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I felt AWFUL for about 6 weeks after surgery (SADI-s). I was fatigued, depressed, nauseated…I was regretting my decision too. When you feel so awful, it’s REALLY hard to understand that you won’t feel that way forever. You start thinking that this will be your new normal. It won’t be. It really won’t. Everyone heals differently and your recovery journey is your own. Also, healing is not linear. Some days are good. Some days are rough. That’s okay. Take things one day at a time. Do your best to hydrate and don’t even worry about exercise right now. Just heal.

I've been losing a ton of hair too. I expected it and did my best to mentally prepare, but dang this sucks! I'm very seriously considering shaving my head and bleaching it. I've always wanted a shaved head, so I feel like this is a good excuse. I'll look so punk rock, which is kinda funny because I'm really not... I must say, I work as a professor and clinical supervisor at a graduate school for East Asian medicine, and I'm concerned that my boss may say something about my shaved head. I dunno...we'll see. I'm about to order some clippers so I can just do it myself!

I am so sorry you're going through this. I really hope the hospital has consulted with your surgeon and they are working together to find a solution for you. Do you have anyone there who can be an advocate for you? Not only are you likely dealing with discrimination due to your body size, but also medical racism. I really hope your healthcare team is listening to you and doing everything they can.

I'm going to echo what others have said. Any major surgery can cause hormone disruption and make your cycle off for a while. This sounds like some breakthrough bleeding. As long as it's not accompanied with pain or a foul odor, I'm sure you're just fine. I have PCOS so my menstrual cycle was majorly screwed up before surgery. After surgery, I've had some crazy periods, but also a super normal and healthy one. This was one of the major reasons I decided on the surgery in the first place. The SADI-s (modified DS) will help resolve my PCOS. If it persists, it would still be a good idea to see your PCP or OBGYN!

I had low level nausea for 1 1/2 months post surgery with AWFUL stomach gas that my surgeon said was acid reflux but I don't think so. Definitely talk to your surgeon and the dietician that they work with. The meds my surgeon prescribed didn't help at all, but the food intake plan that my dietician came up with did. Also, I encourage you to listen to your body. Don't rush into eating food if it doesn't make you feel good. I really should have stayed on a liquid diet for a full month after surgery....I think I would have felt so much better if I had.

Hello! I got the SADI-s on February 5th of this year, so I'm 7 weeks post op. Let me tell ya, my recovery has been kinda rough. I've had a lot of problems with indigestion/stomach gas that is really uncomfortable. I could hardly eat anything for a month, and I'm really just now able to eat some regular-ish foods. The dietician at my surgeon's office keeps reminding me that everyone's recovery is different and that this could be a 4-6 month process of my body adjusting. The surgeon said I had acid reflux, and put me on high doses of PPIs, which didn't improve my issues at all. I'm a healthcare professional myself, and I know damn well that acid reflux can be caused by LOW acid production as well, so I took myself off the PPIs. Once I did that, my acid reflux improved significantly. I'd also like to note that what my surgeon was saying was acid reflux didn't feel like the typical esophageal burning or "heart burn"...it's more like a rumbling gas in my stomach with a feeling of having to burp without being able to burp. Just stuck, rumbling gas in my stomach that's soooo uncomfortable. I also had constant low level nausea for the first month, but that has mostly resolved. My taste buds changed quite a bit and I couldn't tolerate sweet AT ALL...especially fruity fake sweet, so I had a hard time drinking gatorade when I was feeling dehydrated or the protein shakes I had purchased. I also had a constant bitter taste in my mouth. All of this is resolving though and isn't nearly as severe as it was that first month. There are good days and bad days, but overall I am definitely improving. My energy is much better (I was horribly fatigued for the first month and had to take daily naps, which I never did before) and different foods are sitting better in my stomach. I still get pretty bad indigestion sometimes. Like right this second, my stomach is gurgling around and it's SO LOUD and uncomfortable. Luckily, I've found some great digestive bitters that help a lot. That first month, I was a mess and regretting my surgery decision. I was miserable. Now, I have more hope and I'm realizing that my body is just healing, and that takes some time. Also, healing is not linear, and that's okay. With all of that being said, I lost 8lbs during my 2 week pre-op diet and have lost 52lbs since my surgery date. I only weigh myself every 2 weeks and it looks like I had a significant stall and only lost 3lbs between 2 of my weigh ins. I wasn't surprised at all about that because I hadn't felt like I had lost weight during those 2 weeks and everyone had warned me about the 3-6 week stall. No biggie. My next weigh day is in a week. I'm noticing improvements in my mobility and the way I'm able to move my body now, which was my motivation for getting the surgery in the first place. That's incredibly encouraging and makes me feel positive about the surgery and my future. I hope all of that helped! You said you wanted the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Hi! I know I haven't attended in a while, but is this still happening? Just tried to join and nothing is happening!

