Search the Community

I had the Loop Duodenal Switch (also called SIPS). I originally was also looking into gastric sleeve, but as you can see when I started my journey I was nearly 400 pounds and my surgeon told me that the statistical average of gastric sleeve would not be enough to lose the amount of weight I wanted to lose and same for the gastric bypass. I was very much on the fence but eventually I chose the surgery anyway due to the surgeons experience and I figured he knew what he was talking about. Vitamin wise you do take more than the average WLS, but not that much more. I process iron REALLY well so I do a switch on my vitamins where 1 day I take 1 multivitamin with iron and 2 multivitamins without iron and then the next day it switches and I take 2 multi's with iron and 1 without. I also take 2 Calcium Citrate a day (because I process Calcium really well as well). In my 6 month labs I showed to have a minor Vitamin A deficiency so I take 1 dropper of liquid Vitamin A a day as well. I'll find out how that worked out in two weeks since I just did my 9 month labs today and my 9 month check up is on the 13th. I was 321 pounds on my surgery day and this morning I weighed in at 221 so I've lost 100 pounds in 8 months (and 1 week). Which, honestly, I'm very proud of. I don't have bad body odor, if that's your concern. It's more your bowel movements... stink. REALLY bad! And avoid anything with excess sugar alcohol because it may give you gas (like it does to me) and it's smells terrible. There are not as many people who've had the DS or Loop DS, but I've noticed it's been gaining slightly more popularity lately so there are quite a few people on this site that you can ask for advice from who've had the surgery. If you have any questions for me feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer them.

I was a pretty healthy person up until 2008, when my liver enzymes first became elevated. I had reached my then highest weight of 304, and then managed to get down to 263 through diet and exercise. My enzymes went back to normal. Then I got pregnant in 2010 and after I had my son, my health got worse. I was diagnosed with severe asthma around 2014, and my liver enzymes were elevated again. I started gaining weight steadily until I reached my all time high of 393 with a bmi of 69 (I am 5'3"). Back in January, I had my gallbladder removed.. I mentioned to the surgeon that I would be seeing a liver specialist because my liver enzymes kept getting higher and he did a biopsy while he was in there. The results were not good. I was diagnosed with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatic fibrosis. The surgeon said my liver looked really bad, and he didn't see me living past 60. I'm an RN and have seen people die of liver failure and it's awful. I was 48 (just turned 49), and I had wanted wls for a long time but our insurance doesn't cover it. What that surgeon said was a wake up call, and so I made the decision to pay for the surgery myself. I wanted a sleeve, but the first bariatric surgeon recommended RNY because of my weight. I had planned to get that, but then COVID happened and they laid off that surgeon so I went to a different one that my cousin had RNY with 10 years ago. He told me about the Loop DS. He said I was a good candidate for it because of my high bmi and since I was self pay. It's still investigational and not covered by insurance. So I decided to do it. I had surgery on July 23rd. I was 368 on surgery day. The surgery went well but I was very nauseated the first few days and vomited old blood just like NovaLuna described. After that, and a kidney stone 11 days post op, recovery has been pretty smooth. I never really had much pain. As of today, I'm 322 pounds, walking every day, and feeling amazing, even though I'm still significantly obese. I was to the point of barely being able to walk anymore, and personal hygiene was hard. I had just been diagnosed with high BP and put on meds in May. I've been off the meds since surgery. I just had my first labs and everything was normal. My liver enzymes are still elevated, but about half of what they were. It's wonderful to be active again and being able to walk with my husband and son, who is a very active boy! I still have a long way to go but I'm so happy I did the surgery and don't regret it one bit! Good luck to you! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I would add drinking sodas and alcohol and snacking with chips and candy

I had gastritis, Barrett's esophagitis, a Barrett's polyp, and a hiatal hernia. The polyp was removed. The hiatal hernia was repaired during my gastric bypass surgery. I was put on omeprazole after surgery and follow up scope showed total resolution of the Barretts! However, there were signs of eosinophilic esophagitis which resolved once I stopped whey protein. THEN....... I developed a bleeding ulcer 9 months post op. Fortunately, it also resolved with omeprazole and remains resolved now 19 months post op, with no medication. With the weight loss and elimination of whey protein, and time to completely heal (doc says maybe a rogue suture caused the ulcer), it seems that all issues are now resolved. I continue to avoid all caffeine, soda, and alcohol. PS: Chronic gastritis (inflammation) and irregular Z-line are very common findings in the general population. Once you lose weight and reduce the acid reflux, this may well resolve. It is nothing that will prevent surgery, and surgery will most likely help.

