New member of this forum

Hello, I just joined this organization as I am unable to attend in-person group because I am also an expat. I live in Doha, Qatar. I just moved here from Seoul, South Korea. I am an American passport holder. I had a sleeve In America in December of 2008 and did really well for nine years. I lost 135 lbs which was really close to my goal of -150 and kept the weight off. (I started out at 316 pounds.) In January of 2018 I had some episodes of choking and vomiting that I thought were due to eating too fast. I was living in a country where doctors are not very familiar with sleeve patients and although I told the doctor about my altered anatomy, he diagnosed me with a hiatal hernia and treated that condition with Nexxium. After six weeks, the vomiting and choking was increasing in frequency and I was pretty much on liquids only but even those sometimes would not go down. He increased the medications and told me I might be eating too much, too fast, too fatty, or too spicy. After the third visit, he recommended surgical correction of the hernia, but my instincts told me not to let someone unfamiliar with bariatric patients operate. I kept going, knowing I needed to see my surgeon in the US but also not being able to go bac****il June of 2018. By the time I arrived in the States, I was vomiting 5-10 times a day and really miserable. The surgeon was very upset and said, "You're not going to like what you're about to hear." He proceeded to tell me that a particular suturing technique that had been used on my sleeve (back when sleeves were rather new) was creating a scar that had rolled inward and was physically blocking the path. The only correction that would last (in his expert opinion) was a revision to a full bypass. He wrote an urgent letter to my insurance company stating that this was an emergency revision and medically necessary. I had the revision done on July 9, 2018. I flew out of the States to a brand new country on July 29. I have not vomited since July 9 which is a sweet relief. I have lost a lot of my strength during the sickness prior to and the recovery after. I have also lost 30 more pounds. I joined this organization though because I have struggled with a lot of feelings of loss after the revision, because my sleeve and I were a very happy couple. My gastric bypass is a lot more strict in that there is NO WAY I can even have one sip of carbonation without dire effects. My lifestyle with the sleeve was so easy that I never told anyone outside of my immediate family I had it! For over 9 years, I was "passing" as a normal person. But this revision: there is so much more to passing that it became impossible and I had to confess to some new friends why I am not interested in the brunch buffets, mimosas, and happy hours that are a big part of the culture here. Now there is not much socializing I enjoy. It is better than vomiting for sure, but I still need this support group to make a new path for myself. I'm looking for the perfect group I can fit into, but it's tough. I'm probably the only English speaking, single mom, bariatric patient in this entire country! That is a lot of strikes against me in a country in which about the only vice a "good" woman can have is food. Nice to be here. Hoping to find some compassionate friends. Hope you are all having a happy day.

Welcome to the forum and glad you are here. You will adjust to the bypass and it will become normal or at least, it has for me. I eat pretty normally, just not as much in a sitting. I eat out but automatically ask for a go container because i will have leftovers. You don't have to explain the surgery, a simple, I'm trying to eat smaller portions to lose weight or I'm not a big eater work fine without further explanation. Congrats on the weight loss.

It's nice of you to welcome me. Thank you so much for the positive encouragment. You are exactly right; the less said the better. I hate to claim I'm not a big eater though, because you know I have that image in my head still (the 300+ one) and so I always feel like a liar, but you're right. Just smile and ask for take-away! It is Ramadan here, which means no eating or drinking from sun-up to sundown (in public, which means until I get back home after work). This is only my third day to experience this, and I can tell you, I was like a desert myself when I finally got home. Have a great day today and thank you again for taking the time to share.

Yikes, I couldn't do that Ramadan thing, at all. I think I will never again complain about how much water I need to get down my gullet or how often I go to the bathroom.

I'm a revision from sleeve to RNY. I was forced to revise because of significant GERD that developed after my sleeve surgery Like you, I felt a sense of loss when I converted to RNY. I loved my sleeve. I really truly loved it. I never had a single adverse reaction to food. I never threw up, I never got the foamies, nothing. I got to goal relatively easily. I loved it until it tried to kill me with excess acid. When I couldn't sleep anymore, when all I could eat was saltine crackers to absorb the acid, and when I no longer could exercise the way I was, I knew it was time to revise.

