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I was a pretty healthy person up until 2008, when my liver enzymes first became elevated. I had reached my then highest weight of 304, and then managed to get down to 263 through diet and exercise. My enzymes went back to normal. Then I got pregnant in 2010 and after I had my son, my health got worse. I was diagnosed with severe asthma around 2014, and my liver enzymes were elevated again. I started gaining weight steadily until I reached my all time high of 393 with a bmi of 69 (I am 5'3"). Back in January, I had my gallbladder removed.. I mentioned to the surgeon that I would be seeing a liver specialist because my liver enzymes kept getting higher and he did a biopsy while he was in there. The results were not good. I was diagnosed with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatic fibrosis. The surgeon said my liver looked really bad, and he didn't see me living past 60. I'm an RN and have seen people die of liver failure and it's awful. I was 48 (just turned 49), and I had wanted wls for a long time but our insurance doesn't cover it. What that surgeon said was a wake up call, and so I made the decision to pay for the surgery myself. I wanted a sleeve, but the first bariatric surgeon recommended RNY because of my weight. I had planned to get that, but then COVID happened and they laid off that surgeon so I went to a different one that my cousin had RNY with 10 years ago. He told me about the Loop DS. He said I was a good candidate for it because of my high bmi and since I was self pay. It's still investigational and not covered by insurance. So I decided to do it. I had surgery on July 23rd. I was 368 on surgery day. The surgery went well but I was very nauseated the first few days and vomited old blood just like NovaLuna described. After that, and a kidney stone 11 days post op, recovery has been pretty smooth. I never really had much pain. As of today, I'm 322 pounds, walking every day, and feeling amazing, even though I'm still significantly obese. I was to the point of barely being able to walk anymore, and personal hygiene was hard. I had just been diagnosed with high BP and put on meds in May. I've been off the meds since surgery. I just had my first labs and everything was normal. My liver enzymes are still elevated, but about half of what they were. It's wonderful to be active again and being able to walk with my husband and son, who is a very active boy! I still have a long way to go but I'm so happy I did the surgery and don't regret it one bit! Good luck to you! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point. OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I've had two surgeries--a sleeve, and then a revision to RNY because I developed GERD after my sleeve. Nine years ago, I lost 100 lbs with the sleeve from a starting BMI of 36 and kept it off, so that was a big big plus. I don't recall much pain after the first two days or so, and my recovery was uneventful. The cons were that my sleeve was very picky about the foods it would tolerate. I could not eat scrambled or hard-boiled eggs. I could not eat dense protein like tuna, salmon, or chicken breast. I could not eat pasta, bread, or bready things because they balled up inside my stomach, absorbed stomach fluid, and then hurt. I lived on seafood, steak, dairy products, and vegetables. I did not dump. I developed GERD a couple of years after my surgery but I loved my sleeve so much I did not want to consider a bypass, but after a year on 3x the regular prescribed dosage of PPIs plus OTC antacids that still did not control my reflux and regurgitating everything I swallowed multiple times I decided on RNY. I had my RNY on June 29 of this year, and maybe because I'm ten years older than when I had my sleeve my recovery was a little bit harder and more painful. I definitely felt like my insides had been rearranged. RNY is way different from the sleeve to me. I don't have that tight feeling anymore that I have eaten enough so I have to measure my food, but I am used to eating a small amount so it's not a big deal. I can eat eggs and pasta again. I don't dump, but I became lactose-intolerant. I lost 10 additional pounds following the RNY surgery when I was on a liquid/puree diet, but I haven't lost anymore and my BMI has leveled off at 20.

