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I'm three years out. So, I walk a line here. And for now, that line is pretty easy. But it's not the simple, mindless thing I thought it would be. Does that make sense? I think the challenges in maintenance aren't when life is rosy and things are going well. It's when we hit the normal ups and downs and run into stress that our ability to hang in there (both with diet and weight) get tested. So for the most part, my maintenance was pretty easy. But add in some stress and it does become something I have to battle more. If the stress and upheavals are a normal part of a person's life, they're naturally going to experience a greater struggle. The issues I have with food are emotional and are really tangled and complicated. There is still no physical desire there unless I trigger it with some type of food - and even then I'd probably be battling a mental/emotional food association more than a real, genuine, physical desire to eat. I do still eat what I lot of people call junk. But I try very hard to keep it in moderation. And if I'm feeling particularly stressed or going through a lot, I try to limit my exposure to that stuff. Because yeah, it could easily become a mindless food binge if I went after the junk food on a really bad day at the end of a rough week. I've done it before and suffered no regains, but in the back of my head is that voice that says I've just been lucky so far, and I must be more careful or it could be an issue the next time. I don't know if it gets easier. I think my whole perspective is skewed from where I would have been had I not had a baby and been forced to lose weight again. If you had asked me at two years out, before I was pregnant, I'd say it wasn't hard and it was easy. That food was just food and not good or bad - that the real issue lies with controlling how I use food and how much of it I eat. But having the last five months be what they've been - facing a lot of struggles and a new baby (and likely some postpartum blues for good measure) has really changed my mind about a lot of this. Do I find it easy to avoid eating foods I shouldn't and to avoid gaining weight at three years out? Yes. But do I find myself wanting to lean on food more, or skip fast days or just eat what I want because I can do it once in a while without gaining (so far)? Yes. Every day is not a challenge for me. So in that respect, maintenance is okay - if I can really even call myself "in maintenance" right now while I'm still trying to shed a few pounds. The issue comes up when we have something change. New medication, new house, new baby, life issues, sick friends, sick family, etc. It's how we cope - and I don't really think that gets any easier the longer you get out from surgery. And for me, the way I am eating has NOTHING to do with that - I can eat what I want. For me, that's okay. It's the stress/boredom/mindless eating I have to watch. The desire to eat a brownie doesn't show up because I ate chips the other day. It shows up because I have a bad day and food is my drug and will probably always be my drug. So I guess all of this rambling (which probably makes no sense to anyone but me) is all to say that how hard it is will likely depend on first and foremost, your relationship with food. If you use food to cope or satisfy or soothe, I think you're going to have a much harder time at any point life gets tough. And if you're just a volume eater that enjoys food too much, you're probably going to have an easier time in maintenance. My opinion, based upon my own experience, is that it's a separate issue from regular diet. Moderation works incredibly well for me, and I do eat things and make things that I get the feeling many here would cringe about and many would not be able to eat and walk away from as easily. I don't think there's any easy answer here. I do think that no matter what, being careful about my weight will never, ever go away. If I use that as a benchmark of success - staying in my maintenance window, I mean - I can't see how it could be an issue. It's when I avoid the scale that I have an issue because I get "surprised" by five pounds (it's never happened, BTW, I'm using it as an example of my past behavior) so if I weigh daily and make small adjustments as needed, how could I ever get out of control again without a major upset to my health or without consciously choosing to stray completely and overindulge regularly? I probably sound slightly judgmental - along the lines of "if you're not losing you're not trying" but I am genuinely curious if anyone has been diligent and just been sideswiped by a gain of more than five pounds. Because I might be forgetting things I've read but I swear that almost every single regain post (that isn't due to a medication/illness) involves deliberately avoiding the scale and eating "wrong." Am I mistaken? I clearly need more calories. Today's a fast day and without my realizing it's gotten past noon and I haven't eaten. I doubt this makes any sense. I'll have to eat something and come back to edit it later, to make it coherent! ~Cheri

I was sleeved back on 12/22/14. During the liquid diet phase I lost about 30lbs going from like 491 to about 461. Since the surgery as of last week I was at 384lbs. So if including the liquid diet phase I am down about 107lbs. Have I had complication, oh hell yeah. Let start with a Vitamin deficiency that has landed me in the hospital twice within the past two months. First time was a stomach bug and strep throat that made me sick which caused getting anything down to be difficult. the second time was from sever dehydration because I just couldn't stop puking, that caused me to have blurry vision and now short memory loss that I have been battling for about 3 weeks now. As far as weight lost I haven't stalled cause I'm still not eating as much as I did and my surgeon had me start my weeks back over again. So I'm just now back on "soft solids" again. Other than the memory loss and sense of confusion I am happy with the progress. I feel like I could be farther along with this, but getting sick was also not in the plans. I will follow up with my primary doctor to see about getting on the B complex shot instead of taking the oral stuff to help at least restore my short term memory and get my B vitamin levels back on point. Good luck to everyone.

