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Welcome. As far a support, this is the place. Sounds to me like you've done some research. Have you had a conversation with your PCP about surgery. He/she can recommend a good surgeon in your area who specialized in bariatrics, they will also have to give medical clearance after you've done all your pre-requisites. Gastric Bypass is what I'll be having due to my medical history. RNY is good for obese people with conditions such as Diabetes, HPB and high cholesterol, all of which I have. According to research I should be off meds shortly after surgery - looking forward to that. Good luck to you, ask all the questions you have, the people here are awesome and very supportive.

I’m doing the gastric bypass...I’m pretty sure the number of weeks was based on weight but I just thought 3 weeks was extra long! I’m really hoping my body gets used to this and the headaches and dizziness goes away. Not fun!!!

My bypass was last Wednesday July 3. I came out fine and ready to get my new life started! I feel excited about being given this opportunity to get healthy! Good luck!!! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am scheduled for the 21st - hoping for bypass but Doctor says Sleeve Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm new to this site, just found it today! I've gone through the 6mos of dr visits, etc, and have already been approved for gastric bypass. I'm frustrated with my surgeons office. I was on track to have surgery in May, but they dropped the ball by not scheduling me for the required pre-surg classes. Now I'm 10 wks out from a big vacation and still not scheduled for surgery. I was hoping to be 4 months post-op and able to walk better with weight loss. This really has me down and I've decided to postpone my surgery until Oct. I haven't told them yet. I'm waiting for the call to schedule pre-op testing and will tell them then. It took years to finally be mentally ready for this surgery and now I'm so unsure of what to do.

Good luck hope it goes well but there are many ppl now having to revise from sleeve to bypass

My consolation was early January. All test were done by Early February. I went in for My gallbladder removal Feb. 22ND. I was told that day I was approved for LAP-BAND®. I was shocked. I asked her if she was sure. She repeated herself and told me I could schedule surgery for 6 wks. I was so excited. Turned out she was wrong:cursing:. I was no where near surgery. I had to do 6 month pre op diet before paperwork could even be submitted. I was so frustrated, I cried. I started the diet very half hearted, OK, I really did not follow it at all. They were not very strict with me anyways. Dietitian thought 6 mos. was to long, and who was I to argue. Anyways I was looking at a date somewhere in August. This seemed forever. I did not think it was ever going to happen. I decided to past the time by lurking on different fourms. I happened upon a Gastric bypass group. There were lots of post against the LAP-BAND®. I checked into the gastric bypass. Went to support mtg. at the hospital. Interviewed the Dr. I really liked him. The 2 years I spent researching the LAP-BAND® went out the window. On April 8th I decided this is the surgery for me, no question about it I'M HAVING GASTRIC BYPASS. April 9th I receive a letter from my insurance saying I have been approved for LAP-BAND®. WHAT!!! There has been another mistake made. My paperwork can not be submitted Until til July 7. I immediately called my Dr. to find out what is going on! Come to find out the insurance company accepted my primary care doctors records of my weight and diet I did through him last year. They gave me a date for my surgery. April 29th. Now I am stressed, and very confused. Remember I just decided yesterday, I don't want LAP-BAND®. Now what I was on the Internet for 2 days straight, and very little sleep. I did get good advice from people, except for the mini war I started on one forum. I just posted a questionon about LAP-BAND® vs RNY. I felt bad. After much more research and prayer I realized I was just panicking and really did want the LAP-BAND®. I woke up the next day with such peace, and no stress. This is how I know this is the right thing for me to do. Now that I have made up my mind I stay off the Gastric Bypass site. I am glad I found a home here. Everyone is so encouraging and especially the veterans who tell it like it is. I even stopped cheating on my 2 wk pre-op diet thanks to their opinions and words of wisdom. I am hungry and grouchy. 8 days until surgery. Wt. 246 pounds Hieght 5'4

