kaylee50

Since your BMI is 34.5, it may not be as great an issue as it would be for someone who starts at a higher BMI. What I have heard is that surgery can be cancelled if the stomach is not empty (meaning you ate something the day before and it is still in there digesting). You are going to be just fine!

I love it! Makes me hum the Beatles and Nirvana ("half the man I used to be...") except in your case it will be physically. Mentally, spiritually, emotionally, internally, we can pair this with the resolve to be twice the persons we used to be. Every challenge is an opportunity for personal growth, and OMG is this ever a challenge right now (a Monday morning in the fall, when the whole office smells like pumpkin spice and treats...). I just keep telling myself I am building a healthier body while building character.

This happens to me, too. I find it is any food that isn't liquid / soft enough. If it's the correct amount of food, then perhaps mix in some broth or sauce to soften it as it goes down. That's what works for me.

I listened to this female-centric podcast during my walk today, which somewhat addresses this temporary cognitive dissonance following bariatric procedures: https://drmariza.com/435-most-effective-way-to-transform-your-self-image/. It's on Apple Podcasts. The guest speaker has lost a lot of weight, in addition to making other significant changes in her life. She suggests you change your environment (e.g., the contents of your bookcase), your personal style, etc., to allow the external match the internal. Kinda interesting, but OP is male so his mileage may vary.

Your sidebar stats (what is that thing called?) say you've lost an amazing 65 lbs, just one month post-op. In light of that, it's no wonder you're experiencing this! It reminds me of the first time I had my long hair cut into a bob. I kept reaching back to fix my ponytail. My husband said it was like a phantom limb. It took about a month for me to get used to my new hairdo. I wonder how long it takes to get used to a new, healthier version of yourself. Keep us posted please, update this thread when it happens.

Bariatric surgery is a major step, so I don't blame you for being scared. I just wanted to reach out and validate your feelings. I was scared, too, which is why I chose a non-surgical option (Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty). It is not yet covered by insurance so it is not as popular, but in my experience thus far and per the medical literature it is safe & effective. Maybe ESG is something to keep in mind for later, if you still need a "tool" in the form of a sleeve. But I would wait until your weight stabilizes after the meds, exercise, and new healthy eating habits are established. FWIW, I do not think your PCP is fat phobic. Obesity is a serious health risk, the older and the bigger you get. No one sees this more than a diligent PCP. Mine is 100% in favor of my new tool because she is the one who has been prescribing all my meds for hypertension and pre-diabetes, referring me to specialists, etc. I am just glad you went to see an endocrinologist and found a medical reason for your obesity. In case no one else has said it lately, great job!! Even with new meds, losing that much weight is an accomplishment. I agree with the other suggestions here re: strength training and all. Best wishes to you.

I could not stomach the multivitamins either, so my team said I could try the patches. I got the PatchMD brand from Amazon (about $18 for a month supply). I also got the endurance patches for extra B12. It's probably mostly placebo effect, but I swear I feel better when I put one on!

I cannot actually remember my protocol, but I searched my old files for the prescription and it did say #28 for Menopur. This was over 10 years ago, so maybe the science has advanced since then for PCOS patients.

Oh gosh, I am so sorry stardust82! I am sending you virtual hugs, cups of tea, and reassurance. Don't lose hope. "Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." You know, I looked up what meds they put me on. Like you, no embryo transfer was scheduled after the retrieval, so they were free to be pretty aggressive with the meds. I mean, it's not like you need to carry a pregnancy right after, right? I told them please go for it. The reproductive endocrinologist had me on: Follistim 300ui, then increased to 900ui; Menopur 75ui x 28 days; then Ganirelix 250. I weighed about 200 lbs at that time. They monitored me closely. Not gonna lie, I was basically in PMS 24/7 for a while there. But it was worth it, in my opinion. I agree with your decision to find an RE with experience in PCOS, and it does not hurt to tell them to overstim you if needed because you aren't planning to carry a pregnancy immediately thereafter. Best of luck to you and keep me posted!