Hi all. I have'nt been her for a while. Time has just flown. Had my surgery, and everything went well. No pain, no complication. I had no problems afterwards either. Some pain if i eat to fast, but thats the only thing. I was in for my three month check up, and I have lost 36 kg since my first weigh in at the surgeon. I have gone down two sizes in shirts , and gone from 42 inch to 38 inch in jeans. I'm starting at the gym again, and are of to work out in about an hour

I start my Pre Op diet in the morning.. My Doctor has me on 3 protein shakes day and 2 frozen dinners with less than 30 calories and less than 30 Carbs.. I had 3 choices to choose from but decided to go this route.. I hope my Liver shrinks in the 2 weeks so I do not have complication on the 16th of April when I have my surgery..

My husband and I were talking about this last night.....I told EVERYONE!!!! I would shout it from the rooftops if I could. This has been the best thing I have ever done for myself. I don't want to hide it, I want to Celebrate it. I don't offer information unless someone asks, and boy, do they ask, from the waitresses who are perplexed by my ordering, my family and friends that watch me eat tiny portions and little bites, to the friends who haven't seen me in a while and notice the change. I am so proud of myself for doing what I did. Was it the easy way out, yeah maybe it was, I have never had weight come off me so quickly. Sure the preop was a pain and the recovery was a little complicated, but I am almost 2 months out and it is easy. I have no hunger and can only eat a little at a time. I, too, came upon some resistance from immediate family when I told them my plans, but what the heck, this is about me, not them! So celebrate your sleeve and be proud of your accomplishments!

Someone asked about long-term complications in the elderly who had surgery decades ago. You can't really compare, because weight loss surgeries back in the 60s and 70s were very different than they are today. They were very risky and some people (including a former co-worker of mine) had them reversed - and some people died from them. But again, there's no comparison to the surgeries they do today. Plus the ones they do now are much safer and much less likely to have severe complications. you should be fine as long as you follow your plan, keep on top of your supplements, and have regular blood work done to check for deficiencies. Most deficiencies can be reversed if they're caught early. I do have osteoporosis, but I have no idea if that's due to my weight loss surgery or not, since we didn't do a baseline before my surgery. But I'm also in my 60s and osteoporosis runs rampant on both sides of my family, so it could have been that as well. I'm on a drug now that maintains bone, though - and there are other drugs that actually build bone. Honestly, at my starting weight (almost 400 lbs), I was much more concerned about complications from being severely obese (like premature death, for one) than I was about complications from my RNY.

I was a diet Dr Pepper addict. I drank a two-liter everyday. When I was told that I couldn't have them at all, I went cold turkey off of it and haven't wanted it even once. There is a lady that I know who thought she could beat the system and drink the cola IF she let it go flat. Well, she almost lost her band completely. The pouch swelled up and then drooped down around the band. Why would you want to pay so much for surgery, go thru everything post-op and then take the chance of complications all over a cola? There are reasons WHY the doctor says no cola. Ask him the whys/whynots. If you can't follow the rules up front, how do you expect to be successful? Please re-think the cola...for your own sake.

Moosictchr, Welcome! Please check out all of the band vs. bypass threads in this forum before you go to see your doc. The lapband is the easiest to recover from (the actual surgery) and doesn't have all of the wierd long-term malabsorption complications of the bypass or RNY. Doctors like fast results, often at the cost of your overall health at times (except for band docs!) so don't be surprised if the consult you are seeking pushes for bypass or RNY. The weight loss with the band is slow. 1-2 lbs/ week. Waiting for the numbers to drop gets boring, but it happens! The slow weight loss is so much healthier for you and leaves less hanging skin and you have less muscle waisting. Not to mention bone loss... Good luck, and I hope you choose the band!

