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@@jess9395 I'm totally on board for an accountability group, that's a great idea! Given that I really do have some significant pounds to lose, I think I'm going to try the 6 days of two liquid meals and one small meal and one day of fasting. I think that is more doable for me than trying a 16/8 schedule, though I think it is always a good idea not to eat anything in the late evening/night time (which I do given my habit of staying up too late!) I kind of like the liquid meals, they are easy and I have a very high tolerance for boring meals! I also have been reading about ketosis-inducing diets, it sounds good and very effective, but in order to do and keep up with rigorous exercise you have to do periodic carb loading. Everything I read about it was for hard-core body builders. It sounds like it is a good way to get lean v. losing pounds, but it's rather complicated and think I need something simple to start with right now! As for your struggle with what you call your "vanity pounds," it sounds to me that you are pretty self-aware and are conscious of what your motivations are. I think it is up to each of us to decide what type of figure we want. I myself prefer myself with a few more pounds than perhaps the BMI charts would because my face gets very thin when I am in the "normal range." I also like having round hips and a booty I have a friend who is a true size zero, she gets lots of tsks and "she must have an eating disorder." She does not, in fact she's a foodie and a great cook, she just likes herself at that weight and works hard to stay there. I think if you are doing it for the right reasons, you can make your body what you want. And a regular routine of Ashtanga yoga will certainly help you there--I admire you, I've been working up to doing the standing and sitting poses of Ashtanga for some time, you must be in great shape!

I had surgery on 02/09/12. No complications or issues thank God. I didn't really have hardly any feelings of why did I do this...maybe because I was expecting it. The pain wasnt to bad either. I didn't mourn food but maybe because I was already used to it from the lapband. I didnt mourn it much then either. I do remember being at a resturaunt watching a young girl wolfing down a huge burger thinking I'll never be able to do that again but who needs that? I eat delicious healthy foods in small quantites to nourish my body. That's the way it should be.

I wouldn't do it. Your having a major, major surgery that's being done. We only get one body in this lifetime. Why put ourselves at risk for future complications? It's tempting, yes, but we can do it

To fail something means you have played. Every sports team has not won a particular play a particular game or even a particular season. Yet they are still playing. We are playing this thing called life. If you are reading this then you are breathing living and winning. Still in the game. No one medical procedure defines ones whole existence. I am not a failure because I needed a filling in the tooth or a root canal or even a crown I have had cavities that crumbled. Intern I am not a success because of a root canal or WLS. It is way more complicated than that. Now broaden your sense of who you are - you are more than just WLS person and take a long hard look at who is on your team. Do you have a supportive coach? Do you have cheerleaders who celebrate each tiny success? Do you have a mentor or someone who’s been there done that? The sports teams practice all the time change the players all the time the coaches all the time and sometimes sit out a game or season. If your negative self talk and head trip is to nasty another player or the referee may call it. And yeah the egos are bigger and taller than the Empire State Building. Get a game plan and keep on playing. The fact that you are here says your playing.

Who would you trust to build your house. A carpenter with 40 years experience or a carpenter with 5 years experience? Its kind of like doctors. To be certified for any kind of gastric surgery a doctor has to do atleast 100 surgeries of the one he is being certified for. How long do you think that took? What I am getting at is who would you rather believe, a doc who has performed 300 surgeries Or one that has over 1500 under his belt? If the one with 1500 says do a 14 day diet you better damn sure do it. Just cause a doctor is a doctor doesnt make him special. Experience is key in determining your outcome. Or you could take a chance on being the one who has complications. Just some good old fashion logic. No harm meant. Good luck on your choice

