SleeveToBypass2023

pic 1 - 421 pounds (2 months before surgery) pic 2 - 360 pounds pic 3 - 330 pounds pic 4 - 300 pounds pic 5 - 275 pounds pic 6 (today) - 263 pounds 158 pounds lost in 17 months (15 months since original surgery plus 2 months keto before surgery)....another 63 to go!!!!!

Have you tried Colace? Or Dr Tobias colon cleanse (I SWEAR by this stuff, but I only use it as needed to get things moving. I don't do it as a cleanse). I am OBSESSED with Propel. I drink one every day. On big workout days, I drink 2. Try diet apple juice (it can be hard to find, but if you can, definitely grab it). I also use psyllium husk. It works REALLY well. Takes about 2 days (so I use the Dr Tobias to get things moving and then the psyllium husk to keep it moving) and I've really liked it.

I've had several NSV's, such as comfortably fitting in a normal size chair, using a regular stall in the bathroom, fitting in the movie theater seats. But today is, without a doubt, my happiest. Today, after I did a 1 hr workout early in the morning, I spent the day with my son and we unexpectedly ended up doing a 4 mile hike!!!! I didn't have to stop and rest, I wasn't out of breath, and we were chatting the whole time without me struggling. He mentioned it a few times, and said he was so proud of me, and I was shocked. I literally didn't even notice how easy it was for me!!! I just got on with it and walked. It was AMAZING!!!!!

Thank you all so much Having so many complications, having 6 surgeries in 6 months, getting a revision.... I wasn't sure if I would actually get my life back or not. So happy that I finally am. It's slow going, but it's happening

Mine was when I hit 421 pounds, I was on 3 diabetes meds, a blood pressure med, and my joints were constantly hurting. When I was diagnosed with MS, I was already having mobility issues. The extra weight was making me need a walker. I just couldn't do it anymore. I hated everything about myself, my life, my body, my health. I avoided mirrors, despised trying to find clothes that fit, and the looks I would get when we went anywhere. I was always out of breath, always in pain, health getting worse.... I couldn't take it anymore.

When I had my sleeve, I started SERIOUSLY shedding at around 3 months post op. It didn't stop until 9 months post op. So not looking forward to it again. What I noticed helped was taking collagen, biotin, extra protein, and using a shampoo and conditioner with collagen and biotin in it and doing a hair mask twice a week. Biotin and collagen don't stop hair from falling out, or really have anything to do with regrowth. But what they DO do is they help with actual hair texture, shine, split ends, and dryness. The protein is what's actually needed for hair regrowth since your hair needs it but can't produce it on its own. Everything you're experiencing is very normal. It's gonna get worse before it gets better, but it WILL eventually get better.

The stalls get longer the further you get into the post op process. My first one (from my first surgery) was 1 week, then the next was 2 weeks, then 3 weeks, then 3 weeks again, then 4 weeks, then 5 weeks. After that, I didn't really have any, but the weight loss slows way down. I had the revision from sleeve to bypass because of gerd, but it doesn't seem to have helped so far. I'm hoping it will start to improve, but so far, I'm still in the same boat I was in pre-surgery. I can definitely say I missed 2 weeks of work with the sleeve and had A LOT of pain. With the revision to bypass, I was pain free after 4 days and moving around easily. I kind of wish I had just done the bypass to begin with, because the sleeve has caused me way more problems than it solved.

As the title says, I hit my 3 week stall about 2 days ago. I have been through this before, so I know not to check my weight for a week now. The stalls are the worst part of all this, and as time goes on, they get longer and longer. But I've already been to this dance, so at least I know what to expect. My gerd is getting bad. I had to go up to 40mg every day and see how that works (going to every other day caused issues, so today starts every day again). I was really hoping that I would be able to get off PPI with this revision, but so far, no. At least I've gone from 80mg daily to 40. If I could get down to maybe 20mg I could learn to be ok with it. I guess time will tell. I was given the ok to try some ground turkey and HOLY CRAP I FOUND THE RESTRICTION!!!!!! I can eat scrambled eggs, avocado, hummus, refried beans, even cheese cubes....nothing. But I had 2 tbsp of ground turkey and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD there was ALL KINDS of restriction!!!!! I've never had this before. It's awesome!!!! I was told my stomach is the size of a golf ball, and I found it hard to believe before, but oh man I believe it now!!!

