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Bless your heart [emoji4] My surgery is on November 15. I would love to hear how you’re doing each day! I am so nervous about all of this and I have no idea what to expect. Hang in there and take good care of yourself.

Thanks FluffyChix.... I have a new nephrologist and asked him at my visit a few weeks ago. He said that though the bypass can be good, in my case, he's against it. Even though my kidneys are functioning perfectly, given that the bypass changes absorption and anatomy, he doesn't recommend it. The hepatic cysts are really just an extension of the PKD; pretty much a non issue. When I mentioned this to my bariatric surgeon, he doesn't see any issues with the bypass and PKD. He also said that the bypass can be reversed....if down the road it became an issue. I trust him 100%, but I would not go into a bypass revision with the mindset that I can have it reversed. It's too much of an ordeal, and I don't want to put my body through so much surgical upset. I lost almost all my weight with the band, but gained half of it back over the past few years. Like the rest of us here, my biggest concern is continuing to slowly gain; ending up where I was when I started this journey close to 5 years ago. I just wish I'd had the bypass to begin with, but I chickened out and went with the band/plication instead. At 62 with about 40 pounds to lose, I'm not sure I want to do anything further. For now, I will have the band removed next week, then work with the nutritionist at my surgeons office. At least I still have the plication, which should help limit the amount I eat in a sitting. The reality is, with ALL of these surgeries, after the honeymoon period is over, WE need to do the work. I was stellar with the band for the first 16 months, then I learned how to eat past the signal. I know a few people who gained a substantial amount of weight a few years after their bypass, and I know some who have stayed thin for many years after the procedure. In the end, we have to make lifestyle changes for continued success. Not always so easy....

I kept my team on their toes.. after every clearance I would call and ask if the results were in my chart and in their system. I made them sign a sheet with all my weigh ins Incase somehow it “disappeared” (because that’s how my luck works). After I had everything I needed I kept calling them asking if it was submitted and after it got submitted I will call every two days asking if it got approved lmaooo.. I know they’re happy as all hell to be done with me. But you just can’t sit back and leave things to chance. one week later I got the call and 3 days after that I was sitting with my surgeon scheduling my bypass. Yo-Yo Girl from New York City

Nope, not with my band installation back in 2011. But I did have to give myself lovenox injections 2x a day for 7 days after my band to bypass revision. I don't see why you'd need them for the band installation as there should have been zero internal cutting.

There was one lady in Detroit, MI several years ago, who died because she failed to seek medical care due to a severe slippage. She was a local counsel woman or politician of some sort and didn't want anyone to know she'd had WLS. Her slippage was so bad that her stomach was prolapsed and strangulated inside the band. There was another case just like this with a lady in Washington state (this person's problems went on much longer than the first). This was posted on Smartbandsters some time back. Other deaths I recall included a man who had a heart attack on the OR table - no fault of the band itself. I am not aware of any others, but of course, we don't have all the current data. Still, the odds are so much less than the bypass.

I just started my 2 weeks liquid diet and my surgery is April 23rd. Question? My friend had bypass done in February and she told me that was ate hard boiled egg whites (no yolk) throughout the 2 week liquid diet. She said her surgery was fine and the doctor said everything looked good. Has anyone else tried egg whites or other alternatives?

My wife had her bypass surgery on 17 March and I'm scheduled for 14 April. My wife is doing well post-op, went back to work today. I think her weight loss since the pre-op diet is around 33 pounds. Her biggest complaint was the constipation. She did better than I'm doing with the pre-op diet. Our Dr. has us on a total liquid diet for 2 weeks. I'm sticking to it and have lost 12 pounds in 6 days, but man is it tough. My wife was near as moody and irritable as I've been. I've had a couple of good days, but more bad days it seems. At least I'm seeing some progress now, so that's making it a bit easier. Really glad we're going on this journey together as I believe it will help us succeed. It'll make meal planning much easier and we can keep each other in line. I'm really ready to get this surgery behind me though. It's been great to read all the stories and advice on here. Thanks for sharing and good luck in your journies.

