LanaLee

No my schedule for August 3.. EXCITED 🙏🏽

Having sleeve surgery on the 29th July at Southampton Spire any one else

I got my date for July 28!

Hey everyone! Gastric Bypass July 9th here. I had my pre-op appointment yesterday and they were extremely thorough! For those interested, I wanted to go over the details of what my process has looked like so far:
- My insurance required an EKG, blood work, and gallbladder scan. So, during my pre-op, they redid all of those to compare the previous values with the most recent results. normal EKG, no high cholesterol, no high BP, no gallstones, normal thyroid levels, higher-ish estrogen, and borderline pre-diabetic which was NOT fun to hear but will hopefully be resolved with Bypass.
- I spoke with the nurse and my (very handsome lol) surgeon, who re-reviewed all possible risks and complications. He explained how he would do the surgery (five incisions, robotic) and what to expect before and after. He also checked me for hernias, which I don't have.
- Met with my dietician to re-review my pre-op diet and just to check in with me. She provided me with info on how to set up future appointments if needed as I transition through the phases.
- The clinic gave me information on how to get my family member informed on what was happening. The hospital I am using has an app and the surgeon's team will text updates periodically.
- I'm expected to be in-patient and will stay for one night unless I have complications.
- They provided me with the sterile soap, Hibiclens and instructions on how to use it. bathe with half the bottle the night before, the other half the morning of (they gave me a sheet i have to mark down the date and time of the wash and turn it in the morning of). wash hair, no products, no contacts, no invisalign, clean sheets, clean pajamas.
- the doctor gave me my prescriptions, which include: Gabapentin, acetominaphen, ondansetron for nausea, promethazine Syrup, ursodial to prevent gallstones (thankfully i don't have any), and prilosec (OTC).
- I had a chest xray and was asked if I had any implant anywhere (i don't.) all came back normal.
- spoke with the anesthesiologist who weighed me, took my height, and explained the overall process to me. i've only been under once for a 70-minute MRI a few years ago but i know approximately what to expect. I will also be getting a 96-hour abdominal block to help with pain along with my (very strong) medication.
- They provided me with information on what to eat and drink the night before (light Breakfast, Protein Shake, Clear Liquids, and then four hours before the surgery, 16 oz of water), day of (clear liquids) four days after, two weeks after, (heavy liquids) one month after (maintenance phase).
- set up a post-op appt 10 days later, and another one a month after surgery.
- The morning of the surgery i arrive at 7:30 am, am checked in and put in pre-op, surgery should last two hours, one hour of recovery, and then moved to my private room where my sister will be waiting for me. no overnight guests because of COVID but this hospital has a designated bariatric surgery floor so all of the nurses are specialized in this, and even nicer, all of the equipment accommodate larger patients. so, large recliners, large beds, laaarge gowns, large chairs, sturdy IV machines, belly bands. very comfortable.
- i'm planning on bringing an ipad, books, lip balm, lotions, warmer socks, grippy sandals, button down pajamas, a small pillow they recommended as a "splint" when i get in and out of bed, and toiletries.
I feel pretty ready i suppose, but it doesn't feel quite real yet! crazy to believe that in a few months i'll be down a significant amount of weight (hopefully) and look slimmer. I am on my two-week pre-op diet which consists of two Protein Shakes and one light meal a day, with "free" snack foods including fat free cheese, lean meats, sugar free Jello popsicles and pudding, high Protein yogurts, and non-starchy veggies with light hummus or light ranch. hasn't been super easy but I'm trying my best. and LOTS of Water.
Let me know if you have questions, i'll be glad to answer them.

Hi all!! New to this group so greatful I found it. I'm having surgery on July 7th! Day 6 liquid diet so far so good

July 15th over here! congratulations everyone

That really sucks. Can't understand how they can send someone on their way with no further info. For what it's worth my program outlined the following:

FOR LIFE: 64 ounces of Water a day
FOR LIFE: 60-70 grams of Protein a day
FOR LIFE: All required Vitamins (multi Vitamin, B12, B1, Calcium)
30-30-30 Rule

And since you most likely won't be able to eat everything as suggested, you should eat protein first, then veggies, then starch, etc.

AFTER SURGERY:

FULL LIQUIDS for TWO WEEKS
PUREE STAGE for ONE WEEK
SOFT food STAGE for TWO WEEKS (suggested 5 servings protein, 2 fruits/veggies, 1 starch, 1 healthy fat)
REGULAR FOOD for LIFE (suggested 7 servings protein, 1 dairy, 3 starch, 2 fruit, 2 veggies,, 2 healthy fat)

I was not given calorie goals for any stage. Just the REGULAR FOOD stage at which point I am to stay UNDER 1000 as long as I'm still losing/trying to reach my goal weight. There is so much more info I have and it's more detailed but that's the basics.

