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After fighting insurance for 10 months my surgery is scheduled for March 10th. So excited!

I am doing the bypass for my Hiatal Hernia which caused GERD and Esophageal Spasms. Due to my weight the standard procedure is not an option. As my insurance coverage does not cover "weight loss surgery or medications" it was a 10 month multi appeal process to get my surgery approved. I do hope your post surgery is going well! Mine is scheduled for March 10th.

Had mine on Tuesday 1/19 and I have been pretty miserable since. Spent the first night awake dry heaving in spite of being given multiple types of nausea meds. I had a pretty big hernia repair and the swelling was just too much at first. They ended up administering IV dexamethasone on Wednesday because it was impossible for me to burp. It helped some. Burping is still a challenge. I'm hoping it starts to hurt less when I sip. I get a serious spasm after each swallow. Just had some IV fluids administered at my house because I'm so dehydrated I felt like I was about to pass out and I can't drink enough. Hoping tomorrow is a better day. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my lapband removed in October of 2019 just shy of 10 years. I did great with it. Lost 170 pounds. Just since October 2019 and now I’ve put on 70 pounds and feel awful and discouraged. I had lost my job after the emergency surgery right before the pandemic hit. I made the decision to go forward with the gastric sleeve. My surgery is scheduled for February 19th. I’m so nervous. I should have already had the surgery but haven’t because of delays with the pandemic. All I can tell you is talk with your doctors. I felt so lost after having my band taken out and so defeated. I felt like I had failed. I’ve spent so many days in the doctors office crying. But look into talking to your doctors. My doctors sat and told me all my options as far as surgical and non surgical. I opted for surgical because I know myself. I hope you get the answers you want and need. I’m always here if you need anything. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared or terrified to have a permanent surgery now after the band which was removable but I’m hopeful for a healthier life. Hope you find the right answers for you.

Hi, I am 10 weeks post-op for gastric bypass; performed on November 9, 2020. I have lost a total of 47 lbs. I have a few concerns. For the past two weeks I haven't been able to eat anything without being in excruciating pain. They also removed a Hiatal hernia during my surgery. I never knew I had a hernia, it didn't bother me, and now I'm really hurting. I usually end up making myself vomit when I eat something just to alleviate the pain. My concerns are, am I losing weight because of the surgery, or because I'm unable to eat, or drink. I threw up just after drinking a protein shake and was in pain for hours. I'm ok as long as I don't eat anything, but I don't want to become mal-nutritioned. I take my vitamins daily, but.... I need to get some nutrition. I saw my Dr on Thursday and he has ordered an endoscopy to see if my tube has become constricted (narrowed). If so, they'll open it back up. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, please advise.

I stalled around 10 weeks post-op. Just couldn't get the scale to move down. I bought a case of 1 Liter Smart Water at B.J's and started drinking 2 full bottles/day. That truly ended the stall and I've lost 5 lbs. in the past two weeks. I know I'm not eating as much and I attribute that to drinking more water every day. Not sure if it was the cure to the stall, but it sure kick started my continued loss.

