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HOLY COW!!!! That's weight loss the hard way! I've been on this/other sites for about 9 mo. now and I've never even heard of a doctor removing an 'adhesion' from a spleen, let alone removing a spleen related to LB surgery. You might want to post a thread on the Forum/Complications to see if anyone else has heard of this (it will get more exposure than here in blogs). You certainly deserve the weight loss and I hope the band works well for you soon with fills. ...and welcome to LBT!!! Best wishes. -BG

Hi I'm in the Lou too. Well, just outside. My process started in feb 2012 and my surgery is scheduled sept 11. It truly was a long 6-7 months ! Insurance required 6 monthly visits with my doctor where he watched my weight and counseled me some. Seems like alot of extra medical stuff plus the weight loss institute required psychiatric assessment, visit with dietitian, nurse visit, blood tests, endoscopy, sleep study. Wow looking back it was a lot. But totally worth it with just 11 days to go!! I'm on 2 week pre-op protein shake/clear liquid diet now. No complications pre-op!!

Found out Thursday my band had slipped. Found out Friday I'd be having surgery this Wednesday to have it removed with my choice of replacement (the nurse originally said he'd be putting in another band but after all the issues I've had I told her I'd go with nothing before I had another band and magically it became my choice!). If I have no serious damage once he's inside he will do RNY at that time, if there's anything that needs to heal I will be closed up and come back in 6-12 months for the RNY. I've had 5 days to prep and learn everything I can about pre and post op diets and have spent the weekend nesting and trying to get everything ready for the next 6 weeks or so. I'm frantic!!!!! Although a 5 day liquid diet is soooo much better than the 2 weeks long misery before! Wish me luck Wednesday and keep your fingers crossed that there will be no complications and I can go straight to bypass!!!!

