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Hi Wendy- I found it important to confide in friends who I knew would see the surgery as an effort to reset my system and not as a vanity project. So, I opened up to three close friends and no family other than my husband and teenage son (whom I sat down and really went through the toughest reasons why with). My parents are gone and I don’t see my siblings very often - easier in that respect. And I also sought out references from friends of closest friends who knew someone who’d had the surgery and talked extensively about the aftermath and any complications. They were exceptionally compassionate and enthusiastic supporters. I really felt ready. The comments from a good friend group came in waves: “you look great”! Then, a bit of concern - “all okay?” Then, “wow, you look like a different person: are you on ozempic?” with a direct desire to know what was up. I told that group together but only after 3 month mark, asking they not share it with others. No one has been negative about it. I had a dear friend say, “look, if there was a surgery that would reset my brain to comprehend things more quickly, I’d do it in a second”. I had to explain it’s not a quick fix but I knew what she meant- getting one’s beast of burden off the mind. Re: Hair loss- timeline was strange - I’ve always had a thick head of hair and thought maybe I’d bypass the intensity of it. Alas, no- it started to really come out heavily in Aug/Sept. I was worried bc it didn’t slow down and had thinned dramatically but now the growth is back - slowed in Dec/Jan and I kept it short all fall. No one especially noticed enough to mention it. Again, all good thoughts to you as you begin this remarkable feat! You’ll feel amazing soon enough but I hope you’re proud of getting to this point!

Congratulations! I'm almost 4 months post-op from gastric bypass and my advice is to watch every video from Dr. Matthew Weiner (Pound of Cure Weight Loss) and Dr. John Pilcher on YouTube. These were by far the best resources I found, and I go back and watch many of them (especially Dr. Weiner's, and also his new podcast) all the time even now. Especially the ones on how to build lifelong behaviors to keep the weight off. One thing I did early on, right after my first bariatric appointment where I weighed in at my highest weight ever (yikes!) was order Dr. Weiner's books. There's The Pound of Cure, which gives a detailed, step by step way to make healthy changes to your diet, plus a second book explaining how bariatric surgery really works and then his bariatric cookbook (I also really like Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy by Kristin Willard). I made several of the changes recommended by the Pound of Cure (I didn't start with the 2-week diet, just started implementing changes I thought I could manage) and over time I lost about 12 pounds, plus just felt healthier and more in control of what I was eating. One other piece of advice: don't over-buy protein supplements. So many people on this board will tell you this, and I did not heed the advice. Now my cupboard is full of protein supplements I stopped liking after surgery and will never use. I've barely needed supplements after the first month or so, honestly. I feel guilty at how much money I spent on them, but I will likely end up throwing them all away (most are opened so can't be donated). If you want to stock up on anything, an unflavored protein powder is much more likely to be useful to you in the long run than the flavored shakes. But if you're buying flavored ones, consider trying a soup flavored one because the sweet ones get old really fast, even pre-surgery. Oh, and take "before" photos! I know taking photos can be so uncomfortable, but you will want them. Choose something very form fitting to start. I went with a pair of exercise leggings and a tank top that was so tight it was like skin. I took photos about a week after my first appointment, so around my highest weight, and then on the day before surgery and at each month-marker thereafter. So far, I've worn the same clothing each time, although I may need to change that as it becomes too baggy to show the progress clearly. Take your measurements the same day you take your photos. You may struggle to see (or refuse to believe) the changes in yourself, but the photos and measurements don't lie. Even if it's painful to see the photos now, you will be so grateful to have them later. I was in shock and wanted to cry when I truly looked at my highest weight photos, but I'm so glad I took them.

Absolutely DO NOT get the sleeve if you have GERD already. I didn't have it at all, yet when I originally had the sleeve, it gave me such severe GERD I also developed gastritis, esophagitis, and had to take 80mg of Nexium per day as well as Pepcid every day, and I still had break through GERD. I ended up needing 4 endoscopies to remove polyps all through my stomach and duodenum (caused by the high amount of PPI I had to take over a prolonged amount of time) and then had a revision to bypass, which solved the whole issue. It was a very miserable time. And again, I didn't even have any GERD or reflux to begin with. My doctor told me that if you do, the sleeve is not the surgery to get. Definitely go with a bypass. If your doctor refuses, find a new doctor.

