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Not so much because we need something that gives drastic results, that's permanent and can't be undone, and will be a tool that will help and almost force us to stick to the diet and make good choices. If it's something that can be easily undone, then when it gets hard and we feel like it sucks, we can go in a moment of frustration and have it undone. Not to mention, the weight loss isn't as much, which is something most of us need. At my surgery weight, I was 388. My goal weight was 190. So my excess weight was 198 pounds. With this surgery, I only would have lost 40-50 pounds. That wouldn't have made any sense at all. There are a few articles I saw that had people lose 35% of their excess weight, but that's the exception and not the rule. But even then, I would have only lost 65 pounds. Still would not have been enough. Wouldn't have even gotten me out of the 300's. My heaviest weight was 421 and my surgery day weight was 388. With the sleeve, I lost 113 pounds but had complications and needed a revision. Once I had the revision, I lost another 100 pounds. No way could I have done any of that with this particular surgery, and I'm guessing that's why most of us don't look at it. We need something more drastic. Losing 40-65ish pounds wouldn't cut it.

I believe the original poster has already had their surgery, but for anyone else who is reading this as someone else who has had a sleeve and needed a revision, if you do not have a strong medical reason for choosing one surgery over the other, and you’re choosing between the sleeve and the bypass I would’ve gone with the bypass to avoid meeting to take a PPI. my only reason for going with the sleeve and giving it a try, knowing that I may have to revise was because I’m on mental health meds, and we were concerned about the absorption. The sleeve was obviously a better option for that. However, I believe it’s like 26%, I read somewhere, of sleeves that need to be revised for Gerd or inadequate weight loss/ regain. The risks with the bypass are slightly higher, but in my opinion, not enough to have to end up revising because the revision surgery in itself is riskier than either procedure plus it’s a second surgery so twice the chances to experience the risks. If your doctor offers the SADI as a virgin surgery that complicates things a bit because the risk are lower for Gerd than the sleeve and the weight loss is higher and more durable than both research has found so far but it’s a little newer, and comes with its own set of sure and long-term risks that may not have been figured out quite yet. It does have a higher no absorption, so the risk of malnutrition is slightly higher than the sleeve and bypass but lower than the DS. Long story short, there really isn’t a perfect option, only a perfect option for you.. The biggest thing to keep in mind with all the surgeries is that any risk of complication is drastically lower than the risks of staying obese.

How are you doing now? Have you started back to some form of movement. I know that when I had the sleeve I tried to do the treadmill and that did not stick no matter how many times I tried. To me, that was like torture. This time with my revision I am walking around the neighborhood instead. Talking with a friend on the phone who is also walking or listening to music and seeing the various houses and people is just a great deal more enjoyable for me than the treadmill even with the television on I still felt like a hamster I am still early out and I definitely wouldn’t call it a habit yet but I can tell you for sure that I do not dread it each day like I did the other and I’m really hoping that I can keep it up I know for sure that the endorphins are great for my mood and my energy I go until I fall into the bed and sleep like a baby. In fact that’s why I’m up right now, because I did so much yesterday I feel asleep at 9pm 😂 I agree somewhat about the fact that if you must choose one place to put your effort then the nutrition is definitely the most important in terms of weight loss BUT, having done this before and been less successful, I can tell you that last time I did not exercise and it felt like less of a huge life change for me as it does this time Again, I am only 5 weeks out so it’s possible that this is temporary, though I hope not because I feel fantastic with all of my choices my point is that adding in exercise, for me, makes it feel like more of a lifestyle change and after I come home all sweaty from my walk I don’t want to put any junk into my body. I am even starting to buy things that are grass fed and organic when they are available and trying to cut back on salt as well as rethinking my artificial Sweeteners (although that’s going to be the toughest for me to give up) because my body feels so good and healthy and I want to feel this way for a long long time. As others have said it doesn’t have to be a specific exercise. Just move your body more. Maybe dance lessons, or Pickleball, something like that. My library had a Belly Dance teacher at one point about a year ago and now that I’m losing a bit I am going to look into whether she is still there because that sounds kinda fun. I also did some research on the weighted hula hoop and it is cardio for most people as well as a bit of strength training so I may try that. It brings back memories of competitions with them as a kid so it could be fun. Something that my PA said at one of my pre surgery support group meetings keeps ringing in my mind that helps motivate me too he said that just 90 minutes of exercise a week in zone two heart rate (which I achieve with a brisk walk) decreases your risk of “all cause mortality” by 15%!! You can even break it into 15 minutes a day- 6 days a week (although it’s really 25 with your warm up and cool down added) but weight loss aside, a 15% decrease, thats pretty incredible. I was afraid of some of the complications from surgery that may or may not kill me and that was once like a 2% risk. So my goal is 30 minutes of exercise a day (I rounded up) and anything beyond that is just a bonus. That has seemed to work for me so far 🤞