Hello everyone, I am almost 4 months postop and i just found out that i am pregnant. I am worried cause I really want to have an healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. I am looking for suggestion from people that have already gone trought this experience as a gastric bypass patient. Any advice? How was your nutrition? What Vitamins did you take? Help please, Rossella Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. After surgery I was given a maximum weight lifting restriction. Since it was so long ago I don't really recall the limit but it was around 10 or 15 pounds. That restriction went away fairly quickly. I think by the time of the first follow-up meeting where they removed the stitches after surgery, they eliminated this weight limit. The weight limit was in writing and most companies will honor the weight limit due to recovery from surgery. It means that certain tasks cannot be performed until you are healed. If you work in surgery, I would think most hospitals would comply with this requirement.

I want to know the same thing. Im 2months out, and my weightloss has slowed down big time. I started at 260 and now I fluctuate between 208 and 206. I had bypass on 7-26-16.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery. This was the list that I was given. 3 Flintstone complete chewable Multivitamins daily. [This type of Vitamin is preferred because of absorption. Although if you are a few years post-op you might be able to substitute Multivitamin capsules. Gummy Vitamins are not acceptable.) Additional 65 milligrams elemental Iron daily for menstruating women. [should be ferrous sulfate for best absorption.] 1500 to 1800 mg. Calcium citrate daily. 500 to 1000 micrograms sublingual B12 daily [should be methylcobalamin for best absorption.] or 1000 mcg B12 injection monthly. 5000 I.U. vitamin D3. [but do not exceed 5000 I.U.] 100 mg Thiamine (vitamin B1) daily for one year following surgery and then weekly thereafter.

You don't have to push yourself into the pureed food stage. I had RNY gastric bypass 3 years ago. I was on Full liquids for the first 4 weeks, Pureed Foods for the next 4 and only in the 9th week did I transition to solids. So maybe your stomach is not quite ready and might need a little extra healing time. The three most important elements after gastric bypass surgery are meeting your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin daily requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting store fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Your fluid requirement is more than just Water. It includes the water in the protein shakes, milk, the water you take to take your Vitamins, the water component of Soups, drinks like crystal light, tea or decaf coffee, etc. It is important to meet this daily requirement to keep from becoming dehydrated. Also as your fat cells are eliminated they release chemicals and hormones that are stored inside. These need to be flushed from your system, through your kidneys and expelled in your urine. Your body needs fluids to make this happen. Not sure why you are feeling anemic. Your body needs two minerals: Calcium and Iron. But if you take these at the same time or near the same time, they will not allow your body to absorb them. So time separation is very important. For me I found that I took all my iron supplements at night just before bedtime. Whereas I took my calciums spread out throughout the day. That worked best for me. Without adequate iron, you will become anemic. A lack of B12 can also make you weak and tired. If you are taking B12 as a time release capsule instead of sublingual, that might cause the weakness.

I'm November 18th! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congratulations on beginning your journey. I wrote a short article that describes my experience with RNY gastric bypass surgery. I am 3 years post-op at this point. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Hello Imagine 1....I take Lortabs for chronic pain, I'm at about a year into them. PCP stated that I will most likely be on them for the rest of my life. I'm 50. Due to the Opioid Crisis in this country, it is always on the news. Though I take my pills precisely as prescribed, never doubling up, the press makes me feel like I'm an addict. A criminal addict! It feels awful. But just to be able to walk or stand for five minutes, I have to have the Lortabs. I'm almost ashamed. I am still in pain despite the pills, but I am afraid to ask for a higher dose or use another pain pill because I believe that one gets "used" to them and they feel like they don't work as well. I don't want to ask for, say, Oxycodone, because I feel I'll just get used to them too over time and then where do I go? My PCP says she may send me to a pain clinic, because she does not dispense anything over my current dose or a stronger pill. That's ok with me, but I don't know what a pain clinic does. I'm not addicted to pain pills, I never misuse, sell or share them. I am dependent on them. But as far as how well it controls or eases my pain, I think they work less now. The only thing I can think of is that my body is used to them and I don't get the benefits from them like I used to. But they still help, a little. I could only assume that I am becoming resistant to them. Does that help? I can only offer my experience and tell you you are not alone. Good luck with your new PCP, I hope they can help you. Thank you so much for your reply. That is exactly how I feel. I too, take them responsibly. I took them before my surgery and then I also had shoulder surgery a couple of months ago. I think that if my doctor would just prescribe One more per day I would be ok. I know I might have built up a tolerance but I would still not be taking that many and it is true that I am not absorbing the full amount since my bypass. I saw my doc this week and she started me on a non narcotic pill, Gabapentin. The generic form of neurontin. I read on internet that people are given it for epilepsy and seizures and for nerve pain from herpes. Yikes.. But I also read that Dr's prescribe for arthritis pain and back pain. The thing is, my pain is in joints and bone spurs are not really nerve related. So far it just makes me sleepy. She is still continuing the 3 Vicodin a day so at least I have something that works. Even if it is still not being absorbed efficiently. Is Lortab the liquid form of Vicodin? What dosage works for you? I too am going to be on pain meds forever. It honestly helps me function and enables me to live life in a more normal fashion. I am wondering if I need to see a pain specialist. Like you, I have taken them at the same amount for years and have only increased once and that's because of the shoulder surgery. If I was going to be an addict I would not have stayed at the same strength for so long and they would not be lasting me for the full month! Sorry, just venting. I'd appreciate staying in touch because it sounds like we have a similar problem. Thanks for lending an ear! I look forward to seeing how things work out for you. Sent from my XT1585 using the BariatricPal App

