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I was at 35. I gained some weight before I requested the surgery - I was at 37 and got approved. I have diabetes 2 and hypo thyroid. It has been 4 weeks since the surgery and I am at 33 BMI. I lost 28lbs in 4 weeks since the surgery - isn't that awesome? You can always appeal if they deny you.

Hi Brandy, I originally had the lapband but it prolapsed three times before I gave up on the idea of having a forth surgery to have another lap band done so my doc sent me to a friend of his who does DS. with the DS I ended up having a lot of Vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as bile reflux and gastroparesis as the surgeon severed my vegus nerve and the food was staying stagnant in my sleeve also the sleeve formed what they call an hourglass figure where the centre of the sleeve was very narrow and wouldn't allow the food to go through so I had to have yet another surgery which was the rny, I have since long suspected leaky guy syndrome as im experiencing fevers, hot and cold flushes, feeling ill when eating, no energy bloating, gassy, rashes, vomiting, dizziness and a host of other ailments. also my ferritin has been sitting very high in the 600 mark and the surgeon doesn't know why this is so but it is an indication of inflammation somewhere in the body. now leaky gut syndrome is associated with celiac, thyroid, colitis crohns and other diseases. I know am sensitive to foods and my thyroid is hypo mind you there is no one in our family who have either of these diseases and i have only been diagnosed since the RNY I have also gone to a naturopathic doctor who did some blood testes and diagnosed me with leaky gut. she even showed me on the slide machine how the contents of my stomach is seeping through the intestines and is going into the blood steam. at the moment I am taking zinc supplement 500mg a day along with glutamine powder mixed in Water to strengthen the intestines so as the food etc doesn't leak through into the blood stream to cause anymore immune responses. I am also waiting an appointment with my current surgeon to see what can be done as far as my ailments but have to wait till july to see him I don't think that my intestines can be lengthened in any way as the previouse surgeon removed and threw them away(which angers me because now should anything major happen I don't have anything to fall back on as far as reversals. in the below article it describes how rny patents develop bacterial overgrowth due to lack of stomach acid basically it is this that turns into leaky gut from my understanding from what the naturopath has told me which in turn has caused the other issues http://www.news-medical.net/health/Gastric-Bypass-Complications.aspx Many patients then experience a condition known as achlorhydia. Achlorhydia is a condition where there is not enough acid in stomach. Patients can develop an overgrowth of bacteria as a result of the low acidity levels in the stomach. A study conducted on 43 post operative patients revealed that almost all of the patients tested positive for a hydrogen breath test, which determined an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. The overgrowth of bacteria will cause the gut ecology to change and will induce nausea and vomiting. Recurring nausea and vomiting will change the absorbance rate of food which contributes to the vitamin and nutrition deficiencies common in post operative gastric bypass patients. and here is another link on bacterial overgrowth http://digestivehealthinstitute.org/2012/08/17/sibo-diet-and-digestive-health/ here is a link about another rny patent who had problems and leaky gut syndrome sorry I don't have much time now to provide all my links for you but will try later http://arkansasunshine.tripod.com/testimony/testimony.html

Good morning! I am feeling discouraged today . I see so many of you where you are having great success with losing weight and here I am and it's just slowly coming off! I know that I should not be comparing myself to anybody else. Since surgery Jan 20th I have lost a measly 12 lbs. most days I get all my fluids in and almost all of my required 60grs of protein. According to my NUT I can eat anything I want as long as I chew chew chew. I am keeping it to mostly soft foods. I have hypo thyroid/Graves disease which has always made it hard to lose weight . I was really hoping that with the surgery I would be able to lose faster. Maybe I am being to hard on myself after all 12 lbs in 3 weeks is still good better then WW or any other diet I ever tried!

