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I turned 55 Dec. 2012 and had surgery done that same month. I have had no complications.

Hi Everyone! My Name is Nettie and I am considering lap band surgery. I have been through all the preliminary steps and am meeting with the Surgeon for the first time this coming Wed. I am scared to death. I keep questioning my decision big time. I am in my early 40's and have type 2 diabetes, HTN and PCOS and have a family history of heart problems & cancer. I have had one major success in losing weight and keeping it off and that was in 1998 when I went from 280ish to 240. I have since then bounced around from 240 to 250 constantly. I have tried lots of ways to lose but I either don't give it my all or I don't get the desired results so I give up. I saw my Mother die this past summer from complications of not taking care of her diabetes. This has put unholy terror in my life. I am a "good" diabetic. I follow the rules and do what I am supposed to hence my 6.5 A1C! However the other issues that go along with it keep changing. My HTN has gotten bad this year and it never was before. So I am trying this as a means to rid myself of all these health issues. I want to live a long healthy life. I have a great support system if I do this but I am still scared. What will I do if I can't make it work? Am I setting myself up for failure? What will happen if I don't get in the required exercise? I am not lazy but I just have a really hard time making myself do the exercise. What if I lose weight but can't lose the flab and can't afford surgery to get rid of it? All of this keeps going through my head. My brain hurts because of this. I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thank you.

Had my bypass on 4/20/18. Two weeks later sharp pain on lower left side. Was admitted to hospital with an abscess on my bowel. Had to stay back to stage 1 liquids. It's been 5 weeks now and still vomiting from most solids. Had an endoscopy last week. Everything looked good except some irritation, probably from throwing up everyday. I'm on heavy antacids and testing what makes me throw up. I can't do meats except Turkey, nothing fried, no breads, no eggs..... Has anyone experienced food allergies post-op?

Would I have the bypass? I a word Noooooooooooo! I have 3 friends who have had the bypass and 1 has gained all the weight back after 4 years and excess skin removal with major complications, 1 has begun to gain the weight back after 2 1/2 years and the 3rd one is just now 1 year post surgery. She lost 153 lbs. in 9 months and has to fold her stomach in half to put her pants on because her weight loss was so rapid that her skin is empty, bless her heart, she has aged 10 years. She is completley unfamiliar with the band. These results are heartbreaking and very common. These poor ladies wanted what we all want-to fit in and be thin without the bondage of excess weight and the side effects of obesity. Please research all of your options and make your decision based on the facts that you gather and not on mine or anyone elses opinion. The very best to you whatever decision you make. God bless you dear. Rose in Texas

I don't know anything about the plication, but I had the sleeve done on Tuesday, 26 Mar and went back to work half days 2 days later. No complications, no issues, no leaks. I had to ask myself what I was willing to sacrifice to finally get off the roller coaster of weight loss, weight gain, weight loss over my life. I am 46 and would do it again in a heartbeat! Just starting my weight loss journey and so excited for the outcome!!! Good luck.

The first surgeon I went to was a big plication fan. I decided against it because I realized it wouldn't help with hunger. I get hungry but not like pre- op days. Plus I thought the possible complications with plication sounded worse- necrotic stomach, no thank you. I have been blessed with a relatively smooth recovery since my VSG.

Supposedly it's a type of massage that helps drain excess fluids via the lymph system. My PS is sending me to a woman who specializes in post-surgical massage to help with lymphatic draining as well as scar tissue formation, etc. He claims that his patients who go to her heal much faster than those who don't, with fewer complications, etc. I figure it's definitely worth a try.

I went through this as well. I just told them it was a necessary surgery. They did prod a bit, and I lied and told them it was my gall bladder. I am now having a tummy tuck and breast reduction. This time I told them it was complications to my gallbladder surgery...it worked. Bottom line it isn't their business and they can't make you tell them. BUT if you are getting paid time off you may have to tell them. Good luck!

I stayed overnight too - doesn't hurt! My doctor said it's good in order to avoid any complications!

