Search the Community

Our school allows for zoom classes only for covid. I’m going to wear a mask as always as well I am vaccinated. However, they are making a big deal about me wanting to go to class online via zoom versus in person. I have my surgery next Wednesday, when do you think I could realistically ride in a car for 30 minutes each way and sit in a 1 hr 45 minute class? My surgery is a laparoscopic revision

I am pre-op, but I am having my VSG in Mexico at HospitalBC on 9/21. There is a private FB page for Dr. Illan's patients, and many of them have gone to him for revisions (Dr. Jalil Illan, MD, FACS, FASMBS Weight Loss Surgery support group). Definitely suggest joining the FB group so you can get some first hand opinions! I did a good bit of research before deciding to go with Dr. Illan and have been extremely pleased with the process so far. Surgery in Mexico is absolutely a viable, safe option as long as you do your research and go with a reputable surgeon. Good luck on your revision, I hope you're able to find a surgeon your trust and can get it done!

Has anyone had any experience with having a revision done in Mexico? My insurance denied my revision AND denied my appeal against their decision. I don't have the time to continue fighting them (we want to have kids in the future and I know I will have to wait 18-24 months after the surgery to do so). And, if anyone has any experience at Oasis of Hope in Tijuana, Mexico, please do let me know even if it wasn't for a revision! Thank you so much!

I used to be a member of the clean plate club and now I prefer the clear conscious club. It’s taken a long time (and some therapy) to realize that leaving food behind isn’t disrespectful or that the food was bad (most of the time it’s not even when I cook. 😂) Sure, I make some questionable food choices but I’m human and sometimes I want ice cream for dinner because well, I can. Restriction means it now lasts a month for the pint instead of one mindless binge with other food on top of it. I’m also still trying to figure out what foods do what with my restriction, even a year out from VSG to RNY revision as I’ve also had some small intestine removed that tried to kill me. Plus, I like being able to see different foods I may not have tried or find some amazing new recipes from everyone who posts.

Yes, I had a simple gastroplasty (stomach stapling) in 1980. I lost 75 lbs by 6 months and then stopped losing. Over the next ten years I gained it all back. I had NO nutritional or psych guidance at all. In 1990 I had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and the same thing happened. I lost about 75 lbs by six months and stopped losing. Again, I had NO nutritional guidance or follow up. I returned to my original set point of over 300 lbs, where I remained despite many attempts at weight loss. Fast forward 30 years... Just before COVID hit, I met a man who told me he had RNY revision as a prerequisite for knee replacement surgery. I had no idea that a revision was possible. I was certainly interested, but then the pandemic arrived. Six months ago, I started thinking about it again and contacted a bariatric center 90 miles from my home. A barium swallow and an endoscopy revealed that the staples from the prior surgery had given way allowing a fistula (opening) between pouch and stomach, which back then was not cut away, just separated from the pouch by staples. It was obvious that there was a physical cause for the failure of the earlier surgeries. The surgeon assured me that the staple failure was not my fault due to up-chucking or pouch stretching, but was actually caused by the peristalsis of the stomach. He said that about 75% of the earlier WLS failed for this reason. Today, different kinds of staples and closure protocol are in place to prevent this kind of failure. I was put in the bariatric program to have a revision. I've lost 44 lbs to date and still have a couple of requirements to complete before revision surgery is scheduled. I'm hoping to have it in October. I'm excited but wary. Deep down I am afraid that the same thing will happen. My age (73) and prior surgeries are hurdles so I don't expect miraculous results. My hopeful goal is to get under 200 lbs. My dream goal is to reach 175 lbs. or lower. In the past six months, I've read over a dozen books about bariatric surgery and food addiction and collected a slew of bariatric cookbooks. I'm much better prepared than I was for the earlier surgeries. I now realize that I am a sugar/food addict, that "maintenance" doesn't work for me. I have to be continually vigilant about avoiding sugar, flour, wheat, rice, and processed foods. The only successful way to conquer addiction is abstinence. How Weight Loss Surgery Really Works, by Matthew Weiner ** Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies, By Marina Kurian, Barbara Thompson, Brian Davidson ** Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, by Vera Tarman *** Weight Loss Surgery Does Not Treat Food Addiction, by Connie Stapleton *** Why Diets Fail (because youʼre addicted to sugar), by Nicole Avena & John Talbott *** Bariatric Surgery & Food Addiction, by Philip Werdell *** (written for the clinician, but I found it valuable} The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients, by Colleen Cook*** A Pound of Cure, by Matthew Weiner (Focus on plant-based eating, not as restrictive as Bright Line Eating) Bright Line Eating, by Susan Peirce Thompson (similar to Kay Shepardʼs food plan without the 12-step program) Food Addiction: The Body Knows, by Kay Sheppard (12-step program, Focus on binging) From The First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery, by Kay Sheppard (12-step program, Focus on binging) Never Binge Again, by Glenn Livingston Lick the Sugar Habit, by Nancy Appleton (A bit outdated)