I just got my surgery scheduled today - Feb. 10th. Gastric bypass.

Hey everyone! Today is exactly 4 months since my gastric bypass....I have lost exactly 50 lbs since surgery and 80 lbs total since I started this journey....I had a very rough month of April battling horrible diarrhea and then constipation! Finally for the past few weeks now I'm starting to feel somewhat back to normal [emoji3]....I have yet to start a regular exercise routine ...I know that's bad!! If only the weight would fall off as fast as my hair is lately! [emoji15][emoji37] Anyway..I would like to thank everyone for helping me along the way with any advice you have given to me...I find a lot of great information here...along with some humor and drama...makes for good entertainment at times...lol

One individual in our Bariatric Support Group Meeting had a band to RNY gastric bypass surgery revision because his band was wearing away into his stomach and the condition became life threatening.

Hey @@Madea61 I responded to your private message already but I wanted to also let you know that there is a great Facebook support group for folks having sleeve surgery during the months of May and June....even though you're having bypass I think this group would be great for you if you use Facebook.....bypass and sleeve are two different surgeries but the pre-op and post-op are very similar from what I understand so you should fit right in. If you'd like me to add you to the group send me your email address and I can get you added. It's a completely secret group and no one can see anything that is posted there that is not a member of the group.

There is a type of low blood sugar problem that can occur after gastric bypass surgery. It is called reactive hypoglycemia. Here is a link to the condition. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass Generally this problem begins to occur several months after surgery. Since you are only a week after surgery, I suspect this is not the cause. These are the symptoms of hypoglycemia: An irregular heart rhythm * Fatigue * Pale skin * Shakiness * Anxiety * Sweating * Hunger * Irritability * Tingling sensation around the mouth * Crying out during sleep As hypoglycemia worsens, signs and symptoms may include: * Confusion, abnormal behavior or both, such as the inability to complete routine tasks * Visual disturbances, such as blurred vision * Seizures * Loss of consciousness If you were diabetic and taking medication for the condition, the medication might be driving your body into hypoglycemia. If so this is a sign that you need to cut back on the diabetic medicine. But if you were diabetic then you probably have a glucose meter and could test to see if your hypothesis (low blood sugar) is a correct one.

I had my bypass in March of 2015. Now I'll be having a hysterectomy on April 12 th of this year. Does the bypass present any issues with being intubated? Is there anything I need to make sure my surgeon and anesthesiologist understand?

I imagine the main thing would be no blind NG tubes, but I would just make sure anesthesia and your surgeon know you have had a gastric bypass. I don't really think they would need to put an NG tube down, but just incase they do need to i would let them know.