Hi Nicci, You are still quite young (30) so compared to me, your "impending time" for health stressors may be less than mine (I'm 43). And, of course, I don't know if your family has a history of serious health problems such as cardiac issues, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, etc. Any one of those is life threatening and many of them seem to come as a "package" to those of us who are morbidly obese. Our weight really does "drag us down', if not sooner, than later. My starting weight was nearly identical to your current weight, and I'm very close to your same height. I WISH I had had the option to have the VSG done at age 30! I could have had a much different last 13 years indeed! We have a family history of cancer (breast, bladder and brain), hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, strokes, etc. I am healthy now, but if I don't get "hold" of things NOW, I am in for a world of hurt in the next decade. And it only gets worse from there.... So I had the VSG done in May, 2012. And I am now close to 80 lbs down (in less than 5 months) with another 100 or so to go! I feel great! I'm off my asthma meds (4 of them!) since surgery. I can exercise without shortness of breath. I'm down from a size 26/28 (or 4X/5X) to a 18/20 (or XL) now, and really looking forward to maybe being a size 10 or 8 (and maybe smaller!) when I hit goal. Yes, there are risks. But the % of people who develop surgical complications or post-op complications with the VSG is VERY VERY small. The % of morbidly obese people who develop serious, significant and often life-threatening health complications is VERY HIGH. So you're not "playing it safe". You're just putting off the time when the health problems will come. Now, you have a small risk. Later, you have a HUGE chance for life-long debilitating illness(es). I made sure I was very well informed about the possible complications. I prepared my Will, put my affairs in order and made sure that things were going to be taken care of (as best as possible) should anything go wrong. Then I got on a plane (by myself), flew to Mexico and completed the best decision of my life. Give yourself the chance to spend the next 50 years of your life having an active, full and healthy lifestyle with your children and future grandchildren. Don't let your body hold your spirit and your heart back. And while you definitely need to be completely informed and knowledgeable before you make this decision......don't let a few bad outcomes scare you away from the opportunity to change you life for the better. You will see that the number of AMAZING outcomes far far outweighs the poor ones. Do you research, get comfortable with your surgeon's experience, training, background and work environment. Get yourself tested "six ways to Sunday" to make sure you are a good healthy candidate for surgery and if there are any issues, starting working on the ones you have control over NOW, so you can come through the procedure as one of the success stories (like me!). I know you can do this, and you will be so grateful the opportunity exists. But above all, inform yourself and give everything you read a fair assessment. Then make your decision based on ALL the information. Not just the good and not just the bad. Good luck!

I had my sleeve done 2.15.2017 in Mexico with Dr. Cabrera. I feel great and had NO complications. I have lost 21 lbs in 3 weeks.

I had my surgery on 3.13.2017 with Dr Illan at the Oasis of Hope hospital. I have absolutely no regrets, have had zero issues or complications, and would recommend him to anyone. The entire staff was phenomenal during my stay and the care I received was top-notch!

Do you currently have gerd or frequent heartburn? Do you have access to bariatric care closer to home if there were a complication? If so, what procedures do they perform? How keen are you in taking daily supplementation? (Vitamins) How enthusiastic is your primary care physician to take care of you after surgery in Mexico?

I wanted DS however I wasn't comfortable having it done in Mexico and not having my surgeon local with such a major surgery (not that the sleeve isn't major but the routing of the intestines worried me) so I decided to do the sleeve. I was over 50 BMI and so far I'm so happy with the sleeve (I'm only 13 days out so I'm far from the poster child for success). Have you figured out who would provide care if there are complications that arise after surgery (I know your primary care doctor is going to provide after care but there could be things that arise that he/she can't handle). I would definitely discuss with both your bariatric surgeon and your primary care to help determine which surgery would be best for you.

Yes this is so nice. I got the Hot and Sour and strained all the stuff out and it was soooo yummy. I just finished my first week of three week pre-op diet and doing good. I'm down 8lb. ***My life saver is the sugar free jello. I add 1 scoop of Unjury Unflavored protein powder to a cup of cold water, mix real good and then add that to my already dissolved jello that is 1 cup hot water. I like firm firm jello so I do 2 pkgs jello to 2 cups water total. One hot to dissolve the jello and one cold for the Protein powder. Mix both and pour into single serve containers. I add the protein powder to make sure I get enough protein in for the day because I have trouble doing three premiere protein shakes a day. I really get sick of all the sweet. blah I also use Unjury Chicken flavor soup protein mix too... this is so good. I'm going to experiment and had it in unflavored gelatin see how that works. LOL - soup cubes *wink* I do use broth cubes for convenience, but I don't want to much sodium so I also buy the organic premade broth from Walmart. These are good and less sodium. I am allowed cottage cheese on my pre-op diet so that helps too, cause I can sprinkle with seasonings. I also am allowed Oikos triple zero yogurt once a day. Those are so yummy. Coffee flavor is my FaV! For those of you just starting your pre-op. I'm already not feeling as hungry as I used too. I have to remind myself sometimes to make sure I get enough stuff in for the day. Its true once you get past the first four or five days it gets easier. I do miss a crunch now and then. LOL - I did have (bad bad) a few of those quest protein chips. But just got right back on. This diet is to help us shrink our livers and drop a few pounds to help in lessen any complications during surgery. It also helps us detox and ready our body and minds for the changes its about to go through. Everybody's pre-op diet is different. Just depends on your program and doctors requirements and your current health. I'm scheduled July 12th and so excited and nervous.

