lucy00us

Hi, Lucy! My surgery was 12/10 also! How are you feeling?

That whole thing sounds a little fishy. RNY has had many years of proven success. I agree that there is a risk of complications and things not turning out well, but the risk has decreased as time has moved on. More advanced and safer ways of doing the procedure are around. I strongly encourage you to read me three part posting on my blog about how I prepared for surgery. I think it will help to clarify some things. The link is below my signature. If you have issues viewing it just message me.
It sounds to me like he may be trying to do two things. The biggest one is that if he is a pain management doctor and you lose weight and get better, then he would lose a patient and the income they generate. You need to realize that by you staying pain, you are keeping in wealthy and in a job. Not all doctors look out for their patients best interest. This may not necessarily be the case, but you just need to realize we all put on own lens and spin on how we view surgery. The other thing is that it sounds like his religious beliefs about "unnecessary" body modification are playing a role here. It should not be his place to impose his religious view on you whatever they are. His job is to present you with options.
I don't believe he would call you RNY doctor to talk him out of surgery, but there is a chance he would to protect his interests. The nice thing is that if your RNY doctor has agreed to do the surgery, hew would not do so unless he felt it was medically appropriate. He would more than likely argue the case with your pain doctor and ultimately still do the surgery. He also is looking to make money so if he can safely do the surgery on and verify that it meets standards of medical necessity, he will. You may also need to seek out a new and more supportive pain management doctor.
The surgery is a ground for a lot of debate among individuals and medical professionals. Some will argue its cheating and taking the easy way out. I can tell you it is not easy, but if you follow the plan laid out by your doctor it works amazingly well. Others think that you should just try harder to lose weight. Still others are just scared of what they do not understand. My in-laws were even really concerned about me having the surgery, not because they were scared for me, but they were concerned about how it would affect their daughter. The decision to have surgery is a personal choice and one you should not take lightly. I do not think you are and it sounds like you have done your research.
Just remember at the end of the day, it is your choice.I applaud you for taking those first steps to reclaiming your life. This is a truly amazing journey of discovery. It will not always be easy, but in the end I can guarantee you that it is completely worth it.
If you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with at all, please contact me using the links in my signature line. Or you can message me on here!
GOOD LUCK! I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!

I had my surgery this morning around 7:30am. So far everything is great and I'm not having any issues. I also met a lady that is a member on here that had her surgery today too. Hope I've found a new long term friend

Hello,
I'm so happy I found this topic. I just saw my doctor today and I'm having a sleeve to bypass revision done. I need to wait to see if my insurance approves it, but after a little over a year my sleeve stretch and formed a pouch and also have a hernia We discussed fixing the sleeve, but since I have not lost much and still need to lose a lot the bypass would be better for me. The doctor was also concern with my stomach stretching again and having to do another surgery.
I've notice that I've been getting strong accid reflex lately so I'll be happy to do the bypass and get rid off that. I also gained 20 lbs. in the last couple of months.

Hi all. Having lap band to RNY in the morning (9/29/2014). (-: It's been a long wait. I had my lap band in 2009 at 250 lbs. Stayed at around 220 for the next few years. Did Medifast and got down to 199 but gained it back plus some. I had the Fluid taken out of my band four months ago due to signs of erosion, acid reflux and in preparation of RNY. Gained almost 25 pounds in 4 months following the fluid being taken out. Ugh. So, going in tomorrow I should be about 251-252. If it's less (due to the 3 day pre-op diet) great, if not, that's okay too. I have no doubt I'll lose it. I've researched this like crazy. Read every book, success and failure story I could find. I really understand the life changes I need to make this time and can't wait to make them. Couch potato to 5k is my first one - 2015 Disney Princess Half Marathon is the second! Anyway, I look forward to giving some updates to how it goes. I don't post much but reading all of yours has been invaluable. I'm wishing us all good health and success!!!
Kathi

I've been suffering with all those symptoms for the past two months, but it's have gotten really bad in the past 3 weeks. I'm so glad that I found this post. I started measuring my sugar levels and I'm going to cut some of the caffeine intake...I've been drinking coffee like crazy lately and I stopped doing my zumba classes due to a crazy schedule.
I just schedule a doctor's appointment for next week and I will reduce my caffeine intake as well as increasing my Protein foods. The feeling with low sugar levels is the worst ever!

