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Now after I've completed my blood work, I'm now mild anemic. It's really difficult to walk, get exercise and cook a damn scrambled egg! I have my 6 week post op appointment this Friday. Hopefully, they can help me get back on track!

Welcome to the forum! I am getting close to the end of the process and each insurance company is different. My insurance requires 6 months and I am with Kaiser Washington and this was my process: - Had a provider seminar in January - Spoke with surgeon in January - Completed my lab testing/EKG in January - Schedule all my 6 nutritional visits 4 weeks apart - My EGD was in April - My psych evaluation is in May - My last nutrition class is 6/21 - hopefully I can have surgery in July or August Good luck on your journey 🥰🥰

Hi. I noticed that my weight has started going up like crazy over the past four days. I was 76.5 kg on 26 April 2023 and I weighed 80.2 Kg this morning (30 April 2023). I usually weigh myself after going to the toilet in the morning, around the same time, before eating or drinking anything and wearing only my "birthday suit". Gaining 3.7 kg over 3 days is definitely unusual and alarming. This afternoon I also noticed that my feet were swollen and felt a bit numb. Then I remembered that I've been eating a lot of pickles that my wife made for me. I read somewhere that there is a strong connection between increased dietary salt intake and weight gain due to water retention but the studies were all inconclusive. The recommendations were to just drink a lot of water, exercise and wait it out. Anyone experienced a similar situation and how long did it take to get back on track? It is frustrating that I'm experiencing this while I'm only 6 kg from my goal weight.

Yes, they recommend Tums 500mg 2-3 times a day. But that might’ve been the culprit :( better now.

1) if that "tummy" surgery is a whole lower body lift, then that's a good deal. If it's just a tummy tuck, then that's probably about average these days, especially for a city like Boston. I'm not sure about breast lift, but it's also probably about average since it's Boston (back when I was doing research about six years ago, I read somewhere (maybe here on BP?) to expect $8K-$10K per procedure, with a lower body lift counting as two procedures, since they do both front and back). That estimate did ring true for me, but again, that was six years ago. Plus you're usually going to pay more in urban areas and/or with surgeons who've had a lot of experience and good reputations. So anyway, no, those prices don't seem outrageous. 2) I would go for the surgery if you want to get rid of it. I don't know how effective these alternative methods are - maybe minimally. Results from surgery are dramatic and permanent (as long as you don't gain the weight back!) 3) my lower body lift was pretty painful. After the first few days, though, it was more discomfort than pain, but the discomfort lasted for quite awhile. I don't remember the breast lift being very painful. I think the body lift pain was because they tighten the muscles and do liposuction - those are things that tend to cause pain, from what I've read. But like with the above poster, the pain was worth it - I have a normal-looking body now, and I'm really happy with it. I'd do the surgery again for sure. 4) that comes down to personal preference. I wanted mine done in a hospital, and I wanted to spend the first night there in case anything happened. The surgeon I went with ONLY does his surgeries in a hospital, and he does make you spend the first night there just in case. The other two consults I had (for body lifts) will do theirs in hospitals if requested, but by default they do them in surgery centers where you go home that night. Their quotes (at least for the lower body lift - which was the only surgery for which I did more than one consult) were cheaper - one was cheaper by $2000, the other by $6000. The first guy has a national reputation, though, so his $2000 price difference was likely due to fact there that it would have been in a day surgical center, not a hospital (and no overnight). The second guy didn't have nearly as much experience, which would have accounted for the much lower price. (I had a facelift a few years later by a different surgeon - I didn't do a hospital surgery for that one since it's a much easier surgery - I was comfortable doing that one at a surgery center)

Congrats! You've done fantastic!! I'm almost 3 years out and can relate to much of what you've said with regards to hunger coming back and being able to eat quite a bit more. Just curious though, do you find that it "comes and goes"? There are some days I feel huge restriction - like I can only eat a few bites of something, and then others I am hungry all day. Doesn't seem to matter what type of food it is (protein, salad, or slider foods). Also, much like you, I've had no issues with any different foods (sometimes I wish I did!).

1. No the price isn’t outrageous but prices vary by region (and relative experience). One way to lower the cost is to see if insurance will cover part of it and pay the rest. You may have to work with your primary doctor or Bariactrics surgeon to establish a need such as skin irritation/infections not resolved by medications. Another way is to travel to a competitive area that has lower costs and that may include medical tourism overseas. Definitely get multiple consultations to see what the prices are in and out of your area. Some surgeons will provide free consultations and quotes (virtual) and some will charge a fee. 2. Anything non surgical might just be a waste of time and money that you could have used to pay for the skin removal surgery. Liposuction will remove additional fat from the area and retract some of the skin through wound remodeling but not large amounts of skin. 3. Definitely more painful than Bariatric surgery. But it was worth the recovery for me. 4. I did it in office where there was an en-suite OR but I had surgery in the competitive plastic surgery market of Miami where that is the standard not the exception. You have to choose what you are comfortable with but also if you can get insurance coverage that may reduce the hospital portion as well. Good Luck!