I went through 2 rounds of IVF while I had PCOS and obesity. They are supposed to carefully calculate the meds based on your weight, medications, and other factors. Maybe look into having the retrieval with a different clinic, if the second round is similarly disappointing. Reproductive endocrinology is more of an art than a science; it's not even about the most experienced -- some docs just have a spooky talent for it. But here's what I really want to tell you: take heart, because the technology has advance so far already since I did this (my kid is now 11 years old). Back when I was undergoing IVF, preimplantation genetic diagnosis was relatively uncommon. Nowadays, even if you only have a handful of embryos, you can figure out in advance which ones are viable. For anyone over 35, this is absolutely necessary. So imagine how much better it will be when you are ready to have that baby? Also, consider whether you want to get donor sperm because embryos are far more likely to survive cryopreservation, compared to ova. One of my single friends did half and half, because she could not make up her mind whether she wanted a biological child without having the idealized nuclear family. In the end she decided she just wanted to have a child, found the smartest and best looking donor she could, went ahead with the transfer, and had a beautiful baby boy on her own. And then she met the man of her dreams (wouldn't you know it...lol).

Well, this is something squarely in my wheelhouse! Maybe I can help. You should first check your short-term disability policy (ask HR for a copy), because some of them have a 5- or 7-day elimination period, which is the number of days you have to be out before the benefit starts. So if the first week is not payable, it makes no sense to file a claim for just one week. The amount of time off you need depends on the type of work you do. If you have a physical job (lots of standing, walking, lifting/carrying greater than 10 pounds), then your doctor will probably recommend you take more time off and the claim will be approved. If your job is mostly sitting at a desk, your doctor will have to give specific reasons for your inability to work. Depending on your procedure, most doctors already have a set number of weeks they will sign off on for recovery. Either way, you aren't tied to the initial number of weeks you requested: you can always return to work sooner if you feel well enough, or you can apply for more time off if there were complications.

Hi, I am so glad to see more people here who have had or are looking into ESG! I highly recommend it. I was looking into it for a while. What convinced me to go this route was the recent MERIT study published in The Lancet. Here's a decent summary of the findings: https://www.bariatricnews.net/post/merit-rct-endoscopic-sleeve-gastroplasty-is-safe-and-results-in-significant-weight-loss. I had my ESG on October 7th and have lost 15 pounds as of today (10 days later). Like Forensikchic, I had very little pain. My procedure was at 10:30 am, was discharged and on my way home by 1:30 pm, and basically slept the rest of the day. The next day I had some gas and nausea, for which I had zofran (which made me throw up, so no more of that tyvm!). I slept in a recliner in an abundance of caution until the 3rd night, but I could have skipped that. The procedure was Friday and I was back in the office on Monday, Day 3. Looking back, I had super low energy until I started protein shakes on Day 3. I was easily tired the entire first week, only short walks and light dumbbells / kettlebell lifts. But I was drastically better when I started the soft/puree stage (real food, bless!) on Day 7. By yesterday, Day 9, I was able to walk briskly for over an hour. This morning, I did a 5K run/walk/run, which was great. I was also able to deadlift 5x3 sets at 95 lbs (a big de-load for me) without problems because there's no cutting with this procedure. Other than having to limit my caffeine intake (UGH!!), I consider myself back at 100% as of today, Day 10. Yay! My doctor gave me a Post-Procedure Guidebook provided by the device manufacturer, but I could not find it on their website (apolloendo.com) to share. So here is a picture of the page with the summary of stages of food. See how easy? In summary, yes -- I am super happy I chose ESG. My life is such that I could not have taken the time off necessary for surgery. It was either this or nothing. I am so glad I went forward with it.

Your comment made me literally laugh out loud. I worry when I see so many posts here asking basic diet questions — I am tempted to reply telling them to Google: “post gastric sleeve diet pdf” (or whatever your procedure was). If you add “pdf” your results will be more booklets/handouts from doctors and hospitals. Or people can search for those terms on YouTube and find a million vids by medical professionals (like Dr. Weiner) who are very detailed. I had a relatively novel procedure, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, yet there was already tons of reliable information on the web about it. I think the only thing that truly surprised me was that feeling of restriction / nausea, which is a lot stronger than I expected. I definitely had that day 1&2 regret (“omg, why did I do this to myself?”) because of the pain and nausea. I’m glad I read about that beforehand so I could moderate my instinctive reaction.

