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I think people say things like "you're not that big" because they're trying to be polite. Would you rather have them say, "OMG, it's about time you did somehting, you fatty"? WLS is something that's difficult for people who haven't had a weight problem to understand. They don't know how to react when you tell them you're having it. As you lose weight, people get so used to you having been big that they have a very warped perception of what you should look like, and a skinnier you looks "unhealthy" to them. I thought I might have a port leak and need a revision a few weeks ago, and several people asked "do you even need the band? Aren't you at or close to your goal?" I laughed and told them I needed to lose almost another 30lbs before even being on the upper end of the healthy BMI chart.

I've got a good friend who'se a nurse who looked into banding briefly but she doesnt have private health insurance - which makes it virtually impossible to get done in Australia unless you're willing to fork out a lot of money, which she didnt have. Then she said "I was only half serious anyway, I've seen the terrible problems that bands can cause". Teasing more info out of her, its obvious she's nursed a few bypass patients and not banded people. But she obviously feels its a dangerous, very extreme surgery and she really doesnt want to get it done. She's never said I'm crazy, and I dont think she thinks so but she's just not interested. Mind you, she's not been able to conceive due to PCOS, she's luckily had one baby and tried for years to have another, had a miscarriage and is now 44n and knows that her weight is the cause of her problems, not to mention her kidneys are diseased, and yet, she's not interested in WLS? I dont get that. I've got another girlfriend who must seriously be 300lb, she's so obese now and gets bigger every year, gorgeous girl, she looks just like Dawn French. But she's never so much as expressed even a passing interest in what its like to live with a band even though she's seen me have such success. She's never asked me one single thing about it, she's been happy for me, never been jealous or nasty about my weight loss, just doesnt seem remotely interested or remotely motivated to do something about her weight before she starts to have major problems (we're all mid 40's now afterall). It baffles me. I guess its along the same lines of people thinking you're crazy. Dont people understand how GOOD they could look and feel? Dont they understand how dangerous obesity is? My weight loss may even have made the difference between me having a permanent ileostomy and wearing a bag for the rest of my lifea nd being able to have that reversed and being essentially normal, because as my colorectal surgeon said - in some people, theyr'e just too fat for him to get access so deep into the pelvis and there's just too much fat to stretch the colon over to rejoin it. I thank the heavens every single day for my lap band.

I have had a lap band for 10 years and yes, you get hungry with it but I will say that I never felt hunger pangs and bad as before. I am considering revision to sleeve and I know for sure that there is a head-hunger that is in no way related to my stomach. It occurs when I have any kind of anxiety such as a deadline at work or even when I an anticipating something good. I have no idea how to rid myself of that and it may be what others are experiencing.

I say RNY because its been out longer, more researches have been done on it and to be honest when revisions are done they always seem to revise that person to RNY. Might ad well start out the right way.

Everyone brings up really valid points. The answer is that there is no right or wrong answer. You have to do what you feel is best for you. Personally, I started out thinking I was going to get the lap-band. After attending the initial seminar I changed my mind to bypass, The key for me with RNY is the malabsorption and the suppressed cravings. This surgery has worked out really well for me so far ( almost 4 months post op -down 86 lbs. since surgery). Whichever surgery you choose will be the right choice for you! Good luck!!

I'm following this! I'm feeling very emotional all of a sudden, 2 weeks pre-op for gastric bypass. I've been planning away but it's getting real now!

IDK. I think you are a fairly unique lady and VET. Maybe in the top 1-3% of people/"types". You DID learn your lessons while losing. You DID incorporate your doc/RD instructions and adapted them to work for you long term. And when you experience regain for any reason, you've set a protocol that is inspiring and amazing to watch. And it gives me hope for my future--that I'm not doomed to regain it all without being able to maintain. Because you quickly and efficiently go back to your roots and get rid of the regain. I feel like the OP has not done the work. Or maybe the surgery was the wrong surgery for him/her? We are all so unique, one solution won't fit all. They claim the reason for the regain and for not getting lower to their goal was based on undisciplined behavior. But if you lack discipline before, what will change this time? How will you magically change for good? Any of us can do things for short periods of time. But being "habilitated" sometimes, even more than being "RE-habilitated" is important. Not all of us can do that on our own. Not everyone learns things the first time. Maybe some of us DO need the surgeon revision or the RD new plan/accountability that meetings provide? Maybe we DO need bariatric therapy to discover what is driving us to self-harming behaviors? It usually isn't the short game that's the problem for any of us...it's playing for the long game. It is about changing lifelong behaviors for long term success. And that's a TALL order for most of us (the other 97%). Dunno...just spit balling here.

