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After all the challenges and complications you have experienced, we can all share your tears of joy from peeling off the layers which had imprisoned you for so many years! Your positive attitude will propel you to reach your goals successfully....Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!

I'm going to try and keep this from being too long, but there's so much to say!!! First I'll start with my newest NSVs. I'm officially in a size 18 clothes (from my original size 30), size 10 shoes (from my original size 11), size 6 1/2 ring (from my original size 10), 18" chain on a necklace (from my original 24" chain), and 2x jacket (from my original 4-5x). I can now comfortably fit on a massage table without fear of it creaking or breaking. I can now ride a bike because I'm within the weight limit. I now am able to hit my favorite thrift stores and walk out with seriously cute clothes that look nice, sit well on me, and actually fit comfortably!! My asthma is almost completely gone (I only have it when I get super sick now instead of all the time). My blood work came back and my hormone levels are almost in the normal range (I have PCOS) and my cysts that completely COVERED both ovaries are totally gone (without having taken any meds or done any hormone therapies!!) I did a 6 mile hike this past weekend with my son. I am completely pain free and am able to go full on beast mode with my workouts again. I can go up 5 flights of stairs before I need to stop and rest. Now for my new chapter in life and old dreams becoming new again. So years ago, I wanted to become a nurse. I completed all of the academics with a 4.0, aced all the labs, but couldn't do any of the clinicals because I couldn't do all the walking, I was 400 pounds, and my health/joints/back were way too bad. So I gave up on it. Then about 2 years later, I thought "well, maybe I can be a medical assistant. Surely THAT'S not as hard" and once again, I couldn't do the externship because I couldn't do the physical stuff. So I went into other areas for work, ballooned up to 421 pounds, worked remotely, and made good money. I loved what i did, but there was always a part of me that regretted not being able to go into the medical field. That was my heart's desire. So fast forward to now. I'm between jobs and miserable. I had to stop working because of all my complications from my first surgery. Now that I've been cleared, I can't get hired anywhere. So I decided that now is a great time to go back to my dream of working in the medical field. So on Sept 5th, I start school to become a certified pediatric oncology medical assistant. Most of my previous credits transfer over, so I only have about 6 months of academics to do and then the externship. Then I sit for my certification exam and then I get to finally FINALLY do what I've always wanted to do. By my 46th birthday next June, I should be right where I want to be, doing what I want to do, and hopefully at my goal weight. I'm sitting here in tears as I type this, because I thought this was something I would never see happen. I resigned myself to being morbidly obese, extremely unhealthy, and needing a cane to get around. I may not be at my goal weight (the weight comes off a lot slower with a revision, and also as your bmi gets smaller and you get closer to your goal) but I believe eventually I'll get there. But the things this surgery is giving to me, the dreams I can live out, the health and wellness and years of my life I'm getting back..... it was all worth it. The complications, the uncertainty, the pain and healing and stalls.... all completely worth it. We all start this journey wanting the numbers on the scale to go down. But there's SO MUCH MORE this surgery gives you. I will never, ever regret my decision. Never.

I was sleeved 7 years ago. I have no regrets. I have maintained well. My lowest eight was 68kg. I am currently 71kg. I have no GERD. Zero complications. The only dumping I did was dumping people who judge people who choose gastric surgery.

Been having a low grade fever since Saturday. 100.8 was my high. Can't see my surgeon as I did it in Mexico. However he is quick to respond to messages. I am allergic to Tylenol so I am having to take Ibup. He has me taking 600mg every 8 hours. Fever is under control at that point, but it has been 3 days. I have an appt with my Dr tomorrow. No pain or swelling or anything like that, so hopefully it is something that isn't a complication. That scares me the worst! Will ask the Dr for ABX tomorrow, and hopefully he won't trash me for going to Mexico for surgery. Surgery was 8/15.

Even 20 years ago they were still working out the fine tuning of the RNY. I dump on sugars and fats. I wanted dumping and 20 years ago it was about 50/50 that it would happen. So, not only do have have general restriction but I am also forced to limit sugars and fats. Even though dumping is considered a "complication" I count it as a win. Yeah, meds can be an issue. Most time-released meds are problematic though some seem OK. I imagine it makes a difference what time-release mechanism is and where in the digestive process the meds are absorbed. Additionally, at least for me, are for meds where I can feel an effect the effective period is not as long as expected. Something with an 8 hour period of effect lasts 4 hours, sometimes 6 hours, never 8. As I've stated here previously, I manage to eat a complete meal about 50% of the time. When my stomach says to stop I've learned it's just best to stop. When I am not feeling well or I'm fatigued my digestive system just shuts down. I've always been this way since I was a kid, but surgery just made the situation one that spirals out of control quicker. This makes meds likewise worse. I've learned to cope with these issues, just chalking them up to part of the joy of being me. I'll takes these worries over being 500+ pounds overweight in a heartbeat. Were it not for surgery I likely would be completely disabled or long dead. I still never regretted having surgery for an instant. Good luck, Tek

