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You have to take the same supplements and vitamin with sleeve as you do with bypass.I had sleeve in 2011,then developed acid reflux issues and revision 2016.Some people have problems but not all.Every surgery comes with its own risk.I wish I would of had the bypass to begin with,but I was afraid of complications too.

Anyone wanna add me on Fb? I need more Gastric Bypass friends! =] ktgutierrez99@yahoo.com

Just wanted to ask to see if anyone had issues with infections.or any type of complication

Laci: there are two directions we can walk each day....one is toward our goals and dreams....we may tire, we may falter, we may even crumple in the dust.... Our success is not measured by how many times we fall but how many times we arise and take another step toward the Light.... We can choose our path....or it will be chosen for us; we can act in our own interests....or we can remain trapped by forces that hold us prisoner; we can move ourselves by discipline or we can be imprisoned by our old habits. The energy we lose bemoaning our fate can be better used to move us yet another step in our journey. Which do you choose? Jack posted the above message to a woman who was struggling because she seems to have lost her wind. Jack is one smart mofo. Its all a personal choice, isnt it? Its all about if youre willing and able to focus and if you truly want to change who you are. I have said to my bestie ray a few times, you know dude, if I had had the gastric bypass, it would have been much quicker, and much easier. Then I remembered why I had the lapband in the first place. I didnt want easy, I wanted to OVERCOME. I needed help slaying the beast of the fatness. I have gone from eating 10000 calories a day (believe it or not) to eating 1200-1500. I have gone from eating out every single day, sometimes two or three times a day, to cooking my own food (imagine that). I have gone from sitting down all day long, and being exausted, to walking around the building I work in (circle it twice and its a mile, I try to circle it 6 times a day), plus doing a work out tape in the morning. I have gone from not giving a shit about my apperance to actually caring, to painting my nails, and doing my hair, and taking care of myself in a way that I was almost embarrassed to do when I wasnt doing anything about my weight. Look, my weight loss has been slow, and it doesnt take a genius to figure out how to eat around the band, but it takes a helluva lot of will power to stay on track. Sometimes I stumble, sometimes I falter, but my LIFE is changing. I'm proud of MYself and this is causing a huge shift in my life, in the way I carry myself, in the way I generally feel about the world. I wake up in a better mood, smile more often, I dont always 'look mad' anymore. My band is the best decision I have ever made, and its been difficult, but I would do it again a million times over. Now then, speaking of cooking, I made a sort of low carb something last night, and its really really good. Okay, so I got 3 chicken breasts, threw them on the foreman, a decent sized can of green chilie, 2 tomatos, and about a half a cup of onions. I have this new awesome little vegetable chopper, I dont have to cry when I want to use onions anymore, and it minces it up really finely. So after the chicken breast were done on the foreman, I threw the can of green chilie, some cheese, the tomatos, the onions and the chunked up chicken in a glass baking dish and put that in the oven for about an hour. That stuff is SO GOOD. HA. Angelica, master chef. -A :thumbs_up:

I know exactly where you're coming from. I was banded in Oct 2009 and originally lost 104 lbs (9 lbs from goal of 135) last year. Then my band had a minor slip and they took some fill out. I gained 18 lbs. Then, 2 months ago, I had a major slip and they took out ALL of my fill (awaiting revision to sleeve in late June) and I gained another 12 (8 of them on my 7 day Alaskan cruise last week). So I've gained a total of 30 lbs in about 18 mths. Wow. I also thought once I lost it, it would be easy to keep it off. I don't fit into many of my clothes anymore. I'm not trying to lose weight but I'm also trying not to gain weight before my revision surgery. I know that I'll lose what I have left after that. Good luck taking it off. It sucks to think you're a failure (you're not, btw) Marci

