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Help! I had Gastric Bypass Feb 2016... I've lost 144lbs and I feel great. My current struggle is the lose skin, particularly in my stomach and thighs. It's not enough for skin removal surgery to be covered by insurance and I can't afford to pay out of pocket. I go to the gym at least 5 days a week. I try to focus on lifting weights and building muscle all over. Does anyone have any tips that they found helped them with tightening up the problem areas without surgery? Thank you.

I've read all the posts on this topic, but haven't quite made the decision yet for myself. My surgery date in in 3 weeks and so far only my husband and his parents know. I have had drama with my family in the past and so I don't know how they will accept my decision... even though both my parents have had gastric bypass. I don't think I will tell my friends because I feel they will judge me. I am unsure if I should tell my coworkers. I am a nurse, so they will all notice I am out on medical leave for weeks. I have considered telling them I am getting gallbladder surgery, but I hate lying and am terrible at it. I just don't know if I am confortable dealing with all their opinions (especially being in a female profession). I am confident in my decision, but I do not deal well with people's criticism. This is probably the thing that is stressing me out the most at this point... any advice?

My highest recorded weight was 392 (in 2017). I was 389 when I started the program to have WLS and since my program required a 6 month monitored weight loss I lost 68 pounds during that time and was 321 on my surgery day. I'm currently 178 pounds. For reference... I had the Loop Duodenal Switch/SADI-S/SIPS surgery. It's a gastric sleeve stomach, just with the added intestinal bypass bit.

You naughty little thing, you! I'm just teasing. I would LOVE to be your surgery buddy, although I'm having bypass. Surgery is on 8/11. I'm also 42 years old and qualified because I have 2 co-morbidities to go along with my 38 BMI. No one even measured me, they just asked how tall I was! Please don't feel one bit guilty. BMI of 40 vs. 38 is not much, really. The number of hoops we have to jump thru just to get insurance approval is positively silly. I had no clue my insurance would even cover it until I got a sleep study several months ago for some wicked snoring. My sleep doctor made me aware of the possibility. Never thought I weighed enough to even consider it.

My surgeon recommended either the bypass or the duodenal switch. I take a strong NSAID that I will probably continue to have to take despite significant weight loss. He said with a failed lap band he didn’t recommend the sleeve. I am thinking about the sleeve because the switch is a more serious operation.

So I was going to be very discreet about my surgery and only told 4 people.... my business partner (to explain the time off), a friend here in Idaho who had gastric bypass years ago (for some insight and support), my sister in Wisconsin (she accompanied me to TJ for surgery), and my parents in Arizona(because my sister convinced me how pissed they'd be if they found out afterwards). In the course of 3 weeks, my partner told her whole family and any friends that asked why I wasn't around at Christmas time. My friend told a number of mutual friends because "it's no big deal and they will all see you losing weight anyways", my sister told most of the rest of my family, including brother, nieces and nephews, and my mom told any family members that my sister missed -aunts and uncles, and everybody she talks to in her retirement park down in Arizona. Today I walked into my beauty salon and my nail tech insisted on knowing how I lost so much weight. I'm a terrible lier so ended up telling her about the surgery and kept the entire salon of patrons entertained with my tale of bariatric surgery in Tijuana. One of them ended up getting the name and contact info for my surgeon! So my original plan to keep this a secret has gone all to shit, but Luckily I have had nothing but supportive feedback. If anyone is saying anything negative, at least they are doing it behind my back

No better, just suited on an individual basis. Since this is a lap-band board, most people here found the lap-band to be the better choice for them. You've been given some good links. Additionally, search terms like "pros and cons," "band vs bypass," etc. And if you haven't yet, find a bypass board and ask their opinion. Best to get both sides of the story from people actually living with it.