Friends, I had my surgery back in Nov of 2013. It was a huge decision for me at the time and I anguished over it. All the information on this website was super helpful, both before and after the surgery. One thing weighed heavily on me was the long term effects of the surgery, so I committed to giving annual updates on my experience back to this forum. This is my seven year update. Posted below is my last update, with the previous nested within. I weigh about 205 right now and my weight continues to fluctuate within about 10 pounds. I would really like to weigh 190, so like most normal people I'm working on losing a few pounds. With that said, back in 2013 I weighted 275 and was headed for 300+ quickly. I have zero doubt that without having the surgery, I would be in very, very bad shape today and have no regrets about the decision. Positives: I've been able to enjoy a "normal" weight life style for the last seven straight years. I'm off all meds. I fit comfortably in coach seats on the airplane. I shop for clothes in regular stores and it's easy to find a size that fits. I'm between a L and XL for shirts and have a 36 waist. My bones and joints don't ache. I can exercise, play golf, ski, etc. comfortably and enjoyably. I happily and naturally eat "normal" size portions and have no "trouble" foods. My meal (whatever it is) basically fills on a salad plate. Two eggs and a piece of toast is a full breakfast. Lunch could be a regular sandwich with nothing else or a half sandwich and a small side. Dinner could be a tiny 5 oz steak and a small portion of potatoes and veg. Importantly, these are all full portions for me and totally satisfying. I love food and definitely look forward to eating (head hunger) but I rarely experience physical (stomach growling) hunger. I used to take omeprazole daily for heartburn, but it's unnecessary now. Occasionally, I'll take a Tums but only a few times a month. Since 7 years have gone by, none of my real old friends even remember me as a big person or ask about my weight. Anyone that I've met since wouldn't even know to ask -- they just view me as a normal weight person. When I tell them I used to weigh 275 the reaction is always "no way!" Occasionally, the old pictures come out and everyone gets a chuckle. I don't see myself as a fat person. Negatives: I'd still like to loose 15 pounds. Even with the gift of not being able to eat much, my ideal weight of 190 requires more work. Reducing snacking, sweets and more exercise is what's required and WLS does nothing to help on those fronts. I'd say WLS solves 80% of the challenge but the last 20% goes back to the basics we've heard all of our lives. If I overeat or eat way too fast, I will need to throw it up. This happens about once a month. It typically occurs when I eat something that's really good and I gobble it down too quickly. About 2 minutes later, I will feel pretty uncomfortable. I can wait it out and eventually it will go away. But more often than not, I just head to the bathroom and get it out. It's kind of gross to be honest. I have always liked to drink alcohol -- beer, wine, whiskey, mixed drinks and so on. IMO, drinking doesn't have any increased impact as a result of WLS -- I'm not more of a "light weight" than I used to be. But, as a practical matter, I do believe that it's easier to over drink following WLS. If I'm out to dinner with friends, they have starter courses, main courses, desert and so on. It's pretty easy for me to pour another glass of wine or order another scotch, while they eat through the evening. I would caution folks that like to drink to pay extra attention to this tendency following WLS. (BTW, I'm doing "dry January" right now:) That's about it. In sum, the sleeve was the best decision of my life. I hope this helps folks that are wondering about how things play out way down the line. If you have questions, you can DM me and I'd be happy to share thoughts. Good luck and look for another report from me next year.

I had a revision done on 1/11/21, MD made pouch smaller and did a distal bypass lengthening the common channel to 250 cm. I am still on liquids at this point but have lost 10 lbs. I was on a liver reduction diet 2 weeks prior to surgery and lost 17 lbs on that. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my lap and surgery 10 years ago, I did great for awhile, now I’m totally out of control. I weigh more now than when I had the surgery. I don’t sit and eat sweets, but it seems like I’m hungry all the time and can’t get satisfied. Just recently I discovered I could drink pops, coke and Mountain Dew. What can I do to get back on track? I need help😢

I liked to cook/bake well enough before WLS, but AFTER it, I developed a LOVE/ OBSESSION / ALL-CONSUMING DESIRE to cook/bake (as well as all the planning, shopping, researching that goes along with it. not to mention sharing the goods with fam and friends and watching them eat it!) I'm not sure this was totally because of wls (but i'm sure it had a big part of it), but also because circumstances allowed me more time to indulge in my interests (change in work, and then pandemic, and then stopped working altogether). I am the family cook/food provider, to 3 thin, fit, active people who eat truckloads of food. During weight loss phase, I got whomever was around to taste the food; if there was no one around, then I would just take my chances and hope it was ok. If I REALLY needed to taste it, I would, but spit it out. Towards the end of weight loss phase and into maintenance I no longer required the help of the fam tasters, and would taste it myself AND sometimes swallow, lol. Now, 2+ years out, I taste and swallow everything, AND will often times actually eat the final product as well! I will eat (beyond tasting) maybe 20% of the savoury stuff I make for fam meals, but I eat (beyond tasting) 100% of the desserts. I recently became a lover of bread baking, and even started eating bread because of it (which was weird because I didnt have any legitimate (fluffy) bread for like two years...i did have crackers and other small hard type bread products though) I sometimes make sugar-substitute no/low carb stuff, but I will almost always make an larger-portioned, "normal" version for the fam as well. Of course, its not like I eat even close to the amounts that I did pre-wls. While before I would have eaten 10 cookies in one sitting , now I'll eat like 1/2 of one. Instead of 4 slices of sour dough, I'll eat like 1/4 slice, instead of 1/2 an entire fruit pie, I'll have 1/2 a slice, instead of 3 butter tarts, I'd take a bite off someones, and so on, and so on.... (ooooh now i want to bake something...lol) .......soooo so long as i don't stuff myself with huge amounts and keep within my maintenance calories (i track EVERYTHING), then its all good (which is basically what I've been doing for the past 1.5+ years of maintenance)

