PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

So disgusted.. Was down within 3lbs of pre surgery goal and I am UP 8lbs!!! I know that some is water gain but most is all about me ——

I am going to meet with a surgeon for the first time in September and he only does Lap Band and VSG type surgeries. I'm sure he will lay it out for me the pros and cons as well as the hours I've already spent looking into both, but I'm curious what the actual patients who have had them see as the pros and cons of both. I have also read the many stories of those who have had the lap band and then had to have the VSG or Bypass done after. In some cases, both. I'm not against the permanence of the VSG, I think, but I guess I want to make up my mind before a medical professional talks me into it one way or another. I know that sounds incredibly stupid.

Sex was never a problem for me. I’m just wondering how long did you guys wait to start having sex again. I’m 3 days out, probably to soon...

Hi all - I am having the gastric band done tomorrow and I am getting very nervous. I didn't really struggle with the 2 week liquid diet (lost 12lbs) and have been very excited for the surgery up until this point. More so nervous about how I'll feel tomorrow when I leave the hospital and how my recovery will be. Any tips? Anyone know how I'll feel? I know my life will be drastically different, but looking forward to it.

Hello! I know that I’m not the only one but I never had any surgery before I get my gastric sleeve , this is my first surgery and I’m pretty nervous because I don’t know what to expect ! I want to start this topic because I (and I’m not sure about you guys) but I would like support from other people who have gone through this or are going through this. I have support from family but they never experienced this so they are going into this as blind sighted as I am. I would like to start this topic so that I or we can all get support from different people who are, will, have gone through this. Please share your experiences!!! I’m so ready to hear!

Hi there, I’m meeting the surgeon for the first time tomorrow. I went through Beaumont weight control center. Finished my 6 months requirements. Had blood work done and an EKG. This will be the group meeting followed by individual meeting. What should I expect? Is this just protocol or is he going to ask for more tests or requirements? I’m just really hoping to get my surgery date soon because I’m a teacher and would love to take advantage of y summer break while on full liquids and puréed foods. Thanks for your input!!

Christ on a cracker! I'm having gastric bypass surgery in 2 weeks after going through a 6 month weight loss program. Damn, I never thought I'd find myself here. I mean WTF? I am having my entire guts rearranged just to get my weight under control. Sometimes it just seems ridiculous. So, grizzled veterans, what's the run down on your coping strategies? Do not tell me that you discovered a new-found love of exercise and that you just *like* go for a run when you are stressed and tired. For real, what are you doing? I mean, we go to all these classes and dredge up all our bullshit so ALL THE THINGS are simmering just under the surface and then our coping mecha…

Hi! I'm 2 days into my pre-op all liquid diet and I haven't been able to keep down the protein shakes without throwing up. I'm afraid maybe I'm allergic to an ingredient in the shakes. Has anyone else had this problem?

I had vsg surgery about a week and a half ago. (7/24) Everything going great until I woke up with sharp pain under my left rib cage yesterday morning. Hurt to take a deep breath, cough, sneeze, laugh, etc. Sometimes would radiate to my shoulder/collar bone. Pain continues today. I’ve had similar pain like this intermittently since surgery. Originally it was gas but 10-11 days out? I don’t think so.... Saw my surgeon yesterday and he felt it was muscular/nerve pain. Advised warm soaks. I don’t have fever/chills, SOB, increased heart rate, etc. Although so scared that I have a leak!! Has anyone else gone through this? I’m debating whether I should take myself to ER and get …

I just had a follow-up appointment with my bariatric surgeon from my EGD and he said that I have the option between roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and lap band. The lap band was a no for me, so I have the option between the other two. What is everyone’s input on each surgery and what made them pick one over the other? Thanks in advance!

After having my EGD my doctor pointed out that I have a fatty liver. I know the liver rests on the stomach and it can be an issue. During my nutrition class i was informed that those with a fatty liver may have to do an extra week of the pre op "liver shrinking" diet. Has anyone else run into this issue?

