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I had RNY when I was 29, and I’m 38 now. I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 20 (my mother also had it) and took Loestrin for years to regulate my cycle. After my RNY, I stopped talking the oral birth control; I started having regular periods again quite quickly actually. In 2015, I had the Paragard IUD placed, but my body expelled it after 10 months. I then started taking Yaz, and was on it for 7 years, until recently, when my husband had a vasectomy. I personally noticed over the last couple of years that my PMS symptoms increased tremendously, instead of decreasing as they do for some women on BC. I also never had one single pregnancy scare on oral contraceptives; my OB GYN knew I had RNY and said it was totally fine for me to take them for the length of time I did. I’ve been off the Yaz for close to 3 months now, and have had regular cycles again already. 😊

Just had an interesting and instructive experience. I’m starting my fourth week post op and am allowed cream of wheat (which I loved as a child, and apparently still do). I’ve been told to keep my meals to 1/2-3/4 a cup but was enjoying this so much and the recipe/serving on the box was for 1 cup so I made one cup. After having my 3/4 cup (thinned) a bit faster than my usual 10 min between 2-4 tablespoon fulls as a time I decided to have the last 1/4 (the rest). Mistake, 10 min later I start sweating, little pain in my chest and generally not feeling great. It all passed in about 30 min but I am grateful for the gentle yet firm lesson from my body that 3/4 is my limit for now. Being 10 years post sleeve the bypass has very different cues (at least at this point) and I’m paying attention.

I hate the blood thinners, but I’m doing great so far. I’m already a lot more mobile and it doesn’t hurt to move anymore, so my daily steps are up from 2k/day to over 6k/day. I’m having a bit of a stall weight wise now at 12 lbs down and 10 days post-op but I try not to stress about it and just carrying on with my new routines.

Yes I have and I am honestly still dealing with it. So I went into therapy right before therapy fall of 2019, 2 months before surgery. It was a life saver! It had helped in so many other areas. RNY January 2020

It will take about a week or so. Make sure to light walk around every hour to 2 hours for 10-15 mins. Take your meds and gasx. Use a hot water bottle or heating pad, and alternate with ice packs. Try a binder as well. I would do hot water bottle for an hour, and ice pack for 30 mins. Several times a day. If I was laying there I had heat or ice pack on my upper belly. This gave me the best comfort. Use the spirometer, and this helps even though it can be painful. I would also do light slow windmills with my arms to help work the air they fill you up with.

I’m 3 weeks post op on the same VSG ago RYN Bypass and I’m wondering the same thing. I too have had no feelings of restriction but I’ve also been super careful and kept my intake to 1/2-3/4 cup of full liquids. Just this week they added cottage cheese, ricotta, runny oatmeal and apple sauce. Next week is purée. I have been doing 3/4 cup cottage at 3 table spoons in 10min intervals and had no issues. I’ll admit I’ve tasted an olive size piece of cheese or veg here and there this week and had no issues. I tend to think unless I stuffed myself I wouldn’t feel restriction but I’m so freaked out about rupturing my pouch that I’m being super careful. Bottom line: 3 weeks out and I don’t feel any different than I did 10 years after my VSG, except no more GERD!!!

Five months in and today officially hit Onederland!!!! I never thought it would happen. I have not seen a 1 in front of my weight in the past 10+ years! I am 5 months out and 70 lbs down now. I’ve had multiple stalls and lots of frustration, but am hoping to continue to get closer to “overweight” on the BMI scale in the next month or two. Reading these posts, I’m so proud of how far all of us have come :)

I understand your frustration. Remember that post-surgery swelling and lower grade inflammatory (even without water retention, which is also a thing) can contribute with a lot of extra weight in the first 4-6 weeks. I haven’t had much of that now, but I definitely did after I had my second c-section in 2019 — three weeks later I was still carrying 20-25 lbs of swelling/fluid, then one week later it all disappeared almost overnight. What was your starting BMI? If you were a “lightweight” that could also be a contributing factor. But some people just lose weight more slowly after surgery, nothing wrong with that either. ❤️ Hopefully you’re starting to feel better in other ways?

I didn’t exercise in the traditional sense & I lost all my weight & more. I made my everyday tasks more active. Walked up & down escalators, took stairs not lifts, parked further away from where I was going, took the long way round, made multiple trips up & down my stairs even if I could do it in one trip, etc. Now I do some stretches, use resistance bands, some wall pushups & sit ups. Mainly for my back - have oozing discs. Honestly what I do takes about 20 mins max over a three or four separate sessions. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories. 😆. Exercising accounts for only about 10% of the weight you have to lose. So want to lose 100lbs, exercise will only account for about 10lbs. Of course there are many benefits to exercising. There are lots of low impact, gentle exercises designed for various physical limitations available online which you may be able to do without causing a flare up. Give them a go & see how you go.

I had my VSG surgery on 01/06/23. I stood 1 night at the hospital. Gas pains were awful the first 3-4 days but then subsided. Almost 3 weeks later, and I feel great (no pain or discomfort!). My only complaint is that I tire easily. I've lost 30 lbs and am on soft foods. I do get hunger pains... like real hunger, not head hunger. I thought we didn't get that for a few months but I've been pushing through. Drinking my fluids and TRYING to get my protein in.