you should take a peek at complications threads

This is my story Hi everyone I am a 37 year old man and I have remortgage my house so that I can have a gastric lap band that I get on the 10th of November in London. I am nerves and scared but I no that am killing my self being this weight. My mum died at 47 with a cancer that the Dr said was an obese cancer. I don’t what the same for me. I have been over weight since I was 10. And have done every diet that there is. At least ones but I have done some more than 10 times. well i went my surgery on the 15th of November as was cancelled on the 10th I also had travelled to Chichester and could tell you about the day had my operation and what happened I hope this helps people. Hi everyone well and home safe and sound and still very sore but I'm glad it's over. When I arrived at the hospital on Wednesday morning I was told I was first on the list I had blood taken my medical history taken, had enough time to change in to the pyjamas then the anaesthetist turned up he was fantastic. He listened to everything I told him and told me not to worry. Then I was told that Mr Somers was stuck in a traffic jam and they did not know when I was going to go down . Lucky for me it was only 15 minutes and he was in my room. He asked me lots of questions and reassured me that I was making the best decision of my life. As soon as he left the nurse said it was time to go down to the operating room. I was very nervous couldn't stop shaking my leg, there was no going back. Couldn't work out why I could not stick to a diet and that I could die was all that was going through my head. I almost started to cry even as I write this it reminds me of the way I felt and makes me cry. When I got to the operating room the anaesthetist was waiting for me He made sure that I did not hang around when they were putting me to sleep, he gave me a pre-med as we got into the operating room and I don't remember anything until I woke up. The next thing I remember I was in recovery room. The first thing I noticed was I needed to pee, I looked down and saw a catheter I did not expect to see it. I asked the nurse why I had one and he said I would see the doctor soon. About 30 minutes later the anaesthetist came to see me and said there had been complications and I had to have open surgery. I was not sure what he meant, he said my liver was so big that when they tried to reach my stomach it ripped part of my diaphragm and they could not have fitted the band . He and Mr Somers had decided that if I had been awake I would have asked them to go ahead and open me up. (AND THEY WERE RIGHT) I had been bruised and battered about a bit around my kidneys and they wanted to make sure that they were working properly that's why they fitted the catheter. I asked him if I could have it taken out (I hated it) he said yes. Within 15 minutes of it being removed I was more comfortable. But he said that if I could not go to the toilet on my own that they would have to refit it. I went down to theatre at 9 a.m. I was taken up to my room about 3 p.m. I was allowed to drink water, I was still very uncomfortable but nothing I could not cope with. About 5 p.m. my surgeon Mr Somers came to see me, he asked me how I was and told me that I was the first person after four hundred surgeries of this kind he has done he has ever had to revert to open surgery. He said I gave his hand pins and needles because he had to try and put the band in using one hand, he said my liver was one of the biggest has ever seen and that it covered most of the front of my stomach. He said I was the reason he had gray hair! He also asked me how my pain was; I was given morphine and told to take things very easy. Later that night I was worried that I had not been to the toilet and knew if I could stand up I would be able to go so I asked the nurse if I could have a bottle I got out of bed and spent the next 15 minutes trying to go, I did! Thank God I would not have to have that catheter in. I spent much of the first night awake. In the morning Mr Somers came to see me again as did the anaesthetist. They checked my drugs to make sure they were working. I was allowed out of bed to have a wash, the pain was quite severe I was feeling very sick. When I got back to my chair and as the nurse arrived I started to be sick. I was terrified that I might split open. Every time I was sick a lot of air came out and nothing else. This happened for about a minute. What a relief, most of the severe pain I had was caused by air. And because I had a very tight restriction the air could not get past the band with out me being sick. The rest of the day was spent in and out of bed and changing my pain medication to one that suited me more. In the end i settled for volterol and tramodol they worked best for me. At lunchtime I had half a plate of soup and jelly and drunk lots of water Cranberry juice and oasis juice. I can feel the liquid going through my band it bubbles very weird sensation I had soup and jelly for tea as well. I slept better that night but wanted to go home. Mr somers came to see me in the morning and said I could go home as long as I had someone to look after me which I do. Stuart picked me up and it took us five hours to get home. I have never seen rain like it it was horrible I could not wait to get into bed. I slept so much better in my own bed and the next morning today when I woke I felt a lot better. If there's one thing I wish i had taken it would have been the windeze. That's what caused me the most pain, if it hadn't been for another lady called Sam having the same operation as me I would not have had any till I got home. Also if they give you pain killers make sure thay are not dissolved ones that fizz in water they just make it worse. Make sure you stir them till the fizz is gone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/12/06 Im glad i had you all to help me and thanks to you all for asking after me. I hope Carol is going to be ok i did think about you in the middle of all that and still am. It has taken me all day to write this i hope it makes sense. One thing I would like to make clear is I did not stick to my pre-op diet as I don't like yoghurt I was told I could do a 1200 cal diet a day. Even with the diet I would have probably had to have open surgery But I was just very unlucky I have a very large liver. so to all the people that the message to me worrying about the operation been cancelled don't out of 400 operations my surgeon has done laparoscopic I was the first one to have to revert to open surgery. And to tell you the truth I'm not feeling that bad considering. I do feel I was very lucky to have the surgeon I did I would have been devastated if I had woken up and he hasn't done the band. I guess I'm very lucky as I have someone at home and don't need to go back to work for as long as I like. I am self-employed. my surgeon was a right gentleman he really knows how to look after his patients and I believe that if it had been anybody else I would not have my band in you would think he was paying me to say all this but I can't thank him enough. And you for all your support thank you. 10/12/06 Hi everyone how are you all? Isn't it funny how we have all stopped worrying so much, and trying to live with our bands? Not posting so much on the website well I'm still here learning how it works, what I can eat and what I can't eat. What it means when you regurgitate the last mouthful of food, how easy it is to cheat and drink at the same time as you eat and how I automatically look for ways of cheating. For instance I never was one to eat crisps but because someone said they melt in your mouth I ran out and bought a pack of 12 and ate 6 of them all on the same night! It has now almost been four weeks since my operation and I still have lost one stone but I find I don't have much restriction. I am determined that I will not put the