What Are Some Things That Surprised You After Surgery?

[Beks18 7]

I’ve done a lot of bypass research and found out so much that I didn’t have a clue about prior to research. Things like the foamies, the Constipation, medication absorption, etc. I’m curious to hear about things that surprised you after surgery that your clinical team didn’t tell you and that you might not have come across in your own research beforehand. I want to be as prepared as possible for what’s to come. Give me the good, bad, ugly… all of it.

[SpartanMaker 936]

I think the first thing that comes to mind is just how varied dumping syndrome can be. When the bariatric teams talk about it, they tend to tell you all the symptoms and that it tends to happen pretty quickly after eating.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple or straightforward. Some people may only have one or two symptoms. Others multiple symptoms. For some people it happens really quickly, and for others it can take hours before it begins. Time to recover is also really varied. For some it's over with in 30 minutes or less. Others can be in agony for many, many hours.

As an example, I'm over 2 years out and for the longest time I just assumed I was one of the lucky (or cursed depending of your perspective), people that didn't really have to worry about dumping. I can eat almost anything and not have "typical" dumping syndrome. What I do have is what I was calling reactive hypoglycemia, meaning I was having low blood glucose issues ~3 hours of so after eating.

After talking to my bariatric surgeon in my last checkup, she pointed out that what I was calling reactive hypoglycemia, is likely just a different form of dumping. Once I started being more careful about not eating a bunch of added sugar without sufficient Protein as a buffer, the symptoms mostly went away.

[toodlerue 455]

Everyone is different! I’m 5years out. My dumping is more like a hot flash with a very upset stomach. I have to lay down until it passes. I never had the foamies but I am nauseous A LOT! Sometimes I can eat a piece of cake with a ton of frosting & it doesn’t bother me. Other times I can’t. I only eat 3.5 oz of food at a time. I never know what my body is going to do. I am also constipated all of the time.
My daughter is 4 y out. She slowly eats 5 meals a day. She has very loose, stinky bowl movements. She can’t eat a lot of sugar & drinks diet Dr Pepper but she would really like to drink regular sodas. I don’t like the taste of diet beverages so I drink an electrolyte replacement beverage.
Bariatric surgery is kinda like pregnancy & your own kids. You don’t know what you are gonna get.
I would like to know if there is a correlation between how much or a percentage of weight you loose & your symptoms afterwards.
Best of luck to you!

[Beks18 7]

2 minutes ago, toodlerue said:

Everyone is different! I’m 5years out. My dumping is more like a hot flash with a very upset stomach. I have to lay down until it passes. I never had the foamies but I am nauseous A LOT! Sometimes I can eat a piece of cake with a ton of frosting & it doesn’t bother me. Other times I can’t. I only eat 3.5 oz of food at a time. I never know what my body is going to do. I am also constipated all of the time.
My daughter is 4 y out. She slowly eats 5 meals a day. She has very loose, stinky bowl movements. She can’t eat a lot of sugar & drinks diet Dr Pepper but she would really like to drink regular sodas. I don’t like the taste of diet beverages so I drink an electrolyte replacement beverage.
Bariatric surgery is kinda like pregnancy & your own kids. You don’t know what you are gonna get.
I would like to know if there is a correlation between how much or a percentage of weight you loose & your symptoms afterwards.
Best of luck to you!

Do you have regrets because of the nausea and Constipation, or would you still choose the surgery if you could go back and do it all over again? I’ve heard that it can be drastically different from person to person and it so interesting to hear all the different perspectives!

[Beks18 7]

2 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

I think the first thing that comes to mind is just how varied dumping syndrome can be. When the bariatric teams talk about it, they tend to tell you all the symptoms and that it tends to happen pretty quickly after eating.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple or straightforward. Some people may only have one or two symptoms. Others multiple symptoms. For some people it happens really quickly, and for others it can take hours before it begins. Time to recover is also really varied. For some it's over with in 30 minutes or less. Others can be in agony for many, many hours.

As an example, I'm over 2 years out and for the longest time I just assumed I was one of the lucky (or cursed depending of your perspective), people that didn't really have to worry about dumping. I can eat almost anything and not have "typical" dumping syndrome. What I do have is what I was calling reactive hypoglycemia, meaning I was having low blood glucose issues ~3 hours of so after eating.

After talking to my bariatric surgeon in my last checkup, she pointed out that what I was calling reactive hypoglycemia, is likely just a different form of dumping. Once I started being more careful about not eating a bunch of added sugar without sufficient Protein as a buffer, the symptoms mostly went away.

Interesting! What kind of symptoms go along with your type of dumping episodes? If it feels like reactive hypoglycemia then I’m imagining it makes you pretty tired, weak, sluggish. Have you dealt with the terrible Constipation that a lot of others talk about?

[SpartanMaker 936]

23 minutes ago, Beks18 said:

Interesting! What kind of symptoms go along with your type of dumping episodes? If it feels like reactive hypoglycemia then I’m imagining it makes you pretty tired, weak, sluggish. Have you dealt with the terrible Constipation that a lot of others talk about?

