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I got my surgery date today... November 29th... Gastric Bypass... Now to start planning, getting together everything I need and trying to not stress myself out until then....

My maximum weight was 303 lbs. I am currently 133lbs. I got my gastric by pass on May 7th 2019 in Pennsylvania. Since then I have had so many issues and I do not know where to turn to anymore. I feel the dr and I have gone through every option there is to go through and it is still not enough. Immediately after surgery I was having issues with eating. I followed all the rules took all the vitamins and meds I was supposed to. Still could not keep food down. I ended up having to take my gallbladder out in Oct of 2019. I was with a horrible person and she left me because of my issues with my stomach. I moved back to my home town of Peoria Il. I had to go on a search to find a new Dr. that would take me as a patient. I found this to be a rather horrible task as some Drs do not like to do that because they don't know all that the previous Dr did with the surgery. I finally found one and he is a great Dr. He has kept me alive. After the gallbladder surg. I was still having issues with keeping food down. This started in February 2020. The only thing i could tolerate was broth. At this point I had to take all my meds in a liquid form. Finally The dr. sent me to a gastrologist for an endoscopy. It was shown that I had some scar tissue covering the entrance to my stomach so they did a dilation. There was also an ulcer found. I was put on 2 diff acid reducing meds to get rid of it along with nausea meds. To prevent a tear they had to do this several times. I had dropped down to 118lbs. very malnourished. My health was becoming a huge concern. One of the times that they went in to dilate the Dr ended up putting a hole in my intestine. I had to have an emergency surgery for repair. I spent 2 weeks in the hosp. When I woke up in recovery i had a wound vac, drains and a feeding tube. i went home with the feeding tube. This is now Sept 2020. My new Gastric bypass dr was trying to get me healthy enough to do a revision to help me tolerate food. I had a revision scheduled for Dec. 2020. Since this was during covid I had to be tested before surgery. Yes I tested positive. The surgery was postponed until Feb. Finally i had my surgery and was hoping that this was going to be the last and all would be good. The feeding tube was removed and I had to start over from scratch with eating. Clear liquid on up. At this point I am weak and thinking the worst that it is all over for me. I kept up the fight and it kept kicking me back. I was able to eat a little better for a few months after surgery. Then it all started over again. Every time I tried to eat i threw up. I called the dr. He said probably more scar tissue and that meant more dilation like before. So that was the plan more endoscopies. There was also another ulcer found. Upped the intake of the acid reducers and still not going away. I just kept dealing with this and eating what I could. I put up with this for a long time. Then in Oct. of 2022 it got really bad again. I was in and out of the ER for pain so many times I lost track. The dr. went in to check things out and the ulcer was back. There was no Rhyme or reason for this to keep coming back. I was referred to a Thoracic Surgeon in 2023. I finally was able to get in to see him. He scheduled me for a surgery to have my vagus nerve removed. (vagus nerves produce the acid in our stomach and mine was producing to much there fore causing the ulcer to never heal. When i came home I was still not able to eat food it made me sick. I wasn't in anymore pain but still could not tolerate food except for soft foods. Then it would be next to nothing. Somedays i could eat a bit more than others. I was released to go back to work on 4*12*24. I have been to the er once again for pain and not keeping food down. I was given a gi cocktail and felt better. I called the Dr and was told when it hurts drink Mylanta. I am now to the present day and have no answers. Please tell me there is solution for this. I cannot do this forever. I don't wish this on anyone but I hope someone else has been through this and can help.

Hi. I’ve just started my journey. I’m leaning towards the sleeve. How did you make your decision?

I was wondering if anyone that had gastric bypass took Paxlovid for Covid. It is amazing that I could not find any information on this topic on this website or any others. Knowing the decreased medication absorption after gastric bypass, can anyone let me know: 1) Did you take Paxlovid for the 5 days prescribed? 2) Was the Paxlovid administered as whole pills or did you crush the pills? 3) Any side effects? 4) Any advice? Thank you so much!

It looks like I may have to have a revision to Bypass now. I will know for sure next month after they scope me but I’m curious how much of the excess weight is lost with the revision. My surgeon said his experience is it’s only about 70% but I’m hoping that some people experienced a greater loss. Also, when computing excess loss, what is the ideal body weight we calculate from? That’s never really been clear to me.

The incision area in the middle of my belly has a knot/bulge. I don't think it's a hernia, because the Doctor explained they would put mesh to ensure a hernia wouldn't be an issue. It's a semi hard knot/bulge. Doesn't stick out a lot, but it's definitely noticeable. It's not too sore or red. I have another incision that is similar, though it's not protruding as much. Anyone had something similar?

