Susan626

Are you getting enough Iron? Although most bariatric sites and even drs. don't mention it, I learned from a nutritionist on a Facebook board that you need to have poly or heme Iron because ferrous isn't absorbed properly. I buy one called Feosol Bifera Iron. You will also feel better once you can get more calories in.

I too am very excited. I met with my surgeon also yesterday and they have set my date for Band to Gastric Bypass surgery for June 10th!! Also, it is my husbands birthday. My band was placed the day after Valentines Day 7 years ago. Lots of trouble and weight regain, plus more. I am an OR nurse and scared to death to have the surgery because of all the complications that "may" happen. But really want the surgery to get he weight off, feel better, get healthy and decrease all the arthritic pain. I need to get back to nursing....... The pain and stiffness has prevented me from working as a nurse.
I have had all the preliminary work completed and found out that I have Barrette's Esophagus. So surprised but have been assured by my surgeon that the bypass is a great surgery to make this much better. Pray so......
Anyway, I am having the band removed and bypass all in one surgery. Any comments about one step or two step conversions.??s???
Thank

I can hardly believe my surgery is tomorrow afternoon! I am so excited! I have survived my 2 week preop diet and after a year and a half since starting this journey, the day has come. The new me begins tomorrow and I couldn't be happier.

Thanks so much for the support and encourraging words. I think I have decided to go on and have my conversion. Will be calling the insurance company tomorrow and checking what they say. Thanks too for mentioning God. I am a Christian and my husband a pastor. Also, I was an OR nurse for 34 years and did over 400 Roux's and 100 bands. But since retiring over 6 years ago I have gained over 100 lbs. I have been working with my husband in the church. I work a day or so a month with a plastic surgeon. So embarassed to be there too in my 3X scrubs, sweating and out of breath all the time. Really dispise what I have done to my body. Did you feel this way too? Hypertension, Pre-diabetes, depression, hopythyroidism, arthritis....on and on. Any web sites that helped you make your decision? Thanks so much. God bless.

Hi, my name is Susan and I am having my band to gastric bypass on June 10th. I too am really nervous. I have been reading everything I can to get ready. Have my final surgeon visit on the 2nd. I am in Delaware....You?

I am in the final approval phase. I should find out by mid-May if I am approved. I find myself eating everything in site. My nerves are terrible. Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like a total nut.

Yes, I feel the very same. I lost over 40 pounds with my lap band and within the last 7 years have gained it all back plus 60 more...... 300 Lbs now. I have made myself hybernate in my home and not go out. I may go to the grocery store once in a while but my hubby goes more than I these days. I can make a "good" list for him and he sticks to it. Also, not tempted to go my Chick Fla and get a vanilla shake..... I go out only when needed. Moved back to home town before Christmas and do not want everyone to see how big I have gotten. My husband has been kind but is not getting tired of me not going enywhere with him. Called my insurance company to start process of getting conversion to gastric bypass and found out they will not allow me to go back to my original band doctor, who I love and trust. I live in southern DE and have to go to New Jersey to have my conversion by a doctor I do not know. Have my consultation with him on Thusday this coming week. Did I say I am an OR nurse (retired) who wants to know her doctors reputations before she allows them to operated on her, especially something to serious as the lap band to gastric bypass?? So yes I am scared to death. I have been looking all over the internet to check this doctor out and so far only see good things about him. When are you having your procedure? Would love to have a buddy to chat with...... God bless and good luck, Susan

You didn't fail the surgery, the surgery failed you. I tried to make things work with my band for over 10 years. I lost 90 lbs initially, but that was due to initial swelling and the fact that I am very good at "dieting" but not good at maintaining. I converted to bypass 6 months ago and it is a completely different ballgame. I can eat dense Protein and it fills me up. I stop eating because I want to and not because I have to. Don't blame yourself. We have a disease. The treatment was faulty, but there are better options! Hang in there!

will be praying for you this Thursday.........

