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No I only had a final goal weight and to be honest that was purely aspirational - I had no idea whether or when I would reach it! It was a weight I had reached previously by diet and exercise and felt good at. Hunger returned when I had lost approx 100lbs - probably a quarter of that on my long pre-op diet and three quarters in the 9 or 10 months post op. I went on to lose about another 40lbs. But honestly it is so different for different people. That's just how it went for me. Very best of luck to both of you.

Hang in there! This is a great video describing what is going on: The TLDR Version: In the first three weeks, you are losing more weight than is possible given your calorie deficiency, that is extra water around your body. You actually become dehydrated in those first few weeks until your body regulates itself and starts to store some more water to get you out of that dehydrated state. That usually happens around week 3, so you stall. You are STILL losing fat, you are just retaining more (needed) water than the fat you are losing that week.

I’ve had a few general anaesthetics over the years (three in the last four years) & it is like the others have said, like falling asleep at night & then waking up without the dreams. When I wake I feel a little off & a little doughy in the head until I fully wake. And yes it has come a long way since my first lot in 1985 when I had my wisdom teeth out - nausea, vomiting, disorientation but think some of that was from swallowing blood during the surgery & bring forced awake in recovery. Let them know about your fear & hopefully they will give you sometime first to take the edge off. The Anaesthesiologists I’ve had have been pretty good about keeping me calm distracting me though I don’t have any concerns about it. One of my last ones was discussing gin & whisky with me as he put me under. Another was making jokes about how I’d managed to slice off part of my thumb so I needed the surgery.

Thing to remember when approaching these & similar treatments is that’s what we have is more than just normal aging sagginess & skin laxity. So while people may have success with them they likely had laxity from aging not dramatic weight loss. Not sure when you had your treatments, but it takes time for the Morpheus8 micro needling/RF to work. It takes three months for your skin to cycle and for you to start to see improvement. I had 4 monthly treatments of SecretRF which is the same as Morpheus. I did it mainly to help with my acne scaring & any other benefits were a bonus. My skin texture & tone is more even & my skin is softer. There has been a slight tightening around my cheek bones - they are little more noticeable. My Beauty therapist thinks my acne scars aren’t as deep. And my unexpected bonus this month has been a reduction in lipstick bleeding. Whoo hoo! Do I still have saggy jowls? Yes & I may not see any real improvement there but that’s okay. I still have another couple of months to discover new wins. My cosmetic physician who performed the treatments said you can continue to see improvement for 6 months after your last treatment. What’s Evolve?

I did three treatments of MorpheusX and 4 treatments of Evolve. Very little change. Waste of money. Don't do it.

