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Hi y'all! I have my surgery (AHHHHH!) scheduled for this upcoming TUESDAY! Today is Friday. I have NOT yet purchased my vitamins. I have the paper sitting in front of me. I've attached a picture since I'm confused about the second column (regimen). I need to take a bariatric supplement that has calcium & B-12. Some of them have iron in them already. Can someone help explain what the second column means? I'm SUPER worried about the hair loss aspect...I was told that the BEST vitamins on the market are the Bariatric Advantage Advanced EA Multivitamin. What vitamins do you recommend as a first time surgery patient? I know the above ones I mentioned are the most expensive, but I was told they're the best of the best...is that true?

I think most pre-ops and early post-ops worry about the hair loss - but I think most of us long-timers will tell you that it's just a blip on the screen in the grand scheme of things. It's temporary, and most people don't lose enough for others to notice (some do, of course - but most don't). I lost a little - but I'm sure no one else noticed. there's really nothing you can do about it. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen (and not everyone loses hair, so there's that). Some people say biotin helps, others say it doesn't do a darn thing. I did buy some but didn't take it consistently. I wouldn't sweat it, though. It may not even be noticeable, and it'll all grow back. You can always get it cut short or wear it up or wear scarves or something if it's noticeable. I know I was really freaked out about the thought, but it really wasn't bad - and I've pretty much forgotten about it at this point. Losing that 200 lbs (for me) was WELL worth the cost of any temporary hair loss. oh - the best thing you can do is keep on top of your supplements and protein requirements. That should keep it from getting any worse than it will otherwise.

Hi everyone, I am 20 days from surgery (4/18) and I am nervous and excited. I feel prepared but at the same time I feel like I don't know what I am doing. My hospital hasn't been the easiest to work with as far as providing information on what to expect so I have been doing a lot of my own research. It almost feels like my doctors put everyone in the same camp and don't take each person as an individual which is highly annoying for a "Type A"/Planner like myself. I start a full pre-op liquid diet on 4/4 to help shrink my liver and jump-start weight loss before surgery. I am fully stocked up on Fairlife protein shakes (every flavor except coffee) and have unflavored protein powder and collagen to add to soups. What other options should I explore or do you have any recommendations for protein shakes to try? I am fairly nervous about my hair thinning or losing my hair - does anyone have experience with this or prevented this from happening? I started taking collagen about 3 months ago and noticed it has helped strengthen my nails and added hair growth but I am worried this won't be enough in the long run. Any advice is appreciated! Does anyone have any advice on pregnancy after DS? I am mainly going through this process to increase my chances of having children - my husband and I have suffered two miscarriages and I am being told by my OB/GYN that there's nothing they will do for me until I am at a better weight. I am fully committed as I want to start a family but waiting an additional 12-18 months after waiting this long seems like a lifetime. I want to be as prepared as possible for any hurdles or issues we may encounter - thanks in advance! That's a little about me - tell me about you! I am excited to be part of this community and build each other up! Thanks so much for reading, K. Becker - Minneapolis, MN

