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Oh Ashley, I am SO very sorry!! It must be quite rare for that to happen, my heart hurts for you. I'm glad your surgeon was so proactive about ensuring this wasn't being caused by vitamin deficiencies. Hair is one of those things that for many of us is part of our identity and to lose it all so dramatically on top of the stress of bariatric surgery is a huge load. I hope you are being very gentle with yourself. This isn't your fault. I've heard of this happening on occasion with autoimmune patients... Have you thought about seeing a therapist to help support you as you go through this? I've found them incredibly helpful when my body has done rare, weird things that caused a lot of mourning and grief. I'm glad you updated us, this is a safe place for you to come vent and mourn. I wish I had wise words to offer you in solace, but some things are really beyond our language. Just know I am sitting here alongside you with a generous measure of empathy. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to support you. I just want to give you the biggest hug!

Update***** It’s been an extremely difficult process. I’m emotionally defeated😭. My hair has continued to fall out not shed but completely fall out to the point I look sickly. I have seen derm. Had a biopsy done. Basically all my hair entered the shedding phase at once. On top of that I have some hormonal issues that has resulted in female/male pattern hair loss as well. Only thing left to do is take the clippers and even then there’s not much left. My surgeon actually looked me in my eyes last week and said he was so sorry I was going through all this. It’s not a lack or protein, biotin, or any nutrient deficiencies. I’ve literally done everything right according to my surgeon. I am literally in tears every time I look in the mirror. Just wanted to voice my frustrations in a safe place.

agree with Arabesque - common during menopause. Plus you said you're on prednisone - one of the side effects of that is weight gain. So there's two culprits right there... Yes - I'd have a chat with someone to see what your options are. Weight loss is going to be a struggle, so maybe they'd be willing to do something to help with that.

I found I was allergic to derma bond after having skin removal surgery. Yea - the itchiness is awful. They put me on prednisone for ten days, and it cleared it up. weight loss is always slower after a revision than it is after a "virgin" surgery. Five lbs is great, though. And actually a 20 lb loss the first week would be very unusual, even with a virgin surgery. Maybe for folks on "My 600 lb Life", but not a for an average WLS patient. I lost 16 lbs the whole first MONTH. emotions can be wild the first few weeks after surgery - and so can regrets. This will pass - just hang in there!

Have you had a liver function test done? Excess copper is excreted from your body in your bile by your liver. While we’re losing, it’s not uncommon to have odd liver function results (processing our fat out of our body strains it). Maybe if your liver isn’t functioning effectively or being stressed by your weight loss may mean it’s not processing the copper out of your system & it builds up. I don’t really know either. Just wondering. Worth a deeper conversation with your doctors as to why it might be happening & what can be done to help reduce your levels.

A little back ground with me. I had gastric sleeve 10 years ago because of my over weight issue I wasn’t getting my period and I wasn’t able to get pregnant. After the sleeve I loss total of 60 lbs, and got pregnant. The first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. I was very depressed about it. So my next 2 pregnancies I made sure I eat and gave enough nutrients for my babies. Also I didn’t keep up with the weight loss after I gave birth. Now after 10 years of the surgery I regained almost all my weight. My issue with pcos such as no having period came back… didn’t have period for like 2 years. Also have other issue like cholesterol, foot pain and Gerd. I thought about having revision for almost 3 years and I took action and had gastric bypass about a week ago. I am feeling some emotional up and down…been crying for the last few days. I feel such a failure of having to have to get the revision when the doctor gave me a chance. My surgery also didn’t go perfect. I was under the anesthesia for over 4-5 hours, (I didn’t get an exact time from the doctor when I came out from surgery. Family was inform about the equipment issue and didn’t see me untill the afternoon) because one of the equipment broke and the medical team had to wait for the replacement. I went into surgery 7am and woke up 4pm. when I woke up they had me take a walk and tried drinking sips of water. I vomited right back with 2 big chunks of clogged blood. And I tried drinking again but kept vomiting dark brown color liquid out, like old blood. ( sorry if it’s too much description) it was quite a lot of it even I didn’t drink so much water. The nurse informed the doctor and they said it’s normal and they did just literally cut my stomach. So some amount of blood is normal, but because I was under the anesthesia for so long maybe I am feeling sick from it. So they told me not to drink anything for the first day and started me on liquid the next day. The next day I was fine and went home. I felt horrible the first day and the pain in my stomach is there everywhere probably gas. The feeling after the revision surgery is completely different than how I felt the first time. I am aware it’s a bigger operation, but I just didn’t expect it to be like that. When I return home my stomach pain was still there, but eventually it did get better, but after a few days my whole stomach was so itchy, I thought the incisions were healing and that why I am feeling this way. The next day all my incisions were swollen red. BTW I had 6 big incision and 2 small needle punctures. When it got swollen, red and itchy it was at night and I waited another day and called my doctor asap in the morning. They told me I am having an allergic reaction to the dermabond. I am just feeling itchy, my incisions are raised and lumpy, it’s been over a week and I lose only 5 lbs. ( comparing to other people who loss 10-20lbs, i think to myself why am I not loss it?) and when I look at scars from the mirror I just broke down and cried. Thinking what did I do to myself…. I know I should stop being so bitter, and stop complaining. But I just feel like such a failure because I failed the first surgery, and I put myself in this journey again and things are not going so great… there are the positive side that I should look at, but I just can’t help it. *note- goal weight 150lbs pre op weight 273lbs started liquid diet 258lbs I had a stall during liquid diet for 1 week. Most people loss 10-15 lbs during liquid diet. I loss 8lbs. I followed everything my nutritionist told me and had 1 lean protein 3oz and 3 oz vegetable for lunch for 2 weeks. i w so hungry that the morning of surgery the nurse told me my blood pressure was actually very low. Surgery day 250lbs 1week post op 245lbs I don’t know what type of response I am waiting to get here. Maybe I am just venting and hoping to feel better.

