catwoman7

I hardly break a sweat at all anymore when I exercise. I think it's normal to sweat less the lighter you get - you have less insulation.

vitamin brands don't matter as far as sleeve vs gastric bypass go. single dose bariatric-specific vitamins tend to be more expensive, but then you also have to figure out the cost of buying separate vitamins (and taking two multivitamins a day, too). I do the latter, but I don't buy expensive brands, so I'm probably still coming out ahead. And there's the convenience factor to consider. As long as you're meeting the requirements, either option will work - it pretty much just comes down to personal preference.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Should have done it years ago.

no. You'd have to eat 1750 calories above and beyond what your body needs to gain 0.5 lbs in true weight. At two weeks post-op, there's no way you're eating that much. It's probably just water retention - or else your intestines have a lot of "content" in them. Weight fluctuations are normal - if they start playing with your head too much, just start weighing once or twice a week instead of every day.

P.S. I'd take a friend or family member with me to the appt - and since your last post-op with him is at the six-month mark, maybe you could just ask the clinic what lab tests you need done annually, and have your PCP do them from then on out.

150 lbs at 5'11"? That's a BMI of 20.9. Only 10-15% of bariatric patients make it to a normal BMI, let alone one that low in the range. Plus 62 lbs in 15 weeks is really good progress! I think this guy is insane.

sleeve has fewer potential complications, but honestly, they're both pretty safe surgeries these days. Many of us never had complications, and if complications do arise, the majority are minor and "fixable". Of course, you can get major complications with either surgery, but most people don't. Like someone else said, it comes down to whether the money or getting the surgery you want is more important to you.

lifestyle is the same from what I can tell. With bypass there's about a 30% chance you'll dump (which some people consider a "pro", but others consider it a "con"), and with sleeve there's about a 30% chance of developing reflux (or if you already have reflux (GERD), it could get worse). You'll have to take vitamins for the rest of your life with either surgery, but there's more of a consequence if you slack off if you have bypass. Other than that...

I'd call the company and ask. Even if that insurance company covers more than one weight loss surgery per lifetime (and some don't...), your employer may not have wanted that coverage included in the policy they offer their employees. Also, even when places approve revisions, some of them will only approve them if there's a medical reason for it - something like severe GERD or some kind of malfunction. But I'd ask - you never know.

I've had brachioplasty, but before that, I just wore 3/4 length sleeves (or longer). Yea - I didn't like being restricted to certain types of clothes, but I did what I had to do - no way would I have wanted to put the weight back on again, so ??? Hopefully you can find a solution. As kristieshannon said, prices are cheaper in some areas of the country (a few people on here have had it done in the Miami area) - and there's always Mexico, too. There are some excellent plastic surgeons there.

yes - that's quick! But starting BMI is one of the factors that affects rate of weight loss. Your loss will eventually slow down, but as long as you're committed, it WILL keep trending downward. Congrats on your success so far! That is terrific!

I had surgery in my 50s and wish I'd done it earlier so I wouldn't have spent most of my life morbidly obese. gallbladder - as someone else said, some people have gallbladder issues and need it removed even if they DON'T have weight loss surgery - and I honestly don't know how many people who've had WLS end up needing their gall bladders removed. Some - but I don't think it's a majority. Years ago many surgeons used to take people's gallbladders out as part of the WLS, but they don't do that anymore because a lot of patients never end up having gallbladder issues.

you're encouraged to walk as soon as you get home from the hospital (in fact, they'll have you up and walking while you're still IN the hospital). You'll also likely be cleared to drive if it's been at least 24 hours since you took your last pain pill, but I didn't feel up to it until I was about a week out (I was just too tired...). As far as exercise, I was encouraged to walk right away. Most other exercises I was cleared to do at four weeks out. Strength-training had to wait until I was eight weeks out (although the exercise question might vary among surgeons)

