SleeveToBypass2023

While 2 scoops of icecream 3 days before surgery won't cancel your surgery, you definitely don't want to do that again. Your stomach need to not have the solids in it, especially this close to surgery, because of the anesthesia. If you have food in your system, it can cause dangerous problems for the surgery. You also want to think about low to no sugar icecream for after the surgery. I don't eat sugar and I am still able to have it. I get Rebel icecream from WalMart. Very low to no sugar, lactose free, very low to no carbs, low calories, absolutely delicious. My favorite flavors are coffee chip, butter pecan, and orange cream. My husband's are birthday cake, triple chocolate, and cherry something (I can't remember the name). They have other flavors, too. One thing you want to remember, and this really helps me stick to my diet, is there are delicious, healthy, compliant alternatives to the things we love. Icecream, bread, bagels, pizza, cinnamon buns, chicken nuggets, etc... There are ways to make good choices, but you have to want to make them. Being compliant, particularly post surgery, is so so important. WalMart, SafeWay, and Kroger brand stores (Krogers, Fry's, King Soopers, etc) have them. Look for Real Good Foods, Legendary foods, and Atkins.

I'm almost there!!! Holy...freaking...crap!!! First goal: 200 pounds - HIT IT!!! 2nd goal: 195 pounds - HIT IT!! 3rd goal: 190 - ALMOST THERE!!!

I wonder if we'll ever get used to it. I know I'm not yet lol

I bought a pair of green Calvin Klein capris in size 14, with no give, no elastic, no stretch at all anywhere. They weren't fitting yet (mostly in the stomach area, pre-hysterectomy), so I kind of hid them in the back of the closet. Today I pulled them out and tried them on and OMG they fit PERFECTLY!!! I actually cried. I got them at our local thrift store here called The Arc (it's my favorite and I love it so much) and just never had the chance to wear them until literally right now. I am still shocked that I'm in an actual, legit size 14. I was a size 30 at my highest weight, and this just absolutely BLOWS MY MIND. I had to clean out my closet AGAIN and get rid of the size 18 and 16 stuff and the last of my 2x tops (they're listed on Facebook Marketplace). I suspect once I get my skin surgeries and Tummy Tuck, I'll be in a size 12. HOW is this my life now???? lol

I'm almost there!!! Holy...freaking...crap!!! First goal: 200 pounds - HIT IT!!! 2nd goal: 195 pounds - HIT IT!! 3rd goal: 190 - ALMOST THERE!!!

I'm on HRT and I have the patch (Climera) and it's amazing. I was put on it because the patch gets in the blood stream but avoids the kidneys, liver, and GI system. As for the rest of your pills, I would say if you can cut them, do that. That's what I did after both my surgeries and it really helped. Crushing them is just nasty. I did it for a week and couldn't stand it and switched to cutting them into small pieces. I'll be super honest, I took my pills all together and never had an issue as long as they were small. There was just no way I was taking them 1 or 2 at a time. It would have taken me all day!!!

I do both. I take long walks up hills and around a lake and even up rocky paths to the waterfall. You can't beat a beautiful breeze, nature, water, it's fantastic. Indoors is more for my actual working out. Weights, core and strength training, etc... 2 totally different beasts that do different things.

Like I said, 2 weeks is standard, but the door is open to longer if needed. Some people take longer if they personally feel they need it, but that's if the employer (and potential accumulated PTO time) allows. If you had any complications, you could have had longer from your surgeon. But since you had a fantastic recovery, there was no need for longer other than you wanted it. Which was then up to you to secure, which you did. That's typically how it goes.

When I had my sleeve, I never lost my hunger and I didn't really have any restriction. It was mostly learning what I can and can't eat, how often, and when. I had to do the work to retrain my brain because I didn't get the benefit of loss of hunger. I complained about it all the time on here lol I had to have a revision to bypass 13 months later due to complications and while I didn't really lose hunger, there was DEFINITELY a hard stop when it came to how much I could eat and how often.

If you can't find the instructions for the liquid, call the pharmacy or the doctor's office. Easiest way to find out how the doctor wants you to take it.

