Search the Community

Hello everyone, This is my first time posting in a forum. After years of contemplating bariatric surgery and literally trying every diet and medication for weight loss, I had an appointment with a bariatric surgeon yesterday. I made no excuses, I thought of no what ifs, I just kept driving because if I started thinking twice, I was not going to make it. The surgeon was very nice and it seems (I researched him) that he got plenty of experience and operates at a center fort excellence designated hospital. I had already attended his seminar and now we were talking surgery. I am 5'3" and to my shame my weight went up to 279, the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I have asthma, PCOS, and body image issues. Luckily, I have a very supportive family. Dr. Waked said he does recommend the duodenal switch over the gastric sleeve. I am worried after reading some posts. I am worried about complications, medications to take such as vitamins (the doctor said just a few but how many are a few?), I am worried about body smell (I work as a school nurse and this is important). Has anyone had this surgery recently? I understand that there are many threads, but the more I read, the more confused I become. Thank you.

I so agree. Because of Co-vid My husband dropped me off and picked me up late the next day. I was so doped up and sleepy, I don’t think I would have wanted anyone there. The nurses were wonderful walking me up and down the hall & the bariatric Coordinator came in and went over stuff & gave me info & then the nutritionist. I mostly slept & got used to sipping water.

the insurance specialist at your bariatric center should be able to help you figure out what is covered and what is not. If yours is like mine, I had coverage at a BMI of 40 and above 35 if I had comorbidities (like high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.). If you don't have any of the qualifying conditions, they might even recommend gaining a few pounds, since you're right on the edge. I was right at that line with a BMI of 40.5 and my doctor recommended that I not lose any weight before my surgery. But the battery of specialists included psych and she wouldn't clear me without me demonstrating that I could follow the diet. So, I lost weight pre-op and then had to jump through a lot more hoops to show sleep apnea (borderline) and high blood pressure (also borderline). Insurance did pay, so it all worked out in the end.

I have decided that I want to get a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I'm concerned about insurance approval and wondering if anyone has any experience with a similar set of circumstances. My BMI is 39.7 (talk about a bogus double edged sword) I have high cholesterol, though not enough for medication. I also have generalized anxiety, a titch of depression, hidradenitis supuritiva, chronically sore back and knees. I know my specific insurance covers VSG but I'm worried they won't cover me. I've already seen my PCP and she's onboard and has given me a referral to a bariatric center here. Now I'm just waiting for my consult. Anyone have a similar set of circumstances and get approved? Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Aw i understand. I went through all the emotions but possibly had diff concerns. It was an emotional rollercoaster preop. I thought I had insurance coverage for bariatric but was afraid the surgeon wouldn't agree that I needed it so I was scared and felt hopeless with my "new life" sitting in the hands of a stranger while he determined whether I could get this desperately needed new beginning. He quickly agreed and I was on top of the world until I called insurance 10mins later to see what kind of diet plan they required and was informed that bariatric was excluded from my plan. It crushed me because I didn't think my husband would agree to take out a loan to pay for it, as he's the sole provider for a family of 5 while I'm in college still. I pled my case, bawling my eyes out to my husband explaining how badly I wanted this, how I didn't want my children to have to shave my body hair and bathe me like I had to do for my mother because of her weight when I was a child, and I explained how ashamed I was for following in her footsteps and secretly judging her so critically when I was her caregiver. I felt the only way I could escape that shame and lose this excess weight would be to get a second chance through weightloss surgery because I had allowed it to go too far. Well he was very understanding and agreed we could take out the loan. I did all my preop classes, appts, and diet while still being on an emotional rollercoaster.. receiving good news about the process one day and a set back the next day... worrying the entire time whether I was choosing the correct surgery and obsessing over it literally all day everyday bc I didnt want to fail at my "one shot to get this right", having anxiety at every doc appt, not knowing how to finally make myself quit smoking after 16 years and being terrified they wouldnt give me the surgery if they found out I hadn't stopped, being afraid theyd fail me for the psych eval bc of all this anxiety, suffering through the liquid diet, and finally made it to the weekend of surgery! So excited again and just ready to get it over with until I got a call the day before surgery that I had tested positive for covid and the surgery would need to be rescheduled. I was asymptomatic and positive but everyone else in my house tested negative. I was so frustrated. I threw a fit inside myself and ate everything in sight while on quarantine, gaining all the weight back that i had lost preop. What i didnt know when i was being a brat is that they ended up scheduling me for just a month later, which still felt like an eternity to wait but i now i see wasnt very long at all...this reply is getting long bc im very long winded lol so ill quickly add the rest. I had surgery, way less pain than I expected, the hospital staff was amazing during covid, one night stay, went home and felt 100% better (except fatigue) after 2 weeks. Now 2 months out from sleeve ive lost 45lbs (35 post op) but also have no body aches and am feeling like myself again. I say all this to say, my frustrations and concerns may differ from urs but I understand the preop process is very difficult for everyone in different ways and we all just want to rush to our new beginning so we can do it right this time. Once u have surgery, it'll seem all the worrying and dreading wasnt even necessary because ur just so focused and grateful for the surgery that whatever may come is totally worth it and everything turned out fine in the end! Its such a blessing to watch ur body change, grow stronger and feel better.. to see urself become unhidden behind all that was once there..one exciting day at a time. Anyways, give urself permission to be hopeful, positive and expectant bc everything about ur life is about to change for the better! Again, sorry I can't help but blab! [emoji4][emoji1787] Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

