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My bypass surgery date is May 18 and I just started day 1 of my 3-week liquid diet today. For whatever reason, my surgeon decided to torture me with an extra week of the preop diet. I am paying privately because the wait time for bypass surgery in my area is 5-7 years. There are also no private clinics available here. So I am flying to Montreal from Vancouver, Canada which is a 5-hour flight. I am not nervous about the surgery but I am nervous about fitting in my plane seat (I bought a seatbelt extender just in case). I am also nervous about blood clots so I have planned to get up from my seat every 30 minutes and stroll the aisles. I am also anxious about getting covid before my surgery. I will get tested 2 days before my surgery and if it's positive my surgery will be postponed for 3 months, which would be a total nightmare. So, I decided to quarantine for the 3 weeks before surgery and literally never leave my house for any reason. That has also been a bit stressful, but I know it will all be worth it in the end. Best of luck to everyone! I am so glad we are all on this journey together.

Just saw this comment posted in the Facebook group I am in Hi my hubby was sleeved 4yrs ago had a restricted ring as well than developed chronic reflux bad rubbery taste in his mouth other side effects so 8weeks ago he had bypass and all gone thank God all the best

I’m 3 weeks out from surgery. May 16. Gastric Bypass. I’m 60. 5’6. 43 BMI. With so many co-morbidities ! Diabetes, high blood pressure. Arthritis in knees and ankles. Last weekend I got very down, thinking if I hadn’t been successful before long-term how was I going to be able to do it now. If I had slowly been losing since this whole process started last July when I had my first consult I would weigh less now as I know wls is just a tool and not a magical solution. I talked about my fears, ordered a bariatric cookbook and got on here to read to see if anyone eles was going through something similar. I didn’t find anyone who wrote word for word what I was feeling but I read supportive things, really just what I needed to read, to think that yeah ok I got this. My daughter said that she’d be worried if I felt invincible beforehand because acknowledging my shortcomings beforehand seemed more healthy. It helps not to keep things bottled up because that’s when the fears snowball for me. I had my doctor phone appointment last Thursday. I forgot to ask how long they recommend being off work. I was readying myself to have to do a 2 week liquid diet but doc said it wasn’t necessary, just for me to lose as much weight before surgery as I could. Which lead to me thinking about how I hadn’t lost anything really during these months of pre-op. and self-doubts. I appreciate all y’all writing about everything. The good bad and ugly. The overwhelming sentiment seems to be: why didn’t I do this earlier. That’s where I want to be. Now, working on tapering off of caffeine! Thanks for being my buddies.

I hadn’t heard of it either & it wasn’t an option with my surgeon. Is it a Sydney thing?? I wonder if stomach stretching after sleeve was either an old wives tale or to scare patients to encourage them to eat correctly (portion size, frequency, etc.) so that wouldn’t happen. I do recall Dr Nowzaradan operating again on one of his patients saying they had stretched their tummy again but they had been eating exactly the same way as they always had: huge portions, many times a day every day for a long time. So they deliberately worked to stretch it again. No surgery would have helped them. As others have said it sounds similar to lapband (gastric banding) which are not performed as often because of higher risk of complications. There are a lot of people here who have had to have a revision to sleeve or more commonly to bypass because of issues with their band. On googling I noticed that some weight loss clinics don’t identify the possible side effects of the minimiser but did discover one (Perth) clinic that did: … placing a ring around the top of the sleeve can cause obstructive symptoms much like adjustable gastric banding resulting in difficulty swallowing and food intolerance. It can cause dilatation of the top of the sleeve which we consider to be the most critical part. It may also increase the risk of reflux, volume regurgitation and possible aspiration. But if you’ve done your research, weighed the pros & cons, and you know yourself & your challenges with eating best, & your surgeon supports you, it is ultimately your decision. All the best.

