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About a decade ago, when I had lost what I thought was a good amount of weight, there was an online group (do not remember it) where you could post sizes and pics of clothes you had and them arrange to swap/send to someone else. Usually whomever was receiving the clothes paid for shipping and sometimes if the item was dressy/expensive/with tags, you would work out an acceptable arrangement with that person. Likewise, as I lost weight, I posted my clothes and arranged for new homes. I realize this sounds maybe complicated but it was vastly easy at the time. Perhaps I had more energy? I don't see anything like this these days. I'm not a big FB person but I guess that might be the likeliest place for something like this to be done..especially if it is centered in your own 'local area'... Just thinking/writing out loud, I guess..

Does your doctor say this procedure is reversible? Not that u want to reverse it for nothing but in case there is a severe complication in the future, it's always good to have a reversible option so the body can go back to its anatomy

Obesity Surgery Springer Preventing Wernicke Encephalopathy After Bariatric Surgery Erik Oudman, Jan W. Wijnia, [...], and Albert Postma Additional article information Abstract Half a million bariatric procedures are performed annually worldwide. Our aim was to review the signs and symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) after bariatric surgery. We included 118 WE cases. Descriptions involved gastric bypass (52%), but also newer procedures like the gastric sleeve. Bariatric WE patients were younger (median = 33 years) than those in a recent meta-analysis of medical procedures (mean = 39.5 years), and often presented with vomiting (87.3%), ataxia (84.7%), altered mental status (76.3%), and eye movement disorder (73.7%). Younger age seemed to protect against mental alterations and higher BMI against eye movement disorders. The WE treatment was often insufficient, specifically ignoring low parenteral thiamine levels (77.2%). In case of suspicion, thiamine levels should be tested and treated adequately with parenteral thiamine supplementation. Keywords: Clinical nutrition, Dietary, Bariatric, Gastric, Obesity, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, Thiamine Introduction The prevalence of morbid obesity has risen to global epidemic proportions and bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective treatment to achieve substantial and long-lasting weight loss for morbid obesity [1–3]. In the past decades, the number of bariatric procedures performed has increased exponentially. Currently, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy are the most commonly performed bariatric procedures with more than 500,000 interventions worldwide per year [4–6]. Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from malnutrition and a possible adverse complication from bariatric operations. WE is characterized by the classic triad of ataxia, eye movement disorders, and mental status change. The prevalence rate of WE is 0.6–2% of the population, but the condition is often only discovered at autopsy [7]. Current guidelines for bariatric surgery suggest preventive thiamine suppletion (12 mg) in multivitamin treatment for all patients undergoing surgery, but higher doses for patients with suspicion for deficiency [8]. The aim of this paper is to review the clinical characteristics of WE after bariatric surgery, also referred to as “bariatric beriberi” [9] and to raise the clinician’s index of suspicion about this neuropsychiatric diagnosis and its preventability. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, using MeSH terms (WE, Korsakoff syndrome, beriberi, restrictive weight loss surgery, gastrectomy). There were no language restrictions. Studies published from 1985 to 2017 on bariatric surgery with a diagnosis of WE were included. We reviewed the title and abstract of these articles, and indexed the data for year of publication, age, sex, BMI, onset duration and progression of symptoms, radiographic findings, treatment, and follow-up. All included studies were either case reports or case series, since information on the course of illness and symptomatology was often lacking in all group studies. The maximum number of represented case descriptions in one study was five [10]. One study reviewed four cases [11], three studies reviewed three cases [12–14], and eight cases reviewed two cases [15–23]. Cases were excluded if too little information was available to confirm a diagnosis of WE or no clinical characteristics regarding the patient or course of illness were available. Since the collected data is not a random sample of cases, and not likely to be normally distributed, nonparametric statistical procedures were applied (Mann-Whitney U test for comparison of two independent means, chi-square test for multiple means). The recorded data are either number of patients (percentage) or median (range) as appropriate. Results General Overview We identified 118 case descriptions in the published literature [9–101]. The most common bariatric procedure was Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [9–13, 15–18, 24–63], followed by sleeve gastrectomy [19, 64–85] (see Fig. 1 for an overview on the characteristics of the identified bariatric cases that subsequently developed WE). [https://www] Fig. 1 Bariatric procedure case descriptions (n = 118) leading to Wernicke’s encephalopathy (left), gender and age distribution of case descriptions on Wernicke’s encephalopathy after bariatric surgery (right, n = 113) ... Importantly, new cases of WE have continuously been published since the early beginning of weight loss surgery, and the total number of reported bariatric WE cases is growing per 2-year period (Fig. 2), suggesting that it is still relevant to review this differential diagnosis. Also, the total number