Search the Community

I was such a high risk that some times makes me think I made the wrong choice in having this surgery. I have no excuses why it has not worked for me. I have asked my self if I had to do it all over again would I? My answer is always yes. Since I had the surgery I have had one set back after another. It seems to be that I am a freak. if there is a one percent of some thing happening I am that one percent. After a slow and steady weight lost until after my year mark. I started to gain weight and now I am sad and upset with myself. I look at everything I am doing to see what I am doing wrong and still no answer, I go to the doctor and the Physiotherapist and still no answer but a lot of blame that I am not doing the right things. getBut how you want me to exercise more, cut out all sweets, drink more water, and see a therapist well I am doing all this things, but no change. I just cry and feel bad I really want to lose at least a 100 lbs. I am a freak and failure why can I do it like so many others before me.

Today i had my second filling. I am currently at 4cc. This time the needle poke hurt a little. Next filling in 3 weeks. I can't wait. Lost another 2 lbs. I was worying that I was doing something wrong and not loosing any weight, but the doctor told me that was normal and i should start loosing a lot more once they get me fully filled - or whatever amount they deem sutable for me.

During the past 6 months as I have been meeting with the doctor to fill out progress notes I also have been keeping a food diary which started through FitnessPal.com (a great site) and then Fitbit (a neat little device; pedometer being one of its features,) that I won through Dr. Oz. I have to say I think it was during the 2nd month of this process that I was able to lose 7 pounds in one month by just keeping the food diary with Fitness Pal. It's a great site, I input all my information, height, weight, activity level, water intake, etc, and I opted for a regimen that would allow me to lose a pound per week. For me, that was 1500 calories a day. I followed it pretty well. Rarely did I go past that number of calories and if I did, not by much. My doctor and I were really happy by this progress. When I received my Fitbit in the mail, I began using it and I must say that although I love the pedometer feature, and the fact that Fitness Pal syncs information with it...It is a little confusing sometimes. I think the caloric suggestions for each of these sites (Fitbit has a site too) is not the same. Fitbit is a newer site and the food database is not as extensive. I've had more cravings for sweets lately, especially ice cream or chocolate. I try to get the lowfat but I love, love Carvel ice cream and I've been eating it even to replace a meal sometimes. I know, I have to try to stop. I am just thinking that once I get surgery I will no longer be able to able to have this, so I am enjoying it while I still can. I ended up regaining from 217 to 219 in one month, then to 223 in another month, now I am 222.8. It's a bit discouraging but I am not giving up. This is a process and I am getting used to limting myself. I am not doing what I used to do and trying to change my eating habits drastically because of course that didn't work...it's anxiety provoking....for one. I did cut out soda a whole lot. I barely drink it anymore. I don't like diet so there goes that idea. My daughter told me that Pepsi Next is great tasting so I might try that. I am enjoying water though because since it is summer it is refreshing. Well, let me know if anyone is on Fitness Pal or Fitbit and maybe we can add each other for suppport.

I have UHC (United Health Care) - and am working thru the approval process now. When I called the insurance company (in July) they told me that I had to be 40% (or more) BMI - or 35% BMI + other co-morbidite symptoms. When I visited the Dr office (in August) they contacted the insurance as well - they said in addition to the BMI requirements, I would also need a Psych eval, nutritionist consultation and 2 years of medical (weight) records... I am doing my psych eval (Mon 9/29) and my nutritionist consulation (Wed 10/1) - then it will be off to UHC for "approval" (fingers crossed!) FYI ~ My coverage is 80% (with a max out of pocket of $1600)

Be honest. Sadly, I didn't have to go through the pysch part. I wish that option had been required, not mainly for the weight part, but because of all the extra mental & emotional stress I went through after my surgery.

HI first of all congrats on your choice in being healthy, I would like to suggest being honest, you have already faced being honest with yourself that you need help with losing weight. Trust me you are going to learn alot more about yourself going through this process, I know that I did. I have learned to love me for me and to be honest that I allow convience and stress lead to my bad choices. Use this time wisely and learn everything you can, if your program offers support groups attend them you will learn alot from like minded people who are going through this procedure and who has completed it. Please keep us posted on your progress we are here for you.

