Search the Community

Hey everyone so I’m 4 days out from my revision and well it’s after midnight now so 5 days lol but i couldn’t hold anything down and had tremendous pain all over my abdomen and back came to the ER and I have a bowel obstruction.. So I’ve been admitted and having surgery sometime in the morning to correct it...

I would shoot for bypass since you have acid reflex like me. I have gastroparesis and GERD as well and went with bypass. However, my BMI is 36 and I weight only 156 so I only had one option is bypass. Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

if you have acid reflux now, I would not even consider getting the sleeve. I had reflux as well - going with the bypass was a no-brainer for me. If it weren't for the fact I had reflux pre-surgery, it would have been a toss-up. hunger goes away for most people with both surgeries - and it also eventually comes back for most people regardless of surgery. I would not base my decision on that. less than half of RNY'ers dump. The statistic I see thrown around a lot is that about 30% of us dump. I don't know if there is any hard core research behind that number, but suffice it to say that a lot of us have never dumped.

The choice is ultimately yours But IMHO My suggestion is if you already have Reflux choose the better bet at fixing it, the Bypass. If it gets worse with VSG you will need to control it with meds indefinitely or revise. And by no means (would i in your shoes knowing what i know) bank on the no hunger thing... You may eventually feel hunger again, some surgeons suggest its inevitable but to what extent varies. ❤ Good Luck ❤

Getting my surgery on August 2nd. Still unsure about getting a sleeve or a bypass. I’m 5’2’’ , 235 pounds (bmi of 43) with sleep apnea and acid reflux. My doctor said I could get either surgery, but the sleeve could increase the acid reflux. I’m worried about the dumping with the bypass. I’ve heard that with the sleeve, the surgeon removes the part of the stomach that sends the hungry signals. Whats your opinions?

Getting my surgery on August 2nd. Still unsure about getting a sleeve or a bypass. I’m 5’2’’ , 235 pounds (bmi of 43) with sleep apnea and acid reflux. My doctor said I could get either surgery, but the sleeve could increase the acid reflux. I’m worried about the dumping with the bypass. I’ve heard that with the sleeve, the surgeon removes the part of the stomach that sends the hungry signals. Whats your opinions?

You're really in a bad place and I am absolutely sure you had to go through the psychiatric exam and process before being given the green light for your surgery. The classes before surgery are always informative so I think what they said just didn't stick with you. I had the sleeve surgery 3 years ago and do to reflux disease getting worse I am having RNY revision surgery on July 16th. I don't expect it to be a walk in the park and I know exactly what to expect. Maybe I look at it differently but I never really ran my day to day life on the food in my life. I think that you might greatly benefit from seeking help with your mindset. I am sure that it's affecting your whole family and your quality of life. Instead of being miserable all the time find an outlet other than food to think about. Good luck to you Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Omg you're such an inspiration..All of us know we are overweight I have a problem with the word fat.lol But until like you we actually look at the size we were it's hard to really take it in. You have lost a whole person and your doing great things for your health. Those are absolutely amazing milestones. You look awesome and should be proud of yourself!! I don't know what your goal weight is but I would bet that you are at least at the halfway point. Keep your eyes on the goal and keep your chin up!! I am having the RNY REVISION SURGERY on July 16th. I had sleeve surgery will be 3 years ago October 25th. I lost 87 lbs and have arm skin enough for wings but I have severe GERD and it has gotten worse since the sleeve. I still want to lose at least 85 more lbs. Terrified of the hanging skin. But thankfully there's surgery for skin removal after losing all the weight. With any luck my insurance companies will pay for at least part of it. Anyway I wish you the best of luck with your journey. Allie in SC Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have GERD as well. Currently being considered for revision from VSG to RNY. Tests I've done: barium contrast/swallow/esophagram test CT scan on abdomen and pelvic area gastric emptying/egg sandwich study upper GI endoscopy (several across the years) I hope this helps! Definitely take charge and fight for your health. Ask your doctor/insurance for these tests and as tedious as it may be sometimes, keep following up. GERD is not to be taking lightly. It can, God forbid, lead to esophageal cancer, which the last test listed above is really good at showing with images — signs start as scarring of the esophagus (red scorching marks) while ultimately (if not taken care of) can become whitish cancerous cells. I have had GERD for 7 years and always told doctors that if the cause was surgical (never had even episodic heartburn before my VSG), then the solution has to be too, and I'm finally getting somewhere.

The pain started about 7 weeks out. Just below my breastbone and seemed to radiate outward. No reflux (reason i had the sleeve to bypass revision) or vomiting. But i have Zofran to use when needed. My doctor has made himself very accessible by email and phone. I had all the classic symptoms. He said we could do a scope, or we could just treat it without giving my pouch and intestine the added stress. He said if we did the scope, the treatment would be the same. Twice a day Prilosec capsule's, without the capsule. And three to five times daily Carafate, dissolved in water and drank like a shot. We initially tried for two weeks to see if there was any relief. There was. After a few days I noticed the pain was not constant. At the end of the first two weeks, I still had pain after eating, but still less frequent, and the severity was definitely less. So we have continued with the doctor checking in at two week intervals. Now, the pain is almost non-existent unless I forget to take the meds. We are continuing the meds for 4 more weeks and will then do a scope to make sure things are as they should be. I feel much better with each day. I'm hopeful that this was just a speed bump and will be healed in the next few weeks.

