Hi all.... I'm new here.... Hope you'all are well.... I've been scheduled for roux en y gastric bypass surgery Jan 23....

I was so excited, now I'm scared stiff..... Stories of hairloss, Vitamin and mineral deficiency just to name a few..... People I know have had wls and have had great success but then I've heard it's the gastric sleeve they have had... the dieting and the pre op 3 weeks on shakes doesn't worry me as much but losing hair and stories of people being constantly nauseous and not able to eat are putting me off I know I need this but wow I'm really now pooping myself....

Can anyone provide me some assurance or has anyone had the gastric bypass and had these symptoms or not had them???

Thanks

T xxx

Hi there! please don't let everything you hear scare you. If you follow all the guidelines many of these symptoms don't happen. Everyone is always afraid of malabsorption when in fact it is what helps you lose your weight. The important thing here is that you:

1. Take your required Vitamins daily/ weekly - by the way it is only 1 more than people with the sleeve take. This will help ensure your bones and hair remain healthy

2. get your recommended Protein in as soon as your new tummy will allow - this will help with healing and potential hair loss. This is also true of both surgeries

3. Stay hydrated - sip, sip, sip Water everyday. It is the best thing you can do for your body and is even more important now

4. Make sure that you go to your doctors appointments to have your blood levels checked to make sure that your Vitamin levels are where they need to be. This is important for us bypass patients so if we are missing something in our diet it gets caught.

Some, not all people lose some of their hair around the 3rd, 4th month. This is usually due to both the shock of surgery and lack of protein and Iron if the have not caught up. The good news is, your hair grows back 3 times faster than it falls out. There is also a medication they can give you to assist with this. I found this was a risk worth taking for me personally and by the way, this could happen in either surgery.

I initially was going to have a sleeve done and had my mind set on it. Then when I met with a bariatric doctor she asked me why I wasn't considering the bypass since I had a severe case of Gerd and type 2 diabetes. I told her I was afraid of the malabsorption issues. She spent some time educating me on the above. I then saw a gastroenterologist and he confirmed that I should not do the sleeve as it could make my Gerd worse.

I went on line and started reading and asking questions just like you are.

By the time I had my surgery I was convinced that the bypass was the right surgery for me. Now after reading how many people convert because they have bad reflux following sleeve surgery, I am so glad I went this route.

I am down 63 lbs in 12 weeks. Diabetes is in remission, NO reflux/Gerd at all, high blood pressure gone, high cholesterol gone and stage 3 kidney disease has improved.

What a gift!

Good luck in your decision, please don't be afraid unless you are one of those people who decides down the road they are not going to take their vitamins or ensure they get their required protein.

By the way, I have never thrown up, currently not experienced dumping and don't get nauseous. If I eat too fast, my tummy lets me know it by getting an uncomfortable tightness.

I will tell you that I follow the rules for the most part.

Thank you soooo much djmohr.... You have relieved me of a lot of worry.... I suffer now with reflux so hopefully that will disappear after surgery.......i am. Soooo glad I found this site.... I felt sooooo alone and was considering cancelling my surgery.....

Can. I ask do you find eating so much protein it makes you constipated after the surgery????

Did you find you had a lot of lose skin????

@@Djmohr

Sorry to bug you again..... Do you find your digestive system since having the bypass is affected....,,???? I don't have a gall bladder and i sometimes have issues with constipation. So. I worry with the alteration of the intestinal tract will it cause issues,?????

I don't have a gallbladder either and other than constipation which I am told is expected I don't have any other digestive issues. In fact it has improved immensely.

Okay... So how do you combat it??? I can't take senna it makes me feel. Horrible