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I went through the same thing as you - In Dec 2016 I got the sleeve and lost about 120 lbs in about 6 months. Then over the next few years for various reasons I stopped following the plan and put almost all of it back on. I had revision surgery to a bypass this past November and am down about 75 lbs so far and still losing, best thing I ever did for myself.

My wife had it done , believe it or not 17 yrs ago but is still struggling with it she is very supportive me having it done but is still giving me advice on the gastric bypass she was doing really well for a long time until she started having a lot of issues around dumping and getting sick all the time, i don't think im going to have to lose any weight before the SX im up to 290 however only 5 8 but ill know soon enough when i have my next appt , i had my first one this morning it went awesome, how are you doing bud ? PS: you had better br good i just might get the boys after you....kidding ...LOL

Hi All! Its been a while since I posted anything or been active. I found out in November that I was pregnant. I was 8 months out of surgery when I got pregnant. My fiance and I had just gotten engaged a few months before and were planning our wedding. So it was definitely a surprise! I was really nervous about proceeding with the pregnancy. I just knew I would be ready in just one more year (I've been saying that for the last 5 years!) BUT I was pregnant now, 33, in a great relationship, with a stable income, healthier then Ive been in a while and all out of excuses not to start my family. So my journey began... I am currently 23 weeks pregnant! This is my first pregnancy so I have nothing to compare it with but this has been my experience in case any of you find yourself in my situation. Its hard to find doctors who understand how VSG affects my pregnancy. They understand that I need to be monitored more but don't really get the nuances. One example; I was given this HUGE jug to collect my urine over 24 hours. When I returned it, I was told that they need AT LEAST 4X more urine than I had collected. They were convinced I didn't collect all my urine. I told them that was everything I had to give! They told me to drink more water. Now this community knows how hard that task is. I still can not eat and drink at the same time. I also cant just drink a gallon of water in one go. It feels like a herculean task. I have tried 3 times and have still not filled this jug! I've learned that drinking tea increases my urine output so I have hope for my next attempt. I was really sick throughout my first and second trimester. I already had bad acid reflux before and after surgery and was taking omeprazole to relieve it. Turns out you can't take anything stronger than Tums while pregnant. So on top of the normal nausea, I felt the need to throw up to relieve my indigestion and heartburn. I started really hating food when everyone else kept trying to feed me more! I've been feeling better now though. I was allowed to take pepcid and it actually helps. Now, I have the desire to eat more but still cant eat more than a few bites of anything in one sitting. My food also takes forever to digest so I have to be really picky about what I eat. Fruits are my best friend! I kept my surgery a secret. My fiance and sister are the only ones I told about my VSG. So no one really gets why Im having a hard time eating more. They also keep wanting to see my belly but Im not sure how to explain my incisions. It feels too late to say anything now... so its awkward and more isolating than it could have been. But my family can be SUPER judgy so I think they would just find a way to make me feel bad about it and I don't need the added stress. I get to do more sonograms than your average mom to be. Because of my VSG and previous hypertension, I'm monitored more and have more doctor visits. I really don't mind! I love getting to see whats going on in there! So far so good... mostly. I keep expecting the docs to say my baby isn't growing or Im malnourished but that doesn't seem to be the case. Everything is progressing normally and baby looks good. They did mention that one of babys kidneys is not eliminating waste as it should. The other kidney is fine but they want to keep an eye on it. Of course we are worried but its actually pretty common and generally resolves itself. If it doesn't, there is a small procedure to fix it after birth (if necessary) so we are trying not to sweat it. I got Covid. I'm a teacher and as soon as the mask mandate was removed, I got COVID. Never mind that Ive been vaccinated, boosted and was still wearing my mask! Im actually recovering now. (SIDE NOTE: We seem to be having a second surge at my school. I wonder if any other teachers (or parents) have noticed that?) I was EXTREMELY sick the first week. I was lightheaded, coughing, full of mucus, achy and just couldn't get out of bed. I also couldn't take any medicines because of the pregnancy. My mom kept sending me home remedies but when I looked them up, there was always a warning for pregnant people. I just had to ride it out. Baby seems ok but I'll know more at my appointment next week. As far as my VSG goals... I was 195-200 lbs when I found out I was pregnant (SW:267) and had been stalled there for almost 2 months. I was getting a bit discouraged because my whole weight loss process had been so slow and felt harder for me than it seemed like it was for some people here. I also had a friend who had her VSG after me and had lost almost twice as much weight as I had so I knew it wasn't in my head. I started drinking again and sneaking in more cheat snacks. When I found out I was pregnant, I cut out all alcohol and was really strict about making sure the little food I ate was good for baby. I dropped 20-25 more pounds. Im currently 175 lbs. I havent really gained any weight. Part of me is happy about that and still trying to get to my goal of 155 while pregnant. But I know I have to put on weight for baby. It's really a mind f**k. Doctors say the baby is growing normally so there isn't much to worry about... yet. Technically I'm still overweight and they don't recommend as much weight gain for overweight moms. Im entering my third trimester now and am supposed to put on 1-2 lbs a week. We'll see how that goes. Im still trending downwards... If you made it to the end, thanks for reading through this entire post. I hope it helps. I hope to update you with only good news in the weeks to come! Last note, I'm having a girl! So exciting!!! My VSG has definitely complicated things but I think we made the right decision and I am really excited about entering this next chapter of my life healthier than I have been in years!

