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Actually he said I can always decide to do the bypass instead.on surgery day. In fact he asked me if he gets in there and can’t do the SADi for some reason if I want the bypass since he can’t exactly wake me up to ask. I said yes. I am 90% sure I want the SADI now though. I’m just scared. Scared of the what ifs that are more with the SADI. What if I am one of the ones that has problematic diarrhea that doesn’t resolve, what if my lifelong commitment to PPI’s causes ulcers or kidney issues. Even worse, what if that results in my needing a transplant now that I know that’s a problem because i can’t absorb the anti rejection meds properly. It was so much easier when I thought bypass was my only option. Now that I have a choice I am just petrified I am going to make the wrong one. I thought about postponing for a little while but I honestly don’t think that I am ever going to get to the point that I am 100% certain in my decision either way. I don’t think any amount of research is going to give me the clear cut assurance that I want. I know that I will lose with either surgery and that they both carry risks. I am just letting my anxiety get the best of me I think. I guess I really do just have to take the plunge with one of them and hope for the best.

Yesterday, I had my final appointment before my surgery date. I finally started having doubts about the whole thing and I'm relieved. Having doubts probably doesn't sound like a good thing, but it finally gave me chance to unload everything that was on my mind to the doctor. I was able to tell him that maybe I wanted the bypass instead. I've been on other forums and people seem to be really against the sleeve because long term weight loss is less than with other surgeries. But he reassured me that due to my age, no comorbidities and the fact that I'm on target with my weight loss, he still thinks this is a good surgery for me and my goals. They last time I spoke to him, he told me I wasn't sticking to the diet, and then he told me "most people lose only 3-4kg pre-surgery anyway" So why was he worrying me when I ONLY lost 5kg? But I guess he was in a better mood because he was back from holiday? 😂 Next appointment is a phone appointment where I just tell him my weight. And then the surgery weigh in and bloods before the surgery. I'm so ready for this now.

for some of us, both sleeve and bypass, constipation becomes a chronic "feature". It's been nine years for me so I can't remember when I stopped the (post-surgery) stool softeners, but shortly after I stopped I realized I was having frequent problems "going", so I've been taking a capful of Miralax every morning to stay on top of it. I don't back up very often, but when I do, like sleeve2bypass, I usually have to take something stronger. But from what I read and hear, many or us do take Miralax (or magnesium tablets) daily to try to prevent backups. (btw - the chronic constipation many of us deal with is probably due to the diet (high protein/low carb) and a couple of the supplements we take (calcium and iron are both known to cause constipation in some people).

I started having issues around 8 months post op from the sleeve. It started off as heartburn and quickly turned into GERD. I was having horrible, sharp stabbing pain in my stomach, burning in my stomach going up my esophagus and into the back of my throat, and I had a lot of nausea. I wasn't able to eat much because everything triggered the GERD, even milk and water and bread. My surgeon put me on 40mg of Nexium in the morning and it didn't touch it. So he upped it to 40mg twice per day, and it helped but I still had break through GERD so he also had me take Pepcid once per day and TUMS as needed. That kept things mostly at bay, but that was such a high amount of PPI over a long period of time that I started to develop polyps. He sent me to have a barium swallow and they found the gastritis and esophagitis and GERD that way. So then he sent me to have an endoscopy and they found my stomach was literally COVERED in polyps. It took 4 endoscopies in total to remove them all. After that I was told I had to have the revision to bypass, so I did. That was the best decision I ever made.