Seems pretty standard. I had 2 weeks off when I had my sleeve and when I had to have the revision to bypass a year later, also had 2 weeks then. I think they tend to only give longer if you have complications. Otherwise I think 2 weeks is pretty typical. Some doctor's offices will give longer if you specifically ask for it (not mine) but I don't think that's typical.

Thank you!!! I loved my waves in high school, then for whatever reason I just started to dislike them about 20 years ago and was always straightening my hair. This time around, I had the big surgeries (hysterectomy and emergency surgery right after) and decided that I wasn't in the mood to bother. I cut my hair again because again, didn't want to deal with it, and then waves came back in full force. I decided I love them again lol So now I don't straighten my hair, I don't put a lot of product in it, I just let it live and breath. And I'm finding the shorter, wavier hair is actually a lot more flattering than long straight hair. So yay!! lol

Very true, but be careful not to bleach your hair. Ask your hairdresser how to color it without doing extra damage since your hair will already be a bit more sensitive than normal. But going lighter (not platinum blond or anything, just a little) could help some. It won't work miracles, but it could help a bit. I use volumizing products, which help, as well.

Ok, first of all, you're BEAUTIFUL!!! Just wanted to say that. Now, as far as already having layers, you're half way there then!!! Look at having medium layers with hair about 4 inches shorter than in this pic and you should be ok. Ask your hairdresser about ways to style it to minimize the look of your scalp showing through.

Both of these points right here are exactly 100% correct.

Thank you so much!!! A trick was to have the hair dresser do layers in my hair. Adds shape, depth, and fullness. And the shorter length really helps. I wash my hair twice per week. I blow dry it with a diffuser so the heat isn't directly on my scalp. I add leave in conditioner for curls and a tiny bit of curl defining mousse and then blow dry it. Once it's all set, I run my fingers through it a few times and that's literally it. Think about doing layers when you get it cut. It's hard to part with the length at first, but once you see your hair looking fuller and healthier, and it's a lot easier to manage, it takes the sting out pretty quick.

My hair was down to the middle of my back. It really looked terrible. Split ends, super dry and brittle, no shape, emphasized my scalp and the general thinning. After my surgery, I was nervous to go too short so I went to juuuuust below my shoulders. Looked good for about 6-8 weeks and then started to show the thinning and my scalp again. This time around, I cut my hair just ABOVE my shoulders and decided to stop straightening it. My natural waves came back in full force, which helped A LOT. And it's easier to maintain and doesn't look thin at all.

It takes a good 30 - 60 days to really feel a difference, but you will. I tend to stay away from dairy and I use almond milk for anything requiring milk. I do use shredded cheese in my eggs and in my modified shepherd's pie (we use mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, and omg I swear it tastes even better). No matter how much dairy you have, you're still going to want to take the extra iron w/ vit c. And the multivitamin is a must no matter what. As for changing things up, that is the best way I've personally found to confuse my body into doing what I want. That and making sure I'm getting enough calories on work out days. I'm glad I was able to help, and good luck!!! Let us know how it goes!!

It happened to me with BOTH surgeries. Started around month 3 after my sleeve and my once really thick hair shed so much it thinned out to the point that I needed to cut my hair and change how I styled it so you couldn't see how much it thinned out. It finally stopped at 9 months, but then at 13 months out I had my revision, and it started again at 2 months out. Here I am 11 months out from the revision and it finally stopped. I got another hair cut and this time decided no more straightening my hair, and now the shorter length and the waves and curls really help hide the additional thinning. Honestly, biotin doesn't promote hair growth or prevent shedding. It just makes the existing hair soft, shiny, and somewhat healthier. The protein is what makes the biggest difference since hair needs it but can't produce it. There really isn't anything that will prevent or lessen the shedding. It just is what it is and has to run its course. I would use volumizing hair care products, have a shorter hair length, possibly style it differently, and just wait it out. That's really all you can do.