I was a type 2 diabetic and on insulin injection, had high blood pressure and high chloysterial , I came home off of all meds and my A1C levels are a 4 im doing great feeling great and I exercise 2 hours a day for 5 days a week . RNY was a life saver for me , congrats on your chance for being healthy .

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on Valentine's Day 2013 and an A1C of nearly 13- that was the tipping point for me that I knew something had to change. I managed to lose about 40 lbs. on my own, but was taking a handful (literally) of pills a day to help bring my sugar down. 40 lbs. is great, but it and the medication wasn't enough. I chose RNY because of the promising results I learned with Type 2 diabetes. I took my last handful of pills the night before surgery, and since then, my sugar hasn't gone above 85 or so, no matter what time of day, or whether I'm fasting or not. I'm a total believer that the surgery is what did the trick- I've got about a month to go till my 6 month post op bloodwork, and I'm very eager to see what my A1C is now and to watch my PC doc type "resolved" on my chart!

I'm a revision patient. I had my surgery October of this year. It will be 3 months come January. I am 8 pounds away from being under 200lbs, I never thought I would get this far so soon. I now feel confident that I will get to my goal weight! One day, one step at a time.

Was originally scheduled a week and a half ago but chickened out - doing revision Thursday and feel at it ease after talking to someone who has had the surgery. I have no major medical issues and I am probably very low risk but surgery is always scary

Thursday was the first day on my next phase of soft foods. For Breakfast I had one scrambled egg. snack of string cheese. For lunch (around 3) one tablespoon of canned chicken shredded with a touch of mayo. dinner (around 6:30) one tablespoon of ground beef with gravy. I had 12 cups of liquids throughout the day. I did not have a BM all day-but I did each of the 3 prior days. I woke up Friday so uncomfortable. I felt constipated/stuffed. I had a fruit cup for breakfast on Friday. I know this was not Protein but I thought the Fiber would help me go. It did-2x and I started to feel better. I took some MOM too. For lunch I had Peanut Butter off the spoon. I pushed even more fluids all day. I definitely did not hit my protein goals but this morning I am feeling SOOOOO much better. I think I will start with a Greek yogurt for breakfast today and limit my soft food to only one meal instead of every meal. I know it is trial and error-so glad I feel better.

I just started a program working towards a revision surgery from band to bypass. I'm so scared I'm going to fail again. I initially lost about 30 pounds with the band but have gained all of it back. I know I failed for lots of reasons. Basically, I can't eat a lot of dense Protein without getting majorly stuck and throwing up, when I do just a little I never feel satisfied, sometimes I can eat everything under the sun, and I have general issues with overeating. I'm going to a counselor to help me find coping mechanisms that don't involve food, so that's definitely something different than when I had the lapband. I also didn't loose very much or very fast with the lapbad, so it was hard to stay motivated to keep dieting. I'm committed to making life changes with the bypass, but I'm so nervous that I'll just fail again. I don't even want to tell anyone about this surgery until I'm actually successful. It's too embarrassing to fail twice! Anyone else have these thoughts?

As I slipped my fingers inside the cover and touched the first page, it hit me that my lifelong dream had indeed become a reality and that with the first word of that opening chapter came the closing of another. Within the pages were the lonely days of weighing nearly a quarter of a ton along with the endless nights of drunken madness which eventually bled into late afternoon hangovers. Staring at the words, I am reminded of the wasted days and nights squandered while living a life of dangerous excess.


