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I had bypass surgery 12/28/2022. I think we all probably had the thought, why did I do this? I went in feeling fine, came out feeling like I had been run over. It lasted a few days. Slowly got better. I am now feeling great. I can pretty much eat and drink whatever I want. I just chew it really good and eat small quantities. I hope things are going well for you. Sent from my GN2200 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am supposed to be getting the sleeve and my understanding is that you can have dumping syndrome with both the bypass and the sleeve.

I’m 2 weeks post op on a sleeve to bypass revision. Sleeve was 10 years ago. Never wanted this bypass but reflux was persistent and my doc said, “we’re going to have to do this eventually might as well do it now while your young (52) and healthy.” I had a complication 5 days after surgery with a bowel obstruction at the Juijnem site because of post op swelling was in hospital on only IV fluids for 3 days. It cleared up and now at least my bowels are doing what bowels do on a daily basis. That’s all good, I’ve even lost 16 lbs post op (pound a day). BUT I’m really mourning food in general, solid food in particular and just variety. I’m on full fluids and next week I get to add thinned cottage cheese, ricotta and and oatmeal (all thinned). But I just did the math and it won’t be till April that I can eat solid food. Yes I’m talking to a therapist but I’m just really regretting all of this. I was basically happy with my weight preop (could have worked harder to lose 15 lbs. but I didn’t really care). Now I’m down 35 from before the two week preop Optifast and I just want my life back. I feel like I’ll never be able to enjoy food again, have sushi roll, eat popcorn, a hot dog at a ballgame. One by one I don’t care about any of those menu items but taken together and it’s a normal lifestyle that is now gone and never coming back. This really gets me down.

I'm considering the sleeve but I'm concerned with increase in GERD symptoms. I already have reflux that is controlled with medication. My doctor keeps saying once I lose weight that the GERD will improve. What are your experiences? I've considered the bypass, but absorbing the correct amount of medication and dumping syndrome are holding me back from that procedure. Thanks! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have fibromyalgia (officially diagnosed 12/22) and deal with pain daily. I'm not on any of the medications they have available and trying to learn my body, what it's capable of, and living with it. Has anyone had either the sleeve or bypass as well as fibromyalgia? How has the surgery affected your fibro symptoms? Thanks! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have fibromyalgia (officially diagnosed 12/22) and deal with pain daily. I'm not on any of the medications they have available and trying to learn my body, what it's capable of, and living with it. Has anyone had either the sleeve or bypass as well as fibromyalgia? How has the surgery affected your fibro symptoms? Thanks! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi, not an expert. I did have bypass and am post menopausal, and have significant osteoarthritis. The pain is managed by continuous movement and the weight loss itself. I get steroid shots in the worst offenders, my knees. I would speak to your rheumatologist about pain management with shots as my mother and grandmother did. Vitamins are easy to keep up with if you just keep it a daily habit. The weight loss is slow (that could just be me) but my ability to move and keep moving has been so worth it! Rheumatoid arthritis is no joke and I had a friend loose sight in one eye because it traveled to her iris. Extra weight is one of many forms of inflation in the body. Working to control it has helped my severe asthma too. I kept weighing the odds and quality of life. My grandmother lost the weight and lived independently until 89. My mother didn’t change her lifestyle and died at 67 unable to do the things she enjoyed for the last seven years of her life. My decision was more clear cut. Only you know your delicate balance of pain tolerance and enjoyment of life, and how bad the arthritis can be. You probably have relatives that had RA. How did they get through life?

Gastric Sleeve recovery is very different from Gastric Bypass recovery, in my own experience and from what I have seen from others.

Cool thanks was a bypass btw feel fine 🙂

As @catwoman7 says, people who have a revision on this site seem to have lost weight. You have done well so far and are probably in a stall. Ride it out. Stay off the scales as much as possible. Your weight is on the lower scale so it will be slow going from here but you should get lower. People who have a virgin surgery can get to a lower weight but not all. It must be heaven to get rid of the GERD

25 lbs in six weeks is actually really good. I didn't lose that much until the end of month 2, and mine was a virgin surgery. as far as losing more, some people do lose quite a bit of weight with a revision, but it's more difficult and a lot slower than it was the first time around. Someone (maybe on here? I can't remember) once explained that it's likely due to fact that you went from a large stomach to a small stomach during surgery #1 - and now you're just going from small to small, so the loss will be a lot slower going. It kind of made sense.

I had the sleeve 4 yrs ago and lost 50 pounds , but had severe Gerd which mimicked hunger pains. Literally starved myself down the 50 pounds. I started at 253 went down to 209 and I’m 5’3..4 yrs later 237 pounds had the gastric bypass revision 12/5/2022 now 212 pounds and not really losing as of yet been almost 2 weeks doing everything I’m supposed to do plus walking 2 miles 3-4 times a week and my surgeon says I prolly won’t loose much more cause it was a revision..super depressing.

I had the gastric sleeve 4 yrs ago. I developed real bad Gerd. My surgeon said to do the revision to the gastric bypass. I’m 6 weeks post op and down only 25 pounds and my surgeon says I probably won’t loose much more because it’s a revision. I’m devastated why didn’t they tell me before I did the revision. Has anyone lost significant weight after a revision?

they're both good surgeries and you'll find people on here who have been very successful with both (and also some not-so-successful with both - but that is usually due to bad habits sneaking back in - so you have to really watch that!) as others have said, both have their pros and cons. There are some health conditions that would make one or the other more appropriate for you, but barring that, it really comes down to personal preference. I went with the bypass because, like jeanniebug, I had GERD before I had surgery. There's a decent risk of that getting worse with the sleeve (although it's certainly not inevitable). Some people are willing to take that risk; I was not - so I went with bypass. I've been very happy with my bypass and would choose it again if I had to make the decision today.

