Search the Community

I think you are a liar. I know for a fact Aceves will not do this procedure because it's a surgery type only the bottom feeder surgeons do. No good surgeon will do plication. Huacuz... HA! Can we say bottom feeder in 10 different ways? I'm not a fan of Watkins, I think he uses message boards for free advertising. I think Watkins is a loser in every possible way. So be very clear I am not defending him. But I am calling you out as a liar. Lopez-Corvala had the SAME complication, the blood supply was cut off from the stomach. And you are trying to tell us this does not happen? Look at my above post, I gave you the damn link to see for yourself. You should have looked at it before blowing smoke up everyone's butt. Dr. Kuri is a band mill, he doesn't even DO plication or the real deal, a sleeve. You claim to have spoken with Dr. Aceves. Perhaps you should be aware, in order to speak with Dr. Aceves you must first complete the medical questions, submit them to the office and then after he reviews it he returns your call. I call bull shit. Also, Dr. Aceves wouldn't down another surgeon if you paid him to. Something I disagree with but it is what it is. You are a liar.

I had my surgery on 5/4. I had a bit of a complication with the band afterwards, and the doc took saline out. I am able to eat. Not quite like before but def feel like it's too much food. I won't get a fill for a month. I am scared that I am going to screw this whole thing up. Will it get better?

I haven't been tested for anything yet.. I let my program coordinator/nurse know what I think about the egg allergy, and she asked a few questions (probably trying to determine band complications or not) but didn't seem concerned. She just told me to stay away from eggs if they're causing me problems, because food allergies can be developed anytime. The gluten intolerance theory is now the top of my list, because now that I've stopped eating eggs I'm feeling better (and lost 3 lbs.. plateau busted?), but had all of my symptoms again last night after eating things like oatmeal during the day. It's just getting frustrating to not know what is making me sick.. and especially frustrating to get my band to agree with me eating it (i.e. not getting stuck) only to be in incredible pain later that lasts for hours. On a brighter note, I have a go-to food blog that has a gluten-free category with a lot of recipes that look really good, in case anyone is looking for some new ideas. http://www.skinnytaste.com/search/label/Gluten%20Free

If your doctor insists that you have one ask for it to be done after you are asleep in the OR. There is absolutely no reason for any one to have a catheter with this surgery. IT is usually outpatient and you are up in a few hours and on your way home. I do not understand people staying overnight unless they have complications. They are not working any where near low abdominals which would be the only reason to use a catherter in the first place.

Hi- just to let you know, I have been out going on 2 years with absolutely no complications. Just kind of a slower paced loss- the band should have gone around my head! But I am working through the emotional stuff that is the basis for my overeating and the band is definitely doing its job!

Keep in mind that the people who get banded and are doing fine don't tend to post here...but the ones who are experiencing complications or problems are posting. So what you see here is a skewed picture of the experience. There is s a 'sticky' at the top of the General Lapband Discussion forum called something like "Share your Scar Stages" and it's full of pictures. We were all nervous before surgery...and for a few days after when we were dealing with the pain. But we're all here to talk about it and happily getting on with the business of losing weight! :Banane43:

The Boy didn't want me to have surgery, either. He was concerned about complications, death, and convinced that I could lose weight on my own. Ultimately, though, he knew that it was my body and my life and he's been very supportive. I asked him if he'd ever worried that I would lose all of my weight and leave him; he said that he is concerned about it now but the thought hadn't occurred to him before :thumbup: I'm really sorry that your husband isn't being supportive. As others have said, I think that reassurance is the best medicine for the problem. Good luck :biggrin:

I just had the opportunity to chat with "the attending physician" who supervises fellows where I could have had my plastic surgery (free to me, long story.) I asked him to inform "junior" that if he continues assuming that he knows what patients want without bothering to ASK them, that private practice might prove to be a food stamp experience for him, as well. (In this case, he figured that when an MO patient is going in for PS, she must want to look like Calista Flockhart and, since she won't, she won't be satisfied with the surgery. My Beverly Hills plastic surgeon said, "Tell me what you're looking for." I said, "Rubenesque." He said, "We're on the same page. My insurance will pay and my surgery is in two days.) Can you decline the services of the fellow, or is he a "given" with the coverage you have? I ask, because--and I don't want to scare you--but I wouldn't want a beginner doing my band. (And I'm not a total snob; I did have a beginner do my panniculectomy.) The band complication rate is tied directly to surgeon experience. Anyone who would want you to make a scale move in short order--and basically, the only way you can do that in time is by dehydrating yourself--is not practicing common sense, let alone good medicine. Best of luck...

