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I'm down 50lbs from right before my pre-op diet but, I've been struggling with textures still, but I found some solutions for the meantime until I can tolerate more. I can't do the protein shakes anymore but I add unflavored protein powder to anything I can. Cream of wheat/rice cooked in chicken bone broth with a bit of cheese is a great high protein base for things. To increase the protein I started adding a jar of baby food chicken or turkey. I occasionally add a jar of the veggie blends to it if I want to change things up. I also am really liking greek yogurt- ranch powder for savory cravings and sugar free jelly or fruit baby food jar mixed in. Going to make some frozen bars with that. But I can eat the ranch blend with a spoon straight out of the tub. The other thing I've been doing is using liquid egg substitute, mixing that with the ranch yogurt and cheese and cooking it up that way to make nice fluffy eggs with flavor and lots of protein. Gotta have my sugar free ketchup though! Another thing that helps me with the nausea feelings is baby animal crackers. I've found I'm having heavy cycles since surgery so I'm craving carbs around that time, and those have iron in them. Not trying to become anemic and these are lower carb and break down pretty easily without textures. For fluids, I cannot drink plain water. I gag and can't tolerate it at all. It has to have some sort of flavor and "thickness" or "body" to it. So I do 1/3 of a bottle of sugar free powerade and fill the rest of the bottle up with water. The true lemon powdered drinks with stevia are good too! But I'm trying really hard to get my fluids in.. it's a hard task every day. All of my bloodwork is fantastic thankfully... but hydration is holding me back. I've had both legs swelling up daily from dehydrated water retention. Minimal hair falling out but some.

I'd hate for you to end up with an ablation for an issue that may just be caused by hormone fluctuations due to weight loss that will ease as your weight loss levels out. IUDs can be fussy things. My guess is that after surgery your hormones surged high enough to overpower the IUD's hormones and that's what caused the bleeding. It is also possible the lining hasn't shed properly either due to those hormones, or those hormones combined with the IUD and now you are stuck with daily breakthrough bleeding. Getting the IUD out might help or it may do nothing for the bleeding, it is hard to say. Did they do an ultrasound to see if the lining is built up? I'm really surprised everyone there is acting like they have no clue what caused this... This sucks! I can totally understand why you are miserable!

I am so happy for you, Kay! What great changes. And I am thrilled to hear you have not been diagnosed with diabetes. Your efforts now will prevent that from happening. I am 60 yo and had my surgery on 7/31. My first post op check my BP meds were discontinued! My type 2 diabetes med was moved down to the lowest level and now my A1C is in normal range. This surgery is all about health for me (though I am enjoying the weight loss for sure...25 pounds lighter today and moving around I do feel lighter). Before you know it you will be off BP meds too. Cheers to health!

Some doctors require weight loss. Mine did. If I didn't loose it they would postpone the surgery. Every doctor is different though.

I am meeting with my surgeon in a week to hopefully talk about a surgery date. The surgeon wanted me to lose 10-15 pound prior to this appointment, and I haven't been able to! I have major anxiety about this and am worried he will choose to not move forward. Has anyone gone through something similar?

Reading how each person's journey is going has been encouraging for me. @Sanvsan73 Loosing 40 pounds is awesome @SleeveToBypass2023 15 pounds in a month...that's terrific as well. My revision is scheduled for Aug 28th - I will be happy with relief from GERD as mine causes me to bring foods back up sometimes hours after I've eaten and in bed sleep. Acid reflux was bad at the dentist office when they laid me back. I found myself bringing up stomach acid in the sink in the exam room 😕 This surgery will be critical for me to avaoid even more damge long term. Of course as most of you I would love to drop 40-50 lbs I gained after 2020. My sleeve surgery was in 2017 (Feb). All of your weight loss no matter how small or big is encouraging. Issue today I am having a hard time drinking these prep-op shakes! They are sitting heavy on my stomach.

Day 39: I’m miserable at this point. OB suggested having the mirena removed. Idk if I should give it more time to see if it balances out or what. Besides the daily cramping and bleeding, what’s most frustrating is that everyone seems to be at a loss regarding this. I’ve went from daily estrogen to now let’s just remove the iud. Not one times has anyone of my doctors said this was normal. My PCP said I will probably need an ablation. No consistency with responses at all.

For me, I had already been off psych meds for a year prior to going into the process of getting weight loss surgery. Even though I had been going to therapy I had to have a psych evaluation and the psychologist told me that psych meds can interfere with anesthesia. Do not let this discourage you, it may take a little longer to get surgery, but there are workarounds. Your surgeon will let you know for sure, so do not stress about this until you get your surgeon's opinion, they will help your figure out what to do so you can be successful. There is always a solution to every problem.

