Search the Community

I had my bypass on 11/30 so I'm 8 days post-op today. My nutritionist's goal for me is 64 oz of Fluid including 60-80g of Protein. I am choking trying to get this Water down. I have tried 50/50 diluted clear juice, flavoring the water with Dysani drops and iced tea drops (a number of flavors), and using sf Jell-O to fill in for a couple ounces here and there. I feel like I'm being waterboarded trying to get this down. Additionally, it's very uncomfortable. I take small sips and even those are hurting every so often. I know I'm still healing, but ugh....my patience is wearing thin. Any recommendations on getting the job done? How long before I can swallow, belch, or heaven forbid hiccup without pain? The hiccup is the worst - you don't realize how much of your digestive system is involved in a hiccup until all of it is sore! I can't take the oxycodone because it makes me horrifically itchy, the tylenol tablets were getting stuck and children's tylenol makes me gag, so on top of it I'm suffering through without any pain relief. (By the way - if you want to just slap me and tell me to stop whining, I get it. I just reread what I wrote and I want to slap myself! Argh!!)

I am grateful that my psych had the bypass surgery 7 years ago, so she knows what she was talking about. She kept asking me if I was sure I wanted the sleeve and why. I told her I wanted something that could not be reversed; did not want the malabsorption and the nausea.

Awesome job! I cannot wait had to reschedule mine for January 18th, was scheduled for November 30th but my 15 year old son broke his arm and had to have surgery. Keep focused and congratulations! Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

I had mine done in Philadelphia but go to Dr Peter Leport in Fountain Valley, they have a bunch of doctors in the office. I know there is a Bariatric doctor at the hospital in the Hillcrest area which is where my sister had her bypass. Worst case my doc for cash pay charges 250 for a fill and then the office visit of 35.00.. My insurance is paying for my fills now. Which is far better than one of the doctors locally here that required me to pay 3,700.00 just to get an appt with him, then pay for the fill, then pay for an office visit. Even if insurance was to have paid they would make you cough up cash up front just to see this ROCKSTAR!! lol.. I don't think so

Yep it can make it worse and does for some.. There have been more than a few people here that had to convert to bypass afterwards because it was so bad... But some get better afterwards.. You will see some here that say it was "cured" and they feel great now! The studies on it are all over the place, just like the doctors recommendations. Some will treat and operate some will say that you should not have the sleeve and should do the bypass.

I am 14 days out from open surgery. I had to bypass due to complications I only weigh 99lbs so far am keen to start eating as soon as possible. I don't seem to have problems eating. Can anyone advice when it would be good to eat solids.

What type of weight loss surgery did you have? If you had bypass you might try the pouch test which allows you to understand if you have stretched the pouch. You can google "Pouch test" or 5 Day pouch test. It basically has you begin the first week as if you just had your surgery. I would start by totally going back to the basics. Liquid diet. And then introduce high Protein, low carb meals back into your diet. Are you exercising? if not, you have to get back on that horse right away, it will help boost your metabolism. Also make sure you are getting 64 oz. of Water per day. All of those things will help you get back on track. Good luck!

I'm just now 3 months out from RNY gastric bypass, so I'd be happy to try to answer any questions you have. I'm actually surprised you can get in 1900 calories a day. At a month, I was only eating about 200-300 calories a day and I am only up to about 500 at best. In our program, they told us to eat about 2-4 tablespoons of food (or drink protein drinks) 5 times a day to start, increase gradually. At about 1 month when -- we could get in more volume -- they had us cut back to 3 meals a day. They told us not to worry about counting calories; focus on good quality protein (Beans, nuts (nut butters at your stage), fish, and chicken if you could tolerate it). But our final "goal" once we're at maintenance -- and that's usually about a YEAR out -- is 1200-1500 calories a day. Of course if you have a really high BMI, like above 50, or you are super tall and/or muscular and/or an elite athlete, I could see how 1900 calories might be enough of a drastic reduction to lose weight (my starting BMI was was about 43). In terms of volume, how much are you eating? That to me is an easier way to gauge things. (For example, at a month out, I could eat about 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, and was told I was eating a little less than most of the other folks in my group. Now I am eating about 3/4 to 1 cup of food per meal.) Are you being careful not to drink fluids for at least 30 minutes after eating/drinking anything that has calories? Drinking too soon after eating flushes the food thru your pouch so you don't get that "full" feeling. Also, are you taking plenty of time to chew (20 chews per bite!), and eating slowly enough that your meal takes at least 30 minutes to finish? It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to pick up sensations in your stomach, so eating slowly really helps feel the restriction. Hope these things help.

