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Hi Mdsd52 I had my surgery on 03/2016. Due to my complications I lost weight very quickly. I went from 315 to about 199 by Jan 2017. I understand your frustrations and fears alot. Even as I was losing weight on the outside I was in an emotional turmoil on the inside. I was unable to drink water beyond a few sips for months. I followed the trajectory of "typical" gastric sleeves and I was not having the same plateaus as others. My NG tube was removed 3 weeks after my surgery. I returned to work finally after my 5th week on leave. I will not say it was easy. I started at work being able to only eat 4 it's of cream of chicken soup and baby oatmeal. For wèeks that's all I had. I couldn't tolerate protein or milk. I threw Every thing up. I was so scared and second guessing the surgery every step of the way. People ask me now do I regret it and I say " you have to have a certain level of inner strength to get thru the process." I was an atypical gastric sleeve patient but as I began to understand my body more and paying attention to triggers. I became more comfortable with eating again. To this day I still throw up if I eat the wrong thing or to much. This pulls me down emotionally sometimes. All I can say to you is this is a hard and bleak time now. Even though your body is not responding the way the typical patients heal. Does not mean you will not. If your like me it just may take a lot longer. I have to add this. Due to my surgery I became more fertile and I got pregnant 9 months after my surgery ( also not recommended). I was so scared because I barely was getting enough calories for me - now I have to eat a certain amount more to sustain a child. I had a few complications during my pregnancy. But my son was born 09/2017. In this I am thankful for the surgery. I thought my chances at having children had passed. I say this to say... Dont give up and remember others have been where you are even if you can't find others like you online... In a year or two life can be dramatically different. But for now please be patient with yourself and your doctors... If you need more answers explore other bariatric MD's and get there input. I had my surgery at Univ of Chicago If you want more info or have questions or simply need to cry and vent during this time I can be your ear. I am sorry to hear of your complications but remember be patient. Just be patient with yourself and it is ok to be afraid and angry and happy all at once at this chaotic time.

So, while you people "offshore from Australia" are enjoying our WEIGHT LOSS and HEALTH television, I thought you might like SBS's "The Obesity Myth" from September 2017. Enjoy! The Obesity Myth Part 1 Battling the Biology www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1036488771874 The Obesity Myth Part 2 Eating Your Feelings www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1039923779969 The Obesity Myth Part 3 A Series Of Complications www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1039923779970

I'm confused and I hope someone can help me out. I have read many times that Bypass surgery does not cause GERD and if you have it, the surgery will get rid of it. I have also read Possible Complications/Risks of the Gastric Bypass. in Bariatric Pal and it states: Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, with severe heartburn as a complications/risk. I do not have any probems of this nature and really don't want to develop it due to surgery. Can anyone help me understand which statement is correct?

It can actually take a month or two to start seeing loss my surgeon told me. Since the swelling and healing time is different for everyone. He said just be patient before you know it the weight will be melting off. He also said steady not to slow and not to fast weight loss is best because really rapid loss can endure unnecessary complications. I had the Duodenal Switch on 10/23/17 and have lost about two pounds. I was 467 on surgery day and am now 465. It will come off just give your body time to adjust. Remember since theres no real food going in the body may be in starvation mode where it saves fats. My friend who did the ds reminded me of that. She said her first two months were discouraging but by month six she realized she was 40lbs to her goal weight and could fit her sons teenage sons shirts. She said because she feels big she never noticed. So now I know to wait six months and to start trying to view myself without my fat goggles. Good luck!👍🏽🍀 ❤️💯🙌🏽

I had gastric bypass, I am now 7 months post op. No complications. Its not true that GB patients lose all of the weight quicker than sleeve patients. I follow a lot of sleevers on instagram and they lose faster than me. It all depends on the person. Im a slow and steady loser. I have to meal prep, eat healthy and exercise multiple times a week to lose decently. They both have their ups and downs, but bypass is the "gold standard" and has a lot more research behind it. The sleeve is great too. I think the only person that can really recommend is your surgeon, they are the ones who studied the surgery. I think people hear gastric bypass and think of the old times, but its a very high tech and safe procedure now. I was up walking the same day, Ive had no problems. I eat healthy nutritious food. I dont even get dumping syndrome. I want to have kids. My surgeon told me that about 18 months post op it will be okay to try.

