Search the Community

I have not been sleeved yet, but am determined. Folks are gonna talk cause that is what they do! This is for us! Lets do it girl! They will change their tune when they see you happy and healthy. Otherwise, they may just be concerned about complications, which seem to be very few when you follow protocol. Or, they may really love you for who you are! Thats great! But, we got to love us too! I am ready to be healthy and energetic so I can enjoy living for once!

Hello, i joined a couple weeks ago..just been reading topics and threads. i have my first appointment with my surgeon and hes team on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. I am so ready for this! weight was always problem for me since i was a kid. i'm going to talk to him about the sleeve as well. my sister had it done last year and has lost 100lbs with little complications! If all goes well i should be getting the surgery in December too

i have done so much research on this surgery i realize that things could happen as like with any surgery or illnes your absolutely right i have decided to get the surgery done! i am waiting on approval from my primary doctor i need a psych exam and im ready to go! i talked to my dr about these complications and theres only about a 1% chance of these things going wrong and i guess it really depends on having a good surgeon who knows what he's doing so do your reasearch on your doc too find out his success rates with all complications! good luck to all who are in the process like i am good luck to those already scheduled for surgery and good luck and success with those who are already banded ! GOD BLESS!!!!:kiss2:

I lost 77 and gained back 70 with complications fills/unfills

OK GUYS I'M REALLY SCARED NOW!! I HAVE BEEN READING MY ASS OFF AND I DONT WANT TO EXPIERENCE THE PAIN WITH EATING and don't wanna pb ... I DONT WANNA SLIM ... HOW DO I PREVENT THESE THINGS FROM HAPPENING ... NOW THAT I HAVE A DATE I AM KINDA NERVOUS TIMES 10!! I LOOK AT BEFORE AND AFTER PICS AND I GET ALL EXCITED BUT THAN WHEN I READ ABOUT COMPLICATIONS I GET SCARED! I JUST DON'T WANNA FAIL AT THIS ... IT'S SO MANY DIETS THAT I HAVE FAILED AT I DON'T WANNA SCREW THIS UP! THIS IS MY LAST RESORT.:help:

You'll feel better once you can start on soft foods. I was exhausted for the first 3 weeks also. I couldn't deal with puréed foods, so since I had never had any complications, my nutritionist let me go to soft, soft foods at 3 weeks. Then I started walking more and my energy returned.

I had a band revised to the sleeve in June 2009. I take Prilosec 20mg once daily to prevent any acid issues, and have taken it since about 6 weeks post-op. I have had zero issue with acid reflux. Take some time to research gastrectomies one for stomach cancer, or ulcerative conditions. I did a lot of research before I decided VSG was the way to go because I felt the same way about being fat and happy instead of skinny and miserable. BUT, let me tell ya, I am now skinny and elated. I have zero regrets with my decision. The band and sleeve are like night and day. For me, I wanted something permanent. I wanted the deck to be stacked in my favor. I figured I really didn't need that huge, stretchy part of my stomach that allowed me to eat huge portions of food. I can honestly tell you I don't miss that old habit one bit. My cliff note version of my band to sleeve goes like this kind of: Band in October 2008 Lost 23-25lbs the first couple of months Complications started from the flipped port Couldn't get a fill even under fluoro, Band doctor sucked, left his practice March 2009 Started researching revision options. Chose VSG instead of a port revision VSG revision June 3, 2009 Had a leak found on June 5th (now don't get scared, remember my port was not accessible under fluoro or ultrasound, so I could not have the Fluid (3-4cc in a 10cc band) removed. Plus, the port actually migrated around in my abdomen, and was causing the tubing to tug on my stomach tissue.) Longer recovery Stuck with the dietary guidelines for 4 months 600-800 calories per day some days I barely hit 600 never anymore than 30grams of carbs 60+grams of Protein Dropped 80lbs, surgeon and I discuss that my loss is extremely rapid so we revamp my eating. Increased carbs a little increased a little. Goal of 150lbs reached around 6.5 months post-op. I started at 263 the day of my revision. 270 was my pre-op band weight. I am currently trying to maintain at this point. I've fallen below goal, but I'm only 5'2" and am still in a healthy weight range at 127lbs. I feel fabulous, my energy level is through the roof. My overall mindset has changed drastically. I sometimes forget I had surgery because I literally just enjoy life. I eat whatever I want, just in smaller portions. I don't overindulge often, but I refuse to deprive myself. If you have any specifics questions, or need a shoulder to lean on, please feel free to contact me. I had a hellacious recovery, but like I've said many times, I would do it all again to live the life I am living right now. Stay positive, and have faith in yourself and your surgeon. Keep us updated with your progress. Also, there are other band to sleeve revision patients that you may like to contact. *susan* (she's a moderator here) 3636Millie OregonDaisy Shontel Annak4 There's actually a lot of band to sleeve revision patients here that can share their stories with you. You can find those members profiles and contact information by clicking on the "MEMBERS" tab at the top of the forum, then you can message them. Everyone here is really great, and we'll be your biggest cheerleaders from a distance.

