catwoman7

I'd do it again in a heartbeat! I had it six years ago and lost over 200 lbs (although I should add that that's not very common - most people lose around 70% of their excess weight with it - but of course, that's just an average - you'll always find people who lose more or less than that). I had a super easy recovery - and really no pain to speak of. It was more discomfort for a few days. I would say most people have little to no pain - and if you're one of the unfortunate ones who do, you'll have pain pills with you to manage it.

sorry to hear that - but yea - the first month or two after surgery can be like that. It's all trial & error to figure out what your stomach will tolerate - and a lot of those foods you WILL be able to tolerate again, it just takes time.

if you're not tracking your food intake, I'd start there. Go back to the basics - not all the way back to protein shakes and crazy low calories, but back to the way you were eating after the first few months post-op - protein first, then non-starchy vegetables - and then, if you still have room, a small serving of fruit or whole grain carb. if you're a calorie counter (I am - but I know not all of us are), tracking will also help you figure out what your average calorie intake is. Figure out what your average is over a week or two. Then cut back by 100 calories. If you're not seeing any progress after a couple of weeks, cut back by another 100 calories. Rinse and repeat until you find your sweet spot (but keep in mind that since you're at a normal BMI, that weight is going to come off very slowly - a half pound a week is actually a really good rate of loss for someone at or very near a normal BMI) you still look great, BTW

being nervous before surgeries is pretty normal. I've had four surgeries in my life, and I was nervous before all of them - but they all went great!

I haven't, but there are a lot of people who have -- hopefully more will chime in. Although it doesn't work every time, in the vast majority of cases, it does.

Dr. Cardenas is an excellent plastic surgeon and is quite well known in the bariatric community. Lots of bariatric patients have had her do their plastic surgery. That price for the two body surgeries is much lower than what I paid in Chicago. The facelift piece isn't any cheaper than what you'd pay stateside, though (although maybe less than California prices - I'm not sure). I actually went to a someone who specializes in facial plastic surgery for my face, though (for the body ones I went to someone who specializes in body contouring for massive weight loss patients) Dr. Francisco Sauceda in Monterrey also specializes in massive weight loss patients and a lot of us have used him. I don't know how his pricing is now - when I got an email quote from him, it was very reasonable (I think $16K for all the body stuff (I didn't ask about a facelift)) - but that was four or five years ago)

that depends on your insurance, so I'd call them. In my case, yes, they did count the six-month program I did with a dietitian before I entered the bariatric program (in fact, they said they would count any six-month professionally supervised program I did if it was within the previous two years, as long as it was well-documented). But that might not be true of all insurance companies. I'd call them and ask.

P.S.. I spotted some reviews for him on both Obesity Help and here on Bariatric Pal. People liked him - but those reviews were from 13 years ago. That was back when the lapband was a very popular surgery. It's largely fallen from favor and it's hard to find surgeons who even do them anymore. Again, I'd think long and hard about it. It looks like he's a really good surgeon, so it's not him - it's the lapband.

I'd rethink the lapband. Very few surgeons place those anymore due to so many complications. That surgery has largely been replaced by the sleeve as the non-RNY option.

yea - grazing can really do you in. I'm not sure an appetite suppressant would help me, either, because I still catch myself eating when I'm not truly hungry (which I used to do *all the time* before I had WLS). It's more of a mental thing with me - and probably for a lot of us. I know a lot of WLS patients work with therapists to deal with disordered eating. I haven't - although I can see where that might be beneficial.

10 lbs a month is pretty normal for the average WLS patient after the first month or two.

if you are following your program to a "T", the weight WILL come off, whether fast or slow. I was a slow-loser from the get-go and ended up losing over 200 lbs. I was super committed though - almost never went off my program for the first year.

there are some excellent surgeons and not-so-good surgeons there - you have to do your research if you're going to go abroad. But yea - that case was horrific!

as others have said, you're not likely to feel the restriction until you move to solid food. In the meantime, as long as you're not eating more than what your clinic told you to, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If they said you can have up to 4 oz of something, then you're fine.

congratulations! You look great!

I can't remember the answer to the first question (I'm over six years out), but as to your second, yes, Jello counts as a clear liquid.

I agree with the above poster - most people claim it gets easier around day 3 or 4, when your body goes into ketosis (happened to me as well)

I haven't had revision, but yes, I've heard/read that the weight loss is slower with revisions than it is original surgery.

not any particular one. I don't usually go for the super sweet kind, though - but that's just a matter of taste. I don't know it would make a difference with my WLS or not.

that sounds next to impossible. I didn't watch the video, but I see the picture. Those before & after pics look more like most people's before & after pics of plastic surgery.

the only thing I've had since surgery is wine. I have like literally 1-2 glasses maybe four or five times a year. I didn't drink at all that first year.

so sorry to hear about that. Wow - what an awful experience. To respond to your last remark, bypass patients aren't supposed to take NSAIDs, either. In fact, they've been telling us this for years. More and more surgeons are starting to recommend that sleeve patients don't take them, either.

I was on Depo about 20 years before I had surgery, and I gained weight like crazy on that! I finally got off it a few months later since I was scared my weight would keep going up. It may be different after you have surgery, though. I was post-menopausal when I had my bypass, so of course no need for birth control. Hopefully someone will be able to answer this for you...

you should be fine by then, but like others have said, check with your surgeon

I don't know about the tubal ligation, but there are a lot of people who have WLS and gallbladder removal at the same time. In fact, a few years ago, that was kind of common, even if the patient didn't have gall bladder issues (now they usually just do it if you have gall bladder problems). Hopefully someone who's had it will respond!