So I'm going to just copy and paste part of my about me section to make this a bit easier lol: "in May 2019 I had VSG, and for about a year everything seemed to be doing fine. Initially, I was successful and almost 100 lbs down. I got down to 174lbs within a year. Almost 14 months later, I was dealing with a new stressor in my life (an abusive situation) and ended up developing extreme GERD, reflux, and would feel burning acid come up each night--sometimes choking on it and breathing in my own stomach acid. I ended up suffering with bronchitis and pneumonia due to the extreme GERD several times within a short period of time. My surgeon stated that this is one of the possible side effects of VSG as well as extreme stress, and offered revision to do the RNY and a hiatal Hermia repair. All went well, and at first, I seemed to have recovered well. But now, here I am in 2023 and I have slowly gained over 30lbs in the last 2.5 years, going from my lowest post-bariatric weight of 174 lbs to now at about 207.7 lbs. Not really sure if it was a result of surgery, or poor eating habits (or both), because from the moment I woke up from surgery and in each phase of my bariatric diet, I felt as though my "pouch" or new stomach was no longer feeling restrictive, and I was able to eat much larger portions than before. " I know 30 lbs may not seem like " a lot" to most, but to me it is a big deal and has been stressing me out a lot. Lately, I have been considering seeing either my old surgeon or possibly a new one for a check up to see if there is something "wrong" with the size/my surgery failed. Or perhaps, maybe this is hormonal, stress-related, etc. One thing I would like to add is that the majority of this weight regain started the moment I started taking SSRI medication (which I am still on for anxiety and depression). Looking for advice on what to do....as I have been trying to motivate myself to get back on track...

Hi all! I'm new to this group and looking for support. A little bit about me, In 2019 I had VSG--year later had extreme GERD/Reflux---then in 2021 I had revision surgery to RNY and hernia repair. Long story short, post VSG I was down 100 lbs almost and got to around 174, but after my revision to bypass to alleviate the GERD I noticed almost right away my "pouch/new stomach" or whatever you want to call it was no longer as restrictive and pretty much right away I was able to each much more volume. Over time, I gained about 30 lbs in 2 years, and I feel just awful. Has anyone else experience this before, and if so, do you have any tips? I am honestly struggling with motivation and getting back on the ball, and I am looking for advice, ideas and/or support. Thanks everyone!

I wasn't put on a diet plan. I just had to have 6 monthly visits with the nutritionist. My surgeon wanted me to lose 10-12 pounds before surgery, but my insurance didn't. However, I was not allowed to gain weight.

Congratulations!! My surgery is Thursday at 10:45 and I have to be there at 8:45

I think I had to be at the hospital at 7:00 am. I had the second surgery of the day (by the same surgeon) - I think it was scheduled for 10:00 am.

So I started the process in September and definitely was not prepared for how much time everything would take mainly due to the insurance requirements around a weight loss trial. I thought everything I had done in the past would have counted, but it did not so I had to start a new weight loss trial. My primary care put in a referral and Tricare approved it for Dr. A at a surgeon's office over an hour away (closest bariatric specialty). When I tried to schedule the appt, I was told that Physician A is revamping his practice and would like to have me be scheduled with Dr. B. I agreed, as long as the referral was still good. Apparently that was not quite the question I should have asked. Fast forward to 4 months later, my weight loss trial and all the pre-reqs are done. I emailed the clinic with all the information and had not heard anything in 10 days, so I asked for an update. Today's update is this: Dr. B is not yet credentialed with Tricare so they can't even submit for approval until that is done. They have no estimated time frame and can't tell me when the process started. According to Tricare's website, it can take 60-90 days for a new provider to be credentialed. Additionally, when I asked if I could have my surgery done by Dr. A since Dr. A did my EGD and all my labs, they responded saying they asked Dr. B and he said no. I'm beyond frustrated because I only have a small window remaining where I can take off (Feb - Mar). After that, I will have to put it off until August or September. To clarify, I don't work a standard full time job. I am a contractor working through a recruiting company for a hospital org to implement the software system and their go-live is in July. I don't get paid for time off and I don't get FMLA. So now I'm either stuck in limbo for potentially months until they get him credentialed or I could see if another surgeon would be willing to take all the existing labs/imaging/documentation.

Hi all - Going with a surgeon in NJ and completed all my preop requirements and they submitted for approval on 1/10 anticipating a surgery date of 2/8. I called insurance to get a heads up and they said they just sent out a denial today for not enough information, specifiying 5 year history and also a 180 day weight loss program, which my surgeon never mentioned. I started the process in September so if i knew i had to be in a specific program, i would have started. I havent talked to the surgeons office yet but i am guessing 2/8 is out of the question. For reference, i am 39, 5'6, 360 lbs and i have been over 300 since 2010. What do they typically need and who does the supervised diet? My other concern is how long all this testing i just did is good for. I had a stress test, stomach ultrasound, echocardiogram, lots of blood work, upper GI study, psych eval, and all required nutritonist appts. am i going to have to do this all again?

