PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

If you’re on the fence...just do it

Hello all!! So I had all my lab work done.. Everything was great Except I was positive for H. Pylori... the doctors office called and said they ordered two different antibiotics that I have to take for two weeks. I have read several articles on h pylori and am still clueless [emoji849] I dont have any of the symptoms especially the weightloss and poor appetite Part . No stomach issues etc. Is anyone else in the same boat as me? It worries me to have to take a antibiotic for two weeks it seems like such a long time. I am crossing over into month four so I know the doctors know best. Just wondering what someone elses experience was? Thanks So Much

Did my psych eval last week. The one on one interview (20 min) then the written test (about 2 1/2 hrs) I go back today at noon discuss the results to see if I'm cleared to proceed. Talk about nervous. If I fail they're gonna see six kinds of crazy[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Had my last meeting with nutrition group. Also had my last set of blood work done so I’m really close to my surgery date, just waiting for clearance from the insurance company!?

I just had my second weight management class! Looking for friends who might get their surgeries in the spring! I'm new here. I live in the Bronx, but any friends would be accepted lol

Did anyone have issues with kidney stones before surgery? How about after with all the extra calcium that you have to take? I have some tiny crystals right now because I was an idiot and tried a calcium chew and the multivitamin not thinking that I don't purchase anything with extra calcium added to it anymore because of kidney stones.

I have Anthem BCBS in CT. I’m down to my last nutrition appointment in a couple of weeks, and then scheduling my surgery! However, I’ve gained weight (about 10lbs) during my nutrition visits over the past 5 months. There’s no excuse for it, some visits I had lost weight, and others I had gained. I am really worried I’m going to get denied. Has anyone had experience with BCBS in CT? I know some insurances are stricter than others... thanks in advance!

I can’t believe it! My surgery date is 3/12/19!!! In less than 2 months my life is going to change!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I can’t wait! In 4 weeks I start my 3 week all liquid diet. Thinking I will try and prep for that by starting early and doing breakfast/lunch a shake and dinner a proper meal. Anyone have any tips or tricks? Tried and true recipes? Tips on stuff I MUST take with me to hospital? Thanks guys!!

I'm new here and haven't even introduced myself yet, so forgive me for skipping that part and jumping straight in with a question, but my surgery is scheduled for exactly 1 week from today and I'm feeling the need to get a decision made quickly. I've been in preparations for bariatric surgery for a year now. The plan was always for sleeve. The intestinal rerouting thing just scares the bejeezus out of me, but it's really the rates of longterm complications that scare me the most about RNY, especially the "lightning strike" complications like internal hernia that can pop up unexpectedly years down the road, probably when you're hiking and about 100 miles from any dece…

I just need one more approval for surgery to happen next month and I have to go back to my PCP tomorrow to see what she says. I needed a CT Scan for my kidneys and now she wants me into discuss it. I am hoping its just instructions or something like keep a close watch on this. I am so tired of doctors right now.?

I have Unjury and Syntrax Nectar. If I just put them in a container with milk or water and shake, will they mix well? I will be at work and won’t have any whisks or blenders on hand. Is shaking them enough to not have any clumps?

I just started my 6 month journey to get the sleeve. I was wondering if everyone tells people that they got surgery when it happens, or that you are expecting to. It feels shameful kind of and I know for a fact that everyone around me thinks it's the easy way out but they don't know that I've been struggling for 10 years with PCOS and Hypothyroidism and that the weight just won't come off. I'm really nervous about telling but I also want to be transparent about my journey. What did you guys do?

I’m Kristen. I’m at the end of my pre op testing and classes for gastric sleeve. I started this journey in July and my office will submit to insurance after my next visit on February 4th. I am a Vermonter (anyone else??). Just looking to introduce myself before I jump into posting questions ?

Hello All, I am wondering who out there is having their surgery next month? My date is Feb 13th - would love advice and experiences from others.

Anyone having problems staying focused or concentrating?

Can anyone tell me the truth about the weight loss surgery ? Did you have alot of excess skin? Do you miss food ?do you lose your hair ?

