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I travelled out of state for my surgery and I was by myself, I was fine by myself, in fact I preferred it. If that is the only thing that is holding you back, you will be in hospital two or three nights? Time will go fast, the first day you probably won't feel like company, second day you will be walking, walking (hopefully), before you know it you are ready to go home.

I’m having so many mixed thoughts swirling around my head. I hesitate to post this today. I am grateful for having gastric bypass to have the tool to combat metabolic disorders and inability to exercise due to disability (post exertional malaise) and I was at the point it was all or nothing. All my fight was getting me nowhere fast. I know I’ve come a long way, I’ve also paid a hefty price physically and am still dealing with many health challenges. But I also know my body could not carry the burden of all that weight. And I will do everything in my power to maintain the weight loss. i reached goal Sometime last month. I overshot it a little. Although based on my height of 5’ I’m within my goal range. I haven’t been actively trying to lose for a few weeks. I raised my calories somewhat but not drastically. I started out at 208lbs with a BMI of 40.6 and today am 102.4 and a BMI of 20. its Funny though, I write my weight on a calendar daily, and write Daily log of my weight, meals, calories and protein to Track and plan what I will eat the best I can based on what’s available in the fridge, freezer, pantry. I haven’t given solid thought to my progress, I’ve just taken it one moment at a time. My weight fluctuates slightly and that’s ok. Other things weigh on my mind though. I hesitate to call it a celebration when even my birthday this month went unmentioned and Covid-19 will be around for the foreseeable future. It’s not impacted my odd daily routines of living with lifelong chronic illness and disability. I’m homebound much of the time as is. It’s risky going to get groceries but a necessity. But It’s had more of an impact on healthcare. i Had an early one year follow up with my surgeon February 11 and discussed continuing severe pain and spasms in left side under ribs along with other symptoms along with my history of ulcers in the remnant stomach and small intestine, they said I needed a double balloon enteroscopy. But I had to see a different doctor for the test. I couldn’t get an appointment until March 12 to see that doctor, I asked if they could schedule the test since it takes a while but no I had to wait to see the doctor first, who of course ordered the test. Which was then scheduled for April 27. And what happened, of course no one called until the last minute and it was then canceled indefinitely. And I’m left in pain, I sent them a message and they tell me I could go to the ER to be evaluated. First of all how is that a good idea? And evaluated for what? That’s why I saw the doctor and he ordered the test (actually both doctors did) I’m at a loss as to what to do and meanwhile I’m just trying to move ahead. i don’t even want to discuss this. I’ve other health issues that I’ve been waiting months to deal with. My doctor gives me attitude. Even things are obviously a problem. I saw my general doctor February after waiting a few weeks. I had sudden severe pain just lightly touching the front of my throat. I had a thyroid ultrasound. I also saw an endocrinologist. I was supposed to go to the hospital for further tests. But this was cancelled indefinitely. I’ve also been having nosebleeds and I don’t know why ... but it’s all been put on hold and none of the doctors care to follow up. I have been making plans about having skin removal surgery. Since it’s the only thing I can manage to do right now. The excess sagging skin is very problematic especially my thighs. A thigh lift, and Having a Belt lipectomy/Butterfly lift to remove excess skin might also help benefit strengthening my core which I can’t do with exercise. I’ve been working on this with Hospital BC that is part of BariatricPal and they are so helpful in the process. I’m trying to think of it as a vacation in Mexico with benefits. I’ll need financing of course. I’m far away from rich. It’s a goal to have a body I haven’t as long as I can remember. I haven’t been this weight as long as I can remember either. I could never reach this goal on my own before even as hard as I tried with strict low carb and calorie counting. I only managed 124lbs and it didn’t stay there long. So taking that last step of getting rid of ugly sagging, rashy problematic skin feels like part of the journey to finish. A crazy thing in times like these. I’ll be pinching pennies as hard as I can. But part of me is determined. And also ... trying to ignore the rest. I had wanted to deal with the other health issues first but looks like that won’t happen so I’m going to try to roll with it and see what happens. maybe it’s dumb for me to write this. I don’t know anymore. I’m exhausted. But I think that I want others to know that if I can do this with my chronic illness and disability And despite how hard it has been for me ... that others can succeed and reach their weight loss goal.

It's been a while since I've posted. I had my surgery December 2015. Didn't really have any trouble to speak of but fast forward to tonight. I ate too fast and I felt a burning pain in my chest as the food passed. I knew it would be coming back up soon but when it did it was accompanied by a lot of bright red streaks of blood in the mucus. It seems to have stopped but this has never happened before. Is this something I need to have checked out?

