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I’m not sure bc I haven’t had my pre op appointment. But I wanted to say that I’m sorry you went thru that. Wishing you well. Praying for you!

I am brand new to this also - and have not even brought it up with my husband. I have a friend who had gastric sleeve a year ago and is doing great with it - and just the total scorn with which he talks about her and WLS in general, I know he will not be on board. She should just work out more, she's risking her life, easy way out, just lazy - all that regular ignorant BS. He is a little overweight himself - not much, though. He yo-yos up and down by binge-eating and drinking, and gaining weight - then exercising 2 hrs a day and eating 2 lean cuisines a day to lose it. He is an alcoholic, and definitely has addictive beahaviours and an all-or-nothing approach to other things in life too. He eats everything in the house, or he starves himself, he plays video games all day long, or he swears off them entirely. He's on the wagon for 3 or 4 montghs, and then he goes on a 2 week vodka binge. It's OK - I don't go to him for support in most things - we are in a marriage of convenience more than anything else. I'm from the UK and I moved to the US to be with him. If we were to divorce I would want to go home with our 2 daughters - but he would never allow that. So the way I see it, why divorce and go and live in some shitty apartment nearby and have to split time with my kids. I've put my time in (17 years) - why let some other woman get what I'm entitled to (it wouldn't be hard for him around here, there is a shortage of employed single men). I feel like I may as well be comfortable if I'm stuck here. He's also 25 years older than me, which plays into it as well. I can wait. And when he passes, I'll be free and with a good-sized pension to boot. ANYWAY - I have to do 6 months of weigh ins with our insurance, as well as the nutional appts, psych eval, etc. I had my initial consult last week, but can't start the monthy appts until September because my daughters and I go home to the UK for 6 weeks in the summer (see what I mean - couldn't afford that if we divorced). My biggest fear is that he will try to stop the surgery by cancelling it. There is history there - he tried to do this 5 years ago when I had my breast reduction surgery. He got drunk the week before and I actually caught him red-handed trying to get me thrown off his insurance, and also calling the hospital and trying to cancel the surgery date. Now, it didn't happen. I intercepted the calls. And he sobered up by the time surgery rolled around - but I had a friend lined up to take me to the hospital if he wasn't "available", and my mum had already flown in and stayed for 6 weeks to look after me. I really don't look to him for support. So I have NO PLANS at all to tell him until right before the surgery. Is there a way he would find out? This is a much longer process than the breast reduction approval, and I worry they'll call him with questions? Is he able to have me thrown off the insurance any time he wants? I am so terrified of him finding out. I can do all my appts while he is at work because I have free time during the day (again, I prefer my comfortable life), but I really want to keep it a secret as long as I can.

