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Hi Headhunter! I attended two different seminars for two different doctors. The first one I almost went with, but as soon as he finished his 30-minute lecture he was out of there! He had about 10 minutes of questions and then he was out of there! He left the rest of the answering of questions up to some other staff. They were talking about all of these things that the insurance did not pay for such as the psych eval, which would have been 250 dollars. Nutritional consult with their nutritionist another 200 dollars, their "own" preop diet 200 dollars, postop diet 150 dollars. All of that the insurance didn't pay for. So, I called my insurance and asked about covering psych evals, nutrition consultations etc, and they told me yes they do. The NUT and the psychiatrist would have to be covered by my insurance, but they would cover it. I didn't like that about that doc. So, I attended another seminar with my doctor I have now. VERY meticulous during the seminar ( although he was a little late due to surgery) but very, very thorough! I asked them up front about the psychiatrist, nutritionist, etc. My insurance covered them all and I only had to pay 10 dollar copay each time. Except for the NUT class and that was 50, but still lots cheaper than the other doc. Also, my doctor has not lost a lap band patient. I don't know about bypass, as I didn't ask that. But, he is very careful and makes sure everything is safe for the patient before doing any surgery. I am on medication now for a peptic ulcer, but I can still have the band placed. He said once I am banded for a few months he wants to do another EGD to check things out down there. He stressed how important it is for me not to indulge in alcohol, NSAIDs, aspirin or even caffeine due to my ulcer situation. He sold me the first time at the seminar and I felt comfortable with my decision. I hope that answered your question If you want to ask me anything else, ask away.

I totally feel for carnie wilson as it must be 100 times worse to be in the public eye and having every pound lost or gained a newsworthy event. It also makes me sad to know that even with bypass or lapband how hard this struggle is - i've lived it my whole life and while i'm hopeful the band will make me a success at weight loss - success to me will mean keeping it for once in my life. And i have a ways to go to even get the weight off.

Here we are on Day 11 of my 14 day pre-op diet. It's been so interesting to read the different pre-op instructions that have been given to different patients! I was allowed a protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch and then for dinner I get 3-4oz lean protein, 1C veggies, 1C fruit. I can snack on SF popsicles, SF pudding, SF Jello or any broth. I was noticing that I'm much hungrier later in the evening (big surprise there... I swear, I've gained every extra pound I own after 9:00 pm). I adjusted my eating times a little & that helped. Then I decided to eat my protein & 1/2 C veggies at dinner and save the rest for a couple of hours later. Now if I'm hungry, I can eat the other 1/2 of my veggies (or just grab a new one - I've heard some people have problems with cucumber getting stuck post-band, so I'm enjoying it while I can) and I still have my fruit if I need it. I'm still only eating the allowed amount of the allowed foods, I'm just making it work for me. I will tell you though... Days 1-3 were incredibly hard. My dear friend (who had her band placed in late November) told me that Day 4 would be better. I believed her.. and she was right. Now here I am at Day 11 and I've stepped on the scale a handful (ok, like 7) times. I've lost 11lbs! Don't hold me to that though, lol... our weight fluctuates by the hour, it seems. Hoping I end this 2wk pre-op with at least that 11lb loss. I really need to focus on getting all of my water in though. I've been slacking on that a bit. If I can replace a glass of tea with a glass of water, I should be fine. I'll be banded in 4 more days. I can't believe it's so close!

Can someone explain the difference between the RNY and gastric bypass? Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Im from Rochester NY i got banded feb 2009 im looking for a support group for lapband i have been to monarch and odyssey support groups but they focus on gastric bypass. anyone interested in forming a support group for lap band ?? feel free to email me bren270@aol.com im trying to get a list together to form group...:tt1:

I just got approved!!!! YAY and now they have me set up for surgery at the end of November!!! anyone else getting it done through the holidays?