Update- blossom aside (nothing against it, but it and similar clinics are not the norm and so just updating for those dealing with the customary fast track version 🙂 I got approval 4 days ago April 24, although she emailed Monday. My first visit with the surgeon was in mid Feb. I had the 1st nutritionist visit that first day, the second mid March and the 3rd mid April. They submitted the fast track request within 1-2 days and so my approval happened in around a week’s time. I have BCBS of IL and they are one of the insurers that allow for this “fast track.” I had made sure to get a move on with it and so had my psychological assessment, group meeting, and nutritionist’s requirements (e.g., purchasing vitamins) done by the end of March. Now I just have to wait on the elective surgeries to begin and them to get through the backlog (they stopped doing procedures in ATL about March 17th. At least the approval is done and now it’s just a waiting game. Good luck everyone!

The person who posted that Fast Track would take 3-4 months wasn’t talking about Blossom. Some hospitals may have a Fast Track program. If it wasn’t for Covid it’s possible I’d be done now. I’m scheduled at Blossom for June 15th. Praying Nevada opens up elective surgeries very soon!

That sounds like a weight loss stall. They happen after surgery too. Stalls happen to EVERY person who loses weight. The weight doesn't come off in a smooth manner, but in a series of rushes and trickles. You'll always lose weight fast at the beginning, but you can expect a stall to appear 3 weeks - 2 months after you start. It can last 1-3 weeks. I just got out of a 2 week stall. They are incredibly frustrating and demoralizing, even if you are expecting it - which I was, because I read about it on here. You can spend a lot of energy tweaking your food or exercise routine if it makes you feel better. (I'd suggest focusing on exercise before you try starving yourself.) But honestly, even if you just ignored it and kept on doing whatever you're doing, it will probably break on its own on about the same time frame. The important point is not to give up! I know it feels terrible, and people telling you that it's normal and will go away eventually doesn't make it not feel terrible. But still, it's normal, it will end, and you'll get there!

I’m borderline right there with ya!😬IF I used Miralax and Benefiber daily as surgeon suggests the plumbing would probably “work” okay. But “sipping” that stuff just turns my stomach —when I drank it really fast one day I was miserable for over an hour. Hopefully we’ll get some good, sage advice from someone here! Good luck Angel Sale!

TBH fasting (or intermittent fasting) is only anorexia adjacent if someone has anorexia. Otherwise its mainly portion/time controlled eating But to answer your question IMHO plenty folks (without eating disorders) still eat plenty of food, indulge within reason, pare back when necessary and are satisfied Tangentially, I cannot speak to what it would be like for someone with bingeing, bulimia or anorexia... But if those are not things you experience then don't worry about what it would be like for someone experiencing that like your Mom. She will only be able to view it from her perspective. Good Luck ❤

if it's RH (reactive hypoglycemia), it wouldn't be that you drank it too fast - it's most likely the sugar in the whipped cream. Or some other sugar you ate within an hour or two before you had the symptoms. I'd run it by your surgeon or your PCP. It could be something else - but it does sound a lot like RH.

You're probably right and I probably drank it too fast? I don't know but I NEVER EVER want to go through that again it was the worst and scariest thing I've felt.

So, my mom is not very supportive of my decision to go the surgery route at ALL. She herself has struggled with her weight her whole life and is an overeaters anonymous/ program person. She's a binge eater and in no way can moderate herself at all, it's on the wagon or off for her. I am not. In the past without surgery I lost 95 lbs sans surgery and kept it off for years through moderate diet and exercise until #1 pregnancy & #2 major back injuries severely impeded my mobility. Fast forward I'm heavier than I was before and not able to gym rat the way I used to at my current weight. I alway used exercise as a way of keeping myself honest and focused on my moderate diet. I plan to use the surgery in the same way- i.e. I'm not going to go through all that just to screw it up! She used to try to scare me out of surgery by saying that it could kill me, or that I could still mess it up and gain it all back (she wishes), now her thing is telling me that I'm not going to eat anymore and that I love food aren't I going to miss it etc. ? I told her that I'd love being healthy more, but goddamn it! From what I gather, after your body has evened out you can have small amounts of just about whatever, depending on how your system handles it. If not though, do you miss food? I'm definitely going through with the surgery, I just want to know. It sucks not really having an in person support system. My sister is so dead-set against it I'm not even telling her until after it's all done. Then again she has never had weight issues (her current thing is fasting for 18-20 hours per day which sounds like a repackaged version of anorexia tbh.)

@Sammi_Katt With insurance having so many requirements, how did you get approval so fast?

I'm a year out from gastric bypass I've lost 110 lbs and have been doing well until this morning. I drank my coffee with sugar free creamer and whip cream on top that's my treat i drink it almost every morning. I did today and about 45 minutes later I felt like I was going to faint, my heart rate was in the 100's I was shaking so bad i couldn't hold my phone. I was weak I could barely walk. I started to hyperventilate. Then I started to feel waves of extreme heat. I really thought I was going to die. I NEVER WANT TO FEEL THAT AGAIN!!! All I ingested was that coffee. Did I drink it too fast? Did I finally have a reaction to the whip cream? WTF? Was this even dumping? Any ideas you guys? Has anyone ever gone through something like this? And what do you do to get rid of it?