I went into surgery with no blood disorder. Still I had those ow up leg balloons while in hospital and was on blood thinning shots for 2 weeks. I would ask PS their experience in operating with patients with your condition as well as how many complications they experienced in the subset of Stoney's. Stella

Well I never though I'd say this.........but I'm actually going in for my 4th WLS surgery / procedure this week [emoji15], I'm 3 days away from it on the 21st of July 2017 [emoji106][emoji4] My weight loss journey so far....back in 2004 I weighed 136kg / 300 pounds and am 182cm / 6ft. My GP in the UK wouldn't approve SAGB on the NHS so I self funded the operation at a hospital in the South of France. Operation went well, weight loss was good, got down to 90kg / 198 pounds. However, gradually I had more and more complications with the band, slippage and erosion. Weight went up to 116kg / 255 pounds. No matter how much fluids were put in or removed from my band, my restriction was either that tight I couldn't get water down or too loose so I could eat whatever I liked. I also developed reflux and experienced frequent vomiting. I had a revision from band to sleeve in the same operation in Australia 3 years ago (2014) got down to 84kg / 144 pounds with the sleeve. My sleeve stretched over a couple of years, partly due to the poor shape of the sleeve due to the damage done by the band (after my operation my surgeon said to me that my stomach was in such bad condition it looked looked "like a dogs breakfast in there!!") and if I'm honest partly due to me falling off the wagon, eating too much junk food and drinking a serious amount of alcohol, so my weight crept back up to 103kg / 227 pound. So anyway I finally stumped up the courage to go for the full gastric bypass 1 year ago at a weight of 103kg / 227 pound. Weight loss was great, felt full quickly, no major dumping, no complications / side effects. Got down to 80kg / 176 pound then recently crept back up to 93kg / 205 pound, so now I'm having the Overstitch this week, which I hope will be my final weight loss operation ever this Friday! In hindsight I wish I'd never had the band and sleeve and gone straight for the bypass all those years ago, but still grateful for the overall weight loss to date. I must have been quite lucky with the operations, I had no infections, significant pain or gas pain, I was waking around the ward on day of the bypass, got 1.5ltr of fluids down me same day and after the TT I was doing laps of the ward on day 2! Only real issue is I've become severely anaemic this week. I'm on iron tablets and Vit B12 injects. Now when I was in the mid-80kgs I had a fair bit of excess skin and I think the weight loss and the natural getting older process had made me look older than my years, so I went in for some plastic surgery to get my self sorted out. I had upper and lower blepharoplasty (reduction of loose skin above and below my eyes, liposuction to my neck, 2 separate neck lifts (first one unsatisfactory), liposuction to remaining man boobs, stomach, hips and back. Full abdominoplasty with new belly button. Oh and a complimentary mid-face lift whilst the surgeon was in doing my lower eyes, I actually didn't ask for the mid face lift but my surgeon couldn't resist doing it once he had perfect access to the areas / structures required to hitch up the face a little. I woke up to the unexpected news about the face lift and was thrilled with the results and even happier that is was for free!! I also had a fat transfer, where they sucked some fat out of my abdominal area and had it pumped in the jowls / cheeks / nasolabial folds to fill out my face a little!!! Now I just have a little Botox and some dermal fillers as maintenance to the face. Also had a vampire facelift lol. And OMG for those of you who have had full tummy tucks, as in skin and muscles, jeez how painful is the recovery from that bad boy!! Worst of all the WLS surgeries I've had and the other cosmetic procedure. You can't sit up, you can't laugh, sneeze, burp, fart, go for number 2's, well that was my experience with the TT recovery although I recovered very well form all of the procedures with no issues at all, thank-fully [emoji106] The Tummy Tuck for me is what makes me want to stay at around 80kg, any heavier and I feel the skin on my belly stretching because of the tightened skin. I gets quite uncomfortable so I have to get it oI don't want to ruin the effects of the surgery. All in all the procedure took 3 seperate operations they were 11 hours, 5 hours and 9 hours in duration. After the 11 hour operation I ended up in ICU on a cardiac monitor with a special one to one nurse as I was at risk of an adverse cardiac even due to excessive fluid loss. The three cosmetic operations cost me over $70k. Anyway, that's my story in its entirety, I thought I'd share this information with you as I have had so much done and gone through so many procedures, so please feel free to comment and ask me any questions. Thanks John [emoji4][emoji106] PS: No judgement please lol

