dustin551

I'm really hoping that long term, the sleeve is a better option than the old bypass. I have several acquaintances who lost tons of weight with bypass, and then a few years later, all of them weighed more than presurgery. Most said that the pouch stretched to the point that they no longer had any restriction. I'm hoping I won't see that sort of stretch with the sleeve. Do any of you veterans out there still have restriction years after the sleeve?

Thanks!

I'll admit that I hesitated before posting a reply here because I told myself that there is no way those two pictures are the same person. I was waiting for the punch line. Pretty damn amazing!

Michelle, I think I'm having my surgery (next week) at the same place you did. I see your surgeon was Dr. Hoehn. Mine is Dr. Hamilton at KC Bariatric.

My surgery is next Monday and I'm on the liquid diet right now. I haven't cheated yet but seriously considering it. Someone mentioned that if you do cheat, try to make sure it is something with little to no carbs. The shrinking of the liver happens when you go into ketosis from not eating carbs- so cheat with low carb foods to keep that going. Of course, most people are going to want carbs if they are going to cheat.. I'm just craving something that is not liquid...

I thought my surgery for a week from today was going to be canceled due to low platelets but they came up! So excited!

Looks like I might not have my surgery 8/5 after all. Platelets are only at 55,000. I've had low platelets for quite a while and I told the surgeon about it in my first appointment, but they just called and told me to see my hemotologist first. That will happen Monday, but I'm afraid he will tell me I'm too low for surgery. I've already had a bone marrow biopsy and they didn't find a cause for it. The weird thing is I don't have bruising or bleed excessively when I'm cut. Totally bummed out.

Was thinking of this today. Get an empty two liter plastic bottle and fill it with Water. Take it to the sink and turn it over and squeeze. A bunch of water will come out quickly. Now stop squeezing and watch what happens. Water stops coming out and the bottle tries to regain its shape. Once it regains the shape, water will start coming out again. That's exactly what is happening when you have a stall. That's why you'll see the measuring tape change even if the scale isn't. Your body is just catching up and redistributing before it starts again.

I'm two weeks away from surgery, but I wanted to offer some advice regarding alcohol post-surgery. I know this is the type of thing you've probably heard about before, but wanted to share an experience. My ex-wife had bariatric surgery in 2004. At that point, we had been married for 14 years. She was never a drinker before that. I can remember a whole year going by without her even drinking a glass of wine. For the first couple of years after surgery, everything was fine. She lost nearly all of her excess weight. Then, she got a job at a restaurant where the staff would drink a glass of wine together at the end of the night. Within a year, she was an alcoholic. It became apparent to me that she had replaced the feeling of comfort that food gave her with alcohol. By early 2010, our marriage came to an end because of it. 20 years of marriage with 2 kids. We tried to help and and get her into treatment but nothing worked. Today, she is a shell of her old self. She has liver disease and I doubt she will be here a year from now. If you are addicted to food, I would suggest that you stay away from alcohol as long as you can after surgery and try to find something non-destructive to comfort you. I love drinking and collecting red wines. I take regular trips to Napa Valley. But I've had to make a commitment that I won't drink wine again until I'm comfortable that I've resolved any addictive behavior in myself. Thanks for reading

I'm two weeks away from surgery. I get occasional reflux (maybe once per week), and I've read that it's good to take something like Prilosec after surgery. My question is, has anyone been put on Prilosec before surgery? Or did you start after? I have an appointment with my surgeon in a week and I'll certainly ask him, but was curious if they recommend starting before the surgery. Thanks

My surgery date is the same day (8/5). Take it one day at a time. You need to expect that there are going to be struggles you'll face between now and early September (when you've recovered a little), but just remember that you, your husband, and kids will still be there when it is all over. Just hang in there, and don't talk yourself out of it

I've had these same thoughts. My kids have a pet name for me. "Big Hairy Beast". They call me BHB for short. I even have a t-shirt. Wondering how they will refer to me after surgery. It becomes part of your identity. There is one advantage to being a big guy. I'm 6'1" and currently 330 lbs. I'm pretty muscular under all the fat (at least I think I still am). You don't worry about someone picking a fight, for example. The disadvantages are obviously more pronounced.

So I got my surgery date finally (8/5, woohoo!) and have a question. My doctor is planning on having me on a one week liquid diet. Apparently, some doctors recommend two weeks instead. I'm wondering if one week is really enough to prepare my head for the postoperative diet. Any opinions? Thanks

Makes sense. Thanks. Replacing a few meals with a shake sounds like a good plan.

Just had a preop EGD. They said they do this in order to get a biopsy and see if there's any sorr of bacteria that needs to be cleared up. Anyone ever had a positive result found where this had to be treated prior to surgery? Wondering if it delays things much.

Just got off the phone with BCBS. My doctor submitted for approval about a week ago. The person at BCBS just said that someone put a note in my file today saying that the "medical criteria has been met" and then he said that the "approvals" usually go out by mail. Does that sound like an approval? I'm hoping it is! I was afraid to ask for anymore details because I might jinx it

Yay! Thank you!

You look amazing. I'll bet people you haven't seen in a while wouldn't recognize you.

I have low platelets as well. I told the doctor about it and he told me that depending on what my labs look like right before surgery, they might actually infuse some platelets in before surgery. Not sure what that means as far as blood thinners afterwards though.

For me, a combination of things: Not being able to clip my own toenails if I want to breathe at the same time. My wife and kids hearing a guy making fun of me to his buddies while I was going down a Water slide. Lack of interest in sex due to the physical exertion required Needing a 44" waist and all the clothing store goes up to is 40" (Frustrating) Being in meeting and the people on either side of you stay far away because they assume you need more room. Being the only fat guy in the mandatory wellness class at work Flying. Cramming myself into the booth when we go out to eat. Being an identical twin and having people mention how easily they can tell you apart from each other now

I just wanted to mention, my doc told me that BCBS of IL is the best insurance you can have if you are getting any sort of bariatric surgery. No supervised diet required, only one meeting with a dietician and then a psych eval. He says they are quick to approve. This clinic does 6 surgeries per day so they know what they are talking about.

I'm new to the forum and I'm a couple of weeks preop, but this topic caught my eye. I hadn't really thought about this before. I just instinctively told my friends and family that I was having the surgery, but this made me think about how this surgery could be perceived by some. To sum it up for me, I, like many others, see obesity as a disease that requires surgery for some people. Just like any other disease. What thin people, or even those that are mildly overweight don't always understand is that your hormones change once you get to a certain size, and you simply become a fat accumulating machine. It isn't the lazy way out. For many, it is the only way out. I'd rather tell someone how I lost the weight with the help of surgery and possibly help someone else than to let them believe I have more willpower than they might have. Dustin