MissKay

@ all surgeons post-op restrictions are vastly different, so I suspect her's allowed it! I feel like @@Dub is right, though. Most who have no issue move on and rock their life. Not all, but most! I, however, wanted to stick around too because of that reason. I will say that mine wasn't as smooth sailing as I thought it would be. I had the opposite of you, everything I read from people before my surgery was "it was so easy!", "the gas pain is the worst part, and walking makes you feel ten times better!" I did have some serious pain when I woke up in recovery, some serious nausea that first day after. But with a culmination of pain meds and anti-nausea meds, I was a happy camper. I didn't have a drain or catheter. I got up and walked every couple of hours to alleviate the gas pain. Gas-x strips were also my best friend for about 2 weeks after surgery. However, that was it. I've had no issue with anything (except a slight aversion to eggs that has since passed). I'm 8 weeks out and I've lost 41lbs. I feel a lot better, and while sometimes I get frustrated that I can't eat more, or that I can't eat certain things, I know it's all worth it to be lighter and happier than I have the last 7 years of being overweight.

It varies on the person. It can take a while. I didn't weigh myself for a week after surgery and I had lost, so I'm unsure of how it really affected me. Otherwise in the support group I'm in haven't seen any loss in the first 2-3 weeks. Your body is still healing, so dropping that weight from the IV is likely the last thing it's working on doing. But it will drop, just give it some time!

Hahaha I got the idea from this awesome vsg youtuber named Clusie who has a channel and she did a vlog of her trying it out. You basically just take shredded cheese and put it in a non-stick skillet in the shape of a circle and wait for it to melt and harden just enough to flip it. Then wait again. To get the shape of a shell, I put two metal kabob sticks on top of glasses, and then folded it over the sticks and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It was literally just a shell out of cheese and tasted amazing.

I'll hop on the Dr. Illan and Bill train! Haha. No, but seriously. I was extremely nervous. However, when I decided to self-pay it was because my insurance was yanking me around and putting off test after test for me to even meet the pre-requisites to qualify for the surgery. I was tired of it, and unwilling to let my health get worse for another year just so they could play some ridiculous game of 'keep away'. Here's how it went for me: I joined the Dr. Illan Patient Support group on Facebook after doing some research on surgeons in Tijuana. What I found to be the best thing was that group. Not only did I get direct access to Bill Yanez, the coordinator, but I got access to Dr. Illan himself, Stacy, the nutritionist you'll work with, and even as far as the guides that will be there to support your companion the entire time. Alex Brecher, the CEO of BariatricPal is also part of the group and seems to oversee and pop in and it was great. That sort of system while having so many prior and upcoming patients in different parts of the world helped so much. I was sent a questionnaire by Bill, filled that out. I received back a confirmation that I was approved for surgery (based off health history), and then rolled in the information on possible dates, the full amount (which I knew what it was, what to expect it to all include), and then the information on the deposit. Admittedly, I was sketched about about paying a deposit. The first thing that crossed my mind was scam. But I'm also an overly paranoid person. There were tons of people on Facebook and here on BP vouching for this surgeon, and so I gave myself a week (it might've been two). I watched the discussions in the FB group, I looked to see what the interaction was with Dr. Illan and Bill, and it was this group that honestly steered me towards them. BP is great, and pushed me in the direction that I went, but that group is what really assured me I was making the decision that was right for me. Yes, sometimes lines get crossed, people can miss things in emails, but they're human after all. Even the best surgeon in the world is bound to make a mistake at some point. There were a multitude of options to pay the deposit. I opted to go to the local Wells Fargo bank and deposit it into their account. Again, I felt very sketchy about this, but I shook it off, did it, took a photo of the receipt and sent it to Bill. Later that day I received an invoice showing the deduction of the deposit and my remaining balance. I paid mine about a month and a half before my surgery. I'm not 2 months post-op, and it was the greatest risk I ever took. I was terrified of many different things. Even almost called it all off 2 days before. Especially because I lost my passport and had to spend 8 hours in a car to get it same day in Seattle (not fun). Hurdles are thrown for us to jump over them, though. That's what I did, and Dr. Illan was great. While I saw him the day of surgery and the day after, every time I've had a question directly for him I've been able to post it in the FB group and he answers (if not right away, always same day). As for any follow up, my PCP has been majorly supportive and done all blood work.

