Introversion

I'm embarrassed to admit I gained 25 pounds in the 6 months that elapsed while awaiting surgery. I still had surgery without any resistance from the surgeon or insurance company. So, yes, it's still possible to have surgery after pre-op weight gain depending on your surgeon and insurance company. Some surgeons will promptly cancel for a major weight gain whereas others don't care. Some insurance carriers won't approve payment for surgery with a major weight gain while other companies don't care.

Your surgeon and dietitian would be best equipped to answer this question since all bariatric programs have differing requirements. Some programs require pre-surgery supplementation, whereas others don't. Personally, I wasn't required to take any vitamins or supplementation until the first week after surgery.

My sleeve was a same-day surgery...I was operated on at 9:00 in the morning and discharged to home that same night. It's a 30-minute, relatively minor surgery. You'll take pain medications at home. You'll sip on water at home. There's really no reason to spend multiple nights at the hospital unless you're having complications such as uncontrolled nausea or severe pain. They'll keep you overnight if you insist, but other than unforeseen complications, you'll go home the same day you were sleeved if it's an outpatient procedure. Good luck to you.

I'd rather jump through the hoops to get insurance to pay for the surgery. If six months of hoop-jumping ensures that $5,000 remains in my pocket, I'll take that chance. Mexico was my back-up plan in case my health insurance didn't grant approval.

Your rate/speed of weight loss depends on gender, genetics, age and starting weight. To put things into perspective, you lost 25 pounds in the first 3 weeks. On the other hand, it took me nearly 8 weeks to lose my first 25 pounds. With the exception of the first 2 months, all of my losses were single digit (read: 1 to 7 pounds per month). It took me almost 18 months to lose 100 pounds. The most important outcome is that I attained my goal and have been able to maintain the weight loss so far. Realistic expectations are of the utmost importance. You may not post a daily or weekly loss, but an overall downward trending of your weight is what you should seek. Good luck to you.

You're worrying unnecessarily. Due to your lower starting weight, you're unlikely to lose rapidly like the super morbidly obese folks on My 600-Pound Life. You probably won't see daily losses, so stay off the scale and allow your body to sort out the trauma it's just experienced. You gained 0.5 pounds, but it isn't fat. To gain 0.5 pounds of fat, you'd need to have overeaten approximately 1,750 calories. Given your current condition, that's impossible. Stay off the scale until your 1-month post-op appointment. Good luck to you.

How long ago did you have surgery? How long has it been since you lost weight? Which surgery did you undergo? Realistic expectations are important. Many people, including me, did not experience daily or weekly losses at any point throughout our journeys. The main point is I eventually reached my goal and have maintained the loss. You might be in a weight loss stall. If you truly aren't "eating anything," perhaps your body needs more food. Yes, it sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes our bodies start dropping pounds again once we start nourishing them with more calories. The starvation response, a.k.a. adaptive thermogenesis, is very real. Good luck to you.

For now, do whatever you've gotta do to meet or exceed your daily protein goal. A full liquid diet includes all liquids on the clear liquids list, as well as all liquids that aren't see-through (e.g. milk, shakes, puddings, yogurt, sorbet, cream soups, etc.).

Increased heart rate is also known as tachycardia. I had issues with post-op tachycardia that began the day I after was sleeved. I followed up with a cardiologist 9 days after surgery, but he wasn't that concerned. He insisted the rapid heart rate was my body's response to the stress of surgery. He started me on a beta blocker medication to slow the heart rate. My heart rate returned to normal about 3 to 4 weeks after this episode started and I no longer need the prescribed medication. Sometimes our bodies respond to major surgery in wonky, unusual ways.

Keep in mind that not all of your initial losses are fat pounds. In the realm of bariatric surgery, fat loss is what matters. The nurses at the hospital or surgery center probably infused several bags of intravenous fluids into you before, during and after your procedure. These IV fluid bags weigh a substantial amount and make it appear as if you've gained/lost more than you truly have due to water weight. Also, you lose weight and volume as swelling decreases. Don't worry...this will probably be the last week you ever lose 16 pounds.

Just go to Walmart or Target and buy a $29 step platform such as the one displayed. Then visit sites such as Step Aerobics Routines or YouTube for basic step exercises.

My insurance company approved payment for the sleeve with a BMI of 37 and one comorbid condition of dyslipidemia (a.k.a. elevated cholesterol). Do you have any comorbidities such as high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure? If you're a "healthy" person with a BMI of 38, my politically incorrect suggestion is to gain the 25 to 30 pounds to ensure your BMI is 40 by the time of your consultation.

