Pearldrop

The eyes! I've had no fewer than two people I've worked with for years give me elevator eyes and my God is it ever creepy.

So glad to meet you! I am looking forward to going through this process together!

Hi guys! Today I joined the gym. I’m so excited [emoji123][emoji38]


Yo-Yo Girl from New York City

I had mine on 5/22 ... He found a Hiatal Hernia that he repaired and that has been my only issue! Zero pain except the shoulder pain and diaphragm pain...all from the hernia... no incision or tummy pain.. doesn’t feel like anything was done! Weird!

There are a few of us scheduled for June 4 so you’ve come to the right place. I’m 46, yo yo dieter for the past 10 years. I never had a weight problem until I was 30, and switched to a desk job. Then all my unhealthy eating patterns came home to roost. With this, I’m learning to eat better and reset my bad habits

I wish I hadn't told anyone. Prior to surgery I told close friends at work and one of them let it slip by mistake. Everyone knew within a week. At first I ran into overwhelmingly positive people, but then the few who seemed to know better about it all were warning me against it, telling me it was dangerous, telling me I "should" do this on my own. Those were very unwelcome opinions. The very worst comment came a few weeks ago. I have been having trouble with a stricture in my stomach and its been a gambit of unfun experiences still happening. One of those people said to me, "See, I told you so."
My husband told his family even after I asked him not too. I was so upset to find out he did this :/. I had to be forgiving, but that was hard for me.
Good luck with your choice.

I chose to only tell a very close friend, my husband, some family and my boss. I work in a somewhat catty office environment and I didn’t want to hear any negativity or unwanted opinions. I felt that if I am choosing to not be 100% honest and open with everyone, then I want to be 100% private about my decision. I’m 5 days post op and several co-workers think that I’m taking an extended vacation for personal reasons. A few have asked why I’ll be out or if something is wrong, I assure them I am fine and just have some things to take care of. It has actually been kind of fun knowing the journey I’m on and that only those people that matter most to me know about it! You will figure out what is best for you and your situation. Good luck!

Hang in there strawberry, and take each day as it comes. If in another 2 weeks you are not ready to go back to work take some extra time. Going back to a stressful job is no fun when you are not feeling yourself or can use your normal coping mechanisms, ie your bath.
For now focus on healing, not returning to work in 2 weeks. I’m still preop so can’t offer any advice re the hunger, I wish you a speedy resolution xx

I’m not telling anyone at work. I’m only sharing this experience with my husband. I’ve chosen to keep it private as it is one of those things everyone likes to give their opinions on, whether you asked or not lols. It’s hard enough without helpful friends/coworkers giving their advice.

There are a few of us scheduled for June 4 so you’ve come to the right place. I’m 46, yo yo dieter for the past 10 years. I never had a weight problem until I was 30, and switched to a desk job. Then all my unhealthy eating patterns came home to roost. With this, I’m learning to eat better and reset my bad habits

I’m not telling anyone at work. I’m only sharing this experience with my husband. I’ve chosen to keep it private as it is one of those things everyone likes to give their opinions on, whether you asked or not lols. It’s hard enough without helpful friends/coworkers giving their advice.