My doctor recommends 2 Flinstones Complete (the old formula, which is the same in most generics). They are cheap and taste pretty good. I got the Bariatric Advantage Chewy Bite for Calcium and the Bariatric Advantage Sublingual B12.

I take bariatric advantage ultra solo once a day. Surgeon requires it. I also take calcium soft chews bariatric advantage 500mg 3x a day in strawberry.

As it sits I am now 27 days away from my 7th and final weigh in visit with my PCP. Granted I did find out I have to go over to the lab to get some bloodwork done but I plan on doing that on Friday and don't expect any huge problems that need addressing so really, it that last visit. In the last 7 months as of right now I have 1)quit smoking (February 7th baby!) 2)Gotten to really forge a relationship with my PCP(SO thankful for this, I need as many people rooting for me as possible!) 3) Made quite a few small changes in anticipation of surgery 4) Became more active on this forum and other Facebook pages 5) Kept at this for now almost a year. A few reflections thus far: If you have a supervised diet requirement by your insurance, embrace it y'all. I never really expected to enjoy my visits with my PCP during this time but even she said this last visit that our chats were her favorite appointment and that she was proud of how far I've come. To clarify, I've only lost like ~9lbs(sometimes 6lbs depending on the time of day and if I am wearing work clothes) but I have added in quite a bit more exercise (most weeks I average 30-45mins at least 4-6 days a week), I am drinking so much more water, I've cut out straws(for the most part) and energy drinks and I am currently working on getting rid of soda. I have also most days controlled and conquered my sugar habit, the portion control is where I really struggle honestly and journaling my food should be better but I'm working on that! I guess what I mean to say is that I never really thought about the fact that if I am denied for whatever reason through insurance that I will really need someone in my corner that knows the changes I've made and how much I have worked for this surgery to fight for me. If you don't think your PCP would be willing to do that for you, I'd highly recommend finding a new one before you really get trucking down this path. The small changes really have added up for me, but it's the portion control I lack(I've always lacked) and I am SO ready to have that built in for me to bring alongside my other changes to finally get my life moving the way I want! If you have a few months, make small changes so by the time surgery comes, you aren't trying to change everything about your lifestyle. It hurts to be fat. It really, really does. Incorporating exercise has made me see that even with new shoes, my feet and calves hurt when I power walk and I'm out of commission for the next like 5 days trying to recuperate. Lesson learned: hiking in nature is my go to(zero problems unless I wear the wrong socks-the blisters after 7 miles was like walking in broken glass), but I will also start up my yoga dvd again(it is legit yoga for obese people-the name escapes me at this moment) as well as my Biggest Loser dvds for indoor exercise. I think I'll leave the road pounding to a less fat Amanda, maybe throw in some more gentler, longer walks. My surgeon wants me at 60 minutes of cardio 6 days a week leading up to surgery, can be in increments or all at once. Even being in a little bit better shape than I am now will help my recovery and transition that much easier. If you can, get your bariatric program to pre-schedule all of your weigh in PCP, specialist (sleep, cardiology etc), nutritionist visits at the beginning it will make a HUGE difference. At least it did for me. I had my consult with my surgeon in February, met with the coordinator who scheduled all my appointments (which meant I could ask for my work schedule to allow for those visits off months ahead of time) but also allowed me to put them in my calendar and gave me the ability to countdown each one. I downloaded a widget for my phone that counts down and I get intense pleasure from resetting it after each PCP visit to restart that month countdown. I have a goal to be down 5-10lbs for my last visit and having a countdown gives me incentive! Having this wait for me really made me realize how into instant gratification I was am. So much of me thought I was so ready for this surgery as soon as I walked out of the surgeon's office. I wanted nothing to do with freaking SEVEN months of visits! Going to Mexico crossed my mind more than I really like to admit just because I didn't want to wait and thought I was 100% ready. Obviously, that was false and the more I settled into my routines of PCP visits intermingled with lifestyle changes and new diagnoses(I have sleep apnea, surprise! -_-) the more I realized that if I had been able to have surgery a few weeks after meeting the surgeon I may have been doomed or just really, really, really miserable at the beginning. When I start to get antsy about dates and waiting I HAVE to remind myself that I didn't get to be where I am health/weight wise overnight, in a week or even in 7 months and waiting a little longer isn't the end of the world(especially if you consider my very first visit to a bariatric seminar was when I was 17-my mom was okay with signing anything she needed to-----I am now 30). I've never seen myself at a healthy weight, or even under 300lbs since college about 9 years ago, I have never dated and always considered myself the fat friend-the one that people keep around because I make them laugh but not much else, and my friendship graveyard seems to confirm that. This wait has brought a lot of emotional issues to deal with that thankfully I can deal with a part from recovering from surgery and fixing my eating habits/lifestyle. I discovered I am terrified of no longer being able to not attract the wrong attention(I have never really worried about being kidnapped or raped or even hit on in a bar) but I have remedied that by finding a Krav Maga club by my work that should very nicely double as a gym/workout as well as planning on getting my concealed carry license. Dating is a whole other game, one I probably won't even think about touching for very long time, being along my whole life has given me the ability to be spontaneous in my plans (the dogs don't care if I wake up and decide to take them 8 hours to a state park to camp and hike with absolutely no warning 🤣🤣. Oh! Last thing, I am now working on an Amazon list of things to order once I am approved and scheduled for surgery! I really think I'm gonna buy that stuffed sleeved stomach stuffed toy(?) animal(?) thing for the hospital stay. I'm sure there are more things, but this kinda became a rambling stream of stuff. I really should have started this blog the day I had my consult but to tell you the truth, I never really saw myself going through this whole process successfully...but since I'm so close to the end and new beginning I need to throw this bad boy into overdrive! Until next time, Amanda