Ok so I just had a gastric bypass I am I believe 5 days out and I have been doing so good until I got my kids these Reese’s animal crackers I freaking ate one like no thought just ate it… I feel fine but the internal guilt I feel and ugh I don’t know how I can do this with a sweet tooth of a demon.

I'm hoping to get a revision to a bypass for gerd and sleep apnea if that is a possible. I called tricare and the lady said that they only cover 1 weight loss surgery in the lifetime or the person. Any experience with getting approved with tricare select?

I was sleeved in 2017. In hindsight, bypass would have been better given my history of GERD. Fast forward years later, COVID piled the weight on (working from home, lockdown, job stress (worked in healthcare during pandemic) and I'm up 65 lbs. That i can deal with though. I know the bariatric lifestyle, and I know what I need to do to lose the weight healthily and such. It's the GERD. I'm up to 60-80 mgs of Prilosec daily, plus antacids and other H2 blockers as needed. I sleep elevated and just always generally feel like I have a pit in my sternum. I've subsequently relocated to a new state since my surgery, so I feel like I'm starting all over. I have an appointment with my PCC this week to discuss the GERD issue. Given what people are stating on this board, it seems like that a RNY may be an option. Honestly, I just want to know why it has escalated so bad over the last several years. It doesn't matter what it is; it comes up. I drank some unsweetened almond milk two hours after dinner, and about 10 mins later I literally burped it up like a baby. No warning, nothing... All over my bed. Other times, it's that hor burning awful acidic in my throat and chest. Makes me cough. I try to eat crackers to help absorb the acid, which is not healthy. I'm really quite scared that's something serious. What have your experiences been like? Will I go through a whole program again? I just want relief. What questions should I bring up with my doctor. What tests will they run? This is still a fairly new PCC relationship and several thousand miles away from where I first was treated/sleeved.

Hello All, Long time a member but have been away a long time. I was banded in April 2012 at 488lbs. My lowest weight attained was 170. I have since over the years climbed back up to 328. Monday, Jan 8th I am scheduled for a conversion to bypass. Removing my band as well as my gallbladder. Any advice would be appreciated. It's been 10 years. I imagine somethings have changed while some haven't. I know it's a tool. I know the weight doesn't fall off overnight. The band saved my life. I hope bypass gets me back on track. Thanks, Jim.

I just had my first appointment with the surgeon. It went really well, and I’m glad I took the first step. We are leaning toward Gastric Bypass as the procedure for me. It’s a 3 month process to surgery with his office, 3 visits with him, 3 visits with dietician, plus clearance by Cardiology, Pulmonology and sleep medicine. My next visit with him and the dietician will be in about a month and he’s sending out the referrals to the offices for the clearances and working on prior authorization with insurance.

My sleeve is scheduled for Nov 15 ! So excited !

Long story short - had gastric bypass in July of 2019. Highest weight 400. Current weight 167 to 173. I still feel some restriction to this day. Meals are small and I don't eat high fat, high sugar food. 2 yrs ago, I started having right sided pain. It felt like ovarian pain so saw OB & had 2 ultrasounds nothing showed up there. Pain worsened & had gall bladder removed 1.5 yrs ago. Adjusted diet again to deal with gal bladder being gone and things seemed ok. A few months after the right sided pain returned. About 4 mos ago, pain got so bad at times I'd be in a ball on my bed considering going to ER (which I HATE doing). Went back to primary got CT scan. Nothing found. findings. Then he referred me for colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought finally 'this was it, we've ruled out most other things'. I also had seen blood in my stools and it was old blood, like coffee grounds so I thought ok, not hemorrhoids? Just got back home from colonoscopy & upper GI. Good news is no polyps or other concerning things. Bad news is main finding was on bypass "Patient's surgical anastomosis noted to be widely dilated, raising possibility of Dumping Syndrome as a cause". OK, we know what dumping is. Thought it was post surgery when we ate food (i.e. sugar, high fat) that processed too fast, etc. & you had dumping. Is the type of dumping they mention different from post surgery dumping? They recommend I see revision specialist. Has anyone else had revision NOT due to 1st bariatric surgery not being successful but for a "medical reason" like this (other than GERD, heartburn). I'm not even sure insurance will pay, but I have 2 yrs worth of history on this. Even it if does pay, I dread what this means - more hair loss? If I do this, will I need another in 5 yrs?. I also still feel restriction kick in although yes, nothing like 1st 2 years My highest weight right now hovers at 173. I hoped I'd get to 150 but closest I've come is 167-168. Is revision another 'nuclear detonation option'? ANYONE have a revision specialist in the North Texas area they can recommend so I can at least get a consultation (north texas = Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Keller, Bedford, Euless, Hurst and Denton) I've also wondered if there is a chance of some straggler/stone from gallbladder surgery 1.5 yrs ago that should be considered? Any input would be appreciated. This is causing issues on my job as the pain hits out of nowhere (not X amount of time before OR after a meal, that I have been able to discern. Thank you!

