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Hi Nina, Although I'm from a Turkish background, I didn't have the courage to go overseas to get this surgery done bc if any complication arises the doctors here in Australia are hesitant about treating somebody else's mistake. So I just bit the bullet and decided to have it here in Australia, I've heard a lot of success stories from people who have had it in Turkey. It's good to hear yours whent well too! Hope everything works out for you in the long run, 🙏My surgery is tomorrow I have butterflies in my stomach nerves are flying high lol I'm hoping it goes well as I'm having a hiatal hernia repair and a gastric bypass. All the best to everyone🙏🙏

Hello, I am 6 weeks post op and have no idea what to eat. I was so nauseous for the last 2 1/2 weeks and now I'm starting from scratch. I am scared to eat anything bc I throw up so easily. I am having a very hard time with fluid intake also. Nothing tastes good, even the flavored water I drank with no problems before surgery. Any advice is appreciated!!

Can I-say I just don’t care about the dumplings bc I’m staring at the nice cool looking beautiful pool!! PS I live in Texas and we are already steady in the mid 90s here. I’d be in your pool trading the espresso martini for a Strawberry margarita !! Or two!! Hehehehe🍷

My insurance BC/BS of North Carolina does not have any WLS benefit- I am trying to change jobs. I am going to ask the surgeon if they have a self pay option- thank you

YIKES. Ok this is a tough one. I am a very blunt, call it like I see it person IRL. I call out BS and I don't put up with pity parties and manipulation. And yes, I've seen a person or 2 on here that falls into that category, so I tend to stay away from those posts. The reason being, food addiction is a real thing. It's an ugly beast that can strike at any time. Some may not be doing what they need to, and while my first instinct (and clearly yours) is to point it out and "give it to em straight", there's a way to say things that still get the point across without the humiliation and hurt and aggressiveness. We have all suffered that IRL. That's part of why we're here and had the surgery. We are looking for like minded people that truly understand the unrelenting hold that food demon has on us. And we're looking for compassionate advice on how to get past it and get (or stay) on track. Maybe therapy is needed, maybe accountability IRL is needed, maybe experiences from others and how they did it is needed, maybe just strength and encouragement is needed (this might be the only place they get it). And yes, sometimes tough love is needed. But it's not up to us to give it. We don't know their state of mind, their emotional status, anything. I am as motivated as they come. But if I falter, if I mess up, I would hope I could get some compassionate and supportive help to get me back on track and not be bereted for not living up to the ideal standards.

I had sleeve and hernia repair in 2017. I just had revision to bypass and hernia repair again. I no longer have gerd. I went to a different surgeon this time and my surgery was kinda major bc my whole sleeve was in my chest. I guess my stomach was growing in my chest and had fat and stuff around it. But I’m all fixed up now and I’m feeling so much better. Better surgeon and no more hernia and no more GERD. Good luck with your surgery.

I ate egg drop from the Chinese food restaurant bc I figured it was broth like when I was on PO liquid diet. The doc gave me a hard time about it but ended up being ok. I think we all make mistakes. It’s hard.

I hear ya! I am so fed up with protein shakes and protein water lol. Im going to have to figure something out soon lol

I spoke to their coordinator and she is lovely! Certified docs. Etc etc. But when I googled Bariatrics in Tijuana a few deaths popped up but it didn't disclose which exact establishment. The coordinator advised it def wasn't their location but I'm still nervous bc anyone can say whatever they want lol

No but I researched it myself. It’s from the leftover stomach backing up into the pouch. My leftover stomach was removed so I have a decreased risk (as was yours with the sleeve). If you have concerns I’d say just go with the RNY. I wouldn’t over analyze it bc at the end of the day, YOU control your weight loss and side effects more than which procedure you choose. You can bypass acid/bile reflux by not eating foods that cause it and you can control how much weight you lose by your determination to follow the rules of the surgery. My own father had RNY bypass and gained almost all of it back. Ultimately your determination to get healthy and stick with the program will matter more than which procedure you choose. 😊

No restriction , always hungry and haven’t lost any weight for 2 weeks. 13 weeks post op and I’m so fed up. I can eat upto 1200 calories in a day aswell at just over 3 months post op. what is going on? im not eating anything I shouldn’t always have protein first etc any advice ? I’m more depressed now than I was before surgery. My mum eats less than me and she’s not even had surgery

