VSGAnn2014

Well said, lisacaron. And speaking for myself, I see a big diff in Governor Christie's before and latest pix that I've seen. He was a VERY big boy. November 2013 article and pix at http://www.buzzfeed.com/hunterschwarz/chris-christie-pre-lap-band-surgery-vs-chris-christie-today

Wow! You have WORKED that sleeve! So, so impressive. And the cheek-clenching thing is working too, I must say. You are my inspiration today. BTW, you really should put up some time / weight tickers. Your accomplishments are so very impressive. Thanks for sharing. Ann

I know a guy who just had a tummy tuck -- the surgeon removed 15+ pounds of skin and some lipo'ed fat. A woman I know had a tummy tuck recently (mostly pannus) -- the surgeon removed 7 pounds. That stuff floating in your tub is real. It ain't air. And enjoy your time in India. Such a fascinating country!

Good luck!

This is a decision that should be based on research, not how much you like or don't like your doctor. And not, IMHO, on anecdotal evidence ("it worked for me" or "it didn't work for me"). Here's a 2011 Consumer Reports article that says 25% of lap-bands (at that time) were removed. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/02/think-twice-about-lap-band-surgery-for-weight-loss/index.htm Excerpted from that article: The firm’s own website reports a study that followed 299 people for three years after the surgery. Twenty-five percent of them had a second operation to remove the band. That’s a lot of dissatisfied customers. Imagine if 25 percent of people who owned Toyotas were so dissatisfied that they called up their dealers and asked them to come and take their cars out of their driveways. That’s not all. Nine percent needed a second operation to fix problems with the band. Nine percent needed an additional procedure to fix a leaking or twisted access port, a design issue that the manufacturer says has been improved. Four people had the band erode into their stomachs. Less serious side effects are also common. Half the people who had the procedure reported nausea and vomiting. Thirty-four percent suffered from gastroesophageal reflux, 24 percent of people experienced band slippage (which might stem from excessive vomiting), and 14 percent developed stomach blockages.

Makes me smile, too. Merry Christmas!

Truth & Gutz, I plan to have my surgery in US. But, truthfully, I've heard more horror stories about US WLS surgeries than I have Mexican ones. In the US a lot of internists / surgeons are looking to capitalize upon the rapidly growing WLS market. The trouble stems from some US surgeons in small cities not having much experience with these surgeries. And many people don't want to travel far from home. At least the Mexican surgeons have lots of experience, which is in their patients' favor. The real question is how much experience does YOUR surgeon have with the surgery you're going to have, and what is YOUR surgeon's track record. That's the $64K question. Just sayin'.

I think doc's right about the Water. Dehydration causes WAY more problems than anything else, seems like. A guy on another forum reported that he passed out after surgery TWICE and fell, due to dehydration. He's so lucky he didn't break anything. Shee!

Good golly, Miss Molly! You're working hard and (maybe also a little) lucky to lose so fast! Way to go, Will!

Problem is, when we live in society -- whether that of a family or a small town or corporate life -- we are interconnected. Anthills. Ugh.

Hmmm. I'm thinking about all this. I've got nothing exceptional to say. But it's stirred something. Wanting to be left alone. Just wanting plain vanilla privacy. Nothing weird. Just simple, human privacy.

Yes. Don't guess about anything. And ask questions a second or third or more times if you still aren't sure of the answer. All the best advice I've heard says -- take someone with you to your meetings, because these are stressful times, and you may not remember everything that's said.

I'm no expert at all. But the research I've read says there are fewer complications and fewer deaths when you: * Choose a surgeon who's done MANY surgeries of the type you'll get * Choose a hospital where MANY surgeries of the type you'll get have been done * Comply perfectly with all your pre- and post-operation instructions * Have a strong and healthy support system around you * Don't smoke at all * Are mentally healthy and/or have adequate psychological resources to support you on this journey * Are courageous and determined (this doesn't mean anything remotely like "perfect") And yet, even with all those things aligned, complications can and do happen. The last statistic I've seen with regard to sleeving mortalities during surgery are 1 out of 1,750 surgeries result in patient death. And even with all those questions answered above, you don't want to be some doctor's guinea pig for some "new procedure" he's experimenting with. You really don't want to be "a nice person" who doesn't ask their surgeon the tough questions like: * How many surgeries have you done? * How long have you been doing this surgery? * What is the mortality rate and the complications rate for YOUR patients? * What is the "success rate" for YOUR patients? * How do you define "success" for YOUR patients? * How would you characterize YOUR patients who achieve their weight loss goal? * How would you characterize YOUR patients who maintain their weight loss goal? * How comfortable are you with patients who want to ask lots of questions about their medical care? * How accessible and responsive will you be to me as I go through this journey? You don't have to be rude. But you have to be assertive enough to advocate for yourself. Be informed. Don't assume. In fact, writing down a list of all the things you "hope are true" is a great way to develop a list of questions to ask your surgeon. Good luck to all of us! A.

Oh, yeah! Except that would mean I'd have to actually be in the same room with him. No, thank you.

This is a GREAT thread. Thanks for starting it, nolagirl.

;=) The Department of Redundancy Department.

A quick question -- do you both know about the three-week stall? I only ask because many people who've had surgery have never heard of it. If not, read this: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.Uqj2GfRDtzY

I hear you, LindsJ83. It must be tough to go from 20 pounds in 2 weeks to a slower pace. Watching the scale slide down that fast must feel euphoric.

Cowgirl, that arm surgery after 5 weeks didn't look bad at all! Very, very nice. Yes, do put up some new pix. Thanks for sharing this.

You can all beat me about the head and shoulders if I do this when I get sleeved, but I get tickled every time I read a post liek this. There must be 10,000 of them online: "I've just had WLS, and I'm not to goal yet." Arithmetic is your friend: 1. If you want to lose 100 pounds, you'll be doing great to lose it in a year. 2. You've already lost 80 pounds in 2 weeks. That leaves 11-1/2 months to lose 80 pounds. 3. 80 pounds divided by 11-1/2 = 7 pounds a month. 4. So 7 pounds a month is what you're now aiming for. You'll lose faster than that early on and slower than that toward the end. You'll get there. You're lucky. You're already on your way. Ann

I am not a health care professional. However, I would bet that the shower wipes before you went to the hospital were a lot less about protecting you during surgery (they'll do that when you're in the operating room) and a lot more about preventing you from bringing odd bugs and germs INTO the hospital. Frankly, I think the protocol sounds wonderful.

Do you guys know about the very alarming research coming out about lack of sleep and overweight? And about lack of sleep and depression? Check it out. Then figure out how you can get more sleep. Good luck to everyone suffering from this.

crickets

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! Congratulations to you. What a wonderful tool this has been for you. Inspiring! Ann

I'm pre-all this stuff. But I've seen people use the "5 day pouch" program to get back to basics. There are threads about it here. If you want your goal, you will reach your goal. Ann