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I was worried about hair loss before I had my surgery. Not long after my surgery, I talked to my cosmetologist about it. Before surgery, I had very thick hair. I started noticing excessive loss when I was about 3 months out from surgery. To be proactive, I talked to my stylist about the best cut to minimize hair loss (or the appearance of it). I normally get my hair thinned, but I stopped that for a while too. I also quit coloring my hair for about the first 10 months. I didn't want to weaken anything further than surgery already did. I cut back on how often I washed my hair (every other day instead of daily), and I took Biotin and listened to my stylist. My stylist was also able to recommend products that would help. I was glad I talked to her and teamed up with her on the issue. She was also able to reassure me that my loss wasn't drastic.

After about a year of contemplating WLS (and 10+ years of battling with my weight) I'm now starting my journey of getting my life back and lightening my load in many areas of my life (pun intended). I have my first appointment with the surgeon and nutritionist on Thursday, 10/17/13 and I'm an emotional MESS! I'm scared and excited both at the same time, it's crazy! My niece (who is a hair stylist) had to talk me from the edge about an hour ago because my latest "thing" is what about hair loss? She said, "Auntie, you getting healthy and having you around for a long time is more important than you losing some hair. I can fix that, I can give you some hair and it will be beautiful, it's what I do, but I can't get another YOU and I need you! If you lose your hair, I'll cut mine too! Just pray on it and don't worry about stuff that hasn't happened." Well, after that I cried and laughed at the same time. Cried because it meant a lot coming from her (she's like the daughter I never had), and laughed because I could picture both of us with heads shaved looking like twins! lol Anybody else going through this roller coaster ride, or am I alone in my feelings???

I didn't notice a huge hair loss - nothing that concerned me too much anyway, although I did notice some in the shower. Don't worry about it too much as you will soon be on the other side and looking and feeling fab! Good luck x

Hi all! So Im four weeks post op today and have lost 28 lbs total. Im thrilled with that! But have some concerns regarding not getting my vegetables in for Fiber and other nutrition. By the time i eat my Protein, Im full and have no room for veggies. Im only suppose to eat three meals a day. Im on soft foods currently but am worried no getting veggies may contribute to hair loss down the road-or other issues. I am faithfully taking my Vitamins and meds. Any suggestions? Anyone else worry about this or am I just being weird?? Lol... Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm not convinced it has anything to do with whether you had lap band, bypass, or whatever. In 2003 I started losing weight using weight watchers. I lost 93 lbs. My hair fell out. My doctor said that some people will lose hair when they lose weight rapidly. He said it grows back when the weight stabilizes. For me, that turned out to be exactly true. I did take (still do) biotin and I agree with making sure you get enough protein (which I didn't know about in my earlier weight loss). Even now though, since my lap-band, I'm losing hair again but not as much or as rapidly as before. My advice is to follow the advice you read here but then don't worry about it. Consider your hair loss a battle scar on your war against obesity. It will grow back when you've won that war. Oh, and you may want to get a screen or something in your bathtub or the hair will get stuck, what a mess. Good luck.

