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I will just relay a short story about my experince in Mexico. I am a nurse and have worked in surgery for 12yrs. I had my lap band removed and a conversion to VSG. I had complications in Mexico and did not feel the hospital was adequately equipped to deal with serious issues. The nurses spoke very broken English and there where no CT scanners or MRI machines nor ICU beds. IF everything goes well Mexico is a great option. My best friend had same procedure same day. Did great. For the 95% of people that go and do perfect Mexico is a God send (we were both self pay) but it's a choice you ultimately have to make yourself. I am now 4 weeks post op and have a 1mm stricture in my stomach and require further surgery. The same complication could happen at ant hospital to any surgeon the difference is in the US the hospital and staff have the equipment and knowledge to handle just about anything..... so my point is this. Think hard and long about how willing you are to accept the consequences of your decision. [emoji738]

Hi girls. I too am having the DS on the 5th of June 2017 and super excited! I have to admit I'm a little scared of the DS. I know several people personally who have had the RNY and sleeve but I know Noone who has had the DS. How is it going? Any complications? Going to share a little much now... since having my gall bladder removed several years ago I do not have a solid bm and I have heard that with the DS this is extremely worse.... I really don't want to have to use depends forever......have you heard or experienced this??

That's cool that you work at UD. Thank you for the advice. Hopefully will have surgery scheduled two weeks after finals, so I don't have to do the diet while doing finals lol. Sorry to hear you had complications. How are you in your journey now?

I'm really surprised that it's not many more deaths than this! We are all obese-to grossly morbid obese and out of the thousands 2 deaths? The odds are still great so switching docs won't guaranteed your survival rate you may switch doctors and be the first death for that doctor. The bottom line is we are unhealthy and unhealthy people most likely to experience complications in any surgery. Pre Operation 5/9

I also had my sleeve done in September 2016 before that I had lap band I had complications with that had to get removed and I had gained half on my way back I've lost weight but the past six months I have not been able to lose no more weight I'm always hungry all the time and constantly eating that big portions but I'm still always eating something I don't know if I'm an emotional eater or what's going oni'm very frustrated because I want to lose it lose 10 to 20 more pounds

Don't really have a dog in this fight but since I really hate lack of reading comprehension and juvenile dog-piling, notice the bold and underlined, as well as italicized part of the sentence: "name even 2 surgeons that have performed at least 2000 surgeries and have been performing surgeries for at least 4 years that are free of deaths and complications." Yeah, so name 1 surgeon that meets that criteria. Or continue with the stupid attacks, w/e floats your boat.

A very humble believer here. God, through Christ has been very merciful to me. I am currently revised from lapband to sleeve. I know, beyond a shadow of any doubt that God has intervened in my life several times giving me the opportunity and blessing to enjoy life and family here on earth. Before the lapband I was a very big guy with many medical issues and was given a second chance with lapband by helping me lose 120 pounds and begin to enjoy life and my family. 4 years after the lapband, God intervened again, when by accident I discovered that my esophagus was with issues due to lapband complications and was revised to sleeve. I am very grateful for this tool(s) he has made possible for me. God is good all the time!

I had a bypass in Feb 2017 and I've been great with no complications. Best decision I've ever made although I do agree that you also need a positive mental attitude and embrace the changes that are made. I love making sure that I do 10000 steps a day which is the complete opposite to how I was pre op !

Yes march 2017. Congratulations on your up coming surgery!! I had my surgery at Gwenett Medical. No complications yet. I'm 6 weeks post op today [emoji3]

Surgery is scary. That's ok. So are major life changes, which is what this is. I'm 8 months post-op. I've lost 72% of my excess body weight and have about 30 pounds to go to my goal - which will be 120 pounds from my high weight this time last year. I had no complications. I was in the hospital over night and home by 1 the next day. I was back at work (I'm a desk jockey) in 6 days. I was in the gym 4 days after surgery on a recumbent bike for an hour. You have to get your head in the right place because 99% of your success will be your attitude. I decided I wasn't going to be the fat mama at my daughter's high school graduation - and I'm not. I went from a size 22 pants (barely closing the button) to a size 10 today. Best decision I ever made. Follow your team's plan and you will be fine!

Hello; from Hiram here! Just joining Bariatric Pal and taking a look around. I will be doing the gastric sleeve as well. I am currently getting all of my medical clearance and seeing the Nutritionist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. My first visit with them, I met with the Bariatric Coordinator and she has already given me a date for surgery of August 15. Was it this past March you went had your gastric sleeve done? Have you had any complications? Which hospital did you have yours done at? This website sure has been of help and some other resources I have come across. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Hello guys im finding this app to be complicated! I dont know how to add you guys as freinds! Any help?? Do u know how to add me??? I am on facebook and i could make a chat group in messanger for us if you all would like???

I'm four weeks out. Definitely losing more hair than I would normally, but it's not distressing or noticeable other than in the shower when I wash my hair and wind up with five or six hairs stuck to my fingers. But I haven't had any complications and am doing very well hitting my protein goals.

I breastfed one child until two years old (and I only weaned because I was forced to due to medical reasons) and the other was using formula by two months old... So I've been in both positions. I don't think it's a matter of "just wean LOL" because I know how special breastfeeding can be, but I also don't think it's a matter of "breastfeeding should take priority over everything ever." Some mothers prioritize breastfeeding in their lives and others do not. There's nothing wrong with either mom or either choice as long as baby is fed and mom feels comfortable with her decision. I definitely think that if you're going to regret stopping nursing early, or if stopping nursing is going to cause hardship in your home, then delay the surgery until you ARE comfortable weaning, whenever that may be. Breastfeeding aside, though, I would STILL recommend postponing the surgery for any mom of a baby under one. I just think trying to care for an infant while recovering from a major surgery such as this one sounds like gruelling punishment for everyone involved. For those pre-ops saying "moms care for babies after c-sections though" I'd like to note that there are many c-section veterans who went into bariatric surgery thinking it would be the same or no worse than their c-section and discovered the opposite. Not saying caring for a newborn after a c-section is any easy feat (C-section moms are warriors!) but this surgery knocks you out HARD... Even if you don't have any complications, you're barely getting any calories for energy, you're on some heavy duty painkillers, and you have to put a lot of mental effort and time into making sure you're eating and drinking enough. I just can't imagine doing that when you're also caring for a baby around the clock. You're practically a newborn yourself sipping soup every two hours and struggling to poop LOL. So yeah... unless you've got a seriously urgent or compelling reason to have this surgery right away, (your insurance is running out, if you reject this date you won't get another one for five years, etc...) I'd wait until baby is a little older. But at the very least, be realistic and know that breastfeeding likely isn't going to happen post-op and that you're going to need way more support for yourself and that baby than you probably realize now. Your surgeon should know you're breastfeeding, as well. That's important medical info!

I was banded in 2015 and went online to search Slimband because I didn't have their phone number and a site came up saying they have closed their doors. I did some research and found out that the owner of slimband also had a previous clinic that closed and was then changed to slimband. Wondering if he is going to do the same thing and re-open under another name? I have emailed someone that is posted as a support email have gotten a response but I am now worried as far as medical help if there are complications down the road are we left with nothing? I am pretty sure my port has flipped but was told not to worry .........if anyone has had any communication please share. I did ask about fills and am waiting a response but I am not hopefull we will be getting fills anymore now that the clinic has closed. I believe the support person who is emailing me is just someone that has been previously banded but not a RN. Will update when I hear back .

Actually I just read the thread you talked about: And the criticism levied was directly related to the health risks others (and later you) were taking, and that other posters were deliberately being "rebellious" at merely a few days out of surgery. Not smart whatsoever. The logic used by those giving criticism was justified, such the many users, "those doing research", coming across that topic and thinking that just trying new things a few days out is something worth the increased risk of complications. Then of course, @OutsideMatchInsidemic-dropped with the comment about people claiming to want discussion tend to want it instead to be an echo chamber of "yes men". They understand that others use this site for information, as I did before I joined, and someone could mistake this sort of thing for useful information at a critical stage where the risks to one's health is at its highest. Part of discussion is acknowledging that putting forth your opinions and actions can result in criticism. If one only wants affirming opinions, anywhere online is a terrible place for it.

Found online: Number: 0157 Policy Note: Most Aetna *** and QPOS plans exclude coverage of surgical operations, procedures or treatment of obesity unless approved by Aetna. Some Aetna plans entirely exclude coverage of surgical treatment of obesity. Please check benefit plan descriptions for details. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), Laparoscopic Adjustable Silicone Gastric Banding (LASGB), Sleeve Gastrectomy, Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD) and Duodenal Switch (DS) Procedures: Aetna considers open or laparoscopic short or long-limb Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), open or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, open or laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) with or without duodenal switch (DS), or laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) medically necessary when the selection criteria listed below are met. Selection criteria: Must meet either 1 (adults) or 2 (adolescents): For adults aged 18 years or older, presence of persistent severe obesity, documented in contemporaneous clinical records, defined as any of the following: Body mass index (BMI) (see appendix) exceeding 40; or BMI greater than 35 in conjunction with any of the following severe co-morbidities: Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (i.e., person meets the criteria for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea set forth in CPB 0004 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults); or Coronary heart disease, with objective documentation (by exercise stress test, radionuclide stress test, pharmacologic stress test, stress echocardiography, CT angiography, coronary angiography, heart failure or prior myocardial infarction); or Medically refractory hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic despite concurrent use of 3 anti-hypertensive agents of different classes); or Type 2 diabetes mellitus For adolescents who have completed bone growth (generally age of 13 in girls and age of 15 in boys), presence of obesity with severe co-morbidities: BMI exceeding 40 with one or more of the following serious co-morbidities: Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea; or Type 2 diabetes mellitus; or Pseudotumor comorbidities BMI exceeding 50 with one or more of the following less serious co-morbidities: Medically refractory hypertension; or Dyslipidemias; or Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; or Venous stasis disease; or Significant impairment in activities of daily living; or Intertriginous soft-tissue infections; or Stress urinary incontinence; or Gastroesophageal reflux disease; or Weight-related arthropathies that impair physical activity; or Obesity-related psychosocial distress. Member has attempted weight loss in the past without successful long-term weight reduction; and Member must meet either criterion 1 (physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program) or criterion 2 (multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen): Physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program: Member has participated in physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program (including dietician consultation, low calorie diet, increased physical activity, and behavioral modification), documented in the medical record at each visit. This physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must meet all of the following criteria: Member's participation in a physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must be documented in the medical record by an attending physician who supervised the member's participation. The nutrition and exercise program may be administered as part of the surgical preparative regimen, and participation in the nutrition and exercise program may be supervised by the surgeon who will perform the surgery or by some other physician. Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program. Note: A physician's summary letter is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of physician's contemporaneous assessment of patient's progress throughout the course of the nutrition and exercise program. For members who participate in a physician-administered nutrition and exercise program (e.g., MediFast, OptiFast), program records documenting the member's participation and progress may substitute for physician medical records; and Nutrition and exercise program must be supervised and monitored by a physician working in cooperation with dieticians and/or nutritionists, with a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely remote); and Nutrition and exercise program(s) must be for a cumulative total of 6 months (180 days) or longer in duration and occur within 2 years prior to surgery, with participation in one program of at least 3 consecutive months. (Precertification may be made prior to completion of nutrition and exercise program as long as a cumulative of 6 months participation in nutrition and exercise program(s) will be completed prior to the date of surgery.) or Multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen: Proximate to the time of surgery (within 6 months prior to surgery), member must participate in organized multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen of at least 3 consecutive months (90 days) duration meeting all of the following criteria, in order to improve surgical outcomes, reduce the potential for surgical complications, and establish the member's ability to comply with post-operative medical care and dietary restrictions: Behavior modification program supervised by qualified professional; and Consultation with a dietician or nutritionist; and Documentation in the medical record of the member's participation in the multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen at each visit. Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program. (A physician's summary letter, without evidence of contemporaneous oversight, is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of the physician's initial assessment of the member, and the physician's assessment of the member's progress at the completion of the multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen.); and Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional; and Program must have a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely delivered remotely); and Reduced-calorie diet program supervised by dietician or nutritionist. and For members who have a history of severe psychiatric disturbance (schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, suicidal ideation, severe depression) or who are currently under the care of a psychologist/psychiatrist or who are on psychotropic medications, pre-operative psychological clearance is necessary in order to exclude members who are unable to provide informed consent or who are unable to comply with the pre- and post-operative regimen. Note: The presence of depression due to obesity is not normally considered a contraindication to obesity surgery. Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG): Aetna considers open or laparoscopic vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) medically necessary for members who meet the selection criteria for obesity surgery and who are at increased risk of adverse consequences of a RYGB due to the presence of any of the following co-morbid medical conditions: Demonstrated complications from extensive adhesions involving the intestines from prior major abdominal surgery, multiple minor surgeries, or major trauma; or Hepatic cirrhosis with elevated liver function tests; or Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis); or Poorly controlled systemic disease (American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) Class IV) (see Appendix); or Radiation enteritis. Aetna considers VBG experimental and investigational when medical necessity criteria are not met To read more: http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/100_199/0157.html

Thank you for your input. I feel like it comes in waves, where I'm 100% with this decision, and then doubt comes creeping in. Possibly because my husband thinks I'm nuts for doing this and isn't super supportive. I have done meds, workouts, etc. Nothing has worked. The only time I was able to lose weight was while taking meds, but once I stopped, all the weight and then some came back on. I just keep thinking, ****, maybe all of those other times, I just haven't given it my all... but then quickly realize I've been overweight pretty much my entire life... My whole family, actually. Luckily, I don't have many health related complications other than back pain and swelling in my extremities ( I had back surgery in 2009). However, mentally, My weight has crushed me. I'm tired of hiding and always being the fat friend (I'm 236 & 5'5). I just want to be Happy. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate them!!

