Queen ApisM

Definitely check what would work for the eval. For example, I was already seeing a therapist, who assumed I needed to go through a special battery of testing/questions. The surgeon's office clarified that she just needed to write a letter addressing specific concerns, which she was able to do just based on our ongoing work.
Good luck!

The test should show it. When I had my heart issue, people were downgrading my concerns - even with my family history of heart issues - and telling me it was anxiety. When I finally went to the cardiologist, he was aghast no one confirmed I didn't have a heart attack months prior. Thankfully, the tests showed I did not, though I did/do have other significant heart issues. Anyway, I would not panic. The diagnosis code is probably partly so they can justify the test with insurance - the EKG probably indicates evidence of a possible heart attack, and thus is to check for whether that is true or not. My mom had an EKG suggest she had a heart attack, and the follow ups showed she did not - she "just" has heart damage from uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Good luck. Worst case scenario, even if you had an old heart attack, it's better to know now and they can work around it to make sure you are healthy in the future.

I've lost a ton of hair, but it is thinning and not bald Patches. It is noticeable to me and my hair stylist, but not to most people. I think the visible impact depends a lot on what your hair situation is going into surgery. I had very thick hair, so while it is now thinner (and obviously so to me, especially when I notice how oily my hair gets after not washing it for a few days and also when I am putting it in a ponytail) most people can't tell. I'm now about 7 months out and the Hair loss has slowed. I just got 6 inches cut off the ends to bring it to my shoulders, and it looks really nice. So, there is a lot you can do to help with volume with a different cut, if that is a concern. My stylist confirmed that new growth is coming in at the roots again, because it is thicker there than at the mid-shaft and ends.
A plus side? The new shorter length and thinner face has people commenting on how much younger I look. I'll take that!
just edited to add: I always met my Protein, food, Vitamin, and fluid goals from the beginning, so you can do all the right things and have hair loss. It is luck of the draw, I think.

All of this, right here. My relationship with food is so different. I can walk away from things I never could have resisted before. Again, I'm still in the honeymoon period, but it has been so liberating for me.
Also, I just realized @Splenda is my surgery twin. 🙂

I've lost a ton of hair, but it is thinning and not bald Patches. It is noticeable to me and my hair stylist, but not to most people. I think the visible impact depends a lot on what your hair situation is going into surgery. I had very thick hair, so while it is now thinner (and obviously so to me, especially when I notice how oily my hair gets after not washing it for a few days and also when I am putting it in a ponytail) most people can't tell. I'm now about 7 months out and the Hair loss has slowed. I just got 6 inches cut off the ends to bring it to my shoulders, and it looks really nice. So, there is a lot you can do to help with volume with a different cut, if that is a concern. My stylist confirmed that new growth is coming in at the roots again, because it is thicker there than at the mid-shaft and ends.
A plus side? The new shorter length and thinner face has people commenting on how much younger I look. I'll take that!
just edited to add: I always met my Protein, food, Vitamin, and fluid goals from the beginning, so you can do all the right things and have hair loss. It is luck of the draw, I think.

The test should show it. When I had my heart issue, people were downgrading my concerns - even with my family history of heart issues - and telling me it was anxiety. When I finally went to the cardiologist, he was aghast no one confirmed I didn't have a heart attack months prior. Thankfully, the tests showed I did not, though I did/do have other significant heart issues. Anyway, I would not panic. The diagnosis code is probably partly so they can justify the test with insurance - the EKG probably indicates evidence of a possible heart attack, and thus is to check for whether that is true or not. My mom had an EKG suggest she had a heart attack, and the follow ups showed she did not - she "just" has heart damage from uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Good luck. Worst case scenario, even if you had an old heart attack, it's better to know now and they can work around it to make sure you are healthy in the future.

The test should show it. When I had my heart issue, people were downgrading my concerns - even with my family history of heart issues - and telling me it was anxiety. When I finally went to the cardiologist, he was aghast no one confirmed I didn't have a heart attack months prior. Thankfully, the tests showed I did not, though I did/do have other significant heart issues. Anyway, I would not panic. The diagnosis code is probably partly so they can justify the test with insurance - the EKG probably indicates evidence of a possible heart attack, and thus is to check for whether that is true or not. My mom had an EKG suggest she had a heart attack, and the follow ups showed she did not - she "just" has heart damage from uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Good luck. Worst case scenario, even if you had an old heart attack, it's better to know now and they can work around it to make sure you are healthy in the future.

OMG, that injection is disconcerting. I was having heart issues a few years ago and they couldn't have me do the treadmill myself so they did the injection. It does resolve quickly but it is a weird, weird feeling. The actual imaging part is pretty easy other than having to hold positions for extended periods of time.
Good luck!

