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My girlfrriend had surg last year and could not be happier, she is the reason I am doing this. Look at the success stories side of LBT, there are far more good that bad experiences. There are complications that are possible with any surgery, but the key is following doctors orders and paying attention to what your body is telling you.

My mom and sister had GB 4 and 6 years ago respectively and both are doing great BUT they use their surgeries like banders do. As a TOOL. My sister's husband also had GB after my sis and he's gained most of his weight back and blames the surgery for not working. He eats til he pukes then goes back and eats some more. My reasons for looking into LB: Don't have to cut up and rearrange my insides. I only started gaining weight in my early 20's and have about 100lbs to lose. I'm hoping to avoid PS with a slower loss and less time being fat overall. My mom and sis were both very heavy ALL of their lives. Very important - shorter down time. I have a toddler at home and a husband who's a fireman and on duty half the week. I can't be down for weeks and weeks. Another very important - less risk during surgery. Yes, it is surgery and there is ALWAYS a risk of dying or major complications, BUT the risk is dramatically decreased with LB vs. GB surgery. Less chance of malnutrition problems, dumping syndrome, puking b/c something doesn't agree with you, etc. The adjustability of the band. Although I'm going to have to travel several hours for fills and un-fills, I like the idea of being able to have an adjustable tool to help me keep the weight off. I don't mind the hard work. It's the working so hard only to see the weight come back again and again that I hate. I lost 60lbs on WW and felt great. Hit a bump in the road and never recovered from getting stuck in my process. Ended up gaining all but 10lbs of it back. I've since been fooling with the same darn 10lbs for the last year. It ticks me off and I'm tired of trying so hard and not getting anywhere. SO, I've started this process and we'll see where it takes me. I don't want to be the fat mom when my DD starts school. I hate meeting my DH's co-workers for the first time and wondering what they think (he's 6'3" and about 190, I'm 5'3" and 236). I'm tired of being tired and things being sore or stiff and being winded when I climb a hill or stairs. SO, for me, LB is the way to go. I'd suggest that you make a list of pros and cons and go from there. You have to work hard with any WLS so if you are looking at WLS then you need to look at all aspects of all of them. I'd suggest hanging out on this board and reading the good, bad and ugly. Yes, it sounds scary but at least you'll be informed. And you are going to hear a lot of ugly sometimes b/c people come here to talk about it in order to get some help or just find that they aren't the only ones. Personally, I'd rather hear about ALL of it before-hand then find out about some of this the hard way AFTER! Okay, this was a very long post. Sorry! Best wishes in your decision!

Thank you! I get why people leave. After a while there’s not much more to say (unless you have a complication) but I stick around to keep myself honest. I update my weight every single time it fluctuates.

I wouldn't have done it but I was "under" anyway due to breast revision. They actually dont use much fat at all, so you don't need to have much to do this and it came from my inner thigh.. I had it done with other procedures so cost was low. Quote I got stand alone was 1200 by a Seattle plastic surgeon. It lasts longer, for most people, than juvaderm etc. I asked doc about doing lipo around my waist etc..and he said, nope, I dont have excess fat, it's my muscles and the only way to further reduce loose skin is upper body lift or the vertical/anchor cut - and we both agreed totally not worth it. The mistake I made in all this is that my upper inner thighs had gotten worse over time. I had weird cellulite pockets there that were vastly improved with the small thigh lift, but over the 2 years, it was worse again. Thighs do that.. Anyway Dr was hopeful he could do some lipo and very small skin removal - not a full thigh lift. When I came out of recovery, he told me it hadn't gone well and he had to do alot more than expected to get decent results. Then, I had a complication. I don't blame the doc, I blame me. I should have not gotten greedy and pursued it. Recovery has been hell, I have had a recent setback, had to cancel my MAui trip...etc.

