mi75

So as I mentioned in my last thread, I had VSG in 2014. I did quite well for a decent amount of time but after really losing focus of my diet and lifestyle I have had significant regain. I have literally had GERD my entire life. When my surgeon initially told me that VSG WAS an option, I decided to go ahead with it thinking it was a much 'safer' option than RNY. He did reassure me that the GERD I had was directly related to my significant abdominal weight and that with weight loss it would subside. It DID, and eventually I went from a double strength PPI twice a day to a H2 blocker (at my lowest weight) a few times a week. I thought I was over the moon with this! However, fast forward about 4 years and now my GERD is worse than ever, I literally have productive reflux now. I will be sitting and talking to my husband and what I ate a couple hours ago will just shoot up to my throat without warning (I just read another thread saying this same thing). I get it SO bad when I lay in bed that I will run to the bathroom and literally spit out acid. When I had my VSG I had a hiatal hernia repair too, and I was under the impression that was a permanent fix but i'm thinking maybe not. I have EGD this Thursday and frankly, I am petrified scared of what she will find. I'm not worried about my sleeve but I AM worried that there is irreversible damaged to my esophagus or God forbid, esophageal cancer is found. IF I am found to not have anything significant, I've decided to go ahead with a revision for my longterm health. I have been on PPIs for decades. I want off of them. And I want to conquer the regain.

I'm an old VSG Vet, had my surgery in 2014. Initially lost a successful amount of weight. had some serious 'life' events- change of job, change to night shift, loss of parent, went to grad school and graduated, went to a second grad program, changed career path, etc. I was told in 2017 I had a serious metabolic issue with my liver and that helped me really get focused, went to keto and lost all the regain I had plus much more, resulting in 100lb total loss. Since then, though, I've regained probably 50-60 lbs. I still feel some restriction which is great. Long time issue has been GERD, it was severe PRE surgery but my quite renowned surgeon assured me that with the weight loss, the GERD would subside. It did. But with the weight gain over last 2 yrs, it's back and BAD. I have EGD and colonoscopy coming up in a few weeks to assess the damage. I'm very scared due to the ongoing severe nature of the symptoms I'm having. I'm a healthcare provider so I know all of the 'things' that could present. Because of all this, I'm heavily considering a revision. I have been on PPI for over 20 years. While my magnesium is fine, my bones are already having a lot of issues AND I'm scared to death of the brain effects. What should I consider with revision, same doctor, different doctor, etc? Also I know that weight loss can be slower, but what type of rate of weight loss can be expected? Lastly, what kind of time off from my career can I hope for? I took 6 solid weeks with my VSG and it helped get my brain, behaviors etc really corrected before going back into the workplace.

Hi vets- It's been TEN years this year since I had my surgery. I hate that I'm writing this, realizing that I became the stereotypical regain person that I NEVER pictured I would be. I had so many life events- parent death, spouse job change, personal job change, night time job, kiddo diagnosed with severe anxiety/depression, etc etc and have had some regain. Has anyone got a good 'recipe' for regain/reset? I've read multiple posts here from someone recommending 2 shakes plus 1 meal a day. Ideas? Can anyone offer some wisdom to a failed sleever?

I'm just about 9 years out. I have been in a struggle with regain and severe GERD. I've just recently gotten myself back on track with tracked eating and physical activity regimen. Hopefully it works.

yes planning on it. see my GI doc in a week. I haven't seen my original surgeon in 7 years- I had to switch to another clinic because of insurance purposes and will discuss with my GI doc which surgeon would be better for the revision (now that i've switched to a BCBS plan they both take).... GERD is still terrible.

Almost 8 yrs VSG and had severe GERD beforehand. It significantly decreased post op but I've remained on PPI medication the entire time. I was down to 1-2 total doses per week, however I had some regain over the last year and am up to THREE TIMES daily!! It's everything to do with how I carry my weight- all in my middle. While I was quite satisfied with the GERD being almost totally resolved initially, I'm fearful that even IF I lose the current regain it won't go away to the extend that it was in the past. I have been told by my bariatric team that a revision is likely the ONLY way to get the GERD to go away with 100% certainty. That sounds pretty good to me but I am quite fearful of surgery in general because I'm a nurse practitioner and we make terrible patients... I would love to know what the loss pattern was like for those who had the revision and can I plan to see awesome results? I mean, BESIDES the GERD clearing up? I am currently about 40 lbs about my ULTIMATE goal- I never reached that goal with my VSG, stopping about 12 lbs away from it...

