The Greater Fool

I try not to reply to these threads before other folks because my experience is nearly two decades past and my personal experience was anything but normal. But here we are. I lost a bit more than 500 pounds so yeah, I had a little extra skin. I had initially planned for abdominoplasty and thigh-plasty whatever it's Latin name was. Others I would then ponder later. I say initially because after the abdominoplasty I hemorrhaged and died briefly when they ripped me open to fix the problem. I was supposed to end up with a virtually invisible scar, but that ship sailed when they had to open me back up. Once I woke again my recovery followed a pretty normal trajectory for the time: 15 pounds of skin removed and lots and lots of pain. Lots and lots of pain wasn't unexpected as everything I read beforehand indicated such would be the case. And yet the reality of it was a bit overwhelming. After about three weeks, as I recall, everything became manageable and life began returning to normal. I'm not sure how much the methods and pain have changed, I'll leave that to others. I honestly can't see how my experience or recovery would have been different from a woman's experience and I certainly didn't ignore anyone's experience in my research. I lived in Las Vegas, NV at the time I had surgery, but there wasn't anyone in town that was able or willing to do my surgery, so I ended up having it done at UCLA Medical Center in Southern California. So, I can't really name surgeon's that might help you. Good luck, Tek

If they cover the procedure, then aren't they compelled to give the reason(s) for denial? I've often seen simple/stupid reasons for denial that were easily overcome. Even if not simple/stupid it gives a clear target to overcome. But a simple 'Denied' seems like a problem in itself. Good luck, Tek

I'm four-square in favor of undergarments. It's just the way I roll. The only time I did compression garments is when I started running after loosing give or take 400 pounds. Can't have all that skin going one way when I want to go another. Otherwise, I didn't bother. Since the Tummy-tuck even less need to bother. Let's see, at goal I still just wear what is comfortable, but with a risqué piece here and there. Comfortable pre-op had far fewer choices for different needs than now. I like now better. Oh, I'm a guy. Pronouns are whatever, you'd be surprised the variety that I hear. Good luck, Tek

It wasn't the RNY that was tough, it was the "open" aspect that was. Open surgery means they made a long incision from my sternum to just above my belly button. It gave the surgeons a clear view of what they were doing. I found out that I was used as a teaching tool, there were 3 extra surgeons looking on. It took them 35 staples to close me up. 35 staples from hell. "Comparison is the thief of joy" is now mine. Sorry folks, you'll be seeing it a lot. Good luck, Tek

I had an open RNY so they idea of laying down flat was laughable... if laughing didn't hurt so much. Once the staples and drain were removed after about 3 weeks I was able to start entertaining the idea of laying flat. I entertained the idea for about another 2 weeks when I finally gave it a go. Another week and I was laying down in just about any position I put my mind to, though I didn't put my mind to it over much. By six weeks I was pretty much able to position myself in just about any way. I was a rather large fellow, so there was more of me putting pressure on tender spots than for the average bear. I didn't see any reason to push myself, it's not like I was in a race or such. Good luck, Tek

Just by way of alternatives: My plan never included protein drinks. I'm one of those folks that gets their protein from "food." Google it if necessary. My plan from day 1 was/is 3 meals per day of 3-4oz protein + 1oz veggies. First 6 weeks it was pureed. Granted, I never completed a meal until about 5 or 6 months post-op, but I did the best I could and my team was happy with that. At any rate, just a different take on the whole protein thing. Good luck, Tek

Since it's so early post-op it sounds like the extraordinarily common '3 week stall' which happens 1-6 weeks post-op. The one sure fire fix is to get off the scale for a while. Good luck, Tek

You've lost 75 pounds. Why do you believe you need a diet product like this? Tek

Get off your scale. Follow your plan. If you follow your plan you will lose weight and you will succeed. You don't need a scale to succeed. But because of a number on a scale you are asking if you should change your plan. This is how scales can screw you up. There is more happening in your body than what you eat. You just had surgery with all sorts of fluids and drugs pumped into you, then you started effectively starving yourself (per plan). You're body will respond in all sorts of weird ways to get back to a normal that it will likely never achieve. It will eventually arrive at a new normal, very soon. Good luck, Tek

"We all have issues, some of which where will power alone can work. Then there are other, more complex issues where will power alone is simply inadequate. My long term obesity is one of these, so I've gotten help where my will power is rewarded with success. Another example would be people not being able to think before they speak. Too bad there is no surgery to help such people, poor dears." Good luck, Tek

Everything is better with cheese. Extra cheese. Full fat, since I can't eat much of it anyhow. Also from, well, day 10. I couldn't eat much of anything before that. The dairy industry's stocks went down as a result. All things in moderation, including moderation. Good luck, Tek

