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I had my Band placed in 2007. My questions are about having it removed and getting gastric bypass. The band was curative of my heartburn and I've heard going bypass can cause heartburn, at least no citrus, tomato juice, etc. Experience with that? How about no ibuprofen? (I use Celebrex) I've heard people say docs give them tramadol for pain. Experience? Is dumping syndrome common, (to the point of "expect it". I started at #325 and after a year was #250. I stabilized for years at #260-270. October 2021 was#266. My weight loss wasn't easy. It was a lot of meal planning, and strict diet. I've had zero complications. I haven't had the "foamies" for years and maybe get a bad "stuck", (spitting for an hour). I really need to lose 70 more pounds. Have those that switched from Band to Bypass found the weight loss to be "easier"? Is there general advice for me? Last time on the forum was maybe 15 years ago. I read an entry that someone had a doc that wanted the band out, wait 3 months, then do bypass. Is that common? I've had some bad stuff going on for the past 4 years and have been having therapy and on meds and doing a lot better. In the last year I've been looking closely at bypass. I say this because I feel like I'm now in the right frame of mind to make the decision and willing to listen to advice. thanks, fobit 6-06-2022 Thank you.

At my recent doctor appointment on Tuesday 6/7 I was diagnosed with gastritis. It can happen after a gastric bypass. I explained that my stomach ALWAYS hurt and was progressing to be felt in breastbone/rib. It was a gnawing pain that affected eating and may explain my aversion to food other than soup and liquid. It was a completely new pain or feeling-it woke me up at night. Often I dismissed it as gas or hunger pain. But as it progressed it was AWFUL. I took my first dose of Omeprazole yesterday and I felt better. This medicine is over the counter Prilosec but STRONGER…over counter is 20mg I’m taking 40mg. It isn’t too common but a result of some patients. My doctor explained that the new hookup procedure isn’t natural. This DOESN’T happen to everyone only a few (lucky me). My stomach was bypassed and a pouch was made by hooking into intestines-my new stomach lining is mad at me. I have never ever had to use Prilosec in my life-never had acid reflux -stomach issues-or heartburn….it’s a new one for me 🙄. I go back to the doctor in two weeks. He told me I may need to take this forever but I hope I get a break in between omeprazole treatments. My concern is if I am dependent on this medication- it will deplete my Vitamin D reserves. I am happy I may know why I am uncomfortable. I can’t wait to eat normally. I’m still happy with my weight loss and looking forward to forgoing high blood pressure and high cholesterol…..and prevent diabetes!

Hello everyone, I am getting a revision from a sleeve in 2017 to a bypass next month due to GERD. I've also gained some weight back (covid messed with my routine so much! and I got married in a small outdoor service so planning that during a pandemic was very stressful). I've been told not to expect as much weight loss after my revision, which is fine as I lost 100 lbs the first time around and have only gained about half that. Acid reflux relief is the goal this time but I wouldn't mind getting back to my goal number. I was also told to expect more dumping symptoms and food sensitivities. Did other people experience those as well?

Same issue here. I had the sleeve in 2017 and the acid reflux is so bad I can't lose weight. The only things that temporarily help the symptoms (even while on meds) are bread and milk...so not great for weight loss. Hard to tell if some of the weight I've put on (i lost 100 lbs with the sleeve and have gained half of it back, mostly during covid with being so sedentary) are making the symptoms worse. Were your GERD issues resolved after the surgery? Did you have any symptoms with your revision? Any changes to what you can tolerate food wise? Mine is scheduled in July and hoping I can move past this pain/discomfort I've had for over a year and get to a place of healthy weight maintenance.

🌹I am sorry for your loss.

These are my thoughts, coming from a patient going through a revision from Lap Band to Bypass... If you ultimately go with Sleeve, you may encounter complications like GERD years down the road. This is due to the Sleeve being a high pressure system. The high pressure created in the pouch puts pressure on the esophageal sphincter and causes it to fail, which results in GERD. It often takes years to manifest, and when it happens, it ultimately forces your hand to revise to Bypass. That's my current situation. When I got Lap Band, I was scared of Bypass. But as I've investigated more about Bypass, I understand now why it is the Gold Standard of weight loss surgeries. It's been around longer than other weight loss surgeries, so it has been perfected over the years. I wish I would've chosen Bypass from the beginning and saved myself a lot of unnecessary complications and I never made it to goal weight either. As for being self pay, and Bypass costing more... imagine a few years down the road having untreatable GERD and having to have a second surgery. So think of the increased expense of Bypass now as an investment if you choose to go that route. If you're having doubts about your PCOS causing cravings, Bypass might help to keep your eating on track, if you're a patient that gets dumping. I'd say you should trust your instincts. Best wishes on your journey!