I'd be a lot more afraid of NOT having the surgery than having it. I hesitate to say this, but you're more likely to die from obesity complications than you are from the surgery. These surgeries are much safer than they were years ago - mortality rate is very low - even lower than hip replacement surgeries, which they do all the time. I was heavier than you are (although fortunately, I didn't have any co-morbidities), but I knew it for me it was either have the surgery or die from my massive weight (I was well over 300 lbs). Having that surgery probably gave me an extra 10 years of life. I'm much healthier today in my 60s than I ever was in my 30s and 40s.

I just have to throw this out there again it is hear say. And I hope that you do not think that complications such as these can happen to any patient using any surgeon in any hospital EVEN the so called BEST at what they do. I also heard than when I was there that there were so many patients that the DR had to do surgeries without sleep for 7 days there were so many patients that everyone had to share the beds 3-4 patients in each bed but at least they were all cozy in the beds I wonder if this is true it must be I heard it and I know that people don't lie or fabricate stories and I absolutely know that people DO NOT spread RUMORS or stories they hear. So I guess it is a FACT

You have to ask yourself this question... "If an emergency was to come up, a life threatening emergency, is Dr. Almanza fully capable of handling that situation?" I'm not talking bad about him or anything because I've yet to be sleeved. I've just read reviews on him from others. I do not think that he is capable of handling a situation like that at all in his little clinic. I know that complications are rare, but they can occur. You need to be in the best care possible. That's just my opinion though...

You can research research research hire the very best Dr and still be the complication. It is a risk of every surgery. If you find a Dr that has never had complication of their patients then you need to do more research on that Dr. All Drs have patients that have complications it is all part of having surgeries that is why the Dr should tell you about the complications before you make a decision to have any surgery

I agree..i got a total unfill because i was worried about complications and i didnt want them to keep stickin me with that needle....also what if u get further along and are filled and have to keep gettin emergency unfills thats not good for u or ur baby....i jus hope nothin happens to my band as my belly gets bigger...my port side is really startin to hurt!

My daughter is one year out of gastric sleeve surgery. She has done very well but in the last couple weeks she has been experiencing very high liver enzyme’s and Billiruben in her urine. She is in the hospital right now and they have ruled out Hepatitis. They do not seem to be paying much attention to the fact that she has had gastric sleeve. She only drinks alcohol socially. And she is only 24.Has anyone heard of this complication a year after surgery or more?

Before I left the hospital the nurse strongly urged me to get a medical bracelet to state "no blind ng tubes". She shared a story with me of another patient with VSG who got into a car accident and the paramedics inserted a tube and punctured something. I don't remember the exact complication but the nurse said the patient was going to deal with the consequences for the rest of her life. That was enough for me to buy one. Like a previous poster stated, I got mine from RoadID. They have tons of options to choose from. You can even pay extra to do an entire database with all your med info that lists all surgeries you've had, current meds you're on, allergies, emergency contact etc. I had 2 separate incidents (prior to VSG) where I passed out bc my blood pressure meds weren't balanced right. So I WANT paramedics to have any info they need if something ever happens again. I'm not embarrassed wearing the bracelet. I'd rather have peace of mind that should I ever become unresponsive, the info is readily available to a medical professional.