My gastric sleeve surgery journey has been far from easy. Since having surgery on December 14th , I contracted COVID-19 which made me very sick for a week. At two weeks post op I began to experience chronic nausea and vomiting endlessly day and night. It was so severe to I could not drink anything regardless of its contents or temperature. Simply being awake would evoke a violent episode of vomiting which turned into stomach acid as I was unable to consume liquids. This episode lasted for 2 weeks before I had to go to the hospital as I was deteriorating . I was admitted into the hospital for 7 days and was also diagnosed with acute pancreatitis along with my Covid-19 positive test which confirmed my suspicions early on. I ended up being sent home on a PICC line with TPN for 5 days to gain the strength to eat and drink again. Currently I am off TPN and have been drinking and eating foods with no issues. However, I still physically feel off . I feel tingly and numb throughout the days. I feel disconnected from everything , not mentally but more so physically. My body just doesn't feel grounded. My head always feels tense. I am not sure what I should do to feel "normal again." I know its allot to take in information wise , but any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated .

I like to mess around with ingredients and cook. Today for lunch I grabbed a can of roast beef, refried beans, Mexican blend cheese, and fajita seasoning. Added some hot sauce after cooking... not bad. 1 10 oz can roast beef (drain as much of the gravy as possible should be 5-6 oz beef) 8 oz No Fat Refried Beans 2 oz Mexican Blend Cheese 1/2 pack Fajita seasoning I mixed it all in a skillet, heated on medium heat until HOT. Weighed out 4 oz added hot sauce, Tony Sacheres, and garlic powder to taste. Definitely hits the spot when craving tacos. According to my app each 4 oz serving is around 135 cal, 11 g carbs, 15 g protein and 3 g fat. If you try this please let me know how it was.

During weight loss phase, very rarely. If i did, it was like 5-10 berries (raspberries or blueberries) on a salad or with cottage cheese or yogurt. AFTER weight loss phase I eat more, but probably still not so much compared to others (maybe 0-2 times a week). Also, I expanded beyond berries: apples, grapes. And the very occasional watermelon or mango or papaya or pineapple. P.S. I'm not counting cucumbers or avocados (which I eat a TON of), nor tomatoes (which I eat sometimes). But these aren't usually considered "fruit" when people ask about "fruit" lol.

Greetings all, I have been off this board for some time now, but I have come back because I need support. I lost 110 lbs with the gastric sleeve surgery in March 2019 and was doing so great until the pandemic started last March. Before I was restricted to the home office I was doing so well, I was working out every day at the company gym during lunch and I was careful about what I ate. Since then, my workouts have all but ceased, I may squeeze in a cardio session about once a week now. My eating habits are still restricted by the sleeve, but I have been eating things that get through easily, many sweets, high fat and high salt foods have been making their way into my diet. That said, the biggest issue was alcohol abuse. I was getting buzzed nearly every night from August through the end of the year. While I was feeling good I would also lose inhibitions about not snacking as well. I forced myself off the vodka (which was easy to hide from the family) and I have been doing well in the last 3 weeks since quitting, but I've been replacing those lost good feelings with even more snacks. I feel like I'm losing control and it's only a matter of time until I undo all of my great work. I haven't weighed myself in months, but I estimate that I've gained back about 50% of what I lost, I will find out in a couple weeks at my Dr appt. I need to find a way to get this turned around because all my new skinny clothes don't fit anymore and I'm starting to wear my fat clothes again. It's bad...FML...

I started at 245 I’m not 115 and super small I would like to gain 10 pounds any ideas on how? I had gastric bypass and everything makes me sick

Not at all, nothing wrong with what you are feeling. Some will have more inflammation in their stomachs than others, and they have more difficulty drinking/sipping than others. The instructions that are given to sip, sip, sip an ounce of water every 5, 10, 15 or whatever minutes is just a minimum rate to try for is you are struggling; if you can sip faster without distress, that's great. I was able to down a bowl of broth (6-8 oz?) and a juice box (4oz) within a half hour or so - in the hospital. In the same phase, my wife could barely drink her nominal 4 0z stomach size in one sitting. The doc wasn't worried with either, as they are both within normal expectations. Water should just flow on through with little restriction, but may be more restricted if you are more inflamed than others. Nothing is stretching as things are just flowing on through as they should. Continue sipping as too big of a gulp can hurt or come back up for a while, but you should be able to drink fairly normally within the month or whatever time the doc may say is ok (no chugging though!)

