Mother of boys

Provisionally booked for July 4th - saw my surgeon today and that’s the date we agreed upon now to wait and see if the approval comes through.

I’m scheduled for July 8th. Nervous and excited! So glad to have found a group of people who will be going through the same thing. Good luck to everyone! 😃

Provisionally booked for July 4th - saw my surgeon today and that’s the date we agreed upon now to wait and see if the approval comes through.

Oooh so exciting! I don't know my details yet. I still have to go see the dietician in a few weeks and I have to do 3 weeks pre op diet [emoji51]

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Welcome to Team July!!

Im getting my revision on July 8th at 9:00 AM.

I just got my surgery date for July 12th at 10AM. I'm so freaking excited!

Hi everyone!
My surgery is scheduled for July 22nd. 🎉
Is there anyone else that has their surgery booked in for July already?

Hi everyone - just wanted to see if this was common or not. My two week pre-op diet is not liquids. It’s a diet focused on low calories and high Protein, but I get to eat actual food until Day 14. Is this common? I see so many people on here struggling with a liquid diet pre-op and I’m kinda confused why some have it and others don’t. Thanks for any insight!

Hi All,
I have been on a weight loss journey for a while and finally decided that I want to go the bariatric surgery route. Right now I’m thinking more about the vertical sleeve as the pros and cons are better than the gastric bypass.
I’ve been told by my Doctor he doesn’t do the gastric banding as the cons far outweigh anything else and it has a bigger chance of failing or just not working properly. He will do it if I push for it but has said the number around the world is very small due to the complications
I have been told to consider the Bypass or the sleeve. For those that have done either one do you regret not doing the other?
I have had all my tests done - cardiologist, gastrointestinal, ultrasounds, dietitian and psychologist with another appointment with my surgeon and the psychologist and dietitian in 10days again before the paperwork gets sent to my insurance company for approval. I want to go into the surgeon with an open mind but a decision on which surgery I want to do. I’m planning on doing the surgery in July when school is out (I’ve just got a temporary job for 2months)
Those that have done surgery is there anything you recommend I should do before surgery? Is there anything you wished you had done before surgery?
is recovery really difficult?
I’ve not told 99% of my friends or family, my husband and a close friend then a friend I know that has been through bariatric surgery. I just feel that some people can be judgemental or just mean so I’m choosing to say nothing.
thank you all for your help and support
K

This... I'm so excited so I am telling people who don't need to know! I'm not ashamed; I feel like I'm doing something to take care of my health. But I see people here who've had very unsupportive family, friends, and partners, so I can certainly understand why people wouldn't feel the same way as I do. I'm single, I don't have kids, and my parents are really supportive - they're even coming up to stay with me for a few weeks during and after surgery (they will be staying at a hotel because my apartment is too small for three people, so it's not simple to do that). My brother was really concerned but it seemed to be about COVID and now that I'm vaccinated, I think he's probably okay (although when he had spinal surgery in college I was terrified, so maybe we're just really protective of each other).

Although I've never had cancer so I don't know for sure how I would react or who I would tell, I don't think I'd be very open about it except to family and close friends. I would not want to deal with people's reactions or the awkwardness that comes with it.

I was excited about my surgery so I told literally everyone lol.
My sister's grandmother (we have different dads) passed away due to the emergency people not knowing she'd had gastric bypass and when she was intubated they went through her stomach and she was on blood thinners, so she died. Because of this I ALWAYS wear either a medical alert necklace or medical alert Bracelet when I leave the house. I don't wear one at home because everyone I live with knows about my surgery so if something happens they'd be able to tell those who need to know. I, personally, think people have the right to keep quiet about their surgery, but believe they should always have a medical alert necklace or bracelet so that if something happens then at least the medical emergency people would know. I'm paranoid like that because of what happened to my sister's grandma.

if you feel strongly about it, then by all means be open about it. Not all of us feel that way. I'm not open about my medical issues in general, not just the stigma-laden ones like bariatric surgery or plastic surgery. It's no one's business but mine.

People are free to share their medical information - or not. If people want to share they've had surgery - fine. If they don't - fine. I don't run around telling everyone I've had extensive plastic surgery, either. I'm having a face lift this summer - another surgery I haven't notified the world of - just my immediate family and a couple of close friends.

to tell or not to tell is a person's choice. I've been on both sides of the fence and for me not telling is 100% better.

Part of the reason that I tell everyone that I am having surgery is to lessen the stigma, but it's mostly because I'm an open book. However, not everyone has supportive people in their lives and they should not have to take the abuse that may be hurled their way just so the stigma may be lessened. It's just too hard on a journey that is already hard.
I think it's great for those of us who feel we can be open about it, but it's not always easy, and we should be aware that it's not always going to be an option for everyone for a variety of reasons. And honestly, are you really going to run up to random people on the street and tell them? Every time you meet someone who met you when you were heavier you'll have to make a decision as to what to tell them. I the people I chat with who work in the airport club that I was planning to have surgery - after one of the women said I looked like I had lost weight, and I said I was preparing for surgery, and another one started asking questions. It was a nice conversation, but it was a little unnecessary.

