve. As for RNY, the statistic that I see thrown around this board a lot is that about 30% of RNY patients dump. Not sure if there's any research to back that number up, but I can say that a lot of us RNY's don't dump.

I had to go through a six-month supervised diet. My dietitian had me limit myself to 2300 calories a day and start adopting some of the eating patterns & requirements that I'd need post-surgery (for example, I had to gradually increase my protein and decrease my carbs (esp "bad" carbs), focus on protein & vegetables and limit myself to 1-2 servings of fruit, drink at least eight cups of water a day, start weaning myself off caffeine, etc). Plus I had to start exercising. I think she started me at three times a week, 30 minutes each time. Even walking was OK (I mostly swam and did water aerobics, though). I lost 57 lbs, but I really stuck to it.

the above poster is correct - a lot of it is due to Telogen Effluvium. I'm sure getting enough protein and vitamins will keep it from being any worse than it would be otherwise, but basically, if you're going to lose it, you're going to lose it. But do make sure you're getting your protein and vitamins in. It can't hurt and again, might keep it from being any worse.

most people experience at least some hair loss. Fortunately, I lost hardly any. It does grow back, though - but you may lose it for a few months.

I started out almost twice as heavy as you, and I have a lot of loose skin (although it's not nearly as bad as I'd feared). All I can say is, I would take my loose skin ANY DAY over being fat. ANY DAY. I can't believe now how much I worried about that. It's really a minor issue in comparison and for many people, it's not that hard to hide (and it may turn out to be not nearly as bad as you thought it would be).

the above poster is correct - you probably won't feel it until you start eating dense protein.

B vitamins are water soluble so you can't really OD on them. You just pee out any excess.

as far as straight coffee, surgeons seem to be all over the board on this. Some of us can drink it right away, some can never drink it again, some can drink it once they're a few months out, some can drink it in limited amounts (1-2 cups a day). But I'm talking plain coffee. A white chocolate mocha doesn't sound like it would be something on most people's plans, though. As far as the almond milk part though, yes - a lot of people drink the unsweetened version of almond milk. If your plan allows coffee at this point (some do, some don't) and you made it with sugar free white chocolate syrup and unsweetened almond milk, then maybe (but I'd ask first), but the kind at a coffee shop, I don't know. I gave up on those long ago.

it's the three week stall. Almost everyone goes through that.

I have this one. It's fine. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C3CAB8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can't speak to the vomiting - that's a question for your surgeon. But as for the others - yes, it's likely the infamous three-week stall, and yes - constipation is a chronic problem for many of us. Just try to keep on top of it. Some of us take Miralax every day, some take magnesium, some use stool softeners, some drink Smooth Move tea, some use some combination of things. Just figure out what works for you and keep on it.

yes. Happens to almost everyone. Search this site for threads on the "three week stall". EDIT: oh wait - so this stall has been going on for over a month? That's unusually long. The three-week stall usually lasts a week or two. Are you weighing and measuring what you're eating? Are you sticking to your plan?