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Gastric Sleeve Versus The Gastric Bypass Surgery
catwoman7 replied to Numbheart's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
forgot to add that most of us have either no complications or minor ones that are usually "fixable". Major complications aren't very common with either surgery. -
I'm doing great. I've had no complications and I've been losing weight consistently. I'm very happy with my decision. I hope you are too.
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Am I Crazy To Get Banded?? Only 25-30 Lbs To Lose.
Jean McMillan replied to janleefran's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
You're going to have to change your eating behavior whether you have bariatric surgery or not. Especially the part about wolfing down your food. That will cause big problems (and possible complications) when you're banded. You asked if you're crazy to have surgery and then answered defensively when other members gave you an honest answer. I don't want to intentionally hurt anyone's feelings, but I have to tell you that getting hurt feelings is pretty common in online groups like LBT. You just joined today, but I've been doing this for years, so take my word for it. And because I've been trashed far, far worse than you've been on this first post of yours, I'm not afraid to tell you that unless you have a medical condition that would be helped by weight loss or bariatric surgery (like diabetes), I think that bariatric surgery is a high price to pay for your vanity, even if it only cost you $1.00. That's because success after bariatric surgery has a very high cost in terms of education, lifestyle changes, aftercare, plus the time and expense of getting fills & unfills. Just my opinion, mind you. -
Am I Crazy To Get Banded?? Only 25-30 Lbs To Lose.
Toddy replied to janleefran's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
You asked, we're answering. You are obviously a very fit and presumably healthy person if you are doing this only for cosmetic reasons. Most of us that are willing to go through this surgery and live with this band are doing it for health reasons. I only(?) had 70 pounds to lose, but I had high blood pressure which was not easily controlled with meds; I also have/had chronic back problems from a back injury years ago. Many people think being banded is "taking the easy way out" for weight loss. All of us bandsters know better. If you weigh the life changes, the surgical risks, the risk of complications down the road with the band, most of us don't see it as being worth a 20 - 30 pound loss. However, it's your decision, and if you think it's worth it, go for it. But I, too, would question a doctor that would preform major surgery on someone with a normal BMI and no co-morbidities. Just my opinion. -
Hello, I am 72 y/o, banded in 2009. I met insurance guidelines due to having new diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension. I understood the Band was a tool to assist in developing a healthy life style, however, class and manufacture information did not fully disclose potential complications that other's experienced and had disclosed years before 2009. As with most of you I attempted to follow instructions and dietary recommendations. However, multi-complications occurred from 6-8 weeks post-op. 2013 -2014 I read a couple of articles stating the Medical device manufacturers had been subpoenaed by the U.S. government regarding problems with its Lap-Band weight loss device, and it’s link to a high rate of complications and a number of deaths. I approach a Law Firm as to whether they were forming a class action lawsuit due to lap band being a defective produce. And informed no such filing were being done at that time. I also filed a complaint with the FDA (www/fda.gov), because of complications. At this time, I am not sure if the government has completed their investigation and order a recall of all brands of the Lap-Band. Lawsuits were allowed relating to Vaginal Mesh as well as Talcum Powder; now something need to be done about the manufactures of the Lap Band, especially failure to fully disclose potential injuries and etc. File a compliant with the FDA.
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I am becoming increasingly annoyed by older people on this site. Though it is not the intention of some posters, many people come off very condescending in their responses. I am twenty three, my way of life is different than someone who is in their late thirties and forties. My relationship with things like alcohol is different. If someone posts that they just turned twenty one or are about to turn twenty one, I am not going to berate them because of their desire to be a normal twenty year old. I will let them know the complications and that certain things will not work with having surgery. Support. Not tell them they are an alcoholic and have a problem. My rant got a bit specific but is anyone else having these problems/frustrations?
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Would you do it again?
