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Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point. OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there! Fingers crossed for you that your referral goes smoothly and you can have a good meeting with your doctor about bariatric surgery options. I've had two bariatric procedures. The first was in 2011 when I got Lapbanded. At that time, the only real options for me were Lapband or Bypass as insurance carriers in my area viewed Sleeve Gastrectomy as "too new" (never really got that as it was part of Duodenal Switch, but also my insurance didn't cover that outside of extreme circumstances). I chose Lapband because frankly, RNY scared the hell out of me, despite the fact that my Mom underwent it and was and remains wildly successful with it. I was younger and the thought of rerouting everything was too much for me, plus I'd seen my mom go through dumping and that also freaked me out. So I went with what felt like a good choice for me. And it was good until it wasn't. I did lose weight! Until it started coming back. And then my band slipped and I apparently developed a minor hiatal hernia from it that I likely lived with for a long while without knowing it was there. When I found out about it as part of my revision process, it suddenly made all of the regurgitation I'd suffered from for years make sense. The Lapband is really the best option for people who are in the 30-35 BMI scale and need that extra help to get closer to what is considered healthy. It is rare that Lapband weight loss is equivalent to that of RNY, VSG, or DS. The Lapband requires a lot of upkeep because it's effectiveness is based on how filled the band is. So you will have a lot of appointments in the first year or two where your doctor adds more saline to the band to give greater restriction...takes some out to lessen the restriction...then adds more...removes some. It's all a game of finding the elusive "sweet spot" where the band is filled the right amount to allow for continued and consistent weight loss. It is fairly common for a Lapband to slip, which present all kinds of difficulties. When it slips, it is no longer in the position is it supposed to be. Thus your pouch ends up no longer being the right size. It can also lead to hernias when it slips. Slippage CAN be fixed, but you're looking at another laparoscopic procedure so that they can put it back to the right position. Which requires removing all of the fluid from the band, doing the procedure, and essentially starting at square one again. That said, it is STILL a useful weight loss tool for those that it is appropriate for and who achieve success with it. There are plenty of Lapband success stories! In July, I had revision surgery to remove my Lapband and to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy done instead. I am older than I was in 2011 and realized that making major adjustments to my insides was not actually a horrible thing in light of dealing with bad knees, a bad back, sleep apnea, CPAP dependence, and the risk of onset of any number of other comorbidities that I have been fortunate to avoid. I'm only 12 weeks out as of today, so I don't have the breadth of post-op experience that others here have when it comes to VSG, but I can't say that I regret the decision. I have continued to lose weight since surgery, adding to my pre-surgery weight loss. None of my clothes fit me anymore, yet I am still wearing them because I can't see the point of shopping for new clothes when I am still losing weight. Seems like a waste of money to do that! The cons for VSG? Strangely, I'm not encountering too many yet. I actually found I was in more pain post-op from my Lapband surgery than I was recovering from VSG. Any of the others cons I've experienced are not exclusive to VSG surgery. Almost every bariatric patient complains about dealing with constipation at some point. Discomfort from eating too much in the immediate post-op phase as I learn my body's signals and how to read them to know when to stop? We all go through that too. The biggest con that I can think of is that if I'd chosen RNY over VSG, my post-op weight loss would likely have been quicker, so I might have been down another 10-20 pounds by now, though that is not guaranteed. It is just very likely as RNY statistically has a greater percentage for weight lost than VSG. As for what you've heard about bariatric surgery patients only being able to eat small portions, that is generally true across the board. That is one of the key features of ANY of the weight loss surgeries. It's a GOOD thing, though. Many people get to the point where they consider these surgeries because of eating too much. It's an unfortunate aspect of how many world cultures have evolved when it comes to food. The US is probably the worst about it. Think about when you go out to eat at a restaurant, especially a chain restaurant. You open the menu and you get a list of appetizers in your face to tempt you. So we order an appetizer or two. Then we order our entree which comes to the table is a massive sized portion that is, realistically, enough food for at least 2 people. Yet we're trained to believe that this is an appropriate portion of food. Let alone the fact that it's frequently overloaded with carbs and fat. So between appetizers and your entree, you've probably eaten 3 meals worth in one sitting. On top of everything else you ate that day. So by getting a surgery that provides you with a tool that limits how much you can eat at a given time, you're able to retrain your body and brain to realize exactly what and how much the human body needs to survive and thrive. A good bariatric team will be there to help you change your relationship with food so that every meal and snack you eat during the day, provides you with the good nutrients that the body needs, while limiting the intake of the "bad" ones that the body still needs, but only in the quantities that it needs. Carbs and fats are not actually bad. The body needs them to survive. It just doesn't need them in the quantities that we frequently take in. It is NOT an easy journey, but it is a deeply rewarding and fulfilling one that will, quite literally, change your life. Welcome aboard and I look forward to seeing your journey and offering support every step of the way!