Today I had lunch with a friend of mine...I met with her to give her a job..before we could even get to that part lunch fell apart...she suggested Taco Bell I said ok...knowing I would just have the small bowl of refried beans ( surgery was Sept 6th)....she asked how my progress was going and I said really well..and she said " it can't be that hard u barely eat anything and can sit around and lose weight"...she is a bigger gal who's mom had gastric bypass 8 years ago so I though her of all people would be supportive...I have a pretty sharp Italian temper and before i thought I said back to her..."I bust my ass 4 miles a day on my treadmill..yes ur right it does take much to fill me up but I still hafta watch what I eat and make sure it's the right foods...you were prob full 2 freaking tacos ago but choose to ignore it"...I got up and left...ok soo I do feel a little guilty abt snapping off on her like that...but I'm guessing this was a friendship that was not gonna last once i started losin weight and she did nothing for herself..such a shame we had tons of fun together

So today was my weigh in date and I'm down 17 pounds since my band to sleeve revision. I was on business travel for 10 days (one week post op) and have glad to be home. I had to ship Protein bullets to myself and did lots of soups while I was gone...the hotel provided me with a refigerator and even had sugar free Jello for me ( I told them I had surgery and they were very accomodating) My tip if you have to travel is call and ask for a fridge and microwave in your room, most hotels will provide for free...or ask to have your minibar emptied so you can you the fridge. The hardest part of the trip was a couple of days in Vegas with two friends who are both significantly overweight and focus losts of time and energy on eating..you know...the where...when...what...I managed to do ok but it was a physical and somewhat spirtitual reminder of why I decided to change my life and have the band to sleeve revision. A win on the trip was I didn't need to us a seatbelt extendedr on my flight from Chicago to Vegas...at least on United airlines I'm ok :thumbup1: Usair...I still carry mine with my....I'm looking forward to the day I can ceremonially get rid of that damn thing!! Any ideas? I fly 100k miles a year so this a big darn deal for me. I'm still feeling good and healing nicely...and plan to hit the treadmill this week. This is my first full week at my office since I went to Mexicali. Sending everyone my very best intentions for healing and hope.

Personal opinion only but I have followed 3 people who have had the lap band and more who have had sleeve. Everyone of the bands have failed. One person had to change insurances and they won't pay for fills. All the sleeve people seemed to be doing very well. Good luck in your decision. I am also 5 7 started at 309 and there is no way I could lose what I needed to with the lap band. I debated the bypass for a long time because of my size. Good luck to you and good for you making an informed decision.

Hi! I had my revision from band to sleeve June 6th, and yes, I had to good through the whole process again. I have BS of Califirnia. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I really have not posted on VST for a while and have been meaning to start again; particularly in the Band Revision forum. You can read many more stories of people's experiences there, but I just wanted to throw in a few more points for consideration based on my own experience having a LapBand for six years: Fills - They never hurt but I am so glad that I have never had to have them again. There was so much trial and error and second guessing involved. My Lapband surgeon was very conservative with fills so it took something like 6 or 8 of them to even begin feeling restriction and that in itself took a few months. It's a great money-maker for doctors and most insurances cover only some or none of them. Once my insurance stopped paying I ended up negotiating with the Dr. for him to accept $75 per fill vs. the $150 I would have had to pay. Still - that adds up. I also could not tell for days whether it was effective; with the exception of when it was too tight which would take a day or so. So I walked out of the office feeling fine and happy that I thought I had finally found my 'sweet spot' only to wake up the next day to find I couldn't even keep Water down and to make an emergency appointment to get some of the fill taken out. Not fun. Insurance - Most will only cover one WLS procedure so you want to make sure it's the right one for you. I had to appeal 3 times to have get my Sleeve approved. That in itself took 6 months. On the 2nd appeal the insurance Dr.'s expert opinion stated something to the effect of - 'she failed with the Lapband so she will fail with VSG"; Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence Dr., by the way have you ever met me, have you ever examined me? On what basis are you expressing your 'expert' opinion of me?" The only positive in that was that it was so absurd I used it as an argument in my 3rd appeal letter and finally won. As I already mentioned when I had the Lapband in 2006 (I think I wrote 2007 before which was incorrect, the only two options were Lapband and RNY. Be glad you have the Sleeve choice now - it has come a long way in the last few years and they predict it will be the #1 recommended surgery over RNY soon. In fact my own surgeon had RNY some 12 years ago and he states that if he were to do it again he would do the Sleeve (of course, not sure if he tells his RNY or Lapband patients that so I'll take it with a grain of salt Of course, many people don't even have insurance and had to self-pay for the Lapband and now a revision and VSG. No small chunk of change; I was fortunate that insurance paid for all of my surgeries. Pre-Op Diet - I did not have to do any pre-op diet to get the Lapband so it was scheduled pretty quickly. Of course, at the time, I thought that was just great. As I mentioned since I had to do all these appeals I also started visiting my PCP monthly so that the insurance couldn't hang the 6 month requirement over my head if they denied me again. My VSG surgeon required a 2 week pre-op diet which was very regimented but relatively easy and I lost 10 lbs in that time. It really did help me get ready for the surgery mentally and I'm grateful that my surgeon required it. This is a personal decision that only you can make and you should weigh your options carefully of course. I just thought it may be helpful to hear some more 'real world' experience from someone who has had both surgeries now. All the best,

