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Yeah, standard 2 days. In case of any complications. But all good

I was 405, no complications at all. Pre surgery was a pain, Indid not loose weight (only 20 lbs). Post surgery was great, I dropped average of 15 lbs the first month and half.

I'm scheduled to convert (sleeve to bypass) in just over 2 weeks and I'm currently questioning EVERYTHING -- I have 80 pounds still to lose, and if converting to a bypass will only be a minimal help (with potentially higher complication risk), I am just not sure it's worth it. Thanks for posting that video, @JohnnyCakes it was really interesting and informative. Shell

You should ask surgeon. Where I was sleeved, the doctor did a scope 2 weeks before my scheduled surgery where they put the camera down into your stomach and take pictures. I don't know if that is standard practice for most bariatric surgeons but i figured that he wanted to get an idea of what he was going to be working with by doing this procedure. The bloodwork and EKG was also done in advance of my surgery date to make sure that I was healthy enough for surgery. I would ask your surgeon what pre op tests/procedures that they run to minimize complications during surgery. I would also ask him under what circumstances would the surgery be cancelled. I know for my surgeon, if you hadn't follow pre-op diet and the liver wasn't shrunk, he would cancel surgery. (At least that's what I was told.) Good luck!

Hi SKF, hope youre surgery was complication free and your sneezing has subsided somewhat.. I didnt really have any abdominal suture issues and only minimal pain.. the only pain that I remember was the gas pain and that is only alleviated by walking. SO walk as much as you possibly can today..and you will feel tons better ! I promise. MY doctor made me (and the other 2 girls walk every hour. so many laps around the floor. We all wound up walking together. That was encouraging as well.. The nurses and techs had to notate how many rounds we did. It really helped. The nausea I experienced was temporary, so try to push through it if you see yourself suffering the same. Good Luck on your journey.

I'm 4.5 weeks post-op and down only 16 lbs from surgery date. I've had a remarkably easy recovery, I haven't had an ounce of nausea, and everything I've eaten so far has agreed fine with me, plus I'm able to eat more than the 2-4 tbsp they say at this stage... I can eat up to half a cup already, so I hear you. I feel like this is going to make it WAY too easy to fall off the wagon at some point, so I make sure I LOG everything I eat on myfitnesspal, and I don't snack. I eat my 3 meals and get my liquids in, which helps keep me at the 600 calorie goal right now. I almost wish I had more complications to keep me from splurging, but I'm overly grateful that I haven't had any complications at all!!!!! It just means we have to work a little harder to keep ourselves on track. 22 lbs is great, keep it up!!

So, I just wanted to update the community. I eventually had the band removed, complications. But losing the initial load, plus low carb high fat and mma, I look like this today. I chose the attachment. I was near 350 at the time of resolution. Granted, I gained a lot back. I'm 185 and was 168. I wish I did better. But I just eat to maintain now. If any of my old bary pals still post, I'd love to see where you are...

I’m converting from sleeve to bypass in 2 weeks. Now that my friends know they’re all trying to talk me out of it. Saying the complications are so much higher with bypass than sleeve. They’ve got me second guessing myself!

i Wasn’t never high BMI but had lap band in Mexico and gave me complication só removed band on 12/15 and had sleeve just wondering if anyone else have this lower BMI and if you still loose after sleeve surgery?

Zaa, agree with Creekimp13, Johns Hopkins is a world class medical facility so I would have no concerns about the hospital performing this procedure. It's an endoscope, relatively minimally invasive, so there's no incision to heal or be concerned with. What is more important IMHO is the doctor who will be performing this procedure on you. Do you know who this would be? Are you familiar with their experience with ESG or Vertical Sleeve Gastronomy? Typical questions are how many procedures they have done? What is the rate and type of complications that their patients have experienced? Feel free to ask questions we would be glad to help. Thx Tex

People are azzhats. It's the same with depression, if you have never truly battled it people always say - 'get over it, do something', like that helps - gee I didn't know that's all it takes to fix it <sarcasm>. They believe the media rhetoric about just eat less and exercise, it's more complicated than that.

This was the best decision I could’ve made and I’m happy! At 1st I thought I wasn’t losing fast enough, compared to others, but I hit goal weight at 10 months. I’ve had zero issues, eat well though I could do better. Vitamins everyday. Hydration is still a huge problem but so far I’ve not had complications. I didn’t drink much presleeve either. I’m gonna try a new strategy for this. Doing what works for me without total deprivation is key. This journey is different for everyone. I’m thankful to this online community for a space to ask questions, read about things I was too scared to ask, reassurance when I needed and generally affirmation for each step to health.

