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Did they say why you are still there and on clear fluids? I heard that you can be home within two days and on stage 2 of eating. Did you have any complications if you don't mind me asking?

First thing - you may want to change your user name - having your email address as a user name will likely result in a lot more spam due to the email bot finders. So to the advice from people around you - I am assuming they are not medical or health specialists? They may be well meaning and while some family members may be concerned about possible medical complications are more likely to be concerned about the change in the status quo. You are likely to lose the weight that is required for health and maintain that loss long term? If so, you may not need the surgery. But if like most of us, you can lose some weight (not likely all that was needed) and are not able to maintain that weight loss beyond the short term, you will greatly benefit from weight loss surgery. Your medical team believes you are a good fit for the surgery and believes there is a need for it, you had reasons for looking at weight loss surgery - are those still valid? If you don't do the surgery where will you be a year from now? More weight gain - more medical issues?

135.4 this morning. Really I don't want to eat crap, but I keep losing weight. I can tolerate sugar and moderate amounts of fat without spending a lot of time in the bathroom, but I'd rather eat protein, vegetables, fruit, and dairy for calories than candy bars. Because I reflux stomach fluid at night, I can't eat after 8 (if I plan on going to sleep at 11) and I've never been a breakfast eater. That mean getting about 1500 calories in between 11 and 8. That's nine hours, at 166 calories an hour, complicated by the fact that I am not hungry at all. This is going to take some thought.

I know that I will be moving slowly on my increase for the food intake since my surgery is more complicated, but I sure hope the broth works for me. I also find that the shakes, if I make them myself with almond milk, go down better, and stay down better, so I will be doing that for now. Surgery is on 9/16, xFatBoy how are you doing...any better?

Well I am probably in the complication group. I had alot of hurling post op at hospital, my oxy sats were dropping to 89 etc. Girl in the hospital as I was writhing in pain they tried to offer me aromatherapy. I said you got to be kidding me I am going to die. lol. When I first woke from op and all the people were talking to me as they were rolling me places I said Hi and they said oooh shes so soft spoken. And since then my voice has been hoarse like im il. My doctor said i had a small mouth and she had to endoscopy me during surgery so I am guessing that my voice box may be got bumped. Hoping it improves but I am a week post op and it has not so far Anyways, they did a "Ugi" on me at the hospital where I drank radioactive stuff and the nurse said I wasn't going to get to go home that day (4th day) in hospital because I had something called an ileus that was still asleep. I told my surgeon and she said she would handle it and I was released because surgeon allowed but there has been no explanation about ileus. I did have two bowel movements day 6 which didn't hurt at all unlike some of the horror stories I read. There had been a constant gurgle coming from my throat like a frog croaking and I was constantly regurging into my mouth when trying to sleep. I sleep sitting up on couch but would still happen. Having now switched to purees that is much better! Slept in bed last night finally but way elevated. I have pretty rough severe pain below left breast and i have been taking tram morn and night. The doctor ordered a "2 view xray" on my one week followup for the pain but havent heard anything back yet. Weightloss has been working. Talking to some of the other girls in the waiting room I was a bit jealous they didnt have any pain or nothing and each hour was a struggle for me. I take awhile to go from sit to stand due to that left side pain being so bad

I didn’t need any physicals or preop anything for my self pay Mexico surgery. I literally called, they asked my weight height to get BMI (40 at the time) and booked it with a $300 deposit (I think, it may have been $200). Showed up when they told me and had some minor blood work done the day before at the facility and surgery the next morning. Edit:  I used Dr Galileo Villereal in Nuevo Laredo and the total cost including a hernia repair was $4400. The surgery was at a public hospital, they put us up in a hotel the night before.  You’re pretty much on your own once you leave, you can call or email if you have questions or anything after, or use your own doctor in the states if you need something but it was all smooth for me and I didn’t need anything.  Another edit: I had my surgery mid June and I’m down just shy of 70lbs already, I should have done this sooner. I had zero complications. I was given some papers on suggested post op diet plans which matched most of the others I’ve read about, but at week 3 I switched to the Mayo Clinic’s post op plan (it can be googled) because I really wanted cottage cheese :) 

Im only 40 days out from sleeve but no problems and down 35lbs already. I preferred bypass bc my mom is 15 years out, i thought bypassers lost more weight and faster, and i believed bypass had less "failed" patients... but my doc said the "failed percentage" is only a bit lower for bypassers, i was self pay and my husband didnt want to spend 25k instead of 17k for bypass instead of sleeve. Also, my surgeon doesnt do bypass on former smokers bc he doesnt believe they will stop for good and bypass has even worse risks and complications due to smoking so I went with sleeve.i questioned myself a million times about rny vs sleeve until i had it. Now im glad i chose sleeve:) Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I love Dr. Shillingford! He did an amazing job on my sleeve...no problems, no complications! He is very caring and reasonably priced for self pay.

