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Yes, I had Da Vinci robotic surgery as well. State of the art. Less scarring, less pain, reduced risk of infections or complications, quicker recovery and more. There are many benefits. You still have to have a great surgeon though since they will be leading their team and controlling the arms... Etc.

Hello! This is my first time postimg on here. I've had an IUD for 3 years now, with no complications. No periods either I had VSG on March 1st, and have been spotting here and there. Today I woke up and basically am on my period! Super strange! So I went to the ER (no gynos had appointments for months out) and they took blood work and said everything was fine. They also took ultrasound and said my IUD was where it needed to be and nothing looked abnormal. The doctor suggest it might have been my body reacting to this new stressful experience of having to recooperate from the procedure. Has anyone else heard or this or experience anything like it's? Sent from my SM-N986U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had a lapband in 2011. I lost 225lb and in 2021 I had it removed r/t complications. I was too small for a revision at 123lb so I had no help and I have gained over 100lbs back from yo yo dieting. I am now approved for the sleeve so hopefully this works. Please let me know your success. Since I am going down a similar path soon.

With having no current gallbladder issues & taking the Ursodiol for hopefully only 6 months will greatly decrease complications

I have had the same issues and will be going in for revision surgery on March 23. I have already had Roux en y surgery that is 11 years old and I have a BMI of 27, insurance is covering the procedure to make my pouch back to its original size as it has stretched to double the recommended size. Luckily I have not gained a lot of weight back but do have the GERD complications along with a hiatal hernia. The surgery will address the gerd but at this time my surgeon feels leaving the hernia alone is my best option. Hopefully your insurance doesn't give you a hard time as GERD is awful.

No I haven’t had a revision or need to repair a complication. I have three friends who have also had surgery & they haven’t either. Revisions are sometimes needed (for personal choice like to lose additional weight or medical reason like gerd) & sometimes a complication arises that needs corrective surgery but they aren’t all that common. Ask your surgeon how many they have done. You may be surprised.

the majority of sleevers don't develop GERD, but about 30% do. Usually it's mild enough that it can be controlled medically (PPIs, usually), but in some cases it's so severe that the only option is revision. I don't know the percentage of those who have to get a revision, but it's probably pretty low - but still, yes, it's something to consider when trying to make a decision. some people with pre-op GERD are willing to take the risk, and often they luck out and it doesn't get any worse (and for some, it improves), but I wasn't willing to take the risk. I was afraid I'd be one of the unlucky ones, so I went with bypass. I love my bypass and am glad I made that decision. I think a lot of surgeons prefer doing VSG because it's an easier surgery (for them) and there are fewer potential complications with it (although honestly, not many people have complications with bypass, either), but they'll often suggest RNY to their patients who already struggle with GERD, because there's a change it could get worse. RNY will usually improve if not cure GERD. good luck with your decision - it's not an easy one. And remember that ultimately it's your body and your choice. My surgeon did say he'd do the VSG if I wanted it, but he wanted me to at least consider RNY since I had GERD. I'm glad I made the choice I did - but he would have done either one.

Im very new to forum and your post was one of the first I read as prepare for my surgery on 3/27. My nerves are all over the place and I had not even thought of the possibility of my surgery not being able to be done because complications. Ive had several surgeries and never thought about the possibility of it being problems. Im so sorry to hear of your cancellation but so happy that your plan B is on the way. im one day one of my liver reduction diet and praying that when I wake up tomorrow will be just a little easier : )

