BigSue

Keep in mind that every hospital is a little different, but I can tell you what they did where I had surgery. When I arrived, they took my temperature before they let me in the building (COVID precaution). Then I checked in and had to sign some paperwork, and then they took me to a room and told me to take off all my clothes (including underwear) and change into a hospital gown, grippy socks, and mask (I wore a cloth mask in, but they wanted me to change into a disposable mask). A nurse came in, weighed me, and took my blood pressure, then gave me a cup for a urine sample (pregnancy test). Based on your picture, you look like a woman of childbearing age, so they will almost certainly require a pregnancy test. This was an issue for me because I was not allowed to have anything to drink after midnight the night before, and I peed before I left the house, so I was not able to produce a urine sample at the hospital. The nurse pleaded with me to squeeze out three drops, and I tried, but I couldn't, so they had to do a blood test for pregnancy. The nurse told me the blood test would take longer and could result in delays, but that was not true at all because I can see the time on my results and the pregnancy test came back at the same time as the rest of the bloodwork (45 minutes after they drew the blood). These are the blood tests I had the morning of surgery: Pregnancy Comprehensive metabolic panel Complete blood count (CBC) After they drew blood, they did an EKG, which consisted of a nurse sticking leads all over my body and then hooking it up to a machine, and a doctor came in to look at the results. That part was very quick and easy. My surgeon said they normally do the bloodwork and EKG a few days before surgery, but they started doing it the day of surgery because of COVID precautions. I was worried that something would come back abnormal and they would cancel the surgery, but the surgeon assured me that was very, very rare. He said that the EKG and bloodwork are mainly so they have a basis for comparison after the surgery. After the testing, they moved my bed into a staging area with a bunch of other patients. Several nurses came over one by one and introduced themselves, then asked me my name, date of birth, and what surgery I was having (they ask this over and over again and compare to the wristband to make sure they have the right patient for the right surgery). My surgeon stopped by and talked to me briefly. A nurse started an IV in my hand. The anesthesiologist came over and asked me a bunch of questions about my medical history. Another nurse said she was going to give me a heparin shot in my stomach, but then said she would wait until the Versed kicked in. I was lying there waiting for the nurse to come back, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up after surgery. My surgeon did not test me for vitamins before surgery, but my PCP and endocrinologist did. My vitamin D was very low, so I was taking a prescription vitamin D, but it was still low even after I had been taking the prescription for months (I am now on a higher dosage).

Yes, this a VERY common problem for post-op bariatric patients. If you search this site, you will find a lot of helpful info. Here's a recent thread that may help: I am curious, though, why you are starting your pre-op diet so very early? If I understand correctly, you started this about 3 months before your surgeon said you should? It's great that you're an overachiever and working hard to prepare yourself for the surgery, but I'm not sure it's a great idea to do the pre-op diet for so long. The purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver to make it easier for the surgeon to access your stomach, and the purpose of the post-op liquid diet is to allow the stomach to heal. Once the stomach is healed, though, most surgeons want us eating real food. My program recommends the "3-2-1" rule (3 bites protein, 2 bites non-starchy vegetables, 1 bite complex carbs), which is a pretty common thing, although some programs focus more on vegetables. I am not a medical professional, but I encourage you to discuss with your doctor the best diet to follow before you get to the pre-op diet. Eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer protein shakes may help with your problems.

Yes, I think it's a good idea to ease into it! I didn't set out to lose 70 pounds before surgery. I was just trying to lose the 20 pounds my surgeon wanted me to lose. The first week I used MyFitnessPal, I averaged 2018 calories per day, which was under my goal, but the next week, I aimed lower. As I made small changes, like having a salad with light dressing for lunch, or a big serving of green beans instead of a side of rice or potatoes, or a Built Bar instead of a Snickers, it got easier. BTW, I had some food funerals in the days leading up to my pre-op diet, and I don't regret it. But even when I was indulging in my favorite foods that I may never get to eat again, I still stayed under my calorie goal. So don't feel like you have to totally deprive yourself in order to do this.

