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I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 4 years ago. Eating lettuce became acceptable after week 9 according to my surgeons directions. But go easy on the salad dressing - go with dressings that have minimal fat and sugar. Chewing is a natural craving and your desire for salad may be related to that craving. Some people experience problems in meeting their daily protein, vitamin and fluid requirements. But it sounds like in your case these problems are extreme and there may be an underlying medical condition that needs to be treated as well. According to the internet: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present. So condensing this down general advice (coordinating with your surgical staff) might be to avoid NSAIDs (such as aspirin), use proton pump inhibitors (such as Prilosec) and have yourself tested for Helicobacter pylori infection.

I had my surgery on 3.13.2017 with Dr Illan at the Oasis of Hope hospital. I have absolutely no regrets, have had zero issues or complications, and would recommend him to anyone. The entire staff was phenomenal during my stay and the care I received was top-notch!

Yes that is the risk ... the complications . I am afraid too .

Well, I'm having the sleeve done on May 1! I was originally scheduled in November 2016 but had to cancel last minute due to complications from diabetes. Hey, so I'm in a Facebook group for November 2016 sleevers and just stayed in it to see how everyone was progressing. Might be nice if we made a May 2017 Sleevers group on Facebook? I didn't see any when I searched so far. Just a thought.

Chris, Can't wait to worry about loose skin! Out of curiosity, did your insurance go by your starting BMI for approval? Is your surgery going to be out patient? Mine will be barring any complications. I'm super excited for you! Best of luck! Tasha

Tasha, Thank you foe explaining . I was asked by another Washitonian if I was going with Eviva too but they never told me what it was. I only had to have three month of monitored dr visits, so I chose to use my surgeon. It was no big deal. Each appt went over weight, BP - as mine is high and a indicator being used for my justification for sleeve, diet intake and any other questions I had. I also had to have an ekg, labs, and pschy eval. All of the later were good. Yes a week from today is my surgery. The hospital called today to pre-admit me. I'm not nervous. I have had 4 major surgeries since Feb 2015. Unfortunately they all had complications which either required longer surgery time, readmit to the hospital or a second surgery. So I am being told I should be freaked out about now....LOL. I am excited, ready for it to be done. I think I have more concern over the loose skin issue. Christina

You look great! I'm scheduled for June 14. I'm so scared! But I know if I DON'T do it, I will NEVER get my life back! I'm mostly afraid of complications!!!

I'm pre-op. I do very well throughout the week. But when the weekend comes, it's out the door. I don't overly indulge in anything though. I don't have a sweet tooth either. I don't cook on weekends, so it's "eat whatever". I'm working on meal planning and prep as well. Like @Diana Prince mentioned, it'll be easier to stick to post op due to the body changes and restrictions. It's the head we'll have to battle, unless you want I risk losing your life with complications of not following orders.

The premier protein shakes are the best for me. They are 30 grams of protien each and packed with vitamins. In the beginning it took me over an hour to sip one down, but now it's about 40 minutes. I try to do 2 each day. I drink Gatorade G2, but I water it down. I like it better then the MIO drops (personally- so many friends love them). So I will pour the Gatorade into 3 different empty 16z bottles of water and then water it down. I do this bc the Gatorade still has calories and carbs and I'm trying to keep my carbs down as low as possible and don't want excess empty calories. I will drink plain water, but I find it hard too. I get my premier protein from COSTCO. Chocolate, vanilla and bananas and cream. They have strawberry and caramel on line. I've heard that Walmart may carry it too in 4 packs. It is WAY more paletable for me then any other protien shake so far. I just haven't found a powder that isn't gritty and gross - but again it's so personal, my friend will ONLY drink the powders. Vitamins are important too. I use patches (patchmd.com) and today was the first time since surgery I didn't wear them...and I felt like crap. Needed a nap and if I wasn't visiting family, I would have stayed asleep...so I think they are helping with my energy. The patches I love bc it's one less thing to factor into my day of "eating" and drinking. But get in you FLUID! Dehydration is one of the most frequent complications from surgery and it can be prevented (most of the time) with some effort. And believe me, I feel you, it was effort. I set alarms to remind myself to take sips and eat. lol. I hope you feel better. It takes some time, but focus on healing and the protien and fluids will help the healing.

Wow 5 more weeks? I have 1 week clear liquids, one week of regular liquids and soupy foods then one week puree and that's it ... Did you have other complications? What was your starting HIM, just curious. Obviously you should stick to your surgeons recommendations but if it was me I would ask him some follow up questions as to why you will be on 5 weeks liquid protein. There maybe a reason that he did not clarify that's specific to you.