I had my gastric bypass revision on August 26, 2021 which was 3 days before Cat 4 Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans. I live just outside of New Orleans. Due to the hurricane, for several days, it was impossible to buy the food I needed. Everything was sold out. And Amazon isn’t able to deliver packages due to damages. Also I gained 12 lbs. following my surgery. I have not cheated on the diet and I’m hoping it’s fluid buildup. I have left my nutritionist many voice mails starting August 30. I have also left voice messages for my doctor. I haven’t heard from either one of them. Also when I was discharged, the nutritionist gave me a 5 page hand out. She didn’t explain anything. On the hand out it says what food I can eat but there is no mention of the amount. Is it a cup of bouillon or 3 tablespoons of bullion? I have no idea. Thanks for listening.

I am assuming you are only a few weeks out from surgery (sorry couldn’t see your surgery date anywhere), in which case I felt weak and dizzy until I was able to eat between 600 to 700 calories a day, but I was told by my doctor not to exercise, except for walking, until the 3 month mark. Your body is still healing and just needs time. As you can eat more, it should get better. The only advice I can give is to track everything you are eating, if you aren’t already, to make sure you are getting enough protein, hitting your water target and taking your vitamins. Good luck and look forward to hearing about your revision journey.

I had RNY in 2007, went from 325 to 170 and kept if off for 11 years, which felt awesome. When I had my baby (225 lbs) I just never took the baby weight off, got lax and gained a 50 lbs of weight on top of that. I had a revision to the bypass to reduce my stomach size and really want to get below 200lbs again. So far am down to 255 from 275 day of surgery but am struggling with weakness. Eating soft foods now and hovering below 600 calories a day with 30 minutes of walking. Should I be eating less? Exercising more? I forget everything I did in 2007 to be successful and am still in shock that I’m back here again. Thank you.

I read a couple of posts from people who were told by Kaiser that skin removal and other post bariatric plastics are not part of their plan. I don't want anyone to suffer for years as I did because of being told the wrong information! I'm learning to push back when told NO since often times the people on the other end of the phone tend to not have all the answers or are told to derail people with questions from learning the real truth in order to save $ Anyway, there was a class action in 2015 against Kaiser sparked by post WLS denials. And as it turns out this can have repercussions for insurance that systematically deems skin removal as an elective surgery that isn't covered in cases of extreme weight loss. Link https://blog.cvn.com/kaiser-ordered-to-broaden-reconstructive-surgery-coverage-after-class-action-trial https://legalnewsline.com/stories/510629463-calif-judge-rules-that-insurer-at-center-of-class-action-over-skin-removal-surgeries-must-broaden-coverage When I went to be evaluated for plastic surgery in 2017, we were told we could have one procedure. Dr said I didn't qualify for a panni because it didn't quite hang low enough, just to clarify...their measurement is 'abdominal skin must cover pubic region entirely'' which is BS with the years of skin rashes I have had. He said I just barely qualified for breast reduction surgery which I had 5 months later, the waiting list was long. He said I would be a C cup (from a DD) and I wasn't happy when I ended up a B but worse things could happen. I'm 16 years Post Gastric BP and should've had a revision 4-5 years ago when weight gain started creeping up, no longer going down... about 15 lbs a year since 2018. I could never break past 170 to reach goal of 155 but I'm goin to pursue the distal revision as of this week. It's now or never, I have to get a social life! The rule is you have to be at your goal and stable for months before a skin removal surgery will be covered by insurance so I'll have to wait longer even longer for that as consequence of procrastinating on a revision! I've been disabled with an autoimmune illness so I never returned to the job I enjoyed after the WLS. I didn't put much effort into pursuing solutions for skin removal after research showed it would be very costly out of pocket expense and not covered by insurance. So I haven't really felt the freedom of losing 140 lbs because I still cover up my body! No swimsuits, no sleeveless anything or clothing that accentuates the possibility of a waist, LOL. I wish I had the confidence of those who wear what they want, no matter their size! I've wanted to leave Kaiser to return the awesome Dr I previously had who actually listened and treated me like a human being. Staying with Kaiser only until these surgeries are done and I'm out of there! Kaiser ruling.pdf