There is nothing wrong with you. Your longterm experience with the band is the rule, not the exception. It isn't you. The band doesn't alter your brain (unlike the restrictive and malabsorption surgeries such as bypass). It is merely restrictive (as you experienced). When your metabolism and appetite wake up from those days/months post band surgery, many of us experience what you are describing. Please don't blame yourself. It is unproductive, and really, if you talk with other longterm bandsters, you'll see that 80% are right where you are. This is why the band is falling out of favor and there are fewer and fewer WLS patients opting for it.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, this sounds interesting. It is a newly introduced form of surgery they are performing now in study trials. The band WITH RNY bypass. Geez, could you imagine the list of things that can go wrong? Side effects of the band AND RNY? How would I know if I was going to PB or dump? Or maybe both? Oh the confusion!! Just give me one or the other please. BANDED GASTRIC BYPASS This procedure is a combination of the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the once common Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. In this operation, the implantation of a plastic band around the stomach pouch (resulting in significant restriction of food intake) in addition to the changes of absorption seen from the gastric bypass, may have been associated with 20% more excess weight loss than one would expect from gastric bypass alone. Therefore, expected weight loss is 60-90% of a patient's excess weight. Banded Gastric Bypass is being offered as a prospective randomized and double blind trial to patients who are suffering from malignant obesity. Malignant obesity, defined as a body mass index of 50 or greater (approximately 200 pounds or more over ideal body weight) is associated with decreased quality of life, many illnesses and an increased risk of dying that has been estimated at 5-10 times greater than normal weight patients. This research study involves the implantation of a plastic band around the stomach pouch during a standard gastric bypass procedure. The band is made of polypropylene mesh, commonly used for hernia repair as well as in Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. Patients are assigned at random (like the flip of a coin) to have the standard gastric bypass operation or the experimental procedure with a band around the stomach pouch. Patients are not told which operative group they belong to until two years after surgery. The Nurse Practitioner conducting follow-up evaluations will also be uninformed as to which group patients belong. At this time, Banded Gastric Bypass is only being offered at our center as part of this study. If results from this study show a benefit, this may be offered outside the study in the future http://www.columbiasurgery.org/divisions/obesity/surgical_banded.html

I suppose if you were obese enough to get a band, the band failed, and you hadn't completed the weight loss portion of the band program, you should qualify for a continuation of your journery as a prevention to relapse of obesity. As for bypass...I was gonna do it before I found the band. I'm glad I found the band, because I was scared s#itless about having my intestines cut, BUT I'd still consider it if my band failed me, and I found myself gaining weight. I hated obese me, I was disgusted by my fatself, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep me from ever getting there again. That certainly includes bypass. Could Dr Pleatman be talking about the switch that Geezer Sue is having? (I think it was the Duodenal switch).

Yer cool Janet! So I was wrong about the cutting...60% of the stomach is removed laporoscopically. It's a pre-cursor to the switch (DS) or gastric bypass, but can be done alone. I dunno. I imagined a mesh-type sleeve around the stomach but, I guess not.

since you have reflux, this decision should be a no-brainer. RNY. I would not even consider sleeve. P.S. I had gastric bypass for that very reason. I had GERD pre-surgery, and there's no way I wanted to risk it getting worse. I see a lot of people revising from sleeve to RNY for that very reasons - sometimes people who never even had GERD prior to surgery. I hav no regrets at all - I'm very happy with my RNY.

I'm schedule for my gastric bypass 8/13 I'm happy but at the same time I'm nervous

I am a big fan of physical labor. To me routine exercise at a gym is valuable time wasted. This is especially true because the nearest gym is an hour and a half drive roundtrip. Exercise includes physical labor. If there is no physical labor available, I generally do hill walking. My driveway is very steep and all I need to do is walk out my door. One of the tasks I worked on during my second and third year post op was building an underground shelter. Tornados struck about 7 years ago, just after I retired. The tornados did a lot of destruction to my property but spared my house. My house is a one story without a basement and there is really no place to take shelter in the event of another tornado. So I decided to build an underground shelter from an intermodal-shipping container into the side of my hill. Of course, if I build a storm shelter, it should also be a root cellar. And if I go to the effort of building a storm shelter/root cellar then why not go through a little extra effort and build it for Come-What-May, including asteroid impacts, nuclear war and nearby supernovas, etc. So during each of those years I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel by hand along with around 60,000 pounds of concrete blocks. This year my wife wanted me to build a playhouse for the grandkids. I decided to build a log playhouse and also get some of the grandkids involved in the effort. It uses 160 landscaping timbers. With the loft, it extends around 16 feet off the ground. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery over 4 years ago. Without the surgery, I could never perform these tasks, especially since I am approaching 70.