I was wondering what complications, if any, you had after surgery? I started having bad pain and nausea in my lower left abdomen, and they found it was diverticulitis. They think it is due to all of the protein shakes and after surgery diet/ pain meds causing constipation. I finally went back to work after being out for 2 weeks, and I started vomiting white foam, and I am back to feeling super nauseous and dizzy. Anyone else having these problems? Unfortunately with feeling so sick, I am not getting many calories and my dr said my body is in starvation mode, which is stalling the weight loss. I have to force myself to get up to 800 calories a day. Not fun...

I'm 18 months post Gastric Sleeve and have not had any complications. Lost 130 post surgery, still need to lose some. I've stalled for 3 months.

My mom had the gastric sleeve done a few years after having a tummy tuck. She didn't have any complications and said pain was minimal. Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm having a horrible time with my protein! I'm 6 weeks out and on full food. whey Protein makes me sick, so I have not had a shake in quite a while. I'm running about 40-50g protein per day. My NUT wanted me at 85g/day. I read somewhere yesterday that taking in too little protein could result in a stall/slow-down, and I'm worried about that. Has anyone heard of that? Last night I sat and worked out a schedule for meals/snacks, but I'm not sure I'll get all my Water in with the 30/30 rule and eating so often. This is no longer as easy as I have been making it!..... or am I making the eating plan too complicate?

Agree you are making a wise choice by sticking to your diet plan and not adding the fruit. Point of diet is to shrink liver so your surgeon has better access to your stomach with out any complications like a laceration. Sorry to tell you that IMO the preop diet does not get any better. I suffered horribly but never cheated. Worth every second of gut wrenching hunger during those long days and nights. Little did my stomach know that its days were numbered. Countdown to a new you. Good luck!

Silry, I can somewhat relate. I had complications on my surgery day with the 9.75 band, so my doctor had me stay overnight in the hospital and have the larger VG band installed the following day. Talk about disheartening, right from the start I was in trouble. After two surgerys and a follow up, I went to my first supposed fill appointment. I was still swollen and losing weight following all instructions. At the first appointment the Dr. told me all was well and he was happy with my progress and did not make a fill. (I wa still losing and feeling good) I was told that I was fully healed and should folllow the solid food guidelines. After a few weeks, I had no restrictions. I waited a few more weeks for trying in vain to follow the guidelines, but I was always hungry, in fear, unrestricted and couldn't even have a beer (or soda) to drown my sorrows. I then made an appointment for a fill. It was the week before New Years. I expressed my concern with the Dr. telling him about having no restriction, eating all I want, etc, he told me not to worry. I was told (I thought) I was filled with 5cc's and assured that 5cc's would cause significant restriction. I was sent home to return in two months for a check. After the two months I still had no restriction and was gaining weight. I got depressed. This depression, coupled with a work related injury, spiraled into a deeper depression. Being able to eat as much as, or more than I had before the surgery and a fill, was devastating. I gave up hope and convinced myself that I could not lose weight no matter what I tried, even with the lap band. This furthered my downward spiral and made me afraid to return to the Dr. for fear of being branded a failure. After several months of depression, on this past Thursday, I made the decision to see the Dr. At the appointment, I learned that I had gained back all but three of my pre-op weight, but I already knew this by how my clothes fit. (I don't weigh myself, because I already know I'm overweight) The Dr. said to me , you only have 2cc's in, where have you been. I told him about the lack of restriction and feeling like a failure, but he already knew this, because I was not the first. I was mistaken about the size of my first fill and it caused me to spiral. He then filled me from 2 to 5cc's. Since Thursday, I now have to wonder whether I am filled too much, as I can barely eat anything. I have now graduated into the family of PB, Slime, Throw-up, etc. I am just now, after more than six months, learing about the band and it's inticacies, but relishing it. So, long story short, before youn give up hope, go see the Dr. Oh, and stay away from soda, you'll get used to it. Good luck.

Newgrandmother...glad to hear you are OK, although it sounds like a rough experience. I think we were sleeved the same day (9/10) and I am feeling a tiny better each day but knw that there can still be some complications. Hopefully being at home and getting a good nights sleep will be a big step. Keep us posted!