My papers being sent today. I have BS but I hope being an employee will help 😬

I am 48 years old. I have been morbidly obese for about 7 years and obese for 20 years. My mother died in 2015 of diabetes and obesity related illnesses which culminated in her dying while I prayed for her in the ER at only 65 years old. My grandmother died in the same hospital of diabetic complications and an amputated foot at only 53 years old. I am a type II diabetic and was in total denial. Was not controlling my glucose levels, was not eating right, not exercising and was developing the SAME issues that my mother experienced. Both of my feet were swollen, discoloured, pressure blisters and red dots all over them from poor circulation and diabetic neuropathy. I had constant pain in my body from sore joints and uncontrolled sugar levels. High blood pressure. No energy and could not stand up more than 5 to 10 minutes max without needing to sit. I was going on job interview after job interview for the last 2 years, qualified and experienced in the positions I was applying for, but not getting the jobs. I started to sense it was my weight - employers whether they will say it or not are concerned that your weight will impede your ability to do work efficiently and if your weight will be a health concern that will result in numerous sick days. I did not want to end up like my mother and grandmother but I was heading there FAST. I am at the age where my weight was so high, and my hormones so whacky in pre-menopause, that the idea of being able to loose 100 lbs on my own was completely overwhelming to me. I live in a small Caribbean Island and our dollar is lesser than other countries and really did not know how I could afford help. I have not been insured in 12 years because of the diabetes. I foster dogs for a local animal shelter and I also have 7 recuse dogs. One day the shelter represented came to visit a couple puppies that I had adopted and she took a few photos of me and the dogs. When she sent me the attached photo I cried and cried and cried that night. I always knew I was big but it was like I lived in a strange kind of denial of HOW big I really was. Seeing that photo opened my eyes and I had an 'ah ha' moment and knew that I HAD to do something to change the trajectory of my life, otherwise I would end up in an early death just like the women in my family. So from the next day I started to change my diet drastically. I began to cut out useless carbs, stop buying my snacks, cutting down my portion sizes, stop allowing myself to eat the sugar treats whenever I wanted them. I started to see a change in my glucose levels from the next week and until the end of March I was more in control of my sugar levels but weight was not really coming off. In April I started to FEEL better because I had changed my eating habits but knew I needed an intervention to help me get off the kind of lbs I need to loose. So I found great reviews for a bariatric hospital in Mexicali and the cost was SO CHEAP compared to other countries. I started researching and corresponding and booked gastric sleeve surgery the end of May 2018. It was a long journey to get to Mexico from Barbados but I never looked back. I would not recommend the kind of flying I had to do after surgery because its hard on your system (and blood pressure) but I did what I had to do. I think everyone comes to that 'ah ha' moment when you honestly are just sick and tired of being sick and tired and fed up of not being able to live a full life and being bound to medication. I view the VSG as an intervention and an opportunity to 'reset'. The year or so it will take to loose over 100 lbs will give me the time to learn new habits, get off of insulin, be mobile again to do exercise and LIVE LIFE again. The time for my body to heal from the inflammation, get my heart healthy again and to learn to eat to fuel living and not eat for the sake of comfort. We have the choice to take control of our future with the KNOWN obstacles that morbid obesity brings. Sure a car could crash into me but that is a different thing to dying from diabetic complications, heart attack and amputations because of weight! I was in a RUT!!! How my rut looks may be different to yours but the point is that WLS helps with the leverage you need to begin getting out of the rut. I'm looking forward to my healthier future

I'm not having surgery until July 3rd. I'm on two different injections myself. My PCP advised me to not take my Lantus (slow acting) , check my BS often especially if i feel different (high or low coming on) and take Humalog (fast acting) as needed. I would contact your PCP and see what he/she thinks. Wishing you the best and hopefully you can leave diabetes behind you

I am a type II diabetic and 12 days post op gastric sleeve. For the last 7 days I was able to take just a few units (10 to 15 units) of rapid acting insulin to bring my sugar levels to acceptable (9-13). But now that I am able to eat more substantive foods my sugar levels are of course going up but I feel very scared to take the long acting insulin. Are there any other diabetic sleevers who can share some of your experience on controlling blood sugar after surgery and did you use long acting insulin or only short acting? I am scared of long acting and going to sleep...…...I live alone so there is no one to check on me. Of course I need to keep BS down to help my incisions heal as well as the internal staples. Incisions are healing very well, Thank God! How long did it take before you stopped needing to use insulin?

My surgeon had us using benefiber from day one. He preferred that to fruits bc of the sugars and grains bc of the carbs. He also preferred it to things expressly for constipation (mirilax, milk of magnesia, etc) bc he said you could get dependent on them.