So, at 6 months out. I have lost 67 pounds and then 23 t before. So I am at 90lbs down. I have been avoiding here because I feel like I see so many people lose that in 3 months. I swim 4 times a week. My doctor says because I am muscular, that is why I don’t lose as quickly. I’m putting on muscle as I work out but I just don’t see the scale move. Sometimes, it just feels like I’ll never get there. I was stalled for 2.5 weeks. Now I am back down to losing but seemingly taking forever to break into the next weight bracket. Is anyone else a slow loser? I honestly hate it but don’t know how to speed it up. I get around 800 calories a day, I get my Protein, I don’t cheat, I get Water and Vitamins, and swim 4 times a week, like I said. I just don’t get why my body is so stubborn and holds on. Feeling kind of sad about it all.

My surgery was moved up to July 15 and now I am excited but nervous.

I am scheduled for July 21

Hi Onmywayfrom256,
I can definitely relate to your doubts. I know that the decision to have this surgery is right for me at this point, but I do have some fears of it not working the way I hoped, loose skin, hair falling out, regain, & complications.
I have dealt with mild Hair loss after having each of my 2 children. I am less worried about this, as I heard it is temporary. Still not fun. Hopefully, Protein & Iron supplements will help.
The loose skin is something that I may not be able to avoid, but I am going to try to take collagen in addition to all the other Vitamins & supplements we need. I will also try cocoa butter & compression. Not sure if any of it will help, but I will try.
Some things unfortunately are out of our control, so it is easy to fear the unknown.
This is a big step we are all taking, and we all want to succeed in something that has been challenging for us. Most of us have been let down before with weight loss attempts, so those doubts unfortunately pop up.
Hoping you feel better knowing that someone else has concerns about the road ahead.
Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Wishing you a successful journey. 🤞😊

Stats:
Male, 6’4” (193cm for the more enlightened)
46 years old.
All time known high weight 356lbs (161.5kg) (approx June 2013)
Surgery weight 334lbs (151.5kg).
Self pay, Dr Galileo Villarreal - Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, June 12, 2020 $4400 all in, VSG & hiatal hernia repair.
Current weight 194lbs (88kg).

This turned out to be way too long… sorry.

