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My surgeon said the choice is mine but did recommend bypass because I have terrible heartburn/reflux, which apparently can get worse with the sleeve. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm a Nuclear Medicine technologist and we do a study just to determine that! Typically, 90% of what you eat is gone from the stomach in 2-4%; that's the "normal" range. It is effected by what you eat, how much you eat and if you have fluid at the same time. With RNY bypass, it's typically faster. I haven't done enough studies on "sleeve" patients to give you an average. Hope this helps.

Hi Everyone! I've been reading one of the posts about complications and then went to the "complication" forum and of course that gets your mind racing. I am having the bad to sleeve revision surgery in about 14 days (I know my band is not eroded, because I just had all the rests last month at a hospital here in the states) but the stories are scary. Does anyone have a "complication" story to share with the rest of us??? Clots, leaks, etc.???? Thanks!

My surgeon did not push for any particular operation, but I chose the sleeve. It is less invasive, keeps all your plumbing in its natural order, and you do not lose your ability to take certain medications such as NSAIDs. All of these were very important to me. From a statistical point of view, bypass and sleeve will offer about the same amount of weight loss. But who cares about statistics? This is mostly a mind game, so make up your mind to be successful, and study both procedures carefully before you choose.

Hi, certified vegan bypasser here! 🤓 It's totally doable, and I've had no issues at all hitting my protein goals both with and without vegan protein water. The protein water has been a big help, but honestly, even if I wasn't vegan I'd still be using the protein water as there are days when I just want to eat vegetables and don't want to deal with heavy seitans. Speaking of, seitan (wheat meat/faux meats) are the best source of high protein I've found. The best ones can be sourced from good Chinese grocers in the freezer section. If you have a Trader Joes or Wholefoods near you, I expect they'd have a great vegan section. Some examples of the protein counts in the seitans I have access to: Chinese supermarket Not Pork 100g serve = 165 cal, 21g protein Chinese supermarket Not Duck 100g serve = 150 cal, 19g protein Princess G brand "Crispy G" 100g serve = 266 cal, 17g protein Sayur Not Pork 100g serve = 155 cal, 21g protein Lamyong is another great faux meat brand. But if you can't source good faux meats, good old tofu comes through: Firm Tofu (½ cup/126g) = 181 cal, 21.8g protein Marinate that tofu in something delicious, and fry it up with some asian greens! Some mung bean pastas are high in protein. Not the nicest wheat pasta substitute, but with a nice tangy tomato sauce and a little vegan Parmesan, it's acceptable. Also check the nutritional info on the back of Gardein products, I think they're pretty easy to find. Soy milk has about 8g of protein per serve, so that's another way of slipping some extra protein in, especially if you can tolerate protein shakes. Protein fortified soy milk (10g per serve) in a plant based protein shake gives me a whopping 40g of protein in one go, so again, on days when I'm just craving vegetables, I can do a shake for breakfast and a protein water or two throughout the day and easily hit my goals. Some vegetables are also higher in protein, like edamame, but I honestly just stick with protein water and seitans, as that's what I enjoy. Hope that helps!

After RNY gastric bypass surgery, the part of your stomach that process fats and sugars was cut away. Thus if you consumed some fats or sugars, these would be dumped into your intestines and could lead to dumping syndrome. Thus you were told no fats or sugars after surgery. But after about a year, your intestines learn to adapt and take up this function. Therefore it is possible to consume fats and sugars again. I am 34 months post op RNY. I avoid sugars like a plague. But fats on the other hand are important because they have the ability to take away hunger. So after about a year I reintroduced fats back into my diet. I drink whole milk, eat real butter, and normal cuts of meat. The guidance from my nutritionist when I reached the maintenance phase was to consume a well balanced meal with equal parts of Protein, fats and carbs but always make sure you put protein first. So if you are consuming protein shakes to gain weight, why use almond milk? Personally, I tried to use shaker cups to hand mix protein powders and didn't have much luck. It was too clumpy. Since you are over 1 year post-op, have you considered the other option: Protein Bars. I found protein bars to be a good protein source when I am away from home. Quest is a good brand and they can be purchased online. But then again, protein bars are probably more expensive than purchasing premixed protein shakes.

