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I weigh more than you so that's not relevant, but I had the DS surgery 3 weeks ago. You want to talk about rewiring your intestines for weight loss?? Yeah, did that. I had a moment of panic after the surgery when it really truly hit me that I'd permanently altered my body and couldn't predict how it would look 30 years down the road. And then I internally slapped myself and reminded myself that how my life was looking pre-surgery in 30 years was death or disability even worse than what I have now, and that NO ONE can say what their life is going to look like in the next 30 years, or even in the next year. Life doesn't work that way. Nothing comes with guarantees. I was very afraid of the complications a DS can have. But I decided complications from diabetes and high blood pressure and high cholesterol were worse. You may not have these now but you may very well have them in the next 10 years. I was perfectly fine until I was 37. I have had no major complications so far, just some nausea. My tastebuds have changed and it turns out avocado no longer tastes good to me and I can't taste sweet spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. I'm told that will balance out in time, its the hormones playing with my tastebuds like a pregnant woman. For two weeks my stomach did these twisty cartwheels inside me every time I drank or ate something, but that eased too, as I knew it would. I had family and friends rather skeptical of doing this surgery, especially because I am that 1% person who always gets the rare complications from things. But turns out so far I've had a rather boring recovery and I hope that continues to be the case, but if it doesn't, I'll deal with it. Because I no longer want to live the yo-yo life of trying desperately to normalize my weight on my own. I have lost 21 lbs in 3 weeks post surgery! I didn't think this would work for me but it is working... Yes, for the first few weeks getting that water in feels like a huge chore. But eventually you find your groove... Same with protein. And as my dietician reminded me today, they are GOALS, not absolutes that have to be perfect on the first day. I couldn't get down protein drinks for the first two weeks. In the end you will do what is right for you at this time. If you don't do the surgery now you will do it later down the road and be one of the people who wishes they'd done it sooner. I wish I'd known about this option in my 20s, I would have lived a very different life.

Since you've been doing your homework, you probably already know that your chance for any complication is just under 6% and your chance for a serious complication is about 2.5% with the RNY. On the flip side, you have about a 74% chance of curing your sleep apnea and a decent likelihood of reaching a BMI in the healthy range. I am scheduled for surgery next month, so I can't tell you about my experience with it yet. What I can tell you is why I am choosing it after almost 7 years in my hospital's non-surgical weight loss program. I am 5'6 and 49 years old, with 2 teen/tween daughters. At the start of 2017, I was 249 pounds and on blood pressure meds, no other co-morbidities. My primary care doctor referred to me to the weight management center. They said aim for 1500 calories per day, 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week, and check in with them every month. I was motivated and started tracking my food and exercise. I went in for nutrition, psych, and medical meetings as directed. The weight came off. I was thrilled! I got down to 202 in 6 months. I was so close to being under 200, and I was certain I could easily get to at least under a BMI of 30 to no longer be "obese." Piece of cake! Or rather, some suitably healthy cake alternative. Like apples, maybe? And then I stalled for months. I never hit that magical 199 on the scale. I kept doing everything the same and my weight didn't budge. I ate a little less. I exercised a little more. I gained 5 lbs. I gained a few more. I became discouraged. Life happened. I would lose 10 lbs, gain 8, lose 5, gain 15... I tried various meds but couldn't afford them longterm. I lost health insurance for a year and couldn't afford to go to my regular check-ins, which I know were partially responsible for keeping me at least a little motivated even when the scale didn't cooperate. I got health insurance again, and went for my physical. My blood pressure had worsened and now I was prediabetic. My doctor urged me to go back to weight management. I had to wait 3 months for an appointment, and despite wanting to lose some weight in the interim (so the doctor there wouldn't be disappointed in me), I weighed in at 251, which tipped me over to 40 BMI. That was the most I ever weighed. When the doctor recommended I consider weight loss surgery, I knew that was the answer for me. One thing I learned in all this is people can lose weight, even a lot of it. The likelihood of keeping it off longterm without meds or surgery is around 10%. Between a 2.5% risk of a serious complication or a 90% chance of being obese and on blood pressure meds the rest of my life, and risking diabetes, I prefer to take my chances with the surgery. It's not the losing weight that worries me, but the keeping it off that I don't think will happen without it.