I do like those 2-ounce cups with lids -- very useful for dividing up food into small portions. In addition to what everybody else said: Unflavored protein powder - this will be very useful for mixing into purees to help you get enough protein. Vitamins and a pill organizer - you will be taking so many pills after surgery, it will be hard to keep track of them. This one is pretty full with all of the pills I take, so you might want to consider one with 4 or 5 compartments for each day. If you don't already have your recommended vitamins, make sure to buy them before surgery. Small dishes and storage containers - it's just a mental thing, but I just think it's more pleasant to eat out of glass bowls than plastic, and when you're eating tiny portions, it's easier to use small dishes than full-sized ones. A set of small spoons and forks - they help you take small bites. I like these because they are metal rather than plastic. A milk frother/mixer - I actually got this as a free gift with my BariatricPal order, and I wouldn't have purchased it otherwise, but it is so useful! I use it just about every day. Protein powders can be challenging to mix into liquids by hand, but this thing makes quick work of it and makes sure there are no lumps. It is really inexpensive even if you don't get it as a free gift. (You can find the same thing on Amazon.)

I'm 2 months post-op, and I've been doing pretty well with fluid intake, getting about 60 ounces per day (mostly water, sometimes protein drinks as well). But for the last few days, I've had a lot of trouble choking down water. I've struggled to get 40 ounces. Just taking a sip makes me feel queasy, even when I should be thirsty, like after a workout. It tastes bad to me, whether it's plain or flavored, ice cold, room temperature, or hot tea -- my stomach doesn't want it. Eating is fine; I can eat 1/2 cup without problems and it tastes as I expect. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I be concerned?

Haven't tried broth, but that's a good idea... I only managed 25 ounces of water today, so I have to figure out something.

I second that... I'm 2 months out and I can't get 60 grams of protein without adding some protein powder to some of my food. I eat a lot of fat-free refried beans mixed with unflavored protein powder. Also soup, oatmeal (I use protein oatmeal from the BariatricPal store, which is already protein-fortified, but I only eat half a packet and I add some more protein powder to it), yogurt, applesauce, sugar-free pudding, mashed cauliflower... Anything mushy is easy to mix with protein powder. For sweet things like yogurt, sugar-free pudding, or oatmeal, I prefer to use flavored protein powder (vanilla yogurt with vanilla or strawberry protein powder, chocolate pudding with chocolate protein powder, oatmeal with cinnamon roll protein powder). My dietitian also told me I should be eating more. I'm averaging about 450 calories per day and she says I should be eating 800-1000 calories per day. I really don't see how that's possible within the guidelines I was given (3 meals per day, maximum 1/2 cup per meal, no snacks except protein shakes).

Stalls are a normal part of weight loss that just about everyone experiences (search this site for “three week stall” and you’ll see thousands of results). This won’t be the last time you stop seeing your scale move for a little while before starting up again. in your case, though, I’m not sure I’d even call it a stall. This soon after WLS, you shouldn’t even be looking at the scale. Your body went through a lot during surgery and it has to adjust to the changes. While you were in the hospital, I’m sure they pumped you full of IV fluids, and that alone can cause weight gain. I actually weighed more at my one-week follow-up than I did right before surgery (my surgeon didn’t care — at that point, he was more interested in how I was healing from the surgery). You should also be aware that since you’re starting at a relatively low BMI, your weight loss is likely to be slower than someone starting out 100 pounds higher than you, so don’t get discouraged by comparing your weight loss with anyone else’s. A lot of people only weigh themselves once a week so they don’t get freaked out by normal fluctuations or stalls, and you might want to consider that.

Has anybody tried this product? Foster Farms Smart Crust Pizza: I just saw an ad for it on Facebook, and supposedly a grocery store in my area carries it!