Hi, I am so sorry to hear about your struggle. We have a lot of great members here, and I am sure someone will have some really excellent advice and things for you to consider. Did you only have the lap-band? I had a sleeve done on July 17th, but never had the lap band done. I also am hypothyroid and have some menopausal issues that are making my weight loss difficult & tricky despite my recent surgery. Have you met with or considered a naturopath or alternative health practitioner? Liver function is not something to mess with, or a history of Lyme's disease. Sometimes the 'outside the box' doctors will have more effective & creative strategies for complicated health situations. I know that Lyme's can affect the thyroid. Is your healthcare provider looking at things like reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies? https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3/ Here is another site I really like: https://selfhacked.com/blog/all-about-chronic-lyme-potential-treatments/ Where in the US are you located? Maybe one of our members could recommend a naturopath or other kind of doctor that you could visit with that is near you. Have you discussed with a WLS doctor possibilities to convert to a roux-n-y? Perhaps if it were possible to have the lap band removed you could eventually tolerate meats and vegetables easier? Protein is incredibly important for health & weight loss/maintenance, as I am sure you know. Owing to my own metabolic issues, I actually broke down & decided to add in some stimulants (phentermine) after my sleeve surgery, as my body would not drop weight, no matter how little or how much I ate, or how much I was exercising each day. Phen is an ugly drug which is very hard on the heart, but it is documented to help stimulate lypolysis -- and I know this as well from personal experience. I definitely would not recommend phen to someone with liver function issues or Lyme's disease, but I don't know enough about those conditions to say what would be a good strategy for you. Have you had hormone panels done? For middle aged ladies like me, estrogen & testosterone deficits can also contribute to stubborn weight issues. I personally recently had testosterone pellets implanted, and take DHEA & pregnenolone each day, along with T3 & T4. For liver support, I know that glutathione & milk thistle are very helpful and have personally taken them without issue. Good luck & all the best to you. I'll be waiting to see what some of our other members have to say.

I haven't had revision, but I've been hanging out on bariatric sites for the last 5-7 years. It does seem to work for most people, but of course you'll find outliers. Sorry to hear about the above responder's complications, although fortunately, as with virgin surgeries, those seem to be pretty rare.

I was wondering if anyone is taking gabapentin before /after baratric bypass surgery? If so are having complications or a difficult road to recovery? I been real nausea, stomach feels upside down, diarrhea. I was hoping to find some people to talk to and get your experiences , and or suggestions to help, please help. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

You will be fine! I’m not trying to worry you because with Covid everyone is backed up. But there is huge difference so thought I’d share my experience. I know how you are feeling! I cancelled Surgery in Nov after doing 2 week fluids bc of blogs with horrific complications scared me to death. plus I never heard of loose skin that bad like the extreme ones on U-tube. Also petrified of Anesthesia bc bad issue before. Cancelled surgery in Jan because Dad died. I have met with my surgeon 4 times and he is the nicest caring surgeon. He doesn’t rush me & answers questions truthfully. He also does reflux surgery & has vitamins on amazon plus U-tube videos. He has plastic surgeon he works with & went over info to help insurance cover skin removal as it’s unhygienic & rashes hurt. But said exercise helps so much. His Nurse is awesome and when I call her for questions, she never tries to hurry me. The hospital pre op & Covid test ran smooth. It only took a month to be okayed so I pay nothing. The office is efficient. Surgery is Sep 8th. Three times a charm, I wish I had done it in November. I did the liquid diet twice now & gained it back. If you have a bad feeling make sure surgeon is a registered Bariatric Surgeon. Our health & lives are at risk. I have 4 bad issues will go away. So please think about that if you get scared at the last minute. We can all do this. Like you, I am pretty much alone except my husband. I’m really thankful for everyone here. If anyone is in the Houston/The Woodlands area, He has a 5 star rating several places so I’ll share info. Prayers for everyone having soon & recovering!

