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Glad ur feeling better! I took it as long as he prescribed it to me for as long as he told me to so I don't know, guess they are all different... I haven't had any pain at all after the first 3 weeks and no problems or complications, but I will let everyone know the outcome!

Hi Jacksbanster, I was banded back in 2004 and weight loss was great. I went from 322 pounds to 140 pounds. In 2010 my band seem to stop working and i started to gain weight (plus I stopped following the bandster rules) but that is because again I didn't feel I had the control the band gave me originally. Anyway, after gaining 60 pounds I was fed up and decided to investigate if others where experiencing the same thing with the band and if there were other options out there for me to look into. So I did a lot of reading and research and found out about the plication surgery. So I met with my Lap Band doctor and he told me more about this new investigational surgery called Plication. Fast forward, I had the surgery Dec 8th 2011. The surgery was a success, recovery was a breeze, the liquid diet was hard, but I got through it. My first post op visit I had lost 8 pounds. Then I got walking pneumonia and had to go on prednisone - this made me ravenously hungry and of course I regained all the weight I had lost back. I was so disappointed and frustrated that I wanted to die. But my doctor told me that prednisone is know for weight gain and I'll get back on track soon. So fast forward, my next appointment with him I had only lost 4 pounds which did not make me happy because before I had lost 8 and now I was starting all over and at a slower pace. It is now Feb 16th 2012 and I've not gotten on the scale because I don't feel like I've lost any weight. All my clothing fits the same and I just don't see any change and I've not weighed myself since my last fill. I've had two fills since my plication surgery and I'm still hungry (more than) I thought I would be with the band and the plication. This is a different experience than when I had the lap band surgery, the lap band surgery had the weight come off very quickly. I didn't even have to think about dieting I just wasn't hungry. With this surgery (albeit it is a revision of the previous band, new band with more capacity, and the plication) I'm not as pleased as I had expected. With all that said I think my expectations need to be adjusted. I wonder if people who have had the band and have had some type of complication with it (slippage, erosion, etc) it the pouch that is above the stomach is premanently stretched out of shape. I don't have the answer I just know that the experience is not the same. I'm having to really monitor what I eat and exercise everyday. So I eat around 900 to 1000 calories a day, and I exercise on the stairmaster for an hour/ or I go for a jog. I know that I need to incorporate some weight training but I'll just have to get to it when I can. As for your questions above: How was your recovery? Recovery was great. The first couple of days there was a little pain but after that it was a breeze. How soon did you go back to work? Surgery was on a Thursday I went back to work on the following Wednesday. Do you follow a low carb diet? I followed the liquid diet they put me on for about 4 weeks. Since then I've tried everything - right now I'm basically eatting lean cuisines or smart ones. But I think I'm going to try a one week Medi fast - we will see. Right now I'm so hungry between meals I doubt if I can pull that one off. Have you had to have any fills in your band? Yes I've had 2 fills since my surgery and they don't seem to have made that much of a difference. The doctors, are being cautious because they don't want me to get too tight and have another band slippage.. I understand that but in the meantime I wish I had more restriction. How is your hunger level? Higher than I thought it would be. But if I try to stay on an eat every 4 to 5 hour schedule I do okay. How much can you eat before you feel "full" If I allowed myself I could eat a lot. The think is I count every calorie that goes into my mouth. I use www.fatsecret.com they have an incredible food database - almost everything you can put into your mouth in in their database, So that helps. I hope that my story has helped you and I will keep you informed on my progress - I hope that you will do the same. Regards, Willowsdoweep

Day 4 Best day so far. Was finally able to get out of bed, walk around without crying, and I actually went down stairs today. Yay me! My mom has been great coming over and getting things for me. It is so funny because she always wants to help me get out of bed, because that is the most difficult and painful part - I keep thinking that I will bust the stitches open. So she wants me to grab on to her arm, but she is 63 years old and probably 110 pounds and I am positive I will just break her if I put any weight on her to get up. So we keep fighting about how I should get out of bed. But today is day four and I don't need help anymore! Don't get me wrong - my incisions are still painful as hell. But today is doable. This is the first day I could say that. Surgery day and the following 2 days are a huge blur. I can't believe how much pain I was in. I knew it was normal, and I just tried to focus on sleeping, so the next would come and be easier. That must have been a good plan, because here I am! My biggest ah ha moment so far was the fact I had a haitial hernia. I had no idea I had one. I have always been 50 pounds over weight, but very active and I considered myself healthy and I would have said that I had 0 side effects from being obese. I was a "low BMI" patient and the 3 people who I did tell about my lap band all were very surprised because they didn't think I was that big. I know how shallow this sounds, but the reason I wanted to get lap band was because I wanted to look better. It had nothing to do with my health, because I thought I was healthy. But, I got a pretty huge reality check. A lot of people said they felt they regretted their lap band the first couple of days, but I have never once regretted my choice. All I can think about is the fact that I do have health problems because of my weight and I'm so glad I have made this life change. For me, the next four weeks are going to be totally about healing and nothing else. I won't worry about my weight (even though I did sneak check it a few times already). I will worry about getting enough protein (had 34 grams today), getting enough rest, and setting up a routine. Today I had a protein shake for breakfast, broth for lunch, and another protein shake, for dinner, and snacks of jell-o, popsicles, and gatorade. I am not hungry yet, which is a miracle. I hope this feeling stays for a few more days. Although, I do need to stop watching the Food Network because everything on there looks so good! I know a lot of people say that McDonalds made them fat, or high fructose corn syrup, but for me - I swear, Food Network made me fat! I am totally going to start cutting back! I truly can't believe I'm here. I'm scared to death of complications and having to go through surgery again. It was so stressful on my body and I really really don't want to do it again. But for now, I'm fine! Wow!

