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No I don’t have any complications. Half of your stomach is removed so it’s hard to take in a lot of anything right now.

You will find your balance with all of this. It’s a strange thing to experience for yourself, Right? I can relate to many of the post on how it messes with you when you hit goal. It took time for my mind to catch up and to see myself correctly.(body dysmorphia) It was something I had to work on. Wow. I get it. I would never in my life expect to say the words I need to STOP losing weight. My inner obese woman. *smile* had a hard time wrapping my head around it. People mean well, but comments like you look sick, your too thin, when are you going to stop losing weight. it's not helpful. It's hard enough for you to deal with rapid weight loss. Some of us have reactive hypoglycemia as a slight complication after surgery. Talk with your Dr and get a glucose meter. https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=reactive hypo

From what I can tell the sips is a variation of the Duadenal switch which seems to maybe have less complications?? My surgeon wants me to have the DS. Don't know if he's certified for the sips. Not sure I want the DS due to the rate of postoperative complications. Idk.

I was scared of leaks, too, especially being self pay and knowing my insurance would not cover any costs of complications. I researched the heck out of ever possible complication scenario. I really wanted to know when I could stop worrying about every little twinge and rumble and "funny feeling" I had after surgery. It was 6 months before I finally let myself breath a sigh of relief. The funny thing is, I Was so worried about the complications that I never bothered to get stressed about the pre and postop diets, slow weight loss, stalls, constipation, diarrhea or hair loss.

We all heal at a different rate post op...and it's not unusual for you to be hungry with the initial swelling going down. I had some medical complications, and had to wait 14 weeks for my first fill. I manage my hunger by drinking the free fluids I'm supposed to have everyday. It has helped me enormously to increase my fluids by structuring my time to make certain that before Breakfast I have 12oz, then by lunchtime, I need to have 16 more oz...it helps to stay on track. Until I did that, I had a difficult time remembering to drink anything. I know how difficult it can be to cope with the hunger, but water and getting distracted with work, a project, or exercise all seem to help me. Best wishes on your journey...

http://www.thinnertimes.com/weight-loss-surgery/wls-basics/weight-loss-surgery-comparison.html Above is a chart comparing various WLS procedures. Bypass and sleeve have a higher excess weight loss percentage than banding. They are also a "set it and forget it" procedure, not needing the aftercare that a band needs. On the flip side, they have higher rates of severe complications.

I would not even consider any other Dr. besides Dr. Aceves due to his extremely low complication rates. You can read about him and his experience in the doctor section or you can pm me and I will email all his credentials to you. I felt extremely safe in Mexicali. I was very bored in my room so I took frequent walks outside all around the neighborhood of the hospital. Everyone was very friendly. There is a reason he is the surgeon of over half of this board.

I've had Zero complications with the sleeve. I feel totally normal until I try to take an extra bite past full and I'm disciplined by my sleeve-even then when I put my fork down I feel OK pretty soon. I try very hard with the protein and the water and the vitamins but at the end of the day I don't get them all in but I'm pleased that whatever I did get in, got absorbed. I was scared about the surgery and recovery too but I just decided to "feel the fear and do it anyway" before I knew it-I was on the other side! Have you been tested for Celiac or just gone on a gluten-free diet for a few days to see if it helps your bowel troubles? I can't even tell you how many people I know diagnosed with IBS have been totally symptom free since giving up gluten/wheat. It's really very easy to avoid and has totally changed my life! PM me if you want to know more.

Hi Lady, Em and Lots - I just got the call today from my surgeon's office that October 9th will be my big day, too! My doctor does not require a pre-op liquid diet, either, so don't stress about that part too much. As you can tell by reading the posts here, every surgeon does things a little bit differently. I am confident with my doctor, as I have had the chance to talk to a few of his patients and they are all very pleased with their lap band results, so I am going to take my medical advice from him, rather than from everyone here who does not know my personal medical history. It sounds like some of you will be headed home a little earlier than me -- I will be kept overnight in the hospital and he will make sure everything is working properly the next morning before I go home. Another difference from what some doctors do, but I am sure that each doctor has his or her reasons for what they do. Forums like this can be great resources, but sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing and forget that each of us is different. Your doctor knows you and he knows your body. If you have a doctor you are comfortable and confident with -- a doctor you trust -- you are off to a great start. The other thing to be careful about around here is to let the negativity (not in this particular thread, mind you) or the horror stories scare you. When I first found this forum, I read the lap band horror/complication stories and it made me start to worry that I had made a bad decision. As long as you keep thinbgs in perspective, I think you'll be fine. Meanwhile...it looks like I am in very good company on the 9th!