I know I'm a bit late here, but if you're still having problems, please get hold of your surgical team ASAP. I'm not saying this is your issue, but there are some serious complications that could be causing this. Best to let the professionals evaluate your situation.

I’m so sorry you had complications. I hope things are going better now. I will take a chewable multivitamin today and see how it goes.

I was expected to start the vitamins from day 1 post op. They were disgusting chewable ones and I couldn't keep them down (due to complications from my surgery) so I had to wait a month, then started different capsule ones which were fine but two weeks later had to stop when I had to go back into hospital and was put on a feeding tube. Have been back on the capsule ones since finally discharged from hospital.

I have tons of respect and empathy for those that have went through WLS and had complications. I am not one of them. My procedure, recovery, and stages were textbook. I was very lucky. That doesn't mean that every day was rainbows and puppy dogs, but it was typical. I was sore for days post-surgery, but back to work one week after the procedure. I immediately began to force myself to walk after the surgery. Short distances, then adding more as I started to feel better. March of 2023 my steps were 48299. August of 2024 my steps were 206084. Not going to break any records, but a nice improvement for me. To this point being active with life has been my only real exercise, so it is definitely an opportunity for me in the future to develop a better gym routine. I struggled with fluids and protein for months. Slowly, focusing on it and sticking to the plan I eventually got there. I never let it worry me, and just let me body adjust. I am not a scale watcher, so that was never a problem for me. At checkups I got weight updates, so I was never stressed about the scale. Now I weigh weekly, to make sure than I not gaining. I have had all the NSV that many have seen and shared. Less pain in my knees is my personal favorite NSV. I have arthritic knees, so they will never be great, but the less weight has helped a lot. Honestly, some of my NSV's also came along with some shame, that I had let myself get so big that these were NSV's, if that makes any sense. My worst times since the procedure were dealing with constipation (for the first time in my life). Took me several painful months to figure out a system for me. It is different for everyone, but I encourage everyone be aggressive with your plan to deal with it. For me, I take MiraLAX every third day and stool softener every other day. I am now better equipped if I notice I am not as regular, then I adjust the timing. The other problem I have now is seeing a big spread of food and wanting it all! It's just not possible now! Always protein first, but I try to have a few bites of everything I want, then cut it off. I eat healthier than I ever have. Staying focused on lean protein and vegetables. Working in fruits to help with my sweet tooth and provide some variety. In general, I am low carb, but I am not no carb. No more fast food for lunch or on the ride home from work. We meal plan, but nothing overboard, but I always pack healthy for work. Last week was salad week, so I had a salad with fat free dressing every day for lunch. Today, I had boneless skinless chicken breast, peanuts, blueberry, apple with peanut butter, and my protein shake spread out from 6a to 2p. I have also got down 48-ounces of water with a plan to get another 32-ounces of water in by the end of the day. Carbonated drinks bother me slightly, which is one of the few things. When I overdo it, my new overfilled feeling isn't in my stomach, it much higher, almost like in my throat. Not comfortable, and a good reminder to slow down, chew more, smaller bites, and stop eating! I hope this long overshare is helpful to someone and gives everyone a better idea of how my journey has been. Lastly, I have mention how great my wife and kids have been over the last few years. By my side the whole way and always supportive.

