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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!

So I know I'm pretty lucky to have had no real complications after my surgery on the 19th but this morning I developed a sharp pain in my upper left abdomen. It's really only if I take a deep breath in but when I do that too deep the pain doubles me over but then goes away. There is no incision there and it is only just barely tender when pushed on. Did anyone else have this or something like it? I thought I maybe drank my Protein shakes too fast but it has persisted through the day. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Find a therapist before you seriously hurt yourself. A popcorn kernel lodged in you staple line could cause serious complications. You are too new to binge eat, especially foods like popcorn.

You go to your primary care doc in the states. You tell your doc the truth-- you had gastric sleeve surgery and he needs to monitor your health and Vitamin levels and if they give you any issues, you switch to a doc that knows what a healthy WLS patient looks like and is willing to help you lose safely and maintain your health. Unless there is a complication, you don't need a bariatric surgeon to do your followups. You just need to be monitored at regular intervals. Try, though to connect yourself with a support group connected to a bariatric clinic or a doctor so that you're in close proximity to someone who knows our unique dietary needs.

Hi everybody, It's been a long journey for me, but I finally have been assigned a surgery date for January 30th. My metabolic problems began in childhood, like so many of you. My mother was mentally ill and there was often little or no food around. I was responsible for cooking for my family as a child, and didn't know very much about nutrition. My brothers and sisters and I were often moved back and forth across the country between my parents in unpredictable combinations. I had very little interaction with my Dad till my teen-age years. Although, I was a normal weight, he strongly encouraged me to go on 10 day fasts, eating nothing but hot Water with lemon and molasses, or else hydrogen peroxide (I refused the latter). As a result, I got into the habit of starving myself for weeks or months at a time. This lasted until my 30s when I had children. Since I needed to cook for my family and couldn't afford to be shaky or emotionally unstable (as happens when I fast), I went in the opposite direction. I had lost the capacity to feel full, so it was hard to tell when to stop eating. I was constantly hungry during pregnancy and gained tons of weight, and I kept gaining in smaller amounts after the kids were born. About three years ago, I joined and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for eating disorders. It took about four months before I could recognize myself as having an eating disorder. At first, I insisted I had a weight problem, and the eating disorder part was nothing but an excuse. But I kept going anyway, three nights each week plus Saturdays, for eight months. I am extremely high functioning, even with the eating disorder. Ironically, I run substance abuse treatment programs, which can be a sixty to eighty hour a week job. I have been with the same guy since I was 17, and married for about 35 years. I've lived in the same house and had the same job for over 20 years. Except for the eating disorder, I'm very stable, which is part of the reason I couldn't recognize it. The IOP was a wonderful experience that has changed my life in many ways. Three nights a week, I participated in "supported eating," which is a kind of group eating therapy designed to teach you to recognize the signs of hunger and fullness. We had to rate our hunger before eating, midway, and after eating from 1-9 and at first, I had no idea what those numbers meant. I was rating myself a 3 (normal hunger) when I was really a 1 (famished) because the only cue I could feel was being dizzy and about to pass out, or else shaking and crying. The first time I brought in my food log, the counselor asked me if I was aware I hadn't eaten for 17 hours. I thought that since I was fat, I was supposed to wait until I absolutely couldn't function before eating. After 8 months of supported eating, group and individual therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, nutrition counseling, and movement therapy, I now know better. (One night in particular was a real epiphany for me. We were eating at a Thai restaurant. I had missed snack and let myself get really hungry. When the food finally came, I was so focussed on eating it, that I couldn't participate in the conversation, and also it took much longer to feel full, so I overate to the point of discomfort. I suddenly realized that there was a different quality to what my dietician called "chemical" [as opposed to mechanical] hunger, and that that level of hunger actually caused me to be obsessed with food. And that I could avoid it by eating the right kinds of food every two to three hours in the right proportions.) I have continued with less intensive counseling (DBT and nutrition only) for another year. I decided about six months ago that I have always enjoyed movement, and that because my metabolism is so slowed down and I now have knee issues, I will not be able to continue to enjoy moving unless I lose about 100 pounds. So I began looking into WLS. I found a good surgeon at the recommendation of one of my dieticians, and was cleared by my insurance to pursue WLS. I finished the psych tests, the EGD, the sleep study and a month of CPAP, and logged my food for months, meeting with the dietician. I went in for my final consult expecting to be scheduled and was extremely surprised to learn that their surgeon had quit and the program was ending. I had even begun losing a small amount of weight!!! I would have to start all over again somewhere else. I found a new surgeon a few hours from my house. It took me a few months to get all my tests transferred. I sailed through the requirements of the new program largely because I had already completed them. I showed up at my appointments with the dietician and psychologist with Show 'N' Tell. I brought a months worth of food diaries (they were ecstatic), the cute little thermal lunch bag with my name on it that I use to carry my food for the day, and my DBT skills book and homework (even more ecstatic). I made it through what is normally a twelve month program in a month. My plan is to return to the IOP as soon as I am able to eat solid foods again (about two months after surgery), so that I have lots of support to explore a new experience of food and hunger in a group setting. I want to give myself the best possible chance of success. I hope after I lose enough weight, to go hiking with my husband in the Himalayas. (We used to hike, ski, bike, jog, and snowshoe together all the time, and our first date was backpacking.) As you can probably tell, I'm a bit of a perfectionist... Initially, the first bariatric program I went to offered only the sleeve. The new one offers me the choice between sleeve or bypass. I really don't have any medical condition that would indicate one over the other. The surgeon spent a good long time talking to me about it last week. He couldn't recommend one over the other. He said that if someone is diabetic or binge eats sweets or has GERD, he recommends bypass. If someone has chronic pain, or an increased risk of chronic pain, he recommends a sleeve. I don't fall into either group. I don't binge eat sweets, but I have problems with portion control and I eat too many sweets. He said that in my case, the sleeve might actually do a better job of cutting down on hunger, making it easier for me to turn down sweets, since it removes most of the ghrelin-producing cells; and that because I have already had an ulcer caused by H-pylori, the risk of complications with a bypass is greater than normal; and that he advises patients to avoid risks if there is no medical reason to take them. His reasoning makes sense to me. I am also hesitant to do something that disrupts my ability to absorb necessary nutrition if there is no medical reason to do so. I don't want to create a risk of osteoporosis if I don't need to. I try to avoid NSEDs because they caused an ulcer, but the day might come when I feel I need them. Finally, he says that while the average person my age, gender and weight loses 22 pounds more with bypass, even if I turn out to be average, 22 pounds will not inhibit me from enjoying most of the kinds of movement I once did. Maybe only downhill skiing. And even then, that is just the average and if I do what I am supposed to do, I may beat the average. And based on what he's seen so far, it is quite likely I will do what I need to do. My biggest fear is that I will still find it very difficult to resist sweets after surgery. I don't usually go out of my way to find them, but people always bring them into the office. The worst time is the afternoon when I am both tired and hungry. The CPAP has helped me feel less tired, but it doesn't cut down on stress or hunger. We've been working in DBT on some alternative strategies to afternoon stress, like getting up and walking for ten minutes, or leaving work early and going to the pool, or having a co-worker straighten my hair for 15 minutes. Anyway, as the day approaches, I'm becoming very nervous. I've tried out a bunch of Protein drinks and discovered I like fusion the best. I just received the bariatric plate and scale I ordered online. I retired my too big Vitamix to storage and pulled out the Ninja that makes individual servings. I bought eight ice cube trays and intend to use them to freeze chicken Soup infused with flavorless Protein powder. because the dietician said that ice cubes are the perfect after surgery serving size. I'm just really worried that I will do all of this and still won't be able to change the way that I eat, or I'll choose the wrong surgery, or it won't work. I guess what it boils down to is that I don't trust myself because of all those years I felt out of control of what I ate. The surgeon says the sleeve will correct the excess of hunger that leads me to eat too much food, or makes the wrong food appealing. What if that doesn't work?

