It'sAlbright

I totally understand! I have the same type of personality. I also had to jump through hoops, nutritionist, physical therapist and mental therapist. It seems like it takes forever, but before you know it, your surgery date will arrive! Cheers

Hi! I have got a surgery date of June 23, 2022! I am wondering if there is anyone on this forum that lives in Washington State, the Pacific Northwest to be exact, or, to be even more exact... The Olympic Peninsula? I'd love someone to talk to, whether you have had the surgery yet or not. Just someone who is on the same journey as me would be fantastic!

I remember when I brought up surgery to my husband for the first time. He was saying how I did not need it and diet and exercise would do the trick and that it could be very expensive. I have done diet after diet, at my job, I was walking about 20,000 steps a day so I was getting plenty of exercise but no weight was dropping. I knew I needed help. After that conversation, I called my insurance to see what all was covered, (in my case almost everything was covered... amazing!) I then scheduled my first consultation without telling my husband. I started doing all of the prerequisites per my insurance. I eventually did tell my husband, and he knew there was no stopping me so he got on board. I did not have diabetes or any other comorbidity/health risks, however I explained to him that it could eventually happen if I did not get on the right track soon. I did feel bad for somewhat going behind his back and doing it, but after talking with my insurance I thought, why not?! I recommend, like many others are, bring your wife to a doctors appointment with you. Help her understand what you are feeling. Best of luck!

there's quite a bit of variation between surgeons for food plans, so there aren't any standards. Some clinics have their patients on low carb plans, or ultra low carb plans, and some just have you follow a balanced diet. Your clinic will give you their guidelines sometime before surgery.
For Vitamins, I'll attach the ASBMS (American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery) list of requirements. You have to scroll down a little to see them - but they do have them listed for each type of surgery. Most clinics pretty much follow these, so these tend to be more standard across clinics than the food plans are. But here it is in case you're curious:

ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf

Lol! The same thing happened to me. I was on holiday too & packed the strapless bra which I had fit fine a few weeks previously. But unfortunately it didn’t anymore. I thought it was going to fall straight to the ground & I’d have to step out of it & leave it on the footpath 😆😆.

thank you. right now, just checking boxes with various med specialists to quality- psych eval, tomorrow, gastroenterologist, still need to see cardio doc and do a stress test, then to primary to sign off. Lots of hoops, but it's apparently all part of a standard practice. I'm generally a "get it done" personality, but I'm being patient with this, and doing research and learning along the way. As I get closer to the actual procedure, I'll probably have some questions. So far, no surprises.

med absorption can definitely be an issue. I would think they could find SOME med that would work for you - you're certainly not the only person with anxiety and depression who's had weight loss surgery. I'm sorry that they don't seem to be willing to work with you on this.
I'd be surprised if your heart issues are related to your bypass surgery. Plus you said you had your first heart attack before you even had the surgery. I'm thinking it's unlikely those two things are related.
I wonder if the Hair loss could be related to your stress. That can definitely cause hair loss for some people.

I know with me my doctor felt the sleeve was the safest. I have many health issues and I'm not a spring chicken so to speak. Lol. He said he truly wanted to help me and knew the sleeve would be a success whereas the bypass..... I might not make it. No problem choosing for me. He's been a terrific Dr. Just got it done Feb 1st 2023. But we've been working towards this for over a year and a half. For me it's unusual to meet a Dr first time and not see judgement in their eyes because of your weight. His was just kindness. So when he told me in his opinion the sleeve was it, easy choice!

Sent from my SM-S901U using BariatricPal mobile app

Bypass was once the gold standard of weight loss surgeries up until a few years ago, when sleeve took over. It's easier for surgeons to perform, it's cheaper, and a lot of people are afraid of the bypass. Thus, sleeve is currently the most popular weight loss surgery.
I went with bypass because I had GERD prior to surgery. Bypass usually improves if not outright cures GERD, whereas sleeve can make it worse (doesn't happen to everyone - and some people say their GERD even improved after getting sleeved, but the risk of having it get worse was too high for my comfort, so I chose bypass).
bypass is the stronger of the two surgeries, but sleeve is close. And yes, you have more options for revision after sleeve, but then, very few people who have bypass get theirs revised.
honestly, they both have their pros and cons. There are some health conditions (like GERD) that would make one surgery more appropriate for you than the other, but barring that, it really comes down to personal preference. They're both good surgeries and you'll find many examples on here of people who've been very successful with both.
I love my bypass and would choose it again if I had to make the choice today.

Thank you, everyone! My doctor's take was I could go either way, but Bypass is the ultimate when it comes to many patients that have sleeves and need a revision due to heartburn. In my mind, If I could do one surgery and not a possible two, I thought that was the wise decision for me. She and the NP there also mention so many people really do have bypass but realize that social channels its is full of sleeve advocates, which does isolate a whole large group. So I stuck with bypass, but I have to say mentally I struggle with "why" still. Am I missing info? I am not sure!?! I am not questioning the want and need for surgery just that I am choosing the right one I do have a hiatal hernia so back to leaning to the bypass more for that reason as well..

