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46 year old male here, 13 months post op. BMI was just over 40, now it’s under 25. Starting weight 334, currently 195. Short answer: I wish I did this years ago, it’s been stupid easy for me. 1) It depends. I had no problem drinking water right away. Cold water bothered me for a few weeks but room temp water was fine. I was a chugger and drink in my sleep, I was worried about this but I’ve adjusted. I know exactly how many mini sips I can take (8) in a row and do it instinctively. 2) I’m a year post op and I haven’t thrown up. I’ve been close I think. Twice I ate way too fast without thinking. I said I’d never do it again after the first time…. and the second. Never had nausea or “x food doesn’t agree with me.” I can literally eat anything I used to with no difference in taste, smell or tolerances. Just less. Much much less. 3) I was given a giant antibiotic pill in the hospital right after my surgery. It was an inch long and thicker than a pencil. It caused no issues (took one each day for ten days). I also had no problem taking my regular BP meds, which now I no longer need anyway. 4) possibly. I probably had a two weeks or so after where I felt just tired but very shortly after my energy levels went way way up and I feel like I can work harder and longer each day. I haven’t had this much energy since I was a kid, and my calorie count is still around 1000-1500 a day depending on what I eat. 5) I’ve never dumped and now that I’m trying to find my maintenance calorie levels I’ve been eating high calorie foods (to keep volume minimal) without issue (peanut M&Ms). 6) I never had heartburn in my life. Until after surgery. They put me on… omeprazle or something like that… right in the hospital. It’s a PPI and I stopped taking it after a couple weeks (I’ve never had heartburn, didn’t after surgery so why keep taking it?) I got heartburn!! It sucked, I was scared, omg my first negative side effect!! so I took it again and it went away. When I stopped taking it it came back… so I took it again. Turns out it can have a rebound effect for some people. Once I read about that I just stopped it altogether and the heartburn went away after about five days or so and I haven’t had a single reoccurrence since. Am I unusual because I’ve had a really easy go of this? I don’t know. I know there ARE others out there who have also said it was easy. I do know is this (and I’ve said this before… sorry for repeating to those who have read my previous posts)… this forum is a wonderful resource for people to get info pre op, and to get help post op. That second part is a blessing and a curse. It’s easy to read all these posts where people having issues are trying to find help…. and to get a false impression of how frequently serious problems arise. Not too many people create a new thread to say “hey I’ve had no problems, this was so easy and I’ve been wildly successful beyond my even most optimistic goals… ok carry on.” But we are out there. Most people who fall into this category are probably just out in the wild, living their best life, this forum not anything they think about because they don’t need it. I’m sticking around to make sure people in your situation know that we’re out here. It can be easy, problem free, life changing, exciting, etc. On the flip side my wife also had the sleeve and has had a hell of a time. No problems from the procedure, no gerd or vomiting… just near zero weight loss but you can read my other posts for the specifics. Then there are those who do have medical issues from this, do have problems of all sorts of things. They’re real and I’m so sorry for them, and they do need this forum for advice and comfort and just to vent. I am in no way knocking them for doing what they have to do, but their collective voice is much louder then people like me and it skews perception. No one can tell you where on the spectrum you’ll land. If you take it seriously, know that it’s a just a tool to help you lose weight, make better choices, and are ok with the idea that you may have some ups and downs to cope with, you’re off to a great start. Me? I’d do this 100 times over just to feel the way I do today. I wish you the best. No matter what you decide. From a purely statistical point of view problems from being obese far outweigh problems related to getting sleeved. And unfortunately with statistics there are the outliers. But it isn’t a coin flip.

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum. Was really hoping to get some advice from those who have been through the gastric sleeve. A little background. I'm 45, BMI 43, history of arteriosclerosis (2 stents) and T2 diabetes (under control with meds). My cardio has recommended I consider the gastric sleeve and I've been working towards it since end of last year and I am 8 days away now. I was excited and all ready for it but lately the more I read of some people's experience the more I'm scared, and I am suddenly getting second thoughts. I've been trying to find out more about what to expect after surgery but can't seem to find a good source from people who have actually gone through the surgery, so I'm really hoping you would be willing to help to share your experiences. Some of the things that are playing on my mind: 1) How long will we struggle to drink water? I've read that even after healing completely it may take 15 minutes to drink even half a teacup of water without vommiting, is this true? 2) I've seen that some people say they will almost always vomit after eating or drinking? Is it really that common? 3) I am on quite a few meds which my cardio says I need to start the day after the surgery. Will I be able to swallow the meds? 4) Will we feel tired and impaired due to the limited food and water we can take? I'm on my pre-op liquid diet now and I just feel so weak and hungry, is this the constant feeling to expect after surgery? 5) I was made to understand from the doc that dumping isn't common for the gastric sleeve, yet I've read quite a number of accounts that say otherwise. Is this something common as well? 6) I currently do not have GERD, but is this something I should expect to occur after the surgery? I've read some people can't even lie down without getting acid reflux. I know it is a long post, but I'm really hoping to get some idea of what to expect as the fact it is permanent and (for example) I may be stuck with not being able to even stay hydrated without being nauseous just scares me. Thanks in advance for any advice or help. Cheers.

