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I had my bypass in 2015. No complications no issues, a perfect experience. I exercise regularly and am very active. I can eat all foods now although sometime sweet thing make my belly rumble. Everything seems great. But!! All of a sudden the past couple of weeks when I eat I feel like the food gets stuck in my chest. It is not heartburn more like the food just stops right between my breasts. The pain is so bad my heart rate goes up and I am in tears. When it first happened I though I didn’t threw enough and made myself throw up that one time to get it out. But the pain just continued. I figured because of that one time I had a bruise inside and it would take a few days to stop hurting. But it’s been weeks and every time I eat it happens. I chew slowly and thoroughly. I take extra care to make sure everything I put in my body is thoroughly chewed and absolutely passable so nothing will get stuck. But there is pain! I even tried eating just soft foods like a mashed banana or yogurt for a few days to help heal whatever Is goin on. It didn’t help even smooth is painful. Anyone have this issue? What could it be? TIA~Crystal

yikes! sorry to hear about the lung complication! Glad youre doing well now!

You can look up BPD/DS..Right now, I have a gastric stricture. Not one dr has concluded this yet, but extensive research I have done for last week has led me to this conclusion. Newbies in the honeymoon stage hate me. Think I'm being negative...no, being realistic. Do you think my bariatric surgeon told me all of the possible complications - of course not, this is what he does for a living. Luckily, he is a good surgeon so I hope he didn't make my opening too small. Praying for last hour, as it took me, not the three doctors I've seen, to diagnose myself. Even an experienced nurse in a Bariatric Surgeon's office said I was anorexic and needed a good dietician. I am not anorexic! How did I get so fat? And struggle to keep the weight off for 7 years, and suddenly develop anorexia...total nonsense. I am literally getting unable to eat, it nauseates me and I can hardly swallow. My bowels are shutting down.. But I know hospitals can screw up. God, this is overwhelming. So, I'm praying and claiming, I'm right, I'm getting to the right Bariatric Surgeon or right ER doctor, etc. Praying I have no complications from the correction, dilation of the stricture. I may have to have multiple dilations. I may develop a bleed during dilation. Hope you get the drift how complicated this is. Please don't take this the wrong way, but if I asked, May I ask what a DS is, you are not a good candidate for DS. You can fight serious health complications, requiring many hospitalizations, or even death. May not happen, but may. And you cannot be revised from DS, If surgery is available, any responsible surgeon wouldn't do it If you can't lose the weight at this point, get intensive therapy before making such a lifetime commitment. From your pic you don't look that old. This is for the rest of your life!!! Bariatric practices are going to tell you about all of the successes, not the failures. I would be considered a huge success, maintained my weight for 7 years, and now losing....how exciting....wrong...I may be dying. Praying for Divine Intervention. I'm not ready to check out yet.

Mine was robotic. There were 2 very experienced surgeons there the entire time. My time in surgery was normal, and my recovery was as well. My team is fantastic. All of their bariatric surgeries are robotic. It allows for greater dexterity and more arms in there working. Personally, I was comforted by that fact, human reactions are pretty darn fallible. Robot arms are steadier. This is from the first study I looked up: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4286948/ Robotic vs. standard laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass A systematic review of robotic vs. laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass identified 10 studies, which included results for 2,557 patients (15). The overall major and minor complications did not differ significantly between the robotic and laparoscopic group. The rates for anastomotic leak, bleeding, stricture, and reoperation did not differ significantly.