Hi, I am not sure where you are going to have your surgery. No, you will not fail at this--we all think this and that is a normal feeling and statement. Just follow the rules they give you. You can't imagine what it will be like to NOT feel hunger. After the WLS you eat because you need to eat. There will no longer be a feelings of hunger--I know that is a strange thought but a true one. You will have to deal with what we call "head hunger." The "old thinking brain" has been in charge for your entire life. NOW YOU have to be in charge I will send you something I wrote about a few things and they should help you quite a bit. You honestly should not require little of any after care. I had complete blood panels run because I felt pretty weak and I found out that my potassium level was low, they gave me medication for it and that resolved that issue. If you have a Highly Qualified Doctor for a surgeon you should never have to think about or worry about a leak. I had Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico and he is one of the top Weight Loss Surgeons in the world. So I knew this going into my surgery and had NO worries about any kind of a leak. I had NO pain when I got home. I went shopping 3 days after I got home for groceries. They sent pain meds home with me, but I did not need any. I think you will do fine. The first month after the surgery will be the hardest month that you will ever have to do. It is only for 30 days and you can do this--it isn't a lifetime. I am always here if you need help or have any questions. Here are the things that I wrote about and you might find them useful. Sorry if I sent you too much information, but you might find this helpful. Print them out so that you can read them later. Hugs, Suzanne *********************************************************************************** Volume 1 I decided that I would make a list of things for new people who are thinking about having WLS that might be helpful to them. This is long so please PRINT THIS OUT TO READ if you don’t want to read it all at one time. First thing is to start asking people on the board you are on all kinds of questions—make of list of things you want to ask and keep coming back and ask more questions as time goes on. The more questions that ask the more you educate yourself about WLS and the process and what doctor they liked. Don’t rely on just one source of information. It is really normal to have all kind of feeling and emotions when trying to decide if you want to have Weight Loss Surgery. I must have talked myself in and out of doing this at least 50 times during my 6 months of research. My only regret is that I didn't’t do it sooner. This is a big step. But if diet and exercise worked for us then we still wouldn't’t be fat and would have lost the weight a long time ago and never regained it. It takes a lot of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am very proud of you for looking into this. Don’t give any more days of your life being overweight, and your body hurting along with being unhealthy. WLS really is your answer. How do you select your surgeon? First of all this is NOT a time to price shop for the cheapest doctor to do your WLS—that is just the wrong way to go at this. There are a lot of doctors who advertise on the Internet doing sleeve surgery for a lot less than some other doctors. I found one posting from a person who had the following concerns after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. (a) They put NO name band on her to be able to ID her when giving medications or anything else. ( NO one asked if she had any allergies to foods or medications—thank goodness this person didn't’t have any. ( The lab did NOT label tubes of blood with the person’s name on it—very dangerous. © Day after surgery they gave this person ice chips, tea and apple juice. The next day (day 2) they gave this person NOTHING so this person asked why and the nurse said this person wasn't’t allowed to eat anything. Well, this person then said I had Clear liquids the day before and they wanted to know WHO gave it to this person?? (d) This person was told that they would get a copy of the operative report on their discharge to take home with them—This person has not received it yet and that was about 2 weeks ago. So make sure have positive feedback about the Surgeon and Staff and Hospital that you choose. My choice after 6 months of research was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. What I can tell you in my opinion is that he is the very best you will ever find to do your surgery. I can only speak about my experience and my research that I did before I made him my choice for a surgeon. Pack lightly for your WLS. So many of us have gone to Mexico, so you want a small suitcase with wheels, a laptop & a cell phone. The clothing that you wear to Mexico are the same ones you can wear home—slip on shoes work great too. Make sure that the clothing is loose fitting. Something just comfortable for your ride home. While in Mexico—that is if you go to Mexico for WLS make sure you take GAS-X. They have nothing in Mexico that they give your for gas, and the use gas in your abdominal area during surgery. It is painful after the surgery, so GAS-X STRIPS are easy to use by just placing them on your tongue. Take a couple of boxes with you—you will be glad you did. If you are going to use a credit card make sure you tell your credit card company and your Bank if you use your debit card or credit card. Sometimes if you DO NOT let these companies know you are outside of the US they block your charges. Use a credit card or debit card vs cash it is much easier to use. Take small amounts of cash for tips—I took $45.00 in 1’s for tip money for various things. If you go to any hospital anywhere leave ALL jewelry at home –just a watch and no rings or other jewelry. I never had any problems at all leaving my purse and computer& cell phone in my room while I was in surgery, but they recommend that you leave all jewelry at home. If you are a lady please remove all nail polish—they need it removed to see your nail beds during surgery. The first month you do after surgery is the HARDEST month you will ever have to do. You do 10 days of nothing but clear liquids to start with—that means you have to be able to see through the liquid. Do not panic if you can not get the Protein they want you to have the 1st 10 days—I couldn't’t find anything I liked that was clear during the 1st 10 days. They want you to try to drink 64 oz each day, and I don’t think I could ever get that much Water drank—just do the best you can. Your new stomach has just had major surgery and it is swollen and will only hold something about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days gets much better—you are now on creamy liquids for these 10 days. You can now have some creamy Soups, yogurt, and pudding—sugar free and find a Protein Drink that you like. For me it is Premier Protein Drink and I get mine at costco. When looking for a protein drink, make sure they are low in calories, high in Protein—Premier has 30 grams of protein in each drink box and make sure you have low carbs too. I know there are a lot of other Protein drinks out there that people like. When it comes to carbs I tried to keep mine at no more than 20 carbs per day. Ask others what kind of Protein drinks they liked and where they get them. The last 10 days are mushy foods. So this is a bit of a challenge. How many foods can I make mushy? I even considered using some baby foods. Start thinking about what will work as mushy foods for you. Starting the 2nd month is quite an adventure. You can eat regular food. Here is where the relearning process takes place. You now will take tiny BABY BITES of food and chew each bit about 30 times or until it is like a liquid. From here on out you will need to take small bites of food and chew and chew and chew. I found out that chicken and fish were a lot easier to chew up. I don’t eat much red meat—your tastes will change and things you didn’t like a lot might taste good and something that you used to love don’t taste that great anymore. Keep track of what you are eating and keep your calories at about 800 calories per day and no more than 20 carbs per day—whole grain carbs are the best to have—NO white or refined carbs. I highly suggest that you keep track by writing them down or using some of the Internet sites that offers you this. I suggest this site it works great there are other sites to use this is just a suggestion. http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ It really is good to write down and track everything you put in your mouth to start with—that is how you know that you have not had more than 800 calories per day. I want you to understand weight loss surgery is just a tool. The fat does not just melt off of you—they is NO miracle cure. Now you have to put a lot of effort into eating healthy and starting to exercise. Everyone has some kind of exercise that works for them. I love walking and try to walk about 5 days a week. For many of us we started to lose some of our hair 3 or 4 months after having WLS. I would find a lot of hair in the shower after washing my hair. That is pretty normal for a lot of us—this does not happen to everyone. There is no magical cure for hair loss—some people use different shampoo’s or take Biotin. It happens and you live with it. YES, it will grow back. For me I had pencil straight hair and mine grew back natural curly and I love it now. I already had thin hair so for me, I got some cute wigs and wore them for about 9 months until my hair looked a lot better. It was worth the hair loss to lose 105 pounds. Because we eat a lot of protein we suffer from constipation. You need to have at least 70 grams of protein EACH day. So I mix my protein drink each morning with MIRALAX. It is NOT habit forming and is tasteless and it is just a good way to start off the day. I put the protein and a cap full of Miralax in the blender with about 5 small ice cubes and that is my Breakfast. 