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Hi everyone! I am a bit of an oddity because I am in my 30s but still have six baby teeth that lack permanent roots. They'd been in remarkably fine condition, functioning well, until I used a Waterpik on too high of a setting and it broke a tooth. Then the tooth beside it decided to call it quits shortly afterwards, probably because I'd been using the Waterpik in between those two teeth (I was not using fire hose strength but the dentist said even a bit too much pressure can be enough with baby teeth since they are more fragile). I need to have those two teeth replaced with implants immediately, and it's recommended that I have the baby teeth on the other side of my mouth crowned. I have dental insurance, but have been denied coverage for the implants because it is their policy to not pay for them on baby teeth, even though my situation is incomparable to a child's who can expect to have permanent teeth grow in. They will only cover the cost of extractions, which is not feasible since these are two teeth towards the front of my mouth. The gaps would be hugely noticeable and would ruin the alignment of my other teeth. I've been to two dentists locally, and they both said it would be more than $3000 per tooth. Insurance will only cover a small portion of the crowns. I had gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana in 2015, and the experience was as positive as possible. I live in LA, so it was simple to go down, and they offered far more scheduling flexibility than local surgeons. It was also a fraction of the cost, $4200 vs the $30,000 I'd been quoted by local surgeons (insurance would not pay because my BMI was "low"). I had no complications, and I exceeded my goal weight, and had maintained that loss for more than three years. I've only recently regained a bit of weight because I'm only eating soft foods, which tend to be higher in carbs. The point being, going to Tijuana worked perfectly for me! That decision transformed my life. I'm now contemplating going there for the dental work, but I'm actually feeling more nervous about that than I was with the surgery. For one, I can't find as much reliable information. Many sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor have fake reviews, despite their filters to block that out. I feel like this forum and other ones like it were really valuable to me (thank you!) because they're private and do not draw in quite as many people trying to market their business in a sly way (fake posts / reviews vs. clear advertisements), so I could get honest feedback from real patients. I thought it might be worth asking here if by chance anyone had also gotten dental work in Mexico. I'd be incredibly grateful for any recommendations anyone may have for dentists there. I hope you are all doing well!

It's great to rad that revising sleeve to bypass has resulted in relief from the problems after sleeve. I was sleeved in 2015 and did well initially. Four months out, the pain and heartburn started. Had gallbladder removal with little to no relief. Here we are, three years later and the pain, nausea/vomiting, and GERD are what my whole life revolves around. Saw a new surgeon today and we are going ahead with revision to bypass. I feel excitement, hope, and anxiety at the same time. I'm wondering if anyone had any complications following revision. How recovery was different from the sleeve. Any advise you can give?

I just had my Surgery 1/21/19. I had all the anxiety etc.... It went fine. No complications, no nausea or vomiting. I am 17 days out and down 24 pounds. I am on Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Thin Deli meat, soft cheese and am having no problems. I was 293 Lbs the night before surgery. This morning 2/7/19 I was 269. I feel great. You will do fine. Just stick with the Dr's program. Don't deviate. Good Luck!!!

thelostmermaid--What was the blood stool from? Did they say it was at all related to the surgery? Sorry to hear you had complications. Congrats on the weight loss!

So, I had the gastric bypass done February 1st. I had a few complications right after surgery, I was really dehydrated and the second day I had a lot of blood in my stool. However, I am doing much better now. I have lost 7 lbs since the day of the surgery and have lost 24lbs in total from the start of my pre-op liquid diet.

I went with the Gastric Bypass. I actually had complications post-op, the day after my surgery I had bloody stool and lost a lot of blood and was severely dehydrated. I was given a blood transfusion and 2 IV bags at a time. This definitely brought down my faith a little but I just keep reminding myself why I did this.

Very good what surgery did you do glad to hear you're going well hear many stories of complications but think some people just very unwell

I'm afraid to get my manometry done on Feb. 19th. And was wondering if any of you had any complications or was it easier than you thought it would be. You really don't have to sugar coat for me I can handle any graphic details. Be as honest as you can. I don't want to go in there and wake up in the middle of my egd like I did. I want to actually be prepared for this one.