My consolation was early January. All test were done by Early February. I went in for My gallbladder removal Feb. 22ND. I was told that day I was approved for LAP-BAND®. I was shocked. I asked her if she was sure. She repeated herself and told me I could schedule surgery for 6 wks. I was so excited. Turned out she was wrong:cursing:. I was no where near surgery. I had to do 6 month pre op diet before paperwork could even be submitted. I was so frustrated, I cried. I started the diet very half hearted, OK, I really did not follow it at all. They were not very strict with me anyways. Dietitian thought 6 mos. was to long, and who was I to argue. Anyways I was looking at a date somewhere in August. This seemed forever. I did not think it was ever going to happen. I decided to past the time by lurking on different fourms. I happened upon a Gastric bypass group. There were lots of post against the LAP-BAND®. I checked into the gastric bypass. Went to support mtg. at the hospital. Interviewed the Dr. I really liked him. The 2 years I spent researching the LAP-BAND® went out the window. On April 8th I decided this is the surgery for me, no question about it I'M HAVING GASTRIC BYPASS. April 9th I receive a letter from my insurance saying I have been approved for LAP-BAND®. WHAT!!! There has been another mistake made. My paperwork can not be submitted Until til July 7. I immediately called my Dr. to find out what is going on! Come to find out the insurance company accepted my primary care doctors records of my weight and diet I did through him last year. They gave me a date for my surgery. April 29th. Now I am stressed, and very confused. Remember I just decided yesterday, I don't want LAP-BAND®. Now what :w00t: I was on the Internet for 2 days straight, and very little sleep. I did get good advice from people, except for the mini war I started on one forum. I just posted a questionon about LAP-BAND® vs RNY. I felt bad. After much more research and prayer I realized I was just panicking and really did want the LAP-BAND®. I woke up the next day with such peace, and no stress. This is how I know this is the right thing for me to do. Now that I have made up my mind I stay off the Gastric Bypass site. I am glad I found a home here. Everyone is so encouraging and especially the veterans who tell it like it is. I even stopped cheating on my 2 wk pre-op diet thanks to their opinions and words of wisdom. I am hungry and grouchy. 8 days until surgery. Wt. 246 pounds Hieght 5'4

So I was scheduled to have my Lapband Removal/Gastric Sleeve/ Gallbladder removal surgery on Sept 29th, but yesterday during the pre-op visit, it came to light that my surgeon, Dr. Fox, will be leaving for a month long vacation 2 days after my surgery! Given that he’s doing so much, he thought it unfair to leave and not be here should by chance I have any kind of complication. My logical side concurs, but I was so close to getting this done!!! I guess it was not meant to be…. So now I’ve been pushed back to November 2nd. I guess I was more prepared for this than I gave myself credit for, because I feel disappointed, empty, and a little purposeless…much like a deflated balloon. Another 6 weeks to wait!!! *Sigh*. It was like hurry up and then brick wall. I’d made all these arrangements and had visions of a much smaller me on Thanksgiving… Brooding, Ellie

Your doctor may recommend a nuclear stress test to diagnose coronary artery disease. Your coronary arteries are the major blood vessels that supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients. Coronary artery disease develops when these arteries become damaged or diseased — usually due to a buildup of deposits called plaques. If you have symptoms that might indicate coronary artery disease, such as shortness of breath or chest pains, a nuclear stress test can help determine if you have coronary artery disease. Before gastric bypass surgery, I underwent almost a day of pre-op testing. Since I had issues, I was scheduled with 3 follow on tests done by specialist in their respective fields. We had one individual in our support group meetings who was scheduled for bariatric surgery the next week, but he got a call from the surgeon. They told him to report immediately to the hospital for open heart surgery. He had the surgery and then about a couple months later after he recovered from that he underwent bariatric surgery.

Good luck on your sleeve surgery tomorrow. I am 69 years old and I had gastric bypass surgery 4 years ago. It was like getting a new lease on life.

Iron profile and Parathyroid came back. Totally normal. Iron is actually at 150 and the upper range of normal is 160. Again... no vitamins since November.... =/ I am SHOCKED my vitamin D is normal. I have always had critically low vitamin D. And now that I don't take anything... they are fine. What the heck.

