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It's totally natural to be scared! But trust me when I say this, there's very little to be scared about. Having any kind of gastric surgery has about the same risk as having an appendectomy. However, the thing to remember is that the heavier you are, the more risk there is for you on the operating table (assuming you have no other major health issues which would impact this). The good news is that surgeons have been doing this for quite a while now and have reduced surgery times significantly. Of course, you have to speak to your doctor about your own issues, but I imagine you would have to lose some weight before surgery (often you need to, to be approved by the insurance company). This is not only better for the surgery itself (in terms of complications, it also helps to shrink your liver, which is important for the surgery as well), but to get you on the right track in terms of eating habits. Also, having surgery is NOT CHEATING. It is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT. I've written about this extensively before, but basically obese people, especially morbidly obese people, have a ton of things stacked against them when it comes to losing weight. Low metabolism, lots of fat cells (which you can never lose, only shrink), leptin-resistance, insulin-resistance, food addiction, etc -- all conspire against your weight loss efforts. There's a reason why people lose weight, then plateau, then regain (probably more than where they started from) - it's the body fighting back to get back to where it was. There are lots of books and research done about this, I highly recommend the book Fat Chance as a good overview. What surgery does (bypass or sleeve) is it "resets" the body back to normal. Hunger is gone (literally - that part of your stomach gets cut out). Metabolism goes back to normal. If you're diabetic, you have a good chance of not being one after surgery. They're still not sure why this happens, but it does. And what that does is it gives you a fighting chance to lose weight and to keep it off. To answer your other questions: What if I still want to use food to cope, what if I fail, what if I die? This is probably why you'll need a psych evaluation and you'll have to have some kind of counselling, or group sessions, or something like that, to help you deal with these issues. A lot of people who get the surgery are able to deal with their food addictions afterwards, but you have to be careful about transferring your addiction (as a coping mechanism) to something else, like alcohol. That happens. As for dying - honestly, at your current weight, that is a reality that will come sooner, rather than later, if you do nothing. The chances of dying in surgery are extremely low, and the success you can achieve from it is worth the risk. Is it worth it/ do you regret it? Yes! I've done it twice now - sleeve, and a recent revision to bypass. Why? Because I failed - I went back to old habits, and after a while it was too difficult for me to realise any kind of success. I'm angry that I had to do it twice, but I don't have any regrets about it. I feel great, I have a different relationship to food, and my failure the first time taught me a lot about what I can and cannot do. I'll have to be careful about what I eat for the rest of my life. Do you feel like your life is normal? Yes. In the beginning, it's a bit harder due to food restrictions and the size of your stomach, but after a while you just get to know what you can handle and what you can't. Can you do it with 50/50 support from those around you? I did it with ZERO support from anyone - I did this by myself (self-paid) and have not told anyone about it. Not family, not friends (well, a couple of old friends, by they live halfway around the world from me). It's nobody's business but my own. Not everyone does this, a lot of people share, but many people regret sharing. Unless you are truly confident in what you are doing, and you are confident in the support of those you confide in, you may want to consider how much you tell, and to whom. Do you have to lose weight first? In most cases, yes. Is the loose skin as bad as people make it out to be? It depends on the person. Your age, how long you've been overweight/obese, how much you lose, etc. all impact what your skin will do afterwards. In many cases people will opt for some sort of plastic surgery afterwards to deal with problematic areas. Hair loss? It's common to have hair loss after surgery, during pregnancy, etc. It happens to most people but it only lasts for a couple of months, is probably not noticeable to anyone but yourself (unless you already have extremely thin/thinning hair), and it will start to grow back. Tips? Think of things you want to do in your life that you can't, because of your current weight. It may help you with your motivation about what to do. Educate yourself - not just on forums like this, but find real articles, books, that look at real research and make your own decisions based on that. It seems overwhelming at first, and it can take time to overcome your reluctance, but in the end it's worth it. ~Thank you all for your love and support!!! Also how do I update my profile? CW, surgery date, type, etc.? It's better to do this on a computer, not a phone. Go to the top of the page and click your username. There's a dropdown menu. You can update your profile there. Near the bottom of the menu is says "My Surgery" - that's where you can put your surgery information, and update your weight, etc.

Hi all, New to this site and living in the UK - I had revision surgery on March 5th - Sleeve to SADI. 4 weeks out today!

Had my revision on Feb 3, 2020. Noticed that the weight isn’t coming off as fast and easy as it did the first time. Any thoughts?

Hopefully some who have had a revision to bypass because of reflux will be able to add some suggestions, my only suggestion would be to make sure you are sleeping with a few pillows so you are sitting up a little, but I am guessing you are doing that already.

