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To the OP: I think you've got your research straight and your head on straight about this. I would not have chosen the bypass route for myself. I started at 235 pounds and am 5'5". Didn't want or need lifelong malabsorption, anemia, potential reactive hypoglycemia, or more potential complications. Go for the sleeve. Only one little caveat -- is everyone but you in your neighborhood getting a bypass because the local surgeon has a lot more bypass surgery experience and not so much sleeve experience? If that's the case, I'd be a little nervous. What you want is a surgeon who has beaucoups experience and success doing the surgery YOU will have. Just a thought.

It might be, but probably not. Presumably, the doc has prescribed omeprazole, or similar PPI medication for it. The sleeve is predisposed toward reflux problems as the stomach volume is reduced much more than the acid producing capacity, and it takes a while for the body to adjust (doesn't mean that one will have that problem, just that the odds are higher than the general population, in comparison, the bypass is predisposed toward marginal ulcers, dumping and reactive hypoglycemia, so there are potential problems with whatever procedure one chooses. ) Usually, the problem goes away as the body adjusts, but sometimes it doesn't completely and one needs to stay on some type of medication for it, or in extreme cases, revise the surgery.

There are two types of dumping, early and late. I had plenty of experience with early dumping. Anytime I ate a little bit too much, it would lead to early dumping. Because of this I learned to detect the signals my body gave me to tell me that I was at the edge, such as hiccups, sneezes etc. and then I would just abruptly stop eating not one more bite. But I never experienced high blood pressure or fainting symptoms. There is another type of dumping syndrome called late dumping or reactive hypoglycemia. The following link explains the two types. I met someone with this late dumping condition at a bariatric surgery support group meeting. He was not diabetic prior to surgery but after surgery, he experienced severe reactive hypoglycemia. He even fainted a couple times before he figured out this was a problem. Once he knew the problem, he knew what he had to do whenever he felt dizzy afterwards and found he could easily manage and live with that condition. Dumping Syndrome After Gastric Bypass Surgery But when I looked at your meal, I did not see anything to trigger this reaction. If you had a blood sugar monitor, it might be interesting to know what your blood sugar levels were during your dizzy episodes.

From: http://www.stopafib.org/causes.cfm In addition, atrial fibrillation can also happen to otherwise healthy people, especially when they are stressed or fatigued, have had too much caffeine or alcohol, have smoked, or have exercised too much. Other causes that are frequently mentioned include heart and other medications, recreational drugs, air pollution, chemicals and pesticides, and H. Pylori, which is often associated with ulcers. Another known risk factor is having too much or too little of some minerals in your body, such as Calcium, magnesium, or potassium. It is becoming more and more common at younger ages, including young people in their teens and twenties. Being overweight is often mentioned as a risk factor for afib, but normal and underweight people have it, too. One woman's doctor attributed her atrial fibrillation to weight, and it went away briefly after her gastric bypass surgery, but it soon returned, triggered by a sinus infection. We are now learning from a number of studies about atrial fibrillation in families as recent research has found genetic clues about why afib runs in some families. To learn more, see Mayo Clinic Finds Gene Mutation Responsible for Atrial Fibrillation That Runs in Families and New Genetic Cause of Atrial Fibrillation Found. About half of afib patients have obstructive sleep apnea, a stronger correlation than between afib and any other risk factors. There is also a high correlation between sleep apnea and other heart diseases, as sleep apnea is correlated with high levels of C-reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that indicates the possible presence of heart disease. It's also possible that afib may cause sleep apnea as well. Afib, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity all appear to be related conditions, so as we see a surge in obesity, we can expect to see more afib and obstructive sleep apnea, too.4

I'm hypo and have now lost about 155-ish pounds in round numbers from my recent high weight. I'm also on a drug called Femara that causes you to gain weight and am very insulin resistant with PCOS. It's tough. I had to obsessively watch what I put in my mouth, keeping things very clean, low carb and low fat. I kept my cals between 600-800 to lose (closer to the 600 end). I still have to be around 650 or so to lose. I maintain in the 900-1200 calorie range. At 7 weeks I was eating around 400-500 calories and 6 mini meals per day of less than 100cals each. Averaging 75g of protein per day as my goal.