As mentioned in Satiated vs Stuffed, satiety is not quite the same as being full. Full means your upper stomach has reached its maximum capacity: that you have overeaten again – an old habit that made you obese enough to qualify for weight loss surgery. Satiety happens on your way to being full. With a properly adjusted band, you will be comfortable if you stop eating when you're satiated, but you’ll experience discomfort if you eat until you're full. This third article in the Satiety 101 series discusses the signals your body gives to tell you you’re satiated, but that’s only half the battle. The other half involves heeding instead of ignoring those signals. That subject could fill a book (which that I might write some day). Today we’ll focus on recognizing your own unique Stop Eating Signals. Because of its anatomical position (near your diaphragm, and pressing on the vagus nerve at the top of your stomach), the band’s presence (but not your band itself – which we must remember is an inert piece of plastic without any magic at all inside) can give you quick feedback about your eating behavior. The feedback is written in a language issued and understood by your brain, with assistance from your endocrine and digestive systems. Even if you were lousy in your high school French class, you will have to learn how to get directions in that language, so you won’t end up on Weight Gain Road instead op Weight Loss Avenue. Those directions come in the form of what I call Soft Stop and Hard Stop signals. To understand those directions, you’ll need to slow down and pay attention while you eat. It takes 15 to 20 minutes for satiety signals to reach your brain and to be broadcast to the rest of you. If you usually eat with a crowd (family, friends, coworkers), you might need to try eating by yourself for a few meals so you won't be distracted. Stop signals can be subtle and they can come from unexpected parts of your body. It's better to heed a gentle reminder than wait for a hammer to hit you on the head. SOFT STOPS are your early warning system, gentle reminders from your body that it's time to stop eating. Because they don't hurt much, they're easy to ignore. They include: · Mild queasiness (an icky, but not about-to-vomit, feeling) · Fullness or pressure in the back of the throat · Pressure in the chest or just below the breastbone · Throat clearing · Some difficulty swallowing · Burping (or the urge to burp) · Taking a deep breath · Mild coughing · A sigh · Hiccups · Watering eyes · Runny nose · Left shoulder pain · A sneeze · More saliva in the mouth than usual · A sudden distaste for the food you were enjoying a moment before As soon as you notice one of these signs, stop eating! I don't care if your stubborn mind is insisting that it's okay to continue (because it thinks you have room for just one more bite, or the food tastes good, or you haven't cleaned your plate, or you deserve the food, or whatever's going on in there). If you go on eating past this point, you won't be changing your eating behavior and you're likely to get into trouble…that is, a hard stop. HARD STOPS are the equivalent of running into a brick wall. They can happen without any apparent warning, but usually you have sped heedlessly past a soft stop before you hit the wall. Hard stops are the painful and sometimes embarrassing reminders that you have eaten too much, too fast, in bites that were too big, without chewing enough. They include: · Chest pain and/or painful pressure or tightness in the chest · Feeling like you have a rock in the back of your throat · A burning sensation in the throat · A “stuck” feeling, as if the food you’ve eaten has nowhere to go · Productive burps (PB's) – regurgitation of food, kind of like the way a baby erps up milk · Sliming (excess saliva and mucus that's so profuse, you have to spit it out) When you experience a hard stop, STOP EATING! It's not at all a good idea to keep eating after you experience a hard stop, even if the discomfort goes away and your plate of food still looks appealing. You may feel fine and may in fact be able to eat some more, but you should not eat more. The hard stop has irritated your upper gastrointestinal system. Continuing to eat will just perpetuate the problem, getting you into a never-ending cycle of eat-hard stop-pain-eat-hard stop-pain. Cycles like that tend to turn into complications like band slips and esophageal and stomach dilation. That’s the reason for my next piece of advice: follow a liquid diet for 24 hours after a hard stop episode, then transition carefully back to pureed then soft then solid food. If you’re like me, you did not have WLS in order to live on liquids for the rest of your life. That’s yet another reason to learn how to prevent hard stops in the first place, so that you can eat and enjoy real food at every meal. Now here’s one last chunk of information before the bell rings and today’s class ends. You may not experience any or all of these stop signals any or all of the time. At breakfast you might get one signal and at lunch, an entirely different one. At dinner, you may notice no stop signal at all. As time goes on and you lose weight and the amount of saline in your band changes, your stop signals may change as well. All that can be frustrating, but it will force you to go on eating slowly and carefully for the rest of your life, and that’s actually a good practice for anyone, banded or not. That plate of food before you is a blessing that some people in this world can only dream of. Those small portions may look puny to you, but would be a feast to someone else. So treat your food, and your body, with the care they deserve. Learning to recognize satiety over and over again is an ongoing process because our bodies are not statues made of marble. We are all marvelous, unique, and complex creatures who change by the minute, every day of our lives. Click here to read about how those changes can affect soft and hard stop signals. http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/articles.html/_/support/post-op-support/restriction-riddles-r93 This is the third and final article in the Satiety 101 series of articles.

Hi Pepper, I'm at 4 months post op & I've had zero complications. I didn't have any digestive or heartburn issues going into this & I don't have any after. I'd say nothing has changed for me at all except I eat a lot less & I wish I'd done this sooner.

