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I am just on day 3 of the pre-op diet but it has gone much better than I was expecting. I make my days worth of Beriessential in a blender, I first have a big 'ol cup of decaf with splenda and skim milk, I wait about 45 minutes and have my first of 4 servings of BE. I space my Protein drink out about every 4 hours, I drink Crystal light and a lot of Water throughout the day. My big treat, about 8:00pm, is 1 c. of Rachel Ray chicken broth, I add a dash of salt and a good hot white or black pepper bring it to a boil and then sip it out of a coffee mug. I can't believe this works for me but the hot broth completely takes away all my cravings. I should have prefaced this with the fact that I have never had an ounce of self control but I don't want any complications if I can help it! I may add in some caffeine free hot teas today, we'll see though. I know you will figure it out. I know it's probably easier for me too because I don't have children and my husband is cooking for himself. I work out of my home so I'm not tempted by other people eating around me. We can do this!!! What is your surgery date? cherrybell

Hello All, I am new to BariatricPal. I was sleeved in 2015 (Jan) and ever since that day I have been nauseous, I've had heartburn and little to no appetite. I am in the process of possibly getting a revision, if that will help with all of the afformentioned. I barely eat or drink and I am hoping my surgeon will order tests to better understand my situation. I have searched for what I was experiencing and the only thing I learned was that others are or were having the same complications, but received no explanation from their doctors. At this point I am wondering if my complications are serious enough for my insurance to cover the costs.

You have to do what works for you. I'm nervous but God will have us covered. I myself is too young to be on 7 different medications. So I chose to do the surgery but I only told my husband, kids, and sister. That's my main support because I didn't want to hear just what you are hearing. But like I said do what works for you, any surgery can have complications. Pray much success for you.

So it is 9:30 pm here and I am about to try to get some sleep. The last steps before my surgery (3/5/2012) are tomorrow. We leave at 5:30 in the morning and I have blood tests, urinalysis, x-rays and upper GI starting at 7:30. Then, at 9:30 I meet with the nutritionist. After a break, I see my surgeon at 1:30 for my pre op appointment. I'm sitting here wondering exactly how I am feeling...but it is so complicated. I'm so very excited that the date is finally so close. I'm hopeful that this will be the tool that I need to finally accomplish the goal of a healthier me. Admittingly, a little bit blue that food won't be so important to me anymore (strange, I know, but I honestly do feel a bit sad for that). I'm really happy and proud that I am doing this for me. But for the most part, I am scared to death that I will fail. I'm committed, for sure...100% committed....but still so fearful of the "unatainable goal". I really need some words of encouragement from people who understand.

This is the reason I havent told my inlaws and some friends. I dont want to hear their opinion. I have a college degree and think I am intelligent and mentally competent enough to understand the consequences and complications that were explained to me by my doctor..(who by the way has done the surgery before!) By the way, im scheduled for the 26 th also! Good Luck!

2-3 months sounds like the average after you enter the pre op stage. I too was self pay and had a BLIS certified surgeon (best ones to go to since they have the lowest complication stats) Cost me about $17,000 so you're not too far off that amount.

You can't control IF a complication is going to happen. Follow your plan provided by your doc. That's what you CAN control. You've made it thru the past week with no complications - consider that a success! Focus on your fluids and Protein intake and taking care of your body. Rest when you need to. Walk when you can. You're going to be fine - worrying about things is not going to get you anywhere.

Too tight can cause a lot of complications. Very dangerous and lethal complications. It's better to take the slower road to being healthy. No need to rush this.

Any body in UK had bypass I'm pre op would love to hear experiences from op onwards how's it been for you ? Im very nervous never had an op and worry about long term life about malabsorption ,complications ect

I got my first fill 4 weeks after surgery and then every two weeks until I hit my sweet spot. That's just the way my doctor is...I did start with an empty band due to complications and when I went for my fill I asked for an "aggressive" one because my band was empty. He did give it to me....That may be where you read "aggressive". But keep in mind, I was empty. If you are hungry and it's been 4 weeks I would at least call and see if he will start the fill process. Best wishes!

