Search the Community

I think you will be fine....only the first day or so is an issue for the physical part of things. After that, if you need help or advice, that is what we are all here for. We have gone through it and can ease your concerns or tell you how we got through various things like stalls, vomiting, bloating, constipation etc, etc as well as understand all the Non Scale victories you will inevitably come across.

I live alone, hundreds of miles from any family, and I didn’t tell anyone about my surgery other than health care professionals. I really didn’t have any issues. I took a taxi to the hospital and hired a home health care aid to take me home. The hospital said they wouldn’t allow me to take a taxi/Uber home but they didn’t check and I totally could have, but the home health care aid didn’t cost much more than a taxi and she picked up my prescriptions and brought my bag in the house, so that was good. Plus, I had no idea how well or poorly I would be feeling when I got discharged, so it was nice to have that peace of mind. I had surgery on a Thursday, took the next week off of work, and went back the following Monday. I could have gone back much sooner, but it was good to have the week off so I could get used to my new situation (like having to sip tiny amounts to stay hydrated and get protein). I didn’t need any help taking care of myself. I didn’t have any pain by the time I got home. I was a little tired but functional. If I recall correctly, I wasn’t allowed to lift more than 20 pounds for the first 6 weeks, but I didn’t have any need to do so. I think my easy recovery was pretty typical of most WLS patients these days, but there’s always a chance you’ll have complications, so it’s a good idea to have a contingency plan in case you do need help.

Hello to all. I had a Gastric Sleeve in 2019. Yes I’m old to this but here’s my problem and please to the newbies or to those who are thinking of having a Gastric sleeve, make sure the surgeon completely remove your fundus. The Gastric fundus prohibits inferior weights loss. I loss approximately 85 pounds within a 3 years time because of this and went into complete stalling. The surgeons kept over telling me I’m overeating which I told them I’m not. I just now found out my fundus is intake and wasn’t removed. I’ve been so sick from 2019 til present (2022) with stomach issues but CT scans during my emergency room visits shortly after surgery all come back normal. Nonetheless, I just suffered and stop trying to seek help until this year my acid reflux and swallowing started to interfere with my daily life. So the ER suggested a ENDOSCOPY in which the results come back as A Gastric Fundus is Generous and Mild Gastric lining Thickening. After researching, I found that the gastric sleeve was supposedly be removed. I don’t want any more revisions of surgeries but to not be sick, I will decide on it. Again, please inquire of this. Do your research on the topic of a “Retained Gastric Fundus” after weight loss surgery. Have anybody dealt with this and if so, what did you do? Lets be of help to one another with truth and honesty.

Hello to all. I had a Gastric Sleeve in 2019. Yes I’m old to this but here’s my problem and please to the newbies or to those who are thinking of having a Gastric sleeve, make sure the surgeon completely remove your fundus. The Gastric fundus prohibits inferior weights loss. I loss approximately 85 pounds within a 3 years time because of this and went into complete stalling. The surgeons kept over telling me I’m overeating which I told them I’m not. I just now found out my fundus is intake and wasn’t removed. I’ve been so sick from 2019 til present (2022) with stomach issues but CT scans during my emergency room visits shortly after surgery all come back normal. Nonetheless, I just suffered and stop trying to seek help until this year my acid reflux and swallowing started to interfere with my daily life. So the ER suggested a ENDOSCOPY in which the results come back as A Gastric Fundus is Generous and Mild Gastric lining Thickening. After researching, I found that the gastric sleeve was supposedly be removed. I don’t want any more revisions of surgeries but to not be sick, I will decide on it. Again, please inquire of this. Do your research on the topic of a “Retained Gastric Fundus” after weight loss surgery. Have anybody dealt with this and if so, what did you do? Lets be of help to one another with truth and honesty.

Hi Sam! Yes, those first few weeks are the hardest to endure, but I promise you it DOES get better! Be kind and safe with your new tummy. My diet during that time was everything needs to be real moist. I ate a lot of babyfood. I know that bothers some folks, but there is a wonderful selection of pureed babyfoods that a super gentle on the tummy. Amazon and Walmart carry quite a few varieties and many are organic too. I ate recipes such as grits and eggs with instant grits. Highly processed oatmeal, like the babyfood variety. Malt-o-meal. These were really good go to staples. Plus I would make SF pudding with my protein drink and add a little almond milk. Then my pudding had a protein base. I hope you feel better soon!