I lost my weight in 2020. Since then I’ve been struggling with my tummy mostly (I lost 120 and other areas could use a nip tuck). I have a pretty big belly it prevents me from tucking in and wearing a lot of things I would like to wear. I’m 56 years old and petrified of surgeries but especially this one. I know it will be very painful. And also the quote I got at the surgeons office was 15k for tummy and 15k for breast lift. I’m in Boston and this was in office not in hospital. In hospital was an extra 11k. My questions are 1. Does that price sound outrageous? Again it’s a good size job and I’m sure it’s more bc of that?? 2. Is there anything else I can do to reduce this tummy I know the big procedure is the only way to really do it but do these fat loss clinics (must be lipo?) clinics work? 3. How painful was this? 4. Would you do this in office? Thanks so much for your feedback!

My BP shot up right after surgery while still in the hospital. None of the nurses seemed as alarmed as I was. They said it was the bodies response to a major surgery and the inflammation happening. It stayed elevated for a week or so but as my body heals it's dropping to where the doctor told me to keep an eye on it from going too low. I'm hoping to eventually be off BP meds in the near future and hope the same for you.

I had a Gastric sleeve about a week ago and since then my blood pressure has skyrocketed. (Over 190/90 at times) I've talked to my doctor a few times but have found very little information. My blood pressure meds are not responding nearly as well. Has anyone else had this problem?

I have had my gastric sleeve surgery April 24th 2023. I am currently 6days post op. No pain, little sore. I am able to take in my 64oz of fluid (clear). And starting full liquid in 2 days, for two weeks. Im so hungry and would die for some puree. I walk as much as i can considering I dont have as much energy at the moment. Please how did you cope with the hunger while on the liquid diet? How long before puree food? Thanks for any response. I really appreciate it 🙏🙏

I was told to start taking vitamins right away, but some clinics tell their patients to wait two weeks - so in other words, waiting is probably fine since there doesn't seem to be a consensus among professionals about this (it probably won't hurt you if you have to wait two weeks)

I think I need to provide more context. I don’t have medical clearance yet to exercise (not until my appointment next week hopefully) so my muscle is the first things being burned from what I was told. And since I use my dominant arm more, shouldn’t I be losing more muscle there first instead of my non-dominant arm? There’s a five inch difference between the arms. I’m already self conscious about my arms as a big woman (SW: 286, CW: 262), I feel like unevenness is going to be a new thing to be self conscious about as my non dominant arm gets smaller while my dominant arm stays the same. Total inches lost in my dominant arm have been 0.25 inches. My non dominant arm lost 5 inches. I just want to know if anyone else has experienced this with their arms before. I don’t have lymphedema so it’s kinda freaking me out. Also my stomach has always gained first and it’s one of the first things going down. All my measurements are going down and decreasing significantly…except that dominant arm. I’ll probably talk to the doc and find a way to delete this thread. It was a stupid question to begin with. Sorry y’all!

Stalls are a normal part of weight loss, but when you say your "diet can use some work," is it possible that you aren't losing weight because you're not in a calorie deficit? It would be unusual to be able to eat that much 2 months post-op, but it's hard to say without more information. The less you weigh, the lower your calorie needs, so if you're consuming the same number of calories now that you were when you were 30 pounds heavier, that could now be too much for weight loss. Regardless, you shouldn't be afraid of what your surgeon will say about your weight loss. Your surgeon isn't (or shouldn't be) there to judge you, but to help you. If what you're doing isn't working, your surgeon/clinic wants to help you fix it.

I’m just curious to see if I’m going crazy or if this is normal. I’m about 5.5 weeks post op and notice I’m losing inches everywhere except my right arm. It happens to be my dominant arm. Did anyone experience places where inches came off slower in places but eventually catch up? Or am I going to end up with one big arm and one small arm for the remainder of this journey?

I was told to wait 2 weeks before starting vitamins because they can irritate the stomach lining. No damage done I'm sure. Just concentrate on getting your water and protein shakes in.