Hello all. Im struggling with not eating. I can smell the food through the walls of my apt building. I went out for the first time and I could smell the BBQ in the air. My Docs recovery is very strict compared to others i see. Will be on Protein for 5 more weeks, then mush. Ive been holding on but i was determined to have a soft scrambled egg yesterday, but its not worth the complications that may come. How are others doing and how did you over come this stage?

Hello all. Im struggling with not eating. I can smell the food through the walls of my apt building. I went out for the first time and I could smell the BBQ in the air. My Docs recovery is very strict compared to others i see. Will be on Protein for 5 more weeks, then mush. Ive been holding on but i was determined to have a soft scrambled egg yesterday, but its not worth the complications that may come. How are others doing and how did you over come this stage?

My surgeon limits his planned surgery time to 6 hours for patient safety, so he often won't do the TT & BL as a single procedure. Luckily, he thought he'd be able to do both within that time for me. My surgery ended up taking 8 hours (no complications, just took longer than he expected). My recovery was much easier than I expected (& my surgeon was pretty surprised by my recovery, too!) & was back to working full time in 10 days (desk job & worked partly from home the first week back). I think going with the surgeon you're most comfortable with is the best plan! Best of luck.

I feel great! I just finished up 5 days in Disney World doing 8-12 hour days at tha parks, pushing 75 pound stroller. Lol. I did most rides except I pushed it a bit with the Big thunder Mountain, comes to an abrupt stop and I was a tiny bit sore. Day one after surgery I felt crappy. I had to be up by 5am for my surgery so I was definilty tired later in the day. I thought I would be up and walkin laps around the place (bc a few people I knew had been just after surgery). I was 2 hours post op and like I'm ready to go, let's walk!! And then 1/2 way down the hall I was like, ok let's go back. 😂 But every 2 hours (even overnight) I got up and walked, each time going further and more steady. I passed my swallow test with no problem and tolerated the water, protein shake and jello, so I wasn't out by 1:00 the next day. They said to catch up on my sleep on my first day home and then I could go to the gym and they wanted as much moving as possible. I don't go to the gym, but I used my eliptical every couple of hours for 5-15 minutes day one and then every couple of hours for 10-20 the next. That helped so much with the gas pain. My gas pain wasn't that bad and was totally gone by day 3. I did use a few gasX strips each day, but I'm not sure if it helped, but it couldn't hurt. I was driving by day 3, but sore and tired. Since I have kids I couldn't take the narcotics too much (driving, etc) but I took Tylenol during the day and the oxy at night for the first 2 nights home. I went back to work day 4, but my work pants hurt my incisions (yoga pants we so comfy that I didn't factor in a belt and sitting at a desk) so I only made it 3-4 hours. But day 7 I was back normally with no problems. My only complication so far was a wicked rash that formed on my abdomen. I took benedryl each night (again can't get doped up on meds when you've got kids depending on you). They weren't sure what was causing it, because it wasn't really around the incisions, lightly all over but heavy on my sides. But it started to get super itchy near the incisions and the glue was coming off (after 8-9 days) so I peeled it off and the next day the rash improved and after that nearly gone. So I'm thinking it was an allergic reaction to the glue they used OR from the stitches. Either way, if that's my worst complication I'll be blessed. It WAS hard to get my protein and water in those first 2 days, but I make it my business to get it in. I over pack stuff for work and travel just to be safe and I track EVERTHING on baritastic (app). That's the most user friendly app for me personally and has been a very valuable tool. As far as weight loss, I'm hopeful. I'm away now, and I have. Even perfect on my diet. I ordered shakes and had them delivered to the hotel along with some foods I can have (yogurt, cheese) but I will see tomorrow when I weigh in at my mother in laws house. One big thing I WAS NOT prepared for was the weight gain after surgery. I was UP about 6-8 pounds on my home scale the day I came home. This apparently is common bc they have you on IV from an hour or so before surgery until a few minutes before discharge (which for me, was about 30 hours straight. I lost that over the first 4-5 days and now I'm about 10 pounds down from surgery. Since pre-op (about 4 weeks ago) I'm down 20 But I FEEL good. I have energy. I already look visibly better in clothes. I'm starting to see my old shape I'm not sure if they work, but I take biotin pills (COSTCO) and vitamin patches (patchmd.com) calcium/Vit D, B-12 and multi vitamin, and biotin plus. I told my PA at the office and she said other patients had good results, so I'm hopeful and I think they are helping with my energy. I'm praying they keep my hair fro falling out, but I've read that it says futile lol Don't overpack for the hospital. Just comfy clothes to walk in (I'm not a fan of the gown. And comfy clothes for the car ride home (and a pillow to hold over your stomach for the ride home). Someone posted about dry mouth here and it was helpful. It's NO JOKE. I packed a dry mouth spray and that was good. You can't swallow, but 2 sprays was soaked up immediately in my dry mouth- yuk. I'm typing on my phone half asleep- so sorry if there are typos

