Nanook

Good luck with your "talk" I know how they can be and thanks, I'll keep up with my progress and hope it's all good! Take care Nancy.

Insideout, Congrats on your surgery keep us posted on how you're doing, thanks Nancy.

Well you can tell him that the bypass has been done much longer than any other WLS and considering the fact that you had the lap band and it really was never successful you'd like to have a surgery that actually will work for you. I know the fear factor involved and got the Lap band for the same reason and mine didn't work. After I was banded my daughter got the RNY and has lost close to 150 lbs in one year. Want to talk about fear factor think about having your own child go through it! But I was there with her through the whole thing and so far so good and her whole life has changed for the better! My RNY is next Thursday and if I can do half as well as she has I'll be happy! Good luck to you I know it's not easy but I think you gave the lap band a pretty good try, 3 years, my God, you're a patient woman!! Take care Nancy.

Thanks Gone4ever, and congrats on your success! Nancy.

Deb, I hope things get better for you soon. My daughter had her RNY a year ago and I was there right along with her through the whole thing and it can be rough. I won't be able to compare the two surgeries (lap band and RNY) until next week but I'm preparing myself for more pain and a recovery that maybe a bit longer. Anyway keep me/us posted on how you're doing. Take care Nancy.

Thanks Seppi I appreciate it, Nancy.

Headhunter, Your post made me laugh! I'm still BrandyII on most forums but I left this one after some "drama" and when I came back it wouldn't accept my old screen name and came back with a new one. I remember your drama quite well too but at least we're all doing well now and are healthier! Take care Nancy.:wub:

Well to all of you who knew me as "BrandyII" as well as the current "Nanook" I have finally been approved for my RNY surgery. I wish all of you continued success with your lap bands and those that haven't had success and revised to sleeves or RNY or DS I wish all you all continued success also. This was the first forum I've ever joined and have made some good friends and learned a lot about everything from issues with the band to some things I can't even say out loud in the powder room! I'll probably keep a lurkin' as I doubt even if Alex does make a "revision" or "RNY" forum I'd go there as this was my home for such a long time. Anyway just want to say thanks for all your support you all have been fun! Thanks Nancy.:frown:

I had mine removed last October as an out-patient but I still haven't gotten any info from the insuranced company about what was charged or what they paid. If you had it put in out-patient look at what they charged you minus the $10,000+ or so they charged for just the lap band equipment. Good luck to you Nancy.

Hope things continue to go well with you, mine is in less than two weeks and I just want to get it over with! Take care, Nancy.

I think we all wish synthroid would help us lose weight but mine hasn't yet!

Sorry you had such a traumatic experience with the band but good that you have a wife who will advocate for you! Although I did not go through such a trauma before my band was removed I do remember that feeling of restriction afterward but for me it didn't last. Having gone through what you've gone through I don't think I would have thought about doing anything else to your insides! You know the bad side of all of this but on a positive note you did lose the majority of the weight you wanted to lose and I wish you luck and good health with your future, Nancy.

Cyndi, RNY is the Roux-en-Y or gastric bypass which is what I am having on 6/11. EGD is esophagogstroduodenoscopy DS is the duodenal switch I was able to lose a bit after my band was removed because I could make better food choices but then the hunger returned with the return of the larger stomach. You'll come to terms with what you want to do eventually give yourself some time to make the right decision and to heal. Good luck Nancy.

Some good points Headhunter. I did worry a lot when my daughter was set on getting her RNY as she is only 20 but so far it's made only positive changes in her life and I hope in her future that there will be better ways of handling obesity and WLS problems. Who knows if sleeves become problematic maybe in the future they will be able to grow a new stomach!

