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Even the best surgeon and best behaved patient can have a complication. Hang in there your feelings are valid dont forget why you started

Hi Jen sorry to hear you are feeling down but today is a new day! Yes covid is definitely complicating the process but there are some advatages like telehealth appointments 🥴 telehealth support group etc. focus on the positive in that youve gotten some things out of the way and have additional days to lose that few pounds 🍀

People have denial to varying degrees here. Being fat is caused by what you choose to put in you mouth on a daily basis, its around 90% diet. We all have to take some self responsibility for our fatness. That said the font type is some minor detail the important part is that you really take it to heart. When designing the program bulleting items or bolding them helps many patients to know what is important. Older low vision people are also reading the same paperwork. Paperwork is not a chatroom where “one can yell” if you feel like the staff are yelling at you on other hand in person then find another program. Some have nicer staff! this is a major surgery. The surgeons probably try to keep their program as standard as possible incase of complication they will know the context (how the client was to be eating etc) if its all standard. Again if you don't like one surgeons rules there are many to choose from so that you can get one who has more similar ideas to how you want to live and behave after surgery

I went to my doctors office yesterday because I felt that that food getting caught in my throat sensation was getting worse. I started having issues with drinkable protein yogurt and swallowing pills. I spoke to the nurse on the phone and she told me to come into the office. I asked to me seen by an MD. Three days ago I noticed a bulge the size of a softball sticking out on my right side under my breast bone. I’ve also had pain on my lower back. When I went into the office, the NP came into the exam room. She was very dismissive of my symptoms that I have been experiencing in conversations with her. I told her that I was told that I would be able to see an MD and if I couldn’t, I was going to call my PCP and go see another bariatric specialist. She left the room and came back with a surgeon. The NP examined me and said I had a hernia and asked me if I ever had issues swallowing. I haven’t. Seconds later my surgeon came in. He is well know and people come from all over the country come to see him for bariatric surgery with him. That’s why I chose him. He examined me and said that I didn’t have a hernia and the bump was tissue that is healing. He sent me to get an X-ray with contrast die and that’s when I learned I had stenosis. The opening of my stomach was narrowed due to scar tissue. On Monday I have another operation scheduled for my surgeon to remove the scar tissue. He said that this happens with 2 percent of patients after surgery. After surgery I have to go back to the liquid food plan and start over. I’m feeling really scared and hoping that one day I’ll be able to eat normally and healthy. I’m worried that something happened to me and I may have to live with a disability for the rest of my life. I’ve lost 25 pounds since my surgery day, which was July 20th. I’m not that excited about that because of these complications that I’ve been having.

you're right - weight loss is usually greater with the DS, but on the flipside, there's a greater risk of complications with it, too. So....??? Either way, though, major complications with either surgery are pretty rare. if you have GERD, however, bypass would be the way to go. If you don't, it really comes down to personal preference. i'd just do a lot of reading on both surgeries. One thing to consider is that pretty much all doctors are familiar with the RNY because it's so common. I "know" people (at least from online forums) who've had the DS who've had to educate their PCP's because not all of them are familiar with it - it's not a very common surgery. other than that, most people seem to be happy with their choices. I don't think you can go wrong either way. Edited to add that you're correct - DS is usually done on people with severe morbid obesity. Although I know someone who was around 250 lbs (a woman) who had it done - so they do do it on lighter people occasionally, too.

I had the sleeve nearly 10 years ago. I gained a lot of weight since then and am blessed with the possibility of a do-over. I had a consultation today to start the process for a revision. An EGD will help the surgeon determine which surgery is best for me--the DS or the RNY, but he suggested I research to get an idea of what I might prefer. Per my reading, the DS is for people with severe morbid obesity (BMI >50), which I do not have. Also, there's supposedly a greater risk of complications from this surgery. However, I read it provides higher weight loss than the RNY. I read about possible ulcers, bowel obstruction, etc and I'm afraid. Is there any way to prevent these issues, or are they just inevitable with any type of bypass surgery? (I know this is a question for my doctor, and I do plan to ask.) Ultimately, like anyone, I just want help to get thin and healthy. I don't want to be sickly or have life-threatening complications as result of weight loss surgery. I want to take full advantage of this 2nd chance, lose all the weight I didn't lose the first time around, and KEEP IT OFF. If my surgeon does not have a firm opinion on which surgery I should get and he leaves the option to me, then I'm not sure whether I would get the DS or the RNY. Do you guys have any information or experience that might help?