Hi and thank you for the reply. My team just brushes me off and tells me to go to the emergency room if I think I need to be seen or get fluids. I went on 1/4 and it was an 8 hour wait… When I was about 10 weeks post op I could do Fairlife milk and yougurt for several weeks. Then all of a sudden I would get sick after eating or drinking anything dairy. I tried the Fairlife milk a few weeks ago and with just 1/4 cup dumped. I will try normal 2 percent milk today. It’s just super hard when I take one bite of something or one drink and a minute later feel like I’m dumping.

It was smack in the middle of Covid so it was a telephone chat. It cost me £150 and I felt it was a total waste of my money and time. It lasted about 10 minutes. I have had issues in the past with depression and worried what would be made of it. I was never asked about it ! I worried over nothing

Hi. 50 year old male. Had bariatric sleeve surgery in June of '19. Went from 341lbs to 238lbs between the start of the process leading up to surgery (end of 2018) through March of 2020. After Covid hit in March of 2020, I had a lot of changes (as did many) in my life, from quarantine to moving to a different region, etc. With surgery you have a 1 year "Goldilocks" period where you will lose almost all of your weight. After that year, some of your hunger (due to increased Ghrelin production) will return. Unless you learn and incorporate new lifestyle changes (including exercise and eating habits) during that first year, you risk the chance of putting that weight back on. Foods to stay away from are high caloric liquids and ice creams. I found them to be far less difficult to overindulge in vs things such as pasta I found difficult to eat. I found that I could still go through ice cream and cheese-related snacks just as frequently) albeit in smaller portions as I did pre-surgery. Back to our story. I had my most recent physical at the end of last August where I had gone up from 238lb to 274lb. Around this time I noticed my sister-in-law had lost some serious weight from one month to the next. She said she was taking Wegovy. I asked my doctor who instead gave me a sample of the 2.5mg Mounjaro that he had. Now what I write is my personal experience. Not everyone will have the same result. Almost immediately I found that I had the same LACK of appetite that I had post surgery. I don't know if it kick-started the effects of the surgery or if I just have reacted well (so far) to the drug. This question is how I found this thread in the first place. As of yesterday, I have gone down from the aforementioned 274lb to 225lbs. So, that's almost 50lbs in just under 6 months. Positives: See above. Side effects: I have fortunately had none up to this point. The most I could say is that I need to go number 2 only a couple of times a week. I don't feel constipated though. So, this could simply be me having less food in my stomach. I have read that other people have experienced things like diarrhea, constipation, rashes, headaches, and lethargy to name a few. Also if you take insulin, liptor, etc, your doctor will want to monitor you for the first few weeks to make sure your blood sugar levels don't get too low. Again, everyone is different, so I can only tell you my experience. Administration: 1x a week epi-pen like sub-dermal injection. While some people have complained of pain at the time of administration or itchiness the following day...again, I have had none of that. For me, the process has been painless. In fact, the first time I gave myself a shot, I thought I messed up as I didn't feel anything. Only a pinhead sized dot of blood let me know it was successfully administered. You keep the box (4 pens in box equaling a 1 month supply) refrigerated. Dosage amounts: You start at 2.5mgs and increase it each 1-2 weeks. So you go on to 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, etc. The highest I think is 15.0mgs. I'm currently at 10.0 and can't even fathom going any higher. Things to keep in mind (and this is important): 1. Because this is a new drug, there are no generic alternatives to offer, so, this can cost out of pocket over $1K a month. As the medication's current focus is for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes (and pre Type 2), having either of those conditions will help (but not guarantee) the chances of your insurance company covering it. 2. Due to the success many people are finding with Mounjaro, supplies are not always great. I've had to wait 1 week or 2 as they were on back-order. What do you do once you've reached your goal weight?: This is an interesting question since the drug is so new. In speaking with my doctor, I suggested that maybe taking a maintenance dosage (say back to 2.5mg) may be the way to go. He said that has been the most used idea, but again, this product was only approved by the FDA 8-10 months ago. That's about it. Sorry for the length of the post, but I tend to over-explain. If you have any questions about the surgery itself, I'd be happy to tell you all that I have experienced.

Hi All, wondering if anyone has had this issue and can offer any advise: My surgery was on 1/9/23. At my appt on 1/17/23 I was down 35 lbs, 10 of which was from the week prior to surgery being on liquid diet. My doctor switched me to purée as of 1/17 which I’ve been following to a tee. But ever since switching my scale has been stuck, no loss and actually up 1 lb yesterday - back down that 1 lb today. I’m worried because I’m told the biggest weight loss happens in first 90 days, did I go through all of this for just 35 lbs lost?😩

I had my surgery on the 9th today I am 2 weeks out today. My surgery day weight was 275 lb (I am 5’ 8”, male, 40) and today it is 262 lb (13 lb down) still on all liquid diet but I expect the surgeon will advance me to soft diet tom at the 1st post op meeting Gas pain was real took 10 days to go away weird enough I can drink a lot - comfortably. I can down a 16 oz water bottle in 5 minutes. Is this normal? good luck All!