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Oh man... I felt like such a tool when he had me do that in the consultation room. I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm not nervous about the band, or the recovery, or complications. Not yet, anyway. I'm nervous about the surgery process, and most specifically -- about going under. I know I won't remember it, etc. - but just the thought of it unnerves me. I had surgery once, but I was only about a year old. I have complete confidence in our doc & his team. I feel like I am in very good hands. :nod:

<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> Do Males and Females lose diffrently or react to the band in other ways? React to the band differently - not that I know of. Not physically, anyway. Lose differently - very often they do, but I don't want to make a generalization out of that. Typically the male metabolism lends itself to quicker weightloss. Particularly with "low carb" diets (which many bandsters end up following). A niggling little fear that I have is losing muscle mass, I know I will lose some becuase hopefully I will not be carrying around a 160 lbs of fat but I do not want to lose too much. Have any of you noticed a loss of muscle?:phanvan I'm sure that I have lost muscle, not it is not evident, neither in my physical abilities nor in my physical appearance. E.g. I can still flex my thigh and see the thigh muscle, just as I could before LB, but now I see a lot more definition b/c there isn't as much fat blocking my view. :cool: This question may sound a little vain:embarassed: but, has your social life improved since you have lost weight? No, BUT I have noticed a BIG difference in how I'm treated - already, and I still have a ways to go. I've been getting a LOT of attention from guys lately, almost overnight, and 120# ago I couldn't get the time of day. I have a BMI of 45 but I do not consider myself "morbid" I can get around under my own power (tying shoes suck though lol) and I work, I can do hard physical labor with few problems due to my weight. Will this hurt my chances when I go to the doctor? "Morbid" refers in part to the likelihood of life threatening complications coming about as a result of the obesity. I was morbidly obese, but I had no comorbidities, no mobility problems, no health problems, no secondary risk factors, etc. I honestly didn't expect to be approved, and had alreasy planned to self pay. I was as healthy as I could possibly be, while being 200# overweight. I was approved on the first try, I didn't have to submit any documentation other than the paperwork I gave to the program coordinator and the required medical history. I didn't have to prove a medically supervised diet. I just gave her my paperwork and then got a call that I had been approved. I was actually surprised by how easy it all was, I definitely expected that due to my relatively healthy state, I would have to fight for coverage. But that's insurance, and you asked doctor. My PCP was all for the idea. She said that the lack of physical challenges, clean bill of health, good vitals, etc. made me the ideal candidate. My surgeonasked what I'd done on my own to try and lose the weight, but did not try to "hassle" me at all about having the procedure done. Hope this helps.

I went to see my surgeon today because I have been having a lot of pain in my esophagus and it was cause by the band being too tight. My esophagus is all swollen now. My doctor took all the saline out of the band and has me on a liquid diet for 4 weeks. Has this happend to anyone else, where they needed to get unfilled and go on a liquid diet? I'm really nervous about being on a liquid diet with no restriction. Thank you, Jill

It is completely normal to have mood changes during the early stages of recovery. Every body is different and I believe how we handle the changes has to do with our nature as well. Not a bad thing, just reality. After surgery your hormones are sent into a tailspin. Lots of stuff going on inside that causes your exact symptoms. Your doctor should have talked to you about the good and the bad of these hormone changes. The good is that when our bodies are sent into this tailspin it needs time to adjust. During that adjustment period it is important to stay very close to your eating plan and water intake. Your body is creating new set points, new places where it is content. We want that set point to be thinner, healthier and happier. So work hard to lose, relax and just feel good about all these changes. The bad is after surgery we are very good at getting our protein, drinking our water and doing light exercise. All of these things release toxins and stored hormones from our fat, like estrogen. So if you find yourself crying at the drop of a hat, thinking about strangling your significant other, or locking yours or someone elses children in the closet, be happy, your burning fat:-) and all is as it should be. Everyone is a bit scared after surgery of the possibilities for complication. Feel free to call your surgeon's office every time you are unsure and someone there should be able to assure you that all is well or call you in if there are really issues. Don't be shy, that's why they are there. Also, prepare for feelings of regret, remorse, and anger at what you've done to yourself. I have described this phase as a really bad break up with our greatest love...the abuse of food. You will mourn not being able to eat like you did before. Be assured that all those feelings pass and when you are a couple months out and a few pounds down you feel so good and you will be happy that love is over. Life is different and oh, so, much better. Take care

