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@@2feelgood @@Inner Surfer Girl is exactly right. I had RNY bypass and it controls how much I put in my body but certainly not what I choose to put in it. I can eat around my surgery all day long if I choose to. Trust me, there are days when I have only to find out that I had either stalled out or gained weight. I got to goal and have remained there so far because I choose to follow the rules at least 90% of the time every day. Why not try resetting before heading for another surgery? Go back to the basics. Start as if you had surgery yesterday and go on a liquid diet for a few days. Use the 5 day pouch test which you can google. Then follow the rules and see if the weight starts coming back off. The most important this to do is track every single thing you put in your mouth. Leverage something like Myfitnesspal to do that. Best of luck to you!

Did you have bypass or sleeve surgery? You look great!

So it finally happened ! After 1 year of appts 3 weeks of optifast and 23 lb i had surgery last Tuesday! I had to spend an extra night in hospital due to high heart rate and extreme nausea was finally released and im feeling much better . Im still sore and concentrating on getting my fluids in and my protein . Had my first bowl movement today too!(sorry tmi) it really helped with the bloating ! Im down an extra 7 lb since surgery which is fantastic! All get better keep it up everyone!!

Talked to Carmen at work today. She had bypass and lost 110 lbs. Wow, that's alot. surprised she spoke to me about it though. I'm still nervous. Hate the anasthesia. Eric is making me crazy. Last night he said he will just drop me off. Not his problem I'm doing this he says. What a jerk when he drinks. Oh but what abut how great I'll look later on and how much mor energy I should have. I should be healthier too. I want to be able to have energy and play with Nicholas more God I hate being fat. I can't wait until this is over. But the liquid stage maked me nervous. Think of it as healing not weight loss at first they say. Mom and dad leaving for Florida on Friday morning. Stopped in by dad to say have a nice trip. Mom is working of course. Will call her before she goes. Also will keep in touch while they are away. Wish I could go with them!! Gonna clean the office now. Want everything clean before I go to hospital because I know I won't be able to do it later on.

Hi I had gastric bypass surgery 16 years ago by a doctor in South Africa who has since been struck off the medical roll and this operation is now deemed illegal. I weighed 130 kg at the time of my surgery.6 months ago I weighed 52kg.I had never looked me felt so good in my life.I fitted in my 13year old daughters clothes. Six months later (now ) I have started to get swollen and fat and flabby. My once skinny thighs and no bum are wobbly fat and swollen now.my stomach is always bloated and I feel far and ugly again. None of my clothes fit me again and I refuse to buy bigger ones. The pharmacist says it looks like lymphedema and varicose veins. Can anyone explain to me why this happened and how I can get skinny again. Some people thought I looked anorexic but I was so happy. I don't even want to go out the house anymore.it's affecting many aspects of my life???? Sent from my SM-G361H using the BariatricPal App

I just had RNY on November 14th. For me the first walk was the hardest. I walked the night of surgery. Do it as soon as you can. Start sipping on Water and even ice chips if your allowed to have them. Ice was my bff. Once you come home it's gets easier. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi! I'm new to this app but am really scared about having RNY on November 30. I had the lap band for almost 4 years but it had to come out due to slipping. I lost 120lbs but of course when the band came out the weight came back. I feel this is my last chance to beat this weight problem for good! Any advice would be appreciated. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My husband and myself. I am glad that I have a supportive husband. I used to be 250 lbs. And now I feel so happy. God is good!! ❤ Fredjuni❤

Hi everyone, My name is Amy. I had the band on 8/24/10, I lost almost 50 pounds with the band but never reached my goal because I had a lot of problems. I kept having to have fluid put in and out, I put up with reflux WAY TOO LONG because I didn't want more fluid removed because I was gaining weight. I ended up with an esophageal ulcer and became anemic from it. I had all the fluid removed in early 2017. I am almost back to my pre-surgery weight of 256. I am very unhappy with my weight and it is making me depressed. My insurance recently approved a conversion from band to bypass. I need to wait to build up some time off at work so I am looking at sometime early next year for surgery. Having the surgery makes me nervous but reading your posts here are helpful.

