Search the Community

I'm about a week out from my revision surgery and it's slow too but I'm starting with a lower weight than the first time (240 instead of 350). I'm down about 4 pounds and feeling discouraged because I'm on liquids still so I feel like it should go so much faster but I keep telling myself slow and steady wins this race.

i just had a revision from a sleeve to roux en y and yes i can hear everything. i also feel things moving through. Has anyone else had this experience?

I went that exact route and the bypass was the easiest recovery for me and with no side effects except constipation which is easy to treat. I take miralax (a tsp a day) is perfect for me. But I have to add the common "everyone is different" so this is my story. I had to go from band to vsg due to serious complications of the band, and then I had to go from vsg to rny due to developing severe gerd.I really think the band created that environment by damaging my esophagus before the sleeve. The best way for me to describe the rny revision is... Finally a feeling of normality. I feel so good and normal now, pre-any weight loss surgery normal except I can't eat as much. No severe gerd, no side effects, no hassle anything except taking daily vitamins which I always did anyway pre WLS.I hope this helps.

I gurgle all the time with my sleeve. I say it’s my poltergeist cause it literally groans & moans & whines too. It’s just a noisy digestive system. My young nieces & nephew think it’s quite amusing, I’ve never been able to burp so I think that adds to mine. And yes I agree not feeling your restriction is likely from your nerves being cut during your revision restricting messages getting through just like after your initial sleeve surgery. Remember to keep to your recommended portion sizes until your signals can get through to ensure you’re not accidentally impacting your healing & recovery. All the best.

I haven't had revisions, I just had DS surgery 6 weeks ago. But I have seen a fair number of multiple revisions around here and elsewhere... I'm sure if your doctor approved you for the surgery then you are good to go! But any surgery can be scary, so I understand the worries. Sleeve to Bypass revisions are pretty common. It is likely your surgeon has done a fair number of them. The weight loss is slower for revisions, but I have seen many end up reaching their goal weight, it just takes a bit longer the second time around. You don't say what your starting weight is or what you hope to lose... Advice is just like for any of the surgeries---take it easy. Trust your team. Drink your fluids in baby sips and get in as much as possible, this will keep you out of the ER hopefully. Stay ahead of your pain. Ease into food gently. Walk as much as you can. Rest when you feel tired and give yourself extra rest for the first few weeks because surgery can take it out of you! Remember that a lot of nerves have been cut and have to heal, so you may not feel any restriction for a while. Stick to the portions your dietician advises for the first few months until you are getting accurate communication from your healed tummy! And whatever you do, do NOT let yourself get constipated!! Take the stool softeners, take Miralax if you haven't gone in a few days and are concerned. The most common complications I see are nausea, dehydration, and constipation! Most of all, good luck! Have a really routine, easy surgery and an uncomplicated recovery! ❤️

They don't actually remove any bowel - they just bypass part of it - but the two parts meet up again about a foot from the stomach. He may have just made the "Y" shorter than usual - as in had the two parts meet up sooner. I'm not a revision patient, so there are probably others on here who know more than I do, but you may not be feeling full because of nerves being cut during surgery. If so, they regenerate fairly quickly. Plus you're eating soft foods, also. I didn't really start feeling restriction until about a month out when I started eating solid food. lastly, only about 30% of bypass patients dump. I never have - and know lots of others who don't, either. If you turn out to be a dumper, though, you can prevent it by not eating a lot of sugar or fat at one sitting (which we shouldn't be doing anyway...). I never worried about dumping (although at times I wish I DID dump since I have no problem eating tons of sugar at one sitting, unfortunately...)

Hey all! I had a revision from VSG (2020) to a bypass without bowel reduction on 11/28. It’s been going fine, recovering is good and I’m tolerating food fine. However, since we did my revision for severe GERD and a large hernia, the surgeon told me that my bypass was minimal in terms of removal of bowel. Since I’ve basically maintained my weight loss since my sleeve, he did not want to create a situation where I would be malnourished so he did not remove bowel like a typical bypass. All that to say, I’m super hungry which is surprising since they did mess with my pouch, and I’ve lost a little weight which is fine too, but it’s like I cannot tell when I’m full. I’m on soft foods, so not full solids yet but have been eating real meals basically (soft foods allows canned veggies and some fruits on my plan). With my sleeve I could easily tell when it’s time to stop. Now it’s like I could just keep going. I haven’t had any nausea or vomiting caused by over eating, and I’ve been measuring because I’m nervous but it’s like I’m still hungry. I was hopeful leaving the bowel would help me not experience dumping as much (which I have no idea if that’s legit or I’m just telling myself that), but I’m also so worried about eating too much. On a happy note - I have only ate tums once since my surgery, and I guess now won’t have to continue to keep tums in business anymore. LOL! That was the goal, so far so good, still on protonix but I’ll take it over misery any day!

