PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Hi all. I'm home from the hospital and wanted to send an update. Surgery went great and I was up walking 2 laps of my floor last night. The nurse said she had never seen anyone do as well as me. She said my positive and excited attitude surely helped! My pain never got above 2 or 3 and I needed very little pain meds. I'm off them now and don't even feel the need for Tylenol. Last night 3 ice chips made me nauseated, but today I kept down about 4 oz of liquids. I do have a drain in my abdomen that will not come out until next Thursday (ick) and I have to give myself anti blood clot shots daily for 2 weeks, but they are not as scary as I thought they would be. Now I just ne…

Well, here it goes. My surgery is tomorrow. I am doing the RYGB. I am going to be honest with you, I have wondered several times and I doing the right thing? But I keep coming back to why I started this journey in the first place. I hope/think it is normal to wonder why can't I do this on my own? What will my friends and family really think? Risk vs benefits of surgery? I am hoping a year from now (or for that matter even a couple of months) I will look back at this post and think this is the best thing I have ever done. I currently weigh 279. My biggest weight was 295, but consult weight was around 292. Even though I have went back and forth on what to do, I…

As my surgery date is getting closer (3 weeks), I've found myself having all sorts of emotions, which is obviously common. Mostly, lately, it's been about not having food as my comfort anymore. I've been heavy all my life and as a quiet and shy person, I've always turned to food for comfort. It made me happy, it relaxed me, it was always there for me. It turned into my worst enemy as I developed bulimia at the age of 15. I went through therapists and nutritionists and finally tackled my eating disorder about 3 years ago but in trying to battle it all those years, I gained all the weight I had lost back and then some. Since I've been free of my eating disorder, it's been…

I live in the metro Houston are, and have been hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. I was "supposed" to fly out on Monday 8/28 for surgery in Mexico.... well that has been cancelled. My flight has been cancelled, now I have to wait till 8/28 to reschedule everything. I have completed my 2 weeks of pre-op, all for nothing.... I am so sad... But please no sadness for me, please send prayers to all the flood victims and people who have lost everything. Surgery can be rescheduled, but some people have lost so much more!

So... I scheduled my psych appt for 2 weeks from now... I have no idea what to expect...

I attended a seminar last week and have my consult with the doc on 9/28. I am pretty excited and terrified. Has anyone dealt with a lack of support from their spouse? My husband is uncommunicative and is against me having surgery. I think he is nervous something will happen because we know someone who had terrible complications. Any thoughts to help me get him on board?

Hi. I. Was wondering if there are any issues with the sleeve years after? Sent from my SM-G928V using BariatricPal mobile app

So, at church, we have this part of the Sunday Service called "Candles of Community" where people share their joys and concerns in life. I announced that on Tuesday, I'm going to be going under the (laprascopic) knife but I didn't specify why, which is why everyone was swarming me to ask why I'm having surgery. But at least something good happened with that: the members of the church in my town are going to organize to help me with the chores I can't do immediately after surgery.

So I went to my first consultation last week with Dr. Kini from Mount Sinai St Luke's in NY and I am excited to say that I will be going forward with WLS. We have decided to go with VSG and I had my consultation with the Gastroenterology the following day and scheduled my endoscopy for Sept 8th. I scheduled my Psych eval for Sept 4th. I have a support group tomorrow and then I have to pick another day in Sept for the second group. I have 2 appointments coming up with my PCP in Sept and October and God willing I will be set for October. So I was terminated from Healthfirst on July 31. Found out on 08/02 called back and was given Medicaid for the month of August and then en…

I watched several Dr. Weiner's bariatric videos, and he mentioned that a specific gene has been linked as a predictor for weight loss success with surgery. Does anyone know anything about this?

Hello everyone. I was approved for gastric sleeve on this last Wednesday. I meet with my surgeon Tuesday , and I'm hoping to be scheduled for surgery the first week of October. Is anyone nervous or scared that they will not succeed with the lifestyle changes they are gonna have to make. I'm afraid that I will not be able to make the changes...anyone who's had the surgery have any advice? Sent from my SM-S550TL using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Everyone , when I first was filling out paperwork with my surgeon in the beginning he had an agreement that you had to sign. After your surgery you have commit to a year-long of series of appointments. I got a letter in the mail with my year long appointments with my surgeon and my nutritionist. Then it all became real!! I'm having my surgery in the morning 8/25 this has been a long 7 months. Not nervous anymore ready to start my Journey. I've lost 11lbs on my liquid diet. Yay me.