Im just starting out with my WLS journey and figure I'll post some info in case it's helpful to anyone else, since everyone else's stories and posts have been very helpful to me. I just left my first appointment with the surgeon. When I was first considering WLS I wanted the sleeve since it's less "severe" than the bypass, but once I started doing more research I didn't think I would be a good candidate due to my heartburn and reflux. After speaking with my doctor today he said that my reflux isn't bad enough to rule out the sleeve (it's well controlled with medication and diet changes and I never suffered with it until I gained all this weight) but that he would be fine doing either procedure. He wanted me to pick a procedure today (I can change my mind later) so I went with the sleeve. The difference in projected weight loss between the two comes out to be about 15 pounds for me (175 with RNY and 190 with sleeve). Both of those numbers are kind of disappointing to me, as I would like to be closer to 130-140, but I am confident that once I get going with the weight loss that I'll be able to increase my activity to help me lose even more. I'm not sure if that's realistic or not. Does anyone regret going with the sleeve instead of the bypass? A little background on me: I'm 33, 5'2.5", and currently weigh 281.3 pounds with a BMI of 50.6 (just high enough to get out of the 6 month supervised diet required by BCBS of MI). My highest weight that I know of was 288 the other day. Not sure where the 7 pounds went because I didn't change anything yet. The surgeon wants me to lose 15 pounds before surgery which seems very doable. I also have to get medical clearance and a letter of necessity from my PCP, psych evaluation, exercise evaluation, and (TMI) see my gyno since I haven't had a period since new years eve (not pregnant, just good old PCOS). I met with the NUT today and then made all of my appointments in my car before I left the office. I hope to have everything completed by the 31st, which is the date of my exercise evaluation. The surgeon said that I could possibly have surgery at the end of June, which would be awesome.

oopsy, I meant when you first got the gastric bypass

Wow...I feel for you! I would urge you to get in touch with a local weight loss surgery center of excellence. You usually start this journey by attending an informational seminar. I chose gastric bypass after being disabled for many years which led to me being greatly inactive....and of course eating to stuff feelings! I now have dealt with my disability and co-existing depression and it was time to get healthy! That was my driving reason for WLS...not being thin. Please know this is a process...and not always an easy one. I am four weeks out from surgery and have to remind myself daily that it's a commitment. I hope you stay in touch and get the information you need to make an informed decision. Good luck!

Hi there. I wanted to join this group hoping to find someone else that maybe in the same situation I am. Please do not judge or make judgement as to what I have done. I had gastric bypass in June 2004 and I had this done as an open procedure. Lost about 120-125 pounds. and was really good with that. I then started exercising and doing the "Curves" thing. I then discovered that I had a golf ball size incisional hernia from this surgery. Due to a job layoff and losing insurance I wasn't able to have this fixed. Finally I was able to get this fixed in March of 2011 and at this point it was the size of a grapefruit. Found this great surgeon who also happened to be a baratric surgeon as well. He fixed my problem or so I thought but only to discover a few months later it had reappeared in a lower part of my "tummy" so I then had a 2nd surgery done. Thinking all is fine I joined a gym and started to walk on the treadmill and the bike because I finally was glad to be able to get exercise in. But right before I decided to get a personal trainer to help with my muscles I discovered a 3rd hernia! WOW that was about all I could handle. I went back to the dr and we talked at length about having the surgery again and since he did the lap bands on other patients we decided to have it done on me since he was already in there. Not really even sure how this was approved by insurance but they did. I just had the surgery 4 weeks ago and he did about an 8x8 mesh patch to cover my previsous incision from breast bone to belly and then from the right to the left...and then we did the lap band. He said my pouch looked really good....it was not overstretched or anything of the sorts. I have not gained any weight back from the 125 but maybe a few pounds here and there but have always maintained the same weight for at least 7 years after i stopped losing. but I'm still at about 240 pounds and I feel that additional restriction is worth it. Since my surgery I have really changed my eating. I know longer eat my Breakfast all morning. I time myself to 30 mins only per meal. Something that i got out of habit doing. I stopped drinking dt coke....drink more Water etc. So I went back to my dr yesterday for a check up and a fill. I lost 11 pounds the first week but nothing since so he did a fill of 3 1/2 cc's. Sounds like a lot compared to what I have read. But hopefully it will work. Is this a lot? Is there anyone esle that has had the gastric bypass and then the band? Just curious if so what their experiences are and if its different for us than others? Thanks! Shannon