I was diagnosed hypo back in 2014 when my daughter turned 3 months old. I haven’t had my 100mcg of Levo since surgery 11/16/20. I struggled to eat and drink for the first 6 weeks or so, and adding ground up pills was even worse. It made me so sick. So when i asked my doctor for a thyroid panel around 9w post op (since my surgeon didn’t) they discovered that i most likely have hashimoto’s. I had an ultrasound done and it showed that i was riddled with nodules, goiters on both sides, and possibly an adenemoa on my left side. I’m finally seeing an endocrinologist but it will be the end of March before i get in. We are limited in specialists in my area so i have to wait or go to the bigger town 2 hours away. my TSH has gotten much better since surgery, though. So I’m just thankful for that because it could be way worse! I’m down exactly 40lbs today and an 12w post op. Hopefully things get better for me. Oddly i feel normal. I used to be so tired before surgery so I’m happy that I’m not exhausted 24/7. 🤣

For what its worth. Last year my bmi was 3o. I weighed170. Mind u ive been obese always...205 at age 21. Ik 5 ft 4. But menapause has reactivated my weight gain with a vengeance..yep im on thyroid meds...so i go a year ago and talk to a Doc hear in Va who says why to thin,,,,great. Could go to mexico. But just not for me...so here i am a yera later now 185 still being told u r too thin to qualify. So 12,000 later and a trip to NC and Im sleeved..for me it was the only option.,! At worst Ill stop gaining at best ill get healthy under 150 Keep tuned in

Thanks, your reply definitely gave me some reassurance. We are really similar when it come down to losing weight while having hypo or PCOS. That was actually one the main reasons why I wanted to get the sleeve, because I knew I wouldn't be able to lose the amount of weight i need to, to be considered ''normal'' bmi. Thanks!

OMG! I'm so sorry to hear of your kiddos both being T1!! So glad you knew how to manage it. It had to be so much tougher. And all the worrying about them! Jeeze!!! TY for the very useful advice!!! The frosting gel is a great idea! It's so weird about the "pee in your pants"! I woke up sweating profusely muttering about "so hot" and then I just sat there and couldn't move--like paralyzed and watching myself not do anything to help myself take clothes off. Then I had to pee SO BAD and almost thought I was gonna pee myself. It was that, that finally roused me enough to get up and move--cuz I didn't want to pee in the chair! OMG! That would have been terrible! So I stumbled to the bathroom and couldn't coordinate my hands enough to get my pants down. And I just had to start peeling layers off and I slung them all around the bathroom, just to get down to panties to pee! It was so weird, like I was trying to do stuff with mittens on or boxing gloves or something! That's why I think I was maybe in the 40s? Did not know of the convulsion thing. My mom had hypo. And when she bottomed out we knew to get OJ and peanut butter and follow the juice with the peanut butter. So once we had the bg reading, I stumbled into the kitchen and got out the pineapple juice and applesauce and drank the juice quickly and then the applesauce, then I followed with an ounce of cheddar and 1/2oz of almonds. Shoulda done the peanut butter but mine has sugar in it too...:( So I got some almond butter and will do that in future and also have a can of OJ beside me with my meter. I don't think I will be eating at that restaurant again soon! So sorry to hear of your scale woes! ((hugs)) It will move soon. I have great faith in you and your sticktoitiveness!!!! You rock!!! Thanks for posting that link. Will go check it out.

I was hypo and I never wanted to take Synthroid, I didn't want to put my thyroid to sleep. Now I'm 10 weeks pOP and I'm thyroid healthy, don't be fooled by taking synthroid, especially when you're overweight and that's causing it. Went from 5.9 to 3.9.

@@Killian - that's a pretty high dose. Have you ever tried taking it in the morning on empty stomach? Might be able to have a lower dose that way as I think food and other meds affect it. Having said that, as long as you are consistent, that is the key. I am same as you (graves, RAI in 2012, hypo by 6 weeks post-Rai). Good news is it hasn't hindered my weight loss at all. I am down about 115 pounds since surgery (11 months). I have had to increase my med as it doesn't absorb as easily post-op (at least with bypass). Good luck to you!! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Dr. R. talked with me today, about seeing a pulmonologist and finding a window to have surgery where my asthma is not so reactive. I totally understood, this is what any good surgeon would recommend. He told me that all of the other M.D.'s that think I can proceed in this condition, do not see what happens when things do not go well... I have also gained another 4 lbs from the asthma meds... time to adjust my stupid weight ticker :drool:

Oh, don't misunderstand, Heidi--- I'm not regretting my decision at all. I wouldn't even consider the GB surgery and this was my ticket to finding a healthier me. I know others have had different experiences than that but the reality remains the same--if you don't decrease caloric intake, you won't lose weight. It's all in the Math that I refuse to do. :ohmy: I realize that it's simple for "normal" people, but not for us. We're not wired like them--none of us would have gone to this extent if it were that simple! It's about behaviors---nearly 38 years for me to change. It won't happen overnight, but if I can change some of the, even if only for a limited time, then I have a fighting chance. At 315 pounds, I didn't have that chance.... We all have bad days when we think we've made a mistake. We're on this journey for a reason. It's something we have to figure out on our own, for ourselves.... Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. I had PIZZA for dinner last night with my family. Could only manage one piece and really ended up getting rid of most of that--no milk required! Regardless, I enjoyed it immensely. As a side note---I think we all need to find a way to accept responsibility WITHOUT using it as an excuse to beat ourselves up. Most of us are guilty of doing far too much of that. Truth be told, the way we talk to ourselves can strongly influence how we function. It's easier to put ourselves down for making bad choices than to force ourselves to make good choices. It makes me so sad when I think about all of the negative self talk we do---but it really keeps us in that horrible, non-reactive place and prevents us from progressing. Just for today, I'm going to be better to myself--treating myself the way I'd treat my friends.

Well, Girls, Today is my FOUR YEAR surgiversary! All in all, I'm pleased that I am at goal and was able to have this life changing surgery! I have found in the last few weeks, that I still have some work to do on making sure I make good choices. I tend to really work to ACHIEVE a goal, and then when I get there, somewhat relax and old habits/eating patterns creep back. I'm right at 148-150 - my goal from original and where my body really likes to be overall. I did get down to about 140 last year with 5:2 and I'm REALLY REALLY THIN at that weight (being 5'8") I like it for ME but my face looks OLD and others seem to think I look "sick". With that said, I need to "shape up" a bit - just with life itself, my energy level is low, my stress level - high and I'm tired, tired, tired! I've also been experiencing reactive hypoglycemia (I think due to increased carbs and sugar) where my blood sugar gets extremely low (to the point of faintness). I guess what I'm trying to say is - I'm very happy with what I have achieved, I'm thankful and grateful, and I realize AGAIN that it's a LIFELONG JOURNEY!!!

Dumping really isn't anything to "fear" and it's also not something that should be considered a guaranteed benefit of RnY. Although decidedly unpleasant, dumping is seldom serious and rarely requires medical attention. What folks often fail to realize pre-op is that a sizeable percentage of RnY patients never experience dumping. That really isn't too big of a deal since there is no scientific evidence that folks who experience dumping are any more or less successful that those who don't. There is a very long list of benefits associated with surgery and not one of them is attributed to dumping. The list of possible symptoms of dumping is fairly long but everyone is different and may or may not experience any given one. Vomiting, nausea, dizziness, accelerated heart rate - all possible symptoms. About two-thirds of patients experience early dumping which usually occurs 15 to 30 minutes following eating. The remaining one-third experience late dumping which usually occurs two to three hours following eating but can occur as much as twelve hours later. Late dumping is usually the result of reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Dumping is often associated with foods high in sugar but dumping can also result from eating foods high in carbohydrates or fats. It can be easy to over eat for several weeks immediately following the surgery. Your pouch has nerves that function as stretch sensors. Those nerves send "full" signals to the brain. But for a period of time following surgery, those nerves are ineffective during the initial healing process. That's why you will often read folks saying they don't "feel full". It usually passes within a few weeks. Until then, it's doubly important to watch your portion sizes. Once things settle down most folks have little trouble knowing when they're full. You're gonna love the new you!!

