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Good to hear patty1096! I hope you continue to feel fabulous- now get to walkin ! HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 178 5’6”

Hey guys. So, some of you know and some don't but I have had complications since surgery, which was August 13th. It boils down to my lower esophagus is very narrow. I have a difficult time getting anything that is not liquid down and I am constantly feeling nauseous. As a result, I have had 3 stents placed and botox injected into my esophagus as well as numerous other tests and hospital stays. I began feeling nauseous again about 2 weeks ago and have been in contact with the GI dr following my case. I just got off the phone with him and he wants to do another dialation or stent placement tomorrow or Thursday. He also wants me to discuss with my surgeon the possibility of converting my sleeve to a bypass (which my surgeon and his team have discussed briefly in the past.) I guess I'm just venting and want to feel better. If anyone has any advice or have heard of converting to a bypass, please let me know. Thanks.

I am a yr and a half out of Bypass. I lost about 70 lbs in 10 months and stopped. I am happy where I am but would not mind losing 10-15 more. My problem is I have gotten careless and I like to drink w/ meals. A BIG NONO. I am trying to find pouch rules to restart. Any ideas. I am really going to get back on track and stopp drinking and eating.

I am blessed to have the option of either the sleeve or bypass surgery; my doctor feels both will work for me and it really is my choice. Here’s the dilemma: which do I decide?? I would love to hear feedback from those that have made their own decision. For me, I’m really worried about failure if I get the sleeve. I know that I have a bad relationship with food and I’m petrified that I will ultimately go back to old habits (big reason why weight loss hasn’t been successful for me in the past!). I know that success is based on what we put into it, and that surgery is merely a tool, however, some of the things I struggle with (never feeling full or always feeling like can eat) will be helped with surgery. I know it’s messed up (however, my doctor says it’s not) but one of the selling points with bypass is that I WON’T be able to eat some of those bad habit foods that would be my potential downfall with the sleeve. My hesitation with bypass: I’m really scared about having calcium/bone issues and teeth issues! I don’t know how I,would handle my teeth being damaged. If I stick to my vitamins, will I be ok? Anyone else have this problem? My Dr initially recommended the bYpass because it’s the “gold standard”, there is so much data available, and between the two, I’m more likely to keep the weight off with bypass. any personal experiences/advice would be great! I haven’t talked to anyone except my fiancé about this, and I just need someone else to pick my brain and lend some experience tales

Good evening. I had a RNY Gastric Bypass 10 years ago and I'm dealing with some vitamin deficiencies. Looking for a community of other's who might have gone through the same thing.

This is false information. If you are under the assumption that bypass surgery will “stop” you from eating “bad habit” foods, you are mistaken. This is is simply not the case for many of us. If you are referring to processed foods and foods high in sugars as “bad habit” foods it is absolutely possible to eat these foods after bypass surgery. There is no guarantee that you will get dumping after bypass surgery, and the amount of patients that do is only estimated at 30 percent or so, and this decreases with the length of time post surgery. This is why you see lots of posts about regain after ANY weight loss surgery type. No surgery will prevent you from eating what you want, the onus is on YOU to change your diet, not to try to rely on a potential undesirable consequence to change your behavior.

Thanks, was just wondering. I know in my original seminar I would say out of 20 maybe just one considered bypass. When I talked to Dr. at consult I asked about why people choose bypass. I have know a few bypass and sleevers, oh and 3 lap banders (as I call them). My BMI is 55. Ugh Sent from my SM-G900H using the BariatricPal App

Skirts...I wear a lot if skirts! Bought 3 pair of pants because I was going to a conference in early November. Three weeks later my staff is telling me I needed to buy new pants cuz the ones I had were so baggy...... Ugh! I recent bought 2 comfortably fitting dresses that, with a belt as I lose more weight, will still work.

There are HUGE differences between lapband, bypass and VSG surgeries. Sleevers don't have pouches and I am willing to bet that the way one heals from each surgery is completely different. I am also willing to bet that the diets are different as well as far as how fast we progress through the stages. I am totally NOT saying that you don't have good information to share, but even at 3.5 years out, I try really hard not to throw out advice to banders or bypass because I've not lived through either of those procedures. I do agree that the OP should pass the information to his/her surgeon!! Best to you with your new band! Exciting times, for sure.

