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I have not had surgery yet...I actually just had my first consultation this morning. I'm just wondering if everyone who has had(or will have) gastric bypass has told their friends and family? And do you regret the decision you made about telling or not telling? Has anyone you've told been unsupportive?
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How Many People Have You Told?
Mrs. Curtis replied to sweetsoutherngirl's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I have only shared with 2 friends who have had surgery (either band or bypass) and of course close family. I feel like others on here that to me, this is a personal thing and want to be a journey that I can enjoy instead of thinking about the opinion of others about my choice- -
Well, last night I went to the seminar. They mostly talked about Bypass but I knew they would. They do Bypass at that facility and LB is done out of the area at another facility. Listening to the Bypass discussion just helped me cement my decision though, so that was good. My insurance will pay for everything except co-pays and any travel expenses so that was good to find out. It was a huge block for me. I can't do the surgery unless they pay for it. I have some hoops to jump through, of course. My PCP needs to refer me to the Dietition and Psychiatry and once I've seen those 2 he needs to fill out an application to send to the surgeons. I e-mailed him this AM so I'll find out soon what he'll do. My one problem is that I've started this with him and he's leaving to go to another dept at the end of the month. I've asked him if he can keep my file just long enough to get the application done but I don't know that he can. If not, I have to hope that my new PCP goes along with what he and I started and doesn't mess this up. I also need to start a 20 week "Lifestyle and Weight Management" class. If I can get childcare, I'll start next Wednesday. The first 2 classes are in-take classes. The following 18 classes are part of an on-going class so the in-take are to document how much you weigh and get you up to speed on where the rest of the class is. She constantly has people starting and ending their sessions. The main reasons for class are to get your head on straight about the lifestyle change you're making and to help you lose the weight that the surgeons are going to require before surgery. For those of you with Kaiser {Northern CA}, it sounds like I'm being sent over to the Richmond facility. So, that's it! I guess I've started the process! I'll know better if my PCP is going to cooperate after I hear from him. Should be okay b/c he had to refer me to the seminar to begin with. It's just a matter of him being able to follow this through for me or making sure the new PCP will continue the process. I'm excited!
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I'm getting my surgery date on Thursday and I'm keen to go and very excited! However, I have one last lingering concern. What is the difference with dealing with food addiction with or without the band? Its seems that everyone is still suffering trying to not eat the wrong foods or bypassing the band or not having enough "will power" and I just wonder how is that different to what we go through on a standard diet without a band? The band then just adds its own issues eg: surgery issues, reflux, pain, financial costs, food sensitivities and sometimes, god forbid, food cravings??!?!??!? Do I really need the added aggravation? I worry that one day down the track I will be in exactly the same position as I'm in now - not being able to control myself around food - thats the only thing I want to be rid of. The weight loss is kind of secondary (kind of) my main concern is getting rid of this obsessive food addiction. Does the band really help keep us under control? Are we just replacing one obsession for another? To go from food to fills? Love to hear from anyone with any advice good, bad or otherwise.
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Welcome to the Bypass Side of town, we are so happy to have you over here!
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My insurance denies sleeve...approves RNY, I want sleeve...help
Bufflehead replied to smokenhaze's topic in Insurance & Financing
A bypass may not be your first choice, but tons of people get bypass and do fantastic. Don't rule it out. There are bypass people in my support group and they don't seem to have any more complications or problems than sleevers do. My niece had bypass and she lost 175+ pounds and has kept it off for over four years. It's an individual thing -- but I know I would not have hesitated to have a bypass if a sleeve had not been available to me. Good luck in your decision. -
My insurance denies sleeve...approves RNY, I want sleeve...help
Bufflehead replied to smokenhaze's topic in Insurance & Financing
Usually if they won't approve sleeve, then they won't approve sleeve . . . no easy loophole. But if your surgeon and/or PCP can find a medical reason that bypass would not work for you but a sleeve would, you might be able to appeal on that ground. For example: you have a condition such as arthritis that means you will need to take NSAIADs after surgery. You have irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's Disease, or another intestinal disease that would make surgery on the intestines risky or impossible. Your surgeon will probably be the best person to consult for other possible reasons. If your insurance still won't cover it, I would think your options are either self-pay (in the US or Mexico/abroad) or see if you can find other insurance that does cover the sleeve - perhaps through a spouse or partner, a professional association, the Affordable Care Act exchange in your state, etc. Good luck! -
Congrats to all. I have BCBS of IL. Went to my first informational meeting the end of May and got my approval in november. My date is Jan 10th. Can't wait.....excited buy also a little nervous about the actual surgery.
