CowgirlJane

Krankenhaus Sachenhausen is where i had my band implanted nearly 11 years ago. Nice hospital - Prof Weiner was my surgeon there. We were living in Bavaria at the time, but I traveled up to Frankfurt as he had a good reputation.

My feedback is i couldn't read it. It isn't the font size so much as the font type and color against that background.

I am curious if the leak test most surgeons seem to do the day after the surgery actually finds leaks or if most leaks are actually found later based on patient symptoms?

Other countries do have good medical care - including Mexico. I have never heard of this surgeon and maybe the take away for all of us is that our odds of a good result are better by going to a surgeon with a proven track record and happy patients - regardless of the country.

I do not have experience with bulimia, but I was under the impression that bulimia was a contradiction to weight loss surgery. Most of the guidelines for weight loss surgery limit it people over 40 BMI or over 35 with comorbidities. I guess the reason for this is that it is a very drastic step! I guess it is obvious - but this is a permanent removal of part of your stomach. It would really suck to do it and still struggle with the gain/loss cycle because of the underlying bulimia issues. I am very sympathetic to how useless counselors are though - I really have lost faith in talk therapy. I get more out of talking to supportive friends. I did find EMDR to be a very useful treatment for post traumatic stress, but I am not sure if treatments like that are useful for eating disorders. Hope you find support in resolving this. I am glad you shared this with us here, and I would encourage you to share this with your surgeon before you are operated on. Take care

My doc told me that it is believed that pretty much all leaks actually happen in the first 14 days, even if they are caught later. What I was wondering is this - it seems like almost everybody does that leak test the day after surgery and it never catches leaks, perhaps because the swelling hasn't gone down. I was just curious if anybody on here that had a leak, actually found it in the one day post op leak test that so many surgeons perform before you are allowed to have anything by mouth..

I forgot to mention. I still have the BioEnterics brochure from 2001 when i had the lapband. Right in there it says that it should be considered temporary, and that most people will need to have it repositioned or removed at some point. I can't believe I didn't catch that the first time through, but i guess you hear what you want to hear.... Anyway, the manufacturer has known this is the case for at least a decade, the band is not a permanent solution and will most likely require follow on surgeries of some sort.

Posting here, you are very likely to get pro-sleeve/anti-band sentiments because this is a sleeve forum! Do your own research, get info from people who have had the procedures at least 2-3 years ago!!! Most people are in the honeymoon stage the first year or so and will give glowing reviews of their procedure of choice. I was banded in 2001, it was never easy, but I did lose 70# the first year. I was looking pretty good, lots of exercise etc. If you had asked me then, i would have been pro-band. Yes, fills were a hassle, and toward the end of the first year the reflux started showing up, but I still thought it was worth it because I loved getting trimmer. By 2004, I had pouch dialation and really couldn't tolerate any fill without having reflux. I was starting to regain and I was hungry alot. It was such a relief to finally give up and have the fill removed. I had my band surgery outside the country (I lived in Europe at the time) and when I returned to the usa I received very little support - it was hard to find a doctor to take you on so I didn;t get much support in trying to fix whatever the problem was. So, I lived with an empty band and an ever expanding waistline until this year when i found out my band had slipped. I had to have it removed, along with the adhesions and scar tissue as it damages your stomach! It was nothing like the pictures you see in the brochure, your stomach kinda pushes up through the band. I weigh about 30 pounds more now then i did when i was banded 10.5 years ago. Anyway, my primary physician has a lapband and is doing okay with it. I have known others who have had long term success, but, the stats look like about 40% of excess weight kept off over the long term - pretty poor results. Based on people I know, that means that many regained everything and some have done really well. Not enough people have done really well or pretty good... too many complete failures (ie insufficient weight loss or a complication like slippage or erosion) I personally think the band was a reasonable experiment to try, for those of us that didn't want the gastric bypass (or couldn't have bypass) but I would NOT recommend it now based on my personal experience and based on the statistics that are now available. I will also tell you that having a band FIRST increases your complication risk if you later revise to a sleeve or bypass. I would NOT recommend starting with the band if you have it in your mind that it is easy to revise to something else. Yes, people do it all the time, but who needs the extra risk???

