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I really appreciate the details because it helps to know what others have done post-op. Glad you're back home and doing well. My surgery this Thursday is a gastric bypass but I think the lot of the post-op stuff is similar.Keep us posted on how you're doing. Sorry to hear that you're dealing with your father-in-law's situation too. Tough to have both at once -- one at a time would have been enough 😵‍💫

Thanks for that -- I'm hoping to do the same after my gastric bypass this Thursday! Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Keep us posted.

167 was my lowest weight and I was determined to keep going, then life happened. I started a new, stressful job, bought a house, moved within a month, and then my dog died in my arms all within a year. To say I'm disgusted with myself is an understatement. Being someone who considers themselves a perfectionist, this is really dragging me down. On top of all this good stuff, my body dysmorphia is unreal. I see my current self in pictures or in the mirror and I see my 300lb. self. Even though I'm in medium clothes when I used to be in 2-3X, I can't get myself to see the change. I didn't have the surgery for vanity. It was successful in helping me come off of diabetes and high blood pressure meds. But now that my life feels like it's finally getting back to a normal rhythm (besides having a 6-month old puppy), I am ready to get back on track and get back down to a reasonable weight. I can see the gain in my face, and it's killing my confidence (if I ever had any). I've talked to my gastric bypass team - I know what to do, but I'm having a hard time getting back on track. I'm trying baby steps, but I'm looking for other tricks and tips for getting there. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Best

Well, we are all different so take this with a grain of salt, but I was the same BMI prior to my preop diet as you are now so relatively close and I just looked back at my weight log and Iwas losing about 6 pounds per week on average in the beginning, but I also had the SADI which is quite a bit more aggressive than the sleeve or even the bypass so my loss statistically should’ve been more rapid than yours with a sleeve. Frankly, I think that you are doing very well with losing a pound a day and I wouldn’t be too shocked if it does slow down a bit. It definitely will not be a perfect line where you lose the exact same amount every day though. There may be times when you even gain a pound or three and hold it for a few days and then one day you will just drop those 3+ another pound. But if you only log your weight once a week, even if you must get on the scale every day, if you only look at the once a week or even once a month, your trend will be far more consistent. Some people only get on the scale once a week or once a month. I know I couldn’t do that but it really would be better for your mental health if you could hide your scale and just do what you’re supposed to do and trust the process.

Thank you 🙏🏻 my gastroenterology appointment is in three weeks so I am going to start there and I look forward to figuring it out because it’s not fun I have talked to a few doctors on the scope of my PCP…. One has seen complications/odd symptoms in long term gastric bypass patients. When I say complications, I mean digestive complications because there are plenty of people who don’t have enough nutrient, etc., and have issues that are beyond that. I pretty much covered all of those in my first 10 years when I really didn’t know how to take care of myself from a nutrient standpoint and vitamins. I do think it could be a parasite, or potentially a combo of diverticulitis and acid reflux. Most of the potential diagnoses have weight loss associated with them, and that is definitely not the case unfortunately lol. Yes, I would love to press the fix me button, but I know I have to do the work on this

I'm about the same amount of time since my bypass. I don't recall having an intollerance to almost all foods for extended periods. But for a few days or a week, sure. I don't think you should rule out the experience of anyone based on years post-op because there are people here that know more about weight loss surgeries than you and I. Heck, they give many surgeons a run for their money. Some of us research the stuffing out of weight loss surgeries before we even see a surgeon. Could you fill us in on what's going on? How does your intollerance work? Does it prevent you from swallowing, or does your food come back up? How long after eating? Anything else change during this period? Your previous issues could also provide insight into your current issues. Also, what does your medical team say? Tons of knowledge and experience is on the edge of their seats waiting to help. Tek

I had a sleeve in 2022 and had a revision to bypass in 2023 due to complications. I had little to no pain, I was up and moving around with ease, I've really had a great experience. And I've lost quite a bit of weight with the revision, even though that wasn't why I got the surgery to begin with. I have ZERO regrets.

I'm scheduled for a gastric bypass on January 30. Excited but nervous too!

