Search the Community

FYI, if interested: Excuse its length, but here's the email blast I received of today's ASMBS' Connect: News topics of the week re: obesity and WLS. You might find some articles of interest to you. They sent: The following is a summary/brief analysis of the obesity and surgery stories making news this week: Company Seeks FDA Approval for Balloon System for Obesity… Retinopathy Stable After Bariatric Surgery…Sleeve Gastrectomy vs. Medical Management for Diabetes… UK May Seen Huge Increase in Bariatric Surgery… New Clues on How Metabolic Surgery Affects Diabetes…Sharon Osbourne Felt Like a Cheat After Surgery… Obesity Worse Than Smoking… Childhood Obesity Drops in NYC… Stigma Around Obesity Persists… Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in the News… ReShape Submits Dual Balloon System Application to FDA (Bariatric News) ReShape Medical is seeking FDA approval for the ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System, "the first and only dual balloon for non-surgical weight loss designed for people with a BMI 30-40." According to the company, the system is the first device to meet its primary effectiveness endpoints in a U.S. randomized, sham-controlled pivotal trial. Dr. Jaime Ponce, Principal Investigator in the so-called REDUCE trial, commented, “Meeting the primary endpoints is an important accomplishment, as it convincingly demonstrates the superiority of the ReShape procedure over diet and exercise alone. The ReShape procedure offers a new alternative to help patients kick-start weight loss and learn new behaviours. We are excited about what this new treatment option may do for millions of people needing to lose excess weight.” The device has been available in the E.U. since December 2011. ReShape Medical anticipates a launch in the U.S. in mid-to-late 2015. No Change in Retinopathy in Diabetes 2 Years After Surgery (Medscape) Results from the STAMPEDE trial presented at the American Diabetes Association 2014 Scientific Sessions show no change in diabetic retinopathy for patients two years after bariatric surgery. Lead author Dr. Rishi P. Singh commented that he was “pleasantly reassured” that there wasn’t a higher incidence or significant progression of the disease after surgery. He said the results demonstrate that regular eye exams are still important for this patient population. "This is the first time that a prospective, randomized clinical trial has shown that intensive medical management vs gastric bypass doesn't appear to increase the retinopathy incidence or progression, nor does it increase the rate of vision loss or changes in intraocular blood pressure (a sign of glaucoma)," he added. Dr. Bruce Wolfe, bariatric surgeon at Oregon Health and Science University, commented on the results saying, "The induction of remission or improvement in diabetes control is positive for the patient, but drawing conclusions about the many-year process of diabetic complications of diabetic neuropathy or diabetic retinopathy is premature." Additionally, he added that patients who are informed that their diabetes has gone into remission after they have had bariatric surgery may think, "I don't need to go to these eye assessments anymore," but that would be too hasty, he stressed. Better Long-term Diabetes Outcomes with Sleeve Gastrectomy vs. Medical Management (Healio) Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy helped adults with type 2 diabetes achieve better blood glucose control than standard care alone, according to research presented at the joint meeting of the International Congress of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society. To determine long-term outcomes of diabetes in patients with sleeve gastrectomy vs. medical care alone, investigators reviewed medical records of veterans with type 2 diabetes, ages 18 to 80, undergoing the surgery at a VA medical center in a major metropolitan area. Two years of data from the charts of 30 patients treated with surgery were compared to 23 control patients. All patients had received medical treatment and been part of the MOVE national weight management program designed by the VA National Center for Health before being offered surgery. Significant improvements in BMI and HbA1c were seen in patients with surgery at one year, with improvements sustained through the end of two years; BMI decreased from 46 to 34 and HbA1c from 7.25% to 5.98%. These kinds of outcomes were not witnessed in patients without surgery during the study. At study completion, 76% of patients with surgery were able to discontinue or reduce their diabetes medications, compared with 26% of patients receiving medical treatment only. Thousands More to Get Obesity Ops on the NHS: NICE Calls for Huge Increase in Surgery - But Even Obesity Charities Condemn It (Daily Mail) New draft guidance from the U.K.’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) suggests that people with obesity who have type 2 diabetes should be assessed for bariatric surgery under the country’s National Health Service (NHS). At present weight loss surgery is given to patients on the NHS who have morbid obesity with a BMI score of over 40 or to those who have a BMI over 35 and who have another serious health condition - such as type 2 diabetes. But now Nice is suggesting that people with a BMI score of 30 to 35 should be considered for an assessment for surgery under the NHS if they have been diagnosed within the last 10 years. This could mean hundreds of thousands more patients could be considered for treatment. The draft guideline also recommends that people who have undergone bariatric surgery under the NHS should have a "follow up care package" for at least two years after their operation. However, opponents of the guidelines say it is wrong of Nice to recommend that the NHS offer operations costing £5,000 when the agency faces a £30billion deficit. Scientists Discover Clues Why Weight-loss Surgery Cures Diabetes (Medical Xpress) A study published in the journal Endocrinology found the actions of specialized cells in the intestine that secrete a cocktail of powerful hormones when we eat may help bring us a step closer to understanding why gastric bypass surgery "cures diabetes in most patients." The research team showed that gut hormone cells previously thought to contain just one hormone, had up to six hormones including the hunger hormone ghrelin. Study team leader Dr. Craig Smith, a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Cell Physiology at University of Manchester, commented, “Understanding the messages the gut sends out when we eat food and when things go wrong, as is the case in diabetes, is our next challenge and hopefully one that will result in the development of drugs which could be used instead of surgery to cure obesity and prevent diabetes.” Sharon Osbourne Opens Up About Feeling Like a ‘Cheat’ After Gastric Bypass Surgery (NY Daily News) In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sharon Osbourne commented that she has “secret shame” about having bariatric surgery in 1999. "I felt (like) such a cheat when I had that band on my stomach,” she said. "People are saying, 'You look wonderful! I'd go, 'Thank you, I just have to leave and vomit.'" Osbourne had the gastric band removed in 2006 and says she controls her weight through the low-carb Atkins diet, but admitted she struggles because she is still a food addict. Obesity in the News… Extreme Obesity Cuts Lifespan More than Smoking: Study (Reuters, CBSNews.com, Voice of America) Extensive media coverage of the “largest-ever study of the effect of extreme obesity on mortality,” which showed the “most extreme cases” may shorten a person's lifespan more than smoking. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute found people who suffered from severe obesity died 6.5 to 13.7 years earlier than people of healthy weight. A data review was conducted of 20 large studies from U.S., Sweden and Australian, which included 9,564 adults with extreme obesity and 304,011 of normal weight. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes were mostly responsible for an increased risk of dying “at any given time” when BMI rose to levels of extreme obesity. The study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Severe Childhood Obesity Shows a Decline in New York City (Reuters) The prevalence of severe obesity among school children in New York City was down by almost 10% in the 2010-11 school year compared to the 2006-07. Earlier research had shown a decline in overall obesity among NYC public school children, but the prevalence of severe obesity had not been studied. The new study, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, shows NYC rates “buck national trends.” Height and weight measurements were recorded for 947,765 children attending public schools in kindergarten through eighth grade. Severe obesity fell from 6.3% of the children in the 2006-07 school year to 5.7% in 2010-11. The change represents a 9.5% decrease. The prevalence of severe obesity was highest among boys, minorities and poor children. Additionally, while prevalence declined in every group, the greatest decrease was among white students and wealthy students. Many Obese Women Face Stigma Every Day, Study Finds (HealthDay) A new study found women who were overweight or suffered from obesity were likely to be faced with frequent, daily insults and humiliation from strangers, family and friends. Researchers recruited 50 women who were asked to log their “weight-stigmatizing” events in a diary during the course of a week. A total of 1,077 occurrences were reported including physical barriers (84%), nasty comments from others (74%), being stared at (72%) and others making negative assumptions (72%). Each woman experienced an average of three negative events over a seven-day period. Researchers found BMI was “the most significant factor associated with all forms of stigma except that caused by interpersonal relationships.” Ted Kyle, advocacy advisor for The Obesity Society, felt the study was limited due to the size and lack of data from other groups including males and other ethnic groups as most participates were white. He commented, “Most everybody struggles with some kind of health issue but obesity is something you wear on the outside.” The study was published recently in the Journal of Health Psychology.