I think developing gerd post sleeve is about 30% but many of those can manage it with medication & dietary choices. Like @DeAnnasNewLife23, I had reflux before my sleeve. It was mild & I managed it with dietary choices rarely needing meds. I still have reflux though it’s different. I need meds everyday (Nexium 20mg), still watch my food choices (no spicy foods, nothing too rich or too fatty/oily, no coffee, limit carbonation, etc.). Not eating or drinking will likely cause you reflux/gerd like symptoms simply because you have no food in your tummy to absorb the acid your body is producing & no fluids to flush it through your digestive system. The excess acid can also cause unpleasant diarrhoea too. I won’t mention the major health complications not drinking & not eating to get your necessary nutrients in will cause. To avoid that stuck feeling ensure you are eating slowly, taking small bites, eating foods that aren’t too dry, coarse or heavy & not eating more than your appropriate portion. It can result in the foamies too. I used a teaspoon to eat & literally ate 1/2 teaspoon at each bite. Take a bite, chew well & wait a couple of minutes or more before taking a second bite. I could take 20 or 30 minutes to eat 1/4 -1/3 cup of food. If the stuck feeling is like a tightness across your chest that could be your restriction. There’s a lot to learn & to discover what works for you & it can change as you progress. It takes time but you’ll get there.

On August 2nd at revision from sleeve to gastric bypass. Can pancreatitis be a side effect ?

I haven't had this surgery yet, but had my first anesthesia two years ago got a tonsillectomy. I was absolutely terrified of the anesthesia ahead of time -- pretty much right up until I met the anesthesiologist. She took her time to talk with me and reassure me, and was calm as a cucumber herself. She explained how I'd be monitored for all sorts of fluctuations, how they prepare for the rare problems that could occur, etc. I felt much better about it and went into it feeling good. Ironically, I did have some minor complications coming out of it: the way it depresses your whole system gave me difficulty breathing when I was waking up. But there was someone there and monitoring me until I was back to normal again, doing breathing exercises with me, etc. You should reach out to your team about your concerns. That's what they're there for. 😊 I'm sure there's someone on their staff who can go over that part of this with you to see if you'll feel better about it.

They said they weren't super worried because my blood work 2 weeks ago was perfect. But I was told to add more fat to my diet and repeat the blood work at 3 months post op. If it's still a problem, then we'll look into it further. I think, because I had so many complications, they are just being a little more careful.

Water can seem heavy at first & can seem to take odd. I was always a big water drinker but after surgery I struggled for months. As @summerseeker suggested try other liquids - they all count including your shakes, soups, etc. Warm drinks were also more soothing & easier to drink for me too. I drank a large mug of green tea every day (still do) & would let sparkling water go flat (remove the lid for a day) & to room temp (I enjoyed the mineral taste of it). I also drank electrolyte drinks (diluted them by doubling the water when making them) as well as plain water. Dehydration is a serious issue. I just had my 83 yr old mother in hospital for two days with dehydration & related complications. Keep sipping.

I start my pre-op diet on Monday of next week. So we've been trying to make all my favorite meals and go to my favorite places because they just won't be happening again for a long while. Kinda like a last hurrah. My husband is sad that I won't be "a happy fat kid" with him anymore but is looking forward to eating all my leftovers. My biggest switch has been going from drinking my calories (country time lemonade all day every day, like a gallon of the sweet stuff every day just about) and going to the packets and squirty bottles of sugar-free. I've found it really easy to keep a little variety in my purse and I carry around a big water bottle everywhere now that I didn't before. I'm still struggling with the "no straw" and 30-minute rule of spacing things out. I'm afraid that is gonna be a lesson I learn the hard way. I just don't know how else I can really prepare. I bought a binder and some high-cut undies because I know I'm going to want slight compression for the ride home from the hospital as it's 6 hours from home. I've bought proteins of several types to try as we move forward. I'm afraid of failing. I'm afraid I'm going to make myself sicker than I've been over the last year and regret it. And I know this is supposed to be the gold standard fix for a failing nissen but it still scares me. The surgery itself is no big deal, I don't need to worry about that since all I gotta do that day is "take a nap" while the doctors do all the complicated stuff, hahaha. It's how bad am I going to mess myself up afterwards and how long will it take my husband to get me to turn back into "a happy fat kid". My husband is supportive but he's also an enabler and is afraid to tell me no even when I ask him to. And I get it because I can be a real horses patoot at times. Also, there's the thing of physical attraction as well. My husband is very much enamored with "curvy girls"... like he's never dated anyone smaller than me, so I'm petrified that as I lose weight he's going to lose interest between curves getting smaller and skin getting loose, I'm paranoid. One of the things I'm working on with my therapist but still weighing heavily on my mind. I just worry because I am admittedly very co-dependent on him. But life will be what it is and I'll deal with things as they actually come to fruition because I'm a terrible overthinker otherwise...

