Search the Community

Hi Snetsky! Mine is on the 24th as well. Best of luck to you and to all us surgery buddies scheduled on the last week of October week 🙂

Hi David, Well I have some gerd with weight gain with my vsg surgery which was in 2018. So last year I asked if I can get resleeved due to the weight gain and slight gerd issues. and i was told in California they don’t do that the only option I had was bypass, So I went with that..my surgery was cancelled at 0100 last year due to my iron levels. I had to do the 10 week class as part of the revision requirements. So I’m all cleared now (this year) i plan on doing things way different this time around and actually puttin in the work..with my sleeve I didn’t workout or anything (I don’t advise that all) plus we were in the pandy sooooooo crossing fingers that I find things that help me along this new journey so I stay consistent but it’s all mental Honestly!

So I've had three surgeries in three weeks (mini gastric bypass, plus two emergency surgeries for bowel obstructions due to internal adhesions from the gastric bypass...). I'm a stomach sleeper and planned to sleep in a recliner if necessary, but after the first surgery, I was fine propped up with extra pillows for a couple of days, and then within 4 days, I was sleeping on my stomach again. Healing from the last emergency surgery is taking much longer (I don't think I was meant to be cut open THREE TIMES), but I was still able to sleep in bed the first night home (3 days after surgery), as long as I was propped up. It wasn't so much pain, but more that the swelling from the surgery seemed to press more on my stomach when I wasn't flat on my back.

I was told to start after my one week follow up. I take the liquid vitamins. Sent from my SM-S906U using BariatricPal mobile app

To add to @SpartanMaker’s list, spare knickers or disposable underwear - diarrhoea is a real possibility & attacks can be extremely sudden. your own pjs, soap/shower gel. I found putting on my own pjs & using my own shower gel much nicer & sort of soothing than wearing the hospital gown & using their awful anti bacterial soap stuff all your prescribed medication in unopened boxes/bottles. Actually I know three others who also have had surgery (different weight & ages) & none of us needed a cane, stomach binder or couldn’t sleep in our bed from day one so I don’t know about ‘most’ needing those sorts of support equipment. Think it’s very individual. Save your money unless you actually need them. All the best.

i stopped drinking in the first day of my 2 week pre-op diet. And no, i didn't have to take a blood-alcohol test at any time. Had my first drink (2-3 sips of red wine) at around 3 weeks post op. Had my 2nd (partial) drink around 2-3 months post which gave me one of the worst dumping experiences i have had to date (it was a sugary soju-sake cocktail). I had maybe 4-5 (partial) drinks during weight loss phase: vodka sodas or very dry red wine. Now im just a normal regular drinker for the most part (but i still try to stay away from overly sugary drinks). Im 4 years post op.

i took one of my couch's back cushions and brought to my bed to prop myself up on to sleep. Did this for a few months. It took a couple weeks to get used to cuz i was a stomach sleeper prior to surgery. At first it was for ease of getting out of bed as well as to alleviate abdominal pain from surgery. Later, after i healed, i used it to alleviate any middle of the night regurgitation... i was very susceptible to this in the early months. Im 4 years out now and i sleep with regular pillows...in every position imaginable lol. Edited to add, i do sleep with a small pillow underneath my stomach/hips (if im stomach sleeping) now to avoid back pain in the morning though...now that my stomach bulk is gone, i seem to hyper-extend my lower back when on my stomach so the pillow helps.

Thank you so much for the kindness. I ended up speaking waaaaayyy too soon. The last 12+ hours have been miserable. I was discharged from the hospital last night and I’ve dry heaved/vomited three times. The first one I can explain away because I took my pain med on a practically empty stomach without protein (which I didn’t know I shouldn’t do until after the fact), but the other two there’s no rhyme or reason to them. I’m not even taking any medications because I keep getting nauseous / dry heaving — except for the nausea patch behind my ear (which clearly isn’t doing anything for me), Zofran, and the Prilosec. I know for a fact I’m not drinking near enough between my fear of vomiting and then the fact I am (TMI) spitting up bile and some of my liquid the last two dry heaves. Worried I’m gonna end up back in the hospital at this rate. Also sucks that I’m heaving because I can’t take any pain meds to ease my pain — though most of my pain is when I get up and down or bend more than anything