It looks like you have two separate issues: your surgeon/hospital, and the decision to have WLS. As some of the other replies have said, I think you should consider changing surgeons. You probably have other options, and you are a customer -- if you don't like the treatment you're getting, you have the right to go elsewhere (this, of course, depends on where you live and how your surgery is being funded). Getting WLS is not just about the cutting. It's a lifelong journey, and the followup visits are a big part of that. I've read that patients who go to all of their scheduled followups are more successful than those who don't. My program requires 8 followup visits in the first two years (once/year thereafter), and you probably don't want the hassle of going to such a disorganized office so many times. The most concerning thing to me is that you don't know which surgery you're getting. That is a pretty big deal, and you should be the one to make that decision, even though the surgeon may have strong recommendations. Now, he could refuse to do a certain procedure because it would be harmful to you, but you still have to agree to whatever procedure he does recommend. I actually wouldn't have a problem with the informal tone of his e-mail. Doctors are people, too. I bet some people like the fact that he acts like a normal person and doesn't insist on being addressed as "Doctor." When I was looking into surgery, I was concerned about the hospital's reviews, too, but it turns out that pretty much every hospital in my area has bad ratings. I suspect that very few people have good experiences at hospitals, because you only go to a hospital if you're sick or injured. There are always complaints about wait times (because there are a lot of patients), billing (because medical care is crazy expensive and billing is complicated), and outcomes (because not every patient can be saved, and sometimes it takes trial and error to solve problems). Now, about the decision to have WLS, I went through some very similar doubts before surgery. I lost over 60 pounds on my own before surgery, and I started to think, "Maybe I can keep going on my own instead of going through with this." I have yo-yo dieted most of my life, but I had never lost that much weight before. About 10 years ago, I lost 50 pounds and kept it off for several years, but I eventually gained it all back plus 30 more pounds. I took some pre-surgery pictures of myself the day before surgery -- after I had already lost over 60 pounds -- and that made me realize how far I have left to go. If I lose 100 pounds from my surgery weight, I'll still be obese. And every pound is a little harder to lose than the last, so the chances that I could lose that much without surgery are... slim. This is a very personal decision that you have to make for yourself, though, and if you're not ready to do it now, you can always wait and see how far you can get on your own. P.S. If you want your stats (like starting weight, weight lost, and surgery date) to show up when you post, you can click on your user name on the top right of the screen, then select "My surgery" under Settings.

All surgery carries risk but so does being obese. Unfortunately, there’ll always be some negative Nancies out there who are so happy to tell you horror stories. But you didn’t make this decision without doing the research & there are thousands of success stories on this forum. Sure some have experienced complications along the way but goodness knows what they would have faced without the surgery & not losing weight. As others have said, it’s not an easy fix. You have to make changes & take advantage of the tool. If you pay for a gym membership but never go, you’ll never get healthier. Same with wls: you have to work at it every day. It’s a lifestyle change. Best of luck with your surgery. It’s an amazing journey & the benefits are incredible.

major complications really aren't very common anymore. These have become routine surgeries and are much safer than they were years ago. I think some people are remembering how weight loss surgeries were back 30+ years ago when they really were pretty dangerous. That's just not the case anymore.

I started looking into WLS about 15 years ago, but my family talked me out of it (not because they didn’t think it would work, but because they thought I would die or have horrible complications). This time around, I didn’t tell anyone (other than medical professionals), and I don’t plan on telling anyone. I have heard a lot of criticism of WLS, mostly by people who are ignorant and have no idea what’s involved with it. It’s interesting that people are telling you that it’s not a quick fix, because I think the most common misconception people have is that it’s the “easy way out.” It’s not. It’s hard. It is the most effective treatment for weight loss, so I don’t know why so many people would rather see us continue to struggle with yo-yo dieting that has been proven not to work. i wouldn’t necessarily say to ignore the opinions of your friends and family because at least some of them are saying these things out of genuine concern because they care about you. But take their opinions with a grain of salt because they most likely don’t know much about WLS. Pay more attention the the people who have actually been through it, like people here. I watched a lot of YouTube videos before my surgery by people who have been through it, and that really helped to prepare me (for both the good and bad parts) and put my mind at ease. Part of the reason I was so easily convinced not to do it before was that I was so intimidated by everything I’d have to do and what I’d have to give up, and I didn’t know if I could do it. Seeing real people who were in the same boat as I was get through it made it seem possible.

I had a lapband from 2008 until earlier this year. I loved my band but due to some recent complications it had to be removed. My surgeon encouraged me to consider either the sleeve or RNY after the band removal. I didn’t think I would need one because I felt like I had maintained my weight well with the band, so I should be able to do it on my own. Boy was I wrong. I have gained 40 lbs since they removed the fluid back in October. So in February, I decided to move forward with RNY. My insurance required a 6 month weight management program. I completed my dr visits, but I gained 8 lbs during that 6 months instead of losing. I seem to have plateaued but it seems that nothing I do is working to lose weight. Neither my dr nor the insurance coordinator know if my surgery will be approved since I didn’t lose during this 6 months. Has anyone had this happen and still get approved?