3 years later I still have this for breakfast and nothing else, it just works for me. You may have periods where you have what we call STALLS. You may be doing everything right and eating and exercising and you have NO weight loss for a week or more. This is normal—mine lasted 9 days. Don’t panic the weight loss will start up again, just keep doing what you are doing. Our heads play games with us sometimes it is ugly what our brain tried to convince us of—We call these “Head Games” and they really are tough times to work though, but you can do it. Your head is still thinking with your old brain and way of thinking that you have been doing for most of your life. You now are eating VERY small amount of food, but your head is used to you eating LARGE amounts of food and that is what your brain wants—so it tries to tell you the you should be eating more—NOT true at all. So you need to have a talk with yourself. Do I just WAN T to eat or do I really NEED to eat? You are not on a diet, but you are making a LIFESTYLE change and that is good because you can do this for the rest of your life. You will NEVER be able to eat like you used to. That is good because that is how we got fat. You will morn the loss of food—you will look around and see others inhaling all this food and you think to yourself—I used to eat like that. You will notice how fast people eat and inhale their food and talk and hardly chew what they are eating. That is pretty normal feeling to have—because you are now eating such small amounts of food and chewing and chewing. You will never be able to guzzle a bottle of water again—that is OK too. These are all good things. In time you will look at all the food people are eating and thinking to yourself oh my gosh I could never eat that much again—it is way too much food. When you have issues or problems come back to the board and ask others who have already done this. We are here to help and support you. Give or exchange all your fat clothes away. You will never need them again after they become too big for you. This weight loss is something you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You have earned the right to have new clothes. Make sure you have the VERY best doctor that has had a lot of experience with sleeve surgery and check his success rates out. Check the doctor for HIGH patient reviews from the people who have gone to him or her. I can NOT STRESSS this enough. Make sure that your surgery is being done in a hospital NOT a Clinic. One clue that it is a clinic is if they send you to a hotel room to recover—that is why they cost less, this is also dangerous too. YOU are worth the extra money that it cost to have this WLS in a Hospital and by the best Doctor you can have. You want to have a happy and GREAT life and having the RIGHT Doctor and Hospital are the key to this. Sorry if this is long, but it is intended to have as a reference and answer a lot of your questions that you might have. For some of you, you are very lucky because your health insurance is now starting to pay for Weight Loss Surgery. For many of this, we did not have your luck, so we are self pay patients. There are companies that loan money for this surgery—be aware that their interest rate is high. Once you pick your doctor ask them about these companies that give loans for surgery if you are a self pay patient. You know we never think twice about making car payments. If you have to borrow the money for this surgery just look at this as “body payment.” It will be the best money you have ever borrowed. Please PRINT this out to read later. If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me. I had surgery almost 3 years ago, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I really am here to help you along your journey. It took me 14 months to lose this weight and I was 63 when I had the surgery, so it is NEVER too late in life to do this. ************************************************************************************ Volume 2 Here are some more things I want you to know about if you are thinking about having WLS and you are having the “Sleeve.” We have talked a little or a lot about “slimming or Fleming” In case you missed it, when you first start eating regular food you have to re-learn how to eat again and chew. With your new stomach you will need to take small tiny bites and chew until the food in your mouth is almost liquid like. This is nothing like what you had been doing your entire life. In the past you eat and talk and put big bite in your mouth along with a few chews and then swallowing—this will NO LONGER WORK FOR YOU. This is a very difficult thing to change. So with your new stomach and just having surgery you may experience slimming or Fleming. First you will feel like the food is stuck, then it comes back up in a clear liquid –your saliva. It isn’t vomit, so that is why it is called slimming or Fleming. It’s a wakeup call to slow down you eating and chew, and chew and chew some more. Just go to the bathroom or have a napkin ready for the slimming or Fleming if you are eating out. If you try to overeat—which is bad you may experience this too sometimes. For me it was always about not chewing enough. What are some signs that you are full? At first I wasn’t sure, but sometimes I just got tired of all the chewing, so I stopped eating. I now get the hiccups or my noise will start to run when I am full. I know that other people have said they experienced this too. It does take some time to retain yourself on how to eating and I know that the first month it is such a process just trying to get all the food in that you need to get in because of your new restrictions. In time it does get a lot easier. Some people actually mourn the loss of food, because you will NEVER EAT the quantity of food that we used to eat---YEAH that is how we are going to lose the fat and maintain that goal weight that we want to have for the rest of our lives. If you think you are hungry and you are positive that you are having physical symptoms of hunger this is YOUR OLD thinking brain playing those tricks we have talked about. You now have to start learning to educate this OLD brain into being your NEW thinking brain. Ask yourself do you just "want to eat" or do you really "need to eat" because it has been 3 or 4 hours since you have eaten anything. It is amazing what our brains can and will do to sabotage our way of thinking. You may be challenged by this OLD brains way of thinking for many years. For me I just have to have some self-talks with myself. We have an addiction to food. There is no way around avoiding food, so we need to find the set of skills that will allow us to change our lifestyle. I eat to live, I NO LONGER live to eat! Food is not my main focus in life. I have seen so many times where people are going along and doing great with their weight loss. Then all of a sudden they are NOT losing anything—they panic—I did when it happened to me. We call these “Stalls.” We have stalled and are not losing anything. Most of the time you are eating all the same and correct things that you have in the past when you were losing weight. Our body just does this naturally--stalls. Mine lasted 9 days one time. This is really normal. I have a few suggestions. Use this site or something like it to track everything you are putting in your mouth. http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ You might be surprised at what you are eating—that is why I say track it. Remember keep your total calories at 800 per day—if you exercise then you can eat more. This site will help you figure that out how much more you can it by what kind of exercise you did. You also need to make sure that you are not eating more than 20 carbs per day. No white or refined carbs. They should ONLY be whole grain carbs—not whole wheat, BUT Whole Grain carbs—do the best you can when it comes to carbs. If you are having problems with the weight loss you can kick up the amount of exercise you are doing too. The weight loss will start back up again, so don’t panic. We all stumble and fall along the way, don’t beat yourself up over it. Move on and have a better day the next day. Be aware that your friends and family may not be supportive of you having WLS. For your family, first they really may NOT understand it and they are scared for you. This is pretty normal. You have been on the Internet, and been educating yourself and doing a lot of reading—you know much more than they do about weight loss surgery and your choice is the sleeve. They have only heard the horror stories that the media puts out there or one of their uneducated family or friends have told them. Your friends are scared they may lose you as a friend because you are going to lose the weight and they will remain fat—yes I call it fat. I know there are a lot of politically correct terms to use, but if I can say I was fat you will one day too. Some of your friends will be jealous. My suggestion is that you can try to educate them some, but take your time and effort right now and use it for yourself. After you have had WLS and they see you are becoming healthy and you are alive and well they may come around. I want you to put yourself FIRST, for the very first time. If they are truly your friends they will be there when you are skinny. The first month will be the hardest month you will have to do. You are changing everything about how you eat. I want you to keep saying to yourself that it is ONLY 30 days and I can do ANYTHING for 30 days. Once you start the 2nd month and can have regular food, it gets easier. What do you do about getting smaller clothes? One of my adventures used to be to go to Resale clothing places and sell or trade my larger clothing to them, and then finding some smaller sizes. Just buy what you need to get by for a while until you need a smaller size. It was like a treasure hunt or an adventure for me. I found some places like Goodwill that had brand name label NEW clothing that the local stores gave them. I found some great deals at these places. So consider doing something like this or getting together with some of your friends and trading clothing. I also donated a lot of mine for a tax deduction to nonprofit organizations that give tax receipts—it is really great when it is tax time rolls around and I had all these deductions. I would make a list of everything I was going to donate and how much weight I had lost. I kept that all together in case the IRS asked why I gave away 20 some dress and 10 pair of pants, and 30 tops! Make sure that you go see your Primary Care Doctor when you have had WLS if you have gone outside of the US for your surgery. I went to see my PCP before I went to let her know what I was doing—I wanted a doctor who would support me in my efforts. I had to do a bit of education and after she had time to read all of the information I left her, she was behind me all the way. She said come back in to see her after being home for 2 weeks and she would check me over and run a blood panel to see how I was doing. She did this every month for a while and started taking me of meds that I no longer needed. I did need to start taking potassium—mine was low after having WLS and I knew this when I left Dr. Aceves—they had run a blood panel after I had my “Sleeve surgery.” I loved the fact that my PCP took me off 4 of my other medications within 3months of me having WLS. Exercise is important for you in a lot of ways. Walking and swimming are the ones that work best for me. I know that there have been a few people who said they did nothing. Walking helped me lose a little faster and was good cardio too. I try to walk at least 4 or 5 times a week. When I can I try to swim on the days I don’t walk. I know at first it is difficult to start to exercise, but walk around your home then, down the block a little. When the weather is bad—I live in Oregon and we have a lot of rain, we walk inside the Mall during those times. They open up the Mall at 6:00 am where I live, so you can start early. Buy a used treadmill and see if you like walking on it. My last words of wisdom are the following Saying yes means you will do something new, meet someone new most likely and make a difference in your life. Be true to yourself. It is you, your authentic self, the one you were in the first grade, before you leaned to massage your personality into a form that would suit others. Sometimes it is hard to hear the message because of all the external voices and they are so loud. Voices that are loud are always meant to bully. DO NOT BE BULLIED. So carry your courage in an easily accessible place. Be your OWN authentic person when it comes to Weight Loss Surgery. This is ALL about you and NO one else. Last you don’t need the approval of the Bully. You know what is right for you, follow your heart and go for it. I am always here if you want to ask me more questions, or I didn’t cover something that you are thinking about.I read my E-mail daily. I know it is a BIG step to take and there are a lot of things to think about, you can and will be success.

