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Everyone has different experiences with any kind of surgery. There is absolutely no way to know in advance how your body will react after surgery. I think Blossom did a phenomenal job with me and I would recommend them to anyone. In fact, you can hardly even see the four small incision points they made on me. The only one truly visible on me now is the largest one. I’m sorry you had complications, however, a lot of us don’t have those lingering complications. The only day I even took pain meds was the actual day of my surgery. I had mine done on a Thursday, and Friday morning my husband and I were up and out the door and went shopping at the Tanger outlets there in Vegas. I feel sure that anyone considering weight loss surgery does plenty of research before making their decision on where to have it. Blossom is the right place for many of us, but not all. I hope you feel better soon.

Good day to all. I was sleeved at the University of Colorado hospital last week, July 16. Early on in my process I had considered working with Blossom, but eventually my insurance did cover the surgery completely. So I went with a local surgeon. I have a deep respect for Blossom's reputation, and there are sure a lot of people who have been happy with the care they have received. But if I had been in a hotel rather than the hospital for the two days after surgery, it would have been TRULY AWFUL. I had a lot of pain, headaches, and a few complications I'm still working through. This is major surgery, after all. I don't mean to tell you to not go to Blossom, but think about what you need carefully. Five days out, and I'm doing a lot better. Hopefully I can sleep without pain meds tonight! Good luck to all!

While artificial sweeteners are not exactly a health food (I try to stay with stevia and erythrith, the occasional sucralose in protein shakes), this whole insulin thing seems to be way overblown. In the end it's always CICO. Try to get the basic things right first, the fine tuning is for later. Don't make things too complicated, at least not in the beginning. A nice summary on artificial sweeteners and insulin levels if "insulin" is a major concern for you: https://www.zerofasting.com/which-sweeteners-break-your-fast/

my doctor said I would be fine at 160 (which is still overweight). fine enough to avoid all the health complications I was worried about prior to surgery at least. based on the nutritionist plan, it seems that she was tailoring my eating plan to around 140-145, which is the upper end of a healthy bmi range. I think I would look perfectly fine at 150, but I would love to be 125-130. however, I am questioning whether that is a sustainable weight for me and sustainability is important to me. my personal goal is 140 because I desperately want to be "normal" bmi as silly as that sounds. I realize that bmi is not the sole indicator of health.

hmmm....well I guess she would know. I just know we rarely see posts from people talking about these kinds of complications on the various internet forums I'm on. I'd expect to see a lot more if these were common, but I don't. But of course your surgeon would know a lot more than I do about this.

I learned about these complications from a noted surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital noted as the World's Best Hospital in the New England Journal of Medicine. I was told that all hospitals are "cutting back on the bypass" as much as they can because of these types of complications which are not SO rare. I never would post anything like this if I weren't certain I could trust the source

that's actually really rare. I'm surprised she's had two patients like that. there also aren't that many more complications with bypasses than there are with the sleeve. The sleeve is more popular now because they're easier for surgeons to do, and patients are more afraid of getting the bypass - they think it's more invasive (although to be honest, I find the sleeve just as "invasive"...)

Dear heaven: Your body shut down and you couldn't go to the bathroom for over a year?? ..... and you are considering surgery again? I had a sleeve done on February 26 and have only lost 22 lbs with strict dieting. I asked my surgeon if she would do a full bypass for me. Her answer was an emphatic NO. She told me that they are doing fewer and fewer full bypasses because of too many complications. She had two patients who are receiving nutrition from a feeding tube. Imagine, they ate compulsively and gained a ton of weight and now cannot eat at all. It seems to me that your body shutting down for over a year would be impetus enough to never have elective surgery again. Just sayin' -Grace

I believe I was told that 2 nights is the "standard," but I asked to go home after one night, mainly due to financial concerns, but also because I was doing well after surgery. Fitzer said he would only release me the next day if I met all of the criteria, such as being able to drink enough water, no complications requiring a longer hospital stay, and understanding the discharge instructions. He visited my room to give me a quiz to make sure I knew what to do on my own, and when he was satisfied I was ready, he discharged me.