Hello, Today is my fourth going on fifth day on my pre-op diet and I am having issues on the lean diet dinner and snacks. Is for my pre-op diet I am supposed to have either two portion shake or a portion shake and protein bar for breakfast and lunch. I have been doing that okay and its just in-between and dinner that gives me doubt. so on the list it said unlimited veggies which I have kept as veggies like carrots and broccoli and salads with no dressing. For example: Breakfast- protein shake Snack: Jell-o Lunch- protein shake in-between- small salad within dressing. (50/50 Mix) Dinner- broccolini cooked in water, lemon pepper and garli…

Hi everyone!! I am currently in the process of the Gastric Sleeve procedure! I have already completed my nutrition evaluation, my exercise fitness evaluation, and psychological evaluation. I also had a sleep study done, due to have suspected sleep apnea. Turns out I have obstructive sleep apnea. Besides having OSA, I have have a ventricular septal defect with an abnormal heart murmur, which I need 1 comorbidity seeing as my BMI is under 40 and at 38. I have Anthem (PPO) and the requirements are 3 months of supervised weight loss management, which my last day would be towards the end of Oct. My surgeon is very positive that I will be approved and should be able to schedul…

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE LIFESTYLE CHANGE ..... IM SO EXCITED

Anyone else with me? R4C?

Hi everyone! My first post ever. I went to an informational session a month or so ago (required to start) and I have my very first appointment with a doctor to discuss everything on September 8th. I was told by my insurance that they no longer require the six month plan, they just require the written previous diet attempts and the numerous tests. I have Independence BCBS PPO. Does anyone else have that insurance? I am desperately hoping I can go through the program so I can get surgery as soon as possible! Did everyone have to go through a pre-op diet months before surgery? Thanks!

Hi everyone. Today my doctor called me with the results from my upper GI test and reported my GERD is severe. He told me the sleeve may make my GERD worse and talked with me about possibly getting the bypass instead or taking the risk and going forward with the sleeve. Any thoughts or experiences would be helpful. Thank you Sent from my Lenovo YT3-X90F using BariatricPal mobile app

So hey all...Ive been trying to follow my nutritionist guidelines of at least 70-80 grams of protein, and no more than 50 grams of carbs.....but....Ive been going over the carbs. Its because of my favorite veggie....beets. Any thoughts? I don't want to give them up, it's just a veggie...they are not even sugared or pickled

So I'm shooting for a late Nov early Dec. GBS. I am close to being finished with half of the appointments... but I'm just getting excited for this new adventure to take place in my life. A few things I'm looking forward to is buying some cute clothes, being able to work out At the gym I will have access to when I have the surgery. Feeling confident and sexy! Maybe even getting to wear a cute two piece swim suit... fitting in a carnival ride with my kids. Not being squished into a airplane seat... ooo and how about this!!! When people say "you are so pretty for a big girl... you seriously could be a plus size model" [emoji102] [emoji58] thanks ass but u ain't small either …

Hi All! I'm new here so my bad if I post something incorrectly...My surgeon's office submitted all required paperwork for a vsg to Regence BCBS of Oregon on 8.18 (last Friday) and as of this afternoon my "case is still under review". The Regence rep I spoke to said it can take up to 15 calendar days to reach a decision; which puts me at 9.1 at the latest to hear back. For those with Regence, or any other plan for that matter, how long did you have to wait to get your approval? Like I said, I'm new but I've got lots of stories to tell about the past 7 MONTHS I've spent fulfilling the vsg requirements Thanks & TTYL!

Hey Guys & Gals [emoji1480] I just finished my last Nutritionist appointment today and I am totally psyched,nervous and a little .. well a lot anxious. I wanted to create this thread to open discussion and new friendship, I have 15 days for my insurance approval and I'm crossing my fingers. My surgery date is August 7th, I'D LOVE to have a sleeve buddy ! I'm an open book !

Or any diet you were put on by your surgeon, how much weight did you lose in 1-2 weeks?

