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I would ask these questions: 1. How many bands has he/she placed, you are looking for a high number, a couple of hundred is a good. 2. How many revisions to other surgeries have they had to do, if they take out more bands than they put in--run, ideally you want a very low revision rate to any other surgery. 3. Aftercare is MORE important than the band, ideally you want a surgeon that do his own fills, but if he is busy, ask if he has a physician assistant that is trained in surgery as well as perform fills. Also part of aftercare is diagnosing and treating any type of lap band issues, you want to make sure that your surgeon will not outsource this, many lap band surgeons either work closely with GI doctors to do EGD's or Radiologist to do Upper Gi,'s etc, and most lap band surgeons are skilled to fix hernias, etc. Also your lap band surgeon should ONLY treat and diagnose any lap band related issues you may have, such as determining if your band is adjusted properly and following your progress, you don't want a PCP doing this, they are not skilled to do so. 4. Fills, should be administered by your surgeon, or a skilled PA, not just anyone. Ideally you want a surgeon that will be available to fill/ or unfill your band if needed and not on a set schedule, but ideally every 4/6 weeks the first year. Good luck

I was only sleeved 4 weeks ago so I'm not sure. I am still on soft liquids and I do feel a little restriction but I was a revision so it could just be mis shappen from that...

I have lots I would like to share with you and would love to talk privately if you would like. The basic things I can say is that this surgery is not just physical it is very emotional and mental. You are young and have so many experiences yet to come. I was 24 when I had the surgery and everything went amazing. I lost 97lbs (started at 249lbs and I'm 5'3). Five years later after many life changes I started to gain it all back. Now almost 9 years later I am having a revision surgery. If you don't find a new coping mechanism after surgery (that is not food related) you may find yourself struggling. You will be able to eat "normally" again and the surgery is really just a tool. You can destroy the tool if you want to. Not even on purpose but it can sneak up on you. My very best advice is to take time to really examine everything in your life and what kind of changes you are prepared for. Since you are self pay your process is sped up substantially. We all want this surgery but the best part of having to wait is to be able to really understand what is going to happen (as best you can of course!) Always follow your surgeon and nuts guidelines and seek help from the professional when you feel like you are having problems. Take your Vitamins everyday (for life - no joke) and get your Protein and Water goals met daily. Best of luck.

Shortly after sending out the email on Sunday. I started receiving phone calls and email responsed and so far about 4 phone calls and 5 responses to my email and all of the have been VERY POSITIVE!!!!!! I WILL COPY ALL THE RESPONSES HERE SO YOU ladies can also read the responses. HERE ARE SOME RESPONSES!!! On Monday, April 14, 2014 8:46 PM, Carmen M <carmen2k2003@yahoo.com> wrote: Hello Rose, First, congratz on a journey to a healthier you! Second, you have nothing to fear. I did my lap-band in Angeles hospital in TJ, Mexico in 2007. It was a new hospital at the time and it was like a 5 star hotel for me in my experience. The doctors and staff went the extra mile to make me feel comfortable and at home. They really took good care of me. I thought their patient care quality was superb! In 2013, I did my revision from band to sleeve at the INT hospital in TJ Mexico. The doctors and staff was great there, too! Angeles hospital is newer and more appealing in terms of aesthetic and more comfortable for you and whoever accompanies you on your journey. I hope my input helps put your worries at rest, you really have absolutely nothing to fear. God bless, Carmen

Sorry it has taken awhile for me to response. I am still planning to have the Lap Band removed. My surgeon suggested a revision, I declined. Delay in surgery has been relating to abnormal labs. As of this month, my physician moved his office to another city, a couple of days after I had submitted new test results. He referred his patients to the other surgeons that were in his group. I called the office, but as yet there has been no respond. Contact has been made with his new office staff, no respond as yet. This will be an added expense; it seems I cannot win for losing… I often question, why I allowed damage to be done to this beautiful body that God had blessed me with. Why did I not work harder to control the medical issues that were plaguing my health??? I guess most of us has asked the same questions. If anyone obtain information regarding a Class Action Law Suit please let me know. Thanks for support

I'm BCBS basic and while I've not had the revision, my total hospital bill for the sleeve and 2 nights in the hospital was $300. Just make sure your hospital, surgeon, anesthesiologist (I.e. EVERBODY) is in the network. Best of luck to you! I think basic is the way to go with respect to these types of procedures.