There is a lot going on right now, and many, many people have gained weight during the pandemic, so for you to lose even a little weight and not gain any is a victory! If you're looking for someone who has been there, I have! Check out this post I made 7 months ago at the beginning of my journey: My surgeon wanted me to lose 20 pounds before surgery and I had NO IDEA where to begin! My PCP was no help at all. Guess what? I've lost over 100 pounds since then, 70 before surgery. When I went in for my last pre-op appointment 2 weeks before surgery, the nurse questioned whether my initial weight was recorded correctly. I did two things to lose weight before surgery. The first thing is what you are already doing: logging everything I ate. So you have already made a good start. The second thing I did was intermittent fasting. This can be a little controversial, and some doctors don't like it, but it worked for me. I did a 16-hour fast every day with an 8-hour eating period. That meant I ate lunch and dinner (and I allowed myself to eat snacks in between), and then fasted until lunch the next day. It was hard at first but got easier. This helped me because in addition to cutting out breakfast, I cut out all the snacks I would have had during that time period, and when I got used to going 16 hours without eating, I ended up cutting down on snacks between lunch and dinner, even during the time I was allowed to eat. I also think it made me feel less deprived. Let's say I wanted pancakes at breakfast time. I would just tell myself I can have pancakes, but I would just have to wait until my fast was over. And splitting my calories between two meals instead of three meant I could eat bigger, more satisfying meals. If I really wanted to eat 4 slices of pizza, I could, as long as I didn't have a big lunch. Speaking of calories, MyFitnessPal gave me a calorie goal of 2190 calories per day. The first week, it was a challenge just to stay under that, but I gradually reduced it down to an average of 1500 calories per day. I would suggest you challenge yourself to reduce your calories a little bit, let's say just by 100 calories per day for a week. Try some lower-calories substitutions, like light salad dressing. Measure out slightly smaller portions. By recording everything I ate and staying within a calorie limit, I had to be strategic about what I ate. I wasn't ready to give up all the foods I loved, so I looked at what I was eating and found the healthiest things that I already liked. I used those to fill me up so I could also afford to indulge sometimes. A big thing for me was eating salad for lunch every day. I discovered I could make a generous salad with lots of grilled chicken for about 300 calories. Then I found a light salad dressing I like and that put it under 250 calories. Popcorn was one of my favorite snacks because, while not the healthiest choice, it really filled me up for not a huge number of calories (BTW, I still ate the blast-o-butter kind, but a whole mini bag is just 210 calories). A big side of green beans sauteed with 1/2 tsp of butter is less than 100 calories. I discovered Built Bars, which are these amazing protein bars that taste like candy bars -- honestly, I think some are even better than candy bars -- and they became my daily treat. Maybe I didn't HAVE to lose 70 pounds before surgery, but I think it was good to start changing my habits for a while before surgery so that surgery wouldn't be such a shock to the system. Only time will tell whether or not this will all lead to long-term success, but I am glad to be down over 100 pounds from my highest weight, just two months after surgery. You can do this!

What form of intermittent fasting were you doing? 16/8? 18/6? OMAD? I did intermittent fasting (16/8) before surgery and I lost about 70 pounds in 5 months. It really helped me to get out of the habit of snacking. The psychologist who did my psych eval for surgery didn't like it, but nobody else (the surgeon, bariatric nutritionist, PCP, endocrinologist) had a problem with it. Can't do it post-op, though (at least initially) because I'd never be able to get all my protein. Anyway, my suggestion is to think of it as doing mini-fasts. If you were doing 16/8 and skipping breakfast, maybe you can change to 12/12 (have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but fast for 12 hours between dinner and the next day's breakfast). Have a small breakfast and fast between breakfast and lunch.

