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There are people who have had it reversed due to rare complications. I believe some of those cases were due to poor surgical techniques. Drs can be good surgeons for some things and not others and will do surgeries after minimal training in that surgery.

I'm in Alabama. Banded in November 2008. Was approved yesterday by insurance for revision to Sleeve due to complications with the band. Dr. Miles did my band and will also be doing the revision.

I agree with what has been said - it is illegal for them to ask. If pushed (and they always do) tell them you are really not comfortable discussing the matter as it is private - but make sure you are legally covered when you go on leave. Make sure that they know what dates you are planning to be out and find out if you limit your benefits by not contacting HR to let them know you are planning surgery. In my case, I will have to call the benefits line to let headquarters know I will be out of the office in case something goes wrong. I will be out “3” work days since my time off will include my my Friday off, the weekend and the July 4th holiday – but it is a total of 7 actual days, which is their threshold for requiring notification. I had originally planned to take vacation time – but if I did and there were complications, I could end not being covered on short term disability. My boss has already asked me a couple of times what the surgery is for - I am obstinate and will not tell. Even people I trust around the office (and I have been here for 22 years) I am only telling I am having surgery but not what. Like it or not, in the large corporate culture I work in, looks are a factor in promotion and there is a stigma that equates being fat to the same as being lazy. Getting bariatric surgery to help with weight loss is not respected, you are only supposed to get thin thru dieting and excercise. Which, the sleeve is just a tool in helping us do that.

Well dont be like me and ready e v e r y post of surgery complications. i have freaked myself out!!

Sweetie, you don't have a clue what price I have paid for this adventure. And even though I don't regret it one little bit I am still suffering from the complications one after another because of it from 18 months ago... Need help. I think the people who think this is a walk in the park need help...Me I put one foot in front of the other and go forward...For me personally...If I had killed myself it would not have been this painful and it would have been over in a flash..I meant it more tongue in cheek.... okay!

I was sleeved on 3/7/16. I had some complications and was off of work for a total of 7 weeks. When I came back I had a lot of coworkers who have been super supportive and have been encouraging me through my journey. I have been an open book with everyone about my journey. The problem is I have one coworker who came up to me yesterday and wanted to talk to me in private. She is a little bigger and I thought she was going to ask me for advice. Instead she told me that she doesn't understand why I did the surgery. She said in the 2 years she has worked with me she has never seen me try to diet or anything (which isn't true) and she said that I shouldn't have done the surgery snd I should have tried harder. She doesn't know my past and how I have struggled for years of dieting and failing. She said that I should have tried harder with dieting. By time I had stated working with her I had severe depression and had given up on weight loss working for me. She was really upset that the other day I had gone to Subway with some other coworkers and had gotten a salad, which she didn't go, and I had gotten less lettuce and more Protein, and also added my own protein that I brought (because I was prepared and knew I was going) she said that I shouldn't be going out and that I should be bringing my own food, that I am falling into my old ways and that I am going to fail at this weight loss too. She said she isn't the only one that feels that way at work and that there are others but they won't come up to me and tell me. I'm not sure of the truth to that, but it makes me feel extremely self conscious while I am at work. This is the first time I've had anyone have negative response to my surgery. I feel really defeated about this and it is bothering me so much more than I feel it should. Any advise? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Btw half the rides at Disney will scare the be Jesus out of a one year old. My little brother cried all through "It's a small world". Fine get a wheelchair. Who is looking out for the one year old and/or pushing your chair? And is there a doctor on call down there if you have a complication. Enjoy your trip!

I've spent months reading everything I can about VSG. I researched doctors. Finally made the call. Looked at my husband's insurance and after he changed jobs this new employer does not allow BCBS to cover any weight loss program/surgery or complications. So the surgeon's office doesn't seem to be that interested in working with a cash patient. It's 20K up front in two different checks - one to hospital and one to dr office. Does not include appointments with the surgeon which run $150-$550 per appointment depending on the 'level of care' they provided. I don't want to go out of state or country. I just assumed we had good insurance. I'm feeling really devastated and defeated. I had worked myself up to this ... I talked with my husband about it. I did so much research but didn't even think that our insurance wouldn't cover it. So stupid of me. I guess back to nutrisystem ?

There are concerns with each surgery and complications. I just was more prepared going into my sleeve. I am now concerned about other things having RNY which would not be the case if this was my first surgery.