stone back on before I get my first fill. I had discomfort up until about a week ago almost like being winded. I think maybe because I had open surgery I was a bit more bruised but nothing I could not handle. I think I'm very lucky as I'm my own boss so I don't need to lift or move anything. Or do anything strenuous. I like the fact that I have a port and I can feel it every time I put my hand on my side and I do every time I laugh or cough. . I have noticed that I am not eating the quantity of food that I did before I had my band, but I still get hungry more ad more as the day goes on. I can't eat foods like cold chicken or cold ham. Any kind of cold meat is difficult to swallow but I can still eat a good size meal so I am looking forward to my first fill. I get it on the third of January Something else that I have noticed is that people who know that I had a band fitted keep asking me if I'm losing weight yet and I feel a little bit of a failure because I have not lost much more than I did a week after my operation. I have started telling them that is not switched on yet as it's easier than trying to explain how it all works. So I told them that it gets switched on the 3rd of January and it seems to work. Next Saturday the 16th I'm going to be meeting up with the group from the weight loss web site in Bristol for Christmas dinner and I am really looking forward to that. I am lucky once again as I have decided to go away for the first time in my life for Christmas and New Year. I am going to New York and have booked eight Broadway shows to go and watch as well so I don't have to be cooking Christmas dinner this year. I'm really excited about it. And one thing I know about New York is they know how to do good soup and you can get it at almost any corner. I don't get back to Bristol till 8 a.m. on the third of January and I get my first fill at 12 noon on the same day, cant wait. Well good luck everyone over the next three weeks because we need it with all the chocolate, Christmas puddings, sweets, biscuits and all the things that make us slightly rounded there to tempt as. Resist, resist, resist, resist. And I hope we all have a losing Christmas and Santa is good to you all. Merry Christmas everyone. Take care, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22/09/07 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I WROTE THIS ON THE 01/05/2007 A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN AND I WILL WRIGHT IT ALL OUT FOR YOU TO READ SOON . AND I AM VERY SORRY FOR NOT GETTING BACK TO EVRYONE THAT EMAILD ME I HOPE TO SOON I HAVE NOT LOST ANYMORE IM STILL BIG AND FAT IM 128 KG SO I HAVE PUT ON 8.7 KG. Hi everyone here I go again trying to remember everything that has happened to me since the first week in January first of all let me apologise to all those who have e-mailed me asking me how I am. I am dyslexic and find it very difficult to write without the use of my computer at home. I have been in a Australia for the last six weeks. ( Lucky me ) Everywhere I went over there they knew all about gastric bands and everybody I met knew someone who had had one it works out that they have been doing it for over 10 years and you can get a fill for as little as $60 that’s about £25 as you are covered under their Medicare system. Ok I went to up to see the dietician at the hospital group on the 3rd of Jan and to have my first fill to be honest the dietician did not tell me anything I did not know. I was sent to the BUPA hosp about 20mins away from there to have a barium meal and x ray and to get my 1st fill I was nervous as hell they asked me to change into a dressing gown which didn’t fit. you would think they would have dressing gowns for big people . Anyway I had nothing to worry about the doctor that did my first fill find the port very easy and put five Mils in . I also used emla cream which numbs the skin around the port so i didn’t even feel the needle (big baby ) I couldn’t wait to see if I had any restriction but I knew I had to leave it a few days before I try to eat anything other than soups and sloppy stuff . I was finding it very hard because I was so hungry and sneaked down to the kitchen on about the 5th day and had myself if sandwich and the a bowl of soup I managed it without any problems. I find I could eat large amounts of food without any restriction but certain foods made me sick like cold meat or chicken and chips but I didn’t eat many before anyway. I was getting very depressed because I thought after my first fell I would not be able to eat as much as before on the Saturday evening after this I went to my first support meeting of the weight loss surgery website and met some very interesting and friendly people who all had gone through weight loss surgery of some sort. They told me to stop worrying and that sometimes it takes 3,4,5 fills before you get a decent restriction and I was worrying over nothing I left there feeling so much better (thanks guys and girls) It really does make a difference when you have people to help you and I have gone through the same thing. I booked my next appointment to have a fill and that was the 23rd of January one week before I went to Australia . I arrived at the hospital group near Birmingham and was met by some very nice friendly staff a nice lady called Tony took me in to a room and had a chat she told me to be patient and to remember that the band is a tool to help you lose weight. And that I need to work with it. It worked out she was the one who was going to give me my second fill i jumped up on the table and she got it first time I believe she put in 1 ½ mils and then told me to go into the waiting room and have a few drinks. It was just as well as I could not get the water down so I had to go back in and she took out ¾ back out. Had another drink and everything worked properly. In the next couple of days I take things easy and only drunk soup and sloppy food. On the 20th I flew to Hong Kong where I ate lots of soup and noodles when I got to Sydney a week later I found I had lost another kg I decided when I was Australia that I would start going to the gym every other day for four weeks I went to the gym also started to realise that I could not eat certain foods without me being sick things like beef steak and chips burgers most things fried apples oranges peaches and watermelon I find hard to eat.. The gym I went to in Sydney was on third-floor. With no lift so you had to walk up five flights a stares by the time I got to the top I was so out of breath that I couldn’t speak to the receptionist. So I would make sure that there was no one behind me before I would start to climb the Stares just so I could stop one flight down to catch my breath. So I did not feel embarrassed when I got to the top four weeks later when I left I could almost run upstairs and still have my breath at the top. The day before I flew back to the UK I weighed myself I was 120 kg that means I have lost 20 kg since January the 23rd not bad but it has been hard I have good days and bad days sometimes bad weeks like this one I feel I can eat anything and have no restriction then out of nowhere I eat some omelette or shepherd’s pie and I’m full halfway through it. Are starting to find it very difficult as I work for myself and leave the house at eight in the morning and sometimes don’t get home until midnight one o’clock I can’t cook for myself and have to rely on a Café around the corner from me and I have knot been to the gym for 10 days now. I weighed myself this week and have lost three more kg so that means I have lost 23 kg so I guess I’m losing 1 kg a week that’s fine with me it’s great that my smallest shorts and now my biggest and the belt I ware is to big and I have had to put two new holes in it. J SHAUN 17/10/2007 i have put back on 17 kg and am having a bad time but i will sit down and wright :ranger:it all out over the next week and post it :whoo:

