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What surprised me? I didn't know I'd be having surgery not once, but twice. First time was bypass, 2 days later it was corrective surgery because there was a kink in the small intestine causing me to throw up, have reflux, and not be able to hold anything down. Nothing could prepare me for this. I was concerned I was going to have a nervous breakdown and cried hysterically when I found out during my swallow study that something got messed up. God, it was tough. Tomorrow I do another swallow study. I'm a healthy 27 year old who in a million years never thought something like this would happen. I took the surgery very lightly and I took the pain and recovery lightly. There are millions of things you will see and feel that you simply CANNOT research or read about to understand fully. You will be tested. Emotionally, physically, mentally. You may even regret it. After years of preparing, none of that really helped lol. It's all very individual.

I had a revision almost 4 months ago to the day (August 26, 2010). All is okay at this point, until today. Tonight I decided to finish my Christmas Shopping and was in the Toy Dept. at my local Target. Suddenly I began to experience pain in the same area where my port was located prior to my surgery. It feels like someone has a knife in my incision and twists it occasionally. I think it's just nerves growing back but don't recall having such a pain after having my two c-sections in fact almost 2 years post op from my last c-section most of my incision is still numb. So with all that, anyone have incision area pain 4 months post-op?

This is a tricky one, as the bypass is difficult to revise. The most common things that are done are basically minor tweaks to your existing bypass - either putting a lapband over the pouch, or tightening up the stoma to try to restore some restriction. Neither seems to have a very good record of success. The most successful thing that I have seen is to revise it to a duodenal switch, but that is a very complex procedure, and there are only a handful of surgeons (maybe half a dozen) around the country who can do it. The other thing that is sometimes done, as the DS is too complex for most, is to convert to a distal RNY, which basically moves the pouch much further down the intestinal tract increasing the malabsorption, but that seems to be more trouble prone than the other alternatives.

Has anyone had previously had a rny and gotten a revision? In the last 2 years o got pregnant and have since put back on the weight even if I'm watching what I'm eating. I feel my absorption is back to normal. Sent from my SM-G960W using BariatricPal mobile app

In Canada, for these more complex jobs, one doc to look into is Michel Gagner, who I think is in Montreal. I don't know how that works for you on location or on insurance coverage, but he was in on some of the early DS work and does a lot of complex revisions and procedures, so is worth checking out.

Looking for any teachers who had bypass. It's looking like my surgery will be around September 1 and I'm just curious how long you had to take off to recover. I'm a kinder teacher trying to see if I can get away with only a week off. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Im right here with you, being revised on aug 1st, same issue exactly...good luck to you, im sure you will do fine

That's what i've heard about the lap-band as well ,that there is no "shut off" point.I've heard that the bypass you have a certain amount of time to lose the most weight in.

I am extremely upset at the tactics of the surgeon (Dr David Kim) that my wife and I used for our surgeries. I also want to warn you all about Forest Park Medical Center where Dr Kim did a revision to gastric bypass on me. In 2009 the hospital charges to my insurance alone was $158,000. The sad thing is my insurance paid 100% of the fees becasue we had met our max out of pocket. I had not really had any issues with Dr Kim until a fill my wife recently had done. The link below is a link the the charges that were submitted to my insurance in the ammount of $1,878. We are on a high deductible plan, but the insurance allowed $623.54 and the doctor wrote it down to $194 which is what we were billed. Now that may be perfectly alright for some, but to me in addition to being grossly overcharged for the service this is insurance fraud. I actually filed fraud complaints against FPMC after my surgery with the insurance companies fraud department and Texas Attorney General but nothing ever happened. Healthcare in America is broken and I am not sure how these folks sleep at night. Even if insurance pays these ridiculous charges, it will come back and bite us all. Our son is in his 3rd year of medical school, I agree physicians should be rewarded with large salaries, benifits... But if you have had this proceedure you know these charges are not ligitimate. We will be shopping around for another provider but wanted you all to be aware. Insurance Statement attached, read it and take note.

