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:thumbup:My team says I am doing great. Starting weight shortly before surgery was 293 and I am now at 277.... 16 lbs so far. My incisions have all healed, I have had no gas pains, nausea or any of the other uncomfortable complications I have read about here. Stayed on full liquids day 2-10 and still incorporate a lot of full liquids such as yogurt, cream of wheat and protein water into my daily diet. In fact you could say I am on full liquids all day, eating whatever else will go down comfortably for dinner, keeping an eye on my own personal nutritional goals. I was doing this for awhile before surgery anyways, and has now bwcome habit. I worry about progressing too fast with the diet. I asked my doctor if I ate something wrong, would it cause any problems with the band, such as slipping? He assured me that might have been true in the “old days” but that he now ties the lapband in securely by bringing up some of the lower stomach and stitching it around the band. The band will not slip by eating something wrong. He did say if I had a prolonged bout of throwing there was a slight chance of slippage, but unlikely. He also said that before the first banding the stomach pouch will not stretch as there is little restriction, any excess food just slips through to the lower stomach. His said I would be limited in what I eat by what felt comfortable “slipping through” and could gage how much swelling is remaining from the surgery by what size goes down OK. I would learn from trial and error what I could eat and what would be not be nice to me. So I have tried out various other foods to see how they feel, being sure to chew very well. This is very much feedback trial and error, as if I forget and do not chew well it does not feel good going down. I have the best luck on foods that are on the soft slippery type, like fish(scallops, red snapper), noodles, eggs and various oatmeals, even soggy morning cereal. All with no problems. No gas, bloating nausea or any other complications that I can feel. All went down just fine. Rice, flour tortillas and anything fibrous that can’t be chewed into pieces get “stuck” and I have to wait for it to clear before eating more. Not painful, just annoying. My nutritionist did say to avoid coffee as that has tannic acid which could cause ulcers on the band. I wonder if that applies to tomato products, such as spaghetti sauce, as tomatoes have tannic acid, as does wine, I think. I will need to verify that with her. I am thinking it may be the daily prolonged use of coffee that could cause an ulcer, but for now I just say no. The temptation is to keep pushing the limit, such as gobbling down a Burger King Steakburger ( I did not even though I probably could if chewed well), but I had better have enough self discipline to not do that or I have wasted my life, time and money on a procedure I do not respect. I log everything on FITDAY.com (have done this for years) and keep a careful eye on my calories, cards, proteins, etc. When I was on full liquids I was taking in about 800 calories and usually met the 60 protein goal. I am looking now at keeping my calories around 1200, so that I will continue to lose weight. My doctor has taken me off the high blood pressure med as I now test in the normal range. I have reduced my glyburide by 50%, and am slowly reducing my 24 hour insulin. I am experiencing fasting glucose of 120, which is about 100 points lower than pre lapband. So far I am very happy with my lapband.

yep, I totally agree with you. When someone posts that they are having a hard time or not feeling good, I have shared my experience. All drs are different just as all recoveries are different. I had no issues and others spent days in ICU's and didn't even have complications. Kinda like childbirth. Some do it without meds, some get knocked out : ) Hopefully those of us with different experiences and opinions will be allowed to share them without fear :thumbup:

Complications have arised that are prolonging my stay. Unable to urinate, so a catheter was needed, along with some now unexpected pain. Hopefully I can go home tomorrow we will see. :???? Really hoping to go home tomorrow!

I'm only two weeks out on sleeve but off of three of my four diabetes medications!! I was taking five insulin shots daily and now I'm on two and even that will likely improve bc sugar levels are going down more and are mostly near normal when I check. I lost 20lbs thus far and no major complications as of yet. They also knocked the diuretic off my blood pressure pill and lowered the dose if the bp pill to ten mg which I believe is the lowest dose! Tge really cool thing is that my surgeon had felt before my sleeve that I would not get a remission of diabetes or a significant improvement..just some improvement due to years of having it plus years of insulin dependency!! I'm stoked!! I have no regrets even though I had wanted RNY originally due to high BMI and increased difficulty getting it all off with the sleeve but my need for corticosteroids at times and pain med requirements. Psych meds etc made me a bad candidate for RNY since it screws up your ability to handle many medications. I'm looking forward to seeing less of me... still learning the food ropes but ecstatic!

