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I am 18 months post op from bypass. I have been able to eat whatever I want without dumping. I very occasionally treat myself to sweets. It is all about how how much of something you eat. If I have a small piece of cake, cheesecake, pie, scoop of ice cream, I don't get sick. I have only made the mistake once of eating just a little too much and it left me feeling crappy but I don't get sick. Now, I have had too many carbs and they can stall you so just because I can eat whatever I want, doesn't mean I should. Also, anything overly sweet just simply doesn't taste good to me. I try to choose a dessert that isn't overly sweet tasting. My favorite is cheesecake! I have a couple of bites and I am satisfied. Of course I never even attempted trying sweets until I was post op 6 months. I still have not tried alcohol but that is because I am on pain medication. I also don't do carbinated anything mostly because I didn't drink soda before and I don't need to start now. Life after bypass is pretty darn good. My only side effect that I truly complain about is constipation. My doctor recently put me on Linzess and it is working fantastic.

I originally planned to have sleeve surgery and ended up going the route of bypass for two reasons. I had severe reflux and learned that bypass would cure it and it did. Secondly I wanted to have 1 surgery and be done with it. Given bypass is the gold standard and has years of data behind it I decided to go for it. I am very thankful that I did as it cured so many comorbitities in the process. I don't have any side effects. I take Vitamins every day (4 of them) instead of taking numerous prescriptions for all my comorbitities. By the way, sleeves take the same vitamins. The malabsorption factor actually helps you to lose the weight, it is not a side effect. It is very effective and my prescription strengths went down not up as a previous posted called out. Both surgeries are equally as invasive. The sleeve removes 90% of your stomach which means it is not reversible where the bypass is. hair loss can happen with both surgeries, some people have this issue and some do not regardless of the surgery you choose. I lost a lot of hair but it came back, all of it. Loose skin happens with massive weight loss regardless of how you lose your weight. This is not caused by the type of surgery you choose. I am now 17 months post op. Down 143+lbs, 1 lb from goal. I fit into a size 8 jeans from a size 24/26. I have never dumped and it only happens to a small percentage of people. Yes my hunger came back but it is not the same and when I do get hungry a few bites and I am full. I am a good cook and if I taste my food too much while cooking I will get full before I even get to dinner. Bypass is the best thing that ever happened to me. I thank god every day for the doctors and nurses and dietitians that work in this field. Without them this wouldn't be possible. Oh by the way, I have not been able to exercise for nearly a year now do to issues with my spine. The best I can do is small walks. I control my weight with mostly my diet. Because I have had bypass this is totally possible.

I recently had gastric sleeve surgery two weeks ago. I was also undecided until about a month before the surgery. One of the things that helped me decide was attending support groups and meeting different people who had the sleeve and the bypass. I learned that in both surgeries it the weight loss success varied from person to person regardless of what surgery they chose. Some sleevers lost 100+ pounds and some had slower progress. I also met folks who had bypass and lost 60 pounds or 125. It really depended on how each person was following the diet and exercise plan. I also plan to have a baby as soon as I can and I felt more comfortable with a restrictive procedure rather than a restrictive and mal-absorptive one. My goal is overall health. I would also ask write down questions to ask my doctor before my appointment which helped me make my decision. In the end it is your body and you have to feel it is the right decision for you. Best of luck in your decision! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have a doctor in mine This is a revision surgery I have a sleeve I want to get gastric bypass

I am 2 weeks out from revision from sleeve to bypass. I can't attest to the weight loss yet, but feel I am recovering faster. It helped to know what to expect after but do find some big differences. Good luck and no GERD is amazing.

I had the bypass on the 14th and yesterday I was released to eat meat and ate some grilled chicken last night without any issues. THis morning I went back to CrossFIt and had a great workout!

Doubtful that it is a stricture this far out from WLS. You need to see an experienced gastroenterologist to get a proper diagnosis. They may perform a variety of tests, such as EGD endoscopy, upper GI, Bravo pH, manometry, etc. GERD/heartburn/reflux is a known risk of VSG and it can occur even in people who didn’t have it pre-op. This is one of the main reasons people have revision surgery from VSG to RNY, to resolve or improve GERD/heartburn/reflux. VSG is contraindicated in people with pre-existing GERD. Because of my history of GERD prior to bariatric surgery, my surgeon would only perform gastric bypass on me, not sleeve gastrectomy.

she's wrong. Of course some people have complications - you can have complications from any surgery, not just bariatric surgery. People have died from tonsillectomies, after all. But most bariatric patients don't have issues, and complications when they do occur are usually minor and "fixable". That's not to say no one ever has major complications, but they're really uncommon. And the mortality rate for gastric bypass is 0.3%. It's even less for sleeve. So you have at least a 99.7% chance of not dying. as far as untimely death, you're a lot more likely to have an untimely death from complications due to obesity than you are from bariatric surgery. yes you are on a very limited calorie diet for the first few months, but it's medically supervised and they do labs every few months during that first year, so they can catch things before they become problematic. Plus you're taking lots of supplements - protein, vitamins, minerals - to prevent major problems, too. I had follow ups and labs done every three months my first year. After that, you're eating more normally, so you really have to be closely monitored only during the first few months post-op. I think your friend is dealing with some very dated information - or complete misinformation.