Thanks for your responses I think I’m just going to have to suck it up and have the test done. It’s so disappointing my sleeve was working so well for me and I had no complications and now this 😭

How much is your life and health worth? GERD is serious and can lead to all sorts of serious long term complications. You need to go for the tests

I'm a sleeve. four1/2 year’s out. I maintain in the 130's. I give myself a ten-pound bounce range. when the scale moves up, I go back eating my bariatric food plan to stay in range. I'm in maintenance phase. I eat mainly clean, I do indulge occasionally. My third year, my weight got up to 147. (still a BMI 24.5 normal range) had to dial in my diet to lose the weight. I'm back in the 130's My two cents on regains. Weight gain can happen with any type of bariatric surgery. Some factors in regain: Complications from surgery Medical issues and medications pregnancy/menopause Not weighing yourself regularly Getting complaisant as the years pass You will reach a point that you noticeably can feel less restriction with the sleeve (it has not stretched) Just because you can consume more food, does not mean you should. Its important not to go over your calories and macros for the day. Stretching is rare. Get it diagnosed by your surgeon for a revision Eating around your surgery. Grazing is consistently eating sever small meals of healthy and unhealthy foods. The total will be over your calories and macros. It’s as if you never had surgery. You can eat 3000+calories. YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT Ask for help if you have a gain (surgeons office, dietician and counselling) - Easier to lose a 20 pound gain than a 40, 60, 80, 100+

That's a normal fear. I prayed and prayed for two weeks before the surgery for a skillful surgeon, for no complications, no leaks, no infections, etc. When I woke up in recovery I remember saying, "I'm alive, I made it" and the nurses assuring me I was okay. Just try to focus on how wonderful you're going to feel and how many more years of life you're going to have because you'll be at a healthy weight. Take care.

Also chiming is, easy surgery, no complications whatsoever

Hi Suffolkgirl19 and anyone else still interested in this thread, Well I ended up having the band removed whilst pregnant (roughly 15 weeks ago) which was not an easy decision to make. I became so ill from lack of food AND WATER that it felt the only option. I had the band emptied in my first trimester of pregnancy which I believe caused the band to drop or move position, the last thing I remember eating was one cracker with cheese on it and a handful of grapes and then the next couple of weeks were a joke. I was admitted to hospital and put on a drip at one point, another point the reflux was so severe I was bringing up blood due to over gagging. Food was a definite no no and liquids were hit and miss hence the hospital stay. The stickiness or tightness did start to subside a little after a couple of weeks though and I could tolerate liquids. It was this point that I was prescribed weird milkshake things to help aid me in my pregnancy and ensure I was getting the right nutrients etc for the baby. I became very down though and felt so guilty at my decisions and the impact it was now having on my unborn child, I think I was pretty depressed with it all to be fair. At this time I was offered surgery to remove the band (now costing the NHS along with the hospital stays etc) which like I said earlier was a difficult decision to make however I was so scared I might become blocked again or have further complications later in my pregnancy that it felt the safest option at the time. They give a five week window of lower risk for operation during pregnancy so I didn't have long to think or to actually have the surgery it was all a bit of a whirlwind. I think the thought of carrying out my pregnancy on milkshakes alone helped make my decision too as morning sickness wants what it wants and it certainly didn't want some thick powdery milkshake and didn't tend to stay down anyway. Anyway I had the surgery and quite simply it is the best thing I have done! Baby is due anytime now and I don't feel my weight has piled on despite craving constant dairy throughout. In fact I lost so much in my first trimester that I feel once I have given birth I will be better off than when I fell pregnant. I know I shouldn't be so negative as there are so many happy and successful banders out there. I appreciate that it works differently for everyone and also people have different expectations too which can be a major influence on how you adjust to the band. I just know that I had problems throughout and when I did get something stuck or had a bad time with it I felt incredibly lonely and scared and it always tends to be at its worst in the middle of the night so want people to know that you are not alone. I think my surgeon was fantastic, my after care was fantastic and on the right person the surgery itself is fantastic....just not for me. I feel free and safe now and love that my body is back to how it used to be. One thing the experience has shown me is that I actually don't mind my size, sure I am still probably two stone overweight but having the removal was the best decision I have ever made and I will never again complain about yoyo dieting or the constant weight struggle I have! I am looking forward to it, ha! If anyone ever asked me for advice on having a band fitted now I would say take the £5K and invest in a life coach, or a high end counsellor to support through changing their behaviours and habits, or time off work to attend some remote fat camp, or all of the above....I don't know.....throw all the money into people who can help change embedded habits for good and give the kick start needed. I wish I had just paid someone to lock me in a room for a couple of months and forced me to work out and eat well until I reached my 'target' then I would have sought support to change my thought processes. I'm not even saying throwing money at it is necessarily the option but I think I would have had better results than what I have now. I guess I am writing this as is one person reads this thread and it helps make them make a better informed decision then it was worth it. Suffolkgirl19 I really feel your pain and don't even know what to suggest, I guess finding support in your new body and ways to deal with it when things don't go to plan? It's hard because sometimes you can do everything 'right' and still find your body doesn't want to intake any food or drink. Please get in touch if it helps you though as I know it can feel pretty shitty at times. xxx