Expressing your feeling is not wrong but you do have control over the way you express them. The last thing you want is to develop a new coping mechanism (food no longer available) to deal with stress and becoming a A-hole is very possible. Specially since your statements will get some attention. It's amazing how the human mind can settle for negative attention and even crave it in the absence of what it needs. You will have to dig deep and find the things that make you happy and support you in order not to be so dependent on the negative attention. Try a time out before saying something rash. work the words in your head before saying them. Ask, is it necessary, what will it accomplish, is it kind, will it help me? any thought process to delay reactive responses is always good. If you find that you cannot control your emotions/statements then Therapy would be advisable.

Dawg...tell US what C-reactive protien is and does!!!!!!!!!! Come back! Somebody go get him!!!!

I'm here too. I just got back about half an hour ago from seeing my surgeon. He took some of my fill out. I explained how I hadn't been able to get any food down for about 3 weeks now and that I could only get fluids down in the afternoon. Anything before that or after 9pm would just come straight back out again or have me up all night with reflux problems. So they removed .125ccs. Half of what I got at my last fill. I'm very happy with that. :woot: I'm not really looking forward to any appetite I may get as a result, but I know it's better for me to be able to get proper food and protein into my body. I'm on fluids for the next 2 days, the same procedure as after a fill, and then I can see how mushies go. I'm looking forward to getting back on track. It was wonderful to see the scale go down consistently, but I was miserable a lot of the time. Having the flu on top of it didn't help any. Rashes - thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to try them ALL. I have always have sensitive skin. I use Dove soap and wash my clothes in hypo-allergenic liquids. Even when I'm careful I can still break out in an eczema rash without problem. I have a shelf in my bathroom cabinet dedicated to lotions and potions just for that. I've already tried most of them with my tummy rash, with mixed results. It doesn't hurt to have other methods to attack this with. Part of me wants to get rid of it yesterday, another part of me wants to use this with the insurance company to help with a TT approval. I think I'll time a visit to the doctor's between subsequent outbreaks just to keep things on record in case I need it. Shopping - well I went shopping this weekend. It's not a favorite activity of mine, but I was still excited because I was going to the normal section. :tt1: You were dead right Janet, there are SOOOOOOO many choices there. At least in the BBW section there are only 2 choices; clothes that fit and clothes that don't. When looking for jeans I was given choices of classic rise, low rise, lowest rise, straight, boot cut, flared, long, short, regular :eek: It was daunting! I started with a few different styles of 14s, none of them fit! :sad2: In a good way! They were all too big! :w00t: So I went down to 12s and some of them fit, some of them didn't. I made the insane decision to try on a pair of 10s They fit too! :w00t: I ended up buying 2 pairs of 12s and a pair of 10s. I was on top of the world. :biggrin2: I don't ever remember buying a pair of 10s. Not this century anyway. :cryin: So that's my latest NSV. :Yawn: There were other things I wanted to respond to, but kidzheimers has struck and I can't remember anymore. I need to fix dinner and I'll come back and read through the thread again to jog my forgettory and get back later this evening. Thanks for all they help you guys in getting me to where I am today. Yes, it's your fault as much as mine that I'm feeling this good.

As I said to Jeannie in a PM...it has become increasingly clear to me that there are some people who seem to take advantage of the "distance protection" offered them by this internet form of communication, as a means to unleash their emotional reactivity, arrogance, negativity, immaturity, and general lack of manners. Let's try to remember that we are all here for support and encouragement, and be polite.

Can i please ask for some advice, I am an insulin dependant diabetic and the pre op diet they have me on includes some carbs...a weetabix for Breakfast, 2 crisp breads at lunch and 3 tablespoons of rice at dinner...along side that I am having a small amount of lean meat, salad, and some vegetables. My surgery is next Tuesday.. Will this still shrink my liver enough? I am following what the hospital gave me. Many thanks X (I am still experiencing the had aches, irritability, feeling lethargic, and have had a hypo) Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

While I wouldn't call it "weird", as this topic asks (and I can't find a regular-NSV thread): My rosacea has gone! It literally vanished about six days out of hospital, and hasn't come back. My skin hasn't been this clear in a LONG time, and I can't recall the last time my face was the same colour as my neck. Was not expecting this bonus, as I have reactive skin, but I am thrilled.