I love every single bit of this post, thank you

I completely agree

Definitely worrying too much. You won't stretch anything out by drinking too much. If you follow your bariatric diet, you won't stretch your stomach out with food. You won't even eat regular food until 6-8 weeks out. And by then you'll be healed, but have a lot of restriction that will prevent you from over eating. As time goes on, your stomach does stretch a little. That's normal. But it never gets anywhere near the size it was pre-surgery. It's ok, and actually good. As you heal and increase your activity levels, you have to increase your calories and carbs, but again, nowhere what they were pre surgery. Don't be afraid to eat. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food.

Medicaid typically requires 6 months of documented medically supervised weight loss attempts with your doctor, bmi of 40 or 35 with at least 2 comorbidities, pass an ekg, blood work, and pass a psych eval before they will approve the surgery. They may also require a referral to a bariatric surgeon from your primary doc. They will also require a letter from your primary doctor approving you to have the surgery. All of that gets submitted to Medicaid by the bariatric surgeon and then Medicaid decides if they will approve it or not. If they deny it, they'll usually tell you why and you can either do whatever else they need you to do or appeal it if you already have it done. That's all I can think of. I actually originally looked into bariatric surgery way back when I was on Medicaid, but ended up not doing it. Once I started my previous job and got BCBS, I looked into it again and ended up doing it. When I had my revision a year later, I was changing jobs and in between insurance and back on Medicaid (if the revision if for complications and not failed weight loss, they tend to approve the revision really fast - in my case, it was 72 hours, if it's for failed weight loss, you basically have to start everything all over again as if you're doing the surgery from scratch, and all the previous requirements are back in place). Now I'm at my current job (dream job) and have United Health Care. I hope this helps somewhat!

First of all, can I just tell you that you're beautiful!!! I don't mean anything awkward or inappropriate with that, but I just felt like I wanted to tell you that you are a very beautiful woman To answer your questions: 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? Getting off blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and anti-inflammatory meds, losing the weight, and gaining mobility back 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? I had several complications from the sleeve and had to have a revision a year later 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? not during the surgery but about 7-8 months later, complications started showing up. 4 endoscopies, 1 colonoscopy, and massive amounts of PPIs later, had to have the revision 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? it's been hard sometimes, but overall, so worth it and rewarding and a huge blessing 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? If you stick to the plan, it's a gradual process. By 6-8 weeks, I was nervous but ready to eat food and just made sure to go slow. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? pasta, rice, potatoes, bread (a year or 2 out, some can eat it in small amounts every once in a while, but I'm so sensitive to carbs that I stay far away...but there's alternatives that allow me to not feel like I'm deprived so it's completely ok) 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? dumping really only happens with the bypass, not the sleeve. Never had vomiting and very little nausea (in the beginning). Once I had my revision to bypass, I had dumping twice and learned my lesson lol I follow the rules and I'm careful, so I haven't had it again. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? about 4 weeks after the sleeve, about a week to 10 days after the revision to bypass (much easier surgery to recover from, for some reason) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? not right away. I was beyond exhausted the first 2 weeks. Weeks 3 and 4 it started to get better. By week 6, I felt normal, and by 3 months out I had lost a good amount of weight and my energy levels really started to pick up. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? not in any kind of negative way until I started having the complications. Once I had the revision, every complication went away and I've been beyond happy and thrilled. The only real issue I have now is body dysmorphia sometimes. I have moments where I look in the mirror and still see 421 pound me and not 195 pound me. I'll look in my closet and think someone stole my clothes and replaced them with someone else's (I use to be a size 30/5X and now I'm a size 14/XL). 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I absolutely do not regret it. The only thing I would go back and change is I would just have the bypass to begin with and skip the sleeve altogether. Now, there are a lot of people really happy with the sleeve. They have zero regrets. I was one of them, until I wasn't. Many of us sleevers have to get a revision to bypass for one reason or another, but just as many, if not more, have the sleeve and never have any issues and love it.

And it drives me nuts because my mom says things like "You just have to stop. You know you did the work and lost the weight, so just stop." Like...Ok, sure. I'll just quit. No problem. Thanks, mom 🙄