We are going to be flying down to San Diego and hopping the boarder to go to TJ to get banded by Doctor Kuri (excellent doctor by the way). After 2-3 days there, the plan is to rent a car to go to Hollywood and then San Francisco....and leisurely just enjoy the coastline. I know most would say to not do this (and do the trip before the surgery) but I'm wondering....(barring it would be a VERY relaxing trip) to do this. One of the reasons I'm exploring to do this is because...if there was complications (3 days after surgery) I'm still in California and we could easily go back to Tijuana.......rather flying from Chicago back to San Diego again. I'm sure everything will be fine....but I'm always looking to prepare wisely and prepare for the "whatifs" in life. Blessings all...let me know your thoughts?

I remember a few patients here on VST who said they cancelled their surgery and then decided to do it a few months later.... I really think everyone goes through the same thoughts. My family and friends all had the same reaction. I always explained my reasoning and looked at them dead on and said.. I am doing this. I KNOW this is what is right for me. I understand all your concerns and I've had the same concerns and I have done all my homework. You know me - I don't take major decisions lightly -- I KNOW THIS IS RIGHT FOR ME... They all eventually just accepted it and embraced it with me... Remember, 98% of patients go through the surgery and recovery with no issues.. of course there is always the possibility of complications with ANY surgery, but the risk is small. Follow YOUR head and YOUR heart.

In our case, the fundus is the stretchy part that makes up most of the greater, or outer, curvature of the stomach, and is what is removed when a sleeve gastrectomy is done, or is folded up and tied back in a sleeve plication. It looks like with the endoscopic procedure, they suture it up internally to make the fundus inaccessible, leaving the reduced "sleeve" like path open for restricted food flow. Being a fairly new procedure, one is fighting the learning curve - both for the individual surgeon and for the industry as a whole. The guys that did the first heart transplant were the best in the business, but the patient still only survived a short time; it takes time, practice and experience - both individual and collective - for a procedure to mature into a routine, everyday therapy, so your doc may well be exceptional, but they are all still working out the kinks in a new procedure. Where to go from here? A bypass was suggested, and this is very common, as most bariatric surgeons were raised on them, so to speak, know them well and tend to be very comfortable with them when things get complicated as they can with some revisions. You note that a SADI has been suggested - was this by the same surgeon, or someone else? If the SADI is a possible, then a regular sleeve gastrectomy should also be workable, as the SADI normally uses the sleeve as its basis, and presumably that would be most attractive to you as that is what is most similar to your originally chosen endo sleeve. Whether you need the malabsorptive component of the bypass or SADI is an individual decision. When things get complicated like this, it is usually best if one can get a second (or even third) opinion on the problem and possible solutions. There are often several different alternatives available, but individual doctors will prefer, or have more experience, with one over another, while another doc may have different experiences and preferences as to how to approach this problem. Good luck in working this out...

Hi--I have BCBS of Alabama & I was approved for "Laparascopy, surgical gastric restrictive procedure; placement of adjustable gastric band and subcutaneous port components." Which is what my approval letter said. I previously tried in Sept 05 and was denied advising that I needed a 6 mo supervised weight loss plan. I had no co-morbidities except for the fact that I started having ankle swelling after I began to exercise with a trainer. I did the 6 mo diet and my Dr's ofc resubmitted me and I was approved. However they did indicate that benefits for complications or subsequent surgery will not be covered. They will also not cover any related office visits or fills. Its not the best thing but not the worst, they did pay for my surgery. Good luck to you keep trying and appeal!!

