CavyGuy

I agree with what you've said. To me, the only benefit is a short-lived one: no leaks from staple lines. Of course that's also why I'm looking for the most experienced surgeon I can find, so that my surgery is simply routine. Thanks.

OK, so I'm reading all the super stories here and I'm 80% sold on a procedure that six months ago I would have told you "no way!" and while doing my research, as so many of you say to do, I ran across this LINK: http://www.promedica.com.gr/erevna_en.htm

What is super sleeve?

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is not so simple as any other gastrectomy. There are some important technical details, unknown to inexperienced surgeons. Gastric tube size influences both the degree of weight loss and weight stability. A large sleeve predisposes to gastric dilatation and weight regain. Inexperienced surgeons tend to create large tubes (:thumbup1: or to leave back large remnants of the gastric fundus. A standardised technique with a gastric capacity less than 100 mL (A) is mandatory in order to get the patient achieve a durable weight loss. The sleeve should be "super" which means a small gastric sleeve diameter and a higher degree of restriction. In our hands, with the gastric capacity been restricted to 60-80 gr and Ghrelin (the appetite hormone) totally suppressed, the resultant weight loss is predictable and comparable to this achieved with gastric by-pass (60-70% EWL), without any serious complication or side effects (e.g. Vitamin malabsorption). We introduced super sleeve in our bariatric program, as the most effective and safe bariatric solution even for the super-obese patients.

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Before you tell me I'm losing it, I would like to ask, are there any Super Sleevers on board here? Might there be? Thank you.:biggrin0:

For me, a lot of it has to do with having confidence in my surgeon and the aftercare offered by his/her group. I'll be banded around 6.1.10 and I'm ready. There is a danger to air travel but I still travel by air. Why? It's the destination, for me, that really counts. Plus, each time I do something I'm scared of I become less scared of other things around me. I'm not saying reckless, I'm saying less scared, as having more and more confidence in my ability to make good judgments and take care of myself. That's one reason I keep coming back here and reading all these posts. So much gets said and so much goes unsaid that this place is a treasure. Thanks for putting up with my pre-banding gas.:ohmy:

This is a really encouraging thread. Thanks to all you guys from one guy who's about 6 weeks from banding. I"m also 68 and hot to get it on!:ohmy:

Hi Kerry -

I'm 68 and I"m doing it to enjoy life more and live longer through better eating and health. I expect to be banded around the end of May, first of June. So far I've had the surgeon consult, the psych eval, the upper GI, the abdominal ultrasound, meeting with the dietitian and meeting with the NP. Two more meetings with the NP and I'm done.

Glad you're here.

So I went in for my ultrasound and upper GI yesterday. My surgeon/hospital is part of a med school that always has students around at this kind of event. So the ultrasonographer pokes me and pokes me and then her supervisor comes in and he repeats the whole scenario. Still, not too bad and the result was, in his words, "fantastic," which I took to mean that I'm all there. But the upper GI was hilarious. Now drink this, now drink this, now drink this, turn on your side and drink this. Cough and drink this. Etc. I finally asked the doc, Hey are you over there just pulling this stuff out of a hat or is there some real medical necessity for all these hoops. We had a good time, turned up a hiatal hernia, my surgeon already said he repairs those during the LB surgery, so I think I'm about ready to get a date. And I'm 68 and have nothing to lose but this inglorious fat. Do I plan to go ahead and have the LB surgery? they asked. Like I said, Duh, even I know the answer to that one.:cool:

Hey GhostDog,

You have enough courage to (1) look at yourself, and (2) admit what it is you see. Most people can never own their own BS. You have and that's true courage. Thanks for showing us some real courage. Best to you.

PerryJoyce: Put it off a month or two or ten. You're in charge. Also suggest reading Dr. Robert Sewell's book about the band,

Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Successfully

There's also a hospital web site that shows an actual Lap Band laprascopic banding. You can Google and find it.

Good luck!

Yeah I take bupropion. And I'm here getting ready to get banded. Now the thyroid, that's a while other issue and only your internist can advise you about that. Good luck.