Just as a preface, I had the sleeve in Dec. 2016 and dropped about 120 lbs in 6 months, then screwed up and slowly went back up almost to where I started. I had a revision to bypass in Nov. 2021 and have been doing very well, about 80 lbs down so far. Last week was spring break for my kids so we decided to take a vacation, my first since the most recent surgery. We went to Virginia (drove from NY). I was very worried for a few reasons. First, I weigh myself every single day (yes I know some recommend against it, it works for me). I didn't want to bring my scale so it would be a week without monitoring my weight loss (or gain). Second, I rarely eat out and I weigh everything I eat when I make it. I wasn't going to be bringing my food scale and I knew I'd have to eat out more than usual. Finally, we were going to a lot of places where there weren't the healthiest options to eat. So I resolved to try my best not to blow it and see what happened. We stayed at a timeshare resort which had a full kitchen (stove, oven, microwave, utensils, pots/pans, etc) which was fantastic because we were able to go shopping for a lot of stuff to make in the room so I knew exactly what I was eating. I was able to make my usual breakfast (2 scrambled eggs with shredded cheese) almost every morning. I bought a few pre-packaged salads and some other stuff for the room. I only had to actually eat out 4 or 5 times the entire trip, not counting during the drive to and from VA. When we ate out I was able to check the calories for what I was eating to make a healthier choice, and made sure to stop when I was full instead of cleaning my plate. I was able to find something to eat at both Waffle House and Cracker Barrel that wasn't too horrible. Even at Busch Gardens we went to the German area restaurant and I got something called a German Chef Salad that was pretty good and not too heavy or unhealthy. Bonus at Busch Gardens: Last year (pre-surgery) we went to an amusement park and I wasn't able to ride most of the roller coasters because I just couldn't fit - no problem at all this time, got in with room to spare! I stayed away from snacks and desserts (I got Halo Top ice cream for the room to have at night). When we got back I was concerned what the scale might say, but I was down 2 lbs from when we left, so I'll consider that a win! I had a nice NSV before the trip too - I was looking for clothes to bring and found a bunch of shirts I got when I lost all the weight the first time, and they all fit comfortably and looked great. Before the surgery I wore XXL shirts, and even those were getting a little snug, I even had one XXXL I think. Lately I've been wearing XL's which were getting roomy, all the shirts I found were L and fit great, so that was awesome. I also had to buy a new pair of jeans that was 4 sizes smaller and fits great. I found my old bathing suits which were too tight last year, now half are too big and the rest fit OK (almost too big but not quite yet). So it's been a good week, hoping to continue on my path to onederland again! Here's a pic of the family having fun.

Hey y'all. I got gastric bypass surgery on 3/29 and for the first two weeks I thought everything was going well. I was meeting my goals, losing weight, etc. But then the third week I transitioned to soft foods and it all went downhill. So I decided to eat some swiss cheese with some bologna bits and that was fine! Ate some goldfish as well and was feeling good. I attempted to sneak a French fry or two the following night and I felt like the food was just stuck in my stomach. I felgike every breathe I took I needed to burp but if I would try to, it'd just be foam/mucus. Eventually, I threw up. I had felt this way before occasionally during the pureed phase but just chalked it up to healing from the surgery. Eventually it got to the point where the only thing I could tolerate was my protein shakes. I called my clinic and they advised me to go to the ER. After about 12 hours and a wildly uncomfortable cat scan, they determined I had either inflammation or a stricture and said they'd do an endoscopy soon, but sent me home. Also told me to continue liquids. I called my clinic again today because I haven't heard anything about my endoscopy and now my protein shakes are hard to get down. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday so they told me to wait until then. I don't know what to do. It's so uncomfortable and I dread having to consume anything...but I know I need to. Advice? Thoughts? Words of encouragement? Sent from my LE2125 using BariatricPal mobile app

There is also a revision forum where you may find more people who actually have experience with band to sleeve if you post your question there.

Most insurance companies require a bmi of 40 or 35 with comorbidities for first time surgery but if you have a medical reason for needing a revision BMI can be less.

Looking for advice on band to sleeve with Medicare. I’ve had band for 11 yrs. Very complicated health history. Staying thinner /healthier is imperative for me. I’ve gained back 30 lbs. My bmi is 29.1. Last time I checked several yrs ago it was going to be a problem to get surgery to revise to sleeve because I hadn’t gained all of my weight back and now my bmi wasn’t high enough Anyone else have experience with needing to keep weight down but not being high enough with your bmi now to have revision surgery done ?

Well this just makes me sad. You're in your honeymoon phase with your sleeve and you're already thinking about the possibility of revision. And being self pay, and the steps you'd have to take to get said revision. It shouldn't be this way. I was curious about The Affordable Care act and what Obamacare covers. So I just looked into it. It covers substance abuse in every state. But only select states cover bariatric surgery. It makes no sense. I hope the pain in your chest turns out to be nothing, especially not acid reflux and you have a long and happy marriage with your sleeve!

Hi Everyone! My name is Debber and I joined your community today. I am very excited to get to know you all and to learn from your experiences! I am scheduled for Gastric Bypass Surgery on Wed., 4/27. I can't believe it's almost here! A bit anxious, but excited nonetheless! I am very open to advise and suggestions. What would be the most important thing that I need to know in this stage of the game?

Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum and planning to have revision from lap band to sleeve. Lap band experience was not good a waist of insurance money. Is a month wait for approval the usual weight time?

