♥dreamable

Looks like we are in a small group of people who visit the forums. I am needing a revision for GERD and was hopeful your post would have some comments lol

I'm sorry if this is a bit all over the place. I am feeling pretty overwhelmed. I had a sleeve done in 2015 along with a hiatal hernia repair. I initially lost over 100lbs (from 340 down to 211) but I was never able to lose beyond that. Over time, I've gained a lot of the weight back and am currently around 290. The bigger issue is GERD. It has become more severe over the past 7 years- so bad, that I've developed an ulcer in my esophagus. It affects my daily life constantly. My surgeon's office is recommending a revision surgery to help address the GERD, repair the hiatal hernia that is now back because of weight gain, and hopefully help me lose weight again to improve my overall health. I'm really struggling with this decision. Part of me feels like a failure for regaining weight after surgery, especially since I didn't have much support from family to begin with. I'm also scared of having another surgery. I don't want to die and leave my kids. At the same time, I know staying in my current condition isn't healthy either. The GERD alone is miserable and impacting my quality of life every day. I also feel frustrated because I don't remember being fully aware of how much a sleeve could worsen GERD. I did have mild heartbrun before surgery, but I chose the sleeve because it seemed less invasive and better long-term (I was hoping to avoid completely altering my internal organs and wanted to avoid needing to take supplements for the rest of my life). Ironically, I've struggled with low iron anemia and vitamin deficincies and have needed infusions, so now I'm on supplements anyway. I have about six weeks to decide what to do, and honestly, all I seem to find online are horror stories, which I know if often because people post more when things go wrong. Another complication is that the surgeon who did my original surgery is no longer at my clinic. I had been working with a new surgeon there who I really liked, but my insurance won't cover him yet for revisions. I met with a different surgeon from their office, and while I am sure he is skilled, I just don't feel the same level of comfort or connection with him. I know that shouldn't matter as much as skill, but it does affect how I feel going into something this big. (For what it's worth the surgeon I do like, is also recommending a revision for my problems.) I was also given the option to just repair the hernia, but was told that without weight loss, it will likely come back, whether that's in a year or 15. I have tried looking on places like Reddit, but most people seem to only be posting who JUST had surgery and/or are still in the honeymoon period. I am now 10+ years out from mine. I know no one can make this decision for me. I'm just hoping to hear from others who have been in a similar situation: • If you had a revision for severe GERD what were your outcomes (good or bad) • Did the revision help your GERD? • If you had regained weight before revision, how did your weight loss go after? • Is it true that weight loss is typically less after a revision, and does that depend on whether you had regained weight? Any advice, experiences, or things you wish you had done differently would really mean a lot.

Don't freak out My biggest regret post-op was WHY THE FUDGE DIDN'T I HAVE THIS SURGERY YEARS AGO!?!?!?! I am just over a year out and my only side-effect is heartburn. It's managed if I take my prilosec (but I'm terrible about taking pills and forget a lot. Other than that I have a really hard time not drinking while eating (and because I cannot do it, my brain STILL obsesses over it everytime I eat -which in turns makes the craving worse). I don't miss carbs, I don't miss pop. I LOVE feeling better. I cannot believe all of the things I do with my kids and on dates now! I have so much energy and I actually look forward to working out! (Seriously if you knew me pre-op that would be one of the last things I ever thought anyone would hear come out of my mouth). I don't even remember a lot of discomfort after my surgery. I do remember finding recipes for shakes because I was getting bored of having the same two and was starting to crave eating solid food. Changing up what I was eating really helped that. The recovery wasn't bad- just take your time and follow what your Dr says for post-op.

Thank you so much for your great answer. So far he hasn't made any comments about how much (or little lol) I am eating when go out to dinner. Our conversation and dates seem to be focusing on the positive things, like us discussing how we eat (we both eat similar - no carbs/lots of protein) and going to the gym and what we do and our dates tend to end up being loooong walks- which has been amazing. I am still amazed how much doing this has changed my life for the better. I wish I had done my surgery years ago

I am pretty sure he isn't going to have a problem with it. It's just more a question of the timing- I'm just not sure when or how to bring it up- dating is sooo complicated