Question for you all with experience with going on GLP-1s after surgery. First of all I started out at 325 before I started my pre op diet, Day of surgery i was 315 (Oct 2), Tomorrow I am 4 months post op gastric bypass and I am down to 259.8 (55 since surgery and 65 since the pre op diet)Anyways, I also have a failed attempt with the gastric band back in 2013. Lost 100 lbs only to have complications and gain it back so thats part of my side story. My Dr. recommends GLP-1 starting now because of my high BMI and how much I want to lose after surgery. Personally i would prefer to start this after I’ve lost all the weight I can with diet and exercise and have plateaued. What is your experience with this. I am always wondering if im on track. I would ultimately like to see 160-175 but I guess I wont know until I get there. Any feedback or experiences would be great! Thanks

I get what you mean about the New Year’s resolution bunch. I had a couple of people ask me if I want to walk with them since they know that I have been walking and I’m getting healthier. It was funny because one of them tried to make it sound like she was doing me a favor because I have slowed down a bit with my chemo but I still exercise almost every single day. Just nit 6 miles plus a group class like I was doing. Anyways I let that idea fizzle out because I didn’t want to rearrange my schedule or be on a schedule for a few weeks until they start making excuses to not go time after time. I’m sorry but if you calling me in November saying you want to start on the first of January you most likely are not serious about making a change. When we make up our minds to change our lives, most of us want to start NOW!!

You ready for a long story? 😎 My exercise history is definitely one of extremes. I was very athletic in High School (Secondary School). I played football (American), was on the swim team, and ran track and cross country (not all of those every year). Afterward I spent time in the US Army where running was the norm, so I ran quite a bit. My recollection is that I was running roughly 30 miles a week at that time, so actually a lot more than the minimum required. Unfortunately I was badly injured while I was in the service and was barely able to even walk for a long, long time. Once I mostly recovered from that, I got heavily into powerlifting for almost a decade. I had convinced myself that due to bad knees I shouldn't run anymore, so instead i just focused on the strength training as well as a tiny bit of cardio on the elliptical. Unfortunately, I tore up my back in a workplace accident, so from that point on, no more heavy lifting for me. This was really the beginning of my descent into inactivity and severe weight gain. The heavier I got, the less I was able to even move, until using a cane or walker had become the norm. In addition, during this time I ended up having multiple surgeries, including 5 different shoulder surgeries, multiple knee surgeries culminating in a total knee replacement, and even open heart surgery for a bad heart valve. Fast forward a lot and about 9 months after my bypass surgery, I was walking and backpacking pretty consistently. A bit like you, I decided mostly on a on a whim to just try jogging a bit. It was more to see if I could even do it than anything else. You have to understand with my health history, lots of my doctors would say I shouldn't run. I say I'm going to do whatever I need to do to keep myself healthy because I suspect at some point, I'll need both a revision to the knee replacement and a new heart valve. My ability to survive those surgeries at an advanced age is going to be highly dependent on my overall health. Anyway, back to running. I was so shocked at how well and relatively pain-free the running went, that I decided to start training for a 5k. From there it's just snowballed and I've now done around 20 or so different races between 5ks, 10ks and Half Marathons. I'm not super fast (I am 60 afterall), but I am still pretty competitive in my local races, at least for my age. I'm also lucky that I'm now retired. This means I have the time to train appropriately. I typically run 4 to 5 days a week and average between 25 and 35 miles a week. I'll probably ramp that up in 2025 because I'm targeting a fall marathon and I'd like to be around 50-60 miles a week at peak fitness before the race. At this point running is my passion, but I do still strength train twice a week to keep what strength I do still have. As an aside, I'm strongly considering becoming a Certified Personal Trainer. Not really because I needed the knowledge, or because I expect to work in the industry (I am happily retired after all). My real goal is to help others where I can on their journey to fitness. I feel I can better relate to those that are struggling than a lot of CPTs that have always been fit. I also at least want those I work with to know I do have some knowledge of the subject (even though I've frankly probably forgotten more about training than a lot of CPTs even know). I'm really glad you're going to keep after it. You might surprise yourself in terms of what your capable of!

I was sleeved in 2016. Lost weight, but no where near goal. Gained it all back. I just had a revision to a bypass this week (Jan 13). Things are going fine, almost too fine. Minimal discomfort, I have no problem keeping fluids or protein down. I am eating about 600 calories per day with 80 grams of protein. I’m not hungry. (I am on a 3 week liquid diet post op at the moment.) I also haven’t lost any weight. Does this sound normal?

I had a pre-existing problem with acid reflux. The gastric sleeve has a tendency to cause or worsen reflux, so my surgeon said he never does the sleeve on people like me. I have been more than happy with my results from the gastric bypass and NO acid reflux. It just disappeared, as my surgeon said it would. And I've changed my whole way of looking at food. It's been a wonderful experience.

