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Hi everyone, so last year August I spoke with my primary care doctor about getting weight loss surgery. We both agree its the best choice for me.I did all my classes with my nutritionist & got approved for gastric bypass surgery. My surgery date is April 19 but for some reason I'm scared. I read a few entries about people regretting doing surgery & some horror stories. I read stories about people gaining back weight & others in n out of hospitals for various things.I'm scared. I'm terrified and honestly don't know if I should continue this journey. I'm 5'7 273lbs. I try so much different weight loss pills/diets and none work. I want to get the surgery so bad to save my life but at the same time I'm scared it's going to make it worse. I'm having mix feelings about this, anyone ever felt this was before surgery? Please help!!!! Sent from my SM-G925T using BariatricPal mobile app

Atelectasis is not a collapsed lung. It is simply the alveoli (small air sacs) are closed. It can occur anytime we are not taking deep breaths. Many people with sedentary lifestyles or jobs have this constantly. As mentioned before the incentive spirometer will help as well as some sort of p.e.p. therapy. If not available, simply inhaling slowly until lungs are at maximum capacity and then slowly exhaling 8-10 times every couple of hours will work.

I am 10 years postmenopausal and had my surgery 3/19. Thank goodness I have had no issues with spotting or anything like that!! If I had heard of that being a possibility, I am not sure I would have had the surgery. I had endometriosis quite bad when I was still having my period, and I wouldn't risk that again for anything! Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m on post op day 3 (gastric sleeve on 3/18/19), & am having a horrible time getting liquids down. I can only do ice chips. I’ve tried freezing my Protein20 water & the sweetness kills me! Please tell me this gets better!! Any small sip I take makes me feel like it’s just sitting in my chest & HURTS!! When will I feel normal again?? I’m desperate for some relief & positive stories!!! Thanks all :)

OK, this is heavy heavy stuff about doing the headwork. This guy, Dr. Cywes, is a bariatric surgeon and he has a pretty unique approach to nutrition and reward systems. http://lowcarbmd.com/episode-10-dr-cywes-lays-it-down?fbclid=IwAR1Zt1Nogz-Wy5enkHdwqnvNpRYvfZEMbDoxIaW2LGgKbW8c2VWt4Jqawzs I swear a big piece of the puzzle fell into place for me today. It's well worth the investment of time!

Well Made it to Vegas went through y’all the test for preop ,surgery tomorrow it’s real now Dr Tom Ulmbach will be performing my surgery called the “safe sleeve “he is the only one who does the safe procedure ,blossom Bariatrics ,it’s is being performed as outpatient and tht makes me nervous 😬 but I’m hearing good reviews from the limos drivers ,I’m on preop diet protein and unlimited veggies two shakes a day ,NPO by 8 pm tonight limo pick up at 10:15 said I will be at the warm springs surgical center for 5-6 hours then back to my hotel then in on sat for IV therapy to prevent dehydration and they are going to check for leaks ,prayers for me and I will pray for you all good luck my SW 228 was what I weighed yesterday can’t wait to see where I am at 8months from now 🤣

Believe it or not, I am nearly 7 months out And I still do it. Only difference, you know the tiny condiments like sometimes they put in with salads to hold the dressings? Found out that they measure 2 oz, so bought a bag from Wal-Mart, not very expensive at all, I use them for my fluids at home, drink every 10-15 minutes the 2 oz and it's an easy peasy way to get way over the 64 oz minimum. But in , have a wonderful healing up from your surgery and happy to have you as a Bariatric Sibling!😝🍀🎁😝

I agree walking is a great way to start your exercise journey. There are also a lot of short you tube workout videos. My doctor told me even if it is a quick 10 minutes a day can be quite beneficially. My 9 yr old daughter and I jump rope at home. Just find something that you can stick to and you will be OK.

I had severe sleep apnea for more than 10 years. I realized I didn’t need my cpap when I was in the hospital for a different surgery four months after my bypass. I kept waking up coughing like I was choking. After the second day in the hospital something told we to ask the nurse what my oxygen saturation was after she tested me in the morning. It was low when I wore the mask the first 2 days and when I stopped wearing it, my saturation was between 98 to 100 percent. I haven’t worn it ever since.

