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1. Was your procedure outpatient or did you stay overnight? One over night stay - precaution I was one of the doctors first three lapband surgeries that day (he had been doing gastric bypass for years) 2. Did you have complications related to surgery? No Complications 3. What you were given for at home pain? How many days did you take it? Liquid Roxicet I took my last dose Sunday night, I was banded on a Thursday 4. Pain after surgery for how many days? 2-3 days to me there is a difference between pain and feeling sore. I felt sore. Luckily No gass pain! 5. Degree of pain...10 being your arm was cut off and 1 being a paper cut? Between a 2-4 depending on the day 6. Doctor and state where surgery was done? Dr. David Gould, Manchester, New Hampshire

1. Was your procedure outpatient or did you stay overnight? Inpatient--reported to ambulatory surgery at 2:30pm Tuesday, OR at 5pm, into my room about 9pm and left for home about 3pm Wednesday. 2. Did you have complications related to surgery? Not that I know of! 3. What you were given for at home pain? How many days did you take it? Diluadid 2mg--took for 2.5 days after coming home 4. Pain after surgery for how many days? Well, today is 5 days out...haven't taken pain meds in 2.5 days but I am still uncomfortable at times which Tylenol cures 5. Degree of pain...10 being your arm was cut off and 1 being a paper cut? At my lowest pain tolerance it was a 6, after getting home I was more uncomfortable than in pain and would say a 1.5 from then on 6. Doctor and state where surgery was done? Dr. Keith Zuccala, Danbury Connecticut

1. Was your procedure outpatient or did you stay overnight? Outpatient - Surgery at 9am, out about 4pm 2. Did you have complications related to surgery? No, none 3. What you were given for at home pain? How many days did you take it? Some pain killer I can't recall now, but I took it for about 4 days 4. Pain after surgery for how many days? Various degrees of pain for 2 weeks - but I also had a hiatal hernia repaired, and it's been explained to me that was the bulk of my pain 5. Degree of pain...10 being your arm was cut off and 1 being a paper cut? 7 at the worst point 6. Doctor and state where surgery was done? The wonderful Barry Greene, Rockville,MD

According to the research, the magic number is 50. When a surgeon has done more than 50 LapBands (not just more than 50 bariatric surgeries and not just more than 50 laporoscopic surgeries, but more than 50 LapBands), the patients have fewer complications.

There has been much very good and some bad…I had some postoperative complications (more about that below) But when it comes to the surgery and how it works I regret absolutely nothing but not having done this earlier! I managed to lose 20 pounds the month before surgery . It was actually quite easy since I was so motivated. I had done that before (VLCD quick loss) and knew that it wouldn´t last normally but the surgery as a goal made it easier. The surgery went OK as far as I can judge. Spent two nights in the hospital. A lot less pain then when I did the open VGB 20 years earlier. Had some problems starting to urinate again after the anesthetic (quite common as they told me) and that’s why they kept me two nights. The sensation of drinking Water was a lot better than after the VBG, I was worried that the suffocated feeling I remembered from the first month then would return but it didn´t.I felt kind of sick the first week at home but I attributed that to fatigue and rapid weight loss which I exepcted from all that I had read up on That was a part of it for sure but it also turned out when I was examined at the ER after I got a rapidly rising fever that I had gotten a postoperative infection. Sigh! I was readmitted and put on antibiotics. I spent a week in the hospital while the doctors discussed whether to perform another surgery to drain the abscess under my ribs or if the antibiotics would suffice. It turned out that they did and I was released after a week with a continued antibiotics treatment at home. It took two months before they cleared me of the infection. So be attentive to how you feel postoperatively and don´t, like I did, underestimate the signs of your body. Better to do an extra check up than to spend an extra week in hospital and two months on antibiotics is the lesson I learnt from this! The infection made it impossible for me to exercise more than slow walks but I´ve lost a lot of weight any way. When it comes to the actual surgery I couldn´t be happier. Everything works grand. My GERD is gone and I hope to be cleared from my sleep apnea soon (scheduled for the sleeplab in two months, feel great). Still some weight to lose but I don´t have any unrealistic expectations, would be super happy if I lost another 40 pounds or so . We´ll see. I´m playing volleyball Tuesdays, cardio in the gym Thursday and walk/jog 3 miles every weekend so I think that will help too. I´ve had some of the normal problems that I expected and read up on before. Mild constipation etc – takes some time to learn what foods that works for you. I recently discovered that my stomach works better if I eat more fat than I initially did but I guess that that is individual. When it comes to the dreaded band the surgeons’ didn´t remove that but left it in. They reasoned that the risks of removing it (being stuck to everything after all those years) were higher than leaving it in. They don´t expect it to be a problem and I hope that they are right of course. I didn´t feel a need to question their knowledge on that one. I´ve discovered one thing that I believe to be an advantage for VBG:ers…the chewing is already there. Many fellow patients complained about the difficulties of learning to chew properly but for me that was already a natural habit. In all, despite the infection, I am super happy with this decision! I have gotten a new life. I will trek the In ca trail in Peru in October, a thing I could have just dreamed of before loosing all this weight. I wish you the best of luck whatever option you go for!

