SleeveToBypass2023

With my sleeve, I had major pain for almost 2 weeks. With my revision to bypass, I had very little pain. Mostly, it was uncomfortable for about 4 days. Wish I had just done the bypass to begin with.

The bariatric she is real and nothing will stop it. You need to make sure you stick to your protein amounts everyday because your hair needs it to produce new growth and grow (your hair can't produce protein but needs it). Collagen and biotin (as well as keratin_ are fantastic for helping your hair be softer, shinier, and healthier. BUT, it does nothing to actually prevent shedding or make it grow. Collagen is great for hair, skin, and nails as well as joints. For me, I use Codeage Platinum collagen powder. It has 5 kinds of collagen, biotin, keratin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin c. It's amazing, and I've used it for almost 2 years. It's everything I need for hair, skin, nails, and joints. Another thing I take is MSM. It's amazing for joints, but it also helps thicken hair (which is something I need since I've had 2 bariatric surgeries and my hair is seriously thin). Also make sure you take vitamin E. That's another things that is fantastic for skin and can be beneficial for hair, as well. I also use Living Proof thickening shampoo and conditioner and dry shampoo. It helps give my hair volume, which I desperately need right now. Hope all of this helps!!!

That's normal at 5 days out. You still have the surgical gas in your system. It took me about 10 days to get rid of all the gas (you have to walk a lot, and for the first 2 weeks after the sleeve, I really struggled with that) and the fluid retention from the surgery doesn't help. Took me a good 7-8 days to lose the water I was holding on to from the surgery. Within 2 weeks, you should be back to normal.

I've had it for YEARS. I thought it was because of my weight, like "well, I'm over 400 pounds. Of course I have a big belly" but as I've lost weight, it's not going away and looks more pronounced. Whether it's because it's getting worse or just because I don't have a big belly anymore, I don't know. But I'm hoping I can get some answers and get it fixed.

Here's what I was talking about with the part of my stomach above my belly button sticking out. Not sure why or what it is. If you push it, it's a little uncomfortable but that's really about it.

Revision weight loss is definitely slower than the original weight loss. I'm almost 11 weeks out from my revision and I've only lost 23 pounds. But at this time when I had my original surgery, I had lost 70 pounds. It's just the nature of things. I had my revision because of complications, not for additional weight loss.

I use Colace 2 in 1 and it keeps me pretty regular. If I'm having a major issue, I use Dr. Tobias Colon 14 Day Cleanse, Advanced Gut Cleanse Detox for Women & Men with Cascara Sagrada, Psyllium Husk & Senna Leaf, Non-GMO Colon Cleanse. I don't use it as a cleanse, though, because it works almost TOO well lol i use it when things just absolutely refuse to move along. If I don't go by day 3, I bust out Dr Tobias. If I need just a little help, I use the Colace 2 in 1. Nothing else works for me.

Exactly!!! Our whole lives have been dictated by the scale. Either hating what we see on it or avoiding it altogether. SO of course the first thing we all think about is watching the numbers go down. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it's so important to remember that there's a lot more to this journey than just losing weight. Yes, that's a big part of it, but there's so many other benefits and blessings that come with this surgery. Things I know I certainly never thought of. And I wanted to put something out here that reminded all of us to look for everything this surgery, and our hard work, will bless us with.

With my sleeve, I took 2 weeks off and needed every bit of it. With my revision to bypass, I was up and doing things after 4 days. Only took a week off, but honestly didn't need it. Still took it, though lol

