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I'm also highly prone to gout. Is this complication only right after the surgery or is it a long-term problem?? thanks

There is a section on "complications" on the forum you might want to look at. I'm sorry you've had problems.

Not wanting to be a Debbie downer BUT...... I think you need to be stopped for 4-6 weeks as a minimum before surgery due to all the nasty complications like increased chance of infection, poor wound healing and higher chance of respiratory infections alongside the pressures of anaesthesia. As for your question, different surgeons test at different intervsls by different ways including urine, blood or breath. Be aware that smoking cessation products containing nicotine will give a positive result. Cold turkey is by far the best way to stop but I've heard vaping nicotine free can help in the early days. Good luck xxx

I am going to try to take my lap top with me so that at least when I get to the hotel room I can post. I will be out there for nearly 3 weeks, Dr Pascal likes you to saty for at least 2 weeks and I want to be sure that I am well on the way to recovery before I leave.It would be a bit tricky to get home and then have a complication.

I'm not saying this to lecture, but just in case there is a chance that you are unaware: eating any sorts of solid foods this early after surgery can cause your stomach to leak, which can become a life-threatening complication. I'm not judging you; every single one of us struggles or we wouldn't be here. I hope that you find the way to keep your eating safe for you and your sleeve. Hugs!

Well nothing similar but wanted to say that after having my band for 5 years, with no complications, I had a revision this past September. I don't think that you can have the band in forever and that is why I had it removed. It was the best decision I could have made to be band free. IMO it doesn't sound to me like it is band related, your husband's issue. What did he eat? Did he over eat?

Hi PrettyOne - I am so glad everything is going well. I am sorry that you feel this board is anti-Lopez - it is NOT, but there HAVE been a number of people who are members of this board who have had some less than desireable outcomes. It is unfortunate that those who have positive outcomes feel as though they cannot share their experiences (USUALLY it's the other way around!!), but it is SO RARE to find a board that allows people to actually relate their less than positive outcomes, and actually let those posts REMAIN, that it may feel as though positive posts are not welcome. Nothing could be further from the truth. We ALL care deeply about every banded patient, and we ALL want everyone to have the absolute best outcome, regardless of who they choose for their surgeon, and how their own outcome may have progressed. I think we all realize that every doctor has their less than successful cases, and ALL doctors are human - eventually there is going to be a mistake made. No one should be made to feel defensive about their choice of doctor, OR the posting of their outcomes, good or bad. When I was doing my research I asked for people's experiences with the doctor I was considering. I was on the biggest boards, with the most people. I did not get a single negative comment, and lots of raves. I read lots of posts from people who said what a great surgeon my doc was, how they had actually WATCHED him perform surgery, and how impressed they were. I went with my doctor. BUT - I KNEW that at worst, the people giving me advice (everyone's a stranger, so I have to use my best judgment when evaluating their advice) had something to gain by promoting my doctor, and at best were giving their own personal experience. I'm a relatively intelligent woman, but frankly, I could watch a butcher perform surgery and not know if he were doing a good job or not - so I could only surmise that MOST people would not be able to make any kind of value judgment on the quality of a surgeon, unless they were a surgeon themselves, and actually worked side-by-side with the surgeon they were evaluating. So if nothing else, these people had surgery with the doc and survived. When I was diagnosed with erosion I considered myself to be a fluke, a part of the 3% erosion cases, the fruition of an unlikely risk that I accepted when I was banded. Prior to losing my band I personally knew of one other Lopez patient who had to have her band removed due to erosion. SINCE I have had my band removed, I personally know of two more who have lost their bands, and there are several other people on this board that I do NOT know personally who have also lost their bands who were Lopez patients. Certainly there are WAAAY more Lopez patients that have had postive outcomes than there are who haven't. Because the gathering of factual information from all patients, regardless of surgeon, seems virtually impossible, no one can scientifically speculate on any one surgeon's complication rate. It is certainly possible that it is mere coincidence that a number of people on this board have had negative outcomes - to make accurrate statements one would have to know the sample base size, and a lot of other information that generates reliable statistics. I can NOT in good conscience recommend or advise against any particular surgeon - I can only relate my own personal experiences and my own personal knowledge, and point people to places where they can gather their own information and make their own decision. I send those people HERE, because this is the ONE board I personally know of that is NOT run by a doctor, or a particular doctor's advocates, and I know that EVERYONE is allowed to post their experiences - good or bad. If you want to post something good about Lopez, make your own post about your good experience. Just don't confuse your good posting as doing "battle" with those who have posted negative experiences. Your GOOD experience does not negate the negative experiences, and the negative experiences do NOT negate the positive experiences. There is no right or wrong - just our own personal stories. I always hate to hear anyone say they're leaving the board - I hope you don't, because there are wonderful people here with lots of good info. Yes, there are some very emotional posts, but we are emotional people. Wishing everyone continued success -

The complication insurance will not cover any complications that are taken care of in the US. It is strictly for care provided in the country the policy if issued for. Won't work for me.

