gr8ful1

Hi Salazar. I'm in Loudoun, and I've found that we have no shortage of bariatric surgery practices here. There must at least a dozen of them between Winchester, Fredericksburg, and Baltimore. PrupleSleeve mentioned Virginia Bariatric, which is where I have my initial consultation scheduled. I am fairly certain that I heard Dr. Fitzer mention, either in his webinar or on one of his youtube videos, than the current criteria for surgery were established when surgery-related morbidity/mortality risk was much greater than it is today. If you haven't already reached out to his office, I think it's worth a few minutes to call and ask if he would consider someone like you as a candidate.

If I were you, I would just get a new sleep study and be done with it. I will probably wait until I'm at goal weight or very close to it, but it sounds like now might be a good time for you.

I'm not a mathematician, but there's a whole lot of stuff that doesn't add up in this thread.

I'm curious. How is it possible to go from a sleeve to a RNY when there is no remnant stomach after a sleeve? Does someone have a diagram of what a RNY looks like post-sleeve?

Wow, it looks like you've had a tougher journey than most. I hope all of the complications are behind you. Keep up the good work!

boogie2988 and Jon Calvo (no updates in a while) on youtube. Looking for more!

Yikes, I just noticed the typo and awful grammar in the title of this topic. Sorry about that, folks. If I knew how to edit it, I would. The correct title should be this: "Surgery is not for those who fail on diets?"

THANK YOU everyone, for all of your thoughtful and insightful responses. I trust that the surgeon, and even more so, my insurance company, will not allow my surgery unless the pre-surgery screening process indicates that I meet the criteria for being a successful candidate.

I'm still waiting on my initial consultation appointment, but I've been looking at both options for quite some time. I have GERD, so the surgeon may tell me that the sleeve is not indicated for me, which would make my decision a lot easier. And I'll be fine with getting the "gold standard" gastric bypass if that's what he advises. In your case, it appears that your surgeon doesn't strongly prefer one of the other and has cleared you for your choice of procedure. My analytical mind leans toward the gastric bypass. I consulted for a company that conducted phase four pharmaceutical trials, and I've always leaned heavily toward treatments that have the best efficacy and the lowest mortality/morbidity rates as indicated by large peer-reviewed studies. My research into the studies points me toward gastric bypass. That said, we are not talking about which pill to take here. These surgeries impact more than the amount of weight we lose and the number of years we can expect to live. Both have advantages and disadvantages that may impact your post-surgery life in different ways. Have you asked your surgeon what he/she would choose if it were for him/herself? I think that's always a good question if you are undecided.

I've been using a CPAP for around 6 years now, and I too had a hard time adjusting to it. The pressure felt way too high, it was harder to breathe with it than without it, and I wondered how in the world something so intrusive could help me sleep better. I don't remember how long it took me to get used to it, but I did, and it didn't take very long. I went back to the medical equipment supplier a couple of times with my equipment, and they helped me make sure it fit right, and that I was using it correctly. And I got used to the pressure within a week or less. Fast-forward to today, and I often have to double-check to make sure that my machine is on because I don't notice the air being blown into my nose anymore! One thing that I've never gotten used to is a full face mask. I haven't been able to find a mask that doesn't leak loudly. So I use a nasal pillow mask and it works great, even when I am sick and can only breathe through one nostril. I suggest you give it more time, and that you visit with your CPAP supplier to make sure your machine and headgear are adjusted correctly. They might also be able to adjust your machine to ramp up the pressure more gradually.