How is the weight loss going so far?

I’m so sorry for your loss. Try to be gentle with yourself as you grieve. Take care of yourself. Get sleep, hydrate, take some warm baths. Hang in there. Sending you a hug.

I have heard that you can go hyper after. Your endo will need to check your levels during weight loss because meds often need adjustments.

Hi. Revisions on gastric bypass are usually successful and more effective than original surgery. 60 to 80% excess weight loss, but you would have to follow your surgeon and team advice. https://anmedhealth.org/services/surgery/weight-loss-surgery/revisional-bariatric-surgery#:~:text=Gastric%20bypass%20revision%20surgeries%20tend,their%20medical%20team's%20advice%20closely.n Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

To answer a few of your questions, no one answer fits everybody as @Arabesque say. Will your hair fall out ?? who knows, Has mine? OMG yes but I can feel the new hair sprouting. Will you wrinkle ?? who knows, Have I ? OMG yes but I was a very overweight soon to be 63 years old. Do I care ? nope because I wear pants and 3/4 sleeve tops that hide it all. My face is fine yet. I might have plastics in a few years if it bothers me then. I am saving just in case. I only told my friend of 57 years, my husband and my son. I don't want judgement or other peoples opinion, its irrelevant. I was a weekend drinker in my early years but I like to be fairly sober these days as it messes with my medication. I have had a few drinks since surgery, I am quite partial to a Bloody Mary. I can probably count the drinks I have had in 6 months on one hand. I get a buzz off one. Will I become alcoholic ? No thanks Keep doing your research, keep asking questions because in the end you are the only one who knows if its for you

I have read a lot of stalls between weeks 2 and 4. I watched a video that talked about the three week stall. The doctor explained at first we are losing a lot of water weight. Then as we get fluids we gain fluid but is losing pounds. So it does not show we really are losing. If you do measurements you can see that you lost inches during this time. If you will google the 3 week stall with weight loss surgery or sleeve .... you can fine a lot of videos from different doctors. I am in a stall going on 10 days. I have heard people talking about long stalls but started losing faster. If your exercising you might gain muscle but losing fat. I belong to several gastic sleeve support groups ob face book and learned alot.

Hi, I was banded in 2013, had it removed in 2017 due to a twist; gained most of my weight back so I just under went VSG and I'm wondering if any one has a similar experience? How fast did you lose? Any complications? Thanks Sent from my SM-A526W using BariatricPal mobile app

I’d look into surgery in a neighbouring country. There are a few Europeans on the forum who may be able to make some recommendations. There are always negative stories & a friend of a friend stories. You can find them about anything. I recently read a story about the prevalence of fungal infections in people who to go to the large nail salons so … People who have good experiences don’t always shout it from the roof tops. We do here though. 🙂 Sure, there can be hiccups & things may not go perfectly to begin but generally everything settles & works out in the end or can be remedied rather easily. Some issues arise because of complications from pre existing conditions too. Talk to people who actually had the surgery (like on here) if you can. You also get negativity from people who think the surgery is an easy way out. It is so NOT easy. They think if you just diet harder & be more committed to exercising you’ll lose weight. If it was as easy as just dieting & exercising you’d be thin now. We all would have been. The negative comments from family &/or friends are why some of us don’t tell people we’ve had the surgery. The potential for developing a drinking addiction arises in response to people not being able to satisfy their food addiction anymore so they turn to alcohol (or sex apparently). I’ve seen stats of 16% after bypass in the first year of which 6% had existing issues with alcohol. Stating a 60% statistic would only benefit the woman in the article’s business by scaring people. If you deal with the issues behind your food addiction your chance for any addiction transfer is negated. It is important to do the ‘head work’ to understand, manage & deal with the issues behind your eating habits, behaviours, cravings, etc. Many people seek the support of a therapist after surgery which benefits their weight loss success & maintenance. The hair loss lasts about three months. Your natural hair loss cycle accelerates in response to the shock of the surgery & your change & reduced diet. So the hair you shed is hair you would be losing anyway - just not as quickly. Your new hair is still growing but just at its usual rate. How many wrinkles you have is much like how much loose skin you will have. It will depend on your age, gender, skin elasticity, genetics, how long you carried your weight, etc. Yes, you likely will look more drawn & have a few additional wrinkles at first but a lot of this reduces in maintenance as your body resettles & you’re eating more & a more nutritious & balanced diet. My uncle told my mother I looked like death when I was near my lowest weight. Now, he tells me I look fabulous. I had a lot of fine lines that developed under my chin while I was losing but they almost totally disappeared in my second year. Sure my marionette lines are deeper & that’s from the skin that stretched from having a fat face. I have the face that is mine now. I have a jawline, a longer neck, cheek bones, & my eyes aren’t as hooded. A few wrinkles are nothing. I’d rather have a few wrinkles or loose skin than be obese & be compromising my health. Besides a little Botox or filler can always help with the wrinkles 😉. Ultimately it is your decision. Keep asking questions so you’re as well informed as you can be. All the best whatever path you choose.