Ummmmm....maybe get a COVID test?

I appreciate the advice, but essential oils are extremely potent and are very dangerous to take internally. As an acupuncturist, I have many patients who are themselves involved with the essential oil MLMs of doTerra or Young Living. So often they are given this dangerous advice and I always become very firm in telling them NOT to do that. There is not enough research and safety testing around the internal use of essential oils. I do appreciate that you're trying to help, but this is really dangerous advice to be giving people.

I had the SADI-s a week ago today and the gas is still awful. It's not constant, but it starts whenever I try to eat soup (I'm still on a liquid diet for another week). It's so uncomfortable and I'm so scared that this is going to be my new normal. Did anyone still have such severe stomach gas a week past surgery? 2 weeks? Did it go away? When it happens, all I can do is walk around, cry, and get in the shower (the hot water on my back seems to help). I'm so frustrated.

I just had the SADI-s (single anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy) done a week ago. This is the revised version of the traditional DS. I did so much research and chose this over the RNY (my surgeon didn't even suggest this for me) and the VSG. I am starting at a very high weight (420 at my pre-op appointmnent with the surgeon and 412 at day of surgery which was 2 weeks later). In addition to my high weight and BMI (I hate using BMI because it's not a good indicator of healthy weight AT ALL) I have PCOS, sleep apnea, and hypertension. Knowing that this procedure will basically reverse all of my comorbidities AND help me lose a higher percentage of excess weight AND keep it off is why I chose the SADI-s. I could have just chosen the VSG first and see how I did with that surgery, but I don't see the point in that. There's a higher chance I could just regain the weight I lost and need the revision surgery anyways. I'd much rather just get the surgery that I know will provide me better results the first go round. I'm hoping to see some serious transformation in the next 18 months. I'm really looking forward to getting more mobility back and having more energy. It's the little things I'm excited for....being able to take a bath because I fit comfortably in the tub and can get out easily...taking my dogs for longer walks...being able to bend down and tie my shoes easily...going to a concert and being able to stand and dance for hours without pain or needing to sit down...not having to deal with the anxiety of flying and needing an extra seat....not using a seatbelt extender...sitting in booths at restaurants...having more clothing options... Long story short...do the research, listen to your surgeon's advice, and make the best decision for yourself when considering the long term.

Hi everyone! My surgery went well, but post-surgical care the first day was rough. The nursing staff didn't do anything I was told they would do, and I think that contributed to way more pain and discomfort than I should have had. Once I advocated for myself, things improved. As of now, I just feel super wiped out and weak...I'm trying to focus on hydration, getting up and walking around the house, and doing my breathing exercises.

Soooo I've been thinking A LOT lately about a few things....particularly when hearing about people's experiences with some issues post-surgery. Things like acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, SHARTS, dumping syndrome, feelings of being cold, and scars after skin removal.... I'm an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and these are all things that can be treated super effectively using this medical paradigm. I'm kinda considering reaching out to people who have had bariatric surgery in my area to see if acupuncture and herbs could possibly help with these side effects.... All of these issues arise due to the structural change and trauma to our organs, so there's a possibility that acupuncture and herbs won't help at all, but I'm so curious to see if it would! In my clinical and professional opinion, I really think there's a strong possibility it will! Even if acupuncture isn't effective for treating these things in WLS patients, it will DEFINITELY still help with softening scars from skin removal. That is just fact. For those of you that utilize Chinese medicine in your lives...have you heard of any practitioners offering these kinds of services? Have you ever sought out acupuncture or herbs to help treat any post-operative side effects? If so, would you mind sharing your experiences? So this WLS journey of mine is kinda opening up a whole world of what I can specialize in and help people, which is awesome and inspiring and could shape up to be my capstone for my doctorate!

