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Hello August sleevers, my anniversary is on the 29th and I have lost 75lbs exactly in a year. I was 275 on surgery date and now I weigh 200. I feel very good for the most part except for my increase of acid reflux symptoms after surgery. Are any of us on any type of PPIs like Prilosec or Nexium due to reflux??? Since surgery I have been on 40 mgs a day to stay reflux free, I have started to take it to once a day. I suffered from gerd before this surgery but now with the sleeve acid reflux is more active even though I am thin now. I personally think I should had went with a bypass instead of the sleeve due to my Gerd history. I would like revise my surgery to a bypass to complete eliminate having to take any PPIs. Something these doctors are not telling us is the dangers of longterm use of PPIs.

If you are still continually having pain, it could be a number of things. I was 4 months out when I started having pain there. I was so tired, and felt Ill all over. Severe pains, finally went in. I was having a bowel rupture, and had to have emergency surgery. The rupture was at the site where the surgical connection site was during my bypass. I pray that isn’t it, but the CT scan can definitely give the doctors a better look at what is going on.  My case is very rare.  

I’m over three months post op and I have absolutely loved my bypass until a few weeks ago when it was time to go back to school. My stomach is making very loud noises during lectures and having 150 students look at me because it’s distracting them is beyond embarrassing for me. I’ve tried everything I can think of. Different foods, eating before lectures, even during. I tried not eating an hour before thinking maybe the noise was my stomach digesting. But no matter what I try I can’t seem to do anything about it and if this doesn’t change I don’t think I can handle being in class. It would suck to switch to online classes. Hoping any of you have tips on what might help!

I use opurity sleeve and bypass optimized multi and opurity calcium citrate both chewable. They both actually taste good and I do not get nauseous as long as I take the multi with food. They are both made by unjury and contain no ingredients from China. Very well priced too.

Hi! I had RNY gastric bypass surgery April 1 of this year. I've lost 63 pounds. I'm stalled one pound from Onederland but am doing okay. I eat sensibly, almost 100% vegetables with daily servings of chicken or tofu for protein. I don't do shakes because I dislike sweet tasting stuff. I started walking a week after surgery (my nutritionist thought this was a bit early but I didn't experience pain) then moved up to squats and other light daily cardio exercises. Still haven't been able to run professionally yet but I can finally jog and run alright! Something I could not do when I was overweight. I bought a bicycle a week ago and love it! I ride it through the neighborhood and notice at night my tummy is flat. This feels so great. My thighs are firm, my butt has vanished and my tummy has shrunk away. I had to ditch years' worth of clothes and now have newer, smaller, fitter clothes. Anyone else here still find themselves in the plus size aisle out of habit? Everything there is too big... I cannot believe it... Please Onederland, let me in... one last pound... let me in... I am so thankful for this surgery. The adjustments do take getting used to such as not drinking while or near eating, and not being able to eat anywhere as much or as often as before... and eating out, forget it... what's the point...? But not one moment do I regret this. I'm smaller than now than I was in 2002!

Sooo, I did two consults last week. I went with the two first that didn't charge consultation fees. Even regardless of the fees, they were my top 2 choices from pics and reviews online. The good news is they both had nearly identical recommendations. They were both kind and professional, and I felt like they really listened to what I want. In speaking to the surgeons, here is my revised wants list Lower Body Lift - this would include tummy tuck, lipo, outer and front of thigh lift, monsplasty, and fat transfer for butt lift. Inner Thigh Lift - could be combined with LBL & would be a good compromise to have a concealed scar vs the more extensive scar of a medial thigh lift. Breast Lift & Augmentation - both surgeons said this would have to be a separate procedure, unable to combine with the LBL due to time under anesthesia & surgeon fatigue. Both did not recommend the teardrop gummy bear. They said it works better in theory than IRL, and I can get more natural results with traditional round silicone implant. Both said recovery time would only be 2 weeks of no traveling. So that makes it possible to just slip this surgery in sometime next year. But I will probably look for a plastic surgeon that specialized in BA/BL vs one who specializes in massive weight loss. BL/BA's are so common & i don't think my breasts are significantly different than a women's who had children & breastfed, I could find a more convenient and potentially less expensive option. The bad news is, surgeon #1's quote was INSANELY high. Like I could buy a small house in Kansas for that kind of money. Surgeon #2's quote was significantly less crazy, but still a big chunk of change. The more I look at surgeon's #2 pics, and after the consult, I'm leaning away from going with him. He only does weight loss patients. Therefore he does a lot of My 600 lb Life type stuff. He seems more focused on removing skin and fat, then true body contouring, if that makes sense? I just don't know if I would be aesthetically happy with my body afterwards. Contrast that with surgeon #1's extreme focus on aesthetics. I am confident I'd get the best results with surgeon #1, but the cost seems unreasonable. So I'm broadening my search to other surgeons in the country that specialize in massive weight loss. The LBL & thigh lift are not very common outside of post bariatrics, so I want a specialist for those. I contacted my #1 out of state choice for a consultation, and learned he is retiring and not scheduling any new surgeries The pressure is on to book a procedure. Understandably my December time frame is very popular, and I absolutely need to have my procedure done in a pretty small window due to wok commitments. I'm a little disheartened by the process right now

