SleeveToBypass2023

I was told never again, and I've stuck to it. I was someone who could drink an entire 2 liter of soda per day. Then I switched to diet and thought that was better. Nope. Now I just stay away from all of it. No carbonation in any form, no soda, nothing. Just sugar free juice, sugar free flavored water, gatorade zero, Propel.

You should smile more in your pics!!! You look amazing. Congrats!!!

I remember doing my first surgery, it was for 2 weeks. For my revision 5-7 days. Obviously, I chose 5 days lol I'm not sure why revisions seem to need less of a pre-op diet. But I remember seeing other people only need 48 or 72 hours of fasting before the surgery. I think it just depends on the surgeon and surgery.

I had a revision from sleeve to bypass (hence my name on here lol) because I developed such severe gerd that I was taking the highest possible dose of PPI in the morning and at night. I developed gastritis, esophagitis, and so many polyps because of the high doses of PPI over an extended time that I needed 4 endoscopies to remove them. The surgery to the bypass was so much easier in terms of recovery. Like night and day. I wish I had just done the bypass to begin with. I was losing weight really well with the sleeve, but I ended up not being able to work out anymore, couldn't eat well at all (or normally), had to be so so careful what I drank, couldn't sleep, it was all just a big mess. I don't, for one minute, regret my revision. Not one negative thing about it at all. I would absolutely do it again. Had I decided not to do it, my quality of life would be in the toilet (already was, really). High levels of PPI over a long period of time can really cause problems, so if that's what you need in order to not have the gerd affect your daily life, that will likely backfire on you at some point. Personally, I say seriously consider the revision.

The pre-op diet is specifically designed to be very short term and to drop a good amount of weight to make the surgery safer. There's no way it can, or should, be sustained long term. If you're having the surgery because you haven't been able to lose, or keep off, weight successfully in the past, then that isn't likely to change just because the pre-op diet was temporarily successful. But if you're having doubts, more than just normal pre-surgery jitters, than definitely rethink the surgery. It's life changing. And A LOT of changes will have to be made in order for it to be successful. If you don't think that's something you're ready for, don't do it.

I don't listen to the talking or weird music lol Literally just the rain and thunderstorms. That always puts me to sleep. I keep my room cold, snuggle under the blanket, put in my earbuds with a thunderstorm on, and it really helps.

Mine was also horrible. It was like a clotty Niagara falls. I was crampy, miserable, and bleeding through the super plus tampons. Gotta say...super glad I had a total hysterectomy recently lol

I like to listen to rain sounds. I like the Calm app. Often when I put on the sounds of thunderstorms or just heavy rain, it knocks me out. I love it.

Yeah...not sure why you're having dry mouth like that. Maybe see what your surgeon or even your primary doctor has to say about it. Biotene is good for that. Beyond that...no idea.

I use melatonin 5mg during the week and I add ashwagandha on the weekend and anytime during the week where I don't feel I'm getting a good quality sleep. I try not to use them EVERY single day, but some weeks I have to and other weeks I don't have to at all. Just depends what's going on during the day.

I would definitely switch up the tomato soup. That can cause havoc on your stomach. 29 pounds in 2 weeks is awesome. That's about where I was. If you look at my signature, you can see I was someone that responded EXTREMELY well to the surgery. But even with that, I had to learn to manage my expectations. Stalls happen. They're real, they suck, they will continue. It's important not to obsess over the number on the scale and pay attention to NSVs (Non Scale Victories). How are your clothes and rings fitting? How is your mobility? Are you able to get off any meds? Can you fit in booths and chairs with arms better? How do you look? When stalls happen, stay off the scale for a while and pay attention to NSVs. In the beginning, you lose the most weight because of water weight, inflammation, and your body's general "OMG wtf just happened??!?!" response to the surgery. The rate of the loss WILL slow down. It's inevitable. That doesn't mean it won't be a success. It just means that you have to change your expectations and relearn the process for what it is, not what you saw on tv or read online that it would be. The higher your bmi and starting weight, the faster you initially lose weight. As your bmi and weight get lower, the weight loss slows down. That doesn't mean it'll stop, it just gets slower. Be very mindful of what you eat, how much, how often. Pay attention to actual hunger vs head hunger. Avoid slider foods. This is the stage where you work on your mindset and relationship with food. No cheating. No alcohol. No junk food. Stick to your diet religiously. Listen to your body.