Of all the places to have pain, i wouldn't think her back would be one of them. I understand maybe her shoulders where the gas floats up trying to escape. If she has any shortness of breath with the back pain, i would go straight to the ER. I haven't gotten banded yet, i will be on July 14, but if i had back pain, i would personally be concerned about post-op complications. Take it seriously.

I just had my sleeve done on Friday the 29th by Dr, Aceves. I am doing very well and I had some complication coming into surgery that were handled well. I have just been driven to San Diego by Ernesto to wait until my flight out tomorrow morning. My whole trip was nine days,- the last three in the home of a local, private family that treated me like a baby ; cooking broths - fresh, making Jello, mixing Protein drinks; fawning over me, TV, internet. I even got a haircut gratis by the mother, Carmen. And a good one too. Half the price of staying in a hotel - only 50$ includes everything. If you are interested e-mail me and I will put you in touch with them. They only have one room to let, so it's first come, first serve. I feel sad now having to leave such new friends. Helped me to a dentist for for some crown work. Ernesto knows where it is so he will pick you up there when you have to return to San Diego.

Hi. I don't know about hard/soft masses? I had my Sleeve almost 3 weeks ago. We knew I had a small Hiatal Hernia going in. Well, the Dr. said, it was really big. They just sew it shut. I know its going to make me feel better. I have had no complications. Again, unsure if we are talking the same issue/Mass? Good luck too you!

Hi, I'm waiting on my insurance to approve my band to RNY revision. They have approved my port revision (three months ago - which I had to wait on pre-existing condition clause) until now to have. I was banded April 11, 2008 by Dr. John Bagnato, Albany GA. Assessment day I was at 271, with a pre-op diet I went into Surgery at 259 pounds. By my first fill I was down about twenty pounds - or perhaps I should say attempt at a first fill - my port had flipped. So I had to schedule revision surgery, which I had in July. I think lost an average of 15 pounds a month. I found out right after my revision surgery my husband was having an affair - emotionally I was a wreck but I think it gave me a push. By November I was down to 214 (my lowest weight). I worked out, followed all the rules - strictly and even ran in a 5k. My marriage continued to deteriorate and by December I asked for a divorce. We separated in February. I ended up moving to my hometown in Florida (four hours away) in March. It never dawned on me the impact of moving to another state would have on my health due to my band. I ended up getting sick and had to get an unfill a few months after moving to Florida. I went back to Georgia for one fill which I had to have removed due to esophagous spasms. When my divorce was final in October 2009 I lost my benefits. I quit my job when I left and it took me four months to find a job (and it didn't offer benefits). But with two small children to feed I didn't feel I had much choice. So no doctor, no follow-up. I tried to find a doctor in Florida to see me, closer than four hours away. No one would take me. I tried everything. I finally found a doctor in Pensacola that would see me. He was able to put in 1cc (I have a 10cc band) in November 2010. I went back in March for my second fill and he couldn't access my port. By the way my port is in my chest, stitched to my left breast muscle). He said it has to be moved. We filed the insurance and they denied me due to pre-existing condition (June 2010 is when my insurance took effect, so I had to wait until June 2011 for anything related to my band). In May I started having port pains and reflux issued - I had an upper GI done. I have mobility issues in my esophogus and some erosion...so I'm told that the band has to come out. I had an appointment Wednesday of this week with him. He confirmed it and we discussed alternatives. I had been reseraching the RNY for a few weeks (once he told me bye bye band)...so now I'm waiting on insurance approval. I'm curious how many of us are out there? and if it is specific to the doctor or type of band? Is there a specific timeline when the failures/complications begins. For the longest time I blamed myself - thought I'd done something wrong. It appears after getting back on LBT (after a two year departure), I'm not the only one. I really hope this RNY site takes off...looking forward to talking to everyone...