I've seen varied posts from vets to other newbies in response to threads like these. And just like the vets, I'm not going to sugar coat it. That was very unwise. Even if you CAN eat something like that, doesn't mean you should. Your body just underwent a very traumatic thing, and is still healing. You should be following your doctors plans to the letter when it comes to post-op diet. For at least the first month you won't be able to (most, not all) feel extreme hunger, or fullness. Meaning you could overeat and cause a leak, perforation, or damage. There's a reason most surgeons have you on liquids for the first two weeks post-op. Then you gradually in soft foods and others as the time progresses. You being able to eat those things now does not mean the surgery was unsuccessful. I won't echo what most say about commitment, because I do fully believe that some people are just not always fully aware of the harm they could be causing. However, you signed up for this surgery and had it done. You need to realize that your eating habits have changed, and you cannot just jump right back into food. I'm 3 days away from being 2 months post-op and I only JUST had my first taco (made with ground turkey, and a cheese shell--no carbs) this week. I could only eat one, and that was enough for me. At 6 days you should still be focusing on getting in liquids. If you find you're confused or don't know what you can or cannot have, talk to your surgeon and nutritionist. That's what they're there for.

I started at 3 1/2 weeks out. I'm on a 9 week food phase. So honestly, the first 2-3 visits back to the gym, I just hit the treadmill. The first day I could only handle about 23 minutes on a slight incline, and a steady pace. By the end of that I felt like I was going to die. The next time was a bit better, but still just stuck to cardio for about 30-35 minutes. The third time I did very light weights. My best suggestion is start with the cardio, and don't overdo it! Working out post-op is farrrrr different from what it was pre-op. I get way more tired now a lot faster. But I've had to build up that endurance and stamina. I'm now 7 weeks post-op, and today I did a two hour work out with 40 minutes of it being cardio, and the rest was weight training. Good luck!

No fruits, really? Strange! I was having this weeks ago (I'm 7 weeks post-op). It really baffles me how different the requirements are across surgeons. I haven't had any raw vegetables yet, except spinach and leafy ones. I think mine requires cooking them all until 8-9 weeks out. But I'd suggest taking tiny bites, and chewing it up real well before swallowing. Then wait a minute or two, and try again. Ease into it.

I also had my surgery with Dr. Jalil Illan. Their team was great, and my recovery has been phenomenal. I only had 4 incisions and they're very small. I'm 6 weeks post-op and they've already started fading. I know in a year they'll barely be noticeable. Then again, I also know at the end I'm going to need a tummy tuck and most patients I've seen with them, their scars were cut away with that excess skin. I don't know, mine just fades into my stretch marks, and I dealt with the permanence of those long ago. They're very superficial and very tiny.

I still have all my incision glue left Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Ah. My surgeon didn't use glue, they were just regular ole stitches. And they were out a week after surgery (in fact mine were healing so quickly they had a tough time taking them out).

I started at like.... 2 1/2-3 weeks, but I was just fast walking on the treadmill (25 minutes wore me out). I started more into it during week 3. Then learned my surgeon's was 4-6 weeks, but mostly just to make sure incisions were healed. Mine healed FAST, they were all healed up by 2-2 1/2 weeks, so I was fine. The best bet is to check with your doctor.

I think it really varies with each person and the type of job you have. I, myself, took 2 weeks off. 1 week for the surgery itself, and the recovery (2 nights in the hospital, 2 in a recovery house). And then I took an additional week off because my job can be physical (lifting 50lb bins regularly), and I didn't want to risk anything with my incisions, nor the fact that I had been on liquids only for 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after surgery, which meant my energy wasn't really there. I was extremely grateful for those two weeks, because by the time I went back I was on purees and was able to have a whole lot more energy.

