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So welcome also @pugmom234. I know you said you're about the same age as Inc above here. @ J San may have seniority when it comes to surgery status but I guarantee there is NO ONE older than me active on BP, that's why I have appointed myself the Bariatric God/Grandmother. That said I must have been a case of arrested development because it took YEARS to decide to seek weight loss surgery. And now I am bravely marching forward toward an RnY bypass on September 5th. It will be 3 years in August since I started on this trek and my journey was not one you would wish to emulate. Many twists, many turns, roadblocks, quicksand of doubt, but Yippee Skippy it will be over very soon. With a pen name like yours you have got to be an animal lover, well I am owned by 2 female kittycats who allow me to live with them as long I provide enough food and adore them 23 hours of every day. I am allowed 1 hour a day total to go to the human litter box. And as you have noticed with your dogs each one has their own personality. Squeaky if she were human would be a cheerleader, bouncy, self-confident, she feels the whole world🌎loves and adores her, some days I think she needs kitty Ritalin. If you try reprimanding her, she looks over her shoulder like "Whatever" and resumes what you interupted. Now her sister Cassie, she would be class Secretary or a library aide. Much more subdued but extremely loyal, and when Squeaky isn't there to overshadow her, there is no one more loving. And the 2 of them complement different facets of my personality. Can you tell I am pussycat- whipped? Oh I admit it! If either of you have any questions please ask! I pride myself at being a pretty fair resource person but if I don't have an answer someone else on Bariatric Pal will. So Welcome again, please stay a long while, like mold we kinda grow on you!😝🌈😝❤

I had my band in 2003 and I am having my revision to sleeve 12/31/ 2013 at 7:30 am , so another day and ahalf and I will be sleeved! Can't wait I'm so excited!

Kay: There are more things that can go wrong with the bypass, because they're disconnecting/reconnecting different parts. Malabsorption of nutrients is a significant part of bypass, so you've got to commit to taking a lot more supplements for the rest of your life. Those are the two main reasons I went with the sleeve. Good luck with your choices and your health!

I was denied twice through UHC. I hired Lindstrom Obesity Advocacy in May. FINALLY AFTER MANY MONTHS MY REVISION SURGERY HAS BEEN APPROVED!!!!! THANK YOU WALTER & KELLEY LINDSTROM, Lindstrom Obesity Advocacy, FOR NOT GIVING UP AND FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. 2016 is going to be a year of wonderful changes in my life!

Then never mind. Hopefully someone who has had bypass will have more insight.

Ok so i have been struggling with my weight since I can remember.... even when i was a cheerleader I was never the small one so i was self conscience... anyways I have gained somuch weight and I know part of it is from all the diets I have tried... I think the only diets I didnt try were like NutriSystem... well I am desperate and I've been looking into Labband.. now according to my research I am a candidate for the tool that will give me that boost and real results... the problem is 1) I have never had any surgery in my life.... 2) after reading blogs I am so so so so so scared that things will go wrong.. I read how people throw up all the time or all these horror stories of the lab band ... I have read how people reccommend a Mini gastric Bypass instead because you can eat regular food or what not and how with the bad some people do not loose weight... anyways I need advice because this is something that I am desperate to do .. and I do not want to invest 13 grand on it and then it go all wrong..... Please Help... (btw tomorrow I have my first consulataion) One more thing... I am getting annyoed by people saying that I am going to take the easy way out... and that I just havnt tried hard enough with the diets... anyways ya's advice will be greatly appreciated.

Congratulations! Nice to meet you???? Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk walk! Try drinking different temperature of liquids(warm may work better than cold or vice versa).Good luck on your journey! 5wks out gastric bypass surgery! Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

I finally had my first visit and the surgeon is recommending that I get the bypass while I was already heavily in the sleeve camp. He said he's not trying to talk me into it but that the bypass would be better for me since my biggest problem is eating the wrong foods. I am 57 years old and weigh well past 300. Can you give me your opinion on this topic? I'm assuming most of you will go with what you chose but if you can be objective for someone in my situation what would you advise? The other difference is that I am a cash pay patient so I believe the difference is going to be an additional 4k out of pocket to get the bypass. I keep reading good things about the sleeve but also read the bypass is the gold standard and that you lose more weight with the bypass. Is that still true? Thank you to everyone that responds.

When I originally started my journey, my heart was set on getting the sleeve surgery. It wasn't until I met with the surgeon the first time that he thought I would benefit from gastric bypass. I was a full blown diabetic at the time, who had to take insulin at night as well as meds, and had high blood pressure. The surgeon mentioned that I could go with the sleeve, however if I am not happy with my progress, I would have a sleeve to bypass revision. I only wanted to go under the knife once, so I eventually decided on bypass. Its been almost 7 months since I had surgery and I cant tell you how happy I am with the results. I was almost400pds when I started, and I am now in the 200s. I still have a long way until I meet my goals, however I am no longer diabetic by medical standards, they even took it off my medical chart. I say good luck to you in whatever journey you decide. You may want to make a list pros and cons for each, and see what you come up with. You are the one in this

If eating the wrong foods and not portion control are really your issue, bypass might be a better option. Once most people heal from the sleeve you can eat almost anything.