I was looking for gastric bypass group on my itouch & wala found this one.

I am so there with you! I lost 80 pounds fairly "easily" but for almost a year I have lost nothing. I, too, am lazy and don't want to exercise! I am so tired from work, have major insomnia that nothing seems to help, and just feel like I can’t find the energy to even start. I am terrified that I am going to gain the weight I lost back and I really couldn’t handle that. Only 4 days ago a close friend who was only 2 years older than me died from complications of gastric bypass surgery. She was 47 and now she is gone. My emotions about what is going on with me are now clouded even further by feelings of guilt that I should feel happy and grateful about where I am and that I am healthy and have no complications. But I still cannot shake being unhappy that I am stuck and can’t seem to be able work my way out of this.

The video is great for patients with a gastric bypass. They do not have a sphinctor muscle between their pouch and the intestinal connection so fluids will wash food through much more quickly. Sleeve patients retain the pyloric sphinctor in all of its previous glory. There is no medical evidence that my doctor can finds that indicates that it suddenly quits working after a sleeve. That is, the muscle remains contracted until digestion is completed in the stomach and then opens for slow drainage into the intestine. I honestly believe that sleevers can drink some liquids with impunity. I drink about a half a cup of liquid with meals and can tell no difference in the length of timebefore I get hungry again when compared to not drinking. I personally do not see any reason to give up drinking with meals. Neither does my doctor. Each of us should listen carefully to our doctors instructions but doctors are not gods and (heaven forbid!) have been known to be falliable. Just my 2 cents.

Today was my consultation to see if i qualify for WLS...I HAD MY MIND SET ON THE SLEEVE...BUT HOWEVER THE SURGEON THINKS GASTRIC BYPASS WOULD BE MORE BENEFICIAL TO ME. ANYWAYS MY STARTING WEIGHT IS 245 MY BMI IS 43.4 & IM 5'3...I MEET WITH THE NUTRITIONIST IN A WEEK TOMORROW...IM OVER THE MOON WITH EXCITEMENT!!!! I HAVE PCOS, JOINT PAIN & A LITTLE JOINT PAIN! [ATTACH]2567[/ATTACH]

Has anyone out there ever had revisional surgery from a failed vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) to getting the Lap Band surgery? I have been to several doctors and the majority say that in order to get revisional surgery, I have to get the gastric bypass. The gastric bypass scares me. But then I went to Dr. Felix Spiegel in Houston and he said he could do it, because that is all he does. I am confused. Have any of you heard of or had the revisional surgery from vbg to lap band? Please let me know. Thanks, DEbi :eek:

This is such a favorite topic on this board! I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer. For me, I have known people with bypass who regained. My doctor liked the band for me because of my age, my BMI and because I would like to have kids in the future. Personally, I liked the fact that it is adjustable and less invasive. I understood that there is a small percentage of people that it does not work for but I figured I could always try another surgery if this less invasive one did not work for me. My doctor described it as a tool but one that is less powerful then the other options. I was ok with that because I wanted to try to change eating and exercise on my own - I have found it to be very powerful and I don't really even have great restriction yet. Good luck!

My bypass surgery is May 12. I will be using celebrate vitamins & bariatric advantage. Also, celebrate essential 3 in 1 drink mix. Great taste. CW: 319 SD:May 2017 GW: 128

I got bypass and was recommended 4 weeks off from my doctor. I got permission for three because of my desk job.