Hey peeps, This is my first time here and I am excited to announce that my wife and I are both having the VSG on November 8th! We are having it in Columbia, Mo with Dr. Nicole Spencer. We are both beyond excited for our new outlook on life!

I got the sleeve done in 2010, lost a hundred pounds and then had 2 babies which basically stopped my weight loss. I have gone back to the yoyo effect between 200 and 245. I'm currently 243 and just want to get the weight off. I have severe sleep apnea and gerd that wakes me up sometimes from stuff in my throat.. Has anyone who has tricare select be able to get a full bipass after getting the sleeve? I had tricare prime for the sleeve. I called and they told me that one 1 biariatric surgery is allowed. Thank you in advance!

I had gastric bypass in July of 2019. Highest weight was 400 before losing a bit on my own. Current weight varies from 167 to 173. I still feel some restriction to this day. My meals are usually small although I know we can all 'eat around' the restriction by eating smaller, but continuous meals and this was a slippery slope I fought back against. About 2 yrs ago, I started having right sided pain. It felt like the pain I used to feel when I ovulated so I assumed it was ovarian. Saw OB & had 2 ultrasounds and they couldn't even see right ovary (and the left was fine. Since they couldn't 'see' the right one, they said that was good since there was no obvious signs of..I don't know tumors, growths? The pain continued to worsen & I finally had gall bladder taken out 1.5 yrs ago. I adjusted diet again to deal with gal bladder being gone and things seemed ok. A few months after that the right sided pain returned. About 4 mos ago, the pain got so bad at times I'd be in a ball on my bed considering going to ER (which I HATE doing). Went back to primary got CT scan. CT came up with no findings. Then he referred me to GI doctor for colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought finally 'this was it, we've ruled out most other things'. I also had seen blood in my stools and it was old blood, like coffee grounds so I thought ok, not hemorrhoids? Just got back home from colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought doing prep was bad yrs ago, but much harder having had bypass surgery. Good news is no polyps or other concerning things. Bad news is main finding was on bypass "Patient's surgical anastomosis noted to be widely dilated, raising possibility of Dumping Syndrome as a cause". OK, most know what dumping is. I thought it was post surgery when we ate food (i.e. sugar, high fat) that processed too fast, etc. and you had dumping. Is the type of dumping they are alluding to different from our post surgery dumping? They recommended I see gastric bypass revision specialist. Has anyone else had revision NOT due to 1st bariatric surgery not being successful but for a "medical reason" like this (other than GERD, heartburn). I'm not even sure insurance will pay, but I have 2 yrs worth of history on this pain. Even it if does pay, I dread what this means for me - more hair loss? If I do this, will I need another revision in 5 yrs again at which point I'll be getting up there in age. I also still feel restriction kick in although yes, nothing like 1st 2 years My highest right now hovers at 173. I hoped I'd get to 150 but closest I've come is 167-168. Is revision another 'nuclear detonation option'? I've also wondered with the CT scan, etc. is there any chance of some straggler/stone from my gallbladder surgery 1.5 yrs ago that should be considered? Should I post this in the revision group instead? I read through some and was unsure. Are we allowed to cross-post? Any input would be appreciated. This is causing issues on my job as the pain hits out of nowhere (not X amount of time before OR after a meal, that I have been able to discern. Thank you!

Hey guys just a little backstory, I was sleeved 2017 and lost 100lbs but due to bad habits creeping in have regained most of it back 5 years now. I just had my consultation with the doctor and I’m getting revised to mini bypass. I’m excited and hoping to lose about 100lbs. Looking for others who may have gone through this revision.

