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Sorry haven't been on in a bit. I'm on another site since its different on this site now. I'm doing great. As far as price goes, when I was ready for a quote, I contacted the Ariel Center to find out how much surgery would be for me. They are very prompt in getting back to you when you ask for a quote and send them pictures so please make sure if you want to know pricing to contact them. They don't hassle you to be their patient so contacting for pricing info is not complicated at all. Here are some after pics

My doctor approved all types of exercise/exertion at the four week mark. Of course, I had absolutely no complications with the surgery.

According to my doctor, lose skin has to do with age and genetics. However, strength training is good to "help" with the matter, if you will. My surgeon gave me the green light to start at the next week (it will be 3 weeks). I am 29, and had no complications at all, however, so that may be why. Just do what the surgeon says...it could be different for everybody:)

No Regrets! Why on earth would you want to reverse it? If you could have lost weight another way, you would have done it. I don't know what's going on with this board tonight but complications during surgery are rare and complications 'years' after are rarer than that.

Just had my AGB surgery on May 1st. Not too many complications. I've lost 24 lbs. Two Questions: I'v had some side stitch pain, the kind you get if you run for a long time, has anyone else had this problem? Second Question: Just started my BirthControl pill again, has anyone had any complications from taking it?

Hi, Just to put you at ease, my husband had the lap band put in and he weighed in the mid 400 range. Our doctor feels strongly that the lap band is effective for those who have high BMIs (over 60). My husband who is so motivated has already lost over 60 lbs in 2 1/2 months. Much more than me and I have been banded 5 months. Although I'm told that weight loss is faster for men, we both recomend the band. We feel that it is safer and there are less complications and the band will help us maintain our weight loss forever. By the way, my husband's internist has removed 4 diabetic type pills, a water pill and will be reducing his blood pressure medicine after one more check-up. Good Luck to you.

Thanks for sharing your story. I have an almost 2 year old and a 7 year old. They would only spend the night with a neighbor if I have to stay overnight at the hospital due to not having anyone to drive me. Just curious, how did you manage the no lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk if one of your twins was totally dependent on you? Did you have any complications from doing so much so fast?

Hey Erin - sounds like you and I are both at the same stage! I checked in at 5:30 and was in surgery by 7:30...out about an hour and half later and home by 5pm the same day!!! Today has been rough. I feel pretty beat up but good all the same. Managed to go for 2 short walks and that helped a bit w/ the gas. sleeping hasn't been too bad- been able to lay down w/out too much pain. Really looking forward to being a few weeks down the road and knowing a bit more about what I'm in store for. I have my week follow up next Tuesday and need to find out when I get my first fill...my husband and I are leaving for Europe at the end of August and I'm wondering if I should wait to have the fill when I get back just to avoid complications...would suck to be in London and discover that my band is too tight!! So glad that we all made it through safe and sound!! ~ Tai

I went to Europe to have my surgery as I could not afford to have it done in the UK. I can honestly say that you get what you pay for. Deals which seem too good to be true often are. I researched my company and the surgeon for months, the company has an excellent reputation and I spoke to lots of his previous patients who all had wonderful experiences. I have serious complications, which a surgeon in the UK thinks is down to cheap equipment and an inferior surgical technique. My desire to have surgery overrode everything so much so I chose to have it done outside the UK even though my family begged me not to go. Please stay in the UK for surgery, do not consider going abroad! If you stay in the UK you will get proper aftercare. I wish I'd waited a few more years, saved the money and had it done here. I'm not saying everyone who goes abroad ends up having complications, as I shared a room with a lady who had the same op as me and she is doing amazingly well. But please consider, even companies and surgeons with excellent reputations can make mistakes.

