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I had my surgery July 4th and the good news is that I am down 60lbs but the bad news is that I ended up between July 3rd and Nov 1st spending 12.5 weeks in hospital with complications following the surgery. I had pancreatitis and then also got infections as the surgery didn't completely close my stomach so I ended up with a small hole. Ended up having a number of gastroscopes, tubes fitted to my stomach and back to drain the infection and now have an internal tube fitted in my stomach, which will eventually (I hope) make its own way out as my stomach heals. Had really bad reflux until about two weeks ago when I started taking tablets with simeticone so it has eased considerably. Still in pain often, feels like my stomach is either bruised or pulled muscles. It is great to have lost the weight, especially as the hospital had me on feeding tubes with nutrients etc., but at the present time I feel like I would not recommend this surgery to anyone unless it was life or death. I lost the last few months of my life basically and know that the trauma is effecting me, can't sleep much (partly due to the pain and partly due to not being able to shift the hours the nurses would wake me), feel exhausted and also feel a bit weepy at times.

I had a week of intense abdominal pain, difficulty getting up and down from chairs and the bed, pain while walking, and pain while sitting up. I'd also had a hernia repair performed. I was mostly able to fetch for myself and had prepped like @Arabesque mentioned. Friends came by to move the trash and recycle bins for me. By week 5, I had no more pain and most of my lifting restrictions were gone.

Hi everyone! My gastric bypass was 11/22/23. The two week liquid diet was the hardest thing to do. I'm now post op 3 days & it's not been horrible. I'm extremely sore but that has gotten better & I'm not sure if I'm having spasms or if it's the feeling of being full. Tonight I had extreme pain over my stomach area & took a pain pill. The gas is everywhere too. I'm excited about my journey.

Dont beat up on your self, this is my second time around , meaning my first attempt at surgery was halted no fault of my own just a unknown issue situs inversus, so ive been on this journey for a little over a year, went back to my 9old habits quickly, but gets better, im on my pre op diet and had a slip up nothing outrageous so just keep pushing forward i too had the second thoughts even with a week until my surgery, but i think of the health benefits in the end.

This is exactly how I used to think about dieting. I was punishing myself for gaining weight. I was missing out on my favourite foods or on what others may be eating when socialising. ‘Diet’ had so many negative connotations to me. So I don’t use the word any more. This is simply the way I eat. It took a while to change my thinking but it did/does help a lot. There are foods I simply don’t eat or eat very rarely now that I loved to eat before. Do I miss them? Not really. Do I feel I‘m missing out? Nope. You may find it easier to make small changes to your eating & food choices instead of jumping into a full ‘diet’. Small wins are still wins. Change one or two things each week like reduce your portion sizes & increase your fluid intake (64ozs). Increase your protein intake. Stretch out the times between your snacking, or reduce how many snacks you have each day. And so on until you have adopted the recommendations from your surgeon/dietician. And be honest about your struggles with them & tell them what you are doing to incorporate their weight loss plan. They may have other suggestions on what you can do too. All the best.

It may help you, like it has for me, to focus on adding good habits as much or more as taking away your bad habits. When I first talked to my doctor about bariatric surgery, I spent several weeks cleaning out all the items in my pantry and freezer that I knew were not doing good things for me. Things like snack foods and highly processed stuff, and anything I know I will binge eat, like pretzels or chocolate. I also bought some WLS books, including A Pound of Cure from Dr. Matthew Weiner. I read through all his steps for changing your diet and figured out the easiest ones for me to do and started there. For example, I'm not a big fan of artificial sweetener, and Diet Coke was the only thing I was really doing that broke that "rule," so it was pretty easy for me to make the cut. Same with adding a pound of vegetable per day. That change alone has made a lot of other things easier for me, like cutting out bread and reducing dairy. I find I am so full after a green smoothie at breakfast or a salad with beans for lunch that I am not as hungry at dinner, and don't feel the need to snack as much. When I do snack, I've bought raw or dry roasted nuts to replace the junk I used to buy. I've lost about 16 pounds in 4 months, and unlike in the past when I've "dieted," I don't really feel like I'm missing out. Plus, I make exceptions a couple times per month and don't feel guilty about it. By focusing on the health aspects and not tracking the calories, it really helped me make changes that promote a healthier weight without feeling overburdened or deprived. I hope that helps!

