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I just started Protein Shakes in addition to clears and so far so good 🤞🏽 I think I’m having head hunger thus wanting “real food”. I’ve been on liquids for almost 3 weeks now counting pre-op. I didn’t cheat once pre-op so I intend on same post-op. I’m too scared of creating unnecessary complications. 😟

My "moment " came in May of 2018 with a series of events. I was 246 pounds, and didn't want to hit 250. I was wearing a 3x in clothes and they were getting tight, and I didn't know where I'd find clothes. I was out of breath and sweatty just walking to my car from work, and I had diabetes type 2. High blood pressure. I was literally a hot mess, and I said to myself "that's it!" I went to the informational session with my husband at my bariatric surgeon's office on May of 2018, completed Anthem's 6 months of requirements, and had my gastric bypass on March 27, 2019. Although I've had complications Im thrilled that I had the surgery! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Lapband surgery has the lowest success of all the WLS so dont beat yourself up too much. In fact many have to have revision surgery because of it. In Sweden, they are doing revisions all the time due to the complications from lapband. (Sweden has tons of research on WLS surgery which is used around the wolrd. Since it's covered by universal healthcare the (anonymous) information is used for studies all the time. Patients also have the chance to participate in studies.) So, I think DS will help you greatly. So chip up and go for it!

My friend had bypass surgery about 10 years ago...she lost over 100 pounds, fell in love and got married at age 39. Got pregnant and delivered her first baby at age 41 with no complications. Decided to go for baby #2 and had a difficult pregnancy and her son born in December has Down Syndrome. He is adorable and she adores him but he will face a lifetime of challenges.

Congrats! I had mine July 1st. So far no regrets and no complications 🤞🏽 I’m walking 30 mins daily on my treadmill and keeping clear fluids down. Next week I can start full liquids. Hope that goes smoothly as well.

My program did not have a clear liquid, just liquid so protein shakes were good. My surgeon also said not to worry about it for the 1st week, just get liquids down as dehydration was the biggest cause for early complications

Since everyone is different, I'll post my % EWL (taken from my date of surgery weight). I'm 8 months out and have lost appx 81% of my excess weight. My weight loss REALLY slowed in month 6. And I lost really well in months 3-5 because of some complications that made it VERY hard to eat (harder than even weeks after surgery). Post-Op Appt: no idea 1 mo: 15% 4 mo: 48.57% 6 mo: 68.65

I have had both the sleeve and the bypass. I woke up from my sleeve surgery hungry and remained hungry. I did have complications, so I'm not sure how much that played into things. I did not wake up from Bypass surgery hungry and I have more restriction and less hunger over all.

Hey @nursekimberly89 I already had my surgery but I paid out of pocket and had it done in Mexico. I was a "healthy" fat girl with no complications so it wouldn't be covered by my insurance and I was on the BMI borderline :/

Haven't seen then since my 6 month check up (9 month is in early August). At that time, they still want me to do revision. I am still fairly against it. I tend to get random complications from surgery, and I don't feel comfortable putting myself through another major surgery. Plus, I have figured out how to live with my current state of being. I'm not sure I'm up to figuring out new complications if I got the bypass.

I'd read to expect $8k-$10K per procedure, with the lower body lift (LBL) counting as two procedures since they're doing front and back. But for the rest - arm lift, breast lift, etc - count on about $8K-10K each. I found this to be pretty much on the money during my consults (I went on three consult visits) - the quotes I got were pretty much what I expected. I had an LBL, arm lift, and a breast lift - it was done in two visits a few months apart - and my total bill was right around $40K. I'm retired - so I didn't have to worry about work. However, plastic surgery was much more painful and a tougher recovery than gastric bypass was. After the first week or so, though, it was more discomfort than pain (and that discomfort lasted for a long time), and I was driving after about 10 days. I guess I could have gone back to work after two or three weeks (if I worked, that is...) I also got a quote from Dr. Francisco Sauceda in Mexico. He was quite a bit cheaper - it's been awhile, but I think it was around $26K for everything. But I decided I'd rather go to someone within driving distance from here in case I had any complications. It'd be a lot easier than having to fly somewhere (esp out of the country) if I couldn't find a doctor here to deal with complications.