I wish I could tell you that does not happen, but it was also my biggest fear. Sure enough, woke up sick and vomited non stop for 3 days, none of the regular meds worked for me. Had the patch, had the zofran, had phentergine, nothing. Finally, I was given compazine, and praise God , it worked. I was sent home with it as well, but I can tell you in 3 days it was gone. I later learned it is sometimes a complication of this surgery and usually lasts no longer that 3 days. I was so scared I would pop my sutures or form a leak, but none of that happened, and It did not in any way add to the pain, in fact I had almost no pain, which was also a blessing, as I cant take pain meds either for the same reason. I can also tell you, I would do it all again, and most would tell you the same thing, so dont worry..they will do all they can, and by the time I came home, I needed no more meds and each day has been better. There is nothing that compares to how good you feel once the weight is off, even just a bit of it. Best to you, you will be fine so dont wasit any more precious time with worry, it wont change anything

Puking can cause complications that you don't want. It sounds like you might need an unfill slightly. I'd get in to see my doctor, if I were you. Don't stop at the front desk when you call.

It's a common thread I see running around this forum.. people asking why they didn't do this years ago. I'm even young and I'm finding myself asking the same thing. Though I'm only 25.. I wish I would have done it at 18 or 20.. admittedly, maybe I wasn't ready then.. maybe I still needed time.. especially because part of my story is finding out at 24 that I had bipolar II without the usual "standard" symptoms of women docs normally see in their 20's so I was very hard to diagnose and went through a period of about three years where I alienated everyone but my very closest friends because I was so hard to be around -- with a low of winding up needing to be admitted to a psych ward to get it all figured out. I definitely learned who my friends were (and who, surprisingly, weren't...) I am also social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and depression.. so I spent the last year and a half in counseling trying to get my mental self to match the well-put together self I present to the world thanks to years of being on stage growing up. I learned to show myself as put together - graduating magna cum laude and being responsible even if I was falling apart inside. So I needed to deal with all of that first before I felt ready to confront my weight. But finally I was ready. It started about 1 year ago. I had been feeling bad about my weight for a while. I was overweight during my childhood. My grandmothers both grew up during the Great Depression.. so for them.. giving me food was the same as giving me love.. especially high calorie foods. For them eating wasn't about hunger.. it was about enjoyment and thankfulness to have food to eat. (One was thin, one was overweight). But from them I learned to love all the wrong types of food and to love them in gigantic portions.. My stomach was already way stretched by the time I was 7 or 8. I remember weighing 85 pounds in 2nd grade because we did a math thing where we all weighed in front of the class. There was only one student, a boy, who weighed more.. during school I dealt with a lot, I mean a LOT of bullying because I was mature and just different - I'd rather read a book or write a story than go out for recess and I was reading Romeo and Juliet while they were reading Junie B Jones (For the Record I like her too even though she's a huge spoiled brat). Basically I had a generation gap with my peers since my parents were born in the late forties and early fifties and their parents were much younger.. so I was already -extremely- bullied. I didn't make my first non-internet friends until college.. and those were some of the people I found out weren't true blue friends when I went through my emotional break down a couple of years ago... So yeah.. and it didn't help that I was overweight.. that was just something else to give them to make fun of me about. As it turned out.. even though I wasn't doing even as good as I am now in therapy one year ago.. I was doing better than I had been in years and that gave me time and energy to turn my thoughts to the weight I'd been unhappy to be carrying around for years. Before college it bothered me.. but I didn't think about it a lot.. it was in early college when I hit 200 and started having trouble finding clothes that would fit me in your typical stores both like Macy's but also stores that people my age like - Aeropostale, Am. Eagle etc.. that I started to have a personal crisis about my weight and be super unhappy with it. Shopping became my least favorite thing because it was an exercise in taking whatever would fit rather than whatever I liked. And by a year ago I had started to notice I couldn't do or keep up with the same types of activities most people my age do. I love showing my dog Riff in conformation and was learning that I couldn't keep up with her jogging on our down and back (jogging beside the dog so the judge can see his or her movement properly) and that getting on my knees to present her not only hurt but was nearly impossible. I started to be even more unhappy because I couldn't do the hobbies I loved that people my age are doing. And in the meantime for the past 5-10 years I'd been trying every diet known to man.. I didn't feel like any of them were sustainable for a life time because I was unhappy with them. And rather than yo-yoing I just didn't lose. Didn't matter how well I stuck to a diet, I'd find myself losing maybe 5 pounds in 7 or 8 months of hard work.. and finally I gave up.. I was near the point of accepting I was just going to be overweight forever and that was how it was going to be. I knew my issues - I don't eat for emotional reasons, I don't eat when I'm not hungry.. but my stomach was super stretched from years of eating too much and I like big portions and the wrong kinds of things. I could go and polish off a huge plate of food enough for three meals and feel "Just about right" and I didn't have the self control to starve while I waited on my stomach to shrink naturally.. I just couldn't do it. I had heard things about gastric bypass that made me say no way never.. things like "You'll never be able to have any sugar again." or "You'll never be able to have fried foods again." While I'm happy to make lifestyle changes, things like "Never again" aren't something I'm capable of. So I ruled out surgery for a long while. Finally, a year ago I looked into it again and read about gastric sleeve for the first time.. and it was a fit.. not as serious as gastric bypass.. less prone to things like dumping syndrome.. and all about moderation rather than "never agains" more healthy choices.. less