I don't think so. We're all different. I blame my slowness, on 1) revision band to sleeve 2) started at a lower BMI 3) thyroid and 4) just my metabolism in general, I've always been a slow loser. I'm happy with my results even though it's taken a lot longer than I thought it would.

No but remember at first its weird because you can't drink and eat together and you have to try to fit in the 64 oz in a day with only sips! We all had issues with this. I still can't get 64 oz in a day Im close but not all the way. Your shakes count and your Popsicles count....Warm Decaf tea works well too. When you are bored with your water squeeze in some lemon it tastes good and helps your electrolytes. Good Luck:-) HW 250/1st Lapband 198/2nd Lapband 232/Pre conversion 2/6/13 to bypass 232. Currently 206 Bariatric GW 134, Realistic GW 150

Consult for lapband was Dec surgery Feb No consult for revision went to doctor in May surgery June. I have very good insurance no copay Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using the BariatricPal App

I have a 14cc band. My first fill was 3 weeks ago (when the dr had to revise my port due to it flipping) and he put in 6.5cc. I go in today for a second fill. I dont know how much he is going to put in today, since I can still eat a fair amount and still hungry quite often

Being dizzy, lightheadedness, fainting can also be caused by low blood sugar. There is a condition that occurs in Gastric Bypass patients called Reactive Hypoglycemia. One man in our bariatric surgery support group developed that condition. After fainting one time, he figured out the cause and then learned how to control the condition. Here are a few links. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass/ https://www.stjoes.ca/patients-visitors/patient-education/f-j/PD 7972 Reactive Hypoglycemia after Bariatric Surgery.pdf

I'm not sure about the liquids for some reason Iv never been a big drinker of anything so the band just increased what was already a struggle with the whole don't drink and eat thing and wait 30 mins. I didn't revise only because of reflux, It was managed with Prilosec well enough but more so because of just sick of the whole lifestyle that came with the band. Yes I could have loosened or unfilled but only with weight gain. Iv not had even a slight bit of reflux since removing the band but I also had a hiatal hernia repair during the revision. I had many barium swallows over the years since I worked in the surgeons office, a few dilated pouches that I would refill for about a month to correct but they never fully corrected. My esophagus is still dilated even in my recent X-rays.

I had both as well. Never had an issue with reflux before surgery..didnt even know I had a hiatal hernia until I had my endoscopy before surgery..But since surgery I have woken up several nights with bad reflux....My doctor won't put me on an acid reducer....He said to eat earlier and monitor the last meal closely...And not eat as much. He said the only thing he would do if it didn't work was to do a bypass over my sleeved stomach....I don't like that sound so I'm just doing what he says. I'm assuming I'm having so much issue now because my stomach space is smaller so the acid it's still producing is too much....Hoping it changes as the time goes on.

Had a bypass in March. I recovered well and can eat anything, in just much smaller amounts.

Friends of mine are discouraging me against the bypass. I've spoken with them about what I've read with its results regarding pcos etc. They're concerned I'll look sickly afterwards.

YAAAASSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't eat anything healthy with the band, but Cookies were no problem. WTF?? Now I can eat veggies to my heart's content without getting stuck. I had this weird dance I'd do in my seat to try to get stuff to go down, and I'd always have my hands over my head because it felt better to be stretched out...but it looked ridiculous!! I can eat more than a typical bypass patient, but I can eat very normally with other people and not have to make a quick escape to get something dislodged. And sleep is wonderful now. I have several band friends and most of them are jealous of my revision. We all had our surgeries around the same time. One made it past goal, three are still struggling through it, and I'm now revised. So it does work for some people (though the one who made it past goal did it by being so tight all she could eat was soup and she takes Nexium twice daily and still has issues, but she's willing to put up with it.....I wasn't). I wish I'd had the foresight to know I wouldn't be one of them. I had the same issue! Any junk food was no problem but give me a salad and I'd throw up!

Pretty happy with my progress. Was hoping for 90 down today by today, but hit 88.2. so almost there. Revising my goal down now. Hit overweight last month! People le who haven't seen me in a year aren't recognizing me. So here is that...

