BettyG

Hi, I am new to this site, new to bariatric surgery (only decided a few weeks ago). AND I am new to Issaquah (lived in Seattle until a few months ago). So.... I could REALLY use some friends. I don't know anyone in my new town. And I only personally know one person who has had bariatric surgery (my husband's aunt who lives in Seattle who got sleeved this year and has taught me a lot). I plan to get a RNY gastric bypass as soon as I qualify (about June 2017 or so). There is a lot to learn and I would love to make some friends along this journey. Cheers! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

To those of you like me who are pre-op or just recently post-op, what are you most looking forward to about losing weight? I have battled my weight since a small child so it's hard for me to even imagine what it will be like to be thin (or at least: not obese). I'm looking at pics and trying to remember the brief windows of normal weight when I was a teen or early 20s (I'm 42 now). * I want to have a WAIST again. I used to wear BELTS when I was 14. I can't wrap my head around this but I'm trying to believe its possible for me.... * I want to wear heels again (sometimes, when I feel like it) * I'm looking forward to not walking into a room on defensive, feeling at a disadvantage because I am a "fat woman" -- I want to walk into a room and meet new people and just be me Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

If you are hungry, eat. Your stomach was reduced, which reduced the amount of hunger hormone that your stomach produces. So TRUST your new hunger. Eating only 500 to 600 calories a day if you are hungry for more is *counterproductive* to weight loss. Remember, it is work for your body to break down fat cells, process the energy inside them, and dispose of the waste and deal with the hormones stored inside of those fat cells. You must equip your body for this work with sufficient calories and nutrition. Eating such low calories and ignoring hunger risks pushing your body into starvation mode where it will slow your metabolism and cling to fat stores. Instead, eat healthy, respect your hunger, make nutritious food choices, and engage in gentle exercise. Excessive stress is the enemy of weight loss. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Unfortunately I couldn't take in any protein at all for three months and now am still battling to hit the protein markers. I had two punch biopsies and I appear to have completely dead or missing follicles in some areas but the Dermatologist is hopeful for regrowth in areas where follicles still exist. She prescribed the minoxidil and The Belgravia Hair clinic uses the lasercomb in combination with it. The other supplements may or may not help but my nutritionist said a placebo effect might be positive. I have alot of malnutritional deficiencies so I am prepared for the baldness. The haircut did help though because I now don't have handfuls coming out in my hands due to the length. Several of my real life bariatric friends recommended the cut and they were right. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Im sorry to hear about your difficulties. It does sound like have other causes for hair loss beyond just the surgery. I still believe that for most who just get some hair falling out a few months after surgery, the cause is usually telogen effluvium and that hair will return and that there is no cause for great alarm if they understand what is happening... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm still such a noob to this site that I can't figure out how to post a link to another thread. :-(. But about hair loss, I wrote a thread called: Post-Surgery Hair Loss Explained If you search you can probably find it. Hair loss after major surgery is normal, temporary, and your dermatologist calls it "telogen effluvium." You don't need biotin, just keep your protein up and it will grow back. :-) And remember: the fact that it is falling out in handfuls a few months after surgery means that new hair is growing in the follicle. New hair is what causes the old hair to come out. The day the large chunk of your hair went into "rest" was the day of your surgery -- no biotin now will affect what happened that day. I've been through post-surgery (and major illness) hair loss three times so far now and it has always grown back just fine. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I just used my instant pot last night for the first time. I made a lamb stew! LOL. I can post a picture as soon as I figure out how to post pictures.... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Great reminder about the importance of fiber! It is being called a "pre-biotic" and should be used along with pro-biotics. I had GI issues for many years due to frequent antibiotics. Probiotics and Fiber helped heal my gut. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