bad ones.. but I didn't have to promise I was never eating Pasta or never having a fried chicken leg again - which was something I knew I couldn't agree to. There was less risk of serious complications and it was a plan I thought I could actually live with and be happy and it went right to the root of my issue - shrink my stomach so I can get used to a normal portion size again without having to starve. Something I haven't had since I was 6-7 years old. Within two days of researching I was ready to commit. But of course getting my medicaid to pay for the surgery wasn't as easy as deciding I wanted it - even though I looked over the qualifications and knew I met them - I still had a lot of hoops to jump through. In October I started my 6 month phys supervised diet which only convinced my doctor and I that I needed the surgery even more. I ate 1500 calories a day and walked my dog most days for 30+ minutes (which was a significant step down from what I had been eating and step up from my sedentary lifestyle) and lost only 11 pounds in all that time. And part of it came back! Getting cleared psychologically was a battle too. They wanted a psychiatrist who didn't know me to evaluate me even though my own had already sent a letter of approval.. and the psychiatrist who I did see didn't really want to clear someone who was bipolar.. it was a battle, but finally I got cleared. That by itself took over two months and delayed my surgery which should have been in March 2016. I also had to have blood work, a number of physician check ups by my program's docs and so on. But finally all the hard work paid off.. on the first submission to insurance, I was approved within a week! How excited was I! And my surgery was set for May 31st 2016. However, the roller coaster wasn't over.. I had little contact with my bariatric program from the get go... they share a department, nurses, etc with general surgery.. so calling to talk to someone there is always a nightmare.. it's a 30 minute wait to get a human on the phone, calling to talk to a nurse means a 5 hour or more wait for a call back.. and it also means a very unpersonalized approach.. they're so busy and have so many people through their program that they want everyone to be a cookie cutter mold and don't want to offer people any individualized advice because "others in the program might want the same advice." Well number one - others in the program shouldn't know what -I- discuss with my doctors so how could they want it and number two healthcare isn't supposed to be about squeezing people into a mold and making the exact same treatment work for everyone... so I began to be unhappy with my program from early on.. especially when their psychiatrist and my psychiatrist got into a fight over the phone about whether I was going to get cleared. Their psychiatrist had met me only once and knew nothing about my case history while my own psychiatrist has been working with me for about a year and half.. who do you think was more qualified to say if I was stable or not? But aparently their program couldn't understand that.. However.. I was stuck.. Medicaid wanted me in state and this program was the closest to me and already an hour and a half away.. the only other options were double or triple that commute time (Chicago). So I just kinda had to stick with it.. I've gone on to be further disappointed by them at numerous occasions - namely when my surgeon said that Water aerobics is a joke of an exercise program and only for people who can't do anything else and that I couldn't hit my weight loss goal of 130 pounds doing water exercise of any kind (there's a thread floating around about that). Clearly he's never taken a hard core water exercise class or he would know that is so not true. I took my first one Friday and I was sweating in the water! Finally I did get to have my surgery though! Before surgery I had an 800 calorie diet for two weeks focusing on Protein and lean meats and veggies and reasonable on carbs. It wasn't too hard of a diet to follow beyond getting hungry because my stomach was huge. Surgery day came but I was excited rather than nervous. especially because all of us May 31st sleevers from the forum (there was about 10 of us) made a facebook group so we could keep in touch and that really helps to have other people who are exactly where I'm at in the recovery stage. I didn't have much trouble recovering from surgery. I never had any gas pain and even though I was in pain in general the first three days they gave me lots of morphine and kept me very comfortable. While my program as a whole is somewhat disappointing - I do have to say that the nurses who took care of me in the hospital couldn't have been better. They helped me walk. They helped me get up to go to the bathroom and helped me adjust positions in bed since I needed help doing all that for the first 2-3 days. I brought my laptop to the hospital with me and spent time here on the forums and doing other stuff I like -- even played some Sims. My recovery was uncomplicated and three days later I was able to go home. My internal swelling went down fast and by a week out I was so sick of liquids that I couldn't help but try a little puree and it worked just fine to help supplement and keep me from going nuts. One thing that's been very helpful to me is Fairlife Milk. it's heightened protein milk with 13 grams of protein for a cup. I drink it straight and also add it to my Soups. It helps a lot in getting in my 64 oz of liquid and my 60 grams of protein. I've been using an app called Plant Nanny which lets you grow plants based on how much Fluid you consume then you can plant them in your garden and harvest their seeds to get more diverse plants.. it makes drinking at least slightly more fun. I also wear a fitbit flex and it's synced with My Fitness Pal. I log my calories on MFP and my exercise syncs there from my fitbit automatically and tells me if I've earned extra calories from exercise (though I rarely use those). I was never given a calorie goal to shoot for but I set a goal of 800 for myself based on the pre-opp diet and what I can eat and get in 60 grams of protein without feeling too stuffed/ too deprived. I'm on my own for a lot of it because I've only met with the NUT once for 30 minutes pre-opp about 2 months and I won't see her again until in July so... I just read and do the best I can. So yeah I'm 3 full weeks out from surgery on Tuesday and also down 20 pounds since May 18th (the start of my pre-opp liver diet). I faced the three week stall at about week 2 instead of three and I was down to a new low for the first time in a week today so I'm hoping that it's broken and I'll have a bit of smooth sailing for a while from here. So.. that's my story so far. I don't know if people post in these to update but.. every once in a while I'll post back and let you guys know how I'm doing.