Yep, it's been said. Lapbands are out, if not on their way out. Way too many complications.

My surgeon allowed me soft foods one week post-op. I had none of the nausea or complications others endured.

What a coincidence, I am somewhat of a bean counter myself. Spreadsheets all damned day. I took two weeks off and in hindsight I wish I had taken 3. The first week you are home, you are going to have a pain ball and a drain. Your follow up appointment is usually a week post op. You will not want to go back before that just because of the stuff hanging off you. After those are removed, barring any minor complications you could probably go back then. But you will be a zombie. I remember the day after I had the pain ball removed, I actually fainted like a dame in a old black & white movie. Not fun at all. I also had a hematoma which was nasty. Nothing serious, just gross. I was on blood pressure medicine at the time and man can that stuff make you feel like crap if you no longer need it. With our reduced caloric intake, a significant drop in sodium intake happens as well. With that, BP comes down. Add the BP medicine to it and it plummets. Bathroom trips will be frequent, whether to sit there straining for naught or to once again pee because of the hopeful fluid consumption. If you can afford to take the two weeks off, I heartily recommend it. I cannot comment on waitressing though. But if you are the least bit lightheaded after 2 weeks of a lounging and then a desk job, being on your feet will be tough. The good thing though is that you will be getting lots of walking in once you are ready to go back to work.

So i was approved for Gastric surgery, and right now i am in the process of being cleared by multiple specialist. I when to consult with a gastroenterologist, but he stated that he doesn't think i should go for the bypass, and should op for the sleeve because the complications of the duodenum switch. He just felt like i would just do great with a sleeve. I initially wanted the bypass because my BMI is 42.4, and i know you lose more with the bypass, and that was his other proposal because he said losing so much weight in a short period of time is not good and the bypass has been proven to do just that. I'm stuck. He's advising against it and told me to not let anyone push my to get a bypass done.. Has anyone went through this before ? Sent from my LGMP450 using BariatricPal mobile app

you may have trouble finding a surgeon who'll do a lapband. Many of them have been removed because of complications, so a lot of surgeons won't do them anymore. I agree with the others - at your weight, I'd do a sleeve or bypass. Most people have no complications at all, and for those who do, a vast majority are minor.

Got sleeved on a tuesday fully expecting to be outpatient but ended up staying in the hospital for two nights. No complications just pain and overall crappiness. Still, was back at work on monday for my desk job so go figure

Personally, I would not choose either. Too many complications with both. If you have that much to lose, I would consider sleeve or bypass!

I posted this in another topic, but it applies here as well. I just has my procedure this week. Health insurance in Texas is not required to cover weight loss surgeries... So the only people that get it covered are on large corporate plans that have demanded it. I'm not one of them since I own a company with 3 employees. When looking into, the cost was about $15,000 for a sleeve. If I have a hernia, the insurance will pickup about $5000 worth of expenses. So my cost goes down to about $10,000. $5,800 to the doctor which covers everything through the first year or so on his side. Part of this is an insurance policy that covers complications. About $4800 to the hospital. My psyc eval insurance covered. The blood work for a nutritional baseline insurance covered. As a cash pay, I told everyone to bill my insurance and I'd make up the difference. I has secured a $15,000 loan from my credit union at 7%-ish... That's a personal loan for medical reasons. The monthly payment for 5 years was about $300/month. The endoscopy to diagnose the hernia my insurance picked up. At that point I was down to a $10,000 expense. That's my threshold of acceptable. If I went to Mexico, I'd be looking at about $7500 plus travel... So at $10,000, I decided it makes sense to stay in the states. The doctors office took payment by credit card and provided me an explanation of what that payment was good for. The hospital was more complicated and didn't want to give a price before the procedure. When I finally got a price they had forgot the hernia and insurance coverage of it. I was floored that the price doubled. After having a mental breakdown, making a scene, and crying like a baby, they got it figured out. I put the hospital put on my credit card. After each CC transaction cleared, I payed it off. When I was in the hospital, the staff was VERY nice. I was HORRIBLY nervous before the surgery. Thy gave me a shot in my IV to calm me down. That hit like a freight train. I told them I was getting light headed and dissy... They told me that if I didn't like that, their other stuff will make me hallucinate... I told them disy is fine, I don't want to relive my 20's with hallucinogens. When I woke in the hospital bed... I hardly remember it. My mom, dad, and partner was there. I remember my mom commenting how nice the room it and taking pictures to show the hospital where she works. My parents keep telling me the first comment when I woke and realized I was in pain was "what the f**k did I just do to myself?" Anyways, it's 4 days out and things are getting much better. I'm happy with my decision so far. I haven't experienced hunger yet.

