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Summer 2022...I started researching, or should I say, obsessing over all things VSG. I was watching YT and researching doctors. In Nov I had a consultation with Dr Lee from Birmingham, AL. I decided to go with self pay. As far as health goes I have high blood pressure. I was informed I needed to submit my labs and clearance from my PCP. I was unaware of how fast I could have the surgery done. I have not set a date because my PCP told me my insurance would cover the procedure. I was referred to Dr Copperwheat in Georgia. I have my seminar with him tomorrow. I honestly don't want to go through the rigorous process with Medicaid but I can keep my 10995 in my pockets!! Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow liveaboard15, that's crazy how fast. I wasn't expecting that!

Luckily we have always cooked our food from scratch, so fast food is not ever been part of our families diet. Mostly we eat the same food and I mostly omit the carbs. as I have no room for them yet. So we eat roasts, casseroles, stews and curries. I have learned to up the protein in my foods using beans and lentils, my family haven't noticed the difference. It really works well for us

So I started the process in September and definitely was not prepared for how much time everything would take mainly due to the insurance requirements around a weight loss trial. I thought everything I had done in the past would have counted, but it did not so I had to start a new weight loss trial. My primary care put in a referral and Tricare approved it for Dr. A at a surgeon's office over an hour away (closest bariatric specialty). When I tried to schedule the appt, I was told that Physician A is revamping his practice and would like to have me be scheduled with Dr. B. I agreed, as long as the referral was still good. Apparently that was not quite the question I should have asked. Fast forward to 4 months later, my weight loss trial and all the pre-reqs are done. I emailed the clinic with all the information and had not heard anything in 10 days, so I asked for an update. Today's update is this: Dr. B is not yet credentialed with Tricare so they can't even submit for approval until that is done. They have no estimated time frame and can't tell me when the process started. According to Tricare's website, it can take 60-90 days for a new provider to be credentialed. Additionally, when I asked if I could have my surgery done by Dr. A since Dr. A did my EGD and all my labs, they responded saying they asked Dr. B and he said no. I'm beyond frustrated because I only have a small window remaining where I can take off (Feb - Mar). After that, I will have to put it off until August or September. To clarify, I don't work a standard full time job. I am a contractor working through a recruiting company for a hospital org to implement the software system and their go-live is in July. I don't get paid for time off and I don't get FMLA. So now I'm either stuck in limbo for potentially months until they get him credentialed or I could see if another surgeon would be willing to take all the existing labs/imaging/documentation.

I had a VSG 12 years ago. I was 54 years old. I can make the math easier. I am 66 - quickly approaching 67, this spring. I was miserable, recently divorced, single parenting a teenager, working.... and my weight had hit 320. I was, at that time 5'3", and morbidly obese. I went on my own diet, and lost just over 20 pounds, went to the Doctor and requested weight loss surgery. I did their 12 week mandatory pre diet and classes. I was approved, and got my surgery. Fast Forward.... I lost weight to about 175 pounds. I went from a women plus 28 to a 14/16 petite.... depending on the clothing. I also Lost my younger brother, mother and then my father during those last 12 years. And I gained back weight. I weighed 220..... So Just before the pandemic, I decided to try to lose 10 pounds in a year. Thank goodness for my VSG. My body remembered how to do this. I lost the ten pounds in the matter of a couple months. I decided that since I had issues with regain, I would pause and maintain the weight loss for at least a month or more, before starting to lose weight again. I wanted to LEARN how to maintain the loss. Each 5 or ten pounds, I would stop losing ON PURPOSE - and maintain the weight I was at. I lost back to 173 pounds. I weighed that is graduate school. 1983. I maintained my weight for the past year between 172 to 175. A couple months ago, I decided to try to lose a bit more. The scale was reading 175 more often then I wanted. So.... I did it again. Even more slowly. Right now, I am doing my " lets maintain this for a while" thing.... and weigh 164 I think I might have weighed that in college... like maybe 1978.....before going back for the Masters Degree in 1981. My old Navy size 16 petite that I bought two years ago are too big. I just bought TARGET jeans in a size 14. Age does weird to a woman's body, as does loose skin.... But I can tell you this.... my VSG is still there. I won't ever be 'skinny' - but I am basically barely overweight (you get a few extra pounds on the SMARTBMI scale adjusted for age !) and I am more than thrilled. Do I eat perfectly ? Nope. I have a treat every darned day. A couple cookies or a small dish of ice cream.... or a bit more carbs than are necessary... But I am so flipping "normal" - I am not the heaviest human at work. Someone asked me to "slide" in to sit at a table that was close to the wall because I could "fit". I stood there staring at them..... If we have take out delivered to the office, I participate. I order something that I can eat for another two meals after having lunch. Challenges ? Plenty. Did I manage to raise a great kid, who is doing well ? Yes. Have I figured out how I need to eat to "DO ME" ? Finally. At 66 years young !!! 2004 pic.eml2022pic.eml I tried to put in pics 2004 and 2022 320 pounds and now 164 pounds