I had mu Gastric bypass on the 7th. Mine went pretty well too. I haven't had any issues getting enough fluids. On the blood thinner shots, they will bruise you, it doesn't look pleasant. It something that happens taking thinners. The area where I put the shots looks like I took a couple chuck norris kicks to the mid section. Forgive me if I give to much info. The only problem I have is constipation. I've taken MiraLAX everyday, yet I still had an impaction. I couldn't free it myself and had to go to the ER to get everything to pass. The surgeon told me it could happen after surgery because of pain meds and Anesthesia. Plus I was on a two week pre-op liquid diet and was supposed to be two weeks Post-Op. So you get no fiber to help things along. Since my issue, the Doctor said I could go ahead and eat pureed/soft food. Even starting it early by a week, I've had no issues. Though, I can only intake a cup of food or less. It's very different. Wish you the best of luck.

I just had mini bypass revision from sleeve as I had severe GERD. Now I have bile reflux ☹️

I initially had VSG in 2017 and was revised to RNY in 2019. I have no horror stories. Some mild but utterly manageable complications early on but nothing that has made me regret life post RNY compared to VSG. Honestly to me it feels exactly the same and I have lived with the change long enough to make the comparison. In the early stages post revision, I needed to relearn and change some things but after that it’s been smooth. I deal with dumping syndrome (but I did with VSG also) so I know what to stay away from and it has eliminated 95% of the possibility of it happening. As always, your experience may differ in any number of ways but IMHO the people who struggle the most with revisions are the ones who either have very serious physical complications or those who didn’t want to be revised at all (this is more mental than physical). I hope you choose the best path forward that you are comfortable with. Keep us updated ❤️

I went to see my GP this week to get some testing done. I actually looked forward to going, knowing things would to be better than the last time I saw her pre-op. She along with everyone in the office flipped out when they saw me. I'm down over 80 pounds in 5 months. The nurse said I lost a small person. LOL I could fit comfortably in the chair when they drew my blood. You know that little table that folds down in from of you? I had room to spare. She asked if I was having fun buying new clothes. I told her yes. I love thrifting and now able to get around to do it. The head nurse had to come in and take a gander at me. She called me yesterday and told me my bloodwork results were amazing. Everything is in normal range now. I am no longer pre-diabetic. Even my liver and kidney functions are normal. Those things scared me the most and my main reason to get the Gastric Bypass. Don't ever let anyone tell you those things aren't reversable. My GP said she can't believe my numbers. Told me all her sleeve patients don't have these kinds of results in a year, even after prescribing them Ozempic. She sees patients from a local surgeon who only does the sleeve with no follow up support. I'm guessing most of those people aren't following any protocol because I see the good results on here, every day, of sleevers' success stories. I love reading them. I went out of town to get my bypass in April that thankfully has a great Bariatric support team. I go back to see them for my 6-month checkup Oct 11. They did a vitamin panel on me last time and all was well except my B12 was a bit high but nothing to worry about. And I go back in January for my annual physical with GP. Was told they can hopefully start taking me off my meds. I will be closer to goal weight by then. Something else to look forward to.

Wepa! Have you already had your surgery? I would first recommend you speak to your team/dietician on specifics. Every program differs in some ways. Also what people can tolerate also differs. I personally had the bypass not the sleeve, but I don't think there is too much difference in the stages. While many programs don't typically give exact calories and carb totals, a lot recommend 50g or under for daily carbs. I would think it may not be the best to try to have plantains in the pureed stage. Your main goal is protein and fluids and plantains are a pretty heavy carb. I would try to hold off to a little later stage when your capacity is a little better. I think I tried maduros around 4 months out, but really just a taste. Gandules might not be a bad option as beans provide a good amount of fiber as well as protein. There definitely will be room to enjoy all the favorite traditional foods down the line, just in far lesser quantities. I can tolerate rice - however I've only had like 2 spoonful's of arroz con gandules at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I had a revision from vsg to bypass due to gerd over 2 years ago. I don't regret it. I'm sorry I waited so long. I don't know the future but up till now, it's been a very smooth transition.

So my surgeon said that because of the conditions it would be better for me to have the 'harder hitting' surgery - by that he means the one that has the slightly higher % of weight loss results afterwards! He also said that the bypass is more effective in balancing out hormonal issues compared to the sleeve, and that what I need is an entire metabolic reset!

I had the sleeve surgery so not sure if same for bypass but I couldn't keep the chewables down and even the smell of them turned my stomach so I went onto the capsules early on. I do take a chewable calcium now as it is a raspberry gummy one which is more like a sweet.

Why are you scared of the bypass? The recovery time was really easy and short, there's a hard stop when it comes to eating, not everyone gets dumping syndrome but if you do it teaches you REALLY FAST what not to eat, and you lose more weight faster with it.

The following is a list of abbreviations commonly used on this board. ACL = Anterior cruciate ligament AGB = Adjustable gastric banding AMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible (crossfit) AT = Aspiration Therapy BB = belly button bc = because BCBS = Blue Cross/Blue Shield BDD = Body Dysmorphic Disorder BED = Binge Eating Disorder bf = best friend BM = bowel movement BMI = Body Mass Index bp = blood pressure BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder or Biliary Pancreatic Diversion bs = blood sugar btw = by the way C25K = Couch Potato to Running 5K CBT = cognitive-behavioral therapy CC = common channel c diff = clostridium difficile cos or cuz = because CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure CRNP = certified registered nurse practitioners CT = Computed Tomography (commonly called CAT Scan) cw = current weight CXR = Chest X-Ray DDD = degenerative disc disease Dr. = doctor DS = Dumping Syndrome or Duodenal Switch EBT = Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies EGD = Esophagogastroduodenoscopy EKG = Electrocardiography ER = emergency room ESG = Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty ff = fat free f/u = follow up GB = gastric bypass GERD = gastroesophageal reflux disease GI = gastrointestinal GIF = Gastric Intrinsic Factor GNC = General Nutrition Corporation store GP = general practitioner or family doctor HBP = high blood pressure hr = heart rate hw = highest weight ICU = Intensive Care Unit Idk = I don’t know IGB = intragastric balloons IF = Intrinsic Factor IMHO = in my humble (honest) opinion IMO = in my opinion IUI = Intrauterine insemination LAP Band = Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band LES = lower esophageal sphincter lol = laughing out loud LSG = Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy med = medicine MFP = my fitness pal MGB = Mini Gastric Bypass msg = message NAFLD = nonalcoholic fatty liver disease NASH = Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis nf = non fat NG = Nasogastric NP = nurse practitioner NSAIDS = Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSV = non-Scale victory (“scale” means “weight scale”) NUT = nutritionist OA = Overeaters Anonymous omw = on my way Onederland = a magical place or destination for those trying to lose weight. It might correspond to attaining a weight in the hundreds or losing a hundred pounds. op = operation OSA = Obstructive Sleep Apnea OTC = Over the counter Oz = Australia PB = Productive Burps PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCP = Primary Care Physician PICC= Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter PM = private message (email) PMS = premenstrual syndrome POSE = Primary Obesity Surgery Endolumenal postop or post–op = post-operation or post-surgery PPI = Proton Pump Inhibitors ppl = people preop or pre-op = pre-operation or pre-surgery PTSD = Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PVC = Premature ventricular contractions RA = Rheumatoid arthritis RH = reactive hypoglycemia RN = registered nurse RNY = Roux-en-Y RTD = ready to drink Rx = Prescription medicine RYGB = Roux-en-Y gastric bypass SADI-S = single anastomosis duodeno–ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy s/f or sf = sugar free SG = Sleeve gastrectomy SIPS = stomach intestinal pylorus-sparing surgery smh = shaking my head, scratching my head SO = significant other SOB = shortness of breath st = stones (a unit of weight measurement) sw = weight at surgery tmi = too much information TPN = total parenteral nutrition TT = tummy tuck TTC = trying to conceive Ty = Thank you. [but according to the urban dictionary “Ty” is also an abbreviation for “a total stud with a massive carrot”.] u = You UGI = Upper Gastrointestinal VSG = Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Vit = vitamin wks = weeks WLS = Weight Loss Surgery WOD = Workout of the Day w/o = without wt = weight

There is nothing wrong with you... First, when we have surgery, a lot of nerves are cut that need time to heal. These are the nerves that tell us we are full, or getting full. So you are not getting accurate feedback from your stomach right now. These cut nerves take several months to heal fully. I noticed a distinct change in my fullness cues around 3 months out. Second--just because you CAN eat that amount doesn't mean you SHOULD (I'm so thankful the regulars here remind us all of this early post-op). You aren't getting accurate messages about your restriction right now, and different foods will cause different feelings of restriction or lack thereof. Try to stick to the small portions your dietician should have gone over with you. You have a lot of sutures holding your healing tummy together, you don't want to stress them. Take your time here, there is no rush. Third--different foods will cause different feelings of fullness. Purees often don't cause fullness, even meat purees. When you get into soft foods you might start to feel restriction when you eat denser proteins. But again, your stomach is still healing, so it may take time to feel your restriction, and some people never feel strong restriction, or don't feel it until they are overly full. This is where it is important to measure out your portions and eat tiny bites, slowly, watching for any signs of fullness. For us post op that may feel very different than it did pre-op. For me, for the first few months, all I would get is violent sneezing, intense hiccups, runny nose, etc... It took a while before I started feeling internal pressure with fullness. Fourth--Hunger is a b***h! Some people lose it, not everyone does. I woke up in recovery STARVING!! I was so mad. 😂I felt like I'd been given a faulty surgery. LOL But it really made me learn to work with my hunger cues and to sit with the discomfort of being hungry for a while. I was very, very hungry the first few weeks because nothing feels like it has enough substance to calm that ravenous hunger. This will ease in time as you progress your diet. For now all you can do is learn to distinguish head hunger from body hunger and learn to deal with the fact that sometimes we feel hungry and that's okay. Lastly, many people can drink water freely post op. You don't list your surgery, but this is very common with gastric bypass patients, though I have seen it with sleeve patients too. Once the internal swelling goes down, many can drink water easily. This is a blessing, since dehydration is the #1 reason bariatric patients end up in the ER post op!

Anyone experiencing itchy skin? My stomach and back itches very badly, no rashes or dry skin is the issue. It itches along my stretch marks. I had Gastric Bypass on 8/16/24, I am down 63lbs. Any solutions or similar experiences?

I took Latuda for bipolar when I had my sleeve three years ago and my prescribing doctor was concerned about me not getting enough calories in the beginning for it to absorb properly as well. (For those who don’t know about this particular medication it’s not about it not absorbing due to the surgery itself like many controlled release meds. This med needs the 350 calories in order to absorb fully for anyone, not just people who had surgery). Anyways, My doctor switched me to vraylar for a couple of months prior to surgery just to make sure I was stable on it and then a short time after until I was back to being able to consume 350 calories at one time. The vraylar is quite expensive but luckily they were able to get enough samples for me. The plan was to switch me back once I was eating enough. What was weird and unexpected was post surgery when he tried to switch me back to the Latuda all of a sudden it caused me a great deal of anxiety and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore (even though I was on it for three years before surgery) so he kept me on the vraylar a little longer until things got back more normal for me and then made another change. I am now on a completely different medication. Neither the surgeon or prescribing dr could explain that anxiety except that when you alter the anatomy things just happen sometimes but I just worked with my prescribing dr and he sorted it out. The most important thing is that your prescribing dr and your loved ones are very aware that you may encounter some issues and that everyone is on top of it. If you feel the slightest bit off, you may need to be the one to contact your Dr. You mentioned “the switch” as an option. Not sure if you are speaking if the SADI switch or the Duodenal switch but both of those are restrictive and malabsorbing surgeries. The reason they suggested the sleeve for me was because they were concerned about my other meds not absorbing fully just because of the malabsorbing component of the other surgery. Fast forward three years and I gained my weight back and we are now considering conversion to the SADI or bypass because I gained my weight back. I gained it back because I ate the wrong things though so don’t let that scare you. I only mention it because I’m guessing you can see my current weight and may wonder why I didn’t lose. I did lose quite a bit and maintained it for a while but I was discouraged I didn’t lose it all and I let that get to me. Which is something you should be aware of, you may not lose as much as someone who is not on all these meds. Just don’t get too caught up in comparing your journey to others. I am 5’8” and I got down to 168. I would be so much happier and healthy now if I had just accepted that win instead of getting it in my head that I failed by not making it to where others did.

Well, I think you look spectacular and very healthy. The transformation is absolutely stunning! I also think as our population trends heavier, we don't see the extra weight as much. I was a chubby kid, and I was like one of maybe 3 chubby kids in my entire grade, not just my class. I dieted like an idiot as a teen and got down to 126 lbs and I was nowhere close to the thinnest person in my friend group. Nobody said anything about me getting too skinny, for sure. I gained weight in college and by the time I graduated, I was overweight again, and obese by the time I hit my late 20s. I always felt like the biggest person in the room (at, like 210 lbs). But by the time I was in my mid-30s, I started seeing bigger people than me all around. Everyone was getting bigger. My weight went up to 225, but many of the parents of kids in my daughters' grades were way bigger than that. It almost had an insulating effect from my own weight gain, because I was no longer the biggest person in the room. I just kind of looked normal. When a friend heard I was getting bypass, her first response was "but you're not that big" and at this point I was 250 lbs with a 40+ BMI, plus high blood pressure, prediabetes, and high cholesterol. And this was from a person who is in the healthy BMI range and never been overweight. So I definitely think we've become so used to seeing larger people that we think "obese" is a term reserved for the people on television shows who weigh 600+ pounds. And, of course, the rapid weight loss from surgery is jarring so people notice it more. But don't let their comments get to you!

YA'LL.... I am officially in a size XL (also known as a 1x). It's one thing to be pretty sure (when you don't actually have that size but the one above it is too big, so you assume) and it's another to put it on and it fits PERFECTLY. Tops AND bottoms. And the size 6 rings are starting to get a little loose. I have 18 pounds to go to hit my goal weight (I weigh 213 right now), and I wonder if I'll be in a 5 1/2 by then!!! The last 30 pounds have been a REAL fight to get off, but seeing the changes in my body and clothes has been amazing and fun. I feel so much better, I can do so many more things, I look so much better, and on a fun note, I went to a higher end thrift store to get some clothes and I was SOOOO overwhelmed by the choices in my new size!!! I started off as a size 28/30 (5x) and would literally just take whatever I could find in my size. Now, there's so many styles and designs and colors and brands lol It's been almost 30 years since I've been this size. I had literally no idea how fun it could be to go clothing shopping!!! And can I just say, my latest blood work shows my A1c is 5.5, fasting blood sugar is 98 and non fasting is 109, and all the rest of my numbers are literally perfect!!! This past weekend, my son and I went on a 8 mile hike, and other than being tired at the end, I didn't have any issues!!! This surgery is literally the best thing I've ever done for myself and my family. Even with all the complications, the revision, the hernia surgery and THOSE complications....I would do it all again to get where I am now. 18 more pounds to go and I'M THERE, ya'll!!!!! OMGGGG!!!!!!

I think 21days post op and losing 16-18lbs is great! I just learned in this community that revision surgery have slowly weight loss. My doctor and me doing my own research never came up till I found this site. i am also feeling that I am having multiple stalls. Before pre op diet I lose 15lbs on my own, then during pre op diet I lost 8 lbs on the first week of liquid diet and stall for one week have no weight loss. Then went into surgery while having the stall. After the surgery, I gained 7 lbs of water retention from the iv I got from the hospital. It took a few days and get back to my surgery day weight, then I loss about 5 lbs in a week. so almost 2 weeks after surgery only loss 5 lbs. So 16-18lbs is great! I am jelly here. But like many said everyone is different, although it’s hard, but I am trying to positive.

at 7 months my triumph/sv was reaching a my "revised" goal. i basically called goal 7 lbs above my original as i felt as i was looking way too skelator-ish. I was eating about less than 800 cals a day at the time and decided to start upping my cals. got to about 1500 cals 3 months later and settled into about 1800 today (5+ yrs later) ..,i was up to over 2300 at one point, but i was an exercise fiend during that era. i was exercising min 1 hour a day (sometimes twice a day) almost every day at the time. Today im at it 1-2 times a week. despite all this i weigh less today than both my original and revised goals. go figure. AND, i dont look skelator-ish at all. SCORE! lol WLS is still one of the best decisions i've made so far. Good Luck! ❤️

This is a weird thing to bring up, but I am curious if anyone else has experienced this: I had a gastric bypass back in February and for the past 2 or 3 months it seems like I have been having large and frequent bowel movements. I often go 2 times a day and sometimes even 3. It feels like I am going more now than I did before my surgery even though I am eating less than half of what I used to. I'm guessing this is due to the bypass, but it just seems like there is too much coming out of me for the amount of food going into me, it doesn't make sense.

