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I wrote a long comment and then lost it lol. I was suggesting my surgeon, Dr. Feiz he is BH but he does surgery in Valencia and at UCLA in Santa Monica or Westwood. I also have Blue Shield/ Blue Cross PPO and he worked with my insurance and it was a very smooth process. You can call him and discuss with him or his team. I am 3 months after surgery and I doing well. Did not have any complications and to the contrary it was a very safe and speedy recovery. Now I am just working on keeping a healthy diet and choosing wisely. Good luck again and keep us posted. Oh one more thing, I joined a program for people with eating disorders and it has been helping me a great deal. Learning to address your emotional needs and not just eat. Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

I had a sleeve with a few complications, so I have taken 2 months off of work. I definitely needed it, my strength is only just returning. Sent from my HTC 10 using the BariatricPal App

I've been off from my surgery (band to bypass revision with complications - 7hr surgery) on the 3rd December. The first week was pretty rough and my head was still quite foggy from the anaesthetic and pain meds. However I've recovered really quickly and think I could have been back in work after a fortnight if I had to be. It's really nice knowing I'm not back till the 3rd Jan though, gives me time to focus on exercise and getting my food/vitamins routine sorted before my life gets hectic again! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Great job! You look amazing and your journey and transformation are an inspiration! I'm sorry you had such difficult complications but I'm so glad you're better now! Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

PCOS here! I had lap-band in 2010 and have lost 85 lbs, but with lots of ups and downs. I am getting the band removed and getting sleeved on Thursday because of complications with the band. I still have about 95 lbs to go. I'm on the max dose of spironolatone, but since losing 85 lbs, it is actually improving symptoms. I was on 2000 mg of metformin for a while, but eventually got off of that. Dr says that he has seen people off of PCOS meds completely after losing to a healthy weight. Here's to hoping!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgery is Jan 4th 2017 and I read all the scary things that you did but the other thing I saw was that almost everyone that had complications said they would still do the surgery all over again. Even one guy that had the worse complications I have ever heard of and took a year to recover still said he was glad he had the surgery. So that is what I asked myself. If I have one of the bad complications, do I still think it would be worth it if I reach my goal weight? For me the answer is yes because I am 45 years old and I have been overweight my entire life. I am willing to take the chance. You just have to make sure that for you, it is worth taking the chance and even with complications could you still be okay with having the surgery

Just remember that after the actual surgery, it is up to you to follow you after care plan exactly as you were told. If questions arise, ask here if general. If specific to eating stages, exercise, and doctor related things, don't hesitate to contact your surgeon. Avoiding many of those complications are within your control.

@@LittleBill, I've loved all of your posts! The only .45 I've shot kicked like a beast, and I have weak wrists with arthritis, so I didn't enjoy it. I have a lovely 9mm Ruger that I love and is smooth as butter to fire, but it's only really concealable for a large guy with a shoulder rig and a jacket. I grew up in Alaska and live down in the hellfire that is Texas, so I'm pretty comfortable with guns and such. LOL. And yes, I thought that the shrinking molecules was pretty crazy when I first read about it, but when you realize they're trying to explain a complicated chemical process on a 4th grade level, it tends to come across pretty Marvel-comic-like. LOL. Since they haven't been named in any of the Protein spiking lawsuits, they likely have some decent evidence that their stuff is on the level.

My surgery is in 2 days, I'm very nervous. Maybe things won't work or there could be complications. I was wondering if anyone had any ways to calm your anxiety from the bad thoughts of the surgery so I can focus more on the good! It would help a lot, thanks.