This surgey was not something I took lightly. I prayed about it and prepared for 8 months before I got the call for Dec 19, 2022. I made this decision purely for my health as I’m sure most of you did as well. I was starting to have heart problems and my knees would hurt as I walked down the stairs. I was told it would be life changing and when it came to the weight loss it has been, but the complications that have bombarded me has me questioning if it was worth it. I don’t want to scare anyone off, because ninety-nine percent get through their gastric sleeve and adapt after the initial healing, but I have always been the one percent. You see I was the one percent with my pain management as well because I took steroid shots to my back after giving birth to my daughter. This went on for 10 years and then I developed adrenal insufficiency because my body became dependent on the hormone. It could no longer produce its own cortisol so I was then on the precipice of dying if I didn’t start a steroid regimen immediately among my diagnosis. I literally was down to that one percent of cortisol in my body. For five years I suffered unimaginable low energy, adrenal crisis when my body was to stressed, countless hospital visits and of course massive weight gain from cushions disease. I thought nothing would ever be as bad as that time in my life when I finally recovered after those five years and stopped my steroids. But the damage was done and I was severely obese at my heaviest of 270 and on top of that my thyroid suffered in the process so I could never get the weight off. Thats what led me to the only solution my doctor had and the realization that their are things worse than Addisons disease, at least for me. Since my surgery I have not been able to keep any food down. I have had to be admitted to the hospital for days on end where I would go back to the liquid diets. A few weeks ago I had a little tuna and my body rejected it with a fury sending me to the hospital for five days where I had two emergency surgeries. The doctor couldn’t believe what he was seeing on my mri. Somehow so much scar tissue has devolved that it was causing my sleeve to be pulled by my gallbladder and they were attached so we thought that was the reason I couldn’t keep any food down. After I came out of that surgery I felt relief and I wanted to cry because another thing I forgot to mention is that I had been nauseous 24/7 since my sleeve surgery, but for those five hours after waking up from the anesthesia and pain meds I felt normal. The nausea was gone. But the next day it was back with a vengeance and more imaging found that my gallbladder was infected and had to come out immediately. So under I went for the 3rd time in 6 months reentering the same wounds that still hadn’t healed. And again for a while I wanted to cry out that it’s a miracle, it’s all better, but as soon as all the meds wore off I was right back were I started. I also had to have a drain put in because their had been blood pooling around my sleeve since the first surgery. All they could do was prescribe me 3 medications to control the vomiting. I lost 7 pounds during that hospital stay. When I got home after being on a liquid diet for a few more days I slowly eased into the soft foods, but to this day after every meal or healthy snack I make my way to that porcelain hell were I retch until the nausea calms. I then take my nausea medications and Valium to relax my stomach muscles. It usually takes about three hours and then I do it all again because I’m only eating twice a day to avoid being sick morning, noon, and night. The only thing that has changed is the constant nausea, it’s now only after I eat something. I’m literally living off of soft cheese and fruit, but more than a few bites and all hell breaks loose. I can tell how malnourished I am because my hair is falling out in clumps and my skin is dry. I’m drinking as much liquid as I can, but dehydration is always around the corner. My doctor says I’m loosing more weight than he anticipated so I always thought hearing those words would bring me joy, but I’m so depressed and have no energy for my family so I have to ask myself daily was it worth it? Will it get better with more time? Again, I don’t want to scare anyone because their are more good stories on here than bad. I simply want to share my story because there is no other like it and that scares me. My daughter is always asking if I could die, she did this when I was sick with addisons too? I tell her if things get better before I reach my healthy weight of 130 then I’ll be ok because right now even though i’m not getting the calories I need my body still has enough fat storage to feed off of, but at the rate I’m loosing- a pound every other day, I will be severely malnourished if it gets to that point. Most people say the surgery is a blessing, but for me it may still be, but a blessing in disguise. I have spoken with my doctor and he doesn’t have the answers. I have scoured medical journals and comment boards also with no answers. If there is anyone on here that is going through the same thing please reach out and if you prefer to talk in private my email is marsgirl22@gmail.com. I know this was truly a long post, but my journey has been just as long and I hope that my story can help someone else to get the answers that seem to allude me. Oh and just for clarification of how rapidly I am losing I started at 260 pounds two weeks before my surgery and now I am 175 pounds and counting down. Bless you all for taking the time to read my story and I sincerely hope you want hesitate to help me if you can.

I've had four surgeries. I never had issues with anesthesia other than the very first time, when I was nauseated after waking up. For my following three surgeries, I always told them about the nausea, so they'd give me one of those anti-nausea patches you put behind your ear before surgery.. Worked like a charm! And if you're really anxious before surgery, they can give you something for that, too (like Valium, as someone said) it's no big deal. They'll hook up an IV bag when you get to the hospital, and then just before they roll you into the OR (or with some surgeons, they'll wait 'til you're IN the OR), they'll put the anesthesia in your IV line and you'll be out like a light. You won't be aware you're falling asleep and you won't remember any of it. In what seems like a split second later, you'll wake up in the recovery room and realize the surgery is done and that an hour or two has gone by, It seems a little weird to be talking to the surgeon or one of the nurses, and then the next thing you know it's two hours later and you're in the recovery room, but that's how it goes anyway, it'll go off with a hitch. But if you're really nervous, let them know that. They'll give you something for it.

