Gastric bypass (or other bariatric surgery)

[grippley]

Hi all

I’ve been a long time lurker here on some of these boards but name changed recently. Long term yo-yo dieter in my 40s. I was referred to tier 4 weight management 2.5 years ago after completing a 12 month supported group to lose weight alone. During the course, and onwards I managed to lost 5 stone and slowly change some of the habits. I still have a significant amount to lose but I am feeling really positive about the changes I have made already.

i have been offered weight loss surgery on the nhs and they think this will be a really positive option for me to continue the weightloss but also I’m really nervous as this feels drastic. I really want to lose the weight so I can have a further knee operation. I am not concerned about it being a life long change, as I have worked really hard on changing my habits and recognise these will be longer term also. I am based in the north east if anyone has any specific experience.

i am looking at people’s shared experience of gastric bypass specifically but also sleeve or anything else. I think it is called the roux en y that they offered me

Hi there, I had a gastric sleeve in January, 2023. I went from 21.5 stone to about 10 stone now (I don’t weigh as I got a bit obsessed at one point and dropped to 8 stone 10). I’m 5’7 for reference. It was the best thing I ever did. I can still eat food but that insane hunger has gone. I can eat much bigger portions these days so need to exercise self control and I work out a lot, but my quality of life is so much better.

Hello. I had gastric bypass in February 2024. Spent my entire life obese. Overweight child, teen, young adult, older adult etc. I tried every diet, every craze/fad. I was also referred via NHS for tier 4. However, ultimately I chose to pay privately and had surgery in Manchester through a well known UK provider. It was the year I was hitting the big 50 and I decided enough was enough. Every time I went to the GP with a genuine medical issue, it was always somehow, because of my weight. I was demoralised and felt worthless.

I can honestly say it's the best thing I did, physically and mentally. When I had my surgery I weighed nearly 24 stone, wore a size 24/26. My weight has now settled and I weight around 9 st 10lbs. Comfortably wearing size 10.

Yes, there are down sides. As a result, I do suffer with Reactive Hypoglycemia which can be as unpleasant as it is unpredictable. I'm still learning how to manage this. It can be tough if the weight loss stalls, I foolishly decided to try Mounjaro, six months in as I'd hit a standstill, or so I thought. Don't do it 😬 it wasn't needed. My body did it's own thing and now it's settled down.

Mentally, the counselling that accompanied the NHS process, is invaluable. I wasn't patient enough to wait as I'd wanted it so long, so I'm still managing years of bad diet/yo yo dieting and the mental aspect. Every now and then the old "fat" me will pop out in my head and derail me but I always get back on it.

Some people will suggest that you are taking "the easy option". It's really not, don't be disheartened, do your research. Go into it knowing what to expect.

Physically, the "foamies" are awful, the "dumping: syndrome, catches you unawares but they are manageable. The healing process, depending on procedure, there is RNY bypass or Mini GB, same outcome, but MGB slightly less internal cutting/reconnecting of tubes, is straight forward. I had MGB and weight loss has been amazing. My brother had RNY via NHS around eight years ago, he recovered amazingly well also.

Take your vitamins, drink the water, follow the guidance and you will get through it.

Negatives.

*B12 every 12 weeks. Remembering them!
*The size of the vitamins you need to swallow (Forceval, dreadful and huge, take them anyway).
*I'm always cold, and I mean cold, I'm STILL wearing thermals in UK in May.
*Loss of strength, I'm an absolute weakling now
*The amount of money you'll spend as you resize 😀
*The excess skin.
*Chance of Reactive Hypoglycemia
*Low alcohol tolerance
*Food preferences change (I went from savoury tooth to sweet tooth)
*Discovering hip bones when you bump into things (big shock, always been well padded!)
*Probably need a new bed/mattress, I went through three mattresses before I found one (still has two matrees toppers on to make it softer)

However, there will be moments/days that you WILL regret it, that's normal. That's part of the process. I still have days when I'm having a bad one and will often think I wish I'd never had it done. That does pass and you will get through it.

More than happy to answer any questions if I can help. Moral of the story, do what makes you happy and let no-one pee on your parade. You've got this x

What are the foamies?

Gallstones can be a major issue. My sister has them terribly and has had issues following gallbladder removal due to scar tissue. She's probably just been very unlucky. I always wondered why they didn't remove the gallbladder during weight loss surgery. She had it done privately so maybe it was more expensive?