Wow, well with this surgery most people have some of the same negatives (the liquid diet), or have similar negative side effects (nausea/constipation), but also have good things to balance it out. I have gone through a lot of the same things as everyone else on here, and am also going through some stuff that may not be as common. Whether or not it makes us regret the surgery is definitely a personal experience based on many factors, but it seems like the majority come out on the side of No Regrets. Like you, I considered backing out a month or so before my surgery date. My daughter helped me realize that with surgery things may or may not get better, and yes, some things could possibly get worse (small percentage). But without it, probably nothing was going to change (at least not for the better). So it ended up being a no brainer and I felt extremely confident going forward even through the sucky pre-op diet (over Xmas) and what I assumed would just be a terrible first few months of puking and misery post-op. Things did not turn out the way I thought, and as I have just been journaling, I will share, if you care to read:
I am 5 months post-op as of yesterday. I am down 51.2 lbs, 31 total inches overall since pre-op, body fat percentage back under 30%. My weight loss has been a bit slower than most - they say probably bc my starting weight was lower (205.8) and also I have a lot of chronic pain so my workouts are not exactly intense. But thankfully the more I lose the better I can move. My body did not want to let go of these last couple lbs - I thought I'd never reach the 50 lb milestone! It was like 48, 48.5, 49.2, 49.6...like seriously? Lol, talk about a frustrating month! But I'm finally over that hurdle and goal is between 14-20 lbs from here. I'm short, so honestly I have always looked better lower than that - say in my 120's, but I'm older now and my skin is not bouncing back the way it once did, and gravity is a real son of gun. So I will probably stop around 135/140 in order to keep things looking a little more "well-rounded" - and I also think it will be easier to maintain. That's my thought process right now anyway.
My surgery itself went smooth, so no issues there. I have never vomited (which shocks me no end as I'm prone to nausea), I have felt nauseated 2-3x max - but it passed quickly. I do, however, have issues with reflux. Had reflux pre-op that was well controlled by OTC Nexium. Now it can be very painful at times. Like some others, I too think maybe I should have considered the by-pass more seriously, but also bc my ins did not cover and I went to MX as self-pay, the sleeve seemed like the best option overall.
One thing for me is I never lost the hunger sensation. My "Ghrelin Game's" strong, I guess. But the biggest "issue" I have had, and it's no small thing, is I still struggle with many solid foods. I have slowly introduced them as instructed and when instructed, chew chew chew, etc. But after maybe 5 small bites of MANY foods (I do ok w/some), I still feel hungry, so I intend to probably eat a few more bites to become satiated, but all of a sudden start getting bad pain in center of diaphragm...feel completely "clogged" or "backed up" with food even though I've eaten so little and I still felt hungry 2 seconds ago...then usually get some reflux...get the hiccups...will need to take Tums...often suck on 1 or 2 wintergreen Lifesavers as they also seem to help w/digestion...then suck on ice chips for a little while which also seems to help. It sounds pretty miserable, and honestly, it is. To avoid, I could probably take 2-3 small bites, wait 20-30 minutes and have another 2-3 bites. Or, just stick to eating softer food.
So, most nights I have yogurt for dinner with unflavored Protein Powder, chia seeds, a few mashed fresh blackberries, and a little organic coconut granola. It's about 5 oz. total, and I take my time eating that also - about 20 mins I'd say. Luckily, I enjoy the yogurt combo, but once or twice a week, I want Real Food for dinner, and that is my struggle. It's especially hard on the weekends bc my husband and I like to go out on Sat to a farmer's market or something and then have lunch (or dinner & a movie...). But it's miserable for me to sit at a restaurant where I can barely eat anything on the menu (comfortably) and then have to sit (w/back pain & probably stomach pain) and wait for my husband to enjoy his meal. Lately we haven't been going out much, which is a real drag.
I expected it to be like this for the first several mos, but figured it would slowly be getting better by now. I knew I'd have diet restrictions and certain foods would take longer to agree w/me (some might never work well again), but I didn't expect that So Many real foods (meaning meats/veggies, etc. dinner type foods) would be too painful to eat. For me this is the most difficult thing and I am praying it gets better w/time. If I can eat a couple oz. of chicken/turkey/fish/steak + say 1/2 cup of cooked veggies/salad/potatoes (whatever), w/o any pain or reflux, and enjoy my food & comfortably sit & enjoy the company of my husband (sisters/kids) until they finish eating, even if it's at 9 months or a yr post-op, I will be ok w/that. It's the thought that it might never happen that worries me.
On the other hand, when this happens, my husband feels so bad, and sometimes says, "I'm sorry babe, you must really regret having that surgery now." And I'm like, "No I don't! How else was I ever going to lose 50 pounds in 5 mos w/all the health/pain issues I have?" I never thought I would weigh 154 lbs again, much less 135-140 where I hope to land. So, yeah. It sucks that I have to eat yogurt for dinner most nights. (There are a handful of other things I could have instead, but some of those I have for breakfast/lunch/snacks, and also the yogurt is easy to throw together). But hopefully that will get better as more time passes, and if it doesn't...I don't know...I have to think it's got to be better than stuffing my face w/whatever I wanted but then feeling awful every time I got dressed or looked in the mirror...

Two weeks after surgery I thought oh my goodness what did I just do. 4 weeks later now BEST THING I EVER DID
I wont lie, its hard work and each day isn't always sunshine and roses, BUT stay with it, do exactly what they tell you and before you know it you will feel so much better and its in a way you never felt before. Not feeling constantly hungry , not craving carbs or sweets and coming off 90% of my medication only 1 month after was my biggest victory.
Best of Health to you, no pun intended but if you gut is telling you go for it..........then listen to your gut