Hello everyone. I got banded back in August and things have been going so so. I'm down 50 pounds and only 30 from my first goal, so I guess I should be feeling more encouraged, but I've been having a hard time with my band the last couple of months. I got a pouch dilation back in the beginning of January, right after my fill up to 5cc (I have a 10 cc band). My next appointment wasn't until February and I wasn't sure at the time whether this was a real problem, or if I was simply just starting to feel real restriction so I didn't go back for an unfill until a month later. During that month, I could drink liquids but sometimes I felt like they weren't going down as easily as they should, especially in the mornings. I was able to eat food too, in teensy lap band portions and I ended up losing 13 pounds in that one month. I've never gotten stuck so badly that I had to bring it up, PBd, or had reflux, but I did get painful hiccups sometimes that don't last very long. At my February appointment, they found the pouch and put me on a 2 week liquid diet to make it go down, but when that didn't work they had to take 2 CCs out bringing me back down to 3. I've been slowly getting refilled since then and haven't had any problems. Monday they got me back up to 5CCs, and I'm having the same problems again. I CAN drink liquids, but they aren't going down as smoothly as I think they should, I sometimes get painful 'hiccups' after eating a tiny bit of food, and I haven't felt hungry at all since two days ago despite barely eating anything. Maybe that's normal with good restriction? It's hard to describe, but I can kind of feel the band squeezing around the liquid while I drink. Should I be getting that feeling with a band that's only half full? My fill doctors are closed until Tuesday due to the holiday, they said that I could go to the ER but I don't think it's THAT series because I can still eat and drink. I'm going to do a liquid diet for the next few days, but what should I do after that? Ask for a sooner appointment to see if I have a pouch again? I really don't want to go through another unfill just when I'd started to feel good restriction again. I'm ashamed to admit that my self control isn't as good as I thought it was and I gained back another eight pounds after they took out those 2 ccs. I'm also feeling very discouraged that I can't seem to get past the 5cc mark without having this problem. I worry that if they do unfill me, I'll just have the same problem again in another three months. Is it okay to just leave the pouch alone, as long as I'm careful? Or will it lead to complications? I've love some advice, thanks!

I'm self pay as well and will definitely be getting a personal loan from my bank to help me out. I really can't afford the sleeve either, but I figure it will be worth it. No fills, no complications, no upkeep on it - ever! Might as well do something right the first time!

Only did I regret it during the first 10 days. After that I felt a lot better physically and mentally. Sure there is the risk of complications with any surgery. But don't forget the risks of being overweight. They have to be considered too. I'm 7 weeks out. I went out to dinner last night. I had 2 nibbles of a chicken & cream cheese spring roll, 1 BBQ rib and a couple of bites of fried sweet potato cubes. For dessert I had 2 bites of a sugar free chocolate pie. There was a pretty long time from dinner to dessert. I came away very happy and satisfied. I had a taste of everything I wanted. Without the sleeve no matter my good intentions I would have over eaten. I still struggle with the 2 more bites on my plate. I have eaten them and then regretted it. Either feeling miserable or barfing!

You really should consider all those concerns you have and then remember this, complications are a possiblity with surgery, being obese is a GUARANTEE for eventual health problems. You will not avoid them and stay obese (unless you get hit by a car.) I am exactly one week out today and I've been super sick and tired and I can't quit thinking about cheese, but I also can't tell you the immense sense of relief I feel knowing that I can be healthy, that my outsides can resemble who I have always felt like. Good luck with your decision!

I have a slightly different perspective. I think people with a lot of weight to lose face a somewhat different challenge because it takes so long to get to goal. Getting to goal, skin removal, cute clothes, a fit body gave me lots of motivation to stay focused the last few years. If I were still over 200# I am not sure I would maintain as well as I have.. I have been both a failure and a success. I feel that sense of..it could have been me writing this post but instead I managed to get to a normal size and weight...and by hook and by crook...maintaining. I have not investigated resleeving but I would ask hard hard questions about success rates and risks. I am suspicious. I would also seriously investigate the DS, the new mini DS. Revisions of any kind has higher complications risk and statistically poorer results. My revision from band to sleeve was the best decision EVER, but it doesn't work out that way for everyone. My #1 advice is don't let shame keep you from seeking help and support, so kudos to you for making this post!