As an addition, one other thing to prepare yourself for. The confidence. When I was overweight, I was always a shrinking violet. Sit down, be quiet, don't draw attention to yourself, don't stand out. I'd never eat in public as I felt people were judging me.

Now, I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I won't sit quietly in the corner. If I have something worrying me, it's coming out as my opinion DOES matter now.

Be prepared for people telling you that you've changed. Some people will use it as a compliment. Some will use it to keep you in your place. Of course we've changed! We're confident. We're not waiting for someone to call us fat and put us back where they think we belong xx

I have put this warning on other threads. My relative had a bypass years ago - they did not receive any counselling and it was the worst thing they could have ever done. Their overeating was essentially a form of self harm and taking it away meant they went to other methods. They then only ate crap so they became malnourished. I think you need to understand why you are over eating as because if it’s for emotional reasons you haven’t got that crutch anymore.

you also absorb less nutrients - in fact the only reason their multiple overdoses haven’t left more serious harm is that their body doesn’t absorb them properly because of the bypass…..

Im not saying it’s not right for others but it’s not an easy fix.

Ooh. Terrible things. When your tummy makes too acid and saliva and it comes back up as frothy dollops and you have to spit it out. It's not vomit though. Awful things. Don't get them now, i know some people do get on and off for a good while following surgery and can also be part of the hood old dumping syndrome x

Absolutely agree. Sadly I know someone who transferred their addiction to food to alcohol and they effectively drank themselves to death and stopped eating.

This is by no means an easy process. I'm over 2 years out, and I HAVE to check/remind myself mentally most days to drink AND eat. It's a hard process to manoeuvre. With the right support, you can do it. Do not bypass the process as I did. By going private, I expedited the surgery, but did myself no favours in the long run and wouldn't encourage anyone to do the same x

I had a gastric bypass in 2023. For me the weight loss has not been worth the side effects. The malabsortion has left me feeling terrible for the last few years. I've had to reduce my hours at work drastically because I just dont have the energy i did before. Its really been pretty rubbish on the whole.

Luckily, I'd already had my gallbladder removed following the birth of my DD23. I wasn't suitable to have Sleeve Gastrectomy because I have GERD. I was told the bypass would solve the GERD. It didn’t but it's manageable.

I know some private clinics will remove gallbladders/hernias if discovered during surgery. It does seem odd that they didnt. I was told they'd remove the hernia I'd been treated for for the last 20 years. It was discovered that I actually NEVER had a hernia in the first place x

@Lulu98- glad you are managing it - my relative did have existing MH issues and it just made everything a million times worse. they went from being very overweight but managing to hold down a job and have a small social life, go on holiday to essentially now having been sectioned multiple times, a myriad of health problems not helped by smoking, excessive alcohol and painkiller consumption, and the fact that they have over 10/15 years put most of the weight back on anyway. Not working and essentially just existing and frankly quite unhappy.

they should never have been approved for the surgery in my view - what they actually needed was support to understand and resolve the root cause. Well not resolve as such as they have now finally been referred for autism assesment but understanding herself and learning coping techniques.

I'll assume GP has done all the usual testing etc? I completely agree though. The malabsorption is a massive downfall and probably part of why I'm a weakling now. There are many, many bad days when the positives are hard to find. However, this process isn't the golden ticket a lot of people expect it to be and I did go into fully prepared. Or so I thought. It's still awful some days. I hope things improve for you x

Hi, sorry it's not any helpful advice. But can I ask how did you get the initial 12 month support from your GP?
I've had no luck with mine so far. Thank you

Sorry if I missed it. Was the surgery private or NHS. I'll be honest, I was expecting more support pre and prior from the clinic. However, private clinic took my money and off I went. Nothing post operatively. Because I went privately for surgery, it was hard to get support initially. I was impatient as I was genuinely fearful for my health, physically and mentally at that point and thought I knew better. I hated myself, I'd had some difficult years with cancer and felt like I was taking control of my life back.

One of the many things I would do differently is i would definitely have the counselling support offered via NHS. My brother had his via NHS and he's mentally coped far better than me.

It's not easy at all x

@Lulu98it was NHS - if there was any counselling it was not sufficient. I don’t remember any being mentioned.

we didn’t appreciate how deep the MH problems were running still (they had been in teens) until it was too late.