Having my surgery on Tuesday. On the flight over to Mexico, 2 days ago, I felt like I was going to die! Ended up going to the closest doctor as soon as I arrived and well, I had some intestinal infection. Worse than any stomach virus I had ever experienced. It's was horrific and I was absolutely miserable. It was even more difficult because of the language barrier. My thoughts are, is it okay for my body to undergo surgery after being this ill? And, what type of risk does that put me at complication-wise?244lbs before starting my preop diet.

Congrats I had my Surgery Sept. 17th Wed. and I had a complication of severe high blood pressure. I was in the ICU for a night and then transferred to the floor for another night. Doing better now but I had a lot of pain just after surgery. (Not sure morphine agrees with me.) Home now for a couple of days. trying to get my Water intake and starting on Protein shakes.... both are hard. I too have sleep apnea but had no issues in that area. The most unexpected thing after surgery (besides the high BP): was the upper GI before they start you on Clear liquids. I thought it would be a scope... it was not. I stood infront of an xray and drank the worst tasting liquid I have ever had.... Best piece of advice: Walk walk walk... I think that helped me and still helps me as much as anything. I did this from day one in the ICU and still get in several walks.. 5-8 times back and forth in my house per day... today I plan to tackle the front steps when the kids get home from school. (I don't want to tackle 13 uneven stairs with no handrail when I am home alone.)