I was 389 pounds with a BMI of 61.8 at my highest weight (my height is actually smack dab between 5'6 and 5'7, but they don't give you that option on this site... and I don't do the metrics system) and wore a 34-36 top and 30-32 bottoms. I was 32 years old when I had my surgery 8 months ago. I had a surgery called Loop Duodenal Switch which is generally only for those who are super morbidly obese (BMI of 50+). I was 321 pounds with a BMI of 51 on the day of my surgery and weighed in last week at 222 so in the 8 months since my surgery I've lost 99 pounds. For the first two or three weeks it was hard for me to sit down and once I was down it was hard to get up because of the pain in the stitch where they took out the majority of my stomach. I had to sleep on the couch for the first two weeks because it was too much to get into my bed. I had issues getting fluid down for about three months, but eventually was able to get the amount I'm supposed to. I honestly didn't have an appetite at all for the first four or five months, but eventually my appetite did kick back in. And while I don't actually have to count my calories with my particular surgery I do sometimes out of curiosity and I usually get around 800 calories a day. My carb intake is usually around 60 or so a day. The pros (according to my surgeon) is a higher average percentage of weight loss. Considering I have hypothyroidism and can't do any exercise that requires me on my feet right now due to a heath issue I really need to rely on that average percentage rate. Cons are having to take more vitamins and consume more protein then the other surgeries. There's also a higher risk for malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies with my surgery (I have a vitamin A deficiency right now). Another con is that after my surgery I vomited blood for two days which I was told was 'normal' but they didn't warn me about it at all beforehand. I have a sensitivity to sugar alcohol and it upsets my stomach. I get dumping syndrome when I eat wheat so avoid it like the plague (except when I ate something that was made in a facility that processes wheat and I didn't realize it and I made myself sick last week). If I ignore my stomach when I get hungry I get unbearably nauseous. As for the amount you can eat... my surgery involves a sleeved stomach so I can tell you that you really don't eat much. I can usually get in about 3/4 of a cup now (about 6 oz, essentially a greek yogurt cup. I'm full after I eat one so that's about my limit). It's funny though because I used to be one of those people who would PILE food on their plate and still come back for seconds. Now my portions are tiny and if a family member asks me to make them a plate I get complaints that I give them too little lol.

Only if I have any excessive amount of sugar alcohol. If it's just a tiny amount I'm good, but any more than a little and it's pretty bad. I'm pretty good about avoiding it though so it's a rarity that I go over the amount that my body can handle.

When I was losing, I had the odd glass. I think the first was a gin at my cousin’s 40th at about 2 months but then I didn’t have another for months. It truely took me hours to drink the low ball & no effect. Alcohol just doesn’t interest me as much & I had at least one big glass every night before I had surgery. I find a lot of alcohol too sweet now even some red wines. I’ll have a glass of something if socialising now (but who does that much anymore) but it’s not uncommon for me not to finish it. Honestly I do consider if it’s worth the calories & it’s usually not. The concern about alcohol is the addiction swapping: swapping a food addiction, which can’t be easily satisfied after surgery, for an alcohol addiction. My dietician told me Esomeprazole medication does reduce the effects of alcohol (not the amount of alcohol in your blood steam). I’ve never seen reports of this but she was a pharmaceutical rep previously so ... shrug. I’m certainly not advocating its use for this if it’s true but it could also explain some of why you didn’t have any ill effects after if you are taking it.

I had my RNY revision for severe GERD (was causing intractable hiccups) on 8/11 and eat a pretty normal diet now. My portion sizes are definitely small but my sleeve was made into a pouch so I expected that. Very early on I did dump on some weird things though- whey protein blends that aren’t 100% isolate or collagen (not sure of plant-based ones), a couple broth based soups can’t remember which ones, and jimmy dean egg white scramble cups which has made me leery of trying real eggs. All the pain I had post-op is pretty much resolved aside from some random shoulder pain if I skip meals. (Surgeon was super confused! 🤷‍♀️) As to the alcohol, I don’t drink so no clue what that’s like or when would be ok.

