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My surgery date is August 9th, and I'm on day 3 of my pre-op diet. Less than 1000 calories, 2 protein shakes and two low carb snacks, and 1 low carb meal at supper. Days 10-13 will be liquid diet only. I've been able to lose 30 pounds before surgery with the help of injectables, increasing exercise, and modifying diet. Off of the injectables now and have had to limit exercise. I've been struggling with the feelings of hunger.

Prior to surgery I went about 9 months without my period. One month post op I got it and after that for the first 3 or so months, I was getting it up 2x per month sometimes only 10 days in between periods. I was told by my surgeon and primary doctor that it was normal because of the estrogen being released. I started the pill 30 days after the surgery and I'm more sensible to it now, if I do not take within 2 hrs of the scheduled time, in a few days I start bleeding. I will contact your gyn to make sure its from the surgery and not something else as everyone is different.

That happened to me. I had the option for either surgery, so I chose the sleeve because I have MS and take several meds that can't be crushes, broken, and don't come in alternate forms. For the first 8 months, things were great. Then the GERD hit, which became gastritis and esophagitis, which was so bad it caused me to need 80mg daily of Nexium (and still had gerd break through), which caused polyps to develop throughout my stomach. 4 endoscopies later, I had no choice but to get the revision to bypass. Never been better. The PPI is down to 40mg per day and at 6 weeks post op we'll go down to 20mg daily and at 10 weeks we'll see how I do without any at all. The pain from the bypass was SO much less than the sleeve, the ability to get in my pills and fluids are SO SO much better. I wish I had just done it first. As for my MS meds, I am still on them, but since we know it's basically like taking 1/2 doses (that's the way it is for extended release, but not so much full release that requires the med to be taken more than once per day) I am having a MRI at 3 months post op (unless I have break through symptoms start before that) and if that's the case, I'll go on a different med (likely an IV infusion med that I would have to do 1x per week). There's ways around things with the bypass. Talk to your psych dr and see what can be done about your meds before completely writing off the bypass. I wish I had just skipped the sleeve, to be honest.

Anyone use the Viactiv calcium chews? At $.10 per chew they are 1/4 the other ones online.

I gain weight on steroids, every time. It makes cravings so intense and all I can stomach for days after I take them is ice cream. LOL It is weird and annoying. I know I'm not the only one that gets cravings on steroids. That said, if I needed them, I'd still take them. I'm prone to bronchitis and immune compromised. We never want it to turn into pneumonia so I end up on steroids for it each time. I think my weight gain averages about 10 lbs per round, which is frustrating but not worth risking my health for in the long term. But that's just me, everyone will have their own opinion and experiences. Have they tried giving you an inhaler for the bronchitis? You can get a steroid inhaler. I don't gain weight or have cravings with that. And they are really effective!

Also, this goes without saying, but congratulations on your 10 years of remission! That is a fantastic milestone!

Has anyone had cancer before surgery? Chemo and/or radiation? Particularly colon or abdomen. I'm 10 years out from colon cancer. I went through all the medical clearances and I'm scheduled for September sleeve surgery. Just curious if anyone had any negative effects.

Even more effective: high salt, high carb meal the night before. Stuff in your pockets, heavy clothes, and your bladder don't weigh much, but just a little change in your fluid balance makes a huge difference. At my highest weight, I could easily swing 10 pounds heavier just by getting a Chinese takeaway .

I have a 10 day all liquid diet leading up to surgery, and I know its going to suck but we totally got this! As far as the haters, just do your best to ignore what they say. If you are anything like me you have done TONS of research on this and have spoken to your medical team. If it is just coming from a place of concern on her part, maybe hit her with some research that she can refer back to. I like to tell people that my risk for obesity related complications is much higher than my risks for surgery. I am content with my decision, and thats all that matters

Yeah, I have to do all the standard things like 6 months of supervised weight loss visits, nutritionists, psych, etc... I just thought the weight clause was particularly cruel. I'll be taking @summerseeker advice and putting heavy things in my pockets. LOL I can't even tell what stage my cycle is in to make sure I go in with the period bloat (hysterectomy) so that's super annoying. @SleeveToBypass2023 I don't get an option about which insurance plan we have, this is through my partner's workplace. It costs too much to go with someone else. But I'm glad you didn't have to fight as hard to get your surgeries, BCBS was good when we had them! @New To This23 That sounds like a nightmare! I am so sorry you are going through that! I am worried about this scenario because my body is given to weird spurts of weight gain that have nothing to do with what I'm eating or how I'm exercising. I did 18 months with a nutritionist and lost 10 lbs, which was really due to the Ozempic I started. LOL I've never been able to lose more than 15-20 lbs, my body is just wicked stubborn. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed that you make that weigh in with room to spare!! Keep us posted!