My insurance covers revision as long as it's medically necessary. So like the other gal said if you can prove that it's medically necessary to cure your GERD it won't matter what your BMI is because they'll look at it as a procedure not a weight loss surgery. I'm getting a revision to the bypass because of complications from my sleeve. They approved it in less than a day. And I'm only 167 pounds Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Well I'm officially a loser! I had my surgery April 8th and everything went great! I walked shortly after waking up, little to no pain but I did stay on top of the pain meds at first. Went home the next day, have been sleeping in my recliner and doing fine. I'm on three weeks of full liquids. I've been eating puréed and some soft foods though. I had been throwing up daily after eating, but for the past two days I've been really careful and luckily have not puked. I am happy to say that I am down 11 lbs as of this past Monday. You can already see a difference in my face and down two pant sizes!! I'm now back to work and feeling full of energy. My incisions still get sore but nothing intolerable. My mom started to freak me out right before surgery saying that this surgery was messed up and she didn't like it. Never mentioned that before though. She's my toughest critic also. I try not to share too much with her because I don't need the lectures. My husband on the other hand, has been terrific. He's been really supportive and excited for my loss. We've been able to talk about the surgery and weight loss very openly, which I really like. My friends haven't really been as supportive as I thought they would be. Especially my coworkers. They acted like nothing had happened when I came back to work. Oh well, that's ok. I know who my true friends are. I find it very supportive to be on these forums also. Next Monday I'm going to go to a weight loss surgical support meeting that I found nearby my home. I've also been doing weekly counseling with a lady that is a gastric bypass patient herself. She is four years out and is so amazing!! I suggest finding someone that has knowledge of the surgery or has done it themselves if you are considering counseling for food issues and what not. Well I am super happy and excited for this journey that I am on. I am down a total of 32 lbs since pre op. only going down from here. The hardest part was the first week home and not being able to eat, so I cheated and got really sick. Not worth it at all. This is all a learning process though and I learn from my mistakes. I regretted this the first week actually because I was mourning the loss of food so badly, but now that the inches are coming off and the scales moving and feeling better everyday I'm glad that I had it done. Everyday does get easier. Luckily I haven't had any complications or major side effects like some people do. Hopefully it'll stay that way too. Good luck to all that reads my blog.

