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So my questions: 1. How will the LAP-BAND® help me lose weight? There is something magical that once you hit your "sweet spot" you can only eat about a cup of food at a sitting - and your body stays satisfied with that - thinking it is full....I find I don't crave sweets or junk food...bread has NO pull at all as my body craves the Protein that it needs to function well. I would've NEVER believed that pre op - as i was a carbaholic! 2. What kind of diet needs to be kept after the LAP-BAND® is installed? Like she said - you first eat your protein - as I found if you aren't getting enough protein your hair will start to fall out...not cool! You will find that once you have eaten your protein you haven't room for much else! But if you want to eat a scoop of frozen yogurt or something as a treat you can, and it is no big deal...you just have to be careful at the "slider" foods that go through the band and don't leave you feeling satisfied. I shoot for more solid protein that will stay with me longer. 3. If I/We/anyone can’t maintain a diet regiment before the LAP-BAND®, how can we expect that it would be any different after the LAP-BAND®? You still have to work on WHY you overeat -or make the choices that you do...it isn't an easy fix, which folks seem to think it is. (common misconsception) If you are prone to turn to food when upset - you still will even with the band, and you can "eat around" the band by overeating with slider type foods that go right through....and thus circumventing the band. So it isn't a cure all - but it helps you control your portions of foods and you can still eat "real food" - it just takes a LOT less to satisfy your body. 4. Are there medications or supplements that need to be taken after the LAP-BAND® is installed? I just take my gummy Vitamin - some docs recommend a Calcium supplement, too.....your doctor will go over what they recommend. It isn't like the gastric bypass, though, where you have to take a lot of things for the rest of your life. (or so I am told by others...) 5. If insurance covers the procedure (I am investigating that with my insurance right now), and there is a problem with the device such as a leaky port, who covers the expense of fixing it? My mom's friend had to have her lapband replaced as it sprung a leak - her insurance covered it...I think typically if they cover putting it in, they would cover anything else that had to be done...but I would definately check with your insurance company. 6. Are there other manufacturing defect problems that can occur with the LAP-BAND®, and if so who absorbs the cost of repair? Haven't heard of anything on this either....... 7. I am noticing the number one side effect of the LAP-BAND® is nausea and vomiting. Is that a temporary problem or an ongoing problem? Can be ongoing depending on what you are trying to eat! If you are sticking to the right types of foods (protein - not breads and things that get stuck) then you won't have any trouble with PB'ing (which reminds me of a baby spitting up -just a burp) - but once you hit your sweet spot and have good restriction you will find that you have to eat slow and chew well ---- or else you can still struggle a lot with the "vomiting". I struggled the first 4 months or so...but then everything became habit and I haven't had any problems for a long time. 8. Is there any restriction on drinking alcohol when you have a LAP-BAND®? Not that I know of - course you wouldn't want to drink too much since it is empty calories.... Good luck! Kim

I'm scheduled for my lap band surgery on October 5th. I actually backed out of gastric bypass in June. I am wondering if its normal to be back and forth between the 2 surgeries. Im so confused. I feel like I want the band for the right reason, and I want the gastric bypass for the wrong reasons. I love the fact that with the bypass the weight just flies off, but I know that the risks are greater. I know that with the band, it will be a lot of work on my part. Please, someone tell me its normal to feel up in the air. :blushing:

Kaiser Fremont guidelines are at least six months. I was OK'd for a couple of drinks a week at my six month appt. I drink one to two drinks once or twice a week now. I do recommend waiting till you are close to goal or at goal because they are empty calories. I had about 15 lbs. to goal in late November when I started drinking again. I used to drink 2-3 drinks 1-2 times per week before I started the pre-op plan so I drink 1 drink less now to get the same buzz. Lynda

I also have Carefirst insurance ( the open access and not the PPO) and they do not approve you for surgery without a BMI of 50 or up. For the sleeve that is. My friend and I were doing this together, both of us planning on the sleeve. Insurance would not approve her because of her BMI being too low. They will however approve the band or the bypass. I say go for it. They may make a rule change or if you have other issues they may approve it. It doesn't hurt to try.

