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My doctor just called me and told me that my insurance approved for my surgery . I’m so happy and nervous I can’t wait for a June 6th

For the first time in years, I'm under 200 pounds. Woo hoo. Lost 34 pounds pre-op and now 24 post-op. Surgery was on October 2nd. Weight loss has been slower than I expected, but my nutritionist said that I have lost 48% of my excess weight and am right on track. Yay!

There's a reason why we have to start on liquids and slowly work our way up to solid food. You have sutures that can get pieces of food stuck in them. Also, your sutures could break. Peritonitis is nothing to trifle with. Buyer's remorse is quite common. It will get better. No bite of solid food is worth your life.

So I have been really quiet on here because I was just trying to get rid of the last of the health issues I had going on. Polyps are gone and uterine fibroids are gone. I had an appt with my bariatric surgeon today and we discussed getting the revision now that I have a clean bill of health. Looks like it'll be mid July sometime. BUT...my revision is a little more complicated. Here's what I was told: Normally they leave the bottom part of the stomach when they do the bypass because there might be a need for a feeding tube at some point, or something like that. HOWEVER, with my situation, the part they would normally leave is where all the polyps were. So the surgeon is going to completely remove the bottom part of the stomach (making my stomach about 2oz instead of the 4-5oz it is now) during the bypass surgery. He said that's not ideal, but given my situation, it's the best course of treatment for the GERD, esophagitis, gastritis, and getting me back to being able to work out and live a normal life again (which is really all I want). He said it does present a problem later on if I need a feeding tube or whatever, but that's a big "if", and considering all of my issues right now, it's worth the risk, if I agree. I agreed with him and I'm waiting for the coordinator to call me to schedule the surgery officially. I'm so close to this being over. I can see the finish line FINALLY!!!!!

Tomorrow will be my 1 year anniversary since my gastric bypass surgery. I have lost 86 pounds. I’m not going to lie, I honestly thought I would have lost more by now. Although weight loss has slowed down tremendously, I have yet to see a gain on the scale so I take that as a win. I would like to lose at least another 50 pounds so I have to remember this surgery is not a cure-all, it’s simply a tool. I’ve been extremely lucky and have had no complications whatsoever. I don’t experience dumping syndrome at all (well I did once when I ate some ice cream and have steered clear ever since) but other than that there really isn’t anything I can’t eat, I just eat a whole lot less. I can definitely be better about my diet, like always, but one thing I’ve incorporated into my life that has stuck is exercise. I don’t feel good unless I exercise so it’s become addicting (in a good way). Anybody who is reading this and contemplating this surgery, or is in recent post op and struggling, I have absolutely no regrets about having this surgery. The first 2 months were rough, but I got through it and so will you!

P.S. regarding vomiting - I did experience some in the early weeks after surgery - I had to figure out what my stomach was going to tolerate (I can now eat pretty much anything - and have been able to for years - I just have to watch my portion sizes to avoid gaining weight). I don't vomit any more now than I did before I had surgery. But I just wanted to say that vomiting after surgery is different from vomiting before surgery. Your stomach is much smaller, so there's not much to vomit up. Plus your stomach is not producing as much acid, so you don't get that horrible taste in your mouth, either. It tastes the same coming up as it did going down. So suffice it to say, I don't dread vomiting like I did before I had surgery.

I think it's fine to be prepared, but on the other hand, death and major complications with these surgeries are VERY rare. These aren't the same surgeries that they did 30 or 40 years ago, which WERE very risky. Mortality rate on the modern bypass is 0.3%. It's even lower on sleeve (can't remember the stat on that since I didn't have sleeve, but I do remember it was lower than bypass). So you have at least a 99.7% chance of sailing through just fine. And you will. Those odds are actually excellent - better than those for a knee or hip replacement surgery, and they do those all the time. I read all those horror stories, too, and almost talked myself out of having surgery. I suppose it's good to know what kinds of complications are possible, but at the same time, you need to keep in mind that very few people have those. Most of us have no complications at all or only very minor ones that are "fixable" or preventable. A friend of mine who'd had her surgery a few years before mine (and served as my "mentor") said she was at greater risk of complications and early death by staying morbidly obese than she was by having the surgery, and she was right. there is a slight risk of death from any surgery. I'm remembering the girl in California who died from a tonsillectomy a few years ago. But that is exceedingly rare - and death from WLS is exceedingly rare, too. It's fine to prepare, especially if it gives you some peace of mind, but I'm sure. you'll be fine and we'll be seeing you on the forum again once you're a couple of days out of surgery!

I have a surgery date 10/18/2023!!

It is 1000000% normal and generally unavoidable. Your hair naturally goes through growth and shed cycles and any major trauma to your body (surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc.) can impact that cycle. You just had major surgery and now your body is losing a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time, which triggers that shed cycle to accelerate. For most folks it lasts a couple months, slows down, and then you start to see regrowth. Take your bariatric vitamins, hit your protein goals, and stay hydrated. Those are your best tools for helping minimize it and ensure regrowth comes in strong. Some people also supplement with collagen and biotin, which certanily can help, but they won't stop the shed. Hang in there, its totally normal and doesn't last forever!

I'd be a lot more afraid of NOT having the surgery than having it. I hesitate to say this, but you're more likely to die from obesity complications than you are from the surgery. These surgeries are much safer than they were years ago - mortality rate is very low - even lower than hip replacement surgeries, which they do all the time. I was heavier than you are (although fortunately, I didn't have any co-morbidities), but I knew it for me it was either have the surgery or die from my massive weight (I was well over 300 lbs). Having that surgery probably gave me an extra 10 years of life. I'm much healthier today in my 60s than I ever was in my 30s and 40s.