Wow! The weight loss stats for the lapbanders and sleevers who responded to this post are amazing! I'm about 80% sure that I want to go with the lap band. My biggest concerns with the lap band is my body rejecting it and the possibility of erosion. My biggest concerns with the sleeve is that it's too new and isn't reversible if there's a complication. I have one more orientation next week and then I'll choose my doctor.

Can't we all get along? Let's simmer down now, please I'm re-posting our forum rules in case anyone missed reading them upon signup. Forum Rules and Guidelines Welcome to BariatricPal! A warm welcome from the entire BariatricPal team! Forum registration is free. Our community includes members from all kinds of different backgrounds and regions of the world, but we all share the goal of leading healthier lives. To keep BariatricPal a friendly and helpful place for the entire community, we have developed the following rules and policies. We ask all member to follow these guidelines, and members who do not follow them may have their posts removed or accounts suspended or terminated. Your use of BariatricPal is your agreement that you accept all forum policies. Forum Moderation and Community Standards Full-time BariatricPal administrators moderate the forums. All posts must follow the posting guidelines outlined below. 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I started this process in late January. I was scheduled to meet with the surgeon right away and I really liked him. After speaking with him I talked to the Coordinator, also very nice and assuring. I kept hearing, "Call us if you have ANY questions or concerns." Admittedly I am too easygoing and didn't want to seem impatient so I waited. And waited. Three weeks later I called the number I was given for the Coordinator. First off there was a LONG intro message that kept repeating that the process takes time because of the insurance company, patience is required, don't keep calling about a surgery date, and please expect 3-4 days for a call back - is this normal? Anyway, admittedly this made me very uncomfortable because of my personality... I hate confrontation and didn't want to be annoying (I know that is ridiculous since that is there job, but I'm being honest.) I did leave a message but no one called me back in the 3-4 date range. When I finally did get a call it was a reminder of my surgery date for the following week and I knew that was wrong because I hadn't even been scheduled for the required appointments yet. The caller apologized when I told him this and we both knew I had been confused with another patient. No wonder I wasn't being called to schedule appointments. I wasn't sure what to do so I found the email where I was first contacted about my interest in the program so I replied to it and explained my situation. I received a prompt reply saying they were sorry and that my email had been forwarded to the Coordinator. Still no call, but I did get calls from providers to schedule my other appointments. I finished up all of my requirements in mid May and I sent another email which was forwarded to the Coordinator and left a voicemail and still no calls. It's so frustrating and I'm starting to worry because I've spent so much money toward my deductible and if I don't have the surgery this year I don't know if I'll be able to afford to have it. I know I could find another surgeon at a different facility but how complicated is it to switch this late in the game? And it sucks because I really liked the surgeon. I'm just not sure what to do. I feel like if I call and leave a message for the surgeon he would make sure they submit my paperwork (I don't think they have because on the Cigna site there are no pending authorizations for me), but would I be stupid not to switch given the experience I've had? Surely this can't be normal. It blows my mind that they didn't call after finding out about the mix up to reassure me that everything was okay. And you'd think they would make sure that they stayed on top of my case to make up for the mistake. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to LBT This is a great place to learn details. As you read here please keep in mind that many bandsters come here for support and advise when they are having some sort of problem. Many people don't post here when things are going great. Some newbies get a little freaked out when reading and think the complication rate is higher than they were told by surgeons. The band has worked really great for me. In the first year I lost 100 pounds and as I get closer to my goal I drop about 1 pound per month. For me the process has been much easier than I thought it would be. I have put in very little effort. Go to another meeting. Go in for a one on one consult with a surgeon. Watch youtube videos. Read here at LBT. I personally have only great things to say about the band. I wish you the best with making up your mind.

I went home alone after RNY after spending 2 nights in the hospital. I was able to get around fine, and did try to have my shakes and vitamins/meds all ready to go on the kitchen table. I think the hardest was trying to fit everything in (water mostly), when I was sleepy. I didn't have complications and had a routine surgical experience, so I think it may depend on the person. Good luck!!

Here's a high level list of what I talked about with Dr. Michaelson: How long have you been doing the procedure? How many have you done? What is your success rate? Rate of complications, and what sorts of complications? What can I expect from you throughout this process (availability to answer questions, meetings, etc)? What will be expected from me? Are there current or former patients I can speak with? What can I expect it to be like post surgery (time in facility, recovery time at home, diet, etc) assuming nothing unusual about my surgery? He told me to not hesitate to call if more questions came to me, and either he or his staff would do their best to address my concerns.