Ok, I’m a sucker for calculators. I’ll play: I got to the “year 1” predicted weight at just over 3 months post-op. I’ve read accounts of others who had similar weight loss rates as well. I’ve also read of others who took a little longer. And still others who lost way more and those that lost way less. The best predictor of weight loss and successful maintenance (barring any complications) is YOU. Your level of commitment and adherence to your plan will tell you everything about how you will fare. It may take “longer” that you want (or shorter!), but keep doing what is working (and adjust when needed), and we all basically get to the same place eventually. Good Luck! P.S. Try not to stress too, too much. Stress and its effects is not conducive to weight loss. I know, easier said, but it’s something to think about. ❤️

Not a revision but had bypass and no complications at all 🤪

Good Evening! I had a follow up with my surgeon today from a EGD in July. He's scheduling me for a revision to bypass and hiatal hernia repair asap . I'm scared! Then following that surgery maybe a few months later he'll schedule another surgery to repair another hernia with a mesh. I'm going thru it right now. how many of yall had complete relief from reflux after getting a revision? Have you had any other complications with bypass? any regrets? Of course I'm doing the research on it but I'm afraid of it, that's why I didn't get it to begin with. I can't wait to enjoy wls..I haven't reaped any benefits of it yet. my stats: 5'4" HW 261 SW 249 CW 226 GW 170 or just to be healthy at this point. Sleeved 4/9/19 had multiple EGD with dilations due to vomiting and multiple setbacks and developed horrible acid reflux.

I think freaking out before a surgery is pretty normal. major complications like a botched surgery are pretty rare - almost all of us sail through just fine. And so will you.

I first looked into WLS about 15 years ago. At that time, gastric bypass was the only option from most surgeons, and I was scared away (and talked out of it by my family) due to the potential complications. It was mostly being done as an open procedure; the surgeon I talked to was doing it laparoscopically only for patients with a BMI below 40. When I started looking into it again this year, I was leaning toward the gastric sleeve because it seemed like a less extreme, less scary version of WLS. But when I went to my consultation with the surgeon, he pushed me toward gastric bypass, mainly because I started with a very high BMI (60) and gastric bypass tends to result in slightly more weight loss. The more I have looked into it, the more I became convinced that gastric bypass was the way to go. Maybe it was just confirmation bias since that's what the surgeon thought I should do, but I learned that the complications are actually not that different between sleeve and bypass. They are both done laparoscopically and have relatively quick recoveries. You have to take vitamins either way. Dumping is more common with bypass, but could happen with either. I have never had acid reflux, so I wasn't too concerned about that, but I have seen a lot of people on this forum end up with GERD after having the sleeve, and a lot of people getting revisions from sleeve to bypass. I saw a surgeon on YouTube (Dr. Vuong) say that everyone should get the sleeve because you can always get it revised to bypass if necessary, but to me that's crazy -- I don't want to go through a second surgery! I'm 3.5 weeks out from bypass so the jury's still out on whether it was a good decision, but that was my decision process.