My RNY is scheduled for one week from today. I was all in until a couple weeks ago. I am a person that likes a lot of information so I've been watching a ton of videos and joined a few groups like this one. I know there are always chances of complications but the more I look, the more I'm seeing people that went through them, and people that really regret having it done. So now I'm basically terrified. I know no one can tell me what to do. I'm more or less talking it out myself by listing the pros and cons, but I'd also love to have input from people that have gone through it, especially if they are around the same size and situation as me. I am 5' 7" and my highest weight that I recall was 266. I have lost weight and regained it a thousand times in my life. I started the bariatric program a year and a half ago at 254 but a few months later for family issues I had to drop out. By that point I had lost weight on my own and was confident I could do it myself this time, but of course gained what I'd lost and then some. I started again this past April. I am really in the kick ass mindframe since then and have gotten down to 212 - actually 209.5 as of this morning. I'm again in that frame of mind thinking I've lost 55 on my own, I can lose the next 50 as well. And it is definitely possible, though it would be difficult. Keeping it off even more difficult, though again possible. I really have no major health issues, the primary reason is because I'm tired of being this size and failing constantly at losing it myself. I'm tired of shopping in plus size, tired of being scared about sitting in theater seats or a rollercoaster. Tired of seeing pictures of myself and not recognizing that person. I do have sleep apnea and use a cpap. I had a pre-op scope and they found I have grade B esophigitis, though I have no symptoms and very rarely get heartburn. For that reason I was hesitant to get a sleeve, and so many people that get a sleeve are going back for a revision that I decided gastric bypass was the way to go, and my surgeon agreed. I think if someone could see my future and tell me I wouldn't have any major complications and everything went smoothly, I would not even hesitate to do this. My insurance will cover it, I have the time off work. I feel like I'm mentally prepared to do what needs to be done - but I also know many people feel that way but underestimate exactly how it'll go. I feel like I have a pretty good pain tolerance and can get though that ok. Things I'm nervous about: major complications, of course. Getting in enough water and protein in the small amounts you can take in at a time (although I know it can be done). Food aversions - I'm a fairly picky person anyway and you read about people that can't eat anything without feeling sick, even a long time after surgery. Future pain and inability to take ibuprofen - I am allergic to Tylenol and get hives so I'm kind of out of options in the future. I have told a few people because I don't want the negativity ahead of time. Some are jealous and wish their insurance covered it and think I'm crazy to have second thoughts. Some have said look at how well I've done on my own, I can do this on my own without surgery. My husband says he'll support me but he also says he thinks I look great now and don't need it. He's gone to a couple classes with me and was visibly horrified when shown a video of the surgery, and I think he's more scared than he lets on. I have 2 daughters 16 and 21 that are very much momma's girls - one is nervous for the surgery, the other says 'you do you, dawg', lol. Both of them struggle with depression and I would be gutted if something happened to me because I'm not sure they'd handle it well. This is turning into a novel, I'm sorry. I had 2 women that have gone through it say no way would they go through having their guts surgically rearranged for just 45 pounds. And then I see others on here roughly my size that are happy as hell they went through it. And again, I know no one can tell me what to do. I am just trying to get as much info as possible. I don't necessarily buy the whole "my cousin had this surgery and these horrible things happened" stuff, or even "my cousin had this surgery, never had any complications and is thrilled with it" - but when I hear it directly from the people that went through it, it carries more weight. Thanks if you've gotten this far!!