I haven't told my inlaws and hopefully never will. My mother in law, brother in law and sister in law are huge...my hubby is getting bigger these days too. My inlaws and husband have all been large, except my father in law... Hubby was always the smallest after his dad, but not so much anymore. 5 years ago my MIL was absent at my daughters birth because she was in Louisiana with my sister in law, who was getting gastric bypass at the time. I totally understand her being there for that. It's not like I was going to allow her in the OR with me anyway. My SIL has always been huge. Not sure of her exact weight but I know she wore 5x. She never made good food choices and exercise was a foreign word to her. Pretty much sums up my whole inlaw side of the family. Anyway back to her surgery. She was receiving state medical insurance so her surgery was free. Within 1 year she lost a lot of weight and looked great. Then something happened after year 2...She went back to her old eating habits and gained all of the weight back, and then some. She was given a huge gift in the form of free surgery that could make her healthy and enjoy life more and she trashed it. The main reason I don't tell my MIL...she is the biggest blabber mouth and if I fail at this everyone will know thanks to her. Then I'll be compared to her daughter and I can't take that. It might seem petty but I don't care. I worked hard to be able to pay cash for my surgery, my insurance excludes weight loss. If I want the world to know something, I'll tell the queen of gossip and you can bet in two minutes everyone in the USA will know. Not lying. I will be a success in spite of my inlaws. Sorry for the long post...guess I needed to get that off my chest. Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

Hi everyone! I got banded in 2007 and am looking into revision to sleeve. I had to do all the pre-qualification stuff for insurance coverage before my band. For those of you who got covered by insurance to do revision, did you have to do all the pre-qual stuff again? I have BCBS.

Yeah, everyone is different. I walked a lot the first year I had my surgery. Week 1 I lost 12 lbs and then I lost 2-3 lbs a week. Then it went down to 1-2 lbs a week. I had some weeks at 0 lost. But at the end of the year I lost 160 lbs. .... Different situation, my sister also had a gastric bypass and over 1 year has lost 65 lbs. So everyone is different. My advice is to truly have a change of heart with your relationship with food, never ever cheat.. Meaning don't "find out" if you can still eat candy or push for that extra bite... If your brain finds out you can cheat the system You Will. So don't cheat. Last, walking or exercising really does make a giant difference in how much you lose. So don't just sit on the couch waiting for it to fall off. You'll still lose weight but you won't get the results you're looking for...anyway, enough blabbing. Good Luck!! You're a new person now!! So exciting!

I am supposed to be getting the sleeve and my understanding is that you can have dumping syndrome with both the bypass and the sleeve.

