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I have told not one single person that I had the surgery— I took off thursday to fly to Mexico, had surgery Friday, stayed in hospital two nights and flew home sunday. I drove myself home from hospital that night after 4 hour flight home- and took one day off work. I worked from home for a week- that’s it, but I have a job that allows for that anyway. I didnt need any extra care past those two hospital days- but I’ll admit i had no real pain and have a high tolerance for it if i do- but i took no pain meds at all. I’d had hysterectomy in November (my VSG was march 1) and knew the incisions wouldn’t be terrible. I probably just looked tired to my kids- but they pay no attention to me anyway, so there is that. (Teens). To date, they have not said a word about my weight changing either. LOL!

May 11 for bypass

My surgery is June 1st and I start my pre-op diet in 2 weeks. I am a lot less nervous now - just cant wait as my eating is out of control (I'm told by my surgical team this is normal at this stage). I had a gastric band for 16 years which was very successful. I had it removed last year and the weight has been climbing at great speed. I'm hoping my bypass will be just as successful - I am counting down the days guys. I cant wait to recommence doing the things I could physically do a year ago. Obesity is so cruel - I'm going to do all that I can to make this bypass work for me; I'm going to give it my all ❤️

Depends. Are you being treated as a day patient and sent home the same day or will you be able to rest in hospital for a day or so? I had the bypass and a hernia repair at the same time. I was in heaps of pain and being hydrated on a drip. Four days in hospital and then I was allowed to go home. I live in Australia. I felt very sore and sorry for myself but treated myself with care. I live on my own, Whatever facility is treating you should have a back up plan to help you if you find yourself in difficulties. Check in with them to ease any worries. When you do get home and things are okay then your hubby may be needed for a couple of days just to make sure that you are okay. Hope every thing goes goes well for you on preop. 😊

I hear stories about dehydration fairly often (so try to keep up on your fluids if at all possible!!) - but not stories about not being able to stand. It's a bit painful getting in and out of bed - but once you're up - or down - you're fine. It really wasn't a problem for me. As far as someone staying home with you, my husband took a week off but ended up going back to work after two or three days - i just didn't need him here. It was nice to have someone bring me beverages and stuff, but it really wasn't necessary. I should add, though, that I didn't have hernia surgery - just the gastric bypass - so hopefully someone who had both will respond.

Hey everyone! I just got my surgery date for May 15th and assuming I would have more time I am in complete chaos getting everything together in two weeks! My husband is planning on taking a couple of days off when I get home from the hospital, but I keep going back and forth as to what is a good amount of time to keep him home with me? I know everyone is different, but I can't keep thinking of the horror stories of dehydration and those who can barely stand, and I just worry that would happen to me when I have no one around. I am taking a full six week off (I get fully paid through short term disability) so I am definitely going to be taking it easy, just wanted some advice from those who went through Gastric Bypass (with HH) surgery and how it went for you! Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!!

Hi all- I’d love it someone could help me understand what’s going on. I’m 4 days post op from gastric bypass/HH surgery. The instructions I received from the nutritionist and the hospital after visit summary was to begin chewable vitamins and tums the following day of returning home (ie day 3 post op). So, yesterday I took the chewable vitamins they suggest along with thin liquids and pain medication as needed. My wound pain has improved but this morning (day 4 PO) after taking the vitamins and good hydration on day 3 PO, I began to feel uncomfortable in my digestion. I kept away from any protein or drinks that weren’t water but progressively my new pouch started to reject all liquid. It got so uncomfortable that I called the on call doctor concerned about dehydration. The doctor, who was not my surgeon but works alongside my surgeon, said I shouldn’t start the vitamins until 2 weeks PO! I countered with that both pieces of written instructions say to start vitamins immediately and she acknowledged it says that but to not take them and wait for my follow up appt in 3 days. Meanwhile, try to get water down etc - although I’m still rejecting it. My basic questions are: when were you told to start vitamins following GB and have you experienced this severe discomfort early on or at all? Is it possible that I’ve done damage? I’ve read about “foamies” and recognize it as that. I will speak with the on-call doctor again if I can’t get fluids in tonight but it feels careless and easily solvable to correct the instructions. Any thoughts/advice? Thanks so much…

Born and bred in South Africa…. eagerly waiting for my gastric bypass op date. How I wish I could also meet someone I can travel this journey with.

