Kerbear, first of all, welcome to 3FC. I had the vertical sleeve, instead of the gastric bypass, so my info won't be as much help to you. Personally, I had no complications at all. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Have you had the surgery yet, or thinking about it?
Welcome! I am 7 weeks post op from RNY, and I have had no complications.
My surgery went "perfect", as my surgeon said. I had pain for only 2 days, and then I was off all pain meds. My incisions are small. I had 6 incisions, and you can only see 2 now, they are healing extremely well.
Before surgery, I could barely move. I was in so much pain just LIVING. At my highest of 412 lbs my quality of life was miserable. Since December 1st, I've lost 71 lbs (44 of those post op), and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just wish I would have had insurance sooner, so I could have had the surgery years ago. I'm 28 years old, and looking forward to LIFE for the first time since I can remember.
I had stricture after surgery and needed a few endoscopies to open up the stoma so I could eat and drink again. I also have a picky pouch, so if something has too much sugar or fat or is too dry, I often get sick. However, I don't see that as a complication, as much as motivation to keep eating right.
I would absolutely do it again. However, maintenance is hard...just as hard as it was pre-surgery. A common saying is they operate on our stomachs, not on our brains. So very true...the food demons don't ever seem to go away.
I had just about every complication known for my surgery (duodenal switch). I really appreciated being able to come here and post about it. 19 months out, I still have a bacterial infection in the "blind loop" and have long term (most likely lifetime) hypoglycemia. It causes me to have to eat 9 times a day to keep my blood sugars up. I had to drop out of school for a semester until I could get it under control. If I had to do it over again, I might have the RNY. My insurance would not cover the sleeve.
Kayley, I'm so happy for you! Isn't it amazing how much different our quality of life is now? I never, never, never want to go back!
Jen, I agree, maintenance is hard. I don't remember the author's name but here is a quote I've picked up along the way:
"Being fat is hard.
losing weight is hard.
maintenance is hard.
Pick your hard."
I try to remember this at all times, because I'm so very thankful that I'm in maintenance.
Dee, I'm really sorry you have had so many complications with your surgery. Did the insurance company give you a reason that they wouldn't pay for the sleeve surgery?
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