I had revision from sleeve to bypass on 3/5, due to severe reflux. The day after surgery I already felt the reflux still, I’m so disappointed. I still have reflux, the medicine isn’t working to keep it away. It’s not as bad as it was before surgery but it’s still there daily and still wakes me up. Has anyone else had revision for reflux and not had it go away like me? What did you do next? My dr said maybe it will still go away, and if it doesn’t hopefully it won’t be as bad as it was before, I don’t accept that as an answer. It needs to go!

@AliciaBoyles ..... Lets start with the obvious. He is your BF... and sounds like a controlling ****. Your child, is it his? Not that it really makes a difference. Did anyone ever warn you about the high % of people that lose relationships due to WLS? (raises hand, screaming meeeee) I can see so much of what you said in myself. I meet my x in the late 90ies, we have one son together. We were married for 26 years. When we first got together i was 5'2" and about 100lbs. very tiny. After having my son i started putting on weight. He would make comments about me gaining and that i was fat and ugly and that no one would want me if i left him. He was very controlling. He controlled everything... Me, son, money, house.... even the food i was allowed to buy, i didn't even have a CC for our account. He would give it to me, send me to the store and as soon as i walked he i would have to turn it over to him. He is 6'4" so even when he would gain a few, he was still ok. Years went by and my confidence and self-worth went down to nothing.... It was everything to get out of bed and go to work every day. My weight kept going up up up.... my HW 232#. One day i was talking to a co worker and she told me about her WLS (band). I started researching and knew i could get approved. So i mentioned it to him.... He BLEW HIS TOP. Saying i didn't love him anymore and that i was being selfish... oh and i must have another man on the side that i wanted to lose weight for. I didn't start my WL journey because i wanted to get healthy... i wanted to "save my marriage". I wanted him to find me attractive again (sex 1-4 x's a year). In my crazy head if i lost the weight he would love me again like he use too........ NOT. It didn't help at all, in fact, it made it worse. He became even more of an a$$ hole than before. He bacame more controlling... I couldn't even have a cell phone. Well i didn't listen to him and had the Band in 2009. It saved me in so many ways. My weight (at 143) and my mental health. I woke up from this fog that i had been in for 25+ years. I realized that i didn't have to live like that anymore. Even if i were to never meet a man and live the rest of my life alone.... i was ok with that. I divorced him. last Sept. i married the most amazing man EVER. Here is something to think about..... If your Best friend would come to you and tell you the same things that you are going through.... What would you tell her? You need to prepare yourself... lots of people start cheating (both ways). I know tons of women in your situation that found out later that their husband started cheating when they started losing. He is looking for a way out.... he's not happy with the overweight you, now he's not happy with the slimmer you. He basically making you chose him or your health and happiness. There is one problem... HE doesn't have to do your dying for you. God forbid something happened.... Trust in the fact that he would go on and find another woman to control. My ex told me to stop losing weight and at first, i did, then i thought...... F*ck him.. i'm doing this for me. I need to take care of me. He is a grown a$$ man. Now he has no one to cook, clean, work, make his appointments, pick up his RX's, take care of the dog, take care of the yard..... He didn't even know how to turn on the dishwasher..... My life is so amazing now, there no way i could tell everyone without people say..... Man she is full of sh*t... No man does all that. My band had to be removed in 2017, after i was divorced. Over the last 2.5 years i put back 30 and got up to 173.5. I talked to him about a revision.... He said, i think you are absolutely beautiful, but i will support what ever choice you make.... he is my biggest cheerleader (although no one else knows). But if someone comes up to him and says....Chris has lost a lot of weight..... He tells them i know, she looks great. She just changed the way she eats.... BAM!!! husband of the year award. Read and really try and answer the question @Krimsonbutterflies asked.... they are great. don't be like me and wake up 25 years later and think.... WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING.... Two words...... BE HAPPY!!!!

When I first got my surgery I was in so much pain that I was not able to weigh in as often as I did before surgery, which was daily. Then I went to every 1 or 2 weeks. With this ridiculous COVID-19 I am back to daily, mainly because before all of this craziness started I was told by my nurse that I will probably have to have revision surgery because my weight-loss should have slowed down by now. I told her that I do not ever, ever, ever, again want to do any surgery, EVER again. I don't regret the surgery but, surgery again, no thank you. I had somewhat of a nightmare of a surgery story. So, right before the craziness I tried to up my calories a bit more and I think that I was successful in actually being able to maintain my weight for almost a month. Which sadly, I had NEVER been able to accomplish before so yeah, Yay! me, anyhow I am back at daily due to the fact of all the worry that I have been overcome with because of this horrible virus, I have had no appetite, therefore not eating, therefore losing an unhealthy amount of weight in far too short of an amount of time. Side note: Yes! people it is a lie that you will feel no hunger once you have had a weight-loss surgery, perhaps it depends on the style of surgery, I don't know. I am back at protein shakes, dare I say (bwwaahahaa) journaling my food intake and weighing myself daily.