There is a lot of misunderstanding about telogen effluvium (post-surgery hair loss), so I thought I would post about it. Even bariatric clinics sometimes don’t understand or explain this condition adequately. “It is normal to lose up to about 100 hairs a day on one's comb, brush, in the sink or on the pillow. This is the result of the normal hair growth cycle. Hairs will grow for a few years, then rest for a few months, shed, and regrow. Telogen is the name for the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. A telogen effluvium is when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state.” ”If there is some ‘shock to the system,’ as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are then shed in large numbers about 2 months after the ‘shock.’ This sudden increase in hair loss, usually described as the hair coming out in handfuls, is acute telogen effluvium.” “Among the common causes are high fevers, childbirth, severe infections, severe chronic illness, severe psychological stress, major surgery or illnesses, over or under active thyroid gland, crash diets with inadequate Protein, and a variety of medications.” [Quotes from “Biotin and someone else didn’t doesn’t necessary have anything to do with respective amounts of hair loss. Which leads to… 3. You don’t need to do anything other than get enough protein. “No treatment is needed for most cases of telogen effluvium. Remember that the hairs fall out when a new hair growing beneath it pushes it out. Thus with this type of hair loss, hair falling out is a sign of hair regrowth” [Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss]. You don’t need to take biotin. However, failing to meet your prescribed protein goals can also trigger this condition (see quote above about causes: “crash diets with inadequate protein”). 4. You can’t prevent it. Even if you get adequate protein, major surgery is still a shock to your body. Almost everyone who has bariatric surgery gets some degree of telogen effluvium afterwards. Someone who has lower surgery stress and thick and/or short hair might not even notice telogen effluvium. As someone who has been through this several times, I can reassure everyone worried about it that the effects are temporary and don’t do any long-term damage! Cheers

My insurance does require 6-months of medically-supervised weight loss, but I had the same worry -- that I would lose too much and disqualify myself. My nutritionist assured me that if I got close to that, she would put me on a maintenance diet. Do you have access to a nutritionist? They can help you maintain your weight without eating crap. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I just wanted to add that I did a better job vetting my surgeon for my next two surgeries, both of which went quite well. Both surgeons were very supportive and professional. And now when I decided to do bariatric surgery, my first step was to research bariatric centers and bariatric surgeons. I was leaning towards the clinic/surgeon that are a part of the regional healthcare system that I have used for all of my primary doctor and specialists for the last 6 years. BUT.... I wasn't impressed with the surgeon. He had a bad review on this site. And he was only board certified in general surgery. So I chose a clinic/surgeon in a whole different regional healthcare system -- which meant some of my records had to be transferred over. Well worth it. Both surgeons are board certified in not only general surgery but also bariatric surgery. And they both have done a fellowship in bariatric surgery which is very unique! I met with the surgeon who will do my gastric bypass and I was immediately impressed by her skill, professionalism, and compassion. She listened to me and treated me with respect. I was delighted to find out that she is the only female bariatric surgeon in my state who has done a fellowship in bariatric surgery. I'm convinced I've found the best option for me -- the staff of the bariatric center are wonderful! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

By the way, I see malabsorption as a benefit, not a drawback. It means that part of the calories you consume don't get absorbed. Imagine that - free calories! I get to taste and chew and swallow but escape some of the calorie consequences! Sounds like a dream come true to me. Well worth taking Vitamins every day. Also, what is "history of TIAs"? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Amen! I'm having my hiatal hernia repaired too, so my answer is same as yours Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

By the way, malabsorption only applies if you are having a gastric bypass. Not an issue with the sleeve. What type of surgery are you getting? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

According to the research I did, malabsorption is greatest the first 6 months after surgery. It usually tapers off quite a bit after the first year for sure. Your body adapts eventually. Its still important to keep up with certain Vitamins though. I take vitamins every day anyway so no change in routine for me there. From what I gather, constipation can be an ongoing challenge. I'm just on my 6 months of pre-surgery weight loss but I've already incorporated a couple prunes or ounce or two of prune juice into my Breakfast routine. Staying on top of constipation doesn't sound like fun, but will be SO worth it to not be sick and morbidly obese anymore. I want to live a long and happy life. :-) Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

My husband wears boxer briefs too. They are like regular "tightie whities" but with legs. So they hug a bit, don't get twisted around, stay in place, etc. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

You will be taking Calcium every day, so your bones will get what they need. The best way to keep your bones healthy as you age is doing strength-training exercise. Which is much easier to do at a normal weight than when obese. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

