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I had my first appointment with Dr. Robinson and his Assistant on Monday, and I am shocked! This process seems like it is going to fly by! Here's how it went: I was scheduled for 2:30 but got there at 2:00, so they sat me down with paperwork to fill out. It included all the expected questions, including lists of failed diets, weights throughout your life, co-morbidities,etc. It took about ten minutes, and then they took me in early. The Physician's Assistant (to be called P.A. from the point on) took my blood pressure with a cuff that actually fits me, and it turns out my blood pressure is pretty darn good for a 300 lb. girl! 126/74. They weighed and measured me. We discussed the potential risks of banding, why I wanted the band vs. bypass, etc. It was all pretty straight forward. Then doctor Robinson came in. Dr. Robinson is a man of very few words, but I am not going to him for emotional support. I am seeking him because he seems intelligent, honest and open. He told me right off the bat that I am going to need a boob lift and lower body life after surgery. He also implied that if I mention later on down the road that my boobs sagging cause back pain, and the if I start getting rashes under my extra skin, that I will be able to get both procedures covered by insurance. He then laid me down on the table, looked at my belly, and told me to loose 20-25 lbs. beore surgery. He told me he wants to see me in four weeks for a follow up. If, at that 4 week followup, I have lost 10 lbs, then he will schedule me for surgery. I was told that we're looking at the first week of August, possibly!!!! I left with a to-do list that states which tests I have to have done, which medical records to have transferred, and how to pay the program fee. I have to get an upper GI, see the nutritionist and the psychologist, have a sleep study and have some blood drawn. All of those except for the sleep study can be done on the same day, I was told! Now I am just sitting here at home, waiting for the phone to ring with my appointment dates from his secretary. I am SO ready to go!!!!! :crying: Tomorrow is the lap band support group, and I am really debating going!

Sleeve coming in November, I have colonoscopies every few years. Can anyone tell me how I am I going to swallow the 2 litres of fluid required for the preparation?

I Would not chance the sleeve if u have acid reflux or gerd. Many, many oeopke have to get a revision after the sleeve due to horrible reflux. Hes what my surgeon saud to me bc I also have had gerd for years. He said," about 1/3 of sleeve patients I see end up having reflux, however what Im seeing more and moreIs a much later down the line many get horrendous reflux daily and I end up doing a revision, bypass. We got talking a out this bc I have had reflux for many year. I'm not gonna go through this surgery twice, so Its bypass for me. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

I'm just beginning my journey and have done some research, I have well over 150+ lbs to loose and just wanted to see if anyone has done that successfully with the sleeve, or would bypass be the better option?

I just found out I have type two diabeties today. I am scheduled to be sleeved on june 30. Now that I have diabeties should I be considering bypass instead of sleeve? I was going to go with sleeve as there appear to be less complications but I heard bypass typically cures type 2 diabeties.

Hi you guys! I am new here and this is one of my first couple posts (first time posting in this section). I currently weigh 270lbs and I am 5'5. I am 20 years old. I have been overweight my ENTIRE life. I was an active kid, I played many different sports and was always on the go, yet I was always overweight and I ate healthy also. Obesity runs in my family so I am not sure if that is a contributing factor or not. My grandmother got her stomach stapled in the 80's and my mother had gastric bypass about 6 years ago. So now, I feel like it's my turn to start living a happy healthy lifestyle and I am so very excited to get started. About a month ago I attented a weight loss seminar by Dr. Dennis Smith in Georgia. It went very well and I have my heart set on getting VSG. I filled out my MANY pages of paper work and mailed it into the surgeon this week and I checked my tracking number and his office got my paper work last Thursday. It takes them about two weeks for the surgeon to approve you for the surgery because he won't just operate on anyone. I hope I qualify by the standards of my surgeon. I just had a physical two weeks ago and my PCP said I am extremely healthy and nothing is wrong with me except for my weight so I feel that I am a good candidate for the weight loss surgery and I don't think I should get denied by my surgeon. I am just getting so stressed out dealing with this and going to college and working full time. It's getting to be too much to handle. All I have on my mind is VSG. I just want to be 100% happy again. I mean, I am really happy now. I have a boyfriend of three years and we moved in together this past summer. We've had many talks of engagement soon. So I am living a great life, I just feel trapped in the body of a fat girl and I hate it. Sorry for all the useless information. I feel better already for just saying what I had to say. Thanks for listening!

Your welcome...Valentine shows videos of the actual procedure, my husband sat there with his eyes closed while the videos were showing he can't stomach that stuff, LOL....I found it helped me to understand it further...I hope you will too. What's you name, I'm Pattie...have a identical twin Paula, who got the bypass...i am so glad I didn't get that done...she lost 200 pounds tho, but she has all kinds of health issues...not from the surgery tho. Good luck...I think you will enjoy Valentines seminar.

sablebby No my bypass wasn't out patient.I stayed 2 days.No complications.Only had to take pain meds 2 times at home.The gas pains are the most painful,but walking a lot gets rid of them.My Dr wouldn't let you go home until you drank enough liquids and Protein.That is why I stayed 2 days.My starting weight for this was 240.I have lost 22 lbs so far.

