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Actually, it is an excellent question to ask here because I was wondering the same thing. Sometimes I wonder if I should of waited out the list of gastric bypassers and just done that, but after weighing out the pro's and con's , i realized the good choice. Gastric bypass is quick, and it's great for people who want results fast, but then what happens when the weight comes back on? Your stomach stretches, it's not adjustable. Lapband comes off slowly, but in the end, the weight doesn't come back and even if it does, you can always adjust your band, which is great. In the end, the results will come and with both, the surgery is just a tool. It's just a matter of how patient you are. Plus, this is way safer.

So I have been lurking on this forum for a while. I have 1 month left to go on my 6 consecutive doctors appointments. Already have my psych eval, blood work,EKG, and chest X-ray. My first appointment with the surgeon is April 10th after that all I will need is my nutrition class. Then they will send for approval with my insurance, they said most probably I will have a surgery date sometime near the first of May! My question is this for my insurance to cover the sleeve I need a bmi of at least 50 my bmi is 49.9! Doctors office did not tell me to gain weight however they did say the bmi is calculated on your first appointment with the surgeon. So do I gain the weight? Put rolls of quarters in my pockets? Will they deny me because I have been maintaining and sometimes dropping 2-3 pounds a month on my regular 6 month appointments then suddenly gaining 5-10 pounds right at the end? I am so torn! I am scared to death of rny and the band I really want a sleeve! Advice please!

I was sleeved 8 days ago. I'm trying to figure out if what I'm feeling is normal post surgery or I need to see the doc. I have been feeling really lousy. I have headaches of course stomach aches and I am very lethargic and sleepy. I'm supposed to be on full liquids but I'm struggling to get things down. I'm getting severe chest pains when I swallow anything. I think I may be swallowing too big/fast. I'm forcing myself to drink even though it hurts. I'm also forcing myself to walk 15 mins a day. I'm not losing a lot of weight. I think my body is on starvation mode. Can anyone help? Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

The hardest thing in the beginning is dealing with the absolute control that band with enforce upon you. But dont fear it, the pain and discomfort of screwing up are wonderful teachers. The normal dieting issues that I felt like constant hunger and internal food willpower battles simply do not occur. If you are tight enough, you can eat when you are hungry and still lose weight. You may get colds, feel cold, and get tired from time to time, but these pass.

Hi Rosa, Welcome to LBT! And welcome to your weight loss journey to a healthier happier you!

Hi Elcee, They had to completely unfill due to all of the swelling. I allowed a month to go by barely eating anything as I thought it was me and the last week I could barely keep liquids down. So he stated due to the urgency of the situation we had to unfill completely to allow healing. He explained it as it was like I just had the surgery. He is also very reserved and the first fill I had 4cc put back in and the last one only 1 cc. He says it is fine and the weight gain is normal, however I am an all or nothing person. When I see one pound gained it is like 100 to me. I feel great physically, but mentally I am a mess.

My name is Augusta. I am 38 years old, happily married for nearly 19 years, a proud mother of a 17 year old boy and a 15 year old girl and I just got banded almost 2 weeks ago. For me it was an easy choice to make. I asked my pcp if there was anything new on the market as far as weight control goes and he told me about the lap band. (I'm a worrier of the worst kind so I don't listen to the news, if you're wondering how I didn't hear of it before now) So, I did the research. By the end of the week I went to a seminar, in another week I was having a consultation with a surgeon, in another week I began my 3 month pre-approval path for my insurance and on August 28th I was banded. I was terrified. Being a worrier, I required valium to get me in the door and cried until the moment I was put to sleep. I had the best surgical nurse ever. She held my hand and whispered in my ear how everything was going to be fine. It was to her voice and my prayers that I went to sleep. Bravo to the Norhtwest Weightloss Surgery team. My doctor, Dr. Montgomery, took very good care of me and I came out just fine. I felt pretty crappy the next morning and for a few days after. I had my gall bladder out almost 16 years ago and there was some scar tissue to deal with causing a bit of pain for me, but now 1 week and 6 days later, I'm feeling pretty good. Still a bit sore, but feeling more human now. Since August 18th, I have lost 20 pounds. Since my banding, I have lost an even 10. 10 pounds in 13 days.....I keep asking myself if I'm dreaming. Saying goodbye to the 290s and the 280s in less than 3 weeks is a bit bizzare for me and I can't shake the feeling it's all not real. I am 273 now and can't wait for the rest to come off. My goal weight is 160. Anyone out there who needs to talk about anything, please feel free to email me. I look forward to building lasting, banded friendships. Augusta

Can you ever overcome exclusions (via avoiding other surgery?) WLS is (but of course) excluded from my insurance (United Healthcare). However, I have a chronic back problem and now a knee problem caused by a rotated pelvis that is not going away despite two years of physical therapy, and will likely be alleviated by losing a lot of weight quickly. The pelvic problem also prevents me from exercising normally (making it difficult to lose weight by normal means). If the doctor signs off that the WLS will avoid me having back surgery and eventually knee surgery, do you think I have ANY chance of getting UHC to pay for WLS? You would think the insurance company would be smart and see the cost benefits of avoiding much more costly surgeries with an inpatient stay, but after reading all these stories of denials, I wonder.