Hi! I FINALLY have it all together and am going to Dr. Aceves!!!! Flying down on Thursday, Aug. 4th and having surgery the 5th! Anyone else out there going the same time? Close to it? Would love to meet up and talk down there!!!! SOOOOOOO excited even though the hubby isn't quite as on-board as I would have hoped--same ol' worries as every other loved one--what if you die? What if you have horrible complications? What if..? What if..? I have to admit that they are the same questions I pose, but I HOPE AND PRAY that they stay "What ifs" and don't turn into reality!!!

If your recovery is like mine, you will notice the discomfort less and less over the next week or so and then somewhere around the second or third week you'll suddenly look around and wonder where the pain went. I hope you heal quickly and with no complications.

Well yes there can be complications as it is a foreign body inside of you. Abuse of the band and from what I hear just faulty band/installation can contribute. There is risk with any surgery but with the band it is a contraption inside that can cause issues, have you thought about the sleeve?

I went to my last consult with the surgeon today! It is ready to go! Dr. Kramer will do my surgery and he will be proctored by Dr Jamie Ponce! One of the world experts in banding, actually represents Realize. I will get the new Realize band, which has less complications, they say, and better port, better restriction, less erosion. I won't need to spend the night:thumbup: in the hospital unless there are complications. I was concerned about that, I am most fearful of MRSA from the hospital, and you are in less danger if you don't stay there. The nurses can carry it going from one room to another. I am so excited! I begin my 2 week low carb diet today, so I stopped and got my last Sonic burger with a bun. I think I will have a "bread funeral" :biggrin2:tonight. I will take a beautiful roll and a slice of bread and have a funeral! :thumbdown: Just kidding... but the thought just cracks me up! I better have a double funeral and have a second casket for cookies! :sad_smile: I do think I will be so happy to have my new body and be able to see my feet that I won't miss the stuff. Actually the more I get away from it the less I miss it! So! here is to protein! Long live the Protein shooters! :cool2:

Lellow & Kush I have searched and all I can find is this: Band slip types (I, II, IV and V) are acute and always require surgical intervention. Laparoscopic removal or repositioning of the band is the preferred method of treatment. Pouch enlargement is a chronic complication that should be managed nonoperatively in the first instance, and surgical readjustment is reserved only for those patients in whom conservative treatment fails. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038361/

I had surgery on a Monday recovered for 3 or 4 days. Rested the weekend and was back at work the next monday morning. Ive been at work since and its been a month since i was sleeved. I also havent had any complications. Good Luck

I am so very sorry to hear of your awful complications. My prayers go out to you and in hopes that you will recover 100%. Hugs. I completely agree with those above that mention the risks of the surgeries we go through - I just hope this case does not not happen to very many.

