SleevedK

Ugh, I am sorry that you are still suffering with GERD after all that. Do you know if you might be a candidate for Linx? In one of the Linx groups on Facebook I saw that there were a few people who got Linx to control acid after a gastric bypass didn't work to stop it. The other thing I have read about is that sometimes people with the bypass end up with bile reflux from the intestines. The bile can cause a lot of throat irritation the same way that acid reflux can. I definitely think you deserve some additional testing to figure out why this is still happening after you have gone through so much.

I had to remove the band after 10 yrs. I did lose over 50 lbs but only when stayed on the diet and lived at the gym. Moving stopped the contact with my surgeon and slowly it all came back. It was removed after a year of throwing up every night several times a night. It had slipped after a bad stomach bug. Pandemic slowed the actual surgery until this April. Had a huge hernia as well. Now have IBS and hope to get that under control and hope it’s just shock from the surgery n no gall bladder. I’ve lost 25 lbs which is good, but when will I be free of my stomach issues. Not sure if it’s the IBS or not, but my appetite has changed, and can go with out meals easily. Going to a digestive center the 24th. I do not think it worked for me because of my lifestyle of stress n not exercising.

To answer the original question: yes. I’m 7 months out, and although I’ve hand a good outcome from an objective standpoint, I regret this decision deeply. These are my reasons:

1) There’s not a day when I don’t think about how terrible my body looks. I’m currently very close to where I thought I wanted to be long term, but I can’t stand seeing myself. I’d rather look at my old self in the mirror.

2) My menstrual cycle is totally screwed up and has been ever since surgery. I was having constant periods for a while, and now I haven’t had one in 8 weeks. Totally unpredictable, and all my surgeon has to say is, “That shouldn’t Ben happening.”

3) I’m tired of being praised for how great I’m doing, how great I look, and what I eat. I don’t eat anything different than I’ve ever eaten: the amounts are just smaller. Not all fat people are fat because of pizza and fast food. Some people gain lots of weight during a period of chronic illness, and that reality is totally lost on my medical team. I’ve stopped following up with my surgeon because I’ve tried discussing how anxious our appointments make me due to all this praise she’s giving me for nothing, but she never stopped doing that even after I requested. The thought of seeing her gets me really upset, so I’ve just stopped going. I’m a healthcare provider myself, so I’m aware of that being a risky decision.

4) I’m tired of the random comments about my body from people I know as acquaintances. Losing this much weight isn’t heroic, and I don’t like it when other people refer to me in that way and with similar adjectives.

5) I hate that people treat me differently now. It’s like my worst fear has been realized: there are a lot of people who like me now only because of my smaller body size. Suddenly, I get to sit in on conversations where thin women make fun of fat women: conversations where I would’ve been the one being gossiped about a few months ago.

Granted, there have been good things about it. I like being able to do more things with my body. I like having more clothing options. But that’s it. If I could, I’d take this entire decision back and be as I was before.

Hi everyone
I cant believe I'm here.. 3 years ago I joined this site, asking for advice how to tell my family about the decision I wanted to do to go for a gastric bypass..
3 years later I'm here..I lost 77 kilograms , the first year was great. The second year was still great but I was starting to feel "weird", now after 3 years .. I'm sick. Very sick. I have early and late dumping, low blood sugar feeling throughout today, low blood pressure throughout the day, tingling hands and feet, extreme fatigue. I have cramps and pain that I have never experienced in my life. My bones, my muscles and nerves. The worst is waking up everyday with dizziness and fuzzy feeling in my head, that gets worse after drinking and eating. Besides that, I can't regulate my normal body temperature anymore. There is so much to speak about and write about my symptoms...
There are multiple causes that this can have which I personally find unlikely.
They said I'm stressed and anxiety, depressed which can cause these symptoms. I know that this has a factor but not to this extent. After that , I had the vaccine , they say its unlikely.
I'm suffering for the past year off and on but the last 7 months I have been suffering more. Every day is hell.
To make a long story short, I want to go back to normal anatomy. I want to undo my surgery , hoping, it will get rid of my symptoms.
Now this is a big and dangerous surgery. They say you can get gastropersises , gerd , intestines problems etc. But living like this is pure hell.. no life. My symptoms are leading my life, I'm not living my life.
So who else has done this or contemplating? I'm willing to do whatever it takes at this point because I'm done.. I'm done with suffering
Thanks for reading