Oh so much to talk about with this..... Sorry, but I'm going to ramble a bit. First off, there are risks and benefits to each of the three surgeries (as background I had a lap-band, miserable with it, prolapsed, lead to emergency removal, and now have a gastric bypass. I'm also a family practice physician assistant. I'm not a bariatric expert, but I've been around this a bit). On average, lap-band patients do not lose as much as the other 2 surgeries. That is why surgeons typically don't recommend lap-band above a certain weight. That said, I know people that have lost 200+ pounds with the lap-band. Average weight loss is just that, an average. For everyone that loses 10%, there's someone that loses 80% of their excess weight. It's impossible to predict where you'll fall in that spectrum. Some of it is how good your surgeon is, some of it is how dedicated you are to lifestyle change, some of it is sheer luck. As far as the band, I won't say don't do it. I will say research your butt off. Again, weight loss tends to not be as much as compared to the other 2 surgeries. I would like to add that, while the band is known for it's reversibility, that is not entirely an accurate statement. My personal story was that my band prolapsed, stomach herniated (and before i get jumped for being a bad band patient, I wasn't a bad band patient....sometime crap just happens). I had an emergency removal and was supposed to revise to gastric bypass, however, once the surgeon got in to remove the band I had so much swelling and inflammation that he was not able to do the revision. They removed my band, sewed me up, sent me home to heal for 6 months, then I had my revision. I know of at least 2 individuals in my area that had band removal and had so much damage that they could not revise to another surgery....while the band is removable, I don't really feel the term reversible is 100% accurate. Another point I'd like to share is 'invasive' truth be told, you're having major surgery. All 3 surgeries are invasive. The sleeve does not have the malabsorption issues or dumping associated with the RNY. However, they are essentially cutting off a large section of your stomach. The RNY does have malabsorption and possibly dumping (most people don't dump, I happen to be in the minority that dump easily, it's really not a huge deal if I watch what I eat). Yes they are making a small pouch in your stomach and bypassing and small portion of your intestine, you are getting some replumbing done with the RNY. That said, RNY is reversible (again, subject to scar tissue and such associated with previous surgeries) IF you need reversal. The vast majority of us will never consider reversal because we need this surgery to maintain a healthy weight.....(reversibility was not a factor in my choosing RNY). I know people that have been hugely successful with all 3 surgeries. I know people that have lost almost nothing with all 3 surgeries. I know people that have had bad complications, hospitalizations, ICU admissions with all 3 surgeries. None of them are magic. None of them work without a commitment from the patient. It is not something to step into lightly..... My advice, research, research, research. Find a surgeon that you trust and listen to what they say and what they suggest. Ultimately you have to make a decision that you are comfortable with and that you can commit to. But know that every day you spend morbidly obese is taking a toll on your body and your health. Most of us just cannot lose an maintain a healthy weight without surgery. Most of us have lost and gained a thousand times. There are some that regret the surgery but the vast majority of us wish we'd done it sooner. The RNY is right for me, I wish i'd done it in the first place. But I'm not you. I wish you the best of luck with the decision and applaud your choice to start considering surgery. If you ever have questions I'm happy to try to help. Best of luck with this decision and congrats on trying I take control of your health. It's a tough choice but at least you're considering it. That's a step in the right direction.

Good Luck! I was sleeved on 10/3/12 and absolutely NO REGRETS! Down 30 pounds since. Feel awesome! I too had thoughts racing through my head and stressed out but miracously as I walked through the hospital doors that morning I felt a sense of calm come over me. I did great! No complications. Best gift I ever gave myself. Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress! If you have any questions to help settle your mind, ask away....

I am 11 days out and feeling fine. No complications what so ever.

Thanks for the very helpful suggestions. Based on this, I think I will go for the pre-op, chat with her on follow-ups which will be exactly what she does to keep me healthy anyway (blood work, nutrition, etc.), and reassure her that we have a plan for complications. We will also share Dr. Alvarez's credentials and track record with her so she can get more comfortable with all of it. She truly is an amazing, intelligent, very nurturing doctor who takes TIME with us, and I believe, at the end of it all, she will do whatever she can to keep us healthy. But I think she is worried about us, there are CYA/legal issues etc. that she needs to deal with, so I will do my part to reassure her.

Ok, so i've decided to begin a lifting program. At this point, I have attempted several options but it has proven to be a bit complicated! So here is the dilemma: My original surgeon does not take my current insurance, nor does the dietitian. i WAS going to go to them, and pay out of pocket, dietitian alone is about $250 for one session. Additionally, the dietitian that was there when I had my surgery is now gone, and there is a new one who wouldn't know me at all. I saw a new surgeon affiliated with my insurance and although he didn't have much to offer me, he does have a dietitian that I can see. There is still SOME cost, with my co-pay/deductible. I have appointment for next week but not sure if I should keep it, again this person doesn't know me at all either. Lastly, my family belongs to the local YMCA. They have some trainers (I think maybe college students), and they do have a dietitian. He is only available every couple weeks by appointment. Even though we belong to the facility, it would still be a fee to see him (in the neighborhood of $150 for a 1-hour session with him and 3-30 minute sessions with a trainer. It's sort of a package deal. So my dilemma is: will the bariatric dietitian be able to give me the necessary guidance I need to know WHAT to eat as I begin a weight training program, and if not then who should I see? I don't know if a registered dietitian affiliated with my Y would know enough about bariatric surgery and specifically size restriction (i can only eat 1 cup at a time) to be able to work with me. Also, is it wiser to just go ahead and buy some sessions with the trainers at the Y or is it worth the money to invest in an actual personal trainer for a few months? VERY VERY VERY CONFUSED, need some guidance quickly as I need to make/cancel appointments. Any suggestions very much appreciated!!!