@@2feelgood @@Inner Surfer Girl is exactly right. I had RNY bypass and it controls how much I put in my body but certainly not what I choose to put in it. I can eat around my surgery all day long if I choose to. Trust me, there are days when I have only to find out that I had either stalled out or gained weight. I got to goal and have remained there so far because I choose to follow the rules at least 90% of the time every day. Why not try resetting before heading for another surgery? Go back to the basics. Start as if you had surgery yesterday and go on a liquid diet for a few days. Use the 5 day pouch test which you can google. Then follow the rules and see if the weight starts coming back off. The most important this to do is track every single thing you put in your mouth. Leverage something like Myfitnesspal to do that. Best of luck to you!

As someone who was banded and then had a band slip, then opted for revision with plication... I just wshh I had done banded plicaiton from the outset!!! If band with plication isn't an option, please look at gastric sleeve. I didn't research the sleeve because I didn't want something that wasn't reversable... after having the band alone, I am a firm believer that weight loss surgery is great... and I hope to never have to struggle with weight loss without one tool or another!

Congratulations on your weight loss thus far. One thing to do now at this stage is to assess your protein intake. Your daily protein requirement is met by a combination of the amount of protein you obtain from food combined with the amount of protein from protein supplements (protein shakes, protein bars). Right after gastric bypass surgery, the volume of food you consume is minuscule (2 ounces) per meal. But as you get further along, the meal volume increases. Therefore you have a very important option available to you. As a result, you can begin to reduce your reliance on protein shakes. I went from 3 a day, down to 2, down to 1 and eventually none when I reached 1 cup per meal at a year and a half post-op. This offloading of protein supplements is important because protein shakes contain calories. If you can reduce your caloric intake, then you can maximize your weight loss. There are two phases to weight loss surgery. These are the weight loss phase and the maintenance phase. The weight loss phase is fairly short. In my case I transitioned into the maintenance phase at around 7 months.

OMG WOW....At last you’re now going in the right direction! Continue to feel better! HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 172 5’6”

That makes 2 of us, if is something that will help and is available then why not do it. The clinic should've mentioned it instead of waiting for a slip revision and offering it then...thats if its even available here in AZ :/

Ha! My surgeon gave me a mini-gastric bypass and told me I have to take omeprazole for life just to make sure I don’t get ulcers (more of a risk with the MGB??) so I wouldn’t necc. make the decision on whether you need to take PPIs for life, only. You might end up needing to take them anyway.

I'm 9 months out from VSG, saw the bariatric clinic follow up staff, and am so GRR now. I never had that "I'm never hungry" feeling once I recovered from the surgery but shrugged it off. I could drink 2 oz. fluids at once literally the day of surgery so I was like... OK, cool. Weight loss was slow despite being diet compliant and exercising, stopped at 25 pounds after 3 months, then gained 10 back after a foot injury (off again since getting back to my daily 5k jog). I've been having reflux for ages despite avoiding trigger foods/drinks and I get hiccups 20+ times a day regardless of how I'm eating, drinking, or not doing either. So they referred me back to the surgeon's office. Last week I had an upper GI study. The radiology report says I have mild decreased lower esophageal motility and mild outpouching at the fundus... um, I shouldn't HAVE a fundus after gastric sleeve. The weakened esophageal muscles explains the fluid that backs up when I drink sometimes, especially if not sitting straight up or standing, and the chest lock I feel when eating dryer foods or meats. I'm confused about the fundus. Is the radiologist mistaken and unfamiliar with VSG anatomy? Did the surgeon leave part of my fundus? The surgeon's office is awful at communicating so I'm in limbo. They didn't even call me before ordering the upper GI, they just had the radiology department call to schedule me without notice. All I can think about is where I go from here. Meds for the reflux and live with the hiccups? Revision surgery for the reflux and basically start over (the big GRR)? Anyone else have anything similar like a retained fundus, outpouching, or GERD with esophageal motility disorders like weakened muscles after VSG surgery?