I had a revision from sleeve to RNY and from my 10 day pre-op diet plus the first month after revision, I have lost 26 lbs. I will be 61 soon and am in One-derland to give you a little background. Everyone is different but that is my current story. Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi KittyHawk, I can honestly say everyone is different. I know most will say 20 pounds is the standard number for losing after revision but there are cases where you can lose more. My original sleeve surgery needed to be revised for a couple of reasons and I regained about 30 pounds of the 60 I had lost. I went into the RNY revision weighing 181 pounds after losing around 9 or so during pre-op. I had the revision in February and I now weigh 143 pounds and the weight is still coming off. I also weigh 12 pounds less than what I was on the sleeve. It is definitely true about slower loss: I've stalled a couple times and this last one lasted almost 2 months. But it will come off. Good luck!

Hey Friends, I saw a few posts about sleeve to RYGB but not as much discussion as I thought there’d be. I’m having revision this month due to some weight regain (partly my fault and partly due to having a baby). In addition to the the regain I also have a twist in my stomach which is cutting off blood supply to that section of stomach (due to previous sleeve surgery) this has to be rectified. My surgeon says while weightloss is slower he believes I will loose more than my original sleeve surgery. Anyone that has been through this with good or bad results I would love to hear your story. I’m worried that I won’t have the weightloss I’m looking for within a reasonable timeframe. Looking for support, thank you!

I had the lap band before and it didn't work. It didn't do anything to stop my hunger, it didn't change my metabolism, it didn't stop me from absorbing everything I ate... all it did was put a little speed bump from my esophagus to my stomach. Sometimes that speed bump would get stopped up and cause me crazy pain, sliming, and barfing. Usually healthy foods did that to me (chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, celery, lean steak, etc.). Unhealthy foods went down like a breeze so I could eat greasy cheeseburgers, cakes, cookies, milkshakes, cheese fries, etc. without a problem. The lap band, essentially, trained me to eat junk food and avoid healthy food. Then I got it revised to RNY and it has been a TOTAL game changer. There are a number of reasons it's working way better for me. 1) My physical appetite is gone. And I mean, GONE. Even if I swim (I'm always starving after I swim) or walk all day or do heavy manual labor... I just never want to eat. 2) Sugar is repulsive now. I don't want anything to do with ice cream, cakes, or cookies. Those used to be my favorite. I tried to take a sip of regular orange juice (because I remember how refreshing I used to find it) and gagged because it was just way, way too sweet. 3) I crave nutritious foods, mostly seafood and vegetables. Which is weird because I was never much of a veggie lover before. I only ate them because I felt like I had to. 4) I only absorb 75% of the food I eat, and I don't eat much to begin with so I've been dropping weight like crazy. 5) I get full, quickly. 6) If I try to eat something I shouldn't (like something high in fat) I'm immediately punished with a wave of nausea and I won't try it again. All this factored together has made RNY a very powerful weight loss tool. If you are an emotional eater or food addict RNY would be torture. The head hunger definitely doesn't go away. While physically I don't want to eat, mentally I wish I still could. It's not because I eat to cope but because I just always loved food. I'm a foodie and I love cooking, baking, restaurants, trying new foods, etc. I can't have it anymore and it makes me a little sad but I've been killing myself from my "hobby" so it's time to let it go. But if you're someone who is determined to eat because you feel like you HAVE to (like an emotional or addictive issue) you'll want to get therapy before having surgery. For me, that pain from over-eating is NOT worth it at all. It's very unpleasant and I eat very slowly to avoid it. But for some folks, the pain is worth it to eat what they want, and that's where re-gain/failure comes in. That and mindless snacking on simple carbs. You've gotta say no to the chips, crackers, and popcorn.

