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I am having a revision surgery and repair to hiatal hernia on 7/23. Start my clear liquid diet 7/20. Outpatient surgery which I’m happy about. Just worried about managing the pain. Good luck everyone.

Hi! I’m new to the forum but looking for words of encouragement from other people who might be going through what I am. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2004. Lost over 100 pounds for about a minute. Started going to eating disorder therapy to try and see why I had such an unhealthy relationship with food. My weight finally settled at 200-210lbs but of course I was never satisfied. Finally after having a complication after a shoulder replacement in July 2019 and then Covid hit, I am the heaviest I have ever been after surgery, 267. I have to almost starve myself to lose weight now. I feel defeated and know that revision is the best option for me now. I don’t want to waste another year of my life! So I keep asking myself, why will this time be different? Growing up and as a young adult, my father said that god put me in his life so he could have tolerance for fat people. My grandpa would ask me at a huge family dinner why I couldn’t be skinny like my friends and my grandma asked me why I I didn’t want to be model thin after giving me an entire bundt cake (I lived alone) to take home. As you can see I have not had the greatest support but also all of them have since passed away. I feel like this time I’m doing it for myself but am I just trying to convince myself? Let me know why YOU think it will or was different for YOU? Thanks for reading my very raw story.

At 23 and just 40 BMI, I'd seriously question whether it makes sense purely from a health perspective. Also, quite a few people are successful with diet and exercise changes in that situation. That said, if the social consequences are extreme (as I'd imagine they are at that age), I could understand somebody deciding that the surgery was the right choice for them. [I lost my gall bladder a few years ago, long before my surgery. Got sent home from the emergency room three times with extreme pain and was told it was heart burn each time. The fourth time they decided I needed an emergency cholecystectomy, and operated immediately. When, I recently visited the emergency room due to bright orange drainage from my main gastric bypass incision (turned out not to be something to worry about) and they asked me for feedback, I was sure to remind them about repeatedly missing my exploding gall bladder.]

It's been 3 weeks since my bypass surgery. I was told I had to have bypass surgery due to Severe Acid Reflux. I also had a high BMI of 44, Sleep Apnea, Severe Asthma, Severe Incontinence, High Blood Pressure, when dieting used several medicines and weight loss programs would loose 15 lbs at most and gain more back. At first I said would not do it again due to throwing everything up that I drank or ate. Not been able to eat or drink much of anything. I lied though it is worth it all. I am hungry and then when I eat I get full very quickly. I am holding on to the fact I am hoping I loose the weight that they say I will which they think 80 to 100 lbs. I am hoping it is the later of the two. I can say positively my asthma is so much better, my Sleep Apnea is better not using machine and not snoring, my Incontinence is a ton better so far. So yes do it, medically I say do it. Just to lose weight no. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

The first is likely nothing to worry much about, but to stay on top of - with COVID around I'm sure this is a common thing (though TinDE is right in that these things are usually pre-approved for some period of time, as delays happen. It is likely a matter of box checking and the surgeon's insurance coordinator needs to get with the insurance company to get the correct box checked on their forms so that their computer can do its job. It may even be routine enough that they don't even bother changing the pre-auth date rather than doing it retroactively. Again,, not likely a big deal, but it is their problem to work out - that's what they get paid to do. On the second issue, this is one of the semi-legit "scams" in the medical world, where we get these trail of bills from out of network "providers" we never heard of. Kick this back to the anesthesiologist (why does he need a nurse assistant for a simple bypass job?) More and more various hospital workers, seemingly down to the floor sweepers, who used to be covered under a general surgical or anesthesia charge seem entitled to charge you insurance separately My wife had an orthopedic surgery a couple of years ago and we got an EOB from a surgical nurse charging more than $16k (over double the surgeon's fee - for a half day job) of which the insurance paid $300.. We couldn't get any response from her billing service (an RN needing a billing service?) so we asked the surgeon about it in a follow up appointment (she must be damned good to bill double your rates!) and he texted her while we were there and the excess charge was removed by the time we got home. These underlings have an incentive these days to try to get away with what they can, but ultimately, they don't want to cross their boss - the guy who specifies their services. Similarly, on a shoulder job I had, the insurance rejected the claim for a PA surgeon's assistant, claiming it wasn't necessary for that surgery; the surgeon told me "we'll take care of it", and they did. In short, let the relevant providers know of the problem and let them take care of it before panicking, If it doesn't resolve within 2-3 months, then panic. As a final note, let your surgeon know of any of these problems, as he is the ultimate boss, (or at least higher up the food chain). He may feign disinterest, (there's nothing I can do about that...) but anything that impacts the public perception of his practice is in his interest. He can't technically tell the anesthesiologist how to run his practice, but he does have influence over using his practice, so it may just be a mention over lunch ("Hey Bill, your nurse is hassling my patients again - have her knock it off...")

