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Hi! I had my sleeve done 3/27 and initially lost 30 ponds in 4 weeks. YAY! Then I didn't lose anything and now I've gained a few pounds. It's possible that I'm PMS'ing but I'm SO sad/frustrated. I've been very vigilant w/what I'm eating and trying to exercise. I've had a few complications since the surgery including getting a kidney infection and getting put back into the hospital. I haven't been going to the bathroom which worries me. My dietician at my hospital is not very helpful and just wants me to see someone else. It's quite upsetting because I really want this to work. My drs are aware of all of this but man is is this frustrating. I did drink one day but only vodka/water and am freaked that I ruined this. I don't feel like I really know who to talk to about this with because I'm feeling like it's not working now w/the stall/weight gain SO early on. Help! Height: 5'10" Surgery Weight: 264 Current Weight: 237 Goal Weight: 160

I have heard of these cases, but I think they are actually pretty rare. I do work in a hospital and could tell you some similar stories where patients had one thing after the other happen post operatively, but it’s not exclusive to gastric bypass. There are risks to any invasive procedure. I am so sorry you have been through this and I hope you are able to heal and be on the road to good health soon. Hopefully your complications will resolve and you will be done with hospital stays soon, I know it can be depressing and discouraging to be in the hospital so much. Gall bladders commonly do go bad after bypass due to rapid weight loss. Picc line infections are unfortunately too common as the line requires meticulous maintenance practices to remain infection free. The high dextrose content of TPN increases risk of infection there as well. We are here to support you.

I had my band placed in April 2008. I lost a little over 60 pounds in the first six months. I had to have port revision because my port had flipped after surgery, but once corrected I had no other issues the first year. The honeymoon phase was wonderful! In the next two years, I ended up with acid reflux and esophagus issues, port complications, weight regain (and then some). I moved and had to find a new "band doctor", which by the way isn't an easy task. We were only able to do one fill due to my port being so deep and found out later stitched to my rib under my left breast (long story). I had RNY revision in August of this year. I'm down 49 pounds since surgery. I did my research and knew there would be higher risks with a revision surgery. RNY (like the band), isn't a cure to weight loss. It too is a tool. The first 18 months you are almost guaranteed to lose weight, due to re-routing and malabsorption. After that time hopefull we have learned to eat right and have a new lifestyle. It is usually after that time period if we go back to our old habits, we will probably regain the weight. It has its pros and cons...but for me it has been worth it. I'm not in pain anymore, I don't nor can I "eat around it", I don't get the elepant on my chest feeling like I did with the band with almost every meal...it doesn't allow you to cheat! Vitamins and supplements are a must the rest of your life. I was on my way to an early grave - even with the band. I regained all weight I'd lost with the band, plus twenty pounds - on top of that my esophagus had all but stopped working. Reflux was horrible (with reflux I should never have been banded - big no no). I was literally in the worse shape of my life three months ago. I can say since then I've had some tough moments. I mean, the surgery was a b***h to recover from...not a picnic - was tough but worth it :-) Do your research, go in with your eyes wide open and adopt a glass is half empty regarding research...I think you should always prepare for the worse and hope for the best!

One week after surgery I was very tired and was spending all my thought energy on figuring out what liquid thing I could eat (since I ended up despising the Protein shakes). Who do you have at home to help ? Could you explain what is going on in your personal life to the agency and have the girls come the following week ? You could do it, but it won't be easy. And if you had any post-surgiical complications your spouse would have total responsibility for you and the girls. I don't normally sound like a negative Nelly but this is a very important decision.