Hello Everyone, I want to start off by saying I had the plication surgery with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana in July 2010. From July to mid December 2010 I had no problems. I had a quick recovery and had managed to lose 60 or so pounds. Then, in mid December, a serious complication occurred. I'm pasting below an email I sent to my patient experience manager, Courtney Talmadge, in response to an email from her asking what happened and how I was doing. "On December 21 I went to my local emergency room (Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, MO) with abdominal pain, pain in my left shoulder when I breathed in, and dry heaving. They did an xray and ct scan and found what they referred to as free air in my abdominal cavity. They also found that the contrast Fluid I drank for the procedure was leaking from my stomach into my abdominal cavity. At that time the attending physician told me I was being transported to the University Hospital in Columbia. I was transported by ambulance to the University of Missouri Hospital. I was met there by a surgical team from the bariatrics department. I explained the procedure I had received from Dr. Corvala. The surgeons told me that I needed surgery immediately to repair a perforation in my stomach that was allowing air and fluids to pass into my abdominal cavity. After I woke up from the surgery I was told that the perforation occurred because part of my stomach was not receiving adequate blood flow and perforated as a result. The surgeons explained that, in order to attempt to prevent future occurrence, the surgeons had loosened plication stitching. The surgeons put a tissue patch over the hole to prevent leakage and to allow the hole to heal. They told me and my family that the portion of the stomach where the hole had formed was white in color from being cut off from adequate blood flow for so long and that they had almost decided to resect that part of the stomach rather than repair it. They told me and my family that, in their opinion, it's very possible this will happen to me again in the future because of the damage to my stomach and other areas that hadn't been receiving proper blood flow. I was in the hospital from 12/21-12/26, spending my Christmas there. It took 4 days to rehydrate my body, because the hole that had formed in my stomach had let all the fluids I drank into my abdominal cavity. I had a tube coming out of my left side abdomen to drain the fluids for the duration of my stay. I had a tube coming up from my stomach and out of my nose to drain any fluids from my stomach for the first 3 days I was there. It was a horrific and traumatic experience for me and my family. At my follow-up appointment on January 7th I spoke with one of the bariatric surgeons at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO about what happened. He explained to me that, due to a technical error that occurred during my plication surgery, the plication stitching had not allowed portions of my stomach to get adequate blood flow. This caused a part of the stomach to start dying and a hole formed. Also on Jan 7 I had another xray with contrast to see if there was any further leakage. The results of this test show no further leakage but that my stomach is very swollen at this time. I am continuing to be monitored through Missouri Bariatric Services, a University of Missouri Hospital Clinic. I believe this to be a dire complication. I was told when I came to the ER that, due to the severity of my condition I was about 24 hours from sepsis and death. It is very important that Dr. Corvala, his team, and potential patients know about this possibility. This was not mentioned to me as a possible complication of the plication surgery. In fact, I had asked about the possibility that that folding and stitching could harm the stomach and had also asked about cutting off blood flow to the folded portion of the stomach. I was told plication procedure was done in such a way as to retain the health of the stomach and that blood continues to flow regularly to the folded part of the stomach. I was also told that the plication procedure was much safer because there was no risk of leaks because no portion of the stomach is cut away and there is no staple line. Potential patients thinking of getting the plication procedure should know the possibilities." It should be noted that I asked my surgeons here in Missouri if there was anything I did that could have caused this complication. They have informed me that this complication was not at all my fault, but due to an error committed by the surgeon (Dr. Corvala) during my plication surgery. If you decide you're interested in the plication procedure and go through Dr. Corvala I would suggest you ask him about my case. To be perfectly honest, I'm happy with the results of my surgery. My restriction is great, my weight loss has been what I expected. However, as noted above, I almost lost my life. I wanted to share my story because when the surgery was described to me it was being advertised as a safer alternative to other surgeries and that the risk for complication was very low. As noted above, I even asked Dr. Corvala about blood flow to the stomach with the plication surgery and was told that the blood flow would be retained and the stomach tissue would remain healthy. For me, this was not the case. Please feel free to ask questions. -Alexa Thompson

So here I am, today makes 3 months exactly post op and I am down 42 lbs. I am finally in Onederland. I am so amazed at how easy this journey has been in comparison to the Lap Band that I had placed in 2006. I am so happy that I went through the revision surgery 3 months ago. The sleeve is everything that the band was promised to be and more. Thank God I have not had one complication and I feel fantastic. As of now I have no regrets and I feel healthier than I have felt in years. I want to send out a special thanks to my surgeon Dr. Aceves for changing my life.

