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I had Gastric Bypass on 12-1-09 and lost 170 pounds. I have kept it off and even lost a few more the last year. I am healthier now than I was prior to my surgery. I do know people who had weight loss surgeries in the 80’s and were fine. I think it’s different for each person. Your success will depend a lot on yourself. Surgery is only a tool to get you on the right road, in order to stay on the right road, you must change the way you eat! Lifestyle change!

there's a lot more long-term research on the bypass than any other currently used surgeries. Most of it has been positive. I've never read anything about shorter lifespans.

Well to be honest I always belch at every meal and I too get sick from eating too much sugar. I guess everyone's side effects are different regardless of which type of surgery you have. I just hate for anyone to read this and think these side effects WON'T happen to them simply because they are choosing to get the sleeve. I think everyone should pick the very best surgery for themselves. Some folks do better with the Gastric Bypass because of the type of health issues and risks they have. Who know? That said, I too love my sleeve! In spite of my few issues, I'd still do it again this very moment if I could/had to.

they told me that they revise on a case by case basis, but only if there is a problem with the band. ...now I don't want to "wish" for something to be wrong with my band, but . . .

I went to the water park this weekend and to exit the park you have to walk up a very big hill. Every year before I have had to stop at all the benches to catch my breath. This weekend I walked up the hill and bypassed all the benches. I didn’t even have to stop once I was not out of breath. It was amazing. This is the first time I noticed a difference in my level of fitness. I have to say it felt so great. :biggrin::biggrin2: I had this goofy smile on my face for the rest of the weekend.:biggrin2:

Day one of the liquid diet is over and it wasn't too bad. I think the hardest part is finding sugar free stuff. Most Soups that I found have some sugar in them even if it's minimal. Hopefully I will get some help tomorrow during my pre-op class. I hate to say it, but I could barely choke down the atkins shake! Soooo, the only Protein I got today was from half of that shake and some specialK protein Water. I went to 3 stores and couldn't find any unflavored Protein powder. Anyway, I went to the required support group meeting tonight and learned a lot. There weren't too many sleevers, but there were some! Most were there for bypass or band. I am very nervous about recovery time. Other than that, I'm excited!

polly2107: hang in there! I can not imagine how hard this is for you. but never give up hope. the weight we are does not define who we are. you are so much more than extra pounds. I have not had any surgery yet. I am still waiting for my initial appointment, which they rescheduled to a later date!! I don't know what your options are but it seems that you might find a doctor that could do a revision. maybe a doctor that is at a teaching hospital close to you. don't lose heart. "for you are fearfully an wonderfully made"

My Dr recommended the bypass for me too due to Gerd. I still opted for the sleeve because of dumping syndrome with the bypass. I'm 10 days out and happy so far with my decision. I'm on nexium 40mg, as I was prior to surgery. Citric acid bothers me a little more than it did prior. I think I may have to continue on the ppi and once I lose the weight, may be OK without it. I'm happy with my decision to be sleeved! Already down 16 lbs too Forgot to mention I also had a hernia repair which may also help with the Gerd

Yes, I had it before my VSG. I was having a terrible time with regurgitation after surgery, so my surgeon kept me on liquids for 6 weeks to see if things would "loosen up" with my sleeve. It didn't really help. I have been taking a PPI since surgery, and at over a year out it has gotten considerably better, but not gone. Sometimes I wish I would have gone with the bypass because of it.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago and this is my approach to the maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

@@Killian I am 8 weeks post op, and I am steadily losing weight. Lost 12kg (26.4 Ibs) so far. When is your surgery, and what type of surgery are you having? Sleeve or Bypass? I am finding that the more weight I lose, my Thyroxine (Synthroid) levels get too high, and I am swinging back to Hyper thyroid again .... I am glad to learn that you also skip Sunday dose. I will start this Sunday, and see what happens. I had RAI in August last year (2015), and went Hypo in December last year, 2015 On Thyroxine since January 2016, so this is a new learning curve for me. I have to have 6 weekly blood tests post surgery, seeing my Endo every 3 months, unless I get issues ..... I take my Thyroxine early in the morning, when I first wake up, on empty stomach, then go back to sleep. This way I can have my coffee and Breakfast when I get up. Calcium, I take it in the evening. With weight loss, the Synthroid levels can be affected, and doses need to be monitored and adjusted, if needed. Good luck with your surgery Cheers, Margo

Statistically the band fails more often than not. If it didn't then major manufacturers wouldn't have packed up shop and stopped making parts. Surgeons all over the world wouldn't have stopped installing them. I find it funny that folks continue to push it, with all the slippage, erosions, scar tissue issues, that people swear up and down that those that failed... failed and it wasn't the bands fault. For me, The band did not perform the way it needed to. The healthy foods I should have had no issues with, were nothing but problems. And whereas I didn't have any erosion or slippage, my band was 100% encapsulated in scar tissue and was a problem that required removal. No one is going to tell me that I failed the band. The band failed me. This is pretty clear with my continued weight loss with the revision to bypass, if it was I that failed the band... then the bypass would not be working as effectively as it currently is, now, I'm able to eat those healthy foods that the band prevented me from eating. But still, the majority of failures are not the fault of the user. Some, sure, but majority... no.

my band slipped, had it revised and it slipped about a year afterwards for a 2nd time. i decided to have it removed.

