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My biggest suggestion is to just be patient and supportive over the first few weeks...all those bodily changes can have some really, um...interesting effect on the mood! My mom got me a bunch of gift cards for clothes after my surgery and I appreciated it so much...after being overweight for years it was actually fun to go try and figure out what my personal style was when I wasn't as hamstrung by having to find the few items in the store that fit me. (19 months later I'm still trying to figure that out, but I'm learning!) Another suggestion for gifts might be a nice bariatric-friendly lunchbox or meal prep stuff for when he returns to work and starts eating a wider variety of foods. Having ways to transport your meals is important!

Water retention is absolutely a thing; I actually had the exact same thing happen with pickles! I woke up the next day and had gained 3 pounds because the day before I had decided that the 35-calorie each halved dill pickles would make a great guilt free snack and ate a few of them the day before. So much salt! Take it easy for a day or two, drink some extra fluids and if that's what it was, it'll go away in a few days once you get things flushed back out.

Late reply but my clinic recommends ones designed for us, company is called Fit for Me. About 90 for 3 months. They resend automatically every 3 months. That's who I use.

Welcome aboard new friends! 1 May - LindsayT, SleeveMeAlone23 2 May - lunababe75, k.e.white, Morenalove 3 May - matt917, LittleRouxenyhood, la.nena, skeefe 4 May - Laryssa, ajrp001 5 May - Sheri 9 May - travelgal, Ana83 10 May - CarolineLittle, Jason Jacobson, IAMPERFECTION2 11 May - ElizabethMW, Rhys 12 May - Kimmie77#thinagain, LisaRT. 15 May - AmandaD 16 May - turkaffe 17 May - Teamme2023_, Su Zy, SleevedGyal601 22 May - Srxpadillaa, Vacs77 24 May - Shemleylodge 25 May - uniVee

I had SADI surgery on 4/17/23. They were supposed to fix my hiatal hernia as well but didn’t get to it because they had to remove my gallbladder and they didn’t want me under any longer. Surgery took 4 hours. I had a previous sleeve surgery on May of 2021. I am experiencing a lot of gas pain that comes and goes. Does anyone have suggestions for dealing with gas pains. I do my walking but still have a lot of discomfort with pain. Does this get better? I go for my 2 week post op in 2 days.

I live by myself too & was fine too. Friends & family rang every day to check on me. If you’d rather you could have your husband there just in case for a couple of days & then have him arrange with his work to have extra time if you find you need it or can leave work if you need it. Keep your fluids up. Get up & down slowly & carefully. No heavy lifting (usually less than 10lbs the first couple of weeks - check with your team). Keep meds, shakes, broths in a handy, easy to access location. Take short walks around your home or outside as you’re able. Rest. Listen to your body. All the best.

A couple of weeks without your vitamins shouldn’t cause any problems. I mean some don’t start taking them for a month. It might only be an issue if your levels were already low. Like you won’t become anaemic unless your iron stores are low as well as your daily intake. The hair loss occurs because of stress (surgery, changed diet, etc.), hormonal fluctuations, anaesthetic & prolonged low protein intake (if you’re meeting your goal or getting closer to it in those first few weeks you’ll be okay). They cause your usual hair loss cycle to accelerate. Vitamins won’t stop the hair loss as that is dead hair you would have lost anyway. Vitamins may only benefit your new hair growth which isn’t affected by the surgery, etc.

Dear all! First, a big contrats to all for doing the surgery for your own health and good. I hope you will all arrive at the desired results sooner than later and that the post-op phase will be as smooth as possible. My boyfriend is having his surgery in a few weeks and i want to give him a post-op gift for being brave through this process. Nothing too big or expansif, but something thoughtful and hopefully useful for after the surgery. I have a few ideas...currently, I'm hesitating between the following: A nice summer/light bath robe and assorted slippers so he can be comfy after the surgery and not need to dress up A gift card from his favorite clothing store, cause he will probably need to buy a new wardrobe What would you prefer? Any other gift ideas? I will also be there for him throughout the whole process, hospital stay, prepare the meals and help out as much as i can. Is there anything you would recommend on that level? Things to do / say, not do/ not say etc. All the best to all - and thank you for your help! b

I got my surgery Sept 2022 & started working out 3 months later but I was up on my fluids & protein intake. But you should definitely prioritize working on your protein & water intake. It will help the pounds shed off just as much as working out would & you wouldn't feel as weak.

