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According to one surgeon, the term roux en y just means an incision. So any of the surgeries like DS, Loop DS and MGB all use roux en y incisions. But in bariatric circles, the RNY pertains to the regular GB. All I know about the MGB is that it can be revised and is less invasive. As is the case with all of us, my biggest concern was/is weight regain over time. I chose the Loop DS because it seemed to be more effective with weight loss than the GB and MGB and equally as effective as the tradition DS with one less incision and less intestinal bypass, diarrhea, etc. As far as the DS vs the Loop DS (SADI), I am concerned about weight regain because of the significant difference in the amount of longer intestinal tract that is left with the Loop DS. But I also have to take into consideration the side effects of having that much shorter intestinal tract with the malabsorption issue.

That is a good point to! But I guess it's natural to miss the things you can't do It's very natural. Very understandable. I was the same way. Your life is about to change and your menu items with be tremendous in scope. Just hang in there a while longer.......just a little while longer. It'll get much, much better. You have the rest of your longer & leaner life to chew your back out. You are just in that phase where your new stomach needs to heal and mend. My Calcium citrate chews were really nice during that period. Gave me something to look forward to chomping on. Bariatric Advantage Chewy Bites. The fruit flavors are like eating Starburst candy.....no kidding. Hang in there.....you are going to profit mightily from being patient now. Truth spoken there !!!! Can also do damage to the new stomach. Sure as heck don't want to do that.

My 5 year surgery date is September 2021. I had an unremarkable recovery from my sleeve surgery. I lost 110 pounds but have put about 15 back on (or had... I have lost 9 of those). The biggest "issue" I had post-surgery was either hiccuping or sneezing when I was full. About a year ago, I started having acid issues. They've progressed to the point of significant GERD. I had been taking a PPI but it stopped working at all... seriously, I wake up at night coughing and gagging because there is stomach acid pretty much in my back teeth! Anyhow, for the last year I've been taking the PPI until it stops working, go off of it for about a month, take it again and it helps a bit but then stops working... wash, rinse, repeat. Four or five months ago I started having horrible pain with eating on occasion and would sometimes throw up. The vomiting has become almost a daily occurrence although not with every meal, and with no predictability. SO I called my surgeon, she listened to my complaints, and sent me for an upper GI swallow. The films show that I have a hiatal hernia and a narrowing of my esophagus. They could tell this because the 12mm barium coated sizing-pill that they had me swallow, to track it through my system, wouldn't go through the esophageal opening into my stomach. There is also narrowing of the pylorus, at the bottom of my pouch, but they can't tell how narrow because the stupid sizing pill was stuck in my esophagus! When I talked to my surgeon after she saw the films, she had me scheduled for an endoscopy (on 6/18) and surgery (on 6/22) to put my pouch back where it belongs, close the enlarged opening in my diaphragm, and to open up my esophagus. She also said- rather offhand- that depending on what she sees in the endoscopy/surgery that I might need a revision. I believe this was in referral to the pyloric narrowing, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure I really know what a revision is. My surgeon is a leader in robotic bariatric surgery, but she's not much for communication and "bedside manner." Anyhow... I don't know what to expect from all of this, what post-op requirements would be, etc. Surgeon scheduled the surgery as she said it clearly needs to be done, just wants the endoscopy done so there are "no surprises" once she gets in there. She also said to expect to be in the hospital for a couple of nights. I really don't know what to expect and have called her office for clarification but so far, no response. I guess I am sharing here to see if anyone has had anything like this happen this far out from surgery, has any advice or guesses, experience with this to share, etc.

Below is the 2009 tentative support group schedule for Northshore University Health System aka Evanston Northwestern Healthcare's Bariatric Surgery Support Group. Each session is 7-9pm and is either patient facilitated or discussion guided by specialist. The groups are free to anyone - you do not have to be a Northshore patient to attend. Locations are: Vernon Hills - 225 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Vernon Hills (Near Kohl’s and Sam’s) Glenview - 2100 Pfingsten Road, Glenview, Conference Room A on 2nd floor Highland Park - 777 Park Avenue West, Highland Park, Meeting Room 1B Evanston - 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, Meeting Room G954 Schedule (through April): January 2009 Jan 5 Vernon Hills Jan 14 Vernon Hills - Lap Band Group Jan 15 Glenview Jan 26 Highland Park February 2009 Feb 2 Vernon Hills Feb 11 Glenview - Lap Band Group Feb 19 Glenview Feb 23 Highland Park March 2009 Mar 2 Vernon Hills Mar 11 Highland Park - Lap Band Group Mar 19 Glenview Mar 23 Highland Park April 2009 Apr 6 Vernon Hills April 8 Vernon Hills -Lap Band Group Apr 16 Glenview Apr 27 Highland Park As I find out more info on these sessions, I'll update this posting.