Just wanted to write and say....you are going to do good at this! God is going to take care of you and I pray He gives you a peace about the surgery. I know He will be with us all. I too have major depression and I have Bipolar. I am doing well on these meds and my psychiatrist said take them they night before surgery and I shouldn't have any complications. My psychiatrist first recommended this surgery as I have gained 120 lbs in 4 years due to psych meds and increased appetite. Trust in Him in all things! I am praying for us all.....

I'm glad that someone posted this issue, because it is quite pertinent to me. I was banded 2.5 years ago in the UK. Because I lived at the time quite far away from any doctor who did fills/band care I had many many complications, including a near-removal slippage and numerous fills and unfills. Despite this, I still managed to lose close to 50 pounds. After my last unfill in April, I gave my body a good rest up until a month ago, when I got filled again. So far, I have had no problems, even though my doc filled me quite a lot, and I thought I would immediately be too tight and experience those same problems again (mostly severe pbing - not on purpose!) Not so, as I learned a few important lessons in the half year I was totally unfilled: 1. THE GOLDEN RULE: know your body. I ignored so many signals that my particular body was giving me: being very tight in the mornings, which meant that I shouldn't shove some Breakfast down my throat just because I thought I needed to eat breakfast (years of mind training). Now I have a few cups of very hot coffee, wait an hour or two until my band is a little looser and have a small breakfast/lunch. I have the same problem with dinner: I'm very tight in the evenings. In the past I would try to eat Protein and cause agony as I either ate too fast, too big of chunks of meat, etc. etc. I now know that evenings are going to be difficult for me so I cut off eating no later than 6:00 p.m., and if I'm hungry later in the evening I have some Soup or sugar free jello/pudding. Please note, this works for me, other people know their bands work in different ways, but the most important thing is: know thy body, know thy band... 2. RECORDING EVERYTHING I EAT: This is a big pain, but if I don't do this (I use fitday.com) I am very liberal and imaginative with amounts/quantities of what I eat. I'm afraid that I am becoming too anal retentive by doing this, but I'd rather swap my obsession with eating, with an obsession of recording calories, carbs, etc. It is also quite eye-opening to see how much you actually eat, when you are convinced that you are eating itty bitty harmless portions or foods. Since I was pre-diabetic at some point, I really really watch my carbs, and try to stick to around 800 calories a day. Some days are easier, some more difficult but I try to be consistent. 3. ESTABLISH A LOCAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A FILL DOCTOR/SURGEON: I live in Europe and where I once lived in Poland there were no doctors at all who did this procedure, and every time I needed help I had to board a plane to London to get filled/unfilled. Obviously, this was not an ideal situation financially and when you're really ill from too tight of a fill, every moment you're not unfilled is agony. I have now moved to Vienna, Austria and have made contact with an American trained band surgeon who is 15 minutes from my house, and only does fills under x-ray. It is a huge relief to know that if I am too tight, or need some kind of an adjustment he is just a brief trip away. This is an extreme example (I know) but it is something to consider to those bandsters who go to Mexico and need to be treated by someone else in the U.S. Really think about your decision. In my case it was my only option at the time, I'm really glad I did it, but it hasn't been easy. 4. EXERCISE: Ugh, I hate it, really I do. So I'm trying to walk approx. 30 minutes a day as I can see a purpose to walking somewhere than sitting in a gym. I also bought an inflatable exercise ball that I use with various DVDs that I have bought via Amazon. This is the area where I need to see the biggest improvement. But I have noticed when I walk a lot the scale does move down if it's been a bit sluggish... My only regret is that I don't have a local (English-speaking) band community I can use for support. My husband and friends have been terrific, but I have to say that I learned all these very difficult lessons on my own. But the point is: I've learned and I'm losing again (10 pounds in 2.5 weeks). I'm so glad I kept my band. At times I thought it was my enemy... but the real enemy.. was ME! Hope this helps someone!!! (Sorry so long)

