YeaMe

I was a self pay and paid surgeon $5,500 and hospital $4,800. I did have a hiatal hernia fixed at the same time. The total hospital bill was $38,000, with the insurance paying the complete share of the "discounted" rate. Since the insurance paid the entire hospital bill, I get my $4,800 back! Nice surprise - now I can put new clothes on this new body. The surgeon does have a cash price of $15,500 that includes his fee and he hospital.

There are many different reasons he could be acting like he is. (1) He really is against "elective" surgery; (2) he is worried something might happen to you while in surgery; (3) he's worried when you lose the weight you will be looking for an "upgrade." Either way, he is not supporting you in this. My suggestion is to look elsewhere for your support - whether a family member or a friend who can go with you to your appointments/hospital for surgery/mental support, or an actual support group. Remember these are just my opinions and I don't know him/you at all, but I think if he sees you getting support from someone/somewhere else, he will come around some, maybe not all the way. I'm pretty sure he is hoping by his negative responses and non-support that you will decide not to have the surgery. i do not think you are needy - you just want someone there with you. Some people are very independent (I did it all on my own which was easy for me), but others need/want someone there to hear all that's said and to support them in their choice - whether they agree with it or not. Either way it is not wrong. I wish you the best of luck and stay strong on what you think is best for you!

@Stevehud Thanks so much for the Mug Cake recipe. I tried it this morning and it was really good. I ate the full recipe (1 scoop of protein powder) and it made me kind of miserable. Still trying to learn to stop eating when full, although I need to stop before full!!!! Will try again tomorrow with 1/2 scoop.

I am 2 months out and need some Breakfast alternatives. I have been eating yogurt but find that it doesn't stay with me and I'm hungry an hour or two later. For some reason, eggs are not compatible with my sleeve; the first bite is like a cork-no matter how much I chew it first. I need something that is portable so I can take it to work. I have a Protein drink/bar (spilt up in the day) to supplement my protein, so need something different. Suggestions, please!!!

I may try this for maintenance because my doctor told me - You don't need anything else right now except protein, the vitamins I put you on and water. Eat 70-90 grams of protein a day. If you can fit in anything else, feel free.

I lost 5 lbs my first 3 weeks. I truly believe it is the water weight balancing against the fat loss. I only lost 2 lb in the last 8 days, but cannot wear pants I wore last week because they are too big. Really? After a 2 lb weight loss?!?!?! The body is constantly shifting after this surgery and realigning itself. A lot of people will go 2-3 weeks (myself included) without any weight loss then in the next few days it will start falling off. IT WILL COME OFF if you are following you surgeon's instructions. It is scary to think, "What if I am the only one that fails at this?" You won't fail - the weight will come off when it is ready. Just keep up the good work and you will be rewarded. Just not as fast as we want it!

I am assuming this is once you have reached goal, correct? I have trouble getting over 50 grams of protein in when I only eat protein all day, and the doctor wants me at 80 grams.

How many pounds have you lost since the day of surgery?

If I don't measure my food I overeat and then I'm miserable. My head still thinks it is smarter than my stomach.

I'll be 9 weeks out this week. It took me until 6 weeks out before I had energy back, which was when my doctor released me to lift weights. What we forget is what a major surgery we had. The first 2 weeks I could barely muster the energy to walk up my stairs. The good news is you will start feeling better soon. You really just have to listen to your body, and let yourself heal. Good luck!!!

I have a 3 week stall every 3 weeks!. Then I step on the scale and a chunk is gone or just a few pounds are gone but I have changed sizes in clothes. Difference in my weight between last Monday and today, 2 lbs. - but have 2 pairs of pants that fit me last week that didn't today. I can't figure it out!

Thanks for the recipe. They were out of the one you linked but I ordered the 2.0 until they get the other in stock!

I was addicted to carbs, sugar, processed foods, fat and diet cokes before surgery. My cravings started coming back at the end of week 2 post-op. My advice to you, which everyone has some, and everyone's will be different, is to not eat the carbs, especially in your second week. I was told I could have a dry piece of toast at the end of my soft food stage. Yuck-who wants dry toast!!! I am now 2 months post-op and I can walk by donuts, free soda machine, M&Ms, all without a second thought. (Our coffee bar at work has at least 5 different sweets in it at any give time). Do I want them - um yeah! But it is my head craving it now, not my body, so it is much easier to ignore. I know it is hard - heck we've been eating all those bad things for years and they were really, really yummy. Protein needs to be your primary focus and for the first four months that is pretty much all you will be able to fit in to hit your protein levels. You want to hit your protein levels as this is what helps your stomach heal, largely contributes to the weight loss (without eating away at your muscle), and keeps your hair from falling out.