Yes insurance covered my revision

Two years ago when I was banded I told everyone..I was soooooooo happy and still am BUt people are so noisy and tell me, why did you have it blah blah blah I should of said ...hernia operation...even though not true but they have a restrictive diet and they have surgery and HATE talking to everyone My Bitch Sister in law calls me all the time to tell me about her friend who had the gastric bypass and how she looks great and they loose faster blah blah I have a friend who decided not to tell anyone...and people thought he had cancer.... blah blah Bottom line... I am an outgoing person so people feel I will not be hurt by comments :0) tell everyone hernia ..you will thank me in 2 yrs

Hi WBL, I had the bypass too. I'm glad to hear there are other's like me! There have been a couple of times that I started gulping water, remembered I couldn't and slowed myself down. I'm looking forward to the normal food phase.

Hi Juniper, I was in about the same situation. I got my band in 2012 and started having significant reflux last summer. I had my band unfilled which helped the reflux but I packed on 40 pounds. I went to Inova Bariatrics and talked about revision to bypass; they said I had to go through the whole program again, which I did. I did not have the supervised diet part and I continued to gain weight until I went on the 2-week liquid diet just before surgery. I had the band removed and the bypass done March 21. I have Federal Blue Cross and they approved as soon as I met the requirements, including cardiac clearance, primary care physician clearance, etc. I don't quite get where your diet supervisor is coming from; I had comorbidities in addition to the high BMI - reflux was one of them (high bp was the other). I think your doctor is right that the reflux should be enough because reflux is one of the signatures of the band. I wish I had known that in 2012 - I would have done the bypass then instead. If you stay with that practice you might be stuck (pardon the lapband pun) doing as the diet supervisor commands. Different practices have different rules. I like my practice very much but they're in Fair Oaks and Woodbridge, likely a huge trip for you. Remember, even though the pre-op diet is very difficult the reward will be worth it. You can do this!

I'm not diabetic, but I had a revision. My surgery was on a Wednesday and I took off a week and a half. I have a desk job. Good luck!

Ok......1st. Id like to Thank ALL of the members of this fourm for all the guidence,information,& answers they have unselfishly given me from day 1.! Today I got some good news from OXFORD Insurrance company That they are approving me for a RnY Gastric Bypass.(They approved me in less than 48hrs. of 1st letter!!!) My surgury date is 6/14/06. I cant beleive it! Im sooooo Excited! My question is........IS THERE A FOURM LIKE THIS FOR PEOPLE THAT CHOSE THE GASTRIC BYPASS??? If anyone knows...Id appreacite it if you would point me in the right direction to the fourm,because these fourms are so helpfull!I can only hope the gastric bypass fourm(if there is one) will be 1/2 as good as this one & the people on there are 1/2 of nice & caring on the people on here....If so Ill be in pretty good shape! Thank-you everyone & good luck on all your journeys!

I am still pretty nervous about the whole thing in general. I am a nurse, so a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Surgery always seemed like such a sell out for me, personally. My sister had gastric bypass and looks horrendous. Hair loss, skin sagging and generally unhealthy. On the flipside, my sister in law had the LB and looks phenomenal. I don't even know if my insurance will pay for this procedure, so that is another subject. The one thing that seems to bother me is the lump that you can feel just under the skin (the port?). My sister in law let me feel it, and I have to admit, it creeps me out a bit. I would be excited to put weight gain behind me once and for all. I am so frustrated with yo yo dieting, and all the strenuous psychological and physical work that I have put in over the years.

Hi, all. I've finally reached my breaking point. I've done the Weight Watchers thing and regained the weight (more than once). I'm sure a lot of you know that old, sad story. My brother had gastric bypass; no way am I going there, but I've had my initial appointments/counseling about banding. I'm not sure whether to tell a lot of people. I'm inclined to not go there; I hate the judgmental looks/snarky comments. Funny, though, I did tell my boss, who is also a friend. When I did, her eyes lit up; she's considering it, too. I know my future holds diabetes, hypetension...I want to get a handle on it now while I'm still just a cranky, but fairly healthy, middle-aged woman rather than becoming a sick, feeble, bitter old woman. I'll have to self-pay. I'm not quite "fat" enough, and it seems silly to eat even more to reach the magic 40 BMI. Plus my insurance only does bypass, not banding. So, I'm a newby and looking forward to the advice and support I can get from y'all. I have one question for those of you who've done it and are into the normal eating part of it. How do you manage the work-related food functions and lunches w/ the office gang? How did you get over the "clean plate club" mentality? OK, that's two questions, but you know what I mean. Thanks. Kat