Also...I would be wary about a surgeon who called his complications "flukes". That sounds very dismissive and not very caring to me IMHO. Sent from my SM-G950F using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Nina, Although I'm from a Turkish background, I didn't have the courage to go overseas to get this surgery done bc if any complication arises the doctors here in Australia are hesitant about treating somebody else's mistake. So I just bit the bullet and decided to have it here in Australia, I've heard a lot of success stories from people who have had it in Turkey. It's good to hear yours whent well too! Hope everything works out for you in the long run, 🙏My surgery is tomorrow I have butterflies in my stomach nerves are flying high lol I'm hoping it goes well as I'm having a hiatal hernia repair and a gastric bypass. All the best to everyone🙏🙏

I am thinking about having a Super Sleeve done in at Star Medica Hospital, 15 mins across the border from El Paso, Texas in Juarez, Mexico by Dr. Jose Rodriguez. The cost is $6200 for everything. Has anyone gotten the super sleeve done or know of anyone that has. OR Has anyone worked with this company or Doctor or even hospital? Can I trust them with my money and more importantly my life? Here is the Info they gave me on the super sleeve: What is super sleeve? Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is not as simple as any other gastrectomy. Gastric tube size influences both the degree of weight loss and weight stability. A large sleeve predisposes to gastric dilatation (stretching) and weight regain. Inexperienced surgeons tend to create large tubes (:thumbup: or to leave back large remnants of the gastric fundus. A standardized technique with a gastric capacity less than 100 ml (A) is mandatory in order to get the patient to achieve a durable weight loss. The sleeve should be super which means a small gastric sleeve diameter and a higher degree of restriction. With the gastric capacity being restricted to 60-80gr and Ghrelin (the appetite hormone) totally suppressed, the resultant weight loss is predictable and comparable to those achieved with gastric by-pass (60-70% EWL), without any serious complication or side effects (e.g. Vitamin mal-absorption). We believe the Super Sleeve to be a very effective and safe bariatric solution even for super-obese patients.

