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I had a barium swallow every year after my sleeve to check if it was stretched. I guess I was paranoid lol. Now after the revision, I haven't done that. But it is fast, you drink chalky stuff, they watch it go down. I always asked for a picture to compare year to year. No sedation, can Uber that no problem but ... For the surgery, not allowed to do Uber, at least here I couldn't.

Happy that you made the choice to have WLS. I'm going to give you a different way of looking at this. LOTS of people (meeee) have body dysmorphia. Crazy but when i was 232lbs (5'2") and i looked in the mirror.... I didn't see 232lbs. I saw what was in my head. In fact I decided to have WLS (lapband) when I saw a picture and didn't know it was me.... the feeling was awful.......... fast forward...... 143lbs (lapband) and all I saw in the mirror was the fat girl............ fast forward....... 2+ years after lapband removed 173lbs I didn't see how terrible I looked again............ Sleeved at 173lbs and now i'm at 125-129 and I still don't see the person everyone else sees in the mirror...... I got down to 120 and i got a lot of "your soooo skinny". It's crazy how the mind plays trick on us...... and yes i'm in therapy. So she probably doesn't see what you saw.

First time poster: Figured this is a group that would appreciate this….. I’m 3 weeks post surgery and am down a little bit of weight. On my first day back to work, I put on my regular work pants (stretch dress pants, 2XL). I also had put on a new body shaper (HoneyLove) because I have to wear a suit in a couple days for an important offsite meeting. I tried on the shaper this morning and decided it was best to wear it to work to get used to wearing it/break it in. Plus it’s like wearing the binder and actually helped with the discomfort from the laparoscopic sites. Problem is, I didn’t think about the combination of the weight loss + the silkiness of the body shaper meant that the loose dress pants really had nothing to cling to. They don’t have any pockets or belt loops. I walk into the front door of a very busy building, swipe my badge, and as I’m in the front lobby and beginning to walk down the hallway to the elevators, I almost trip—MY PANTS WERE AROUND MY ANKLES. Because of the legs of the body shaper shorts, I never even felt them slip down. I’m carrying things in my arms and immediately have to bend down, drop everything out of my arms, grab my pants, pull them up, then hold them up while I pick up everything off the floor. 😖🥺😳😳😳😳😳 I didn’t even look around to see how many people saw the whole thing. I just kept my head down, kept one hand clinging onto my pants with the other arm juggling my stuff and walk as fast as I can to the elevators. Had to walk around with one hand down on my side slyly gripping my pants. Felt like Bob Dole with a dead arm while I was awkwardly walking from room to room. 🤣😂 *Sigh*. Good news/bad news eh? Definitely an eventful return to work!

Mine started as a class with 4 or 5 other patients and a nurse who showed a power point, and went over insurance requirements, pre-op testing, and explained the difference between RNY and Sleeve surgeries, After the group session, we were called back individually to meet with the surgeon and nutritionist (got weighed, went over med history, etc). Was given a list of tests to get completed by the next visit, and I was off to the races! The staff was great and kept me very organized. My initial consult was in Oct, and I had my surgery in Dec. I was lucky to be able to get all of my tests done quickly, which is how I was able to have surgery so fast.

I was mostly curious if my pouch was working. I've had very little issues since the beginning and I was starting to wonder if they made my pouch too big or something. That's the only reason I went for the whole .5 cup. Which was stupid in hindsight. 😅 I do struggle with eating too fast though. I ordered some little sand timers so I can slow down between bites. I was always a fast eater before surgery so that transition has been a bit difficult.

I was getting them , but would move my shoulders (shrugging or small circles over and over) and walk each time i got them.. they got better fast with that… i get pains behind my sternum randomly and occasionally waves of nausea … i have been walking a lot at a slow pace… picking up pecans with a picker upper stick in my yard (weighs 2 lbs and i use it like a walking stick so no strain) …. had hiccups too - those hurt…. but only two so far today you having issues with fluid? i am behind but working it hard to get closer to a goal today…

What our new signals may be can be different. Hiccups like you, sneezing or runny nose seem to be quite common. Me, I don’t have a physical reaction like those. Sometimes my tummy will start to rumble, grumble & squelch. In many ways I have a similar feeling of fullness to what I always got just not as extreme because I am more aware of when that feeling starts (sort of heaviness). I rely more on asking myself if I need the next bite or just want it. I often will put down my fork or spoon with food on it because I realise I don’t need that bite. Sometimes I may have that bite 5 or 10 minutes later. I still have my restriction but I only feel that if I‘ve eaten a little too fast (I’m still a slow eater) or if something is too heavy, not sitting well or sometimes for no obvious reason.