The idea of having surgery wasn’t anything I ever really gave any thought to. I did the lifetime attempts at diet and exercise without success. The lowest weight I ever achieved was 285 when I hiked almost daily in the mountains surround Las Vegas. But like all my other attempts, things changed, I got tired of the same thing, and put it all back on plus some (yet again). Fast forward to 2020 and my wife looks at me and asks “have you ever thought about gastric surgery?”
“Well, not really but I’ll look into it.”
I don’t recall exactly how long I researched, I know it wasn’t long. One day, maybe two? I knew my insurance wouldn’t cover it at all, so self pay was my only option unless I wanted to wait and change to a different plan (I’m impatient so that wasn’t happening). Anyway I live near Houston so I started looking at the border towns in Mexico and came across the website for Dr Galileo Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo. I made a phone call to his assistant who handles US patients and had an appointment set for two weeks later (for the procedure, not just a consultation). The next few days I mostly looked at before and after photos and was really excited about the possibilities. I don’t worry about much in general(why worry about what I can’t control?) so I didn’t bother reading too many horror stories. I understood that people who have problems are far more likely to post, seeking guidance/solutions than people who cruise through easily. I did look up complication statistics and that alone completely eliminated any worries that may have existed. I watched several videos of the procedure (I was interested to see what’s going to happen to me) and that too brought me comfort, seeing how quick and relatively simple the procedure was. Traveling to Mexico also didn’t bother me in the slightest. The way I figure is a doctor either cares or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter which side of the border they happen to be on. The one obvious downside to surgery in another country is “what if something does go wrong?” But again realistically I knew that was unlikely and it’s not like I couldn’t walk into a hospital once back home to get care for anything I might have needed.
I spent the next few days having tons of food funerals. I reveled in the experience and really went crazy with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, smoked brisket, homemade carbonara Pasta (I even found some real guanciale), more Cinnamon Toast Crunch… you get the idea..
My pre-op diet arrived via email. It was sparse and consisted of things like cream Soup, Protein Drinks, electrolyte drinks etc. I had seven days of this before surgery. This was - by far - the worst part of the whole experience. Day one I was good. Day two I was pacing frantically. Day three I cheated and hated myself for it. Day four was a little better. Days 5 & 6 I had resigned to the lifestyle and at this point I was so giddy with excitement about the surgery I didn’t care anymore about the food as much.
I was fortunate with my timing in regard to COVID. The border was still open and there were no issues about that, I was a little surprised that the Mexican Border Guards didn’t even care to see my passport or ask any questions. I was just waived through, barely given a glance. I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later to begin the pre op blood work and physical.
This is where I had my first moment of “oh shit.” It was late in the day and apparently the normal nurse who handled the blood draw had already left. So this nice young man was assigned to get my blood. He takes me into a small room and I could tell he was really scared. We had an obvious language barrier but I kept pointing to a big thick vein in the crock of my elbow that you really can’t miss. I’ve had enough blood drawn in the past, no one has ever missed it first shot. He was literally shaking and sweating all over my arm. I kept pointing and saying “aqui” but he would get the needle close then pull it back and look around and sweat some more. It was a good ten minutes of this and I was starting (just starting?) to get a little worried. Again, I could tell he either never did this or rarely so I didn’t assume this was a sign of how it was all going to go (it didn’t, it all was fine after this). Eventually someone must have recognized there was an issue. Another nurse came in, looked at the obvious vein, and popped that needle in.
I wouldn’t know if my blood work was ok until the next morning, so they drove us to the hotel (which was included in the price) and we went to bed.
The next morning they picked us up and brought me back to the hospital. I checked in, got word that my blood work was fine and I forked over the cash for the procedure ($4000) plus a $400 deposit in case I had a hernia that needed to be repaired.
The hospital was very nice. Beautifully decorated, polished marble walls and floors. As clean (to the naked eye of course) as any hospital I’ve been in. It was small, but appropriately sized for the area it served. It was not a dedicated Bariatric facility, just a typical public hospital.
I actually enjoy the experience of being put under anesthesia and I wasn’t nervous at all so I declined the sedative and just went for it. The weirdest part was the staff asking me questions through google translate on their phones. Dr. Villarreal and his assistant spoke perfectly fluent English but the pre op staff had a lot of questions to ask. Even though they spoke some English and I spoke some Spanish, when it comes to translating medical related stuff it was definitely better using the app, it was just a little surreal.
I was wheeled into the OR, greeted again by Dr. Villarreal who asked if I wanted any music played (I did) and I went under listening to some classic rock.
I woke up in moderate pain, but nothing too bad. I was brought to my room where my wife was waiting for me. The first few hours I just relaxed in bed. Eventually I was given some ice chips to suck on and allowed to get up with assistance and go to the bathroom. Things were tender but I don’t recall being in a lot of pain. Walking was a slow shuffle and I was given permission to do laps around the hospital. I met a couple other people who had the same procedure the day prior and we nodded and smiled knowing we were on the same journey together. They were nice moments and I hope they’re doing well. Later in the day I did a barium swallow to ensure there were no leaks. It tasted like shit (sorry), and I got to watch it on the monitor. It was pretty interesting to see. Doctor visited me several times, and I asked if he had video or photos of my procedure, and he sent me some cool pics of my removed stomach and of my hernia and repair. I was given an antibiotic pill. I had read enough “no pills after surgery” posts here that this gave me concern. The pill was literally the biggest pill I have ever taken in my life. It was an inch long and thick. I pointed at my stomach and said “esta bien?” and she nodded and so I took it. It went down fine, didn’t hurt or anything. We stayed over that night which was more walking and ice and eventually electrolyte drinks and some Jello. I was given a bag of pills, more of those giant antibiotics, anti nausea meds, and some non-opioid pain pills. They wheeled me out where my car was waiting for me and we started the drive home.
The drive home the next day was about five hours total, we took our time. Getting into the US took an hour or so, but wasn’t an issue. One thing I took particular notice of on the ride home was just how many restaurants there are. I was obviously hyper focused on food and I was dumbstruck at the endless strip centers filled with high calorie options. Just endless.
I’ll speed things up here….
The first week was fine, some pain in my left arm that scared me. Spoke to the doctor and he explained that gas left over in the abdomen can rest on the diaphragm which can translate into left arm pain. He advised the typical “walk it off” prescription and sure enough that fixed it.
Food intake was slow but I didn’t care. This was much easier than the pre op diet even though it was essentially the same. Broths, Gatorade, Protein Shakes. By week two I was feeling great and ready for mushy foods. Cottage cheese was my friend. By week three I felt normal. I starting having a scrambled egg here and there and that’s when I began to feel the restrictions. The first meat I tried was around week three, I had some ground chicken with seasoned salt and it was pretty good and didn’t bother me.
I visited my regular doctor a month or so in and he was happy with my weight loss. My back doctor was also happy and we both were hopeful it would fix my back issues (spoiler it didn’t completely).
One year out I still have zero hunger. I had one spell in December where I thought it returned and it was disappointing and scary. It only lasted a few days and I don’t know what caused it. It really felt like the MORE I ate the hungrier I got and if not for physical restriction I would have eaten myself out of any other normal “diet.” Fortunately that’s gone and I’m back to no hunger, one year out. But im prepared and ready should it return.
There are no significant stories or details for the rest of my journey. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had zero problems. No foods have bothered me, I did not get sick, my tastes didn’t change (my eating habits did but not due to bad foods no longer tasting good, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is still awesome but I just don’t eat it any more except a couple pieces here and there). My main drinks are coffee, diet Mountain Dew and Monster Zero Ultra (the white can). I’m not going to pretend that I’m a model citizen of this forum. There are plenty of things I eat and drink that I probably shouldn’t. I’m in maintenance mode now and still losing (very slowly) even though I’m eating garbage like peanut m&ms to try and up my calories without increasing capacity. I know there are better options but I like them and it’s working fine for me. I don’t take Vitamins like I should but I just had my one year blood panel done and all my labs came back in the middle of the normal range so no worries on that front. Somehow my Vitamin D is normal for the first time as an adult. Again, don’t look at me as a guide, but it is what it is and I think it’s important share what is working.

