Are You Happy That You Had Surgery?

[Beks18 7]

This is my first time posting here, but I’ve scoured forums for so many of my questions. I’ve read lots of your stories and have found encouragement and new fears. One demographic of people I haven’t seen much from are those that are at the lower end of the BMI for bariatric surgery. I am 5’6” and at 35 BMI. I juuuust barely qualified for surgery. I will get my surgery date this Wednesday and my fears are at an all time high. I am relatively healthy and qualified based on one comorbidity which is mild sleep apnea. My question is to those who had similar situations as my own. Do you regret getting the bypass, or are you happy you did it? Did you form more problems after the surgery than you had before? Please give me your insight! I know I want the bypass rather than the sleeve due to GERD issues. Like many of you, I’ve struggled with my weight and Portion Control my entire life. But I am so scared that I’m going to have regrets and it’ll be too late to turn back. Another question I have is for those on antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds. For the first time in my life, my anxiety is well controlled on Prozac and I’m worried that the surgery will completely mess that up. Can I hear your experiences with meds post-op?

Edited February 4 by Beks18
Added Info

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,677]

I am...now. I had a sleeve in 2022 and had SO many complications and I was miserable. I had a revision to bypass in 2023 and honestly, it's been amazing. I 100% love that I had the revision. I recommend the bypass to everyone. It literally solved all my issues. And I'm so thankful that I got my life back.

I take meds for severe anxiety, for MS, and for lupus. The only real issue with meds are extended release with the bypass. But if you can find a way around that then you'll be fine.

[Beks18 7]

2 hours ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

I am...now. I had a sleeve in 2022 and had SO many complications and I was miserable. I had a revision to bypass in 2023 and honestly, it's been amazing. I 100% love that I had the revision. I recommend the bypass to everyone. It literally solved all my issues. And I'm so thankful that I got my life back.

I take meds for severe anxiety, for MS, and for lupus. The only real issue with meds are extended release with the bypass. But if you can find a way around that then you'll be fine.

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate your perspective. ❤️

[SpartanMaker 936]

Well, I don't fit your criteria (I was at about a 47 BMI at my highest), but I wanted to provide some overall perspective.

There will always be some people that regret having bariatric surgery regardless of starting weight, but studies suggest that the vast majority are happy they had it done. The satisfaction rates seem to be about on par with other major "elective" surgeries such as joint replacement.

In the studies available, there was a very strong correlation between satisfaction and weight loss success. That makes sense, because if you can't maintain the weight loss, this would tend to make you think it was a waste of time, money and that you went through a lot of hardship for nothing. Another strong correlation existed between those with eating disorders and dissatisfaction. Again, this makes sense because of the correlation between success and satisfaction. If you have an eating disorder, it's certainly possible to out eat any surgery.

Those that report the highest satisfaction would tell you it was nothing short of life changing. At the end of the day, only you can decide if it's the right decision for you.

[Arabesque 7,444]

I had a BMI of 35 but I had a sleeve. I also didn’t have any co morbidities - I knew they were likely ahead of me though. So I’m going to respond more generally using am I glad I had weight loss surgery not a specific surgery.

Simply yes, I am. The bulk of must weight came on with menopause and nothing I did shifted it. Or if it did it would be back in a very short period of time. I reached a point where I couldn’t stand it any longer and made an appointment with my doctor for a referral. I was in surgery less than 6 weeks later (benefits of living in Australia with private health).

Do I have any issues post surgery? Yes but they’re minor really and I had a quirky tummy before so no real change. I struggle a bit with the foamies but no dumping. I had reflux before but it was managed with dietary choices. Still have it though I take a PPI every day now vs a handful of times a year before & the symptoms are different now. (Best is I don’t get the hideous hiccups I used to get just the regular ones now.)

One of the benefits of having surgery is you simply cannot eat the same volume of food. Of course if you are determined you can eat around some of your changed digestive system. But take the time in the initial months after surgery where its benefits are strongest, to learn about things like portion size, nutritional values, etc. and start adopting new behaviours. Reflect on your relationship with food and why you ate and start making changes there too. Seek the help & support of your dietician and a therapist as needed.

Many seem to be concerned they won’t lose all the weight they’d like to starting at a lower BMI. I lost all of mine and more. It is important to remember that not everyone loses all the weight they’d like. The surgery (regardless of which you have), changes your body set point that is the weight your body is happy at which often is not the weight you think you’ll be happy at.

With bypass it is always best to have a conversation with the doctor who prescribes your meds as bypass does interfere with the absorption of these. It may mean you need to swap some of your meds as @SleeveToBypass2023 mentioned.

All the best.