You have very good reasons for having the surgery & questions & doubts about progressing are common. It’s surgery. It changes your digestive system. There is a period of healing & recovery. To be successful for the long term, you will have to make changes to how, what & why you eat & your relationship with food. The months post surgery give you time to work through all of this & certainly therapy, as @SleeverSk suggested, can be very helpful. The surgery also gives you time to develop better eating habits & routines like being more mindful. Will you forget & take a too big sip or bite or eat too quickly? Yes it will happen but your body soon tells you & you’re usually extra careful after the experience. Often all you’ll experience is just discomfort but occasionally foamies or vomiting. Complications after surgery aren’t common and many are related to pre existing conditions or predispositions. The risks are lower for bariatric surgeries than many other common surgeries. I used to control almost all my reflux with dietary choices before surgery (no spicy, fatty or rich food, little carbonation & reduced caffeine) which is why I had sleeve. I still have reflux but it is different & I need meds every day which I didn’t before. I hate taking tablets & often forget. Multi vitamins always make me nauseous but my bloods are good & I don’t need to take them anymore though some sleevers still do. Just depends on your diet & absorption for us. But it is a necessity after bypass as malabsorption of calories (& therefore nutrients) is how it contributes to your weight loss. Dumping can occur with bypass (about 40% chance I think) but if you discover you have it it is simply a matter of avoiding fats or sugars as they are the usual culprits. Some even find they can eat small amounts as time passes. You can also have it with a sleeve but it is less common (30%??). The average weight loss with sleeve & bypass is about the same 65% +/- of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthier weight range. Some lose more some lose less. Make a list of your questions to discuss with your surgeon. They’re best placed to answer them in relation to your specific needs, health status/issues & weight loss/gain history. All the best whichever surgery you have.

Hi, I am 52, 6 feet tall and weigh around 315 (at my heaviest I was around 365). I am thinking about getting surgery because I am starting to feel the effects to my health. 2 Years ago I lost about 100 pounds by dieting and exercise and got down to about 264 (I will also admit that I had just gotten a divorce and was suffering through that at the same time, so that was probably a contributing factor to me losing weight at that time). Since then I have put on half of it and struggle with binge eating daily. I would like to get surgery as I would like to permanently lose weight and improve my overall health. I am thinking of bypass because I do have heartburn every now and again, but mainly when I eat badly. Things that I am concerned about : 1. Complications of bypass surgery. What if I forget that I had surgery and have a huge bite of a steak ? Does that happen ? Or a huge glass of water that I chug down ? 2. Taking vitamins every day, forever. I guess I am just really nervous about this but know that I need to do it. I have my first consultation on the 23rd of March. Is there any advise you can give me that will help me decide ? Thank you!

I was sleeved 2/23/23 at West Medical in Tarzana CA. Cost - $10,000. Time from first consult to surgery was 3 weeks. I had a psych eval phone call, and one zoom nutrition class on post op diet. Pre -op tests were done through my insurance, including EKG, labs, chest xray and sleep apnea test. Days on the PreOp liquid diet is based on BMI. The surgery is outpatient, but if there are complications, it is possible to spend the night. My surgery was scheduled for noon, and I was back in my hotel room by 6:00PM. I did pee before I left, but pretty much the requirements were being awake enough to put your clothes on. The facility was clean, and they welcomed my husband and tried to make him as comfortable as possible, but they said most family don't wait there. It was raining, and we were 3 hours from home, so he didn't really have anywhere else to go. We spent the night before in a hotel so we would not have to worry about the long drive in LA traffic in the morning, and the night after in case of any complications we would be close by. I would give every staff member I encountered 5 stars. From administrative staff to the nursing staff, they were all wonderful and very responsive. When I arrived, there were 2 patients Post-op, and the nurses were very supportive and caring. My consult was done with a bariatric Dr., but not the actual surgeon. He had been sleeved as well, and has a great repore with patients. I met him day of the surgery as he assists. He was also the one that did my follow up call 5 days later. I met my surgeon right before the surgery, but nothing since. He didn't even talk to my husband after, even though it is a small facility and he was right there. There will be another follow up call 4 weeks post op. I have phone numbers to call if there are any complications, I haven't had any, but I have no doubt they would be handled promptly and taken seriously, although remotely. They want to be notified by any ER or urgent care facility if necessary. PostOp full liquid diet is 4 weeks, then 1-2 weeks pureed, and 1-2 weeks soft. All in all I had a good experience and no regrets, but I do lack the relationship with the surgeon and follow up support. I've joined a local support group through my insurance, and am finding my way with groups like this.