I'm almost 10 months out and I started having these same issues (weak, shakey, heavy sweating, the feeling that I need to eat something to make me feel better) at about 6 months out. When it started, I was still eating extremely low carb (less than 45g per day) and my nurse told me to start introducing more complex carbs, which I did. I now eat about 70-100g of carbs a day, which come from fruit or milk in my Protein shake. I still get these attacks every few weeks and it's not after having an unusual amount of carbs. In fact, the last one I had was after I specifically had a low carb Breakfast because I knew I would be eating a higher carb lunch. After reading this string I'm wondering my attacks are brought on by caffine. For the first 4-5 months after surgery, I did not drink coffee at all. Now I drink 1-3 cups a day and my attacks usually happen in the mid morning. I exercise regularly (3-4 times a week). I'm going to experiment and only have one cup of coffee a day and I'll see if it improves.
So glad I found this post!
Tanya (vsgtanya2011 on YouTube)

I think I have a blood sugar meter somewhere, and I'll try to dig it up.
I guess I've been avoiding directly measuring my blood sugar because FWIK non-insulemic hypoglycemia is usually caused by problems with your pancreas, which I do NOT want to contemplate...
For now, since the problem seems to be related to/worsened by my caffeine intake, I'm weaning myself (further) off caffeine, and trying to stick with the "many small, protein-heavy meals," and I'm going to try to have a protein-heavy "snack" before bedtime (probably just a Protein shake). Oh, and cardio exercise, since that seems to help people with hypo-g.

You really need to be checking your blood sugars if you think it's any form of hypoglycemia. By the way, diabetes is the OPPOSITE of hypoglycemia - diabetes is too much sugar in the blood, hypoglycemia is too little. While I am diabetic, my sister is boarderline hypoglycemic - her sugars will dip below 60 if she's not careful. When the blood sugar is below 60, things like what you describe can happen.
If you don't have a glucose meter and test strips - get one! Test your blood sugar when you have these episodes. After you eat, wait another 30 minutes or so and test again. Testing when you first get up in the morning will give you the "fasting" blood sugar reading. Testing 2 hours after eating gives you an idea of how your body is reacting to the food you are taking in (although, I would test immediately before I eat and then 2 hours later to really understand how a food reacted in my body).
Then when you go to the doctor, take the blood glucose readings with you - it will help your doctor.

I've actually been a diagnosed reactive hypoglycemic since age 14. I have kept it at bay for 15 years through my diet... even when I was obese. The secret to RHG is to never eat sugary foods alone. You must pair it with a complex carb and/or Protein. If I was to eat a candy bar alone my blood sugar would be in the 50s within a two hour window. However, if I ate a balanced meal followed by a candy bar then I would typically be okay.
When you have an RHG spell orange juice is the best thing to ingest to quickly right your blood sugar levels. You can also purchase glucose tablets for these incidents (I keep a pack in my car). This is a quick fix though and must be immediatly followed by Protein and/or complex carbs to stop the cycle. To be properly diagnosed for RHG you would need to see your doctor and chart your blood sugar levels and symptoms. Further testing would include scheduling a 6 hour Glucose Tolerance Test and possibly a follow-up 72 hour Glucose Tolerance Test. RHG is not something to be taken lightly. True suffers can pass out from too low of blood sugar- it's terrible, trust me.
While I have lived with this issue most of my life and gotten pretty used to it, I have noticed an upswing in "incidents" since surgery. I had attributed this to having to learn how to balance my eating differently than I need pre-surgery. It never occurred to me that surgery may have exacerbated the issue. Thanks for the heads up!
Amanda

A fantastic information topic. I had no idea of what I was experiencing and you nailed it. I am reviewing my food journal now and figuring out my triggers. Thank you so much for the post and the wisdom. I LOVE THIS SITE AND YOU GUYS AND GALS!!!!!

My daughter was sleeved last summer and she has had this reaction several times to eating high carb and high sugar foods like Pasta, rice without Beans and some sugary Desserts. She is not diabetic. One time when she was feeling all the things you mentioned in your post, I took her blood sugar with my glucometer and it was 53...LOW!! So she drank a little milk, ate a couple bites of Peanut Butter and felt better in about 5 minutes. I think the best thing to do is just to avoid the things you know trigger the episodes. There is nothing I want to eat bad enough to make me feel that lousy!! Kathe

