catwoman7

nothing will go wrong. This is one of the safest surgeries out there. You will pull through just fine!

with a ferratin level at 16, I'm shocked they're suggesting you stop taking iron supplements. Some WLS patients start getting infusions when they get down that low. Yes, it's within the normal range, but it's low - and those levels can drop fast.

if you have acid reflux now, I would not even consider getting the sleeve. I had reflux as well - going with the bypass was a no-brainer for me. If it weren't for the fact I had reflux pre-surgery, it would have been a toss-up. hunger goes away for most people with both surgeries - and it also eventually comes back for most people regardless of surgery. I would not base my decision on that. less than half of RNY'ers dump. The statistic I see thrown around a lot is that about 30% of us dump. I don't know if there is any hard core research behind that number, but suffice it to say that a lot of us have never dumped.

it's probably fine. I tend to go by the dates for perishable things like meats and dairy, but you can usually go well beyond the expiration date with a lot of non-perishable products. Like the above poster said, just smell it. You'll know if it's gone bad or not.

walking I could do right away - in fact, I was encouraged to do so. Other exercises I had to wait about a month on - strength training they said to wait even longer than a month (may have been eight weeks for that, I'm not sure) 8-9 lbs the first week is great. You are not "My 600 lb Life", so do not expect to lose as much as quickly as they do. The average range for weight loss for the first month seems to be about 15-25 lbs for us more "normal" bariatric patients, so you are just fine. I lost 16 lbs that whole first month, and I started off at over 300 lbs.

I did. I was 5'6" and 373 lbs at my highest - so that's a BMI of 60.2. I lost 100% of my excess weight (am now a normal BMI). I should add, though, that that is not typical. My surgeon said about 10% of his patients who start off that high make it to normal weight, and from the peer-reviewed articles I read, that's about right. I worked my fanny off to get it off, though - almost never went off plan that first year - and I still, four years later, log every bite that goes into my mouth. I'm sure it would be much easier if I was OK with being just "overweight" - like 180 lbs or so (and at one time, even 180 lbs sounded like a pipe dream and I would have been *ecstatic* to be there!!), but I really, really want to stay at a normal BMI, so I'm willing to put in the work.

you are correct - insurance companies will sometimes cover it if you have documented proof of medical problems from the excess skin, like chronic rashes. See your PCP when something flares up so you'll have a paper trail. Without a medical necessity, it's not likely to be covered.

I think he's just trying to scare you into exercising. Seriously, the food intake is going to make MUCH more of a difference!

that's nonsense. I know a lot of people who just walk. Dieting is a much bigger factor in weight loss than exercise, although it's good to do both because exercise is really good for your health. There are actually a few people on forums who really haven't done much exercise at all (because of arthritis or super heavy weight or whatever), and they still lost a lot of weight. Food intake is really key. Exercise helps, but WAY less than what you put in your mouth.

I'm not a gym rat, but I do exercise regularly. I do some kind of cardio c. 3 times a week - sometimes more - but that can include a long walk or 30+ minutes on a stationary bike. I also like Zumba and anything in the pool, too (like swimming or water aerobics). I try to mix up my cardio to keep myself from getting bored. I also do gentle yoga 2-3x a week. I do not do strength training because I've never liked it, but I need for force myself to do it a couple of times a week. Cardio, strength training, and stretching/flexibility are all important!

calorie intake for maintenance is going to be an individual thing, depending on height, weight, metabolic level, etc. I can maintain on 1700 kcal a day - but I know other people who maintain on 1000 or 1200. He may have meant that 1000 kcal/day limit for you as opposed to everyone. I'd lose weight on 1000 kcal a day.

memory and concentration issues could also be related to low vitamin B. Take your vitamins. You can get away with that sometimes with the sleeve, but not bypass.

I was on it for six months.

yes - starting BMI is definitely a major factor in rate of weight loss. I think a lot of people are disappointed in their initial loss because of just what you said - "My 600 lb Life". Most WLS patients do not weigh anywhere near 600 lbs when we start, so it would be very unusual for us to drop as much weight at first as they do. Although I don't have any research data to back this up, just from my own observation of hanging around on various bariatric boards for the last five years, I would say the average is in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course there are people who lose more or less than that, but I'd say that's pretty average for the typical WLS patient.

a bariatric surgeon specializes in bariatric surgery. General surgeons do that plus other types of surgeries as well. As long as the general surgeon has done a lot of bariatric surgeries, he/she is probably fine. I personally would rather work with a specialist, but that's a personal preference. you'd have a hard time finding a surgeon who'll place a lapband these days. They've fallen out of favor and aren't done much anymore.

things like protein shakes and Greek yogurt go right through you - we sometimes refer to them as slider foods. They're fine to eat/drink, but they're not going to make you feel as full as dense protein does.

I've eaten fruit pretty much from the start, but not very much the first year. A few berries on my Greek yogurt was about it. Or maybe a quarter of a banana and a few berries whirred into my protein shake. Fruit is very nutritious but has a lot of sugar in it, so watch that. Some of us (not me - but a lot of people) are very carb-sensitive, so something like fruit can start up the sugar cravings.

my bat wings were about like yours. They were there, but not horrible. I've seen much, much worse. I did get a brachioplasty, but to be honest, it had the least "wow" factor of all of my procedures. They do look better, but it's not like super dramatic. I know people who've had huge bat wings that were *dramatically* improved by brachioplasty, but mine - eh. Again, certainly better than before, but nothing shocking. I kind of doubt anyone notices a difference. as far as breasts, yours look perfectly fine, but if you want them smaller, go for it. I had a reduction because I hate large breasts - I wanted to be a B cup. And that's what I have now. I always had big breasts and I *love* being small on top now!

if you're having it done laprascopically, those scars should be barely visible after awhile, scar cream or not. I never used it on my RNY scars and you can barely tell they're there. I *did* use it on my plastic surgery scars, though, as those are extensive.

I sometimes mix 1/2 T of unsweetened cocoa powder into a thing of vanilla Carbmaster or Light & Fit yogurt and then throw a few raspberries on top. I also usually have a container or two of Ice Breakers around all the time - but although they are sugar free, they're empty calories - but having just three or four isn't horrible - and better than binging on cookies or something.

from what I understand, you don't lose as much or as quickly as you do with a virgin surgery - esp if you're already pretty close to goal. If you WANT to lose more, though, I'm sure you can.

pretty normal fear. But rest assured that many of us never have complications, and of those who do, the vast majority were minor. Vitamin deficiencies are rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins. As far as not being able to treat certain diseases, I haven't really heard of this. These surgeries are so commonplace now that they can probably find an alternative treatment if in fact this ever even came up. I knew I was at much worse risk staying at 300+ lbs. I probably would have been dead in 10 years. No more! I feel great!!! I'd do this again in a heartbeat!

Nope... not at all!

so you just had surgery in April? If so, at 55 lbs, you're ahead of where I was at that point.

yes - I'm four years out and have to average at least 100 grams of protein a day or else my prealbumin level tanks. We discovered my level runs low pretty shortly after surgery. I could very well have malabsorbed protein BEFORE surgery, too, but we'll never know because they didn't do a baseline on that. I still drink one protein shake a day as my morning snack. That pretty much assures I'll be over 100 grams by the end of the day (even though I get the rest of my protein from food)