My surgery is 11/6 trying not to get anxious. When I look at everyone’s before and after I feel very hopeful

My surgery date is in 10 days and I’m having doubts and hoping I made the right choice. I’m so scared of the procedure and the hospital stay and the life changes.

Hi All, I have the Sleeve about 16 months ago and had an overall good result, lost about 55% of my excess weight. I was pretty surprised though that I really never had much feeling of restriction after the surgery, never got sick, never felt overly stuffed, and my hunger only decreased moderately. I kinda felt like most of my weight loss was really attributable to the lifestyle changes I made associated with the surgery, although it definitely helped some. I recently was diagnosed with an inflammatory spine disease for which the only real treatment is aggressive weight loss and moderation of inflammation. I'm considering having a revision of the sleeve or conver…

I was sleeved in June of 2018. I’m a little over 7 months PO, 72kg down. I can’t believe the difference! When I was fresh out of my surgery I found it to be, at times, a struggle with knowing what to do and what not to do. There was conflicting posts everywhere. I’ve been studying nutrition for the last 12 months pre and post op and have worked alongside my dietician very closely and had great results. I’ve learnt so much when it comes to Health and Fitness which has helped me have such a great result in a short period of time. I have decided to share the things I have learnt to other people in hopes I can ease some of the confusion and unanswered questions that…

Just wondering what their surgery criteria is? Anyone have this ins?

Feburary 2019. Omg! Now I'm getting nervous. But extremely excited. [emoji2]

Listen guys, I knew I wanted this surgery for a long time. I know I want to lose weight so that I'm not diabetic anymore. I went to my second weight management class last week and filled out some paperwork. One of the questions asked what our goal weight was. I have no freaking clue! I'm about to be 22, and I'm a 5 foot 2 female. I weigh 205 pounds now. No clue what I would be happy with? How did you all decide your goal weight? Did you let your doctor decide for you? Thanks

Hi everyone! I hope this message finds everyone well, So I’m starting my liquid diet tomorrow for my surgery next week! I’m super excited and very nervous at the same time. I been waiting for this moment for over 6 months. First thing first my stats I’m 5’5 and weigh 268 and unfortunately due to my weight I have some health complications. So my main reason for this VSG surgery is to become more healthy so I can live a healthy lifestyle not only for myself but for my family. Anyone one else getting surgery next week? And any advice from anyone on how you managed your nerves that has already had VSG would be great. Thanks in advance ?

So I've never been Becky with the good hair. I've even tried Rogaine for women a few years ago. I know after surgery my fine thin hair is going to get thinner. I did some research on hair toppers then off to the salon I went yesterday. I tried on a topper and it looked AMAZING! My hair looked so full and healthy and it blended in with my own hair perfectly. I wish I would have done this years ago! Sadly I had to order it and it won't come for a week or two. But for anyone who is stressing over hair loss I highly recommend looking into one.

My consult went well.. they made all my appointments and I am due to go back for my second appointment 2/14. I went to pulmonology. PFT was good. I just dont take deep breaths.. so now I have to go for a sleep study (should be at home thankfully) even though my numbers are in range. I was told I'll be cleared no matter the result of the sleep study. I just may need to go on a sleep apnea machine until surgery. I went to Nutrition last week.. then again this week. Nutrition yesterday said she isn't going to count last week because I didn't get all my information from the first lady so I need a 4th nutrition which will end up happening after my 2nd appointment. Grea…

It's not required for surgery, just something I wanna do and my surgeon's office offers them. They apparently strap you down to an EKG and some sort of breathing machine that determines how many calories you burn at rest. It has to be done fasting. Anyone ever had this sort of test before?

