KarenLR75

oh my gosh...I was on the edge of my sofa reading your story! Your reply as to whether it was the plane trip or your surgeon just cracked me up! I had to quote it!
One thing I wasn't clear on and this is where I'm also afraid of getting surgery done 'out of the US/out of country) is if there is some sort of issue/medical emergency like you had, will my insurance refuse for me to be treated so I will be forced to make an unplanned trip out of the country to figure things out? Or did your insurance pay for your wound care/full extraction? Did you have to pay to get the 're-implant'/'new implant' done here in the U.S.?
I'm still marveling at what an incredible job you did losing weight and what a tough cookie you are! You look tiny but FIERCE! Amazing!!!

Well, bariatric surgeon did not find anything wrong with my pouch (inside my pouch, no scar tissue causing problems, no hernia/bleeding inside pouch, etc.).
Ironically unlike the 3 incisions that I had during my gastric bypass surgery, I have FIVE incisions. I guess he REALLY looked around. I look like I got attacked by a knife-wielding assailant with very precise aim..lol.
I have my follow up with the surgeon tomorrow to talk about the procedure (he only saw my husband after the procedure as he had back to back surgeries lined up) as I have not officially spoken with him. I am trying to remember to ask him about their stance/experience on semiglutide/similar meds for their patients.

OMG! I'm so thrilled for you!! I remember this!! You are looking so great in your pics!! AWESOME JOB!!
I noticed your highest weight was 421. My highest was 400. When I joined here, I only entered 390 as that was the weight I was at when I started trying to lose some more 'on my own' as I was going through the insurance process (SO LONG) to get approved for bariatric surgery.
5 years later and I'm wondering if I should have changed my weight to the highest I ever was or if that is confusing to anyone.
Again, I'm just so very happy for you!

Well, bariatric surgeon did not find anything wrong with my pouch (inside my pouch, no scar tissue causing problems, no hernia/bleeding inside pouch, etc.).
Ironically unlike the 3 incisions that I had during my gastric bypass surgery, I have FIVE incisions. I guess he REALLY looked around. I look like I got attacked by a knife-wielding assailant with very precise aim..lol.
I have my follow up with the surgeon tomorrow to talk about the procedure (he only saw my husband after the procedure as he had back to back surgeries lined up) as I have not officially spoken with him. I am trying to remember to ask him about their stance/experience on semiglutide/similar meds for their patients.

@kristieshannon - I meant to say the other day how much your statement above resonated with me. The narrative does need to change.

Yeah, I worry that people, including 'us bariatric surgery patients' who haven't done the mental/headspace work (and I don't mean this in reference to the 2 people you know that have done the weight loss injections) that most of us try to look or are 'made to look at' at when preparing for gastric bypass will have to stay on them 'forever'.
Of course, doing a sleeve or gastric bypass is a very permanent 'anatomical' decision that can, if we are not vigilant also not be successful in the long term for people who feel the surgery is the 'only fix' needed.
Since all of my health issues are already under control after my gastric bypass - I NEVER had high blood pressure despite weighing almost 400 lbs and I was not a diabetic but I could tell the toll that being that heavy was taking on my body (my knees, sleep apnea, DVT's/PE's, etc.) I was leery of doing anything that would require 'forever' outside of the bypass surgery.
I'm looking for a new therapist right now that specializes not only in anxiety and depression but in working with bariatric patients/weight loss as I know I can I have to be constantly vigilant with my headspace or NOTHING will work.
I also am not willing to take the shots for the rest of my life for myself. For other people weighing risks versus benefits I can see this being a highly individualized and personal decision especially if weight loss surgery is not an option for them no matter the reason (leery of it, insurance won't pay, BMI not high enough, etc.). Everyone's journey is their own. The only thing I advocate is for everyone to be as informed as possible and to do their research and make the best decision for themselves. I need to do more research about long term implications of these drugs, but I haven't found much data out there (too new to have that much historical data yet).
I'm within 10 lbs of when I told the clinic I'm going to that I would be tapering off and ending the weekly shots. Will try to remember to post more when I've been off the shots for more than a couple of months to talk about struggles or successes I have.

Agreed catwoman7 - that was my BIGGEST concern.
I was trying to remember how high into the 180's I hit and I found my paperwork. I had gone up to 187 (17 lbs over my weight I had been holding stable on and mentally remembering the 'brief period' at 167, I felt I had gained 20 lbs but it was really more like 17 from my 'stable weight).
Prior gains I had ALWAYS kept within a manageable 5 to 10 lb window. We have an adult daughter with multiple mental health issues that moved back in with us over a year ago and the combined stress between her needs and my job was seriously impacting every aspect of my life.
I'm also seeking a new therapist that also specializes in clients who are considering or have had bariatric surgery who can help me with multiple issues as I never want to return to food again as a 'medication' for stress and heartache.

