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Hey guys, I'm wondering how long after my bypass I should wait before I can start to do some mild upper body work with dumbbells? I've had a personal trainer for years up until about 9 months ago (when I had an illness AND moved country) so my technique is pretty good. I just want to do bicep curls, some tricep work, shoulder presses, some vertical rows - even with light weights. Any experience or tips from you gents? Cheers, J

After Bypass surgery your body gets dumped with hormones so a lot of people feel like this!! It does get better but if it continues, make sure and talk to someone! Were you taking any anti-depressants before surgery? If so, they may need to be adjusted due to your body absorbing everything different or not at all.

Did anyone have a rough start with the band to bypass revision??? I had Mine done on 8/8 and I was doing great in the begininng now I cant drink/sip anything and Im throwing up and still in hospital. Would really like to hear your stories

I'm 5'8 438lb and started my journey in January 2016....at my initial consultation with my surgeon I let the doctor know I was on the fence between the Sleeve and RNY he didn't advised me that I would need to lose weight for either procedure but now wbthat my insurance has approved the wants me to lose 30lb before he would do the bypass...it would have been nice if I told me this 6 months ago, but Im excited and after reading some of the testimonials of the sleevers I'm confident this will be a wonderful tool for me.... hopefully this Monday I will get my surgery date abd in prepped to begin the pre op liquid diet Sent from my HTC6500LVW using the BariatricPal App

Thank you so much! Due to my issues, the doctor suggested RNY gastric bypass.

Hi Cassy - Check out the new Vertical Sleeve Talk website Alex set up and just released TODAY ... Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) Surgery Forum Also check out the VSG forum on LBT - you can read all about the sleeve and those who have had revisions from band to sleeve and the reasons why. I haven't had the sleeve yet; however, after all of the research I have done, I am 100% certain the band is not for me. The sleeve does involve cutting away and removing part of your stomach; however, it leaves the pilori portion so you get the full feeling and you don't have any malabsorption issues; plus you don't have any foreign objects in your body. All I can say is RESEARCH RESEARCH and then RESEARCH SOME MORE before you make the decision that you believe is right for you.

My doctor wants to perform a sleeve. I would prefer a bypass due to my eating history and desire to succeed and make it last. I dont want to go back later and have to have the bypass if I have already done a sleeve. Please advice me, not really sure what to say or do at this point. I want surgery even if it's just the sleeve. Will it work? Is it a ploy to get revision money later? [emoji15] Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi All! 7 years of being banded myself. I wanted to hear from the really long timers (if your on this board) and your story. How are you doing? I have to make a decision about a revision to a new band this week, and not sure about. Just wondering how successful people have been, if they have their bands, how many surgeries or issues they have had, etc. etc.

I only lost 30 lbs with the lap band (had it in for 1 year). I then developed massive Reflux (I actually had stopped taking nexium for 6 months...then it got so bad I was stuck drinking EAS protein drinks and my med was upped to Dexalant (a stronger more expensive drug for Reflex..which still doesn't cut it). My Dr. Thinks I have scarred tissue around the band area and wants to remove it to give me 6-8 weeks before bypass (without anything). Today I am having the band out...I am so scared to be without anything but I plan on eating healthy and working out (for this week it will be lots of walking)...My Dr seemed to think bypass is a better it for me (when they reroute your stomach you will not have Reflex at all) and He thinks I will be more successful in my weight loss journey....I am 250lb now and have approx 110 lbs to lose...I got this!