Good Morning, Violets.. Up and showered and ready for Ethan to arrive for the day. Got my bills paid online and am good to go. We are going to go to Great Wolf Lodge tomorrow to meet up with DS Josh and his family. We get to see the grandkids!! We'll spend the day with them and then come back home as the Bobster is preaching at MY church Sunday. He's filling in for the "pastor" who is on vacation. (I use the term pastor loosely.. I really don't think much of the guy.) My fills are painless and quick. We drive 4 hours for a 5 minute appointment with the doctor. We spend more time with the nurses than the doctor, but I know if we had questions or concerns he'd spend more time with us. I hop up on the table, lift my legs up, he feels for the port sticks a little hypo in, pulls it out and we're done with a cotton pad on for a minute. Drink a glass of water and we're good for another month. The hypo in the picture on the home page was HUGE. It looked like it could hold a cup of liquid!! That's why I thought it might be photo shopped. I better go get dressed and get my hair dry and curled before the little guy arrives. Everyone have a great day!!

If he is the kind of guy that shots you down before any real conversation gets underway, consider a letter. Write down all your feelings towards him first and why you are worried. Add statistics and anything you think may get through to him. End with how you would love to support him through the process (weight loss or bariatric surgery) towards a healthier him. Also, make sure he has sometime to read it and ponder about it. Not just an hour. Sometimes it's hard to get all your feelings out in a conversation before his reaction makes be reactive causing the whole thing to spiral into an unproductive conversation. Good luck, raising the issue is the right thing to do.

Awesome @@Killian ! Glad you are doing well, and that your surgery will be at a convenient time for you. Must be great feeling to look forward to retirement next year This will be so beneficial for your recovery! So, best of luck for July 2017! I've had a pretty smooth recovery. I am almost 8 months post op, unbelievable how quickly the time flew! The only major issues I had were/are my thyroid disease, Graves. Because I was losing lot of weight, I had to keep having dose adjustments, as I ended up hyper-thyroid few times. Not pleasant ..... Recently my Thyroxine has been halved, 6 weeks ago, and I was told today that my TSH and labs are normal. Well, I have not been feeling well in the past 6 weeks, and had many hypo issues. TSH at 3.4 seems too high for me, so this now will be the 4th adjustment, to bring it to 1.0 One day, hopefully it will get stabilised. Good luck with your thyroid too, Killian. Thanks for the update! Cheers, Margo

