Matt Z

Congrats and good luck on the surgery!

Check with your insurance company... mine has a max limit for out of pocket. So with my surgery this year, pretty much every other approved medical need, is covered at 100%. So, if one of my immediate family needed to have surgery, they could, and it would more than likely be 100% free at this point. Talk to your insurance and find out what costs you can actually be looking at, never just assume anything!

Firstly, Give yourself time to heal, you can be retaining fluids still from the surgery... What's your totals look like for calorie, protein and water intakes? How's the evacuation going? Are you blocked up or going normally?

Nice to see other honest surgeons out there! Mine refused to do band to sleeve revisions and her reasonings were sound. So, band to bypass it was. I was grateful that she was so honest about why she wouldn't do the procedure.

That's going to depend on how bad your diabetes is and all the factors that are unique to you. I've heard some folks talk about being off medication much quicker than they expected, I've heard some that still have to take it, just in reduced forms.

^this^ The amount you lose and how long you lose isn't time based, sure there are averages, but the factors that play into this are many. How overweight you started at, why you were overweight in the first place, genetics, etc etc etc.

Congrats! Just keep reminding yourself of your reasons for the surgery when things get tough. Pre-op diet sucks bad... but sticking to it the best you can, benefits you in the long run. Good luck!

One of the major myths or mis-understandings out there. Most folks either never lose or get their hunger sensations back at some point within the first year. Some folks get lucky and don't ever get hungry again, but they are the exception. You'll get more satiety once you move over to solid foods. Just stick with it!

At this point, I eat whatever I want, I just avoid anything with added sugars and if it does have added sugars I do my best to make sure they are under 5 grams per serving. I don't worry about fat too much, but I *try* to stay under 5 grams per serving... I can pretty much eat anything, just in much MUCH smaller amounts.

I still smoke cigars here and there (but they are so different from cigarettes it's not funny, but that's another conversation). But I do agree, quitting cigarettes is a really good idea, as hard as it is.

@margalit are you still losing weight or are you stable? I don't think you look like you are wasting away, maybe it feels that way, but that second photo, you appear to be a fairly healthy weight. There are lots of higher calorie options you can take to up your calorie count and get some weight back on you, high calorie proteins, shakes, etc all are options. I can't speak to the nausea, except to say, if you tried the synthetic THC, would your doctor maybe support you trying the natural version? There is more than just THC in cannabis, it might help you to be supplied with all the beneficial compounds in cannabis rather than using a single compound synthetic. I'm on marinol for sleep issues, it doesn't effect my appetite much if at all and I've never noticed any nausea relief either.

So... what's your water intake like? You really want to be getting upwards of 128oz a day... the human body needs water to process fat, if you aren't giving your body enough water to meet it's normal daily needs, fat loss will suffer.

I noticed you asked this 2x times... but you've not asked about DS or Bypass. Why?

I'm not going to tell you to not do it... but, I would NEVER do it again. 1. The sleeve wasn't an option for me, it wasn't approved yet when I had the band installed, it was band or bypass, and I wish I went bypass back in 2011. 2. I had no hair loss with the band. I had no hair loss with the bypass either. 3. The stuff I should have been eating, I had issues with. There wasn't anything I "couldn't" eat, but things like grilled chicken, lettuce, leafy greens, all hurt to eat or would get stuck and I'd have to regurgitate it. 4. The first few months were great... then things just started to get problematic, I never had a psychical issue with the band, no erosion, no slippage, nothing of that nature, the band just stopped being effective, and there are PLENTY of reports like this. 5. Best tool was getting the band out and revising to the bypass. Honestly best thing WLS related that I've ever done was to dump the band and go with the bypass. Also, 2 of the major manufacturers of the band have either stopped production or sold off their lines, those companies no longer make parts for the bands. Something to think about. Why any honest surgeon would still be pushing these horrible little devices is so far beyond me it's not funny.

Or an "Off Vegas" magician. LOL

@ellie123 I'm a revision as well, Luckily I didn't get sucked into the band to sleeve revision that I actually was originally looking to do. So glad my surgeon refused to do any band to sleeve revisions due to added complications and issues in doing so. Had the band to bypass revision in March and I couldn't be happier overall, I really do wish I went with the bypass way back in 2011. Could have saved SO MUCH TIME!

See if you can talk to a bariatric surgeon and find out which PCP's they work with often, this way you get the PCP that you know is ok with WLS and one that's already working with a particular surgeon means they already have lots of practice with getting these things processed.

Using this page: https://www.bariatricpal.com/surgeons/ Found this list : Brian Dees Fargo, North Dakota, 58103, United States Garcia Luis Fargo, North Dakota, 58103, United States Read 1 Review L. Michael Howell Fargo, North Dakota, United States Timothy Monson Fargo, North Dakota, United States

Well, typically you first need to see your primary care doctor and have them refer you to a bariatric surgeon. You should also reach out to your medical insurance to see what is, and isn't covered and what restrictions or qualifying factors they are looking for to approve the procedure. Most insurances require a certain BMI or higher, or a lower BMI plus co-morbidities like sleep apnea or high blood pressure or diabetes to approve the procedure at a lower BMI. A quick search online and I found this: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/rulesRegs/Arkansas Register/2009/oct_2009/016.06.09-036.pdf it's a bit older, but it'll at least get you into the "Ball park" range for what is and isn't covered and when.

Men have pretty much all the same categories of dress as women, sans the dresses and skirts, everything else each "gender" has it's categories that match the other gender. So, fat men and tall men both have to pay upcharges and only fat women do? So, I'm confused, if men are forced to pay more for 2 categories of dress, and only 1 for women, how is this statement from your title accurate? "but almost exclusively on women's clothing, not men's" Plus-sized Men also have the added "benefit" of having to pay extra for suits, that pretty much always have to be tailored to fit, another fun additional cost, just to have something they can wear to work. I just think the whole article is not only excessively limited in scope, but also rather divisive for no reason. Men and women pay additional costs pretty equally for plus sized clothing. Stating that it's mainly for only women... is beyond false.

Congrats and good luck! Here's an uneventful surgery and a smooth and easy recovery!

I can't really tell why you quoted me. I know places exist, but their selection for men is vastly smaller than the women's sections. And the whole point about men's plus sized costing more, just like women's... is true.

The point is... it's **NOT** just women's clothing, it's ALL plus sized clothing. And it's WAY easier to find plus sized women's clothing than it is to find plus sized men's clothing. You all have WAY more options than men in this category. But... none of this matters to most of us anymore!

Not sure where you read that... but both of those statements are not accurate. Overall, more folks still have hunger than not. And no bypass patients *CAN'T* absorb all the calories consumed, the whole point of the redirection of the stomach acids are to reduce absorption.

Yes, the whole myth that you'll never feel hunger again, is just that, a myth. Sure some folks get lucky, however most do not. You'll get more of a "full" sensation once you start moving to real foods.