I actually asked that question and yes it’s like what the above user described. That is what he explained to me but it sounds different from any gastric bypass diagram I have ever seen so I wasn’t sure. Rick M- I will definitely call and ask that. Had pre op today and wish I had seen that question beforehand. Overall everyone is very optimistic that is refreshing.

I actually asked that question and yes it’s like what the above user described. That is what he explained to me but it sounds different from any gastric bypass diagram I have ever seen so I wasn’t sure. Rick M- I will definitely call and ask that. Had pre op today and wish I had seen that question beforehand. Overall everyone is very optimistic that is refreshing.

Hello- I am researching and exploring the option to get a gastric bypass. As I am reading posts and looking at people experiences post-op with regard to eating behaviors, I see some mention of slow chewing. When one is on more solid foods and/or complex foods I have read some people might take as much as 10-15 minutes between bites as well as chewing thoroughly during that time. Is that slow, deep chewing of food a habit I will consciously need to change and monitor, or does the surgery, the full feeling and the nausea and pain dictate the slow chewing? In other words, will the slow chewing and long time between bites become a natural thing because of my new stomachs capacity?

@Sheribear68 Dang girl! You are hitting it!! I'm glad to see a Feast Day in there. I think we all need a feast day at least 1 day per week--maybe more depending on what it takes to keep us either in maintenance or in WLM -- whichever reality is ours at the moment!!! IF sure seems to be your WL friend! Thank you everyone for chiming in and helping me work through the head work on calling GOAL! I decided yesterday that y'alls sage advice held merit. So I'm calling goal and revised it in my signature to 135lbs. Now whatever happens will happen. I will work to maintain and not regain. My 5lb window will be set between 130-135lbs. I know that sounds like it's only a "reframe" of goal 130lbs. But it's baby steps. I may later decide to make my 5 lb window be 135-140. I just know I feel better under 135. (Yes, I can feel those extra 3 lbs lol.) I actually made Goal #3 (135lbs) in July! I went back and looked when I first hit 135lbs. So I'm claiming GOAL! And I'm going to allow myself to celebrate the accomplishment!!!! TYTYTYTY for the encouragement and love!

So if you now get the bypass, won’t that still leave that positive margin in the part of your stomach that will then be inaccessible? Not trying to worry you even more. Just trying to understand.

Here is a diagram like what my doctor showed me at 1 week post op. The black is the positive margin aggressive cancer, the green is the tumor, the purple line separates what was removed. When they removed it they did not know how aggressive it was otherwise yes they would have done a bypass.

Why not just get the bypass to be safe if that's going to rid of any possible tumor

So during my sleeve surgery most of tumor was removed BUT there was still a “positive margin” around the tumor. There was no way for them to know right then at that moment that it was cancerous so they removed most of it and waited for the pathology reports. Yes he consulted with 2 other surgeons during my gastric sleeve procedure. This area tested very active and aggressive. He told me this at my 1 week post op and sent me to oncologist who has been doing additional testing before recommending any treatments. Basically they wanted me to see an oncologist before making the decision to convert me to a full gastric bypass. What if they had converted me to a full gastric bypass and the tumor wasn’t cancerous? So many possibilities and scenarios and not many of them have been published in medical studies which is why I have been poked and prodded. This thing was so new that it didn’t show up in pre op testing 2 weeks before surgery but so aggressive that this “positive margin” around it warrants cancer targeting therapy or surgery to stop it from spreading to other organs.

What type of revision did you have?