Is anyone planning on attending this today?

The weird thing is that I had only seen bits and pieces of My 600 Lb Life until recently. I've always thought it was abhorrent the way they exploited people struggling with mental health and weight...just disgusting. Lemme tell you it was a bit awkward when I found out Dr. Now was a friend's dad... But just in the past week since I've been on my pre-op diet (my SADI-s surgery is in less than a week now) I've been watching it...still think it's awful, but watching it all the same. I think I'm watching it because it gives me a glimpse into the process of WLS and puts my mind at ease that so many people have had successful surgeries. I'm incredibly nervous about the actual procedure, and this is helping with that anxiety some... I don't watch Dr. Pimple Popper because she gets on my nerves for some reason. I have no idea why...she's perfectly lovely. I used to watch her on Youtube a looooong time ago before the TLC show because I'm a pimple popper through and through. LOL (I may have revealed too much about myself with that one....)

I cannot stand this show and I hate it and it's exploitative and just awful.... but I've been watching it non stop the past week while I've been preparing for my SADI-s surgery on February 5th (exactly a week!). But really, this show is awful. The funniest part? Dr. Now is my friend's dad.

I'm wondering the same. I'm at 420 lbs and one week re-op. Next Friday at this time I'll (hopefully) be recovering from a successful SADI-s procedure. I have to admit, that in all of the groups I've joined, hardly anyone has started off as large as I am. Finding success stories for people my size has been discouraging....most people started off much lighter than me. It would be so encouraging to hear more stories of people who started off with their surgery weight in the 400's. Personally, I don't expect to get as low as 140-160 lbs. I'll be happy with 200 lbs, honestly! Anyhooo...just want to ask what the OP asked...some stories from super fats who have taken this journey.

I love tofu and eat it often. When cooking it there are a few different secrets to making it extra delicious.... 1. You can freeze it and then thaw it (some people suggest even doing this twice)...this changes the texture a bit and makes it more dense. 2. I bought a tofu press and leave it over night to get the excess water out so that it fries up nicer. This is what I do most often...less hassle. 3. I LOVE pan frying it with garlic, salt, chili powder, and nutritional yeast. OMG it's so good! I add some sautéed mushrooms and spinach and yummmmmmm. Whatever you do, it's important to squeeze some water out of it before cooking it. If you don't want to spend money on a fancy tofu press (like I did because I'm addicted to kitchen gadgets) then just put it between two plates and put heavy things on top of it for the day. It's important to flavor it with seasoning or make some kind of yummy sauce. There are plenty of great recipes out there for some healthy sauces! Mix it with some stir fried veggies and yum!

Naturally, I'm really concerned about hair loss as well. I lost a lot previously due to PCOS, but over the last year and a half it has grown back and thickened up a ton...still a little thin on my temples but it's barely noticeable. I'm seriously considering shaving my head if I lose a ton of hair. I've always wanted to anyways and I think this would be a good excuse. Does anyone have any other suggestions for hair styles to mask bald spots or thinning areas? I'll probably still shave it...and bleach it. You only live once, right?

When I'm down 200 lbs, I'm gonna go to Thailand to get all the excess skin removed. OH BUT THEN... I'm taking a month long trip to Scotland, Ireland, and England to explore my ancestral roots... also to find myself a super kind, intelligent, kilt wearing, whiskey drinking, log throwing, red beard (with streaks of gray) having, social justice oriented, two full sleeve tattoo having HUSBAND that laughs from the depths of his belly. It's happening, people. It's. Happening.