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Take a deep breath! Relax...I'll tell you right now you will have that thought quite a few times before you actually have the surgery. The key is to expect it and understand why you're having it! It will be a major change in your life - for the better mostly. Find yourself a local support group for bariactric patients and go to it a few times. The things you'll hear may scare you but in the end EVERYONE says even if they had complications it was something they would do in a heartbeat! I don't hear of many complications with the lapband but they can happen. I've never known anyone that has had any problems - other than if you get an overfill and that will only happen once because you learn. Good luck with your appointment and come back for our support! Linda

Try to be relaxed is my advice. Remember you are the consumer since you are self pay. Then ask all the questions you can think of. How long is your hospital stay? How many surgeries has your surgeon done? What is the most common adverse outcome (complication)? How often does your surgeon see that outcome? Who else is on your "team"? What does post-surgery care look like? If you're going out of country, who will see you post-op in the US? Who can you call with questions or concerns throughout your process? Scour the threads here to see what people are most concerned about and have questions with, this forum is a great resource for you. Wishing you the best!

My band was taken out in December. I had it 6 years. I had no complications what so ever! I know there was some scar tissue, but I actually went home that day. I was sleeved 9/12 and so far it seems like the sleeve is as great as the band was supposed to be, but wasn't! Best of luck to you!

Sudden pain near the left side of navel, underneath the skin. Doctor says it could be scar tissue. Even my skin is so sensitive to touch in that one area. Anyone else experienced this before? Sent from my LM-Q730 using BariatricPal mobile app

Don't want to discourage you but I've been unable to work for 18 months and am still struggling to get disability. I too, am diabetic and have dealt with multiple complications. Good luck. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

That's horrible! =( One complication is more than enough!

Best wishes to you. What an accomplishment! Did you have any complications with the surgery and/or with eating afterwards?

Hi Lady, I just had my 2nd fill last week and I'm stll not feeling any restrictions either... I mainly just STOP eating after it looks like I've had about 4-6 oz of food in fear of complications, but I am no where near full. I have 4cc's now so I'm thinking that maybe I'll start to feel restriction after another fill... I had my wls on june 21st and I've lost about 25lbs but must of it is from pre op and post op diet so I'm a little discouraged.

Hi all. I have'nt been her for a while. Time has just flown. Had my surgery, and everything went well. No pain, no complication. I had no problems afterwards either. Some pain if i eat to fast, but thats the only thing. I was in for my three month check up, and I have lost 36 kg since my first weigh in at the surgeon. I have gone down two sizes in shirts , and gone from 42 inch to 38 inch in jeans. I'm starting at the gym again, and are of to work out in about an hour

also for the newbies - I am 13 months post-op. I want to echo the first 8-10 weeks are the hardest - stay with it - hope for smooth sailing but expect setbacks large (complications) and small (food upsets and problems) Find a few things to eat that go down easily and stick with those for a while. I ate cottage cheese for lunch and sometimes dinner for months! It tasted good and went down easily, find what works for you. Take it one day at a time and don't obsess about the scale! Best of luck - there is light at the end of the difficult beginning times!

The sleeve can still give u acid reflux issues and the bypass usually doesnt... i do not think u are selfish at all.. u and only u know what u want and need .. i too wanted bypass as i have diabetes and wantes to ensure eating sweets would make me sick so i would stay away from them more and. I have already made the mistake of having a wls i was unsure about when i had the lapband 9 years back. My reflux worsened and i did lose but couldnt get fills any longer due to the reflux complications.. eneded up having gastric bypass on july 29th and so far 44 lbs. Plus my diabetes is under control and i feel womderful. You do what is best for you!!

I have had surgery before, And yes I'm scared.... I'm grateful to have been approved for surgery it's definitely something I need. Just worried about all the complications that I have read about. Thanks 2012 for your reply I feel alittle better knowing that I'm not the only one beating there self up.... Looking forward to being thinner.

Is getting the Lap Band worth all the risk, side effects, complications and major overhaul to your daily life? What happens when you get sick with the flu? Is it worse? Thank you, for your help.

MsMaui thank you for posting your story. I think its important for people to know what kind of experiences are out there. Some complications are because of the band, some are exacerbated by the band, and some have nothing to do with the band. It's not clear from your initial post where you were coming from with respect to the above three purposes for posting about complications. it may have been helpful if you included that. I noticed the same thing in your other thread about "Thinking Of Revising to VSG good info". The point of the post was vague and it is natural to think the worst when the poster doesn't clarify. It came across as misleading and possibly deliberate. As far as your problems, that's just awful and I'm sorry you've dealt with it this long. And I'm sorry you're losing your band but it doesn't sound like it is compatible long term with your existing conditions. I hope VSG or whatever you choose is a better solution and this stops being a negativ issue in your life. There's too much great stuff to experience without being hindered by pain or even Internet arguments. Best wishes.

