SleeveToBypass2023

UPDATE: I just got the call. The nodules also came back pre-cancerous, and it's going to take 2 more surgeries to get them all removed from my duodenum. I'll be having them in April and May. I also have to have a colonoscopy because when I go #2, there's horrible pain at my belly button and along the sides of my stomach, to the point where I can't catch my breath, stand up straight, or walk. Given the polyps and nodules all through my stomach and duodenum, my GI specialist is concerned there will be polyps or something else that needs to be removed. So I have no idea at this point when I'll be cleared to have my revision. But he was saying the colonoscopy will probably be in June and then we'll go from there deciding what needs to be done. once everything with my colon is finished, I'll have to have another endoscopy to see if any new polyps have come back in my stomach and duodenum. If so, they will have to be removed again. If not, I'll be cleared for my revision. This is absolutely ridiculous. I'm so over all of it.

Thank you everybody. It really has been a pain. I still love my sleeve, but it's been made abundantly clear to me that I don't really have a choice with the revision. So as soon as I can get cleared, we're scheduling it. I'm just ready to be done and go back to living my life.

How are you doing now? Did you ever find out for sure what it was?

OMG me me me!!!!! I have turkey neck and I absolutely can't stand it. You can hide loose skin every where else, but not the neck. It's driving me nuts. Taking collagen doesn't help. Neck exercises don't help. Nothing but plastics will help, but I'm not at goal yet so that's still a ways off.

Good!!! I'm really glad you're doing well. I was getting concerned reading through this post, but I'm glad you're able to get protein in a lot more now.

Honestly, ignore what your dad said. He may not have meant it the way it came out, but he still said it. As for how long, everyone is different. It took around 60 pounds before I could see a difference, and another 10 before others really noticed.

Make sure you stick to your plan religiously, stay away from the scale for a while, and exercise as normal. Make sure you're getting enough water and protein. The stall will eventually break. It's all part of the process.

I am OFFICIALLY in a size 7 ring!!! And my size 18/20 clothes are beginning to get a little loose. Holy crap!!!! I'm having my 1st procedure to remove (hopefully) half of my pre-cancerous polyps in my stomach on Friday the 17th. The 2nd (and hopefully last) one will be on March 10th. I'm thinking my revision (going from my gastric sleeve to a gastric bypass out of necessity, because of what the sleeve is doing to my stomach and my esophagus) will be in May or June. I can't wait to get through that and just get back to living my life. So tired of all these medical issues. I just want to go back to working out the way I used to and FEEL BETTER. So tired of this.

I absolutely love my sleeve. BUT, I have to have a revision to bypass because it caused me MAJOR gerd issues. I didn't have any kind of gerd or reflux pre surgery, so I chose the sleeve. But it's caused horrible gerd, which made me need very high dose of PPI long term and gave me gastritis and esophagitis. The PPI caused pre cancerous polyps all through my stomach (3 different kinds, all different sizes) that require multiple procedures to remove them. Once that's done and I'm cleared, I have to have a revision to the bypass. If it wasn't for this, I would be ecstatic with my sleeve. I lost 110 pounds in 9 months. I went from a size 10 ring to a size 7. I went from a size 28/30 in clothes to 18/20. I got off my blood pressure medication and all 3 diabetes meds. I'm able to go BEAST MODE in my work outs. I wish I didn't have to get the bypass, but here we are. So just do your research because even if you don't have any gerd issues at all, the sleeve can cause it and you may end up with a revision to the bypass anyway.

Had my surgery. Not feeling that great. Stomach is in some discomfort. Had 8 big polyps removed. 1 was super big, inflamed, and granular. So a biopsy was done on it. On the 10th, I'm having 8-10 removed again. Not sure if that's going to be all of them. Might have to do a 3rd surgery. There was some bleeding today, so the doctor could only do the 8 today. I slept a good portion of the day away, and I'm only having a protein shake for meals. Hoping I can move on to soup and maybe soft foods tomorrow and normal food by Sunday. Definitely not feeling great, tho. Blah.

Thank you!!! Getting ready to head out now. I can't wait for all of this to just be over.

I honestly never thought about it like that. Huh. That could very well be.