Hello Buddies! I have been reading this board continuously but haven't posted much as I've been busy busy, but I just wanted to jump in and relay some of my experiences post surgery if it might be helpful to those currently going through it or about to. I had my sleeve on Nov 9th. The one thing that I found that really helped me out of the gate is walking. From day 1 I made sure to make myself walk. Each day I increased my distance by an additional driveway until I was able to walk all the way around the block and then added even more. By 2 weeks post surgery I felt like I was 100% again. A friend of mine who had the same surgery 5 years ago by the same surgeon couldn't believe how quickly I recovered. I attribute it to the walking. So that's my advice on recovery. Unfortunately I did make some major mistakes because I was feeling good and due to a family emergency, 1 week post op I had to fly home to help care for my mother. I didn't want my parents burdened by worrying about my surgery so I kept the entire thing hidden from them. As such, I completely skipped the pureed food stage and just ate soft foods while chewing oh probably a hundred times before swallowing. I do not recommend skipping any food stages but I had to do what I had to do. I had a bad experience with solid food. I was running around and wasn't paying much attention to the fact that I hadn't eaten all day and when I got home I was ravenous. I cooked up some tofu chicken fingers (my vegan go to for a quick and dirty meal pre surgery). Well, um... lets just say it didn't go well. I had that lump in my chest that felt like the food was stuck. The saliva continued to pour up into my mouth. There was nothing I could do to make the pain in my chest go away or the saliva stop flowing. I literally thought I was going to die. I decided to go for a walk. The amount of spit that continued to flow from my mouth could probably keep a whale wet for a decade... it was awful! After about 20 minutes, the pain finally subsided and the constant flow of saliva finally dried up. It was an experience and a hard learned lesson to remember to chew chew chew! and wait wait wait before taking another bite! Rice, my favourite pre surgery meal is now a no go for me. It just doesn't sit well at all. Sad but I can deal with it, bigger picture and all that. Sugar. I was a sugar addict pre surgery, I'm a mostly plant based eater, I attribute all my weight gain to my sugar addiction. I have found that although I am still addicted to sugar, I can have that '1' piece of whatever it is and be satisfied instead of that '1 whole bag' and still not be satisfied as I was in the past. If I go past that '1' piece threshold not because I'm not satisfied but because I'm still a glutton I find myself in the washroom with a mild case of dumping syndrome. Another welcome reminder that '1 is enough'. I feel like I am losing weight fairly quickly but I'm not noticing any adverse side effects like hair loss or sagging skin but I do take collagen everyday so I'm thinking that might be helping with that. Today will be my first day back to the gym in 3 months. I am looking forward to getting back into running again without all that additional weight holding me back I hope you all are enjoying success and keep going! Happy Holidays!

if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Fortunately, most of us don't lose enough hair for others to notice (and even if you're one of those who do, it's pretty rare for it to fall out in big, noticeable clumps - rather, it's more like shedding - so your hair just looks thinner). About all you can do is keep on top of your protein and supplement requirements to keep it from getting any worse than it will anyway. It's temporary and will all grow back, so there's that. I had loss from months 5-9, but it was pretty minimal. I noticed more strands than usual in my combs and brushes, but just looking in the mirror, I couldn't tell - so no one else would have noticed, either. And then there are people who don't lose any hair at all. nothing you can do about skin. Although you're what we call a "light weight", so you're not likely to end up looking like a Sharpei puppy like someone who starts out much heavier might (I was one of the latter - I was almost 400 lbs and in my late 50s when I had surgery). You'll likely have some sagging, but it probably won't be what I'm guessing you're imagining. And there's always plastic surgery if it bothers you - but I'm betting it won't be that bad. I was really worried about the hair loss and saggy skin (I think most people are), but honestly, most of us would take those any day of the week over being obese. And again, the hair loss part is temporary.

I have locs (22 yrs now) and I did A LOT of low manipulation and semi free forming when I originally had surgery in the end of 2017. I was so worried about hair loss I did a ton of research in med journals on treatments for Telogen Effluvium (the type of hair loss most WLS patients experience) you can find a compilation of the journals I found most promising here: I had mild thinning along my temples and didn’t lose any locs. Pics included❤️

Hello all, Well this is 2nd bite at the apple. Here's my history... Sleeved on 07/27/2012 by Dr. Jaime Ramos-Kelly Before Pre-op Diet: 199 lbs (BMI 33.1) Weight Surgery Day: 188 lbs Sept. 1, 2012: 177 lbs. Oct. 1, 2012: 166 lbs. Nov. 1, 2012: 157 lbs. Dec. 1, 2012: 147 lbs. Jan. 1, 2013: 141 lbs. Feb. 1, 2013 138 lbs. (starting looking way too thin) Mar. 1, 2012 132 lbs. (between size 0-2) Horrible GERD/ Acid Reflux Infected gallbladder for most of 2015. Finally able to have removed in 08/2015 Maintained or gained 5-10 (138-148 lbs.) for about 4/5 years thru 2017 Back to pre-op weight of 199 lbs. by 2019/2020 Pandemic hit and now I am 230 lbs. before surgery (BMI 38.3) Scheduled for Sleeve to RNY: 12/2/2021 with same Dr. Ramos-Kelly in Tijuana, Mexico Looking for some kind souls that want to share the journey. Worried about how effective it is the 2nd time around. Looking forward to helping my GERD. The extra 30 lbs. means more months to reach goal. Oh yes and I am fretting about the hair loss. I did not enjoy that the first time around. If anyone has info they want to share, please do. Be well, Katrina

