SleeveToBypass2023

Thank you I just knew that, no matter how many surgeries I had to have, this is a once in a lifetime shot to fix what was broken and undo the damage I did for decades. Ironically, having 10 surgeries in 2 years actually forced me to slow down, think about everything I eat and drink, don't overdo it but still make sure I move my body. I worked with both my nutritionist and a bariatric therapist for a long time (still working on my body dysmorphia, but that takes a lot longer to work through) to finally get here.

I had a sleeve and then a year later had to have a revision to bypass due to a LOT of complications. But I had the sleeve for 13 months before I had the revision, so here's what I can tell you. No matter what surgery you have, eventually your stomach will stretch out to a certain point. Will it go back to the size it was pre-surgery? No. But it will become a little bigger than when you first have the surgery. For example: pre-surgery, I would 6 scrambled eggs w/ cheese, 2 sausage patties, 6-8 pieces of bacon, and 2 pieces of buttered toast for breakfast. After surgery, I could eat 1-2 tablespoons of scrambled eggs. Now, I have a 2 egg omelet w/ cheese. I'm 2 years out from my initial surgery and 11 months out from my revision. For dinner, I would have an appetizer, a 12oz steak, loaded mashed potatoes (w/ butter, cheese, bacon, and sour cream), some kind of veggie, a dessert (pie or cake, depending on what was there). Right after surgery, I would have 1-2 tablespoons of hummus and avocado spread. Now I have 3oz of steak and 1/4 cup of cauliflower mash and 1/2 cup of veggies. If I want dessert, it's something with little to no sugar, or at the very least, no added sugar. So while your stomach WILL stretch a little bit (completely normal) it will not go back to its original size. Having said that, if you eat slider foods and a lot of crap, you won't see the results you're wanting. Just eating smaller portions and not making any dietary changes won't get you there. The surgery is a tool and needs to be used as such. Also, make sure you move your body. I was your size, so I know it's hard. Walking, water exercises, chair exercises, walking with ankle weights....all things that can be done at your size while you're losing. Once I lost the first 100 pounds, I was able to REALLY go ham in the gym lol I've lost 190 pounds from my initial surgery date. But I've lost 223 pounds from my highest weight (421). It hasn't been easy, but it's been absolutely worth it.

For me, I initially set my goal weight to 200 because it had been so many years since I was even close to that weight, so I thought it would be good. As I got closer to it, I moved the goal weight to 195. Now that I'm just about there, I'm thinking about moving it one more time to 190. I feel like that's attainable for me, I look healthy and a lot thinner but still have my curves, and it allows me to have a little bit of regain room and still stay under 200. Everyone has their own reasons that make sense to them why they choose the goal weight they choose. And it's not set in stone. It can always be changed. So think about what you're wanting. A certain size clothing, a certain weight, a certain goal...then try to see what initial weight you need to be to get there. And then adjust accordingly.

It's been 27 years since I weighed less than 200 pounds. I weighed myself 5 times, just to be sure, before I took the picture lol

I'm ugly crying!!! I made it to ONEderland!! Omg!!!! 4 more pounds to go to hit goal!!!

Thank you so much!! But as of this morning.... I'm ugly crying!!! I made it to ONEderland!! Omg!!!! 4 more pounds to go to hit goal!!!

I love Rebel ice cream. Very low calories, lactose free, low to no sugar, very low carbs, amazing flavors. I get them at WalMart.

Hydration and protein are absolutely key right now. I hate plain water, so I get the sugar free flavored water powders to add to them. I also love Propel electrolyte water (my favorite flavors are watermelon, mango, and pineapple peach), I drink protein gatorade zero, and I love the Premier and Fairlife protein shakes (not the chocolate, but I do like the other flavors). I hated the broth, too, but when I absolutely HAD to have it, I made sure it was bone broth versus regular broth, so I was getting more protein.

I haven't had anything like this, and I've had quite a few complications and surgeries as a result. I honestly don't know what to say except my heart hurts for you, I'm sending you positive thoughts and vibes, and I'm hoping they will be able to figure this out soon.

I don't know why, but something told me to check my weight today. I had no intention of doing it for another week, but because I take Linzess for IBS-C and it pulls water from the body to help with pooing, I thought maybe I was shedding the water weight a little faster. Not only that, but I wanted to see if I lost the 3 pounds from the surgery I had, so I checked this morning. Omg almost there!!! 5 more pounds until I hit my official goal weight!!!! ?