of bariatric interventions (NHDS and NSAS databases (1993–2006) [102] and ASMBS database (2011–2016) [103]) has been rising each year [5], resulting in a relative decrease of WE cases per intervention (Fig. ​(Fig.22). [https://www] Fig. 2 Reported bariatric WE cases by 2-year period (left) and relative reported WE cases by 2-year period compared to general reference information from NHDS and NSAS databases (1993–2006) [23] and ASMBS (2011–2016) [102]. The red dotted line ... Descriptions of sleeve gastrectomy [19, 64–85] had a more recent publishing date (median 2014) than papers on Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [9–13, 15–18, 24–63] (median 2006) (U (85) = 301.5, p  [https://www] Fig. 3 Months after bariatric procedure, Wernicke’s encephalopathy was diagnosed per surgical procedure (n = 115) Vomiting We further analyzed the symptomatology in all case descriptions. Vomiting was the most frequently described presenting symptom (103 cases, 87.3%) and could be seen as the most relevant precursor of WE. From the literature, it is known that vomiting can also be a major complication in bariatric surgery and is one of the most frequent causes of postoperative readmissions [104]. Severe vomiting is not a normal situation after bariatric surgery and therefore further investigation in cases with frequent vomiting is indicated. In the present sample, non-vomiting cases were distributed throughout all onsets post-surgery, but only 5 out of 15 case descriptions were after the first year, suggesting that other causes than vomiting are likely to cause WE later post-surgery. Alcohol abuse (2 cases), a malabsorptive bariatric procedure (2 cases), and a new operation for hernia (1 case) could explain the late onset in non-vomiting WE presentations, suggesting other factors that negatively affected vitamin B1 storage. Importantly, severe infections, such as postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses leading to thiamine deficiency [78], are also a common presenting feature of WE and are likely to relate to an adverse outcome of WE [105]. Wernicke Encephalopathy: Presenting Characteristics The most profound characteristic of WE in the reviewed case descriptions was ataxia (84.7%, 100 cases), presenting itself as gait abnormalities up to the full inability to walk or move. The second characteristic was an altered mental status (76.3%, 90 cases), presenting itself as delirium, confusion, and problems in alertness or cognition. The third characteristic was eye movement disorders (73.7%, 87 cases), such as nystagmus and ophthalmoplegia, resulting from extraocular muscle weakness. The full triad was present in 54.2% (64 cases), a percentage much higher than the originally reported 16% of patients that present themselves with the full triad in literature in post-mortem case descriptions of WE in alcoholics [105]. Post hoc analysis in the reviewed sample shows that patients presenting themselves with mental status change were older (median 36 years) than patients without mental status change (median 25.5 years) (U (66) = 262, p Moreover, patients with eye movement disorders had a lower BMI (median 45.6 kg/m2) than patients without eye movement disorders (median 52.1 kg/m2), suggesting that a higher BMI can protect against this symptom of WE in bariatric cases. Male patients that did not present themselves with eye movement disorders had a later onset of symptoms (median 24.0) than male patients that did have eye movement disorders (median 3.5) (U (33) = 49, p  Imaging CT scans of the brain did not reveal any significant radiological finding in all cases undergoing this procedure (13 cases), suggesting that CT imaging is not the most suitable imaging technique to detect WE. In 65.6% of the case descriptions where an MRI was performed (40 cases) the procedure revealed radiological alterations. This percentage is somewhat higher than the reported sensitivity of 53% in an earlier study on WE [106]. Of interest, positive MRI results were more frequently associated with mental status change (χ2 (1) = 3.9, p  Treatment: Too Little Too Late According to the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Royal College of Physicians, 500 mg of parenteral thiamine should be given three times daily until symptoms of acute WE resolute. The treatment is lifesaving and has the potential to reverse this acute neuropsychiatric syndrome [107]. A total of 57 (47.5%) case descriptions were reported in detail on the treatment of WE symptoms. Suboptimal treatment, with relatively low doses of parenteral thiamine (Importantly, a progressive clinical course was visible in 31.6% of the patients (37 cases), resulting in post-acute deterioration of neuropsychiatric and neurological symptoms. This suggests that the diagnosis was easily missed, resulting in a lower likelihood of full recovery. Moreover, the detrimental effect of not treating WE promptly is visible in Fig. 4 showing that many of the patients who developed more than one acute symptom later progressed into chronic Korsakoff’s syndrome. This neuropsychiatric disorder is characterized by severe amnesia, executive problems, and confabulations, leading to lifelong impairment [108]. Patients that developed Korsakoff’s syndrome had significantly more acute symptoms (median 3 symptoms) than patients that did not develop Korsakoff’s syndrome (median 2 symptoms) (U (99) = 703.5, p  [https://www] Fig. 4 Long-term cognitive outcome related to number of acute symptoms (left), MRI outcome (middle, n = 55), and too low levels of thiamine treatment (right, n = 52) Although this finding was not significant, in the group that presented themselves with acute MRI abnormalities, more cases later developed Korsakoff’s syndrome (Fig. ​(Fig.4).4). Also, too low dose of a dose of thiamine suppletion therapy resulted in more cases of KS despite the lack of significance. Non-compliance Of interest, in 10.3% of the case