Lyngolean

Frust8, can't wait till hear how you are doing. I can't agree more with Shells83 that the first several days are rough, but you get better every day and the results are so worth it!!! Thinking of you and wishing you all the best!

Insta Adventurer is right! If there is one thing I have learned through this site is that there is quite a bit of variation from one practice to another about all sorts of details regarding WLS. I like her advice of "Do what they tell you and you should be fine."

Does your clinic have a nurse you can talk to about your situation of no bowel movement since surgery? As a registered nurse, I have to say, I think that is a serious symptom. You need to talk to a nurse or be seen PROMPTLY.

Hello everyone! I am chugging along, feeling great 86 pounds lighter 4.5 months post op from my fantastic new tool, my VSG. This is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I was well prepared, I feel, and have been fortunate to have no complications as of yet. I exercise an hour a day aiming for 6 days per week since I learned research shows that long term weight maintenance after weight loss requires 250-300 minutes of exercise per week. I am still eating about 1/4-1/3 cup of protein per meal, along with about the same serving size of veg or fruit. For milk and protein supplement, I'm drinking Fairlife milk. My pants are down 8 sizes, tops are down 4 sizes. My wedding ring is in danger of being lost it is so loose, so I am going to buy an inexpensive gold band until my weight stabilizes, then will have my ring resized. I was normal size until my first pregnancy at age 27 when I felt nauseous unless I had something in my stomach. I successfully took off my pregnancy weight but quickly regained it. Thus began 24 years of ups and down with my weight. I tried (and succeeded short term) with Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous, and my own fitness improvement plans many times over the past 20+ years. I added it up once, and I have taken off and regained more than 500 pounds prior to surgery. I always regained my weight plus some. After 8 years of consistent, concerted, professionally assisted (psychologist, nutritionist) traditional weight loss effort (not counting WW or OA), I began to explore WLS. I interviewed friends who had done it, and I couldn't be happier. I have about 40 pounds yet I want to take off. Here's to all of us, gettin it done and getting healthier! Don't judge- no make up or freshly done hair today. Just running some errands...

Wow! I would love to hear more from you about your experience! Congratulations!

I was up out of bed to urinate a few hours after surgery. I took 650mg Tylenol for pain every 4 hours and also had a prescription for hycosamine, an anti-cramping med. About 3 days post op I stopped needing to take them super regularly- didn't wake from pain as the meds wore off, etc. My first bowel movement after surgery was 2 days post op. Walking after surgery was the best thing. Not long distances, but frequently. Good luck on Wednesday and keep us posted!

My hair loss started sometime after the 3 month mark and continues (now I am 4m 1w post op). I haven't taken Biotin, but maybe will consider it. My hair is very thick, and my stylist joked that if enough falls out we can stop thinning it, so it's more a plumbing issue from my point of view.

My psychological assessment was with someone on staff at the weight loss clinic. I had a letter from my therapist to support moving forward with the surgery. I think they want assurance that you don't have a current eating disorder, that you are able to follow the post op instructions, and that you are stable enough to handle the many changes that result from losing a lot of weight.

Increasing awareness of how I feel physically when I eat some of my formerly favorite foods has helped reduce my liking of them. I second the recommendation of Overeaters Anonymous. Food addiction is real and powerful.

Sugar free popsicles count as fluids too. Maybe less soup and more thin liquids that won't fill you up so much? Did you like to drink water before surgery? I added skim milk to protein shakes due to not liking the syrupy sweetness of the shakes. Maybe drink your broth more slowly? I assume you carry your beverage of choice with you everywhere you go. I can't afford to not be sipping throughout the entire day or I won't get my fluids in. Good luck!

I honestly don't see how a person could NOT lose weight after having the sleeve. I guess if you don't follow directions and eat the wrong foods and eat all the time, you won't lose. If you are ready to feel great and be on a far healthier path, I can't recommend the sleeve enough. It's a great tool! Good luck to you!

Has anyone figured out a way to keep your wedding ring from falling off when you have lost a good amount of weight, but aren't ready to commit to a permanent new size of wedding ring? I hate to buy an inexpensive ring for the meantime, but I'm getting to the point where I'm afraid to wear it because it could fall off pretty easily.