My hypoglycemia symptoms are mostly dizziness & shakiness. It passes quickly if I eat something to get my blood sugar back up. I don't have a problem with Constipation at this point. I did early on, but now that I can eat more, I eat pretty well, with lots of veggies, fruit & whole grains (fiber). I also take Probiotics and Fiber supplements to stay regular.

[NickelChip 1,332]

I've been surprised by my lack of Constipation. I was so prepared for it to happen that I ordered the biggest value container of Miralax to keep on hand... and I used it twice in a year. I am regular like clockwork and have been since about the second month or so. BUT, I have had the vomiting I mentioned in another post, which I wasn't really prepared to have happen.

I have been surprised by how different it feels to eat different types of foods in various quantities. For example, if I eat 3oz of chicken or beef, I'm very full and sometimes can't finish it or have more than a bite of a side dish. But I can eat a very large salad or other non-starchy veggies and it doesn't make me feel stuffed. A few bites of bread can sit really heavy but I can eat crackers without feeling that way at all, where I would have assumed they would be about the same.

Also surprising is that what you eat, how much you exercise, and how much weight you lose in a week do not necessarily go hand in hand the way you think they will. Some weeks you will drop several pounds, other weeks you will not lose an ounce. You can do exactly the same thing both weeks. Your body will do what it wants. Beyond making good choices and sticking with a healthy lifestyle you can sustain (longterm sustainability is the MOST important thing), there's not much you can do to make a meaningful difference in how much weight you lose and how quickly.

[JFreeman 52]

One thing that has surprised me is that I am always cold now! I used to always be warm, and now there are days where it feels like no matter what I do I am still cold.

[AmberFL 917]

Being lactose intolerant! Never ever have I dealt with that, but I cannot have regular yogurt or ice cream. I have to eat lactose free fage yogurt, or froyo is okay and doesn't caught tummy issues.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,677]

What surprised me was all of the food allergies I got after my surgery. I never had ANY, and now I'm lactose intolerant, allergic to peanuts, and DEATHLY allergic to shellfish. I also hate the Constipation. No matter what I eat or how much I drink, I have to take Miralax every morning and sometimes at night, too. And when it's REALLY bad (as in, I haven't pooped in 4 or more days) I have to take a stool softener and laxative to get things moving. I use to poop everyday with no issues. Now...I have ALL the issues.

[NeonRaven8919 508]

The noises my gut makes! It's so loud! If I'm full, it's noisy. If I'm hungry, it's noisy!

Is that a home intruder or my stomach? Who knows?

And I echo the always cold part.

Also, it hurts to sit for long periods like I used to! Bonier backside.

[~Niecy~ 14]

I'm only 2 months post surgery -- Thankfully, I've been very careful with what I eat, and have not yet had to deal with foamies or dumping syndrome. The two main issues I've had, are insomnia and.... I don't really know what to call it. It's not Constipation, as I'm still going every day like clockwork, the...volume? is just rather intense and it hurts when I go.

The insomnia was insane from weeks 3-6 though. I barely slept at all, I would stay awake all night long, and usually the rest of the next day too, then I would crash and sleep for 15-16 hours straight, then back to being awake for close to 48 hours. It was rough, but then one day it just suddenly straightened itself out again.

[Beks18 7]

On 2/12/2025 at 11:30 AM, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

What surprised me was all of the food allergies I got after my surgery. I never had ANY, and now I'm lactose intolerant, allergic to peanuts, and DEATHLY allergic to shellfish. I also hate the Constipation. No matter what I eat or how much I drink, I have to take Miralax every morning and sometimes at night, too. And when it's REALLY bad (as in, I haven't pooped in 4 or more days) I have to take a stool softener and laxative to get things moving. I use to poop everyday with no issues. Now...I have ALL the issues.

That’s what I’m nervous about… the Constipation. I love that my body keeps things pretty regular these days, but when I have experienced constipation in the past it was the worst!

[Beks18 7]

On 2/13/2025 at 6:40 AM, NeonRaven8919 said:

The noises my gut makes! It's so loud! If I'm full, it's noisy. If I'm hungry, it's noisy!

Is that a home intruder or my stomach? Who knows?

And I echo the always cold part.

Also, it hurts to sit for long periods like I used to! Bonier backside.

LOL is that a home intruder or my stomach? I laughed out loud at work. 😂

I didn’t even think about pain while sitting just from less of a cushion.

[Beks18 7]

On 2/13/2025 at 10:12 AM, ~Niecy~ said:

I'm only 2 months post surgery -- Thankfully, I've been very careful with what I eat, and have not yet had to deal with foamies or dumping syndrome. The two main issues I've had, are insomnia and.... I don't really know what to call it. It's not Constipation, as I'm still going every day like clockwork, the...volume? is just rather intense and it hurts when I go.

The insomnia was insane from weeks 3-6 though. I barely slept at all, I would stay awake all night long, and usually the rest of the next day too, then I would crash and sleep for 15-16 hours straight, then back to being awake for close to 48 hours. It was rough, but then one day it just suddenly straightened itself out again.

Geez, is the insomnia common? I haven’t really researched that part of it or come across it much.

Is the bathroom pain like intense abdominal cramping? Or are we talking about the actual exit point here? lol sorry for the tmi questions.