Oh my goodness. Im so sorry that happened to you. Im sure everyone thinks of the risks but rupturing your esophogus certainly wasnt one that I thought of. Hope you heal quickly and get past all this and onto your new life very soon with no further complications.

So far I have had an amazing journey. I am down 75lbs and I have never been so active in my life. N complications to date. I did take a PPI for the heart burn and I have 3 in my RX and then I will stop to see if I still require it or not. I find the psychological side of getting the sleeve the most difficult but I am slowly working my way through it. Best of luck in your journey

I shared with my immediate family and in-laws that I was going to have the band surgery. My mom had hers the year before me so they were fine with it. We had only been here about 6 months when I had surgery, and I had only made 1 "friend". She wasn't as supportive because she dropped some pretty snarky comments. Anyways, when the complications with the band became too much, and I got serious about a revision, I told only my husband, and that one friend. I didn't tell my mom because she is that typical band patient that tried to blame me for my complications and unwillingness to stick to the band rules. We found out my husband was deploying during my research stage, and I decided to proceed with the revision. I told my mom and all of the comments started. We flew my in-laws to FL from WV to stay with me during my revision since my husband was deployed. I had a helluva surgery, and recovery. I lost that one friend during my recovery which wasn't a loss in the end. When I started making friends here through our spouse's club, and other volunteer opportunities, I was open and honest about my revision. It was kind of difficult to hide the fact that I was dropping 15lbs a month. I saw these women often, we were eating out socially weekly, and I needed support. Through my sharing, my friend is having sleeve surgery next week with the same surgeon that assisted on my revision, and has taken over my care since my surgeon has been deployed for the last 6.5 months. I have not received any flack from the women that I associate with now. They are beyond supportive, at first our conversations revolved around my weight loss and surgery, but now they realize that I'm fairly "normal". I tell people that genuinely want to know. I don't hide it, but I don't scream it from the rooftops. I don't tell waiters/servers in restaurants when I only eat a small portion. I think it's a personal decision, and sometimes we are guilty of giving people just enough information about our lives to be dangerous. I feel like I gave my mom the ammo she needed to blast me. I've learned over the years to not volunteer information. If you feel like people won't be supportive, don't tell them.

jmosher, Everything depends on your insurance coverage. I have Humana federal employee PPO. I was 48 when I had the surgery and had no comorbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea. However, my mother died from complications from diabetes, father died from congestive heart failure and I have severe joint problems. My upper back has a 60 degree kyphosis, I have a herniated and "slipped" discs in my low spine and my knees have osteoarthritis so bad--they need to be replaced. NOW for the fantastic news! The more weight I lost--the more my back and knees felt better If you told me when I had the surgery I could have this small amount of pain and not even rely on Tylenol everyday--I'd never have believed you. Before surgery, I was taking prescription strength Naproxin twice daily. I had to stop taking that a week before surgery and relied on Voltarin cream after surgery because I COULD NOT TAKE the Naproxin after surgery. Voltarin is a prescription topical cream that does the same thing Naproxin does without going through your stomach. Not inexpensive but worth every penny. I hope your insurance covers weight loss surgery and hope you find the relief I have found through mine. Blessings, Kathleen

