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Oh my goodness! Beyond happy! My joints don't hurt, my sleep apnea is almost gone, I can hike for hours, I can get down on the floor with my grandkids and actually get up again! My thighs don't rub together.My blood pressure is normal. I took a bath in our big tub this week and could actually get out by myself! I had to tarp a load of hay this week all by myself. It was going to rain and the tarp had to get on. I had to climb along the sides of the trailer to drag the tarp over the top of the hay and I did it! I could not have done that 6 months ago. I can squeeze through tight spots at work and reach over beds for equipment... and no one has to move aside for me. I went from 2-3X scrubs to MEDIUM! I don't have heartburn or asthma flares anymore. I have tons more energy and am less depressed. I am comfortable at 80 degrees instead of insisting that that ac be turned to 68. I have not gotten yeast infections in the skin folds this summer because most of the skin fold are GONE! I can stand up in church without my belly hitting the chair in front of me. I can ride my mule again! I can kayak without swamping the boat. Someone referred to me as "skinny" this week! Do you still want me to go on? My life is soooooo much better for having had this surgery. Giving up large quantities of food is nothing compared to the quality of life I have now. I have more confidence, and far less shame. I can hardly wait to get my 6 month labs back to see the difference in my A1C, cholesterol, triglycerides. PS - So sorry. I jumped the gun. I see your question was actually to DS patients. I had bypass and would also like to hear how DS patients feel about their surgeries.

@GreenTealael I missed what date you are getting your revision surgery. I just want to make sure I wish you the best of luck prior!

I am a sleeve patient and don’t have any answers for you. I am wondering why would a person choose ds over bypass revision? I don’t know much about ds but I may soon be facing the decision to revise myself. So I am curious what the benefits may be with ds over bypass?

it's funny how people are so different. I had hardly any pain at all from my bypass. My plastic surgery, on the other hand....

I don't think it's just a matter of whether you have a high pain threshold. With my sleeve surgery, I had hardly any pain. With my Bypass, I woke up feeling like someone had ripped my left ovary out! I was in severe pain and was vocal about it! I've had other surgeries too... breast lump removed (total breeze), gall bladder removed (open surgery), countless stent placements and removals after my gastric leak and none of them were as painful as the bypass. However, my thought is always 'this will pass - this is momentary'. That's how I personally deal with pain. Unfortunately I wasn't quite prepared waking up from my surgery to deal with it mentally lol.

So I have been back and forth a lot over the past year about getting this procedure done. 2 of my family members both have done the sleeve and the bypass surgery and their progress is amazing! The closer it gets the more I am getting nervous. I have read a lot of these discussions and the liquid post op diet scares me. The hormone changes and mood changes scare me too. It is totally a decision that I won't change because I am so in NEED of this but... Nerves are kicking in. To know a little about me... I am 30 years old and a mother of an 8 year old daughter. I have struggled with weight my entire life, as I know many of us have, and I have tried all the diets possible. None of which got me to where I want/need to be. I gave up on believing I would ever be healthy and happy in my skin until I got divorced. When I got divorced I moved into my own place with my daughter for the 1st time in my adult life. I was unpacking and cleaning and became so EXHAUSTED I was in physical pain and had to sit/lay down. I was so embarrassed and ashamed of myself that I had become that tired over CLEANING! I told myself that day that was it. I couldn't live like this anymore. My insurance requires 6 weight management appointments and a psych appointment as well as a sleep study and a endo/gi screening. I have completed 2 weight management appointments and my psych and sleep study are in the beginning of August. I am so happy I found this website to have all the support of all of you guys going through it as well!!!

Two days away from Bypass!! Can’t wait!! July 12th 1 pm!!!!!! On day 12 of Liquid Diet, feeling drained especially after working all day, but I’m still moving!!! Thank you everyone for info and encouraging words and stories.

