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Good luck! At my program (brigham & women in Boston) there is a private Facebook group. Your program may have something similar. Ask your nutritionist if they offer an online support group. There are several hospitals around me that do bariatric surgery. If that is true for you, contact them about online support. I have found this forum helpful, and there are several posters who have consistently offered a great, non judgemental perspective, such as@catwoman7 and @ somerset. I can mostly ignore the obnoxious ones, but I'm an older curmudgeonly woman..[emoji846]. once in awhile the food shaming or conduct shaming gets to me but i try not to engage. I agree "tough love " is often used to justify being a jerk. Hang in there, the results for most of us are worth it! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Your list most definitely hits the majority of the reasons I experienced the weight gain I did. When I first started having weight creep back in, I ended up ashamed of it and after a bad visit with my bariatric team about it, I left and didn't go back to them. Which sure the heck did not help matters! Those, though, are the main pitfalls for bariatric patients to look out for!

I would add in "Stop checking in with your bariatric team"

I had posted this on the WLS Veterans forum, but thought it would be a good idea to post this on this forum as well. I had gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I was incredibly determined and managed to lose 180 lbs. in a year's time. I'm 5' 9.5" and I went from a size 28 to a size 10. Now, I've regained a lot of weight and I'm starting over. I thought it might be helpful to list the steps that caused my weight gain. My goal is to tackle these 6 and starting moving in the right direction. Does anyone else have additional things that contributed to regaining weight? Stop weighing yourself Stop tracking your food intake Stop exercising Drink liquids with meals and ignore the 15 minutes before/30 minutes after rule Start eating your old favorite foods Stop visiting Bariatric Pal forums

I had gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I was incredibly determined and managed to lose 180 lbs. in a year's time. I'm 5' 9.5" and I went from a size 28 to a size 10. Now, I've regained a lot of weight and I'm starting over. I thought it might be helpful to list the steps that caused my weight gain. My goal is to tackle these 6 and starting moving in the right direction. Does anyone else have additional things that contributed to regaining weight? Stop weighing yourself Stop tracking your food intake Stop exercising Drink liquids with meals and ignore the 15 minutes before/30 minutes after rule Start eating your old favorite foods Stop visiting Bariatric Pal forums

Perhaps consider creating an advertisement for this and pass it along through the Bariatric center you went through Good Luck ♥️

Hello. I’m the OP and I am giving an update. I’ve been traveling back and forth to visit my daughter due to her having pregnancy issues. I have been managing well despite being away from home. I purchased a shoulder bag cooler which I take when I travel or to work. I keep Bariatric friendly snacks in it such as applesauce, Premier Protein drinks and chicken salad snack kits. I also carry water or no sugar added coconut water. I switched to Bariatric Fusion vitamins for convenience. Less bottles to carry. I feel good with the exception of an attack of sciatica. I’ve had a few episodes of regurgitated food when trying new items. I continue to use hot tea to help relax the pouch when I feel overly distended. My weight continues to drop slowly. It’s not a predictable rate but rather drops in spurts. I’m not logging my food but rather eating instinctually. I make a mental note to keep an eye on my protein intake and I do have at least one shake a day. I’ve started have green juices every other day to boost my health. My menstrual cycle has resumed due to the weight loss. I thought for sure I was in menopause. Hubby is acting like a hound and chasing me around the house. 😆 I feel much better overall and I love being able to walk without losing my breath. I’m climbing stairs with ease and I felt good enough to buy a full length mirror. I haven’t had one in years. Sometimes I get head hunger, especially when I am stressed. My go to snack is sugar free jello pudding mix and fat free lactaid. I crumble a graham cracker on top and sometimes a bit of whipped cream. It helps me with my sweet tooth. I also find that egg drop soup goes down easy. I have that when I want salty Taste with soy sauce. If anyone has questions, ask away.

This is what I'm currently taking: - B complex once a day - Bariatric multivitamin twice a day - Vitamin C three times a day - Calcium + D3 once a day - Ursodiol (Rx) twice a day - Prilosec 24 once a day (per surgeon's instructions) to reduce stomach acid - Lovenox (Rx) once a day to prevent blood clots - Iron once a day, I was already mildly anemic before surgery I've taken some advice from this forum and got myself a weekly 3 times a day pill holder that I put everything into, except for the B complex which is liquid and the Lovenox which is an injection, and then I just grab the day's container and go.