NO! I had some stupid resident that doesn't know what she is doing. She gave me Maalox and a protontic and told me to follow up with a GI specialist. I've had issues with being stuck before and having some pain and swelling after, but never pain like this or for this long! Since the episode, I've only been drinking Water and just a few hours ago, I started taking small spoons of runny pudding. I had my surgery in Mexico so I don't have my surgeon here. I have a Dr. that does my fills but she is not a bariatric Dr. She is 1hr and a half away. They told me to go to my family Dr. so I'm headed there by 2:30 today. I'm also experiencing pain in my shoulders like I did after surgery. The pain is very sharp at times and gets worse when I move around. I have to keep moving positions to get comfortable.

I had a rough time with the band. I wasn't banded in Mexico. I was banded at a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was told, 3 bites of Protein to every bite of vegetable. I was told, avoid beef and pork. Eat what walks on two legs or swims. Don't use sauces, gravies or dressings because you're adding unwanted calories. I'd eat chicken/turkey and it would get "stuck" and I'd have to get an unfill. And there I would be told, "Yeah, chicken is hard for a lot of people to eat. It gets stuck. You should probably avoid it." I'd eat fish (salmon usually) and sometimes it would get "stuck" and I'd have to get an unfill. And there I would be told, "Yeah, fish can be a problem because it's flaky and gets stuck. You should probably avoid it." I was told yogurt can be okay but it's easy to eat too much because it's a "slider" food so I should avoid it (even when I said I was eating plain greek-style stuff that was 24 grams of protein per serving! "When you eat yogurt, you won't feel full because it goes past the band. And the band is there to make you feel full.") But I was continually told, "3 bites of protein to every bite of vegetable." So...avoid beef and pork. Check. Chicken/turkey can be a problem, avoid it. Check. Fish can be a problem, avoid it. Check. Avoid yogurt. Check. BE SURE TO EAT PROTEIN! check!!! I got to the point where everything was getting stuck (except the "bad" stuff - sure I could eat pudding and Cookies and usually cake!). I could eat runny eggs (not scrambled and certainly not hard boiled). I could eat yogurt. I could eat cheese. And I could drink protein. Basically, the only Proteins I could eat had to be soft or liquid. And that was what I was supposed to eat most? How can anyone live that way? Yes, I lost a bunch of weight - because I wasn't eating much! I couldn't! I couldn't eat healthy foods! I was miserable! My surgeon had left that Bariatric Center of Excellence where I was banded/maintained. In October last year, I had a big problem (couldn't sleep, couldn't drink, let alone eat) and the Bariatric Center of Excellence in Scottsdale had no one available to do an emergency unfill. No NP or PA, the surgeon was out of town but I could go to the ER (not covered by my insurance because they weren't contracted with that hospital) and a non-bariatric surgeon who wasn't really familiar with fills/unfills, on call with the Bariatric Center of Excellence, could help me. No thank you. I found my original surgeon practicing elsewhere (finally! he wasn't for a while), he was able to get me in. He had me do an upper GI at the hospital right then - my band was prolapsed quite a bit. I was only at maybe 3.5 cc in a 10 cc band. He was aggravated when I told him about my fill/unfill/fill stuff with the other office - especially when the fills were very, very small. He said they should've known there was a problem because I was barely filled. He deflated the band completely (relief! I could drink Water again!) and told me I needed it removed. It wasn't an urgent thing unless I couldn't eat or drink, so I went home. He told me he wouldn't reposition it because if it happened like that with me, it would happen again. Starting sometime in Spring 2011, I started having "stuck" issues again. More bringing up the food. One night in July, I had cooked a burger patty (after deflation, I was able to eat most everything again). Ate it plain, no bread (of course), no veggies. I had eaten too much. I didn't know I had until it was too late. Unknown to me, my band had prolapsed again. It was allowing me to eat much more than I had before. This night was just too much. I tried to wait it out and I went to sleep after a while. I woke in the middle of the night and I vomited. I didn't bring it up, I vomited. Retching, stomach acid, etc. After that, I couldn't really drink. I "slept" upright. All day the next day (thankfully a Saturday), I didn't eat. I just tried to sip water. I had no improvement. After the next night of waking, coughing up water over and over again, I drove myself to the ER. Unfortunately, my surgeon was out of town. His partner in the practice was on call. He wasn't very nice to me but...I had the band removal surgery and that was that. (I'll say healing was much better with this than when I had it originally - no port/muscle wall stuff to deal with) Was it the worst decision I've ever made? No, because I needed to do something. And I did lose weight. But I was miserable most of the time. So very miserable... I'm still over 100 lbs overweight and gaining. I have PCOS and I don't know what to do. But weight loss surgery is no longer an option for me. And I'm really worried about my future. To the OP - find a local surgeon. Fork out the money. You need an upper GI. You could have a prolapse and you are risking erosion. This is your health and your quality of life at stake - be proactive.