Since you are getting your revision done in the next couple of months does that mean that you don't have to follow all of the regular BCBS of Alabama guidelines to get a revision like you do with your initial surgery. Did you not have to have a minimum BMI, participate in a physician guided weight loss program for 6 months, have a sleep study, etc? I may be in the same boat as you. I have a barium swallow study on 4/5/12. I also would like to consider the Vertical gastric sleeve if I have to have my band removed. Not to be nosy but are you by any chance from Jacksonville. It was just a guess since your ID is Jaxbandster. I am from that area! Thanks so much

Tuesday, I went to see the weight loss surgeon at the surgery office who placed my lapband in 2010. I went to discuss removing the band and revising to a sleeve or RNY. Well, he does the procedures in two different surgeries, with the weight loss surgery being 3 months later. They submitted the paperwork for the removal and I was approved for that today without evidence. My issue is I don’t want to wait 3 months and have to go through with another surgery. Will I be able to switch doctors and keep the approval for the band removal? I know I have to get approved for the WLS as well. Another surgery center excepted me as a patient today and will do the removal and revision in one surgery. I have Cigna and the changes in their BariatricPal medical bulletin does not have me jumping through hoops so I know that I will have approval as soon as I complete the NUT Eval.

Did your surgeon explain exactly why ? Unless there are medical issues, there is no need to wait. Revised from Band to RNY in 1 surgery, and my Band was 100% encapsulated in scar tissue... I don't think your insurance will care really, as long as the new doctor / center is covered (typically will be) it actually will cost everyone less to do it in 1 surgery. Since the Insurance is going to eat some of the cost... I don't foresee them having a problem with you wanting to save them money by switching to a new doctor.

Hi @@Tracytma well I'm not going to lie, for me it has been absolutely, 100% worth it! I'm a band to sleeve revision patient due to the band failing. I was banded in 2010, had it removed in August 2014. I was revised 12 months ago and i have not ever regretted that i made this decision. I have lost 154lbs in 12 months and I'm still losing ????. I have had a few challenges in the first 6 months, i could not eat meat or dairy and i developed GERD. At the 7 month point i was able to meat and dairy and now i can safely say that at 12 months my GERD is all but gone ( once in a very odd blue moon do i have to take meds for it). I have lymphoedema on both lower limbs and that is almost gone. Life is good!! I wish you all the very best in your weight loss journey xox.

are you throwing up every few minutes, (your saliva filling your stomach) if so get back to a doctor immediately. Sometimes when you get a fill you have some swelling and that makes it worse the first few days, but you should always be able to get water and broth type stuff down. If you cant you are in real danger of dehydration and that is nothing to fool around with. After my port revision surgery they overfilled me and I could not even swallow my own spit, this is no fun and not worth it, so get this taken care of.

I'm considering a Lapband/plication to RNY revision and combing through the various posts online for info. I'm reading a lot about reactive hypoglycemia, and how many start having it anywhere from 6 months to several years post-op. I'm concerned because I already deal with RA, but I'm able to control it with diet. It sounds like it can become a runaway train and very tricky to control after this surgery. I think this scares me more than anything else because I've dealt with it for years; long before band/plication surgery. I'm interested to hear from anyone dealing with blood sugar issues since their bypass.

Yes, my port scar used to be above my belly button about half way between my ribcage and my belly button. It moved down about 5 or 6 inches. Now I want a low profile port but I don't want the added scar so I'm not sure what I'll do. I should have had it put in when I had the TT but I was chicken. My uncle's actually a bariatric surgeon and offered to do it while I was under, but I just didn't want to mess with it -- mostly meaning my fill level. I wound up needing an unfill later anyway, so in retrospect, I'd have had it done. Live and learn. Dad was fine with doing the TT 30 lbs before goal -- actually it was more like 50 lbs before goal because he cut off 12 lbs, I've lost a little more since then and sitting here today I'm 30 lbs from goal. His view was that for patients who are paying and are going for a one shot deal, wait to goal to get the best results. For me, I knew I'd be having revisions anyway at some point. Plus I really wanted the pannus off right then. I was really, really sick of it, even if it meant having a looser end result. For my DAD (as opposed to my surgeon), I think he thinks I'm going to have children anyway and he'll be doing it all over again anyway, so a few more lbs lost isn't causing another surgery. Of course, I'm not at all sure I'm going to have kids, but I think that's his view. It was better for MY butt/thighs to be done at goal -- that's not the case for everyone. My stomach was pretty much done and just hanging skin even 20 lbs ago. But, my thighs still carry a lot of fat. That's where most of my remaining 30 lbs is. It's like how many surgeons will do a BL with 30 lbs to go but want you to be within 15 for the TT. Most women lose in the upper body first. Hips and thighs are the last to slim on many, me included. The thighplasty doesn't do the inner thighs at all. That'll be done in a separate surgery, if I decide to do it. I definitely need it cosmetically, but it doesn't really affect clothes like the outer thighs do. I'm a clothes horse, so I care more about that than I do about looking perfect naked. It's a good thing because I'll never be a swimsuit model.... Nite.

