PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Well my surgeons front office staff is consistent in giving me the wrong information at least. The nurse doing my paperwork said that my preop diet was two days liquid diet. I said last time I did a week of the LSD she said no it’s just two days but she would double check. Well when she didn’t call I called the office and they said yep two days but it sounded like they just checked the paper she gave me and hadn’t asked him. So thankfully I made an appt with the NP and she said that it should be two weeks of the LSD plus two days of liquids so I have to start in two days. Yet another shining example of why I don’t trust anything that they say. Who knows what would’ve happ…

Hello all, I had my first negative comment yesterday from a member of my partner's family. I was talking about my surgery (as someone else in their family had also had WLS), and this individual spoke up and said to me: "ah, you don't have the will power to do it yourself then?". I was just a bit taken aback if I am honest. I had to correct her (not that I have to justify myself to anyone), in saying that I had exhausted all my options, and other conditions I have mean that WLS is the only way for me. I know we shouldn't take things that others say to heart, but I can just predict that this is going to be the mindset of most people who do not underst…

Tomorrow is my surgery and I’m packing my hospital bag. Did you guys wear specific clothing for way home??? I will have 5 keyhole type incisions and I’m thinking I’m not gonna want a waist band?

Hi. I’ve just started my journey. I’m leaning towards the sleeve. How did you make your decision?

Hi from UK, Ive been booked in for surgery in July and was told to go on 12 week diet. I thought that's excessive as I've seen heavier people only do 2-3 weeks max. I have to do 9 weeks on milk and jelly, then 3 weeks on weight watchers soup and Muller. For example I've started today and I'm at weight I should be on 20th if I have like healthy protein based meal once a day in the 9 weeks that should be fine isn't it? I had boneless chicken today and weight didn't fluctuate thankfully so one meal a week for 9 weeks should be fine? Sorry if I'm rambling

I have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow to let her know that I want bariatric surgery & get a referral for my surgeon. Are there any certain things I should bring up to my Dr? I have no doubt she'll be on board with the surgery. Anything in particular I should say, or ask for? I've been told that I have sleep apnea by other Drs after having gall bladder surgery & colonoscopy, so I will ask for her to get a sleep study scheduled. I just assume I'll need one. I spoke to my insurance, United Healthcare Choice Plus, and was given their list of requirements for approval ? & I will provide her with that list. I don't want to forget or miss anythin…

*Trigger warning for discussion of food* - just in case! I don't want to upset anyone who may be struggling with cravings etc ? Hello everyone! I have been on this site for a few months now, and my surgery date is getting closer and closer. I've just had the sale of my house finalised which means I can now officially pay for my surgery so it all feels a lot more real now! ? I am curious to know if anyone had a pre-surgery bucket list? I am talking things like, final meals they wanted to have or things they wanted to drink! Given that after surgery a lot of these things are going to be a no-go for a while. I just thought it would be a fun thing t…

I was supposed to be three months nicotine free prior to surgery. I stopped smoking cold turkey two weeks ago. I don't have a date yet but they are submitting everything to my insurance soon. I am unsure if they will make me take the blood test before submitting everything to insurance? I was a pack a day smoker, do you think three weeks quitting I will be ae to pass?

Good evening I am 4 nights away from my gastric sleeve surgery. I am most nervous about the 3 weeks of liquids after surgery. I’m worried that I may get dehydrated or that I won’t get enough protein in while I’m recovering. I know everyone says use a timer but I still feel like I am going to need to rest during the day time from the anesthesia. 1. How do I keep up with the fluids and get in enough sleep/rest? 2. How do people tolerate liquids for so long without feeling like they are starving? 3. Provide 1 inspirational phrase or a positive statement

I had my consultation and my psych eval. I’m just waiting on my recommendation letter from my pcp and because I already see a therapist, they had to also write a brief note. Assuming they come back positive, I’m cleared to move to the next phase. Which that is getting a letter sent to my insurance for approval of my surgery. Once it’s approved I can move to the pre surgery blood work. I do hope they get their letters in this week!

Below is a recap of the positives and negatives of my gastric surgery one year after the surgery. Positives: I am no longer a diabetic after 15 years of being a diabetic. I do not take any anti acid medication, I was on daily anti acid medication for 20 years. I no longer have GERD or Barrett’s Esophagus. I look good, I feel good, I lost 100 pounds and I am able to do things that I was unable to do before. Negatives: Lactose Intolerance: I inherited a lactose intolerance after the surgery and will never be able to enjoy dairy products like ice cream. Alcohol Abstinence: I will never be able to ha…

Hello - I am having doubts.. I am scheduled for surgery on Monday 6/24. I have struggled my whole life with the constant fluctuation of weight. Had high blood pressure, then didn’t. Had sleep apnea, then didn't. Anyways.. at my initial appt I was 245 (BMI 44). As of this morning I am down to 208… (BMI39) Worried I am jumping the gun by having surgery…. AHHH

I cheated on my post op diet at my graduation party. I’m on stage 3 going on stage 4 in 3 days. I ate 2 chicken wings backed and a few bite of an empanada ( it was fried). I didn’t feel full or have a weird feeling. Maybe because I’m going to start regular food in 3 days without red meat or carbs. I’m so scared to tell my doctor and I’m scared that I might have problems. I don’t feel weird and I feel fine. I don’t know, when I hear stories about people after vsg they say like the worst thing to eat real food for the first time.