Hi, I am the OP of the "Not sure it's working" thread from last week. I've noticed some improvements since then, and I want to share them in case they might help someone else.
I've cut down to one Protein Shake a day. I now add peanut powder to that one Protein shake, and it helps immensely! It cuts down the sweetness while I'm drinking it, and also eliminates the sickly-sweet aftertaste. I mix it up with my immersion blender, and I like the texture better that way too. I tried blending 1/2 of a banana into the shake, but I didn't care for that. I'm going to stick with the peanut powder.
My only other milk-based protein comes from shredded aged Cheddar cheese (which has very little lactose), melted over a small serving of mashed potatoes or pureed Beans. My other protein sources are hard-boiled eggs, tuna, or salmon pureed with a little bit of light mayo, and some hummus here and there. In the past I have found that beans and mayo-based salads triggered my irritable bowel, but so far I am doing okay with these small amounts.
I find I feel much better and less hungry with these savory flavors than I did when everything was sweet. It also helps to eat something warm at least once a day. I've had good luck with Tomato and egg drop Soups "as is," and with green pea and lentil soups that I've put through the blender.
I haven't done much with puree-ing fruits and vegetables yet. If I've met my protein goal but still need more calories, I have some 100% fruit juice. I "chase" that with a tiny bit of something savory to avoid the sweet aftertaste. That seems to be key.
I've cut out Jello and popsicles; I associate those with being sick. I've found a couple of flavors of diet iced tea and Crystal Light that are nice alternatives to plain Water but are not too sweet.
All in all, it has been tremendously helpful to reduce the Protein Shakes and add in some real food, and to find a better balance between sweet and savory flavors. Even though the foods are pureed, and the calories are still very low, I feel less like I am on a starvation diet now. The foods do not pass through as quickly, and I am not as hungry.
Thanks again to everyone who offered support or advice; it was all very helpful.

I did start seeing a counselor last week but I just don't know if it's enough time to get me mentally well enough to go back to work in two weeks.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had gastric bypass w/ gallbladder removal and hiatus hernia repair on June 19th, 2017. I will be traveling the next two weeks and won’t be able to post pics so I didn’t then today.
Surgery weight 276
Current weight 149

The moment I was able to get out of the hospital bed I started walking and literally haven’t stopped. I was able to start running about 3 months after surgery. I have gone more than 2 days without being active. I run about 30 miles a week and do Orangetheory. I took 6 pills a day for my reflux (had been on them since 8 years old), blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. I walked out of Tampa General and haven’t had to take one single pill. My blood pressure is very normal, resting HR is that of a runner and my cholesterol went from 320 to 149 in 4 months.
This was the absolute best thing I’ve ever done. I’m so thankful for this surgery.
Now I just need to save up money for lower body lift. The doctor said I have at least 10 pounds of skin to be removed!

The wait is over and here I am in love with my pouch. The worst part about this was the 2 week preop diet. Don’t let anyone talk trash about it being just as hard post op. Right now i have no hunger no desire to eat and there’s nothing hard about that lol. Anyhow just wanted to give everyone out there that is still in the process some hope. I’m literally in cloud 9 and often catch myself with a big smile thinking wow I really just had a bypass!
Yo-Yo Girl from New York City

Hi Everyone!
I am new around here. I have been lurking for months but this is my first post. I am scheduled for bypass surgery on June 4th! I am so excited. I was hoping to get a surgery date buddy to go through this process with for support. I'm 37 years old with 3 kids. I have yo-yo dieted my entire life and am looking to get things under control. My BMI is around 38 but I have a co-morbidity of sleep apnea so I was able to be approved. I am looking forward to meeting people to share this journey with!
Thank you Ylime for making the spreadsheet. That was so sweet and helpful.

Thank you for putting this together

I’m not there yet, 1 week to go. I’d love to talk with you about this as I worry I’ll be the same.

My surgeon is rigid on this point. He said they will test me the morning of my procedure and if I test positive no surgery. I’ve not had a cigarette for a month. I quit on 6 April, but slipped. One more week to go, am not going to slip again.

I’m feeling the same way too 5 days out. I feel I can eat a lot more food than I am meant to. I dream about cake. Don’t feel alone! I got no suggestions though but can definitely empathise!

Thank u so much for checking in on me! It warmed my heart! I had gastric bypass dec.5th I down 70lbs since then. I also started a new job in the medical world which I love! So I’m so happy. I think I would like to make a photo collage of my progress. I would love to see others as well! Thank u for checking on me.

Had my final pre surgery consultation today. Everything is on track for the 4 June.
it feels really far away and really soon at the same time. Very excited!!

I had regular vsg but wish I would’ve looked more into doing SILS, I know my scars will fade, but I get sad everytime I look at them. On the bright side, I’m four weeks out and 20 lbs down. Just hoping I can keep the weight off.