I am 12 weeks post of and doing well. No complications. This past week I started developing gas pains in my shoulder when I eat and they are PAINFUL. I experienced these directly after surgery but now they are back 3 months later but only when i eat. Has anyone experienced this?

Hi. I didn't have to get drainage tubes my surgeon only put them if I had risk or complications during surgery. My friend had it she said it was more uncomfortable then painful Sent from my LG-H811 using the BariatricPal App

Are you in a union? If so, your employer may have violated his agreement with the union by switching to a plan that is inferior to the previous one. Many times medical plans have requirements as per the union contract that must be met. If you are in a union, I would talk to your union representative. If you are not in a union, then I see little recourse other than to ask your employer, “why?”. It is a shame that the insurance companies and the companies that purchase the plans do not realize that in the long run, bariatric surgery can be cost effective. The cost of surgery may be one large hit that eliminates the never ending multiple small hits of treating the complications of long term obesity.

I was just sleeved by dr Hanna on 5/15. I have had no complications besides the normal gas pain afterwards. I think he is a great surgeon and would recommend him. I work with three other people who have also used him for wls.

Be careful ladies. With VSG we will need to avoid NSAID's for life as these can cause issues with our new tummies. This should be in your VSG preop/post op instructions or in the complications section. Luckily as MsShauna said, Tylenol is not a NSAID. Saying that, Advil is a NSAID. You could have headaches due to: Lack of caffeine or not enough liquid, so try to up you intake of Water if you are not getting enough. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

I agree. Please do your research and be wary of any practice in Mexico that charges less than $4600 USD. Ask for certifications and accreditations for both the Surgeon and the Hospital. These are fairly easy to confirm online. Look for surgeon accreditations like FACS, ASMBS, SRC Surgeon of Excellence and SRC Master Surgeon in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. As for the Hospital. Make sure it is a FULL-Service Hospital and not a clinic or surgery center. Clinics and surgery centers are not equipped to handle serious complications. Their accreditations and certifications include SRC Center of Excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, as well as Local, State and Federal certifications.

I don't think that cheating just one time will hurt you but I would definitely try to stay strong and follow through with the diet so that your surgery will go smoother and without complications. I wish you the best of luck through this. I was just sleeved on Monday and I can tell you that I too had a very hard time on the pre op diet but I managed and everything went well for me and I feel wonderful today. Stay strong, you will get through this

And I went back to my prenatals, small, only need one a day, a little water in the mouth, toss it in and down she floats! Nice, easy and it's over until tomorrow! Loathed Flintstones taste, hated grinding pills, thought Bari-Melts weren't all that melty, felt like flavored sand in my 👄, a complication I did not need. Only concession I still make is dissolving my big White Carafate into a slurry in a medicine cup and drinking that.

It is very medically necessary to follow the post op diet to a T! Your doctor wouldn't give the post op instructions if you could really have solids within days or even weeks after a surgery like this. You chewed it up well and nothing happened? What if something would've happened... Is it worth the chance of SERIOUS complications? I would think not.

I'm only 9 months post op. I'm going through one of my longest stalls at the moment. My stats are in my signature thingy. Just in case you were curious but I'm happy I had the RNY done. I currently haven't had any complications with it. I can run on the treadmill and go on that stair machine, which is something I never did before. I'm currently in a study that my surgeon is doing. The last part of the study happens to be when I'll be a year post op. I don't regret this surgery. Not one bit and I'd do it again if it was humanly possible. 🙂 Best wishes on your upcoming surgery and welcome aboard. Hw-273 Sw-226 CW-147 GW-130 Size- 4 or 6, Small in sweats. Medium in shirts. depends on how it's cut or made. Bra Size- 38D Surgery Date- April 26th, 2017 RNY "Only those who try will become" FFX