Yes my doctor requires a nicotine test but he told me up front at my initial appt so I had to quit. It is worth it though to regain our health and there are so many complications that can occur if you smoke before and after surgery since it affects your bodies ability to heal.

For me personally i have chosen to keep those who know to a very small number. I figure others dont need to know more, they will see the results. I have informed my boss as it will impact my work, but no one else will know from my work until the next time they see me on a trip (i work from home most of the time). As for my family, that is a whole other kettle of fish. My mother had a lapband done, has since learned to cheat and now has gained back all of her weight. One sister is obese, bordering on morbidly obese but she doesnt seem to want to do anything about it. My other sister is only 28 and already on a multitude of pills to help her live. Ultimately my family lives in another country and my immediate family is here with me my extended family is back in Australia so they may not see me for another 2 or 3 years. As for my immediate family, my wife is completely on board she figures the cost in time, money and effort is going to pay off because i will be around longer. My son is very supportive and is happy i will be able to do more with him. My daughter is a little scared of the 0.3% who have complications and that i will fall into that category.

Ditto - 3 WLS first a band in 2013 lost all the weight but complications set in and could not eat or drink and the band came out in May 2015. Gained 30lbs and different surgeon did sleeve on 21 December 2015. Complications and blockage due to scar tissue from the very start, never moved from clear liquid stage. Weight 46kgs but had revision to bypass on 9th May as could not eat or drink. Think I will make the Guinness book for bypass at the lowest weight ever (lol)

Anxiety about having surgery and essentially changing your lifestyle is to be expected...even the most grounded individuals will have some reservations about making those types of sweeping changes. I know i did... Trust me when I write that life as you have known it will resume, with a few minor exceptions. I'm only 5 months post op, but now I'm able to attend parties, go to restaurants, travel, and go sailing. Pretty much all of the activities I enjoyed before getting my band. I just make different choices on the menu, and every meal I order gets stretched into 3 meals. For the initial month or 2, you are still adjusting to the many changes we need to make...and inherently, people do not do well with change. How we interpret the situation we are confronted with makes a huge difference in how we ultimately will adjust to our new lifestyle. It's important to understand that the more self determination we feel in life, the healthier we will be from an emotional standpoint. Having a band is very self empowering; you and only you will determine your level of success with your weight loss journey. For some, that can be a frightening thought, because many have a fear of failure. Day to day, remaining compliant with your diet can be very challenging, but overall, we do not need to be perfect, only make the best effort every day to do the best we can to follow the rules. People who do not need to loose weight do not have the surgery...and the reason many of us got to the point of choosing to have the band was because of our relationship with food. That has to change; food is not your friend. We must learn to eat to live, not the other way around. When you have to say goodbye to a friend, you can actually go through a grieving type process as you adjust to understanding that you can no longer seek solace from food to cope with stress or boredom. I was fortunate to have a chance encounter with a woman who had been banded 2 years ago...she helped me to place things in a better perspective. What is more important to you, having your health and mobility or knowing that you can eat whatever you want to in whatever quantity you want to? Put into those words, discussion over...just do it! Yes, it has been a major adjustment for me; and pre op and initial post op times are the most difficult. Gradually you do get your life back to some sense of normalcy. My interpretation of having my band is that it is an opportunity for me to restore some of the health that my weight was stealing from me. I still feel fortunate that I was able to have my surgery, even with the complications I have experienced. Because I know what the alternatives would be...so my thoughts remain positive and I do my best every day to remain compliant, and I also accept that I am not perfect. Get in touch with your reasons for choosing your band, and keep them at the forefront of your thoughts so you can review them when you have moments of anxiety or regret. Best wishes...

Red flag? not at all. LIMARP where I'm going--in 2012 had a 0% major complication rate due to the very strict pre and post of guides. Am I paying a lot more then most? Yes I am, but I want the best good luck and like Amanda said research, research research!!