I also choose the sleeve after a lot of research, plus I have 2 friends that have had bypass. You need to read everything you can but I felt that it was important to still have my body function the way it was made to and didn't want to deal with dumping syndrome or the malabsorption problems. I also felt it was a safer surgery with less complications and that was really important to me. I don't know your medical history but your doctor must have his reasons. Did he explain why he felt that way to you? I just got my sleeve on the 12th and am very happy so far.

I had a Gastric Sleeve performed one month ago after repeated failures at diets and exercise. It was causing great strain in our marriage. I had heard so much positive feedback on Gastric Sleeve - even my own personal Physician had had it done. 98% of people get through with only minimal discomfort, and manageable pain and nausea. I was one of the 2% that didn't. I can't be totally sure in what order things happened, but I think I was given a minimalistic version of the truth. My surgery started out as laparoscopic. Firstly, I went into anaphylaxis from the anti-anaesthetic med in recovery. They had to do CPR till they could reverse it. I went off to ICU, where after some hours they said my stats showed I was haemorrrhaging. Another LAP prodecure - "nick in spleen', stitched, glued. (This is where I have my doubts - I'm inclined to think the CPR and cracked rib caused a spleen rupture - not a "nick" because I have now been told 25 % of my spleen will atrophy. Back to ICU. A few hours later - she's still haemorrhaging". Back to theatre, this time open surgery right down abdomen. Vein on back of liver nicked, tied off etc, back to ICU. Next day a whole lot of packs removed from my abdomen. I spent a hellish week in ICU. On drip till I could tolerate a tiny bit of liquid. Another week and a half in ward. I do believe they cracked a rib doing CPR as I have a 40% collapsed lung on that side, cannot breathe in without pain, and one particular rib hurts like crazy. I spend most mornings in bed feeling nauseous till lunchtime. The pain is subsiding but I am bothered about that lung. I know it's only a month out, that I had an unfortunate series of events, but I'm hoping like crazy in 12 months I'll be able to eat without feeling sick. I have anti-nausea wafers but they don't do a lot. At the moment I cannot drive, cannot work, and don't know when I will be able to. i'm kind of glad it's done, and I have lost 16kg (mostly because I can hardly eat anything), but if I'd known in advance how bad mine would be, I definitely would have said no. I nearly died several times. Is being skinny really worth it? I was trying to improve my health, my blood pressure, stave off Diabetes. As it is, I don't know how long I am going to be out of action. However. As I said, I'm one of about 2% who have such nightmare complications, so listen to the people it worked for. After six months most of them are grinning like Cheshire cats at how great they feel having lost do much weight. In case you're wondering, the surgeon I had has one of the best reputations around.

This is the time to get therapy regarding your relationship with food. We have all dieted successfully but not kept the weight off on our own, the sleeve makes that more possible but it takes as much mental work as physical work. Right now take notice of how often emotional issues make you turn to food - whether it is anger, fear, disappointment, a tough decision, stress - whatever - you will need to find another way to cope with those issues. There are risks in any surgery, but skilled surgical teams have mastered this technique and complications are very rare and recovery generally tolerable, easier than gall bladder surgery for most. Ask anesthesiologist for a scopolamine patch for nausea - works great, and walk soon and often to get the gas/discomfort out and sip liquids as often as you can. Listen to your surgeon's directions. Good luck.

(dribbling drool on myself) Bec, I'm still not following. Was the procedure $8500? And your insurance paid 75% of that? This is getting very complicated. I guess it's not even important, but I'm a lil bored.

The protein shots are 42g of protein , it's whey protein. They have fruit punch, sour apple, raspberry, orange. They are sugar free, 2 carbs, 180 calories. The unjury protein powder is added to hot broth or soup. You can get unflavored or chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and chicken noodle. The are other items as well. Unjury.com. I am on day 8 post op today. So I'm not on smoothies yet, still clear liquids. But u can add that unjury to smoothies. I have had no real complications other than nausea from too much fluid too fast. Lost 8# in a week:-) first time ever for me.

Sorry to hear about your complications! I had a pic line when I had my lap band taken out... They suck but are necessary to heal properly! Sending you positive, healing vibes.... Hope things turn around soon!