I still get them a lot and I'm 6 months out. If I eat a little too much or eat too fast, I'm hiccupping for a while lol

4:25 am, Nov 4 2022 - update still kinda hazy but sleeping good between overnight between med staff visits. lots of meds, antibiotics, antiemetics, Tylenol, gabapentin, neurotin, .. they tried to give me insulin and i refused. i am non insulin and blood sugar only spiked to 177 post surgery (blood sugar spikes with body trauma) from106 pre op… pain when i stand and sit back down.. but tolerable… minimal pain when walking carefully… i walked as soon as I could and that made gas pain dissipate quick so far (horrible chest pressure for a while but is 80% gone.. but i am starting to feel it in upper chew and shoulders again since o was laying flatter to sleep… sitting up at more of an angle for the rest of the night) there is pain/discomfort with most sips (lots of pain when i accidentally gulped once.. lesson learned) but it passes in a few seconds. general minor pain and discomfort in abdomen, kinda like a minor sprain… i didn’t do extra pain meds in the afternoon but took it in the evening and a few mins ago… the one ounce cups are amazing for control. use them! minor nausea sometimes passes fast but they are loading me up with anti nausea meds due to a family history of severe nausea after surgery (my first procedure under a general besides endoscopy) was not prepared for the fact that i would burp with nearly every sip (even purposely keeping air out of mouth and sipping approx 5 ml at a time! and there is 30 ml in a one ounce cup - so not much) no pain with burp but is reducing gas pain i think. one more pain saving tip: IV potassium sucks but get an ice pack to put on arm IV area to reduce the burning and pain the infusion causes. Huge difference in comfort. …. hope this helps take the mystery out of some of the after…

This isn’t an easy question to answer because we have different needs & we are different people. I was at my goal at 6 months but kept losing as I struggled to eat enough at first to slow the loss. My surgeon told me to work up to about a cup of food by maintenance & I guess that was pretty true but it did depend on what I was eating as some things were more filling - still the same now. I was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months & then about 1300 when I stabilised at about 15 months. I eat about 1400 now & generally eat about or a bit less than what would be considered a recommended serving size. Someone taller, younger, more active than me, heavier than me & with a larger frame would need to eat more & vice versa. And of course the foods you eat also okay a part. I’m a low processed make it myself person, eating lower carbs, very little sugar, lowish fat. Have you spoken to your team about the foods you struggle with? What do you mean by struggle - make you feel sick, feel your restriction, sit heavily, taste, etc.? Is it a specific food/s, food group or any food randomly? Can you relate it too how much you eat, how fast or even when you eat? (Sounds odd to ask about time but for example I have difficulty eating breakfast before 8:30/9am.)

I had frequent persistent hiccups for like 9 months. It wasn’t related to being full or eating fast. For me they were triggered when I stood up or sat down. I went from 20 a day to less than 1 a day but it took a long time.