Maybe I phrased my question wrong. I am not afraid to tell him about my surgery, but I also don't feel it's appropriate to just throw it out into thin air on one of the first few dates we go on. I will tell him at some point. My question was more how do you know or what/when is the right time to tell someone once you start dating? Do you just throw it out in the open one day? Do you wait for an opportunity to mention it that just feels right? Do you wait until the moment where you know things are going further than the kissing and making out and drop a "oh by the way...." lol Maybe I phrased my question wrong. I am not afraid to tell him about my surgery, but I also don't feel it's appropriate to just throw it out into thin air on one of the first few dates we go on. I will tell him at some point. My question was more how do you know or what/when is the right time to tell someone once you start dating? Do you just throw it out in the open one day? Do you wait for an opportunity to mention it that just feels right? Do you wait until the moment where you know things are going further than the kissing and making out and drop a "oh by the way...." lol

Brief history: I have been single for 4 years. I am 1 year out from my surgery. I am still a bit away from my goal- but have lost a significant amount of weight at this point. I just started dating. While my confidence is really high when I am in clothes (the right undergarments make everything look so nice and make me look so much smaller when I wear them haha) I am really scared about when/if things progress and clothes are being removed. The last date I was on his hands were touching over my clothes and I'm pretty sure he could feel that I had something on that went halfway up my back. Anyway- he doesn't know about my surgery yet- and it's not something I feel I need to discuss on the first or second date (just my personal preference). One of my really good male friends a few years ago made a comment once about how to slept with a women and he didn't know she had surgery until they were naked and he said it really turned him off and bothered him that she didn't tell him ahead. Is he just a jerk or should I expect a similar reaction if I don't say something first? Help!?!?!?! lol

I have 4 kids and 3 of them are overweight. I am 8 months (I think?) out from my surgery so let me share my experience. I have noticed a few things (1) It has helped to educate my kids on food, because I have had to educate myself (2) I don't eat any carbs- so we almost never have Pasta or anything and I don't have those things in the house- so they don't eat them (3) Because I am so aware of how little I eat now (or how much I used to eat) I am AMAZED at how big portions are. I have gotten rid of all of our dinner plates, and we only eat meals on saucer size plates. this has helped! Now one negative- because a lot of times I only have a Protein shake or beef jerkey- it also can be easy to just grab the kids fast food or make them something easy. Don't fall into that trap Good luck

Ahhhh!!!! I knew I was so close I couldn't wait to weigh myself until tomorrow (my weekly weigh-in days are Mondays) and I did it! I am exactly 100lbs less than the day i had surgery in October of last year!!!!! Woohooo me Sent from my SM-G925P using the BariatricPal App

So glad to see this update YAY!!!!!!!

40 minutes on the elliptical is a long time!!!!! The first time I got on my elliptical I only made it 3 minutes and I had to stop. I thiught I was going to die lol. I kept at it though, and everyday the first week i made myself do 5 minutes. The next week I added 5 more minutes.. so I did 10 minutes each day.. eventually made it up to 40 minutes but it took me 8 weeks to get there. You can do it Sent from my SM-G925P using the BariatricPal App

That is a GREAT way to think about it. Thank you for that perspective!

I remember before my surgery thinking how I didn't care what I looked like, I was going to love my body because I would be so much thinner. HAHA 7 months post-op and that's not the case. I used to love my breasts. Even though they hung down, they looked awesome in a bra and they were just great. Well not they are literally just flat sacks of skin (and i'm only 1/2 way through my weight loss!) So literally the one part of my body that made me feel sexy and that I loved, I am embarrassed by bcecause they don't even look that great in a good bra anymore. Having said that though, I am finding other parts of my body that I am taking a second look at and going- hey that/those are pretty sexy, I like those! (Like the way my legs/thighs look in a skirt now for example). I have been single for 3 years and am so ready to start dating again. I am feeling AMAZING after surgery already- I am still me, but i am a completely different person in a lot of ways as well. I find a lot of men who are into me on dating sites because I work out- but I feel like they associate work out as a nice way of saying, "someone who is thin and always has been thin". I feel like it's misleading when someone just thinks I am super hot curvy girl- and then to see my without clothes on- the scars from surgery don't bother me, it's that I have a LOT of saggy skin. i mean it feels cold and kind of neat to touch- but how do you prepare someone for seeing that? Do you tell them RIGHT before you jump into bed? Do you tell them on a 3rd or 4th date? Do you never say anything? Do you put it out on the table before the first date? LOL I probably didn't help did I?

I believe most, if not all, surgeons who do bariatric surgery also do hernia repairs. I don't even think I really had a choice with mine, they found the hernia and if I didn't allow them to fix it when I had my surgery, then they wouldn't do the surgery. Call around, I would imagine there are clinics somewhere else that do it. Maybe the old one could tell you where they recommend or are referring other patients to? I'm so sorry, I understand how disappointing setbacks can be

YAY! How exciting for you