I’ve included two screen shots of some graphs I used in a spreadsheet. The first is simply my weight loss over time. The second is a rolling weekly average using the past seven days. So each point on the graph looks back seven days, takes that weight, subtracts the current day’s weight. “I lost 2.4 lbs the past week” etc. This graph highlights stalls, and recovery from stalls etc. so you can see my weight loss was really fast at first. The big stall during the holidays where I didn’t gain or lose. For me this graph was more useful as sometimes I felt like I was stalled but the graph proved otherwise.

Here is a breakdown of my loss at 30 day intervals. Don’t compare me to you or to anyone else. There are over 7 billion of us and we’re all unique.

Day 30: 29.2lbs
Day 60: 46.0
Day 90: 63.5
Day 120: 74.6
Day 150: 92.1
Day 180: 102
Day 210: 103 (holidays/long stall)
Day 240: 113.6
Day 270: 120
Day 300: 129.5
Day 330: 135
Day 360: 138.8

Conclusion and final thoughts:

For some of us this journey IS the easy way out, and I honest to God don’t care. Im happy and healthy and I’d do it again without hesitation. I want people on the fence about having the procedure to know that. It’s easy to get lost in the problems people post about. Those problems ARE REAL and do happen. But I really think there are a lot of us out there for whom this journey has been easy, you just don’t hear from us as often. People who are having a difficult time need advice or want a solution so it’s natural and helpful to post questions about those problems. But it does skew the impressions towards the negative.
I wish I did this years ago. I don’t know why I never even thought of it. I guess it was one of those things I thought was reserved for medically necessary intervention. But you know what? I had a BMI over 40. It was medically necessary. I’m VERY lucky that at age 45 I was not on a downward spiral health wise, but it could have started any day. My wife’s dad was a “big guy” too, and was active and worked hard. Then one day, diabetes. Another day, bad knees. Another day a stroke. He had the sleeve AFTER these things and did lose weight but he can’t walk, can’t enjoy life, he’s miserable because he waited too long. Don’t wait. If you need to lose weight do it now. Figure out a way that works for you. Surgery is relatively safe, with far fewer complications than doing nothing and assuming you’ll just always be a healthy “big person.” But it’s not the only solution. Whatever it is that works for you, make it happen.
I know I won’t live forever and I know I can regain and I know lots of bad things could be lined up in my future.
But today I feel great.
Today I’m happy.
Today I look at myself and I see the me that I always knew existed. It’s the most wonderful feeling. I hope from the bottom of my heart everyone here will feel it too…..

….But I know not everyone will. My wife for example. Surgery has done nothing for her. 20lbs in a year. And she DOES follow the plan. For those of you in her situation who are probably cursing me and telling me to shut the f up, I get you. And I’m sorry. Don’t give up though. We’re all here for you; this forum is a great asset. We want you to succeed. Vent, cry, scream out, ask a million questions, we hear you. Just don’t give up.

