Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

When I started considering WLS, particularly VSG Surgery, I researched extensively. I read medical studies, case histories, personal blogs and watched hundreds of hours of YouTube videos posted by patients and bariatric surgeons. I cannot remember where I read or saw the European study called "The Three Month Marker", nor have I been able to find the article or video again. The "supposed" study was of VSG patients and their success rates. The results of the study indicated that the total average weight loss at 12 months post-op was double the amount lost at the 3 month post-op mark for patients who closely followed the bariatric guidelines. Has anyone else heard abou…

Hi everybody, I’m new here and just received a date for my surgery for April 6. I’m starting to freak out a lot about it, and don’t really have anybody to talk to (I’ve only told my husband, and while he is supportive, I don’t think he really knows how to empathize with me on this one). It all just feels so overwhelming at this point. Anybody else at about the same place?

I am hoping to have either a Gastric bypass or Gastric Sleeve in the near future. I had a gastric band approx 10 years ago. I have 2 questions that I really hope some kind souls may be able to advise me with or share an opinion. Question 1: Which in your opinion is the best option Gastric Bypass or Gastic sleeve.? Question 2: As I've had a gastric band before are both of these options avaiilable to me. Many thanks in advance for any help or support. I really appreciate it. Lou

I was discharged home this afternoon after having gastric sleeve on Monday morning. I'm trying my best to get ALL my fluids & walking in however I'm so tired. And I feel hungry. Is this normal?

Hi everyone, After 5 months of pre-op appointments, I have my surgery date! April 5th is the day and I am excited to be moving forward! Looking for surgery buddies on or around that date. I am having surgery at Bailey so I start my liver reduction diet on Wednesday, I am not excited about that but I am excited it means surgery is coming!

Of course I'm nervous about post surgery complications however I am concerned about every ache & pain. Currently have a pain in left upper part of leg however it feels muscular. No redness or heat. Heck I even have had pains in the middle of my back but no difficulty breathing. Could this be dehydration? I'm trying to keep up with fluids but I know I could be doing more. I haven't walked as much either because I feel weak. Anyone else struggling??? I hope I'm not alone.

I'm about to enter my week of pureed food. Any suggestions on what to eat? Is baby food surprisingly good or truly disgusting? It's only a week, so I'll get through it, but not looking forward to it.

Ok folks I want to pick your brains. I am 18 months out from surgery, I got really sick a couple weeks ago and my doctor put me on steroids and an antibiotic. I finished the course of meds in 10 days, and ever since then it has been nearly impossible to eat. I gained 6 pounds in water weight while ON the steroids and then proceeded to drop all that and 5 more pounds I did NOT want to lose just because I am not eating enough. I'm dangerously close to slipping into double-digit weights and I'd really like to stop this before I end up there. I've gone back to basics and have mostly been consuming things that are really soft like soup and making sure I chew every…

Hello, As of Feb 18th, I was 4 years out from surgery. Surgery went well, except for about 2 weeks after surgery I had sever GERD. The doctors weren't sure what was causing it other than I went from the Lap Band to Sleeve. It lasted about 2 weeks and then there after never had a issue until just recently. I was taking 1 Prilosec a day and now bumped it to 2x a day. Since that was not really working, I tried Pepcid and that has not worked that I can tell. I do have an appointment next week with my bariatric doctor and Im thinking they are going to order a upper GI. Im just wondering if anyone has experience this being this far out from surgery. I thought with …

I am 3 weeks post op today from the gastric sleeve. I feel great, I have energy during the day, no pain and I am down 20lbs. So far it has been all liquid diet and pureed soup. Today is the first day I actually feel hungry and want food. I had a half of can of chopped tuna but I am still hungry. What were you all eating/drinking at 3 weeks post op?

My first visit ! My consultation was today and it was so easy and exciting. The LNP explained everything to me told me about my surgeon and what to expect the day of surgery. She said most insurances require 3-6 months but my booklet plan doesn’t say anything about any time. It says it’s at the discretion of the surgical team. I already had a blood panel and thyroid done in February so I am good to go on that ! Only thing is getting an ekg with my primary have her sign off on surgery then the nutritional visit the physc evaluation & endoscopy. I am hoping to have surgery by end of may ????????

So last week we hired a new person at my job. Today was my first day training them and we got to talking and sure enough. She had Gastric Sleeve surgery 6 years ago. I was like NOO WAY me too! but 11 months ago lol. She is i think in her late 40's. and she was i think 330lb and currently at 165lb 6 years later and doing great. Nice to meet someone like me lol. I am coming up on my 1 year surgery date next month.

