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I'm not a revision patient, but I just wanted to say with the exception of iron (some people don't absorb oral iron well and have to have iron infusions - although the vast majority of us absorb oral iron just fine), malabsorption is pretty uncommon as long as you keep on top of your supplements.

Hi there! I have been snooping on this website and reading tons of posts. I have made the decision and started the paperwork to talk with a surgeon for weightloss surgery. I choose the Gal's Rooms as my first stop to say hello and let you know that many of you - are so inspirational and motivational! Thank you!! I don't speak out often and rarely jump in and say howdy - but all of the threads and replies made me excited to join in. I am not completely sure if I want the Duodenal Switch or the RNY Gastric Bypass. My mom had the RNY back in 2003 and has done so great with it. After I meet with the surgeon, I am sure that we will figure the best surgery for me and where I am at. It has been so long since I have even seen the scale say anything under 200. Hopefully I will get surgery date in the coming months, and some guidance on what my weight should be. I will be a self-pay/finance patient as my insurance will not cover weight loss assistance of any kind. My pcp- sees me as a walking diagnosis - anything that I am having issues with is due to my weight; yet won't help me with that. I have high hopes that the weight loss center I have been in contract with will not leave me to figure things out on my own. And this website!!!! Wow!! I am so thrilled that I found this! Thank you all for participating here and doing so in a way that encourages shy folks like myself!

Welcome! Here's a thread from the revision forum about people who have transitioned from the lap band after having complications. I'm sure one of the lap banders will come along with first hand information but here's a place to start.

Had my VSG in 2018, had GERD before surgery and have been on Lansoprazole since surgery. Recently, started having severe nausea with just a teaspoon of food. Went to see my doctor, he sent me to have an endoscopy. Had endoscopy and then balloon dilation with no relief. I lost almost all of my weight from the sleeve, now that I cannot eat I have lost more. I have researched and saw that people who have had my issues and had the revision were able to come off the medication for GERD completely. The worst part and scariest part to me is the difficulty swallowing. This is a latent symptom, but I am glad it has not shown up earlier because I am not sure how I would have that managed. I never wanted a by-pass but here I am. I worry about malabsorption but my doc said that I should not have too much of an issue, since it's not a full bypass. I was told that I will lose more weight but as I did with the sleeve over time can gain some of it back again. I did not have a rough recovery from the VSG and don't anticipate that I will have any with this procedure. Since I have been through it before so to speak. If you have had this situation and had to have a revision can you share your story with me to help me? What was your recovery like? How do you feel now? Thank you for your story in advance.

I'm eating between 800-900 calories per day - the dietitian says that at my stage (9 weeks post gastric bypass) I should be having between 800-1000. I'm losing weight fairly steadily at that calorie intake. I don't think I could function on 600 cals or less a day - at the beginning when I couldn't physically take in many calories I couldn't concentrate and felt exhausted a lot of the time.

I'm only 9 weeks out from a RNY bypass - my stomach definitely bloats after eating anything. I am wearing stretchy clothes atm and I can definitely feel them getting tighter after eating. Also, while I'm happy with my weight loss and I've lost some off my stomach, I haven't lost as much there as everywhere else! I've gone down a shoe size but still have a spare tyre 😞

First of all, if you are following your surgeon's instructions, you are doing nothing wrong. Something I've found eye-opening about this forum is that different programs can vary quite a bit in pre- and post-surgery meal plans, so just because yours is different than someone else's doesn't mean it's wrong! Second, if you feel comfortable entering some info about yourself in your profile, it would be helpful for context, because a lot of things depend on your starting weight and BMI, your current weight and BMI, and how long ago your surgery was. A lot of people who start at the low end (BMI <40) are disappointed in their weight loss because they compare themselves with people who started with a BMI over 60, but the higher your weight, the faster you can lose it. Also, if you are a tall man, your calorie needs will be higher in general than for a petite woman. I am 5.5 months out from gastric bypass and I typically eat 500-600 calories per day. The nutritionist for my program told me at my 6-week followup to increase my calories to 800-1000 per day, and although I have followed all other instructions of my program very carefully, this is something I have not done, partly because I don't think that I could. My program says to eat three meals per day and avoid snacks other than protein drinks. I'm also supposed to get at least 60 grams of protein per day (and sometimes I fall short of that). Eating three small meals per day that are focused on protein, I would have a hard time getting 800 calories in a day. I feel that it is important for me to avoid snacking because I don't want to fall back into the old habits that got me to 341 pounds. I have had two additional followups with my surgeon, and he says that I'm doing great and to keep on doing what I'm doing. I just got my 6-month bloodwork (I did it a little early) and everything is great, so I feel confident that this is working for me. But you are a different person, and you should listen to your surgeon for what will work for you. The caveat to that is that a lot of surgeons seem to have a one-size-fits-all approach, which I think is what happened with me. I'm a 5'3" woman, and I suspect the nutritionist gave me the same advice as she would give a 6'3" man. Here are some examples from my food diary from the last few weeks (these are not consecutive days -- I tried to pick days with a variety of foods because I tend to eat the same things over and over). Ignore the weird order of meals; I was working night shift for a couple of these, so the timing of my meals was different.

