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Everyone's experience is different, but generally speaking, this is a very safe surgery with low complication rates. I'm 6.5 months post-gastric bypass and I'm doing great. I've lost 100 pounds since my surgery. I only had to spend one night in the hospital, and I had very little pain. I didn't need to take any pain medication, not even Tylenol, after I left the hospital. The gas pain was pretty bad when I first woke up, but it didn't last long. The first few weeks after surgery are the hardest, and a lot of people experience temporary feelings of regret at some point during that time, but once you get past the liquid/puree/soft stages and you start to see results, you will probably be very happy that you decided to have the surgery. Most of us are. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your journey with me. I definitely feel that I haven’t spent enough time educating my wife. I know she wants the nest for me and it’s my duty to explain to her why I think this surgery is a good option. For example, I’ve read somewhere that the risk of developing Heath complications from my diabetes way outweighs the risk of the surgery. I will try to get my wife onboard.

Thanks a lot. I will reach out to the doctor. By the way, I have BUPA gold coverage. I am just waiting for the 12 months waiting period to pass (5 more months to go). I am hoping that the process to get BUPA to approve is not complicated. Do you have an idea about that? I tried to chat to BUPA about the process and the pre-requisites but no one gave a satisfactory answer.

Yes, what you're feeling is very common (I did a search on the forum and you can see several threads about it). A lot of people describe it as a cramp or a pinch. I had it as well. I would swallow and then I could count about two seconds...one one-thousand, two one-thousand... cramp! It was like a painful spasm in my tummy. My surgeon told me it was just due to my stomach not being fully healed yet and there still being a lot of internal swelling in there. I had it for quite some time but it did go away little by little. Eat slowly, take small bites, chew very thoroughly. When you drink something, take small sips, don't gulp. As you heal, that feeling should pass. Edit to add: if it doesn't go away or gets worse, be sure to check in with your surgeon. A few people have a complication called a stricture, that can cause similar feelings. But in the majority of cases, it's just part of the healing process and will clear up on its own.

I live in Canada and I did self pay and it was about 20,000. There were a few things like medications, bloodwork and other tests that were covered by our Medicare. When I was researching options, the surgery typically was cheaper in US then Canada. I know now might not be the best time with COVId but lots of people have had great success with clinics in Mexico for much less then what I paid. That being said do your research and make the best decision for you and your family. At the end of the day my husband didn’t feel comfortable with me going to Mexico to get it done even though I felt confident. One good point he made was if there were any complications the bills could mount up quickly and I’d be far from home. good luck with your decision. I am happy I got the surgery and don’t regret it even though it was expensive.

I’ve been researching wls for years and am finally scheduled to get a sleeve next month. Today I had a checkup with my PCP and mentioned I was having the surgery and he told me I absolutely shouldn’t. He said that while I would lose weight initially my stomach would stretch back and undo the surgery because I would keep eating how I’m eating (I actually eat very healthy, he has no idea about my diet, he was just guessing because I’m obese). I said well yeah, that’s why I’d adjust and start eating smaller portion sizes etc., and he said “If you think you can do that, why aren’t you doing that already?” Well because I’ve done that before and my weight doesn’t change no matter what I eat so I might as well eat what I want instead of starving myself all the time and slowing my metabolism even more. He then continued to talk about how if I would eat more vegetables and walk for 30 minutes 5 days a week my weight would fall right off, even though I trained for and completed a triathlon last year without dropping a single pound and, like I said before, actually already eat a lot of vegetables. He finished by listing all of the possible complications of the surgery as if they were all guaranteed to happen to me and strongly suggested that he was going to drop me as a patient if I got the surgery: “If you decide to do it anyway, I’m not picking up the pieces of that mess.” I’m still getting the surgery, and I’m used to this attitude from family and coworkers but this was upsetting because I had expected my doctor to be more knowledgeable about how weight loss actually works. Guess I’ll have to find a new PCP. Thanks for listening to my rant lol

Hi, can you explain to me what GERD is please. I am losing so much weight I do not know what to do.... I have been in hospital two more times after my first procedure. I have had the gall bladder removed and had malnutrition. Has anyone else had these complications please