descriptions (12 cases), non-compliance to the medication and follow-up medical regimen was reported. A lack of insight into a given situation is a relatively common sign of the acute and chronic phase of WE [105]. The patients did not follow their follow-up, did not take prescribed drugs, or discharged themselves from the hospital against advice, leading to adverse outcomes. Because of the severity of the syndrome, this aspect requires specific attention in the treatment of WE patients, and at risk bariatric patients. Discussion Persistent vomiting is a common symptom suggesting a complication after bariatric surgery [109]. Nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite are also common, non-specific symptoms of thiamine deficiency [8]. Ultimately, vomiting and a loss of appetite are also a preventable cause of thiamine deficiency [110], leading to Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) in the majority of bariatric case reports. Adequate, timely, prophylactic, and substantial thiamine treatment in all patients undergoing bariatric surgery is required to prevent the development of WE, which is a rare but severe complication. The present review highlights that current treatment was neither prophylactic, adequate, timely, nor substantial in the majority of cases, leading to worsening of WE symptoms, the development of additional WE symptoms, and ultimately chronic Korsakoff’s syndrome. One of the most remarkable findings in the present review is that the initial symptoms of WE are often not recognized as such, leading to a prolonged state of emergent WE. In 31.6% of the cases, the initial symptoms progressed into more severe symptoms, ultimately leading to chronic Korsakoff’s syndrome. Prompt treatment of the first symptoms suggestive of WE with high doses of parenteral thiamine replacement therapy is necessary to prevent further damage [110]. According to the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Royal College of Physicians, 500 mg of parenteral thiamine should be given three times daily until symptoms of acute WE resolve [107]. Interestingly, guidelines for treating WE suggest that patients suspected of WE should already be treated as such [107, 111]. Additionally, prophylaxis of WE following early signs and symptoms is only achieved by use of parenteral vitamin supplements, since oral supplements are not absorbed in significant amounts [111]. Moreover, in bariatric surgery, it is always relevant to give prophylactic vitamin therapy, according to international guidelines, to prevent patients from WE. Of interest, newer methods for bariatric surgery such as sleeve gastrectomy and intragastric ballooning still can lead to WE, despite their relative benefits for the patient. Recently, Armstrong–Javors (2016) pointed out that new techniques lead to the primary risk factor of WE, namely vomiting, despite a theoretical advantage by reducing the stomach volume without bypassing the duodenum [112]. Suspicion for WE should therefore be equally high in more traditional surgical procedures and newer procedures. Also, the risk of developing WE due to vitamin B1 deficiency is not restricted to the first half year after surgery but appears to be lifelong, given other factors such as new infections, insufficient meals, or alcohol consumption [110, 113, 114]. Preventive education on the necessity of sufficient vitamin intake should be given before bariatric surgery is performed and is relevant in long-term follow-up. Bariatric patients in their teens or twenties are likely to be more protected for mental status change in the course of WE than patients in their thirties or older, as reflected in a younger age of non-mental status change patients. This finding is in line with earlier reports showing that age is the strongest predictor for postoperative delirium [115, 116]. Importantly, pediatric patients and young adults undergoing bariatric surgery therefore require more attention for sensorimotor problems, such as ataxia and eye movement disorders, besides prophylactic parenteral thiamine treatment. In this specific group, more attention to lifestyle training should be an essential element of treatment, since non-compliance is relatively higher [50]. Relatively more cognitive reserve in combination with non-compliance can leave symptoms of WE unnoticed for a longer period. Although eye movement disorders such as nystagmus and ophthalmoplegia were much more common in bariatric cases than those in the general WE population [113], a higher preoperational BMI was predictive for fewer eye movement disorders. Additionally, male subjects with longer post-bariatric onsets often had no eye movement disorders as a presenting characteristic of WE. It is likely that eye movement disorders represent the most severe form of thiamine deficiency, since it is also the least common phenomenon of the WE triad. Moreover, females are at greater risk for full thiamine depletion than males [8]. A possible mechanism of action explaining the protective effect of higher weight is a greater storing reserve of thiamine in severely obese patients in comparison with less severely obese patients. This mechanism of action has been referred to as “preferential intracellular thiamine recycling” [116], leading to relatively less thiamine depletion in patients with higher body weight. Often, cases with WE following anorexia nervosa present themselves first with eye movement disorders [117], suggesting that this symptom is likely to be the result of full thiamine depletion. This suggests that both patients with lower body weight, and female patients are at greater risk for developing WE, and should guide clinicians in preventive thiamine therapy [1–4, 118]. Radiologic imaging can be employed to support the diagnosis of WE, but is not always sensitive to WE symptomatology. Often, hyperintensities were visible in the thalamic region, the mammillary bodies, and the