I am not yet banded, and will be a self-pay. Obviously I have to get exact details from my insurance, but has anyone had complications after a self-pay surgery? Will insurance cover infections, flipped ports, and other problems associated with banding? :smile2:

Katie, it sounds like you are well on your way. I love walks in the woods especially this time of year. I too am impatient, but I have to realize it took a while to get the weight on, its going to take some time to get it off. You are going to have bumps in the road. We all have. I have been very lucky to have had very minor complications. I actually went into surgery at 8:15am and was released at like 3pm. They want you walking around recovery, able to keep ice chips and water down, go pee and pain to be under control before they release you. You will have a tremendous amount of gas pressure and pain, do to the fact they blow up your abdominal cavity with air so they can work. GasX strips worked wonders!! Good Luck and stay in touch.

I wonder if it's a number the doctor just pulled out his a--. Sorry to be blunt and skeptical (I am by nature) but it seems like the kind of statistic that would get media attention, especially with weight loss surgery rising considerably among the population (seems like there would be a concurrent rise then in the overall divorce rate). I've also never read anything about that--it would mean 8 out of 10 patients who have WLS get divorced. That is just astronomical. I do believe weight loss surgery results in some people getting divorced; I've read about it on other boards. But I think there are other underlying reasons. For example, one woman posted that her husband had cheated on her through thirteen years of marriage but because of her obesity she blamed herself and lacked confidence to do anything. After surgery and weight loss, she left because she realized she wasn't to blame and deserved better. Another guy said his wife apparently was attracted to "dependent" personalities and when he lost weight he was no longer a dependent/needy person and she couldn't deal with her "loss of stature". My husband has stayed with me literally through thick and thin, and I expect he'll stay here when/if I'm thin again. But he's made it known he prefers me thinner. I have only ever found that as I lose weight our relationship improves. At the same token, when I'm at a lower weight I get much more male attention, and I admit I enjoy it. Maybe for some people this temptation is very hard to resist? It's one reason I've decided to join an all-woman's gym. Last time I lost weight (50 pounds on Atkins), I had a difficult time with a few guys at the gym showing interest in me, etc., and it made me too uncomfortable to work out so I stopped going. When you start feeling like you have to look good and put on make up or fix your hair to work out, you know you're at the wrong gym (or in the wrong mindset)! My husband says he's worried I'll lose weight and be so beautiful I'll leave him. I remind him the one time I left him (we separated for a time years ago), I had just had a second baby and was hardly thin and gorgeous so that's not a pre-requisite for me to leave if I wanted to. I think if you and yours have a solid relationship, it will endure. I also think Lisa's story is germane. If you have two overweight people and one is motivated to change while the other cannot/won't, it's not so different from other situations in which people grow apart because one partner experiences something life-changing (like finding God or wanting to adopt/have a child or a traveling or a housewife pursuing a career or even a man retiring). Any major life-altering situation puts strain on a marriage. It's a very complicated issue, and I concur with the counselor that if there seem to be any problems along the way, have counseling. It's a good idea.

I think that if you had sucess witht he band the first time around until the complications developed you should condiser being re banded if it is an option you want to/ can afford to persue. I think it would be AWESOME to see some oneI know on the Biggest Loser" IT would give me an ever greater reason to watch tv and cheer on someone (and I know you are all behind me when I say this) that we love and admire. Penni, maybe eating protien bars for meal replacements would be an option for you as you travel. Maybe you could order glass of ice to pour your protien shakes over as others eat.. if it is for work that you travel try ordring a fish dish or the healtiest dish on the menu... try out the different cusines that offered in the differnt places you go. My biggest problem with eating out preband was that i wouldnt try new items. I knew what i would eat at each resturaunt. esp the fast food ones. I am sure you have looked into some of these options; I hope I am offering you someithing new to consider. best of luck on your options. we wil all be praying for you.