My BMI was 35.1 when I first started trying to get approved. I got denied because I didn't have heart disease, lung disease or sleep apnea. By the time I wrote my appeal letter, I had gained a few pounds and my BMI was 36.7. I had to write a letter of appeal to BCBS. I wrote a letter of medical need, then a letter of emotional need, then I gathered letters of support from my GP, GYN, Podiatrist, and Gastrointerologist. Then my bariatric surgeon sent the entire package through with his endorcement. BCBS called me directly and said my letter was amazing and that they decided to approve me. If you have to appeal, I'd be happy to share my letters with you, just post your email and I'll send them to you directly. Good Luck! Suzanne

I can't believe it's almost here. I have done the best I could with the pre-op shakes. I feel like a failure almost because I couldn't drink as many as recommended. A week and a half in I had to swap over to sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast because the meer sight of the Bariatric Advantage shakes made my mouth salivate in preparation for vomiting. I am so ready to get it over with. I don't even feel anxious or scared. That may change when I'm stripped down to nothing but a gown lying on the stretcher waiting. All I can say is viva la Versed! I was told in pre-op that I had to stay in the hospital gown the first day. Good luck with that happening. I don't care how many holes they put in me or how doped up I am, as soon as I roll up to the floor, my pajamas are going on! I see myself being the patient nurses dream of. Out of bed and walking by 4 hours post-op, urinating on my on accord (without being cathed), and requiring minimal pain medicine. We shall see.

Bariatric Advantage Calcium citrate 500mg caramel flavored... they are very tasty

Agree 100% with Kindle about getting blood work up done. I keep a regular schedule with PCP plus the bariatric appointments. All recommendations might not work same for everyone's body. Also think VsgAnn2014 and I are taking the same Calcium supplement. I can't start back on mine until 7 days out, but they are a good, easy supplement to take.

Just keep in mind, with the sleeve, what's done is done! I chose it because my surgeon recommended it over the other procedures for me, and I did not want a foreign object like the band in my body. I have staples and sutures now but to me it is different. I also didn't want that port. I am good with the path I chose. Go to a bariatric support group and talk to everyone. That's my best suggestion. And read, read, read! God bless!!

According to ASMBS guidelines, “Q: Do I need to avoid caffeine after bariatric surgery? A: Caffeine fluids have been shown to be as good as any others for keeping you hydrated. Still, it is a good idea to avoid caffeine for at least the first thirty days after surgery while your stomach is extra sensitive. After that point, you can ask your surgeon or dietitian about resuming caffeine. Remember that caffeine often comes paired with sugary, high-calorie drinks, so be sure you’re making wise beverage choices.” The BariatricPal Store carries a large selection of bariatric friendly coffee options at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/coffee .

Medically, coffee with no creamers/milk/etc is on a clear liquid diet. However, as others have said, during the bariatric process the caffeine is the issue. As all doctors seem to have their own dietary recommendations, please consult your surgeon's office for their dietary guidelines.

