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if you are like me--into starchy late night snacks then the band should do it for us:smile: I will be banded on the 26th and am nervous about the surgery itself but would be so freaked about gastric bypass!! It has a lot more risk and more long term problems with absorbtion, losing too much sometimes, and saggy skin. I think lap band is a bit slower so less saggy skin, no absorbtion problems and the restriction can be adjusted! Maybe your friend who has the band who is not losing is eating liquid calories?? -or does not have enough restriction. If one sucks on chocolate, drinks milkshakes , drinks high calorie coffee drinks, eats ice cream or high calorie soup then those things "shoot" right through and the band is not being used properly. good luck

Hi, Im not in November, you will get better responses if you wait until October to post for November.

Hey Shannon! Like many others I never really considered the bypass because it seems toooo extreme for me. I'm also worried about loose skin and I think the bypass would definitely leave me with some. My dr told me, in his professional opinion, the band is better for younger people (I'm 25) because it gives you the AIDE you need to change your life NOW before it's to late, instead of having a "quick fix" and never have really "learned our lesson" prompting many young folks to gain the weight back (with the bypass). And he also mentioned that it helps a lot in not having loose skin because we are able to exercise better/easier. I have a friend who was banded about 3 yrs ago and now she says that she wants to go back and get the bypass (I don't know if that's even possible) she lost nothing with the band and I think it definitely has to do with her not making a life style change and now is looking for that quick fix. That being said, it is of course a personal decision/preference. My brother in law is also getting WLS and he feels like the gastric sleeve is a better fit for him. So, my advice is don't rush and give yourself enough time to make a decision that you will be satisfied with forever. Tons of luck and wish you the best. I'm getting banded Oct 6th so I'll let you know how it goes :thumbup:

Dear all: Thanks for the great wisdom on this board. I've mostly been lurking, until I made my decision to do the surgery. Your comments were critical. Here is my problem: I was planning on getting the sleeve right before Thanksgiving. This works well for me, because as a field scientist, my critical field work time is in January, February and March. I need to be mobile and have long days. My second child is due in April, and knowing my wife, and the fact that we live abroad, I don't want to wait until after the baby for this, because I might never do it. I'd rather be thinner with more energy when number 2 comes along (and for the field work). So, late November sounded good, and I was looking at airfares, etc. Until, yesterday.... So, as a scientist, my goal is a tenure track job. Right now I'm on a yearly contract with no benefits. Tenure track, and then tenure is the holy grail. I just got invited to interview for a tenure track position that I'm really interested in. But the interviews include giving a lecture and a full day (8 am until 8 pm, with social meals....let's say a lunch with students and dinner with faculty). And it is scheduled for the second week of December. I'm not too worried about being tired (but maybe I should be), but instead I'm worried about eating (or should I say not eating, rather drinking). I'd like to think that university types would be all Enlightened about this stuff, but my experience tells me other wise. I could wait until after I return, or I could try to rush the surgery next week (I already started a pre-op diet to give me options.) Thoughts? Advice? All is quite appreciated. Thanks a ton! Matt

My friends mom chose the band over bypass. She started at 350 and is now 170. She's done absolutely great with hers. It is frustrating but you'll get there. Good Luck!!

Wow Marci! It sounds a lot like me. The only thing is that I only have reflux after a fill. Once the fluids gone in fine. My doc insists its not a slip and says that my EGD last November showed the band was in place. I'm at a loss.

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>

Hi Anissa! Congrats, you're almost there! Where are you having your surgery? I've definitely had similar thoughts-- especially ones about "not waking up." My boyfriend actually had gastric bypass 2 years ago and I asked him how he dealt with those thoughts. He said "the way I saw it, I was already dying." It's morbid I know, but it made me feel better somehow. This isn't something small, it's not something you're doing lightly or flippantly. You're doing it to get a new life really, and I don't think anyone would be angry at you for that.

I Have UHC and was approved, first request. I had to see a whole bunch of doctors before my surgeon sent in for authorization. My surgeons office knew before hand, from experience, if it was going to be a problem. I had the insurance language that WLS was excluded unless morbid obese. Hope this helps. Back in November, I called our insurance...United Healthcare. (We have the Choice Plus coverage.) I was told that my UHC plan would cover 100% of my surgery. I even asked if there were any prerequisites. The only one was morbid obesity, which I fit! My first doctors appointment was December 7 with a Dr in the UHC Network. I got there, signed in. The insurance lady called me back, told me she spoke to someone with UHC and that my insurance didn't cover any weight loss surgery. I went to the parking garage, cried my eyes out, and then called UHC. Spoke to someone that said yes, indeed, it did cover the surgery. I was so excited that I took my cell phone back into the office. The insurance lady talked to the UHC rep on my cell phone. Anyway, the dr's office asked for a fax of the coverage. We waited...and waited...and waited. I called back, to which this whole cycle restarted. Yes it is covered. No, it's not. I never got to even see the doctor that day. Devastated, I called, very angrily, and wanted answers. I spoke to someone that told me to have the dr.s office fax a "prerequisite" letter to UHC, stating WHY I needed the surgery. She said my plan did cover the surgery and any surgery for weight loss, under the morbid obesity section. The reason the customer care reps kept saying no was because it always said "Need additional informatiuon." Has anyone else has this kind of luck with United Healthcare? That day, the doctors office, to which I am not even a patient, faxed a letter stating I needed the lap band, due to morbid obesity. We are still waiting to see whether it's going to be accepted or denied. I will tell you that the surgery code # was put into my plan and it was covered. This is all just so devastating to me! The insurance lady @ the dr.s office told me a rep called her from UHC today, but really didn't know whether or not the surgery was covered. Said she would have to refer it over to the UHC nurse case worker. SERIOUSLY? How hard can it be to know whether or not this surgery is covered? I am really down at this point. The lap band feels years away~ :(Just wondering if anyone else has had this kind of luck, with a good outcome from UHC?

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