How successful where you after bariatric surgery?

Posted by deere5010 @deere5010, Mar 13, 2023

I am so neverous but excited to get approved for sugery. I struggled with weightloss my whole life. What are your positive and negative thoughts going thru the whole process

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bariatric Surgery & Weight Loss Support Group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 3, 2023

In reply to @ezas123 "Hi all I never looked at this site … I was always checking the knee stories..." + (show)

@ezas123, I'm glad you wandered around Mayo Clinic Connect and found the Bariatric Surgery & Weight Loss support group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/bariatric-surgery-weight-loss/.

I hope you'll explore the topics in the support group to discover where you might offer tips and an understanding ear. It is helpful to have someone like you who had gastric sleeve 12 years ago and who is doing well.

So let me ask, what would you like others who are preparing for surgery to know? What do you wish you had known?

dlc1953 | @dlc1953 | Mar 17 7:41am

In reply to @baponte87 "I had a gastric sleeve in March 2021. If I’m being 100% honest, losing the weight..." + (show)

@baponte87

I had a gastric sleeve in March 2021. If I’m being 100% honest, losing the weight so quickly is almost euphoric— especially if you’re someone who has struggled with being overweight their whole life like I was. It is easy to get obsessed with continuing to lose the weight and stepping on the scale, so I would limit my weigh-ins to every other day. I was 250 pounds at my heaviest- one week before I went in for surgery. After 1 year, I was down to my lowest weight since high school, 160 pounds!!! This was 10 pounds less than my initial goal!

Unfortunately, because of how quickly I lost the 90lbs, my body had a hard time keeping up and I ended up having debilitating episodes of low blood sugar. I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia and my blood sugars were down in the 40s on a daily basis after I ate (a normal person with no blood sugar regulation problems has a fasting blood sugar of 80 to 100)! I struggled for almost a year to get a hold on my blood sugars and I experimented with what I could eat and what I couldn’t.

I have a terrible sweet tooth, and that was the hardest thing for me. I knew this going into surgery, and I swore I was going to have the willpower to change my ways. I was dead wrong and eating the sweets was literally making me borderline disabled. Through trial and error, I figured out a process that works for me and I can still occasionally indulge.

Today, I’m almost 2 years out, and I’m at 170 pounds (my original goal!) and eat just about anything that I want. My weight typically stays within 5 pounds. Because they restricted the size of your stomach, it’s nearly impossible to over eat because it’s physically painful. I can remember taking just ONE bite too much, and I would have to lay on the couch for at least 30 minutes after the meal in agony.

Anyone who says that getting bariatric surgery is the “easy way out” obviously never had bariatric surgery. It really is such a long and painful process to apply those changes to your life and stick to it. But, I will say it’s worth it— because at the end of the day, I like what I see in the mirror, and that’s some thing that I never thought I would feel. I have a lot more confidence, and I go out and experience more in life than I did when I was overweight and self-conscious. This has helped me in every aspect of my life.

I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and your process. It’s a long road, but an exciting one!!

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Good morning. My daughter had gastric bypass surgery in 2005. Recently, she (for some reason) was starting to keep an eye on blood sugars (she’s non diabetic). Her readings are so low in the 50’s. When she eats they might spike to 125 but within 30 minutes they’re down into the 50’s again. This could have been giving her issues for years, but, no doctor was able to determine what was making her feel ill. She did have an A1C years ago, which was 4.5. I’m surprised the Dr. didn’t pick up on the fact that it was on the low side. Hopefully she can go forward and have these issues resolved.

dlc1953 | @dlc1953 | Mar 17 8:02am

I had bariatric surgery 20 years ago this September. I don’t regret it for one moment. Recovery wasn’t hard, it was trial and error regarding introducing new foods into my diet. As of today I’ve kept off over 100 lbs. the most important thing is to keep on top of your supplements. I take 2 multi vitamins a day. 1500mg Calcium daily. 10,000 U of Vitamin D2, twice a week. 1000ml. (Injection) of B12 once a month. Two years ago I was diagnosed with BAM (bile acid malabsorption). Got on the proper meds and I’m doing well. I’ve also developed Osteoporosis. With that being said, checking your calcium levels every 6 months is very, very important. I think maintaining your vitamin intake is the single most important thing. It’s easy to get off track, because you’re tired of taking them, but, do yourself a favor and force yourself to be diligent in this area. If you experience Dumping Syndrome the first time, you’ll be sure not to make the same mistake. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a walk in the park or the easy way out. If I eat too much sugar, or not chew my food thoroughly, I still get sick, which is a great reminder to don’t over do it. (even 20 years later). Good luck!