Not strange at all! Anesthesia can affect our mood and takes a while to get out of the system. Then the weight loss itself releases hormones that can trigger PMS on steroids 24/7 in some people. Plus, you just had a major surgery, depression is not unusual after major surgery. And on top of it all, bariatric surgery is stressful! The water and protein requirements are a full time job that first month at least! I'm 3 weeks out. It gets better once you can add food. Just focus on that water! If you get all your water in you'll feel a little better. Food will make you feel better still and will help you feel a little more normal. Hang in there! And if by change you are on psych meds you may need to talk to your psych if you continue to have mood issues, you may need a change in dosage. It's less common in the sleeve but it does happen for some people...

Had my first consult October 13th. All my testing is complete as of last week. Was hoping to get a surgery date for late December but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. (Duodenal Switch) I've been reading about others having 3 day up to a week liquid pre-op diets up to surgery. My surgeon said no less than two weeks. I guess all surgeons have their preferences. I've read a few books and listened to as many podcasts about Bariatric surgery per-op and post-op. I feel like a have a good hold on it. I started a Keto/Carnivore diet back in June. Limiting carbs and Sugar wasn't a big deal starting a 100 Gram Protein & 100 Gram carb diet the dietician has recommended for me to be on now. I've lost 47 pounds since June and 27 since my October consult.

the only issue I really had was that getting in and out of bed was a bit of a challenge the first few days. I could do it - but my abs felt like I'd done 10000 crunches. Other than that, I had no pain and was able to get around fine. It was just that transitioning (going from lying down to standing up - and vice versa) was tricky. But once I was up - or down - I had no pain and could get around with no problem. My husband had taken a week off of work, but he ended up going back after three days because I really didn't need him to do anything for me. It was nice to have him bring me protein shakes or whatever, but it wasn't really necessary.

I had the surgery when I was incredibly unfit and I had major health issues. I was classed as disabled. I am sure this impeded my recovery. I had to stay in hospital 4 extra days due to vomiting. I struggled with sickness and GERD for about 6 weeks until I got the correct medications. I needed to sleep sat up all this time. They found my internal stitch line was very swollen and eating and drinking was difficult. This resulted in me being very weak until I could reach my goals. I am retired but if I worked, I would not have been able to go back for 3 months. I had zero pain, either gas or from the surgery. I have a high bed so needed a step to help me get in and out of it. I used a bed wedge for the GERD. The main thing that people on this forum teach us is, do not over buy. This surgery seriously affects your taste buds. Its 2 years to the day since my surgery and I still detest my once favourite foods, salmon and lamb.

It usually takes about a week. It’s a slow process as the gas rises up behind your lungs & puts pressure on a nerve which causes the discomfort. The gas is then absorbed into your lungs where you breathe it out. Walk, walk, walk slow & gently for short periods of time a few times a day. March on the spot, do arm legs & slow deep breathing. Anything to get you breathing more without straining your body, damaging your sutures & staples, etc. Using heat pads can help with the discomfort. All the best.

I live alone & had no issues at all. Just did any chores (laundry, dishwasher, etc.) slowly & carefully & took my time - I had all day to do them 😁. Had no trouble sleeping in my bed, getting up & down, showering, though I also did it slowly & carefully to ensure I didn’t pull anything. I have a cleaner who comes once a fortnight & she does the vacuuming, floor washing, etc. leaving me to do basic upkeep in between. My neighbours took my bins in & out for a couple of weeks because of the lifting restrictions. I grocery shopped at the end of week 2 to get yoghurt & a few other necessities for the purée stage. I asked the checkout staff not to overpack my bags as I’d had abdominal surgery & had restrictions on what I could lift. I made sure I had supplies of everything I needed before my surgery. So had all over the counter meds (non nsaid pain meds, Imodium, stool softener, hydralite, …), protein shakes, broths & soups, etc. But yes, some do struggle with movement like getting up & down, sleeping in a bed, etc. I didn’t have any mobility issues or difficulties before surgery which I think helped me.