I really hope you're right. I just want to go back to living my life.

Oh man. I was on 80mg daily of Nexium with breakthrough gerd nearly every day. Now I'm on 40mg, and if I take it daily, I'm good. If I try to wean off it, I have problems. I guess I won't be getting off it. So so upset

How much did you take before your surgery and how much do you take now?

Thank you. I will definitely be on them about this. Something has to give. There comes a point when looking at the bright side becomes impossible and you just feel defeated. I'm not quite there yet, but I can see myself getting closer. I've had enough.

I'm really upset. I'll be calling the doctor asap tomorrow to see if we can figure out what on earth is going on. I don't know what else to do. I don't have a hernia or anything, gall bladder was removed in 97, never had any reflux or gerd before the sleeve, and this revision was supposed to fix the problem. Not sure what can be done now, but hopefully we can figure something out. I try to stay positive about most things, but this is really too much now.

I don't know. I'm not even fully off the Nexium. I'm on every other day, and already issues are happening. I'll be calling the doctor asap tomorrow.

I was told never, but honestly, the few times I've forgotten and drank while eating, it didn't give me any issues. I felt full faster, so I had to take longer to eat, but it never caused me any problems or pain.

I personally never had it past week 4, and what little I had was barely there. Most people notice it after they start solids. I didn't. I had my revision to bypass on the 28th and I'm on week 3 foods and feel no restriction. I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

Well, I'm 14 months out from my sleeve and 2 weeks out from my sleeve to bypass revision (had horrendous gerd, esophagitis, gastritis, and a ton of pre-cancerous polyps). With my sleeve (and also what I will be doing with my bypass) I was at 90g protein per day, 30 carbs or less per day, 900-1000 calories per day when not working out and 1200-1300 calories per day when working out (I was going beast mode, tho), and 50g or less of fat per day. I did different work outs each day. 2 days I would do cardio, 2 days core and strength training, 2 days weight training, and 1 rest day. I would alternate what exercises I did when so my body never got used to what I was doing. If I noticed I was in a stall for 3 weeks or more, I would change up the intensity and actual exercises I did to confuse my body and break the stall. My fluid intake was always 64-76oz per day (zero sugar gatorade and/or flavored propel along with water on work out days, flavored water on non work out days). I lost 116 pounds in 10 months before everything went stupid and I had my complications and ended up needed my revision.

So I just had this revision, and I can tell you that the weight loss will not be like it was with the sleeve. I had it because I developed GERD, esophagitis, gastritis, and a TON of pre-cancerous polyps all through my stomach. So I also didn't have a choice. I was on 80mg daily of Nexium and still had break through GERD. With the sleeve, I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks. With the revision, I lost 14. I also wasn't interested in doing it for weight loss, since I was chugging along and doing well until it all went stupid. My goal was to get back to living my life, get back to my beast mode work outs, get back to feeling good and not having pain. And that's what the surgery is doing for me. Losing additional weight is inevitable, but eating the stuff you're eating right now is not the way to add additional weight. The sugar and heavy carbs are a no no, especially once you have the bypass. Keep in mind, the more weight you add on now, the more you'll lose. If you really feel the need to try and pad your weight a little, do it by adding additional protein, add in an additional meal or 2 snacks (but don't make them junk). Increase your calories, not your carbs and sugar. Again, I'm not saying this is what you should be doing, but if you're determined to add weight on before the surgery, at least do it in a healthier way than what you're doing now. I can also say, the recovery from the bypass has been SO SO much better than with the sleeve. I honestly wish I had just done the bypass to begin with. So much less pain, I was up and around faster, able to do things better, could handle my pills and supplements (had to crush or completely eliminate them with the sleeve for the first 4-5 weeks), able to handle cold liquids (couldn't with the sleeve), able to get my fluids in so much easier (I drank a 20oz of water in the hospital the day after my surgery and could barely handle 3-4oz with the sleeve). So all in all, I'm exceptionally happy I did the revision. No more GERD, no more PPI, no more pain, much easier recovery, and while the weight is still coming off, it's doing so at a slower and more manageable pace. I wish you all the luck, and I promise you'll feel so much better after the revision.