You've got this The surgery is short (I'm speaking of the sleeve). There are complications with ANY surgery. Heck, you can have complications from a root canal, botox or taking Tylenol even. give yourself a chance,

Embrace that saggy skin-it's weight lose!!! Yay! The band has the most complications. Bypass for higher weigh, bypass for me. I only need to loose 110#. Do not worry about that skin until you are a few months out. Hell, politics should make you worry, not doing the greatest thing you'll ever do for you. I'm proud of you! And I don't know you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So I had my surgery on 12/22 and had a horrible night that night with sweats- it's ok because I was probably wheeling off the anesthesia. Next day, I go down to have my upper GI and feel real faint. I passed the upper GI but when I'm waiting in imaging to go back- I tell my husband to call the nurse because I was having lots of cold sweats and wasn't feeling good. Turns out they called a code rescue ( great team at south Miami hospital) and they rush me to CT to see if I might have a clot. Turns out no clot, thank God, but I did have a hematoma from my suture and it was bleeding. Turns out that my hemoglobin went all the way down to 7.3. I'm up to 7.9. Of course, I also get my monthly visitor making the situation a little more grave because I have more blood loss. Well, I was sent home yesterday 12/26 still very pale but trying my hardest to get better. Was wondering if anyone had the same or similar complications? Thank you all for contributions in advance. Sandy Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm with you, @@Monigirl76 and @@clevergirl . My surgery is scheduled for January 30 and I'm nervous and doing a lot of second guessing. All I can say is I really appreciate the expertise and compassion of my care team. Every one of them has been extraordinary. I jokingly asked the surgeon what his kill rate was, and it turns out nobody in his care has died yet! He has a great reputation. Maybe weigh the known risks of continuing on your current path with the risks of surgery? My surgeon showed me all sorts of pictures of the various complications that can occur, along with stats of how frequently the occur with each surgery both nationally and among his patients. I love stats and work with them a lot so that spoke to me.

Don't do it. My hospital did a research study of post op bariatric patients and found that egg have a Protein that can cause digestive complications in some patients if introduced before 4 weeks. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using the BariatricPal App

Similar stories and feelings, glad you are getting this under control while you are young. I too had the complication of extreme constipation. I just wanted to suggest that you get off any pain meds you might still be on as well as the antinausea drugs. They slow the bowels down. Keep drinking tons of water. Good luck to you.

Hey guys so this is my first post. I had my sleeve done one week ago on December 20th. It's been quite a journey. I'm 25 and I have been overweight my entire life. It really got bad when I got put on antidepressants when I was 12 (I have anxiety/depression & bipolar disorder.) I tried many different antidepressants and it seems like each and every one increased my appetite. But I was such an anxious and depressed wreck without medication that it just wasn't possible for me to function without it. When I was in middle and high school my mom and I would diet a lot. I was on nutri-system, weight watchers, and many others but I never lost much and I would become discouraged and quit. At times I was resentful of my mom because she was always encouraging me to eat healthy and nagged me when I didn't. My mom has dieted her entire life and struggled with weight issues herself. About 7 or so years ago they told me I was prediabetic and I was put on metformin. I was also put on Byetta and I lost about 30 pounds. I was getting ready to do the lap-band surgery and was doing everything I needed to do to get it when my insurance informed us that they had told us wrong and I wasn't approved for the surgery. I guess I became hopeless and gave up on dieting. In a way though I was also relieved because I don't think I was truly ready for such a big change. Since then I've basically been steadily gaining weight. I've been in college (just graduated) and until recently I haven't really restricted my eating at all. I would eat however much of whatever I wanted all the time and often to the point of being miserably full. I've definitely eaten an entire pizza to myself more than once. I ate when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was celebrating, when I was heartbroken, etc. I knew I was unhealthy and I was ashamed but I guess I tried not to think about it much. In October something just clicked and I knew I couldn't go on like this anymore. I knew I had to do something if I wanted to live a long life, have a healthy pregnancy & have kids someday, play with my kids someday, etc. Losing weight, dieting, and exercising just always seemed pointless because I knew I'd never lose enough to become healthy. I felt I was just too far gone. But I realized that having surgery could help me lose weight and get me to a more manageable weight so that I could exercise and diet and do all the things I always thought were pointless before. I had really good insurance this year, better than ever before and my out of picked price would only be $1000. The price of my insurance is going up at the end of the year and I have no idea what type of insurance I'll have after the new year so if I wanted to get the surgery it had to be before December 31. I attended a seminar and the lady in charge of insurance and the surgeon assured me they'd work with me and I'd be able to get it by the end of the year. I was so ecstatic I burst into tears. A lot of unforeseen complications came up however. My Iron was very low and I needed at least 2 iron infusions. My surgeon got fired. My EGD had irregular results and I had to see a specialist. It seemed like getting the surgery by the end of the year was going to be impossible. But everything fell into place. I was approved by my insurance and they scheduled my surgery for the 28th. Then they moved it up to the 20th. The surgery went well. Waking up was kind of brutal. I was very nauseous and miserable. I had been fasting since midnight the night before and I couldn't have anything to drink until the next day. I was in quite a bit of pain AND SO THIRSTY. Its funny because the most painful parts were things I didn't expect. For example, my incisions didn't hurt much but my back hurt like crazy from the hospital bed. And since I've been home from the hospital the most painful thing I've experienced was my severe constipation (sorry for the TMI but it was the worst). I've been so happy that I was able to get the surgery in time that I haven't experienced much sadness or regret like I've read about most people experiencing for a period after surgery. Today has been the hardest day. I'm still on only liquids for another week until I move onto puréed foods. Today my dad made French fries and I started bawling. I wanted French fries soooooooooo badly. It's been tough watching as my family ate Christmas dinner while I eat Protein shakes and broth. I know it's worth it but sometimes it's so hard. I'm so happy to be where I am and I'm so excited to see and feel my body changing but I know it will be a tough journey which is why I signed up for this website. Also I am off my metformin which I am beyond thrilled about! Anyways, that's been my journey so far. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to hear back from some people! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It is very normal to feel like you do after surgery especially with our complications. It will get better. It may take a little longer than some of us did because of what your going through. Each week it will get easier. Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