The day after tomorrow is my surgery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait. I'm so happy, one more day of full size stomach liquid diet! It did go by pretty fast, looking back on it. It was gross, but its nearly over! Yay!

Hello, I'm 61 and had my sleeve surgery a little over a year ago. Everything went really well. I went home the next day. I was never in pain. I'm so happy I had the surgery. I've only lost 45 lbs., I'm not losing as fast as I want but I feel so much better and I'm happier. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for the wonderful replies! I'm now at the end of Jan, managed to lose 2 pounds, I'm a slow loser. There are no more cookies, chocolate or any junk left in my house. I had to retrain my brain to increase the protein and vegs and skip the Carbs for awhile. I feel much better, but amazed at how fast that sweet tooth came back. I'm under massive stress right now, I'm limited physically how much I can walk so meditation is my best freind right now. If I can meditate every other day, life stays under control. I love that there are so many sugar alternatives we can use for baking to fake out the sweet tooth! Best wishes to all and Happy New Year.

Yes, crazy good to wear those smaller sizes! I've been losing so fast that I've actually dropped through some clothes I bought after surgery. I still struggle to see it myself sometimes, but going from a tight 44 to a lose 38 waist in pants makes it pretty obvious. I've had a few major stalls as well, but am officially down over 100 pounds now. I'm obviously really happy about that, but also a bit shocked at how fast it's come off. @Hope4NewMe don't count on maintaining a 10 pound loss per month. For the math geeks, most of the time weight loss follows a pattern called exponential decay. It looks something like this: The important takeaway is that the closer you get to goal, the slower the loss.

Hi Ericka, Wow I know what you mean I now realize how fast I used to eat. I will be 7 weeks post op on Monday and food is touch and go for me sometinmes I have no appetite and then other times I want to EAT. But my stomach say NO lol. Still trying to get protein shakes down but they make my stomach cramp. I deal with a lot gas issues 😏. I am walking a mile or more at least 3 xtimes week and am going to start working out. Hope to hear from you soon 🙂

1. Are straws allowed while drinking anything? I swear I was told that you can I was told no at first and then that changed, the issue is people suck too much air or drink too fast. 2. I'm thinking about getting the Bariatric Fusion Vitamins. The nurse at the bariatrics office tells me that she recommends them over getting the vitamins separately. Do I still need other vitamins on top of those? Bariatric fusion multivitamin chews are so gross, super chalky. I get my B-50 from them, but I use the one a day Multi with Iron and also my Calcium NOW® Cal-Mag DK from ProCare Health and I love it. I get B-12 from the store. 3. So, I was wondering if we get tested the day after surgery to see if everything is working the way they're supposed to? Or is every surgeon different? (Like I said I will be asking my surgeon all of these questions) I was tested the day after, that was it. they had me drink contrast and they scan you. 4. Soups...we can use the broth in any Soup? Probably the lower sodium Soups right? Yes, bone broth is good 5. Last, but not least. Do they usually let you take a shower after surgery or do you have to wait awhile? I would really like to shower before I come home. Surgery is getting closer and closer...ahh! I was able to shower the day after I got home, 2.5 days after surgery. The Glue held fine, no issues 2 Bonus question, what is or did everyone pack for surgery? Lose comfortable clothes, a robe, sandals or slippers for walking, basic toiletries and something to do while in the hospital for a day. Is their going to be a drain placed? No drain