I’m going into have my op at John hunter on the 21/6 getting nervous but also excited

I want to address those who might be struggling with the big decision on if they should go through with bariatric surgery, let me say this; 1. I have lost 33% of my weight so far. Even like you, I struggled with it having tried every diet known to human kind - I'd lose and gain..you know the routine. 2. I have officially been taken off all my meds; pre-diabetes and hypertension meds, this alone should convince you that having the surgery is a healthy choice and will help extend your life and reduce the drag on your wallets having to purchase meds for the rest of your life with the possibility of more being added. 3. You've probably tried everything else, wh…

Some of you may already know that I am 3.5 years post sleeve and have been pending a revision surgery for a while now. I have spent the past several months doing research and several tests to decide which surgery will be most appropriate for me and we have finally decided to go through with the SADI surgery and I have a date in early August. I am a bundle of emotions. I am a great deal more nervous this time around. I think it’s partially because this is a riskier procedure witb more serious side effects but I think it’s also because I am taking this a lot more seriously this time. I am really afraid of failure. I feel like I already failed once so what if I go thro…

I just had my first appointment with the surgeon. It went really well, and I’m glad I took the first step. We are leaning toward Gastric Bypass as the procedure for me. It’s a 3 month process to surgery with his office, 3 visits with him, 3 visits with dietician, plus clearance by Cardiology, Pulmonology and sleep medicine. My next visit with him and the dietician will be in about a month and he’s sending out the referrals to the offices for the clearances and working on prior authorization with insurance.

Hello everyone, I know that you've all seen a post like mine before. I'm exactly 9 days away from getting gastric bypass surgery. I've tried so many other things and have failed over the long term to keep off my weight. I'm at 436 (was 445), but the diet they put me on helped me lose a few pounds. I'm very, very anxious about the surgery. My mom had the surgery years and years ago when it wasn't as perfected and it didn't go well for her. She lost weight but had a ton of complications. My fear isn't really surrounding post op activities, but rather going through the surgery itself. I hope none of you think less of me, but I'm terrified. I'm even having nightmares about i…

Does anyone here have Meritain Insurance? It’s an Aetna company. Not sure what the requirements are. I completed everything my surgeons office said that was required but I’d like some more input. Also I have 6 months of weigh ins from 2021 that are consecutive and 6 months of weigh ins from 2023 that are not. Will I still be approved? I also have two PCP letters.

So i am on this low carb high Protein liquid 3 week pre op protein diet and ive hit the hardest day ever..like.. day 3.5 For some reason its always the hardest days on day 3 and 4 of any low carb diet i have ever done... so i couldnt take it anymore. I needed to chew somthing! So i chose a dill pickle. Do you think its alright to have a dill pickle or two.. i knew if i didnt eat a dill pickle..then it would be somthing i really really really should not eat...like somthing high fat high carb... Im just trying to get through the next two days and then i know i will be okay.

Hi there! I’m a 24 year old female who is 5’7 and 250 lbs give or take (photo for reference). I am extremely interested in receiving a gastric sleeve to help reduce some of my health concerns. I am currently pre-diabetic and taking medication for hypertension. My family has a history of heart disease, and I lost my dad when he was 42 to morbid obesity and congestive heart failure. At the end of the day, I want to live a long and healthy life full of happiness and potentially children in the future. I also suffer from anxiety and depression, and I take SSRI’s to tame my depression. I have a lot of questions, so bear with me and please answer what you can! 1. What…

Just got my surgery date for May 12th....anyone else having theirs that day?

I have my referral from my PCM here in Texas and my consultation with my surgeon is next week. I need a hernia repair, I have GERD with esophagitis, and mild sleep apnea. My last EDG was two months ago. Will I be required to redo all these tests? Or will the surgeon’s office just request my medical files from my other docs? thank you!