It's absolutely your choice. But for me, it was a no brainer. I tried everything there was to try, more than once. My health was terrible. I knew I couldn't do it myself, and I knew I wouldn't be here for my kids and granddaughter if I kept going the way I was going. And even though I had some complications with my initial surgery and had to have a revision, I still feel having bariatric surgery was the best decision I have ever made. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

I’ll make this quick. I am 17 days post op. I see the dietician on 8/22. 4 days away. Zero complications after the surgery. I’m still on liquids. I’ve read other ppl are on puréed phase after like 10 days…etc. I’d like to start before Tuesday. I’m not hungry, just tired of only water and protein drinks. Thoughts. I have a feeling what most posters will say but wanted to put the question out there…lol Thanks!

Try to focus on NSV (non scale victories). That helps me when I'm in a stall, or I'm not losing as much as I think I should be. So for example... with my first surgery (I had the sleeve in May 2022) I lost 30 pounds in 30 days. It was insane. Then I hit the mother of all stalls. Each time I hit one, I would gain 3-5 pounds and sit there for WEEKS. I would come on here nearly in tears. Then I learned to look for things other than the numbers on a scale. I saw that I was off some of my meds. My clothes were starting to get a little looser. I dropped a ring size pretty quick. I was able to walk around more with less stops. As time went on and I was further out from my surgery, the weight loss slowed a lot. I was still losing, but at a much slower rate. But I paid attention to the NSVs and I was thrilled. I was able to work out longer, do more intense workouts, dropped another 2 sizes in clothes, ring and necklace sizes went way down, I could go up and down stairs, I was off all blood pressure, anti-inflammatory, and diabetes meds, I could sit in normal chairs with arms on them COMFORTABLY, I could cross my legs..... So many things to look at when the scale is being stubborn. I ended up having several complications from the sleeve around month 8 or so post op, and had to have a revision to bypass in June of this year. Right from the jump, the weight loss has been soooo slooooow. But my bmi and weight were a LOT lower than when I had my initial surgery (when I had the sleeve, I was 388 pounds, 5'6", bmi 63). When I had the revision, I was 275 with a bmi of 43). Also, weight loss is lower and slower with revisions. But I mostly wanted my life back because I couldn't do ANYTHING with the complications (I had 6 surgeries in 6 months). Now I'm back to working out BEAST MODE, I can live my life, properly stick to my diet, and watch my NSVs (the scale creeps along at a snail's pace, but I'm still seeing NSVs so I'm happy). Things will happen for you in the time, and in the way, they are supposed to. Just know that even when the scale isn't cooperating, other things in your body are. Just look for those, keep doing what you're doing, and you'll get there in the end.

Hello, I am sorry your surgery got cancelled, however if you don't trust your medical care team you need to find a different one. I am sure they are other places where you can go. You need to feel care for, that will cause confidence and less stress on you, at the other hand they have the right to give your spot to someone that believe in them regardless of whatever. As the person in the table I will not want a care team doing anything to me when they know I don't trust them, they will look at me in a negative way before I even arrive, I will be in so much stress that some of my organs my go in distress that might cause complications. Just imagine you have a store and you know a customer that doesn't like you will be there, that will mess up your day, before, during and after the person leave, even if you are not helping, it will be tension in the air that might or might no spread to coworkers, the patient would be the customer that expressed concern, that came many times and the store was closed, or the items she asked were there but they were given to someone else, etc, lots of valid reasons for her annoyance but still she continue to go there. I will say that they r NOT a match, they need to part ways. It is for the best Find a different surgeon and care team. I wish you the BEST, rest your mind, let it go and find someplace else. Changing subject you lost 82 lbs! you might not even need the surgery, you only need to lose 42 lbs, you lost 41 lbs twice. I lost 35 lbs with Weight Watchers, eating whatever I wanted.

Hello @Readybutscared I am similar in size to you 5'7 1/2" and currently 240 pre-surgery. My DS Loop surgery is schedule for 9/19. I guess we''ll see how it turns out. Of course I am nervous. I'm 68 years old. I feel like I should have looked into the WL surgery years ago. I've struggled with weigh for over 50 years. Like you I hide my weight well and don't appear to be obese. As I have gotten older I have developed weight related complications requiring medications; GERD, high blood pressure and recently type II diabetes. As I said we'll see how this works out. I'm tired of being a fat guy and want to see what it's like to have a normal weight my remaining 25-30 years. I enjoy bicycling. I told my surgeon try riding carrying an 80 lb. bag of cement.