When they said eating and drinking would be your full time job, they weren’t kidding! I am 43 days PO and starting my soft/solid stage. Last week the bariatric nutritionist wanted me to start eating 800 calories a day and it really interferes with getting my fluids in every day since we have to wait 30 minutes prior to eating and 30 minutes after to be able to drink again. I have to wake up at 6:30 am to start my day of eating and drinking and don’t finish until 10 or 10:30 at night - and I rarely get to 750 or 800 calories. I know as time goes on my stomach size will improve in order to take more in at one time but for now I try to listen to my body and be patient! Has anyone else felt like this and how did you deal with it? Hugs to all!!

Is there anyone in October getting a Vgs? My date is 10/18/23 I’m so excited!

I've seen some posts on here that are sad or upset because in 2 weeks the OP has only lost 10-15 pounds. Let me give you a few things to think about. #1 - everyone loses weight differently, so never compare yourself to anyone else #2 - non scale victories are at least as important (if not more important) than what the scale shows. Examples are: fitting in seats better, walking better, clothes and rings fitting better or getting too big, getting off meds, no longer having high bp or being diabetic, etc... #3 - the average "normal" weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week, and if you're on some kind of special diet then MAYBE 2-3 pounds per week. So if you look at the high end of that, without the surgery you would be down 6 pounds in 2 weeks. So while you may think you haven't lost enough weight, or not as much as some people on here have, you're doing a lot better than you would be if you never had the surgery. #4 - the more you weigh before your surgery, the more (and faster) you will lose after. The first 6 months is when you lose the most, and if you are in the 300-400 range (or higher) you will see the more dramatic weight loss during that time. Those that start off in the 200s tend to lose a bit slower and not as dramatically. That's just the way of it. It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong or the surgery is a fail, it's just the nature of the beast. The higher the bmi, the more dramatic the initial weight loss. The lower the bmi, the slower the weight loss. AND FINALLY #5 - You may have complications. It's just a fact. Not everyone does. Majority don't. But some, like me, do. And that's ok. Stay in regular communication with your doctor, advocate for yourself, do everything you are supposed to do, take whatever meds or do whatever procedures you have to, take deep breaths, and know it'll be ok and you'll get through it. In the moment, they can feel overwhelming and never-ending. Regret definitely can creep in. BUT... remember that "this, too, shall pass" and when it does, you'll be on the other side, living your best life, and the complication will just be a blip in the road. How many health issues and complications did you have pre-surgery? And you rode those out, knowing another one was inevitable due to being so unhealthy. So just know that once you get on the other side of THIS, you'll be so glad you had the surgery and your health improved. In the wise words of a little blue fish "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

Hi there, I was sleeved June 19 and I had this!! I had 2 ER visits and was re admitted to hospital. I referred myself to a gastroenterologist in the end. That is what you need. My pain was only at night too! Here is my long story and I hope it helps you. Please know I am feeling better now. You’ve had complications but there is hope. Here is what I posted last night in another thread. Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 19/6 (Australian date format lol). My experience was no smooth sailing and I developed severe complications despite seeing the best surgeon at the best hospital. I’ve felt really scared, alone and isolated so I am delighted to find this forum. my weight was only 92 pre op and I guess I was considered a healthy young woman. 5 days post op I developed a severe burning pain deep inside my stomach. After numerous emergency visits and tests, it was determine I did not have a gastric leak. I had to be re admitted to hospital to manage the most severe pain of my life, for another 5 days and they still didn’t know what was wrong. Long story short, I had to self refer myself to a gastroenterologist who immediately knew what was wrong. I had developed bile reflux from my bowel into my freshly cut stomach which was causing the searing pain, severe inflammatory gastritis of my stomach lining, which then caused pancreatitis and severe spasms of my actual stomach. Because of all of this I could not even get Water down and my throat was burning and mouth dried up from bile damage. He put me on a bunch of new intense meds and nearly 6 weeks post op now I am starting to feel normal. It’s been a really scary rough ride and emotional and I haven’t known if I’ve made the right decision. I can eat about 1/4 cup soft foods now which I am grateful for. Anyway I wanted to share my story in case you ever come across someone with these symptoms and doctors don’t believe them / don’t know what is wrong.

