mae7365

I had RNY revision from VSG for severe reflux in October 2020. Since my revision surgery, I've lost 65 pounds. I had only lost, and sustained a 30 pound loss after VSG. And I haven't had an episode of reflux since surgery. Best decision I ever made!

I have Aetna, and my revision due to GERD and esophagitis was covered and I was not required to meet any of the pre-surgical bariatric parameters like diet, psych eval etc. I also had hernia repair, but the primary reason for the revision was the GERD and esophagus damage. I did have to have all the medical tests that proved I had GERD and esophagitis. The RNY revision was medically necessary and insurance approved and covered the surgery. I have lost 60 pounds since the revision surgery which has been a very pleasant side effect of the revision. Being able to sleep without acid in my mouth has been wonderful!

I'm 64 years old, 5'4' and have lost 65 pounds since surgery in October 2020 and 97 pounds from my highest weight in 2013. Not only do I have excess skin, but I have the added problem of aging skin. BUT...…I'm amazed at the power of exercise, toning and strength building. I have focused the past 8 months on building muscle and it has made a huge difference. Now when I flex my bicep, what I see is muscle with some extra skin, not the shaking, sagging skin that was there before. I do core workouts and have built abdominal muscles, that does a great job of replacing a lot of the area where fat used to reside. I have people ask me all the time "Where's all your excess skin?" It's there, but not nearly as noticeable because when people see me, they see a toned body. The nicest complement I've gotten in the last few months was from a grocery store manager who said "You looked like you could bench press a 100 lbs." I thanked him and walked out feeling on top of the world.

I'm 13 months post-op. I don't measure food nor do I worry about volume of food. I've found that my body tells me when I shouldn't eat any more. I just take longer to eat. For instance: one 4 oz low fat Greek yogurt + a handful of raspberries + 3.75 oz. container of unsweetened peaches + 2 T of granola is a lunch for me. I'll eat about 1/3 of it, stop, come back to it 15 minutes later and eat another 1/3, stop, then finish it 15 minutes later. So I'm eating what seems like a lot of food, but it is spread over 30-45 minutes. I do the same thing when I go out to eat. I eat however much I feel like I can comfortable eat, get a take out, then eat the rest when I get home. I'm retired, so stretching my meals over longer periods of time is easy for me. I know many people don't have the luxury of taking 45 minutes for a meal. Just wanted to share my experience.

I'm a little over a year post-op revision and I still have "dumping" episodes a couple times a week. It was MUCH WORSE the first couple months after surgery. Unfortunately, there isn't really any rhyme or reason to when I dump. Yes, high sugar and high fat items are sometimes a trigger, but overeating anything can have the same result. I get hot flashes, then severe bloating followed by diarrhea. But, dumping does keep me honest when it comes to watching what I eat. And I have to be super careful about my eating when I'm not at home!

I talked to the dietician last week and high fiber vegetables and gassy foods like broccoli can trigger bloating and dumping. Butter and oil don't seem to be problematic but I don't eat a lot of either, so it's hard to say. Good luck on your surgery.

Thank you. And to answer your question...….I'm official a "dumper" so I have to severely limit my high sugar intake. I also struggle with vegetables, especially the really fibrous ones like broccoli.

Really sweet foods like cake, brownies, cookies as well as really greasy foods. I also don't tolerate most vegetables. And yes, dumping is a good reminder! But as far as discipline goes, it's more a matter of making choices. If I'm at a birthday party and I really want a slice of cake, I eat it knowing that I'll suffer the consequences. But know that it can cramp your lifestyle.... being close to a bathroom is a must!