I am wondering about these same questions. I too am revising on 9/12 due to gerd. One of the things that I do worry about is that section of stomach that can no longer be accessed. Anything happens in there and it would likely be awhile before it was found. I am so sorry that you are going through this but so glad that the cancer was found early. I too am dreading the darn liquid diet all over again. We have to remember that it is temporary though. I am going to follow your journey and wish you well.

My weight was going out of control at around 800 calories and less than 20 net carbs a day. I drank lots of water and got plenty of protein and fiber. The same things that had worked for some time just wasn’t working. My body didn’t seem to process fats the same. I kept begging doctors for answers and help. No one even would discuss it or why my abdomen gets so swollen. I was getting sick eating certain foods. At some point when my doctor said maybe I needed my gallbladder out, I decided to look into bariatric surgery. I’ll admit the first surgeon I went to my height was 5’ my weight around 180 but was down a few lbs because I’d just had surgery and felt too sick to eat. My BMI was borderline for surgery coverage with comorbidities for my insurance to cover it. I have plenty, metabolic disorders, spine problems, joint problems, etc. etc. etc. but I never had high blood pressure just high cholesterol. Though my heart races like crazy from orthostatic intolerance. I have glucose intolerance but quit sugar years ago to try to prevent diabetes when I became prediabetic. I got so upset with the doctors appointment I had a meltdown. He talked at me, not to me, made assumptions, didn’t give me a chance to ask questions, said he would only do sleeve. The staff claimed they were going to help but yet I knew it wasn’t going to happen. They were not clear what I needed even though my insurance said it would be approved, the dr office didn’t believe me and wanted a big chunk of change for a down payment that I didn’t have. I wanted to fight it while my weight was still not too high, I feared getting back to being over 200 lbs again. But despite everything my weight jumped another 20 lbs. I finally saw a second endocrinologist (I won’t say what happened with the first) and this doctor listened and understood why I couldn’t take the medications for my metabolic disorders. And she took the situation seriously. she recommended Cleveland clinic and how much easier the process was. She even wrote a letter for my insurance. By then my weight went up to 208 lbs at a weigh in at my general practitioner. I weighed in at the surgeon and it was 203 lbs which was 39.6 BMI. For my insurance my BMI had to be 40 since they didn’t seem to accept my comorbidities. They told me to gain a few lbs. I explained that it was higher at 206 it was just above BMI 40. So they put that on record. I was too sick to eat much. I admit I did have a few small cheat meals, though I never did give in to fried chicken or pizza except a low carb pizza I used to make ... thankfully my insurance did come through. Even though My last weigh in was 203 lbs before surgery at a required nutrition class. I did hate seeing the numbers on the scale get to over 200 lbs even though I was still fighting hard. It was painful really. The tough part was my appointments were afternoon and I’m not a big morning water I always had a protein bar and coffee. The last few weeks I cheated and had a bowl of healthy cereal for breakfast. But oh my point was i have to get transportation to Cleveland clinic and the rides take hours to get me there. It was frustrating and I spent every moment worrying that the surgery wouldn’t happen. Thankfully the doctor knew I needed gastric bypass surgery (especially due to severe GERD) and also was able to help with my gallbladder. I knew the risks of surgery given all my medical conditions and that it would make things worse in some ways but I also knew if I kept gaining that was even worse for me overall. After the one week liquids my weight was 197 I think but after surgery it was back at 203.7 ... it is upsetting to have to go so far to just get help. But honestly, I was on the verge of just giving up. My body and mind wanted to call it quits. I don’t know how to say anything without writing too much and exhausting myself in the process. If the surgery is important , do what it takes to get there. And fight to have the tools needed to get where you need to go.

I was planning on going for bypass if I was diagnosed with GERD but that wasn't the case for me. I'm fine with being recommended gastric sleeve in the end. It's annoying for sure. My other doctors are totally on board with surgery so far. I was also advised on FB support groups before my psychological evaluation in March that as long as the doctor knew you were getting help with your depression that I'd be approved. Obviously that's not the case if I'm still having therapy months later. I wish my mom could come with me on Tuesday but she's busy with work when my appointments are. My family are pretty iffy on surgery itself but are willing to support me if I undergo it. They are appreciated, thank you!