Was your bypass performed as out patient and has it been successful? Sent from my LGL82VL using the BariatricPal App

I'm booked in for bypass on 22/2/17. Can't wait Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I have decided to go from a hand written journal/food diary to one that EVERYONE can read....and relate to. I will also post new recipes as they come to me... I can be quite creative... so check back!! My name is Melissa, I'm 31. I have a 12 year old daughter who is the best kid ever!!...well..depending on the day! HAHA... I'm also engaged to an amazing man who I love with all my heart. Our wedding is on 11/10/07. I have been overweight since I was around 8 years old. I was never big on sports and I loved to eat.. bad combo. I never really went on a diet until after I had my daughter. Of course I did the Phen/Fen thing... lost about 65lbs.. and looked great! When the reports came out about the dangers of the drugs I stopped taking them and up went the weight. I've been allergic to scales for the most part of my life, I rely on my pants to tell me if I have gained or lost weight. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes bad. Saying that.. my lowest size was a 10, highest 20/22. I'm currently hovering around 18/20... REALLY hoping to hit the size 18 soon.. I have some really cute spring clothes from last year to wear!! My last attempt at losing weight went very well. I began working out for about 45 min a day/5 days a week. I also had a strict diet of no sugar, low fat, low cal meals.. a typical day for me would be a breakfast of fruit smoothie made with low fat yogurt, a lunch of salad with fat free dressing and cottage cheese and grilled chicken, and dinner would be some type of grilled or roasted meat (normally chicken, turkey or fish)....I'd also have a piece of fruit and maybe a hand full of pretzels to snack on.. Seeing how I was allergic to scales I do not know the exact weight loss... but I did go from a 22 to a 16. Thats when I met my fiance, got comfortable in our relationship..and out went the diet and exercising. I gained it ALL back. This time I've had it. I thought about bypass surgery, but I really did not like the idea of my insides being "cut and paste". When I heard about the lapband surgery I took my time and really researched it..and found it to be much more appealing than the bypass. I attended my first lecture at the end of Feburary and that started my journey. So, today I got my rear out of bed and went to the gym.:clap2: I did 20 min. of cardio on the treadmill and 25 min of resistance training. It felt good. When I came home I had a home made smoothie..made with fresh pineapple, orange juice and a half of a banana..I also added a half scoop of vanilla unjury protein powder... yum!! For lunch I had a small "taco salad" using about 2 tbs of ground turkey, a sprinkle of cheese, lettuce and tomato....no shell. Not bad. ...I'm off to do housework... a never ending task. 3/5 1st Consult 3/19 Cardiologist 3/20 Life skills class (1 of 3) 3/26 Cardio stress test (PASSED!) 3/27 Life skills class (2 of 3) 3/28 Program Psych and Nurse appointment 4/2 Psych clearance 4/3 Pulmonologist 4/3 Life skills class (3 of 3) 4/23 Final Dr appointment for surgical clearance 4/25 GI Endoscopy 5/14 SURGERY!!!!

You should be fine... Just make sure you follow the dosing on the back I the package and ONLY use stuff with acetaminophen. I got the flu the week I had my bypass and was still sick a week after. My doc just had me but the liquid Tylenol cold and flu... I survived. Haha

The gallbladder surgery was 20 times worse than my sleeve was. By this point in my sleeve recovery I only took pain meds maybe twice a day... This go around I take it every 6 hours.... And I honestly think it is because my body has been through so much! I am also very tired which wasn't the case with my VSG either. But I am thankful for being young and having a great support system who are all there no matter what when I need them ! An yes I am trying to keep a positive outlook on this! If The Lord meant for me to have the bypass his will will be done! But I'm going to do my darnedest to do everything I can to prevent another surgery! That way if I do have to do the bypass atleast I can say I have given it my everything!!!

Later I now have my IV back so I can have my pain meds and Reglan again. Found out this morning that I have biliary reflux. So I'm going home with lots of new meds and prayers that it will get better or they will have to do a gastric bypass. So I have to hit the low fat diet hard because I sure don't want the bypass surgery.

11/2/2007 I still continue to struggle with my weight. I am not getting that full filling like I think I should. I haven't had my first fill yet. I will be having that on November 15. I am just tired of being over weight. Not being able to look or feel comfortable shopping for clothes for myself. I looked at myself in the mirror and I can see why my husband doesn't want to have anything to do with me. My arms are just huge acutally every part of my body is. I hope soon that I won't have such a low self esteem. I am thankful that God allowed me to have the surgery. I just get really lonely and sad. But I just have to have aith in God the Father and know that He is there with me all the way.

I had this problem, too. Someone said to me that they think surgeons get paid more for gastric bypass though, so this could be the reason for the push. Just sit back and think about it, lord knows we have enough time to.

Aloha! I'm misty, and I'm a mom of 6. I chose to have the RNY gastric bypass and I am also still in the beginning stages of my journey! Happy to follow urs as well. I can't wait to hear more from u and see how ur doing. This is so exciting! People choosing to take the time to care themselves.... Just awesome! I look forward to getting to know ya!