Hey itsmeKarenLee: So sorry to hear of your negative experience! I too have felt like a "number" to my surgeon, although I have physically done very well. I'm more upset about the way they "charged" me and my insurance...long story!!! Unfortunately, what they do isn't against the law...they don't HAVE to have a good bedside manner or be ethical!!! Sad, but true. My own primary care physician summed it up...said "you don't think they do those surgeries because they care about your health, do you?".....followed by: "they want to make LOTS of money"! Capitalism in action, I suppose. As for Omeprazole...I currently go back and forth between Protonix (pill, not granules...didn't know they had those!) and omeprazole...just purchased OTC: I don't think it's "DR". I would NOT have taken either of them right after surgery, because there is a lot of swelling and also because you don't want anything to be "rubbing" against your tender intestines/stomach/sutures, so I would suggest sticking with the Protonix granules FOR NOW definitely. Once you are well healed, you may find that it's no problem to take a pill that size. My surgeon gave the "representative" size of what you can swallow as an M&M...although I have no problem with "normal" capsules either. Hang in there...perhaps you are just having some mild complications that will soon pass (I hope that is the case). But, stick to their guidelines and you will probably start feeling better soon. Please keep us posted on your progress....and your husband's!! Best wishes.

I am 10 weeks post sleeve surgery. I love the support meetings I attend. I am actually going to one this evening. There are people in the group who report on the complications they may have had but for the most part the meetings are really supportive.

RNY and sleeve both have their advantages and disadvantages. Some factors to consider: Sleeve is still relatively new - about 15 years. RNY has been done in various forms since the 1950's. RNY is by far the most common bariatric surgery. Approximately 80% of all bariatric surgeries worldwide are RNY. Becuse of the two factors above, there is a great deal more experience and long term statistical information on the outcomes of RNY surgeries compared to sleeve. This may be part of the reason that some insurance companies are still hesitant to cover the sleeve. RNY is more invasive than sleeve but average weight loss for RNY patients is substantially higher than it is for sleeve patients. That may change as more experience is gained with sleeve and better procedures and techniques are developed. RNY is widely acknowledged as the single most effective "treatment" for type 2 diabetes currently available to medical science. RNY has a greater risk of malnutrition than sleeve because RNY involves both restriction and malabsorption while sleeve is restrictive only. Both surgeries appear to be equally safe as far as mortality goes. However, non life-threatening post-op complications such as infections are more common for the more invasive RNY than they are for sleeve.

Good luck fingers crossed for a smooth sailing complication free surgery.

I have my first appointment with Dr. Weaver this Wednesday at St. Francis. Anyone had the sleeve done by Dr. Weaver? What was your experience with him? Were there any complications? I want to know the pros and cons please.

I had my Surgery Sept. 17th Wed. and I had a complication of severe high blood pressure. I was in the ICU for a night and then transferred to the floor for another night. Doing better now but I had a lot of pain just after surgery. (Not sure morphine agrees with me.) Home now for a couple of days. trying to get my Water intake and starting on Protein shakes.... both are hard. I too have sleep apnea but had no issues in that area. The most unexpected thing after surgery (besides the high BP): was the upper GI before they start you on Clear liquids. I thought it would be a scope... it was not. I stood infront of an xray and drank the worst tasting liquid I have ever had.... Best piece of advice: Walk walk walk... I think that helped me and still helps me as much as anything. I did this from day one in the ICU and still get in several walks.. 5-8 times back and forth several times in my house per day... today I plan to tackle the front steps when the kids get home from school. (I don't want to tackle 13 uneven stairs with no handrail when I am home alone.) Biggest mistake: licking a spoon with hot mustard = diarrhea Biggest win: already notice weight loss

My surgery weight was 320lbs I had to deal with major complications/ 4mm stricture and ended up with a feeding tube in my old stomach for 3 months. I am fighting to keep my weight at 160lbs now. My surgery date was 2/26/14 a bit over 7months out now. Has anyone out there had to deal with a situation like this?