I'm male ... I was 380+ pounds at the first meeting with my surgeon (Mid July 2017). My only complication was an extra meeting with the anaesthetist about two weeks out so that he was well aware of my size and any idiosyncrasies.

I’m a large lady. I have been my entire life. Part of what makes me nervous for surgery in two weeks is my size. Did anyone find there were more complications with those with higher BMI? What was your experience pre and post-op? Was anyone a smoker at this size and quit for surgery? I have not been a smoker for long but it worries me that it may complicate things even with stopping before surgery. What was your weight loss like at a higher BMI? What was your pre-op diet and how long? Thanks !

I would recommend against the lap band. I had a lap band for 10 years. Lost a lot of weight at first but only bc I was vomiting everything I ate. So I learned that I could eat ice cream and other “slider” foods. I couldn’t eat healthy foods bc they would get stuck. I hardly ever felt a restriction, no decrease in appetite, and i regained all of the weight. My surgeon doesn’t even do lap bands anymore either bc they have such a high failure rate and lots of complications. Lap band 10/2007 revised to RNY 12/22/2017 HW 270 SW 263 CW 257

$7500 for gastric bypass with lap band retrieval. Additional $567.10 for a " complications fund insurance policy" to cover any complications that might occur since my health insurance wont cover anything related to this, $1287.00 for airfare, another $500 to stay 3 extra nights above what the package paid for. I stayed longer just to be safe, and a few hundred for things like vitamins, protein shakes, act. Roughly $10,000 for everything. I could have gotten significantly cheaper airfare but I decided on first class and non stop. I did t want to be smushed in coach right after surgery... Sent from my SM-N950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Glad you have a meter to monitor what's going on. I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. (complication from surgery) I worked with my bariatric, sports medicine and diabetes dietitians to get better control over my blood sugars. Here is an article: If you are diagnosed, Work with your team to find what foods and meal frequency work for your body specifically. June 2015 Issue CPE Monthly: Nutrition Tips for Reactive Hypoglycemia After Bariatric Surgery Reactive hypoglycemia (also called postprandial hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, or noninsulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemia) is characterized by recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring two to four hours after a high-carbohydrate meal (or oral glucose load). Patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, especially those in whom the pylorus is bypassed (gastric bypass, biliopancreatic diversion/duodenal switch), may experience reactive hypoglycemia. The dietitian is key to helping these patients manage symptoms. Symptoms Patients may experience any of these symptoms one to three hours after a meal high in carbohydrates: hunger, feeling shaky, dizziness, sleepiness, sweating, anxiety, feeling weak, confusion, heart palpitations, fatigue, aggression, tremors, fainting, or loss of consciousness. Dietary Modifications Work with your patients to help them identify and eliminate from their diets simple sugars, concentrated sweets, high-fat foods, alcohol, caffeine, and lactose (possibly). They also should avoid skipping meals or consuming meals comprised only of carbohydrates. Focus on how you can help patients modify their diets, including the following: plan mini meals spaced equally throughout the day (three to four hours); make low-volume choices; consume high-protein levels at each eating occasion, pairing protein choices with complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables; choose healthful fats; and separate food and fluid intake by 30 to 60 minutes. Soluble fiber from guar gum, glucomannan, and pectin and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, (eg, acarbose) or somatostatin analogs (eg, octreotide) can help delay gastric emptying, increase small intestine transit time, and slow glucose absorption. Patient-Specific Tips Acknowledge that everyone may have different triggers for low blood sugar or reactive hypoglycemia. Advise patients to keep detailed food journals that you can review to identify patterns (eg, timing and amount eaten as snacks, meals, and drinks; blood sugar levels; feelings). Encourage patients not to use foods or drinks with added sugar to boost low blood sugar levels, as this can cause blood sugar crashes and spikes.

