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Yesterday seemed like a blur of appointments and blood work & tests. The highlight of my day was my annual appointment with my gynecologist--never thought I would say that. But, last visit, I was in there for ovarian cysts---not "Polycystic"--these were the kind they were really worried about...solid adnexal cysts with significant fluid around them. Didn't look good on the sonograms, but after being on the pill they have gone away. Problem is that I want to get pregnant again--sometime before I'm 35. The lady put my stats in the computer and I could see the history of the last 3 years as she did so. Weight 212.5, Height 5'4.5"....compared to last time of 203 and then the time before that at 186...I see a pattern. The girl didn't say anything. When I met with the GYN in his office we started talking about me wanting to get pregnant and then going back on the pill about a month ago. I took a breath and told him the surgery I am getting ready to have. I always feel trepidation when telling people. Not sure why--but am anticipating some kind of judgement or alarm. (Most of the time I get that!!) But anyway, He was OVERJOYED and SOOOOOOO supportive. He knows of my surgeon and said he's the best one around and that I would NEVER regret the surgery, and that someday I will look back and say it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. He looked at my blood pressure--history of weight--cysts...etc. He told me that he has had SEVERAL patients who have gone thru it and then have gotten pregnant--and they've done "remarkably"---and EVEN that they had LESS complications and problems than their FIRST pregnancies without the band. He just went on and on and the more he talked the more reassuring it was. I was thinking while I was waiting for the appointment...I wonder what he would say--and what it would take for him to say to make me NOT want to get it. Obviously that wasn't an issue. I have only three more hurdles before surgery. Monday is the first support group--my surgeon requires that I go to ONE before surgery......Tuesday is my PREOP appt with the surgeon (I will talk with the Nutritional Therapist at the same appt)...then the 10th starts my PREOP liquid diet. 19 days left...the countdown has begun!!! I am getting SOOO excited I can hardly stand it. My two sisters are distributors for this vitamin supplement called RELIV....they have talked me in to starting it NOW and taking it THRU the surgery--THRU POSTOP diet---etc. I'm excited about that too. It is a liquid vitamin--and 45 calories for the shot--which I can live with. It will provide plenty of great micronutrients vitamins and minerals. If I can get this stuff down then I'm good with whatever liquid protein stuff they can throw at me for this preop diet. I did my will---I know---that might be overkill, but it is a good feeling knowing that my baby girl will be ok if the worst were to happen. But, I'm hoping for the best ---and keeping my eyes on this Christmas and next summer and having a new little baby brother/sister for her.

Yesterday seemed like a blur of appointments and blood work & tests. The highlight of my day was my annual appointment with my gynecologist--never thought I would say that. But, last visit, I was in there for ovarian cysts---not "Polycystic"--these were the kind they were really worried about...solid adnexal cysts with significant fluid around them. Didn't look good on the sonograms, but after being on the pill they have gone away. Problem is that I want to get pregnant again--sometime before I'm 35. The lady put my stats in the computer and I could see the history of the last 3 years as she did so. Weight 212.5, Height 5'4.5"....compared to last time of 203 and then the time before that at 186...I see a pattern. The girl didn't say anything. When I met with the GYN in his office we started talking about me wanting to get pregnant and then going back on the pill about a month ago. I took a breath and told him the surgery I am getting ready to have. I always feel trepidation when telling people. Not sure why--but am anticipating some kind of judgement or alarm. (Most of the time I get that!!) But anyway, He was OVERJOYED and SOOOOOOO supportive. He knows of my surgeon and said he's the best one around and that I would NEVER regret the surgery, and that someday I will look back and say it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. He looked at my blood pressure--history of weight--cysts...etc. He told me that he has had SEVERAL patients who have gone thru it and then have gotten pregnant--and they've done "remarkably"---and EVEN that they had LESS complications and problems than their FIRST pregnancies without the band. He just went on and on and the more he talked the more reassuring it was. I was thinking while I was waiting for the appointment...I wonder what he would say--and what it would take for him to say to make me NOT want to get it. Obviously that wasn't an issue. I have only three more hurdles before surgery. Monday is the first support group--my surgeon requires that I go to ONE before surgery......Tuesday is my PREOP appt with the surgeon (I will talk with the Nutritional Therapist at the same appt)...then the 10th starts my PREOP liquid diet. 19 days left...the countdown has begun!!! I am getting SOOO excited I can hardly stand it. My two sisters are distributors for this vitamin supplement called RELIV....they have talked me in to starting it NOW and taking it THRU the surgery--THRU POSTOP diet---etc. I'm excited about that too. It is a liquid vitamin--and 45 calories for the shot--which I can live with. It will provide plenty of great micronutrients vitamins and minerals. If I can get this stuff down then I'm good with whatever liquid protein stuff they can throw at me for this preop diet. I did my will---I know---that might be overkill, but it is a good feeling knowing that my baby girl will be ok if the worst were to happen. But, I'm hoping for the best ---and keeping my eyes on this Christmas and next summer and having a new little baby brother/sister for her.