I got my surgery date!!! YES!!! 1/12 Psych Evaluation 1/13 Nutrition Evaluation 1/20 Endoscopy (knocked me on my butt, lol, but not bad) 1/20 Insurance docs submitted to Anthem BC of Va 1/22 Notified of Insurance approval/authorization 1/29 Pre-Op Clearance 2/5 Pre-Op Surgeon Visit February 11, 2010 my new life will begin! WHOO WHOO ! ! ! I have gained so much knowledge coming to this website. I truly feel that getting the Lapband is the best decision for me. I want to be healthy, hot and happy! I will be that woman Everyone on here is so caring and helpful. I love reading all of the stories and experiences, bad and good I can't wait to be banded! So I, too, can share. Special 01K You are the Best, Girl! ~*Sabrina

I recently read in 1 forum that lap band is a slow and steady weight loss as compared to sleeve...is it so... some of us take long to start off..while others have amazing weight loss from the first month... age and exercise,metabolic rate and food habits of course must be playing a major part in this. I am trying my best but my weight is not moving in the last 2 months...this is my fourth month..... does anyone have a similar story.... [

Hey ladies gm. Just wanted to share a great fine. I know we're all on here losing weight and excited about getting into clothes that we only dreamt of wearing. It can get very expensive as we go from different sizes and tryingto find room in our closet for clothes that we no longer wear and have to decide what to do with those clothes. If youre like me, your closet probably have 3 to 4 different sizes in it. But ive found a Gem that will allow us to wear the clothes we want to, while not digging a large hole in our bank account. Its called Gwynnie bee.com. It allows you to look at all the looks with clothes that theyve put together and theyll send you the clothes. You can wear them as long as yount to, send them back and theyll send you more clothes thats in your rack, or you can keep them. I didnt want to have a closet full of 3x clothes, so i tried this out. So gwynnie bee allows you to have that dreamy wardrobe at a low price. The price depends on the looks that you want to try.

Hello gang, I had WLS in 2004. I was one of the early lap band recipients in Australia under Prof. Paul O'Brien. I did great and lost 46kg (101lbs), but then life set in and I had two kids and a suicidal husband so I let the weight creep back up. I had a revision in 2013 due to a hiatus hernia so large I was having esophageal spasms. So now, I'm at the heaviest I've ever been, and I've got a ventral hernia that goes from my navel to my sternum. My surgeon said he won't even try to fix it if my BMI is over 30 because it will just come right back. He then talked to me about how the lap band has fallen out of favor because it was not as effective as the original studies promised. He suggested a revision to a VSG, and set me up in my insurance's approval program for WLS. The first step is the removal of the band and port and recovery from that. Surgery is scheduled for July 7th. After that I'll progress through the "hoop-jumping" to qualify for the VSG, which providing everything goes smoothly, I'll qualify for in October. So far no one has stated any pre-surgery weight loss requirements, but I have been studying the various plans and doctor's programs I've found online, as well as reading personal stories from support forums like this one, so I can get an aggregate view of the entire procedure both pre and post-op. I must admit that the pendulum swings widely across what I've seen, both in program execution and in individual responses. Of course, I realize that there are outliers on every scale, and I'm averaging what I see. I got this little binder from the program introduction meeting (Dignity Health), and I've been adding my own research to it, things like print out of appropriate bariatric (or equivalent) vitamins based on their recommendations, worksheets for tracking eating and drinking, pre and post-op protein shakes, mixes, and recipes, motivational type posters, and text documents on things like how digestion works, how protein is used by the body, etc. Note, all the research is stuff from actual university or journal studies, I'm not taking answers from Reddit or Quora as facts! I've decided the biggest issue I've seen is the grief process that hits people after the surgery when they suddenly realize they can't eat what they want. I've read a lot of threads (not just here) of people rebelling and hating themselves and hurting themselves because of this. I do not want to deal with this. I'm already working on changing my eating habits, albeit slowly. I want to be more in control of this transition than I've seen, So, if you've read this far, my questions to you are: Did you make any effort pre-op to really change your eating habits? Did you experience grief or regret post-op if you didn't? Did you regret your surgery for any reason OTHER than the food restriction/complications? Thanks for discussing!