@@Jane1979 I originally went to surgeon with the intention of getting LapBand. After he told me that they are removing more than putting in and that 50-60% of lapband patients require a secondary surgery from complications - I quickly changed my mind and will be sleeved instead. Some have had success with the Lapband but they seem to be the minority.

long story short, my weight has fluxuated most of my life but I was never more than 20-30 pounds overweight at any time and always carried it well. well I gained a lot when pregnant with my son because of a fear complication. Pregnancy went well but after my son was born (almost 7 years ago now) I was taking the weight off and then we were in a bad car accident. my spine was damaged so severely that Ive been unable to return to work or even do light exercize other than a little walking but it wasnt enough and I gained even more. so now Im about 160 pounds overweight and was just told by my neurologist that they cannot fix my spine unless I lose the weight. Tired of living in pain Ive ended my phase of denial and have researched and contacted the best facility in our area (comes with VERY HIGH MARKS). There are so many facets that made up my decision making in this process. From my physical pain to not wanting my son to grow up with me on the sidelines of his life or worse not there at all (Im a single mom) and to get my own sense of self back. but like everyone, this is a scary choice to make. I have my consult on Feb. 23,2009. can anyone tell me how long it takes on average (or share how long it too you from first consult to surgery date)... Im the type of person that once I make my mind up I want it to flow smoothly and pretty quickly... Also anyone who is willing to share their experiences with the process and the surgery I'd be happy for the support and encouragement. thanks so much i dont know what else to say now so I will sign off Blessings Kimberlie

Hi I am new to this. I have no idea if I'm even doing this correctly. I just posted something but I think I was in the wrong place. Not very computer savvy. Anyway, I have not been banded yet. I'm waiting for Insurance approval from Health Net. My surgery is scheduled for July 25th. I'm very nervous. The surgeon who will be peforming the surgery is Dr. Roslin, NY. Came highly recommended. I really need to hear all the positives and negatives. I'm worried about complications. Help!

I called my insurance company and the may not cover the removal of my band bc I didn't have that insurance when it was placed and I need to have "significant complication/technical issues" to have it removed. And I have to show compliance with a nutrition and exercise plan. I had Fluid taken out of my band almost a month ago, I was way too tight, throwing up a lot. Now I'm coughing half way through a meal and have a lot of gas, even on my shoulder. I chew slow and do't drink from a straw. I made a second appt with the nut and will go to the support group meeting. I don't know what else to do.

This is another of those "it's anybody's guess" things. There is a different Blue Cross organization for each state, and they will all vary on their coverage details depending upon local market conditions and state laws. Then there is a difference between individual plans, ObamaCare plans and employer provided plans - all of which can vary depending upon what options the employer chooses to buy. Some plans don't cover WLS at all (even if they did in the past) while others limit the benefit to only one WLS per lifetime. Muddying the waters further, if the revision you seek is due to complications of a previously covered surgery, then it is not a WLS procedure but is treating that complication (it sounds like it to me, but it isn't my decision.) There should be policy bulletin for your BC policy online that spells out what applies to your policy - what they cover or exclude as relates to WLS. You can call their number, but don't take their answer as the last word, as the customer service reps have been known to be wrong. When you find a surgeon to handle your case, their insurance coordinator should be able to tell you exactly what your policy covers, as it is their job to know the lingo and understand all of that fine print. I understand that some surgeons are averse to working on other surgeon's patients (fixing others' mistakes...) but that is not an exclusive thing. One of the docs that I associate with (he runs out support group now) does a fair number of RNY to DS conversions, which as he doesn't ordinarily do RNYs, means that he is fixing other's mistakes (as well as fixing wonky sleeves that others have left behind) so they are out there - you just have to look. Thinking about that a bit more, if a surgeon doesn't want to revise other's patients, then he is either making a lot of mistakes himself that need revising, or he isn't very experienced in doing revisions, so you are better off searching for someone else. Good luck,,,,