While you may not have any co-morbidities are the moment, your BMI being up there could still cause you to develop them later on. If the employer and health plan were smart (which I've found that not a whole lot are), they'd want to approve those so you can get healthy and have to use less of their services, meaning they don't have to pay as much for your health plan. As long as your doctor has your back and explains why this surgery is medically necessary, hopefully things will pull through! Most don't look at WLS as cosmetic, they are VERY different. But each company is drastically different.

I had some nausea, but not a whole lot. They did however give me anti-nausea medicine, and that helped significantly. If you do experience it and they don't give it to you, ask for it!

I couldn't have milk (skim) until my second week, so I'd say opt for Water to be on the safe side.

Loose skin is almost guaranteed if you've been overweight for the majority of your life. But it also really depends on genetics and skin elasticity, etc. So there's no real way to tell until you're faced with it! No one is the same. Though, the younger you are, the higher chance you have of getting lucky with as little loose skin as possible.

Yeah, since your hormones are fluctuating at that time, it makes sense!

As you know, I had my surgery in Mexico with Dr. Illan. @@Bill Yanez is GREAT with getting you information, and if it's not enough--ask!! Tell him you're not getting all that you need. He will call you even if that's what you need. I know it's a scary process, and stressful. I went back and forth with my doubts, especially when it came to putting down the $500 deposit. But I did it with a cashiers check to their Wells Fargo account, kept copies of everything. Then put the rest of the money down 2 days before surgery. In the back of my head the whole time I was scared that it was some sort of scam, but it wasn't. I'm literal living proof. And there are many, many others who will attest to this process with Dr. Illan. You can't let your fear hold you back. But you also need to be comfortable with whatever route you choose. You can Skype with Bill and Dr. Illan as well. I know they've done that before. You're in the Facebook group, post your concerns, and we'll all be more than willing to share our experiences, and you WILL get answers!

Just remember, most of the protein is in the yolk!

Passport cards are about $30 to $45, I believe. I sucked it up and got my passport last minute (after apparently losing my original). It is less time consuming and guaranteed that you are fine with a passport or passport card. However, you can get back in with the ID/birth certificate. I even called the border patrol office before we went to Mexico and asked them, and they said yes.

I get this too, and it's usually caused from me swallowing too much food at once. At least that's what I've noticed. If I swallow smaller bits of food, I usually do just fine.

Yes, walking and lots of Gas-X got me through it. I've also found that even though I'm nearly a month out, I burp a lot more now too, it's strange.

I'm close to a month post op. I can get between 5oz to 7oz of food. It just really depends on what it is. I had some grilled chicken and yellow/red peppers, with mushrooms (all chewed to hell) for dinner tonight. It was about 6.5oz and I wasn't overly full, but perfectly satisfied. 6oz seems to be my intake right now. I don't think I've gotten anywhere near 8oz yet.

I was told that after the surgery you can only get 4ox to 6oz, but once swelling goes down, you can 'stretch' it to 8oz, maybe a little more at a time. But you cannot ever stretch back to the same size as your original stomach.

The only time I was ever bothered was when the nurses would come in to give me medication or check on me. Which was every hour or two, it was maddening (but also great because they were really attentive and on top of everything!). Wish I had thought about that...

It can be really hard! You're a step above what I was doing though. My first week all I had was Water, gatorade, and broth. I had little to no Protein, and none of the others. I saved that for week two. But basically my method is that I go EVERYWHERE with a bottle of water. If I'm not eating (including the 30-60 minutes after a meal) then I was/am sipping/drinking on water or gatorade. The good thing is that Protein drinks and broth count towards liquid intake (at least with my program it does), and we're required 64 ounces a day. I, admittedly, struggled and still do struggle with that. Next week I'm suppose to go up to 80 ounces, but I'm laughing at that honestly. With my job there's not always a bathroom available, so I have to be careful while working. Increase your water intake as much as possible! if that doesn't help in a day or two, definitely call your doctor for some follow up questions.