Good Day All,

Long story short, I'd like to know if anyone has heard of a class action lawsuit that has been started? If you haven't but would like to be, I would like to start a petition of sorts so I can get a ballpark of numbers to give the lawyer. There is a good lawyer in London Ontario that I have contacted previously, but unless there are numbers, there's no point.
In Oct 2013 I had the band placed in a rush of fury by their lies and pressure tactics. After 6 months of not being able to drink Water without it coming back up, they finally agreed to remove it. Shortly after the removal I found out I was pregnant (not expected I could even get pregnant because of the malnutrition), but because I couldn't keep any nutrients down before and after removal, the baby never stood a chance. I had to have a emergency dilation of my esophagus twice and still can't have thick liquids without it coming up. I also just applied to have correct weight loss surgery, and was denied because they won't touch patients that have previously had a band. Now I've reached my limit and reading all of these other horror stories, something needs to be done.
Signing on the dotted line in this case is bullshit. The clinic was shut down it was so bad, so clearly these signatures should be null and void too.
I am not asking for extensive information, but if you would like to see how far this could go, please just leave your name and year Slimband screwed you over./

Much thanks, and power to us people ;)

Holly M - Waterloo Ontario

Most doctors won't do lap band anymore because the results aren't very good - most people don't lose too much weight and many people have a lot of complications.
A lot of people end up having to have them removed and getting it revised to sleeve or bypass.
Is there a reason you really want lap band rather than sleeve or bypass?

I'd rethink the lapband. Very few surgeons place those anymore due to so many complications. That surgery has largely been replaced by the sleeve as the non-RNY option.

I haven't had the enlarged fundus personally, but I have read about this happening to people after the sleeve. The "good" news about it is that it gives you additional options in how to treat the reflux. Most sleevers do not have enough fundus left for a fundoplication to control the acid to be an option, but since you have a larger fundus than normal, you probably can have at least a partial fundoplication (aka Toupet fundoplication). You may want to talk to a surgeon who does reflux surgery about that option if it is looking like they won't cover a revision to bypass.

That is absolutely abnormal. Did your doctor say that it has been stretched over time? Did you get a barium swallow right after surgery to compare?
I don't have a dilated fundus, my sleeve looks good but my esophagus is really dilated instead, so I think that is the cause of the really bad reflux, Gerd Etc. and why my doctor suggested I get a revision to bypass. I hope you feel better soon.

I've been in this WLS world for close to twenty years, since the initial work up to my wife's DS and then my VSG some years later, and from what I have seen from many in our support groups, most everyone can lose up to around 30lb of regain - it takes some effort and a few months, but it comes off more or less like a "normal" person. 50lb or regain is more a a 50-50 proposition - some can lose it on their own, and some need a revision to help it along.
My general feeling is that the revision should be your last step rather than your first. Go back to some basics and try to understand where your regain happened, as if it happened, once, it can happen again after a revision., so you need to get your head around the root of the problem. Is it a head problem, meaning that maybe some therapy is in order, or not really understanding the nutritional side of things and how to eat and live to maintain a healthy weight - an RD can be helpful for this. Or, maybe a bit of both.
Unfortunately, our WLS, and by extension a revision for regain (rather than for complications) is really more of a "do over" rather than a cure for the problem
Very commonly, before we had WLS, the most frequent reason for failure in dieting is that the diet will yield some weight loss, maybe even to normalish weight, but then the person declares success and goes back to their old habits, and diet, that helped to promote the weight gain in the first place - they never really learned how to live, and eat, to maintain that healthy weight. This is why we frequently see people regaining fairly rapidly after notionally successful dieting. The same basic profile often happens after WLS, only it takes a while longer to happen owing to the lower volume that we can eat, but that tendency is still there.
Another consideration is that every time we go inside to do surgery, we back ourselves further into a corner, limiting our options for future treatment should that be necessary, whether for regain revision or for something completely unrelated; you have limited any future surgeon's options in what they can do to help you with some future problem. This is why I am very shy about "wasting" a surgery if I can possibly treat the problem some other way. Again, let it be your last choice, rather than your first.

I did a revision and it's horrible 😫

I had lap band surgery in 6/09. I initially lost 40 lbs. Things in my life changed drastically and I didnt take care of myself. I have lived with the band without fills or counseling since then. I have been throwing up, restriction, and nausea during that time. Last week I went to my surgeon and he acted like nothing was wrong and that I just needed a fill. I had an ultrasound of my stomach this week, and scheduled for a fill next week. I was kind of blown away by this. Are people still successful with the lap band. Is there anyone else who has gone back to the fills after a long period of time? Not sure where to start with this. Any feed back would be appreciated. Thank you!