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My Surgery is for this Thursday!!! I'm Nervous
kimalicious replied to RandyNJ77's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Hi Randy, You are on a lap band sight so I'm pretty sure that we will all tell you to stick with the band and not the bypass, there are so many more problems with the bypass and the band experience has been quite easy for me. Read all of the posts and go back through the before and after pictures and get yourself excited all over again about what the band can do for you. Again, I am partial, but don't give up either way. Good Luck. Kim -
Haha, thank you. I am blunt and tell it like I see it. If you want a reality check I'm the go to girl, if you want a hug and a pat I'm sure there are other's out there willing to give it. The pre-op phase sucked. I got a headache and day 3 & 4 were the worst, but I did it. I sat there during 3 & 4 thinking oh my gosh, I hadn't had a Giordano's pizza in a year....why, why did I not make that 1-1/2 hour round trip drive to get one to bring home before my pre-op diet lol. I have worked my ever lovin' butt off since I made my appointment with the surgeons office in October and lost weight before my first appointment on November 16th. I treated' myself once in a while, but I invested a lot of time and effort and money into this surgery. It hasn't been easy. I had serious complications. I'm 5 weeks out and I know there are people that are doing much better than me physically. I have lupus, I had hernia repair and severe adhesions and cooking dinner (that I love) sucks, but it doesn't do any good to focus on it, because that's what gets you into trouble. I'm one that believes in sucking it up and moving forward. If you cheat, suck it up and don't mess up again. I think about this...85% of your stomach removed, replaced with staples and think, isn't that alone worth me putting 100% effort into it? The answer is yes. With all the complications, I would do it again! Good luck to you in your pre-op phase and will keep you in my prayers
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Hello Everyone. I had my surgery September 20, 2011. I started at 265lbs and currently weigh 242lbs. I had my post op check up with my doctor on October 5th. I am scheduled to have my first fill in early November. I guess that my real question is why my appt is so far out? Is it because I am currently losing weight steadily with no fill?
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Excited, not excited, excited, not excited
Dream2BThinner99 posted a topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hi everyone, my name is Alicia. I am 37 years old and have about 230lbs to lose to meet my goal weight. I have 2 boys, 6 yr old and a 10 month old. I have been wanting a Bariatric surgery for a long time but insurance always denies it. The company I work for has decided to help me out with the financial part of it. I was told the best surgery form me would be the gastric bypass but that is COMPLETELY out of the question because of the cost. I am so afraid I will get the lapband and won't lose very much. I have diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, you name it. I hope I will hear back from people that will make me feel like this is still a good decision and not a waste of 14k. -
Excited, not excited, excited, not excited
Cindy2013 replied to Dream2BThinner99's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hello Alicia. I understand just how difficult of a decision this is. It has taken me 2 long years of studying everything I could find and questioning doctors and patients before I made the decision to move forth with the lapband. For me, I chose the lapband because it is not cutting away part of my stomach. I chose the least risky surgery because things can and do go wrong. I just don't want the associated chronic diarrhea nor malnutrition that can happen with the bypass. Even with the bypass, there are cases where people don't keep the weight off. I know one person who I had no idea had the bypass years ago, and she is heavier than I am now. I think people can be successful with any of the WLS options. In fact, I don't think the success depends on which surgery you choose, but rather on how diligent you are in following the plan, creating new habits and a new lifestyle. I'll admit, I'm not yet a successful lapband patient, but I will be! My honest opinion is that it doesn't matter if we need to lose 100 pounds or 200 or 300, with enough diligence and determination, anyone can be successful. -
He had better consult with his surgeon. I have had many of those things and I am a bypasser with a stricture, food can't pass through. This is usually a gastric bypass problem but not all VSG are exempt. And if one variety doesn't work, tastes so bad you can't stand it, there are many others to chose from. The kind that works for me isn't one you commonly hear of. After 10 months of protein shakes one does become a connoisseur, I finally found one that doesn't choke me up, has flavors I can stand and doesn't totally break the bank. And lastly your son may have developed a temporary allergy to some of the milk proteins, there are soy-based, or plant- based, personally I don't like them as well but they are a total God-Send for many. There are always answers to every question, just not always easy to find.
