Search the Community

I had surgery on March 12th.....I was in the hospital for 11 days. I had a collapsed lung, pneumonia and the tc scan dye damaged my kidneys. oh, and I got oral thrush that lasted a month. I cried and regretted my decision for the first few weeks until I walked three miles with my husband and dog. I was able to fit into clothes that were too tight a month ago. I was able to reach my body parts and be more flexible. Each day gets better and better. I no longer regret it but the complications were definitely a rough patch.

I surely do not hide my hatred for the band, and the makers of the band ploys and marketing tactics. I'll bash the band until my last dying breath. I have a close friend here that has the band and has only had it for 6 - 7 months. She's still in the honeymoon phase, and I'm glad she's happy with her band, and she knows my story. I don't bash it around her because I don't want to sound condemning, but she knows my story, and she knows what to watch for. She, like I, knew the complications going in, and we both have/had the mindset that maybe we can/could beat the odds. I wasn't lucky, thus far she has been. I do tell everyone about the pros, cons, good and bad. I direct every person that asks me about my choice to this website, and obesityhelp.com I also copy/paste all my notes to them via email. I don't want my bad band experience to be the only thing they have to base their decision on. The stats don't lie, and I send them true research information. I hate the band commercials as well. I hate going to support groups because I want to scream "DO NOT DO THE BAND", but that isn't "support" apparently. So, I'm pretty much a walking billboard for the VSG, and to avoid the band like the plague LOL.

I'm almost 3 weeks post op from band revision. Absolutely no complications, however, it was a more painful recovery than lapband 4 yrs ago. It might have something to do with the fact that it took my dr 30 mins to dig my band out of my stomach. Moving onto soft foods in a week (still on full liquids). You'll do fine. Some people say that it doesn't hurt as much as the band. Mine definitely did. Good luck!

Chris, I'm getting banded by Dr.Tran on monday. How was your experience? Any complications? Was Tran personable? Just wondering since I really haven't seen or heard a lot about him online.

Let me just say that some of that information is definitely highly questionable, if not all together false. I would recommend that you research gastrectomies for cancer and ulcerative condition patients as these surgeries have been performed since the early 1900's. There are 1000's upon 1000's of gastrectomies performed every year across the world, and the majority of patients live a normal, healthy, and fulfilling life. I've read on here, and other places where people's stomachs have been completely removed due to cancer, and it did NOT affect them in the way that your uncles have described. The complications can cause death, but so can having your appendix removed. If that person died with a sleeve, I'm sure there is more to the story such as complications with the sleeve, or non-compliance on the patient's part of the post-op diet. I am full of energy, my sex life is fabulous (my husband is beyond amazed how different it is with his "skinny" wife), and I only go to the bathroom )bowel movements every day or every other day with normal bm's every time. Lastly, the band is NOT reversible. This is the biggest crock of crap with the band (and I've had both the band & sleeve). Once that band is placed around your stomach, your anatomny is forever changed. Yes, the band can be removed, or unfilled, but please believe your stomach tissue is not the same as pre-band. I don't believe those stories. I'm sorry, I'm not saying your family is lying, but I do believe there are big time holes in the stories, and a lot of information is being left out. Don't ever wonder about offending anyone here with questions that may seem personal. We're all adults, and believe me, we all have some kind of crazy/personal/"too much information" at some point throughout our journey. This is just my opinion, but ignorance is bliss in this situation. Ignorance causes fear. Lack of knowledge on the surgery will only cause them to be concerned, but once you give the information and educate them, maybe they will see how the sleeve is very successful, and actually safer than the band years out. My mom and younger brother both have the band. They both just deal with all the typical band problems and think the sleeve is wreckless. But, my quality of life is so much better than puking up 2-4 times a week, and pain in my abdomen. Education is power, I would suggest having your uncles get a hold of documented cases, and information before forming an opinion and trying to scare you.