I had my revision for GERD on 6/29 with a BMI of 22. I did not have much pain and resumed walking (starting at a half-mile) as soon as I got home. I walk about 3 miles a day at a quick pace and I'll go back to the gym when it's safe. I never had any problems drinking or eating while in the hospital and my surgeon said that I could have whatever I could swallow, so I did a couple of days of shakes and then moved to purees for a week, then regular food. I lost ten pounds during the liquid/puree days. I became lactose-intolerant, which was a surprise, but I can eat fat and sugar without dumping. I can eat scrambled eggs again, too, my sleeve hated them. I have not had any alcohol, I'm not much of a drinker. I think you'll be fine by Thanksgiving.

Agreed on this not sounding like alcoholism issue. Just talking about why it is a no-no early post-op. I don’t think a couple sips of anything is going be a big issue. I have had tiny sips of my husband’s beer and wine since surgery, probably less than a tablespoon collectively. I think the dangerous part is if everything goes ok, it seems ok to have more. Tek, you and Ms. Mocie can take this further if you want. I’m out😊

Again, to be very clear, I do not disagree with cautions against alcohol. There are a lot of things we should not be playing with in the first few months of which alcohol is one. The OP made no allusions to alcohol abuse or full blown alcoholism, we're talking a few sips, which themselves are not life threatening. What you are describing is a series of events each building on an unlikely result of the predecessor. The most common cause of staple line issues are too much food or drink causing staple line stress, which if constant and consistent start the series of events you are describing, which can then cause ulceration and bleeds, which can be life threatening. Pinning all of this on sips of margarita as the claim of a life and death situation is a stretch, at best. It's closer to scare mongering. Now, if it serves good causes, scare mongering can be effective. It can also itself be problematic. [Looking back, I realized you weren't responding to me directly. It's an easy mistake to make when you realize the world actually does revolve around me. ] Again, I'm not arguing that it's OK to drink in the first 6 months post op. As you say, I too have never encountered a program that said alcohol was acceptable in any quantity in the first 6 months. I've heard of at least one program where the surgeon asked patients to swear off alcohol forever. I am all about compliance and staying on plan. When it comes to the OP, the no drinking ship has sailed. It's water over the dam and under the bridge. It's a historical fact. All I am arguing is that sips of Margarita at this point in the OPs journey is not a "Life or Death" dilemma all by itself. Addiction and cross-addiction post-WLS is an issue. Ultimately, new addictions can turn into life or death dilemmas. No question. Kids at home, stay out of mom and dad's liqueur cabinet. Tek

Addiction transfer is a very real risk and one that should be kept in mind. As an anecdote, my best friend is able to drink tequila like water with very little intoxication. It's kind of fascinating. Give her one shot of rum and she's nearly three sheets to the wind. Please do be careful, though. As @MsMocie said, bariatric programs almost universally say to limit alcohol consumption to 3-6 months post-op and likely for very good reasons, regardless of type of surgery.

Ask your Team about their position on Alcohol. Their advice is is top tier since that's who will monitor your medical progress. Everything else is anecdotal at best. Good Luck ♥️

I think where @MsMocie was going is that alcohol can be extremely hard on the mucus membranes of your upper GI tract. This in turn causes erosion, especially in areas of healing suture or staple lines. Erosion can cause ulceration of this healing tissue and lead to GI bleeds. Many GI bleeds can be life threatening and are very common in heavy drinkers. A newly healing suture/staple line mixed with alcohol can speed up this erosive process, so you don’t have to consume much, which is why there is danger in alcohol consumption those first few months. Please correct me if I was off base on where you were going @MsMocie. Hope that helps, Tek. 😊

Same thing with alcohol or nicotine while still in the healing phase. Addiction/dependency got the better of people. Luckily most of the time no serious consequences.

First, let me say I agree with the whole 'don't break the rules, stay on plan' thing. If I were to look back on my posts here, I suspect I might find a post or two saying just that. Over and over. Could you expand on the alcohol and the idea it is a life and death decision? I've never heard this, and obviously, never heard medical support for it. In my personal situation, I had and have liver issues which for me mean: Alcohol and many drugs that may be hard on the liver I have to stay away from. But this is because I have specific medical concerns. DS: I don't remember the ins and outs of DS well enough to make any claims. Sleeve, Band: For surgeries that leave the pyloric valve in tact food/drink digestion works pretty much as pre-op. The restrictive nature reduces volume and things related to volume. RNY: the 'bypass' part causes anything one eats or drinks to dump directly into the intestines. As such, any alcohol consumed forces the body to work on it all now. This can be overwhelming to the liver. You can hit alcohol poisoning on much less alcohol. Drink often enough and cirrhosis can become an issue quicker. In the weeks can take for your innards to heal completely after surgery I've never heard that alcohol poses any sort of unique life and death threat. A good choice: definitely no. A life and death choice: I'd like to see the math. I do so enjoy learning new things. Thanks, Tek