Thank you all! Trying to stay encouraged. Will hit 30 days tomorrow and down 11 pounds. Thankfully, no complications and healed perfectly. Weight day of surgery was 282. After surgery, 290 (water/fluid weight). My weight fluctuated between 273-272 for about 11 days and now I’ve been fluctuating between 271-270 for a few days. I’ve increased my water and calories as my nutritionist insist I’m not eating enough. I agree with her. I Put the scale up and will revisit my numbers next Sunday😢

Most people have zero complications. And those that do are minor. I'd say do the hotel if it's close and they will have someone come check on you. Particularly if you have a partner who is on the ball.

Hi👋 New member here. Haven’t had surgery yet. I have my first consultation with the team on August 6. I’ve been thinking about having gastric surgery for years, ever since a co worker got the sleeve in Mexico. At that time, I think it was a fairly new procedure to the US so she went to Mexico bc they had been doing it for a while. This was maybe 2010. It ends up, I personally know about 7 people who have had either sleeve or bypass since then. I watched as some of them had a lot of success and some had a lot of non surgical complications such as other addictions, divorce, etc. I kept thinking that surgery was not the right answer for me. But every time I had success on a diet, I would eventually fail and the weight would come back plus some. i am currently at my highest weight of 250, I am 5’7” tall. My mother also struggled with her weight her whole life. I watched her become more and more ill from different diseases, All of which was compounded by her weight. When she died this past April, I finally realized that I had thought about it enough, it was time to do something. I don’t want to follow in her foot steps, but I see it happening. I’m not gonna lie, I have fears. But I am also excited. I’ve been lurking on these forums for about a week and you guys are such a wealth of info and experience, I’m so glad I found this website. 🖤

Mind if I ask what your complications were?

I had a VSG in January 2019 with Dr Fitzer. I ended up with a complication and stayed at Reston for just over 6 weeks, but Dr Fitzer was amazing and his entire staff (and the AMAZING nursing staff and Roz at RHC) were great. Complications happen but Dr Fitzer and his personality made it as good as it could have been. I am fully recovered and my weightless is right on track. I still recommend him to people that ask.

I'm also going (back) to Fitzer's office in 2 days! It's been 2 years since my surgery with him, and it's time for my annual follow-up. As @SampTheChamp said, Fitzer is the best. He may come across as a bit over-confident, but he is not wrong about how good he is and how relatively few complications his patients have. 😄 I had to work a bit to get him to recommend which type of surgery was best for me, but when I finally asked him if he were in my shoes, would he choose sleeve or bypass, he said bypass all the way. He explained why, and that's why I went with the bypass. Best decision I've made in a long time.

I'm so glad to see others have also not share with many. I thought I was the only one. My surgery date was June 30 so 13 days post-op. I only told very few - husband, brother, sister and 4 good friends. I just felt that this was a very personal decision but also did not want to deal with any gossip from others. We live in our 'fat shell' for so long that it eventually becomes a part of us thus making it hard to shed mentally. So much fear of failure and self-loathing to shed. So this journey for me is not just about pounds, but is also a re-discovery. And thus it is a journey I want to take with those closest to me that will be there to love and support me along the way. I have had no complications or issues. I was a good water drinker before and that has not changed. I'm getting about 100 oz day. No nausea. Minimal pain. Up and active. Driving. Doing some work. Able to eat soft proteins - egg, canned chicken & tune, cottage cheese. Almost worried that things have gone too well so something must be wrong. First post-op appt on Wednesday so will feel more reassured after that.

