Hiraeth

Congrats!

Thanks! But, I've lost 10 pounds per month before, sometimes even more. I'm still young, not middle-aged. I think 2-3 pounds per weeks is very realistic. I know it won't be like that once I get down to 150.

So, I hit my 3-week stall on Wednesday, and now it's Sunday. My stall has already vanished and I've lost an extra FOUR pounds since yesterday. Is this even normal? Yesterday, I did eat a TON of Protein. I mean, I ate so much that I thought I screwed up my diet. I ate like 5 pieces of beef tataki and 5 pieces of crab sticks. This is a lot to me considering it made me feel extremely full. I'm hoping my scale isn't wrong. I got on it 3 times and it keeps saying the same thing (229), and yesterday I weighed 232. It's my 4th day of PMSing so maybe the Water I was retaining has shed off of me, and I also had my first bowel movement yesterday since 3 days ago, (sorry TMI). Am I getting my hopes up? Or is this even possible?

I need a list of good surgeons around Birmingham, AL, besides Dr. Miles and Schmitt. The reason is because they will not perform WLS surgery on my friend because she had the Fundoplication surgery years ago. So, if you know of any reliable surgeons from the area, who are usually very easy to deal with, please let me know! Thanks!

That's great! (kinda, lol) It's normal to feel nervous. I didn't feel nervous (which probably makes me not normal, lmao). I was more excited, I guess. If you're worried about something bad happening during surgery, remember that the death rate for bariatric surgery is less than 1% in the first 30 days after the procedure. That means that the death rate is higher for people who get a hip replacement or a gallbladder removal. Crazy, right? I was shocked by how easy this surgery was. I feel completely normal while I'm dropping weight.

I took me maybe a month to no longer feel any pain. My pain was located at the bottom of my stomach; kinda felt like a pinching sensation. If you feel pain that lasts longer than a month or pain that is just unbearable, go get a CT scan to make sure there are no complications.

I've had my surgery almost a month ago and I haven't lost any hair. I don't know if it will happen later on, but so far, everything is fine. I haven't changed much at all except for losing weight and not eating a lot. I know of a woman who used to teach my sister, who got the gastric bypass. She lost some of her hair, but it has grown back. If you do lose hair, I doubt it will do much damage. I believe you will keep most of your dreads.

Oh yeah! People do regret it for about 2-4 days afterward because of the pain and the inability to swallow too much liquid. It's a challenge. I regretted it slightly on the 2nd day. But afterwards, I was so happy I did it. Oh, I'm sorry. I know this is scary, but once it's done, you'll realize it was not that scary. Go into this knowing that this WILL work for you. This surgery has an 89% success rate to keep people from gaining their weight back for the next 10 years. And by the time 10 years comes around, you've already completely changed your lifestyle when it comes to food and exercise. You will do great!

I have no regrets. My advice is to follow your liquid diet exactly as they tell you to. Do not eat or drink quickly after surgery, because it will hurt. What are you nervous about?

I had my sleeve on August 4th. I've lost 25 pounds since then. Things are going well! Well, everything is finished except preop class and payment. Submitted all paperwork on Monday and was approved yesterday morning! I'm shooting for December 14th! SO excited! How about y'all???Congrats! I'm now trying to get my mom and aunt to do this. Yayyy Hiraeth! I'm so happy for you! Keep up the good work! Sent from my XT1080 using the BariatricPal App Thank you so much! I had my sleeve on August 4th. I've lost 25 pounds since then. Things are going well! Well, everything is finished except preop class and payment. Submitted all paperwork on Monday and was approved yesterday morning! I'm shooting for December 14th! SO excited! How about y'all???Congrats! I'm now trying to get my mom and aunt to do this. Yayyy Hiraeth! I'm so happy for you! Keep up the good work! Sent from my XT1080 using the BariatricPal App Thank you so much!

So I had my first appointment with my doctor yesterday. I absolutely love him! He's very blunt and to the point, which I found hilarious. I brought my mom with me because she was not supportive of this surgery at all. She thinks I can just diet and lose it on my own, but I have tried dieting for 3 years now, and I always fall back into gaining weight. I am 24 (25 in a few weeks) and I'm sick of wasting my young life being overweight. My surgeon got straight to the point and said, "This surgery has a 90% success rate of keeping the weight off for the next 10 years. Without this surgery, you will most likely gain the weight back." My mom asked him questions about my Pseudotumor cerebri and he said, "This surgery will absolutely help." He also said it will probably cure my PCOS. That conversation convinced my mom that this surgery is probably my last hope. I am so pleased because now she is no longer rolling her eyes at me every time I bring it up. She's actually saying that my sister probably needs it, too. Now about the requirements that BCBS has given me... They are pretty stupid. Even my surgeon agrees. He said that BCBS gives us these requirements because they think we will give up trying to get everything together, because they don't want to pay. That is believable. 1. I have to get records together proving that I have had a BMI over 40 for the last 3 years. (This one isn't so bad. Since I have been overweight for the last 7-8 years, this should be fairly easy to obtain.) 2. I have to be put on a diet by a DOCTOR for 4 months. (That means, the 4 months that I have been put on a diet by a Nutritionist are worthless in this situation.) 3. I have to have a Cardiac Evaluation. (This is understandable. They have to make sure my heart is strong enough to handle the operation.) 4. I have to have a sleep Disorder Test. (Also understandable. I'm having one July 29th. They said there's a possibility that I may have Narcolepsy. Let's hope it's just sleep apnea.) 5. I have to have a clearance letter written by a doctor. (This one is kinda stupid. I'm pretty sure my surgeon is more than able to know I need the surgery. I'm worried my doctor may charge me to write this letter.) 6. Psychological Evaluation (This is bogus, too. But I guess it's also understandable. They must want to make sure I'm not an emotional eater. I can already tell that's not the case. I'm just hungry, dang it! Lol. The oral steroids they put me on years ago started this.) 7. I have to see a Nutritionist. (I hope the one I'm seeing is good enough. They are so against me getting this surgery, though. I know it's because they're worried about losing me as a customer. Those scumbags...) 8. I have to schedule a 4 hour nutrition class. (I guess this won't be so bad.) I have 7 months to do all of this. I really wanted to have the surgery before next year, but I guess it's worth the wait.