Thank you for your responses! I don’t have reflux issues; but I completely forgot to add that in my post (sorry!) And with the revision- the fact that that’s an option scares me. I just know myself, and I’m really nervous I’ll dongreat the first couple of years and then it’ll go to waste. The bypass worries me with the possibility of teeth issues. It’s just something I don’t know if I could deal with

I went to the surgeon who originally placed my lap band today to talk about the surgery I need to have to remove it due to erosion and subsequent revision surgery. I had my head completely reconciled with having vertical sleeve revision and then he threw in a new option. For the past year, he has been doing banded plication surgery. In my particular situation, due to the erosion, we would do the surgery to remove my band first, give my stomach time to heal, and then I would have a second surgery to revise to the banded plication. For those of you who are not familiar with this procedure, it involves folding the stomach in on itself and stitching it to achieve a sleeve like effect. This is a similar procedure to the old stomach stapling procedure but much more effective due to technique and the usage of sutures as opposed to staples. Then, he will place another band at the top of the sleeve thereby essential having two weight loss surgeries at one time. My understanding is that the plication is better for achieving immediate weight loss, the band is better for long term weight loss. Combining them is essentially the best of both worlds with a few added benefits. First, because you have restriction from the plication, you don't have to fill the band as fast or as much in order to achieve satisfactory restriction. Second, because of the more slender shape of the stomach, incidences of slippage are greatly reduced. Third, there is no need to dissect 90% of your stomach. Fourth, if you do have a problem with the band, it can be removed and you will still have restriction from the plication. As always, there can be complications. Sutures can come undone. There can be necrosis of the upper part of the stomach right below the band. My understanding is that so far, the complication rate is extremely minimal and weight loss results have been comparable to the sleeve. I have to admit that the thought of not having to cut my stomach is appealing to me. At the same time, the thought of putting in another band after my first one eroded is a little unnerving. My surgeon is not pressuring me to do either one. He wants me to do what I'm comfortable with but he is very excited about the results he has seen with this surgery. I am 52 and this is more than likely my last chance at getting to be where I want to be. This is still considered to be investigational and is not covered by insurance but I believe the majority of the costs will be covered by research study funds. I have complete confidence in my surgeon. He secondary specialties are liver transplants and pediatric surgery and he is always at the cutting edge (pardon the pun) of the latest and greatest bariatric surgeries. I just want to do the right thing for me. My instinct is to let him get in there and take out my band, take a look around and see what kind of damage my band did to my insides. Then, make a more educated decision about which surgery would be right for me. As an aside, he completely refuses to do gastric bypass. What would you do??

I love to snow ski and was just wondering when you ladies who have had this combo actually felt like skiing again? The first surgeon I consulted with said that I should be good to go in 4-6 weeks. I do bounce back pretty quickly from things. I was back at work after gastric bypass in 9 days ( I don't have to do any heavy lifting). What do you ladies think? I REALLY want to get this done but I also love to ski... Please give me your opinions. THX!