As my car swung into the driveway, I noticed a plain and unpretentious package sitting idly on my porch. Bending over, I picked it up and carried it into my cozy little home while searching for a return address. My breath caught in my throat as I spotted it. Setting the box on my dining room, table I peeled open the lid as the sound of the stiff, clear packing tape crackled and snapped beneath my fingers. I opened the little box slowly, with great anticipation, as one might open a newly found treasure chest reclaimed from the bottom of the ocean. My heart beat wildly as I reached into the bottom of the broken cardboard box and placed my hand upon a book, a plain and simple book which held the stories of my life.
The cover was cool and smooth and slid easily into my hand. Slowly, I lifted it out and into the light while my face felt flushed and my hand shook just a bit. As I slipped my fingers inside the cover and touched the first page, it hit me that my lifelong dream had indeed become a reality and that with the first word of that opening chapter came the closing of another. Within the pages were the lonely days of weighing nearly a quarter of a ton along with the endless nights of drunken madness which eventually bled into late afternoon hangovers. Staring at the words, I am reminded of the wasted days and nights squandered while living a life of dangerous excess.
The book itself was a chronicle of my existence, holding together all of my pain and anguish in one neat little package for the whole world to read, critique and criticize. My life was now, quite literally an open book. Standing there in the quiet shadows of my home, I felt extremely isolated and alone. After a few moments of quiet reflection, I began to realize that maybe I was not. I recognized that other people like myself, the lost, lonely and forgotten, might stumble upon this pint-sized treasure chest of emotion and maybe, just maybe, they would gather a bit of hope. Perhaps, they too might find the courage and the bravery to do battle with the demons that controlled their lives. Through my stories they might find the inspiration to try, yet one more time, to rid their lives of the physical and emotional baggage that they perpetually carried upon their backs.
Suddenly, it seemed ok to bare my soul and share the deepest darkest secrets of my past. If my heartache could help to guide just one person out of the darkness of their addictions, then the sharing of those secrets would be well worth the sacrifice. With that thought warming my heart, I carried the book to my Carmel colored chair, lit a fire and opened it to the first page and began reading the story of my life.
Follow my journey at Pickastrugglecupcake.com
Alana Marie

I wanted to share with you guys my approval experience. I was extremely pleased to receive approval in 2 days. My paperwork was sent to the insurance on Monday and I received the call on Wednesday. Woohoo!!!!!! I am now scheduled for surgery on April 22 and I am so excited. :-) Best of luck to all!!!!

I had gastric bypass surgery and am maintaining my goal weight. My advice to you would be to ask yourself why lap-band failed? That's not to be meant in an insensitive way but to search inside yourself for that answer. It could be the device, you never felt full, medical circumstances, or not following guidelines. Are you in need of working on some deep personal and emotional issues...I know I had to. By doing so before surgery for many years and continuing that therapy it has helped immensely in my success. So many people do it backwards. They have the surgery, lose the weight, regain the weight and sometimes it's as a result of not dealing with emotional issues or eating issues and turning to food for comfort. Also, do you need further education with nutrition. When it comes to gastric bypass nutrition and education is key and ongoing...Lastly, if you have all of these in line I would encourage you to have the bypass. For myself, I was watching my life go by and not being a full and active participant in it. I would avoid gatherings with my husband's coworkers because in his field let's just say it would be harshly judged. I wouldn't do certain activities because my weight got in the way but my heart sure wanted to do it. None of us know how many days we have but we need to live our days with as much happiness and joy as we can. Tragedy does occur...yes that was part of my problem. But I was determined to fight for myself and with God and the physicians he has provided I have been able to do so. Remember that losing the weight isn't going to solve all of your problems...but from personal experience it has empowered me and made me stronger in conjunction with the treatment I received previously. I hope this makes sense and I really do mean it in a loving way because I want you to succeed and overcome!!

I had a RNY gastric bypass surgery 21 months ago and am well pleased with the results. One of the things that I found out after surgery was that I completely loss my hunger. It was not hard to lose weight when hunger was not constantly gnawing at my bones. I went from a size 3X to a size small in shirts and from a 46 in pants down to a size 33.
I ran across a few people in our support group who had lap bands and switched to gastric bypass. In one case the band wore into his stomach and it had to be removed. In another, the band was installed too restrictively. One of the individuals who underwent this change was very pleased by the results.