Would so many sips have affected you pre-op? The sleeve wouldn't necessarily cause alcohol to have a different than normal impact on you post-op as pre op. You still have a pyloric valve, which is the gatekeeper between your stomach and your (normal) intestines. Early post op since you aren't eating as much alcohol might have a slightly greater than normal impact, just as if you were drinking on a nearly empty stomach. The sleeve creates restriction on what you can eat. It really doesn't change digestion. Good luck, Tek

No nasty comments or judgment, please. So last night, we went out for Mexican at a new place nearby. My husband ordered an organic, all-natural "skinny" strawberry jalapeno margarita and I had....water. 😕 After a few mins of him raving how awesome it was, I decided to give it a try - and yes, it was AMAZING. I had several small sips over the course of an hour, expecting at any minute for it to hit me like a ton of bricks, but it never did. It had absolutely zero effect on me, even though he insisted it was pretty strong. I'm just over 5 weeks post-op and at my appt. with my dietician last week, she mentioned I'd be starting my "general diet" on 9/29 and that nothing was off-limits as long as I could tolerate it (and choose wisely). I've also been eating more "normal" food lately without issue. Last night I ordered two "street" tacos - one grilled grouper, the other grilled chicken. I ate almost half of each one without any problem (I removed most of the tortilla - just enough to hold the food together). Neither the food nor the drink had a negative effect on me in any way. I also woke up 2# lighter this morning after being stalled for about 2 weeks. While I'm not a big drinker and haven't had any alcohol since mid-July, I do miss the occasional margarita or beer - especially during football season! I'm holding off on the beer though due to the carbonation. I'm NOT going to make this a common thing, but I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this? Absolutely no effect from booze? I should also add that I've had the same thing happen my whole life with other things...Benadryl makes me hyper, as does Hydrocodone. Nyquil gives me a buzz. Caffeine sometimes makes me drowsy. LOL! Maybe this is another weird quirk?

@loridee11 I’ve been able to hang with the concept that it’s a lifestyle change, and overall I do well. I’ve been getting exercise most days (I set a goal for September to just get a minimum of a minute of exercise most days. In the last week I’ve been smashing that and getting 30-50 minutes a day. I honestly really enjoy dancing and found that Just Dance (video games) is a lot of fun! It gets me up and moving around and I love it! I don’t drink soda (I drink soda so sparingly it’s easier to say I don’t drink it. I’ve haven’t had a soda in over a month, and before that it was likely 3-4 months since the last one). I don’t drink alcohol. My vice is sweets (which is why Gastric Bypass will be good for me, because I won’t be able to overindulge anymore!). I did a baking swap with a neighbor recently, bread for cookies. I shouldn’t have done it. One day I ate 4 cookies, but I countered it by getting more than 40 minutes of exercise. I’m not thinking about exercise as punishment though, because I’m really enjoying the dancing! The food swaps you suggest are great, however I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t eat heavy red meats anyway (though it’s something I miss on occasion). I get my protein requirements daily so far, in that I eat a lot of eggs, beans, and nuts. I’ve stopped eating things like chips and most snack foods—but like I said, I like sweets. If I just keep them out of the house it will be ok (I’ve been able to meter myself with those cookies now!). @WishMeSmaller Thank you so much! The air is horrendous over here. I haven’t had exercise outside in a long time, and haven’t been able to go to my farmers markets to sell my jam and bread because of the air quality. It’s awful. Up until the summer heat hit and then the smoke, I was walking a mile every morning. That made it a lot easier to stay motivated! Then the heat came (110+ days for 5+ days in a row), then the smoke...I have asthma, so I haven’t been able to be outside much. I think that took the biggest blow to my depression. Going on a walk in the morning before eating anything or even drinking coffee...it was nice. It set my tone for the entire day! And here I am now. But like I said to Lori, I’ve been doing Just Dance daily, and it’s really helping get me back out of that depression! @tarotcardreader Hi there! My surgeon isn’t giving me any flack over this. I haven’t even talked to her since my initial appointment. I think it’s more of a self mental block that I’m stressing out over. My PCP said that it isn’t a major issue if I don’t lose exactly 20 pounds. I’m back down about 8 since I posted this, though. I’ve gotten a lot of my motivation back and ditched the depression! Thanks for looking out. ❤️ @BigSue Thank you for this! You’ve inspired me to try out IF again. I’ve been not eating until 10/11am, and finishing eating by 6/7pm. It’s really helping to keep me back in check. Right now I’m just adjusting to the IF and logging again, and getting a lot of movement in. And then I’ll start adjusting my calorie goal to below 2000 again (they recommended 1500 for women at my first nutrition meeting). I figured it’s kind of hard to go from 0 to 60, so I’m going to ease back into it (someone suggested it somewhere! To just cut down a little at a time, instead of the shock that tends to come from going 2500 calories to 1500 overnight. It is likely to cause binge eating!). Anyhow, thank you so much for your encouragement, it means a lot!

