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well, i was well over 330 pounds and my dr wanted me to do a bypass due to my size...i was as wide as i am tall.....and the band/pliacation i have works...the dr told me how to use it for best results and that is exactly what i am doing.....any WLS is a wonderful thing but no one WLS is better than the other...any WLS can and does have complications and sometimes not..you cant spend your life wondering will it slip, will i this or will i that......i was at a point to where i was in serious trouble.......i stopped hem hawing and got on with saving my life..... larger BMI people can lose weight faster than those who do not have as much to lose (i am now where some are just banded and it took me 19 months to get here)...we all lose weight 1/4 pound at a time (whether its the sleeve, the bypass, the band or nutri system......the same way as we gained it, 1/4 pound at a time.. to me, as long as one loses weight, gets healthy and changes their attitude from i cant and i never have been to yes i will....then whatever WLS one gets, has that chance to get well..as its about getting healthy, not being skinny or thin.......i wish you all the best.

My fear of insurance denial is really just that ! fear- having some person that doesn't know me in an office somewhere- they could just be having a crappy day- be like nope- she isn't getting it - haha - I have been watching a lot of sleever videos - and overall they have been successful - and without regrets (except for maybe the initial shock) Yes- as this ball gets rolling I will be looking into finding a local support group- I live in a small town- so driving weekly to one in Indianapolis just isn't practical- My uncle and aunt have both had bypass surgery. As well as a cousin. I know it gave my uncles life back- he was rather large - and looking back at pictures of him it looked like he could explode any minute /- if that makes sense- my cousin is near my age, I don't know her stats but if I would have to guess I would say she topped 300 at the time , she is tiny now, had a baby, and tiny again. My best friend had the lapband- so that's why i know 10000% that I do not want the lapband. She didn't lose that great with it until it messed up on her/ so now has gastroparieses (and i know I slaughtered that spelling ) so now she has lost a lot but it has been because she throws up every day and becomes dehydrated because sometimes she can't keep liquid down- I'm sure I could benefit from therapy - I mean none of us are here because we have a healthy relationship with food. Luckily I don't suffer from depression or have to cope with a mental or an emotional illness. I am a homebody- hopefully they don't consider that an illness. I'm just not a social butterfly- and even after surgery I still see myself doing stuff solo- like walking - we have a trail in town that I would really like to go to- no reason to now, we also have a beautiful park that I would love to just go to and lose myself in it exploring for the day. Just thinking about being able to walk /stand on my feet without pain is surreal. See what I said about rambling -- especially if I'm excited - I can go on and on. Thanks for reading

Hi I'm not back to work yet 2 weeks from bypass. I seen my doctor yesterday and told him about the pain I feels above my belly button incision and it sharp pain that I have been having since Saturday once a day it last less then a minute. He told me that's around the area port was at and should go away. I'm not sure what that meant but I said ok. Sent from my SM-G900V using BariatricPal mobile app

TLDR; Self pay in MX, took a few weeks from my first online inquiry to the surgery. DETAILS: I could of waited for insurance but did not want to wait - I had a LOT of bariatric attributed issues. Someone here in my office took 8 months to get approved then operated on and they would NOT do the sleeve, she had a bypass.

i went to my first seminar back in the summer of 2007. At that time i only knew about the band and the bypass only and I knew i never wanted a bypass. I went through the whole process and a week before surgery in October 07 I chickened out. That was the best thing I did, fast forward to last fall when I heard about the sleeve. I attended another seminar and was SO happy that I did not have the band after reading all of the stories about it. I decided on the sleeve and had the procedure in May, i had to do a 6 month diet otherwise I would have had it done last fall.