Let's see... here are some things to consider. Here's my story. I had a band for 3 years. I was successful until my band slipped and I had serious enough complications that my quality of life wasn't too good and I started regaining weight. Once that I happened I also had to admit to myself that the band was farily unpleasant even when I was losing weight. I hated the feeling of food sitting at the top of my stomach and I had frequent sliming and stuck food issues. But I had just kind of been in denial about all my issues because my weight loss was good. I fought for insurance coverage for revision for over a year so I had lots of time to do research. My insurance would cover a new band but not a revision to anything else. It was a long, soul-destroying process - no point in detailing here . For a revision, I was willing to go anywhere in the country or Mexico and I spent a lot of time reading boards and researching stats. I also found out about the sleeve and spent lots of time researching it and bypass. I also went to an OH conference, met with several surgeons, did phone consults, you name it. I even watched video of all of the surgeons I was considering doing the procedure. I admit it, I'm a compulsive researcher. Surgeons - in Washington I felt the best choice was Dr. Billing at Puget Sound Surgical. He's done more sleeves than other surgeons in the area. He's pioneered a technique he refers to as a "lap-sleeve". He's always interested in learning and sharpening his skills - I found him to be both confident and caring without the arrogance that afflicts so many surgeons. Dr. Billing removed my lap band in October of 2009. Because of the insurance issues we didn't convert at the same time. He would have but his preference was to wait because he was concerned about damage to my stomach and giving it time to flatten back out and heal before doing the sleeve. The only two other surgeons I was willing to go to were Dr. Cirangle in SF and Dr. Aceves in Mexico. In June I did end up going to Dr. Aceves. I had a scheduling issue and had to have my surgery during a specific week. I also lost my legal case and had to self-pay. Dr. Aceves and his staff were fantastic and I appreciated have 3 full days of care in the hospital. Late this summer I developed a serious hernia. My abdominal wall was separated from my sternum to below my belly button. My primary care doc actually sent me to Dr. Billing who did the repair surgery three weeks ago. Other surgeons could have been kinda pissy in this situation - after I, he didn't do my sleeve. But he understood why I had to go to Dr. Aceves and was more than happy to help me. Once again, he was great, I trusted the surgical decisions he made, and I'm doing well. (He also told me my sleeve looked great and took a picture of it for me while he was in there - nice since he wasn't the surgeon who did it). Bypass or sleeve for revision: I did a huge compilation of research on revisions as part of my legal case. You can read my summary. The bottom line is that a sleeve is an appopriate revision for a failed lap band patient. Dr. Billing believes that sleeve will overtake bypass and may completely replace lap band surgery in the next 5-10 years just because the outcomes are so good. He said something really interesting to me a week ago when I had a follow-up. He told me that his sleeve patients, even his revisions, are far and away his happiest patients. They feel great, they have little to no complications and they seem to have little or no difficultiy maintaining their weight loss. http://vsgappeal.blogspot.com/2010/07/summary-appeal-letter-studies-and.html In my case I had regained my lap band weight loss and was back at 236 when I had my surgery in June. I'm already down to 174. I really didn't expect to lose that quickly. What really amazes me about my old band vs. the sleeve is that it's not just about limiting my volume. I don't know whether it's the grehlin being gone or just how quickly the satiety switch gets set off in a smaller stomach but I just don't really crave food or want to eat to fullness. When I first started eating solids I ate too much a few times and it was really uncomfortable. I backed off a bit so I wouldn't get to that point but it's really more than that. I just feel find and completely uninterested in food after a few bites so it's very easy to stop before my little sleeve is packed full. Somehow the sleeve changed how I feel about food - what I want to eat and when I feel like pushing the plate away. I haven't heard anyone I know say that about their gastric bypass. I also was uncomfortable with the other health issues of bypass like dumping and malnutrition. Another suggestion about surgeons: I've met most of the surgeons in the Seattle area who do weight loss surgeries. I think most are good doctors and are well intentioned. But every surgeon's opinion is colored by their own experience. They have what they do well, they have their comfort zones, and some are more willing than others to push beyond them. Sleeve is new and some surgeons are just now starting to look it it. Others, like Cirangle and Billing, have been doing them awhile and feel confident in the technique and in the successes their seeing with their patients. Dr. Lauter has done some sleeves but not a huge amount. He seemed like a great guy to me but it's worth considering that if he's most comfortable with bypass then that's what he's most likely to suggest to his patients. And it stands to reason that he would. All in all I'd say my research shows the sleeve to be as good and in some ways a better revision option than bypass. I prefer Dr. Billing to other local surgeons and would suggest meeting with him if you have the time to come up north. Even if you don't go with him it's good to have another medical opinion. Take care. I'm sure whatever you decide will be right for you. Happy to answer any questions you might have. At just about 6 months in to my revision I'm no expert but I can certainly share my own experiences so far.