Yes unfortunately the antipsychotics cause metabolic issues, such as lot of weight gain and increased cholesterol levels. Quetiapine, risperidone, mirtazapine all come to mind as some of the worst offenders, but all psych meds have this unfortunate side effect. Whether your surgeon wants to proceed, I can't say. Your weight loss may not be as effective as you expect.

hello everyone!! I thought since this is brand new to me, and I just joined today that I would introduce myself to everyone since I've seen other people do that. My name is Ross and I am 34 years old. I was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, and last June moved to Tuscaloosa Alabama. I moved to Tuscaloosa with my little brother who is a student at UA and a member of the coed cheer team. I also cheered for many years of my life, so it must run in the family. haha! I am an unapologetic Disney nerd who truly loves anything and all things Disney. Also, in my part time when I need a little decompressing I like to crystalize water bottles and phone cases for myself and friends. I would say I've been a food addict or someone who relied on food for emotional support majority of my life, unfortunately, due to outside influences that encouraged the eating. A big reason why I am having the surgery is simply I want to live. I really can't say it more straight and narrow than that. Another reason is I had Covid in 2020 like I'm sure many of y'all did but unfortunately, my case was a little different and I ended up on ECMO for four days and a ventilator for a month. I coded twice while intubated at which point the hospital staff told my family i would have about a 15% chance to live and if i did i may have severe brain issues. Thankfully when I woke up I was myself for the most part, but I had severe paralysis on my left side which required me to spend an additional three months in the hospital learning how to stand and walk again. I still have a pretty significant neuropathy on my left side. My left arm has some weakness with things and my left leg is completely numb to the touch. So I have low hopes for any kind of change, but still keeping hopeful that maybe with the surgery and weight loss some of the mobility and feeling will come back. I have been "creeping" on the forum for a few weeks and I can't tell y'all how much your stories, encouragement, and transparency has helped with my own journey without even meaning to. I am paying out-of-pocket for my surgery due to not having health insurance with the job I currently have. I've done all the required testing and I am hoping that tomorrow 8/21/23 will be the day that I get my surgery scheduled. We are aiming for the last week of the month for my date, so fingers crossed! I am going to be flying back to Texas for my surgery and staying there for a couple weeks to recover with my family. Which leads to the question I had for those who had to travel for the surgery. When you flew back post surgery with the weight lifting restrictions, how did you go about getting your bags and things like that? Did you notice any real pain post surgery when you were taking off for landing? Any other tips or experiences are always welcome to be shared as well! Thank yall again for taking the time to read this little bit about myself and my journey. I look forward to being on here more and more and sharing my own journey with yall as yall have bravely done already!

To aid with surgery some surgeons pump you full of gas so that they can see in you better. Mine didn't but many do. I believe its quite painful too. These people had to walk to shift the gas. As stated above it also stops blood clots especially if you are not giving yourself blood thinning shots. You are not going to be able to walk, like before surgery, its more of a hunched waddle for a few days. They do not expect you to wander off around the block. Going to the loo, making a drink and brushing your hair can all be in hourly goal. As long as you move yourself out of bed or the sofa the job is done. I imagine within 5 or 6 days the gas will be gone from you and you can let up because by then you will be more mobile After you feel able and you have mastered the full time job of drinking, by all means attempt your morning walk. This is big, invasive surgery and sometimes we dont realise how big because we are only in hospital such a short time.

Welcome! Best of luck on your weight loss journey!

@shotputqueen you must have lots of patience evasive I would be pulling my hair out bcuz 13 months seems like forever. May I ask why is it taking that long?

I LOVE the high rise trends right now. Conceals the apron of my weight loss. I tend to go for the baggy high rise though. I like that loose pants are a choice now.

Hey Congrats to you all for your losses. @CarolineLittle thank you for thoughts. Makes me feel hopeful that some day I can post : hey I lost 20# !! This past week I was pretty good, I was able to eat a lil bit of food. Doc cut my TPN intake to half, and added 2 rounds a week of just saline. its still a crazy about of calories, fat, carbs ect in these bags.. So my weight loss is at a standstill , then 2 days ago everything went down hill, I'm not sure what happen internally ,but my stomach decided it had enough, I started to violently throwing up, I had empty stomach so it was just bright yellow bile, after 10 mins of that , i noticed small blood clots ( insert panic here) , I called doc, explained to them my currant condition.. They are going to do another Endo to get a look at what's going on.. so now it just a wait, for appointment.. I sure it will end up to be nothing, and I will just get.. " give your stomach some time" or "the hormonal changes of the stomach should regulate soon" ugg!! anyway I just take it day by day, I still try and eat and drink a little.. the max intake i can get is around 2 ounces at a time. Then I have to wait about 6 hrs before I can think about trying again.. So here to another week.. and good luck to you all on another successful week.