I'm having the revision surgery cuz I've had nothing but complications with my band i have it for about 4 years I never could find my sweet spot is either over filled under-filled I just thought I would go about my business and deal with it! sometimes I can eat and sometimes I cant eat most the time I am vomiting because my food gets stuck I finally made an appointment with a new bariatric surgeon and found out that it slipped and is at the top of my stomach and bottom of my esophagus which means I don't have a pouch anymore so when I am able to eat without any problems I totally over it because I never know when I'm going to be able to eat again which sucks!!!!also I have a hiatal hernia I gained all my weight back plus a couple pounds and I also have slowly and gradually been getting heartburn more frequently I believe that is due to the hernia I was just approved by my insurance and hopefully get a call today to get my surgery date.. for the revision. I wish I would have went in a couple of years ago and caught it in time but I didnt there is no way that I would want to be re banded just to go through all of this again I want the damn thing out and I want a permanent change it is definitely scary though but in the end I'm sure it'll be well worth it!!! In facts my surgeon and a lot of Surgeons are not doing the Lap Band anymore because of the complication rates I'm happy for the people that have not had any problems or complications:) Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

I had a DS last week with Dr Wilhelmy as well. So far, so good. It's a real hospital, but it is not a U.S. Hospital. Dr Wilhelmy doesn't have a bad accent, but I think he may have a limited vocabulary in English (Dr. Campos acted as a translator during the pre-Surgery consult, though Dr Wilhelmy came by himself for the daily checkups post-op). No serious complications so far.

I did not find a lot on Dr. Wilhlemy on this forum, so I wanted to share my experience for anyone researching him and the hospital in Mexicali. I flew in from Canada to have a revision from LB to VSG done. I learned about Mexicali Bariatric Center by 3 coworkers that had been there to have surgery with Dr. Aceves and they spoke very highly of the hospital, the staff and had marvelous results! I must admit that I looked at a couple lower priced places but immediately knew that I wanted a certified doctor a certified hospital, a place where I knew patients were having very good long term weight loss results and my chances of a complication were low. I found all of these in Dr Wilhelmy and the magnificent team at Mexicali Bariatric Center. I also found a lot of caring people, professionalism and made friends for life! The experience started out a bit bumpy because my flight was delayed for 5 hours. I had to be in San Diego Ca before 11 am and this delay would make me miss the shuttle to Mexicali. I called Nina at the office at 5 am ( sorry about the time honey) practically in tears not sure what to do. She calmed me and assured me they would not leave me in Sd and we would make it work. She kept her word and they had a driver to pick me up and take me to Mexicali that same day. It was too late to have all my tests done that evening so I just had EKG and x rays and spoke the nutritionist and bariatric doctor, Dr. Campos. Dr. Campos did a barium swallow and checked my band. Everything looked good. Yolanda and Carla met me and helped me through this stage. I spent the night at Lucerna Hotel and thanks to the sleeping pills I had a good night sleep. Ernesto, the driver, was bright and early at the hotel to pick me up and took me to the hospital. I had blood work done that early morning and was admitted into the hospital. We waited for my test results and in the meantime I was put on the IV, I was given blood thinners and did the final paperwork. Time flew by, my tests we done, I saw all doctors that morning, internal medicine doctor, anestheologist, Dr. Wilhelmy and nurses Sergio and Esmerald. By 9am I was in surgery! My band was removed and my sleeve done that morning. Surgery took 1.5 hours and was told I had a lot of adhesions but nothing they had not seen before. Phew! The next 3 days passed so quickly. I was in the hospital for 3 days in total, I had 3 leak tests and recovered without any problems. The attentiveness of the nurses was impressive. They have a caring spirit helping patients get as comfortable as possible and always with a smile on their face. The cleaning ladies are there all day, they clean over the clean, I swear I wanted to take one of them home! I saw the doctors 2-3 times a day and was reassured daily about my recovery and my questions were answered. My husband talked beer and sports with the doctors, he is a big fan of both so needless to say he is now a big fan of MBC's doctors too. I had NEVER gotten this care anyplace else. I was not a number, I was a patient, someone they cared about and that along with their surgical experience make them an exceptional medical team. It was a very big difference from my band experience at home.