1st of all i want to wish each and every last one of my BariatricPal bro's & sis's a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I had my surgery in Tijuana Mexico 12/15/16, ive had absolutely no complications! I threw up last night Christmas Eve because the broth That my mother-in-law gave me off her chicken for todays dinner was too greesy bot ooooohhhh soooo delicious , it came up out my mouth &nose! HONESTLY my weight loss has been slower than ive been reading on other patients post but oh well any loss is better than any gain! I picked up 7lbs in the hospital from swelling & IV Fluids, lost that plus bout 5 or 6 more, so its slow motion but im dealing with it, im also learning better techniques & patterns to dealing with my extame hunger & head hungry Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

1st of all i want to wish each and every last one of my BariatricPal bro's & sis's a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I had my surgery in Tijuana Mexico 12/15/16, ive had absolutely no complications! I threw up last night Christmas Eve because the broth That my mother-in-law gave me off her chicken for todays dinner was too greesy bot ooooohhhh soooo delicious , it came up out my mouth &nose! HONESTLY my weight loss has been slower than ive been reading on other patients post but oh well any loss is better than any gain! I picked up 7lbs in the hospital from swelling & IV Fluids, lost that plus bout 5 or 6 more, so its slow motion but im dealing with it, im also learning better techniques & patterns to dealing with my extame hunger & head hungry Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