Congrats to all my October buddies. My surgery date is October 3rd. I started my pre-op liquid diet yesterday and it seems surprisingly easy. I do wonder how I will feel about it next week though. I am isolated in my daily life. I am over 50, single with no kids at home or nearby, I work from home and live in a suburban area that is mostly made up of families and traveling plant workers and I don't know anyone - no support system in place. Who else is going through this completely alone? I am arranging paid transportation to the med center and a paid medical transport to bring me home following the procedure. For those of you who have had to go through this by yourself, did you feel able to manage alone post-op? What was the most difficult thing?

Congrats to all my October buddies. My surgery date is October 3rd. I started my pre-op liquid diet yesterday and it seems surprisingly easy. I do wonder how I will feel about it next week though. I am isolated in my daily life. I am over 50, single with no kids at home or nearby, I work from home and live in a suburban area that is mostly made up of families and traveling plant workers and I don't know anyone - no support system in place. Who else is going through this completely alone? I am arranging paid transportation to the med center and a paid medical transport to bring me home following the procedure. For those of you who have had to go through this by yourself, did you feel able to manage alone post-op? What was the most difficult thing?

Whelp six months post op tomorrow! I still do not have "hunger" but I find myself more snacky over the last few weeks. It is annoying. I still stay within my plan limits 98% of the time, sometimes going over my calories (within 100) but usually with still healthier snacks and foods. I have been eating out more because life is so crazy and hectic right now, which I need to chill there too. We are going to Florida/Disney the first week of October so I will be forced to eat out then, which is just another reason to stop now. Overall I really don't have any complaints. No issues, and still kicking butt. I see my surgeon for my 6 month check up next week and I am still ahead of the predicted weight loss chart he gave me. I am JUST NOW starting to really see my weight loss in full body pictures. Even more so since I have been wearing clothes that fit rather than huge and falling off. Tons of friends have been commenting and sending me inspiring messages or when they see me say something. It is kind of nice that people are noticing the work I am putting in. Regardless of that, when I saw pictures of myself from the weekend I was like WHOA who is this person?!?! Flipside, I look like a half deflated water balloon naked. 😂😝 HAHA! KEEP GOING PEOPLE- WE GOT THIS! 6 months and hit 100 lbs loss today since surgery and 137 total!

I had the bariatric surgery and is on insullin once a week to help my BMI down. and on lisinipril Sent from my octopus using BariatricPal mobile app

THE WEIRDEST STUFF HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO ME AFTER I GOT MY BYPASS OCTOBER 2021 So when I was fresh out of surgery I had a really hard time when I started being able to eat solids, everything I ate made me sick, or I’d feel like something was stuck and just generally uncomfortable and so I had stopped eating because it became unbearable to be sick after every meal, it led to me being hospitalized a week or two for dehydration the doctor told me my body was eating itself (muscle/fat) anything it could to keep me alive and my blood sugar would stay critically low despite them putting sugar in my IV this happened twice (I was admitted on two separate occasions) they did all the tests but nothing was abnormal and they couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t eat, but my surgeon was getting worried/upset and he said if I was admitted again I’d be put on a feeding tube he said and I quote “eat anything I don’t care what it is, just eat” he also said it would probably be uncomfortable for awhile but still force yourself. So after that I went home and would just eat whatever I could whether that be bad food or good food and it did hurt a lot and I’d get so sick I’d get hot and feel like I’d faint and so to combat it I’d just lay down in front of a fan and bear the pain which lasted about 30mins after EVERY meal I’d also go into a mini food coma after every meal and it was a big inconvenience because no matter where I was after I ate I’d have to lay down and I’d be drawn into a food coma for who knows how long. Time skip to now, I’m doing better I don’t have a problem eating but when I eat too much I do have to lay down but the thing is… I can eat way more then I should like maybe two cups full of whatever food, although when it comes to certain meats I can only eat a little and I’ll feel pretty sick afterwards, but shrimp for example I can eat a lot of. I don’t have any problems eating sweets ( which I’m beyond great full for I feel more normal now even though I can eat only a little I feel like I got a bit of my life back I had felt so depressed because food was my outlet and not being able to enjoy food any type of food had really became hard for me) and I actually eat them on a daily basis although I can only have a small amount (or it depends what sweets it is) without getting sick, I seem to be able to eat alot of popcorn. I only experienced dumping syndrome once in my life after I had some tea with honey a few days out of surgery, but after that I never had it again. I gained this really weird symptom where every time I stand up from a sitting position I faint or feel very dizzy where everything goes black and I fall down without losing consciousness, it only last a few seconds and then I’m fine but I’ve hurt myself a few times because of it. I also feel hunger, I’ve felt hunger even right out of surgery but now I’m always hungry 2 hours after eating but I don’t get stomach rumbles I get this heartburn feeling that’s persistent until I eat it’s my way of knowing when to eat. I have a big problem with standing still in one spot for even 10 minutes It makes me feel sick like I’ll throw up or something I get hot and dizzy but I’m just fine walking for hours just the moment I stand still I get nauseous. I find it harder to drink water without a straw, and I find it easier to eat laying down than sitting up and I think that’s really weird, but despite eating anything I want I still lose weight and I don’t really feel the need to anymore I’m at a good area. One last thing that’s pretty recent…. I sleep eat. I don’t know when it happened maybe a month or two ago but every night now I’ll wake 3 or 4 times and munch a little on whatever is nearby, I’ve eaten 3 full boxes of cheese-its over the course of 5 days (which didn’t sit well with me in the long run) I’ve eaten cookies, I’ve eaten cheese, I’ve eaten candy, I’ve even eaten a whole sandwich and sometimes I have no recollection of it but I’ll see the wrapper or evidence near me on the floor. I don’t know how to stop this habit it’s really getting out of hand so now I just place healthy options near me before bed so I won’t gain weight because I did gain a few pounds recently. Well, these are just my experiences and this all started after my surgery although I don’t know for sure if it’s surgery related. Please feel free to comment below if you’ve experienced anything similar I’d love to hear it! I’m managing just fine I’ve found a system to deal with my inconveniences (since it’s just more annoying and I feel I can deal with it) but if I can find a way to rid myself of it then I’d feel more normal!! P.s. does anyone know how to tighten minor loose skin?? My skin isn’t very loose but in some areas like my lower stomach and thighs it’s not as tight, I lost the majority of my weight when I was the hospital which is less than ideal but even still the skin is only slightly loose. I’ve heard working out can help (and I have little to no muscle right now I lost it during the hospital phase) so I’m working on that but if anyone has any other type of remedies I’d LOVE to try it! Thanks again <3

