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I did it!!! I just got offered a job IN MY CHOSEN FIELD!!!!! I busted my butt (finished my program early and with a 94), chased a dream I thought was lost to me (thanks to the surgery, getting my health under control, changing my diet, and believing in myself that I could actually do it), and I just got my first job in the medical field!!!!! I literally cried. I'm so so excited!!!! I start on Monday!!!!!! Even though I'm a Medical Administrative Assistant, I won't be at the front desk when you first walk into the office (checking people in, collecting payments, verifying insurance, etc). I'll be the one that comes to get you and takes your vitals, takes you to your exam room, asks you questions and updates your chart, go over any doctor's orders, and then checks you out at the "check out" desk. I'll schedule follow up appointments, handle referrals, and call in any scripts and refills. AND, they will provide the scrubs I'll be wearing. I'm in an AWESOME mood!!!!! I can't believe I really did it. I wasn't sure I could, but here I am!!! I literally cried when I got the call today. I still can't believe it!!! And after 6 months, they will pay for me to continue my training to become a Clinical Medical Assistant and get all the certifications that come with that. All I have left to do is get this last 50 pounds off and then I'm literally living my very best life

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful journey to better health. On March 1, 2023 before heading to the airport traveling to Piedras Negras, Mexico for my scheduled March 3rd VSG with Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric; I logged my weight and recorded my measurements. I have kept a running spreadsheet, updating the stats the 1st of every month. Ten months later, I am down 75 pounds and fitting comfortably in a size 6. I am not finished. I had set my goal at 112 which in reality is too thin for me but I wanted to allow for the common 5 to 7 pound regain from the lowest weight, hopefully settling in the 117 to 118 range. I have not had one moment's regret. This is the greatest gift I have given myself and look forward to a healthier and more active 2024.

Finishing up my breakfast and then it's time to get ready to go back to work FINALLY!!! WooHoo!!! It's about time. I hate not working. So glad I was cleared yesterday to go back starting today. Oh, and I'm now down to 233 pounds. I'm 33 pounds away from my goal weight!!!! I started off at 421 pounds when this whole journey began. I've lost a total of 188 pounds from my highest weight. I've lost a total of 155 pounds since my surgery in May 2022 (I was 388 pounds on surgery day). Bariatric surgery, changing my relationship with food, changing my diet, working out and changing up my routines, all of it is why I'm here now. 33 more pounds to go, ya'll!!! I'm in a size 16/18 in clothes (down from 28/30), I'm in a size 6 1/2 ring (down from size 10), I'm in a size 10 shoe (down from a size 11), and I wear 18" necklaces (instead of the 22" and 24" necklaces I wore before). Yes, I've had complications. Yes, I've had several surgeries. But things were found that I never would have known about. Silent killers, they're called. Has it been annoying and painful and frustrating? ABSOLUTELY. Would I do it all again anyway? ABSOLUTELY. I've STILL gained so much more than I've lost. I have 1 more surgery (my hysterectomy) and then I'm completely done. And honestly, I'm still way way healthier than I ever was before. I only wish I would have just done the bypass to begin with and skipped the sleeve. But then again, like I said, the conditions I didn't know about wouldn't have been found without the complications from the sleeve that led to all my procedures. Everything happens for a reason. I firmly believe that. And I'm almost on the other side of all this, so I can speak into existence that nothing else will go wrong, things are looking up, and I'm getting my life back but as an even healthier and better version.

