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I did very well with the band until I started with complications with reflux and pain at my band area. I didn't realize just how much pain I was having in my esophagus area until after surgery. I feel like an elephant has been removed from my ribcage. Also, so many of our band rules apply to the sleeve as well...small bites, no drinking with meals etc, I found it almost 2nd nature to move on to being sleeved.

100% complication rate?!? 😱

No complications... sometimes I wonder if I even had it done but the small incisions let me know it happened LOL

You look great. Had my surgery on 9/27 also. SW 201 CW 170. I had reversal from band. Had a few complications and just been released to do full exercise 2 weeks ago. Had been at 172.4 for 3 weeks. Hope to do as good as you in coming months. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

For the most part it is cost and skill. Most of the popular Mexican surgeons are who trained most of the US surgeons in this procedure. It's typically half the cost with better care in Mexico. In the US most of the time this procedure is done on an outpatient basis. When you wake up they send you home. If a complication is going to happen it's usually in the first 48 hours. Thus, Mexican surgeons keep you in the hospital for 1-2 days. Regardless if you are going to a US or Mexican surgeon it is critical that you do your research. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/researching-mexican-doctors-101-a-43575/

My surgeon says my surgery went well with no complications. Once I woke up i was in a lot of pain in my abdomen. It feels like you are being stabbed over and over and in waves of pain. I do have gas but it's subsiding as I walk and pass gas. When I got back to my room the pain would not subside. My 1st nurse was rude and told me that I'm only allowed a certain amount of pain medication at a certain time as it was prescibed. I put up with pain until I got mad cause I felt like I was being tortured. She came at 430pm and gave me morphine. It did nothing I called for her 4 times after and she was ignoring me. I was in so much pain. My bf had left to walk our dog and I was alone so I text my sister because I couldn't even talk from the pain. I told her what was happening let's just say that lady rushed in my room and gave me propofol and I passed out with no pain finally. After that my nurse switched shifts and I have a great nurse who is giving me my nauseous and pain meds that work. Point of story: You should not be in pain at the hospital!!! Day 2 which is today took my drink test and I passed. I'm feeling so much better today. Only taking ice chips. Tried to sip a bit of soup yesterday and my tummy got tight. So for now only ice chips. Sent from my SM-G920T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

This sounds like alot of what I have been going through but for almost 9 years!! I have recently been doctoring and he said I had a bacterial overgrowth. This comes from that extra limb that still connects the 2 stomachs. He said food gets stuck in there and cannot get out and then the bacteria begins... who knows how long I have had this but so far we have not been able to get rid of it...I am down to 128 lbs. now and have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, pain, you name it ...I did have other serious complications right from the start though.... I kept getting scar tissue and they would have to open it up again, turned out I went to Mayo clinic finally and they found I had a twisted bowel (no one even looked past the stomach) I wish you well on your jouney and hope they can get you back on the right track... Peggy

Hi I have been reading through some of these to see if anyone has any of the same issues as me. This is the first time I'm writing anything. I had gastric bypass surgery on 12/2/21. I have had a lot of downs and some ups. I haven't seen anywhere if someone had the same complications as I had. They said that they scratch my liver but there was no bleeding so it was fine. But what actually happened was they punctured it in two places and my abdomen filled with bile and collapsed part of my lung so much pain. Then the bile came through one of the incisions. So gross. Had to go back in to surgery to see what happened that's when they found the punctures and put in a drainage tube also gross but made the pain less. I was down about a month and a half. Went through going through the motions of throwing up with nothing coming up for a month or so. Gas pains for about 2 months now I'm just super burpy which at times can be super embarrassing at times. I'm 5'6" started my journey at 290 and was 286 just before surgery and now I'm at 205 so I'm down 85 lb total and 81 since surgery December so I'm happy about that went from a size 19/20 pants and 3x shirt to a 10 in pants and medium shirt. So I know I'm doing good but there are days I look in the mirror and just can't see the weight loss. Does anyone else have this issue? I also can't stand chicken it makes me physically sick even the smell makes nauseated. Pork chops are also gross. And the crystal light I always liked can't stand. Also the only water I can drink without getting sick is smart water. So has anyone else had any of these things? Did anyone have their liver punctured? I know I asked a lot of questions but if anyone has any info on any or all would love to hear.