How is your relationship with food post op ? I’ve always depended on food to fill my emotions when I was depressed or anxious. I absolutely hate it but I am worried about I am going to handle my stress and anxiety after surgery. I want to be healthy and to feel good and not hate whenever people take any pictures of me or hide behind everyone in photos. Go out with my boyfriend and friends and family. :( it’s been so hard because of my weight gain. My sisters had a great dinner with my mom the other day and I didn’t go I missed out on memories because of how nothing fits. So I understand my relationship with food is something I am willing to give up. Especially for my h…

I am wondering if anyone else went through this. I am 13 days post off and have severe constipation. Nothing worked suppositories miralax colace benefiber. This is tmi but my spouse had to Manuel remove my impacted stool. Well its out now but extreme pain. What are some other choices?

hey yall!! Hope all is well. Well as far as me I been back in the hospital since Wednesday. Still vomiting etc. I had a procedure done yesterday. laparoscopic diagnostic, endoscopy and adhesion. removed. The adhesions took 2 hrs to remove. My surgeon said i'm a rare case. Just two weeks ago she removed scar tissue that was causing my stomach to twist. Now this procedure she considered to be extensive and was very complex. She said my stomach keep twisting and is very tender. She said I had accumulated more scar tissue and a bunch of other terms she used. She had to use special tools to lift my liver bc my sleeve was tethered to my live. In which my liver had dense adh…

Well I am two weeks out and not losing weight...actually gaining. I got dehydrated first week so that may be why I lost 10 pounds first week but now I am up 5 pounds and this week I start pureed today. What is wrong? Why am I not losing?

My sleeve surgery is scheduled for April 12, 2023. I am 5’6, 400 pounds., 60 years old. My mother and grandmother were both obese. At 16 I was 116 pounds, with undiagnosed PCOS. I had uterine cancer at 39, and had a hysterectomy. No hormone replacement as they felt it was a hormone based cancer. At 55 had a swollen thyroid removed. Each time, my weight increased. Three years ago, I had a spinal injury, which led to back fusion surgery, which caused nerve damage, and a right dropfoot. I have to use a rolling walker or cane to walk, and my back surgeon says I can’t lift more than ten pounds. I know I need this sleeve surgery, and I want to live and get healthy. But I am sti…

Oh y’all. It’s been a little bit since I’m been on this forum. I’m struggling with any weight loss. It’s like I’ve hit a wall for the last 3 months. This is my stats. SD 4/26/22 / SW 216 / CW 175 / GW 130 / age 50 My team has me under 700 cal and less than 20 carbs a day. I use to basically eat yogurt for almost every meal ??‍♀️. But my team say I wasn’t getting enough protein and my body was probably bored and that was causing my slow down in weight. So they had me to mix things up. So I started eating more protein (meats, chicken etc) well then I started started gaining ?. My last weight in back in January was 173. I gained up to 180 when adding back food…

Is anyone in New Jersey that is pre op or post op?

How long did you wait before you ate bread after VSG? I read somewhere that you should wait a year before having croissants, bagels, or bread again. Is this correct??

I’m going to a city near Pasadena. Have Anthem BCBS insurance.

My first two weeks I dropped a lot of weight about 21 lbs but I am on the fourth week and have been stuck at about 203. I was at 201 at the end of the first two weeks then I went up two lbs. I am getting frustrated because I am exercising, hitting my protein goals/liquid goals and I am not getting above 500 calories a day. I just feel like crying (I have been crying) and feel like maybe having PCOS that this weight is still not gonna come off even with this surgery. It sucks to not be able eat most things and go through this to just be stuck like this. Even if I could just get to 199 within a week I would be happy but I see the scale is going up little by little. Ever…

For the Greek yogurt is it better to liquify with milk or water?

Hi! I am about 10 days postop from having the sleeve, and as a lot of people, I am having trouble getting all of my meals in. I was wondering if anybody had any tips such as setting a timer to remind you to have a meal, and if you did set a timer, how often did you set it for?

Has anyone ever accidentally ate and drank at the same time? If so, what happens? I’m worried that I might forget and do it out of habit

I had my pre op appt. today for surgery on Aug. 20. I have no pharmacy coverage for my insurance. He prescribed 4 meds. for post op. All in liquid form. Walmart price : $1,400.00! One for pain, one for nausea, one for acid reflux & one for prevention of gallstones. I told the pharmacy there was no way I could afford that & I would need to contact my doctor. He changed the 1st. three to tablets - to crush (much more affordable). The last one is $614 per mo. I need to take it for 6 mo. At that time he will remove my gallbladder. He wants to wait on that until that time due to the size of my liver. I spoke with his nurse & was told he said there was…