It's true that you will have to always take Vitamins and keep a close eye on your nutrition, but that is true for anyone. Many obese people today are actually malnourished and deficient in many vitamins because the kinds of foods that are easy to overeat and that lead to obesity are "empty calories" -- high processed and full of fat and sugar and chemicals. Gastric bypass has been around for a long time (30+ maybe 40 years?) so there are many long-term studies. It has proven to be very safe over the long term. I am in my 40s also and I'm getting a RNY bypass and I wondered the same as you: will this keep me healthy for the next 40+ years? I Googled "oldest gastric bypass patient" and found a post on a forum somewhere of a gal who is 79 now I believe and doing great. She believed she was the oldest bypass patient still alive. Her post reassured me a lot. Also, if I don't get weight loss surgery, I doubt I will live more than another 20 years.... so there's that. (Like you, I have numerous health problems. All my relatives who were obese died in their 50-60s, the skinny ones all lived to 90+. Just saw my grandfather at Thanksgiving who will be 96 in January). Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I have no clue what my ideal dress size would be. Last time I was under 200 lbs I was a young teen. I'm tall and big-boned so I'm not even sure what would be realistic for me.... I was just realizing today I have no clue what my target weight should be. I'll have to ask my nutritionist. Right now any dress size that is not obese would make me thrilled Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

If they are making you feel bad about your weight, even to the point of "punishing" you for not losing enough, I would urge you to review your options for going elsewhere. I know you have invested a lot in them, but your health and safety is worth MORE than money. If your surgery is judgmental and unsympathetic now, how can you trust him to cut your insides? :-( If you find a better bariatric center who treats you with the RESPECT you DESERVE, you ought to be able to transfer your records and test results over. Transferring records between hospitals is commonplace, so it you shouldn't lose the money you spent. Years ago I had my first surgery. She did not seem to care about me or really hear my concerns, but I went ahead with it. It was a disaster. She did open surgery and I found out later that it was totally UNNECESSARY -- my surgery could have been laparoscopic. She lied about the size of my tumor to justify open surgery but I got the actual dimensions from the lab report. The reason I had to get the lab report myself directly is because we were on pins and needles for TWO WEEKS about whether my tumor was cancerous or benign. It was an agonizing, emotional wait. Every few days I called for an update. Finally a medical assistant who knew that I had called five times and knew that my messages had been passed to the surgeon with no response suggested that I contact the lab directly for results. Turns out the lab sent my surgeon the report IN ONE DAY after surgery that my tumor was benign! All that anguish for two weeks was needless! I called and complained to her clinic manager! And I had horrible complications, horrible time healing, horrible string of infections and I spent a month in the wound care center almost daily for my HUGE incision which never fully healed and they finally had to patch it. The moral of the story: vet your surgeon CAREFULLY and if they break your trust, *run!*. When my surgeon constantly delayed and broke appointments and didn't listen to me or treat me with respect, those were the warning signs that I ignored. No amount of money is worth jeopardizing your health. If you are being treated that badly, consider going elsewhere. And complaining to the manager about it also... Best of luck to you, you are obviously smart, determined and committed. I'm sure you will have great success in the end Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

That is exactly my BMI right now: 46. :-). I can't wait to have the same success as you someday! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Oh wow that is wonderful! That is a major goal for me: to someday be merely overweight instead of obese. Congrats!! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Alex, I can't thank you enough for this post. I forwarded it to the select few members of my family that I have told about my upcoming bariatric surgery. This information will help them so much in better understanding this disease. It grieves me so much that obesity is such a devastating epidemic and yet is so widely misunderstood. Obesiacs are stigmatized and marginalized unfairly. Even Stephen Hawkins recently made news when he blamed obesity of willpower. News coverage such as this is badly needed to educate society about the true nature of obesity, Thank you for passing this information along. ~~Betty Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Total carbs versus net cabs *can* be important, but only if you eat a lot of calories, and a lot of carbs, and a lot of fiber. For example, if you have 150 grams of total carbs but 50 grams are fiber, then only 100 grams of carbs are fueling your workout (and impacting blood sugar). When I was diabetic and eating 2500+ calories a day and getting 45-75 grams of fiber a day, counting net carbs was important in accurately controlling my blood sugar. But post bariatric surgery, calories are more like 800-1200 and number of carbs and fiber will be so much smaller that it's not really worth calculating net carbs. And blood sugars are not so problematic. So unless you are doing huge amounts of cardio and need lots of carbs to fuel that, you probably don't need to bother with net carbs. :-) Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I just read this whole thread and I'm so inspired by your journey! Keep up the great work! You look great on that horse -- was that on your list of things to do when you lost weight? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I was 300+ lbs first time I had surgery and they had no problem getting an abdominal binder that was plenty big enough for me. It really helps a lot! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App