Elless, have you considered a revision? My story is the same as yours (lap band didn't help me lose weight at all, only lost 20 pounds in 6 months, regained it quickly and then gained extra weight) except I resorted to slider foods after I realized the lap band wasn't helping at all. I revised to RNY and I've lost 43 pounds in less than 2 months. It's a total game changer and I'd recommend it to anyone. Skinny3, if you have 100 or more pounds to lose I'd definitely look into gastric bypass!!! It's not what it used to me. About a decade ago (and before) it was an open surgery with more risks but now it's done laproscopically. Definitely recommend it.

I understand what you are saying. I always called my VSG my sleeve or stomach, not pouch. I can kind of understand the pouch idea with the gastric bypass because things get stuck in our "pouch", which is the size of an egg, and not our stomach. Thank you for your response. I only threw up once with my VSG in many years. Then again, I had a very conservative surgeon who made it 10 ounces instead of the 3 - 5 ounces. I wish I could say the same thing that I never foamed or threw up about my revision to RNY. 😆

Thank you all for responding!! That is one less thing for me to stress about. All this time I kept thinking something was wrong with my new revision because my stomach actually "turned" twice. One person I know in real life scared me and told me that she couldn't throw up no matter what since she had her gastric bypass and something must be connected wrong inside me 😅. I think she had her surgery back in the 90s. Not sure if the procedure changed.

I just wanted to say, "never stop fighting for your life." I'm truly on the road to revision after over two years. I have completed 1 of 3 months of dietary counseling. I am scheduled for an exam on 9/17 to check my sleeve and throat. I have two other medical appointments (psychiatric and cardiac). Funny thing, I am still not excited. I haven't changed my mind. I am just a little scared! I plan to share my journey because it helped me to read other's stories. Its one day at a time! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

No. Before I even met with the bariatric clinic to inquire about revision I did a two-week liquid diet just to see if I could do it. (It turns out that my clinic doesn't use that technique for liver reduction.) Liquid protein shakes and powders are very filling. They are not like the old "Slender" shakes in a can. I would drink them and ask "Where is the rest ov my lunch?" No, I'm quite satisfied drinking protein shakes, supplemented with broth, sugar-free Jello and sugar-free Popsicles. I won't say it was totally easy, but it was not as hard as I expected and I lost over 10 pounds during those two weeks. Do a practice run. Try it now for about four days just to see how it goes for you.

I've come to realize that I am also a sugar/food addict. I've read a ton of books, some of which I will share with you. OA, a 12-step program, is an excellent support group. I haven't joined OA but I know its out there and available to me. I had WLS in 1990, received no nutrition guidance, and was pretty much left to my own devices. I lost weight during the post-op honeymoon, but as time passed I could eat more...and I did! I regained every pound I had lost and returned to my original set point, where it stayed for the next 25 years despite a variety of weight loss program. I could never keep lost weight off. I only recently learned that my RNY can be revised. I wasted a lot of time, but I'm going to give it another shot. This time I have lots more information at my fingertips. Pre-operatively I have sworn off sugar, flour, wheat, rice, starchy vegetables, and processed foods. The first couple of weeks were hard but now I rarely get cravings or head hunger. I've lost 43 lbs. since the first of April. I know that abstention is the only way to prevail over addiction. I intend to continue with this post-operatively also. Since you already know you are a food addict, I recommend the following: Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, by Vera Talman Weight Loss Surgery Does Not Treat Food Addiction, by Connie Stapleton Why Diets Fail (because youʼre addicted to sugar), by Nicole Avena & John Talbott Baratric Surgery & Food Addiction, by Philip Werdell (written for the clinician, but I found it valuable} You might find Kay Sheppard's books relevant, since she advocates 12-step programs: Food Addiction: The Body Knows and From The First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery One more book that I highly recommend is The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients, by Colleen Cook. I've also discovered that there a plethora of Bariatric Cookbooks now. My favorite is The Bariatric Guide and Cookbook, by Matthew Weiner.

Forget snacks entirely unless they are protein or vegetable. They grease the slippery slope to regaining what you have lost. I speak from experience. I am approaching RNY revision and I will not make the same mistakes again. The pre-op food plan and the (clear/full liquid/puree) stages post op while we are not getting hungry give us the opportunity to establish a new way of eating. If we seek sugar-free or keto snacks we are merely making some substitutes for the OLD way of eating. It's too easy to find ourselves eating sugared and carbohydrate snacks and food when we don't happen to have the "-free" type. Just because substitute snack foods are sold on bariatric sites does not mean they are good for us. If we are wise we will ignore those products. Eat whole foods, fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, quality poultry and meat products. Avoid sugar, sugar substitutes, wheat/flour products, and processed foods. We can get plenty of tasty food to eat with these choices. I encourage you to obtain and read these two books by Dr. Matthew Weiner: A Pound of Cure and The Bariatric Guide and Cookbook. There are lots of other bariatric cookbooks available, too, including some for Air Fryers, InstaPots, and CrockPots. These will help you learn your new way of eating.