I never met him and like you, I never met the other surgeon's either. I'm happy with her and have had no issues or complications. I haven't needed any fills so I don't know how that goes..I don't even know if the doctor does them or if someone else does them.

For me, it was the severity of the procedures. I was hesitant enough about WLS, but removing part of my organs was just too much for me. Also, since I'm self-pay, I was FREAKED out complications because my insurance would not cover any complications. Lapband was far less risky, IMHO, and therefore, less of a risk financially. I've been infertile for four years and would like to get pregnant one day, and the fact that you can remove all the liquid from the band and have a normal size stomach again appealed to me in terms of nutritionally providing for a child if I was pregnant. It's different strokes for different folks. I think Gastric Bypass is a fine procedure and is a better fit for some people. I think Lapband was the right fit for me. The best advice I can give is research, research, research! Good luck!

I admit I don't get why people choose not to follow doc's orders on the pre-op diet. I know I'm very new to this forum and this will likely get me burned at the stake. This isn't about me judging others, but instead trying to understand their reasoning. I am 39 and have likely been under the knife more than most people my age and I have never considered going against my doctors pre-op orders. I am certainly not perfect, but considering the importance of optimizing your health prior to incision time, I just don't understand why you would jeopardize your surgery and your complication odds after you've obviously made the empowering choice to change your lifestyle. Yes I see the irony considering doctors tell you to live healthier day to day and I find myself here, but point blank orders pre-op I don't mess around with. (Braces herself)

Recovery is not as quickly this time. I have trouble sleeping, feel kind of restless but pretty beaten. Had some cramps a few hours ago that lasted half an hour or so. I have to test out what I can eat a few days out and what not. Protein drinks seem ok, the protein pudding might have been too heavy. Will try that again in a few days. I'm still scared of complications. I'll be glad when the first month or so will be over.

Dr Garcia and his team are MARVELOUS!! Best decision of my life!! I also had zero complications, I'm just over 2 months and have lost 42 lbs, that's not including pre op, just the sleeve on it's own. He is a very skilled doctor with wonderful bedside manner!! They really made me feel comfortable and secure in my decision and I would highly recommend anyone looking into the sleeve to go with Dr. Garcia and his ENTIRE team!!

Thanks for your response Heather, but 800cals? Please tell me you are not serious!? I will not be having a fill for 3-6 months due to complications with surgery and atm I can eat almost anything, how can I possibly stick to 800? Especially when I couldn't stick to 2000 pre band??

I also had a 3 week pre-op diet and it wasn't as bad as I imagined. I had a kind of similar diet to yours - I had to do slim fast shakes, plus I had sodium-free clear broth, fat-free sugar-free pudding etc. The first few days were difficult. I stayed inside a lot because I was afraid if I went out I'd want to eat (I live in the middle of a city and when I walk out the door there is food calling to me EVERYWHERE lol). After the first 3-4 days, it wasn't a problem and it was SO encouraging to see the weight coming off so fast. That was my motivation. I also really didn't want any complications at all with my surgery (including waking up just to find out I wasn't able to get the band). I am glad I stuck with it, because my surgery went well, and I'm feeling great now! Good luck, you will do great!!

