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I have read through so many posts on the topic of revision and see that people are mostly very happy to have gone through with it but a lot of them seem to be due to regain, hernias or bad GERD so my query is a bit different. My surgeon has mentioned a number of times to me about doing a revision from sleeve to bypass as following my surgery a year ago I had bad reflux. When I was released from hospital in November I was prescribed two pantomed (PPI) a day and since then GERD has become less frequent, for the last three months I am now on just one a day and I don't consider that the GERD impacts me, maybe once a week I might have a bit of gas, but the surgeon was still suggesting bypass and at my last appointment (in May) even mentioned that it would help me lose more weight, even though I was then just 5kg/11lb from the target he gave me and still only 10 months post-op. Given all the complications I had after my sleeve surgery in July last year I am very hesitant to have any further operations as I don't know if it was the medical teams fault and/or my body. If it is something that the surgeon says is needed I am torn between asking for a referral to another hospital or risking his team again in the belief that they would be extremely careful with me after everything that went wrong the year ago. So far, in just under 12 months, I have lost 47kg/103lb and am only 7kg/15lb away from my goal weight (3kg from the surgeon's target) and therefore I was wondering, from those who have gone through the revision process, if you think it is worth it? For me the only benefit I see is that I would be able to stop taking the daily pantomed, so not sure that is worth risking another surgery for. I have not had a single dumping episode and for the last few months have been able to tolerate all foods without issue so am a bit fearful that the bypass may lead to a backwards step on those fronts. If my GERD is not impacting me is there any other long-term benefit to the revision when I am still (slowly) losing weight? I don't want to go more than a few kg below my goal weight as it is not a good look on me. If there is no drastic weight loss, given so much has been achieved already, is there hair loss with the revision? Any insights would be appreciated as I have my one year check-up in a couple of weeks and I want to be prepared for when the topic is raised

Hey loves! I had my surgery 12.18 I’m about a week and half post op now. I have my follow up appointment today although they literally wanted me in there the day after I was discharged I was in no condition to go so I had to reschedule. Anesthesia hits me really hard every time so I was out for the first two days for the most part. My surgery experience was pretty good they found and fixed a hernia that was interesting to hear. I started out at 240 and im down 10 lbs now but for this week im been bouncing back from 229 to 230 :-/ I have been following the diet the doctors recommended if anything im not able to eat all they recommended per meal. I have experienced being backed up so would recommend anyone who hasn’t had their surgery yet to have miralax ready. Overall I’m fine I haven’t had any vomiting or anything else weird happen. I do feel a little frustrated bc last week I was dropping a lb a day. But my doctor said to introduce purée food this week so I’m assuming that has to do with the hold up🤷‍♀️. I have been walking daily and last night pulled out my workout bike so I will see what happens next. Sending you all prayers and congratulations to those who’ve had and are yet to get their surgery. I heard of the 3 week stall but I feel like I’m already there on week 2 :-/! Anyone else dealing with that? Is 10 lbs good? I’m 5’4 and started at 240 when I began my journey to get this surgery I was 234. In a week and a half I’m down 10lbs.

Thank you. You're absolutely right; I've taken a picture every month since my surgery in September and lining them all up, there's really not much difference month to month, but taking out months one, two & three and putting month 0 and 4 side by side as I've done here, there really is a significant difference and it's definitely encouraging.

I had a full blood count done 2 weeks ago and everything came back fine , I have a vitamin b jab booked for 2 weeks time

Hi there. It sounds like you're doing well. As for me, I'm 60, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 223 at time of surgery. I have only lost 12 pounds so far and am at the dreaded 3 week stall. I just have to be more patient.

I had the sleeve and work at a desk job, I took 3 weeks off and loved every single min! my hubby took the first week off and took the kids to school for me that week. I was so tired from barely eating and recovery. I "could've" gone back after 1 week but I enjoyed the time off, as I was paid for it anyways.

Yes but I got allergic reactions to it, with photos, so that's how I got out of the super B complex. I have to take a different kind for B12, maybe B1 after a visit next week.