He said the same amount was taken out as a sleeve patient. This was my first WLS. There is a charge for a revision-maybe an extra $500 or so. I only know bc a revision patient there told me. I have no idea why he chose it. I’d definitely try to get a consultation with a Dr. and don’t listen to the coordinators, lol

My recovery is great! I had bad acid reflux the first week but it’s all but cleared up now. I’ve received several emails on nutrition since then and reminders, etc. In your case, it won’t matter which of the MGB or RNY bypass you do since you already had the sleeve. The mini can cause more reflux with the remnant stomach backing up into the pouch, but since yours was removed with the sleeve you shouldn’t have that issue. Statistically there’s less risk of complications with the mini outside of that but for either procedure it is very low. My Dr. didn’t tell me he was doing the mini until afterwards. There’s a lot of communication breakdown there but it’s not like they screwed up the surgery or anything. Be very careful with that. The coordinators don’t know anything about the procedures more than we do via google. The renew staff does speak English but they’re a parent co so you won’t necessarily see them 24/7 like you do the nurses. My stomach was partially removed (which makes it a SASI) to decrease ghrelin levels and reduce reflux risk since I already had GERD. They use CER hospital, which is only 7 years old and pretty nice. My bathroom there is nicer than the one back home! One family member/friend is allowed to come with you and stay the night at no charge and if you choose so you get a “suite” which gives an extra space and bed for said friend. The doctors there all speak English well but the nurses speak only a little so google translate helped a lot, lol. Some of the nursing practices are a little dated but I fixed anything that seemed off (I’m an RN). They were very attentive with wound care though I will say. As far as cleanliness goes, it’s the cleanest hospital I’ve ever seen! Sheets, towels, trash, etc are changed daily. I didn’t even use all of my towels bc I didn’t need that many. One week of meds for after surgery is given to you at no charge which is nice. Getting to know the other people in your cohort was the coolest part bc you all go through it together and support each other! I didn’t receive a video/Skype call from the Dr. beforehand but if you request it I’m sure they could do it. All bariatric procedures are done in the afternoons so he’s free in the mornings (cosmetic procedures are done in the AM). 1 night stay at The real inn hotel is part of your charge and it’s really nice and modern. I actually got mine for free bc one of the coordinators wrote down that I was waiving the hotel for the optional $100 reduction when I wasn’t, so they charged me $100 less but ended up comping the room anyway for me (I told you the coordinators don’t know what they’re doing.) I do wish there was better communication before the procedure so if you can get a Skype call with the doctor beforehand that would be great as communication is the main problem there. If you can get Dr. Green (you better book wayy ahead) then go for it bc everyone loves him. He even takes pics of the sleeve patients’ stomachs and gives them a copy, lol. Sometimes I wish I had him! I’m a lower bmi patient like you-my bmi was 31 when I signed up. I was the smallest one there but no one cared. Overall, it’s a good experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat 💗

Mom to 3 rem how you fed your baby. Little at a time. You have a baby tummy. So sips during the recovery period.

I used Dr. Armenta with Renew Bariatrics in Tijuana. He’s a hottie, I ain’t gonna lie. A lot of people use Dr. Green there but he’s so popular that he’s booked up 2-3 months out. Mine was a week ago so can’t comment yet on results. I had the SASI (mini gastric bypass plus sleeve removal) Cost was $5600 but is $5800 now. Make sure you ask tons of questions of the surgeon bc the coordinators don’t know what’s going on. It was all Americans in my cohort. The hospital policy is 30+ bmi but I’m not sure if they would make an exception for a revision. Worst case scenario is you could gain 10 lbs and then have it.

I bought one from Amazon. It gives me peace of mind bc if something should happen, the ENT’s will know how to respond!

I was self pay. Qualifications are bmi of 30+ at most places for self pay. I was at 31 when signed up but lost a few lbs from stress. Bypass was recommended to me bc it’s supposed to cure my long-standing GERD.

I read that as well. I would think it he was going to do a Spin off of the DS then I would’ve known bc they do the DS there and it’s a higher price tag due to the extra time involved. It’s also meant for larger patients and I had a bmi of 30 on the day of surgery… I really think it’s just their standard policy to remove the stomach for ghrelin reduction. I just wish was told ahead of time.

It’s not easy at all. Just try and keep yourself as busy as possible and just try and think about the future. As far as hunger pains after surgery, I can tell you I’m 9 days out and they are still there! I wake up every day around 4 or 5am with extreme hunger pain bc I’m still on liquids after.

