Search the Community

@SomeBigGuy sorry to hear you got Covid. My two girls got it before Christmas. I still have never had it. you seem to be doing really well with the weight loss. Thanks for your kind words. We will see what the surgeon says at my next appt 2nd Jan. he is deciding of going down the bypass stage. But will have a definite answer as he has me booked in on the 11thJan.

Ok I just checked your bmi. You're 5'1" (157cm) and 231 pounds. That puts your bmi at 43.6 which puts you in the obese category. So actually, the bypass will help with that, as well as your other health issues you have going on. So I'm not worried about the weight loss now, which was the biggest concern I had. I think, between the weight loss and the other health concerns you have and your inability to eat, you will do extremely well with the bypass.

The sleeve is never, ever recommended for someone with reflux or GERD. It's known to make it so, so much worse. I didn't even have it and the sleeve created it. My concern is that the bypass will cause significant weight loss, and if you're already not that big (231 pounds = 105kg) then it could be an issue. However, depending on your height, it might actually get you within normal height/weight proportions and get you into a normal BMI (body mass index). I can tell you, it WILL alleviate your GERD issues, your inability to eat anything, and get rid of most of what's causing your pain. You definitely will get your life back, and the recovery really isn't bad. You'll need to be careful with how much sugar and carbs you eat, and you will definitely eat much smaller portions, but give the current issues you have I think that might actually be a good thing. Going based off only what you've told me, I really think the bypass will be a good thing for you. I know it sounds scary, but I promise it's not. Especially when you consider everything you've already been through, and the benefits of the surgery itself.

Hi Sleevetobypass thank you for taking the time to respond. Prior to this surgery I had 2 barium swallows. The first time I couldn’t get the liquid in. I was just vomiting. So he got some videos and we rescheduled. I’ve had the dye contrast ct scan. I had bad GERD and was on medication for about 6 yrs. That is not good. Before surgery I regurgitated with every meal. This time round I’ve regurgitated about 5 times. The surgeon said my oesophagus is narrow leading in to the stomach as some oesophagus was removed. I’ve told him I don’t want the stress as I had that last time and then all the issues started. he told me at initial consult this time round in October that bypass would be the last resort. And now 3 months later it’s on the table. I was never really big 105kg. They just had to remove parts of the stomach and the hiatus. Now in the last 48hrs the constant pain is in my right hip area. The ER said they can’t do anything as they need my records and everything here is closed. I wanted a better quality of life and I’m not achieving this no matter what I do by the book. I haven’t had eggs, bread, rice or pasta in 16 months and only 2 cans of fizz no sugar. That was towards the end when he told me I could as it wouldn’t damage anymore damage then is already done. I guess I just have to keep taking the pain killers and wait for the 2nd Jan on his decision.

Hi! I’m kind of new here. Just had my gastric bypass, route n y, surgery on December 19th, 2023. I’m looking for some other stories that started at a weight over 300. I started this journey at 338 and I’m feeling like I’m not seeing a whole lot of people who start at over 300+. Kudos to the people who start earlier, I’m just looking for similar stories to mine I guess. My projected weight loss is about 124 pounds but I’d like to hear some other opinions on how much people have lost at being at a higher weight. What’s a reasonable expected amount to lose? Or what is realistic to expect for weight loss starting at 300+ in terms of everything like excess skin, working out, what life is like now? I know everyone is different. Just Curious. Thank you. 😊