Hello folks... I am 23 months postoperative. I was 3.5 lbs from goal and decided to up the daily routine of exercise wanting to hit goal, I am a slow loser. More importantly the emotional victory was really all that I cared about, not the physical. So Instead of my normal 600 calorie a day burn on the elliptical I started burning 750 calories daily. I managed to lose 1.4 lbs in a month, but started to become ill. Having all the signs and at times severe, of hypoglycemia. After three weeks of fearing to drive at times, I finally went to see my Dr. My normally very nice blood pressure was extremely high and she followed up with lots of blood work, a kidney workup etc. I was asked to check my blood sugars randomly and especially when feeling ill . I'll call them spells. I would tremble, feel light headed, blurred vision, rapid heart rate and overall weakness with a strong desire to EAT. This at times woke me in the middle of the night accompanied with cold sweats, feeling much like a heart attack or my impression of one. There were times at work I'd have a project in my hand and not know why, my thought process was on "hold". I was lethargic and my memory would shut down. After googling hypoglycemia I was convinced that was what I had, yet my blood sugars were always within normal ranges, my A1C (three month average of blood sugars ) was great. So more testing was ordered, I do not have the results yet, of all the tests but one thing I do know is that I had a 2 hr fasting glucose tolerance test and that was not fun. The test is simple. They check your blood upon arrival, my number fasting was at 93, then they make you drink a bottle of sweet syrup within 5 minutes, then I was SICK. Many of the same symptoms were replicated, although not all, I was near passing out, blurred vision, not even being able to focus on my Ipad. I thought I was going to vomit, defecate in my pants and maybe even stroke out. I could barely speak. and actually didn't dare to in fear I'd throw up. This lasted nearly an hour. At hour two they draw your blood again and it is suppose to be 140 or less to be in normal ranges. Mine was 56. I have done further reading and honestly never read about this prior to my surgery, but this seems to be a delayed symptom of the Gastric Sleeve. It's called Reactive Hypoglycemia. Protein and vegetables. I've added a slice of 15 grain bread or a whole wheat English muffin to my diet daily and overall do feel better. I've had a few spells, not nearly as bad as before, and no more night issues. My question is there anyone else here with the same problem? If so why had I NEVER heard of this? If someone has had this experience I have questions about whether this is temporary, will I end up gaining because i'm eating more carbs etc. Thank you in advance for your help!

I have been taking thyroid meds since 2005. And it not made me gain infact it has help. I have hypo thyroid See a specualist let the decide.

I'm a newbie here on bandsters as my lapband surgery is scheduled for this Friday the 27th. However, I'm definitely not a Newbie to thyroid issues. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease in the late 90's and hypothyroid. In 2004 I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. I had my whole thyroid removed at that time and follow up with radioactive iodine treatments 2 yrs in a row and have been fine since then.I am now considered hyPERthyroid as I am on high doeses of synthroid. One would think" Hyper"thyroid would help me lose weight easily but it hasn't. It's nice to find a forum here where I can relate to with this problem and know that it's possible to lose the weight, maybe slower then those who are not hypo or hyperthyroid. :-)

hi, i am also hypo and while i was in the hospital they dissolved it for me but when i got home i called my doc for another reason but i asked if i could take it with out dissolving it and he said yes because its small enough it shouldnt get stuck. Im 3 weeks out and have had no problems. Good Luck!

I have hypo too- I have lost fairly steadily since being banded Nov. 2009. My levels have been where they should be. My doc. wants to keep an eye on it though- he said dosage is weight related.

Thyroid disorder bandsters- curious as to if you think your thyroid complications hold up your weightloss with the band? Whats your overall opinion-- on how you work through it? I have Graves, but am hypothyroid now, treated with sinthrod and my levels seem to be stable for a year + now. There were quite a few bumps along the way to get physically heaalthy from all that. It certainly encouraged me to get banded since no matter what I kept a slow gain.... I was banded in March 2010, and loose 4lbs a month. Lots and lots of exercise, a healthy diet and finally better restriction- as I am a pretty new bandster. What is your average weight loss? Heaviest weight 244, Surgery weight 221, now I'm hovering at 204. If I knew how to set up a poll, I'd do one. Is anyone having better success? Did your meds require a different dosage as you lost? Any success secrets out there?

I am hypo and was banded in feb 2010 and have lost only 26 pounds....its super frustrating because I work out and eat right for the most part and have decent restriction...i take 100 mcg of synthroid and just recently had my levels checked and they are fine...