That’s correct, sleeve surgery removes around 75-80% of your tummy but gastric bypass creates a much smaller tummy from your tummy & attaches it to your rerouted intestines. Your remaining tummy is still there after bypass but no food can enter it. Further conversations with your surgeon may be needed to help you understand the differences in the surgeries, how they impact your body & which may be best for your needs. It may help ease some of your nerves too. (Nerves before surgery are very common - fear of the unknown, uncertainty, etc.) With both surgeries your ability to consume large portions is reduced. Initially after either surgery when you start consuming purées you will only be able to eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food. This slowly increases. (By 6 months I could eat about a cup of food & now I eat about the recommended serving size or a little less.) And it is possible for you to eventually eat around your smaller tummy which of course results in weight gain & something to be aware of. Changing your eating habits, your relationship with food, understanding the nutritional benefits of food, etc. are vital aspects of losing your weight & maintaining the loss. This is the work you have to do & has nothing to do with the surgery. Many find the temporary changes to our sense taste & sometimes smell after surgery is an opportunity to try different & healthier foods. I have some food sensitivities so I recognise you may as well but are they legitimate food sensitivities or just you don’t like to eat certain foods (taste, texture, etc.)? A dietician can help with this as well. Often working with a therapist is very helpful to work through your relationship ship with find & what is behind your eating habits., as well as your hunger (distinguishing between head hunger & real hunger). Focus on eating your protein first at every meal. Then eat your vegetables. Finally if you are able eat any carbs. This will be the same advice you will be given after surgery & when your able to eat solid foods. There were many meals I only ate my protein & couldn’t or didn’t want to eat anything else. ( I still have days like this almost 4 years out.) Start tracking your food (portion sizes, calories, protein & other macros). There are some great apps you can use. You can be successful with either surgery but after the honeymoon stage when things like your appetite returns, most of your success depends upon you. You have to be ready for the surgery & the changes it brings & the changes you have to make. Surgery was the best thing I ever did. All the best whatever you decide to do.

I got the call today!!!! I have my surgery date!!!! November 20, 2017!!!! I can’t wait! They only want me to have 1 week pre-op diet but definitely doing 2 weeks!!!! OMG I can’t stop smiling!!!!

The reason I answered the way I did was because of the large number of posts from people who are frustrated, disappointed, angry or think they are failing because they compare themselves with others, set unrealistic goals or timelines, think they are losing slowly, don’t reach their goal, etc. I didn’t want you to fall into the comparison trap too. I had a lower starting weight so had less to lose than you do. Am shorter & likely older. I also had a sleeve. I lost my goal of 31kg (68lbs) at 6 months. (Lost another 11odd kilos over the next 11 months bringing my total to a loss of about 92lbs.) At 8 months I’d lost 37kg (81lbs). So comparing my stats with @ms.sss & @summerseeker you can see how different loss can be over the same time period - a range of more than 2 stone which can be two or three dress sizes as an example. I may have lost more by month 8 if I wasn’t consciously increasing my calories to try to stop my loss. I may have lost less if I had more or longer stalls or lost nothing if my body decided that my goal weight was my new set point & best weight. PS: My total loss made me an outlier. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight you’re to lose to put you in a healthier range for both bypass & sleeve. I lost 135%. I had a couple of very short stalls, less than a week in length, so my rate of loss was fairly steady, gradually slowing, with just little hiccups along the way.

Thanks for explaining. Having a band myself and not knowing that ports (the plural was puzzling) are used during bypass surgery, I just expected you were talking band. I'm glad you're going to consult another surgeon. You're not difficult; you're a person with accessories. All the best to you.

Good luck! I'm a few days before you, November 16th!

Have you undecided pple - ck'd the sleeve - it's another option and you don't have the absorption issues that you can have from bypass.. It's another opinion For me I am happy with my band - I'm lucky I would say as I got to sweet spot fast and haven't had any issue (thank God and knock wood too ;0)- any wls is a crap shoot on what will be the best choice for you and none of it is the magic cure to our issues with food.. They all require work.. Good Luck to you all. Nancy - so glad you are doing so well with your bypass - I'm happy for you !!! I truly think that for some pple bypass is the answer - I'm not one of those banders who think the band is the only answer - it really is about what works and is the best for the individual person..

Congrats on the approval, think you made the right decision. Nothing against the sleeve, but it is newer than the lapband and the research is coming in fast and furious on the failure rate of the band. Bypass, this is my opinion, is the one that has been studied over the 30 years it has been around. Remember though this is just a tool, there is a lot of work that goes with it. But you'll see great results on the road to a newer you. Keep posting, it helps newbies and if there is a problem someone on the forum will be more than happy to help or guide you in the right direction.

