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I never gained weight either post op, there have been fluctuations by a few pounds day to day but it was mainly Fluid. Once I was on solids I stuck to the rules with my food choices and no more than one cup if food per meal. Some days it was extremely hard as I'd be hungry all day but I would sip my fluids and keep myself active and busy. Sure there were some days where I ate between meals but I would snack on cucumber slices or carrot sticks. It's really hard when you're constantly hungry till you start getting the fills but I know I had my lapband put in because I was so so over being so overweight and and I was going to give it 110% then some to stick to my new rules and healthy eating, it's amazing how much willpower you can muster up when you really really want the weight off and you have this tool to help and a Bariatric team behind you you don't want to disappoint either with all the work they put in to seeing you succeed. I started this journey at 366 pounds and this morning my scales read 301.6 pounds, I've come such a long way these past four or five months and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the band. This journey is a new healthy journey and we need to make changes every day, mentally too, and if we can do that from the first day of being banded each week gets easier, speaking from personal experience.

Hello! I am a 40 yr old female from Cape Cod Mass. I have been overweight forever, but in the past few years I reached my highest peak @ 255lbs. In January of this year I looked into bariatric weight loss thru BI in Boston. They have a comprehensive and long program, which I completed in about 3-4 months and was told I would be a good candiate for surgery. I waited a few more months, as I was trying to decide what was best for me. Once I decided to go forward, I had to pick GBP or Lap Band. Since I was not a diebetic and on medications for health problems and the gbp seemed so severe, I opted for Lap Band surgery. My date was set for Monday 8/30/10. The week prior I did a partial liquid diet using mostly the unjury protein drinks. They taste good and filled me up. It was easier than I thought and I lost 10 lbs prior to surgery, just as my doctor wanted. I was super exicted and nervous but my surgeon is renowned in thie field and I was confident. Unfortunatley for me things did not go as planned. As I woke up in recovery, a nurse who did not seem to know about bariatrics, handed me 2 containers of liquid percocet and some water, telling me to drink it all down. I did as I was told, only to be hit with such pain in my chest, I thought I was dying. I could not breathe, I vomited, I was sweating and very upset. Nothing s/b given orally so soon after surgery and I will never know if that caused what happened next or not, but it was a long road for me. As a mom with a 6 yr old who was due to start first grade, I was happy to have my surgery scheduled before her school started, knowing I would be in the hospital for just one night. Well, for me it turned into a long 6 days! On day 3 my Dr stuck a needle in the band and took out all the water (15 cc) trying to loosen things up. 4 days after surgery I still could not keep 15 cc of water down and he decided to go back in and pop 2 stiches to loosen me up. This is called a revision and he said he had only see this happen in 2 patients prior to me...and he has done this since the surgery came about. I had to go backunder general anthesia and into the OR again. By the next day I was drinking some water and by Sunday afternoon I was finally released. I am 2 weeks out from my 2nd surgery and down a total of 30 lbs. I had my 2 week follow up with my doc and he says I am doing better than most. I am back to walking 3 miles a day (which I had started the month prior to surgery). My main issues now are with constipation and all that fun stuff.. Some days I don't want to get out of bed. I am cranky as I miss food. I loved to eat and it is harder than I expected to go without. On Saturday I tried on some jeans than are a size 20 (I was in 24/26) and they were a bit loose. This was exciting but only temporarily lifted my spirits. I still feel a bit off...not sure why exactly but trying to move ahead and getting stronger. I am on stage 4 diet...some solids, and so far, so good. This is my first time on a blog, and I am anxious to read other people's stories as well as chronicle my own. Thanks for reading:))