I have to take a different one to reduce stomach acid, Omeprazole. If you can’t keep it down, you should ask your team for a different RX (or ask if maybe you don’t dissolve it before swallowing?) because this drug is important for healing our stomachs after the procedure. I had the same problem with those Zofran under the tongue pills (!). It was the taste of it — I associate it now with nausea and will never be able to take it again without gagging. Ugh!

Hi, I am new too. My ESG was on 10/7. But I was told NOT to weigh myself daily. It’s once a week, at a designated time / day, no cheating, no peeking at the presents before Christmas morning. It’s driving me batty from curiosity, but I am trying to comply because I understand the reasoning. So I am measuring my waist and upper arms obsessively instead, but it’s not the same. Also, 9-11 lbs in 12 days, heck yeah!!! Good job.

I use MyPlate. There is no problem moving onto the next day even if your calorie count is very low. I like the app.

I am new here, too. I love this thread -- for motivation, it is even better than the success stories thread. So inspirational! For me, it was reaching age 50 and realizing that I spent more than half of my life trying to lose weight. Despite this, I have hypertension, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, and my joints are starting to hurt (like an old person! lol). I want to live long enough, and healthy enough, to play with my grandchildren. Another thing is during the pandemic, I lost a few people in my life and every single one of them was obese. That was a wake-up call. I learned from home DIY projects with my husband that you need "the right tool" to get the job done correctly. So I resolved to get myself the right tool for this job. Fingers crossed!

Everything about this post seems off. First of all, no one requires a 6-week liquid only diet. It's a day or two at most of clear liquids, then a week or two of full liquids (protein shakes, strained full-thickness soups), then pureed food, and a month later you are eating regular food (slowly, small amounts, chewing carefully, but regular food). I know most GI specialists will have their own version of the post-ESG diet progression, but the variations are not that huge. How do I know this? Because I researched almost all of them before deciding who would perform mine! I made sure I understood the assignment, as the kids say. Second, OP said: "I started at 251 post-colonoscopy-cleanse (since they have to remove all of everything in your gut before doing the procedure)" and "251 is the post cleanse weight, meaning I had everything purged from my system to prep for surgery." WHAT? NO. ESG is an upper GI endoscopic procedure. The doctor enters through your mouth. This has nothing whatsoever to do with your lower GI. All I had to do is one day of clear liquids to make sure the stomach was empty before they go in to stitch it into a sleeve. I seriously doubt OP had an ESG. Or if she did, it was by some hack who did not know what they were doing. Good grief.

I am hoping (really hoping!) that you are just working out so much that you're gaining muscle to replace the fat lost. Have you measured to see if you've lost any inches? Re: PCOS, I had this. It was diagnosed by pelvic ultrasound by my Ob-Gyn. But that would not explain why you have stalled for so long after WLS. In fact, PCOS usually improves after WLS. Controversial, but I know some doctors that perform ESG (the procedure I had) will prescribe medications after the procedure. Maybe ask about that to jump-start the weight loss again? I am so sorry you are going through this. I can almost hear your stress coming through in your posts. I hope you get some resolution soon!

Have you tried pickleball? My husband loves it and got me into it recently. It can be fairly strenuous or totally chill, depending who you play against, but we really only play with the seniors in our community. The septuagenarians often kick our behinds, but it's fun.

What a transformation! You look amazing.

I think it depends on the type of workout. For yoga, compression clothing won't work. But for high impact plyo/jumping like you are doing, in my experience, the tighter the better. You do not want any bounce whatsoever in certain body parts, mainly the chest and waist/hips. Google images of Olympic shot putters. Those ladies are rock! At my heaviest, I used to run and lift in plus-size shapewear (Maidenform Flexees, or Just My Size - the cheaper the better) under my shorts, then graduated to compression tights (Under Armour, Athleta, Gap, Nike all have plus sizes). The key is to find tights with a high waist that will not roll. As for sports bras, if the ones you already have feel too loose, wear two of them layered before you buy a smaller size. But above all, the most important thing you need for any high impact activity is Body Glide, to prevent chafing where you bra and tights meet your skin. Also, HI! I am new here. Long time lurker, first time poster. So glad to have finally joined!