I took biotin months before my first procedure with VSG to prevent hair loss and found that my hair loss was extremely minimal compared to others in the community. I still continue to take biotin to this day yet I'm still worried about hair loss with revision surgery coming up, haha! I hope it has helped you!!!

Hi all! So great to see so many successes! I had my surgery 6/11 and am down 61 pounds so far. I have shrunk out of a lot of my clothes at this point and have lots of overflowing bins to donate. The challenge is really trying to find clothes that do fit! I go into stores and feel like I don't know how to shop and I don't want to spend too much on clothes that won't fit for very long. I've also been experiencing hair loss for the last month. I'm hoping it either slows down or stops soon as it gets kind of annoying to be shedding so much hair everywhere not to mention I'm not sure how much more covering up I can do. I am so incredibly pleased with my weight loss so far. Being able to fit in smaller spaces, sit in chairs without worrying about if I will fit or hitting my hips on the arm rests, being more active, being able to bend over easily...there are just so many things that are better!

I was taking them as well but stopped. I am so bad about taking stuff. Im taking the gummies for hair and also the multi vitamin by them. I find it much easier to take gummies instead of the chews. My weight loss is slow I’m down around 60lbs. Seems like I have stalls but I still lose inches. I’m ok with it coming off slowly. I’m worried about loose skin. So far so good.

I wouldn’t ask for input from only people who had regrets and/or canceled, because… well that’s all you’re going to hear about and you’ll definitely not go through with it (which is fine, it’s your choice of course). I’d ask “can everyone here who is at least a year post op give me a “would do it again” or “would not do it again” please” This forum is a great place. It really is. There are tons of helpful people, funny people, honest people. The downside to a forum like this is it’s much more common for someone who is having a problem to post a question looking for help or advice or just to vent. It vastly skews the perception of the number and severity of problems. The reality is for most people surgery works and works well at achieving sustained weight loss. Very few people statistically have what I would call a major complication. When compared to the statistics of complications (or co-morbidities) of being obese, it’s not even a fair contest. You are not alone in having worries and doubts though, not by a long shot. I had them too, many of us did. But I didn’t cancel and I most definitely do NOT regret having surgery. It was probably the best true free will choice I’ve ever made in my life… no, it definitely was. Being a guy who doesn’t care about his hair, I can’t share my advice about hair loss. It’s a thing that can happen. It didn’t happen to me, but again I wouldn’t have cared if I lost all my hair, I’d have done this again without a second thought. In fact, I would go so far as to say that… based on how GREAT I feel today, even if I had a major complication that required hospitalization post op, I would still go through with it knowing what I know now. I wish I did this years ago, but I didn’t. I feel like I lost some of the best years with myself, my kids, just in general… The following is a cheeze-ball comment but it’s true…. This new me… this is the me that was hiding inside a fat suit almost all of my life… sad, pretty lonely, afraid to come out and just enjoy life like I am now. I wish I met him when I was younger. I wish I was strong enough to do this on my own at a much younger age, but in the end I don’t care how this new me got here… I’m here and I’m not going back inside that fat suit ever again. I am 46 and feel like I’m about to turn 27. I wish you the best, no matter what you decide. But don’t only look for the negatives, because that’s what you’ll find. There’s a lot of us “hell yah I’d do this again!!” people out there, we’re just quiet about it in general compared to the people who do really need help getting through a tough spot.