My story is about the same as the two above. Terrible reflux for years. I didn't even know I had a hiatal hernia until after the surgery when my Dr mentioned he corrected it so I will have some additional uncomfortable swallowing for a few days. I think since my surgery, 13 months ago today, I have taken two Tums once and I attribute that to laying down too soon after eating. So, for me, VSG was a total cure. But, I would rather have reflux than all of the possible issues of bypass ... no thanks.

Got my approval for Bypass on 12-30-2013. I meet with the surgeon on the 22nd. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I've been a little overwhelmed trying to get everything I need. So glad I found this forum!!

Well I am starting my WLS journey tomorrow at danville,pa with Dr. Bell. Please send me prayers to start this journey and continue it through till the end, I am 300lbs plus right now (get the official from the docs office tomorrow). And I NEED to do this

Well, going into it knowing I may never be able to tolerate sweets again, I had to ask myself this: Do I love sweets more than I would love to have a longer and healthier life? Do I love eating large quantities of whatever I want more than being healthy? For me, the answer was that I really wanted to be free from food. As much as I used it to help deal with my emotions (and darn it sometimes I still want to), it also had a control over me that I really didn't like. You know how I feel now? Free. I don't have to use food anymore. It doesn't hold the power over me that it once did. And with every pound I lose, my body feels less my enemy and more my long lost friend. That said, it is hard to figure out how to deal with emotions in a different way than I always have. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm trying and I have hope. So, find out what makes you consider changing, what you want, where you want to take your life, then ask yourself if gastric bypass surgery is worth it to help you get there.

I had gastric bypass may 10, 2010 and lost 154 lbs-best decision I ever made for myself...but I've gained 30 of it back. I know a little weight gain is normal, but I've gone back to old bad habits!! Any post ops go through this?? And if so, HELP!

Misty, were/are you following your bypass guidelines? I sitil don't drink for a half hour before or after my meals etc. I did stop journaling my food but stated again after gaining some stress eating pounds ands it's working. I already lost a couple of the 10 I had put back on.I continually tell myself I don't want to waste all I gained and all the money I spent. You can do it! Get a nutritionist to help you if you need to keep you on track. Tell yourself that you will not let this food take over your life! You CAN do it!

Hi all! I am hoping to have RNY in November. I am checking out the benefits section at work for short term disability. It says there that they will not approve disability leave for "elective or cosmetic surgeries"...I know wls is technically elective but this could really save my life. Is there any way I can get around this? Any and all input will be welcomed. Thanks in advance!