I totally agree that it has given me my life back in many ways. and with my aunt 600+ pounds and died early in her mid 60s of stroke and was in a nursing home at 60 after her first stroke. Im very grateful to still be here and have life. Id just like to improve my health significantly so that at 47 with two younger kids (7 and 8 ) and parenting totally solo on my own during covid, I want to be here as long as I can and live a healthy and full life. Hi you asked for a bit more details so here it goes.... possibly related yes, possibly no... just seeking possible ways to become stronger, healthier and live my best life with my kiddos. Im not saying anything against wls surgery at all... its given me so much for quite some time... im just concerned and looking for possible solutions as I think most would if a snow ball multi system deterioration is happening and no specialists have answers and the gastric bypass specialists won't see me. I am sending out a question to see what might fit to help improve my health, that's all. thank you to all for understanding and reading this. Without weight loss surgery I wouldn't probably have been able to have my kids (I was told previously I would never have kids at the weight I was at and with the health issues I was having at the time related to my weight... so no I definitely do not regret it... but I would love to have my health back and improve my and my kids quality of life to an even greater extent. Thanks again! Im 47 female I weigh 180 pounds and at 167 my bones were sticking out and I was receiving a lot of concern as people assumed I was down to 130 on my almost 5'8 frame that's always been very muscular until I gained all the weight in my 20s. Up until then I was very athletic, voted most athletic female at my 1500 student high school, won all possible awards with sports and leadership and invited to try out for the Ontario Provincial Women's soccer team. Im saying that as most BMI charts would have and did conclude I was overweight even while playing for rep soccer, basketball and volleyball teams etc. so the the BMI for me has never been a good indicator of health or fitness. These are my struggles Third Degree Complete Heart Block and flat lined for recorded 22 seconds on a halter monitor. Some may argue it could have been a vasal vagel response (although they usually tap out at 10 seconds)... and if in this line of thought were true, part of the vagus nerve is severed during gastric bypass reux en y surgery, most often not the part that can affect the heart yet any slight injury can occur during surgery especially to nerves. If my vagus nerve was nicked by mistake in the wrong spot, even without surgeons awareness, It could cause a vasal vagel response and shut off my heart temporarily (as its a nerve conduction issue). I developed this complete heart block in 2015 but had symptoms starting in the fall 2009/winter 2010 that could point to the start of the glitches with my hearts electrical circuits. I also developed super ventricular tachacardia (SVT) that did not pre-exist surgery. No arrhythmias did. But I also have heart conduction issues in my family... so it could be genetics or a surgical complication unrecognized during surgery. I have always had stellar bone density. I was tested pre-surgery and they were shocked that someone at my weight (450+) had such strong bones. In 2014/15 I started having back issues and did my bone density test and I was diagnosed mild degenerative disc disease in L4-S1. Three years later its now moderate to severe with a leaking disc, slipped vertebra, and a vacuum affect pulling my spine over to the right. I also now have it in my thoracic and cervical spine all at the mild stage right now. My calcium levels are normal. This may be the cause or one of the causes of widespread ligament/muscle inflammation surrounding my entire spine. Because of no nsaids to reduce the inflammation and because its such deep tissue the anti inflammatory topical creams don't help so much. I have also developed more than 1% bone density loss in my right hip and was told on my report that the Ontario Government recommends bone density repeat testing in one year. I did have a GP at that time but she refused to refer me saying that's not a big enough risk as it is compared to the exposure of the scan. I disagreed but was blocked. Im still in search of a GP (family dr but rural/more northern communities are all in short supply of family drs. People are driving two hours and keeping their family drs when they move because finding one is next to impossible. My hip now is so painful that I cannot lie on it at night. Yes it could be bursitis or it could be due to bone mass loss. This started in my early 40s and has been worsening rapidly. (I had WLS at 36). My teeth also have started to physically crack and crumble, the dentist thinks its somehow related to malabsorption although my tested levels of calcium are normal. I don't know... They aren't sure with the deterioration of my spine if that is causing nerve damage and peripheral neuropathy in my lower extremities as the CT isn't clear enough to see and the referring neurologist who was involved at that time said that all Toronto Hospitals she contacted said no to an MRI until my legs start to give out, as Im too high risk of another complete heart block. Ive also had a lot of cardiac ablation surgery for the SVT and that even in people without previous heart blocks increases the chances of severe heart blocks and death with one spot ablated, I had 7. Yes the heart blocks could be hereditary, yes the svt could be hereditary, the bone density no. The possible way to diagnose this and other neurological issues (which could be ms or my spine deteriorating is possible) cannot now be done due to my heart history that may or may not be related to a vagus nerve injury sustained during surgery and I can't get help to remedy this until its so severe I can no longer do activities of daily living, maintain independence because of risk of falling and loose my lower ability to function. To find other answers to shore up my spine (bones) and make them stronger is imperative to have a good quality of life and function well as a mom of younger kids on my own. I also have since developed very low blood pressure as well now which was never an issue that has now started to have episodic high spikes. This makes medications difficult too low or too high Im in trouble. I had my pacemaker put in in 2015 and another this past October 2020. I have a lot of gas showing to fill and expand my non functioning stomach and I asked the GI when I had one in 2018 why my stomach is so full of air/gas when no opening from the top is there, it only drains downward. I suspect possible infiltration of SIBO somehow or another gas producing organism but he just shrugged and didn't pursue it. My abdomen has now started to severely distend to the point that I look 9mths pregnant, its hard to breathe, and its hard as steel as my 8 year old would tell you and he says its usually mushy lol with all my extra skin. this occurs after I eat especially although its always tender and slightly hard and swollen... just worsens when I eat, not sure if its connected to my cycle and digestive tract, if my stomach that's been severed has issues now that its not functional (just drains gastric bile/stomach acid) and this abnormal non use of my stomach specifically has reacted over time to this, how bacteria migrated upwards while gastric acid flows down and out. I just don't know... possibly totally unrelated for sure... these are just some of the issues... Im just looking to see if any one in this specific community has any similar issues and if they resolved, how.