Omg!!! U are really going through it [emoji17] I am very sorry to hear about these medical Complications, I do wish you a speedy recovery and try to stay strong[emoji253][emoji120][emoji253] Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

This. My surgeon doesn't do combos (though the body lift is already a combination procedure in itself) - except when it comes to "smaller stuff". Lower body lift was about 6 h of surgery time . Legs about 4 h. Plastics are no piece of cake when it comes to TUA. The surgeon I chose won't even do breast and arms in one sitting because breast will require a lot of TUA because I don't want implants so he's going to grab as much thoracic wall tissue as possible. The mobilization of that tissue alone will require app. 1.5 hours. Also ask yourself how much of the surgeon's concentration is left after a procedure that lasts about 4 h or longer. I want to have good results with minimal complications as much as I'd like to have breasts and arms in one sitting. Tbh I'm not sure about arms yet. They don't look good but from a strictly medical POV...

I had the lapband, and at first it worked well and I reached my goal. I had it because it was reversable. Then I experienced the complications that so many others have, and had to have it removed. I gained all the weight back. I have 2 friends that also had the lapband and also had to have it removed. I was happy to be thin, but at the expense of constantly throwing up, really bad GERD, and landing in urgent care twice because I was so dehydrated. I would highly advise against it! I am now 2 weeks post op with the sleeve, (at 62) and finally optimistic again.

yes - there are fewer complications with the sleeve, but on the other hand, there really aren't many complications with the bypass, either. There's the risk of dumping, but that only affects about 30% of bypassers, and it can be controlled by not eating a bunch of sugar or fat at one sitting (which we shouldn't be doing anyway). Strictures are another one of the most common complications, affecting about 5% of us (if you can call 5% "common", but that does give you an idea of how common complications actually are (i.e, not that common)). That one is an easy fix. And of course you can deal with nutrient deficiences if you slack off on your vitamin supplements. But besides those, complications just aren't that common.

Lap bands aren’t commonly done anymore & many surgeons don’t even do them now. (Complications, low success rate - only about 30% lose their weight, greater risk of regain, etc.) Sleeve has become the more popular surgical option & many older people successfully have that surgery. (I was 54 when I had mine but there are many in their 60s & 70s who do.) Are you only interested in the band because it is reversible & makes fewer changes to your body? We all have our own reasons for choosing our surgery so certainly no judgment here. I just find it interesting to hear why people choose their surgery but maybe I’m just nosy. LOL! When I first decided to go the surgery route I thought lap band but then started doing research & realised a sleeve would be a better fit for my lifestyle, medical status & my weight loss/gain history.

it may be hard to find a surgeon who'll be willing to place a lapband. That surgery has largely been replaced by the sleeve as the non-RNY option, because so many people had complications with the lapband. A lot of people had to have their lapbands removed. P.S. you might want to try posting on the Lap band forum here on this site. They're the only members of Bariatric Pal who probably have a lap band these days. I almost never see posts from lap banders on the major forums anymore. Here's the link to the lap band forum: https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/4-lap-band-surgery-forums/

Hello everyone, I just wanted to say hello and that I've started the journey. I had my consultation with the medical team today. It went well, and it looks like my insurance will work out (fingers crossed). My insurance is requiring 2-3 visits with the dietician, and I've scheduled my upper GI, and ultrasound. They want me to do a sleep study too but the place was closed when I tried to call....so I'll make that appointment tomorrow. I was able to get all of my appointments scheduled for this month. The surgeon and nurse said that I would have 2 visits with them, 1 month apart and as long as I had gotten all my testing done by then we would schedule the surgery after the 2nd visit. So hopefully this can progress quickly and I will be able to get scheduled for surgery sometime in July. I'm a teacher so I would love to be able to rest up and heal before Fall semester starts again at end of August! I'm pretty sure I am going to go with the bypass, although the Dr said there were fewer complications with the sleeve. The bypass seems like it's more successful long term which is why I'm choosing it. Anyway, nice to find an online community. Hope everyone is doing well! Best, Ash