It's valid to feel scared about this new experience and really good that you can express your fears to other people. My first thought as I'm reading this, though, is that your size is thoroughly unremarkable. It may not be where you want to it be, and you're doing great taking control of that and changing your life through having gastric bypass. But at your height and weight, surrounded by adults as you will be in college (and not middle school bullies), your weight simply isn't going to be a thing people notice about you all that much. I had my surgery when I was just slightly under where you are now, and I honestly had a friend (who is average weight/skinny) express total shock at my choice because she thought I was "only a little overweight" (while I thought I looked like a Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloon on two legs). Other people do not see us the way we see ourselves. In your mind, you seem to see yourself as worthy of being judged poorly and disliked for your appearance. I would ask, is this how you look at other people? Do you only befriend skinny people? Do you think fat people are terrible? Because if you do, that's a serious personality flaw that I would be way more concerned about fixing than my weight. And if you don't...neither do most people. Also, if they do? See my point about it being a serious personality flaw. Don't give that kind of person power over you. Your existence, exactly the way you are at any point in time, is not the problem. A person who is judging you for existing is demonstrating that their opinion is not worth considering. Most people don't notice weight first, unless maybe when someone is truly remarkable in size. Most people remember a person's confidence, humor, and overall disposition. They might remember a beautiful smile or a charming laugh, or maybe how you wore your hair or a colorful scarf. They want to be friends because they feel a connection to your personality, not because you have the "correct" size tag in your jeans. Again, if this is not the case, ask yourself why this is someone you want to concern yourself with. The person you want to be is not just a "skinny" person. At least, I really hope not. I would encourage you to make a list of 10 qualities right now that you want people around you to see and remember about you, and none of them can be about your weight or similar societal measure of physical attractiveness. Focus on that list. Do you want people to see you as smart? Kind? Funny? You can be all of those things today. You probably are all those things right now, if you let yourself believe that it's true. You don't have to lose a single ounce to make that happen. Do you want to be someone who takes care of your health? You're already doing it. Who eats right? Who exercises? You're that person now. Focus on the things you have control over. You don't get to choose your weight. None of us do. But you can make food and activity choices every day that promote a lower weight. You can't make a specific person or group like you. But you can be the kind of person many people will like. I wish you the very best of luck. I really wish I had known 30 years ago how absolutely, perfectly fine I was without changing anything, and how little other people's judgement actually mattered. It would have made so many things so much easier.

You ready for a long story? 😎 My exercise history is definitely one of extremes. I was very athletic in High School (Secondary School). I played football (American), was on the swim team, and ran track and cross country (not all of those every year). Afterward I spent time in the US Army where running was the norm, so I ran quite a bit. My recollection is that I was running roughly 30 miles a week at that time, so actually a lot more than the minimum required. Unfortunately I was badly injured while I was in the service and was barely able to even walk for a long, long time. Once I mostly recovered from that, I got heavily into powerlifting for almost a decade. I had convinced myself that due to bad knees I shouldn't run anymore, so instead i just focused on the strength training as well as a tiny bit of cardio on the elliptical. Unfortunately, I tore up my back in a workplace accident, so from that point on, no more heavy lifting for me. This was really the beginning of my descent into inactivity and severe weight gain. The heavier I got, the less I was able to even move, until using a cane or walker had become the norm. In addition, during this time I ended up having multiple surgeries, including 5 different shoulder surgeries, multiple knee surgeries culminating in a total knee replacement, and even open heart surgery for a bad heart valve. Fast forward a lot and about 9 months after my bypass surgery, I was walking and backpacking pretty consistently. A bit like you, I decided mostly on a on a whim to just try jogging a bit. It was more to see if I could even do it than anything else. You have to understand with my health history, lots of my doctors would say I shouldn't run. I say I'm going to do whatever I need to do to keep myself healthy because I suspect at some point, I'll need both a revision to the knee replacement and a new heart valve. My ability to survive those surgeries at an advanced age is going to be highly dependent on my overall health. Anyway, back to running. I was so shocked at how well and relatively pain-free the running went, that I decided to start training for a 5k. From there it's just snowballed and I've now done around 20 or so different races between 5ks, 10ks and Half Marathons. I'm not super fast (I am 60 afterall), but I am still pretty competitive in my local races, at least for my age. I'm also lucky that I'm now retired. This means I have the time to train appropriately. I typically run 4 to 5 days a week and average between 25 and 35 miles a week. I'll probably ramp that up in 2025 because I'm targeting a fall marathon and I'd like to be around 50-60 miles a week at peak fitness before the race. At this point running is my passion, but I do still strength train twice a week to keep what strength I do still have. As an aside, I'm strongly considering becoming a Certified Personal Trainer. Not really because I needed the knowledge, or because I expect to work in the industry (I am happily retired after all). My real goal is to help others where I can on their journey to fitness. I feel I can better relate to those that are struggling than a lot of CPTs that have always been fit. I also at least want those I work with to know I do have some knowledge of the subject (even though I've frankly probably forgotten more about training than a lot of CPTs even know). I'm really glad you're going to keep after it. You might surprise yourself in terms of what your capable of!

