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I started my bariatric journey absolutely sure that I was going to do the DS. (We had friends who had done it - as in the whole family, parents and kids - and were thrilled with the results, and that's what even got me to consider bariatric surgery.) But my surgeon (pretty much the only one in my area who had experience with DS and could accept my insurance) refused to allow me to do DS - said it was too extreme for someone with my BMI (around 40 at the time), and offered me the choice of either band or sleeve. I knew that lots of people were unhappy with the band, so decided to go with the sleeve. Truthfully, now I'm so happy that I did that and not DS. My weight loss is going really well, and the idea of having to swallow all those pills (I can't even get in my multivitamin every day) - ugh! Despite certain issues with my sleeve (very restrictive, quite a bit of throwing up), I still LOVE it.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 31 months ago and I would recommend GB or sleeve over LB. I have encountered too many patients who had LB and later had to have a revision because of problems with LB. You might also start attending bariatric surgery support group meetings. Generally these are held once per month and are free. That will allow you to meet and talk with people who either are undergoing this process or have recently had surgery.

I saw my surgeon for the last time about 3 weeks after surgery when he was making sure I was healing well and everything was ok. He told me that he hoped he'd never see me again because if he did, it meant I was having difficulties that would most likely need surgery. Fills are done by either a tech or the same nurse who assists him in surgery. They only do fills on Tuesdays and I drive about 80 miles one way to the bariatric clinic. Once I hit my sweet spot, they tell me I probably won't need to see them but every 6 months or so as I lose weight and need (or maybe not) an adjustment to the fill. Why do you think your band is malfunctioning? No offense intended but having the band removed seems an overreaction. Remind yourself why you had this done...and then just tell yourself that it is done and move forward. .

I will be starting the process for Weight-Loss Surgery!!!! I get my email for orientation for the classes I will be taking at Kaiser Permanente by email.

I have also already done the sleep study! 2 things off the list I have diabetes, sleep apnea, infertility, depression and occasional incontinence. My bmi is 61.8%. I don't think I will have to jump thru too many hoops. My insurance company is actually all for me having the surgery. They have been so helpful I can't believe it! They have gone above and beyond to help me get all the information that I would need to choose a hospital and a surgeon. They sent me a copy of their entire policy for bariatric surgery. I think they looked at my $600 a week insulin regimen and realized that this was going to save them a ton of green hahaha. It's the only time in my life this fat has ever come in handy.

I had to do a 6 month supervised diet, which was started in Feb, as a requirement with Aetna. The first couple months I lost weight when I checked in with my doc. When I went in May I had gained weight. I had my birthday and fond out that the hospital where my surgery would happen was not under contract with my insurance. I went thru a few weeks of being mad, and upset. But once I talked with the insurance they said they were renegotiating and might be under contract again. So I continued to see my primary for my check ins just in case, but I didn't move forward with anything that would cost me money. I then found out early August that they contract was back in place so I moved ahead and finished what I had left to do to submit to insurance which was just my psych eval, So then everything was submitted and I was approved in less than two weeks. I was never told that I had to lose a certain amount, and I think I ended up right where I was when I first weighed in at my bariatric doctor, or at least within a few pounds.

I was surprised that is took about 2 weeks to get the insurance OK. My GP had called the insurance before I began with the bariatric doctor and had is ok'd. After I had all my test results it was about 2 weeks. @DelongH you do have quite a bit going! Good luck with the move and the end of the year!

Ok here goes, i was banded june of 2010, i weighed 215, i did fine and lost 60 lbs over the last two years, then in october of 2012 i felt i was more hungry and was putting on a little weight so i went to my gastro for a fill, when the asst dr looked at the band under floro i was told it had prolapsed and all the Fluid had to be removed for one month, i was pretty bummed to say the least, after the month i had gained 10lbs and they put a couple ccs in the band, sfter a couple weeks of no restriction i went back to be told it had prolapsed again, fluid was removed again for one month (this of course was during all the eating holidays of course) i went back in dec and had it filled again, again no restriction even though they say looking at the band under fluro that it is tight enough!!, finally in febuary of 2013 i went back to see the surgeon himself instead of his assistances and told him about everything that had been happening, he pulled up the photos of the past fills and unfills and said it had NOT prolapsed!!!! he took me down to radiology and under fluro checked with blue dye and confirmed all was well he put me to 3ccs and said i was tight!!! well guess what?? i have absoulutly no restriction what so ever and have gained 30 lbs through this mess and have during this mess i had new insurance with no bariatric coverage and recieved a bill foe 1700.00 for all the times i was back and forth for fills!!! i have gotten so desperate i purchased 19 gauge 1.5 inch needles and saline and am planning on adding a fill by myself!!!! PLEASE anyone that can add insight to any of this please help i am desperate, frustrated and fat again,!!!!! PS every time i went back in i was questioned about my eating and made to feel this was my fault and i have to do better, WELL hello i am obviuosly an overeater and had the lapband fpr help in this area!!!