I had my VSG the last week of June so I’m almost 10 weeks post op. I normally have really thick, long hair but the last few weeks I’ve lost so much hair that it’s about 50% gone. Most people I’ve read on here didn’t experience hair loss until later so I’m scared I might lose even more. How long until it stops and should I be worried about bald spots?

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. I really appreciate it! Quick stats: Started 280. Now 195.5 this morning, 5’8”, currently fitting into size 10/12 pants and medium/large shirts. Today was my 3 month post op visit with my surgeon. This morning I weighed 195.5 and weighed in at 199 on the doctor’s scale. Not bad! I plan to ask my dietician about weight swings during the day. I can’t be the only one that weighs themself in the morning and evening..right? Does anyone else have 3-5 lb weight swings? I went in today with two concerns: I feel like I’m losing sooo slow and my hair is falling out like crazy. I went through surgical menopause when I was 31, so I already have very thin hair to begin with and I feel like I am pulling clumps out in the shower everyday. Regarding losing so slow, the doctor reminded me my BMI day of surgery was 34 not 50+. Losing 10 lbs a month the first three months is totally normal. He told me MY normal is 5 pound loss per month. He saw my confused expression and said that I’ve been obese most of my life, so my bones are denser than thin folks because I needed the stronger structure to carry the weight. I don’t have much fat to lose as someone going in with a higher BMI so I need to give myself some slack. I asked him what his goal for me is and he said a BMI of 27 which for me is 178. My goal is 160-165. He told me I will get to my goal and may even exceed it but warned me after a few years I will gain some weight back. If I can keep a 27 BMI or lower I will be successful for life. It’s hard to wrap my head around that I have about 20 pounds until his goal already. No wonder I have only been losing 1 pound a week lately. It’s all normal and I just need to accept that. I get caught up in others who are losing 3-5 pounds a week. I need to remind myself I don’t know where they started. It makes sense for a higher BMI to drop weight quicker as they have more to lose. It’s a good lesson for us all. Don’t compare! Regarding the hair, Dr told me to start taking 50 mg of zinc sulfate everyday in addition to my biotin. I’m going to pick some up today and report back next month. I know it will grow back eventually but it’s so depressing to see the hair fall out. Moving on- I can eat pretty much whatever I want if I follow some rules. Red meat in small portions and chew it to death and then rest my stomach. My stomach doesn’t care for it much but we’re trying to come to an agreement because I like steak I allow myself to taste desserts on occasion. It’s not often but I won’t eat a full serving again. My last post I talked about vacation and I did eat a full serving and was so sick afterwards. Never again. I began weighing my food again. Turns out I wasn’t serving myself enough. Crazy! I was trying not to eat too much! It works because I felt my restriction during dinner last night. I was able to get 3oz of chicken and a few baby carrots but that was it. I had been eating my full meals lately and worried it was slowing down my weight loss because I still wanted more. I was under eating! My advice don’t slack on weighing and measuring your food! Oh funny thing my nose starts running when I am full. I thought it was allergies but nope every single time I am “done” my nose (right nostril to be exact) starts running. I must admit I am not doing so hot on using my elliptical. I haven’t been on it in two weeks. I am talking 20 min walks every night. Saturday I deep cleaned my entire house and it took me 3 hours. I only stopped for water and my watch told me I hit my goal for the day. I will count it. This is awful but I really don’t have much time. I’m slammed at work and can’t get into a groove to get on that dang machine. It’s in my house and I work from home so I feel like I have no excuse. Ugh. I had to goto the dept store and get a work outfit last weekend. Would you believe I needed a 10?! I couldn’t believe it. Still don’t actually. Last topic because this is long! This is all mental but I can’t shake it. I see myself in the mirror but I don’t recognize her. I study my face for a long time and I don’t see me. I see someone who is older than I used to be and has different features. To be fair I am (almost) 40 and losing weight has caused some wrinkles. I can’t describe it. Does anyone understand?