I figured I would create this blog so as not to hog up space posting in various topic areas. I also wanted a place that I could just write and record my feelings about my WLS journey. Since being sleeved on 12/26, this has been one of the most difficult medical related situations that I have ever encountered. You read all the information, you follow posts on the site, your doctor is constantly talking to you - along with his entire team, you talk to others who have had the surgery, you go to all the required meetings scheduled by the nutritionist and medical practice; or as required by the insurance company and STILL, nothing really prepares you for what your journey will be like post surgery. Pre-surgery I stayed on my doctor's office and insurance company to approve this surgery. I wanted the weight off, I needed the weight off, I was miserable with the weight. I was also very disappointed because I had had a prior weight loss surgery e.g. lapband and it was dismal failure. At most I think I lost 30lbs. When I saw my DIL and how well the sleeve surgery "looked" on her, I knew I had made a mistake with the band, but at the time I thought "oh well" I'm stuck with what I have. Over time I began looking into the options regarding revision. My first physician who placed the band in wasn't budging in considering a revision - so I got another doctor. At first the new doc was a bit resistant, but after 6-7 months of no progress, he finally approved the procedure; and so did my insurance company. Of course I was ready to self-pay if they didn't. A loan, anything, I was desperate. Surgery was scheduled on 12/26 and off I went to my new me... Post-op things seemed to be progressing well during my initial hospital stay, overnight - except for my experience with the overnight nurse assigned to monitor me throughout the night. He just was not helpful and would not give me pain medication in timely manner. I made such a fuss and actually threatened to leave the hospital if someone didn't help me. Finally, some pain meds and off to sleep I went. Needless to say that I was so interested in getting out of there that the minute my doctor asked me the following morning if I was ready to leave the hospital, I said absolutely. I had gotten up early that morning and was actually feeling pretty good, probably all that fluid they were pumping in me via the IV. I was able to wash up on my own and get dressed, so I thought...ok this is good. I couldn't drink water at that point or anything else, but I was even ok with that. I wasn't feeling hunger at this point, I just wanted to go home. Home - this is where the journey really gets interesting... After about two days, I still couldn't tolerate liquids - especially anything cold, so I mainly subsisted on hot tea and popicles. Periodically I would try to drink one of the many varieties of protein drinks I had purchased in advance of surgery, but they were all horrible and I couldn't get them down anyway. I think for the first 2 weeks, I was literally starving myself to death. Finally it got to a point where I couldn't keep anything down. By the time I got to my 1st follow-up appointment with the doc, I felt weak and confused e.g. what the heck is going on confused. What happened, why am I feeling this way confused. I asked my doc and he said... the good news you have lost 17lbs isn't that great! Uh yeah, but I'm starving and puking anything I try to take in and I'm not taking anything in. I wanted to lose weight in the worst way, but I didn't want to starve myself to death. He said, it will get better - and if I was still vomiting after a week or so, call him - an endoscopy procedure may be in order. He sends in the Nutritionist who reviews my meal plan with me. What meal plan?!, but ok - I go over what I'm supposed to eat, what I'm not and some food options to consider. As I was leaving the office, one of the Physician's Assistants who had been helping me push to get the surgery approved, said quietly on the side - don't wait to call the office back if I was still vomiting, no need to suffer he said. Boy was I suffering. In fact the following day, I called the doctor's office and said I can't take it anymore, they have to do something. I could barely get out of bed. The following day I was scheduled for the endoscopic procedure. The doc who performed the procedure said that he saw some blockage from scar tissue, so he inserted a balloon that would help stretch the opening of the stomach so I could get something in. What a relief I thought... Following the procedure I was able to get fluid in, not much but at least broth, soup, more popicles, hot tea. In fact one day I actually ate some shrimp and started buying different foods that I could try e.g. mushy's. I guess that wasn't the best idea, the shrimp stayed down - but some of my other selections e.g. shellfish did not cooperate at all; even though I would chew this stuff until it was water. Finally, I got tired of trying to eat and just stuck with broth, creamy soup, popsicles and hot tea until even the thought of these foods turns my stomach. Don't want to forget all the pill popping e.g. vitamins, calcium, antacid, gas x, additional Vit D... Anyway the next round has been gas and diaherra (which is still the case). A couple of days, I couldn't make up my mind whether to go to the bathroom, vomit or both - sometimes it is both. Oh yes, i forgot this whole time I've been so weak, that I could not work, I live alone with minimal support or encouragement - so depression began to creep in; until it was so full blown that I asked my PCP to put me back on depression meds, that I had been off for the last year. So now, 4 weeks and 3 days into this journey, I'm sitting here wondering exactly how am I feeling. I have been able to add a couple of more foods to my list of what I can tolerate. Yesterday I was finally able to drink water and drank a whole bottle. I am also slowly beginning to tolerate drinking juice from the fridge; although slowly and very cautiously. My sleeve seems to be "teaching" me what it will accept and what it won't - it is very, very particular and any misstep on my part will be dealt with immediately and painfully. In fact, if I get ahead of myself, I'll be right back to clear liquids if not the same day, the following day. I still haven't developed a taste for protein drinks, but there is one that I can tolerate more than others. I'm sure my doc would say it has too much sugar in it, but it's either that one or none. After 2-3 weeks of practically starving, I'm just glad I'm able to tolerate anything close to protein. I definitely don't overdo anything - too scared and too tired of being sick and too weak to move beyond the bed, bathroom and kitchen (just to look around, cause eating is limited). So is it getting better? Well I have my good days and bad days, today seems to be going ok - yesterday too. Today I had a boiled egg. Wow - who would have ever thought that eating a boiled egg would be a major thing in someone's daily life. To be continued.