I’m sorry for the long rant but I want you to see the full picture: sleeve vs. sleeve + behavior modification/commitment. You’re 2 weeks out. Don’t be so hard on yourself or doubt your decision. What is done is done. No regrets. This could be the beginning of an amazing healthy future. No looking back now — only ahead... Here we go: I am 7 years post sleeve and I’ve regained all of my weight back and some. Highest weight before sleeve was 210, Surgery day weight was 193 (done in Mexico). I got down to 147 and maintained that for about 2 years and then started regaining. I’m 214 now. According to my current U.S. surgeon (Dr. Stanley Klein), my Mexico surgeon (Dr. Ariel Ortiz) completely blotched my sleeve in 30 minutes (surgery report information) making it look like an hourglass instead of a banana. BUT, I regained not because of my “bad” sleeve but because I changed my eating habits. I have A LOT of restriction still, more than a friend who’s 4 years out. I also became very anemic which caused me to pass out and get into an accident in 2014. I’m terrible about taking my Vitamins, so that’s also not my sleeve’s fault. I then received multiple infusions over the years, had my esophagus dilated twice because I wasn’t eating enough (mostly GERD pain related) and developed a grazing eating style (probably the biggest contributor to why I regained). Having GERD since day 1 (couldn’t keep any liquids down/stayed on IV till I was literally kicked out - started putting my stuff outside - to get room ready for next patient), a hiatal hernia and two ulcers, I am now revising to the RNY (surgery date TBD 8/1/19). My malabsorption/malnutrition is because I don’t take any vitamins. I’ve become “nutritionally crippled” as my surgeon put it which makes my body crave carbs for immediate conversion to energy. It’s literally biologically driven at this point and he told me not to blame myself for the regain — he’s so nice but I do blame myself because I got myself here! Due to the malnutrition, I’ve developed some metabolically induced issues: thyroid problem, autoimmune problem, multiple infections that antibiotics do nothing for (or maybe I’ve become prone to the antibiotics) and lately, small Fiber neuropathy (worst feet tingling and burning ever). I’ve now started going to CBT and support groups that are super informative and fun. Last time they had a practical activity for us at the end where we pretended to be at a restaurant, were given real menus and we discussed why some choices are good and why some are not so good — keywords to lookout for, etc. I’m considering pushing my surgery date as far out as possible to be better prepared through these new resources. I realize the problem is not my sleeve. The problem is my head — my food abuse issues, my food addiction issues, my head hunger, my emotional eating... The list of “synonyms” goes on! But in essence, all of us are here because we have these issues plus obesity/genetically related comorbidities or else, we would have not resorted to surgically modifying our anatomy. We need to fix our relationship with food if our surgeries are ever going to help us, and that’s why I’m trying to work on that more than anything this time especially because I didn’t have any pre or post care before. I’d love to get rid of my GERD and the other problems but I’d really hate to fail at losing weight, again. Not out of vanity but just to prove to myself that I can triumph over years of using food to feed disease instead of health. Summary and awesome thing to keep in mind: “You get out of it what you put into it.” Thank you @Macy6! I love that... Great motto! Take this opportunity to change your relationship with food. You are in the “honeymoon phase” where your body is not ready to accept food (it’s all head hunger), so use this time wisely to identify your emotions and cravings, knowing you can’t act on them now with your healing stomach. Later, this will really help you... when you can map your behaviors to their origin in thought (triggers) and stop the unwanted behavior right in its tracks! You’re in control! Your taste buds may also change so what you’ve liked before, you may no longer want to eat, so this is also a great opportunity to try new healthy things and learn to like those instead of our old ways that hurt us in the end. I really wish this was helpful. I’m being as transparent as possible to give you vision into what the sleeve is and what it’s not, because I went into this initially thinking the sleeve will stop me from overeating and I’ll always have an accountability buddy, but you can drink and eat your way around any WLS out there and gain weight, not to discount the RNY for the additional malabsorption component... You can do this!! You can use your sleeve to change and become a new person INSIDE (head/habits) out (health/body). I wish you complete healing and all the best for your future.