Hey! I'm happy to report that after getting on extra strength stool softeners and extra water, I'm going regular again. I never thought I'd be happy to go to the bathroom yet here I am.. Anyway, I'm terrified of gallbladder attacks and getting my galbladder removed. Supposedly its common after weight loss surgery. I noticed that my stool is very light colored, like yellowish pale which I hear is a sign of bile issues but I also eat a lot of dairy, yogurt for breakfast, cheese for snacks, protein drinks and so on. Is this the first sign of gallbladder issues or just my new weird diet? Anyone have experience with this post op from gastric bypass? Thanks! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had a gastric bypass about 7 weeks ago and while I am down 43 pounds so far I am a bit concerned. I have had a hunger feeling since the day after surgery, I was able to drink without issue post surgery. As my diet progressed I found I was able to tolerate all foods fine and eat and drink as I did prior to surgery without any of the signs and signals others had warned me about such as the foamies, the urge to vomit, nausea, clear full feeling etc. I force myself to stop eating at around 6 ounces of food but I do not feel satisfied after. Also I have found that I am craving sweets which I never really ate pre surgery. And as of this last week the scale stopped going down and I gained back 2.5 pounds while my diet and exercise have remained the same. I am feeling a bit discouraged that something is wrong with me or my surgery.

Hello everyone! I am new here and just wanted to say hello. I decided I wanted to get bariatric surgery done last year but I wanted to wait till January to start, that way everything went to my deductible for my insurance. My husband I am are both going to get the bypass done. I first saw the doctor January 24th and my husband saw her Feb 4th. We both have different insurances, my insurance only required one nutritionist appointment and the psych evaluation. My husband has to have 2 nutritionist appointments and the psych evaluation. I am completely done with everything and he has one more nutritionist appointment. We would like to have surgery the same day or around the same time. My starting weight was about 260, I do not have a goal weight. My goal is just to get healthy and be more active. Has anyone done this with a spouse? How did it go, did you have it done at the same time or different times?

New to the group, had my gastric bypass surgery on March 2, 2022 I just wanted to know if anybody else developed hives after 3 weeks post op?

it's done mostly for sleeve patients (usually for severe GERD that can't be controlled medically). They go back in there and convert it to an RNY (gastric bypass) or DS (duodenal switch). (NOTE: it's not common, but what I mean is, people who get revisions are usually sleeve patients) it's kind of rare to do a revision for a gastric bypass, because they have to reverse the whole thing and then do a sleeve or DS. Only a handful of surgeons in the country are qualified to do that particular surgery. I can't imagine converting from an RNY to a sleeve because the RNY is a more powerful surgery. But I've heard of some RNY patients revising to DS, which is even more powerful than the RNY. But again, it's a very complicated surgery, and very few surgeons do it (in these cases, it's usually done for greater weight loss, usually. I can't think of any medical reasons to do it other than further weight loss)

all those numbers you've cited are just averages. You could lose more or less than those, depending on your level of commitment. for example, the average weight loss with gastric bypass is 70% of the person's excess weight. That doesn't mean you, personally, are going to lose 70% of your excess weight. That's just the average - and with any average, you'll always find people who fall outside of that. We have people on here who only lose 20% of their excess weight- and others who lose 100%. It all comes down to your level of commitment. So I'd take those numbers you've been given or read with a grain of salt. Yes - they'll give you a ballpark idea - but they're only averages, and depending on how hard you work at this, you could do better..or worse...than those averages.