I am worried about hair loss as well. When I lost a bunch of weight in High School my this locks thinned significantly and never really recovered. But then I found out I had Hypothyroidism, and more hair fell out. I can't afford to lose much more. You guys mentioned some products to help. What are these and how do I get them. Should I ask my doc for a perscription?

There is a lot of misunderstanding about telogen effluvium (post-surgery hair loss), so I thought I would post about it. Even bariatric clinics sometimes don’t understand or explain this condition adequately. “It is normal to lose up to about 100 hairs a day on one's comb, brush, in the sink or on the pillow. This is the result of the normal hair growth cycle. Hairs will grow for a few years, then rest for a few months, shed, and regrow. Telogen is the name for the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. A telogen effluvium is when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state.” ”If there is some ‘shock to the system,’ as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are then shed in large numbers about 2 months after the ‘shock.’ This sudden increase in hair loss, usually described as the hair coming out in handfuls, is acute telogen effluvium.” “Among the common causes are high fevers, childbirth, severe infections, severe chronic illness, severe psychological stress, major surgery or illnesses, over or under active thyroid gland, crash diets with inadequate Protein, and a variety of medications.” [Quotes from “Biotin and someone else didn’t doesn’t necessary have anything to do with respective amounts of hair loss. Which leads to… 3. You don’t need to do anything other than get enough protein. “No treatment is needed for most cases of telogen effluvium. Remember that the hairs fall out when a new hair growing beneath it pushes it out. Thus with this type of hair loss, hair falling out is a sign of hair regrowth” [Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss]. You don’t need to take biotin. However, failing to meet your prescribed protein goals can also trigger this condition (see quote above about causes: “crash diets with inadequate protein”). 4. You can’t prevent it. Even if you get adequate protein, major surgery is still a shock to your body. Almost everyone who has bariatric surgery gets some degree of telogen effluvium afterwards. Someone who has lower surgery stress and thick and/or short hair might not even notice telogen effluvium. As someone who has been through this several times, I can reassure everyone worried about it that the effects are temporary and don’t do any long-term damage! Cheers