Oh I know the food choices were always on us, but there is the "tool" there to help keep us in check. Not being able to eat as much as we did prior to surgery. For example, my wife had the bypass a few years ago and she is doing well still, but once in a blue moon - she will eat a little too much of something and she feels like she needs to throw up. Meaning that the "tool" is still there for her to help keep her in check and not just keep eating like she would prior to the surgery. Basically this portion of your comment: "We rely on the restriction and the small size of our pouches to tell us when to stop eating". I think we all hope to still be able to rely on this is what I was trying to say, but I know the food choices is ALL on me.

I chose the sleeve. My mother had the bypass back in 2008 and had a lot of problems. She couldn't keep anything down for months after the sugery and the had to operate again and they made a mistake. So she basically couldn't really eat anything at all and suffered for years. She had a bowel perforation due to clot in April of 2023 that they couldn't diagnose until a month later and they couldn't repair because of what went wrong with her bypass surgery and she died in May of 2023. So I'm too afraid of having the same kind of problems. It's not the same hospital or the same surgeon, but I'm still scared. I did wonder if I should even consider any type of surgery at all, but my mother did lose weight and it did extend her life.

I had a revision to SADI two months ago (which is a modified DS) and I’m very happy with it. After the sleeve I always felt like I was just on a diet. I still craved unhealthy stuff and didn’t have all the extra energy that people explained. So I lost a lot of weight but once my appetite came back I gained it back. Since the SADI it’s different. I would obviously still like to have pizza and pasta but I still enjoy the healthier choices and I have tons of energy. I walk about 5-7 miles a day and just started YOGA twice a week. I want to do an aerobics/strength class that meets two other days but I’m not quite there yet. I have lost 48 pounds total in 2.5 months (which includes the two week preop in which I lost 13 pounds). Not all surgeons do the SADI yet and there is not a whole lot of help out there in terms of what you should be doing nutrition wise. I spoke to two different nutritionists and they just gave me the same info as they would give for bypass but the NP has been looking at my fitness and food log charts and helping me to adjust my macros and it’s working. I was warned about diarrhea and stinky bowel movements but I have not experience either. In fact I’m still weaning off the stool softener. My surgeon did a few tests first to make sure my sleeve was In good shape because he does not make adjustments to the sleeve. He feels the risks are too high. The recovery was a little tougher this time and you have to be disciplined with your portions because physically you can eat more but once I was healed I was able to tolorate all the same foods as before since they didn’t operate on my stomach. I am now back to pretty normal portions of healthy foods.

It's pretty common. Happened to me after my sleeve and again after my revision to bypass. I was told it would likely be temporary, but so far, nothing has gone back to how it was before. Super weird. Things smell differently to me, too. And taste differently. Hate foods I use to love, actually like stuff I use to dislike. Very weird lol

50% of bypass patients reach at least 166 lbs 18 months after surgery. Based on my starting weight of 271. I'm coming up on my 12 month surgery anniversary (Aug 21st) and I'm already below this statistic as of today! I even did a happy dance (my pups thought I was nuts). 😆 I'm hoping with 6 months until 18 months that I'll be in this category: 20% of patients reach 149 lbs 18 months after surgery. If the above isn't enough, I met up with another friend I haven't seen in 6 months for breakfast this morning, she walked right past me twice looking for me!