I think your fooling yourself if you think you are only going to be drinking a liquid diet for the rest of your days. You can include it, but theres still going to be food out there that will tempt you. You know.. I have a friend that had the gastric bypass done.... And she like NEVER throws up unless she is sick with the flu or something like that, I never heard that about the gastric people... :huh2:hmm.. I just hear about the dumping thing if she eats too much sugary sweet stuff. Well, whatever you choose, good luck!:smile2:

I've had peripheral neuropathy (PN) for some 10 years now. Although it started off as fairly mild, in recent years it has progressed to where I have daily pain in my hands and feet and I take a cocktail of medications to deal with the symptoms. I have just begun to consider Lap-Band surgery for myself. My main concern is that it might aggravate my PN rather than alleviate it. I've decided against gastric bypass surgery for that very reason: although it can cure diabetes, a small-but-significant percentage of patients develop PN as a result of malabsorption of B Vitamins. I'm assuming that if it can trigger neuropathy, it may also aggravate existing neuropathy. Has anyone else gone into lap-band surgery with preexisting PN? thanks, Sue

Well, technically still my first since I freaked out the first time. But, I need it for sure! The past few weeks have been not so good. I lost focus, ate larger portions, drank wine, ate when I wasn't hungry, etc. The scale shows it, too. Funny how that happens and how surgically altering my body still hasn't made that fact stick in my brain yet! OK, all that is in the past. New start, new focus and a fill. I also picked up a copy of Jackie Warner's book "This is why you're fat". I learned a lot about sugar and its addictive hold. I went through my pantry and was shocked at how much sugar is added into "good" food! My favorite Kashi cereal has 13 grams per serving and I eat it with skim milk which has another 13 grams of sugar! Good grief! I'm going to follow her nutrition & exercise advice and see how it goes. I am ready for Onederland for sure! My goal is to be there before the start of basketball season, November 1st. I'll keep posting, that has a way of making me accountable!

I went to my gyno today and told him of my banding. He was very supportive of the band. He was talking about the risks associated with the bypass. He was telling me he was just through with a surgery when one of the other surgeons asked him to assist with a bypass that just came into the ER. Part of his bowel had died. He said witjin 2 hours, that man would have died. But he said what was even more serious is the state of the re-routing, they could not figure out how to get the bowel stiched back so everything flowed in it's natural direction because it was such a mess in there. He said the surgeon he assisted was the best on staff too. (He was not the surgeon who did the bypass) He also said it sometimes doesn't matter how good your surgeon is, it's such a serious surgery the body may just not take to it. ANd he mentioned most seem to gain weight back even after all of that. He was so supportive though, telling me how extra weight can cause Uterine cancer and how, and that maybe once my weight is down, I can go back on BC pills. STill having gas pains, this time in my lower left bowel as well as my shoulder. Ouch. Hurts to cough. I'm also having trouble keeping hydrated. I distend my sstomach trying to get the water in. My urine was very very yellow today.

Yesterday I saw had a series of appointments that left me mentally exhausted, mildly depressed and angry to the point I have decided to take the rest of the week off from work because I just do not have the energy to deal with anyone right now. My morning started off with a visit to the counselor. As usual she was a delight to talk to and after we played catch up (I hadnt seen her in a year+) she told me she would contact the psych so I could get cleared and we planned to touch base next month. I then headed to the surgeon's office which had been moved due to flooding. The small cramped temporary office was uncomfortable and the staff seemed as cranky as the patients who now had a longer wait time because there was only 2 exam rooms. My appointment with the vascular surgeon to discuss the placing of the filter to prevent clots was cancelled without explanation. I saw the nutrionist who always gives me the impression she wishes she was fishing or something. She weighed me (i lost 1 whole pound) and then began to tell me what was good and bad about my food diary. Although she is encouraging, I always feel like she is talking to me like I am a food idiot. Next was this nurses practioner who I had seen at support meetings. I had never seen her before and if I never see her again I would be fine. She had the skinny girl snobby attitude thing about her and after a while I completely shut down because she was such a b*tch. I also checked with the office manager about my sleep study follow up explaining I had left because I was told via phone I had mild sleep apnea and I would probably be treated after surgery. Well that was not in the report sent to the doctor and according to them I would need to be treated at least 2 weeks prior to surgery. My next appt date with the sleep study people..11/24. Yeah November. At that point, the wind was fully let out of my sails, and I was too angry to think, let alone reschedule my appointment with the surgeon who said he wanted me to return in 6 more weeks. I told the secretary I would call her back since its really no point in returning until after I see the sleep people since I do not have the time to take off from work and I have grown very tired of paying all of these co-pays and spending all this time running around to be no closer than I was a month ago. As I walked over to the hospital to get the thyroid ultrasound also suggested by the surgeon, I thought about throwing my hands up and trying to either lose weight on my own or just accept who I am as I am. Because my self esteem has been taking more of a beating going through this process than it had ever before. But I went anyway and 10 minutes later was told my the xray tech that I DID have an enlarged thyroid and nodes on each side. WHAT!!!! I have been hearing for years that I should have my thryoid checked by different doctors only to have my PCP dismiss it as me just having "a fat neck". My level of discouragement instantly shot up another 100 points and I left the hospital with my head hung low, my disappointment level even higher and the realization this will definitely delay my surgery even more because now I will have to be treated for the thyroid. When I got home later, I read my horoscope and it was weird. It suggested I finish painting. It went into detail saying..you picked the color, you got the paint, you prepared the house, now get to painting and finish. I saw the message between the lines and realized despite the delays this will cause, I can not quit at this point but instead use this additional time to really get my mind right and to change the habits I continue to struggle with. While having the date now pushed out probably until Dec at this point (which actually coincides with my original desires to do it around Christmas) is disappointing, I will keep doing God is directing me to do since I always believed this is His will and not mine and things will work out based on that.