Perfect! Then I’m happy. I’m down another pound this morning so that’s good. My surgeon actually told me weightloss will be just as fast with the revision. He may be basing that off the ridiculous success I had with my sleeve because they were NOT expecting me to lose more than 100% of my excess body weight. I looked and felt incredible. Too bad I couldn’t keep it off. Oh well. I am bound and determined to do it right this time!! I won’t get another do-over.

weight loss is typically slower with revisions than it is with original surgeries, but 13 lbs in two weeks is a lot even for an original surgery - and especially given your low starting BMI.

most surgeons will recommend bypass if you've had issues with GERD. It will get worse with the sleeve about 30% of the time - so whether or not it will for you is kind of a crap shoot. I had GERD and was warned - so I went with bypass. I did not want to risk it getting any worse. your surgeon will advise you on which way he/she thinks you should go based on your specific health conditions, but I don't think most would refuse to do surgery A or surgery B if you were insisting on it. But I would be careful with the GERD factor. I've been on this and other bariatric forums for several years and have seen a lot of people have to revise due to GERD. It may not happen to you - but there's no way to know that ahead of time. also, malabsorption typically isn't a problem if you stay on top of your supplements. You'll have to take supplements with the sleeve as well.

I always wonder about the people writing about "brimming with energy" 3 weeks after WLS. Well, not this gal here... How much food the pouch can comfortably hold is depending on the patient (e. g. did they a pouch/sleeve-resizing or not, how much swelling is still around) and what you put into the pouch. I can eat way more than 0.5 cup. I'm 4 weeks out of revision from MGB to RNY. I'm always surprised how little other patients seem to be able to eat or drink. Totally normal. You're putting food weight into your system again. Revision weight loss is said to be much slower. You're also at a relatively low BMI of 32 - I wouldn't expect quicker weight loss.

I think you're doing well! I also revised from sleeve to bypass a week before you did, and I've only lost 10 pounds in three weeks. But I'm not worried. I feel good (except for the constipation (!)), have a lot of energy, and can see the difference in my face, my collarbones (they've magically re-appeared!), and the way my clothes fit. Next week will time for my monthly measurements, so I'm sure I'll see a lot of progress there too. As for food, I can also eat about 1/2 cup of food, but unless it's a puree or liquid (like soup), I'm trying to make it less than that in one serving. I've been on soft foods for the past week, so I'm much more conscious of what I'm eating and how it will affect me. So far, so good - no issues with anything I've tried.

Hello everyone. I’m a newbie but not completely new. I had a sleeve in 2013 and lost 118lbs. I regained 70 so I revised to bypass on 3/11. I’m 2 weeks out today and things seem to be going really well. I haven’t had any vomiting or discomfort really of any kind with my pouch. The worst part has been the pain from the procedure. I’m starting to feel more like myself now but I’m still really weak and tired. I’m able to eat about a half cup of food at this point. So I’m wondering, is that normal? How much should I be able to eat right now? I feel like 1/2 cup is a lot. Also, I’ve lost 13lbs and then regained 2 when I started purées. I do know that with a sleeve there is “the dreaded 3 week stall” and I assume it’s the same with the bypass so I’m ready for it. But just wondering, is 13lbs normal at this stage? With my sleeve I lost 21lbs in the first 2 weeks. I’m thinking that is a lot and 13 is good but just wanted to check. Thanks in advance for any feedback I get. It’s much appreciated!!

I had my sleeve done in Feb 2017, but after the first year where I lost 100 pounds, I regained about 60. I tried doing pouch resets but they didn't last. I could eat a full plate of food, not as much as I once did (because let's be honest, I probably could eat 2 plates of food), but certainly a lot more than anyone who had had the sleeve should have been able to eat - the restriction was really not there for me. So just over 3 weeks ago I had a revision to RNY (long-limbed). My surgeon and I discussed the possibilities and this was his recommendation based on his experience as a surgeon: People who re-sleeved had the lowest amount of weight loss after a revision People who had a mini gastric bypass (which basically keeps the sleeve but adds a long-limbed bypass - usually about 100-150cm) do great in terms of weight loss, but at least 10% will suffer from GERD afterwards, which will require another surgery People who revised from sleeve to a standard RNY (which is a short-limbed bypass) didn't lose as much weight overall with that procedure People who revised from sleeve to a standard RNY but with a long-limbed bypass did the best with weight-loss and without the complications of developing GERD. So I went with this option (not only because of this, but because of other gastro-intestinal issues I have). In any event, I would talk to your surgeon about what you want to achieve and what is the best option for you, your sleeve, and what your own particular health needs are.