I wasn’t a good sleeper for years so I understand your frustration. My mother is also a bad sleeper - way worse than me. Melatonin didn’t work for her either. She took it for 2+ years cause it supposed to take a long time to build up in your body to become effective but nothing. I understood that bypass patients have less hunger hormone in their bodies because the hormone is produced in the section of the stomach that is sectioned off so it can’t circulate through the body as it used too to stimulate the hungry feeling. Which prompts me to ask: Are you really hungry? Or are you eating out of habit? (Did you eat during the night before you had surgery?) Or because you’re frustrated by not sleeping? Or because you’re bored being awake? Working out why you eat, doing the head work, is a big part of the journey which we’re always working our way through. Are you reaching your protein goals during the day? The only times I’ve felt real hunger was at night was when I didn’t come close to my meeting my protein goals during the day (cause... you know... life). Both times occurred in this last year after I reached my goal weight. I found a protein rich snack helped - a small piece of meat or a protein bar. Good luck.

I am thinking it was venison. It was 1oz of meat and it was cooked in a way that was very moist. I thought it would be ok, but I definitely won't be trying that again. As it is, the surgeon has told me to go back onto clear fluids until they can talk to me or see me in person next week. I live over an hour away so the ambulance wouldn't take me back to that hospital last night. Couldn't believe how little the local ER knew about gastric bypass! They where great but I had to remind them of a lot of things such as no NSAID's, not throwing up acid because that part of my stomach wasn't attached to my esophagus, etc. I thought I was being very careful too but that was too heavy/rich I guess. 24 hours later, I am still feeling brutal but not in immense pain so I think it is just my muscles still hurting from the dry heaving. I haven't heard of Ufit. I am in Canada and a lot of the shakes I can't find here either. But, I will definitely look for that one. Iced Latte doesn't sound horribly sweet. Thanks

At 2 weeks post gastric bypass I was on the puree stage but having at least 1 protein shake and 1 protein water to keep up the protein. Even now at 9 weeks post op I have to add 1 protein shake in a day to keep at over 60g protein. Most of the shakes taste either too sweet or just disgusting to me and the only one I can drink is an iced latte shake which I have in the morning. It's a Ufit brand but I'm in the UK - don't know if it's available in the US?

Thanks for the response........Yes I take Prevacid. You are correct about the reflux feeling like hunger, but I haven't had much reflux since my bypass. Warm drinks work well during the day for me, but I really like to stay away from to much liquid during the night. I normally have some soup before I go to bed and that helps me to get to sleep. I have tried to take Melatonin for sleep, but it doesn't do anything for me. If I could just sleep through the night, this wouldn't happen.

My bypass is TOMORROW...and I'm petrified! Happy new year to everyone. Let 2021 will be the year of good health and lots of weight loss. 🙂

Loving all the heretics haha! I’m learning so much even before I start my classes. I’ve been reading an Intuitive eating book and I was so confused on how IE and bypass would work together. I’m learning a lot.

I also had bypass, and my scars not noticeable at all--I have to really look to find them. The only exception is where the main port went in, which is a small, white scar. They don't bother me in the slightest.

Oh my goodness! I can't believe that you had Gastric bypass and they sent you home the same day. I am having surgery on the 12th and was told I'd be there at least 2 nights. I have seen a couple of posts where ppl said they came home the same day with gastric bypass. I'm sure every dr is different? Keep us posted please, and take really good care of yourself.

I had a RNY bypass in late October. My surgery weight was 214 lbs (down from my starting weight of 231 lbs) and I am now 181 lbs, so I've lost 33 lbs. About the same as you! Of course I'd rather have lost more weight, but I think that's a good amount for just over 2 months.