Yes, I have the same sensitivities that eliminate a lot of food options for me. I can't have dairy, wheat, sugar alcohols and now most vegetables and fruits. I can eat meat but can't eat enough of it to lose weight. It also doesn't give me enough energy. Ugh, so frustrating!

For the first 3 months the cravings are horrible. I hated protein shakes they made me physically sick. I craved pizza every single day. At night I dreamt about pizza and ice cream and hot fudge Sunday’s. You have to let your stomach heal. I just ate a lot of chicken noodle soup, and stuff like that. I’m a big guy built like a linebacker. I love pizza and 1 year later, I can eat 1 slice and I’m overful and stomach hurting. Cramps, but I satisfy my craving. I can’t stress enough let. Your stomach heal. 25 days after my surgery last year was Halloween. I saved every single piece of candy last year in the past year I’ve probably eaten 3-5 pieces of chocolate candy bars etc, but that Halloween I craved and horded every piece of candy we passed out and I couldn’t touch it a year later it’s still in the cabinet. I try to eat healthier too but because I’m a big guy, I just don’t get enough calories going in to gain weight. I work out 4-5 days a week doing cardio. they should have given you pain killers after surgery. If the cravings are going to threaten your life and kill you eating something that is banned, then take a pain killer once. Once only. I did that when I drove to Wendy’s and smelled the fast food. My cravings went away and I drove home before the high kicked in. I almost killed my self considering banned food 30-45 days aft surgery. I still hoard food, over order, take food home I never eat after words, etc. I’m trying to live with the new me. we’re all in this together. After about 6 months the dreams of food went away. The cravings are controllable now. No more painkillers either, only if I have bad cramps eating something sweet. Girlscout cookies almost sent me to the ER the pain is so bad. Same with sugar cereal. I can’t touch it period. remember this too shall pass. Alcoholics Anonymous is a great support group. When I need to stop having a pity party, I go to an AA meeting or I get on my knees and pray. I’m not an alcoholic but AA is unconditional love. They accept and not judge everyone. If you sit and listen to other people fighting addictions and dealing with life, you will get a better perspective on your own healing and issues. ‘’cheers. Mark

Yes, I believe that I just have problems digesting the sugars in the fruits and vegetables and maybe the shakes. I don't buy anything with aspartame or sugar alcohols though.

I loved reading your story. Thanks for sharing it with us. Food is always gonna be a struggle, surgery just helps you get to your goal faster. Just like an alcoholic has to remain sober. Obesity is a disease. Please follow all of the guidelines that your surgeon gives you!!! I wish I would have never let sugar & alcohol back into my life. I am struggling so much right now. Best of luck to you.

first, alcohol is a lot of empty calories. Second, they want to try to avoid transfer addiction. Unfortunately, developing alcoholism after WLS is supposedly not that rare. that said, most surgeons do allow occasional social drinking (like one drink!) after a certain amount of time. I had to wait a year. Now I probably have three glasses of wine a year - and it hits me FAST!

Congratulations! That is a great BMI. I'm curious about what exercise you have found enjoyable, and whether you have a "go to" meal or snack that helps keep you on track. The 30 minutes after eating is hard. I have only had alcohol a couple of times (I am only 7 months out), and I find I can't tolerate beer, or vodka with seltzer. The bubbles I guess, but I did enjoy a nice glass of Prosecco the other day! We have not been able to go out to dinner really since my surgery (Covid) and instead are either sitting in other people's yards, or they're in mine, so we are usually chatting and I'm picking up during that 1/2 hour, so that helps. 4 drinks in a half hour is some serious speed drinking!