Hello Everyone, I just had my gastric sleeve done on 02/28. To date so far I have lost 13 pounds in on week. I have about a 130 pounds to lose but I am happy I am on my way. I really dont have much pain. I am little slow moving around because I still have a little discomfort. The first week was a little difficult because whenever I would eat or drink I would get a bubble feeling in my chest. After reading many of the posts I started taking prilosec. It has helped tremendously! I am getting ready to start walking everyday and once I am feeling better I will start running. I am not starving but the smell of food I used to eat does attract to me but I am still staying on course. My only problem has been the Protein shakes. I was taking the Bariatric Advantage shakes but they are just disgusting to me now. I also tried the Isopure but I cant stand it. So now I am doing the Atkins and muscle Mlike shakes. At first I was having some regrets but after seeing my weight loss in the last week I am feeling much better.

I have scheduled my Revision surgery (Sept. 10) with Dr. Ortiz and Obesity Control Center in Tijuana. His clinic has designated as an ICE (International Center of Excellence). Dr. Ortiz was selected by Newsweek Magazine as one of the top Bariatric surgeons in America. I had my lapband done with Dr. Ortiz in 2007... and was completely impressed with him and his center. My Mom went with me (she's a nurse) and she was blown away by their professionalism and first class operation. Unfortunately, the Lapband didn't work for me... so, I am choosing to have the Revision surgery to Vertical Sleeve with Dr. Ortiz also. Every question that I have asked has been answered in a timely and understandable manner. I researched and researched... and have decided to stick with Dr. Ortiz and Obesity Control Center. They might be a little more expensive than some other surgeons... but, I believe he is worth every penny. Good luck to all and I hope to meet some of you in Tijuana! Cheers, Dottie

I had a lap band put in last year. Now I feel like I was duped. The office said they had 2 board certified surgeons and we would always have access to good post op care. That turned out to be not the case at all. They had 2 surgeons, but one of them is away on an indefinite leave, so there is just one. The office keeps soliciting new patients, which takes up all the time of the only remaining surgeon. For my post op care all I can ever get is a nurse who doesn't want to hear any questions that are beyond his nursing ability. So I am stuck with a malfunctioning band and a nurse who can only put liquids in and take liquids out, each time I have to pay for the visit, and he is extremely rough in the way he handles the band. This is a small town in Virginia, so the nearest other bariatric facility is about 70 miles away. If the office would have been more honest up front I would not have had the procedure. I am seriously considering having the band removed (at the facility 70 miles away so it can be done by a surgeon, not a nurse) because I cannot get post op care from a qualified physician in this town. Just venting.

Welcome SBSheila, I live in Morro Bay and I chose Dr. Cirangle at http://www.lapsf.com/dr-cirangle-your-bariatric-doctor-for-weight-loss-surgery.php. He is in SF and has done over 1700 VSG's. He sees patients in Templeton, 20 min. from my home. Well worth it not to have to drive.

