Deep6

@KD in CT- the surgery is almost the least of it- you'll spend far more time getting sign offs, sitting in doctor's offices waiting and getting tests done, no one of which takes much time, but cumulatively, seems to take forever. Realistically, though, it was only several months. No real pain either- I'm on one of these advanced pain relief protocols that does not involve any dope and though I'm not a tough guy on pain, I haven't experienced much at all. A little soreness if I bend, but otherwise, it's working. Now embarking on liquid diet- the pre-op diet I was on was lo cal, hi protein but normal food in smaller portions until the 14th day- then liquid. They made this easy.

OK, had the gastric bypass and hiatal hernia repair on June 6, spend the night in the hospital. Was actually able to sleep without normal sleeping drugs- because I was exhausted- got up at 3:30am to head to hospital and I think the trauma of surgery wiped me out. But, it went well- all work was done laparoscopically without the need to open me up (I was told that was a possibility if they could not do it all laproscopically). I'm now on a full liquid diet. Pain relief is accomplished without any opioids- using gabapentin, Tylenol and Celebrex. Am supposed to refrain from any protein drinks for 3 days after surgery and will start adding vitamin supplements after first (2-4 weeks) phase. There was very little bleeding (I got off blood thinners several days before surgery). I'm surprised at how good I feel- I did take a long nap after I got home- but did a fair amount of walking today (the first day after surgery). Since I am now post-op, should I start another thread or just continue this one? Thanks for your support. All the folks at the hospital and surgical team were very helpful, pleasant, they even have a discharge lounge to enable those who rely on ride shares to be picked up in a dedicated driveway. (My wife helped here with visits and transportation).

@K- they will absolutely fix the hernia as I understand it, as it is a contributor to the GERD. Interesting (well, maybe not for you) that it exacerbates the asthma. I never had any stomach problems- zero, nada, zilch- until a couple years ago, doing a long drive back from the far west, slamming coffee, eating PayDay candy bars (couldn't imagine eating one of those now) and had a burning sensation in my stomach (no mystery). I started eating Advils like crazy (also not good for stomach lining). That's what started this journey--and my GP said let's do a endoscopy/colonoscopy which resulted in the finding of Barrett's and got me on the PPIs- those in turn led to complications. I was looking for a way out of this vicious circle- since the PPIs in turn led to SIBO, which was horrible. Of course, the weight loss isn't to be discounted as a factor. Truth be told, during Covid, I quit going to the gym, was sitting on my ass and eating lots of delivery food which, all told, probably added 50 lbs. It's strange, the different paths that take us to the same point. Funny thing is, my wife was going stir crazy and I was happy as a pig in _____. I do expect that achieving and maintaining weight loss will allow me better overall health. I'm also looking forward to increased mobility without shortness of breath (I do have mild COPD but I had that for a long time and it only manifest itself if I worked out too hard and got lightheaded). I also had the hernia for a long time but it wasn't an issue until I gained all the weight.

I'm pleased to report that my surgery is now scheduled for early next week. I've been following all the pre-op guidelines to the letter- including the diet. I actually feel pretty good- way better than before and the surgery has yet to happen. Today, I did the pre-admission process at the hospital and the folks there --they have a specialized unit-- could not have been nicer. They use some method to reduce pain that does not involve opioids and the fact that I will be on a liquid diet for the first several weeks after the procedure will no doubt lead to some immediate weight loss. But then the real work begins, and I'm looking forward to it-- walking (something that has been more difficult during the last year due to weight) and eventually getting back to the gym. I am eager to get back into good physical condition. Mentally, I'm psyched. As to food and eating, I've found that even apart from the pre-op diet, my taste for a lot of food and my ability to eat large portions has already diminished due to gastric problems so I'm not going to be disappointed that I can't carve into a big honking' slab of steak. We'll see if my attitude changes over time--I never obsessed over food though I was always a good eater. It's just that all the tumult of gastric pain and reflux made it unenjoyable. And I'm really looking forward to fitting into some clothing that I've not been able to wear for a while. I know this is going to take time, but I feel like I'm fortunate to have explored this path and want to take full advantage of it. Will report back post-surgery and may have questions. The surgeon's office has been wonderful and seems to be very well coordinated with the bariatric unit of the local hospital here. I've been very impressed, having had some terrible hospital experiences in NYC when I lived there.

Alrighty! I jumped all the pre-surgery hoops, from psych profile and initial meeting with dietitian (who was great- went way beyond "food" to discussing behavior), got the cardio sign off after a chemical stress test and even though my primary was ambivalent, he talked directly to the bariatric surgeon- they know each other. It is a small medical community. Everything got submitted to Medicare for approval of insurance coverage. I use nicotine replacement therapy-- nasal spray- it helped me get off the ciggies 13 years ago and that apparently isn't a problem either. So I'm now waiting for the green light from Medicare. (I have a good supplemental program to back it up). I've got fingers crossed that it gets approved- I find my mobility worse than ever, breathing difficult given mild COPD and carrying this weight isn't just a cosmetic/ego thing- it is dragging me down. I have a hard time getting around, climbing stairs, walking any distance. Wish me luck. I'll let you know assuming I go in and get it done- I have Barrett's, GERD and atrial fib (which I attribute in part to the weight gain). I know I have work to do- this is not magic bullet, but I'm psyched! I've been on a modified FODMAP diet for a while. I'm getting close to 70 years old and want to have another ten or more years to travel and do things. I thank all of you for your support. I'm sure I'll have questions as this process continues. But, my continued thanks for this forum and its participants as a resource. regards to all, D6

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thank you. right now, just checking boxes with various med specialists to quality- psych eval, tomorrow, gastroenterologist, still need to see cardio doc and do a stress test, then to primary to sign off. Lots of hoops, but it's apparently all part of a standard practice. I'm generally a "get it done" personality, but I'm being patient with this, and doing research and learning along the way. As I get closer to the actual procedure, I'll probably have some questions. So far, no surprises.

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Thank you both!