This part stressed me out until I calculated where I was at 3 months and realized I am now at 7ish months and am more than double that amount now. Phew! I am trying hard to not think about time and just focus on what I need to do for as long as I can.
But this was a good video - thanks for sharing @GreenTealael I like the idea of best weight vs focusing on BMI "ideal weight."

This part stressed me out until I calculated where I was at 3 months and realized I am now at 7ish months and am more than double that amount now. Phew! I am trying hard to not think about time and just focus on what I need to do for as long as I can.
But this was a good video - thanks for sharing @GreenTealael I like the idea of best weight vs focusing on BMI "ideal weight."

It is a difficult decision, and I can understand going back and forth. I certainly did, and I was very worried about all the things that could go wrong. Honestly, I wish I did this years ago now. The time I spent telling myself I could do it on my own could have been spent losing weight and living life happier. Having said that, I wasn't in the right place mentally before, and I certainly wouldn't have been ready to have success. I'm still in the honeymoon period right now, and I know things will get harder as time goes on, but I feel a sense of hopefulness which I rarely felt any other time I've been losing weight. I don't obsess about food, other than worrying if I will get to my calorie goal or not (when have I ever had to work to eat more, vs less?)
It is also ok for you to be ready to do the surgery, and for your husband to not be ready. He may still be in the "I'm not sure stage." That's fine, but you are different people. You have to do what's right for you, whether that is doing it now or waiting and seeing what happens.

I'll speak for myself, but I think it applies to many of us. First off, many of us can do this - until we can't. I flat out rejected the idea of surgery for years, thinking exactly what you did in your post. And sure, I would have successes - the best time, I lost 75 lbs. Another time, probably about 50 lb. But then, it got harder and harder to do it, no matter how much I knew what I needed to do. And keeping it off? Forget it. Gained all those back and with friends. The reality is what you said, only a tiny percentage of people can keep it off successfully. It's not a moral failing. Our bodies make it hard, and it gets harder every time we lose weight. Compared to people who have never dieted, our metabolisms are affected in the long term by the yo-yo.
The surgery doesn't guarantee success, but it gives you another tool to use toward getting there. This experience is just so different than every other time I've tried to lose weight. It's not easy, but it feels attainable. It doesn't feel like a a long, losing battle where my body is conspiring against me. And, the surgeries can have major, positive impacts on metabolism that dieting alone will not accomplish.

All of this, right here. My relationship with food is so different. I can walk away from things I never could have resisted before. Again, I'm still in the honeymoon period, but it has been so liberating for me.
Also, I just realized @Splenda is my surgery twin. 🙂

It is a difficult decision, and I can understand going back and forth. I certainly did, and I was very worried about all the things that could go wrong. Honestly, I wish I did this years ago now. The time I spent telling myself I could do it on my own could have been spent losing weight and living life happier. Having said that, I wasn't in the right place mentally before, and I certainly wouldn't have been ready to have success. I'm still in the honeymoon period right now, and I know things will get harder as time goes on, but I feel a sense of hopefulness which I rarely felt any other time I've been losing weight. I don't obsess about food, other than worrying if I will get to my calorie goal or not (when have I ever had to work to eat more, vs less?)
It is also ok for you to be ready to do the surgery, and for your husband to not be ready. He may still be in the "I'm not sure stage." That's fine, but you are different people. You have to do what's right for you, whether that is doing it now or waiting and seeing what happens.

All of this, right here. My relationship with food is so different. I can walk away from things I never could have resisted before. Again, I'm still in the honeymoon period, but it has been so liberating for me.
Also, I just realized @Splenda is my surgery twin. 🙂

It is a difficult decision, and I can understand going back and forth. I certainly did, and I was very worried about all the things that could go wrong. Honestly, I wish I did this years ago now. The time I spent telling myself I could do it on my own could have been spent losing weight and living life happier. Having said that, I wasn't in the right place mentally before, and I certainly wouldn't have been ready to have success. I'm still in the honeymoon period right now, and I know things will get harder as time goes on, but I feel a sense of hopefulness which I rarely felt any other time I've been losing weight. I don't obsess about food, other than worrying if I will get to my calorie goal or not (when have I ever had to work to eat more, vs less?)
It is also ok for you to be ready to do the surgery, and for your husband to not be ready. He may still be in the "I'm not sure stage." That's fine, but you are different people. You have to do what's right for you, whether that is doing it now or waiting and seeing what happens.