So after a couple of unpleasant incidents, I've done some digging, and as far as I can tell I have been suffering from reactive hypoglycemia (RHG). All of the symptoms I get are hypoglycemic (flushed/chills, nervousness, trembling, slight mental confusion, feeling like I'm going to collapse, etc., all coupled with a sort of panicky hunger -- "I have to eat NOW or I'm going to fall over!"), and it's relieved by eating (but only if I'm careful and eat high-Protein foods, carbs just make the swings worse). I'm curious if anyone else has gone through this with the sleeve.
Incidentally, some call this or confuse this with "dumping syndrome" -- they're not the same, but they may be related. Eating in a way that leads to dumping apparently can dump a lot of blood-sugar spiking food into your small intestine at once, faster than your body can properly deal with. So part of the "eat every two hours" thing is to eat smaller meals and avoid dumping. The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia) mentions this.
I am not diabetic, according to NUMEROUS tests by my PCP (given my weight and a family history, it seemed like a good precaution). Apparently, RHG is very common for WLS patients about 15-20 months out (I'm ~19 months out). It's made worse by not eating lots of small, high-protein meals, by not getting enough cardio, and by consuming too much caffeine. I'm guilty on all counts, but it seems like caffeine is really the worst offender for me. I don't do well with moderation, and I've discovered that when I really go overboard on caffeine, I get bad RHG, often at night. Also, it seems to be the combination of caffeine and carbs for me -- I don't drink caffeine at night, but my nighttime meals lately have been carb-heavy (spaghetti, for instance), mostly for convenience. And it seems like my RHG is happening mostly in the evening.
So, I'm curious who else has struggled with this, and how you dealt with it. Unfortunately, since I changed jobs in mid-June, I'm not yet eligible for health benefits so I can't go see a doctor about this. That will be changing soon (next week, I think), but I really don't think this is an emergency condition, especially since I seem to be able to manage it by eating healthier, avoiding caffeine, and so on. Mostly I'm looking for support and advice

Went to the mall put on a pair of high heels. It has been 30 yrs since last time. All fun and laughs to try and walk:-)

I'm almost 9 months out and down 141 lbs total (116 lbs since surgery). It's weird to think about the fact that I've lost more then my fiancé's sister weighs!
Yesterday, I finally got up the courage to try on wedding dresses. That was nerve racking! I was amazed that I almost fit into a size 10 dress (darn boobs) and I liked the more fitted dresses... 1 year ago, that would never have happened.
Finally deciding to do the sleeve was the best decision I've even made. After years of struggling with my weight, I'm finally getting close to my goal. Overall, I just want to be happy in my own skin and able to do everything I want. This summer, I'm joining a softball team. I've wanted to play again for years and now I can :-) also amusement parks here I come! This has been a great year and it keeps getting better :-)
I hope that everyone is making there way towards their goals!

Hello I was sleeved on 7/11/2013. I am the same. I have read a lot that at 5 and 6 months out this is normal. A 1 to 2 pound a week is normal. After the body goes through a rapid weight loss it slows down a bit. I just keep plugging along.
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I did push my self a little harder at the gym that helps. It also depends on how much you have to loose. I think others that have more to loose it may be more than the 1 to 2 pounds but once you get closer to your goal it just takes longer.
I am now in a size 14/16 from a 22 so I couldn't be happier. I keep my carbs under 40 a day and I work out 4 days min a week. I figured that if I loose 5 to 8 pounds a month that would put me at goal around August and that would be 13 months from Surgery. I have happy with that. It is a life change for me and the scale I try to not think abut too much. I am just so happy my sleep apnea is gone and my feet don't hurt!