I just has my procedure this week. Health insurance in Texas is not required to cover weight loss surgeries... So the only people that get it covered are on large corporate plans that have demanded it. I'm not one of them since I own a company with 3 employees. When looking into, the cost was about $15,000 for a sleeve. If I have a hernia, the insurance will pickup about $5000 worth of expenses. So my cost goes down to about $10,000. $5,800 to the doctor which covers everything through the first year or so on his side. Part of this is an insurance policy that covers complications. About $4800 to the hospital. My psyc eval insurance covered. The blood work for a nutritional baseline insurance covered. As a cash pay, I told everyone to bill my insurance and I'd make up the difference. I has secured a $15,000 loan from my credit union at 7%-ish... That's a personal loan for medical reasons. The monthly payment for 5 years was about $300/month. The endoscopy to diagnose the hernia my insurance picked up. At that point I was down to a $10,000 expense. That's my threshold of acceptable. If I went to Mexico, I'd be looking at about $7500 plus travel... So at $10,000, I decided it makes sense to stay in the states. The doctors office took payment by credit card and provided me an explanation of what that payment was good for. The hospital was more complicated and didn't want to give a price before the procedure. When I finally got a price they had forgot the hernia and insurance coverage of it. I was floored that the price doubled. After having a mental breakdown, making a scene, and crying like a baby, they got it figured out. I put the hospital put on my credit card. After each CC transaction cleared, I payed it off. When I was in the hospital, the staff was VERY nice. I was HORRIBLY nervous before the surgery. Thy gave me a shot in my IV to calm me down. That hit like a freight train. I told them I was getting light headed and dissy... They told me that if I didn't like that, their other stuff will make me hallucinate... I told them disy is fine, I don't want to relive my 20's with hallucinogens. When I woke in the hospital bed... I hardly remember it. My mom, dad, and partner was there. I remember my mom commenting how nice the room it and taking pictures to show the hospital where she works. My parents keep telling me the first comment when I woke and realized I was in pain was "what the f**k did I just do to myself?" Anyways, it's 4 days out and things are getting much better. I'm happy with my decision so far. I haven't experienced hunger yet.

I get that, but no good will come of rushing the surgery and not being physically and mentally prepared. Honestly, if it looks like it will be too close, I would wait until afterward, as hard as that seems. You never know if you will have complications or feel like crap for a long time. It does happen. It certainly would be better not to miss the wedding!