I’m kind of in the same boat as you. I’ve tried keto and i do love that you get to eat bacon all day long but it’s not for me. My body doesn’t need all that extra fat and it also loves healthy variety so good carbs like beans and squash and lots of fruits are fine with me. i guess you could say i do the meditternean diet to an extent but i don’t like to view it as a diet. I eat what i want but i cook everything anf watch my portions, carbs and added sugars. I eat plenty of lean protein, fruits, seafood, veggies, almonds, beans, and lower fat dairy like fair life milk and lots of cheeses. I use things like grass fed butter, olive or coconut oil, but in moderation. I even do some meatless days. I love it because it’s not restrictive so i never feel deprived. My body physically feels the best when i do this, i have more energy, no extreme cravings, and it’s something i can stick too. Plus i feel lighter all the way around. I do add supplements like fish oil pills, and mct oil pills but that’s about it other than a multi. Best of luck to you.

My days are reasonably consistent. My surgeon is very ‘hands off’ with regard to food, protein, but has done a fair bit of Rea search with his 1700 bypass patients - the average is 800 calories a day a year out, and 1000 long term. He is strictly 3 meals a day, no in between snacking. I have coffee/protein shake at breakfast - coffee shot, bit of milk, 30g protein, ice cubes blitzed. For lunch 25g cheese and either chicken/ham or maybe a salami beerstick. And then we have our big variety in dinner. We have mostly eaten with a strong focus on preparing from-scratch evening meals all year, low carb, good protein and loads of fresh veggies. I do use bought (processed) dressings, sauces, sometimes. Like most New Zealanders, we do eat a fair bit of cheese, sometimes home made (oh, making halloumi, mozzarella and ricotta is SO easy) and homemade yoghurt. And that is us - no treats, but we make an evening meal we really enjoy. BUT. up until the bypass, our BS (before surgery) diet included fairly frequent takeaways, regular brunches. But the worst offender was potato crisps and dip, and binges with ice cream, chocolate or biscuits or other processed ‘treats’. These have ceased, and I feel way better for it. I crave different food types now, and seldom have sugar cravings - and when I do, I ride it out!

@Bryn910 yes i have to stop it because of blood clots. but now that you mention it, i never had a problem with my weight and bc, if anything, it helped me lose weight or maintain. i’ve been on the pill for 8 years now so it will be weird to not take it for a few months. but they’re okay with starting it again? surgery doesn’t change it’s effectiveness or anything?

I have pcos and was able to stop my metformin the day before surgery and I didn't have to resume taking it at all. My program wants us to be on birth control though as they don't want us getting pregnant for at least 18 months post op. I have an iud so that wasn't an issue. Why do they not want you on bc? Sent from my LG-H918 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have Fed Blue too, and my surgeon submitted that they're doing an umbilical hernia repair along with the sleeve. Once I was approved, I called Fed BCBS and they said the hernia is covered 100% along with the sleeve (minus the co-pay for the hospital stay and surgeon's fee). So this makes me a little concerned.

BCBS Fed submitted 6/4. Still PENDING!!! grrrrr. Sent from my LG-M153 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am literally in the same situation as you Adam. 21 years old with a social life! I’m from the UK though. My surgery weight was 266lbs. And I’m 4 weeks post op. My last weigh in over a week ago was 240lbs. I haven’t weighed myself since as I know from experience regular weigh ins mess with my head! I can see inches coming off though so holding back on buying a new wardrobe just yet. I used to drink loads on nights out. With friends. I’m nervous about now in the future bc even drinking water too fast or too much in 1 go physically hurts. Not to mention the annoying-odour-free burping. And then I would always have to what we’d call a “sober munch” before returning home lol. So as to not end up choking on our own sick in bed. Ie a greasy take out to absorb the vodka and sober us up! I’ve no idea how that is meant to happen now with the new sleeve capacity but I’m also not that bothered either like they’re empty calories. My friends have the skinny gene where they’d eat and drink and never gain weight. I wasn’t as fortunate so I ruined my own life going along with the crowd and eating out just to snap it for Snapchat and the gram! (social media) so even if I can get drunk on 2 packs now of vodka and a low calorie drink mix then I’m happy with that but I wouldn’t start drinking until I’m at my goal weight. Ie 7 months I think. I’m aiming for 175lbs. I sometimes have regretted getting the sleeve done because I didn’t have THAT much weight to lose and I did manage to lose 4 stone dieting in 2 years. No exercise. And just eating calories less than my BMR. But I couldn’t live like that for the rest of my life so I wanted to be able to enjoy food but smaller portions so I see that as a positive. I’ve been waiting to get cleared at 6 weeks before going ahead with my personal trainer because I’ve never stepped foot in a gym in my life! My surgery was done in Erdem Hospital in Turkey btw. It was £7000 cheaper than the UK (£10,000). I don’t have any communication with the surgeon or nutritionist so my diet I’m doing myself based on posts and archives from here but also I’m doing my 2nd year of nurse training so it’s part of my career too. I feel like there will be stalls in weight loss but that’s just because our body has gotten used to a certain routine so things need tweaking and changing. The thing about protein and vitamins is true for hair loss. Very true. I already suffered from hereditary hair loss anyway from about 16! So the fact I got this done now 5 years later and I’m 22 in 2 months, doesn’t help either so I’m still looking online for the perfect multi vitamin and protein supplement. I can drink shakes easily (not in 1 go) but the taste doesn’t bother me unlike some but yeah my Hospital were useless like that so I’ve been left to my own devices and find my own tablets for life. But I’m glad to know there’s someone my age on here now who’s going through the same thing as me!