Why are people relying on those providers that know nothing about what complications a Bariatric patient may be experiencing?? I don't get it- the only time I had a "problem" the first and only person I contacted was my surgeon- and was seen immediately by him after speaking with him in the phone. The ONLY person anyone post op- especially this soon after surgery - any of us need to speak with is our SURGEON. They are the experts. Mine does his own EGD's. Emergency departments are there to facilitate emergencies and if it is a Bariatric surgery emergency they should be contacting your surgeon ONLY. Second guessing anything post op does nothing but delay necessary treatment, or possibly allaying your worries. Go to your surgeon ladies and gents. That's what you paid them for and if it isn't Bariatric related they will get you to who you need to see.

I would not get a band. Had one and revised to a sleeve. Bands are very hard, everything under the sun affects restriction, complications are very high, and in three years of posting on message boards I have never met anyone banded for 10 years or more. I don't think many keep them for 10 years. We hear about these people but I have yet to meet one even on message boards. Sleeves are easier, far easier than banding. Complications are low, weight loss is better and faster, people are happier with sleeves than they are bands. BTW, welcome to the forum!

Hello all, I'm new to the forums. I was sleeved by Dr Macik 1/6/16. Surgery went well with no complications. I'm about 11lbs down after 13 days and have my first follow up appt later today. Jen

Let me start with saying the band is the MOST invasive surgery, not the least because the complication rate is so high (around 50%) that you could require more surgeries...that is my definition of pretty invasive. I can can post a link to a whole host of those studies if you would like, I had to have my band removed and revised to rny. I chose rny because it is the gold standard been around for decades and proven to work. Sleeve hasn't been around for 10 years yet, so after my mistake of using the band when it was still new...wasn't gonna do that again. Also I developed acid reflux from the band and I knew the sleeve could make it worse and rny often cures it. Also I liked the extra insurance with malabsorption...most sleevers don't dump, the majority of rnyers do with the rny. I liked that it was insurance should I make bad food choice. I don't ever plan have another bariatric surgery. Both sleeve and rny require additional Vitamins. I like the Patches..easy to use and don't know they are there. Having said all this the sleeve is getting close to the 10 year mark and looking like a good alternative to rny. It was my backup if the band had done too much damage and an rny couldn't be done.

Hi Sarah I've been lurking around for a little while round here too! Three years ago at the age of 33 I was diagnosed with uterine cancer which was treated with a hysterectomy. Because it was a very rare type of cancer (uterine adenosarcoma) my surgeon preferred not to do any other chemo/radiation as it was caught early and there wasn't enough data to suggest the benefits would outweight the negatives. So I was lucky to avoid those hair-loss type side effects you experienced, and six monthly check-ups have been all good. I too lost a lot of weight around that time from the stress of it all, but of course gained it all back over time. I got banded in June. I have noticed a little more hair falls out on the sink after brushing it, but can't notice any difference on my head. Not sure if it takes longer than 3 months to be noticeable though? Others will let you know. My orthopaedic surgeon was the one who suggested banding as I needed a hip replacement (to treat congenital hip dysplasia) and he was reluctant to perform the surgery due to my weight and the associated risks/complications. I spent 20 years yo-yo dieting, weight fluctuations of up to 50 pounds, only to wind up heavier than ever. Although my hip would always have failed earlier than most, it's pretty clear my obesity didn't help matters. Sounds like a cliche but I really wish I could have gotten the weight under control 10 years ago when I was your age. The struggle doesn't get any easier, and the impact on your health just compounds as years go by. I've lost about 50 pounds in the past 3.5 months (even with a total hip replacement surgery last month and being unable to do any activity for the past 5 weeks). It's not always easy having a band as I'm sure you've gathered. I've been having a lot of trouble eating and even sometimes drinking in the past couple of weeks. I've had all of my small amount of fill (2cc) removed and still having trouble. My surgeon can only put it down to changes in body's Fluid composition following the hip replacement surgery last month, as a barium swallow showed the band has not slipped. All very stressful, but I would do it over again as it's my best chance at reaching/maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding any more health problems. All I can tell you is I really wish I could have done it at your age and had 10 less years of wear and tear on my body. All the very best regardless of your decision.

