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Hey there- Sorry I just saw this. I have not had my sleeve yet. I just had everything submitted for insurance approval. I do have a similair complication of my tubing coming detached and poking me everywhere! SO painful that I am often in tears. I have been researching and I feel the sleeve is right for me. I know how hard it is to go through a failed lapband. You have all of these high hopes, pay all of this money (I was a self pay for the band due to an ins. exclusion), and then everything goes WRONG! Hang in there! Message me anytime you need someone to talk to!

Poor thing, I'm sorry about your complications, go slow. I'm 2 weeks out and still having issues with protein shakes though I can drink water and peppermint tea all day long.

I agree with the above statements. Because you had complications your stomach may need a little extra time to heal. Mashed potatoes can be kinda rough going down, I would try yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, and jello. Gradually work your way upto more dense food as time goes on. Best of luck to you.

I used Dr. Sanchez in Monterrey - he was wonderful total cost was $7900 plus $500 airfare - he's done over 5,000 surgeries w/ minimal complications and no deaths. I like that he owns his own private guesthouse where you stay before and after surgery (u only stay in the hospital one day) and arranges all transportation. It was oddly enough a very relaxing experience - his back patio faces the beautiful mountains. I took a roll of pics to remember it. He did not require any weight loss prior to surgery and I was 293 - bmi 48

My doctor required a 3 week Optifast diet. While I didn't enjoy it, I realize that they have people do that to make the surgery go smoother, with no complications from a fatty liver. That said, the nurse told me to make sure I got in a 'last meal' the night before surgery. I had gnocchi, which is good, cause its one of the only foods I've been unable to stomach since surgery hehe.

Vertical gastric sleeve (VGS) to Mini Gastric Bypass (MGB) ? I was sleeved about 7 years ago in Mexico. The operation added about 90 pounds of weight loss over 18 months. However unfortunately, after several years and a couple of babies, the weight has come back on. I’m exactly where I was seven years ago. 😔 I feel my pouch has been stretched slowly over the years and my metabolism is shot. Not uncommonly, one of the side effects of the sleeve was terrible heartburn. I’ve been taking a prescription grade antacid since my surgery. I recently read that this particular bariatric side affect has been linked to stomach cancer. 😳 I recently consulted with bariatric surgeon in Mexico to see what my options are and he suggested I convert to a mini gastric bypass. He said it would resolve the acid reflux complication and also I would lose the weight I have regained. Has anyone gone from VGS to a MGB that could share their experiences with me? Either here or privately? I’d really appreciate it. 🙏🏼

A caveat to this would be that you CAN deduct expenses for tummy tucks or skin removals following a WLS if...... the extra skin was causing pain/redness/soreness/blisters/other complications and the removal was necessary to the healthy well being of the individual and advised by a physician as a means to treat the ailments.

Great job losing weight and staying on track for so long! That's a huge accomplishment, and it definitely shows that you are ready for a lifestyle change. My instinct is to tell you to go ahead and get the band. It will help you so much with the hunger. And, even if you do decide to splurge, the band will keep it in check so that it doesn't turn into a binge. One thing I've noticed is that even if I have a few bad days, I maintain my weight. It's almost like it has taken the upswing out of the yo-yo diet. It shouldn't have to be hard to lose weight, and for me (so far at least) it seems almost effortless. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune when I have less to lose, but that's okay! And, it's totally compatible with getting pregnant, so you can just get an unfill when you get pregnant and then start losing again after you have a baby. I know it's a tough decision. You've been reading this board, so you know there are complications and frustrations. It's no magic bullet, but I think it could be a great tool to help you reach your goal. Good luck with your decision!

One of the reasons I would never ever consider a gastric bypass is that you're losing weight at the expense of your health. It is worth it if you're about to die from complications of obesity but that's about the only thing that would make me consider it. I'd rather not have baggy saggy skin, have my bones breaking everytime I sneezed and suffer a million other complications of malnutrition thanks. I dont want to look good that badly. Also, somebody who has lost weight that way has severely damaged their metabolism. If they ever so much as looked at 1500 calories a day again they'd put weight right back on. Cutting down on calories too severely slows your metabolism, the idea is to keep your intake as high as possible to still produce a good weight loss, part of that equation is both lots of cardiovascular exercise to burn calories and also lots of weight resistance exercise to build and maintain muscle. That's about as scientific as you really need to get. You can get all into high Protein, low carb etc etc but I dont think even the experts really know the truth there. I think there's definitely something to be said for cutting out all the processed carbohydrate rubbish that most people eat and eating more good quality protein foods but I think things like Atkins are pretty much fad diets, just my opinion though. If calories in is less than calories out you will lose weight, whatever you eat.