I finished my schooling and am officially working in my chosen field as a medical assistant!!! I got my certification and I'm working in a critical care pulmonary office. I'm absolutely LOVING it!! And even though I can look at myself and see the weight loss, and I can see my diabetes and blood pressure are normal now, I still have a hard time believing I'm physically able to do my job and do it well. Yet here I am....doing the d@mn thing!!! I have a CT with contrast on the 29th because my bariatric surgeon thinks I have a distal hernia (if you look at my stomach in my pic, you can see that area poking out a little). And I have my complete hysterectomy scheduled for March 6th. If the CT confirms the distal hernia, that will also require a surgery, but I have no idea when that will happen. I'm hoping before the hysterectomy because the hernia repair can be done laparoscopically (I think) but I have to have an abdominal hysterectomy because the fibroids are way too big to come out laparoscopically and I have to have EVERYTHING removed because I tested positive for the BRCA cancer gene (will need all of my breast tissue removed at a later date, but my insurance will cover reconstructive breast surgery, so YAY for a free boob job). This last 50 pounds still won't leave me, and it's absolutely driving me crazy. No matter what I do, I can't get it to go. I'm hoping the hysterectomy will help a little because the fibroids are so big, they're making my uterus the size of a 16 week pregnant uterus. They also said the hysterectomy should help somewhat with my PCOS, since that's likely what's preventing that last 50 pounds from coming off. So here's hoping this is end of my weight issues and the last of my surgeries!!!

Welcome to the forums. Let me try to hit everything in no particular order. Much of this is general stuff that may or may not be helpful to you, but may help others that read. Congratulations on your successes to date. Beer: Be very careful of transfer addiction, which is common when one coping mechanism, such as food, is taken away so we find another mechanism to replace it. Additionally, with a bypass alcohol is harder on the liver than with normies. Again, be careful. Muscle loss: Is very common and expected. Rapid weight loss such as we experience causes loss of fat, muscle, and in many cases organs (which is why rapid weight loss for too long is unhealthy). Additionally, it takes extra muscle to move our pre-op bodies around. As we lose weight we require less muscle to move less weight around. 6 meals: At a year out it's ok to make rational adjustments based on your experience and requirements. As an example, I'll share a personal anecdote: My plan is 3 meals a day of 3-4oz protein 1oz veggies. No protein drinks or snacks. This is my surgeon's hard and fast plan, period. At about 2 years post-op I decided to challenge myself to a 'Couch to 5K [C25K]' program that gets one to running 5K in 30 days. It turns out I enjoyed running so started binge running. As my miles per week increased my surgeon increased my meals to 4 per day. Then 5. Then 6. Then added a protein drink. I very much disliked 6 meals per day as I felt like I was always eating. When I stopped running it was back to 3 meals per day. Point of the story is there are times to make rational changes. In your situation, it may make sense to reduce your meals (and slightly increase meal size. Or if you want to stay close to where you are, 3 meals + 3 snacks. Or whatever works for you. I'd wager that the author of your plan would be on board with rational changes. Compliance: In the first several months patients will lose weight no matter what they eat or drink. Being compliant to your plan builds success with the positive reinforcement of losing weight. It's the new, healthy habits that keep you from regaining weight. Trying to start compliance when the weight loss stops too soon puts us into the same diet and fail cycle we lived pre-op, with the same results. Good luck, Tek

I led one of the classes at my bariatric clinic (for pre-op patients) for three or four years (until the COVID lockdowns when they quit having the classes). I always, always, always told them about the three-week stall, because I've learned from these kinds of sites that most surgeons don't mention it, and people freak out when it happens. Since it happens to the vast majority of us, I'm really surprised it doesn't have a prominent place in people's surgery packets - and/or isn't mentioned in pre-op classes. I think we see this question here on BP twice a week. Surgeons (or anyone who teaches/leads pre-op classes) REALLY need to mention this...

yep I had that for 4 days. Two of my 5 incisions were itchy from day one and those two stick out. I had chest pains as the incision there was bigger as they had to use retractors and they fractured a rib. (I had other issues repaired at that site) 21 days post op and I transferred to purée this morning for the next 3 weeks. I could stomach the puréed fruit. But when I did whipped potatoes with gravy they felt like they got blocked and I threw it back up. So now I’m worried the same thing is happening all over again.

I was getting ready to back into the office for the first time since my surgery (3wks post op and a week and a half of Covid). I’ve been living in pjs and lounge pants (comfy bra when needed-right ladies?). I was shocked at how loose my jeans were. But I visited my storage room and pulled out my “skinny clothes” -let’s be honest- we all have a full range of sizes squirreled away. I really want to save money, especially now that the medical bills are finally making themselves known- so I don’t want to buy anything new. But I’m looking at these clothes and thinking this isn’t me… this isn’t me… but I’m also not sure who the real me is, yet. I don’t feel like me anymore… I know there’s more change to come, so having an identity crisis this soon is crazy right?