That’s correct, sleeve surgery removes around 75-80% of your tummy but gastric bypass creates a much smaller tummy from your tummy & attaches it to your rerouted intestines. Your remaining tummy is still there after bypass but no food can enter it. Further conversations with your surgeon may be needed to help you understand the differences in the surgeries, how they impact your body & which may be best for your needs. It may help ease some of your nerves too. (Nerves before surgery are very common - fear of the unknown, uncertainty, etc.) With both surgeries your ability to consume large portions is reduced. Initially after either surgery when you start consuming purées you will only be able to eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food. This slowly increases. (By 6 months I could eat about a cup of food & now I eat about the recommended serving size or a little less.) And it is possible for you to eventually eat around your smaller tummy which of course results in weight gain & something to be aware of. Changing your eating habits, your relationship with food, understanding the nutritional benefits of food, etc. are vital aspects of losing your weight & maintaining the loss. This is the work you have to do & has nothing to do with the surgery. Many find the temporary changes to our sense taste & sometimes smell after surgery is an opportunity to try different & healthier foods. I have some food sensitivities so I recognise you may as well but are they legitimate food sensitivities or just you don’t like to eat certain foods (taste, texture, etc.)? A dietician can help with this as well. Often working with a therapist is very helpful to work through your relationship ship with find & what is behind your eating habits., as well as your hunger (distinguishing between head hunger & real hunger). Focus on eating your protein first at every meal. Then eat your vegetables. Finally if you are able eat any carbs. This will be the same advice you will be given after surgery & when your able to eat solid foods. There were many meals I only ate my protein & couldn’t or didn’t want to eat anything else. ( I still have days like this almost 4 years out.) Start tracking your food (portion sizes, calories, protein & other macros). There are some great apps you can use. You can be successful with either surgery but after the honeymoon stage when things like your appetite returns, most of your success depends upon you. You have to be ready for the surgery & the changes it brings & the changes you have to make. Surgery was the best thing I ever did. All the best whatever you decide to do.

Hi there, I had a sleeve back in 2016, and over lockdown etc manged to regain most of the weight, so I'm having a revision to a mini gastric bypass in August, I'll heading to Prague for mine. Good luck with your surgery

Hello! I’m super nervous about going through with bypass surgery because I’m just not good with knowing what to eat or my body just doesn’t like a lot of foods either.. so I’m nervous because I don’t want to be starving myself after surgery by trying not to eat unhealthy things like snacks… I’m 241lbs, Sw/Hw 308 in 2021, I’ve managed to lose that much on my own.

I got bypass for standard weight-loss purposes, but my insurance company denied coverage initially. I had the doctor call the insurance company directly to explain the medical necessity of the surgery. That did the trick and I was approved. Perhaps it would be worth a try in your case.

Hey! I haven't logged on in so long and was also curious how everyone is doing too. Here's an update on my life over a year post op. Here is a photo of me way before my bypass, I think I wasn't at my heaviest yet but definitely pushing 320 lbs vs me last month while on vacation. I've lost about 130 lbs so far and am working on losing the last 9-10 lbs. I am finding this is when things are getting real. The honeymoon phase everyone talked about it over and I didn't even realize it until it was gone haha! It's not a bad thing, it just means that you can never give up, even after weight loss. Half of the battle is over, now it's a new battle and I think it will last for the rest of my life because I have to work hard every day to fight my obesity. I can eat pretty normally now. I aim for 1600-1700 cals a day but some days I might even get 1900 depending on how calorie dense my food is, then I tend to eat less calories the next day if that does happen. I walk 3-4 miles most days, gym 1-2 times a week and try to do some kind of outdoor activity on the weekend, usually hiking. I have been going slowly but I'm not unhappy with my progress. I'm just trying to watch my weight and enjoy how far I've come because I feel like a completely different person I can't even explain it... I am also able to eat more than 60 grams of protein a day now which is great because I lost a lot of muscle mass while losing all the weight after surgery. I eat 80-100 grams of protein a day. I am working on building my muscles back up, especially the muscles around my knees to help with my mobility (my being 340 lbs wrecked my knees). I am in physical therapy for my knees and do strength training with my boyfriend twice a week now. The thing I struggle with the most is tracking water but now that the summer is coming, I think it'll be easier to get in enough fluids since it's so hot where I live. I don't get food stuck anymore, very rarely if I've eaten too fast or food that is too hot will get stuck. I can still eat naughty foods in moderation too, too much sugar and fat makes me dump. Dumping for me means rapid heartbeat, dizzy, frequent urination, yawning, and nausea. I have been out of therapy for a while and would like to go back, especially as my ability to eat larger portions returns. I still actively have to think and fight using food as a coping mechanism but I am pretty hopeful and just keep reminding myself not to give up. How is everyone's vitamin levels and blood work? Anyone deficient in anything/have advice on what to get checked? I have gotten colds way more frequently but it's only been in the last 3 months, could just be the seasons but historically I rarely got sick.