In my opinion this is why if I remember correctly….I believe It’s bc drinking through a straw puts air in your stomach and also you prob can drink ALOT faster. Suppose to be slow small sips.

Day 1-pre op liquid diet, had naked not sure if this is good option but have not found protein powder. I had planned to go to smoothie king but when I got there the are closed for remodeling 😟bought naked smoothie blu monster and jello but it’s red and told not to eat red stuff. Felt a bit woozie after lunch and had beef broth and will go to bed as soon as I can Bc too much temptation for food plus feel exhausted now😂will report on day 2 tomorrow-maybe some input on what y’all r doing for liquid diet , ty! 😉

I also have Fidelis in NY and if I recall correctly, they covered my nutritionist clearance but not the psychologist clearance. I didn't try to appeal, the same thing happened several years ago with my first surgery when I had Empire BC/BS.

Hi! I was banded back in 2008. I'm 5'4" and my weight before surgery was 290-something. I lost about 130 lbs in the first year, and maintained at around 165-175 (for me this weight equated to around a size 10, which I was fairly pleased with) for almost 10 years. I had a tummy tuck in 2016 and believe that my band was nicked when the plastic surgeon moved my port. In any case i suffered a 'slow leak' in the band that my surgeon Dr. Elariny could not pinpont, even under fluoroscopy, and have not really had any restriction for the last 5 years. I have sloooowwwwlly gained back up to 215 lbs during that time. Last month I had a consult with Dr Elariny to explore options for another weight loss surgery. He asked me a million questions about my eating habits and ultimately said he believes I'll be most successful with the DS. At first I was completely against it, as the malabsorptive procedures have always scared me. But after voraciously reading this and a few other DS forums, I have decided I want to go forward bc it seems like this is the most successful, most foolproof procedure. Ultimately I want to go back to the way I felt when my Lap-band was working perfectly for all those years....when I finally wasn't on a diet, for the first time in my 37 year life. I didn't have to be obsessed over every bite I put in my mouth. I wasn't constantly beating myself up over eating too many calories or eating the wrong things or eating between meals or after a certain time at night, etc etc etc. For many years when my band was working, I felt like I just ate like a "normal" person. It was so incredibly liberating. If I felt like eating a burger i ate a burger. If i felt like eating a salad i ate a salad. I just ate when I was hungry and didn't have to think about it alllll the time. I want to go back to occasionally getting on the scale out of curiosity, rather than getting on it every morning and feeling desperate and ashamed. I do think that in addition to the lack of restriction, that menopause and hormonal changes are working against me now, at age 51. I haven't changed a thing about my exercise routine. I still workout every morning, 5-7 days per week, doing a combo of weight lifting and HIIT. But nonetheless i've just steadily put on weight, year over year. So, to bring this to a question of some sort...I guess I'd like to know if any of you long-time DS'ers feel like you eat "like normal people" now? And don't have to think about it so much? Or must you be extremely focused on what you eat bc of the ill effects the malabsorption causes? It is sort of confusing that my doctor tells me that if I eat high fat foods after this surgery I'll be rewarded with many urgent trips to the bathroom, and that if i eat carbs I'll experience terrible and potently malodorous gas. But many posts I've read have said something along the lines of "fat is your friend after the DS". I understand that Your Mileage May Vary, and every person is different. And my other question is whether I'm crazy, with a BMI of 37, to consider such a "drastic" procedure? My insurance has already approved me, for what it's worth. Thanks in advance for all of your thoughts!

So tired of this and fed up. I’m back at the ER with chest pain, nausea, etc and severe headache. My blood pressure is sky high again...169/118. I’m on multiple hyper tensives and keep having these hypertensive crisis. I know it’s my body screaming for help. I just hope I haven’t delayed or put off working toward WLS for too long. I’ve considered it for over a year and in that year I’ve gained nearly 50 pounds. It’s time for change and it’s time for change now...I’m so scared of dying early like my mom.

Our surgeon and educational staff said if you have the bypass your pain is worse on left bc that’s where they insert the largest trocar. If you have sleeve it tends to be on the right because that’s where the largest one is with that procedure. This may not be the same surgeon to surgeon but for what it’s worth that’s what they said. It is such bad pain sometimes people go to the ER so they wanted us to know up front what it was. Good to know you’re feeling better though 😀