Congratulations!!! I am 25 and also a shortie haha I'm 5 feet even. I am 2 weeks post op today, and like you I feel well. No complications so far. My surgery weight was 264 ( in the beginning I was 274) and I am currently down to 245.I hope my journey is as good to me as it is to you.

It went awesome! I have no regrets about going to Mexico and Dr. Casteneda and Premiere Hospital were both fabulous. The hospital facility is very nice. I had no complications and everything went as planned. Cecelia the coordinator is very helpful and she too has had the surgery. Let me know if there are any specific questions I can answer for you.

Okay guys....IM BORED~ And this sucks. I hate to be bored. My boy is asleep....my mom is watching TV...Im on this computer....WHAT TO DO WHAT TO DO~~~ Its too cold outside to do anything......My cleanning is all done. My sons birthday party is all planned. I actually have free time and I dont know what to do with it. My body is in shock and its retaliating with BOREDUM....I could read, but Im too restless. I have my Christmas cards all ready done and sent out........I could wrap presents but then I run the risk of my son catching me......8 years ago today I was admitted into the hospital to have my son, and he was born THREE days later. I cant tell you how much pitosin I was given...GALLONS it seemed. But I had my little boy on 12/19/97....at 6:15am.........He is my Christmas Mirical thats for sure. He was sooo little when he came home, he was a month premature, I was going to bring him home in a stocking..ehehehehehe He was born early on purpose, because I was having such a complicated pregnancy. DUMDEEDUUUU I am so bored....I am so bored......why am I bothering you all with this?? Well thanks for listening...maybe I will listen to some music...STAINED....that show by the way WAS SOOOO FREEKIN COOL!!! Hey, the bar is right down the street~~ with in walking distance, so I could technically go have me a calorie infused drink and walk it off.....eeeeyaaaa no...That could be bad....this bored and drinking..... wouldn't mix well...I would have to wear the happy boots and a trench coat~ ehehehe HAY THATS NOT A BAD IDEA.......ok going to do something...maybe take a HOT SHOWER....or lay here and count arm hairs or something equally stupid. LATER GUYS

Let me start off by saying that I dislike going to that area of the board, however as a prebander I feel it is necessary to hear the good, bad and ugly about this from all view points. However, I have noticed that a lot of people begin having problems years out and dont immediately seek medical care from their surgeon. They live with problems for months and then finally decide to go back to the dr. I guess my question is to those of you that are a success story -- how often do you see your surgeon? My surgeon requires monthly visits for the first yr - regardless of if you want/need a fill. After 1 yr post op your follow up visits are up to you but it must be at least once a yr. So my response to him was "so i can come monthly for the rest of my life?" he said yes. I look at my relationship with my surgeon as one i will have forever. Perhaps all newbies think like that though, then they make it to goal, life get in the way and before you know it you havent seen your doc in 2 yrs. My dr did say that while the majority of his long term post op patients dont come in monthly they do come in regularily-- quarterly, every other month, etc. But when i think about it how does he know the success of the other patients if they dont come in? If i end up having problems with my band i dont want it to be because of something i did. I want to follow the rules and to me regular follow ups with your dr is part of the rules.

My journey thus far had been completely complication free.. until last week. I was having stomach pain and assumed it was gas but two days later with my stomach so sore as though i had been working out a visit to the doctor would prove that it wasn't. I couldn't eat without what i can best call contractions in my stomach that hurt so intensely it would stop me and my tracks. Did a leak test and all was ok, 5 days later still hadn't eaten not even soft food.. stomach hurt to bad. I was taking pain killers just to make it thru the day and finally my doctor ordered a EGD. We assumed maybe scar tissue or a stricture but it wound up being stomach spasms. I experienced these immediately after surgery also but they weren't as intense. After 2 days of anti spasm meds i was back to normal. only positive thing i got out of all of it was it jump started me out of my stall AND i now know that i have healed great. The doctor said my staple line and stomach were excellent. I'm down to 202 now.. can't wait to pass the 200 mark.. but i can honestly blame myself for not getting all my protein in.. not to mention between all the med switching i stay nauseous.. so sometimes i don't want to eat.. working on it though,... fluid is not as hard to get in as it was as first but i have to remind myself ALL Day,... just started working out cardio for the most part right now,.. hopefully will see some results there.. check in soon.. keep pushing!