Duplicate post

Hi all, I am writing this for the >1% of gastric bypass patients who have the unusual complications that I had and, like me, couldn't find any information about it online to ease your mind. I had my gastric bypass surgery on September 7, 2022. I chose gastric bypass over the gastric sleeve specifically after months of research because of the higher rate of successful weight loss, particularly in women. My first week post-op went great, but after day 8 or 9 when I tried progressing my food intake from full-liquids to pureed foods I began vomiting and feeling really nauseous at every meal. I let my surgeon and dietitian know immediately and stepped my food intake back down to full-liquids. Pretty soon, I couldn't even take in full-liquids and was limited to hydrating fluids and chicken broth. I could keep down hydrating fluids and broth about 80% of the time, full-liquids 50% of the time, and everything else came back up. My surgeon was very responsive and had me get an endoscopy. Under general anesthesia, the endoscopy explored my new stomach pouch and roux limb connections that make up my new tummy system. Typically, gastric bypasses can result in constriction of the connection between the stomach pouch and roux limb, and my gastroenterologist was prepared to use a balloon to inflate the area to ease that restriction. In my case, however, that area looked fine, but further down the roux limb there was a stricture that was almost impassable for the narrow scope. This is what was causing my problem. I had an external compression on my roux limb that was making it impossible for anything more viscous than water to pass through. My layman's understanding of what had happened is that my surgeon brought my small intestine / roux limb up to meet my new stomach pouch through the transverse mesocolon. This involved cutting a hole through the transverse mesocolon to put the roux limb through and then stitching it up a little on either side to make sure nothing else will slip through the hole and cause a hernia. Apparently, this is typically sufficient and there is space enough in the hole in the mesocolon for scar tissue to form but still allow the roux limb to operate appropriately. Not in my case! xD My body and over-active immune system saw a hole and decided that hole must. be. fixed! The scar tissue that formed to close the hole closed tight enough on the roux limb and it was tight enough that barely anything could get through. I had a second laparoscopic surgery on October 12, 2022 to remove the scar tissue and loosen the compression on the roux limb. My surgeon decided to remove the small stitches on either side of the hole in the transverse mesocolon to reduce the chance that any new scar tissue will close the hole up as completely again. Immediately after this second laparoscopic surgery, I felt tons better! I stayed overnight in the hospital and was put straight on full-liquids, which I was barely tolerating before! The reason I am writing all of this out is because, in the month-long interim between surgeries, I couldn't find anything in my online research to figure out what was wrong, or what I could try, or what the next steps looked like, or how long, or why this was happening. I went for more than a month on little to no substantial nutrition, and I found so little information on what to expect or how long I would have to live like this. I even looked in these forums to see if anyone had asked about symptoms that are similar to mine and I didn't find very much information. So, I'm writing about my experience and using as many of the keywords I can think of that I've been searching for over the past two months! So! If you had gastric bypass and you start experiencing nausea and vomiting after what seems like typical food progression, please speak to your surgeon. It could be an internal stricture of the roux limb or the connecting bits, or in my case an external compression of some sort. From the very few resources I could find online, my type of external compression of transverse mesocolon on the roux limb seemed to occur in 0.9% of gastric bypass patients and it seems to happen within the first month. My surgeon pretty much immediately knew what was wrong, and her PA said she had seen it before, but not often, and it was new for my insurance caseworker. The inability to eat made it very difficult to complete normal daily tasks like my job, housework, walking the dog, etc. I wasn't in pain, I just couldn't get enough energy to do anything! My doctors moved quickly to get me back in for surgery, but it still took 4-5 weeks from starting to vomit at each meal to waking up from my second surgery feeling much better. I am so thankful that my surgeon was able to fix what was wrong with the scar tissue compressing around the roux limb; it made a world of difference! I'm not out of the woods quite yet, however. Six days after the surgery to repair the hole in the transverse mesocolon, I had a bad food day and nothing stayed down. I immediately reached out to my surgeon's office and today went in for an upper GI in which I intake contrast dye while a doctor observes how it flows through my new gastrointestinal system with an X-ray. That doctor said it looks like the connection between my stomach pouch and roux limb looks stenosed now. I am grateful that they found something and that there is an explanation for why everything I put in my mouth makes me nauseous and that there's a reason why I don't want to eat anything. I will be having another endoscopy in the following couple of weeks and, as ever, I am hopeful that this will be the last surgery that I need for my gastric bypass.

Due to complication I am only just now starting a regular diet. I’m doing everything sugar free, but wondering does no sugar mean no sugar ever? Can I eat an occasional slice of pie at an event?

Good morning! I am so happy that I found this group! I have been lurking for a month or so. There is a lot of information to be gained here😁. I had VSG Nov 2014 and lost 80 lbs. I was down to 170 lbs. I am 5’9 so I was quite content there. As we all know life throws curveballs and my weight has steadily climbed. I am now 60 years old and weigh 225. My A1c is high and I have been diagnosed with type 2 dm. I have been nauseated for months and last month I had an upper GI that showed severe acid reflux and a moderate hiatal hernia. Omeprazole has not helped at all. I have an EGD scheduled this coming Friday. Revision to bypass has been brought up by the nurse practitioner at the bariatric surgeon’s office. I also just met with my new PCP who gave me a prescription for Mounjaro. Bariatric surgeon said not to start the Mounjaro until we resolve my reflux issues (due to the possible side effects of nausea). I am unsure if I should go with the revision to bypass with hernia repair or just get the hernia repair and hope that fixes my reflux issue and use the Mounjaro to help with weight loss and lowering my A1c. I am not sure if just repairing the hernia will fix my relax issue. I will discuss all these options with my surgeon after the EGD. What are your thoughts/experiences?