Had surgery on December 13th. I had the exact same fears. First night after, I had some crusty blood vomit and thought leak, then had all black stools for a few days after and thought upper GI bleeding but it was not, it was from the incubator and breathing tube, then I shoveled snow and had bad sharp stomach pain(Stupid idea, I know but we got 24 inches). Same thing no leakage. Now after getting out of my head and not microanalyzing every feeling or symptom I had, ans focused my time on prepping food, doing a work journal and cardio and I feel amazing. I am 7 weeks post op today and down 70lbs. Follow the program and life gets so much better every week. It sucks in the moment in the first 4 weeks but my 5, 6 and 7 have all brought on improved energy and happiness little by little. Everyone's progress is differant. My goal is 250lbs loss so I have a long ways to go but I am thankful so far for this journey but I have lost a total of 46 inches with 8 off my chest and 7 off my waist. Tomorrow I have my 8 week post op and get to start taking my vitamins. I pray for you all to continually feel the blessings of this journey. 🙏Some progress photos from pictures taken at an award ceremony on December 1st vs pictures 2 weeks ago. Wince the photo on the right, I have lost another 17. That vest on the left fully zips with wiggle room now. 🙏

So far it has been ok I guess. The surgery was “text book” according to the Dr. I had no pain after and I started back to the gym for treadmill and low weight machines on week 3. I followed the plan. The last two weeks since I started soft foods has been hard. I’m 5 weeks out today. I am down 28 pounds since surgery. HW - 412 SW - 362 CW - 334 I have hit a stall. No loss in a week. I have had a couple of “slips” but nothing I can’t come back from. I unfortunately am not as restricted as I thought I would be. I was able to eat a whole filet of fish sandwich with no problem. Why I ate it is because I am still an emotional eater unfortunately. The good thing is I could only eat the one and now the huge chunk of food I use to. hopefully as the weather gets better I can be out more but I need to work on my “out of the house” food plans. I got my little cooler I just have to work on the best stuff to put in it. I can’t wait to go back to fishing !! here is my picture about one year a part. A total of 75 pounds difference

Hey Ashley, are you a gym member? I would assume most gyms have a trainer that you can get started with. The hospital that I had my surgery at has multiple support groups and some are done through zoom. Try contacting a local hospital that offers weight loss and see if you can join their groups.

I am about to turn 57 and had my surgery almost 23 years ago. I have given birth to three children and stayed thin the whole time. I started at 250 and settled at 125 ( I’m 5’4.5” and that made me a size 0 or a 2) When I was done having my last child I settled back at 155, still wildly successful. When I entered into perimenopause, it became a fight to keep my weight off and I kept fighting. And then now through full-blown menopause two years since I’ve had menstruation, I’m almost as big as I was when I started. I’m wondering if there’s any help in this situation. Any doctors who will look at a revision I guess or make some practical suggestions. I have changed my eating, habits a dozen different ways to try and bring everything down but it’s like it was before, the weight loss is nearly impossible. I can get it down sometimes but then it comes back and it never goes down more than 30 or 40 pounds. I regularly get my hormones checked and I’m on progesterone and testosterone. My estrogen is always fine or even high. Looking for optimistic ideas. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Vulnerable post!! Down 51lbs from starting weight… 2 months since surgery. To be honest there are some days I don’t see it, but I sure do feel it! People around are starting to notice as well. I’ve been a little depressed lately, but I don’t think that has anything to do with the weight loss. Just seasonal depression. Bring back blue sky’s and sunshine!! Hope everyone is doing well, feeling successful and has no regrets!! You got this!!