Hi everyone! Finally checking in after my VSG surgery on the 15th. Surgery went well and there were no complications. Drinking fluids has been harder than I expected, even with tiny sips. They have me taking multiple pills each day (Tylenol, protonix, solace, etc) so it takes a while to be able to get the pills down. I can drink maybe one protein drink per day. Able to stay hydrated but otherwise, it is a chore. Have my follow up appointment next Monday so we will see if they move me to purees/soft foods. Hope everyone is doing well!

by "second surgery", do you mean you have a second stricture that needs to be stretched? That's not unusual. I had to go in twice to get mine stretched - after that, I was fine - never had problems with them again. About 5% of bypass patients get strictures. The PA at my bariatric clinic said it's the most common complication - and it's an easy fix. They almost never happen once you reach the 3-month-post-op mark, so it's doubtful you'll have one again after you get this one stretched. you'll be able to eat more the further out you get from surgery. It's really just the first few months that you have certain food restrictions and can only eat a tiny amount of food. you should feel a lot better once they stretch out the stricture - and it's unlikely you'll have another one after this.

Literally was going to say the exact same thing! I associate it just like with having a baby. When I was pregnant, I heard EVERY horror story about traumatic births and dying babies. Does it happen? Absolutely. Do people share the worst typically with the world? Absolutely. It is okay to worry, and wonder if you will have complications. I had several with pregnancy and birth, and then with my sleeve (waiting for my revision to RNY this month!!).... Nerves are totally normal. Its okay to have a freak out moment but just remember that sometimes you come across the exception to the "normal experience" rule though that doesn't mean it is likely you will fall into that category as well. Also, you are doing EVERYTHING that you can do to make sure those complications don't happen. YOU GOT THIS! I've never had a TikTok but I had to stop getting on IG, (its my only social) because it was making me feel bad in so many ways. Sometimes maybe you just need a little break OP!

Well said, @NickelChip. I agree that we need radical change from our policy makers at the highest levels, and some real nutritional education. Part of my journey is that I have finally gotten very angry about the marketing/indoctrination and policy lobbying that the for-profit "food" industries have been allowed to get away with, at the expense of our health in the USA. I'm old enough to recall that the first food pyramid from the USDA said to eat 6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, or pasta every day. As a young person, I thought I was practicing healthy eating when I would have two servings of cereal for breakfast, then two sandwiches for lunch, and three servings of rice for supper. 9 servings was totally within the guidelines, so why was I gaining weight??? Thank you for sharing the article, @GreenTealael. I felt like I was reading about myself! Body size, obesity, health and their places in society and the science of medicine seem to get more complicated every day. I found the short history lesson on BMI quite fascinating.

I had gastric bypass on October 17th. I had a lot of complications. I woke up in extreme pain immediately and was vomiting blood. After 2 days in ICU and 2 days in a regular hospital room, I ended up being discharged from the hospital. A little over a week later, I ended back up in the ER and another week in the hospital. I was unable to keep any fluids down (not even thinking about food). I would vomit immediately and I became so extremely dehydrated that I started having heart papilations. It was very scary. Come to find out, my stoma to empy the stomach into my intestine was so severly inflammed (and also sewn extremly tight) that my stomach was not emptying causing nausea and vomiting. Also a lot of fluid was pooling around my esophagus. I had to get fluids in me, potassium IVs and a banana bag of nutrients and I was unable to eat or drink anything during my hospital stay. I am not trying to scare anyone from having surgery--just sharing my experience. I am feeling much better now, I am home and I am down 40 pounds! I am holding down liquids and starting to eat soft foods like pudding and mashed potatoes.

Odds are you will be fine!! There can be awful complications with any weight loss surgery (or any surgery at all for that matter) but those are in the minority of cases, and even then, most of them are caught in time and correctable. Pretty much all of us have a "WTF did I just do to myself!?" moment. I had the DS and 3 days post op it hit me that I had irrevocably altered my stomach and intestines permanently, for life, no going back. I knew that pre-op and thought a lot about it before deciding to do it, but post op it hit me in a whole new way... And then I reminded myself that I altered my body because the way it was was in fact KILLING ME. Drastic times call for drastic measures and all that. Once I remembered that I calmed down... Remember your why. Orient yourself to your goal. And stay off of Tiktok for a while!! 😂

Yup. I scared myself! I was on tik-tok and boom! Came across a lady who had sleeve revised to bypass (like me) and had a horrible complication a few months out. Hernia Bowel I believe. Then she needed a vaccum on her stomach. It freaked me out and now I’m spiraling! I’m 5 days post op, thinking wth did I do! Someone give me some relief! That bypass will be ok! It only sounds scary. Ugh I hate when I do this! I had sleeve 2 years ago - also had fears early on. But I was good! But then I had a baby, wls stopped (although no regrets! I lost 130 in 1 year! ) and acid reflux.  Anyone else get revision? 