1st of all i want to wish each and every last one of my BariatricPal bro's & sis's a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I had my surgery in Tijuana Mexico 12/15/16, ive had absolutely no complications! I threw up last night Christmas Eve because the broth That my mother-in-law gave me off her chicken for todays dinner was too greesy bot ooooohhhh soooo delicious , it came up out my ????&! HONESTLY my weight loss has been slower than ive been reading on other patients post but oh well any loss is better than any gain! I picked up 7lbs in the hospital from swelling & IV Fluids, lost that plus bout 5 or 6 more, so its slow motion but im dealing with it, im also learning better techniques & patterns to dealing with my extame hunger & head hungry TTYL Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Complications, these dreadded problems that affects some of us... They almost made me spend Christmas in the hospital. I started having stomach cramps Tuesday evening after drinking a few sips of Water. And these were nothing to play with. It was like someone was squeezing all life out of my pouch! The worst pain was just under my breast bone with pain shooting out under my lowest ribs. I was salivating so much that I couldn't even swollow a pain pill. It finally ended with me throwing up a spoonful of liquids. Little did I know that this was going to happen again in the middle of the night and be even worse? Needless to say I was really careful on Wednesday and did a liquids only day, even though I had problems drinking. I was weak, but didn't get any cramps. Thursday was a whole new day, with new cramps in the afternoon. I was scared enough that I called the hospital and they told me get myself to the er at once. So I got into a cab and was hooked up, poked, scaned and tested at the er. My pouch and intestines were intact. No leaks or blockages. I was dehydrated and got an iv and several of its friends. Also very constipated, sorry for the tmi. Apparently you can be constipated and have small bowels movements at the same time. The blood test also showed malnourishment. They wanted me to stay over night so they could hydrated me. Finally in my room I was allowed to drink some water to get the barium taste out of my mouth and the cramps returned with new found force. Pain meds in the iv helped in 15 min, so happy to be at the hospital at that time. The next day the surgeon came to tell me that they had found panniculitis in my intestines that might be the culprit to my cramps. I had to Google it too... In short there are some lymph nodes in my small bowel lining that are mildly infected. It's so mild I don't even need meds for it, other than for the cramps. So suppository meds for home, yay... They wanted me to stay until xmas eve, but due to a family emergency I had to go home the night before and of course had another cramping episode... Luckily the new meds were effective. I'm still weak and not eating much, but I try my best. It seems like water is going down easier after the constipation was taken care of at the hospital. Xmas eve I slept until the afternoon and then went to my dads for a few hours. I even had a few spoonfuls of holiday foods and did fine. So today I have had my morning pills with water and soon some food. I just don't know what to choose. Real food or a Protein shake? I was following my food plan carefully and haven't tried that many foods yet and now I'm even more scared of new foods creating problems. Maybe a scrambled egg so I can get some much needed calories..? Take care everyone! Nilla

Thank you so much for your reply and advice I also didn't have no complications. I just get nauseous with my Multivitamins but I know things will get better. Thank you again Tayra Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

3 weeks post op - when it is safe to exercise? @@Iwillmakeit17 hey bud 3 weeks PO and still around to talk about WLS wow you must/ are doing great i had no problems/complications PO i was doing laps around the hall the next day!!! walking was my first exercise ask your doc about exercise - when and what you are allowed to do for anything else/skipping rope//jumping on one foot listen to your doc for the last/final word (or me!!) LOL you'll do great!! good luck kathy

re: insurance - it'll sometimes cover the panniculectomy part (removing the extra skin on the abs) if you have documented proof that you've had complications from it (e.g., chronic rashes), but it would be unusual for them to cover an entire lower body lift. Usually the way it works is if they agree to cover the panniculectomy part, you just pay the difference (if you want the whole shebang) I wouldn't worry about excess or wrinkly skin. I worried about it all the time when i was pre-surgery and early post-surgery, but now that I'm normal weight, I could give a flip about my excess skin. I'd take it *any day* over weighing 373 lbs (my highest weight). I may eventually have it removed, but right now, I just wear elbow-length sleeves (or longer), a good bra, and I tuck my stomach into my pants. The only person who knows it's there is me (well, also my husband and my doctor). It's been very easy to hide.

First of all you will only get as small as you want to, that much is directly up to you, if you track your daily calories like you should then it is your choice when you decide to up your calories and go into maintenance. Second while there is a chance of complications hence the "getting sick" part they are rare. And past the initial recovery you should be just fine. I am three weeks out I feel fine and I haven't even so much as vomited once. Third you should forget about what everyone else thinks and worry about what you think. The odds are not in your favor for taking off the weight and maintaining the weight loss on your own, so if surgery is what you think is best for you then you should do it and concentrate on being positive, leave the negative chatter out of your mind. Most people don't even know enough about the different weight loss surgeries to be able to comment on them with any type of an education. Do what's best for you! Ultimately it's you that has to live with the decision. Personally I don't regret my decision one bit.