That’s awesome. I have been very pleased with my revision to SADI. My surgeon didn’t mention the intestine length thing but he did have me do the barium swallow, an endoscopy and a gastric emptying study before saying that the SADI would be an option as well as the bypass and it was up to me which I wanted to do. There are pros and cons to the SADI revision. statistically (which by definition means there are outliers that are more or less) but the majority of people lose faster and the loss is more durable which got my attention but the possibility of bathroom issues is significant (fortunately I didn’t have this at all until I recently started chemo but I don’t think it has anything to do with the surgery). One con though of SADI is that many doctors have never heard of it. From my family Dr, to the urgent care, ER physicians, gyno, radiologies, breast surgeon, etc. Even the gastro dr who will be doing an endoscopy and colonoscopy on me Monday has never heard of the SADI but my bariatric doctor said he will explain my anatomy to her and it will be fine. I always tell them it’s a modified version of the Duodenal Switch with one anastomosis instead of two and if they still look confused I tell them it’s not exactly but kinda like a bypass and a sleeve combined. But obviously I need the person putting a camera in there to understand better than that. I think you will be very pleased with your results from either one but another thing to consider is if you have a complication or need revision to the SADI how many doctors are able to operate on you. My surgeon told me that if I had a complication he would stabilize me but he would send me to a nearby hospital if I needed any type of revision. I appreciated that he was willing to admit his limits and I was okay with that but I guess it is a risk you may want to ask about. Your surgeon may very well have done lots of these but mine had not. Also, not a lot of doctors will do a revision to the SADI just because of regain. You would be more likely to find someone to revise a bypass. Not that we are hoping to need a third surgery but obesity is complex and a lifelong struggle so it’s something to think about. I wish you the best of luck. And hope to hear about your surgery date soon.

Thank you so much for your response. It’s perfect timing that I saw this as I just left the Bariatric surgeon’s office. My experience with GLP-1s was quite discouraging. I was just about ready to give up trying to lose the weight I regained. However, my appointment with the Bariatric surgeon was quite encouraging. He agrees that I qualify for a revision surgery. He laid out the revision surgery options: Bypass, SADI-S or SIPS. Apparently the final revision surgery method will be determined during the surgery when he is able to assess my intestine length for the bypass/malabsorption effect. So for now, I’m going to focus on completing the program steps (Barium swallow, Psych appointment, Nutrition appt, support group, etc) so they can submit the PA for revision surgery. So I’m going to focus on completing the insurance requirements

Great idea to speak with your bariatric doctor but discuss the Wegovy with them as well. I have not discussed Wegovy with the bariatric surgeon post surgery but I mentioned it to the PA as a possibility if I am to gain during my cancer treatment over this year if that would be an option and he say it may. I mean he could have assumed that I just meant any GLP-1 and assumed either would do but he didn’t say that Wegovy was not okay for me and I had sleeve prior to my revision to SADI and my surgeon leaves the sleeve as is and does the bypass portion to make up the modified duodenal switch surgery (SADI). Also, post sleeve but pre SADI, I discussed GLP-1 as an option for regain and he said it was a serious contender in terms of what he thought would work for me but the insurance coverage was the issue. I went with the revision and it’s been night and day In terms of the surgery being a better fit for me so I’m not trying to deter you, but maybe the redo was all I needed because I wasn’t mentally ready with the sleeve. I guess I honestly can’t say 100% for certain. Either way, don’t give up. The bariatric doctors won’t give up on you either, together you will find what works for you. Consider what your coverage is and what the cost will be long term though and whether your team will keep prescribing it as a maintenance thing or what happens when you get to goal too because there are pros and cons with both. I mean Wegovy is not surgery and that’s a pro anytime you can avoid surgery but the cost, long term side effects of the shot and regain stats are all things that I would be asking about.

Hi All! I'm new here, and I have a date too --January 30 gastric bypass. Took me awhile to reach this decision, but weight control has been a life long challenge -- so I'm totally at peace with this now. Took awhile to "jump all the hoops" but we're there now as insurance just approved. Bring it on!

I remember you!!!! We had gastric sleeve the same day lol. You've done very well with your progress. I see you had to go to a bypass after the sleeve. I got really discouraged because with my sleeve I lost 52 lbs and that was it. I couldnt budge off that. I didnt want to have the bypass done as well so I just bummed around and got discouraged. Gained like 12 lbs and by January 2024 I was seeing another Dr to see if Zepbound would be beneficial for me or not. I started Zepbound by the end of Jan 2024 and so far I have lost an additional 72 lbs so its working better than the sleeve did. So much so I have all this loose skin now to deal with lol. Good to see your posts again!