This is what my surgeon is recommending for me to do has anyone had it and what exactly is it I have not been able to find much information about it

I would like to share my lapband experience. I was banded in 2003, at a weight of 245 lb. I initially lost 75 lb in about the first year, but only after several balancing acts that was adjusting. I was either too tight to eat anything solid OR I had little to no restriction. Fast-forward to now, weight is (was) 220 lbs. Started working with a new doctor. 6 adjustments and 1 EGD later I had enough of the band. I was revised to the sleeve 3 weeks ago (Nov 6). Re: Risks- The sleeve is a more involved and invasive surgery. This naturally makes the risk of complication higher than the band, at least in the short term. Leaks seem to be the worse complication from the sleeve, but it is very rare. I don't have data to support but I'm pretty sure you are only at risk for a leak for a certain time period after surgery. On the other hand, many complications from the lapband can occur at any time post surgery. Scarring, erosion, slipping, and possible autoimmune response can all be pretty serious. Re: Recovery- My recovery was longer after the sleeve than wih the band. Of course I was 9 years younger then. After the band I was fine to go back to work after a few days. This time with the sleeve I had 2 full weeks off and then 1 week part time before returning full-time. I know some people can return to work after a few days with the sleeve, I personally did not feel well enough to. Re: Weight loss not as much?- Thise who are successful with the band can lose down to goal, but is generally slower than with the sleeve. Again looking at the long term, many with the band re-gain, and often end up heavier than when they started. Not sure about statistics with gaining back after the sleeve, but I would guess it is not as much. The band does work for some but unfortunately does fail many times. Do all the research you can, connect with people from both "sides" and see what you feel is the best choice. Good luck on your journey!

VRox33, Hello, and I’m a newbie as well😅. When I saw surgeon last Oct. my mindset was same as yours—set on sleeve, and only sleeve. He asked re: acid reflux and yes, I do have it at times. His explanation and picture drawing of what happens to GERD/reflux after sleeve was a major let down, but I (secretly) still held hope for sleeve. As I researched more, and especially the very real experiences on these support boards, I realized he’s SO on target. The risks/dangers/incidents of increased reflux after sleeve seem far riskier to my situation than RYN. Yes, we’ll perhaps have a few more challenges with absorption and medication adjustment, but hopefully, ideally, our surgery will not only be a “one and done” requiring no revisions, but our acid reflux will be greatly alleviated, as well. I also feel great trust and confidence that RYN has been around the longest, and still considered the gold standard by many people. Just my experience...Best Wishes in your decision!

I agree. False on both accounts. One of the nice things about the band is you CAN indulge when you want, in moderation. Birthday party? It's okay to have a small piece of cake. Halloween? Want a small piece of chocolate? That's ok. Now gastirc bypass is different where if you eat sugars you can get dumping syndrome and get sick and that's because unlike with banding they actually remove a portion of your bowel. If you overeat you can STRETCH OUT the portion of your stomach above the band, cause pain and nausea, and vomiting can actually cause the lower portion of your stomach to come up thru the band ("band slippage.") The band itself and the pain of overeating will in all honesty pretty much stop you in your tracks before you consume that much food. And chewing very very well will prevent vomiting and then slippage. My band is still empty but if I take that one or two bites too much I'm very aware of it from physical discomfort. At that point it's very easy to tell myself to just "STOP" and put my fork down. And if I eat a consistence that gets stuck (for me flour tortillas at this point) or don't chew well enough I know almost instantly--intense chest pain. It's a learning process for sure, but I know my band is going to be an swesome tool to keep my eating under control.

I have to complete 6 months weight management as part of the qualifications before surgery. Well I'm almost done with it, but now I've messed up. I went nuts one weekend and now I can't get back on track like before... I'm eating less than I did before weight management, but more than I am supposed to. Even if I straighten up right now... I think I've gained weight since my last weigh in. I'm worried my nutritionist won't approve the surgery because I slipped and its making me less honest in my tracking and more likely to slip more... last nut appt is Wednesday. What do I do? Do I come clean? Will my nut refuse to send the recommendation letter I need over this massive slip? Do I say I've been a little bad? I think I've gained back 3 pounds. Help. I need this surgery. Obviously I need the tool of bypass... what should I do? What will the nut say?

I was. Big surgery - a bypass, and via open surgery (cut from rib center to belly button) not keyhole. After four months this would have been a breeze, so barring complications it should be for you too. Both post-surgery irritations, but also your new eating style will be pretty settled by then... and you’ll deserve a vacation! And you’ll be thinner, healthier!!