My Dr. requires 4 weeks of full liquid diet after the sleeve surgery. This doesn't count any pre-op time. Then a week (or 2!) of pureed, followed by another 1-2 weeks of soft. I know every surgeon is different, but everywhere else I read 2 weeks of full liquid. I am guessing it is because I was self pay (US), and don't have a follow up until 4 weeks after, and even then it's only by phone, so this reduces the chances of complications? I am NOT looking for permission to do something other than what my surgeon recommends (or admonitions to stick with his guidance!) I will be discussing with the nutritionist. But I'm curious how many others are supposed to stay on liquids longer than 2 weeks? Were you given clearance AT an in person follow up? When was that? What is the follow up care of Insurance patients vs Self Pay, whether that is US or Mexico. I'm a 2 hour drive from my surgery center, and was told all follow-ups would be virtual.

I am am self-pay, but going locally to JourneyLite. I was so close to pulling the trigger on Mexico, but I must admit that even though this is more expensive, I do not have to deal with travel, and am pretty close to the hospital. JourneyLite was definitely cheaper than the local hospitals' costs around here! By about 5k to 10k! Even though I likely do not need it, BlissCARE is available at JourneyLite. Since my insurance doesn't cover ANY weight loss surgeries or drugs, I need the peace of mind that comes with having complications insurance. My pre-op diet consists of 1 week of foods I had to buy from JourneyLite--at first I was outraged I had to buy their foods. But in the end, you know what? It is really nice to just eat their foods and not worry about anything at all. It was 1 week because my BMI was lower, if BMI was higher it would have been 2 weeks. I did start my own low calorie diet before I start the official pre-op diet. Around 1200 calories. Just to get my mind and stomach ready for the < 1000 calorie very low carb pre-op diet. I am also now weening myself off of coffee. I am *super* nervous! Surgery day will be here before I know it, and life will change for the better.

Surgery 22 Feb. I had a liver laceration so had to be opened up. And ended up having 3 surgeries in 24 hours. Really struggling post. Have lost weight and am struggling to get daily water, protein, calories in. Anyone else had complications? I know it’s rare but just trying to connect with someone as it’s been hard. Good luck to everyone 😀