No judgment here. I was at lower end of BMI and paid out of pocket. I have lost and regained 200lbs plus through the years. We all have to do what is best for us. Congratulations - you look fabulous!!!!

I lost 23lb the first month, and just finished my second month with a loss of 11lbs. I keep my eye on the prize which I know won't happen overnight. Stalls are really frustrating - I went 3 weeks without losing a pound. Just keep up the plan you were given by your doctor and it will come off. The body just goes through adjustment periods and some can be days, weeks or even months. Remember, the weight didn't come on over a few months, or years. This is a new journey for us all and it's just not temporary. This is a good time to tweak your eating plan to see what works for you.

My surgeon said they would only help with stomach gas-not gas in the body cavity.

That's scary that you are released for regular food. Most everyone is still on full liquids at 3 weeks. You might want to confirm the schedule with your surgeon. Putting regular food in your stomach this early increases the risk of a leak.

Really, the only 3 things I used were: stable slip-on shoes to walk, pair of loose draw string pants to put on for walking around hospital, clean pair of underwear. I could have cared less what else was in the bag. I brought Gas-X, but the surgeon said most gas pain is outside the stomach and Gas-X would only help with gas inside the stomach. Congratulations and good luck with your surgery.

First, you have to realize that everyone heals differently. I had NO pain after my surgery and healed pretty quickly. Also, just because you feel healed, doesn't mean your insides are. My recommendation would be to start with walking, as far as you can, as often as you can. My dr. cleared me at 5 weeks to go back to the gym but to make sure I listened to my body. I am 8 weeks out and feel like I am now at about 90% recovery. I get tired a lot more easily which is understandable considering what my body has been put through. Some people bounce back right away, some it takes months. Your body has to adjust to the new calorie restriction and has to learn to regulate itself - it takes some time. Good luck!

I eat 1 prune a day and it has solved my problems. My surgeon said, don't expect the bowel movements you had before, you may only have one every 2-3 days from this point on. He was right.

I was lucky and had no pain, but the nausea about took me down. I was nauseated for about 3 days at home. Once I was able to start forcing water down it made it a lot better. There is blood and bile in there and no food, so the combo hits some people really hard. Sip water continually and you will start to feel better. Hang in there- it does get better!

I was told by my surgeon that the GasX is only good for intestinal gas - it won't do anything for the gas in the rest of your body. Yes, you can take tums. My Dr. prescribed an acid reducer 2x a day and the active ingredient was esomeprazole, which did nothing to relieve my heartburn. I, on my own, switched to an OTC acid reducer where omeprazole was the active ingredient. It was like night and day.

I made the best decision - just not to be in a relationship - period. I am happier than I have ever been and I get to focus on myself 100% of the time. Since my decision 4 years ago, I can say I have been lonely once. I watch my friends constantly struggling to find a relationship, not just a good one, just a decent one. Listening to them is entertainment for me, but just confirms my decision. Not everyone wants to be alone, I get that, but for me it has allowed me to blossom and really enjoy life without any drama. Best of luck!

This is the one thing that takes away from the joy of losing the weight. I lost 50 lbs in the year before I did the sleeve procedure. So in total I have now lost 79 lbs! I still have 45 to go. My thighs look like they are melting-it's frightening. No shorts for me and I'm going on a beach vacation in a month! I know I have done this to myself, but cannot imagine what another 45lb weight loss will do. I have spent the last year trying products-nothing has helped-not any of the tightening creams, tried Nu-Face on them (didn't work on turkey-neck either), scrubs, etc. I told my daughter maybe I will get 1/2 leg tattoos of an ocean scene with waves. My arms are bad, as well as my stomach and new turkey neck. My legs though are the most dramatic. I've come to realize I need a total body reconstruction. If I was 30, I would definitely bite the bullet and pay to get it done, but at 60, I'm more interested in retiring. I always have said, tan fat looks better than pale fat, not sure yet about tan saggy skin looks better than pale saggy skin. Where is our miracle!!!!!!!

I was hungry (or was I really) and grabbed a "protein" bar (more of a fu fu bar) and ate it in 2 minutes without even thinking because I was trying to get a rush project done at work. I feel like I ate Thanksgiving dinner, TWICE!!!