Well, today was my first outing since surgery. So, I am pretty worn out tonight. I ate some dark meat turkey ground up in a blender with some soup from the dumplins. I could only eat about 1/4 cup and was full. It was the absolute best thing I have had since I started my pre-op diet on November 8th!

I was banded on november 22. Im not having trouble with (day walkers food) temptations HaHa. What Im having trouble with is burping it hurts. From what i have been reading i am lucky that i have not had trouble with the surgery gas. I can drink my protein shakes and a small cup of grits for breakfast , a cup of soup for lunch and a shake and soup for supper . I don't have a problem with getting in my 60 oz of water a day. My wife has been my support group she helps keep me on track with not letting me pick up more then what i am allowed.

ok so i went in for my consultation ...mind u i am self pay so i paid 250.00for the stupid thing and the whole time i was there all they talked about was how the lapband fails ... i was told that i would only lose about 30 pds if was lucky !!!!! and that they have patients that have only like lost 10 in 2 yrs ... very negative feeling after leaving there ,,,then they kept pushing the bypass and sleeve ..... well when i told the nurse pract that i wanted lapband she's like fine but u know there r so many problems and then i just want u to succeed ... i mentioned that i knew 2 ppl mind u that have lost more than 100 pds on the band she said ohhh they must be 1 in a milliom and bla bla bla ..... so now it's like where do i start again .. i researched this surgeon for like the longest time and heard only good things about him but it must have been about the bypass instead .... can anyone tell me what surgeon u've used or heard of or anything in florida aside from dr jawad and dr kim cuz dr kim is like 16500 for self pay which is like 4500 more than dr jawad and i'm trying to find someone no more than a couple hours drive i'm in orlando ...... i'm afraid if i don't find anyone i'll be forced to just go back and have it done by dr jawad i mean does it really matter with where they place the band and what ur outcome is ? or is it all the same and then u just go home and lose to whatever amount of work u put into it? thanks for reading. I had already recieved a surgery date of 7/7 from dr jawad now i'm back to square one :w00t:

I chose the band beacuse it has a lot less complications. I am 5'2 and started out at 318lbs I now weight 228. I have lost 90lbs and still losing. It is a slower process, but I know my insides are all in tact and that if there is a complication the band can be removed. I have 4 friends who have had the bypass and 3 of them have gained over half of their weight back. With the band after I lose all my weight and I start to gain. I can go back and get a fill. Do your homework about both surgeries. It is your body and your decision not the doctors. Good luck on your journey.

This is a personal choice of yours. If you want the gastric band procedure tell the surgeon that. Fact is that the bypass surgery is a higher costing surgery then the gastric band surgery is. I am a person that needs to lose more then double my body weight. I have a bmi of about 58. I will have to lose well over 200lbs. I have chosen the lapband because it is a tool to help me lose the weight. Not the miracle cure that I often times get the feelings that surgeons try to pass off the RNY as. Fact is you will lose weight with any WLS surgery if you do what you are suppose to do. It's still on you to follow through. At least with the gastric band you are not hacking up your body to do it and it is something that can be adjusted until you hit that sweet spot unlike the RNY being toted as the one size fits all miracle cure.

