Search the Community

After my sleeve surgery, I drove about 30 miles to visit my sister for holiday dinner (I didn't eat much of course) and it was fine, spent most of the time sitting on the couch but I wasn't in pain or anything. After my revision I think I was able to get out of the house by myself a few days later too. I don't know if either of mine were done robotically or not, I don't think it really makes a difference, whatever the surgeon feels most comfortable with is probably what you want to go with. The procedure is the same either way. I had no exterior sutures, the incisions were closed up with surgical glue and it all came off within a month or so I think, maybe less.

I had the RNY Gastric Bypass 3/15/2017. I exercise everyday with Jesus. I noticed I gained some weight that I lost. Now I keep myself hydrated and drink protein 2 O with energy and caffeine and lots of water. Jesus is on my mind and I work for him. Faith over fear. I am looking foward to this weight loss Sent from my octopus using BariatricPal mobile app

My hernia repair, gallbladder removal and gastric bypass were last Wednesday, 6/8. I’ll try to answer your questions: I started the process in January of this year. Surgeon suspected and diagnosed a massive hiatal hernia- 2/3 of my stomach was in my chest. It explained my shortness of breath and heartburn. I was approved by CIGNA, surgery date was set. I was given a 6/8 surgery date on 5/16. I researched extensively prior to selecting my surgeon. There are quite a few MDs in my family (sister, daughter, etc) and I leave no stone unturned when I research. I looked up ‘complication’ rates, everything. My surgeon’s practice is a Cigna Bariatric Center of Excellence. I am 1000% totally pleased with every aspect of the care I have received. My doc’s personality and bedside manner is/was perfect for me. I relate well to intelligent professionals in the medical field and my doc and I communicated with very level footing. He never spoke down to me, we were very conversational and he has a great sense of humor which is an absolute must for me. He told me my stay would be one overnight but possibly two. It did end up being 2 nights. I do not metabolize anesthesia well, and he got my nausea under control immediately when it was obvious that the usual protocol was not going to work for me. I saw him prior to going into the OR. He was upbeat and positive as was I. He was leaving the next day on vacation and we chatted about that. His practice has a protocol of ENHANCED RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY, and it has been a great outcome because of that. The anesthesiologist saw me prior to surgery and he used a nerve block on each side of my abdomen an hour before surgery. He said it would last for 3 days and I believe him. I did not ever need pain meds post op. Amazing, right? The biggest issue for me was debilitating nausea and it was addressed immediately and the outcome was positive. My care in the hospital was five star! I could not have asked for anything better. My husband was in my suite with me 24/7. The suites are new and resemble hotel studio suites. No kidding. Two flat screen TVs. Spotlessly clean. Everything one might need to be comfortable was there. We checked in on 6/8 at 8am with surgery scheduled for 10:20. My doc was running ahead of schedule and he had booked the OR for 4 hours because of the extensive hernia issues. He completed the procedure in 2 hours. He told my husband it was textbook and I was a very easy patient. 🤗 My husband and everyone else whose loved ones were in surgery wait in a large area. They can follow the patients progress on a tv screen using an ID number for their loved one. It indicates pre-op, entering OR, procedure underway, procedure completed, surgeon on way to talk to family, recovery room, etc. I’ve boarded cruise ships that didn’t have as smooth of a boarding process as WakeMed Hospital and their surgical department. LOL I was in my room at 3:15- there was an emergency unrelated to me and I was held in recovery a little longer than is typical. Once in my room, my RN, and his nursing assistant were always there tending to me. The nausea issue developed immediately and was addressed immediately. I have used only ice for discomfort at one laparoscopic site, and I have showered and I am walking. I was nervous and antsy but the hospital staff was totally in control, responsive to any questions, and their manner put me and my husband at ease. I packed very little. Extra long phone charger, toiletries, extra undies. I went home in the clothes I wore to the hospital. Thankfully I had loose shoes. I think one might expect to be bloated with Fluid and air. The gas pain scenario that most seem to mention was not an issue for me. My husband would rub my back and ‘burp’ me…lol…for every burp I had, my husband would burp 6 times. 🤣😂 Seriously. Ask me anything you want to know. And good luck to you,

Hi. I had gastric bypass, hernia repair and gallbladder removed on June 8. Today was my first full day home. I had no difficulty getting in my liquids but the protein is another thing. I hate the sickening sweet taste of the clear protein drinks. I would be lost without sugar free popsicles. Other than that, I’m playing a lot of candy crush and drinking Crystal Lite. And resting when I’m tired. welcome!

you can revise sleeve to both gastric bypass or duodenal switch. I know of several people who've had those revisions. you can also revise a bypass to a duodenal switch, but that's a complicated surgery and only a few surgeons in the country are qualified to do it. Basically, they have to completely reverse the bypass, then create a sleeve, then do the intestinal part of the DS (DS is a sleeved stomach with a partially bypassed small intestine) I don't know the answer to your other question (about the pain) - maybe someone else will.