I have a call with the Bariatric Dietician on Tuesday to discuss my continued weight loss. My primary care doctor is concerned that I continue to loose weight (8 pounds in 5 weeks) this far out from surgery. I've lost 60 pounds since RNY last year and 97 pounds since my pre-op weight pre-sleeve. The dietician thinks I'm in calorie deficit because I'm very active - I walk 5 miles 4-5 days/week and do Zumba 3 days/week. But I refuse to give up my healthy exercise habits! At 64, I never expected to look athletic and have muscle definition vs. sagging skin. (I still have sagging skin, but the muscle has really helped minimize the flabbiness!) My husband and children are concerned - "Are you sure you don't have cancer?" "You need to gain some weight, you look too skinny" "Are you sure you are ok?"...… If it was just petty people commenting vs. my family, I'd blow it off. I keep assuring them that I'm the healthiest I've been since my 20's. I'm hoping that talking to the dietician will give me the tools I need to level out the weight loss without giving up my healthy lifestyle. I guess I'm just looking to see if there are others in this forum that have experienced the same thing. I refuse to call it a problem, I'd rather call it a challenge.

I'm one year sleeve to RNY conversion for severe GERD. Haven't had an episode of reflux since surgery. I've lost 60 lbs. since RNY and I feel great. Like elp93 mentioned, I also experience dumping (not as bad as I did early on), but it is a GREAT MOTIVATOR to limit dumping triggers like too much sweet, fats and overeating in general.

Today is one year since my revision bypass surgery. I've lost 59 pounds since surgery and 95 pounds since my all-time pre-sleeve weight. I am healthy, happy and feel better than I've felt in 20 years! And the great news is - I no longer have GERD! Good luck to all of us who are on this crazy weight loss journey and I'm grateful for this forum to be able to openly share my outcomes. Other social media platforms would never understand our journeys.

I posted this on a different thread, but wanted to share. Not sure why the revision has been so successful for me, but I'm loving the results. Here are my stats over my 6 year journey. Highest weight May 2012 - 222 lbs. Gastric sleeve surgery weight November 2014 - 212 lbs. Lowest weight post sleeve May 2015 - 151 post op 6 months (61 lbs. lost) Highest weight prior to revision surgery January 2019 - 205 lbs. (54 lbs. gained) Weight day of revision surgery October 2020 - 185 lbs. Current weight August 2021 (10 months post op) - 128 lbs. (57 lbs. lost) I hope that I never have to add a line that says I've gained weight back again!!!! Good luck on your journey!!!!

After my sleeve surgery, I craved red meat. My primary care doctor said it was my body's way of telling me that I needed more iron in my diet.

I had revision from VSG to Bypass October 2020 due to severe gastritis, esophagitis and Reflux. I'd been on PPI medication for GERD since well before my sleeve surgery, but it only got worse after. Drugs no longer had any impact and I couldn't sleep unless I was in a recliner. I saw my surgeon in August of 2020, had all the testing done to verify the diagnosis and my insurance approved within a month. I have Aetna insurance, but when the surgery is "medically necessary", it moves pretty quick. I was "overweight", but not obese at the time of the bypass, so weight gain was not a factor in the insurance approval. But I don't think it would have changed the medical necessity of the surgery. Good news - the surgery was a success, acid reflux is gone, I now sleep in a bed and I've lost almost 60 pounds since surgery. Recovery was rough - I'm a "dumper", so I still have to be careful what I eat, but I am so very happy that I made the decision to have the revision. Good luck with your surgery!

My 15 year old neighbor had sleeve surgery after years of therapy, "fat camps" and depression. Three months after surgery and a pretty significant weight loss, I actually saw her smile for the first time! She began walking, working out and would actually engage in lengthy conversations. Fast forward 5 years...…she's in college, enjoys hiking, is in a serious relationships and looks wonderful. Her parents had to go through a lot of family counseling and do a lot of research to find a surgeon who performed bariatric procedures on children. But they knew it was in the best interest of their child to set her up for a healthy adult life. So in answer to your question, you should have the surgery when you are mentally ready to commit to a healthy future. Sleeve surgery only works in the long term if you make the necessary life style changes in that first year after surgery. If not, the weight gain will put you right back where you are now. So I would suggest that age isn't as important as attitude. Good luck with whatever decision you make!