Stick to what you think is right for you. Neither surgery is an "easy" way to lose weight. You are going to have to work at it with either procedure. My experience has been that doctors that push the bypass are the surgeons who either don't do the band or don't do it well. My SIL had bypass surgery about a month after I had my band. I have lost more weight than she has. Why? because I work at it harder than she does. She doesn't exercise, eats six meals a day (actually I think she grazes all the time.) and makes poor food choices. I try to make wise food choices, only eat three meals a day, make sure I get my Protein in every day, and I walk 5-7 miles a day. There are many people who have been successful with both procedures and many people who have failed at both procedures. Do your homework and then stick to your guns about what you will or will not do to your body. For me, it has been the best decision I have ever made for my health. A year ago I couldn't walk 1/4 mile without using my inhaler. Good luck on whatever route you take.

I have diverticulosis, they said surgery would be fine. I should be having surgery in November. I was never once told by my surgeons office that I couldn't have surgery because of it. I am in West Virginia.

Southwest Bariatric Surgeons - Lap Band & Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery - Austin, TX located in austin

Hello out there! I am expecting to get banded this summer. Has anyone gone through Dr. Dent in Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) for the recomendation to Dr. Graber in Utica (New York, USA)? Also, Dr. Dent is recommending the RNY bypass, but I would really prefer the Lap Band from all I've read. It seems a little less invasive and leaves you with a slightly more normal lifestyle. (From what I understand bypass, never any caffiene or alcohol, but with lap band a glass of wine occasionally is ok and coffee is tolerable for many). Any comments would be appreciated!

This is me, my surgery was also 3/20/17, but I had the bypass. 5'5 female HW: 255.7 (2 weeks before surgery) SW: 243.4 CW: 159.6 GW: 150

Hello, I had a revision from Lap-band to Mini-bypass exactly 1 year ago. It wasn't the greatest success. I lost about 47 pounds but still have 33 to go. My doc and dietitian are both happy as they said this is average for revision, age etc. I am not happy at all. I have seen several people have success with the injection Saxenda. I was wondering if anyone had any drug help to lose the last of the weight. I still have a hefty amount to go and its not moving. Yes I have some hurdles incl Thyroid and some other issues but really, really want to progress further. I was never happy with the revision. I wish I had done RNY. I NEVER had the full button. I can eat any amount without issue which I was so disappointed in. Obviously, I really don't try and take advantage of this but have a very good appetite. Did anyone go this route with success?

Oh, no, no, no. I see where you got that, but thats not what I meant! Sorry about that. No, I had the fill removed. My band was removed in November because I had scar tissue blocking the tubing therefore preventing the band from working. There was no guarantee the scar tissue wouldn't "wrap it" again, so I opted for the DS. I had my band removed and the DS done a few days before Sue. Sue was very instrumental in my choice to have the DS, and I thank her for letting me know there is something else out there besides the RNY. My insurance company was alot quicker than hers, and I didn't have to fight with them. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I wasn't clear at all.

Unfortunately, I have moved since my surgery so I am no longer in touch with my original surgeon. I am waiting on a referral from my doctor for the revision at the moment. I don't know much about the DS in comparison to the bypass. I know a few people who have the RNY though. Thank you for your suggestions!

I went to my regular dietician today because I am still waiting for my first appointment date. We talked a lot about what to do when hunger strikes and you know you shouldn't really be hungry.. She said I needed to have a "basket full" of things to sidetrack my thoughts. Things that make ME calm and happy, reading, walking, scrapbooking etc.. We also talked about the EGO part of the brain,, the voice in your head that makes you worry or overthink things, obsess about food and diet to a point where you just give in.. She said when you are in a relaxed mood, doing something calming that makes you happy that voice stays quiet and in the back of your mind. I have come to recognize that its anxiety and stress that makes me overeat. I clean when angry and shut down and sleep when depressed,, but when I am worried or anxious I head to the fridge. I have had a lot of stress in my life for the past 15 years with little to no refuge from it at all.. Yesterday I was worried about my husband driving in bad weather to take my daughter to Grandmas, and pick my son up and bring him home. Our vehicle started having issues and hubby made the mistake of telling me. I was worried all afternoon for the 4 hours he was gone.. I had just eaten a Lean Cuisine meal, and had a horrible time staying away from the fridge. Once they got home we had dinner and I inhaled my food and felt like total crap, and then had a bad case of reflux.. I don't want to keep going through that so I am getting my "basket" prepared and writing my alternatives down in a journal. She mentioned that a study done on gastric bypass patients showed a large percentage of people who were not counseled before surgery or who never dealt with their inner eating issues turned their need for food into a need for alcohol, drugs, sex and other addictions. That is a very scarey thought and I don't want it to happen to me! What is your new Focus??