Glad the cause has been found and you are on the road to recovery. I have pernicious anemia and for that reason at the first surgical consultation the surgeon said she thought sleeve would be the better option for me due to later complications with anemia and bypass. I was also told that unlike most sleeve patients who can stop the recommended bariatric vitamin regime after the first year that I was consider continuing on them for the rest of my life, I don't have an issue with that as no harm in taking them.

Well your not totally off base if your okay with the bypass. It’s a little more aggressive so it carries with it a little more risk than the sleeve. The reason they do the sleeve I believe is because it’s a bit safer and it is adequate for many people to lose and keep it off but there are some (like me) with regain that need a revision and some that need revision because of GERD and other complications. I would ask the surgeon what percentage of patients need revision because of inadequate loss and/or regain and what percentage for GERD. I believe I read somewhere that it’s 26% need revision but I would definitely not swear to it and I am not sure if that was just for weight or for complications too. I think even if you do end up having to wait it is a good call to get all of your questions answered and feel confident in your decision that it is what’s best for you.

I sent my surgical team an email to say I would like to be considered for the bypass instead. My fear is that this will put me behind schedule and they will schedule me for next year when as it is the surgery is a month away. I don't want to feel like I'm going backwards, which is how I would feel if they had to reschedule my surgery, but I want to set myself up for the most effective way forward. Maybe the surgeon will reassure me that the sleeve is the best option for me? I don't know. But I should definitely have the conversation. Barring a complication, I don't think revision surgery will be possible unless I win the lottery and go private.

Not sure who needs to know, but both me and my sister are well, no complications so far (to be honest I don't even remember that I have gone through that sometimes) I feel completely fine but it's just that I can eat a lot still and haven't lost much weight 15kg(33lbs) in last 7 months (my sister's the same) and not much inch loss as well Is this common, did anyone feel the same????

I'm starting to doubt my decision to have the VSG rather than the Bypass. I keep hearing that the sleeve leads to an inevitable regain and I'd rather not do this surgery just to gain it all back if the bypass is better for long-term weight loss. Because it's the NHS and they only offer two surgeries I can only get VSG or bypass. I only chose the VSG because I fear the complications my mum had with the bypass. Is it inevitable that I will gain it all back? Is it too late to change my mind about the surgery? I really don't know what to do!

Mine was due to complications from the sleeve. I had gastritis, esophagitis, and horrendous gerd. I was taking such high amounts of PPI (80mg of Nexium per day plus Pepcid and TUMS for break through gerd) that I developed so many polyps throughout my stomach it took 4 endoscopies to remove them all. Had my revision from sleeve to bypass and have been great ever since.

I’m pretty sure that it’s the ones that are more concerned with their patients statistics. Just as the surgeon looks good with low complication rates, it makes their program look good for their patients to lose a higher percentage of excess weight.

the majority are due to people who had sleeve who developed gastric reflux (GERD) that couldn't be controlled medically. They usually revise to bypass since bypass tends to improve (or in many cases, cure) GERD. a few are due to people who revise from sleeve to either bypass or SADI or DS because they didn't lose the amount of weight they'd hoped to I've seen a handful of cases in the nine or ten years I've been on here of people revising from bypass to DS (again because they didn't lose the amount of weight they'd hoped to), but that's a complicated revision that's not done very often and then there are a few cases that don't fit it any of these categories, such as Sleeve2bypass's case (she's still here on Batriatric Pal), but those are really rare

Could you elaborate on your complications?

Anxiety is so normal, but don't let it get in the way of what will almost certainly be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. My suggestion over the next few days is to look at the thread of before and after photos to help remind yourself of why you're doing this. I had my surgery 6 months ago and a lot of my experience was similar to GreenTealael's, except I was given a sedative before being wheeled to the OR, and all I remember was being pushed toward the hallway. Next thing I knew, I was in my hospital room. The pain was very minimal and the nurses were so attentive. It turned out I had been in the OR for a lot longer than planned because of some scarring in my abdomen that caused a few minor complications, but I had no memory of that and it hasn't been a problem. I was in good hands the whole time. The first few weeks will be an adjustment, but after that, you'll start getting the hang of your new lifestyle. If you've canceled before only to be back 3 years later to do it, you know this is something you need. A year ago, I weighed over 250 lbs and could barely squeeze into a size 22. Today, I'm the lowest weight I've been in 30 years and I was actually able to put on a pair of my 12-year-old daughter's size medium pants (stretchy ones, but still...). It's an amazing feeling.