I guess I have a couple of things for you to think about: Many insurance companies don't cover weight loss surgery. Those that do, typically have very specific requirements that take months to accomplish. Do you know for sure this would be covered, or are you prepared to pay out of pocket? Most bariatric surgeons have their own set of requirements from patients aside from those that the insurance company requires. These too can take weeks to accomplish. If your surgeon does not have any requirements, this would go against best practices. Do you really want a surgeon willing to take shortcuts? Most bariatric surgeons want to have you do a pre-op diet of 2-4 weeks. There are multiple reasons, but the most important is to shrink your liver to make the surgery safer. Are you okay with extra risk just to get the surgery ASAP? Most bariatric surgery is done by a specialised bariatric surgeon, not a general surgeon. I'm not sure I'd even want a general surgeon to do the bariatric surgery even if they say they could do it. Remember, experience here is highly predictive of positive outcomes. Are you sure about the experience of the surgeon what would be performing the surgery? Long term success from weight loss surgery is a lot more than just having the surgery done. Are you mentally ready for a lifetime of changes to how you eat? Do you really know that VSG is the right surgery for you? Gastric bypass is typically recommended for larger people with more weight to lose, especially if they have comorbidities like diabetes. I think it's worth taking your time to research and discuss various surgical options before jumping straight into this. On a more practical level, even if you could overcome all of the above, most surgeons and surgical suites are scheduled based on the length of the planned surgery. I can't imagine either of them changing this on short notice. Overall, while I think bariatric surgery is a fantastic, life-changing choice, it's not for everyone. Take your time and go through the process to mentally and physically prepare yourself before jumping in.

Hi, I'm new here. Let me give you a bit of my history. I'm 43, weigh 290 pounds, and have diabetes. On November 24, I experienced stabbing pain on the right side below my rib cage. I went to the ER, where the doctor gave me pain medication and an ultrasound, which revealed gallbladder stones. He scheduled a visit with a surgeon for mid-December. I had another gallbladder attack before the appointment, but luckily, apple cider vinegar (ACV) and Aleve helped relieve the pain. On the appointment day, the surgeon suggested I consider getting sleeve gastrectomy along with gallbladder removal. I was shocked to hear that and, in a panic, declined the VSG. However, after researching, I found it's a potential solution for weight loss and reversing diabetes. Now, with only three days left before my surgery, I'm trying to add VSG to the gallbladder removal. I'm unsure if it will work out with the surgeon, and it might be too late to make changes. I don't want to go through another laparoscopic procedure and double the cost. I'm feeling nervous about how this week will go.

I had a revision to SADI on 8/7/2024. Lost 70 pounds but then I started chemo for breast cancer that I was diagnosed with a day shy of my 3 month surgiversary. I was told not to lose quite as fast by the oncologist and the oncology dietician so I have since only lost ten more in 2.5 months. Anyways, my double mastectomy is tentatively scheduled for 5/8/2024. During that surgery they remove all the breast tissue and put in Empty bladders they call expanders and then they slowly fill them each week with saline in the office to stretch the skin making room for the implant. The cosmetic dr says that I could take my time and try out all the sizes and go up and down and then do the reconstruction surgery to put in the saline implant when I’m sure of the size I want and I loved that idea because I want to go smaller but I know it’s going to take a while for my brain to get used to it. The problem is that I have to begin radiation 6 weeks post surgery and the process does something to your skin that makes it very hard to stretch so the radiation Dr says I need to decide on a size before I start radiation treatments. Well I don't think it would be a good idea to postpone radiation just to decide on a breast size so I kinda need to know what my goal is right away so he fills it fast enough for me to get there within 6 weeks. At the same time it will hurt worse the faster we go. I am currently a 36 G. I was thinking maybe a 36 C or D would be small enough that they don’t get in the way with exercise and hurt my back and neck but not look too small after seeing myself larger for so many years. Also if I drop more weight and get to say a 34 I would be a D or DD but what if I lose more weight I mean I want to keep going if I can and then I’m a 32 DDD. I was a 32 C when I was younger and I think when I got my implants I went to a small DD but I sorta doubt i will get that small again, honestly. how much weight did you guys lose between band sizes. I was thinking that if I get to 158 I would be thrilled and that’s only 20 more pounds so I know that I won’t get to a 32 at that size. Do you think it’s possible I will get back to the 120’s. I know the last two months threw my pattern off a bit but I was losing steady at 3-4 pounds a week before all of this. Is there anyone with similar stats that can tell me about their experience with SADI or maybe a virgin bypass. My loss trend was similar to that according to the NP at 3 months out. I really wish I could do this after I get to my low weight and stabilize. All I want is to be able to buy bras in a normal store and not have to pay a fortune for lunch lady bras anymore or have my back breaking and poor posture from a too large chest. But at the same time I don’t want to look too small. I figure that I would find the smallest size that I could get used to so when I lose more weight it will probably be perfect but I won’t have time to get used to it like the surgeon and I hoped. 😢 So I get that cup size is a matter of preference but can anyone with similar stats tell me how much they ultimately lost if they were losing 3-4 pounds at 3 months or how much weight they lost between band sizes or 36-34 and 34-32. Or anything else that may help me. I’m so scared I’m gonna decide on a size and my body is going to change but since it’s all implant after this surgery my boobs won’t change with me with loss or gain and I will be way too big or small for my frame.