Thanks so much, girl! I called Bridgette yesterday and she wouldn't give me an exact reason why they wouldn't operate. So, I assumed he's just not comfortable doing it, which is understandable. Thanks so much! I'm writing all of these on a list to tell my friend. First, she has to contact her Fundoplication surgeon to get the approval.

I had my sleeve on August 4th. I've lost 25 pounds since then. Things are going well! Well, everything is finished except preop class and payment. Submitted all paperwork on Monday and was approved yesterday morning! I'm shooting for December 14th! SO excited! How about y'all??? Congrats! I'm now trying to get my mom and aunt to do this.

I am so sorry to hear about this. You have been through so much. It makes me feel guilty for complaining about my bad day. I've had 3 kidney stones before, and I felt severe pain in the middle of my back. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. Unfortunately, I just had my gastric sleeve surgery August 4th, and I'm in debt with medical bills. I just got my pay stub today and it said $0, since I took leave without pay. So, I won't be able to donate for another 4 weeks. I will try my best to make a donation once I get a paycheck again. Until then, you will be in my prayers.

Unfortunately, my surgeon does not operate on patients who have had previous Fundoplication surgery.

Thank you so much for your thorough reply! This is great news! I'm sure my friend will be very pleased to hear this! I'll also call my surgeon tomorrow to see what he thinks. But it's still so great to hear what people, who have had it, think. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I wish I liked water. Crystal light and proteins shakes are all I drink. You lucky people, you!

That's 2 hours away. Dang... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I can't wait to be where you are! I remember in high school I was able to run miles without feeling exhausted. Now I can't even run 10 feet without feeling winded. Proud of you! Keep it up!

That's not completely true. The sleeve and the DS both have the same chances of gaining the weight back. It all depends on how dedicated you are. I know of 3 people who had the DS and gained all their weight back. But these people were making themselves sick by shoving food into their mouths because that's how much they love to eat. The reason some doctors suggest the DS over the VSG is because the DS helps you lose weight more quickly. They usually suggest it if you're morbidly obese (like 400+ pounds).

I'm so glad that you don't have to deal with the severe cramping; it's the worst part of PCOS, in my opinion. It feels as if someone is squeezing your ovaries as hard as they can, while sticking a knife in them. I just can't imagine how anyone is able to deal with this kind of pain for longer than 2 days. LOL that day, I really did stay in the tub for 2 hours. It was awful. Then I got the shower head, and yeah... You know where I'm going with this. It looked like 4-5 red beta fish fell out of me (good lord that's nasty). What's weird about PCOS is that you don't always have to have cysts on your ovaries. They come and go, but they happen more often than the normal amount. I was given an ultrasound once, and they didn't see any. I always thought that was weird, but it's very possible. The rapid weight gain, testosterone, and irregular periods tells me you definitely have PCOS. I hope this surgery helps us lessen and even completely cure it. >_<

I think you'll be able to lose the 10 pounds. I lost 9 pounds in just 7 days. Just be sure to follow the instructions exactly as they are.

It wasn't so bad for me, but I probably got lucky. Just stay away from food as much as you can. If your family is eating dinner, go to another room. Smelling good food makes it extremely hard when you're on a diet. The only pain you'll probably have is gas pains in your neck or shoulder. Walk as much as you can when you feel these pains. It really does help. When night time comes around, and you want to sleep, make sure you request Dilaudid if the Hydrocodone doesn't take the edge off. On the 2nd day, you may feel sore all over, like you've been working out. But it will go away. Once it passes, you'll realize that this surgery was easier than you expected. Thank you!! That made me feel so much more at ease. I really am excited!! I just wish these next two weeks would go by faster! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App You are so welcome! I love to help people feel at ease. I'm so excited for you! And yes, I know that feeling of wanting things to just hurry up. It will get here sooner than you think. You will probably feel the most nervous the night before and the morning as you walk into the hospital. But don't worry! They will give you a shot of medicine called Versed. That shot will make all your worries disappear. A doctor could tell you that he's pushing you out of an airplane and you'd be fine with it, lmao! If you get worried or are having a hard time with the pre-op diet, feel free to message me. You have no idea how much it helps to just vent. Good luck! <3

It wasn't so bad for me, but I probably got lucky. Just stay away from food as much as you can. If your family is eating dinner, go to another room. Smelling good food makes it extremely hard when you're on a diet. The only pain you'll probably have is gas pains in your neck or shoulder. Walk as much as you can when you feel these pains. It really does help. When night time comes around, and you want to sleep, make sure you request Dilaudid if the Hydrocodone doesn't take the edge off. On the 2nd day, you may feel sore all over, like you've been working out. But it will go away. Once it passes, you'll realize that this surgery was easier than you expected.

Congratulations on the beginning of your journey! May I ask what you're nervous about? I know you're nervous about the surgery in general, but maybe I can give you advice on specific things.