Hey guys... I'm bout almost two weeks post op, I was sleeved on 15th and just found rather difficult to post my progress while I adjust to the procedure First let me start off that I had some complications and had to spend some additional time in the hospital, after the surgery I spent my regular planned recovery time of 3 days at Pennsylvania Hospital Bariatric wing and then I went home Sunday the 19th.. started my fluids and Protein and that's going fine I guess.. it's just that I'm all over the place with getting my fluids and protein in as in theirs no schedule. So regarding my complication... it seems that every time I stood on my feet and moved to the other room... my heart rate shot up to 140-160 and I was short of breath. Made a doctors appointment and I was admitted to the ER and put under observation and had a cat scan done because I had the symptoms of a blood clot or pulmonary embolism but the scans shows I had a hematoma where my sleeve is and the cause of that was from my blood thinners. So I guess the heparin was working a little too good because of the blood thinners and whatever blood vessel that were cut and still healing was the cause of the bleeding. I came home on Christmas Eve Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Over the last few weeks, I've seen a number of posts about "cheating" on the diet plan in the days and weeks immediately following surgery, and I am very concerned about this trend. I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV, and I am not dispensing medical advice. However. I am a registered nurse, and what I'm about to say is an informed and educated opinion. Surgeons tend to give VERY detailed instructions about what to eat after a stomach surgery, and for VERY good reason. Even when the surgery is arthroscopic and looks to be a very tiny surgery on the outside, it's a VERY BIG surgery on the inside. The VSG surgery leaves a staple/suture line the entire length of the stomach. That incision has to heal, and if you could see it, it would look like raw beef. If the incision were on the outside, we would be very careful with it, keeping it clean and bandaged while it healed. Of course, it's on the inside, so we can't do that. But we need to keep in mind that it needs to heal in the same way. We have to eat, and that food will be against that raw incision. At the same time that we have to protect the healing stomach, we also have to get in plenty of fluids and nutrients, specifically Protein, in order to support healing. Protein is the primary building block for tissue, so it's critical to healing. Carbs are mainly just energy sources, so they're not as important, especially given that people having bariatric surgery have plenty of energy in their fat stores. This is why protein is stressed so heavily over carbs in the diets. Additionally, the stomach is now in a new shape, and it basically has to learn how to function as a slender tube instead of a big bag. There's a learning curve. Kinda like a newborn baby's stomach. We don't dump steak and salad into a newborn's stomach for good reason - it doesn't know how to deal with it. Similarly, we don't want to do that to our new sleeve. We start off with stuff that's easy on the suture line and easy to digest, and as the suture line heals and the sleeve learns its job, start working our way up to "real" food. So over the years, doctors have learned what foods are best for a healing stomach, and that translates into the post-op diet progression instructions. Typically, that looks like this: Clear liquids, then full liquids, then pureed foods, then soft foods, then slowly move into a "full" diet beginning with high moisture content foods first. When moving from one stage to the next, it's typically advised to add just one food at a time, in small amounts, and see how it's tolerated. A food that's not tolerated well can be tried later on as well. If an entire stage is not being tolerated, back up to the previous stage for a while, and then try again more slowly. Surgeons tend to specify how long to stay in each of these stages, what types of food make up each stage, and how to transition to the next stage. Every surgeon's instructions are a little different, and it's based on their experience and sometimes changes based on the patient's specific medical case. The general idea in the very early weeks