I read your post on that thread, I think. Very helpful, thank you!! I actually had no idea that I'm not supposed to be taking any NSAIDs ever after bypass surgery. I thought it was just for the first few months or something. Thank god I haven't taken anything. Same! Nobody from my bariatric doctors office mentioned anything about this! It's frustrating that I have to find things out myself when they could've easily just told me. I feel like there are probably a lot of other important things that I don't know about. I called my psychiatrists office and after a million phone calls with them not answering or saying no one from my medical team was available to speak to me, I finally got in touch with her medical assistant. So initially when I saw the doctor she asked me what kind of medication I'd prefer and I told her I didn't know, but she had no problem giving me whatever I asked, had I asked. However, when I spoke to her medical assistant recently the MA said that there was no way the doctor would write me a different prescription without proof that I actually had the surgery and that I shouldn't be taking any extended time release medications. So she asked for a letter from the doctor who did my gastric bypass surgery stating that I shouldn't be taking those meds. I'm 100% sure that the actual psychiatrist wouldn't have asked for all this but for some reason her MA is kinda blowing it out of proportion (in my opinion). Anyway, I called his(my bypass doctor) office and spoke to his MA and she said he wasn't in his office and that she'd have to get back to me next week. It's so frustrating. I start classes and work and everything on Monday and I was hoping to have all this settled by then because I won't have time to jump through another million hoops for them.

I dread any doctors appointment, usually when I sense or worry something will go wrong. I had gastric bypass due to severe GERD, sleeve tends to make that worse. I’m glad it went that route, even if a little more difficult because of how hard it is battling my weight for so much of my life. I’ve been through enough with all my medical conditions and knew I had to fight for this. It was either fight for it or give up. I wish I knew the right words that you could say. I honestly don’t think it should be up to someone else to decide what is best for you in the long run. If you can get someone who knows you to be at the appointment too and say something on your behalf that might help. I hope that things go the way that you need them to and that you can get your approval.

Thank you! Oh cool we have the same highest weight. You're doing great! Congrats on Onderland! It's definitely not an easy ride for sure. You did fine explaining. My surgeon's original recommendation was bypass because of my weight but he felt that VSG would be "easier" for me to deal with in the long run once he discovered that I was autistic. Not that it'll be a piece of cake either way. But I've had tough spells before and emerged on top with help. I'm journaling and improving my food intake and showing that I have routines for my medicine and vitamins so I'm unsure what's keeping me from getting approved by her. I see her again on Tuesday and dreading it.

I posted a resource for information about medication after gastric bypass surgery on another thread but one key thing surgeons fail to mention is that you will no longer be able to take extended release/ timed release medication. No one ever mentioned anything about medication post surgery. Even knowing my chronic illness and disability. I sometimes think they just assume it will magically go away. Ive got the odd mix of ADHD and chronic Illness that causes debilitating fatigue. I used to find coffee in the evening would help calm me somewhat, clear my brain a little bit and help me fall asleep a bit faster. Not by much but sometimes just enough. I haven’t had coffee in a while though. And am too sensitive to side effects from medication. I was taking a beta blocker for orthostatic intolerance but that was timed release. I had stopped it when my insurance wouldn’t pay for name brand and it has been rough. Id assume it would help to take smaller doses paced throughout the day when you need them most. I also think it’s better long term to find medication and vitamins that come in liquid form (as well as sublingual or chewable) Keep on top of this with your psychiatrist. Doctors can be a pain when it comes ting in contact with them. Is there someone in their office that you can speak to such as an assistant? Maybe they can help you get the message to the doctor or even find out the information you need.

I’m 6 months post bypass. The most volume of food I can eat in a 15-20 minute sitting is 1/3 to maybe 1/2 cup. Today I had 1 egg, about 1/4 cup of veggies and shredded cheese on top. The veggies cook down so it’s a half cup. I can eat half of it in a few minutes then have to wait and come back 10-15 minutes later to finish it. If I eat yogurt I can get a cup that’s 5-6 oz in 5 -10 minutes easily. Is this about the same for you?

Thanks all for sharing. I'm having my band removed on Monday (Aug 26th). My Dr. does the conversation to bypass in 2 separate surgeries to allow the stomach to heal, so hopefully I'll be approved and ready for that around the end of Nov. Lori

Hi, mine it’s October 19 in pereira Colombia ... I’m going from Spain to make a gastric sleeve and I am so nervous!! Here with insurance they only maje de bypass ..: so I am paying my gastrlic sleeve !!! What should I expect?