LAP-BAND,laparoscopic banding,bariatric surgery,obesity Tracy's FAQ LAP-BAND: Surgery Technique Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared You could also join his egroup and talk to lots of other patients. It's really a great group. Dr. Aceves is the VP of the Mexican Bariatric Assoc., and the Secretary of the International Bariatric Assoc. Both those positions are voted on by members so he is even respected by US docs. Things that you want to look for are issues such as... does your doc do surgery in a clinic or hospital? Mexico is not the same as the US, if you were to have a complication in a clinic and needed to be transported to a hospital it is not as easy as calling 911 and they are there in minutes. It's a whole different ballgame. I preferred to be in a fully equipped hospital with an ER, ICU, CCU, PICU, OR, etc. What kinds of procedures does the doc do? Does he ONLY do banding? Banding is the easiest of all procedures. I chose Aceves because he can do the tricky stuff, the bypass to band revisions, sleeve, etc. Many docs won't touch the hard stuff. How close do you want to be to the border? Some have a preference, some do not. I wanted to be close to the border. Just my personal opinion but I think the best two docs in Mexico from my research are Rumbaut and Aceves. They are who others refer to for the more complicated procedures. They both work out of a hospital, they don't do assembly line surgery, they both open the patient, place the band, and close the patient unlike other docs who have the asst. surgeon do most of the work. They are both well respected in the Mexican medical community, they both train US docs in banding, they are both safe surgeons. When people talk about how many bands someone has done, keep in mind that many times the docs strive to do 10 procedures a day. They have the Asst. Surgeon do most of the work, they spend about 15 minutes in OR with the patient, the asst. does everything else. Personally, I wouldn't want to be the 10th OR patient in the day. Rumbaut and Aceves limit their surgeries to 4-5 daily because they are doing the entire procedure. Lots of things to think about and consider when going to Mexico. It can be a very safe experience, but research is essential.

Anybody had success getting approved with this particular plan? How long did it take to get approval? If you were denied what did they require to get approved? My doctors office has never dealt with this particular plan so they sent in my stuff earlier then normal just to see what they came back with for a response. I have spoken to 3 different agents and gotten a copy of their pre auth form and their bariatric medical policy but all are very vague about what they want for proof of previous attempts and number of dietician appointments they require for approval.😕 thanks!

"Among all patients, the rates of 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year<SUP> </SUP>mortality were 2.0%, 2.8%, and 4.6%, respectively. Advancing<SUP> </SUP>age and male sex were associated with early death after bariatric<SUP> </SUP>surgery (Table 2), with the highest rates of early mortality<SUP> </SUP>identified among older men. Overall, men were much more likely<SUP> </SUP>to die after bariatric surgery than women (3.7% vs 1.5%, 4.8%<SUP> </SUP>vs 2.1%, and 7.5% vs 3.7% for men and women at 30 days, 90 days,<SUP> </SUP>and 1 year, respectively; P<.001 for all time points). Mortality<SUP> </SUP>rates were greater for those aged 65 years or older (n = 1517)<SUP> </SUP>compared with younger patients (4.8% vs 1.7%, 6.9% vs 2.3%,<SUP> </SUP>and 11.1% vs 3.9% at 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively;<SUP> </SUP>P<.001 for all time points). We found no differences in early<SUP> </SUP>mortality rates between patients who had primary vs revision<SUP> </SUP>surgery (2.0% vs 1.5%, 2.8% vs 2.2%, and 4.6% vs 4.3% at 30<SUP> </SUP>days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively; all P>.10" "Patients undergoing procedures by surgeons with lower volume<SUP> </SUP>of bariatric procedures (less than the median of surgical volume<SUP> </SUP>among Medicare beneficiaries between 1997-2003) had a higher<SUP> </SUP>rate of mortality than those with at least median experience<SUP> </SUP>(3.3% vs 2.0%; P<.001). Patients aged 65 years or older had<SUP> </SUP>much higher rates of early death when undergoing surgery by<SUP> </SUP>surgeons within the lowest quartile of volume (Table 4) compared<SUP> </SUP>with those in the highest quartile (9% vs 1.1% at 30 days and<SUP> </SUP>13.8% vs 1.1% at 90 days; P<.001). Surgeons in the highest<SUP> </SUP>quartile of bariatric procedure volume had similar rates of<SUP> </SUP>early mortality in both younger and older patients (1.8% 90-day<SUP> </SUP>mortality in patients <65 years and 1.1% mortality in patients<SUP> </SUP>65 years; P = .40). The higher overall rates of death<SUP> </SUP>among older patients were attributable in part to a higher proportion<SUP> </SUP>(36%) of older patients undergoing surgery by surgeons within<SUP> </SUP>the lowest quartile of bariatric surgery volume compared with<SUP> </SUP>younger patients. The odds of a 90-day death were 1.6 times<SUP> </SUP>higher for patients of surgeons with lower volume (less than<SUP> </SUP>the median) after adjusting for age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity<SUP> </SUP>Index score (95% CI, 1.3-2.0).<SUP> "</SUP> <SUP></SUP> <SUP>"</SUP>The hazard ratio for death (Figure) at any time after the procedure<SUP> </SUP>was 2.3 times greater for patients aged 65 years or older compared<SUP> </SUP>with younger patients (95% CI, 2.0-2.7), with 9.5% 5-year mortality<SUP> </SUP>in younger patients compared with 21.6% mortality in the older<SUP> </SUP>cohort (P<.001). The odds of 90-day death did not change<SUP> </SUP>significantly based on the year the procedure was performed,<SUP> </SUP>even after controlling for patient age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity<SUP> </SUP>Index score (odds ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.9-1.0).<SUP> "</SUP>

