2ndTimeFreedom

Well today’s the big day. Woke up my normal time 5:30 am, and have gone about my regular routine feeling extremely relaxed and blessed. Have my bag almost packed checklist almost completed. God bless all of that has come before and that will come after that are on this incredible journey. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN REASON FOR DOING THIS! IF YOU BELIEVE IN GOD LET HIM BE YOUR GUIDE AND SOURVE OF STRENGTH WHEN IT HETS TOUGH! See you all on the other side!!

Well tomorrow is the big day for me!! Looking forward to starting the next chapter of this journey I am writing. July 12th is now my second birthday!!! See you all on the side!

Surgery confirmed 7/15 ~7am

I’m getting sleeved Monday check in to hospital at 10:30 surgery at 12. Feeling good ready to start this new phase of my life. Best of luck to us week 3’s.

Best wishes to everyone having surgery next week!!! Week 3 are we ready?

Next Friday! I’m scared to death!! Did I keep my carbs low enough? Is my liver shrinking enough? Ahhhh!!! Good luck everyone!

i am week 4 and i am so stressing about this diet thing but i know anyone who is doing this surgery has this in the bag

Sent from my LG-M430 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi y’all! Fair warning, I’m posting PUI (posting under the influence) right now! 😳🥳🤩🤪🥰😂🤣😅😇
Seems I had a serious case of the fomos this week with @GreenTealael having her upcoming VSG to RNY surgery for GERD and @Alex Brecher having his RNY reversal for bowel obstructions/necrosis. I just had to wrap up a pending tri-fecta! LOL
What I thought was a serious case of food poisoning — or as I like to say, “When good refrigerator roulette goes bad”...was actually a sudden onset of internal hernia with twisted gut. It came on so quickly Sunday night and by Tuesday I couldn’t eat. And Wednesday ended up curled up on a cold tile (filthy) floor in the ER convinced I was dying, moaning, sweating profusely and making quite a spectacle! My only regret is I didn’t have a tip jar handy to earn a few quarters!!
It’s a risk of WLS that is part of less than 3% total for complications after surgery—so no need to fear complications from WLS. To put in perspective that 3% is lower than the national averages for all sorts of surgeries!!!
I’m 17 months out from RNY and was just so super surprised by this new development! But initial surgery went very well! I went into surgery at 12 midnight and was back in my room after recovery by 3:45am! Woot! I have a rockstar surgeon and team who were able to do it all laporoscopically!
She said if I play my cards right and am able to eat something later today and get my walking in that I can probably go home late this afternoon! Yeah, baybee!!!
Now I just have to proactively start medicating to guard against having a Rosemary’s Baby sort of post op poo! 😞😥
i’m so grateful to everyone and for our Bariatric Pal Family! Thanks Alex for creating such a special place!
(Oh and I don’t recommend doing it this way, but this morning was back to being only 3.4lbs away from final Goal #3 of 130lbs!!! Woohoo! With my post op plan progression in place I expect to shed this post surgical Fluid weight gain in a couple of weeks and reach Goal #3!)

Best wishes to everyone having surgery next week!!! Week 3 are we ready?

Okay so find a good consignment store and replace pieces when they get too small.
The positive is that when those get too small you can trade them back for store credit.
What I’ve done (yes this is a bit OCD, but it works) is create a list of must-haves for work, casual, date night, working out. Then as you size down, go replace that piece.
For example, this week I need to find a smaller pair of black work pants. I’ve got the old pair laundered and ready to hand over and will get a discount on my new pair because my store gives you an even better deal of you trade for store credit rather than cash.
I plan on doing this for months until I can hit goal weight.

Dang! Was going to reply YESSSSSS! Then i realized I'm Week 4!! UGH.
Sorry, that probably didn't sound gracious...I'm still "GO WEEK 3 PEEPS!!!"

Best wishes to everyone having surgery next week!!! Week 3 are we ready?

I have noticed everyone mentions that too! and a phone charger, heating pad, extension cord. Those sound pretty handy based on my experience sitting with others in hospital.

Oh I forgot to mention those! I do have several kinds of Bone Broth, lots of Crystal Lite and Powerade Zero. I have some sugar-free popsicles too, but will probably need more by then.

Thanks!!

Many of the Vlogs I have watched on YouTube said to bring LIP BALM! I have some ready! LOL!

I would also add a variety of clear liquid options: herbal teas, sugar-free popsicles, Water flavorings like Crystal Light. The biggest struggle for most people after surgery is getting their fluids in (with or without protein) and you want to have lots of options (and temperature choices) available.
Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and a speedy recovery!