My sleeve was 12/17/2019. My RNY revision was 8/11/2020 due to severe GERD and hiatal hernia that caused intractable hiccups. Seeing as I was only about 8 months out from my original surgery, I’m still losing weight.

I’m getting prepared to have a bypass. Had the sleeve on 10/17/16

Hi all, I am seriously considering weight loss surgery as I have recently been diagnosed with PCOS and I have been bitterly unhappy with my weight for many years. I am 34 years old, I have a BMI of 40.8 and am a size 20-22, I am 5ft 6. I have had a referral to my Dr's from my gynaecologist suggesting some type of bariatric surgery so hopefully my Dr will refer me. I am unsure the Pros and Cons of the different types from my research I have read the Gastric Sleeve or Bypass are the main two is this correct? Also can I please have as many replies as possible to what surgery you have had, the pros but mainly the cons. How long ago you had surgery, which type, how long ago, the healing process, how much weight you have lost ect anything to help I would be really grateful! I've seen alot about only being able to eat a very small amount after surgery too is this the case with both surgeries? TIA xx

Hi, SAS. I'm so sorry to hear that you feel this forum is not a supportive environment. Aside from my surgeon's office, I actually found Bariatric Pal to be the best place to turn for support, advice and information. I learned so much from the other members here and found that as a rule we encouraged each other and cheered the successes of other members. I have seen the types of "shaming" posts you are talking about, but in my experience they are few and far between--and I think they are far outweighed by the positive and helpful posts. You will sometimes see "tough love" posts in response to people whose behavior suggests that they are not taking their diets seriously, but sometimes that's what they need. There's a difference between that and bullying or shaming. I had my surgery in February 2019, and there was a thread for all of us who had surgeries that month. We became like a social club and really got to know each other, and I found that tremendously helpful during the first 6 to 8 months. (I will admit that we are no longer very active now that we are all in maintenance.) Like you, I have not found any other sites that are as active as this one. I would urge you to stick with Bariatric Pal for a while. Hopefully you will find the support here that I have, and you can simply ignore the few people who engage in shaming. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have via a private message if you like (although I had bypass, not a sleeve). I wish you all the best going forward, and I hope you find the support you need, whether it's here or elsewhere.

I regret having sleeve as my first surgery. I woke up with severe GERD that never went away. I just had revision to bypass and am so happy I went through with it!

I revised primarily for severe GERD, though there was also a lack of weight loss due to maladaptive eating to avoid GERD symptoms. I woke up from sleeve with severe GERD that never really went away. I woke up from bypass with zero GERD and have not had any symptoms since surgery on 9/18.

Theres a revision forum that you can try asking in might have people over there that can help

Me! I only lost about 30 lbs with sleeve and gained half of it back due to maladaptive eating to avoid the symptoms of severe GERD. I just had revision to bypass on the 18th and am down 20 lbs from the start of my liquid diet 10 days prior to surgery. My doc said he expects me to lose about 60-65% of my excess weight, so a little less than I’d bypass was my first surgery.

Same! 280, then sleeved 2012! 5 years later gained 50lbs now I saw my surgeon n he said the revision will get me back down but I’m reading others say they didn’t lose after or just 20. How are you doing

Hi all. Looking for anyone who went from sleeve to bypass for GERD but also to lose weight too.

I had my RNY revision for severe GERD (was causing intractable hiccups) on 8/11 and eat a pretty normal diet now. My portion sizes are definitely small but my sleeve was made into a pouch so I expected that. Very early on I did dump on some weird things though- whey protein blends that aren’t 100% isolate or collagen (not sure of plant-based ones), a couple broth based soups can’t remember which ones, and jimmy dean egg white scramble cups which has made me leery of trying real eggs. All the pain I had post-op is pretty much resolved aside from some random shoulder pain if I skip meals. (Surgeon was super confused! 🤷‍♀️) As to the alcohol, I don’t drink so no clue what that’s like or when would be ok.