Agencies considering changing policy on payments Friday, November 5, 2004 Posted: 10:59 AM EST (1559 GMT) BALTIMORE, Maryland (Reuters) -- Obesity surgery has helped many patients lose weight and improve their health, a panel of experts told U.S. regulators Thursday, but they added there was not enough data on how well it has worked for elderly patients covered by Medicare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering whether the government's health insurance plan for the elderly and disabled should change its payment policy for the surgery, which shrinks the stomach by removing part of it or implanting a removable band. "I didn't see any data whatsoever that these very same results could be applied" to Medicare patients, said Barbara McNeil, panel vice chairwoman and head of health-care policy at Harvard Medical School. Regulations limit CMS coverage to defined diseases, but earlier this year the agency deleted language that said obesity was not a disease. The panelists' advice is not binding but will help CMS officials decide if changes are needed. The agency already covers weight loss surgery to alleviate serious obesity-related conditions like diabetes, but coverage varies among regions. Most Medicare patients who get coverage for the surgery are younger, disabled patients, according to the American Obesity Association. Private health insurers, which often eye Medicare coverage decisions when formulating their own, have been growing more skeptical of such surgeries, some experts have said. The panelists examined data on several types of surgeries, including gastric bypass, which removes part of the stomach and connects the remaining portion to the small intestine to bypass much of the digestive system. Another procedure, called gastric banding, uses a type a adjustable fluid-filled band to squeeze off a part of the stomach. A number of companies make devices or parts used in the surgery, including Inamed Corp., International Ltd. and Synovis Life Technologies Inc.. Johnson & Johnson also makes stomach bands used in Europe. Doctors and advocates called on the panel to recommend that CMS cover all obesity surgeries, including the adjustable band, as well as psychiatric and nutrition counseling. Picking a specific treatment "is a decision best left to the patient and to the surgeon," said Dr. Henry Buchwald, a non-voting panelist and surgery professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Some surgeons complained that Medicare denied coverage for some severe bypass cases and called on officials to establish a clearer policy. Weight problems are a growing health issue in the United States, where nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, according to the National Institutes of Health. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) - a weight-for-height ratio - of more than 30. For an average woman, that usually means being 30 pounds overweight and, for an average man, 35 to 40 pounds.

Hi Shawna! appx out of pocket is between 12-15 thousand dollars... Seminars are normally held by each dr.'s practice..Seminar &consultations are normally free-- they will guide you thru the rest.. If you will be a cash pay- you can get financing thru several ways--Capital One Health finance is one of them.. I checked into that about 2 yrs ago.. My insurance denied me several times and I appealed their decision b/c how can they know what's best for me. The procedure was not excluded on my policy but they wanted to pick & choose and wanted me to have the Gastric Bypass-- I surely did not want that- You can also, take a loan out thru your bank or credit union or try to find a low rate credit card.. there are several options out there I have been banded since 11/28/06 and love it.. I like that my intake is restricted.. I've lost 29lbs so far.. slow is good I only have 48 more lbs to go to my goal weight.. Good luck and I hope this help.. Some procedures are cheaper, but make sure that your are comfortable with the dr... do lots of research and attend several seminars by different dr's... good luck & best wishes... let me know if I can help answer any other questions PS my sister had this done 2/2005 and has lost 102 lbs she went from a size 22 to a size 8

I don't meet your criteria but I will look for your posts and offer what encouragement I can. I just had my first nutrition appointment and am hoping to have surgery at the end of November...

Either you qualify or you don't. A note isn't going to make a bit of difference one way or another. I didn't know they covered banding, I thought it was just bypass. Did they change their coverage?

Hi. I got gastric bypass on 12/19/13 and I've lost over 45 pounds so far. However some time last month I've been having problems that are starting to affect my every day life. It started with cramping in my pouch at work, which is rather physical. Then I started having serve pain and nausea after eating and drinking water. After that I started throwing up everything I ate and drank. Now I'm throwing up and having dumping syndrome constantly even though I am not eating and barely drinking. I also nearly passed out at my job twice and I ended up in the er in my hometown because my blood pressure was through the roof. I'm not sure what to do our what is causing this. Does anyone have any ideas?

I had severe reflux with my band, I was sleeved last May, and have been on protonix since then. I was at goal in 6 months. I love my sleeve, and I'm glad I did that instead of the bypass, as I can have sugar in small amounts, and the surgery did not reroute, or remove any of my intestines. I don't have any problems with reflux with my sleeve, and I have been able to reduce my protonix dose by half. I will try to stop it all together in May at the one year mark. But even if I have to take it for the rest of my life, I will gladly do that, if that's what it takes to stay thin. Since I can't use most sugar substitutes as they cause my to have severe migraines, I opted to not have the bypass, because that would seriously limit what I can eat, but with the sleeve I do fine with a bit of sugar, or a few extra carbs.

After months of contemplation, I went to my primary doctor to begin my supervised weight loss visits. I attended a seminar with the bariatric surgeon back in November and scheduled my intake appointment in January. However, due to insurance rollover, I would have to pay over $800 that first visit since I hadn't met my deductibles yet. The office gave me the go ahead to begin my doctor visits while I wait to get my deductible met (one test - I can't remember the name of it just yet - was normally $30 or so dollars with my insurance but I was having to pay $400!) I had all my tests ran today and my doctor literally looked at me and said, "You are so healthy minus your weight. Your cholesterol, sugar levels, blood pressure - everything is normal. It really doesn't make sense since your BMI is so high." He put me on a diet pill of sorts because he's very anti-weight loss surgery for two weeks. I'm interested to see how it works. Like most, I have yo yo dieted my entire life, losing over 40 pounds in the last year by pure "clean" eating and exercising. Due to job changing, stress, lack of routine and motivation, I gained it all back. I just told my entire life story for one question - any tips on a pre-op diet? Are most of you just paleo/clean eating?

