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My doctor said weight loss would be faster with Roux en Y than VSG. I might have gone with the sleeve because it is supposed to be safer but I am having issues with walking due to my weight. I suggest to the OP to take this time to pamper her skin by using a dry brush, cleaning shower after the and a apply cocoa butter to areas that tend to get loose skin. That's a regimen I used in the past when I lost 75 pounds by diet and exercise. The plastic surgeon I used for breast reduction said it made a big difference in my skin condition.( I will still need removal of outer thigh skin for sure.)You'll get there! Distract yourself in the meantime. Good luck to you! Sent from my SM-A102U using BariatricPal mobile app

I so agree with setting small goals and celebrating each one !!!! I celebrate every 5 pounds - adding a plant to my garden, new socks... nice lotion fo hydrate my skin !!!! And we learn how to reward ourselves without using food as a reward !

My surgery was done in Paris, France, where I live. I chose the top plastic surgeon in the city, vetted him carefully. He had done hundreds of TTs, and said that mine was the first time he'd ever had a complication. (Of course I can't check if that is true.) The initial surgery went well and I only stayed one night in the clinic. I started developing a fever a couple of days after the initial surgery. I called the surgeon's office and the medical secretary didn't seem alarmed about this. (I should have immediately requested to be seen...but I wasn't mobile enough at that point to get to his office. + I trusted the secretary. Big mistake on my part.) Luckily I had visiting nurses coming to my home post op to change my dressings. It was a nurse who saw my abdominal skin turning yellowish (indicating infection) and she felt my lower abdomen which was hot. My lymph glands in my upper thighs were also enlarged and very painful; I could not sit or walk. On day six she said she suspected I had an infection. By that time I had an extremely high fever, I alternated being freezing cold and trembling to sweating so much I slipped off the hospital gurney by the time I got to the ER. They scanned me and saw all the fluids collecting in my lower abdomen...fluids that, had I had drains, would have drained out of my body and I would not have developed an infection. They got me back on the operating table immediately (I was very close to dying, with my system shutting down due to the scepsis), reopened the abdomen along the same line as the initial surgeon (so I don't have a double scar) and cleaned everything out. After that they put in three drains, I had heavy antibiotics (they had to put in a PICC line for these). My red blood cell count was so low they had to give me 2 units of blood. Nurses cleaned my drains and changed the dressings 3 x day for a week until they deemed me healthy enough to go home. The drainless TT relies on the surgeon's ability to do a "quilting" stitch when reattaching the inner muscles. The quilting stitch, as I understand it, makes so that fluid can't collect. I'm not exactly sure where the fluid goes, however, as it has to go somewhere! In my case, the quilting stitch did not do the job of keeping the fluid from collecting and it just sat there inside of me with nowhere to exit. Eventually it would have probably seeped out of the wound area, bursting through my stitches. Additionally, my surgeon did not think a compression garment was necessary. The second surgeon was astounded at both the idea of a drainless TT and lack of a compression garment. I'm now 15 months out, and all of these complications are behind me. I love my tummy....truly a work of art. It's a firm slate, and I never get tired of looking at it. However, the aftermath was indeed traumatic and something I will never forget. My takeaway is this: fever is NEVER normal post op. It is the first sign of infection. I should have gotten myself to either the hospital or my surgeon's office at that point.

Hi! I had a drainless TT that went very wrong. The fluids collected in the site, I got an infection that turned sceptic and I almost died. Emergency surgery to reopen the site one week after the initial TT, necrotic skin removed, drains put it, blood transfusion and one week in the hospital. And I had one of the "best" plastic surgeons in the city. I would not recommend it, for obvious reasons, but "your mileage will vary."

Which surgery did you have? I am not sure about others but with the sleeve, my Md and nutritionist said loose stool is very normal. 😕

Was watching Skin Decision on Netflix yesterday & the surgeon did lipo on her patient & used the fat to fill the upper emptiness in her breasts. I thought oh maybe that’s what I should have done but then realised I don’t really have much fat left anywhere for them to harvest. Not a problem I ever imagined having. 🤣

Thank you for your quick reply. I am already taking them in large amounts. I thought that most Vitamins should come from real food. I do not understand when they say that if you switch to a Bypass your body looses Vitamins with real food.