Ok, breath. Sounds a pretty common story so far from what you shared. You’ve lost weight (yay!) & you’ve experienced your first stall. You sound like you’re doing okay really. You didn’t say how much you’ve lost but while there are average rates of loss, some lose more rapidly, others more slowly. Age, amount you have to lose, starting weight, general health, how your body reacts, etc. will influence your rate of loss. And that’s fine. Weight loss is never a straight evenly paced downward line. It goes up & down, zigs & zags, plateaus., … As long as your general trend is downwards you’re doing great. Almost every single person experiences at least one stall. The first usually occurs around week 3 +/-. They usually last one to three weeks. They can be frustrating but are just your body taking a time out to come to terms with the changes (surgery, change of diet, weight loss, etc.) Just like you experience & react to emotional stress (like your current frustration), a stall is a physical reaction to the stress you’re physically experiencing.

My surgeon's office submitted it to my insurance, got the approval back in 48 hours, and then called me to schedule the surgery (it was 2 weeks out because the surgeon was booked). Given that insurance companies can take between 2-30 days for approval (or deny and then there's an appeal and all that) I would be leery if a surgeon scheduled me before they had the insurance approval first.

I think it makes sense to do it all in one go and get it over with. This way you don't have to suffer / be in pain three times. I've not reached my goal weight yet so I don't know if I'm gonna need one myself (hopefully not). But I will do it if I have to 😃

Had gastric Bypass and had B/P drop after about One week. Went to have drain removed and my B/p was in 80s like 84/56 and I told Doctor I was dizzy and they dropped me off one med. when I got home I went head first into lazy boy chair. Did not hurt anything by the next week my pressure was down again in 80s and I was having tough time standing so I stopped my last B/P meds and a week later I was much better.so yes It happens. Slowed me down on my walking because I was so dizzy. But now I can go out walking and feel much better.

Just checking in with my November buddies again. I'm 10 months post surgery. Weight lost 111lbs, BMI 24.4 so I've only lost 3lbs in the last month. One week did include a vacation when I didn't track my intake and had a bit more alcohol to drink than usual. Life's gonna be like that. My goal (that I set 10 months ago and never believed I could ever reach) is now 5lbs away and it feels like I'll probably make it. This surgery is the best thing I have ever done for myself. How's everyone else getting along? Lots of us must be close to or at our goal weight now. Anyone not doing so well and needing some support?