I did carb-sin today, but have been trying to be very good on vacation. It's really hard eating out! I made sure the carbs were good ones. However, that's not the revelation. Saw myself in a shop window today and thought "ugh - look like fat tourist". But then I realized - the next time I go on vacation, I won't look like fat tourist! I even bought a hoodie in the shop, knowing that as I shrink, I would be able to wear it for a short time. Looking forward to that next vacation, with more energy and less restrictions due to size!

If you had the breath test for H Pylori done (breathe into a bag, drink a liquid or chew a tablet given to you, then breathe into a bag again), where did you have it done? I took my prescription for lab work to my hospital and they did all my blood work and urinalysis but they said the breath test is done with a physician, since I need to be given either a carbon tablet or liquid. My surgeon said that's not true. Feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. I've already missed so much work for 12 appointments so far, with at least another 10 to go. I really don't want to waste any more time trying unsuccessfully to have this single lab test collected. Any advice is very much appr…

I had lap band in 2010 that failed and now I'm going through the 90-day process for my insurance to get sleeved. I use this app called fat secret! I love it so easy to use. Just thought that I would throw that out there in case some of you aren't really thrilled with the MyFitnessPal app I really didn't like it but I love the fatsecret. you can sync it up to all your devices and it's super easy to use. Happy losing to everybody Sent from my SM-G935P using BariatricPal mobile app

It's day 3 of liquid diet surgery 29 th I am been eating popscicles and realized they have no added sugar not sugar free is this bad??? Kinda freaking out don't want to mess this up!

I've been following a ketogenic diet for the last 3 months and have been pretty successful. My surgeon originally wanted me to lose about 30 pounds and I have lost 25 and he has been happy with me so far. My nutritionist did not suggest keto, I kind of just took it in my own hands to follow keto instead of the high protein low fat diet they recommended. My main question here is, if you followed keto up until you got close to your surgery date what did you do when you got close to surgery? Did you go back to high protein low fat, or follow keto right up until the pre op liquid diet? I'm not sure what I wanted to do. My surgery isn't officially scheduled yet but I'm probabl…

I'm wondering if the surgeon or insurance company provide a general out-of-pocket cost estimate prior to surgery. I know what percentage my insurance covers...but I'm curious how much I'll pay out of pocket.

It'll be wonderful to know if there's any newbies or sleeved friends that are close to me! I'm attending Johns Hopkins Bayview Bariatrics with Dr. Steelea female Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey all, So I have started a new journey I have been pescatarian for 2 months. I love it any ideas how this will effect my upcoming surgery?

I watch a lot of WLS YouTube videos and have heard a number of bloggers mention "food funerals" pre-op. Did any of you have a final feast of your favorite non-friendly post-WLS foods to lay them to rest for good before surgery?

Had my VSG revision (from LapBand) scheduled for tomorrow (8/15/17) in Mexico. Got down to do the pre-op testing. All was going well, vitals were all good, I lost the prescribed weight, but then... Apparently either I missed the question or it wasn't recorded properly in the pre-screen that I have had Hepatitis B in the past. Mind you, my HepB was 30 years ago and was acute (meaning no ongoing symptoms). Also, I had LapBand 8 years ago and there were absolutely no liver issues then and I have numerous liver panels through the years with no ongoing liver function issues. However, out of an abundance of caution - they want to run a fresh liver function blood test and t…

I'm finally sleeved...still at the hospital though . I will share more when feel a bit stronger. Let's just through amnesia had a hard time waking. But praise God I'm here #august sleever[emoji123]

VGS surgery is Aug 30,, 5 days from now. I've been waiting so long for this time to come ,, get approved ,, insurance approved ,, etc etc and been dillegently following pre-op diet requirements, but past few days I encounter serious anxiety attacks Now that surgery is set and _________. Well heck ,, encountering anxiety attack now I just have to remind myself I've tried for 10 yrs to lose weight unsuccessfully. I've been researching gastric bypass surgery for 2 years and although I decided on vertical sleeve surgery i need to keep remembering the words of a few people I know who had this surgery ,, they all said ,,,, the wish they had the surgery eariier its a p…

Today I "pre-checked in" and paid my co-payment for my hospital stay, having surgery on August 29th. Any advice on what things I should put in my hospital bag? I'm bringing: Phone Phone charger Headphones PJ's Underwear Chapstick Toothpaste/brush Also, any must haves for my liquid phase when I get home? Or things that just helped? Any advice would be great! Thanks!