I’m in the same boat and I’m 6 months post op. I eat about three bites of something protein or really anything, veggies too and then I immediately throw up. Doctor has me on multiple medications for this and Valium to relax the muscles in my stomach. I also had to have two emergency surgery’s 2 weeks ago because my sleeve was stuck to my gallbladder with so much scar tissue so they thought that was it, but then a day after that surgery they saw that my gallbladder was bad and they had to remove it immediately. Still no change and I feel so sick all the time because I’m barely getting 300 calories in daily. I loose a pound every other day. I know for 99 percent it’s a miracle and worth it, but I have always been the 1 percent when it comes to my health. I have lost 80 pounds since Dec 19, 2022, but I feel like it wasn’t the right way and I’m worried I’m loosing way to fast. Anyone else suffering like this because my doctor says it’s unusual and I can’t find anything on the internet. Thanks for all the helpful replies in advance. If anyone out there understands my pain feel free to reach out to me through email- marsgirl22@gmail.com

In my lifetime anaesthesia has come such a long way . In 1997 I was told I could never have it again because I had such a bad reaction to it. Yet things have moved on so far its really as safe as can be. In 2010 I was put in a induced coma for three weeks. It saved my life. I had zero effects from my sleeve surgery, it took 3 hours due to lots of scar tissue from former abdominal surgeries. I had no gas issues or pain. Ask to speak with the anaesthetist. They will put you at ease. Ask for a pre med. You will be fine. My only issue is the socks they make you wear. Super sexy - not.

I met my hubby on World of Warcraft back in 2005. We have three kids together now and still game. All of our kids are gamers too. We stopped playing WoW shortly after Battle for Azeroth. I switched to Heroes of the Storm (MOBA) and played competitively until 2020. I personally enjoy MOBAs, MMORPGs, turn-based strategy games like CIV 5, world builders and tower defense. Currently playing Arknights and beta testing a newer PC game called Palia. Glad to see there are other game lovers here too:)

Great list @omrhsn. I really relate to #1. You should see my credit card bills 😱. I always loved clothes & fashions & had a large selection but now. Clothes, shoes & bags oh my. I’ve filled wardrobes in three bedrooms & have many things I’ve worn once or am yet to wear. Quite terrible & a little embarrassing really. #4 - I’m still selective as to whom I tell. If I don’t want them to know I usually say I saw a dietician & changed how, what & why I eat. All true. Though I did tell the doctor who shaved some moles (Nevis) off my neck today. We were talking about knee length boots so #1 again. 😆😆😆

@ShelleyBelley Hang in there hun. Yes, I would have thought that a smooshed up banana would have been fine too. When the surgeon gets to see what is happening it all may make sense then. Yoghurt is something that I struggle with after my RNY. Other kinds of food should be more problematic but no. Maybe three baby sips of fluid and stop after that will allow things to go down. You eat what you can even if it is pistachios Sucking on an icy pole (freezie) or ice lolly what we in australia call an icy pole (lemonade) is my favourite. Hope I didnt just mangle the language but I hope you know what I mean. You can also get Hydralyte Ice Blocks from a chemist and suck on those. Vegies in a slow cooker for 6 hours onion, celery, carrots, sweet potato, tin of kidney beans and tin of tomatoes and a litre of vegie stock is tasty. You would need to blend it up. Then again if a banana doesnt go down........ Mind you I portion it up and put it in the freezer so that it is ready to go when I need it. I hope that the coronation and all that went on in the UK was a distraction of sorts for you. Are your children of the age where they can look after you a little bit? It is Wedesday here now. Hours away from your procedure ??? Looking forward to further recovery for you. You got this... xx

I have just returned from a three week holiday in Greece and I am exactly the same weight as when I set off. In my past I could add 7 -14 pounds to my weight. I walked around in my swimwear and did not need to hide behind a towel. So liberating