One thing that has really surprised me with my weight loss are the responses from other people. I don't expect compliments from anyone, as a matter of fact I feel a little uncomfortable when all eyes are on me! However, I have noticed that when people have noticed you are losing weight they are one of 2 things: 1)They go OVERBOARD with compliments . 2)They say NOTHING AT ALL & kindof act uncomfortable around you. My hairstylist is a beautiful, large woman. I've been going to her for over 2 years. We have become good friends. When I originally told her I was having WLS, she seemed pretty supportive & asked lots of questions. However, as I've successfully lost the weight, she has been different. She's just kindof stand-of-ish. This last time I got my hair cut, a woman came up to me & went on & on about how much weight I'd lost & how "great" I looked.....etc. She said to my hairstylist - "Doesn't she look good?" My hair lady responded with a shrug & said- "Oh yeah, I noticed." When I went to the front to pay my bill, the front desk lady whispered to me - "I think she's a little jealous of you. I wouldn't worry about it." Now that I think back, I have had several people who have responded to me in a similar fashion. One of my sisters does not say a word about my weight loss while my other sister can't stop with the compliments. I teach piano lessons & see the students mothers once a week. Some of them hug me & tell me how proud they are of me & others are so quiet. These are all people that I knew very well & had good relationships with. What responses have you noticed from others?