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Mert, I'm sorry you're having such a frustrating time with the approval process. I wanted to hopefully give you some hope. I am a Texas teacher with TRS plan 2 and I was approved. Here is a timeline of how things went for me. July 28- Met with surgeon August 22-received a letter requesting a psych evauation which I had already completed on Aug. 9th. I'm not sure what was up with that as my Doctor's office confirmed that BCBS had received a copy. The letter stated that "a thorough review would be completed upon receipt of the information." September 26- I received a vague letter stating that BCBS covered Lap Band surgery. It did not, however, say that I was approved. I talked to my wonderful nurse, Barbara and she said that what a letter like that means is that you have to schedule the surgery and wait to be pre-authorized. October 4 - Saw a nutritionist and the doctor set a date for surgery. October 5- I received a call from Barbara that I had been approved. I also got a letter from the insurace company the following week confirming this. I did not have to do a sleep test since I had already been through two. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in November 2004. I was hoping to be approved before September 1st since that is when our deductable starts over but that didn't happen. My doctor's office said that they weren't surprised since BCBS usually takes at least 6 to 8 weeks. I was also told that they(BCBS) also will not except faxes . Everything has to be mailed from the doctor's office. I hope this helps. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Mert, contratulations on your approval. I remember how excited I was too. I'm now 8 months out and this band has truly been a wonderful tool! I'm praying you will have a wonderful experience as well. Regarding the time off from work, I had surgery on a Tuesday and went back to work the following Monday. I have to admit that I was a little tired at the end of the day for the first few days back.(First graders are rarely still.) Since my surgery was in November, I was only back at work for 1 week before we had Thanksgiving break. I had another week off for the Holiday which really helped. I think that even without that week though that I would have been okay. Good luck with your new classroom and let me know if you have any other questions!
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hair loss is not nearly as much an issue with lapband as it is with gastric bypass....GB people don't absorb nutrients because their intestines have been rearranged. LB's still have all their 'innards' in the right place and down have a malabsorption problem. However, since we don't eat much and eat a limited diet, hair loss can happen if you don't hit the Protein like you need to.....80-100 grams/day. It's hard to get that much since we can't eat much, but you can do it easily with good protein supplements. Find some you love and plan to use it the rest of your life. I'm 15 mo. out and my hair is thicker and healthier than it's been in many years....also have good strong fingernails that no longer crack. It's probably a combination of high protein and being able to come off all my medications that I've been on for many years (blood pressure, diabetes, etc).
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I have not had any issues with mu bypass. Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app
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I have Binge Eating Disorder (BED) as well and I have started seeing an amazing therapist who specializes in eating disorders and has a clinic specifically for those who suffer with BED. While, I only just started seeing her in November or December, she has already helped me change my relationship with food and improve the quality of my life. I feel so grateful to have found her. I definitely suggest seeking out a therapist who deals with eating disorders specifically, and with a lot of experience with BED. I've also started reading this book: Intuitive Eating It is an anti-diet book so many bandsters and folks on LBT practice the opposite kind of behavior as is talked about in this book and would condemn it. But basically a lot of the book is about giving yourself unconditional permission to eat. ANYTHING (even chocolate, ice cream, carbs...whatever). And unconditional permission means allowing yourself to eat with no shame, sadness, regret, anger, self deprecating remarks, etc. There have been many many studies on the subject (some of which are outlined in the book) but when you remove the scarcity of a food (or anything), meaning you realize that it is there and available to you anytime you want and you have permission to have it without fear of repercussion from your mind, your family, the scale, etc., your brain realizes that its not necessary to overeat that food. And often, you begin to realize that you dont even LIKE these foods that you once binged on and obsessed about. Anyways, the book is really an amazing and well thought out approach to eating intuitively (a skill that, for many of us, is buried deeply underneath years upon years of diets and weightloss mantras) and while I haven't been reading it for long, I think it is changing my life. My band is currently filled WAY too tightly and in March I plan to get a complete unfill. It is hard to effectively relearn the skill of intuitive eating or even listen to my natural hunger and fullness queues when I'm throwing up most of my food. I believe that when I really do start listening to my primal queues regarding food, I will return to the weight that my body feels it should naturally be. And even more importantly, I will return to a state of mental and physical health. Those are my two suggestions: eating disorder therapist and pick up a copy of that book.
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I am just about 3 1/2 weeks post op from gastric bypass and I am struggling so hard with food cravings. I can’t think of anything besides how great food used to taste. I haven’t been able to act on any of my cravings, but it’s borderline obsession with thinking about food all the time. Any advice?