Thank you so much! I'm a little better today. I'm thinking it's muscular. 💕

Thank you guys so much!!! I actually need to stay away from the scale because I saw today that I'm 188!!! I mean, HOW??? So now the trick is going to be figuring out how to maintain. I'm quite happy where I'm at and think I want to stay here.

LMAO I saw that and said "wth was I saying???" and then realized what I meant and fixed it lol

@BlondePatriotInCDA and @SleeveToBypass2023
This discussion has inspired me to talk to the bariatric surgeon I switched to here in Fort Worth when I see him on a post-op follow up appt on 6/10/24 as I want to discuss how his practice is managing this new set of 'tools' with their bariatric surgery patients.
I wish he'd been my original bariatric surgeon. Due to abdominal pain I've been chasing for 2 yrs (right side) I ended up referred to him. TOMORROW, he is performing an investigative laparoscopic procedure to 'scope' the inside of my pouch and see if some of the occasional 'old blood' I have in my er..stools and the pain that hits out of nowhere that feels like my intestines are knotting up, is related to any issue inside the pouch or with scar tissue.
I've already done an upper & lower GI in May, gall bladder has been gone for 2 yrs, had a CT-scan, etc. Wish me luck tomorrow. I'm looking at it as very nice and expensive nap with hopefully useful information obtained. I'm also curious what he has to say about my pouch now that it has been 5 years. Is he gonna say 'wow, you sure managed to stretch that sucker!'...lol

It's been 5 years since my gastric bypass. Have done fairly well in staying in my safe zone. My goal weight was 170 initially although mentally I wanted to put 150. After starting at almost 400 lbs, I wanted to see if I could even hit 170 which I did.
For 2 days about 2 years ago I briefly 'dipped' down to 167! LOL. Fast forward to 9 months ago, I hit a rough patch and went up to 180'ish. I knew some folks going to a local place that compounded their own semiglutide if I understood them correctly. After asking repeated questions about whether taking this would disrupt the supply to diabetics who needed the medicine, I decided to try it.
I was never one of those fortunate ones who after bariatic surgery lost the desire to eat (grehlin?). Even though I obviously had the 'restriction' kicking in due to the pouch size, I had to white-knuckle SOMETIMES during the first 6 months.
Part of me feels like I cheated by introducing semiglutide but there are also people who think that weight loss surgery is the 'easy way out'. I can tell you that none of those people, in my opinion, have ever had the surgery. I actually really like the semiglutide, it removes the..trying to think of it as I saw on someone else's post, it is the first thing that has ever removed the mental 'food chatter' in my head.
Sometimes I will skip weeks on the injections and I'm already making plans to taper off now that I'm down to 163. I realize I will need to be able to then try to maintain in my new 'safety zone of watching for a weight gain of more than 5 to 10 lbs over current weight. I like to nip those things in the bud.
Just curious if anyone else post weight loss surgery (by years) has brought semiglutide into the picture whether to break up a stall, or to get weight gain that has started to creep up halted.

Lol I was wondering what "bog" boned meant, I thought perhaps it was a local colloquial term! 😂😋

Just a thought about those worried about shortages of this med-those with obesity are just as worthy of this (and other) medical treatment as someone with another chronic health condition such as diabetes. We’ve been conditioned for so long to see obesity as a personal failing rather than a medical condition. I firmly believe this narrative needs to be changed. If you and your health care team feels GLP-1 treatment is what is best to treat your obesity, then you deserve the med just as much as any other patient.

There's also compound (which is when the semaglutide and Tirzepatide are mixed with either B12, saline, or niacinamide to make it so it's not completely the same as the original so it can be sold for a lot cheaper than the name brand). My cousin and my friend really like going that route because there's never a shortage and they don't feel they're contributing to any of the national shortages that keep happening. They're also A LOT cheaper, and if you have HSA or FSA, they will pay for the compounded formulas (they both use their FAS to cover the costs).