My clinic's pre-op food plan is low carb/high protein until two days before surgery. Those two days are "clear liquids only". The pre-op diet avoids starchy vegetables, rice, anything made with flour, any fried foods, any processed foods. It also avoids fruit, which is a sticking point with me. Yes, fruit has carbs, but it also has fiber and the body processes it differently from other carbohydrates. I've lost weight while eating fruit, but they cracked down on me, saying I was "non-compliant", so I've had to wean myself off fruit. I still don't have a surgery date for my RNY revision, but it is likely to be in October.

Thank you Devotion. I'm on the mend. Good luck to you on your revision!

-It is not an unreasonable position for her to keep, as the bypass does indeed provide very similar weightloss and regain results to the sleeve but at a somewhat higher cost in potential problems, limitations in future medical care and increased fussiness on supplements. The bypass is overall a very good procedure that is mature technology - it has been around as a WLS for some 40+ years, and its basis dates back some 140 years, so it is a well known quantity, both good and bad. Her concern about ulcers is well founded, and that is something that one lives with, or at least the threat of them, with the bypass as it is intrinsic to it. One may never experience one, and most don't, but everyone is living to avoid them - it is the basis of the "no NSAID" policy that is common in the bariatric world as one needs to avoid any medications that promote stomach irritation and NSAIDs are the most common class of drugs that we encounter (but there are others that one may encounter through life.) Occasionally someone will come through with an ulcer problem that defies resolution, and their main course of action it to reverse the bypass. This is rare, but it happens. Marginal ulcers are to the bypass what GERD is to the sleeve - you can't fool mother nature and there will always be potential consequences to fooling around with her. One needs to balance what one gets from a treatment against what might possibly occur on downside. Iron infusions are also a fairly common need after bypass, as it malabsorbs minerals in particular, and while some can get away with simple oral iron supplements, many can't and need periodic infusions. This is rare with a sleeve as there is no particular malabsorption. Another factor that weighs on some is the "plan B" factor - what does one do if things don't work as expected - complications, inadequate weight loss or regain? While we don't like to think in terms of getting revisions, they are sometimes necessary, and the bypass is difficult to revise if it doesn't work right; as noted above in the case of intransigent ulcers, the usual is to reverse the bypass and put you back where you started from, and likely still needing help in weight control. The sleeve, on the other hand, can readily be revised to the bypass if needed - typically for intransigent GERD problems - or to a duodenal switch for continuing weight problems. Again, not something we like to think about, but the options are there. The bypass also presents some additional limitations in future medical treatment, as it leave one with a blind remnant stomach and upper intestine, which can't easily be scoped endoscopically as with the natural GI system or with a sleeve. Again, something that may never come up, but likely will sometime in your future life. A further note, your surgeon is in good company, as my doc rarely does bypasses as well, though his preference leans toward the duodenal switch as his primary, with VSG as a second choice. He does, however, do a fair amount of business revising problematic bypasses to the duodenal switch, and will do the odd bypass when it is specifically indicated for a patient, but that is fairly rare.

I would seek another surgeon. Her experience is probably lacking in the gastric bypass arena. If I had my choice over again, I'd go bypass instead of sleeve. It would've saved me years of Gerd and sleep issues because of it. That is just my personal experience, of course. Many do not develop Gerd. I had my revision to bypass a little over 3 wks. ago, and I feel so much better now.

KSW22 I am sorry to hear you can not do your revision surgery and am wondering if you have ever looked into keto/low carb? I had the roux en y in dec 2004 and lost 100 lbs, but than got almost back up to my original weight. Two years ago i found keto and Dr. Ken Berry (u tube him). I had success with losing about 70 lbs, but last year when covid hit I got off track and am now getting ready to start over. It is the closest thing to what i should have done after my 1st surgery, if I had only known than what I know now. look into it and if you have questions feel free to ask.