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Aculberg! I'm going to Salt Lake Regional and Drs Cottam and Richards, too! And, yes, it is more than a little difficult to connect with the office! The gal that usually does all of the coordinating stuff is on maternity leave until July. Have you seen them at all yet? Do you have a preference as to which surgeon? I've done my initial consult, psych eval, nutritionist, and exercise consults, and had an esophageal scope because of GERD. Just need to get the last few paper hoops done, and the last couple of phone calls connect with the office. (Both docs are taking vacation in June, too, so that complicates it a little more!) Keep in touch!

Funny, One search of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery produced this article. http://asmbs.org/201...hed-procedures/ Third sentence in.... "is as safe or safer than laparoscopic gastric bypass or gastric banding" Don't get me wrong, I am an advocate for what one feels will work for them. I know someone who has been quite successful with little to no complications with the gastric band, I know a few people who are the same with gastric bypass. My mother had a very early version of gastric banding and it nearly killed her when it closed up and they had to flight for life her 250 miles away to a specialist because our town, at the time, didn't have surgeons who dealt with that kind of issue. That was probably 10 years ago, and around 12 years post op from the original surgery, but I am fairly certain she would have adamantly been opposed to the idea of me getting lap band because of her experience. On the other hand I know someone who is quite large who had the sleeve done in January as a first step in the DS. He had a tremendous amont of complications, but he was also around 500-600#. He had a type of resistant bacterial infection that nearly killed him, and 7 months later is still in the process of wound healing. His surgeons have already said he is going to have to get the sleeve to work, because if they risk another surgery it could kill him. He has lost nearly 200# and as far as the sleeve goes is doing well.

This doubt and fear seems to be just a normal part of the preparation process. Do as they others say, go to the information session and listen carefully to what they say. Don't cloud your mind at that time with doubts.... really LISTEN. It takes most of us a while to wrap our heads around this thing... cutting out a huge chunk of a major organ... fear of complications... fear of not waking up... fear of death...fear of ending up worse off than when we started... Keep seeking information, it's the key to a solid decision. Good luck!

I had my band removed and sleeved on 12/19. I was unfilled completely in October due to dilation. No real complications and I'm hungry as hell at times. But after about 4/5 bites I'm full.

Thanks for asking this question. I'm being sleeved on Thursday and I'm a worrier. I know that the most likely complication from the surgery (aside from dehydration) is a leak, so I was wondering what it felt like so I could tell the normal aches and pains from a leak. It sounds like a "if you have it, you'll know it" situation -- it doesn't sound like the symptoms are at all subtle.

Not sure I have anything to add... 1) Less invasive surgery - no cutting & re-routing of organs & therefore much safer 2) Adjustable as weight drops 3) Reversible if necessary 4) While the weight loss is slower, the end results 5 yrs out are similar. 5) No malabsorption issues, although I heard recently (on here?) that this is no longer the issue it used to be. Since I worried about my long term compliance with taking lifelong supplements. 6) Personally know people who have had life-threatening complications from RNY 7) Personally know people who have gained back their weight after successfully losing it with RNY My primary doc recently told me that every patient he has who has done the gastric bypass has ended up hospitalized with complications at some point. Whereas his patients with lapbands are doing great! (me included) Now he tells patients looking at WLS to do the band and avoid the RNY. Of course, I'm sure there are plenty of healthy, slender RNY patients out there or else they wouldn't still be offering the surgery. Still, I will freely admit that fear was definitely a part of my decision to go with banding. :thumbup:

There's been some patients that had part of the hospital bills from complications covered by insurance, but others have had complete exclusion of any complication bills being paid by insurance that do not cover the initial procedure. It seems it's all in how the hospital bills the charges, and how the doctor handles the complications. It's a tough situation to be in as I would not want bypass, and I would have self-paid for my revision if insurance would not have come through for me.

Had a complicated RNY on March 3rd. Doctor repaired multiple hernias, abrasions, and scar tissue as well as had to remove part of my stomach. Pain is pretty isolated to my packed wound (from where he removed my stomach). Looking forward to having a community that has gone through this at the same time.

Of course the nurses aren't going to give you crackers when you're on a liquid diet. Bet they were shaking their head at you. Follow the diet and instructions given to you. Do not advance your diet early or you'll increase your chances of complications substantially. Make sure you get your protein in as it aids in the healing process. I'm 7 weeks post op and still don't have an appetite. I'm on solids now. Focus on what you can have and not what you can't have. Best of luck! [emoji846]

I had a band in 3/12, port flips, slips you name it for complications. I could have won an award for slime queen, I was always hungry but unable to eat. I saw another doc on an emergency basis in Nov and he got approval for removal and switch to sleeve. We spent a lot of time discussing my situation and basically it boils down to this....some people's bodies just reject the mechanical device. Mine hated it and wanted it out. I was nervous about the sleeve but I went ahead with it. He did both on 12/13/12 (removal of band and sleeve) and I feel like my old self! (minus 30 lbs and all the food consumption). Good luck on your path whichever way you go!