Had my three month visit yesterday. I was really trying to hit that 50 pound mark but missed it by 1 pound. Arghh!! The surgeon was very pleased with my progress. He kept asking about complications or how I've felt, like he couldn't believe my answers about feeling like a million bucks! He told me I looked great and when I said "Thanks to you", he said no, that I had done all the hard work and his part was just a small part of it all. Very nice surgeon! I told him I would be his poster child for relative lightweights and he asked me if I would be willing to post before and after pics on his website and Facebook page. I told him sure. Well, when I posted my pics on his Facebook page, I didn't realize it would post to my timeline and all my friends and family would see it. I hadn't told them all about having surgery. I got SO many positive likes and comments about my weight loss and not one negative comment about having had surgery. So, the cat's out of the bag, now!

Hi there, I am just starting the process. :success1: I have been researching the band for a few months now and will be attending a seminar on 11/13/06. I am excited, yet a little nervous. Still unsure I want to have this done. :phanvan All of the benefits seem almost too good to be true and the complications,though rare I guess, are all too real. The journey continues... Sheila

What I don't understand is WHY my doctor never mentioned this when I have a history of acid reflux- although it was completely controlled on Prilosec. I'm suffering unmercifully now with heartburn and I get no control or relief. Brings me to tears every day and I'm only 5 weeks post? He tells me the surgery-one or the other- makes no difference? I had a few complications and a hernia repair too- and I will never do another surgery. Am I going to never find relief? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I never thought I would post a success story as I deleted my every "before pic" that was horrible. But I found this goodie on an old laptop tonight. Ewww. First pic was taken a few months pre-surgery and second was taken last weekend. I will be 6 months out on the 6th of April - and am down 84lbs with 24lbs to go! Woo-hoo. No major complications, and I am loving life! Weeks leading up to my surgery all I was obsessed with watching youtube videos and forum pics of success stories, so thought I would share some of the love back and I can't wait to see how I look after a year!

Read "weird complication after surgery" for my crazy story with my port incision.