It's all *very* personal... I chose the RnY gastric bypass for 2 main reasons: 1. I already had GERD and I knew that the sleeve could make it worse. 2. I wanted to have the fear of dumping to help keep me on track. I'm also T2 diabetic and the bypass seems to have a better resolution rate for that illness.

I had RnY gastric bypass on October 18, 2022. I was told that straws were allowed, as long as they didn't cause gas. So, I've been using straws since the day I came home. If you get the bariatric vitamins, then you'll only need to supplement some calcium. You can buy them separately, but if you do that then you're going to be taking a handful of pills, multiple times a day. And it's really not anymore expensive to just buy the bariatric ones. I got the chewables. The soups you can use are going to depend on your stage. If you're on clear liquids, then you won't be able to have cream soups. Once you're on full liquids, then you can have cream soups - you'll just need to strain them. I was allowed to shower the day after getting home - so on my second day post op. I packed an extra long phone charger (didn't need it), a heating pad (didn't need it), an abdominal binder (I didn't use it in the hospital, but I did use it for a couple of days after I got home), an old pair of slippers that I planned to just throw away (I did use them when walking the halls in the hospital) and a robe (I did use it when walking the halls in the hospital). Other than that, I just wore home the same clothes that I wore to the hospital. I knew that I was only going to be staying one night, so I didn't bring any toiletries. I did not have a drain placed, thanks be to God. I've heard those are unpleasant to have removed.

I am scheduled for bypass on Feb. 7th. Getting very excited but a little nervous!

It did. I lost 127 lbs. But I really could lose 100 more. Since I can't go back to revision, bypass, they arw suggesting medication. Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello all. I'm new to the group. I had my surgery 16 months ago. My surgeon is starting to push for me to start weight loss medication. My insurance will not cover any revision surgery. What arw your thoughts? Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

Ah now that’s a complicated question & there is no definitive answer. There’ll be those who tell you sleeve is the best or bypass is the way to go, etc. The thing to remember is that was the surgery that was best for them. And yes there’ll be those who say they wished they’d chosen another surgery. There are some issues that can make one surgery a much better option over another. For example if you have pre existing reflux/gerd sleeve is not for you or you have a lot of weight to lose bypass may be a better choice. There are other pre existing conditions that may need to be taken into consideration too. As well as factors like your weight loss & gain history, lifestyle, eating style & preferences, etc. Best advice is to do lots of reading & gather information like this yourself & then have a long conversation with your surgeon & see what they recommend based on your medical status, general health & with consideration of the factors mentioned above & then make your decision. As for the long term effects of, I presume maintaining your weight, it really comes down to you. The changes you’re willing to make to your eating, how compliant you are in the long term with your new way of eating, the activity you choose to add to your lifestyle, etc. The surgery is a tool & it’s success depends on how you use it & the sustainability of the changes you make. My surgeon recommended a sleeve after going through everything with me & answering my questions. I was leaning that way anyway as I didn’t want as major a change as with bypass. My weight had only become a serious obese issue with menopause before that I bounced between a BMI of 23 healthy & 29 overweight). I had some existing food sensitivities. I dislike taking medications. Didn’t have any co morbidities - my general health was good. Was fairly controlled about a lot of my eating & was aware of food choices, portion sizes, etc. Didn’t want the increased possibility of dumping (already had random episodes of hypoglycaemia) or absorption issues (especially calcium & iron as a menopausal woman). And yes, it was the right choice for me & my situation & needs. I lost all my weight & more. I’m only 3.75yrs out but have pretty much maintained my weight except for a very fast 2kg (4lbs) gain after my gall was removed in June 2021 which reduced my absorption of protein (so made a dietary change) & we also recently discovered my HRT. I had lost about 0.5kg of the 2kgs over almost a year but since I went on a HRT patch 3 months ago I’ve lost a kg without trying (Damn hormones - or lack of in my case.) Will be interesting to see if the last 0.5kg goes too & I end up where I was at 49kg. That’s my story anyway. All the best whichever surgery you choose.

It took me 2-3 weeks to get to a point where I could sustain an adequate level of thought to muddle through working at home. It was a combination of getting to a point where pain wasn't completely disabling and the ability to consume enough calories consistently to keep my brain working. It was only about a week more before I could manage office attendance. A work acquaintance just had Gastric Bypass a couple months ago and was useless for work for 6 weeks which included a bad period of a couple weeks that had him back in the hospital for a couple days. Part of his problem was trying to work too hard too soon which compounded the other issues. If there's a lesson it's don't push too hard too soon. Good luck, Tek

I work from home full-time and will be having surgery on a Tuesday morning. How long should I plan to be off work?

there aren't many surgeons who are placing lapbands these days because there were so many complications with them. A lot of people have had them removed and have had the sleeve or bypass done instead. I suppose there are some still out there who might place a lapband, but it might be hard to find one who does. The lapband has largely been replaced by the sleeve as the non-RNY option. You might want to chat with a bariatric surgeon - let him/her know your concerns and see what they recommend. If the person you talk to doesn't work with lapbands anymore and that's what you really want, they may know of someone who still works with those. Or they may reassure you about your revision options. At any rate, it'd be good to talk to a specialist about all of this.

I have been researching sleeve vs gastric bypass. I also take Methotrexate for inflammatory arthritis and was concerned about being able to continue taking it if I go with the bypass option. In my research I found that it’s possible to switch to the injectable form rather than the pill form (which I understand cannot be taken after bypass because it’s in the NSAIDs class). I did read also though that some say it can still be damaging since it still goes through the bloodstream. I’m also interested in hearing from anyone who has chosen the bypass option and how they manage their rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory arthriis.