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Hi everyone, Not sure if this is still an active thread or not. My highest weight was 395. I started the bariatric program at around 330 and had surgery at 318. I had a VSG on 9/24/2020 and I'm currently down to 305. I was down more before surgery and then Covid hit, so I put a little back on in the middle. I'm almost 3 weeks post-op and feeling pretty good. I have really bad knees and need to lose weight before they will do the knee replacements. Hope you are all doing well.

It’s has been well established that Bariatric patients can develop orthostatic Intolerance post Bariatric surgery. It is a complication of the autonomic nervous system. Just google Orthostatic intolerance after Bariatric surgery and you will find page after page of articles documenting this syndrome. All the symptoms you mention are there. Autonomic dysfunction is not well understood and many physicians are unaware. I have had this syndrome for 4 years and I have not had Bariatric surgery yet. I ran across all this information while looking for research about my illness. I get shaky, sweaty, nauseated and dizzy with brain fog. I have collapsed numerous times but have never lost consciousness. If I lie where I collapse lift my leg up in the air to allow the blood to return from my legs to my upper body I can get up and be alright for a little while. I specifically cannot stand in place. I must be walking or the dizzy collapse feelings hits me immediately. All my symptoms resolve when I lie down. I understand this has been noted to be a common post op complication of Bariatric procedures. Please take the time to do a little research. You may just be able to tell your physician what is wrong with you. I wish you luck. There is no cure but there are treatments to improve it. I was diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic. This is a neurological condition and I was in the Emergency room 27 times before a cardiologist picked up up all this was happening when upright. I was fine lying down. I am a registered nurse and I was absolutely scared to death when I was told over and over you are alright, your test are normal. I did not feel normal and it was not anxiety/ panic attacks as many suggested. I had become very angry with the lack of concern for my symptoms. I was dizzy with a racing heart and all the symptoms you mentioned and more. I am so thankful that I ran across a physician that was knowledgeable of the condition and knew I needed expert care. I struggle, and was unfortunately completely disabled 7 months after my symptoms first appeared. I am so debilitated physically that I have gained 60 pounds and am pre diabetic. I am currently working towards the gastric sleeve. I am afraid it may worsen my condition but I have a glimmer of hope it may improve my situation somewhat. I forgot to mention that I experienced the same situation when showering. The Mayo Clinic physician explained because of the blood shift and pooling to the legs and lower abdomen upon standing, that the hot water in the shower acts as a vasodialator which worsens the blood return to the upper body. The dizziness is hypo perfusion of blood to the head. I get short of breath, with chest discomfort and dizzy. The heart begins to pump hard and fast to return blood to the upper body.

I couldn't say specifically, but as the VSG is within the US standard of care for bariatric surgery, (along with the RNY, DS and lapbands) as generally defined by what is covered by Medicare, it should be covered by your insurance also. If Medicare covers something like this, a company has a hard time explaining to their customers and, particularly their regulators, why they don't cover it.

I already tried that and I have to wait until I officially get the green light from my Bariatric team 😑 I already had a TON of bloodwork run in May for something unrelated so that might end up cutting at least one bloodwork appointment out of the mix. Good luck on scheduling a surgery date soon

The curied salmon pate was prepped like tuna or chicken salad, so nothing was fried for that recipe BUT You may be surprised to find that different bariatric plans (under different bariatric team supervision) allow for different food standards. Also individual tolerance will account for what can/can't be eaten. On my plan and with my tolerance, I can have some fried foods. I for a long time I have stuck with pan, oven & convection fried vs deep fried as matter of preference because I rather not waste oil for no added value. I'm sure many others like @sillykitty @summerset @MarvelGirl25 @ms.sss @Sophie7713 @Cheeseburgh will be able to give you their perspectives too ❤️

If you can return to your previous Bariatric team (or find a new one) they can order tests to check your anatomy. Good Luck ♥️

yep - evidently it's fairly common. I had high ones and my PCP thought I had "fatty liver", but then I googled elevated liver levels and bariatric surgery and yes - it does happen due to the rapid weight loss. And when I went back to have them re-checked, they were normal - as expected since my weight had stabilized by then. Although given all the other stuff you have going on, it's definitely possible yours might be due to something else, too. Keep us posted... P.S. you may not have heard this since I don't know if many people have their liver enzyme levels tested as part of standard bariatric blood panels. Mine were tested for something else (I think it was when I was having some upper abdominal pain a few years back that my PCP was trying to diagnose). So I googled it when I got home. Anyway, since then I've seen that issue come up on this and other bariatric forums - not a lot, but it does come up occasionally. But then that's only when people actually have them tested. My bariatric clinic doesn't test for that.