Hi there!!! I have been summoned, I see lol Ok, so a little about what I've been through, and then I'll give any advice I can. I had the sleeve in May 2022. Initially, I was doing awesome. Lost a lot of weight, got off several meds, health issues corrected, it was awesome. Right up until it wasn't. Around 6 months post op, I started noticing some reflux issues (which I had never had before). It steadily got worse and I had to have a barium swallow (NASTY!!!) to see what was happening. I had severe GERD, gastritis, and esophagitis. I also had a narrowing esophagus. So I was put on Nexium (40mg once per day). The GERD steadily got worse and worse until I was put on 80mg of Nexium daily as well as Pepcid for break through (which I took daily). It still didn't completely help. I was on such a high amount of PPI for such a long time that I ended up developing an OBSCENE amount of polyps all through my stomach and duodenum. This year, I had 7 surgeries to remove all of the polyps, stretch my esophagus, and have a revision to a bypass. I also had to have the part of the stomach that's bypassed removed because that's where so many of the polyps were forming. When I had the sleeve, I had so much pain, trouble tolerating anything cold, trouble taking pills, trouble getting in enough water. It was completely miserable. With my revision to bypass, it was like the heavens opened up and the angels started singing to me. No pain meds at all beyond Tylenol. Up and around within 4 days. Was able to take pills from day 1. No GERD at all. No constipation like with the sleeve. Able to get my fluids in from day 1 (drank a 20 oz of water in the hospital within 2 hours of getting back to my room from recovery), no issues with temps of liquids. My only regret is that I didn't just get the bypass to begin with. Because of all the surgeries, my abdominal wall weakened and I developed a ventral hernia that was repaired 3 weeks ago. Still recovering from that one. I was freaked out at first at the thought of getting a bypass. It's why I opted for the sleeve to begin with. I was afraid of dumping, I was afraid of malabsorption, I was afraid of getting a stricture. Well, I only dump if I have too many carbs, so I just avoid them for the most part (I never even get to my allotted amount, I'm always way under). I haven't had any stricture, but if I do, it's a super easy fix (and after everything I've already been through, I'm not even a tiny bit worried). And malabsorption is only an issue with extended release meds (I don't take those now) and vitamins (take bariatric ones or double up on the regular ones). There was nothing to be worried about, but I let the chatter from those that weren't in my position freak me out and cause me to choose the sleeve instead of the bypass. My advice to you is to not listen to anyone else. You and your doctor know what's best for you. The revision will give you your life back. Being pain and complication free is worth its weight in...well...everything. When you look at everything you've been through up until this point, the recovery from the revision will be a walk in the park. It's better for your health (physically and mentally) and it will allow you to get back to your life. This surgery is supposed to afford us the chance to have the life and health we've always been meant to, and complications can really do a number on us. The revision will be a godsend to you, mark my words. I don't have a single regret.

Gastric bypass 2 years ago. I've gained 10 pounds the last 2 months. It won't stop. Please help! I need to start over and don't know how. I never lost enough weight. I got down to 182. Now I'm 192.. How do I start over. All advice welcome Please Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Gastric bypass 2 years ago. I've gained 10 pounds the last 2 months. It won't stop. Please help! I need to start over and don't know how. I never lost enough weight. I got down to 182. Now I'm 192.. How do I start over. All advice welcome Please Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi a little on what’s happened to me. 16 months ago I had to have gastric sleeve as my hiatus hernia and other issues had strangled my stomach. I had the hiatus hernia repaired at the same time. 4 weeks later I had to go in for a stretch as I couldn’t stomach soft foods. 3 months later I was still on purée and soft soft foods. We did more testing and surgery again to fix the hiatus. Things didn’t progress past the purée. I was sent to our state capital to see the head surgeon. After running more tests they found more issues. My stomach had moved above my heart. Causing most of my eating issues. I had surgery #4, 8 weeks ago. After a 3 Hr operation they repaired the hiatus, fixed my Nissan fundoplication and had to staple more stomach away as I had a pouch. I was on liquid for 3 weeks, purée for 3 weeks. But a day after starting soft foods I am back to liquids/purée as everytime I ate it felt like an air bubble was blocked and I was vomiting. now everytime I drink/eat/swallow saliva I get a sharp stabbing pain. The surgeon has said I may have to have bypass. how has everyone coped with GB and any tips for me please?

Hello all, long-time member who has been away for a while. January 8th I am scheduled for a revision lapband to bypass. The band was successful for years and no doubt saved my life but it has run its course and the weight is going back on and the band is maxed out.

I initially had VSG in 2017 and was revised to RNY in 2019. I have no horror stories. Some mild but utterly manageable complications early on but nothing that has made me regret life post RNY compared to VSG. Honestly to me it feels exactly the same and I have lived with the change long enough to make the comparison. In the early stages post revision, I needed to relearn and change some things but after that it’s been smooth. I deal with dumping syndrome (but I did with VSG also) so I know what to stay away from and it has eliminated 95% of the possibility of it happening. As always, your experience may differ in any number of ways but IMHO the people who struggle the most with revisions are the ones who either have very serious physical complications or those who didn’t want to be revised at all (this is more mental than physical). I hope you choose the best path forward that you are comfortable with. Keep us updated ❤️

I'm a sleeve to bypass revision, and it's honestly the best thing I've ever done. The only time I have dumping is if I eat too many carbs. I only did that twice (holidays both times) and I learned REALLY quick not to anymore. I stick to my diet religiously and have had no issues. If you look at my signature, you'll see I've lost weight with the revision, although nowhere near what I lost with the sleeve initially. I do think your doctor is exaggerating what you'll lose. If you exercise, stick to your diet (or get back on track with it), and get your relationship with food back to where it should be, you'll do fine. My recovery with the bypass was amazing. I've had absolutely no issues with the revision at all. My only regret is that I didn't just do the bypass to begin with. Oh, and I did the revision because of major complications from the sleeve (GERD - never had it before the sleeve - gastritis, esophagitis, polyps all through my stomach and duodenum due to excessively high PPI over a long period of time, etc..).