Since the Band has only been FDA approved in the US since 2001, longer term reports from the US are only beginning to come out now. As I posted in another thread, in this month's Journal of the American College of Surgeons, there is a report from a group in Atlanta, detailing their results with over 1000 bands. See the thread : http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10835 No operative procedure is without risks, but I think the data clearly shows that risk of severe complications, such as death, is much lower with the Band than with GB. To each their own, when GB works, it works great. My personal opinion is that the Band has a much better safety profile for similar results.

From what I read I see that there are some suggestions that banding MAY not be as good as bypass, and MAY have more complications, and MAY not have as much weight loss.... but they need to do studies to prove that theory. THAT means, it's NOT a proven fact, it's just opinions. If you read this carefully, you'll find it contradicts itself somewhat. It theorizes that there MAY be less weight loss, and there MAY be more side effects. But over a period of years, the amount of overall weight loss is closer to bypass. Look at the news today... 1 in 29 chance of bypass death? I'll take 2 in 100 chance of reflux over 1 in 29 of death. These quotes tell me a lot about the whole article. <<"that concluded that LASGB had an identical weight loss curve to the open VBG performed by the same surgeons. Kellum (2003) concluded that “t is obvious that only a prospective, randomized series would definitively establish which operation is best in terms of safety and efficacy.” >> <<"The researchers concluded that more study is required to determine the long-term efficacy of LASGB." >> <<“For laparoscopic gastric banding, the available evidence suggests that weight loss at one year is less than that achieved with gastric bypass. More limited evidence on three-year weight loss suggests that this difference in weight loss may lessen over time.">> <<" Early adverse event rates are low following laparoscopic gastric banding, and are probably lower than gastric bypass.">>

had my surgery on the 23rd as well.. but i had complication and my shakes didn't start until the 29th had two shakes at the hospital (had Optisource caramel and strawberry) although i wasn't a big fan i was happy to have something other than just plain water. although for the first time in my life i never wanted water more than i have now. on the 30th first day back home I had two more Optisource shakes a day and wasn't too bad, i never finished either one all the way but almost most of it. I also started on sugar free jello (again never happier to have jello). Today I tried costco premier shake (chocolate) and it was so thick it took me about two hours to have half of the shake. for my second shake (also the chocolate premier) i tried it with three ice cubes blended and it was much more easier to drink. the coldness or lighter feel felt easier to drink. I didn't finish it all but almost all the way and this one only took an hour to drink. Hope that helps, i will continue to try new ways of having the shakes and keeping the goal of three shakes a day. Hope this helps a bit Good luck!

I assume you want to have your band with you for life, but is this realistic?; I mean if there are no complications how long can the band be intact inside your body? are there studies about this?

It sounds like you have a lot of trust and respect for your Dr and that is a good thing to have! Although you respect her, does she respect you? I am firmly against scare mongering, which seems to be her objective to sway you from weight loss surgery. Yes there are complications and yes some people gain their weight back, but she isn't giving you the global facts. Where is her unbiased information? What about all the success stories? The successes far outweigh the failures. I think to go through this, or any medical procedure for that matter, a person needs to have an unbiased support team. Up front and center should be their Doctor. If you've voiced your questions, desires, your own fact finding details with her and she is still spewing the negatives, you may want to consider seeing another Dr. A doctor shouldn't control your life, or attempt to control you with horror stories. They should guide and support you where your health is concerned. Do your own research. Become knowledgable on what it takes to stay committed, how it works, the struggles, and all the complications so you can make an informed decision. The decision is YOURS, and no one elses. Good luck ♡

I understand your fears I am planning on the gastric sleeve next month myself. As a recovery nurse I see patients of all sizes go through anesthesia. There can be complications for anyone no matter your weight. You have to remember what risk you face being over weight and not having the surgery and see that your risk are so much higher not having the surgery. In surgery you are monitored by a CRNA or anesthesiologist 100% of the time. They stay right with you and watch the monitors and vitals adjusting meds as need be. Having sleep apnea you should bring your machine and you might take a little longer coming off oxygen but that's no big deal. I send people up to the floor on oxygen daily and they are off by the next day. Bottom line it's scary. I totally agree but the end result is worth it. Hang in there and best of luck to you!