So, I am sitting here looking at my chewable aspirin, my chewable calcium supplements, my chewable Gas-X and my Benefiber. I went shopping yesterday for some of the things I know I will need. I am currently a functioning Carb Nazi - I stive to erradicate carbs from the face of the earth. So far, I am doing well on that - but having just a smidge of trouble with the fat thing. South Beach is harder for me than Atkins was. On Atkins, I would eat all the cheese I wanted. I was good a finding delicious low-carb cheese that I could eat plenty of and stay within my 20 gram carb limit. This fat monitoring business is a pain the ass. I can live without sour cream. I can live with less Mayo (I mean if you can't make sandwiches, it has limited usage, doesn't it?) but the cheese thing is rough. So I am already breaking the diet... sort of. I guess I am doing Atkins instead of South Beach. SB allows Beans and stuff - It's way more complicated than Atkins. You have to think about it too much - so I just won't, I guess. I will just do a lower fat version of Atkins - Ketosis is ok, for right now. I mean, the point is to get the liver to suck all the fat out of itsself, right? After the surgery, I will eat "normally" again eventually - and ketosis can't be any harder on my liver than anything else I have done to it, over the years of eating every rich creamy delicious thing that brought me to weigh well over 300 lbs... :mad: Can you say "Total lack of self control?" Sure y' can... DH surprised me yesterday. We were talking about him studying the doc's info so he could prepare appropriate meals and he said maybe if he were going to get the surgery, he would read up on the stuff. In one sense, it just means his ass is too lazy to read the stuff, (he wants me to just tell him what to cook) but in another sense, it means that somewhere in the depths of his psyche - he has actually considered doing it. That is good news. DH also tops 300 lbs - and although he is much taller than me - and weighs LESS - he is still MO and Diabetic. I am hoping that if I do well and have few complications, he might actually consider it in his conscious mind. He is ten years older than me - and I worry about him almost as much as I have worried about myself. How cool would it be if the surgery did for his Diabetes what it has done for others. I guess I will just have to be a model bandster, a rabbit, and make it look easy while I am doing it. (um, yeah. sure. whatever.):paranoid I am in that Obsession phase of my weight loss journey. That's good. But that is also a standard pattern for me. Here's the pattern: 1) Irene freaks out about being MO and decides it's time to finally do something (for about the 50th time - but we won't go into that now). 2) Irene finds the diet du-jour and begins to follow it with fervor - the model, nay the very icon of the plan (whatever it is). Obsessing over every calorie, carb and fat gram, exercising, and actually losing weight. 3) After two-three months (MAX) Irene get's bored? Gets tired? Get's afraid of being thin? I still don't know exactly what it is that causes it - but that is when I start to lose it. Maybe that's when my natural OCD tendencies have just run their course? It just seems like so much WORK to keep it up. Of course, that's usually when the weight loss slows down - so maybe it's a reward issue. Once the rate of weightloss gets dramatically lower, what is the pay-off for all this work? Hmmm. My hope is that with the band - this cycle will be changed. Well, it will practically have to change. My own fervor will carry me through the liquid phase and all the healing. By the time I start to get discouraged, it should be time for my fills to begin - and Doctor Fox seems like he won't be shy about giving them. Besides - I won't be able to eat the volumes that I have eaten with the band. It's not like I will be able to suck down half a pizza in a sitting. (Like I can EASILY do now...) Besides I will have all the LBT folk to keep me sane. I really will have NO excuse for becoming a drama queen about all this stuff. I have absorbed a whole boatload of info over the last several months. I know I will suffer some post op depression, I know that I will have food mourning issues, I know all that stuff - But I suppose knowing it won't make it any easier. :rolleyes Of course, my biggest fear is that I will slip or erode or something. I guess it's just the luck of the draw on that stuff. I am going to have to just suck it up and count on the Luck o' the Irene that has carried me this far. Good Karma pays off. I guess I had better get out there and spread some more good vibes. I will need them back, say in about 3 months! 8 days to lift off.....

