KDM74

There are just as many complications with the sleeve as with bypass, they are just different. And if you have a good surgeon, your risk goes down considerably. My surgeon says he has several patients who chose to do the sleeve despite his warnings about reflux and now they have come to him to get a revision to bypass. Also, omeprazole is not meant to be taken long term. It is supposed to be taken for 6 months at the most to help heal reflux. If your reflux is not healed after 6 months it is more serious and may be necessary to treat with surgery. Popping pills is not a solution, it's a bandaid. And in my opinion, I had this surgery to help me fix problems with my health, not create new ones or worsen old ones. That's why I chose bypass.

I work in the medical field and I can tell you, surgeons are their own breed. Most of them are very smart and very antisocial and cannot relate to people on a normal level. This is normal for them. Both your surgeons sound like they fit that to a tee. Also, surgeons primarily do surgery, they don't do office visits. That's why they have PAs and surgical nurses. You shouldn't be bothered by how you get along with your surgeon or if he returns your calls. That's not in their DNA. You should worry about his experience and his track record. That is really all that matters. If you want to talk to someone about the surgery itself, call and ask to speak to one of his PAs. They do the office visits. However, if you are unsatisfied with the whole office, then make a change. This is about you and your body. I was supposed to have the sleeve too. I found out with my preops that I had reflux so I went with the bypass. Even though I am only a week postop, I love not having any heartburn. It's amazing! I would definitely recommend bypass if you have reflux. Good luck with your decisions.

Well it has been 1 week since my surgery and I have lost 16 lbs! I am over the moon! I know that rate won't keep up so I am relishing the moment. I have had terrible abdominal pain for the last week. It began to subside yesterday which is great, but now I am really tired. I can barely keep my eyes open right now. And I have experienced my first bout of head hunger. I have not been hungry at all since my surgery. And I haven't had any cravings until today. Now I really want Peanut Butter and chocolate but not a Reeses, just mountains of peanut butter and chocolate. Lol. I know this is completely in my head and I am trying to get it out by having a chocolate Protein shake so we will see if that helps.

My surgeon recommended bypass because sleeve can make reflux unbearable. He has some patients who still chose the sleeve and now he is doing revision to bypass on them a year later. I chose bypass after hearing that.

I have talked about this all week as well. I had surgery on June 1 and have been in excruciating pain since then. Yesterday I had slight improvement, I no longer hurt whilst sittin still, only when moving. This morning is a bit more improvement, the pain has gone from a 9/10 to a 6/7. This is on track with everyone telling me it will get better in 5-7 days. Nothing has helped the pain except lots of walking which then causes me to pass gas. I had a BM on Thursday, my one and only since surgery, so constipation may be an issue as well. Hang in there! We will get through this!

Bypass doesn't have a weight limit. If it is the right surgery for you then I recommend it highly. But, the sleeve may be better for you. I certainly wouldn't exclude bypass just based on weight loss number. If you have any comorbidities like diabetes, reflux, high BP, then the bypass is the way to go. If you are healthy other than your weight, then perhaps the sleeve is best. I am day 5 post op from my bypass and I have no regrets!

I have been craving filet mignon and tuna. And salad. All since my second week of preop diet. I am now 5 days postop. I think it might be a protein thing. But remember, there are worse things you could crave than scallops!

I am also having terrible lower left abdominal pain! I am postop day 5 and it has not subsided. Even my narcotics are not helping. I have been walking a lot and using GasX and no relief. Today is the first day it feels slightly better. My doctor's office says it is gas. I'm calling them again on monday if I'm not better. Would love to hear if you find something that works.

I can't find any of your user names

Hi! I have Garmin VivoSmart too and would love to join you guys. I think my username is the same there, KDM74, but i will add you and see what happens. Thanks!

I am having this same issue with lots of pain too. I am postop day 4 and I finally had a BM but I still have ridiculous gas pain. Hoping all this will resolve soon.

From day 1 post op my BP has been 105/55 instead of 130/90. Yay!

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I am now post op day 4 and the sharp pains in my lower left abdomen are still terrible. I feel like they have gotten worse. I can't bend over, reach too far, roll over in bed, or anything. I'm thinking of calling my doc today to see what her recommends. I walk 6-8 times.per day for about 10-15 minutes each. It's all I can tolerate. And it has helped with passing gas, but clearly not enough.

I have told my family, friends and colleagues. I am proud of my decision to have bypass everyone has been very supportive. Also, I work in medical coding so everyone is very familiar with the procedure. Regardless of whom you decide to tell, it is a personal decision and I hope that everyone has at least 1 supportive person in their life to help them on their journey.