I made it!!! It has now been 1 week and 1 day since my banding. I feel pretty good except for this awful cold that I have, hurts alot when I cough but so far no complications from the surgery and taking it one day at a time.

The Boy didn't want me to have surgery, either. He was concerned about complications, death, and convinced that I could lose weight on my own. Ultimately, though, he knew that it was my body and my life and he's been very supportive. I asked him if he'd ever worried that I would lose all of my weight and leave him; he said that he is concerned about it now but the thought hadn't occurred to him before :thumbup: I'm really sorry that your husband isn't being supportive. As others have said, I think that reassurance is the best medicine for the problem. Good luck :biggrin:

Yeah I take it for anxiety as well. I'm having complications so haven't taken it in a few days due to a stricture. Not sure how I'll so once its out of my system. Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

I don't know anything about the plication, but I had the sleeve done on Tuesday, 26 Mar and went back to work half days 2 days later. No complications, no issues, no leaks. I had to ask myself what I was willing to sacrifice to finally get off the roller coaster of weight loss, weight gain, weight loss over my life. I am 46 and would do it again in a heartbeat! Just starting my weight loss journey and so excited for the outcome!!! Good luck.

Actually I had that for the first few months and I decided to go lower on profile after that "ban wave" rushed through the boards and the "tough lovers gang" got banned. Never had pics online here (or anywhere) other than the one my employer made of our department. I think the older users can remember that I had them on my profile. About regain: I wrote in older posts about (temporary) regain when I stopped smoking and when the band started to migrate and fail in the year before revision. Both times the weight loss following the regain was easy and without a real effort. I have a BMI of 25 or 26 (depending on season) and I'm still not sure if I should shell out the money for plastics but I guess I will in the end. I'm actually quite afraid of complications on the one hand but on the other hand I'm quite unhappy with several of my hanging body parts. Stats can be faked and the person in the picture might not really be me. So while I can see where you're coming from I don't think it really adds to the credibility of a person when he/she is posting stats. For example, I wrote above that I had temporary regain twice and that getting rid of the weight again was quite effortless. Well, it could be that I made that up or that I regained four or five times during the years or that I struggle mightily... posting any stats or pictures won't change that everything I write here could as well be a big, fat lie. I have drawn information for free from the net without end regarding endless topics so I'm happy to provide my experiences and opinions in return because I think they might be helpful for others but I don't need people to believe me. I'm not butt hurt if people on a message board don't believe what I have to say or that they might think my whole account is fake and I never had WLS because at the end of the day it doesn't really make a difference for me. I'm not writing on message boards to make my living. 😂 Can't provide any horror stories here. I had laparoscopic gastric banding and you can only see the little scars at the usual incision points. But back in the days it was lap band for a young woman or nothing so there wasn't much to choose from.

Hi Everyone . I just got banded Friday . I got home from the hospital today after just a few complications . Now that Im home .. Do I stick to what they were having me do in the hospital ? I bought a bunch of soup , Jello , pudding and broth .. Thats it for the week .. anything that I could add .. Like oatmeal or eggs or anything like that ? What about protein drinks . I have to take that because of dialyis .. Will that help with lapband too ? Any advice welcome Add me also Christina