I had a revision to SADI on 8/7/2024. Lost 70 pounds but then I started chemo for breast cancer that I was diagnosed with a day shy of my 3 month surgiversary. I was told not to lose quite as fast by the oncologist and the oncology dietician so I have since only lost ten more in 2.5 months. Anyways, my double mastectomy is tentatively scheduled for 5/8/2024. During that surgery they remove all the breast tissue and put in Empty bladders they call expanders and then they slowly fill them each week with saline in the office to stretch the skin making room for the implant. The cosmetic dr says that I could take my time and try out all the sizes and go up and down and then do the reconstruction surgery to put in the saline implant when I’m sure of the size I want and I loved that idea because I want to go smaller but I know it’s going to take a while for my brain to get used to it. The problem is that I have to begin radiation 6 weeks post surgery and the process does something to your skin that makes it very hard to stretch so the radiation Dr says I need to decide on a size before I start radiation treatments. Well I don't think it would be a good idea to postpone radiation just to decide on a breast size so I kinda need to know what my goal is right away so he fills it fast enough for me to get there within 6 weeks. At the same time it will hurt worse the faster we go. I am currently a 36 G. I was thinking maybe a 36 C or D would be small enough that they don’t get in the way with exercise and hurt my back and neck but not look too small after seeing myself larger for so many years. Also if I drop more weight and get to say a 34 I would be a D or DD but what if I lose more weight I mean I want to keep going if I can and then I’m a 32 DDD. I was a 32 C when I was younger and I think when I got my implants I went to a small DD but I sorta doubt i will get that small again, honestly. how much weight did you guys lose between band sizes. I was thinking that if I get to 158 I would be thrilled and that’s only 20 more pounds so I know that I won’t get to a 32 at that size. Do you think it’s possible I will get back to the 120’s. I know the last two months threw my pattern off a bit but I was losing steady at 3-4 pounds a week before all of this. Is there anyone with similar stats that can tell me about their experience with SADI or maybe a virgin bypass. My loss trend was similar to that according to the NP at 3 months out. I really wish I could do this after I get to my low weight and stabilize. All I want is to be able to buy bras in a normal store and not have to pay a fortune for lunch lady bras anymore or have my back breaking and poor posture from a too large chest. But at the same time I don’t want to look too small. I figure that I would find the smallest size that I could get used to so when I lose more weight it will probably be perfect but I won’t have time to get used to it like the surgeon and I hoped. 😢 So I get that cup size is a matter of preference but can anyone with similar stats tell me how much they ultimately lost if they were losing 3-4 pounds at 3 months or how much weight they lost between band sizes or 36-34 and 34-32. Or anything else that may help me. I’m so scared I’m gonna decide on a size and my body is going to change but since it’s all implant after this surgery my boobs won’t change with me with loss or gain and I will be way too big or small for my frame.

Wow! That's awesome. I'd take even half that loss and be happy. But would sure be nice to lose quite a bit so my low back can calm down. Severe osteoarthritis there. About 240 lbs now. 277 was my highest many years back. Lost 100 through diet and exercise and slowly came back. (Had lost 100 lbs 8 years before that and gained it back too.) Then end of 2021 was 265. So did it again. Ate less, moved more and lost 64.5 lbs about 2 years ago and got to 200. (Had lost around 60+ twice before that and gained it back over some years too). Felt sooo much better even there at 200 but slowly back now to 240! Blah! Surgery most likely early Nov for sleeve. Said bypass will cause ulcers since only ibuprofen helps my back. Can I ask you about exercise you did? Also that you do now? And did you have any skin removal? May need that around my middle later on. Heard someone with our insurance got that covered also. Praying for that but will save up for it if I have to. Thanks for any advice and info! You look great and I know you must FEEL better. That's what I want. I never sought surgery to look better but hopefully will. I just feel terrible and need some relief and want the weight to stay gone. Using this tool to help me remain smaller.

I had severe acid reflux with the sleeve, and had to get a revision to bypass. Before that I had a few instances of GERD but nothing serious. So please seriously think about this because if you have the slightest history of GERD, You're risking having serious acid reflux in the future, and then having to go through a bypass revision just to stop it. Having been through both, it is a very similar recovery period. No side effects, for me at all after revision.