I was just reading today in Dr. Sewell's book about living with the band that redness and/or swelling around the port can be signs of more serious trouble with the band itself. I would call my doctor and get it checked out. Good luck.

Barium is not my friend. Neither are the pop rocks they give you before the barium swallow. Yes, I had my upper GI and abdomen ultrasound today. Two more steps on the road to food sobriety. In other 12 step groups I have been told, Get a Sponsor! Today it dawned on me for this journey that the band will be my sponsor. It will talk to me on a daily basis, it will give me its experience, strength and hope, and it will call me on my BS when I'm doing something dumb. These things I know because of all the time I've spent on these forums and all the steps I've taken along the road to food sobriety. Today after the last two tests I made a decision to go ahead and get banded. After all, I have nothing to lose but fat. Duh, even I know the answer to this one. :thumbup:

And you guys are my group. We should be proud of ourselves for even being willing to take a hard look at our relationship with food. Not everyone is lucky enough to have the courage.

It's OK to "give up." That means you're admitting you're powerless over people, places and things. That's a nice place to be. Ooops...I reminded myself, too.:thumbup:

Thanks for the kind words.

On Monday I have my upper GI and abdominal ultrasound. I'm a little nervous, but ready to get it over with. Hope you all are having a great weekend.

I'm probably looking at surgery date in late May or early June my surgeon told me when I met with him. So far I've done my NP, surgeon, psych eval, and have ultra sound of gall bladder and upper GI next Monday. My psych eval was today and the doctor who met with me had some really great ideas about modifying my eating/grazing prior to surgery so that the surgery isn't such a shock when I start that new way of eating. Now, instead of eating chips while I watch the news at 5, I'm to go in and get on my elliptical and watch the news. Just stuff like that. This is all getting pretty exciting and some days I'm scared to death and some days I feel bold and ready. Today is the latter. On these posts I read about SO MANY problems some people have, but I think I'm also beginning to understand a little bit, at least in my head, about how some of those problems can be avoided--you've all said it here: chew slowly, small bites, eat carbs last only, don't drink before/after. My surgeon himself does the fills. I think it's important to know beforehand who will actually be doing the fills. He doesn't do fills under flouroscopy, which I would actually prefer (while I still understand so little about all this). We'll wait and see about that.

Keep posting everyone, the good and the bad, I really need to know what I'm getting myself into here.

Thanks.:smile2:

OK, so today I had my psych eval and my Magic Bullet arrived from Amazon. There has to be a correlation between psych eval and magic bullet, but I'm missing it.... The Magic Bullet is really cool AND I liked my psychologist, he was part of the surgery center where I'm going and he really knows the ins and outs of weight loss. I'm getting closer to surgery, probably around first week in June.

I'm sorry if this is something you already know, but here's what I do: sleep with your head on a stack of 3 hard pillows. It works for me.:thumbdown:

I am still deciding about LB and I'm still undecided. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence on this thread; there is plenty of other positive anecdotal evidence on other threads. I have been trying to locate studies that give us some numbers to use in our analysis. So far I've found one, which follows. Thank you. Study: Obes Surg. 2007 Feb;17(2):168-75. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in 1,791 consecutive obese patients: 12-year results. Favretti F, Segato G, Ashton D, Busetto L, De Luca M, Mazza M, Ceoloni A, Banzato O, Calo E, Enzi G. Department of Surgery, Regional Hospital - Vicenza, Italy. ffavret@tin.it BACKGROUND: This study examines 1,791 consecutive laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) procedures with up to 12 years follow-up. Long-term results of LAGB with a high follow-up rate are not common. METHODS: Between September 1993 and December 2005, 1,791 consecutive patients (75.1% women, mean age 38.7 years, mean weight 127.7 +/- 24 kg, mean BMI 46.2 +/- 7.7) underwent LAGB by the same surgical team. Perigastric dissection was used in 77.8% of the patients, while subsequently pars flaccida was used in 21.5% and a mixed approach in 0.8%. Data were analyzed according to co-morbidities, conversion, short- and long-term complications and weight loss. Fluoroscopy-guided band adjustments were performed and patients received intensive follow-up. The effects of LAGB on life expectancy were measured in a case/control study involving 821 surgically-treated patients versus 821 treated by medical therapy. RESULTS: Most common baseline co-morbidities (%) were hypertension (35.6), osteoarthritis (57.8), diabetes (22), dyslipidemia (27.1), sleep apnea syndrome (31.4), depression (21.2), sweet eating (22.5) and binge eating (18.5). Conversion to open was 1.7%: due to technical difficulties (1.2) and due to intraoperative complications (0.5). Together with the re-positioning of the band, additional surgery was performed in 11.9% of the patients: hiatal hernia repair (2.4), cholecystectomy (7.8) and other procedures (1.7). There was no mortality. Reoperation was required in 106 patients (5.9%): band removal 55 (3.7%), band repositioning 50 (2.7 %), and other 1 (0.05 %). Port-related complications occurred in 200 patients (11.2%). 41 patients (2.3%) underwent further surgery due to unsatisfactory results: removal of the band in 12 (0.7%), biliopancreatic diversion in 5 (0.27%) and a biliopancreatic diversion with gastric preservation ("bandinaro") in 24 (1.3%). Weight in kg was 103.7 +/- 21.6, 102.5 +/- 22.5, 105.0 +/- 23.6, 106.8 +/- 24.3, 103.3 +/- 26.2 and 101.4 +/- 27.1 at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 years after LAGB. BMI at the same intervals was 37.7 +/- 7.1, 37.2 +/- 7.2, 38.1 +/- 7.6, 38.5 +/- 7.9, 37.5 +/- 8.5 and 37.7 +/- 9.1. The case/control study found a statistically significant difference in survival in favor of the surgically-treated group. CONCLUSIONS: LAGB can achieve effective, safe and stable long-term weight loss. In experienced hands, the complication rate is low. Follow-up is paramount.

Here it is. I'm 68 years old, will be banded in June, and I have a total knee replacement. But I AM GETTING READY! Tonight I did 10 minutes on my elliptical, then 20 minutes on my recumbent bike, breaking a good sweat and burning 150 calories. I am so going to make this work for me. Thanks for all your writings and insights, I need it all.

OK, I've been to see the surgeon, been to see the Nurse Practitioner, have read the Sewell book on Lap Band, and have hung around the forums for awhile. I"m looking at surgery in late May, early June 2010. I'm a busy guy during the long days I work (68 and still going strong) and I would like to ask this: How much is this band going to interfere with my daily chores? I mean, is it like a constant problem you're dealing with as far as overeating, vomiting, PBing etc., or does it eventually become a part of your everyday life that pretty much goes along without a lot of attention?

Went to see my surgeon for first meeting this week. He wants to do surgery in early June 2010. I say let's get it done. Yeah!

Here is the 60+ link. Happy reading:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f121/new-60-thread-50100/

John:rolleyes:

All right, I'm 68 and 20 years ago lived in the mountains and was an avid hiker and x-country ski fanatic. Today I'm 80 pounds heavier, have had my right knee replaced, have high BP, high cholesterol, and my PCP says if I don't lose this weight I can count on having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years (which could be next week, the way I see it). I've tried them all, personal trainer, WW, NutriSystem (ugh!), Atkins, South Beach and at one time lost 50 pounds, went off the diet, and immediately gained back 60. I've been all over LBT and see people wondering if it's the "right" choice to go ahead and get banded. In my case I feel like that decision has already been made for me, because I don't like the alternatives. I'm so glad I found a 60 thread although I really relate to all the people on the LBT (at least the ones considering the surgery). I'll keep following you and one of these days I'll report back about MY surgery. Bless you.

I would appreciate hearing about your experience, who you doctor was and how you got along, and all else. Thanks.

I'm 68, been on Medicare 3 years, 6-5 and weigh enough to play nose guard for the Packers. Allright, 305. My first surgeon appointment is this coming week etc. BMI 37 with two co-morbs. My question is, has anyone else used Medicare for the LB surgery and studies? How does it go with them? Do you have to prequalify first or do you get it all done and then hope they pay like most things Medicare? Thanks for letting me know some insights.:laugh: