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Hey all my name is April I am 4 years out of GS 2019. I am having a lot of trouble and needing some support to maintain my weight. I lost 70 pounds before the pandemic but I need to lose these last 20 pounds please help.

The DS as a virgin procedure is more challenging to perform than a VSG or RNY, which is why relatively few bariatric surgeons offer it, despite its' demonstrably better performance (the RNY is "good enough" for most patients...) That's your first challenge - finding a reliable DS surgeon. Converting a VSG to a DS is straightforward for any DS surgeon, as the DS uses the VSG as its basis, so it's mainly a matter of adding the "switch" part - the malabsorptive part - to the VSG. Revising an RNY to a DS is another, much more complicated matter, and surgeons who can do that are few and far between. It used to be, a few years ago, that there was maybe a half dozen surgeons in the US that reliably did them, and I have seen references to a few more have joined the ranks in recent years. Rabkin and Keshishian in CA have both done them for many years, as has Roslin in NYC. I've heard that someone in Salt Lake has done some, along with some docs at Duke University in NC, possibly Kemmeter in MI. Some surgeons who don't do the DS will offer to revise to a distal RNY instead - that is a "long limb" RNY that has malabsorption more akin to the DS. However, it does not have a great reputation, and is usually not approved by US insurance as a primary procedure (but often will as a revision under the right circumstances.) My take on why it seems to be more problematic than the DS is that it is rarely done, and the surgeons and their practices aren't all that in tune with its' long term requirements. A DS, and by association the distal RNY, has a quite different nutritional and supplement requirement to the standard proximal RNY, which is well known to those in the DS world, but not all that well appreciated by those in the RNY world. Like with the RNY, and much more important with the DS, is to commit to having annual labs and follow ups for life - with the altered absorption and nutrition/supplement requirements, things can go askew in sometimes if you don't stay on top of them. Those who do stay on top of things typically have minimal long term problems. I would not go to MX for a procedure like this, as you really don't know what you will end up with. Historically, there has only been one reliable DS surgeon in MX - Gilberto Ungston - who, if not retired, is heading that way. He has trained a couple of others to do the DS, but I haven't heard of him doing the RNY to DS revision. There are, of course, the various horror stories of MX surgeries gone wrong, and in particular of those seeking a DS and getting "something else" (who knows what.) There are great, reputable surgeons down there for the VSG and RNY, but I wouldn't go there for something more complicated like a DS, unless it was someone well vetted in that procedure (such as Ungston,) - the differing legal systems leave one with no recourse is something doesn't go right (and the chances of that happening with something as complex and an RNY/DS revision are high there.) Good luck - it is a long search for what you need, and be prepared to travel. Being in CA myself, and my wife is a Rabkin DS, we have seen several successful revisions like this from both Rabkin and Keshishian, so it is viable when done by someone experienced with it. It, also, is not a simple outpatient procedure, and Rabkin's standard practice for travelling patients is to remain in town until at least the 10 day post op follow up. Most everything else can be done remotely (and they are set up for doing so.) Keshishian is similar in this regard.

I don't think anyone here can really tell you if you should or shouldn't as it's a forever decision and some people might not be suitable for it. You just need to be 100% honest with yourself and what you want in life and what you're happy to sacrifice to have it. But I will be brutally honest with you and tell you my experience. Are you happy to spend the rest of your life unable to eat normal size meals? Are you happy spending the rest of your life prioritizing nutrition and protein and avoiding high calories/high sugar foods? You'll even have to monitor when you eat and drink as you can't do both at the same time. These are some things people don't realize you will have to do. I think there's a big misconception out there that you get the surgery, and the weight just falls off and you don't have to do anything but it's so far from that, people do fail with this surgery, people do stay obese and some even gain the weight back once they've lost a little, it happens. You will struggle, you will have to see a nutritionist, you will have to learn to eat right, you have to learn to focus on getting as much protein as possible and if you eat sugar and chocolate and cakes, the weight will just come right back only this time you'll also have deficiencies. Even so, it's not a bad thing. I think all of that is a lot easier than being obese and I'm happy to have this as a life, if it means I can run without knee pain. Also there's more deaths caused by obesity than the surgery, having the surgery adds years to your life, just make sure you go to a legit surgeon. I wanted the surgery 12 years ago, when i was only 215lbs, had 0 stretch marks and was still pretty young, but many people talked me out of it and I decided to go hard core instead and crash dieted my way to 150lbs, within a year I was at 200lbs again and then after another year 250lbs, then crash dieted again to 175lbs, then I went all the way up to 265lbs and yoyo'd like that for 7years. My weight gain had started when I met my now ex, before I met him I was tiny and fit, it took me many months of therapy after I left him, to find out I was dating a narcissist that was feeding me to keep me fat and then using my weight as justification to hurt me and call me names... and prevent me from leaving him thinking i wasn't good enough for anyone. Every time I had lost the weight in the past, he would freak out and make me feel bad, accuse me of trying to get fit to leave him and that was part of the reason I think I yoyo'd so bad. I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and i lived with someone that enjoyed watching me in pain. So the dieting would have never worked. I got the surgery thinking that it would be the end of arguments and part of me thought it would make him happy in the long run and things would change but no, our relationship ended and now I'm actually glad, because if I had stayed with him, even with the surgery, I'd still be obese. Am I happy I had it done? Yes, but there's times when I'm sad I can't just eat a normal meal at a restaurant, thankfully you can take left overs home and eat the rest as another meal later . There's people that will never understand and will say you cheated, talk behind your back and just be rude. It's gotten to the point I don't tell anyone I had the surgery because I'm tired of justifying it. Overall for me it was the right thing to do, even if i wasn't in the right mindset at the time, because it helped end a toxic relationship, it fixed my binge eating disorder, I got therapy and have been working on myself physically and mentally with the aim to maintain my health for life. I've still got a long way to go but i'm already feeling better about myself. I actually bought a corset for the first time in 10 years having loved them when i was younger... And it fit and looked good!!! My insurance wouldn't pay for the surgery, so i used all my life savings and I'm still happy I did. Take the time to really think about this, look at all the pros and cons. Decide if your reasons for wanting it are worth it. It is an amazing tool to help you lose weight and I think with the right guidance many people will benefit from having this done but you need to decided it you're one of them. Either way, if you decided to do the surgery or calorie count, we're always here to chat and support you. All the best on your journey to a healthier life.

Hi I had my lap band (originally inserted 2009) removed and replaced by a gastric bypass yesterday at 11am and sent to ICU here in local hospital. No one told me and I’m losing my ever loving mind here because I haven’t had anything to drink since the tiny bottle of pre-operative body armor drink I was given to drink before my surgery! I was told to do liquid diet 24 hrs before and then nothing after midnight so 12:01 am Tuesday morning I stopped drinking anything, headed to hospital I was told to drink the little bottle of body armor which was about 7 oz. Arrived early taken back and done early and into ICU room by around 2-3 pm Tuesday. Upon waking I immediately asked for some water and was told that I am not allowed to have it! I was shocked and asked when it would be possible and nurse said that I have to wait until the next day and that I have to have a bariatric fluid drink and test before I can have a drink! I’m dying of thirst here and still can’t believe that this is happening! nothing I read anywhere says this!!!! Has anyone else been through this? I have asked when the test will be and they said they will check on the schedule and let me know. I’m also a little frustrated bc they have a catheter in me and I’m pretty much stuck in the bed here, I’d have preferred to have been able to go to the bathroom but they don’t have a real bath in the room either just a toilet and there is literally a door that has a window across the room about 8 feet away… I’m not kidding. I’m really feeling like a prisoner in here and the little prison toilet just ads to it! im thinking of calling the bariatric testing center to see if I can get some answers. Is this normal? Has anyone else had this problem?

Is this by family and friends? Medical team? I'm lucky that I live alone with my 16-yr-old. She very much minds her own business except to ask how I'm feeling and to encourage me when I'm feeling down. I have 10 living brothers and sisters, but they know I've been through this before. They mind their own business except to text me to ask how I'm doing. They mostly have questions rather than "reminders." I do have 2 sisters who have 20+ and 40+ years experience as RN's, so I do ask them a lot of questions about nutrition. Maybe they're just looking out for you. If they don't have personal experience with weight issues or WLS, they may not realize that their reminders can get frustrating. You could let them know how you feel. Just a thought.

Hello! I’m new to this website from all the research I’ve been doing. My surgery date was July 19, 2023.. tomorrow makes 2 weeks post op! 😊

Hey all, I had my GS done on 6/21/2023, and I feel like I’ve been going through hell ever since. My surgery went great and the healing process went normally. But the weirdness started happening around 3 weeks post surgery. SEVERE nausea and vomiting 3+ times daily. My Dr has me on Zofran which only works sometimes and I’ve been living my day to day barely eating or drinking ANYTHING. My body REJECTS water (tried all different kinds and temperatures of water, along with different flavorings; nada), and it comes right back up. Food stays down a bit easier but even the thought of eating most things makes me gag. I’m prepared for the backlash on the comment I’m about to make but honestly all my body lets me keep down is Sprite and occasionally some cereal. I know I know, I’m supposed to be avoiding sugar and carbonation. But honestly I’d rather get Sprite and cereal down than throw up water and chicken over and over again. My Dr says I’m part of the 10-15% of patients who experience severe nausea weeks after surgery, and that it’s something that goes away on its own.. Has anyone else experienced this?? I’m scheduled to get a CT scan on the 9th of Aug. to see what the heck is going on. I’m almost 50lbs down a little over a month past surgery and to be honest I’m a bit worried I’m losing TOO much weight? (TMI?) But I haven’t gotten my period since the surgery (I’m 20 so my period is usually pretty consistent). Brain fog is real right now!!! I take 30 seconds to process the things people say to me right now and 30 seconds to form coherent sentences. Is this from lack of food? Lack of water? Who knows, but it’s really annoying. This post is all over the place, but I feel the confusion of this post connects perfectly to where my brain is at right now. I have no idea what’s going on, all I know is my stomach hurts and I’m nauseous and I just want this nightmare to end so I can start LIVING. Thanks in advance for reading.

Aug 10 for me!

you know me, i am not a morning eater, but i was feeling hungry this AM so fixed myself a bowl of....leftovers. went to a bbq yesterday and this is a sample of some of the stuff we brought home: - 2 spicy baked chicken wings - 1/4 cup of cantonese chow mein noodles, including what looks like half a giant shiitake mushroom - and 2 "bacon cream cheese bites"...these were my contribution to the party (see recipe/instructions below...they are always a crowd favourite hahaha. i made over 150 of them and there were like 10 or so left..and i took 2, ha!) anyhoo: back to my breakfast...311 calories for the bowl...and ate it all.

I struggle also with getting enough water. For years I thought I drank lots of it lol apparently not enough🤣 Do you find that your sleeping has changed at all? Back when I first started this journey... I slept like a baby every night. 8 to 10 hours every night. These last couple. Of months... I have a terrible time falling asleep... And can't seem to stay asleep. Finnsmith... Thank you... And the best of luck with yours as well!! What kind of recovery time are you looking at?

I can't have yogurts or juices, or skim milk until after my surgery. I think they do the "lean and green" as an option because it helps clean you out. 😉 I started drastically decreasing my actual food intake to once day 30 days ago. So that has helped. I've lost 13 lbs since beginning of June. I'm hoping I can lose at least 10 the next 2 weeks of doing this. My hardest part now that I'm not actually eating is drinking enough water. I just don't get as thirsty and I have to make myself drink.