Hi, I'm Erin, my gastric bypass was may 4th. I had some complications. A 1 hour surgery took 5.5 hours. My liver encompassed my entire abdominal cavity. Dr didn't know or missed. Was on 8 liters of oxygen a minute 24 hours a day because my liver was crushing everything and I was having troubles breathing. Preoperative I was on liquid diet two weeks. And my liver was still ginormous. So far in two weeks I've lost 25 pounds. Today I graduated to soft foods. Here's my question...... Will I forever hurt/be in pain/be uncomfortable? Dr says it was lucky she found my liver in the state it was, it can now begin to heal. She said how my liver was I'd died within a year. But.... I don't want to be in pain forever. Do you ever feel *normal*, no pain. I'm not permitted any pain meds due to them crossing the liver so basically I'm on my own with zero pain tolerance.. Advice? Experience? Thank you in advance. Sent from my SM-N910T using the BariatricPal App

While I understand your frustration, I think being weak/tired and vomiting a couple of times is not a good enough reason to be off of work. I know people have said "I needed the whole six weeks off after surgery" or "I wish I would have taken more time off after surgery"; I just can't help but wonder, why? I know people who have had major back surgery, sliced open, in the hospital for 3-4 days that don't need more than a couple of weeks off from surgery. I have known a couple of people who have had brain surgery that didn't take an entire month off from work; it is hard for me to understand why needing more than 2-3 weeks after WLS is needed. *shrug* Being weak is part of the process, it gets better and you have to dedicate yourself to getting in enough fluids, Protein and a full night's rest or you'll always be weak/sleepy/sick to your stomach. It won't ever go away. You have to take on the mindset of "the only way I am going to feel better is if I am up walking, getting in my fluids, getting in my protein, taking my Vitamins, overcoming my discomfort and getting back into routine." This by no means should be translated as "push yourself harder" no, it means "work through the minor complications to keep yourself from running into major ones."

I had that kind of pain for about a week after my surgery and it was due to gas. Are you able to walk? Walking helps alleviate the gas pain a bit. If it is really intense. continues, or is accompanied by a fever, though, be sure to call your doctor's office. They would rather you call and it be nothing than to have you have a complication and ignore it.

For me I was afraid also. I wrote letters and recorded videos for my daughter just in case. I increased my life insurance. I prayed a lot. I was so terrified, and then I woke up post op. And I was just fine. I am 1 month out. I switched surgeons 6 months into the process because I felt more comfortable going with the surgeon who performed surgeries on people I knew who were thriving. My doctor's office also recommended him. I went with a facility that offered divinci robot assisted rny gastric bypass. I had soreness and gas pain for about 5 days post op. It was tolerable and my pain meds were very effective. Day 5-7 the pain was more internal. My tummy hurt when I drank too much and if I lay on my side. I slept propped up on pillows on my back until it improved. By the end of day 7 I felt like nothing had happened. Of my 6 incisions, 1 was still sore to the touch. I had to mentally remind myself whenever I went to take a drink not to swallow too much because it felt so NORMAL. I spent week 2 in a state of disbelief. Not regret at all, but just...WOW. I Really had surgery. I really altered my anatomy. I couldn't believe it. If I couldn't see the scars it would be like nothing had happened. I know people who have had complications after. Every person is different. If you have comorbidities the risk increases. You can reduce that risk by starting a walking program now and sticking to your pre op diet once assigned. Do your best to stay hydrated and follow your doctors and nutritionists instructions. That is what you can control in your experience. Oh yeah, do your breathing exercises post op as directed! Pneumonia and lung adhesions are avoidable!!! Sent from my SM-N910T using the BariatricPal App