Hi--Jan. 1 I begin my 12 days on Optifast shakes (4) and protein bars (2) each day, then 2 days of clear liquids, and surgery on 1/15. I had a preop visit on 12/28, but when I got home, I thought I might have purchased the wrong amount of shakes per day, so will check on that. My BMI is 51, and the paperwork states 6 shakes per day with a BMI in that range--so we'll see. I'm excited, and nervous. Keep having these "Last Supper" moments about lots of foods, and hope that I can handle it after.:whoo: I so look forward to less pain in my back and knees and being able to get about without a cane and scooter.I'm on Soc Sec disability, and hope to be able to work again eventually. We never discussed a goal weight, so I just picked what I weighed when I got married, which was still not thin by any means!! But I'd be thrilled to weigh it again.:clap2: So glad to have a group to follow along with starting the New Year!! Carol in CT

I knew what you meant ☺ Oh and i am also with hcf... Story's usual)) teenage emotional eating and after 1000 diets, which are working until you shut your mouth and then bite a single chip - BAMM!!! Plus 40 kgs!!! Nightmare! Dropping 15 - gaining 20 etc, etc... Now thinking about first child and realising I'm not fit to look after my family tge way I always wanted to. For sure tuned up with you!!! Very glad to find you!!! Sent from my D6653 using the BariatricPal App

Right before I made my final decision to go through with the RNY, I had a fear that I might lose too much weight. I thought, what if I lose the 110 lbs I need to lose but I can't stop after that? What if I keep losing and i look like a walking skeleton? No no no this is too risky. It's not for me! It's really silly now that I think about it. I'm only 7 weeks post-op, but I'm confident of how much I will lose and where I WILL stop. ????

Thanks for all the great answers! A lot of us seem to still have some doubts, but I think that is perfectly healthy. Being overconfident can just lead to letting down your guard and making mistakes. @@Valentina, LOL!! I often feel the same way myself. I’m not sure any of us are ever completely sure of ourselves all the time, and we’re all a work in progress. @, I am glad you did not let your fear of losing too much weight stop you from getting surgery. As you lose weight over the coming months and you get closer to goal weight, I think it will be important to think about what your long-term maintenance diet will be like and how you will transition to it as the time approaches. @@Nurse_Lenora, It’s great to see your confidence and hard work paying off, and wonderful that you have a supportive partner making the whole thing easier.