I have yet to see a nutritionist or dietician that truly understands the optimal diet for a SADI or DS patient. Most of the time we just get a modified version of what they give Bypass and Sleeve patients. But as you say, you aren't absorbing as much as they are, therefore to give you their requirements would leave you malnourished. 15 grams of fat is absurd by all medical standards. Most medical studies show we need 60 grams of fat for proper hormone function and even if you ate 60 grams of fat, with an altered digestive tract, you aren't absorbing that much, so you need to eat a little more than that. Even the ASMBS recommends 60 grams of fat by 1 year out!! Your dietician is not following best practices. Most SADI/DS patients I know follow the vets that have been living with this surgery for 10+ years and maintaining their weight loss. We figure they know more about optimal diet than a surgeon who has never lived with this surgery, or a dietician that has never even researched best diet for bariatric patients of various surgeries. Most patients I know are eating 100-120 grams of protein, less than 50 grams of carbs, and over 60 grams of fat, usually around 100 grams of fat for SADI and 150 grams for DS. You can increase your carbs once you have reached your goal weight, they tend to slow/stop weight loss, so in active weight loss it is important to keep them low so you stay in ketosis. A calorie range makes dieticians feel better, but it makes no sense for a SADI or DS patient because we malabsorb so much fat we can't even begin to properly calculate our calories. You could eat 1200 calories, but that wouldn't be what your body is absorbing. I'm sorry this is so complicated. In the end you have to decide what you feel best at. I don't feel good following guidelines like your dietician gave you and when I go over 50 grams of carbs I stop losing weight. So...yeah. I'm going to follow what allows my brain and hormones to function, what makes my skin, hair, and eyes feel best, what gives me the most energy, and what allows me to lose weight steadily. I'm the one that has to live in this body. It is sad these surgeries are so uncommon there are no good studies about optimal nutrition for them. But there is no way I'd go below ASMBS guidelines, they are the closest thing bariatric surgeons have to a standardizing body. Your dietician should be able to give you ASMBS guidelines for your surgery.

Hello all! I feel like I am constantly posting on here, but I always have things I want to talk about with others who are in the same place as me! I have PCOS and an underactive thyroid, which is a big reason that my surgeon has recommended the gastric bypass to me, rather than the sleeve. I wanted to know if anyone had any experiences with these conditions, and how they improved after surgery?

Hey all, I am pre-op for a Gastric Bypass with Heller Myotomy due to Stage 3 Achalasia. I have read some posts about cigar smoking after surgery, but haven't seen many with what procedure I am going to have. That being said, I am not a frequent smoker and I do not smoke cigarettes. I do enjoy an occasional cigar, however my surgeon has stated that there is no way that I can smoke after my surgery. This kind of sucks if I will really have that many complications because of some traditions we have within my workplace as a Paramedic and Firefighter. My question is, has anyone had this procedure and if so, have you had any complications with smoking a cigar post-op. Thanks all.

Menopause is the worst. It’s when I gained my weight. Went from 60 to 75kg very quickly during perimenopause. This was my usual fluctuation so I didn’t worry that much. Then entered full menopause & bam another 15kgs. I swear I gained it overnight. Several of my friends were the same - gained 10-15kgs very quickly with menopause. Couldn't really shift a kilo of it. Drop a couple & put them straight back on. I had hoped that being on HRT might balance out my hormones & help me lose some weight but nope. Struggled for a couple of years. Wasn’t happy. That’s when I decided to have my sleeve. Why don’t you try getting in contact with a bariatric surgeon to discuss your revision options like to a DS. Does your surgeon who did your RNY still practice? Have you considered whether the new GLP - 1 medications might be an option? Certainly worth a conversation with a surgeon. PS Congratulations on your long term success with your original surgery. Such an achievement.