Bariatric Surgery & Weight Loss: Meet others & Share

@loveylouise - just wanted to check in and see how you are doing? Sounds like you were experiencing a long and challenging journey to get to your bariatric surgery. Were you able to jump through some of those hoops to get to your surgery?

@lisalucier I have had a lot of life changes recently. Osteo based PT and acupuncture have been essential to keeping me active and managing chronic pain and vestibular conditions. I have suddenly dropped 25 lbs in 5 months without any intent or symptoms of causes. I still struggle with the excess skin, movement makes it shift and throws me off balance. It is difficult to find clothes that fit my abnormal shape. My legs and hips are a burden, and I still experience edema. Im in a better place with my body overall though. I could not recommend osteopathic treatments enough. My job’s new health insurance doesn’t cover the acupuncture which I will not be able to private pay. I am still going to PT-thankfully the company I use has a satellite office where I have moved to. They have built up my trust that I can recover from injury and can stay active despite chronics. I would be lost without them. Thank you for checking in!

Hi @herbi13 - just checking in to see how you are doing these days? You'd mentioned before that your body was hard to use. Is this because of not being able to access additional plastics, not conforming to a single pattern or strategy, or something else?

@roch
I have worked with doctors for my menopause and have done hormone therapy as i had a hysterectomy when I was 24. So, I have been going at this a long time. All of my symptoms are under control except for trying to get the weight off. I have tried everything there is to get the weight off and either a little weight comes off and it comes right back. I was just saying since I turned 40, it has gotten so much harder to lose weight, its like no matter what i do it doesn't come off and stay off. And the self esteem thing, I know that is because I hate the way I look when I look in the mirror. I just want to be happy with my body and i don't know where else to turn.

@meluthe

Welcome to Mayo Connect. There are many discussions about menopause and its problems, as well as solutions that can help. Due to an increase in members talking about menopause, Mayo Connect has created a separate support group for: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/menopause/

Even though there is a separate group, the topic spreads to many groups because of the symptoms of menopause.

I went through menopause multiple times. First surgical induced because of hysterectomy in 40s. Then I was on hormone replacements for years, and when I stopped, I went through menopause again later in life. My most significant problems were hot flashes, reduced sleep, no energy, etc... My weight was all over the place. I ended up having bariatric surgery to reduce weight. Even after that, my weight has had its ups and downs.

You do not need to suffer, even though it is part of aging; there is help. If you're in an area that has a Women's Clinic or even a Menopause specialist, they can help. You might even consider talking to a therapist to work on self-esteem.

Have you discussed your issues with PCP?

My name is Melissa and I am 48 years old. I have struggled with my weight all my life but I have been able to keep it under control until i went through menopause. My life changed then. The next thing I knew I was over 250lbs. I had only been over 200lbs when i was pregnant with my son. I have learned alot about menopause and the one thing that I hear the most is about the weight gain and how hard it is to get it off.
I have tried every diet there is, every shot that you can get and have spent thousands of dollars just trying to stay under 200lbs. I was at my lowest and have given up and this is my last resort and I am suffering from depression and I have no intimacy in my life with my partner. I actually moved out because he deserves to be with someone that has confidence and is able to meet his needs. Maybe I am saying too much here but this is real for me and I don't want to be a super model or super skinny, I just want to feel like myself again. I want to not look in the mirror with absolute hate or feel disgusting. I usually am around 140-155lbs. So, I have never been this big and I hate myself more everyday. And i just don't want to feel that way anymore.
I am hoping that this group will help me with some of the mental things that are going on in my head so when I do lose the weight that I can be my best self. I am going to be a grandma for the first time in February and I want to enjoy that and not be this person that I am today.
I hope that there is someone out there that can relate to this or at least understand what I am saying.
Thank you for listening and reading a little bit about my story.
Melissa

@bmancl7 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It sounds like your doctor is being cautious and mindful of your family history, which is reassuring.

Here is some Mayo Clinic information on this medication that may be useful:

- Weight loss https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/phentermine/faq-20057940

Are you seeing any effects from the phentermine thus far?

Hello, my name is Becky,
I am excited and nervous about joining this group. I am a 42-year-old with 2 beautiful children (23 year old daughter and 11 years old son) and 3 beautiful step children (Twin girls who are also 11 (ironically they are exactly 7 days younger than my son) and then 18 year old step son). I have always been on the heavier side (not overly heavy but pudgy). After having my kids, I have gained a lot of weight regardless of eating healthy, joining weight watchers trying over the counter weight loss drugs etc. Which helped a little but no longer seems to help. I don’t eat fried foods or a lot of fatty foods or starchy foods as they make me sick. We maybe eat out like 3 – 6 times a month otherwise we prepare and cook all of our food at home. I do not eat sweets (never have really liked candies or anything sweet even when I was kid) however I am all for salty foods the more salt the better (I know this is not true) however it is just how I prefer my own food. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies some I am okay with others I get sick as well. I do have stomach issues where certain foods and beverages can irritate it.
As I have stated I am now 42 and trying to regain control of my life especially in the weight area as I believe weight is the cause of some of my health issues. I want to see my children grow up and need to do this not only for myself but them. I was always been a picky eater growing up and once I hit around 28, I started liking a lot of different foods and then by age 31 became allergic to shell fish and had to cut a lot of the seafoods I like back out of my diet.
We love being outdoors, hiking, swimming, snowmobiling, camping etc. you name it we pretty much do it. We have 4 dogs that keep us active. I don’t like going out to events as I have become very self-conscious of myself (I don’t look overly heavy but just had my mid-section).
I have recently started weighloss medication called phentermine as My provider informed, I did not qualify for Zepbound, Wegovy etc due to them showing signs of thyroid issues in lab rats and due to my family history having Thyroid Cancers etc I did not qualify for it so we decided to try this medication first and then go from there. I am excited to start this new adventure of my journey into weight loss.

@gomezeris
In beginning many appointments and some test to start process. Then educational classes. All make you ready for surgery in future. Prepare a list of questions so ready for appointments. At times it may not seem like process is fast enough, but with large lifestyle change, slow and steady will give you better results.

Do you want to share what clinic are you being seen at?

@roch I have talked to my primary about all this and we are starting the process and getting things in order. I’m seeing a couple doctors and things to discuss next steps!