My hope is that a replacement surgeon will be found or is already in the wings, and your employer will be able to carry on at the point where the former doctor dropped off. The surgery is a life time commitment. If you find you are delayed 6 months, or a year, it is just that much more time to prepare and be mentally at the ready. Sounds like quite a shake up. I think the future bariatric surgeon will be a better choice. In my community, such surgery is not "big business" but, it is increasing and all three hospitals provide the services. I do not think your hospital will let it lay dormant for long. Sorry for the delay. Stay positive. Stay proactive. Maybe get a support group going of the folks affected, and have nutritionist come speak, former patient speak, exercise therapist speak. Keep us posted.

perhaps you can call your insurance provider, tell them what is happening, ask them if they cover another bariatric program since this one is temporarily unavailable, and also ask your hospital public access manager what is their plan for substitute care. this is very unusual and strange, so maybe it is way better for you to be safe in the care of another. I cant think of when I have ever heard of a doctor running away like that, but I sure wouldnt want that person doing surgery on me! let us know what happens, and just know this confirmed to you that you are really ready to do this. love, sara, rn ....deep breath....

Hello everyone, my name is Jessica I am 27 years old and I have been struggling with weight issues almost all my life. I currently am weighing 231lbs. I went last night with my cousin to my first informational meeting about bariatric surgeries and the different types that are being offered. I am considering having the lap done because I am beyond fed up with trying different diets and only loosing 10lbs and nothing else even I were to starve myself. I have tried several diets and have joined to many gyms to name here. I like the gym but i still have trouble keeping the weight off. Well I cant stay on long because I am at work, Just wanted to wish everyone luck. And to start off it's nice to meet everyone.

If you are concerned about your energy level call your surgeon's office. Your body is still adjusting two months out. Give yourself time. Don't worry too much about your sex drive...It comes back for most of us as you get further out from surgery. Some questions for you... Are you logging your food to know if you are hitting your calorie and protein goals? If you are instructed to take bariatric vitamins are you taking the correct amount? How much are you exercising?

I take the caramel Bariatric citrate chews and the mixed berry vitamin chews I believe the brand is bariatric fusion. At first I really enjoyed them now I cannot stand the taste. I was taking barimelts for calcium citrate and vitamins but I started hating those as well. I just to find something that I can tolerate. I asked about the patch but the doc said no ☹️. I guess I’ll keep taking the chewables for now aargh.

I would also recommend getting your gall bladder checked! Gall stones are very common post bariatric surgery, and can lead to nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. I would reach out to your doctor about it, for sure!