Thanks for everyones response. Bamaxpress78, yes I have comorbs. I have an autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis, it's in the muscular distrophy family..complicated. Anyway, I do have sleep apnea and use a bipap for my MG but it also helps for apnea. I am prediabetic (would be diabetic if i was still on steroids), anemic, osteoarthritis and malacia, hashimotos thyroiditis..so on and so on... I also have a level of anxiety and depression due to my list of health issues. I currently carry a bmi well over 40 but if UHC has that requirement to be morbid obese for 5 full years, I fail that, I was just severe obese before that...how dare me! ldydrgnkpr, I did call them and they told me I had to be over 21, have a bmi of 40 or above, a list of 5 years 40+ bmi. No diet to follow though. I guess what I'm wanting to know is how strict that 5 year bmi rule is,,has anyone been approved without meeting it?

I would like to start a thread about successful bandsters. Many people come here for advice and get scared by all the complication posts. That’s because people are here to find advice and share what they are going thru. These are all very good posts sharing valuable information! However I would like people to share their Band Success stories here. Anything you consider a Success! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Think someone could sticky this so people can see it when they visit?

Hi everyone. I am currently on the waiting list for gastric bypass but I'm switching to the lap band. I have no medical problem beside being obese. I feel as though getting the gastric bypass would be more for my vanity then anything else. The lap band makes me feel more comfortable like it's going to help me control my eating. And I was wanting to hear from people who have had it. What is it like? Can you feel your port? Does it hurt when they fill the port every month or how ever often they fill it??? Can your husband fill your port? How much weight are people loosing? And how fast are you loosing it? Any complications people have suffered?? I know it's quite a few questions...but I need knowledge!! I'm 22yrs old 5ft and 217lbs. BMI of 42.2 Thanks so much Ashley

I've used beneprotein packets to add to my broth and crystal light to increase protein in those things. Sorry you've had complications!

Is it possible for your mother to stay with you in NY during your recovery? This might solve many of your problems. Traveling for the surgery is certainly an option, but you are correct in your concern about possible complications and distance from your surgeon. You will also need periodic follow up months after your surgery. Remember, your health and safety should be your top priority.

I went to my last nutrition class. I was told by the staff that the Lap band surgery that I was thinking about having, has poor results and how Medicare doesn't like to cover for complications like port slips or erosion. So they said I should have the sleeve. Less follow up visits. the band is like a belt, hard to get it right. I tried to check with Medicare to check about the band, and got no where. I know I need to have weight loss surgery, but which surgery should I have?

Every insurance company has different requirements. I have an out of state BCBS (illinios) and my employer is Catholic Health Initiatives and they have a program called carewise. Through them I had to have six months of phone nutrition calls with a documented end weight from primary doctor at end of six months. I also had a RN case manager. Basically, we talked about any diagnosis I had, concerns, changes I needed to make to prepare for surgery. I lost maybe 10 pounds then regained bc I hurt my back and was literally in bed for a time. So in the end I weighed 3 pounds less then when I started. They were fine with that. I struggled with years being insulin dependent and very metabolically resistant even when I ate low carb. I also had to have a psych review, primary doctor review. The entire process went fast even though initially I thought six months would take forever. I am glad it took that long gave me plenty of time to weigh my options and do lots of research on complications and lifestyle changes. I started the process May of 2012 and had surgery Jan 24 2013. I can say trying to eat smaller portions, with baby spoons and all that is tough prior to surgery and for the most part I didnt do it just knew I would have changes to be made after surgery. I have had no issues since surgery. Good Luck

My wife, three neighbors with LapBands and this forum helped me make the decision to get the sleeve. My because for three decades she has seen me yo-yo diet and lose 50-100 several times. Only to gain the weight back plus more and she wanted me to succeed this time. The forum because of all the support and counsel I received when I was battling it out with Aetna for 18 months to get approved. Finally I have four neighbors with the LapBand, one is doing ok, but the other three have had serious complications, and weight gain. Think of this as my wife describes it as a more get it and forget it operation because I wouldn't have to go in constantly for fills. In addition, the complication has been rising and success rate plummeting. My doctor is doing less new LapBands and taking out many as he does sleeves. Yes, it is a bit more dramatic but your chances for success are greater. Good luck to you.