For the sleeve, I was told 6 weeks and I was cleared for everything except weight lifting. I was cleared for that at 8 weeks. For the revision to bypass, I was told since that's a longer and more involved surgery, I was cleared for everything at 6 weeks except weight lifting, which was 10 weeks. And nothing full contact until 12 weeks, although I don't do that anyway. Swelling for the sleeve was gone by 6-7 weeks. For the revision, about 8 weeks.

I was supposed to have my surgery Dec 28 last year. I had the option of taking a last-minute cancelation the Monday of Thanksgiving week, but when I told my mom (whose help I needed with my kids), she was totally against it. Said I would ruin everyone's holidays if I had a terrible recovery and kinda made it all about everyone else. So I gave up the date, even though it pained me to do it, because I didn't want to be selfish. A couple weeks later, my hospital discontinued their surgical program and canceled my date. I was devastated. I had to rebook with a different program, which was still affiliated with the parent organization of my hospital, but unfamiliar to me. I didn't end up getting my surgery until February. It was very stressful and I was pretty angry with myself for not choosing what I wanted instead of what other people wanted me to do. Having said that, it did all work out for the best in some ways. Apparently, the November surgery date would have been right after the doctors at my old program were told the center was closing, so maybe that would have meant the surgeon wasn't as focused going into my surgery, which could have been dangerous for me. And I would have had to do all my follow up with a different program, which would've been awkward. And I appreciate that I knocked out my deductible in February so have had full coverage of all my tests and appointments all year. I actually have a biopsy I have to get done next month (not related to bariatric surgery) and that won't have any out of pocket costs, so yay for that. On the other hand, my recovery was pretty much text book, so all my mom's worries over me ruining the holidays with a terrible recovery were baseless. I was pretty self sufficient and back to about 80% functioning by the end of the first week. And 8 months post-surgery, the holidays are rolling around again and guess what? I still can't eat more than a tiny plate of turkey breast, a few green beans, and a bite of pumpkin pie. I still won't be baking a million cookies or drinking a pint of egg nog. So, whether it happens this year or next, your family will have to figure out how to navigate around your new normal. If it were me, I would decide based on what makes financial sense (your deductible, etc.), what works for you with time off work, and would probably avoid the two weeks right before Christmas just because you will need some time to recover in peace without holidays adding to your stress. In retrospect, waiting until February wasn't such a big deal, though, so if you do have to wait, it will be okay. Just make sure you do it for yourself and not for everyone else.

Hi! I got approved for the surgery in May of 2024. Doctor first told me that I would most likely have to wait until 2025 because of how the long the hospital waiting list is. Suddenly, I got called last week saying they were able to do it in October of 2024. So this is the first day of a 12 week liquid diet to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery. My birthday is coming up and I have wedding that I'm going to next week! I'm happy that this is happening this year, but I also feel bummed because I feel like this is bad timing. I'm really happy that this journey is starting. I've always been overweight and so was my mother. We were the only one's in the family who were. We moved to the UK when I was 14 and my stepfather was also overweight and he passed away in 2022 due to pneumonia and other weight related complications. My mother had gastric bypass in 2008 and due to surgical complication, they couldn't fix a bowel perforation and she passed in 2023. She and my stepdad were the only people in my life who were really supportive of anything I did. I fell a little bit alone going through this now, but I'm feeling optimistic at the same time. Just looking for other people to share my story with.

I have fiber in the turkey chili (kidney beans) I make and I also take 6 (2 morning, 2 mid and 2 evening) of the Psyllium Husk Fiber Supplement 1450mg, 240 Capsules from Amazon just a bit above recommended daily dosage, but my GP said it can't cause any issues other than maybe gas..but I have noticed anymore than normal with a bypass.. I also eat 3 (again 1 at different times throughout the day) OLLY Probiotic + Prebiotic Gummy, Digestive Support and Gut Health, 500 Million CFUs, Fiber, Adult Chewable Supplement for Men and Women, Peach, 30 Day Supply - 30 Count. I started the psyllium when my GP started me on Ozempic to break my 3 month stall and to stop the annoying food cadence in my head! I'm holding at 1mg dose and have had very little constipation if any. I don't "go" regularly at 7am everyday like I used too, but I do go each day. I just make sure I get my water in and all works as it should. I hope this helps!