Thanks to all of you that chimed in. I am so looking forward to getting started. I go for all my preop stuff on the 21st and the date for surgery is tenatively set for 10/3. My Surgeon is Dr.Terry Pinson at the North Mississippi medical center Bariatric Center. It is great comfort to me to see so many people from so many different states that have had such amazing stories of success. Can't wait to be one:001_smile:

Hello everybody! Please forgive me for the format of this post as I am not accustomed to blogging or forums, but as I am sitting here 5 days after my surgery I was compelled by one of my closest friends to document my impending journey. I thought about writing in a journal to express my thoughts and I even played around with the possibility of making a YouTube channel focus around my own personal weight loss. I stumbled across this website some time ago and remembered it today and registered. I figured that writing to a community of people with the same struggles and triumphs that I have and will face would be the best route. So... a little about me... I am a young professional male living in New Orleans, LA... yes... the Big Easy...one of the culinary capitals of the free world and I have struggled with weight issues my ENTIRE life. While I have managed to excel in my educational and work environments I was often faced with the ridicule and pressure of being HUSKY, CHUBBY, BIG-BONED, PUDGY, FLUFFY, and all those other euphemisms for FAT. Being overweight was something that I came to accept early on as I loved to eat and most of my family was heavy. And though it hurt sometimes, I soon developed an exterior persona that would paint me as a person who was oblivious to their size; being stronger, wittier, and smarter than the people I would make acquaintances with and then going home to deal with the issues of my body in silence... and sometimes sadness. The first time I played around with the notion of WLS was back in 2009. I was 23, out of college 2 years at that time and making a pretty good living for myself. I was in a relationship that was toxic and discouraging... Voices telling you that you are basically never going to change or grow just because you are smaller can really put a damper on your outlook. Needless to say... I ended this relationship and renewed my own confidence until I was soon faced with yet another challenge. While vacationing with my friends for Memorial Day in 2010, I could sense something was different with my body. I was solemn, fatigued, and uninterested with the festivities that were taking place. I was also vomiting every morning... not food, but a weird golden substance that I decided to classify as acid reflux. On my first day back to work, my coworkers noticed that I looked dehydrated... like a fish out of Water... and that I was barely moving and slightly incoherent. My manager forced me to go to urgent care and soon after being seen by the doctor there, they urged me to go to the ER for treatment. Within in 45 minutes of being in ER I was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes with a severe case of diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, which is an extreme shortage of insulin that is potentially fatal. After a week in the hospital, I was sent home with a shopping list of prescriptions to take and a whole new outlook on life. I immediately decides to sign up for a diet food home delivery service and tried that out for several months until the cost of that plus my meds became out of control. While I lost weight on the program pretty quickly, once I stopped the weight began to creep back. I knew I had to do something that would be definite... and that is when I decided to pursue WLS. I began reading, interrogating others who I knew had had it, and watching other VGS patients on YouTube. I told my close friends on my 25th birthday, on a cruise ship no less, that planned on pursuing WLS and I have not looked back since.&nSo... here I am... 5 days after my surgery... and despite the slight discomfort that is expected after surgery and a mild case of cabin fever (GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE!!!), I am feeling good and optimistic about what is to come.

I haven't but, I would think a good behavioral therapist who works with bariatric patients would be much more valuable and helpful than hypnotherapy.

Actually Studies have demonstrated that some sleeves dilate after surgery, but many times it has nothing to do with the amount of food you are eating. Bariatric surgery research is constantly evolving. No need to be making strong declarations when people keep discovering new things every year. One of the studies mentioned a form of expansion in which constant overfeeding allows the stomach to 'stretch' with every meal. The Stretch receptors are set higher every time, giving the stomach the ability to consume even more food at every meal, That is another mechanism (which unlike the first one, isn't an actual permanent dilation . The main take home is that sleeves 'stretch' but not the way people think. In these cases, it is a minor expansion (except in cases where a huge part of the fundus is left behind, where the expansion can be significant). Furthermore, these cases (where the stomach stretched) were unrelated to increased calorific intake and was not tied to regain. In summary, if a properly done gastric sleeve fails, it's not because the sleeve doubled or quadrupled in size.