II am a Gastric Bypass 7 yrs out. I personally give serious consideration to long term commitment to suppliementing, at least twice yearly labs, possible vitamin deficiencies before doing DS. I would never do DS at your weight. With my bypass, I absorb about 60% of what I eat. With the DS, it will be even more drastic. As far as I know, it is irreversible. However, if you want I would do rny bypass, which I have. At 7 yrs out, I have developed issues flip side - absolutely no appetite, terrible labs, losing too much weight, getting a little scary. On Vit b12 injections, having iron infusions, Vit D Supplementation, seeing a hematologist. Make sure you know what you are getting into! Can also have higher risks of complications from DS. I know you're desperate to lose the weight. You might want to consider the gastric balloon. Not permanent, but definitely better than the lapband. The balloon is guided into your stomach. Gives you a sense of fullness. Can be replaced after 6 months. Just know if you do the DS, you will have to do high supplementation for the rest of your life, which can be quite expensive. Also, you have to have a very balanced diet. Can have issues with serious dumping syndrome, all kinds of things. Hope this is helpful...do your research before doing any permanent surgery. No way would I do the DS.

Marginal ulcers at the gastrojejunal anastomosis are a rare and serious post-operative complication of RNY gastric bypass seen in 0.3 - 1.5% patients. Ulcers are produced as a result of partial erosion of the jejunal or gastric mucosa caused by acidic stomach secretions. This is most commonly due to an incomplete staple line on the gastric pouch or tension placed on the anastomosis, although the exact etiology remains unclear. The incidence of marginal ulcer is said to be exacerbated by risk factors such as smoking, alcohol intake and steroid use. Info from Google.

I am not sure what is meant by "erosion" in this context, but the RNY anastomosis is something of a delicate structure owing to its environment. The part of intestine that the stomach pouch is joined to at that point is not resistant to stomach acid, as the duodenum is (that's the part of intestine immediately downstream of the stomach in the normal anatomy, and is resistant to stomach acid, but is bypassed along with the remnant stomach in the RNY). Consequently, the anastomosis is often under frequent or constant irritation from the acid, and sometimes never completely heals, and can in some cases be a continual source of minor blood loss or weeping. This is also the point where ulcers usually occur (the so-called "marginal ulcers" that are a predisposition of the RNY) and is the origin of the "no-NSAID" rule that permeates the bariatric world. I don't have any particular studies or sightings on this, but it was something we covered in our pre-op education seminars. Techniques do indeed improve over time; for instance, bile reflux used to be relatively common with the bypass, but careful adjustments to the limb lengths seems to have minimized that. And, when my wife and I were first looking into WLS some 15-16 years ago, we found references to the matter that endoscopic dilations of the stoma had become so common that they ceased being considered a "complication", but just SOP; that doesn't seem to be that common these days as I have seen very few references to that being needed, so they seemed to have figured out the "just right" sizing compromise for it. We tend not to get the whole story when we run into these occasional problem cases, either in person or online - were they doing everything "right" or were they getting lax on some of the rules (this is not helped by many practices that fail to distinguish between early post op rules for good weight loss and "forever" rules to ensure proper long term health and function,) - did the patients, for example, get tired of ineffective pain relief for their arthritis and start hitting on the Naproxen (an NSAID) for better results?

