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Hi all, my friend is having surgery in June. Shes got a thyroid problem. I'm not sure if its hypo or hyper but her doctor is telling her that she may not lose more than 80 lbs the whole surgery. I'm not sure how much she weights but i'd say more than 300 less than 450. Is this the truth? She's now worried about getting the surgery because shes not sure that it's going to be worth it for her. Shes about 28 years old. What do you all think? Ps....shes on medicaid so the surgery is free and so is the skin removal surgery afterwards. Not sure if this has anything at all to do with it but i figured i'd throw it in there.

Before anyone says to me "this isn't a diabetes site" I totally understand. Not trying to get diabetic support!! But, my main health concern is my diabetes (type 2). Just wanted some input from fellow-diabetic weight loss surgery champions. I am still in the decision making process, haven't even had my first consult with a nutritionist yet. My BF of 20 years is a double amputee (type 1) so I've seen the end result. My BGs are good, but I'm aware that the older I get the more difficult that will be to control. I'm about willing to do most anything to bring that under more permanent control. My A1C started at 13.11. I'm now controlling it at 6.4. Haven't been over 7 for 3 years. I've was diagnosed about 3.5 years ago. I've been able to drop 60 pounds in that same period but have plateaued, with 60 - 80 pounds to go. Actually moved back up the scale this past cold winter. Nephropathy started for me about 3 months ago. My pharmacist daughter said I won't get that because I'm so controlled. Well, my disease proved her wrong. I think if I can get my weight to a healthier level for me I might be able to escape some of the horrors of the diabetic disease. A diabetic coworker had weight loss surgery 10 years ago, dropped most of her excess weight. She rebounded and has regained plus. It's very sad. I spoke with her briefly this week and she said that they don't tell you that you can't ever eat carbs again. She said every time she eats carbs she gains weight. I do not know what surgery process she did. I'm concerned about her story as I have a strong tendency to go hypo if I don't eat at least 100 carbs a day. I know my body pretty well now as it concerns my diet. Kind of a science experiment some days!! Has it been easier for you to control your BGs after your weight loss surgery? Have you been able to get off some of these horrific meds (I'm on Metformin and Victoza)? Does the stricter carb diet make you go Hypoglycemic more often? How many carbs are allowed in your diets (I eat about 130 to 150 per day)? You all have so many success stories here. I'm an information gatherer and here seems the best place to ask these questions. I appreciate the time you take to help me out!

Hi Hefftynetty, Welcome! Sorry I can't answer the first question, that would be one for the surgeon. But as far as Synthroid goes, that's not a problem. The only issue would be if you had uncontrolled hypo- or hyperthyroid function, but if you're well controlled on meds that's no worry. Good luck and keep asking questions!!

I'm 54 and have a hypo-thyroid. The band has given me hope to finally loss weight!!! And..... it seems to be working!!! I'm walking 3 -4 times a week; eat 800 - 1200 calories per day. I'm feeling great... but still have a long way to goo. Never tooo old to get healthy and fit. I was banded in December . I found that I wasn't losing for almost a month and finally got my first fill yesterday. (for some reason, my insurance is pretty strict about the timing of fills in order to get it covered) My Doc tells me that I've only just begun by journey and that once I hit the "sweet" spot with the perfect amount of fill, I'll surely be successful!

In reviewing my discharge instructions. One of the criteria for calling your surgeon's office is "New onset of upper back or left shoulder pain." As you lose weight the fat that cushions your bone joints disappears, therefore some patients report bone joint pain after weight loss. But in your case 3 weeks post op is a little too soon to experience this. Getting tired after doing light housework could be caused by a number of things. Top on the list is that your body is still in a major heal mode. But other things might be starting to show up. For example if you were taking prescription medicine prior to surgery, the dosage rate of this medicine might need to be adjusted. Not meeting daily Vitamins, Protein, fluids levels might also come into play. If you experience dizziness and fainting combined with the weakness, it might point to reactive hypoglycemia.

This link helps to describe the condition. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass

That's acid. Unlike heartburn the acid build up that comes with this surgery can feel exactly like you are describing. Call your doctor and get a PPI. Prilosec is not a reactive drug. You can take it whenever you have an acid attack. It needs to be in your system which is why taking the prescribe dosage daily is important. Typically it take 3 -5 days to effectively make a difference.