I signed my consent forms yesterday and the NP and surgeon sent in prescriptions to have on hand for after surgery.
I've ordered several different sampler packs of Protein supplements to get me started after surgery. I got the large sampler pack from here, a variety pack of Iso100 drinks, and a sample pack from Unjury. I also have a list of stuff to get at Walmart to have on hand, such as juven powder, mucinex, allergy medication for post-nasal drip, stool softener/laxative.. etc.
I'm about to make a list of things I should do before surgery, too. Any other ideas or things I'm missing?? 11 days to go!

Update- I just had an endoscopy performed. We found out the pouch is quite large and there is a fistula connecting the pouch to the remnant stomach. This info is being presented to the insurance, and hopefully the revision is approved.
Prior to the procedure I decided to pursue the revision despite the predicted results. I felt like I owed myself the opportunity to try again. In the interim, I've been meeting with a nutritionist to improve my eating habits.

Im happy.

I met with a surgeon last week about revision surgery. I had RNY over 20 years ago. I have gained almost all the weight back that I lost. The surgeon I met with suggest a laparoscopic plication to reduce the pouch size and also he will reduce the stoma. Then he will put lap-band over it but not use the lap-band and may never. He said the chances of me stretching the pouch again are high so the lap-band would be there and be ready for if and when i stop losing weight. Some surgeons here offer the revision with an endoscopic procedure to reduce the pouch size but have read that the weight loss is minimal and within a year ill be back gaining weight. The surgeon I met with last week explained he doesnt do the procedure that way anymore because of the low success rate. I haven't decided what I will do yet, still researching but if I go with the surgeon i met last week it will be all out of network so I want to make sure its the best choice of procedure since it will be costly.

My goal is to lose 100 lbs. with the sleeve and at 9 months I've lost 70 lbs. and have 30 to go. But you really have to change the way you eat, because you can still overeat with the sleeve and gain the weight back. Good luck!

Way to go!!!! I am especially loving the non-scale victory. I am so happy and so proud of you. Best news ever.

If your current document has documented today's weight, then all you need to do is request a copy of your medical records. You can then take that to another doctor for your next appointment, and your "clock" will not start over. Many patients do this when switching both doctors and surgeons. I am so sorry this is happening to you, sending you love and support. You could also see and AMAZING Nurse Practioner (I am so biased) who could also follow you for the medically supervised diet.

I went to my General Practitioner for the first of my 6 months of observation. I already knew that it wasn’t going to be a great visit, but I was shocked at how badly it actually went.
First let me say according to the nurse at the surgeon’s office, my surgeon can’t be the one to monitor me for 6 months.
My GP is a former army doctor. I usually try to pick a female (sorry guys, there is a difference) but after my last doctor misdiagnosed my hernia as a fold of fat, I went to my husband’s doctor. Unfortunately I feel like he is a pill pusher, and today was another “let’s take a pill” kind of day. He tried to prescribe phentermine again but I hate how it makes my heart race. He then went on the prescribe belviq because it supposedly has some mood stabilizers in it because I “obviously eat my emotions” so I need that. He wouldn’t listen when I told him I had already been To see a surgeon, that i’d Been to a support group, that I have a nutritionist appointment in a few weeks, and that I have a scope right after that. He wants me to lose 20 by December or he won’t sign off. I tried to explain to him that if I lose 20lbs my insurance will no longer cover it because I will be under 40 BMI, and his response was “thats dangerous game you are playing there.” I can’t afford this surgery otherwise. He also told me that I would be “subject to regular bloodwork for the rest of my life” and that since I am HIGHLY allergic to sulfa, Multivitamins would be difficult to find. All things I know from research I’ve done.
I left and and called my mother crying. I felt like it wasn’t going to happen at that point. She told me to stick with it because we have been praying for this so it has to work out. Show him that you can lose the 14 lbs (and no more) and see how it goes. Anyway, any stories of difficult doctors with positive outcomes would be appreciated! TIA

Can you switch doctors?? If not, your mom's got it right, you do you!
I'll preface my experience with: I got my gastric sleeve in Mexico, no insurance/approval hoops to jump through.
My doctor was cautiously on board with me having bariatric surgery, but was wary about the Mexico part. He gave me all kinds of horror stories, personal "aftermath" ones that had shown up at his office after assorted procedures abroad. Then he thought about it...said at least Tijuana was super-close to the US, and all of the horror stories (abcesses, drain infections, etc) were from getting plastics overseas. He wished me luck, and today he took out my stitches. He was impressed with how neat, clean, and minimally invasive the work was and said he looked forward to seeing me for my post-op blood workup.

This is today!! BEST Wishes on your surgery