Good for you! I had bypass but I have several family members with the band. Sometimes, I don't know how to encourage them because I feel like we're on opposite ends of the spectrum. Your story clears it up a bit. We have to do some of the same things to make this work and be successful. Thank you for sharing!

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 have told only those people who need to know. My husband, my closest friend, my friend who had bypass and my pcp. I have made my mind up and as of today I don't really care what anyone has to say and actually, I really don't want to hear it. I have decided to keep it to myself (except for those listed above) and let the results speak for themselves. Will I tell anyone in the future? Maybe, maybe not. If I think either they or I would benefit from the info I will tell them. If not, then I will not tell them. It is really nobody’s business. Afterall, I don't announce to the world that I have diabetes so why announce that I have a lap band. I tell the diabetes information only to those who need to know in case of emergency. .

YES! I have a co worker having a revision with another doc in town. Her pre and post are totally different than mine. I miss coffee but it was a small sacrifice for a second chance. When you get to the other side just follow the guidelines. Be well!

thanks for your response. I see this forum is about the lapband. Is their a similar forum for gastric bypass surgery?

I was banded on March 22, 2011 and just had my port revision sx done yesterday. They also did my first fill of 6cc. I had to get a live x-ray done before leaving since the Water they gave me to drink wouldn't go down. He ended up taking out 1.5cc. (He stuck the needle right through my bandage but was actually able to access the port this time. That hurt...) Anyway, i felt a rush of cold hit the bottom of my stomach and watched the barium run through the port. So now I have 4.5cc in my band. But I will have to agree with you. I am in sooo much more pain now than I was after the original sx. They gave me liquid pain meds but they don't seem to be helping. I can barely get up from sitting or lying down, and forget about going to the bathroom by myself. Thank goodness for great husbands! I am getting very little sleep as I can't lie on my usual side. I'm wondering how I will survive work tomorrow as I am a pharmacy tech standing and running around for 9 hours. Good luck to you, don't worry, you aren't alone. I'm only 21 so I thought I would have it easy and heal faster/see better results. But I too am one of the lucky 2% that needed a little extra help. I've already lost 34 lbs before my first fill, believe me, we CAN do this!!

Thank you so much! I'm so frustrated and it's been so hard trying to find information on why my port flipped. I did read that it happens in 2% of patients which makes me feel wonderfulllll haha Were you swollen with your port revision?

