Ylime

Discuss ANY concerns you have about the surgery or life afterwards. What will my pre-op diet look like? Will I be required to lose any weight before the surgery? What pre-op testing/appts will there be? When can I schedule the surgery? Who all is in the operating room with you? Is this your normal team? Do you use a surgical assistant? Is this an additional cost? How many leak tests do you do? When and how are they done? I’ve read some patients have gallbladder issues after WLS. What do I need to be aware of? When will I be allowed to exercise at light and intense levels? Do you recommend I use a waist binder after surgery? But most of all, evaluate how well you click with him. He's going to be your best friend for awhile and it's important he be someone you actually like and feel comfortable with.

I'm packing a hairdryer because the hospital doesn't provide one and my hair gets crazy frizzy when it's air dried. Just because you had surgery doesn't mean you have to look like a wreck! lol

Sounds like you are off to a great start and will have great support afterwards!!

Come join our Summer Surgery group:

I think I missed welcoming you to the group, so welcome!!

I've been busy this week so here are my updates. Psych eval was easy. We chatted for awhile, she asked about the support I have, what I've done in the past to lose weight, what my plans are for post-surgery in terms of healthy habits. Had a quick discussion about my health history and that was it. She didn't tell me at the end if I passed or not but I can't imagine I didn't. I plan on checking in with my surgeon next week to see if they've received the green light from her. This morning I had my annual visit with my PCP. My surgeon had already sent over the info to her about the surgery so that was nice to not have to re-explain everything to her. I wouldn't call her supportive, but she didn't try to dissuade me in any way. It was more of just her glossing over it and confirming the tests I needed done for the surgery. She did my blood work and an EKG (which was the quickest EKG in history). Next step is my dietician appt in 2 weeks. That's the last major hurdle to get over so I can start discussing dates for the surgery.

Awesome - you could have your date any day now!! We could be surgery twins - this is the same time frame I'm looking at! That waiting for the first meeting with the surgeon is brutal. Spend a lot of time here to keep your mind of the time.

Wooo Hooo - Excited for you both!!!

My psych eval is this morning - in about 2.5 hours. I'm not really nervous, I just don't like going into something when I don't know what to expect. lol

Ah - Yes you won’t have that option on those devices as they are just condensed versions. You will have to access the full website in a computer. And then perhaps post in the Help and Suggestion Thread about being able to access that option through the app. Lol ~Emily

For many years I gained weight strictly due to being lazy and eating poorly. But for the last several years, I have been driving myself crazy because I feel like I have been doing everything I should be doing in terms of eating the right foods (Whole30 and Paleo) and exercising intensely (Obstacle Course Racing and Weight Training) and nothing worked for weight loss. I have often felt like my body and brain were working against my heart and preventing me from achieving what I wanted. In my ongoing research, I recently found another Bariatric Surgeon that post his bariatric videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DrMatthewWeiner I found his Informational Seminar video to be much more informative than any other I attended during my search for a local surgeon. One point in particular is the slide I've attached to this post. The stats he shows in this slide are my exact stats. His explanation here is that to gain 100lbs over a 20-year period, a woman only has to eat an average of 50 additional calories per day. Which is basically nothing. This takes into consideration pregnancy weight gain, weight loss, and weight regain over this time period. He affirms that significant weight gain from such a low number of additional calories means that there is actually something else going on besides just eating more calories than you burn. And as many of us suspect, it is due to hormonal and metabolic changes because of both age and changes that occur from diets you go on. This alone lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Because I am not crazy after all, my brain and body were working against me. And surgery can help me get back to where I want to be. It further confirms my decision to have this surgery and use it merely as one tool in my arsenal to regain my health! I wanted to share this for anyone else has felt like they were crazy and wondered endlessly why diet and exercised worked from everyone else but you...

I'm behind on posting as I wasn't able to get on this weekend - so welcome to all the newbies!!

Well right that is the simple math. But his explanation is that hormones and metabolism don't allow people to just lose those 5lbs by just eating less and exercising, thus why so many doctors say eating less and moving more doesn't always work and so many people need WLS to achieve their goals.

At the top of this page, right hand side you'll see your username. Click the down arrow next to it to get the menu. Towards the bottom you should see "My Tickers". Go in there to set your's up.

A bit of background before I get to my real question: When I started considering surgery I did a TON of research on the procedure and on the programs in my area. I researched six different surgeons and found all the info I could on them - experience, reviews, hospital affiliations, and peer affiliations. I narrowed my top choices down those with great credentials and had a lot of information online including videos of them doing their orientation/info sessions. This really helped to get all the info in a short period of time and get a sense of them as a person. I set up initial consultations with my top three. One surgeon saw me within two days of my call. The other two I had to schedule a few weeks out and have yet to see them. My husband accompanied me to the consult with the first surgeon. We both agreed we really liked everything about him - his personality, his perspective on why his program is set up the way it is, and the way he was empathetic to all my concerns and questions. Also when I told him I was self-pay and already had financing set up through one specific company, he told me he didn't have a relationship with them but went out of his way to get set up with that company to ensure I could use them with his practice. Something he didn't have to do. So here's my question - Because I feel so confident in the first surgeon I'm leaning towards not even meeting with the other two. Is that crazy? The reason I narrowed it down to these three is that they all have the same excellent credentials and perform the surgeries in some of the top hospitals in the area. Because I already know how their program is set up I feel like the only purpose in meeting them is to evaluate their bedside manner and if we click or not. But because the first surgeon checked all the boxes for me, is it a waste of time to even bother meeting the other surgeons? Or is it just reckless to not talk to anyone else and go with the first one?

Yeah without STD or vacation/sick time there isn't any other options. Your employer doesn't have to pay you for leave and it's not required under FMLA. If its an option, you could always look into a personal loan to help you out. But the good news is that gastric sleeve patients typically only miss 1 - 2 weeks of work.

If your company meets the requirements and you meet eligibility then you have to be offered FMLA. It will be unpaid but you will have job protection. Ask if your company also offers Short Term Disability. That will provide a certain level of salary replacement while on leave. You can also ask if they offer a personal leave of absence for employees that don't qualify for either FMLA or STD. That leave again will be unpaid.

That's good then, follow up is key!

I'm curious, what was it about the first program you didn't like?

I've seen a few people mention this on various boards/pages but of course now I can find them. Due to PCOS I already have unwanted hair in unwanted places. I've heard that people with this issue should not take Biotin as that will cause ALL hair to increase. So for those also experiencing the same problems what have you done to try and help minimize the hair loss after surgery? Has anyone had any experience with Nioxin or other shampoos that claim to help? Rogaine for women? I'm willing to try anything when I get to that stage!

Thanks guys - I'm willing to do all of the above to help! lol I already have fake bangs I wear from time to time so also not opposed to wearing a wig for a period of time if it gets really bad!

Sorry about the pain, but glad to hear the surgery went well and you're on your way to recovery and your new life!

I honestly don't know when my next weigh in is. I have my psych eval next week but I doubt they'll weigh me for that. But the week after I have my first meeting with the dietitian so I'm sure that will involve a weigh in. Although my surgeon doesn't require any weight loss before surgery. I'm just on a mission to not gain!