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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.

(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 did gastric bypass + hiatal hernia repair June 6. I have had very few "issues"-- a couple of "one step over the line," one incident of the dreaded foamies, but generally, smooth sailing. I was at around 274 lbs and now am at around 206-7, depending on scale and time of day. That's crazy! I look at the stats for how much folks lose on average and this seems to be beyond the norm. I'm not complaining-- I not only walk, but got into a rigorous exercise regime with a trainer. His focus, for now, is balance, and "whole body"--I do some weights but the "balance" stuff has been a real blessing. I have checked the boxes with the M.D.s- my cardiologist has no problem with testosterone treatment as a means to build muscle mass. I need to get my surgeon to sign off on that, just to be sure. But man, this has been an amazing journey in a very short time. I'm way more mobile, fit into clothes I forgot I had (I used to buy really nice stuff, turned into a slob, and now I'm caring about my appearance again!). I'm closing in on 70 years-- and have not felt this vigorous in a long while. My taste buds have definitely changed. But it's worth the trade-off in health and fitness. And no more GERD!!!

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!

Same here. I'm usually kind to others, male or female but if they cross me all bets are off. xD I used to work in an all-women's health club and have never seen so much competition and cattiness firsthand. Sad but true. I have since adopted this methodology.

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!

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.

I only found out about this site today. I began my trip down the bariatric road in late February of this year after roughly 4 years of being pointed in this direction by my doctor. I was resistant primarily because prior to back-to-back knee injuries (right first, followed by the left three months later) in 2008 which were both 'corrected' surgically but have rapidly deteriorated in the years since to the point where I'm grinding bone-on-bone on both sides, I was very active - ice hockey 3x per week including 1x week through the summer, gym 6 days/wk, cycling 100-200 miles/week, so I could 'do it myself'...except with my knees in the state they are, I can't. Having consulted with two separate orthopaedic surgeons, they both agreed I need total knee replacement in both knees - badly - but neither will perform the procedure at my weight. Having this surgery is a stepping stone to my ultimate goal of no longer being a 56 year old 80 year old. So, upon being referred to the bariatric program here in Toronto, I attended the virtual orientation class on March 7th and subsequently attended either virtually or in person, all of the other classes/consults up to and including the surgeon, and have done a sleep study and had an endoscopy and on July 7, received my surgery date; Aug 28 Being in Canada, I will only be out of pocket for the two weeks of liquid diet pre-surgery and then the regimented stages of dietary progression post-surgery. Everything else is covered including all of the diagnostics, the surgery and the hospital stay. I'm looking forward to getting my life back...

I'm going to be getting my revision sometime in July. My surgeon said that with the revision, expect to lose about 40-45% of the weight you would have lost if it was your original surgery. So he said I could expect to lose about 60-65 pounds in a year for my current weight and BMI. I lost 116 pounds in a year with the sleeve, so if I can lose another 65 pounds in a year with my revision, I'll be ecstatic. I'm really good at watching my diet and working out, so I think my "dream goal" is to lose 75 pounds in a year with the revision, but my "realistic goal" is the 60-65 in a year. We'll see. I would be lower than I am now if I hadn't run into so many complications and health issues. But this revision is going to get me back to living my life so I can refocus on my health and weight loss.