MichiganChic replied to KellieCanDo's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
You can research this topic and probably find many similar threads with thousands of answers. But to answer your question, yes, I would do it again, but I didn't always say that. In the beginning I worried a lot, and I wasn't sure I would do it again.I feared I would develop a leak, but at the point in my life I was, I felt the risk was worth the potential benefit. I had a complication of an infected incision post op that took about 7 weeks to heal. That infection really reminded me that while the risk of complications is pretty low, it DOES happen, and when it does, it's 100% you. In comparison and now that it's over, it was a pretty mild complication, but still frightening while it's going on because you don't know that you'll be OK. I also had a lot of weight to lose, so in the early days, I feared every pound lost would be my last, and I didn't want to have put myself through all of that for nothing. Now at 16 months out, I feel great and I'm happy that I did it. I know that I'd still be 300 pounds and miserable. I used to always be on a diet, miserable because I was hungry AND fat. Now I still have to stay on a diet, though I'm much less hungry, and at least I'm thin while I'm doing it, so I'm not miserable about it. I've had to permanently change my life style to accommodate the changes I made to my body and it's not easy, but it was worth it to me. So a couple of things to consider - What is your risk tolerance - is the risk worth the benefit to you? And, can you make the changes you need to make to succeed? Good luck to you! -
I was sleeved exactly 2 months prior to my wife. My surgery and recovery were textbook...zero complications. Now my wife on the other hand...let's just say when I read your post, I almost said, "Honey, is that you???". LOL She also had hernia repair (two) and an issue getting enough fluids. It took about a month for me to sleep with both eyes closed (in her state of mind, she was not to be trusted! ), however she is doing great now and that early period is a distant memory. I pray you have a speedy recovery and hope you have the same outcome as my bride. She is now 9 months out and we're lovin' life! Good luck!
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What made you choose this surgery vs others?
Pinkgirl1234 replied to bigjim1's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
You can't speak on bypass complications if you don't have a bypass.I had a bypass and I have no complications. -
I had two weeks of a low-carb, high-Protein diet pre-op -- but NOT liquid. There isn't anything magic about liquids pre-op, at least not to my surgeon and dietician. I did great and my surgeon has an exceptionally low complication rate overall.
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Well, everyone's procedure varys. As an example, I was banded on 11/11/2008 and had some complications during surgery and in the hospital. So, I stayed in the hospital for 2.5 days. That is not the norm, and nor did I expect this to happen. I am not sure how long it took the surgeon to complete my surgery. My spleen started to bleed during the prcoedure and they had to get the bleeding under control. But all is well now. I am jogging, losing weight, and have lots of energy. Good luck!
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December 8th Sleevers......
Cutepretty1 replied to Cutepretty1's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
@@tera1982 thank God I'm not having any issues with my intake but I tell you this sleeve is like a baby.....it wants to be fed and burped (walking). I was awake at 3am feeding on some sugar free jello which helped calm the growling. I'm just praying and hoping that we are free of all complications. Not to mention I have a drain that won't get removed until next Wednesday and that area is causing me discomfort. I believe after I get the drain removed I will feel like a new woman. Are you taking your pain meds? -
I am 5 weeks out and I can barely get in 1/4 cup of Soup, and I can get in about 1 to 1 to 1.25 ounces of Tuna with ff mayo & 3 teaspoons of 1% cottage cheese. I also had hernia repair, adhesion removal and some serious complication that caused my surgery to run to 7 hours, when the anesthesiologist dropped the esophageal tube into my stomach while the doctor was stapling and it got stapled in me. It took 5 hours for them to remove it and I think there was some compromise of the size going from my esophagus into my stomach, though I was told there was none. I just started pureed foods so it's definitely harder to tell. I was only able to eat 1/2 cup of sf pudding at a time, but I did get an entire pudding cup down, so that's a big improvement for me. I have Lupus, so I think I'm a slower healer also.
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[HELP] My Wife is questioning my need for Gastric Bypass Surgery :(
Rob_Zak replied to Rob_Zak's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Thanks a lot. I will reach out to the doctor. By the way, I have BUPA gold coverage. I am just waiting for the 12 months waiting period to pass (5 more months to go). I am hoping that the process to get BUPA to approve is not complicated. Do you have an idea about that? I tried to chat to BUPA about the process and the pre-requisites but no one gave a satisfactory answer. -
When do I stop regretting my Gastric Bypass?
The Candidate replied to Veiados's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
The first month or so is tough, but I've never regretted it once. At five months out I find myself unconsciously avowing day to day that "I'm never letting this new body go". And I'm not even at goal yet. I love how I feel, how I look, and how much easier it makes everything. I was lucky that I didn't have any complications and I've never dumped. But please try and hang in there. One day soon the worst will be behind you and you'll realize just what a gift this surgery can be! -
Is it possible that I got big just because I love food?
