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I had the sleeve in 2013 at 274 and my lowest was 170. I regained to 260 in 2017. I mainly wanted a revision for the weight gain but I too have Gerd and I didn’t know at the time it was caused by the sleeve. I thought it was normal to have heart burn. I’ve gotten back down to 233 in the summer last year 2020. I am currently I’m at 255. I’m having my revision to the RNY in about 5 hours but I’ll let you know how it goes with the weight loss.

I had surgery March 2. My menstrual cycles got out of whack and I went from missing my period to a heavy really long cycle during a two week stall. I've had a few stalls, but currently down from 308 to 260 today (48). The NP in the doctor's office said for me to lose between 12 and 25 more pounds between April and middle of July. I'm currently down 8 of that. It is slow. I lose weight then stall, while I am stalled I lose inches, and then back to weight loss. It is slowly coming off. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow. I relate to this on so many levels. The starting weight watchers at such a young age... I thought I was the only one. I remember one summer in middle school my grandmother told me I didn’t need to be involved in extracurriculars at school so I could have time to focus on my waistline. Every diet that was available, I did it. I remember my mother making me read diet books like faith and fat loss and south beach diet along with so many others. Not even going all the way into the time she was convinced I was insulin resistant and I didn’t eat bread most of high school because I thought it would make me diabetic lol. Oh and I can’t forget about the year that I drank grapefruit juice or ate a grapefruit before every meal because that was going to ‘kick start’ my slow metabolism. I grew up hating my body because my mom would call herself fat and other derogatory terms and it definitely wore off on me. She still does this to this day. She asks me pretty much every time she sees me what size I wear and how much I weigh. It messes with my mind on a daily basis. It’s such a triggering thing for someone to do and I try daily to change the way she taught me to think about my body. With all that said, I decided on the surgery for me and me alone. I don’t regret it at all and would do it a million times over again. But, with toxicity like this you should start preparing yourself to deal with that trauma. I honestly didn’t think I had issues with it until about a year after my surgery. Lol I never realized I never told my husband about any of it (I would joke about it in passing but never told him the extent of it) and one day my mom triggered me so bad I went on a tangent about it. He ended up in tears because he could never imagine going through that mentally. I suggest finding a counselor or therapist ASAP. The body dysmorphia hits hard and has to be felt with or it will destroy your tool. My issues are mine but I’m sure everyone with that much mental trauma will have some along the way. I started seeing a counselor and it helped a lot to be able to talk about how not normal that was. I have to work extremely hard every day to have a better relationship with food and am still learning how to love my body. This was rambly and probably unhelpful. I really appreciate you sharing your story. It’s really nice to know I wasn’t the only one that went through something similar. I hope that your journey goes well and you find a way to deal with your parents.

I have DS surgery scheduled for this Friday (4 days) and initially I was super excited. My main reason for doing this (besides weight loss) is to hopefully be off all diabetes meds including 2 types of insulin and 6 shots a day. My surgeon has said that he will discharge me from the hospital off all insulin, which I was ecstatic about. However during my pre-op visit with my PCP I was told that will definitely not be the case and if I follow that advice I will go into DKA and end up back in hospital. She went on to say I may never be off insulin despite the surgery and was generally kind but discouraging. I am now second guessing my decision to have surgery at all. Does anyone have any experience with this? Should I listen to the surgeon or my PCP?

Depends on how far out you are post op. I think either of these the things in small amounts and as an occasional treat are fine once you’re past your immediate post op stage. However, probably not good to have too much of this stuff while still in weight loss mode.

Just checking in on everyone, I am about a week post op now and feeling much better. Still not able to get much down but focusing more on fluids to keep me hydrated. My question to everyone is when does all the swelling go away? I dont really feel gassy anymore and I have lost a significant amount of weight in a week but still feel extremely swollen and I can tell by the way my pants and undies fit.

Not if you are sticking to plan. It’s impossible to gain on so few calories. Hang in there it will come off.

So in a nutshell Before liquid diet 330 Day of surgery 319 09/19/11 CW 165 Plastics: brachio/fleur 5/21/2021 (weight after plastic, no idea lol) I am reaching my ten year mark in September! I just got rid of my excess tum and flying squirrels. I thought I'd stop here and see what's new and get some comfort and info. So DS is revised from the original, I have been doing fine with mine all this time but I wonder if I have to worry about anything now that I have the older procedure. How is everyone who had DS doing? Do I need to watch out for anything? Is there a plastic thread? I can't seem to find what I need. I just want to chat w people who got what I got and can tell me what they went through. Also, I'm here to give support as well for anyone who has any long term questions Hugs and healing!

Yeah, I thought about having food funerals. But I don't want to gain weight because that will just be more to lose after surgery. And I don't know how to relax JUST A BIT! I'm a black or white thinker so I can either control my diet completely or not at all. I'm allowing 1400 calories a day, but I honestly am just not hungry to eat more. I think I could try eating more calorie dense but healthy foods like nuts and cheese. Maybe go up to 1500-1600 calories.