I’m scheduled for 12/13, but having bypass . Excited to see others preparing for December as well!

ROBIN, My preop diet is liquids only. I have cheated several times with a hard boiled egg or a slice of turkey or chicken. Nothing like the cheats I used to do on diets. I am allowed to drink 5 low calorie, low fat, high protein shakes a day (my doc lets me choose out of 5 different brands.) Nothing is provided to me. I purchase them locally. Since I'm a revision patient, and need two surgeries, I've been on the diet for over a month now and I still have 13 days till surgery. I'm SO TIRED OF SHAKES. I swear. I only had 315 calories yesterday because I just could not force myself to drink another shake. I just couldn't. I can't wait for this part to be over!

So tomorrow morning at 5:45am I will be having my VSG and I'm so nervous I have so many feelings right now it's almost like I'm second guessing this. My mother and a good friend had a gastric bypass last year and are doing great but now it's my turn. When I started this journey back in March I was 252 pounds I hit my goal weight of 238 in May and last time I was weighed I was at 234, it's been a challenge. I have a very active 14 year old daughter that loves to workout and I can't keep up with her. Hope that I can once again be as active without pain as I used to. Wish me luck and any post op feedback is appreciated!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I got gastric bypass - 6 incisions. Every day the pain got better. At day 8 I felt like I truly hit a turning point and felt almost normal. Not coincidentally, that was the day after I started getting my protein in

Hi Steph-O... I suspect that pcos has had a great deal to do with my weight struggles. I've always been athletic and have spent 80% of my post puberty life dieting and obsessively exercising in some form. I've rarely ever been in a normal bmi... Once on phen phen while eating maybe an apple and string cheese a day... I pretty much starved myself. I was a low bmi for the sleeve (32) but I' know exercise and sports are the only reason I wasn't way heavier . My sister also has pcos and many of the same complaints I do... She had gastric bypass 6 years ago. I feel for your daughter, I hope so badly my own daughter escapes this hormonal mess! That being said, I would recommend a good endocrinologist and /or at the least an on that is very knowledgeable in pcos for your daughter. There is so much more knowledge now about this, and better treatment options. Meteor min made a big difference for me...it seemed to help level the playing field with weight loss efforts. Everyone experiences pcos different. I hate the facial hair more than anything! It's so masculine and I've always been so self conscious of it. Most people have no idea because I obsessively pluck and shave. My sister doesn't have that problem, but she has balding (very thinning scalp) from excess testosterone. We both had acne, horrible pms, very irregular absent periods , and extremely bad cramps. We both though childbirth was like bad cramps ( with exception of delivery but the contraction pain). Both of us were pretty immobilized from the pain of our periods when we did get them. It all improved with age and we both felt things were significantly improved after having children. I do think pcos had a lot to do with my struggle with weight. I'm 5'8" and was 203 the day of surgery. I can't work out like a used to, I worry about injuries as I'm aging, I needed help and I am optimistic I can stop the metformin with the metabolic changes brought on with the sleeve. Time will tell... I wish your daughter the best and the best advice I have is to make sure she has a knowledgeable dr. She listens to her body, and I highly recommend she cut out sugar and simple carbohydrates as much as possible. A major problem associates with pcos is insulin resistance. Even when test values are normal many pcos women still aren't able to utilize insulin correctly. It is why pcos runs such a high risk for diabetes and other problems later in life. I personally never tolerated birth control pills... That was what most dr.s tried to treat me with, but for some reason theyade me extremely emotional, even suicidal...and I know it was the pills every single time when I stopped within weeks it went away. The Nuba ring has been the only thing that gave me regular periods without crazy emotional side effects. Incidentally, I also have hyperprolactinemia, and lichen sclerosis ( I'm convinced both are somehow related to pcos and my lifetime of irregular and imbalanced hormones, but that's just my opinion) I was not overweight as a teenager, but I was always counting calories , dieting, and still struggled with weight though I looked normal/athletic.