Thank you for sharing your story. I am not sure that the plication is showing very good results so far overall, no matter who does it or what country. You know this, but I am saying this for any newbies that may be reading this - the plication is a totally unrelated and different surgery then the gastric sleeve. I hope your revision goes very well. I am a band to sleeve revision patient... it is disappointing when your first surgery doesn't work as advertised.

You have done great, just keep up your slow and steady pace and you will get there!!! So, I guess you know all the basics, but drink lots of Water, eat Protein first, moderate your carb intake, and excercise, even just walking! You really are getting very close to your goal and I know you can make it.

This was the gist of it (I copied from the link) but there was more in the printed article. Impact of surgeon experience and buttress material on postoperative complications after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. PG - 88-97 AB - BACKGROUND: Sleeve gastrectomy is gaining popularity whether as a primary, staged or revisional operation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perioperative safety and the learning curve for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the prospectively collected data for all patients who underwent LSG for the treatment of morbid obesity at our institution from January 2003 to December 2008. RESULTS: Data from 230 consecutive patients [male 47%, female 53%; mean age 44.0 +/- 10.0 years, mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) 56.7 +/- 11.5 kg/m(2)], who were operated upon by three surgeons with different degrees of bariatric experience, were analyzed. There was no 30-day mortality, but there were two cases of late mortality (0.87%). Early complications were noted in 23 cases (10.0%), including 10 cases of leak (4.3%) and 10 cases of hemorrhage (4.3%). In 17 cases (7.4%) reoperations were performed. The rates of overall and major complications did not differ among surgeons or between early and late period of experience for the three surgeons; this trend held true individually and in subgroups. Overall, over the course of the learning curve, a significant decrease in operative time was noted. The only factor that was independently associated with complications was use of buttress material; the likelihood of complications was found to be 72% lower in patients in whom buttress material was used. CONCLUSIONS: LSG constitutes a potentially safe anti-obesity procedure with acceptable morbidity. Experience at the beginning can be discouraging, even for surgeons with advanced laparoscopic skills. LSG can be performed safely, with proper mentoring and in appropriate settings, even by less experienced bariatric surgeons. The use of staple-line reinforcement was associated with improved perioperative outcomes, and it should be considered in an attempt to decrease leaks.

I was reading this in the NUT waiting room, but didn't have time to finish it. Online, all i can find is the summary http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20526621 This article was VERY interesting, not the least of which mentioning that leak rates are found to be much higher then the commonly cited 1%..... Edited to add: I found the whole text of the article. It was very interesting and I think worthwhile to read http://www.springerlink.com/content/9751m0k2r0158687/fulltext.pdf Basically, it looks like rate of leaks and other complications varies alot as the surgically technique has evolved. It is important to know that this data includes some of the earlier surgeries, so maybe that is why the leak rate is higher (around 4%). It does make me wonder though....

I am sorry your feelings are so hurt, this just sucks. i have to tell you though, maybe in some kind of strange way this is a good learning experience. A friend of mind has a saying "you don't have to get on the crazy bus" meaning, it is your choice in how to react to someone's meanness (hysteria, irrationality or whatever it is). This woman has some kind of game she is playing and she has reeled you in! I personally think that the next time she wants to discuss your size, your weight, your clothing, giving you clothing or really anything of a personal nature related you should just politely tell her to "get lost". By politely tell her i mean something like saying "no thank you, I am not interested". Or when she asks you about weight loss say something like "I am really happy with my progress" and just walk away. It will drive her bonkers as you won't be so much fun to toy with anymore, but she'll get over it and move on. Next time she hurts your feelings and you just politely say "no thanks"... just visualize that crazy bus driving off without you and don't give her another thought. And part two of my friend's saying "don't worry, another crazy bus will come along soon, you aren't missing out"