I think it's human nature (and perhaps in my case just basic nosiness, ha) to want to know how other people got on, even if it does result in some angst. Takes great strength of will not to. Usually you will hear that some people have lost weight more quickly and people have lost weight more slowly than you. Stalls happen to everyone and they can be really rough mentally, but they always break. In the first 6 weeks after my sleeve I lost 17lbs. I hope this is helpful to the OP. Good luck on your journey all.

I feel for you - it's hard enough going through weight loss surgery even when we lose weight at the rate we want to. Do you track calories? It might be worth doing so for a few days just to get a feel for where you are at the minute. Slow but sure can win the race just was well - don't give up, you're averaging a pound a week by the looks of it and that will all add up in the end.

I have PCOS and that is a factor when it comes to weight loss. It literally holds on to the weight. Also, if you start at a lower bmi, the weight will be slower in coming off. Are you sticking to the diet? Are you exercising several times a week? Are you snacking a lot? I agree, I would talk with your doctor, have your blood work done and hormone levels checked, and see if maybe taking Metformin will help. Also, pay close attention to your non scale victories. When the scale isn't doing what you want, those will be life savers.

I will try to look through my pics and see what I have…unfortunately to get the abdomen in a picture is a bit less clothed than I like to be in pictures, haha. My three week checkup went great, she said I’m healing incredibly fast. The drain hole is almost closed up (thank goodness). Still dealing with numbness on bottom part of left arm, but other than that I feel great. She released me to peloton workouts and walking longer distances and that has helped my mood considerably. My arm scars are still puffy and puckered in places due to the internal sutures/swelling so they look kind of scary at this point. My abdomen swelling is definitely still there but much less uncomfortable than it was even a week ago. I got on the scale and I was actually down a few pounds, surprisingly. I saw a number that started with 15 for the first time in my adult life. I am thinking I may still end up in the 160s because that seems to be my hold point, but it was a nice thing to see even if it was temporary.

Yep, did it all in one go. I’m not gonna lie and say recovery was easy but I was able to go back to work at 2 weeks and as of 3 weeks I’m able to get back to my Peloton rides and a lighter version of my exercise routine. I had about 5 lbs of skin removed over all.

Tomorrow's the big day for me! I can't believe it's finally here after trying to get to this point for almost 3 years now. I had a big scare this week just to make my nerves even worse: My wife got exposed on Tuesday to a coworker that tested positive for COVID. We had to wait to Saturday for her to get tested, and I got tested yesterday (it was the last required hurdle from my bariatric team). Thankfully we both turned up negative. I was seriously worried I'd be delayed. Especially after basically completing the 2 week pre-op liquid diet, it would have really been a letdown if I'd had to put surgery off even longer.

Hello all I thought I’d put my first post up to encourage others as I’m definitely a snail not a hare with weight loss, but getting there all the same. I had lapband surely nearly 15 years ago. Lost nothing. Didn’t work for me at all. Felt like a failure. Saved up again and decided to have the lapband removed and a bypass. Wasn’t that hopeful due to my previous experience but was desperate. Weighed 310 pounds and BMI 45. Surgery was fine with no complications. However I only lost a couple of pounds each week for the first few weeks. On about 500-600 calories a day. As food increases to about 800 calories at week 6, the slow but steady weight loss continued of 1 to 2 pounds a week. About six month stage I was light enough to join a gym. This made a huge difference to my mental health and energy. I took it slow but went three times a week. I was now on about 1000 calories a day and losing (you guessed it) 1 to 2 pounds a week. Sometimes I would lose 4 pounds a week but then nothing the week after. I didn’t really stall at all. I saw other people posting phenomenal weekly weight loss numbers. Not me! So here I am a year out and I’m eating about 1200 calories a day and losing 1 to 2 pounds a week. Lost over 100 pounds so far and feel fine plodding on as I am. So my advice is, keep tracking food, when you can try exercising, and don’t worry if your weight loss is steady like mine. You get there just the same. And, I’ve never felt better!

I think I need to stop the once a week weigh in and go to once a month.

I hear ya. I spent 6 days recently *gaining* weight every day despite following guidelines. I'm not worried, but I hope my body doesn't make that kind of week a habit.

*Big hugs* that is so frustrating! You have worked hard and want to see more for the efforts. maybe changing up your routine may knock you out of the stall. maybe a new beverage that will help hydrate you so your body can process everything else better? maybe getting a little more sunlight with a short walk? sometimes the smallest change can make a big difference and get things moving again!