Just 22 more LOOOONG days until I'm finally banded. My thoughts are racing around in my head. I'm freaking a bit today, I'm nervous, and I am so anxious to get this over with. I'm ready to start my pre-op diet, this way I know I am doing something to prepare for surgery. I've been reading a lot on the "complications" board, and I have to be honest, It freaks me out a bit. I think the most thing I worry about is erosion. I read on one of the boards that 25% of banding patients will have to have thier band replaced or removed. Thats a pretty high number. But, i guess I'm hoping I'm the 75% that wont have to have anything done. I'm just nervous about everything, I think the not knowing is scary. I know a lot about the band, but everyone is different, how will I handle th band? Will I be an accessive PBer? Will I not lose weight? Will I be a failure? Will I , Will I , will I? The list goes on and on. I just don't want this surgery to be another "diet" attempt. I am so sick of failing at every diet. I always do so good, I lose 20, 30, and even 70 lbs, and everyone goes on and on how great I look, then its like I wake up one morning and gain it ALL back. Why? I still haven't figured that out. Its like I eat one thing and I put on 20 lbs. I swear, I can gain 10 lbs in a night, and I'm NOT lieing. I've done it, I swear it. I hope this time next year, I can reflect on my journey and say this was the BEST decision I had ever made. I hope to say I have lost 70 lbs, or 60, or even 50. Scale this morning 229.2 (I'm about to throw the scale away, I promise.)

Hi elcee, I had the band placed in 2006. Last year after years of battle and complications with my band, I revised to the Gastric Sleeve. Well since I always go big or go home (in my sarcastic voice) I had a stricture and severe heart band so was converted to the Gastric bypass almost 3 weeks ago. The eating for each is different but there is a definite difference in the lap band and the bypass. with the bypass, you have to take small sips of liquid...im progressing in introducing new foods. I can honestly say that even though I'm still in the early learning phases I wish I had started out with this procedure. It definitely provides structure and discipline in the new way of eating and making good choices.

I’m currently in the process of dealing with hypoglycemia too. I am also three years out and this is the first complication I have had. It’s very exhausting and mentally taxing. Hang in there!

I cheated on the pre op diet too, I was fine.back then I had no control over food and zero will power. I was in complete denial. I wouldn't suggest u keep doing it. It could cause complications. I have done great with my sleeve. I might have had a small bite of cupcake at a party once but I puked and haven't cheated since. I eat protein first then veggies. I am very happy. I have lost 51.6 lbs in 3 months. I don't want that kind of stuff anymore. I just like clean eating. I have changed. My family ate pizza today. One of my old favorites. Didn't even bother me. I ate steak and veggies. I love my new life. My old life was gross to me now. Good luck to u on ur new life!