Sleeve surgery was a piece of cake. Recovery was not nearly as bad as I expected. My pain level was noticeable and more than with previous surgeries, but I did not have any significant issues with nausea or gas. I was on morphine rather than dilaudid. Had someone not made that decision, I think my pain level would have been a lot less. Morphine is never my first choice (I was rating myself a 6 - 7 on the paint scale as I came out of anesthesia, wanting to manage it to around a 4). It was definitely more painful than band insert or removal, but nothing at all like what I expected. Surgery was at 9am and by 3ish my pain was completely managed. I was told to expect some extra soreness because I had a large degree of scar tissue/adhesions that had to be dealt with, so both surgery time and invasion were more than expected. I was fine to walk around by 6 or 7 that evening, so I went for about 10 walks during the night. Felt so nice. I felt great the next morning (Wed) & was eager to get home. Discharge took until about 2pm. Then came the complication. I had an aytpical presentation of allergic reaction to one of the medicines - we still don't know which, because it's not a documented side effect. Within a few hours of getting home, from my neck to both wrists the skin was beet red and purple, think horrid sunburn,radiating extreme amounts of heat, and with seriously intense muscular aching that was truly close to agonizing - and I have a high pain tolerance. We tried to draw the heat out with ice bags but the temperature of my skin would melt all the ice within a minute or two. My skin was so hot to the touch that it was uncomfortable for other people to touch me. I called my surgeon's PA and was told to take Benadryl and wait it out. That was about 5pm. By about 2am I truly could not stand it any longer so I went to the ER. My radiant skin temperature in the affected areas was nearly 22 degrees higher than the rest of me by that time and ambient air temperature was unbearable and would cause instant muscle seizure. 5 hours in the ER with IV predisone, pepcid and dilaudid had me feeling much better. It's now almost completely cleared up. Just a few sore spots left. Definitely manageable. I'm now at home, very comfortable, with an addl Rx for prednisone and something to coat my stomach so that it doesn't overly irritate the sensitive staple line. I've beent old to postpone the Arixtra shots (I don't mind that one bit). Omeprazole and Lortab as needed, but my pain level isn't bad enough to need the Lortab. I just feel slightly achy/tight except for the spot where my drain was. That's the only spot that's actually painful. I should've done this the first time around!

I have some family medical history that makes the sleeve a better choice for me. Otherwise, complications with the bypass are minimal and I would have likely chosen the bypass.

Hahaha! I meant today's weight is 258! I have been so fortunate to have zero complications. No food issues and no throwing up, like ever! I am crazy about getting my Protein in and rarely go without meeting that daily goal. I was walking 2 miles a day until the temps started soaring over 100!! Right now I am swimming laps 3 times a day for about an hour, it's the best! I won't sugar coat this--the hair loss has been rough. I don't think it's that noticeable to anyone but me, but it's me that it bothers anyway. Would do it again in a heartbeat!!

I got the band 3 years ago and researched it for 9 months before I actually went for the surgery. Back then, great things were promised with the band. Since that time, studies are showing that the least amount of weight is lost with the band and that people are increeasing reporting weight gain not to mention complications. I did not wake up one morning and decide to go for revision surgery. I had to look at all the weight loss surgeries available and then determine which one was right for me. After making the decision to have a sleeve, I then had to research surgeons to find the best one skilled in that procedure. I will not be flying into Mexico. I'm flying into CA and then being driven to the hospital which is not in the part of Mexico "in the news." I don't need more time to think about this because I took the time and am at peace with the revision surgery, the surgeon, and the hospital. I am very sorry that your surgeon would not do the surgery you wanted. I would not allow a surgeon to tell me what he would or would not do. I'm paying the surgeon. If I don't get what I am paying for, I look for someone else. Eleven pounds in 5 weeks is very good and I hope you continue to have success.

This surgery was done in the states? Btw. sleep apnea machine would explain alot of irritation and gas. I refuse to wear mine now cause of gas and also cause I hate it. Personally if I did use mine I dont think that I would use it for atleast 3 months post op. your taking a chance on complications happening from stretching to making a small leak to a bacterial infection due to forced air. (null)

It is the actual stomach tissue that erode..... come on.... think about it. I'll see if I can find an actual picture or something...... The use of NSAIDS, alcohol and smoking are proposed as three of the main factors contributing to hyperacidity and irritation of the mucosa layer of the stomach. This important layer prevent us from acquiring an ulcer and when the irritation is persistent causes its erosion and then the erosion of all the wall layers of the stomach favoring the lap band to migrate into the stomach (”inside out” erosion theory). just found this at "thinner times" Lap-Band erosion is migration of the band through the stomach wall into the stomach. This complication occurs in less than 2% of patients when surgeons use present day technique (pars flacidatechnique). It was significantly more common early on when the band was placed tightly against the stomach (peri-gastric technique).