My "moment " came in May of 2018 with a series of events. I was 246 pounds, and didn't want to hit 250. I was wearing a 3x in clothes and they were getting tight, and I didn't know where I'd find clothes. I was out of breath and sweatty just walking to my car from work, and I had diabetes type 2. High blood pressure. I was literally a hot mess, and I said to myself "that's it!" I went to the informational session with my husband at my bariatric surgeon's office on May of 2018, completed Anthem's 6 months of requirements, and had my gastric bypass on March 27, 2019. Although I've had complications Im thrilled that I had the surgery! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Don't worry hon, you would know if things weren't going well. Some of us get these perfect surgical experiences with zero pain and no complications... that is more the norm, so enjoy it!

I was a self pay in Louisiana and my cost was $13,600. That included everything. If I have a complication and have to go to hospital to be admitted all I have to pay is $200. I was just in for 3 days for dehydration and its nice to know what would of been a several thousand dollar hospital bill was only $200.

Wow, that is one complex journey. I'm so happy you are doing well today and you got to be at your daughters wedding. I can not imagine going through so many complications. Good luck to you.

Hi I've just been searching for this topic as I've recently realised I have just started showing symptoms of Reactive Hyplogylcemia. I'm exactly one year post-op sleeve surgery and I had no idea us sleevers could suffer these symptoms. I'm a vegetarian so trying to cut out carbs has been a huge challenge for me and must admit that recently they have come back into my diet and my weightloss has also stalled. I now find that if I try and exercise in the mornings I have a massive hypo attack, the shakes, sweating, low blood sugar, feel like I'm going to faint, need to sit down and then an urgency to eat something. I then continue to feel terrible for the rest of the day like I'm all washed out and very tired even though I've done almost nothing. This is a very worrying new complication of the sleeve surgery that I did not sign up for and I'm trying to find out as much as possible about the condition so I can learn how to manage it. I'm confused as to whether I need to cut the carbs or increase them? I've been eating about 1,000 calories a day but burning around 2,700 cals per day (I wear a BodyMedia monitor so I know exactly what I'm using). I'm now really worried about this new development.. I'm seeing my surgeon next week for my one year review, I will be asking about this as from what I've researched, it seems as though there are a lot of people post bariatric surgery complaining of the problem and not much can be done from what I know??. Mine so far has been manageable but I am very worried it might get worse and I've read some people having their Pancreases removed which seems very extreme!. Any help or advice would be gratefully received. Prior to surgery I had PCOS, under-active thyroid and had been told years ago that I was insulin resistent but I never had diabetes. I must say, had I known about this complication it would have made me consider very carefully whether I should do this? Please has anyone any advice as it is worrying me a lot??

The recovery time ranges from a few days to a couple of weeks, and is VERY individual. Note that you shouldn't be doing anything SUPER physically strenuous for a week or so, and you cannot lift more than a small amount (15 lbs or so) for as long as 4-6 weeks, so factor that in. Of course, talk to your doctor for exact guidelines, but honestly everyone's recovery differs. Age, complications, general healing speed, all of these play into it.