I asked my surgeon abt the clear liquid rule the day I went in for surgery because I tried the clear Isopure ready made drinks and thought I was gonna die. He said as long as I'm mixing y protein with water it was absolutely fine. I trust my surgeon a tremendous amount. He is the director of the bariatric unit at the hospital and I have not had a single complication. I couldn't imagine not having him to turn to.

I hit wonderland too but so unhappy about just spending seven days in the hospital due to my sleeve narrowing where my band was that created scar tissue. I had to have another surgery last Wednesday to balloon it and get it open. I'm so depressed I don't even care about the weight. I had sleeve surgery five weeks ago and had such a hard time recovering and now this. By week five I was supposed to be on soft meats and advanced and I'm still on full liquids with all kinds of surgery pain again where they opened me up. I'm sorry I did this surgery and I'm in a very bad place mentally. I know one day I will be happy to be in wonderland. I'm just so sick and weak I can't be happy and wear jeans and be happy. So for the venting but I had to get it out.

Here is a scary story for you - this actually happened to me. 2004 - Lapband put in - no complications at first. Lost 50 lbs in 7 months. Then all of a sudden the band stopped working. Tried to get my surgeon to listen, but he was a jerk and just kept blaming me for not doing what I needed to do to lose the weight. All this despite the band not holding a fill for more than 1 day. Decided not to go back to my surgeon after trying to convince him to listen to me for 1 year. 2009 - Lapband taken out. Found the courage to go to another surgeon. He confirmed that the band was not working and needed to be replaced. He did surgery - took out the band and did NOT replace it. I asked him if there was a medical reason for not replacing it. He said no... 2011 - Lapband put in. Found the courage AGAIN...to go to another surgeon to have a band put back in. Band put in on April 6. Felt funny in the upper part of my stomach. Based on my previous band surgery, I felt that it was taking a very long time to heal. Due to the swelling and pain I was having post-op, I kept in contact with the doctor's office almost daily after my initial follow-up appointment after surgery. Week 4 post-op started having fever of 103...lasted 5 days. Band doctor insisted that it wasn't the band so I went to my primary care doctor. Got antibiotics from primary care for what they thought must have been pneumonia (by the way...I believe this 5 day Z-pak saved my life by buying me some time). Fever never broke completely. Pain got so bad - ended up in ER. They could not find the problem. Band doctor insisted it was my gallbladder even though all tests ran by other doctors (CT, MRI, Hida Scan, Blood Tests, etc.) indicated the gallbladder was fine. Finally, after living with the pain for 6 weeks I called the band doctor's office and told them that they would be performing an exploratory surgery on me THAT DAY!!! As it was on a Friday, they tried to tell me that I would have to wait until the following Monday to be seen. I DID NOT WAIT and they DID the surgery as soon as I got to the hospital. Turned out that I had a horrible infection - ended up in the hospital for 5 days - touch and go a couple of times. The infection was a result of the surgeon perforating my stomach while putting in the band. I ended up losing my gallbladder due to the infection infiltrating it. Here I am on short term disability - 3 weeks post-op and still having problems. Ended up with another infection at the scar site. Band doc had to cut my skin open so that the infection could drain. Waiting on that to get better now. I do not know how long this is going to take to get completely better...BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS - DO NOT GET A REPLACEMENT FOR A BAND THAT WAS REMOVED!!! The scar tissue can contribute to the complications of the surgery. My family is too important to me to EVER try something stupid like weight-loss surgery again. I think the "Big Guy" was giving me the signal that I need to accept who I am and be happy with my life. I hope this story will help...blessing to all.