Hi everyone, I'm in the last week of this research now so I said I'd post here for anyone that has missed it and would like to share their bariatric experience. Have gotten a great response so far but I'm a little bit short on numbers so if you have some time to fill it out I'd be very grateful. Thanks so much in advance xx https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eDZE0cIK8ChVCeWrsX1s-QMAshk5oLErL7c7q5Sk2Kw/viewform?usp=send_form

At the NJ Bariatric Center I found answers to all my questions, the staff is awesome and the surgeons are top notch I had my sleeve done at Overlook Hospital in summit nj and I cant thank enough all the staff and doctors

I agree with Maddysgram...you need to be evaluated by a doctor. And I'm not talking about your bariatric surgeon, but an internal medicine specialist. My gall bladder also gave me issues...to the extent that I was hospitalized for pancreatitis. It was a "missed diagnosis" to my bariatric surgeon who told me I must have "pulled a muscle", and I told him pointedly no way. My PCP took one glance at my lab results taken while in the hospital and immediately began testing to identify why I had gotten pancreatitis. Elevated pancreas specific enzymes pointed specifically to the "missed diagnosis" of my surgeon. The PCP could not believe or understand why the red flags of elevated enzymes had never been followed up on. I later confronted the bariatric surgeon about this after I had a definitive diagnosis of biliary dyskensia, and all he could do was apologize to me for his oversight of what he agreed was an obvious diagnosis had he read the lab results. Bariatric surgeons have a very limited scope of practice...I believe you need to see a specialist to get some accurate answers.

Yes. I am definately biking, as a matter of fact, I'm road racing now and able to ride 126 miles in a day now. My average training day is 50 miles and I am now riding a road bike. In the works for future races are a race called the Lotoja for next fall (2007), which is a 200 mile/one day race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming and I'm looking at putting together a team of post bariatric bicyclists for Race Across America (RAAM) next summer if I can get the funding. This is a 3100 mile race from Oceanside, Ca to Atlantic City, NJ in 12 days or less. The RAAM team is intended to show just what post-bariatric patients are capable of and an attempt to overcome a lot of the negative stuff in the news recently concerning the bariatric horror stories!Re: Plastic Surgery: Yes, I'll definately be having the plastic surgery to remove excess skin, It's king of a have to case, I have a very large apron from the excess belly I've lost. These things happen when you lose 30 inches of waistline!:guess Future plans: I'm going after my Nursing degree and RN and am targeting the world of Bariatric Nursing as a career path.

Ok I speak english now. http://www.supersizedcycles.com/ Tom Stormcrowe is a big biker and uses the Royce Union Bike, he has lost a lot of weight now. He had bariatric surgery and then began to cycle. http://theamazingshrinkingman.spaces.msn.com/

Thank you ❤ I feel really amazing for almost 3 weeks post op. I'm almost back to normal, incision nearly completely healed 😍 My Surgeon Dr. Ziyad doesn't specialize in bariatric patients either but i have seen his results across the board and they great . I believe @ms.sss can answer brachio questions

Great minds think alike! With so much down time right now - I'm thinking of getting my horrid bat wing arms done over the summer to be compatible with Dr. Dana's other magic. Might you message with the Miami surgeon you like? Dr. Dana is less experienced in bariatric type skin - but very good. Would like options... Do keep us posted. Take good care. Hugs! Does anyone know what to expect with this procedure? Downtime? Recovery? How are you healing, GT?????? x o ;]

I was banded in October or November 2010, and lost about 80 pounds. By 2012 I'd had all the fluid removed due to regurg, pain, etc., even with minimal fills. Even with the band unfilled, foods still got stuck and some things were completely off limits. I just dealt with it for a few years, ignoring the problem. Earlier this year, I finally decided to do something about it and saw a bariatric surgeon here in Minneapolis (my band was placed in Omaha). In June of this year, I had a barium swallow xray done, and I was diagnosed with esophageal dismotility, a complication of the band. So, the band needed to come out. (For anyone reading this curious about the insurance approval process, I have Blue Cross Blue Shield and it was pretty straightforward, I just had to show proof of getting fills done (got my records from my old surgeon's office) and proof of a complication (the barium swallow showing dismotility).) I had the band out in August, and will be sleeved on December 7, in just 2 days. My surgeon does the revision in two different procedures because she feels there are fewer complications this way. Though there are other surgeons in the same group who do the revision in the same procedure. Waiting in between is not exactly easy on the pocket book (though I would have hit my out of pocket max either way), and my sick time at work has really taken a hit, but I understand the reasoning. Looking back on it, I'm really glad I've had the time between getting the band out and getting sleeved. I've had time to unlearn all the unhealthy habits I developed while dealing with my failed band. (And yes, I realize the failure was likely partly my responsibility, too, for anyone looking to jump all over me for that one.) I had to sip with my meals to get food past the band, and I definitely wasn't getting enough protein because that was likely to stick, too. Basically, I've had time to practice the "way of the sleeve" to replace the "way of the failed band". Between the band and the sleeve, I also have been hungry. My stomach hasn't rumbled this hard in years! (Maybe because it couldn't physically do so?) Protein shakes have helped, and paying attention to whether or not I'm actually hungry (or have any right to be based on what I've already eaten) or if it's just mental "hunger" have kept me from gaining weight. I've actually lost about 20 pounds now, and not just from the liquid diet I'm on before surgery. While it's frustrating to have to do two procedures, I hope you find the time in between helpful. Good luck! Wishing you the best.