GPS is a very hot topic in the bariatric surgery community and growing every day. I am now starting to train other surgeons on the procedure and the demand for this is increasing as patients request GPS and surgeons want to learn how to do it. I have visited several U.S. surgeons that also do GPS for the benefit of sharing information and maximizing our collective knowledge about a new procedure. We share information on a regular basis for the benefit of our patients. Last week I visited a prestigious academic center that has started offering plication as well. When we first started, our patients were having a hard time pronouncing and remembering terms like imbrication and plication so I asked my wife what we should call it and she suggested GPS for Gastric Plication Surgery because it was easy to remember. This term seems to have caught on and now I see even international surgeons use the term. There does not seem to be agreement about the bougie size (bougie being a soft rubber tube used to size the new stomach sleeve). I have a strong opinion that the sutures (stitches) should be interrupted (individual stitches with a knot tied at each location) as opposed to a running stitch (knot tied at each end of a long stitch taking many "bites" along the way much like sewing. With interrupted stitches, the tension is controlled at each knot. With a running stitch, the tension is not controlled and can get too tight and lead to stomach tissue necrosis and/or perforation which we have all read about on this board. Another part of this is not to place the suture too deeply. In surgeonspeak, the suture should be seromuscular, not full-thickness. I also have a strong opinion that the ideal stitch is 2-O Ethibond. This is a third generation silk that actually causes a bit of scar tissue (favorable) which makes the bond stronger than just the stitch itself. Ethibond has been around for many years plicating the stomach for other reasons and it holds really well. I have seen Prolene used which is a monofilament suture and causes no reaction and actually doesn't hold its knots as well (poor suture memory as we call it) which means the knots can come undone. I think Prolene is at too high of a risk for prolapse where the whole thing resorts back to the normal stomach size or even worse where only one section is herniated out and could cause problems. I also feel strongly that the sutures should be no more than 2-3 centimeters apart from one another. I've seen surgeons place their stitches much further apart and I think this again increases the risk for prolapse or the stomach herniated back out between the stitches. We've learned from doing thousands of band surgeries for the last 9 years the importance of a two week liquid Protein diet prior to surgery to reduce the size of the liver and improve the ease of the operation. The first weight you lose comes out of the liver. I also think it is important to eradicate the known stomach bacteria, Helicobacter pylori because it is ubiquitous, most of us have it in our stomach lining and it can cause ulceration, inflammation or swelling when surgery is done on the stomach. This is easily eradicated with a two week antibiotic regimen pre-op. I think it's important to stay on a liquid diet (pureed Soups, applesauce, Jello, pudding, yogurt) for the first week and soft mushy foods for weeks two and three. Carbonation is a bad idea in any stomach surgery for weight loss because it dilates our work. (Have you ever opened a dropped can of Coke?) The best weight loss is acheived when you avoid drinking liquids for an hour after a meal. This allows you to be fuller sooner and longer and really makes the tool of GPS more effective. We have found that Levsin (hycosamine) 0.125mg SL (sublingual - under the tongue) given pre-op and continued three times daily post-op dramatically reduces the crampy abdominal pain after GPS. This has really improved the patient experience with this surgery. I also use lots of numbing medicine (local anesthetic) during the surgery which dramatically decreases pain after surgery. I always scope the stomach during the operation to make sure we're not missing an ulcer or polyp or any other important pathology. I do this in the operating room because it saves doing it as a separate procedure and also the scope is the ideal bougie size so I leave it in for the sizing catheter and this allows me to look at the perfect sleeve I just created when we're done with the procedure. Many surgeons don't do a stomach scope and I worry about doing this with no knowledge of the stomach lining. There is a lot of debate about stapled sleeve gastrectomy vs GPS. One item of consideration I think is important is that stapled sleeve patients have a 9% incidence of Vitamin B12 deficiency. The stomach makes something called intrinsic factor that aids in the absorption of Vitamin B12. A distinct advantage to GPS is that no stomach is removed and the intrinsic factor levels are not disturbed so you would expect that GPS patients would not have such a high incidence of vitamin deficiency. Stapled sleeve patients are also deficient in several other Vitamins such as Iron, folate and Vitamin D. (Ref: Obesity Surgery 2011, Feb 21(2):207-11.) I think there are many advantages to leaving the stomach in the body - just making it smaller as a powerful weight loss tool. Ghrelin gets a lot of press but it is important to realize that you reduce ghrelin with pressure (food in a smaller stomach). Ghrelin is a feedback hormone so physically removing stomach doesn't eliminate ghrelin. You guys have seen me rant about hiatal hernias on this board and I continue to feel strongly about repairing this during the surgery. What I've learned is that if you are overweight, there is nearly a 100% chance that you have a hiatal hernia and even if this is small it should be repaired at the time of surgery. Otherwise, you will have terrible heartburn when your stomach is made smaller. I get calls from patients that had GPS elsewhere and they have terrible heartburn and their hiatal hernia was not addressed at the time of surgery and they are pretty miserable. This is avoidable. Hiatal hernias are really easy to fix at the time of surgery so my opinion is that there is little excuse for ignoring this principle. The latter part of this month, I have a major annual surgical conference and plication is now on the agenda of this meeting. All this to say, I think that GPS is here to stay and gaining in popularity. One of my GPS patients came in the office last week having lost over 70 pounds in less than six months and he is quite thrilled as am I. That is all the good stuff. To me, the main downside is that the procedure is still new and we don't have long-term data. Two year data out of Europe looks good but we don't have two year U.S. data yet. There is some interesting data from Germany showing dilations ten years after stapled sleeve gastrectomy and I think the GPS can do this as well. We know from other operations that the key to preventing dilation is to avoid carbonation and avoid eating to the point of regurgitation after the stomach is smaller. Whenever something new comes up with GPS I will post it on this board. I also thank you for teaching me. Your experiences that you post here educate all of us. Keep up the great work. I wish you all the very best of success in your weight loss journey. Don't forget to buy yourself a substantial present when you reach your goal. Brad Watkins MD

I would definitely ask the doc about stool softeners. If those don't work then maybe a magnesium regiment or fiber supplement. Talk to him soon, u do not want too constipated. Are u measuring the amount of ur puréed food? And if ur bowels are full u r probly retaining that weight and water weight. Call him and see what u can take!