I agree. I'd love to find just one band patient that has had their band for 10 years without complications, another surgery, a 2nd band, or the ever popular "band issues". I was able to find 1 band patient on OH that had her band for almost 9 years, she is on her 2nd band, and now is going in for a revision to the sleeve. She just "lived" with the band issues because she thought it was a fair trade off to lose the majority of her weight. For me, it's not about doing well, or losing _____% of my excess weight. It boils down to quality of life. Not being able to eat a good, healthy balanced diet because certain foods would not go down, or the ever lovely puking on the same food I ate the day before without issue. For me, that is not a high and pleasurable quality of life. Not to mention all of the maintenance, in and out for fills and unfills trying to find the sweet spot. The stats on revisions for sleeve patients that have been documented at 5-7 years out is between 3-5% vs. 25% with the band. For me, that speaks volumes. We all know someone or several that have done well with each WLS option. Unfortunately, I know way more people that have complications or "band issues" than I know true success stories. It is a personal choice. You have to weigh all the pros and cons. Look at the big picture, and then proceed. My mom has a band, and is almost 3 years out. She pukes 2-4 times weekly. Lives on mushy, soft solids, can't eat lettuce or bread, and forget chicken. She's had over 20 fills/unfills trying to find the sweet spot, and still at almost 3 years out she has 40 pounds to goal. BUT, per the stats, she's considered a success. I just hope she doesn't screw up her stomach tissue along the way by just "dealing/living" with band issues. On the other hand, my younger brother has a band also and is about 15 months out, he's lost over 100lbs and doesn't have any of the band issues with the exception of eating certain foods. Unfortunately, he hates getting the fills at this point so he's on a forced diet because they can't get the fill right on him either. If I wanted to diet, I wouldn't have gone through WLS to begin with. Think twice, cut once.

If you are considering WLS, please don't let age deter you! More and more we senior citizens are doing it. Medicare is currently investigating the possibility of approving the VSG. I predict that they will approve it in March and when they do, the floodgates will open! I am five days post-op and feel good. Not a lot of stamina, but I just had major surgery. No complications. Off the metformin and byetta and one BP med. I imagine that I will have days when I question why I did this, but so far, so good. .

The longer you participate on this forum, the more differences you will read with instructions given by surgeons to their patients...each doctor has their preferred protocol. My surgeon required a 2 week pre and post op diet, so I was on liquids for 4 weeks. And post op, I could not even have the fresh veggies! The low carb liquid diet is prescribed to shrink your liver, to allow the surgeon to have better access to place your band. Obese people tend to have more fat in their livers. So, I hope you are using the sugar free jello. You really should find a Protein drink that you like, because likely periodically post op you will return to drinking Protein Shakes after fills. I have to return to a liquid diet for 2 days after getting a fill, then 1 additional day on soft foods. I would continue to search and try several more brands until you find at least 1 that you do like...and be certain to read the nutritional values/ingredients label. You should look for shakes which have a minimum of 20gr protein per serving, and the best protein for bariatric patients is whey isolate protein. There has been some heated discussion on the forum about whey protein, but it is still considered to be the gold standard for bariatric nutritional needs. I use the Wheybolic Extreme (1.5 scoops) from GNC (chocolate and cookies 'n cream flavors). When mixed using 1% milk, I get 37 gr of protein per shake. You should also have been given a number of protein grams to have every day...try to meet that goal. BTW, the day before my surgery, when I could only have Clear Liquids, I had to host a luncheon (I had agreed to do that 6 months prior to having a surgery date) for my woman's club. While everyone was enjoying their chicken salad or quiche, I enjoyed sipping my iced water...you do what you have to do. My band surgery had been delayed for over a year due to unplanned medical complications, so when I finally received medical clearance, I ran with it before anything else could happen to delay it again! Best wishes as you continue on your journey...

@@CowgirlJane "I think what I am starting to wonder, as time goes on, if I really want a deep relationship for the next phase of life. Like- is it really worth it. And....I don't have a harem dammit. (I don't really want a harem*, all too complicated for me, but I couldn't let that remark pass)" Can't speak for everyone, but I do not want to live celibate and lonely... women have a much greater social network of support that guys just don't have. Yes dating has been work, but looking at it now, it was also been an opportunity for growth, healing and clarity. For instance I didn't have mental health on my list of things I thought was important until I found a very nice person who I discovered had some very latent mental health issues that needed to be dealt with so we discussed, mutually saw the need that we needed to stop seeing each other. But it was all for good in the long road. And despite all the ups and downs, it was fun, because I chose to make it so. Even the crap is funny now. *No woman does, that's why only guys have them. Think about who has the power at bar on Saturday night and you realize why.

First of all you will only get as small as you want to, that much is directly up to you, if you track your daily calories like you should then it is your choice when you decide to up your calories and go into maintenance. Second while there is a chance of complications hence the "getting sick" part they are rare. And past the initial recovery you should be just fine. I am three weeks out I feel fine and I haven't even so much as vomited once. Third you should forget about what everyone else thinks and worry about what you think. The odds are not in your favor for taking off the weight and maintaining the weight loss on your own, so if surgery is what you think is best for you then you should do it and concentrate on being positive, leave the negative chatter out of your mind. Most people don't even know enough about the different weight loss surgeries to be able to comment on them with any type of an education. Do what's best for you! Ultimately it's you that has to live with the decision. Personally I don't regret my decision one bit.