My stats were close to yours...i have a lil pooch but not much saggy skin. My weight loss was slow and i took care of myself. I also work out everyday. I didnt have many complications. Really not being hungry was a thing for quite a while...and having to force myself to eat. I also had a short bout with finding foods that worked for me. She still has her days where she is hard to figure out! But its much more predictable!

I guess it depends on the complication. You're right in that some could just be contributable to age, or not related to WLS at all. I have osteoporosis, but I have no idea how much of a factor bariatric surgery was in that. I'm also in my 60s and osteoporosis runs rampant on both sides of my family, so it could have been age and/or genetics, too. I have no idea. But there's not much I can do about it now other than treat it (which they're doing...). I certainly don't regret having bariatric surgery even if it DID play a role, because at almost 400 lbs, I probably could have been dead right now if I hadn't had it.

Hi guys, so here goes... if you are wondering why, if you are thinking this is far reaching this far out from gastric bypass reux en y surgery than this whole message might be of interest to you... if not ... no worries... just responding and hopefully clarifying as best as I can. Not sure what you mean by my question being far reaching, can you let me know what you mean, Im honestly just looking for anyone who might have experienced some health challenges that they are curious if there surgery could have been impacted, worsened or created by the surgery. Im not looking to blame my health on weight loss surgery nor am I saying its a good or bad choice for anyone, that's a personal decision for sure. Im just looking for possible answers in several places (other than bariatric as well) to find answers so I can live my healthiest life that all and if someone else has had complicated health issues or is several years post op and health in many areas has weirdly changed in not so positive ways, what they may be and did they find a specialist or find a solution/decrease in symptoms or cure and what that is. I know its a needle in the hay stack but I am also doing due diligence post surgery as I did presurgery to look for all possible ways to make the most healthy choices for my life. I started to have one thing after another happen starting in roughly 2014 and increasing to the point of 5-6 years later involve multiple systems of my body. The follow up here in Ontario with a gastric surgeon specialist or any gi for that matter, nutritionist, specialized nurse practitioner etc. is not covered by OHIP (our medical coverage in Ontario) past 5 years. I did get a consultation at about year 7/8 when things started to accumulate as far as symptoms, diagnosis's, and medications, specialists etc. But he was just please I kept my weight off and did a general food diary check, supplement check that I was using and just said Im not sure, all these things aren't directly related to gastric bypass and all the best as he said we only follow up for 5 years as a way of gathering data, research, and statistics, once the 5 years are up, its up to your GP (general practitioner) to follow you. In Ontario we have a severe shortage of GPs and mine retired and soon after I moved out of the area and cannot find a gp to even do regular blood work and keep an eye on all the health stuff, let alone gastric bypass related regular check ups, that just now up to walk in clinics that I wait to see whoever and check my own levels online if they will do the test and as they remind me I need a gp and when I ask where would I find one, they go silent. Am I saying its related not necessarily yes and not necessarily no, all I know is our gut is our second brain and controls so many functions in all systems throughout our bodies, even often telling the brain to release or decrease certain hormones, proteins, chemicals throughout our body to attain a delicate balance of homeostasis. So I don't think its a huge leap to say the gut controls a very substantial amount of systems in our body directly and indirectly and when manipulated may effect what seems to be a totally unrelated system. Am I saying this is coincidental or due to life stressors maybe, maybe not... I just don't know and I don't think even most or any gastric surgeons know yet either because to be honest I don't know if that's included in their 5 year max research and stats before your on your own. I know its probably for most gastric surgeons, in there best interest to say no, it can't be connected to gastric surgery and be blown off for many reasons that don't need discussion as far as Im concerned. could it be the accumulation of the perfect storm of gastric bypass surgery, chronic unforeseen life stressors AND heredity, age, all of the above yes I think so.... Im trying my best to seek for answers and do what I can in the area of management of my life stressors, self care, living a healthy life style according to my surgery requirements and and what's best for me, could it be bodily changes just due to aging + all the factors that make aging a more challenging journey than it needs to be, could it be hereditary or just coincidence... I think yes to all of that. Yet if I am willing to seek answers in all areas of my life that could be having an impact on my life, I feel that not seeking answers in this area would be irresponsible to my health and sticking my head in the sand... I think its all important and contributing factors for me. Im just looking to see if others have some commonalities that may give me clues as to what may be part of a complication directly or indirectly related to the surgery or supplement brands/types/ways of administration to provide best deliverance of vital minerals and nutrients. Im sure everyone researched very deeply into surgery just like I did. Does it not make sense than for me to ve researching deeply into possible connections that may be simply modified that could have an amazing cascading positive affect on my health in many areas, may be to something very simple and overlooked by me or specialists yes... because I want to live fully, be healthy, enjoy my life... so searching for every possible way to improve my health is vital... I am worth it. Hope that makes it a little more clear as to my question and why I am seeking some answers here. Even if slim... fit me, every possible help from anyone, is much appreciated as a community of people who have been through this process. We are here because of a common bond, common fears, questions, concerns and victories. I am just coming from a different point in my jouney than most on here... yet I have hope by seeking I will find answers and even though Im post surgery by quite sometime I can also add value to this community of things that have been absolutely changed my life in so many great ways, yet also valued enough to ask the questions... I want answers and my health complications in some or many areas has been somehow caused or contributed to my complex health struggles in any way than that's important information for not just me, for all of us... is it not?