You've done so well to lose 5 stone already!

Is there a reason WLI haven't been considered, or perhaps you've ruled them out?

I know it's not what you asked and don't want to offend, but you are right that surgery is drastic when there is now an alternative medical option that is safer than surgery and successful for so many people.

You might not be eligible on the NHS (yet), but WLI change so many lives for the better, often with minimal side effects. They generally cost from £100 - £270 or so per month if prescribed privately, depending on type and dose required. Not everyone needs to go up to the highest more expensive doses either; many are successful remaining on the lower doses. It does need to be considered a long term medication, possibly for life like eg. blood pressure medication.

If you are willing to consider them, perhaps pop over to the WLI board for more discussion. There are some specific threads for people who have over 10st to lose, if reading their experiences and chatting to them might help. (I lost 7st on Mounjaro.)

Good luck in whatever decision you make!

I had to make a fuss. And I mean a fuss. Trying to get B12 initially was hard and I have lost count of the times my discharge paperwork got waved at certain doctors receptionists in order for them to grant me an audience with the doc. Stand up for yourself.

I know a lot of people think we shouldn't receive follow up care on the NHS as we paid privately for our surgery. I disagree though as I still contribute to the system in place to care for us all x

@Lulu98 I'm average weight and still wearing thermals! It's not warm for May. Well done you and OP.

Thank you. Other people look at me as if I'm potty. My best Christmas gift ever off my DH was a heated Gilet. Absolute lifesaver. Ugly as sin but keeps me toasty. Also, having heated car seats is a winner 😃

Great point about the confidence thing @Lulu98. I have been promoted several times since then, part confidence boost, part my industry and it (sadly) being an influencing factor to look good in front of an audience.

I did also lose friends. It was funny, initially everyone was supportive, but when I became smaller than some friends and started dressing in things that actually fit me, people became less happy.

I thankfully very rarely get the foamies these days, though I do need to be careful around lovely flavoured coffees of all things.

As I’m over 3 years out I do need to be mindful of what I eat and I agree with others that you need to do the mind work. I will still not have any of my trigger foods in the house, personal choice.

Thanks so much for sharing. I have been overweight since being a teen and an adult, I’ve lost varying amounts over the years but always gained again almost instantly. At the moment this is the biggest loss I’ve had and the longest period of time I’ve kept it off. It’s no coincidence that it’s the slowest either as I’ve been slowly changing habits. I feel in a really good place health wise and have been worrying about going on a restrictive pre and post op diet (liver reduction, and then after liquid building up) in case this triggers old habits of being gluttonous or starving with no inbetween. I’m hoping that I’ve made enough changes to hopefully reintroduce food in a healthy balanced way with support from the nutritionists. The support wraparound sounds really good from the nhs and the hospital is nhs funded but private. I need to do a sleep study to see if I have apnoea but I don’t have any symptoms so hoping this comes back ok.

This is my biggest worry. I’ve been having monthly well-being coach sessions with an excellent practitioner who has been helping me address food issues, identify triggers etc and this has helped. This is something I pay for privately and I’m hoping to continue this alongside

I was referred from my gp to tier 3 weight management which in my area was a 12 month course. The waiting list for this was 12 months and consisted of weekly, then monthly group education lesson. I was hoping for weightloss injections to be honest but it was a practitioner teaching about food and nutrition, habits and mindful eating, exercise etc. I was discharged after 12 months and then it’s taken an additional 15 months to this initial appointment. I would book an appointment with the GP and ask for referral

Thanks for sharing about malabsorption, something for me to read about. The hospital have shared a 4 hour evening course which I completed and it has lots of information and included this. There was a strong encouragement of exercise 5 x 30mins a week, high protein and nutrition element and regular nutritionist follow up. Also lots of vitamins. Would this be to reduce malabsorption do you think, have you done the above (no judgement, genuine curiosity and fact finding) to see if this is a viable consideration. Hope that comes across as intended

I had a sleeve gastrectomy in 2013 and halved my weight from 26st to 13st in a year. Since then I've had four children, and regained back up to 22st. I was left with lots of absorption issues, but it did its job of getting me out of medical danger.

I've since lost down to 16st and I'm currently on a wli to finally get to a healthy BMI.

If wli had been available at the time I would have gone for that - it's a revelation. Have you explored that idea?