I tried all three (bed, recliner & propped up). I'm a stomach sleeper, so I knew going in to it that the recliner and propped up don't work all the well for me. Obviously stomach sleeping right after abdominal surgery is problematic as well. Day 1 -- I tried the recliner and it was comfortable enough, but I didn't sleep all that well Day 2 -- Moved to the bed, propped up. This didn't work for me either because I kept sliding off the pillows and eventually worming my way on to my stomach. Day 3-5 -- back to the recliner for a few days Day 6 -- With the surgery gas finally gone, I was okay sleeping on my stomach again and have done so since. I guess my thoughts are: if you don't have a recliner, it would be silly to buy one just for this. I have heard of people renting a medical recliner or even a medical bed from a medical supply house, but this seems like overkill to me. You could always check on the cost of this and decide if it's worth it to you. A bed wedge may work better than just pillows if you have that available? Your overall success here may depend on your preferred sleeping position.

I am 8 weeks out as well. I've lost 29 pounds but can't see it at all, either. I am down about a size, though. I'm not too worried about body dysmorphia yet. I'll be concerned if I lose all the weight I'm shooting for and still think I am fat. I had a roommate in college exactly like that, in the days before we knew what eating disorders were. I was stalled for 3 weeks, then lost 5, now stalled again. Frustrating, but I guess normal. I agree it's helpful to have others going through the same process. I spend a lot of time here and on Reddit.

New to the group! Hoping to get my approval from insurance in the next week. I’m nervous as heck as I’m worried they will deny it even though I meet the requirements!

Surgery was on a Thursday, back to work that following Monday. I worked from home for a week & the following week I went into the office. No one knew a thing lol!

I had a banded gastric sleeve on 15th September so I'm just over 5 weeks post surgery. Things are very different over here in Australia I first saw my surgeon in July and a few weeks later booked a date that suited me based on what days the surgeon operates at my chosen hospital. I am not insured so I was able to withdraw the funds from my superannuation account. I had 2 weeks of pre op diet which consisted of 2 meal replacement shakes and then dinner of approx 100gms of protein and 2 cups veggies so found it quite easy to follow. I'm currently on a soft diet slowly reintroducing foods to see what I can and can't tolerate it's certainly a learning curve. I take 2 multivitamins a day which have everything in them that I need. So far I've lost just over 20kgs since I saw the surgeon and 11 kgs since surgery so 21kgs all up. I'm really happy with the changes so far and don't regret having the surgery at all. I journal most days and weigh myself once per week. I also take measurements. Everyone will cope differently. Some of you will lose tonnes of weight quickly others may be a bit slower. I'm going to try and not compare myself to others. Good luck to you all on your journey Sent from my SM-S906E using BariatricPal mobile app

Surgery is in two weeks!! It's been a HELL of a road getting here and now it's finally coming!! I don't know whether to laugh or cry lol. Anyone have anytips on what to bring to the hospital? Or good things on Amazon to get?

Walk, walk, walk. You can also march on the spot, lift & lower your arms, do some deep breathing & heat pads can help. The gas, which is in your abdominal cavity, tends to rise & gets trapped under your diaphragm pressing on your phrenic nerve which causes the pain. It can take up to a week for the gas to be absorbed into your blood stream & then breathed out. (It doesn’t escape your body by farting or burping as many presume.)

In the weeks before surgery you’re on the restrictive pre surgery diet so no alcohol for about two weeks +/- prior to your surgery. After surgery you’ll be advised to avoid alcohol too for a period of time. Alcohol is high in empty calories, dehydrates you & will slow your metabolism & weight loss. Plus there is the concern that if you have an addiction to food you will become addicted to alcohol as you can’t satisfy your food cravings.