You are not failing it sounds like you're trying to do to much to soon in that you're thinking you are eating to fast perhaps you are , my wife had gastric bypass years ago and she told me when she catches herself eating to fast she puts the fork down so that literally stops her from eating all together and it makes her aware what she's doing , she also told me in between bites even if she is not eating to fast she still puts' her fork down to get her in the habit of stopping herself from doing this , am i making sense, i cant say i know how you feel but i can tell you i eat fast and at times she watches me eat she says to me " if i ate as fast as you do i would get sick" i, i can only imagine how you must feel i can sense that you might be putting pressure on yourself to do it "perfect" there is no way to do it "perfect" there is only one way and that is your way and that's to try and slow down and remember its not a race therefore slow down the good thing is you are aware of it and that's huge some people never make that connection you did so you're a step ahead of the diet be gentle with yourself you will be ok i promise coming here and venting is so ok that's what we are here for , i am here if you want to talk and if we become friend who knows i wish you well truly i do just relax the rest will fall into place.😊 Coop

Hi Holly, Unfortunaely, I have no idea what the cost was because I have not seen a bill yet, nor any statement from my insurance company (Blue Cross Federal Employee Plan). I have no doubt that one longer surgery would cost less than two separate ones. In my case they discovered that there were adhesions between the band and liver and there was some scarring of the esophagus. If they weren't doing the bypass right after I'd have had to live with reflux, pain, etc. due to that not being fixed. I suggest you find a better doctor who will take care of everything at one go (NOT medical advice!!). I can post the costs once I know them.

Hi there I've been taking lamictol 150mg BID for over 20 years for seizure disorder after vrain surgery. I have been seizure free for 16 years. I am having gastric bypass April 6 2022. We did a baseline level and will continue to do a few levels in 2 week intervals. My question is how much is not absirbed if anyone knows? Just a little nervous as it has been controlled so long. Thoughts/suggestions please. Thank you

I was sleeved in Dec 2016, lost about 120 lbs in 6 months. Then I slacked off and put it almost all back on. Got revision to bypass in Nov 2021, down over 70 lbs so far and still losing - I feel great and my only two regrets are not sticking with the program the first time, and not getting the revision sooner.

Congratulations on your revision! That's awesome that the surgery went so well and you are managing the pain well. I want to get my lap band removed & get the gastric bypass at the same time. The surgeon's office that I called said the doctor only does one surgery at a time. I'd have to wait to get the band removed and wait for three months before he would do the gastric bypass. I don't want to go through two surgeries and my insurance will only pay for one surgery "per lifetime". If you don't mind sharing, what did your surgeon charge for the two procedures? I've read it can cost around 10-12k to remove the band and 20-25k for a gastric bypass. I'm sure it has to be cheaper to do both at the same time then do the two operations separately. Thanks for any info you can provide! Holly Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello there everyone, it's been quite a while since I've been on here, I was sleeved in 2017 only lost 40 pounds! well I've found those pounds, doctor said that I never reached full potential and should consider bypass, anyone out there able to relate? If so how are you doing?

LOL, I super don't get that. It's not like you wake up and think "oh, today I won't have bariatric surgery' - why would you do that? I can eat a full meal with MGB if I wanted to, I'll just feel satisfied a lot sooner than that. Notice I said satisfied, not "in pain". It's awesome they can move my bypass point 50 cm in the future if need be (say, regain). Or if I need surgery on the remnant stomach, they can stitch me back up, do it, and then re-do the bypass.

Ah but we get to the goal of long(er than you) lives, stress free and happy directly - bypassing the work stress. And what can be more efficient than that? I'll see you at the beach, mine's a mojito! Edit: Skål! https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/16/spain-to-beat-japan-2040-world-life-expectancy-league-table

I had VSG in November 2016. I never really lost the weight I had hoped (lost about 30 pounds). I'm sure a lot of it has to do with my choices because I really want to get the extra weight off. I recently met with my surgeon to discuss my options and after having a Bravo Endoscopy, we learned I have extremely bad acid reflux (I didn't need a procedure to learn that but whatever). He also stated that I have a hiatal hernia. Today he advised me to undergo gastric bypass which will completely eradicate the reflux. I was hoping to go in for a duodenal switch but he stated that wasn't a good option for me. Does anyone have any experience on vsg to rny with great weight loss results?

