MacMadame

Um, this is Rants and Raves. You are supposed to post CONTROVERSIAL topics. That Oprah is an idiot is more like a universal truth! J/K, I'm sure her fans will be out to defend her soon and then the fur will fly, baby! :frown:

A mini-bypass (aka as the "loop" bypass) is a dangerous operation that isn't recognized by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. IMO you should RUN from any surgeon who thinks it's a good idea. Anyway, if you want some hard data, the LapSF guys have recently published their 5 year data which includes results for over 750 patients. What they have found is that when they first started doing the procedure, initial weight loss was excellent. However, at around the 2-3 year point, regain became a problem. So now they do the sleeves with a 32f boughie and regain is not an issue. Average EWL is around what you get with a bypass and regain stats are actually better ... around 20-25% of bypass patients regain a significant amount of weight. But only about 10% of their sleeve patients have this problems and their average regain is not as significant. The LapBand has the lowest average EWL stats of any of the four WLS recognized by the ASMBS. Duodenal Switch has the best average EWL. Bypass and sleeve are in the middle. However, the lower your starting BMI, the better you are going to do with any surgery. Plus averages are just averages. You need to match the surgery type with your food issues to get the best results. If you do that, you'll be one of the above average people instead of the below average people.

I think a VBG to VSG is a pretty natural operation. You would just be taking out the band and finishing the transection of the stomach. I'd think you could probably revise to a bypass as well, but I'm not sure about the band. That might be trickier because your stomach has a hole in it now. Both of the surgeons at LapSF (where I went) have done VBG to sleeve revisions including at least one I know about that was VERY HAIRY because the band was so embedded into the stomach. But this person was on a liquid diet for over a year beforehand due to problems with her VBG. So it was totally worth it for her. In fact, it probably saved her life. But if you aren't having big problems, I would guess your operation wouldn't be as hairy as hers was. You would still want to go to someone very experienced with revisions, even if you have to travel to find them. Revisions have higher risks so experience is even more important than it is when your stomach is a "virgin." If you do get a VBG to sleeve revision, the aftercare can be handled by your PCP so that shouldn't be an issue.

The sleeve that is left is around the size of the pouch that is created with the band so if you have a sleeve, there is nothing to put the band around. They do put bands around RnY pouches when the stoma stretches out. But sleeves don't have a stoma so that's not an issue.

I haven't had a bullet in over a month. Don't you remember ... they started making me nauseous! Anyway, I have four tubs of Chike. It's a combination of whey and soy that seems to sit better in my tummy than the 100% whey. I don't really like the chocolate shakes though. I think it's hard to fake chocolate. I also do the Protein hot chocolate -- that one is okay for fake chocolate, probably because it's hot. With the amount of real food I'm eating these days, it takes two shakes and 1 protein cocoa to top up to over 100 g. some days. Today I only had 1 shake so that's good. I hate getting all my protein from the same source.

The Intro section can move fast and posts get buried down on the page. Plus it's mostly newbies here. The other areas of the site have more old timers and are better for asking questions.

Hey, if you have any unexpired Vitamin D or omega fatty acids, send them to me!

Welcome to LapBandTalk!

Welcome to LapBandTalk! Be sure to check out the Mens Forum, if you haven't already.

It started out that way, but my surgeon (and others) have found that doing it with VSG-sized sleeve with a longer common channel gives just as good weight loss but minimizes the problems with diarrhea and malnutrition. I'm not sure if he does every DS this new way, btw, or if he lets the patient decide which they want. Plus he still puts his patients on quite the supplement regime and says about 10% have malnutrition issues. I currently take way more supplements than you guys because I screwed up in the early days, causing some malnutrition issues, and also I base my supplements on my labs and I work each number so it's in the middle or high end of the normal range. But, even so, I frequently forget and have to double up the next day to make up for it. If I *had* to take all these Vitamins to stave off malnutrition, I'd be in big trouble. It's hard enough getting in the 100 g of Protein I need to get my protein levels back up.