He Hey guys !my insurance said they cover all the bariatic services my PA asked me to ask them. The requirements I believe they said there was no required supervised diet however I do have some history with phertamine. My bmi is right at 40.4. I’m gonna ass a screen shot of the blue home plan for bariatic ! I think it should be an easy process as far as what they’re asking for. I hope to have my surgery by June fingers crossed. Anyone have experience with novant ? In Nc Pasted what the picture has in case visibility is hard.  A thorough preoperative evaluation for bariatric surgery must include all of the following: 1. Evaluation of the patient's understanding of the procedure to be performed, including the procedure's risks and benefits, length of stay in the hospital, behavioral changes required prior to Page 8 of 21 An Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Bariatric Surgery and after the surgical procedure (including dietary and exercise requirements), follow up requirements with the performing surgeon, and anticipated psychological changes. 2. 3. Evaluation of the patient's family/caregivers support and understanding of the information in #1. Within 12 months prior to surgery, a thorough nutritional evaluation by a physician, registered dietician, or other licensed professional experienced in the issues of bariatric surgery, who has had a meaningful conversation with the individual regarding the dietary and lifestyle changes required to ensure a successful outcome over time. Nutritional assessment must follow American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) guidelines. Pre-operative assessment must document that the patient has a good understanding of the diet and nutritional changes that are associated with bariatric surgery and has the capacity to comply with these changes. Per the ASMBS guidelines, " *..it is essential to determine any preexisting nutritional deficiencies, develop appropriate dietary interventions for correction, and create a plan for postoperative dietary intake that will enhance the likelihood of success. Not only should the practitioner review the standard assessment components (i.e., medical co-morbidities, weight history, laboratory values, and nutritional intake), it is also important to evaluate other issues that could affect nutrient status, including readiness for change, realistic goal setting, general nutrition knowledge, as well as behavioral, cultural, psychosocial, and economic issues." 2019 guidelines for perioperative nutrition, metabolic and nonsurgical support are available at: 4. https://journals.aace.com/doi/pdf/10.4158/GL-2019-0406 Within 12 months prior to surgery, a formal psychosocial-behavioral evaluation performed by a qualified behavioral health professional (i.e., licensed in a recognized behavioral health discipline, such as psychology, social work, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, etc., with specialized knowledge and training relevant to obesity, eating disorders, and/or bariatric procedures), which assesses environmental, familial, and behavioral factors, as well as risk for suicide. Any patient considered for a bariatric procedure with a known or suspected psychiatric illness, or substance abuse or dependence, should undergo a formal mental health evaluation before the procedure. 2019 guidelines for perioperative nutrition, metabolic and nonsurgical support are available at https://journals.aace.com/doi/pdf/10.4158/GL-2019-0406 5. Appropriate medical work up may include a chest x-ray, upper gastrointestinal series, endoscopy, appropriate pre-op labs and ECG. A complete physical examination by the attending surgeon and an assessment of thyroid levels is required. If the patient has comorbid conditions (e.g. diabetes or 6. cardiovascular disease) the patient must be capable of undergoing the procedure. Anesthesia clearance for surgery. The first five criteria must be met before seeking prior plan approval for adults and adolescents; the sixth must be met prior to surgery. Surgical procedures must be performed at a facility capable of providing gastrointestinal and biliary surgery (preferably JCAHO accredited), AND that has equipment and staff capable of managing a morbidly obese patient (appropriate instruments, beds, lifts, monitoring equipment) AND that can manage short and long term complications of bariatric surgery.

I am self pay and hesitant about rny in Mexico. My insurance has a bariatric exclusion and won’t cover complications. In fact, I am pretty sure United Healthcare is so terrible that they would find a way to link any future issues to the surgery just to deny me. They stopped paying for a medication I was on for five years with other insurance. I am alone and have zero family and the sleeve seems like a simpler option. I know that I am not ready to consider rny at this time. I will wait until I can get more testing in the states. An endoscopy with my insurance is $1000. Eventually I will find the right answer. Many thanks.

I very much want to feel better. I am planning to reach out to Dr. Alvarez. I did lots of research and while I could have self-pay surgery in Florida, I just have a gut feeling that tells me to choose him if I go forward. I have photos of a healthy version of me from 2017 and I miss that version of myself. My fear is complications like Gerd once I get back to the states. Maybe he will have some helpful thoughts on this.

I'm sending lots of love and prayers for you. I too sometimes think that I feel regret. I was sleeved on 1/26/23 and had many complications. I think back to why I got the procedure to help me see things differently. I focus on the goal and what it could be and not what it currently is. I'm happy that you are able to eat and drink. Even though it may take you some time. I'm still on the liquid diet phase one as I can't keep anything down. I have had 2 more upper gis and 1 endoscopy since my procedure to see what is causing my many issues. So far it seems that my sleeve is too narrow so they dilated it a few. As well as my surgeon said my stomach twisted after my sleeve procedure. Which is very rare but it happens. So I'm still in the midst of figuring out how or why or if things will subside. I do hope to be able to puréed something in the near future. I say this to say that no matter how hard we think we may have it there is someone out there who have it two or three times as bad. With all of this I also have gerd and broke out really bad on my face and chest. The fee sips of water that i'm able to tolerate Im thankful for. I try to remain positive because I don't know what the future hold. I just know that I want to be safe and healthy and of course happy. Hang in there as many have told me. I believe this too shall pass. I hope and pray for you that things ease up for you. It can definitely be hard and challenging with all the obstacles and with every one being different. You got this and I'm here for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out. xo