All things are possible. Not all things are probable. Horror stories are least likely of all. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and focus to doing your best either way. I've only had Bypass so I can't address going from Sleeve to Bypass. But I am responding because I do have some of the issues you fear... I dump on both sugars and fats, and it doesn't take exceptionally large quantities to kick in. I actually wanted to dump so that sugars and fats wouldn't be things I could eat with impunity. I hoped dumping would put my body to work for me on this and I have to admit I'm very happy with the result. It took an amazingly few dumping episodes for me to change my habits. Throwing up is an entirely different beast than pre-op. The only time I throw up is when food get's stuck going down. Again, it took an amazingly few episodes of doing it wrong to learn to take my time and do it correctly. I can't recall the last time this was an actual issue. Once the food goes down, it's pretty much impossible for me to throw up. If my body insists on it, I just end up with dry heaving, which is less fun than it sounds. On balance things could be worse. Try not to borrow troubles from tomorrow. Good luck, Tek

I'm a sleeve to bypass conversion. I had a hernia, that complicated matters. I'm over a decade out from the horror of that sleeve. I'm just over 3 months out with the bypass. The hernia caused issues and the longer healing time was due to it. If I have any pull or ache, its in that area. For 3 months gone, the reflux (was like yours, actually worse, I had carafate to eat anything) is gone. I've had 1 time where some stuff came up like reflux. A mild little one for the 2nd time it happened. That's it. I control how much food goes in. When I dont, I throw up. I've had a bean get stuck (wow was that painful), couple of times I've swallowed 3x instead of 2 for liquids and it was too much. I've thrown up but nothing like before. If I'm really really careful, watch the time and amount of food at one time frame, I'm good. Stay at 2 swallows, I'm good. After the misery of before, this is great! That having been said, I dropped to malnutrition level because of some other medical problems. As of end of last week, I am 8 pounds from being overweight for my BMI. 36 pounds from being normal weight. So I don't think I'll be dropping it like I did my sleeve. I dropped 27 pounds the first month, and that was 27% of the excess body weight.

only about 30% of bypass patients dump, and it can be prevented by not eating a ton of sugar or fat at one sitting. I've never dumped and I know lots of other bypass patients who've never dumped, either. I had some food intolerances the first few months but now the only thing my stomach doesn't seem to handle well is a really fatty meal. Something like a fish fry with fried fish, tartar sauce, French fries, a roll with butter, and coleslaw (as is a popular Friday night meal here in Wisconsin) would not sit well with me and might even send me into the bathroom. I could handle one or two of those things, but not all (like I could pre-surgery). I also can't eat tons of pasta or rice since it sits in my stomach like a brick, but I can eat SOME of it. I had some vomiting episodes the first couple of months after surgery if I ate too much or too fast or something that didn't agree with me, but since then, I don't think I vomit much more often than I did pre-surgery. Diarrhea isn't that common with bypass - and the adult diaper thing would be really rare - I almost never hear of that, and I've been on this site for about nine years. The opposite, constipation, is really common, though. A lot of us have to take daily Miralax or stool softeners to keep on top of it. yes I suppose constant vomiting could rot your teeth, but I'm not sure where you got that idea that bypass patients experience daily vomiting. I probably vomit 2 or 3 times a year. Plus vomiting now is much easier than it was pre-surgery. Your stomach is really small, so not much comes up. And besides that, you don't have nearly as much acid in your stomach (you can tell because what comes up tastes just like it did going down - you don't get that awful "vomit-y" taste any more after you vomit). Also, GERD is what can lead to Barrett's esphagus an/or esophagus cancer, and bypass usually improves if not outright cures GERD. That's why it's usually recommended over VSG for patients who have GERD. I should add that I'm not a revision patient, but I know of a lot of people who are from this site and similar sites. Most of them are very happy with their bypasses and aren't experiencing the complications that you're worried about (in fact, most don't have any complications at all). I hope you don't take this wrong, but you might want to do more research on the bypass because I think your views on it aren't that realistic. I wouldn't go so far as to say that no one has every experienced any of that stuff because I don't know for sure - maybe someone or a few people have - but we just don't hear about those things on here. If they happen, they're very rare, otherwise we'd hear about them given all the thousands of people who've been on this site over the years.