I always have a hard time getting rid of clothes - so yea, I get it! I think it took a year before I was ready to part with mine - and by then they were ridiculously big. I did keep a couple of items to remind me of where I came from. For the rest, I first gave a couple of my obese friends dibs on them - I felt better giving them to someone I knew. The rest I eventually donated to a thrift shop, but it took awhile (as it always seems to with me!). I went from a woman's 4x to a large (sometimes medium, depending on the brand). I hope I'll never, ever be in a 4x again! I do have some things that are XL in my closet in case I gain a few pounds, but I don't want anything bigger than that around. Having to buy new clothes if I gain more than a few pounds is an incentive NOT to gain more than a few lbs! (and hopefully, I won't even gain a "few" lbs!)

it's caused by eating too much sugar (and less commonly, fat - some people dump on fat). As Tek said, most sources say about 30% of bypassers dump. It can happen with sleeve, too, but it's much less common. I've never dumped and I know a lot of other people who haven't, either. If you turn out to be a dumper, you can prevent future episodes by avoiding or limiting your sugar intake (most dumpers can eat SOME sugar and not dump - they just can't eat a lot of it in one sitting). If you do dump, you'll find out pretty quickly what triggers it for you...and how much sugar (or fat, in some cases) you can eat without setting it off.

I've never understood why Syntrax breaks it up like that because for most of us, the whole packet (or scoop if you get the tub of it), is 100 calories/20-ish grams of protein, which is a typical serving. Maybe they mean that for people who are super early out and can only drink a couple of ounces at a time? I honestly have no idea. it doesn't matter how much water you add - 8 oz or 16 oz or whatever. I often added more water during the early weeks because otherwise the taste was too intense for me. It didn't change the amount of protein grams I was getting - just the amount of fluids - so it counted toward me daily required fluid intake.

there's no average. Most people seem to lose in the 15-25 range the first month, although I don't have any hardcore research to back that up - it's just what I've observed after spending the last seven years participating on this and other bariatric forums. So your loss is totally normal, and your surgeon is an idiot. I lost 16 lbs the first month, and I went on to lose over 200 lbs. Some people lose slower or faster than others depending on a lot of factors, some of which you have little to no control over (like genetics, age, gender, starting BMI, etc). You DO have control over your activity level and how closely you follow your program, so if you do well with those and your overall weight trend is down (even if slow), then you're fine. P.S. that 15-25 range I mentioned - of course you'll always find people who fall on either side of that, but they're outliers. You are doing just fine!

I never counted fat - or carbs, either (although a lot of people do count carbs). I did count protein and overall calories. I'm a few years out, but I think I remember eating in the 800-1000 calorie range at ten months out.

if it's been less than a month, it's just a normal stall which should break and you'll be on your way again. If it's been lingering on for much more than that, then you may have thrown yourself into maintenance. If you want to continue losing, then you'll have to either take in fewer calories or increase your activity - or both.

malabsorption can happen with bypass, but I don't think it's an issue with sleeve. and yes - the estrogen release is pretty common and can affect people's moods and menstrual cycles for a few weeks or months following surgery (it eventually stabilizes) there are a lot of people who've had surgery who've had depression issues prior to surgery. Her depression may or may not get worse, but if it does, her doctor can always adjust her dosage or try a different med

I started taking mine right away - but you should probably follow your particular surgeon's instructions. I don't think waiting on vitamins will hurt anything - it can take months to run out of your body's vitamin stores.

I lost 16 lbs the first month and started at over 300 lbs. You've lost 11 and started at 211 lbs. Your loss seems very normal. You are starting at a much lower weight than the average WLS patient, so you're not going to lose as quickly. I think you are doing fine!

most people don't lose a ton of weight with revisions because the "magic" of virgin surgeries isn't there with revisions, but some people do manage to lose a lot with a lot of hard work. I think I've read the average is about 20-30 lbs with revisions, but then, that's an average. If you really work at it, you could probably lose quite a bit more than that.

I had surgery in my 50s (I'm now in my early 60s), but there are people on here who had it in their 60s. I didn't have any co-morbidities when I had it, but at almost 400 lbs, I knew that was just around the corner if I didn't get rid of that weight. I'd do it again in a heartbeat and only wish I'd have had it 20 years ago. (p.s. I had bypass, but sleeve is a good surgery, too)

I can understand you being upset after being told something else. Six months of a supervised diet is pretty common, though - I had to go through that.