Mattymatt

It may help to try and build up the muscle in the gluteals area. Back in 2013-2014, when I lost a little over a 100 pounds in about 8 months time through traditional diet and exercise, I had the same issue so I worked those muscles and it helped quite a bit.

You don't have to have a goal weight. I picked one simply by BMI to satisfy the surgery gods but in all honesty, I don't think it will be clinically possible for me to be 190 and 6'4". It's more realistically for me to be simply under 220. I am trying a new approach this time around. Previously, when losing weight I had really lofty goals (quite possibly unrealistic) so this time, all I want to do is simply get healthy. In the past I set really hard goals and the moment that I had a serious set back, everything unraveled. I know that I have a medical tendency toward severe depression so this time I am not setting myself up for failure. My goal is to live healthy in mind, body, and spirit - My only goal is ending the cycle of sickness.

CHF is really frightening. I remember my grandmother dealing with the end stages of both COPD and CHF. I was never close to her but her fear and turmoil was written all over her face. My grandmother was not overweight but she smoked all of her life - Marlboros. With significant weight loss, it may be possible to reverse the CHF. Either way, I am wishing you the best. I truly believe you've made a good decision.

Strange dreams are just another permanent part of my life. These happened after I had a serious accident while riding my bicycle and I was definitely concussed. I wonder though if weight loss will have any effect on mental state...

That's very insightful! Food is also a strong addiction. One of the advantages to this surgery is that it kind of forces you to break that addiction. This will make you so much better at your job because you will be able to identify with your clients on a whole new level. In some ways, your newly developed insight will help you to have long success.

I have heard that people's taste buds change quite dramatically as a result of surgery. Some folks have told me that foods that they used to crave look nauseating now. One guy at a support group that I attended no longer eats red meat because the taste is enough to make him gag and he was a meat and potatoes guy.

I would say that you aren't too old. Go through with it and make your life better.

Excellent!!! 28 pounds is a drop in the bucket. You got this.

It sounds like a good idea to basically take all the time that you need. My new job requires a fair amount of walking and I don't have much trouble with that but I think I'll take what time I need. No sense in rushing only to cause a problem.

I am getting very close to my pre-op diet and I'm kind of nervous. Of course, I am a lot heavier than the thread asks. I am just hoping that this surgery gives me some quality of life back where I have none whatsoever right now. It's refreshing to read about people whom have had their lives turned 180 degrees for the better.

Yeah, looks like out of state might be your best option. Some of the best hospital systems on the east coast are Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Penn Medicine, and Mass General. For something like this, I wouldn't trust less than the best.

Let's look at one thing at time. First off, you need to get to the bottom of the issue. Don't wait on the bariatric surgeon as you have stated that he is contradicting your primary care doctor. When two doctors don't agree, it's time to go to a specialist and get another opinion. I know you are seeking a remedy for your current situation but this is going to take time and persistence. I would advise seeking out a specialist that is employed by a major, respected healthcare system. If you have to go out of state to do it, then do it. This is the sad story of healthcare in America. Not only must you fight to get better, you must fight the system that is supposedly helping you to get better. The specialist's diagnosis will most likely override both your primary care and surgeon's diagnoses. Now, while you are doing this you need to take some form of action against the surgeon because it is absolutely unethical for him to behave the way he has. Your bariatric surgeon has a responsibility to you for some ongoing, post-surgical care. If were you, I would reach out to him, firmly remind him of his or her responsibility, and if they continue to neglect it, I would look for an attorney. This is a serious situation that is not to be taken lightly - your quality of life hangs in the balance. Sometimes it takes that kind of measure to end the hubris of a doctor. When their livelihood hangs in the balance, it becomes a whole different ball of wax.

You have to remember that what you read on the internet is not always true. For every good story there are at least 4 bad stories. People are more apt to share their nightmare before their good fortune. This is just basic human psychology. We share our nightmares to get reassurance or even elicit sympathy from others. Remember, you made the decision in conjunction with the medical professionals and they don't generally perform risky elective surgery. Is this going to be an easy, pain-free, and discomfort-free journey? No, it probably won't be. Instead of relying on other people's experiences to judge the wisdom of your decision, you have to ride out this phase and come to your own conclusions. If your gut feeling says that this is the best option, most likely it is. Since I am a T2 diabetic, the best option for me is RNY. My entire care team knows that RNY will be the best surgery for reversing or curing T2 diabetes. I am putting my faith and trust in those whom are caring for me. I read about all kinds of horror stories about RNY and automatically dismiss most of them. The cold hard facts from research show that there is a less than 1% chance of complications which is statistically insignificant. Most people worry about the lifestyle changes and I think you just have to ride them out.

Perhaps you need to seek out another surgeon, one who has successfully performed higher risk surgeries. I thought that the sleeve was less invasive than RNY. I remember reading about another user on here that had an aborted surgery because of a somewhat similar issue. Is it possible that you could have the surgery done open instead of laprascopically?

Nice! Keep us posted and don't be shy about bragging about losing the weight.

At least you're headed in the right direction, man. Think positive. I am still at the pre-op stage and if I am trending downward like you are, it will be a good day.

Honestly, a lot of the requirements are just stupid. The one that pisses me off to no end is when I hear that insurance companies are requiring 3-6 months worth of medically supervised weight management. Traditional diet and exercise alone has not worked in the past, so how will this time be any different? Isn't the classic definition of madness to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result? Instead, the patient ends up kicking the problem down the road 6 more months and may end up even heavier by the time comes for surgery. Again, I will point to the statistics: 65% of people who use WLS as a tool have long term success versus only about 10% through traditional diet and exercise alone! If you're a health insurer, wouldn't you rather pay for someone to go this route than potentially pay for someone's heart attack, stroke, or expensive medications and treatments? Sick people are very costly to insurance companies so you would think that the health insurer would be all over something that could save them tons of money long term.

Dude that's just fooking incredible! Wish I could have some arms like those.

First off, good for you on bettering yourself. I am glad you did not let your failed relationship derail you from getting your health back! You have certainly been through a lot and now it's time for you to live life for you. I am sure you look good and feel great so it's time to play the field again and see what you can see. Personally, I can't fooking wait to be able to look into the mirror and see someone who looks good. Live it up, man!

I've started doing this simply because I need to break the cycle of eating when I feel stressed, upset, or depressed. Instead of going to food to handle this issue, the thoughts go to pen and paper. I've found this to be incredibly helpful because my blood sugars must be under control in order to go ahead with surgery. If they're wonky, I am sh*t outta luck. So I do what I feel I must in order to succeed.

Go to the doctor! This could be serious. Most of us are unqualified to even speculate what might be going on.

The fact that you're down 25 pounds from your pre-op diet alone means that you should get some amazing results. Keep us posted.

Eeek! I am sorry that you've had to undergo this. If it were me, I would absolutely not go open bariatric surgery. If the procedure could not be done laprascopically, it is a no go. Consider going the sleeve route then. I don't go for surgery until next month but if I have this kind of situation, a sleeve is still better than the alternative of continuing to be obese and have health problems.

No, it should not. Did they even check your height? This is surprising. If all of your medical and surgical clearances came back as healthy and safe enough for surgery, then you should be fine but I am not a medical professional and if you have concerns that is whom you need to consult. You have to consider whether or not to tell the doctor at this point. You could also ask the doctor a very generic question, "Does a person's height matter for surgery?"

Damn dude! That's awesome. Great work and dedication!