I'd never heard of this. Does it cover complications at any hospital or do you have to go to the one where you had surgery? If I got surgery it would be at a hospital 200 miles from where I live, I don't know if they'd cover me if I had to go to a local ER.

I've not had a problem eating anything either, and I'm 12 weeks out. It's great. Zero complications! Give it some more time and keep following the rules. The weight will start coming off and you'll begin to learn your body again. It took me awhile to differentiate between real hunger and head hunger. It gets better though, and the restriction becomes more noticeable as time goes on. You've got to allow yourself adequate time to heal. Keep busy and distract yourself from thoughts of food. Walk as much as you can, or whatever exercise you enjoy. It's too soon to panic. You've got this. Best of luck!

You look beautiful in both pictures and your face absolutely does not look hollow or too thin or whatever else may try to tell you. You also make a good point where after weight loss people think it's ok to make comments about your body, but somehow it's unacceptable to give it right back to them. Some people just want to poop on your parade. One of my coworkers had weight loss surgery. Prior to going under, she was very open to people and didn't mind word getting around that she was doing it. By the time she was taking her medical leave, everyone knew why. She had some complications and needed extra time off, but came back to work 6 weeks later and had already lost a significant amount of weight. Again... everyone knew why. But people STILL came up to her concern trolling her with questions about if she had cancer. She played it cool, but I would have gone to HR. Of course, some of it can be people just are not used to seeing you this way, but I feel like under no circumstances is it ok to make negative comments when you are working towards a healthier life. Congrats on your success

So, I work with a lot of heavy lifting (wine boxes and loading them into u-boats, etc) and work has been accommodating to me, but I noticed that I was scheduled for a shift to basically go back into that on my 5th week from surgery date and I was advised to not do heavy lifting until the 6th week; is it going to cause complications? Or do you think it'll be manageable? 😬

I told almost nobody about my surgery, so events with food were (and still are) a bit complicated and unnerving for me. However, buffet style is definitely the easiest to deal with, as you can pick and choose foods that will work with your diet. (I would frequently go with cheese and cold cuts. No, cheese is not the best choice, but it has protein--and a little won't kill you.). If it's a sit-down dinner, I usually say that I'm feeling unwell and will only be eating small portions of a few things. People don't usually push back. One word of warning, since this is the first time with family since surgery. If any of them are quite overweight, they might come across as a bit hostile or dismissive about your surgery. I have one obese family member who has never approved of my surgery and is always quite nasty about it. I believe that such people feel threatened by the fact that we are taking control of our health and may be a bit envious. (I hope this isn't the case with your family, but if it does happen, you're not alone.)

Hello @Readybutscared I am similar in size to you 5'7 1/2" and currently 240 pre-surgery. My DS Loop surgery is schedule for 9/19. I guess we''ll see how it turns out. Of course I am nervous. I'm 68 years old. I feel like I should have looked into the WL surgery years ago. I've struggled with weigh for over 50 years. Like you I hide my weight well and don't appear to be obese. As I have gotten older I have developed weight related complications requiring medications; GERD, high blood pressure and recently type II diabetes. As I said we'll see how this works out. I'm tired of being a fat guy and want to see what it's like to have a normal weight my remaining 25-30 years. I enjoy bicycling. I told my surgeon try riding carrying an 80 lb. bag of cement.

My surgery took 6 hours. Lots of complications with the hernias. I ended up with a collapsed lung and surgical emphysema (crackling skin chest neck face). Had a chest tube to allow space for my lung to reinflate, it worked. Had a rough first few days. Made it work. Lots of swelling and almost a week post op. One day at a time. It is improving. Tylenol is my friend.