Some doctors may turn you down but others would take you, being self pay you don't have to worry about insurance turning you down - which most probably would at first. No co-morbidities - thats great, I wish I was at that point (perhaps I will be when I loose weight - only on my 3rd week with the band)

No one wrote you back. I tried a liquid diet just to see if I could do it prior to my surgery to lose weight on my own. It obviously didn't work as I am going for surgery next Monday. I remember faintly hearing about the line between being in Ketosis and not being in Ketosis, but I am not sure. Call your Doc. He will be able to help you.

Me personally it was a very easy discussion. I can't fathom rearanging my insides for weight loss. I know for some it is an awesome tool, and they do wonderfully and stay fit and trim. But I am a pessimist by nature so the what ifs really stopped me from going much further then running the thought of bypass through my skull. I chose Lap band because God forbid something go wrong, it can be removed and taken out. Cancer does run in my family, (although only one reported case of stomach cancer) So my fear is "what if I get stomach cancer, if I have bypass I will lose what I have left" kind of thoughts. My surgeon understand this and respects it (his team push's bypass and the sleeve). For me it was a really easy choice, I was able to factor the pro's and cons for each and go from there. The list of Pros on the Bypass side was abysmally small, while the band took up the whole list. So....

Hi all, I am a 63 yr old Grandma who is happy to be a part of your group. I am on day 3 of my 3 week pre-op diet and will be banded on Oct 12 at the Maples Clinic in Wpg. Man. My personal goals are to lose 75 lbs and become physically fit. Putting on socks without huffing and puffing will be a sure sign of success for me. Do I wish I had done this sooner, you bet, is it too late for me, no way! Have been reading the posts while i made my decision, and now hope to help inspire others to take control of their weight. Grams I am fairly certain that given a cape and a really nice tiara I can change the world!

Hi - I had 8 incisions, including my port. I should add that my size had a great deal to do with that number of incisions. Theresa Band-date -7/23/2007 High weight: 561 Surgery weight: 535 Current weight: 520 Mini-goal: 250

One man in our support group was preparing for bariatric surgery. He was only a week away and very excited about his upcoming surgery. Then he received a surprise call from his surgeon calling him to report immediately to the hospital for a heart operation. He underwent the heart operation, spent about a month recovering from that and then went through the bariatric surgery. It is a year later and I still see him at support group meetings. He has lost a lot of weight and appears to be doing fine.

What do you mean? It depends on which surgeon you choose and what your insurance requires. Probably a visit with the surgeon, a psych eval, several visits with nutritionists, an endoscopy, possibly a colonoscopy, a sleep study, an expected weight loss determined by your surgeon or insurance, and possibly a waiting period during which you visit your bariatric center monthly for monitoring your progress, possibly a visit with cardiology and anesthesiology. Then submittal to insurance for approval, a surgery date is given, and you have a pre-surgery diet to follow...then surgery.

1st are you staying overnight in the hospital?? I did - ended up an extra night cuz when the doc came at 1 the day after surgery - I was having major gas in the shoulder pain and was afraid to go home in that kind of pain (me & vicoden don't get along well) and it's just me and my grandson (16 at the time) the pain shots put me to sleep - so he said I could stay and they gave me a shot at 1:30 and truly I could have gone home that night if I was thinking - I was good by day 3 and back to work day 6 (desk job) Still would have a little gas but the strips helped - walked a little hunched over when I first got up but once moving did good - Whats your doc orders for eating after you get home - I had to do full liquids (incls cream soups - yogurt - pudding) for 10 days then mushies for 10 and soft for 10 then regular. Home made stuff is better than canned - Low fat - sugar free - The creamed soups saved me. Secret - to my success so far - is that I have my MIND totally into this band - I eat healthy 98% of the time - I allow treats 2% of the time - I weighed my food in the beginning until I learned what 4 oz of meat/fish looked like - I got this little one cup bowl from target that I use to eat from and I eat off sandwich plates and use condiment fork & spoon - I keep a food diary and count calories and Protein grams - I try to keep my calories between 900 - 1200 a day - and if I want a treat - I budget those calories into my daily totals. I primarily eat baked fish for dinner every nite - with 1/2 c rice and veggies - I may eat out once or twice every two weeks I go to the gym anywhere from 3 -5 times a week - I started out just walking on the treadmill for like 30 minute mile with no incline - I am now walking 3 miles in 1 hrs on an incline of 4 to 6 - and with no incline I am doing 3.5 in 1 hr - I can walk a whole song on 4.o speed.. I got a trainer a month ago - so I now work weights twice a week and the other days I do cardio. This is a lifetime lifestyle change for me - I am totally serious about losing this weight - to me have major surgery is a big frickin deal - and I didn't have it just to mess it up... I am not that big of a fool.. I am using my tool - but that's all it is - it's just a tool - the band it's self will not cause you to lose weight as you can eat around it if you choose (I was just told about a lady who ate Oreo's & milk like 5 days out - How incredibility asinine) The band does require will power - the will power to eat healthy to follow your doc's orders and to exercise. If I as a middle age lady who has been fat most of her life - and was a total slug bug and do this anyone can. Don't get me wrong - it's not always a walk in the park - but I can tell you that I feel 10 yrs younger - feel so much better about myself and LOVE shopping in the regular stores - got a size 6 pair of pants today (this is a fluke cuz I am normally a 10 or 12) but they say 6 and I am going to wear them inside out.:lol: Those are my secrets - I think positively - Do I miss the junk - ya sometimes - but not that much and now a days if I want a treat I can have it - 1/2 piece of cake even a whole piece - NO LONGER THE WHOLE CAKE :sneaky: But usually my sweets are sugar free fudgecicles - sf pudding - sf yogurts - or fruit... Bander's Rules -Small bites - eat slow - chew chew chew

