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The psychologist I saw for my psych evaluation had done a lot of bariatric evals and follow-up counseling and she said that she had seen a huge number of depression cases post weight loss. But a lot of her experience was in lapband, so I think she was referring more to the body image/not having adequate coping mechanisms/dealing with all the reasons we ate to begin with. For my own mental health, I'm planning on starting counseling soon and continuing with it. I know from experience that sometimes I fail in the coping strategies department and would like to be prepared.

Regarding the "sagging" skin.... The amount of excess skin after weight loss has to do with several things: 1. The amount of weight lost (greater than 100 pounds is considered "massive weight loss" by the bariatric community) 2. The time over which the weight is lost (from a physiologic standpoint, massive weight loss over the course of 1-2 years is considered "rapid".) 3. Your skin quality (In general, older skin that has been subjected to multiple weight fluctuations is most likely to "sag") 4. The type of bariatric procedure you have (this is related to the amount of weight lost and the speed of weight loss) So, yes, it is true that people who undergo gastric banding tend to have less "sagging" than compared to other bariatric procedures. This is likely due to a combination of slower weight loss, less overall weight loss, and a better nutritional state during the weight loss which leads to better skin quality. Good luck and congratulations on your first step in the weight loss process.

Hi, all! My name is Julie, and I'm having lap-band surgery. (Hi, Julie...) I've been overweight all my life, but in the past few years it's been creeping up on me. And then I had a baby a year ago, and things went downhill fast. My mother is on dialysis as a result of Type 2 diabetes, and she can't walk unassisted. Having a young child has made me realize what I missed out on as a kid with my mom (and what she's missing out on now), and I want to make changes now rather than wait for my health to take a nose dive. I also want to be able to crawl around and run after my son, while I can still keep up with him! I'm working with Dr. Michael Snyder in Denver, and I've just about done with all my pre-op appointments - one last visit to my primary care doctor next week and I can schedule my surgery! I'm self-pay, thanks to working at a small business and having an exclusion on our group coverage for bariatric surgery, so once my husband and I get our Christmas bonuses I'll be able to set the date. I'm shooting for mid-January - huzzah! So, hello everyone! I'm glad to be here!

Why would you opt for a revision? The sleeve won't stop you from eating the wrong foods or too much anymore than a band will. You're looking at bariatric surgery as if it were a governor placed on your body that completely controls your intake and that's just not how it works. Any WLS is a tool but if you don't use the tool, you won't find success. I see posts from others who also deal with the non supportive families and I have to admit I'd struggle with the issue too. I think that this is an area that surgeons don't evaluate well enough. Some patients should be screened out or not encouraged to have WLS until they're in control of their own environment. Although, I have seen some patients who also work in a restaurant who have had WLS. Sorry, I have willpower, but not in the quantities needed to refrain from not cheating in that environment. It must be very difficult to plan and execute a healthy eating lifestyle when you're not in control over the meal planning? tmf

Wow, I'm sorry your waiting for your approval. My information was sent to UHC yesterday via fax and the case manager with Bariatric Resource Services called me within 3 hours of it being sent saying I was approved. I know what greatly helped speed up my process was that i called and got an 800 number for my surgeons office to "open a case" for me and then I got a fax number for them to submit it to. I also had been working with the case manager for 6 months making sure I was meeting all the requirements so she would have everything that was needed. Good luck and I hope your hear soon!

On ya! My surgery was every bit as easily dealt with and the results have been wonderful. And I concur; walking from waking moment one is certainly the way to go. Like you, I was eating scrambled egg at a very early stage. Now, eight months out I can hardly believe how easily the journey to a healthily supported 38kg loss has been. Ah, you gotta love bariatric surgery' Cheers, Simon

I had my band put in August 2012. Basically got to goal a year later, this past august. I have been running once my body and legs could handle it and battled a bad rash under my belly no matter what I did. I also had 3 c sections, the last one 25 years ago, not sure of that made a difference. I casually asked my bariatric doc about removing it, she sent me to a plastics doc, but didn't think I'd have luck with insurance company. I saw the plastics doc who told me it was probably 75% with insurance on the bottom! above the belly button was more like 25-50%. They turned around and approved it 100% in less than 2 weeks! So I got it all done! Now I'm recouping. It is so worth it, but as an independent woman I have a hard time being hands off in life. A cute note was the day we buried Mom. I was 3 days post op. Mu dad is 97 and holding his own. He and I were on the same nap schedule most of the day, so we would just snuggle up in the hotel bed together! It was nice to have each other there when we woke, and it allowed my siblings to know he and I were taking care of each other.