(Also my status update, btw) It's finally here!! My last day with a "normal" digestive system. Tomorrow morning I go in at 10:15am to check in, go through all the pre-flight checks (IV, vitals, sign consents, talk to anesthesia and my surgeon, etc), then into the OR I go! This process has taken what seems like forever. Way back in April of 2022, I saw a general surgeon to have a Nissen Fundoplication to deal with my (horrible!!) reflux and repair my hiatal hernia. Problem was....my weight made it so there would be a high risk of both failure after a couple years and potential complications. He then suggested I see a bariatric surgeon (which was the first time anyone had ever made that suggestion. So off I went to see bariatrics. From the first appointment, Dr. Beekley was nothing but supportive. He never once belittled me over my weight, or made me feel like I was making excuses for my health. The entire team has been awesome. They keep up with me in myChart, letting me know what Pre-op clearances I needed, or if anything extra was needed from other providers (which, given all my health issues, there was always something extra that was needed lol). But all that hoop jumping was worth it. Now I'm packing my bag and getting ready to have my life completely changed for the better. While I may be increasingly nervous the closer I get to that OR, I'm also excited beyond belief. I've been stuck in this messed up body for entirely too long, and I can't wait to start leaving it behind and meet the woman I know is inside.

I am going on 25 years post gastric bypass.. Back when it was open surgery. total weight lost- 140 Now maintaining average if 160

This is the first time I’ve made a post on bariatric palsy. I normally just read things but today is really big day for me. I am six months postop. My highest weight was 250 pounds and I was 242 pounds at the day of surgery, as of this morning I am 198 pounds with a total weight loss of 52lbs and 44lbs surgery. I’ve lost 13 inches off my waist 10 inches off of my apron belly 12 inches off my hips and 7 inches off of my bust. I am currently in a women’s extra large down from a 3X I can fit larges now but they’re still a little too tight for my comfort. I have not been this small since I had my first child at 19 I was 150 pounds before I got pregnant with her. This is the smallest I’ve been in 10 years. It feels amazing but it also doesn’t feel real. I keep getting on the scale to double check if I’m imagining things, but it feels really good to come this far and have all the health changes that I’ve had.

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 have a surgery date 10/18/2023!!

Hi! I'm new here. I went through about six months of the process for WLS about four or five years ago, but I didn't lose weight during the six-month pre-op phase, so things stopped. I had also been running across many horror stories (mostly on social media), which made me think that maybe it was for the best, anyway. Well, five years later, I weigh no less than I did back then. I have a huge list of co-morbidities, some of which are related to weight, some I had prior to my weight gain, and a couple that cause weight gain. I'm on over ten meds a day, and I'm only 42 (well, 43 in a few days). I feel like I'm falling apart. I think the last straw was that my oldest son got married in June. I saw myself in the wedding photos. I ruminated on that for a few weeks, and then woke up one morning and decided I was sick of obesity and everything that goes along with it. So, I asked my PCP for the referral, and I have my first appointment in September. Because I did six months of their program and because I read their patient handbook, I have a better idea of what is expected of me than I might otherwise. But I'm angry. I'm angry that I'm going to have to give up my favorite foods or accept sugar-free versions (and I can't stand artificial sweeteners; I'm actually really worried about it because most protein drinks/powders seem to rely on them). I'm angry that I won't be able to eat like everyone else. I'm angry that I'll have to go through so much physically. I'm angry that I have to lose weight to have surgery to help me lose weight that I need because I can't lose weight on my own. And I'm angry that it's such a long process. If I have to do it, tell me what to do, let me sulk over it for a few days, and then let's just do it. I know that's not how it works, and I don't know why I'm so angry. I have no one to blame but myself for being in this mess. I made a list of positives that could come from the surgery, and I got a full two pages. So I shouldn't be angry. And I realize my reaction shows that I have inappropriate attitudes toward food. I've discussed it with my therapist, and we're going to work on it, but I guess I was wondering if anyone else dealt with this and what helped them get past it. TIA!

I know of some people who had it done in 2022, so I was intrigued but continued to try to do it on my own and failing. A week before I called the doctor I went to the Grand Canyon, and among the pictures my husband asked why I was posing a certain way. I wasn't. It hit me that I was no longer 230 but nearing 290, and I had no control of my body. I was sleeved 2 months after that day. Sent from my SM-S916U1 using BariatricPal mobile app