Just for clarification purposes, you do have a pouch with or without fluid in the band. Your band was placed around the upper portion of your stomach. This new stomach that was created is what we refer to as the pouch. Here is a picture to give you a visual. Also, the fact that you are not supposed to eat solids to avoid vomiting is only a small part of the long list of whys. The primary reason is to not further inflame an already inflammed area. This is what leads to slips, erosion, and occlusion (or complete closure) of the stoma. Yes our doctors give us different guidelines, however, they are not extreme polar opposite guidelines. An aggressive doctor may wait a 3 weeks a conservative doctor will wait 4 or 5 weeks before introducing solids. Not a day compared to a month. Instead of fighting us, accept that we too have been banded and most of us have lived with it through fills, some have had complications (and can give you testament of why you don't break the rules) and have a real understanding of the band and the risks inherent with this apparatus. This is a forum for learning, not throwing f bombs and being hostile. We consider ourselves to be a community. Most of us end up finding some genuine friends here. Take it or leave it, that's your choice. But an open mind is a must.

If you have say "please don't scream" then you know exactly what you are doing wrong. So fix it. It's that simple. Follow your diet and let your yes mean yes and no mean no when it comes to food. Don't make it complicated. Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Ya'll My gastric sleeve surgery was performed because I had a tumor on my stomach and the procedure to remove it is gastric bypass surgery. During this surgery they perforated my bowel and it caused poison to go all through my body and almost death. Now I am told that this error/complication is more common then I know. Well I would like some statistics now to see if it is worth fighting the bill I am going to get from that second surgery. Please share if you ran across this same complication as I really need to chat with someone regarding the after pain. Have a blessed day!!

I, too, have had no complications and have no complaints about the band. My surgery was 11 months ago and I've lost 65 pounds so far. I can eat almost everything I could eat pre-band. I've only spit up about a half-dozen times, and each time, I knew EXACTLY why it happened (usually from eating too fast)! Yes, some people have complications, or don't see the progress they want, but for some of us, it is the perfect tool to lose weight and keep it off. It's great that you're keeping yourself informed about the what-could-go-wrong, but try to think positive! It works!

Uh no its not. Well my surgery wasn't just having the second band put in. It turned into 4 hrs of surgery to fix a hiatal hernia, tons of scar tissue and remove part of my stomach. I had this done July 11th and have never been in so much pain and discomfort. All these were caused by the first band and its complications secondary to it being messed up. I had to spend 2 days in the hospital unable to eat or drink until the swelling went down enough to wear I could pass the GI study. I will never go through this again.

Talk to whoever does your taxes. OHIP does not cover this but you can claim a portion of the surgery and the aftercare on your federal taxes as a health care claim. The amount you can claim depends on your income but I will be claiming about $3000 this and next year, which is a nice chunk of change into the overall cost. You will have to look at your current tax return to see if you put in for a medical expense last year because that will determine the time period you can submit next year. It's stupidly complicated.:crying: The clinic you go to should be fairly accommodating in splitting up the receipts so that you can claim as much as possible on your taxes. Go to H&R Block. It will be worth the effort.