12 weeks Post Op lost 36 Pounds!!! Starting weight the day of surgury 182 im now 146..Super Happy!! No Complications my goal weight is 135! Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App

It is normal to be nervous of surgery. However, it is a very safe, minimally invasive procedure. I had no pain and no complications. Wish I had done it a long time ago.

Please don't let fear of the unknown keep you from using the awesome tool that is VSG surgery. I too was consumed by the same fears as you are, all the way up to the morning of my surgery last week on December 14th. Even while I was being prepped for surgery by the OR nurses, I was calling my family and friends discussing the idea of backing out of the surgery at the very last minute. I now thank God that I went through with the procedure because it has been life changing. I had virtually no pain, merely a little soreness and no complications. As of this morning I've now lost 20 lbs, in a mere 10 days since surgery. I feel a lot better, I'm more active, and unlike the past 30 years, when I was always yoyo dieting, I now know I will definitely reach my goal weight and maintain it. Only you can decide what's best for you, but I sure wish I hadn't wasted so many years of my life being fearful of the surgery that I now feel blessed to have had. Good luck! Don't look back, turn the page, and let your next chapter begin!

Oh I had the same concerns before I had mine. I read..I researched..I think I watched every VSG journey videos on utube..the good and bad. It's major surgery..things can and do go wrong for people..but I knew in my heart it was the right decision for me. I had the surgery..no complications..no food intolerances..no nausea issues..nothing. I would do it again even not knowing what my outcome would be..why? Because I am only a month out of surgery..I'm down 20 lbs..I'm off my diabetes medicine and I feel pretty great. The best part is I have a tool that keeps me honest in my food portions, which I had a real issue with. Fear is normal..but don't let fear keep you from living the best you possible. Happy Holidays! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I too have been told I have PCOS. I've never had a regular menstrual period. As a teenager, I can remember different hormonal problems. The nurse explained to me that after my surgery, I should be careful that there is a chance I could get pregnant. It is supposedly a danger to have a baby soon after your surgery. My friend's cousin had gotten pregnant a few months after her surgery and after the baby was born. She complained of severe stomach pain months after the baby was born. She went to the ER and died shortly after arriving. The doctor explained to the mother that she died of complications of the bariatric surgery due to her pregnancy. So sad, she left behind 4 children that the grandmother is raising now. However, even in this forum I have read a women 4 month post op and she is pregnant. I hope everything turns out ok for her. No story is the same and she may be perfectly fine. Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App

I didn't have a catheter for surgery, but when I woke up, I was unable to pee. The nurse said it is a complication some people get from surgery. Anyway, I had to have a catheter for two days until my bladder started working again. Two male nurses put it in while I was wishing I was elsewhere, and I took it out myself. Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

I don't know why I google Gastric sleeve complications and I started to panic when I started reading everything that can go wrong. :/ my surgery is Jan 12 2017 and I'm starting to want to call it off. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I got sleeved on Tuesday and whooooo boy. No major complications just major nausea all the fucking time (pain too argh)! it's hard to get in fluids because of that but I'm trying! I'm glad to see a lot of you are doing well! Sent from my electric toaster using the BariatricPal App.

I was on a 3 week liquid diet pre-op. I think this is an unreasonable demand to put on someone who has had weight problems their whole life. I wish my surgeon's office treated me like an adult and worked with me on plan where I could eat a small, reasonable amount of real food. But this surgeon's practice is a bariatric assembly line and are more concerned with easily communicated rules than they are in working with patients individually. I ate a hard boiled egg most days in addition to the shakes. I flipped out 5 days before surgery and ate a pizza. That was bad. I panicked. I was down 24 pounds at that point and stayed at that weight until the surgery. My doctor said there were no complications with the surgery. I can't yet say it all worked out because I'm only 10 days post-op but it's going very well so far. I've stuck to my prescribed post-op diet.

I had have paid and popped 2 out in 2 years no h surprise pregnancies no complications from gastric bypass but worked with the nutritionist. I only had been off bc for a month. Sent from my HTCD100LVW using the BariatricPal App

I got my surgery date yesterday of Feb 9th and I've felt anxiety ever since especially since I've scared myself of complications and failure. I really want this surgery and know it's what I need but I think it's normal to have some anxiety Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Good luck! You are on your way to a new, healthier life! Praying everything goes smoothly and there are no complications. Please update when you can.