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Hi Kristen! I am right there with ya. I'm 36 and a mom to two young boys, my biggest fear is leaving them. I'm excited for surgery I find out Thursday when my date is, but I'm terrified of complications I've only had one other major surgery (breast reduction) and a few small surgeries. I had complications after my BR the surgeon hut an artery and didn't know it until I was in recovery luckily my husband notice something wasn't right, he literally saved my life! So now I'm so nervous about this one and the fact that when I had my BR (I was 27) I didn't have any health issues other than my PCOS and fibromyalgia, now I have a leaky mitral valve to add to the mix so I'm a bit more concerned but it's also a big factor in WHY I'm having WLS, less weight is less stress on the heart , so many what ifs running through my head, I'll be asking my surgeon so many questions during my pre op on Thursday lol but my need and want to see my children grow up out weighs that fear by a million. The best of luck to you!!!

I went into surgery with such anticipation...I could not wait..I was ready and willing to do almost anything to get this show on the road..... I came home on the 3rd day and returned with a leak 4 days later....This led to 5 months of a hospital stay with several surgeries and other severe complications..... After 5 months I came home and had nursing care for another 5 months.....Still not out of the woods yet! Would I do it again..In a split second..I am nothing like I was before surgery..I am living now, before, existing...I love my sleeve and so glad I did it...176 lbs. down...36 to go...I feel so brand new!!!!

I have had no complications - knock on wood. I have lost a lot of weight & my mobility ( my number 1 reason for having wls) is much better...but with that being said, I would NOT do it over again. I thought I was ready wls after a year of preparing, but the mental/emotional/social aspect I was not prepared for...I am not me now eating and drinking this way. I hate the way my life is now when it comes to food. Time has given me peace with my decision. I am nearing 8 mths out, but I am not happy about my sleeve. I am making lemonade out of lemons. But I do regret it each and every day. I am in a tiny minority here as you can see. So, don't be nervous, do what is best for you. Best of luck to you.

I was nervous about my decision. I even got a bit weepy right before surgery. I worried that somehow the sleeve would not work for me. I worried that someday I may need that other 85% of my stomach! All of that is normal. But here's what happened: My sleeve does work and I've lost almost 80 lbs since then. My blood pressure has dropped from prehypertensive at 120/80 to 107/66. I haven't missed that other 85% a single day so far. I was lucky, I had zero complications. What works is following your doctor's orders both pre and post op. What works is starting to adopt healthy habits like regular exercise. I don't love to exercise but it sure is a lot easier now without all those lbs weighing me down. What works is knowing that you are putting your body through a lot after surgery so stalls might happen, they are normal, and if you stay on track, they will pass. Good luck with your surgery. It's good to go in with both eyes open as bad stuff can happen but most likely, you will be just fine.

Thanks! I wanted the sleeve because it wasn't as complicated as the bypass. I guess I'm just nervous that something is going to go wrong. When it comes down to "that 1% of people have this or that happen", I usually have it happen. I hear all the time from my doctors "it's rare but we'll check to make sure". Then I'm diagnosed with that "rare" thing.

Tomorrow will be my 1 year anniversary since my gastric bypass surgery. I have lost 86 pounds. I’m not going to lie, I honestly thought I would have lost more by now. Although weight loss has slowed down tremendously, I have yet to see a gain on the scale so I take that as a win. I would like to lose at least another 50 pounds so I have to remember this surgery is not a cure-all, it’s simply a tool. I’ve been extremely lucky and have had no complications whatsoever. I don’t experience dumping syndrome at all (well I did once when I ate some ice cream and have steered clear ever since) but other than that there really isn’t anything I can’t eat, I just eat a whole lot less. I can definitely be better about my diet, like always, but one thing I’ve incorporated into my life that has stuck is exercise. I don’t feel good unless I exercise so it’s become addicting (in a good way). Anybody who is reading this and contemplating this surgery, or is in recent post op and struggling, I have absolutely no regrets about having this surgery. The first 2 months were rough, but I got through it and so will you!