I was told that I could start my chewable vitamins the day after surgery. However, they made me very nauseated at first so I waited until almost a week to start. It is concerning if you can't keep water down at all. Have you tried warm broth/water to see if that sits better? Warm broth was the first thing that didn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Hi all- I’d love it someone could help me understand what’s going on. I’m 4 days post op from gastric bypass/HH surgery. The instructions I received from the nutritionist and the hospital after visit summary was to begin chewable vitamins and tums the following day of returning home (ie day 3 post op). So, yesterday I took the chewable vitamins they suggest along with thin liquids and pain medication as needed. My wound pain has improved but this morning (day 4 PO) after taking the vitamins and good hydration on day 3 PO, I began to feel uncomfortable in my digestion. I kept away from any protein or drinks that weren’t water but progressively my new pouch started to reject all liquid. It got so uncomfortable that I called the on call doctor concerned about dehydration. The doctor, who was not my surgeon but works alongside my surgeon, said I shouldn’t start the vitamins until 2 weeks PO! I countered with that both pieces of written instructions say to start vitamins immediately and she acknowledged it says that but to not take them and wait for my follow up appt in 3 days. Meanwhile, try to get water down etc - although I’m still rejecting it. My basic questions are: when were you told to start vitamins following GB and have you experienced this severe discomfort early on or at all? Is it possible that I’ve done damage? I’ve read about “foamies” and recognize it as that. I will speak with the on-call doctor again if I can’t get fluids in tonight but it feels careless and easily solvable to correct the instructions. Any thoughts/advice? Thanks so much…

Thank you for the advice and encouraging words. I’m checking in with my surgeon next week.

I would suggest that looking for very small steps is the answer and expecting much back slide and angst. Depression and anxiety can go hand in hand. An antidepressant medication can be extremely helpful in situations such as these, and there ARE weight neutral meds that can really help. I highly suggest doing both medications for at least 6 months to a year AND counseling. The combination of the two are the MOST helpful. Medication will help her brain chemistry to allow her to see through the fog of depression. Also expect some hard days as her body adjusts to medication - perhaps even up to 6 weeks, but the change will be there.

Hi BriarRose, I appreciate your words of encouragement and support. I will contact the county DMH and hope to convince her to a doctor’s visit. It’s a day at a time with her because her moods go up and down. I’ll keep the community updated. This is helpful for me to be able to go somewhere to discuss this matter. I have 3 friends who were and still are successful in their bariatric surgeries. I know that’s why we (husband and I) were so supportive of her decision. I feel now she mentally and emotionally was not mature enough to handle the after effects. I’ll keep my hopes and prayers that a breakthrough will come soon. Thank you.

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where did you hear that the average is 5-15 lbs a week? NO ONE loses that fast. Maybe 5 lbs a week the first MONTH (and it wouldn't be five lbs each and every week - most of us experience the dreaded "three week stall" - but a 15-25 lb loss the first month seems to be pretty average, unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". After that drop the first month, you'll settle to into a slower rate for a few months, maybe 10 lbs a month, give or take, for the next few months - and then it'll slow even further. so I don't know where you heard that figure, but it's not accurate. You need to adjust your expectations or you're going to be frustrated and disappointed. As long as you comply with your clinic's plan, the weight will come off. Don't stress over this and more importantly, don't burn yourself out - you don't want to crash and burn. Just follow the plan. Depending on your starting point, it can take a year or more to get to goal - it took me 20 months. You want to jeopardize your health.

There’s no right or wrong way & there’s no one path everyone follows while they’re losing. Though it would be easier if we could say exactly what will happen on or by a specific day or time. Like week 6 day 4 I will have lost this much weight, I will meet my protein goal for the day, I will be 3ozs short on my fluids, I will poop, I will feel tired, & so on. You can depend upon certain things. You can expect your rate of weight loss to fluctuate day to day, week to week. You can expect to experience stalls at some times which will usually last 1-3 weeks but may be more. You can expect your rate of weight loss to slow as you get closer to your final weight. You can guarantee your weight loss experience may have similarities with someone else but won’t be exactly the same. There are averages (statistics) but they only can give you an idea of what might happen not will definitely happen. We’re all too different physically & psychologically, have different health issues & history, different demands on our lives, different genders, ages & heights, etc. I tracked my loss almost every day and yes there were ups & downs along the way but that’s just life - one day is never identical to the day before or the day after & there are always things that happen that you can’t control (hormonal fluctuations, pooping, peeing, energy levels, being unwell, etc.). The most important thing to me was I was losing & the general trend on my weight loss graph was downwards. Keep following your plan & getting in your protein & fluids as you’ve been doing & you will lose weight in your time. Don’t put pressure on yourself on how much you will lose by some arbitrary made up date. It will only stress & upset you if you don’t make it. All the best.

I'm 11 months post op and I take 3 Colace every day with my pm meds. I don't think I'll ever be regular without help.