SleeveToBypass2023

Numbers 1, 5, 6, and 7 are literally my life now!!! The weakness is driving me crazy, not gonna lie. I absolutely HATE it. Not to mention, I'm down to a size 6 ring, but it's actually loose on me and spins around (drives me NUTS) but I can't go any smaller because I can't fit a 5 or 5 1/2 over my knuckles!!! And the loose skin actually stops me from going lower in clothing sizes. I'm in an XL right now, but I could be in a L if I didn't have so so so much loose skin. I was in a size 28/30 (4x/5x), so my clothes fit and feel a little weird.

I feel this in my soul right now. I was a DD bra size and I had booty for daysssssss. Now, well, I can fill a B cup with all my loose boob skin. That's pretty much it. I'll do a C cup if it's a sports bra mostly to make myself feel better, but yeah. And my butt? Yeah, we don't know her anymore. She just up and left. If I wear leggings, I look ridiculous. If I wear jeans, they sag unless I wear skinny jeans. Then they look alright but are tight everywhere else. The struggle is real, that's for sure...

I didn't have much pain when I woke up from my sleeve surgery. The pain came after i got home. It was a ROUGH 2 week recovery. HOWEVER....when I had my revision from sleeve to bypass, no pain. I was literally up and moving and walking and doing well while still in the hospital. The recovery was night and day compared to the sleeve. My only regret is that I didn't just do the bypass to begin with. I think you'll be fine. Just breathe through the nerves, remember why you're doing it, and take the leap. I promise, once you're on the other side of the surgery, you'll be so glad you did it.

Mine resembles abdominal "guarding" because the sides pull in and the front protrudes. Went to my PCP about it and she said as long as there's no pain or tenderness or sensitivity then there's nothing to worry about. Gotta be honest, though, I really hate it. I noticed it slightly after my revision last June, but it was REALLY pronounced after my hernia surgery in December. Maybe my abdominal muscles have just had enough of surgeries lol I'm having a total hysterectomy in May (they have to cut me open since the uterine fibroids are so big) so I wonder what my abdomen will look like after that...

For me, drinking warm anything is a no go. Always has been. My drinks need to be hot or cold. No in-between. I absolutely DETEST plain water, so I use the sugar free flavorings and that's been a game changer for me. I also drink sugar free mango splash juice (found at WalMart) on occasion, just to change things up. I absolutely LOVE it.

Every morning I put a capful of Miralax in my 20oz of water and drink that. I take Metamucil 3 in 1 fiber supplements (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 2 at night). At night, I take 3 of the Equate brand 2 in 1 stool softener/laxative pills. And at night I take 1 digestive enzymes w/ pre and pro biotics supplement. And I always drink a MINIMUM of 64oz of fluids per day, but usually more. It took a while to get this regimen figured out, but it really works. I poo every morning. Sometimes big, sometimes medium, sometimes small. But I ALWAYS go now.

I never lost my hunger. Not with the sleeve and not with the revision to bypass. I just have more of a hard stop now that can't be ignored. My big thing has always been training my head. It's HARD, but very necessary. I always made sure I had 3 meals and 2 snack and a TON of fluids. And by a ton, I do mean A TON. My head told me I needed to eat, even when I knew I didn't. And that can manifest into physical hunger. I put myself on a schedule. Breakfast between this time and this time, snack here, lunch around this time, snack here, dinner between this time and this time. And then DRINK, DRINK, DRINK. Eventually my head and stomach learned when it's time to eat and when it's not. I only really run into trouble if I miss those times by a lot. THEN I'm in a minefield. Focus on protein as your #1 with food and snacks. That fills you up and keeps you full longer. Veggies are 2nd. Then carbs and HEALTHY fats. Sometimes at night, I'll have a sugar free popsicle if I really can't ignore the 3rd snack craving. I don't do it often, but the tropical ones are my favorite and they hit the spot. Make sure you're getting enough calories. Don't starve yourself, but also don't over eat. It's all about balance and training your brain. It takes a lot of time, patience, and effort. But I promise it's worth it.

For the first 3 months after surgery, I used Nature's Bounty Hair, skin, and nails gummies w/ collagen & biotin. It's somewhere between $9-$11 at Walmart. I took 2 in the morning and 2 at night. After the 3 month mark, when I was making homemade smoothies, greens drinks and sometimes protein shakes, I started using Codeage multi collagen peptides platinum powder that I would mix into my drinks. It has collagen, biotin, hyaluronic acid, keratin, vitamin c, niacin, and vitamin B6. It's $35 and you get it online at Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc... This one is my absolute FAVORITE. It's completely flavorless, very fine and not grainy at all. I also use the digestive enzymes w/ pre and pro biotics supplements from Codeage, as well.

I had to have a revision to bypass from sleeve because the GERD that developed from the sleeve was SO SO bad it caused me to be on 80mg of Nexium 2x per day and Pepcid 1-2x per day, plus I developed gastritis, esophagitis, and so many polyps because of the high amt of PPIs over a long period of time that it took 4 endoscopies to remove them. Since I had the revision, I haven't had a single issue since. If you're having problems even after the revision to bypass, try a low dose of PPI (Prilosec, Nexium, etc) and speak to your doctor. I haven't heard of "phantom pains" from previous GERD, but I guess it's possible. Maybe get a 2nd opinion??