Life has definitely been more of a challenge with my RNY. There are foods I can't eat, I actually had foamies after my revision, I dump and I have severe hypoglycemia. But to be honest, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

You definitely face issues I never had to. Culturally, you're in a much tougher position than I am. I don't really have any advice, but as someone who understands what you're going through, feel free to reach out for support whenever you need.

Hi Stacy! Thank you so much for sharing. It's nice to know someone else felt like a friend was lost when the sleeve had to go. I will be back in the US for June and July and so I think the food choices there are a bit easier since here so much of the diet is centered on rice and bread. Many of the great foods here (babaganush, hummus) I really like, but are suprisingly high calorie, low protein. There is chicken, beef and lamb, but since the revision, I've found I can't really enjoy a lean piece of meat as before. I sort of have a better experience if the meat is finely ground, which adds that next level to the problem. Thankfully the yogurt is outstanding! And a big advantage here is most food labels are in English (not the case in Seoul). Sometimes customs puts a large sticker right over the nutrition part translating it into Arabic, but if you hunt around you can usually find at least one pot that the sticker isn't covering the label. To count my positives, at least I'm not throwing up round the clock any longer. Onward, in solidarity!

A revision bypass is not going to be the same as a first-time bypass, so comparisons will be hard. You had a bunch of complications with the sleeve, so it's bound to complicate things now.

You're also still less than a year out, so "normal" for you now is different than what it will be in another year, or 2, or 3.

I never drank carbonation until I was over a year out. I have it all the time now. Things change.

We all have to figure out a way to socialize without focusing on food and drink. Those are things that helped us get to morbid obesity, so doing it differently is a good thing.

Hang around, and be involved. It really helps me keep my head in the game.

Grim_Traveller, thank you so much for your kind reply. You definitely are giving me hope that things will get a little brighter on the food and beverage scene one day. (I miss my single Diet Coke-a-day ritual very much.)

The socializing without focusing on the food and drink is really proving to be my most difficult obstacle. As soon as I plan "Movie Night" or "Game Night" and invite my new friends over, the food and drink fixations begin and for them it's fun and normal, but for me, I'd just as soon cancel if all we are going to really do is gorge. I tried to plan a few and "keep the food light and healthy" and the guest list dwindled! And all they invite me to do is come to Happy Hour or a brunch that is 400-600 QR ($100-150 USD) for all you can eat food and alcohol. So when I decline, I seem anti-social.

I remember when my sleeve was new, I wasn't much fun then either. I spent a lot of time criticizing the food choices of others. Maybe that is what I am going through again now? And maybe as you say, it will get better in time.

I do have a cycling partner and a tennis partner, so that is good. Outdoor pursuits are tricky here due to the extreme periods of heat and dust though, so it's good to cultivate indoor and outdoor activities. I will keep going! Suggestions are, of course, welcome. And congratulations on your success! It is very nice to learn about the success of others. I hope you have a good day.

I had RNY eleven years ago. For the most part, it is a non-issue with me. When I have company, I cook the foods that others enjoy. I go out to eat and just bring home the leftovers and eat them for a few days. I enjoy the good parts of the surgery, like wearing small clothes, not ever being hungry, having energy, and staying active. Everyone has things about their life that are challenges. One of mine is the surgery.

I went back to the Diet Coke after a few years. I can eat any food that I want to, just not very much of it. My experience was that it did get easier and better every year. Welcome to this group. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences as you adjust to this surgery.

Hello,

I found it interesting that I also lived near Seoul (Uijongbu) for 3.5 years and I have also visited Qatar (can't remember where exactly). This was both a long time ago 2001-2004 in Korea and 2005 for Qatar. I know the heat in Qatar was so severe that dehydration is a big issue.

I won't get sleeved until next week so I cannot relate to your experience. Right now I am on a liquid diet and it sucks. I remember not feeling very hungry in Qatar due to being overheated. I just happened to be there during Ramadan my 2nd visit. I heard lots of singing- all day and all night. Really something to remember.