Hi everyone! I have been toying with the idea of a band for a few years now. I had started the process again in early March of this year then got diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer. I've gone through surgery, radiation and now I'm on a hormone blocking pill for the next 10 years. My cancer was 100% estrogen positive and we all know that fat stores estrogen. Right now weightloss is my top priority. My MO, PCP and Bariatric Surgeon all agree. I just wondered if anyone else has been in a situation similar to mine? I expect to be banded early October regardless of whether insurance covers it or not. A generous friend has offered to cover the cost for me. Weightloss can help prevent reoccurance and even with knowing this I still can't control my food on my own!

no to almanza the butcher. there is a fb page called something like Mexican Weight Loss Surgeons or Weight Loss surgeons in Mexico Thie is a page that does NOT allow anyone to join that is involved with the surgeons, as in, works for thesurgeons in any way. It is a place where people who have had bad experiences can feel free to write about their experiences without hassle. Just google almanza and see what has happened. go with bariatric pal. I hope you are getting the MGB, i've researched it a very long time and it has amazing results, its a short operation and it is reversible and revisable. You get to keep your stomach. good luck.

Well I put in an order for a Terrific Tuesday, but let's see what I can do to insure that! This is an every- other-day week for me. Yesterday was Urology. My former urologist Dr Clemens decided to confine his practice to Franklin County and Columbus so I now belong to his partner, Dr Jed Henry. Seems very nice, a little older(42) than Dr Clemens but still young enough to be my kid. That happens a lot when you're 73. Going to call me back on Wednesday with a proper antibiotic instead of prescribing an antibiotic willy- Billy. Said I don't like the color and consistency of your urine, well Duh, I don't either, and that's why I came in. We had a good laugh at the expense of my PCP who told me last Thursday he would give me a 5 day script for Microbid and never faxed it over to Wal-Mart, my usual pharmacy. If I knew he was gonna forget, I should have asked for a hand-written script, He's only 50 or so, young for senility, maybe a transient stupid attack? Wednesday I also go over to my local hospital, Knox Community aka the "Band-Aid Station" dubbed this by the Columbus hospitals. They have a habit of treating what they want and sending the rest by land or helicopter transport to Columbus. Hence the sarcasm. When I was getting ready for my endoscopy on April 12th, the anesthesia doctor had a low-grade hissy because she heard a Frank heart murmer. Had my PCP. talked with me about it? Well he MIGHT have mentioned it but I thought it was mild, functional and probably part of aging. She still was a less' than- happy - camper, would not let her resident do my sedation, did it herself, and must have sent a little note to PCP because I got more cardiac testing tomorrow at 1 pm. Oh Happy Happy Joy 😂 Joy! Then on Friday I see my ENT, Dr Suzie Helming, she is a really sweet person. I have had a noticable huskiness coming over my voice, usually a high alto/low soprano quality. Now I think I sound like Lauren Bacall & why is this? Is it the culmative effect of all those years of Gerd, is my recently found thyroid nodule pressing on a vocal cord, could it have some sort of heredity basis, my late Mama was also husky- sounding the last few years of her life( died 16 years ago at 87, I was 57 then) or could it be something else? Saw her hubby Dr Jarrett, the orthopaedic surgeon, he did my 1st knee in 2014. Asked why I was sitting outside the office building on a bench, told him about going to visit his wife on Friday, we joked about that I didn't have to go to such lengths to see here, he had pictures on his wallet of her and the kids. Their daughter Charleigh is petite like her, but poor child, she otherwise looks just like her daddy. Maybe she'll outgrow it? Must going to be 3 in June, and their son Dylan, gosh I do not see a resemblance to either of them. The last picture I saw of him, he looked like Suzie had gone somewhere for Donor IVF, maybe he resembles Suzie's Dad or Jarrett's Mama? Funny how genes work! One of the cousins, Brandee, on late hubby side, spitting image of their Aunt Lois, but her grandma Aunt Woneta and Aunt Lois looked nothing alike. My hubby was the son of the oldest sister Faye, then came Aunt Ruth ,Aunt Lois and lastly Aunt Woneta. If you saw them on the street, didn't know them, you would never suspect they were sisters. So we Will see how this week pans out. And next week on the 30th I go to Columbus to be seen at the Bariatric Clinic , my paperwork says I see Dr Noria, my surgeons partner, but one of the nurses I spoke to the other day said No I merely see Valerie the head Nurse- Practitioner. Well no big thing either way! In the meantime celebrating being down to 228 from alk- time high of 365+, I say + because I got to the point I would not get on a scale unless you jabbed me with a sharpened stick. Knew all scales carried a grudge and wouldn't say anything nice about me! Suffice it to say my BMI was in the 50s and now it's mid 30s and lowering by the day! Yippee Skipee Yahoo!👍😝👍🍀🌈