I'm New York, and within the past few months - bleh. The lockdown didn't bother me so much as a concept, weight wasn't a problem for the first two months. I was VERY involved in a virus-related contact tracing effort that has basically consumed all of my time, and obviously the status of healthcare in America means that I've spent since mid-Feb bashing my head against a wall to try and make things happen and hitting political and insurance roadblocks and let's just go ahead and agree that being 20 feet away from the kitchen during 13-hour days when you can't leave home without wearing a mask is... not ideal for maintaining weight loss? Long story short, I am a whopping 30lbs up on my lowest weight right now. It's reversible, and in fact with some of the virus-related work finally getting traction (Americans finally stop living in denial, hopefully?) and being parceled off to other teams I'm actually seeing work hours go back down to a normal schedule, but I'm rebooting starting this week through Orgain protein shakes twice a day and one carefully planned meal, plus coffee, water and a cheese stick. I've deliberately and proactively sectioned off my calendar to make sure I don't keep working until 8pm every damn night anymore. I have done terrifying things in Salesforce so now all of my spinning plates are in view at all times. How did I get here? Well... Stocked up in late-Feb when I realized that this was going to be a pandemic. Then tried to order once or twice a week from restaurants when it was clear they'd otherwise shut down, which meant a single dinner lasted three nights. Two months in, I started going to the store occasionally for simple human contact, usually ended up buying stuff I didn't need as an excuse to make the trip. By the end of the spring, the stocked-up stuff started to reach the end of its expiry date, which meant I had to eat it... You see how this spirals. I hate summer. Hate it. Seasonal depression (yes, it does exist for summer). Oh, and then this year it turned out I developed a sun allergy. So even if I did go out to exercise, I risked days of an itchy, poison ivy-like rash. Pool closed, obviously. Work stress. Firstly, trying to make sure I kept my team employed and occupied and engaged as they ended up stranded in apartments and parents' spare rooms in rural towns and assure them that layoffs aren't coming to get them. Secondly, all the virus work. Work happy hours at the start of the lockdown. I had maybe 3-4 drinks every MONTH before lockdown. But then everyone started having happy hours to stay connected, and about three weeks in I think the cocktail started representing the time you officially stopped work so we were all starting making it more of a daily ritual. And once you're having a drink every afternoon when you shut your laptop, you start having two on the days things are particularly rough, and now it's August and I have consumed a remarkable amount of calories via gin, tonic and cider and definitely need to change that pattern. Pandemic stress and constant, haunting thoughts about why I didn't get New Zealand citizenship when I lived there and could do it, dammit. Stopped wearing proper clothing. I vowed to keep wearing my jeans and nice work tops, and stuck to it for about two months. Then I realized that wrap dresses worked great on calls and were cooler. Then started wearing yoga pants (but not doing actual yoga!) and a nice top on calls. Over the last three or four weeks, I've worn zip-up hoodies on internal calls. So it was easy to ignore the weight gain. My wireless scale broke and it took me three months to buy a new one. Anyhow. The pandemic sucks, so many things about living in the US reality distortion field suck right now, but one thing I very much can control is my food intake so it's back to basics on that count. The grocery supply chain is just fine, I've bought a projector TV so I can lock my dog out of the room and do yoga with an image projected on a wall instead of trying to contort myself to do yoga via computer while battling weak wifi, and IT'S GOING TO BE AUTUMN!!! Also I'm taking a week off. Also one of my NZ friends is now living in Sweden, so we spend a lot of time WTF-ing at each other about our situation compared to our friends' situations. How are all of you doing? Working parents, I am not one of your number but know that as one of your colleagues, I do not mind seeing your kids onscreen, totally understand you can't make that deadline, and basically just want to make sure you can make it through the week with 50% or more of your sanity intact. This pandemic has not fallen equally across all shoulders by a long shot, and anyone who's trying to make you stick to a Before Times schedule or gets ratty about "unprofessional" childcare complications can go stuff themselves. **definitely not looking for any advice or encouragement here, and am in fact allergic to both unless expressly requested - just figured since this is a check-in I’d update on current state of play for anyone interested in comparison.

I started at BMI of 43 and I chose the bypass and my blood work have been fine just gotta take vitamins... Literally no complications.. lost weight really well and consistently and I'm now in maintenance mode for the past 3 months keeping the weight off

I had the sleeve done and went from a BMI 43 to BMI 21 in about 7 months. But honestly, for the most part, the success (or non-success) of weight loss has a lot more to with the person vs. the type of surgery chosen. Stick to your plan (and barring any complications), we all end up in the same place. Lapband has been falling out of favour, but yes, there are still surgeons who perform them, and alot of their patients have found success with them (and others who have not). The one thing about lapband though is that the device itself can truly fail (in the sense that it slips), while with the others (vsg, rny, ds, etc.) rarely fail, it is likely more the individual that that failed the tool. As far as sleeve goes, I also +1 all the other posters who say that if you even have a hint of GERD, or reflux, pre-surgery, it’s probably in your best interest to forego this type of surgery and go another route. I had ZERO reflux issues, and since surgery I’ve been on PPI’s. I’ve been trying (again and again) to wean myself off if them, but no luck so far. i take 30mg every other day. I’m lucky that it is controlled by medication, but I’ve read many of others who are not. With that said, however, I’m still extremely satisfied with my sleeve results (reflux or not). In the end, go with your gut. You may very well not exacerbate your occasional reflux. And even if you do, there is always a revision. But do discuss with your surgeon. Good Luck!

I’m scheduled for my revision surgery on the 27th. I was successful with the band, but ended up having to have to fluid removed d/t complications. I’ve now gained all my weight back. I feel like everything I read is people saying the revision didn’t work for them. I’m just looking for some SUCCESS stories, because I’m starting to feel really discouraged.

The bariatric surgeon ordered the scope but a gastroenterologist did it. I was under sedation when they did it so all I remember was having a slightly sore throat when I woke up. I do not believe I had xrays with contrast at the time of this complaint but truthfully with the complications I had going on some of the procedures and tests timeframes get a little blurred. I can only speak for myself and my experience and it took almost a year for me to get back to feeling like myself and I will be honest I wasn’t the best about making sure I reported all my symptoms and following up with my team where I probably should have. I attribute that to me being so used to health issues being blamed on my weight that I just figured it would eventually get better. I was speaking with someone the other day and was asked if I would recommend wls to others and I honestly answered yes but with the caveat that they were warned to report anything that doesn’t feel right to them to the team. After my revision that’s what my surgeon advised my husband and myself They were like don’t feel like you are being a bother please if something doesn’t feel right or is bothering you call the office it’s easier to document and correct when we know as soon as possible.