Also, the following link takes you to a YouTube vlog made by Dr. Matthew Weiner, a bariatric surgeon in Michigan, who mentions the '1 golden shot' nature of revisional surgery. http://drmatthewweiner.com/bariatric-surgery-revisions-will-they-help-or-not/

Here's a quote from the Texas Bariatric Specialists. I don't pull random, unfounded information out of my ass. Generally, I back up my information with reputable sources.

Yes! Congratulations! Since there are so few sleeve veterans who are more than 5 years out, your insight is helpful and appreciated. Thank you for all that you share.

Revisional surgery patients often lose a bit more slowly than 'virgin' bariatric surgery patients. This is because the revisional surgery patient's body has already experienced the metabolic shock of a previous bariatric surgical procedure in the past. There's a saying: "It's never as good as the first time." However, some peoples' mileage may vary...a few people have more success with weight loss and maintenance after the revisional procedure. Good luck to you.

My BMI was 37 at the time I qualified for the sleeve. I was 5'1" and 199.7 pounds... To keep a long story short, I gained a whopping 25 pounds over 6 months while awaiting surgery. I got up to 225 pounds. After losing 7 pounds on the pre-op diet, I weighed 218 on surgery day. With the sleeve I lost 100 pounds over 18 months, going from 218 to 118 lbs.

My timeline was similar, primarily because my health insurance policy didn't require me to jump through as many hoops as other peoples' insurances. I decided on bariatric surgery in October 2014 and attended my very first consultative visit at the end of that same month. Paperwork was submitted to insurance in November. Insurance approved it on 12/26/2014. I met with the surgeon for the first time and scheduled a date of February 4, but didn't make it due to inclement weather. I was sleeved on 4/20/2015. So, less than 6 months elapsed between the first consultation and the actual surgery.

My response might rub a few people the wrong way, but here it is... If you want an insurance company to pay for bariatric surgery, it's easy to gain 10, 15 or 20 pounds to ensure your BMI rises to 35 with comorbid conditions (or 40 without comorbidities). If, however, you're a cash payer, it's easy to find surgeons who willingly perform surgeries on lower BMI patients. Cash is king and facilitates the ability to bypass the red tape.

So very cute, @FluffyChix Hopefully Santa (a.k.a. Alex and his handlers) are reading this and respond affirmatively.

The original poster of this thread has slipped into cross addiction, a.k.a. addiction transference. Cross addiction is a widespread occurrence in the bariatric surgery community. Now that they cannot overeat, many weight loss surgery patients pick up another addiction (e.g. alcoholism, thrill seeking, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, gaming). Basically, bariatric surgeons alter our stomachs, not our brains. Thus, people who misused food still have addicted brains and personalities after bariatric surgery. Only professional help can sufficiently address one's addictive tendencies. Wine certainly results in weight regain, especially with the quantities described, due to empty non-nutritive calories. In combination with a sedentary life, it's a perfect recipe for regain.

Look up the terms 'cross addiction' or 'addiction transference.' Cross addiction is a very common phenomenon in the bariatric surgery population. Instead of overeating, many weight loss surgery patients simply adopt another addiction (e.g. alcohol abuse, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, video gaming). Essentially, bariatric surgeons operate on our stomachs and not our brains. Therefore, overeaters who abused food still have addicted brains after weight loss surgery. Nothing, other than professional help, will properly address a person's addictive tendencies. Yes, the wine leads to weight gain, especially in the quantities you drink. It is full of empty calories. Combined with the sedentary lifestyle, it's a perfect recipe for weight regain.

I'm located in Fort Worth.

Sardines straight from the can Tuna pouches Ground turkey patties Chicken strips Hard boiled eggs Ham & cheese sandwiches Salmon croquets

I think insurance companies are beginning to realize it's financially smarter to pay for bariatric surgery now rather than pay for the plethora of obesity-related diseases later. What's cheaper? $25,000 for bariatric surgery in 2018? Or $40,000 a year for dialysis until the patient dies? By the way, the hypothetical patient needed dialysis due to diabetes that could have been resolved with weight loss. What's cheaper? $25,000 for bariatric surgery? Or $49,500 for bilateral knee replacement surgery? By the way, the hypothetical patient needed a knee replacement due to osteoarthritis that could have been resolved with weight loss. What's cheaper? $25,000 for bariatric surgery? Or $117,100 for quadruple bypass heart surgery? By the way, the hypothetical patient needed open heart surgery due to coronary artery disease that could have been helped by weight loss. If the insurance companies don't pay for weight loss surgery now, they'll certainly pay for the multitude of health issues caused by obesity in a decade or two.