I was banded November, 2008. The first year and a half was great. I was loosing weight and did not have much heartburn. I then had my first prolapse and the doctor removedl all of the Fluid from my band to give my stomach time to correct itself. After 6 weeks the swelling went down and I was able to have fluid put back in the band. A few months later I suffered another prolapse and ended up in the ER. Had all the fluid removed again and waited 8 weeks and the swelling went down and I was able to have fluid slowly added. Then I had my 3rd prolapse in March of this year and it was really bad. I was throwing up and choking in my sleep. Doctor once again removed all of the fluid and asked if I wanted to have it removed or wait another 6 weeks to see if the problem corrected itself. I really did not want to have the band removed for fear of gaining the weight back. I chose to wait. Things did get better for a few weeks and now I am prolapsed again and it is the worse it has ever been. I am scheduled for removal next week and it can't happen fast enough. I have not been able to sleep for about a week and a half now. I am sleeping on the sofa with the pillows behind me so that I am sitting straight up and I am still throwing up and choking in my sleep. I sleep for about an hour and then I wake up choking and it takes about 20 of coughing to get my lungs clear of the stomach acid. I constantly feel like my throat is swelling shut and I have a lump in the back of my throat. I am able to eat/drink very little. I have resorted back to the soft food phase of the the post-op diet. I have lost a significant amount of weight, but I still have about 60 lbs to loose. I am trying to remain positive and focus on the weight I have lost. My fear now is gaining the weight back. I was debating having gastric sleeving, but I am hesitant because there is a greater risk for complications or infections because I have had the lap band. Also, I am fearful because the sleeve is not reversable. I am going to try on my own after the removal, but I am fearful. I really need to get this band out, because I feel like my body is trying to push it out on its own. I really thought I would be at my goal weight by now and I didn't think I would be having surgery for removal. gena2431

It's complicated to explain. It stands for biliary pancreatic diversion with duvoal switch. Similar to a gastric bypass but more weight loss expectations and lower risk of regaining weight. Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

I am pursuing surgery in Mexico mid November 2013 (next month). I have to buy a new individual health insurance policy on my state's exchange as soon as possible to start on January 1, 2014. My state is not going to cover bariatric surgery with exchange policies, but I did find out that our exchange policies will cover revisions to weight loss surgery if they are needed to correct a life-threatening condition. A big boasting point of the various "exchange" policies and ACA in general is that pre-existing conditions can no longer be excluded from insurance coverage. I thought it stood to reason that if they HAVE to take me starting January 1 and if I JUST HAPPENED to have had VSG right before they take me on, then if I have a complication they can't refuse to take care of me. A fellow sleever shared a spread sheet with all of the states' intended policies back in June 2013. I can't get the url to post right now but if you search Obamacare in the forums it will come up. I welcome any research along these lines that anyone wants to share -- I am dying to buy a policy and get it in hand to look over because I know you can send them back after a few days and get a different one if you don't like the details. (I have tried to sign up for an exchange policy every day since October 1st... some days I have gotten further in to the process but I've always ended up with a "sign-up process failed -- try again" message so far. I figure it will work soon/eventually --so I will keep up with my daiily Quest , lol.)

I so totally agree with you. I want to hear/read any informative issues people have with their process, complications, goals, achievements, etc, don't care about their personal life per se. I am 71 and lately have been reading so much petty c..p that I'm thinking this is a forum for a bunch of teenagers. Love your post.

Just wanted to point out that choosing the right surgeon - one with lots of experience and associated with a center for excellence - can drastically reduce your risk of complications. Even my insurance company's website recommends researching and choosing an experienced surgeon because - in their exact words - there is definitely a 'learning curve' in weight loss surgery. Choosing the right surgeon is probably the most important first step.

After 2.5 years of trying to get a normal relationship with my mom, it has all hit the fan again. I can't even express my hurt, and true anger. I don't know if we'll ever get passed all of this, and if we do it isn't going to happen anytime soon. Why does life have to be so difficult? Why can't we just get a long? When will I learn that it will never change? Happily, I'm not seeking comfort in food. But, I am tired of allowing her to hurt me. I'm tired of trying to have a normal relationship and getting backhanded comments, and mean-spirited things said to me. I tried to talk to her about it tonight, and it turned into a huge clusterf*ck. Now, I'm stuck going to Texas without John because he can't get leave, and nowhere to really stay because I don't want to stay with her after this episode. It's so complicated, and I'm so hurt. I don't think I'll ever be able to have a normal, healthy relationship with my mom. I've already lost the relationship with my father. I just want normalcy, and will admit that I am so jealous of other girls that have great relationships with their mothers. I am so confused, and hurt. . .

I was self pay and the Dr office. Offered bliss ins for complications it was like 1500 I regretted not getting I spent 3 no in hospital two add surgeries and feeding tube wound vac for four months over 600,000 in Med bills ins wasn't going to pay finally they did but with lots of hassles wish I would of bought the ins so ask about iy

thanks for your reply. I really am impressed with your weight loss- it looks like it was successful for you. that is all I can hope for- and I will use all the tools that are supportive for me including lapbanders, OA and Weight Watchers. I do think I can get a lot out of OA and it might help me with issues- but the fact that almost everyone is so negative got me really nervous last night. I just am worried that i will still be eating if i am bored/emotional and so the band wont work. i also worry about complications and the discipline involved and hope i can do it. i will need a LOT of support. thanks again Karen:thumbup:

You were vague about what she is actually eating, regular foods encompasses everything.. I would be concerned about causing complications as well as sabotaging any chance that she will benefit from the surgery and lose weight. Is she meeting her protein and water goals? Is she at the very least choosing healthy foods? I think you need to discuss this with her doctor or nut.