Keep your head up and stay positive. I experienced a couple of setbacks too. I started my quest for wls in March of last year. I was recovering from sudden cardiac arrest that I suffered in October 2015. I had an emergency tracheostomy while in ICU which I had several setbacks to have removed months after being discharged from the hospital. I had to have surgery to remove scar tissue around my vocal cords. Also had a DVT which left me on blood thinners temporarily. By June, I had all my requirements completed to have weight loss surgery and was waiting for medical clearance. My second setback occurred my employer switched insurance companies from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Aetna. Aetna's requirements were different from Blue Cross Blue Shield and I had to start the whole process all over again and this time I had to do the documented weigh-ins which with Blue Cross Blue Shield I did not have to do. My third setback occurred this past October. I completed everything that was required of me by Aetna. By that time I had medical clearance and had my surgery date set for early November. I then received the worst news of all, I was told the policy that my employer provided did not cover bariatric surgery even after I was told that they did when they first changed to Aetna. As you can imagine I was really upset even after Aetna covered the visits I had with the dietitian and surgeon. I also lost money with those visits as I had to pay a $50 copay for three visits with the dietitian and my surgeon. While I was very frustrated, I stayed focused and determine to have my surgery. I dropped in during open enrollment switch back to Blue Cross Blue Shield. I had to wait until January for of the new policy to go in effect. This time I made sure that the policy I had chosen covered bariatric surgery. Luckily for me all the lab work that I had done and October was good for 6 months. My chart with my surgeon was reactivated and I just had minor documentation that needed to be submitted to Blue Cross Blue Shield and I was approved surgery. After 13 months of starting my weight-loss Journey, I had gastric bypass surgery on April 11th and I'm out a week out from surgery. So I'm here to tell you to keep your head up because sometimes obstacles do get in your way but you have to stay focused in order to reach your goal.

Thanks. I need to be proactive about this. Reactive is what got me to 300lbs!

I know someone through a WLS support group who developed reactive hypoglycemia after surgery. I think the best bet is to check in with your doctor. Good luck!

Several individual on this site have reported the condition. It is officially called "reactive hypoglycemia". Here is a link to the condition and the recommended approaches to deal with it. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/reactive-hypoglycemia/faq-20057778 For the majority of people, reactive hypoglycemia usually doesn't require medical treatment. It may help to pay attention to the timing and composition of your meals: * Eat several small meals and Snacks throughout the day, no more than three hours apart during the waking hours. * Eat a well-balanced diet, including lean and nonmeat sources of Protein, and high-Fiber foods, including whole grains, fruit and vegetables. * Avoid or limit sugary foods, especially on an empty stomach. * Be sure to eat food if you're consuming alcohol and avoid using sugary soft drinks as mixers.

I'm 42 with Celiac. Had Lap Band in 2005. Had acid reflux and couldn't eat with the band. Had Fluid removed 2 years ago. Just wanting to know if anyone has celiac, solution to not loosing chunks of hair, how soon you can go back to a desk job, drive to work etc. I"m in the approval process right now. Hope to know a date soon.

I had mini-gastric bypass in September and started having issues with reactive hypoglycemia after only 4 mos post op. I had revision surgery after having a band for 10 years. I originally planned to get a gastric sleeve, but the surgeon strongly recommends the bypass for patients who are insulin resistant (I'm prediabetic and have PCOS). The hypoglycemia can be scary and I find my diet is now far more restricted than a Type 2 DM diet. I've seen an endocrinologist and am managing with diet (low carb, no simple sugars, high protein, regular snacks) and with taking Glucobay 4 x/day and a calcium channel blocker at bed time. I have to tell you, I regret not getting the sleeve and wish I'd been informed of this relatively common phenomenon prior to surgery (it's connected to late dumping in my case). However, one must weigh the pros and cons. I wish you all the best outcomes. Kerri