I did tell another friend today, and she was a bit negative. She mentioned that someone she worked with had gone under the knife at the local private clinic that's still operating, and that she had complications and had to have surgery two more times. She didn't know if this person had a gastric bypass or sleeve, but it was a few years ago. She also mentioned another friend of hers who had weight loss surgery in Poland, everything went well but my friend said that this person had never looked worse in her life and that the surgery had aged her terribly. She mentioned wrinkles and hair loss, and that her friend still had very thin hair although it's been two years since her surgery. I have a neighbor who had a gastric sleeve in Eastern Europe a year ago. She does have more wrinkles than before, but her hair is just as thick as ever, so I guess it varies. This neighbor of mine had more wrinkles than average before surgery, since she was both a smoker (recently quit) and an avid sun worshipper. I have almost no wrinkles although I'm middle aged. None on my forehead or in my face in general, except for little bags under the eyes and crinkly lines in the corners of my eyes. I've used prescription retinoids since I was in my twenties, and I'm sure that helped. How likely am I to become super wrinkly if I lose 40 - 80 pounds? I understand that on the average people lose 70% of their excess weight with the gastric sleeve, so for me that would be around 56 pounds. I weighed 46 pounds less than I do now nine years ago, and I looked a lot better at that weight with no noticeable extra lines. Is it likely to be that much worse if the weight loss is through surgery? What is your experience, those of you who have already had the surgery?

I suspect you’ll still get saggy skin. I don’t know that the pace of weight loss affects that. One way or another, your skin is losing its padding. I was able to get a panniculectomy (the skin below the bellybutton) in 2007 due to skin breakdown. Unfortunately, I don’t think the insurance companies have gotten in-step with post-weight loss needs like saggy skin.

I recently had a conversion surgery from the lapband to the sleeve. I was told that Crystal Light was okay to drink and was drinking a gallon a day. I hit a weight loss stall and got to thinking about something that I had heard before about the aspartame in Crystal Light is bad for you and can stall weight loss and well as cause health issues. I did some research...google searches and read doctor's reports and other patient's posts about it. I decided to stop the Crystal Light and switch to lemon water. It is true for me at least...every person is different... but I feel much better and the weight is dropping again. I was getting hunger pangs when drinking the Crystal Light throughout the days and I have noticed that with lemon water that is not happening. As I said everyone is different and biologies are different but getting off of the Crystal Light has been a positive for me.

My surgery is Thursday June 9th, my question is has anyone lost a 100 lbs or more? I know everybody is different and loses differently, but I’m curious about losing a 100 or more. Thank you

Don't be afraid of the incoming changes, dude. I definitely should make the surgery and get my life back, and this is very hard to live with the uncomfortable weight with no opportunity to lose weight. I recommend you, after surgery, apply to any rapid weight loss plan. I bet you will see the difference shortly. I had the same situation 2 years ago, so after surgery, I lost 20kgs during the weight loss program provided by one of the Medical services in my area.