I was sleeved on March 5th at approx 0800. My journey started a few years ago. I started tossing the idea of bariatric surgery around when I kept gaining and gaining weight. My dr kept doing test to see if there was a reason, and adding meds to my regimen because I was being diagnosed with different things. I talked to my dr about it and went through the initial seminar that the local bariatric surgeon has. That's as far as I went that time. I met my wife and realized that I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to be around for her and my children. Her and I talked and she pushed me to go back to the dr and start the process again. I am a paramedic for the city we live in and she is an EMT. A nurse at one of the ER's had recently had gastric bypass. My wife spent about an hour one night talking with her and her experience. She recommeneded the surgeon she used. He had practiced at the local trauma hospital and done the gastric surgeries there. Our friend had had great success and had nothing but great things to say about Dr. Allen. I did some research into the different types of surgeries that were being performed and decided that I really wanted the sleeve. I contacted Dr. Allen's office and scheduled to go through the seminar again. By this time I had almost completed the 6 month weight loss study with my primary dr. After the seminar I submitted the appropriate paperwork and was pre-approved. I met with Dr. Allen and informed that at that time he was not doing the sleeve. He suggested the bypass for me. I decided it was the next best thing; I was NOT having the band done. lol Dr. Allen wanted a few approvals from my primary physician before surgery. I had to have a EKG, and Pulminary Function Test. The PFT came back obstructed at the dr's office so I was sent to a pulmonologist. I was very discouraged. I met with the pulmonologist he sent me to and was told there was a chance I had COPD. Again, more discouragement. The pulmonologist was not about to sign off on letting me have surgery since the intubation could be bad for me. He wanted me to use an inhaler and CPAP at night for 6 weeks and come back for a follow up PFT. 6 Weeks later I was back. The PFT was enormously better, and I felt ENORMOUSLY better. Best of all, he APPROVED ME FOR SURGERY. My primary physician signed off ok'ing it as well. It was time for the waiting game with the insurance company for approval. A few weeks later on Feburary 5th at 1300, I recieved a phone call from the surgeon's office that I had been approved and my surgery date was March 5th. They gave me the date and time for the pre-op meeting and test. And the best of all, the information on the 1500 calorie diet I was to follow for 2 weeks prior to my surgery. 2-weeks prior to surgery my wife went to the store, stocked up on slim-fast shakes and frozen lean cusines and I started this crazy 1500 calorie diet. I was approx 390-400 lbs. It wasn't as bad as I expected. The day before surgery a few of my friends from work and my wife took me out for my "last meal". I went to the local BBQ shack and had a full rack of ribs. Normally, before the diet I could clean them off and still be hungry, however, I ended up sending almost half of them home with a co-worker! We then had a small desert and sat and talked for about an hour. It was the last time I really ate "real" food. The next morning my wife and I were up at 0430 getting showers and packing bags for my hospital stay. I was told to be prepared for a 3 day hospital stay. Surgery began at around 0900 and I was out and in recovery by 1030. No problems with sedation or intubation. However, I was slightly oversedated and sent to the ICU for the night because they were worried about the sedation and my sleep apnea becoming a problem. I don't remember much of this. The most I remember is having a cathader that I kept asking to be taken out and waking up with the CPAP mask on at one point. The next day at around 0800 I was taken for a swollow study (worse tasting stuff in my life). Everything looked great! Cathader was taken out and I was released to drink clear liquids! A few hours later I was moved out of ICU up to a regular floor bed. My wife spent hours with me at the hospital, encouraging me to get up out of bed to walk and get the gas off my stomach. She made sure that I was getting adequate nutrition as well as enough Water to drink. She even brought me fat free milk! On the Friday after surgery I called her to come get me. They removed my JP drain and got me ready to go. I was able to go home and get a FULL NAP!!! I actually felt good enough when I woke up to go to the grocery with her to get some broth, Soups, and yogurts. Since then, I am down to only 1 pain pill a day if I go out for a long period of time. I haven't gone back to work, but don't have a follow up until Monday. I'm hoping to get the staples taken out of the incisions on Monday as well. They itch like crazy. And I'm super excited to start the mushy stage of my diet. I'm ready to get back to the gym and start walking and riding the bike and lose some of this weight a little quicker. I'm amazed at the little amout that I'm eating and it's keeping me satisfied. I already have more energy than I did before the surgery and I am able to stay awake longer during the day. I did cheat yesterday and had 1 lean hotdog. I ate it very slowly and didn't drink anything with it or afterwards. I didn't get sick, but I felt 100x's better afterwards. Guess, we're not all perfect lol Hope everyone else that has been sleeved is doing well also, and everyone getting ready to be sleeved is excited!