Does anyone read these? Because I feel like this is more of a diary than anything else. Which is okay. It helps me have a place to pour things out and organize my thoughts. Today I went and got my Upper GI with double contrast. First time I've had that test, and hopefully, the last. Actually, it wasn't THAT bad. But barium isn't exactly pleasant stuff to drink. But the results were good - everything was fine. That's my LAST test for pre-qualifying. I have to meet with my primary care doc for surgical clearance, and then my bariatric surgeon can turn everything over to the insurance company for review/approval. Today brought a new wave of feelings as I sat in the little waiting room with my gown on for 40 minutes, alone. All this time since I've had my conversation with my bariatric surgeon the very first time, this surgery has been more of a fantasy. I've had eight surgeries of various types so far between the ages of 21 and 46, and I know that I handle them well. I'm less afraid of surgery than anyone I know, and unafraid to take risks to make huge, quality of life decisions for myself. I'm proud of that. That doesn't mean, however, that I'm just hunkey-dorey about surgeries - they still scare me a tad bit - mostly for the pain associated with them. When I think of the downside of having a surgery done, it always starts with thinking about the morning of surgery, and checking in to get prepped for surgery. GOD I HATE that. I hate the millions of questions, the constant verifying that yes, I am who I say I am, the cold room, the stupid garb, my husband looking kind of scared and yet bored, and most of all, GETTING THE IV PUT IN. GOD I hate that part! Like,.... I think I hate the IV placement worse than surgery. I also hate the dry, dry mouth that comes after I wake up. Usually they're encouraging me to drink, drink, drink. Not sure that this time will be the same. This time though, it's a bit different. You see, all the other surgeries I've had were also elective. And like this one, they gave the promise of a better life. Some were little - clean-up of my knee, a bladder sling, and a tubal sterilization procedure. I say little because there wasn't THAT much pain associated with it. Two of those practically felt like I never had anything done. A few others were really large surgeries - a knee reconstruction, a complete knee replacement, and a tummy tuck/breast reduction. The knees HAD to be done - I couldn't walk anymore. So I wasn't worried about making a decision that I'd regret in any way. The tummy tuck / breast reduction was long anticipated, and I trusted my surgeon exquisitely - I wasn't worried that the job would be botched. I did have large complications from that which made healing much more challenging, but I got over it. THIS surgery though - this surgery is different than all of those. Those made me look better, function better, be in less pain. This can also do all those things. But this is the only one that requires me to make a lifestyle commitment. And I am trying to get my head around that. I mean, if I'm just fine with committing to a low carb, low fat, high protein diet with portion control, I don't need a surgery to do that, right? So,... what's going to change just because I can't put much in my stomach? I know the portion control will pretty much handle itself. So that's good. But craving the foods won't change ONE.BIT, with this surgery. So, what, exactly, am I committing to? I think it's a fresh start. It's a forced way of staying committed. It's almost like saying, "I swear I'm so committed to not using my right arm that you may as well cut it off - because I don't plan on ever using it again. It being gone will only help me stay committed to that." I have made no lifestyle changes this entire time that I've jumped through all the pre-surgery hurdles. Not.One.Iota. Because I feel like I'm holding onto the right to eat the way I want right now - because that'll be gone soon. That thought both scares and excites me. Excites me because I don't want this big body as my shell anymore. But scares me because I already know I'm no good at eating the way I should in order to lose weight. So this isn't a magic bullet - I'm still going to WANT to eat the way I do now. But I won't have the luxury of ever doing so again. Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way. I'm sure tomorrow will bring new realizations.

I'm glad that you still think the surgery was worth it even though you had that complication! Thank you for the advice [emoji16] Sent from my F5121 using BariatricPal mobile app

I just had my revision surgery on September 1st. GERD is Acid Reflux, and I got it pretty badly after the sleeve. It was my only complication, but in the end it was worth it to me to get the bypass. I had a very easy recovery and am very happy with my choice. Once I was far enough out from my sleeve surgery I was able to drink wine, low-calorie mixers with hard alcohol, and occasionally beer. I think you have to figure out what works for you, and stay diligent not to let it contribute to regain or become a habit. Even though we can live pretty normal food and drink lives, we have to be more diligent than others not to slip into old habits (for some of us, habits we have had our whole lives). It can feel like an uphill battle, but I can't tell you how good it feels to not feel panicked about your weight every day. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Awesome Sosewsue61 sounds like you’re doing great. Still no gas for me. I keep walking but nothing coming out lol. Baby sips of water and a little broth and jello. My husband is in complete amazement that I’m not starving after these four days. Dr is keeping me one more night since my conversion from lap and to sleeve was more complicated than he thought. Happy to be here. Not ready to go home just yet.