I actually gained weight the closer I got to my surgery because I did the little food funerals that many of us do. Either way it gets harder and harder to lose weight the more we lose so hopefully you won’t lose quite as much the next couple of months but maybe relax your diet just a bit if you are losing it that fast. So sad we have to play these games with something so important as our health. I was close to the weight before the food funerals and asked this question too. For me they also said it went by the weight you are at your pre op appointment (before the liver shrink diet).

There is a lot here. I'm glad you're doing better. Exercise is really good for your mood! I'm glad it's working for you! And losing weight does make us feel ill at ease in our new bodies. I remember when I lost 100 lbs years ago I didn't feel like me anymore... I couldn't figure out how to dress myself, I didn't know how to sit anymore, or how to hold myself... everything was just wrong. I just heard a podcast about this. It's from Australia, but I can't remember the name of it. Anyway, you're so right that most of the work is emotional. Good for you that you're facing it head on!

I had understood that the weight they use is the start of the pre-op diet, which won't start for a few months yet. This is all what I've done on my own trying to change my habits. Anyway, they haven't seen me in the office to get a "verified" weight due to COVID.

Was the 38.6 a snapshot in time? If you can find a higher recorded weight, you could argue that the 38.6 was when you were dieting and that you weren't able to maintain it on your own.

My insurance qualified me on my starting weight, not my weight on the date of surgery. My surgeon's office confirmed this with me on my first visit. I believe that is true for most if not all insurance companies, so double check with yours!

I started this journey at the end of January with a BMI of 49.6 and now my BMI is 44 (lost more than 35lbs so far). If I lose 19 more lbs I won't qualify for surgery anymore, and my surgery won't be for 2 more months at least. I'm losing about 9lbs a month, so it is entirely possible that I could have a BMI under 40 in 2 months! I don't have any other health conditions that would qualify me for surgery at a lower BMI, so I don't know what to do. I don't want to go back to the way I was eating before, and I know that I am always either gaining or losing weight. I'm eating lower carb and higher protein, so I'm just not really hungry. I never thought I'd have this problem!

it's possible it could be hormone related. A lot of people report mood swings (and for women, screwed-up menstrual cycles) for the first few weeks or months following weight loss surgery. It's evidently due to estrogen being released from fat cells during rapid weight loss. It eventually stabilizes.

Hi everyone, I have been suffering with Depression for 14 years. Some days, the symptoms are less intense and those are my good days. Other days it can be much worse. I’m on psych meds to help me cope. I am post op for about three weeks now after getting a gastric bypass done and I have noticed a few dips in my mood. I am trying to figure out whether these fluctuations are due to the gastric bypass op or my usual ongoing Depression. I know that I have been experiencing a lot of changes at the moment and that could be cause of my mood plummeting. In two days time, I will be graduating from the full liquid diet to puréed food. Just want to get an idea what you are experiencing if you are a weight loss surgery patient who battles Depression. Thanks 😊

Good luck! I would say to be open to doing things differently than you were expecting, if your body needs it. I had heard that tastes could change after surgery, and this was true in my case. All of the protein supplements I had purchased and planned to take made me vomit. After a lot of research and reading reviews, I found one that works for me. All of the vitamin supplements did the same. Pharmacists can be very helpful in this case, for example finding a slow release iron pill. Take notes on what you are eating for a while, times you eat and drink, times you take medicines and supplements, etc. If there is a problem later, it will help your team figure out what could be causing it. I am still a newbie, but I found out there is often a stall in weight at three weeks. Mine lasted for 12 days before it started inching down again. Don’t get worried.

Follow your plan. This is important because your plan has been designed to aid healing. Remember there’s a lot of stitches & staples holding your tummy together & you don’t want to risk putting strain or pressure on your tummy before it’s fully healed. Listen to your body. It will tell you what you can or can’t do or eat yet. Things are going to be different but you’ll get used to the changes & how your body may react. It’s not a competition. You’ll lose at the rate that’s right for you. You will lose some hair. Can’t stop it because it’s how your body reacts to the surgery & the reduced food intake. It’s just an acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle. The hair loss will stop. Your new hair is still growing in but just at its usual rate which is why your hair may look thin for a while until it catches up. You will have stalls along the way. It’s just your body taking a breath to catch up with the changes. They may last a week or up to three but they do stop & you’ll start losing again. You will experience constipation. Often a lot of constipation. Include some soluble (non swelling) fibre in your diet & have some stool softeners on hand. You may experience a temporary change in your taste buds. Some also find their sense of smell becomes more sensitive for a while. Some foods may suddenly become disgusting because of their taste or smell. Some people find binders useful post surgery as a support while healing. It’s an individual thing. I didn’t use one. Now the bad news - there is little you can do to stop or reduce the chances of having loose skin. It’s why so many have plastic surgery to remove it. The loose skin is a result of your fat stretching out your skin. Think of a hair band that’s been stretched out from lots of use & is loose. Ain’t nothing goes to make that band as tight as it was when it was new. How much loose skin you have depends upon factors like age, gender, how long you’ve been at your highest weight, etc. if you’re young & still have a lot of natural skin elasticity you likely won’t have as much as someone older like me. Don’t mean to scare you just wanted you not to be surprised if these things do happen. While they are common experiences, it seems they are things that many medical teams don’t tell their patients to expect. They can be quite scary when they occur if you don’t know they can. Good luck.