The only thing I would suggest is to eat until you're comfortable/satiated, not until you're full. You don't want to still be hungry, but you only need to eat until you stop feeling hungry, not full or stuffed. Personally, I wouldn't eat any kind of rice, quinoa, musilli, etc... but others do and it's fine for them in small amounts.

I do what you do and it's been fine. I stay away from tortillas, breads, pastas, rice, potatoes. I eat little to no sugar whenever possible, but if something has some in it, I don't freak out as long as it's not a ridiculous amount. And I just adjust what I'm eating the rest of the day. I use a minimal amount of salt, but when I use it, I use Himalayan sea salt. Completely cutting everything out isn't realistic, so just use moderation, plan and adjust accordingly, and don't stress too much. I think if you're overall making good choices (and it sounds like you are based on what you're doing when you order take out) you'll be fine and you're good

Not jiving in my mind. I was ALWAYS thin and active. Once I got pregnant with my son, my PCOS really kicked in. I gained almost 100 pounds and only lost 35 after I had him. Nothing I did worked, but back then, doctors didn't know much about PCOS (this was April of 1998). I worked out, ate fairly healthy, did a lot of swimming, and still nothing worked. Because of my PCOS, I then had 10 losses (and gained weight with each pregnancy). I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2005 as well as insulin resistance. I was put on Metformin, which helped me drop down from 322 pounds to 301 pounds. I got pregnant with my daughter and had her in Sept 2006. At that point, I was 355 pounds. I stayed on Metformin, worked out, improved my eating even more than before, and went down to 340 pounds. And never lost another pound. At all. I also was never able to get pregnant again. Through the years, my weight ballooned up to my highest weight of 421 pounds. I ended up getting type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, painful joints, mobility issues (needed a cane to get around), and I was wearing size 28/30 (4x/5x), size 10 rings, 22"-24" necklaces, no bracelets (none fit me). I exercised so much for so many years, but the PCOS really did a number on me and stopped me from getting healthy. After a while, you start to feel defeated and give up. Why kill myself dieting, working out, doing everything right to, at best not lose weight, or at worst keep gaining?

When I have persistent gas, I take max strength Gas-X. It helps. Some days, I can eat pretty well. Other days (like today) I struggle to get 2 eggs with cheese down. It depends on what I eat, when I eat it, if I drink while I eat, and sometimes it's just the nature of the surgery. That's why I'm super mindful about getting my protein and fluids in. If you're struggling to drink or having pain when you eat or drink 8 mo out, you really need to speak to your surgeon. That shouldn't be happening.

If you are having trouble sleeping, it can make any anxiety or depression so much worse. It can also create and/or magnify any physical issues you may have going on. Also, give yourself grace because you had a major surgery, which is a tool needed to change your life and your relationship with food. You didn't get here overnight and you won't get to where you want to be overnight. It takes a while for your mind and body to even out and get used to all the changes.

Could be. Try doing it from your computer. Maybe that'll help.

My face on my weight loss journey, from 421 pounds to 213 pounds (18 more pounds to go!!!)

Thank you all so, so much!!! ❤️

Thank you!!! Sometimes it's hard to look at my old pics, but then when I do, I'm so proud of how far I've come. I have 18 pounds to go. They're fighting me like crazy, but I'll get there. But honestly, just looking at the progression pics, it's crazy to see. I never realized exactly HOW big I was. I knew I was big, but I really never saw the sheer size I truly was.

For me, the gas pain was excruciating days 2-4 post-op. Days 5 and 6 were a lot better, and by day 7 I had no more pain. I just made sure to walk, walk, walk and use the heating pad.

I had a sleeve to bypass revision and no, that was not only NOT required, it was never even discussed.

For those that are interested in this, is HSA and/or FSA accepted for payment? Is this compounded and not the commercially available stuff? How long after you have bariatric surgery do you have to wait before you can take this medication?Personally, I won't be partaking, but I've seen many posts on here from others who want to, so I was just thinking of questions that weren't mentioned in the original post.

Thank you guys so much!!!!

YA'LL.... I am officially in a size XL (also known as a 1x). It's one thing to be pretty sure (when you don't actually have that size but the one above it is too big, so you assume) and it's another to put it on and it fits PERFECTLY. Tops AND bottoms. And the size 6 rings are starting to get a little loose. I have 18 pounds to go to hit my goal weight (I weigh 213 right now), and I wonder if I'll be in a 5 1/2 by then!!! The last 30 pounds have been a REAL fight to get off, but seeing the changes in my body and clothes has been amazing and fun. I feel so much better, I can do so many more things, I look so much better, and on a fun note, I went to a higher end thrift store to get some clothes and I was SOOOO overwhelmed by the choices in my new size!!! I started off as a size 28/30 (5x) and would literally just take whatever I could find in my size. Now, there's so many styles and designs and colors and brands lol It's been almost 30 years since I've been this size. I had literally no idea how fun it could be to go clothing shopping!!! And can I just say, my latest blood work shows my A1c is 5.5, fasting blood sugar is 98 and non fasting is 109, and all the rest of my numbers are literally perfect!!! This past weekend, my son and I went on a 8 mile hike, and other than being tired at the end, I didn't have any issues!!! This surgery is literally the best thing I've ever done for myself and my family. Even with all the complications, the revision, the hernia surgery and THOSE complications....I would do it all again to get where I am now. 18 more pounds to go and I'M THERE, ya'll!!!!! OMGGGG!!!!!!

Thank you all so so much!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

I 100% count everything as a win. I can't remember the last time I was this happy and felt this good.