7 days after surgery I still had a drain, find out if you will have a drain and for how long. I spent 5 days in the hospital and I know some people came home in one day. I had my drain taken out day 13. I took naps daily for the first 2 weeks. I'm 49 and I have Lupus but I also lost 70 pounds pre-surgery and I had a leg up on the weight loss. I have heard stories of women crying during dinner because they couldn't eat what everyone else is eating. Realize that your eating is going to be seriously different. From clears, full liquid, pureed, soft & regular. If you have been working on behavior modification pre-surgery that will probably be a piece of case for you, but for many people they really get depressed after surgery. Around day 9 it seems everything is much more emotional than before surgery. I would love to be a foster mom, mys on is 22 years old and I think what you are doing is wonderful. With that being said, you will have people say to you, oh yeah, no problem I did this that and the other after surgery. No two people are alike and you have no clue how you are going to be until after surgery. If you go into surgery with the right frame of mind and you are an upbeat and positive person, you will most likely do better, but complications do happen, people respond differently to different things. If these girls have been through a whole lot of stress prior, it could be hard on them, but if you have help for the first week they are there, and you can control your emotions when it comes to food and you don't have food mourning in front of them, you could do it. I think being a foster mom is a wonderful thing, and I wish you the best of luck and I'm not trying to scare you, I want you to be as informed as you can be. Again best of luck and I am looking forward to hearing good news after your surgery.

I would sit down with a doctor to make your choice. That is what I did. I was not sure if I even wanted surgery when I first met with my weight-loss doctor. After a few meeting she factor in my age weight and needs and we decided on the sleeve. I went this option because it only messes with one organ not several. You also have less risks of malabsorption and complications. Most places offer seminars that are free and will talk about options and risks. Insurance may also come into play on what you can have as well.

That’s just weird! The surgeon wants your A1C be,ow 7 so they know your diabetes is controlled and you won’t have complications from the surgery with healing. That was a requirement from my surgeon. Luckily mine has been below 7 for about 4 years. The good news is, I had my A1C checked as part of my annual physical and it fell from 6.2 to 5.2. My primary was “thrilled” (his words) and took me off the Janumet. No more diabetes meds at all! So you have that to look forward to.

:confused:I'm a little worried, Is my cold going to get better and not worse in 3days? I'm a going to die on the table? Should I really be doing this? What if there are complications (I've already paid out 16,000) Can I aford more money? AHGGG I hope that this is "COLD FEET" so to speak. Did anyone else feel this way?

My surgery was done by Dr. Owens. Everything went well, no complications, and he's as aggressive on fills as any I've heard of. If you need more info, please feel free to ask. I'm pleased with his program.

Hi , I don't post often anymore, but would like to "talk" to you as a "seasoned" sleever. The pain is not horrible at all. .c/sections and hysterectomies hurt alot more then this does. . just make damn sure you do your walking every couple of hours and sipping of liquids. . . when you get home continue to walk and sip. . if not, you'll run into complications with gas pain and so on. . . None of us have died yet being on liquids for the 2 weeks. you will be ok. . you have to think positively about this. . if not, get ready for some problems. I hated my sleeve the first few months, and the reason was because I couldn't eat like the pig i was. . . I wanted to stuff everything into my face and snort and grunt, but I couldn't. . .I could only eat small portions and sip liquids, like a proper lady. . . i really really hated it, but now 10+ months out, I am so proud of myself, I eat like a proper lady and actually watch how the "other side" eats now. . . I would have this surgery again, but be forwarned, you have to prepare yourself for this, both emotionally and physically. . . don't just jump into thinking it'll do all the work for you it doesn't you have to do the work. . . just like a hammer, it's just a tool, you are the one who has to make it work. . .if not and your not ready, don't do the surgery. . I love Downs children, they are all so cute and sweet. . .they give and show love so openly. . you want to be there for them, you will enjoy your trip with them, you will be proud of yourself once you get over the initial hurl, you will have a good time not only with them, but with your new self, and hubbie. . . congratulations on your February date! You are going to do well. . . just be prepared please!