@@April4 good news bud many people feel miserable, have problems lots of people post that they feel terrible, miserable with problems posts about vomiting, gas, being very tired, no energy, constipation, diarrhea, neck hurting, hair loss, Protein shakes, not losing enough weight in a quick period of time, other people doing better than they are plus many other things people (me) ;)also enjoy talking about their NSVS's (non sleeve victory) health tremendously improving no need for certain meds like diabetes, high blood pressure, CPAP getting on an air plane not needing a seat belt extender feeling like the airplane seats have gotten bigger truth is you've gotten smaller being able to sit in between 2 other people on the plane being able to walk better fitting into smaller size clothes (clothes shopping is a frequent wonderful discusssion) being able to walk past a long mirror at Kohl's and not cringing being able to sit at a booth sitting at that booth with room between your stomach and the booth not worrying that you might break a chair putting your seat forward in a car - because you don't need as much room crossing your legs tying your shoes feet getting smaller realizing you have a collar bone confidence going through the roof being able to go out amongst people not feeling self conscious more things i can't think of my memory didn't improve with weight loss people (me) feeling happy what is wrong very with that guess who have enjoyed the above happening them just a few things that you can look forward to as far as the good we have found - we need to talk about that too but that is more fun!! i'm reallllly glad you like the sleeve you are losing weight you will continue to lose more weight for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer, life who deserves it more you will like experiencing the above too bad stuff does happen that we need to talk about but the good - is very good i might have made my point much earlier and kept talking sorry, don't know when to shut up sometimes still friends hugggggs good luck kathy