Hi there, You absolutely DO deserve to have surgery, if you choose to do so. WLS is not just about losing weight. It is about having a chance to lose your insulin dependence. It's about having a chance to lose dependence on a CPAP device (not sure if you use on or not for your sleep apnea). It's about having a chance to lessen the effects of depression. It's about having a chance to say goodbye to many of the health issues that you have described...all while losing weight. So many people on the outside just do not understand what WLS actually is and just immediately think it's a way to get around having to go on a diet. They don't realize that going through WLS means we end up on one of the strictest diets a person can go through. They think it's just a doctor waving a magic wand. It is HARD work, but damn if it isn't rewarding work when you suddenly come to the realization that you're wearing pants with a waist size you haven't been able to wear for 20 years. Building a support network can be very difficult because of the misconceptions people have about WLS. If someone isn't being supportive of your effort to improve your quality of life, you can either work to educate them or move on and fill their spot on your support team with someone who actually will support you and your decision and be there for you to lean on when the journey is difficult. I wish I had links on hand right now for studies that demonstrate the effects of WLS in reducing/ending insulin dependence, but there is so much scientific data out there to show how WLS does waaaaaay more than simply help a person lose weight. Anxiety about that first consultation is something so many of us have felt. It's a scary crossroads to stand at. Bariatric teams, though, are some of the most compassionate people who have seen first hand the positive effects that WLS has in the lives of their patients. They will answer every single question you throw at them because they want you to be educated on the process. Go into that consultation with every question you can think of and trust in them that they've got your back. If, for some reason, you don't feel that they've listened to you or answered your questions to your satisfaction, you can always find a different program to contact and work with. I wish you luck and hope that the days until your consult fly by so that you can make your decision about this journey with confidence and that you can find the support that will help you along the way. I think you're going to do great and be just fine!

I am currently in therapy. I continued with my therapist who completed my psych evaluation. And the plus with this counselor is that he is a certified bariatric counselor. He is able to address my current weight loss journey that my previous counselor sorta did not have a clue. I am a stress eater, so we mainly talk about life issues that stress me. And this strategy helps because I feel like I can decompress every week.

Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point. OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there! Fingers crossed for you that your referral goes smoothly and you can have a good meeting with your doctor about bariatric surgery options. I've had two bariatric procedures. The first was in 2011 when I got Lapbanded. At that time, the only real options for me were Lapband or Bypass as insurance carriers in my area viewed Sleeve Gastrectomy as "too new" (never really got that as it was part of Duodenal Switch, but also my insurance didn't cover that outside of extreme circumstances). I chose Lapband because frankly, RNY scared the hell out of me, despite the fact that my Mom underwent it and was and remains wildly successful with it. I was younger and the thought of rerouting everything was too much for me, plus I'd seen my mom go through dumping and that also freaked me out. So I went with what felt like a good choice for me. And it was good until it wasn't. I did lose weight! Until it started coming back. And then my band slipped and I apparently developed a minor hiatal hernia from it that I likely lived with for a long while without knowing it was there. When I found out about it as part of my revision process, it suddenly made all of the regurgitation I'd suffered from for years make sense. The Lapband is really the best option for people who are in the 30-35 BMI scale and need that extra help to get closer to what is considered healthy. It is rare that Lapband weight loss is equivalent to that of RNY, VSG, or DS. The Lapband requires a lot of upkeep because it's effectiveness is based on how filled the band is. So you will have a lot of appointments in the first year or two where your doctor adds more saline to the band to give greater restriction...takes some out to lessen the restriction...then adds more...removes some. It's all a game of finding the elusive "sweet spot" where the band is filled the right amount to allow for continued and consistent weight loss. It is fairly common for a Lapband to slip, which present all kinds of difficulties. When it slips, it is no longer in the position is it supposed to be. Thus your pouch ends up no longer being the right size. It can also lead to hernias when it slips. Slippage CAN be fixed, but you're looking at another laparoscopic procedure so that they can put it back to the right position. Which requires removing all of the fluid from the band, doing the procedure, and essentially starting at square one again. That said, it is STILL a useful weight loss tool for those that it is appropriate for and who achieve success with it. There are plenty of Lapband success stories! In July, I had revision surgery to remove my Lapband and to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy done instead. I am older than I was in 2011 and realized that making major adjustments to my insides was not actually a horrible thing in light of dealing with bad knees, a bad back, sleep apnea, CPAP dependence, and the risk of onset of any number of other comorbidities that I have been fortunate to avoid. I'm only 12 weeks out as of today, so I don't have the breadth of post-op experience that others here have when it comes to VSG, but I can't say that I regret the decision. I have continued to lose weight since surgery, adding to my pre-surgery weight loss. None of my clothes fit me anymore, yet I am still wearing them because I can't see the point of shopping for new clothes when I am still losing weight. Seems like a waste of money to do that! The cons for VSG? Strangely, I'm not encountering too many yet. I actually found I was in more pain post-op from my Lapband surgery than I was recovering from VSG. Any of the others cons I've experienced are not exclusive to VSG surgery. Almost every bariatric patient complains about dealing with constipation at some point. Discomfort from eating too much in the immediate post-op phase as I learn my body's signals and how to read them to know when to stop? We all go through that too. The biggest con that I can think of is that if I'd chosen RNY over VSG, my post-op weight loss would likely have been quicker, so I might have been down another 10-20 pounds by now, though that is not guaranteed. It is just very likely as RNY statistically has a greater percentage for weight lost than VSG. As for what you've heard about bariatric surgery patients only being able to eat small portions, that is generally true across the board. That is one of the key features of ANY of the weight loss surgeries. It's a GOOD thing, though. Many people get to the point where they consider these surgeries because of eating too much. It's an unfortunate aspect of how many world cultures have evolved when it comes to food. The US is probably the worst about it. Think about when you go out to eat at a restaurant, especially a chain restaurant. You open the menu and you get a list of appetizers in your face to tempt you. So we order an appetizer or two. Then we order our entree which comes to the table is a massive sized portion that is, realistically, enough food for at least 2 people. Yet we're trained to believe that this is an appropriate portion of food. Let alone the fact that it's frequently overloaded with carbs and fat. So between appetizers and your entree, you've probably eaten 3 meals worth in one sitting. On top of everything else you ate that day. So by getting a surgery that provides you with a tool that limits how much you can eat at a given time, you're able to retrain your body and brain to realize exactly what and how much the human body needs to survive and thrive. A good bariatric team will be there to help you change your relationship with food so that every meal and snack you eat during the day, provides you with the good nutrients that the body needs, while limiting the intake of the "bad" ones that the body still needs, but only in the quantities that it needs. Carbs and fats are not actually bad. The body needs them to survive. It just doesn't need them in the quantities that we frequently take in. It is NOT an easy journey, but it is a deeply rewarding and fulfilling one that will, quite literally, change your life. Welcome aboard and I look forward to seeing your journey and offering support every step of the way!

Hi! I'm new here! I will be having the DS in March 2021 (I have to wait 6 months for insurance). I have been considering WLS for years. I had the lap band 12 years ago and it failed and I has to have it removed due to complications. I am a single mom to my daughter who I adopted. I am doing the surgery for us. I want to be the mom who can run and play with her at the park, ride all of the amusement park rides with her, go on her class field trips without concern of fitting, not hate myself for buying a 3 story house.. the list goes on.. Having had 3 abdominal surgeries in the past, I know what I'm getting into pain and post op recovery-wise.. having had bariatric surgery in the past I know what I'm getting into with the post op diet. My concern is my body after. I have always been overweight. Even as a child. And I honestly dont hate my body right now! I have a great butt! Lol I have no idea what I will look like after loosing 200 pounds. I am so worried about the excess skin and that I will loose the things that I feel like make me attractive. I know that is super superficial but I hope this is a safe place to express this. Thanks for listening and providing encouragement!