I have Ulcerative Colitis and had gastric bypass surgery on January 23rd. No complications and have been successful. In fact, my UC has never been so controlled. To date, I am down 55lbs. Happy to answer any specific questions you may have. Best of luck on your journey.

Blue Cross federal will not deny complications. It doesn't matter where the surgery was done, or how it was paid for, they will treat it like any other claim. At least that's what they told me via a secure message. If you're thinking of traveling for surgery, you can get post op insurance. I think it's based on a time frame and dollar amount. For example, 300k for 30 days might be $500. Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was self-pay as well and I am extremely risk-averse. By the time surgery day rolled around I still wasn't completely assured but here are some steps/considerations I took: There is a program called BLIS specifically targeted to self-pay WLS patients to insure against complications, you can google search the company easily. The wrinkle is that you have to purchase through the surgeon directly (and obviously they only offer the insurance to surgeons with low complication rates). If you are still flexible on who to do the surgery with, then you might want to look for a BLIS-enrolled one. In my case, my surgeon tried really hard to come to an agreement with BLIS but he couldn't cut through the red tape. My surgeon told me that the only kind of complication that could bankrupt me were blood clots, which could lead to strokes, etc if they went untreated. Anti-clot medications (and compression sleeves) are a standard part of your post-op dosages but I nagged the doctors to give me the maximum dosage possible. After discharge, I fought through the pain and nausea to move around as much as possible to clear any clots. Again, this is a standard recommendation but the possibility of having to pay for complications out of pocket gave me an extra source of motivation. After my amateur legal sleuthing through my insurance policy documents and other legal documents, I came to the conclusion that your regular insurance has to pay for emergency care even if it's a WLS complication. For example, if you had a leak or blood clot, the cost of stabilizing you in the ER should be picked up by your regular insurance. If the surgeon needed to go back and stitch up a leak or if you had severe GERD that required conversion to bypass, then the costs would be self-pay. However, I figured that, unless the problem was extreme, there should be an usually a less expensive way to address the complication which required more self discipline. The caveat here is that I'm not a lawyer, so please don't interpret this as formal legal advice. In my case, I did have a very minor post-op complication with swelling and water retention. I decided to go to the urgent care clinic instead of the surgeon. I made a judgement call between the surgeon's expertise and the potential costs I would incur for something I didn't think was life-threatening. I predicted that the over worked urgent care clinic is not going to spend the time to formally make a determination on whether my complication was a result of WLS and they have very little incentive to specifically contact the insurance company to connect the dots between the two. Again, I have no inside information on how insurance companies flag charges for complications from non-covered procedures (I wish I did), this was purely conjecture. In the end, my urgent care visit and treatment was paid by insurance just like any other urgent care visit/treatment. Hope this helps and good luck with your surgery.

Okay, so here's a quick rundown of what's been going on. My dad wasn't informed about this surgery until after I got insurance approval and that is the route that I decided would be best because my dad doesn't like it when things are half assed. After checking this route with my mom, she agreed with me. That way, after my consultation and all the tests I would be able to answer his questions. And I decided to wait until after getting insurance approval because if I got denied by insurance, there wasn't any point in getting him all worked up about it. Well, he wasn't happy with that decision, or any other decisions I've made for my life, especially those regarding this surgery. For the past two weeks, we have been fighting nonstop. Calm talks turn into screaming matches and then I get upset and then we'll go days before talking again, and then the cycle repeats. He went as far as to say he would pull me from the insurance policy if I continue to say that I would go through with this. But at the end of yesterday's conversation, that threat was mentioned and I think he's relenting because he said, "Cate, you're going to do whatever it is you want to do anyway." Our relationship has always been rocky and complicated. He was never around when I was growing up and recently, because of my mom's declining health, made more of an effort to be present in the last three years. But I will stand by how I feel and that's that he can't just decide to waltz back into my life and stop me from making major decisions for my life. He's never been to a single doctor's appointment with me. Which brings me to my next point. He called all my doctors - my PCP, my endo, my gyno, my gastro, my neuro, my suregon - who all spoke to him, except my suregon, and not only did they speak to him about my medical records without my written or verbal permission, but my endo told him inaccurate and incorrect information! My suregon, the gentleman that he is, requested a meeting with both my parents and myself to answer any and all questions that they may have, (I went to my consult with a friend because my mom is disabled and homebound, except in cases like this, and my father was still in the dark at that point.) and also asked for my permission to speak to my parents about my medical history. It just makes me crazy. If I don't get pulled from the policy and I do have surgery next Thursday, I'm going to be going to the hospital alone. I have one parent that supports me and can't be there and one parent that could be there but doesn't support me. I just hate how friends that I known for my whole life and even those that I've only had for a year or two support me more then my own family. I'm so tired of fighting with him and I'm sorry that he doesn't like what I'm doing but I'm doing this for me. One thing for me and he needs to understand that. And I know that, regardless of how 'in' my life he was, he's still my parent and he's still concerned, but he doesn't want to know anything about this. He is so stubborn! So, if things go as planned, I will have surgery on Feb. 9th. I'm just so completely stressed out. Thanks for letting me vent, I needed to get that off my chest.