There are medical studies about GERD and VSG, but the most recent that I'm aware of showed no correlation or limited correlation. That being said, from experience there are quite a few people on forums like this that complain of GERD after VSG. But it seems to be hit or miss and just because you had or did not have GERD before VSG does not predict whether or not you'll have it. I seem to be constantly battling it. It's not so severe that I'd do anything drastic about it, I just wish I could get off the PPI's (Nexium) because I don't want to be on them for life. I do see quite a few revisions on here from VSG to RNY because of severe GERD. If you have to have a revision, I would say that you will have to go through most of the usual pre and post-op challenges you did with the sleeve and yes, that might include hair loss. Tellogen effluvium is not specific to type of surgery, but more because of the shock to your system. ANY surgery could cause it, even non-bariatric surgery because anesthesia and the healing process disrupts the growth cycle of your hair. Good luck!

I'm sitting in bed at my home sipping a bottle of Water waiting for my turn in the shower. I'm a mixed bag of emotions- nervous, excited, a little scared... my darling husband (the shower hog) is grumpy today. That's his way of showing me he's nervous. My bag is packed and I'm ready to get this show on the road! I'm second on the list for this afternoon and set for surgery at 3pm. Here's keeping my fingers and toes crossed that my surgeon is able to complete my band to sleeve revision in one operation and that everything runs as smooth as clockwork!

I have had my band for a couple years now and I have had very little success and feel I eat worse than I did before I got the band. I wish I had gotten the sleeve instead and now Idk how to getting a revision done. I always feel deprived of food with the band and only eat slider foods so I feel satisfied. Idk what to do I am disappointed in myself and the band. Any suggestions?

Jacki, I'm debating back and forth between Dr Pleatman in Michigan or Dr Joya in Puerta Vallarta. They seem to be most experienced in VSG revision. Dr Pleatman will charge $12,000 because I don't have a "virgin" stomach for him to operate on. I live in Washington, I would need to pay for airfare, hotel and rental car also with a trip to Michigan. Dr Joya advertises all expenses paid for $11,000 but I don't know if he charges more for us non-virgin stomachs. I've seen slightly cheaper prices in other parts of Mexico, but the experience level of those surgeons made me more hesitant to go with the lowest bidder. It's already bad enough that I've now paid $11,800 to get the band put in, another $12,000 to have it removed and will tack on $13,500 to get the gastric sleeve. This is putting a crimp in my retirement savings, but I think living as a thin person is worth it for me. Dropout, I think you're right that the genetic thing is so incredibly hard to fight. Damn skinny people with the metabolism of a race horse think you can eat like an NFL linebacker and burn it off by taking the stairs instead of the elevator to your 3rd floor desk twice a day. I wish.

I had a revision as my port came unhooked on one side and was laying on its side. I had surgery again and it was a much easier recovery(they didn't even unfill me). I will say that they attached my port to a grid type mesh and then stitched that down to my muscle, not sure why they don't do that as regular protocol. Also I am insured but since they felt that this was their mistake, the whole 2nd surgery was done at no cost to my insurance company.

Hey do ya'll think we should start a thread under the monthly support section. That way our May 06'rs won't have to search through pages of threads trying to find us. Anyway ya'll probably know I am currently dealing with slip #2 and I am considering a revision to RNY. I am seeing my PCP tomorrow for my annual pap smear (there is a joy to behold). I think I will talk to him about it then. I don't know what my insurance will do. But I know I have been told that once you slip you are always prone to it again. I feel depressed.:think M