is to eat foods that will not stress the healing suture line, and do not have particles that are known to cut into the raw tissue or get embedded into the suture line. If a cut or embedded food particle gets infected, it can become an abscess and develop into a leak. A leak can be life threatening, and at the very least cause the patient to have to be hospitalized and possibly have more surgery to correct it. Foods that are particularly known to cause issues are those that swell up like rice, have seeds like strawberries, or have rough hard edges or hard to digest fibers like wheat crackers or raw vegetables. There are people who eat all sorts of things against their doctor's orders and have suffered no ill effects, but this should not be used as an argument that the doctor's orders are not important. Similarly, you will find some people who smoke a pack of cigarettes every day and drink a pint of whiskey every day but live to 100. They are not representative of most people, and should not be used as the example other people follow. The reality is that some people will develop abscesses and leaks because they ate things before they were cleared to by their doctors, and there is no way to predict who will have the complications and who will not. And the consequences can be as severe as death. It's not common, but that's how bad it can get. That's why the doctors give the instructions they do. They're not just testing you or trying to make your life hard. They are giving you the best information they have to keep you safe. Violating these orders is not "cheating" on a diet. It's risking your life. I am not being overly dramatic with this statement, it is a fact that it has happened. You are risking your safety and your health if you violate these orders. It's not about "being human", it's not about "food addiction". It's about your safety and your health. It's hard to be on liquids only for 2 weeks (or more). Some people have huge cravings, or "head hunger" as we tend to call it here. Or just want desperately to chew something. No one is saying it's easy. But it's necessary. Distract yourself. Eat/drink anything that's allowed on your plan - freeze it, heat it up, try something that's opposite of what you've been having to shake it up. Walk around the house or the block. Suck on an ice cube. Count to ten or a hundred. Post about how hard it is, and ask people to help you get through it. But muscle through. It's nothing less than your health and safety. As for why one surgeon will have his patients on clear liquids for 2 weeks while another only does 2 days? Or why one will skip a phase entirely? Each surgeon has different experiences that inform his practices. One is not right and the other wrong. They are each operating out of what they were taught and what they have seen in their own patient groups. They may have even modified the plan because of a specific health concern in your specific case. As a patient, you need to fully understand what your surgeon expects, and if you have a problem with the protocols get it straight with your surgeon and team BEFORE you go under the knife. If you don't trust your surgeon and his protocols, find another surgeon. I personally would question a surgeon who doesn't allow any Protein drinks including the clear ones for 2 full weeks post op (saw that in one patient's instructions on this site) and likely wouldn't work with that surgeon, given what I know about the needs of protein for healing. But after surgery is not the time to be questioning the surgeon's protocols. Get those questions asked and answered to your satisfaction well before the surgery date. If you are having surgery, and you have not been given your post-op instructions, at the very least for the first 2 weeks post-op, do not proceed with the surgery until you have that information. We have people posting here stating that they were sent home without clear instructions as to what they were supposed to eat or drink, just a vague statement about "full liquids". That is not sufficient information, and instructions should be given WELL BEFORE the surgery, not after. You should fully understand what will be expected in the weeks after the surgery before consenting to the surgery, or your team is not doing their job. (This ends my sorta rant about post-op diets and "cheating") Good luck to everyone!