I have FINALLY been approved by my insurance(Cigna). But the surgeon I origionally signed up for is currently scheduling for December (ARGHHH :biggrin: ) but the WLC says one of her partners ( fairly new but has studied under my highly recommended surgeon) is available at the end of October. Had they said he wasn't available til November, I would have just said "No, I'll wait til December" but, I really don't want to be dealing with surgery/recovery during the holidays since I want to go to KS to visit family and friends at that time. Plus, I really want to get started on my weight loss journey and not fall into the over eater mentallity I always do. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired and would really like to spend money on Christmas gifts vs. prescriptions (over $200/mth WITH insurance!) I feel like he (Dr. William Gibson) must be doing a good job with the surgery, or my doctor (Dr. Virginia McGrath-Weaver) wouldn't have the WLC offering his services. I just wish I could talk to someone who has used him for their surgery. I mean the staff and facilities he uses are the exact same as Dr. Weaver's so the only difference is the person on the end of surgical tools. Am I crazy for even thinking about using Dr. Gibson? Should I wait for Dr. Weaver (whom EVERYONE I have talked to absolutely LOVES)????? Thanks for all of your opinions. I appreciate all of your posts and have learned sooooo much on this website. You all have inspired and educated me about this journey and I appreciate that.

I got my band removed October 16 and wasn't sure if I wanted the sleeve. I decided yesterday I want it. Started 2 week pre-op diet all liquids today. I will have my sleeve on November 13. Im very excited! The lap band was a major fail and was put in the wrong place from the start so I'm ready for some weight loss and a healthy me!

MissE44, I so agree with you. I have a bf who got the gastric bypass and had to force herself to eat since she was never hungry. I thought id be the same but i was wrong. I must admit i had to take a diet pill today. I already cheated 3 times since my surgery last thursday. It wasn't a terrible cheat, but i did. The pill stopped the hunger. I'm just praying i can make it to my first fill.

I had a lap band placed 3 years ago. At the time of surgery I weighed 407 pounds I am currently 295 pounds. Yes the band did work it wasn’t magic. I did have a lot of complications. After the first year all my complications started to happen. I threw up every day for the past 3 years. I was constantly sick and some days couldn’t even hold down water. I am currently 5 days post op from my revision. I had the band removed and had the bypass. During the operation my surgeon said my stomach had begun to grown around the band and was very difficult to remove. Yes the band does work to a certain point but in my opinion if you are going to go threw all the pain of having wls go for something more effective!

BariatricPal.com has Elizabeth Anderson, RD in Boston, MA this week as the reporter at large for Obesity Week 2014. Find out what Elizabeth discovered on Day 1. Here are some nuggets from just a smidge of the hundreds of lectures and presentations offered today. There are so many to choose from--it's tough to pick. What guides my selection? Information that could be useful, inspiring and life-changing for my bariatric patients. At a lecture on feeding cues we learned that our visual signals are the strongest cues for eating, not smell. Surprising! I think a certain cinnamon roll company might take objection to that. This got me thinking, what can I do to reduce my visual cues of tempting treats? Here's a quick list I came up with: avoid nighttime TV,(those commercials!) bypass the cracker and cookie aisle in the grocery store, use an alternate route home rather than the local fast food strip. Life is hard, don’t add stress with sugar plums dancing in your head. At a seminar on motivation, we learned that lasting motivation is built from a combination of importance + confidence. We have to truly value the change we want to make and we need to feel that we can actually do it, to get started. Weight stigma is unfortunately alive and well. At the ASMBS Integrated Health Update we were reminded that weight discrimination is still held as socially acceptable in many countries including the US. People with excess weight report skipping or cancelling healthcare appointments if they've been a victim of weight bias in their doctor's office. We know from history that stigma is a barrier to healthcare and disease prevention--think leprosy, AIDS, cholera, drug addiction. Let's get obesity off that list. Insults, sneers and bullying do not, have not and will never inspire weight loss. In fact, research shows they have the opposite effect. Looking forward to another jammed packed, informational day tomorrow. 'See' you then!--Elizabeth

It's normal in Ontario. I'm actually lucky the process is only going to take one year total. I know of people waiting two to three years for surgery. Our OHIP, (Ontario Health Insurance Plan), is paid for by our income tax deductions. So no out of pocket costs, or insurance to deal with for approval. But it makes wait times for any kind of surgery long. And gastric bypass is considered to be an "elective" surgery, believe it or not, lol. My cousin had GB done at the same hospital three years ago and her duration from beginning consult to surgery was only nine months. She was lucky. A friend of mine, had hers there too, last August. And her duration was over two years. So, if mine only takes a year total, I'm ok with that. But I have been wanting surgery for ten years. So the waiting seems like it's been forever. The Ottawa hospital has only been performing gastric bypass for about four years. Before that, patients had to travel to Toronto to have it done. About a five hour drive. We're lucky to have it in our city now. But I'm still frustrated with the waiting game. I'm a naturally impatient person, so that doesn't help. Lol.