Keep me posted on your date. What type of foods are you eating now? Are the gas pains gone? TIA Honestly I didn't have much gas pains. I stayed on water only for 2 days post op though. It was my choice to do so. I didn't feel hungry and water worked for me. I have bloating issues but I have had them since way before I had my surgery. I am Hashimoto's Hypothyroid and bloating, constipation and other gut issues are a norm for me. As far as gas, I get it on occasion but feel it is due to my hypo. As for food.....I am slowly introducing solids to my diet but only at night. I have a protein shake for lunch and breakfast and some type of solid soft food at night at home that way if my body doesn't like it I am where I need to be to deal with it. Protein drinks are a huge staple for me. Getting enough protein is pertinent and with just 2 a day, I am getting 86 grams of protein. What shakes are you using? http://www.amazon.com/MET-Rx-Protein-Plus-RTD-51/dp/B002XDRCX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429767760&sr=8-1&keywords=met+rx+protein+shakes and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XULC9I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hi All. I'm preparing for gastric bypass reversal December 3. I had gastric bypass RNY in 2004. I had little to no complications the first 2 years. Then I started having extreme stomach pain. After several tests they found no cause and decided I had slow bowels that were causing painful constipation. After several years of on and off stomach pain, I ended up in the ER where they found an internal hernia that was strangulated between my liver and my kidneys. Apparently during the time of my original gastric bypass there was an area of the abdomen that was left vulnerable to internal hernias. They say that they no longer have that problem in current surgeries. Anyways, I died on the table that night. But they revived me, and corrected the hernia. My original rny was laparoscopic. With the internal hernia, I went into the ER with the severe stomach pain, then woke up with a long vertical scar on my stomach that looked like a large zipper, was a little shocking. 1 year later I ended up in the ER because the scar tissue from the open stomach surgery a year before, had given me a blocked bowel. Once again I woke up with the whole zipper down the front. This time they had to go around the other side of my belly button for some reason, so I now had "train tracks" down the lower part of my stomach. 2 years later, after I'd been working out quite a bit, they found that the seam line of my scar hadn't healed all the way properly. One surgeon said it was like Swiss cheese. So, they went back in and sewed in a mesh to protect my seam line from further hernias. After the first emergency surgery, I noticed I had hypoglycemia every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Year by year, I started needing to eat more often. But I was able to keep the weight off. About a year ago, I got to where I need to eat every 40-50 minutes or I get "sick." And started gaining weight. I asked my primary care for help, but he told me he too has hypoglycemia and just make sure I eat properly. I finally researched severe reactive hypoglycemia, and severe dumping syndrome, printed out info from the NIH website, and took it with me. Finally I got sent to a bariatric surgeon for help. He sent me to an endocrinologist who implanted a Continuous blood glucose monitor for 6 days. (That thing was so cool! It takes your blood sugar reading every 5 minutes.) It was found that any time I ate even just 1 1/2 grams of carbs my blood sugar would drop by 60-80 points within 40-60 minutes...causing me to need to eat again, to keep from passing out. When I ate only Protein, my blood sugar would stay on the low side, which left me no energy at all. I could go for about 90 minutes before my blood sugar would drop...but even just eating protein would trigger the blood sugar drop. It was found that the hole between my stomach pouch, which is still quite small, and the attached intestine has become over large, so the food is dropping straight into my intestines, and triggering my pancreas to produce extra insulin. The hardest part is going to the store etc, and if I get involved and don't pay attention to the clock, I can suddenly feel a flushing feeling, and feel like I'm going to pass out immediately if I don't eat. It's become very difficult to go anywhere away from the house. Would I have gastric bypass if I knew all about this, NO. I have grown to appreciate Energy. Energy levels. I enjoy working with horses and being active, but have been unable to for the past 2 years. I cannot count on maintaining enough energy from hour to hour. My goal, to be able to eat something and maintain good stable energy for 3 hours or so. I didn't have the gastric bypass so I could need to lie down all the time. I envisioned being more active and having More energy as as a thinner person. If you have good energy, and you just don't like the way you look etc, Please don't have this surgery. I only recommend it for people who have immediate heart and serious medical issues due to their weight. I looked my new bariatric surgeon in the eye and told him I wouldn't mind gaining all my weight back, if it means I can have good consistent energy every day. Gastric bypass so drastically alters our anatomy. I may never have proper digestion again. I hope my story helps someone!

What type of foods are you eating now? Are the gas pains gone? TIA Honestly I didn't have much gas pains. I stayed on water only for 2 days post op though. It was my choice to do so. I didn't feel hungry and water worked for me. I have bloating issues but I have had them since way before I had my surgery. I am Hashimoto's Hypothyroid and bloating, constipation and other gut issues are a norm for me. As far as gas, I get it on occasion but feel it is due to my hypo. As for food.....I am slowly introducing solids to my diet but only at night. I have a protein shake for lunch and breakfast and some type of solid soft food at night at home that way if my body doesn't like it I am where I need to be to deal with it. Protein drinks are a huge staple for me. Getting enough protein is pertinent and with just 2 a day, I am getting 86 grams of protein. . hey Chrissy, just wondering how you are doing? I'm thinking if switching to this clinic since I can't find many reviews on the Dr I have now. How is it going now that u are a few weeks out? Im a bit nervous about being lonely, (only one not eating etc) regretting etc afterward, I hear that can happen, though I know in the long run its going to be great! It's going to be a whole new relationship with food and I so need that!