Been Reading Nightmare complications ?

[stevechavez505 3]

I’ve been trying to do my home work on WLS and my first appointment is Monday I’m 5-7 like 263 I’m reading a lot of complications post op losing hair, nausea throwing up foam !? I’m questioning if it’s worth it ? I want to be healthy but I don’t want to mess my insides up ? Please advise

[summerseeker 1,923]

I have all three of your nightmares. I knew all about them. I did not know I would get GERD too, I hoped to swerve it.

My hair is growing back very slowly but I have begun to love the new me in a pixie cut

My Nausea and GERD are under control - ish, I still get bad days and nights where acid wakes me

Throwing up foam is called the foamies. Eat too fast, eat too much or eat a wrong food and yep that's a pain in the a--chest until its either vomited or it works its way through my stomach.

So knowing what I know now about all that and the frequency that I get it, would I have this surgery? Hell yes, in a heartbeat. My life has changed dramatically. I feel as if I have lost 25 years. I have a life. I don't hide away anymore. I am super confident.

Now what you must decide is - if the pendulum swings your way and you get these side effects, is it time for your surgery ? You are always going to mess with your insides, you are loosing most of your stomach. For lots of us with lots of medical problems its a no brainer and last ditch effort to save our lives. This surgery is not an easy option. I hope you work it out

[catwoman7 10,981]

not everyone loses hair - and some don't lose enough that others notice (like me). Some do lose more - but it's more like shedding - not big clumps of hair like people on chemo lose. And it grows back. I lost hair from about month 5-9, and again, it was pretty minimal so no one else would have noticed. In the end, it's a small price to pay for what you get from the surgery

nausea/foamies - not uncommon in the early weeks out when you're trying to experiment to see what your stomach is going to tolerate (and often things you can't tolerate early on you CAN tolerate later). I really don't deal with that at all anymore

would I do this again? HELL YES! In a heart beat. I'd go back and have it done every year if I had to. Totally worth it. One of the best decisions I've every made.

[catwoman7 10,981]

Just now, catwoman7 said:

not everyone loses hair - and some don't lose enough that others notice (like me). Some do lose more - but it's more like shedding - not big clumps of hair like people on chemo lose. And it grows back. I lost hair from about month 5-9, and again, it was pretty minimal so no one else would have noticed. In the end, it's a small price to pay for what you get from the surgery

nausea/foamies - not uncommon in the early weeks out when you're trying to experiment to see what your stomach is going to tolerate (and often things you can't tolerate early on you CAN tolerate later). I really don't deal with that at all anymore

would I do this again? HELL YES! In a heart beat. I'd go back and have it done every year if I had to. Totally worth it. One of the best decisions I've every made.

P.S. the other option - staying obese - isn't good for your health, either. In fact, it's probably worse.

[stevechavez505 3]

Thank all of you for knowledge👍🏼 I think it’s a price I’m willing to take I’m pre diabetic I have high blood pressure high cholesterol ect. I have a 6 yr old and a 9 year old Im 53 and want to be around to see them grow ❤️ Im excited for the future but a little scared too .

[BabySpoons 541]

I read all the nightmare stories too in my research of WLS but it was never enough to deter me. The majority say they would do it again in a heartbeat and wish they had done it sooner.

The pro's simply outweigh the cons. Good luck!

[Smanky 743]

Hair loss is temporary, and foamies can be controlled by being mindful of what/how you eat. Neither are terrible "complications" when it comes to the benefits of WLS vs staying morbidly obese and suffering much worse health issues down that road.

Post surgery, I've been very prone to developing stomach ulcers which are 100% no fun at all, but can be controlled by Pantoprazole which I was taking pre-surgery for GERD anyway. I consider that a post-surgery complication, but it's no disaster, and like Summerseeker said - I'd do this all again in a heartbeat because even with the constant ulcer threat, my life and health now is so much better. I also went in armed with as much knowledge as possible about what might go wrong and what to honestly expect and I was still so ready because living the way I was had me on a downhill trajectory. I was FAR more concerned with the complications that lay ahead of me if I didn't have the surgery.

[stevechavez505 3]

What do you do to prevent blood clots? Just move around? What happens to your stomach in a by pass !?

[Arabesque 6,683]

Stop reading the horror stories is my my advice. Yes there can be side effects of the surgery but the ones you mentioned are temporary or can be managed. And yes it’s good to be aware of them but best to ask your surgeon about them. Ask about what they’ve see , many instances their patients have had, treatments, management, etc.

Hair loss often starts at around month 4 +/- & lasts about 3months +/-. How much you lose or if you do lose is an individual thing. It’s just your natural hair loss cycle accelerating. This hair is dead & you would have lost it at some time anyway. Your new Hair growth is still occurring just at it’s usual rate. Hair loss can occur for many reasons not just bariatric surgery. Pregnancy, stress, any major surgery, any weight loss, ill health, or dramatic change of diet can result in a temporary loss of hair.

Foamies. Many only have a few experiences of it. It’s usually caused by eating too much, too fast or eating food that is too dry or too coarse & gets stuck. I had a bout last night - damn stringy bit on a sugar snap pea - I could feel it. I’m more susceptible to them but it’s more a idiosyncrasy of my tummy & digestion than anything else.

Clots can occur after any surgery. At hospital you’ll be given compression stockings to wear and some also use those pulsing compression machines on your legs to keep your blood pumping. Walk, walk walk. Little & often is best & it will help you breath out the surgical gas too. Be aware of the symptoms but I’ve never heard of any one getting a clot post bariatric surgery on this forum in four years or with people I know.