As I have been reading the posts the past few months I saw how first time Sleevers had issues with certain foods. As someone who had revision surgery- I'm not having any issues. I waited a few months before trying things - I had my first cupcake for my sons birthday - no issues. ( I was only able to eat 1/2). Had my first popcorn at the movies - no issues ( split a small with my son- no butter) last night I had my first Subway sandwich- 6 inch flatbread. Had no problems ( took me 45 min to eat it and I was stuffed the rest of the night). I'm curious as to others- have any food issues since the revision? I have no plans to make this the norm for me, I knew that his birthday week I was going to be the 1 week I splurged ( still lost 2 pounds- before the subway sandwich)

I work in the health industry, and this article came across my desk today... it's an opportunity for you, the patient, speak up regarding their proposal to NOT cover surgery for patients whose BMI's are under 35 who are dealing with diabetes. Their argument is that it won't make a dramatic difference in a person's health. CMS Proposes Covering Bariatric Surgery to Treat Diabetes Written by Stephanie Wasek Monday, 17 November 2008 After an extensive evidence review, CMS has announced a proposal to revise its existing coverage policy for bariatric surgery to include type 2 diabetes as one of the co-morbidities CMS would consider in determining whether bariatric surgery would be covered for a Medicare beneficiary who is morbidly obese (an individual with a BMI of at least 35 is considered morbidly obese). CMS is also proposing to not cover bariatric surgery when it is used to treat type 2 diabetes in a beneficiary with a BMI below 35. In 2006, CMS expanded coverage of bariatric surgery for Medicare beneficiaries who receive one of four procedures — gastric bypass, open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, and open and laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch — in bariatric centers of excellence, as certified by the American College of Surgeons or the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, and as reported on the Medicare coverage Web site. To be considered for coverage, Medicare beneficiaries must have a BMI of 35 or higher and must have exhibited a serious health condition in addition to morbid obesity, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, or osteoarthritis. Type 2 Diabetes would join the list of serious health conditions. However, after "a careful review of the medical evidence available on bariatric surgery," CMS is also proposing to not cover bariatric surgery for patients who do not meet the definition of morbid obesity, even if they do have type 2 diabetes. "While recent medical reports claimed that bariatric surgery may be helpful for these patients, CMS did not find convincing medical evidence that bariatric surgery improved health outcomes for non-morbidly obese individuals," says the agency. CMS is seeking comments from the public about this evidence and its implications for coverage, and about which groups of patients should be covered for this surgery. Public comments may be submitted directly to CMS's Coverage Web site for 30 days from the Nov. 17 posting of the proposed decision memorandum. CMS will issue a final decision memorandum within 90 days of the proposed decision. Read the proposed decision memorandum and submit comments at the CMS Coverage Web site.

Sorry that their self-interest exceeds their support and concern for you. I would just say, "Thanks, I've made my decision." Period. Then make yourself scarce. People can't argue with you if you won't engage or be baited. I don't think that I'd deny it because the lie will soon become obvious. If you are old enough to sign the surgery forms and pay for it, you are old enough to make decisions for your own health. Good for you for taking control of your health and your life. Meeting your nutritional requirements after surgery is not easy, but it beats lugging around all those pounds and developing a list of other problems. I hope you will be as thrilled with the results as I am with mine! The statement that kills me is that the surgery is unnatural. Well, so are penicillin, the polio vaccine, coronary bypasses, appendix removals, etc., but they save millions of lives each year! Duh.

