Upcoming Gastric Sleeve Surgery And I Am Dreading It

you've got some good responses above. I just wanted to add that yes, many of us deal with loose skin and hair loss (although not everyone loses hair and even for those who do, it does grow back...), but I would take loose skin and hair loss any day of the week over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY FREAKING DAY!! (and I think I can speak on behalf of most if not all of us who are a ways out and have lost a lot of weight thanks to WLS!)

I totally understand.

I wasn't always overweight/obese, so I guess the hope is that in addition to losing the weight and getting healthy - you can go back to how you looked before in better clothes or a suit and somewhat have a comeback when it comes to your confidence and appearance.

Ideally you don't want to thin now, but bald.

Good morning,

So I see you've gotten a lot of feedback from folks but I'll weigh in just to add another data point.

I'm six and a half months out from a modified duodenal switch, whi*****ludes a 32 bougie sleeve. I've lost a considerable amount of weight and have about 30 pounds more, maybe, that could go. My hair started falling out around the second month. It's slowed down now but it's very thin, and I have super fine hair. So I have it cut shorter for now. I've lost a ton of weight multiple times, including going through the hair loss phase. It does come back but I think thinning hair over time runs in my family if my mother and sister are any indication.

I also have loose skin. I'm deflating. Baggy underarms, baggy thighs and stomach. I've always preferred long pants and sleeves because I'm pale and glow in the dark, so I use them to compress everything. I am not currently considering any skin removals because I heal slowly, they're much more invasive surgeries than my laparoscopic WLS was, and I'd have to self pay. I'll happily (and proudly) live with all these outcomes from weight loss than be trapped in my body and unable to live the life I want. But that's just me.

I've also got gallbladder issues now and am scheduled for removal next Friday. The surgeon does think it's a result of the quick weight loss, so a common happening in this space.

Hope you're able to resolve your concerns and be confident about the procedure. Cheers!

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Are you taking supplements to fight the hair loss or was it something you never really considered prior to surgery, so you never tried specific vitamins in relation to hair health to see if it would make any difference?

I know loose skin is unavoidable. I am mostly just concerned about the hanging skin in my groin area hanging even lower. When you have to move skin around to go to the bathroom - that's a problem.

I wish you all the best with your gallbladder surgery.

6 weeks ago, I could have written this. As another person wrote, I was lying on a gurney in preop and still not 100% sure I was going to go through with it (basically right up until the anesthesiologist offerred me something "to relax" and I promptly passed out and woke up in post op). I will say, I do think your stat is outdated - General anesthesia is much, much safer than it was even just a decade ago, and the sleeve has about half the rate of operating and post-op complocations of operating and the bypass. Complications can include a lot of things, most are not fatal, though there is always a potential - infections, clots, liver lacerations, and even post op dehydration (one of the most common post-op complications) are all factored into the stats. Somewhere online, there is a tool that calculates risk by age and I think the risk of complications might be 1 in 1000, but, I think I remember the risk of fatal complicatioms being considerably lower. My surgeon also reminded me that the risk pool also includes people with serious health issues that I don't have, and wanted to have surgery in part to avoid - without them, my risk was likely well below even the averager rate. Did that calm my existential anxiety? Not really, but, it helped me rationalize my way through it and recognize my odds of waking up and being healthier in the long run were better than not. I mean, your chance of dying of heart disease, cancer, etc. decreases far more in 3 years by having surgery then the risk of the surgery itself. Anyway - I shrank my liver, had my surgery, felt like crap for a day or two, and recovered remarlably quickly. Lost 45 lbs pre.surgery and 30 since so far, and am halfway to my goal weight. Too early to tell how the skin situation will pan out - it takes about 24 months for your skin to finish shrinking, and I had a pannus before I had the sleeve so not expecting I'll lose it. But to be honest, nothing is super floppy or weird, at least not yet. I habe had times when I lost some weight under my arm, or on my innner thigh, nd it felt floppy for a day or so - but what's the worst that could happen, I decide not to wear short sleeves? I wasn't wearing short sleeves anyway. I think if you do it, you just have to be prepared to accept whatever changes come.next with humor and grace.

Hi! I totally understand your anxiety and concerns about your upcoming gastric sleeve surgery. However, I have a friend who underwent the same surgery and I'm happy to report that everything turned out okay for her. The surgery was successful, and although she did experience some hair loss, it grew back after a few months. Additionally, she had excess skin removed with a panniculectomy, which was covered by her insurance. So while it's normal to have concerns, I hope this reassures you that many people have gone through this surgery and come out on the other side with positive outcomes. Best of luck to you!