@@Embrace Hi! Thank you so much for checking in on me. Your note before my surgery gave me great peace and comfort. I have told NO ONE but my husband, so having you and others checking on me in INVALUABLE! I have had a tough 1st week of recovery, but am beginning to feel better. My 1 week check up is tomorrow. Because I was converting a "plication" to a sleeve, my procedure lasted 5.5 hours. I think this may be the reason the Anesthesia was particularly difficult to rid from my system. Not sure if this is the cause of my blurry vision for the last 6 days, but reading online, I have found that this can be a result of anesthesia and will improve in 9-10 days. (I have been unable to read the newspaper, emails, or any of the 3 new books I bought to enjoy during my recovery phase.) Additionally, I have had severe headaches that I cannot treat with my regular migraine meds, due to the complicated revision-----my doc's fear that the strong meds (even crushed) would cause damage to my new sleeve. ENOUGH COMPLAINING THOUGH!!! I'm grateful for my supportive husband who paid the 17,500. fee to have this done and my steady improvement. I actually feel myself getting stronger each day. Remembering what you said about walking the anesthesia off, I made sure to walk a little each day but honestly I only made it to my mailbox and back, walked from one end of my house to the other.....etc. (I was quite wimpy this week) I tried to balance what you said about walking and resting my body. I have a goal of walking 30 minutes (all at one time) by Saturday of this week. I hope I am able. Your 3rd piece of invaluable advice was very helpful and something I HAD NOT considered. As soon as I can get out, I'm going to purchase tiny bowls and small plates. Thank you so much for this tip!! Something I had not expected was the weight gain in the hospital from fluids. ( I probably should have done better research and made myself aware of this bc it SHOCKED me!) I gained 11 lbs and after 6 days that was finally gone. I hope I begin steady "losing" from this point on. I practiced "going out to dinner" last night with my husband. This is a little scary at first! We went to a Tai restaurant where I was able to order a bowl of simple broth. It was divine. (After eating broth from a box all week.) Since today is 1 week out, I'm going to weigh, take measurements, etc. I'm hoping I'm on the right path and will continue to improve. Enough about me! Are you doing o.k.? Still losing? Adding new foods to your diet? Feeling good? I think your surgery was this summer so we are just a few months apart. Your wisdom and compassion came through so clearly in your message to me and I want you to know how very much I appreciate the time it took to send it. Please continue to send your valuable tips and please let me know how you are progressing.

I'm 57, once I thought I was too old for this wls. But then I had a women in the first meeting ( welcome to wls) who was 60. So I know if she is going for it then so can I! Anyone having problems telling their adult kids? I have a controlling daughter who I believe will b against me getting this done. My son is easy going and say what ever makes you happy mom. My fiancé of 10 years said it was to drastic. He is the only one that knows, my family doesn't understand since I'm the smallest of 5 girls and 2 brothers one who is overweight. I have been taking my fiancé with me to meetings, dr visits, all that I can get him in. So he is getting info first hand, were both retired so he can do this with me. I just wish my ins didn't have a 6 mth PCP for weight loss. I also have had 1/2 of the list of requirements done and the rest scheduled for Aug. sure hope time flies!

So I'm on my two week diet and have lost 10 pounds and my whole family says I look like I've lost weight and I look great but for some reason I look at my self in the mirror I look fatter! So I'm worried I will lose 100 pounds and still see my self the same.

I have scheduled 11/10 with Dr. Ponce DeLeon. Can you let me know how it went for you? I am so nervous. Thanks. I will keep you in my prayers and I hope all goes well with you. Thanks on again, Rickie

Hi. I start my 2 week pre-op diet this Friday. I have to replace Breakfast and lunch with a Protein shake in either Water or fat free milk (I'll put it in the milk) Amazon is convenient for me, anyone have any brand and or flavor suggestions? My guide from surgeon says sugar free, at least 20g of protein per serving , under 200 cals per serving and less than 10 carbs. There are plenty of powders out there but not many that say ugar free but meet th other criteria better than the few sugar free ones. Most are low carb, lower than the sugar free but have like 1-2g of sugar listed on the label is that ok? otherwise not much to choose from, plus spendy. Any advice? flavors, brands? thanks, getting close!!

Hey there, since I just emailed to ask my nurse for instructions via email, I thought I would share since some may want to use or appreciate more details. Surgery is less than a week away! Steps for showering or bathing with the CHG/4% Hibiclens : 1. Wash and rinse your hair, face, and body using your normal shampoo and soap. Avoid Dial soap as it reduces the effectiveness if Hibiclens 2. Make sure you completely rinse off 3. Turn off the shower or turn Water away from you 4. Pour a quarter size amount of liquid CHG/Hibiclens soap onto a wet, clean washcloth, and apply to your entire body FROM THE NECK DOWN. Do NOT use on your face, hair, or genital areas. 5. Rub the soap filled washcloth over your entire body for 3 minutes; apply more soap as needed (1/4 of bottle should be used with each of the 4 showers/cleansing). Avoid scrubbing your skin too hard. 6. Turn on the shower/return to the bath, & rinse the soap off your body completely with warm water. 7. Do NOT use regular soap after washing with the Hibiclens. 8. Pat your skin dry with a freshly-laundered, clean towel after each shower/bath cleansing. 9. Dress with freshly-laundered clothes after each shower/bath cleansing 10. It is important the night before surgery, upon the 3rd day of bathing, sleep with clean bed linens 11. Do NOT apply any lotions, deodorants, powders, or perfumes to your body.

