Search the Community

I developed allergies to foods and lactose intolerance after both of my surgeries. After my sleeve, I developed a NASTY shellfish allergy and lactose intolerance. After my revision to bypass, I developed an allergy to peanuts and an allergy to the surgical glue they used. Surgery can do weird things to the body. Major surgery like this throws the body WAY out of whack.

I agree with the above comments. I am 14 1/2 months out from my sleeve and 4 weeks out from my revision to bypass. Rice, noodles, pasta, potatoes, breads were all HUGE no-no foods for me. There's no nutrients in them, a TON of carbs and calories, take of valuable real-estate in your stomach that needs to have protein and veggies in it first and foremost. They don't serve any real nutritional value, and there's LOTS of foods you can use to substitute for these that are healthy, bariatric surgery friendly, and DELICIOUS.

I was told 8 months with the sleeve and 1 year with the bypass, but I don't drink (don't like the taste and don't see the point in it, to be honest) so I don't partake at all. I was told to sip it very slowly and be prepared for it to hit harder and faster than normal. But again, I don't drink, so I wasn't worried about it.

I was wondering if any of you who had the bypass use vitamin patches. I've been reading up on them, and I found this: "There is not enough research available at this time to promote a multivitamin patch in the bariatric population. Especially after weight loss surgery, you should be very aware of what products you are using to ensure that you are getting all the required nutrients to promote good health. Many practitioners recommend that bariatric patients stay away from multivitamin patches because if they don't work, the deficiencies can lead to severe consequences down the line." And this: "The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) says that vitamin A and B12 are deficiencies that bariatric patients experience the most, and therefore a vitamin patch simply wouldn't be adequate." I'm aware that certain vitamins do not transfer well through the skin and therefore must be ingested. However, I'd like to know about your personal experiences with vitamin patches. Any information is appreciated! Thank you!

I had a gastric sleeve to bypass revision with a hiatal hernia repair on July 17. They sent me home with 15 percocets, Zofran and spasm medications. I took Tylenol and then percocet if the tylenol did not help, finished the percocets kept trying tylenol with no relief. The pain was so bad I had to call the nurse on post op day 4 and ask her for something else, she gave me flexeril. It does not help at all. I tried hot packs, gasx and the spasm medications as well. Drinking water and walking. My left side is very very tender and painful. Nurse told me it was normal since I had stitches inside in that specific side. Yesterday I went to the supermarket and i couldn't even speak or take a deep breath from the pain, it was so so bad. I'm calling the nurse back tomorrow (post op day 7) and see what else I can do. Did anybody go through this? How long does it last? I feel so discouraged and I'm regretting this surgery so so bad.

So... today, my daughter and I made that TikTok chicken crust pizza at home. It was really good! I'm 1 month and 4 days out of my revision from sleeve to bypass, and I'm on regular food now. It is high in calories, but I'm sure if you choose healthier options for the ingredients, you could make it even better! I used what I already had at home because I wasn't even sure it was going to work. But there are some modifications I plan to make for when I make this again. For example, I would use reduced fat or fat-free cheeses. Those seem to be the ingredients with the highest calories. Also, I would use fresh chicken, cook it and shred it. But for this recipe, I used canned chicken breast. I'm including a pic of the pizza and a pic of the nutrition information per slice. I doubled the recipe because I was going to share it with my daughter, then I combined all the nutrition information for the whole pizza and divided by 8 slices. Take into account that a regular slice of pepperoni pizza is 313 calories, 13g protein, and 35 carbs. This one is 197 calories, 22g protein (because the crust is made of chicken, Parmesan, and egg), and 3g carbs. for the ~10" crust: -2 cans 10oz canned chicken breast in water (drained) -2 large eggs -1 cup shredded Parmesan (gonna look for a lower fat or lower cal version) Combine these 3 things and season as you like. I used Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and some sprinkles of black pepper. NO SALT, because the canned chicken is already salty. Like my life. I mixed it all together to create the "dough." I put it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and formed it into a thin crust (~10") and baked it at 425 for 20 minutes. my toppings: -1/3 cup Chef Boyardee Pizza sauce (again, I'm sure there's a healthier alternative) -2 cups shredded mozzarella (next time I'm using low fat or fat-free) -16 turkey pepperoni slices Once I added the toppings, I put it back in the oven for 10 minutes at 425. I did 5 min on bake and then 5 min on broil (low) because I wanted the cheese to get just a tad toasty Added all the ingredients to the Baritastic app (you can scan the barcodes of all the ingredients) and divided by 8 slices, so this is the nutrition info per slice. Yes, the slices are small like from a personal pizza, but I can't eat more than that anyway, so it was very filling! I ate half a slice then later had the other half a slice. I remembered the crust is made of chicken, so I ate slowly and gave it time to hit my tummy.That's why I was only able to do half at a time.

