Sleeve to Bypass Revision Aftercare Fears

[SKOrtiz78 2]

Hi all, New here names Kat. 46 years old. In 2009 I had a gastric sleeve and hiatal hernia repair in Colombia. In 2020 I had horrible GERD and had another hernia repair as my stomach was in my chest cavity behind my heart at that time. I was doing ok until last week. I work in an animal hospital and I assisted in lifting a 90lb dog that fell off a table during a surgical prep and instantly felt I had injured myself when I lifted this dog. The next day I went to the ER and was told I had a large hiatal hernia which incorporated my entire stomach as well as part of my large intestine and my liver was also coming up through my diaphragm. I consulted with the surgeon that did my repair in 2020 and he is recommending a sleeve to bypass revision as he does not want to risk my sleeve slipping and the hernia recurring because going in for a 4th abdominal surgery isn't ideal and becomes quite difficult as scar tissue accumulates with every repair. Needless to say I am terrified. Having done my original procedure in another country I did not follow America protocol when it came to the appropriate mental health to go along with a bariatric procedure. I have never had a healthy relationship with food and have continued with a poor diet throughout the years. My fears are not so much surrounding the procedure more so the lifestyle change that must be made post surgery. The liquid diet pre and post surgery, the Portion Control, the Protein and Water intake that's require the regiment of Vitamins and supplements needed to stay alive. Over the years I've never even been good with taking a daily multi Vitamin. I'm not really sure what Im looking for by posting this thread as I'm sure I will get plenty of negative comments about just having to do what I'm told but was hoping that someone anyone can relate to the anxiety I am feeling about not being successful in what needs to be done. I know I WANT to do the right thing. I know I want to see my 9 and 12 year old grow up. I know I don't want to leave my husband heartbroken and alone. I know that even if I suck at doing the right thing for myself I need to do the right thing by my family. Im just freaking out a little. I just dropped of the CT scan cd to my surgeon yesterday and am waiting to hear back from him this coming week about talking to a bariatric dietician and discuss a date when this is all going to happen. Looking for any insite and honestly from people with similar fears sticking to post op care and life long lifestyle changes. Thanks in advance and please be kind.

[summerseeker 2,250]

On 2/1/2025 at 10:38 PM, SKOrtiz78 said:

I'm sure I will get plenty of negative comments

No you won't. This is a safe place. We are all human, we fail.

The pre op sucks, I dreaded it but managed, just. The rest just happens because I make it. Sometimes you just have to 'man up' and get the thing done. I feel your fears and want to hug you better. Forgive your past mistakes and love yourself as much as you love your family x

[SpartanMaker 936]

Welcome Kat. So sorry to hear of all the struggles you've had. It sounds really rough.

I think almost everyone here has struggled with something over the course of their bariatric surgery journey and some have struggled a lot more than others. None of us are perfect. We simply can do what we can do.

Please keep in mind: If the recommended changes regarding diet and lifestyle were easy to make, I'd wager that most of us would have simply made those changes without going through the surgery. My own perspective is that my weight loss surgery was a tool that helped me eat better and eventually allowed me to get to a weight that also allowed me to be more active. It's was not the other way around, where I had to do certain things for the surgery "to be successful".

Please understand, I'm NOT saying you can do whatever you want after surgery. What I am saying is that the surgery itself is a tool that can help you do the things that will lead to success such as eating better and being more active.

Those changes take time. You're not going to be able to make dramatic lifestyle changes overnight. Don't even try because that NEVER works. Focus on making just small sustainable changes before trying to make any further changes. It sounds trite, but slow and steady truly does win the race.

I would also strongly advise you to consider finding a good mental health professional that specializes in bariatric patients. This one thing will probably help you more than anything with some of the struggles you're having. A dietitian can also help with the diet portion and is also strongly recommended.

Please keep us apprised of how it's going and I think you'll find there are people here that can help with whatever struggles you may be having, whether it's being compliant with your surgeons instructions, cleaning up your diet, or finding motivation. We're here to help.

[Arabesque 7,445]

Great advice from @SpartanMakeras usual. 😁

I say the surgery gave me time. Time to reflect on my eating habits and food choices & change my relationship with food. Time to make changes to those things. Time to discover what my real hunger and full signals were versus which were head hunger signals. Time to discover & establish an activity routine I actually enjoy and do. Time to work out the strategies and behaviours that help me manage head hunger, and poor eating behaviours, maintain my weight, etc. that work for me. And of course the progress you make losing is a great motivator.

In time your hunger comes back, you’re able to eat more, life throws crap at you, and so on which is why taking advantage of the time to do those things I mentioned above is important …well it was to me.

Never be afraid to ask for help and guidance from your new team (surgeon, their support staff, dietician) or from people here. We’ve all fought battles of some sort, made mistakes or slipped and can understand where you’ve been and what you may face after this next surgery.

And yes, therapy can be very helpful too.

All the best.

[SKOrtiz78 2]

I appreciate all the advice and kind words of encouragement. I bounce between the scary feelings I have about eating and being excited to lose weight and be a healthier me to enjoy life with my family as much and as long as I can. I was and am just a little overwhelmed because I initially went to my surgeon about the hernia repair. He informed me of this sleeve-to-bypass revision that would be in my best interest which I was not expecting. Hence, this isn't so much of a weight loss journey for me as it is a quality of life journey, With that being said it brought me back to confronting my unhealthy relationship with food and took me back to a time after my sleeve in 2009 where the smell of food would take me into an anxiety-riddled panic attack. All the byproduct of not taking the appropriate steps in getting my mind right before the procedure since I went to another country for my initial procedure. The hernia repair to me has now taken a back seat to the lifestyle changes needed to move forward with the bypass and everything that entails. This time I hope to do it a little better and taking the appropriate steps to making my lifestyle change more healthily. It's still very early in my journey. I don't have a date yet. Tomorrow is my initial consultation with the registered dietician and nutritional counselor and hopefully I will feel comfortable discussing my fears of failure. Again thank you for the advice I am truly humbled.