Yea they just had to do the wrist on me this morning. Wasn’t pleasant to say the least. I am sorta dreading surgery day when, like you said, I will actually be a little dehydrated because they had a hard time even after me forcing down three extra bottles of water this time. I don’t recall it being an issue for my sleeve. I guess I had someone good. I am starting to think that’s what it all boils down to. Most anyone can get it with good veins but anything a little harder takes someone with more experience. I am starting to develop an anxiety to needles that I never had since this vein issue. I used to be fine as long as I didn’t look at it but now they always ask me if I’m okay. Idk if it’s just because I look in distress or if they just know they are torturing me. 😂

Sorry to hear what you have gone through and are still going through. I know exactly how you feel about wondering if the surgery has been worth it, I wondered the same for many months after mine but I can now say 10 months later that I see the light and know I could not have lost the weight I have done so far without the surgery and I can now finally feel the benefits. I have posted about it before on the forum but a recap to show you how s**t things can go..... I had my surgery 4th July 2023 and suffered severe pancreatitis brought on by the surgery (iatrogenic according to the medical reports) which resulted in me having a drainage tube fitted to my belly area and being hospitalised for one month. Three days after being released I collapsed at home and had to return to hospital via ambulance. There it was discovered that I had a leak in the stomach where the sutures hadn't sealed. I spent a further two weeks in hospital where I had to get clips put in to close the hole/leak. I then lasted 13 days at home before becoming ill again. I went in for a gastroscopy to check on the clips and turned out the clips did not do their job and I had leak back plus two abscesses (1 on stomach, 1 on pancreas). Spent a further three weeks in hospital on a feeding tube before getting all clear to go home after another round of clips were put in and passed their tests. Next time I lasted 15 days at home before having to be readmitted for another month! I never felt fully better but wasn't sure if that was just me recovering from all the trauma or still symptoms. I had a blood test one morning and that afternoon got a call to say I was to come back to the hospital immediately as my CRP was 180. Turned out the hole had opened again and I had an infection. Was put on a feeding tube again for the month and had a drainage tube fitted to my back, had so many different medications, a transfusion, tests etc it was exhausting. I was then sent to a hospital in Belgium to have a tube/coil like thing inserted in my stomach help the hole heal. I was finally released from hospital November 1st 2023. Like you I couldn't do things, I couldn't even stand at the kitchen counter to chop veg without feeling like I was going to collapse. The effort of having a shower and getting dressed some days was too much for me and it took me many months to get to my energy up to more than being able to something small each day. It is really only since mid-February that I can say my energy improved. My weight loss was also slow when in hospital as they were pumping me full of nutrition (via the feeding tubes) but it sped up once I was at home. I had the tube in my stomach removed three weeks ago and had another round of tests to make sure that the hole had healed and I have passed with flying colours. So far so good, no pain or discomfort which is such an improvement. The only thing I suffer with now is a bit of reflux and occasional terrible exhaustion. I was out for dinner on Sunday night and almost collapsed at the table the exhaustion came on so suddenly but I was ok a while later. I don't let it stop me, I have so much more energy than pre-op but I just know I have to pace myself and rest when I can. Basically, I just want to let you know that after all of the above that I have been through I now feel the relief of the surgery and the weight loss. I am now at the weight target the surgeon set for me, 75kg, though I will aim for a bit more and I no longer cry myself to sleep with pain or stress or the fear to make plans for the future. It has taken 10 months for me to get here, I am at the stage now that probably those who have a successful surgery would have been at months ago with their recovery from the op and getting back to a 'normal' life. I am going to see a psychologist through my hospital service for the medical trauma which has helped me as well. Do make sure that you go to the hospital if your symptoms worsen, or don't improve, and ask the doctors to check your levels just to be sure that there is no infection still there etc. Rest when you can, I don't know your situation but if you don't have to get up and go out during the day for work/kids/shopping etc. then don't, just take the time to heal and recover. Also ask for help if and when you need it and also say no to things that you may not want to do if you don't feel up for it - being a control freak these are things I am trying to learn to do.

I crushed my thyroid pill and emptied the omeprazole and ursodiol capsules into a little bowl and mixed all three with 2 Tbsp of applesauce. It took about 10 minutes to get that down. I'm going to need to check with my primary care doctor because my blood pressure the morning I left the hospital was 92/54, so I have not been taking my blood pressure med since they told me to stop it the day before surgery. I need to go check it at one of those machines at the drug store later today.