Ok, not to sound too harsh here, but your surgeon is being stupid. In this one (and only this one) thing, ignore him. There's nothing wrong with shakes. And you should be eating 4-5 times per day, 3 hours apart. I do 3 meals and 2 snacks. For my snacks, I do things like colby jack cheese cubes and pepperoni slices. Or pepper jack cheese sticks and salami (or roast beef) slices (sandwich meat). I tend to make my own protein shakes in the morning, mostly because I've never been big on breakfast foods, so making a protein shake works well for me. I get my protein shakes from Arbonne (so so many vitamins in it, 20g of protein, mixes well, not grainy, and really yummy flavors). I'll put in 16oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 scoops of whatever protein shake I'm doing that day, 2 tbsp of avocado (no flavor, makes the shake creamy, added healthy fat), 1 tbsp mct oil, 1 tsp black seed oil, 2 tbsp "triple seeds" (flax, chia, and hemp seeds), 1 scoop Arbonne protein boost (10mg protein), 2 scoops Arbonne probiotic fiber booster, 2-3 tbsp Jordan's skinny syrup (whatever flavor I want to add, it has no calories, no carbs, no sugar), sometimes I add frozen fruit (depending on the flavor shake I'm doing), a few icecubes, blend, and YUMMY!!!!! When eating meals, you want to make sure they are protein first, then veggies, then carbs. Too much protein isn't good for you. That's why, in general, you need between 60-80g protein. I tend to be in the 80-90 range on heavy work out days, and 60-70 on rest days. If I know I can't get my veggies in, I drink my greens. I get the Arbonne super greens powder (blend of 36 fruits and veggies), and I make sure to add the Arbonne GutHealth (digestive enzymes with pre and pro biotics). Drinking greens is a good way to supplement getting in your fruits and veggies without adding all the extra calories, carbs, and sugar. But it's not meant to completely replace eating veggies. It just helps if you're struggling to get them in, or if you really don't like to eat them all that much. You stomach is much smaller than it used to be, so you need to eat more often. I tend to get protein in 2 of my meals and both snacks. The 3rd meal usually has more veggies (I love salad, so I've been known to have a salad for a meal and have very little protein in it) but with my shake, my snacks, and 1 other meal, I get the protein I need. I like to add veggies to my salad (green peppers, olives, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc) so I try to balance my needs with protein and veggies that way (and drinking a greens drink at least 3-4x per week). I drink A LOT of water (84oz typically per day) and that actually helps with hunger. So does drinking tea (I love green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and yerba mate tea). It's true that protein helps you feel full longer, but you can't fill up on just protein. Your body needs a variety of foods, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals to be balanced and healthy.

What you're feeling is completely normal. We want this to work so badly that we have ourselves convinced food is the enemy. We tend to live in extremes. Pre surgery, food was an addiction, like a drug. Post surgery, we're scared to eat because we're convinced every little morsel will pack all the weight on and undo all of our progress. It's learning the balance between the two that takes the most time and effort. It's always a work in progress. Food is fuel, no more and no less. We eat to live, not live to eat. But we can't live without eating. If you start working on the disordered thinking (and yes, it is an eating disorder we all have) and we stick to the plan for what to eat, when, how often, etc and we move our bodies.... we get healthier, our relationship with food slowly changes, and the weight comes off. Once you're cleared to work out (beyond just walking) you will need the calories to keep your body from thinking its starving (when that happens, it holds on to every little pound and ounce of fat). Just take it one day at a time, and you'll get there. Start really slowly, give yourself grace, and don't fear food. It's fuel for our bodies, and we need it. We just don't need it the way we had it pre surgery.

Ok, so In hyperparathyroidism, one or more of the parathyroid glands is overactive. As a result, the gland makes too much parathyroid hormone (PTH). Too much PTH causes calcium levels in your blood to rise too high, which can lead to health problems such as bone thinning and kidney stones. Excess parathyroid hormone can lead to negative effects on the body such as osteoporosis which can lead to fractures, kidney stones, decreased kidney function, heart disease, pancreatitis, increased acid secretion in the stomach and ulcers. Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) very often causes Vitamin D deficiency, and so it is common for patients to be told to take Vitamin D supplements. Surgery to remove the enlarged glands is the most common treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism and provides a cure in most cases. As for this weird stall thing, what kinds of working out do you do? When I had stalls for 4, 5, 6, 7 weeks long, I added weight training, core and strength training, and intense cardio, beginners pilates (using the wall for balance/less intensity). I work out 4-5 days per week. On those days, I have higher carbs and calories, on rest days I have less. I make sure to get around 84oz of water per day, and on work out days, at least 20 of those ounces are from a zero sugar gatorade or a Propel. Watch what you drink, because it's super easy to drink your calories and carbs without realizing it. Make sure you're eating enough per day. I do 3 small meals and 1-2 snacks, each about 3 hours apart. You want to make sure you get protein, but don't overdo it. Too much protein isn't good for you, either. You want protein first, then veggies, then carbs when you eat. I cut out sugar and salt, but if I really need salt, I use pink Himalayan salt. I use monk fruit sweetener, if I really need it. I hope this helps out some.

It's a lot harder to find private insurance that will cover bariatric surgery. I would ask your surgeons office what insurances they accept and then call each of them and find out if they offer bariatric coverage, how much a policy with them with that coverage costs, and what their requirements are for approval.