I want to clarify something here for those that are following along at home. A random blood sugar test can be used to indicate diabetes, but just because your blood sugar is less than 200 mg/dL, does not mean that you don't have diabetes. An analogy would be this: if you weigh over 600 pounds, you are definitely obese. Just because you weigh less than 600 pounds does not mean you are not obese. I'm diabetic, but my blood sugar was never over 200 mg/dL any time I checked. As I mentioned, it's much more common to use A1C and fasting blood glucose tests to diagnose diabetes. Fasting is good because blood sugar fluctuates throughout the day. It should be at its lowest point after an 8 to 10 hour fast, so for most people, this is first thing in the morning. The other common test most diabetics are asked to do is "postprandial". This means after a meal. Now timing after that meal is subject to some debate, but typically 2 hours after eating is used as the "standard" for diabetics. For everyone, even non-diabetics, your blood sugar will start going up roughly 10 minutes after starting to eat. While this is heavily dependent on what and how much you ate, in a non-diabetic, your postprandial blood sugar should peak within about an hour of eating and should be back to normal in 2 to 3 hours. For diabetics, this normally does not happen as fast, so the peak blood sugar concentration is typically closer to 2 hours after eating. In short, most type 2 diabetics are asked to take a postprandial reading 2 hours after eating. Both fasting and postprandial readings are used to determine how well the disease is managed. For example, a high fasting blood glucose test might indicate that your diabetes medication needs to be adjusted. Another example might be if the post prandial reading is actually lower than the fasting number. If this is a consistent trend, it might indicate reactive hypoglycemia.

YAY!! You have done so much self care and preparation for this you will NAIL IT! I look forward to seeing your progress! Best of luck, wishing you a fast safe recovery!

Hello, I am 7 months post-op bypass. Really, everyone is different so I can only share my experience. Dumping is common in about 30% of bypass patients. There is risk of becoming lactose intolerant which is the most common intolerance. I tolerate everything, or at least I haven't had anything that I don't tolerate. I had a few hiccups very early out, for example I couldn't eat cold chicken (I think it was too dry) but I do now without issue. Otherwise I haven't ran into anything that I don't tolerate and LUCKILY I am just fine with all kinds of dairy. I was worried about that one because I just love all the dairy products. My team/ Dietician is very "balanced diet" they do not restrict any foods once you get back to your normal diet phase of the process. They stress that the point of the surgery is that you can learn to eat a well balanced diet so you do not "feel like you are on a diet forever". I love this strategy because I am and always have been against all the fad diets. Our bodies really do need everything, just at different levels. (I'm ranting, back to the point) Therefore we are allowed all foods, with the priority of proteins FIRST and then if we have room in out bellies and our plan for the day can go on to others. I eat carbs, fat, sugar..etc. Not in excess and in moderation and after or once I know for sure I will hit my protein goal. Some carbs like breads fill me up super fast so I limit them just because of that. I have had regular pasta, brown and white rice, breads, crackers all of which are fine but I have a little at a time. Again, mainly for filling up reasons. I eat regular sugar sweets without issue. Although, little bits at a time and not often so I may just not have hit my "maxed to the point of dumping yet" or I just may not be a dumper. I really don't know for sure and I don't intend to push myself to the point of trying to dump to find out. haha I do pay attention to the sugars so if I do dump I know at what point pushed me there. So far I have had a max of 15g ADDED sugars at a time. I do not have any issues with dumping from fats either. Or, again maybe just haven't hit the dumping point yet. I have had fried chicken breast once but pulled the skin off. I have had chicken tenders too with the breading. Maybe a few fries (5-6). I usually only eat these things in a pinch, usually out just because they are always so high in calories. I might be a special case, I have has a seamless recovery and transition back to "normal" eating. I am so grateful for that! Eating too much will kick my a*s but I learned from that quick and it only happened 2 times. Gas...yea... it sucks. I definitely have more gas. haha I do notice if I eat those "bad" foods as mentioned above that i have more gas. I hope I answered all your questions and this helped. Good luck on whatever you decide!

I just thought of something else Minnesotans can relate to - WLS makes you lose weight FAST and our metabolism/body thermostat can't keep up with all the insulation we are losing! When it dropped down to 40, which isn't really that cold, I had to wear an extra heavy sweatshirt or a jacket outside, even when I was taking a brisk walk! I didn't even think of this as I was planning for surgery, but now that we've had some cold days, uffdah, this is gonna be a COOOOLD winter! haha

I wonder what that person took that she reacted to? I have to agree with SpartanMaker that its related to an ingredient in the medicine, it may be the dextromethorphan, but it could also be that the medicine has alcohol. The problem with NSAIDS/Advil type medicines, is not that you'd react wierdly, its that NSAIDs are a lot of work for your liver to break down and since you're tummy is already stressed and small, the liver takes on MORE of the breakdown work. So taking Advil/NSAIDs after weight loss surgery is very damaging to your liver. Smaller tummy = much lower tolerance and slower breakdown - so yup, you can get drunk really fast and stay that way for longer, you could have an adverse reaction to things with sugar (even lactose in dairy products), that you never had before, etc. I found this article which was kinda helpful: Cold and Flu Season after Weight Loss Surgery (utahbariatrics.com)