Hi! I'm enjoying reading where everyone is so I will check in too -- I had surgery on 5/20 so I'm about 7.5 weeks out. The worst part about this for me has been no caffeine. I'm really looking forward to being cleared for step 4 which includes caffeine allowed at my appointment in about a week. I'm also really missing wine but I think I need to stay away from alcohol for as long as possible. I'm 50 lbs down overall (355 to 305ish -- I lost a LOT during the 3 week liver-shrink) and about 25 of that is post-surgery. I'm definitely noticing that it's easier to move around and my clothes are looking different on me, which has been great. In terms of taste, shredded cheese tastes a little weird to me, milk is disgusting, and butter tastes a little... off. I'm really interested to know if I'll dump/if I can ever have sugar again, but I'm not going to mess with trying something until I hit the step 4 diet. I'm REALLY stressed out about the hair loss that people say starts at around 4 months. But the only way out is through..... and it'll be worth it. I'm just worried I'll have bald spots!!!!! 😧

Hi Onmywayfrom256, I can definitely relate to your doubts. I know that the decision to have this surgery is right for me at this point, but I do have some fears of it not working the way I hoped, loose skin, hair falling out, regain, & complications. I have dealt with mild hair loss after having each of my 2 children. I am less worried about this, as I heard it is temporary. Still not fun. Hopefully, protein & iron supplements will help. The loose skin is something that I may not be able to avoid, but I am going to try to take collagen in addition to all the other vitamins & supplements we need. I will also try cocoa butter & compression. Not sure if any of it will help, but I will try. Some things unfortunately are out of our control, so it is easy to fear the unknown. This is a big step we are all taking, and we all want to succeed in something that has been challenging for us. Most of us have been let down before with weight loss attempts, so those doubts unfortunately pop up. Hoping you feel better knowing that someone else has concerns about the road ahead. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Wishing you a successful journey. 🤞😊

Hi, my sleeve is scheduled for July 5th. Honestly, I am a nervous wreck and full of doubts. I am worried about losing weight, keeping it off and the hair loss. I know it’s pure vanity, but I don’t have lots of hair to begin with, so I am really freaking out about that part. I’ve lost almost 28 pounds with pre-op dieting and so I’m also wondering if I should just keep going on my own. Anyone else struggling with doubts?

I asked a lot of stuff that was pretty much answered in the videos I had to watch (and take tests on) afterwards and in the binder that was sent to me. But these are some of the things I asked (some may seem silly but it was all new to me lol)............. Various types of surgery? Which is best for me? How long does it take? How many days in hospital? How many holes in stomach? Medication after surgery? How many have you performed? Mortality rate? What tests need to be done prior? What makes the surgery work when dieting and exercise never has? Will it fix my PCOS and Insulin Resistance? Does insurance cover all the pre-testing as well as the surgery? Time line of stuff to be done until we get to surgery? What does my Insurance require? Recovery questions: How worried do I need to be about the insides coming undone? Do the staples inside the stomach stay forever or does the stomach sort of mend itself together? OK to get future MRI w/staples (if they remain in the stomach)? How often do I need to worry about getting up and walking as to avoid blood clots? How long after surgery before you can exercise w/bike, swimming, weights, etc.? Hair loss? Will I continue taking my medication as usual? What pain meds, tylenol, etc can I take afterwards? How long after until you can have sex? Post Op What would be my goal weight? I am personally comfortable with ..... (I gave 180). How long will digestion take/how long does it take food to empty from stomach afterwards? What will my stomach capacity be short and long term? Supplements for life? Alcohol use after? Fears Fear of death. Fear of losing too much/looking older. Fear of problems down the road. Right now carbs and sugar stop me from losing weight and whenever I try lose I always know to avoid those foods. Once I have the surgery, will I be able to eat foods that I currently stay away from such as whole wheat, oatmeal, fruits, certain rice, beans, etc. Things that are normally a part of any other persons normal, healthy diet?