Although I do feel a slight headache coming on, the full bariatric liquid diet isn't too bad so far. I absolutely love the Unjury chocolate splendor and will be trying the chicken soup in an hour. I know tonight around dinner I will probably be wanting dinner--it will be some sort of creamy soup. I hope all days are this smooth!

Hit my personal "OMG that scale said WHAT" moment in November. Did some blood work, some intense research, soul searching, and asked for a referral to the local bariatric surgery clinic in December. Got the appointment set in January. First meeting with the surgeon on Tuesday (2/11/20). It's with Michelle Toder in Bangor Maine. She seems to have mixed reviews on the internet, but I'm still excited to get this journey going. I've told a couple people close to me that I'm pursuing this change with mostly positive feedback. But because of where I'm at in my life, this community and the supports from the paid professionals are who I'll have for a while. Super excited, and just had to say HI!

So I am in the process of getting approved for bariatric surgery. The Doctors I use do not expect you to make a decision on which surgery until closer to time. I was looking into the Band, but I have a VP shunt and according to MD it increases my chance of infection to one or both appliances to have both and has reccommended I look into the sleeve gastrectomy. I am doing research and like what I see, but have had a general surgeon tell me not to do it. I would like to hear from people who have had a postive and negative experiences. I am a single mom, ICU RN, and BSN student. My life is very important. I want to be a role model for my childre and patients.

Thank you so much. I just tell you life like this is very hard and it infuriates me when people tell me "Oh you went the easy route" no way shape OR form is gastric bypass easy. It messes with you emotionally, physically, spirtually..basically completely! I'm going the 10th to see what is supposed to be a very good bariatric surgeon. My lower half seems fine now, but its the upper I guess where the stint is. My spasims are so severe they feel like a heaart attack. It's horrible. I can truly honestly understand why suicide rates are so high due to this surgery. It's horrible. I'm probably scaring all these poor people to death, but i'm just trying to be honest and show you all that not everyone wakes up off that table "healed." Obesity is a disease something we all have to figure out ourselves. How why when did we get this way and then comes the hard part accepting you did it yourself...no matter how hard you try to deny it. Trust me I did it. Advice to those having surgery. Listen to your bodies you hear full, you stop walk away. Learn to eat things you thought you never would. Tofu is my favorite and your going to laugh but dehydrated vegies are also my favorite. I can't drink any milk because I became lactose intolerant afterwards. Be careful and listen to your body please. i have a friend who is the same amount of time out of surgery as I and she's already gained back. I teeter between 124-133 and have since 2011. 5 years post op and saying that I feel is a big thing. I'd like to see the ones having surgery come back wih the same success stories. I wish you luck and if you need me just hollar. Thanks yall

Hi I'm Leigh married with 2 teens 45 from Texas I'm 4'10" and 235# I've got my pre-op set for 5/21 and surgery set for 6/2 this is what and where and the who is at the bottom of the link Trinity Mother Frances Health System This helped me... DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds_nwlgQztE]YouTube - Lap Band Surgery[/ame] Suggested reading from my Nutritionist The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients by Cook, Colleen M. and The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery by Alexander Cynthia L I'm excited nervous happy scared hardheaded and ready to go I should have done this 3 years ago I'm a hardcore gamer computer mainly but PS2 and 3 also WoW BF2 9Dragons MOH lot of mmorpgs and 1st person shooters I do graphics, OE scripted stats, tags, all kinds of different stuff mostly with Paint Shop Pro 9 I have 10 but blah..lol ~sigh~ yes i'm a GEEK :tongue2: and I LOVE it can't wait to get banded~

