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Do you currently have gerd or frequent heartburn? Do you have access to bariatric care closer to home if there were a complication? If so, what procedures do they perform? How keen are you in taking daily supplementation? (Vitamins) How enthusiastic is your primary care physician to take care of you after surgery in Mexico?

My surgeon does not require a lengthy liquid diet. I just had to do liquids one day prior and then nothing to eat or drink after midnight before surgery. I was surprised because from what I was reading it seems like nearly everyone does 2-4 weeks of liquid diet before surgery. I was nervous about having a giant liver that would prevent my surgery as I was pretty large to start and the liquid diet is primarily to shrink your liver - but everyone went fine with my surgery and I had no complications. I did notice that I didn't gain a ton of weight after surgery like some do and instead had a very large loss that first week. I suspect this was more dramatic because I hadn't done the liquid diet. Also my sugar withdrawl was probably more pronounced the first couple of weeks after surgery - again since I hadn't cut that out entirely pre-surgery.

I got "the call" this morning that my Lapband revision to RNY is scheduled for July 5th. My surgeon strongly suggested the RNY over the Sleeve because the Sleeve would make it worse. Also, at my age, he said the risk is less with the RNY. I have had sever complications with this band. I've had it since Jan., 2011. I can't take it anymore and want it out! The surgeon said that 95% of patients with Lapband a taken out gain all of their weight back. I suffered getting off what I did with this thing and don't want to gain it back, thus, the RNY. My starting weight with Lapband was 203, now 170.

I had the lap band and it was hell for me.. after 5 years I got it removed. I had the sleeve four months ago and its the best decision ive ever made. no complications and because its just a tool, it still requires me to work my ass off. as long as you do the things the doc tells you to do, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be successful with it

Right! I was committed but terrified of the surgery. So I felt ambivalent. I haven't experienced one second of regret (I'm sure no complications is helping).

My Dr hates the lapband. He told me that wasn't even an option & a lot of people have complications with it. Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app

I spoke to my NUT about this, she told me that some surgeons are a bit extra when it comes to diets to be super safe to avoid complications and admitted some are a little too intense. Patients can always ask if they can be cleared sooner for next stages if they are tolerating their current diet well. So it's really depending on the surgeon.

I was sleeves in September and have reached goal weight. I haven't had any major complications. However, not infrequently when going to sleep, or sometimes when I've been asleep, I wake up slightly regurgitating, sometimes almost on the verge of vomiting. I'm not overfull or uncomfortable, and my diet is very consistent. I typically have a protein shake and small snack in the evening. I can't discern any pattern in what I eat and when this occurs. Before I reach out to my surgeon, I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this.

Would you buy a Porsche car, if no mechanic in your area would work on one? The band, and likely the balloon will have maintenance issues. Make sure you have someone within a reasonable distance that can help you unless you have the resources to travel at a moment's notice... Do research the possible complications with the band. Even though you don't want something permanent, some of the band complications can be pretty permanent (such as band eroding into the stomach or liver, scar tissue, etc.). I don't know how often those things happen, but we hear about them ALL. THE. TIME. here on the board. Congrats on deciding to change your life! No matter what you choose to do, I'm rooting for ya!

I would say if you haven't had any complications since, then you should be fine, but to stop drinking them until you're cleared by your doc or your plan calls for berries, etc. You might want to call your doc though. Just in case.

It really depends on what the causes of reflux are. For the vast majority it's diet related so that's why the surgery helps reflux for the majority who change up their diet. But then there are others who have reflux for other reasons where it gets less predictable. Generally people know if the cause is diet. One of the big reasons I took the advice of my second opinions is that they concurred that if any low odds complications arose I could always revise to bypass.

I have blue cross blue shield of Massachusetts and they took about 3 weeks. After the appointment with my surgeon, his schedulers make the appointments 4 weeks for everyone who sees him that day out as a default, even if you're approved sooner. My surgeon met with 4 people as group and then we all see him one on one and get scheduled for the same block of surgery times unless he finds a complication. I've heard that the Tufts health plan is difficult to be approved for and their evaluation is lengthy so it always could be worse. Good luck!

I had a band done in mexico back in 2005. My band was causing me pain last year and I got all of the fill taken out and have gained 30 lbs. I am looking into the sleeve revision. I talked to a coordinator at a bariatric hospital who called my insurance and called me back and said I have wonderful coverage and it will cost me at most $100 out of pocket but there is a 6 month supervised diet I would have to follow and my BMI of 36 prob wouldnt be covered because my only comorbidity is fatty liver which is secondary. I asked about my lap band causing my issues and she said I could get it taken out outpatient. Anyway I was a little disappointed but was thinking has anyone had band complications and got the sleeve covered with out doing the supervised diet? I am just wondering if she had correct information because she didnt know I had the band when she called my insurance. I am looking into going to Mexico again but would rather have it done local if covered. Thank you for any replies!

Yep. I had two second opinions. All pointed out the benefits of the sleeve. I gave them a week or two so I could do more research before committing to signing the papers, and see if this was the best option for me, because until this point I was settled on the RNY. They all agreed I could do a revision to bypass if I had any complications. Given my age (34), and the fact that RNY was more complicated, along with my comorbidities being under control at the time, it didn't necessitate the increased risk of having the RNY done as a first step. So I took their advice and went VSG and don't regret it one bit. I see absolutely nothing wrong with second opinions, I just don't buy into general statements, make sure your advice is tailored specifically to your situation, and I'd also advise research on the VSG.. like legitimate research from scientific journals rather than pro-surgery sites or profiteering surgeons.

I'm not on facebook so maybe I'm missing some of the context here, but this is a person immediately post op, the most important stage to make sure you are 100% compliant, and this person is seeking permission to break their physician's orders. This case is not just someone asking to "cheat"... they are potentially endangering themselves. I'm sorry, but I would not have reacted to that post well at all. There is a difference between someone 3+ months post op asking if they can have pizza/soda/beer, vs someone who just had surgery risking surgical complications just so they can have ice cream. Maybe this fb group is just catty (which I have heard can be the case), but this crosses the line from asking for permission to "cheat", to risking post op complications because you're not following your prescribed diet. ETA: I am not the type of person to coddle or enable anyone. You will get a straight answer from me. Maybe that comes off as blunt or rude, but I do see some folks here asking for "permission" to do things they know they shouldn't. I feel this is basically an attempt to shove their personal responsibility onto a bunch of complete strangers, and I can see how that can grate on the nerves of some of the posters.

I gained and lost the same 50 lbs for years and years and had over 200 lbs to lose. I knew I'd never be able to do it if I couldn't even lose and maintain a 50-lb loss. Plus I wasn't getting any younger (I was already in the 50s). Luckily the only obesity-related issue I had was early onset arthritis, but I knew if I didn't get the weight off, all those other issues would be just around the corner. Plus I had visions of having a massive heart attack or stroke when I was far too young to die just because of all that excess weight. At some point I realized surgery was the only way I could get it off once and for all. I did a lot of research before I had it - plus I attended several orientation sessions and post-op support groups to get as much information as I could. I also joined forums, as you did, and read everything. By the time I had surgery (two years ago), I was very comfortable with the idea and eager to proceed. I have lost 236 lbs and now have a normal BMI for the first time in my life. I have not felt this good in years. I am SO happy I had this surgery and would do it again - in fact, I'd do it every year if I had to. It's given me my life back. Yes - you will have to restrict your eating for the rest of your life. That's the only way to get weight off. You need to be OK with that before consenting to surgery. You will have to make some significant changes to your lifestyle, or it's not going to work for you. Complications are not common with either surgery, and most are minor and/or preventable. These surgeries are now so commonplace and so many advances have been made over the years that they are among the safest surgeries out there - safer than a knee or hip replacement, for example. Mortality rate on the bypass is 0.3%; it's even lower on the sleeve. That means you have at least a 99.7% chance of surviving - those are some pretty good odds! I cannot recommend this surgery enough to people who need it - but I also know that you need to be in the right place mentally to do it. It involves work and a radical change in your eating habits. There are also rules you need to follow for life. I sometimes say I wish I'd had this surgery 20 years ago, but then again, I'm not sure if I was in the right mindset to be successful back then. I think I had the surgery at the right time *for me*. Read forums, read books, read things on the internet. Become very informed about the surgery and "talk" to people who've had it. You're doing the right thing by joining this forum - join even more, and read, read, read. I read everything I could get my hands on before taking the leap. And I am so glad I went through with the surgery. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

No complications, and no regrets, even if I had them. It's always a risk with surgery.

First, are you type 1 or 2? Type 1 .. well, I have no experience. Have to defer that to more knowledgeable peeps. As for type 2.. I live with an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic. We do notice that his eating can vary widely on a day to day basis at home. When that is the case, he invariably needs more and more insulin. When he is in the hospital or rehab (unfortunately a frequent occurrence), the regular, consistent, counted meals result in his needing less insulin and weight loss. He is a hopeless case, and there is no fixing his home habits, so don't worry about him. But we can learn from him. In order to get control of things, you need to set up an eating schedule with counted carbs, and stick to it. Be extra conscientious about taking your blood sugar levels and adjust your insulin accordingly (if it's a system you can make modifications yourself). At first, don't change your eating habits, just keep track of them for at least a week. Once you know what you are eating, you can make tweaks. Drastic changes will likely result in low blood sugar levels, so make changes slowly. Meal management does become a full time job, but with your condition, that's part of the deal. The alternative, as you have discovered, is more insulin, weight gain, and possibly all the other diabetic complications.

I am scheduled for June 14. For the last few weeks, I have been SCARED of complications! But, now, since finishing all of my requirements and getting my ins approval, my worries have changed from complications to "am I going to be able to do this?" I am NOT a veggie eater (or much of a meat eater) I have lived my life on carbs and dairy, which is what got me where I am today. I KNOW I have to change if I want to be successful, and my thinking is that I am just a worrier by nature and I'm sure I will be worrying about something different in a day or 2. GOOD LUCK!!!! Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

It's completely normal to have doubts. This is not a magic bullet. You are making trade-offs for the significant weight loss. But as long as you are going into it with your eyes open, you can feel good about your decision. I had my sleeve surgery in December 2015. I experienced some complications, and I will have to take pancreatic enzymes indefinitely, but I would have the surgery again. Even the loose skin doesn't bother me enough to regret my decision. Now, I can eat almost any kind of food I want, as long as I stick to the portion size my stomach can comfortably handle. Keep educating yourself and reviewing your pros/cons list.

Yup.... When I had my abdominal sonogram the radiologist told me to ask the surgeon to just "move over to the other side" and take out my gall bladder while she was in there. He said the gall stones were too big to ever pass. I really didn't have much issue with it. However, after the surgery the surgeon said it was a good thing she took it out because of the stones and I also had polyps in my GB. In addition she found a hiatal hernia and fixed that, too.... I had no complications from the surgery and feel great

No complications... sometimes I wonder if I even had it done but the small incisions let me know it happened LOL

Sleeved 3/20/17 absolutely no complications and down 40lbs Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone. Many have heard about my story and complication with my Surgury I had in December 2015. I have lost more weight than should have. I was on TPN for 6 month getting iv fluids for nutrition. I been off of it since a few months. I am following up with a nutritionist, Gastro and surgeon. Now I am underweight. I am suppose to consume 1200 calories a day and can't hardly consume that. I still vomit a few times a week and I am very depress and worried something is going to happen to me. I saw the nutritionist and she told me to have ensure enlive 3 times a day. I started vomiting it and not sure why. I do know that ensure enlive has 350 calories and everything y body needs but has a lot of sugar. Now I am trying premier shake but have a hard time drinking it as well and will have to have a lot of them a day to consume my calories. The reason I am losing more weight is because I am. It consuming enough calories. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I constant feel full and feel lots of reflux or indigestion after each mean and I a taking Prilosec. I need all the advice I can get. I don't want to die of malnutrition but I am very concern.

I'm almost 3 months out and I've not had any complications. Everything went as my surgeon and nutritionist said it would. I don't have any regrets at all.