I can't say for certain why my doctor said no Miralax (even though the handbook HE wrote specifically talks about it for constipation), but I suspect it was about hydration and avoiding laxatives that require you to drink even more fluids. His post-op instructions are very strict and strenuous. Right now, I am still supposed to be only sipping 1 ounce of fluid every 15 minutes. For the 10 or so days, I have been gradually increasing the pace just to get more fluids in me because with that rate, I was maxing out at 54 ounces of fluid in a day. I'm now hitting 64-68 ounces, with no discomfort or ill effect. Thus why I feel a little better about starting in on some Miralax for a little while to hopefully help out. Granted, I can feel myself dehydrated today, so I've been sipping away at Pedialyte today (I suspect the MoM yesterday is the primary culprit for the dehydration). The handbook specifically mentions fiber chewables or Benefiber for constipation. Given that I am still on liquids (again...doctor's orders and his strict regimen), I opted for the Benefiber powder to mix into my protein shakes. Today's the first day of adding that in and so far no irritation or anything. We'll see if it helps. On the plus side, I did have a BM a couple of hours ago. It still hurt, but that's because of persistent inflammation from yesterday, but was small and loose, which was a VERY welcome change of pace. Now if I can just keep them that way.

With battling weight most of my life 10 years ago I got a lap band put in. I am now 57 years old, 15 years ago I was diagnosed with type two diabetes At the time my Lap Band was put in my weight was 230 pounds. That might not sound like a lot of weight but for a male 5’8 it was a lot for me. In addition to having type two diabetes I have also had two neck surgeries and three back surgeries over the years. The Lap Band gave me significant weight loss. I got down from 230 to 160-165. I also lowered my Metformin from 1000 mg to 500 mg. I lost approximately 70 pounds of weight and maintained this weight for about nine years. To say that it was an easy road for me would be lying, I was constantly having the band loosened tightened loose and tightened like being on a roller coaster. I had problems with the Lap Band being so tight that I was having major acid reflux problems. In addition to that I had some small ulcers around my esophagus next to my Lap Band. Last year I decided I had enough of this and had a lot of fluid taken out of my band. The major acid reflex went away immediately however, I still have some ongoing minor constant heartburn and a small cough because the Lap Band is still in place but a lot of the fluid has been taken out. Because of that removal of fluid I have gained back for the first time in 10 years 35 pounds. Now I am back up to taking the same amount of diabetic medicine Metformin 1000 mg because of the 35 pound weight gain. The bariatric center in Los Angeles is recommending that I conceivably switch to a Bypass Surgery and not a Sleeve. This decision is not completely final yet, and the decision towards leaning towards a Bypass Surgery rather than a Sleeve because of the acid reflex problems I’ve had for so many years which only really developed soon after getting the Lap Band 10 years ago. My next surgery would be involved removing the Lap Band and switching to a Bypass Surgery all at the same time in one surgery. As in all surgeries there are risk concerns for changing the body anatomy, however regarding the Bypass Surgery my new understanding is the body does not absorb as many vitamins and nutrients as it would from a Sleeve Surgery and there is a potential for hair loss and dumping and other potential complications? Any advice or opinions from anyone that has been down this same kind of road would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and concern. Hopefully one day I can help someone else.

Met with my surgeon today. Surgery date 8/28/20. Start Optifast (LMR ~ liquid meal replacement) on the 14th. Explained the RNY surgery will teach you to eat healthy and avoid fat and carb that will result in dumping syndrome, as well as what the procedure consist of, walking after surgery, etc. He has done over 1,000 surgeries of this type. He did a thorough check. Nurse came in explained Hipiclens(4% chlorhexiden) skin cleanser that helps reduce the concentrate of bacteria on skin before surgery and reduce risk of infection (over the counter purchase). NPO after midnight on the 27th. Etc. etc. etc. Yes, very excited and ready to venture into the healthy journey up ahead.

With battling weight most of my life 10 years ago I got a lap band put in. I am now 57 years old, 15 years ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes At the time my Lap Band was put in my weight was 230 pounds. That might not sound like a lot of weight but for a male 5’8 it was a lot for me. In addition to having type 2 diabetes I have also had two neck surgeries and three back surgeries over the years. The Lap Band gave me significant weight loss. I got down from 230 to 160-165. I also lowered my Metformin from 1000 mg to 500 mg. I lost approximately 70 pounds of weight and maintained this weight for about nine years. To say that it was an easy road for me would be lying, I was constantly having the band loosened tightened loose and tightened like being on a roller coaster. I had problems with the Lap Band being so tight that I was having major acid reflux problems. In addition to that I had some small ulcers around my esophagus next to my Lap Band. Last year I decided I had enough of this and had a lot of fluid taken out of my band. The major acid reflex went away immediately however, I still have some ongoing minor constant heartburn and a small cough because the Lap Band is still in place but a lot of the fluid has been taken out. Because of that removal of fluid I have gained back for the first time in 10 years 35 pounds. Now I am back up to taking the same amount of diabetic medicine Metformin 1000 mg because of the 35 pound weight gain. The bariatric center in Los Angeles is recommending that I conceivably switch to a Bypass Surgery and not a Sleeve. This decision is not completely final yet, and the decision towards leaning towards a Bypass Surgery rather than a Sleeve because of the acid reflex problems I’ve had for so many years which only really developed soon after getting the Lap Band 10 years ago. My next surgery would be involved removing the Lap Band and switching to a Bypass Surgery all at the same time in one surgery. As in all surgeries there are risk concerns for changing the body anatomy, however regarding the Bypass Surgery my new understanding is the body does not absorb as many vitamins and nutrients as it would from a Sleeve Surgery and there is a potential for hair loss and dumping and other potential complications? Any advice or opinions from anyone that has been down this same kind of road would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and concern. Hopefully one day I can help someone else.