I need some advice and to vent a little. I am scheduled with Dr. Aceves for sleeve revision on May 10th. I have researched the hell out of him and have found nothing bad at all. Part of the prerequisite was for me to get my band unfilled. This past weekend I had my appointment with my American bariatric surgeon (who did not place my lap-band) and he unfilled me. He asked why I was getting unfilled and I told him I was having revision in Mexico with Dr. Aceves. He then proceeded to scare the **** out of me by telling me stories of patients he has known of who have had leaks months afterward from getting surgery in Mexico and/or dying on the OR table. He said getting a virgin sleeve or lap-band is fine in Mexico but begged and pleaded with me not to get a revision. He said that it is incredibly risky and dangerous and that I will be screwed if something happens to me once I get home. I talked to him about it more and he said that since the doc is not looking at my lap band beforehand that ought to give me a clue that I am not in good hands. He said they will just work around any complications and that could make it worse. He also said he could do my revision (here in the US) for the same price as Dr. Aceves is charging me. I completely agreed to all of this and have been talking to his office and scheduler. It has been three days and I am still waiting to hear from them on what hospital he will perform the surgery at and exactly how much. It will be one of three hospitals in the LA area. Anyhow, I am not sure what to do. I am pretty sure Dr. Aceves has more experience with revisions than my doc does but the thought of staying in the US for the same price is tempting as well. I know Dr. Aceves is a truly capable and fantastic doctor. I have read a lot of reviews on my US doc and he is very good as well. I don't think he has the experience that Aceves does though but on the flip side I could stay in the US. HELP!!! ADVICE PLEASE!!! So scared and confused now.

Here some info to follow. http://www.muhealth.org/documents/bariatric/bariatric%20booklet%20vsg.pdf

I have recently been battling Mrsa infections. I was given the ok for surgery and then had a boil this was in January. I have since been on antibiotics and fighting break outs. My surgeon said I am good to go when I am symptom free - BUT- I can't find that much info on Mrsa people with the lapband. My caseworker in the bariatric dept feels gastric bypass would be safer due to the fact I won't have a foreign object in my body. I have been on this journey for months but am unsure if i should proceed. Is there anyone else out there who has Mrsa and has also had the lapband? I did read the one response and it was helpful.

I have a renewed crush on Peter Brady/Christopher Knight. Have you all seen the new vh1 show he's on? "My Fair Brady" Man, he grew into a friq'n hunk! 'scuse me, I think I just had a hot flash...

I can hardly believe what you went through! You poor thing I wish I could hug you! Not sure where you are in SD, but I am in Rapid City and the bariatric staff here is phenomenal and I know they could help. I know if I had an emergent issue, my surgeon would be in pronto - even in the middle of the night. When I was having some issues with too much restriction, the bariatric coordinator talked me through it and gave excellent suggestions but also said she could get the doc to see me if needed, which I didn't need to because her tips worked. PM me if you ever need to talk... april k

My surgeons tell me to take a bite, wait 10 minutes then take another. LOL who can do this? I can't, so what I do is take a bite wait a few minutes and take another bite. Recently, I remembered at the orientation for bariatric surgery for weight loss, the head doc at Kaiser stated, "it will take you 45 minutes to eat half a sandwhich." Doing the math because I had a tendency to eat a little too much, I divided 45 by 10 minutes and figured out that I can only take about 4.5 bites per meal. That has helped alot. So now I count bites and try to slow them down. I was always hungry for the first 8 weeks. My surgeons never told me about prilosec or nexium for the stomach acid. I received feedback from other members of our club and they suggested prilosec. Since beginning taking it, my hunger has decreased. Today I found that I continue to loose weight at a good pace. about 2 lbs since last tuesday. Love it.... Give your tummy time to register that you are full. Put your food down after taking a bite and do something, then come back to it. If you don't like cold food, then keep the food in a tortilla warmer. You might find this helpful.. Congrats! Your hungry tummy monster will adjust LOL.

My PCP's role was to give me a physical and write a letter supporting my medical qualification for bariatric surgery. She'd been treating me for several years and so was able to substantiate my various efforts to lose weight. My OB/GYN helped too, in that she gave me copies of several pages of her notes taken during my two pregnancies. Basically it was to support the claim I was making to have been obese for many years. She didn't have to write anything, just copy a few pages from my records and give them to me. I sent them to the insurance carrier.

I went to the surgeon who originally placed my lap band today to talk about the surgery I need to have to remove it due to erosion and subsequent revision surgery. I had my head completely reconciled with having vertical sleeve revision and then he threw in a new option. For the past year, he has been doing banded plication surgery. In my particular situation, due to the erosion, we would do the surgery to remove my band first, give my stomach time to heal, and then I would have a second surgery to revise to the banded plication. For those of you who are not familiar with this procedure, it involves folding the stomach in on itself and stitching it to achieve a sleeve like effect. This is a similar procedure to the old stomach stapling procedure but much more effective due to technique and the usage of sutures as opposed to staples. Then, he will place another band at the top of the sleeve thereby essential having two weight loss surgeries at one time. My understanding is that the plication is better for achieving immediate weight loss, the band is better for long term weight loss. Combining them is essentially the best of both worlds with a few added benefits. First, because you have restriction from the plication, you don't have to fill the band as fast or as much in order to achieve satisfactory restriction. Second, because of the more slender shape of the stomach, incidences of slippage are greatly reduced. Third, there is no need to dissect 90% of your stomach. Fourth, if you do have a problem with the band, it can be removed and you will still have restriction from the plication. As always, there can be complications. Sutures can come undone. There can be necrosis of the upper part of the stomach right below the band. My understanding is that so far, the complication rate is extremely minimal and weight loss results have been comparable to the sleeve. I have to admit that the thought of not having to cut my stomach is appealing to me. At the same time, the thought of putting in another band after my first one eroded is a little unnerving. My surgeon is not pressuring me to do either one. He wants me to do what I'm comfortable with but he is very excited about the results he has seen with this surgery. I am 52 and this is more than likely my last chance at getting to be where I want to be. This is still considered to be investigational and is not covered by insurance but I believe the majority of the costs will be covered by research study funds. I have complete confidence in my surgeon. He secondary specialties are liver transplants and pediatric surgery and he is always at the cutting edge (pardon the pun) of the latest and greatest bariatric surgeries. I just want to do the right thing for me. My instinct is to let him get in there and take out my band, take a look around and see what kind of damage my band did to my insides. Then, make a more educated decision about which surgery would be right for me. As an aside, he completely refuses to do gastric bypass. What would you do??

I use this app. I like it because it reminds you exactly where to measure to take consistent measurements. Baritastic - Bariatric Surgery Tracker by NBL Media LLC https://appsto.re/us/vB6L1.i Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The only reason Im going to these classes is because its required to get a referral for Bariatric surgery. At that Intro class was the first time I encounter the stigma associated with WLS. After reading so many posts on this forum about I shouldn't be surprise. Even my PCP there seemed against it. He said no, no, no do MOVE, it works. When I just starred at him he then said I have to lose 10 % of my weight first. When actually it's 5%. To avoid encountering more bad attitudes toward WLS Im going to switch to TeleMOVE which is 82 days. Hopefully after I complete the program my pcp will do the referral. I'm just worried that he won't do it. I never thought a doctor would be against WLS. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

It's normal to need cardiovascular and pulmonary clearance for bariatric surgery, has nothing to do with your insurance. Every bariatric patient where I work needs medical cardiac pulmonary psych nutrition clearances for surgery. I would say that's relatively standard And remember the risks for cardiac and pulmonary problems with being obese is a large part of why insurance companies cover bariatric surgery to begin with.

I am finishing up my pre-op phase with surgery coming up on Tues Sep 22. Since being on the liquid pre-op diet the last week and a half I have been dizzy and weak most of the time. I am getting daily - 3 shakes of 30 grams Protein apiece (Premier Protein shakes) - 64 oz or more of liquid a day - 16 oz of clear broth - sugar free Popsicles - Herbal tea with Stevia - Bariatric fusion Vitamins (X3) - Vitamin B12 - Calcium - Biotin - recently added a glass of skim milk I have found that drinking peppermint tea helps with the hunger feelings, but I have stopped driving my car for now because I am concerned that I will pass out from the dizziness and weakness I am experiencing. I'm concerned about how I will do after surgery because I need to get back to driving for work and running errands for the family and not seeing at least for a while that my diet will be much different for a few weeks. My NUT said to increase my calories some so I added a glass of milk each day over the last few days. That helped a couple of days but now am back to weak and dizzy quite often during the day. Any ideas on what to do to make this go away?

I had my first appointment with my surgeon today and I am on my way! I have already met several requirements and my particular insurance plan is one of the easiest to get approval through. My surgeon was great. He answered all my questions and, believe me, I had many! He explained everything in detail and said that normally the process, from first visit to surgery, takes about 3-4 months. <Big frown and exhale> ...BUT since I have the plan I do, it will go much more quickly for me! <Resume goofy grin> I am on track for a late September/Early October date! I've scheduled the first of two appointments with both the PSYCH and NUT. My upper GI is Tuesday. The rest will be scheduled through the surgeon's office (sleep study, pulmonary, EGD). I am officially a bariatric patient and I couldn't be more excited to get my life back!