He Hey guys !my insurance said they cover all the bariatic services my PA asked me to ask them. The requirements I believe they said there was no required supervised diet however I do have some history with phertamine. My bmi is right at 40.4. I’m gonna ass a screen shot of the blue home plan for bariatic ! I think it should be an easy process as far as what they’re asking for. I hope to have my surgery by June fingers crossed. Anyone have experience with novant ? In Nc Pasted what the picture has in case visibility is hard.  A thorough preoperative evaluation for bariatric surgery must include all of the following: 1. Evaluation of the patient's understanding…

I am once again considering how to fix my health without surgery. I am self pay and was planning to go to Mexico to Endobariatric. I’ve decided that the potential need for revision due to GERD is going to hold me back. I would not be able to afford a revision and my health insurance would not cover any part of it. Part of me feels let down by this, but I know GERD is no fun. I have it from medication and a handful of times before not medication related. I did notice that Dr. Alvarez mentions the sleeve surgery can potentially heal GERD in those that have it. I do find that interesting since so many end up with revisions. It makes me wonder if I would get lucky and no…

I want to introduce a new procedure I invented; a Reversible Gastric Sleeve. Please see the attached video. https://clipchamp.com/watch/lyMcXEwJ5js If anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Sincerely, Brian Quebbemann, MD, FACS, FASMBS

I had a sleeve and recovery is going amazingly well. Still on liquids until next week, but feeling overall good. Down a total of 33 pounds since I started the program. Super excited to hear and see everyone's progress so far!

I know that a lot of programs do things differently. My program calls for 2 weeks post-op liquids only, followed by 2-3 weeks of pureed, before moving on to soft foods. I am near the end of my second week, and have been using beef and chicken bone broths along with cream soups to keep some flavor sliding past my pallet. My question is - Why does it feel like I can have an endless flow of liquids going into me? How does this tie into actual food, where I've been told that I will be able to eat a maximum of 2 tbsp of something like scrambled eggs? Maybe I'm not understanding how liquids don't rest in my pouch anymore? I'm getting in like 70+ oz a day between prot…

Hi Everyone, I've benefited immensely from reading all the content on here and am wondering if you guys have helpful advice for me. I'm 7 months out and have been losing nicely till about a month or 2 ago. My appetite and hunger have returned and I'm finding it very difficult to stick to my plan without cheating, reach my protein and fluid goals somewhat, and push myself to work out. Some days my cheating is so bad, it scares me. Obviously the scale hasn't moved downward, it only keeps fluctuating by a few pounds according to my intake. I haven't seen a significant loss in a while. While I'm so happy about my weight loss, I still really want to lose more and am scar…

I had surgery on 8/17/2022, so just under 7 months ago. and at this point my weight loss has slowed so much that I am lucky if I lose 5 lbs. a month. I wasn't expecting the weight loss to slow down already. It almost makes me wish I went with Bypass. Has anyone else slowed so soon?

What's a good chewable Vitamin to take. The Bariatric Pal chewable Multivitamin make me regurgitate.

It appears that VSG is quite successful, with weight loss well over 100+ pounds common in the first year. But I've also read that maintaining that loss after the 2 year mark is difficult, and gaining weight back is common. This doesn't appear to be the case with the bypass so what causes this? I know it's a TOOL, but why is the tool so successful for 1-2 years and then not? What changes and why and what can be done to prevent it? Obviously maintaining healthy habits and continuing to work at it, but what physically or mentally causes this shift? I've heard the stomach stretches out so there isn't as much restriction, but then I read where that is not possible? Having expe…

GUYS! This is by far THE BEST protein bar I have tried. This is the only flavor I have tried so far but I bought the cookies and cream to try too. (200 cal, 20g protein, 18 carbs) I have tried so many, some better than others but they all have that strong "protein" aftertaste. These ones BARELY have that aftertaste, almost not even noticeable. I buy singles (way more expensive) to try them and then buy the box if I like them. I can't even tell you how many brands and flavors I have tried. I like to keep them on hand in a pinch for a meal or even a snack sometimes.

Any one out there with more than 200lbs to lose and have success with just a sleeve? I’m 1 year post op and have lost 174 pounds but have at least 75 more to go to get to where I’d like to be but I’m worried that it’s not possible with the sleeve

I’m new to this and to give you some background I’ve struggled with weight for the past 20+ years. Tried a lot of diets and worked with my physician, but nothing seemed to work I was recommended for bariatric however, it took me almost 10 years to get insurance to help pay. It was a lot of work, and it makes the thought of failure scary. since my surgery, which happened on February 1, I’ve been lucky to have very few complications. I’ve been able to eat and drink without problems and I’m starting on the third phase however, I still am struggling with fear that I’m overheating, because it’s been fairly easy so far. It’s been difficult as well, because I can’t, …

Does everyone lose their boobs when they lose alot of weight? I don't want to have any plastic surgery but I also don't want my boobs to droop. Is there a way to prevent this?