Hi bigjon76 Its nice to meet you too. I just got my surgery date on this past friday.Its on November 24th. I've been on cloud nine ever since. I feel exactly the same about not risking doing it on my own any longer. I'm 46 and have been blessed thus far considering being obese for so long without diabetes or high blood pressure until recently with pre diabetes and inconsistent blood pressure. So I welcome this new lifestyle change too. I am new to this site since September and haven't had much luck with people replying to my few posts I've made and I hope you have better luck than me. Wishing you a constant successfull journey. Looking forward to hearing how well you do with your surgery. Congrats

I had rny gastric bypass may 2, 2012. I had to have 2 blood transfusions and my blood pressure was higher then normal. They did the upper GI and found no leak so I was released after 2 days. When ingot home a couple days later I was having trouble keeping anything down. I was very thirsty all the time. I had a lot of pain in my belly button area that would go around to the lower back. I still had the jp drain in (thank God) I started seeing brown liquid in the drain and that's when I realized it was my protein shake. I went to my surgeon and he sent me to the ER and they did a cat scan and found a leak. They also found an abscess and a gastric gastric fistula. The leak cause the connection from my old stomach to my new pouch. So when ever I would eat or drink it would go out through the fistula into my drain and old stomach. My doctor admitted me into the hospital. I had to have a picc line and I was feed food bags. He couldn't go in to fix it because the area was to mushy. He wanted everything to dry out and then see if the fistula would close on its own. I was in the hospital for 18 days. I missed my daughters high school graduation. I was so upset. I even began to question why I did this surgery. After I was released from the hospital he kept me on the food through the picc line. I had to have home health care. A nurse came out once a week for about 2 months. Finally everything was getting better. All my vitals were back to normal. The doctor did another cat scan and decided the fistula was so tiny that no food would pass through it so we decided to wait and see if it would close on its own. I started on the diet I lost a lot of weight. I started at 264 lbs and lost over 105 lbs. about my year mark I started having trouble keeping any food down everything made me throw up. I kept complaining about the pain it felt like something was always getting stuck. He checked for a stricture I didn't have one. We checked the gallbladder, mine was fine. Everything we checked we couldn't find what was the source of all this pain. Finally he did a endoscopy. I had a pretty good size ulcer. They put me on carafate and 2 other antacids for 6 months. The pain and everything just kept getting worse. I asked if the fistula could cause the problem. He said it was to small. Well we did another endoscopy and now the ulcer is tripled in size. Now I barely eat anything. I went in for an upper GI. As I drank the stuff I watched on the screen all the liquid go into my old stomach. The fistula was bigger. The acid in my old stomach was coming through the fistula and caused the ulcer and damaged my pouch. I was told I had to go in for gastric revision. March 12, 2014 I went into the hospital and the doctor removed the upper part of my old stomach were the fistula was and he had to take down the pouch and rebuild it using part of my intestine. He said this surgery is more intense then the first and I would be in a lot more pain because of all the scar tissue and mess he had to repair from the first surgery. I was in the hospital for 3 days. I am now 6 weeks post op. I feel so much better this time. I was not in as much pain as the first time. I honestly believe that God said I was in enough pain the first time, that I didn't need it this time. I weighed today at 130 lbs. my new pouch is smaller then the normal size so I need to make sure I get my protein and water in. I was told I may have to eat a little more often. But so far I'm doing great. I am glad. Went through this surgery if I didn't the weight would have killed me. Even with the complications I would do it again if I had to. Everything has risks. I had a great surgeon who was there for me every step of the way. And I had a lot of family and friends support. And I pray to God everyday for giving me the faith to get through this and heal.

Do not get the band!!!! The research says if you do your chances of another surgery are about 50% by year 10 and continue to go up thereafter because of complications. I personally never would choose a surgery with a 50% long term complication rates that are severe enough to require surgery. Unfortunately that data was not available when I got mine so I became a statistic and had my band revised to bypass last year. Love my bypass.

I am 2 days post op and in feeling pretty good. Of course I am having a lot of pain and my pain meds make me itch all over. My biggest problem is that I am soooo thirsty. I cannot just gulp my ice water down line I want to ????. I never feel like I have quenched my thirst. I have actually learned to spice my chicken broth up enough so I look forward to it. Lol. I am so excited about this start to my new life. I am dreading having to drink the protein shakes. I just feel nauseous at the thought of it. I don't like them. I do know my dr told me it will probably take me all day to get the 8oz shake down. I would love to hear from other bypassers and how you are doing.