Hi all. My name is Carrielee. I am 33 years old and have been on the fence about WLS for the last few years. I have struggled with obesity since I was quite young and the weight keeps piling on. I am 5 foot 1 and just hit 325 pounds. I now have a BMI of 61.4. I have uncontrolled Hypertension on multiple meds, uncontrolled Type II Diabetes, and high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe arthritis, IIH, angina, fatty liver disease, past history of PE. I can barely walk and have been told if I don’t lose the weight I likely won’t live to see 40. I’ve backed out of this so many times but now that I’ve surpassed the 300 pound mark I know I have to do this. I’v…

After waiting an eternity for my therapist office to fax over my notes, my psych eval was cleared they sent my file to my insurance. It was approved within 24 hours. I honestly think it’s because I’m on year 3 of monthly visits to the weight management place here in town and I’ve been on medication to help with my weight loss for about 1.5 years. My next step is pre-op testing.

Hi all, I’m looking to see if anybody has any personal experience of taking recreational drugs after gastric sleeve surgery. I am going to Amsterdam 5 weeks after my surgery and I will most definitely want to smoke a joint and have a glass of wine. I’m also going to cream fields festival at the end of August. I will most definitely take drugs like cocaine and MDMA at this festival. Can anyone please share some personal experiences with me? Also I’m not looking for a lecture on the health implications I know the risk just looking for people’s experiences.

Hi everyone!! okay so I’ve always been “heavier” haven’t met the BMI standards since jr high maybe a year in high school. My hips & thighs were always me in size 9 jeans. Well I had health issues that required surgeries. Which left me disabled. And my weight was stuck at 180 due to it, my weight jumped some to 210. I am currently on Rybelsus 7mg and my current weight is 189. So im almost to the weight that I’ve been stuck at for years. Yesterday I had a consultation, intake to the Bariatric program. I was told that I would be receiving a Gastric Sleeve with robotics, which would give me one night hospital stay and a weight loss of 60-80 pounds. I’…

Does anyone have any tips to quit vaping? My very first appointment is schedule for Sept.7 and u had ti watch orientation videos. It stated that you have to be nicotine free for surgery and the best time to quit is now. I tried to quit over the weekend and felt so tired, angry and irritable.

Hello! I have surgery April 8th! Does anyone else around that time want to be buddies? Ekk so exciting but also scary! Haha Have a great day!

So, I started my LRD (pre-surgery diet) today, and I am really seeing what is meant by 'head hunger'. I had my shake this morning at around 8:30am, and I am sitting here staring at this protein bar (which is my snack), really having to think about WHY I want to eat it. I keep flitting between: "I am hungry, I should eat it", and then just drinking some water and realising that actually my "real" hunger is quite minimal at the moment, but my cravings, my "head hunger" is telling me I NEED to eat that bar. So far, I haven't, and I will try and stay away from it until I actually am hungry, but it is quite intimidating to realise how strong my cravings actual…

I am on the diet before surgery and they want me to lose 30 lbs, but I am not seeing the scale move. I eat between 800-1200 calories a day I only drink water and I have been exercising. I am worried and I don't understand why I am not losing anything. For the last week I have even been doing just two shakes a day for breakfast and lunch then a healthy dinner. Does anyone have any ideas?

((I have already sent message to my health care team)) I was in the restroom and pushes a bit, and I felt this pooping sensation internally, on my right side near the large, stitched area. It does not hurt at the moment or anything, but I am panicking that I may have done something bad! I am 4 weeks out from RNY. Has anyone experienced this? What was your outcome?

So, when I first started, I had a lot of questions pertaining to Medicaid and approval. So now after having to go through the process myself, I can say for sure in my case In Oregon. Medicaid insurance has CCO stay in contact with you the entire process. My CCO was very kind, and thoughtful. My surgeon and medical team sent in for approval for surgery on the 13th of September and I was approved finally on Wednesday the 27th. My CCO called to say, they started the process of review on Monday the 25th and finished up review by Tuesday with all my process from the past year of things to do, per requirements. So, I hope this makes things a bit easier for anyone else on Medica…

Good morning Everyone, Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I am Charity 44 yrs old from Ohio and having my last appointments to get approval from insurance then we will be scheduling my surgery. Hope you all are doing well.

Hi all! I am not scheduled for VSG yet, as I am still waiting to get my mental health clearance. That’s the last thing I need before getting the surgical team approval and insurance approval. I met with my dietician recently and she’s encouraging me to start immediately on 1200-1300 calories a day. My surgery could be MONTHS away (who knows because there’s pieces to fall into place before that?) I’m already on 1500-1700 calories a day, which is fine and works ok. However I feel very nervous about going to 1200 calories and being able to function properly at work (my job is semi physically demanding), and being able to maintain a vigorous exercise schedule. I asked the …

Hey all, I had my dietician appointment last week, and I am due to have my pre-op assessment this week. Bit of a long one, apologies! Full disclosure - I have ADHD and I am also suspected Dyslexic, and both of these things are making it really hard to plan and to work with numbers etc. We went through all the info of the Liver Reduction Diet (LRD) - I am starting that on the 1st May, for 2 weeks. I've been given 800 calories a day max - already made a small blunder when ordering stuff from New You Plan https://www.thenewyouplan.com/ - I ordered x14 shakes, x14 soups, x14 meals & x14 snack bars. I added up what a typical day's calories would look l…

I was at a support group meeting in which someone mentioned that topics discussed at other meetings could include "what to take to the hospital." That wasn't the topic for the meeting I was attending. Are there certain things that should be included? Should I take things like my own meds, fluids, pillow, etc? I just don't know

I started my liquid diet today but the protein shakes, no matter the brand make me nauseous and gag. Does anyone have any tips?