That is good news!! Thank you! I'm waiting for insurance, should be any day! I love that we have all this support! I have a friend that had her VSG June 2011 made it to her goal of 90 lbs lost June 2012. She looks wonderful!!! She was the model patient, came home after surgery only took pain meds the first couple days home. Then healed great, stayed on the diet perfectly, walked daily and she looks beautiful!! She is the one that recommended I switch from the band to VSG. We even have the same insurance and the same surgan. We are in the Sacramento CA area. So fingers crossed I will have the same great story and outcome!!! One mistake I made was going on the complication forum.... Scary!!! Now I'm starting to second guess my disition. From the gallbladder problems to the leaks. So I will talk to my Doctor, I wanted to know the percentage of people that have any of these complications. These numbers that you posted have really helped me!!! :-) thanks!!!!

So I went in for my consult on Friday and I didn't get good news. The plastic surgeon that we saw doesn't want to do the surgery because it is going to be VERY EXTENSIVE and he feels that it is too far away from home. He said to do it I would need, MR, the regular horizontal TT incision and then a vertical "T-incision" as well. He said I have NO elasticity left in my skin! He was a very good surgeon and feels that he could do the surgery, but the likelyhood of complications (separated incision, infection, seromas) would just make it too risky to do when we live 3 hours away. Plus he said that with them removing 10-15 pounds of fat the shock to the system could be too great for me to be that far away. So he refered me to some surgeons over here (we don't live in a big city AT ALL!) When I called the 4 that are here on Friday these were the results: 1 said they wouldn't do the surgery because it was too extensive, 1 didn't have a financing program, 1 said they didn't have financing BUT they would try to get it approved through insurance because of my back pain, and the other one didn't answer. The one that didn't answer does use CareCredit and I did get approved for that last night so that is an option. Also, my SIL lives an hour from the original surgeon that I saw so I have a call into him to see if he would do the surgery if we stayed with her for a month. She graciously said that would be just fine. SOOOOOO I still have options. Also with the ability to get financed through CareCredit, I can expand where I look for surgeons and have it done in WA and stay with my brother as well. My problem is that I am running out of time. I have to have the surgery done from the end of June through the first 2 weeks in July. Anytime after that I don't know that I would be ready to go back to work at the end of August.

I have never heard of someone paying $45,000. I am going to a center of excellence and EVERYTHING which includes surgeon fees, hospital stay, anesthesia, and BLIS coverage (basically insurance for complications) is running me $16,000. I am being sleeved on March 14. My husband said he was behind me 100% as long as I had it done in the US at a center of excellence with the complication insurance. Good luck to you. Jennifer

One of the reasons I would never ever consider a gastric bypass is that you're losing weight at the expense of your health. It is worth it if you're about to die from complications of obesity but that's about the only thing that would make me consider it. I'd rather not have baggy saggy skin, have my bones breaking everytime I sneezed and suffer a million other complications of malnutrition thanks. I dont want to look good that badly. Also, somebody who has lost weight that way has severely damaged their metabolism. If they ever so much as looked at 1500 calories a day again they'd put weight right back on. Cutting down on calories too severely slows your metabolism, the idea is to keep your intake as high as possible to still produce a good weight loss, part of that equation is both lots of cardiovascular exercise to burn calories and also lots of weight resistance exercise to build and maintain muscle. That's about as scientific as you really need to get. You can get all into high Protein, low carb etc etc but I dont think even the experts really know the truth there. I think there's definitely something to be said for cutting out all the processed carbohydrate rubbish that most people eat and eating more good quality protein foods but I think things like Atkins are pretty much fad diets, just my opinion though. If calories in is less than calories out you will lose weight, whatever you eat.

You go girl!! I'm so impressed with your perseverance in spite of all your complications. We should all stay as motivated. Thanks for sharing.

I did a bunch of research before narrowing my list to 3 surgeons... 2 here in Idaho and 1 in Mexico. The patient coordinators of the two in Idaho were arrogant bitches who wouldn't answer any of my questions until I set up appointments with them first. I explained I was over 3 hours away from them, and just wanted some basic info (how many VSGs has he done, what's his complication rate, what are the pre and post op requirements, etc) but they refused to help me. My contact at the Mexico office was extremely helpful and exchanged dozens of emails and phone calls answering all of my questions. After more research, I discovered my Mexico option was by far the most experienced with a complication rate 1/100th of the US average, so that's who I went with. The best decision ever...great care and great results.