Is this bypass or another procedure?

I’m 6 months post revision on a 10 year old sleeve. I’m having terrible stomach problems. Dumping, cramping, nausea. I’m talking with my doctor and nutritionist about. They think it’s either diet or I’ve developed a post surgical IBS. They just put me on a two week course of Rifaximin. I don’t know what is safe to eat any more. Everything seems to make me sick. I’ve lost 75 lbs post op 30% of my body weight in 6 months and MOST IMPORTANTLY the reflux which prompted the revision is gone. I’m sure some of it is my own doing. One piece of candy or something with sugar (even ketchup) and I’m on the toilet. I have discovered that I need 45 min (not 30 as recommended) between eating and drinking. Anything but pure protein seems to be a problem. Salmon or chicken are ok but if I have fruit, rice, grains of any kind, and even some veggies like broccoli or zucchini I’m on the toilet in an hour. I’m learning my portions, which are so sensitive, one bite or two too many and I’m feeling green and laying down. I guess I’m looking for advice on how to systematically find my safe foods and portions? Has anyone else developed an IBS like condition post op such that you needed medication? I can’t tell if this is that or diet or both and I’m not happy either way.

Depending on your blood pressure before and after, there could be vision changes. High blood pressure effects our vision. My husband's glasses prescription changed drastically one year, and we never thought about it. A year plus later, he had a heart attack due to high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. One quadruple bypass later, on good meds, and he had to get new glasses again, almost back to the old prescription. So, maybe?

I had the revision due to weight regain (not more weight loss from where the sleeve got me). Fourteen years ago, I had the sleeve. It was great, and I kept the weight off for 6 years. In 2014, life began to take its toll, and I gained it back. It took a decade and a half, but it happened. I still had restriction right up to this second surgery. There were other factors, however, like severe depression and anxiety after the death of my parents (18 months apart), a divorce right in between those 18 months, a job transfer I was not expecting and was not happy about the year after that, and then seriously quarantine-ing with my daughter and having to teach from home for a year and a half. Then the medications they put me on which eventually led to drinking alcohol every day.

I use a patch a day plus one chewable high ADEK. I don't understand a handful of day vitamins... I guess it depends on your doctor but that seems extreme. Why did you have the revision? I had to have one for gerd. I had no choice. If you had the revision for more weight loss, the consensus is that it is usually much slower IF your sleeve was done right. The reason behind this is if one ate around the sleeve, one would have a high chance of eating around the bypass.

I'm the complete opposite. I love my revision. I literally feel normal (pre-any WLS) with the added benefit of controlling my weight loss. Literally the only side effect I have now is slight constipation (3 to 4g miralax a day does the trick) but I had that with the sleeve too. I wish I wasn't so scared to do the bypass in the beginning. It would've made my life so much easier. I really hope it improves for you.