Hi! I am new and nervous. My surgery is this Wednesday the 21st. I am having Gastric Bypass. My current weight is 130. I have wanted this for 2 years but due to insurance requirements I kept barely missing the BMI criteria. Any helpful things regarding the 3 day full liquid would be appreciated. My biggest fear is messing up. I have been given a great gift to have a second chance at a healthy life. I don't want to mess up.

Hello ALLGODSGRACE. I have to say I am so glad I am not the only one to say my goal weight instead of my current weight! LOL I constantly have to correct myself! I think our minds are already there, and that, in MHO is a good thing! Although I cannot answer your question as I am not there yet, I just want to assure you you will get an answer soon from someone who knows. The people here are just so AWSOME and helpful. Makes you really feel almost like family. Anyway, you won't mess it up. You want it too much to do that. You will do wonderful. My only suggestion is to call your doctors office or NUT and ask them specifically what they want you to do. Hang in there and keep us posted! Best wishes!

I haven't had my surgery yet, and it's been about 15 years since my fiance broke up with me. He broke up with me the day after my birthday and the day before I started final exams for college. I had already started to picture our life together and was making plans for it. It was devastating. It was a good thing I had decent grades going into the finals because I was a mess at the time. What I hated the most is people would tell me that it was for the best, and that I would find someone else ("plenty of fish in the sea"). So, I won't tell you all of that. I will say that it will eventually get better, because I know it does. It just takes time. What I did after that was threw myself into my school work, and "real" work. After school was over, I did volunteer activities. Basically, I did stuff for me. That, in the end, is what I think got me through that tough time. Now, I can't imagine my life being any different. I'm still single, but I love my life the way it is. Please know that you are not alone in this. We're all here to support each other. I can't count on my family for support as they have never supported my weight loss efforts in the past and I know they are against me having a surgery to correct it. I have to travel 100% for work, so having close friends is virtually impossible for me. So, yes, I am making this journey by myself. Yes, it's tough. But I know I am tougher. My point is you are not alone in this. In the short time I've been in these forums, I know this is a very supportive community, so you have come to the right place. We can help each other through this journey to bettering our health.

Thank you guys so much for the support. I can't imagine doing this without him. He has never had trouble with weight but somehow always knew exactly what to say. When he said I was beautiful, I actually believed him. I have a lot of work to do on myself. I know WLS is right for me but it seems so scary now. I've been prepping for it since October of last year, all in the context of our relationship and our future. I'm going to be getting my surgery date in the next week or two and I know that will really set things in motion and I feel like I'm struggling to put this in the new context of my life without him (which I can't even imagine right now). Breakups suck in general. I really didn't need this added complication. I think it will only emphasize how alone I am. The funny thing is that since he broke up with me I haven't been able to eat anything really. Just thinking about the smell of food made me sick to my stomach. When I did manage to convince myself to put something in my mouth, I couldn't bear the taste or texture. I was so hungry but so sick to my stomach. I turned to Protein shakes just to quiet the rumbling and to get in some nourishment. I kept thinking "get used to this--this is what it's going to be like post-op!" Today is the first day I haven't thrown up due to stress (tmi?) and I was actually able to eat two decent meals. Anyway, thanks for listen to me ramble. My friends and family have been supportive about the breakup but this element of it needed some specialized attention.

Well, I'll start with the basics. I was banded May 15th, 2004 by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. I am 44 years old and 5'1" (almost), at the time of banding I weighed 205 lbs. As of today, I weigh 142 lbs. My weight has gone down very slowly. In fact I've lost the last 20 pounds in just the last year. I would like to lose 10 more pounds. Except for family I rarely discuss being banded. I changed jobs last year and only a few of my new coworkers know that I was obese. I decided to start posting on this website to help me open up about my banding. I feel like I need to be comfortable with who I was before I can learn to be comfortable with who I am now.