Glad you are doing so well @mil_unloaded!!! Things are going fine over here as well. Down 46 lbs from my highest, about 39 since pre op (-19) and then post op so far. I’m excited to be starting soft foods and had some deli meat and cheese today and I was so happy. Lol! I’ve actually tried a few things over the last few days. So far everything has been well. I definitely can feel when something sits really heavy. It just is so nice to feel like I’m eating “real” food again.

You certainly don't have to do keto if you don't want to (I never did) as people have been successfully negotiating their WLS for years, decades, before keto was ever dreamed of, and will continue to do so once that fad has faded, lol. What type of test(s) did they do for your body composition and BMR? Some work better than others, and they all have some flakiness when it comes to measuring obese, or formerly obese, people, but they can give a ballpark estimate of things. I am a bit skeptical of the 1200 calorie minimum for a woman of your size (height mostly) as there can be quite a variation in metabolic rates (which the test may or may not pick up) and it's not unusual to see women of your height maintaining in the 1200 range (and some may do so at 1600 or so.) I do understand that there are differing hypotheses and philosophies regarding metabolic set points and going too low means you stay low, etc., but there is also not a real strong consensus on this issue, either. My inclination would be to keep the calories on the lower side of their range, if not a bit lower, and see how that goes. I did fine at a consistent 1100 per day, but I have a decent guy's metabolism, and was losing at a consistent 10 lb per month after the initial quicker loss of the first three months. I am also maintaining in the 2000-2200 calorie range, so I had a fairly large caloric deficit to work from, which I doubt that you have given your height and gender. There is a general tendency for our loss to decline as we lose weight over the months, simply because we aren't moving alll of that excess weight around 24/7, so a slowdown should be expected, but it also means that there is a danger of going into maintenance early if our calories are too high, or worse, increase them over time as some programs suggest. Good luck!

What does your surgeon say? Always best to follow their instructions and call them if you are not sure. My surgeon’s office encouraged me to drink caffeine starting around day 10 to help with constipation. 😊

Hi all...new to the forum. I'm 10 year out and have gained 65 lbs. I've been working at getting it back off...exercising and logging my food. I'm hitting 60g of protein (doc at surgery said hit 90). I'm only getting 800-900 calories a day. It seems that I would do better with more calories and protein...but it's hard to eat that many and do it in a healthy manor. I'm open to suggestions. I don't want to go the shake route. I've had my fair share of those nasty things! How many calories and grams of protein do you have a day? Thanks, Val Sent from my SM-G973U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi...I was sleeved in June 2009. I'm 5'5" and went from 232 to 121. I regained 20 pounds after 5 or 6 years and maintained pretty well. Then Covid. I'm now up to 176...not happy. I know it's my own fault. Too much beer, too many chips and potatoes. I started working out again (at home but with a trainer) 2 weeks ago. I'm happy about that. This week I really started focusing on eating better. I'm logging my food again and staying away from potatoes and the beer. I've lost a whole 1.5lbs...but it's a start. I'm still in 8's and 10's but I want to be back in 6's. It's incredibly encouraging to see that some of you all have similar experiences. I hope we can learn a lot from each other! I'm glad I found this place!! Val Sent from my SM-G973U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I just got my surgery yesterday. Due to covid i had extra tests and had to travel each day 1.5 hours. When i woke up i cried at how relieved i was. When i took my first bite and for the first time in 10 years it didnt hurt i cried. Im soo grateful to dr. Hong from st. Joseph hospital and for you to make a recommendation. Im still in paim but soo happy.

Also, my surgeon said from the very beginning that after the first two weeks if I was losing more than 8 to 10 pounds a MONTH than I was not eating enough!!

I bought myself a snowboard. I haven't gone in about 10 years because my weight got too high. I can't wait to go again.

No, I've also given up all carbonated drinks. I haven't had a beer or soda in about 10 months. Honestly I really don't miss them.