This is why they say "Call the office with questions or concerns" I absolutely understand being hesitant to do this and risk having your surgery delayed...but you have to put your safety first. You want the best outcome possible....so you need to come clean with your team. Give them a call first thing Monday morning. What you're describing might not be a problem. A cold without a fever usually won't disqualify you from surgery, and getting your period typically won't, either. BUT! Your team needs to weigh in on these things, and they might want to run a little last minute complete blood count to make sure your cold isn't something more serious, and gauge the severity of your anemia. They cannot do their job properly without complete information. Please call them. And good luck with your surgery...so sorry you've got these complications. Bad luck! Wishing you the best.

I’ve never been a “rule follower”. Conversely, I have never been considered a “rebel”, I simply follow the beat of my own (albeit unique) drum. I am unapologetically myself and raw. My writing reflects this rough-edged quality: in that, I have no formal training in writing anything. I have favorite authors from whom I would guess I take inspiration. When I do take the time to try and explain myself out using the written word, I almost feel as though my sentiments can not be fortified. Like a composer sending his sheet music to a person incapable of understanding the notes on the staff. Not that I think so highly of myself as to compare myself to a composer…but more like I am so full of words… that to get them out into a coherent and readable piece without meandering on for several paragraphs as I madly type in no particular order or style, is difficult for me on a good day. It’s almost as if I need to be reading this aloud for the reader, in order to try and feel comfortable that my cadence is understood. Maybe that entire paragraph I just wrote just shows how deeply and annoyingly insecure I am about everything…right down to what I write that may never even be seen by anyone. All that being said, in a sense, you’ve been forewarned. I’ve clung to an archaic idea of what romantic love should be. The kind of love you hear about online, in stories on your newsfeed of the couple who had been married for 67 years and wound up dying hours apart…so distraught the thought of living without the other inevitably and literally kills them. The kind of love that is so often depicted in Disney movies and romantic dramas…is this concept just that? A fairytale? The feelings you get from a new relationship hearkens back to this kind of “ romantic love”: Giddiness, anticipation, want, hope. Are these feelings doomed to fail and decay with time? Have we been tricked by the warm glow of Hollywood’s manipulated portrayal of romance? By the writings of so many authors, poets, and songwriters? Is romantic love only a momentary feeling? If that be the case, then I guess I’ve experienced true romantic love. I dream…constantly. A nuisance to say the least. Wild and vivid dreams, weird, chaotic and nonsensical. Most of these dreams are irrelevant regurgitated scraps of the days prior. Of course, there are nightmares. The typical frightening dreams most people have. But of all these dreams, to me, the worst are the ones in which I feel this deep “love”. These dreams don’t revolve around any man in particular. It could be someone in my waking life that I would think to myself “No chance in hell!”. On an ‘easy to relate to’ level, it feels like the celebrity you’ve idolized and drooled after for so many years has come to your front door and said “I’m here to take you away” (cliche…I know…forgive me). But on a complicated and very tempestuous level, I can quite literally feel this “love” in my heart, a heaviness, as if my heart had suddenly found a new, deeper, undiscovered rhythm. Once I become conscious, open my eyes and come to the realization that my dream was just that…a dream, I end up feeling hollow. Confused….and deep bitter sadness. I would liken it to grieving for someone that never existed. Strange, but very real. I’ve been in 2 serious long term relationships. They always start out the same…those same early romantic glow-y “Hollywood” feelings. The first ended unceremoniously. I spent nearly a decade trying to prove a point to myself, I guess. One day, I just woke up, clear-headed and exhausted by the whole thing. He was surprised. I wasn’t. I had been mourning our relationship for almost 2 years. I barely cried when it ended. The second, I’m currently still involved in. I sense a similar pattern, however, in this relationship. It started beautifully and, in the beginning, we would dream of what together we could accomplish. How we’d be like the old couple I mentioned earlier. Playing with our grandchildren someday and telling them the sweet story of how “Nana and Pappy” met. As my relationships have evolved, I have too. The problem is, I pick men who don’t evolve. I do everything in my power to fix them and get them on the right path. I encourage, uplift and mend what can be mended. The rest is up to them, which, thus far has been an impossible undertaking for any man. Meanwhile, I ask for no help, I’ve never needed it. I’ve always been innately self-sufficient. I then go on to resent them for something they never even asked for. Once the newness wears off, aside from the obvious grievances I’ve shared above…every relationship I have personally seen ends up in the same hum-drum state eventually. So, it’s not just me. I can not recall any couple that has been together for a long period of time that doesn’t either hate each other and/or just tolerate each other’s existence. From what I can see, a long term relationship can be summarized very easily in this day and age…you sit in the same room as the person you’re in a relationship with. You don’t really communicate besides a brief chat about some garbage show you both want to watch. You argue about what to eat for dinner. You eat. You sleep. You work. And you do it all over again day after day. Add or subtract children depending on the relationship. I truly believe life itself is hum-drum and dull and only punctuated with moments true unbridled happiness. I believe unconditional love is truly extraordinary and exceedingly rare. I’m lucky enough to have that with a few people in my life; My parents and my brother. There is nothing they could ever do or say that would make me not love them. They are, to me the most vital source of love in my life, which without, I would be severely crippled. Is unconditional love unattainable and therefore incompatible with romantic love? If the person I’m currently with were to stray, I would leave him. If he were to make a bad decision and get arrested, I would leave him. He has a substance abuse problem and if he can’t get it under control, I will leave him. ****, even if he does…I’m not even sure I want to stay. What I do know is: unconditional love is a real thing. I feel it on a daily basis. It’s there even when I don’t want it and feel like being left alone. I’m moody, you see, but I’m working on it. Romantic love…well…I just don’t know if that’s realistic. Is caring about someone’s well being romantic? No. Does buying a house together make it a home? No. Is this dreamy romantic love forever possible with someone else? Anything’s possible. Will the next man be just as or more so difficult than the last? I don’t know. Frozen. Fear seems to have overtaken my wit. Fear of being alone. Losing the things I worked so hard to obtain. Losing the time I invested with the purest of intentions. As my biological clock ticks, each tick seems louder than the last. And what to do about that? Wait. Is the problem me? Is the problem just down to the men I pick? Or is every romantic relationship headed for the same vapid, boring existence given the right amount of time? I don’t know and I’m almost too scared to find out.