Thank you! I know I HAVE to do this, or my life isn't going to get any better..only worse. The pain will increase, the mobility derease. I have to just think about the good things that are going to happen for me. Did you have any complications or side effects? Thats my biggest fear Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

I chose the band because bypass and the sleeve scared me too much. Yes, you are adding something to your body, but with the other two surgeries, you are permanently altering your body. I like that if for some reason I have complications with the band, it can be taken out and I am back to how I was before. Of course, I do plan on keeping it in there forever, but I like to keep my options open. I also liked that the death rates with the band were much lower than the bypass, and also lower than the sleeve. Another thing I didn't like about bypass and the sleeve was that you must take Vitamins for the rest of your life. Of course, as a bandster I should take my vitamins, and I will. But with bypass, you must. One of the reasons for getting the band for me was because I wanted to get off my diabetes meds, and I didn't want to just have to start taking different meds. Of course, gummy vitamins are much more fun to take than pills anyways, I look forward to it, lol. I hope that helps, it's a hard decision and I wish you luck.

1 month out today from under the knife! Overall very happy with month 1 - 35lbs down post op. Had dreamed it would come off quicker, but given I lost 40 preop a slowdown was a bit expect. So nice to be down 75 from Oct 7, 2012 and 58 since first doc consult Nov 15. Did my diet advancement (my surgery center is very conservative but great reputation for minimal complications). No vomiting and only discomfort was eating too fast. Getting 60 - 90 g Protein a day, but was averaging under 600 cals. Burning 700 a day swimming so I know I need to up to between 900 and 1100 but I dont know how as it seems I am already just eating or drinking all the time. Thank you all for help along the way!! Off to goal 2! Kevin

Let me start off by saying that I dislike going to that area of the board, however as a prebander I feel it is necessary to hear the good, bad and ugly about this from all view points. However, I have noticed that a lot of people begin having problems years out and dont immediately seek medical care from their surgeon. They live with problems for months and then finally decide to go back to the dr. I guess my question is to those of you that are a success story -- how often do you see your surgeon? My surgeon requires monthly visits for the first yr - regardless of if you want/need a fill. After 1 yr post op your follow up visits are up to you but it must be at least once a yr. So my response to him was "so i can come monthly for the rest of my life?" he said yes. I look at my relationship with my surgeon as one i will have forever. Perhaps all newbies think like that though, then they make it to goal, life get in the way and before you know it you havent seen your doc in 2 yrs. My dr did say that while the majority of his long term post op patients dont come in monthly they do come in regularily-- quarterly, every other month, etc. But when i think about it how does he know the success of the other patients if they dont come in? If i end up having problems with my band i dont want it to be because of something i did. I want to follow the rules and to me regular follow ups with your dr is part of the rules.

I hear you! I was banded one week ago. I had complications the day after surgery where I could not even swallow my own spit. I am so nervous about more complications, that I can't get excited over the future. To top it all off, my anti-depressants are too big for me to swallow and I have not taken them in a week. My nerves are frazzled! The good thing is, I have moved to full liquids and doing good. I think we have to take it one day at a time and firmly believe things WILL get better. Soooooo....you are not the only one LOL! Things are rough right now and I guess they call it bandster hell for a reason! Trust that things will get better and try to think positive thoughts! Sending well wishes your way :wub:

I just went to the dr today and I am scheduled for Thursday the 15th...I was informed today by my dr that he is using the realize band.....he said he likes to use it more now that there is less chance of complications and less chance of band slippage.....good luck to all of u

Hello! I am performing in a charity variety show 3 weeks after surgery. I have to do a couple of numbers that essentially would be the equivalent of 3-minute line dances. Not super- complicated choreography, but pretty fast. So, 3-weekers, do you think I'll be ok as far as incision healing and stamina? Thanks in advance!