If you exercise to improve your metabolism and prevent diabetes, you may want to avoid antioxidants like Vitamins C and E. That is the message of a surprising new look at the body’s reaction to exercise, reported on Monday by researchers in Germany and Boston. Exercise is known to have many beneficial effects on health, including on the body’s sensitivity to insulin. “Get more exercise” is often among the first recommendations given by doctors to people at risk of diabetes. But exercise makes the muscle cells metabolize glucose, by combining its carbon atoms with oxygen and extracting the energy that is released. In the process, some highly reactive oxygen molecules escape and make chemical attacks on anything in sight. These reactive oxygen compounds are known to damage the body’s tissues. The amount of oxidative damage increases with age, and according to one theory of aging it is a major cause of the body’s decline. The body has its own defense system for combating oxidative damage, but it does not always do enough. So antioxidants, which mop up the reactive oxygen compounds, may seem like a logical solution. The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Ristow, a nutritionist at the University of Jena in Germany, tested this proposition by having young men exercise, giving half of them moderate doses of vitamins C and E and measuring sensitivity to insulin as well as indicators of the body’s natural defenses to oxidative damage. The Jena team found that in the group taking the vitamins there was no improvement in insulin sensitivity and almost no activation of the body’s natural defense mechanism against oxidative damage. The reason, they suggest, is that the reactive oxygen compounds, inevitable byproducts of exercise, are a natural trigger for both of these responses. The vitamins, by efficiently destroying the reactive oxygen, short-circuit the body’s natural response to exercise. “If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants,” Dr. Ristow said. A second message of the study, he said, “is that antioxidants in general cause certain effects that inhibit otherwise positive effects of exercise, dieting and other interventions.” The findings appear in this week’s issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The effect of vitamins on exercise and glucose metabolism “is really quite significant,” said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, a co-author of the report. “If people are trying to exercise, this is blocking the effects of insulin on the metabolic response.”

Congrats! Only 17 days! I think it really doesn't "get real" until you are in pre-op getting poked and prodded. Yes you can experience hair loss, you can attempt to reduce this by making sure your protein levels stay high through out the process, you can take Biotine supplements as well, but the sad fact is, this doesn't guarantee you won't lose hair. It's not even really "hair loss" because you aren't really losing hair... like we typically think of when we hear "hair loss" it's not generally not permanent. the loss happens because surgery causes your follicles to enter a rest phase, which is normal, but the shock causes more of them to go into rest than normal. So when they finally reactivate, they push out the hair they were holding onto, in order to grow a new strand. Since a larger than normal percentage of follicles are doing this at the same time, the appearance of "hair loss" happens. The hair generally grows back normally.

This has me somewhat baffled - and same as catwoman, I've never heard of this being done as a normal pre-op test. I would be interested in hearing what their rationale is, as my understanding of it all is that stomach emptying in a normal person is largely a function of the pyloric valve, which is being bypassed along with the remnant stomach in your RNY. I can understand that if you were having a sleeve or DS done, which preserves the pyloric valve, then faster than normal emptying could imply a higher risk of post-op dumping or reactive hypoglycemia, which are rare with the sleeve based procedures but relatively common with the bypass (owing to the existence or non-existence of that pyloric valve.) Maybe a tendency toward rapid empyting implies that the surgeon should give you a tighter stoma to slow things down post-op? Call me confused - but curious!

Being exhausted can be a sign of low blood sugar. I was diabetic prior to surgery. If I had not come off all my diabetic meds after surgery, these meds could have forced my blood sugar to go towards the low side. For the first month after surgery, your body is in a major heal mode. That might cause the exhaustion. Some meds may cause these symptoms. There is also a condition called reactive hypoglycemia that some people who underwent WLS encounter. But at 2 weeks, I think this is too soon for that condition.

I read all the threads and see the newbies saying they are getting the band because it's easily reversed and want to yell HELLO!!!! It's not that easy kids!!!! I mean, in the grand scheme the surgery (both getting it in and getting it out) was fairly easy but I know my doc is guilty of glossing over the long term consequences even now! But this is the same man who essentially chewed me out for having a slipped band (truly, I think it's because it hurts his stats....) and would not even consider the possibility that it was anything other than my fault, can you tell he makes me warm and fuzzy??? I was not the perfect band patient, I should have exercised more and I did occasionally hit the ice cream for dessert with my son but the first year I followed pretty much all his rules to a T and was having issues even back then. But I also wasn't a bad band patient. I didn't eat the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat, i ate small portions, focused on Protein, small bites, and chewed my heart out. I can only recall getting truly stuck once (cheese stick about 6 weeks post op, scared the hell out of me!). My issues seemed to be more reactive or inflammatory in nature. Allergies or sinus drainage killed me, the week before my period was horrible, my son gave me a GI virus that was almost the death of me (this is actually where I think the slip started), stress tightened me up and sent me back to liquids as well. I stopped posting a few years ago because of the animosity amongst the posters. I came here for support post-op when I was starving to death and couldn't figure out what was wrong and left because of the band nazis who knew everything and anytime there was an issue it was your fault, always your fault, never a chance that sometimes stuff happens. I've been reading the bypass and sleeve boards as well and just don't see the hostility there that I see here sometimes. Makes me sad that when we're supposd to be supporting each other sometimes we chose to tear each other down instead.... Thank you all for your kind words, I will be fine. I always am! I don't know if any of you remember my story or not but I'm the girl that 8 1/2 years ago walked out on an abusive husband with a 5 day old son and $50 in my checking account....and now I have just the most amazing young man and we have such an amazing life. This is simply a bump in the road. Sometimes the bumps hurt but they're there for a reason and hopefully make us stronger in the end.