That’s awesome ❤️ my dietician’s full-time job is working with folks that have had major complications after WLS. She’s definitely a diamond in the rough. Very sweet, helpful and knowledgeable. Even though we only meet once a month we actually email and text frequently. She told me I have unlimited coverage for our visits pre-op and post-op with my new insurance which I’m so thankful for BUT I told her to brace herself because I’m a question-asking machine. She may want to kill me before my 6 months are over! LOLOLOL

I'm going to a Center of Excellence and there my surgeon requires the same hoops. 3 nut appointments, sleep study, at least one support group meeting, seminar, psych clearance, and a stress test. They just don't want any room for error. The way they see it, if you're educated by them regarding the procedure, you won't deviate from their plan and will have better success. That looks better on them and their complication rate. So I'd say each surgeon has his/her own criteria for surgery. Good luck on your journey, April.

I don't know that it was related to smoking but I was tachy.. My heart rate was at a steady 100-120 and jumped to 150 the entire night after the surgery. The nurse said it was due to pain level which was VERY high for me. Other then that no other complications that have shown up. My Dr. said he did not want to give me the patch because nicotine and caffine cause blood vessles to restrict too much and can cause issues.

I don't think its always about failure to comply with the band. Sometimes the band forces you to make bad choices because you NEED to eat something that isn't going to get stuck. I, like you had the band for years and i loved it, it worked for me, i got to goal, no loose skin, i was the "poster child" for the band. I started getting complications with it, and regardless of the maintenance i kept with it...fills and unfills... it was still failing me... even Water would get stuck... it got to the point that sometimes i would need to have a slider or cheat my band just to eat something so i wouldn't collapse.. but i was at goal by the time this happened So, in my case my band failed me... i had it removed and because of eating so little for so long, i reset my RMR.. so i had to do the sleeve to be able to stay on lower calories. But, on the other side, there are many that do abuse their band. I had a friend who was banded 1 month before me.. and she would eat macdonalds, kfc and all sorts of junk.... she complained that she wasn't losing weight.... she had lost only 8kg.. when i had lost 40kg during the same timeframe. So it really is a tool... and you do reap what you sow. ...

Its normal to be nervous and start second guessing one self, its a big scary change you are about to make. Yes some people have complications. As part of the process your surgeon should have given you an information sheet explaining what the possible complications are and you should also have been given the opportunity to discuss these and any concerns that you may have with him/her. Its called informed consent. When I started using this site again one of the first things I did was to deliberately search out threads about complications. Maybe I'm weird but I feel that forewarned is forearmed. The actual likelihood of you having a serious complication is pretty low and they are things that surgeons can deal with. I got my date yesterday and I was having a discussion with my surgeon about the fear of surgery and him not killing me( when I'm nervous about things my weird sense of humour kicks in). He said the fear of surgery is normal , it's the fear of the unknown and also it is his job to worry about not killing me not mine! Now things you should worry about are how to manage your shopping addiction once you lose weight and see how amazing you look in your new clothes, and what you are going to do with all your extra energy etc As for timing it's like most things, there is no such thing as a perfect time. The sooner you have the op the sooner you will start your journey to better health. I now have a surgery date of Jan 17 which means that I still won't be eating solid food on my 25th anniversary in Feb!

Do you know if your surgeon requires a one week or a two-week liquid diet? I don't think you're doing it for "no reason". The fact that you're willing to jumpstart the process shows how serious and committed you are. You'd be surprised by how many people aren't as motivated as you are. That's a good sign that you are going to be a big success story! My surgery was tentatively scheduled before I was approved, too. Insurance companies often say they take weeks to approve you, but often the turnaround is much, much quicker. It only makes sense for them to be conservative with their approval timeframe. At times, there may actually be a backlog of paperwork awaiting evaluation. My paperwork was sent in on a Friday, and I was approved on Tuesday of the following week. The doctor's insurance person/staff tends to know which carriers take longer and which don't. I have UnitedHealthCare, PPO. I think it's great that your doctor's office got you locked into for that date. How disappointed you would have been if they had required approval first. What if the approval had been received in time, but your surgery date had been given to someone else. On my surgery date, my surgeon had two other patients. I was number three in his queue. Ask if you'll be his/her number 1, 2, 3, etc. The smaller the number, the earlier you have to show up for surgery. The first two cases ahead of me turned out to be complicated cases. I was tentatively scheduled for 12:30pm, but ended up on the table at 5pm. I was slightly disappointed, until I asked myself, "Hey, would you want Dr. S to rush his surgery with you just because someone else was anxious for their surgery to begin?" My answer was, "No."