HI everyone! I started my journey in May of 2016 when I went to my family doctor frustrated with my lymphedema issues in my lower ;egs and chronic back pain. I had been to the lymphedema clinic off and on over the past 6 years and was still doing leg compression machine twice daily. In between treatments, my legs swelled bad and hurt to walk. He basically said nothing more could be done. He asked if I had thought about weight loss surgery. I had never really studying up on it and didn't know much about it. He brought in his critical care case manager nurse to talk further about it. After our talk, I agreed for her to schedule me an appointment with the weight loss clinic in nearby town. Couple weeks later I went to the information meeting and had my referral already with me for the program. I was a bit overwhelmed at first but knew this was only way I would feel better. June 2016 I went to my first class and knew this was the plan for me. Meet with the surgeon and he suggested the sleeve for me considering other health issues I had. I was glad for that one from my research. I joined the health club where the weight loss clinic was at to walk the lazy river and get into arthritis exercise classes. I was overwhelming the first couple nutrition classes but I knew I had to follow this or it would be a waste of time. I started watching my 600 lb Life TV show. I was weighing 436 which was my highest weight and was miserable and hated looking at myself in the mirror. Started exercising and eating healthy and charting everything. I lost 9 lbs the first week from cutting out soda, and tons of junk food and not eating fast foods and exercising in the pool. In the 14 week nutrition classes, and following months prior to surgery, I lost 70 lbs. I was approved in January 2017 for surgery and got my date for the operation. I was upset at first that I had to wait 6 months, but now I am so glad. I was able to lose more weight and was mentally prepared for the surgery. Was able to get things prepared at home also. Surgery day came and I was not scared. Actually very eager for my new life to start. Surgery went well and was not in a lot of pain. That day was foggy and still don't remember much. Did develop minor complication but not from surgery itself. I was borderline anemic prior to surgery and was having issues with my blood count being too low. I was in hospital for 6 days as I had to get 5 blood transfusions . It was rough first month adjusting but soon weight starting coming off and feeling better. I was able to get off all asthma meds (3), blood pressure, water pills, depression meds, arthritis meds and pain pills. All I am taking is an allergy med and anxiety med for restless legs. My lymphedema issues are gone, less back and knee pain. First year I lost 105 lbs. Now approaching my 2 year anniversary, I have lost a total of 225 lbs and going in for knee replacement surgery next month. I have had no weight gain since the first month of surgery. I have gone from size 30-32 clothes to a 16/18. Few problems I have encounter were all my own issues in pushing the limits on eating and they were very minor things and didn't last very long. I am so glad I had this operation as I was headed for life in a wheelchair and probably nursing home as my legs were not getting better and chronic ulcers on them. After rehabbing from knee surgery, I will be able to continue losing the additional 25 lbs I want to reach my final goal and toning up that I haven't been able to do because of bad knees. Exercising is just lots of walking and swimming. I have had great support team at the weight loss clinic and family doctor and don't think I could have accomplished all without them. and family and friends support. Pictures of me at my heaviest and then recent one from Easter this year.

Welcome Deanna...I also want to remain curvy but healthier. I never had trouble getting pregnant even though I was a bit overweight back then, but since I had small kids, I didn't want to take the risk of having the surgery and having complications or even death(this was back in the early 90s when this surgery was much higher risk). Now my kids are grown and I can focus on getting myself healthy.

Hey guys so Ive decided to head to Mexico for weightloss surgery. I would love some current feed back on the belite services as well as just hear an overall experience. I have already been in contact with them done paper work etc. I would like to know how long for surgery? Any one complications or regrets? Just looking for some more on hand accounts of procedure experience.

I met 2 people this week who were long term gastric bypass patients (15-20 years out). Both had erosion/bleeding from one of the anastomosis sites and ended up in the hospital. Is this something that is very common? I sure hope not. Anyone have any data or sources for this type of complication? I would have thought once the sites were healed they would be good for life. But apparently for some folks that is not the case. Just wondering if there was a difference in how older surgeries were done compared to techniques today.

I had mine on a Monday, and went back Friday. (Desk job) I managed on Tylenol, didn’t need my narcotics. I felt a little tired, but managed well enough. So if you have complications it might be different, but you should be okay. I returned to my second job after 2 weeks (waiting tables) but felt pretty drained pulling 14-16 hour days that week. It’s fine now 4 weeks post op. Good luck! Wishing you smooth procedure, and speedy recovery.