Now that I am "approved" for surgery and this is becoming a reality, I figured NOW is the time to post my story so far. I am 49, 5'7 and 235 at my highest weight. (Can't believe I actually wrote that down for public consumption!) That made me a BMI of 36.8. I had considered weight loss surgery off and on throughout the years of yo-yo dieting. My last good weight loss was about 30 pounds back in 2009 and I was lighter then. So that means I have put on about 40 pounds in four years. (Less than a pound a month, not too bad, right??!! Ha!) I have some lung problems, high blood pressure (if you would only lose weight, you wouldn't have to take these pills anymore....) and hypothyroidism. Too much for someone my age I decided and started considering the lap-band. I am a nurse and considered that to be "least invasive" and "easiest" to have done surgically. On November 28, 2012, I signed the hubby and I up for an informational seminar. While hubby wasn't interested (I'm hoping to change that), I listened to the doctor present the band, sleeve and RNY options. To his credit, he didn't try to sway anyone to any one procedure, but I had changed my thinking from lap-band to sleeve. I submitted my "insurance verification" form and left. In lateDecember/early January, I was contacted by the doctor's office and told that my insurance (CIGNA) did provide WLS benefits. I had started a post-holiday "kind of" diet about mid-January with Weight Watchers. I saw my surgeon for the first time on January 28, 2013. We discussed all the usual things and agreed that the sleeve was a good procedure for me. My only beef with the process was that the coordinator told me "All your insurance needs is the evaluation and 3 months of diet history. Just print out Weight Watchers and it will be ok." More on that in a minute.... From there, I had: EGD (endoscopy) on 2-4 and found to have a small hiatal hernia. Psych eval and nutrition eval on 2-13. In the mean time, I had researched CIGNA's bariatric policy and found out that I needed a lot more than "Just 3 months of Weight Watcher history." Rather than chance it, I went and got clearance from my PMD and met with a nutritionist for 3 months of a supervised diet. (2-20, 3-16 and 4-20...boy am I glad I started that "kind of diet" back in January!) Am now at 222 (fluctuating pounds.) My coordinator submitted my packet on about May 10th with a comment of "everything looks great...should be no problem." On May 17th, I was notified of denial...based on two points. My physician had failed to state that he BOTH recommended me for the surgery AND cleared me (he only recommended me....despite the fact I had asked him to do both.) The nutritionist did a summary report that detailed all three visits, with all of the components required, but CIGNA wanted it in three separate notes. At least it wasnt because of medical criteria! So...my coordinator got all that together and on May 21st, she submitted again, stating it could take up to 90 days, but probably not that long. The waiting is the hardest part!!! Well, today I got the news I was waiting for...APPROVED! It took 7 business days for the appeal. Now we are in fast-forward mode: 6-10: Pre-op meeting with surgeon to sign consents, etc... 6-15: Start of pre-op diet! (Not looking forward to it....) 6-17: Pre-op lab/x-ray work at hospital 6-25: Surgery I travel for my work (I am a healthcare consultant) and will be out of town three weeks between now and then, so it will fly by! I am so excited. I think now that it's a reality, my husband is concerned. I got the "If it makes you happy, it makes me happy" but I am not convinced. I know he is supportive of my decisions, but probably a bit insecure at the same time. food has always been a big part of our life and I have been slowly withdrawing from that over the last few months. Thanks for listening! I am so darn excited I just needed to share it with someone. I have told very few people. I will update after the surgery.

