Gloria1

My hair is falling out by the handful. It's been going on for two weeks now and my hair is so thin now that you can seen my scalp. I went out today and bought a wig to help bridge the gap until it all grows back. I just hope it does grow back. I am 5 months post op.

Gosh that just doesn't sound good. Is it possible for you to go to another doctor or clinic to get a second opinion? It really does sound like something is amiss. Are you able to eat anything?

I also take small sips of Water if need by when I am eating. I haven't experienced any problems with that so far and my weight loss is steady. But I don't have big sips or try to drink an entire glass of water with a meal.

The regret question assumes either a yes or no answer, but for me there are things I regret about having the surgery and things that I don't regret. I had the sleeve surgery on 7/29 and ended up in hospital a little over 3 weeks later with a leak. I was seriously ill and had to have infections drained. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything and was put on liquid nutrition delivered through a pic line. I also had antibiotics delivered through a second port to fight the infections. I was in hospital for 10 days and then a few weeks later for another 3 days. I missed 2 months of work, and had a nurse coming into my home to take blood, change dressings, etc. I had a stent placed in my esophagus going down into my stomach to 'seal up' the hole. The stent made me even sicker and I was throwing up all the time. There were times when I was not sure I would survive. But I did survive, and today I have no infection, no stent, no home healthcare, am back to work and am down 51 pounds. I have been asked by family members if I regret having the surgery. I feel like it is a moot point. I DID have the surgery, and thankfully I survived a serious complication. I can regret it all I want, but it won't change the facts. I don't like having to think about what I am going to eat all the time; worrying about whether I have gotten enough protein or liquids. I don't like not being able to eat an entire cheeseburger or drink half a glass of ice water in one go. I am still experimenting with what I can and cannot eat and how much of something I can eat. I did not realize, despite a lot of research, how completely my relationship with food would change. I don't like having to make a major attitude adjustment about how good times and good food go together. There are a lot of things about having this surgery that, even though I did a lot of research, are very different in reality because it is now my reality. When it is personal then it becomes real. All that said, and even with the serious medical problems I encountered post-op, there is no way in the world I could be at the weight I am now if I had not had the surgery. I am really happy to be losing weight and know that I would not have been able to do it with this 'tool'. The sleeve is forcing me to redefine my relationship with food. Two of the girls I work with eat all day long. Little snacks all day long and then they have a light lunch. Neither has ever had weight loss surgery and they are both slim. Now I eat like they do, not out of choice (like them), but due to necessity. The sleeve is forcing me into new habits, which is what I expected, but I did not know how much I would miss eating like I did before. November 29th will be 4 months and I was pretty sick for 2.5 of those months (during which I did lose weight). I agree with the comment that society focuses too much on how we look, but that was a big part of why I decided to have the surgery and I am sure it is for others, too. Yes, health is also a big part of the decision, but looking at yourself in the mirror and hating how you look is not good for your ongoing mental health which, as we now know, effects our physical health. The bottom line for me is that I can regret it all I want, but it won't change a thing and I am really happy to be losing weight.

I had sharp pain in my lower left side on day 5 and though it was the incision pain, but it turned out I had a leak. Just a little over 3 weeks after surgery I was admitted to hospital. It has taken several months to clear the infections and be allowed to eat real food. I won't go into all the details, but I agree with the post that suggested you call your doctor. A GI test or a CT scan will show what's going on. I know if I had gone in sooner I would not have ended up so sick, but I thought that the pain was part of the healing process. When I started to run a temperature and have chills so bad that I couldn't get warm under three blankets is when I knew I had to see my doctor. Good Luck!

For me it was around the 12 week (3 months) mark....it seemed that once I had lost 30 pounds, people started to notice.

Debbie .... Good Luck! Looks like today is your surgery day, so it'll be rough for a couple of days, but it get better fast. I wish you the best and please keep us up to date on your progress. Bissara ... How are you doing 7 days out? I found it hard to get in the Water and Protein needed in the first days. And then I ended up in hospital with a leak. Please keep posting here if you so desire so that we can follow your success. My update is that I am doing well. Down a total of 51 pounds as of this morning!!! Clothes that no longer fit are going into a bag to be given away, and as I kept a lot of clothes from when I was slimmer, I have 'new' clothes to wear now. It's hard not to shop for new clothes, but I received some good advice that I should try not to buy new clothes as long as I am continuing to lose weight. My goal weight is 140 lbs, so 49 to go. Good Luck to you both! My appetite is coming back -- I do feel hungry in the morning when I get up. I try to make sure I have something to eat (a sliced apple, some string cheese, etc.) at all times and I drink two Protein shakes a day so that I am getting in enough protein. I also take Multivitamins (Bariatric Pal Fusion) and Iron and B12.

So sorry you are having to jump through all those hoops. To have it done in Mexico all I did was a 2 week pre surgery diet, filled out a psych questionnaire which was not collected by anyone and therefore no discussion on that front, paid the fees and showed up. It was pretty easy that way. That may be good or bad depending on your perspective. I think the pre surgery education that is required here in the U.S. goes a long way to helping a person understand and cope with the food requirements post surgery. You also get post op support by having surgery in the U.S., which is critical for your future success. At $6500 plus 20% you are only maybe a couple of thousand more than the cost of having the surgery in Mexico! In addition to the fee for the surgery, you will have hotel and travel costs which can add up, especially if you are paying for flights. Are you going alone or is someone coming with you? If you have a companion then you have to double your travel costs. I had a companion who stayed in the hotel the entire time, so we had a couple nights extra charge for hotel. All in I paid just over $6,000. If you do go to Mexico, please be sure NOT to go with Dr. Kelly. The three of us who had the surgery done in the same afternoon have all suffered complications, although mine was the most serious. Good Luck with your choice. Let us know what happens.

Hi! So, how did your appointment go? I hope you are getting your surgery before the end of the year because going to Mexico for surgery is very different than having it here. I went to Mexico 7/29 for VGS with Dr. Ramos Kelly. I was disheartened by the entire process. The equipment was older, the nurses did not speak English so it was difficult to understand what they were saying and after the swallow test, the dr. had nothing more to do with us. The lack of follow up (I would call post op wth questions or email and get no response) was a big problem. On 8/15 I was admitted to hospital with a gastric leak -- a super serious complication that I am still dealing with. I spent 10 days in the hospital and now I have home care and am on iv TPN and antibiotics. A stent was placed in my stomach to help heal the leak and it makes me want to throw up all the time. The stent comes out in 3 days and it has an 85% chance of working. Here I am almost 2 months out and instead of losing weight, I am fighting to have my insides healed. So --- I am very interested to know if everything is working out for you to stay in the U.S. for your surgery. I sincerely hope so.

Hi Debbie, I am similar. 5'5", HRW was 240. I had VSG on 7/29 and am down to 207.5, but I developed a gastric leak and that is being treated now, so I am not typical. Had there been no complications for me I would weigh much less than that by now. Good Luck!

Hi Heather, Sounds like you should make an appointment with your doctor for a follow up asap.