He ordered Prilosec for me should be getting that soon....could be acid since I did suffer from it prior to gastric bypass. ..but I read it can cause ulcers in pouch :/

I am in my 60s. I just recently had a revision WLS. I will speak mainly about my first WLS since revision was made for other reasons. For the first few months, the post-op diet does feel like a sacrifice. Especially the liquid phase. Not actually physically since I had decreased hunger but more mentally, emotionally since eating was never really about physical hunger to me. After the first few months, things normalized. I was able to eat whatever I wanted, just a much smaller amount and social eating was pleasant again. Because of the rapid weightloss, and the positive feelings of losing weight, it was much easier for me to transition to a healthier diet naturally. Was the the weight loss worth it and did it offset the sacrifice? Absolutely. I feel so much younger now being able to move as my body intended. Most health issues resolved too. I would do it again and again in a heartbeat.

I had my band to sleeve revision on January 8th. I'm reading a lot about people feeling full from the Water. I can drink any amount of any liquid and it doesn't affect me. I'm starting to worry. Any one else with the same problem? Sent from my DROID RAZR using VST

I am also unsure as to which procedure would be the best for me. I have made a list of pros and cons for both bypass and sleeve and still cannot decide. One of the biggest things that has me leaning towards the sleeve is my fear of dumping. I had my gall bladder out in 1995 (age 39) and had no problems with any foods until about 5 years ago. Now I find that if I eat certain foods (pizza, Chinese food), I am in the bathroom within 30 minutes, having terrible diarrhea. It's really awful! The thought of having dumping most of the time for the rest of my life is horrifying to me! Another thing that concerns me with bypass is the malabsorption. I understand that this is intended and is part of the reason bypass is so successful, and also that with careful eating and supplementation, malnutrition does NOT have to occur. However... I worry about my age, and aging. I will be 60 next summer, and while I still feel young and have no physical ailments, I see what friends are going through as they age. What happens if I've had bypass and then have a major medical crisis, like developing cancer, for example? How do bypass patients fare through chemotherapy? Is the malabsorption a problem for them? (There IS a fair amount of cancer in my family, so this isn't a far-fetched thought.) And what about aging, in general? Will having gastric bypass mean it'll be more difficult to maintain health as I become elderly- so would the sleeve be a better choice? Then there's the weight loss itself. My NUT tells me that sleeve patients generally lose less weight, all told, than do bypass patients. Will I not be as successful meeting my goals, or will my 'expected' loss be less than I'd like because of having the sleeve? On the other hand... bypass is the gold standard, weight loss is faster, and usually more weight is lost. There isn't as much data on sleeve surgery success rates because it's a newer procedure. I just read an article that says it seems that sleeve patients actually have a higher regain-rate than bypass patients, so there's that to consider and makes me think perhaps bypass is the better choice. But... am I going to regret bypass at times, like when I cannot toast my daughter's marriage with champagne, or have a slice of her wedding cake, without spending the next half-hour in the bathroom... for the rest of my life? I know most of these questions are actually unanswerable, because we are all different physiologically and anatomically. It's really hard to decide, though, especially as I have no co-morbidities at all, and am not "addicted" to sugar or high-glycemic carbs (we've had 6 packages of Girl Scout Cookies in the cabinet for a week and I haven't touched them- not even tempted). I know it's good to not have any issues, but this also means I don't have any factors that would guide me toward one surgery or the other. I have to decide soon- I have a final weigh-in next week but have met all the pre-surgery goals (meetings, weight loss, etc) and will meet with the surgeons soon after that weigh-in to schedule surgery. It's just so hard to decide.

With the bypass procedure they also do something with the nerves that make you hungry, but I do not know the specifics. I did not have an actual hunger feeling for over eight weeks after having the bypass. I am almost nine months post op and have lost 99 pounds. As for the absorption rate, I take one multi Vitamin and Calcium on a daily basis and that is it. People make it sound like it is so terrible and you are going to have to take 15+ pills for the rest of your life. No matter which procedure you will have to take a vitamin and calcium and the bypass has a higher success rate. Best of luck to you.