I've never blogged before but I'm going to give it a try. This is basically me trying to work out whether to have another weight loss surgery (got a band in 2008) and, if yes, which one. It will probably be extra long and all over the place. To be honest, I've pretty much decided to have another surgery. I hate it and it terrifies me but after 40 plus years of fighting and losing, its becoming pretty obvious that diet and exercise aren't going to work. And I'm just so tired of fighting every day and never winning. And I'm not just mentally tired. I'm physically tired, also. I can barely get myself up for work in the mornings. I'm sucking air like a fish out of water just walking from the car to the office. My knees and hips hurt. Somehow, I've managed to aggravate/pinch my sciatic nerve while sleeping (yes - sleeping!) twice just this year. I know I've been very lucky up until now with being this heavy and not having too many medical problems. But I think that is changing. Forty four years is just too long to put this much weight on my poor joints and bones and heart. I can only hope I haven't done so much damage that I can't come back from it. As I said, its felt inevitable for some time but I just got back from vacation with family I hardly ever get to see. There are so many things this weight keeps me from being able to do. I'm constantly stressed over where I can sit/fit and can I walk that far and that fast. I hated slowing everyone down. I even had to take a rest while walking to a restaurant. Granted, it was hilly and three blocks but no one else had issues. Just me. Everything I do is impacted by my weight. In fact, everything about me has been shaped by my weight. I haven't told too many people yet but once I get the insurance approval and the appointments start, I will tell everyone close to me. When I got the band, I kept it a secret from my co-workers and cringed whenever family would try to discuss it. In fact, I still don't really tell anyone. I'm really very ashamed at my failure with the band. I think I don't tell people about the band because I don't want people to know I'm fat. As if they can't see me trying to bust out of my size 26/28 clothes. Also, I think it was sort of a fail safe for me - if I don't tell people, they won't see if/when I fail. This time, I'm going to be open about it and take away my ability to deny everything after the fact. I'm also going to start seeing a therapist to help with my food issues and binging. I am hopeful that the surgeons office will have someone to refer me to. I think this will be very important for me. If I could do this alone I'd have done so by now. I'm also thinking maybe some medication to help with mood swings and cravings. When I first decided to consider another WLS, I was not really aware of what the sleeve was. I thought it was just another new type of gastric bypass. So now I'm trying to decide which WLS would be best for me. The gastric bypass truly scares me. Re-routing intestines just seems like playing with fire. If we didn't need them just like they were we wouldn't have them in the first place. I like the idea of the sleeve. Cut out most of the stomach and hunger hormone. No hunger and a tiny stomach. My cousin got the sleeve and has lost 200 lbs in 3 years. She says she often forgets to eat cause she's just not hungry. Wow - what is that like? Just the idea of not being hungry makes me hungry (yeah, I'm broken). But the sleeve is restriction only and I already have a restriction only device inside me. I was hungry immediately following my band surgery and it never made me feel full, just sick but still hungry. For my own decision making purposes, below are some questions I think I need to address in order to make a decision: 1. Do I want to be normal sized or just not so fat? Weird question, I know, but a friend of mine had the gastric bypass a few years back and lost so much weight the docs wanted her to gain 20 lbs, She is a couple of years younger than me but she looked so old. Nearly twice her age. BUT, she had a lot of bad complications and is/was very malnourished. Maybe a sleeve would allow me to lose enough weight to get healthier but not too much. Yes, I'm very vain. I'm not sure, though, that going through surgery to maybe lose a little weight is a good idea. If I'm going to have surgery, why not go big and try to lose the majority of my excess weight? 2. Can I give up food? This should be number 1. A tiny little voice in my head is telling me this is the real source of my fear. Food is my ultimate frenemy. Seriously, I only just gave food the title of frenemy yesterday. I smoked for over 20 years and quit 10 years ago. To date, that is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But to give up food - the thought terrifies me and nearly brings me to tears. When I think of it, I think of an episode of My 600 lbs Life about Lupe. She is 39 years old and immobile. She's nearly died a few times. She hides food and binges. Food is her comfort. Because of her heart issues, she gets a sleeve instead of gastric bypass. At one point, she asks out loud if she can give up food because its been her comfort for so long. I think about her asking that a lot. For her, it wasn't just maybe food was killing her. It had already tried a couple of times. Food has such a hold on her that despite the knowledge, she was still asking if she could give it up. I realized watching that episode that I would have to give up food if I have surgery. I don't believe I can have both because food (my frenemy) wants me to be sick and tired and die young. I will definitely need the therapist for this one. 3. What will I do without food? Breakfast. lunch and dinner are currently the highlights of my day. What will I do without them? I'll need something to look forward to and concentrate on. This is probably where the therapist will come in handy. 4. Can I handle the post surgery diet? I'm going low carb on Monday to sort of get ready for eating high protein after surgery. Not the same, I know, but close. Sort of. I diet well for a limited amount of time and then I start to slip, eventually binging on all the forbidden foods. I've never been able to maintain the momentum of a diet, though. I lose interest. Get tired of it. Confuse myself by reading about a different kind of diet and then fall off and into a binge. 5. If I choose gastric bypass, will the fear of dumping be enough to keep me away from my fave foods - cake and cookies? This probably goes with #2. I'm scheduled to attend a WLS seminar on 16 April. I can't wait. The surgeons office said its about two weeks after the seminar before you get an appointment with the surgeon. I feel like he would recommend the gastric bypass due to my BMI of 59 and because it would be a revision from the lap band. My health insurance currently offers a free weight loss coaching program that I am participating in (not successfully). It uses the DASH diet. I'm wondering if they would consider that to be medically supervised. Also, my primary care docs office has a weight loss program I'm doing. Maybe that would also count. Not that either have really helped me much. They've actually been kind of non-starters for me. The one through my insurance allowed me to get weight loss drugs at a lower cost but they didn't really do what they were supposed to do so I didn't continue. Definitely my insurance has records of my weight issues, though.