Julie - I had a total hysterectomy eight months prior to my band surgery. I did not plan it that way, but that's how it worked out. At the time of my hysterectomy, bariatric surgery wasn't even a thought in my mind. I had female issues, and had to resolve them. It wasn't until a few months later that I decided to move forward with WLS. As far as what to do first, you need to work that out with your gynecologist and your bariatric surgeon. Depending on the reason for a hysterectomy, that might be something you need to do first. Whatever is best for your health, is the way to go. Only your doctors can provide you with that direction. As for sleeve vs. band, that is a very personal choice. If you are okay having 70-75% of your stomach removed, then maybe that is a good option. For me, I wanted something that I had more control over. I also had plication done with my band, which, I believe, has made a tremendous difference overall. But I do sleep much better at night knowing that the whole thing can be reversed. One other thing to keep in mind..... Weight can be gained with each and every one of these surgeries. I'm at the 10 month mark, and already having times where I push it. I saw my doctor last week and got "the talking to". After time, we get used to the new "setup", and (if we're so inclined), find ways to eat around it. The same goes for the bypass, sleeve, band.....all of it. My sister works with a woman who had the sleeve, and she's put back quite a bit of weight. She can't eat a lot at one time, but she grazes on crap all day long. No matter which surgery you choose, it's ALL up to you/us. If we don't change our heads, there is no miracle out there to make us lose weight. It's a big decision, so just make sure that you do all the research. As you already see with your sisters, you can't go on any particular person's success with any surgery, because we are all different. I wish you all the best :-)

I accepted the moment I made the decision to have my bypass (7/1/13) that I would also have a certain amount of plastic surgery after (5/21/15). I began this journey 2 years ago at almost 320 lbs. I got down to 195 and stalled. I held onto that weight and was thrilled for 8 months. I was so much happier and healthier. I was also working towards my skin removal. I knew I needed it, with or without insurance approval I was getting it done. My wonderful surgeon recommended that I not only get a panniculectomy (skin removal from the belly button down) but also an abdominoplasty (belly button up with the muscle repair) and circumferential lower body lift (360 degrees skin and fat removal). It is not uncommon for insurance companies to cover a panniculectomy when you can prove there is a medical need but the rest is very unlikely to unheard of. My doc felt with my situation he could make a good case so we went for it. We documented infection after infection and submitted a ton of photos. They came back with a yes to 2 of the 3 procedures. My surgeons office worked up a quote for my share of the third procedure plus a little light lipo under the chin and bra line. It was a no brainer for me, I had to make it happen. Before my surgery my doctor predicted he would be able to remove 8 lbs at most of extra skin and tissue. When I woke up he informed me it was closer to 15 (14.8lbs). Tonight I am 5 weeks post-op and I would do it again. I have had no major complications however I am still in a fair amount of pain and discomfort, especially at the end of the day. I have had a disappointing libido response but I am hoping that's because I am still healing. I am down to 178 lbs and I love the way I'm looking so far. I feel confident that at 8-12 weeks post op when I am released to really exercise, I will finally reach my goal weight of 165. We are all different and this weight loss effects each of our bodies very differently. I think it's important that you are happy with your own personal choices and who you have become. Christy

I had my revision too and with I had never had the band!! Good luck to you!!

Hi, Mimi! Welcome. Here's my take, for what it's worth. (And I think it's worth a lot cuz I mostly copied it from coffee Wench and she knows everything.) With either surgery you will have to learn new ways to eat and deal with life. With the bypass, you WILL lose the weight, but you will gain it back if you don't do the learning. With the band, you have to make the changes to lose any substantial amount of weight. So, let's look at the "failures." Two years out, the unsuccessful bypass people lost and then regained and the unsuccessful band people never lost. And the unsuccessful bypass patients (it used to be 20%) have had massive, organ-rearranging surgery, and need a lifetime of supplements and have an increased risk of other health problems, while the unsuccessful band patients have a band that can stay, can get deflated or can get removed (sometimes with lap surgery, sometimes with open). There are, of course successful people with either surgery. But a far higher percentage of bypass patients have complications which require re-operating ("revisions") and/or OR visits. There are many people who have BMI's similar to yours and who are doing (or have done) well with the LapBand...including those who were much heavier than you. By the way, most surgeons who have done well with the bypass tend to prefer it. They think it is more successful because, after the surgery, they see only the patients with complications. Band patients take more follow-up care, and most US trained surgeons are not so into the day-to-day, patient support that's needed with the band. I think they tend to measure "successes" in terms of what percentage of patients they never have to deal with again...and with the band, that's "zero percent." Sue