I went for surgery clearance and my cpap report was at 67% 4hrs+ every night for 30 days. They said I need to be at 70% to be cleared for surgery. Does anyone know why this is? I do wear it consistently but do not sleep very well. I have mild sleep apnea and this seems so trivial to me to keep me from surgery. Can anyone explain their reasoning? Thank you!

I am down 32lbs pre-op (surgery date Jan 24th) My leggings are too big, I have maybe 2 pair pants that stay up. I started my journey in a very tight 18 and now Im in size 14 and these jeans were "just in case I fit into them" Now they are becoming a little lose. I don't want to over buy but I also would like to have a few nice outfits for work or going out. What size should I buy? Should I buy size 10's? Seems too soon- but I need pants that stay up lol!

Hi! My daughter (22 yo) and I just had the sleeve this month. Hers was 3/4 and mine was 3/11. Our healing process has been so different and while I’m moving right along, she’s had a set back with hydration and pooping. I’m curious if anyone else has had these issues and how you’ve overcome them so that I can help her. She didn’t poop for about two weeks, so under the care of our doctor, did a Fleet enema. That helped some that day but by that point, she was dehydrated. She ended up in the hospital Monday night and received fluids. Yesterday was a little better but still struggling to get in liquids (forget protein/food). This morning, she had sharp back pain …

Hey how are you feeling? I'm 8 days post op ready for food lol ?

I am currently three years post sleeve sitting ten pounds heavier than when I stared contemplating the SADI revision surgery. I am pretty hopeful and excited this time though. I am already eating better, exhaustively researching the procedure and the future diet. Finally I found a therapist that specializes in disordered eating near me who is taking new patients. It wouldn’t be possible without telehealth because she’s a couple hours away (something positive that came from COVID). Within 15 minutes tonight we discussed my mental health, medications, medical history, potential surgery, a change in the dietician and touched on some of my emotional eating concerns. She think…

Anybody else scheduled for 4/2/24?

Okay this is long and boring at parts but here it goes. I am 3 years post sleeve and I have gained all my weight back . First of all I was on the smaller side to have the sleeve but I do still have all the same struggles and if I had waited until I was older it was just a matter of time until I was a higher bmi having the surgery. The fact that I have lost and then gained it all plus some within less than years is probably proof of that. Anyways, with the sleeve I did lose a big chunk of weight. I went from 235 to 168 which I could not have done with regular diet. But, i was always able to eat a little more than I should at every given stage and everything was easy …

I know I have been active on here for a while now, and probably made far too many posts for someone who hasn't even had surgery yet, but today I put down my deposit payment for my gastric bypass surgery with Spire Gatwick in the UK, for the 14/05/24. It officially feels real! Until now, I had so many anxieties as to whether or not it would happen in case I couldn't find the money, or get approved for a loan etc, so it just feels like so much relief now that it is all finalised and I know it is gonna happen. I have my 1st dietetic consultation & my pre-op assessment on 05/04/24, and then my 2nd lot of pre-op bloods on 13/05/24. I am trying to log it all …

Good Morning Everyone! So I have to tell my Father that I'm having the surgery on November 10th and I'm telling him tonight. I'm really nervous about it. He is the sweetest thing on Earth so I'm probably causing my own anxiety. The thing is my Aunt Susie (whom I'm named after) had a gastric bypass 46 years ago<<<yes you heard that right 46 years ago! In those days they reversed the operation after the patient lost their weight. My Aunt had the first operation with flying colours. The reversal was another story. After surgery while still in the hospital she got sepsis and eventually went into a coma and passed away. She was only 31 years old with …

I have my first doctors appointment in two weeks to start the weight loss surgery process. One thing I’m concerned about is I was hospitalized in December for a DVT and Pulmonary embolism and I’m now on blood thinner. Will I still be able to have weight loss surgery?

I’ve got my date of December 20th! I’m so excited. I stated this journey with my first consult on September 21st, 2023 it took one month to get things done and get a date. I have my preop class on November 8th to learn what all I can and can’t eat. Anyone else have a December date?

Hi everyone, Booked my surgery a few weeks ago, for 3rd March 2023 (I wanted sooner, but my sister is also having done and to satisfy the downers in my family we are having it done together and she needs to save a little more) Anyone else in the March 2023 club? Look forward to hearing from some of you