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I would love to see more of before and after pics. It keeps me motivated during this time of my journey! Thank you everyone.
linzlou2000 replied to chilet071's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I did lose some before surgery. Here is what I keep in my phone and you can see my rate. Another member shared her progress and laid it out like this and I loved it. Progress: October (252) - November (232): -20 November (232) - December (222): -10 December (222) - January (214): -8 January (214) - February (203): -11 February (203) - March (191): -12 March (191) - April (183): -8 April (183) - May (175): -8 I track from the 19-18 of each month since that was my surgery date. I have had stalls and it stresses me out. However, when you look at the month as a whole I've been pretty steady. Things are getting harder. I track and work out 2-4 times a week. I have had ZERO problems with the Sleeve. If anything, I wish I had a little more restriction. It is a huge mental game, but I'm going to win. I started at a 22-24. I now fit comfortable in 14 and am starting to buy 12's. -
My story doesn't have a happy ending.
mreckner posted a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
I had lap band surgery in October of 2012. From the beginning, it was nothing but trouble. I followed my instructions to the letter, so this was a band failure. Not a surgeon failure, not my failure. In almost a year and a half, I never hit the sweet spot. The band was either too loose, or too tight. I threw up every time I ate. I could not eat the things I was supposed to eat. No meat, no eggs, no vegetables, no fruit. Basically if it wasn't in liquid form, it came back up. Having food get stuck is unpleasant. Productive burps are unpleasant. No matter how well I chewed, everything got stuck. It got to the point where I was eating all the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat, because I couldn't get anything else to go down. I didn't lose any weight. Not an ounce, with the exception of the pre-op diet, and the couple of weeks after surgery where I survived on liquids. The final straw for me was being in the bathroom, violently vomiting, with my two small children standing outside the bathroom door, crying, because it sounded like mommy was dying. Plus, I didn't want them to think that vomiting after eating was the norm. That's not a healthy thing to teach children. My band came out in March of 2014. Best decision I made, regarding the band. I'm having revision to gastric bypass done, later this year. My surgeons are now trying to steer people away from the band, and are more focused on Sleeve and Bypass. I, personally, would not recommend the band, although I do know people who are happy with theirs. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App -
Matt, I am so sorry to hear this. In 2013 at the age of 47 I had 2 cardio vascular events, the 1st resulted in 2 stents inserted in my right main artery. 5 months later I started feeling the same shortness of breath, pain that started in my chest, then radiated into my jaw. I went to emergency, where after another angio-gram, I was told my left main artery was 80% blocked. They called this the 'widow maker'. I was devastated. How could this happen after only 5 months, I was so young. They did another angioplasty, and inserted 2 more stents in the left main. I was off work for a total of 9 months, did extensive cardio-rehab, and today I am 3 days post -op from RNY bypass. One of the 1st things I asked, in recovery was "did I have a heart attack?" I understand your disappointment, but your Dr is right. Let's make your heart stronger, so you can have the best results once you do have your surgery. This is not a step back, it is just an unexpected detour towards a new future. Wishing you nothing but the best.
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I hadn’t heard of it either & it wasn’t an option with my surgeon. Is it a Sydney thing?? I wonder if stomach stretching after sleeve was either an old wives tale or to scare patients to encourage them to eat correctly (portion size, frequency, etc.) so that wouldn’t happen. I do recall Dr Nowzaradan operating again on one of his patients saying they had stretched their tummy again but they had been eating exactly the same way as they always had: huge portions, many times a day every day for a long time. So they deliberately worked to stretch it again. No surgery would have helped them. As others have said it sounds similar to lapband (gastric banding) which are not performed as often because of higher risk of complications. There are a lot of people here who have had to have a revision to sleeve or more commonly to bypass because of issues with their band. On googling I noticed that some weight loss clinics don’t identify the possible side effects of the minimiser but did discover one (Perth) clinic that did: … placing a ring around the top of the sleeve can cause obstructive symptoms much like adjustable gastric banding resulting in difficulty swallowing and food intolerance. It can cause dilatation of the top of the sleeve which we consider to be the most critical part. It may also increase the risk of reflux, volume regurgitation and possible aspiration. But if you’ve done your research, weighed the pros & cons, and you know yourself & your challenges with eating best, & your surgeon supports you, it is ultimately your decision. All the best.
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Kathryn's Dream
James Marusek replied to Kathryntorres1967's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery.
