Knix200129

Hi.
50 year old male.
Had bariatric sleeve surgery in June of '19.
Went from 341lbs to 238lbs between the start of the process leading up to surgery (end of 2018) through March of 2020. After Covid hit in March of 2020, I had a lot of changes (as did many) in my life, from quarantine to moving to a different region, etc. With surgery you have a 1 year "Goldilocks" period where you will lose almost all of your weight. After that year, some of your hunger (due to increased Ghrelin production) will return. Unless you learn and incorporate new lifestyle changes (including exercise and eating habits) during that first year, you risk the chance of putting that weight back on. Foods to stay away from are high caloric liquids and ice creams. I found them to be far less difficult to overindulge in vs things such as Pasta I found difficult to eat. I found that I could still go through ice cream and cheese-related Snacks just as frequently) albeit in smaller portions as I did pre-surgery.
Back to our story. I had my most recent physical at the end of last August where I had gone up from 238lb to 274lb. Around this time I noticed my sister-in-law had lost some serious weight from one month to the next. She said she was taking Wegovy. I asked my doctor who instead gave me a sample of the 2.5mg Mounjaro that he had. Now what I write is my personal experience. Not everyone will have the same result. Almost immediately I found that I had the same LACK of appetite that I had post surgery. I don't know if it kick-started the effects of the surgery or if I just have reacted well (so far) to the drug. This question is how I found this thread in the first place. As of yesterday, I have gone down from the aforementioned 274lb to 225lbs. So, that's almost 50lbs in just under 6 months.
Positives: See above.
Side effects: I have fortunately had none up to this point. The most I could say is that I need to go number 2 only a couple of times a week. I don't feel constipated though. So, this could simply be me having less food in my stomach. I have read that other people have experienced things like diarrhea, Constipation, rashes, headaches, and lethargy to name a few. Also if you take insulin, liptor, etc, your doctor will want to monitor you for the first few weeks to make sure your blood sugar levels don't get too low. Again, everyone is different, so I can only tell you my experience.
Administration: 1x a week epi-pen like sub-dermal injection. While some people have complained of pain at the time of administration or itchiness the following day...again, I have had none of that. For me, the process has been painless. In fact, the first time I gave myself a shot, I thought I messed up as I didn't feel anything. Only a pinhead sized dot of blood let me know it was successfully administered. You keep the box (4 pens in box equaling a 1 month supply) refrigerated.
Dosage amounts: You start at 2.5mgs and increase it each 1-2 weeks. So you go on to 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, etc. The highest I think is 15.0mgs. I'm currently at 10.0 and can't even fathom going any higher.
Things to keep in mind (and this is important): 1. Because this is a new drug, there are no generic alternatives to offer, so, this can cost out of pocket over $1K a month. As the medication's current focus is for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes (and pre Type 2), having either of those conditions will help (but not guarantee) the chances of your insurance company covering it. 2. Due to the success many people are finding with Mounjaro, supplies are not always great. I've had to wait 1 week or 2 as they were on back-order.
What do you do once you've reached your goal weight?: This is an interesting question since the drug is so new. In speaking with my doctor, I suggested that maybe taking a maintenance dosage (say back to 2.5mg) may be the way to go. He said that has been the most used idea, but again, this product was only approved by the FDA 8-10 months ago.
That's about it. Sorry for the length of the post, but I tend to over-explain. If you have any questions about the surgery itself, I'd be happy to tell you all that I have experienced.

Had my VSG on June 24th. Surprised how little discomfort I’m in. Haven’t taken any pain meds or anti nausea meds. Worst I have is a little tugging at the largest incision which is much like you feel the day after an ab workout. . The hardest thing I’ve had to deal with is hunger. Now the hunger I have is in no way like in the 2 week pre-surgery diet. That was torture. This is much more subtle. I received a follow up call from the nurse today who said this is perfectly normal as the swelling in my stomach goes down. The Ghrelin is reduced, not eliminated. Basically suck it up for the next 3 weeks. To make it more “challenging”, I’m also giving up smokeless tobacco. Good times.
I’m 6’1” and weighed 341lbs at my heaviest. Weighed 325 at the time of surgery, and 319 as of today.
Anyhow, I’m happy I did this and proud to be a new member of the VSG club.

well congrats to you hope you are still doing well welcome to the looser club i hope for great success for you cheers keep up the good work !!

@Knix200129 and @sm98444
Congrats ! I had my surgery just days before you both on June 17th. Today I am exactly one week out and have lost a total of 10 lbs from my surgery date, 25 since my initial pre-op appointment May 27 - Almost one month ago. I want to let you know what you're feeling is totally normal. Like Knix, I did not need pain pills and by 5 days later I felt superb. However, I had the hunger pangs. What I would do is take a muscle/spasm pill that they prescribed to me. It definitely stopped the hunger. Also, I gave up smoking! Maybe that's why I'm so angry the past few days, but I don't really have the urge to pick one up yet. Well, I mean I have the urge but it isn't THAT bad that I'm feening for it. Like SM, I am also a side/tummy sleeper. For the first 5 days I measured how well I was healing with how well I could sleep. Being forced to sleep on my back was horrible so I slept maybe 2 or 3 hours at a time for the first 2 days. At one point I was up at 3:30 AM e-mailing my doctor about why can't I sleep?! Finally by Friday night I slept 8 consecutive hours and was able to lay on my left side. Last night I was able to really get comfortable though!
My one week appointment was virtual - Actually both my 1 week and 1 month are virtual. I don't have to go back and physically see my team. Crazy, right? Anyway, today I was allowed to begin my puree stage. It's not as bad as it sounds. My dietitian said I could puree Wendy's chili (wow?!) so I'm thinking I may end up living on that, tuna, and chicken salad for the next 3 weeks. I'm supposed to be getting in 80g of Protein per day. She said to focus on getting in the protein, not to worry about calories or carbs. And today I've had maybe 50g of protein. I'm actually "late" to eat because I wanted to respond for yas! I'm struggling getting in my Water, not because it's difficult but because I need to make myself drink. I'm not thirsty and I'm not hungry so why should I eat? So it's like... Set an alarm and just do it. That'll be my plan for tomorrow.
Welcome to the club!

@Knix200129
I had VSG on Jun 19th and like you I have not had very much discomfort other than sleeping on my back. I am a side sleeper so sleeping on my back has been different. I felt like I was hungry as well. I was averaging over 80 ounces of fluids every day because I wasn't allowed anything else. Today (Day 5), my doctor said that I could start Protein Shakes. That has helped me a lot with the hunger. I couldn't even finish an 11 ounce Premier shake. I had 1/2 for Breakfast and the other half for my "mid morning" snack, but have only had 48 ounces by 3 pm.
Good luck to you.

Keep up great work!

Sent from my LG-H931 using BariatricPal mobile app

Keep up great work!

Sent from my LG-H931 using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome to the club! Good luck on your WLS journey.