I haven't updated this in awhile, but I figured I would after reading your post. Are you going through Kaiser Fontana? I got my referral August 5th, and was scheduled for orientation September 16th (I did not have to meet with the NP, I guess because my BMI was high enough). They said from the orientation that it's usually 1-2 months to get into the classes (used to be 6 months), sooner depending on your availability (the more open you are, the easier it is to get in earlier). Thanks to a cancellation, I was put into the classes that started October 4th. I get the impression they're trying to move things along quicker and make the process easier. The big thing I noticed at the orientation though, is that Kaiser is not big on the lap band. They do the bypass and the sleeve in house, but if you're getting the lap band (or are over 65 for any surgery) they send you somewhere else (San Diego). The reason is because they're doing a lot of revisions lately. I initially thought I would get the lap band, but after much research (and long before orientation), I decided the sleeve was a better fit for me. As far as losing weight, they ask you to lose 10% of your weight by the end of the 12 week class. I didn't start dieting or doing anything really before because I didn't want to lose weight before the class started and not have that count! Ha, kind of stupid, I know, but I didn't want to hit a plateau later. Apparently you just want to do what the ask of you, get your labs done ASAP, and be a "good student" because they will put you ahead of those who don't.

Hi there. I'm 38 years old and had lap band surgery in 2000. Pretty much always been overweight and very unhappy with my body. I was placed on the elective surgery waiting list in Melbourne(VIC, Australia) over 8 years ago for arm lift, breast reduction and tummy tuck. I had my breast lift and arm lift done 12 months ago (Aug 2012). I am so very happy with my breasts, I love them now. However, I am really upset at the way my arms turned out as they are still very heavy and saggy. They were terrible before surgery (surgeon took 12cm off each arm). I borrowed $5600.00 to have liposuction on my arms before the arm lift as the surgeon said there was too much fat in them for a lift to be of any great benefit. I had the lipo done and the lipo dr thought that they would cut out the saggy part underneath so he did the upside of my arms. Before the surgery there were concerns that my arms had too much fat underneath still and that they may sag again. My surgeon reassured me that if that did occur, she would perform a revision to correct that. I went in to discuss that and now she's saying she doesn't want to do the revision. My lipo dr said he's happy to redo more lipo to correct his part of it but he wants to speak to the surgeon first to clarify exactly what they need done. Both him and the surgeon are of the opinion that I am being too "picky" and that my expectations are unrealisitc. I haven't stopped crying since they said they won't do the revision because I do not have the money to pay for the surgery so will be stuck with fat, saggy arms AND thick red scars because the weight in my arms has stretched them! I don't care about scars but to still have the large unsightly arms AND the scars is uinacceptable to me. The depression I feel about this has been overwhelming. I'm struggling immensely and am contacting a psychologist who specialises in body image therapy to try to help with that. I'm tired of feeling so ashamed of myself and no one understands how I feel. I have been single for most of my life as I am so self conscious about my body that I can't relax and just be myself. I've dated some lovely men, but due to my poor self image I haven't been able to feel comfortable enough to be myself, I feeze up emotionally and just can't get past the way I feel about myself! I've become obsessed with having surgery as I feel like I can't keep living with this misery and lonliness any longer. Last week I was booked in to have my abdominoplasty on October 7th, which has been a life saver. When the surgeon refused my revision, she also said she didn't want to do my tummy tuck because she feels that I've had enough of a go with the public system and that I have unrealistic expectations! She also said that I'm not even on the waiting list anymore. I broke down at the hospital when she told me this as I was devastated. They then booked me in to see a different surgeon who will do the procedure for me. I wrote a letter to the hospital explaining that I was told that I'd be given revision surgery for my arms and was then refused, and I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding that. I'm feeling really torn between feeling ungrateful and being unable to accept this result for my arms. I know that in another 12 months or so they'll be back to the way they were before because the sagging only gets worse - as many of us on here well know. In addition to the tummy tuck, I also need to have a lower body lift (at the back and a thigh lift so I still need to borrow at LEAST $10,000.00 for those. That will be another 12 months - at least IF I can even manage to do that. I'm hoping the tummy tuck makes me feel a lot better about myself because I'm really struggling at the moment. Does anyone else feel this bad about themselves? I've attached a pic of my arms and breasts which was taken half an hour ago (12 months post op) so you can see the results. Does anyone think I am overreacting about how bad my arms still look? I am absolutely devastated! I would really love to start up a foundation for people like us who need surgery after weight loss to provide both support for each other and funding for people who cannot afford it. I know that if I was unable to get on that waiting list 8 years ago I probably wouldn't be here now. It's been the only thing keeping me hopeful that I will feel good about myself........one day. I'm so lucky that I had this and I realise not everyone is so lucky. I'm so glad that I found this forum too and that there are others who understand the intensity of the emotional and physical pain and sufferring we endure every day. Thank you all so much for being so brave to share your stories, pictures, strength and support on here. It has given me the strength to do the same :-)