Without a doubt, obesity is stigmatized. The unfair bias that you face may be a major factor in your decision to consider or get weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, you will probably find that the obesity discrimination continues even as you try to use weight loss surgery to get healthy. Obese patients are blamed for their conditions, healthcare providers are not always sympathetic, and coverage for weight loss surgery is not guaranteed. Why Do Obese Patients Get So Much Blame? People are increasingly sympathetic to diseases that used to be stigmatized. Examples include cancer, many mental health conditions, and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS and syphilis. Now, treatment for these and other conditions, such as diabetes, is widely accepted as normal and an entitlement. Each of these conditions is largely the result of lifestyle choices, such as diet, use of tobacco and/or alcohol, sexual behavior, and physical activity levels. More than 80% of cancers are likely the result of lifestyle choices. Ironically, though, many people in our society remain unsympathetic to obese people. They are quick to blame obese people for having no self-control, for refusing to follow a diet, and for not wanting to be healthy. You know, though, that those accusations are far from the truth. If you are considering weight loss surgery, you are confident that you have the self-control for the weight loss surgery diet, that you have tried to follow numerous diets but none have worked for you, and that you desperately want to be healthy! You Did Not Ask to Be Obese: Some Factors are Outside of Your Control More than one-third of American adults are obese, and another third are overweight. That in itself should remind you – and the people who judge you harshly – that fighting obesity is hard! The food environment includes fast food, vending machines, restaurants, food-focused social gatherings, and inexpensive snack foods. There are also biological and family factors that you cannot control. Skinny people have no idea that you may be feeling extreme hunger all day, every day, or that your metabolism may be slower. Your family might have raised to choose high-calorie, high-fat foods, or even driven you into unhealthy emotional eating. Research shows that some obese patients’ brains even respond differently to food compared to lower-weight individuals. Obese individuals, for example, tend to get less pleasure out of food, meaning they need to eat more to get satisfied. Furthermore, high-calorie foods like sugar can be addicting, leading to the same brain responses as cocaine does. But nobody blames cocaine addicts for their situations! Instead, they encourage counseling and intensive program to help them overcome their addictions, not punish them. Discrimination in Obesity Treatment: A Look at Weight Loss Surgery Versus Dialysis Just as unfair is the fact that the healthcare system continues the discrimination against obesity. Compare weight loss surgery as an obesity treatment with dialysis as a treatment for kidney failure (end-stage renal failure). Far from being blamed for their conditions, kidney failure patients who need dialysis are provided the respect that all people deserve and the medical care that they need. Dialysis patients of all ages in the United States are able to apply for Medicare, the government’s health insurance program normally reserved for older adults. Dialysis treatments can cost about $40,000 per year, not including This is not to mention human factors such as reduced quality of life (the vast majority of dialysis patients are too sick to work) and early death (the life expectancy of dialysis patients is about 5 years). In comparison, a typical weight loss surgery procedure in the United States can cost $20,000 to $40,000, although it can be less, and successful patients are healthier and have more energy than before surgery. The irony increases. The fact is that kidney failure usually results as a complication of type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure (hypertension). Both of these conditions are often caused by obesity; losing weight after weight loss surgery can prevent, eliminate, or reduce these conditions. In addition, it takes years for kidney failure to develop once you have high blood pressure or diabetes – years during which patients are likely to be on costly medications and inconvenient treatments. Targeting obesity through weight loss surgery could prevent cases of diabetes and high blood pressure, reduce their effects in people who already have them, and prevent kidney failure, the need for dialysis, and early death. Searching for Fairness in the Medical Treatment of Obesity Your first barrier in your path to weight loss surgery may be your primary care physican (PCP). Some PCPs do not know much about weight loss surgery, or may be against it because they think obesity is your fault. Some PCPs take a narrow view of obesity, and feel that the only way to lose weight is for patients to “decide they want it badly enough” and “just eat less.” You already know that doesn’t work, so don’t let your PCP discourage you from learning more weight loss surgery if you think it might be the solution to your obesity struggles. Insurance coverage has improved for obesity treatments, especially for weight loss surgery. Medicare and many private healthcare coverage plans cover weight loss surgery if you meet their predetermined weight and/or health criteria. Some private insurance companies, though, take a short-term view because they want to make profits within 3 years. Since most weight loss surgeries do not pay for themselves within 3 years, some private insurers do not cover weight loss surgery despite the likelihood that they would pay for themselves within 5 or 10 years, and in addition improve your health and quality of life. Chance of Reduced Discrimination in the Future? The majority of Americans believe that health insurance should cover weight loss surgery, in addition to other obesity treatments such as dietetic and mental health counseling. The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), though, is not the ultimate solution. In nearly half of states, obesity treatments are not required to be covered by plans sold on the health exchanges. This determination is based on the available competitive services in the region. Since the most obese states are the ones least likely to have competitive anti-obesity care, these states are also least likely to have obesity treatments covered under the Affordable Care Act. Overcome the Discrimination Discrimination is an unfair fact of life as an obese individual, and it unfortunately does not end when you decide to get healthy using weight loss surgery as a tool. These are some of the ways that you can keep going strong and overcome the barriers you encounter as you work to get healthy. You have the right to a second opinion if your primary care physician recommends against weight loss surgery but you would like to find out more. Do not take “no” for an answer from your insurance company if you know you are entitled to reimbursement for surgery. Do not listen to negative family members or friends who do not understand your obesity or interest in weight loss surgery. It is your life and health. Educate others as much as you can to try to reduce the discrimination. Chances are that they are only being discriminatory out of ignorance, not out of true mean-spiritedness. Like it or not, some discrimination remains as you go through your weight loss journey. You cannot prevent it, but you can change how you react to it. Expect it and respond as positively as you can, keeping your own health and goals in mind. Over time, as you and others prove that weight loss surgery can be a worthwhile treatment for obesity, discrimination by insurance companies, healthcare providers, and the public will decrease.

