catwoman7

yea I had buyer's remorse the first couple of weeks - but that ended quickly. I had my 10 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made.

I had two strictures - at 4 weeks out and again at 8 weeks out. But I was told that they almost always occur during the first three months after surgery, so it's not very likely that that's what's going on with you. If it is, though, it's a super easy fix. Both times I felt like I had acid reflux. The first time I was puzzled since bypass usually cures that. After a couple of days of that, I suddenly couldn't keep food down, so I called my surgeon's office and they told me it was probably a stricture and they set up an appt, but they said if it got to the point where I couldn't even keep fluids down, to go to the ER (it never got to that point). The second time I knew what was going on because I had that acid reflux feeling again, so I made an appt to have the stricture "fixed". I never had any pain either time, though. It was an acid reflux feeling (which progressed to not being able to keep food down when I had the first stricture)

I sort of hate to mention "averages", since everyone is different, but most people end up "overweight" or "class 1 obese", which is not very obese. But you'll always find a few who make it to normal weight (about 13%) or who never make it down to "class 1 obese". But that might at least give you an idea..

I'm not sure about Aetna, but a lot of policies won't cover skin removal unless it's causing health-related issues (e.g., chronic rashes that don't respond to conventional treatments). If you have something like that, be sure to see a doctor about it so it's documented in your medical file, since the insurance company will want documentation that it's causing health issues. as far as experience with plastic surgery, I had lot of it (lower body lift, breast lift, arm lift, face lift, neck lift). Lower body lift (LBL) is pretty painful since they do both liposuction and muscle tightening with that (if you just get a pannelectomy (sp?) rather than a full LBL, it's probably not as painful - but the LBL has more extreme and natural-looking results). The rest - arms, breast, face, neck - weren't too bad. Arms were kind of a pain, though, since you can't reach up for a while - which is really hard to remember to do! Plastic surgery can be painful and expensive, but I'm glad I had it done.

P.S. the amount of vitamins recommended are often just a starting point. It's common to have quarterly blood tests the first year, and then annual tests thereafter. I think being allowed to go off all supplements isn't all that common (although it's true for some people), and I'd be surprised if it's true of ANYONE who had bypass, since that surgery has a malabsorption component. At any rate, vitamins and amounts of vitamins required are sometimes adjusted depending on the test results. For example, I require more protein than most patients because we discovered early on that my pre albumin level tanks unless I average 100 g a day. Also, I had to quit taking calcium a few years after surgery because it was clear I had no trouble absorbing it from my food and regular multivitamins, and the overage by taking additional supplementation was not only unneeded, but was also putting me at risk for kidney stones or damage. So your particular needs may change as time goes on - that's why it's important to keep up with any required testing.

I just want to respond to the issue with iron. Depending on the type of iron, you only actually absorb a certain percentage of what's in the tablet. I take carbonyl iron, of which the body absorbs close to 100% ("elemental iron" is the amount you actually absorb, vs the total amount of iron that's in the tablet, and I believe carbonyl iron is the only version with that high of an absorption rate). In other versions, the body may only absorb half, or 20%, or 60%, or whatever, of iron that is in the tablet. That would explain the incongruence of the numbers that you're seeing (e.g., 45mg tablet when the required amount or iron is 18mg). I just cut & pasted this from an article I just googled: No, 65 mg of iron is not the same as 325 mg. Ferrous sulfate tablets are often labeled with both the amount of ferrous sulfate (the actual pill) and the equivalent amount of elemental iron (the usable iron). A 325 mg ferrous sulfate tablet typically contains 65 mg of elemental iron. So, while 325 mg of ferrous sulfate contains 65 mg of usable iron, they are not the same in terms of their total weight.