In reply to above, I'm a NP and have never had history of hypos during workouts. My feeling of hypo post VSG comes with typical symptoms of shakiness, foggy brain, slowed speech, etc. All very typical. I will definitely consider this option. thanks!

Give yourself credit for getting back on the horse and putting the focus on your health! We all start out with a basic lifting plan and progress. Weight loss and muscle gains do not happen overnight. Your goal right now is weight loss....right? Did your dietician give you a calorie and protein goal to hit? You will still eat according to your dieticians high protein plan. Weight lifters eat a diet to shred (lose weight to expose muscle) You can't eat a weightlifters bulking diet to gain muscle and expect weight loss. Get fit in the gym lose weight in the kitchen. One pound of muscle burns 50 calories. You are still going to gain strength and build muscle with time. Hypoglycemia is manageable. Get diagnosed and prescribed glucose testing kit. Keep track of your low blood sugars. You will sit down with your dietician and make adjustments to keep your glucose levels in check (I am three years out. I'm a type one diabetic. I have reactive hypoglycemia after surgery) I lift and distance run. I eat protein before and after the gym. I keep healthy snacks in my gym bag. I only eat them if my blood sugar drops below 70, You can reach your dream!!!! Build into a fitness bad ass!

For my pre-op blood work they did the following tests which totaled 56 results: IRON AND TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY, COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL, CBC (INCLUDES DIFF/PLT), C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, HS CRP, HEMOGLOBIN A1c, HOMOCYSTEINE, FERRITIN, FOLATE, RBC, T4, FREE, TSH, VITAMIN B12, VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA, HELICOBACTER PYLORI, UREA BREATH TEST, VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE), BLOOD, LC/MS/MS, NICOTINE AND COTININE, LC/MS/MS, SERUM/PLASMA It's just to make sure they have your full baseline to compare with post-op and follow up, and to make sure you aren't already deficient in anything or have any bacteria or issues that would cause complications during surgery. Totally normal stuff!

Ideally, doctors and anesthesia providers would ask you to quit for at least 2 months and closer to 6 months prior to elective surgery. However, we all realize that this isn't realistic for everyone. You should know that you get the most benefit for reducing complications related to anesthesia if you have quit smoking 8 weeks (2 months) prior to your anesthesia. What you do beyond that is really a discussion for you and your surgeon and anesthesia provider, but whatever you do, be sure you are honest about your smoking. It really impacts how your anesthesia care is provided and can really make a difference in how you do. They know what to expect better if they know you've smoked in the last month, or week, or 24 hours, rather than lying about it. Recent smoking can make your airway more reactive, more difficult to intubate, can make you more prone to bronchospasm and laryngospasm, and can alter your oxygenation capabilities, among other things. As far as the band itself, as others have said the only real effect would be on your wound healing post op.

Turns out I had my thyroid checked with blood work and I have hypo-thyroid. Dizziness is one of the leading side effects among weight gain. Encronoligist gave me a pill to level my thyroid and I will have blood work again in October. FYI, thyroid levels are not checked in routine blood work unless you ask fir them to be checked.

I would ask the surgeon for recommendations on that. As a side note, my psoriasis has cleared up a LOT since my surgery. Not cured by any means, but my skin is much less reactive and I've needed no treatments at all.

You may be ahead of the game if you haven't lost any hair yet. As I understand it, most people notice it very soon after surgery. That is what happened in my case. As far as taking anything for it, I think being proactive is better than being reactive. Hair loss is a combined result of a nutritional deficiency and the post operative shock that your body goes thru after major surgery. You may be one of those fortunate few who will not experience a significant hair loss. Keep doing what you're doing because it doesn't sound there's anything broken for you to fix! Good luck!