I was on a diet plan that had you drink 10 glasses of Water MIN a day and you weren't allowed any salt except light salt and they recommended people take "shots" of a half teaspoon or so of light salt (which is equal amounts of sodium chloride and potassium chloride) to up your potassium levels. I made a recipe for tomato Soup that gave me a full teaspoon but some days I didn't make it and over time my blood pressure went WAY down as a result (which was just the excuse I needed to talk myself out of the diet). Long story short, if you're concerned about potassium, you can make your own "shot" by mixing light salt in a small amount of warm water (it dissolves and goes down better warm, don't ask me why) or chicken broth. It's quick and easy and something you can do before you head out the door to the hospital.

Amiche96 is now banded "Angie" "Happy Band Day" :happybday2: :confused::happybday2::welcome2: :happybday2:

Hi Helena, I also went thru a 6 month supervised diet program connected with the hospital I went to and it was good to have the diet and all the tests done by the bariatric center. It was very convenient and I developed a good working relationship with the staff. The diet was kind of a formality for insurance purposes but I did lose close to 10 pounds so that was good. I don't think you have to worry about losing too much - it just shows you are serious about doing what it takes and will use the band as tool. I'm envious of you only having a 12 week diet - it took me 9 months to get all my pre-op testing done. (hectic life) I felt like I was having a baby but just like a pregnancy, the results will be totally worth the wait. The surgery was no big deal at all. Good luck to you!! Smilliegal

Hi, I was diagnosed with PE in 8/07 after a few years of birth control pills. Luckily I ALSO had kidney stones which is what drove me to the ER and after the stone had passed and I should have been feeling better, I wasn't and they decided to do a ct scan AND found the clots in both my lungs and discovered a DVT in my right leg. So I am lucky to be here today as this can be fatal:ohmy:. I was on coumedin for 6 months and they did blood work to determine iF I had a blood clotting disorder. That was proved negative so it has been determined that the clots were caused by the birth control pills. I was banded on 8/29/08 and the only condition that my hematologist and pulmonologist required were that I have the IVC Filter placed in before the surgery as a precaution. So on 8/28 they put in the filter and then the banding was done on 8/29 and then the filter was removed on 10/13/08. I was on Lovenox for 2 weeks then continued with Coumedin up until 10/6/08. I have been lucky not to have any other occurences. Being on coumedin for life is no fun!!! Miss Nikkie

Hi - I just posted a response to this question on another thread. Copied here for your convenience: Essentially, you alternate between 2-4 different body weight exercises in an all out sprint for 20 seconds and then rest 10 seconds. Repeat for 4-8 minutes. You give those 20 seconds as intense focus as you can with as much strength as you can while maintaining perfect form. At home, my Friday workouts follow the Tabata protocol, but tend to last about 20 minutes instead of 4 by stacking together 4 routines with 30 second rest in between. I do it with body weight exercises like jumping lunges, mountain climbers, star jumpers, bouncing push ups and dive bombers. These build incredible strength and fitness over a relatively short period of time. For me, I have been doing these workouts at home for about 10 weeks now and the results speak for themselves. I plan to continue working out this way going forward and it is very easy to create new programs by choosing different body weight exercise combinations. On Monday and Wednesday, I do body weight exercises for about 20 minutes, but not in the Tabata protocol format. On those days I do timed sets and ladder sets. Both are still really effective workouts when compared to Tabata and, again, only about 20 minutes long. Sometimes my trainer has me do this Tabata protocol at cross fit (we do it about once a month), and again, it lasts about 8 minutes and leaves me with tunnel vision afterwards it is so intense. We do 20 second sprints followed by 10 second rest of body weight exercises like burpees, pull ups, box jumps and jumping lunges. This is just an example list of body weight exercises. There are 100s you can choose from. Cross fit for me is Tuesday and Thursday. Try it out and see what you think of it. It is hard at first, but as you get more fit, it becomes more fun to do and gives you incredible fitness and focus. Highly recommended!

can you share your experience 1) did you have post op nausea at all after you were fully awake and back in the world. 2) If it started right at surgery, how bad was it --- How long did it take to get it under control. 3) What do you believe got it under control? 4) After the initial 4 week window, did you have any unexpected windows where nausea popped back into your life? 5) If you are through the looking glass and that part of your experience is over, where would you rate the whole experience from 1 to 10, with 1 being barely noticeable to 10 being complete buyers remorse. Thanks for all your help.