I was a pretty healthy person up until 2008, when my liver enzymes first became elevated. I had reached my then highest weight of 304, and then managed to get down to 263 through diet and exercise. My enzymes went back to normal. Then I got pregnant in 2010 and after I had my son, my health got worse. I was diagnosed with severe asthma around 2014, and my liver enzymes were elevated again. I started gaining weight steadily until I reached my all time high of 393 with a bmi of 69 (I am 5'3"). Back in January, I had my gallbladder removed.. I mentioned to the surgeon that I would be seeing a liver specialist because my liver enzymes kept getting higher and he did a biopsy while he was in there. The results were not good. I was diagnosed with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatic fibrosis. The surgeon said my liver looked really bad, and he didn't see me living past 60. I'm an RN and have seen people die of liver failure and it's awful. I was 48 (just turned 49), and I had wanted wls for a long time but our insurance doesn't cover it. What that surgeon said was a wake up call, and so I made the decision to pay for the surgery myself. I wanted a sleeve, but the first bariatric surgeon recommended RNY because of my weight. I had planned to get that, but then COVID happened and they laid off that surgeon so I went to a different one that my cousin had RNY with 10 years ago. He told me about the Loop DS. He said I was a good candidate for it because of my high bmi and since I was self pay. It's still investigational and not covered by insurance. So I decided to do it. I had surgery on July 23rd. I was 368 on surgery day. The surgery went well but I was very nauseated the first few days and vomited old blood just like NovaLuna described. After that, and a kidney stone 11 days post op, recovery has been pretty smooth. I never really had much pain. As of today, I'm 322 pounds, walking every day, and feeling amazing, even though I'm still significantly obese. I was to the point of barely being able to walk anymore, and personal hygiene was hard. I had just been diagnosed with high BP and put on meds in May. I've been off the meds since surgery. I just had my first labs and everything was normal. My liver enzymes are still elevated, but about half of what they were. It's wonderful to be active again and being able to walk with my husband and son, who is a very active boy! I still have a long way to go but I'm so happy I did the surgery and don't regret it one bit! Good luck to you! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was told the opposite of @bailey3, that regular vitamins didn’t cut it for Bariatric patients. I take Bariatric Advantage calcium chews and multivitamin with iron, but they’re expensive. A nutritionist in a Bariatric FB group I’m in highly recommends the Bariatric Fusion ones. Much cheaper and it’s calcium and multivitamin on one. I may switch to them when my current vitamins run out.