Thanks so much for your reply. I’m currently waiting to see my GP and then waiting for the referral. I’ve been reading a lot and yes it seems the lap band is fast being replaced. I guess I have to wait to talk to the bariatric surgeon, firstly to find out what’s the issue with mine currently & what they suggest. again Thanks for your reply CHEERS

Ah now that’s a complicated question & there is no definitive answer. There’ll be those who tell you sleeve is the best or bypass is the way to go, etc. The thing to remember is that was the surgery that was best for them. And yes there’ll be those who say they wished they’d chosen another surgery. There are some issues that can make one surgery a much better option over another. For example if you have pre existing reflux/gerd sleeve is not for you or you have a lot of weight to lose bypass may be a better choice. There are other pre existing conditions that may need to be taken into consideration too. As well as factors like your weight loss & gain history, lifestyle, eating style & preferences, etc. Best advice is to do lots of reading & gather information like this yourself & then have a long conversation with your surgeon & see what they recommend based on your medical status, general health & with consideration of the factors mentioned above & then make your decision. As for the long term effects of, I presume maintaining your weight, it really comes down to you. The changes you’re willing to make to your eating, how compliant you are in the long term with your new way of eating, the activity you choose to add to your lifestyle, etc. The surgery is a tool & it’s success depends on how you use it & the sustainability of the changes you make. My surgeon recommended a sleeve after going through everything with me & answering my questions. I was leaning that way anyway as I didn’t want as major a change as with bypass. My weight had only become a serious obese issue with menopause before that I bounced between a BMI of 23 healthy & 29 overweight). I had some existing food sensitivities. I dislike taking medications. Didn’t have any co morbidities - my general health was good. Was fairly controlled about a lot of my eating & was aware of food choices, portion sizes, etc. Didn’t want the increased possibility of dumping (already had random episodes of hypoglycaemia) or absorption issues (especially calcium & iron as a menopausal woman). And yes, it was the right choice for me & my situation & needs. I lost all my weight & more. I’m only 3.75yrs out but have pretty much maintained my weight except for a very fast 2kg (4lbs) gain after my gall was removed in June 2021 which reduced my absorption of protein (so made a dietary change) & we also recently discovered my HRT. I had lost about 0.5kg of the 2kgs over almost a year but since I went on a HRT patch 3 months ago I’ve lost a kg without trying (Damn hormones - or lack of in my case.) Will be interesting to see if the last 0.5kg goes too & I end up where I was at 49kg. That’s my story anyway. All the best whichever surgery you choose.

Hi all, I had the gastric sleeve done in 2015 and have lost around 100lbs (depending on the season) lol. Ever since I was able to start eating solid food I would get full really fast with little food (to the point of feeling sick and sneezing), after 10-15 min. It would feel like my food would drop and I would be able to eat the rest of my meal. Has anyone else felt this?

Burgers again. Used different buns this time and they're a better match. Made one with Gouda's Glorie cheddar style sauce and jalapeños and one with a spicy ketchup like sauce and a Bedda melt slice. I want to try some vegan bacon next time on the cheese burger. This one went straight to the fridge for eating later: This time I made them in the oven (the paper "wrapping" worked quite fine, no mess in the microwave/oven, just throw away the messy paper) and they browned nicely. I guess these burgers will be a keeper. I wonder how people manage to take pictures of a burger or sandwich that don't look just plain ugly, btw. 🤔 Anyway, this was today's fast breaker: soup and burger. I wanted something warm and spicy. It's cold again in Germany. The soup was ok. Even for my taste a bit salty. Too expensive, so I might buy again when on sale but it won't be a staple.

I was not a fan of Noom for a lot of the same reasons. Apparently steamed cheesy broccoli that you can find in the freezer section is a red (bad) food. Some of the suggestions they gave on separate weeks were that intermittant fasting is good, then to beware going too long between meals because you would get too hungry. I kept thinking, make up your mind with the advice.