I had my revision for GERD on 6/29 with a BMI of 22. I did not have much pain and resumed walking (starting at a half-mile) as soon as I got home. I walk about 3 miles a day at a quick pace and I'll go back to the gym when it's safe. I never had any problems drinking or eating while in the hospital and my surgeon said that I could have whatever I could swallow, so I did a couple of days of shakes and then moved to purees for a week, then regular food. I lost ten pounds during the liquid/puree days. I became lactose-intolerant, which was a surprise, but I can eat fat and sugar without dumping. I can eat scrambled eggs again, too, my sleeve hated them. I have not had any alcohol, I'm not much of a drinker. I think you'll be fine by Thanksgiving.

I think those stories are more than the exception than the rule. I have a virgin RNY, not a revision, but I've been hanging out on this and other bariatric sites for several years. Most people's revisions, from what I can tell, have been very successful. not everyone with RNY surgery dumps - I never have. The usual stat that is thrown around is that about 30% of us do, although Tek checked some peer-reviewed articles recently and estimates in those were anywhere from 20-50%. So...still not everyone. Even if you're one of the ones who dumps, you can control it through limiting sugar (even most of those who dump can tolerate SOME sugar - just not a lot of it). I can drink wine and champagne, but it hits me really quickly. I've never been much of a drinker, even before surgery. I used to have many five or six glasses of wine a year. Now I probably have two or three. No problems with it other than, like I said, it hits me a lot quicker than it did pre-surgery.

I am having my sleeve converted to RNY tomorrow due to chronic GERD which I have had for years. I was sleeved in 2017 with great results. Very short surgery recovery time, very easy moving from one step to next with diet and have kept the 80 lbs off. I am a lot more nervous about tomorrows surgery. More then likely because I keep reading post of people’s 6-9 months out still in pain, barely able to tolerate food ect. I am really hoping to jump back into exercise very quickly. Because I am not doing this for weight loss I am also hoping to be able to eat normal food by Thanksgiving (same portions as now of course) since my MD said he will make my pouch the same size as my current sleeve since I do not need to lose weight. I am also hoping to have our traditional champagne as we put up all our Christmas decorations. My question is... Are their any of you who have had a good experience with the bypass and was able to transition pretty easy in 3-4 month period? I know sugar will be problematic so are you able to tolerate a glass of wine or champagne? Thanks for any good stories you can share!!

Welcome aboard! The fact that you've already started to make steps to lose weight and change your relationship with food is big and is one of the cornerstones of most surgical weight loss programs. I would recommend doing some research into what surgical programs there are in your area. Your profile says that you're in Hawaii, so maybe @tarotcardreader can give you some recommendations. Speaking with a weight loss program is always one of the first steps and they'll be able to talk with you about what your goals are and give you their best recommendations for how to achieve them. As for your questions, pain levels vary greatly from individual to individual. There will always be some pain, but there are a lot of factors involved in how little or great that pain ends up being. I had VSG surgery (revision from Lapband) 3 months ago and found that I was able to control my pain with liquid Tylenol. Considering I needed to use Oxy when I had my Lapband done in 2011, I wasvery surprised. Most of my pain and discomfort came from changing position from sitting to standing and sneezing (oh god, sneezes were the worst). Working out, it all depends on what kind of exercises you do. Your doctor will recommend walking as soon as possible after surgery as it helps the healing process and also helps to work out the gases that are pumped into the abdomen after surgery. You are not supposed to do any heavy lifting for at least 6-8 weeks (programs tend to vary, but the minimum always seems to be 6 weeks). This insures that your insides and incisions are completely healed up and you won't risk of accidentally opening something up. Aerobic exercises will be easier to accomplish and encouraged sooner after surgery, but it's important to listen to your body first and foremost. The most important piece of information I can offer while you explore the possibility of WLS is to always be aware that WLS is only a tool. It is not a magic pill. It will not fix everything for you. It won't fix everything overnight. Success requires that you put in the work to make proper use of that tool. It requires completely adjusting your relationship with food. WLS does make it somewhat easier to change that relationship, but it still requires a lot of work. A good surgical weight loss program will help you with this with education and support, but they will still expect that you participate and make the changes needed for WLS to be successful. It's a lifelong change and journey, but it is one that can greatly improve your quality of life. Congratulations on taking the first step to even consider WLS as an option and I hope that you'll find a great program near you if you do pursue surgery!

