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I understand how you feel...helpless and frustrated. When I had gastric sleeve surgery on 2/13/2014, it was in Tijuana (cost was less that $5,000 at the time)! This was because of insurance denying my initial attempt (I wasn't going to appeal since my health was in jeopardy. Now I need a revision to gastric bypass, I kinda expect the same response. Of course, now with COVID, Tijuana is high risk, if I was allowed to go and it was safe. But do not give up, nothing will change if you stop trying. Pain stopped me from working in October 2018, and due to lots of meds, I have gained almost all the weight that I lost, and kept off over five years. I share your frustration-let's keep going until we get what we need!

Yep, I have GERD and a hiatal hernia. I am still trying to weigh the options on how to deal with it. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had never had bariatric surgery at all - in MY case, I think I would have been happier and healthier without surgery, because my weight wasn't causing me any health issues yet and I just gave myself new problems with the surgery. If I was in fact dealing with health issues from the weight, now I feel like I might have been better off just doing the gastric bypass from the start.

Thank you for your honest review! I don’t have GERD but I’ve read that it is pretty common to have issues after the sleeve, even years after. I’m planning to only do this surgery once so maybe the bypass is the way to go.

Immediately !! I coughed that whole first night after surgery and kept my roommate up it was so bad. I ended up having a revision 11 months ago because of esophagitis D and a hiatal hernia. I was afraid of getting the bypass too but as far as weight loss and maintaining it has been much easier. I honestly liked the sleeve better because of the restriction and being able to eat all foods, but the flip side of that was I constantly had to watch my weight and struggled just to stay around 170. I was 180 the day of my revision and this morning I weighed in at 150.8. This is the lowest I have ever been and usually maintain 155 to 159 with no stress. I had a temporary crown put on 2 weeks ago and dropped 8 lbs because I am not getting the food I usually eat because of pain. I go in on Monday for the permanent crown and am sure my weight will bounce back up. lol Good luck to you and whatever surgery you choose.

My weight loss is also VERY slow 22lbs in the 3mth Post surgery sw was I've spent hours trawling through the Internet trying to workout the biochemistry/cellular physiology of what exactly happens during a stall ( I lost a few pounds over the first month but then stalled for 3 weeks) How can intake be 600 kcal and enough protein but no weight loss ... right !!! Measuring was the only thing that convinced me something was happening (7 inches from my waist and 1 inch from my hips!). OR maybe you could be on track for a Nobel prize for groundbreaking research on the revised laws of thermodynamics!!!!! How far out post op are you? And what was your surgery weight? ( it factors in as well) IT WILL IMPROVE . it has too! All the best

Hello i will be travelling from Canada to Mexico. My revision surgery is also scheduled for May 26th! I will be going to Limarp which is where I had my vsg in 2018. They were great. have to say not looking forward to the extra 3 night quarantine hotel stay when I land back in Canada and then another flight to get all the way back home.

Hello! I’m considering the gastric sleeve because I was nervous about the bypass. I want to know how many of you developed hiatal hernias and/or GERD after gastric sleeve. If so, how much time after?

1. Did you feel the same way? Yes, I was not totally sure about getting the sleeve, but I ignored my doubts and went through with it anyway.  2. Are you glad you did it? No. I do regret it. 3. Do you have any regrets? Yes. I now have a hiatal hernia and GERD that affect my quality of life. The hiatal hernia came AFTER the sleeve - I didn't have one beforehand. I didn't realize at the time that I had the sleeve that the shape of the sleeved stomach makes it prone to herniate, that if it does herniate that it can cause very significant symptoms even if it is a "small" hernia, and that permanently fixing a hiatal hernia after the gastric sleeve is not easy (hence many surgeons will tell you to just convert to a gastric bypass if you get a hernia after the sleeve).  4. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before you had surgery? I wish that someone had simply explained to me the problems that hiatal hernias can cause, that the gastric sleeve makes it much harder to surgically fix a hiatal hernia than it is if you still have your normal stomach, and that your quality of life can be ruined if you are one of the unlucky ones who has a lot of symptoms from it. I wish someone had told me that there was a real risk that I might end up being forced into converting to a gastric bypass because the sleeve caused problems. I know that pre-op people don't love hearing about regrets or the problems, but the truth is that I was better off before the surgery. Sure, I was fatter, but I was pretty healthy in spite of that and my weight was not affecting my quality of life. I desperately wish I could go back in time and tell my surgeon not to do it. The surgery works for a lot of people, but some people are worse off after it. If you aren't SURE you want the surgery, and especially if you are not willing to accept the risk that you might end up with health issues that force you to convert to a gastric bypass later, then I would advise not rushing into it. Wait until you are sure.

