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My only regret is that I didn’t do this years ago! Worth every complication or negative side affect.

@Frustr8 and @tanya27 ---yikes on the failed Nissen...fundoplication forhiatal hernia fix. And totally agree with you, Tanya.... the less procedures/surgeries, the better. Already 6 abdominal surgeries (3 open with complicated recoveries). Gastro to consult with my surgeon, surgeon has been with me through all of my surgeries... haven't talked to surgeon yet about the bypass, but I know he is not to keen on the idea of another abdominal surgery. Fun stuff.

So, so true. i work in physical rehabilitation and I have many patients that are obese and I see all the complication that arise from it. Thankfully I have not experienced any pain or major issues associated with my weight but nipping it in the bus feels good. I don’t want to be a burden on anyone for my weight alone. Now when I tell people about my WLS, I feel good about it, not ashamed.

It's not only a sickness. It's an epidemic. And the sooner the world sees that, the sooner we'll have to stop having discussions about telling or not. In fact many governments are contemplating the fact that treating the root cause is actually cheaper in the long run than treating all the complications. We are the last generation where this will be a stigma.

Hi Sarah and welcome! Also new to this forum and wish I could've found it sooner, the crowd here is great. I'm fresh out of the Hospital from my RNY, and starting the way on self improvement. From what I read, you suffer from chronic reflux, and that's kind of a blessing in disguise, because it's one of the most common complications of both surgeries, so in the best case scenario, it will be cured after losing weight. Worst case, there are alternatives, so no reason to worry about that. Now, about your diabetes, it really depends on the onset. If it's early, I'd be leaning towards RNY, and will offer the added benefit of being a metabolic surgery, drastically improving your prognosis. If you've had it for a while, while I'd still lean towards RNY, there's no definite answer on the subject, so it's something best decided by your Endocrinologist. In any case, you're doing the right thing. Cheers!

Pre-op diets vary from nothing at all other than the day or night before surgery to months of liquids, and varying rationale are given for them, mostly either to "shrink" the liver or otherwise improve its condition prior to surgery, or to "get one ready" for post op regimens. The liver shrinking thing is debated amongst the surgeons, as to how much improvement can actually be accomplished with a week or two of dieting, how necessary such changes are depending upon surgeons' background and experiences. I find the "get used to post op" a weak argument in that in the immediate post op times there isn't much that one feels like eating other than the soft/mushy/liquidy stuff for a while, though some programs have progression rates that are very much slower than others, so possibly those guys might need that transition (or it may make it worse.) In any case, it is best to follow your program's guidelines. If they have a long and involved pre-op regimen, do it, as you want the surgeon as comfortable as possible when he is rooting around in your insides. If they have no pre-op diet, or a very short or simple one, don't worry about it as something longer or more involved is not needed for their program; the most successful programs that I have run across, both from the perspective of good long term results and low complication rates don't involve any pre-op diets other than the usual day before thing.

Welcome! Sorry to hear how complicated your surgery was, but best wishes that the rest of your recovery goes smoothly. Definitely sleep while you have the chance! I wore the big, elastic abdominal support for the first 2 weeks. Between that and my swollen belly, sitting at a computer was almost impossible the first week. I'm an accountant, so I sit pretty much all day. I read and binge watched reruns of favorite shows. I thought I could get caught up on my required CPEs (Continuing Professional Education classes) while I was home, but had a serious case of the post-anesthesia stupids, so no way.

Thank you for your friendly advice. I know it will be tough, but I've already ordered a few videogames, read 5 books on post bariatric care and complications from various clinics, I'm thinking of taking a less thought intensive hobbie, like cooking healthy meals and will probably take on gardening or something. Definitely not something work related, since I was micromanaging from the moment I was fully conscious. My surgeon noticed and ordered me to hide my work phone where I couldn't reach it, which is probably the best advice. For the time being, I'm just thankful I found this community where I can compare results, share experiences, vent and help whenever I can. After all, I got a Diploma on post bariatric care and weight management before going under the knife to help myself (yes, I'm THAT obsessive). Helping others seems like the reasonable thing to do. And sleep. The extra sleeping time is nice too.

Everyone is different! I was only in the hospital overnight and returned to work 3 days after surgery with no complications. It appears I have had a much easier time than most. I agree sitting around healing is not much fun for an active person. I have no advice other than do as much as you can around the house as long as it doesn't jeopardize your healing process. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. LOL Good Luck and best wishes!