Today's fast breaker. https://www.harry-brot.de/produkte/detail/show/vegane-pancakes-kakao There is a vanilla version as well. Both taste ok but I'm not sure yet if they will be a staple. Some leftovers:

I highly recommend this video (which another very kind member shared a little while ago) which may help with your question. The thing about weight loss is there is a lot of averages & the stats you mentioned are an example. There are averages for how much weight you’ll lose, how long it will take, how fast or slow you’ll lose, etc. They’re averages because there are so many factors which influence those stats: age, gender, starting weight, weight loss before surgery, weight loss & gain history, health issues, medications, your new set point, how closely you follow your plan, the lifestyle changes you implement (food choices, activity, …) & so on. As with all averages some will exceed them others won’t reach them. What averages give you are an idea of what might happen. Not a rule but a guideline of what might happen. I’m one of those who exceeded the average. At 12 weeks from surgery I’d lost about 15kg. I’d lost 31kg (including the 5kg pre surgery so about the double amount & got me to my goal) at 6 months. At 12 months I’d lost a total of about 41kgs (not intentionally but it was where my body wanted to be - my new set point). I bounced around there for another couple of months before settling about another kilo lighter (total 42.5kg lost). This was my experience.

as Arabesque said, rate of weight loss is dependent on numerous factors, only a couple of which you much (if any) control over, which are: 1) how closely you stick to your program and 2) your activity level. If you do well with those, the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. If your overall trend is down, then you're golden. I just checked and I'd lost about 32 lbs by then, but my starting weight was lower than yours, plus I don't know your gender, age, activity level, how much muscle you have (the more muscular, the more calories you burn, even at rest), etc. So again as Arabesque said, you can't really compare yourself to others....there's just too many factors at play. Again, if your overall weight trend is down, then you're fine. I think 45 lbs down sounds great, actually.

The whole WLS experience is an experience in conditioning. Our actual plans have sometimes vast differences yet no one seems to want to reconcile the differences. It seems the actual plan doesn't really matter but it's following a plan that seems to be the important element. We are learning a new way of eating, a healthier and sustainable way to eat and live. As a reward we consistently lose weight. What conditioning! We follow plan and lose weight. The surgery helps us follow the plan the major part of which is not eating too much. In point of fact most people would lose weight for the first several months no matter what they eat. The surgery is doing the heavy lifting. We all have read of people that eat what they want, pick and choose plan elements, and/or quickly return to their old habits, and yet early on they lose weight. Think of how they are being conditioned: Eat what you want and lose weight. Eventually comes the point where the weight loss stops, or even reverses. It comes for us all. How have the two groups conditioned themselves? Well, the group conditioned with following the plan continue to follow plan, perhaps tightening a little. It's the same thing they've been doing and continuing is just doing what you've been conditioned to do. This group continues doing well. The second group that wasn't following a plan is stuck. Now they have to make a change to something they are unprepared for and unconditioned to do: They need to eat to plan. Except they have no positive conditioning related to plan. For these folks, they are back on the dieting circle. They are conditioned to eat what they want, so this is where their conditioning keeps wanting to take them. They are back between a rock and a hard place. Eating to plan has more implications than simply losing weight fast. We are conditioning ourselves for long term success. Sorry for the sermon, lecture, and longwindedness. Someone will be passing the contribution box. Good luck, Tek

Yesssssssss thank you! I didn't do this so I could spend the rest of my life still tied up in diet culture bs and I definitely didn't do this to hate a very real and very important part of who I am and what my life is. There are a couple of doctors on yt who have really great/helpful videos for the most part but when you get to their videos about eating it goes completely off the rails. I saw one the other day recommending intermittent fasting to wls patients! How are you a doctor literally recommending disordered eating habits to patients trusting you to give them evidence-based information about how to eat!

it's mostly likely from the IV fluids they gave you in the hospital. It's basically salt water, which a lot of people retain. I've heard of people leaving the hospital weighing up to 10 lbs more than when they went in! It does take a few days to work it's way out of your system, so hang on. You should start dropping weight very soon. as for protein shakes, I never had trouble with drinking things from day 1. I was worried about it because we were told we'd only be able to drink a little at a time, but the PA at my clinic told me not to worry about it - that my stomach would tell me if I was drinking too fast or too much.