Set point is so important and Matthew Weiner has a few videos on it on you tube. Lowering your set point and resetting it not only make weight loss easier, it also makes defending. That weight easier. When you body has a new set point it tries to stay there. The set point is why people can stay the same weight for years. Their body wants to be the there and will resist losing or gain weight to stay in this range. Resetting it and getting it as low as possible helps with preventing regain. It is more complicated than I can explain in a forum post while I'm at work but it is worth researching since it seems like most WLS patients don't understand it at all.

I agree that there's no need to beat yourself up over something that's already done. And no, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. However, I am a registered nurse, and I have to take exception to some of the things being said here. The post-operative diet progression instructions are given for VERY good reason - the patient's healing and SAFETY. As my surgeon says, it's a little surgery on the outside, but a VERY BIG surgery on the inside. The entire length of your stomach has an incision with staples and has to heal. Eating things outside your surgeon's post-op diet progression orders is not "cheating" on a diet, it's violating your prescribed post-op instructions, and it can have very serious consequences. Anyone saying that there's no reason to worry, simply doesn't know what they're talking about. It is very true that many people can eat things not on their post-op diet orders and not suffer any consequences. But it is also very true that a few can suffer leaks or abscesses that can land them in the ICU or worse because of it. We are not being overly dramatic when we say these things. @@huskergirl1972, it is more likely than not that you have suffered no damage from this. However, it's important that you understand the gravity of deviating from your doctor's diet progression orders for the first several weeks post-op. Until your surgeon has cleared to a full diet, your incision has likely not healed, and you are vulnerable to complications. Your surgeon can tell you specifically what to look for in terms of complications, but the biggies are very sharp pain that is much worse than the pain you've had so far post-op (and usually very localized to one spot), very fast heart rate, dizziness (especially when standing up) and fever. If you develop those symptoms you should call your team and consider going to the ER. The post-op diet is hard, especially the first couple of weeks when it's liquids only. But it is only a short time, and it is for your safety. Please work very hard to follow your surgeon's instructions closely until released to a full diet.

Tomorrow is my big day. I'm so scared about complications but at the same time I am excited about a new life. One where I can keep up and play with my two year old son, where my autoimmune disease isn't triggered all of the time and where I don't have to where clothes that I feel help me to "hide". I don't where makeup or jewelry or get my hair done because I just want to hide from everyone, to blur in to the background. I don't want to be like that anymore. I don't want my family to have to say "I know you don't want to be in the picture". I hate that person. I'm glad to be getting the chance to show the world that I am a person and I don't have to hide anymore. But that scared feeling still lies there. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm happy so many had an easy time with their pain. I didn't. When I woke up in recovery and felt the gas pain under my ribs I had instant regret. The gas pain was really bad and it moved as I turned. I was speaking the wrong language to the staff and was totally messed up in my head. I got relief when I got up to go to the bathroom, still in recovery, the gas settled more in my shoulders and didn't bounce around anymore. The pain meds I got didn't help with my gas pain, so I didn't take them after a while. My insicions never hurt. I had and still have a hard time with drinking liquids 5 weeks out. Warm liquids go down easier and cold ones are a no-no. I was in the hospital last week for dehydration and other small complications. I'm losing weight slower than before surgery. On the fence if I did make the right desicion. For now my problems have outweighed the benefits, but I hope it will all turn around for me soon. I didn't write this to scare you, but please be prepared for complications and pain. If you don't have any problems, then it's a bonus. Good luck to you! Nilla

I have 3 boys from teenager to 10, I'm only 5 weeks post op but I'm so much happier, I feel great and had no complications which I'm sure made it alot easier. I also had a hernia repair. Everyone is different but I believe it's how you make yourself feel so if you have a great attitude about the surgery your emotions will be great if there is any doubts then you might be emotional. The only day I got emotional is when I saw a weight loss of 27 pounds in 4 weeks that's when I was emotional and that was excitement emotional. I wish you the best of luck and remember happy exciting feelings and you will be fine. Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

I was wondering about you Night! I was sleeved the same day as you. I'm happy to hear you don't have any major complications!!! I had nausea the first day but luckily I have been fine with the exception of the lack of BMs!!!!! LOL Thanks for checking in. I'm glad to know things went well. Let's keep in touch!