1. Gestational diabetes at the age of 28 with child #2 in 1997 (also my last pregnancy). Gained 96 pounds during that pregnancy and lost 12 so by the time it was all said and done, I was carrying an excess of 80 pounds more that. Would. Not. Stay. Off. 2. Triple negative breast cancer diagnosis in 2009 at the age of 40. Mandatory year of chemo/radiation which completely finished wrecking what little metabolism I had left that the gestational diabetes didn’t wreck. Gained 15 pounds during that year that. Would. Not. Stay. Off. 3. Hysterectomy in 2014 because of complications due to chemo-induced menopause at the age of 40. And at the age of 41. And just for fun, again at the age of 44. Went through menopause 3 times. Gained another 10-15 pounds that. Would. Not. Stay. Off. 4. Bariatric surgery in February 2019 after 21+ years of fighting a losing battle with metabolic syndrome caused by all of the aforementioned issues and yo-yo dieting. When I was 28 and got pregnant with my daughter I was about 140 pounds and a size 8. When I started the bariatric process at the age of 49, I was 259 pounds and a size 20/22. Throughout my years of yo-yoing, I’ve always been a SLOW loser. I was the girl who would diet/exercise for 4-6 weeks before even 5-6 pounds would come off. Then after it would finally start to come off, I could count on losing about 6 pounds/month eating 1200 calories daily and exercising like a maniac. Then the instant I would stop that brutal routine, the weight would insta- jump back on.    Since my surgery date on February 6th (where I weighed 244 pounds) I’ve lost 46 pounds. Honestly it’s been “slow and steady”. Besides the first 2 weeks, I’ve not had a single week where I’ve lost over 3 pounds, but I’ve also not had a single week where I’ve lost under 2 pounds. So if I can lose weight with my history, honestly anyone can

You need to get help from a therapist and RD. You may need some home health. I'm so sorry you are going through this. But safflower oil is a terrible kind of fat to add to your drinks. It really damages your heart long term. Ask your PCP for help. If you are dealing with anorexia, the cure is way more complicated than simply "upping" your cals or drinking Boost. It constitutes a near medical emergency IMHO. ((hugs))

Good luck to you! I had surgery on a Monday, worked some from the hospital room Tuesday and went back full days to my desk job on Thursday. I didn’t take any pain meds, either. Unless you have complications, I agree with the others that you should do great!

Do your surgery like on a Thursday and you can go back to work on Monday. Unless you have complications or your doctor says otherwise

In my defense, I was not referring to complications, as I have a serious one myself. I was referring to the chances of death, which I consider "dangerous,". I am one of the 20 percent with complications, and have a very severe stricture. I still think the procedure is safe. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

No surgery has a zero percent complication rate. It is simply not accurate to say "not dangerous at all". When I was making my decision I did a lot of research and according to medical journals gastric bypass has a 21% complication rate and sleeve gastrectomy has 13%. That includes both major and minor complications. @100away - yes there are risks. But there are benefits too. You need to sit down with a surgeon and get all your questions answered from a medical professional's expertise, not just ours. You need to weigh the risks and benefits of surgery versus the risks of living long term with GERD, ulcers, and obesity. Because as much as you may be scared of bypass being dangerous - so are those things. GERD can increase your chances of esophageal cancer. Obesity leads to diabetes and heart disease. It's a big decision to be made and you are doing the right thing by asking questions and getting advice before jumping right in without considering the risks.

Ask if your local bariatric surgeon has an information seminar. Your surgeon may recommend a procedure. Here is a link that may help in your research phase. https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-complete-patients-guide-to-bariatric-surgery/ Age 45 and 254 pounds, My wake-up call was being admitted to ICU. My internal organs shutting down from diabetic ketoacidosis. My heart stopped, and they brought me back. I wish it didn’t take that moment to understand my weight was slowly killing me. I looked at how many times I’ve lost weight then had regain with extra. I needed a long-term solution to get my health back. I was sleeved in 2014. Five years out, no complications, no regret, and maintaining in the 130’s.