I had my VGS on 10/16- and was losing pretty regularly. I have noticed a stall just recently and I even went up a little. I was just released to regular food though so I know I’ve eaten more carbs lately. I’ve got to get back to my protein shakes but the taste of them makes my tummy upset. the worst part is trying to get my water in- it’s been next to impossible. I’m just not thirsty or tempted to drink. Sugar substitutes trigger dumping now so additives like crystal light are out. I’ve done lemon and orange zest and it works for a day or two and then it’s back to the drawing board. Coconut water (urg empty calories) and Gatorade are now my go to- so frustrated.

Funny thing ---- I was all bummed out about my 3 month long stall - I even Gained 4 pounds when I saw my doc a couple days ago. I finally did something I was so scared to do ..... I took out the tape measure. I was seriously shaking when I measured myself for the first time. I lost a total of 15" since this whole program started ! I knew my clothes were loose - but 15 inches ? ! ? ! Wow ! In fact ...... I feel SO GOOD ,this is the going to be the first time in YEARS that I'm putting up a Christmas tree The hell with that scale LOL !!! My mental and physical health is better than it's been for years and I stopped focusing on that darn number !

@Arabesque I just want you to know remembering your posts about eating speed over the months have really helped me post op! I thought I was taking small sips and small bites but my body taught me that what I thought was small was not small enough, so to half it. That helped immensely. I also take my time chewing like you suggest, and put my fork down, and every bite or two check to see if I'm feeling any signals of fullness yet, which are hard to feel this early out so I really have to listen to them. Yesterday was my first time eating out since my surgery. I got mahi mahi. I was worried I'd be bored while my partner ate this huge salad with salmon, but it turns out that the time it took them to eat that whole salad was the time it took me to eat a few ounces of the fish and a few green beans and asparagus. I wasn't bored waiting for them, if anything I was bored of chewing because the mahi mahi turned out to be drier and denser than my post surgery taste buds like! LOL We were done at the same time! But it really made me wonder about all the posts I see here of not enjoying eating out anymore because three bites and you are done in 5 minutes. They must not be eating the way the dietician in my program has drilled into our heads. I felt completely normal eating out, I just didn't drink with my meal and I had more leftover than most people would. The server didn't bat an eye. It was a lovely experience and made me feel relieved I could still enjoy it post surgery, even in the soft food stage! Anyway, all that to say thank you for the great advice you (and everyone else) give to us newbies. It DOES make a difference! I'm really grateful for it. I feel like I'm ahead of the curve...

I agree with ChunkCat. Although I am past the liquid food phase, I know my relationship with Thanksgiving food has changed. I have been putting my energy into decorating the house for Christmas and will focus on spending time with family. My daughter had a birthday two weeks after my surgery and I experienced a little anxiety but quickly saw the opportunity in it. I hope you enjoy the day. Happy Thanksgiving.

I love your explanation @NickelChip! I've read it before in another group but you made it so easy to understand!! That is exactly what is happening during our stalls, especially the early ones. The body is just trying to protect us and make sure we'll survive. I believe during this time it also assesses things like set points, what the metabolism is doing, etc... Our bodies are hard workers even when the scale is sitting there staying the same. I too wish doctors would take the time to explain this to their patients, it is a major source of anxiety throughout the weight loss phase! OP, I'd highly suggest getting yourself a tape measure. Measurements are a fantastic way to track weight changes in our bodies and often when the scale doesn't move we lose inches, because we are actually still losing fat, we are just losing in stealth thanks to that water weight. A similar process happens when we start exercising, often the scale stalls or we even gain! But below the surface we are still changing our body's composition, fat is still being burned. Apps like Baritastic will track your measurements and show you over time how they are trending down, it is pretty cool. I only allow myself one weigh in a week. If I feel anxiety about the scale I don't even do that. It isn't worth the mental anguish... For the VAST majority of people, if you follow your plan, eat regularly, drink your water, and get some movement in, your body will continue that fat burning for a long time. There are always outliers, of course, and my heart goes out to them. But the odds are we won't be outliers... I remind myself of this every day, I'm 3 weeks out! You've lost the same amount that I have in less time, that's pretty cool!