I just came from my pre-op appointment with the surgeon. I sat around in the waiting room for an hour after the appointment to try and get a surgery date but ended up leaving and got a call just now with a date of 10/18/16! Further out than I wanted BUT I'll take it - and it actually works better for work and gives me time to get my shit together. I found out that I actually need to do a 2 week liquid pre-op diet so that was something I didn't know about (thought I was one of the lucky ones). Pre-op liquid diet starts October 4th - 5 Meal Replacement shakes (Bariatric Fusion) and 3 Snacks (broth, sf popsicle, watermelon, sf jello). Yikes - I hope I can stay with it like I've been encouraging others to do! See if I can practice what I preach! October 6th is the 2 hour pre-op teaching class (recommend bringing my main support person with me). The surgeon did tell me that he doesn't usually do a Leak Test in the hospital (THANK YOU!!!) - which actually was one of the things I dreaded the most. He'll only do it if there appear to be issues. He recommended I come off my birth control pills just to reduce the risk of clots - even though we do 1 week of blood thinners post-op (stopped those today). We went over all of the risks, possible complications and signed the consent form. Looks like I'm almost ready... So excited to finally have a date!!!! Thank you all for putting up with me for the last 6 months!

Oh my goodness! How unusual to see two severe cases of complications so close together. I don't blame you for feeling a little scared after that. Do you know what caused the death of the woman who passed away? I would usually give you my spiel about how the risks from WLS are lower than the risks from knee replacement. But since you've seen severe complications first-hand so recently, I'm not sure that would do much to ease your mind.

I was told in class yesterday that they had one woman not follow the preop and when the surgeon got in there he could tell and was furious. Did the surgery even though it was complicated

Cathi, welcome to LBT Early congratulations on your upcoming anniversary! It's really great to hear a success story like yours. I was banded in Oct 2005, am approx 25-30 lbs from goal. I have to tell you, I still find it hard. I am not perfect, I don't always make proper food choices. But, with the band I definitely can't eat large quantities. I find holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas) especially tough, it's really hard for me to see others eating such large portions. I want to have a small taste of everything, but that's not always possible. Last Nov I think I had 3 bites of turkey and a bit of veggies and I was done. Those holidays are so focused on food/preparation, and for us it's over in such a short minute. Good news is I'm in a much healthier place and size than I was 18 mo ago. I've lost at a steady rate, and have been fortunate to have few complications which have enabled me to maintain where I'm at. I've made a commitment to be at goal by my 2 year anniversary in October, in a couple of weeks I'm starting a program at a new fitness center opening in my neighborhood. I've signed up for a few personal training sessions, and am excited to begin targeting some of my problem areas. I hope others are not too shy to chime in, it really helps to have many different perspectives. All the best, Karla