April 8, 2010 Today I had a visit with my pcp. We were on vacation in Gatlinburg the week before. I felt terrible the whole trip...headache, nausea, shortness of breath. I made an appointment the day after returning home. I had already decided I would ask his opinion about weight loss surgery as an option for me. He was not against it, but he did not offer much encouragement. April 15, 2010 Today I had the test done that were ordered by my pcp. First was an intensive stress test. He said no surgeon would operate without it. I doubted this and should of let the surgeon decide if it was necessary. This was the second time I've gone through all these tests. I had to have a cardolite IV. It involved walking on a treadmill and pics taken by a machine that gives images of the arteries in the heart. The images take 20 minutes (two sessions) of laying completely still. Then it was on to the echo cardiogram. Basically it was an ultrasound of my heart. It's interesting to watch the screen and see the valves in my heart working! Next it was on the lab to have blood drawn. The tech was a newbie and since my "good" vein in the right arm already had an IV in it (for the stress test) she called a veteran tech to poke me in the left. It hurt like heck...she said she must have hit a nerve...I'LL SAY! My loving hubby came into town and took me to breakfast, then I went back for the second injection of cardiolite and the second set of images. It all went really well. The tests results showed no problems. Later in the day I called a nearby hospital in Bowling Green Ohio that has a well known weight loss program to register for one of their seminars. They were totally booked for the two seminars in April. I am registered to attend the one on May 15th. I'm hoping my hubby can go with me. They are a Center of Excellence hospital so I feel confident with them. Also, I know of at least 3 people who had bariatric surgery done there. April 21, 2010 Wednesday morning I got my test results. All the heart and stress tests looked good. The stress test tech noted that I tired easily on the treadmill. (I would of liked to put her on there with her smokers breath to see how she would of done ) My blood test came back alright, but my BP was up a little more. He had suggested in Jan. that I add a 3rd BP med and I had resisted. Now, I'm ready...bring it on! Add another co-morbidity link to the list. I called Anthem yesterday and grilled them to see if they covered the Sleeve Gastrectomy. The rep said it is included along with all the other WLS as long as the diagnosis is morbid obesity and I meet all the criteria. Looks like I may be on the way! I registered and got the ball rolling with the surgeon by going to the seminar at Wood County Hospital. May 15, 2010 Today dh and I went to the seminar in Bowling Green Ohio. It was held in a meeting room at Wood County Hospital. The surgeon, Dr. Lalor, was the first speaker. He explained all the different surgeries he preforms, sharing all the good and bad. After the seminar we got to talk to him one on one. It seemed to me that he really is sold on the sleeve gastrectomy. He likes the fact there isn't any malabsorbtion involved. He even mentioned that BC/BS is not approving many sleeves, but since I've had 4 open abdominal surgeries and already had surgery on my colon that they might consider the sleeve for me! Then the dietition spoke and lastly the ins rep for Dr. Lalor's office. Doc answered every single question he was asked through his whole presentation, which impressed me! He stayed and answered questions till the last person finally left. I have my surgeon's consultation on June 17th. I feel really good about him, his staff and the facility!! May 24, 2010 I decided to attend one of the support meetings at Wood County Hospital Mon. May 24th. I was waiting outside with some supper when hubby got off work and I kidnaped him and took him along. Bless his heart! He just finished a 12 hour shift, was tired and dirty, but he seemed anxious to go. The meeting was okay, it was sort of disorganized. They sometimes have guest speakers. Two women took control of this, meeting talking about all their personal problems. [Note to me: Remember to talk with the appropriate person at the appropriate times about personal problems.] Nothing to do but wait and worry till my surgical consultation June 17th! June 17, 2010 This was my first surgeon's visit. The nurse took me back and had me step on the scales. Then she had me take my shoes off to measure my height. So, I got to weigh with my shoes on, but measured with them off, making me weigh heavier and measure shorter! YEA!! I was worried about my BMI not being high enough so this was important to me! She asked me a ton of medical questions and we talked a little about which surgery I was leaning toward. I said the sleeve I thought was the best choice for me and that I would not have gastric bypass, due to the malabsorbtion issues. Next the doc came in and he asked me some more medical questions and questioned me alot about my previous surgeries. Then we discussed the sleeve and he said he would fight BC/BS if necessary to get me the sleeve. He said if they tried to push gastric bypass he would tell them that he felt it would be alot more risky for me. My impression of him is that he is very careful and very honest. He took all the time I needed to answer all my questions, which were numerous! He took me to the front desk and went over all the paperwork that included the tests I needed to schedule, the visits with the nutritionist and the visit with another doctor, who interprets the tests results and does a more thorough medical workup and physical. Next I went down the hall to have my first visit with the nutritionist. I will have a total of 3 visits, to satisfy BC/BS for a 3 month surprised "diet" to satisfy their requirements. I was really impressed with Beth. She gave me alot of information, answered all my questions and we worked on goals. They like patients to lose 5% of their weight before surgery, which is 10lbs for me. Doesn't sound like much, but I have so much pain in my hips and my feet that it will be a struggle. July 13, 2010 Today I met with the shrink. He basically had me go through my whole life history starting with when and where I was born. We discussed my weight issues along with family and even school issues. Then I had to do a personality test with over 100 questions...it took forever! Oh well it's done and over with and I think I did well. Next I went down to Dr. Lalor's office (same building) and met with Beth for my second nutritionist visit. That went really well again! I find myself becoming obcessed with WLS websites (this one and Obesityhelp.com). I am reading stories and looking at before and after pictures. I think it helps keep me going until I am approved and get a surgery date. Looks like the end of September or October would be the earliest I could have surgery.