Oh I hear you. I had gone almost a year with no period and one week shy of being classed menopausal it reappeared and now has been every two weeks. I now recognise it the day before as I suddenly want to, and can, eat more, but still small by previous standards. It is a pain in the ass as I can't trust a schedule anymore and I had to go out and buy all new period underwear (old ones were thrown out as I thought I had no use for them anymore and they were now massive). Now for travelling next month I have to be prepared for what may come! I think my system is shot after all my surgery complications.

Oh that's really soon! Congrats! I felt the same way when I got called to arrange the surgery date so soon! I think I felt really thrown is becaus the first thing they did was out me on a 12 week diet very suddenly and I didn't have time to prepare and had to throw out good food and buy new things for the diet. I think also it was the fact that getting that call means it's finally happening! Especially as you've been on the NHs waiting list for a long time. It's not just a vague idea of soothing that will happen on the future anymore but a real thing that you have to prepare for. It's scary and exciting! I didn't think to ask any questions, but since my mother went through it back in 2008, I knew already about the surgery and the complications.

That is great news, another step forward. First question..... when do you have availability for the surgery? I think most questions I can think of would possibly be covered by the bariatric team you may want answers to such as what follow up/after care is given with frequency and number of appointments. what is his/her history of surgery with regards to complications, can you take anything (like wind-eze) to help with the gas that you may have after the surgery, can you stay longer an extra night in hospital if you needed (just in case you would prefer to stay under their care instead of trusting hubby )

This is definitely a question for your surgeon and dietician. I totally get what you're asking, and my hunch is that you only process what you absorb (the rest basically traveling out of the body as waste), but I think the only reliable answer is going to come from a medical professional. They should be able to tell you exactly how many grams you need daily to maintain healthy organ function, as well as what sources, because fats are not created equal and some will be easier for your body to handle (and more beneficial) than others. I'm sure there must be some research out there because it's a relatively common complication of all WLS to have gallbladder removal. So if your doctor doesn't know immediately, they should know how to find the info for you.

Just makes me feel sad for old me, who is still me, but not 😂 It is just a complicated feeling!