Congratulations on the start of your journey. The surgery itself without complications is a walk in the park compared to a csection, BUT the NUT is right in that there is another form of hell you have to go through. The surgery changes the size of your stomach, but not your brain and those first few days a i so badly wanted to lick food just for the taste. It was so hard and I had no real support at home so it was very hard. If it wasn't for all the cautionary tales my NUT had given me, I wouldn't know just how "normal" all this was and got through it knowing it was just temporary.

How are you feeling? Give us the dirt!! Any pain or complications? Any weight loss?

Dr. Illan was my surgeon. I had surgery on 12/12/16 and had no complications. I had mini gastric bypass. I stayed at Oasis of Hope Hospital and then went to Pueblo Hotel & Casino. Both places were nice. Dr. Illan, his surgical staff, which includes two other bariatric surgeons, the other doctors, nurses and valets were amazing. They were very attentive and made sure I was healing right and that I and my daughter had everything we needed. One of the best decisions I have ever made!!!

I had mini gastric bypass on 12/12/16 and I have lost almost 60 since surgery. My surgery weight was 247 lbs. I have had no complications. I think mini gastric bypass will work well for you. Weigh your options, the pros and cons.

I would advise that you reconsider the Lap band. They are being phased out by surgeons all over the country because if there failure and complication rate! I've just my band taken out and revised to the RNY. I wish I would have just skipped the lap and and went for the RNy in the first place. The band got me to the point where I was vomiting 6 times a day and could barely keep water down after 3 years of no weight loss. That being said if your daughter still wants the band try to get an Aetna or bcbs shield insurance. I have BCBS and only paid $575.00 for the revision and bypass. Best of luck

He's way wrong about reflux. For the vast majority of people with reflux, even diagnosed GERD like me, only 1 out of 5 cases are worse because of the VSG surgery. The rest are either diet related or other conditions. For the majority, the underlying obesity problems causing reflux are more resolved than worsened due to weight loss and dietary improvements and awareness of what foods initiates reflux. In theory a smaller stomach makes easier reflux but not quite accurate. I would be skeptical of him trying to push you to RNY. Firstly, the added complications of the surgery makes it a better idea for older people or those like me with comorbidities like advanced liver disease. Risks associated with VSG are much less. Secondly, see if the door is open to revision if you have any issues with the surgery including reflux. My surgeon offered this.

A few questions - how many surgeries has your surgeon done. Did you research him/her as much as the procedures? Have you met with the rest of the team and discussed any of this before today? How long have you been in the process? If you really feel uncomfortable, then consider changing surgeons, but, when I spoke with my surgeon he asked me the same question. I told him I preferred the sleeve because I was concerned about all the complications with bypass (dumping, etc.). He then laid out the pros and cons in a very thoughtful way and told me his recommendations based upon the 200 bariatric procedures he does every year and has done for the last 19 years. I trusted his judgment. He has a medical degree. I don't.

I think you should talk to another surgeon. Some doctors just really think about themselves other than their patients. Sometimes it's all about the money. The gastric bypass cost more than the sleeve so maybe he's thinking of dollar signs. I understand that the sleeve wouldn't be right for you IF you have existing acid reflux disease because it can worsen your condition. However, if you don't have acid reflux right now then there should be no reason why you shouldn't have the sleeve. Sure patients lose more weight with the gastric bypass but it's very risky and has a higher complication rate. So I say if you feel comfortable getting the sleeve, go for it!!!

Sleeved 12-19-16! 3 night stay, I had complications! Lots of vomiting from the meds, couldn't do the swallow test because of the vomiting, that is why I had to stay. Most of my pain was from the vomiting. Was off work 6 weeks. Just again because of vomiting. To this day I still have troubles with vomiting. Think I may have a sliding hernia causing the vomiting and severe acid reflux. But I have to wait 6 maths to a year before we can fix it. Dont worry I am one of the few with complications! Other wise I feel great and have losted 56 pounds, and went down 4 sizes. Doctor assures me that I am missing at a healthy rate. I am truly happy and love my sleeve, just not the thing causing the heart burn and vomiting!!

I am looking at a surgery date of probablt September. I am curious how those with Diabetes are after surgery. Are you still on meds/insulin? Have you noticed any reversal in your complications?

Thanks. But when i asked the doctor, he didn't mention this reimburse type insurance for complications. All doctors have this reimburse complications insurance or only some?