Hello - I had gastric sleeve in June of 2015 and lost over half my body weight initially, getting down to well below my initial goal in the first year. Started having issues with acid reflux pretty early on, and it's gotten steadily worse, especially in the past 3 years. I'm currently on omeprazole and famotidine, plus Tums in addition. A 24-hour PH study showed that I had over 100 episodes of reflux in that period. So I was approved to revise to a gastric bypass. I also have regained over half of what I lost, mostly since my reflux has gotten worse, and am about 50 pounds heavier than my ideal weight. The reflux makes me feel hungry all the time, and I'm eating way more carbs than I should because they seem to tame the acid somewhat. I understand that it's pretty much a pipe dream that I'll be able to lose anything close to that with revision, but I guess any weight loss would be better than where I am right now. My new surgeon said she expected that I'd get back down to 110-120 after revision (my preferred weight personally is around 125), but based on all the posts I've read here and on reddit, she is definitely exaggerating to make me more willing to go through with the surgery. The best it sounds like I could hope for is to lose maybe 15-20 pounds over the course of a year or more? I am scheduled for surgery on Jan. 18th, but I'm having second thoughts after reading so many horror stories of unpredictable dumping episodes and ever-changing food intolerances. I guess maybe my reflux isn't as bad as others, since the reality of daily life with RNY seems unbearably miserable to me in comparison to my life currently. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do my job anymore (or even leave the house at all) if I am unable to eat or drink anything without the risk of vomiting/foamies (I have pelvic floor issues, so I pretty much always lose bladder control when I vomit or dry heave) or having uncontrollable diarrhea. After revision, do you have to wear an adult diaper all the time? Has anyone developed an eating disorder based on fear of getting sick after consuming anything? Do you have any "safe" foods, or is it always a (literal) crapshoot? I know that continued GERD can cause esophageal cancer down the line, but wouldn't the same be true of daily vomiting? Has anyone who is several years out from revision developed cancer or precancerous damage to their esophagus due to the constant vomiting? Likewise, have your teeth been ruined from it? For those who revised from VSG to RNY and are past the initial healing stages, would you do it again or has it made your life even worse?

If it helps, remember that this is a completely different surgery than years ago. The reason the risk used to be so much higher was they had to cut you open, exposing you to all sorts of infection risks along with making it really traumatic for your body. Nowadays, they make tiny incisions and even use robotic assistance in some cases. The death rate for bypass is less than 1 in a thousand, and the sleeve is even less than that. Any other statistics are ancient history. It would be like comparing outcomes for diseases today to a time before we had antibiotics, chemotherapy, or insulin.

**Update** Hey everyone! Sorry for being MIA for a while. I really appreciate all your responses and well wishes. I will be 2 weeks post-op tomorrow, which is kind of nutty to think about. My 9 day post-op follow up appointment went really well. Incisions are healing well, and they seem quite happy with my food diary. I started my bariatric vitamins about 4 days post-op as well and been doing great so far with those. I use Paravita bariatric multivitamin 3x daily and I take Vitamin D3 2500 IU one drop daily. Plus of course the medications needed temporarily prescribed by my surgeon. I got to say though that it's been HARD going through Christmas day and not being able to enjoy our traditional Christmas breakfast, or our amazing turkey feast. Least I got to smell it though lol. I feel a lot more strong, so I have been able to have a lot more normalcy in my life. I make my family their food, while also preparing my clear liquids and full liquids. Unfortunately I'll be on the liquids until January,10th as it is 4 weeks with the gastric sleeve. Then eventually pureed foods, then soft, then finally regular healthy eating for life lol. I am making turkey soup today with our turkey carcass, onions, carrots, celery, and some seasoning, so I can at least enjoy the broth of our Christmas dinner my spouse and out kiddos had yesterday lol. I hope you all are well. I am fighting my brain and always will, and I am still having some regretful thoughts over having this surgery. I am taking one step ahead at a time and trying to look towards the positives. As I've said in other posts I just was so set on Gastric Bypass for my acid reflux issues, and I liked that it could be reversed if needed, plus I hear it has a higher success rate. So when I found out they gave me the sleeve, I just been having mixed thoughts since, and now I can't go back even if I wanted to down the line. So it's been weighing on me a lot. Please know I am not trying to discourage anyone from WLS, and the sleeve can be just as successful, everyone is different. I also thoroughly did my research on WLS prior. Lots of great things about these surgeries. I hope you all are well and that you all had a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays if you celebrate. Much love. ✌