Hi everyone, I’m less than 3 months post a Sadi and would love to hear from those that had their procedure a couple of years ago or more to see how you’re finding it, has the weight loss been easy to keep off and is it working as well as you had hoped? Thanks in advance!! 😊

Thank you for this feedback. This will be VERY helpful. I don't want to lie but I also don't want folks all in my business. My surgery is scheduled for the beginning of August. I have NO desire to share this with anyone besides my husband. My kids will also not know. I have never discussed my weight or other medical issues with anyone before so why would I now. Eventually I may decide to share to help another or when I'm on the others side of this BUT that change should be up to me. I am a private person. Also, I feel I really just need to focus on getting my mind and body right before my surgery and reaching a healthier place. Again, thanks for this suggested dialogue.

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ve had regular fittings all y life. The women are usually very professional. I explained I had lost a lot of weight & the fitters understood perfectly what had happened. They’ve truely seen it all. There were stats going around at one time that 80% of women wear the wrong size bra.

I had multiple food allergies as an infant and toddler and became a chubby kid with a mom that restricted my eating. At age 7 my mother committed suicide and I began stealing candy from the local drug store. I hated vegetables, loved carbs, cheese and fried foods. I was alternatively rewarded and cajoled for my eating. I managed my weight in early adulthood by doing 500 calorie a day diets and staying active. I gained 80lbs with each of my pregnancies, and stopped nursing my second child early so I could do a calorie restrictive diet. I got down to almost normal weight, then started gaining, weighing 280 lbs in my mid thirties. I divorced my husband, lost some weight, started working out. Decided I'd just get comfortable being 50-60lbs overweight and was for fifteen years. By the time I hit my 50's I was steadily gaining, then losing (no carb diets, doctor supervised diets, calorie restricted diets, personal growth programs - because certainly there was something wrong about me that I could fix!) I was depressed, borderline diabetic and took meds for blood pressure, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, PPI for reflux and used a CPAP. I gained an additional 40lbs during the pandemic because I literally decided I would eat anything I wanted - and I did. Shortly after the first of this year, I realized I was constantly thinking about dying. The only future I saw was of my continual decline. I could see no way to interrupt the path of my life. Then, I saw a post of an acquaintance on Facebook who had VSG four years ago. She looked fabulous and seemed so happy. I contacted her and we met for lunch. I began to consider surgery and started doing my homework on it. When my insurance turned me down, I again reached out to my friend who had gone to Mexico to have hers. She offered to accompany me if I decided to do it. I discussed it with my kids. I met with my doctors and told them what I was thinking. They all supported the surgery, although one was concerned about me traveling for it. I researched the surgeon, found Bariatricpal.com and read some of your stories. I journaled and wrote about my big why, and I began to have hope for my future. I started to imagine my life without the shame and fear around eating and food. I called everyone I knew who'd had bariatric surgery and asked them about their experiences. Finally, I called my Facebook friend back and told her I was committed. I paid my deposit, scheduled the surgery and I haven't looked back once.