Probably. I stalled when I switched from clear liquids to full liquids. Someone here shared a video where a bariatric surgeon explains the cause of the early stall. It's nothing that you are doing wrong. Your initial weight loss would have mostly been water loss that eventually catches up. The stall is just the body processing the changes to your diet and your new stomach. Some recommend only weighing once per week or month so that you don't lose hope in the process. Also, if you are doing any exercise and had previously lost muscle tone - you will be gaining muscle that will also move the scale back a little. But, even though I stalled for the entire 2nd & 3rd week post surgery, I could tell my clothes were still getting looser by the day.

A friend of mine had surgery done in mid-october. To date, she has lost 90 lbs, and she is at her goal weight. She told me that even when she was in a stall and loss of pounds was not showing on the scale, she was losing inches. It's a process. Congratulations and keep up the good work! I hope this helps.

I've seen statistics from the US that show that death from gastric sleeve is very rare. However, I live in a small country and there are only two places that do weight loss surgeries locally. One is a state run hospital, that has a very good track record and nobody has died from weight loss surgery there, but it's very hard to get surgery there. In order to qualify for surgery there, you first have to go to an inpatient program at a state run rehabilitation centre and the waiting list for that is measured in years, not months. There used to be two private clinics who did weight loss surgeries locally, but after two people died from gastric sleeve in 2018 and one case of serious complications, on of them closed. In all, six people had died after a gastric sleeves performed by their surgeon. They had limited aftercare and the same applies to the private clinic that is still working. Also, I wouldn't be able to go this summer if I chose the private clinic locally, since it costs more and they have a long waiting list too. We have socialised medicine, so if you have complications afterwards you are referred to the state hospital or public health clinics. In Poland, I would stay for at least two days after surgery at the hospital and up to five days, and they have an excellent track record. You can choose a trip that last for five days or seven days, and I would chose the longer one. It's similar in the other country I'm considering, which is Latvia. Does it still seem unreasonable to go overseas for the surgery in my circumstances?

Afriend of mine had surgery done in mid-october. To date, she has lost 90 lbs, and she is at her goal weight. She told me that even when she was in a stall and loss of pounds was not showing on the scale, she was losing inches. It's a process. Congratulations and keep up the good work!

Congrats on your progress, and thank you so much for sharing!!! Your weight loss is impressive! My surgery is wednesday, and I'm 67....you have given me much needed and much appreciated encouragement. Thank you!

I have no idea what your stats are (start weight, etc) and that is pretty important to this discussion. To answer your question, I lost 11 lbs in the two week pre op diet, and then 15 lbs in the first month post surgery. I lost most of that the first week after surgery, but I did not have the water retention issue most people have in the first few weeks post surgery. My meds helped prevent that. Your loss sounds good and in fact probably on the higher end but hard to say without more information. We all know that human bodies don't work linearly, but even so mathematically it is unlikely people will lose 3+ lbs a week every week. I gave a rough example below of why that is. The estimated baseline daily calories needed for a 380 lb woman, roughly where I started, is 2400 calories if I don't do any movement. Let's say early post surgery I am eating 700 calories/day. That gives me a daily deficit of 1700, which amounts to 11,900 calories a week. A pound of weight loss needs around 3500 calories of deficit (through food and exercise) so even in the best case scenario, an 11,900 deficit results in a 3.4 lb loss. As you get lighter, MBR reduces. So, now I am about 278 lbs. My estimated basal MBR is roughly 1900, but now I am eating around 1400-1500 calories a day, per my program. Let's assume it is 1400 to make my math easy, then my total calorie deficit all week is 3500, which should equal one pound. That's a huge difference from where I started. Disclaimers: This example is just that - an example - and I would not take it for gospel or base any decisions on it. It's just meant to show that folks shouldn't think they are going to lose 5 lbs a week. Like I said, my estimates above use an estimated MBR that does not take into account exercise so it may be off, but it's just meant as an example. I also don't think weight loss is as easy as "calories in, calories out" as we all know metabolism is affected by many other factors, some of which we probably do not understand yet. I don't want the example above to in any way encourage people to start cutting back even more calories - that's not healthy long term and it can have devastating effects on your metabolism and health long term; that's why so many programs now push getting your calories up quickly. I'll also add that once you start adding in serious exercise, you do need to increase your calories or it can have the opposite effect of what you are aiming for - you can't expend 5000 cals a day and only eat 500 calories and expect healthy outcomes.