I copied and pasted, below, some of my early posts from the first few months after band surgery. I was so enthusiastic and on board with my new lifestyle. I was fully committed to learning everything I needed to know in order to succeed. I did not want to hear anything from anyone who was saying their band didn't work out. There were people who posted that they followed band rules and lost their band due to slips, erosion or esophageal dilation. I countered that very few complications are band caused. I suggested that perhaps they over ate, ate too fast...you get the picture. I was wrong to do that. It's true that early in our band journey we NEED to hear positive reinforcement that we made the "right" decision. That's why you won't see me post negative information on a post from someone who is doing well, newly banded or had decided to band and isn't asking for help deciding. If I posted in a way that seemed insensitive or overtly negative anywhere but on the complications forum, I apologize. I try to avoid that, but I'm human. I believed, as many of you do, that if I did all the right things, I'd keep my band for the rest of my life. I cannot convey the disappointment and even grief I'm feeling over the impending loss of my band. I'm also feeling a lot of anxiety about post removal. That might be bleeding thru in my posts. I'm in constant discomfort, unable to eat much of anything and generally not feeling very well at the moment. My point in this post is to encourage everyone who has WLS to listen, sympathize and file away posts about band complications. As I've stated in more than one post, the information might help you save your band one day. I don't want to scare anyone. I just want to share my experience within a community that might benefit from it one day. Don't be afraid to read my message. It can't hurt you. This was 2 months post op: Tonight I am going to a play with friends...I subscribe and we go out about every two months Nov-July. Yesterday I figured I should try on some of my smaller (size 24) clothes to see what I should wear. NONE OF THEM FIT! THEY ARE ALL TOO BIG! I am between a 20-22 so all the 24-26 and 3x are going to the donation pile or to my ebay collection. I went to the Talbot's outlet and bought two pairs of 22 WP shorts, very nice for $27 including tax. I now have one pair of jeans, a pair of capris and two shorts that I can wear. We always go to Maui in October and was trying on my dresses that I take with me and got into some of my Blue Ginger dresses I haven't been able to wear for a long time...some of the others are way too big.... Any way enough rambling on! Happy day for me! My first fill: I got my first fill today and it went very well...no pain and so far so good with water. I lost 5 lb in almost 5 weeks and due to travel plans in September and October opted to go ahead and get it now. My surgeon's office does them under flouro and it took about 10 min to do...port was flat on the abdominal wall and very easy to access. It did feel weird as she was numbing me up, but other than that couldn't feel it. I am hoping to up my loss to about 1.75 lb per week or 7-8 lbs per month with this fill... whew...glad to have that under my belt! A post on accountability: This morning it occurred to me that I have not lost any weight since the 30th of August. My first impulse was to post something on the forum regarding a stall, frustrated, etc, but then I got to thinking about it HONESTLY. I have not logged my food since the middle of July! I looked back and I remember thinking that this is so easy, I don't have to log every bite! WRONG! I lost consistently (even without a fill) 1-1.5 lbs per week while logging. Since I stopped logging I have lost a total of 6 lbs in 6 weeks, but nothing for the last two weeks. I don't think I am eating as much as I am burning, but how do I know??? This could be the 20% stall, but without documentation of my intake, I cannot really tell. My highest weight was 290 about 2 years ago. 20% of 290 is 58 and I am down 51 lbs from that weight so it is close enough to be called that, but most likely it is what I am eating, rather than how much. I have been eating more carbs... There have been numerous social events, so I have been drinking a bit of wine... And I have had some dessert... here and there... So now I recommit to journalling my food intake so I can assess why I am stalled and what to do to change it WITH SOME CERTAINTY.... I have lost an inch or so since the stall started, so it isn't really a stall, but a great opportunity to refocus my efforts towards meeting my goal of 1.5 lbs per week on average. I do have restriction and I need to do a better job of utilizing it to my advantage. Me, defending the band: Many folks who are anti-band will use a study that was published in 2003 and followed lap-band patients from 1997-2002...that would be like car and driver only reviewing cars made from 1920-1970 and holding them to today's standards of road-worthiness... The bands in use today are much more "user-friendly" and the surgeons who "install" them know a lot more about the causes of complications like those cited in the early study and MOST complications are caused by overstuffing the pouch and eating around the band (grazing, sliders etc) as well as over zealous docs who overfill bands. Go to the WLS failure forum, complications forum or regrets forum and read about the issues the people who have chosen many different surgeries experience, then you can be satisfied with your decision, whatever it may be. I also question why certain individuals feel the need to hang out here and tout their surgery. If they were as knowledgeable as they claim, they would be publishing a book on their surgery, pointing out the benefits vs the risks, and it would speak for itself. Here is an example of a study on VSG and it's failure rate...I found this doing a quick search and now it is out there and will be quoted by the VSG haters to support their position.... The exact failure rate of sleeve gastrectomy is unknown. Using the Spanish National Registry for bariatric surgery, Sanchez-Santos et al[7] reviewed 540 patients who had undergone SG either as a primary or staged procedure over a six-year period. The authors reported excellent overall outcomes; however, 15 percent of the subjects were considered failures based on weight recidivism in the first three years, with 3.3 percent of patients submitting to a second bariatric procedure. Younger age, lower body mass index (BMI), and thinner bougie size were attributed to improved sustainable outcomes. Similarly, Himpens, in an article by Deitel et al,[8] presented his early five-year results after sleeve gastrectomy at the First International Consensus Summit for Sleeve Gastrectomy in 2007. In 46 such patients, he reported a disappointing 37 and 23 percent inadequate weight loss and second procedure rates, respectively. More recent unpublished presentations by Himpens indicate failure rates as high as 30 percent in five years.[9] Studying the Austrian experience with SG as a stand-alone operation, Felberbauer et al[10] reported a seven-percent failure rate at three years based on a cutoff of 25 percent excess weight loss (EWL). Applying the traditional 50-percent EWL criteria, the failure rate increased to 25 percent.[10] Me supporting a struggling poster: Good for you Tanya....that is why the forums are here, to share and hopefully keep us from getting too complacent and not utilizing our chosen tool. The side note that I have been meaning to post since the day after I wrote this is that though I haven't lost pounds, I have lost a full size, so it isn't about just the weight. Perhaps it is time for a fill or a talk with your nutritionist to help you to get back on track... Congratulations on your recommittal and I will look for you to post your success!! This was me the first year. I was afraid to hear what might go wrong, just like many others. This is a support site for ALL banded people, not just those who don't have complications. Seeing the words can't hurt you, but ignoring signs of trouble can. Just an FYI to those who keep calling me a "basher", "full of bs as usual", "100% incorrect"...every time you call me a name, I will respond politely. I will also continue to post. I don't back down when attacked, but I refuse to attack back.