Hello everyone, and happy Sunday! I'm feeling quite a bit better now that my body finally evacuated what was bothering it. I'd kind of forgotten about the Milk of Magnesia I'd purchased, and yesterday it came to my rescue. Those protein shakes (30g) are no joke, especially if you're taking any medication that slows your digestion further. Yesterday afternoon, even after getting past the constipation, my body just wasn't feeling like much intake, either liquids or 'food'. I found myself getting full after only an ounce of the chicken noodle soup broth and a few teaspoons of yogurt. I struggled for the first time getting my fluids in; I think I had gotten lax about the sip-sip-sip method and maybe was trying to drink too much at once when I drank. It's definitely hard to resist the urge to go back to gulping, especially when the beverage it cold and satisfying, and I feel dry mouth creeping in. Tomorrow is technically my puree day but I skipped ahead just slightly to try to move away from those heavy protein shakes. I realized I'm very sensitive to the texture of my scrambled egg and had to recook it, pre-mixed with about a half tablespoon of skim milk, and instead of the butter he'd initially tried I just used a very light splash of olive oil. That gave me the light, moist scrambled egg I was looking for. I reread my book and while it suggested you might want to start with just egg whites I just couldn't make myself hold to that. I am trying to get better about spacing out the 'not drinking 30 mins before/after' now that I'm beginning to eat some actual food. That's a very hard thing to do, honestly, because I'm noticing that no matter how much I chew without a drink the food just feels kind of stuck in my throat for a bit. I can see now why my friend said she found drinking a broth type soup in the morning 'primed' her stomach for the day. @draikaina8503 & @Pepper_No_Salt - How are you two feeling? I hope that your surgeries went smoothly. @Pepper_No_Salt I'm glad you can mix in some variety with additives to your plant based shakes - I was close enough to losing my mind during the pre-op diet so I think that being limited further would have driven me over the edge! I'm going to look up that PB2 you mentioned because I'm curious about it! (Back to you, @draikaina8503 , just saw your post-op post!) Oh my gosh I hate that your body did that to you RIGHT before your surgery. Mine at least gave me two days I'm very glad they kept you at least another night! I hope they are helping you keep your pain managed. Yeah; it will definitely take some walking to get that gas pain to leave but in the mean time don't be shy in asking for those ice packs and your pain medication! Sometimes managing the pain, then walking with the ice pack is the only way to work it out - at least that was my experience, and I've heard the same from a few others. Thinking back, one thing I wish I'd done while in the hospital was be a BIT more squeaky - I remember now that when my Mom was in the hospital I had to shove a bunch of pillows behind her back when I put the hospital bed up at an incline so she could get a good enough angle in bed to safely sip liquids. I think that would have helped me tremendously, because I relegated myself to using their recliner a lot just so I could be upright, and it didn't work very well AT ALL. Hope you're starting to feel better! (Coming back to you @Pepper_No_Salt since I now see your post-op post!) : Oh my gosh I feel you on the cold drink thing! I was a bit grumpy when I asked the nurse at my 10 day post-op and she casually said, "Oh, room temperature is mainly just the first few days because foods of extreme temperatures CAN cause uncomfortable cramping'. My fella covered his mouth to hide his snort of understanding at the look I gave him, having had to hear me whine off and on for ten days about how I'd give anything for a COLD drink of something. Figuring out the sips is tricky. They gave me little medicine cups that hold about an ounce and for me, sipping one of those 2-3 times felt about right at first. I'm sure this is another one of those things that depends on the person. I also alternated one ounce of gatorade/proper (they had brought me a kiwi watermelon that elicited heartburn, the berry was ok if I went slow - Also weirdly orange gatorade zero goes down better than watermelon, guess its all based on the acid and flavoring? @draikaina8503 - I read where you discussed being pretty limited on the shakes due to dietary restrictions. That's rough It's very cool that you write the same genres as me - I, too, have given Nanowrimo a try but never seem to stick with it to the finish line. Maybe I'll try it again this year! I'm glad you mentioned it. Yes - I meant to follow up all week long on making sure I was on the waiting list, and lo and behold... it's Sunday, and I never did. I'm bad on a good day at executive function, so during stressful times like this recovery - whew. I need to add it as a task to my Finch app so my mind stops blanking on it. I hope they were able to do your full surgery with no complications. @Singingbarista - I hope your recovery is going well! I didn't feel too terribly at first but I am suspecting more and more based off of people's feedback that I almost certainly had a nerve block that took a good 4-5 days to completely wear off. The achiness has built over time, and I hope that is different for you! @AndreaJD - Yay! Another writer & Nanowrimo participant! I guess it isn't too surprising that several of us writing folks would find one another on a forum, but I still think it's really cool. Superhero fan fiction sounds fun; I'd say that some of the powers my characters