Look at pictures of surgical complications due to smoking....that's all the incentive you need. I quit for a breast reduction in 2006. Nicotine might leave your body in 3 days but the physical effects of smoking take a while to heal. Wound dehiscence, infections, longer recovery time, more anesthesia complications - that was all I needed to hear before I quit cold turkey. It sucked. I used two pieces of nicotine gum in the first 24 hours because I woke up and had a panic attack. No matter how you quit, it's going to suck. I didn't pick up a cigarette because I reminded myself if I caved, I'd have to go through all the misery all over again. I quit in 2006. My surgery was in 2007 and I had no complications Haven't touched the stuff since. Think of it this way: even if you gain weight from quitting, you're in the process of getting weight reduction surgery. Perfect timing!

In Aust the min bmi seems to 35. Some surgeons will operate on patients with a slightly lower bmi but they must have severe health complications (high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, etc.). It‘s not common for people to lose so much weight after surgery they attain a bmi in the low end of the healthy range or lower & stay there. Those that do drop to a bmi of 18 or 19 more often or not gain some again after because it’s difficult to maintain long term. Life kicks in, your hunger increases & metabolism slows again. The average weight loss after surgery is about 65% of the weight you need to lose to put you in the upper end of the healthy range after 5yrs. There are a couple of people on this forum who struggle to maintain & have a low bmi. I’m sort of one of those people. If I miss a meal or a snack I can drop weight. Do it a couple of times in a week & the drop sticks. Consequently, I’m very routine in my diet of when & what I eat - sometimes I feel like I eat all day which is challenging when I’m often not hungry. (Honestly, my GP & surgeon would like me to put on a couple of kilograms but I’ve dropped a kilo in the last 2 - 3 months so I’m a bit nervous to go back next month.) What is your goal weight? As with all things in life if you put in the hard work & are committed to your plan (very careful with your diet & very active) you can attain your goals & maintain it. However balance is key. You have to be able to live the life you want at a weight you are happy with. I hope I don’t sound negative. Your concern is legitimate. I suggest you speak with your surgeon & nutritionalist about your worries. Good luck.

I definitely would encourage you to WALK!!! I was in pain when I went home and I feel my stomach time to heal because I just always took my pain medicine and laid around until I realize I didn't want to go back to the hospital for dehydration or complications so I made myself walk. As far as sleeping on my tummy it was a month for me it was even hard for me to sleep on my side but I am definitely pumped I am a month post op and all I want to do is exercise but I been sluggish because of my vitamins I am not yet good with that and still is learning but all I can say is that when you start to feel better your going to be so PUMPED to do what you have to do! GOOD LUCK[emoji1491][emoji813]️

http://www.thinnertimes.com/weight-loss-surgery/wls-basics/weight-loss-surgery-comparison.html Above is a chart comparing various WLS procedures. Bypass and sleeve have a higher excess weight loss percentage than banding. They are also a "set it and forget it" procedure, not needing the aftercare that a band needs. On the flip side, they have higher rates of severe complications.

I’m planning to have either the band or the sleeve and would love to hear back from people who had either of these and your thoughts? Did you have success? Did you have complications? How much weight loss and how long?

Baylor Mom welcome to the site. You will find very good information on this site. Just do go the complication site too much I find it very scary at times. For the back pain try walking and a heating pad. For the port site pain try an ice pack. See how this works Congratulations on your new life. I live in Arlington TX. I will email you so we can keep in touch

I was 327 when I was banded. The reasons why I chose the band were: 1. It's reversible. 2. I have control. My band can be adjusted, and I won't have to just simply "deal" with just a smaller stomach. 3. Bypass patients will gain weight back. 4. I know a couple of people who had the bypass and they don't look too good. They look saggy. They lose weight too fast and they look saggy and sick. 5. I don't have nutritional deficiencies. 6. Lap Band patients don't have dumping syndrome (google it if you don't know what it is) 7. Surgery is minimally invasive. I have all of my organs and nothing had to be "rerouted." 8. If bypass patients want to make "adjustments" they have to have another surgery. I.e. doctors have to go in and restaple their stomach. 9. I'm sure the ladies that I know that had the bypass are not just losing fat - they are losing muscle. 10. Bypass has a higher risk of complications. Here's another list: Compare LAP-BAND® to Other Weight Loss Options | LAP-BAND®