I had surgery at 7:30 am on a Thursday and went home at 1:30 pm on Friday... had to walk 10 laps, drink 32ozs of liquids and urinate before I was released. No complications... thank God!

I'm glad to hear this as I'm wanting to get the band done as my insurance will cover that procedure. There's a great hospital in the area that only does Lap Band. I've read about complications and had some concerns. However, I've also read great comments on people who have had the band for over 10 years with no complications.

I heard biotin was good for hair. However when i was doing my preop labs they had a sign up saying biotin may affect your lab results so if i were you i would hold off on adding anything presurgery unless told to or it could cause delays in an already long and complicated process

Ah I see. Well, everyone makes mistakes, but eating solid food two weeks out can cause serious complications. Not trying to alarm you or anything, but just keep an eye on it and see how you feel. Hopefully it was just a blip and you’ll be absolutely fine don’t beat yourself up, this is a difficult journey for everyone but just learn from your mistake. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My surgery was on a Monday and my surgeon said I would stay in the hospital one or two nights, but I'm 65, have had two previous abdominal surgeries, and was also having a hernia repair and a repair of an esophageal stricture, all of which can complicate things. I ended up staying 4 nights.

I have surgery in the morning on friday. The surgeon told me at the preop appointment I will be released sunday (barring complications)

Insurance coverage will be based on your BMI and if you have comorbidities like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or diabetes. Yours is 37.8. Mine was covered with no comorbidities at 40. If you have one, you may be able to get coverage at 35. I started at 5'6" and 250 lbs. I'm 50, so a lot older than you are. I lost 80 lbs. and have gained 12 back in about 2 years. I had no complications and was happy with the experience overall. The thing I didn't fully understand is that my appetite would come back and I would be on a serious, calorie counting diet forever to maintain my loss.

Hi there, I joined this forum in May and have been silently reading and researching all of my questions for months. Now I am close to the end of my pre-op journey, expecting to get my last clearance from dietician on September 1st, and looking back I am amazed at how much is wrong with me ha. I thought I was somewhat healthy before I started this medical journey and now I have diabetes, Barrett's Esophagus from silent reflux and I was critically low on Vitamin D. I felt like every test I took they came back at me with a diagnosis haha. Don't get me wrong, I believe everything happens for a reason and had any number of my decisions in the past been different and I had not chosen to go this route I NEVER would have known about the Barrett's because I didn't know I had GERD, so I am so incredibly grateful to know early while I can do something about it. Like many of you, I began this journey hell bent on the sleeve and that all changed for me. But most importantly, my father died of diabetic complications when he was only 58 and that diagnosis single handedly scared me straight. There is just no food on this planet worth your life. I have gone through many emotional ebbs and flows during all of this and at points talking myself out of being vain and then I reminded myself that this is NOT about beauty, bonus yes of course, but I want to be healthy and I refuse to have diabetes. Then the diagnosis of Barrett's came and I spent a couple of days rehearing the words of the Doc "This surgery just went from elective to medically necessary" and for some reason I struggled with that. I don't know why, maybe because the decision was out of my hands? I am not sure, but I can tell you that now that I am close to getting a surgery date and am expecting it to all happen in October, I'm getting nervous. I read threads about not being able to keep anything down or vomiting because they drank too fast or ate too much and I wonder if I have done enough to prepare. I will be honest, sipping and practicing sipping right now, PRE OP, is almost impossible for me. Chewing 20 times for every bite PRE OP is not happening for me. Have I sabotage myself before even starting? I just assumed, perhaps wrongfully, that common sense would kick in post op. My relationship with food has been severed. For this I am thankful. Like I said, the diabetes diagnosis hit home for me and I have been competing against my blood glucose monitor for 2.5 months and lowered my A1c from 9.1 to 5.9. So in that respect I am ready, however, I question the following things and can't find the answers. If you can help me, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 1. How in the world am I suppose to take my medication? Multivitamin, MetFormin, Prilosec etc. Crush them and drink them YUCK, that scares me 2. I am nervous about getting in 64 oz of water daily. I drink twice that now, but after surgery, taking sips, that seems like a full time job. How is everyone else doing this? 3. The liquid phase scares me more than the others as far as variety, any suggestions would be helpful, however, I just read a thread about someone eating the wrong things in the pureed stage and having to start over. Are bland foods best until solid foods are acceptable to avoid upset? You guys are awesome, Thank you for taking the time to read my post