Band-to-bypass patient here. I think I may have perspective that will help you considering I've been through it myself. I never lost weight with the lap band because it didn't work for me. It never reduced my appetite and it merely felt like a road block between my esophagus and stomach. Food slid through the band pretty easily (if I chewed well enough and/or ate slider foods) and considering it was much easier and more comfortable to eat that way, that's what I did. The lap band does NOTHING to stop you from eating as much ice cream or cheesy mashed potatoes as you want. With the lap band, if it's adjusted properly, you get a hard "stop" when your pouch is full. You have to be careful with the bypass because "full" is a much more gradual feeling. Eat slowly, or else you could end up eating too much and that is painful. Restriction is there but it's a gradual feeling rather than the sudden feeling of "I can't eat anymore." Keep in mind other benefits the bypass has that the lap band doesn't: malabsorption, reduced/muted appetite, and prolonged satiety. I would get hungry pretty fast after drinking water with my lap band (I always waited the 60 minutes we were told to wait and even so, the food washed right through my pouch). With the bypass I'll stay full for several hours. I get hungry but not *famished* to the point where I'm shaky and desperate. You're just 1 month post-op but it will get better feel free to PM me if you want to chat. Having had a lap band before will make this experience different for you. I'd get so frustrated when people told me the lap band was "just a tool" but it felt like someone gave me a bent screwdriver when what I needed was a jackhammer. The bypass is a much more powerful tool. I lost 20 pounds in 6 months with my lap band and then stopped. I was so frustrated with feeling miserable that I just gave up and ate what I wanted. With the bypass I've lost 101 pounds in 5 months. It's night and day, truly. Even on days when I want to give up and eat what I want, I can't. And I really appreciate that. Try eating a couple cookies and see what happens 😂 actually, don't. For me it's really bad farts but for a lot of people it results in terrible dumping so it's just not worth it. Anyway, I hope I provided some comfort for you. It will get better and you'll lose weight!!! It's such a better tool than the lap band (or as I call it, crap band!)

I'm a band to bypass revision on March 21. I wish I had listened five years ago when the PA at my surgeons office said you need to have a bypass not the band. I paid for not listening with five years of misery. It works for some people but the numbers are small over the long term. I wish my first wls had been my last. So looking forward to my revision! Best of luck to you.

Hi Veritas! Like you, I wanted to lap band, but had some reservations. I started this journey last year. My doctor told me it was my decision, but... he did tell me how many revision surgeries he's done in the past two or so years - these are patients who had the band, and ended up - for various reasons - getting the RNY surgery. I didn't want to end up having two separate surgeries, especially since he's old school and said I'd have to wait another 6-9months and go through the whole insurance drama again if I needed to get the second surgery. I researched the RNY to the ground and decided to go through with it. I'm only 2 weeks post-op and feeling pretty good so far! I'd say get a second opinion if it would make you feel comfortable with whatever choice you end up making. We all know it's a long road to get us even to contemplate and to go through with surgery, so I wish you the best!

Your story sounds sooooooo much like mine! I was convinced I was only going to do the band! My hubby wasn't thrilled but was ok with just the band...then after hours upon hours obsessively researching my options I decided the bands success rate and limitations were NOT for me! I have decided to make a life changing decision about my health ,happiness,&the way I view who I am..the band while I'm sure works for some...has a VERY high failure rate & complications...if you will really look @ different post on here I think you will see that many people are having revisions from band to RNY...I will finish my 6 month diet in April & should have surgery in the spring (God willing!) I was terrified of the thought of RNY now I cannot wait!!! I have prayed that Gods will be done where this surgery is concerned for me.i have total peace now & am confident it is the right decision for me !Also you will receive so much support here ...it's almost like a extended family ..everyone is supportive and truely can relate to you...if you ever need to vent or ask questions people are always here...I hope that you will find peace in your decision !!! hugs

I currently have a band and now I am seeking a revision to the RNY. I wish you the best of luck!!! p.s. listen to the doc

if you have GERD, go with bypass. If you don't, it comes down to personal preference. Statistically people lose more weight with bypass, but it's not by a significant amount. IIRC, the average weight loss is 70% of excess weight (RNY) vs. 65% of excess weight (VSG). I don't know that cutting out 80% of your stomach and throwing it in the garbage is any less invasive than putting a staple line across your stomach and moving your small intestine up, but that's just me. They both seem pretty drastic to me... anyway, you'll find people who are wildly successful with both surgeries - and others who have failed both surgeries - and others who are kind of in the middle. Success is really more a matter of your level of commitment rather than which surgery you go with. They're both good surgeries and if you're committed, you'll succeed with either one.