Man oh MAN did I miss it!!! My body is really tired (not used to the physical activity for 8 hours a day) but it felt great being back. I missed my team and my patients!!! Not sure if I shared it, but I'm a certified clinical medical assistant. Next surgeries won't be for a couple of years, and those are just plastics. So glad to FINALLY be done with all that!!!

Thank you That means a lot.

I had a lot of complications with the sleeve and the decision was made for me. My surgeon told me in no uncertain terms that I HAD to have the revision. It wasn't because I wasn't losing weight.

Thank you so much!!! I'm tired but happy. I feel better than I have in a long time, I have more energy throughout the day while I'm working, and my patients have been giving me the biggest welcome back (they seem to really have missed me). So THIS is what it's like to get to just live your life....who knew?? lol

Congratulations!!! That's awesome You're almost there!!!

YAY!!! Congratulations. I know it's been a long journey to get here, but now that you are....woohoo!!!!!!!

Any updates?

You just want boobs?? HOW did you get lucky enough to not need anything else? I'm seriously jealous. I need everything *sigh* I have SO MUCH loose skin everywhere, no butt, no boobs. It's terrible. I was told I'm looking at $60k-$75k for everything I need/want done. Inner and outer thighs, butt lift, tummy tuck, arms, neck lift, boobs, lipo w/ contouring. And I might need a lower face lift because I have such loose skin on my cheeks and lower face that my smile lines are HORRIBLE and the skin is just NOT IT. UGH.....

I don't know how to feel about this. Not because she's taking weight loss medications, but because she's taking these 2 together. I've done about 4 hours of research and 95% of what I read says NOT to take these 2 meds together. The other 5% is from people who take them together and have had excellent results. She gets the phentermine from her doctor and the Tirzepatide from a compounding pharmacy (they mix it with sterile saline and not B12 or niacinamide). I don't think she's told either provider that she's taking them together, and I can't help feeling like there's a reason she's hiding it. I'm on here partly to vent because I've shown her the research and expressed my concerns and she isn't listening, but also because I'm wondering if anyone here has combined phentermine with either tirzepatide, Zepbound, or Monjauro, and if so, how did it go?

Plastics usually comes after you've maintained your weight for at least a year. You had your surgery almost 5 months ago. Did you tell them that and are they ok with it?

Happy Monday!!! Just walked 4 miles total to our local lake and back and then work on my arms with light weights and resistance bands. I have my 6 week post op appt for my hysterectomy today and then I finally get to go back to work tomorrow!!! So excited. I've been bored out of my mind being home the last 6 weeks lol I can speak to the blood pressure getting a lot lower the more weight we lose. I use to be on blood pressure meds that kind of controlled it, and now my average bp is 105/60 lol So crazy.

Does anyone else go to buy clothes and still want to buy your starting weight size? It’s hard for me to comprehend I have to buy smaller sizes now. I went from a size 5x/30 to a size XL/14, and I still look at the plus size section. My husband is forever saying "honey, you're not in those sizes anymore" and guides me back over to the regular section. Anyone else have this issue? And if so, when does it get better?

I can suggest biotin, and maybe try Nutrafol, but honestly, the best thing is PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN. Your hair needs it to grow but can't produce it. Also, try doing what I did. I know for some people this is an emotional thing, but honestly, get your hair cut. My hair was long, brittle, split ends galore, dry. It was down to by breasts. I got it cut to where it just touches the tops of my shoulders and not only did my natural waves come back, but my hair looks fuller, healthier, and no more split ends. Here's a before and after, for reference:

Ok, so a couple of things. First, let's look at things a little differently when it comes to that pound you lost. You LOST A POUND!!! Which means you DIDN'T GAIN A POUND!!!! WooHoo!!!! Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that ANY loss is still a success. Some weeks will be better than others. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, you know where you went wrong with the foods you ate, you know you retain water when you have too much salt, so now you know what to avoid. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by trial and error. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new foods. Just read the labels carefully and make adjustments accordingly to how much of that food you eat and what you eat the rest of the day to compensate for it. Finally, if I were to make a suggestion, I might say to lower your carbs a bit. That seems like a pretty high amount, and unless you're carb loading for intense workouts, I don't think you need to be over 100 carbs per day. PERSONALLY for me, I never go over 50, and that's on weight training days. But again, that's me. It just works out the best for my body. But I, too, had to experiment until I found the sweet spot for my body in regards to calories, carbs, healthy fats, protein. All in all, give yourself some grace, take note of what your body did and didn't do this week, and make changes as needed. You're still doing great, and you'll get to where you want to be. Don't worry about that.