Hey guys, I don't know if this should be in 'complications' but I wasn't sure, so.... I'm wondering something... I'm trying to decide how I want to go about taking these caplets (is that what its called when a powder is encased in a 2 piece gelatinous 'shell'?) If I were to swallow them whole... and they got stuck.... would they not just dissolve eventually with a little Water? And if they didn't get stuck, but just sat in my 'pouch' for a a while til they were washed out... wouldn't they dissolve enough to slide through as well? I shouldn't bother asking, cause I did it anyways... I held them in my mouth long enough to get the gel coating really soft, then swallowed. I have to take 3 at a time, 3 times a day... and the powder inside tastes really nasty, so I'm trying to get around it.... In case anyone's wondering what the heck I'm taking that I need 9 a day... it's "Cold FX". I don't know if you have it in the US or not, but its supposed to be a 'cold remedy'... and I decided to give it a try. I know, I'm a sucker. I'm supposed to take 3, 3 times a day for one day, then 2, 3 times a day for one day, then 1, 3 times a day for one day. I'll let ya know if it helps. I've had this damn cough for a week, and I just want it to go away!

Hiya. I have the same date as yourself. I also have the same fears but less so as I have had 2 surgeries (one general anesthetic and one spinal block). I am afraid of going to sleep and not waking up but it's such a small chance. I'd be more likely to be killed in a car accident. Or of a heart attack in 20 years! You know you need to do this and it will be worth it. The chance of a serious complication is so small you need to weigh it up and acknowledge the risk. But also decide whether that small risk is enough to put you off. Best of luck! I'm actually more excited than nervous. Can't wait for my new life to begin.