I had initially wanted bypass but because I have bipolar disorder and take a lot of medication for that, the surgeon and my psychopharmacologist both recommended sleeve, which is unfortunate, since I also have GERD. I just don't want to mess around with my meds, so I'm going to go with the sleeve and deal with the GERD.

I'm 9 months out from gastric bypass. I eat fairly simple meals because I can only eat small portions -- mainly meat and vegetables. I usually eat about 2 ounces of protein (chicken/turkey/pork/eggs/fish -- I almost never eat beef because I've heard that a lot of bariatric patients have issues with it) in a meal with a side of vegetables (usually lightly sprayed with olive or avocado oil, tossed with seasonings, and roasted in the air fryer). I eat a lot of salads with chicken and light dressing. I also eat a lot of cauliflower rice, which is funny because I have always hated cauliflower, but cauliflower rice is genius and I find it to be a good substitution for real rice. In case you don't know, most bariatric patients don't eat rice because it expands in the stomach and can be uncomfortable (not to mention empty calories and carbs). I don't miss rice AT ALL because I can eat cauliflower rice any time I want. There are some frozen cauliflower rice products available with different flavors and mix-ins (but you have to be careful to look at the ingredients and nutrition for those). I combine cauliflower rice with different meats, sauces, and veggies for variety. Examples: Taco chicken + black beans + salsa + cauliflower rice Carnitas + pico de gallo + cauliflower rice Lemon garlic chicken + air-fried asparagus + vegetable medley cauliflower rice Asian chicken + "fried rice style" cauliflower rice + green beans I love going on Pinterest to find bariatric-friendly recipes. There are some keto recipes that work, but I'm careful with those because some of them are too rich -- full of heavy cream, cream cheese, cheese, coconut oil, etc. Recipes labeled as "Weight Watchers" are often a good bet; they sometimes have rice or pasta, which aren't bariatric-friendly but easy enough to omit or substitute. I've found some good and healthy soup, chili, and casserole recipes. And I still enjoy ricotta bake (topped with turkey meat sauce -- it's like a noodle-less lasagna). These are all great to freeze in individual portions for quick meals (same goes for cooked meat). Thanks to tiny serving sizes, you can get tons of portions out of one meal. I have a freezer full of bariatric portions of various foods. When I first got to the solid food stage, I struggled to meet my protein goals, so I had to supplement with protein shakes and powders, but now I get most of my protein from meat/eggs/fish/yogurt. I still eat a daily protein bar and/or protein mug cake just because I enjoy it (I'm obsessed with Built Bars because they taste like candy bars so I can have a treat without going off my plan), but most of the food I eat is just basic, good, healthy stuff.

Glad to hear!! Did you also get the bypass?

Hello everyone! I’m scheduled for a gastric bypass on 4/26 so a week from tomorrow! I’m excited but also very nervous to the point that I’m second guessing if I selected the right choice. Has this happened to anyone? I want to point out that I didn’t get this anxious/nervous until a few days ago as the date gets closer. I’ve been doing my pre-op diet since last Monday, which is basically low carb-low fat. I enjoy the premier proteins and that is the only protein shakes that I’ve used so far, but I hear it might be a good idea to stock on unflavored and clear protein as well. Any word of advice?

First of all congrats on celebrating ten years and I wish you many more to come. Like jaelzion suggested I would try it at home first. It could hit you much harder than before and for some the sugar can even cause dumping. I don’t think this is as much an issue with sleevers as bypass but still a possibility you don’t want to deal with on your anniversary. I would pay attention to how long it takes to get out of your system too so you can sorta gage how long you should wait between drinks as to not get totally blitzed.and I don’t think I will ever drink and then drive again since I read that it takes way longer to get out of your blood and varies from person to person so no one really knows exactly how long you should wait but maybe some of the vets can give better advice on that one.