I've always been a t-shirt person. I've never worn really fashionable clothes because I hate the way everyone looks on me. I told myself though, after I revise to the sleeve (currently I have the band which I'm having problems with) when I start having to buy new clothes I WILL NOT buy t-shirts. I'm going to go to Old Navy and buy fashionable clothes. Nothing to crazy, but nice clothes. That is what I'm going to look forward to.

Hey there, I think I replied over on OH as well. My leak "hole" was the diameter of a nickel. I had a similar experience, but I only had my band for 8 months before I revised to VSG. I had surgery on June 3rd, the leak was found during my third leak test on June 5th. Rushed to surgery to repair the leak, my lungs would not cooperate and I landed in critical condition/icu for 4 days. I was in the hospital a total of 9 days, and came home with a TPN bag, and a central line in my arm. I never had the feeding tube, so I can't say that I understand how you feel on that part. I still have no regrets for having this surgery. Being fat, and dying of heart disease or developing diabetes in my opinion is so much worse in the long run. I haven't had anything to eat or drink, not even ice chips since June 2nd, and I have 4 more days of the TPN bag. The chance for a leak triples with revision, and due to the complications I had with my band, I was not completely surprised that I ended up with a leak. Honestly, I wish everything would of gone smoothly, but at this point, all I can do is move forward and try to recover 100%. Even with all the complications, I would do it again to get the band out of my body and finally start living. I go back to the surgeon on Monday and hopefully will start the clear liquid stage. I'll be on the TPN bag of nutrient replacement for a couple more weeks because they have to wean me off of it. I won't lie, I truly believe that a positive attitude is the only thing that has helped me stay focused. My husband is deployed, my son is in Texas with my family, and I am here in Florida alone day in and day out. I only have 3 friends, and they all have family of their own to tend to, so it's been difficult this last week, but I've got to do this 1 day at a time. I can't worry about the next month, getting through today, and tomorrow are big milestones for me. I go back for another leak test, and I can only hope my appointment brings good news. Believe me, I know it's difficult. I've cried, and been upset, but I can honestly say that I'm not going to let these little speed bumps become roadblocks on my path to success. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and prayers, if you ever want to talk or chat, you can message me here. . . Tiff

Bryan, Yes, there are possible complications with VSG, just like there are possible complications with ANY surgery. There are several long-timers here who had bad complications immediately post-op, and there are several newly sleeved people who have had complications. While no one wants complications, the risk is fairly low (unless it's you, of course). And, all of the long-timers who had complications have said that they would do the surgery again. I'm not sure how the newer people who have complications feel about it, but all of their complications were caught very early and treated quickly. My pre-op research showed fewer complications and better outcomes from those complications with the band than the other WLS surgeries I researched, including gastric bypass, RNY, and lap band. Many people who had lap bands initially seemed to not be very successful and a lot of those ended up with revision surgery. I cut to the chase and had a sleeve. IMO, it's the best option on the market today. Good luck to you on your journey!!