No, I think you did the right thing. Yes, your surgery may be delayed while you have some additional appointments with your therapist, but you will be in a better place & mentally stronger to get the best from the surgery. As we often say, the surgery changes your tummy & digestive system but doesn’t change your head & your thinking. That’s the work you have to do. You’ve already started by recognising your issue & seeking help. Many surgeons & insurance companies require approval from a therapist before approval for surgery is granted. Also many have successfully continued with the therapy or started additional therapy after their surgery to help them work through their disordered eating & emotional issues which easily & quickly can sabotage weight loss success. All the best.

Your weight loss is never a straight line downwards. You’ll notice ups & downs & plateaus along the way. All perfectly fine & to be expected. I’d expect fluid retention at the moment too. I remember I’d put on a couple of kilos starting the day before my period & then have a day just peeing it all out just before it finished. (I’d also get constipated for a couple of days.)

This may help answer questions. I also suggest a dietitian who is knowledgeable with WLS https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/metabolic-and-bariatric-surgery-blog/2018/march/make-protein-a-priority-after-weight-loss-surgery

It's awesome to hear about your commitment to your fitness journey, especially as you prepare for surgery. Lifting weights and doing cardio like treadmill workouts are great steps toward your weight loss goals. Starting now and gradually building your routine is a smart approach, considering your surgery is in March or April. Your determination, family support, and encouragement from your friend and support group are all powerful motivators. If you're seeking more insights or tips, you might find resources at https://hitsona.com/chertsey/ helpful. Keep up the positive changes you're making, and continue embracing a healthier lifestyle.

Thanks Tek, that’s why my post wasn’t about weight loss.

I recently decided to get weight loss surgery and was looking for recommendations of surgeons in the NYC area. Thanks!

So I had this revision in June, and I can tell you that the weight loss will not be like it was with the sleeve. I had it because I developed GERD, esophagitis, gastritis, and a TON of pre-cancerous polyps all through my stomach. So I also didn't have a choice. I was on 80mg daily of Nexium, Pepcid for breakthrough, Tums, and still had break through GERD anyway. With the sleeve, I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks. With the revision, I lost 14. I also wasn't interested in doing it for weight loss, since I was chugging along and doing well until it all went stupid. My goal was to get back to living my life, get back to my beast mode work outs, get back to feeling good and not having pain. And that's what the surgery is doing for me. I was finally having hair regrowth when I had to have the revision, so I'm fully expecting to see more hair loss. It's started shedding more again, so I'm mentally preparing for it. I can also say, the recovery from the bypass has been SO SO much better than with the sleeve. I honestly wish I had just done the bypass to begin with. So much less pain, I was up and around faster, able to do things better, could handle my pills and supplements (had to crush or completely eliminate them with the sleeve for the first 4-5 weeks), able to handle cold liquids (couldn't with the sleeve), able to get my fluids in so much easier (I drank a 20oz of Water in the hospital the day I had my surgery and could barely handle 3-4oz with the sleeve). So all in all, I'm exceptionally happy I did the revision. No more GERD, no more PPI, no more pain, much easier recovery, and while the weight is still coming off, it's doing so at a slower and more manageable pace. I wish you all the luck, and I promise you'll feel so much better after the revision.

Yep, me. I had to be on 80mg of Nexium daily, Pepcid as needed for breakthrough, and it still didn't help. I had severe gerd, gastritis, esophagitis, and polyps all through my stomach and duodenum. 4 endoscopies later, I had to have a revision to a bypass. Changing my diet didn't help. Eliminating exercising didn't help. All the antacids didn't help. I never had any gerd or reflux before the sleeve, but it was debilitating after. Revision was the best thing I ever did. The recovery for the bypass was LIGHTYEARS better than for the sleeve. I was able to go home after 1 day instead of 2. I was drinking a 20oz of water with no issues 2 hours after the surgery. I was walking with minimal discomfort. Never took the pain pills prescribes and only needed Tylenol for the first 4 days. Never had to sleep propped up. Never had to worry about temps of liquids because there was no sensitivity to it. Was able to take my pills and supplements without cutting or crushing them. There is a HARD STOP with eating with the bypass that I never had with the sleeve. If you have 1 bite left but you're feeling like you're done eating.... DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT eat that last bite. I promise you you'll regret it. With the sleeve, I could squeeze in that bite and feel really full. With the bypass, it makes you hurt and feel sick. Not worth it. Weight loss is MUCH slower with a revision, so as long as you go into it knowing that, you'll be ok. Getting your life back and being gerd and pain free is so so worth it. My only regret is not just doing the bypass to begin with. I wish I would have skipped the sleeve altogether.

Thanks for posting that video. I was on the lower BMI and also wondered about the success of weight loss. Good to know !

Hey everyone! I'm 4 weeks out as of yesterday, and I've mostly been feeling great. However, I got my period 4 days ago. At first, my weight loss stopped. Then, it even went up 2 pounds. Is this...normal? I've been on track with my water and protein, been following dietary guidelines to a T, and I haven't been exceeding 500-600 calories a day. How on earth did I gain 2 pounds? Is it because of my period? Trying really hard not to panic. 😞