Hi! Well a good place to start is to look up all of the bariatric surgeons in your area, then give them all a call. Most of them will require you to attend a seminar or watch a video about the procedure before you can go any further in the process. Then you will have to fill out an information packet about all of your health issues, previous weight loss attempts, medication, etc. You can then make an appointment with them, and usually they will have a financial counselor who can help you with getting insurance approval or getting financed. I would suggest that you go through this process with several surgeons to see which program feels the most comfortable for you, and which surgeon you like best (eventually you will need to research their statistics including number of procedures performed, complication rates, and read patient reviews). The whole process can seem a little daunting, but most places will help you through the whole process. If you cannot get insurance approval, there are a number of surgeons in ::gasp:: Mexico who are very experienced and have excellent stats. They offer the surgery at a fraction of the cost of American surgeons, but have a much more limited aftercare program. It all depends on your needs and preferences. I am still a newbie here too, but there are loads of people on this site who are very knowledgeable. Definitely you are in the right place, keep asking questions, and good luck in your journey! You are taking the first steps toward a new healthier life...congratulations!!!

My bariatric doctor shared it is easy for people post bariatric surgery to trade a food addiction for another unhealthy addiction such as too much alcohol, smoking, overdoing exercise, etc. I suggest you ask yourself why you are smoking and what benefit are you getting and why smoking versus other productive activities. Had lapband surgery 10/12/16

@@leag78 Hang in there---MANY of us have crazy stories like that, here's a synopsis of mine: --Hubby's work policy has specifically excluded WLS for at least 10 years --Last fall (early Oct), I looked into purchasing a policy for just me on the Affordable Care Marketplace ("Obamacare") --I'm in AZ, and all Marketplace policies must cover WLS -- not a well-known fact. I think it's 23 states ACA policies must cover WLS. Who knew? A fluke I found out... --Found a policy thru BCBS of AZ that costs about $600/month, but we save about $200/month by not included me on hubby's work policy. Expensive, kind of, but $3500 out of pocket max, after that, all is 100% covered. --Waited for open enrollment; purchased policy --BCBS sent me bariatric guidelines -- said 8-week pre-op diet; covers band, sleeve or bypass --Surgeon's office said have to do 6-month dr-supervised diet. Went round and round w/them since BCBS told me 8-week diet, not 6 months. --Yada, yada, yada -- finally, BCBS told me that they accidentally gave me the wrong guidelines. --UGH UGH UGH --'Real' guidelines say 6-month dr-supervised diet (which I'd done elsewhere, so that was ok for me), but only cover band and bypass, exclude sleeve. I have no idea why. --I get everything set up w/surgeon's office, have them change my file from wanting sleeve to bypass. They confirmed they had done that so when submitted to BCBS, it would say bypass since they don't cover sleeve on my policy. --Surgeon submits paperwork, I get call that my sleeve is approved. Yes, sleeve. --Dead silence on my part, then I ask 'so they now cover sleeve on my policy?" --Surgeon's office: "yes, they've specifically approved sleeve." I said, BUT IT'S NOT COVERED. --Surgeon's office checks w/BCBS again and lo and behold, sleeve is not covered. they were extremely apologetic, but I could have had sleeve surgery and they could have said 'oops', you're not covered for that!!!! --Plus, my surgeon's office had confirmed they'd changed my file to say bypass, but they obviously hadn't, and submitted me for sleeve (mistake) which BCBS approved (mistake) --Bottom line: Bypass surgery scheduled this Friday, day after tomorrow --Other bottom line: YOU have to be in charge of everything and know what's covered, what's not, get it all in writing, and triple-check EVERYTHING. Not to discourage you AT ALL, just offering advice. HANG IN THERE and keep your eye on the prize! Feel so very fortunate to have bypass covered, but what a huge hassle!!! I keep a spreadsheet of "to do's" and who I spoke with, etc. Names, dates, etc.

i hope not, surgery with Usculpt in about a week. they have rave reviews. suggest you consult there if you haven't already, they specialize in bariatric patients.