I feel it's time to tell me story as best I can and hopefully it will give the new comers some hope and take away their worries or anxiety about surgery. Okay I have a very dysfunctional childhood and I think maybe subconsciously I turned to movies and food as a way to cope until alcohol came along but all those things combined made me gain weight massively in my teen years. As a child I was tiny but after my father passed and my stepfather came in the picture; he was a tyrant; life changed dramatically. Anyway fast forward to the end of high school I had reached over 250lbs and by 21 I was 320lbs and my weight fluctuated over the years between 300-320 until I finally found a way to get bariatric surgery.. I always believed surgery was for the rich people and I was never rich... But I found out randomly that health insurance would cover most of surgery and I'd never had health insurance before because here in Australia we have an amazing Medicare system that covers pretty much everything to do with doctors and hospitals except for elective surgery like bariatrics; unless you're like super morbidly obese and even then it can take 3 years and numerous hurdles.... So I researched and researched for months and months and spoke to multiple surgeons offices until I found the perfect surgeon; I needed to get health insurance first then do the waiting period which I used to save up the gap and that gap covered absolutely everything from first meeting until surgery and hospital was covered. I met the surgeon and his doctor and got information and told them I wanted ROUX EN Y BYPASS; and we all agreed that was the best decision as I had bad type 2 diabetes and it would only get worse. I weighed in at 322 there and then and I just wished and hoped the surgery would help me to get down to at least 200 maybe 190; I just wanted to be healthy and happy and of course to look better and feel better in myself. Anyway from first consultation until the surgery day was about 4 months had a few meetings with surgeon and he does a very direct approach no need for all the tests and stuff just my medical history and some blood tests and a big discussion was about it and he was ready to go. I was advised to do at least 2-3 weeks low carbs/protein shake diet before surgery and to try lose at least 10lbs; but I literally woke up one morning 2 months before surgery and decided there and then to kick start my journey and started on protein shakes and I actually found a brand and flavor that I actually loved. It tasted just like chocolate milkshake even though I only used water to mix it up i tried a few different brands but they were either too bland or no taste at all I like flavor and I like a little sweetness in my shakes... And I've been using the same shakes in bulk powder form for months without any issues at all... So I started on shakes and they literally filled me up and I was determined to show the surgeon I meant business. i was amazed how quickly the weight came off because I was ONLY on shakes Max 600cal preop; I dropped so much water weight it was amazing. By surgery day I had already dropped from 322 to 257lbs and the surgeon was so proud. i went into the hospital early without only water that morning so my sugar was actually low so they made me wait a few hours longer and I went in to surgery I think 3pm and next thing I know I was awake in ICU a few hours later and surgery was done but oh boy was it painful for me; I'm not sure why but I was in pain for like 2 days luckily I was given good drugs through the IV and slept most of the 2 days... By the 3rd day I started drinking a small glass of protein shake and was sipping water each day; here in Australia the surgeon is very cautious so I actually spent 6 days in hospital was fine I had my own private room and bathroom and was really well looked after.... By the 3rd day they finally took the drain out and I had a shower for the first time and a BM which was like sticky black green like a baby; oh the shower felt amazing on my poor sore belly; I think I had 5 incisions sites and a very tight bloated belly. Each day I would walk the halls of the hospital and say hello to the nurses and other times I would rest and watch TV but by like the 5th day I was feeling really good and was ready to go home but because I lived over 2hrs from the surgeon and hospital they made sure I was 110% fit and healthy; they checked my blood sugar and blood pressure multiple times a day and they said everything was fine, by the time I left the hospital they had taken me off multiple medications and it felt Great. The ride home in my mates car was a little rough but it felt Great to be home and in my own bed my big bed not the single bed in hospital... It's hard to remember everything I went through its been over 8 months since I left the hospital but I do know I was still a little sore when bending or carrying shopping bags for the first few weeks I had to be careful.... Showering was amazing my bandages on my incisions came off on their own after like 3 weeks.. I was given a guideline diet but Ive always been a strong independent personality so I just chose to do things my way; of course I was glad for the surgery and the surgeons advice but I felt is my body; my life I need to do it my way so maybe I was lucky but I didn't even think about food for months like literally I lived off shakes and yoghurt for months before I really started actual food and of course the weight kept coming off everyday it was amazing. For the first 3 months I think I was on maybe 500cal a day with next to no carbs or sugars... I didn't feel hungry at all... Shakes kept me going... Every couple of months I had to buy new clothes, I couldn't believe how much I changed one month to the next and people who hasn't seen me in a few months were shocked ever time they saw me.... i never kept it secret from anyone; I was proud of my decision to finally change my life and possibly extend my life, I was enjoying the complements and I was lucky I don't think I stalled for more than a week and I never had any complications at all except for diarrhoea BM for a while and sure I threw up a few times when trying different things or eating too quickly... i started drinking regular coffee by 3 months and my surgeon said it was fine as long as I don't get dehydrated.. I was drinking tea as well and by 6 months I actually decided to treat myself here and there with some sugar free energy drinks and it has not impacted me or my weight loss one bit. Now I'm over 8 months out I can eat most things just small portions; I've even had bread a few times just have to take it very slowly... I've had pasta a few times and even had some chocolate over Easter without any issues at all and still continued to lose weight... i will admit recently I've had some treats here and there but that was once I got in to maintenance mode... I've pretty much been in maintenance now over 2 months and pretty much sit around 165lbs but just this week I've seen 163lbs on the scales... i don't log my food much now but I do keep a mental tally of my calories and such and I do still check my weight regularly to make sure I'm doing well.. i had the RNY bypass and it was 120cm and it was amazing; I've had a blast and I've lost pretty much 50% of my original weight. FROM highest of 322 to the lowest 162.8lbs just the other day.... i felt the need to share my story everything has been positive for me. It has totally changed my life and transformed my life and the way I see myself... I'll be 36 in 3 weeks but I feel better than I have in 20 years... i want everyone to read my story and see it is possible to have the BYPASS without any issues and also my 3 months blood tests were perfect so no issues with vitamins either just have to remember to take them everyday.. The one issue I will say was my hair did get thinner and would grow slower but never fell out.... I'm sure in time it will get better I've gone from being the FAT friend to the SKINNY friend... i look and feel amazing and my BMI has gone from 43 to 22. I've dropped 159lbs or 72KGS in 10 months including my preop... From 146KG to 74KG and below every goal I thought I wanted. I don't mind because most people will bounce back 10-20lbs anyway plus when I do start to build muscle that will add a little weight because right now I'm kinda skin and bones LOL feels weird saying that about myself but its pretty good... I'm really hoping I'll meet someone soon and start a family and live a long long life 😁😁😁 So if anybody is curious about RNY BYPASS don't be afraid... Success is possible!!!! A few pics before and after