So, I’ve read various posts about regretting the journey that sleevary (yes I’ve created a word) brings. However, do some of you fully regret being sleeved or are you impartial to it? For instance, my journey to sleevary was quick fast and in a hurry. I never considered having WLS. In fact, I was one of “those” individuals whom laughed at the very idea of WLS and even said “I’d never do that”. Until June 2011 hit and I was diagnosed with Diabetes. That is when I said I HAVE to take control of my health and weight and must be proactive about it. And proactive I was. I was dieting, exercising and losing weight. Until, my cousin told me about a WLS forum. I attended not thinking anything of it. And the surgeon announced the fact that WLS reversed diabetes. Instantly, I said “sign me up”. I did not hesitate nor did I think about it. My insurance had a short process – 3 months, and since I had a comorbid disease the doctor said I would be approved. I did my research and sure enough it was proven in the research that WLS fully reversed diabetes. So literally, less than three months from my first WLS forum, I was on an operating table getting sleeved. I did minimum research, I knew about the risks, but to me, being diabetes-free far outweighed any leaks or any other complications. July 17, 2012 I’m sleeved. Told no family members, coworkers or anyone and went through the recovery process by myself. Thankful to God, I had no complications (and still do not have any). It’s January 2013 and I’m down 91lbs thanks to my sleeve and exercise (I’ve been a gym rat). 91lbs Horray!! One would be ecstatic right!? I look good (like a new person), I feel good, and best of all I’m diabetes FREE. After all, that was my goal for sleevary… Right!? Absolutely. One would think I’d be living the high life, I’m no longer classified a “big girl” I don’t have to shop at Ashley Stewart or in the plus size section(s). I should be happy. Shouldn’t I!? Well, I’m not. And here’s why… I can barely eat. I throw up sometimes but it’s very minimal. I feel most foods going down my esophagus, and although it doesn’t hurt it is uncomfortable. I can’t enjoy basic foods anymore…! Am I miserable? Am I unhappy? Absolutely not. I was never a food junky. However, do I believe I should have and could have lost this 91lbs without being sleeved? Certainly!! So why did I do this to myself!? Why did I take away 85% of my stomach? And now I can’t even enjoy the simple things in life... I can’t go out to eat with friends or on a date to a restaurant with a cute guy or participate in work functions that involve food because it’s embarrassing to be full off of three bites and have everyone sit and stare and wonder what’s wrong with her!? There’s just so many “normal” things that you just cannot be a part of post sleevary -- like enjoying a full slice of pizza, or popcorn at the movie theater (granted NOW I can eat popcorn but a month ago forget about it, pizza not so much) or how about a bagel with cream cheese or a full sandwich (and I’m not talking about a gigantic 12in sub just a measly homemade sandwich with two slices of bread), or how about indulging in thanksgiving dinner or eating a snickers candy bar without feeling stuffed or eating more than 1 egg or to have to chew EVERYTHING to a paste-like consistency before you swallow. The list goes on… Two of my friends know about my sleeve, and one is overweight. She is so excited to be sleeved and I told her if you do not have any medical problems it is not worth everything that you are giving up. Sure, you are skinny but is it worth the basic joys of life!? To some it is. To others it is not. To me, a person formerly (I love that word) living with a horrid debilitating disease YES it’s worth it! With that being said, I DO NOT regret my sleeve. And I thank God that I have not and prayerfully will not in the future have any complications. I just caution those whom are out there to try to lose weight naturally (unless you have severe health problems) and truly think about whether the sleeve is worth you losing your basic liberties (whatever they maybe)…! But, I can and will say. I love my sleeve. I love my surgeon and I love God for allowing me to become insulin and finger prinking free! However, I do wish that I would have taken control of my health BEFORE I became diagnosed with diabetes. Had I had any inkling that I was even close to that diagnosis of that dreadful disease (and I don’t care what people say, IN MY OPINION, that disease is like being diagnosed with HIV it is just awful – don’t even get me started on how life altering living as a diabetic is and how depressed I was… Ugh!) I would have ran to the nearest gym and stopped all the ice cream and soda (because that’s all I used to eat) cold turkey!! All I am saying is… Think about it! Truly, sit down and think about whether being sleeved is right for YOU! If it is, WELCOME TO THE LOSERS BENCH!!! If it isn’t, WELCOME TO THE LOSERS BENCH ALSO!!! You can do whatever you put your mind too! Persevere and rise to the challenge. God Bless you all~!!!! I love my VST-Family. SmoochieS~! TinaMari – Sleeved & Loving It July 17, 2012 – Washington Hospital Center.

Hi mimi, I have Kaiser Select. So, now I am going to GBMC. Kaiser said they only approve patients for bariatric surgery at John Hopkins if a patient has major complications prior to surgery.

Hello James, Thank you so much for sharing that information. It was very informative and you look great. It has been 10 months for me since I had gastric bypass and have many challenges. I am definitely going to keep this maintain a phase in mind. I am in my goal weight due to TPN that I receive because before I was underweight due to all my complications. I have gained a few pounds but I am where I am suppose to me. I still having problems keeping food down most of the time. I wonder if I am doing something wrong.

From the minute I came out of recovery on Thu up until today, I have wondered if they even did anything. The only proof I have is the slight pain around my port site. I have had zero complications. Even when my tummy aches, it's more like a hunger pain, I sip some broth and it goes away. Either I had an amazing surgeon, or my body just took to this like a fish to Water. I am afraid to say anything, because as soon as I do I'm sure I'll keel over in pain, but seriously, I thought this would be much more dramatic. Did anyone else sail through this?

Kinda sounds like a leak of some nature. I am curios though why, if indeed there is a leak, your doc wouldn't do a procedure to fix the leak and allow you to continue progressing with the band? Are you having other complications that would warrant going to the sleeve? Brad

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT MY INSURANCE IS NOT GOING TO PAY FOR BARIATRIC SURGERY FOR AT LEAST 6 TO 12 MONTHS AS THEY RESEARCH THE COMPLICATION RATE. I WOULD LIKE YOUR FEED BACK ON WHICH OPTION I SHOULD DO. 1. kEEP ON THE MEDICAL SUPERVISED WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM THAT I AM ON (I'M CURRENTLY LOSSING A POUND AWEEK) 2. LOOK AT SELF PAY OPTIONS (MAY NOT BE FINICIALLY FEASIBLE AT THIS TIME) 3. WAIT AND SEE IF INSURANCE WILL COVER IT NEXT YEAR (TURN 65 IN 2020 WITH MEDICARE)