I disagree. Up to a certain point people can train their stomachs to be full again on smaller portions. This doesn't have anything to do with WLS though. It's like training your body not to feel hungry in the morning or in the evening. The people doing IF with 16, 18, 20 hours fasting windows will most likely know what I'm talking about.

🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔 Updates: Plastic surgery adventures & Love in time of Corona I decided to have plastics in Jan 2020 and K (#Bumblebae) came along for support. This went surprisingly well. Most likely because i didn't make him my main care giver and i recovered VERY quickly so it was low pressure. We are both enjoying my new body now but for the first 6 weeks post op i wasn't allow to do anything strenuous and we honored that rule completely. I now suddenly understand how easy it can be to forget certain parts of a relationship when you are busy, stressed or unwell. NEVER letting that happen EVER again. Fast forward to March... SARS-COV 2. The world was basically put in house arrest and with just cause. I don't know how everyone else is managing with their partners but quarantine life has been challenging. You don't realize how social you are until you can't be anymore. All the fear and uncertainty swarming can be just as contagious as this nightmare virus. After a super serious discussion about the mental toll all of this is taking on us individually, we agreed to step back from the bombardment of the news and focus inward again. I think we are going to enjoy this solitude after all.❤ I hope everyone else is staying safe and healthy

Same, minus the guy part LOL I have never been able to burp, not that it really mattered before, however discreetly I would like to be able to naturally. Im not a fizzy drink lover, nor do I eat fast, never really did. I'm perplexed maybe I should just stop breathing whenever I eat or drink

I’m in Riverhead. I only burp a lot, seems to be when I’m full or just about. I’ve been doing a lot of walking. The weight is not coming off as fast as I’d like since I started soft foods but overall I’ve done pretty well. I just have to be patient.

I'm 18 months post vsg. Lost 175 pounds, gained 10 back. I can eat a lot of slider foods but when I eat solids it makes me puke because I'm not eating slow like I should. I'm also eating candy again too. Today I've puked 3-4 times from eating too fast and now my whole esophagus and stomach are super irritated. For the next 2 days I'm going to avoid solids. I am totally on my own and feel like this is the hardest it's been for me so far. I never hit my goal but am only 35 pounds away. I still want to get there and know I need to find my way back to ketosis. Carbs and candy won't help me get there. I need to make some big changes.

In my experience that is the most common fast track scenario for those with insurance (several of the BCBS policy types allow an early decision - so like 3 months dietician/ weight loss (w all the other reqts done, like psych eval) vs the standard 6 months. I know BCBS of IL Is one of those - I’m now awaiting word of whether I will be approved - fingers crossed! i know paying out of pocket is faster, but I don’t want to fly some place for this surgery and with two policies (since hubby is retired USMC) it would be insane for me to trade many 1,000s of dollars to avoid waiting a couple of months (especially now when no surgeries are happening here anyway).

My 1 year anniversary was April 15. It did go by fast! I’m not to my goal weight yet, but I’m close! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

Blossom can be as fast as two weeks or longer if you can’t schedule right away. It seems like their average is 4-6 weeks though from first contact to surgery.

All I had to do was fast on the day of surgery, no pre op diet. I've had excellent results and reached my surgeons goal weight within 6 months. My opinion is this - I needed the surgery to stick to the post op liquid diet. Which post surgery was a breeze. Pre surgery, I would have struggled and probably failed. There is a reason I needed 80% of my stomach removed to lose weight.

All I had to do was fast on the day of surgery, no pre op diet. I've had excellent results and reached my surgeons goal weight within 6 months. My opinion is this - I needed the surgery to stick to the post op liquid diet. Which post surgery was a breeze. Pre surgery, I would have struggled and probably failed. There is a reason I needed 80% of my stomach removed to lose weight.

All I had to do was fast on the day of surgery, no pre op diet. I've had excellent results and reached my surgeons goal weight within 6 months. My opinion is this - I needed the surgery to stick to the post op liquid diet. Which post surgery was a breeze. Pre surgery, I would have struggled and probably failed. There is a reason I needed 80% of my stomach removed to lose weight.

All I had to do was fast on the day of surgery, no pre op diet. I've had excellent results and reached my surgeons goal weight within 6 months. My opinion is this - I needed the surgery to stick to the post op liquid diet. Which post surgery was a breeze. Pre surgery, I would have struggled and probably failed. There is a reason I needed 80% of my stomach removed to lose weight.