Hello Everyone. My name is Miranda and I am going into my consultation on June 12th. I have insurance with Kaiser in so cal. My doctor recommended me and I guess I will have to see how things go. I Hope I qualify. I'm not looking for the surgery and a way to improve my looks..and for me its not really about being skinny.. I would be happy at 250. (which was about how much I weighted at 15) I already feel confidant.For me it is mainly about health and being able to be more active. I love to dance and go out to clubs ect.. I want to be able to last longer without getting to tired. Im also not doing it to get in someones good graces.. Ive been with my boyfriend for 5 years (on june 17th) and when he met me I was around 325. He doesn't want me to have the surgery..he thinks that with my bad luck something will happen to me complication wise and he will loose me. Ive had a few friends that did the gastric bypass, but all I can say is that If im not approved for the surgery with the band I absolutely wont have It. My biggest worry with the surgery is with loose skin.. Its a problem I don't have now. and most of my weight is in my thighs or butt.. I have the stomach of someone who is like 200 lbs.. and I don't want a saggy butt. Other then that I have the stupid thoughts of...well If I get the surgery I cant go to all you can eat sushi with the bf... The things that are in my head lol. I am 5'9 about 380 right now..and as I said most of my weight is in my lower half. here are a few recent pics of me.. the guy is said BF and yes the hair is fake.

Whilst sitting in a waiting room for many hours (fill problems, blah blah blah), I had a surprise visit from the coordinator of the Lap Band program at the hospital. I had dealt with her about a year ago, when setting this thing up. She runs the local support group meetings, but as of yet I have not attended any of them. So she sticks her head in the room, and asks "do you know me?" Strange question, but I do in fact recognize her since she's "in context" in the hospital. She then says that she doesn't know who I am, but that she had been told by the nurses that one of her lap band patients was in the room. At first, she didn't even believe that I was a lap band guy, but I pulled out the driver's license and she recognized me from that photo. We had a long discussion about the journey, and what this has been like. She was taking copious notes, apparently she's trying to get follow up info for patients to meet some regulatory guideline. I told her I was blogging about this ("what's a blog? Do I use Netscape for that?") and that she could read that if she wanted. Normal platitudes, "ya look great", etc. She's trying to get me to come to the support meetings as a speaker. I'm thinking that one over, not sure that I want to get in front of anyone to talk about this stuff. Talking physical changes is easy, but if they ask about the emotional/mental ones I'm not sure what to say. Besides, my complications would scare the bejeepers out of the newbies.... So my Q to the group, and the reason for the post -- has anyone been put in the position of talking to support groups and potential WLS people? If so, was that worth doing, and would you go talk to them again? I'm not a big fan of public speaking, but a small group might be ok.

You don't say when you were banded. I am going to assume very recently. That be the case the first 6 weeks is NOT about losing weight, it is about healing. Yes you need to follow the liquid, mushy guidlines so as not to cause band slipage or any other complications. You have plenty of time to worry about how much you are eating after you get healed up. Cottage cheese, applesauce, yogurt, protein shakes, mashed potato, mashed sweet potato, eggs. These are just a few things you could eat. I drink crystal light to help get my liquid intake in. I can't stress enough that you need to drink a lot. If you were just banded more than likely you do not have anything in your band because it is a time for healing. After you get your first fill then you will need to watch closer what you are eating and the amount. You are starting on an incredible journey. It is worth it. Good luck and if you need any more advice this is the place to get it. There are a lot of wonderful people here who are or have been in the stage you are in. Keep posting and asking questions.

@@livsmom if you haven't already, read this thread..... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/341098-dr-ariel-ortiz-at-the-occ/page-215?hl=occ+ortiz#entry3849401 Experiences from dozens of OCC patients. I was there in December 2013. Been maintaining below goal for over 1 1/2 years with absolutely zero complications. Even at two years out they keep tabs on me via email. They are a great group of medical professionals. You can PM me with any questions as well.