Hello all... First time poster.. I have less than 3 months before surgery.. I am 34 and a mother of 2 wonderful childern. 7 yrs and 1 year old. I remember hearing women say how hard it was to lose weight after having children and I used to think BS!! This has now become me and has been me for quite some time now. It seems like if I look at food I can gain the calories from it without even eating it. My question is how do mothers with young children cope with the snacks in the house. My children are very healthy both physically and mentally both love fruits and veggies and do not have not weight issues. I pack my daughters lunch for school so I tend to keep extra in the…

Hello I have a few questions. ? I'm on my journey for VSG and i'm a very private person so i haven't really told anyone about this journey besides my parents. Did you have a lot of mood swings after this surgery? Did anyone treat you differently after getting this surgery? What advice do you have for a 22 year old getting this surgery???

This is my first post! So I am having Gastric on the 5th. I have been reading and digesting (no pun intended) as much information as I can. I tried the chewable Flintstone vitamin for the first time today and wow I just remember how bad they taste. Has anyone tried something different. I wonder if homothetic liquid vitamins would work better. if there was one thing you would advise me to do before surgery what would it be. I have friends telling me I should eat my last meal that I really love so that I won't crave it afterwards but that's what Kinda got me in this the position I am in now. Did anyone do that before they started their liquid diet.

Saw my surgeon today and they are going to submit all my paperwork to insurance today. They said I should get a call to schedule surgery in 1-2 weeks. ? they approve me.

I have never had any kind of surgery before, nor have I gone under anaesthesia, and I am freaking out! I have severe anxiety and panic attacks, and I'm trying not to use any medication to stave them off, but it's increasingly getting harder as the time comes. Does anyone here know if the doctors will provide a calming agent of any kind? I'm afraid of taking a benzo (which I use for my panic attacks, diazepam) because it might cause issues with the surgery or medications that they give in the IV? I just generally have fear of the surgery as well, of not waking up, of blood clots and complications, etc. Gah! I keep fretting as well that I have some kind of blood disord…

I have to confess to being a bit of a control freak. keeping busy and knowing that things are in order helps to keep me calm and take my mind of things. My surgery is in 3 days so this is what I have spent the morning doing. Cooking! I have made 3 different lots of veggie soup 1. Cauliflower with chickpea 2.Leek,potato,courgette and chickpea 3.Carrot,tomato and lentil. They are all blitzed and ready to go in the freezer. They should be perfect for puree stage and can also be thinned out more to use on liquids. All dependant of course on whether or not I can tolerate them post op. Homemade soup has to be better than those chalky tasting meal r…

Do you guys know if it's ok to take Miralax while on the liver shrinking diet?

Has anyone had something like this delay surgery? I’m scheduled for my RNY on Jan 21st. I went a few weeks ago to my PCP and had everything done for clearances. Everything is normal but I had bacteria in urine. Not a lot but rather than start antibiotics right then she waited. Then three days later after the culture was done we did a 3 day round of meds. Went back today and there’s still small traces. She won’t do the paperwork and I’m totally annoyed. My surgeon states this is no reason to hold up my surgery especially since I have no other symptoms (fever, pain etc). Also I feel I should note that I had less than the typical amount in my urine and the culture which …

Hey, has anyone had to do a follow up with the therapist? The first time she didn’t clear me right away saying my anxiety is bad and she gave me homework and asked me to come back in a month. My appointment is in a few days. I feel better but am still obviously very nervous. I was cleared by nutritionist and everyone else. She is the last to go before insurance submission and a date. Any advice? Or has this happened to anyone before? Everyone’s I read was cleared immediately.

By this time tomorrow all will be over and will be on the losers bench,and wanting to go home I am sure.

Hello all! I am very excited to say that I am just over a week away from my surgery date of January 16th. I am very excited and feel like I have everything planned out and bought for after my surgery. I was just wondering if anyone could provide any tips or wisdom they had learned the first few weeks after surgery that could be helpful for me. I also would love to hear anything about things you wish you would've known or things that you experienced that people don't talk much about. Thanks in advance! I look forward to hearing from all of you!