I am a band-to-bypass revision patient, too! I have been using rogaine for a couple of years due to thin, fine hair and I was really worried about hair loss after surgery. I actually had a 2-part surgery because my band was removed a year ago last December and my bypass wasn't until April 2015. I had expected hair loss right around the time of my revision because it was 16 weeks post-op, which is when I lose my hair, but I didn't have much. After revision, however, at exactly 16 weeks I lost a lot of hair. I had been taking Biotin and using rogaine up to that point, and I do believe that it helped my hair come back much faster than it has in the past. Not only that, but it's now wavy! That was an unexpected perk! Honestly, that short period where I had "bad hair" was completely worth it, though. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Congratulations on taking back control of your health. You won't be disappointed.

I worry about hair loss too.

Hi all. I'm new to this forum. I'm in the begining stages of the approval process. I have extreme worries about hair loss and some worries about saggy skin. I'vr heard protein protein protein but its seem even the people talking protein are experiencing major hair loss. Can anyone eveyone please help me with their stores and what they did. I have pcos so I've already experience hair thinning so I dont want the LAPBAND SURGERY to completely make me bald. If needed I'm african american 30yrs old starting weight 320. Also how do I start my WEIGHT LOSS TICKER?

hey all, I am close to 3 months pre op I have lost about 23 lb since surgery and 44 total since September. The last three weeks I have been having "major" hair loss. I have been taking my Vitamins and have been doing well with my Proteins, has anyone else had problems and what have you done to take care of it. Thank you. peace, spiffy in Seattle:crying: This is my worried face!

I'm now 3 months out and I remember the first few weeks everything tasted awful and getting anything in was a struggle. I was especially worried about protein intake because I worried about hair loss. But it did pass, and things taste normal again. It's a phase and you will get through it. Just keep at it and do the best you can. Don't worry...it will get better I promise!

I experienced some hair loss about 39 pounds down and 3 months after surgery. I have a ton of hair, but it was starting to worry me. I go for a fill next week and will be seeing a nutritionist then too. She told me rapid weight loss will cause some people to lose hair. I think I can start seeing new growth near my hairline now too. As for the anethesia... I had a endoscopic ultrasound a Aug. 31 and had lap-band surgery Sep. 13. So, I had anesthesia twice within two weeks. I think that is a lot of stress on the body too. I know I should eat and chose my foods more wisely also. I eat about 1/3 less than what I used to! I have to think quality, not quantity. Patsy

Wow! Thanks for this thread; I haven't experienced any hair loss, but I've been worried that I might. Honestly, I'm fairly vain about my hair. I have almost buttlength red hair that I take very good care of. To be honest, it's been a little fear in the back of my mind... of course I'd be bald if it meant infinite health forever, so if it does happen I'm willing to deal with it. Thanks for the information about GENESIS, I am going to look it up.

Well im really good at worrying so lets see... I am Worried that ... I will not work the tool like I should and remain obese I will be hungry ALL THE TIME I wont have enough energy to do well at work My hair will fall out and it will be noticeable I wont be able to afford plastic surgery when its time I will be scared in hospital I will suffer complications or long term negative side effects like bone loss despite doing everything im told to do None of that is reason enough not to go through with this. But theyre things I think about. I just want to be healthy enough to enjoy life.