Not sure what to say about how to get your insurance to cover a revision, but if you're having reflux problems then maybe have Bypass instead. I had the Sadi-S myself, and have lucked out that my EOE didn't cause the acid issues to get worse (I have acid issues at night due to EOE a.k.a Eosinophilic Esophagitis). If you do get the Sadi-S here's some advice... 1. don't go too long without something in your stomach even if it's applesauce or fruit, etc. because if I wait to long inbetween eating my bowels decide to empty everything in them. (TMI, but you should know so you can avoid it happening to you) 2. Always take a probiotic every day because it helps with keeping you regular 3. I don't know if it's a common thing for Sadi-S or other surgeries or if it's just me... but I haven't been able to throw up since my surgery... 3 years ago (and yes, I've been sick and dry heaved for hours, but couldn't throw up). 4. having any WLS with a malabsorption factor gives you a 3% chance of developing a wheat allergy or Celiac's (I got the wheat allergy because my luck is ****). And, 5. I don't know if it's just a DS or Sadi-S thing, but there is a chance after surgery that you will vomit old blood (if this counts as vomiting then this is the only time I've thrown up since surgery. It happened three or four times while I was in the hospital after surgery. They didn't warn me and it scared the **** out of me). Anyway, yeah... I'm happy with my surgery choice, but if I'd had another chance I think I'd have gone for the original DS since it has slightly better weight loss results. I had the normal gain back you get going into your third year and straddle between 188-193 which I've been for 9 months. Also, any time you have surgery, ANY surgery, you risk the chance of health problems popping up that you would have got a little later in life. I developed Mast Cell Activation Syndrome after my WLS and it's been a b***h to deal with. I mean, technically the doctor told me she thinks I probably already had the beginnings of it before the surgery and the surgery itself just... made it progress to a more severe case (apparently they noticed a trend in people with EOE developing MCAS so it was pretty much going to happen anyway). But still. Health issues can pop up after surgery. So just be aware of it. Hopefully everything goes well for you and sorry for the word vomit.

8000 steps is pretty high for being just a few days out of surgery. Your body needs to rest and heal. It's been several years since I had surgery, but I think I mostly walked around my house a little the first three or four days, then did a jaunt around the block every day for a few days after that. It's good to be up and moving, but don't push yourself too much - again, your body needs to heal. as far as poop, it often takes a good week for the first one (there's not much in there yet), and the first one tends to be a doozy. A lot of us start taking stool softeners a couple of days ahead of it to prepare for it. After that, a minority of people experience occasional diarrhea, but most experience constipation, often chronic (it's due to the high protein diet plus the iron and calcium (if you're taking those). I still take a capful of Miralax every morning to keep on top of it. watch out for reflux - I'm a little surprised your surgeon recommended VSG since that's been known to make GERD worse, but that's not the case for everyone. But just keep tabs on it and manage it if it doesn't resolve or gets worse (a minority get it so badly they end up getting a revision to RNY, but for most, it can be managed with PPIs). You just don't want that to get out of control - but again, you may not have issues with it. Some people have said theirs even got better after surgery, so you never know.. I haven't seen many posts about hiccups, so I don't know how common that is, but it doesn't surprise my since your stomach's been sliced and diced. And the painful transitions (when you go from lying down to standing up, or whatever) - yep, that's very common. That's really the only time I had pain. It felt like I'd just done about 1000 crunches. that went away after a week or so, I think. sounds like things are going well over all, though. Welcome to the losers' bench!

I wanted to do a bit of an update, frustrating as it is... My final doctors appointment was on May 3rd and at this particular appointment, I finished by meeting with the office manager and hearing what the next steps would be. She told me that it could take up to a month for insurance to approve the surgery and that I'd be hearing from them. All of the research that I've done online, all of the videos that I've watched of other people's journey's all pretty much showed that it's usually less than 10 days. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but that's what I've seen. I got a notice from a debt collector last week saying that one of my appointments hadn't been covered by my insurance, so I called my doctors office to see what was going on with that and they apologized for a billing error. I asked while I had them on the phone if they had heard anything back from insurance yet about my surgery and she got kinda quiet for a second, they said she wasn't sure if they had everything that they needed to submit my file to insurance, then she says "oh yeah, we have everything we need." We're probably going to send it today (this was on Friday) or Monday. Talk about irritated, it's been almost three weeks since my last appointment! Oh well, hopefully everything goes a little smoother from here on out.