Feeling pretty weepy today. Finally forced PCP to do some more definitive tests for menopause having had missed and disappeared periods put down since late 30’s to weight and stress. Conclusion is yes I’m in menopause and likely have been since age 40. Explains so much. Very sad. Stopped my career just about dead as developed flop sweats when presenting, skin crumbled, hair became straw, weight gain ramped, anxiety and depression deepened, sleep was pretty constantly broken and everyone dismissed symptoms as cause. Beginning to mourn the lost opportunities. Things turned down as I lost all confidence, felt it was impossible to solve and was all my fault.[emoji22] Edit: Had my cry and hug from OH. I am 100% better place to deal now having had surgery and made lifestyle changes. I wish I had done it 10 years ago, but probably wouldn’t’ have had qualifying BMI and would probably have spent money I didn’t have on a band because sleeve wasn’t about so much and bypass would have felt like a step too far. Am seeing brightness in the fact that I might get to know a baseline ‘me’ for the first time in many years and have a referral to a top specialist to explore ways to safeguard cardio and other health moving forward.

Hi, when I first started my weigh-ins I was at 220 lbs. Seven months later 10 days before surgery, I was at 208. The day of surgery (2/19/19), I weighed 200 lbs. My first post appointment after lapband (about a week after surgery) I was 193. My first fill-in is on 3/25 and I currently weigh 187. For those who've had the lapband done, does my weight loss seem okay so far? Also, any tips you can give after receiving my first fill in? As of now, I've been feeling good. Yes, I did vomit about 3 times but that was for trying to speed up the eating process. I've learned my lesson and now am understanding the eating adjustment that's neccessary. Any tips are appreciated. By the way, I'm a teacher and have been nominated for a free cruise. I am so proud of mysef for thinking of my health and having bariatric surgery. This would be an amazing present after this journey. If you're able to copy and paste the link below and vore for me. Feel free to post snd share it on fb. https://nclgivingjoy.com/voteme/30373/632496049?lc=eng Thanks and wishing everyone continued success! Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I never asked/ was never told ( when I had my sleeve 10/2017) but I heard 6 mo from a coworker who had it done so I waited till then. I always got a "burning" sensation going down so I really never finished them. But maybe I will give it a shot again in a few months ( I just had bypass- I'm not sure how long to wait with this one)

I’m still pre-op so take my advice with that in mind. When I was pregnant and had to take zoftan to help my serious morning sickness, I got seriously, horribly constipated. I got to ten days with no movement and was finally advised to use an enema. The fleet enema is just a saline solution and it did the trick when nothing else did. I tried stool softeners, miralax, everything I could safely use. The enema fixed my problem in about 5-10 minutes. I know it seems like an extreme tactic, but it beats suffering with a stomachs ache and sore backside. If it isn’t contraindicated with was, I think it’s worth a try. Good luck!

I had lost 55 pounds but have found that i have gained 10 pounds. I have been eating more lately and when i go to the grocery store i find that i buy foods that i would buy before my surgery.

Heather - I am dealing/feeling the exact same as you. I’ve cheated, but only small cheats, except I had two slices of pb&j toast over the weekend. I researched how some other surgeons prescribe the diet and decided that I would stay low carb and have a salad with grilled chicken (on 3 occasions now) because I wanted to chew. The carbs and sugars were still below 10.

After 200lbs Before 397lbs 1 year Anniversary June 21, 2019

I am diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. My CPAP setting is 10. However, I am now down 45 pounds and am finding that it is forcing air into my esophagus and pouch, causing a lot of burping. I have an appt with my sleep doctor to see if the setting can be lowered, As long as the machine shows less than 3 apneic episodes/per hour, I hope we can keep reducing the pressure until I don't need it anymore,

My Mom was overweight, and most of her family were/are overweight. My Father was overweight but not too much and most of his family were/are on the thinner side. Of my 4 siblings only 1 is not overweight but that is because their addiction is not food. It's hit and miss with heavier cousins, I would say there are more on my Mother's side though. My hubby can eat pretty much anything but as he's getting older his metabolism is slowing down, but he has lost about 10 pounds on this journey with me so far and that's all he needs to lose.