As @summerseeker was told, 65% or so weight loss is about the average excess weight loss for Roux-en-Y (RNY). Personally, I find such averages to be next to useless. I'm not average. Heck, it's axiomatic that the average person is not average. At any rate, what to expect. My plan is forever. From day 1 post-op I was intent that I would never be on a weight loss diet ever again. My plan is foods I enjoy that fit my life goals. No crash diets. No counting calories, carbs, or whatever. No weighing myself at home. Working out is one of those things everyone agrees needs to be done which I didn't do. Ever. There is nothing like exercising for it's own sake. No thanks. I did do a lot of walking, what my spouse and I call 'people watching.' When I got down to about 100 pounds overweight I challenged myself to run 5K. I did a plan similar to "Couch to 5K" (C25K). When I got to 5k I realized I enjoyed it, so I kept doing it. I started binge running. Running was a time just for me, that I could contemplate the coming day and listen to audiobooks. A great start or end to a day. Long story short, I ended up running 5 marathons. That is something I never thought I'd do. I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. Extra skin for me was inevitable. My deflated stomach hung way down. To a lesser extent all the places one would expect extra skin I had it. I started with an Abdominoplasty, after which a bleeding disorder almost killed me. No more elective surgeries for me. So I've had to get used to things as they are. Not the end of the world. What life is like now. I've been my current weight for about 17 years which is a weight loss of a bit over 500 pounds. I am still happily eating to plan. Some of the things I wanted to do after I lost weight I didn't end up doing. Other things I never thought about I thoroughly enjoy. Mostly, things just got easier. Good luck, Tek

Where are you on your plan? Are you still doing the protein first thing. What does your eating look like? For you, what is dumping? What specific symptoms? What foods cause it? Are you able to connect your other symptoms (nausea, dehydration, diarrhea) with specific foods, drinks or other activities? On the dehydration, is this in spite of getting appropriate levels of fluids? What levels are those for you? Have your doctors done blood work? Was there anything of note? I've had on and off anemia and nausea that I can connect to specific mental issues and resultant behaviors which even though I am aware of the causes they still sometimes get away from me. For me, I Just have to push to do what I need to regardless of how much I don't want to when I'm going through a funk. I'm a big 'ol dumper on sugars and fats but fortunately I don't have much issue keeping those in check. I know for some people fats and sugars are go-to comfort foods that are tough to get control over, though not so much for me. I've reached out to therapy on a couple of occasions when I simply could not figure out the funk, which helped dramatically. Then the advice and coping skills I learned are always within reach. Keep focusing on the important stuff and let the nonsense look after itself. Good luck, Tek

All things are possible. Not all things are probable. Horror stories are least likely of all. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and focus to doing your best either way. I've only had Bypass so I can't address going from Sleeve to Bypass. But I am responding because I do have some of the issues you fear... I dump on both sugars and fats, and it doesn't take exceptionally large quantities to kick in. I actually wanted to dump so that sugars and fats wouldn't be things I could eat with impunity. I hoped dumping would put my body to work for me on this and I have to admit I'm very happy with the result. It took an amazingly few dumping episodes for me to change my habits. Throwing up is an entirely different beast than pre-op. The only time I throw up is when food get's stuck going down. Again, it took an amazingly few episodes of doing it wrong to learn to take my time and do it correctly. I can't recall the last time this was an actual issue. Once the food goes down, it's pretty much impossible for me to throw up. If my body insists on it, I just end up with dry heaving, which is less fun than it sounds. On balance things could be worse. Try not to borrow troubles from tomorrow. Good luck, Tek

One of the google sources said there have been only 4 documented cases of this syndrome. In another reference, doctors did scans and tests and examinations and found nothing, but when someone who knew what they were looking for, problems were discovered. This of course indicates that if your average doctors looked at it they probably wouldn't know if they were seeing it. Get a top of the line Gastroenterologist that is used to looking at rare things to take a look. Good luck, Tek

Then definitely don't get the sleeve. Ask him who would change it to RNY when the GERD get's worse, then go to that surgeon. Good luck, Tek

How is taking the easy way wrong? On almost anything else you would be harassed for NOT taking the easy way. Why is the hard way so much better? Because it will build character? Thanks but we have plenty of character from all the previous hard ways we've tried and failed. Over and over. WLS looks like the easy way because it works, and it works faster than most diets. Having said this, it's a waste of time arguing with people about the easy or hard ways, or whether or not you need surgery. They don't care about how you lose weight, they care that you want to. As I said in another thread recently and as others have pointed out already, you are changing the status quo. You are changing your relationships. Some may change for the better, others for the worse. Everyone is used to you as you are and WLS will change that. Things will change for better and worse. Or not. Everyone is different. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forum. As a tip, I would not put a time frame on your weight loss. It's an easy way to turn a success into a failure. I checked my history and I did not quite make 240 pounds in the first 12 months, though I ultimately lost 500+ eventually. Good luck, Tek