I'll speak for myself, but I think it applies to many of us. First off, many of us can do this - until we can't. I flat out rejected the idea of surgery for years, thinking exactly what you did in your post. And sure, I would have successes - the best time, I lost 75 lbs. Another time, probably about 50 lb. But then, it got harder and harder to do it, no matter how much I knew what I needed to do. And keeping it off? Forget it. Gained all those back and with friends. The reality is what you said, only a tiny percentage of people can keep it off successfully. It's not a moral failing. Our bodies make it hard, and it gets harder every time we lose weight. Compared to people who have never dieted, our metabolisms are affected in the long term by the yo-yo.
The surgery doesn't guarantee success, but it gives you another tool to use toward getting there. This experience is just so different than every other time I've tried to lose weight. It's not easy, but it feels attainable. It doesn't feel like a a long, losing battle where my body is conspiring against me. And, the surgeries can have major, positive impacts on metabolism that dieting alone will not accomplish.

I can only speak from my experience.
I had several of those "I can do this without surgery" moments throughout my life. I first started down the path of surgery in 2013/14. I was doing the Tim Ferriss Slow Carb Diet (6 days/wk, eat only beans/meats/veggies, 7th day is cheat day) and having great success. I explained what I was doing to the bariatric surgery coordinator and her response (paraphrased) was, "That's nice, but you won't be able to do that post-surgery." I didn't want to hear that, figuring that I had already lost 40+ pounds this way and cancelled my appointments. I ended up losing roughly 150 pounds on that diet, but gained it all back. Why? It reinforced binge eating habits and didn't set me up for future success.
Like a lot of overweight people, I thought my next lifestyle change (clean eating! intermittent fasting! keto!) would be the one that allowed me to lose the weight and keep it off. I finally realized that I was only fooling myself. It takes an incredible amount of discipline to lose weight and keep it off without surgery. You have to commit to eating a certain way for the rest of your life; I have yet to meet someone who did a diet for 6 months, lost the weight, went off the diet and kept the weight off. I reached a mental state where I had two choices: 1) continue living my life as I had been or 2) making a truly radical change, the change most likely to keep the weight off. I chose Option 2, because I owed it to myself, my wife and my kids to be the healthiest person I could be. I do not regret my choice.
But while I do not regret my choice, I don't go around telling other people to do it. I don't think I would have succeeded in 2013 the way I have today with the surgery. In 2013, I would have seen it as "I do a surgery, I eat less, I lose weight, winner, winner, smaller chicken dinner." That is a set up for long-term failure. Now, I see it as "I have been given a great chance to live a healthy life and I need to take advantage of it." Until you reach that mental state, you are not ready to succeed with this surgery.

I had something like this for about 5 days post sleeve surgery. Agree with taking tiny tiny sips, but that didn't make it stop completely. I found warm/hot liquids went down easier with less pain.
Thankfully it didn't stay like that for long at all.

The fact that you are getting foamies from drinking Water is worrying. You should reach out to your surgical team.

I know people have different opinions about calorie counting, but when I hit a stall (and I also had one at 5 months... and have another little one right now) I think it is really important to measure and track your actual calorie intake to ensure you know what you are doing, not just guessing what you are doing or how much you are eating. So, that would be my recommendation - track and see what you are averaging for calories. Sometimes you may need to increase food intake to push past a stall, though if you are going off program, you probably should see where you are now before going for that approach.

The fact that you are getting foamies from drinking Water is worrying. You should reach out to your surgical team.

The fact that you are getting foamies from drinking Water is worrying. You should reach out to your surgical team.

Hi there. I started our roughly about where you are starting, and went with the sleeve. I am still very early on (6.5 months out) compared to others, but can comment on my experience. I'd always preferred the sleeve, but talked myself into the bypass based on online reading because I was so heavy to begin with. I was never excited about the option, until one of the surgeons I consulted with pushed me (in a good way) to reconsider why I was doing it. Obviously it was going to be my decision, but he emphasized that the statistics are just statistics, and at the end of the day it is a tool that is only going to work - no matter the surgery - if you use it properly. Neither surgery is a magic bullet. That really resonated with me, so I reverted back to my original preference of the sleeve. I would up switching practices, and when I went to the new one, they were perfectly happy with the sleeve as long as I didn't have GERD. I had to get an endoscopy to confirm that was the case.
Again, I am still in the honeymoon period, but I am not regretting this choice one bit. I'm really happy with my weight loss to date (80 lbs since the 2 week pre op diet) and I feel amazing. Honestly, I feel lighter than what I actually weigh and better than I have in ages and ages. Even if I never get to a normal BMI, given how heavy I started, even getting to "just" overweight would be game changing. And, I am comfortable with the changes I made to my body, because it was what I preferred among the options I had available to me.
I hope some longer-term sleevers who started at similar weights will comment. Some have had incredible success!

My practice is very clear that pregnancy should be avoided for 18 months. Did you ask the surgeon what timing they prefer? My recommendation would be to ask them what they recommend in terms of a waiting period.