I am assuming you are 237 not 137 :-) that sounds sad to say, but hey if you were 137 you would be wanting the band! I copied this out of the Policy for you - if I were you, I would go to Tricare online and research each associated medical condition to see what sets it as a "condition". I was lucky, I was fat enough not to have co-morbidities -wow is this a screwed up world we live in! TRICARE POLICY MANUAL II. DESCRIPTION Morbid obesity means the body weight is 100 pounds over ideal weight for height and bone structure, according to the most current Metropolitan Life Table, and such weight is in association with severe medical conditions known to have higher mortality rates in association with morbid obesity; or, the body weight is 200% or more of ideal weight for height and bone structure. . . . .covered when one of the following conditions is met: 1. The patient is 100 pounds over the ideal weight for height and bone structure and has one of these associated medical conditions: diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cholecystitis, narcolepsy, Pickwickian syndrome (and other severe respiratory diseases), hypothalamic disorders and severe arthritis of the weight-bearing joints. 2. The patient is 200% or more of the ideal weight for height and bone structure. An associated medical condition is not required for this category. 3. The patient has had an intestinal bypass or other surgery for obesity and, because of complications, requires a second surgery (a takedown).

Shadi-Dadi. Wishing you the best. I am 3 weeks post-op and couldn't be happier. Over 100 lbs gone pre and post op. Best decision I ever made.health benefits. Activities I am looking forward to this summer and beyond. No complications. Surgery went smoothly.

I'm reading these replies and other multiple threads with similar themes and I'm experiencing such mixed emotions. I was banded in Sept of '10. Had back and left shoulder gas pains from day one with them coming & going commonly over the past 3+ years. After my second fill I started having more and more problems. After every attempt of a fill I would swell within couple hours and not be able to get liquids down, and end up right back in the office for a deflate. This repeated for a year. During this time I was never able to eat fruit, fresh or cooked vegetables, chicken breasts, or any healthy lean meat without all of those things instantly getting stuck. The only way I could eat those things is if they were covered in a sauce of some type. And yes, I shared this with my doctor. I was told that “in rare cases….some peoples bodies are just more sensitive to having the band and it can be tricky”. After a year of this, I started randomly swelling which would result in no liquids going down and me vomiting the saliva my body would produce because that couldn't get down either. This was happening for no reason and would end up in Dr's office for deflate for no reason. After two years of that, I asked for a revision. My doctor told me no, I was still a success story with a total loss of 75 lbs post op (still considered severely obese) and told I must not be compliant with the plan. Define being compliant? I couldn't eat most the time...how was that ok? When I was able to eat, I ate what I could without fear of it causing problems and getting stuck. Don’t tell me I’m not compliant when I’ve expressed the challenges I’ve had from day one and constantly being told there was nothing wrong. At this point I was averaging 1200 calories a day and hadn't lost a lb in over 3 months. I was again told “in rare cases we see more challenges than others trying to figure out what causes the swelling or problems, but it’s a process”. After gaining 25 lbs from sustaining on liquids and slider foods, I again asked for a revisions and was told I was still a success story and having the risk of putting me under again was greater than the potential benfit of having the revision. I ended up asking for a complete deflate and let the doctor talk me into leaving 2ccs in the band as "something". Another year later, I go to see a new doctor because I relocated. I find out I still have 4ccs in my band and that the dr had only taken out 2cc. No big surprise to me at this point that the other Dr did what they wanted to do. By the time I saw the doctor I had gained another 40 lbs. My own fault, I am not blaming the band or anyone else. I have had a lot big life changes that had me putting exercise and healthy eating on the back burner...and again, it isn't like I was able to eat fresh vegetables and grilled chicken breasts. And frankly, fattening food could go down with no pain. To this day if I want to eat, its chicken with lots of sauce, or foods that easily slide. With that said, the 3 years leading up that didn’t exactly help me develop healthy eating habits and if I didn’t have disordered eating before, it is 100% present now. So here I am today, the last month having random acid reflux that ends up with my esophagus and band super tight and again unable to get anything down for a day or two. Now the past couple of days I have had the esophagus spasms where I can technically drink liquids and eat soft foods but with extreme pain as it goes down and constant back & left shoulder pain/burning. Just sitting here if I burp the pain instantly hits. I have a very high pain tolerance & pain threshold so it isn't that part that is bothering me. What is bothering me is that if all these people on these boards have similar issues over the course of years, and I have shown increasing symptoms for years of the band being a problem for me, why do the doctors immediately assume I'm non compliant? Why don't they move more aggressively? Why am I treated like an annoyance or problem or immediately assumed that I must have caused the tightening or swelling? Now I will go into the office, feeling like a complete failure because I haven't lost any weight since meeting this new doctor (I haven't gained either). In fact, I don’t even want to call to make the appointment because my emotional state just doesn't know if it can take once more being told some how I must have done something to cause it. I want it out. I have asked two different "highly respected" doctors who have talked me into believing it must be me somehow. Now, almost 4 years later, I am 10 lbs lighter from weight on the day of surgery, in a lot of pain, and even more emotionally beaten down than I was 4 years ago. I don't usually post or vent like this, but I am truly at a loss for what to do next. Society says I'm unacceptable because of my weight. Heck, even some posters here treat those of us with these challenges like we are a problem child. Anyone who knows me knows that I believe in taking accountability for my actions. This is one time in my life where I feel that has been used against me and now has negatively impacted my health more than it ever helped. Family tells me to just make the appointment and ask for it out. I can do that. I know I need to do that. Yet after almost 4 years of being told it’s me, I’m the problem, it isn’t as easy as it seems.