Gas is still painful, but I am home and not in the hospital, so at least that's good. I am hopeful that it will be finished by the weekend.

I am day 2 postop and my gas pains are bad. I can barely move sometimes. I also have a tightness behind my sternum with painful respiration if i breathe too deeply. Has anyone else experienced this? Also, I have my first NSV! My blood pressure has been 110/70 for most of my life. The last few years it has started creeping up and was in the 130/90 range before surgery. Since my surgery, every time the nurse checked my blood pressure it was around 105/55! Goodbye borderline high BP! So exciting. I hope it stays like that.

Day 2 post op and the gas pains are killing me! I have been walking loops around my unit and have started to pass gas as of about midnight last night, but clearly there is a lot more to get rid of. Even the oxycodone the nurses give are not making a dent. I am aupposed to go home today and now I'm worried that if i am still in this much pain they wont let me.

I am still in hospital on post op day 2 and my doctor tols me thia morning that i shouldn't take any vitamins or supplements until by 10 day postop appointment with them in the office. They recommended chewables after that so i have gotten Celebrate vitamins from amazon.

I used to have a fitbit but it broke just a few months after I got it because it got wet. Now I have a Garmin VivoSmart which I love. It's waterproof up to 10 meters, so I can go swimming with it. It is compatible with MFP too. Very user friendky interface. I love that it tells me when to m ove too.

Congrats! I just had my bypass yesterday. Feeling sore but so happy! The preop diet is very hard but so worth it! Good luck!

I finally had my bypass yesterday! I am now sitting in my private hospital suite with a wall of windows overlooking the city....one of the perks of working for the hospital is that you get your own room! For the moat part I am OK but i have sharp, stabbing pains on my left side. The PA says it is probably gas pains. They are switching me from IV morphine to liquid oxycodone for pain management so hopefully that will help. Overall, my experience has been excellent and my Doc is really please with my surgery. I have been out and about walking the halls and am starting to feel normal again. But I am not hungry, which is great because I was starving yesterday kn nothing but clear liquids until my surgery at 300 pm. Just hoping the pains in my side start ro get better soon.

I can hardly believe my surgery is tomorrow afternoon! I am so excited! I have survived my 2 week preop diet and after a year and a half since starting this journey, the day has come. The new me begins tomorrow and I couldn't be happier.

Why are you so against bypass? Just asking because i was also dead set on getting the sleeve. For a year and a half that is what i planned on, even through all my preop appointments. And then I met with my surgeon and he told me I had reflux and the sleeve would likely make it worse. I changed my mind and am having my bypass on Monday, purely for the fact that I am having this surgery to help, not hurt me. I was worried about having my intestines rerouted and dumping symdrome, but now I look at the positives, more research of long term outcomes, faster weight loss, and fear of dumping will help keep me accountable with my food choices. Luckily, insurance through my work covers everything and I will probably only have about $500 out of pocket. I just think that if you are able to get the surgery covered then perhaps it is time to change the way you think about bypass. Oops, didnt mean to post twice! Phone is being weird today!

I am right there with you! My surgery is Monday and I am dying for a super crunchy salad! I have also done gum and popsicles. I'm thinking of freezing some greek yogurt too. And ice chips. Crunchy ice chips. Argh!

If you call your insurance company, they can tell you if your plan even covers the surgeries at all, and what it will take to MAYBE get them covered. My insurance does cover all skin removal surgeries, however I have to supply documentation of debilitating infection or skin irritation from my PCP for 3-6 months (depending on the area) with photographs, and for my stomach, it also has to have caused a cellulitis infection that required antibiotics. And they won't even consider it until I am at least 6 months out from a stable weight. My bypass is on Monday so I am planning ahead. I am a medical coder, so here are the CPT codes for the most common procedures so you can ask specifically what is covered: 15830 - panniculectomy (this is NOT a tummy tuck, insurance will not cover TT because it is cosmetic. This is only for skin removal, not muscle tightening or changing belly button location) 15832 - thigh lift (inner thigh) 15833 - leg lift (lower leg) 15834 - hip lift (outer thigh/hip) 15835 - buttock lift 15836 - arm lift (upper arm) All of the "lifts" are actually termed "removal of excess skin" in the particular area. For a full lower body lift, your surgeon may combine several of the above procedures for billing. Your insurance may only cover the panniculectomy and not the butt lift, etc. For your purposes you would want to ask about 15832. They should also be able to tell you what the average price in your area is if they do not cover it. Good luck!