It's nice to know not everyone has to avoid those things long term with the RNY. I was going by what I've read and heard from other RNY patients I've met, many of whom still avoid those things, especially dry meat. I suppose it is one of those things where there are a variety of experiences due to individual needs and the variety of plans from doctors and dietitians. I could have included the statistics for everything but it would have been a much longer post and probably a bit overwhelming to read. I find when comparing features of surgery that statistics don't matter to me much, a chance of something is a chance of something and still goes into my weighing and balancing of the surgeries overall, but I'm sure everyone differs on that. My goal was to write a post that was easy to understand and fairly neutral, as I've noticed most surgery patients are heavily biased to their own surgeries unless they are experiencing complications and have plans of revision. We have a lot of bypass patients on this board so I figured you guys would chime in. Sadly we don't have many that have had the SADI or the DS, which is unfortunate because these are really great surgeries for the right person. Thanks for chiming in with your experience Catwoman7, your weight loss and maintenance is truly impressive and you always add great things to a discussion!

Well that makes me even more concerned since it's now been over a week, and I still have pain. It is decreasing every day, but I everything I've heard and read makes me think I should not have pain and should pretty much be back to normal. Did you happen to have complications, or did you remove the band by choice?

another comment re: dumping. About 30% of bypassers dump. I never have, and I know plenty of others who don't, but about 30% do. It's caused by eating too much sugar or fat at one sitting - so the way to control it is to, of course, limit the amount of sugar or fat you have at one sitting (which we should be doing regardless, even if we don't dump!) I don't know much about SADI so I can't really comment on it, although generally speaking, the more powerful the surgery, the higher the risk of complications. But that being said, none of these surgeries have a particularly high risk of complications - and most are minor and preventable (or "fixable", like strictures) I lost over 200 lbs with my bypass, so it can be done - but the average person tends to lose more weight with the DS (not sure about SADI, again, I'm not familiar with it, but since it's a modified DS, and given your surgeon's comment, I'm assuming that's true of the SADI, too).

Hi there! Tomorrow I’m five weeks post op, and after an initial loss of 9kgs two weeks after the surgery, my weight loss became very slow. I worried too, but I spoke with my nutritionalist and my Dr & they both assured me that it was normal. I’m not a Dr, but I think it’s important to get your stomach used to foods at the rate you’re being advised on. I know the urge is to get to the weight loss NOW, but there’s more at stake here at this point. I urge you to just do exactly what your health care team have advised. It’s important for your body to acclimatise to foods again. You WILL lose weight, but don’t risk any complications by rushing. Apparently, it’s preferable to lose it more slowly rather than fast, for many reasons. I found it helpful to only weigh myself weekly, and to concentrate on walking and making the yummiest possible tablespoons of mush I possibly could! Get wild! 😉

Had my surgery on July 12th, its been a month , I'm down 21 pounds, feeling good no complications, only issue is finding ideas for what to eat, i am bored with everything, i use the protein shots they are a big help with meeting protein goals.

Yes I am aware of this. Hoping to modify diet and keep the dose low 0.25mg to 0.5mg to avoid complications. Maybe reach goal then quit.

I'd be a lot more afraid of NOT having the surgery than having it. I hesitate to say this, but you're more likely to die from obesity complications than you are from the surgery. These surgeries are much safer than they were years ago - mortality rate is very low - even lower than hip replacement surgeries, which they do all the time. I was heavier than you are (although fortunately, I didn't have any co-morbidities), but I knew it for me it was either have the surgery or die from my massive weight (I was well over 300 lbs). Having that surgery probably gave me an extra 10 years of life. I'm much healthier today in my 60s than I ever was in my 30s and 40s.

So, I work with a lot of heavy lifting (wine boxes and loading them into u-boats, etc) and work has been accommodating to me, but I noticed that I was scheduled for a shift to basically go back into that on my 5th week from surgery date and I was advised to not do heavy lifting until the 6th week; is it going to cause complications? Or do you think it'll be manageable? 😬

Hi! I am scheduled to have gastric sleeve surgery in September. I have diastolic dysfunction grade 1 and the idea of going under anesthesia makes me nervous. My surgeon is aware, as is my cardiologist and all have given me the green light. I realize that weight loss will likely improve the diastolic dysfunction and hopefully prevent full blown heart failure, so I am leaning towards going through with the surgery. I had a previous lapband (removed in 2014) and multiple surgeries which has caused adhesions/scar tissue, which will likely extend my total time under anesthesia. Has anyone had WLS with heart disease? If so, did you have any cardiac complications during or post-surgery?