Yes my procedure was endoscopic. As I lived out of state they required me to stay for 7-10 days to ensure any complications could be dealt with quickly. I was well enough to drive the 10 hours home on day 5 as I was fine. They also had an infusion clinic that we could attend as much as we wanted which was so good. For 3 days I had Iv fluids and lots of Iv drugs to make me feel better. My dr has us nil by mouth for 3 days post procedure so the fluids really helped. I think this is not the norm though as most esg clients drink soon after. I'm so glad that we are able to connect and support one another via this forum. I know how valuable it was to have questions answered honestly so that I really knew what I was signing up for.

Leak is the most severe complication. To my knowledge it is accompanied by a terminal fever, terrible pains (10/10) and actually inability to do anything- even to call 911. What you are describing is a standard post-op situation, most likely caused by dehydration (as you’ve mentioned). Burping and other unpleasant things like gas and constipation are fine - just give your body some time. Here is the list of the most important things, in the order of importance: - liquids - do 64oz daily, even if you have to sip every 5 minutes - protein- do as many as you can, ideally in liquid form - walk and rest

Everyone has been really helpful to me so far. I am close to pulling the trigger on going to Mexico over Christmas for The Sleeve!!! We will be flying out of Philadelphia and into San Diego, and I am looking for others familiar with Trans Con flights especially in regards to comfort. I have herniated disks in my neck and lower back, sciatica, and Fibromyalgia. Normally I don't even travel by car for more than an hour due to pain. However, as I am self pay for the procedure, and things are not working out with my nearby facility, this seems to be my best next option - especially as I can purchase Complication Insurance that will cover me after I return home for 6 months, to have care in the US, not having to fly back to CA/MX. I have been trying to Google as much info on airlines as possible. Am even willing to spring for business or 1st class (up to a point, can't spend more than about $3,000 total for me & my husband r/t) since the surgery cost is less in MX. I really need seats that recline, preferably have foot rests - would love ones that go totally flat, but seems they are either only out of JFK or transatlantic. Plus, any other experience you have pertaining directly to flying after being sleeved would be helpful as well, since I have no experience with that yet! Thank you!

If it's clear that the cheapest option has a record of good patient outcomes. But, if the long term history of a low-cost surgeon or clinic shows a range of problems and complications, you may have to reconsider. "Buy your healthcare up to a standard not down to a price," is an adage of my dad's.

I know quite a bit about the different bariatric surgeries - the healing, the side-effects, the challenges, the upside. As is usual, sometimes the things with the most upside also has the biggest side effects. And vice versa - the thing with the least side effect sometimes doesn't have the biggest bang when it comes to results. It's all about what you can handle and what you can't/don't want to. Yesterday I was chatting with an online friend of 20 years. I mentioned that I'm currently clearing hurdles for my Lap-Band surgery. She responded by telling me that this past June, she'd gotten a bypass. That the only Lap-Band surgery anyone in her area will perform is removal of the band. She claims it's from complications - slippage, mostly. And that people just don't experience the same amount of weight loss with the band as they do with the sleeve or the bypass. Well, of course not - it's not as big of a surgery. But the Lap-Band also doesn't tend to have dumping syndrome, or the big struggle with getting enough protein every day. But of course.... no one wants to go through a drastic life change of any sort without some good-sized results. It was my doctor who recommended the Lap-Band. And he's done thousands of bariatric surgeries. He still says that Lap-Band is his preferred surgery of choice for bariatric weigh loss surgery. And for the very reasons as I've mentioned above - less issues with healing, dumping, etc,. other complications. How's it possible that in different parts of the same country, one doctor is recommending it, and others are supposedly only taking them out? I did look up some statistics last night, and found a study where they compared recipients of the Lap-Band vs. the bypass - all completed by the same surgeon. And yes - the people who got the bypass had better results - especially short-term. But it also says that Lap-Band recipients experience fewer complications - especially after the 2-year mark. How do I know I'm listening to the right information???

Sorry to hear you had complications. I would suggest calling your office for any medical concerns.