Thank you for your kind words. People don't understand body mechanics very well and some of them work in the medical field, lol. I was Dx with IBSd many years ago. Until 18 months ago, I would still have alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea on a 7 to 10 day rotation. I've used Probiotics, Fiber supplements to manage this. Now I have IBSc, and yesterday my gastroenterologist Dx me with gastroparesis and the gastric emptying test is to determine the severity. The palpitations I get while eating solid foods are disturbing. The abdominal distention, pain, reflux, regurgitation and vomiting are truly affecting my life in a very negative way. I'm retired...my husband and I wanted to go to AZ this winter, get out of the cold, but we can't, because of this condition and the unknowns. I've been following a band food plan all along, yesterday the doctor told me I need to eat a soft, low residue, low fiber diet. I need to eat 6 times a day, half my normal amount at each meal. I'm on another new drug :-/ with a huge copay, that may or may not work. The questioning of my decisions about my healthcare (timing, why I didn't see my band doctor, etc) were really disheartening and unsupportive. There isn't enough room in one post to list every conversation, office visit, diagnostic test, etc. I'm pretty experienced and knowledgeable (according to my care providers) and tend to seek help earlier, rather than later. I have friends who are doctors, PAs, nurses as resources, as well. I chose to see my gastroenterologist because he wasn't affiliated with my band doctor and I needed a trusted 2nd opinion about whether to remove my band. My GI doc is adamant that I have no surgery unless absolutely necessary, since additional abdominal surgery will exacerbate my motility disorder. When I posted this, I did receive many supportive comments and I appreciate that. It's really hard to see people take the position that somehow, someway, anyone who has a complication with their band must be non-compliant. That is just so judgemental. People who are suffering, need compassion. Thank you again for your kind post. I hope your husband's condition is manageable...best of luck to you both!

JoAnn was my facilitator too. She had the surgery by Dr. Kuri back in 2006 I believe. I've also met the patient educator Gena who also had surgery by Dr. Kuri 11 years ago. I have a lot of faith in Dr Kuri and I did a lot of research. He's done more procedures than the majority of doctors in the US and has very low complication rates. The reason a lot of drs in Mexico are more experienced is because the lapband was available there years before the US approved it for weight loss use. He speaks very good English as does most of his staff and his facilities are top notch.

Sounds neat, but even though it's stitched in place to prevent slips don't you have to end up taking the band out within 5-10 years? Can it still erode ? What r the complications ? It's still a band, right?

You shouldn't have a problem with skin since you don't have very much weight to lose. You sound pretty much like me. I graduated h.s. at 110 lbs. I had surgery at 215 lb and the only skin that bothers me is my arms. I am older than you too, so I have a bit of the turkey neck goin on too. I do exercise a lot though, and have a lot of muscle in my legs. It's good that you can see both sides of the coin with GB. My daughter had GP at age 25 and I was very against her having the surgery. I know a lot of people who had it and have had a lot of complications. She is pregnant right now. I hope she doesn't have trouble losing weight after the baby is born. She has never acquired the exercise habit that I have. I have hardly told anyone I had my surgery. When people say I have lost a lot of weight, I tell them it took a year of watching what I eat, and exercising nearly every day.

It all depends on your Dr. and how he/she sets things up...... I was on liquids for 22 weeks before my surgery and never cheated...Then I was on liquids after surgery for 5 days before I ended up in the hospital due to complications with the sleeve...... I did not eat anything for 5 1/2 months in total....... Think of why you are on liquids...and what it did for your liver and how your sleeve needs to heal first before you can add other types of food to it..... Sorry...Thought you might feel better knowing that someone else had it far worse then you!!!!!!

