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Yeah I watched the online seminar video and he said that he does lap band, too. I know that when I started researching surgery options it was the one that turned me off absolutely. The sleeve and RNY sound so much better in reality. When he was listing the complications of all 3, the lap band said stuff like strangulated stomach...and I’m like...Say what now? No thanks! Thanks! Yeah I’m reading that this day and age there are significantly less complications with any bariatric surgery (specifically the sleeve and RNY). When I was a kid, one of my friends mom had “stomach stapling” done, and ultimately it ended up killing her somehow. I don’t remember the details, I was 8 or 9. All I remember is she got super thin and had complications the entire time. But keep in mind this was the late 80s or very early 90s. I am aware that with anything, as time passes we learn more about everything, and the procedures become easier to do and easier to recover from. I’ve had two C-sections, so I’m imaging recovery might be similar in ways, and not in others. My first C-section was pretty miserable after they tried inducing labor for 2.5 days. The second one, I went straight into surgery, no inducing. So recovery was quick with my second. By the 3rd day I was ready to go!

There's a few factors to think of when choosing surgery. First of all how much you need to lose? If you have any issues with reflux? I may be biased I had the RNY bypass and it was very successful for me lost over 150lbs already and maintaining well... had zero complications.. personally I feel the bypass offers higher percentage of weight loss in the first year but it has also changed my metabolism...

Hi guys, Not sure if you guys had read this article https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/health/weight-loss-gastric-band-complications-removals-on-the-rise-in-canada-1.3645771 about the lady name Jamie who is planning to join a proposed class-action lawsuit against Allergan Inc., the maker of the Lap-Band device. However, there are many more patients out there in Canada who are simply unaware of this lawsuit by lawyer David Moriarty of Rosenberg Kosakoski LLP.The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed in a B.C. court, has not yet been certified by a judge and none of the allegations in it have been proven in court. I would directly contact and find more information from this lawyer. Unless we have to find one our own lawyer at Toronto.

I'm surprised they're doing lapbands at all in this day and age. So many people have had problems with them that most surgeons refuse to do them any more. If you have issues with GERD, then go with the bypass. Otherwise, it's pretty much up to you. They're both good surgeries and there are people who've had great success with both. I had GERD, so it was a no-brainer for me. If I didn't have the GERD - well, at the time I had surgery, the sleeve was still kind of new, so I didn't want to chance it in case it became "lapband 2". But that was a few years ago, and the sleeve has proven itself since then - so I'm not sure which I would choose if I was looking at surgery NOW and didn't have the GERD issue. I've been super happy with my bypass. No complications (and they're rare with both surgeries), and I ended up losing all of my excess weight. Should have done it years ago!

Barring any (statistically unlikely) complications, you should be perfectly fine to host a baby shower at 3 months out (and party all night long, lol)

Surgeon called. Here we go again... Sleeve to RNY 5/27 Complication on 6/8. Vomitting of bile. Nausea. Came home and 2 days later same thing. Went for CT again yesterday. Small bowel obstruction. Wants to go back in but it’s my call. Says it could go away or he will go in laparoscopic and fix it or if worst case incision thru my belly button. Seems the collegue only removed the scar tissue And here I am. My call he says. Grrr. Food liquid staying down. It’s bile coming back up. What to do!?

Surgeon called. Here we go again... Sleeve to RNY 5/27 Complication on 6/8. Vomitting of bile. Nausea. Came home and 2 days later same thing. Went for CT again yesterday. Small bowel obstruction. Wants to go back in but it’s my call. Says it could go away or he will go in laparoscopic and fix it or if worst case incision thru my belly button. Seems the collegue only removed the scar tissue And here I am. My call he says. Grrr. Food liquid staying down. It’s bile coming back up. What to do!?