Are you happy with your decision to be banded? I am only 2 1/2 months post-op but so far yes I am very happy. Do you have any regrets and if so what are they? No, none at all Would you do it again if you had the choice to make over? In a hearbeat! What are some of the physical difficulties you've faced post op..such as diet, health? My health has already improved...I am already off one of my two prescriptions. Other than recovery which wasn't too bad there have been no physical difficulties. There still is head hunger but it has been easier to combat. Did you have any complications and what was the outcome? No complications from Lap Band, I also had Hiatal Hernia repair and had a few minor complications from that (breathing problems and pain) but I am fine now. Do you feel better or worse now compared to pre banding? I already feel sooo much better. Once the weight is all gone I imagine I will feel like a new person. Did you tell people you were having or had the surgery? I hadn't planned to but I ended up telling family and co-workers. I do not have any regrets in doing so. How did your friends and acquaintances react? Mostly with curiosity, lots of questions. My mom had some concerns but she is OK with it now. Hubby has been very supportive. How hard was it for you to stay on the pre and post op liquid diets? Very hard. Pre-op was harder than post-op when I had less of an appetite but it was hard. But it was only a short time and worth it. How hard has it been for you to learn new eating habits? Very easy. I am not hungry like I was pre-band and the band keeps me from eating too much and that makes all the difference. How do you overcome eating temptations or do you even have them anymore? I think most of my head hunger comes from my addiction to Carbs. I also have PCOS so carbs are truly the enemy. Pre-op diet was low carb high protein so I was able to get the carbs out of my system and have stuck with the low carb not allowing myself any sugar or white flour (I do eat whole wheat wraps sometimes, oatmeal, fresh fruit but no pasta, starches, sugars and I can't tolerate soft breads). I really think that avoiding bad carbs is helping a lot. Why do you think this surgery was successful when so many other dieting attempts failed (assuming you are like me :crying: in this regard) I have dieted my whole life. I have lost up to 50 pounds on my own more than once then lost my willpower and gained it back and then some. In order to lose weight I had to deprive myself of food and endure constant hunger. The key now is that I am not hungry and I can't cheat without feeling discomfort. I really don't feel the deprivation I have always felt on other diets.

Support YOURSELF! I read several WLS boards daily and I'm truly amazed at the helplessness and lack of power some of us have. I've been there myself, having dealt with seasonal depression, early childhood abuse and growing up with a mom who had Borderline Personality Disorder. In my 20s depression reared it's ugly head in a big way and the weight gain started. I'd weighed around 150 and at 5'5" that was close to ideal. I finished my 3rd decade weighing about 225, despite getting psychological support. In my 40s after getting up to 260, I sought counseling to deal with unresolved issues with my mom, who had passed away 10 years before. This helped me deal with relationship issues I had on many levels with pretty much everyone in my life, and I dieted my way down to 190. I felt in control and powerful. That was a great feeling. Today I read a post laying out strategies for success in losing weight. It listed a few good ideas and some that were a bit impractical, but the point I got out of it was in order to succeed, we must support ourselves; get the trigger foods out of sight, etc, but I think it missed a key point. It's not about hiding bad foods...it's about keeping healthy foods available in the moment we are being tempted and taking back our power over temptation. This is where I've been missing the boat recently, a technique I know works, but in my blue mood, had forgotten. The strategy I've used is positive affirmation. You visualize how you'll feel, look, walk 20, 30, 40 lb lighter and create an inner dialog of positive statements: I'm enjoying shopping for clothing one size smaller. It feels great to take a walk without my knees hurting so much. This chicken Greek salad tastes so fresh and it's providing my body with nutrients and Protein to support my healthy lifestyle. You create a positive environment within your mind to support your goal of being healthier. You replace the negative inner dialog, you KNOW what I'm talking about, with positive self talk. It's a habit you develop over time, usually about 6 weeks. It's a known fact that thinking positive thoughts while developing a new habit helps in establishing the desired behavior. You focus on the new behaviors, not on overcoming the old behavior. If you find yourself berating, chastising or otherwise having a negative inner dialog, you stop, breathe and replace that dialog with a positive affirmation: I am worthy, I am powerful, I am in control and move on. I did this throughout my band journey, including the 3 month supervised term and especially during the year I was struggling with the complications. In the last few months, I'd let the negative self talk sneak in...the fear of regain, feeling vulnerable, powerless and depressed. I forgot the mantra "If you believe it, you'll see it" and I did...30 lb of regain since September. So go ahead and hide the Cookies, better yet, leave them at the store, but don't forget to visualize yourself 1, 2 or 3 sizes smaller, congratulate yourself for every accomplishment and forgive a misstep. You are worthy, you are powerful, you are in control. Bandarella????