Hi all! Is there anyone here who got a revision from sleeve to bypass and lost more weight? If you did, did you gain wait after sleeve? My HW 280, Lowest sleeve weight was (2013)171, (2017)180 after 5 years, (2019) 190 on my wedding day and now w GERD and quarantine I’m 230 I get my surgery date this week for bypass. Are there any success stories of going back down to your lowest sleeve weight? I’m excited to no longer have to take omperozole but do want to lose and get back down to 170. Please let me know, looking for someone who achieved that lol

This isn't correct information. Many people find themselves with both emotional and physical hunger, anecdotally, more bypass than sleeve if this forum tells us anything.

Dumping Syndrome occurs when undigested sugars and fats are 'dumped' into the intestines. When this occurs we experience palpations, sweats, cramps, feeling full, gas, gastric distress, and diarrhea. I apologize to any other resulting symptoms if I failed to mention, it is a mere oversight with nothing personal and no intention to offend. Non-Ops: ANYONE can get dumping syndrome. Anyone with a working pyloric valve is generally unlikely to get dumping syndrome because it is the pyloric valves' job as gatekeeper from the stomach to the intestines to keep undigested food digesting in the stomach. My non-op wife got it once. She was not happy. Bypass (RNY): 20-50% (Mayo says 85%) of Bypass (RNY) patients experience dumping because they do not have a functioning pyloric valve between their stomach (now a pouch) and their intestines. In fact, it's called Gastric Bypass because the pyloric valve and a bit of the small intestines are bypassed. No gatekeeper means food and drink go pretty much directly to the intestines, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Good news is some sources say after 2 years only 15% of patients still get dumping syndrome. I'm lucky, I guess. Lap Band: Lap Band folks don't have much of a chance for dumping because lurking below the band there is a normal stomach and all the associated plumbing. Sleeve: Team sleeve have a sleeve which is remarkably similar to the 'pouch' of RNY folks. Unlike the RNY folks at the bottom of the sleeve is a working pyloric valve. However, if one over eats or over drinks, and follows up by over drinking the food can be pushed through. However the sleeve also reduces volume. So, it's more than possible that dumping in sleeve patients may be greater than with non-ops, however sources simply don't want to put a number on it. None of the statistics really matter. You either dump or don't dump. Once you have your answer for you, statistics don't matter. As in most matters we need to work with the hand we are dealt, which most of us do with beauty and grace, or like me, handsome and clumsy. Good Luck, Tek

FYI: My food intakes are from BariatricPal and thus I have not experienced dumping syndromes as a gastric bypass on Aug. 28, 2020. I make it a point to drink liquid 30 minutes after eating. I went to Crackle barrel and ate the Chicken pot pie and found that I felt over filled with no dumping syndrome. I made sure what I put into my mouth was moist. Anything dry, I avoided as instructed by Dr on my post op one month appt.

Hey! So can anyone who experienced dumping with a sleeve and revised to bypass and also experienced dumping with that tell me if it felt different? I’m currently sleeved and just found out the IBS I was diagnosed with after my surgery isn’t IBS after all and it’s actually dumping syndrome! I didn’t think sleevers dump so I was shocked but it totally makes sense now... anyway due to my other issue with GERD, I may need revision surgery.... sooo I’m curious, I hear a lot about bypass and dumping and know that it’s personal and not all patients dump and if they do it may be different triggers for everyone but if you experienced dumping while sleeved then after bypass, is it the same? Was it worse?

Generally, there are a lot of variables that go into how well medications work post-op. Variables like you, your surgery, how much was bypassed, where the drug is absorbed (which they probably don't know), and other stuff we'd never think of. It often just comes down to trial and error. Generally, time release meds MAY be a problem. I took some time-released pain meds that didn't work. They increased it to 8 times the appropriate dose, still nothing. Changed to non-time released and the appropriate dose worked fine. Other things, like Slow-FE which is time released iron works well enough for me. For me, meds generally last 1/2 as long as the should. So, work closely with your Docs, Lamictal is something you want to keep right. Good luck and take care of yourself. Tek

I’ll have my surgery on November 3, and I take Lamictal for bipolar disorder. I saw a similar thread for this related to gastric sleeve, but I’m getting the roux-en-y gastric bypass. I’m a healthcare professional myself and have read up on the pharmacology of Lamictal, and based on my reading I think things should be fine. But I’m curious if anyone has specific experience related to a need for dose increase or decrease post-op. And how soon after surgery we’re you able to take your meds again?

My doctor was pretty sure the bypass would eventually get me off most meds. The nurses in his office said most bypass patients eventually get down to only having 1-3 pills a day as well as have fast weightloss. I noticed you added your stats wtg on that weightloss so far!