Barring any medical complications or issues you should be fine. I live by myself and travelled by myself for surgery, was in hospital for two nights, one night in hotel accommodation and flew home (flight was about 1hr45mins). I was in covid self isolation for 14 days on my return home due to my state border restrictions. Thankfully no issues and was able to manage quite easily.

I am struggling with all the same thoughts & fears, and wondering if I really need to do something so drastic to my body in order to heal my relationship with food. And after I go through this soul searching, I know that after struggling with food addiction for nearly 5 decades, and knowing myself and my shortcomings, I need to forcefully disrupt the broken feedback loop between my stomach, heart and head. I am hopeful that this surgery will provide an initial strong restriction, and later a gentle reminder as my new stomach relaxes & heals; to always approach food mindfully and not mindlessly. I agree with everyone that being "left out" of social gatherings centered around food may make us feel hollow at first, but I think we have to recognize that our culture elevates food in an unhealthy way. I personally think we need to stop using food as a tool for shared social bonding and means to achieve emotional connection with others. I know food sharing in the context of creating social bonds is central in every culture likely back to our ancestral neanderthals, but that doesn't make it right. Maybe it was appropriate when we were hunter/gatherers and food was scarce, but we don't live in that world anymore - and maybe this psychological truth is central to understanding the epidemic of obesity. For me; these deep, tacit, perverted definitions of what food represents are at the core of why my experience of food evolved into an unfillable, aching, longing hole in me to begin with. I need to get comfortable with my body being empty, and not filled with food, get comfortable with all the difficult feelings I have been using food to erase and bury; and at this point in my life; for me, this surgery makes sense. My stomach is literally a part of me that isn't serving me any more, hasn't served me since I was a kid. I need it to survive, and that's it. I want to give it what it needs to survive, and that's it. I don't want a part of my body destroying the rest of my body. And this is a complicated subject, because we know that our mind is intimately involved in this process. There are drives for sustenance & survival rooted in our hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, vagus nerve, brainstem, etc. that we cannot overcome and should not overcome; but when they are not working properly we need to retrain them. And where I am in my journey is that it seems this retraining cannot be accomplished through any other means, after having tried them all. I sincerely hope I am correct; it would be a terrible thing for us to be wrong about. Good luck to us all as we undertake this incomprehensibly difficult and infinitely meaningful, literal remodeling of our bodies in an effort to finally achieve a lasting remodeling of our minds. Hope that all that rambling made sense! LOL! 🤣 PS: this site edits posts to create the weirdest hyperlinks. Obviously this post was not intended to link to the bariatric store. I can't edit out the automatic link above - LOL