As many of you know, I never lost my hunger. From day 1 I still had it. And it's made this journey harder than it needed to be. I tried a few different appetite suppressants and they did nothing at all for me. 2 weeks ago, I found one called PhenQ. I read the reviews and the ingredients and really liked how it sounded, so I bought it. I got it a week ago and have been using it everyday, and FINALLY I can say I have absolutely NO hunger!!! I set alarms to remind me to eat, and it's amazing. It speeds up my metabolism, burns fat, and REALLY kills my appetite. I have zero cravings, zero hunger. There's a day and a night version, and I bought both. So here's how it works: I take one pill in the morning with breakfast (about 7:30am). I totally skip the first snack of the day because I have no hunger at all. About 4 1/2 hours after breakfast, I take the 2nd daytime pill with lunch (around noon). I skip my 2nd snack because again, no hunger at all. Then I have dinner around 5 or 5:30pm. Normally around 8:30pm or so I'm getting a bit hungry, but I take the 2 pills at night around 8pm and I'm not hungry at all for the rest of the night. I honestly don't even think about food, and I would forget to eat if I didn't have the alarms set. And that's what I wanted. I take in about 1300 - 1350 calories per day and I work out 6 days per week for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours each day. On the day I don't work out, I take in around 1000-1100 calories. 4 days per week I do cardio and 2 days per week I do weight training. I have never felt better or been happier, and I'm now about 1-2 weeks away from moving into size 18/20 clothes!!!! If I decide one day that I want a snack, I will have it. But having it be a choice versus always feeling hungry is what I always wanted. And now I finally have it. I was also doing strict keto, but decided to move to low carb versus keto. I have a carb blocker I take with my meal that is the most carb heavy (either breakfast or dinner, depending on what I have). It's called Carb Catcher by 310 Nutrition. Those, my multi-vitamin, my biotin, my collagen powder, my soluble fiber powder, my digestive enzyme with pre and pro-biotics pill, and my MS meds are all I take now. I drink my greens everyday and I eat well. And I have to say, I feel "normal" for the first time is decades. Healthy, active, and normal.

First, let me start by saying I now have to have a revision due to sleeve complications (insane gerd causing high doses of PPI which have cased a ton of polyps all through my stomach, which make the gerd worse, which caused gastritis and esophagitis). I love my sleeve and am really sad to need a revision. I have to have half the polyps removed on the 17th, then the other half on March 10th. We're looking at a revision to bypass probably in May, which is ironic because that's my 1 year surgiversary for my sleeve lol My ring size is now a 7 1/2 and my clothing size is an 18/20. My surgeon told me to expect to lose maybe another 60-65 pounds with the bypass (it'll be slower and not as much weight lost since it's a revision) but I'm ok with that. If I can lose another 15 pounds by surgery day, then the bypass will get me to goal within another year. I'm ok with it taking 2 years to hit goal, given all these stupid complications. My main thing right now is to feel better. I have to really watch how much I work out and what kinds I do because that can set things off. I watch my diet like a hawk. I still end up in pain sometimes, or sick to my stomach, or any number of things. But the revision will take care of that and then I can just get on with the business of living again. The main things I experience is nausea after I eat anything, sharp stabbing pains in my abdomen that cause me to lose my breath and not be able to do anything but lay on the bed and cry, burning and churning in my stomach and up my esophagus, burning in my throat that sometimes makes my throat scratchy and my voice hoarse, spasming in my esophagus causing my throat to close and food to get stuck. I cannot WAIT to get better. Honestly. I love my sleeve, but this is too much. I just want to feel better.

It makes sense, but it's still a problem because my neurologist doesn't want to put my on a stronger medication that's injectable in order to accommodate the new surgery. That's really what has me worried. I was concerned about the possibilities of strictures and dumping, but the med issue is what's at the front of my mind right now.

Thank you I'm a little concerned about the revision because I have MS meds that are extended release that my surgeon said will need to be changed out. But my neurologist said I'm stable on them and the only med I can take is a stronger injectable, but he's not inclined to put me on a stronger med that I don't need. So this is kind of a problem right now. The pills are capsules and can't be broken or crushed, but that's not really the issue. It's the malabsorption that's the issue because I guess extended release meds are a no no with the bypass, which is why I didn't want the bypass to begin with.

There are therapists that specialize in bariatric therapy. They help the patient manage expectations, emotions, dealing with head hunger, etc... It's actually a really good idea. Many of us on here have used them at one time or another. I have to have a revision and while I'm concerned about the rate of loss, I'll be honest, I mostly just want to feel better. I had my sleeve in May 2022 and I've lost 108 pounds. I still have 80 pounds to go to get to goal. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing with my diet and working out, and it may take longer than it did now, but I know I'll get there. You will, too. Just keep in mind that stalls happen a lot, 25 pounds lost in 6 weeks in excellent, and just stick religiously to your surgeon's plan and you'll get there in the end. The main goal is better health, anyway.