I feel "less" restriction with the bypass. That could be because I still felt sleeve restriction, even after all these years. Up until this second surgery in June, I could never eat more than 1/2 a burger. I couldn't eat more than 1 slice of pizza, with maybe just the toppings of a second slice. So, now, I don't feel any different as far as restriction. What's different this time is the constant worry that whatever I eat is going to make me sh** myself or cause extreme nausea, vomiting, and pain. I didn't have that fear with the sleeve. When I got the sleeve, I was really very careful with my eating (just like now), but I would feel restriction more quickly up in my chest. This led to the "foamies" once or twice, but I never puked, felt nauseated, got sweaty, had abdominal pain, or got diarrhea . Also, the sleeve is NOT a malabsorptive surgery, so I knew I was going to absorb everything I consumed seeing as my intestines were complete and intact. I never feared malnutrition like I do now. With the sleeve, I didn't take handfuls of pills all day long. I took one multivitamin a day, and that was it. With my sleeve, I didn't exercise for like the first year and a half, I just lived my daily life going to work and back. The weight fell off daily. I kept that 149 lbs off for 6 years. Now, with the revision, I've been stalled for a month. I don't know if 45 lbs is all I'm ever going to lose. It's a possibility seeing as my body is already used to the limited calories. I am exercising now, but the scale isn't budging. I did and do understand that because it's a revision the weight loss will be slower, but a whole month with only a 2 lb loss is even worse than a regular person with no surgeries who just diets. A kind person mentioned that it's still very early for me in this bypass experience and things may get better. I'm hoping and praying that they do.

I appreciate your input on this topic, @CarmenG. 1) Is there one or two main things you don't like about the bypass, or is it just more restrictive overall? And 2) Have you done much exercise in either case? Just wondering if that was a factor in your weight loss.

@ryan_86 Thanks so much for this. I was not going to do the revision from sleeve to bypass due to all the posts of people mentioning that there was no restriction with the bypass. I am terrified of regaining weight. I had my sleeve done in 2017 and had regained about 30 pounds back during the last 3 years due to a serious back injury in 2020 during COVID. I also have been having some water retention this past year. Even with this I am still down 103lbs from my original weight. My GERD is out of control...I had the Upper GI and the EGD with Bravo recently...my Bravo tested acid at 50 when per doc it should be below 15. When they told me to go back on my meds during the test the numbers dropped and they uped my meds from 20mg to now 40mg per day. I go back in to meet with the surgeon soon. Although I am now back in the gym and eat considerably well/healthy...my portion sizes are still small too I would love relief from GERD and the higher probability of health issues with my esophagus later. However with the scare folks are putting in the forums about no restriction I would rather live with GERD than to not have this tool to help me stay on track. Your post helped to relieve "some" of my concerns. Please let me know how you continue to do on your path. You can send a DM if you like to stay in touch. I woukld love to know your progress and how you're doing with the malabsorption.

I have 2 goal weights - my surgeon's and my own. My surgeon's goal for me was 163 lbs, by the 1-year mark. My own goal is 150 lbs. So far, I haven't hit 165. I've been bouncing between 166 and 170. I'm 9-months post op. It's worth noting that I haven't been able to exercise much, due to an issue with my diaphragm (surgeon thinks that perhaps my xiphoid process may have been injured during my bypass) and a rotator cuff injury. I'm currently taking a short course of Celebrex to see if that knocks out the pain. I know that once I can start lifting weights, my body will change. Walking doesn't seem to be enough. That said, I'm pretty happy where I am. I'm an easy keeper at this point. I'm not struggling with my diet. I'm maintaining well. I know that regain may happen and I'm hoping to prevent that with activity. I'm just super happy that I have other health wins. I'm no longer diabetic. My cholesterol is normal again. My blood pressure is back down to where it should be. I'm wearing a size XL - and while that's still fairly large, it's an off-the-rack size and I can shop in pretty much any store. So, goal weight... It's something to think about... But, I'm really more focused on my health and my size.