And some days I sing along IS THAT ALL THERE IS? but bye and bye it either gets better or you resign yourself and try to make the best of it all. Do I wish I could go back? Well occasionally, but then I remember I requested THIS be done, there is truly no going back, I will be internally un- normal, if I could request Dr Needleman rejoibg the 2 segments of my stomach, would I want that? 2. It is technically more difficult, might take a whole morning to micro- surgery me back, would he be willing to invest that much,of his working day just because my bravery no longer is working? 3. How Do I know the complications wouldn't outweigh any benefits? 4. I trusted in the Magic Of Diets to save me, at 365+ pounds, Magic was failing ME! And 5th and probably most important, what assurance at 73 that I would even survive the surgery? Yeah, it most certainly would have to be "Open", he would need to see exactly WHAT he was doing, can't trust robots and OR monitors to do it all. I had a first cousin die 3 years ago in May on the OR table at the Cleveland Clinic. Turned out she had previously undiagnosed Esophageal Cancer but we still miss her so much, have had difficulty understanding as a family why we had to give up our June- Ellen to the monster Cancer is. Granted many of my kinfolk folk I wouldn't go out of my way to see, but doit have enough self- centered b***s to do this to them? So I keep on keeping on, they do say I am making strides toward final healing, I want it NOW, like average Americans my patience is not strong but I have to hope for a brighter, more sunny day at the end! And I am healthier, thinner, perhaps less ugly to look at. Is Joy, Happiness and satisfaction Over-rated? I'm 73, I have more thinking and psychological reasoning time than most people , some days it seems like all I still have.👈😪👉😧

@freiabr - I'm so sorry about your mother. I hope she recovers soon! As for me, I'm doing much better than I was in months 3-4, but still feel like warmed over poo most of the time. I'm starting to finally be able to eat more types of food and more than a TBL or so at a time, but I feel a little like I lost the months right after surgery creating healthy patterns. Instead, I was just eating to survive since all I could eat at a time was two cracker cuts of cheese or a Tablespoon of hummus (this was around month 4-5). So now that I can eat a bit more, I just need to stop eating like a toddler and go back to what I was doing in months 2-3 where I was actually cooking. I still desperately miss veggies - even now the only way to get all my protein is to ONLY eat protein. And, frankly, I'm still on the lower end of protein for what my NUT would like me to have. Sometimes (well, fairly often), I wish I could waive a wand, take back the 120 lbs I've lost since pre-op, and feel better again. The only reason I did this was to avoid having complications of weight and feeling bad in the future, when my reality is that I just made myself more physically ill now and will have to live with it longer. But that's not how life works - you can't undo certain choices, so I'm working with a therapist on how to mentally move forward given the decisions I made.

I agree with others that since you're in the early weeks, give it time. A lot of folks feel pretty raw the first few weeks after surgery and begin to really love their decision later. But, I've also had several complications (pretty rare) and at 8 months out still regret the surgery. I've had to start seeing a therapist (she specializes in weight issues, including bariatric surgery) because even though I'm not sure I'll ever feel good about my decision, it is not good for my mind to feel this bad about it all the time. It is helping. It isn't too late to see a therapist to talk through this. I'm working on a lot of reframing, and it is slowly helping. My WLS nurse keeps telling me that how I feel is not my life - and she's right. I feel infinitely better now than I did when the complications first showed up. Good luck.

Aww thank you so much I am feeling great surgery went well no complications till now hopefully everything goes well mamasboys_vsg

This article explains dumping syndrome: Dumping syndrome The symptoms of early dumping syndrome are: * Feeling bloated or too full after eating * Nausea * Vomiting * Abdominal cramps * Diarrhea * Flushing * Dizziness, lightheadedness * Rapid heart rate __________________________________________ Since you have a blood glucose meter, when you begin to feel very light headed and have a high heart rate, you might take a blood sugar reading. If it is very low say in the 30's or 40's then you may have a handle on the cause. ___________________________________________ Something you said causes me concern. You said, "🙄 but I’ve puked more this past three months than my whole life" I spun this around last night and perhaps this is the symptom that should be focused on. If you have constant nausea since surgery, there is a problem. It shouldn't be. It is abnormal. According to the Internet: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present. So if ulcers are the problem, then: * Make sure you are off all NSAIDs. NSAID's are in many produces like aspirin, Excedrin and a hundred other over the counter meds. * Use a proton pump inhibitor. One common form is Omeprazole (or over the counter Prilosec). My surgeon had me take this for the first year after surgery, just to allow my stomach to heal properly. There are a variety of proton pump inhibitors, some individuals on this website found some types were more effective than others. * Have yourself tested for Helicobacter pylori infection. This is a fairly common infection. Over half the people in the world have it. It is also hard to kill. Sometimes you have to go through several regiments of antibiotics to kill it. Your primary care physician should be able to give you this test. I think I read somewhere that the urea breath test is more accurate than the blood or stool test. Here is a link: What Is H. pylori?

has anyone had any complications following gastric sleeve surgery... a little more than a day after surgery i developed breathing issues i got checked out and doc said i had aspiration pneumonia i got treated and i am doing fine now...

lol same, but last night I had a dream that has me a bit on edge and contemplating my decision. In my dream i just got out of surgery and I was lying on the bed still under anesthesia. The surgery went fine, no complications, and everything looked good, but I began having an out of body experience. I saw the surgeon and nurses prepare a to-go bag full of pills! I remember hearing "one multivitamin, two iron, two vitamin d" and etc. as they added each one to the clear sandwich bag. I don't remember all the ones the listed but it was a lot. They also had a look of horror on their face and said something along the lines of idk how anyone could have this surgery and have to take this many pills a day for the rest of their life. I cant get the image out of my head of all those pills. it looked like there were about 50 of them in that bag. I barely want to take tylenol when i have a headache so i can see why this may scare me.

