lizonaplane

How are you feeling now?

Yes, this is exactly why I was prescribed it. I was at a healthy weight until I was prescribed meds for bipolar disorder at age 14 and gained 100 lbs in 2 years, and my weight just went up from there. I've been able to lose 50, 80, 100 lbs at various points but I always gain it back. I am having surgery, but I have to wait for my psychopharmacologist to speak to the surgery center's psychologist to confirm my bipolar disorder is stable, and they have not connected - this "trying to connect" started in MARCH!!! After that, I can schedule my surgery. I will probably have to go back on the metformin as I will still be on the bipolar meds.

I love these ideas people are giving you! You could also do a craft together, like making bracelets, or diamond painting, or painting wooden boxes or pottery that you buy at Michael's. You could also do charades too. Or origami. Or pick a different craft each time. There's a service called Kiwi Crate I believe that ships STEM or STEAM related boxes to kids at different age levels, that might work, but I'm not sure how much you would need to be in person to assist her. I hope you guys come up with some really fun things to do!

I just watched a video from a surgery center's new patient information and they said most patients keep off at least 50% of what they lose. So yes, there is definitely a concern of regain, but most people don't regain ALL of what they lost.

No matter how small your pouch/sleeve/stomach is, it stretches when there is food in it and contracts when there is no food in it. Also, liquids go right through it. Also, restriction is strongest in the first year. It's up to you to limit what you eat to ensure you do not regain weight. For example, it's possible to gain weight if you are "grazing" all day. Like, your smaller stomach will only accommodate a small amount of food in 30 minutes, but it will start to pass through, and if you are eating all day long, you will end up eating more calories over the course of the day than your body needs and you will gain weight. That's why it's best to have 3 small meals along with 2-3 small snacks. Also, drinking liquids with your meals may "push" the food through and allow you to eat more that you need, that's why they recommend you wait 30 minutes after eating to drink. I would recommend finding a bariatric nutritionist in your new state, or ask your old surgeon to recommend someone you can see to find an appropriate eating plan/number of calories per day.

I will agree with @billho but I know that I was told not to lift anything greater than 10 lbs for 4 weeks, so I have told my boss I won't be able to travel for work for 4 weeks (since I won't be able to lift my suitcase). Otherwise, I work from home and can usually take breaks when I need to but I'm still taking two weeks off because I can and I'm worried about making mistakes if I'm too tired. If I were starting a new job, I'd take more time off because I'd want to be at peak performance to make a good impression, but that's just me.

People at your weight don't lose a ton of weight per month - it's only people the size of those on my 600 lb life who are losing a ton of weight each month. Also, you lost a fair bit before surgery, and that can mean you lose a bit more slowly after surgery. Additionally, given your other medical issues limiting exercise, give yourself some grace AND patience! Weight loss is mostly from food intake, but it can be a bit slower without exercise. You've accomplished a lot already! Just follow your plan the best you can and take care of yourself physically and emotionally. You got this!

I have bipolar disorder and the surgeon has said I should have no problem with any of my medications after sleeve. He said it would be harder to absorb the medication if I had bypass, but the second opinion I got thought I'd be fine with either operation. The only other thing is that sometimes extended release medications don't work as well with bypass, but I don't know about sleeve.

Could you possibly be having reflux? Sometimes acid feels like hunger. But other than that, I hope you can get an appointment with your doctor soon. In the meantime, try different, soft foods, small bites, chewing really well, eating slowly, like everyone here has already said. I hope you feel better soon!

What you will have to do will vary based on surgery center, insurance, and starting BMI, as well as any co-morbidities. I started in January with a BMI of almost 50 and no co-morbidities, so I have been trying to lose weight, although now that I have had to wait so long (insurance required 4 months of monthly nutrition classes, and now there are delays due to staffing issues and backlogs due to COVID), I've lost 42 Lbs and my BMI is getting to the point where I'll have to stop losing weight. However, I don't have to have EGD or EKG or sleep study. I did have to meet with the psychologist and nutritionist a few times and have their sign-off.

I think this depends on your insurance. Some start the clock at your first weigh in, some at your last nutrition class or your pre-op visit. You should talk to whomever manages the insurance stuff at your surgery center - at the place I go, it's the scheduler.

I'm not sure what you mean by "prep", but I met with the surgeon the first time in February, did the psych consult, nutritionist visit, four months of classes required by insurance, have had the pre-surgery visit with the surgeon, nutritionist, and psychologist (In addition to the initial visits) and have been waiting to get scheduled since early June. So, I called the surgery center at the end of January, it's now mid-July, and I don't have a surgery date yet. There were delays due to COVID, and the surgery center is short staffed. I have heard that the length of time it can take has huge variability.