have are very overlapping, like magic use. It would be awesome if you could get some productive writing done during recovery but I also wanted to encourage you not to be too hard on yourself if you can't. My mind feels muddy and I feel drowsy far more often than I would like. I know I'll probably feel SO much better in about a week, but it's sure hard not to be impatient. I also wanted to mention that I didn't have much trouble at all getting my fluids down at first, either, and that's definitely not a bad thing. My nurse told me there will be good days and harder days, and yesterday I definitely experienced that. It was the first day I didn't make my fluid goal, like I wrote above - and I tried to push it in the evening but that was a bad idea. The Berry Propel I drank a bit too quickly before laying down (should have waited longer, d'oh!) ended up giving me heartburn that woke me up around 3am. It's all trial and error, I guess. Dang - wish I'd thought of having tomato soup pre-op! No idea why I didn't - now it'll probably be a while before I dare due to potential acid reflux. Ahh well! I'm going to try some of that blended Progresso Chicken Noodle in my puree stage I think if it passes the 'book check' - it sounds amazing. @Averdra & @caseyash30 - Are you two still surgery twins on the 21st? I'm trying to backtrack and I know that you said there were possible concerns do to a potential Covid case, @Averdra. I hope that's smoothed out for you! I realized while I was doing my recap that I never mentioned - traveling to Lithuania sounds so exotic to me, as a resident of the Midwestern U!. The furthest I've ever been is Alberta, Canada! Not that you would get to go sightseeing or anything; I get it. I know a lot of folks from the US travel to Mexico for their surgeries. Very cool that you were another WoW OG! The game sure has changed a lot, hasn't it? @caseyash30 - How goes the pre-op diet? Are you getting nervous or eager as the date approaches? For me it all just felt really surreal. @Onemealplan & @Greekmom4 - Tomorrow is my 14 day post op! I was paying close attention to your discussions about puree - because to be honest, I'm kind of stumped on this particular stage. I just managed about half a scrambled egg and a couple of teaspoons of my sugar free Chobani and I just feel so full. The whole time I was eyeballing my sugar free gatorade, thinking how ready I was to just be through with food so I could set a timer to be able to start hydrating. As it is, I have hiccups from the two tiny sips of Gatorade I allowed myself just to make the egg not feel stuck in my throat. I know everyone's experiences are going to vary significantly; the friend I have who had surgery previously said she had a lot of luck sipping the French onion soup mixed, especially in the mornings. She's two years post op and doesn't seem to have trouble eating small servings of most anything she wants now, minus much fried foods or rich desserts. She had a full gastric bypass, for reference. She told me that ricotta was a big win for her because it could be blended and made either savory or sweet, depending on if you chose vegetables or fruit, and also said she really enjoyed refried beans through the puree with mild seasoning to make it more like a taco. I have a gastric sleeve cookbook that offers a lot of different smoothie varieties. Other than that - I'm just not sure what sounds appealing as a puree, despite the nurse saying 'you can puree almost anything but stringy / dense meat!' I can see how the chicken or tuna salad would work - tuna just scares me for some reason. I wonder if I'd be able to do a salmon salad instead of tuna salad. Also - @Onemealplan - Yeah, I tried having my fella puree me some canned kidney beans on Friday, just to test the waters, and they didn't settle well for me. I can't say they are what caused me to have trouble passing gas and extra trouble with my constipation - it seems unlikely since I skimmed away the 'shell' and only ate probably a teaspoon and a half worth, but I just don't know. It tasted great to me, but just made me nervous. This is probably in part because I've dealt with IBS and beans of that sort along with ground beef or tomato sauce with too much basil were trigger type foods for me. I concur on the puree'd meats sound distinctly unappetizing. I'm hoping I can get away with mashing cooked salmon or something like that. Wooo! I did it! I hope I didn't miss anyone - I feel caught up finally! Now, to go rest with my ice pack.

Good point! I've been working on a jumper for over 2 years (entrelac an complicated) If I ever finish it, would be too big.

Also, it sounds like an umbilical hernia, since it's by your belly button. Here's some info I found about it: An umbilical hernia is a bulge or defect in the abdominal wall near the belly button. The most common sign is a visible bulge on or near your belly button that's soft to the touch. In some people, it's always visible. Other times, you can only see the bulge when there's pressure in your abdomen. This hernia develops when a portion of the lining of the abdomen, part of the intestine, and/or fluid from the abdomen, comes through the muscle of the abdominal wall. If the trapped portion of intestine is completely cut off from the blood supply, it can lead to tissue death. Infection may spread throughout the abdominal cavity, causing a life-threatening situation. Adults with umbilical hernias are somewhat more likely to experience a blockage of the intestines. Surgery is recommended for most adults with an umbilical hernia because the hernia is unlikely to get better by itself when you're older and the risk of complications is higher.