So this 25 pounds......it's your nutritionist's goal but NOT an insurance requirement, right? If so, you'll be fine. The 6 month diet is a great way to make the needed changes before surgery. I used every month of mine to change my diet, increase exercise, and practice some post op stuff. I'm about 4 months post op but haven't had caffeine or carbonation in almost 10. It makes your post op SO much easier! During my 6 months I think I only lost 15 pounds....and most of that was during the 2 week preop diet I had. Don't expect any miracles during those 6 months because it's not gonna happen. Just keep your eyes on the prize. You sound like you're doing great so far! The holidays are rough on everyone. I avoided the Thanksgiving temptations because I was at work but I already dread Christmas. Just going to the grocery store is torture right now lol

I expressed my concern to my NUT at my first follow up after surgery. Having been in the hospital and only getting sugar free popsicles, I noticed that when they melted they were just clear liquid and a colored sludge. I know that prolonged use of sugar free anything is probably not healthy. She told me that she has been using sugar substitutes for over 10 years and has no problems with them. I am a little more reserved and I have decided that during this first 10-12 months I will "play ball" and make choices that put me in the best position to lose the most weight. But once I hit maintenance and adjust to eating to maintain, I will most likely opt for foods and beverages that has little to no artificial sweeteners. I would even be ok with some small amounts of regular sugar, though not in any beverages. I will do what is needed to lose, but adjust accordingly later, as I cannot believe that prolonged use of this crap is even close to healthy. Thats just my opinion.

I'm 5ft2.5 and was 224.. after my preop diet I was 212... I am almost 6 months out and I'm down 63 pounds.. month 5 I have only lost 2 pounds and actually jumped up a few lbs. I know people in my group at the doctors that had their surgery same time as me have lost 80 to 100 pounds. some were a lot heavier some were about the same as me. I always compared people to me. and it was driving me nuts.. I'm 161 right now.. size 8/10 you may lose slower cause you are considered a light weight.. best of luck

SD 10/13/16 252 CW 201 50 lbs down almost 4 months out. Progress is progress but I hit so many slow downs. Weeks that I stay the same. I was told that by April I should be around 180 but it doesn't look like I will reach that goal. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm looking for advice on gas but not the gas from surgery, the gas you make like burping hiccups and farting. Those has been KILLING my stomach. The otherwise pain isn't bad at all but the constant gurgling and lurching is really hurting it. I have had some BMs so I'm not worried about being constipated. I'm just drinking Water, diluted juice, and had 1 Popsicle since Wednesday so I don't think I'm eating anything I shouldn't be. I looked for gas strips but only could find mylanya gas relief chewable tablets. Which of course taste like chalk and old mints. I did chew 2 of them a few hours ago hoping for some releuf before bed and have felt absolutely none. Hasn't gotten worse but definitely hasn't gotten better either any ideas? Starting weight 321- sleeve date 07/10/13 Sent from my iPhone using VST

I was at a support group recently and since i have a date they let me sit with the post op people so i could get some idea of how it would be. there were many people so we devided into groups of five or six and they asked how many people had complications and like 4 of the 6 at my table had. and one lady kind of laughed and said i got the lucky table.lol she asked if it had given me seconds thoughts. while it is a little scary so is the thought of losing my legs to the diabetes that I've had for 10 years or having a heart attack because of the high blood pressure and cholesterol. these are my "complications" from being fat but it didn't stop me from having fast food..lol

It'll work. I'm a week and a half out from surgery and I'm down 22lbs. I had my 10 day post op appointment with my surgeon today. Needless to say, I was stoked. When I got home from the hospital, I didn't know how I was going to do this. My family was eating burritos, and I was eating some chicken broth. It sucked. After weighing in today, I have the boost that I need. I feel great! I've only said this to say that this too shall pass. You will make it and you will be okay.

Hy-Vee part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks. I mispoke, it's 6 grams for 1 oz. I am 1 month and 10 days post.

I Live in Lake Grove. I'm having the surgery on 3/31/10, Dr Ahmad is the Dr. Having the surgery in Mather.

You can eat meat with the sleeve and not throw it up. It does not get stuck, but you fill up on it really fast. You do throw it up if you eat too much of it, because your stomach is TINY. It's hard to learn how little to eat. I am full awhile after I am done eating. We are used to eating until we are full, but you can't with the sleeve. You feel more full 10 minutes after you're done eating, and then you are in trouble.