Kindle replied to Goddardgo's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I think Michiganchic got it right. We are all individuals and there are many different factors contributing to obesity. Whether it's genetics, bad eating habits, or mental issues, each factor has varying degrees of influence on each individual. They even think GI flora plays a roll. Look how different people react to stress...my work partner can't eat and she exercises like crazy when she's sad or stressed. Meanwhile, I stuff my face. (And these are "normal" day to day stresses, not major "need to be in therapy" stresses.) Even look how each of us handle the experience post op....there are individuals that are thrilled with their sleeve maybe even despite complications. They adapt to the required life changes with little drama. There are others that get depressed and feel like failures when they hit a stall. And still others that regret the decision simply because they miss food. Even the success stories are different..some track everything, some train for marathons, some simply eat healthy and never bother to count or weigh anything. Some people can eat an occasional dessert while others must avoid carbs at all costs. The reactions to getting thinner and healthier are at least as diverse as the ways we got obese in the first place. -
Doctor pro band, I was thinking sleeve
VSGAnn2014 replied to Leesa926's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
For those of you whose surgeons are leaning heavily toward one WLS vs. others, ask them these simple questions: 1. How many lapband surgeries have you done? 2. How many sleeve surgeries have you done? 3. How many gastric bypasses have you done? You can also ask questions like these: 4. When did you perform your first X surgery? 5. Which of the surgeries seems to have more complications? 6. If you have a preference, why do you prefer that specific tool? 7. To which kinds of patients would you recommend they have X, Y, Z WLS procedures? And to which kinds of patients would you strongly argue against their having X, Y, Z WLS surgeries? In other words, don't just let the surgeon(s) you're interviewing blurt out some generic, general statement -- without you then asking some follow-up, probing questions until you really understand what they believe and why they believe it. It's your stomach. Become your own healthcare advocate and collaborator. It's how healthcare is delivered best these days. -
PKB said: You mentioned..."If that happens, you'll be in the same place as you would be post-revision with an infection." - I'm not sure what you mean? Knee revision or Sleeve revision? What I meant by that is that if you don't have any kind of WLS, you will probably not lose a significant amount of weight, which would lead to another knee replacement in the future. I read your OP as you being worried that an infection from a leak would lead to a knee replacement, so I wondered whether you'd end up having to do the knee replacement whether you had WLS/sleeve or not. My point is that your weight is damaging the knees anyway, so it might be worth the risk to have the sleeve, especially if it helps you take off the weight and allows you to keep the current knee replacements longer than normal. As for finding Tiffykins' leak story, I believe she has parts of it posted in her profile and I know that she has posted extensively about her journey. To use the search function, you need to go to the forums home page, then do the search so that you can search for her posts. There are other band to sleeve revisions who have had some complications, but Tiffykins is the one whose name came to mind first for me. As I said, you definitely want to discuss this risk with your surgeon and your medical posse (stole that term from Eggface, y'all!) to see if the risk/benefit ratio is acceptable to you! Good luck whatever you decide!
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Inform Me About Leaks, Please?
CowgirlJane replied to meyouus's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I am not trying to talk you into anything, but I don't agree that it is "very difficult and unpleasant". I think you get a skewed view because people tend to post asking for help at their lowest moments and then shouting for joy at the victories. Yes, some people do have complications. Yes, some people have a real struggle adjusting to eating less (the mental side of it). Some people need somewhere to vent and so they come here to whine. I have seen more then one post titled "I am going to die" or "worst decision of my life" and then a few weeks (or days) later that person is happy and fine. I think that going through this process can trigger a little high drama for some folks. I am not discounting that people do sometimes have serious complications, but honestly, that is few people. Reality of it is most days are just somewhere in between and you don't hear about it! I love being free from the drive to eat. That felt like a prison the same way the excess weight did. My personal experience - it is a lot easier then the band. The band was both difficult, unpleasant and I didn't have great losses and still just wanted to eat all the time. With the sleeve, I don't have any of the negatives other then being really pretty tired the first month or two. of course, you do have to give up overeating.... so that can be hard. Not only that, you really do need to eat the RIGHT foods and follow the rules. I guess it just depends on the alternatives available to you. I couldn't lose weight any other way anymore (tried em all!) and I am so happy that losing 100# in 7 months has given me my life back. -
Thank you for the links. I am more than willing to risk the complications for the benefits of the surgery. My concern is that right now my surgery is scheduled 24 days prior to my wedding. So I am trying to decide if the risks are worth taking before the wedding. Having the surgery scheduled when it is works best for work and making the life changes I am trying to make for us as a couple to make this successful. That is if everything goes well. If I get a complication and have to be in the hospital for several weeks that would obviously not be good for the wedding situation. When I had my beginning appointments it was very positive regarding the timing and that they didn't think it would be a big deal to have it when it is scheduled. Today I got a call saying that the team had their mandatory meeting to discuss the case and now they wanted me to rethink the timing "just in case." So it made start to question my decision.