Hi Everyone, I go by SnohoGal98296 - I have been visiting and posting for a few months now. At first I was lurking to learn about your experiences and your pre and post surgery successes and failures. I also wanted to learn if you had the same experience as I have and if those experiences helped lead you to weight loss surgery. I did this research to determine if WLS was for me - and through this site, my outside research of specific surgeons and my own family who have made the leap for themselves and are very happy, I have made the decision to get weight loss surgery, specifically the sleeve. I am just in the process of determining which bariatric surgical center at which I will spend my hard earned money. I am self-pay, well employed and well insured, but with a WLS exclusion. As this is a huge investment for me I have closely examined specific reasons why I want this procedure. Below is my list (I apologize in advance for any TMIs :-D): I have tried nearly every diet on the planet - I am 45 years old and first realized I was overweight when I was about 10 years old. Here is a list of diets I have tried over the past 35 years: Lowfat / Nonfat liquid VLC diet (I snuck my Dad's Optifast in the 6th grade) Jenny Craig Weight Watchers Acupuncture Hypnosis Grocery Diet (Lean Cuisine, etc) Starbucks Diet Subway Diet Atkins South Beach Medically Supervised Optifast Medically Supervised High Protein / Low Carb (I was most successful here) Here are my physical observations since my last diet and regain, I don't make this list to complain but to remind me why I need to be proactive for my health, in no particular order: I am 5'6", I started my last diet at 275lbs, I lost around 50lbs. and was feeling pretty darn good about being in the 220's. I thought I could lose more and keep the weight off and did for almost a year, unfortunately the diet was too hard to maintain and I ended up gaining back the 50lbs. plus another 20lbs. Actually I am fluctuating between 295 and 298. At my first surgical consult their scale, fully clothed in the afternoon, said 302lbs. I have finally eclipsed the largest size of my favorite work slacks - Lee "khaki" style slacks. Their largest size is 24W. I wear 24W in other brands but not in Lee anymore. I have been on two business trips since October and on both occasions I had to ask for seat belt extenders, (funnily enough on the USA based airlines but not on the Japan based airline). When I bend over to tie my shoes I feel starved for oxygen, I often need to prop my foot up to reach. I am unable to wear my favorite pair of boots anymore, my calves won't fit anymore - and they are men's boots. I have resorted to fastening my bra before I put it on because my arms don't bend that way anymore. I have a few creases in different areas of my body that get raw and irritated if I get sweaty. I have had to have prescription yeast infection treatments for these areas. Needless to say I hate to sweat now, in fact it makes me itch. I barely fit in my son's car and the seat belt is fully extended when I fasten it. It is close in my car - but I have few inches there yet. Some public restrooms stalls are too small for me, I have to use the handicap stall to have the space to reach, if you know what I mean (sorry TMI). At a recent meeting at work, the chair I was sitting in broke, snapped underneath me with a loud crack and I barely caught myself before tumbling over backwards, and I yelped! My only relief from complete embarrassment? A normal size guy broke his chair too, a short while after mine did. When I go to bed at night, I have to sleep with 2 or more pillows because I can't lay on my back without my own neck flesh choking me, I also need the pillows to sleep on my side due to my body is larger than one pillows width from the mattress surface. I have borderline high blood pressure. I do not have type II diabetes, although my surgical consult reminded it hasn't been tested in a couple of years. Climbing the single flight of stairs at my work, walking between buildings, or trying to keep up with my family while we are on walks causes me to be out of breath. Walking or standing for more than 20 or 30 mins makes my feet and back hurt so badly that I have to sit down. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year was excruciating. Doing normal housework is now a workout. My hips brush the armrests of my office chair, not too small yet, but close. There is a woman at work who had to have facilities order her an XL chair and everyone knows about it. Regarding my family - My husband is truly supportive, he backs me 100%. My 17 year old son wonders why I can't diet and exercise more. My daughter really hasn't weighed in - I believe she supports me. I have a cousin who weighed over 440lbs. when she got the lap band, she got down to 300lbs and all weight loss stopped. After her band failed (i.e. broke internally, she didn't regain very much) she got a revision to RNY and has begun loosing again. Her son just got banded this year and has lost over 150lbs. and just got engaged. I feel comfortable within my own family with this decision. Regarding work - I have told my Boss and she supports my decision but I will only tell my coworkers on a person by person basis. Some will understand and support others just don't need to know. So these are some of the reasons why I have decided to get weight loss surgery, what are some of your reasons?

Good luck with the bypass! I know you will succeed!

I got to 140 and it pretty much stopped. Down to 138 after 2 months. I think my body likes this weight. I am pretty thin at size 6, but not a skinny minnie size 0. I am very stable here 10 months out. guess I will just revise my uberthin fantasies. At 53 I don't look so bad

I really don't know anyone who has been through gastric bypass rny and I have so many questions about my pre-approval process. I have a patient advocate but I'm so nervous and fearful of not being approved. I really don't know what to do. I have a BMI of 40.5 and my 90 day diet will be up on January 23, I have Cigna health ins and they do cover bariatric with a 40 BMI and a 90 day med supervised diet. My physician does not normally do these things he refers patients to a nutrionist however I could not see a nutrionist bc they kept cancelling due to the holiday season. During my 90 days there has been no blood work no tests to see if I am diabetic or anything...just talks about my weight my excercise and mindful eating with notes each time. I have not lost any weight at all so far...and my physician is set to refer me to a surgeon. Once the surgeon sees me then they will file with my insurance ...I guess my question is has anyone had a similar experience? Did you get approved without having to run all those tests with your physician in the 90 day period? My surgeon will run tests of course, and I meet the minimum for BMI without any co-morbiditites... But I am afraid that I will not be approved bc I have not seen a nutrionist yet, just going to the Dr and talking about my weight loss attempts, with no actual weight loss. I wish I knew someone who had the surgery so I could ask things...but I don't. This support group is really my only outlet for this..

Hey Trans....Puleeze....I would love to have some of your favorite recipes! Hey Zen....You're losing...just slower than you would with bypass. And someday you may really count your blessings that your band is adjustable! Take it from one who stretched a pouch...needed a slight unfill when sick...hates to get the runs....has the option to unfill a bit before travel....