region around the third and fourth ventricle, in line with previous research on WE [7]. Our results show that MRI alterations are frequently associated with mental status change, but not the motoric aspects of WE. This finding is relevant, because it suggests that specifically in bariatric patients with motoric problems, such as ataxia or eye movement disorders, WE should be treated despite the outcome of an MRI. Non-compliance is common in WE patients following bariatric surgery (10.3%) and could be viewed as a more discrete symptom of the disorder. Patients with WE lack insight into their situation, due to the severity of the neurological problems [108, 110]. Education on the direct adverse consequences of malnourishment should be incorporated into the provision of information before surgery. After surgery, more automated checks on vomiting are relevant. A limitation of the present review is that we only reviewed case descriptions. Therefore, predictive information regarding prevalence rates and incidence rates is limited. Despite this limitation, the level of detail in the reviewed case studies leads to new insights into WE following bariatric surgery. Recently published studies on treatment perspectives of WE in general and psychiatric hospitals are alarming: European as well as American studies demonstrated that most patients did not receive thiamine at all or only received it orally in low doses [119, 120]. Both types of treatment lead to unnecessary cases of chronic Korsakoff’s syndrome characterized by severe amnesia, executive problems, and confabulations, leading to lifelong impairment [108]. It is therefore important to highlight the clinical signs of symptoms in this specific condition. In conclusion, there is a growing number of bariatric patients worldwide. Malnourishment-related WE is a rare but severe and preventable consequence of bariatric surgery that warrants attention given its rapid onset and detrimental course. All bariatric procedures can lead to deficiencies and therefore to WE. WE can be fully prevented by supplying prophylactic thiamine given either parenterally in vomiting patients or orally in non-vomiting patients. Mental confusion, eye movement disorders, and ataxia are often missed as crucial symptoms of WE. After the initial onset of symptoms, rapid treatment with high doses of thiamine is still a life-saving measure, directly ameliorating the core symptoms of WE. The large distribution of WE onsets suggests that bariatric patients remain more vulnerable to vitamin B1 deficiency for life, and therefore require lifelong routine follow-up on their B1 status. Acknowledgements We thank Topcare for supporting excellence of long-term care. We also thank Misha Oey for her advice, and textual suggestions. Compliance with Ethical Standards This review was conducted in compliance with the ethical standards. Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical Approval Statement This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by the authors. Informed Consent Statement Informed Consent statement does not apply. Article information Obes Surg. 2018; 28(7): 2060–2068. Published online 2018 Apr 24. doi: 10.1007/s11695-018-3262-4 PMCID: PMC6018594 PMID: 29693218 Erik Oudman,[https://www]1,2 Jan W. Wijnia,1,2 Mirjam van Dam,1,2 Laser Ulas Biter,3 and Albert Postma1,2 1Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands 2Korsakoff Center Slingedael, Lelie Care Group, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 3Department of Bariatric Surgery, Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Erik Oudman, Email: ln.uu@namduo.a.f. [https://www]Corresponding author. 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Headlines: Last Updated: Jun 12, 2009 - 3:53:09 PM Obesity surgery can lead to memory loss, other problems American Academy of Neurology Mar 14, 2007 - 7:41:20 AM Email this article Printer friendly page ST. PAUL, Minn -- Weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, can lead to a vitamin deficiency that can cause memory loss and confusion, inability to coordinate movement, and other problems, according to a study published in the March 13, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The syndrome, called Wernicke encephalopathy, affects the brain and nervous system when the body doesn’t get enough vitamin B1, or thiamine. It can also cause vision problems, such as rapid eye movements. The study found that the syndrome occurs most often in people who have frequent vomiting after the surgery. It usually occurs within one to three months after the surgery, although one case occurred 18 months after surgery. The study reviewed the scientific literature for all reported cases of the syndrome occurring after obesity surgery. A total of 32 cases had been reported. Many of the people also had neurological symptoms that are not typical of Wernicke encephalopathy, such as seizures, deafness, psychosis, muscle weakness, and pain or numbness in the feet or hands. "When people who have had weight loss surgery start experiencing any of these symptoms, they need to see a doctor right away," said study author Sonal Singh, MD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "Doctors should consider vitamin B1 deficiency and Wernicke encephalopathy when they see patients with these types of neurological complications after weight loss surgery. If treated promptly, the outlook is usually good." For treatment, patients are given vitamin B1 through an IV or injection. Of the 32 people, 13 made a full recovery. Many people continued to have problems, such as memory problems, weakness, or difficulty coordinating movement. Singh said more studies are needed to determine how often the syndrome occurs after weight loss surgery. He said some doctors prescribe thiamine supplementation for their patients after weight loss surgery, but recommends that national standards be set for all doctors to follow.