Hi all, I am seriously considering weight loss surgery as I have recently been diagnosed with PCOS and I have been bitterly unhappy with my weight for many years. I am 34 years old, I have a BMI of 40.8 and am a size 20-22, I am 5ft 6. I have had a referral to my Dr's from my gynaecologist suggesting some type of bariatric surgery so hopefully my Dr will refer me. I am unsure the Pros and Cons of the different types from my research I have read the Gastric Sleeve or Bypass are the main two is this correct? Also can I please have as many replies as possible to what surgery you have had, the pros but mainly the cons. How long ago you had surgery, which type, how long ago, the healing process, how much weight you have lost ect anything to help I would be really grateful! I've seen alot about only being able to eat a very small amount after surgery too is this the case with both surgeries? TIA xx

Hi, SAS. I'm so sorry to hear that you feel this forum is not a supportive environment. Aside from my surgeon's office, I actually found Bariatric Pal to be the best place to turn for support, advice and information. I learned so much from the other members here and found that as a rule we encouraged each other and cheered the successes of other members. I have seen the types of "shaming" posts you are talking about, but in my experience they are few and far between--and I think they are far outweighed by the positive and helpful posts. You will sometimes see "tough love" posts in response to people whose behavior suggests that they are not taking their diets seriously, but sometimes that's what they need. There's a difference between that and bullying or shaming. I had my surgery in February 2019, and there was a thread for all of us who had surgeries that month. We became like a social club and really got to know each other, and I found that tremendously helpful during the first 6 to 8 months. (I will admit that we are no longer very active now that we are all in maintenance.) Like you, I have not found any other sites that are as active as this one. I would urge you to stick with Bariatric Pal for a while. Hopefully you will find the support here that I have, and you can simply ignore the few people who engage in shaming. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have via a private message if you like (although I had bypass, not a sleeve). I wish you all the best going forward, and I hope you find the support you need, whether it's here or elsewhere.

I'm 8 months out from the Loop DS (or SADI-S). My surgery weight was 321 and right now I'm 222 so a 99 pound weight loss so far. -I avoid wheat products like the plague. They tell you that you won't get dumping syndrome and I call bullsh*t because wheat makes me dump. I try and avoid overly carb-y foods but I still get about 60 carbs in a day. I also try and avoid overly fatty foods because it does bring about diarrhea if I have too much. -I do occasionally have issues with diarrhea. Usually when I've had a little bit too much fat in my diet (I love my cheese a little more than I should). I used to take three bariatric multi's with iron a day but I process iron a little too well so I would get massive constipation issues and they suggested I lower to two but I still had that issue so now I do the switch as listed below. -For vitamins I take one bariatric multi with iron and two bariatric multi's without iron one day and then the next I switch it to two bariatric multi's with iron and one without. Also take two Calcium Citrate a day. And due to having a Vitamin A deficiency I take extra Vitamin A as well. -I don't struggle to maintain my loss. It's more frustration when I hit stalls. Mine happen probably more frequently than the average person due to hypothyroidism and it gets really frustrating. I've had my meds upped three times already and I really feel they need to be upped again but my doctor won't test my thyroid until November... And yeah, you are AWARE you are on a diet. But you have to change your way of thinking. It's a LIFESTYLE change. There will be times you want to cheat and if you do don't beat yourself up about it if you have a cookie or something.In my own experience though your taste buds change and you crave different things. For some reason I'm constantly craving fruit. Though I do get chocolate cravings and I bought protein bars and sugar free pudding for that particular craving. -Things I wish I knew before surgery? Well, I wish I knew about how frustrating and frequent the stalls can be with someone who has hypothyroidism. I also wish my doctor had warned me that it's a POSSIBILITY that you can vomit blood the first few days following surgery. It was scary when I first vomited blood and I thought something was wrong and then the nurse was like "honey, it's just old blood, it's totally normal" -_-' It's probably either because of my vitamin regiment or my dairy intake but every two days my system decides to empty EVERYTHING in it so I spend an hour or so locked in the restroom (TMI, sorry). And I'm sure there's more that I wish I'd known, but my brain is stalling lol. If I can think of something else I'll add to this post later. Oh, a person a few posts up said that you need 130g of protein BUT my surgeon said between 80-100 (but I'm a girl so...). I usually get around 90-95g of protein a day. And that's with only one 30g protein shake in my diet. So it's possible to do it with only one protein shake eventually. Also my labs said my protein intake was perfect so...