I'm glad to see this topic. I had some regain in the last year as well- i was doing awesome living a ketogenic lifestyle but have completely fallen off the wagon and am going back the 'bariatric' route with strict tracking etc...

I'll be 8 years out this June!! I was doing great but have struggled with a 25 lb regain over the last year since I had covid. ordered some new protein earlier this week and plan to get totally refocused over the weekend (once it arrives)! Was doing keto for the last 6 years and did great initially but have realized that I'm not losing anymore with it because my fat intake was just too high, so going back to a strict post-surgery eating plan.

YES it is Body Groove!!!!! Thanks so much! I think i'm gonna try this out for a month and see how it goes. Looks like a lot of fun!! THANKS so much!

I actually had severe diagnosed GERD for nearly 20 years pre-surgery and took ridiculous amounts of PPI. I also had my heart set on RNY because I was under the impression that VSG wasn't an option. My surgeon gave me the choice, saying that post surgery, once I lost the weight, the GERD would go away. I chose VSG. I'm glad I did. During my surgery I also got a hiatal hernia repair and a fundoplication. Once I lost my weight the GERD was GONE. In total transparency, I've had a small amount of regain and it DID return but I'm working my way back down so meds are also gradually decreasing. The main reason I'm glad I did VSG is because I had absolutely ZERO complications, no healing issues, had no malabsorption and just felt great in general. I did eventually develop lactose intolerance, but I'm told that can happen with either surgery.

I do have excess skin, 8 years post VSG and swore I would have it all taken off. In total transparency, I had a small amount of regain so I'm focused on getting back to where I should be, but then I will be taking it off. Sadly I carry ALL my weight around my middle and so my excess skin literally looks like deflated balloon. I have different insurance than I did at the time, due to advancing my career, but the insurance I used to have would cover skin removal IF you lost 100 lbs after surgery. They're all different. I don't wear compression garments or anything but have gotten expert-level at buying the correct shirts that are billowy and flow-y so they hide it. For now..

Hi all- I'm almost EIGHT years out VSG! I can't believe how time has flown by. I have some regain and have been refocused to get it off. I joined CrossFit several years ago and really enjoyed it but I'll be honest, I suffer gym anxiety so bad that I avoid going at all. The anxiety has gotten progressively worse over the last 3 years of attending. I changed gyms and even got my husband to join but I'm suffering bad. I literally have panic attacks. The irony in this is that I'm a psych nurse practitioner and spend my days treating folks with the same sorts of issues. So I know this is actually legit. I was on YouTube one day looking at some random video, and an ad came up showing this at-home dance program that involved a group of people, and they were doing these dance/exercise routines to multiple genres of music. I sadly don't remember what the heck it was called but wondering if anyone here knows, or knows of something similar?? I'm going to be likely leaving my CrossFit gym and since I'm really trying to get back to more of a bariatric-focused program, trying to increase my aerobic activity at home. I thought something like this might be a fun option. I hope someone can direct me... Thanks!

Just checking in to see who is around...been about a month since I stopped by but I've spent the last several weeks getting a lot of 'stuff' done in my life so online presence has been minimal! Hope everyone is good, I just ordered some new proteins to try and help me get to the finish line that I'm still struggling to reach.

The end of 2021 is upon us! I can't believe how FAST this year went. Anyone here planning to 'get on track', 'refocus', 'reset' etc in 2022? I fell off the rails a bit in the last several months and looking to get myself back on track. I've been doing very traditional keto level eating for the last 5 years but I would really like to go back to a more traditional 'bariatric' style eating with lower fat etc. Would like to keep my carbs low but really focus on protein again and I honestly don't really remember what that would look like-having been so submerged in traditional keto for the last several years.... Anyone have any good resources for this? I never reached my ultimate goal (came within 20 lbs). Had a health scare and although it's under control I do have some weight that I would still like to move off.

BTW, to the OP, you look AWESOME!!! STRONG is the new sexy! Well done