BetterHelp is not covered by insurance, but it's generally cheaper than paying for weekly therapy without insurance. I also suggest joining the My Level 10 Life Facebook group if you're on Facebook. It's $10 a month but the group is super supportive and they have 1-2 weekly zoom calls that are wonderfully supportive. They have been wonderful as I've struggled to wait for surgery. I also joined a free facebook support group and it was terrible. ML10L is so good, and I'm not really a support group person. I don't think that having the person who did your eval do therapy is a conflict of interest at all - the eval is over and done with, and now he's just a competent therapist with the right expertise! It's not like he still has to evaluate you - you can't go back and undo the surgery! Some people really like homework, and I don't think it's busy work; I just don't find it helpful.

You've lost so much weight!!! That's something to be super proud of, definitely take a minute to pat yourself on the back and celebrate your accomplishment. I'm sorry you're going through this. 115 is a really low goal. Most bariatric patients don't get to such a low BMI. Maybe work on losing the 30 lbs you need to for skin surgery and set your final goal a little higher so you don't feel so disheartened? As for losing more weight right now, don't do anything drastic; just focus on the basics, like eating good food; veggies and lean protein. Try using an app like MyFitnessPal or Baritastic to track your calories. Don't beat yourself up for gaining weight during the pandemic - it happened to a LOT of people!! Wishing you the best!

I travel a lot for work and also for pleasure. I was told no lifting a suitcase for 4 weeks, so I've told my boss I can't travel for four weeks. I haven't had surgery yet, so I can't tell you if four weeks will be enough time. Do you have to take a "heavy" suitcase? Can you pack light? I always do carry on for work.

Would you be okay if you took tums (or the Australian equivalent)? Could you figure out if there's something in your diet that is causing the heartburn? Certain foods like tomato, chocolate, fat, mint, etc can cause heartburn, so maybe avoiding those or sleeping with your head elevated would be enough to enable you to stop the nexium. Also, try not to eat within four hours of when you go to sleep.

I had a therapist for 15 years who was great, but knew nothing about weight loss. He would always suggest I saw someone else about that, and it really frustrated me, because I was really attached to him (he's mostly retired, but I still call him sometimes). I tried to see someone else, but she was really into OA, and that's just not my jam. I'm not a religious or spiritual person and I don't believe in a "higher power". I saw a therapist for binge eating for a while but insurance decided binge eating isn't covered. I tried Better Help, but the person didn't have any weight loss related experience either. I think it's really hard. I'm sorry you had such a crap experience with that one therapist who thought it was fun to make a fat joke and didn't think regain is a thing. I asked the therapist from the surgery center and she said she could find someone to see me if I needed it after surgery. Did you try your surgery center? I hope you find someone. I don't personally like homework from therapy; I just like the supportive place to work out how I feel about things and test what I'm thinking.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Did you discuss your issues with the surgery center where you had your sleeve done?

I would suggest asking your dietician if he/she suggests that much and if so, what multi-vitamin they recommend or if you should take a separate dose of Vitamin A in addition to your multivitamin

If it's just two weeks that you haven't lost weight you could be in a completely normal stall. That happens all the time in weight loss. Stalls last 1-3 weeks regardless of how "perfect" you are on your program. And... you did lose a pound in the last two weeks, so you're not even technically "stalled". The only thing I would say is if you still don't loose in a few weeks, maybe increase your clear liquids and find something with more protein for breakfast instead of oatmeal. Good luck!

Congrats! Worth the wait I'm sure!

I may not have had surgery yet, but I have listened to what my surgeon and other surgeons have said. Fluid goes right through the stomach. It doesn't stay in the stomach. But I agree with @RickM ask your GI guy to talk to your bariatric surgeon and come up with a better plan.

I was planning to go to Hawaii a few months after surgery (I don't have a surgery date yet) and people told me it would be fine. At this point, it's taken so long that I'm now going to Barcelona in two weeks and probably won't make it to Hawaii. I've been to Italy twice, and I would just order meat or seafood or bean dishes rather than pasta. I don't really like pasta, so I know that's possible. In Italy, traditionally, pasta is served as one course, or as a side dish, but with all the tourists, that's really changed a lot. Three months out you could easily just order an antipasta (starter) and be fine. Or, you could stay in an apartment (my family did this) and buy from the supermarket/cook. It's like living as a local.

The liquid doesn't stay in your stomach; it passes right through, so that's not really the issue. I haven't had surgery yet, but I have had two colonoscopies. I will tell you the worst part is the taste of the stuff and it makes things come out both ends. You will not want to drink it, but it's got to be done - I work in cancer research and colon cancer is not something to mess with! I would take as big "gulps" as your new stomach allows, and try to drink as early in the day as you can and then just keep drinking. Hopefully it will be not as terrible as you think and you will have a clear result! Good luck!

I hope you are able to get the surgery and succeed! Good luck!