Omg, I felt the way you feel, exactly. I flip-flopped on getting the Gastric Bypass for SEVEN YEARS. I was afraid of everything about it, and so doubted whether or not it was the right choice for me. At one point, I dropped out of my pre-op program for two years, thinking, "I can do this myself"---well, I ended up gaining even more weight to get to my highest weight of 373 pounds. Then, my insurance (Medicare) finally approved the Sleeve last year and it seemed like a better fit for me, so I started looking into having surgery again. My surgeon then informed me that his surgery of choice for me was the Sleeve. I still didn't seem to be able to commit to losing the 40 pounds they wanted me to lose beforehand. Also, my surgeon told me I had to quit smoking and stay quitted for a full year before he would operate on me. Then somehow it all clicked into place. I quit smoking for that year and am still quitted. After years of waffling, one day at the doc's office his nurse told me if I could lose 15 pounds in 5 weeks they could finally schedule me. So I got on it and ended up losing 27 pounds. I ate lean Protein and veggies and salads, Lean Cuisines, lots of green tea. And I found that by cutting out all those unhealthy carbs I was eating I was rid of cravings for them---at LAST. So ---I got my date and went for it. I had my Sleeve on September 9th of 2014. I've lost 66 pounds since then, am just over 4 months out. It was a little tough in the beginning but totally doable. I had no pain. I was only in hospital for a day. Everything went well for me. Then, I did everything they told me to do and it worked. I am SO glad I finally did it. It was all the garbage in my head that prevented me from going forward, until I got sick of my own stuff and just went past it. I suffer from depression and have to take plenty of meds too. That didn't affect anything about the surgery. The surgery not only is shrinking me down physically, it has made me a better person now that I'm not preoccupied with food. I used and abused food---and for all the wrong reasons. Today all those issues are totally gone, and I'm living my life the way it is meant to be lived. I wish I had done this sooner, but I don't regret the past and all my waffling. For some reason, I think I had to go through that to finally be ready. Everyone is different and has their own path. Please don't hesitate. It'll be the best thing you've ever done for yourself. Good Luck!

So I went to my local family Dr last week and he told me I have high blood pressure and this is a first for me. So he told me to monitor my blood pressure for a couple weeks before putting me on medications. My surgery is November 10 in Mexico & want to get my pressure in check before then! Does anyone have foods they would recommend to lower blood pressure? Did anyone have high pressure prior to surgery? Were you ok or did u go on medication to lower it?

:laugh:I have been overweight my whole life. It seems like I have always been on a diet. I lose weight and gain it back. I am having the band on Monday and I am a big ball of emotions. I am finally going to take care of me. I forgot what that felt like. Weight is such an emotional thing and no one would undertand until they have been there. I have even decided to join a Overeaters Anonymous group to deal with the mental side of me being overweight. This is the beginning of my journey and I am embracing it with positivity. Now bring on November 3rd.:wub::mad2::thumbup:

Same here. Had band in 2008, removed in Dec. 2013 and am scheduled for bypass on Monday! I met with my surgeon yesterday and he's concerned--even told me I should consider the sleeve instead of bypass because the stomach tissue could be compromised. I'm still set on the bypass, but now I'm scared. I was perfectly calm and ready to go before I talked with him. He said he's had to put a temporary feeding tube in patients like me before to give that stomach opening area a GOOD 2 weeks to heal before being introduced to any food/drink. I'm an optimist though, so I'm going in with the plan that the stomach tissue will all be fine and I won't need a feeding tube!

I just had a revision to my lap band. the first surgery was done November of 2010 and to date I lost 80 pounds. Everything was going great...then I started suffering from acid reflux, an x-ray showed my band had slipped slightly. The doctor wanted a plan B in case the band could not be replaced. I refused the sleeve or gastric bypass. I had surgery this past Thursday. All went well...he said it was challenging due to alot of scar tissue. I am nervous...I almost feel as though I should of had it removed altogether. Has anyone out there had a revision and all is going well? Please respond!