I had a sleeve in 2014 and lost 56 pounds, but regained more than half of it over 6 years. My bypass was done to eliminate my GERD, but obviously weight loss has occurred. My surgeon told me not to expect a huge weight loss. I'm 9 weeks postop today and I've lost 30 lbs. since surgery. Now I'm just trying to change my relationship with food so I can reach my healthy weight (10 more pounds to lose) and KEEP IT THERE!!!! I'm currently at the lowest weight I got to after VSG, so I'm feeling hopeful that I can reach my goal this time!

I joined this forum in hopes of finding like minded people! I’m having gastric bypass on Jan 4, 2021. Some of my emotions have been: shame-shouldn’t I be able to do this without surgery? And will people think this is just an easy fix? excitement- I have worked soooooo incredibly hard to get to this point. fear- what if I am one of those who actually fail and regain my weight? What if I can’t handle the emotional rollercoaster after (this pre-op diet is no joke though!)? identity crisis- I have been thin for maybe 2 years out of my 38 years. My weight has been an excuse for people not liking me or not being able to do things. It has been a part of me and though I have been miserable for most of these years, I am a little scared of having a new outward identity. I could go on... can anyone relate????

I ran into the same issue with Aetna. My BMI is 37 and I have no comorbidities. I was worried I wouldn't be able to have the surgery. I decided to look into paying for the surgery out of pocket and bypass insurance. Guess what?! No one cares if you have comorbidities if you pay cash. Very few hoops to jump through. I started the process 6 weeks ago and my surgery is in a week. It would have been sooner if not for Covid. Not sure if you are in a position to pay out of pocket.. it may be less than you think. Just wanted to offer another option if insurance turns you down. Don't give up! Sent from my SM-T500 using BariatricPal mobile app

Regular gastric bypass. I asked my Dr about the mini and she said it’s too hard to get insurance to approve. Maybe that has to do with my insurance or not? But decided the regular gastric bypass was right for me.

I was told to expect at least 20 lbs and I lost 25lbs. I have a friend who revised after not losing all of her weight with VSG and she went on to lose 70lbs I think. As long as you follow the plan after surgery you will lose the weight. Good luck to you !!

if any approve it for weight regain, I'd think they're few and far between. I haven't heard of that, but you may be right. I know some will approve it for medical reasons, though - like GERD or other complications that can't be "fixed" through more conventional means. And many won't cover revisions AT ALL (like mine...luckily, I haven't needed one). I have a friend who's suffered horribly for the last couple of years from a 10-year-old lapband. It worked fine for a few years, but not anymore. Her insurance company won't budge. I feel horrible for her.

Update. I may have developed acid reflux. I went to my surgeon two days ago and he didn’t understand me. he said “it’s okay it happens to everyone”. I went home and I was so sad because I had horrible nausea that didn’t want to go away. I was unable to drink or eat. yesterday was even more horrible I cried from the pain I was going through. everytime I try to swallow any medicine I was given I start to have nausea and just vomit spit because at this point my stomach was just empty. I woke up today with a sore throat. Took my nausea medicine and I’m currently trying to finish a container of Greek yogurt. I’m supposed to start my solid foods stage next week and I’m currently on soft foods stage and the only soft thing I ate was freaking scrambled eggs and that’s all. my mom at this point doesn’t understand me. she had gastric bypass 7 years ago and told me that it happened to her and I have to stop complaining about it.

I had bypass 21 months ago, but the principle is the same. I can definitely eat like a normal person, just smaller portions. Mind you, I have dramatically altered the eating habits that made me obese in the first place. I now am very careful to avoid carbs, fat and sugar. (I can eat all of those things without any ill effects, which surprised me.). One of my biggest reservations was having dinner with friends after surgery. At this point, I can order off the menu and eat a healthy dinner without anyone being able to tell that I've had surgery (although I don't usually finish my meal or order dessert). In short: yes, I can eat like a "normal" person.

This is so encouraging to hear! I'm in almost the exact same place. I'd lost the weight and kept it off for years after my sleeve, then new relationship, Covid, blah, blah. The GERD was already out of control and now the gain has got me thinking about revision. I'm researching Bypass vs Switch debating what's best. Just had to cancel my appt with my surgeon when I got Covid, now going to get this going in the next few months. I'm glad to hear it's going well for you. But the pain makes me nervous. I had considerable after my sleeve!