Hey June 18 Sleevers, So happy for you both - excellent progress. You both must look & feel great. Unfortunately, I’m a sleeve failure story. Started out great & the surgery was a piece of cake - no complications at all. But alas, life had its way of catching up with you & all of the emotional & mental problems connected with my eating were not solved with this tool either. I said from day one that it wasn’t my stomach but my brain that needed this operation because I knew all along I wasn’t strong enough. I just really hoped & prayed that I would finally be able to conquer this lifelong battle. I have learned a lot & I am seeing a psychiatrist. Some medication changes for anxiety have been made - I learned what I had been taking for over 10 years was actually causing increased appetite so that wasn’t helping! I also learned, at 63 years old that I am classic Attention Deficit Disorder. Not ADHD but it explains so much. Of course, this “syndrome” was not “invented” when I was a kid so I have a lot of work to do on that front. People keep asking me why I just can’t accept myself for who I am? I guess I was just always hopeful that somehow I could conquer my demons. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. And most likely, as I head to my primary care physician next month, I will be back on diabetes meds. That & the shear humiliation I feel from failing in front of so many so publicly is the worst thing of all. Sorry to be a such a bummer but I guess it’s important for people to know that there’s a lot more to all of this than just the surgery. And sometimes even some very useful tools and great intentions just aren’t enough. I am happy for you and for the hundreds of people that have been helped by Bariatric surgery. I wouldn’t change having it done. But I wonder often if the eventual loss and gain - still down 20 pounds from original highest weight was really worth it. continue to fight the good fight fellow June 2018 Sleevers.

You're having normal emotions for someone who has never had surgery. When I got my breast augmentation I felt the same way. I almost backed out while sitting in the parking lot the day of surgery because I was so afraid even though the complication rate is low. Its a scary thought going under anesthesia. But you will do just fine!!! Try to relax I know its easier said then done. You got this!!!

It seems to be common for some of us to have buyers remorse/regret. It may be surgery complications, struggling with first stages, having to give up old coping skills/behaviors and for others it’s a moment of what did I do, and I can’t go back. Knowing what you are getting into with surgery would have been helpful. I have no regret. I knew exactly why I was doing this. I knew there is pain with any type of surgery, I understood the risks and the work I had to do. Is bariatric surgery hard? Is losing weight on your own hard? Is struggling with obesity hard? Hell ya. Hang in there, these feeling usually pass with time. For me, one of the best gifts out of surgery was overcoming WHY, I was obese. It forced me to deal with past issues and stress/emotional eating. Changing behaviors was hard but worth it. I’m happier, healthier and having adventures in life.

Because of the nature of my career my life is in danger every time I walk into the gate so all the "just incase" insurance stuff has to stay up to day and accessible in the event that something should ever happen so honestly the thought of preparing those things for surgery risks and complications never really crosses my mind because I'm so used to having them all prepared anyway.

The best that I can think of would be Dr. Ara Keshisian out here in California, as he is one of the handful of docs that can do the complex RNY to DS revision, and he seems to be able to do other complicated procedures that others can't or won't do. Closer to you, Drs. David Greenbaum in NJ and Mitchell Roslin in NYC are also well regarded for complex procedures and worth consulting. Good Luck....

While I can't speak to pregnancy post WLS, other than I've heard that many women do it successfully with the support of their OB and bariatric team, I was an AMA (advanced maternal age) mom for both of my successful pregnancies. I was 38 when my youngest was born. To be honest, I was the poster child for why fat 'old' ladies shouldn't get pregnant. Both pregnancies brought on complications that were largely weight related. High blood pressure, gestational diabetes (heavily insulin dependant), etc. In my last pregnancy, I underwent a lot of extra testing and scans just to be sure that all was well with the wee boy. But even with those issues, both pregnancies turned out very well. Both of the wee-lings ended up in the NICU for a bit because of their blood sugars, my eldest for only a few hours, my youngest for a few days, but there have been no lasting health issues for them. Both pregnancies ended with C-sections... the second one was scheduled because it was less than 1.5 years after my first. Talk to your doctors... your pcp, your ob, and your bariatric team. Let them know what your plans are so that you all can be on the same page about your goals. I commend you for taking control of your health before moving forward with another potentially high risk pregnancy. Good luck to you for your surgery and growing your family!

Hi, how have you modified your diet? I would be so worried it would mess up my surgery or make it more complicated. My surgeon stressed how important it was to stick to it to make the liver smaller and make surgery easier, less risks and quicker recovery.