Freckles70

Me too! I'm scheduled for May 10. It feels so real now! My surgeon is not requiring me to do a special diet pre surgery. Just 24 hours of Clear liquids the day before.

I work in healthcare education. We are a small, family-like group and everyone always shares their medical issues. I know what someone's phlegm looks like when they are sick, I know who's had what surgery. I prefer to keep my details private and I know that's my right under HIPPA. I'm considering saying that I need surgery to deal with a hernia but I'm afraid they might ask for details or that it will become obvious that I had WLS. For those that work in the medical field what did you tell your colleagues?

Mine does not require a liquid diet pre-surgery. They recommend a liver reduction diet which is essentially a South Beach style diet: low carb, lots of protein, minimal fat (but not entirely ff). I will have to do 24 hrs of clear liquids for the day before surgery. Because I am moderately low BMI (39), I was told to keep my weight the same but the low carb thing has caused me to lose about10 lbs without feeling very deprived.

Thanks all. I work in medical education (I.e. Medical school) so staff and faculty have all that knowledge but not access to my records like they would at a hospital. I know I could be "out and proud" but I prefer to keep my health private in the workplace. I'll save my announcements for the friends and family that I need support from. I guess I just wanted to make sure the hernia excuse was believable (since I'm staff not someone with a medical background). I'm on the lower BMI side (BMI of 39 with 2 comorbitities) so I figure my weight loss will likely be a bit slower and slightly less dramatic than others. I really appreciate all the different viewpoints shared here.

I'm planning 1-2 weeks. The NP at my practice says that is typical for most of their patients assuming no complications.

I use a chin/head strap with my nasal pillows to keep my mouth closed. I hate the full face mask because I seem to naturally be a mouth breather when I sleep and the full mask made it worse. I have NEVER had such a dry mouth in my life. I use something like this: http://www.thecpapshop.com/respironics-premium-chin-strap?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20-%20All%20Products&gclid=CLmNmYeerMsCFQUMaQodq5oExw

This fear just occurred to me the other day for the first time. Now I'm more worried about that than loose skin anywhere else.

My BMI is just under 40 with diabetes and sleep apnea co-morbidities and my program does not have me doing a presurgery diet. My only instruction was to keep weight stable, no gaining. I will need to do clear liquid diet for 24 hrs prior to surgery.

For those who have had children, how does the post surgery hair loss compare to the hair loss you may have had post pregnancy? I lost a lot of hair around 3-6 months postpartum (c section) and I'm hoping it's comparable (but not any worse).

Wow! Congratulations. Dare I hope for similar results? I'm just starting the process and I'm also 5'6" and about 245 lbs. Hoping I can be a successful as you have.

Hi, I'm new here. This is my first post. I'll post a bio at some point but for now I'll say that I'm just beginning this journey. I had my NP consult earlier this week. My question is, how was your goal weight decided upon and who sets it? Is this a discussion with the NUT or surgeon or what? My lowest set weight as an adult was in my 20s (about 25 years ago) when I weighed between 140-150 and wore a size 12 (I'm 5'6"). By the standards of the time, I was still at least 10-20 overweight. I think the formula I remember for women was 100 lbs for your first 5 feet in height +/- 5 lbs for every inch above or below that...putting my ideal weight at around 130. I'm just wondering the process for figuring out your goal weight nowadays.

Thanks for sharing. I guess I'll see what happens during my upcoming appts. I kind of don't want the responsibility of picking a goal. I'm afraid of selling myself short and setting a goal too high. But I'm also afraid of making my goal so low that it's unachievable. It's good to hear that some of you revised your targets. Of course, this is something I can decide to change. So much to learn...