Hey Lori, Patty & Dave, Thanks fo each of you for the input. Great info. I'll talk to my Dr. today about switching to the liquid Prozac (I bet they don't have a generic for that one!!!) and I'll grab the liquid adult tylenol. I'll also stop the Lipitor for a couple of weeks & then start it up again. And rest assured, I will talk with my family practice MD to ensure this plan is ok. Patty - as for my Lipitor, I have a genetic high C-Reactive Protein that's some type of lovely indicator for the potential of heart disease (besides the high cholesterol). So I may have to cotinue taking the Lipitor even if/when the cholesterol levels drop. Guess I'm just lucky that way!!! Thanks to each of you. You are more help than you can imagine! Judy:)

wouldn't be dumping. "Normal" dumping happens pretty soon after you eat. What they call "late dumping" (also called reactive hypoglycemia) happens 1-2 hours after you eat, and can last a couple of hours. Sounds like you ate something that didn't agree with you - or else you've got a bug.

@@bellabloom - I am so sorry you are dealing with this and my response is a bit off topic, but I wanted to mention something. Have you ever been tested for autoimmune diseases? The reason I ask is that many of your symptoms sound like what I had when they discovered I had Graves disease (and likely Hashimotos but long story on that). Graves is when your immune system attacks your thyroid and you become Hyperthyroid (not hypo which is what you hear most people have). it was discovered when I was 44 and still at 320 pounds. The thing is, I had massive hot flashes, sweating, sudden weight loss, tremors, heart palpitations, etc. With Hashimotos, your thyroid will swing wildly back and forth between hyper and hypo and some of your symptoms sound hypo (hair loss, cold, low heart rate). (I too swung back and forth which is why I think mine was also Hashimotos but they had already destroyed my thyroid before testing for Hashis.) Anyway, all to say, is it at all possible there is something else going on in your body? A good rheumatologist can run a lot of tests but if it is thyroid related, they will refer you to endocrinologist. Might be worth checking out.... Best wishes on your recovery.

I am dealing with tjis too. My dr dx it as RHG its called Reactive Hypoglycemia. It comes on from losing weight and malabsorption. Whenever eating a carb i have to have protein to balance it out. An by carbs i mean even in fruits veggies an such. If you gpogle RHG it gives tons of info HTH

@proud3bme Thank you for your response. My surgeon said it's not uncommon for WLS patients to have "reactive hypoglycemia" from eating carbs. He said to avoid carbs. BUT...that's the thing, I haven't been eating them. Yesterday I had 9 g of carbs and that would be typical for me at this point due to the restricted diet they have me on. So he's not right...it's not reactive hypoglycemia (I researched it)...he was no help. I think I'm going to add in a few more complex carbs each time I eat from nutrient dense foods like sweet potatoes. Maybe that will help. I drank 1/2 of a Protein shake before bed and it didn't help at all.

I'm 6 years out and No complications. Like others mentioned, GERD and Vitamin deficiencies are the most common long term complications of VSG I saw in my support group. GERD can usually be controlled with medication and diet, but sometimes requires revision to bypass. I have yet to meet anyone that developed vitamin deficiencies that were taking the required supplements and having bloodwork done regularly. Much less common long term complications that I've seen in my support group through the years were dumping (although much more common with bypass and usually controllable with diet) and reactive hypoglycemia. There were far more long term complications in my group for people with Lapband or any of the bypasses.

I have what we think is RH (reactive hypoglycemia). My PCP suggested eating something every three hours or so. Seems to work for the most part.

It is common for some patients that undergo gastric bypass to experience a condition called Reactive Hypoglycemia. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/reactive-hypoglycemia/faq-20057778 So I do not know if this is common for gastric sleeve patients. But I would agree with GibbsGirl that this is the area that I would explore.

