Catherine707

I use a CPAP and have for over a decade. When originally diagnosed they said it would help me lose weight (NOT!) I am back down to the weight I was when I was first diagnosed, and I know I need to lose at least another 40 pounds before I can think about going off the CPAP. sleep apnea can happen to skinny people too, so you won't know until you get a little further into the weight loss if can be off the machine. The respiratory therapist can dial down your pressures if you feel like you are being blasted with air or are swallowing air due to high pressure.

I had a lot of those same doubts and concerns before my surgery last May. I only told my family and close friends, plus my co-workers that would be affected by my surgery before I had the surgery because I was afraid it wouldn't work for me. You don't mention any of your statistics, so I don't know where your starting weight is and how much you need to lose. For me surgery was a LAST resort - I had tried everything else before and watched my weight continue to climb out of control. I 2012 I tried a low carb diet because I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome - after a small weight loss, I ended up with an inflamed gall bladder and needed to have that removed. Once I recovered from that, I tried Medifast - again lost a small amount of weight but then had a major allergic reaction to the soy in the products. I knew at that point that I needed surgical help to get healthy. For me it took a lot of soul searching and "getting real" with myself to be certain that I was willing to make the lifestyle changes needed to be successful with this tool. As for the age thing - in another 2 years you can either have a healthier body and feel better, or you can just be 2 years older! Either way time is passing. I chose to age with a healthier body; hair loss and wrinkles were a small price to pay for a body that would allow me to live longer and do the things I want to do in life. Only you can answer these questions for yourself!

I can drink a cup or so in large swallows, so yes it does get easier over time.

Yes, that should be an ok drug for your stomach. I hope you feel better soon!

920Amy, I am dealing with this same issue. I know I have lost 100 pounds and have dropped a bunch of sizes, but when I look in the mirror, I still feel almost as fat as I was when I started. I am over halfway to my goal, but my head just hasn't caught up yet. I try to not let it get me down each day and I figure that sooner or later it will all balance out and I will feel like I look! Good luck in losing those last few pounds!

I would talk with my surgeon as they are the experts in WLS and any potential side effects. The good news is that estrogen is easy to replace with synthetic hormones. Do you have any other endocrine issues? PCOS?

Good for you! Big steps toward a healthy body and life!

Great progress! You are moving forward towards a more healthy body and life!

My surgeon recommended that patients wait 1 year before getting pregnant. I think this is valid advice seeing that it would be hard to focus on weight loss and pregnancy at the same time. I know several people have had successful pregnancies post sleeve surgery. I think it would be a good idea to speak with your OB/Gyn before you make any final decision.

Walking is a great idea! Give your body time to heal and deal with all the massive changes from this surgery before pushing yourself too hard. The weight loss will come, it is the lifestyle changes that will keep the weight off forever. Be kind to yourself and follow your doctors instructions, and I promise it will all be worth it in long run!

I had a craving for pancakes a while back.... went to my local Breakfast spot, ordered an egg, and a pancake. Enjoyed 100% of the egg, ate about 25% of the pancake (with butter and syrup), counted my calories and was done with the craving! Sometimes eating the thing we crave within moderation makes the most sense.

Be happy that you can drink fluids without feeling restricted. Adequate hydration is critical to recovering from the surgery and it sounds like you can count on liquids to ensure you have enough Protein as well. Following the doctors instructions is the best path to success with the sleeve surgery! Good luck to you!

It is recommended that we don't take NSAID (ibuprofen based) pain pills post bariatric surgery because of the high incidence of stomach irritation and bleeding ulcers. There are no restrictions on aspirin and narcotic pain meds. So depending on what drug your doctor has proscribed, you may be able to take it now that your stomach has had time to heal. Capsules and caplets are ok for bariatric patients because they are designed to dissolve in the small intestine and with sleeve surgery no changes were made to your small intestine. I would definitely discuss your options with your doctor and nutritionist. It sounds like you might think you have more restrictions than are actually in place.

Yes, you have discovered the great mystery of being sleeved! I have figured out that it depends on how Protein dense the food is as to how full I will feel. I can also eat most of a lean cuisine meal, but they have a lot of carbs (Pasta or rice) and seem to "slide" through my sleeve a bit faster. The other day I had half a chicken breast and I was full for hours! That was 100% protein. That is the only rational I have come up with so far. I decided to stop obsessing over the fear of stretching out my sleeve and just focus on the overall volume and protein density of the foods am eating (of course staying within my allotted calories too!) I hope this helps!

Cottage cheese and greek yogurt were mainstays of my pureed food stage. Also I got the canned cornedbeef hash and made sure to chew it really well. It has a ton of salt, but in small portions and to change the flavor profile of my food it was heaven!

Congrats! That is something to celebrate! I'm only about 20 pounds behind you, and I can't wait!!!