I am not 7+ post op, but am interested in what complex health issues you may be experiencing? Do you think these issues are related to your surgery or perhaps co-incidental? The questions you are asking seem to be far-reaching...perhaps it would be better if you set out your history of weight surgery, outcomes and complications etc

I am 52 - 5’9” and weighed 241 when I was sleeved on Nov 14. I wasn’t “huge” but people would have described me as “a bigger lady”. I was wearing size 16 to my mortification. My problem is that have arthritis (not a qualifying cormorbiduty) and my bp kept rising and my cholesterol was not helped by the keto diet I had tried for 2 full years. I’m 11 weeks out and weigh 207. This makes my BMI 30.6. I’m almost overweight and not obese! My bp is in the normal range. My clothes are too big. I was able to buy a well fitting large, rather than XL shirt. I’ve had zero complications. Wish I had done it sooner (you’ll hear this a lot). By the way, the band - man, people are constantly talking about how it slipped, etc. sounds like a nightmare.

It is normal to be scared. It is a permanent procedure, but that is what I needed. I had the sleeve done in August 2020. No complications and glad I did it. The procedure is a tool, but you have to work on putting healthy food in your body. If you follow the food guidelines, you will not fail. We all make mistakes. Don't beat yourself up when it happens. Just reset and start again. Your health is a life time commitment. Good luck with your weight loss journey.

I had my vsg in August 2020 with no complications. I started with a BMI of 35. My BMI is now down to 23.5. Since surgery (26 weeks), I have lost 47 lbs, but if I include the pre-op diet weight loss, I have lost 59 lbs. The weight loss has been slow. With the sleeve, they remove ghrelin. Ghrelin stimulates the brain to increase your appetite. It has been strange not to crave sugary treats. I have no regrets getting the surgery. Good luck with whatever procedure you choose.

Just curious, how everyone was doing. My BMI is 35 with no co-morbidities and I have been contemplating the sleeve. My doctor actually recommended the band for me but I have read all the complications and told him I wanted the sleeve but now I am wondering if I should go back on my decision. With the band, if I hate it I can take it out but with the sleeve it is permanent. He said the good thing with the band is if something gets stuck he can adjust it. So for those with the lower BMI, was it worth it to get the sleeve?