I was pretty sure I wanted bypass then when I met with my psychiatrist and therapist, they both suggested the sleeve instead, saying it was "less radical" although it seems to me it's "more radical" because it permanently cuts out part of your stomach, but I listened to them and did the sleeve. No regrets. No complications, No problems.

I don't think there are any doctors out there that don't stitch it in place anymore. There were way too many complications before. ~Mandy

I am only three months in, and have had no complications at all. But as posted before we worry about our little bands, because they are the only tool that has actually worked before. My friends have called me the incredible shrinking woman. Yes we are all very excited about our bands, and we talk about everything good and bad. I never heard of the black bile thing, but that sounds more like a gall bladder problem than anything to do with the band??? (I am no doctor so take that with a grain of salt) lol. The results are most of the reason we all are very positive about our bands.

I'm with Stacy on the statistical information especially when we factor in band and RNY patients. For me, the sleeve has given me the necessary tool with little long term complications (no slippage, no pouch dilating, no obstructions, or other complications we read about), and I have already "tested" out the sleeve in regards to "cheating". Just for me personally, the 2 weeks leading up to Halloween was pure hell, candy, parties, junk food galore. Yep, I gained a whole whopping 5 pounds to put me up to 131, oh yeah and throw in 2-3 sodas a day, and miscellaneous several glasses of wine and mojitos, I wasn't freaking out over the slight gain because I knew exactly why and how I gained the weight. Once all the parties were over, and life returned to my normal sleeve eating which is anything and everything I want, just protein first, more clear, sugar free fluids, I dropped 7lbs. Just for me, and how my mind works, I know exactly what will lead to a regain. I knew the scale would reveal an increase, but I was also mentally prepared for it. I've learned that the sleeve only does so much, and it really likes those wasted calorie and slider foods. I know what causes the scale to go up, but I also know what it takes to maintain. For my little mental state, I know there are consequences, but I also know how easy it is for me to get back on track and drop the weight.

Oh, and as far as recovery, unless you have a super physical job or the college has dozens of flights of stairs with a huge book bag to lug around, I was out 5 days and was fine -- with a 2 and 3 year-old! Some people have complications, of course, but once the anesthesia was out of my system, by day 2 I was doing great.

I have to say that I am very proud of my doctor. I hear all these things where horrible complications and mishaps happened with the band and how many people were not informed that these things could possibly happen. My doctor is who did the seminar when I had to go. He went over every single complication that could possibly happen with every procedure. With the band he talked about the erosion, slippage, the fills and unfills, all of it. He did not candy coat anything with any of the procedures at all.