YES! Don't be ashamed of your fear. Study and learn. There can be complications, but as you will see they are rare: http://www.thinnertimes.com/weight-loss-surgery/vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy/vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-risks-and-complications.html A mortality rate of 2/1,000 for major surgery is not too shabby! Do you have a family history or a personal history of blood clots? Is your starting BMI over 50.0? If not, it is likely that they will not agressively treat you for potential clots... But DO discuss with your medical team!

It has been a long while since I have been on VST. I always thought I would stay involved and "pay it forward" but as time went by, life took over. I thought I would post my story for the newly sleeved and/or those considering the sleeve. I know reading others stories helped me when I was starting my WLS journey. I had my VSG July 7. 2009 with Dr. Aceves. I haven't regretted it one bit! I am 5'4 and started at 201 lbs. I set my goal at 145 lbs and reached it in just 6 months. I changed my goal to 135 lbs & reached it a few months later and continued to lose. Today I am happily (and easily, might I add) maintaining around 120 lbs. I went from a size 18/20 to a 4/6! Now that I am nearly 2 years out, I can eat a little more than I could in the first 6 months but I am still very restricted (but isn't that the point of the surgery? ) I feel completely normal now....better than ever! The only complication I had was having to have my gallbladder removed about 6 months post op. I can't believe that I am nearly 2 years out already! There are still times where my sleeve reminds me that she is still there. For example, if I eat too quickly or take too big of a bite I will still feel the discomfort. Instead of being annoyed with the discomfort I am thankful. VSG is what changed my life & with the discomfort, I realize my "banana tummy" is still doing her job to help me maintain my weight loss. The one thing I did not expect from losing weight was how much I would begin to love shopping! PreOP I hated shopping. It was tedious & disappointing and I never left the store happy with myself. Now I am almost addicted to shopping for myself! I love trying on clothes & shoes and I love buying nice things for myself. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who likes to spoil me so he tries to buy me everything I want. He even surprises me with gifts! Anway, that's my update. Life is good. My VSG is great. I would recommend VSG & Dr. Aceves to anyone considering WLS. It was the best decision I made!

I can certainly relate to your pain! I am a month post op and am eating soft foods. I have messed up a couple of times, but I haven't "cheated" big because of fear; I am so scared I'm going to mess up my band that it keeps me honest (mostly!) I really hated the liquids phase because, not only was I mentally "hungry", I was physically STARVING. Those liquids just did not stick around long enough. But I managed, purely because I didn't want any complications; I was self pay and couldn't afford revision. I still worry that I'm eating too much; the hunger and satisfied signals are more subtle now, but I'm doing my best. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! sara

According to the internet: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include (1) avoidance of NSAIDs, (2) antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition,(3) H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present. The other area that you should explore is the fact that you might have a stricture.

No complications at all. I am 99.9% sure that she meant all proteins including shakes because I specifically asked her. But just to be 100% sure I just emailed her again. When she answered I will respond to this email. I thought it was strange too. I asked her where will I get my energy from and she said you'll be surprised the body is amazing

First off, during the first two months post surgery, your stonach is still healing. Please be sure to follow the prescribed diet. Secondly, never weigh yourself the first month. Your body is in chaos and weight is a non-issue. Thirdly, many of those with 30lb losses in any month are either very high bmi, or had complications. The average first month loss is 15lbs, and 10lbs thereafter. Normal for you might be higher or lower. Stick to your plan, and you'll do well!