Well said Mac, I think if any of us were put under a microscope like a fat* actor we'd all be a bit more understanding. fat=anything bigger than a size 0 in Hollywood! Most women and now men tend to judge themselves and others on their weight/gain/loss/size. It's a lot of pressure and really silly/superficial/insane if you think about it but we're kind of stuck doing this in our society. OK, I know we all got surgery for our health but let's be honest we all feel the pressure to look good! I think she's a beautiful actress no matter what size she is or what her weight is. She's not just a "pretty face" and is a good comedic actor. She's lucky to have very beautiful and striking features and carries most of her weight below the waist. So it's easier to camoflage. I envy that as I'm an "apple" and cannot hide much! As I've stated before I'm the last to throw stones in my glass house as I've been a skinny beeeeach and gained it all back again and have repeated that same scenerio a few times. Once you get closer to 50 it gets a lot harder to get back to skinny beeeeach hence the RNY I am now getting! I hope everyone that has gotten thin and is able to now judge those that are not as thin as they think they should be realize it can all go away again under certain circumstances. That pumpkin we all want to go away sometimes comes back! Nancy.

I think if I had done well with the band then the sleeve would have been a good choice for me. I also don't have the cash to fork out on my own for my surgery and need my insurance to cover it. I have faith in my surgeon and not in the lap band for me and his group only does lap band or RNY. I like being within an hour's drive of my surgeon or his hospital so that if there were to be a complication I could get to a place that could deal with the issues. Also my daughter had RNY a year ago so I know what to expect and to always expect the unexpected. She's done well and I hope to be nearly as successful as she has been. Good luck to you Nancy.

New2Tch, Sorry you went through that with your band. I did not have erosion but had mine removed last October and it took me a good 5 months before I was even thinking about revision as I had lost faith in myself and WLS in general. I've chosen to revise to RNY due to the malabsorption properties and also my daughter who lives with me had it and has done well so far. After my band was removed I did lose a bit of weight until my stomach went back to it's old size and I put on some poundage. I think it was that weight gain that made me realize that I still had a problem and just needed to find the right procedure for me. I wish you luck in your healing process, Nancy.

I won't involve myself in the what does she really weigh aspect but I did hear her say on Oprah that she's developed her own weight loss system. I don't know what it is and she's supposed to come with it and shock the world or something. As someone who's lost, gained, lost, gained and about her age I'd be the last one to goof on her weight problem.

Sorry thought it needed repeating:w00t:

Actually from what I've read there is a decreased production of ghrelin after RNY and so you're not as hungry as you used to be.

My group is very good they send you an itemized list of stuff they require and some of the things they schedule for you and have all the dates and times listed. That letter from the PCP I was told needed to be done within 30 days prior to surgery and I had to schedule myself. It really helps when the team is very well organzied. I also asked them if it was needed for insurance approval and it's not so it must be something just the surgeon needs. Sorry it's screwing up you life!

I tried the band first and am one of those old people almost "50" and have type II diabetes, hypothyroidism, sleep apnea and developed HBP, high cholesterol and GERD after being banded. It just wasn't the right procedure for me and had it removed after 14 months. My 20 yo daughter had RNY a year ago and has dropped 140 lbs and developed a new life. It can be really difficult to find the right surgery to have, there needs to be a better way of figuring it out! I am hoping that with my revision to RNY I too will be successful! My daughter has never had dumping syndrome and some people never do. I think the percentage is 40%. She takes four pills (supplements) a day for life. You're required to have blood work taken at increments to make sure you are not lacking in anything. I have a 40 BMI but many co-morbs and know now that my only chance is the RNY. I wish I could have done it with the lap band just wasn't in the cards! Good luck to you!

She's a wonderful surgeon and did my daughter's RNY. Look into seeing if there are any WLS support groups close to your home. I know they have them at Ellis but it might be too far for you to attend. A lot of hospitals may not do the surgery but still may have support groups. Good luck, Nancy.

Thanks all, It's a small group but still a group!

I guess it depends on your insurance. With mine I need to see my PCP and then be referred to the bariatric group. I would also call the bariatric group you are interested in having do your surgery. The one I go to is pretty big and they do many orientations and you have to have to call the bariatric office to get into one of the orientations. It's not a walk in type deal. Good luck, which group are you picking in NY?