Disclaimer: I had a completely complication-free surgery and recovery. Within 3 hours of surgery, my team took me off of all pain meds except for plain Tylenol in my IV. The most significant “pain” I had was a feeling as if I had been punched repeatedly in the solar plexus and it hurt every time I tried to swallow liquid. Which sucked bc you have to drink 68 ounces liquid before they let you out. I slammed 2 ounces per hour (yes it hurt, but I had to do it regardless) and then finally got to where I was drinking 4-6 ounces/hour as time was running out. Again, it hurt, but I knew I’d hurt worse without it. Luckily I have a cast-iron stomach (sleeve now) and didn’t puke once. The chronic pain in the solar plexus lasted about 2 weeks, but the funny thing is that even though I’m close to 8 months PO, I can still duplicate that pain if I eat too fast, eat too much, or swallow too big a bite of food. I welcome that pain though, because it acts as a reminder to slow down The first 2 weeks just really stink, but they’re totally worth it

At 3 months I was down 112.5 pounds (at 240 pounds). No problems with food or drink. No medical complications. The only issues I've had have been social as others adjust to how much I eat. I can sit with anyone while they eat anything and not have any concerns but it seems that some others become embarrassed when they compare their portions to mine. We're working through it though and I think it'll be fine

Hi Chula. I’m so sorry to hear about your difficulties. It is really hard a first. I too was in more pain than expected. I doubled up on pills a few times just to get through. However try using over the counter meds to help with the pain. We have an opioid epidemic going on and docs and hospitals are refusing to give out large amounts of pain meds. This is why you can’t seem to get what you need. And the more you plead the more they refuse because they think you are becoming addicted. Get some extra strength Tylenol and try taking one in between doses of your stronger meds. Do not, I repeat, do not take more than 4000 ml off Tylenol a day. It can permanently damage your liver. And see if your other meds contain any type of acetaminophen. If so you must count that. I’d be very diligent and not go over 3000 just to be safe. However I find it has helped me a lot. Try and get your water in. It is super important and dehydration is probably contributing to your discomfort. It is shameful that the hospital is not responding to your calls. You need to go in person and demand to see your surgeon. Easier said than done, I know. But right now the emergency room is a good idea. Have them check you for leaks as you may be experiencing some complications and not know it, which contributes to the pain. Get yourself a medical binder (available on amazon) or ask for one at the ER. It’s a tight wrap you put around your midsection and helps tremendously with pain. I really hope you feel better soon. No one deserves to suffer more than they should. Whether you chose this or not, you deserve the absolute best care and it doesn’t look like you are getting it. Get yourself back to a hospital ASAP. Try and find a good local one that won’t dismiss your complaints. Not all hospitals are the same. E en if you have to drive further get to the best hospital you can reach. Good luck. I promise you, this too shall pass. But you’ve tried enough on your own. You need a professionals help to get over this hurdle. Good luck and please keep us up to date.