You’re doing so well. Congratulations. But I do understand that lethargy that comes when you’ve been so vigilant. Our will power & focus starts to waver & it all just seems to be too hard. I think most of us experience it at some time. As @GummyBearQueen suggested reflecting on your non scale victories can help regain your focus. Are you moving about more easily? Has your health started to improve? Have you dropped clothing sizes? Is it easier to bathe or do your hair? I loved looking at the graph of my weight loss. Watching that line going in a downwards direction was often more motivating than looking at a number on the scales every day. Also reminding yourself why you made your decision to have the surgery helps. Set yourself some staged goals (every time you lose another 20lbs, walk 3 kms, ...) & reward yourself with a new haircut or colour, a spa day, a new accessory or jewellery, etc. when you achieve them. How we feel when we’re full or hungry is different after surgery. One of my learnings was the difference between feeling full & having eaten enough. You don’t necessarily need to be full to have had bough to eat. I still ask myself do I need this bite or just want it. It was a bit of a come to Jesus moment for me. Seems like you’re meeting your water goals, increasing your activity & if you’re meeting your protein goals, you’re already ahead of the game. To begin you are really focussed on your food intake. You’re learning to eat in new ways & it does take a lot of effort to ensure you’re doing the right thing for your plan & for you. I’d like to say in time you won’t be consumed by what you eat (bad pun) but it does get easier. I know what foods I can eat & what ones my tummy doesn’t like all that much (like oily fish or char grilled meats). I’ve worked out what foods I don’t want to eat anymore (processed carbs) & what foods/drinks I’m happy to have less frequently (alcohol) or those I’ll have only on very rare occasions (desserts, cakes, etc.) I used to worry about how much I thought about food but then I realised I used to think a lot about food before surgery. Before surgery I was always thinking about what I could eat & when I could eat again. Now I think about good food choices, the nutritional benefits of a food & if I really need to eat. But it is so worth it.

that seems to be one of the biggest worries among pre-ops and new post-ops, but I think I can speak on behalf of almost all "vets" that in the grand scheme of things, the hair loss is a temporary inconvenience that's a small price to pay for what we get out of the surgery (i.e., massive weight loss). In retrospect, I can't believe I wasted one minute worrying about it! But I do relate to what you're saying since I felt the same way at the beginning of this process. Luckily, most of us don't lose enough hair for other people to notice, though.

there's nothing you can do to help with the hair loss, other than be sure to stay on top of your protein and vitamins so it doesn't get any worse than it is. The stress on your body from the surgery - plus the limited calories we're taking in the first few weeks - cause many of the hair follicles to go dormant. Your body has better things to do with those calories than worry about your hair - for one thing, it needs to heal! Some people swear by biotin, but just as many say it did absolutely nothing for them. There's no harm in taking it, but don't be surprised if it doesn't seem to do anything. some people don't lose any hair at all, and some lose so little that THEY barely notice, let alone anyone else (I was in that second category). Many people lose a fair amount of hair, but they're the only ones who notice it. Losing big, noticeable (by others) clumps isn't very common. and of course, this is all temporary. It'll grow back. I lost hair from months 6-9, but again, it was so little that it wasn't noticeable.

Hi I'm currently going through the process of getting my surgery date and I am so worried about hair loss. My mom and grandma has had the bypass over 10 years ago and everyone says there hair grows back but my mom's only grew back a little and my grandmas never really grew back. I also know someone who has had it over 10 years ago and she says her hair is still thin. I have long hair and lost some hair on a extreme diet i did once before so I'm worried I don't have much to lose this time. My hair only stopped falling out when I ate a lot of calories and was gaining weight:( I'm just really confused [emoji53] Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi, I'm starting to extremely worry about my hair. I've read a few posts regarding thin hair/hair loss post operation and most of them have said they have gotten their hair back to normal 6-10 months post operation. It's been almost 2 years since my operation and past month or two my hair has been shredding quite heavily, just by sweeping my hands through my hair, I would get around 10-20 pieces of hair on my palm. Unfortunately, I've been stupid and neglected my required vitamins in the early stages after my operation until recent, where I've been required to take; B12 injection every 3 months, Fultium-D3 20000U capsules once a week and Calcichew-D3 500 MG chewable tablets twice a day. I'm currently also not meeting my required daily protein intake, will using protein shakes/bars on top of food that contains protein help with my hair loss? My worry is, am I losing hair or is my hair just thinning? Is it too late to save it now? Will it ever go back to how it used to be? I'm only 23 years of age and it just looks horrendous when my hair is in that state... Please see attached images of my hair.