I was sleeved at Mexico Bariatric Center, Dr Christian Rodreguez Lopez in Tijuana. It was a near perfect experience. I also have heard that weight loss can be affected by the surgeon. If I remember right it was determined by how close to the sphincter they get and how well they shape the stomach. Only time will tell for me. I am almost 6 weeks post op and down 24 pounds. No complications. I went to Mexico because there was no insurance interference and of course in the USA I did not qualify due to not being obese enough or having other pre-existing conditions. Good luck in your decision.

people on average supposedly lose more weight with the bypass, but it's really not by a significant amount. We're talking a few pounds. And that's just an average anyway - some sleevers end up losing more than bypassers, so YMMV. Your level of commitment to your plan has a lot more to do with your ultimate success than which surgery you go with. There are people on here who've been wildly successful with both - and other people who have failed on both. It comes down to how committed you are. If you follow the rules, you'll be successful. you do have to put in a lot of work to get the weight off and keep it off. The way I like to describe the surgery is that it gives you a strong "tail wind", which really helps you get to where you want to go. For once in my life, my efforts actually worked. I lost all of my excess weight and I'm not obese anymore. But - it was still effort - and it's also still an effort to maintain my loss. Five years out, I still have to monitor myself - weigh myself often, log everything I eat. If I stop paying attention for more than a few days, my weight starts heading north. as far as risks, yes, there are slightly more risks with the bypass, but both are extremely low risk surgeries. Many of us never had any complications, and of those who do, most are minor and "fixable". Major complications with these surgeries are pretty rare. Malabsorption of nutrients with the bypass is rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins. The one exception seems to be iron. Some people don't absorb iron from tablets very well and have to get occasional infusions. But that's not very common - most of us absorb iron from tablets just fine. As far as other vitamin deficiencies - again, very rare. Most people who experience those aren't keeping to top of their supplements. as long as you don't have GERD, it really comes down to personal preference. I went with the bypass because I had GERD prior to surgery, so it was a no-brainer. If that weren't the case, I probably still would have gone with the bypass because at the time I had surgery (five years ago), the sleeve was still kind of new, so I was a little leery about going with it. That was the time people were having tons of problems with lapbands and many people were having them removed, and I was afraid of the sleeve becoming "lapband 2". However, it's been around long enough now that it's proved itself, so I wouldn't have that fear anymore. btw - I was 55 when I had surgery and post-menopausal.

@_Chonk_, the drain was placed during the operation. Please, don't worry. I had my sleeve nine years ago and everything went perfectly. I lost 100 lbs, stabilized at 137, and kept it off. Complications are rare.

Yikes @Foxbins!! You have really been through it. I am having a small hiatal hernia repaired with my VSG too. Can I ask if they had to go back in to place the drain, or if it was placed during the initial operation? These kind of complications scare me! 😰 thank you for sharing what happened

Oh my God, I am so very sorry to hear these horrible stories. I will keep everyone here in my prayers. @myspeakgeek, hang in there, you will get better soon - we are all pulling for you!! You are young and healthy, and on your way to a happy and fulfilling new chapter in your life! @colormehappy, did you have a leak? Do you know what caused the bleeding, and how did they find it? Was your surgery in the US or Mexico? @Foxbins, did you have an additional surgery for the GERD, like some kind of fix for the hiatal hernia? Do you know what caused your issues? @rene50, thank you for your input and thoughts about this. I am scheduled for surgery in Mexico in less than a week. I wonder if they would be as thorough if they found these issues during my recovery, and if they could provide the support that was needed. Dr. Illan's office says that they have only had one leak of the thousands they have done, and their patients don't have complications. I'm not sure what to make of that, but most of the stories I hear are positive coming from Mexico. it sounds like you have heard positive stories too. Thank you to everyone for their input here, because it is important that we know what symptoms to look out for, and what those symptoms may mean, so that we can advocate for our care.