I just did a little George Jefferson dance and my husband laughed lol praying for a safe surgery with no complications for us both and a speedy recovery ❤️

Fantastic! Best decision I have ever made and regretting not getting it sooner! I am almost 7 months post op. I have lost 72 lbs and gone from a 3x to size L shirt and L pants. I have lost 54 inches total off my body. I have had no complications following surgery and have a super supportive husband/kids/family/coworkers/friends

Mine was 100% private pay. My insurance would not cover it all. totally an exclusion. Blossom is available after surgery but only if you need them and reach out. I never really reached out or had any complications. I follow them on social media and read lots of people having questions, etc. I have to say, I think he follow-up could be better. My GP was very hesitant to just "take over" when I got back. Doctors don't want to be responsible for someone else's surgery. Makes sense. I also knew it would be discouraged from going out of state so I never disclosed or told GP office what I was doing. My point is when she would ask me questions about aftercare I would be like "uh I don't know" she would ask what about follow-up? I was like hmm, I guess there really isn't any. No binder, no regular calls or direct contact. Luckily, I didn't need it though. My GP said my case made her more interested in it and learn about the follow up and tests needed, etc. Also makes sense, if insurance covered it, I would likely have a bariatric team and all my tests and follow up would be with them. The actual recovery was really good and seamless for me. I followed all the directions in Vegas. I was prepared for the worse. I walked and woke up every few hours with my daughter's help. I never had to horrible gas pain people talk about. Plane ride was super awkward with the fancy leg pumps. 😜🤣 Once home, FLUIDS! Alex explained, you can live 10 days without food but not water/fluids. I was tired the first week. I just listened to my body. I moved around as much as possible, but didn't push myself either. I will be blunt about MY ONLY complication. CONSTIPATION is real! And it's awful! Never had this in my life. Quite the opposite. So my advice, always keep track so it does not get away from you. Use the stool softeners and fiber. After two years, I still have moments but I have a good routine to treat it. On the other hand, I have read people have the opposite, so listen to your body! I'm so excited for you and can't wait to hear how you do. What is your date again?

Congratulations on your success. I could have written nearly everything you wrote. I, too, was extremely large man, though I had RNY and my surgery was open, so that was different. The first 2 or 3 weeks were the worst what with the huge incision, staples, and a drain that made the slightest movement a joy to behold. Like you, my pre-op stuff went without a hitch. Well, on the Lung function one where they put you in a booth and you do a bunch of deep breathing. Yeah, I couldn't fit into the booth. I was worried about the Psych test but apparently I fooled them completely. I likewise didn't have an exercise plan aside from the plan to not worry about exercise until I got to a svelte 100 pounds overweight. Walking is what I focused on. Once I got to 100 pounds overweight I had an exercise plan that didn't include a gym. I didn't really have any complications related to the RNY. I wanted the "complication" of dumping and lo! I dump on sugars and fats. Dumping has been a great educational tool for me. I have had issues with anemia but I had other issues that contribute to this, so the RNY just made it easier for me to get anemic. The non-scale victories are indeed the best. Being able to weigh on a home scale was a hoot. Congratulations again. Good luck, Tek