I'm not sure how much I was eating at that point because we were told not to count calories early out, but I'm sure it wasn't that many. I averaged around 800-ish calories from about months 2-10, I think. But then, plans differ. Your surgeon's office may be able to give you some guidelines.

My surgery is on Monday (less than 48 hours!). My instructions are to fast starting at midnight before surgery. I was told to drink 10 oz Gatorade 3 hours before surgery. Does fasting include water or can I drink water in the morning? I can’t believe I didn’t ask my doc this question! Thank you!

Most of my adult life I maintained my weight at 117 pounds with exception of two periods lasting a couple of years that I packed on extra weight. With dedication and vigilance, I was always able to lose the excess.....until "The Great Weight Gain of 2012". None of my previous successful weight loss tactics were working and when I hit the 10 year mark of struggling to lose the extra weight; as well as, growing health issues from the added weight, I accepted the fact that i now was unable to fight this battle alone. I chose my goal weight of 112 in anticipation of the common regain from the lowest weight acheived to allow myself a five pound alarm system....in hopes of never seeing the scales above 117 again.

Every plan is different. My first 2 months, I'm not to go over 400 calories. From 2 months to 4 months, I can go up to 500 calories. 4 months to 6 months, I can go up to 600 calories. And from 6 months on I can go up to 900 on days I'm not working out and 1100 calories on days that I do. My protein stays between 70-100, my net carbs always stay 30 or under, my sugar stays at 10 or less, and my fats are always between 35-45. I avoid all carbonated drinks (it stretches out the pouch, and upsets my stomach), I stay away from coffee but if I really need caffeine, I drink a glass of green tea in the morning (or black tea if I'm out of green). This is daily, not per meal. It's just how I've done it since my original surgery and I feel my best. And while my nutritionist would like me to eat a little more carbs, she approves of my eating habits because I'm healthy and my blood work always comes back great. Just talk with your nutritionist, follow whatever plan they have for you, exercise and move your body, and you'll do great.

Does everyone get a "nutritionist" with their surgery? I'm in a small town in Alabama, my surgeon doesn't have one on staff that I am aware of. He has a nurse that gives you the "plan" which is a pretty basic low carb plan where they want you to eat less than 4 oz, give you a little 4 oz measuring cup, say protein first, then veg then carb if allowed after you have eaten your protein but basically tell you that no carbs are allowed i,e., no cereals or grains. When I asked the dr about it, he said that since I was familiar with whole grains I was probably allowed those later on as most of his patients don't understand the more complicated diets. I noticed that most surgeons in the larger cities have nutritionists on staff. When I went to the only one at our local hospital a few years ago for a "class" about diabetes, she and I didn't exactly get on. I'm concerned that the plan isn't really a great plan, gives me no guidance on amount of carbs allowed per day, I know mine should be low. I also know that my body refuses to give up a pound unless I drop below 700 calories in a day. My goal is less than 500 calories per day. I'm seeing different amounts for the required protein amounts, some say as low as 45-50 and I see some suggesting as high as 80-120 which seems like a LOT of protein and calories to reach that amount. And can someone tell me where you found your suggested goal weight? Again, seems all the charts are different. I'm 5'9" larger frame 233 lb. I'm aiming for around 145-150? not sure if that is a good goal? I'm having the lap band removed and replaced with a gastric bypass on 08/01/23 so Tuesday! Hopeful but a bit worried in a small town here.

I am chronically low on D also!! I think it's due to my past 10 years as a vegan but went to Vegetarian about 3 years ago- BUT I still don't drink milk and I hate the sun LOL. Thankfully my Dr is proactive, and she put me on a weekly dose 2 weeks ago. Praying it's helping! I have the list of vitamins and I am sooooo confused, even though I am a Lapband patient (which basically tells you I NEVERRRR took my vitamins all these years) - my friend who is sleeve to bypass made herself a daily color chart, to help learn, I think I will do the same.

