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I had some complications from my surgery and ran a fever for nearly two weeks. Mine did the same and hovered just over 100 degrees. The two things my doc warned about were heart rate or temperature over 100. It can be signs of a potential leak or infection, but sometimes our bodies are just working overtime trying to heal. Eventually the elevated temperature dropped back to normal and that was that. It's something to continue to monitor but try not to fret about it. I know that's easier said than done! Drink, walk, and rest. Soon enough you'll be back to normal.

I am very happy to be here and have enjoyed reading this site over the past few weeks. I would love to get down some of my thoughts and hear any feedback anyone has for me. I tend to write essays so I apologize for the length. I am scheduled to meet with a surgeon in two weeks. I also have the psych eval and nutritionist appointment as well as some medical tests that day. The hospital is almost two hours away so I'm packing as much as I can into each trip. I have bcbs fep so still have the 3 months supervised program which has not started. I weigh 278 and have been around this weight or higher (highest around 300) for at least 10 years. I am 35, normal weight as a young child but as soon as I hit puberty quickly became obese. I am not saying it is all genetic, but I know that is part of it. My parents and brother all suffered with obesity or morbid obesity. My brother had gastric bypass surgery several years ago, and to make a long story short he had complications, and died two years after the surgery at age 30. This was not from the surgery but was medically fragile since the surgery. My parents blame the surgery although I do not. They have made it clear that they would be very, very upset if I chose bariatric surgery. Despite this, I have considered this for years. I try to base most of my major decisions on good data. I know that long term weight loss in significant amounts (like, 100 lbs) is quite statistically improbable. I have successfully kept 20-30 lbs (back and forth in this range) off for 6 years. Despite that I am concerned about my health. I have high blood pressure and take three medications to maintain this. I am in the prediabetic range for blood sugar. I see my dad with worsening neuropathy from diabetes type 2 despite really hard work on a very low carb diet. My paternal grandpa lost 3 of his limbs from this disease before he died. Despite being fairly young my knees are starting to hurt when using stairs. I worry that I won't have very long ahead of me. I honestly have come to terms with how I look and while being thinner would be nice, that is not a major motivation for me. Sickness and early death from health consequences of morbid obesity terrifies me. I work full time as a clinical psychologist at a Veterans Affairs. The work is my passion and I would not want to do anything else. However it can be very stressful. It is also very cognitively and emotionally demanding and therefore exhausting while being super sendentary. My salary also supports my family (son and sahd husband). I have recurrent major depression. I am doing very well, taking medication and when needed connect back with therapy. I always live with the fear of depression relapse due to fear not being able to keep up at work and how hard the last one was on me and my family (4 years ago). Fears: will such low amounts of calories allow me to have sufficient cognitive energy to do my job well? Will the mood effects bring on another episode of depression? Should I hide having surgery to my parents, which feels dishonest, or tell them the truth and live with their anger and fear of losing their only remaining child? Will I be able to regularly engage in moderate exercise which honestly I haven't done since my early 20's? If you made it to the end, thank you. I don't expect answers to the above questions but feels good to tell them to people who might relate. Any thoughts welcome. Any experiences of going through this while maintaining a demanding job are appreciated.

I had my sleeve done yesterday, May 8th. I had already shared my fears and concern 2 days prior as well. I am now awaiting my shuttle to head back to my hotel as we speak. So far I am having very, very little complications. The only issue I had was gas/CO2 level pains. But nothing that is intolerable. My experience, so far has been wonderful. My advice to you all is to remember why you were compelled to have the surgery in the first place. It is different for everyone of course. You have all come this far, and I believe probably the worst of it is over. I feel the worst part so far was the liquid diet prior to surgery. And most of you have already completed most of this part by now. For 24 hours after surgery all you can have is ice and water. But what is so crazy is that at almost 24 hours post surgery with only water and ice, I'm not even hungry! Food is not on my mind right now. And that is a first in over 25 years! You have all made it this far. Please believe me when I say, you've got this. You've made it this far, you've got this. Good luck to you all. If you have an experience even only half as good as mine was at the OCC with Dr. Ariel Ortiz, then you certainly will be glad you went through with the surgery.

I have not had any complications at all... no gerd, no pain... the only thing I wished I had known is that it is possible that when you go home you will be heavier than when you went into the hospital. Some people, me included, gain weight from the IV fluids. I was almost 10 pounds heavier and it was so disappointing. Yes, you lose it all but it was quite a shocker to me.