@Fred in Pa wow that’s crazy. I’m glad you made it thru. I have a Dexcom on. But I guess my glucose was dropping to rapidly it couldn’t catch up. It was off by 10 high or low every time they checked it. I’m going to ask for mints or maybe glucose candy just in case it drops again. I will make sure I ask my doctor. Thanks

Thanks. I've been on 6-7 different plans in the last 10 years and sadly have come to the same conclusion. They both don't want you to be overweight, but also want you to stay overweight because they make it impossible to qualify for anything that would help you lose the weight? It makes no sense at all. Their requirements for weight loss meds are absurd too.

Hi all! Newbie here... I've been lurking for months though. LOL I got notice today that my policy covers the surgery but that I cannot gain any weight the entire time I'm in a bariatric program. I'm curious, how many other people have had this as a clause in their policy? And if so, how did you deal with it? Did you gain weight and get kicked out? I find this to be such an absurd requirement. If I could control what the scale does I wouldn't be pursuing weight loss surgery in the first place! I just gained 10 lbs in the last 3 weeks on a new medication (Lyrica) that I have to stop now because its not worth the gain. Doctors are always playing with my meds, what if something else causes me to gain before surgery?? This is such an annoying detail to have to worry about.

I just picked a weight (kinda random/outta nowhere, LOL) that I had reached by dieting strictly from a much lighter starting weight about 10 years ago and I felt suited me. It was in the middle of my 'normal' BMI and totally aspirational. I never dreamed that I would actually reach it. My surgeon and dietician prepared me to lose 60-70% of my excess weight, which would have left me with a BMI of 27/28 or so (which I would also have been thrilled with)!! I ended up losing more. I would have been equally happy had I ending up losing less - HONESTLY. My body seems to have picked its own new set weight. It's so weird - like I had little (almost no) input other than sticking to my programme. Suffice to say - trust the surgery, trust your body. Don't mess about with the rules. You'll end up where you were supposed to. xxx

I think my set point is 175, which I maintained for 9 months. I went through a stressful time and gained another 10. I want to get back down to at least 175. I just figured it would be better to do that before my surgery.

Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 19/6 (Australian date format lol). My experience was no smooth sailing and I developed severe complications despite seeing the best surgeon at the best hospital. I’ve felt really scared, alone and isolated so I am delighted to find this forum. my weight was only 92 pre op and I guess I was considered a healthy young woman. 5 days post op I developed a severe burning pain deep inside my stomach. After numerous emergency visits and tests, it was determine I did not have a gastric leak. I had to be re admitted to hospital to manage the most severe pain of my life, for another 5 days and they still didn’t know what was wrong. Long story short, I had to self refer myself to a gastroenterologist who immediately knew what was wrong. I had developed bile reflux from my bowel into my freshly cut stomach which was causing the searing pain, severe inflammatory gastritis of my stomach lining, which then caused pancreatitis and severe spasms of my actual stomach. Because of all of this I could not even get water down and my throat was burning and mouth dried up from bile damage. He put me on a bunch of new intense meds and nearly 6 weeks post op now I am starting to feel normal. It’s been a really scary rough ride and emotional and I haven’t known if I’ve made the right decision. I can eat about 1/4 cup soft foods now which I am grateful for. Anyway I wanted to share my story in case you ever come across someone with these symptoms and doctors don’t believe them / don’t know what is wrong. Great to meet you all! Thanks for sharing your journeys!