Year three was brutal - not for the reasons I have seen from any other sleever out there. In my third year I was taken off my b12 injections and moved to oral b12 - it turns out I don't absorb oral b12 even at high doses. I do not fully understand why, but the method of testing for b12 deficiency is highly inaccurate (if you are getting sufficient dietary b12 you get a falsely high reading, the test itself is accurate 40% +/- which is a huge variation, and it when your b12 level dramatically changes the test somehow "reads" the b12 in your body 6 months previously rather than the current level). Due to my undiagnosed deficiency I spent three months in a wheelchair, saw 9 doctors in numerous specialties, and was ultimately hospitalized for a week before a doctor figured out the correct test to order. The result didn't come back until I was home from the hospital because it takes two weeks to process, and during that time I was incorrectly diagnosed and told I would never walk again. For anyone wondering, the truly useful b12 test looks at MMA levels! I have permanent nerve damage to my hands and feet, have some level of constant pain, but am walking up to a couple miles on good days. The other development was constant fatigue, nearly fainting on a regular basis, and becoming underweight (of all bizarre things!!). I saw doctor after doctor, was in the ER a few times , and couldn't figure it out. Finally the nutritionist recommended monitoring my blood sugar based on the stats about sleever complications. It turns out I have very severe hypoglycemia. It isn't the typical reactive hypoglycemia that sleeves are prone to - where in response to food the pancreas overproduces insulin. Instead, my pancreas overproduces insulin day and night. My blood sugar never gets very high, and randomly drops low - in my sleep, watching TV, in response to exercise, etcetera. I spent a week on a 24 hour blood glucose monitor and found that my blood glucose drops below 55 every day repeatedly, and often drops below 45 and even into the 30's. I am still figuring out why. The important point for other sleevers is to be aware that reactive hypoglycemia occurs around 18 months post-sleeve in 18% of us. I am here to say that hypoglycemia can be a HUGE problem! My research says that most sleevers will have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means won't realize they have low blood sugar until there is a true medical emergency. I recommend to be on the lookout - that is 1 out of 5 of us, and the effects can be pretty severe. As sick as I have been in the third year I would still get the sleeve again. I am happily remarried. My relationships have improved with both friends and family. I know that I can conquer things that I never though possible, and where I would have given up in the past I have the confidence to continue today. I hold my head high, no longer look away when I see someone, and have stopped the negative inner dialogue that followed me everywhere. My preference is that year four is a year of health and healing - and if I could put on some muscle and gain a little weight I would be thrilled.

Ok. Glad we got that sorted out. May I offer a bit of advice? You may hear stories, but there are some important things to keep in mind. Many of the stories people pass on are about a friend of a friend's 2nd cousin (or some such distant relationship) who supposedly had such and such a problem. The first problem is that the facts are often distorted and exaggerated in the retelling because everyone loves to tell a good dramatic story, especially if they are trying to persuade you not to have surgery. You can never be sure what their agenda may be. The second problem is that you never know the details of the other person's physical condition, their age, any co-morbidities which may have contributed to the situation, how well they followed their program before and after surgery, whether they followed the surgeon's instructions precisely---or did they do something stupid like not going to the ER when complications arose or tried to eat a steak 2 days after surgery, etc.... Some people make mind-boggling choices. A friend of my family developed an infection and blood clot after surgery. It was a weekend and instead of following her doctor's instructions and calling him to report any problem or going to the ER when she had very clear symptoms of a clot and an infection, she decided not to disturb her doctor on the weekend with a phone call and not to spend $75 to go to the ER. She died when the clot broke loose. She was a warm and wonderful woman, but she made two terrible choices. Sad, but her story doesn't signify anything for your likely journey other than a warning to call your doctor or go to the ER if you have concerns. So while such stories may make you aware of some potential complications or issues, your journey will be very specifically your own, depending on your condition and history and how well you do with your program. There is so much to learn about WLS and the lifestyle changes you have to make before surgery and every day of your life thereafter. It's good to seek out information, but try to keep a balanced view and don't add unnecessarily to your own natural jitters by filling your mind with supposed horror stories. They bring you down and sap your energy just when you need to be focused on your own health and well-being. All that said, if you read the thousands of posts on this forum and several similar ones you'll learn an awful lot about the challenges people have faced, as well as see the support they've gotten and how they have worked towards solutions. I hope this helps and that you will enjoy your journey and have the weight loss you seek. I sailed through surgery and recovery, even though I am older and have heart trouble, and am so thrilled with the results. I wish you similar happiness!

What room is the complication thread in?