It could be a number of things, most common this far out would be a hiatal hernia that could cause these problems. Is your protonix once a day, or split into two doses, morning and evening? If it is consistent with the labelling, try taking it in the evening, as that is where your biggest problem seems to be, or splitting it morning and evening (if it is two 40mg pills.)
Short term to help with the overnight problem, try elevating the head of your bed 3-6", or elevate your head and torso with a wedge pillow, or sleep in a recliner if you have one - anything to get your upper body (not just your head) angled down toward your stomach. Avoid eating anything 2-3 hours before bedtime. These are classic DIY reflux mitigations that the gastro will probably also suggest.
You can consider going to the ER and hopefully they can get some of the tests done necessary to diagnose your problem (likely an endoscopy and/or barium swallow imaging. The may also just send you home with a larger dose of protonix or maybe a switch to dexilant and possibly carafate. An urgent care clinic may be able to help, particularly if you have one affiliated with your hospital - they may be able to short cut getting the tests done that you can then take to the bariatric surgeon (who would likely order the tests anyway. Many hospitals run these clinics for just this purpose - not really an emergency, but too urgent to wait a week or two for an appointment. This may save you a couple of weeks.
Don't worry about insurance coverage as if a revision is needed, it would not be considered a second WLS (which some insurance limits) but as corrective surgery for you complication.
Good luck in getting some resolution soon (er, rather than later)

I had my sleeve 8 years ago and have been battling severe GERD for two years and serious weight gain since my hysterectomy just last December.
Now, I am miserable and weak. 10-20 tums a day, unable to properly take my medications because I throw them up. Cannot eat because I throw it all up too. Just ordered some syntax iced tea and Protein Soups. I’m taking 80mg protonix daily and wake up choking on my bile bile at night.
My PCP dismissed me. Saw her PA and at no time did she even look down my throat.
Got a referral to a GI and they called to have a consult in a month! A consult! Only!
Called my old bariatric surgeon and he’s not in my insurance network and I can’t afford him. Called one in town and have an appointment on the 9th. But if it requires a revision, I don’t know if it’s covered on my insurance.
I’m losing hope. I feel like everyone else has since I’ve been dismissed at every turn.
My brain is fuzzy, my eyes are sunken. Work is hard. I pretend I’m fine and eat at company meetings then go quietly to the bathroom to throw everything up. I’m miserable.
I need an answer but no medical professionals seem to be in a hurry.

My group does an upper GI routinely which diagnosed it, along with contrast imaging. My hernia was BIG. Surgeon said it was one of the biggest he's fixed and that half my stomach was likely living in my chest for a long time. I didn't have bad reflux, but I felt smothered when I laid down and probably had sleep apnea that wasn't diagnosed, which I attributed to being fat. I did have the occasional nasty episode of acid, but had no idea the hernia was so pronounced.
My recovery was extremely easy. I was up and walking the halls within a few hours of my surgery and had no problems drinking all I was allowed. (my group does the little medicine cups...one ounce, four times an hour...teenie little sips, but it worked great.) I had zero nausea. No vomiting or retching.
I DID have quite a bit of pain in my shoulder. Many people are convinced this is gas, but my surgeon explained it can be referred pain from your diaphragm. Since my diaphragm was messed with more than most folks and I experienced this pretty acutely, I'm betting on the referred pain hypothosis. Weirdly, putting an ice pack on my shoulder seemed to help quite a bit.
The opening in my diaphragm might have torn or stretched in a bad fall I took off a horse. Because it was likely caused by trauma, I didn't have issues with my esophogeal sphincter that people sometimes do that causes GERD...I just had my stomach squishing up into my thoracic cavity because trauma tore a bigger hole.
Sealing it up did the trick. Everything works great now. No acid. I can breathe great laying down. No sleep apnea.