supposedly it resets your metabolism and set point. The professional association here in the US is the American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. of course, if you go back to your old, pre-op eating habits, you're going to gain. I used to average around 3000 kcal/day...if not more. I'd gain weight like crazy on that now - but that's not a normal amount of calories for a 60-year-old female who isn't a marathon runner. But I can eat around 1700 (give or take) and stay where I'm at. That may be a little lower than average, but not by too much.

So sorry that you're struggling. The first 2-3 weeks were the hardest for me too. You'll find that many bariatric patients report significant changes to their taste buds in the weeks and months (and sometimes years) after surgery. One of the most common occurrences reported is developing an intolerance for sweetness in foods. So the fact that you're experiencing difficulty with artificial sweeteners is a common thing many patients have encountered. If possible, you may find luck focusing on flavors more savory than sweet for the time being to help you get fluids (broths!) or foods in.

I am 6 years out from surgery. I started out at 371. I am now at 234. I’ll answer your questions in the order you asked them: - What foods do you avoid? (Fatty foods? Carbs? Can you tolerate small amounts?) Foods I avoid: Rice! and Carbonated beverages. Both have a very negative effect on my stomach even now. Rice seems to grow once it gets in my stomach causing it to feel overfull. Carbonated beverages are to be avoided anyway but occasionally it’s the only thing around to sip and never has there been a time that I didn’t regret it! - Do you have diarrhea? Occasionally but it’s rare and usually something I know is going to happen. Constipation is a bigger issue and my go to remedy is a slice of plain cheesecake. Seriously. It works better than anything else. To help keep things moving I am sure to add real butter to any carbs I eat. Sometime I use MCT oil to help keep things moving but be careful cause it can cause very loose stool.  - How many Vitamins do you take? Have you experienced Vitamin deficiencies? Have you had to get infusions? I use PERSONA now for vitamins They do an assessment that determines your vitamin needs for me that is one Bariatric Multi, 8 Calcium Citrates spaced out in three doses, Vitamin D, and a Probiotic. I was seriously anemic and had to do iron infusions until I had a hysterectomy July 2019. Now I’m normal and won’t need them again. I take powdered Collagen in my coffee everyday to keep my hair growing, my skin from drying, and my muscle from aching. - Do you struggle to maintain your weight loss? Do you feel like you are constantly on a diet? Weight loss is a constant struggle, you will not lose on a smooth downhill slide. It will fluctuate and drop suddenly then rise and fall like ocean waves. Keeping the weight off is the challenge and with the DS weight gain is less likely it still is very possible if Carbohydrates are your source of comfort in times of struggle and stress. You won’t feel like you are on a diet, you will feel like you are a slave to your stomach. You’ll spend an hour making the most delicious meal and take two bites and be full. You’ll find that foods you once loved now don’t make your new stomach all that happy. But with all that you lose and all that is frustrating comes so much amazing stuff like feeling average sized. Shopping in a average clothing store, sitting in theater seats or airplane seats or really any seats and not worrying about what the person next to you might think. Saving so much money cause you can split meals with friends.  - Anything else you wish you had known before surgery? My words of advice: find a local support group or an online one if you can’t find one in your area and stay faithful to going to meetings and events for at least one full year but two would be better. Your family and friends will have no idea what you are going through and will say things that will be surprisingly hurtful but they won’t mean it that way, like “Wow, you look how small you’ve gotten!” (Internal thought: I must have been huge) You’ll need people who know not to say those things and instead say “You are making great progress! I am so glad to see you again!” Good Luck! It gets better! Walk Sip Walk Sip Never Trust a Fart! 😜