I had a revision due to gerd back in August. I didn't really have any stalls but the first couple of weeks, I had Water weight (over 10 lbs) gain due to the IV fluids so that always appears to be a stall. It took over 3 weeks to get rid of all that water. I am guessing that is what you are experiencing right now or something similar. They told me that I won't lose as fast as the VSG but that was not the case for me. I was content at 160 lbs (post vsg weight) but I got down to 108 lbs after revision. I learned a lot of tools while I had my vsg, and they continue to work through the revision.If you gained weight with vsg, to continue losing after revision, your eating habits must change from when you had your vsg. Unfortunately, the surgery itself will not make you lose weight as faster than vsg. Statistically, it is more effective than vsg but not by much. Like the sleeve, it is an effective tool if used correctly. Are you logging your intake? What are your calories per day? If it is below what you daily expend, the weight will continue to come off and you can shrug those pesky stalls off.

Hi! I am so sorry you are going through this. I am really surprised that your barium swallow test did not show anything if you are having such bad reflux. All of this is so frustrating. You go through the first surgery thinking that everything will be just fine and then find out something else has to be done, and then you have to fight with insurances and Dr.'s just to help you. I am lucky, I have amazing Dr.'s who have fought, I just don't have an insurance who will help me. I did not even know that the sleeve could cause reflux to get worse until I had a surgery consult in 2021. My reflux was slowly increasing since I was sleeved in 2015 and finally in 2020/2021 I could not take it any longer. Every night acid would come out of my nose, despite having an adjustable bed and practically sleeping sitting up, not eating or drinking 2-3 hours before bed. I was doing everything. I had an upper endoscopy that showed a hiatal hernia and I was referred to a surgeon. To my luck the surgeon was the leading bariatric surgeon in my region. He said that since I had the sleeve he could not fix my hernia that the only fix was to convert to the Bypass. I had no idea that was even an option, and he explained to me what was going on. I was blown away. He then sent me for the barium swallow. The radiologist said that she had never seen anyone with as bad reflux as I had. I refluxed the barium standing up! She had never seen that before. It was very clear what was needed and I was immediately fast-tracked through the Bariatric program since it had been so long since I had been through a program, and my first program was in a different area and through different insurance. Then came the brick wall. My insurance denied the surgery. They stated that my reflux was a complication from the first surgery, even though I had reflux prior to the surgery. I appealed and sent medical documentation to show I had reflux prior to the surgery and they still denied. I did 3 levels of appeal, and my surgeon also did a pier to pier review with the medical director with the insurance and they denied again. And I finally found out the real reason. I have my insurance through my husbands insurance through his work, and his company specifically excluded bariatric procedures, so bottom line, no matter the reason why I am getting the surgery they will not cover it because it is still coded as a bariatric surgery. And I have to now pay cash for the surgery. But it is worth it if it fixes the problem and I don't have to deal with the reflux! However this is my experience with my insurance. I hope you don't have the same experience with your insurance. Are there any other surgeons in your area? You are always free to get a second opinion. It is sad but sometimes you have to push Dr.'s to listen to you, and you have to be your own advocate and not wait for them. Please don't be afraid to fight for yourself and your health!!! I would think that they would take into consideration the medication that you have to take, and the conditions that the reflux is already causing. Good Luck!!!

Hey yall! This is my first post. I had a VSG in 07/2017, everything was wonderful. I went from a HW of 390 to a LW of 200. The weight came off EXTREMELY quickly. COVID came and it just completely derailed me. Due to regain and heartburn, I just had a VSG revision to Bypass on 12/13/2022. I will be 4 weeks post op tomorrow. Everything was going amazingly great post op, I felt great from day 1 and did not even need pain meds (as opposed with my sleeve). I have been at a stall for 2+weeks and it is driving me absolutely insane. I have lost a total of 26lbs since preop diet (12/01/2022), I have spent the last week walking a TON at the Disney parks and did not weigh myself all week HOPING that when I came home the stall would be broken. I thought maybe the stall was because I was not having frequent BM's but all the walking did help in that area. Much to my surprise, I actually gained a pound when I got home. I am eating well, I am hydrating but just very confused as to why I am stalling for so long. I try to not associate it with my sleeve as my VSG the weight was coming off very rapidly, I was also way heavier. My doctor did warn that I will not lose as much and as fast as the sleeve since this is a revision. I just want to be on the losing path again, has this happened to any of you specifically with a revision?