I'm having a gastric bypass when I weigh 9 stone

I don't know anything more than anyone else about this surgery, but I can relate to struggling to keep your weight up. I'd also be worried in those circumstances.

I imagine you'll get your appetite back more when you aren't being sick all the time? That must put you off eating to some extent?

I wonder if medical cannabis could help for a bit. It'll massively increase your appetite. If I were in your position, I'd try and get a vape of it, because I know it would make me eat more. Being underweight is such a strain and it makes you so tired. It sort of begets itself after a while too, because you haven't the energy to eat.

My MIL had part of her stomach removed for the same reason OP but hers was a medical emergency. She was unwell for a while, constantly throwing up etc, and then collapsed in work one day and then was rushed into hospital where they removed a massive amount of her bowel. She remained in hospital for four months afterwards.

She is much ‘better’ now but she is tiny. She weighs 6 stone, but she was a slim woman before it and is short too. For a while afterwards she was fed via an NG tube in her nose and then they switched it to a g-tube right into her stomach. She actually did very well on this and gained weight but she had complications and it had to be removed. They tried it again but the same complications happened.

Currently she is just receiving nutrition by feeding herself. She gets full very fast though but refuses to take anything like fortisip as she doesn’t like it so she is her own worst enemy.

The throwing up has mostly stopped, she does have a lot of other conditions too. I feel like she would be much better if she actually looked after herself but she doesn’t and refuses any help. You need to remember you will be full very, very easily so focus on nutrient and calorie dense foods.

So sorry to hear about everything you’ve been through. I can see you are getting some answers from people who have had comparable experiences and I think the picture we are getting is that half of the battle is going to be finding how you can get the calories you need in future.

I realise you’ve only just had this news and you are reeling, but I did want to say that it sounds as if you’ve become a bit used to the way things are now. I think you will feel so much better if they can stop the vomiting and other unpleasant effects. So maybe this is going to be a really good thing for you? Being able to eat nice things without worrying about throwing up, and managing to take in enough calories to feel stronger.

I was just about to say exactly the same. You'll probably have to move to small meals with snacks in between, but it sounds better than your current situation.

Good luck with the op!

My mum had a lower GI volvulus and it can be fatal if not fixed. If you are in need of surgery then of course you should have it.
I thought you were saying you were having it because you thought you were obese and had body dysmorphophobia/ED.
I'm sorry you've had to go through these health problems and wish you well.

God you poor thing, you really have been through the wars. I have no experience of any of this but just really wanted to wish you well, I hope it's all very straightforward and you make a quick recovery.

The main point I take from your original post is you can’t retain your food in order to nourish your body (which is going through a horrific time). The only solution is to get your nutritional requirements somehow.
It’s an extreme concept but this would allow your body to achieve what it needs to survive.
Gastric surgery is far more advanced than it used to be. Yes your stomach would be smaller, but you’d eat little and often to maintain your weight. I would imagine some initial weight loss while you adjust but at a slim 9 stone, you still have some spare reserves. The alternative would surely be bleaker. Continued sickness would cause further damage to your stomach, oesophageal system, teeth etc.
I know someone who have a gastric band and after initial weight loss, they’re now back to the same size as were prior to the surgery.
I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve gone through so far. Discuss all your concerns with the medical team. At the end of the day, this is your decision to make. However, if this is what the experts have suggested, I would think this is the best option.
Sending you the kindness thoughts and love possible. You got this ❤️

Yes, it sounds like a sleeve gastrectomy instead of a bypass. This is the best diagram I could find showing the differences. The gastrectomy is much less invasive and sounds like a very good solution in your case.

A gastric by pass is just really a medical procedure, the reasons for it can be many but the most popular is because it helps with obesity. If you need it, then that's fine x

The alternative would likely be tpn feeding which is grim, puts you at risk of infections and means you wouldn't eat anything. I would like to see if they are able to supplement your diet in some way and how they plan to do this. I hope you hear something positive soon!

The point wasn't that people would "weigh in" without reading 🙄 it was that they wouldn't even engage with the post in the first place.

OP if your medical team have decided it's the right thing for you you could seek another medical opinion but I'm not sure how much value non qualified opinions are going to be for you. Obvs if there's someone who's gone through the same experience their input would be a useful addition.

I am sorry I don't have any experience, wishing you luck. 🌹

Not read everything, but it’s not a gastric bypass. A gastric bypass is in two parts - reduction of the stomach pouch and bypassing the intestine by various lengths. The reduction in the pouch will make you feel fuller quicker but you won’t have the malabsorption associated with the bypass section.

you may lose some weight but not in the same way or for the same reasons.

I know absolutely nothing about gastric surgery but I simply couldn’t scroll past without wishing all the best for your forthcoming treatment 💐

Not the same situation, but I've just had surgery to repair a giant hiatus hernia and am currently on a very soft food diet. Although I'd previously been trying to lose weight using WLI, having reached goal weight I was very worried about dropping any more and becoming underweight.

I'm pleased to say that despite not being able to eat much right now, I'm maintaining my weight OK so far - in part I'd guess due to reduced physical activity as I recover.

If you're OK with dairy then I'm finding full fat milk smoothies with nut butter, bananas, honey, oats and full fat Greek yoghurt are really helpful to keep calories and protein higher without taxing my stomach too much as it recovers. My gastric surgeon was keen for me to move up from just liquids to soft foods (mashed potato, soft pasta, stewed meat) within a few days of the op, giving me more options - hopefully yours will be the same. Good luck!

I feel like it would be better to have a smaller fully functioning stomach as opposed to one that doesn't work and makes you vomit after most meals. I'd drink cream based coffees/drinks/soups to maintain your weight. I'm sorry this is happening to you, take care.

I had a gastric sleeve when I was at goal weight (10.5 st).
While I eat less, the weight hasn't fallen off, and I still need to watch what I'm eating to manage my weight.

Everything is fine, although sometimes I do miss being able to eat a full meal, esp when out with friends.

A sleeve is when they remove a portion of your stomach so it does sound like that's what you'll be having.

I have lost 8 stone with a sleeve so I can understand your worry. Yes, you will be on a liquid diet for a bit but I know there are very calorie dense drinks which could be more suitable for you to keep your calories high. When on a normal diet then you'd probably have to try to eat calorie dense food in small amounts which will be easy enough. I think that yes, you will lose weight to begin with but as I've seen in the gastric surgery community, a lot of people do put the weight back on so it can be done purposely if needed.

Sorry you're having all this trouble. It sounds like one thing after another but hopefully the surgery helps in the long run x

As it's removing the useless section that isn't doing anything other than present a risk to you anyway, it's not as much a bypass as a getting rid of a problem. So you should be able to to eat more normally without that happening. I'd try and look at it as purely coincidental that the same procedure happens to achieve two aims - like a lens transplant can be to avoid wearing glasses and also restore sight to somebody with cataracts or a medication originally intended to treat cancer turns out to be brilliant for treating automimmune diseases.

The advantage of all those thousands of operations is that there is a wealth of expertise in performing them and information about how to ensure that you get adequate nutrition afterwards - and it's probably significantly lower risk/higher chance of success compared to those from undergoing surgery whilst morbidly obese.

It is really important to discuss this with your clinical team, but i would also ask for nutritional support post surgery.

Not me, and not bypass, but someone I knew has issues following surgery for cancer and was even slimmer than you are to start with. They have been given a specialist diet to follow which includes calorie dense food and been well on this for over 10 years. In their case it was all about managing their calorie intake rather than volume of food.