Been feeling some kind of way lately and I believe it’s starting to affect me. I’m currently a week away from being 5 months post-op and for some reason, I’ve been getting A LOT of notice lately about my weight and as uncomfortable as it might be sometimes because people ask you what you’re doing, what you’re eating, etc. (Most people don’t know I’ve had VSG), what has been bothering me the most is that I am now having a lot of people tell me I need to stop losing bc I’m looking sickly or not good. It’s so confusing and discouraging bc it’s making me wonder if I should stop or if I don’t look good. However, when I look in the mirror, I still see someone that needs to lose some weight so it’s so confusing!!!! I am currently 6 pounds away from my first goal but I was hoping to lose that plus maybe another 10-15 lbs. my first goal is based on the BMI scale and being in the last possible number to be under healthy weight but the second goal was more of what I think I should be based on my height and maybe giving myself a little wiggle room. Plus getting more in the middle of that healthy weight range. Part of my issue is that I do have some loose skin on my arms, belly, and legs, which is from years of yo-yo dieting and going up and down. I haven’t gone for a plastics consultation because I thought it might be too soon but I think at this point, that might only go away with surgery and maybe that’s what’s making me feel that I’m not there yet. I don’t know-all these comments are stressing me out and making me sad at the same time. I don’t want to look bad and I never wanted to be rail-thin but now I’m questioning all my goals and I’m the kind of person that needs goals to succeed. Please help!! So discouraged. ☹️

Lauri, sorry you are all kinds of frustrated. I hope you can find a therapist soon. In the meantime, try to go back to basics like right after surgery. Protein and vegetables, water, water, water. Use Baritastic to track food, water, and walking. The app is free. Walking is free. STOP BUYING KEURIG flavored coffee, the caffeine is dehydrating and likely running you at full speed and then making you crash. Wean off the caffeine, do half and half decaf, get some Toriani flavored syrups from Walmart and fake the flavored coffee, use Premier Protein caramel as creamer. Do you have hobbies? Take a community ed class - they are usually low cost, is there a knitting group or book club nearby, is there a Y where you can go swimming? You can meet new people. Also that Psych eval was long ago, so I call BS on blaming her for your eating, just saying..... You can do this, you know what you are doing wrong. Start now. Keep posting, I'll keep answering.