Hi! I'm (obviously) new here. Anyhow, I'm from the Philippines and I'm going to be banded on May 11, 2009. My surgeon is Dr. Rey Santos and I think he's going to perform the surgery with 4 other surgeons. I've actually had a chat with my surgeon already and have already raised my questions and concerns (mostly drawn from reading the posts here. Hehe). Admittedly, after reading the Complications section, I'm still a bit afraid of what can happen post-op. But, I'm really trying my best to stay positive. I really want to become healthy. So, just a little background info. I'm 22 years old and my BMI is currently at 41. Since I'm Asian, I am most definitely morbidly obese (35 is the cut-off for us) I'm at my heaviest right now at 257 pounds. I'm 5'6 and I'm an incoming 2nd year medical student. Fortunately, I don't have any complications from being obese. My lipid profile is normal, no diabetes (no family history either plus my blood sugar is usually around 80s to 90s), no hypertension, no PCOS, no chest pains, some slight insulin resistance, etc. The only thing that's really bugging me right now is that my ankles hurt sometimes. Actually, when they started acting up, that was the time I really started to worry and considered Lap-Band. Ever since I was three years old, I've been overweight. I tried to lose weight when I was 14 years old and enrolled myself in a gym that summer. I lost 30 pounds that time and from 210, reached 180. But I gained the pounds I lost eventually and then some. After that, I still worked out every summer but I wasn't able to lose as much before. I tried cardioboxing too, South Beach Diet, Sibutramine and even Orlistat (yeeech). All of them helped decrease my weight but not significantly. And I gained them all back eventually. I had two nutritionists but they weren't able to help as much. So there. That's basically the story of my battle with obesity. I'm sorry if it's so long. Haha. I have this tendency to overshare information. You guys are really supportive and I'm really glad to have found this community. I hope I'll get to know all of you more. :thumbup:

Many women have been both banded and pregnant successfully. The most that I know of use mostly Yahoo Groups Smartbandsters. I'm sure there are others. I think they take most of the fill out for the duration of the pregnancy then refill after the birth, but I have heard of no complications whatsoever with the pregnancy or delivery itself. I wish you luck!

I chose the band mostly because of the lower mortality/complication rate. I didn't have any other health problems and didn't feel bypass was worth the extra risk. Also because I too have a history of losing and gaining it back. I feared I would do really well with bypass at first, but I would be one who would gain it all back after a few years because I would have a bad couple of months and stretch out my stomach. The band is always adjustable and if I screw up a little a few years down the road, I can get back on the wagon. I wish you the best of luck whichever you decide is right for you.

Well, I just got back from my doc appt. It went very well! He is very pleased by my progress and he actually smiled...twice. WOW! I have a stoic, soft spoken doc but he is one heck of a surgeon. Zero complications aside from acid. He is calling in an rx for Prevacid. I sure hope it works! Other than that he told me that I far exceeded his expectations and he expects me to reach my ideal body weight of 140. I also have to get labs drawn to check my Vitamin levels. This is food for thought: At the end of the appt he told me that the insurance company is keeping a close eye on my progress and that they keep records on all patients who have had the sleeve to monitor whether or not they should continue to approve the procedure in the future. I have UHC *** and I jumped through hoops to get approved but they finally came correct. I do know they are one of the first insurance companies to cover the sleeve. Some still only cover LapBand and Gastric Bypass. So! Needless to say I am going to do my best to make sure that I stay on track. The thought of somebody not being approved for this in the future is something I do not want to be even partially responsible for. I feel like I was given a gift and a second chance at life. I am so happy I chose the sleeve!

Now that is really exciting! To be part of a group of select individuals to influence whether or not the sleeve will be approved in the future. I'm sure it will be approved considering all the Lap Band people who had a significant amount of complications that cost the insurance company a lot of money. You are already a success! Take it in, and please give yourself a lot of credit for your hard work. KEEP ROCKIN THAT SLEEVE!