Strong first post.
Live and let live I say, though I am one of the people who chose to 'lie' because it's my business and no one elses.
Tell me why you think not being honest hurts others who need surgery?

I had my bypass on 3/3/21. I went into my consult asking for the sleeve but based on my doctor's recommendation and my own research, I went with bypass. It's a misconception that the bypass is more invasive. From the patient side, the recovery is the same as both surgeries are done laparoscopically. It is a more complex surgery for the doctor and it takes about an hour longer, but other than that there's not much difference on the patient side. My doc said that the sleeve is a good surgery, but if it were a race, the bypass would win every time. I was also diabetic, and there's a higher chance of being cured of diabetes with the bypass than the sleeve. My endocrinologist said they're not really sure HOW it works, but it does! My endo told me to stop taking my diabetes medicine once I had surgery because many people never need it again. I go to him next week so I hope that's how it works for me! In the months leading up to my decision, I read a lot of posts about people switching from sleeve to bypass because of GERD. I would get it occasionally before surgery and didn't want to take the chance of it happening afterward. My insurance also told me that it was a one-time coverage so I wanted to make the best choice for myself.
As for prep work before surgery, I agree with @lizonaplane I spent the time having extra appointments with the nutritionist, working with my therapist, and generally lurking around here soaking up knowledge for other folks' experiences so that when these things - like stalls, Hair loss, loose skin - have occurred, I'm mentally ready for them. I also changed a lot of my eating habits. I really think those changes have made my post-op months so much easier.

Don't do the band. A lot of people have had problems with them, and most surgeons won't place them anymore. Either sleeve or bypass are good options. If you have GERD, they'll usually recommend that you go with bypass. If not, it comes down to personal preference.
I had bypass and have been extremely happy with it. I'd make the same decision if I had to choose today (had mine six years ago).
P.S. My recovery was super easy. It seems to be for most of us (not all - but most)

I haven't had surgery yet, but I will say that because sleeve can cause or worsen GERD, you may want to consider bypass if you already have bad GERD. Also, there is some evidence that bypass is better at reversing diabetes, but maybe not for more than a few years. Sleeve has slightly lower risk of complications, but both have very low rates of complications. Bypass is more likely to lead to "dumping" where foods high in carbs or fat can cause diarrhea and lots of bad physical sensations right after eating or within a few hours. If you have an extremely high BMI, bypass is more likely to help you to lose more weight, but here we're talking people who weigh like 500lbs.
Before having surgery, it's a good idea to "walk the walk". By that I mean, eating more in the style of how you'll have to eat after surgery: stop drinking carbonated beverages, practice eating SLOWLY (I have not managed this yet), focus on Protein and lower sugar/carbs.
I think a good thing to do might be to watch some YouTube videos by Dr Matthew Weiner. He explains things well. Some of the videos are older, but they're still very good.
Good luck!

I had the sleeve done on 4/27/21 so I’m fairly new with it honestly it’s the best decision I have made so far in my weight loss journey I have struggled with my weight for years now an I am finally seeing progress an feeling a lot better an happier overall. I walk a lot as well so I would recommend getting some steps in to get familiar with being more active an focus on drinking Water an being mindful of what you eat good luck on your journey I’m sure your going to do amazing 😊

you're having this surgery for yourself, not for others, so why feel guilty? Plus it's a medical/health issue and therefore as private as you want to make it. You wouldn't feel obligated to tell people all the details of your latest colonoscopy, so why feel that way about weight loss surgery?
I told my immediate family and some of my close friends. My boss also knew. I didn't tell anyone else. I didn't need negativity in my life. I still told very few people after the fact. When people asked me how i lost weight, I'd tell them I was working with a dietitian and living at the gym. Which was basically true - I just left out one detail - that I'd had surgery. Never-been-fat people tend to believe that. I was more open with other obese people, because of course they'd know that was a bunch of schlock.
I'm more open about it now that I'm normal-sized and a few years out - although then again, it rarely ever comes up at this point. Almost everyone has already seen me at a normal weight (so the shock is long gone), or else they never knew me when I was obese.
the decision to tell or not tell is totally up to you. If you're not comfortable telling, then don't. You don't owe anyone any explanation.

Hi all! I am new to this board as a member although I have been reading for a few weeks. My VSG is scheduled for May 10th and I am excited, anxious, nervous, scared, excited, excited and excited!
I am going this alone. The only person I have told is my mother and that is because she is my emergency contact. I am not telling other family members, friends or coworkers. I will NEVER tell other family members (oh, the judgment) but I'll probably tell friends after the fact. I know my friends will be there at my side pre-op if I needed them to be but I just need to do this alone. Not sure why but I can't deal with having an audience or unsolicited advice.
Did anyone else decide not to tell anyone, except for a select few, before the procedure? Did you still keep it to yourself afterwards when the weight loss started to be noticeable?
A part of me feels guilty for not sharing beforehand but I know not sharing is what is best for me.