Hi there, I had my surgery on the 13th so totally in the same phase as you. I think I'm experiencing some similar cravings. Being that I have been through this before, (my surgery is a revision) I can assure you that it's just your brain hinting at you from habit. You're not really hungry, you want to eat. There's a difference. I am concerned that you are considering some potentially life threatening solutions. (food at this point could cause a leak and that can cause infection that can kill you.) My suggestion is to get a notebook JUST for this journey. First, write the most important reasons why you chose to have surgery. Read them over when you have urges to do things off program. Hope this helps.

it's caused by eating too much sugar (and less commonly, fat - some people dump on fat). As Tek said, most sources say about 30% of bypassers dump. It can happen with sleeve, too, but it's much less common. I've never dumped and I know a lot of other people who haven't, either. If you turn out to be a dumper, you can prevent future episodes by avoiding or limiting your sugar intake (most dumpers can eat SOME sugar and not dump - they just can't eat a lot of it in one sitting). If you do dump, you'll find out pretty quickly what triggers it for you...and how much sugar (or fat, in some cases) you can eat without setting it off.

I would really love to hear some success stories of people who had a revision from the slave to the mini gastric or gastric bypass and had success. Personally, I am totally willing to go through a revision and all that comes with it but not for a 30 pound weight loss and I’m getting a lot of mixed information. What’s your success story? Would you share some pictures of your revision starting weight self and where you’re at now? I could really use some encouragement because I’m not sure if I should believe all the surgeons I’ve been talking to!

TL;DR What skin care products and procedures should I use in the months after surgery to avoid having huge amounts of excess skin that may compel me to get plastic surgery? I'm a large man who had Gastric Bypass Surgery 20 days ago. Everything is going better than I hoped, both in terms of weight loss and tolerating food. That said, I use a mental picture of myself in a couple of years to motivate me, and that mental picture is incompatible with the images of people with massive excess skin that I have seen. I'd feel compelled to seek out plastic surgery in that case (and given my weight history and the amount I am losing, it would appear that I have a higher than average chance of ending up in that situation). What products and procedures does this forum recommend to reduce the likelihood of having significant excess skin when my weight loss is complete? I'm currently under the impression that in addition to the aggressive strength training that I already planed, I should use Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid Topically, aggressively exfoliate, and ingest collagen and vitamin C and perhaps CoQ10. Are there significant changes I should make to this list or products that the forum has found to be effective? Thanks!

Hello, I had a lap band in 2008 and it was essentially a failure. I've spent years going up and down with my weight and have finally come to a decision to have gastric bypass. I am really nervous but excited that I'm about to start on this journey. I have my first consultation with a bariatric surgeon this week (July 22). I am self pay because my health insurance has a specific exclusion for bariatric surgery. Given that I don't have to go through any insurance loopholes, I'm wondering how quickly it will be before I can schedule the surgery. For self pay patients, what is the average time from consultation to surgery?

Hi Dan. You're a great husband being so supportive of your wife. She's definitely blessed to have you. I am currently 11 days post-op from my gastric sleeve. I have been living with bipolar II for many years, and I have continued to take my meds as scheduled. I talked with my psychiatrist prior to surgery to ask her if any changes would need to be made, and she gave me tips on my different medications. One she switched to a dissolves-in-the-mouth form, which helps a lot since it is a difficult pill to get down after surgery. As someone stated above, the malabsorption issues tend to happen with bypass more than sleeve. One of the reasons I leaned toward the sleeve instead of bypass is for that very reason. I've been stable on my meds for some time now, and I didn't want to risk throwing myself off. Something to remember too, is that as weight loss occurs, sometimes doses need to change (often go lower) to work with our new weight. So, as long as your wife and yourself keep that in mind too, it will help to know if maybe something needs adjusting in time. As for the immediate depression that people sometimes feel, I had that. The first week following my surgery I sat there feeling low and asking myself, "Why did I do this to myself?" I was in pain and had very little energy, so I just felt like I had made a huge mistake. However, prior to surgery, I had read that type of depression can occur. Therefore, I just tried my best to keep telling myself it is only temporary. Sure enough, now as the pain has significantly subsided and my energy is going back up, I feel much better. I would say, being prepared for those ups and downs are one of the biggest aides in our recovery. It helped me to know it was something common that many people experience, and also that it was only temporary. Well wishes to your wife on her new journey!

Hi All, I'm new here and happy to find you all. I was banded in November 2010. Continued to see my dr until I had a good fit of fluid. Then I thought I didn't see them again unless I had an issue with my band. I lost a total of 38 pounds but lost a ton of inches going from a size 26 pants to an 18. 4x shirt to 1x (but loved the comfort 2x gave me [emoji4]) About a year ago I started having severe acid. To the point it woke me up choking. Having terrible pain in my stomach and not being able to keep much food or liquid down. Went to a GI, had endoscopy and found 3 esophageal ulcers. (Didn't realize I should have gone to my surgeon). After meds healed all but 1 ulcer he advised I should see my surgeon. He also found a hiatus hernia. He suggested I may need to move to a sleeve due to the place of the last ulcer. He also felt the hernia may be causing issue with my band So back to the surgeon I went. He said moving from band to sleeve would not help the acid as it is still the same type of restriction. He prefers band to bypass and thinks I will do well. He will also repair my hernia and if my gallbladder is causing issue will remove that as well. (Some of my pain has indicated gall bladder pain). I am at the last part to get approval, psych, dietician then I will be scheduled. I am trying to be very informed as to what to expect and do to be successful this time and do the right thing. Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

malabsorption can happen with bypass, but I don't think it's an issue with sleeve. and yes - the estrogen release is pretty common and can affect people's moods and menstrual cycles for a few weeks or months following surgery (it eventually stabilizes) there are a lot of people who've had surgery who've had depression issues prior to surgery. Her depression may or may not get worse, but if it does, her doctor can always adjust her dosage or try a different med