Hey @shanshan all perfectly normal fears Also, you will wake up coz I had the super rare post-op complication 0.2% so this year's stats for weird complications have been fulfilled by me, which means you will be A-ok I was worried about waking during surgery so I 'manned up' and told the anaesthetist it scared me and she was amazing reassuring me, so maybe just let them know? Make sure you read the post by fluffychix called 'the importance of doing the head work' @FluffyChix I seem to be your personal PR guru today haha The head IS the thing that makes us or breaks us, so work on that head GOOD LUCK!

I fear that i won't wake up after surgery. I fear that I will fail. I fear that I'll slack off on taking vitamins daily. I fear that i will have complications. I'm not a risk taker like others. I like to know what im getting into, the outcome and with wls there's no way you can know. What if i fall in the 1% who got worse after surgery? Even death. And on the other hand maybe I'll be successful with no complications ever. I'm scared of the unknown.

I did in Jan. I did have a minor complication. I came through the surgery ok and was doing fine when a couple of hours later I had a sudden drop in BP. They did an ultrasound and thought that there could be a bleed somewhere so they took me back into surgery and also gave me 4 units of blood. No major issues found in 2nd surgery. I have since spoken to the Doc and he says that the trocar probably damaged a minor blood vessel in the stomach layers - a complication that could have happened with any surgery. I was in hospital for 5 nights and did feel like I had been hit by a bus. On day 5 I developed mild asthma, I couldn’t wait to get home. Felt very weird for the first couple of weeks. Head was fuzzy and I felt like I had a hair in my throat. Possibly Ketosis combined with an ear issue! I have lost all the weight that I regained when my band stopped working and now feel fab. I weigh 50kg. The bypass is so much better than the band. My diet is much healthier, when I’m full I feel it in my stomach not in my throat and chest and I can go out and eat and not spend the night in the bathroom throwing up because 1 bite went down wrong. I don’t have any food issues, I can eat just about anything. I do have to be careful with sugar, too much gives me the shakes, palpitations and leaves me feeling generally awful - this is a good thing.

