Category: Weight Loss Surgery Information

Several months ago, someone in my personal life went through weight loss surgery. I agreed to be an emotional support person throughout the process because this is key to success. About a month before surgery, I texted a list of the top things I think it takes to be successful in this process. I have kept this, modified it, and shared it with many others.

It’s really a gift when you have been through your own weight loss journey to be an emotional support to someone else going through their own journey.

If you do not plan to have weight loss surgery, stay with me and I assure you many items on this list will apply to you as well.

This list is also something I refer to when I need to re-set. It’s long, but I think you will find it helpful.

1. Clean room/house before surgery or starting a weight loss program: I love a clean house. With that said, I work full time, live with a spouse, and teenager, and my house is never as clean as I would like. I settle for most things organized and back in a tidy, somewhat organized space. Cleaning out cupboards, purchasing foods you need, and getting rid of foods you don’t need or won’t use is helpful. This process is like setting a new tone for success at the beginning of a journey, re-setting, or getting ready for weight loss surgery. Before surgery I also recommend cleaning your personal space and planning ahead for what you might need close by. For weight loss surgery, most are up and walking around, so not as much of a need to organize your room. I have had other surgeries (foot surgery) and injuries that having everything close by was more helpful because I was not able to be up walking around for a few days to a few weeks.

On a side note, my teenager has me figured out! His room is a constant source of frustration for this mom. I tend to just close his door so I don’t have to look at it. I usually make him clean it at least once a month. That said, when I’m really upset with him, I go in and clean his room. I think he uses this to his advantage now.

2. Keep water, protein shakes, and broth close by: After surgery sipping water, broth, and protein shakes are very important. It’s important to say hydrated and nourished. Each weight loss clinic might differ on the amount of liquids and the stages, so be sure to check in. If you are starting a weight loss journey, keep on hand those items that might be lower calories, points, or considered free items. This will help when you really want something, but don’t have the budget for it in your day. I wish I liked tea because most of my friends tell me this is great to sip on. I often used broth to ease my way. This is something I could do better on now as well.

3. Walk several times per day: After surgery, walking is absolute key to physical recovery and emotional well-being. It helps reduce gas, pain, and prevents blood clots. Starting a weight loss journey, walking or some type of other physical activity is proven to help you stay committed, feel better emotionally/physically, and studies show this is a key to long term weight loss success.

4. Keep all post op appointments: Assuring you are staying on the right track is extremely important as well as getting support to be successful. This also helps with accountability and long-term success of your programs. Don’t stop going because you feel you’ve got it down. For any weight loss journey, a trusted healthcare and/or behavioral health specialist can answer questions and provide guidance/support. Most people I know are overweight struggle with food addiction for various reasons and some of this is trauma related. A willingness to address this with a healthcare professional is important to understanding how you got where you are and how to get where you hope to go.

5. Food journal/weight log: Journaling is key to success for pre-surgical, post-surgical, and any weight loss program. I’ve had to learn to be honest and am committed to this because it only hurts me in the long run if I’m not. Follow your healthcare guidance about how often to weigh and how to journal.

6. Fully commit for six months: My surgeon told me to fully commit to following every guideline for six months after surgery and this had data showing more success with weight loss surgery. Really good advice for any weight loss as studies show long term success as more time passes with your new habits.

7. Not a quick fix: Remember surgery and any weight loss journey is not a quick fix. Surgery is a tool to aid in weight loss. It takes commitment and work. Some people make assumptions that surgery is the easy way, however I can assure you it’s not easy. No weight loss program is. Perseverance is important.

8. Take vitamins/get labs: I had the RNY procedure which leads to vitamin deficiencies. Your healthcare professional will recommend vitamins and labs to assure you are not deficient.

9. Reach out to your support team often: Medical/healthcare/behavioral health questions should be asked when you have them. Having a trusted team is key to all of this. For your emotional support teams in your personal life, it’s important to trust they are there to listen and re-assure you through the process of any weight loss journey.

10. Weight loss support groups: This was a requirement for me to have surgery. I belong to two of them plus a third accountability group. These are on Facebook for me and are monitored closely so that all comments are helpful and positive. If your group is not helpful and positive, consider finding a new one.

11. Celebrate Non-Scale Victories (NSV’s): These are as important if not more important than your scale. I love seeing these on my support groups. Common celebrations are airplane seatbelts that buckle easier, clothes that fit better, a run/hike/physical activity you are more successful at. Lots of them and I would encourage you to focus on this daily.

