What have been some of your experiences with going from sleeve to bypass? Worst things? Best things? Weight loss time periods? etc.

Also, I know this is a stupid time to be asking this but I made a bad assumption about the bypass. I thought since I had the sleeve already that the surgeon would just use that pouch and redirect the small intestine. After reading some of the stories on here, I am not sure what they did to my stomach part?? Anyone have any answers for that one too??

Best thing.....NO MORE ACID REFLUX

Worst thing.....Dumping

Surgery 10/29/2020 @ 187 lbs.

Weight loss since surgery..... 52 lbs. That's also a BEST THING!

Since my surgery was for the stomach/esophagus issues, the weight loss has been a bonus!

After the sleeve, I had a banana sized stomach. Now I have a golf ball sized stomach. The remainder of my stomach and my duodenum (upper most part of my upper intestine) is still inside, the duodenum is just connected further down into my ilium (lowest part of the upper intestine). So in the revision, nothing is taken out like with the sleeve. The digestive track is just rerouted to bypass the stomach and duodenum.

I hope that makes sense.

Best thing is no more GERD/ Acid Reflux! Worst thing is I can't think of is the wrinkles in my face from all the weight loss. I have no issues personally with dumping and can eat anything without any issues except ice cream. I can only eat a very little amount of ice cream (candies too) or I will pay a price with stomach/colon pains and uncomfortable heart rates but I never throw up and I think that may be because of a hiatal hernia repair that my body just won't throw up even when I want it too. I am almost 8 months post op and have lost 21 lbs more with the roux en x bypass and after a couple of months stall and just now starting weight training in a gym am starting to see the scale moving once again. I am only 4lbs from my goal. I am sure my lose skin weighs about this, LOL... But I am happy just not having the GERD or Acid reflux and so it has all been very worth it!

How was you’re recovery process going from the sleeve to bypass? In a few weeks I will be doing a revision of my sleeve to bypass due to a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. I’m curious to know if the recovery after the surgery is worse, the same or easier the second time around. I’m also interested in knowing how your insurance covered the revision. My policy has an exclusion and I’m concerned I will be denied coverage.

19 minutes ago, Frostyauggie said:

How was you’re recovery process going from the sleeve to bypass? In a few weeks I will be doing a revision of my sleeve to bypass due to a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. I’m curious to know if the recovery after the surgery is worse, the same or easier the second time around. I’m also interested in knowing how your insurance covered the revision. My policy has an exclusion and I’m concerned I will be denied coverage.

I thought it was easier than the sleeve but I recovered really well on both of them...I didn't have the gassy pain that I have heard folks talk about...same with the bypass...I was only in the hospital about 24 hours after surgery for the by-pass...then I flew home...that was interesting as I missed my connecting flight and had to spend another night away from home. But the room was comfortable at the hotel and I slept hard...lol

I tend to feel really good and then over do it by lifting something really heavy like grandkids or bending over gardening...I have to let the weeds go for another week or so.

My insurance did NOT cover either surgery...that's why I went to Mexico and had it done. $8k vs. $28k. Plus I have a friend that went first and she said the experience was fine; she was never scared or anything like that. The hospital was clean...there was a language barrier but it has inspired me to learn Spanish after being down there. The first time I went to Tijuana in 2011; most recently I went to Juarez. Both times I wasn't scared and it was fine.

Maybe consider that if you get denied. Plus, I decided to get the surgery around April 16th and had the surgery May 19th...it was pretty quick!

Not sure with the hiatal hernia and acid reflux how the Mexico thing would go. I would think that with those issues, it would be covered. But you never know with insurance.

Best wishes

On 06/01/2021 at 19:03, Frostyauggie said:

How was you’re recovery process going from the sleeve to bypass? In a few weeks I will be doing a revision of my sleeve to bypass due to a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. I’m curious to know if the recovery after the surgery is worse, the same or easier the second time around. I’m also interested in knowing how your insurance covered the revision. My policy has an exclusion and I’m concerned I will be denied coverage.

Recovery was so much easier for me after bypass. My energy level was much higher then it had been with the sleeve. I didn’t get all the mood or hormone fluctuations and so that was easier! I knew what to expect and that things would pass. It was so much better.

Also my insurance did cover me the 2nd time around per GERD issues. I had to pay 1st time.

That’s good to know. I’m worried my insurance company will not cover it. But I know there are other options to get around high US prices.

Edited June 3, 20215 yr by Frostyauggie

Just had my surgery on June 4th. I have been able to drink and pee with no problem, the worst has been that gas pain. I had two hernia repairs (one being a hiatal), they say that repair causes some of the more intense gas pain. It’s taken me about 24 hours to work through that. I can drink a lot more fluids than I would have expected, though I have learned to take it slowwwwww since the added liquids to the air in your body causes pressure that’s uncomfortable.

I had the revision surgery on May 19 and I have had no issues. With a sleeve I had issues swallowing and had to stay in the hospital another night. Basically I had no pain except a headache a couple days later. I’ve tolerated everything just fine. Frankly it was just much easier than the sleeve.

On 5/31/2021 at 3:13 PM, wendy100 said:

What have been some of your experiences with going from sleeve to bypass? Worst things? Best things? Weight loss time periods? etc.

Also, I know this is a stupid time to be asking this but I made a bad assumption about the bypass. I thought since I had the sleeve already that the surgeon would just use that pouch and redirect the small intestine. After reading some of the stories on here, I am not sure what they did to my stomach part?? Anyone have any answers for that one too??

No restriction going from VSG to RNY really bothered me for a long time and was the worst.

Best thing for me was that I am a dumper since I have no restriction and this keeps me in check and its much easier to maintain weight loss.