I am very computer illiterate. Do you have to hook this up to your computer to see results? I am not good with gadgets. When they talk about computer software, it starts sounding complicated to me.

Catlady--I am so sorry to hear about your complications! I am a little late reading this. My heart goes out to you and I am sorry you have to go through this. I am very happy that you are okay and alive but sad that you are faced with such a challenging complication. Please, if you need anything or just want to talk, I'm here. I want you to be okay mentally as well as physically and I just want you to know you have a friend in me, and in most people here on VST. We are all in this together, and when one of our own is having a complication, you can bet we will be there for you.

I am feeling okay also. I have some pain on one of my incisions but everyday gets better. No complications from surgery. Walking. Sipping. Resting.

Im 8 days post-op and while the pain, nausea, headaches and cloudiness has gone, I tire very easily. A trip to the supermarket needs a bit of a nanna nap afterwards :-). I have 2.5 weeks off work but can see that towards the end of that I will be bored so i will probably just do some work at home next week. I think if you have no complications and are going back to a desk job 2 weeks would do it.

I was at a support group recently and since i have a date they let me sit with the post op people so i could get some idea of how it would be. there were many people so we devided into groups of five or six and they asked how many people had complications and like 4 of the 6 at my table had. and one lady kind of laughed and said i got the lucky table.lol she asked if it had given me seconds thoughts. while it is a little scary so is the thought of losing my legs to the diabetes that I've had for 10 years or having a heart attack because of the high blood pressure and cholesterol. these are my "complications" from being fat but it didn't stop me from having fast food..lol

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.algaecal.com/expert-insights/the-surprising-long-term-complication-of-bariatric-surgery/amp/ BgR72

I was there the day of surgery, stayed the night and went home the next evening. I had no complications and passed my swallow test so there was no reason to be kept there any longer. Why don't you call your surgeons office and ask. Good luck to you on the big day!!!

Hello Everyone, So, I'm halfway through my third week of the preop diet (I was only supposed to do 2 weeks, but insurance is dragging their feet on my authorization, so my surgeon wants me to stay on it), and so far I've lost 13 pounds. Pretty good, huh? But now some strange thoughts are running through my mind. Because I'm doing so well on the preop diet, I've been fooling myself into thinking that if I just continue with what I've been doing, I won't need to have the surgery in the first place. Never mind that I lost 60 pounds with HCG last year and have gained it all back. Never mind that I have ALWAYS gained my weight back (plus more) whenever I've been on a diet. Never mind that I'm a hardcore compulsive overeater that can eat enough for 3 people. Never mind that I can't live on Protein shakes, green veggies, and egg whites forever. I'm still trying to kid myself into thinking that I can "do it on my own." My insurance has paid for all of the preop tests, so besides a few copays, I wouldn't even be losing any money by not having the surgery. I KNOW this makes no sense and I'm being completely unrealistic. I KNOW that I am setting myself up for failure as proven by my past "success" with dieting. I KNOW that the sleeve will have numerous benefits for me, both emotionally and physically. But there's still a little voice in the back of my head saying, "What if?" It's not about being "ready" to have the surgery. I have a great surgeon, have educated myself thoroughly on the procedure, and am comfortable with any risks or complications that I may or may not have. I just hate feeling this way when I know it's just an exercise in futility.