My surgery is scheduled for November 3rd and I am now on my 2 week pre-op diet. I have SO many people trying to talk me out of the surgery and telling me I don't need it. I have so many questions and I am just praying I make all the right choices as I have tried everything previous to this decision. Any and all suggestions and advice is appreciated. I have Multiple Sclerosis so this decision was for health reasons. Sent from my SM-S515DL using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all. I've been lurking the past few weeks, researching heavily. My insurance has cleared me for sleeve but I'm not as sure now as I was when I chose that surgery. My last hurdle is labs and upper GI. I'm bouncing back and forth between sleeve and bypass. My doubts about the sleeve include the risk of developing GERD. I see a lot of revision stories and I don't want that. My main reason for choosing the sleeve was to keep the pyloric valve intact and avoid dumping. It also seems to allow normal medication action - I take a number of meds. I'm creating a list of questions for my surgeon because I want to make the best choice but man, I must admit to feeling dizzy with all this information. It's a big step. I'll save my dietary questions for another post. Thanks already for the great information I've gotten from reading through this forum!

Nothing other than walking. It can last a few days to a week or so. Mine lasted about 5 days. Pain killers do nothing. Just walk it out and it will get better. If the pain becomes unbearable then i suggest calling your surgeon and see what they say

I went down to 200lbs the day of surgery, I'm 3 weeks out & have lost 15lbs. I read a passage in my bariatric handbook that basically said, 'Your metabolic rate is higher when you weigh more, meaning you lose more doing less. Weighing less will slow that down. Essentially, the surgery will help you when losing weight is at its hardest.' Aka, this will help us lose those stubborn last pounds! Its very encouraging for me

Medical Groups Replace Outdated Consensus Statement that Overly Restricts Access to Modern-Day Weight-Loss Surgery NEWBERRY, FL – Oct. 21, 2022 – Two of the world’s leading authorities on bariatric and metabolic surgery have issued new evidence-based clinical guidelines that among a slew of recommendations expand patient eligibility for weight-loss surgery and endorse metabolic surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes beginning at a body mass index (BMI) of 30, a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight and one of several important screening criteria for surgery. The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines on Indications for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery – 2022, published online today in the journals, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD) and Obesity Surgery, are meant to replace a consensus statement developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) more than 30 years ago that set standards most insurers and doctors still rely upon to make decisions about who should get weight-loss surgery, what kind they should get, and when they should get it. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) is the largest group of bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the United States and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) represents 72 national associations and societies throughout the world. "The 1991 NIH Consensus Statement on Bariatric Surgery served a valuable purpose for a time, but after more than three decades and hundreds of high-quality studies, including randomized clinical trials, it no longer reflects best practices and lacks relevance to today’s modern-day procedures and population of patients," said Teresa LaMasters, MD, President, ASMBS. “It’s time for a change in thinking and in practice for the sake of patients. It is long overdue.” In the 1991 consensus statement, bariatric surgery was confined to patients with a BMI of at least 40 or a BMI of 35 or more and at least one obesity-related condition such as hypertension or heart disease. There were no references to metabolic surgery for diabetes or references to the emerging laparoscopic techniques and procedures that would become mainstay and make weight-loss surgery as safe or safer than common operations including gallbladder surgery, appendectomy, and knee replacement. The statement also recommended against surgery in children and adolescents even with BMIs over 40 because it had not been sufficiently studied. New Patient Selection Standards — Times Have Changed The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines now recommend metabolic and bariatric surgery for individuals with a BMI of 35 or more “regardless of presence, absence, or severity of obesity-related conditions” and that it be considered for people with a BMI 30-34.9 and metabolic disease and in “appropriately selected children and adolescents.” But even without metabolic disease, the guidelines say weight-loss surgery should be considered starting at BMI 30 for people who do not achieve substantial or durable weight loss or obesity disease-related improvement using nonsurgical methods. It was also recommended that obesity definitions using standard BMI thresholds be adjusted by population and that Asian individuals consider weight-loss surgery beginning at BMI 27.5. Higher Levels of Safety and Effectiveness for Modern-Day Weight-Loss Surgery The new guidelines further state “metabolic and bariatric surgery is currently the most effective evidence-based treatment for obesity across all BMI classes” and that “studies with long-term follow up, published in the decades following the 1991 NIH Consensus Statement, have consistently demonstrated that metabolic and bariatric surgery produces superior weight loss outcomes compared with non-operative treatments.” It is also noted that multiple studies have shown significant improvement of metabolic disease and a decrease in overall mortality after surgery and that “older surgical operations have been replaced with safer and more effective operations.” Two laparoscopic procedures, sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), now account for about 90% of all operations performed worldwide. Roughly 1 to 2% of the world’s eligible patient population get weight-loss surgery in any given year. Experts say the overly restrictive consensus statement from 1991 has contributed to the limited use of such a proven safe and effective treatment. Globally, more than 650 million adults had obesity in 2016, which is about 13% of the world’s adult population. CDC reports over 42% of Americans have obesity, the highest rate ever in the U.S. “The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines provide an important reset when it comes to the treatment of obesity,” said Scott Shikora, MD, President, IFSO. “Insurers, policy makers, healthcare providers, and patients should pay close attention and work to remove the barriers and outdated thinking that prevent access to one of the safest, effective and most studied operations in medicine.” The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines are just the latest in a series of new recommendations from medical groups calling for expanded use of metabolic surgery. In 2016, 45 professional societies, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA), issued a joint statement that metabolic surgery should be considered for patients with type 2 diabetes and a BMI 30.0–34.9 if hyperglycemia is inadequately controlled despite optimal treatment with either oral or injectable medications. This recommendation is also included in the ADA’s “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes – 2022.” About IFSO The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) is a Federation composed of national associations of bariatric surgeons and Integrated Health professionals. Currently, there are 72 official member societies of IFSO, as well as individual members from countries that thus far have not formed a national association. IFSO is a scientific organization that brings together surgeons and integrated health professionals, such as nurse, practitioners, dieticians, nutritionists, psychologists, internists and anesthesiologists, involved in the treatment of patients with obesity. About ASMBS The ASMBS is the largest organization for bariatric surgeons in the United States. It is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of severe obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits. It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery, while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for patients with severe obesity. For more information, visit www.asmbs.org.