My doctor and insurance said if you're getting a revision due to weight regain, you have to jump through the same hoops as if you're getting the original surgery. If it's for medical reasons (mine is for that) then there's not much that has to be done besides new labs and a new PCP note signing off on the procedure. BMI can also play into it if regain is the reason, as well as what you have tried on your own to lose and reset your pouch. Also, if your comorbidities are back and your PCP documents them and they are significant enough to require meds to keep them in check, that works in your favor. If you gained 50 pounds but you don't require any meds to be stable, they may just put you on a program to get your diet and exercise back on track. You still have your tool, you may just have to relearn how to use it.

I have to have a revision due to sleeve complications (insane gerd causing high doses of PPI which have cased a ton of polyps all through my stomach, which make the gerd worse, which caused gastritis and esophagitis). I love my sleeve and am really sad to need a revision. I have to have half the polyps removed on the 17th, then the other half on March 10th. We're looking at a revision to bypass probably in May, which is ironic because that's my 1 year surgiversary for my sleeve lol The main things I experience is nausea after I eat anything, sharp stabbing pains in my abdomen that cause me to lose my breath and not be able to do anything but lay on the bed and cry, burning and churning in my stomach and up my esophagus, burning in my throat that sometimes makes my throat scratchy and my voice hoarse, spasming in my esophagus causing my throat to close and food to get stuck. I cannot WAIT to get better. Honestly. I love my sleeve, but this is too much. I just want to feel better. I didn't want the bypass because I don't want to deal with possible strictures, dumping syndrome, and I have 2 extended release meds that I can't stop taking (can't be broken or crushed) that will be an issue with the bypass. I never had any gerd or reflux issues, so all these problems came as a shock to me. I'm also really nervous this time around (I wasn't at all with the sleeve).

Yep, that's a stall. Totally normal, you'll have a lot more. I tend to gain around 4 pounds in a stall and then just stay there for weeks until it breaks.

Thank you!!!

I recently found out that I have to have a revision from sleeve to bypass because of gastritis and GERD. I'm no longer on my blood pressure med or all 3 of my diabetes meds, but I do take meds for my MS. They are extended release, I take them twice per day, they cannot be crushed or broken, and they are not interchangeable with any other MS meds (specific meds are for specific stages of MS and there aren't things to swap them out with). I specifically didn't choose the bypass when I was given the option for sleeve or bypass because of the MS meds, and now I'm told I don't have the choice. It's freaking me out because my MS meds are non-negotiable, but the GERD and gastritis are causing different types of polyps to form all over the inside of my stomach, making things even worse. I was told by my GI specialist that a revision is now non-negotiable. So...I'm worried.

I had to crush mine except for the MS meds, those I had to take whole. My advice, take them with something warm. I mixed the crushed pills in a shot glass with some well flavored drink and then I had to take 1 at a time, but the 2 pills that had to be taken whole, I took with warm liquid (usually broth). This was for the first 2 weeks. Then I didn't have to crush the pills anymore, but I had to take the pills slowly with warm broth for another 2 weeks. By week 4, I was healed enough to take my meds normally. And by then I was off my blood pressure and diabetes meds anyway, so that was a lot less than I had to take before (I got off all 4 of those meds and was thrilled).

I was able to do 1 hour on the treadmill, but definitely not at the level I could before all this stomach crap. I was at incline 15, speed 2.6, heart rate around 142. It annoys me that I've had to back it down, but at least I can do something. I was also able to do 20 sit ups (used to be able to do 50), 30 stomach crunches (was able to do 60 before), 10 step ups on each side (used to be able to do 30 before), and 20 reps on each of my arm exercises (used to do 40 each). I couldn't so anything more because I started to have sharp stabbing abdominal pain as well as burning from the gastritis and GERD. I might have to back it down on the treadmill a little more and see if things improve. I can't wait for all of my procedures to be done so I can finally start feeling better and get back to working out the way I normally do. I can't even THINK about any weight training or strength/core training right now

Just got the call from my GI specialist. I DO NOT have cancer!!! It seems what I have are 4 different types of polyps, all of which are pre cancerous. Nobody knows how I got them, what caused them, or if they will come back. My gastritis and GERD are apparently caused by my sleeve itself. So the plan moving forward is to have 3-4 more upper GI endoscopies to remove every single polyp (that way they don't become cancer) and then I have to have a revision from sleeve to bypass. But the removal of the polyps is first, then the revision. Don't really want a revision, but at this point, I'll do WHATEVER it takes to get all of this taken care of and finally start to feel better. SO SO glad it's not cancer!!!!!!!