How does “the sleeve around her stomach” come loose? I can only assume this is either a made up story or you clearly have no idea about what a gastric sleeve is. It’s not a literal sleeve put around a stomach. It cannot “come loose”. I pray you get what’s coming to you. Karma is, indeed, a bitch.

This is gonna be TMI and nasty, since it's all about constipation. 30 days post-op and yesterday was the absolute worst day I've had. I can't recall being in as much pain and discomfort in all 43 years of my life. My post-op constipation has been ongoing. Generally there's been 3-4 days between bowel movements and every bowel movement has taken a lot of effort. Yesterday...yesterday was a whole new world of suffering. I was on day 4 since the last BM and woke up knowing I was backed up and I was going to have one at some point soon. Except 5 trips to the bathroom yielded nothing but straining and discomfort. I ended up going home early because I was so uncomfortable. Came home and downed 60ml of milk of magnesia and prayed it would work fast. It didn't. Ran to the store for Miralax (which my surgeon wanted me to avoid for the time being) and an enema kit. Drank the Miralax, despite knowing it wasn't going to actually do anything right away, but would hopefully start the process of helping going forward. Called my primary care because I was in so much pain and was pretty much told to drink MoM and start on Miralax and definitely use the enema to hopefully break things up and make it easier. Waited a couple of hours to see if I could pass anything on my own or if the MoM was helping. Nothing but liquid and blood from hemorrhoids for my trouble. Finally gave in and used an enema. Met with even higher levels of pain as I expelled the liquid, but nothing else. Spent 20 minutes on the toilet in agony and tears, on the verge of asking to be rushed to the ER. I could not physically stop straining to pass what was blocked. I was finally able to get it to pass and was horrified by what had finally left my body. I am 99% certain I was on the verge of a fecal impaction based on what finally came out. The diameter was about 1.5" and probably a total of 12" in length. I ended up having one more loose movement about 45 minutes later which may have been from the MoM or remnants of the enema...not sure. Then followed 8 hours of added agony in the aftermath where extra strength Tylenol did very little to ease the discomfort. Sitting down? Hurt. Standing up? Hurt. Lying down? Hurt. Went to bed around 10pm. Fell asleep around 1am when the pain finally started to subside. No BM this morning. Mixed Miralax in with my breakfast protein shake. Not sure if I should do more MoM today or not. Need to go to the store and get Benefiber since the Celebrate powder clearly doesn't have enough fiber in it for me. But the worst thing is that I am genuinely afraid of trying to go to bathroom now. I can't go through that again. I would gladly take the pain from the first two days post-op back if I could get rid of this constipation. I really hope that I can get past this.

I've had three kids, breastfed them for a combined total of 7.5 years and have yoyo dieted my whole life. My breasts are the first place I gain and lose. Now I've lost 100 pounds with my gastric sleeve. My breasts are basically just skin and nipples at this point. I'm going to ask for a referral to a plastic surgeon at my 12 month post op appointment, when I've been stable at my goal for at least 4 months. I really just want a lift, and have since my first pregnancy saw me go up 5 cup sizes in the space of weeks. There was no coming back from that for my poor boobs. I'm curious to see what plastic surgery can do for me, whether a lift will be enough or they will suggest implants. I really hate how they look and feel now, more so than any other part of my post wls body. Even my elephant butt lol.