Wow it's coming in fast. I got a call today, they want to schedule my bypass surgery for Oct 26, exactly 2 weeks from today! I am totally unprepared! I don't have any supplies! I am not sure I call pull it off by the 26th. Plus, it is very short notice for time off from my job! I am very stressed about this. First they told me early November and that is great, perfect even. They are going to get back to me if they have a November date, if not I will be taking the 26th of Oct, and start fasting the day after tomorrow! I'm not sure where to start. Not sure what kind of protein water to buy, etc. I started this journey in August of 2019, lost my job and insurance in Oct 2019. Was blessed to get a new job with the same insurance in April. Now my bariatric checklist is done. My health is terrible and I can't this surgery soon enough. However I want to be able to do it right. Any advice appreciated!

Update: From 10/1 until today 10/12, I have only eatten half of a single loaf of the bread. I thought I would have had more by now, but I really didn't want to eat it as often. I think it is because it's no longer off limits to me. I think the behavioral idea of partial reinforcement or psychological idea of unpredictable rewards maybe behind my waning desire (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201211/the-lure-the-unpredictable-lover) ; (https://www.jneurosci.org/content/21/8/2793) I just wanted to mention it because I used to really LOVE bread (honestly I preferred it over anything other food) and in the beginning of my WLS journey I swore off bread, rice & pasta believing there was no room for them in my life anymore. It was what I commonly saw when hearing about the diets of other WLS patients, permanently giving up foods. Granted I don't like rice and pasta so I'll likely never willingly choose to eat those and certain textures of bread no longer work for me because of conversion to RNY - BUT I am happy that there is some flexibility still possible in a Bariatric diet, especially when I find really solid substitutes. I also understand that some foods are triggers for binge eating and our people prone to that maybe should not try to be flexible without proper guidance from their teams. Well that was a ton of heavy introspection for a Monday 😆

I felt I had a great support system, but I got some eye rolls from my sister when I mentioned this app today and It did bother me. She didn't want to hear about it. She been with me from the Beginning so she knows how much I've put into it. I lost 95lb on my own following the dieticians plan and daily workouts, and logging every bite I put in my mouth. If you're like me the bariatric program requirements just to be approved for surgery includes jumping perfectly through all those hoops to give us the best chance for long term success possible. So we do A LOT to get approved, then it is so hard afterwards, NOTHING is easy about it. I knew that i had to do this tho and for your reasons so do you. I am 3 weeks post op and i have said 25 times "why in the world did I do this?" My surgeon said I will probably be saying that 25 more times before I get everything figured out, and in the end it will be worth it, I do believe that. You deserve to have all the support in the world. I would ignore those so called friends unless they have an apology for you and some respect that you deserve. I hope that this gets much better for you. They should be proud of you and stand beside you throughout. You'll be in my thoughts, & Good things coming your way! Sent from my SM-T307U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello friends, I am in the process of svg surgery. I was ready until the day of pre op and bariatric class I had to sit through. I kind of felt that years down the line I might have issues and need additional surgery. Not to redo the sleeve because I’m not loosing weight or regaining but for scar tissue or Gerd or other reasons. If there is anyone that has had the sleeve for many years I would love to hear from you. I just want reassurance. I always wonder if 10,15,20 years from now there will be problems and what would happen if I don’t have half of my stomach... The thought of it scares me...it’s an important organ in our body... any information will help. Thank you!

Hello I'm new to bariatric pals, this is my first day actually. Im still trying to figure out how to fix my profile to show post op instead of pre op?? As far as my stomach issue, I do plan to call my surgeon in the morning. I am wondering if anyone else experienced this issue? I knew to expect pain on the left side however surgery soreness has improved everywhere except this one place is like along my ribs and an area about as big as my hand it is visible swollen and is a dull pain mostly except when I reach or bend I feel a sharp pain and it's gotten worse about every day. Am I alone in this?

For me, getting to my highest weight meant eating fast food twice a day. Following my current nutrition plan involves home prepared meals and packing a lunch to work. I'm saving so much money I'm sure the savings will offset the out of pocket (thousands) I had to pay for surgery and treatment this year. I take a bariatric vitamin once a day from BariatricPal. I just passed my blood work so I know the vitamins are quality.