Today's the big day for some of you!!! 💜I am so excited for y'all - may you have uneventful, routine surgeries with no complications and fantastic recoveries, and may you achieve all the health goals you set for yourselves! Definitely keep the rest of us posted on how you're feeling and how things go, what you find does/doesn't work for you, etc.! Someone asked earlier about good water bottles without straws - I like my Nalgene 32oz bottles. I have one of the smaller-mouthed bottles and one of the larger-mouthed bottles (with a little insert that helps me not pour the whole darn thing down my top). I also have a ~70oz "Juggy" water bottle that came with a straw, but it can be removed. I like how, with the Nalgenes, I know that if I fill & drink them twice, then I've at least gotten the minimum 64oz of water per day that my program recommends. The Juggy is HUGE, but really useful for the days where I'm either running around or not able to fill multiple times, or if I'm being lazy and don't want to wander downstairs to the fridge for filtered water multiple times. 😂 As for leave, I'm unfortunately not eligible for FMLA at my job just yet as my one-year anniversary is the end of January. I did fill out similar paperwork "just in case", though. I do have an absolutely insane amount of vacation/sick PTO, so I will be using that to get paid for my 1.5 weeks completely off of work (a Wednesday through the next Friday; my surgery is the day before Thanksgiving here in the USA). I plan on working from home the 2nd full week, and then will likely return to my hybrid schedule (3 days in office, 2 days from home) after that. I'm lucky that I have a desk job that really just requires some walking. I've been extremely open with my HR person and immediate supervisor, so they both know what's going on! We've had at least one other person in my unit have WLS, so it's nice to not be the "guinea pig" for all this (and to have someone just upstairs that I can "talk shop" with).

Well I had my surgery on the 27th at 10:30 am. I was told it went well with no complications. I was pretty tired afterward. The only pain I had was from laying flat on my back unable to move during the operation and my period started the day before, ugh. I spent one night in the hospital with the option to stay another, but I was really only struggling with nausea and wanted to the 130 mile drive back home over with. today is day 4 feel great, I was feeling pretty good on day 3 (only one nap that day) but I feel even better today. I have not been hungry at all, but I have been following the diet schedule the clinic gave me for the next two weeks.

I have been creeping around here for months and finally decided to create an account and share. First though, I have to give great credit to my wife and family. My wife has been so supportive and flexible through the whole process. She has always been by my side, but during this process she read and learned about the changes, as much or more than I did. She has gone above and beyond with her support and care for me, all while still running a busy household. My kids are a constant reminder of why I did this -- so that I would be around for a long time. I wanted to be able to participate in life with my family. I also have to thank my surgical team and the care they provide. It has been great and truly lifesaving. I weighed 514-lbs on 9/12/22. I was a big boy to say the least. Shockingly, I was not in horrible medical condition. I did not take any medicine. Did not have diabetes or high blood pressure. I did have swelling in my legs, constantly sore/bad knees, and was very quick to be out of breath. I lived a very sedimentary live and limited my physical activity. I wanted to be able to be more active and be around with my family for a long time. I finally got up the nerve to discuss with my wife and she immediately got on board. I went through the program without an issue. Checked all boxes and completed all steps. Surgery was on 2/28/23 and it went well. I was up and moving that night, because that was one of the biggest hurdles to clear in order to leave. I was able to sip and keep liquid down. Discharged after one night! Incisions were sore, as expected. Gas was the worst, and not the good kind of gas that can clear the room when expelled (yeah, I am a guy), but the awful painful surgical gas, which took almost a week to fully go away. I was basically fully cleared by the doctor and back to work (in a nonphysical job) one week after surgery. My process was textbook, none of the complications that many have experienced, and I am lucky for it! This process has not been easy but has not been impossible. I have followed my plan, with the support at home, and it is working. I feel physically so much better. I am so much more mobile and active. I have never been happier. I have made changes to my daily life to support the process. My diet has changed but not radically. I eat a lot less and that is the biggest driver of my weight loss. I walk and am active in live, but I do not have a detailed exercise plan. I am still learning exactly what works for me, but most importantly I want others to know there are many routes to get to the same place. I try to get the big stuff right and not sweat the tiniest of details. My blood work at my six-month checkup was solid. Protein was on the low end in the range, but still acceptable. I was encouraged to keep on keeping on (shout out to Joe Dirt). They were comfortable enough to set my next follow up appointment out to one year. I was scared and nervous. I have had good days and bad days (constipation is AWFUL)! Most importantly, I wanted to share my story and I hope it can help others in some way. I never wanted to be skinny. I could care less what my BMI is. I wanted to feel better. I wanted to be able to participate in life with my family. And I am! I am no expert and I still have a long way to go, but I am happy and glad I had this surgery. As I have seen here, over and over again, we are all different, so what works for me may not for others, but I still wanted to share, and I hope it might be of some benefit to someone else. The non-scale wins are just the best! When I started this process, I was so huge that home scales couldn't hold me, so I would go months without weighing, but I knew good things were happening because of all the non-scale wins. Cherish those! This is a long (probably too long) post, so I will wrap. I recently weighed on my home scale (yeah, that's right, it now holds me) and I was at 288-lbs. If anyone has questions or wants more details about my journey, please let me know. I would be happy to share more.