Although I have prepared for the surgery: watched the films, went to meetings, had all my test completed, etc. I am still a little scared. I guess going under the knife is just scary. And when I read of some of the complications in the forums, it just makes me wonder if I am making the right decision. Does anyone have a photo of the scars? Is the entrance to the band to have a refill visible? Just need a little pep talk and encouragement. :nervous

I have not had a leak from a sleeve but I had a very serious lapband erosion (nearly killed me). Since then I am trying to get sleeved and have been keeping track of folks who have had complications in case I need their help in the future. Below is the list. You might want to contact them directly if you have any questions. Started May 1, 2011 1. Sandyd – infection from surgery (Reno) (VS Talk) 2. MeMeMEEE – leak (twice) (VS Talk) 3. Driver63 – leak 4. Tiffykins – leak (band revision) 5. Hansi – stomach ruptured 6. Dishdiva – leaks (Mexico) 7. YellowRose – infected incision (Mexico) & drain tube infection 8/5/11 8. Mommyinneed – seroma turned abscess (Mexico) 9. Sexypeaches33 – pancreatitis (Mexico) then gastritis 10. DivaDee84 – Infected incision (Mexico) leak (still @ seven months) 11. Honeyrubybee – splenic infarction 12. TKDBlackbelt15 (fiancee) – leak 13. Rblessed – leak 14. Jen Jen – leak (Mexico) 15. Ladiesassie – nicked liver (didn’t follow pre-op diet) 16. Moore37042 – leak 17. Jagator88 – leak & esophagus was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from muscle (Mexico) 18. Jsfound – leak (VS Talk) 19. Leisa815 – leak (VS Talk) 20. Jasleeve – leak 21. Joseph – leak Kuwait (VS Talk) 22. Peachqueen – leak (VS Talk) 23. Jcarelle – leak (VS Talk) 24. Jerseygirl74 – leak & spleen infarction (VS Talk) 25. Happylife – stricture (had a stent like a leak) (VS Talk) 26. Kookia – leak (VS Talk) 27. Nanaof5 – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 28. Jencomenz – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 29. Honeybunnyslp – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 30. Neese – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 31. Bedhead – erosion (ulcer) caused by an infection (VS Talk) 32. Donniej – leak (band revision) (VS Talk) 33. DogBone (wife’s cousin) – leak, tracheostomy, induces coma (Brazil) DIED 34. 4ALongerLife – leak 35. Minaleigh – twisted stomach, needed a stent 36. Mews – infected incision and blood clot 37. Laura74 – (husband, OH) stomach started to close up so had a stent (stricture?) 38. Victoria28 – leak (ThinnerTimes) 39. Happylife – twisted stricture (VS Talk) 40. P77tmy – blood clots (VS Talk) 41. CrazyCatLady – blood clot (VS Talk) 42. Karlij – leak (Obesity Help) 43. 1maryreigel – swollen 44. Gigglee – open wound? Vst 45. Twistedkitten25 – internal bleeding and abscess 46. Shane5958 – blood abscess 47. Cookies – blood clot 48. Wendyr – spleen infarction, leak, pneumonia (punctured lung when placing drain for leak) 49. Stephwb – leak 50. Irishgirlparisi – UTI (foley catheter) & MRSA from JP tube (Thinner Times) 51. Heidi P – leak (Obesity Help) 52. Moxy – leak (Obesity Help) 53. Cthompson580 – leak (Obesity Help) 54. Jsd2 – very sick also had blood clots, heart palpitations (VS Talk) 55. Abbybeep – stricture w/in first five days (VS Talk) 56. Lulugirl – bacterial infection & possible stricture (VS Talk) 57. Ready2Bthin – acid refluc & wasn’t able to get protein/vitamins in, developed problem w/balance & walking (VS Talk) 58. RawrrAshleex3 – leak (VS Talk) 59. Candice1222 – leak (VS Talk) 60. Cat_woman – leak (Obesity Help)

Has anyone heard from number 54 on the list. 54. Jsd2 – very sick also had blood clots, heart palpitations (VS Talk) She had one of the most serious cases of complications that I have ever heard of. I hope she is ok.

Hi I had surgery on a Monday and was released that Wed, all the gas came out that Friday and I was walking and improving everyday, I do believe that I could have went back to work that Monday but I stayed home until I had my two week check up and then I return back to work. I have a very demanding job but I was ready for it. I had no complications and my husband and family were great. After my 6 week check up I was approved to exercise and I began exercising three times per week and then went up to 5 days per week. I have had no complications and no problems. Good luck and congrats on your choice on being healthy.