So, not complicated at all, huh?

Orlando Area! I went with Dr. Shillingford..I have not had any complications thus far!

I actually ate solid food 3 days after surgery with no complications. About a week after surgery I had chicken and turkey. Went for my check up and they told me to go back to liquid diet for 4 more days........ whatever I did. Lost over 70 pounds in 7 weeks since surgery so far.

I’ve been reading about complications a lot lately and it is scary. I am 2 weeks post op. I have to put that stuff out of my mind.

Our @Matt Z is, unfortunately, very knowledgeable about this complication. "The Band had become totally encapsulated in scar tissue, it took my surgeon and her team more than 3 times longer to remove the band than what's normal. My 3-4 hour surgery, lasted over 6 hours. Who knows what would have happened if I didn't revise. The band is gone. My insides have been rearranged. And I'm working my way down to my goal. One day at a time. " --https://www.bariatricpal.com/profile/120901-matt-z/

Nothing is off limits to me on my plan, but if it's high in sugar or generally not good for you, then of course I am supposed to eat very little of that. That being said, I am still on the soft foods phase of my plan, and a couple of days ago I tried a few of these lightly crunchy mini 'crepes' with goat cheese I got from Lidl. I chewed them up until they were mush and only ate like 5 or 6 of them (they are super TINY), and I've not had any issues, thankfully. I just really wanted to try them and see what they were like, so I only had a few. I don't tend to stray towards the bad foods as much anymore as well, though I did have a craving for Kinder chocolate after seeing my hubby have a bite the other day. I asked for a literal lick from the chocolate, and that satisfied me just fine, lol. I can only eat just a few bites of anything as it is, so I just haven't really been inclined to eat anything junky/not-good-for-me since I'm already struggling to get in enough protein as is. On top of that, I don't want to cause any complications with my stomach either. My motto now going forward though is.. Eat healthy MOST of the time, but I won't deprive myself of occasional treats or naughty foods, or I know I will slip back into bad habits. When people tell me 'no', I naturally gravitate towards wanting to do the 'forbidden' thing I'm not supposed to do.

I had no complications. But, I sure as hell (especially self-pay) wouldn't get any WLS without having an EGD and a barium swallow to make sure that I don't have undiagnosed GERD/Reflux or any esophageal issues. That's like making a huge change to your body on a blind bet. Yikes!

Had mine 12/14. I’ve had 3 laparoscopic surgeries now and this one was the easiest! Be sure to start walking AS SOON AS YOU CAN after surgery. Like within an hour or two. It will help you start healing and lessen complications. I’ve had no vomiting or issues with eating and drinking. I feel the same, I just eat a lot less. I’ve lost 38 lbs so far and feel great. No regrets whatsoever. I haven’t lost my hair yet so I may feel differently if that happens[emoji23]. Just be sure to go a reputable hospital with a surgeon with a good rating. Good luck- wish you the best! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Have you had a very large, very satisfying poop? Chances are you are backed up...but you can never be sure in this situation. You are probably far enough out that surgical gas is not the cause, but your intestines are "whack" for a while. And can cause great pain and cramping. But that can also be from other surgical reasons too. Call your doc. Generally if you can eat and drink and keep things down and keep well hydrated and don't have to medicate with opiods to control the pain it's a normal thing for the biggest percentage of folks. But there are complications...

I was sleeved on 12/11/18 and have had no problems, no complications, no leaks, no infection, no pain --- it's all been smooth sailing. Good luck on your surgery.