Dumping is not guaranteed. So maybe not the best ideas to make a decision on that. You posted on the bypass thread so you'll get a lot of pro bypass perspectives, too. I decided bypass because I wanted the greatest chance of my co morbidities being completely resolved. I wanted long term data. I've been on this site a while and I can't figure out if sleeves are just being offered more lately and there by we are hearing more about folks not being able to eat being 6 wks, 6 months out and other stuff or if sleeves are more vocal about it. Can't tell. I'm two weeks out and can tolerate everything I tried with no problems, nausea, vomiting. I know when I'm am eating too fast but I think that would be the same for everyone at this point. You need to make this decision with your surgeon. I think most people go with their guts and at their fear edge. Some people are gonna be creeped out by the re routing, I was afraid of the long line of stitching with the sleeve or developing any sort of reflux, heartburn etc. Also, what sealed the deal for me and you might ask your surgeon. How many of each procedures has he/she done? Which one has he/she done the most revisions or fixed complications with? And how comfortable with it are they? If his or her child needed bariatric surgery which would they recommend? Honestly, you are young and healthy and would probably do well with a uncomplicated sleeve or bypass process, but you may not need all the bypass has to offer.

This is for me. Ok so I am nearly 40, married, three kids and I have always been overweight. I am sick of the comments "your not fat" or "you have beautiful skin"( yeah dont look to close!) and my favorite "your healthy" No I'm not! I am always doing for others and then blaming them for my hangups and failures. I am sick and tired of getting dressed up thinking i look nice and then arriving at said function being surrounded by tiny gorgeous women that dont sweat. :toetap05: So after great deliberation I have decided on the band! Yeah I was confident and excited and now I am kinda starting to freak the closer I get to surgery date which is Feb 20th 2009. My start weight is 108kgs. I am frightened, hey like what am I going to eat, what if there are complications blah blah, you know what EXCUSES! my whole life is made up of excuses! so hear we go!

Good luck to you. My consult appt is in May. I’ve done a ton of research already but this is what I’m planning on asking: Explain the procedure in detail What are the potential complications/ risks? What will recovery look like for me? What will my diet consist of immediately post-op in 1 and 3 months? And I’m sure I’ll think of more!

I was afraid. Not sure I would get approved and also afraid of complication. I am 9 days post op. went back to work after 6 days( only 5 hours) I am resting knowing my limit getting all protein vitamins and walking. Go in with confidence and know this shall pass. I had never had any kind o surgery. I'm 47. I was afraid. Never let fear stop you. Do research follow Instructions on recovery to a t. I jut went for a walk with my 11 year old and after 9 days I feel great. Yes it isn't easy ( major gas, insicion pain!) bur think I expected the worse and it is ok. Good luck.

I am so afraid of the unknown and the potential complications. I just really need this to go well.

I was going to say that if you're price shopping, Dr. Aceves isn't exactly the cheapest Mexican surgeon. He's just the best one! I could have chosen to have surgery anywhere in the world. I'm lucky enough to have great credit, and my bank was willing to grant me an unsecured loan up to $20K. I was living in Germany and couldn't find a doctor experienced enough with sleeves to do it there (where it would have cost a fortune in euros vs. dollars for self pay), or I would have had it done in Germany and saved myself the two days of travel back and forth. I chose Dr. Aceves after carefully researching three other stateside doctors, all of them good, all of them experienced and all of them good choices. But as someone self-paying and flying 11 hours to do this, I wanted the BEST care, with the longest possible hospital stay. Dr. Aceves fit the bill and I cannot complain at all. I urge everyone, regardless of where you're having surgery done, to DO YOUR RESEARCH. Do not assume that just because your doctor is American that he/she is automatically a great choice. Review statistics, look up as many reviews/recommends as you can. Do the leg work. This is your LIFE on the line if you choose an inexperienced doctor. And sometimes, sh*t happens and even an experienced doctor can have a leak and you can suffer complications. It's a hazard of choosing a serious surgery. So do your leg work and be prepared. Finally, I would like to comment on the notes about Dr. Rodriguez. While I do not discount that this person had legitimate reasons to be concerned, I'd say that when you choose to go to a hospital out of America you can't be upset if they're not 100% to American standards. This issue is on the patient for not researching adequately, though I do appreciate that she shared her experience for everyone else. Word of mouth is very important. If she had an allergy this could have been a fatal operation. I have had two operations and countless medical appointments outside of America and can honestly say that even top notch care in another country can seem outdated or not as safe to us because we're so incredibly used to American care. I was amazed to see old school glass bottles and plastic tubing were going to be my IV when I was in Kyiv for a procedure, but they broke out clean, sterilized tubing and a sterile needle without my mentioning anything so I felt comfortable. Sometimes you have to go with the flow, but above all, try to be prepared. ~Cheri