[NickelChip 1,332]

Okay, so I had reached a BMI of 40 when I got the referral to the surgical team. But with 6 months of nutrition counseling and the 2 week liquid diet, the day of surgery I had a BMI of 36.3. I chose the bypass and I am very happy with it. My weight loss has not been the dramatic numbers you see with larger patients, but it's been stunning to me. I am almost a year out and am currently within 9 pounds of a normal BMI. I have not been this weight in 30 years and I firmly believe no amount of diet and exercise alone would have gotten me here. I would do it again in a heartbeat and wish I had done it earlier.

With regards to the bypass itself, I am very pleased with it. I chose it over the sleeve because of GERD concerns and because my brother, who had the sleeve 15 years ago, has had a lot of regain that I think the bypass will help me avoid to some degree.

I had some issues with vomiting for the first several months when I didn't eat very slowly or had something that was not the "right" texture for my picky insides. But other than that, I've been great. At this point, I can eat about a third to a half of a typical portion of most meals so I don't feel like I get funny looks or anything from people who don't know my situation. I do not experience dumping, which is sad because it means I can eat sweets if I want them without getting sick. And yes, I do want them, so managing cravings is my biggest challenge. I no longer care much for bread or Pasta and I also don't eat rice. I do like a few roasted potatoes sometimes and I will steal a couple fries from someone else's plate but I won't order them for myself. I mostly prefer Protein, veg, and fruit. And, yeah, sweets...

My labs have all looked good so far (have to go get blood drawn next week ahead of my 1-year follow up). I feel fantastic. My one concern had been not being able to take ibuprofen because I was taking it a few times a week for pain. Well, within weeks of the surgery, even when my weight was still fairly high, my pain went away. I have had one time in the past year when I had a headache and wished I could take ibuprofen (and actually, I could have if I had really needed to because a single ibuprofen, or even one a week, is not a high enough risk to worry about).

[Beks18 7]

On 2/4/2025 at 5:02 PM, SpartanMaker said:

Well, I don't fit your criteria (I was at about a 47 BMI at my highest), but I wanted to provide some overall perspective.

There will always be some people that regret having bariatric surgery regardless of starting weight, but studies suggest that the vast majority are happy they had it done. The satisfaction rates seem to be about on par with other major "elective" surgeries such as joint replacement.

In the studies available, there was a very strong correlation between satisfaction and weight loss success. That makes sense, because if you can't maintain the weight loss, this would tend to make you think it was a waste of time, money and that you went through a lot of hardship for nothing. Another strong correlation existed between those with eating disorders and dissatisfaction. Again, this makes sense because of the correlation between success and satisfaction. If you have an eating disorder, it's certainly possible to out eat any surgery.

Those that report the highest satisfaction would tell you it was nothing short of life changing. At the end of the day, only you can decide if it's the right decision for you.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. You made some very good points about the reason someone might be satisfied or dissatisfied after their surgery.

[Beks18 7]

On 2/4/2025 at 10:40 PM, Arabesque said:

I had a BMI of 35 but I had a sleeve. I also didn’t have any co morbidities - I knew they were likely ahead of me though. So I’m going to respond more generally using am I glad I had weight loss surgery not a specific surgery.

Simply yes, I am. The bulk of must weight came on with menopause and nothing I did shifted it. Or if it did it would be back in a very short period of time. I reached a point where I couldn’t stand it any longer and made an appointment with my doctor for a referral. I was in surgery less than 6 weeks later (benefits of living in Australia with private health).

Do I have any issues post surgery? Yes but they’re minor really and I had a quirky tummy before so no real change. I struggle a bit with the foamies but no dumping. I had reflux before but it was managed with dietary choices. Still have it though I take a PPI every day now vs a handful of times a year before & the symptoms are different now. (Best is I don’t get the hideous hiccups I used to get just the regular ones now.)

One of the benefits of having surgery is you simply cannot eat the same volume of food. Of course if you are determined you can eat around some of your changed digestive system. But take the time in the initial months after surgery where its benefits are strongest, to learn about things like portion size, nutritional values, etc. and start adopting new behaviours. Reflect on your relationship with food and why you ate and start making changes there too. Seek the help & support of your dietician and a therapist as needed.

Many seem to be concerned they won’t lose all the weight they’d like to starting at a lower BMI. I lost all of mine and more. It is important to remember that not everyone loses all the weight they’d like. The surgery (regardless of which you have), changes your body set point that is the weight your body is happy at which often is not the weight you think you’ll be happy at.

With bypass it is always best to have a conversation with the doctor who prescribes your meds as bypass does interfere with the absorption of these. It may mean you need to swap some of your meds as @SleeveToBypass2023 mentioned.

All the best.

Thank you for the insight into your experience. I appreciate your perspective on it all.