I am about 3.5 months post op and feeling great now that I am close to 75 pounds down from my starting weight. Now that I am further out from surgery and weight loss has slowed down a bit, I have found that it is easy for me to want to "coast" and not eat according to plan every day. I'm wondering what others have done to help themselves stay on track with following their nutritionist's eating advice. One thing that has helped me is to create smaller goals. For example, I set a goal of getting to an 80 pound weight loss by my 4 month post op date. This helps me stay motivated to reach smaller milestones. Anyone else have experience with this that has worked for them?

I would love to hear a doctor's take on this. I did a little research and learned leptin is produced in the fat cells. It sounds like we want to increase leptin sensitivity and/or increase leptin productiin. Ghrelin is produced in the stomach. Surgery patients' ghrelin is dramatically reduced and returns to some extent as we get further out from surgery although never to the same extent. My surgeon made the point that research is showing that surgery allows the body to create a new set point. I can't help but think he's thinking of these hormones that work so hard to keep the body at the weight it is accustomed to.

My process was much longer. I had my first consult in December 2017 and had surgery April 12, 2018. It's a lot to wrap one's head around. Good luck!

My sister had a tummy tuck done after losing 75 pounds without surgery. I can't share her photos on her behalf, but suffice it to say, she's very happy with her results. Recovery was very painful, but worth it in the end in her opinion. Good luck!

Very interesting! I had just read the New York Times study of participants from The Biggest Loser tonight also, and the role of the hormone, leptin. Fascinating stuff, for sure! https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?rref=collection%2Fseriescollection%2Fthe-science-of-fat&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=collection

I liked Premiere Protein shakes the best also. I added about 1/3 skim milk because they were so syrupy sweet. Costco prices were more affordable than Target. I think it's important to know what shakes you can stand to drink ahead of time. My pre-op diet was 10 days of sugar free jello, broth, shakes, sugar free popsicles, and other clear liquids. I figured I can do just about anything for 10 days. Then after surgery for 2 weeks, it was more protein shakes, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, runny Cream of Wheat, Greek yogurt, and Cream of Tomato soup. It's kind of comical how quickly you fill up after surgery. 2 tablespoons of soup and I'd be full. I didn't like Cream of Wheat prior to surgery, but I became so bored with what few options I had, I expanded. Good luck!

Wow! As others have said, what a shock and disappointment! So glad you are safe though, and hoping that the financial part works out and that you get a safe and effective procedure in the end. Keep us posted, please!

That's about the food volume I eat per meal now at 3+ months post op. I thought food intake was to gradually expand to about 1 cup per meal eventually. I imagine if that is good or bad depends on your weight loss and nutritional status. Have you lost the weight you wanted to lose? How are your labs in terms of your nutritional status? Are you low in vitamins or minerals? Are you feeling good? Having symptoms of nutritional deficiencies?

An infuriating comment someone said to me was, "Why don't you just eat like that and skip the surgery?" Talk about ignorance... Hopefully those closest to you are supportive and helpful!!!

Frustr8, glad you have your date now! Shelly, I am loving hearing your story! Keep the updates coming! I had VSG 4/12 and am down 73 pounds. You are wise to hold off getting new clothes Shelly. You will need them all too soon and OFTEN! Thank goodness for thrift stores! Your neighbor to the north and west (as you are in Iowa and Ohio)... I have asked for an InstaPot for my birthday which is next week. Looking forward to having it!

My surgery was at Methodist too, Katbad! What was your surgery date? Do you mind me asking which surgeon you had? I had Luthra and my date was April 12, right before the big April snowstorm! I had a great experience also. Pain was not great the first 3-4 days, but after that it's been pretty much smooth sailing. I used Tylenol fo pain, and then they prescribed hycosamine, an anti-cramping med that also was very helpful. I took that if I felt my Tylenol was wearing off and I had a ways to go before my next dose. My surgery was on a Thursday, and by Monday, I wasn't needing my pain meds every time I was able to take them. I quit waking up from pain and taking them throughout the night maybe by Sunday night. I really focused in on myself and just did my fluids, walked, slept, and relaxed, focused on healing.

Good luck to you! Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using BariatricPal mobile app

Kind of a funny story. A friend had to chuckle, thinking I was the epitome of "Minnesota Nice" when he heard about the pre-op diet's purpose of shrinking the liver to get it out of the surgeon's way. He assumed this was me personally making this decision out of courtesy and thoughtfulness to the surgeon, not something to reduce potential complications.