I can eat bread, rice and pasta. Sure they’re small amounts but I can eat them with no problem. Just saying gastric bypass does not automatically mean that you can’t eat normal foods. Before the food police jump down my throat I eat mostly protein. I eat the healthiest foods I can, no sugar or sugar substitutes. No chemicals or processed foods . I am losing weight. I just hope anyone reading this who is pre op knows that it’s very individual and no two surgeries are alike

9 days post and down another 4 pounds, so 9 lbs total since surgery, A pound a day is pretty dang good in my opinion. I've seen so many say how slow they lose after revision but I would say this is great, especially since I am doing no type of exercise yet. I can only hope it continues. Hope everyone else is doing good. And best wishes to those getting ready to go.

September 5th 2018 at exactly 7 AM. EDT. the Ohio State University- WEXNER MEDICAL Center 410 W 10th Avenue Columbus Ohio. I live in Mount Vernon, a smallish city of 20,000 48 miles NE of Columbus, which was the absolute closest facilities offering RNY. No Big Thing in the long run, I ended up with the Big Kahuna , Bradley J NeedlemanMD, the chief of Bariatric Medicine and Metabolic Weight Loss, a full professor in the College of Medicine, and actually a pretty wonderful guy to know as well as a Perfect Surgeon. When I was having my pre- surg physical which my son Tomkitten accomplied me to, he went over, shook TK's hand and said "I promise, I WILL TAKE VERY GOOD CARE of your mother!" Didn't have to do that,but he read my situation correctly, knew it would give TK and I peace of mind to make such a promise. How am I recovering? Ah, a very loaded question! Now keep in mind what happened to me is a pretty rare occurance, in all of Bariatric- Pal-dom there are maybe 4 others currently. To back up a little I went into my surgery with an ulcer, I named him, as I do many of my possessions, Hector, a small and not ready to perforate gastric ulcer,i was on a stronger PPI (protein pump inhibitor) called Dexilent, lucky for me insurance covered because without it would be over $300 monthly for a once a day med. I made it very clear to Dr Needleman that I was a proven Ulcer Grower. Well after my surgery they prescribed Omeprazole , the very one I was taking when Hector was discovered by my gastroenterologist at that time Dr Mujataba, pronounced Moo Shah Ba. I hollered" What are You doing to ME ?" Was figuratively told to just shut my mouth, they had done many cases, THIS would work best. Wrong Wrong Wrong! At 2 weeks I restarted complaining, told them SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG! And I got all kinds of replies, I was impatient, delusional, still merely swollen inside. But I kept up complaining , finally I suspect to shut me up, they scheduled an Endoscopy on October 12th, when I woke up Dr Noria,my surgeon's Junior partner shook my hand . She said Congratulations , you were right, we were wrong , you have 3 ulcers within your pouch, the opening is strictured down, you have 5 additional on the back wall of your jejunem, the portion of small intestine your pouch is now fastened to and they look ANGRY. Now sleeves seldom ever stricture and even the average RNY diesbt as a rule. And we have been trying to heal them since, I take Carafate 6am- noon- 6pm- midnight for what seems like forever. Frequent endoscopy to check the status, took turn for worse the end of November, malnourished and anemic of protein. Had a PICC line inserted in my upper left arm the next day, was on TPN ,that's total parental nutrition , for 3 months 12 hours a day. Was finally taken off of it the end of February, although I had been steadily losing a pound o4 2 monthly, I dropped 30 pounds in a month, in March I required an Iron INFUSION, would have thought I was due another in June but nobody interested enough to have ordered complete blood labs yet. I started at 365+ and BMI of 52, at nearly 10 months I have lost down to BMI31.1 and just under 200 pounds. So I are doing well if not perfect, and even if I Had known the bumps, bruises, twists and turns to my journey, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN in a❤beat, the positives still outweigh the detriments. Why did I not elect the VSG, I needed the certainty of quicker weight loss, I have had arthritis since 25, horrid GERD, sleep apnea, and had a First Cousin , my June-Ellen die on the operating table at the Cleveland Clinic of previously undiagnosed Esophageal Carncer, was there a hereditary component? Not perfectly certain but why take that risk when the Gold Standard of Bariatric Surgery was available? Medicare/ Medicaid picked up the tab for one surgery, would they pay later for a revision? Doubtful!!!❤ So I would say my surgery had a 85-90% percent success, still a high B+grade if not a Full A, and the story isn't over, I may still make it ALL THE WAY! I am optimistic, I came too far to stop progressing, this tired old jalopy at 73, still quite a few miles left in me, even if I'm not a Ferrari, DON'T COUNT ME OUT! I will make it to VICTORY yet! ❤and a Great Big Hug -----FRUSTR8

I imagine it’s different for bypass vs. sleeve. With the sleeve we don’t have malabsorption, I’m unclear if bypass has that side effect or if that is just the duodenal switch. You are only 3 months out too, I’m pretty sure I was still relying on protein shakes at that point too.