[Beks18 7]

1 hour ago, NickelChip said:

Okay, so I had reached a BMI of 40 when I got the referral to the surgical team. But with 6 months of nutrition counseling and the 2 week liquid diet, the day of surgery I had a BMI of 36.3. I chose the bypass and I am very happy with it. My weight loss has not been the dramatic numbers you see with larger patients, but it's been stunning to me. I am almost a year out and am currently within 9 pounds of a normal BMI. I have not been this weight in 30 years and I firmly believe no amount of diet and exercise alone would have gotten me here. I would do it again in a heartbeat and wish I had done it earlier.

With regards to the bypass itself, I am very pleased with it. I chose it over the sleeve because of GERD concerns and because my brother, who had the sleeve 15 years ago, has had a lot of regain that I think the bypass will help me avoid to some degree.

I had some issues with vomiting for the first several months when I didn't eat very slowly or had something that was not the "right" texture for my picky insides. But other than that, I've been great. At this point, I can eat about a third to a half of a typical portion of most meals so I don't feel like I get funny looks or anything from people who don't know my situation. I do not experience dumping, which is sad because it means I can eat sweets if I want them without getting sick. And yes, I do want them, so managing cravings is my biggest challenge. I no longer care much for bread or Pasta and I also don't eat rice. I do like a few roasted potatoes sometimes and I will steal a couple fries from someone else's plate but I won't order them for myself. I mostly prefer Protein, veg, and fruit. And, yeah, sweets...

My labs have all looked good so far (have to go get blood drawn next week ahead of my 1-year follow up). I feel fantastic. My one concern had been not being able to take ibuprofen because I was taking it a few times a week for pain. Well, within weeks of the surgery, even when my weight was still fairly high, my pain went away. I have had one time in the past year when I had a headache and wished I could take ibuprofen (and actually, I could have if I had really needed to because a single ibuprofen, or even one a week, is not a high enough risk to worry about).

Thank you for responding! I have also worried about not being able to take ibuprofen after surgery, but I think I’m making more of an issue of it in my mind than it would be in reality. After 4 kids, I got used to not being able to take ibuprofen during pregnancy. I’ve wondered a lot about dumping and wish I could know ahead of time what it will be like for me. It seems like such a unique thing to everyone and very different circumstances that seem to bring on dumping. Could you elaborate more on what textures your body can’t tolerate?

[NickelChip 1,332]

10 hours ago, Beks18 said:

Could you elaborate more on what textures your body can’t tolerate?

Let's see... early on, it was scrambled eggs. That one is really common. You think it will be mild on your tummy, but you'd be better off with a fried or hard boiled egg because scrambling makes it really textured by comparison and for some reason, it's not good. I also struggled with broccoli and asparagus unless it was steamed to the point it turned to mush. I had a problem with reheated foods, too, so cooking up a big piece of salmon or chicken and then portioning it out for a few meals was a no-go unless I ate it cold. I could reheat ground meat, though, especially if it had a sauce with it.

I would say that 99% of the time, none of these things were a problem after about 6 months. What I do still struggle with is if I forget to eat slowly and take very small bites that I chew thoroughly. In the beginning I used a cocktail fork to remind me to take tiny bites. I would chew for a minute before swallowing. If I didn't, I would get sick. But as time goes on, you can eat a bit more, chew a bit less, and get away with it. Until, like this morning, you are in a hurry and inhale your food without thinking like you did pre-surgery, and realize after about four rapid bites that this was a huge mistake. Sometimes when that happens, you will be in pain for a while and then it will subside on its own. Sometimes, it will come right back up. On the bright side, it is not like pre-surgery with that awful vomit taste and smell. It just looks (and tastes/smells) like chewed food, sometimes with some foamy mucus, and it's fairly quiet, too. (Sorry if that's really gross to describe, but I figured it's good to be prepared). One thing I did was order a pack of the motion sickness bags you can find online. I put a few in my car and tucked one in my purse. That way, if I was ever in public and ate something that didn't agree with me, it was much easier to be discreet about it.

With dumping, in my experience, every so often if I have something sugary, I will experience an increased heart rate. It's not a big deal and it slows after about 15 minutes. But on Thanksgiving, my cousin made a green bean casserole that was very fatty with a ton of butter and cheese. I had a single bite of it, and maybe 20 minutes later my heart was pounding like I had just gotten up and run a lap around the block. It went away after about 15 minutes as well, but definitely a stronger reaction. But that's it for dumping for me. I've had enough sugary and fatty foods that I'm fairly confident I am one of the 70% who only experience very minor to no symptoms, unfortunately. I wish I had something to make me not want to indulge!

[Moxie Pratt 3]

Yes I'm very glad I did it. I can fit in chairs, get up from the floor, I even went sleighing a few weeks ago.

I am no longer consumed with the thought of eating. I dont feel ashamed when I walk in a room. I wish I had done it years ago. My husband stopped me. I left him,so that ended that problem.