Good advice about checking out more expensive Dr.'s too...I found a Dr. in my city that would do the surgery for $4,000 less that the surgeon I decided to go to. However, fills are much more expensive, he only gives one fill for free after surgery, basically...LOTS of hidden costs. The surgeon I am going to costs more, is about 4 hours away, but has an awesome track record. He also gives you a year of free fills. The best part is he has his own surgery center...so any complications..slipped band, leaks, etc...he fixes for free. I will have to pay for anasthetic...but that is all. That is a very comforting feeling since I am self pay...defnitely worth the extra $4,000.

I had 5 incisions and I took 7 weeks off of work. I didn't want to go back till I started to eat normal. It was easier to make meals at home and not explain why I was eating broth. Although I had no complications I still get low on energy and take naps in the day.

Hi, I'm waiting on my insurance to approve my band to RNY revision. They have approved my port revision (three months ago - which I had to wait on pre-existing condition clause) until now to have. I was banded April 11, 2008 by Dr. John Bagnato, Albany GA. Assessment day I was at 271, with a pre-op diet I went into Surgery at 259 pounds. By my first fill I was down about twenty pounds - or perhaps I should say attempt at a first fill - my port had flipped. So I had to schedule revision surgery, which I had in July. I think lost an average of 15 pounds a month. I found out right after my revision surgery my husband was having an affair - emotionally I was a wreck but I think it gave me a push. By November I was down to 214 (my lowest weight). I worked out, followed all the rules - strictly and even ran in a 5k. My marriage continued to deteriorate and by December I asked for a divorce. We separated in February. I ended up moving to my hometown in Florida (four hours away) in March. It never dawned on me the impact of moving to another state would have on my health due to my band. I ended up getting sick and had to get an unfill a few months after moving to Florida. I went back to Georgia for one fill which I had to have removed due to esophagous spasms. When my divorce was final in October 2009 I lost my benefits. I quit my job when I left and it took me four months to find a job (and it didn't offer benefits). But with two small children to feed I didn't feel I had much choice. So no doctor, no follow-up. I tried to find a doctor in Florida to see me, closer than four hours away. No one would take me. I tried everything. I finally found a doctor in Pensacola that would see me. He was able to put in 1cc (I have a 10cc band) in November 2010. I went back in March for my second fill and he couldn't access my port. By the way my port is in my chest, stitched to my left breast muscle). He said it has to be moved. We filed the insurance and they denied me due to pre-existing condition (June 2010 is when my insurance took effect, so I had to wait until June 2011 for anything related to my band). In May I started having port pains and reflux issued - I had an upper GI done. I have mobility issues in my esophogus and some erosion...so I'm told that the band has to come out. I had an appointment Wednesday of this week with him. He confirmed it and we discussed alternatives. I had been reseraching the RNY for a few weeks (once he told me bye bye band)...so now I'm waiting on insurance approval. I'm curious how many of us are out there? and if it is specific to the doctor or type of band? Is there a specific timeline when the failures/complications begins. For the longest time I blamed myself - thought I'd done something wrong. It appears after getting back on LBT (after a two year departure), I'm not the only one. I really hope this RNY site takes off...looking forward to talking to everyone...

Yesterday I found out that my sleeve surgery date is Friday, July 29, 2011.....only a week and a half away. I am so excited and SOO nervous!!! I am ready to be on the other side already. If only there were a way to go to sleep then wake up and it's over. OH WAIT......that's called surgery. Well I'll just say this....I'M READY! I'm most nervous about complications and the what-if's AND the cost of the what if's. I'm a cash patient so if ANYTHING happens as a result of the surgery, I'm up a creek....or might even be 6' under. See, my insurance won't cover the surgery or any medical complications resulting from the surgery. Well that stinks. Looks like my Dr better be on his game that day. No jacking around inside my belly mister! I hope I'm one of the 'good' statistics. I guess I should start praying now. I'm nervous about throwing up, being nauseous, not losing weight, hair falling out, saggy 'girls', mushy stomach....I could go on but I think you get the picture. I begin my pre-op diet this Friday, one week from my surgery. I've already warned folks that it would be best to not talk to me next week.....I might be SLIGHTLY on edge. Hey, it's fair to warn them. If they cross my threshold, whether at work or at home, it's at their own risk. Heck, they might even get eaten. I'm trying to decide what I want my 'last meal' to be - I love Mexican, Italian, American, Chinese.....do I need to go on? NO!!!!! That's why I got here! Oh well, whatever it is I KNOW it will be AWESOME! That leads me to where I am today.......WAITING!!! Excited and Nervous! I am so thankful that my family is supporting me. My confidence is growing with their words of encouragement. I must go for now...I just wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. Thanks in advance to all of you on this site. It has REALLY helped me - it helped with my decision, learning do's and don't's, what to take to the hospital, what to purchase for after the surgery, etc. I have been a reading-fool on this site. LOVE IT!