Since I was sleeved on June 29th, I am still a "newborn" I guess. Here is my rant ( take this as aggravated humor please): After reading a load of threads on here. Post OP diets on here are about as consistent as Congress. It seems some start "soft pureed" foods sooner than others and some don't. It obviously differs from doctor to doctor, the phase the moon is in and maybe where the NUT and Surgeon feel they want to really stretch someone out. It's crazy! WE ALL HAVE HAD THE SAME SURGERY. We have our stomachs "trimmed up" with staples in them . I started my official diet journey 32 days before my surgery date. I was 409. I did the phase 1 pre op diet for a week and a half and the rest did the liquid diet (jumped on it half a week early to be safe) up until surgery. I lost 45 pounds doing that and some short walk around the block. I did it out of fear that if I didn't, I would be sliced open and then stamped " REJECTED" and/or complications might arise. Did it for fear of my life basically! Could I have introduced foods back in and not done the surgery and hit my goal weight? Probably not due to the fact that I emotionally ate at times due to stress, issues and just addiction to the "CARB" load. Anyways, my point is....I have probably paid for some executives car payment that is over the Protein drink companies I buy from. My local grocery store is about to ban me from Crystal Light and broth. My body wants REAL nutrition and not a freaking synthetic load of ________. I do realize I will still have to supplement one a day, but I want some real protein and food with real Vitamins. I don't even crave junk, sugar or lard. I crave fruits, veggies, lean Proteins, etc. Which is not weird for me because I actually use to eat somewhat clean until I felt I had to have a "fix", then go eat a dozen tacos and wash it down with a Mountain Dew ( and that was a light fix). I chose surgery due to my health (blood pressure pills and hiatal hernia) and a TOOL to remind me if I want a fix...it's going to hurt..bad..which will make me say "Nope"! Ughh...the variances in these "stages". It's like a bunch of chimpanzees ( nutritionist teamed with docs) having a go at operating traffic lights in rush hour traffic. Sporadic and not making much sense. I said my peace to the world (forum of WLS people..lol).. Have a great day!

I know where you are coming from, last year when my wife got her bypass, the hospital billed 125k. That was for the OR and 48 hours in a room without complications. The doctor and anesthesia was an additional 8k. BCBS disallowed 80% of that I believe. I think they bill for 120%+, knowing it will get knocked down. Seemed insane to me, when a couple of months earlier my wife underwent emergency gall bladder surgery at a different hospital, with ER admission, 24 hour recovery and everything for 35k total. Cheers, Erick

Surgery was Thursda in Juarez with Dr. Rodriguez. There were 3 of us having surgery together, and three support people. (family members) The trip there went off without a hitch. Everything went as planned. I was very nervous. Got to the hospital, and we took turns taking X Rays and doing ekg's. I was the 2nd one to have the surgery, I was very frightned. The staff and the Dr's took time to make sure I felt at ease. Surgery went off without a hitch as well. Came too, very sore and groggy. As soon as I got to my room I had to go potty, walked myself, with a little help from Hubby, to the bathroom and then back to bed. By the end of the day Thursday, I was chewing ice chips. Friday and Saturday I seemed to be more fatiged and had less stamina than the other two, they were walking more than me, and up playing cards. I dozed on and off for the first two days. Which is weird, because I'm high strung and I do not nap. But I did then. By Saturday evening I started really feeling like myself again, mentally and physically. Played cards in the patio area and just felt 'normal'. So much so I couldn't sleep, sat up watching TV half the night and was up showering at 5:30 am, back to the 'old' me. Sunday, again, felt even better! Cab ride back to border was crazy, jeeesh...but uneventful, thankgoodness. Back to airport, in El Paso, where we sat in a restaurant and our support team pigged out and we all played cards. By the way our support peeps, did alot of eating out, outside of the hospital, there was a Mexican food restaurant, steak house, Dennys, Starbucks, a mall....you name it. They ate and drank well! Landed home last night at 8:05. Today is beautiful here in Texas...I feel great. I have to say, I'm not hungry. Not yet, and It didn't bother me at all when they ate in my presence. I'm looking forward to new beginings. I pray everyone's journey is as uneventful as mine. I feel really good so far, and am proud of the decision I made. And all three of us had pretty much the same experience, no complications, no regrets. Everyone is feeling great. Thanks Dr. Rod and staff. Ohhhh Ohhh Ohhhh.. Dr. Elmo is a hoot. I owe him one for sure!!! I was soooo scared to have my drain out. The mere thought of it sent the worst feeling down my body. Well when it was time, he came in and got it all ready and then asked me if I wanted to bite my pillow. I was horrified!!!! OMG, Petrified!!! then....he did it.. I swear! I didn't feel one tiny thing. My husband literally doubled over laughing. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to share my experience so far. Thanks for listening... TT.

Well, I had my first WLS class with Kaiser. When the nutritionist weighed me and computed my bmi it was 40.3. Since my blood pressure is under control and I'm not on any medication for high cholesterol (even though my LDL is well above normal), she wasn't sure if I would qualify or not and have to put my case before the OWC committee for approval or denial. What are my chances of getting approved? If they don't approve me, will they cover any complications if I get it done in Mexico? I am really tired of yo-yoing with my weight.

Ask your Dr. I would say yes, what about all of us who went to Mexico to be sleeved. I took a fly home 3 days after surgery and I am feeling great with no complications, thank god!

Hey! I got my date too! June 17. It's a Wednesday, so barring complications, I should be out by Friday or Saturday. I'm a revision from band to RNY, doc says he does his in one shot most of the time. I hope I'm one of those times. Then I got hubby for the weekend, yeah! I CANT WAIT!!!!!!