Before WLS, I made a list of all the issues I was having. I am now 18 months post op and have thus far maintained my goal weight and normal BMI. I recently found that old list and discovered that ALL the issues have resolved! Amazing! asthma, sinus drainage, sleep apnea, GERD, joint/back/foot pain, fatty liver, pre-diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol/LDL/trigylcerides, elevated inflammatory markers, skin infections, shortness of breath, low energy/endurance, activity intolerance, heat intolerance, shame, and depression. ALL GONE! I can now ride my horse, bike 50 miles, walk, hike, climb 60 flights of stairs, swim, get down on (and off) the floor with my grandkids, wear normal sized cute clothing, sit in any chair, have room to spare in an airplane seat, and just plain LIVE a normal, active life! It has been an amazing journey and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thank you. @ms.sss I started to write a response and I lost words ... maybe when I get up the guts I’ll post the picture from my birthday right before my gastric bypass surgery. The only picture I have, a very unflattering one from the zoo. I was miserable that day, not knowing if my surgery was going to happen or if I would ever get my weight under control. And take an after picture ... I just don’t like seeing my face ... I have pictures of my incisions if anyone is curious and what I look like in Faja. It feels strange to share these things even though I technically already have through the Hospital BC page. with body dismorphia I don’t know if my self image will change. I guess with time I will see ... it’s gotten hard to hide the chronic pain and fatigue from my face and day to day and it tends to reflect how I feel around other people. But I guess because I’m on the Autism spectrum I don’t know my own facial expressions ... or how to interact with people. I find trying to understand people exhausting. Of course with Covid I haven’t been around anyone ... my mom keeps asking when can I go swimming. I don’t even know. well that’s why I never finished writing the response 🤣 do I make any sense? I don’t think I know a normal body. So I’m critical. And can’t exercise to firm things up more I hate that. I’m critical of my knees and excess skin on my calves. And my butt isn’t as perfect as it looks in the Post op pics. But probably is just natural laxity that returns. Though I could use some volume there. I didn’t want to look before the excess skin was so horrible it was like well ... flaps. My skin is extremely thin as well like someone twice my age. i guess I’ll ease my way into this and how the few people I do know will react. It’s more how they expect me to feel about it that’s hard ... I think that’s partly why I’m afraid to buy a swimsuit. The attention, I honestly don’t deal well with it.

I guess it depends on your measurements for you 34D is probably the best size. It should fit snug on the loosest hook. Maybe it’s the brand and style that you have that isn’t comfortable. Have you ever tried Felina bras? They have some very soft comfortable bras they don’t have my size but I’ve bought them from Target (called Paramour on Target) in the past and found them soft and comfortable though some bra bands do run smaller and maybe that’s why you sometimes need to size up a band size (and down a cup size) might have been the convertible back t-shirt bra but they also have a memory foam fit bra. There’s a bogo sale going on. https://www.target.com/p/paramour-women-s-sensational-convertible-back-t-shirt-bra/-/A-52430696?preselect=52947619#lnk=sametab Another comfortable one is Target brand Auden Bliss wire free bra. I will always be very self critical. I’m trying to not be but it’s always there. I’m noticing my knees and loose skin on my calves. And my there was so much loose skin removed from my backside but has the natural laxity returns I see flaws I wish I could change. But I’m also looking where I didn’t look before because I didn’t want to see. Because the sagging skin was so bad. Do I even know what a normal body is.

My under bust size measures at a 32" and my bust a 36". I am wearing a 34D (no WAY could a 32 actually fit...), but think a 36D would feel better. I think it will depend on style, etc. I ordered an underwire bra for next month in a 36D and it seems like it will be a good fit. My surgeon doesn't go all the way to the knee or all the way to the elbow so I notice puffiness at my elbows and knees since there is still loose skin there. BUT, still improved. I'll always be self critical...

I had RNY 3/11/20 at age 66. Thrilled that i did this😄and hubby cannot believe how smooth it has been. I think he was afraid his life would change (as in he’d starve) but I still prepare tasty meals, I just add starches to his and eat my little protein, veggie, maybe small serving of fresh berries. I try to keep net carbs around 40. My only ‘complaint’ is that my rate of loss has been slowww, but my skin is already shrinking back much better than expected, so maybe slow ain’t all bad. I set a realistic goal for my weight/lifestyle at 150, no lower than 140. I want to be able to enjoy food/life/living/ without the huge sacrifice of maintaining 120lbs and looking older than my years. We walk every morning for 35-40 minutes right after breakfast and that sets my healthy tone for the day. I log in Myfitness Pal and wear a Fitbit for tracking and motivation. If I slip and go over my 800-1,000 calories, I pull back to compensate. If I eat less than 800 “Healthy, Nutritious Calories”, I find I don’t have the energy to be as active as I like to be. Bloodwork last week was perfect. Post-op BM’s can be a challenge, but you find a way that works for you. Sending you all positive energy that your journey is all that you hope it to be!🌟

Doing good so far. I’m hardly using any pain medicine and was walking my first night. The thing that surprised me was that my surgeon told me that my hernia was damaged and in much need of repair. We knew I had it but not that bad and in order to help I had the revision done. So far so good staying in the hospital 3 nights no water or ice till tomorrow but feeling good and energized. Today already walked a mile and can’t wait to drink my protein shakes! I was tol by the nutricionista that i should be able to loose weight again so here I am to the rad of recovery

I had my surgery last year when I was 59. Great results, no post-op pain whatsoever, fast recovery, etc. My one poor outcome was that the 100+ lb. weight loss aged me terribly. I look about ten years older than I did when I was fat and my skin is wrinkled like a SharPei's. That said, the WLS was still absolutely necessary and a lifesaver for me.