I would write to confirm that Dr. Osuna will be there. Also, I would recommend researching Dr. Ortiz in the event that Osuna is not present. I had no problems with Ortiz and liked him. That being said I would have preferred to be able to research him as well! This was something that could have influenced me to walk away but I felt peace about it so I went through with the surgery. Immediately after surgery while walking the halls, I did think to myself, Oh my, maybe I could have tried a little longer (to lose) before doing this... (It was the discomfort speaking!) Now as I watch the fat melt away, even with the complications, I'm so glad I did it! I can totally identify with the 200 mark you mentioned. I had lost and gained the same stupid fifteen pounds for the past 4 years! Now, I'm down 28- woohoo! Good luck to you! Amber

Surgeon I spoke with this morning quoted a 0.7% chance of a portal vein thrombosis complication with any gastric surgery. Always seems small and unlikely....until it happens to you >.<

14 months ago I embarked on an incredible journey. I have struggled with severe depression since my early teens and, like most, I took to eating as a coping mechanism. Throughout the years I have tried many diets. All of which were soon abandoned within the first couple of weeks. Towards the end of 2009 I had an injury and knew exactly what the cause was. The gavel in my mind slammed down. It was time to make a change and change for good, even if that meant taking drastic measures. I had always been against any form of weight loss surgery. Thinking, "Why can’t you just lose weight like everyone else on a normal diet?" I finally caught myself in a huge pit of denial. After much research and consoling with my family; I decided to opt for laparoscopic banding. I knew that if I was to be paying for something this drastic, I would do it right and stick with it no matter what. On 8/9/10 my 10 day pre-op liquid diet began, and my weight was 435 pounds! My surgery took place on 8/19/10, with no complications. I remained on my liquid diet for a total of 28 days. After that I was slowly re-introduced to foods. Having cut out all fried food, fast food, and sweets (I have had NO FORM of rice, bread, or Pasta since beginning). I now love my new diet. Fresh and healthy is a lifestyle I have learned to love. Sure, someday I will enjoy what I cut out from my diet, but I will be way smarter and more health-conscious when doing so. After losing a hefty amount of weight, I was ready to hit the gym! I started a membership in January 2011, and have been dedicated to going at least 4 times a week since. Through the months, as the weight has been melting off, I begin to feel superhuman! Things I have not been able to do since my early teens, I now enjoy and love doing! I will stay true and dedicated to this lifestyle, even after my goal is met. Thank you everyone for your support and love. Life is good. Oh, by the way, I have gone from 435lbs to 244lbs. A loss of 191lbs, as of 10/22/11. Before: After(pic is a couple weeks old):

Cowgirl Jane, I really don't care how you take it……I was giving my opinion and as a matter of fact in the post (which i copied below) I said I wish anyone very good luck if that is the choice you make just not one I was comfortable. I tried to log my experience as it happened so that I could help someone that might be considering this surgery and give them as much information so that they can make the best choice for their situation. Furthermore, I did not reference your pictures and said nothing of your experience of which I know nothing about…... so for you to take offense is ridiculous and to accuse me of being nationality biased is what is truly offensive. Also, the last time I checked, there are surgeons in the US of all nationalities. You would have a point if I said…..make sure your US surgeon is a true blooded American. My opinion was based on what I was able to see from photos on the internet from various providers based in Mexico. It would be all together different if I said…..wow, my scar looks much better than hers so don't go to Mexico. I am thrilled that you are happy and that you were pleased with your care. What I mentioned in my post was that getting care at home MAY be difficult. I will say it again, if you can do the surgery stateside, that is what I would recommend. As far as being rich…..I am not. I saved for my VSG and then I financed most of my plastic surgery. FOR ANYONE THAT CARES SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEARCH FOR MY COMMENTS….I SAID THE FOLLOWING IN A LONG DETAILED POST TRYING TO EDUCATE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE: MY PERSONAL OPINION: A few people have mentioned that they were thinking of doing Mexico for plastics to save money. I obviously did not do that, I paid for both my VSG and LBL out of pocket. I saved for my VSG (18k ) and paid 4.5k out of pocket for the hospital portion of my plastics and put the balance on CareCredit (using their 18 month 0 interest plan) which is GE Bank. In hindsight, I see no problem with the VSG in Mexico but with everything I have experienced and pictures I have seen of patients that have had plastics done in Mexico I would NEVER go there for that part. I am not passing judgement and if that is your decision, I wish you nothing but the best. I compare what I look like versus others and there is no comparison, not even by a long shot. In addition, if you do have complications, getting the right care at home may be difficult. At that point you might be wishing you had paid more!!!