Before you go to surgery please read my story and if you want to know about other people who are now in horrible health some blind, some bedridden, others no longer can work or take care of their families, we ALL have one thing in common THE LAP BAND. Dr. Laker installed my Lap Band July 16, 2007, he never warned me of any possible side effects, below is my story. Lap Band installed 07, vomiting and pain began immediately thought it was normal. Started going to Doctors and hospitals nothing found, then the diarrhea started, again Doctors and hospitals, colonoscopy and endoscopy 01/2012 (date of discovery) found lap band had eroded into my stomach. Lap Band removed 01/2012, very ill, still pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Constant vomiting caused a hernia so another surgery to repair hernia 11/2012. Still pain, vomiting diarrhea continually going to Doctors and hospitals, specialist does another endoscopy 07/08/2013 and finds major problems where my stomach was repaired, sends me to a surgeon immediately because he was so worried, saw surgeon within two days on 07/10/2013. Surgeon did his own endoscopy 07/22/2013, told me the lap band did a number on my stomach and he could not do the repair said I needed to see him in his office 07/26/2013 so he can go over alternatives with me. I am still vomiting and have diarrhea more times a day than I can count and the pain is severe. My Surgeon is a Bariatric Specialist and he no longer does Lap Band Surgery because of the damage Lap Bands do. He would make a great witness on my behalf. I go nowhere except to Doctors and Hospitals, when I do I take a bag that consists of trash bags, paper towels, baby wipes, Water and a change of clothes. I vomit and have blasting diarrhea EVERY TIME I eat anything. I am single but cannot date; my boyfriend broke up with me because he could no longer handle my illness. My life has changed so much. Sometimes I crawl from the bed to the toilet several times a day, sometimes I make it sometimes not. I have vomited and had diarrhea while in the car and in the presents of others. A couple of months ago I was so sick that I was on a gurney at the hospital the vomiting and diarrhea would not stop and a hospital employee made the comment "disgusting she crapped all over herself". The pain is like having hundreds of hot knives cutting into my stomach. I have so many scars it is embarrassing, I will never be able to take my clothes off in front of anyone again. This is a small list of what I have been through and there are others just like me and some are worse like losing their eye sight. I have all of my documentation along with pictures to back up my story. I feel the Doctor was negligent because he never warned me of these possible side effects and the danger. The Lap Band was defective because it eroded into my stomach. My life will never be the same and my health will never be restored. I should have been warned so that I could make a decision based on the facts. « Show less Events 07/28/2013 - Was told that another surgery was needed, stomach is like sewing cottage cheese 07/23/2013 - Endoscopy 07/18/2013 - Endoscopy 11/10/2012 - Hernia Surgery (from vomiting and diarrhea) 01/25/2012 - Lap Band Removed 01/19/2012 - Colonoscopy and endoscopy (date of Discovery) 07/16/2007 - Lap Band installed

I posted a few weeks back because I couldn't keep anything down. This has been progressive and it been going on for over 6 months. I went to the surgeons office three times with issues and all the Fluid taken out. The last visit in July I requested the appointment to be with the doctore (Atkinson) and still, when I went for the appointment I was seen by the PA. The PA said she would talk to doctor about the band slipping and check with my insurance to re-position or remove the band. I didn't hear back for a few weeks. I called the office and they said that because my insurance was now Aetna, not Blue Cross, Dr. Atkinson would not perform the surgery, even out of network. As you can imagine this was very frustrating. As the months went on, my symptoms kept getting worse. I dedided to start calling other bariatric surgeons in the area and no one would take me as a patient since they didn't perform the surgery. Long story, but I finally went to my regular doctor because I couldn't hold liquid or food down for several days. She contacted a bariatric surgeon and he told her to get me an upper GI. I still wasn't sure if he was going to take me as a patient. Anyway, I got a call from the surgeon's coordinator and she couldn't believe my upper GI. It was the worse slip they had ever seen. She explained that the doctor usually take other doctors patients, but my condition was very severe. My entire stomach has slipped through the band. The band is now located between my stomach and intestines. This can be a life threatning situation. So I was told not to throw up any more until I coudl see the doctor. My appointment is Tuesday and my surgery will be scheduled. Sorry for such a long post but this has been such a bad experience for me and needed to vent. I have a few friends that have the band and it works great for them. But for me, the band has to be removed and can't be replace. I have learned alot with this band and hope to continue my weight loss with other means. If anyone has had this type of band slippage I would love to hear from you as I don't know what to expect with the surgery.

Greetings world! Long time lurker, first time poster - go me. I figured it was time to get in on in and do the support thing early to prepare, so here I am! I got the call about an hour ago that I officially, really, truly, no-foolin, have a real surgery date. I'm going in on June 13th with Dr. Hart (Atlanta Bariatric Center / Emory Hospital Johns Creek). I was originally going to go band back in January but backed out of it to give it more thought (a lot more thought) and landed on the idea the sleeve would be better for me. And now, here we go. Whew ... yikes ... what have I got myself into?! I'm scared, nervous, excited, thrilled, and a little nauseous at what I've got myself into and I know I have to get my big girl undies on and face it head on but wow, now that I have a date I'm a bit scared of having a real date. With real people. With real people who really are going to cut into me. Yeah, I'm tripped a bit, but very excited. I think what I'm most scared of (other than the whole notion of being put under), is that I can't for the life of me visualize success. Is that weird? I don't know. I can't picture myself thinner - I can't picture myself doing athletic type activities - I can't picture myself literally as a smaller person, but I know it's going to happen. I start my 2 week liquid diet on Friday (joy, just in time to miss Memorial Day bbq.) Does it count as a liquid if I drink a bottle of bbq sauce?