I can't respond to the particular complications you have (only a doctor can) or how bypass might affect them (ditto), but major complications are pretty rare with bypass. The most common complication (and it's considered minor) is dumping, which 30% of patients get (I've never had it - and neither have a lot of others I know), but that can be controlled by not eating a ton of fat or sugar at one sitting, which none of us should be doing anyway. The next most common complication (also minor) is stricture, which is easily fixed by doing an upper endoscopy and using a balloon-like tool to stretch it out. This happens to about 5% of us, and as being the second most common complication, it gives you an idea how common complications are (I had a stricture, btw). You probably hear about them more because people are more likely to post or talk about them because they're looking for advice or support. People generally don't mention that things are going great unless someone specifically asks them how things are going. So it might appear that complications are more common than they actually are. Other than that stricture early on (and they happen very early on, if they're going to happen at all), I've had zero issues, and I had my surgery ten years ago. we were told that it was OK to take NSAIDs on a very limited and very occasional basis, but I haven't taken any since my surgery. I've taken Tylenol for any pain, and when I had hip replacement surgery two months ago, they found a non-NSAID alternative to aspirin for me since I had to be on some kind of blood thinning agent for six weeks. As far as your other prescriptions, it could be that there are non-extended release versions available - but again, a doctor would know that. Sounds like you'll be having a long conversation, and hopefully it'll provide some answers to make a decision. as far as having the surgery "late in life", there are many of us who had it in our 50s and 60s (I was 55 when I had mine), so you're definitely not an anomaly! I wish I would have had mine years earlier than I did. The thing probably saved my life (I weighed almost 400 lbs). I am grateful every day that I had it. good luck with your appts and decision.

if you lose a ton of weight, you're likely to have some loose skin. I had a ton of it (I had mine surgically removed three years after my bypass). No one but me (and my husband and doctor) knew it was there, though - it was pretty easy to hide in clothes. Even if it didn't have it removed, though, I still would have taken loose skin any day of the week over weighing 373 lbs (and yep - we had the same starting weight).

there really isn't malabsorption at all with sleeve. There is with bypass - that's why we take more vitamins than sleevers. But the vitamin thing is really second nature after a while - you just go on autopilot. major complications with either surgery are pretty rare. With sleeve, the most common one is GERD, but not everyone gets it, and for most who do get it, it can be controlled medically (e.g. pantaprazole, which you said you're already taking). Some people with severe GERD do revise to bypass, but it's not a huge percentage that have it that badly. But yes - it IS a potential issue. The most common issue with bypass (besides dumping, which about 30% of us deal with (I never have), but that can be controlled by not eating a bunch of sugar or fat at one sitting, which we shouldn't be doing anyway). The second most common is a stricture, but those are an easy fix. They just do an endoscopy and stretch it out. I had one. Happens to about 5% of us, according to the PA in my surgeon's office (if they're going to happen, it'll be within the first three months after surgery - it's very rare for them to occur after that). if you need more time to think about this, though, then take it. It's a big decision. But as SpartanMaker said, you almost never hear anyone say they regretted it. The only regret most people have is that they didn't do it sooner. I had it at age 55. I wish now that I'd done it at least a decade earlier. P.S. I had GERD prior to surgery, so I went with bypass. I know the chance of having it get worse (for those who already have GERD) with sleeve is only 30%, but I didn't want to risk it. Besides, sleeve was still pretty new when I had my surgery, and I was a little afraid of it turning into "lapband 2" - but it's been around long enough at this point that I wouldn't have had that particular worry. It works well and it's safe. But I still would have chosen bypass for myself because I was afraid I'd be one of those whose GERD would get worse.

We started off about the same weight, and at month 4 (I just checked my spreadsheet), I'd lost 52 lbs, so not much more than you. It seems to be pretty common to lose about 10 lbs a month for the first few months (although some people have a big drop the first month (I did not), which is likely a lot of water weight - before settling in at a slower rate of loss). After the first six months or so, I dropped down to maybe five lbs a month - and after I passed the year mark, there were some months when I only lost about two lbs. It took me about two years to reach goal. If you stick to your plan, the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. There are so many factors that influence your rate of loss - age, gender, body build, how muscular you are, your metabolic rate, how active you are, whether or not you lost weight before surgery, starting BMI, etc. The only things you really have any control over are how closely you stick to your food plan and how active you are, so if you do well with those two things, the weight WILL come off. I ended up losing over 200 lbs, so definitely don't lose hope! P.S. of course, if your scale actually weighs differently than the one at the doctor's office, well then there's that, too...

I had bypass 10 years ago. It cured my GERD. For most people, bypass improves if not cures it.