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with a severe gluten intolerance two years after my surgery (but I probably had it 3 months after surgery). I've struggled with it just because my body doesn't like any grains but I'm much healthier now (minus all the other complications I believe the lap band have given me). Has anyone been diagnosed with gluten intolerance/ celiacs disease post surgery? I just ask because I am the only one in my family...and my family believes it's the Lap band (they hate it lol but I don't blame them because of all of issues I've had). Thanks! Coley

I wasn't scared of the surgery or being put under but mostly because I'd had brain surgery in 2017 so this was like a walk in the park by comparison... Your mind makes things out to be worse than they actually are. I think it's just human nature to stress about the worst possible outcome. Your chances of not making it through the surgery are 1 in 1000. Chances of major complications are like 4%. It's slim. Just trust that you're in good hands and try not to stress yourself out more by reading about the worst things that can happen or you'll just stress yourself out more! In my own experience when I went into the operating room I was talking to the anesthesiologist after they got me situated and he asked me a few questions and the next thing I know I'm being wheeled into a room. I'm going to be honest... when I woke up I felt like I got hit by a bus! But they gave me pain meds when I mentioned that and then I was good. My worst experience about my surgery is that I vomited old blood for the first two days... and it HURT! It scared my mom, but the nurse said that sometimes that happens and it's normal. I had those blue puke bags on hand just in case lol. But I had the Loop DS and that's different then Gastric Bypass so you likely won't have that issue. Just try and stay away from reading about the worst possible outcomes and just think positive. Think about how much better you'll feel as you hit each milestone! I wish you the best in your upcoming surgery!

you are not going to die. Gastric bypass has a 0.3% mortality rate, VSG is even less. So that means you have a 99.7% chance or better that you're going to get through it just fine. And you will. Those odds are excellent. My surgeon has been doing these surgeries for 30+ years and has never lost a patient. They'll put you through all sorts of medical clearances (if they haven't already) to make sure you're healthy enough for surgery. YOU WILL BE FINE! on the continuum of surgeries, VSG and RNY are among the safest surgeries there are. They're much safer than hip replacement surgeries, for example, and you know they do hip replacements every day, so... for that matter, people have died during tonsillectomies or wisdom tooth extractions. How often does that happen? Almost never. Same with weight loss surgeries. It's not going to happen. as for horror stories, quit reading them. Now. Major complications are very rare. Almost all of us have had either no complications at all, or very minor ones that are easy fixable (like a stricture). You will be fine. I know it's hard not to be afraid, but these are very safe surgeries with very little chance of major complications.

I just had the opportunity to chat with "the attending physician" who supervises fellows where I could have had my plastic surgery (free to me, long story.) I asked him to inform "junior" that if he continues assuming that he knows what patients want without bothering to ASK them, that private practice might prove to be a food stamp experience for him, as well. (In this case, he figured that when an MO patient is going in for PS, she must want to look like Calista Flockhart and, since she won't, she won't be satisfied with the surgery. My Beverly Hills plastic surgeon said, "Tell me what you're looking for." I said, "Rubenesque." He said, "We're on the same page. My insurance will pay and my surgery is in two days.) Can you decline the services of the fellow, or is he a "given" with the coverage you have? I ask, because--and I don't want to scare you--but I wouldn't want a beginner doing my band. (And I'm not a total snob; I did have a beginner do my panniculectomy.) The band complication rate is tied directly to surgeon experience. Anyone who would want you to make a scale move in short order--and basically, the only way you can do that in time is by dehydrating yourself--is not practicing common sense, let alone good medicine. Best of luck...