Thats cool Margo My one friend who had GBP about 5+ years ago told me she wished she had the option at that time to have the band. She IS doing wonderful with the bypass btw.

Does anyone else here have doubts about the surgery? I have no doubt that I want to lose 80 to 100 pounds. I have already lost about 100, although gradually over about ten years. Now I am sixty, see how the extra weight affects my knees and I'm scared. I've been scheduled for surgery two times before and backed out. Why? I don't wish to offend anyone who did a RnY. My surgeon says it is the gold standard of weight loss. And I have read about many stories of folks who opted for the gastric sleeve only to go back for the RNY. If I had WLS it's going to be the RnY. I'm not afraid of the reocvery when my new stomach heals. I can handle pain and struggle. I am not at all anxious about needing to eat small portions forever, avoid sguar -- which never crosses my lips now! and hasn't for years. I don't want my large intestine to be bypassed and for my body to be subjected to malabsorption of nutrition. I don't mind taking supplements for the malabsorption. B-12, calcium, multivitamin, Vitamin D -- I've been taking these for ayear to ready for the surgery. I've been eating the pre=op diet for about a year, too, which means two protein shakes, four ounces of protein and one cup veggies so of course I've lost a lot of weight this year. And I don't care about food all that much and I care about it less now than ever. And I want to be slim, for my health, for my knees, so I live a long time. But I have Type I diabetes, so the surgery will not cure it. And my biggest problem, and I don't expect to find any sympathy here because everyone here is readying for surgery or has had it . .. but it just doesn't seem right to me to bypass my large intestine forever, to subject my body to malabsorption of nutrients for the rest of my life. It seems wrong, like playing God. So today I called my surgery case manager to cancel -- she did not return my call. I called my surgeon's scheduler to cancel and she was off today. Are these signs? I want to lose weight but I don't want to have a RnY. I suspect many who chose the gastric sleeve had similar concerns, they did not wish to permanently bypass their large intestine and the sleeve seems less invasive and leaves the basic nutritional system intact. But the Sleeve is often switched to the RnY, right? Anyone else feel as I do? I want to be slender but I don't think I can accept permanent malabsorption of nutrition.

I personally can't recommend a DR, but I have worked at Holy Cross and went to a seminar that Dr Barry Greene was having, he is no longer there, he is at Shady Grove Hospital and when I went to the realizeband site and put in my old zipcode his name came up. You might want to check him out, he has been doing bypass for years and he does fills of course on the lap band. Hope this helps. Good Luck and God bless.