HI!
My surgeon is a GREAT bariatric surgeon, as far as doing the surgery, but she isn't on top of much regarding the nutritional aspects of the program. I finally called one of the nutritionists associated with the bariatric program. She said it's not uncommon for people to have more issues eating after the HH surgery than after the initial VGS surgery. She said that she thinks it's because when having VGS, there is that long internal suture line from forming the sleeve, but it's not connected or stitched to anything. With the HH repair, I've had my sleeve "tacked" to something internally, as well as mesh stitched into my diaphragm. Every time I breathe or swallow something, that all gets "pulled on" and that's what she thinks the pain is from, and also that the mesh repair narrows the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes. I don't know... I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, hahaha, but it seems kind-of a reasonable explanation!
It's still a guessing game regarding eating. I eat Soup for dinner at least half the time; not so much fun in the middle of summer, but it's food. I make sure the veggies in it are really soft and I can mash them up. Sometimes I can tolerate crackers in the soup, also. No Pasta unless it's well mashed in sauce, but even then it's questionable. I mash up the macaroni in macaroni and cheese and it's OK, but when we had stuffed shells I only ate the filling and the cheese from the topping. No rice, no breads, even with a lot of butter. I had Cereal recently (Lucky Charms) but had to wait for it to get soft in the milk. eggs are OK, as is tuna salad and egg salad, but chicken salad today was disastrous. It's a different kind of pain than from the HH, more like a line of pain across the top of my chest. Salad is a no-no, has been all along, but right now I still struggle with ground meats (burger, turkey burger, etc). I do OK with corn on the cob, though, which is a gift as it's one of my favorite summer treats! I honestly never know what's going to sit well, although anything that is smooshed up in a gravy or sauce is usually OK, or meat that is fatty. I still have to take small bites and chew, chew, chew, but once it goes down, it STAYS down, which is a plus, and still NO GERD! Also no PPI, no tums, etc. I'm still not sure how any of this is supposed to go, but I am glad I had the HH repaired. I was tired of drowning in acid every evening and of vomiting up food daily.

For me, the surgery wasn't worth it. I believe it is the reason that I ended up with a hiatal hernia (I didn't have one before the surgery) and I have some moderate GERD problems since the surgery (though my GERD is not as severe as the GERD that some unlucky people end up with after the sleeve). Looking back on it now, I wish I would have just avoided any bariatric surgery at all, but if I were still going to get surgery, I personally think that the gastric bypass would have been a better way to go actually. I chose the sleeve because I was scared of the bypass and didn't want to take the risks of the bypass, but the bypass at least is the "tried and true" method that has stood the test of time over decades. The sleeve has a pretty significant risk of ending up with severe GERD, and if you get severe GERD, many doctors will tell you to get a bypass to fix the GERD. Then you end up going through ANOTHER surgery, which is riskier than just getting the bypass to start.

You are absolutely correct that the shape of the sleeve stomach makes developing a hiatal hernia more likely later on than with a normal stomach. That is exactly what one of the research articles I found talking about hiatal hernias after sleeve surgery said.
I think the issue with people being surprised by a hernia repair during sleeve surgery is that sometimes sliding hernias are not detectable on the testing before surgery and are only discovered once the surgeon is actually looking at the stomach during the operation. I had no hernia repair during my sleeve surgery (which was in Dec 2016). I really don't think I had a hernia until about December 2020 (when I first noticed some weird symptoms that at the time I didn't understand but now in retrospect believe were from the hernia).

Your surgery must be coming up soon, so best of luck. Please do update us on how it goes.