:w00t:hi everyone today i went for my first fill. my appointment was at 11:40. got their at 11:15. had to wait for like five minutes.by the way i gained 3lbs.she ask me what i was eating i said mashed potatoes.mushy stage she said no carbs.but protien. the doctor gave me 1.5cc he said i had the small band, standard.i don,t know how many cc,s it hold. but anyway it was painless an easy about f ive seconds it was done he ask me did i fell anything i say no he says most people do some don,t but for a second i could taste it in my throat.it taste just like my iv fluid when my nurse change my iv bag during my hospital stay. after the fill he gave me water to sip it went down fine.i am to do liquids for today, tomorrow mushy, then he said regular foods.he is a great doctor.so far i haven,t had any complications what so ever. as i sit here sipping my chicken broth i think i can feel something.so my people how are you doing. wishing everyone blessings on our new journey in life. (:smile::tt2::lol:sil)

So sorry you've had some complications but hopefully it is all resolved for the better now! The mood swings and sadness and depressed feelings (and even rage, joy, irritability) can be chalked up to hormone swings because of the fat you're losing (fat is a very efficient hormone storage medium and as you lose fat, the hormones are flushed into your system to cause all sorts of mood changes). It is normal to feel down after having this procedure, especially the "what the @#! did I just do" type of depression and I imagine it's multiplied by having complications. Be kind to yourself and just know it does get better and once you start really improving weight and activity wise. Good luck to you!

I'm so sorry that you've had complications. Sending positive, healing vibes.

Sorry to hear you are having issues. Have you been told what the actual problemis? Is it on the list of possible complications you should have been provided with pre surgery?

Im having my surgery on the 24th aswell. its been a very looooong 2 weeks of fluids. I dont think i can go on anymore, i just wanna have the opp over and done with now. im getting admitted tomorrow at 1pm. im counting the hours now actually and im hoping for a safe surgery with no complications..

Rather than focusing on the very low risk of surgery complications.....focus on the very REAL risk of obesity related cancers, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and reduced mobility. If you frame it in your mind as something you must do to prevent harm coming to you....instead of something that could cause harm, you might be less afraid. The odds are in your favor of the surgery doing much more good than harm. PS...the first time I went in for a consult for weight loss surgery was almost 20 years ago:) Got it done in December and wish i'd done it years ago:)

I was a big worrier my biggest fear what if something went wrong. I went back over the pro and con list I made to once again remind myself why I need to lose my weight. I questioned why I was scared or what was the real reason I was scared/worried. I question one of my biggest worry, death. Why was I afraid I might die? For me I question the trust of my surgeon. I took a deep look at why I was worried about the surgery itself and looked at the reality of my worries. I looked at the fact my surgeon was a stranger, I looked at if he was experienced enough, I looked at the trust I had for my doctor and staff. I found that my fears were unfounded. Yes, there are concerns for anyone going under the knife, but when looking at the low complication rate and trusting your skilled surgeon is the key. For me, I couldn’t trust my surgeon. My head and my heart said I should rethink my surgery so that’s what I did. I researched the operation compared to others (I’m glad I did I was schedule 3 days later for Gastric bypass but I changed to a VSG, thank goodness I did the research), complication rate, hospital standards, and most importantly, the doctors background (success rate, complication, or malpractice). Once all my concerns where answered, I prepared for my surgery using positive talk and meditation by thinking of the weight I would lose and the health I will get back. To help me through the stressful period, I downloaded some free meditation audio files and listen to them. Here is a link to Kaiser Permeate Guided imagery programs that really helped me. Download the one for surgery and take it with you to listen on your mp3 player. Your probably don’t need it, but good luck on your surgery. https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/redirects/listen/