I know when i got the band my body stopped losing at 143. I am 5'2" and my SW was 232#. There i stayed for 7+ years. Until i had to get her out 3 years ago in 2017. Over the last few years, i put back 30#. I decided to do a revision and got sleeved 8/28/19. SW 173.5, today 129. My weight loss is slowing and currently only losing about a pound a month. Your body will definitely decide on where it wants to be. But, you have to be doing everything you can to make sure you are doing your part. Continue to portion out your food and exercise. You will benefit greatly from logging in and weighting/portioning what you eat. Exercising in a different way will help also. If you simply cut back your cal to 1000 per day and up your exercise... you will start to lose again.

I absolutely understand the disappointment und frustration all of you must feel. I also think it's important to talk about this and no, maybe coming across "a bit selfish" doesn't matter. Come across as "selfish" as you like. Whenever the disappointment and frustration hits and you're all like "F*ck this damn virus!!", maybe you could remember some things: - your surgery is postponed, not cancelled. - you wouldn't want to be in a hospital now or in a few weeks down the road if you can help it. - ICU capacity is limited and every surgery has the potential to bring on the need for being on the ICU. You don't want to need a bed on the ICU during the next weeks because there might be none available the moment you need it. - you don't want to be in immediate recovery from abdominal surgery as long as COVID-19 runs rampant. My revision is 4 weeks ago now, the fixing of a hernia only a week and I'm asking myself if my immune system is already as competent as it usually is - not a fun thing to ask yourself these days. When feeling all of this completely understandable frustration and disappointment maybe try to remember that WLS is always abdominal surgery including general anesthesia with lots of complications being possible and not a quick and unproblematic surgery so many patient's recovery is really easy from. I'm absolutely sure that all people on this thread are completely aware of the things I wrote above. However, it can be hard to remember when disappointment and frustration hits. Hang in there! Your surgery is postponed, not cancelled.

Thank you for the helpful response; I hope to find out if revisions due to lack of weight loss efficacy are performed and/or covered. Am stumped as to why I am doing everything right on my end, but getting nowhere...I’m terrified Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Often revisions are covered when they're because of complications. With the sleeve, quite a few patients develop severe GERD.

I would love to know if insurance covers revisions and what circumstances, if any, this is the case...I have searched my heart out and can’t find any answers in forums-feel I may need an evaluation to consider revision or *something* to address my October 13th ‘19 sleeve with current weight loss(3/24) of only 15lbs post surgery...I am devastated

Of course - any calorie deficit will most likely result in weight loss. I think what the surgeons are referring to is the honeymoon period after surgery, where weight loss will happen the most rapidly, and the most easily. Eventually it does slow down, and for many people, hunger returns. But I've known people on this site, and other places online, who lost 80-90% of their weight in the first year (often faster), but took 2-3 years to get to their goal weight. It's not impossible. But I think it also sets up people to feel like a failure if they DON'T reach their goal, and that's not true either. Many people make it to the overweight BMI and can't go further into the healthy range (or can, but find it harder to maintain). But even then they've lost 80% or more of their excess weight. That's something to be proud of. Even for myself, I'm trying to manage expectations - I'd like to get to a healthy BMI, but I know that weight loss is usually not as dramatic with revision surgery, and that it will probably take me longer to get there (if ever).

I made it under the wire by 3 days and they cancelled on 3/15 for 3/18 the first time. I understand the safety aspect. glad you’re doing well. mine is just a revision so I’ll be okay.

So now once again my Surgery, revision, has been CANCELLED. was postponed for 3/18 to 4/25 now cancelled all together. ;-(

So now once again my Surgery, revision, has been CANCELLED. was postponed for 3/18 to 4/25 now cancelled all together. ;-(

I can't help myself, I find this statement more and more irritating the longer I'm out of WLS, especially that one about "the window of weight loss closing". It puts patients into an unnecessary state of anxiety and builds up equally unnecessary pressure. I wonder if surgeons and dietitians sometimes are being misinterpreted here or - if they're interpreted correctly - if they're aware of the consequences they provoke. My first surgery was 2001. The MGB was almost 4 years ago. After my latest revision 4 weeks ago my weight went down again during the liquid phase (i. e. eating less calories than my body is used to) and I'm in the middle of a normal BMI range. My findings are: if I'm in a calorie deficit (screw the macros) I'm losing weight. I doubt I'm the big exception. However, creating this calorie deficit is definitely harder for some people! (Think age, height, gender etc.).

I had my revision to bypass three weeks ago but did not have to do any bowel prep. In fact, I was told to eat a carb rich meal for dinner the night before surgery (which I did). Surgery went well and other than gas pain on the first day post-op, haven’t had any problems since. (Ahhh...that’s not true. Now that I’m soft foods constipation has become an issue, but that’s another topic...)