Smanky

Hi Edward, The original thread starter left the forum ages ago, but I'll try to answer being veteran MGB patient now well into maintenance. Regarding "bad things". Honestly, EVERY bariatric surgery option comes with issues from mild to (thankfully rarer) serious. It's worth remembering that people on forums like this mostly ask questions when they think things are going wrong or are looking for reassurance. Stalls are common for ALL procedures. GERD is common in the sleeve but not everyone gets it. Pain? Well yeah, it's major surgery so expect it to hurt. Your body has to recover from about five deep stab wounds, being inflated, and then having the stomach cut apart and intestines rearranged. That will take time to recover from! What I think is surprising is how FAST the body recovers considering what it goes through. And if, like me, you have a hiatal hernia repair at the same time, it's another level of pain to wade through, but it does improve. And I take ibuprofen and aspirin. I was never told "never again". I don't take it frequently, but when I have to, I take it. Nothing horrible has happened, and I AM prone to ulcers. To combat my ulcers, I take Pantoprazole. No biggie. As for the hunger, it seems different for everyone across all procedures. My hunger came back about six months in. The restriction remains though, and some things have remained permanently off the menu, like coconut milk/cream and more than one bite of bread or potatoes. It's different for everyone, but I really am glad I got the MGB/Omega Loop. Worked a treat, I lost almost 120% of my excess body fat, and my lab results are all great so the vitamin intake hasn't been an issue.

I have a philtrum piercing, and did have a labret, but when I took it out for a medical procedure, it closed over so quick I decided that after ten years I was ok not getting it re-pierced. Love my philtrum piercing, though. Piercings are great, tattoos are great, I'm pro-body mods. Don't care what anyone else thinks, and don't care what someone else chooses to do so long as they're happy. Nose piercings are a great choice - they're pretty low on the pain, look fantastic, and don't close over as fast as mouth piercings do if you need to take it out for any reason! My recommendation is go to a dedicated body piercing place, do not let anyone near you with a piercing gun, those things are horrible and don't pierce clean. Surgical steel is the standard, and your piercer will be able to recommend the right jewelry. Once it's healed, you can swap the jewelry out whenever you feel like a change.

I often wonder how different I feel to my partner. He had decades of cuddling a chubby-to-obese partner in bed, to now cuddling what I can only imagine feels a bit like a human-shaped collection of broomsticks. I mean he was on the gradual journey with me, so it's not an overnight change, but still. Gotta be wild!

That is excellent, Summerseeker! I honestly think we're just so hard-wired from years of obesity to expect the worst when it comes to scales, even when there's no need. And I agree with Catwoman, I think on holiday the activity portion is way higher than our day-to-day activity, and because it's on holiday, you don't notice because you're so distracted by fun stuff. I know I came back from a week at an interstate festival that felt like I'd eaten loads and was prepared for the scales to show it... and yeah, rather than gaining I'd lost a little more. It's wild!

I lived on protein water in the first few months when I couldn't eat more than two mouthfuls of anything. Kept me hydrated and got protein into me. Nothing bad happened and I still get a lot of my protein from protein water.

I expect it's very common. Post-surgery, I can no longer eat coconut milk, coconut cream or anything coconut based. I used to love laksas and thai curries, but now they'll make me sick. Can't tolerate more than a small bite of bread or potato. None of these things has improved even a smidge and I'm almost two years out, so I've accepted that they're pretty much off the menu for good.

The burning you're describing sounds like an ulcer. I'm prone to them and will develop one quickly if I stop taking Pantoprazole. So it could be that, but with the vomiting complication and severity of the burning sensation you're having I'd be going to the ER. This needs checking out!

It'll be over before you know it. The early weeks can be a challenge, but it's a drop in the ocean time wise. Just distract yourself with everything you can to get your head off food.

My symptoms (both with my gallbladder and post-gallbladder removal) when I have an attack is a gradual (usually within two minutes) increase in pressure just under the ribcage on my right side, right where my gallbladder used to be. It's not sharp, or instant like yours is, but It IS unbearable once it's in full swing, and I'm usually rolling around on the bed or the floor groaning, swearing and breathing it out until it mercifully goes away. So what you're describing sounds different to a gall attack, or like in my case : a post-gallbladder removal duct blockage that lasts around a minute or two. Does your surgeon's office have someone they can pass you on to until your surgeon returns?

There were clothes that I liked that I never got to wear because as I dropped the weight, I missed the window of time to fit them properly. So in terms of clothes, yeah, I do get that. HOWEVER. I do not miss one gram of the fat I've lost and the joy of thrifting and looking good in standard size clothing far outstrips any disappointment I ever had at getting too small for old clothes I liked.

My surgeon set my goal weight at 80kg. My personal goal weight was 75kg, because my aim was to be the same size I was when at my smallest back in 1997, which I vaguely recalled being around 75-78kg. When I hit that goal I then had a new goal of 65kg, so I have a buffer in case of the common regain a couple of years post-surgery. I like having a weight goal, it's motivating and I find it useful. I also take what size I am and how my clothes fit into account.

Oh yep. I'm coming up on my two year post-surgery milestone, and there's been no abating in my sensitivity to cold. I don't have that fat insulation anymore, and my body struggles to regulate my temperature, so I'm hot, then cold, then hot, then cold and am constantly doing the dance-of-the-layers. Guessing that my body will eventually work that part out. But I'm ok with being a wimp with the cold now - with the summer that's coming for us down here in Australia, I'm going to be grateful NOT to have much body fat.

I had raging GERD pre-surgery, and while the GERD has pretty much gone post-op, I'm so prone to developing ulcers that I'm still on 40mg of Pantoprazole almost two years out. The plan was for me to wean off Pantoprazole, but when I do, I get a fresh ulcer. I have a pooling of bile in the bottom of what's left of my stomach, which I suspect is at least contributing to it (and I still get "gallstone attacks" despite no longer having a gallbladder). Unfortunately, it's not a sure thing that a bypass will cure GERD, which sucks. 100% feel for you. It's just relentless complications. Hope your surgeon has some idea.

I had raging GERD pre-surgery, and while the GERD has pretty much gone post-op, I'm so prone to developing ulcers that I'm still on 40mg of Pantoprazole almost two years out. The plan was for me to wean off Pantoprazole, but when I do, I get a fresh ulcer. I have a pooling of bile in the bottom of what's left of my stomach, which I suspect is at least contributing to it (and I still get "gallstone attacks" despite no longer having a gallbladder). Unfortunately, it's not a sure thing that a bypass will cure GERD, which sucks. 100% feel for you. It's just relentless complications. Hope your surgeon has some idea.

To this day I don't enjoy swallowing large pills, and so opt for chewable where available. Large tablets and supplements can make me feel sick for a good half hour or so after taking them. (Obligatory YMMV disclaimer)