Oh, and as for your mother's concerns. They are valid. The unfortunate fact is that the same mechanisms that help us lose the weight and reverse co-morbidities also restrict nutrients and our ability to get fluids in when we are sick. Sometimes that means we end up in the hospital for fluids or electrolytes. But with a more severe illness sometimes it can lead to low protein levels or low vitamin levels and the body struggles with that, this can happen with ANY of the surgeries, but is of course a little more common with the malabsorption surgeries. This can complicate an illness with an already complicated clinical presentation. I can see how if it got out of hand and wasn't properly treated, it could contribute to someone's death, but it would be secondary normally to their originating condition. However, what I would invite your mother to consider is how pre-existing co-morbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure, and such contribute to severe illnesses as well. If you don't have these now, you probably will in the next 10 years. Those things can kill you too and can make your health much more fragile when dealing with an extra illness, like cancer or severe pneumonia. The only thing I can think of that would be originating from the DS that could kill you is severe protein deficiencies that go untreated, severe vitamin deficiencies that go untreated, and the possibility of bowel obstructions. All three of these things can also happen with Gastric Bypass. They are by no means common with either surgery, but they are a risk to be aware of and watchful for... My uncle was in his 40s when he had his first heart attack. It was also his last heart attack as it killed him. He had all the co-morbidities that I have. I thought long and hard about this before deciding on the surgery. I finally decided I'd rather trade a life of medications for a life of vitamins 4-5 times a day. And a life of being able to move and run and hike, and travel, for a life spent on the couch. And if at the end of my life I get sick and things get unbalanced and that malabsorption does me in, it will still have been a life MUCH better lived than if I had passed up the surgery. And it would (hopefully) be spared the heart attacks, diabetic and high blood pressure complications, possible amputations, etc.. Not everyone would think this way, but I like to go into things with my eyes wide open and I always have to think about the worst before I can let myself dream about the best... I wish you luck in your decision! ❤️

Hi KyahRose! I just had the DS surgery on November 1st. I considered SADI-S, Bypass, and DS when deciding on which surgery to go with. In the end I picked DS even though it is the scariest of the surgeries, because I wanted the benefit of my co-morbidities going into remission which the other two surgeries can do, but the DS does best. Plus I wanted a surgery that has a lot of studies behind it going out years, and while the bypass does have that, the SADI does not. I didn't want to have an experimental surgery, enough of my medical care is experimental. LOL The DS has a proven track record and is safe for the vast majority of people who have it. That being said, it IS a serious surgery. You can make yourself very ill if you don't follow the protein and vitamin recommendations, and even the vitamin recommendations from the docs are often not enough. I highly recommend going over to bariatricfacts.com and joining the forum there to talk to the DS vets. I'm over there as Shrinkingmytiara. These are people who have had the surgery 10+ years. They will tell you the good, bad, and ugly and make sure you understand the ugly and what you are getting yourself into. There is a wealth of info on that site about DS and some about the SADI. On FB there is a Duodenal Switch SUPPORT Group (there are a number of them, but I'm in that one) which also has a lot of vets in it. It has people with DS and with SADI. You'll read a lot of complaint posts from people who are having issues (common for any support group) but it'll give you an idea of what some of the challenges are post surgery. Again, your odds of having complications are quite low (though a little higher than the other surgeries), but it is still worth seeing what others are experiencing. I'm sure you could find the same for Bypass. I have had no major complications with my surgery so far. I had a lot of nausea and ended up in the hospital an extra night while we stabilized that and my pain levels. Once I came home I've only needed my nausea meds a handful of times and I didn't need pain meds. I wasn't able to ingest whey protein drinks for the first two weeks but my surgeon told me the body has stores for 3 weeks, so to focus on water and the rest would come. He was right! I can drink them now and am getting protein in what I eat now that I'm on soft foods. I've met my fluid goals every day, some days are harder than others. I've had some diarrhea on and off but my system tends that way even pre-surgery. I could drink lactose free milk and bone broth the first week so those are what kept me going. I actually feel more energy now most days than I did before surgery which is strange to me! I do tire out a little easy though because I'm still healing. My stomach did these spasms while feeling like it was turning in cartwheels inside me for about 2 weeks. They finally faded like the surgeon said they would. I'm diabetic. My fasting blood sugar now sits at 87 which is stellar. They told me to stop the diabetes meds. I had high blood pressure but they took me off those in the hospital and my blood pressure is normal! 105/76 when checked at my 2 week follow up!! I've lost 21 lbs in 3 weeks post surgery, for a total of 35 lbs from my highest weight. I can't wrap my head around that, it happened so quickly! I had a moment post surgery when I panicked over permanently altering my body in such a drastic way, but then I reminded myself that the way my body was pre-surgery was killing me, this was the only path forward to health that I could see. I don't regret it at all. I'm happy to talk with you more about it if you want, and you can feel free to message me if you want to keep in touch! There aren't very many DSers around here active anymore!

IMHO, you've made a good decision. Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period. When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments. Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements. We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan. It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff. Good luck, Tek