Thanks so much for all your replies. I did try the phentermine but that didn’t work because I mainly snack at night and it wears off before then. And unfortunately with my other meds that’s the only one I was able to try so now she has me trying sleeping pills thinking if I can sleep through the night I won’t get up and snack but I think I need a stronger MG cause they don’t work. Another dr told me I can try taking like one and a half but I haven’t tried it yet cause I also read that it’s not good to take this medicine every night so I want to talk to her about that. I talked to a surgeon and he was very surprised that I am able to eat a whole 6 inch sandwich now at only two years out. That was his way of knowing how much my stomach can hold I guess was to ask how many inches of that I could eat if we went to a sandwich shop. I told him that I have been able to eat more than expected at every given stage from day one but when the hunger was gone I was able to eat what I was expected to. But after hunger returned it’s like I had no help without the restriction. I definitely couldn’t get my moneys worth at an all you can eat buffet anymore after surgery BUT, I could eat a normal serving pretty early out if I chose to. He said that I definitely need a smaller pouch which they can do with the bypass so that sounded promising that maybe it could be different?? I just wonder if like others have mentioned if all or part of the work needs to be done in my head. I am by no means opposed to trying therapy. I keep trying to find a therapist and even put a call in to see if the surgeon has any pull with one because in my area they are just not accepting new patients other than for the evaluations for surgery. He’s hasn’t called back yet but I am getting another opinion about whether going with bypass will be okay with my psyc meds since they advised against it the first time around so I will also ask him if he knows anyone that he can get me into. i have read on here that the revision weight loss is slower. I forgot about that. I hope it will still be as much though if I’m patient. I guess I am wondering if my hunger will go away the second time?? I just don’t want to yo yo down then right back up again like I did this time. I already know I sorta let everyone else down along with myself that was rooting me on and it has been very embarrassing to publicly fail at this. I almost think it would be easier to stay heavy than to fail at this again.

I'm so mad. I mean, how did it go from "we're sure this is the problem and this will fix it" to one doctor saying "I don't think this is the problem but I don't know what else it could be because all the tests are negative for anything else" and then the other doctor saying basically "well, now I have to think about if we're going to do the revision or not". Like WHAT??? Regardless of the reason for the polyps (and they both assured me over and over that the high PPI was causing them since I had NO polyps pre-surgery) the fact is, I still have horrible GERD that turns into gastritis and esophagitis if left untreated or if the PPI dose is lowered. And the revision to bypass will take care of that. SO it seems to me the revision is still warranted for that alone. I'm literally at my wits end with all this. My weight has completely stalled, I have had to really scale back my work outs, and I'm just super irritated by all of this.

I had Surgery the 5 th . Gastric Bypass with Hiatal Hernia repair. I also struggle with having energy ( when I first wake up) then I start doing normal things like laundry and then I am drained. I hope this gets better, I would like to start exercising more

I agree with Arabesque. Letting old habits slip back in is what causes weight gain. If you let that happen again after bypass, then yes, you'll gain weight again. So you'll need to really monitor yourself this time around. Even at almost eight years out, I have to watch myself like a hawk or my weight will start heading north. Arabesque is also right when she says that weight loss is almost always slower after revision - BUT...you can lose the weight again if you really work at it!!

I know it sucks, but you definitely want to be sure it is and will fix the problem before moving onto another surgery. I will say, I had HORRIBLE GERD pre-op. I mean I was on 2 PPI's PLUS still eating tums daily. I would still wake up in the middle of the night with acid draining out of my throat almost vomiting it up.. Didn't matter what I ate, how long I waited for bed. I tried everything. Anyway, point is... bypass and fixing the hiatal hernia COMPLETELY resolved the issue. I am 13 months post op and have not had one hint of acid problems since literally the day of my surgery. I had to stay on low dose pepcid during recovery and then he took me off of it at 2 months post- op and I have never looked back. Off all meds and haven't had a single tums. So, I REALLY hope it works for you too if that is what is best for you! You have been on a roller coaster ride and I really hope they get it figured out and you start feeling good! Wishing you the very best!!❤️

I had my surgery in September 2021, and my hair started falling out pretty bad around Christmas of that year. I do want to add that I got REALLY stick in late November and was really struggling with keeping mysel fed the first few months. I lost probably 50-75% of my hair, and I am a fair-skinned brunette so it was VERY noticeable. I ended up cutting it extremely short (think Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted) to save my plumbing and vacuum. It started growing back around March 2022. I supplemented with collagen and extra-strength biotin gummies. Before my surgery, my hair was thinning anyway due to probable PCOS and it is actually much thicker and healthier than it was before it all fell out. It's already past my shoulders again!

Well I thought it was called a revision when you went from sleeve to bypass but today they called it a conversion. Regardless, yes, I believe I am gonna do it. I have an appointment with another doctor just to make sure they think it’s a good option for me too but assuming so it’s fingers crossed it works better the second time around.

Hi. Sooooo - I had a band fitted in 2006 and had it worked great for 16 years; I went from 280lbs to 91lbs and it was great. My band slipped a year ago and i've regained quite a bit of it back. I'm having a bypass on June 1st and I do sometimes think 'will this work a second time around'? have a great surgeon here in the UK and I was satisfied the bypass was the best option for me. I'm going to give it my best shot as I know I cannot go back to how I was before. This has to work as there isn't really anywhere else to go from a bypass. Are you having a revision?

I think I would be sleeve to bypass conversion or revision whichever you want to call it. I had my sleeve two years ago and lost down to 168 stayed there for about two months and then the appetite came back and I’ve gained it all back. I am wondering if the bypass would be any different for me. Is it ever successful the second time around. Has anyone lost weight with revision and kept it off.

Calcium citrate is preferred for better absorption, however I was told calcium carbonate is fine - it just has to be taken with food for optimal absorption. Not sure if the same goes for bypass patients, other surgery centers may also have different recommendations.