Hello. I am about four months out from my DS surgery with sleeve and I can answer some of your questions -- but as always, your experience may vary. Avoided Foods - I prioritize protein over everything else, and that will be the rest of your life. As a DS patient, you'll need to get in at least 130g of protein in every day, which is no small amount. Fats are not as big a deal to avoid as carbs are. Carbs should be a no-no for you, with no more than 40-50g per day. You will get all of that just from yogurt and the foods with protein. It is definitely a diet-restrictive procedure. Be prepared for it. I can tolerate these foods, but every ounce of food I can stomach HAS to be protein or I miss my goals for the day. Diarrhea - Not in any way. Prepare for constipation due to your diet. There are days I wish I had diarrhea. Vitamins - I take one Bariatric multivitamin with iron per day. Be sure to use bariatric vitamins and not regular vitamins. Weight loss - Since I am only four months post-op, I can't answer long term, but in the short term, I've lost over 100 pounds in four months. It will come off as long as you exercise and get your fluids and protein in. My friend is 18 months post-op and is at maintenance weight. He has had no issues with regain. Anything else - I wish I had known how difficult getting protein in every day is. I can do it with shakes alone, but since you can't drink anything for 30 minutes prior to or an hour after eating solid food, you're limited in your options. Also, I can only eat 3 ounces of solid food at a time, so you can imagine how tough it is to get the protein in. All in all, I am thrilled I got the surgery. I was immediately cured of diabetes and am feeling better than I have in 20 years. My non-scale victories are even better than the scale losses and I couldn't be happier. All my focus on food is gone and I eat only to accomplish a goal. If you're considering it, really be prepared for the challenges. Watch videos of people who have gone through it on Youtube. Those help.

I think those stories are more than the exception than the rule. I have a virgin RNY, not a revision, but I've been hanging out on this and other bariatric sites for several years. Most people's revisions, from what I can tell, have been very successful. not everyone with RNY surgery dumps - I never have. The usual stat that is thrown around is that about 30% of us do, although Tek checked some peer-reviewed articles recently and estimates in those were anywhere from 20-50%. So...still not everyone. Even if you're one of the ones who dumps, you can control it through limiting sugar (even most of those who dump can tolerate SOME sugar - just not a lot of it). I can drink wine and champagne, but it hits me really quickly. I've never been much of a drinker, even before surgery. I used to have many five or six glasses of wine a year. Now I probably have two or three. No problems with it other than, like I said, it hits me a lot quicker than it did pre-surgery.

They are available on Bariatric Pal. Might be cheaper there.

Hi Everyone, This is my first post. I have been having a lot of health issues and health scares this year. I had pnuemonia earlier this year when covid first came around. Recently had a biopsy of the endometrium which came back normal. Now i am waiting for a biopsy to be done on my left breast. All while breaking my foot almost three weeks ago. I weigh 240 and can't help to think my weight has had an effect on all these health issues. Im 40 and want my life back. I am in month 4 of my weightloss pre-op program before gastric sleep. Still need to have tests and finish my 5th and 6th monthly appointment with the bariatric PA. However, i am scared to the core of having surgery due to possible short tem and long term complications. I would appreciate any advice possible on how to get though my concerns and fear. Thx! Stephanie

you know you are a bariatric patient when you look at a "normal" plate of food and calculate how many meals this will be for you !

hi im about 1 mo out and had some incision pains for 2 weeks. a couple of mine came back open though. first always let bariatric nurse know about incision issues. if after 3 days post op you have redness let them know it indications inflammation which should only occur during the initial healing (up to 72 hours or something my surgeon said). Next i would get a heating pad and plop it on there. sometimes that helps me.gas pain was generally shoulder. you can help gas pain along by walking but also by taking gas x my surgeon said some does go in bowel. there is a chewable simethicone you can get over counter my surgeon approve ..ask yours. My surgeon decided to prescribe it to me so my insurance would pay which is great lol. I had some deep cuts like you. I had some adhesions under there they also had to cut through. as far as back pain i would wonder if you might need a pee test from your pcp just to check kidneys (because of your back pain). sometimes they can check through something called a cbc and what you want to look at is your white blood cells to indicate infection. are you getting in your water? its hard not to worry much the first few weeks because it is all new (!) but alot of what you are describing i went through and read others went through except the back pain which is why i think its a good idea to check the pee. hope any of this helps and hope your pain gets better. p.s. your incisions also might like some ice if the heat dont work. you gotta find what works for your body