I am hoping to have the money for a gastric sleeve surgery this year. I have been reading and watching videos and trying to take it all in. If I have failed at low carb and other diets, how will the sleeve be different? It is a tool, but it ultimately requires lifetime compliance to food and lifestyle changes. So far I have a lifetime of failure at compliance. I am sure I need to spend some time on my mindset in general. If bariatric surgery resets the set point and helps change the metabolism, how do people end up gaining all of the weight back? Will this exacerbate depression? Will it help or hurt low self worth? I see that some people end up very depressed and ot…

How much time did you take off of work? I can work remote, and have a desk job with flexibility in hours. Wondering how soon everyone felt mentally and physically ready to go back? (Yes, I'm sure this will vary widely depending on age, complications, etc, just looking for a benchmark)

Hello everyone! I went through my gastric sleeve surgery in September 2021 and I've been really successful; it has truly changed my life in so many ways. My husband is approved for surgery himself now, and will be getting it done in April. He is 39 and is overall in fairly good health except for his weight concerns, so I'm optimistic he will also have good results! I had a really rough go of it after my surgery and I'm determined to help him any way I can; I'm the primary food purchaser and preparer in my house, so it'll basically be business as usual there. Men who have had the surgery, what is something you think I need to know? Do you feel like your exper…

Hi y’all. Recently changed insurance coverages , I wanted to know what requirements for weight loss did BCBS have for some of y’all im in NC. I uploaded a pic of my policy for reference I know they’re usually very different for requirements

Hi! New here! Just got sleeved on 2/20/23. Postop is going well. The only downfall I have is the allergic reaction I experienced to the surgery prep used on my belly. Oh it’s so itchy and I have an allergy rash and  bumps all over my belly. Nurse told me I need to wait until it’s released from my system. If it wasn’t for the rash I would be fine. ? Trying to be patient.  Dee

Hi all, After a very long process I'm finally close to getting my sleeve approved and scheduled. I am excited, but a little worried. I've never had any surgery before, however several years back I tried to have gallbladder surgery. I was advised that they were unable to intabate me due to a narrow passageway. Has anyone here had a similar issue but been able to have a successful surgery? If so, what did your doctors do and were you aware of the issue in advance? I've seen that overweight people having this issue not uncommon, but I have found nothing on how it is managed. Any insight is appreciated.

Hi all, I had my VSG surgery in April. I started off at 410lbs and am currently 300.9. I just weighed in today, last week I was 296.3lbs. But I will say that for this last week it was my husbands birthday and I didn’t go to the gym so I wasn’t exercising or eating well. So I expected some weight gain. But I’m really worried about the way I gain weight back so quickly. Just one week off and I gained 4.6 lbs back. Is this normal? And will I have to deal with this the rest of my life? I’m already slightly disappointed because in the beginning I was losing so well but for this past few months I can barely lose 5lbs a month if that! I know weight loss slows…

When did you drive after your VSG? I need to get myself home from airport after 4 days— is this reasonable? I drove the 2nd day after my laparoscopic hysterectomy in November…I hate pain meds, so nothing more than ibuprofen really on board.

Sometimes I have a hard time with figuring out if I’m losing well I am also looking to connect with other bari friends I document my journey. Via TikTok my handle is VSG_Bestie if you want to show me some love feel free to inbox me I’m also learning a lot feel free to ask me questions

So I am at the very beginning of this journey, my PCP is on board, I have reached out to a surgeon and completed all of their pre, pre, pre appointment requirements in one day. Waited for a month for them to verify my insurance benefits which was completed yesterday. Now I am waiting for them to schedule my initial appointment. Any suggestions on what I should be doing while I am waiting? I did call the office to see if there was any testing that I could ask my PCP for when I went in for my annual check up and was told no. Do I go ahead and start a liquid diet? I have no idea when my appointment will be. I have started getting out and walking every day, weather permitting…

My insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery, so I am self pay. It is scheduled for Feb 23 at an Outpatient facility, and they are telling me no overnight stay is required. (If needed, overnight care is available). So far everything I've read states at least one night in the hospital. I'm a little concerned with cost cutting measures for self pay. We have a hotel booked a few miles from the surgery center in case of any complications (and for my husband in case I do stay overnight) as we are about 2 hours away. Mount Sinai Surgery Center in Tarzana CA. Anyone with experience there or going home same day? I also have 2 complications, Moderate sleep apnea, and likely …