Hey there, We started at exactly the same weight on our surgery date. We should keep in touch. Because you were just banded, you may have some restriction due to swelling from the surgery itself. Some surgeons put Fluid in the band at the time of surgery - mine didn't - but some do. If you can't keep water down, you probably have some fill. You might want to check with your surgeon but at this point, you should sip once every few minutes. I think the goal for me was to drink 6-8 ounces of water an hour. If I remember correctly, the Protein shakes took forever to drink because they were a bit thicker. I didn't finish a shake in one sitting until about day 5. You just need to try to do your best. I think your port area may be hurting because of the actual surgery. Your port may be directly behind your largest incision so if it is not on the incision level but behind then it could be because your port is stitched to your muscle and that takes a while to heal. As for the hunger pains - you must follow your surgeons meal plan. Don't advance to mushies without approval. Try to drink your protein. If you are allowed sugar free popsicles - they made me feel like I was "eating" something rather than drinking and it helped. I held a bit in my mouth until it was totally liquid and then swallowed. I wish you the best of luck. Hope recovery becomes a breeze for you.

I decided today that I am not good at waiting. When I make up my mind to do something...I want it done now. I have my first consultation with the doctor on 8/6 and I feel like the days are twice as long as they use to be. I want to go to bed early so that it can be the next day. I know I am being a tad bit ridiculous considering how long it will be for the testing etc. to take place. I just finally realized that I am never going to be thin without this. I have tried to lose weight since I was in middle school. Albeit, I was never really that heavy then but I was bigger than all the other girls and when you are bigger than the rest of the girls...you are considered fat. I think honestly that genetics do play a role in my fatness. I played every sport imaginable from grade school to college and still was never thin. I was "healthy" though...and I miss that feeling. Now I feel a pain somewhere and think Oh crap...is that arthritis? am I having a heart attack? Will I be in a hoveround by the time I am 40? Which honestly with all the surgeries I have had is probably not out of the question if I don't get this weight off. I had 3 ankle surgeries in middle school, reconstructive knee surgery after highschool graduation, and a diskectomy in my middle 20's while pregnant with my first son. I know it doesn't sound believeable, but it is true. I obviously already have joint issues (not to mention I only have one kidney). It is funny to me how in my 20's I never gave much thought to my health...I wanted to lose weight for vanity reasons. But now that I am in my early 30's...I am struggling with the thought that today could be the day that being morbidly obese could possibly kill me. I have about 115 lbs to lose to be the smallest I have ever been. The smallest I have ever been was 150lbs and that was after much starvation and pounding the pavement 2x a day for 3 miles at a time. Yeah I know, where did that energy go? But alas, it was a very unhealthy way to lose weight. Since that time, I could lose about 30lbs but not keep it off. It has been a vicious cycle for so many years that I feel like a dog chasing his tail. You keep going and going but never quite actually get any where worthwhile. Anyway, this is the time for change in my life...my thirties will not be spent dieting and getting no where. I want to live and I want to have fun...I think I have already waited to long for this.

Yes. Just came off of one that lasted 2 weeks. Up, down, up, down. Frustrating, but if you stick with your plan, the weight will come off. Now I have lost 4 lbs in 3 days. That feels good!

Unbeknownst to me (since I hadn't had a fill or any eating or other band problems for over a year), my old 4cc band was too tight. That put so much pressure on my esophagus that it dilated and lost its ability to transport food into my stomach. Now I'm afraid that even a bigger, newer band could create the same problem, so I'm revising to the sleeve. Not thrilled about it, but making the best of the circumstances. I'm extremely lucky that I have another surgical option for weight management and even more that my insurance is willing to pay for it. I'll always be a bandster at heart, though!

I'm finally starting to feel as if I maybe have lost some weight. Tomorrow is another follow-up with Dr Cahn. I'm not planning on getting another fill. I'm eating just fine and losing about 3 pounds a week. I'm satisfied with that. Paul and I can tell a huge difference between us. There's so much more room when we hug or snuggle. Its odd but wonderful. I've been fighting depression though. I think I need to go see Margaret and maybe up my Efexor. I keep dragging my feet on that. I don't want to be a zombie. Maybe I just need exercize. Or, maybe the CPAP machine needs to be adjusted and I need to use it? Now why would I do that? We only paid $1,500 for it! :confused: Here are our most recent pics:

SW 369 LBS (size 28 pants/5 x shirts) CW 238 lbs (size 18 pants/xl shirt) SURGERY DATE 1-21-13 8 months 29 days out .... 18 more LBS to my goal weight Goal weight 220 !!!! Thanks Dr Sosa (hialeah, fl) !!!! MrsB surgery 1-21-13