I’m a slow loser too. Probably the slowest. I had VSG on the 24th of December. Pre-surgery I lost 23lbs. At two months yesterday, I am down 26lbs after surgery or 50lbs total at the two month mark (it may be more than that as I weigh every Sunday). I’m pretty consistent at 2-3lbs per week. Luckily, I’ve still had no Hair loss. I average about 700 calories but sometimes a little more or little less. I get frustrated with my slower losses but then the inches lost and muscle definition make me feel better. Incidentally, my surgeon doesn’t worry about weight loss until month 3 and said my weight loss should pick up the most Between month 4-8. So, who knows?

You make several great points. Truth is, I would NEVER want to hold her back from trying to better her health. In fact, for months, I have been a proponent of this route when it became clear it was our best option to get the issues managed to improve her quality of life and as I said in my OP- enjoy growing old together and hopefully having a great back 9 in life with one another even though we are still both 39. So that’s completely off the table. Same thing with change- we never go out to the same restaurant twice on a date (before COVID) or somewhere on vacation for that matter. I was completely open to relocating outside New England for her medical residency and fellowship even though we both have lived here our whole lives (we ended up staying put). I love when she changes up her hair to something new to keep things interesting- I ask her to actually when she wants to know what I think. And frankly, despite this being solely about health and quality of life (otherwise this procedure would have never crossed either of our minds) of course I’m excited to see how she’ll look and dress and all that after the weight loss, she’s my wife- I’m mad for her! When it comes to personality change, I guess that does worry me a bit. She’s already very assertive and strong willed, so from what I read in articles- that doesn’t really bother me, it’s one of the reasons I love her. We are both just really down to earth and humble people, I would hope THAT doesn’t change about her. We put our family and our marriage first- THAT I hope doesn’t change. It’s one of the reasons we got married in the first place- we share basic core beliefs. That said, I know people change. She changed quite a bit during and after all her medical training. I changed a lot after my younger sibling who I was close with got ill and passed away swiftly. But we loved each other through it all. I just hope that’s the same here. Am i a little threatened or intimidated? Well, I know she’s a catch, I’m not too shabby myself, but I know she is someone really special. So yes, I’m quite protective of her and our relationship. I guess the one thing that makes me feel better is the extra lengths she has been going to to be affectionate and reassuring right now knowing my concern. She’s incredibly nurturing and sweet. So like I said, when hormones and self image and such shift. I just pray that she is still my wife at the end of it all with all the qualities I’ve been listing.

Sorry this is kindof long, I’m at a loss and need some advice/encouragement. Hi all, Im a newb! Was just sleeved on 2/10/21 and have had a horrible recovery. I was in the hospital for 4 days and threw up for 72 hours. That was fun /: I’m finally home and I am struggling majorly with getting fluids to go down. It sits under my sternum and eventually ends up behind my molars trying to come back up. I first thought it was my sip size. But I have resorted to a very very small dropper where I’m literally dropping less than 10 mls of liquid down the back of my throat and letting it go down. It took me 3 hours to drink 8 oz today. I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else? It feels like the passage way for the water/broth to go down is the size of a human hair and it just pools in my chest. Leaving me sitting straight up, hardly breathing for 30-45 min because I can’t inflate my lungs from the “fullness.” I’m worried because I’m only getting 30-40 oz of fluid max, and my calories are less than 50/day. I’m not so much worried about protein at the moment, as I am staying functional. I have already lost almost 12 lbs since the morning of sx. Any advice is so very appreciated! And Happy Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday from the Bayou State! (First time in 28 years I didn’t have a single piece of king cake )