Exactly everything @catwoman7 said. There is no right or wrong rate at which to lose your weight just what is right for you & your body. The stats only give you an idea of what you might experience. As with all stats there are always outliers: those who lose more & those who less less. Your rate of loss doesn’t affect whether you’ll lose your weight either. Just may mean it takes a little longer or a little more quickly. By the way 15lbs in 3 weeks is not slow. That’s averaging 5lbs a week. Can’t be unhappy about that. I’d lost about 13lbs at the three week mark & my surgeon & dietician were always happy with my rate.

I’d always bounced between being a healthy weight & being on the top end of overweight. Then I became perimenopausal, then menopause & I became obese I swear overnight. Couldn’t lose more than a couple of kilos which would come back even more quickly. I battled for a good 4 years. A friend who’d lost a lot of weight told us she’d had the surgery and about three months later I woke one morning & decided enough. Got an appointment with my GP who gave me a referral to a surgeon (the one my friend saw). It was about 5 weeks between the morning I made my decision & my surgery. So very glad I did. I didn’t have any comorbidities though I knew if I continued at that weight I soon would. I was fed up with my large body because it wasn’t who I really was. My energy was compromised & I felt I couldn’t play with my younger nieces & nephews as I wanted. Looking back I realise I also used to work harder & do more at work or home to prove my weight wasn’t limiting me. Another factor was I love fashion, clothing designs & fabrics & my choice was being restricted by my size (about a US14). To me the difference between the surgery & medications is you’ll always have the changes to your digestive system but medications are a temporary artificial change. Of course in the end both depend on your willingness to make permanent changes to how you eat, what you eat & why you eat. If you go back to eating how & what you did before you will regain weight regardless of the surgery (you can eat around your surgery if your determined to) or medications. All the best.

I think that the straw that broke the camel's back, was not being able to get into ketosis, despite fasting and eating very low carb for three weeks straight. I figured that my metabolism was broken at that point. I was diabetic, had high cholesterol, and my blood pressure was slowing creeping up. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I'm a side sleeper as well, but I think it took about three weeks before i could comfortably sleep on my side again. Until then, I had to sleep on my back (ugh...not used to that..)

I took that for the first few months (3? 6? can't remember), but I think it was a tablet - and it was just one per day. I don't remember the mg, but it was likely equivalent to your three capsules. Yes - just call your nurse and ask (ursodiol is a generic - so whatever version you have must have come from a different company than mine)

I was prescribed 600 mg a day of ursodiol to prevent gallbladder problems beginning today at 3 weeks. Each capsule is 200 mg. If you had similar RX, did you spread out taking throughout the day or take all at once? Just wondering if my pouch can absorb all three capsules at one time. Thank you for any advice on this. I’ll call my nurse today but it often takes them a long time to respond.

I just had my last dr visit. Getting cardiac clearance today bloodwork in three weeks. Dr office is applying to my ins for pre approval. I’m holding my breath. There’s no reason for them to decline it but they gave me a hassle about getting endoscopy and had to appeal three times for that. Crossing my fingers I’ll be able to keep june22 date

Good morning Bariatric Pal Community… I am writing this post to take a poll of sorts. A little background: I am 43 years old and 2.5 years post op; maintaining healthy eating and fitness habits. I am also training for my first Ironman Triathlon in September- how cool is that?!? Three years ago when I was 360 lbs, I never would have conceived the possibility of a triathlon. Anyway, the cool benefit of making all these positive changes is it has me thinking about different options professionally. I have a successful career currently but to be honest my heart just isn’t in it anymore. My real passion is health and fitness. Which brings me to this post… I am thinking about becoming a Fitness Coach/Life Coach geared towards the bariatric community. I would like feedback on the following questions: 1. In your journey, do you think having a coach would be helpful? 2. If so, would working with someone who has been in your shoes provide a credible perspective? 3. Would you be willing to engage with a coach virtually if in-person wasn’t an option? 4. What would you expect from a coach? Thanks in advance for your help!

Surgery in three &1/2 hours. Actually slept well. Tummy rolling and nervous as can be. All my surgery friends, I am praying for us all.