Hi Mimi - At 330, 5'7", you are NOT exceptionally large (in MO terms - lol). I am 5'6" and started at 303. I know of people well beyond the 300's (I'm talking 400, 500 pounds, even) that have been banded. Some surgeons are not comfortable banding these larger patients, but my impression is the surgeons who do the lapband almost exclusively as their WLS do not bat an eye. And Sue is 100% right - the surgery the doc is most comfortable with is the surgery they're going to recommend (push). Find a TRUE lapband surgeon and I think you'll find them very supportive of your choice. You MUST be aware that most lapband patients do not have the weight just "fall off" of them, like bypass patients do. You MUST understand that proper restriction is key, and until you have possibly several fills, you may not feel as though the band is working for you. There are banded people where the weight just "fell off", and people who got to goal without fills, but they are the exception, not the rule. You also must be aware that your banded journey will be very, very individual, and you cannot compare yourself to others, but only try and learn from their journeys, and take what you need and leave the rest. We are all bandsters, or bandster wanna be's, so of course we are going to tell you that this is THE best WLS available today. It is, of course (lol), but that is our own opinions after our own intensive research. You must do enough of your own research to feel that way, too - once that happens, you would not hesitate to educate the surgeon who told you that you were too heavy to be successful with the lapband. Good luck in your journey!

Hello everyone! My name is Patience and I am 22 years young! I had RNY gastric bypass November 15th 2011. A little over 8 months post op now and I am down to my absolute goal weight! 240lbs pre op - 127lbs post op!! I lost everything really quickly due to my high excersise level and very healthy eating. I am overwhelmed with my success and love hearing others success stories as well! Please ask any and all questions you have and I'd love to help any way I can! My big question today is about calories! Have any of your nutritionists or surgeons suggested a specific number of calories you are allowed to have during a day or have they discouraged you from counting calories? Let me know! Thank you! Eat healthy, Be active, Stay happy!

Can someone help explain why they chose bypass over sleeve? My surgeon is leaving the decision up to me and I'm not sure which one would be better.

Almost 4 weeks post op and the Protein shakes make me extremely nauseated although I still try to get them down, or part of them. When I take my nausea meds the nausea lessens and I am able to get other protein down. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are my this week's friends. Right now having "buyer's remorse" and wish I never had the bypass as I have no energy like I did before the bypass. Is it too soon to expect to feel better, I am down 42lbs but feel horrible. Need suggestions.

Here is a study between bypass & VSG gherlin levels. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18376181?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

I guess I'm confused at your story -- you said you've already had gastric bypass? I thought that was the most radical of surgeries. Or, perhaps I'm missing something and those more experienced will have a better idea of what you are referring to. WELCOME to VST regardless.

Everyone's body is different and your mileage may certainly vary. But personal experience is the herald of all sorts of pseudoscience. I think the data is worth considering, because my personal experience may be wildly misinterpreted, as is so often the case when I've been shown my body is working differently than I always thought it was. In any case, the people in these studies are having all sorts of success (with less complication revision surgeries) and still eating and drinking fine. And their scans show the food exiting the stomach no slower than the control group.

It's completely normal to have post surgery fears. Just keep urself and ur mind busy it helps a lot. Also make a list of all the things u wanna do once u loose weight and anytime you face a challenge pull that list out and read it for a reminder of why ur doing this for urself. Best wishes!!! HW 289 CW 230 bypass 11/22/16

You're not alone. I hate the band and wish I had gotten a bypass or a sleeve.

I'm not super active on here, but you ALL have been a huge inspiration and motivation for me. I had my surgery on June 26 (band to bypass), starting weight 245 on my surgery date. While overall, I feel like this has been an good experience and much more natural than lap band, there have been some trying emotional moments! It all was worth it this morning when I hit my first goal! Can't wait to get to my goal weight. For the first time, I feel like it may be achievable. Congrats to you all on your success and thanks for the support!

I feel hungry (less since my first fill back on 01/07/08), but initially I did not. The first three weeks after surgery I did not feel hungry. But there is another person on this site who was banded the same day as me and she has never had a fill and swears she is NEVER hungry. I am so jealous :cry Anyway, I know there are folks who have the band and are five or six months out, they originally lost 20 to 30 pounds but have not gone any further. I don't mean to judge that success, but I sure hope this does not happen to me. Honestly I am worried I might be, but I am going to fight the good fight and keep trying. I am still glad I had it. I have twangs that I should have had gastric bypass, but I really like my hair and bone mass to much to have gone that route. Plus the DH would not let us gamble with the mortality rate. Good luck with your decision.

im not even shocked to be honest im more of an even keeled type of individual but inside im hurting its almost as if i knew i was going to be rejected somehow nothing ever seems to be easy for me /end rant anyway what kind of documentation do you think i should provide i was thinking about doing a scare tactic hiring a lawyer for an hour or two to draft me up something that i can send and my doctor is also sending something on my behalf stating that they will be responsible for making the medical decision. i just have to wait 2 weeks b4 i hear back from the doctor on that letter. they said that i cant be over bmi 50 or id die on the surgery table heres the funny thing they approve gastric bypass which is more fatal than this surgery.

