My Gastric Sleeve Journey

[LookingForward22 320]

Welcome and good luck on your journey.

When I started my journey my highest weight was 382. I knew I had to do something, I struggled all my life and it was time to fix it.

I started having health complications and worked with my endocrinologist on a plan. I started to work to loose weight on my own, while I explored WLS. I managed to loose 57 pound before I got my sleeve and I’m down 65 lbs since my surgery in Aug 2022 (making my total loss 122 lbs). I get a little frustrated that I’m not loosing faster, but I’m very proud that my weight loss (despite being slower than I’d like) has been steady.

Keep up the great work. Remember that everyone’s journey is different, you’ll get there in your own time!!

[TRClark23 41]

On 5/7/2023 at 10:47 AM, LookingForward22 said:

Welcome and good luck on your journey.

When I started my journey my highest weight was 382. I knew I had to do something, I struggled all my life and it was time to fix it.

I started having health complications and worked with my endocrinologist on a plan. I started to work to loose weight on my own, while I explored WLS. I managed to loose 57 pound before I got my sleeve and I’m down 65 lbs since my surgery in Aug 2022 (making my total loss 122 lbs). I get a little frustrated that I’m not loosing faster, but I’m very proud that my weight loss (despite being slower than I’d like) has been steady.

Keep up the great work. Remember that everyone’s journey is different, you’ll get there in your own time!!

That's amazing, 122lbs is awesome!

[TRClark23 41]

I wanted to do a bit of an update, frustrating as it is...

My final doctors appointment was on May 3rd and at this particular appointment, I finished by meeting with the office manager and hearing what the next steps would be. She told me that it could take up to a month for insurance to approve the surgery and that I'd be hearing from them.

All of the research that I've done online, all of the videos that I've watched of other people's journey's all pretty much showed that it's usually less than 10 days. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but that's what I've seen.

I got a notice from a debt collector last week saying that one of my appointments hadn't been covered by my insurance, so I called my doctors office to see what was going on with that and they apologized for a billing error. I asked while I had them on the phone if they had heard anything back from insurance yet about my surgery and she got kinda quiet for a second, they said she wasn't sure if they had everything that they needed to submit my file to insurance, then she says "oh yeah, we have everything we need." We're probably going to send it today (this was on Friday) or Monday.

Talk about irritated, it's been almost three weeks since my last appointment!

Oh well, hopefully everything goes a little smoother from here on out.

[LookingForward22 320]

On 05/22/2023 at 06:52, TRClark23 said:

I wanted to do a bit of an update, frustrating as it is...

My final doctors appointment was on May 3rd and at this particular appointment, I finished by meeting with the office manager and hearing what the next steps would be. She told me that it could take up to a month for insurance to approve the surgery and that I'd be hearing from them.

All of the research that I've done online, all of the videos that I've watched of other people's journey's all pretty much showed that it's usually less than 10 days. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but that's what I've seen.

I got a notice from a debt collector last week saying that one of my appointments hadn't been covered by my insurance, so I called my doctors office to see what was going on with that and they apologized for a billing error. I asked while I had them on the phone if they had heard anything back from insurance yet about my surgery and she got kinda quiet for a second, they said she wasn't sure if they had everything that they needed to submit my file to insurance, then she says "oh yeah, we have everything we need." We're probably going to send it today (this was on Friday) or Monday.

Talk about irritated, it's been almost three weeks since my last appointment!

Oh well, hopefully everything goes a little smoother from here on out.

Hang in there, times for approval vary… start working on the small changes you want to make with your eating and exercise while you wait. Those changes will become habit in time and those little changes really do add up.

[TRClark23 41]

I wanted to add a quick update, I got the approval from my insurance!

I’m scheduled for June 23rd! 🎉

[TRClark23 41]

I had my final pre-surgery appointment with my surgeon today, it was my pre-op appointment.

My surgery was supposed to be scheduled for 6/16, but I found out that it was pushed to the 23rd because my surgeon is going on vacation. I have to start my clear liquid diet on 6/15 and I'm not looking forward to that. Aside from that, I have to pre-register the week of the 23rd and do a blood test and that's all I have left.

I'm actually kinda scared and worried. Aside from a sleep study test, I've never stayed in a hospital overnight, let alone had any surgeries or anything. I was reading online that that death rate for this surgery is 1 in 1,000. I nervously asked my surgeon today if he'd done a lot of these sleeve surgeries and he responded that he'd completed his 1,000th not too long ago... 😬😂

My biggest concern is blood clots and dying from it. I have four kids and three of them are under 7 years old.

My doctor is a general surgeon that specializes in gastric sleeve. Initially I wanted the full bypass surgery but he told me that he didn't do it. That it was "physiologically not natural." In the area that I live in, I had two surgeons that accepted my insurance, him and another guy that's from another country and was a couple hours away, so I decided to go with him and trust him. He's been pretty great so far.

I've had countless people (not surgeons or experts) telling me that the sleeve would be useless for someone that needed to lose over 80lbs. Then again, I've seen people telling their stories on YouTube that had the sleeve and lost 150-200lbs. It's hard to really know what to believe.

I know that I need help, regardless.

