catwoman7

I've never heard of getting tested for alcohol - but many surgeons do test for nicotine. I wasn't told not to drink alcohol during the pre-op period, but we were told to abstain for a year AFTER surgery.

you can eat around ANY surgery, even the DS (the most powerful weight loss surgery out there) and regain all your weight. However, stats on that are a little better for bypass than for sleeve (in other words, you're less likely to regain all your weight with the bypass). However, stats are stats - it really comes down to the individual. Regardless of surgery, you'll always find people who never gain any of it back, and others who put on a few lbs (10-20 lbs after hitting bottom is very common - but with some people it's more like 40 or 50 lbs), and still others who gain it all back. I wouldn't say that MANY people regain all their weight with bypass (or with sleeve). Some do, but they're in the minority. There are a lot who gain a good 40 or 50 lbs though (or even more) if they start slacking off too much.

is it a nuclear stress test? I had to have one of those since my surgeon required them of anyone over 50 years old. It was easy-peasy. The only weird thing was when they inject something in you to mimic intense exercise. Your heart starts racing as it would if you'd just ran a mile or something. Basically they stuck me in this machine and did a lot of readings - then they gave me the injection and stuck me back in the machine to do the readings again. They looking to see how your heart performs under stress - and how quickly you recover. I passed with flying colors. There's nothing painful or uncomfortable about it - it's just that it's weird when your heart starts racing after that injection. Other than that, you're basically just lying there in a machine..

it's possible it could be hormones. A lot of women's hormones go haywire after surgery, although they normalize again after a few weeks or months. I've read a lot on here about mood swings and screwed up menstrual cycles for the first few weeks/months after surgery. I'm wondering if your acne issue could be related to that, too.

I can't remember when I started eating oatmeal - although I did at some point. I'd check with your clinic to see if it's OK, and if not, when you can start eating it.

I'm not from San Antonio, but whenever I've looked for a new primary, I look for online reviews. Of course, that's not going to tell you if the person in judge-y about obesity and weight loss surgery, but if the reviews generally say the person is empathetic, they might be OK with these issues, too. And if not, it's usually easy enough to switch..

I've never tried it but I've read people's raves about it. I looked it up once and also noticed it was pretty pricey, so I never ordered any. I'd kinda like to try it, though

hopefully not - most people don't make it to that point, fortunately!

true. I actually don't know anyone who had to do two nights of a sleep study - although perhaps they might have if the first diagnosis was really bad, and they had to do a second after using a CPAP machine for awhile (to check for improvement?). Not sure - but I don't know of anyone who had to go through it twice. also, the six-month supervised diet is typically an insurance requirement rather than a surgeon requirement. Not all companies require this - or may not require one this long. I had to do six months - but it could be with either a physician or a registered dietitian. I didn't have to do an EGD - but I was a bypass patient so maybe that's why. They may have just required it of sleeve patients. I did have to do a nuclear stress test, though, because my surgeon (not my insurance company) required it of patients who were over age 50, or who'd had cardiac issues in the past (I didn't - but I was over 50 years old). suffice it to say, requirements differ depending on the insurance company and the surgeon. But there will likely be several hoops you need to clear before having surgery. oh - I did not have to have any co-morbidities since my BMI was over 40. They only required having two or more co-morbidities for patients with a BMI of 35-40. But that was my clinic - I can't speak for every clinic.

EDITED add that I neglected to mention that I took the chewable form of a multivitamin (in my case, Centrum or the generic equivalent) for the first year. I switched to regular tablets at that point. Those, too, would have too big to swallow whole early out (definitely bigger than a pencil eraser!)

bypass patient here. Really the main complication you have to consider with the sleeve is potential GERD - it happens to about 30% of sleeve patients. There are other potential complications, of course, but other than GERD, they're pretty rare. And IMHO, the benefit of losing a massive amount of weight outweighs almost any potential complication. Being super morbidly obese (and I started there, too) is a serious co-morbidity on its own...

nothing will work at this point other than time. Fortunately, it's temporary and it'll grow back. Mine lasted for about three months. Fortunately, I didn't lose much - certainly not enough for anyone (except for me) to notice.

actually, I didn't have to crush pills. I could take anything whole that was smaller than a pencil eraser as soon as I got out of the hospital - which for me meant everything except calcium pills and some other one that I can't recall right now (it was six years ago - my memory is fading). I got around the calcium pill one by getting some chewables. The other pill my clinic's PA said I could hold off on for a couple of weeks - and by that time, he said, I may be able to swallow it normally. Ta da! I could. So I fortunately never had to crush anything!

there's nothing you can really do about it other than keep bundled up! I was cold all the time for awhile, but I don't notice it anymore (I'm six years out). At some point, it went away. For some people it seems to be a permanent thing, though..

it depends on the insurance company. Hopefully you'll get it covered! However, if you have GERD, I'm not sure you want to get the sleeve. Bypass is usually recommended for GERD sufferers, since there's about a 30% chance that the sleeve will make the GERD worse (bypass, on the other hand, often improves GERD - if not outright cures it)

that's REALLY common after weight loss surgery

YAY!! Wonderful news! And you did GREAT!!!

get back on track as soon as you can. Some people never reach their goal - and/or gain all their weight back - don't be one of them. Does your clinic have a dietitian and/or a therapist you can work with to help you get back on track? Sometimes it takes some professional assistance to get going again...

I read all of those horror stories as well, but keep in mind that those kinds of things don't happen very often. The majority of us sail through just fine with no issues. I think most of us probably had the same thoughts at one time or another - all the "what ifs" and the fears of having some horrible complication. I finally had to stop myself from reading about them. It's good to know that it's a possibility - but you also have to put it in perspective. It's pretty uncommon. I figured I was at a much greater risk being 200 lbs overweight than I was having the surgery. Having some major complication from bariatric surgery could certainly happen, but the risk is pretty small. On the other hand, having a heart attack, developing diabetes, or dying 20 years prematurely was a pretty decent-sized risk (if not a sure thing) if I stayed super morbidly obese. but of course - you know all this. You said so in your post. Just wanted you to know that yes - I had those thoughts as well. I bet most of us did.

^^^^ this. Exactly.

if you feel strongly about it, then by all means be open about it. Not all of us feel that way. I'm not open about my medical issues in general, not just the stigma-laden ones like bariatric surgery or plastic surgery. It's no one's business but mine.

Although I've never had cancer so I don't know for sure how I would react or who I would tell, I don't think I'd be very open about it except to family and close friends. I would not want to deal with people's reactions or the awkwardness that comes with it.

Don't do the band. A lot of people have had problems with them, and most surgeons won't place them anymore. Either sleeve or bypass are good options. If you have GERD, they'll usually recommend that you go with bypass. If not, it comes down to personal preference. I had bypass and have been extremely happy with it. I'd make the same decision if I had to choose today (had mine six years ago). P.S. My recovery was super easy. It seems to be for most of us (not all - but most)

People are free to share their medical information - or not. If people want to share they've had surgery - fine. If they don't - fine. I don't run around telling everyone I've had extensive plastic surgery, either. I'm having a face lift this summer - another surgery I haven't notified the world of - just my immediate family and a couple of close friends.

it takes awhile for the swelling to go down - most of it is gone by about the three month mark, but it can take a full year before it's COMPLETELY gone. You'll get there.. P.S. I didn't have open incisions, but I "spit" several sutures. It was painful enough that it was hard for me to keep compression garments on for very long. My arms still turned out fine, though..