Hey everyone! So I'm just about five days away from my surgery. My Liquid diet has been tough, but I've kicked its ass so far. Since I started my weight loss journey I've lost 52 lbs! My original goal was to lose 30 lbs prior to the procedure. Inching very close to being below 300 lbs before the surgery. I'm a man, 5'10, and twenty-five years old. Beginning to feel very nervous about the reality of the surgery. How did you/are you coping with these nerves? Also, does anyone have any clue what ballpark somebody weighing about 300 lbs should expect to lose in the first few months? Know everybody is different and results will vary pretty greatly but think hearing those numbe…

Hello everyone! I am in the process of getting all necessary information paperwork faxed over. Things are slowly coming together and soon will have my surgery date. I am so scared. Not of the pain or the actual surgery itself. I'm afraid of going under and not waking back up. I'm so scared of death, I don't want to be without my family. I don't want to lose them. Has anyone else had this debilitating fear?

Hi, I’m set to be sleeved in two weeks and would love to meet up with anyone in the Boston area looking for accountability/support partners!

Hi All! First day of my pre-op diet today and I’m really struggling! Feel so weak, tired and hungry! Does anyone have any advice on how to curb the hungry/weak feeling? Will it get better?! Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

hi, Im female, 5’3 and about 230 my surgery date is August 6th 2018 my projection weight is 120 and that just seems so low and unreachable since most people’s goal is around 150-140 is that how much i should loose ? or should i set my expectations lower

Today is my second day on my liquid diet. I was wondering if it would be wise to eat a small amount of oatmeal in the morning every 2-3days? Although I have my protein shake and clear liquids, I think I'm going to struggle. I can really use some support and advice.

I pretty much thought the cardiologist visit was just another in the line of prelims for surgery. I have done everything I need for insurance and got my date which is October 20th. My surgeon requires other things, so I had two left, cardiology and colonoscopy. I knew I had a problem but I had been told it wasn't a big deal and I didn't need to see a cardiologist. Well. The cardiologist said I have diastolic dysfunction caused by my sleep apnea and hypertension and explained to me that my heart has no trouble pumping blood out, it has a problem letting enough blood back in. Unlike my Doctor, he said the heart condition is causing the Fluid retention which is also…

I am scheduled for surgery on 8/2 and am on day 9 of my 14 day Pre-op liquid diet. At night I am having arm and leg aches making it difficult to sleep. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hey everyone. I am 5 days into my preop diet, and quickly becoming sick of everything. I have been making keto recipes for dinner with 1-2 carbs per serving, One protein shake per day (19 g of carbs) and only other carbs are in small amount so cheese or dressing. I was just told no sugar, and low carb. No fat limit. Looks like from reading on here every surgeon is different. I struggle most at work. I am a nurse and tend to get more hungry at work. A couple questions..... What is everyone using for protein shakes? I have been using GNC lean protein shakes (25 g per serv) Were you given a max carb limit? Drop some recipes in a reply you may have had an…

I was putting together my preop and postop plan to get myself in peak condition for surgery and I thought that some of you may be interested in what you can do to help yourself heal after surgery. I am a nurse, a lot of this I have learned over the years from managing surgical patients and from doctors. I hope that maybe some of information below will help someone recover from surgery faster and heal better. If you have any chronic illnesses or diseases be sure to speak to your doctor, in other words, don't solely take my word. ------------------------------------ Building up your Protein levels so you are in peak health for surgery is the #1 thing you can do for you…

I follow many people stories on social media and several have brought up a stop in progress. One in particular, was a sleeve patient. For several months they could not lose any more weight. Then was told by the doctor that this must be all the weight they would lose. While being over 100 pounds still overweight. I had my mind set on the sleeve but I would hate for this to happen. Has anyone ran into this before? Would you recommend one surgery over the other?

Hello everyone! I have yet to find my surgeon and place of operation, I'm starting with a lower BMI at 33 and will be self-paying. I wanted to know if anyone had to self pay in California or Mexico. Please share your journey with me (cost, recovery time, location, overall experience etc..) so hopefully I can start my journey with a little more confidence going in. Thanks!

Breakfast: 8:30 Premier Protein and 32oz water Snack: 11:30 sugar free popsicle Lunch: 1:00 broth soup, sugar free jello 32 oz flavor water Dinner: 5:00 Premier Protein and 32 oz water Snack: 8:00 sugar free jello or broth soup 16 oz flavor water Following this menu it will give me 60 grams of protein and all my fluid intake also it will keep my metabolism moving. If there's anything I could add please share thanks! Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday August 1st. Today was the start of my clear liquid diet, half way through the day and I feel amazing. Im getting very nervous about the surgery on Wednesday though, more scared than anything I guess. Anyone else feel this way right before?