Welcome to LapBandTalk!! Do you have a hernia or did your band slip? What you are describing sounds like a slipped band. Do you have any health insurance at all? If you do, they will sometimes pay for band removal even if you don't have WLS coverage. They will pay if it is a life-threatening complication, but you might have to fight for it. Is your thyroid being treated? If not, you should do so. If you get it treated and stabilized, that should not be a big issue at least! I've had thyroid disease since i wast 24. I finally had it radiated and now have very little function in gland. I take medication daily to stay alive.

<p>I am freaking out a bit. I tried looking up what it could be. I have left side pain , i guess where the band is placed around the stomach from the info i could find online. Basically by the ribcage. It is all puffy and extends out. I don't have any other side effect, i can eat and drink just fine. What could it be? It looks like a puffy lump, i guess the size of a cell phone sorry thats all i could think of as a comparison and it puffs out about an inch. The area is not warm or does not look infected. I hope I am making sense here. What could it be? I don't want to over react and but i am kinda worried. i have not eaten anything that could be stuck. anyone have any thoughts what it could be?</p> <p> </p> <p>Cindy</p> i am not sure if i posted this in the right forum, and my port is under my belly button so it would not be the port area.

Hi -- I'm from NC and was self-pay. I searched extensively in many states and finally decided to travel to Dr. Kirshenbaum in CO. There's a lengthy thread of information about him by his patients on LBT. Here's his website Lap Band Surgery in Denver Colorado | Lap Band Surgeon in Denver | Gastric Band Surgery Denver | Bariatric Surgery Total cost for me was $9950 and that included fills for 3 months afterwards; fills after 3 months are $15. (These amounts, of course, did not include travel expenses.) I have absolutely no regrets and would go back to him without any reservation. I have the APS band and have had no complications whatsoever. Good luck in your journey!

I'm scheduled to see the physician's assistant at my surgeon's office on Aug 4th, which will be 6 wks post-op. I've lost 27.4 lbs as of today, 20.4 of those pounds being post-surgery. Unless things change a lot in the next 2 weeks I plan to hold off on the fill. Sometimes I'm hungry only a couple of hours after I eat, but other times I can go 5 or 6 hours until I get hungry. Not sure why but I don't always eat on a regular schedule anyway. It seems like the less fill people have, the less complications they have, so I want to be conservative with fills.

Hi. I am having my first consultation with a Dr. I met at a seminar a few Weeks ago. I will be self pay since my insurance will not cover the lap band because I don't have serious complications from being obese. I have wanted to get the lap band for about 8 years now but my family has not been supportive. I am now married and my husband has decided to back me up and help me through this journey, which is great and a big relief but I am still deciding if it is worth 15,500 I guess I just need some advise from someone that has been through a similar situation. Thanks for any advise. :-)