Hi Guys! I have searched for probably months now. I had my mind made up on going to Tijuana, and getting the gastric sleeve. I have almost talked myself out of it. I am a small town girl and terrified of going out of state to get the surgery. My husband and support system (family) - they are absolutely amazing. This is something that I have wanted to do for years, and am now more serious in planning and getting things rolling. Anyway, if you are from Alabama or surrounding states/and cash pay - Who did you use and what was the total for the surgery? Any feedback is welcome. I have thought of using Dr Ortiz or Dr Carlos Altamirano in Tijuana but I am still conflicted of the travel.

iron and B vitamins (I think it's B1 - but I can't remember which "B" it is) can both make people nauseated. With iron, some forms are easier on G/I systems than others (e.g., carbonyl iron and heme iron -- there may be others, too), so you could always get a "senior" version of a multi (those usually don't contain iron - but check) and then take your iron separately. Not sure how to get around the issue if it's the B vitamin that's doing a number on you, though I guess just try a different brand?

I'm not sure, but I get sick from vitamins with iron, also. I ended up buying capsules without iron, snd I can open them up and sprinkle the powder on applesauce. I hope you feel better soon!

Simple fix. Switch doctors. And write him up on every patient opinion site you can find. He sounds like a turd who wants to bolster his image with you looking as thin as possible regardless of how unhealthy it might be for you. You are not his personal bulletin board and his behavior is not only dreadful, it reinforces disordered eating that can lead to future gain. Find a new bariatric group. Wouldn't surprise me if another group near you has others of his refugees. Run. Today.

if you read enough posts it seems that the rate of loss is a little slower after revision I’m currently 2 yrs post revision from VSG to RNY (for GERD not regain) and for me I have been able to maintain the same weight I was with VSG but I’m now GERD free. Initially I lost a little but since I was already at goal my surgeon wanted me to maintain not lose so I ate whatever I wanted for a short period of time. Then went back to normal (post bari lifestyle of moderation and overall food changes/substitution) Knowing what I now know, I think revisioners should consider asking their surgeons: 1. No GERD but substantial regain- Should I consider VSG to DS/SIPS for greater weightloss? 2. GERD and substantial regain- Should I convert from VSG to RNY with a longer bypass? 3. GERD but no regain- Should I convert from VSG to RNY with a slightly shorter bypass to prevent excess loss? Good Luck ❤️

Got home from the hospital this afternoon - stayed 2 days. Not gonna lie, still feel pretty rough. Surgery apparently went fine, did the bypass and fixed a hernia. The stay in the hospital wasn't great. My IV infiltrated twice so my right arm is blown up like a balloon. I'm up 12 pounds from all the fluid in me. Sporting my stylish compression stockings for the next 2 weeks. Looking forward to getting through Sunday when I can finally have some soup. Still no regrets. Sent from my LM-Q730 using BariatricPal mobile app

My likely response: "The only weight I'm really looking to lose in the short term is GETTING YOU OFF MY F*CKING BACK!" To be fair, I have on occasion been accused of being somewhat indelicate and tactless... "He's uncouth. Couth him!!!"

Well said. I also generally agree with your overall point @Creekimp13. Self-starvation is harmful, non-sustainable and counter-productive in the end. And my experience taught me that SPEED of loss is not as important as continuing to lose. It took me almost two years to reach goal and toward the end I was losing only about 1-2 pounds per month. But even that slow loss adds up over time and I got where I wanted to be! But as @BayouTiger said, we really are all different. For instance, you said: This may often be true, but I am currently in maintenance and eating about 1000 calories per day. I'm not restricting myself to that number, I eat about six mini-meals per day and plus small snacks whenever I am hungry. And I am exactly maintaining on that intake (besides normal fluctuations). I track my food pretty carefully, so my calories counts tend to be pretty precise. Some days I may have what I call a "munchie" day and eat more - I don't fight it. Some days I'm uninterested in food for some reason and I'll eat less - I don't force it (besides trying to hit my protein goal). But it averages to about 1000 calories per day. I'm short at 5'1", I've lost more than half my body weight, and I'm guessing I have a fairly low BMR. So the assumption that everyone eating 1000 calories a day or less is crash dieting for quick results is not always valid. As @BayouTiger said, I know your heart is in the right place and someone out there probably needs to read what you wrote. But you can't lump everyone together.