Has there ever been an issue to where people have chronic back pain issues after the sleeve? I had a gastric lap band to sleeve revision about 10 years out. I've had back spasms in my back. It is in my back and in my upper leg and thigh area. Can you get the gastric sleeve be revised to other procedures? Can you get it revised to a gastric bypass? Can you get it revised back to its old way or to a duodenal stitch? Anyone heard of anything like this? Any ideas? Do you think a revision would stop the pain?

I had the same path of band, sleeve, then conversion to bypass in March. I didn’t have any trouble with insurance, but I have Medicare and a supplement. I also had three different surgeons. The first two were in Mexico for the band and then Las Vegas for the sleeve so I had no follow up as well. I explained to my surgeon that I didn’t really use the sleeve properly due to stress in my life. I also had GERD which probably helped with the approval. Good luck to you, I hope that you are able to get your revision.

I hope your revision went well. I found the psychological aspect to be the absolute most important longterm. The restriction and appetite suppression wears off, but your traumas and maladaptive behaviors do not. I have always poo hooed therapy as a bunch of crap, but it was because I was not committed to it, or didn't have the right therapist. Once I found one with whom I had a great therapeutic relationship, I have laid it all out and finally been able to deal with my childhood issues (and I'm in my 40s). I highly recommend the book "The Body Keeps The Score" to explain physical issues and their relationship to mental issues. This has been transformational for me, and allowed me to eliminate binge eating and finally lose the weight I had regained after surgery. I am hopeful that I have found my solution.

I wanted to see if anyone has had a problem with insurance approving revision surgery. I feel like an absolute failure. I had a band placed in 2010 and had to have it removed because of complications and converted to a sleeve in 2015. For some reason my body just didn’t let me lose the weight as easily as I did with the band. I’ve put back all the weight since then. Im going to see my surgeon on Monday. When I called to make the appointment the lady told me that I may have a hard time with approval since I hadn’t continued to follow up with the office. I went to all my scheduled appointments and was never told I needed to continue checking in. Im just trying to mentally prepare for my appointment. Im afraid they will tell me there is nothing they can do to help me get healthier. I just feel defeated.

I'm 7 months out from gastric bypass and I was wondering if anyone has used straws. Some say no and some say yes. I was just wondering if anyone has tried straws Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

I wanted to see if anyone has had a problem with insurance approving revision surgery. I feel like an absolute failure. I had a band placed in 2010 and had to have it removed because of complications and converted to a sleeve in 2015. For some reason my body just didn’t let me lose the weight as easily as I did with the band. I’ve put back all the weight since then. Im going to see my surgeon on Monday. When I called to make the appointment the lady told me that I may have a hard time with approval since I hadn’t continued to follow up with the office. I went to all my scheduled appointments and was never told I needed to continue checking in. Im just trying to mentally prepare for my appointment. Im afraid they will tell me there is nothing they can do to help me get healthier. I just feel defeated.

My gastric bypass, hernia repair, gallbladder removal were Wednesday June 8. I got to my room on Wednesday at 3:15pm. Surgeon told my husband it was a textbook case, and I was an easy patient. My hospital does ERAS and it was fantastic. I had Tylenol, gabapentin and a nerve block on both sides of my abdomen. And an anti nausea patch. I do not metabolize anesthesia well and I was incredibly nauseous afterwards. Phenergen helped, but not the way I needed help. My surgeon switched to a steroid/ zofran cocktail and it works. I’m getting ready to go home as I write this. Will update. Ask me anything you want to know.

First of all, I would meet with a bariatric surgeon, not a general surgeon. You want a bariatric surgeon because they see these issues regularly, and are at the top of their game with weight loss surgeries. Secondly, if you live in an area that has a university with medical school, find out which hospital they teach at and find a professor of bariatric surgery that is practicing and teaching. They are on the forefront of bariatric surgery. My bariatric surgeon is a professor and she told me that she does revisions that other bariatric surgeons won't touch. Don't take the general surgeons word for it. Seek second opinions with bariatric surgeons. Best wishes!

Hiii, i just had a revision on June 8 from sleeve to bypass because of severe GERD with surprise hiatial hernia repair. Yesterday was all clear liquids. The pains have been crazy and the poop have been liquid. I also just woke up and realized I pooped the bed. ☹️ This is crazy. I think I’ll be buying diapers for a while. Today I start the full liquid diet.

Hello from NZ! Just discovered this page - how awesome! I had my bypass on June 2nd. Everything went really smoothly. Unfortunately I seem to have caught the flu from my daughter 2 days ago so I’m feeling a bit miserable 😩. Wishing all the best to those who are due to have their operations soon ❤️❤️❤️

Hi everyone, I am wanting to get a revision surgery done from a Vertical Banded Gastroplasty to a Gastric Bypass . I had the VBG done 30 years ago, unfortunately required a couple revisions back then as the staple lining had come undone. I have been having issues for years, food getting stuck, having to purge regularly, herd etc…. I met with a General Surgeon who said, nope, too much scar tissue. Has anyone gotten the same answer but then found a bariatric surgeon to do the revision? After the revision did you lose all your weight, or only a small amount? Any help regarding this would be so helpful to me. Thanks so much!