Hi! I’m new here and would really appreciate some help/advice. I’m 12wks out and have had several complications: allergic reaction to staples, cellulitis at incision, infection drainage twice and today I had to have another CT & started two new antibiotics because the dr thinks I have another infection under my incision. I have constant pain around my incision and over to the right side. It’s extremely painful and very sensitive to touch. Is it possible to get an infection under my incision 12 weeks later from just the incision, that seems completely healed on the outside? Has anyone had similar problems? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Congrats Brian, on starting to look at ways to change your life! I really encourage you to have an open conversation with your parents. I know they must also be very concerned about your fatty liver and are probably wondering how they can help you. I really like @Stella S's suggestion to get your PCP to hook you up with a nutritionist and maybe even someone like a physical therapist or trainer to get you started on a weight loss/exercise program. At the very minimum, your insurance company is going to want to see a 3-5 year history of your weight loss attempts. Even if you don't qualify for surgery until you are 18, you need to have doctor verified weights and also verify that you've worked with them to try to lose weight on your own. So start building the behaviors and history that will benefit your future self. There was a very important study done in Sweden on obese teens. It's important to note that the surgery helped resolve many obesity related diseases in the teens (including fatty liver resolution). But it's also important to note that up to 25% of the teens had to complications that let to more surgery or hospitalizations and vitamin deficiencies. Here are a couple of articles about this study: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105213120.htm https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-good-long-term-results-obesity-surgery.html The thing is...that WLS only works long term if you actually change the behaviors that got us obese in the first place. In the early days, you will lose because of the surgery. It's like, even a blind squirrel will find the nut! But unless you really are focused on diet and lifestyle from then on out (tracking your food in a daily diary, weighing and measuring foods, making super healthy food choices at every meal, not sliding back into eating sugar and other carby crap, not drinking liquid calories or booze), the chances are good you will regain 50% of more of your previous weight. And even more, you will need to take vitamins on a set schedule and drink a set amount of liquids every day--for life. Those are pretty adult responsibilities that even a big majority of adults can't handle. You also really should avoid alcohol for life as well--and with a fatty liver, it's going to be really important for you to do the same regardless of having surgery. It sounds pretty depressing right? I mean, you're a 15 year old kid (male)...how do you NOT go to the kegger in college? How do you not pound down burgers and fries with friends? I'm bringing this up, because these are issues you MUST consider prior to surgery. Are you emotionally capable of choosing the road less traveled in order to experience health and a long life? Can you really exercise that type of control and maturity in the face of peer pressure? "Oh, that won't happen to me" belief will not protect you. It will happen to you. You will face these dilemmas. I hope you continue to process all the information and take initiative to start working with your family doc and a nutritionist/trainer and see if you can get a handle on things to start reducing your fatty liver. If you're drinking already...quit. I'm adding you to my prayers!!! ((hugs)) And I really believe you've taken the first step in working on a success plan for your future!!!

The more you lose the better off you are. Less complications, easier recovery. I lost 20 pounds preop, every bit helps ~*~Sent via BariatricPal mobile app. Join me on my journey at www.curvylogic.com~*~

I haven't tasted it myself but I know someone who did after she had excessive weight loss from complications after gastric bypass. She took it for exactly what you said, muscle loss. I would say make sure your kidney function is well within range because it is very concentrated in protein. If your dietitian or Doctor approves then go for it.

I had those exact feelings the day before and morning of my surgery. I think 2 weeks of a liquid diet was starting to effect me and my thinking. After thinking things though I new I'd made the right decision, I'd tried every diet out there and never kept the weight off long term, I needed the surgery or I was going to develop health complications as I got older. Your not alone, its normal to have second thoughts when you are making a big decision. Good luck with your surgery.

My consultation with Dr. Gangemi at UIC, and I’ll be starting the 6 month process in January. Anyone have experiences at UIC that they wish to share? Complications? Recommendations? TIA!

this sounds almost exactly what happened to me. the last time i was able to lose weight (without bariatric surgery) was in 2012. it took me almost 2 YEARS of very, very strict no-carb keto (like spoon-feeding coconut oil) with a lot of intermittent fasting to lose just 30 measly pounds. my will/discipline would not break, so my thyroid did. i woke up one day without the energy to put my socks on. i gained those 30lbs back in about a month. then kept gaining, despite being on Armour thyroid. 20lbs a year for 5 years until i was 370lbs this spring and i finally had enough and got the surgery. long story short, YES, it fixes subclinical hypothyroidism which is what it sounds like you had/have. definitely keep doing deep thyroid blood panels after the surgery, but my thyroid function was completely resolved. my last TSH test (i'm 6-mos post-op) was a 1.5. all the energy and weight loss in the world. it's funny, i asked my surgeon the same thing in our initial consultation. i was like "yes, doc, this sounds great, but my thyroid is f'ed up. will this surgery still work for me?" he didn't hesitate to say "yes. any other questions?" p.s. - i'm really sorry for all the bad fortune you've been thru lately. good lord. please do yourself a favor and get this surgery. you deserve it. p.p.s. - no, malnutrition did not cause your son's cancer. that said, find a top-notch surgeon. do not settle for anything less than the best. even if you have to pay out of pocket. a good surgeon almost ensures no complications. bad surgeon = strictures, leaks, etc.

Hi all! Sorry I haven’t written in awhile! I’ve been busy losing! Lol. I’m down 23 pounds in 2 weeks! Feel fantastic! Had a hiatal hernia that needed repairing while he was doing the sleeve. But no complications post op. I’m just starting to eat tiny bites of regular food here & there. No hubger what so ever. Drinking my premier shakes & water. Not exercising just yet. Hope all is well with everyone!! Ladycop 😊