I too have dealt with stalls….and struggled with water and protein intake. the struggle is real! And so odd right? For me it was going from eating everything in sight to sharing a plate with the hubs when we go out to eat. one thing I did because I was so sick of protein shakes and bars…. I even went through a phase when I ate baby food every so often just to switch it up! i started experimenting with unflavored flavored protein….soups, sugar free jello, pancakes/muffins ect tons of recipes on this site. once you start eating regularly and getting out and about, you will feel so much better….trust the process (as they say!) also make sure you are taking the vitamins/meds recommended by your doc good luck 😊

I'm pretty sure I was told 2 weeks also, though I don't work full time so I was able to go back part time, and I was tired. I can understand not feeling up to it, though standard is 2 weeks. I think the significant piece here is that you have a few issues that are also affecting your recovery time, and it's unfortunate that you weren't able to feel heard about your specific situation. How are you feeling now?

Starting week three of my preop diet and one week out from surgery. Diet definitely did get easier once in it and very closely staying on it. Traveling the last few days which has been a little challenging but not too bad. I’ve definitely got some nerves. I wake up about 5 AM some mornings and the brain just takes over a little. Hope things keep progressing for everyone!

April has been the month of stalls for me. I was stuck at 210.6 for 4 days, dropped to 208.8, and then stayed there for 4 days. Finally inched down to 208.4 yesterday and 208.0 today. Only losing 3 pounds in 10 days when I had been on track to lose closer to 5 is frustrating to say the least! The closer I get to being below 200, the more the universe wants to mess with me, apparently. But on an unrelated note, I drove to see the total eclipse in Vermont on Monday and it was amazing! Thank goodness for stopping to get some Vermont cheddar on the drive because healthy food options were scarce. I actually ended up eating McDonald's chicken nuggets for lunch. I managed to eat two of them, and they were okay, but I have no idea how I used to eat a box of 10 plus fries. Next time I venture out, I'm going to need to pack food for myself.

I'm only losing a pound a week now myself...docs say not to worry about it, these things go in cycles...and to up my physical activity. (grumble). Don't get discouraged. You are the heart of the May Surgeries board. Keep the posts coming.

I think the best encouragement I can offer is to help manage your expectations. WLS is a treatment with results measured in months and years, not days. For perspective, my day of surgery weight was only 6 lbs higher than yours. I am 4 months post op as of tomorrow and I hit 189 lbs...yesterday. That's 17 weeks to lose 34 pounds. And I promptly bounced up to 190 this morning. Barely eating anything has very little bearing on how much weight you will lose in the beginning. Your body is going through some stuff. Like, a lot of stuff. We don't even know the half of all the systems that are recalibrating in the first weeks and months. Calories in and calories out is just not a useful equation to describe what is happening to you right now. The weight on the scale is a single data point, but it doesn't even tell you what type of weight you have lost. Fat? Water? Muscle? No idea! And the smart scales aren't actually very smart because they give you averages, not actual measurements. I only lost 2.8 lbs the entire month of May, but I went down a dress size and a bra size during that time. Then I lost 10lbs in 2 weeks. Why? Who knows! So, for long term sanity, I suggest focusing on the things you can control and not worrying about what you can't. Focus on meeting protein and fluid targets. Add in a sustainable exercise routine (for me, that is just walking consistently every week). Do some reading and watch videos about good bariatric nutrition (I recommend The Pound of Cure videos on YouTube to start with). Collect and try new recipes as you move through the food stages. Take your measurements and a monthly progress photo. You may see the changes better in photos than you do by looking at yourself in a mirror. Basically, you are only 2 weeks into a 52-week-plus journey. You'll get there, but it will take time. And you will drive yourself crazy if you're like the kid in the backseat asking yourself "Are we there yet?" from the minute you pull out of the driveway.

I wanted the best surgeon I could find that wasn't too far from where I live (within two or three hours). Although I would have been open to traveling if I couldn't find anyone in the region. I don't think he had the best bedside manner of those I did my consults with, but he specialized in plastic surgery for massive weight loss patients and had been doing this particular type of surgery for years...and years. He had excellent reviews. Of course, it's great if you really connect with the person, too - but you'll only be seeing this person a handful of times - if that - but you'll be living with the results of your surgery for the rest of your life. You might want to schedule a couple more consults before deciding. I found realself.com to be somewhat helpful when I was coming up with my list of potential surgeons. you're in California - Dr. Katzen is nationally known and specializes in massive weight loss patients, I believe. EDITED to add - looks like he does all kinds of plastic surgery, he doesn't specialize in massive weight loss patients. However, he's very well known in the bariatric community.