@@Embrace Hi! Thank you so much for checking in on me. Your note before my surgery gave me great peace and comfort. I have told NO ONE but my husband, so having you and others checking on me in INVALUABLE! I have had a tough 1st week of recovery, but am beginning to feel better. My 1 week check up is tomorrow. Because I was converting a "plication" to a sleeve, my procedure lasted 5.5 hours. I think this may be the reason the Anesthesia was particularly difficult to rid from my system. Not sure if this is the cause of my blurry vision for the last 6 days, but reading online, I have found that this can be a result of anesthesia and will improve in 9-10 days. (I have been unable to read the newspaper, emails, or any of the 3 new books I bought to enjoy during my recovery phase.) Additionally, I have had severe headaches that I cannot treat with my regular migraine meds, due to the complicated revision-----my doc's fear that the strong meds (even crushed) would cause damage to my new sleeve. ENOUGH COMPLAINING THOUGH!!! I'm grateful for my supportive husband who paid the 17,500. fee to have this done and my steady improvement. I actually feel myself getting stronger each day. Remembering what you said about walking the anesthesia off, I made sure to walk a little each day but honestly I only made it to my mailbox and back, walked from one end of my house to the other.....etc. (I was quite wimpy this week) I tried to balance what you said about walking and resting my body. I have a goal of walking 30 minutes (all at one time) by Saturday of this week. I hope I am able. Your 3rd piece of invaluable advice was very helpful and something I HAD NOT considered. As soon as I can get out, I'm going to purchase tiny bowls and small plates. Thank you so much for this tip!! Something I had not expected was the weight gain in the hospital from fluids. ( I probably should have done better research and made myself aware of this bc it SHOCKED me!) I gained 11 lbs and after 6 days that was finally gone. I hope I begin steady "losing" from this point on. I practiced "going out to dinner" last night with my husband. This is a little scary at first! We went to a Tai restaurant where I was able to order a bowl of simple broth. It was divine. (After eating broth from a box all week.) Since today is 1 week out, I'm going to weigh, take measurements, etc. I'm hoping I'm on the right path and will continue to improve. Enough about me! Are you doing o.k.? Still losing? Adding new foods to your diet? Feeling good? I think your surgery was this summer so we are just a few months apart. Your wisdom and compassion came through so clearly in your message to me and I want you to know how very much I appreciate the time it took to send it. Please continue to send your valuable tips and please let me know how you are progressing.

Oh I don't mind it's part of it let me give u alittle back ground of me I'm 25 year old female and I has zero health issues I was just morbidly obese and terrified of getting diabetes since I'm a nursing student and that honestly scared the crap out of me. I has surgery on November 19th 2013 no complications other than typical gas pain but I walked my butt off in that hospital bc all I wanted was to go home but that didn't happen I stayed 5 days in that hospital bc I couldn't get my fluids in. When I got home I couldn't drink ethier I had that god awful taste in my mouth and was nauseas all the time. I was hospitalized twice for dehydration I has the worst pain under my breasts all bc of dehydration! Finally I got the hang of the sip sip sip all Day everyday buty energy was low very low for months I introduced food in the 2.5 month and it all was a learning exspirence! All ANd all no regrets I was out of work for 3 months and even when I did return I wasent ready! Everyone's different and we all go through this process differently! My aunt whose 60 and 350 pounds with all the health problems in the world was back to work a week later and full of energy so we are all different'

My doctor required the sleep study. If you needed a CPAP machine, he required 30 days of sleeping with it, and also stated several times that if you did not bring the machine with you to the hospital, he would cancel the surgery. There are real cases of complication from not being able to breath correctly after anesthesia. My doctor is a real stickler about it, and I had no choice but to comply (I couldn't say that it would go away after weight loss). I am using "Horton" now, and quite honestly, after getting used to him, I sleep better and so does my spouse. I do, however, look forward to the day that Horton goes in the closet

Those are great points Heather. With how different the post op instructions from surgeons on vitamins, for instance I was told I didn't need calcium after three months and no b12! Thank god, I did tons of research. I wouldn't be surprised if forums 10 or 15 years have posts from lots of people complaining of complications due vitamins deficiency.

I showered the day of surgery. I had my period and begged them. My husband had to come in and stayed in case I needed help. The shower had a seat too. The nurses offered to help but I was ok. I showered the 2days I was in. I had my it pole outside the shower but was still hooked up. I brushed my teeth daily I the hospital. I didn't have any complications and felt fine I had a lot of energy.