I just cant seem to make it all work. I must remember my vitamins!! I finally got something to put them in so I can carry them with me for the days I'm gone the entire day. Haven't taken the Citricals, even the petites turn me off due to the size. I try to get in my Protein but I may only get 30-40, could this be what's causing my dizzy spells and nausea? For my Water, I can barely get in 30oz. Water is hard to go down and seems to only go down with a huge air bubble accompanying it. Juices go down fine and shakes too but at 3 weeks out, should I already be expecting to meet the daily requirements or just keep trying? I have a friend who calls her sleeve "Rockstar" because she never has any sickness or complications and she forgets to eat for days(she claims 4 at the most), she eats whatever she wants, whenever she wants, she drinks alcohol like a fish but no water at all, even smokes, never ever took Vitamins and finally got pregnant 2 times after trying for 14 years and at 6 years out, I want to admire her since she still loses weight but now she can do it on demand and looks great but I want to do mine the healthy way, I just cant seem to meet these numbers... I already had a hard time eating which is why I thought this surgery would be perfect because I can eat less but it's like I have to eat so much during a day just to lose weight.....and I just cant force feed myself that way. 1 or 2 small meals a day works just fine for me....or a pill that allows me not to eat at all...I always feel so fat and heavy after I eat anything. So if I can only force one...which is more important, vitamins, water or protein??

Just overnight for me. I had no complications, very little nausea and no vomiting. Thank the lord!

Hello mogelqueen, can u tell more abt sleeves... How it feels? Wt were ur complications?

How are you since coming home from the hospital? Any more complications or is it just lots of pain?

So far no negatives for me except the worrying about "the complications" that can happen. With that said I choose to focus on the positives like feeling awesome!

Well that's good there are no complications...you must have really good insurance;) lol! Just kidding. Better safe than sorry...get he soon! Praying for your speedy release:)

Congrats on your success! That's awesome! I have a friend who got the lap band and absolutley loves it as well. My surgery went really well...no complications, no nausea, I was back at work in a week. So far I have lost 24.5 lbs from my high weight and 13.5 since surgery. So excited to experience Summer in Colorado in a smaller size

Hey guys! I was sleeved in July of 2011. Since then, I've had some problems. Once I started on soft foods, I was not able to keep my food down. In September of 2011, I had to have my gallbladder removed. I was still nauseated after every meal, but able to keep the food down...until about January of this year. I recently had an endoscopy and an upper GI with a barium swallow. My tests indicated that I have pretty severe acid reflux and a hiatal hernia. I just got back from the doctor. His recommendation was medicine and time, or some sort of tissue repair surgery. It seems they can't do the typical hernia repair fundoplication because the part of the stomach that was removed is used for that. He said another option is to convert my sleeve to a gastric bypass. Has anyone had anything similar happen to them? Also, I am a cash pay patient...should the tissue repair surgery or gastric bypass conversion be covered under the 1 year complication coverage? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hi Nopatience, Welcome to VST. This is a great website with very helpful people. I really get it about the last five pounds. I'm at Kaiser Richmond. I have what I hoped would be my final pre-surgery weigh in tomorrow morning. Sunday I was 229, great. This morning, 230.6, not so great. I can't believe this is happening. I'm so ready to get to goal and get a case manager appointment so I can get a surgery date. I've eaten very light today and I'm headed down to the gym now to walk as long as my ankle allows (surgery last year). After walking, I'll do the weight machines. I'm determined to be at 230 (with clothes) in the morning. Carolyn, there have been studies that suggest that people that lose 10% of their weight pre-op have less complications post-op. I think that Kaiser really goes with those type of studies. It also makes sure that people are really serious about doing the work both pre and post op. For me, it's given me time to really explore. I thought I wanted the band but discovered in my month before meeting my surgeon that I would only consider the Sleeve. I'm glad I had time to really figure it out and be sure. That said, I want my Sleeve TOMORROW! :001_tongue:

Good luck! A lot of ur story mirrors my own. Had the lapbad and only lost 30lbs (that was in 2007). Now on Sept 13 2017 (10 yrs later), I had bypass. I thought this was going to finally be the tool to help me. In 1 month since my bypass, I've only lost 12lbs, and 9 of those 12 were lost in the first week post op! So frustrating! Especially with how excited i was to get bypass surgery! I am not trying to discourage you by any means, I just want to put realistic expectations out there for u. All the wonder tales posted here and told in group settings, about 40lbs lost 1st month or 70lbs down in 3 months, stuff like that, isn't necessarily a given. I dont know how they're doing that kind of loss and I'm not, but everybody's different. This procedures gotta help tho, right?! I gotta keep telling myself that. [emoji4] I hope your journey goes better than mine has so far. I wish i could give u advice to ensure urs goes amazingly but I'm following by the book and none too happy, so not sure what advice to give u. Although, the MOST positive thing is that I've had zero postop complications. None. That is fantastic and I'm happy about that part. On a separate note, Valley of the Sun, huh? Awesome! I am here too!! Who's your bypass surgeon, if ur comfortable answering? Mine is Dr Swain, whom I adore!