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I'm a band to bypass start over.... I had the band for 2 yrs 4 months... I feel so much better, so much more normal in the eating aspect. I have lost 51 pounds in just over two months. I'm already cured of diabetes, and high blood pressure, and assumed I'm cured of sleep apnea. teri

If your incision site is red and hurts that is a sign your band has eroded. The infection travels from the band threw the tubing and into the port. I only say this because I have had a port infection that is being treated with antibiotics for 2 months. I had and EGD done in August and my band has not eroded. If the band had eroded it will have to be removed. Some surgeons revise, some surgeons wait for several months and try to reband. It is not suggested to reband. I hope in your case it is not an erosion. Good luck!

I am getting the Realize band in 5 days... my wife and I are getting banded on the same day. We've been on the pre-op diet for 3 days, and I've already lost 3 lbs. I've read horror stories about ALL of the different weight-loss surgeries (not just banding), but I seem to hear many more positive stories than negative. That's really all I have to go on. My doctor chose the newest Realize for me, and he's had gastric bypass himself, so I feel that he knows what he's doing. My wife and I are both excited... I'm a little more nervous than she is, since I've never had any kind of surgery before. :thumbup: Wish us luck! Doodle

I am having my LAPBAND removed and my revision to a sleeve done next Wednesday Aug. 17th. Band installed July 2009 but never achieved any restriction for two years. Have lost 83 lbs but just thru dieting and behavioral modification. So, the sleeve will have to continue my WL in the future. PreAdmission testing all done and I am good to go for the surgery.

The main reason that we see limitations on NSAID pain relievers (and other stomach irritating drugs) such as Motrin is that with the RNY gastric bypass, the duodenum (the part of the small intestine immediately downstream of the stomach) is bypassed along with the stomach, and the part of the intestine that is brought up and joined with the new stomach pouch isn't resistant to stomach acid like the duodenum. Consequently, the suture line between the stomach pouch and intestine is constantly being irritated by stomach acid and never fully heals, so it can't take the added irritation of these classes of drugs. This isn't a problem with the sleeve since they're not fooling around with the duodenum or its' relationship with the stomach, and once healed a sleeved stomach is not markedly different from a normal stomach in this respect. In general, surgeons who come at this from the DS (duodenal switch, which is a sleeve with intestinal rerouting for malabsorption) perspective rather than the RNY side of things have little problem recommending the use of NSAIDs post-op - my doc suggests their use for post-op pain after things have gone below the point where the stronger narcotic pain relievers are appropriate. Indeed, this divergence is well enough known in the medical and insurance worlds that patient need for NSAIDs (or even a family history thereof,) is often used to overturn insurance decisions favoring the RNY over the DS or VSG. In short, this is far from a universal opinion, and is very much a function of a particular surgeon's background. We certainly don't want to recommend going against your surgeon's advice, but there is certainly room for discussion with him on this point, It would be worth doing a bit of research on this point to get more comfortable with it - some of the DS forums would be a good place to investigate as the VSG has a lot more in common with the DS than with the RNY Good luck, and there is hope for continued control of your pain problems; and do take instructions and limitations on Tylenol use seriously as acetaminophen poisoning is a hazard from overdoing it.

Thanks guys. I have not had any Fluid in my band for about 2.5 years. Mine is also just sitting there - although I still have pretty good restriction and can still vomit somedays - when other days I could eat a horse!!! I do have very low grade pain in my port area. A surgeon that I spoke to on the phone said it could be the beginning of corrosion, but could not tell. I had a barium swallow a week and from what the doctor could see - all looked well. I am booked for an endoscopy as well. I have an appointment on 7 September here in Canada, but if it is going to take too long I may well go to Mexico to have the revision done. I was asking because I have a feeling that here they will send me home to heal before have the sleeve - but I won't know until my first appointment. I have just ready so many different stories. Again thanks Glenda

I have really good insurance from my job but the thing is they won't pay for a fill but will pay all the cost if I am willing to change to another surgery the bypass or sleeve. Heck no I will stay just like I am but if I want a fill the doctor charges 500 just to see him and 195 per fill. This little thingy in my stomach is expensive.

According to the Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve (by Alex Brecher), long term weight loss results of the sleeve are about half way between the lap band and the bypass. But without the nutritional deficiencies caused by the bypass. I would suggest that you pick up this book, or purchase the on-line version. It really has wonderful information, especially if you are still in the decision phase.

Here is one way to think of it you can convert a sleeve to a bypass.

After 3 months of bypass what is a sample of a 24 hour meals routine with water? And same with sleeve?