The following article was just posted in the San Diego Tribune. "With several patients in local hospitals struggling to recover, public health officials are warning San Diego doctors to be on the lookout for signs of a deadly infection linked to weight-loss surgeries performed in Tijuana The county Health and Human Services Agency this week alerted the medical community that four patients have popped up in local hospitals with drug-resistant superbug infections of the same type that prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a travel advisory in early January. The CDC has continued to caution those who travel to Tijuana for surgery, as the number of cases have more than doubled. Most are connected to patients operated on at Grand View Hospital near the U.S.-Mexico border. To date, CDC officials said, a total of 25 cases of drug-resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa have been detected among U.S. citizens who crossed the border, usually for “gastric sleeve” surgery that significantly reduces the size of the stomach, accelerating the pace of weight loss. Pseudomonas is listed among the CDC’s top threats among microbes that can resist antibiotics. According to a 2013 report, the bug kills about 440 people per year in the United States and infects about 6,700. In January, CDC officials said that the subspecies detected among Tijuana weight-loss patients is particularly nasty due to its ability to destroy carbapenems, one of the most effective and broadly-acting classes of antibiotics available to modern medicine. Maroya Walters, a CDC epidemiologist with a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology, said Tuesday that while the world’s foremost public health agency saw its last Grand View case in late January, additional infections have continued to surface among patients who were operated on at other as-yet-unnamed Tijuana hospitals. The most recent case was detected on Feb. 12. The current rate of new cases, she said, has not reduced enough for the CDC to remove or change the travel advisory it issued in January. “Right now, we don’t have any assurance that the infection control issues have been addressed,” Walters said. In San Diego, Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director of the county public health department’s epidemiology and immunization services branch, said that his office became aware of two local cases, one in October and one in January, after his office issued a preliminary notice to doctors on Jan. 16. Neither of those cases, he said, is a San Diego County resident, with one residing elsewhere in California and another living out of state. He said two more patients, both who live in San Diego County but had surgeries in Tijuana not related to weight-loss at hospitals other than Grand View, were admitted to area hospitals with pseudomonas infections in late February. Three of the four cases, he added, remain hospitalized today and are being treated under special protocols designed to keep infectious diseases from spreading. “At this time, we have no evidence of secondary infections associated with these hospitalized cases,” McDonald said Monday. He said that having four cases pop up in San Diego hospitals made it important for his office to let all local doctors know that they need to be proactive, asking about surgery in Mexico and responding with extra precaution, including patient isolation, where appropriate. “We just wanted to reiterate that you shouldn’t wait until after you know that a person has this organism to begin taking contact precautions,” McDonald said. “If you know someone is coming in with an infection, and you know they’ve had surgery in Mexico, then you should take these precautions right away.” Eighteen of the 25 cases — 20 have been confirmed and five are suspected — occurred in patients who were operated on at Grand View Hospital, according to CDC epidemic intelligence officer Ian Kracalik. He said Mexican health officials told the agency they detected lapses in the procedures used to sterilize medical devices used in weight-loss surgeries. Kracalik said additional information on exactly which devices were improperly handled was not made available by the Mexican health agency that conducted the Grand View investigation. Initially, he added, Mexico’s La Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios or federal commission for the protection against sanitary risks, told the CDC that it had shut down the surgical areas of Grand View on Dec. 19. But there were strong indications that the surgical center near the U.S. border remained open, with several new infections appearing after patients underwent surgeries at Grand View after Dec. 19. “It is clear there was an ongoing risk during that period when the hospital’s surgical area was not supposed to be operational,” Kracalik said. Health authorities in Mexico said they were not available to discuss the developments Tuesday. Kracalik added that the CDC received word that Grand View shut down “sometime after Jan. 31,” which was the last date on which the CDC received a report of an infection case linked to the hospital. Most of the cases, the CDC representatives added, are associated with Dr. Mario Almanza, a surgeon whose website declares that he is the “leading bariatric weight-loss surgeon in the world.” Almanza received significant media attention in 2018 when he was named in a class-action lawsuit by former patients, including a lead plaintiff who said her procedure left her with complications including internal bleeding, according to coverage by Channel 10 News and others. Almanza, contacted through weightlossagents.com, the stateside travel agency whose phone number the doctor lists on his website, did not return a request for comment Tuesday. With Grand View apparently shut down, CDC officials said they noticed that Weight Loss Agents had begun referring weight-loss surgeries to another Tijuana hospital called the “Obesity Goodbye Center.” Reached through their promotional Facebook page Tuesday, the company said that while Almanza “performed procedures for a couple of days at our facility always following our sanitation protocols,” he is not affiliated with the hospital in any way. The center said its own sanitation practices “exceed international standards.” An attorney for Weight Loss Agents, Glenn Krinsky, said the company has done everything it can to cooperate with the CDC, including providing information on 700 patients it had referred to Grand View since August. The CDC’s Walters said the agency is following up with those patients to better gauge the spread of pseudomonas or other surgical infections."

4/1/19 here! Congratulations to you!

19. My PhD. Took me long enough (the better part of eight years) but now I can answer when the airline pilot asks if there's a doctor on board. 🤣 20. My bamboo sheets. Oh my gosh, if you've never slept in bamboo sheets they are INCREDIBLE Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app