So, where do I begin? Bear with me because I'm using the voice to text feature on my phone which tends to mess up a lot of words. My surgery was on August 13 which was a Tuesday. I'm still in the hospital and it is Sunday, August 18. I have not had anything to eat except for Jell-O and ice chips, and actually, they took the jelio away because of my complications. So, my belly is very distended. My whole abdomen area feels like it is filled with fluid and gas and nothing I do helps it go down. I walked around a lot they have given me an enema and what seems to be happening is that the food or liquid is not moving out of the couch and into my small intestine. It feels like a balloon inside of me that is about to burst. I seriously feel like I'm dying sometimes. I am on a shit load of pain meds on top of Xanax and antacid and just other stuff to try to get things moving. Everything I put in my mouth stays in the little pouch that was created and does not want to move. I don't know what's going to happen. I really really don't want to have to get this reversed or anything, I don't even know if that is an option at this point. I may just have to stay on the ice chips until everything heals and then I can put actual food in my belly. They say I will be here another at least two or three days but it could be longer before they figure out how to help me work this whole thing. My blood pressure has been dangerously low since I've been here, the lowest being probably 75/35. Last night I had a fever of 103.4, was shivering and needing so many blankets. I just don't know what to do, I feel like crap. I'm really starting to regret this and just wish I didn't do it because I would rather have food and be kind of fat than go through this hell. I have been craving pizza and burritos and etc, lol. I have to sleep sitting up because in my sleep I will hiccup or cough and fluid comes up with it, and then I choke on the fluid. I have thrown up several times, sometimes I even make myself throw up so I can get whatever it is making my belly hurts so bad out even if it was just juice. Every day that goes by a few worse and worse. They gave me an enema yesterday to get my bowels moving, which is embarrassing enough, but I only pooped out the enema and nothing extra. I have not pooped since Sunday last week. It's hard to PEE even. A lot of times I feel like I have to pee, but nothing comes out. That all being said my doctor is pretty amazing and I really do speak highly of him. Dr. Beltre in Orlando. His bedside manner is incredible and he really spends a lot of time with you talking to you about your thoughts and feelings; I know that what is happening has nothing to do with his skill or expertise. I just hope that everything gets easier and better. Anyone else have a similar experience?

Here is a list I've developed - some are questions I asked and many have been added to my list. This is a VERY long list, but hopefully some of the questions will be new to you I have a friend who is going to his initial consultation next week too and he asked for a list too. * What is your re-admittance rate? * What is/are the typical reason/s for re-admittance? * How many of your patients have had leaks? How long after surgery were the leaks typically discovered? What was the resolution (% healed on their own vs. % needing surgical intervention)? * Other than leaks, what is/are the most common complication/s? What is your experience with these complications – how many and how resolved? * What would cause you to change to an open procedure? * How many rows of staples do you place? * Are the insides of the staples checked, too? * Do you sew over the staple line? * Exactly how do you test for leaks immediately after surgery (before the barium swallow test the next day)? * Is the part of the stomach that is removed also tested for leaks? * What size bougie do you use to measure the “sleeve?” How do you determine the size of the sleeve? * Can the sleeve actually be stretched by eating/drinking too much? On occassion vs regularly? Why? How to prevent? * What is the biggest factor in failure after this surgery? * What is the biggest factor in succeeding with this surgery? * What is your mortality rate? Of this, what % is attributable to the surgery itself and what % was from pre-existing conditions? * What type of post-surgery support do you offer? Is there any additional cost for the support? * Where were you trained? Are you board certified? How long have you done bariatric surgeries and what other types of surgeries have you done/do you do? * Why did you chose bariatric surgery? * How many sleeves have you performed? Over what period of time? * At what hospital will my surgery be performed? * Who will be my anesthesiologist? What is his/her experience, training, etc.? * Why do you believe you are the best surgeon to perform my surgery? What differentiates you/your practice from others in the D/FW area? * When can I return to work post-surgery? What will my limitations be and for how long? * Based on your experience, in this practice, what % of excess weight does your average patient lose with the sleeve? How long is the loss maintained? What can I do to increase my success? * Why do you feel that your pre/post surgery nutrition guidelines are the best? Have you tailored your plans for sleeve patients or do you use the same plan for sleeve, bypass & lapband? If the same, why? * Do your patients have a support group on FB or via other social media? Other than the formal support group/monthly classes, do your patients have informal support groups? How do I join these groups? * How much interaction should I expect with you vs. with your staff post-surgery? If mostly your staff, what is their training and experience with bariatric WLS patients? Will I typically see the same staff members on my post-op check-ups or will it vary? * Are your staff members, such as nutritionist, available for one-on-one consultations? If so, what are the charges, if any? * What are the requirements to become a "Center of Excellence?" (does this designation really mean anything?) * If I decide to go the self-pay route, is there coverage available for potential complications? If so, where do I get it? How much is it? Will the surgery center/hospital/other docs accept it 100% or could I potentially have additional out-of-pocket expenses? * I've read that most obese patients over 50 have hiatal hernias. According to your website, those are repaired during the sleeve surgery. If I'm self-pay, how is that handled? What if the costs associated with the hernia repair aren't fully covered by my insurance or what if I haven't meet my deductible? * Are there questions I should have asked but didn't? * What would you like to share with me? Sorry for the long list - I'm one of those Type A's

