Rainydayz

Yes, and every time I lose it "on my own" I gain back about 10% more than I lost. Dieting has made me morbidly obese! I think what you say is just right. I haven't told anyone yet but I pprobably will when they ask. I just don't know if I will be as nice as you about it!

I called Aetna and they received the packet (29 pages) yesterday 5/19. It is now "down in reviews" according to the agent I spoke with. So now I wait.

I love the rain imagery! Hope you're still doing great! Can't wait to join you!

I'm pre-op and have lost about 11 lbs. on the pre-op diet. I feel lighter already and sex is better. Maybe it's psychological because I believe this will be the last time I lose that particular 11 lbs. But really, how much better is it after losing 100 lbs. or so? I so can't wait!

So sorry you and your fiance are going through this. She is very lucky to have you. Please come back and keep us updated on her condition and know that we are all pulling for her and will be here when she is able to come post herself.

I hear you. I was up to almost an entire 2-liter of coke by myself then when I started my supervised diet I quit. I have had about 3 Diet Cokes since Feb. But mostly I drink plain water or coffee now. I still haven't given up my coffee with creamer yet. But the coke thing was hard at first but now I don't really think about it. It's just something we have to white knuckle at first then it gets easier. Hang in there!

That is so awesome!! What an inspirational story! Isn't it amazing what self-confidence can do?

Oh that's great! I hope to be joining you in June if the insurance will come through soon!

Wow, that's amazing! You look good right now. Just think what you'll be when you lose another boxer!

I have decided on the sleeve for all the reasons listed above plus the fact that the part of the stomach that produces the most ghrelin (the hunger chemical) is removed. Not disconnected and set aside or folded in on itself, but actually removed. I have read that the body being what it is (incredibly adaptive) that ghrelin will be produced in other areas but probably not as much. I like the idea of having a smaller stomach that is happy with less food. I like the idea that I will be able to eat healthy foods, like meat and raw vegetables, unlike many band patients I have read about that never are able to tolerate meat or salads. I like that there will be no malabsorption so deficiencies are much less likely than with RNY or DS. I will have to eat healthy and lead a healthy life to make this work for me. That is what I want to do. Oh and my surgeon said too that he is seeing the same results with the sleeve as with the RNY.

Thanks for sharing that article. I haven't really considered the plication but I do like to learn all I can about the various procedures. I was looking into the band at first as well, but decided against it after seeing so many people getting it removed and revised to sleeve or rny, and so many people having trouble eating healthy foods like meat and vegetables. I decided on the sleeve because while it is not reversible I believe that it is safe and it does away with part of the stomach that produces ghrelin. That sounds wonderful to me. With the band, rny or plication that part is still there producing ghrelin. The sleeve is the only one that gets rid of it. But it is an individual choice. It's just good that we have resources like this board where we can see the good, the bad and the ugly then make our choice.

You look so happy and healthy now! Congratulations and thanks for sharing your photos! What an inspiration!

Got everything turned in today and they are submitting the packet to insurance. I'm hoping on a June date. I've been reading a lot the last few weeks. I feel I owe it to myself to know all the ins and outs and all the things that can go wrong. I like to be prepared. Even when I was pregnant I read all about the things that could go wrong. Not to scare myself but to know that yes, things can go wrong but here is what can be done if/when they do. I came across this group of anti-weight loss surgery folks who do their best to scare people off it. The two leaders have bad experiences with WLS in the past and now they don't believe that anyone should do it. They both have had their bypasses reversed. One of them turned to the philosophy of fat and fit and claimed she was healthy and still obese until she just recently lost a lot of weight on her own. She has maintained it about 9 months or something like that. The other one doesn't talk about her weight much but I think she lost some on her own after gaining a lot after having her surgery reversed. But I get the feeling that she is still obese or at least overweight. Anyway, they talk a lot about all the things that they have experienced and have seen in others that can go wrong. When someone points out a long-term success story they are quick to point out any horror story they can trot out at the moment. If it sounds like I don't like these people much it's because I don't. The tone there is hate and bitterness. I think it's because their surgeries did not turn out right and they can't stand it that other people have success where they didn't. Yes, there are horror stories. There are deaths and long-term suffering as a consequence of WLS. But really, there are horror stories to anything. Like I said I read about a lot of pregnancy-related complications but it did not keep me from having babies. And while I had a minor complication or two I managed to produce perfectly healthy children and I'm not much worse for the wear (other than gaining about 100 extra pounds over the course of all my pregnancies). It doesn't make me start a website to tell people not to have babies because I have heard of people dying from it or having long-term health consequences from it. For as many people who have had WLS, if it really were as horrible and dangerous as these folks claim, then we would be seeing many, many malpractice suits, and insurance would not be paying for it more and more. It makes people more healthy for the most part. There are exceptions and those folks at that site are some of them. I feel bad for them, because they have had such a hard time in their lives, even though most of it wasn't due to the surgery - if you hang around long enough you will hear about emotional abuse that started way before the surgery in at least one of them (the most hateful one). The fact that their old-fashioned bypasses failed them has become the scapegoat of their lives. I keep going back there hoping for some facts to actually base my decision on but all I get is anecdotes and quotes from other websites with very little statistical backing. The clincher is that they claim to have a "panel of expert advisors" but the only doctor I see quoted is Terry Simpson, a well-known Lap Band doctor in Arizona. He only does Lap Band so he has a vested interest in steering people away from other procedures. That's enough right there for me to call BS on the site. So anyway, I just needed to get that off my chest. I probably won't be back there unless I'm in the mood for a debate or to see what fresh nonsense they are spouting. It's a little pathetic really. But they are so hateful it's hard to feel really sorry for them.