Any of these procedures may predispose you to some kind of problem as a result of the anatomical changes that the surgery makes; this doesn't mean that you will have such a problem, just that the problem shows up in more often than in the general population. With the sleeve, the main predisposition is for GERD, as a result of cutting back the stomach volume more than its' acid producing potential - usually the body adapts and adjust things over time, but sometimes it doesn't. I have mild GERD which is well controlled with mild OTC medication; a few get it so severe that no med controls it and they have to get their sleeve revised to correct it, while others - most people - have no problem with it at all. GERD problems may also result from poor surgical technique, and was more common when the sleeve was new to the WLS world 8-10 years ago and most surgeons were still figuring it out (this is why I traveled to a practice that had already been doing them for some twenty years, so avoid this kind of "learning curve" problem. Most surgeons in the US today are experienced enough with it that this isn't much of a problem anymore, but it does seem to show up more in countries that are farther down that learning curve, such as Canada and Australia. People with the bypass will also sometimes develop GERD, though usually more in line with general population numbers, and seems to often be associated with chronic over eating, volumetrically if not calorically.. This may also be why some with the sleeve also develop GERD after some years. The bypass is predisposed to dumping and its close cousin, reactive hypoglycemia, as a result of rapid stomach emptying from the lack of the pyloric valve in the active GI system metering the stomach contents into the intestines. Some people with the sleeve, or even no stomach surgery at all, may dump as well, but it is rare. It is generally controlled with additional dietary restrictions. The bypass is also predisposed to marginal ulcers, typically around the anastomosis between the stomach pouch and intestine. This is a result of the section of intestine being used not being resistant to stomach acid like the duodenum is (the part of intestine immediately downstream of the stomach in the natural anatomy, which is bypassed along with the remnant stomach in the RNY), leaving a very sensitive suture line that is easily irritated. This is why NSAID pain relievers and other similar medications are a big NO-NO with the RNY, but are better tolerated with the sleeve based procedures; one still needs to be cautious with them, but they are more usable with a sleeve than a bypass. For the benefit of the OP, with no prior GERD history, but a history of orthopedic problems, I would be inclined to go with the sleeve, owing to its better tolerance for the various pain relievers that you are inclined to need at different times. Good luck - none of this is easy, as it is often a matter of trade offs, and sometimes it's less a matter of good vs. bad as it is bad vs. less bad, or bad vs. not-great.

I have definitely had the hungry/not hungry feeling since surgery, so I totally get where you are coming from @Arabesque! 🥰 Anything too greasy has been completely unpalatable. I am very thankful I tolerate protein bars and shakes or I would be in a bad place for getting enough protein. I know I need protein to heal, but meat has not sounded good at all since surgery. We had dinner at some friends’ house last week. They served salmon and flank steak. I only manage a couple bites of the steak and gave the rest to Husband. I managed about 2 ounces of the salmon. 🤷‍♀️ I bought a jar of no stir peanut butter to keep at work to eat with fruit. The fat and protein should help with the reactive hypoglycemia to stabilize my blood sugar from the fruit. 🤞🏻🤞🏻I also have walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dips, cheeses. I already use high protein milk for my protein shakes, so they are protein packed. My goal is to maintain my weight at 130-135. I need to gain a pound 🤣🤣 I plan to start working out as soon as I am healed, which will help with appetite, but conversely burn those extra calories. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷‍♀️ So many skinny girl problems! 🤣😂🤣

I've never had a complication, but I can share what I've learned over the last two years. can you feel a difference between vomiting vs PB? I know the health complications related to vomit, and I also am not asking about the flu etc. -There is a big difference between PBing and vomiting. PBing is a gentle burping up of stuck food. Vomiting is a forceful retching. When you PB, it's literally just a burp that brings up food, almost like when you think of a baby spitting up. When you vomit, it makes your stomach contract and forcefully spasm. It's that forceful, violent nature of vomiting that is so dangerous because it can lead to a slip. Did anyone feel Ok but were told you slipped or eroded etc? ​-It's uncommon but you can have serious complications without pain or significant symptoms. How fast is papaya enzyme or pineapple juice supposed to clear you from being stuck? -It can take minutes or hours to resolve a stuck episode depending on the severity. However, if you're having them regularly, you should probably evaluate your eating habits to make sure you're not taking too big of a bite or eating too much. Stuck episodes shouldn't be a 'regular' thing. If you are having concerns about your band, call your doctor. It's always better to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to matters of health. Good luck.

Thanks for this! My daughter has been diagnosed with adhd autism spectrum v. Severe reactive attachment disorder. Ocd anxiety to name a few. I stress eat, so in the last 8 years. Since she came to live with us, i have put on 75 pounds. I need the sleeve as a tool to help me remember to eat reasonable portions and think about what I put in my mouth. The moe stress the more i eat the worse i feel a out mself which stresses me out more. I need to stop the cycle, i need to feel better about myself, feel healthier so I can tackle this lifetime commitment befor me. I am just now sitting in the psychiTrists waiting room in an emergency visit as my daughter appears to be decompensating.

I will order my powders and stop the Pure Protein. I have severe asthma as well as severe shellfish allergy. I am now concerned my recent increase with wheezing and shortness of breath instead of weather reactive could be due to the protein drink I have as meal replacement. I read on everything due to a reaction I had to a medication that had edible ink (squid ink). I contacted the manufacture and they stated it was such a small amount they were not concerned to list "if allergic to fish or shellfish do not use". I keep an epipen with me every where I go. Thanks for making your post!!!!!"