You are under anesthesia longer with bypass and that may be his concern @Ruin's_Angel. Alot of High BMI patients get the sleeve. I don't think ulcers are any more of an issue with sleeve vs bypass.

In the past they would do the sleeve for morbid obese ppl to help them lose wt for their bypass... (research from the TLC 600 lb life ) anyway at the end of day if ppl don't have the food behaviors/addictions conquer neither surgeries will give you the long term results... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G530AZ using the BariatricPal App

They are both good procedures. I weighed 308 when I revised from band to sleeve 4 years ago and am maintaining in the 150s now. Here is what I think, if a person thinks any WLS is going to keep them from making"bad" choices over the long haul, they are likely to be disappointed. I have read that not all bypass patients "dump" and that extra help offen goes away over time. You must be committed to a lifestyle overhaul with either procedure or you risk regain. The sleeve helped me change my relationship with food for several reasons, but I think the key was the elimination of the 24/7 drive to eat, constant hunger. Years later, My hunger is now what a normal person experiences and that period of time of no hunger helped me figure out how to keep it in check and how my choices dictate my hunger drive. They each have risks, and benefits. The bypass has a much longer proven track record. I had my , probably somewhat irrational reasons for avoiding the bypass, but I guess in the end I came to "believe" that the sleeve would help me and i proceeded to make sure it did. Research, and decide which seems to fit your life better and go for it!

I am scheduled for surgery on February 1, 2017. I have Hashimoto's disease and hypothyroidism along with fibromyalgia and other painful BS. Has anybody had any luck with the sleeve or bypass with having Hashimoto's? I am in Tempe and would love to be part of this group. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's been 2 weeks since my gf has had her bypass surgery & she has bruised her hands somehow. I'm convinced it can be from her lack of water intake because she's always sore & she drinks but I don't think it's enough. I had the sleeve so I try helping her out but she's set out on her own with saying she thinks she's doing well. So to you I ask, is it possible to get bruises on your body when you are not getting enough fluids? She probably drinks 20 oz a day cuz she says she's full. He'll I know 20 oz of water isn't enough but maybe she'll listen to you when she sees the responses... Thanks.

I had a kink in my tubing, it was not pretty. You can read about what happened on my blog if you like. I was told that the reason it kinked is because when you lose weight all the excess tubing has no where to go and will kink up at that point. I only have about 27 more pounds to go to get to my goal so I am electing not to have the port revision surgery that will move my port and trim the excess tubing. I am hoping that I will be able to make it through finishing this up on my own! My doctor is able to get Fluid in my band but not out of the band. I begged him last week to give me a tennsy fill and he did but he will not do anything else until i schedule surgery and have it done so I am on my own for now. My insurance will not cover it or I would just have the surgery. Good Luck and congrats on your weight loss. I have lost 93 pounds so far. My goal is to lose 120 so I am very very close! You can do it!

I went from 246 to 239 during the 6 month nutrition counseling. Was 239 on the day of my bypass. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm sorry it should say WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, not gastric bypass they actually called it "other radical surgeries" which is very annoying, but the study is pro for us. Finally. Sorry, it I couldn't edit the post