WHen I had my sleeve, I had to have chewables. They're SO nasty. OMG. So when I had my revision to bypass, I bought liquids, thinking I wouldn't be able to swallow any pills (I couldn't do any kind of pills with my sleeve for like 4 weeks). I was shocked when I found I could take ALL my pills with absolutely no issues at all by day 5 after the bypass. So now I have the liquid vitamins that I'm finishing up and then I'll be switching to normal bariatric vitamins (mostly because I refuse to waste money lol )

It still itches here and there, but the red bumpy area around the incisions is really annoying. I want it to just go away lol

So my incisions themselves are healing ok. But the areas around them are raised, SUPER itchy, and red. This didn't happen with my last surgery, so I'm not sure what to think. I tried triple antibiotic. I tried Benadryl cream and tablets. I tried hydrocortisone cream. Nothing is helping. Anyone else have this before? My doctor's office doesn't open for another hour, so I'm hoping to get some ideas what this could be until then.

I just want to say, as someone who had the sleeve and then a revision to bypass, the sleeve recovery was the hardest. I am completely STUNNED at how much easier the bypass recovery has been. So for those of you who had the sleeve and are struggling, I promise it'll get better. It took me darn near 4 weeks before I was completely pain free. It took 4 days with the bypass. I never lost hunger with either surgery, and I lost what little restriction I had with the sleeve around week 4. The key is to talk to those who have been there and understand the struggle. Some therapy is also huge. The surgery is a tool, but it doesn't change your relationship with food. The mental part of this is actually the toughest part. I promise you, even if you have real hunger, the head hunger is the hardest thing to get past. I can ignore real hunger. But the mind f**k you get from your brain telling you you're hungry, you're starving, you have to have this or that, you can't go without it... that's where the work actually begins. Learning to get over that. Once you do, and you train yourself to recognize true hunger vs head hunger, and you learn how to ignore the head hunger, that's when you've truly won. And it's hard, I won't lie. VERY hard. But it absolutely CAN be done. I promise you that.

They got them all, but decided to remove the distal stomach (the part that is bypassed and isn't used) because that's where the polyps kept showing up. Now I literally only have a 2oz pouch for a stomach and that's it. As far as I can tell, it's my last surgery. Now I'm just getting on with healing and living my life. I'm so so glad to be on the other side of things FINALLY.

I'm completely shocked to say it's been a MILLION times better this time around than it was with my sleeve!!! I was able to take all my pills, at once, by day 4 post op. I've been able to get my water in from day 1. I was able to handle cold stuff. And other than incision/stomach muscle pain, there has been NO PAIN at all. I've been able to walk for 20 minutes 3x per day since day 6 post op. The bad thing is that there isn't a reduction in hunger at all and i haven't noticed any restriction or full feeling or anything. Yesterday was my first day eating mushy foods, and when I had my sleeve, I was IMMEDIATELY full before I even finished my allotted amount. This time? Nope. I fully expected restriction or a hard stop, but nope. That's really disappointing, actually. By day 30 with the sleeve, I had zero restriction and I never lost my hunger. I thought I would have some restriction with the bypass, but nope. Not since day 1. Nothing at all.

I'm really glad to hear this. I've been really worried, but at least now I know the restriction will kick in with solid foods. People said that about the sleeve and it never happened for me, so I'm hoping it actually will with the bypass.