Oooooh they look so good and yes tiny enough for a handbag! They do seem to be relatively high in sugar so maybe one for maintenance as opposed to the weight loss phase?

Near the top menu bar there's a circle with your avatar, username, and a down arrow. Click the down arrow. Look down past the content area to the settings section. If you select "my surgery" from this list, you can update your dates, weight, goals, etc. If you select "my tickers" you can create a ticker to count down to your surgery date or to track your weight loss. To get the ticker you make to show up in your signature, you have to select that option (I think it's in the last step) as the default is for it not to show up. There is also html code if you want to add it to a blog or something similar.

This is really good to hear. I'm genuinely baffled by the way my body is right now and very frustrated, especially since I have significant weight to lose to reach my goal. The chorus of "don't lose more weight" has started from all corners but I'll just ride through and have faith that my body will settle. (The chorus is especially annoying since I'm not even sure I can stop right now. I'm already not following virtually any of the weight-loss focused nutrition recommendations. Short of adopting an all-ice cream diet, I don't know that I could maintain.) Still don't love it though! Over the weekend, spent some time snuggling with a new crush and he started counting my ribs. 😣

If you were going to die, it wouldn't be "borderline". 😊 And it's worth noting that weight loss surgery tends to raise these levels for the first week after surgery. So that test is not definitive.

Nine years out, and I fight the beast every day. I know people who've worked with therapists who specialize in eating disorders who've found it helpful, so maybe looking into that if you're feeling like you're losing the struggle (?). Or does your bariatric clinic have a health psychologist on staff, or can they refer you to one? P.S. I also know a few people who are struggling and have had some significant weight gain who are on appetite suppressants like phentermine - or some of the newer drugs that people are using for weight loss, such as Ozempic. I don't know if you want to go down that route, but some have had success with those. If you're interested in that, check with either your bariatric clinic or your regular physician.

It is a brain game for sure on those road trips. There are a lot of protein snacks that are good. My last road trip I took Quest Protein Chips with me, they hit the spot for a snack. As far as restaurant eating, and there isn't a healthy option, most restaurants will give you a burger wrapped in lettuce, or a grilled chicken sandwich and hold the bread/mayo etc. There are ways to eat healthy on a trip even going to McDonalds. I typically will find a sit down place if I need to eat lunch/dinner etc, even if it means driving another hour to the next town. Gives me time to get that leg stretch in and find something that I can eat that won't break my weight loss goals. I will say I was super worried about hunting last year, we always eat all the junk non stop, and meals aren't exactly great. I was able to keep everything under control, only junk I had were chicharrónes, and some sugar free jerky. I kept a protein shake with me every day as some days we hunt through meals.

I did the Mexico self-pay, even with my insurance the process was almost a year long before approval, and estimated costs out of pocket were still more than going to Mexico. I wouldn't touch semaglutide with all the issues with it and weight loss. It works for some, but the friends I know who have done it have all put back on all their weight and 20 pounds after they quit it. Too many issues that can happen with it, stomach paralysis, rotten food in your stomach, etc. If you have HSA/FSA there are ways they will cover your surgery in Mexico or go towards the cost. I had a lady in my surgery group in Mexico that was able to use her HSA/FSA completely, I know she said she had other paperwork etc she had to do and get approval before hand as it was out of the country. I believe Go Light Bariatrics has a financing option, and I want to say it was interest free.

You have got this! One of the best steps/tool towards your weight loss goals! I am now 5.5 months Post Op, and I wish I would have done it sooner! I won't lie, the first few days are uncomfortable, but it will go away pretty quick!