It took me 10 days to be able to compartmentalize everything to explain what happened. It was a lot, to be sure. I'm just so glad it's over.

Congrats!!! The first 2-3 weeks seriously suck. After that, it gets easier and you really start to learn your new body. Just prioritize walking, getting in your fluids, and getting in your protein. Don't rush things, stick to your meal plan, and trust the process. Weight loss stalls are NORMAL and to be expected. Watch for NSVs (Non Scale Victories) when the scale isn't moving. You got this!!

I had a revision from sleeve to bypass. Best decision I've ever made. But any kind of NSAIDS are a no-go with he bypass. And there are malabsorption issues to contend with as far as meds and vitamins go. But honestly, I wish I would have just done the bypass to begin with.

Oh, and this was me yesterday after I got the incision restitched. No more preggo looking tummy!!! I still have a little swelling, but even that's gonna get better. And then the other pic is me about 10 minutes ago. I got my hair cut this morning because it's friggin too hot for long hair lol

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy on May 7th. I was in the hospital for 3 days and 2 nights. The initial surgery took 3 hours because not only did they remove my uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, but they also had to call in general surgery to detach my intestines from my uterus (was attached with lesions in 3 places). My heart actually did really well and there were no complications.....with that. But it wouldn't be me if there wasn't something wrong somewhere. Ok, so I get back to recovery and seem to be doing well. Blood pressure is a little low, but all in all, not too bad. About an hour into my recovery, the nurse notices a lot of blood. She checks me and apparently I was hemorrhaging blood and clots. I went through 3 big pads in 25 minutes. Just as I came to, I was told I would have to go back into surgery on an emergency basis. My surgeon was with me and actually held my hand the whole way back to the OR and while I was being prepped. The 2nd surgery took almost 2 hours but they got the 2 places that popped internal stitches on the vaginal cuff re-stitched. I was in recovery again for another 2 hours and then was FINALLY allowed to go to my room. My husband was extremely panicked and white as a ghost. He made all the necessary calls and told me he was scared. I felt awful for him. I had to get 2 units of blood because I lost so much. I'm normally on the low side of normal because I'm chronically anemic. My blood pressure was also extremely low for over a day. They gave me a 1/2 liter saline bolus while I was getting the blood transfusion because my blood pressure was staying around 82/39 and thereabouts. It was around 4pm on day 3 that my blood pressure stabilized enough to go home (it stayed around about 93/55 for 4-5 hours). Since I've been home, I sleep a lot, I walk 3-5 times per day, I just finally got off my pain meds and can get by with tylenol. I'm not cleared to drive or exercise, but I walk the apartment complex a couple times a day and that seems to do well. Still have some pain at the incision (it's about 6-7 inches long at the bikini line) and the muscles and nerves under the incision ache sometimes. I can only sit at the computer for about 15 minutes at a time, so this is the first chance I've had to type this out. I had to go to my doctor yesterday because 2 stitches on the right side of my incision popped and I had to be re-stitched. That really sucked, but it is what it is. I'm on leave from work for 6 weeks (well, 5 now). I normally heal well, but this one is really slow going. I'm already on estrogen patches (Climera) but I was told it takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to 2 months for the estrogen to fully kick in and get my hormones regulated. Lemme tell ya, I've been riding the crazy train, complete with night sweats, hot flashes and flushes, and insane mood swings. Can't wait to feel normal. Initially, I gained 13 pounds of water weight in the hospital, but it's slowly working it's way off. Once all the water is gone, I can't wait to see how much weight has actually dropped since my lady parts were removed (everything together, including the huge fibroids, weighed 3 pounds) so I'll start weighing myself again in about a week. That's about it!! So glad to finally be done with everything. Once I'm fully healed and on the other side of this, WATCH OUT!!! lol

I don't think there's any malabsorption issues with the sleeve, just the bypass and the switch. I would say talk to your mental health provider, do a lot of research on meds with a sleeve, and then take all of that to whoever you need to see to get you going on the safest surgery for you.