Ever since I can remember I was fat. Childhood wasn't the easiest and going into my teens was a nightmare. I remember one of the girls in 8th grade asking me if I could fit through doors. When I got out of high school I didn't think to much of my weight. I would only do things that made me stay out of the spotlight. I got married and then divorced and in many other mentally abusive relationships. In my mind I thought I didn't deserve anything better because I was ashamed of myself. After my mother died in 2008 of congestive heart disease it made me realize that I could die of that. I began the weight loss journey for a few years.I would lose 20-30lbs,exercise,etc. If I didn't see movement on the scales it would discourage me and gained all the weight back and more. My highest weight was 380lbs. Last year I decided to look into gastric bypass surgery and see if my insurance could help me. I was sure I wanted to do this, always knew about it but never confident in myself to go through the process. October of 2015 I took the first step and had everything completed on my end. My surgery was last Tuesday January 12,2016. I do say the pain has sucked but I'm looking forward to this journey ahead of me. ☺

Doing great. Just having a little trouble going to the bathroom. But just had some success. YEAH.. Feel better now. Had my check up with Dr. Robinson. Everything looked great. On the way home stopped off at my PCP to get a EKG, of course it didn't look great. I was having pains in my left shoulder, back and chest. After an ambulance ride to the hospital and a stay, I was sent home with a dx of muscle sprain and slight dehydration. All is well right know. Just pain in my shoulder when I use it or lift.

You definitely have to go with your heart when deciding to go through with weight loss surgery. I was contemplating surgery for 3 years before I finally made my first appointment for a consultation. I had to know for sure that I was doing it for me and not because other people might like me more if I was thinner. I also did as much research as I could about gastric bypass, lap band, and the pros and cons. I don't believe that there is anything out there that is 100% safe and 100% effective. You have to know within yourself if you are able to take on whatever challenges you may face. You should also be determined to work as hard as you can to limit the not so good outcomes. Continue to come on the site and read the many different threads. You will learn of the vasts experiences people go through and become familiar with the whole weight loss surgery process. The amount of information I learned on here is far more than any doctor can explain to me. Whether you decide to or not, you'll always have friends on LBT. Good Luck to you!!!

Hi all I had a gastric bypass on 28th January 2012 I've lost 65lbs so far but feel totally miserable. Getting fed up of not being able to eat much expect crackerbreads without feeling sick . Feeling very low when I see everyone being able to go out for meals with there partners and enjoying life when I'm stuck in this life now I don't regret the surgery because the weight loss is fantastic, just feels that my life has come to a halt

Hello, I am getting the bypass on 12/28. Once I am healed and get cleared to workout again, is there any tips on having enough to workout? Like I play competitive B Ball for hours at a time on Fridays, is there anything to help me as far as energy? Will it be harder to lift weights? Any suggestions?

So happy for both of you! I hope I get to meet my goals also pray everything goes well. Still debating on sleeve or bypass. Now did you get any loose skin? How many weeks did it take you to heal before exercising??

Hello there!! I will be having my 3rd wls on Nov 1. I started with the gastric band, but because of "band slippage" I had to have it removed, and converted to a gastric sleeve. After 5 years, I am now having problems with severe GERD. I will now have to have my sleeve converted to a gastric bypass because of it........So my opinion would be go straight to a gastric bypass...

I am over 4 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. I was taking 5 prescription medications prior to surgery (2 for diabetes, 2 for high blood pressure, and 1 for asthma). Now I take none. I took some supplements (vitamins, minerals) prior to surgery. Now I take more. But the cost of the added vitamins is less than the cost of the prescription medicines that I use to take. So I am money ahead. I also had severe acid reflux prior to surgery. That is gone now. I had sleep apnea. I would keep my wife awake at night, all night long because she was a light sleeper, prior to surgery. Several months after surgery, I would find her hovering over my bed at night. I would ask her what she was doing and she said, I was sleeping so silently, that she thought I was dead and she was trying to see if I was still breathing. I had several other conditions as well that went into remission after the surgery. Before you make up your mind about which surgery, it might be good to listen to what your surgeon recommends. Also some insurance companies will pay for one type of surgery but not the other. So it is worth investigating this element. As far as your specific questions: ▪️can you stretch your sleeve/bypass easily? Since I have an issue with portion control, this is a major concern for me. I believe the answer is NO, stretching is a myth. ▪️Is dumping syndrome really helpful or is it not worth it? Helpful ▪️Bypass patients: let's say I can control the Vitamin deficiency issue with supplements and the dumping syndrome issue with cutting out sugar and fats as best I can, do you think it was worth the complications (gallstones, stoma obstruction, etc)? I did not experience complications. Also right after surgery, your body may reject fats and sugars because the part of the stomach that normally processes these has been cut away but as time goes on at about a year, your intestines will realize something is wrong and step up to the plate and your body will again be able to absorb these food types without dumping. I had a major sweet tooth prior to surgery and this contributed to my weight and to my diabetes. So I have to avoid sugars like a plague. I rely on natural no calorie sweeteners (such as stevia) and synthetic sweeteners (such as Splenda) to put the sweetness back into my life.