I'm 10 months post gastric bypass surgery I've lost 107 lbs since day of surgery and 151lbs since my highest weight. How many calories, carbs, fat and Protein is everyone taking in around the 10 month mark? I've hit a stall and not sure what I need to change. Sent from my LE2127 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 10 months post gastric bypass surgery I've lost 107 lbs since day of surgery and 151lbs since my highest weight. How many calories, carbs, fat and protein is everyone taking in around the 10 month mark? I've hit a stall and not sure what I need to change. Sent from my LE2127 using BariatricPal mobile app

I got a lapband in 09 and lost 87 lbs down to 167, was never able to keep fluid in the band because of an issue with my esophagus. Had it removed and revised in 2015 to RNY because of precessure on the esophagus from the empty band, I couldn't eat anything healthy--only slider foods. I was up to 178 and lost ..... NOTHING! Dr. warned that it would be slow, but I had no restriction, I have never had dumping and I maintained there until I starting dieting and working out to lose. Down to 163, was thrilled and then PANDEMIC, not working and up to 182, having crazy stomach pains. Found I have an ulcer, treating with PPI hope it works because it hurts to drink water.

So glad to hear many are being told upfront about the HH surgery with sleeve. Did you all know this in advance? (Already had gerd), or did they find it pre op? Recently read a new study that found a 50% increase in HH repair during Sleeve vs. bypass…so it’s obvious docs understand sleeve carries higher risk of GERD from HH than bypass.

Hi August Peeps. I am going to have my bypass in Mexico on 21st. Will fly into San Diego on 20th and go to hospital for some testing. Will stay in motel that night and have surgery on Saturday morning. Will spend 2 days in hospital and the fly Home late on Monday.

I had the bypass 10 days ago. I wouldn't say recovery is easy and pain pills just make me sleepy. That being said I still would do it again - and I was self pay. There are no obese elderly people plain and simple.

Hi everyone!!! I’m new to this sight and need all the help I can get 😩. I’m Pre Surgical for Gastric Bypass, I’ve gone through every test known to man. I see my Bariatric Dr Aug 13th, hopefully I will get a date for my surgery. Feel free to comment, I would love advice!!

Me too! I had mini gastric bypass 5/5 this year!

what would you recommend for Macros, and calorie intake, I had gained 20lbs back durring Covid. I was at my goal and maintained for a few years, now struggling and not seeing the results I was expecting being a Gastric Bypass patient.

Im trying to find an a typical daily calorie limit for a Woman, 4 years out Gastric Bypass. Lost 150 lbs, maintained, then covid and gained 30lbs back. Now I need advice on how many calories I should eat to return to weightloss, and then for long term maintenance, being im so far out and was eating anything, and too much, and not having a problem till recent. Start: 276Lbs., Lowest: 117, maintained 125lbs, Currently 140 lbs. Goal back between 117-125 Lbs. Im also trying Keto, any advice for me is appreciated, Thanks!!!

It's good that he will be there for you anyway. For many of us, the health problems (heart attack, diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, inability to exercise, knee/hip replacement, asthma issues and more) associated with being overweight long-term are so much more extreme than the only medical solution proven to help us get to and stay at a healthy weight. I thought it was a little humorous that he said he could not imagine having 20% of his stomach. I thought—well, he won't have to imagine—he can ask you how it feels, and you will tell him. Also- no one seems to be interested in how it feels health-wise to be overweight. (Perhaps your husband is the positive exception here, but in my experience, most people are quick to talk about the surgery and how horrific the idea is, but not how horrific it is to have a heart attack at a young age, or any other obesity-related health problem. ) Literally no one would say, "Gee, don't you think quadruple bypass surgery is extreme? I can't imagine having my heart surgically altered". But weight loss surgery is a medical necessity for some and a hope of prevention for others. It can be truly life-saving. Not that you need to hear that, because you already know it. But he should probably hear it. It sounds like he might come around in the end, and I wish you both the best. I'm mostly writing this for others whose spouses may need some help understanding the medical nature of the procedure.

Good post since I think we can all relate. I'm a few weeks away and am also experiencing some of those feelings, both rational and irrational. I think my biggest fear is that although I have GERD with the sleeve, will I be jumping into the fire with a bypass which is a more serious procedure? Will that introduce more ongoing serious health issues? For example, will I have to remove my gallbladder as someone I know who had a bypass? What if I get a leak or sepsis or any of the other serious complications? Will I lose weight or will I fail? My main worry is... In the end, will I regret the revision to bypass?