Some links about the sleeve that may help. Sleeve diet guide: https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-big-gastric-sleeve-diet-guide/ Sleeve reference manual https://www.obesitycoverage.com/gastric-sleeve-reference-manual/ bypass https://www.obesitycoverage.com/category/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-bypass/ duodenal switch https://www.obesitycoverage.com/category/weight-loss-surgeries/duodenal-switch/ Mini gastric bypass https://www.obesitycoverage.com/mini-gastric-bypass-the-good-bad-and-ugly/ gastric ballon https://www.obesitycoverage.com/before-and-after-your-gastric-balloon-complete-guide/

I did have episodes of diarrhea post op, which I attributed to the liquid diet. Dumping, from what I have heard, You more medical types can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it is an immediate evacuation of the bowels after eating. I think we bandsters can have diarrhea, but it isn't actually dumping. RNY is an abbreviation for a particular type of gastric bypass surgery called Roux-en-Y. Edit: Whoops, Wheetsin beat me to it.

I'm in the very early stages here in England and have been told it can be up to 18 months on the NHS. The main reason ( Aswell as loosing weight ) is I suffer from severe Crohn's disease and they feel this will benefit me in controlling food and triggers to how poorly I can be. I have a few unhealthy things that need to be changed! Saying no to sweets & crisps! But my actual meals are healthy it's the snacking Inbetween and missing breakfast! But I have decided to go with the band instead of bypass, to help control everything and stop me from doing yoyo diets! Thankyou for all your comments

I got the band, kept it three years and then had it removed and got the DS. I would not have been happy with the bypass...mostly for the same reasons the band was not a good "match" for me...although the "match" wasn't the only reason I had it out. I don't think there is anything inherently "wrong" with any of the surgeries...it's just a matter of what works best for each of us. I'd rather hear an argument about why a given surgery was RIGHT for someone than what they think is WRONG with the other surgeries...because what's right and what's wrong depends on the needs of the person doing the choosing!! (Age, how long MO, other co-morbidities, current BMI, psychological health, history of other eating disorders or compulsive behaviors, reasons leading to obesity, likelihood of complying with follow-up and other things should all be considered prior to choosing a surgery. And with all that to consider, OF COURSE there will be different "best" answers.) If I had had the DS three years ago, I'd have been through the weight loss part already and that would be better than starting at Square One all over again, like I've had to do.

I can sleep on my stomach at 4-5 weeks out from gastric bypass... It will get better Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Soon as the Dr saw how bad my sugar levels were he said bypass is the best option for diabetes sufferers, some people have been known to leave hospital diabetes free!

I have heard that the bypass is different with food and what works one day may not work the next. I plan on trying one thing at a time. I also have been told you have to chew chew chew because it gets stuck ? I do understand the drinking rule and have no problem with that. I didn't drink 30 min or better after eating with sleeve and I didn't drink with meals, so I am use to that. What about before though ? I had one person tell me she drinks and will eat within 5 minutes of it but not after.

@Tracyringo Eating seems to be a bit more problematic atm. The MGB seems to be "more forgiving", so to say. But then again maybe I can't remember some issues I had during the first months after MGB. When I eat too fast or too much or too heavy foods I get a stomach ache. Can be from mild to wanting-to-crawling-up-the-walls. I never had that with MGB. However, my stomach is quite a primadonna since years so please take this answer with a grain of salt. The worst are dense high-protein/fat combinations. It's almost a guarantee for at least mild issues and a brick like feeling in the stomach. These things are very individual though. It makes me remember what one of the dietitians said to a fellow patient: "I can't tell you what to eat or not to eat. You have to find out what foods you tolerate or not. I can recommend eating dairy and chicken but when dairy makes you feel queasy and chicken makes you vomit the advice is worth nothing in the end." Regarding restriction: for me it's stronger than with the MGB right now but I guess in some months it will be about equal. Mind you, the revision was less than 3 months ago. Hunger signals are the same, they're very mild. I was supposed to start on solids three weeks after surgery in stead of four weeks. I was quite glad I could progress to solids a week earlier but have to say progression was less easy this time. While I struggled through the liquid/puree phase this time I also don't think it would have been possible to start solids earlier than this. I had awful cravings this time for "normal" foods like tofu with rice, cucumbers, whatever... Some people suggested this was because I was already at a normal weight when I got revision so maybe you're going to experience something similar, no idea. How much I can eat varies from meal to meal and that feels kind of frustrating. What's too much and causing issues one meal might be the right amount or even not enough the next time. In general foods with a high water content (e. g. fruit, raw vegetables) I tolerate best and usually don't cause issues so cherry tomatoes berries and grapes are favorite snack foods right now. I don't eat meat so I can't answer only part of your question. Strength and the like I'm hesitant to reply because I had not only the revision but also another little surgery regarding trocar hernia. The upper abdominal wall still feels strange when I exercise but in the end it was the fifth laparoscopy plus trocar hernia surgery, so I guess I simply have to be patient. I also feel quite stressed and exhausted these days because of work, lots of rather sh*tty 24 h shifts and on-call duties. I'm glad I'm going on vacation on Saturday for two weeks. After that I'm going to re-evaluate what might be surgery related and what might be stress related.