From personal experience, I heard the same shocking stories so I opted for VSG which appeared less ... (invasive? harsh? serious? IDK) Well, I needed to be converted about 1.75 yrs in because of GERD (and other stuff) to which I had no prior indications, and this is not a rarity. I don't share this often because I don't want to color anyone's view, because VSG is a fabulous tool for those whom it it appropriate. But if I had known that GERD would be a very real possibility for me I would have gone straight to RNY because that's where I ended up anyway (and would have prevented the need for a second surgery). The majority of the horror stories I heard were exaggerated for effect and from antiquity 😆. These days, as technology and techniques have dramatically improved so have the complications rates. I personally observe very minimal differences between VSG and RNY. Absolutely there will be some people who experience complications from RNY (also MGB/SIPS/DS) But there will also be those who experience complications with VSG especially if you have reflux/heartburn/indigestion/GERD Please carefully consult with your surgeon about the very best surgery for you and please mention the heartburn or any other important information. Good Luck with whichever path you choose ♥️

Yes... those cases are almost certainly the exception. I've been active on various bariatric boards for the last six or seven years, and we just don't see many posts about major complications. Maybe a handful a year. Most people seem to sail through with no or very minor issues

I work in healthcare and I've seen some horror stories up close regarding the malabsorption and complications after a bypass. I'd rather avoid the risk. I know those cases were likely the exception but still. They were pretty bad. I don't want to risk that type of situation. I know all of the procedures have risks associated, I'm just trying to mitigate those risks where I can. I know I really need to just talk with the surgeon but that appt is two weeks out and I'm really having a hard time not delving into this as much as I can before then. Impatient would be an understatement. Sent from my Pixel 2 using BariatricPal mobile app

There are different types of weight loss surgery. The two that predominates are : sleeve and RNY gastric bypass. They are different types of surgery and produce different types of results. In RNY weight loss happens very quickly and almost effortlessly. In sleeve, weight loss is slower and takes quite a bit of effort to stay on track. But sleeve patients can achieve the same result in weight loss as RNY patients. But the speed of weight loss is not the main issue. The main issue is that once you achieve weight loss, keeping the regain under control. What really matters is the success of maintaining the weight loss long term 5 or 10 years down the road. THAT IS WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT! ----------------------------------------------------------- According to the rules of BariatricPal: Weight loss surgery “bashing” is absolutely prohibited. This include, but is not limited to, statements that a specific type of weight loss surgery is: Bad or wrong Easier than another type of weight loss surgery or “cheating” when someone is trying to lose weight Out of date or obsolete Doomed to failure In addition, “bashing” of individuals is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, statements that a person is: Lazy for choosing one type of weight loss surgery over another Unprepared for or undeserving of weight loss surgery because of Deserving of complications or disappointing weight loss because of their choice of weight loss surgery Please abide by these rules. _______________________________ I am locking this tread because it has deviated from the rules.

hardly any surgeons do the lapband anymore - too many complications. It's largely been replaced by the sleeve (VSG). RNY is still very popular, too.

From all I’ve read & heard, lap band is not very popular today & the number of lap band surgeries have decreased quite dramatically. Gastric sleeve is much more popular & common with fewer side effects & complications. But you have a few surgical options. Your health & medical conditions will influence which surgery is most suitable for you & your lifestyle. For example if you already suffer from reflux, you would not be a suitable candidate for a sleeve. Before I made my choice, I did a lot of reading & sat with my surgeon who went through the pros & cons of each surgery. He then made his recommendation based upon my medical history which matched my leanings towards the sleeve. I’m very happy with our decision. Good luck with your journey & whichever surgery you choose.

I have apap. There are two schools of thought on post op care both raise some valid points. However, the apnea patients with a machine that can actually take a breath for them should definitely have their equipment in my opinion. There is some concern post op about pap use and Extra air going into the pouch that can cause complications. Apnea patients are more high risk and need extra care and not the one size fits all for every apnea patient. Recovery has its own protocols usually and most doctors are just borrowing time in a hospitals surgery room for the procedure so hospital policy trumps im going to take my pap with me and hope it works out. Of all the things that couldve went wrong you came out golden cause sleep apnea is high risk for surgery complication so take some comfort in that

I wouldn’t take the advice of anyone here regarding altering post surgery rules because they are not doctors. Logically though if your surgeon gives all his patients the same eating plans it makes things more simple to analyze when complications do occur. After surgery there is inflammation not just from cutting but also anesthesia. There are many reasons you start on liquids almost everywhere that I have read. Do not trust forum posters guesses with your life. Ask your doctor why they do it the way they do it

Yes, I had also read that there is a correlation between higher-weight TT patients and fluid-related complications. (I had forgotten about that until I read your post.) I think, given my weight, my surgeon should have inserted drains as a precaution. I also had lipo; I forgot to mention that.