Just read ur post and was curious who did ur surgery? I live in upstate SC (Liberty) & went to Bariatric Solutions in Greenville, SC. I had RNY 10/10/11 & have had only a few complications. My sister went to a surgeon in Spartanburg & is disabled from seizures as well. She had a PICC line that got infected & they think that affected her brain. You are right, the psychiatric ramifications are a huge part of the surgery. They really don't focus on that as much as they should, which is a shame. Hope things get better for you. I will keep u in my prayers. -Mandy

I am new at all of this. I decided to have surgery in October so I contacted a surgeon for an appointment. I can't get in until January of 2016. So I decided to start the process to get a jump on my requirements for approved surgery. I've been on Adipex for 3 months with a doctor. And now I am on a PCP supervised medical weight diet. I am hoping I will have 5 months completed by the time I see the surgeon. Did anyone have problems getting approved through BCBS of Minnesota? I have their bariatric policy so I know what I have to do. I'm just so nervous about getting approved. I want this more than anything.

I have been researching bariatric surgery for over a year & chose the lapband. I'm a 55 yr old nurse & took care of more than my share of gastric bypass patients & felt I just couldn't go that route. My surgery is scheduled for tuesday, the day after my birthday. So, needless to say there will be no cake for me this year. This is my present to myself. My Dr told me in January that I won't live 5 more years with the condition my kidneys are in if I don't lose the weight now.I had to do the 6 mos supervised weight loss which I balked at initially but am now happy I had to do it. I have lost #37 since february on a low carb diet & have really gotten into my new lifestyle. I'm not even sure I will need a fill since even now I never get hungry between meals.What I was wondering is if you never have a fill do you still have stuck episodes,pbing or still have to take the tiny bites & chew,chew,chew?

How did you decide on a surgeon in Mexico? I went to the site to verify certifications and a lot of doctors I see reviews on and whose website says they are board certified are not even on the list of Mexican board certified surgeons. Only one of my top 3 were actually board certified in bariatric surgery. There are 88 bariatric board certified surgeons in Mexico and I only recognized maybe 4 names on that list from reading reviews and watching youtube. So I was curious what made you choose the surgeon you chose? I am still undecided but have strong contender.

Tiffany posted this as a comparison of Vitamins. You also want to keep in mind that you need to space your Iron and calcium citrate at least two hours apart. I've been very pleased with Bariatric Advantage Multivitamin, BA iron, and BA chewy calcium citrate. Hope this helps! http://verticalsleevetalk.com/vitamins-supplements/3739-all-vitamins-not-created-equally-excellent-comparison-chart.html

help help i accidently posted a new thread about 4 times 60 years young, 2 yrs PO, GOAL please delete 3 of them thanx kathy

Hello my name is David! I weight roughly 340 lbs and have been pursuing bariatric surgery since June of 2015. I just came across this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I just had my sleeve procedure yesterday at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, IL. I Plan on sharing my journey here And using this forum as an educational resource. If anyone else on this forum happens to live in the area of Illinois I would love to hear your experiences with the surgery as well

I'm excited today because I attended my first information meeting about bariatric surgery at Kiaser. It was informative however I must say a lot of the information I knew because I been researching on this every time a question pops up in my mind. I go tomorrow to my body analysis appointment where they take a picture and weight you prior to beginning the 12 week options program. I can't believe this is all about to get in motion. As a requirement I have to loose 10% of body weight prior to surgery (29lbs) I actually think that will be the most weight I ever lost. Well just wanted to share my journey so far.

My surgeon recommends that any store bought multivitamin will be fine. I read the labels carefully and chose the chewable with the most nutrients in one pill. It's difficult to find any with enough calcium, so that one has to be separate. Right now, I'm using some samples from the docs office that are Bariatric Advantage chewable calcium with Vit D. They kind of have a sourness to them and are cherry flavored. They are huge so I hate to be bothered sucking them down but the taste is manageable. I'm on the hunt for a store brand that I can use when those run out. I guess I need to check the iron level in my multivitamin because I can't remember if it's high enough...