I'm sure you'll be fine, sleeve patients seem to bounce back pretty quickly unless they have complications. I've seen some return after a week off on this forum... ETA: Just no lifting heavy things!! You don't want to mess up those pretty stitches the surgeon worked so hard on... LOL

Thank you so much!!! I'm still in shock about it all. I knew what I wanted, but actually getting there...well, you guys know how hard it is for us to really believe we can do this. Living the life I always wanted still seems like a dream to me. Now here I am. All the complications, surgeries, pain, the revision.... all of it led me right here, and I don't regret a single second of it.

I agree with Rick. Should be fine unless you have complications.

You likely will be OK, however, plastics have a higher chance of mild to moderate complications (incisions that don't fully heal promptly or reopen, saromas (fluid pockets) can form that need sometimes serial draining, etc. Best would be to talk to the surgeon about your concerns and get his take on the chances of any problems you might experience.

Sorry you are having such a hard time. I think what you are experiencing is not the norm for people who have undergone this surgery. I just had the surgery 6 months ago but (knock on wood) have not had any of the complications you are experiencing. I know this is the best thing i have ever done for myself and am thankful everyday that i had VSG. It is permanent, but so is the weight we have unless we get help medically to lose it. The chance to lose and keep off 100lbs plus is 0% as someone else mentioned above. I appreciate your honesty and letting others know that these things can happen, but for someone considering this surgery, please dont be discouraged as the outcome this person had is not the norm. A majority of us think this is the best thing weve done and wish we did it sooner in life!

I'm curious why you are doing lap band? Most surgeons have discontinued doing lap bands due to failure of long-term effectiveness and post-op complications. Absolutely everything I have read about lap band has been negative. Have you read through the lap band forum here? You really need to read through the experiences of others. https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/4-lap-band-surgery-forums/