For multivitamin I was told I could do flinstones with the most iron and I believe the bottle says two a day. And that’s much cheaper than a Bariatric multivitamin. The calcium i am using chewables. You can get them off of certain Bariatric websites that sell all the vitamins and stuff you need or just off amazon.

Bowel prep is one of the many things that varies from doctor to doctor and program to program. May the Bariatric Surgery Gods bless you with not having to go through THAT particular experience. The worst part for me? The first of two days of bowel prep was on my birthday. Crappy Birthday to me! Literally.

Good luck! At my program (brigham & women in Boston) there is a private Facebook group. Your program may have something similar. Ask your nutritionist if they offer an online support group. There are several hospitals around me that do bariatric surgery. If that is true for you, contact them about online support. I have found this forum helpful, and there are several posters who have consistently offered a great, non judgemental perspective, such as@catwoman7 and @ somerset. I can mostly ignore the obnoxious ones, but I'm an older curmudgeonly woman..[emoji846]. once in awhile the food shaming or conduct shaming gets to me but i try not to engage. I agree "tough love " is often used to justify being a jerk. Hang in there, the results for most of us are worth it! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Your list most definitely hits the majority of the reasons I experienced the weight gain I did. When I first started having weight creep back in, I ended up ashamed of it and after a bad visit with my bariatric team about it, I left and didn't go back to them. Which sure the heck did not help matters! Those, though, are the main pitfalls for bariatric patients to look out for!

I would add in "Stop checking in with your bariatric team"

I had posted this on the WLS Veterans forum, but thought it would be a good idea to post this on this forum as well. I had gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I was incredibly determined and managed to lose 180 lbs. in a year's time. I'm 5' 9.5" and I went from a size 28 to a size 10. Now, I've regained a lot of weight and I'm starting over. I thought it might be helpful to list the steps that caused my weight gain. My goal is to tackle these 6 and starting moving in the right direction. Does anyone else have additional things that contributed to regaining weight? Stop weighing yourself Stop tracking your food intake Stop exercising Drink liquids with meals and ignore the 15 minutes before/30 minutes after rule Start eating your old favorite foods Stop visiting Bariatric Pal forums

I had gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I was incredibly determined and managed to lose 180 lbs. in a year's time. I'm 5' 9.5" and I went from a size 28 to a size 10. Now, I've regained a lot of weight and I'm starting over. I thought it might be helpful to list the steps that caused my weight gain. My goal is to tackle these 6 and starting moving in the right direction. Does anyone else have additional things that contributed to regaining weight? Stop weighing yourself Stop tracking your food intake Stop exercising Drink liquids with meals and ignore the 15 minutes before/30 minutes after rule Start eating your old favorite foods Stop visiting Bariatric Pal forums

Perhaps consider creating an advertisement for this and pass it along through the Bariatric center you went through Good Luck ♥️

Hello. I’m the OP and I am giving an update. I’ve been traveling back and forth to visit my daughter due to her having pregnancy issues. I have been managing well despite being away from home. I purchased a shoulder bag cooler which I take when I travel or to work. I keep Bariatric friendly snacks in it such as applesauce, Premier Protein drinks and chicken salad snack kits. I also carry water or no sugar added coconut water. I switched to Bariatric Fusion vitamins for convenience. Less bottles to carry. I feel good with the exception of an attack of sciatica. I’ve had a few episodes of regurgitated food when trying new items. I continue to use hot tea to help relax the pouch when I feel overly distended. My weight continues to drop slowly. It’s not a predictable rate but rather drops in spurts. I’m not logging my food but rather eating instinctually. I make a mental note to keep an eye on my protein intake and I do have at least one shake a day. I’ve started have green juices every other day to boost my health. My menstrual cycle has resumed due to the weight loss. I thought for sure I was in menopause. Hubby is acting like a hound and chasing me around the house. 😆 I feel much better overall and I love being able to walk without losing my breath. I’m climbing stairs with ease and I felt good enough to buy a full length mirror. I haven’t had one in years. Sometimes I get head hunger, especially when I am stressed. My go to snack is sugar free jello pudding mix and fat free lactaid. I crumble a graham cracker on top and sometimes a bit of whipped cream. It helps me with my sweet tooth. I also find that egg drop soup goes down easy. I have that when I want salty Taste with soy sauce. If anyone has questions, ask away.