OMG!!! I am in the same boat. I was banded 12/6/11 and have lost a total of 23 lbs. I am hungry a lot of the time and the doc keeps saying, when it gets adjusted right it will work. Well I have run out of co pays with so many adjustments. I can eat most things still and am ashamed that I do somewhat. If I could stick to a diet I would not have had to come here to begin with. I have cried so much recently that I am getting depressed. People look at me and my own mother called me fat ass, and she used to be 300 lbs before she had bypass and almost died. I started at 249 and today was 229 again. :<(((( I am so sorry..why won't ur doctor fill ur band? I am hearing good advice and reassurance that it will get better with fills...hang in there and keep me posted...good luck to you. Your mom is wrong...ignore that mess...I would love love love to be 229 right now.

You will have to make the decision. I chose the bypass because the sleeve is more forgiving with food. You can still eat sweets and not have to deal with the dumping. Personally I knew that would not be good for me. My problem was sweets, now after surgery I do not crave any sweets. Hard to believe but it's true. I will on occasion have a small spoon of ice cream or an m&M or two...but as a treat and then I am happy...

Hi! I'm working with Dr. Kim's office in hopes of doing a revision to sleeve. I've had my initial visit, my EGD, a follow up, and am now waiting on insurance approval. I'm wondering if anyone out there who sees Dr. Kim or his associate has had trouble getting things done? I was seen initially in November. I called the sleep study place the first week of December because they had not called me like Dr. Kim's office stated they would. The sleep study place told me they would have to pre-cert my insurance and they would get back to me. Okay, that's reasonable. I waited patiently through the holidays as I know how that can slow things up. I finally called them the first week of January and they told me they had no record of me. Ugh! So when I followed up with Dr. Kim's office for my EGD results they faxed everything back over. I still have not heard from them. I was told that everyone who comes to Dr. Kim must have a sleep study. I had my EGD on 1/4/13. No issues were evident, so that's positive. While at the hospital, everyone kept asking me if I was coming back next week for my sleeve. It seems everyone who was getting an EGD was already approved and scheduled. And from what I overheard (those curtains hold nothing back), they all still had the band, same as me. Hmmm... So, my questions for you who have been to this practice are these.... Did you have to have a sleep study? Did you have issues with the clinic where the studies take place? Did you have the EGD right before before surgery or was your surgery date dependent upon the EGD? Did you have to have a cardio workup? I'm really not trying to be ugly or anything. I'm just wondering what other's experiences have been like. I'm a nurse so I get that things have to be done according to policy, etc etc. It just seems that it's not going so smoothly for me. When I was banded I had everything done, boom boom boom. (I have the same insurance and I feel confident they will approve the revision. My insurance is pretty good.) However, this experience is much more chaotic. If you have story, please share as I'm just curious. Thanks!