The type of surgery wouldn't really matter. RNY recover is more complicated than Sleeve. As far as spicy foods, are you taking an antacid and a PPI? I had spicy food the whole time. At one month you can't really assess what you can and can't tolerate. I'm not really sure why you are eating chicken skin at this point anyway. Revisit it at 3 or 6 months. Most people don't dump, just like most people don't get GERD. If you already have GERD then choosing RNY over the Sleeve is a no brainer. Choosing based on dumping doesn't make sense because most people don't dump and even people that do dump, only dump early on. That is why its funny to see people choosing RNY hoping it will help their sweet tooth. I just read someone today who had RNY around the same time I had the sleeve that eats candy bars and drinks full sugar soda EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I have the exact same fears!! I have a small toddler, and I almost chose the vsg, even though I didn't feel it was the right surgery for me, solely because of the lower complication rate. I've also been very concerned about the possible, though rare, complications down the line. Sending good thoughts for a safe surgery and quick recovery your way.

I am looking into getting a sleeve revised to a duodenal switch with Dr Ponce De Leon in Tijuana MX. I can only find 2 people that have used him for DS in the past and none are responding to me for updated opinions. Anyone here use him for a DS can you tell me if your experience was good? Any complications? How long before you went back to work? What kind of vitamins do you take? Thanks in advance for any feedback!

@bellabloom nice to see you and your smile again glad maintenance is an ongoing success i have 3 questions..... how can i add 3 inches to my height?? how can i become a cutey and a youngun again like you? can i eat pizza on the way home from hospital you look maaaarvelous!!! Plastics - what did you have? painful? cost etc? you said "Bariatric surgery was very complicated for me" (continued protein, water? etc) what was/is the hardest part of the journey and maintenance?? inquiry minds want to know!!! keep up the good job kathy congrats

Is it an obstacle course, or just a muddy run? I am a little over two weeks out, and I can walk, but not run. I'm not fully healed yet, and am still pretty sore. I wouldn't want to overdo it, and it up with post surgical complications. Healing and recovery for me was way harder than I expected. I know everyone is different though, so who knows? I had very unrealistic expectations for my recovery, but realized after a few days that I was going to need a lot more time to heal than I anticipated. I hope you bounce right back and run the race, but it's ok if you need to sit this year out. Best of luck with your surgery!

Today is 2 weeks since my surgery. I had complications from day one. On my 3rd attempt at taking a walk in the hospital, I almost passed out. My heart rate shot up, I turned sheet white and the conclusion was I had a "bleeder". They kept me in an extra week and it was slow going for the doctors to get any numbers to go up. I had urinary catheter in, 2 IV's, etc. I even had trouble getting food in me, because I would gag. As my numbers started going up, they sent me home. Since being home, I can't sleep a full night, found I am having reactions to anything with fruit and dairy. Terrible gas pains that Gas-X and Alka-Seltzer gass relief don't even touch. I had called my surgeons office on Friday and his assistant assured me it will get better. I go back to the doctors office today for my first appointment. I am glad cause I want them to see me. All in all I am miserable and feeling this was the worst mistake I have made. Anyone else with similar problems? How did you overcome them? Sent from my LG-D851 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all- I'm a vet, had my wls in 2014. Lost to goal and then some and have successfully maintained. I have also had all my plastic surgery and am just living a happy life now. I am here because I want to be supportive of others. Bariatric surgery was very complicated for me and I feel I have a lot to contribute no matter where you are on your journey because I have really struggled myself. I want to be there for newbies and other vets who may need support down the line. This surgey changed my life, almost cost me my life, and gave me back my life. If you want to talk I am here and never going to judge you.

It's worth trying a ketogenic diet to see if it would help before going under the knife. Complications from surgery are no joke, and so surgery really should be relegated to a last resort... Especially for a very young low BMI person. What is the harm in trying a diet for a year or two... The surgery isn't going anywhere....

I definitely would encourage you to WALK!!! I was in pain when I went home and I feel my stomach time to heal because I just always took my pain medicine and laid around until I realize I didn't want to go back to the hospital for dehydration or complications so I made myself walk. As far as sleeping on my tummy it was a month for me it was even hard for me to sleep on my side but I am definitely pumped I am a month post op and all I want to do is exercise but I been sluggish because of my vitamins I am not yet good with that and still is learning but all I can say is that when you start to feel better your going to be so PUMPED to do what you have to do! GOOD LUCK[emoji1491][emoji813]️

I feel your pain. I had some testing done that showed I was having 96 episodes of reflux in a 24 hr period. I have had aspiration pneumonia multiple times. I even went into respiratory and renal failure due to aspirating. I had bypass done 2/21/17. I had gained quite a bit of weight after an accident. Due to both factors, bariatrics was suggested by my pcp. This surgery was nothing that I would have considered had it not been for the reflux. I had multiple complications after surgery. From 2/21-4/7, I was only home 6 days. I was admitted on 4 separate occasions. I am finally feeling somewhat normal again. I have to be very aware of what I eat because I still have pain under ribcage dependent on the food. Good luck to you.