Hello all! I’m scared for my surgery on Monday because I have had grade 4 EE , hernia & weight stall etc. I’m very nervous this time around because… the odds / number of procedures. Has anyone else ,here, had so many revisions? 😔😔😔 any words of encouragement or advice? THANK YOU!

I had a revision from vsg to bypass due to gerd over 2 years ago. I don't regret it. I'm sorry I waited so long. I don't know the future but up till now, it's been a very smooth transition.

not me, but several people on here have had revisions. Most of them VSG to bypass since VBG is an older surgery that is rarely (maybe never?) done anymore.

I rarely ever finish a meal in one sitting and it usually I either graze on it or eat it the next meal. However I am 2yrs out from revisions (one lifesaving) and can eat 2 scrambled eggs and half an English muffin for a meal most of the time.

Is there anybody else that has had a revision. I went from VBG to Gastric Bypass

I just had mini bypass revision from sleeve as I had severe GERD. Now I have bile reflux ☹️

I had issues similar to yours where I started with a sleeve in 7/2020 my body started going through severe issues that I couldn’t even hold down a sip of water causing me to vomit uncontrollably in the end of 8/2020 I went to use my restroom and I collapsed. My surgical team had me enter a rehab to try and help me build up my strength and put in a PICC line. I was in the rehab for 6 weeks and the team started to work with my insurance and got permission for a revision to a bypass.(my brain started to have issues with retaining short term memories due to lack of nutrition) Had the revision to bypass done in 3/2021 My body took forever to start to regulate and start to work the way it is supposed to. I pushed myself to do as much work with my brain to get back to “normal “ as much as possible and I’d say I am about 90% recovered. Physically I’m back to “normal” most days occasionally I’ll still have a nauseous day or some dumping but I was just at my dr last week and I am down just shy of 200lbs stay strong you will get through this Family members ask me if I could rewind time if I’d still go through with the surgery and I say I may have opted for the bypass instead of the sleeve but absolutely because if I didn’t get that weight off I know without a doubt I’d be dead within a few years so even with all these issues the surgery was worth it.

I had the sleeve surgery 9/26/16 and did well with it till I had my gallbladder removed in 2018 then I developed severe gastric reflux. My surgeon found that my bile duct got stuck open after they removed my gallbladder. With the bile constantly running in my sleeve it eroded it causing some precancerous changes. Once my insurance approved for a second surgery we went with changing over to a bypass in June of 2020 to fix the problem. I was very happy that we ended up doing the revision because I no longer had to sleep sitting up and my stalled weight loss finally started back up again and I was able to continue my weight loss journey. Fast forward to the present of this year I have been holding a good weight of between 137 to 145 lbs and no health issues really I just still struggled with dumping a lot cause my new pouch didn't always like food but I maintain weight with the help of shakes. Then in August of this year for some reason I just started getting where I didn't feel well and I dropped like 17 lb like it was nothing. I contacted my surgeon because I was concerned because of how weak and tired I had felt and I've noticed like vision changes my muscles or shrinking rapidly I was becoming dehydrated and all kinds of new things that I wasn't prepared for. My surgeon ordered a upper scope and a lower which come back very good. My lab showed that I did have a couple vitamin deficiencies so I increased my vitamins I actually have to go redo my labs here because I also ended up getting sick and went in the ER in my liver counts were high and they never been high before so we're checking those this week. But now I'm having a harder time eating and getting my body to absorb my nutrition even the protein shakes aren't helping maintain my body weight I am dropping weight still pretty rapidly I'm down to 124 lb now and my immune system seems to have been weakened because I get sick super easy and I try to stay away from other people otherwise that makes it harder on me and I guess get wiped out. I am currently waiting for my surgeon to call me back because I'm getting more concerned about how we come getting it's getting harder to do every daily things such as washing my hair folding my clothes and putting them away my muscles hurt and they're tired and weak and they get all cramped up. I'm blessed to have this surgery but I was never expecting that I would get this new very weird complication of just not being able to eat very well and to maintain weight. I trust my surgery team he's wonderful I'm hoping they can figure this out I'd really do not want a feeding tube or a PICC line I work with the public and that's even getting hard to do and I've almost thought about applying for disability until I get this figured out so I can quit losing weight by exertion. I'm just wondering is anybody else going through something like this or they just out of nowhere started losing weight again and they just can't seem to get it to stop. I'm worried not only for myself but for my family because my kids are still pretty young and I'm not ready to leave this world yet I still have a lot to live for. Hw: 268 SW 221lbs LW 124lns Height 5'2