There is a lot of conflicting information out there so I'm not going to argue. Even different surgeons say different things. I will say that all bariatric surgeries altogether have a high chance of reversing diabetes. I have not heard of anyone that still has type two diabetes after the sleeve unless they regained their weight. Maybe the 'punishing' term rang bad to you, but what I meant was consequences for carb dumping and overeating are usually more severe for DS and Bypass patients. So maybe punishing was not the correct term. I'm sorry you saw it as being negative for those with bypass/switch but that was not my intention. But I do view throwing up, foaming at the mouth, dumping, and general malaise as punishing. No one enters into these surgeries to feel that way but keeping bad habits does result in this outcome and I wouldn't call it a reward. It is a definitely and incentive for many not to eat badly. I have even read on here and seen in other places where people felt they need something really restrictive to keep their diet in check. It happens with sleeves (not the foaming bit) too but you can usually get away with more. This is why the success rate with sleeve patients are slightly less. Also you don't have to defend your choice in surgery to me or explain it. I am not saying any surgery is better or worse than the other. All surgery comes with risks and downsides. The original poster asked for the NEGATIVES and the positives for the different surgeries and I just told her what my surgeon, research, patients of all three surgeries have said, and some other bariatric surgeons I follow. Also I never said sleeve patients couldn't suffer from vitamin deficiencies. I said it is more common (easier) with switch and bypass, which it is. Sleeve is not a malabsorption surgery. Vitamin deficiency also occurs in non-bariatric patients. A lot of people are suffering from vitamin d deficiency right now who have never had surgery. I can point you to a bariatric surgeon who doesn't even believe that sleeve patients need as high as potency and 'bariatric vitamins' like bypass and switch patients but they set the standard and the industry is going with it. Also, weightloss is more rapid for switch and bypass generally which is why gallbladder problems is more common but as always it doesn't HAVE to occur. Which I never indicated this was a one shoe fits all for anybody. It's a risk. At the end of the day everyone must make their own decision on what is right for them. Be it sleeve, switch, or bypass. I commend anyone taking charge of their life and going through this difficult process to come out the other side happier and healthier.

Absolutely DO NOT get the sleeve if you have GERD already. I didn't have it at all, yet when I originally had the sleeve, it gave me such severe GERD I also developed gastritis, esophagitis, and had to take 80mg of Nexium per day as well as Pepcid every day, and I still had break through GERD. I ended up needing 4 endoscopies to remove polyps all through my stomach and duodenum (caused by the high amount of PPI I had to take over a prolonged amount of time) and then had a revision to bypass, which solved the whole issue. It was a very miserable time. And again, I didn't even have any GERD or reflux to begin with. My doctor told me that if you do, the sleeve is not the surgery to get. Definitely go with a bypass. If your doctor refuses, find a new doctor.

I’m having bypass on January 2nd. I’m having a revision from a sleeve to a bypass.

I’m so happy to have you guys! Had my surgery 6 day ago (Lapband to sleeve to bypass)… I have vowed to do everything right this time! I’m the past , I never took the Bariatric vitamins because I just hated the taste… does anyone have a recommendation for one ? Also, how are avoiding hair loss? ☺️ u!

My doctor told me she wouldn't do the sleeve if my upper GI showed severe GERD. She would only do the bypass. Fortunately I have minimal GERD

I think a lot of surgeons prefer the sleeve because it's an easier surgery to do. It seems like it's also overtaken bypass as the "gold standard" (although that wasn't true when I had my surgery since it was still relatively new then - at least as a standalone surgery). Although there are a few situations where bypass is the better option (like...GERD). I had GERD prior to surgery. My surgeon said he'd do either, but he recommended bypass as it usually improves - and often outright cures - GERD - whereas, as you know, sleeve can make it worse (although only in about 30% of cases. But I didn't want to take the risk). I'm glad he encouraged me to at least consider bypass because I didn't want to end up one of those 30%. But there are sleevers on here whose GERD never got worse, and for some, it even improved. It's really a crap shoot. anyway, yes - it's definitely a risk. I'm not sure what to tell you since this guy seems deadset against doing a bypass. And you're sort of limited by your insurance. Yikes. What a predicament. Although maybe you'll luck out and be one of the 70% who DON'T experience GERD issues (or in your case, worse GERD issues). My heart goes out to you - that's a difficult position to be in.

I’m having my bypass on the 10th