Now that have had my fill , and avoided a big problem like band revision I'm totally paranoid when eating. I have been on mushy food yesterday and today and I'm nervous if I'm chewing food good enough so it doesn't form another food pouch. I had a band for years and now I'm a nervous nelly with mushy food and am afraid to eat solid food. Is it even possible to form a food pouch with mushy foods like mashed potatoes or retried beans. Silly question but now I'm totally nervous to eat anything. I guess it's all in my head and I'll get over it over time

I had a sleeve to bypass revision yesterday.

It's weird to hear chicken hurts your pouch. When I had the lapband if I couldn't tolerate anything I could tolerate chicken. But it seems a lot of people with gastric bypass has trouble with chicken. Are you able to eat bread and salads. What does tomato sauce do to you. I can't wait until liquids for me are done. I have 3 more weeks then its on to pureed food. Have you guys ate baby food at all. I've been having a lot of cravings like meatballs, pizza ,salads, gyros, I guess everything lol.

I am scheduled for Dec. 17th in Mexico at OCC. I had gastric plication there 9 years ago and I'm getting a revision to a gastric sleeve.

My doctor doesn't let his patients start on the pureed stage until Weeks 3 - 4. The amount of calories he expects us to max out at due to our restriction (mine was a bypass) roughly works out to around the same amount the Mom_of_Chaos mentioned. If your doctor gave you a post op diet to follow, I'd check to see if the calories were supposed to be limited. If it is not clear, but sure to call your doctor's office and ask. I know the first 3 to 5 weeks after surgery is a time of healing and adapting so I'd ask sooner rather than later about the number of calories you can consume, but that is just my own thought. At least you would have peace of mind based on checking. Best of luck!

matalo, How are you doing now? Could I ask you if your insurance covered your bypass and how you decided to go that route instead of a sleeve? thanks.

I am now down to 180, so I am at the desired weight I want to be at. Now, I just want to tighten things up. Originally, I was going to have the plication, but insurance did not cover it, so instead BCBS of Mass covered the bypass.

American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) calls for safe resumption of bariatric and metabolic surgery before COVID-19 pandemic is declared over Newberry, Fla. — Jun. 23, 2020 — The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the leading organization of bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the nation, declared metabolic and bariatric surgery "medically necessary and the best treatment for those with the life-threatening and life-limiting disease of severe obesity" and called for the safe and rapid resumption of procedures, which have been largely postponed along with other surgeries deemed elective amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new position statement entitled, "Safer Through Surgery," published online in the journal SOARD, the ASMBS strongly rejects classifying metabolic and bariatric surgery as "elective" and prefers the use of the term "Medically Necessary Time-Sensitive Surgery" or "Medically Necessary Non-Emergent Surgery" to better characterize the effectiveness of the intervention and the progressive nature of the many diseases it treats including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. "COVID-19 may be a factor for quite some time and the longer the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other related diseases are postponed, the greater the chance they will become worse," said Matthew M. Hutter, MD, MPH, president of the ASMBS and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. "Each state, doctor and patient must make a decision as to when conditions for metabolic and bariatric surgery are right, but the sooner it can be safely performed, the more quickly obesity, type 2 diabetes and other diseases can be reduced or resolved." The ASMBS recommends that the precise timing for surgery be carefully considered based on factors including an individual patient’s health status, local prevalence of COVID-19 and the availability of resources including hospital beds, ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE). The ASMBS statement concludes, "Before COVID-19 began, it was clear that patients with obesity were ‘safer through surgery’. In the era of COVID-19, ‘safer through surgery’ for patients with obesity may prove to be even more important than before." Obesity has been identified as an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes including death among COVID-19 patients. Metabolic/bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective and long-lasting treatment for severe obesity. 1 Its safety profile is comparable to some of the safest and most commonly performed surgeries in the U.S. including gallbladder surgery, appendectomy and knee replacement. 2 An estimated 252,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in the United States in 2018, which is approximately less than 1 percent of the population eligible for surgery based on BMI. 3 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 42.4 percent of Americans had obesity in 2017-2018. 4 Obesity has been linked to more than 40 diseases including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and at least 13 different types of cancer. 5,6,7 About the ASMBS The ASMBS is the largest organization for bariatric surgeons in the nation. It is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of severe obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits. It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery, while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for patients with severe obesity. For more information, visit www.asmbs.org. ### 1 Weiner, R. A., et al. (2010). Indications and principles of metabolic surgery. U.S. National Library of Medicine. 81(4) pp.379-394. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361370 2 Gastric Bypass is as Safe as Commonly Performed Surgeries. Health Essentials. Cleveland Clinic. Nov. 6, 2014. Accessed October 2017 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/11/gastric-bypass-is-as-safe-as-commonly-performed-surgeries/ 3 https://asmbs.org/resources/estimate-of-bariatric-surgery-numbers 4 https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html 5 The Effectiveness and Risks of Bariatric Surgery: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, 2003-2012. Accessed from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/1790378 6 Steele CB, Thomas CC, Henley SJ, et al. Vital Signs: Trends in Incidence of Cancers Associated with Overweight and Obesity — United States, 2005-2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2017;66:1052-1058. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6639e1 7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015) The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity. Accessed from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/index.html