Hey everyone. I haven't been here in ages, especially to this thread. BF is now fiance and we built ourselves a home that we moved into a year ago. He healed up pretty well (or so we thought) in May of 2012. His PICC line was discontinued and he had been fairly healthy for th last year or so. He kept having respiratory infections off and on for over a year. He's had some abdominal pain, and constant shoulder pain that hasn't gone away with any kind of treatment-- narcotic, nerve meds, etc... turns out we learned why this August of 2013.
He had a respiratory infection again (about the 12th one in the past year and a half), and the antibiotics didn't do the trick. I took him to the ER about 3am in the middle of August with severe chills and fever, coughing up some nasties. He had septic pneumonia with kidney failure. After CT scans and huge amounts of antibiotics, he cleared up after two weeks in the hospital. That isn't after finding out that he still has a leak. The surgeon (not the one who did the original revision-- band to sleeve) said he had a self-contained leak that was affecting the abdomen and probably touching the lung wall (thus all the respiratory infections). He and a thoracic surgeon consulted with us, saying that something had to be done. After 2.5 years, this leak has still persisted, though staying in one spot and not growing. It was affecting the spleen. Their suggestion was a total gastrectomy, spleenectomy and partial esophagectomy (since the leak was in the stomach/ esophagus juncture and the leak was damaging the spleen).
They referred us to the thoracic surgeon's mentor in San Antonio, a cardiothoracic surgeon who does transplants, etc... He knew he could get the job done and do it well. After another 2 day stay in the hospital, my fiance is now 2 hours away after having had surgery this Tuesday. Luckily, he saved the spleen. He found multiple adhesions, two abscesses in the abdominal cavity and a leak so large he could stick his entire (chubby) index finger in the hole in his stomach. He removed several inches of his esophagus, removed the stomach, and 4-6 inches of his small bowel and reconnected him with an RNY connection. The surgery took six hours, and he had a j-tube placed for nutrition while he heals.
All looks well today. Several x-rays of the connection have been taken with the gastrografen, and he's started on Clear liquids today. Tomorrow they will do a swallow study and let him progress with his diet. After 2.5 years, this might have finally been the answer we've needed. We're still a little worried, after everything he (we) has been through. Leaks shouldn't resurface after 2 years. But his never healed.
It hasn't been a fun road, but it's been one that has brought us closer together in ways we never dreamed. For that, I'll never wish it hadn't happened. But after these years, this should have been an old nightmare that is now hard to recall. Not the case.
I know lots of you come on here wondering about revisions and whether to have this surgery. Searching for "leak" like I did before he did this.
A year ago, he was glad for all that he gained (lots of weight lost, losing the high blood pressure and diabetes diagnoses), but today... and yesterday, he wished he hadn't done it. My only wish is that that original surgeon had removed the band and closed him back up-- telling him he needed some healing before doing the revision. This story might have gone a lot differently if he had. He would have been disappointed, but we might not be back in the hospital again.
My wish for you all-- ask those questions before you make the decision for a revision. Ask what your surgeon will do if your band caused lots of scarring inside of you. Even better. Use a surgeon who won't do it all at once. You don't want your story to be this one if you could have made different choices.
Happy outcomes to you all! And I'm here if you guys ever have questions! It wasn't my surgery, but it was what I have lived since June 2011.

thanks, I never in a million years would of thought that I would be an inspiration to anyone...
It is truly moving (and I had to explain the tears in my eyes to my husband that just walked in)
You will do it too and in a short time. I bet someone will be saying the same thing to you!
On a side note? I just walked my son to school, a simple thing I know.. But a year ago it would of been painful (physically and emotionally)
Today it was a normal thing to do as a normal person. It's these moments that make it worth it

Surgery day I was 222. Today Im 145 and my skin is ok. My arms sag a little bit (I just dont wear sleeveless things too often), my butt sags a little bit but yoga helps that, my 'girls' sag a little bit because I lost a lot of mass (went from a 44D to a 38C) but fitting into size 8 skinny jeans and a medium top, being healthy, being able to zip knee high boots, being healthy, etc is worth every single sagging skin cell!!!

When else have you lost an average of 14.6lbs a month? It didn't come on over night. It won't come off over night. Relax and enjoy your journey. Stay on your plan and you will lose it. You got this!!!!

Hi.. How much weight did u lose in the first 3 month? I lost 44 lbs and I'm not satisfied with that :/

Hi,
Sleeved 7/3
HW 334
SW 320
CW 279
My weight stalled for three weeks and I finally started loosing again.

Hi,
Sleeved 7/3
HW 334
SW 320
CW 279
My weight stalled for three weeks and I finally started loosing again.

July 18, 2013 down 35 lbs since day after surgery!!! I was 321 lbs the day after surgery which is when I began to track my weight loss & friday @ 7 weeks & 1 day aftwr surgery I am now @ 286 lbs!!! I am vwry proud of the 35 lbs I have lost so far

Seeds especially can get stuck in the staple line and could cause a problem, something you really don't want to go through.
At 2 - 3 weeks I was on full liquids, "nothing that won't go through a straw" were his instructions.
I wasn't hungry and could only eat an eighth of a cup of food at a time, and I only ate because I needed to, so it was not a big deal. Remember, fruits are natural sugar, but sugar nevertheless, be cautious. Dr. Davidson told us to treat fruit as a treat, only a couple of times per week, but none until week 6.