I'm sorry for the long pointless post, but I wanted to post my thoughts and feelings, if for nothing more than to look back on them in the future.

[TRClark23 41]

I started my liquid diet this morning. I don't think it's going to be that bad.

So far today I've had two 11oz Premier Protein shakes (Several months ago I bought the vanilla and chocolate and thought they were both kinda gross, but I found a case of limited edition "Root Beer Float" flavored shakes at Sam's Club and they're great!) about 60 oz of broth, and a couple Jello cups and I feel pretty good.

I can't believe that my surgery date is only a week away. It's been month after month after month of waiting, and now it seems like it's coming up faster than a rocket sled on rails!

[CarolineLittle 92]

So close now! And yes there are countless people who've lost an incredible amount of weight with a gastric sleeve. I personally believe the majority of us will succeed with any procedure if we stick to the guidelines given to us and are truly mindful of what we eat. I think tracking our intake is so important as it keeps us accountable. I hope the remaining days until surgery go smoothly and I can't wait to follow your journey.

[TRClark23 41]

On 6/16/2023 at 8:51 PM, CarolineLittle said:

So close now! And yes there are countless people who've lost an incredible amount of weight with a gastric sleeve. I personally believe the majority of us will succeed with any procedure if we stick to the guidelines given to us and are truly mindful of what we eat. I think tracking our intake is so important as it keeps us accountable. I hope the remaining days until surgery go smoothly and I can't wait to follow your journey.

Thank you! I really appreciate your response.

At first, I thought trying to stick to this liquid diet was going to be super hard because everyone I've seen in videos on YouTube talk about how tough it is and how they've cheated on it several times... aside from a burned tongue and lip from broth, lol, it's been okay.

I'm really looking forward to having a healthier lifestyle.

[TRClark23 41]

I had my surgery this morning and it was interesting.

They told me to be here at 7am, I didn’t get called back until 8:30.

after stripping nude (they didn’t even let me keep my underwear on!) I scrubbed down with their antibacterial wipes and put on a paper gown that didn’t fit.

I was in the pre-op room for about an hour before my surgeon checked in on me, then another hour before the anesthesiologist checked in on me. I got to watch all of part one Spider-Man and some of part two.

Then the anesthesiologist walked in and said he wasn’t going to knock me out yet but would help me relax.

I fell asleep and next thing I know I’m in recovery.

I generally feel great but my chest hurts. No one seems to know why .

[TRClark23 41]

So, I woke up Friday evening around 5pm in my room. I have no idea how long the surgery was and I have no idea how long I was in recovery. I was told during a nurse shift change that I'd had a hernia repaired as well, which was news to me.

The nurse allowed me to keep the leg massagers on which was nice. My mouth was SO dry and they said I could have ice chips. They brought in a 64oz cup full of ice, then got mad when I said there munching on ice, lol.

Around 9pm, the nurse asked me if I wanted to walk around the hospital wing and I said I did. At first she was worried that I'd fall, but I was pretty comfortable on my feet and did 10 laps around the wing. She seemed impressed and told me that I'd be surprised to know how many people have the surgery and refuse to walk.

A few hours later, I had really bad chest pain and no one seemed to know what it was. One nurse claimed it was gas pain, another said that it was probably associated with one or more of the incisions, another claimed it probably had to do with the hernia fix or the tube they shoved down my throat.

Saturday morning, after being told all day that I couldn't eat or drink anything, they brought in a Breakfast tray with a cup of chicken broth, a Jello cup, and a bottle of Water with a crystal light packet. I appreciated that and was able to get about three sips out of the broth, a couple small bites of the jello, and a couple sips of the crystal light. The flavor was lemonade and it was wonderful.

I then asked the nurse if I could walk again and she agreed. At this point, I wanted to up my laps from 10 to 20. On lap 17, my surgeon appeared in the hallway and told me that he was glad to see me walking. He asked if I was able to keep down the liquids that I'd been given and I said that I had. He asked if I had any nausea or anything, which I didn't, then he asked me if I wanted to be discharged or spend a 2nd night in the hospital, I chose to take the discharge, though I probably should have stayed.

Currently, I'm able to sip liquids but I'm not getting even close to the suggested 4oz an hour. I notice that after I sip, I have brief stomach pain. I assume that I'm probably going to have it for at least a week, which is okay I guess. It's only a brief pain, then goes away.

I was prescribed Tylenol 3 with codeine for pain and bought a pill crusher, which is a PITA, but it works okay.

To date, I started my journey at 385lbs, I went to my surgery at 361lbs, and I stepped on the scale today and weighed in at 348lbs.

It's hard for me to imagine that I lost 13lbs between Friday morning and Sunday, but maybe the lack of eating over the last 3-4 days and the stomach removal is what did it for me? I have no idea, but this has been an interesting journey and I'll looking forward to what comes next.

[CarolineLittle 92]

On 6/24/2023 at 12:59 PM, TRClark23 said:

I had my surgery this morning and it was interesting.

They told me to be here at 7am, I didn’t get called back until 8:30.

after stripping nude (they didn’t even let me keep my underwear on!) I scrubbed down with their antibacterial wipes and put on a paper gown that didn’t fit.

