VSG for ALC

I had the Lap Band and had to get it removed and revised to a sleeve. I wish I had not wasted so many years with the band but the sleeve didn't exist back then. I would strongly suggest you not go with the band due to the many cases of it being ineffective at weight loss as compared to the sleeve and bypass. If you are self-pay then your lower BMI should not stop you from getting the sleeve. Those BMI requirements are usually tied to insurance approvals. You should get a second opinion.

Kaiser's bariatric program is called Options. It is a 12 week program. During the program you are required to lose some weight and do lots of tests like an EKG, A1c if you're Diabetic, a stool test, and lots and lots of blood tests. I actually enjoyed the program because you meet bi-weekly with others who are going through the same process so you have people to connect with and relate to. Good luck. The process goes faster than it sounds.

Update: The surgeon said I would need to wait 6 months after band removal to get the bypass but he could do the sleeve the same day so I am going with the sleeve which is what I wanted anyway. The reason is that the bypass requires them to cut in the same area where the scarring is left by the band which is not safe (scarring causes tissue to be thick there and it needs time to heal) whereas the sleeve allows them to cut in a slightly different area making it possible.

Yes, my esophagus is dilated. I have one final appointment with my surgeon on December 3rd before the actual surgery on December 7th. He would like me to do the gastric bypass instead of the sleeve due to my dilated esophagus and my minor case of gerd. My heart was set on the sleeve but I might have to go with the bypass. I will know for sure which surgery after my appointment on the 3rd.

That is not a Kaiser rule. If someone there said it is a rule, then that is just that particular location. Kaiser does band revisions on a weekly basis. I know two people who had it done last month at Kaiser (I met them in the Kaiser Options program) and my revision surgery is scheduled for December 7th. It will be done in one surgery.

Sorry to be so stupid...but what is ALC???

Sorry to be so stupid...but what is ALC???

ALC are my initials

Your stomach looks incredible. I can't even see any scars from your weight loss surgery. Did they manage to remove your surgical scars from the weight loss surgery as well or did I just miss them in the pic?

My surgery is not until December 7th, but I will be ecstatic if I lose 48 pounds in the first three months. That's an average of 16 pounds per month. Anything more than that seems unhealthy. You seem to be doing a fabulous job. Most people on this site talk about stalls that they eventually overcome and then the weight-loss picks up again. I certainly understand the frustration of a stall but it's only a matter of time before you get back on track. I wish you luck.

Wow! I had the EXACT same experience with someone posting my cell phone number on Backpage.com for prostitution services. What are the chances that two of us on this site had the same experience? This must be a much bigger problem or some type of scam. I contacted the Backpage administration and it took quite some time for my number to be removed. I had to block every incoming phone number for over a month. The sick part is that these loser men sounded like regular dudes with wives and children soliciting prostitutes. This sounds like a class action lawsuit. I was extremely bothered by the lude calls and sexually explicit text messages. I was fearful that my nine-year-old would accidentally read one of those texts so I had to constantly erase that nonsense. It also ruined my ability to sleep for over a month because the calls came all night long and once I'm awakened I always have a hard time going back to sleep.

Congratulations! Both of your numbers look just like mine and you have both lost 10 pounds in the first week or so. That is great. I meet with my surgeon on Monday and hopefully I will get my surgery date then. So exciting.

Good luck with everything. Can't wait for my big date.

This is the reason why I want the sleeve surgery...to eliminate my meds and reverse my Type II Diabetes. I can't wait to get my surgery date!