I am very happy to hear you are looking forward to your vacation. I am the same as you. I have zero regrets about the surgery. I have settled in around 195. My goal was 185. I am aware that I could try harder to hit the goal weight but I am perfectly happy with 195 and eating and drinking what I want. I do not think the 10 pounds is worth giving up wine and pasta. Granted much smaller amounts of wine and pasta these days but I still feel human when I go out to dinner with my friends and family. At this point, no one even believes me when I said I had surgery. People don’t notice that I eat smaller portions because I am eating the same foods as them. I have way more energy and way more confidence. I am thankful I did not have complications. I have rarely even gotten sick. So for me I am living my best life after a successful surgery. (It should be noted I followed the MDs instructions to the letter for the first year.)

Mine is Full liquid diet Phase 2 day 1-10 yogart, cottage cheese, pureed meats (not doing) , cream of wheat, instant mashed pot, tomato juice, ect... so thats weird that your guys is different.

Finally. Surgery day is here! God, I can't do this without You. I completed my 14-day clear liquid sugar-free and caffeine-free diet along with some protein drinks. I didn't cheat once. That in itself is a miracle! I've lost 10 lbs. during this time, and 25 lbs. overall (since January 1st). I was placed on prednisone (steroid) twice this past Spring, which set me back. It causes. much weight gain whenever I'm on it and it takes many weeks to get the weight off. So as I was losing, I'd gain weight while on that medication. So frustrating, but it's behind me, hopefully forever. These two weeks really prepared my mind for this journey moving forward. I will work to continue strengthening this new mindset. Not easy, right? I appreciate the input this forum - you beautiful people - has provided. I hope optimal health and strong minds for you all. Onward! 💟

I very truly feel your pain. I was sleeved in 2009 and I did fantastic the first 6 years. I lost 149 lbs and 9 dress sizes. At first, I wasn't even exercising and the weight just melted away daily. When I got down to the weight limit that could not be exceeded on an elliptical machine that I borrowed from a sister, I started exercising on it. Eventually, I was using the elliptical for an hour, non-stop, 5 days a week. Everything began to change in December 2014. My father passed away and he was the be all end all of existence for me. I am the youngest of 13 kids and was totally a daddy's girl. He was very ill already, but he ended up dying on my mom's birthday from a heart attack in his sleep. I was the first one to get to his house after my brother who was taking care of him called us all. When I got to my dad, his eyes were still open. My brother was dealing with the coroner and the police officer. I really freaked out and thought I'd better close his eyes before my other sisters or my nieces and nephews saw him. So I did. I closed my father's eyes. My heart broke in half right at that moment. I kinda lost my sh*t. My doc ended up putting me on Xanax and Ambien. Fast forward a few months to April 2015, I ended up getting divorced. Then 15 months later in July 2016 my mother died. Her heart stopped, and during CPR administration, her ribs broke and one pierced her lung. It filled with fluid and because she'd had respiratory issues most of her life, they couldn't help her. She died after 3 agonizing days in the hospital. Then in 2017, I was transferred from one job post to another. They weren't even going to tell me until right before I showed up for work, I found out sooner by accident. I'd been at that post for 10 years. It was a retaliation from a supervisor who knew that I knew too much information about illegal activity that went on under his nose. Literally, every year something horrible was happening to me. The anxiety, depression, and meds led to me not giving a sh*t about what I ate and a lot of drinking. I was drinking every night. I wasn't exercising anymore. I was eating anything I wanted to eat. It was still very little food, because I had a lot of restriction. But I was eating every kind of junk food you can think of. I was eating at all hours of the day. I was grazing, as they call it. I could eat every 3 hours. And the alcohol was just straight shots of tequila. By 2022, I had regained most of my weight and gone back up 6 sizes. You can lose weight again. You can detox from carbs. You can go back to protein shakes. This past May, I started dieting (on my own) because the doc wanted me to lose weight before he'd do the revision. I was drinking a protein shake for breakfast and for lunch, then I was eating a good, solid, very low carb (even zero carb) dinner. No alcohol. In 30 days, I lost 30 lbs. And this was before my surgery. It is absolutely possible, but you have to make the effort and you have to have the discipline. The first 3-4 days are tough as you detox, but then it just gets easier and easier. I wish you luck, friend.