I, too, was frustrated so much at my slow rate of loss. I was seeing so many on these boards losing so much so fast that i was feeling defeated when i had only lost like 15lbs a month out. I am about 2.5 months out now and "only" down 33lbs (310 to 277 lbs) and have resigned myself to just "keep with the process" and what will happen will happen. There's not much else i can do. My body is just not one of those bodies that is going to lose quickly. But if i continue to follow the program, i can't go anywhere but down, right? My big butt cannot sustain all this weight only eating 600-700 cals/day, plus exercise. I thought that too, that people who didn't have this drastic-ass procedure lose weight at 1-2 lbs a week, same as what's happening to me now (unless im in a stall, which i have been in SEVERAL TIMES already in 2 months!). But, like a poster above said, the difference is I don't feel hungry all the time, like I'm forcing myself into this diet of starvation like i used to. It's easy now for me to only eat 4 ounces of food and push away from the table, for instance. Also, keep in mind, just because we're only eating 400-600 cals/day, doesn't mean we're going to lose faster. I, too, thought that initially. But when i started including more grams of healthy fats a day (almonds) and about 100 more cals, i started losing more. That's the hardest part, i think, is finding the sweet spot of cals/day, fat grams/day, protein/day, carbs/day, etc to where ur body doesn't think ur starving it. I think my body was holding onto weight before i started increasing the macros. And I'm ok now but i know I'll have to change again as my weight gets lower. Bottom line, its a pain in the butt...but it's way easier now post-op than it was pre-op, don't u think? Maybe it's a mental thing but whatever it is, I've finally given in to the process. Eat better, exercise daily. There's no magic trick (eg, rny bypass)...just tools to make it easier. You'll get there too! Ps. I still cannot get in 64oz of water/day. No matter what i do, i just can't do it. I'll continue to strive but as of now, i can only get in, max, 30-40oz/day. Yes it would be good if i could drink all sorts of water, but my body seems to be accepting of my lower intake...for now. It may change or it may not. I just have to wait and see. My point is...just keep trying. That's all we can do.

I am 6 weeks post op from gastric bypass and have not lost weight in 4 days . Is this normal ?

Hi all, I was originally told by my surgeon's office that the insurance "approved" the band-to-bypass revision, but unfortunately there were some miscommunications on their end and the insurance company actually denied (they are saying that it's not sufficient enough to approve this surgery because the band is still technically in place and hasn't "failed" even though medically it has failed in terms of WL success and more than occasional vomiting). Talk about a roller-coaster - - excitement and hope followed by sadness and dispare... but I want this badly (and NEED it), so I'm about to draft an appeal letter. Do any of you have advice on what I should state in the appeal letter? Any other suggestions? Thanks, ~Micheal

Picked up a copy of Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies at borders books for $19.95. It's great and answers a lot of questions in plain language that most of us have and some we hadn't thought about. It covers LapBand and Bypass issues and clearly keeps issues with each seperate. There are Nook and Kindle versions too at about $10.00. I think its worth having on the bookshelf. Here's a cheat sheet link to whats covered in the book in more detail: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/weight-loss-surgery-cookbook-for-dummies-cheat-she.html

I am getting the Gastric Bypass on January 29, 2015.Kinda nervous and excited all at one time. Lets see what the future holds!

Ok, so I am 7 months past surgery and only 28-30 pounds down!! I mean I know the band is not bypass so I am not expecting super dropping of numbers but I have had 2 months solid with no dropping at all. I am pretty realistic. My eating could be a bit better but at most I have a few oreos a week. I've had fast few a handfull of times since my surgery and if you look at my eating habits prior to surgery and now WOW, what a differance. What is really frusterating is I have just completed my first 5K, that is 3 miles, so fo the past 3 weeks I have been doing the 3 miles everyday with the exception of 2 days a week (3 one week). This is rediculous. If you look at my lifestyle before I am so drastically differant. PLUS, I didnt get a fill this month the last time I got one was 6 month and I am up to 7 1/2 cc's. I vomit pretty much every time I eat, not all but ALOT. So you think at the very least I should be dropping from that. I made a appt to see my doc but I am pretty upset with this whole thing. Agian I am not expecting to wake up tomorrow skinny but I feel like so much effort is put into this for very little. Anyone out there have the same effect??? or troubles???

Don't give up! Get all the education you need about Bypass and I'm sure you will be more comfortable with the decision.

Wow! You are quick at answering! Thanks:D I think that is where I was confused about the cc's. It makes more sense to me that the larger volume of saline solution they add the tighter the restriction. Thanks for clearing that up. That's awful about the old ports! Now that you mention it, I think my surgeon mentioned that problem to me when he was showing me the Lap Band. He said something to the effect that this was the "new" kind. I didn't understand the significance of it until now. How much of a process was your port revision? Was it done as surgery or just under local anesthesia?