What staples did you have? Did you have an open procedure? My understanding is that with a lap revision there would not be staples? I am concerned with them getting this port out aka a tumor. Take care of your wound and follow the directions in its care!-wash hands and keep the dressing in place!!! (protein helps the body to heal..) Did you get another antibiotic???

It doesn't sound stupid at all and it makes a lot of sense. It's important to consider these things before making a decision and not be lured into getting a specific procedure because e. g. your surgeon has a personal preference for it for whatever reason or because it seems to be "the procedure to get" right now or because it promises the "best weight loss possible". Yes, it's absolutely possible. However, this seems to be possible after getting a bypass as well. Unfortunately there are many things to consider before choosing a procedure. GERD, malabsorption, possible food sensitivities...

I had a two step revision gained 20 lbs without my band and finally sleeved aug 5 it's been a journey

I don’t work but can tell you one of the things that would have held me back was exhaustion. I am 8 weeks out from full bypass and still don’t have my energy back. Everyone is different though so you may be just fine at 7-10 days. once you move on to soft foods it will get easier. The liquid stage is just an energy zapper. I feel sure that others will chime in soon.

KarmaandKismet; You are very wise to consider this. Personally, I feel that counseling and ongoing therapy should be a REQUIREMENT for anyone who undergoes Weight Loss Surgery of any kind, and I am kind of surprised that insurance companies do not make this a KEY part of the process, other than the initial Psych consultation. I believe that it is a KEY component of success in this area. SO MUCH of the obesity enigma is that it is a “mind game”. The Lap Band and the other forms of WLS can very effectively deal with the Physical component of Obesity, BUT unless the “mind’ component is dealt with, a very large percentage of WLS patients will not be as successful as they would like to be. It is known that a certain percentage of Gastric Bypass patients will put the weight back on within a few years of losing it. This is not a result of any deficiency in the surgical mechanism, but it is a direct result of the “mind component” of weight loss not being addressed properly, or even addressed at ALL in so many cases. It is also known that in the case of the Lap Band, a large percentage of Patients never reach their intended goal, and, again, it is because (in many cases) the psychological and emotional issues that brought the patient to the point of needing surgery have never been addressed. So, yes…you ABSOLUTELY need to make Psychotherapy an integral part of your Weight Loss Surgery experience. In answer to your question about Therapists who specialize in Weight Issues, yes, there ARE those who maintain a Specialty Practice in that field. You need to hunt for them a bit, and I should warn you that MOST Psychotherapists will say that they deal with weight issues, but the fact is that most of them do not deal with it as a SPECIALTY. And, you really do want someone who is a specialist in this, someone who has been doing it for a number of years as a primary practice. Sometimes you will see them in the yellow pages, but as is most often the case, the BEST practitioners do NOT have to advertise. It is very possible that you can get a referral from your Surgeon’s office; they very often have good links to Professionals in this field. Also, if you contact your local chapter of Overeaters Anonymous, they often can refer you to Professionals as well. Again, I have to emphasize the importance of finding someone who is very well experienced and trained in Bariatric Psychology as a SPECIALTY, and not merely an incidental part of their practice. I think if you ask most Psychotherapists if they treat people with Obesity issues, they will all say yes. But, the vast majority of them will only have a couple of patients for whom it is a defining issue, and their experience in treating this problem is not very deep. So, take the time to find someone who really IS an expert in this….you will be well-served by having this kind of professional on your Team. Good Luck with your Surgery, and please keep everyone posted on how you are progressing! S.

Having a band to sleeve revision. After 9 months of waiting to meet I durance requirements for revision I'm finally just 4 short weeks from surgery. I'm enjoying my last 2 weeks of solids before getting back on the pre-op mostly liquid diet. It's going to be nice to have the month of August off to recover. Who is with me?

I had my sleeve ( actually a revision from a band) three days ago. I feel fine but am scared that I may have made a huge mistake. I have battled obesity my entire life. I had fair results with the band, but if I wasn't getting stuck, it wasn;t working. I don't know if I am scared that this will work or scared that it won't.