I have been using it for over 2 years. I love it too. I ws able to buy it from another place, when i put in my zipcode on the Bell Plantation site, It says that a low calorie, low carb ice cream shop called De'lites has it. I have also bought it at the Bariatric center that I go to. i love it ~A bit too much sometimes~ Thanks for the great recipe Miss Georgia Girl.. Keep up the good work everyone. All of you are doing so well....

I take the Bariatric Advantage Cinnamon Calcium tablets and they taste amazing. I got some free samples at the hospital, tried a few other kinds, then bought these. I got mine on www.dietdirect.com. Their prices were better than the Bariatric Advantage site. They also sent me some free samples, which caused me to send them another order. I'm getting BariWise protein bars and hot chocolate too. But that's another topic - sorry to digress!

no problem. Not I think most ppl on here are from the U.S and many have gone to Mexico for bariatric surgery. Best of luck.

Hi, my name is Chris - I was just banded on Wed 1/23 by Dr. James Davidson in Dallas. I'm 44 and have been fighting my weight since college. it has been a slow upward spiral with lots of weight loss followed by even more weight gain. I finally decided to do something about it as I hit an all time high of 304 and a BMI of 40+. My insurance excludes bariatric surgery so I had to go the self-pay route, fortunately Dr. Davidson was running a $9500 special and I decided to go for it. I lost 18 pounds on the pre-op diet (but have my expectations set a lot lower for the next few weeks based on all the posts about stagnant weight during the post-surgery period). anyway, just wanted to say hello to everyone. I'm looking forward to the journey! Chris

Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays to each of you! My name is Susan, I'm 41 years old, single with no children. I live in the South Suburbs of Chicago. This journey for me has been a long, but enlightening one. I've been heavy pretty much all my life, with my highest weight coming about 2 years ago after thyroid issues leading to thyroidectomy, discovering thyroid cancer, and being hypothyroid for several months while have treatment. Also going on anti depressant meds didn't help Anyway, bariatric surgery is not new to me as my mom had RNY bypass back in the early 1980's. She has been successful at keeping about 2/3 of the weight off, but has had anemia and B-12 deficiency since the surgery. I'm not sure how I started reading up on LapBand, for a long time I was kinda anti-gastric bypass. But I researched starting in Sept 2009 and attended my first seminar in Nov 2009. After all the requirements hoops and such I was approved and set for November 8th. I think some of you have heard this in the post op thread but technically I "had" the surgery, minus the band There was a little complication not related to the actual banding and my wonderful surgeon decided to hold off for a few weeks to make sure no infection came up. Sooooo I have been thru the gas pain, abdominal pain, etc, but got to go back on solids for 2 weeks and just have to do 3 days liquid now before Monday So round two the 29th... I am very anxious to get started with getting healthier. I have a few comorbidities such as hypertension and prediabetes that I trust will get better by losing weight. Also there are so many things I want to still do while I'm "young" lol most of them involve being ACTIVE. But in my head and what my body can do now and two different things. I thank God often for this gift and opportunity. Best wishes to you all and I appreciate your posts and updates! I think that support by others who are going thru it is important for all of us!!! God bless and see you around!

Who’s your surgeon? Anyone using cooper Bariatric?

Hey Kesia! I too live in Ga. and have medicaid. And MA does cover the Lapband. I rcvd my approval on Monday, but u have to go to a Center of Excellence, and you need to sign up with Peachstate as your carrier. The center I am using is Peachtree Surgical and Bariatric at Atlanta Medical Center. They have a seminar on June 21st. the website is peachtreebariatric .com . Check them out and if you have any other questions feel free to send me a private message.