@BlondePatriotInCDA and @SleeveToBypass2023
This discussion has inspired me to talk to the bariatric surgeon I switched to here in Fort Worth when I see him on a post-op follow up appt on 6/10/24 as I want to discuss how his practice is managing this new set of 'tools' with their bariatric surgery patients.
I wish he'd been my original bariatric surgeon. Due to abdominal pain I've been chasing for 2 yrs (right side) I ended up referred to him. TOMORROW, he is performing an investigative laparoscopic procedure to 'scope' the inside of my pouch and see if some of the occasional 'old blood' I have in my er..stools and the pain that hits out of nowhere that feels like my intestines are knotting up, is related to any issue inside the pouch or with scar tissue.
I've already done an upper & lower GI in May, gall bladder has been gone for 2 yrs, had a CT-scan, etc. Wish me luck tomorrow. I'm looking at it as very nice and expensive nap with hopefully useful information obtained. I'm also curious what he has to say about my pouch now that it has been 5 years. Is he gonna say 'wow, you sure managed to stretch that sucker!'...lol

@BlondePatriotInCDA and @SleeveToBypass2023
This discussion has inspired me to talk to the bariatric surgeon I switched to here in Fort Worth when I see him on a post-op follow up appt on 6/10/24 as I want to discuss how his practice is managing this new set of 'tools' with their bariatric surgery patients.
I wish he'd been my original bariatric surgeon. Due to abdominal pain I've been chasing for 2 yrs (right side) I ended up referred to him. TOMORROW, he is performing an investigative laparoscopic procedure to 'scope' the inside of my pouch and see if some of the occasional 'old blood' I have in my er..stools and the pain that hits out of nowhere that feels like my intestines are knotting up, is related to any issue inside the pouch or with scar tissue.
I've already done an upper & lower GI in May, gall bladder has been gone for 2 yrs, had a CT-scan, etc. Wish me luck tomorrow. I'm looking at it as very nice and expensive nap with hopefully useful information obtained. I'm also curious what he has to say about my pouch now that it has been 5 years. Is he gonna say 'wow, you sure managed to stretch that sucker!'...lol

Ok, so like I said, tomorrow is my facelift! I’m getting lower facelift with fat transfer to nasal folds and marionette lines and a lower bleph for under my eyes.

Taking these pics at the most unflattering angle so you can really see the loose skin that I want to fix!!

So to recap! Lol! Tomorrow is the fade and then I go back in August for arms and thighs. Super excited to be contingent my plastics journey!

Just got back from pre op. I went into with the idea that I wanted 225cc implants. The surgeon wants to to go bigger. She promises they will look great. So we agreed anything between 350 and 550, and she will decide during surgery what looks best. I like that I’ll be surprised. Lol!! She wanted me to consider 650s but I drew the line there! I said maybe if I was 25 but I’m too old for those kind of boobs! Lol!

As for the TT she is going to extend the incision past my hips bc I have so much loose skin which I’m happy with! She also said that I don’t have any fat to Lipo on my flanks (it’s all skin) so she found a little on my back to do instead, but it won’t be 1 liter. I’m glad I don’t have much fat but hope I can still get that snatched look without lipo to the flanks. Hoping she’ll find some more fat when she gets in there!

No matter what I’m excited!!

Attaching pics of me in all my saggy glory. This first pic is without implants. The rest are with the 350s. I’m showing my saggy thighs too for research purposes bc sometimes the TT can give the thighs a little lift. I'm hoping to get a little oomph but am prepared if that doesn't happen.

I Highly recommend Dr. John LoMonaco in Houston. An amazing Surgeon and even better human. He specializes in Bariatric patients. I had a body lift, arm lift and breast revision. Relatively little pain. He is meticulous about infection prevention and my scars are very thin & flat.

Look at Dallas Plastic Surgery center. They even have residency drs that are cheaper

I don't plan on being on them for a lifetime, I just need the head hunger to stop and help with the constant hunger...I've been good at fighting it..but I can foresee starting to cheat if I don't get some help. I've tried the alternatives to side track my brain...doesn't work.
$250 is way better..hopefully my doctor who's had bariatric surgery will prescribe something to help!

Thank you!! I thought about changing my highest weight, but that's not what I was when I had my surgery and I wanted to track my progress from my surgery weight. I did Keto to lose the weight my doctor wanted me to lose, and it was amazing for that short amount of time. Taught me a lot about watching calories and especially carbs. Also taught me about making some better choices with the alternative foods that are out there. So I'm glad I did it. And it allowed me to lose the weight I needed to rather quickly. I needed to lose 30 pounds and I lost 33.

Perhaps, but you are entitled to believe what you believe and their getting upset is on them..we all have our own feelings and are entitled to them ..we're all different and should all be willing to let everyone feel the way they do....but I understand - time and place thing!

LOL thank you. I just don't want to start any political (or religious, for that matter) debates in here. I know my particular political leanings can be viewed as controversial to some, and I want this to continue to be a safe space without the issues politics can, and usually does, bring. But I like that you liked my views