Welcome aboard Lisa! And yes, the pre-op diet isn't fun. You got it though! Mind over matter. I'm on day 19 of 28. 1 May - LindsayT, SleeveMeAlone23 2 May - lunababe75, k.e.white, Morenalove 3 May - matt917, LittleRouxenyhood, la.nena, skeefe 4 May - Laryssa 5 May - Sheri 9 May - travelgal, Ana83 10 May - CarolineLittle, Jason Jacobson, IAMPERFECTION2 11 May - ElizabethMW, Rhys 12 May - Kimmie77#thinagain, LisaRT. 15 May - AmandaD 16 May - turkaffe 17 May - Teamme2023_, Su Zy, SleevedGyal601 22 May - Srxpadillaa, Vacs77 24 May - Shemleylodge 25 May - uniVee All the best for tomorrow LindsayT and SleeveMeAlone23!

I hear stories about dehydration fairly often (so try to keep up on your fluids if at all possible!!) - but not stories about not being able to stand. It's a bit painful getting in and out of bed - but once you're up - or down - you're fine. It really wasn't a problem for me. As far as someone staying home with you, my husband took a week off but ended up going back to work after two or three days - i just didn't need him here. It was nice to have someone bring me beverages and stuff, but it really wasn't necessary. I should add, though, that I didn't have hernia surgery - just the gastric bypass - so hopefully someone who had both will respond.

Hey everyone! I just got my surgery date for May 15th and assuming I would have more time I am in complete chaos getting everything together in two weeks! My husband is planning on taking a couple of days off when I get home from the hospital, but I keep going back and forth as to what is a good amount of time to keep him home with me? I know everyone is different, but I can't keep thinking of the horror stories of dehydration and those who can barely stand, and I just worry that would happen to me when I have no one around. I am taking a full six week off (I get fully paid through short term disability) so I am definitely going to be taking it easy, just wanted some advice from those who went through Gastric Bypass (with HH) surgery and how it went for you! Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!!

I was given vitamins in the hospital and told to take them from the day I went home - but not to eat or drink half hour before and have hour after for the first two weeks

Insurance usually dictates the length of time between initial visit to surgery date. What testing and counseling is required by them and how soon you can get it all done with medical clearance. I was told 3 months best case scenario with my bariatric team since my BCBS insurance had no time restraints. I was determined to meet that goal and did. I got a lot done in that short amount of time. (Pulmonary, stress test, heart EGD, catherization, psych eval, sleep study, 3 months with nutritionist, exercise coach) And lastly an endoscopy which showed a hiatal hernia. Surgeon scheduled me for surgery 2 weeks later. If you are required 6 nutrition consults, sounds like you are looking at 6 months minimum. I'm going to guess after completing all your appointments your next step will be an endoscopy. Good luck!!!

Now after I've completed my blood work, I'm now mild anemic. It's really difficult to walk, get exercise and cook a damn scrambled egg! I have my 6 week post op appointment this Friday. Hopefully, they can help me get back on track!

Welcome to the forum! I am getting close to the end of the process and each insurance company is different. My insurance requires 6 months and I am with Kaiser Washington and this was my process: - Had a provider seminar in January - Spoke with surgeon in January - Completed my lab testing/EKG in January - Schedule all my 6 nutritional visits 4 weeks apart - My EGD was in April - My psych evaluation is in May - My last nutrition class is 6/21 - hopefully I can have surgery in July or August Good luck on your journey 🥰🥰

Hi. I noticed that my weight has started going up like crazy over the past four days. I was 76.5 kg on 26 April 2023 and I weighed 80.2 Kg this morning (30 April 2023). I usually weigh myself after going to the toilet in the morning, around the same time, before eating or drinking anything and wearing only my "birthday suit". Gaining 3.7 kg over 3 days is definitely unusual and alarming. This afternoon I also noticed that my feet were swollen and felt a bit numb. Then I remembered that I've been eating a lot of pickles that my wife made for me. I read somewhere that there is a strong connection between increased dietary salt intake and weight gain due to water retention but the studies were all inconclusive. The recommendations were to just drink a lot of water, exercise and wait it out. Anyone experienced a similar situation and how long did it take to get back on track? It is frustrating that I'm experiencing this while I'm only 6 kg from my goal weight.

Yes, they recommend Tums 500mg 2-3 times a day. But that might’ve been the culprit :( better now.