A little temporary hair loss, the odd bout of the foamies, are nothing compared to having lost the weight & the benefits that has bought to my life & health.

[stevechavez505 3]

Thanks you all for the feedback 👍🏼

[Wrenna 11]

So I was pretty unlucky with the nightmare complications. Two weeks after my bypass, I needed emergency surgery because internal adhesions caused a complete blockage. Two days after that surgery, I was getting my second emergency surgery for the same issue. They also decided to place a g-tube in the bypassed part of my stomach for drainage, and I had to have that for three months. Right after that, I would experience random attacks of intense pain and we finally, finally think we figured out why (sphincter of oddi dysfunction). That being said....

...I would do it all over again in a heart beat. At no point did I have any regrets. Yes, it sucked having to get two "bonus" surgeries, but it was a minor blip in the road. The random pain episodes sucked, but now that we know the issue, there are things I can do to prevent it from happening. Compared to how life was before my bypass, I feel SO MUCH BETTER. My blood pressure is normal, my joints don't hurt constantly, my energy levels are through the roof, I run and kayak and hike regularly... and then there's the 'vanity' aspects too - every store carries my size, I love shopping for clothes because they look good on me now, I'm not hyper-aware of my size constantly... the list goes on. I really did not release how miserable I was being obese until I wasn't.

It's surgery! I don't think it's right for everyone, and I think people should be aware of the potential for complications... but those complications are pretty rare, and it's still the gold standard for long term weight loss.

[catwoman7 10,981]

^^^^ what the above person described is what I would consider one of those "horror stories" (read lots of those before my surgery before I made myself stop - because they're very rare, and I was scaring myself about something that was very unlikely to happen). Hair loss (which as others have said is temporary and often not noticeable by others - if you even experience hair loss at all) is temporary) and foamies (which are controllable) are just minor annoyances.

[ms.sss 14,972]

11 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

The pro's simply outweigh the cons.

👆🏼Full. Stop.

I had Hair loss (now my hair is flowy, full and fab at 4.5+ years post op).

I had regular foamies, still do on the rare occasion, when i eat too fast or too much...but thats my own fault.

I would dump, again my own fault, by consuming too much sugar...so i try not to do that.

I had nighttime reflux, now controlled by going to bed on empty stomach, and taking the lowest dosage anti-reflux med.

No more HBP nor cholesterol pills. No longer pre-diabetic. My liver is normal sized. My joints don't hurt. My feet nor back don't hurt. I am no longer always catching my breath.

I am the fittest and healthiest i have been since my 20's (im 50 now).

I have the confidence of a stuck up, the patience/chill of a zen master, and the energy of someone half my age.

I am often front and centre in pictures (if i can help it lol.)

I eat whatever i want (mind u what i want is sorta different now), in smaller quantities, and am perfectly happy with it.

Life. Is. Good.

So yeah, pros > cons.

Good Luck! ❤️

Edited June 3, 2023 by ms.sss

[Tomo 1,157]

What do you do to prevent blood clots? Just move around? What happens to your stomach in a by pass !?

Anyone can get blood clots. I hear it can also be hereditary. Stay active, put your feet up, compression socks... Etc.

The stomach is still there making the necessary juices, acid and enzymes, needed for digestion.

[vacationsr4fun 5]

Definitely do it! At 71, 100lbs overweight, in pain constantly, both knees destroyed by arthritis, peripheral neuropathy in both feet with hot burning pins and needles when standing and walking, back pain. My journey started in orthopedics with knees, steroid injections, worked well most of the time, but didn't stop the occasional fall [3 to 4 times a year]. I knew sooner or later something would break. I would have had knee replacement sooner except for covid & elective surgeries were cancelled for two years [socialized medicine ***]. No weight gain, but developed hypertension. Researched weight loss thru ***, and because I had obstructive sleep apnea, I would qualify, and found this bariatric surgery should be first before the knees. I researched, attended classes, youtube videos, surgeons, after care, supplements etc. I wanted the Roux-N-Y but at my age surgeon said no, VSG. The surgeon recommended to me, is EXTREMELY strict and no BS kind of guy, he canceled my first surgery date because he didn't like something I did, so I really buckled down to his protocol.

I knew I would have nausea and vomiting from anesthesia so I told EVERYONE, to give me whatever so this didn't happen. Well...it happened, no medication, and postop recovery the uncontrollable violent projectile dry heaves started, nurse good, gave IV Zofran, the IV Reglan and within a few minutes it stopped, but it was bad.

I went home the next day. I had all my foods for week two, supplements etc. I am keeping up with supplements and fluids but not hungry. Dr said eat 1/4 cup every 2-3 hours otherwise your body will try to hold on to everything and the metabolism shifts. I'm going to add the vitamin patches from Bariatric Pal to my daily regimen of chews and capsules, [ I am very fatigued] for a while and see how this works.

I use Mira Lax/:axa Clear equivalent in my morning water bottle and use a stool softener at night. Find whatever works for you, the stool softeners alone did not work for me.

Trying to find my new normal, I knew it would be a process. I have NO regrets, and would tell anyone considering surgery to 'go for it' and FOLLOW directions strictly. Once I pass the phase of full liquids and get into pureed foods it will be another advancement.

During surgery found a hiatal hernia and did the repair. Who Knew?! I didn't, glad it's done.

My significant weight loss will help me in recovery for total knee replacement. I'm looking forward to repairing the rest of my body in my older age. Best wishes to you. Surgery May 15.