@@1Cor2:9 Well done and Congratulations! Awesome result! I am 1Ib away from being a sleeve success. I lost 60Ibs 5 months post op. Well, my revised goal is another 22Ibs down, and my stretch goal is 33Ibs away. I most certainly don't want to stop at my current weight. I want to keep losing until I reach my goal, then maintain it. My motivation is like yours, so I wish you all the best! We can do it

Hello I've been reading the posts. Amazing things are going on!! I had my nutritional and medical eval yesterday. The Drs think I'm a good candidate for the lap band. I've studied everything, I know people that had the gastric bypass. I'm a bit nervous. Its a huge change. I hope it will be a good change. Currently I have diabetes and sleep apnea. I hate that CPAP machine. It's just awful. I havent told my mom that I'm having the surgery. I mentioned once to my brother that I was considering it and mom called that nite crying her eyes out. So I wasnt going to tell her. I think I will have too. My daughter says she will be too hurt if I don't and I can see that is true. I just dont want the extra guilt. I think this is a good choice for me, I need to get healthy and I cant do it alone. so the question is How do I tell mom? It looks like my surgery date will be in July 08 Woo Hoo!! So I have to tell her soon.

Yeah, I'm starting to see the numbers go down, so I really don't want them to take any out. I already feel "behind" b/c I have to have a port revision back in Feburary. I talked to my aunt (who was also banded, just a few months before I was) She said her doc said it was most likely due to her stomach still producing enough acid to digest the volume of food she was eating. She had to take Prilosec for a couple of weeks and it's been fine since then she said. So I think I will try that. My next dr appointment is in 2 weeks, so if it hasn't stopped before then I will deffinitely ask him to tke just a little out. (And I have had sinus drainage too, I live in the south and they have just started plowing the feilds around my house, and all of the honeysuckle, azeleas, and dogwoods are in bloom. I'll deffinitely do the nasal solution, and drink the pineapple juice. I'll have to see my primary care for a refill on my allergy meds. Thanks )

Not sure of your sources, but I believe 5lbs a week is on the extremely fast end of weight loss. 15lbs a week will never be sustainable. People may have a single week where they lose 15 (MAYBE!?!), but no one is losing 60+lbs a months on average. From what I have seen on these forums, people tend to lose 10-20lbs a month the first few months, then it slows. Starting weight/BMI, gender and genetics have a lot to do with it, and it sounds like you are losing very fast. Follow you plan and you will continue to lose weight - hit your Protein and Water targets. Many people use shakes for months or years, but check with your doc/NUT for your plan. Yes, some foods will go down better than others - you will most likely experience this for months or years. Not only that, but things that are fine one day will probably not be another day - and this is all very personal. Some people struggle with eggs, some with fish, some with beef, others have no issues at all. It's a continual learning process. Dumping syndrome only affect somewhere around 30% of bypass patients from my recollection (if it's not 30%, it is definitely a minority). For many of those individuals, it lessens or goes away over time. For some it never goes away. I've never read anything that says Probiotics lessen the effects of dumping syndrome. However, if you are following your plan, and avoiding sugar, you should not be dumping as sugar is the main culprit (meals high and fat I believe can also cause it in some people).

So here I am, today makes 3 months exactly post op and I am down 42 lbs. I am finally in Onederland. I am so amazed at how easy this journey has been in comparison to the Lap Band that I had placed in 2006. I am so happy that I went through the revision surgery 3 months ago. The sleeve is everything that the band was promised to be and more. Thank God I have not had one complication and I feel fantastic. As of now I have no regrets and I feel healthier than I have felt in years. I want to send out a special thanks to my surgeon Dr. Aceves for changing my life.

I've had revision from band to RNY. I've had band for 8 years before I had it removed. It almost killed me. Now have RNY Despite some problems the sweet taste of being normal weight makes it worth it especially after being obese for fifty years

Stick to what you think is right for you. Neither surgery is an "easy" way to lose weight. You are going to have to work at it with either procedure. My experience has been that doctors that push the bypass are the surgeons who either don't do the band or don't do it well. My SIL had bypass surgery about a month after I had my band. I have lost more weight than she has. Why? because I work at it harder than she does. She doesn't exercise, eats six meals a day (actually I think she grazes all the time.) and makes poor food choices. I try to make wise food choices, only eat three meals a day, make sure I get my Protein in every day, and I walk 5-7 miles a day. There are many people who have been successful with both procedures and many people who have failed at both procedures. Do your homework and then stick to your guns about what you will or will not do to your body. For me, it has been the best decision I have ever made for my health. A year ago I couldn't walk 1/4 mile without using my inhaler. Good luck on whatever route you take.