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Fill doctor put the fear in me about food quantity! CONFUSED.
Persimmon replied to Constance's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Any doctor telling you that you as a bandster should be eating 1/4-1/2 cup of food per meal has been improperly trained about banding. Period. That is from RNY protocols. Properly restricted bandsters eat between 1 to 1 1/2 cups per meal, get 50-60g protein from solid foods, 1200-1500 cal/day, sensible healthy balanced diet. Anyone feeling full on 1/4-1/2 cup meals is basically too tight which leads to banding complications. Banding is about sensible loss...attempting to starve it off with these instructions will put the body into starvation mode and make proper loss difficult if not impossible. The RNY confuses the body so that this is avoided during the initial honeymoon but that is not the case with bandsters. Gah...doctors...they get no education in nutrition in med school then are too big of control freaks to deligate that patient education to the people who DO have the education. Nancy -156 -
Lap Band workec for me but so wortiec
DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! replied to Joy1961's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
If you lost all your weight and have no problems, why would you question your choice? The majority of band problems are patient failures not band failures. Statistically speaking, only 5% of band patients have serious complications by no fault of their own. Here's the study: http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/ -
My sleeve, I don't think it will kill your chances. Just follow the plan from now on. I believe you have enough time to empty your stomach. Salonboi my doctor has cancelled surgeries the day of surgery if patients have eaten too much. They know and put us on the pre op plan for a reason. Mainly to prevent complications and shrink the liver. The size of your liver is determined in proportion to your body. They assess the situation beforehand when they put you on your plan.
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I can totally relate to your post. I had a very difficult surgery (mine was a revision from band to sleeve) in November and had a 4 day hospital stay due to complications. I too had severe swelling and wasn't able to get any liquids in (other than IV's) the first three days. I would try and it would come right back out. I had an Upper GI done and it showed there was no passage way due to the swelling..... So, I just had to wait for the swelling to go down. When I was about a week out, I fell into a terrible depression (despite being on Zoloft) and to just wait it out. I remember crying because I was thinking about my dog, who is 8, would die in several years. I have no reason to believe this, except she's 8 but she's healthy. I'm just mentioning this because a lot of what I felt was just emotion and not rational at all. My hormones were all over the place, I was sore, tired and HUGRY and I lost my most basic coping skill, eating for comfort. As far as sleeping, I asked my primary to prescribe Ambien to help me sleep and she did. I have always struggled with insomnia but after surgery it was ridiculous and this was really helpful. I am a side sleeper as well and couldn't sleep in my bed for about 4 weeks. I slept in a recliner with pillows and that made for a comfortable night sleep. There is light.... I know it feels dark and hopeless in the moment but you will make it through to the other side.
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Help!! What is wrong with me??? Eating w/in days of post-op
Tiffykins replied to jmgsearch's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Clean the junk food out of the house. Leave and go for a walk when your family eats. Your staple line is still healing. Food particles can get lodged in there, cause a severe infection, and possibly lead to a leak. Speaking from experience, a leak is not fun at all. If you think you can't live without food right now, get a leak, and postpone your healing even longer. I wasn't able to consume anything, liquid, ice chips, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING by mouth for 21 days due to having a leak after my revision from band to the sleeve. **Edit to add** I developed the leak because of the damage the band did to my stomach. I was only 2 days post-op, and still was not able to eat or drink anything when the leak was found on my 3rd and final leak test a couple of hours before I was discharged. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, and tell that everything will be okay. Surgeons have post-op diets for a reason. It isn't to punish you, or make you miserable. Your body, mainly your stomach has been through a traumatic experience, and you have to allow it proper healing time. Find a nutritionist/dietician, and a counselor/therapist if you aren't already working with someone to work on the mental aspect of this huge lifestyle change. I was not willing to "cheat" and risk another leak, or further complication because I couldn't keep crap food out of my mouth. It just isn't worth it especially considering you are a self-pay patient. I agree with the sugar-free popsicles, Protein drinks, try the Special K protein Water packets and SF Jello. Also, Edy's NO sugar-added fruit bars are wonderfully yummy, and help me stay off the sweets.