We tend to be most critical of ourselves. The folded skin should smooth out over time. Some folds from my thigh lift have started smoothing out finally. I don’t have before photos and I haven’t shared after. The only before and after I have are ones my surgeon shared on their website. I didn’t have much breast tissue I was surprised I had anything, but my breast reduction I had very solid dense breast tissue so whatever was left after weight loss was whatever was left of that and I lost all the fat leaving behind empty skin. I do feel I have some loose skin left also after my augmentation I’m hoping won’t be too much as swelling goes down. I think you have the option to ask for a larger implant once. Although for me I can’t afford the expense to travel and the operating room expenses. When you have the butt lift alone it can cause issues, I hope your doctor fixes it so that you are happy with the results. i Find myself seeing some imperfections that I don’t quite know what normal is. I don’t regret my surgeries. I just see things like my knees being a weird shape and looking big. But I think these things take time as we heal and our bodies adapt to the changes. not to be nosy but what do you measure under bust? Measured tight. Whatever you measure is your bra band size. Rounded up if necessary. Ie. 31” = 32 band size. But I’m fairly certain to get cup size if your bust measures 34” at the fullest for example you’d take 34 - 31 = 3 “ and each inch equals 1 cup size. So this example bra size would be 32C. Although my measurements are weird 25.5” under bust and 32” bust ... https://lindasonline.com/pages/bra-fitting-calculator

I have no clue. lol. I was just told they were 450cc implants. I had NO breast fat so I still have some loose horizontal skin. He had to suture my pec muscles really tight on the right side so it wouldn't migrate to my armpit. This resulted in the right breast looking wider. I don't think I want a revision, though. Not worth it. Everything is still healing and I have some folded skin at my lower back that looks like a second butt crack (lol) that he will have to fix in 5 months just in-office with Lidocaine. I don't think I would do a butt lift again. I'll post before and after photos of all that in 5 months. lol! I was going to go with 400cc but glad I didn't because then I'd have even more loose skin. My end result is a 34D. I almost wish I went with 500 because maybe it would have filled up ALL the loose skin. I dunno. I had a reduction from a 48H in 2017. That left me at a 46D. Then I lost weight and instead of drooping so much, I had a lot of horizontal skin, which is unusual.

@S@ssen@ch has some great advice. I was going to ask if you were flying alone or with someone. How are you getting home from the airport? How do you normally handle pain meds? Make sure you have your home set up for your return. Water, jello, protein drinks, etc. Have a back up plan for once you get home. Do you have a doctor set up in your new town yet? If not, do so. Have your WLS recommend someone local in case you need them, someone he can work with. You don't want to get back home and have no one to turn too. I also took stole softeners for about a week before. constipation is reallllll. I would also make sure the airport knows you will need assistance getting on and off the plan. Have them wheel you around and take your bag. Travel as lite as you can. I wouldn't worry about makeup and such. My bag consisted of: my meds, hair brush, toothbrush & paste, deodorant, clean underwear, loose pants and top (two each), slip on shoes (one pair), socks, small blanket (throw). I also would only carry my wallet if you can... toting around a heavy purse is not fun. I know this will sound crazy, but make a list of who to call in case of ER and have it in your wallet on a piece of color paper... like bright pink, green, yellow... On it also write that you just had gastric surgery and your sx phone #. Set up your ER # on your phone.

@ChubRub thank you I appreciate that. I bought paper tape and gauze pads and a special ointment (a blend of propolis, silver and tea tree) to make my own bandages. To be honest I also used pantyliners under tape as an absorbent for when the open wound was more wet. I have to say it’s interesting that I showered so soon after surgery. And the most important thing is to use a blow dryer on cool to dry the incisions. In hospital they dried them that way even covered in paper tape still. I clean the incisions well and blow dry especially the still raw areas but they are improving. I think the method worked well. when I get up the guts to wear the Romper I’ll try to get up the nerve to post a picture too. I am actually wearing dresses, albeit casual loose ones so far. I never worse dresses before. But they are convenient. I try to take pictures with my tablet but can’t get the bigger picture ... literally and figuratively.