I have not, but it sounds like a great idea. Two birds, one stone. My doc won’t do lap bands anymore. He says they either don’t produce enough results or the cause too many complications and that most people end up removing them and gaining back all the weight in the long run. Either way I think something more permanent is a better solution. Good luck. I’m sure it will be great and it’s wonderful to have both done at the same time. Imagine having to do two separate surgeries. Ugh.

Sometimes hard to see the daily improvements when you are feeling really awful tho. Each day is a bit like 1 step forward 2 back, until we finally get to just going forward. I was talking to my mum last night saying I had no idea I would feel so ill afterwards and she was like 'why on earth would you not after 2 major surgeries!!?' She is an itu nurse and is a bit hardcore, so if she is telling me to give myself time to recover then I can say the same to you LOL Take it easy, one day at a time. I know lots on here recover super fast, but we are all different and some of us had complicated surgery so of course, we will be slower to get over it

My daughter is one year out of gastric sleeve surgery. She has done very well but in the last couple weeks she has been experiencing very high liver enzyme’s and Billiruben in her urine. She is in the hospital right now and they have ruled out Hepatitis. They do not seem to be paying much attention to the fact that she has had gastric sleeve. She only drinks alcohol socially. And she is only 24.Has anyone heard of this complication a year after surgery or more?

Surgery 9/17, home 9/20 due to complications. Pain was horrible. Currently hating myself for this surgery. Hope everyone’s experience is better

I knew i was not a great candidate for sleeve because of reflux but I was thinking RNY because I didn't understand what MGB was. My surgeon suggested Mini Gastric bypass. I believe he prefers it because there is only one anastamosis and I'm thinking any time you can do a simpler surgery there is less risk of complications and that seemed like a good thing to me. After I researched it a bit, I was happy with his recommendation.

I am now one week post op and pretty miserable still. My surgery was 9/16 and I was in the hospital until 9/20. The surgery had a complication of my gallbladder had started to disintegrate so they took that as well as my entire stomach. I was so inflamed I could hardly move. By Wednesday they had to send me down for several tests because I couldn't draw a deep breath and was actually gasping for air, my torso felt so tight. So I had a swallow test, a chest Xray and then finally a CT of my chest and abdomen. Then to get me out of bed more they threatened me with a broncos copy. I did eventually improve and was able to leave on the 20th weighing 15 pounds more than the day of surgery! I have lost about 9 pounds of it so far and just spoke to the Surgeons office and they agreed it was fluid, probably due to all the things they did during surgery. I do feel better everyday, but it is slow going. I realize this is going to be a tough road, but worth every step in the end to be well ad healthy. Thanks for listening! P.S. My first weight lost surgery was not a sleeve as I had thought but a Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, which they stopped doing because of complications. My surgeon was surprised when he got in there!

Aww lovely, it is crap huh We ALL promise it gets better! Honestly, at one point, my pain was so bad (complications from surgery, not yet known at that point) I had a fleeting thought that if the pain didn't stop, I was going to throw myself out the window!! Bit dramatic I know but hell, it was bad at the time. I was in agony for 2 weeks, regretted everything. Then kept thinking holy sheets I can't even get them to reverse it BUT I promise it gets easier. You have had surgery, and anaesthetic can make some of us feel very down in the dumps and hormones going haywire from the sudden change of food amounts etc has a huge impact on how we are feeling. Do you normally take antidepressants? I missed mine whilst in hospital, so that absolutely doesn't help with how we are feeling even missing just 2 days can impact your mood. Anyway, my long-winded point is really just the same as previous replies, the first few days can be awful but it really does improve. Hang in there, nothing lasts forever and you will get through this xx

no - RNY is different. It's a gastric (i.e., stomach) bypass - although a small part of the small intestine is bypassed with the RNY, too. The DS has a sleeve stomach + most of the small intestine bypassed. converting from VSG (sleeve) to DS is very straightforward. VSG is essentially phase 1 of the DS - so you already have that. They'd just add the intestinal bypass part of it (phase 2) to do your DS. conversion from RNY to DS is very complicated. They have to take down the RNY, then do a sleeve stomach, and then do the intestinal bypass. Not many surgeons do this surgery.