1) if that "tummy" surgery is a whole lower body lift, then that's a good deal. If it's just a tummy tuck, then that's probably about average these days, especially for a city like Boston. I'm not sure about breast lift, but it's also probably about average since it's Boston (back when I was doing research about six years ago, I read somewhere (maybe here on BP?) to expect $8K-$10K per procedure, with a lower body lift counting as two procedures, since they do both front and back). That estimate did ring true for me, but again, that was six years ago. Plus you're usually going to pay more in urban areas and/or with surgeons who've had a lot of experience and good reputations. So anyway, no, those prices don't seem outrageous. 2) I would go for the surgery if you want to get rid of it. I don't know how effective these alternative methods are - maybe minimally. Results from surgery are dramatic and permanent (as long as you don't gain the weight back!) 3) my lower body lift was pretty painful. After the first few days, though, it was more discomfort than pain, but the discomfort lasted for quite awhile. I don't remember the breast lift being very painful. I think the body lift pain was because they tighten the muscles and do liposuction - those are things that tend to cause pain, from what I've read. But like with the above poster, the pain was worth it - I have a normal-looking body now, and I'm really happy with it. I'd do the surgery again for sure. 4) that comes down to personal preference. I wanted mine done in a hospital, and I wanted to spend the first night there in case anything happened. The surgeon I went with ONLY does his surgeries in a hospital, and he does make you spend the first night there just in case. The other two consults I had (for body lifts) will do theirs in hospitals if requested, but by default they do them in surgery centers where you go home that night. Their quotes (at least for the lower body lift - which was the only surgery for which I did more than one consult) were cheaper - one was cheaper by $2000, the other by $6000. The first guy has a national reputation, though, so his $2000 price difference was likely due to fact there that it would have been in a day surgical center, not a hospital (and no overnight). The second guy didn't have nearly as much experience, which would have accounted for the much lower price. (I had a facelift a few years later by a different surgeon - I didn't do a hospital surgery for that one since it's a much easier surgery - I was comfortable doing that one at a surgery center)

Congrats! You've done fantastic!! I'm almost 3 years out and can relate to much of what you've said with regards to hunger coming back and being able to eat quite a bit more. Just curious though, do you find that it "comes and goes"? There are some days I feel huge restriction - like I can only eat a few bites of something, and then others I am hungry all day. Doesn't seem to matter what type of food it is (protein, salad, or slider foods). Also, much like you, I've had no issues with any different foods (sometimes I wish I did!).

1. No the price isn’t outrageous but prices vary by region (and relative experience). One way to lower the cost is to see if insurance will cover part of it and pay the rest. You may have to work with your primary doctor or Bariactrics surgeon to establish a need such as skin irritation/infections not resolved by medications. Another way is to travel to a competitive area that has lower costs and that may include medical tourism overseas. Definitely get multiple consultations to see what the prices are in and out of your area. Some surgeons will provide free consultations and quotes (virtual) and some will charge a fee. 2. Anything non surgical might just be a waste of time and money that you could have used to pay for the skin removal surgery. Liposuction will remove additional fat from the area and retract some of the skin through wound remodeling but not large amounts of skin. 3. Definitely more painful than Bariatric surgery. But it was worth the recovery for me. 4. I did it in office where there was an en-suite OR but I had surgery in the competitive plastic surgery market of Miami where that is the standard not the exception. You have to choose what you are comfortable with but also if you can get insurance coverage that may reduce the hospital portion as well. Good Luck!

I lost my weight in 2020. Since then I’ve been struggling with my tummy mostly (I lost 120 and other areas could use a nip tuck). I have a pretty big belly it prevents me from tucking in and wearing a lot of things I would like to wear. I’m 56 years old and petrified of surgeries but especially this one. I know it will be very painful. And also the quote I got at the surgeons office was 15k for tummy and 15k for breast lift. I’m in Boston and this was in office not in hospital. In hospital was an extra 11k. My questions are 1. Does that price sound outrageous? Again it’s a good size job and I’m sure it’s more bc of that?? 2. Is there anything else I can do to reduce this tummy I know the big procedure is the only way to really do it but do these fat loss clinics (must be lipo?) clinics work? 3. How painful was this? 4. Would you do this in office? Thanks so much for your feedback!

My BP shot up right after surgery while still in the hospital. None of the nurses seemed as alarmed as I was. They said it was the bodies response to a major surgery and the inflammation happening. It stayed elevated for a week or so but as my body heals it's dropping to where the doctor told me to keep an eye on it from going too low. I'm hoping to eventually be off BP meds in the near future and hope the same for you.

I had a Gastric sleeve about a week ago and since then my blood pressure has skyrocketed. (Over 190/90 at times) I've talked to my doctor a few times but have found very little information. My blood pressure meds are not responding nearly as well. Has anyone else had this problem?

I have had my gastric sleeve surgery April 24th 2023. I am currently 6days post op. No pain, little sore. I am able to take in my 64oz of fluid (clear). And starting full liquid in 2 days, for two weeks. Im so hungry and would die for some puree. I walk as much as i can considering I dont have as much energy at the moment. Please how did you cope with the hunger while on the liquid diet? How long before puree food? Thanks for any response. I really appreciate it 🙏🙏