Well I got some interesting information at two appointments I've been to. At Cornell Weill, the surgeon I met with was Gregory Dakin. He said because of my RA the only surgery I would be a candidate for is VSG. By-pass can be in complete conflict with the absorption of oral medications you have to take with RA and you have complications from By-pass surgery or BPD. So, that was something I'd not heard thus far. However, he said the VSG is not contraindicated in any way with RA. Just a side comment: Mobic is kind of a crappy medicine... if you can get on Sulfasalazine, it is much more effective. Ask your Dr about it as an option for you.... well, you don't have to, but I took mobic and was switched to sulfasalazine and it made a huge difference for me. But there could certainly be reasons your Dr has you on it... I'll keep you updated as I go along! Good luck to you, too!

Everyone loses as different rates...stick to plan and we all pretty much end up at the same place in the end (barring any complications) P.S. I lost 11 lbs in my liquid pre-op diet (which was for 2 weeks). I ended up losing more than 1/2 my total body weight.

Thanks Diane, I'm excited but scared to death also-esp after reading the complications thread...I'm worried about allergic reactions/rejection since I have really bad allergies.. -Sara

I would base it more on the overall program than the surgeon/surgeons office if there are any differences. My program offers nutritionists and free NUT appointments for life following surgery. They also have exercise classes, in person support groups, cooking classes and all sorts of other things. I haven't had any complications (knock on wood!) but I have absolutely taken advantage of all of those other things since I live very close. I know there are others who used the same surgeon as me but live much farther away so they can't utilize all of the other services...and they struggle. I also know some individuals who have moved away from our surgeon and have really had a hard time finding a new doctor who will take them on board which is another thing to consider. If you really love the surgeon/program 60 miles west that you've started with you could go ahead and ask the group 50 miles east if they would be willing to take you on post-op and just plan on switching to them at a point in time after surgery.

Hi everyone, I have what may be an unusual situation in that I am not "settled" in my life. Because of illness and disability I am temporarily living in a small town (less than 200 people) in the middle of nowhere. Once I lose weight and get some orthopedic surgery, I am going to move. Here's my dilemma. I have started a program (two nutritionist visits) in one clinic that is 60 miles west. Very good reputation. There is also a clinic about 50 miles east, also with a good reputation. In my imagined (hoped for) future, I will be living in the town that is 50 miles east, which places me 110 miles away from my doctors if there is a complication in the coming years. I am wondering if I should switch over to the program that is in the town where I will be living; it seems to make more sense to me that in case of emergency the hospital has my records and the surgeon and staff are right there. I'm getting a bit nervous because as I research RNY I keep seeing a lot of folks going back to get gallbladder surgery, or other emergency surgery for problems related to their RNY even years down the line. It just seems like it would nice to be in the same city as your doc. So--Is it better to have your surgeon nearby or does it really matter, as long as you have good medical care available? Thanks for any advice you can give me, I am questioning everything right now.

I went on January 16 for gastric bypass. I woke up about an hour after being put under to a nurse in the recovery area telling me they did not complete my surgery because of complications. I have multiple adhesions and my intestines are stuck together so much that my anatomy does not look like it should. My surgeon did not want to complete the surgery until I could be told. He has given me the option to have him do a sleeve or for him to refer me out to someone who still does open bypass surgery. I cannot explain the mind f**k this was and the anxiety I am feeling. This is terrible. I knew something was going to happen or be found. I knew that I was right. Something was going to be found that would explain the symptoms I had had for years at this point. These adhesions do not show up on scans of any sort unless you have an obstruction. I have only had one other surgery in my abdomen and it was a laparoscopic appendectomy 10 years ago. He thinks it stems from chronic inflammation and autoimmune **** that I have. Has anybody had an open procedure for bypass? What's your experience? Or has anyone been opened up and not finished? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using BariatricPal mobile app

My surgery was robotically assisted. I was thrilled when I found out - more “arms” able to work, better visibility by the doctor, and let’s face it, human arms are pretty dang fallible. Everything went great - no complications. The first week post-op was rough, but that’s just because it’s major surgery.