VSG275, It sounds like you are currently where I was when I decided it was time to do this. I had a slew of co-morbidities and, even now, I weigh more than you do! I was told I wouldn't live another year if I didn't get this weight off. I had dropped 50 pounds last year, but one bout of pneumonia and the resultant antibiotics put that, plus more, back on me. Pain - I had some pain. What I remember most clearly is that my legs hurt like heck from using them instead of my stomach muscles for the first couple of days. I was given liquid pain meds in the hospital, which I refused after the third dose. I didn't really feel that I was in enough pain to need them. I did need the pain meds my second night after surgery, when I came home, but I didn't know the conversion from metric to english measurements and didn't take them. So I still have an unopened bottle of Loritab liquid. I need to see if my doc's office will take them. Leaks/Complications: There have been a couple of people here who have had one or the other. Read their stories, then read that they ALWAYS say "I'd do it again". There is a slight risk of death during any surgery. Make sure you're confident in your surgeon and do your own research into his or her post-op stats and outcomes. Lifestyle changes - Yes. There are many lifestyle changes, the biggest of which is eating less food. I'm nearly 3 months post-op and, try as hard as I could today, I didn't reach 1500 calories. I ate ham, sweet potatos, devilled eggs, pecan pie, whipped topping, stuffing. In short, I ate anything I wanted today and logged every bite. Normally I avoid sweets, but I gave myself permission to eat whatever today without any guilt. I also tracked every morsel in a food tracker online and, despite indulging myself, didn't get to 1500 calories. I normally shoot for under 1,000 daily, but I don't think this one day is going to kill my weight loss. Not Losing Enough Weight - You are in control of this one. You CAN put junk food in the sleeve and it will feel just fine. You will have to decide what's more important to you, eating junk or losing weight. I think that you will decide it's losing weight as soon as you see that scale going down. From the sounds of things, you used to be really into exercise, so you probably won't have a problem getting back on track once some of the weight comes off. Your co-morbidities will resolve as you lose weight as well. Excess Skin - Many people have excess skin once they lose this weight. I've met a few people IRL who are at goal and have some excess skin. They have decided to wait until they have been maintaining their weight for a couple of years before moving forward on that. I'm still undecided myself, and I have a long way to go before I need to make that decision. You will decide what is best for you when you get to that point. You've made the right move by signing up here and reading about other people's journeys. Good luck on your journey!!

any throwing up or stomach pain when you eat too much? I had my band removed last year due to all the complications. I'm hesitant to try the sleeve because i's permanent

Lellow & Kush I have searched and all I can find is this: Band slip types (I, II, IV and V) are acute and always require surgical intervention. Laparoscopic removal or repositioning of the band is the preferred method of treatment. Pouch enlargement is a chronic complication that should be managed nonoperatively in the first instance, and surgical readjustment is reserved only for those patients in whom conservative treatment fails. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038361/

It's hard to lose wieght after the plateau and frankly my personal opinion is that people quit trying b/c the weight they've lost is "good enough" for them. I think everyone has the potential to lsoe all the weight but when they speak statistics they have to factor in everyone with the band - which means they will factor in people who have to get the band taken out due to a complication and they don't lose all the weight, and people who never get a fill b/c they have refulx so they never lose all the weight, and people like some people I've seen at my docs office who just don't try! For example, one woman I saw in the waiting room sais she didn't do the pre-op diet b/c she "didn't feel like it" and ate fajitas and margaritas the night before surgery - I'm sorry but if you have no self control the friggin' night before surgery you probably won't be as sucessful. Then also take the 2 other women who had surgery tha same day as me. One said she refused to give up oreos and chocolate milk, and the other said the only protein shakes she would drink was Boost b/c she liked the taste (HELLO FULL OF SUGAR!!!!) and she said that losing 1/2 the weight was "good enough" for her. May I also mention that I had to pay for my own band yet these people had Medicaid pay for it! Tax dollars hard at work right??? Anyways, when you look at statistics they factor in EVERYONE - and I don't worry b/c I know I don't need chocolate milk and oreos, I do exersize, I can follow my docs instructions, I will get fills, etc so I believe in my heart I can lose 100% and all I need is that faith in myself - not statistics!

Ok - banded a week ago today. I feel great, back at work after 4 days. I am on mushies (they had me on them before I left the hospital). I want to be gentle on the band, so I am trying to stick with more liquids than mushies thus I have a liquid Protein shake for Breakfast and lunch -- then pureed Soup or mashed potatoes for dinner. I am getting 60+ grams of protein each day. I am off pain meds and just taking liquid tylenol. Anyway, I am going on a cruise for Thanksgiving week, leaving on this Sunday! I need as much advice as I can get on how to recover well while in this situation!!! How can I best remain on mushies and liquids? I am going to bring Protein powder that I can add to skim milk for breakfast (and likely lunch). I am also going to bring the Magic Bullet to puree foods back in my room. When eating in the dining room I'll just order chicken broth or mashed potatoes for dinner. Also, what if I have a complication with the band? I am worried that I will be stranded on a ship without any help. I am going to take it easy and not do any strenuous activities. I will also keep my scars out of the sun! (Ha- like I'd ever get this body into a bikini right now!) Please give me your thoughts and advice to help me navigate this vacation.