This happens to A LOT of people! That's why it is highly recommended that you track measurements in addition to weight. I think it's a good thing because it means you're losing fat. I actually have sort of the opposite problem; I've lost over 100 pounds since my highest weight (only about 35 pounds since surgery, though), but I'm not much smaller. Only just this week did I retire the pants I was wearing at my highest weight because they're so big on me that they're falling down. Hard to believe it took 100 pounds to change pants size.

It is quite possible that your insurance does not cover WLS under any circumstances, regardless of BMI or comorbidities. If your insurance is through your employer, the employer can choose whether or not to include WLS coverage. But that doesn't mean you need to give up on ever having WLS. Here are some options: Change insurance. If you have a spouse who has insurance through a different employer and your spouse's insurance does cover WLS, you could get on your spouse's insurance. Even if the premiums are more expensive, it could be worth it to get the WLS coverage. Or you could try to find a different job with better insurance (easier said than done, I know, but depending on what type of work you do, it may be feasible). Self-pay for surgery. Shop around with different surgeons. They will often have lower costs for self-pay patients than what they charge insurance, so make sure to tell them you'll be self-pay. The advantage to self-pay is that you don't have to jump through as many hoops as the insurance companies require, so you can get surgery sooner. There is a place called Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas that specializes in self-pay patients, so you might want to check them out. Medical tourism. A lot of people go to Mexico for WLS to save money. It costs less than surgery in the US even with travel. There are some risks to it, but a lot of people have great experiences with WLS in Mexico. I saw somebody post about it a couple of weeks ago who only paid about $5000 out of pocket, which is almost as much as I paid out of pocket with insurance coverage. Does the seminar you planned to attend cost any money? In my program (and many others), the informational seminar is free, and in that case, it wouldn't hurt to attend just to learn more about the surgery. If it costs money, though, you can get the same information for free online.

I'm the last person who is qualified to give relationship advice, but hey, it's the internet, so I'm not going to let that stop me from throwing in my 2 cents. It is true that a lot of marriages end after WLS, so I don't blame him for being worried. But marriages don't end as a direct result of WLS; they end as a result of changes to the marriage from the (mostly positive) changes of losing weight and improving health. Sometimes it's because people put up with more than they should because they don't think anyone else will love them, and when they lose weight, they realize they don't need to put up with abuse to be loved. Other times, it's because your interests and priorities may change when you're physically able to do things you couldn't do when you were bigger. It's not fair for him to put it all on you, though. If I understand correctly, you have tried to get him to go to marriage counseling and he won't do it. If the marriage is so important to him, he needs to put some effort into it, too. It is NOT a selfish decision to do something to improve your health. Unless you are actively planning to lose weight so you can find a better husband, deciding to have WLS does not equal choosing to end your marriage.

I see these posts here periodically (exact same words), posted on a bunch of different boards (often early in the morning, and they get deleted before most people see them). It is spam, although I'm not sure what the point is since I don't see any links or ads.

It happens to everyone and there's not much you can do. You're right on schedule -- it usually starts 3-4 months after surgery. Some people say biotin helps, but even if it does, you'll still lose some hair. It should grow back, though. I've always had fine hair, so I'm afraid it's going to be really bad for me. I freaked out a little when I went to the dermatologist last week and he asked how long I've had thinning hair. I was like, "That's not supposed to happen for another month!"

There's a lot of variation in pre-op diets between one surgeon and the next. Some don't require one at all. Some don't require it for patients with lower BMIs. You'll be fine if you do what your surgeon says (and you're lucky -- a 2-week pre-op liquid diet sucks!).

FYI, Beachbody is an MLM, so a lot of the "coaches" are trying to sell shakes and/or recruit you to be a "coach" so they can make money off your sales. There are no qualifications to be a coach -- they are just independent sales consultants.