Experience is very important but you also have to consider the travel time. What if you are having some type of complication or another and cant get there? Plus like you said he has done gastric for 10 years. In my opinion, it seems doing a lap band would be a piece of cake for him. Plus he wouldnt have been certified if he didnt know what he was doing. Another thing to think of is that he is not going to be the only one in the room. Im sure someone else though they may not be the one doing the surgery have seen one done and could assist him if the need be.

Who I am now isn't so important as how I came to be this person, wife, mother, grandmother, sister. The history is what formed me, challenged me to overcome, compelled me to do better than those who came before me. I was born near the mid-point of the last century, in a large western US city. My parents married because they had conceived me when my mom was 16. My birth father was 19. As it turned out, he was a violent paranoid schizophrenic and a pedophile. My mom was later Dx with Borderline Personality disorder. I won't go into detail, suffice it to say that my earliest memories are horrific. My two younger brothers and I suffered the abuse and neglect until I was 9 1/2 years old, when a neighbor girl was assaulted by my birth father, he was arrested and sent to a state psychiatric hospital for treatment. I was taken in to protective custody for four days, while my mother was investigated and cleared of complicity in my abuse. He was not allowed within 300 miles of me, upon his release, 4 years later. When I was 14, he committed suicide. My mom had remarried in 1960 to a wonderful man I refer to as Dad. He earned my trust, respect and love. They had two more little boys in the two years following their marriage. My Dad died of sleep apnea in 1978, we were all devastated and heartbroken...it was the undoing of my mom and my dearest brother. My mom turned to scotch for comfort, inviting my 17 year old brother to be her drinking partner. My mom died 8 miserable years later of pancreatic cancer. Those 8 years were awful, watching my mom decline, my brothers suffer. She raged constantly, told me often that I had no idea of her pain, her suffering. She made life a living hell for her family and circle of friends. She was diagnosed and died in 12 short weeks later. My brother died 14 years later, the victim of a predatory female who took advantage of his alcoholism, a recent injury, subbed his Rx pain Meds with extra strength Tylenol. Took him 3 weeks to die of liver failure, on our dad's birthday. My heart was broken. This brother was the first male I had in my life who loved me unconditionally. He was born when I was 11 and he was like a son to me. He was my husband's best buddy, my kids favorite uncle, everybody loved him. Yes, he was an alcoholic, very high functioning, but losing him was the saddest event of my life to date. My brother has been gone for 12 years...I think of him every day. I remember my little grandkids running up to the car when I'd arrive at their house, all four of them would climb in the car hugging me, asking me "...is you sad? Did your Brubbie die? Sorry *****, usses loves you! ". They did this for months, until I finally told them I felt better because they healed my broken heart. I have 8 grandkids 6 teens, 2 in their twenties. The youngest 4 are all the same age, 3 identical girls and a boy. I am blessed. Of my four siblings, two have passed. The oldest, died at age 51 as a transient. He inherited the mental illness genes and I never saw him after my mother's death. The next oldest lives in NM, his mind ravaged by years of alcohol and drug abuse. We have minimal contact thru FB. The youngest has never been able to form healthy relationships with anyone...I see him once per year when he comes to visit. He misses his big brother too. He tells me that his true home is wherever I am. I wish my mom had let me take him when he was 15 and she went on her 8 year binge. So...this is my emotional history, in a nutshell. The other stuff doesn't matter, except to say that my family is healthy, successful and happy. We celebrate often, mourn together when the time comes and love and support each other faithfully. My kids have all been married to their HS sweethearts for over 20 years each. We have done better than the generation before us...the bar was low on my side, but my husband and his family were great role models. I'm thankful every day for their love, support and example. I miss them painfully.