Gastric Bypass in 2022

[CurtisGetsHealthy]

Hi everyone,

It's great to find these forums! I am booked for an RNY gastric bypass on 8th Oct 2022 with Simon Monkhouse. I realised I'd gotten to a point where my eating was out of control and my 20s have shown that I need to reach out for help to get to a healthier body for my 30s and beyond.

That being said I've been looking through the forums and I'm curious about people that are a few years out from surgeries are there any reflections that would be useful to share? It looks like there are post in 00s (so imagine the surgery was less common in the UK back then) look at malnutrition post surgery - is that a complication people still struggle with or how is everyone getting on?

Essentially I'm just keen to hear from people who've been through the procedure on their experiences and their top tips to make the most it and ensure it's a healthy move.

All the best
Curtis

 

[Mazza]

Hi Curtis and welcome!

The forum is very quiet at the moment but there's a few members that still reply etc. I can comment on the malnutrition being a former gastric band patient. Due to band erosion etc, eventually I couldn't eat and had awful reflux, so became malnourished. I can't comment from a bypass perspective but with a sleeve, I've only had low vitamin D as an issue (fairly normal for a fair haired and freckly skinned person who doesn't sunbath).

So I had my band in 2009, removed in 2015 and sleeve in 2016, my advice would be to research the potential pitfalls and positives of the bypass. Your team will give you the advice you need to follow post op and you should also have regular blood tests, alongside taking the vitamins recommended.

Good luck on your journey!

 

[Bling Babe]

Hiya and welcome
as Mazza said it’s very quiet on here at the moment which is a shame because it helped me so much but you can still view posts and if you reach 100 posts you can then view posts in the bronze section of the site.
the best advice I can give (my gastric bypass was in April 2018) is to research research and research some more, people who haven’t ever suffered with weight issues have no idea just how challenging it is and see it as the easy option, trust me it’s not as I’m sure your aware of.
i lost half my body weight (8.5 stone) in less than a year, the first year is easy but it does get more difficult. I have since gain around 2 stone but I realise now just how I’ll I looked, I had lost too much, I’ve now lost 1 of the 2 stone I gain and i look much healthier.
one thing I didn’t know beforehand , although I don’t think it would have stopped me having my bypass is that bypass patients are more likely to go on to develop osteoporosis and I have just been diagnosed with osteopenia, the stage before osteoporosis. It happens because we don’t absorb the nutrients we should once we’ve had surgery although I have taken my Calci D every day, my GP is contacting my team at Luton and Dunstable to see if I should increase my dose, I only tell you so you can make an informed decision and maybe research it.
you will certainly lead a healthier lifestyle, never in a million years did I think I become a gym bunny (and at 5am!!)
the surgery doesn’t sort out your head, I still serve up large meals for myself even though I know I can’t eat it all, then I get annoyed that I can finish it but I remind myself that it’s the very reason I had the surgery.
Protein is really important too, I used an unflavoured protein powder in my cold coffee, since surgery I’m unable to tolerate hot drinks, in fact, Percy (my pouch) even prefers cold meals.
drinking plenty of water is also really important as it is for everyone to be fair.
you are not allowed to drink half an hour before or after food either which is sometimes challenging.
before surgery you’ll probably have to go onto a liver reduction diet so your liver shrinks and the surgeon can get to the parts he needs too, all hospitals are different in this but mine was the milk diet, 4 pints of semi skimmed milk a day along with an oxo cube to replace the lost electrolytes in the body and a sugar free jelly which I used to make with some of my milk allowance, I also used milk with my chicken OXO so it was like a very think chicken soup, I found this fairly easy, it is done for 4 weeks, but you have no food choices to make which was good for me.
I honestly don’t think you’ll regret having the surgery just be sure to use this time to research everything.
please keep in touch and keep us up to date, you may find it useful to start a diary of your own too, and ask any questions you may have.
all the best.

 

[Janey22]

Hi everyone,

It's great to find these forums! I am booked for an RNY gastric bypass on 8th Oct 2022 with Simon Monkhouse. I realised I'd gotten to a point where my eating was out of control and my 20s have shown that I need to reach out for help to get to a healthier body for my 30s and beyond.

That being said I've been looking through the forums and I'm curious about people that are a few years out from surgeries are there any reflections that would be useful to share? It looks like there are post in 00s (so imagine the surgery was less common in the UK back then) look at malnutrition post surgery - is that a complication people still struggle with or how is everyone getting on?

Essentially I'm just keen to hear from people who've been through the procedure on their experiences and their top tips to make the most it and ensure it's a healthy move.

All the best
Curtis

Hi

I have just joined this site. I came out of hospital yesterday after having a gastric bypass. Im so grateful for my surgery, I’m very emotional and overwhelmed now I’m home. I’m going to look through all your helpful posts for tips and ideas.

Jane x

 

[Bling Babe]

Welcome to the losers bench….well done for getting there, listen to you body and sip sip sip. Keep us updated x