I would do the surgery. It's really a shame your bf has this attitude. And disrespectful, too - he has no idea how hard it is to be obese - MAJOR SURGERY is not the easy way out. You can do this if you commit to the whole process your surgical team gives you. Anyone that really really loves you would still support YOU, even if they didn't believe in the surgery. So tell him straight up, ' it's okay if you have this opinion but I am doing it anyway, this isn't about you! '. Some partners are afraid of the changes, insecure, and some are afraid of complications - but saying 'it's the easy way out' is a judgement call directly against YOU - that isn't real love IMO. Good luck and Welcome aboard!

I had a revision in 12/17 and the weight loss after bypass has been great! My band was put in 2007 and I never lost significant weight with it. The risk of complications is higher with a revision so make sure you take really good care of yourself afterwards and listen to your body! Wishing you the best!

With a BMI as low as yours, I agree with your husband. Extremely scary and life threatening complications can and do happen. People die. It's rare...and the surgery is pretty safe now...but it's still a permanent change to your anatomy and carries risk. As with any surgery....you have to weigh....risk-vs-benefit. For me, your BMI would not justify the risk. You might feel differently about that......and that's cool. We all pay our money and take our chances. In the end...what we do with our bodies is up to us alone. Best wishes.

Depends how far out you are. The first 2 months I stuck with either small pills, or chewables. After that I found it far more efficient/effective to stick with real vitamins. My current multivitamin is 6 huge pills a day (2 per meal) There is absolutely no reason you shouldnt be able to take and swallow normal adult vitamins after 2 months unless you have had true legitimate complications. Dont be one of those people who takes childrens chewable candy multivitamins months out for god knows what reason.

Depends how far out you are. The first 2 months I stuck with either small pills, or chewables. After that I found it far more efficient/effective to stick with real adult vitamins. My current multivitamin is 6 huge pills a day (2 per meal) There is absolutely no reason you shouldnt be able to take and swallow normal adult vitamins after 2 months unless you have had true legitimate complications. Dont be one of those people who takes childrens chewable candy multivitamins months out for god knows what reason. As to the specific multivitamin I use I use Orange Triad because its a quality product and a decent price and is frequently on sale. Its no different from any other quality full multivitamin though.

So can the lap-band. Risk of severe complications are not restricted to the VSG, DS or RnY. Each procedure has it's risks and potential complications. Despite the fact that there are MANY banders who would swear by the product, the fact is that a number of practices no longer offer lap-band due to the escalating failure rate. In fact some insurances are no longer approving it. That doesn't mean that those who chose the band were wrong, or that their success is doomed to future failure. Nor does it mean that the product does not work. It means that the product's potential risks are beginning to overshadow the less-invasive/cost effective benefit, therefore many practices and insurance companies warn against it.

I did find out abiut Unjury brand protein. They have a chicken soup flavor which sounds amazing as I actually don't like super sugary drinks. I drink my coffee black, I prefer salty snacks like beef jerky and almonds, and I'm a little nervous about all the liquid shakes we drink before and after surgery. I found the protein water clearance on Amazon $9 for 12 bottles of grape protein2o water. So I bought all of it LOL. It actually is pretty good and I think this will help me with my all liquid diet after surgery. What is everyone else buying? The unjury starter kit I'm ordering after I'm cleared for surgery, I have the protein water, and I plan on getting a couple cases of ready-to-drink Shakes as well. I think I'm on the liquid diet for close to a month? The paperwork again is on my computer. My mom had this surgery six months ago and she was on the liquid diet for about 3 or 4 weeks before she was able to eat. She has no complications as of yet and She's eating all sorts of regular food.

Keep reading around the site and one thing you will see over and over is that people are glad they had the surgery, it's the best thing they've ever done for themselves, and they wish they'd done it sooner. Search for and look at the before/after pictures for some real inspiration. Also keep in mind that it's a very safe surgery, very low complication rates, and very effective in terms of the weight loss goal. Whether you maintain that long-term is up to you--this isn't magic, but it's a wonderful tool to help along the way. Best of luck!