Sorry if the lede was misleading--long intro thread, unrelated to the surgeon in GA, a former poster in the Lap-Band forum, or a grocer who sold toilet tissue. Also not a BM discussion, although I gather those are popular 'round these parts. Hello, all. Apologies for the length; maybe the info or discussions will help some in the future. Like many here, I’ve battled obesity my entire life, from Husky-sized jeans to a HW of 453 in 2017. Through a counselor, I connected with a weight loss PCP, and by working with him and a NUT have lost 130 lbs in 2 years. I was content with this method and pace, but circumstances had other plans. This past summer, I presente…

Started my pre op Diet last Thursday and have been non stop water factory out my rear end.. Diet is the basic 4-5 shakes a day broth water 2 cups of steamed veggies a day.. I have been doing Premier Protein shakes (4-5 a day) Carrots and Cauliflower steamed veggies (2 cup a day) Cup or 2 of bone broth a day and the recommended water amount.. Mt stomach issues started on day 3 and has kept me 3 steps away form the toilet ever since.. Help please........! !

What should I expect at pre op appt?

Hi people- So my date is January 22. My mind is all over the place!! Im scared but hopeful. I have full confidence in my surgeon and the hospital. I feel prepared in terms of researching this to death. I know everyone's experience is vastly different which makes it so hard when you have No idea how you will recover. I have anxiety in general so this is particularly hard for me to go forward thinking everything will be fine. I have watched too many videos where people struggle, have complications, cant seem to drink their water, cant get food down, have dumping...etc but I know in my logical brain that does not necessarily mean I'll have those issues. But my…

I am almost 4 months away from getting my surgery! I just am not sure which one I want. I have had IBS-D all my life but was just diagnosed a few years ago and I finally just found a doctor and medication that helps me a few months ago. On a good day I go to the bathroom about 10x a day and on a bad day its about every 5-10 minutes from the time I wake up till I go to bed. When I first started researching I wanted the VSG because it honestly scared me thinking that my intestines would be messed with. At my first appointment I was told the Roux-en-Y would be best because it causes constipation. My third appointment I was told the VSG would be best due to my intestinal issu…

Hi all! I just got my official time for 6:45am on Monday, January 14. Anyone else going to be my surgery twin? Also, any ideas on what to bring to the hospital would be great! My surgeon told me to expect to be staying overnight. Thanks!

This month marks number 3 in the 6 month medically monitored weight loss program that my insurance requires. I have been reading threads, taking notes, journaling, and have a spreadsheet to mark my weekly changes in weight and measurements. #scaleshateme I still struggle with the idea that the surgery will happen. I tend to be a pessimist, so I keep thinking that this is too good to be true. Maybe my insurance will deny it. Maybe something will go wrong. I don’t want to be negative, but here I am. #negativenancy I have changed my eating habits up a bit. I have started eating 4 meals a day and drinking water. I NEVER drank water before. I would drown out fatigue with ca…

My date will be next week the 13 I’m happy but I guess also a mix of thoughts ... I guess I’m scared

So I just went in and met with the nutritionist and NP yesterday and went over a ton of stuff I’m actually getting excited and feeling like I’m IN the process! So I’ve got 4 more months for my insurance and when I went yesterday I got orders to do blood work which I know is standard. But the NP told me to get a sleep study and ordered that also. As of now my BMI is like 40.7 or something so I technically don’t need any comorbidities- which is good because I don’t have any. She told me to start practicing good habits and healthy lifestyle but that I actually can’t lose any weight leading up to surgery cause it would knock me out of the 40 BMI and then I would NEED 2 comorb…

Only 2 weeks until surgery

I have completed all my requirements with my program, my pre-op is December 28th, liquid diet starts the 31st and surgery is set for January 14th, but I don’t have insurance approval.... Is this standard practice? I’m confused by this? The coordinator stated she would submit the paperwork to Highmark BCBS PA last week I called they haven’t received it, is this normal? I just am worried I have set up to be off work for two weeks and am planning everything around a surgery date with no insurance approval.....Can anyone let me know if this is normal or how long approval takes? Should I be concerned?

Just wondering of anyone can give me some ideas of what to expect with a GI test? I am going for one in the morning.