But why is it that RNYers sometimes gain almost if not all their weight back? Even though they have lost the malabsorption part after a while don't they still have a tiny pouch?

Add some sugar free pudding mix to it. Just a spoonful and blend well. Use frozen milk cubes instead of ice to make it thick and not water it down. Order samples of different brands. Good luck!

If you don't mind saying who is the dr. that was pushing the band? Other people in your area might be interested to know and not waste their time going to him. Good luck with a new surgeon. You've got great advice here.

Hi. I've been thinking about having the band for years. I just started seriously looking into it this year and went to a seminar and actually started my pre-op requirements. But as I read more and more on the boards I am seeing more problems with it. I hear every day of someone else going for a revision to bypass or sleeve from the band because of various problems. I had thought at first that well, I will try the band and if it develops problems or doesn't work I can revise. Then I started seeing posts from people having the band removed that had problems from that. Scar tissue and hernias etc. At least one I've heard of recently whose band is eroded into their stomach and they won't remove it because it is too dangerous. Sooo.... I thought it best that I should research all the options. I have pretty much ruled out the bypass because I have heard of people dying from it. I know, not many, but still. The sleeve seems like it's just what i want now. I'm still reading and learning though. I have a seminar this week at Johns Creek hospital Atlanta with Dr. Titus Duncan. If anyone uses him please tell me what you think. I also have a seminar scheduled with Dr. Hart. If there is anyone else in the Atlanta area with other dr. suggestions please let me know. I'm in the south metro area. Thanks!

Right. I know the bougie size determines the stomach size in the end. But what I don't get is how the dr. knows exactly how much he has cut away from each person's stomach, being that each person's stomach is a different size to begin with. Let's say there is a 6'6" man that gets a sleeve with a 40 french bougie. Then a 5' woman gets ones with the same size bougie. I would imagine that the dr. cuts away more of the man's stomach than he does the woman's giving them each a different percentage that was removed. But how does he know? I think they just guess at it. I can't imagine that there's any way for the dr. to know exactly how much he has just cut away other than just eyeballing it. I haven't heard of anyone saying that he does ultrasound measurements before and after or anything like that. So he has to be just guesstimating it. The 75% or 90% number doesn't really mean anything anyway. It's the size of the bougie and the length of the stomach that matters. I would think the 6'6" guy would wind up with a larger stomach than the 5' woman because his is still longer. So the doctor probably cut away a higher percentage of his stomach yet he still has a bigger one than the woman. So the percentage means nothing. I'm being way too anal about this. But I just wondered why people were suddenly using the percentage number and not the bougie size. I wondered if I had missed something.

Hi onemoretry! Thanks for the info. Actually I have decided on Dr. Johnson at Emory Johns Creek. It is a little far from me but Dr. Smith in Marietta would be too. But I've met with Dr. Johnson and I'm just waiting for my last diet appointment now. I love the hospital at Johns Creek. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful. They act like they want to be there and enjoy what they are doing. They have a floor just for bariatrics and the gowns are huge and everything is made to fit the "larger" patient! So I'm happy with my decision. I just wish it wasn't on the other side of Atlanta but oh well!

Sure. But how do they actually measure whether they took 75% or 80%? Are they just guessing? Some people have said that their doctor told them he took out a certain percent. I thought it was just an approximation but they sound like the doctor told them specifically. Again, do they measure the stomach before the procedure or do they just look at it and say, "Yeah, I think I just cut out about 80% of that one. That's what we'll go with." Not that it matters to me. I'm just curious how they know.

How do they tell how much they remove? Do they measure the stomach somehow first then decide what size bougie to use or do they just use whatever size bougie then measure what they cut out or what?

I'm not sleeved yet. Right now we order pizza sometimes on the weekend. After I get sleeved, what will we be able to replace that with? What's a good convenient order-out food that can take the place of our weekend Papa John's run?

Wow, these are all great ideas. I love the flatbread pizza one I will surely be trying that. I can't wait until food just really doesn't matter to me anymore! That sounds so great. I'm going to be such a cheap date!

This is just my experience and I'm not a doctor either, but I hate BC. I believe it in part was to blame for me gaining weight in my 20's and 30's. Whenever I was off it it seemed easier to lose weight and manage it. But when I was on the pill or the shot it was harder. I used Mirena for about 3 months and bled the whole time so it came right out. I'm glad you put that out there so women will have something to consider if they stall or have trouble losing. I'm so happy I'm past that now and had my tubes tied so i don't have to worry about that anymore.

Erin I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I'm glad you went to the hospital. At least now they know something is wrong and will I hope be able to fix it. Maybe they can stretch the small out a little for you. I'm sorry if this sounds insensitive right now, but do you know what size bougie your dr. used? I'm pushing for the 40 because I'm scared to death of having a stricture and for some reason I have the impression that the larger bougies don't have it as much.