hi everyone! This site is so helpful! I want to thank everyone for talking here. It really helps me to research the band and all related questions. My name is Kathy and I live in NC, just outside of Charlotte. I am considering banding in Mexico (insurance doesn't pay for bands, only gastric bypass, which I don't want to do). So off I will go, hopefully in March 2005, to see Dr. Kuri. I have 2 young children, ages 5 and (almost) 2. My husband is supportive but very nervous about 1) me be-bopping off to TJ for major surgery and 2)incurring a bit of temporary debt until I can go back to work and pay this off. But he feels like this is a good solution for my struggle with weight loss. As he says, "just quit eating so much" but he knows it's more than that. I have been exercising faithfully for a full year and have lost and kept off 20 lbs, but I haven't lost anything since October. My goal is another 80-95 lbs. I currently weigh 220, but would like to see 145-160. BMI is 36.6 and I am 5'5". My percentage of body fat, according to the gym machine, is 43.6%. Yuck! I will be 40 this year (May 2005) which is what made me look into all this. I am weary of struggling and depriving myself and I don't want my 40's to be a decade of discouragement. Seems too much to hope for, but maybe with the band I can succeed. Here are some things I have learned by lurking... lurking-reading everything but not writing or contributing in any other way PBing-yuck but I have a perfect understanding of that DH-could be "Darling Husband" but probably means "D*&%" Husband avatar-whatever, I can't figure out how to do that but I think I have a smiley face, no pic tickers-no clue but I'll keep clicking NSV-what? it's something good though. patient facilitators-to trust or not to trust? Oh, there is so much to learn! Again, thank you everyone for all of your posts. They are really helpful and I hope to be able to contribute when the time comes. And...all you who have posted before and after pics...thank you-you have given me hope!

Hey guys!!! My name is Suzy. I'm 23 years old and live in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I had gastric bypass surgery on July 22nd 2014. I have a blog if any of you want to read it! It's pretty new, and it's all about my life (especially focusing on this surgery and my experience with it this far). I am a social work major and I just want to help people. I made the blog so I could give an insight into this experience. So many peoples blogs helped me, so all I want to do is pay it forward. Feel free to ask any questions, I am an open book. Love to all! http://dimandgirl.wordpress.com --> blog Suzy Zuffante (Dimand) --> facebook sdimand@gmail.com --> email

You just have to keep reminding yourself you have chosen the safest WLS around. The rate of mortality is super low, way better than with bypass. And look to the future and all the positive changes you are going to experiance. I try to keep it positive or I would totally talk myself out of it. Gonna be banded 8/8/08:thumbup:

Hi! I am so happy to have found you guys! I have been on a local board since my surgery on November 30th, but there are only 5 or 6 people that post there....I look forward to getting a larger group of people's opinions and feedback.

Another starry eyed bandster meets reality. Many bandsters ignore the warnings and advice of the doctors, nutritionists and support goups, in favor of the utopian ramblings of the very very few who meet extreme success immediately after surgery? I somewhat recall a year ago as I was going through the seminars, doctor visits, support groups and reading this forum that the weight will come off slowly. But I don't recall anyone mentioning "Bandster Hell"? I've commented on BH numerous times and probably will in the future. I lost 12 lbs the first 30 days. Then nothing for the next 3.5 months. It took me 6 fills and 6 months to finally get to the green zone. I started losing weight again in my 5th month. Slowly, very slowly losing weight. 40-50 lbs of weight loss by November is unrealistic for most of us. If you weigh 350 lbs, it's possible to lose that much but only because you're carrying around about 40 lbs of excess fluids trapped in your fat cells. So you can lose weight but not necessarily fat. Your band is not tight enough most likely and won't be for a few fills. It happens to almost all of us. You will have hunger problems until you get some restriction. B-52 is a forum member and he always says: "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet"! This is so true. So, almost all of us have been where you are and many of us were disappointed the band didn't start to work miracles immediately. I know I was. Brace yourself for a long journey but a journey worth taking. Hang in there, it will get better, slowly. tmf

LAP-BAND,laparoscopic banding,bariatric surgery,obesity Tracy's FAQ LAP-BAND: Surgery Technique Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared You could also join his egroup and talk to lots of other patients. It's really a great group. Dr. Aceves is the VP of the Mexican Bariatric Assoc., and the Secretary of the International Bariatric Assoc. Both those positions are voted on by members so he is even respected by US docs. Things that you want to look for are issues such as... does your doc do surgery in a clinic or hospital? Mexico is not the same as the US, if you were to have a complication in a clinic and needed to be transported to a hospital it is not as easy as calling 911 and they are there in minutes. It's a whole different ballgame. I preferred to be in a fully equipped hospital with an ER, ICU, CCU, PICU, OR, etc. What kinds of procedures does the doc do? Does he ONLY do banding? Banding is the easiest of all procedures. I chose Aceves because he can do the tricky stuff, the bypass to band revisions, sleeve, etc. Many docs won't touch the hard stuff. How close do you want to be to the border? Some have a preference, some do not. I wanted to be close to the border. Just my personal opinion but I think the best two docs in Mexico from my research are Rumbaut and Aceves. They are who others refer to for the more complicated procedures. They both work out of a hospital, they don't do assembly line surgery, they both open the patient, place the band, and close the patient unlike other docs who have the asst. surgeon do most of the work. They are both well respected in the Mexican medical community, they both train US docs in banding, they are both safe surgeons. When people talk about how many bands someone has done, keep in mind that many times the docs strive to do 10 procedures a day. They have the Asst. Surgeon do most of the work, they spend about 15 minutes in OR with the patient, the asst. does everything else. Personally, I wouldn't want to be the 10th OR patient in the day. Rumbaut and Aceves limit their surgeries to 4-5 daily because they are doing the entire procedure. Lots of things to think about and consider when going to Mexico. It can be a very safe experience, but research is essential.