Actually it’s not that common. It could just be others have not remained active on the forum or as you wondered they haven’t updated their stats. Their profile weight might be their lowest weight & not the weight at which they settled & maintain - there is a difference. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthy weight range for either bypass & sleeve surgeries which is usually informed by BMI (love it or hate it) at the three year point. But with all stats there there are those who exceed that stat & those who don’t for many reasons. Some we have control over (dietary & activity choices) & many we don’t (medication, gender, age, genetics, health issues, mobility, set point, etc.) But statistically the number who reach their goal will be less & the number who exceed it even lower than those who lose the 65% average. Your goal weight is a weight you picked. It may be based upon BMI. It may be based on a weight you’d been before. Or a weight that seems okay to you. Some even adjust their goal weight as they progress. I call it my head weight or emotional weight. It often is not the weight you end up at. Some find they prefer to be at a higher weight - easier to maintain without limiting or restricting their lifestyle or they feel they look better or are more comfortable at a higher weight. There is also a bounce back regain weight many experience. You can’t really tell what your finally weight will be before your surgery. Some surgeons say they can predict approximately how much weight you may lose at specific points in your weight loss post surgery. I think it may be double the weight you’ve lost at 3 months but I’m sure some one will confirm the actual formula. Though again this is based upon stats & some exceed this & some don’t. And I don’t know if it takes into consideration bounce back regain or settling weight or is just the lowest weight you reach. Would be worth asking your surgeon about it though. The trick is not to get tied to your goal weight. It’s not your body’s new set point weight (the weight your body is happiest at). It can really mess with your head if you don’t reach it or you don’t maintain it. Even when maintaining, allow yourself some realistic fluctuation & wriggle room with your weight. Try & remember it’s just a number on a scale & there are many more important wins to celebrate like your health & well being. I am someone who exceeded my goal (based on the lowest weight I always cycled around in the past) & exceeded the stats (132% lost). Not by anything I did. It’s my body’s new set point & where it happily stabilised. My lowest weight was 48.2kg & then I settled at 48.5-49.5. I gained a couple of kilos because of a medication issue but resettled & stabilised at 49.5-50kg after sorting the issue. I find it pretty easy to maintain & not limiting or restrictive.

Thank you all so much Having so many complications, having 6 surgeries in 6 months, getting a revision.... I wasn't sure if I would actually get my life back or not. So happy that I finally am. It's slow going, but it's happening

you're not very far out yet - you may change your tune about the bypass. The first few weeks can be rough, regardless of the surgery type.

In 2009, I chose the sleeve because it's less invasive and there's less maintenance involved. Some say you lose more with the bypass, but I lost 149 lbs. in the first 18 months with a sleeve. Now, due to my life taking the turns it did, 14 years later I regained all my weight. But that wasn't the surgery, it was all me. One month ago, I had a revision from sleeve to bypass. And I can tell you this... if I could go back in time and take care of my sleeve like I should have, I would absolutely, positively do it. I'm not liking this bypass one bit, and I would never recommend it over a sleeve. Just my 2 cents.

So one meal can ruin my 14 day liquid and 1 protein dinner for the rny bypass? Ok… 🥹

So one meal can ruin my 14 day liquid and 1 protein dinner for the rny bypass? Ok… 🥹

Hi - I had a bypass on June 1st. I have had a pretty good recovery and healing so far and was given the all clear to swim at 2 and a half weeks post op. I have been swimming mostly daily since. I was given the all clear to start some high intensity this week (with some precaution) - I've had one class so far and really enjoyed it. My starting weight was 215lbs and I'm now 179lbs. I'd like to lose another 79lbs.

So one meal can ruin my 14 day liquid and 1 protein dinner for the rny bypass? Ok… 🥹

It's kinda dangerous this close to the surgery. The last hurrah should've been before you started your liver shrinking pre-op diet. The night before I started mine, I had a 3 oz rib-eye steak, 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes, and 4 shots of tequila! But, then I buckled down 10 days before the revision to an all liquid diet. My doc told me if they found food in my stomach or gut during the surgery, he was gonna cancel everything and sew me back up. Then, I'd have to wait another 3-6 months before he'd consider it again.