I had my gastric bypass on August 26 and I have noticed that I can not drink milk(which sucks) every time I drink some milk I start to cramp up really bad. Another thing that I can not drink is those sugar free packets that you put in Water to flavor them. Is this normal Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have had a band to sleeve revision, too. I can tolerate small amounts of fried foods. In general, I just don't want them because they make me feel horrible. Every now and then, I get a craving for something and so I may have a bite of something fried. For instance, I will eat one or two of my son's fries. I get satisfied off of a very small amount. Certain foods do make me sick though. Fried tortilla chips make me feel like throwing up and I used to be able to eat an entire basket of chips by myself. Some people can eat fried foods with no issues, so you will just have to try and see if you can.

I think you may find it useful to read a British article on the band fluffy http://www.bospa.org/Information.aspx?Page=2 I quote directly from that report.. Risks and Side Effects Fortunately, complications are rare but it is important you learn about the potential problems before you decide to proceed with the surgery. Firstly, being obese makes any surgery more risky. Anaesthetics are more difficult, and obesity–related diseases that you may have can add further complications. Statistics show the death rate associated with gastric band insertion to be about 1 in 2,000 operations. The most common cause of death is the development of a blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism). Occasionally patients may develop other complications at the time of operation such as an infection in the lungs, stomach or at the site where the reservoir is placed under the skin, which may delay recovery. The placement of the gastric band laparoscopically helps to reduce the risk of complications, and the team who manage your surgery and anaesthetic are specially trained in the treatment of obese patients. They will monitor you closely in the period immediately following your surgery, and take a range of measures to prevent complications from arising, including giving you medications to help prevent vomiting (and dislodging the band) and blood clots and getting you up and about soon after the operation. Overall, international studies suggest that 1 in 10 people with a gastric band will need a further operation at some time in the future. This may be due to: Slippage. Months or even years after the operation, there is always the risk that the stomach will move up through the band and the upper pouch will become enlarged. The band can be re–fixed in the correct position. Erosion. Very slowly, and particularly if the balloon is tightly inflated, the band can work its way into or through the wall of the stomach and cease to be effective. In this case the band would be removed and and replaced if possible. Leakage. This may be due to damage of the reservoir or tubing if fills are not carried out with extreme care or if two of the band components come apart. Again, this would necessitate replacement of the damaged component. Infection of the reservoir/port or tubing. It may need to be resited or replaced if the infection persists and in the case of severe infections which have been resistant to antibiotic treatment, the band may have to be removed. The band itself is made of silicone and there are no known side effects to this material inside the body. However, you do have to bear in mind the possibility that some time in the future your band may need to be replaced simply because it has worn out or newer, better bands have been developed to replace current ones (hip replacement prostheses are replaced for these reasons). If you have a lesser known brand of gastric band from a small company, they may not be around in 20 years time when you need your band replacing. Some people will fail (lose less than 25% of the excess weight) with a gastric band and in these cases, the surgeon may advise that a gastric bypass operation is performed. However, don’t give up too soon on your band if you are one of these people – experience in Australia shows that it can take a full 2 years for people to get their heads around how to live effectively with their gastric band, and when they do, they start to lose weight. The most common cause of the worst risk which is death comes from pulmonary embolism which is a result of any surgery, the lapband and sleeve gastrectomy actually are the safest forms of WLS its bypass surgery which carries a 1:200 death risk ( according to statistics) resulting from complications of the bypass, this is not the case for lap bands. Of course you are entitled to your opinions Healthy informative discussion is good, but the US is only 1 country and if you really want to start down the line of facts and figures then you need to look at things on a more global basis.

I am just so impressed with your choosing the band and doing so well when you had so much to lose! My friend is about 350, and is a multi-Weight Watchers failure. I was wondering if the band would still be an option vs bypass, as she also has so much to lose. Thanks for the inspiration! Hope she chooses something surgical before her weight overwhelms her to the point of giving up! Continued success to you! Amazing! Wonderful! Congrats!