I had gastric bypass. I was hoping I'd be one of the lucky one's to go a long time without feeling hunger but I wasn't that lucky. My hunger came back after about 4 weeks. It's different now though. I feel hunger, can eat a couple of bites of something and it's gone. It usually happens at work where I tend to go longer periods of time between meals and drinks. I now take a little bag of nuts in my pocket for those times. Sometimes I need them, sometimes I don't.

First, a bit of advice: If you have symptoms that concern you, please call your doctor sooner rather than later. After my VSG, as I transitioned from liquids and "mushies" to solid food during weeks four and five post-op, I thought my bowel movements would become more normal. They didn't. I had VSG rather than a gastric bypass, but since I had problems with dumping before surgery if I ate too much of the wrong foods, I thought it could be dumping syndrome. I started experimenting with my diet, hoping to eliminate any foods that were causing the supposed dumping. Finally, I realized this wasn't dumping. It was unrelenting diarrhea. At the nine-week follow-up appointment with my surgeon earlier this week, I told him about it. He said I most likely have Clostridium difficile (C.diff) colitis, and he prescribed a targeted antibiotic. The C.diff overgrowth can be caused by the broad-spectrum antibiotics used after surgery. I'm pretty miserable right now. My tiny tummy doesn't tolerate the antibiotics well, so I get nauseated every time I eat. My guts are still quite unhappy, so I can't stray far from the bathroom. I'm dehydrated because I'm having trouble drinking enough Water. I'm super tired. (Thank you for attending my little pity party.) If I had called my surgeon a few weeks ago, I might have avoided some of this gastrointestinal misery. :-)

Well Guys!! I made it. I was banded last week, 10/19. The day after the surgery I though to myself what the Hell did I do to myself!! That thought soon passed after having lost 11 lbs. since last Wednesday. I fell good for the most part, still a bit sore, the Doc says that its mainly from the Hiatal Hernia. I still have another 10 days to go on the liquid diet, that's getting kind of old. If anyone has any suggestions for liquids, I'd love to hear it. I get my 1st fill November 22nd. Just in time for Thanksgiving!! The only issue I seem to be still having is a lot of belching and gas. Is anyone experiencing that too? Good luck to all

That's absolute nonsense. Bypass patients (who don't have a pylorus, the spincter muscle between the stomach and the small intestine) may have issues with things getting stuck, but with a sleeve, the same thing happens as it does for those who've never had WLS: you pass it out your intestine unless you break it down in the intestines first.Don't get me wrong, I think it's crazy too. I've not trusted a single dietician I've seen yet. They've all told me at least one thing I knew to be incorrect because of my surgeon or because I knew it to be wrong. The question was asked though. And on the off chance she's right, no harm can come from calling and asking. You know? Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

my insurance denied me because they say the sleeve is investigational, my surgeon wanted to do the rny but i was totally opposed to doing that, he refused to help me appeal so i did it myself, i got a letter from someone else who appealed and won and i won. i got my sleeve about 6 weeks ago, you are talking about the rest of your life, don't let a couple of weeks compromise you. If you really think you can live with the bypass then i wish you the best, but if you're like me i say fight it, good luck

A trick My Surgery is on the 30th November :-) One of my tricks is, to hold my nose when drinking it. When the smell is gone, it tastes better. Smell has a lot to do with the perception of taste. Good luck to us

A trick My Surgery is on the 30th November :-) One of my tricks is, to hold my nose when drinking it. When the smell is gone, it tastes better. Smell has a lot to do with the perception of taste. Good luck to us

The bad outcomes from bariatric surgery were mostly from one doctor in the area, who has now moved to another state, and a few from the local doctors who are through the hospital I work at. A few were lap bands that had problems that turned into other problems, but most were from gastric bypass or DS surgeries. The bypass/DS patients were ones that were usually over 400pounds, got put on a vent after surgery and then took a while to come off. Once they did get discharged from ICU they have to come to rehab because now they are weak from post op diet intake, being bedridden, and as a result stay where I am at for weeks. They usually go home with family and home health care, some even go to a nursing home. Being fat and the road to being skinny is a scary thing, but I can't not walk it because I see what happens when you don't. I had an obese 35 year old co-worker who had one large and two smaller strokes last week that were a direct result of bad lifestyle and being obese.