My husband is a physician at a top-ranked Los Angeles hospital, and it's not uncommon for their patients to decide to make the short trek down to Mexico for a myriad of treatments, because of the extreme difference in costs for comparable care. Even with top-of-the-line insurance the costs can be astronomical. Medical tourism has become so common that several US insurance companies now provide coverage for it. The Canadian government has reimbursed some of the costs affiliated with bariatric surgery for their citizens who have it in Mexico, mainly to avoid the lengthy wait periods (in some areas it can be a decade's wait). It's not just WLS, but cancer treatment, orthopedic surgeries, and a whole host of other medical issues that people seek treatments for, and so long as the facility and doctors they chose are reputable, the outcome can be comparable. It's why it's imperative to do due diligence when researching and considering any type of surgery, in the US, Mexico, or anywhere else. I personally went to Mexico for the VSG because my BMI was under 35, and even if I gained weight I still would not have met my insurance's eligibility requirements because my conditions (PCOS and hypothyroidism) did not qualify. My endocrinologist had recommended the VSG to me to boost fertility, and said that other women my age and size had successful outcomes with the surgery. I first consulted with local surgeons, and the quotes given were $29,000 to $35,000. I would have had to pay this entirely out of pocket. I then asked my doctor if she ever had any patients who went to Mexico for surgery, and she said she did. She'd apparently made a wildly inaccurate assumption about how much money I have, which is why she hadn't mentioned that option to me at first and instead had recommended the local surgeons I saw. She agreed to provide me with all follow-up care for having the VSG in Tijuana. The total cost of my surgery was $4200, which included two nights at the Marriott. I had no complications, and a very positive experience. That was 18 months ago. I've been maintaining at a size 2-4 for about six months. Many of my issues with PCOS have been alleviated. Just the other day I was reading on here about someone's surgery costing $70,000. $70,000 vs. $4200. Surgical complications and deaths can occur at any facility. At the hospital where my husband works patients died due to medical equipment that hadn't been properly cleaned (the fault mainly lying with the manufacturer of the equipment for providing inaccurate directions on how to clean it) and caused massive infections. Healthy young people have died during routine surgeries right here in the US. Teenagers have died having their wisdom teeth removed, most often from an underlying medical condition unknown at the time. People have died from blood clots after very routine procedures. Joan Rivers died in NY from an unexpected complication to a minor surgery. I'm not at all surprised that a patient died after / during bariatric surgery. What needs to happen is for the surgeon's office and the coordinators working with him to be transparent about what happened. That's what other reputable facilities / surgeons have done after a death - provide the factual information about what happened. What looks shady is obfuscation.

My dietician didn't say anything about calories as well and I think it makes a lot of sense since calorie intake is dependent on many things. What job do you do? How active are you? As long as you're losing weight and getting your protein in why are you caring about calories? It just makes things more complicated. As long as things are going smooth don't worry about calories. Be grateful that these days are over at least for now.

Check Global Protection Solutions. They reimburse you a % for your complications locally

I got the band in nov 2012 staring weight was 288 and now weigh 160 which i have maintained for over 3 years without any adjustments in my opinion the band is better than the bypass because it can be reversed you have to make changes and work at it the bypass pretty much does it for you but changing the way think about food is better in the long run i know bot have succcess and failures i also had my older brother pass away for complications of getting the bypass done

Crap I'm failing!! I'm 2 and 1\2 weeks post sleep and I still have problem s sipping and getting my waters in. The cramping is redivulous. I had a complication in my surgery that forced my doctor to go smaller than she wanted. So I was admitted in the hospital for 3 days. But since I've been home I've gone in 3x for IV fluids. How are you guys getting your liquids in? I'm struggling, I can drink 1-2 of the shakes and maybe 16 ounces of water in a day. Advice please. Sent from my QTASUN1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 2 and 1\2 weeks out as well. I had complication during my surgery that forced the doc to decrease the size of my stomach more than normal. I'm just now on 1\2 liquid and 1\2 soft. But everything I eat and drink feels like that rock mentioned above. You don't have any problem s getting your fluids in? I'm getting IV liquids 2x a week so far.🤔 Any tips for that? Sent from my QTASUN1 using BariatricPal mobile app

He didn't say no complications. He said no deaths. May we have a reputable published source for your claim that ALM is the #1 "Bariatric Surgeon" in North America? #1 by what criteria? And we tried to get ALM's direct answer by ASKING YOU. But you won't answer.