12. Find hobbies: It’s important to have nonfood focused activities/leisure in your life. I have games I play on my tablet, puzzles, subscription to audio books, etc.

13. Mindful of statements from others: Your weight loss program/clinic might recommend some books to you. I read one that is a little outdated now, however was a guide for how to handle all things surgery, but also comments from others. Most of the people I told were extremely positive, however some were not. I had people ask why not do it on my own, they asked if I was sick, asked if I knew the long-term impacts. Another person told me their loved one had surgery and it was a terrible outcome. Learn to handle those comments for any weight loss journey so you are prepared for how you will respond to them and also to yourself.

14. Physical Activity/Exercise: Be committed to physical activity lifelong. Find something you enjoy. I am limited in mobility due to my Charcot food disability. I’ve had times where I’m more limited than others. Right now, one of my NSV’s is that both of my feet are in a great place to allow me to walk up to 2 miles a few times per week. Other days I walk shorter distances with my pup. I also love swimming and right now I’m allowed as much as I want.

Please consider leaving me a comment and if you see something not on my list that you find helpful, post it to me on Facebook or here.

Until next time,

Mandy

If you are thinking about pursuing weight loss surgery or know someone who is going through the process, this article is for you.

The journey to weight loss surgery is a process. It is designed this way not only to prepare you for the surgery itself, but to prepare you for the journey after surgery.

Weight loss surgery is not a decision most people make lightly. In fact, I am part of two support groups and we discuss our journeys together. It seems those on my support groups gave this journey a lot of thought and are committed to being successful.

Weight loss clinics are set up to help people be successful on their new path. Not every weight loss clinic will approach the process exactly the same, however the overall process seems to be similar.

The first step really is to think about why you want weight loss surgery. I decided to go through a gastric bypass and started my process in late 2018. I had been overweight since age 5 and then in my late teens transitioned to the beginning of metabolic syndrome. My weight was mostly centered in my stomach, then diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Unfortunately, I had years where my diabetes was not in good control and I developed neuropathy, Charcot foot, and have had wounds very difficult to heal. I had a son in 2006 and suffered from severe pre-eclampsia. I felt out of control with my body, my eating, and was terrified my son was going to grow up without me. Weight loss surgery was my lifeline and once I made the decision, I was ready to start my new path towards better health. I could always lose weight, but could never keep it off.

Weight loss surgery is not for everyone. Keep in mind that if you or someone you know is going through this and made the decision, they are likely feeling like it’s their lifeline too. It might not be the choice you make for yourself and that’s okay, but try to understand why someone else in your life might.

My first step was doing research from reputable resources about the pros and cons of weight loss surgery. I literally made a list for myself using these articles as a guide.

Next, I looked up providers in my insurance network and reached out to my insurance company to find out where to start. This was a great first step because when I went through this, we only had a few choices in the area I live in. One was mostly out of pocket because it was a non-covered provider. My covered provider was out of state. My insurance company was able to give me their criteria for weight loss surgery approval. Throughout the process, I kept notes and referred back to them often.

After that, I connected online to the weight loss clinic my insurance told me about. Of course, this was all pre-COVID and the new patient conferences were all in person. Some of them now are virtual and some are videos to watch. This is still the first step before getting scheduled in most of the clinics I am aware of.

This is important because it tells you more about expectations, types of surgery, pros and cons, benefits and risks. I was so fortunate to have family support in this process. My sister and/or husband went to many appointments with me. Other support came from other family members cheering me on and checking in with me. They were all part of my journey.

Once you have decided to attend the weight loss surgery clinic seminar, the next piece is really about taking what you know and spending time thinking about how you want this to look for you.