Omg. I'm so happy. He said I was a perfect candidate for gastric bypass. I have to do 4 months of dietician appointments and then he will set up surgery day. I'm so happy I'm crying. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi everyone, my name is deb I'm 43 married with 2 kids and 2 granddaughters I live in Cheshire I'm 6 weeks post op, I had wls 10 years ago and lost 10 stones, havin putting my weight back I went back to my gp they agreed to do a revision from a vertical banded gastroplasty to a gastric bypass, there were a few complications but I think I'm finally on the better side, still in abit of pain but its alot better then it was, I've lost 20kgs but 8 of them were on my pre op diet, I've not lost any for 2 weeks and feel really disheartened I've not lost more, feels like I'm still in pain got nothing :-(

@@kerryberry16 Hi there! I just want to say that it is perfectly normal to have these doubts once you are set to have surgery. After all, it is a big one that will require a lot from you. I am 53, I was 310lbs at 5'10" when I had RNY. I had type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, severe gerd, sleep apnea, anemia, stage 3 kidney disease. It was the kidney disease that came from years of obesity that was the straw for me. A lot of these illnesses came on fast and when one came the other was right around the corner. My nephrologist (kidney specialist) is the one who suggested I consider WLS. He made sure that i understood that window was very small given my declining kidney function. If I got to a point where I was too sick, they would not operate. It took 9 months to get through the 6 month process from start to finish and by the time I got there I was so ready to have this done that if anything delayed it I became emotional. I just knew that having bypass was going to help me get control of my weight which in turn would Help me become healthier. That was what it was all about for me. Well I had my surgery nearly 2 years ago. Within 3 months ALL of my comorbitities were in remission including my kidney function. I was able to stop taking 8 prescriptions for things I simply did not suffer from. This surgery literally gave me back my life. That being said, it is NOT easy in any way, shape or form. Most bypass patients DO NOT get dumping syndrome. I believe the number is only about 30% and it usually stops after the first year or so. Some suffer with it longer. I tell you this mostly so that you know, you will likely not have it. Those that do get it really wish they didn't. The surgery really helps you control quantity of food at any one given time. You have to make the changes to your diet to put the right things in there the right amount of times per day. Now is the time to begin to make lots of changes. Many of us had food funerals, it is only natural to want to try the things that you think you will never have again. The reality is, you will be able to enjoy most foods just in smaller quantities. Don't let that fear change where you are headed. I am one of those people that waited way too long to have this surgery and nearly killed myself in the process. It caused me to develop severe osteoarthritis of the spine, shoulders and knees. Over the last 14 years I have had 6 back surgeries with 2 of them being after bypass. I also had to have my left shoulder rebuilt because of bone on bone arthritis. I am literally disabled because I allowed myself to continue down a deadly path with obesity. RNY is the best thing that ever happened to me and if I had to do it over again, I would do it 10 to 15 years sooner before all the damage to my body. Even with such severe osteoarthritis, I feel fantastic!!! Every single day is like a new birthday for me because I am not sick. I LOVE food. Its just a different food that I now crave. I was a sugarholic! After RNY your tastes really do change and you learn to love good quality Protein, good carbs like fruits and veggies. Yes, I do eat sweets now and then but I have learned to control myself. My nut taught me to believe everything in moderation and to eat a balance meal. After losing the first 50lbs, my activity level increased. My feet no longer hurt, my ankles and knees both improved dramatically. I was able to get up and down stairs without keeling over from lack of oxygen. LOL. Don't let your fears stop you from doing what you need to do to get healthy. You started this process for a reason, stay focused on that reason. Less than 5% of people are successful losing this kind of weight on their own and keeping it off long term. That is the key, keeping it off. Maintenance is hard work and you always worry about regain. The good news is, once you have RNY the tool is always there for you. You just need to build good eating habits. 90% of your weight loss will come from diet. I wish you the best of luck with this and I hope that you are able to get to a place where you are content with your decision.

I was recently revised to a sleeve so just go with an open mind in what surgery you want! I had to get rid of the band!