I saw a highly recommended surgeon and he talked at me, making many assumptions about me without asking questions. He automatically said sleeve was the only option. For the fact that I have metabolic disorders, and cannot use exercise to burn calories to compensate for extremely slow metabolism I felt like pursuing surgery was not an option without RNY benefits of absorbing less calories. I was there for a surgical consult for my gallbladder as well and he also assumed my gallbladder was not inflamed. (My gallbladder was low functioning with severe symptoms) I didn’t feel comfortable and decided I was not going to pursue it with that doctor. It was crushing, I was getting exhausted trying to fight my weight alone, my own fight with low carb low calories wasn’t getting me anywhere. it wasn’t until I saw a endocrinologist and discussed my metabolic disorders and the fact that I couldn’t take the medications and that despite my efforts my weight kept climbing, that I got referral to Cleveland clinic. the doctor there knew right away based on my history of severe GERD/acid reflux that the best option was RNY. And I also had ulcers but that was not a factor for the doctor. If you have any kind of acid reflux the sleeve can make it worse. Many people get sleeve and then end up revising to RNY due to GERD. for me the possibility of dumping wasn’t an issue. One being that the gallbladder surgery also had similar dumping syndrome risk and I didn’t think It would be a big issue since I avoid the causes ie. Eat as little sugar as possible. And I’ve dealt with worse in my life. It was just something id deal with if it happened and not really think about. im glad I went with Cleveland clinic, they made the process much easier. And since I had record for months (actually longer) of my diet efforts. It was approved quickly. Also it turned out that I had chronic gallbladder inflammation despite what the highly acclaimed doctor had said to me ... but that’s just my personal experience. Some people do very well with sleeve.

I just posted this below on another post discussing VSG revisions and thought it was appropriate here as well. I am a VSG to RnY revision but not because my VSG failed me, because of GERD. I didn’t hit my weight goal but I lost 47% of my excessive weight and maintained until my revision. I do know I learned a lot between surgery 1 & 2 and my biggest take away is my surgery didn’t fail me but I definitely failed my surgery. Your tool, or whatever you call it, doesn’t decide what you eat or when you eat. It doesn’t choose to drink while eating or to graze. You get out of it what you put into it. I know people that have the VSG and have been wildly successful, I know people with the VSG who have lost and gained. I know people with the RnY who have been wildly successful and I know people with RnY who have lost and gained.

I am a VSG to RnY revision but not because my VSG failed me, because of GERD. I didn’t hit my weight goal but I lost 47% of my excessive weight and maintained until my revision. I do know I learned a lot between surgery 1 & 2 and my biggest take away is my surgery didn’t fail me but I definitely failed my surgery. Your tool, or whatever you call it, doesn’t decide what you eat or when you eat. It doesn’t choose to drink while eating or to graze. You get out of it what you put into it.

I didn’t realise that you were having a revision. Good luck, hope it all goes well and that it solves the reflux issue

When things are questionable, second opinions are a useful thing. But, I can understand the surgeon's concerns from a couple of different perspectives. One is that the bypass is predisposed to ulcers (typically marginal ulcers which would be of a different cause of what you have,) so as with the VSG which is predisposed to GERD and they often shy away from doing them with patients that already have GERD, I can see the reason to be apprehensive about doing a bypass on you. The second is that the bypass leaves the bulk of your stomach in a blind limb that can't easily be inspected by endoscopy, and as ulcers can be a pre-cancerous condition if left unchecked, it is something that you want to monitor; waiting until obvious symptoms such as pain or bleeding occur is seriously bad news. The marginal ulcers that are common with the RNY are typically at the anastomosis between the pouch and intestine, so is in a place that can be monitored; anything happening within the remnant stomach that has been bypassed is out of reach. As others have noted, not all bypass patients dump (maybe 30% or so?) so according to Murphy's Law (if something can go wrong, it will....) those who are looking for dumping as a form of aversion therapy will be amongst those who don't dump. As FluffyChix, the bypass is something of a one shot deal - it is difficult to revise to something else if it doesn't work for you, either on weightloss or regain or due to medical problems (such as your ulcer problem) and even a reversal is no walk in the park (we have seen a couple go through here the past few months due to intransigent ulcers) while the sleeve is more readily revised if necessary. So there is some additional "margin of safety" or "plan B" available with the sleeve when things are questionable. Overall, the results of the bypass and sleeve are very similar - whatever difference there may be in the intrinsic "strength" of each procedure is overshadowed by the initiative and habits of the patient - there are many successes with the sleeve (8+ years out here) just as there are those who fail to do well with the bypass, including going back to junk foods because they never dumped. There is plenty of work on your part whichever procedure you get. good luck....