Just wanted to fill people in on what my experience has been like thus far since surgery. If you want to know something I forgot to mention, please don't hesitate to ask. HOSPITAL STAY: So I had my surgery May 19th around 10:30 am. I was in recovery and waking up by 11:45 am. All that went smoothly. The first day I was so dang tired that I drifted off and on while sitting in the chair in-between walking around and drinking. I felt bad for my husband who stay with me all day. He was totally content and happy to be there but I knew he too was tired so about 7pm I made him go home (visiting hours ended at 8 anyway). LOL When I first got to my room I was like, OMG I have HORRIBLE burning like heartburn and even complained about it. They gave me some sort of Gas chew and it didn't do jack. It wasn't until I got up and walking around that I figured out it was NOT heartburn but related to that gas inside and the walking helped that feeling subside. They gave me nothing but water or Gatorade Zero while there and I was totally fine and content with that. They mentioned medicine if I was nauseous but I never was. I felt totally fine and normal but for the one incision site that's to the right and up from my belly button. Doc said that's the typical complaint spot and where he pulls the extra stomach through so that's to be expected. But it hurt like hell when first standing from sitting and also wiping after peeing. Uggghhh. I slept in a chair sitting up that night when I could sleep which really only amounted to 3 hours total. I was given Tylenol for pain and an Oxycodone once on that first night. They sent me home with the Oxycodone too for pain and so far I have only taken it once at night to help with that pain while sleeping. The next morning they took more blood work and everything came back good and they allowed me to go home by early noon. Mostly because my pain was managed by meds and because I was easily able to get enough water down and I was not sick. Also, I did not pack much but I did pack my cell phone, charger, kindle, Biotene, Chapstick, brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, extra underwear and that was it. I did not use ANYTHING but for my brush and, right after surgery, put on my own undies and a pad since I got my period the day before surgery. I did not even use my cell phone (maybe once to post here) cause I was just so dang tired (plus trying to get my liquids in and walking) and hubby did all the updating to others for me. I mostly watched TV as it was on for background noise more than anything. MOVING AROUND: Every day is getting better but this dang incision spot is a ******!!! Can't wait for it to stop hurting cause I'm really tired of sleeping sitting up. I tried every way possible to lay down and it's just not possible! The dang area feels like it's burning and tearing apart when I do. Otherwise I'm following orders and walking around. I do not feel I still have a lot of gas issues but I most definitely feel like I am swollen about my stomach area for sure. APPEARANCE: I was actually surprised at how weird my stomach looked after surgery. Normally my stomach is smooth/one size all over and flat/round-ish (except for my little fat pouch right under my left breast that's been there forever). But upon looking at my stomach after surgery, I feel like some spots are like poofed out and others dented in, if that makes sense. Especially the bad incision spot. Strange. Not sure how else to explain it. Today is day 4 and it looks like I'm starting to bruise around most, if not all, incisions. Just slightly. FOOD/WATER: So my after diet consists of 2 weeks FULL LIQUIDS, followed by 1 week PUREE, and 2 weeks SOFT FOODS, then finally normal foods. Strange enough, I have had NO problem getting in 64 oz of liquid at all. I've had no chest pain, full feeling or sickness. A few times I had what feels like if you drink too much how it creates a sorta air bubble that hurts for a split second but then it passes. Otherwise, no issues. In fact, a few times after trying to drink/gulp like I normally would, I had to stop and remind myself that I no longer could do that. So weird cause I feel, aside from the incision pain, I would never know I even had surgery. So right now since all I've been able to ingest is liquids, I'm not sure if this is gonna be a blessing or an issue. On one hand I'm glad I can seem to "eat" and drink normal and also have had no aversions to taste. But on the other hand, I worry that will not help me in the long run to lose weight. This remains to be seen but I am scared I won't lose for this reason. So far I've had protein shakes, water, Gatorade Zero, the broths from creamed soups, sugar free popsicles and that's it. MEDICINE: I was told I wouldn't be able to swallow anything bigger than a tictac. That was a lie. I have been able to swallow all my pills, even the big ol Metformin, with no issue. POTTY: Had my first BM on my second day home. Had several a day since. No problems there either. WEIGHT: Not that I expected anything yet but, I have gotten on the scale and it's the same as it was the day of surgery. I think that's it. Can't think of anything else right now but if you have any questions please ask.

I had a longer prep as I needed to lower my BMI for a safer surgery but otherwise I did as you have. I bought vitamins and stocked up on protein shakes ahead of time. I also bought some sugar free Jello and SF popsicles (Popsicle brand is the best), which tasted good after surgery. I craved something salty so I had chicken broth/bullion on hand (though too much salt contributes to edema and I may have overdone it at least one day). Having had laparoscopic gall bladder surgery five years ago I was relatively prepared for the tummy soreness, but honestly the pain isn't horrible after VSG and I got by with just Tylenol after I got home. I think anxiety is just a part of any surgery, but I think you're on the right track by being prepared. Make sure you have people lined up to vacuum and lift anything heavy for you for a while and plan to just take care of yourself for several days. I also listened to the meditations/visualizations provided by Kaiser Permanente for people having surgery and they were soothing https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/podcasts/conditions-diseases/surgery Oh another thing I'd recommend is to do some journaling. There is a forum on this site called "What is your Why?" I loved digging into that and I found focusing on my Big Why would alleviate my fears or at least balance them out. I wrote about being healthy, fit, feeling in control of my eating. I'd write about the things I'll be doing this winter and next summer with my grandkids that I've avoided doing now. And, in the next day or two, measure yourself everywhere from ankles to neck and record those measurements. I did, and I know there will be times in the near future when my weight loss plateaus. I will re-measure then and relish in the inches lost even if the scale doesn't budge. Check in with us and let us know how you're doing. There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums and very soon you will be the one supporting someone who is just getting started. Your experience will serve as inspiration for others. I can't wait to hear all about your successes!!