I don't have a band but my average calories is about 700 a day and I'm training for a triathlon. I didn't start out in wonderful shape ... I was in okay shape though ... so I am seeing dramatic improvements in my cardio workouts. I'm sure that will level off as I get to a more fit level. Anyway, make sure you get lots of Protein so you have the energy you need throughout the day and then time any carbs you ingest so they are right before and/or after your workout. Plus take your vitamins! That's the advice I'm following and it works for me. ETA I was on 500 calories at day at first and I would do cardio at the gym just fine. I was only doing 30 min about 3x a week back then though. Now I do 45 min. and 4-5 times a week.

IME, people who make loose plans like that are rarely put out if you want them to change them. They'll just make some new plans.

Welcome to LapBandTalk! Have you looked into a medical loan with a place like Care First? They usually don't require the same sort of credit score as, say, buying a house. But of course the interest rate is more like a credit card than a mortgage.

Welcome to LapBandTalk! I'm from CA so I can't help you. Have you checked out the IL section yet? I'm sure someone there would know.

Welcome to LapBandTalk! Did you know there are more surgery types than Bypass and Band? Be sure to check them all out before you make your final decision. I chose the "sleeve" which has a low long-term complication rate but the excess weight loss is more like bypass. There is also the DS, but if you are scared of bypass, the DS is even more heavy-duty.

Welcome to LapBandTalk! I think internet support is a wonderful thing. My surgical group has monthly support meetings, but sometimes I need support in between and I can get it here.

Welcome to LapBandTalk! I hear you about wanting a successful surgery. I also picked a surgeon that other people think is "mean". It was a concern because bariatric surgery requires a lot of follow-up and after-care to be successful and I didn't want someone who would piss me off so much that I would stop doing the after-care program. But after I met him, I knew we'd get along great and it's all worked out.

Welcome to LapBandTalk! For my initial weight goal, I picked a number that was right on the cusp between an Overweight and a Normal BMI. I figure I can adjust it as I go but so far that seems to be realistic.

I have determined through actual experience that I hate it more when people don't notice my weight loss than when they do.

Except you do... You don't have to limit fat -- which we've all been conditioned to think of as evil, but isn't necessarily -- but you have to limit white carbs and get in lots of protein. You can't be sucking down donuts all day, for example. You need to eat primarily meat and veggies just like most of us do. I know a few DSers who are not insane. They freely admit that, if they eat white carbs, their farts can clear the room. They admit that the supplementing regime is heavy. They love their surgery, just as we all love our surgeries, but they understand why other people would want other surgeries. It's only a subset of DSers on OH who are whack jobs and will not admit ANYTHING negative about the DS. They insist there are no poop or fart issues, that the supplementing is "easy", that their surgery is "the best" because it has the highest average EWL (because that's the only measure that matters, apparently). They also go on about how the DS "cures" diabetes but the other surgeries only put it into "remission" and claim it has a 98% cure rate when studies show it's more like 90% and the cure vs. remission I feel bad for the people they suck into their little world who get a DS and then have issues with the lifestyle or with malnutrition, but I figure, for the most part, people are adults and can see through their BS. I think they actually turn off more people than they convert... I know I never seriously considered the DS until I met some reasonable people who had it. Even then, the only thing I like about it over my surgery is that you can eat and drink at the same time and, the way my surgeon does the DS, you can't because the DSers get the same size sleeve as the VSGers. So there goes that advantage!

Ooh, I want a Nike+!

I'm curious as to why this is important...

You aren't the only one who doesn't know. I think the surgeons think just saying "do what I say" is enough sometimes, but it isn't always. I would just drink LOTS and LOTS of fluids. If your pouch is full, you should get some relief from hunger until it empties. Plus lots of fluids is good for the weight loss.

DON'T EAT SOLIDS! Your stomach needs to keep from churning so that scar tissue forms around the band. Eating solids too early could lead to slippage of your band later on. You are in bandster hell right now. liquids aren't filling but you have no restriction. You just have to grit your teeth and bear it because there are medical reasons to be on liquids.

I bought a bike!! http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=38456 Now I need to figure out where I'm going to ride it.