Hi everyone, I had my first visit with Dr. Spivak on 11.30.05. I had a few problems with insurance but that is supposed to be straightened out now. I should be approved any day now and I hope to have surgery the last week of October. I am very excited and scared at the same time. I have been reading posts off and on since last November so I feel like I know most of you. I haven't posted very often but I plan to be regular from now on. I look forward to getting to know all of you!

I've had my band 2 years and still have questions. The group that did my surgery requires followup each year. That's to maintain their status of center of excellence. What I wish they had was a more structured program with more followups not just once a year. There support groups were not very good. They had both bypass and band meet together, with the majority being bypass. That said, I have to call for an appointment and see the doctor. I think if your losing or maintaining if you have made it to goal you don't need to see the drs or have a fill.

Hi everyone, just wanted to say hi to all on the forum. I am from England, just outside of London and have not been banded yet. I have my consultation 27th Oct and hopefully surgery sometime in November. I am very exicted about this as have been overweight for a very long time now (BMI 36). I just wanted to say that this forum is fantastic and I have been reading many of your comments and it has given me that extra push to go ahead and do this. You are all so positive about this procedure and have done so well with your weight loss. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a failure that I havent been able to do this with just diet and exercise, particularly as my husband is a personal fitness trainer, but after 10 years of being overweight enough is enough! Thanks Gillian

So I initially went in to start my bariatrics process at the hospital in February of 2020. They estimated the time was 6-8 months start to finish (surgery). This was right before the pandemic hit. Now being in Canada by March everything was starting to shut down. Panic was in motion and my initial consultation in Februarg followed by a group orientation in late February was all I had got to do in person. The next appointment I had wasn't until July! Like you it was on zoom. That I believe was a consult with the social worker. Basically someone who talked to me and asked me a bunch of mental health questions. Mostly to see if I was of sound mind, not super depressed or suicidal and if I was mentally prepared to go forward with surgery. She had one follow up over the phone a month later then signed off on her end. Next was the dietician who did what dieticians do, ran me through a PowerPoint presentation about the 3 food groups. I was given a little homework to do over the next 6 weeks. I had to fill dietary sheets saying how much I drank that day, what I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus snacks. Times and a note about what type of food that was (ie protein, carb, vegetable). Just basically making sure I understood food groups. Once submitted she reviewed them and another couple weeks later we went over it on the phone. She made some corrections, went over food groups AGAIN.. and gave some suggestions on what I could have to balance a meal. She discussed briefly the phase 1 pre-op diet, phase 2 liquid diet and phase 3 pureed diet. Gave suggestions and ideas about what to eat, to avoid etc. Nothing you can't find online with a little research. Finally she signed off. Then the 2nd wave hit in November and everything shut down again. Fast forward I finally did my second doctor consult in January of 2021 and he reviewed the dieticians notes and social workers and then signed off. Throughout this entire now year that had gone by I was only ever initially weighed in and measured the first month. Blood work done that first month. A year had past and no updates to either were requested. More time goes by and I did a surgeon zoom meeting and he just asked me basic questions. I think the most in depth thing he asked for was to visibly see my stomach and move my head around so he could see my neck function. Then I had a brief phone call with pre-op questions. Finally a surgery date in May was issued. Again a third wave hit and that was cancelled. Finally I had my surgery July 23rd 2021.. nearly a year and a half after starting the process. That's socialist free health care for you though.. so I guess I can't complain. Anyways that's the process I went through and I too was concerned at no point they asked for updated blood work or weigh ins. There was no real monitoring of diet aside from just telling the dietician I understood and showing her a brief demonstration. Throughout that year and a half I fell off the advised diet a bunch of times. I was very dedicated at first, then the delays discouraged me. The additional delays and run around and feeling like this is simply never going to happen really made me fall off. By the time my May surgery date came around I was eating like I ate before, I kind of just didn't care any more. I was also drinking a lot of calories. At some point I fell off the diet drinks and went back to regular and with no bloodwork monitoring or being held accountable, I drank myself into diabetes type 2. Which was found a 3 weeks before surgery when I was checked for the first time ever at a clinic for my blood sugar, which was a 26.8 on the meter. My own fault entirely, but had they done more in person check ups and diagnostics they might've noticed I wasn't losing weight, my sugar levels were getting high. Maybe steps could have been made to help me be accountable and stay on track. After all I'm an addict to food and flavor, leaving me for a year and a half with no support to do it all on my own just didn't work out for me. So I do hope your process goes faster and smoother than mine. But you are not wrong in being concerned by the lack of in-person check ups. Do yourself a favor and speak up and don't just stay silent like I did.