Hi Susie, congratulations! And welcome to LBT. I promise, barring any major complications, you will be feeling normal (what's normal) in short order. Just remember, right now you are healing. Don't worry about losing or getting back to work. Those things will come. You are probably swollen a bit and that would account for the lack of hunger. My wife is a real weinie when it comes to pain and she managed to get back to the salt mine after a long weekend. If you have any questions, just ask away. I know that there is someone here who will give you an answer or direct you to someone who can. Lose well!

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienced this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and havent started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

@@MickeyMax95 I'm doing really well. I had no complications and I feel great, though I still get tired very easily. I am not losing as fast/much as I hoped to but I'm getting in 100g of protein and 64 oz of water, as well as all my vitamins, every day. So I know I need to stop being so impatient and just focus and making myself healthy, and the weight loss will come.

I had a headache for the first 3 days. That finally went away, but I never "got used to" the liquid diet. I was hungry the whole time, and got pretty cranky by the end of the 16 days. But I never cheated once, I lost 22 pounds and had a safe, complication-free surgery and recovery. (And then another 18 days of liquids). I say just suck it up and keep doing it. It's just part of the process. Stay focused on why you are doing this, look towards your final goal and don't get wallowed down in the "now". It's all just temporary. There's a reason they say this isn't the easy way out, and you need to be committed to the WHOLE journey, even the bad parts.

I have 130-140lbs that I need to lose. I didn't like the fact that I would have to get fills and all that PLUS I'm insulin resistant with having PCOS and I know the Lap Band isn't the best for that which is why my last surgeon switched me to gastric bypass but I didn't feel comfortable with that. I got July 10th to the first seminar. I'm nervous because of all the complications that can happen but I've had 10 surgeries so far that also had complications but I never had a second thought of having them done. I just need to keep my anxiety at bay

It has been a while since I was posting regularly here. I had vsg in May 2013, reached my goal weight and a healthy BMI in about 16 months, and have had no trouble maintaining. I've been very happy with the sleeve overall. But I have had some trouble the whole time. Basically I dump (severe diarrhea and sometimes severe hypoglycemia too) after almost every meal. We are talking agonizing, clear-the-ladies-room, stuff. I actually experienced it right after surgery in the hospital and they said it was normal and would go away. It never has. I've worked with my surgeon, dietitians, other gastroenterologists, I've had all kinds of tests including numerous endoscopes and colonoscopies. I tried going dairy free, gluten free, low carb, low fat. I had my gall bladder removed after a severe attack and hoped it might help. I took Questran at 4x the normal dose. I tried calcium. I tried eating g things that tend to block other people up. I ate 120+ grams of low fat Protein a day. Nothing helped. Now I have another problem too. Despite being on nexium since surgery, I have severe acid reflux and bile reflux that have caused my stomach and upper bowel to develop severe ulcers. The acid reflux is a relatively common long term complication of the sleeve. The bike reflux is often genetic and doesn't cause a lot of trouble with a full size stomach apparently. My current gastroenterologist is going to revise my sleeve to a bypass, which will eliminate both types of reflux because it will be impossible for the acid and bile to reach the pouch from the blind stomach. He also thinks that the bile reflux is causing the dumping because it is impeding the break-down of food, which is passing through me only partially digested. So I will be having the revision Monday morning and I get to re-experience the joy of the 6 week post-op diet. My surgeon is confident that any weight I lose will only be temporary, since I really don't need to lose more. I may actually gain a bit because I will be absorbing more nutrients. I don't know how many sleeve to bypass revisions there are, so I wasn't sure where to post this. Hopefully it is helpful to someone.

That's how they used to use the sleeve. If someone was too high risk to have the full bypass done due to size or medical conditions they would do a sleeve (safer than bypass, less OR time, fewer complications) and then when the person lost weight and were a safer surgical risk for bypass they would go back and do the rest of the bypass at a later time. They realized people got to goal with the sleeve alone so now that is what they do. Your nurse is incorrect about it not working for a long time, that was the old technique from 20-30 years ago. Today the technique is such that people do very well with it long term. Considering the five year stats just came out about a month ago, she needs to do her research before opening her mouth. ;o) Send her over here, we'll teach her about her profession! HA!