well for some reason it wasn't letting me quote anyone...but here it goes... I have been thinking of how I would tell my story. It isn’t the normal story. It isn’t a happy one. On Thursday, May 31st, I had RNY bypass surgery. I stayed the night in the hospital and was released the next day in the late afternoon. I went home, my kids happy to see me and that the surgery was over, and I felt the same. My mom took them to eat bc I fell asleep in the recliner, and why would she think I wasn’t able to walk since I was walking earlier in the day. I woke up to get my dogs some food…I was super weak in the legs and when I turned around to get back in the chair I fell straight back on my tile floor. I peed myself…I don’t think I passed out really but I defiantly lost my bearings. Of course “hey siri” wasn’t responding so I had to find my phone in a haze. I crawled my way to the bathroom…I actually thought I did more than pee myself but when I checked my pants it was a huge blood clot and fresh red blood…and then a ton more in the toilet. I tried to call a couple of friends that I assumed would be in town but were out for the evening so I called my mom away from dinner. When she arrived she saw what state I was in (pale and bleeding) she immediately tended to me and my 11 year old son cleaned up my urine... he never should have ever had to do that! My mom frantically trying to clean me up and figure out what to do, I somehow had enough wits about me to tell her to dial 911… When the paramedics arrived I was a light, light beige color and barley a pulse. My veins were so collapsed they couldn’t start an IV …they were struggling….my pulse was super faint and and blood pressure almost bottomed out. I ended up losing more than half my total blood volume. 4 bags of blood and 2 bags of plasma later. I’m alive. Not the way the surgery was supposed to go. I am home now, having some double vision so its been hard to see my phone so I had wait until I was more alert and with my computer. So tomorrow is one week since my surgery.

I have finished all of my required stuff for insurance and it's been submitted to BC thru my surgeon and they are looking at it now. So just guessing how long will reviewing take? I just gave to them last Tues. and they have already sent it to BC so maybe I will hear? I am so excited!

Hi everyone. Posted about a week ago about wanting to do a pouch reset after being in a stall for almost 3 weeks and because I had started to fall back into my old eating habits (not counting calories, not eating protein first, eating junk food, eating as soon as I felt “hungry”, etc). Looked it up online and the first day I did clear liquids only, followed by a few days of protein shakes. Here are some realizations, good and bad, which I hope help anyone that is thinking about doing this: 1. It was ALOT easier this time around!! Lol. Had two do a 2-week pre-op diet when I started this back in January and that was SUPER hard. I suffer from migraines and got one almost everyday. This time around, it was SO much easier and no migraines!! 🙂 I’m assuming it’s bc of our small stomachs that don’t need as much food so my little sleeve was mostly content. So that was nice to experience. 2. I realized that most of the “hunger” I had been feeling was mostly head hunger and not real hunger. I still can’t seem to tell the difference and it gets me in trouble sometimes. Before I did this, I had started to experience a lot of hunger, which also made me eat crappy and I thought I had broken my pouch or something was wrong. I think it was just really head hunger and I was giving in to temptation. It’s taught me a lot. 3. It was nice to take a break from cooking and thinking about what to eat. At least for me. It was nice that I knew I would be having a protein shake and that I was all set. Even though I am almost 5 months out, I still worry about eating out or what my meal will be if I am out. Definitely gave me a break from that but it also made me realize that it’s not a big deal and that I shouldn’t worry so much. 4. I broke my stall!! I obviously know that it’s because I was in liquids but after the scale not moving, it was nice to see a change. I am still a slave to the scale and worry about the number WAY too much! But I’m working on it lol. Rome wasn’t built in a day 🤪 5. Of course it’s harder on the weekend, especially if you have family or commitments. I turned down an invitation to go out with friends on Saturday because I thought it would be best for me. And of course my family was already used to me eating regular foods so it was harder for them when they were trying to eat and I was having my shakes. 6. The biggest issue, for me at least, was how easy it was to keep going and how obsessed you can get with the regimen and the scale, if it’s going down. My personality is one that if I commit to something I will do it 110%, which can be bad at times. I ended up being on shakes longer than I wanted to because I was feeling ok, was seeing results, and because it was easy overall. I ended up doing it for 6 days instead of 3 and truthfully, could’ve kept going. But as we all know, I’m sure it’s not the best and no one can live off shakes forever and we all need to learn how to eat healthy and in moderation. So definitely can be a slippery slope depending on the results and your personality. So I hope this helps anyone thinking about doing this or anyone that has been struggling lately with overeating or not eating well. You can definitely “reset,” you can definitely hit pause and re-evaluate things, and your pouch will be ok 😊