My one month post op was November 5 and I am also down 20lbs!!! Has appointment with surgeon yesterday and he did not give me any fill since I was doing so well. I really don't have much of an appetite and have stuck with my meal plans very well. Small meals and lots of water. Very excited about how well I am doing. Maybe you need to eat more protein. Good luck and keep up the good work, it will pay off.

Jennifer, You are a young thirty, I am thirty one and I have a friend who had gastric bypass. She went with me to my intial consultation and she asked my surgeon to explain his choice. And he said, I was young, lap band is reversible, less evasive, blah blah! The main thing that stuck with me is.... I am young and I can do this! Bypass is easier because you don't have to work that hard at losing weight. But as someone else mentioned, why cut your stomach off? Also, when something comes so easy.....maybe that's why the weight comes back with bypass. Because you didn't work at it! I have not been banded but I believe the lap band is a better choice and you have to work with the band and be dedicated to a change in your life. If you work with the band and have a regular excercise routine. It will work in your benefit and perform just as good as the bypass. Things that come fast are not always the best.... NO matter what anyone says...You have to look at what's best for you. Explore your history and really dig and find out how you gained the weight(i.e. overeating, choices in food, or whatever your reason), and think about how you lose weight, and how you have to work at losing weight. And I think you will find your answer there.... Just my 2 cents

Could you explain why? At the moment I am leaning towards gastric bypass because: 1) I don't want to be considering a revision surgery in a few years if I am not successful with the band. 2) The amount of maintenance a band requires (I live two and a half hours from my surgeon).

I can understand your feelings. I am scheduled for surgery July 17 and I am anxious & happy. But my happiness is outweighing me being anxious. Kind of weird to have them at the same time. I had two surgeries on my feet in the past and risks were discussed & I understood them. Unfortunately, surgery wasnt successful so I will have to have another surgery next year. I have chronic pain too. I can accept that because I understood the risk & possible outcome. So, with the gastric bypass surgery I have a good understanding of the risks and to always check in with my doctor if I encounter any problems and or if something is not right. My surgeon Dr Joyce is such a great surgeon. I trust him. It really helps when you and your surgeon can bond. You trust him and he trusts you to call him when there is a problem. This is a big decision and it will get us on a healthier pathway. Choosing to be healthy is always a good thing. The thoughts I have about being healthy outweighs the risks or complications that may happen. God is good God give us strength

I have posted how I came about my decision before, and since I am lazy, I will copy paste..... I went in wanting the sleeve. My surgeon asked me what my expectations were, and what my main concerns were. Each of my smaller concerns she would stop me and say... either will do that. Then I asked the big one... When I am old, which one would be better. When I am 70-80, or in a nursing home, or if I am in a horrible accident, if I needed a full time feeding tube to help keep me alive, which one would work, and which one would be a huge problem, and she said.. Get the bypass if you are concerned with 50 years from today. Feeding tubes are easy to insert in the stomach that is left inside. With a sleeve, theres nothing to put it in other than the sleeve or intestine, and quality of life would dimish. Diabetes runs in the family. I don't have it now, but I don't want it later. RNY can do that for me. She also said that in HER practice, 20% of the RNY she performs, are a revision from sleeve. She said that in her patients with sleeve, many show that after 3 years, they no longer feel ANY restriction at all... and that they are regaining weight. Long-term, she has seen much better maintenance with the bypass.

My surgeon will not do banding. He does the sleeve and the bypass. He suggested the bypass to me for several reasons based on my specific medical issues. I agreed with his rationale and will be having bypass.

I was planning to have the sleeve, in fact I was set on it for over a year. After I had all my appointments, the upper GI scan showed that I have reflux, which I didn't know about. I thought I only got heartburn every once in a while. I discussed it with my doctor and he told me that the sleeve can make reflux worse, so bad in fact that he has several patients who chose to have the sleeve that are no getting revisions to bypass. Since the bypass pretty much cures reflux, I changed my mind. The bottom line is, I am having this surgery to help fix problems, not create new ones, and with that in mind the bypass was the right choice for me. I finally have my surgery on Monday, June 1st! I cannot wait! Good luck on your journey.