My bmi was higher, but under 40. I am 5' 4 and a half" and was at 229 going into surgery. But I am one of those people that wishes I had done something sooner. I spent 9 years dieting myself from 160 to 190, back and forth, and the next 5 to go to 230. I wish I would have had the chance to make a permanent change downward before it affected my health. I am not even 40 yrs old (yet, but soon) and have Metabolic syndrome...high cholesterol, borderline high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. All are related to weight and poor diet choices, with a smidgen of heriditary involved. Makes me feel bad and puts me at the highest risk for heart disease,,,,,,,,,,,didnt hit that category until I was over 200. So consider all aspects of your health before you do something as drastic as surgery. There are possible complications. That said, I wish had stopped the downward (upward) spiral pounds ago.

Oh nooooo. Stick with the lap band. It is so less invasive than the gastric bypass and so much safer!! My husband had a gastric bypass way back when they first started them and he almost died. Also, years later he had severe complications, really painful complications that required even more surgery. Listen to the others on here... you'll see that weight will start to fall off faster when you get your fills. I put off getting my band filled because of other things and my weight stayed the same. As soon as I got the right fill I definately saw a difference. I know, those darn needles hurt!! Especially when the dr. can't find the right spot. I get so frustrated with not being able to keep solid food down. I just resort to drinking slim fast for Breakfast and eating lots of homemade chicken and vegetable Soup and I drink lots of Water and Crystal Light Pink Lemonade. If I even attempt to drink a carbonated soda I burp like a man! It's horrible. I stick to my pink lemonade. The Crystal Lite Peach Iced Tea is really good too! Oh and don't forget to take a Vitamin every day!

I agree with alex-- I am a nurse and I have seen lots of GB pt's with severe complications and although annoying slippage and erosion is nothing compared to some of the complications from GB I really hope yours works out without surg! Good luck Jill

I have struggled with this lapband since October 8, 2008. I lost 23 lbs at the beginning on the liquid diet. Within six months after my lapband I came down with psoriatic arthritis. This is an immune disease that leaves psoriasis all over your body and arthritis in your joints. Can also affect your organs. Is compared to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I should have known not to do this because I already had sjogrens, another immune disease. I don't know if I was pre-destined to get this or the lapband actually caused it, these are things we will never know. I just know that I have struggled with this disease and now on methotextrate injections every week and simponi once a month. Have been on Humira and Embrel but didn't work. I am a little scared about the surgery again but I know it is the best thing to do for me. If any of you have ever had these issues please get back to me. We need to let the company know if this is the cause to help others not to do this. I understand alot of people do have success and I am very happy for them but I have also been doing alot of research and it seems that over 40 % of the people with lapbands will have to remove them within 5 years because of some kind of complication. I don't want to wait until that happens. If any of you can, please pray for me that everything goes well and I can get my life back to normal again. I plan on starting a nutrtitional healthy plan with some exercise. I have found out the hard way for me the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in. No miracles out there for me. Thanks for listening. I sure hope that the girl who had the band removed this week is okay. She hasn't responded to anyone yet. Prayers need to go up for her too. Cheryl

I am so sorry for the loss of your friend... All I can say is that I knew someone that died of the same complications and I still went thru with my band. Today is exactly one week since my surgery and I feel great. The Dr. said no lifting for 30 days... but I have been holding my 20 pound baby and doing just fine. I would not tell anybody about it if you are worried about them saying stuff. Only my husband, mom and mother in law know about me and that is only because I needed a little help with the baby. Well, I take it back... some folks at work know about it, but they have had it done. If you want to be healthy and YOU are ready for surgery I think you should do it. That is great that your husband is supportive. Gastric bypass is a completely different story from banding, just as you said. Good Luck and let us know. By the way from what I have read all Dr.'s are different with diets. I was on a low carb (that I didn't follow) before surgery. After surgery I had 48 hours of liquids and now I am on mushies for 4 weeks. No PROBLEM. I am doing EXACTLY as my Dr. says. I have already lost 17 pounds!!! (yep, in 1 week)