Congrats on your loss so far. Don't worry it seems to be very common to stall a few weeks to a month after the op. I had a sleeve so not sure if there are different 'rules' but I was told it is just 30 minutes each side of eating that you are not to drink fluids but either way I agree with you, I feel that there is not enough time in the day that I am awake to drink the amount of water they say. It took me a long time to get to the protein goals, somedays I only got 20 to 30g so for me a 'trick' I have done for upping my protein is to include a scoop of collagen into my coffee twice a day as each scoop is 10g protein, the collagen is supposed to help my hair, nails, skin etc plus I am getting in some fluids. A bonus for me is that I don't mind cold coffee so if it takes me a while to drink my cup it is ok and it immediately means I have got 20g of protein in before even including food. I also have a lot of soups that I incorporate protein into be it with protein powder, lentils, chickpeas etc. as I find they don't leave me feeling so full as I blend them down a lot. I love soup and would have had it often before my op as well so the only difference now is trying to put the protein into it and not having bread with it

I am so thankful for this tip. Not just because of how it will fit in fridge but how it will fit in my cooler. My friends and I like to do lunch while we are out shopping and them big styrofoam containers don’t fit in my everyday cooler. I have the containers by “easy lunch boxes” I ordered On Amazon. I have the square ones with four compartments and the rectangle ones with three. I just tried the rectangle and it fits perfectly in my cooler. I just put one in a bag in my trunk and when I looked it up to post the name here I just found that now they have rectangle ones with five compartments which I think will be even better since I am one of those weird people that don’t like their food to touch. lol. Anyways, Awesome tip!! Thanks again.

Week 11 tomorrow, and I definitely notice more shedding now -- and all of a sudden, the ends of my hair seem to be getting drier and more brittle. I guess it's 'begun' 🙈

Today marks 1 month since my surgery. Little back history for me, my start weight in March during diet for surgery: 280#. My surgery day: 269#. Today, I'm at 256#. I started and am currently still at at class 3 obesity. Posting before and after pictures. I read and hear so many positive stories on how others lost 30+ pounds their first month. I should be happy with the fact I am losing weight but super slowly. I'm considered a "slow loser" apparently. I'm down 13 pounds in 1 month. I go 5-6 days plateaued same weight before I drop another pound. It's quite annoying. I've been drinking/drinking protein shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese and when I'm not working, I drink between 64-96 oz of water. When I'm working (I work as a warehouse worker and does get to heavy lifting at times), I can hardly down 16 oz of water. When I work, I get excited thinking, "I'm burning so many calories, I'm bound to finally lose that pound!" Just to be disappointed. I weigh daily, I have a separate nutritionist outside of the place I got my surgery as the nutritionist there hasn't helped much, doesn't respond or pay much attention when I try talking to them. So, I found a different one. I tried not weighing in each day, went a week, only to still be disappointed with the same weight. I do occasionally lick unhealthy items or chew and spit out just to get some flavor again. It's not often. Something different about me is I have a lot of muscle naturally. I also have PCOS. I've read PCOS can stall weight loss. I do for sure see changes in my stomach, not so much in my face or my arms...but why can't I be happy about this? Is this like a depression thing others have gone through? I'd love some others opinions, stories, how you're feeling right now.

I am between 800-1100 a day. Last week I avg 959 per day.

It’s almost like they’ve conveniently forgotten you’ve lost your pre surgical weight & are just telling you to lose more as per their set playbook. I also love how they’re telling you to lose weight but aren’t supporting & guiding you in how to do it. Where’s their pre surgical diet? Where’s the referral to a dietician?? Like @NickelChip, I would suggest the three shake a day pre surgical diet many are given. Or do two shakes & one meal of 3 or 4 ozs protein & 1/2 cup steamed vegetables or undressed salad. All the best.

My doctor wrote me off work for 2.5 weeks - 2 weeks out, I'm fine, and after the first week, I probably could have (a bit miserably) gone back to work, but I think I really needed that first week off. Even though I had minimal pain, some days I just needed to sleep. Your body is going through a lot! Treat it well ❤️