Nice work! It is definitely important to have bilirubin checked and to have it followed up with a gallbladder check! Steady and swift weight loss leads to gall stones very very commonly! Years ago, when I was in my 20s, I basically starved myself on WW and lost 40 - 50 lbs (can't remember) really fast....then I started having pain (you don't necessarily have to have pain!) and it was my gallbladder full of "sludge" which is just lots and lots of little grainy stones. I'm not surprised your doctors are having you do the Ultra Sound, etc because its best to be safe! If they do find blockage and you have it removed, consider yourself lucky to be getting it out BEFORE its INCREDIBLY PAINFUL! Best wishes!!

Hi! I know where you are, hahahaha! Love it! Feel free to ask questions here or anywhere in this forum, people are great! It feels super scary, I know, I was scared, too. You'll feel better physically in a week or two, you'll be healed in 3 months. In those 3 months you'll be on the diet plans to help your tummy heal, which can be boring, but man you'll lose weight fast! Best wishes to you!!!

You're amazing for putting this out there! This is so important for people to read and actually pay attention too. So many people think WLS will just fix everything, but as you said, you "did the very hard mental work. I broke addictions to fast food and the sugar." I think your success will be so much better because you have done that work and you know what you are accountable for. I am so excited that you get to start your journey!

At the end of last year, my life was over eating and especially lots of sugar. I binged on little debbie cakes, guzzled icees, had many high calorie starbucks drinks and a lot of fast food. I ate and drank so unhealthy that it really was a slow suicide. It was killing me and frankly I did not care, but rather welcomed it. After several things snowballing, the first of 2022 I started to take control. I made a choice to live. I struggled to work out the pain of the past and even current circumstances which lead me to cover the pain in food, especially sugar and non nutrient dense carbs. The pain that brought me well over 400 lbs and climbing. I journaled and cried and started to stand up for myself. I also did take Ryselbus which helped give me a leg up to do the work. My husband took it but the effects wore off some because he didn’t change. I knew i needed to change if I wanted to live. Over a few months, I did the very hard mental work. I broke addictions to fast food and the sugar. Going through the process sucked. Slowly, I repeated over and over again I was worth forgiving to getting into this unhealthy state. I could heal and forge a new way. I didn’t need sugar or binging on pizza to make me feel better, I could finally start to find empathy and forgiveness for myself. Now I am two days from life changing bariatric surgery in a good place. I am ready for the huge changes this surgery brings. No longer do I binge on sugar, bread, processed food. I don’t even want to binge 90% of the time and I have self soothed myself with forgiveness and understanding the other 10%. I have changed my eating patterns, my portions, my outlook. Sugar isn’t forbidden forever, but it will now be a treat, a sometimes indulgence. It feels amazing to be able to make that choice instead of being ruled by cravings. I feel lighter from not having to carry as much of the huge burden of self loathing and self hate I used to carry. I am worth forgiving myself. I guess really why I am writing this is I know the struggle is so real. each one of you has your own issues and challenges. Each one of you is worthy of self forgiveness and embracing good things in your life. shed the tears, embrace your flaws and find a way to accept yourself and move forward in a way you want. Even if you struggle, It is worth it.