It's actually a mini gastric bypass that she's comparing it to... I guess that's different from RNY. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo82IT1FlFc]YouTube - Failed Band Patient Converted to MGB[/ame]

Wow...I logged back in to this platform as my journey continued and forgot this thread was here. I can’t believe I’ve been in this band nightmare for over 12 years!!! In 2007 I finally got the port removed. My doctor very nonchalantly said “it tested positive for MRSA infection”. I had NO idea the implications. He handed me a card for an Infectious Disease doctor and told me to go across the street to their office. Again, NO idea what was ahead. Suddenly I had a nightmare of a PICC line (took 2 excruciating days to insert) for Vancomycin and a wound vac system. I had both of these for weeks, my home was a virtual hospital. I even took that show to work a few times. Crazy. That was over 10 years ago. In those 10 years I had just the band. I’d never been able to get it removed because it wasn’t presenting obvious negative effects and my insurance wouldn’t cover it. After a decade I finally started the path to revision to a sleeve. I had the band removed on 10/26. It was very complicated. My outpatient procedure turned into 6 days in the hospital. The band had eroded into my stomach (common) but also had RAVAGED my small intestines. The new surgeon said he had never seen anything like it. He had to get the band out of several spots in the intestines and do a lot of repair work. While recovering, about 24 hrs after surgery, things went south. BP low, breathing shallow, heart rate up, fever...ugh. Many tests later and we determined that my chronic Diverticulitis had flared up and was causing the additional pain and infection. It was a very long 6 days, and the fevers kept coming. After being released and on a better coarse of oral antibiotics, things are finally better. It’s been 3 weeks and I am almost not in pain. It was a miracle I didn’t have a blockage, or major infections with that band. I now think my bowel perforations and infections may be related to the band. I had no idea and I guess the band was never visible in the CT scans. Anyway... I wanted to finish my 12 year saga. I’m almost second guessing the sleeve surgery. I feel like I am 4/4 with bad surgery issues...but the reality is that a lot of things (if not all) were caused by that awful band. I may have the surgery, but it will be after the New Year. That bums me out because it will very VERY expensive with out of pocket costs...but realistically I need more time to heal...and I am unable to miss a wedding on Dec 29th. Not sure anyone will read this...but that’s where I am. Xx

I think sometimes you can do too much research and freak yourself out about what could happen. If you look hard enough you can find complications with anything and still be missing the details that are the most important. I will try to give you a couple examples. You do some research and find that some people have very servere problems with weightloss surgery. Along with that research please do some about the complications of staying obese, morbidly obese, or even super obese. Staying obese is much worse for your health than getting lapband. I had family members who died from obesity related conditions. Let's say someone is told they need to get their wisdom teeth extracted. They are told the teeth have decay and are causing an infection in the gum tissue around the teeth. They get on the web to do some research about it and find a case where someone died while having the procedure done at the oral surgeon. They get freaked out about that case. They fear the dentist anyway and this gives them the "out" they were looking for. It gives them a reason to not make a return visit to the dentist. They fail to do the research and find the info about the risks of leaving the infected teeth in their body. They fail to find the info that many more people die from the infection being carried in the bloodstream and to the heart causing a heart attack and death. My own father died from obesity. I chose to end my own obesity and decrease my health risks by getting the lapband. Though this was not my biggest motivation.

The long-term complications of the Lap Band have been one of my top concerns. I cannot get satisfactory answers from my bariatric program. What they have said to me is, "Do the research." So I did, in peer-reviewed medical journals. And what I'm finding is downright scary, so scary that I'm at the point now where I'm probably not going to have this surgery.

Had my pre-op Dr visit & blood work on Fri. for surgery on Jan 14th. Feel better about decision after talking to Dr Chae. Because it has to be open incision (could take 2-3 hours because they may have a lot of adhesions to deal with) and I'll be in hospital for 5-8 days. That was kind of a shock! Guess my biggest concerns are post-op complications. My nutritionist says not to do "The last meal of my life" thing but I'm kind of doing that. Going to try and be better on diet & exercise this last week. Wish me luck.

In the same boat. I had my band in dec 2010. I haven't lost that much and still need to lose 50-60lb. I keep vomiting and am miserable. I spoke with my doc today about revising to the sleeve (or bypass). Which he reccomendation the sleeve for me. He actually removed ALL my fluid today (which I was not expecting). Now I am worried about gaining. I haven't gained in a bit but I haven't lost either. He said he is doing more and more band to sleeve revisions. I really hope due ton he go it to g complication my insurance will ok the procedure. I can't afford it myself and as of right now I don't qualify for it. Bmi is 35 with no comorbidities. He did say it would be slightly more risky due to the scar tissue the band has caused, but said it should be ok. Keeping my fingers crossed.