IDK anything on plication but I had read some things on it that were not 'great.' I honestly don't recall what. I did sleeve as I am and was a huge eater. I use food for more things than hunger and I still struggle with that. I'm a work in progress. I wasn't "huge" as most ppl would say "omg you don't need surgery!" but they didn't know how I ate. They didn't know that food really felt like it controlled me. I hate to say that, it sounds pathetic, but I am an addict. It's the only "drug of choice" that you can't 'just quit'... and every day is always going to be something to work at. This tool helps me work it. I didn't do RNY (gastric bypass) as I didn't want to reroute my plumbing and to be honest dumping scares me. I love sweets, or loved them prior to my sleeve, and I was scared I'd do that once and get dumping and want to die. I am the 1% of sleevers that have had complications. I have had pneumonia after my surgery then a leak and revision to my suture line. It was not the most enjoyable experience; however, I don't regret the surgery - most days! I am 90 lbs and counting lost since March. I worry on the long term 'will I be successful' because surgery is a tool, not a magic wand that will 'fix' you. Depression, eating for solace, etc are issues that having this surgery will NOT fix. However, this surgery has made it possible where I go out to eat and after 4 or 5 bites, I am "done" and satisfied. I can eat 700-900 calories a day and be ok with it, where I used to balk at that extreme makeovers show that put everyone on a 1200 calorie restriction diet. Do your research, decide what is best for you. Should you want to know more about sleeve, this is obviously the place to be. But research your options. I do think DO IT! (whatever surgery you decide, especially if you have struggled with weight for your lifetime as I have) I am 38 and I hope that I will be successful for the remainder of whatever my lifetime might be so that diabetes, cancer, heart disease - all of which have killed my family - won't get me. But remember... I AM still a "work in progress"..... it's a tool and every day I still have to push myself to make good choices and not beat myself up when I slip. Part of this journey, for me, is about forgiving myself for things.... I am trying to work on my head issues. Support groups with this surgery has helped! (you might attend a few of whatever surgery you are considering for face to face input as well) Best wishes!

^^^ explains the differences between the sleeve & plication. plication is an unknown, experimental procedure that folds the stomach.. it can cause scarring, ulcers, and other stuff & if you have complications, they don't know if they can fix it or switch it over to a different surgery (like the sleeve or bypass). it also sounds really painful, because the doctor said that the stomach can get so inflamed that it rips itself open from the sitches which requires another surgery. i'd rather have the sleeve.. the sleeve also helps with dealing with physical hunger. hope that helped. but to answer your question.. you're not crazy to want help with your weight problem.. but i don't think that you're very big.. you could eat healthy- which you would have to do if you got surgery anyway- and exercise.. and your problem would be taken care of.. but there are people who have this surgery that are 200lb.. i mean.. i dunno your specific situation, but if i weighed 200lb, i would be pretty happy & look forward to exercising to get the rest of it off & not having to worry about excess skin & stuff.... but you know what they say.. different strokes for different folks. one thing you may consider, instead of surgery, would be going to mexico, canada or europe & having that gastric balloon thing put in your stomach.. http://www.obesitysurgerycentre.com/procedures-right-for-you/gastric-balloon/ << there's info on that procedure. what they do is put a silicone balloon in your stomach & fill it with saline or air & it makes your stomach small, like if you were to have had a gastric bypass or sleeve.. it's fully reversable, too.. only down side that i've read is that it can only stay in your stomach for 6 months.. but.. you could be to your goal by then & it'd be easier to maintain your weight... so something to consider! good luck to you, whatever you decide to do!