I am now 100 pounds down from my highest weight. I lost about 70 pounds before surgery, and I've only lost about 30 pounds since surgery. I can hardly believe I've lost 100 pounds. I've seen other people who have lost 100 pounds and wondered how they did it because it seems impossible. I've gone on a lot of diets in my life and never lost anywhere close to that much. But even more amazing than the fact that I've lost so much weight is the fact that I have so much more to lose. A lot of people start their journey at my current weight or lower. If I lose half of my highest weight, I will still be obese. I started out the weight of two obese people. Now that I'm 100 pounds down, I'm the weight of two normal people.

I've never experienced nausea from calcium supplements, but if the soft chews aren't working for you, you could try BariMelts. They have a sample pack for $5.95 that includes calcium (among other things), so you can see if you like it before you buy a whole bottle. I took those for the first 6 weeks after surgery and they're not bad (though I now take BariatricPal French Vanilla Caramel soft chews and much prefer them). They are very large and you have to take 6 per day. They melt in your mouth, and you don't need water, but I prefer to drink water while they're in my mouth to make them dissolve faster.

Well, kudos to you both, but I can't imagine ever enjoying running. I mean, it would be nice! But I just don't see it ever happening. I didn't even like running when I was young and athletic. I really wanted to like it -- I even joined the track team in junior high because my best friend wanted to -- but I always hated it.

Well, that’s a bummer. I don’t think it’s good to go around feeling like you’re starving all the time. That’s what often causes us to yo-yo diet and gain weight in the first place. I know you don’t have a good dietitian, so she probably won’t be much help and you’ll have to find your own solution. Not that I’m qualified to give medical advice, but it seems to me that the solution is to find snacks that are low-calorie but fill you up, like veggies and lean protein. Maybe a small salad. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they can eat a lot of junk food (like chips) without feeling full but only a few bites of chicken, so I guess the trick is choosing those healthy foods that fill you up in a few bites.

I'm about two weeks ahead of you. I eat three meals per day, 2-4 ounces each. No snacks, but I often drink a protein shake or protein hot chocolate between meals. I'm not hungry at all and I don't have any of those side effects of hunger that I would have had before surgery if I went a single day under 500 calories. Sometimes I kind of want to eat between meals, not because I'm hungry but because I have my mind on something I want to eat. It's a little frustrating because I would enjoy half a yogurt or a couple ounces of cottage cheese much more than a protein shake, but I don't want to get in the habit of snacking. How many calories are you getting per day? 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) 3x/day is not much compared to most programs. I'm getting 400-500 calories per day and the nutritionist said I should be eating more (800-1000 calories/day, but that seems too high). How much do you exercise? If you are eating 300 calories per day and working out, I don't think that would be enough to reasonably sustain you.

I started with a BMI over 60, and nobody even brought up DS as an option for me. To be honest, I thought DS was an outdated surgery that's not really being done anymore because of all the risks. I didn't realize it's still popular for high-BMI patients. The surgeon who did my RNY doesn't do DS. He recommended RNY to me rather than sleeve because of my high BMI, since RNY patients statistically lose a bit more than sleeve patients. My understanding is that the sleeve is basically the first step in DS, and that's how the procedure was developed -- surgeons would do the DS in two separate surgeries for high-risk patients, and a lot of them didn't even need the second surgery because they lost enough weight with the sleeve alone. So, that is one option: get the sleeve first and have it revised to DS if necessary. You could also have a sleeve revised to RNY. I remember seeing a bariatric surgeon on YouTube say that he recommends the sleeve to all patients because you can always get it revised, but to me, that's crazy because I don't want to have more than one surgery!

I can understand why one might interpret that response as unhelpful (like, "Ugh, THIS question again, go away!"), but I'm almost positive the intent is to reassure people that this is a very normal part of the WLS experience, and it happens to almost all WLS patients before they go on to lose lots and lots of weight. The fact that it is so incredibly common is probably the best way to reassure people that they aren't doing anything wrong and their surgery hasn't failed. I've been hanging out here long enough that I knew to expect it, but if it hadn't been for this forum, I never would have known it was normal. My surgeon certainly didn't warn me to expect a stall within the first month.