Hello all, So, I had all of my paperwork completed and submitted to the insurance company this week. I am a type-2 diabetic Male with a BMI of 36/37 and should qualify for surgery shortly. After talking with my surgeon, he was suggested going with Bypass as it statistically has a better "cure" rate with type-2 diabetes. I then talked with my endocrinologist, and she suggests the same thing. Now, I am about 70lb. overweight and can really go either way. My problem is that I am mentally prepared to get the lap-band done, but I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped into the ByPass. Has anyone here started with type-2 diabetes and are now free and clear of all/most medications? I am on insulin and a few pills now, but the dosages are pretty high. From what I gather, banding cures about 40% while ByPass cures around 80% of cases. Such a huge difference. Thanks all for your help. Mark

Wow there is a big difference in how much time people take off. I have so many questions. I see the PA next week.na dhope to get some information. I first need to find out if they will do the sleeve instead of bypass. I hate t not knowing so much about what will happen. I have been on a six month supervised diet and haven't lost any weight this month and hoping I didn't gain back what I have lost. i am afraid I am messing up my change for insurance to pay for the surgery by not being better at the dietl It's frustrating... and I know so many people on here have the same issues. I quess in relation to time off work I am hoping I can get the food thing figured out before I go back to work. that is another thing I am not sure of, if I can take short term disability and how much money I will get when I am off work.

So I am scheduled for surgery on November 29th. I started this in August. It didn't take too long as my insurance covers Lap-Band, and I didn't need a 6 month diet. I started my journey at 265 lbs. I am now at 250 lbs. I started journaling my food and exercising more than usual. Not too bad. I am now on the pre-op phase as prescribed by my Nut. I am not hungry but not really satisfied. I guess this will be the new normal. I think some of the problem is the pre-op liquid diet is mainly milk based and sweet, ie Muscle Milk Light, yogurt, fat free sugar free pudding, etc. I really don't have much of a sweet tooth. I look so forward to my two daily meals of Soup to get some savory. Thank God I can cook. I cooked a big pot of soup. Canned soup is not all that tasty, but I have some to mix things up. I found out the hard way yesterday about getting enough to eat. I was about an hour late for my evening mini-meal, and had a real soupy soup with little in the way of calories for lunch. It was canned soup...big mistake. I was sick with a headache and dizziness by evening, and I ate stuff not on my plan. I started my pre-op diet 2 days early (on Sat) and was doing okay before yesterday evening. I am back on track today and am being a lot more mindful about getting enough calories in as not to get low blood sugar and compensating by eating the wrong things. I also went for walk on my lunch break, like I usually do, which may have contributed to the incident later in the evening in conjunction with not enough calories. I am excited about my surgery! My husband is "cautiously optimistic" as I have lost and regained weight most of my life. One of my sisters knows and is very supportive. My mom and best friend know but have bombarded me with failure stories as they are both jealous. I have decided not to tell most of my friends and co-workers as I am also "cautiously optimistic" about them. My co-workers have no need to know. I have told everyone I am getting my gallbladder out which my dr. does do so it won't seem odd with my dr excuse. Most of my friends are obese and I really don't need any more failure stories or other forms of acting out of jealousy. I'll be in North Shore LIJ Syosset, on Long Island, with Dr. Geiss. I qualify for single incision, and if all goes well, I'll go home the same day instead of staying over night as I am healthy other than being obese. I have bought most of the things I need post-op. I need to get a Fiber supplement and Vitamins. Any one else being banded on the 29th? Good luck to all out there in Bandland.