Stallings normal. I saw where someone said that weight loss on a chart looks more like stairs than a slope. I had the bypass lost the first 2 weeks and I've been stalled since. My Dr said to up your protein and water when you stall and it should help break it. It didn't really help me but it may help you. Sent from my moto e5 plus using BariatricPal mobile app

I suspect you may have had the 2 sections of your stomach separated by just staples, some may have popped open and now you have a passage into the normally bypassed segment of your original stomach. That in practicality negates the benefits your original surgery would have given you. Never heard of another but it must still be possible. Please keep us updated🙏 on your further developments.

I was convinced I wanted a bypass to get the "best results possible" based on percentages and lose the most weight, but after talking to my therapist and another one of my doctors, they both recommended the sleeve instead and I had it, no complications, it worked, and I'm very pleased with it.

I was told that I would be getting a bypass unless my surgeon felt it was safer to do the sleeve. Luckily I got the bypass. I wish you luck.

It's not really open. The incision is actually sutured at the lowest portion of the skin. The wound is left open like that so it heals and doesn't get infected. If you look closely you can see it's starting to close up at the top of the wound. Gastric Bypass reversal isn't a simple procedure but it's definitely possible, as you can see. Good luck with your surgery! I wouldn't let my complication worry you!!

There's a risk associated with all bariatric surgery. What happened to me happens to under 1% of gastric bypass patients. It was just bad luck.

Hey Krestel, Have you had surgery yet? I'm having RNY revision surgery on July 16th and can't wait for it to be done. My reflux is so much worse than it was before I had sleeve surgery on October 25th 2016 . Hopefully you are doing great. Have an awesome day. Allie in SC (South Carolina)

Alex, Omg seems like you have been to hell and back!! So sorry you have had so many problems. Why on earth would they leave the open incision? Did they think they were going to have to go back to Operating room?? Have you had complications from this surgery? I am having RNY revision surgery on July 16th from my sleeve surgery 0ct 25th 2016.I have to have it because my GERD has gotten so much worse than it was before the sleeve surgery. I didn't know you could have the bypass reversed. Good luck with your new journey and you don't look like you need help with weight loss anymore. Allie in SC

As with another poster above, I have a bypass but do not dump. Ever. So, you were counting on something that may or may not happen. You can be very successful with either procedure. The most important factor for success after wls is your brain, not your stomach.

On June 30th, I had my Gastric Bypass reversed, due to a hernia and small bowel obstruction 😞 It was a 6 hour open procedure. I was hospitalized for 9 days and it’s going to take a bit until I fully recover. After having some form of weight loss surgery since 2003, my anatomy has been put back to normal. I’m sad that I no longer have a tool to help me with my weight but I’m glad that I’m alive and able to talk about it. Thank you to my friends that prayed and supported me through this difficult time!

Your assumptions (and the surgeon's) are incorrect. But that's the good news! Do your full research. You may be surprised. Alternately if sleeve does not work for you, then there are other options about revisions. Whereas, unless you go in with the take-no-prisoners philosophy for RNY where you have 1 chance and 1 chance only...the chances of revisions and second surgeries carry a huge risk/reward scenario and are very limited in scope. Also, welcome and please fill out your profile so we can actually speak to you intelligently. We don't know how much you weigh, your age, how tall you are, your goal, etc. Makes it a lot easier.

Not everyone dumps with bypass....I have yet to and trust me I have tried. Meaning, i have tried things that SHOULD make me dump and do not. A few things make me nauseous which as close as I have gotten....but I would only tell you to NOT rely on dumping as the thing that is going to help you lose weight. You have to do it for yourself and be ready mentally and just stick to it. Whichever surgery you get, you can be successful, just have to put the work in.