Whether you are having a bypass or a gastric sleeve, anyone else out there on July 1st?? Pre-op is pretty much what I expected....blah I know I've seen some other July 1st peeps out there....would be nice to be able to keep track and talk, especially when some of the 'night before' and 'day of' jitters kick in. Heck, I'd be happy to hear from anyone around the July 1st date (clarification: AM happy to hear from ANYONE - I like people...most people..like..90% of ppl..LOL) Have some lovely ppl who have already been through this that have been SO SUPPORTIVE like frustr8, AZHiker (did I get that right) and then peeps on the July 2019 surgery topics... Man, July 1st snuck up on me!! How about y'all?? Unsure if we need to cancel our traditional July 4th swim party. I don't do the food, and we have very little family left but my folks, before they passed, had asked that we keep some of the traditional gatherings going. I don't care if I happen to be in hospital and hubby always cooks. I want my brother and nephews, etc. to have somewhere to go..wow, that was a rabbit trail I wasn't expecting..sorry!

So idk about anyone else, I'm on day 5 post op from my bypass and omg my left side hurts so bad. I knew to expect pain because this is a major surgery but I've seen so many people say they didnt hurt very bad. It's so bad. When I get up, when I cough, when I laugh, it pulls and hurts. I've emailed my drs nurse because yesterday I went number 2 and it was all blood. Did anyone else experience any of this? Other than this though, things have been going great. Been up and moving around some and sipping and resting.

I'm going for revision surgery from sleeve to mini bypass next week with Dr Illan. how is the new hospital is it nice?

OR ANY OTHER SURGERY??

First let me say I’m sorry you’re regretting surgery. Secondly though, I’m completely stumped as to why anyone who has had bypass would think they could ever have things like rice or pasta ever again. I had to come to terms with forever giving up certain kinds of foods BEFORE I decided on WLS. So I knew going in that I would forever have to cut my ties to bread or pasta or refined sugars.

😞 That's bad. Are you considering the recommended revision?

I'm currently on the highest dose of PPI amd it's not working , yes revision is the recommendation to solve it completely.

Are the PPI's not working anymore? Are they recommending a revision?

Just please be very careful if you drink alcohol. My sister had gastric bypass when she was 19 and she went totally wild after losing the weight and was partying all the time and became an alcoholic. We buried her at the age of 39. I only say that because you are so young.

You didn't really ask me , but I'm weighing in. Usually found when you have an Endoscopy For me a knowing that doesn't stop, full or empty. I also have pain in my pouch , like a Charlie Horse internally, although my doctors would argue thins I think I detect a puffiness over Precious , my pouch, last time I mentioned it the resident said it was impossible, she's buried farther down,not on the skin surface. All I know is: I feel what I feel! Besides he only helps form them, I LIVE WITH IT. Plus I have thinned down there below my breastbone. Also pain/tenderness in the right subcostal area, subcostal means " under ribs" perhaps you might want the. translation. I get used to calling things by their medical names. You Upchuck more than you want to because you're swollen inside and food doesn't always pass through readily. How do I know all this? Experience , I have been fighting this war since last October, a month/6 weeks past my RNY. The last EGJ showed healing well underway. Okay, got to show off now. As bypassers, we no longer can have EGD because they no longer can access the duodenum, the 1st part of the small intestine, this the sacrifice we pay to have our type surgery. So we are Esophageal- Gastric pouch- jejunem which is 2nd part of small intestine and the part now attached to our pouch. Marginal means she has ulcers just before the opening or just after. Our acid production got cut way down with surgery, but there is just enough to make an insult to our pouch/ jejunem. And although there is usually protective mucus layer in our stomach, poor jejunem didn't get built that way and the minute amounts still "chew" on him. I had as many as 10 in my intestine as well as the ones in my pouch right before the opening. And swollen also means narrowed so I still am on puree, soup, broth and protein shakes. Seems like forever but only 9 months of my life, for the Greater good I will endure through it! And you didn't ask but I have lost 120+ pounds since my surgery,multiple clothing sizes, and I am still losing, one of the few people who never stalled,like an old jalopy I just keep chugging along , slow and steady and pounds going away permanently.

I'm sorry, Sheribear--I hope it didn't sound like I was bragging. I'm just sharing my journey with everyone. I just returned from a 3-day weekend with friends at a resort, which is always challenging. Breakfast every day was three pieces of bacon, and dinners were a protein-rich appetizer (including a delicious lamb dish on the last day). I weighed myself upon return home and found that I'm down three more pounds to 162, just 12 pounds from my goal weight. (Sorry again, Sherribear.) I've decided to revise my goal weight down to 140. I think I still have a paunch, and I'm wearing 34 pants. (At one point in my adult life I wore a 30.) Also, I weighed 127 when I entered the Army at age 22 (38 years ago). I will admit I was a little scrawny, but I think that means 140 is probably realistic at this point.