The BariatricPal store has some really affordable vitamins (FYI, most of the vitamins you can buy at regular stores don't have everything you need as a bariatric patient). Your surgeon probably wants you to take chewable vitamins for the first couple of months: https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/bariatric-vitamins/products/bariatricpal-multivitamin-one-day-bariatric-mixed-berry-chewable-45mg-iron?variant=28178713739341 I take these and I don't care for the taste (I'm 3 months out, so I'll be switching to the capsules once I run out of the chewables), but they're ok and the price is great. They probably have everything you need except calcium, unless you have a specific deficiency. Calcium needs to be taken separately from iron because calcium and iron interfere with each other, so you'll need a separate calcium citrate supplement (make sure it's calcium citrate -- most of the calcium supplements at regular stores are calcium carbonate).

Barbaric? I think you mean bariatric, although barbaric might be a good descriptor! Sent from my SM-T710 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi! Prior to Plastics I went to my primary to let her know what I was planning and loop her in! It didn't take much convincing since she was a fan of Plastics and had a BA herself (I absolutely ❤️ Doctors that you can bond with and treat you like a real person) My primary became my secondary touchstone for my Plastics journey, orfering labs or meds if necessary before and after surgery. My Plastic Surgeon and I were in constant communication and all of the early home follow ups were virtual & by phone call. If any true emergency arose, I would simply have needed to go to a local hospital. Easy. I could have also flown back to Miami for follow up at anytime if their was an unmanageable issue but I decided to wait (the initial wild uncertainty brought on by COVID) until May to follow up in person and go for round 2. Turns out that telehealth & virtual visits became standard for a lot of physicians this year (including my Bariatric Surgeon) so in retrospect I am comfortable with the way it was all handled. Hope that helped ❤️

I have surgery Tuesday. I have read books, Bariatric Mindset, Eat it up, gotten journals ready. I have some protein water, shakes, powder, soups, broth stocked. I have given up caffeine, sugar, focusing on lean protein and hydration. will pack my bag tomorrow and start prep Monday.

Have you considered using a post surgerical binder? Here's one, but also check the BariatricPal store to see if they have something similar: https://www.amazon.com/StrictlyStability-Bariatric-Abdominal-Support-Compression/dp/B07NQ3LF1F/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=plus+size+abdominal+binder+post+surgery+women&qid=1602388759&sprefix=plus+size+ab&sr=8-11 Get well soon and Congratulations

That's a question you'll have to ask your surgeon before you have the surgery. NSAIDs are not good to take after bariatric surgery because they can cause ulcers, but that is more important for gastric bypass patients than sleeve patients. Some doctors say it's ok for sleeve patients to take NSAIDs. Please ask your surgeon.

That does not sound like anything normal at all and I would recommend going to urgent care at the very least, if not the actual ER. If you have a way of contacting your bariatric team on the weekend, you should most definitely do that. They may likely tell you to go to the ER, but getting their guidance would be a good first step. Hope that you feel better and can get some answers today!

Doing well. Surgery 8/28/20...Surgery site all healed. No dumping. Order food from Bariatric pal that gives me the small servings. Easy to take packets when traveling to another state for vacationing and to work. Very easy process for me. Doing light weights 2-3x for exercise regime. Spouse cooks his own meals and I eat my bariatricPal packets. No children at home. I feel much, much healthier. Size L to M with no problem. Tops and bottom L sizes are being donated. Shoes fit looser. Take my vitamins daily with no problem. Husband is supportive and loving with this process. Hope you all are doing good as well.

Hello, I’m new Bariatric Pal. I’m going Monday for a consultation for Bariatric surgery. I’m hoping to get lots of advice from everyone.

Is it possible to donate them to the Bariatric program you went through? Someone in a different stage of their journey maybe able to use them. I tailored & donated clothes as soon as I couldn't fit them anymore. It was a liberating experience.

Hey i think youre brave for sharing your story with most people. Thisll help other obese people To have hope that perhaps bariatric surgery will help them as well. People downplay that obesity kills. Better alive with unnatural anatomy then dead with no potential for improvement. As for dating i agree to find other activities but most people do like to eat. I once read soup is a good thing to order as a bariatric patient When out with others and most places seem to have it. Keep up the good fight!

I’m from Australia but not from the Gold Coast. There’s a really good private FB group called ‘bariatric support Australia’ which has heaps of members from the Gold Coast. Would be worth checking it out.