Does anyone have any regrets?

I am starting the journey to get approved for vsg. I've pushed the thought away so many times, but the reality is....I don't think I'm ever going to be successful without it. I'm 55 and now 320 pounds. My knees are in so much pain I'm taking pain medication daily. I can't have knee replacements until my bmi is under 40 so I feel like this is my only chance to be free of pain. Nothing else has worked. I did well at losing by counting macros and lost 70 pounds in 1.5 years and also developed an eating disorder (BED) as a result of the stringent counting all the time. I'm on vyvanse for BED, but I haven't lost an ounce while taking it, despite barely eating.

so long story short, I'm looking for the good, the bad and the ugly. I want really realistic experiences post op, what kind of hell should I prepare myself for (if any, etc) does anyone regret having the surgery?

my biggest concerns are a) I'm vegan and now sure what my life post op will look like. B) I've heard so many people talk about their hair falling out and c) how much loose skin will I have afterwards. Let's be honest, I'm 55 so skin removal isn't probably in the cards for me but I'm hoping I'll at least be able to wear shorts again and not hate my body.

I'm vegan, and I can give you some suggestions on how I meet my protein requirements post-VSG. It's not that difficult.

You will have loose skin. Personally, it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might. I don't hate my body, I love it!

I definitely don't regret having VSG. My life is so much better now, and there are a lot of unexpected benefits. I love the fact that I am no longer addicted to ice cream and candy bars.

Recovering from surgery was no big deal. 24 hours after surgery I felt great! I did get tired easily, and it was months before I got my full strength back. I was 58 when I had VSG.

I would love to know what you do to meet the protein numbers. I'm allergic to gluten so the go tos is things like seitan are a no, my body does not tolerate tempeh and I've tried to love tofu, but I just don't. So my protein sources are usually legumes, quinoa, oats, protein shakes and vegan meats.

I know I will have some pretty significant lose skin (I need to lose 160) but if I could just wear shorts again and not have my thighs hang down to my knees, I will be SO happy. I live in the blistering south...so shorts in the summer are almost required ?

One of my staples is "protein hot chocolate",. The ingredients are a spoonful of cocoa, a half serving or protein powder, and artificial sweetener to taste. Sometimes I add a little oat milk or other non-dairy milk. A serving provides about 12g protein. I usually have two of those a day, which gives me a nice head start on my protein needs. For a bedtime snack I usually have a small amount of oatmeal with a half serving of protein powder. Aside from that, I have the usual vegan protein sources: vegan burgers, beans, nuts, legumes, etc. About once a week I have a protein bar for an extra boost of protein.

I'm not a dietitian, so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that we don't need as much protein as most people think. Discuss your protein requirements with your dietitian. I average 55g protein per day, and my dietitian is fine with that.

I add some nutritional yeast to a lot of main dishes. It has a mild nutty, cheesy flavour, and is loaded with B12. I also take a vegan supplement, and all of my blood tests are good.

It's so much easier to put up with hot weather when you're not overweight! I lost all of my excess weight, so I'm quite satisfied.

Not a single one. Loose skin is a fair trade off for health and a longer life span! I have a lot of hair so when I lost it, it did just get to a normal persons volume....but even with that, I kept asking my hair dresser, are you sure this is only temporary? She was sure and she was right. Just let it run it's course and it will all be fine. Good luck with your decisions and approach.

Your story is close to mine. I was 54 and weighed 327 (I'm 4'11") when I had my rny.

I was one of the rare people that had serious complications from it. I had sutures break, a fungal infection in my lungs, and a severe case of pancreatitis. I spent 10 months in hospitals and nursing homes getting my health back.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!!! It made me realize how fragile life is. I don't take ANYTHING for granted anymore.

As far as skin removal, I did have a pinealectomy done. I had roughly 8 lbs of excess skin removed from my groin area. It was approved by my insurance company because it contributed to my hernias.

The excess skin in my arms and thighs are my badge of honor for what I've been through. I also know that, if the skin starts looking less flabby, it means that I'm messing up big time.

Good luck in your journey.

I had surgery at 55, and no regrets at all. I'd do it again in a heartbeat and only wish I'd had it done 10 or 20 years earlier. I lost out on so much of life weighing 300+ lbs!

I had my plastic surgeries at 57, 58, and 61 (lower body lift, arm & breast lift, and face lift respectively). So plastic surgery at 55 is not uncommon at all! A lot of us had it in our 50s - and even 60s.

hair loss is across the board - some lose a lot, some lose none at all. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. I didn't lose very much. I noticed it in my comb and brush, but just looking at it in the mirror - no. If I didn't even notice it while looking in the mirror, then no one else did, either. Besides, even if you lose a lot, it's very rare for it to fall out in chunks. It's more like "shedding". And it's temporary. Honestly, hair loss and loose skin seem to be among the biggest concerns of pre-ops and early post-ops. I had the same concerns. But I think most of us who are a ways out would say that in the grand scheme of things, they're really not worth worrying about. They're an annoyance, but totally worth it in exchange for losing all that weight and getting your health back. In retrospect, I shouldn't have wasted any brain cells over it. I'm so glad I had the surgery - one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I'm just over one year post op and just finding my way through maintenance..

I have no regrets. This surgery was the best decision I have ever made! The dietitian at your Centre could probably help you best with the vegan part!

After surgery I was fine - I had no pain. I was tired for a while after. I work a mentally and physically demanding job and I took 6 weeks off.. should have taken 7 or eased back into it.. but otherwise recovery was good. Learning to eat again was tough, but you figure it out quickly!

I had surgery in 2010 and I wish I had done it sooner. I have had my ups and downs with surgery, but even with the regain and the stricture I had early on I would do it again. Hairloss is going to happen because of the surgery overall. It can happen because of anesthesia, low vitamin levels and not enough protein. But, you can be sure to stay on top of your vitamins and given that you are a vegan, find a plant based protein to use. Hairloss continued for me beyond a few years so I started using a shampoo that was recommended to me by a nutritionist that was several years ago but I am sure there are many available now. On the excess skin, genetics will play a role but you can find compression garments to help with that as well. I would take all the above over being morbidly obese again. I know that some people deal with body dysmorphia and since you are already worrying about body issues, you might want to seek counseling with a therapist to help you work through that so you don't self sabotage.