I think you have gotten great advice and different things to check on. A year ago I went to a therapist to "deal" with my food issues. Well, i do have some bad habits, but mostly I am just really hungry and feel like I could eat about 24/7 if I didn't really restrain myself. She accused me of holding back, after i had told her everything about my life, my childhood or whatever - basically nothing we talked about really reasonated with me. I feel like i have gotten more understanding reading this forum then I did in all those sessions. I had a band that failed too. I haven't had the vomit thing in years because all the Fluid was removed, but I will say that living with the band did kinda mess with my head a little. When i had a filled band, healthy food hurt (Protein, veggies), but I was still hungry. It sucked. There were times when I chose to eat things that weren't the healthiest just to feel better. I haven't had a fill in my band since '04 even though I just had it removed this year. I hope/think/pray i have had enough time to undo the mental and physical damage caused by that dang band. Best of luck in getting to the root of this.

Weight loss... women's bodies... seems to be a very emotional topic. I haven't had surgery yet but as I have read this thread it occured to me that I don't really have any friends that are morbidly obese. I have a few aquaintances that i know through my horse's boarding barn that are a bit overweight, but most of the people i know and associate with are quite trim. My younger sister was quite heavy, but she passed away 4 years ago (breast cancer which is known to hit obese women more often!!). I feel so far that everybody WANTS me to be successful and get this damn weight off. Maybe it is because i am high BMI of around 49, maybe because I am in my 40s and not younger, but I don't feel any of this negativity. Everyone I have told has wanted me to be a success across the board. A key difference is that I work from home and my co-workers that I interact with are almost all guys that I only see a few times a year. It might be different if I went into an office with the social interactions there. We'll see what happens when the weight starts coming off..

I have taken a very long time to decide to do this. I had a failed band removed and my appetite has gone through the roof - I have gained 10# since it was removed. I had alot of conerns, like most of us do. I have done alot of research, talking to people, getting screening tests etc and I finally came to peace with this decision. I want the benefits that a healthier body will bring me, and I have tried so hard, so many times over the years to lose and keep weight off... and I just can't make anything work. Anyway, I made peace with my decision, scheduled my surgery and while still a little nervous, I was actually looking forward to it. Then, this week I had a major meltdown. It was triggered by being required to do another sleep study since I have gained weight since I was originally fitted with a cpap last year. At the same time, I found out that my insurance changes starting jan 1 and the sleeve is no longer covered! (the new insurance provider considers it investigational) For some reason, that feeling of pressure, like I have to keep my Dec date just caused a big emotional reaction. I am preapproved for this year - so really - if i want insurance coverage I need to do this in Dec! My sleep study went okay, no adjustment to the cpap needed. I do now have something new to worry about - people with sleep apnea have a higher anesthesia risk during the first 24 hours after surgery (when you no longer have a breathing tube). I didn't really know too much about this before. I am feeling a little better today, but I feel very confused why I would be so strong and confident about the decision to be sleeved, and to be thrown into an emotional tizzy due to the sleep apnea info plus the pending insurance issues.