Hi everyone! I had VSG on 6/10/20. My procedure started at about 11:15am. It took a little longer because of scar tissue I had awhile back from lap band removal. I was extremely tired afterwards. No complications, just super tired. Literally, I fell asleep on the toilet. 😩 Anyways, I stayed until about 5:30pm and was discharged. As the IV meds wore off, the pain at the incision sites increased. Today is 5 days post-op and it’s better. There’s some pain but not nearly as bad. I’m struggling with liquids. I have so much restriction that it’s difficult to get it all down. Yesterday, I got about 30g of Protein in and about 24oz of Water. I had super thin cream of wheat and 1/2 apple juice with 1/2 water to help move my bowels. I’m also tired and a bit winded. Each day, I’m challenging myself to increase fluids as I can tolerate them. I just have to pace myself. I’m able to get in my Vitamins but the Protein Shakes are DISGUSTING. I have another one that tastes better but it’s harder for me to get down. So I’ve decided to continue with the gross one until my belly heals more. Decisions lol 😆  Oh, I pooped on day 4. I can’t wait until it starts to firm back up because loose stools are gross. My stomach is growling but it’s not hunger pains. Also, has anyone experienced sharp back pains. I need to let out a big burp or poot but the gas is trapped. It’s very uncomfortable.  I did a 10 day liquid diet for pre-op, and lost 13lbs. Since surgery, I’ve lost additional 6lbs. I’m excited!

Your very welcome. Dr. Ortiz speaks perfect English and he lives in San Diego with his wife and daughter. He commutes to Tijuana to do his surgeries, see his patients and run his clinic (this fact made me feel a lot more comfortable with making the final decision in choosing him). As you can tell, I did loads and loads of research on this procedure, him and the OCC center, which has been named as a international center of excellence. Here is a link that may give you a better idea of Dr. Ortiz and his center. When I did this surgery, I had no one to help me or advise me. I was terrified about going to Tijuana and coming back experiencing major complications. All my family and friends were terrified and told me not to go to this surgery in Mexico. I did not even know about this community that could help me on bariatricpal until I was post op. I hope by sharing my experience and story I will be able to help you and others to not feel so alone (like I did) and make the right decision that fits your needs and gives you the results you seek. I feel so blessed that I found OCC and Dr. Ortiz. I know there are lots of Dr.'s in Mexico who charge less. But to me, paying the $7 k but knowing I made the best decision I could to chose the best center and surgeon for my needs was worth every penny. The last thing I wanted was to come back home to the US and deal with side effects and complications post op all alone, face my family and friends and deal with their "I told you so".

I changed surgeons (possibly). I had a first opinion, decided to go with my second opinion, then decided to go back to my first opinion on the advice of my gastroenterologist. I’m waiting for my insurance referral, then I have a few questions to ask him. I want to make sure he either shortens or lengthens (not sure which) the RNY so I don’t have the issues I hadwith the first bypass. All I wanted was the Nissen Fundoplication for my reflux but because I have a 10mm hiatel hernia and a mass I have to have the bypass and stomach removal to fix all issues. I told doc if they can’t do it in July, then we have to wait until end of September or October because my son is getting married in September and I don’t want to be in pain or sick, or in case there are complications, I don’t want to ruin his wedding.

Hi MeInLondon, Why do you feel using a size 32 bougie at OCC is a bad thing? I had my surgery done at OCC because they use a size 32 bougie and because of Dr. Ortiz's experience and excellence. I am 13 months post op, I have had zero side effects or complications from the surgery. I am very happy with the weight loss results and post op outcome. I highly recommend Dr. Ortiz and a size 32 bougie. My biggest concern before the surgery was that my pouch after VSG would be large and I could still over eat.

I feel i need to share my story I may be one of the lucky ones but my journey has been nothing short of AMAZING. spent probably half my life obese and hating myself until I found of out about WLS. It has changed my life completely. It has made everything so much better. I got up to my highest of 322 lbs with multiple comorbidities including diabetes. I thought I would die young and gave no future but now the future is looking so good. leading up to surgery I made sure i did a ton of research and finally decided on RNY BYPASS and it was the best decision ever. Obviously i had my reservations going into this journey I didn't believe the bypass would really change my metabolism as much as it has. I made sure I researched all the local surgeons and made multiple phone calls before I decided. overall the process here in Australia was pretty straight forward and I was in surgery within 3/4 months of my consultation with the surgeon. I had to pay a gap but that covered everything all appointments and the hospital stay where I had my own private room and personal nurses. had very few actual prerequisites to the surgery and dealt with the actual surgeon personally. the surgery went smoothly and I was given good drugs so I was out cold for a full day for some reason I was in alot of pain so couldn't even leave my bed for like 2 days and slept most of that time. here in Australia they don't kick you out of hospital until your 110% recovered so I stayed for 6 days and it was great... I personally decided to start making changes before surgery and started a diet of protein shakes and lost 57lbs before surgery day and my weight loss has been steady and consistent and as of today I'm 164LBS and feeling amazing and I never felt better. Its amazing to look and feel completely different and people actually treat me better. I never thought it was even possible to get this low and to look this good. I've been in maintenance mode now around 2 months at 165-166 but today for some reason I was 164 and like I'm literally not even trying to lose weight I'm eating so much more than I did the first 6 months. I'm counting calories but not stressing over every carb like I used to, I'm eating meals most days but still supplement with shakes. I was very lucky to only have one stall in this whole journey. no complications at all and I feel like a new man and hoping to find myself a nice wife one day and start a family 😃😃😃 if you have any questions or comments much appreciated 😁 Before and after photos below 322 VS 165