It's going okay so far. I'm down 22 lbs. since my initial consult in late November, 5 lbs since I started pre-op diet on Jan 1st. They put me on a no-carb, protein-fruit-veggies-only diet to start with. I start my full liquid diet on the 13th, which I will be on for two weeks before I switch to clear liquids only. It'll be a challenge, but I think I'll do all right. Good luck with everything!

It's valid to feel scared about this new experience and really good that you can express your fears to other people. My first thought as I'm reading this, though, is that your size is thoroughly unremarkable. It may not be where you want to it be, and you're doing great taking control of that and changing your life through having gastric bypass. But at your height and weight, surrounded by adults as you will be in college (and not middle school bullies), your weight simply isn't going to be a thing people notice about you all that much. I had my surgery when I was just slightly under where you are now, and I honestly had a friend (who is average weight/skinny) express total shock at my choice because she thought I was "only a little overweight" (while I thought I looked like a Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloon on two legs). Other people do not see us the way we see ourselves. In your mind, you seem to see yourself as worthy of being judged poorly and disliked for your appearance. I would ask, is this how you look at other people? Do you only befriend skinny people? Do you think fat people are terrible? Because if you do, that's a serious personality flaw that I would be way more concerned about fixing than my weight. And if you don't...neither do most people. Also, if they do? See my point about it being a serious personality flaw. Don't give that kind of person power over you. Your existence, exactly the way you are at any point in time, is not the problem. A person who is judging you for existing is demonstrating that their opinion is not worth considering. Most people don't notice weight first, unless maybe when someone is truly remarkable in size. Most people remember a person's confidence, humor, and overall disposition. They might remember a beautiful smile or a charming laugh, or maybe how you wore your hair or a colorful scarf. They want to be friends because they feel a connection to your personality, not because you have the "correct" size tag in your jeans. Again, if this is not the case, ask yourself why this is someone you want to concern yourself with. The person you want to be is not just a "skinny" person. At least, I really hope not. I would encourage you to make a list of 10 qualities right now that you want people around you to see and remember about you, and none of them can be about your weight or similar societal measure of physical attractiveness. Focus on that list. Do you want people to see you as smart? Kind? Funny? You can be all of those things today. You probably are all those things right now, if you let yourself believe that it's true. You don't have to lose a single ounce to make that happen. Do you want to be someone who takes care of your health? You're already doing it. Who eats right? Who exercises? You're that person now. Focus on the things you have control over. You don't get to choose your weight. None of us do. But you can make food and activity choices every day that promote a lower weight. You can't make a specific person or group like you. But you can be the kind of person many people will like. I wish you the very best of luck. I really wish I had known 30 years ago how absolutely, perfectly fine I was without changing anything, and how little other people's judgement actually mattered. It would have made so many things so much easier.

Definitely not an ideal day, @ShoppGirl! I'll be smarter next time and make sure I test meds before taking them 😭😂 though with that being said, I don't see myself taking cocodamol again! It's definitely a really interesting topic on how our body absorbs things now, and I think @SpartanMaker had a really valid point in that my body is probably absorbing things a lot quicker! It is a conundrum for me, because I fully expected that alcohol would be absorbed quickly post-bypass, and was warned about this by everyone but all it does is give me a headache, no drunk feeling at all! So it's pointless for me 😂

I'm a bypass patient and have successfully taken a prescription NSAID since my bypass without issues. I do take Omeprazole as well just in case, but I'm glad to hear that the risk of GI issues may not be as bad as once thought!