Cook's Essentials from QVC was our first one and in my wifes opinion it was the best one. Next was a GoWise USA because she wanted a bigger one. Unfortunately it was just OK. Then we got another brand that neither my wife nor I can remember the name of because it broke within days of using it. I became so fed up with the revolving door of air fryers that I dropped the money for a Breville Smart Oven Air: https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BOV900BSS-Smart-Oven-Silver/dp/B01N5UPTZS This is of course so much more than an air fryer. It is an incredible appliance, but if I am going to be completely honest, for just air frying... the very first one we bought was the best. But you can only do one entire chicken breast or two-ish filets. Literally the only bad thing about that thing.

I have the Aria scale, yes. Love it! Honestly I'd be so damn out of my mind this BS gain/lose rollercoaster if I wasn't continually seeing that body fat number drop.

Insurance companies do the math. They are concerned with profits, not your health. If the insurance company pays for bariatric surgery In the long-term they are probably saving Medicare money, not themselves. Many insurance companies have found that bariatric surgery costs them money bc people lose weight and qualify for skin removal and other surgeries (hips/knees/hernias/cardiac). It is cheaper for insurance to pay for the CPAP and diabetes supplies for a few years, then pass the patient on to Medicare or another insurance company. There are a few physician's groups and patient advocate organizations working to change this, but it is a slow process.

5 weeks out and my scrubs are hanging off of me, my coworkers even brought up great places to take them in. Walking past pizza, donuts, etc and not craving them at all. Instead choosing healthy protein instead bc I'm craving it. People saying my face is slimmer. Went down a pant size. Almost able to cross my legs comfortably. This is only in 5 weeks, I can't wait to see what else is in store for me!!!!

I totally get this. I typically don't let it bother me, just like I don't really get too worked up with all the Flatearthers bs. I tend to scoff internally about how I can't fathom why anyone needs a magical controller to be happy or to explain what can't yet be explained. I can say without any uncertainty that everyone here can thank those less or non-religious for their lives, because if it wasn't for those that bucked religion and backed science, none of us would have ever had WLS. Hell, more than half of us wouldn't even be alive. I don't prescribe to the "atheist" tag, mainly because I don't know. To say that there isn't something much more powerful than I, that just happens to exist outside my perception of the universe that happens to live WAY the hell longer than I do, doesn't exist, is just as daft as saying one does exist. We are still infants, barely able to stand at the door looking out the screen at the yard in front of us and assuming that's all of existence without knowing or seeing the rest of the world that sprawls outward ahead of us. We've got a a LONG way to go as a species, religion is just an archaic answer to questions we've already started to be able to answer. That said, whatever Jelly's your Donut as long as you don't attempt to jelly mine.

Thank you. I mean, I guess I am just confused. I don't know what his angle is or why the outburst of rudeness from someone I don't even know. I started to feel like I was 7 years old and he was a kid in my class Lol. It is bizarre. I guess they'd call someone like this a troll Yes, that is exactly why I did the hand thing. And it's not gross. All it is is sliced luncheon turkey with a melted cheese stick. It's not gross to me. And it's easy to measure this way. I eat a lot of turkey and chicken and yes , these cheese sticks bc they're not bad in calories. I thank you for your support and I thank you for coming to my aid. It's people like you that are hero's in this world Although I am not weak at all, but more just tired and confused to try to even engage in this spitting contest, I am super impressed that you said " Hell to the No" and decided to call out RUDE behavior Good for you, and.. thank you Joanna