I'm sorry you've been very unlucky one of those 1% that have bad complications with bypass. I had bypass nearly 8 months ago and had no issues what so ever so it's hard to see others suffer.. it will get better.

My surgery was outpatient too. I got to the surgical center at 7:30am, started my surgery around 10am and was out by 12:30pm. They kept me there for 6 hours after the surgery just to ensure I was okay and had not complications. It may be that you are lower risk which is why you're able to have it on an outpatient setting.

My BMI was 31.9 before surgery. I am not sure if there are less complications, but the first ten days were not fun. I also have been losing weight slowwwwwwly... much slower than all the stories I have seen on YT and stories on here. I knew it would come off slower since the bigger you are -- the easier it is to lose weight (at least at the beginning).. But I didn't expect it to be this slow. I haven't lost a pound in a week.. ( I am exactly 3 weeks post-op).

Yes love. They put that in just in case. You will have to sign consents to possible open procedure as most of these procedures are done laparoscopic but surgeons must be prepared to go in openly of complications occur. Therefore u assume the risks when u sign consents.. the case of this happening is rare... but obviously they cannot stop mid laparoscopic procedure and ask u to sign consents for an open procedure lol... be calm and have faith no complications will occur.

Hello! I officially started the process yesterday (excited AND nervous)! This is something I've been considering for years and after much consideration I've decided it's the right time. In reading so many of the posts, I have NO IDEA what to expect with regards to timeline. It seems that my insurance (BCBS of IL) doesn't have some of the more complicated requirements that many others do. So far, the only requirements have been: - Letter (from me) to insurance company documenting weight loss attempts. - Meeting with psychiatrist - Meeting with nutritionist - Support Group Attendance - Pre-Op Meeting I met with the surgeon yesterday and received all of the requirements. Honestly, they seem very basic and something that could be completed in a very short period of time. Anyone else using BCBS of IL and know what I might expect next? Thanks to all for the information I've already received on this site. Your stories have motivated me beyond belief and I am looking forward to this journey.

Since this summer is probably going to be *complicated* and I didn't think i would get to fully enjoy it, I decided to finish (for now) my plastics journey. Initially i lost weight during quarantine by following a few exercise routines. Muscle tone was improving but looking in the mirror i was not satisfied with how my skin was laying on my body. I realized i didn't need to be thinner but tighter and after major weightloss or WLS, major skin tightening is nearly impossible to do with surgical intervention. I decided i also want a fuller rounder behind after all to look more balanced. I decided that i NEEDED a BBL. So I set on the very hard 😂path to gain about 10-15 lbs. My surgeon reminded me of our earlier conversations about mt skin laxity and refused to give me just a BBL without skin lifting /removal. He even warned me that i didn't even have enough choice fat (abdominal stubborn fat) for it anyway, My problem was excess thick skin 😒 We moved ahead with the back lift with some minor fat transfer and he was right. My results are transformative. I need to stay at my higher weight for a few months in order to allow the fat that was transfered an opportunity to live and grow. But i honestly look better now that 15lbs ago and my clothes still all fit the same, mostly. Apparently loose skin is a drag on your clothes sizing.

I could have had my husband at the hospital with me at various points (June 2) but chose to go alone. We have a special needs kiddo and it was just way less stressful for me to know that he was with my husband and not a family member who didn’t know his quirks as well. The only time I had a glimmer of regret was right before they wheeled me back to surgery. The unknown was scary and I could’ve used a friendly face. But my whole team was so lovely and it was a great experience in spite of my complications. I slept, I walked, I watched trashy tv on my iPad, and I was out of there before I knew it. Good luck! You’ll do great.