Was wondering what your doctor prescribed for pain medication after surgery? I'm a little concerned because after the surgery you can't really take any pills. So far i've hard tylenol elixir with codeine is the normality?

Has anyone been through Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Bariatric program? I’m scheduled for surgery 10/29. I’m looking for experiences with this provider.

Hi there! My sleeve surgery is on 8/8/18 (lucky numbers, I know) I'm twenty-five years old, 5'10, and had a starting weight of 356 lbs. Have always been overweight or obese but never this heavy. My big lifestyle change occurred at the end of April and since then I've lost 44 lbs with a final pre-surgery goal of 50 lbs (originally 30 lbs). Hasn't been easy but knowing that the surgery is down the road has certainly kept me on track and accountable! Being so young, I understand my experience will likely be different than many others on here. My two-week liquid diet started a few days ago and has pretty thoroughly kicked my butt. I've got these incredible Bruce Banner/Hulk m…

Has anyone gone through the program at Vanderbilt Medical Center? Looking for some experiences as I'm considering surgery through them!

HELP! On my list it says decaffeinated coffee Pre-Op!! WHY?!?!?! My head is pounding already for a week. The withdrawals from everything else is bad enough. What will happen if I drink a regular black coffee? It even says I can have 1 Oz of skim milk! But HAS to be decaf. Why is caffeine so bad for you pre-op? And how come I am reading that a lot of people were allowed coffee before and after surgery? Why does mine say decaf specifically???!!!

Hi all! I’m super new and I was just wandering if anyone lives in Pennsylvania and has Aetna ?? What kind of steps did you have to take to be accepted by insurance

So im having surgery Aug 8 starting to have cold feet i lost 15 pounds leading up to the operation starting to think if i can do this on my own with out surgery

Hi all ... my name is wardah I'm from Australia Melbourne I have been over weight since young age at 28 I had my first wls lapbanding which was a great success at that time... two years later hitting my goal weight my first band was leaking then I had the second that had slept and caused infection that needed to be removed immediately 3rd band was put in had bit of success with it then I had started to get severe heart burns that not coming from stomach but the esophagus [emoji33][emoji33] after a few scans done it appears that due to a very tight band I had what they called a stretched esophagus where all my food is sitting and coming up ... long story short my doctor st…

Anyone having surgery in the Birmingham AL area? I'd like to have a few people that I can talk about anything to that are in my area. I'm willing to exchange numbers or email addresses if so. Doesn't have to be in AL just need a buddy to get through all of this with. I'm in month one of my three month medically supervised diet!

Two more things I can check off my list. I got the abdominal sonogram today and the upper GI series. The sonogram wasn't too awful, but I was very self conscious with my huge stomach all exposed and it was painful when she pressed into my ribs (although I have had WAY worse sonograms, this tech was very good). The Upper GI though, was bad. I almost threw up, especially when I had to drink fast from that big straw while laying on my stomach. I tried so hard but I kept gagging. It was a miracle I didn't throw up. Will I have to do the barium again after surgery? If so, can they give you anti-nausea meds to keep from gagging so badly?

Well here we go headed to to doctors to start liquid diet then off to hospital to finish tests Aug 13th is getting closer

OMG!!! Surgery date is tomorrow, I’m so nervous i feel slightly sick like im coming down with a cold also a bit weak and light headed. Should i re-schedule or is it my nerves getting the best of me? I have no sore thought, no runny nose.

Hi, I only had 1 and a half shakes today. I can't drink them anymore. I have 4 more days to go until my surgery, the funny think about I might drink shakes to help me reach my goal weight. I'm going to do my best to reach my goal. I can't go through this liquid diet again! I have this terrible tast in my mouth any body else having this problem?

Hi all. Three weeks out from being sleeved and I am having the worst pain this morning at one of my incision sites. I know it’s only three weeks but was hoping this would start to go away at this point. Did a lot of walking yesterday. Just woke up and in pain. Anyone else get the same thing?