Oh Amie I am so excited for you! What an exciting year!!! And if that baby can hold on one day longer it could share my birthday!! I know one of my biggest motivating factors in revising my complete flop of a band to a sleeve (aside from its many complications) is my desire to be a more active and parent! Congratulations on your sleeve, your marriage (shameful that we have to put significance on it being legal, but so exciting all the same) and even more so, the beginning of your family! Such an exciting time! Look forward to watching your progress!!!

You have exactly my situation. Same height and weight and goal. I chose the sleeve after all of my research. The risks and complications of bypass just weren't worth it to me.

I chose to have lapband surgery . I had diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I did not want to have a radical surgery such as bypass or sleeve at this point in my life. I have been extremely happy with my band and have had no complications or issues. I have been banded 2 1/2 years and I no longer have any health problems. In fact my Primary Physician told me yesterday at my checkup that he couldn't be happier with my labs. Everyone who has weight problems has to make their decision in their own time. I knew at 5'0 and 200 lbs I was on my way to be disabled. Best of Luck to you and I will pray for success.

In our case, the fundus is the stretchy part that makes up most of the greater, or outer, curvature of the stomach, and is what is removed when a sleeve gastrectomy is done, or is folded up and tied back in a sleeve plication. It looks like with the endoscopic procedure, they suture it up internally to make the fundus inaccessible, leaving the reduced "sleeve" like path open for restricted food flow. Being a fairly new procedure, one is fighting the learning curve - both for the individual surgeon and for the industry as a whole. The guys that did the first heart transplant were the best in the business, but the patient still only survived a short time; it takes time, practice and experience - both individual and collective - for a procedure to mature into a routine, everyday therapy, so your doc may well be exceptional, but they are all still working out the kinks in a new procedure. Where to go from here? A bypass was suggested, and this is very common, as most bariatric surgeons were raised on them, so to speak, know them well and tend to be very comfortable with them when things get complicated as they can with some revisions. You note that a SADI has been suggested - was this by the same surgeon, or someone else? If the SADI is a possible, then a regular sleeve gastrectomy should also be workable, as the SADI normally uses the sleeve as its basis, and presumably that would be most attractive to you as that is what is most similar to your originally chosen endo sleeve. Whether you need the malabsorptive component of the bypass or SADI is an individual decision. When things get complicated like this, it is usually best if one can get a second (or even third) opinion on the problem and possible solutions. There are often several different alternatives available, but individual doctors will prefer, or have more experience, with one over another, while another doc may have different experiences and preferences as to how to approach this problem. Good luck in working this out...

Hello all! I have been reading this forum and keeping up to date on challenges and issues and benefits of having the sleeve with pregnancy. Congrats Ange! Not sure how many else are pregnant / have been pregnant with the sleeve or if many are reading this board, but thought I would give it a shot as I am in desperate need of advise. I am currently working with an RE on embryo adoption (we are unable to have our own biological children - severe male factor). Despite the most important thing to me in the world at this point, I have been unable to lose weight to increase my chances of the transfer taking. My BMI is around 39. They don't qualify anyone for transfer who is over 40 and I am just on the cusp. This makes me really nervous that if I gain anymore weight before the transfer, they will refuse. We have been down this road so long with infertility, adoption attempts, etc it is really heartbreaking. I am 35 so time is ticking, and I have a desperate need to have a child (hopefully more if we are so blessed). I had an appointment with a surgeon who said that 6 months post surgery, I should be stable enough with nutrition and weight to carry a baby, even though a lot of the official recommendations say 18 months. I just don't know what to do. I desperately want a baby and can maybe do a transfer in two to three months. But I also fear gaining an additional substantial amount of weight with the baby and potential complications. Or it may not work because of my weight and all the money and emotion spent would be for nothing. Then I fear having the surgery and having something wrong with the baby because I didn't get enough nutrients (I would NEVER forgive myself) or losing the effect of the sleeve before I even reached goal because of the increased amount of food needed with the baby. Or even that the transfer won't work and we have to go into domestic adoption a year later than we would have if we tried now. I am so back and forth on this right now. I have another RE appointment to look at my uterus on Wed so it may make the decision for me, but I am anticipating everything will be fine. I plan to ask her what her thoughts are from the RE perspective. But I also need some outside objective opinions on this. Should I wait until after we try for a transfer (and hopefully a pregnancy) to have a sleeve or do it before and postpone the transfer? Any thoughts and honest suggestions will be significantly appreciated!