I can't say that I understand it all, but thank you so much for the interesting information. I guess it makes matters a little more complicated that I don't have a thyroid (medullary thyroid cancer), which is when the weight problems began.

Hi - I was banded in Feb of 2005. had a similar experience after getting pregnant about a year after having the band. I had had some reflux symptoms before getting pregnant, but had a partial unfill during the pregnancy and that, combined w/ no eating at night and sleeping w/ my upper body somewhat elevated, helped control the fluids that had been coming up at night. As soon as I had my baby, I'm talking I was still in the hospital, I got the symptoms incredibly intensely. It was awful. Can you imagine giving birth, all you want to do is recover and every time you close your eyes you're wakened w/ bile in your mouth and coughing? I took the baby w/ me when she was just a week old for an emergency unfill. I had an esophagram that showed nothing, but an endoscopy showed a hiatal hernia. I left it for a while. I tried dieting. I really wanted to avoid the risk of another surgery now that I have 2 kids. Dieting of course didn't work. If it had worked in the first place, I would never have had the band! Now my surgeon wants to repair the hernia and reposition the band higher up. She said the repositioning will lessen the chances of the reflux symptom. I have to say, in a way it is good to know I am not the only one who had complications w/ the band that intensified after pregnancy. I am sorry you are going through this though. I hope you get it resolved. If I had it to do again, I would push for corrective surgery sooner. Though I have not had it yet. It seems like the best solution. Best of luck to you! Sneeka D.

As my Mom used to say, " Penny, you are borrowing trouble." I keep wondering all the "what if's" What if something in my lab isn't 100 percent , what if I'm pregnant. HELLO i'm 45 and had a hysterectomy.. See told ya I was borrowing trouble.. SO.. I came here to find out what in the labs would keep them from doing surgery.. just so that I know the information.. I'm not sick, pregnant, or anything else that I would think would cause complications.. Just wondering and worrying, cause that is what I do best.. I know everything is fine.. I just can't stop it.. I try to distract me.. I'm building me a farm on farmtown via facebook. LOL but the crops are growing so slow and I just keep coming back and reading and going to the other board and reading. I am just trying to gain and process all the informationn that I can find right now.. I guess i'm 'venting;.. just can't seem to concentrate on anything besides getting everything together for the surgery.. I"m so ready for the July 29th to get here.. Thanks for letting me talk Hugz, Penny~

Yikes Loveisbeauty! I am soooo sorry you are having complications! Keeping you in my prayers that they will get it all straightened out and you will be on the road to recovery quickly!

So I went through the exact same thing. My surgery was 10/12/16I didn't actually quit till 10/5/16 and felt horrible for it. I started reading on the possible side effects from smoking too close to surgery and I thought to myself that I'm doing this so I can be healthier and live longer and have a good life.. so why wouldn't I do this one last thing for myself too and not risk all these scary complications during and after surgery. I have not had a smoke since 10/5/16. I'm not saying I don't crave them.. especially since my husband smokes.. but I didn't pat all this money and go through all this work and sacrifice to be unhealthy - hope this helps HW 368 SW 324 CW 288 Sent from my SM-G870W using the BariatricPal App

I think you must remember that the thing is the journey. How well can you follow directions? This is like learning to ride a bike. You fall off and get back on. I don't quite get the 2 weeks of previous behavior? You need to figure out what that was about for you. Why did it take you so long to face it? It is time for a reset. Most of the complications appear to be related to not following the post op diet. Cheating here could be fatal.