Things to consider:

1. What is the financial cost of the journey/process and how will you manage this? Consider more than just the medical costs, but what the supplements will cost. I also had to account for travel and fuel since mine was out of State. I am fortunate to have very good insurance, out of pocket was about $1000. The cost of my surgery paid for itself the first few months in medication savings, doctor co-pays for my chronic illnesses, and in food savings. Part of your plan might be asking the clinics about financial support, any type of other benefits programs, and a payment plan that can be managed.
2. Who will your support network be? Not everyone in your life will support or understand your decision. You will need to be okay with this. The counseling portion of your weight loss journey can help you prepare for this and plan how to handle it. If you have a good support person that will go a long way, however if you do not, ask about a support group. Support groups are encouraged and sometimes an expectation anyway, however, might be even more vital for connections.
3. Be a good advocate for yourself. The process from start to surgery can vary from six months to nine months or longer in some cases. This will help you be successful later, but can be like jumping through hoops at different stages. My goodness, the most challenging part for me was the sleep studies and having to get a CPAP machine. I almost gave up several times. That part drove me absolutely crazy. I remember the way my dog looked at me on my first night. I have a picture, but am definitely not posting that!
4. What your plan is for sharing with others? I am not much of a private person. I probably overshare with people. Again, some will cheer you on when they find out and others will not. In my next article I will share some of the things people said to me. I learned to take them in stride. More people were supportive than not.
5. Plan to carve out time for this journey. I know our lives are extremely busy, but this is a process that will take time and energy.

Thank you for reading today. Here are a few links to articles that talk about weight loss surgery. Remember if you are considering this to seek guidance from the experts. My goal in sharing really is to let readers know they are not alone and what they might expect. There are real risks to surgery that each person needs to understand for themselves. Please feel free to post a question or comment if you have one.

Bariatric surgery – Mayo Clinic

Bariatric Surgery | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Until next time,

Mandy

Happy Thursday. I am enjoying a nice Fall day with the sun shining, leaves crunching underneath my feet, and pumpkins on porches. I still mourn the loss of summer although I do love Fall. I am taking a train ride this weekend and am looking forward to the Fall colors as we ride country side.

I shared in my last post that I would talk more about recovery from Bariatric Surgery. I remember at my most desperate point in early 2017 when I started thinking about bariatric surgery and I thought about how it would be easy. It would force me to eat right and small amounts and then I would be forced to lose the weight.

I quickly realized though as I started the process, this is no easy journey. Bariatric surgery is meant to be a tool, not an easy fix all. In previous posts I have mentioned some of the requirements before surgery and soon I can share more about this. I will also share more about the surgery itself and my decision to have a gastric bypass vs. the gastric sleeve procedure which is newer with less complications.

Today though we will talk about recovery. I had my surgery on May 30, 2019 at 8:30am. I really struggled to wake up from anesthesia. I now remember fondly a nurse yelling at me in recovery to breathe as she grabbed my shoulders to wake me up. I vaguely remember going to my room although later learned it was in a whole other hospital building! My husband and son were waiting for me. I also remember thinking how grateful I was to be alive. I later though saw the picture my husband texted family members of my attempt to wake up! Not flattering at all…..

The pain was not terrible and the nurses and CNA’s were amazing at making sure I was comfortable. I had quite a bit of nausea and that is completely normal. The medications are very helpful as well as getting up and walking which I did on my first day. I was done with surgery and ready to get on with my new life.

My first sip of water and sugar free lemonade was the best thing ever. The goal after surgery is to just get enough water in not to get dehydrated. They have you drink about 2 tbsp. at a time for the first few days and you write down everything you drink. The second day I started my protein drinks. The water great, protein drinks not so great. They made me so nauseated at first. My dietician and surgeon though told me to at least get water in and everything else would come later.

The goal to recovery is to be patient. My pain went away quickly and I was up moving around in just a day or two. The nausea is a different story. At least it was for me. The good news is I did not feel hunger or even a desire to eat for a few days. The first few weeks is really a liquid diet that is very limited. Everything tastes different after surgery and the chicken broth that tasted good one day was terrible the next day. The struggle is real to get all of your fluid in and at least half of your protein drinks.

After a few days, I started surviving on strained soups and Top Ramen broth. I also could have yogurt without fruit. I was still not feeling hunger at all, however head hunger. My head was telling me to eat and I would crave all kinds of foods at different times. I remember the first few days of the broth, all I could think about was Rice Krispies. I would get tired of a particular broth too after a few days and switch to something else.

At one point maybe about day eight, I started realizing I was going to starve to death. Not really, however that is how I felt. That head feeling that I was going to go mad from not eating anything but strained broth and yogurt. Sugar free pudding made me nauseated, so I was really limited. I had my first real melt down in tears, yelling and shouting that I was going to starve to death while my family watched. Yes, it was quite dramatic! The struggle was real though to me. Again, no physical hunger at all, just the head hunger and feeling like I should eat.