I personally chose the RNY BYPASS because of many reasons but yes a big one is seeing so many ppl starting with the sleeve ending needing a bypass anyway and I could only do one surgery so the bypass was the best choice for me. I've been very lucky with no complications and only a week stall here and there but still managed to surpass all my goals and currently MAINTAINING BELOW my goal weight after losing 157lb Bypass isn't that drastic the more intense ones are DS. You take vitamins with sleeve or bypass. Sleeve just limits the food where bypass changed your metabolism.

I had occasional GERD. Surgeon did a repair with mesh as he did the sleeve in 2013. Acid reflux was almost eliminated with only two incidents. In my case, I'll only get acid reflux if I eat then immediately lay down to sleep. There are certain foods that produce acid. When I reduce or avoid them, I do well. I initially requested a DS but the surgeon said the sleeve was the first half of the DS and we'd see how I do with that alone. Earlier this year, I went back for the DS. I was given many options and selected the SADI-S. I picked this newest form of DS being safer with fewer potential complications. I was not a severe case at 5'10" 300 lbs. I wanted the most effective WLS aid to get out of the obese classification.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Oh ColorMeHappy.... I can't BELIEVE you had a leak. First let me say how relieved I am to hear you are now feeling better and out of danger. Second let me say I'm so sorry you had to BLACKOUT for them to understand the seriousness of your pain and complication. I would think the moment your blood pressure came back low they'd send you to CT to rule the leak out. Gets me boiled a little to know you were suffering for hours. Please keep us updated. We are here for venting and distracting. Congrats on surviving!!!!! Onward!

I’m back and alive guys! But man, not smooth sailing! I had my sleeve done at 730am yesterday. Got to my room and felt great. Got some fluid and protein in with no problem, and walked walked walked. Around 5pm I started feeling terrible. Sharp pain in my shoulder an left side, straight down from my armpit. Pain meds wouldn’t touch it. Everyone kept saying it was just gas pains, but I was dubious. I couldn’t even breathe without these stabbing pains through my chest. At midnight my nurse came in to help me go to the bathroom, and I straight up blacked out and fell. Didn’t get hurt at all thankfully, but was told to take it very easy. This morning my nurses tried to help again, first by having me sit on the edge of the bed. Blacked out, hearing went, totally weird and scary. My labs were all over the place, super low blood pressure, and my heart was racing even laying down, so my surgeon suspected a GI bleed. CT confirmed it, but didn’t show where the bleed was. Back under the knife just a few hours ago, Wherever the GI bleed was, it had stopped on its own, but they suctioned 1500 cc’s (almost 50 ounces) of blood out of my abdominal cavity. I also got a blood transfusion. I feel brand new. Labs are coming back good, heart has slowed down. Whew! What a wild ride. But I tell ya I’ve been living off of ice chips and water for 2 days, and I haven’t had one single hunger pain. Looking forward to getting out of here. Don’t let my story freak you out! My surgeon has done 6000 surgeries and said about .025% of his patients have complications. I’d still do it again even knowing what was lying ahead for me.

How many ESGs have they done? How many complications? How many failures? Of what they consider successes how long were those people followed up for? What is the average weight loss with ESG after one year and two years? If the sutures loosen or come undone within the first two years (through no fault of yours) will they repair free of charge? Is there anyone they wouldn't do an ESG on and why? ESG is about technique and skill if the doctor hasn't done many ESGs I would be giving them a definite miss. You will see from my signature that I have had an ESG but now have a surgical sleeve, happy to answer questions you have.

Oof. This is hard to respond to. Let me say this... a new you means a NEW YOU. It might be complicated for him... I guess I should say for your partner doesn't matter, male or female... might be complicated for them to wrap their head around how you will be changing and how that might affect your relationship. So perhaps they need some grace and time. Maybe they'll step up. Particularly if you are patient. AAANNNND... I started with that because I'm a big believer in not wasting your time with someone who doesn't consider themselves to be your biggest advocate. New you means better you. Get thru this surgery and get healthy and then maybe it's time to look at some other parts of your life. Could need an overhaul.