Thank you

So as you all know, I had A LOT of complications with my sleeve. I ended up with gastritis, esophagitis, horrible gerd, and precancerous polyps all though my stomach and duodenum. I had 4 endoscopies to have them all removed. Then I had a colonoscopy and found 3 cancerous polyps (stage 1) and they were removed and I'm ok. Wouldn't have found ANY of that had I not had the complications from the sleeve. During that time, I also had a ct scan to see what was happening, and 2 large fibroids were found in my uterus. Well, now that everything else was taken care of and I had my revision from sleeve to bypass, I decided to deal with the fibroids (they are causing my stomach to be large, my uterus is HUGE, they cause discomfort, very heavy bleeding, etc) One is 12cm (roughly the size of a grapefruit) and one is 6.5 cm (the size of an egg). I also had an endometrial biopsy (those SUCK) and was diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia, which is precancerous. So now I have an appt to see what to do about all of this. Again, never ever would have found this if I hadn't had complications that led to all the testing to figure out what was wrong. Sometimes the fear of the unknown, the long road ahead, and the daunting testing and procedures to diagnose and correct complications can make surgery seem like a no-go. But potential complications shouldn't necessarily be seen as a deal breaker. I had several precancerous and cancerous conditions I knew absolutely NOTHING about, and I wouldn't have known about them until it was too late, had it not been for the complications from the sleeve. Trying to find out what happened inadvertently led to correcting not only the initial sleeve complication but also the silent and secret health issues that definitely would have creeped up on me and taken me out had it all not be found when they were. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Maybe hitting every speed bump on the way sucks and feels overwhelming, but at least now it's done. I'm already healthier than I have ever been, and I'm only getting healthier. I'm following dreams I previously let go, and being 45, I'm at the age where health risks start to increase anyway. Now I'm having it all taken care of and I can just do my thing and live my life. I said all of this to say.... don't talk yourself out of a life changing and life SAVING surgery because there's the potential for complications. Yes, they're scary. Yes, they suck. But YES finding and treating them early on (especially if you never would have known about them otherwise) is a blessing. We are doing these surgeries to get our lives back. And if that means finding and treating other issues that can/will cause us problems down the road, consider that a perk of the surgery.

Yeah, the belly is driving me nuts. I've had it for a long time, but I thought it was because I was so heavy. Now that I've lost so much weight, they can tell without an ultrasound that my uterus is huge. Once they did it and found the fibroids that are SUPER big, it explained so much. I have an appt on the 14th to figure out what we're doing next. Once they are gone, I literally have ZERO health concerns. I'm absolutely ecstatic. This surgery has been such an up and down thing, but the blessings (even the ones in DEEP disguise) have been so worth the downs and pain that I honestly can say I would do it all over again. Just to be here, where I am now, doing all the things I love and want to do. So so worth it.

It's normal for people who were part of your unhealthy habits to not like the new changes in your life. That doesn't make you a bad person. It means you're in a different season of your life now, and honestly, they can get onboard and support you or they can move along. Does that seem harsh to some? Sure. But sometimes relationships that were unhealthy, unsupportive, or even toxic can and will fall by the wayside as you become a healthier, happier version of who you used to be. My entire life has been completely overhauled. I'm really active now. I eat extremely healthy. I workout 4-5x per week. I'm pursuing a career that I thought I would never get to do. I shop differently. I look at food differently. I cut out so so many bad habits and had to work really, really hard to retrain my brain to see food as fuel and not as an addiction or drug (yes, food was almost like a drug to me). Because of these changes, I have no tolerance for anything that can derail me and set me back on the path I was on before. Does that rub people the wrong way? Yep. Do I care? Nope. It's my life and I have to live it the best way I can for me.

Exactly!!! It's hard to see the silver lining when you're going through it, but just keep going and odds are, you'll see the blessing when it's over.

Exactly this!!! We all want to see the scale move, and we all want to wear smaller clothes, be healthier, be able to do things with our friends and family. But I'll be the first to admit it never crossed my mind that I would be able to do all that AND get back a few dreams I let go. Never in my life have I been more happy to be like "regular people" like I am now lol I can do so many "normal" things now that others take for granted. I'm still fighting to get these last 56 pounds off. They're really fighting me. But you know what? It'll happen when it's supposed to. I'm not going to obsess about it. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, and I'm going to actually LIVE MY LIFE. And LOVE the life I'm living. I never ever thought I'd say that...and actually mean it

I don't know about that, but thank you

I definitely will. You know what they say... nothing worth having comes easy!!

You are so sweet!!! Thank you so much!!!

Thank you so much!!!

What surgery are you having?

Thank you