My doctor is in the US, he's American.. But was partially trained in Mexico & as far as I know even did surgeries there. So far I've had zero complications-I'm 3 weeks out. I'd definitely go there if insurance didn't cover it & they were well known. Btw-I had staples, then glue & strips.. Outwardly I healed in like under 2 weeks (I'm also a diabetic, but my numbers went normal immediately-so healing was a dream) as far as I know I'm still healing inwardly..

I agree with IsB...ask for his "stats"....how many surgeries, complication rates/types, aftercare ect...I've not been sleeved yet, but knowing my surgeon is highly skilled, works out of a center of excellence, and has a very low complication rate (NEVER had one, according to his coordinator, taking that with a grain of salt!) gives me confidence that my outcome will be the best it can be. Good luck!

I can understand the rationale of getting the band. Being a little gun shy about surgery myself, the band is really, really tempting--it promises to help us lose weight with minimal invasiveness, very low up front complications, and no stomach cutting. Each surgery fits a different need and different demographic of people. All surgeries can have complications and whatnot, and from what I read they all improve in technique and efficacy over time. But I do understand wanting to get the sleeve, because I've been leaning that direction myself (yes, more short term risk but lower long term maintenance and risk).

Yea i want to have a baby slso thats why i didnt get sleeve got bypass instead didnt want my stomach cut either You guys are correct about the sleeve not being reversible; however, I don't think it has a negative impact on becoming pregnant (providing you are willing to wait a year after the surgery to stabilize weight): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23306797 http://www.marinahospital.com/blog/will-i-be-able-to-get-pregnant-after-gastric-sleeve-surgery Studies stated, "Barring very uncommon complications of surgery, this should eventually make it easier both to conceive and to carry a child to term with less risk of negative consequences."

Feeling nervous for my 1st day back @ work tomorrow. I'm still struggling with eating, so I'm taking a "lunch" with enuf items for the week- but am planning on doing my protein shake around lunchtime (which is what I did pre-surgery) & having meal # 2 when i get home around 3. very very few people know about my surgery-I went with the gallbladder cover. & everyone knows I workout alot ( I'm even planning on changing @ work for the gym) I've put some thought even into what I'm wearing tomorrow- I don't want to accentuate that I've lost weight (soooo weird to say that) but I just don't want to deal with nosy people. Ive always been ultra sensitive about my weight & this has been emotional, especially dealing with complications. I'm looking forward to beginning counseling to get a handle on the mental battles. But just had to vent about my pre-work jitters! (not to mention, it's that time of the month-lol) wish me luck!!!

I am also 1 year banded, lost 8 kg at first, had 5 fillings, have the same complications and gained all the weight back. I also dont know what to do. Am 59, feeling 100.

40 pounds is a lot!! I am proud of you!! Imagine how much harder back surgery recovery would be with 40 extra pounds to haul around! I want you to think about this, if you lost a ton of weight at once, your skin is not equipped with the elasticity to bounce back and shrink up at that same fast pace. Then you are stuck with wings under your arms and a saggy pouch hanging farther down your abdomen than you belly actually was. You would end up having to have surgery to remove the skin and I hear it is rather painful and full of complications. Take pride in your accomplishments so far and remember that this is a life long journey, just be healthy!!

Do you have any complications or pains with joints. I too have a BMI of 35-38 (I fluctuate), I have high bp, diabetes, and high cholesterol. I recently developed some problems with me feet and ankles which I believe is related to weight. I am going to see about having the podiatrist send a letter on me behalf for lap band also. The more people (doctors) on your side the better. I started my 6 month doctor visits last month. I am counting on approval because of the comorbidities. I did speak with the ins. and they seemed positive. Have you tried calling them first. By the way, when I submit my paperwork I will not submit any of my weight under 35, I too have several because of various diets. My ins. only requires 2 years history.

Vicki - yes the complications scare me. I don't want to be gagging and vomiting. I do that with Byetta. I can't go anywhere once I've taken that.

Complications are rare, people who post on forums are a vocal minority.

You also have to keep in mind that a lot of people find these forums BECAUSE of a complication. The members here represent a VERY small fraction of a percent of those who undergo this procedure and DON'T post on here and who have absolutely zero complications in their life changing journey. I would still say, the members here who have had major complications that required immediate medical care versus those who have had a relatively smooth transition is at least 1:10.