What complications would cause you to need the bypass if you don't mind me asking? Im starting to regret having the sleeve. It seems as if the weight loss is at a stand still. Over the past week I can't eat without throwing up. I too and tired [emoji31] despite working out and doing everything right. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm a middle school counselor who is up and about all day. I am having the gastric sleeve surgery on June 27 which will give me a full 6 weeks before I go back to work. I am also at a lower BMI (34) and have no health complications. I'm having my surgery done in Colombia where my mother lives because insurance here won't approve me. What kind of presurgery diet are you following? I am trying to cut out sugar and flour as well as increasing my protein and reducing carbs. I'm beyond excited and nervous! I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what my life will be like after surgery.

My curiosity got the better of me on this and I found an article that follows the rough details you've given. http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article4115524.html Yeah, this is a mess. I don't know how the hell they could misidentify the abdominal aorta...it's a garden hose. Yikes....yeah. There, of course, could be a lot of information missing. Could the patient have had very unusual anatomy? (some people do) Could his abdominal aorta have had an aneurysm that made it hugely distended? But yeah...you nick that thing and the whole abdomen looks like a bucket of blood in seconds. If they hadn't sewed it shut, he would have died. It's horrible that it was misidentified. It sounds like there were a lot of people involved and the ball was dropped rather spectacularly. It would still be very interesting to get your doctor's side of the story. If this happened in 2014 and your doctor is still a licensed doctor and surgeon....there might be more to the story (and her specific involvement) than meets the eye. My advice? Find a board certified bariatric surgeon at a major trauma center hospital that is a center of excellence. Ask your doctor how many bariatric surgeries they do each week, and how many they've done in their career. It should be a lot....and your doctor should be willing to discuss his/her rates of complication. Yeah, I totally get why this would be unnerving to you. Best wishes.

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. In your case, since you indicated that you were unable to get your meds down, I should add that to the list. So which of these four elements are you unable to meet your daily requirements? "I've been drinking gatorade and flavoured Water but I can't get regular water down." In my case I could not get water down because my taste buds changed after surgery. But I was able to get other fluids down so I met my daily fluid goals. Are you? If you are unable to get any fluids down or any food, then it might be a sign that you have a stricture. But you said there was no blockage, so does that mean that you were checked for a stricture? Since you were unable to get your meds down, does that mean that also equate to you not being able to meet your daily vitamin requirement? What about your protein shakes? Are you getting in your daily protein? Anyways it sounds like you have a serious problem that must be driven to the ground. Since you mentioned both nausea and heartburn 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. The cause of your problem may be an ulcer. If so the advise give here means; 1. Stay off any NSAID, such as aspirin. 2. Take a proton pump inhibitor, such as Pilosec. (work this thru your doctor) 3. Make sure you were tested for Helicobacter pylori infection. This is a common ailment. About 50% of the worlds population have it. It lays dormant in most individuals but after gastric bypass surgery, it can appear and produce an ulcer causing nausea and vomiting. It is a simple test (breath, stool) to find out if you have it. It is a hard bug to kill and you may have to undergo a couple cocktails of antibiotics to effectively treat this condition.

Agree with Creek here. My surgeon was very forthcoming about bad outcomes he had previously when he spoke to our group. He answered questions about common complications and about what his actual numbers were. If you like the surgeon, sometimes it is worth that conversation that makes you feel awkward. Watch a bypass surgery and you can see where the organs are. You cannot see heart or lungs during this surgery.

I had a smooth RnY surgery that included the repair of a “substantial” hernia. Took a total of two hours. No complications to speak of, and in 18 months I’ve gone from a high weight of 300 pounds to 160 pounds. Emotionally I’m wonderful. I can walk around much better now without aching all over, and I can actually walk the floor at ComicCon without needing a scooter to do it. It’s like night and day for me.

May 14th is D-Day! Can’t wait to get this journey started, and better myself. It’s great reading everyone’s experiences, and has helped a lot. I’m also getting nervous too, praying I don’t have any complications and it all goes smoothly! Any surgery buddies out there in May 14th?

I was 57 when I had my RNY bypass. I can't say it has been without complications but each one has been dealt with as its come up. On a positive note I have lost 200lbs in 9 months so the surgery itself has been a great success and nothing was age related. I am not longer diabetic no longer have high blood pressure and have gone from size 32 - 18 Sent from my CPH1607 using BariatricPal mobile app