I got the sleeve in 2011 and I lost about 100 lbs after.. since then I have gained about 60 back. I had a many complications with the surgery and had my staples pop and had to have follow up surgeries. Since then I have found an amazing doctor who I trust and he spoke to me about a revision surgery for weightloss. He recommended the DS but apparently their was not a surgery code to bill it yet * this was last January 2020 * . He then recommended the bypass. I agreed and started everything with hopes of getting the surgery by June 2020 before he retired. Due to covid my surgery got pushed indefinitely and he retired. In august when they started to do elective surgeries again a Doctor from his group reached and said that my original doctor asked this new Dr. to take me on as a patient moving forward with the surgery. I had decided that I did not know him that well and would not proceed at that time. Well I am still struggling with weight loss. A huge amount it is effecting my daily life I work in trauma and psych in the hospital and I am in nursing school and having issues keeping up due to my energy and weight. I have recently made the decision to continue with the pre op tests and get my chest xray and labwork redone to see if I can fast forward this surgery and get it by end of march beginning of april. I was just wondering for people who have had the revision surgery --- sleeve to bypass or sleeve to ds - how it ended up for them. I doubt I will be able to get the DS even though that is what I want due to the insurance issues so bypass is the way it looks. Also recovering times and everything else please. I am doing this one solo only 1-2 friends will know I am having the revision due to so much stress and people giving me their opinions about the situation the first time I do not feel like dealing with again.

I have RNY Gastric Bypass 16 years ago. Due to the complications listed below, I am having revision surgery. Has anyone gone through this procedure? How much weight did you lose after the surgery?

1. You will wake up, believe It! own it! In fact, you may even ask did you have surgery yet because it will feel like you just your eyes! 2. You absolutely will lose weight, believe it! own it! * subtle disclaimer: Do not be surprised if you leave the hospital heavier than when you entered. This is not a failure of anything, it’s just your body retaining the fluids that were given to you. It’s an artificial inflation of your weight so IMHO don’t even bother thinking about it. 3. Loose skin be damned! Even it with it you’ll be smoking hot with a new slimmer silhouette plus renewed confidence (you can fix loose skin later if you even have any) 4. You are likely to have low possibility or no possibility of complications at all (if you look at statistics that are published) And if you have any complications great or small, please immediately contact your doctors ! don’t wait or ask the Internet. 5. Work with your team to make sure you have a pain management schedule put together before you even go into surgery. It’s possible to wake up feeling no pain. These fears are all completely normal, I had the same ones plus a few more, You can do it! Good Luck ❤️

I feel sorry for you as I know what you are dealing with. Having three surgeries back to back is so hard, I can only imagine. I had to do a endoscopy and had a 2 days rest and then went in for surgery. I think you can get PTSD from all of this, and it hurts to know that this is a elective surgery. We all went into this with high hopes and dreams of changing our life for the better and instead we dealt with more trauma. I had a spinal surgery in 2019 and I developed a drop foot, which was a complication from the surgery, which I still deal with. I have struggled with depression prior to this and it just hurts. I have went back to the ER and I get good support there but where I live it is overrun with covid patients, so it isn't the best place to go. My surgeon is very kind and I have his number. He comes to see me in the hospital every morning. I am doing a bit better but I still stay in bed most of the days. Your advice is great and I agree that I need to get back to a routine. I am less emotional now, I also think the meds they us on make us more emotional. I wish you a speedy recovery!

I'm not American, nor knowledgable your insurance system, but did a ton of research prior to my mini gastric bypass: it basically said American doctors - most of whom making a living doing RNY and sleeve - consider it "experimental". I mean, 20 years of studies and stuff, with fewer average complications, shorter surgery time and higher average EWL, but apparently not good enough

the risk of complications is lower with the sleeve, that is true, but major complications with either surgery is pretty uncommon. I don't think anyone knows about long-term complications with sleeve since it's not a very old surgery. It became popular about 7 or 8 years ago and replaced the lapband as the non-RNY option (a version had been around before that since it's phase 1 of the duodenal switch (DS) surgery, but the DS is not a very common surgery. Stand-alone VSG is still just a few years old). There really aren't any long-term research studies on the sleeve because it hasn't been around long enough. So I don't know if it's true if it has fewer long-term complications than the RNY. It might - but it doesn't have the long-term research behind it to say one way or the other at this point.

for some it gets better, but for about 30%, it gets worse. I'm surprised your surgeon is recommending it, to be honest. He may be more comfortable doing that surgery - it's less complicated. But I don't really like his comment about how you can always revise to bypass. Yea, but... I had GERD before surgery. I didn't want to take the risk of it getting worse.

I was set to do the bypass but my doctor is really pushing for the sleeve. He said that most of his patients have less reflux after the sleeve and if it does get worse they can do a revision or put a magnetic band around my diaphragm which is something I had never heard of. I do not want to have a revision, especially since I’ll be paying out of pocket, but he was pretty sure the reflux wouldn’t be a problem. The sleeve is definitely a less scary sounding procedure and as I’m 22 I have a lot more time for long-term complications to happen and the sleeve has a much lower risk of those than the bypass. Decisions decisions