I was recently converted from a sleeve (6-10-2013) to a RNY (11-7-2023) because of GERD. Getting insurance to cover it took 8 months. 4 appeals. And Multiple calls and emails all the way up to the VP of the company. I work in medical education so I fought and fought and fought and finally proved they had an immense amount of bias towards obese individuals. They kept denying me because I "gained weight" and "just want to lose more weight" that I "don't have GERD". In that 8 months of proving I have GERD I had to have an EGD, Barium Swallow, Stress Test, Colonoscopy, and a PH Monitoring study (that was the really crazy one).... and they were positive for GERD. They kept insisting that no they weren't positive and if I just lost weight I wouldn't have heartburn. When I had my first sleeve I was 380 pounds I got down to 170 pounds in 2017. In 2022 when I started the program to get the revision I was 220. So yes I had gained some weight but NO I hadn't regained all my weight. My entire experience has been very eye-opening how quickly someone in insurance will deny obesity as a medical condition and say it is a lifestyle choice. Especially when the entire point of the conversion was to fix GERD and not lose weight! If you seek to have the revision my advice is keep all the framing on GERD. Don't even reference weight or weight loss. It has to be for GERD. Study that insurance companies weight loss surgery policy and reference it often. It is best practice to convert a sleeve to RNY to fix GERD. And craziness I had the conversion and haven't had GERD once since! Don't let them tell you no. If the tests prove you have GERD get the conversion.

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear that. That is definitely upsetting news. I don't get why they wouldn't make the contact first with a phone call and explain before posting it on MyChart with no further information. I hope you get to find out sooner than later and that there is a revised plan. 🤗

I had the sleeve and the revision to bypass. I had to have the revision due to so many complications that came about because of the sleeve. I started off at 421 pounds, and I am also having a hysterectomy (mine is March 6th). And I have PCOS. If it were me, I would choose a bypass over the sleeve. My one real regret is that I didn't just do the bypass to begin with. Recovery was way better and easier, so much less pain, all around better experience.

I have had both sleeve and then a bypass revision. I had to get revised because of GERD due to the sleeve. If you've had any type of gerd in the past, go bypass instead and save yourself years of pain and suffering. Both are life changing as in you lose weight, and it stops you from binging, but other than that, once you are are completely healed, I don't really see it being any different than living as a thin person. You still have to watch your weight, watch the things that you eat for health purposes. Be aware that one can eat around the sleeve. You can't eat around the bypass though. I think the only thing that is different than life pre-surgeries is that I have to use a daily multivitamin patch (so I don't have to deal with a lot of pills). I added one chewable adek after I had the bypass. If I had to do it over again I would skip the sleeve. At the time, I was afraid of the bypass. I got severe gerd from the sleeve but please know that not everybody gets gerd from the sleeve. Now I realize that having a bypass was absolutely nothing for me to be afraid of. It's been a problem/side affect-free experience. It resolved all my problems I had with my sleeve.

I get that way too. I was like that after my sleeve, and now after my revision. I should be happy, I don’t have any GERD thus far but it’s like I’m just sad. I think this is almost just normal hormonal shifts. I feel down and out after every surgery I’ve ever had, as well as after my kids with postpartum depression. I wonder if it is just something that’s ingrained in me. Hoping you are getting back to yourself soon.

Hoping to hop on the train too! I had a revision to a bypass on 11/28 for severe GERD, as well as a hiatal hernia repair. Almost my entire stomach was up in the chest wall he said. I am feeling pretty decent 4 days post op. I did lose 85lbs with my sleeve, and had gained a little back 10lbs. They did a full bypass but didn’t not take out as much bowel so that I don’t lose too much more weight and be malnourished they said. Any way, glad to find others in similar situations just like last time. :) Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Hey all! Hope everyone is doing well. I have my revision from a sleeve to a bypass yesterday. I’m hoping my severe GERD will be done now. This recovering even just one day post op is way worse than my sleeve was. He also fixed my hernia which had almost my whole stomach in my chest wall. I’m just super sore and ready to go home to recover!

Thank you all for sharing your photos, they are so beautiful and motivational. I normally hate the idea of sharing photos of myself online, but in the spirit of sharing and support here goes. The last photo was taken last night.... I'm 4.5 months post, 25lbs to go before goal (thinking about revising my goal.)