My husband and son came home after shopping with every kind of yogurt and soup you could imagine. They tried so hard to take good care of me. I felt so bad because I ate the yogurt for a day, then it made me sick and I avoided it. That is what recovery is like. One day is better than the next, sometimes moment to moment or encounter to encounter. I was not required to track calories at this time although I did using my app. My goal was about 800 calories per day during those first weeks of recovery. On average though I was only able to do about 200-300 for several days.

As my stomach started to heal and the liquid phase was coming to a close, I went back to see my surgeon and learned about the soft food phase which starts at around week 3-4 post op. I was ready to try something more solid after those first two weeks. It really was a day by day process though because you never know what is going to go well and what will be absolutely terrible. Next post I will share more about the soft food phase and the regular food phase.

I am now almost five months post op and my food choices are so much broader. It gets easier and easier every day. I will never regret this surgery because I needed it greatly and it has already saved my life. That is the way I look at it. The prep work to get to surgery though did prepare me for the post op days. I really want people to know though it is not easy, but it is possible especially with good supports in place. I used books, games, talking with family, and funny TV shows to self soothe those first few weeks.

Until next time, I wish you all wellness and happiness. For those that have signed up through e-mail, my first newsletter should be coming out on Monday. The newsletter will have some tips and tricks I’ve learned for Holidays and gatherings as well as some recipes for Fall. Take care.

Mandy

Happy Monday! I must first share my fun weekend. I had the chance to go bowling with some of my family and I got three strikes in one game. It was just about getting some activity, but I must admit it felt great. I love spending time with my family.

On Sunday we took our teenage son to the pumpkin patch. When he was carving his pumpkins I admit I took a small nap on my couch. I was woken up by my son yelling that he cut his hand with the carving knife. I’m assuming he did this because I warned him not to cut himself! I jolted up to find his wrist dripping with red substance and a full on panic began. That’s when he said, “Gotcha”. He had used red food coloring to make his pumpkin look bloody and decided to prank mom by applying it to his wrist. Thanks kid….

Today on my blog I want to talk about the beginning of my journey. Naturally the fist step was deciding I wanted some medical help losing my weight. I have known people who are overweight and have absolutely no health issues. I loved myself the way I was. My weight though and the way I was shaped led to some serious problems for me. When I was diagnosed with Charcot foot though (will talk more in a later blog), I realized it was time to get my weight under control and my diabetes.

I once saw one of those reality TV shows about a man with type 2 diabetes who was really not that overweight, but underwent gastric bypass. He did it to control his diabetes. That is when I started thinking maybe this was right for me. I am one of those people that researches everything to make sure it is right for me. I talked to people in real life who had been through this process. I called my insurance company to find out the steps and financial obligations.

I then signed up for a weight loss seminar geared towards bariatric surgery. This was also a requirement of my insurance. My sister joined me as my support and the facilitator of my weight loss meeting was phenomenal! She talked about a multidisciplinary approach to weight loss whether you choose surgery or non surgical weight loss. Most centers do both.

Your support team includes a dietician, psychologist, surgeon, nurse, and coordinator. I was so impressed with the wrap around services all in one spot.

We got a booklet that showed the types of surgical and non surgical approaches. The facilitator talked about all of the hormones that live in the bottom of your gut that have contributed to your out of control hunger and obesity. She said being overweight is not all my fault. What a relief to hear someone say this after years of feeling like the medical community made me feel like that. I’m not going to say I had nothing to do with my weight, but at the same time I truly felt out of control. I felt supported and non judged. Many overweight people feel judged constantly for their weight and connected health problems.

That very day I filled out the health information sheet and turned it in. I drove four hours away to a place my insurance covered. I was no more than half way home, having lunch with my sister when I got the call already. Of course I was having a nice pasta lunch (I told you I love pasta)! I got all the information for my insurance and within a month I had my first appointment. In my upcoming blog posts I will talk about pre-requisites for surgery. They have changed some, however I will share that my process took seven months before I had surgery.

I hope you will continue to follow my blog even if surgical weight loss is not right for you. I will share more in the future blogs about other programs I’ve been on. I have been successful for short periods of time on other programs. I also used these other programs to keep my weight under better control most of my adult life. Surgery really is only a tool. I still have to make choices everyday to stay on the right path. Some days are much harder than others. I hope to support you all as you journey through this as well. I know it’s not easy and it helps to know you are not alone. Until next time, best wishes.

Mandy