My depressions horrible. The surgery was more pain then I ever imagined and thanks to complications I was hospitalized for 4 days instead of two. I feel like I can’t drink enough to hit 80 grams of protein, My depressions a mess, and I have no support system. My family could care less about me. I regret this surgery due to all the pain I’m in and I feel like a failure. Anyone relate? 😓😓😓

^^ what he (she?) said. And yes - a sleeve-to-DS conversion is easy, since you already have a sleeved stomach (DS'ers have a sleeved stomach plus an intestinal bypass). It's a pretty straightforward conversion - they just add the intestinal part since you've already had the VSG part. An RNY-to-DS conversion is much more complicated.

Ouch! So sorry to hear this! It kinda sounds like a medical emergency/complication of a prior surgery. Don't most insurances including NHS cover that? Like if you had to go to the ER with it? Is it excessively painful and keeping you from keeping liquids down or being able to eat? It honestly sounds like the band slipped and may be causing problems with your esophagus which could be very very bad over a 3 week period. Whatever you do, don't eat a lot. ((hugs))

I had my surgery on the 16th and was in until the 20th. I had some complications through. Good luck!

It's been a rough journey for you so far Bastian, it's not unexpected that after all the complications you've had and the revision surgery you will be feeling crap. Two surgeries which have radically altered your physiology have knocked you around a lot, it is just your body's way of saying that you need to rest and recoup. I can relate to you wanting to get on with it, but your body just isn't ready for that yet, give the poor thing a chance to catch up lol! From what I have read and researched it is going to be trial and error for quite some time with what you can not tolerate/makes you feel good/makes you feel crap etc you have to re-learn all over again what your new GI tract can take. Be kind to yourself and take it very easy until you do feel better. Hugs and best wishes hun.

I had surgery with Dr Maytorena May 29,2017 and was very pleased! He and his staff were all very caring and professional. In fact I chose him because he works out of a hospital instead of a clinic. Down 169 pounds in 2 years, no complications whatsoever!

@FluffyChix Thanks! Yes, it has flown by for me as well. I can't believe I was originally planning to have this surgery a year ago. I'm glad it didn't happen, I wasn't at a stable weight and the results wouldn't have been as good I don't think. I'm super excited, but anxious about recovery and pain at the same time. I'm not an anxious person, so feeling anxious makes me anxious 🤣 I'm also grateful my mom is going to be with me. I'm super independent, and hate relying on anyone. But I'm sure I'm going to need to. I'm glad she didn't take no for an answer, and basically told me she is going with me. My bf is also relieved I'm not going to be alone, so this removes some of his worry and stress. My mom and I are both the get faint at the sight of blood, wounds etc. type. I can actually feel woozy just reading about ps recovery, complication, looking at pics. We are going to be a mess trying to take care of me 🤣 Thanks for the tip on the lanyards! I'll be at a trade show in a couple of weeks and will grab a few spares. I think they might be too short though. From descriptions I've read online my drains will be in my crotch area. I'm not sure if I will have drains for the breast augmenttion, no lift? One of the tips I read online is tie a robe belts around your neck, like a long necklace, and clip your drains to that. I added safety pins to my preop shopping list! @Stella S I'll be in NJ. The good thing is my mom and I will have separate rooms, and our own Fire Sticks, Kindles, iPads etc. Gotta keep from killing each other 🤣 I don't think we will have a car when we are out there. Not only is it ungodly expensive, but my mom who has driven LA freeways nearly everyday for the last 50 years, thinks a turnpike is somehow different and more intimidating 🙄