2 1/2 Years After Surgery, 250 Pounds Lighter

The following article was written by a reader who wanted to share his experiences after gastric bypass surgery. For privacy reasons, his name is not included.

"Gastric bypass surgery is a life changing experience..."

My process began with alot of research on and off line. It is good to know what one is getting into and what to expect even before going to a consultation. Insurance is also a big issue to research even before the whole process begins.

I consulted with 3 different surgeons, with the last one being the one that I chose. The procedures that were required before surgery were weight loss, sleep study, cardiac clearance, respirtory clearance, lots of blood work, and ultrasound of my gallbladder. Females also have to have a full checkup with their gynocologist.

In many cases you must attend a 2-4 hour seminar on gastric bypass surgery before having a consultation with the surgeon. The consultation can range from just speaking to the doctor to having a simple examination. Usually a team of people are responsible for a patient's care. In my case I had a surgeon, a physicians assistant, a nutritionist and a physical therapist in addition to the nursing staff. All of these individual make sure to explain everything throughly so there are no surprises.

My surgery went very smoothly, it took around 3 hours. I remember being in alot of pain afterwards, but the pain was handled very well. The nurses had me up walking with 5 hours of me coming out of recovery. They got me out of bed so soon because of the complication of pulminary embolism, which is blood clots that form in the legs and can cause death.

The more that I moved around the better I felt. Also drinking alot of water, as much as one can, helps trememdously. I was in the hospital about 4 days, because the procedure that I had was an open Roux En Y.

After I came home from the hospital I was back at work the next day. I would not recommend this, because I was pretty worn out by lunch time.

Within the first month I lost about 35 pounds. By the 3 month mark I lost around 83 pounds. At this point I am about 2 1/2 years out from surgery and I have lost around 250 pounds. I have experienced a few complications in the form of dumping, which is not being able to keep some foods down. It also at times makes me feel like I am going to pass out and have slight chest pains. As I understand this effect people differently.

Overall my experience with gastric bypass surgery has been a great one. It is not something to go into uninformed. Research is the key to the success or failure of this procedure.

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To read personal stories submitted by gastric bypass patients, visit After Gastric Bypass - Personal Experiences.