You are threatening the status quo. That can be very scary and can change existing safe relationships dramatically and not always for the best. Generally when people don't want you to improve yourself there is something in it for them for you to stay as you are. Maybe not. It will take some soul searching to discover the truth. Good luck, Tek

Restriction doesn't always wear off. I'm about 20 years post-op and my restriction is about the same as it was at about 6 months post-op. I honestly don't know if it's something my surgeon did, or I did, or just dumb luck. Keep the good habits, don't push your envelope, and continue to bask in your successes. Good luck, Tek

In addition to rashes, back-pain and added Lymphedema problems are additional issues where "reconstructive surgery" will address issues. You've done a bunch of scary things since you decided to start addressing your health issues by having Weight Loss Surgery. You just need to continue putting your health first and bravely continue advocating for your health. Your Doctors work for you and if they aren't doing the job find a new doctor that will. Good luck, Tek

I would advise you to get rid of the scale. I say this a lot and it's difficult to say it in new and interesting ways. Let's see... We don't need the scale to follow our plans. We can follow our plans to the letter and stall or even gain a pound or three, as is very common. In such a case it's easy to start considering "changing things up" to get the scale moving again. in the first several months we could completely abandon our plans and still lose weight. Looking at the scale will give many of us confirmation that we are doing well when in fact we aren't. Again, the scale is a poor guide. We should measure our success on how well we are following our plan. Are we feeling better? How is our mental attitude? Are health issues resolving? How about those clothes? Are you more active? Is it getting easier? There are all sorts of measures of success without a number on a scale. I was too large for a home scale so was only able to weigh in at monthly follow-ups. I'm confident I had stalls or even days where my weight was higher than the day before. I never actually experienced them. Every weigh in was lower than the month before. Never a temptation to "get the scale moving." You are at the beginning of this adventure. Focus on the things you can control. You can't control a number on a scale. Damn it, not new. Let's see if next time I can come up with a Hanzal and Gretel fairy tale where the witch is a scale... Good luck, Tek

Sure... blame the weight loss. Good luck, Tek

When submitting a post the site often goes into a forever nothingness and it's easy to figure it didn't work when in fact it did. One get's used to it. If it happens, just refresh the page and see if your post is there. Tiredness and lack of motivation can be a symptom of depression. It might help to talk to a professional. Or even a therapist. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. Let me try to hit everything in no particular order. Much of this is general stuff that may or may not be helpful to you, but may help others that read. Congratulations on your successes to date. Beer: Be very careful of transfer addiction, which is common when one coping mechanism, such as food, is taken away so we find another mechanism to replace it. Additionally, with a bypass alcohol is harder on the liver than with normies. Again, be careful. Muscle loss: Is very common and expected. Rapid weight loss such as we experience causes loss of fat, muscle, and in many cases organs (which is why rapid weight loss for too long is unhealthy). Additionally, it takes extra muscle to move our pre-op bodies around. As we lose weight we require less muscle to move less weight around. 6 meals: At a year out it's ok to make rational adjustments based on your experience and requirements. As an example, I'll share a personal anecdote: My plan is 3 meals a day of 3-4oz protein 1oz veggies. No protein drinks or snacks. This is my surgeon's hard and fast plan, period. At about 2 years post-op I decided to challenge myself to a 'Couch to 5K [C25K]' program that gets one to running 5K in 30 days. It turns out I enjoyed running so started binge running. As my miles per week increased my surgeon increased my meals to 4 per day. Then 5. Then 6. Then added a protein drink. I very much disliked 6 meals per day as I felt like I was always eating. When I stopped running it was back to 3 meals per day. Point of the story is there are times to make rational changes. In your situation, it may make sense to reduce your meals (and slightly increase meal size. Or if you want to stay close to where you are, 3 meals + 3 snacks. Or whatever works for you. I'd wager that the author of your plan would be on board with rational changes. Compliance: In the first several months patients will lose weight no matter what they eat or drink. Being compliant to your plan builds success with the positive reinforcement of losing weight. It's the new, healthy habits that keep you from regaining weight. Trying to start compliance when the weight loss stops too soon puts us into the same diet and fail cycle we lived pre-op, with the same results. Good luck, Tek