Thank you. Now my next question is did you get rebanded, choose gastric bypass or any other surgery? I still need to lose 70lbs but would be happy to get to 50. I still have restriction even tho he removed the saline. Since I am 4 yrs out & have gained really concerned that I will have to have it removed. Bottom-line, I know this isn't normal & will keep making appts to get it resolved. So many posts here are saying they have the barium w/the fill & that concerns me that mine doesn't. He has a big practice and affiliated w/Baptist hospital. I guess I will break down and ask him why. To be honest he is very intimidating and patients who aren't losing the weight well get an earful from him. Not so much mean but very stern.

Thank you for answering my post about depression. So sorry you have to go through this too. It is horrible. I have my good days and bad days I do take wellbutrim and t does take the edge off. I am lke you without my faith that there is a living God who loves and cares about me that I can talk to everyday I would not get out of bed. I have had my Band 2+ years and the Band helped with the weight but not the depression. The weight is not the cause of the depression but a side affect of the depression. But my husband and I agreed the depression is not something I can cure myself but the depression and the weght were too much for me. I was 251 and am now 169 a tight size 18 to a loose size 10, so that does make me feel better. I am still believeing God will not make me live the rest of my life living like this. I am waiting for healing, I know He can and I want it. So you are thinking about the Band? It Is a good thing. I might would have done the Bypass but I was self pay and could not afford it. But now I am glad I went with the Band. With the Bypass I could have lost even more weight but too many risks. I have really had no problems with the band, too tight twice but no biggie they just take some out and I do throw up but always have and no slip or problem. I have been married for 31 years to a wonderful supportive man and have a great son and a wonderful daughter-in-law and the most beautiful grandbabies Olivia 5 and Isabella 2 both blond hair and blue eye and both left handed like my son. They all are the joy I have in this world. I fear my depression will ruin their lives too. I spend a lot of time faking happiness as to not ruin their time. But it is hard sometimes. But I would never want to cause my grandbabies any unhappiness or set a bad example. The oldest one Olivia does know that grandma does get sad sometimes but that it is okay. She is more concerned about my Band, she tells everyone, people in the store, or when we are out to eat everyone, does not bother me. She thinks she can feel the band because she can feel the port really easy. (it is by bra line). She always ask me if I am going to eat something “Is that healthly grandma”. She is so funny. So you see I have a wonderful family my husband and I made, but really no relationship with my family. They are all into drugs and drinking which I do not do. My daddy died when I was 10 and my brother who also suffered from depression overdose last Christmas on prescription drugs, his and someone elses. It was a terrible death he would have never wanted people to see him like that in a coma on life support for 2 days it was terrible but he was one of the saddest people I have ever known but would not accept help. I have been throught 3 years of counseling and learned a lot of coping skills and that I have probably been depressed my whole life but was too busy being a mom to care about myself and kept it all inside. When my son married I kinda lost my identity and it opened the door for the depression to surface. I am gonna stop writing now as I have written a book, more than you wanted to know I am sure. So sorry it took me a few days to answer you but like I said I have my good days and bad days. Cheri