I had bypass ten years ago, and I've never dumped. Lots of others I know have never dumped, either. I used to know the percentages (I don't live and breathe this stuff like I did the first few years post-surgery), but I seem to recall it was something like 30% dump. You can control that by not eating a bunch of sugar or fat at one sitting, since that's what sets it off. DSers have a sleeved stomach, so I would think dumping would be pretty rare with them.

if you're sticking to your plan, then it's probably just the typical slowdown you experience as you get closer to a normal weight. I lost weight until month 20, but after the first year, it was S-L-O-W. Just a couple of pounds some months. So many times I'd think "this must be it", but then my loss would start up again. I'd look at the list above, too, though (Spartan's list) - he's listed some other potential reasons for it.

Hi - if you aren't able to get back on track alone, I'd seek out the help of a therapist. This is your big chance of losing a ton of weight, so you don't want to blow it. It'll never be this easy again! (not saying it's easy, but way easier than it has been or will be once you're past the so-called "honeymoon stage"). You need to take full advantage of that, so do whatever you need to do to get back on track!

you lost way more than I did in the first three months - and I started out around the same weight..

most people do have a rebound after hitting their lowest weight. Ten to twenty lbs is pretty common - but like others have said, some people don't gain back any at all and some regain everything. If you commit to keeping your eating under control for the rest of your life, though (not that you can never have an occasional splurge - but keeping things in control at least most of the time), it's very doubtful you're going to gain a ton of it back. It's definitely a life-long effort.

yes - it was probably total energy they were talking about and not BMR (it's been a while, so I don't remember exactly - other than there was a difference if you were formerly obese)

just a note on BMR - I've heard this from both a former dietitian of mine and from a nutrition class I took a couple of years ago at UW-Milwaukee on obesity and weight loss, so it's likely true (seems to be the case with me, anyway...). It's very common for formerly obese people to need to eat 300-400 calories less per day than a person of the same height/weight/activity level who's never been obese in order to maintain their weight. So in other words (and I'm just pulling this example out of the blue), if a calorie calculator tells you that it takes about 1800 cal/day to maintain your weight, if you were formerly obese, that could mean that for you, it's probably more like 1400-1500 calories to maintain. That being said, I do agree with some of the others that you may be underestimating your calorie intake since I would think you'd be losing weight at that intake level. It might be helpful to cut back by about 100 cal/day for a couple of weeks and see if the scale starts moving again. if not, cut another 100 calories for a couple of weeks. Rinse and repeat until the scale starts moving. I've had to do this a few times to get things moving..

actually, RNY CAN be reversed, but it's a complicated surgery and they only do it if someone has severe medical issues that can't be resolved any other way.

Yes - as Greentael (sp?) said above, your second set of photos give more context. Here are my before and afters. I forgot I had these on here.

LOL - I was just thinking that the OP's "before" brachioplasty pic looks a lot like my "after" brachioplasty pic! (of course I had major batwings - much worse than the OP's)

Leaks, if they occur, are almost always within days after surgery. Everything in your stomach should be well healed by now. I actually haven't heard of nutritional deficiencies in sleeve patients - you don't have malabsorption with that. I suppose if you ate crap all day you might have deficiencies - but I'm assuming you don't. Nutritional deficiencies can be an issue with the malabsorption surgeries (RNY, DS, SADI), but then again, if people stay on top of their vitamin regimen, they're pretty rare (well, except iron - some people don't absorb iron well from tablets or capsules so they have to get occasional infusions - but than can be the case with anyone - even if they've never had surgery). I do know a few RNY'ers who have to get iron infusions, but not many.

the only ones I had trouble with at first were those giant calcium tablets. I got some chews instead - problem solved! Once I was a year or so out I went back to tablets, but usually got the "petite" ones (I could definitely take the regular calcium tablets by then, but I preferred the "petite" ones)

how long have they been underweight? Many of us who make it down into a normal BMI range look pretty scrawny for a while, but then (also for many of) regain starts. I was really worried about how thin I was getting - now 10 years out I wish I wouldn't have worried about it. I've regained more than I wanted to (it's not awful - but I'm now "overweight" and would love to lose 10-15 lbs - but it seems next to impossible!)

Unless you have some type of disability, you should be able to do anything now - so as others have said, try out a few things to find one(s) you enjoy. You're a lot more likely to stick with something if you enjoy doing it. I love cycling and water aerobics. Cardio dance is also OK. I'm hoping after I have my hip replaced this spring that I'll start to enjoy long walks again, too!