I have an update. So I went to to the hospital yesterday because my Dexcom kept screaming at me that my glucose was 40 and under. I was told to drink apple juice but it only allowed it to go back up for 5-10 minutes and dropped again. And also gave me the dumps. I was so scared and frustrated that I called my Doctor but I could only leave a message. I was already at the hospital by the time I got a response so I continued to the hospital. My doc said to drink diluted protein shakes only at this time for hydration. The hospital told me something is wrong with my Dexcom and that I should either replace it or do manual glucose checks. Personally I’ve never had my Dexcom go crazy like that. Ever. And I’ve worn it for almost 2yrs now. This is the first time it’s done it and it just so happened to be immediately after my surgery. So of course I’m going to trust my Dexcom. During the hospital visit the alarm went off 3 more times and then it stopped and gave me a better reading between 70-120. The hospital also gave me apple juice to drink but i barely sipped it because I didn’t want the dumps to come back. My glucose was still stable so after all of that and I was discharged. I’m back home I feel fine. My glucose is finally holding.

My surgery date is August 9th, and I'm on day 3 of my pre-op diet. Less than 1000 calories, 2 protein shakes and two low carb snacks, and 1 low carb meal at supper. Days 10-13 will be liquid diet only. I've been able to lose 30 pounds before surgery with the help of injectables, increasing exercise, and modifying diet. Off of the injectables now and have had to limit exercise. I've been struggling with the feelings of hunger.

Prior to surgery I went about 9 months without my period. One month post op I got it and after that for the first 3 or so months, I was getting it up 2x per month sometimes only 10 days in between periods. I was told by my surgeon and primary doctor that it was normal because of the estrogen being released. I started the pill 30 days after the surgery and I'm more sensible to it now, if I do not take within 2 hrs of the scheduled time, in a few days I start bleeding. I will contact your gyn to make sure its from the surgery and not something else as everyone is different.

That happened to me. I had the option for either surgery, so I chose the sleeve because I have MS and take several meds that can't be crushes, broken, and don't come in alternate forms. For the first 8 months, things were great. Then the GERD hit, which became gastritis and esophagitis, which was so bad it caused me to need 80mg daily of Nexium (and still had gerd break through), which caused polyps to develop throughout my stomach. 4 endoscopies later, I had no choice but to get the revision to bypass. Never been better. The PPI is down to 40mg per day and at 6 weeks post op we'll go down to 20mg daily and at 10 weeks we'll see how I do without any at all. The pain from the bypass was SO much less than the sleeve, the ability to get in my pills and fluids are SO SO much better. I wish I had just done it first. As for my MS meds, I am still on them, but since we know it's basically like taking 1/2 doses (that's the way it is for extended release, but not so much full release that requires the med to be taken more than once per day) I am having a MRI at 3 months post op (unless I have break through symptoms start before that) and if that's the case, I'll go on a different med (likely an IV infusion med that I would have to do 1x per week). There's ways around things with the bypass. Talk to your psych dr and see what can be done about your meds before completely writing off the bypass. I wish I had just skipped the sleeve, to be honest.

Anyone use the Viactiv calcium chews? At $.10 per chew they are 1/4 the other ones online.

I gain weight on steroids, every time. It makes cravings so intense and all I can stomach for days after I take them is ice cream. LOL It is weird and annoying. I know I'm not the only one that gets cravings on steroids. That said, if I needed them, I'd still take them. I'm prone to bronchitis and immune compromised. We never want it to turn into pneumonia so I end up on steroids for it each time. I think my weight gain averages about 10 lbs per round, which is frustrating but not worth risking my health for in the long term. But that's just me, everyone will have their own opinion and experiences. Have they tried giving you an inhaler for the bronchitis? You can get a steroid inhaler. I don't gain weight or have cravings with that. And they are really effective!

Also, this goes without saying, but congratulations on your 10 years of remission! That is a fantastic milestone!