This is what I'm currently taking: - B complex once a day - Bariatric multivitamin twice a day - Vitamin C three times a day - Calcium + D3 once a day - Ursodiol (Rx) twice a day - Prilosec 24 once a day (per surgeon's instructions) to reduce stomach acid - Lovenox (Rx) once a day to prevent blood clots - Iron once a day, I was already mildly anemic before surgery I've taken some advice from this forum and got myself a weekly 3 times a day pill holder that I put everything into, except for the B complex which is liquid and the Lovenox which is an injection, and then I just grab the day's container and go.

Hi there, You absolutely DO deserve to have surgery, if you choose to do so. WLS is not just about losing weight. It is about having a chance to lose your insulin dependence. It's about having a chance to lose dependence on a CPAP device (not sure if you use on or not for your sleep apnea). It's about having a chance to lessen the effects of depression. It's about having a chance to say goodbye to many of the health issues that you have described...all while losing weight. So many people on the outside just do not understand what WLS actually is and just immediately think it's a way to get around having to go on a diet. They don't realize that going through WLS means we end up on one of the strictest diets a person can go through. They think it's just a doctor waving a magic wand. It is HARD work, but damn if it isn't rewarding work when you suddenly come to the realization that you're wearing pants with a waist size you haven't been able to wear for 20 years. Building a support network can be very difficult because of the misconceptions people have about WLS. If someone isn't being supportive of your effort to improve your quality of life, you can either work to educate them or move on and fill their spot on your support team with someone who actually will support you and your decision and be there for you to lean on when the journey is difficult. I wish I had links on hand right now for studies that demonstrate the effects of WLS in reducing/ending insulin dependence, but there is so much scientific data out there to show how WLS does waaaaaay more than simply help a person lose weight. Anxiety about that first consultation is something so many of us have felt. It's a scary crossroads to stand at. Bariatric teams, though, are some of the most compassionate people who have seen first hand the positive effects that WLS has in the lives of their patients. They will answer every single question you throw at them because they want you to be educated on the process. Go into that consultation with every question you can think of and trust in them that they've got your back. If, for some reason, you don't feel that they've listened to you or answered your questions to your satisfaction, you can always find a different program to contact and work with. I wish you luck and hope that the days until your consult fly by so that you can make your decision about this journey with confidence and that you can find the support that will help you along the way. I think you're going to do great and be just fine!

I am currently in therapy. I continued with my therapist who completed my psych evaluation. And the plus with this counselor is that he is a certified bariatric counselor. He is able to address my current weight loss journey that my previous counselor sorta did not have a clue. I am a stress eater, so we mainly talk about life issues that stress me. And this strategy helps because I feel like I can decompress every week.

Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point. OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there! Fingers crossed for you that your referral goes smoothly and you can have a good meeting with your doctor about bariatric surgery options. I've had two bariatric procedures. The first was in 2011 when I got Lapbanded. At that time, the only real options for me were Lapband or Bypass as insurance carriers in my area viewed Sleeve Gastrectomy as "too new" (never really got that as it was part of Duodenal Switch, but also my insurance didn't cover that outside of extreme circumstances). I chose Lapband because frankly, RNY scared the hell out of me, despite the fact that my Mom underwent it and was and remains wildly successful with it. I was younger and the thought of rerouting everything was too much for me, plus I'd seen my mom go through dumping and that also freaked me out. So I went with what felt like a good choice for me. And it was good until it wasn't. I did lose weight! Until it started coming back. And then my band slipped and I apparently developed a minor hiatal hernia from it that I likely lived with for a long while without knowing it was there. When I found out about it as part of my revision process, it suddenly made all of the regurgitation I'd suffered from for years make sense. The Lapband is really the best option for people who are in the 30-35 BMI scale and need that extra help to get closer to what is considered healthy. It is rare that Lapband weight loss is equivalent to that of RNY, VSG, or DS. The Lapband requires a lot of upkeep because it's effectiveness is based on how filled the band is. So you will have a lot of appointments in the first year or two where your doctor adds more saline to the band to give greater restriction...takes some out to lessen the restriction...then adds more...removes some. It's all a game of finding the elusive "sweet spot" where the band is filled the right amount to allow for continued and consistent weight loss. It is fairly common for a Lapband to slip, which present all kinds of difficulties. When it slips, it is no longer in the position is it supposed to be. Thus your pouch ends up no longer being the right size. It can also lead to hernias when it slips. Slippage CAN be fixed, but you're looking at another laparoscopic procedure so that they can put it back to the right position. Which requires removing all of the fluid from the band, doing the procedure, and essentially starting at square one again. That said, it is STILL a useful weight loss tool for those that it is appropriate for and who achieve success with it. There are plenty of Lapband success stories! In July, I had revision surgery to remove my Lapband and to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy done instead. I am older than I was in 2011 and realized that making major adjustments to my insides was not actually a horrible thing in light of dealing with bad knees, a bad back, sleep apnea, CPAP dependence, and the risk of onset of any number of other comorbidities that I have been fortunate to avoid. I'm only 12 weeks out as of today, so I don't have the breadth of post-op experience that others here have when it comes to VSG, but I can't say that I regret the decision. I have continued to lose weight since surgery, adding to my pre-surgery weight loss. None of my clothes fit me anymore, yet I am still wearing them because I can't see the point of shopping for new clothes when I am still losing weight. Seems like a waste of money to do that! The cons for VSG? Strangely, I'm not encountering too many yet. I actually found I was in more pain post-op from my Lapband surgery than I was recovering from VSG. Any of the others cons I've experienced are not exclusive to VSG surgery. Almost every bariatric patient complains about dealing with constipation at some point. Discomfort from eating too much in the immediate post-op phase as I learn my body's signals and how to read them to know when to stop? We all go through that too. The biggest con that I can think of is that if I'd chosen RNY over VSG, my post-op weight loss would likely have been quicker, so I might have been down another 10-20 pounds by now, though that is not guaranteed. It is just very likely as RNY statistically has a greater percentage for weight lost than VSG. As for what you've heard about bariatric surgery patients only being able to eat small portions, that is generally true across the board. That is one of the key features of ANY of the weight loss surgeries. It's a GOOD thing, though. Many people get to the point where they consider these surgeries because of eating too much. It's an unfortunate aspect of how many world cultures have evolved when it comes to food. The US is probably the worst about it. Think about when you go out to eat at a restaurant, especially a chain restaurant. You open the menu and you get a list of appetizers in your face to tempt you. So we order an appetizer or two. Then we order our entree which comes to the table is a massive sized portion that is, realistically, enough food for at least 2 people. Yet we're trained to believe that this is an appropriate portion of food. Let alone the fact that it's frequently overloaded with carbs and fat. So between appetizers and your entree, you've probably eaten 3 meals worth in one sitting. On top of everything else you ate that day. So by getting a surgery that provides you with a tool that limits how much you can eat at a given time, you're able to retrain your body and brain to realize exactly what and how much the human body needs to survive and thrive. A good bariatric team will be there to help you change your relationship with food so that every meal and snack you eat during the day, provides you with the good nutrients that the body needs, while limiting the intake of the "bad" ones that the body still needs, but only in the quantities that it needs. Carbs and fats are not actually bad. The body needs them to survive. It just doesn't need them in the quantities that we frequently take in. It is NOT an easy journey, but it is a deeply rewarding and fulfilling one that will, quite literally, change your life. Welcome aboard and I look forward to seeing your journey and offering support every step of the way!

Hi! I'm new here! I will be having the DS in March 2021 (I have to wait 6 months for insurance). I have been considering WLS for years. I had the lap band 12 years ago and it failed and I has to have it removed due to complications. I am a single mom to my daughter who I adopted. I am doing the surgery for us. I want to be the mom who can run and play with her at the park, ride all of the amusement park rides with her, go on her class field trips without concern of fitting, not hate myself for buying a 3 story house.. the list goes on.. Having had 3 abdominal surgeries in the past, I know what I'm getting into pain and post op recovery-wise.. having had bariatric surgery in the past I know what I'm getting into with the post op diet. My concern is my body after. I have always been overweight. Even as a child. And I honestly dont hate my body right now! I have a great butt! Lol I have no idea what I will look like after loosing 200 pounds. I am so worried about the excess skin and that I will loose the things that I feel like make me attractive. I know that is super superficial but I hope this is a safe place to express this. Thanks for listening and providing encouragement!