I posted this on another thread about revision, but I had a hiatal hernia and bad GERD so it applies for this thread too. I want to preface that this is about to be a long message, but it's my journey. Thanks for reading. My 1st Bariatric journey started in 2009 (I was 26 years old). My heaviest weight was 250 lbs. I did a month liquid diet as my preop diet and got down to my surgery weight of 220 lbs. I had a sleeve done in Sep 1, 2009. I got down to around 175 lbs from my surgery weight of 220 lbs. I got down to a size 12. I did regain some weight years later, but that was my doing (not eating the best, not exercising as I should). In addition to gaining some weight back, i developed a 5/6cm hiatal hernia and had really bad heartburn and reflux. I started taking Nexium for years. Finally 14 years later (now 40 years old) in April of 2023 I decided to ask a doctor about taking daily Nexium (after hearing constantly from family that it wasn't good). My surgeon gave me 3 options. 1. Continue taking Nexium daily 2. Fix my hiatal hernia (but he did warn me that hiatal hernias are known to come back) 3. Fix my hiatal hernia and do a revision from Sleeve to RNY. Before any of that to make an informed decision I had to get an upper GI with contrast and an endoscopy with a Bravo study. I had the endoscopy done and the Bravo capsule placed on my esophagus. After the 1st endoscopy my GI doctor said she didn't even need to see the results of the Bravo study...seeing my esophagus alone was enough to see how inflamed my esophagus was and she confirmed the bigger sized hernia. Either way, the Bravo capsule was placed in and I did the 3 day study. The results came back and like my GI doc said...it was bad. The acidity in my stomach and esophagus was ridiculous. I use to take generic Nexium 20mg but my GI doc said that wasnt enough for how bad my esophagus was. I was told to bump it up to 40mg 2x a day. So I did that and it helped to heal the massive amount of inflammation I already had in my esophagus. To confirm that I had a 2nd endoscopy done. The Bravo study, the upper GI scans, the endoscopy was all completed so that I could make an informed decision on how I wanted to proceed. Which of the 3 options discussed did I want to proceed with. I decided option 3 was best (revision from Sleeve to RNY with a hiatal hernia repair). For me my insurance approved the procedure and it was fairly a quick process because I went the general surgical route vs the Bariatric route. I could have had the revision in July but I had a cruise planned in August and I wanted to be able to drink and eat and ENJOY my vacation so I opted to wait and had the revision 2 weeks after I came back from my cruise on September 11th. I was 215 the 1st day of my preop diet. I got down to 206 but then mother nature decided to show up the week of my surgery so as women we gain water weight during our cycle and the day of surgery i weighed in at 209. I was so pissed. I knew it was water weight because of my cycle but still nobody wants to see the number on the scale go up. Surgery went well. I had no complications. My recovery was A LOT smoother. I had BAAAAAD nausea and gas pains after my sleeve becauseof the anesthesia. With the RNY I had 0% nausea. I had a little bit of shoulder pain because of the gas and I did have another pain when I inhaled big because of the hernia repair, but it was all normal and pains of that nature were expected. I was just sooooo glad that I didn't wake up extremely nauseous after the RNY like I did after my sleeve. So now I'm 31 days post op. I've been at 195 since like September 26th. I hope that I've HOPEFULLY lost at least 1 pound now since I've been stalled at the same weight for 2 weeks. Btw I'm 5'4 for reference. My size 14 clothes button again and my 16s are getting a little loose on me now. I'm not swimming in my clothes or nothing but it's a small progress. I was wearing XL shirts and now Large shirts fit me a lot better. I feel less like a sausage in them lol! Oh and tonight I tried on this bra that I know for a fact a couple of weeks ago could not button or even come close and today it fit. So now a 38D will fit. Great non scale victory! I can tolerate all food and as long as I don't take huge bites and I chew my food well and eat slow, I'm good. Otherwise I've already had my 1st reminder of what it feels like to throw up because your food feels stuck. I had that happen after the sleeve sometimes too and it sucks, but it's a process learning how to eat again and reminding myself that I can't inhale my food. I am taking a daily vitamin with iron and then 3 calcium citrate chewable daily. My doctor also still wants me to take 1 Omeprozole daily for 6 months post op to give my esophagus and hernia repair time to truly heal. 1 month down....5 months to go. Then I'll be able to see if I don't have any GERD or heartburn without any medication. The weight loss is a perk and I definitely want to lose more weight and get down to 150 or at least my best sleeve weight of 175, but I always have to remind myself that my goal of this entire revision surgery was to not deal with heartburn and reflux anymore. So yeah...thats my revision story so far. Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to answer.