I originally had planned on doing the bypass, but my Doc pointed out a lot of good things about the sleeve. I ended up with the sleeve and am very happy so far. I'm 5 months post op and have lost 83 pounds since this journey began. I must admit that one of my key decision makers was the thought of never having a piece of cake or other sweets again. I was afraid of the dumping. My Doc also told me that at the 2 year mark the results were about the same for sleeve and bypass, so I thought why risk it. I also have pernicious anemia and he thought that might cause a problem with the bypass because I couldn't get any B-12 from the oral vitamins. So far I haven't found any foods that I can't eat, but I don't think that is true for everyone. Good luck!

What is a mini bypass?

How far along is everyone? I had gastric bypass on July 16, 2014 at Fair Oaks and I live in Woodbridge. So just over 2 years ago. I was 244 the day of surgery and I had lost 21 lbs. I have gotten to my lowest of 143 but my body seems to feel more comfortable around 146-147.

I lost 60 lbs with the lap band, have slowly regained approximately 20 - 25 lbs. I am 5'4", I went from 225 lbs down to 165 and I felt fantastic and very happy at that weight. With the regain I am now around 190. I am hoping gastric bypass will get me back down to 165-160. What is your weight loss after revision?

I had RnY gastric bypass. I took 3 weeks off. However, I wish I could have taken more time off. I'm one of the rare patients that had a prolonged period of pain, afterward. The pain wasn't horrible - liquid Tylenol took care of it - but it did make it quite uncomfortable for me to sit upright for long periods of time.

Hi there, I know you don't want to hear it, but I did exactly what you did and the only time I stopped throwing up was after I finally had an unfill after 4 weeks. Of course everyone tells you how bad it is to be throwing up all the time...band slippage, esophagos erosion, etc, etc. But none of that matters when you're losing the weight...I do know. But I finally got sick of being sick and when I called to ask to be unfilled they said absolutely, get in here now. The center where I go was very supportive and said they breathed easy when I finally made the decision. You have to go through it on your own. I've been unfilled now for 6 weeks and still losing, but I know that I have to have a fill on Tuesday and am very nervous. I'm actually the opposite now. All I can say is just be careful, even though I know how you feel. You don't want to have to have the band removed either. Just be patient with yourself. Sometimes I think we just get frantic because we compare ourselves with bypass patients. But don't worry, it comes off. Well, I know I rambled, but I hope I helped in some small way. Good luck! Tina

I am so sorry that happened to you.It would make me crazy to think that people thought I had gastric bypass when I didn't. I personally would be compelled to go back to that person and tell them what I did do and ask her to stop any gossip and to respect my privacy. I was initially worried that people would think i took the easy way out when I got my my band. But i don't consider being at my last rope and having surgery and spending a huge amount of money easy. I hope you are feeling better soon about your co-workers extremely inappropriate behaviour! Keep moving forward and do what you need to do.

I'm a bit confused. My doctor requires the Fleet as well, but it is the 1.5 DRINKABLE kind. You drink it - it clears you out for surgery. Are you SURE your doctor isn't referring to the Fleets drink instead of the enema? The only time I have heard of that is when you are having the complete gastric bypass.

Thank you all for your time and stories. It helps to know there are others out there. It feels impossible at this moment... but that's just the emotions of the decision I've made I'm sure. I just watched a set of YouTube video's from a young man who lost over 500lbs... I could not figure out if he ended up having bypass also, but he started out with VSG. That was inspiring to say the least. Some moments I wish that it was already February. Other moments the enormity washes over me and I freeze. A little faith is in order!

My surgeon suggested the sleeve as first option , but when I learned that bypass is the best option to avoid diabetes, even I am not diabetic my thought was that it was a good insurances agains it as it runs in my family... I have Do have high blood pressure and that is the main reason why I am having WLS in the first place ... it just that I do not see myself not being able to enjoy some of my favorite foods with moderation ...and bypass will limit my options far more than the sleeve .... am I right ?

Is a family history of diabetes your sole reason for having a bypass over a sleeve? That wouldn't be enough for me to get a bypass over a sleeve. I'm getting a bypass because I have severe severe GERD and wouldn't tolerate a sleeve. If you're an ideal candidate for a sleeve, I would certainly prefer one over a bypass if it was me.

Hey everyone. I've been lurking for a few months. Thought I'd finally post since I had my surgery on 6/10/13. I had a revision from a band that I have had since 2008. I loved my band too, but after losing 123 lbs, it slipped last year. I gained 65 lbs back in about 10 months. I started having so many complications, EXTREME acid reflux being one. I feel hopeful that now ill be able to get this weight off me once and for all, but I'm still feeling some kind of way. Maybe it's the "starting all over again" feeling. Ugh! But anyway, so far so good, I'm keeping up with my daily liquids intake like I should. Just wished I was further along already.