It sounds to me like you've already identified some things you know you could change. I'm a big believer in making lots of small, but sustainable changes, rather than huge diet "resets". By that I mean, maybe for the next couple of weeks, you simply make sure you stop at only one glass of wine at night. Then maybe it's cutting the wine down to every other day, or maybe limiting yourself to 1 or 2 bags of chips a week. Try and make just one small change every 2-3 weeks until each small change becomes the new normal for you. Only then, add in another change. I think most people try to drastically change everything all at once and that rarely works. Again, I think you know what you need to do to get back on track, the trick is taking it step-by-step and turning the "bad" habits into good ones.

Thank you. This is very helpful. I don't eat a ton of "bad" food, but I eat one of those small kids chip snap bags several days/week. I pick at food as I prepare dinner. I have a glass (or 2) of wine with dinner, and then night eating puts me over the top. Not bad food, but too much food. I have to get this situation under control. I have to increase the vegetables and go back to protein shakes to cut back on calories. I already go to the gym twice per week and get very respectable workouts in. My goal has never been to be skinny. I'm ecstatic at size 8 and very satisfied at a size 10. I'm at least a 14 at this point and I'm beside myself!

Well I’m guessing your maintenance diet is a little different than your weight loss phase of the diet. I’m thinking you just have to go back to the weight loss phase. I have gained too and that’s my plan. I am going back and forth as to whether I should start with a week of my liver shrink diet which was basically two shakes and a lean protein and veggie dinner.

Same thing with the lack of sugar cravings. If I start getting a craving for chocolate I just have part of a Fairlife chocolate shake. The other part that's been easy for me is the lightened mental load of this weight-loss process. I used to agonize over calories and carbs eaten. I would track everything and make a point to workout several times per week. I would beat myself up over slip-ups and cheats. I was always thinking about my next meal. Now I'm less stressed and making better choices in general. The weight is steadily coming off and for the first time I don't have to fight my metabolism tooth and nail.