Hello. It's going to be a month since I had the surgery. I'm 29 years old and having this surgery was about the idea of wow, being able to lose weight, not be controlled by appetite. If you follow the 4 rules of my surgeon then I'll get my weight loss down without being hungry!! It seemed like a dream. Well it has been hard. I did practice eating without drinking before surgery and it was difficult at first, I didn't notice how much I would drink to get what I was eating down. Well this past week I started solids. It has not been fun. I notice that even tho I chew my solids, I am still doing something wrong because I throw up after. I have not had dumping. I eat what is on my sheet. I concentrate and eat, but I guess my bites are still bigger than they should be. They told me a chick pea size bite (check), chew it 30 times, (well I honestly can't chew it 30 times) stay the table for 25 min. (I get full before the 25min.) Eat sitting down (this is kinda new to me too) Drink 64oz of Water (this is also hard, because you can't just chug water you have to be consistent and remember to drink) I have also been good at drinking water, and crystal light, and if I feel like I don't have energy because I couldn't keep up with my meal I drink gatorade. Anyways this is where I am, everyone around me says I look great, That I look younger. I went down 2 sizes for my top, being a 3x and now 1x, and 1 size from my jeans and sometimes 2 depending on the brand. I was so happy. This is hard tho. It wasn't as easy as I thought. Sometimes when I have been throwing up this week I asked myself. Was this worth it? I was clearly upset because every meal I was throwing up, trying different foods and having the same outcome. I have narrowed it down and I have to be believe that I am not chewing enough, that has to be it!! I know my surgery was worth it. I can climb the stairs without shortness of breath, I can clean my bathroom without taking breaks, I took my 7 year old son out because I haven't been tired. I got on a Ferris wheel (I could always go on a Ferris wheel, but I was always worried with my weight) and loved it. I speak without hard breathing anymore. For the last 3 weeks I felt great. Even tho I couldn't eat certain things, I wasn't hungry. I'm not going to lie tho, at night I thought about food. It doesn't mean I was hungry because I was not. I would be watching my hour of t.v. after I put my son to sleep and the commercials, and my imagination. It seems funny now, but I realized I have more of a problem than I had realized. I wasn't going to eat because again I wasn't hungry, but being in bed thinking about food, made me realize I have a problem with food. Before surgery I was a person who ate 2 huge meals a day. They were usually store bought too. I also drank a lot of coke. Like a lot maybe 4 coke cans a day. When I went to discuss this surgery with my surgeon he told me, if I gained 1 pound, I would be exempt and wouldn't be able to have this surgery. I cut my coke to 2 a day, but continued to eat the same about but I would kind of say healthier, as in no longer burgers and pizza, but more Proteins to see if I could eat chicken, fish every day. It turned out I could, I also gave up eating potato bread, well all bread but that was my favorite. Anyways of course everyone one here knows that changes have to be made. I made mine. I wish that before I had surgery I would have read someone else's take. I think besides wanting to write it all like a journal right? Anyways it has not been easy and this week with solids, has been hard and draining. I have to continue to move forward and if it means to just eat completely alone with a sign in front of me to chew or else I will throw up, I will have to do just that. I can't wait to see what a couple of months has in store for me. To have more energy, to change my life from sitting to actually getting up and having energy to go out and do something. To be able to go to the zoo with my son without having to take breaks. To be able to go to Lego land next year and be able to get on the rides with my son, and not having him go with another family member. To go bike riding. Damn so many things I will be able to do, just now to clean my bathroom without having to stop to have some rest is awesome. I have read some people say they see someone to talk about their ideas of foods, and I think that is a great idea. I think I will look for someone who helps people after bariatric surgery. I just wish to meet people who have had surgery around the same time I have and I can have a buddy. I think it's easier when you have someone to talk about it with!!

On Tuesday I had a revision from a band to a bypass. I am extremely swollen and actually weigh 9 pounds more than I did the morning of surgery. How long did the swellinglast for others before you saw actual weight loss. Thanks!

RNY is designed to malabsorb. I would just like to clarify this for people because it really can be confusing. It is not a complication or cause of the surgery. I have never thought about the rate of malabsorbtion nor have I heard that term used. I did spend quite a bit of time on this with my surgeon and nut because initially I was very worried about this part of bypass. It does in fact depend on many things. Medications and nutrients are malabsorbed in different places. For example we will always malabsorb Calcium because it apparently absorbed in a different area within our new digestive system. Protein on the other hand is less impacted. There is some belief that malabsorption lasts forever which is why we must take Vitamins for life. The body does adjust some to this. My own personal experience is that I definately malabsorb some of my medications. I am on cyclosporine which I take for a few months a year for severe psoriatic arthritis. When I weighed 310lbs I would need to take 200 milligrams a day and it would clear me up quickly. Now I am 164lbs and recently had to go back on it. We started with 100 for a month when that didn't budge it we moved to 200 and now I am up to 300 and it's barely touching my psoriasis. Same thing with pain medication. I take it and had to have it doubled and then it barely lasts for an hour. Now we moved me to a patch and that seems to work much better. Why are you interested in the rate?