Hi all After a month of presurgery/Optifast diet, 2 weeks post op gastric bypass full fluids and finishing 2 weeks of puréed in a week, I’m looking to get a break from cooking and would like some healthy takeout choices while in the soft food stage. Any advice?

The lap band prevents me from eating healthy foods like fruits, veggies, and lean proteins. It does NOTHING to stop me from eating slider foods, though, so I've actually gained weight with the lap band. I regret not doing bypass in the first place but I thought the lap band would be a safer choice since nothing was cut or removed. I was wrong. People have complications/issues with the band WAY more than with any other WLS, and far less success. I know some folks on here have had success with it but they're in the minority. Most doctors aren't even doing lap bands anymore. My doctor said he takes out way more bands now than ever before because they were popular 10 years ago but are failing. I'm converting to bypass soon... can't wait to get my surgery date!

I live in Middle TN but had a revision surgery and had to do it in Knoxville. My surgeon was Dr. Stephen Boyce and he was great. I'm now 2 months post op and doing pretty well. Some foods just taste awful. Dr. Boyce is the only doctor I could find in the state who would convert my 1984 VBG into a R&Y. I highly recommend him.

Hi so I'm 12 weeks post bypass and my weight loss is not great at all. I'm only at 3 stone now since lrd. I've 3.5 st more to lose but it jst seems like nothing is happening. I go up and down the same 3 lbs in the last 2 weeks. I'm realy worried that this is it my weightloss has stopped already after paying all that money. I use mfp to track my calories and I'm still in a big deficit so why am I not loseing. I havent had a big loss in weeks I dont know where I'm going wrong Sent from my SM-A505FN using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my gastric bypass 4/8. I did it at a 30 birthday gift to myself. I want to start off my 30s feeling my age. So far doing well! I had one hiccup where I ended up back in the hospital because I was defecating blood but since then things have been going super well! I rarely feel hungry and am just eating because I know I have 2. Started puréed food today. Any ideas of good puréed foods?

Hi all. 9 years ago I had a gastric sleeve done by Dr Ariel Ortiz in Tijuana. I have since stretched out my sleeve and am looking into a revision. Has anyone had a revision through Dr Ortiz? Was it successful? Cost? Or if you used another Dr, would you recommend them? Was it successful? Cost?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some comfort words from any veterans out there who've had gastric bypass surgery a while ago, I had mine on the 12th, so this past Monday, it's day 1 and a half of being home now, and I feel super uncomfortable, super bloated, like I can't drink or think of drinking anything. I can barely fit the protein shake and a bit of water, but I'm feeling too full and gassy. Is that normal? I've tried walking several times a day, they gave me tablets for gas, and tried drinking as much water as possible, but obviously there's always that worry in the back of your head that you've done something wrong or that something is wrong. How was your first few days home??

I just had bypass on 3/3, and I ordered off of here. I take the Procare Multi, D3, B12, and the calcium citrate.

Hello, I had surgery 3/3( gastric bypass) then bowel obstruction surgery on 3/12( surgeon obstructed my bowels during the first surgery). Yesterday I made 6 weeks and I’ve been good with my food no vomiting but I measure everything and I learned yesterday when my nose starts to run stop eating( lol). The only meats I’ve tried so far is chicken and salmon. I’m terrified of eggs( I’ve heard horror stories). I’m still working on getting my fluid in I literally sip all day in between meals and still can’t get to 64oz. Maybe tomorrow I’ll start waking up at 5:30am. I’ve lost 44 pounds since surgery and 54 all together. This week I hit a stal 😞 probably because I’ve been housebound from all the rain. I’m still working on getting protein and calories up it’s hard when you are not hungry 😞. I hope everyone is doing great on their journey and I would love to hear where others stand ❤️.

Upper GI barium swallow shows esophageal dysmotility and it also found a hiatal hernia that the endoscopy missed. I can't find out much about the esophogeal dysmotility googling but the radiologist said I am either going to need revision to bypass or nissen fundoplication and that the hernia will need repaired. Waiting now to see what my surgeon says.

Do you know if you are a candidate for Linx, JRL? That is an option for fixing the hernia and LES, *if* you have enough esophagus motility for it. I would definitely talk to a surgeon who does Linx before I would agree to a bypass. It is hard for me to accept the idea of being forced into a bypass when I really regret ever getting bariatric surgery to begin with. I feel like I am worse off this way than I would have been with my original stomach and the extra weight.