I lost 33 pounds in my first 6 weeks, not in my first month. I also started a good 100 pounds heavier than you. The bigger you are, the faster you initially lose. I will say that you should go check out the NSV thread here (Non Scale Victories). Even if the scale isn't doing what you want, it doesn't mean things aren't happening. Clothes fit differently, rings are looser, you fit into seats with arms better, you're not smooshed when you sit in a booth, you can do more walking and working out without as much difficulty, etc.... Don't weight yourself everyday. Try picking a specific day each week and do it then. Make sure you're prioritizing protein first, then veggies, then carbs and healthy fats. Move everyday. Can be a workout, can be walking, could be swimming or biking. Just make sure you're moving your body. Try to stay away from sugar and salt as much as possible. Get at least 64oz of fluids daily, if not more. The first 6 months is when you lose the most, so do everything you can to help that along.

I take all my other vitamins and supplements, just not calcium. I get so much from the almond milk, cheese, sour cream, and other foods that I have everyday that I haven't needed to take it. And my blood work always comes back good. Almond milk has a lot more calcium than cow's milk, so maybe that's why.

I honestly don't take an extra calcium anymore. I take the bariatric multivitamin w/ iron in the morning and that's it. I was told once you hit 6 months out, you don't need it anymore because you'll get what you need from your food. Hmmm...I wonder if I should ask about it again.

So when I had my revision, it was for complications. I was told to expect no more than 45-60 additional pounds of weight loss, because you only lose about 50% of your excess weight with a revision. Well, if you look at my signature, you can see I've lost more than that lol It wasn't easy, and the weight comes off slower and can be a bit harder to lose, but it's possible if you do the work.

You're only 5 days post op, so it could be constipation, gas from the surgery (it travels and causes A LOT of pain until it finally dissipates), your body recovering from the surgery, the weight starting to come off...any number of things. Make sure you're walking, getting your fluids in (especially fluids with protein in it), and take Miralax in your drinks to help move things along.

And for reference, here's where I was and where I am now. I got off all my meds, got my mobility back, and then....the slippery slope appeared and I slid right down it. You can start off with the best of intentions and then it can all go to hell without you even noticing it. So PLEASE just be careful.

I can relate to being afraid of gaining weight after working so hard to lose it. We all deal with that here. But it's a fine line between being mindful about it and developing disordered eating habits. I can speak to this because it happened to me. I was dropping weight like a champ, then I hit stall after stall, and each one lasted longer than the previous one. And I would panic. And I would restrict the amount I ate, I would kick up the intensity and frequency of my work outs. I would have anger and confusion and fear anytime I either didn't lose or I gained a little (turns out, I'm one of the ones that gains 3-5 pounds during a stall and then just sits there for weeks and weeks. Then when the stall breaks, I drop like 6-7 pounds all at once). I had to actually go to a therapist that specializes in bariatric disordered eating (not easy to find, btw) to get my head on straight. And it's still a struggle sometimes. Especially since these last 11 pounds absolutely fight me tooth and nail and just don't want to come off. I said all that to say just be very careful. I never started out intending to have these issues. I thought I'd have the surgery, lose the weight, get healthy, and bada-boom bada-bing, life would be great. But it's never that cut and dry, is it? We can become obsessed with losing the weight, seeing how low we can get the scale, getting into that lower size, looking thinner, never gaining weight again, getting that bmi just a little lower.....and before you know it, you have a whole new eating disorder that's even harder to get out of and we're doing even more damage to our bodies without even meaning to. And we can justify what we're doing because HEY, we got off our meds, we're getting healthier, we're losing the weight, we're EXTENDING OUR LIVES damn it!!! And that's harder to overcome and harder to recognize and going too far than being obese is. We knew we needed help. We knew we were doing wrong. That's why we had the surgery. But now? Now it gets harder to see what we're doing because HEALTH!! WEIGHT LOSS IS GOOD!!! NO MORE MEDS IS THE GOAL!!! JUST A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT OFF CAN'T POSSIBLY BE BAD!!! So please please just be really careful with where you're at now and where you're wanting to get to. Lastly, on the days you're working out (especially the really hard weight days) increase your protein and calories. Your body thinks it's starving, so you need to reassure it that you're not. The heavier the work out, the more your body needs. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food. So give it what it needs, in the amounts it needs, and it'll do what you want it to. Make sure you also have a larger amount of fluids than you normally would on those days, too. Dehydration can really do a number on the body, as well.

You might want to find another doctor. Not doing an ultrasound, not mentioning even the possibility of pcos, not entertaining the idea that cysts and/or fibroids could be the problem....not good.

How are you feeling now? It's been a while since you posted and I'm hoping you're doing better. You should be...what...about 5 weeks post op now. Have things improved?