Hi @ indianlight, I had Gastric sleeve in a private hospital two and a half years ago and it cost £11600 with all the pre appointments. Gastric bypass was £2000 more at the time. I really wished I had gone the bypass route because I have wicked reflux but that boat has sailed and I have to deal with it. I have never heard of people getting a second operation on the NHS but why not try and keep on trying different doctors. Sometimes persistence does work. I have Fibromyalgia too and the surgeon told me that the surgery would not change this, it didn't. Have you tried Aquafit, it really helps. Its low impact and you can go at your own speed. I hope you get your help

Grrrrr!!!! I don't like the people at your doctor's office!!!!! As a medical assistant (and former front desk person) that just grinds my gears!!! But at least you're in now. You can bypass all of them and talk directly to your doctor now. I'm so glad you got your answers and feel better. Are you starting to get excited??? I'm excited for you!!!

That’s what I’m in the process of doing right now it’s going from the sleeve to a bypass. I have three more months of nutrition classes and then I’ll be having my surgery.

5 mo post-op (bypass) here, and I still don't get any full -- nor hungry -- feelings. I can feel certain foods leave me with a sensation of heaviness about an hour after eating -- or if I'm eating something that's too dry or not the right texture for my stomach, I can usually feel that after a few bites around mid-chest level. My team has assured me numerous times that eventually my body will relearn itself, and start sending hunger and full signals again. (I think they're mainly trying to warn me not to rely on the lack of hunger, lol). Anyway, because of all that I find I have to be a little extra careful about portion sizes because my body is not going to tell me anything unless it's too late and I'm throwing up. At this stage, I'd suggest going with the minimal servings your plan suggests. You can always supplement by 'eating more' an hour or two later -- but you can't 'eat less' once it's past your lips.

Hi, I had surgery (Mini Gastric Bypass) in Jan 2023 and I am losing weight. Total weight loss is 50lb (in 23 weeks) . However most of this was lost in the early month and I have slowed to approximately 1lb per week, if that. The slower weight loss is fine, I can cope with this because its going in the right direction. What has be very anxious is that i find that I feel like i have no restriction and can eat anything. To maintain the weight-loss I need to tell myself not to eat. I am fighting with the 1lb weight loss each week to make sure its a deficit, terrified that it will go up. I don't feel like i have a tool. Are there any other MGB patients that can eat anything - bread, rice, chocolate, cereal, potatoes. I do suffer nausea if I don't eat sufficient protein but i am so worried that i have gone through surgery and i will spend the rest of my life 'dieting' with little help from my tool. Anyone else in the same position? Thanks Cals

that sounds more like orthostatic hypotension (OH) than dumping syndrome. OH is not uncommon the first few months after surgery. But your doctor may want to do a full work up just to be sure. I had some dizziness issues when I was about a year out and they checked for a UTI, OH, inner ear issues, and post-prandial hypoglycemia (also know as reactive hypoglycemia, which can also happen to bypass patients). But given your drop in blood pressure, it sounds like it's most likely OH - but check with your doctor. The "cure" for that is just to get up slowly.

You are not a failure, obesity is a complex disease. It often requires many tools to tame. There’s no shame in that. As a person who has had both VSG and RNY, I can tell you first hand that If you are relying on further restrictions to help you *may* not get that. Almost always the pylorus is bypassed so no there will sphincter holding food in your sleeve creating that classic VSG full sensation. However there are a lot of behind the scenes biological changes that *may* happen but you won’t know how you will respond until after surgery. The new class of obesity med may help immediately (if you can afford them). They are spectacular. In the time it will take you to go through referrals, appointments, testing and waiting for a date, you may lose the weight. They work that fast. Of course there are risks, some who cannot tolerate them or are very slow responders but the beauty is you can decide week by week if it’s worth it. If not, nothing permanent has been done. That’s the other issue. These are permanent use meds just like HRT or TRT. Maintenance doses are still being fiddled with by individuals so what permanent use looks like may not be weekly. Do a ton of research and ask your Bari/weight management team (if you still have one) what they think. Good Luck!