Hello Everyone. First and foremost I just want to say I am so happy I found this website. I live in the Bronx, NY area and I am going to see Dr. Subhash Kini from Mount Sinai Hospital/St. Lukes. My first appointment with him will be the 23rd of August. I am excited and nervous because I really need this especially because I gained so much weight and don't know what to do anymore. I tried so many weight loss programs and yo-yo diets but no help. I mean I lost but gain back and double triple what I have lost. I feel lost. I feel depressed and most of the time is due to my weight. My social life well let's just say I don't have one not like I really did before due to the fac…

08/24/17 Good Afternoon, I'm having a panic attack over my surgery. I just found out that I have to check in at 6 am in San Francisco which means we have to leave here by 4:40 am. My husband will drive me down but he won't stay with me because he hates hospitals. His first wife diet from heart complications in 2006 and he just can;t be in hospitals for long now. So, I will be alone before my surgery which has got me upset. I will be in the hospital for 3 days with no one to come see me because I am so far away. No one can drive down to see me because all my friends and my brother are working. I'am just feeling lost today and I have no where else I can expre…

Yesterday was my last weight in and the doctor called to say bypass would be best for me now so it has been submitted to my ins just waiting now

Curious, I just got a new juicer. (yay) Can I drink veggie juice as part of my pre-Op liquid diet?

Well, I am less than 24-hours out from my GS surgery. I am first up on Monday (8/21) which means I arrive at the hospital at 6 am and in theory will have my procedure at 730 am. I have to acknowledge that reading these forums has been invaluable. I am not sure mentally I would have been able to get from here to there without this resource. Every time I have a question or a doubt, I jump to the forums. And the knowledge here and the encouragement from so many posters has usually calmed my nerves. That said, I do have just a little bit of pre-op jitters but mostly feel strong that this is the best thing for me. My recent high weight is around 327, I am down pre-op to around…

Tomorrow (Aug 25th) is the first day of my new healthy life!!!! I am soooooooo excited. I have an entire closet of "I'm going to fit into that again" waiting for me!!! I lost 11lbs on the pro op diet and I am in a great place emotionally - thinking positive is the only way. Thank you all for the great tips. Hearing the good and the bad is helpful.

Hi all, I'm wondering if bone broth is acceptable for the clear liquid diet. I'm guessing so but don't see anything mentioned on it here. It can be up to 10 grams of protein per 8 oz serving so I'm thinking it would be a great source.

Hoping to find people who have been or will be having surgery at Penn State Hershey. I'm 5 months into my 6 months of insurance requirements. Let me know if any of you are like me!!

I came across this while roaming on the net, and found it worthwhile to share. Of course it is 100% recommended to follow your Dr.'s instructions. This guide may promote questions to ask your dietitian or Dr. for your optimal success. I am still in the learning phase as my 2 week pre-op starts Sept. 5th, so the post surgery veterans already know this. https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-big-gastric-sleeve-diet-guide/

Hello All, I am thankful to come across this site. Thank you all for sharing your journey. As my topic above says, I am nervous. I get an endoscope on Friday the 25th and as long as everything is good with that, my surgery is scheduled for Monday. I am most nervous about the pain after. As well, I'm nervous about staying hydrated. How did everyone handle these things? Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone! I'm in the process of starting this journey, having done all kinds of research before making my first appointment. At my appointment yesterday I was given standard requirements needed by my insurance company, such as 6 months of a doctor supervised weight loss program and 3 years of weights showing a BMI over 40. I told them that this wasn't required by my particular insurance policy, but they really didn't believe me and said until I had proof of that these were my requirements. I called my insurance company again to verify that all I needed was a current BMI greater than 40, and 5 days notice before the procedure was done. I called the doctor's off…

I would like all of us sept 12 people to keep in touch and see each other progress. My name is Madeline I live in Rhode Island HW 250 CW 224 GW 125 I am 5'2 3/4 i am having surgery at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River. I can't wait to be able to play sports and run again. I am a little scared of failing But am super excited

My surgery is scheduled for 8/18/17 and I'm sooo nervous and excited at the same time! Has any one else had a bit of anxiety just thinking about it?! It's like I'm physically prepared but mentally have a bunch of mixed emotions![emoji30]

So I went for my consult today found out everything I need for my insurance and got a projected surgery month... December... wow the list of appts I have to make in the next 6 months is long... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app