Vitamins could possibly make you feel nauseous but you wouldn’t dump because of them.(dumping is from too much sugar or sometimes fat and it’s less common with sleeve than with bypass). If they do make you feel sick at your stomach you may need to take with more food or switch to a different brand.

Boy that's a lot of planning and hoops to jump through. Hopefully you won't need a revision.

So i had sleeve done last Monday. So far so good. I do get some pain in my chest if i lay flat in a bed (Maybe acid reflux) but if i just prop up my head i am good. But never know if revision may be needed in the future and since i am self pay that could be a problem. here in Florida bariatric surgery is not covered under the affordable care act (obamacare) So i have been doing research on which states do. One in particular is South Dakota. So if i were to say move to South Dakota, establish my residency there and get health insurance thru the affordable care act, Bariatric surgery is covered. one great resource there is a company called America's Mailbox, where you can setup your own residency (in a RV) get a drivers license, south dakota plates ect... Think that will be my backup plan if one day in the future i need a revision which i hope i do not.

Height 5’4” Sw 270 Surgery RNY gastric bypass 6/23/21 Cw 152 Goal 140

My surgery is May 16th I'm having a gastric bypass and a hiatal hernia repair. Good luck to you and all the best. 🤗🤗

Hi all, I'm scheduled for surgery May 3rd. I will begin my preop diet 1 week prior to my bypass surgery.

Bypass May 3rd!!

I had my port moved from my lower left side to my upper left. Closer so the tubing isn't stretched. When they basically ripped the port out of the scar tissue (implanted 2008 repositioned 2012) I had a baseball lump. The nurse insisted it was scar tissue and to massage it in the shower. WELL it's still there and it's a hernia caused by the surgeon port removal. It's worse now that I have put on weight. I am the beginning stage of having band removed and getting bypass.

Wishing you all all the best! My RNY was 4-5-22. Every day just gets better. My energy is still a lil low on purée 2 tbs plus liquids and shakes so not a ton of calories. All of my surgical incisions have healed. My surgery was on Tue and I was driving on Saturday for a pedicure and store run. My only advice is to toss the Food Bucket List! Start focusing on your goals of better health and go into your surgery as healthy as possible. It will help you heal and it sets the foundation mind and body for a healthy YOU. This surgery is only a tool, if you can’t wrap your head around what it means to have a different relationship with food you will risk regain and misery on the other side. My procedure was a revision after 23 yr. Pls know I would hate anyone to have my experience of regain, shame, and fear. I wish I knew back then what I know now! Tina 2.0

Hi I wondering if I can email you for fills defills? I had my band since 2008 and hopefully having it removed with bypass. I just started the process at Humber hospital. I am in the GTA. Thank you kindly.

My file is complete per my surgeon’s admin. I’m going to start the CPAP tonight or tomorrow night. The admin will call Monday to set up my ‘Results’ appointment with the surgeon, and my paperwork will go to CIGNA on Monday. Now I wait. I’m so tempted to book a date in May and only give myself 5 days till I’m back at school. HOWEVER, I will most likely choose to do the more prudent thing, and have surgery June 9th or 10th-ish when school is out. Yes, I am enjoying a food bucket list until I start the pre-op diet. My BMI is 40.9 and I’m hell bent on keeping it there till Cigna says yes. I’d love to hear from the April Surgery Buddies regarding your immediate post-op recovery. I guess that this week (fingers crossed) I will be able to join the June Surgery Buddies Group. FWIW, I began this journey on 1/15 with research into WLS. My zoom call with the surgeon’s office was 2/22. The pre-procedure testing (extensive) began in March. I started out thinking sleeve, but I have opted for bypass. I have a large hiatal hernia that will be repaired during surgery.

dumping is when you eat too much sugar or fat in one sitting and your system goes into overdrive trying to deal with it. Vitamins wouldn't do that. Also, dumping isn't very common with sleeve - it's much more common in bypass patients (about 30% of whom dump). So I wouldn't worry about that...

HI there! Sounds like we have similar paths. I was banded in 2010 and lost 80+ pounds. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. I kept the weight off for more than 10 years before I started having issues with the band a couple of years ago. It was either too tight or not tight enough. Sadly, without a functioning tool, I gained quite a bit of weight. I had my Lapband removed in April 2021 with hopes to convert to the gastric sleeve a month later. Long story short, my insurance denied the conversion and it took almost a year and a couple of appeals to get the denial overturned. Fast forward to today, my gastric sleeve is approved and scheduled for 4/27. I am so looking forward to getting my tool back so that I can get back on track and live my healthiest life That is great you have lost 85 pounds! Have you been able to maintain the loss all this time? It sounds like your surgeon is removing your band and converting to bypass all in one surgery, is that right?