I was in the pre-op room for about an hour before my surgeon checked in on me, then another hour before the anesthesiologist checked in on me. I got to watch all of part one Spider-Man and some of part two.

Then the anesthesiologist walked in and said he wasn’t going to knock me out yet but would help me relax.

I fell asleep and next thing I know I’m in recovery.

I generally feel great but my chest hurts. No one seems to know why .

I had a similar surgery experience! Was given something by the anaesthetist and was fine for a few minutes, then I'm being woken up in recovery. Don't recall being brought into the operating room. Hope you're recovering well.

[CarolineLittle 92]

You'll probably continue to lose a crazy amount these first 2 weeks, then you'll probably stall for 2 or so weeks once you reintroduce food. Totally par for the course so don't panic.

Drinking also becomes much easier quite quickly for most of us. I can drink pretty much as I did pre surgery now. I also found warmer liquids easier to drink so see how that feels on your tummy if you're still experiencing discomfort. Funny thing is now I prefer ice cold!

[MarisAthena 61]

21 hours ago, TRClark23 said:

So, I woke up Friday evening around 5pm in my room. I have no idea how long the surgery was and I have no idea how long I was in recovery. I was told during a nurse shift change that I'd had a hernia repaired as well, which was news to me.

The nurse allowed me to keep the leg massagers on which was nice. My mouth was SO dry and they said I could have ice chips. They brought in a 64oz cup full of ice, then got mad when I said there munching on ice, lol.

Around 9pm, the nurse asked me if I wanted to walk around the hospital wing and I said I did. At first she was worried that I'd fall, but I was pretty comfortable on my feet and did 10 laps around the wing. She seemed impressed and told me that I'd be surprised to know how many people have the surgery and refuse to walk.

A few hours later, I had really bad chest pain and no one seemed to know what it was. One nurse claimed it was gas pain, another said that it was probably associated with one or more of the incisions, another claimed it probably had to do with the hernia fix or the tube they shoved down my throat.

Saturday morning, after being told all day that I couldn't eat or drink anything, they brought in a Breakfast tray with a cup of chicken broth, a Jello cup, and a bottle of Water with a crystal light packet. I appreciated that and was able to get about three sips out of the broth, a couple small bites of the Jello, and a couple sips of the crystal light. The flavor was lemonade and it was wonderful.

I then asked the nurse if I could walk again and she agreed. At this point, I wanted to up my laps from 10 to 20. On lap 17, my surgeon appeared in the hallway and told me that he was glad to see me walking. He asked if I was able to keep down the liquids that I'd been given and I said that I had. He asked if I had any nausea or anything, which I didn't, then he asked me if I wanted to be discharged or spend a 2nd night in the hospital, I chose to take the discharge, though I probably should have stayed.

Currently, I'm able to sip liquids but I'm not getting even close to the suggested 4oz an hour. I notice that after I sip, I have brief stomach pain. I assume that I'm probably going to have it for at least a week, which is okay I guess. It's only a brief pain, then goes away.

I was prescribed Tylenol 3 with codeine for pain and bought a pill crusher, which is a PITA, but it works okay.

To date, I started my journey at 385lbs, I went to my surgery at 361lbs, and I stepped on the scale today and weighed in at 348lbs.

It's hard for me to imagine that I lost 13lbs between Friday morning and Sunday, but maybe the lack of eating over the last 3-4 days and the stomach removal is what did it for me? I have no idea, but this has been an interesting journey and I'll looking forward to what comes next.

I had the same surgery as you did on 6/5. The pain is from the hiatal hernia repair surgery. It will get better with time. You should do research on the hiatal hernia repair surgery, it has slightly different requirements than the gastric bypass. The fact that they did both at the same time for both of us makes me think it is quite common, but they should have spoken to you about it because the pain I had was excruciating for me and my surgeon was very clear that it was due to the hiatal hernia and not due to the roux en y.

[LookingForward22 320]

On 06/16/2023 at 20:56, TRClark23 said:

I started my liquid diet this morning. I don't think it's going to be that bad.

So far today I've had two 11oz Premier Protein shakes (Several months ago I bought the vanilla and chocolate and thought they were both kinda gross, but I found a case of limited edition "Root Beer Float" flavored shakes at Sam's Club and they're great!) about 60 oz of broth, and a couple Jello cups and I feel pretty good.

I can't believe that my surgery date is only a week away. It's been month after month after month of waiting, and now it seems like it's coming up faster than a rocket sled on rails!

My progress has been slow but steady. Sometimes I get a little frustrated because my loss isn’t as fast as others, but then I remind myself this isn’t a race and I’m working to a life long change not just a quick fix. I was over weight for most of my adult life, that change is going to take some time.

I met a new “mini” goal today (I broke my weight-loss goals down into 10 mini phases/goals) so that felt pretty good. From my highest weight… I’m down 135 pounds! (57 of that was pre surgery loss, 78 since surgery). I’m hoping when I go for my 1 yr check up… I will be down 100 ponds post surgery (which will make 157 pounds lost if I hit that goal).

Best of luck - hope you’re recovery is going well! You’ve got this. 🥰