PoPo, I agree with you 300%! My mother has had both hips AND both knees replaced due to arthritis and complicated by her weight. She is now 78 and a bit too old to get a band but I hope to not have the surgeries she has had to have due to her weight. Also she has high blood pressure and cholesterol... all of which could be made better by loss of weight. For me the risk of the surgery and any complications was far less than the risk of being overweight. I am 45, been overweight (or yoyo'd) for most of my life. It wasn't going to get better from here unless I did something drastic. If a revision is needed later on, so be it... I'm still better off! AND, if I do need knee/hip replacements like my mom I will be healthier to have those operations. My mom's weight made it more difficult for the surgeon to do the operations!

Until they then discover that the medication can kill you due to some newly found complication, i.e., heart trouble, brain damage, cancer... (don't get me wrong there will be a drug.and you can bet I will buying stock in that company-then) But watch out for the later researcg studies of any drug--There are no miracles Althought getting the band is surgery with an implant. It is the CLOSEST thing available to getting weight off naturally long term. Research shows that 95% of folks who just diet and work-out will regain the weight in 5 years. Band removal, slipage etc- average of a 2% chance. NOT BAD!!!!

My surgeon told me it was ok to travel after three weeks. You don't want to travel before that in case you have complications from surgery

Hello my fellow sleevers.......I am looking for someone out there that has converted from the Lap Band to the Sleeve, and is struggling losing weight. I was originally banded in 2010 and lost 100lbs before I started having complications. I made the decision to remove the band and have the sleeve done in December 2014. My surgery was a success and almost pain free; but since then I have not been as successful as I was with the lap band. I am wondering if anyone out there is having the same struggles??? Since surgery (6 months) I have only lost 45lbs and I constantly plateau. If anyone has any advice or feedback please chime in!!!!

Congrats! Your weight loss is awesome! But it's so strange to me how one person can lose 80 lbs in 3/4 months and another only loses 40 or so. The body is a wonderfully complicated organism!

Oct. 6,2016 I weighed in at 179. I'm 5'6". BMI OF 29. I'm diabetic and have high blood pressure. I was having complications due to diabetic neuropathy in my stomach. Before it could get to the point of needing a pacemaker I made the decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. This would illuminate or reduce the severity of my diabetes. I've only lost 20 lbs in 3 months time. I'm disappointed as I still have 20 lbs left to lose and can't seem to lose any more. I'm also losing a ton of hair. Can someone out there tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm also exercising like never before. Sent from my LG-K550 using the BariatricPal App

That sounds really rough. Sorry to hear that you had complications.

No complications for me...I guess I am Not the one in a million. A good thing...my advice...obey the rules, and think positively and you shouldn't have a problem! :welldone2: becky

When I was looking into WLS I went to a seminar that the DR provided as an overview to all of the procedures. I went in dead set that I wanted the LAP Band and after the seminar and talking to people both there and online I found that the sleeve was the better option for me. The surgeon I went to had a very low complication stat with the sleeve surgery, and he explained it was because of his surgical technique. The only complication or negative affect I have had from it was some heartburn here and there which is not very fun but it is livable, and lactose intolerance now, which again is livable. Check into surgeons you are considering and find out their stats on leakage and other complications from surgery. Most of the time complications arise from people not following the diet plan correctly. To me that was really important and really afterwards your body will really tell you what is right and wrong.

I was wondering how you are doing a week out? Have you had any complications?

His bedside manner can be quick and curt, but his work is amazing. Not one complication...no gas bubbles, small incisions. He is truly a gifted surgeon IMO. Good luck!!

If you had 5 hernias that's very different (and not the norm). And by having them repaired you probably saved yourself from complications down the road such as having them become incarcerated and getting bowel caught in there which is extremely painful (and potentially dangerous)