I am an ultrasound tech in a busy hospital and I needed 6 weeks off work before going back to push a heavy machine and patients on gurneys. At week 3 I had a bout of vertigo that took a while to resolve - turns out I needed to eat more than 800 calories per day to have a clear fog free brain and the physical stamina to do my job. It took me 6 weeks to "dial in" my routine and I am glad I had the time. It is much easier to find your groove if you aren't also worried about going back to work!

That seem a bit unreasonable on the part of the insurance company due to the fact that you had COMPLICATIONS from the first surgery and need the second surgery to do the job correctly! Have they provided you with this restriction in writing? Do you see it in the insurance plan documents?

I didn't have any problems with vomiting post surgery. I have found 2 foods that upset my stomach and I wouldn't eat again: chicken and Apple sausage, and Triscitt crackers. I just avoid them and no problems. I think that following your doctors eating plan and doing things in moderation helps to ensure you don't get physically ill. I don't think it is a good idea to throw up a lot w/ the sleeve, so it sounds like you are doing exactly the right things.

I just saw your update. Has it gotten any better in the past 5 days? I understand how frustrating it can be dealing with the doctor's office. Please don't make any drastic decisions about not going back to the surgeon. I'll bet if you talked to the Dr he wouldn't even be aware that people were waiting such long times and that there is a problem with the front office promising and not delivering on his behalf. If you have a surgery complication you will have the best luck following up with the surgeon unless there is gross negligence in his work. No other doctor knows what your surgeon knows about your specific surgery. I know it is hard to balance it all with work and "real life".

Every one is a little bit different. I found when I ate 60+ grams of Protein but kept my calories low (less than 850) that I was in such a brain fog and dizzy that I couldn't function. My Dr told me to boost my calories and I eat between 1000 - 1200 per day. Once I did that my weight loss has been pretty steady at 2 pounds per week, and I am almost 9 months post surgery. If you aren't comfortable at 1200 calories then find a place that works for you and see how you feel and how your weight loss trends. You will find that the "requirements" and directives from doctors to their patients are all over the map. So there isn't any right or wrong answer to this question. You want to eat enough calories to have the energy you need to live life, and not so many calories that you don't lose weight consistently. Of course your doctor also sees the big picture that only can be gained from knowing his patient too.

I think the first step is to get educated about bariatric surgery - really understand the different types of surgeries and the long term expectations with each type of surgery. Next I would have a real "heart to heart" with yourself. Can you be successful losing weight through diet and exercise? Bariatric surgery should be your "last resort" after you have tried and failed at every other type of weight loss. Have you given previous diet and exercise attempts 100% or did you just pay lip service to your weight loss attempt? I know these are hard questions, but having surgery is not the "easy path". There are a lot of risks and complications, and things you will change about your body FOREVER. Are you ready to make the diet changes necessary with this surgery? If you use food to cope with emotions, that only intensifies the issue after surgery. That being said, I am down almost 100 pounds and this was the right solution for me. It isn't the right one for everyone, hence the suggestion to do some soul searching and determine what is the best option for you. Good luck on your journey. This is a great place to get all your questions answered, just walk into the process educated and with your eyes wide open!

I am an ultrasound technologist so I see a lot of gall bladder issues, and I had mine removed 2 years ago too. The (not so) funny thing with the gall bladder is the pain can radiate and appear to come from some other area or organ. Rapid weight loss often causes gall stones. Do you only have pain after eating? Is it after every meal or only after eating foods with fat content? Have you had this pain for a day or two or have you had it off an on for a few weeks? When in doubt it is always a good idea to be seen by a doctor. I thought I was having back spasms around my right shoulder blade, and when the pain radiated over my shoulder I thought it was my heart! My colleague said "what about your gall bladder" and we took a quick look (you can do that when there is no radiation involved and you are a tech!) and low and behold I had a stone stuck in the neck of the gall bladder. The moment I woke up after surgery I realized that pain that had been hanging around for MONTHS was gone! Good bye and Good Riddance! I was back to work in 3 days. Bottom line - it could be your gall bladder - have it checked out by your doctor / surgeon!

This is a common side effect of rapid weight loss. The hair loss starts around 8 - 12 weeks post surgery and continues for up to 9 months. While Protein intake seems to help some, and Biotin also helps, a lot of the hair loss is just dependent on your genetics and body type. I started taking 10,000 mcg of Biotin in week 8 when my hair loss became noticeable. My "shed rate" has started slowing over the past month, so I am hoping I'm through this phase. I knew going in to this surgery that hair loss was common. I decided I wanted a healthy body more than I wanted a full head of hair. My doctor assures me that it will grow back too!

VGS surgery is a major trauma to the body, and it takes a while to heal completely. This could just be a set back in the healing process, so focus on the easier and more common causes than spending a lot of time worrying about the less common complications. Feeling emotionally down is common to. Most of us are food addicts and this surgery takes away our ability to use food to cope with emotions. It is a rough time while you figure out how to handle food related cravings and other issues. Some of what she is experiencing is normal post surgery. I'm hopeful that the new medication will make a difference and that the pain was just doing solid foods too soon!