Anyone experience a worst case with your bypass? After my bypass, my small intestine decided to close off completely . I had to have an energy surgery to reduce my small intestines I aspirated during the second surgery and ended up on a vent . I ended up with sepsis, ARDS, and fighting to stay alive. 10 days on the vent and 23 days in the hospital. I’m home now trying to recover and figure out all this stuff. I’ve had to learn how to walk and how to use my arms and hands again due to prolonged time on the vent. I knew this was a life style change but I didn’t expect to be in this shape trying to figure it all out.

Hi there! Been on my surgery journey for a few years now and I'm finally coming up on my RYGB surgery date in a couple weeks. It might just be nerves but over the last couple of months I've started to rethink whether I'm making the wrong decision with the going with the bypass. I spoke to my surgeon about a week ago & expressed I might want to switch to SADI. She said it's ultimately my choice, but she feels like RYGB is a better fit for me personally as I have a history of GERD (currently mild) and that she's concerned I might lose too much weight with SADI - I need to lose 100lbs. I've been reading & watching a lot of posts from people that have had each procedure & I'm really concerned with the idea of throwing up & having to eat a couple of bites per meal the rest of my life. The thing is, I rarely see anyone post complications with SADI. They seem to eat small meals but not as small as restrictive as RYGB patients & while they experience diarrhea - I don't see posts about vomiting. I mean, does everyone experience vomiting & dumping syndrome with RYGB? Does anyone know people that have had poor experiences with SADI? Ultimately, am I making the wrong decision by not going with SADI?

I had gastric bypass in July of 2019. Highest weight was 400 before losing a bit on my own. Current weight varies from 167 to 173. I still feel some restriction to this day. My meals are usually small although I know we can all 'eat around' the restriction by eating smaller, but continuous meals and this was a slippery slope I fought back against. About 2 yrs ago, I started experiencing right sided pain. It felt like the pain I used to feel when I ovulated so I assumed it was ovarian (post menopausal). Saw OB & had 2 ultrasounds and they couldn't even see my right ovary (like, where did it go?) and the left was fine. Since they couldn't 'see' the right one, they said that was good since there was no obvious signs of..I don't know tumors, growths? The pain continued to worsen & I finally had gall bladder taken out about 1.5 yrs ago. I adjusted diet again to deal with gal bladder being gone and things seemed to go ok. A ew months after that the right sided pain returned. About 4 mos ago, the pain got so bad at times I'd be in a ball on my bed considering going to the ER (which I HATE doing). Went back to primary and he sent me for CT scan. CT came up with no findings. Then he referred me to GI doctor for colonoscopy and upper GI. I thought finally 'this was it, we've ruled out most other things'. I also had seen blood in my stools and it was old blood, like coffee grounds so I thought ok, not hemorrhoids? Just got back home from colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought doing the prep was bad 10 yrs ago, but it is much harder having had bypass surgery. Good news is they found no polyps or other concerning things. Bad news is I was stunned their main finding was regarding my bypass "Patient's surgical anastomosis was noted to be widely dilated, raising the possibility of Dumping Syndrome as a cause for her complaints". OK, most know what dumping is. I thought it was post surgery when we ate food (i.e. sugar, high fat) that processed too fast or was too much for us to handle. They recommended I see a gastric bypass revision specialist. My question is, has anyone else had a revision NOT due to their 1st bariatric surgery not being successful but for a "medical reason" like this (other than GERD, heartburn). I'm not even sure insurance will pay, but I have 2 yrs worth of history on this pain. Even it if does pay, I dread what this means for me - even more hair loss? If I do this, will I need another revision in 5 yrs again at which point I'll be getting up there in age. I've also wondered with the CT scan, etc. is there any chance of some straggler/stone from my gallbladder surgery 1.5 yrs ago that should be considered? Should I post this in the revision group instead? I read through some and was unsure. Are we allowed to cross-post? Any input would be appreciated. This is causing issues on my job as the pain hits out of nowhere (not X amount of time before OR after a meal, that I have been able to discern. Thank you!