Hi everyone, I am in Adelaide (SA) in a hotel a few minutes from Adelaide Memorial hospital Dec 21 - Sunday. Tomorrow Dec 22 at 7AM I get admitted for stage 1 of my surgery to remove excess skin. Stage 1 comprises of 1 x Radical tummy tuck, and Male breast reduction. Total cost inc GST $6030 surgeon, $800 Aneathesist, $0.00 for assistant, $200 for chest and tummy compression garment (Needed to be worn for 2-6 weeks) and $250 excess for hospital, I will be staying at hospital Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, on XMAS day between 8and 9AM I am allowed to fly home to Sydney, assuming there are no complications, stitches where my belly button is re-positioned are able to be removed by a local surgeon. Stage two entails a Thigh Lift :tongue_smilie: (I have lots of skin on my thighs) and a buttock lift. Cost is going to be slightly under 7K all up for this second procedure. The quotes I had in sydney were about 4 times as much as in Adelaide, the Adelaide doctor also gave me medicare numbers so I will also get some $$$ back from Medicare :tongue: Will update some more details after 1st and second stage are completed. Am happy to give more details when stage 1 is completed and I am back to accessing my PC after XMAS, stage 2 is scheduled for 8 Jan 2009, assuming I recover enough by then, should be OK. Am really nervous and so excited, I just hope it all works out like it is supposed to. Merry Xmas to everyone, and thank you for all the support and advice I have been given from this forum for teh 3.5 years of my Lapband journey. Weight today is 89Kg, after both procedures it should drop about 4-5Kg, making my weight almost exactly 1/2 of what I was prior to being banded :eek: Amazing!!!! Anyone who is considering getting banded, stop wondering and do it, it was the best thing I have ever done in my life, it has changed my life in so many ways.....

Thank you ALL! Sorry for the late reply- I don't have a computer at home and replying on my Kindle makes me crave Valium because of the touch screen keyboard (HA!). I am feeling SO much better now. I realize that while I may not have a physical being right next to me- I have this forum and some other Facebook groups I joined this weekend. I am less and less nervous and time goes by! ALSO- I went to the doctors office today and saw my favorite Nurse Practitioner just to tell her 'Hey, I am going to MX to have surgery, just a heads up' and also to notify someone here in case I have complications or issues with wound healing. She said she was SO proud of me for taking some steps to get healthy. I had been expecting to hear 'No!! Don't do it!' But nope. The pre-op diet sucks, btw. But my nerves are evening out! Woot wooooot!

Hi! I am doing well, starting to feel like my old self. Just really tired, not sleepy, but just fatigued. Like yesterday I did some minor cleaning and I felt exhausted lol. I am think doctors prefer sleeve because of less complications? I am not sure. But yea, so far I am happy with my revision. I will know the real deal once I start eating food again

I chose the bypass because I had a significant amount to lose, I wanted the extra accountability, and I knew my insurance would only cover one surgery. If I failed with the sleeve, I would never have an option to revise, I would just fail. It's possible to fail with the bypass, as with any gastric surgery, but I felt that the bypass would be giving me the biggest chance for success possible. Yes, the sleeve is (by a very small percentage) safer/faster but honestly, that tiny extra bit of risk was completely worth it to me. I'll be 11 months post op in six days. I've had no complications, not even dumping, and I've lost 166 pounds since surgery and 221 pounds overall. You've gotta be really willing to follow your plan to the letter, as there is less room for error than the sleeve from what I've seen because of the higher risk of dumping and so on, but that habit change and hard work has been so worth it for me and many, many others. Hope this helps! Good luck on whatever you choose. It's entirely possible to be successful with either surgery.

My surgery is today...feel exactly the same way. I think I am finally at peace with this decision...praying for a great outcome with no complications! Will pray the same for everyone else going through this process. Good luck to you all and keep us posted! My surgery is at 11 today.

@@transmformme To be honest, I have found the office staff to be very hit or miss. The surgeons are great. Dr. Roshek did my EGD, Dr. Nick my sleeve, and Dr. Carlton checked in on my during a follow up. All were very positive, helpful, and high energy. I have found some of the office staff difficult to get follow-through. My first group of post-op labs, for example, took about 3 weeks to get results and those were delivered to me over the phone. Some staff have not been great about returning calls. Others, are amazingly responsive. I emailed one of the nurses with a post-op diet question. I got a long, very thorough response within 30 minutes. It is really a mixed bag. Because I have a great family physician, I have decided to navigate some of these issues with the office staff with my doctor's help. Before my follow-up appointments, I have Nicholson Clinic send me a lab order via email. I then do the labs through my family doctor a week or so before my follow-up appointment with the Nicholson Clinic. I then send my results to them. This gets me my results much more quickly, much more cheaply, and, since my dr. delivers lab results online, I can easily look them over myself and coordinate things with my family doctor. I am pretty happy with how that has worked so far and I have not had any resistance from the Nicholson Clinic in doing things this way. The only place where I was genuinely disappointed was with the post-op phone nutritionist consult. I know a lot of others have had a very good experience doing it this way, but I was pretty underwhelmed. The nutritionist that I spoke with was not too helpful and, frankly, did not seem very knowledgeable about bariatric patients. Between reading on my own, talking to the nurse educator and Nicholson, and talking to my family physician, I seem to be doing fine developing a plan that is working for me. I consistently hit my Water and Protein targets without a problem, get lots of exercise, and am seeing the weight come off at a solid pace. Were I to do it again, I would still do my surgery with Dr. Nicholson. Since I am enough of a control freak that I want to directly manage my own care and ask my own questions, the hiccups with the office staff does not bother me that much. In the end, my priority was the skill of the surgeon. There, I feel like I made a good choice. My recovery went very well, I had no complications, and my incision scars are even pretty small.