I had my gastric sleeve in March of 2012 with a starting weight of roughly 283 lbs at consultation / start of my journey. The lowest weight I was able to get to was about 185-188 lbs which was in early to mid 2015. Later that year, I developed a wrist injury and eventually needed surgery in 2016, and began around late 2015 to early 2016 putting on weight. From October 2016 to now I've essentially regained all of my weight back. I am contemplating revisional surgery at this time, and looking around for surgeons. I have a consultation with one surgeon set for Nov. 27th with Dr. Alibhai in Irving, Tx. (If anyone has any experience they can share, please do.) My other choice of surgeon would be Dr. Matin who did my mother's Gastric Bypass around 2007. I'm wanting to revise to the DS....but, now I am reading and learning about the SADI DS and I now don't really know which one of these I would like to do. My mom is trying to talk me more into doing the gastric bypass rather than the DS. I understand she's worried, she knew someone who recently passed away who was having complications with her DS....I don't know the specifics, but that is the gist of her reasons for not wanting me to go with the DS. At the same time, I'm 10-11 years out from my Sleeve surgery, so I've also had some thoughts about if I could possibly get a re-sleeve along with the DS. (At this rate, I think I've decided I want the DS, just not certain if I want the traditional DS or the SADI version. If anyone has any experience with Dr Mustafa Alibhai and / or experience with Re-Sleeve + DS / SADI revision, could you please share? I would really like to get back to the 180s at the very least. I felt soo much better at that weight, even though I was still a good 50-70 lbs over weight (I'm 5'3). Thank you!

My RNY is scheduled for one week from today. I was all in until a couple weeks ago. I am a person that likes a lot of information so I've been watching a ton of videos and joined a few groups like this one. I know there are always chances of complications but the more I look, the more I'm seeing people that went through them, and people that really regret having it done. So now I'm basically terrified. I know no one can tell me what to do. I'm more or less talking it out myself by listing the pros and cons, but I'd also love to have input from people that have gone through it, especially if they are around the same size and situation as me. I am 5' 7" and my highest weight that I recall was 266. I have lost weight and regained it a thousand times in my life. I started the bariatric program a year and a half ago at 254 but a few months later for family issues I had to drop out. By that point I had lost weight on my own and was confident I could do it myself this time, but of course gained what I'd lost and then some. I started again this past April. I am really in the kick ass mindframe since then and have gotten down to 212 - actually 209.5 as of this morning. I'm again in that frame of mind thinking I've lost 55 on my own, I can lose the next 50 as well. And it is definitely possible, though it would be difficult. Keeping it off even more difficult, though again possible. I really have no major health issues, the primary reason is because I'm tired of being this size and failing constantly at losing it myself. I'm tired of shopping in plus size, tired of being scared about sitting in theater seats or a rollercoaster. Tired of seeing pictures of myself and not recognizing that person. I do have sleep apnea and use a cpap. I had a pre-op scope and they found I have grade B esophigitis, though I have no symptoms and very rarely get heartburn. For that reason I was hesitant to get a sleeve, and so many people that get a sleeve are going back for a revision that I decided gastric bypass was the way to go, and my surgeon agreed. I think if someone could see my future and tell me I wouldn't have any major complications and everything went smoothly, I would not even hesitate to do this. My insurance will cover it, I have the time off work. I feel like I'm mentally prepared to do what needs to be done - but I also know many people feel that way but underestimate exactly how it'll go. I feel like I have a pretty good pain tolerance and can get though that ok. Things I'm nervous about: major complications, of course. Getting in enough water and protein in the small amounts you can take in at a time (although I know it can be done). Food aversions - I'm a fairly picky person anyway and you read about people that can't eat anything without feeling sick, even a long time after surgery. Future pain and inability to take ibuprofen - I am allergic to Tylenol and get hives so I'm kind of out of options in the future. I have told a few people because I don't want the negativity ahead of time. Some are jealous and wish their insurance covered it and think I'm crazy to have second thoughts. Some have said look at how well I've done on my own, I can do this on my own without surgery. My husband says he'll support me but he also says he thinks I look great now and don't need it. He's gone to a couple classes with me and was visibly horrified when shown a video of the surgery, and I think he's more scared than he lets on. I have 2 daughters 16 and 21 that are very much momma's girls - one is nervous for the surgery, the other says 'you do you, dawg', lol. Both of them struggle with depression and I would be gutted if something happened to me because I'm not sure they'd handle it well. This is turning into a novel, I'm sorry. I had 2 women that have gone through it say no way would they go through having their guts surgically rearranged for just 45 pounds. And then I see others on here roughly my size that are happy as hell they went through it. And again, I know no one can tell me what to do. I am just trying to get as much info as possible. I don't necessarily buy the whole "my cousin had this surgery and these horrible things happened" stuff, or even "my cousin had this surgery, never had any complications and is thrilled with it" - but when I hear it directly from the people that went through it, it carries more weight. Thanks if you've gotten this far!!