Hello, I recently was brought the topic of getting this surgery and I have been doing reearch for a couple of months however I have been receiving mixed information and am not completely sure on what is correct. I recently just got insurance for Medicaid, Sunshine Health since I am a full-time employee and student. I have been going to a couple of doctor visits and of course, my weight is my biggest issue. I am in the process of getting my breast reduction surgery covered, which my PCP advised that it is almost completely sure I will get itfully covered due to severe back pain, unbalanced pelvis, not being able to exercise nor digest, causing seve…

Hello, I’m having a fair amount of difficulty with edema. I’m on two diuretics, twice a day, and still have pitting in my legs up to both knees. I know I would feel much more comfortable if I could get rid of some more fluid, and it would probably put me in a better place prior to surgery. Does anyone know of any good, safe home remedies that might help with this? Also, for those of you who’ve already had the surgery, what kinds of things do you wish you had done prior to your operation that would have helped after surgery?? I’m guessing that mine will be in early September, as I have a bit of a wait to see my surgeon. I apologize for any mistakes; this is my first post…

My surgery is July 30th and, being a planner by nature, I’ve made a list of what I should include in my hospital bag for my one night. Is there anything I’m not considering? Leggings Hoodie Camisole Slippers Deodorant Carmex/Burt’s Lotion Socks Sports bra Baby wipes Dial soap Face wash Underwear Battery pack Phone Book Extra long phone cable Headphones Headwrap Glasses case Mouthwash Toothbrush Toothpaste WW Blanket Gas ex thin strips

Hello everyone. Currently I have a bmi of 37.3..... but no comorbidities (for gastric sleeve). I have priority health for insurance, and I am wondering if anyone has used any other comorbidities that they don't have listed as a way to get the surgery approved. Any feedback would be awesome. My hands are tied as of right now and could use any help. Thanks so much.

I am trying to clarify some insurance requirements. I get different things from my pcp and bariatric dr. First I have western health advantage (mercy medical group). I am told I have to be followed by the surgeon and his staff for 6 months. I have to see the dietician first and do my phsycological evaluation before I can see the surgeon. Can someone please clarify.

Hi everybody! I'm new here but was reading for 1mo. I'm 62, 5'5" with low bmi 36.4 but i want my healthy and active life back. I started WLS in mid April: met with surgeon, nutritionist, had 5 appts with psychologist and passed psy.eval. I'm in the process and will complete my medically supervised diet in September and will do sleep study on July 31st. My insurance is Fed.BCBS and I'm worried about my low bmi. But i have 2 co-morbidities. I wonder at what point of your process you learned about your surgery date? I assume it is subject of insurance approval? Thank you.

Hey all! I started my liquid diet on Monday and I’m down 9 pounds!! However, ever since “eating healthy” I feel like my body has gone into like a shock which I’m sure is normal. I get headaches every day (even wake up with them) and am not sleeping as long as I used to. I know this could be from lack of caffeine and change of diet. I am trying to avoid taking ibuprofen (motrin) as my surgery is next week (8/6). Any suggestions for headaches?

In ny state and with my insurance I have to do a 3 month medically supervised diet prior to getting a surgery date. I started walking 2 miles a day, which is so hard, and I've lost 7 lbs since July 11th. I'm terrified of slipping on my diet or not being able to lose the weight the dr suggested. Any recommendations?

I am currently in month 2 of my six month program with a estimated surgery date of December. I am currently in the process of food journaling and my next steps are going to the gym. I am extremely nervous about the whole process, everyone around me is supportive, my biggest struggle is trying to get enough protein. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone, I just got a surgery date of Sept. 1. Now I'm just praying my insurance approves it. It should, but you know, something could go wrong if I don't worry about it 24/7, right? My mom is planning to come up to be with me for the surgery and afterwards. How long do you think she'll need to stay assuming everything goes normally? I'm young, otherwise healthy, and the surgery is laparoscopic. I know I'll be in hospital for a couple days but after that, I mean. Also, I'm a grad student and i'll be teaching two courses. My crappy department doesn't allow us to miss and if we absolutely have to, we have to find subs but nobody will sub. So the…

Does anyone know why we can’t have egg yokes in pre-op diet? I am allowed egg whites but obviously not as good haha. All I can find on google is possibly they effect cholesterol.