In recent years I’ve noticed a spike in the “Hiatal Hernia Surprise surgery” stories shared on the forums. That’s when you wake up to your surgeon telling you he fixed a “surprise hernia” while doing your sleeve. What gives?
My 15 years of suffering with GERD after VGS, (I never ate a Tums before sleeve) has lead me to extensive research on this topic. I’ve read ever medical paper, report, blog I can get my hands on. I’ve met with and spoken to MANY surgeons on this subject.
THEORY ABOUT “THE SURPRISE”
I have a sneaking suspicion that the sleeve surgery itself leads to a hernia in many patients. (See stats about De Novo GERD and VGS).
The new stomach is lighter and thinner, with more internal pressure and can now easily slide into the esophageal area past the diaphragm to create a HH because the new shape allows it to.
I wonder if VSG surgeon don’t want to scare patients with the stats (30-40% chance of GERD without HH repair), so they just throw in the “hernia surgery surprise” to skirt the conversation.
if this happened to you, please share the details- so many would benefit from your story. Knowledge is power!
For those who haven’t had it yet - have the convo with your surgeon- let’s eliminate the “surprise”.
I’m also sharing my journey to find a solution for those currently suffering from GERD after VSG.
Not sure why post VLS GERD is still the “Wild West”. So many different opinions on how to fix it - sheesh.
What I’ve been told to do by different surgeons over the years, and what I’ve learned:
1) “convert to rny”
This was an instant turn off, but I get why so many do it. The pain is that bad for some.
A seasoned WL surgeon recently told me the conversion to RNY is problematic long term (yet many still recommend it). He doesn’t do it anymore. He’s fixed hundreds of these HH post sleeve with a basic HH repair, no- and only had to covert 1 stubborn case.
He said the conversion often leads to gas, malabsorption, vomiting, exhaustion, nausea, with many converts still ending up with GERD!
If you’ve had the conversion and are a few years out - please share your experience.
2) “go with a partial wrap”
This particular Doc said he’d “figure out what was best to do once he was in there.” I lost all confidence in him with that last statement, but I didn’t even realize this was a possibility if your fundus has expanded.
3) “get the LINX”
I’m allergic to fake metals (I get hives), yet this particular surgeon was ready to slap this metal puppy around my esophagus. Luckily, the maker ( J&J) posted a warning on their site for sensitive skin types: “do NOT, under any circumstances, put this in your body”.
I might have considered it if I didn’t have the allergy, although it seems very problematic for some.
4) “get the ligamentum procedure with repair”
This is an old surgery for GERD that involves using your internal umbilical cord. Because it’s so new for WLS GERD, I asked the surgeon if one of his success stories could call me. He obliged. A very sweet women called me, and went on and on about how great the surgeon was. But then she told me she was still on PPI’s and now had chronic diarrhea and dumping syndrome…sooo…back to the drawing board.
5) “Get the basic HH repair”.
I’ve consulted with 3 seasoned WLS surgeons who are all on the same page (finally). These 3 say that they pull my stomach back into the right spot, tighten the diaphragm, and call it a day. One uses mesh, but the other 2 sited a recent research paper saying there is no advantage to mesh.
They all said I’d have a 80-90% chance of being able to go off the PPI’s. Sorta a fantasy promise- but I’m liking those odds.
Of course I’ve done my research and discovered the fail rate over the long term is high (30-40%) after 10 years. and I might have minor swallowing problems, and bloating- yea! But I can have it adjusted if it gets bad, so that’s reassuring.
So I’m going in with my eyes wide opened and doing the basic repair, I hope it works. The recovery is long and difficult, but my alternative is PPI’s that are cancerous.
Wish me luck and thanks for reading my rant:) I hope it helped a few of my Gerdy sisters, and if you’ve had the “surprise”, please share your experience!

They certainly do perform RNY gastric bypasses now. It's still the gold standard. Some doctors talk their patients into the sleeve because it's easier for the surgeon, not necessarily better for the patient.
I had RNY in 1990. Back then RNY surgery involved stapling between pouch and stomach, not separation. It was open surgery and I was in the hospital for 7 days. I had no pre-op or post-op nutritional guidance. I was handed a 1-page low-cal diet and told not to throw up. Two follow visits post-surgery were to check the incision and I was then left to my own devices. I learned on my own to take Vitamin and mineral supplements; no one told me. I lost about 75 lbs from a high weight of 319, stopped losing after about six months, but kept the weight off for about five years before starting to gain it all back again.
For the past 20 years, I've yoyo-ed with countless diets and food plans but always return to that same high setpoint. I'm now 73 years old and am going to give it another shot. My knees and hips are shot, I've got a pacemaker, and I figure I'll die within a few years if I can't lose all this excess weight.
I first learned about revision surgery about a year ago, just before COVID hit. This spring I followed up with a hospital bariatric clinic about 2 hours from my home. I've been on a liver-reducing diet for three months. I had a barium swallow a couple of weeks ago that revealed that the staples had given way and there was a fistula between the pouch and stomach, which explains why I stopped losing weight from the RNY. I had an endoscopy today and had a conversation with the surgeon who told me that the leak occurred because of peristalsis of my stomach, not (as I thought) because I ruined it due to up-chucking too often. The new surgical methods are much improved and there is extensive pre-op and post-op guidance and follow-up.
I will have my psych evaluation in two weeks. I'm within 2 pounds of my prescribed pre-op diet, but don't have a surgery date yet for the revision.
I do not want to fail again, so I will probably seek therapy for food addiction even if it is not recommended during the psych evalutation.