I'm almost 4 months out, I am down 60 pounds and I carry most of my weight in my belly. I started in a size 26 and I'm in a 22. I still have a belly but it is a smaller belly Overall people can tell I'm smaller and my old shirts fit different. It will happen. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I am so frustrated! About 3 months ago I lost restriction, went to my Dr every week for 6 weeks to find out problem and he did fill after fill. Finally found out I had a leak in the tubing and had to have port and tubing replaced. I am a self pay with no insurance and have been treated so nasty by the hospital - they wanted to charge me $7100 for the 15 minute surgery. I have a $1200 anesthesia bill, almost $500 for an upper GI. The financial lady at the hospital discounted it to $1400 and I had to sign the paper and pay her $75 or I couldn't have my surgery there. The office manager at the Dr.s office who I have called several times to get some kind of advice from either won't return my calls or doesn't call back when she said she would. I do have an appointment tomorrow and am bringing in all my bills to show the Dr. I feel he should pay for them, am I wrong? I don't want to get a lawyer but the more I get treated so badly the madder I get. Has anyone gone through this. I know a leak is a risk you take but come on. I'm sure the Dr could get a response from the hospital. And the no communication from his office is what's really bugging me. I am so uncomfortable even going there now. I feel like one of "those" patients. If it was my fault or a slip or something like that I would be more understanding but my patience is running out. HELP!!!!!!! To make matters worse - I gained 25 lbs back trying to get hime to run some tests to find the problem!:biggrin:

I'm 24 years old and live in the Tampa, FL area. I'm not married, but do have a 2 year old son, and work full-time as an insurance agent. My starting weight when I began my 6 month pre-op program was 309, I was banded on 9/11 at 287 lbs and am down to 283 today - I want to get down to 140. I don't know anyone that has had the surgery before and although there are monthly support group meetings at the hospital I had my surgery, many of the patients are older and I'm not relating to them very well. I'd just like to be able to talk to someone who's been through this before and is there to help me when I get down.

Hi everyone!!!!! I have decided on lapband. I am very fortunate in that I have the best insurance in the US. I have been approved and the only thing that my insurance will not cover is a pharmaceutical consult and recreational consult. Everything is covered at 100% with no deductible. I have to pay $247.00 total. Even though I have had to go through 3 meetings with a dietician, an informative meeting, a psych evaluation, and the upcoming meeting with my Dr. I feel blessed that I am afforded this while others have to go through so much. I weigh 235 and am 5'2" and 55 years old. I want to get down to 135. I have serious joint issues including having had four hip surgeries including two hip replacements, and my knees are ready to fail as I speak. My left hip hurts so much that I can hardly walk and will have to be revised. The surgeons tell me that I have to lose a lot of weight and even then they are skeptical of a good outcome. I used to be an athlete and a P.E. teacher in charge of all swimming activities. I coached triathletes and participated myself. Even though I had a weight problem all my life I was able to keep some control because of my activity level. I would exercise hard about 2 hours a day. NOW....I can do nothing. I even have problems with my shoulders. So, I sit and eat, and feel horrible. I have gained so much weight. My objective is to be able to walk again. I will figure out a way to exercise because I believe in it so much. I am excited that I finally get to see the Dr. on Wednesday and hopefully will have my surgery in less than a month. I am going to need support during this. I am so afraid of losing food, my best friend. If I can get over that feeling, I think I will succeed and will then be able to have my hip revision and walk without pain again...(until my stage 4 arthritic knee gives out) Yes, I feel sorry for myself. I love that there is this group to go to. Thanks for listening, Jan

Hi everyone! Thought Id post a bit of progress.I have had a few ups and downs along the way..2 fills gaining weight constantly and no restriction-then 3rd time lucky on 11 June 08 result! I have lost just over 3 stones so far. Starting weight 20.6 stones (286 lbs) present weight 17.4l stones (242 lbs) There is 14lb to 1 stone if that makes it a little clearer(sorry for not adding that sooner) I have noticed clothes becoming looser and inches falling off. I dont feel deprived as I can still eat a fair amount. I think I am due another fill soon as I am starting to eat larger meals and feel hungry more often.Still losing every week around 1-2 lbs so still good result. Will post some photos soon,not a major difference yet-but its still early days. Happy banding everyone! xx