Hi - I am one year post-op tomorrow. What a difference a year can make! I thought I would respond to some of your worries. They are all very legitimate worries. I am the Queen of worrying, so I had an even longer list one year ago today! 1. Hair loss. This happened. I thought I was going to get away without it happening, but between 4-5 months it began. I lost a lot of hair. It is now growing back. 2. Blood thinners. Didn't need them or clinic didn't prescribe them. But I do have MS and have had to give myself injections over the years for that. It really is amazing how fast you get the hang of it. 3. Gas. They do pump you full of gas. The best way to get rid of it is to walk as much as possible as soon as possible. Walking will help with every part of your recovery. I was up the evening following my surgery and walked every few hours all night (they are coming in and waking you up anyway!), 4. Catheter. I had a catheter. It was inserted after they put me out and it was removed before I regained consciousness. No memory of that at all. No infection. 5. Complications. I had NONE! I worried I would have them all, but I sailed right through. I could have gone back to work after a week off I felt so good - I work in an office. I am 49 years old, so I am not a kid saying this either. Being active makes all the difference. 6. Family / Friends / Coworkers. My family have all been terrific - I could not have done this without them. Friends and coworkers, some have been great, others not so much. I have taken a lot of support right here. It is one of the things I love so much about this site. 7. Dehydration. For the first week you full time job is to drink. It is very possible to get it all in and be fine. Just think of it as the number one thing you have to do in those first days. 8. Stomach. This one I can't speak to. I have not had any problems now or in the past. But this surgery has been around for decades. I am sure they know how to scope and look for problems post RNY. It is one of the advantages I think of having this surgery over some of the other choices. 9. Dumping. This has never happened to me. I have been very careful to follow my clinic's plan and have not had any dumping symptoms at all. As time has passed I have tried sweets, even a few M & M candies or a bit or cake or pie. For many people, as long as you follow the rules, it doesn't happen. 10. Lose skin. I wish I had a more positive response to this one, but this is a big problem for me. I have lost 198 pounds in the last year. I was 331 when I began this journey and am now 133. My arms are the worst. I had HUGE arms. I also have lose skin on my legs and stomach. I was never big breasted, but now am probably an A-B cup. I work out every day. I don't think there is much you can do about this one. They say age and genetics and how much you lose will tell the tale. I wish there was a magic answer for this one. Best of luck to you! Even with the down stuff, I wouldn't go back to where I was a year ago for all the money in the world. I love my new healthy life! Carol

I am a year out from being banded I did experience hair loss and I don't have a lot to lose! lol It was about 5 months out. My Dr. said it was a reaction to my weight loss and body changed taking place as a result of losing weight. I take hair vitamins and make sure I get my protein in no less that 60 more like 80 gms a day. Do ot worry, it is worth it in the end. My hair is coming back and is thicker than it has been since I had my children a long time ago. I am 59 and don't hav those hormones anymore. Relax and enjoy this new adventure!

I have heard that it is typical to start losing hair between 3 to 9 months post op. I have read that nothing will really stop the loss, but that the Biotin helps with regrowth. The theory is that it is not only from the stress of the surgery, but also the anesthesia, in addition to the change in nutrition. My hair also started coming out a lot more at about 4 months. No bald spots, though, just a lot of hair in the brush, on my pillow and in the shower. And I know I'm getting enough nutrition so I know it is not that. Do not worry. It WILL grow back and stop falling out, but it might take a few more months. I have read that hair starts falling out about 3 months after any stressful time in someone's life. It will get better. Hang in there.

Hi Marko! I would not worry so much about hair loss. It does happen to some, especially when your body goes through "trauma" such as a dramatic weight loss. But because we are losing weight pretty slow, I haven't seen anything too bad. My hair stylist actually got the band about six years ago, and since she knows so much about hair, I asked her for me. She told me that, if it happens, it will probably happen some time between month 3 and 6 post-op, and that DON'T WORRY, because this time, the hair WILL grow back! So no matter what, the hair you lose after surgery DOES grow back. Depending on age, it may not grow in as thick, but it will come back. I would take being healthy over having all my hair any day. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

I was filled on August 4th and for the 1st time I have felt restriction! It is wonderful!! I am wondering when you are too tight , do you have trouble even with a big gulp of water? It seems to get stuck, I know if sounds crazy cause in the Drs. office the water went down just fine. I am wondering if I am too tight and what is the best way to handle it if that is the case. Should I go on liquids? Also, I worry I may not be eating enough, yes , can you believe it! Wow what a change! I take protien but worry about the hair loss. Any help you can give me is appreciated!:help:

I'm almost four months post op. I have thin hair and was worried about hair loss. I've been using Nioxin shampoo and conditioner since I had the surgery and have had no hair loss. Getting in protein helps too!

I am so excited and nervous at the same time. My surgery is set for October 7th! Yay!!! I am ready for for my new beginning. Any tips on vitamins and hair loss? I am very worried about the hair loss and how bad it will be.