I am still pre-op and i think that the sleeve will reduce hunger and capacity to eat at first, but I wanted to start a thread about the "success factors" that are making a difference for people... those lifestyle changes that are needed for long term success. When I look at myself, I love to be active and am confident that getting weight off will help me return to a high level of activity. I have horses, dogs and a small hobby farm - there are things that are just easier to do when you weigh less so for me, being more active is one of the reasons I am having this surgery. I am someone who actually likes exercise, but it is better when it doesn't hurt so much.... For me, i see my food issues to fall into 3 catagories: 1. Big appetite, especially later in the day. i hope the surgery helps with this because man, I have tried every tip I have heard and I still tend to have a big appetite (sorry, low carbing doesn't help - I am still hungry and want to eat especially in the evening after dinner!). It is like I just have this ridiculous stomach capacity and appetite. Many years ago, I used to wake up in the middle of the night hungry, and feel like i needed to eat to sleep but I broke that habit thank goodness. 2. planning/carelessness. This is especially on weekends when i am not on my regular schedule and frankly "convenience food" doesn't support my goals that well. I have been doing better about keeping things with me in the car to keep from getting overly hungry and being tempted while out and about. I carry Water so first thing I do is drink that before deciding whether to eat. This does continue to be a challenge because my premier Protein drinks are super convenient, low carb and high protein, travel well, but don't put much of a dent in my hunger. I am hoping that is also better after surgery. 3. Occasional stress eating when things go really sideways at work or something. I have been getting alot better with this one and have found many substitutes as well as just learning to "feel the anxiety/stress" or whatever and not react like I need to somehow fix it or numb it. I have gained a lot of confidence on this one, and have learned that the number one trigger is really just getting over tired.... so for me the best solution is regular decent sleep/rest Anyway, I am sure everybody has their own unique list and possible solutions. Would love to hear about what is working for you and maybe get new ideas.

We have a sofa with the recliners on the ends. It is getting old and the seat sags a bit - combined with my weight and i can have a hard time getting the leg rest part of the recliner down and getting my butt out of the seat! I am thinking post op this is going to be very uncomfortable! I don't have much extra cash but was thinking of buying a recliner off craigslist even if I resell it after losing some weight. Any suggestions on what was comfortable for you post op? i had my band removed in Sept and was quite surprised how sore I was the first couple of weeks - especially the port area. They removed alot of adhesions and scar tissue too. I was a bit uncomfortable gettint out of my current sofa/recliner When they do the sleeve, there is a hernia repair involved too, so I am expecting to be even more sore this time.

Melissa, i am sorry you have had such a difficult time! Do you mind sharing more about your complication - what went wrong? I have not yet been sleeved, but had my band out in late Sept and plan to be sleeved before the end of the year. I read alot of people who are very happy with the sleeve, even when they had a rough start like you.

When I first started exploring revision from my band I was looking into the gastric bypass. Well, someone i knew who had lost alot of weight after her bypass died in her sleep about 5 years post surgery - she was only 40. It really frightened me! What I came to find out though was that she had very serious emotional problems and had become a serious alcoholic - lost her job, family and many friends. She was also a diabetic - it was all just too much for her body. I felt very sad for her but I had to realize that she had these issues before her weight loss and sadly she just didnt get the help she needed. I think we all need to accept that there are risks, but my goodness, compared to the very real risks of remaining obese, i think it is worth the gamble.

I wonder if people are used to seeing you bigger, so it is shocking. I wonder if it will subside over the next year or more... once your new normal is established. I know a few naturally skinny people, and they really are skinny, but are healthy. I think that sudden weight loss can initially appear unhealthy to others (although we know how much health improves by losing so much weight!). Personally, I am ready to have this problem instead of feeling so big next to everyone else Lydia - we are practically neighbors! Did you have your surgery locally?

I was watching an episode of Hoarders:Buried Alive and heard the therapist say something that I have never heard before.... "I want you to be okay with feeling that anxiety - you don't have to make it go away (in their case by keeping junk) and in time it will decrease". I have been trying to apply that, just sort of accepting the anxiety that sometimes rises, I don't need to feed it a cookie to make it shut up! Now, I realize that doesn't work for extreme anxiety, but for someone who uses food to numb some of the uncomfortable feelings, it is a real novel idea to think about just accepting the feelings rather then always trying to bury them. I think it is working.

I had my band out Sept 28 (not sleeved yet) and I must say it was a bit more painful then I expected. I too was sore where the port was - be sure to follow the instructions about not lifting!

So, your big day is tomorrow! Best of luck for a fast recovery.

I would often feel hungry with the band.