Ok guys, i was sleeved on Oct 15th. I feel like i've been doing ok except for staying hydrated. I used to be a "guzzler" now there is no way that i can do that. So, i'm doing the best i can at staying hydrated. My wife is scheduled to have sleeve procedure on Dec 12th, so i'm kind of at this by myself for the moment. My first dr appointment since surgery was last friday. My dr told me that if i feel like eating "real food", get after it, just don't be stupid, that i cannot hurt what he has done to my stomach at this point. Well i've tried Wendy's chili one day and the margarita chicken from Chillis another day. Both were fine but i feel like i'm sorta jumping the gun here. I guess i'm looking for encouragement or hand slapping if thats the case. I'm just trying to figure all this out. It seems i'm one of the exceptions to recovery to this surgery, i have lost 50 lbs. since the 15th, i started at 390 lbs. i have not been sick or any complications whatsoever. Just feel real tired after doing any activities. I apologize for my long windedness, just concerned. Looking at this forum i don't feel like i'm on the same track as most of you.

My last filling was in November and its pretty tight. I've been ok until the last 2 weeks where I've had to keep a cup of water on my bed side and sleep at a propped up angle because ill wake up coughing and choking on spit. What could it be? Also, because I paid out of pocket for the surgery, I'm worried if there is a complication that my insurance won't cover anything I might need to get done to fix it. Any suggestions?

You can add water in MFP just like you would add food. When you select "Water - Municipal", it comes up as one cup or 8oz. All you have to do is tap "Number of Servings" and select whatever amount you want. So to put in 1oz, just select "1/8" as the serving size, 2oz would be "1/4" etc. If you add one oz of water to your "Frequent" list, then all you have to do is select it and change the serving size to however many oz you want to add. Sounds complicated when you explain it in words but actually doing it takes about 15 seconds! I'm not sure what protein total you're looking for but MFP totals protein (and much more) on a daily basis - tap Home > Daily. For example, I know that I had 122g of protein yesterday, 101 the day before, etc. It also shows weekly protein totals - tap Home > Weekly > tap the center button on the upper right side of the screen. For example I know that I've had 325g of protein for the first three days of this week, 632g for the entire week of Jun 17th, etc. And again, it also shows the same daily and weekly numbers for Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Potassium, Carbs, Vitamins A and C, Calcium and Iron. It also shows what your goal numbers for each of those and how much you are under/over your goal. And you have control over your "goals" by the settings you choose. Very powerful app!!

I love what you have posted. It's very real and raw in how society see people of size. I'm not sure if I agree with you about your last statement concerning the lady on My Big Fat Life. I think she could be very happy with herself. I believe that's why we have self esteem...you literally love and esteem yourself. I'm going for WLS in less than a month. I've always been over weight I was even an 11lb baby as well as you know, the struggle is real! But I'm not getting WLS because I'm unhappy with me...i have some health issues that need to be resolved by WLS. But i loved me at my size. I was 427lbs, ive lost 30lbs to prepare for my life after and maintenance after surgery, but I loved me all of me at 427 and my wife does too. and people talked and talk about me, but I love me baby, and talk is cheap and I'm confident in who I am. So society didn't lead me to want to lose weight. But self love did. Because I loved my life enough to say there are now complications so I need to look at ways to prolong my life and to be healthy. And maybe it's just me, but maybe it's just me, but I think you have to love yourself where you are to make the changes you need for healthy choices in the future