I hear you! I was banded one week ago. I had complications the day after surgery where I could not even swallow my own spit. I am so nervous about more complications, that I can't get excited over the future. To top it all off, my anti-depressants are too big for me to swallow and I have not taken them in a week. My nerves are frazzled! The good thing is, I have moved to full liquids and doing good. I think we have to take it one day at a time and firmly believe things WILL get better. Soooooo....you are not the only one LOL! Things are rough right now and I guess they call it bandster hell for a reason! Trust that things will get better and try to think positive thoughts! Sending well wishes your way :wub:

I used to cringe when I saw photos of Fat Jean, but now I want to hug that unhappy girl and tell her that life is good. When I look in the mirror now, I see a "normal" sized woman who strangers would never guess had once been morbidly obese. I think we all need to remember where we came from, and to forgive ourselves for our pre-op weight loss failures. But halfway through the first sentence of this article, I thought of an equally important aspect of Memorial Day that turned this article's theme upside down. The meaning of "lest we forget" is more complicated than you might think. It represents more than three sappy words and planting a flag and a geranium on your grandfather's grave. It expresses an important message for a bariatric patient like me and you. The phrase "lest we forget" forms the refrain of "Recessional," a poem by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). It warns about the perils of hubris and the inevitable decline of British imperial power. After World War l, "lest we forget" passed into common usage as a plea not to forget past sacrifices and was often used on war memorials and as an epitaph on tombstones. So it’s an appropriate title for a Memorial Day article. Hubris is the extreme haughtiness, pride and arrogance that makes us think we're as invincible and all-powerful as Great Britain thought it was back in the days when it was taking charge of big countries (India) and small (Singapore) all over the world. One of my jobs in life is to resist the urge to be conceited about my weight loss success and to remember that I’m not invincible. I don’t ever want to lose sight of the fat girl deep inside me who's just waiting to get out again. Losing 100 pounds is such an enormous accomplishment that at times it seems like the most magnificent and significant achievement of my entire life. I'm justifiably proud of that achievement, but having weight loss surgery is not a guarantee of continued weight loss and weight maintenance success. As a boss once told me on the occasion of my promotion to management, "Remember, you're only as good as your last act." In other words, my great performance won me a place on the stage, but I'm going to have to repeat that performance over and over again in order to stay on the stage. WLS is a wonderful tool that will improve my ability to manage my weight for another 30 or 40 years, but it doesn't make me bullet-proof. Weight loss is no longer the centerpiece of my life, and I think that's a healthy thing. Some days I even ask myself why I'm still writing about eating, obesity and weight management. Why can't I let go of it? What will happen to me if I run out of things to say about it? But while I'd like to know the future, or at least know it will be a happy one, a long, straight road with the same scenery for mile after mile sounds boring to me. I'll stay on this road, with its twists and turns and steep hills, and trust God to keep me from getting too far off course. Writing about obesity is one of the things that keeps me going in the right direction. When other bariatric patients ask me questions about how to live and succeed with the adjustable gastric band, it forces me to think, and being forced to think is much healthier, and more interesting, than switching on the cruise control for the rest of my life. Along the road to your weight goal, I hope that you, too, will be able to acquire new interests and activities that you can take with you into your new life as a "normal" weight person, but don't forget to look backward every now and then. Don't throw out all the fat photos and fat clothes. They're memorials to your past obesity.