I was banded on November 17th and felt the exact same as you. Gas pains were not unbearable, and by back was the sorest part. But it has been a week now and today is the first day that I have no pain. I am feeling so much better. My doctor likes to have his patients go onto solids as soon as possible and i think that that has helped me mentally get over not eating as much. I have been getting really tired in the afternoon but my surgeon says that it is normal. But just letting you know that the first three days are the worst and when a week comes round you should be feeling closer to normal. And I am sure that after another week or so, you will be fine. <br>Congrats on your surgery and good luck for your first week!<br>Lilly <br><br>

Idk about the age part, I think its a lifetime choice so why not extend that lifetime? I don't like bypass from a nursing point for these reasons...it messes with the bodys natural digestion, there is loss of intrinsic factor, vit B12 and lots of other natural ways the body digests and autoregulates itself. Yes, bypassers take pills for these but they are synthetic not natural. Dumping syndrome runs ramped with bypassers and their "fail" rate is onpar with band if not worse. Yes, they do tend to lose more wt quicker then bands but that too has consequences...hair loss, nail growth, metabolism changes ect. Its a personal decision and although it looks like I am anti-bypass I'm truly not, I just feel strongly that u should keep some things natural and some mostly natural (like theband). Good luck with ur choice

I had a similar issue. I was told initially that having done WW in the past year for 6 months would cover my 6 month medically supervised diet. They said it in the seminar and the surgeon said this when I first met him. I went to my second appointment and they said they weren't sure about that it would suffice, then a few days after the appointment I got a call saying that it wasn't usable and I would have to do the 6 month diet. I was really pissed off, as I had planned to be able to get my surgery in September. Well, now the earliest I can get it is in December, (my last appointment will be late November).

Good Luck with everything. I have RA as well and was recommended to do sleeve over bypass. My surgeon said my overactive immune system would essentially kill the band, so that was out from the beginning. I manage the RA with a low dose of Mobic right now. Hoping that removing excess weight off my joints will help me step away from it completely.

@@VSGAnn2014 and @@lose4life - thank you for your replies. The NSAID question is one I've had several conversations with my surgeon about. In my particular case, he is allowing them. I know everyone's situation and surgeon are different. The reason I said I'm getting the VSG is that it can possibly make esophagitis worse, but I'm not a candidate for bypass. My biggest concern right now is the polyps. I'm over my shock now and am confident they will come back benign .

Quite a bit has happened since my last post and I have been mentally exhausted making it difficult to think about anything but how much my job is stressing me out. Enough about that... Well last Sunday I talked to my husband about the surgery. I told him I was having the surgery and would like his support. He told me no and I shrugged advising him it would not change my mind. I proceeded to tell him how this was something I had to do for myself and how it was unlike the gastric bypass my coworker had (he thinks she looks horrible) and he pretty told me I couldnt sell him on it. I told him I wasnt trying to and explained how it would give me a better quality of life. Blah Blah Blah Blah. Once Mr. Wilson makes up his mind about something, there is no changing it. He has to come around on his own after he SEES himself disproved. I know this about my husband. He has always been this way which is why I told him it would be nice to have his support, but my mind is made up. He even told me to let him know when I was going to do it so he could have "the papers" (meaning divorce) for me to sign. I totally ignored him, knowing it was the only "weapon" he thought he could use. But I didnt care and figured it became truly THAT serious for him, then I will cross that bridge when I get to it. Besides I know my husband and despite what he may see as "defiance" he loves me and will not refuse to help me when the time comes. For a moment I could see him pondering more over my stance than my words. He seemed to want to get angry, but he couldnt because I had a calm but determined attitude. As the hours and days passed since our conversation last Sunday afternoon I noticed something different about Mr. Wilson. It was as if a lightbulb went off in his head and he began to show me affection in ways that were very touching. Light kisses as I slept. Smiles and compliments were more frequent and I began to wonder...Did Mr. Wilson have a sudden epiphany of sorts remembering how I looked when we first me 8 years and 30+ lbs ago? Did he began to imagine the image I have been seeing in my dreams for years of myself as a stronger, healthier, happier more confident woman? I am not sure what happened, but it was obvious something clicked. :thumbup: So for now..it is what it is. By Thursday, my routine had returned and I struggled through my work week looking forward to Friday. When I began to create the weekly schedule for my office, I noticed one of my assistants was off the day I was scheduled to see the surgeon again (8/17) so I called the office to see if I could possibly have my appointment pushed up hoping someone cancelled. I felt a little discourage when I had to leave a message but lo and behold, I got a call back an hour later from the very helpful and excited office manager that was glad I had called in. She had been on vacation when I had my last visit so my appointment was scheduled in error. She advised that I actually was scheduled to come in last week. (it would have been nice if someone would have called me) I told her I was not aware of this appt and she apologized asking if I could come in on Monday. I told her yes, advising I was looking forward to it because the winds had been let out of my sails waiting all this time. I also told her about my sleep study being scheduled later this month with a possible 2nd one early next month, but the appointment to discuss the results were not until the first week of October. She said she would try to get it changed for me realizing that I wanted to get the surgery "yesterday" which I agreed with a chuckle. She told me she would schedule me for the psych appointment on Monday when I came in, also taking me closer to the end of the processes. If all goes well, I hope to have everything done by the end of October so it can go to my insurance company for approval and I can prayerfully get a date. I felt my excitement return and it put me back on cloud 9. Only problem is, I know I have gained weight. I am not sure how much, but I know its most if not all of the 8 lbs I had lost. I have been doing happy hour more often with other stressful workers filling my body on a Grey Goose laden pink lemonade cocktail I enjoy always with a side of buffalo wings. I feel like crap. My back aches from the slight gain and my clothes are tighter. In fact a favorite pair of jeans I purchased a size smaller (it was the last pair and they were on sale) that I was fitting well, can not be zipped.:thumbdown: Yeah guess who feels crappy about that?! One of my assistants is prepping for gastric and she just finally finished the last of her testing yesterday. We promised we would try to set our dates where they wont collide, especially since her surgery is going to require more recovery time. It looks like that is going to be impossible at this point and she will probably get to go in first. I cant worry about it or her because I still have a very long way to go and alot more work to do, but my level of excitement has come back and I am looking forward to Monday so I can find out the result of my tests and prepare for the next phase. Please keep me in prayer.

at the age of 19, (which was 22 years ago), I was 328 lbs, and I got the gastric bypass surgey. I was successful at loosing 80 lbs, but then started putting back on weight and I've been stuck at 275 for years and years. I continue to have issues with reflux and it's not consistent. I'm wondering if this new surgery is a different venue for me that might work better. I'm really considering my options as I've never been at an ideal weight. diets after diets just haven't worked. anyone have advice as I ponder this decision?

I can sit here and name at least 10-15 stories of things going wrong from people who had bypass. You have to do the research and then make your choice, it's all about what you feel more comfortable doing. Good luck on your journey!

Embarrassing, Humilating, Why I hate going out in public and eating... I think there is something very wrong with a person who never wants change. Cenophobia or Centophobia- Fear of new things or ideas. Decidophobia- Fear of making decisions. http://phobialist.com/ The Fat Lady is Tuning Up [20 Dec 2006|10:05am] [ mood | bouncy ] Last night was my mother's 75th birthday. There is a special seafood restaurant on the edge of the Cotee River that serves their dinners with shiney oak floors, high polished brass shipboard props and taxidermed fish floating through the air. We do love our appetizers. Vidalia onions, sliced medium, dredged in cracker meal and fried right. Here came this plate heaped high and hot. Out of the six people at our table, the other server placed the dish directly in front of me and not blinking he looked me square in the eye and asked if I would like a refill on my tea. "Sure", I said. I looked at the rest of my family and they didn't see what I saw. The server automatically thought the food went to the fattest person at the table! Being my usual sarcastic yet jovial self, I hunched over that plate like a dog on a meat wagon and annouced to the waiter " I'm good " while I grabbed a hot ring. My husband immediately picked up on it, my sister didn't, my mother was more wondering why HER rings were not down at her end of the table. It's that assumption. Like it never goes away or it goes so far away assumption has crossed the space-time continuum and will meet me sometime next year. Like the booths at (Belly Deli) restaurant. Who believes that the average human has the body circumfrence of a medium sized vase? So I got to the point of asking for a "Belly Booth". Hey, who wants a gastric bypass with your dinner? Reflux with your dessert? "No thanks, I'm good".

After my surgery (November 2009) I bought myself Troll/Camillia Bead Bracelet (similar to the Pandora) and for every 5 pounds I lose I buy myself a bead. I've got 14 beads as of today and because these beads arent the cheapest, it's definitely a treat and at least once or twice a day I get a nice comment about my braclet - which lets me brag about my 70 pound weight loss!