In a nutshell there are 3 main types - gastric bypass, the gastric sleeve, and lap band. With the bypass you get a small pouch. Think of it as a bit of rerouting in how your body processes food. With the sleeve they remove around 90% of your stomach. With the band it puts a restriction around an area of your stomach mimicking having a smaller stomach in a sense. There are pros/cons with each one. While you will lose weight with any of them some forms cause greater weight loss, or at least quicker loss. It's a lot to list out but read through some of the FAQ threads in the forums, and there is a wealth of information online summarizing the main differences. I was set on the lap band originally, but after hearing how oftentimes they would have to go back in to adjust it or remove it due to complications I passed on that idea. The sleeve seemed like it would have a quicker recovery time and didn't really change how the body would absorb food. While the weight may not come off as quickly compared to the bypass that was a trade off I was willing to make. Definitely take your time, talk to your doctor, and do lots of research.

I am scheduled for surgery June 30, and I know I'll be put on some kind of diet on the 17th. I'm ready for it! My fears stem more from complications that might occur in the future than my ability to live the new lifestyle - I've never been a risk taker, so the chance of dumping and/or not feeling good because I didn't follow my diet are very slim, especially if I go to group weekly and stick to these boards. But, yeah, hernias and other complications that may require more hospitalization or anemia and hypoglycemia that might only get harder to control in the fire and time off of work when my schedule is so busy, just praying it doesn't happen like you, I've told very few people as we

I had the band for 10 years. I chose 2 separate surgeries to revise because 3.5 years ago there wasn't that much evidence but it seemed safer. I had no complications. What does surgeon say about risks in 1 surgery vs 2? I think revisions have "about" double the complication rare as virgin sleevers but it's still low.

@ Jenna1985, I'm so sorry to hear about your complication. How do they propose to correct this "mistake"?

Thanks Diane, I'm excited but scared to death also-esp after reading the complications thread...I'm worried about allergic reactions/rejection since I have really bad allergies.. -Sara

Excited to have replies. Infinite Butterfly - you hit the nail on the head saying when you said "focusing on other stuff instead of my next mean". That is me - I actually talked with my surgeon over the phone on Friday. We are acquaintences, and he also performed my lumpectomy for my Breast Cancer in January 2013. I thought I had been having gall bladder pains and he called because they were having to reschedule some appts and he wanted to talk with me. He said at one point that there was something he wanted to discuss, but did not mean it in a bad way. I told him I knew exactly what he was going to say and was going to bring it up to him during the appt. He said that he liked the Sleeve over Bypass and LapBand because it was metabolic also and not just a physical one. He explained about the hormone. I also would not choose the bypass because before I started teaching I would for a gastroenterology group. I saw too many people with complications with dumping syndrome. And as a science teacher, I can understand removal over rerouting. Our intestines were made to flow a certain way. I will still have some stomach after the surgery and food will flow through it like our bodies were made for. My college roommate's husband (who is an OBGYN) also had this done. So, I kinda figure that if a doctor has it then it should be pretty safe too. He is next on my list to call before the appt.

This is exactly where I'm at.... I don't know which surgery to have. I can see pros and cons to each surgery. With the sleeve, I can eventually eat some of the foods I love, which @@della street mentioned. That has me concerned because I might just wind up sabotaging myself down the line. While this is a newer surgery, I don't know about many of the long-term things like success rates, complications, etc. The RXY from what I have been finding has been around for a long time. It seems to be a more demanding diet, but has the most success. I worry about the long-term effects of Vitamin deficiencies, but know that they can be managed through pills and lab work. What I'd like to get my hands on is some research and/or articles that outline each of the surgeries in depth. Does anyone know where I might be able to find something like this?

Surgery was October 25th and I wasn't doing great but I was doing alright until last week when I almost died. I had three abscesses under my one suture that were huge. My surgeon did not notice during my follow up visits! Now I had to endure two emergency surgeries and am hooked up to a wound vac with at home nurse care coming every other day. I am wondering if anyone else has gone thru this complication and can offer some light at the end of the tunnel. Weight loss seems secondary to surviving at this point.

Check out the complications Forum, lots of folks there have had a slip and many have had another band placed.

Well "a lot" in terms of the complications we see here. :wink2:

I think you would find more information under the Lap-Band Complications area, there are people who have been re-banded that have posted there.