Thank you for sharing. Sadly I am in the same position and today is my 3rd day without alcohol and the withdrawals have been so bad that I needed medication from the doctor to get through it. My blood pressure raised at such high levels it was dangerous. All this is such a shock to me and before my bypass back in December 2017 I was never really interested in alcohol but over the last few years my drinking has increased so much so it had taken over my life…I seemed to look forward to the joy it gave me and the quick fix that food no longer could give me. I am hoping I can keep going and start to feel better soon. I hope to learn to live my life without alcohol and the extra weight gain from the late night snacks and start to enjoy eating healthy and to feel alive again! 🙏🏽

WooHoo, you can do hard things! I start my liquid preop diet today and have my bypass on 4/5, its all really happening!

No problem. It's called the mini because it's a simpler surgery than the roux-en-y bypass. There's nothing called the full bypass (I think the duodenal switch people would disagree with roux-en-y being a more full bypass than theirs, too). Nope, MGB has a larger stomach and it's more open on the end, that's how it works: it delivers food to the small intestine really fast. This makes you feel satisfied very fast (but not stuffed) because the undigested food 'lands' further down the small intestine almost immediately. The body then says 'hold on, if we have this much undigested food all the way down here, better send signals we've had plenty of food'. Again, I assume you're referring to roux-en-y bypass, also called RNY or RYGB. I'm not the best to answer this; if I wanted restriction-only, I could've had my jaws wired shut, I guess? No surgery will fix the binge-eating hunger. (Group) therapy and hard and honest mental work will. I'd really look into other treatment options than surgery at this time, because it seems the issue is somewhere else? Thank you, that's very kind. I wouldn't be a very good-looking woman Best of luck!

Wow, your so educated about bariatric procedures. I am so impressed. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions so thoroughly. I was under the impression the reason why the mini bypass was called mini when compared to the full bypass was because the mini had less intestinal bypass. So I guess was wrong and the by pass has more intestinal bypassing? When comparing the full to mini bypass, is the stomach made smaller in the full bypass? Would you say the full bypass has more restriction than the VSG? As I mentioned before, I have a life long problem with binge eating and I am always hungry. The VSG did minimal to help me in these two area, hence me looking into other surgical options. Right now my Dr. put me on contrave and it seems to be helping, but I don't want to be dependent on medication forever, I was hoping I could find a surgery that could provide me with a permanent fix. Btw, I am 5ft 7 inches tall, at my highest weight before the surgery I had gone up to 235 lbs. I had the VSG in June 2019. I managed to get down to 165 lbs, but took me teo years. Than I started gaining weight again I went up to 185 lbs. My dr has put me on contrave for the past 3 months and I have gone down to 170 lbs. I was neve able to reach my goal weight of 140 lbs. I live in fear of gaining all the weight back and having this vsg fully fail all the time. You look amazing, I wish I looked as good as you. [emoji1303] Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

it's going to vary pretty widely because it depends on so many factors besides starting BMI (although that's a big one, of course). Gender, age, metabolic rate, activity rate, what percentage of your body is muscle - those all play a role. that said, I lost 57 lbs before I had surgery (between my six-month supervised diet that was required by my insurance company, plus the two-week liquid diet required by the surgeon). At one year out, I was 129 lbs down from my surgery weight, and 186 lbs down from my all-time highest weight. I went on to lose another 50 or so lbs during year 2 (have gained 20 of it back since then, which is pretty common. A lot of us experience a 10-20 lb rebound gain after hitting our lowest weight). P.S. Just noticed this was posted in the gastric sleeve forum - I had bypass. Average loss tends to be a little more with bypass (although not by much), but it totally depends on the person. If you really stick to your program, you can be very successful with either.

My BMI was 35 and the dr said he thought sleeve was sufficient but he said he would do bypass if I wanted it.

I’m getting bypass and my bmi is 30. Mine was recommended due to my GERD.