Hello there! I want to preface that this is about to be a long message, but it's my journey. Thanks for reading. My 1st Bariatric journey started in 2009 (I was 26 years old). My heaviest weight was 250 lbs. I did a month liquid diet as my preop diet and got down to my surgery weight of 220 lbs. I had a sleeve done in Sep 1, 2009. I got down to around 175 lbs from my surgery weight of 220 lbs. I got down to a size 12. I did regain some weight years later, but that was my doing (not eating the best, not exercising as I should). In addition to gaining some weight back, i developed a 5/6cm hiatal hernia and had really bad heartburn and reflux. I started taking Nexium for years. Finally 14 years later (now 40 years old) in April of 2023 I decided to ask a doctor about taking daily Nexium (after hearing constantly from family that it wasn't good). My surgeon gave me 3 options. 1. Continue taking Nexium daily 2. Fix my hiatal hernia (but he did warn me that hiatal hernias are known to come back) 3. Fix my hiatal hernia and do a revision from Sleeve to RNY. Before any of that to make an informed decision I had to get an upper GI with contrast and an endoscopy with a Bravo study. I had the endoscopy done and the Bravo capsule placed on my esophagus. After the 1st endoscopy my GI doctor said she didn't even need to see the results of the Bravo study...seeing my esophagus alone was enough to see how inflamed my esophagus was and she confirmed the bigger sized hernia. Either way, the Bravo capsule was placed in and I did the 3 day study. The results came back and like my GI doc said...it was bad. The acidity in my stomach and esophagus was ridiculous. I use to take generic Nexium 20mg but my GI doc said that wasnt enough for how bad my esophagus was. I was told to bump it up to 40mg 2x a day. So I did that and it helped to heal the massive amount of inflammation I already had in my esophagus. To confirm that I had a 2nd endoscopy done. The Bravo study, the upper GI scans, the endoscopy was all completed so that I could make an informed decision on how I wanted to proceed. Which of the 3 options discussed did I want to proceed with. I decided option 3 was best (revision from Sleeve to RNY with a hiatal hernia repair). For me my insurance approved the procedure and it was fairly a quick process because I went the general surgical route vs the Bariatric route. I could have had the revision in July but I had a cruise planned in August and I wanted to be able to drink and eat and ENJOY my vacation so I opted to wait and had the revision 2 weeks after I came back from my cruise on September 11th. I was 215 the 1st day of my preop diet. I got down to 206 but then mother nature decided to show up the week of my surgery so as women we gain water weight during our cycle and the day of surgery i weighed in at 209. I was so pissed. I knew it was water weight because of my cycle but still nobody wants to see the number on the scale go up. Surgery went well. I had no complications. My recovery was A LOT smoother. I had BAAAAAD nausea and gas pains after my sleeve becauseof the anesthesia. With the RNY I had 0% nausea. I had a little bit of shoulder pain because of the gas and I did have another pain when I inhaled big because of the hernia repair, but it was all normal and pains of that nature were expected. I was just sooooo glad that I didn't wake up extremely nauseous after the RNY like I did after my sleeve. So now I'm 31 days post op. I've been at 195 since like September 26th. I hope that I've HOPEFULLY lost at least 1 pound now since I've been stalled at the same weight for 2 weeks. Btw I'm 5'4 for reference. My size 14 clothes button again and my 16s are getting a little loose on me now. I'm not swimming in my clothes or nothing but it's a small progress. I was wearing XL shirts and now Large shirts fit me a lot better. I feel less like a sausage in them lol! Oh and tonight I tried on this bra that I know for a fact a couple of weeks ago could not button or even come close and today it fit. So now a 38D will fit. Great non scale victory! I can tolerate all food and as long as I don't take huge bites and I chew my food well and eat slow, I'm good. Otherwise I've already had my 1st reminder of what it feels like to throw up because your food feels stuck. I had that happen after the sleeve sometimes too and it sucks, but it's a process learning how to eat again and reminding myself that I can't inhale my food. I am taking a daily vitamin with iron and then 3 calcium citrate chewable daily. My doctor also still wants me to take 1 Omeprozole daily for 6 months post op to give my esophagus and hernia repair time to truly heal. 1 month down....5 months to go. Then I'll be able to see if I don't have any GERD or heartburn without any medication. The weight loss is a perk and I definitely want to lose more weight and get down to 150 or at least my best sleeve weight of 175, but I always have to remind myself that my goal of this entire revision surgery was to not deal with heartburn and reflux anymore. So yeah...thats my revision story so far. Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to answer.