Congratulations!! Mine is suppose to be July 6 , however I have to wait for my insurance to look over my pre authorization first my doc sent in. He sent in a one in the beginning when I first saw him and there was not enough info. But I was told he was suppose to send it in after I had all my 6months diet and all the requirements the insurance wants us to go through. They end up declining it.. but I’m so glad I spoke with my insurance and they said they did received a 18 page Pre Authorization and info. So hopefully it will get through MRV. Do you have any suggestions

Lex2021- I hope it goes through and gets approved! I don’t know if my suggestion is helpful, and I am sure others may have better ideas, but maybe call them to keep checking the status everyday or every few days will help make sure it gets processed. If they didn't give you a timeline for how long it usually takes to get approved, see if they can give you an idea. Maybe they can try to push it through faster since the date is approaching. Wishing you lots of luck.🤞🍀

Mine is scheduled for July the 1st. I five days out. I’m so excited and nervous all in one.

My surgery was moved up to July 15 and now I am excit d but nervous.

July 20.
I've had to reschedule 3x now, so I have this skeptical feeling, but that's my date!

Original surgery date was in June but rescheduled for July 12-woohoo! Good luck to you all and I'm looking forward to following everyone's progress. Oh and a big shoutout to Candace76 I'm gonna look up those YouTubers, thanks

almost no one loses 6-8 lbs a week. I think a lot of people's expectations are skewed by TV shows like "My 600 lb Life", but you have to remember that those people started out MUCH heavier than the average WLS patient. If you lost 25 lbs in five weeks, you are perfectly normal. I lost 16 lbs the first MONTH, and I started at 373 lbs. If you haven't lost anything in the past week, then you are in a stall. If you continue to follow your program, the stall will eventually break and you'll be on your way again. You will likely experience more stalls along your journey - most of us do. When you hit them, just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days if you need to - and know that it will eventually break. They usually last 1-3 weeks.
it's really pointless to compare yourself to others because rate of weight loss depends on so many factors - age, gender, activity level, metabolic rate, starting BMI, whether or not you lost weight before surgery, genetics, etc etc etc. If you're committed to your program, you WILL lose weight, whether fast or slow. I was a slow loser from day 1, and I ended up losing 100% of my excess weight.

I apologize for the typos. I’ll blame it on the pain meds 😸

mine is july 6!

Thanks, LizzLosingIt. I am glad that you have such a great support system. My parents, sister, & husband were first to know and they have all been amazingly supportive. 💗 I recently told one friend and plan on telling another friend this weekend. I believe & hope everyone will be supportive. I am sure there is always at least one person that has to be negative🙄, but I usually find that it isn't someone I would seek advice from anyway. 🤷‍♀️
The YouTuber that I have seen the most of is Erin from My Level 10 Life. I saw many of her videos, & she was the first one I started watching. She has tons of content. I have also seen a few from Amber A'liyaa, Lindsey Val, Time to Shrink, Kimberly H., & The Chic & Savvy Belle. They all have tips I found useful. It is interesting to see their journey & progress. There transformations are inspiring. I also watched a few videos of doctors perform the surgery.
Do you (or any other July People) have YouTubers that you watch?
Also, has anyone found recipes they might want to try for the puree/ soft food stage? Or websites they like for recipes?

Mine 7/6/2! 🙃

Hi Other July Surgery People!😊👋
My VSG surgery is booked for July 26th. I have met with the nutritionist, done my bloodwork & next I have to get clearance from my cardiologist (murmur & hypertension). My pre op class is on the 6th, it will be nice to hopefully meet some other people getting surgery there. Then on the 19th I see my endocrinologist (PCOS, hashimoto/hypothyroidism, pre-diabetes).
In the next few weeks I will continue to research & plan for the surgery and the food plans. I like watching YouTube videos of other people who have gone through the surgery, and looking at recipes or shopping lists. I started journaling, habit tracking, and logging my food (which I still need to get more consistent with).
I might start replacing one meal a day with a Protein Shake. Definitely need to work on getting more Water in!
I have not really told many people of my surgery plans, yet. I am totally fine with being open about it, but my weight is my least favorite subject, so I just haven't felt like sharing with everyone just yet.
Wishing everyone the best on this amazing journey we will be on! 🤗 It will be great to hear everyone's updates as they go through the different stages of this process. It is nice to have other people to be in this together with. 😁

July 13 RNY here in Texas!!!! I’m nervous and excited. Nervous Bc I never thought of this. I just found out that I was a candidate 4 months ago and now I’m schedule for a life changing procedure.