CNN REPORTS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PROOF THAT Gastric Bypass Lowers Risk of Death TIME MAGAZINE AUGUST 22, 2007 By Sora Song Whether one regards bariatric surgery — last-resort weight-loss operations such as gastric bypass and stomach stapling — as an essential treatment for obesity or as a failure of the fat person's will, the fact is, it works. Studies have shown that after surgery, patients often lose 50% or more of their excess weight — and keep it off — and symptoms of obesity-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea are improved or eliminated altogether. Now, two new studies in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) show another long-term benefit: a lower risk of death. The larger of the two studies — the largest of its kind — led by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, looked specifically at gastric bypass surgery, also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, which accounts for 80% of all bariatric surgeries in the U.S. The operation involves creating a small walnut-size pouch at the top of the stomach, which is then stapled off and connected to the small intestine lower down than usual; the result is that patients can eat only an ounce of food at a time, and the food bypasses most of the stomach and the top part of the intestine, limiting the number of calories the body absorbs. In the Utah study, researchers compiled data on 15,850 severely obese people, half of whom had undergone gastric bypass surgery between 1984 and 2002, and half who were from the general population and had had no surgical intervention for obesity. Overall, researchers found, the surgery patients were 40% less likely to die from any cause during a mean 7 years of follow-up, compared with the obese controls. What's more, the mortality rate attributable to obesity-related disease was 52% lower on the whole in the surgery group: after gastric bypass, patients were 92% less likely to die from diabetes, 59% less likely to die from coronary artery disease, and 60% less likely to be killed by cancer. Results like these have got some doctors intrigued enough to start thinking about bariatric surgery as a treatment for conditions other than obesity —especially diabetes. A growing body of research suggests that the surgery may reverse the disease, a potential solution that could help some 20 million American diabetics. Though the current NEJM study did not specifically study the impact of bariatric surgery on diabetes, it did reveal a 92% reduced risk of death from the disease in surgery patients —findings that support what has been emerging in other experiments. "In more than 80% of patients who are severely obese and have diabetes and then have gastric bypass surgery, the diabetes is cured," says Ted Adams, professor of cardiovascular genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine and lead author of the new study. "The interesting thing is that the resolution of diabetes happens within a few weeks following surgery, long before patients have lost their weight." Like some other researchers in the field, Adams believes that the surgery triggers other biological mechanisms, separate from weight loss — perhaps an interruption of a crucial biochemical pathway or a change in the release of certain hormones in the stomach or small intestine — that may have powerful effects on diabetes. "The gastric-bypass patient is really providing a source of intriguing research related to all kinds of disease treatment as well as weight gain and weight loss," says Adams. The second study, led by researchers at Gothenburg University in Sweden, involved 4,047 obese volunteers, 2,010 who underwent some form of bariatric surgery and 2,037 who received conventional obesity treatment, including lifestyle intervention, behavior modification or no treatment at all. Ten years after surgery, researchers report, the bariatric surgery patients had lost more weight and had a 24% lower risk of death than the comparison group. Though the overall number of subjects in this study is much smaller than the first, the results confirm general benefits of bariatric surgery, and gastric bypass in particular: after 10 years, bypass patients had maintained a 25% weight loss, compared to a 16% loss in patients who had stomach stapling, and 14% in those who underwent a banding procedure. In both studies, surgery patients had an overall lowered risk of death, but an interesting finding in the Utah study shows that these patients were 58% more likely to die from other causes, such as suicide and accidents. The authors speculate that as people lose weight and become more active, they also become more prone to accidents, which may up their risk of death. Surgery patients may also have pre-existing psychological problems — a history of abuse, perhaps — that can't be resolved by losing weight. "There have been some studies reporting that following bariatric surgery, some individuals may be more prone to chemical dependency, such as increased alcohol use," says Adams. "There's some speculation that certain addictive behaviors that are in place before the surgery — with food, for example — are transferred to alcohol or another addictive behavior." "Hopefully this research will stimulate additional evaluation of what the optimal approach is for evaluating candidates for this surgery," says Adams. "I think we should never lose track of the importance of individual evaluation of benefits and risks." Last year, an estimated 177,600 patients underwent bariatric surgery, a figure that's likely to grow as Americans get fatter and fatter. Though modern surgery techniques have become more sophisticated, less invasive and safer than in the past, the bariatric procedure still carries all the risks of any other operation. Patients have a .5% to 1% chance of death. The risk of gallstones goes up. Sometimes a second surgery is necessary. And all patients must be careful to make up for Vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The surgery isn't for everyone; current guidelines recommend it as a last resort, only for the morbidly obese who have a BMI of 40 and higher, or for the obese with a BMI of 35 and higher plus a serious weight-related illness like diabetes or hypertension. This should help. Gary Viscio Viscio Law and The Obesity Law Center - Welcome

I was a band to sleeve revision on May 8th weight pre surgery 231. Day of surgery 216. Current weight 183. Lost 32 since surgery and 48 all together. A size 20 tight to a 16. Best thing I ever did. :-)

I was given the option of Sleeve vs Bypass but chose bypass because I didn't want the risk of revision if GERD and also wanted a surgery that had better statistics to back up given my history of PCOS. So have you considered of Bypass? I think out of pocket means it may little more expensive for you to get bypass but do give it a thought and do your research to ease your nerves. Also like others mentioned, you shouldn't get intimidated by certain some a experiences. If some have had not so great experience, there are also others out here who have found success and turned a new leaf in their lives. Every experience is different and not everyone is going to describe their detailed medical history here. So best option for you is to speak to your surgical team and see what they have to say about your dilemma.

I didn't have a revision. Just the sleeve. I was sleeved Sept 27, 2013 in Mexico by Dr. Alvarez. Best care ever. I'm down 121 pounds.

I'm not big enough for bypass. I have health reasons to get the wls now. But my bmi is only 36

By the way I literally had my lap-band removes yesterday and for a Mini Gastric Bypass.

Didnt she lose over 150 lbs? I think she had bypass. I think she lost a very large amount in a relatively short time, it seems much more like bypass results to me. More power to her however, she is simply trying to get back control of her weight....just like we are. I cant wait for someone to scan the darn pic though, lol!!! Bensmum, can you do you a "before" pic with the bikini one?