🤢🤮
I can tell you don't have kids, lol. Jarred baby food is from the depths of Hell. 😂

I am having VSG surgery at Endobariatric with Dr. Alvarez on 3/3/23. Dr. Alvarez's fees are almost twice that of other sugeons in Mexico but his credentials, professional memberships/affiliations and surgical success/risk rating is among the best of bariatric surgeons internationally .... I am confident in my choice!

You need to evaluate whether you are mentally prepared to make permanent changes to your relationship with food. Emotional eaters frequently go through a mourning period because it is harder to depend on food as a crutch to deal with life's problems and disappointments. WLS does not force a person's compliance. Adherence to a structured plan is essential to success. WLS is not a cure all or quick fix....it is a tool which can HELP us but we still have to be disciplined and put in the work.

Not only do we need to physically prepare ourselves for WLS, but mentally as well. Drastic weight loss can cause fluctuations in hormones which can create an emotional roller coaster ride. If you are suffering with episodic periods of depression, i strongly suggest working with a therapist before pursuing WLS, which is a dramatic life changing event. Best of luck to you!

We all have, which is why for most of us, this was our last remaining option. I can't add anything to what Catwoman said, but just know that we've all been there. Most of us hit rock-bottom before opting for surgery, I know I sure did, physically and emotionally.
I liken my surgery to having a co-pilot, or "the adult in the room", or my latest favourite analogy: the monkey that sits on my shoulder and slaps me upside the head any time I think I may wander off my plan. It works! I absolutely love my shoulder-monkey, which has successfully stopped the single main reason I always failed: self-sabotage.

Never feel embarrassed to ask your doctor questions. They are there to help. You are not a loser! I would say go back to your bariatric basics. Protein and hydration. But definitely ask your doctor and dietitians what they would suggest!

Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

I've noticed something similar with medical professionals. When I went to the doctor as a fat person, the doctors, nurses, PAs, etc. were usually pretty aloof towards me and treated me like a number. I assumed it was because healthcare workers are intentionally detached and they're like that with all patients. Now that I'm no longer overweight, they are so much friendlier and more sympathetic. The nurses strike up conversations with me while they're taking my vitals. They are more concerned about symptoms, like, "Oh, you're not feeling well? You poor dear!" where I guess they used to be thinking, "Anything that's wrong is your fault because you're fat."
It's no secret that medical professionals are biased against fat patients, and I avoided going to doctors because I knew that no matter what the problem was, the cause would be that I'm fat and the cure would be to lose weight (as though I didn't know and hadn't tried). I didn't expect it to be so blatant, though.

Um….No.
Not. At. All.
(unbiased third party opinion)

Sat down in the laundromat chair today for the first time in ages (Covid meant not loitering inside) and experienced not standing up with the chair stuck to my arse. In fact there was a good five inch space of extra room for... something five inches to sit beside me.
Which means all white plastic chairs are no longer my nemesis. I'm cool with them now. We hang out.

The night you go to sleep and notice that lying on your side with your knee bones pressing together is really uncomfortable...so you have to put a pillow between your knees because you no longer have the fat cushion. Yep, I'm there! 😂

Coming back to this topic, because now I've started getting the "don't lose any more weight!" and "you're not going to lose any more are you?" comments from people. Super awesome. They never would have dared say "you need to lose weight!" when I was morbidly obese, but now that I'm a normal BMI (not underweight - normal) suddenly it's ok to comment. 😑
I know there's a bunch of factors going on there, it's a rich tapestry of psychology to unpack etc etc, but it's interesting to see how you escape one type of social scrutiny only to wander into a different one.

I just joined and came across your post, I live in Washington.

I have Kaiser WA and live in Tacoma Wa and I have my provider seminar 1/27/23 so I may have surgery sometime in the summer once I am done with all the pre classes. I would love to connect with you ? Could I shoot you a private message?

Hello Everyone, I’m Rosie and from Seattle area. Any of you have social media, Facebook or Instagram? I like to share recipes and would love to have local friends to hang out/motivate each other.

Hi! I have got a surgery date of June 23, 2022! I am wondering if there is anyone on this forum that lives in Washington State, the Pacific Northwest to be exact, or, to be even more exact... The Olympic Peninsula? I'd love someone to talk to, whether you have had the surgery yet or not. Just someone who is on the same journey as me would be fantastic!

I get a lot of weight related videos on Tiktok, I'll see certain girls & think "ah yeah she looks like me!" (in a good, relatable way) only to find out they weigh 40-70lbs more than me. I don't think I'm used to being a smaller size yet, I still relate to the bigger girls way more than the girls who wear my current size.
I think I will always feel big until I get close to my final weight goal. If not, I'll definitely have to seek tharapy

Taking pictures can really help. I second the recommendation for therapy. I started therapy before surgery and I'm so glad I did. Edited to add: Congratulations getting to Onederland!