I need help setting up things on here. I just posted my first post yesterday. I am unable to enter any of my stats (starting weight, etc). Also, I see people put a basically a ruler down below their post showing the weight loss. How do you do all of this?

i often brought the following on road trips/vacays during weight loss phase: - beef jerky - frozen grapes and blueberries (if u bringing a cooler) - chicharron/pork rinds (if your calorie goals allow it) - protein powder

Yeah, I got a pack of these freezer safe glass 4 oz baby food jars on Amazon and they've been really helpful with portioning!! At first I could only eat about half of one, so about 1/4 cup total. A bit less if it was solid protein in meat form other than fish (beef, chicken, and pork sit heavier). That was it for about two months. In this third month my portion size suddenly increased to about 1/2 cup in total now! As far as meat and veggies are concerned at least. I have always been able to eat a little more of soft things like yogurt and pudding... But my PA told me that increase at 3 months is perfectly normal, and I could expect it to increase in stages throughout the first year or two, to not panic over it, hunger is natural and mine never went away from surgery, so I've really had to cultivate a healthy relationship with it. Because those stomach nerves are still healing, I watched my portion size carefully and really paid attention to discovering new fullness cues. For me those are a runny nose, hiccups, burping, and aggressive sneezing fits! Plus this building pressure or weight in the center of my stomach. These are all normal signals for bariatric patients, but we all get our own unique combination so be on the lookout for discovering yours! I think 2-3 shakes a day paired with things like yogurt and soft cereals seems really normal. It is great you are progressing so well! The problem with forums and support groups is we get used to seeing people post with problems and then we expect to have a slew of problems ourselves! And sometimes we do. But often times we don't... The majority of bariatric patients have no complications, progress their diets easily, and worry about eating too much and if their surgeon even did their surgery. 🤣 Your metabolism has been reset, it will handle calories a bit differently now. Just stay on the conservative end with simple carbs, as they can slow weight loss sometimes. Focus on that hydration and protein, and later on when cleared for all foods, on adding complex carbs like veggies, beans, and some fruit. Protein will help with the hunger, as does healthy fat and the fiber once it is safe for you to digest. My dietician told us to think more about macros than calories. So, to make sure things had less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, more than 20 grams of protein per shake, less than 10 grams of fat per serving, and keeping our total carbohydrates for the day under 50 grams in the early months...and that was their advice for all surgeries, with varying protein goals for each different one. Baritastic app has been really helpful with the tracking!

here's my personal anecdote : when i called goal, i looked skeletal and gaunt. many people told me so (which i found annoying), but more importantly, *i* thought i looked gaunt and skeletal. fast forward about 1.5 years after that, and while i actually weighed 10+ lbs LESS than when i called goal, i looked waaaay healthier...and, dare i say, HOT. lol. i was exercising regularly and my body didn't have that frail look to it, and my face gauntness filled in. granted i did also have plastics done: tummy tuck, breast lift and arm lift, but those procedures only took of 400g of weight off me, so says my doc. fast forward another couple years (im 5+ years post op now), and while i still weigh 10+ lbs LESS than goal, i STILL look healthier now than those early days of maintenance. Mind you, i do look a lot "softer" now as i only exercise a fraction of what i used to do before. I do think rapid weight loss does a number on one's looks in the short term, but i think most people will find that as time goes on, things move and settle a bit so we dont look so sickly. (and yes, i can see my bones in places, lol)

Feb 14th for me. I decided to "love myself" by picking this date. I have my preop visit next week so I'll find out my pre-surgery diet then. I feel like I've been having a lot of "last meals". My greatest goal out of all this is not just the loss of weight but rather re-jump starting my approach to food. I guess it will begin next week.

I am not one that does well with being patient and therefore I am in a terrible place mentally. I never thought about having surgery as I didn't know the options that are available today. Meeting with my Dr, we talked about Wegovy and the lifetime issues I has had with weight loss and the continued failure to do so. He suggested sleeve surgery. At first I was not going to consider it thinking it wasnt for me. After weeks of research I decided it was the exact thing I needed in my life. This is where the impatience comes in. I met with a surgeon for consultation and I started getting excited about all prospects of life changing results this would bring. - Lowering bp and getting off all meds - recovering some kidney function - getting rid of sleep apnea or at least losing enough BMI that I could get an implant because I cant keep my mask on - Being able to become an athlete again - Not needing an extension on the airplane - Other benefits that are personal. I waited a week for them to run my insurance and it was denied. Now I am stuck saving enough money to try and get it in the distant future. I am not mentally doing well with that fact. I got it in my head that I was going to get on the right path for me sooner rather than later. I looked into financing but I am a teacher and can not afford an extra "car payment". So I need to save and wait...impatiently.