I don’t have a diabetes diagnosis at this point (hoping to avoid that) but I was diagnosed with metabolic resistance and was on my way towards a diabetes diagnosis prior to weight loss surgery. Metabolic resistance can cause your body to react in different ways and really make loosing weight difficult - even when you are doing everything right. It’s a combination of several medical conditions that affect how your body breaks down and processes insulin. I struggled having to eat less than a 900 calories (prior to WLS) to see any results along with exercise (it was not maintainable long term). Eventually I agreed to try some medication - which made all the difference, I was finally able to eat reasonably and loose weight (slowly) but I was loosing. My body still fights me - but it’s better. I’m hoping the damage that metabolic syndrome can cause is reversible for me - depends on several factors (like how much damage was done while it was active, if my weight was the cause or genetics). The tests I’ve had are the fasting glucose & A1C, I’ve had non fasting test (but not asked to eat anything specific) and I’ve had to drink the sugary drink (which is awful). A family Dr is a good place to start, but I’d suggest talking with an endocrinologist if you don’t have one you see. Mine has been a blessing helping me dial in things and he doesn’t solely rely on labs to do it. He looks at my labs and my symptoms to make adjustments… in addition to metabolic syndrome - I have Hashimoto’s also. While ranges are great to guide you if you are looking for something wrong. My Endo is the first to say “that may not be what’s normal for you, so let’s see if we can do better”. Since my WLS I’ve had improved numbers across the board, except my cholesterol, but that might stay high till my weight stabilizes. I still have to take a medication to help my body process the insulin and when I take it, the weight comes off slowly but more easily than when I don’t. (Even if I am eating all the same things and doing the same activity). As far as what to eat, I would think the dr wants to see how your body is processing carbs in your normal diet, if they didn’t give you specific guidelines on what to eat. My guess on the “big meal” is they don’t want you to eat minimally and the test results wouldn’t be as accurate. Depending on the results - it might dictate the next test(s). So I would eat whatever the normal diet is I was eating (and struggling with) to give an accurate reflection of how my body is handling the breakdown, not cutting out carbs or anything else (dessert or snacks) that I would normally have. Good luck!

OMG! I got sleeved April 18 of this year and this past Friday October 28th I found out I’m 6 weeks pregnant😳🙌🏾🥰🥲 Guys, I’ve been with my husband for 12 years, married for 8. We have been trying to conceive for 7 years now. I was diagnosed with PCOS from a very early age and never had regular periods. We started fertility treatments in 2016, got pregnant via IUI 2017 and miscarried 1 month later. I was devastated and waited 3 years later to try again. Unfortunately I had to get uterine polyps removed that year and had to wait. Fast forward to 2021 where we started again and was told both tubes are blocked and we would have to do IVF but had to lose a significant amount of weight to be below the max BMI to do it. That is when I decided to get sleeved. It’s now Jan 2022, I started researching Dr’s, found one in February and we started the entire process. Surgery was a success, lost 86lbs reached my goal weight about 3 weeks ago and then BOOM this. Guys I’m so scared! I’ve read horrow stories of complications and etc. I do want to be excited for this miracle but I also feel like what if? Please share your stories with me, share any encouraging words, anything guys. I have waited what seems like a lifetime for this moment, for this blessing, for this miracle and I want to enjoy every single moment of it!

Well the fasting glucose is the one that’s a part of the regular labs, right? I get those Wednesday. My last one was right on the upper cusp of normal when I looked back but idk if he seen that or not. I think this Is his version of a glucose tolerance or glucose challenge test??. I say that just because he said I can just eat a big meal instead of drinking the gross drink. But it’s not a blood test (it’s the finger prick one) so idk. Lol

I've never had to do anything like that and never heard of doctors doing such a thing? Here's are a couple of basic rundowns of types of blood sugar tests: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/getting-tested.html https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/tests-diagnosis Honestly, the A1C is probably most used, along with a fasting glucose test. (FYI, clinical standards typically require at least 2 different tests, or 2 readings of the same test separated by time, before a positive diagnosis of diabetes should be made.) Both of these tests are easy to do, since they can be part of a regular blood draw. Some docs also like to see a glucose tolerance test, because this will show the swings in your blood sugar the others won't. For example, A1C is an average, but just like 5 is the average of 4 and 6, it's also the average of 1 and 9. Knowing just how big those swings are may help with a treatment plan. I doubt many do that up front, though. Typically they.ll do the A1C and fasting blood glucose and then decide if additional testing is needed. The problem with what your doctor is proposing is that it's not standardized. As you hinted at, your blood sugar levels could be different if you ate a carb heavy meal vs. a protein heavy meal. Without a way to control or account for that, I personally can't see the value in this non-standard test.