Well Jonah there were multiple considerations, but my main bottom line " I found I feared the prospect of major surgery much less than existing as I was, obese, unloved by most everyone, hurting so much with arthritis,i could scarcely exercise. So short,of breath I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without stopping half-way. And my PCP had started making " you're gonna die within a year or too" and my insurance was paying good money for him to be my friend. Oh I had heard in passing about Bariatric Surgery, I figured it was Elective Mutilation, Structerlized starvation and for much younger people than me. I was 4 months short of 70 when I started my search, 72 years,8 months and 13 days when I received it, a RNY bypass, because it would alleviate most of not all of my comorbities. Now I do not deprecate VSG, it works well for many people, it just wasn't in my future ever. What was it going to harm me to try for this surgery? My Primary Doctor had also mentioned as I gained weight and inches that,I was going to die. So if I was going to die anyway, what harm in trying? Maybe I would be,laughed out of the surgeon's office but I am redheaded, stubborn and I was not going out of life without a fight! I have lost 130-some pounds since my highest weight, 95 since my surgery 8 months ago. And that , darlin', is with an aging post- menopausal body with Basal Metabolim Rate comparing to a Sick Sea Slug. You as being younger and also being male, can duplicate or exceed what I have done. I tell my friends and others my Fat Shell is cracking and as it disappears they are starting to see the real ME underneath. I used to have a round moon-shaper face, now as I lose, my face is rectangular, I have a neck, I joke like a 🐢 turtle, but I no longer recognize the Old Frustr8 in the mirror. I am seeing reflections of Dead Relatives, first my own mother, than her older sister Aunt Grace, now this week I look like their mother Grandma Cora. That one was a shock because she was 5ft3 or so, I am 5ft8in down from a youthful 5ft 11 or 6 feet height. Your spine kind of mushes down with menopause, and I am on the verge of isteoporosis, what I have is osteopenia, translates as calcium-poor bones, but not the deformities of o-porosis as yet. By now I should be type 2 diabetic- both parents were, cardiac complications much worse than I have, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and wheelchair- bound because of the arthritis who has a steady relationship with me since 25 years old. It is only with the Grace of God I escaped them, with intact mind and emotions, body,well I never will look as good there as I would if I had been normal weight range. But life is what life is, I will rock what I can until death, and now I have every chance of making it to 90-100 years, I come from strong farm- rootstock people, they wore out instead of rusting out, the vast majority. And I plan to be on Bariatric Pal as long as I have the wits to do it. So do consider joining us , it is the best thing I have ever,had, and I say that barring all the unforseen complications I have had, somebody gonna,get it well it would be ME.But still I would never,go back to my existance prior to surgery, wish I had done it earlier in my life, but I hadn't been ready then, but God and my surgeon have helped me become a thinner, more healthy person and I will be eternally grateful to both.So if you have questions, just ask, I pride myself on being pretty smart but if I can't give you an answer, there will be surely someone else who could. So stick with us, we will help Your rest of life to be the best of Your life.