Hi Terry, If I were you I'd continue to pursue banding surgery (duh). Leatha mentions my situation, and you'll find my appeal letter in a sticky thread in the Insurance Issues section. But I'd also add that it's really only a matter of time before carriers drop their "investigational/experimental" exclusions. The band was approved in 2001 and in June of 2006 that will be five years. In my experience that's sort of a benchmark for some in the insurance community for accepting "new" procedures. It's instructive to note, too, that Aetna and many, many other carriers no longer cover VBG because it's ineffective in the long run and has a high complication rate. Despite how it may seem sometimes, it is a fact that carriers have medical people as well as businessmen making their policies. When they decide to stop covering something because it's dangerous and ineffective (as opposed not covering it yet because it's "unproven" or "investigational,") I pay attention. BC/BS of GA is behind the medical times, and you might want to contact your state insurance department to ask if you have any recourse for appeal. IMO, it's just a matter of time before banding is fully accepted by insurers across the country.

I am 11 days out and feeling fine. No complications what so ever.

Send an email to Alex and an example of what you would like to say and he will give you the thumbs up or not.. Personally. I think you are a natural! Alex is always looking for new perspectives and I think you the bomb... Thanks for your remembering me...I was thinking Guinness book of records for me on complications via WLS...lol

One of the things we hear people who don't understand obesity of weight loss surgery say (or we are afraid to hear them say) is that it's "the easy way out." Pre-op I could list a whole bunch of reasons why this isn't the easy way out. Why it's actually really, really hard - just as hard, if not harder, than losing weight the traditional way. But now, admittedly only two months out, I'm not so sure. And that's a good thing! Now, I should preface this by saying that I realize many people have had complications and for many people every day or some days post-op are a struggle - I don't want to try and negate their lived experiences. But I do want to talk for a minute about my experience, which I suspect is more common than we admit. I have been obese or morbidly obese pretty much my whole life. I dieted and exercised, yada, yada, yada, but the weight always came back. We all know the drill or we wouldn't be here. But I am nothing if not pragmatic, so when I started doing research about WLS and about weight loss in general, and read the statistics for long-term success in people who hadn't had surgery (Spoiler Alert! They're low!), getting sleeved just seemed like a no-brainer. Two years of hoop-jumping later, I went into surgery. I was very well read on the subject, knew all the worst case scenarios to expect, knew what the recovery would look like, etc. But my surgery and recovery were super easy. I was on to purees almost right away. Soft solids by week two. Anything but raw veggies at week 4. Anything and everything at week 6. I have yet to be made sick by any food. I get in all my Water, Vitamins and 90g of Protein (on a vegetarian (almost vegan) diet!) every day without trouble. I was lifting heavy in the gym at week 5. My recovery has been stupendous! ...And easy. Now, I know I came into this with some one major advantage: I love, and always have loved, healthy food. Even before surgery, if given the choice between pizza Hut or a black bean and quinoa salad with avocado dressing, I'd say bring on the quinoa (all six servings of it). And now I have become one of those people who doesn't cheat. Ever. Not a single piece of chocolate or a taste of potatoes. But this hasn't been hard for me, because I didn't have to give up every food I love. In fact, I got to keep about 80% of them. My problem pre-sleeve was really volume, which now is no problem at all. But even so, I gotta say, looking back at the last two and half months (if we include the pre-op diet), this has been easy-peasy. Way easier than starving myself and being so effing hungry all the time. Easier than hating myself for not being motivated to get to the gym. Easier than staying fat. But why should that be a bad thing? So what if it's been (relatively) easy? The only reason we think weight loss should be a struggle, is because we look at obesity as a moral failing, instead of a biological one, and thus as weight loss as the penance one must serve before one is rewarded with thinness. Well, I'm calling BS on that. Obesity is a medical problem; WLS is a medical solution. It should be easier than the alternative. That's the point. Maybe it hasn't been as easy for everyone else as it has been for me (like I said, I know I've been very, very lucky in some respects), but it's gotta be easier (barring major complications) than all the alternatives or we wouldn't have chosen it. So, let's stop apologizing and making excuses. Yes, this is the easy (or at least easier) way out. And that's a good thing.