Why must they know the exact surgery you are having? Did you do all your pre-op testing? I have a hernia and adhesions and 2 polyps that need to be removed. I've had previous surgeries and my insides are a bit of a mess. I'm going in to have those removed. Enough said. I'm not telling anyone but my parents, husband son and ONE friend. 3 week liquid pre-op diet...I started a Protein shake diet, my doctor thinks I should lose weight before I have surgery, enough said. You will not know if you can or can't have a family until you lose the weight, so you have to look at what is right in front of you, the immediate. Life is scary and we are all afraid of things but fearing something that you have no control over right now, is not worth the anxiety (and binge eating or overeating because of fears it brings on). Take one thing at a time. I have a lot of fears, my fears are ridiculous, will I poop during surgery, will the drain make me want to gag, will I be able to afford new clothes once I lose weight. I have big fears too did I remember to pay the bills that are due this week while I'll be gone, do I have enough money to pay the bills. Will there be complications? My husband is an eater and a muncher and our relationship has changed over the past 7 months. He needs to keep up with me a bit, I can't just sit around, I need to move, he needs to move with me. He's accepted me and loved me at this weight, but I haven't loved myself. He needs to adjust to the new me, just like I have to adjust, and life has to change for the family. I can't take care of them, if I can't take care of myself. His habits will change because I have been cooking different and I am making him and my son become more active. Your relationship with your husband will change, but it doesn't mean it will be for the worst. That's another fear you need to let go of, and take it one step at a time. Long term fears, will I lose all this weight to end up still feeling insecure. Will I still have this pleasant disposition (hahaha - i'm quite the cranky person) after I lose weight. Will I do all this to end up having a stroke or kidney failure due to the lupus. These fears....I have zero control over right now. I let it go. What happens happens... I'm taking one step at a time, fear will eat me up. I spent since 1999 sick with one thing or another and battling my weight, I was embarrassed by my weight enough I refused to shop on weekends because I might run into someone I know. Take one step at a time, spend each day working on giving yourself some positive feedback, and figuring out where you have issues with food, if you don't chart your food, do so now, chew slowly, get your 64 ounces of Water in, and realize you are worth it, you can do it and you will take each thing as it comes. Get your husband involved with the new you, make changes together and the transition won't be so hard. I wish you nothing but the best and there are so many people that share the same fears as you, and there's so much support here, I'm sure others can relate to how you are feeling too. I just had to give it up because it was eating me alive.

I went from band to sleeve. Only two weeks post op for the sleeve. Yes doctor explained that due to a lot of scaring from the band that the weight loss will be slower, but still very successful. It's still a tool at the end of the day and depends on how you use it. However, I realised that I just couldn't live with the band anymore with the side effects. My doctor that did the sleeve stopped doing bands 4 years ago due to the side effects and higher complications. He said that there is a big difference between quality of life and he no longer wanted to promote the band. I don't regret anything ????

I had tremendous problems with my Band and after a full slip had emergency surgery to remove it. I waited a year (and gained 40 pound) and then had the sleeve surgery. I was scared to death, to be honest with you. But I am now almost 8 weeks out and have had NO complications. I haven't vomited ONCE!!! NO reflux, just minor in the beginning! The recovery was much more involved but this is a much more normal way of life. I eat small portions and get full quickly. I don't have to feel that HORRID pain of food getting stuck. No one can understand that pain unless they have lived through it!! I had a LOT of therapy in the year between procedures and I do not regret my decision. Any by the WAY...I have lost the 40 pounds I have gained back already!!! (only 7 1/2 weeks). Do your research and find the BEST doctor in your area. I did and it made all the difference!!!

You have to do what works for you. I'm nervous but God will have us covered. I myself is too young to be on 7 different medications. So I chose to do the surgery but I only told my husband, kids, and sister. That's my main support because I didn't want to hear just what you are hearing. But like I said do what works for you, any surgery can have complications. Pray much success for you.

This is the reason I havent told my inlaws and some friends. I dont want to hear their opinion. I have a college degree and think I am intelligent and mentally competent enough to understand the consequences and complications that were explained to me by my doctor..(who by the way has done the surgery before!) By the way, im scheduled for the 26 th also! Good Luck!

Any body in UK had bypass I'm pre op would love to hear experiences from op onwards how's it been for you ? Im very nervous never had an op and worry about long term life about malabsorption ,complications ect

I called my insurance company and the may not cover the removal of my band bc I didn't have that insurance when it was placed and I need to have "significant complication/technical issues" to have it removed. And I have to show compliance with a nutrition and exercise plan. I had Fluid taken out of my band almost a month ago, I was way too tight, throwing up a lot. Now I'm coughing half way through a meal and have a lot of gas, even on my shoulder. I chew slow and do't drink from a straw. I made a second appt with the nut and will go to the support group meeting. I don't know what else to do.