Hi! I had my sleeve done 3/27 and initially lost 30 ponds in 4 weeks. YAY! Then I didn't lose anything and now I've gained a few pounds. It's possible that I'm PMS'ing but I'm SO sad/frustrated. I've been very vigilant w/what I'm eating and trying to exercise. I've had a few complications since the surgery including getting a kidney infection and getting put back into the hospital. I haven't been going to the bathroom which worries me. My dietician at my hospital is not very helpful and just wants me to see someone else. It's quite upsetting because I really want this to work. My drs are aware of all of this but man is is this frustrating. I did drink one day but only vodka/water and am freaked that I ruined this. I don't feel like I really know who to talk to about this with because I'm feeling like it's not working now w/the stall/weight gain SO early on. Help! Height: 5'10" Surgery Weight: 264 Current Weight: 237 Goal Weight: 160

Thank you! I know I HAVE to do this, or my life isn't going to get any better..only worse. The pain will increase, the mobility derease. I have to just think about the good things that are going to happen for me. Did you have any complications or side effects? Thats my biggest fear Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

I had very mild sleep apnea, only 2.5 occurrences more than normal. At the initial appointment my sleep doctor said a CPAP wasn't required but recommended to help decrease surgery complications. My surgery was April 20th. I saw the sleep doctor this week and he said I can return the machine since my case is mild and I had lost 28lbs since my last appointment with him. He scheduled a sleep study in 3 months to review how the weight loss affects my sleep and make sure the apnea has improved. Every case is different and depends on the severity of your apnea and your progress. Best of luck!

Hello All, I'm 4 days post op and what a journey! I had a band for 12 years which eroded and had to be urgently removed. My band did its job, but I gained lots of weight after removal. So, a revision to bypass was my option. I can tell you I was a complicated case due to adhesions and the discovery of 2 hernias. My poor wittle belly! I just wanted to add it will be great getting out of my fat suit and into my skinny suit again. All this pain is worth the long term result of being healthy! I love hearing others stories. It's a great way to support each other. Thank you. It's nice to know I'm not alone on this journey.

You look beautiful in both pictures and your face absolutely does not look hollow or too thin or whatever else may try to tell you. You also make a good point where after weight loss people think it's ok to make comments about your body, but somehow it's unacceptable to give it right back to them. Some people just want to poop on your parade. One of my coworkers had weight loss surgery. Prior to going under, she was very open to people and didn't mind word getting around that she was doing it. By the time she was taking her medical leave, everyone knew why. She had some complications and needed extra time off, but came back to work 6 weeks later and had already lost a significant amount of weight. Again... everyone knew why. But people STILL came up to her concern trolling her with questions about if she had cancer. She played it cool, but I would have gone to HR. Of course, some of it can be people just are not used to seeing you this way, but I feel like under no circumstances is it ok to make negative comments when you are working towards a healthier life. Congrats on your success

I had the MGB 7 weeks ago. Best thing I've ever done. Easy recovery (I was in hospital for 2 nights), no issues drinking or eating yet still feel the restriction needed to stop me overeating. I've also had steady weightloss with no stalls. This type of GB is safer than the RNY, is faster to recover from, has less post-op complications and provides similar weightloss. No regrets here, that's for sure.

I hope I feel as good as you. I'm not afraid of missing food, that's what got me to this point in the first place! I'm just worried about complications. I'm pretty healthy (arthritis and high bp are about it) so I'm hoping everything goes well. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

Honestly? If with insurance and waiting time it's the same amount of money you have to pay (or even more) I wouldn't bother with insurance. There's not guarantee they will approve you after all the hassle. However, when calculating your costs you should think about all the costs that are likely coming up (e. g. what about complications? follow-up? pre-op check-ups), not only the surgery itself.

I took some naked photos 2 days pre-surgery and looked at them yesterday. I am 4 weeks post-surgery and the changes to my body are already very visible and gratifying - wow!! I went to Mexico for surgery and was nervous about it but meeting my surgeon the day before and seeing Hospital Angeles where I had my surgery calmed my nerves and concerns. Everything went very well - I had no complications and was very well cared for by everyone. My surgeon also visited me twice a day in the hospital and once a day in the hotel after I was discharged.

I had the MGB surgery 4 weeks ago and am very happy with it. I've had no complications and am losing weight quite well. This procedure is 20+ years old and is very popular in many countries around the world. I think many of the fear mongers are caught up in U.S. medical/insurance politics and their opinions are not based on scientific evidence. I was self-pay but not with Dr. Cobourn, who I hear is a fine surgeon. Good luck!

My opinion is, there are a few things to consider. If the insurance out of pocket is more than Mexico then Mexico is more cost effective. It is also faster. The only reason to have surgery in the US is really just your comfort level. Will your primary doctor still see you if you have surgery out of the country? If there is a complication will United pay once you get back to the US? Complications are rare but they can happen. Personally if I had to jump through all those hoops, I would have just gone to Mexico. Luckily I was able to go from first visit to surgery in 8 weeks with my insurance.