That 2/4/2014 ticker keeps following me around. I do not know where it came from but September 5th 2018. is my true date. On the other date, as far as I can remember, I was fat, depressed but still working for Wal-Mart. My late husband was hostile toward me, it turns out he was in process of dying, I thought he maybe had Alzheimers, well I did promise in sickness and heath, so I tried to not let,people know my daily sorrows at home, because I did have my pride. He ad me convinced I could not do much of anything right. I was a horrid housekeeper,, my cooking was so horrendous that he was conviced I would kill him for his,insurance. He would tell me he didn't,want any,of my foul cooking, then after half an hour of me leaving,he and my son would go to China Buffet or another local restaurant. You know how it feels to be held at gunpoint? My life was pretty much like that, which way do I move to keep him calm and quiet? Luckily we had no guns or ammo in the house, or I might have been shot. And still I tried to hang on, he would threaten " When I know for certain I am going to die, I will kill both our son and you because you are such inept failures and couldn't survive without me!" As it turns out, the hereditary kidney disease rampant in his family was also killing him. His doctor had warned him a couple of years before that without,proper specialist assistance he was surly going to die. About this time or shortly before he started not letting me accompli to doctors appointments. Usually if someone in our family had to see a doctor the rest of us would go for moral support.I had no. clue all this was going on, found the paperwork among his personal effects after his death. Why did the doctor not tell me or my son? Well we have a nasty little health manifesto called HIPAA, if someone requests another person. not know such information, the doctor is bound by law not to tell. I had been married to him 44 years, you would have thought I or our son would be his next of kin and should been told, well it Fi,dnot happen. And,he had also convinced me that no one really liked, loved or could put up with me. I was merely an extension of him and had. the personality of vanilla blancmange pudding. I could not possibly be liked by someone,in their,own mind. Well to swich the subject I have,now shrunk down to 224 from a High Weight of 365+ in October 2017 and if my,caculations are correct 95 pounds lost in, just 8 months. I am currently losing 1 of your kg a week so there is a strong possibility I may be under 200 pounds by my one-year anniversary, that would leave me approximately 25 pounds from goal which I originally thought would be March 2020. I had an appointment at my Bairatric clinic yesterday, I went in feeling I was resembling Road Kill, but they honestly believe I am doi,g well. My pouch is no longer showing signs of rampant gastritis, stoma still small but no longer a pinhole from all the swelling. Alas the jejunal ulcers still abide, she suspects they are causing the recurrent emesis, they keep the lumen of my RNY smaller so things above pureed move slower. Yes I am digesting,the foods but it is farther down where my bile and pancreatic juices come back in. So,continue as I have been but go ahead if I make vegetable soup, don't strain , try to chew up the veggies if they are smallish size. I am fated for one more endosvopy, they will let me know when but unless there is great improvement I may have surgical intervention done by my Doctor Needleman. I don't have anotherWell Bariatric scheduled until August 15th but endoscopy late June or somewhere in July. Right now, and kind of pinned her down on this, told her I come from a wagering background, 8to5 😸👩 I will get surgery, said this usually resolves by 6-8 months. But there was No Way that ,this had been in my forecast. Keep on with vitamins and minerals that will fill in the nutritional gaps, protein of course , try to find a kind my pouch,will accept, vegetarian is still okay if milk and animal meats fail me. And she is very pleased to see how good I look! I have gone from Looking like my mother, my Aunt Grace, her older sister and this week I look like Grandma Cora their mother, a big surprise because she was physically much shorter than me. So I don't know who I will finally resemble at goal, I just hope I look good and don't frighten small childre,months footpath. And I have absolutely no H Pylori, they keep testing to make sure it isn't a complication. But James, I have had 12 endoscopies, 9 at Ohio State University Hospital. The workers at the Hepatology/Endoscopy section now call me by name instead of a #. One time Dr Noria, my Dr Needlemans associate had an unexpected something come up so asked her chief resident to do it. I'm lying on the gurney , he comes in and says " Assume the Position" that meant to slide up to the top of the gurney and flip onto the Left side. Yeah I knew what he meant!

No complications since day 1 post-op ..very blessed! At first had hard time with water but its a stage im fine now. Following portions/Meal prep to stay focused. Still taking my protein shakes and vitamins. Blood test have been perfect! No more diabetes, no more blood pressure, no more swelling in my feet. The only thing is hair loss but i cut my hair short wear extensions when i feel like it.( I know its temp) How are you doing?

@Frustr8 One other thing causes me a little confusion. You said that your surgery was 8 months ago but you ticker says that it was on 2/7/2014. Is this your second time around? Did you go from a sleeve to bypass or ? After my RNY surgery they put me on Omeprazole for a year. This was to allow my stomach to heal properly. It is routine. After the year, I was taken off and I have no signs of GERD anymore. I went off around 5 years ago. 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 just to make sure we are covering all the bases. Omeprazole is a proton-pump inhibitor. It is not the only one. Some individuals on this site have problem with omeprazole and found others that work more effectively. NSAIDs are found in a number of products such as aspirin, Excedrin and many, many others. You have to stay away from these. My mother used Excedrin as a mild pain reliever for several years. But the problem was she was taking 5 or 6 times the recommended daily dose. She started hemorrhaging internally because she developed an internal ulcer. They had to give her blood transfusions as a result. I took away all her Excedrin and that problem was solved. The third item is H pylori infection. This is a very common infection. About half the people in the world have it. It is very hard to kill. Sometimes it takes several antibiotic treatments to put it down. There have been several people on this website that have serious problems with ulcers. When they were finally check for this infection they found that was the root cause of their problems.

@Goal_Digger Thank you. You are right, I believe fear has a lot to do with it. My family knows someone who almost died from complications after gastric bypass surgery many years ago. So now they are all against any type of weight loss surgery.