I had RNY in 2002. Old school style. And I fought for my life in 2015.. I'm pretty stable right now but hate what I've done to myself and hate being sick all the time. I'm still fighting to get about 20lbs off of regain while fighting malnutrition arms deficiencies. I get sick all the time after eating or if I don't or can't eat. I'd love to make internet friends with someone who understands too.
Sorry I have never posted on a blog before and hit something that made this post before i was done..I had gastric bypass rouxny in 2001. I was 260 at a height of 5'4". I had 3 young children and was ashamed to go most places they wanted to go..camping, amusement parks, flying etc due to my being obese and having the comorbidities that go with it such as ankle, knee, joint pain from the weight my legs were carrying and shoulder/neck pain from the set of boobs I was carrying. I went in to see the surgeon in November 2000. I weighed 240 and didnt have the BMI i should have to qualify for bypass surgery to be covered by my insurance. The doc said "you came at a great time! It's the holidays go home eat whatever you want and come back to see me after the first of the year" So I did and I gained the 10 pounds i needed plus another 10 pounds. I was qualified for surgery. I had to pass a basic psychological exam which I told the truth at(i was doing it to enjoy having fun with my kids and get healthy not for vanity)Do you know back then they didnt tell you that you needed to drink Protein Shakes or take supplements the rest of your life. I know you are not believing me right now but its true. Thats why I would like to talk to anyone who had the same surgery same year I did. I adjusted to my new life of eating 2 oz of baby food, had the diararrhea all the time when i ate something i wasnt suppose to. All the normal things they still can not change. Gastric bypass is not a "cheaters program" it is a lifestyle adjustment not only for you but for your family also. I had just lost my way I expressed my emotions all my life at 33. I felt like I lost my best friend. I didnt know how to replace it so i ended up with alchohol addiction for 5 straight years of my kids most precious lives that I had this surgery to enjoy with. Totally f****d up I know. Then I became addicted to pain killers..then some street drugs..you see where all this is going right? I was the perfect goal weight of 140 why wasnt I happy and enjoying my family? Fast forward from 2002(it took me a year to lose the weight and have abdominal plasty) to 2016. My kids are grown now and my husband took a job over 12 hours away from my family and the only "real live" friends I knew. Something broke in me that I started exhibiting physically. From April -August just 5 months I was down to 93 pounds hadnt eaten by mouth in 5 months because I was now consitpated instead of diararrhea and when i couldnt put anything more down I stopped eating. For 2 years i was labeled as "failure to thrive". Any specialist be gastroenterologist to neurologists to psychiatrists could not figure out what was wrong with me. I literally had every test done possible in those 2 years. Finally I was sent to a gastric bypass surgeon who said "this is why they dont do those surgeries anymore" Well hello did someone notify me a patient who had been through it that progress had been made and things were totally different now? ABSOLUTELY NOT. to be continued...

Hi, Yes, my surgery was a waste of time, has left me in worse shape, and it has been 5 years and 4 months. I come on here every few years, but you won’t find anyone who understands. This is a site for the cheerleaders of the surgery. I came today to see if anyone knew of a site for support for failed surgeries or food addiction. NOT OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS. My overeating is still 1000 calories a day, but the surgery destroyed my body.

I am so sorry that you are suffering with all these awful complications and having trouble getting help, but I hope that now that you know what needs to be done to fix it at least it helps to know there is hope that things will get better. Thank you for telling everyone about this so that people realize that this surgery is not something to take lightly. Everyone talks about how the sleeve is such a safe surgery, but the truth is that it CAN have life-altering complications.

I am so sorry that you are suffering with all these awful complications and having trouble getting help, but I hope that now that you know what needs to be done to fix it at least it helps to know there is hope that things will get better. Thank you for telling everyone about this so that people realize that this surgery is not something to take lightly. Everyone talks about how the sleeve is such a safe surgery, but the truth is that it CAN have life-altering complications.

UPDATE: I was able to see another doctor in California. Her first question was "why haven't you had a by-pass yet"? She did surgery and loosened the "fix" that Dr. Ganser did, but after 3 months I was having the same issues. Vomiting, nausea and severe pain when eating or drinking especially Water. The doctor in Sacramento did a new upper GI and said I need a by-pass, due to how my stomach is shaped after my surgeries with Dr. Ganser. She let me know that she can do the surgery to the by-pass, but she wants 6000.00 up front as well as my insurance payment and my 20%. I am not able to afford that, so I have to look for another surgeon in Reno. I also have an issue with finding a surgeon that uses the proper facilities (a Center of Excellence...). Frustrating and disheartening. It has been 6 years of pure misery. When it rains it pours. I attached a picture of what my stomach looks like, each time I eat, the food gets stuck in the hard 90 degree turn and then I am sick and vomiting, nausea and pain.