As you note, programs differ, (and sometimes wildly!) both in their progressions and also in how they define food types (what's a liquid, what's a puree, etc.) and also in how much they trust their patients and in their own communication with their patients. We had yogurt and scrambled eggs in the hospital - if we could tolerated them, that was great, but if not, liquids were fine too until we could do more. As to the OP, it is concerning that at three months there has not been more progress. A stricture does sound like a possibility - that's not uncommon with a bypass (scar tissue forming around the stoma overly restricting things) and from what I have seen, they're usually fairly quick to do an endoscopic dilation (or two) to open thing up - twenty years ago, this was so common that it ceased being considered a "complication". With a sleeve, it is less common, and more indicative of a surgeon who hasn't quite got the technique down yet, so they may be more reticent about correcting it (if they know how) and just seeing if it will fix itself. I would be a squeaky wheel and get after them to address the issue, as this isn't normal.

too much fat will make you have the orange explosions in the potty, and too many carbs will make your insides cry with gas pains and the resulting smells are noxious (combined with orange explosions, be careful.. jus' sayin'). With a DS, it's protein first. I could tolerate Bariwise cream of chicken protein soup, but not any bouillon broths. Not even store bought brands. Everyone is different, but the average amount of protein a DS'r absorbs is 60% of intake. To reach the amounts the body typically needs, 130-150g of protein should be the goal per day (unless otherwise indicated by doctor). P.S. (edit) It took me about 6 weeks to reach that goal and I am still falling short of it. I had another doctor botch my DS in 2010. I had a revision with corrected limb length on April 18, 2022.

Yes! Me!!! July 6th. Getting my lapband taken out, gastric bypass, and hernia repair. I can't wait. I've gained about 30 pounds since my lapband has been unfilled in the fall, and I'm ready to get this weight off.

Good luck! I was banded 11 years ago and am revising to bypass in July, so I have a bit of experience with this. When I eat with new people, I am just very upfront and tell them that I had weight loss surgery and that my eating is weird, so please don't be offended or worried if I don't eat much, eat slow, etc. I'm all good and totally happy unless I say otherwise.

Yay! Me, too! I'm having my band out and a gastric bypass with hernia repair on July 6th. So ready.

You've gotten some incorrect information. Just to clear things up: bypass usually improves if not outright cures GERD. In fact, it's the usual recommended weight loss surgery for people who've suffered from GERD. No NSAIDs (this includes ibuprofen) after bypass - and a lot of surgeons are recommending no NSAIDs after sleeve, either. about 30% of bypass patients have dumping syndrome. I've never had it - and most of us don't. It's caused by eating too much sugar or fat at one sitting, so if you're one of the 30% of patients who have it, you can control it by limiting or avoiding eating a lot of sugar or fat at one sitting.

the food aversion isn't uncommon - that goes away over time. I agree with Arabesque that it could be a stricture. They happen to about 5% of bypass patients (can also happen in sleeve patients, although it's much less common) and you're in the right window for it - they almost always occur 1-3 months after surgery. I'm really shocked your surgeon's office would respond the way they did. You CAN live without food for awhile (but not forever..), but when it gets to the point you can't even keep fluids down, that's a huge problem. People can't live without fluids for long. If you can't keep fluids down, I'd go to the ER. if this is a stricture, it's an easy fix.

Welcome back. Gerd can develop after sleeve surgery not bypass. Bypass is usually the solution to gerd. Dumping isn’t very common & it can be controlled by dietary choices. Avoid high sugar & high fat & you’ll be fine. I have a sleeve & have the odd case of foamies though sometimes just the first stages when I accidentally eat something too dry or coarse or eat too quickly. When I do it doesn’t last long certainly not an hour. I think it is a more common side effect of the band. It will be a no to NSAIDS with sleeve or bypass. They’re too harsh in your much smaller tummy. Post surgery you will likely be prescribed an opiate like tramadol. You may not need them or only need them for less than a week. You will need to discuss with your surgeon & other doctors alternatives to NSAIDs if you took celebrex for joint, back or other long term regular pain management. As to juice, it may be an individual thing as to whether you can tolerate the acid content of certain juices. Juices are often on the list of things to avoid because of their high calorie content. Remember a single glass of juice contains a number of serves of fruit - more than you would eat as whole fruit. Better to eat the whole fruit & get a broader range of nutrients & fewer calories than from juice alone. Plus the whole fruit is more filling. All the best.

I definitely understand the thoughts behind this decision. I am also self-pay. My GERD Score was in a range where I had either as an option but after hearing about potential for worsening of GERD, my history and continued work with my relationship with food and goal to lose more than 100 Ibs, I opted for Bypass. It is an investment for sure. I do not feel there is a wrong choice.