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Hi Everyone: I just saw my surgeon today regarding a revision from the band to the sleeve. I've had no issues with my band whatsoever, except that my weight loss has been extremely slow, only 28 lbs in one year! Not that I want those pounds back, but I expected better results after undergoing WLS! I've stuck to a diet, exercised and have been weighed by a nutritionist once every two-three weeks for a year! Interestingly, my surgeon did not hesitate for a second, and immediately brought me the consent forms for the revision! He also immediately arranged my endoscopy on the spot! I'll see him again once that is completed, and then on to the next step. So, yes, I would definitely use the same surgeon, he understands the issues involved and wants to see his patients succeed. I'm glad he was so helpful. Cheers... Mary

I am looking for a friend/mentor they don't have to be Canadian but it would nice to have someone local to relate to. I am going to PV to have a gastric bypass done. I had a vsg done a year ago....unfortunately it wasn't successful I am really hoping this works !!

If you eat, and then proceed to "puke" that is not proper restriction, that is being over restricted. When overfilled, people tend to eat things that go around the band (slider foods) and those things tend to be less healthy and higher in calories. I was over restricted and most foods made me pb. In order to compensate, I learned to eat slider foods and actually managed to gain weight while being too restricted. Secondly, I am sorry, but 800 calories a day truly does seem like too few to me, especially when exercising. Are you tracking what you eat, along with your daily fitness? If so, that may give you better insight as to why you are not losing. I was at a bit of a standstill when I was exercising and only eating about 1200 calories a day. I upped my caloric intake to between 1500 and 1700 a day and am now losing about 2 pounds per week. Perhaps meeting with a nutritionist or personal trainer to better evaluate exactly what you are doing and what your body needs to lose weight would be a good idea. Lastly, everyone please remember that like the others said, the band is a tool. We do have to commit to better, healthier habits. And, this is not gastric bypass. The band is designed for us to lose a healthy 1-2 pounds per week.

Had my consult with a sleeve surgeon and was told that I'm unlikely a candidate for the sleeve. I was so disappointed, I started crying right there in front of the doctor. He said there is a 5% chance someone who has NEVER had reflux will develop it after the sleeve. There is a 10% chance people with reflux that have no symptoms will develop reflux symptoms. Of course I HAVE symptoms, which increases the chance of getting reflux that cannot be controlled with drugs - I have been on an on/off regimen of Omeprazole and Pepcid for several years. He said getting the gastric bypass would completely cure the reflux and I could lose weight, so in essence - "kill 2 birds with one stone". I told him I couldn't wrap my head around bypass at this time. He agreed to re-visit the possibility of getting the sleeve after getting pathology from an endoscopy... Anyone been in my situation and went ahead with Sleeve surgery? PS - The doctor also said he had 2 patients just like me who insisted on getting the sleeve and he revised them to bypass 2 years later (they were already skinny for bypass surgery!) to cure the reflux because it had gotten so bad and could not be controlled with meds. Please reply, thanks!

Did your doctor provide guidelines in terms of amount of food? For bypass at first it was no more than 1/4 cup of food at meal times. I could barely get that down. The Water thing is a bigger deal. You will become dehydrated if you don't drink enough and that can cause you to feel like your stomach is hungry when in fact you are dehydrated. I know this sounds strange but in the beginning weeks and months following surgery I literally had to hold the cup or bottle in my hand at all times and just sipped every minute or so until I was able to get to 64oz MINIUMUM per day. I know it sounds insurmountable but it will get better for you.

Finishing up my breakfast and then it's time to get ready to go back to work FINALLY!!! WooHoo!!! It's about time. I hate not working. So glad I was cleared yesterday to go back starting today. Oh, and I'm now down to 233 pounds. I'm 33 pounds away from my goal weight!!!! I started off at 421 pounds when this whole journey began. I've lost a total of 188 pounds from my highest weight. I've lost a total of 155 pounds since my surgery in May 2022 (I was 388 pounds on surgery day). Bariatric surgery, changing my relationship with food, changing my diet, working out and changing up my routines, all of it is why I'm here now. 33 more pounds to go, ya'll!!! I'm in a size 16/18 in clothes (down from 28/30), I'm in a size 6 1/2 ring (down from size 10), I'm in a size 10 shoe (down from a size 11), and I wear 18" necklaces (instead of the 22" and 24" necklaces I wore before). Yes, I've had complications. Yes, I've had several surgeries. But things were found that I never would have known about. Silent killers, they're called. Has it been annoying and painful and frustrating? ABSOLUTELY. Would I do it all again anyway? ABSOLUTELY. I've STILL gained so much more than I've lost. I have 1 more surgery (my hysterectomy) and then I'm completely done. And honestly, I'm still way way healthier than I ever was before. I only wish I would have just done the bypass to begin with and skipped the sleeve. But then again, like I said, the conditions I didn't know about wouldn't have been found without the complications from the sleeve that led to all my procedures. Everything happens for a reason. I firmly believe that. And I'm almost on the other side of all this, so I can speak into existence that nothing else will go wrong, things are looking up, and I'm getting my life back but as an even healthier and better version.

I have had my mind made up for months, on which surgery I want to have. But last week I met with the surgeon, and he suggested the sleeve. Ultimately it is my decision. He just said the sleeve is just as effective as the bypass, but without all the complications. I just want to have the surgery that will be the best tool, long term. I am 25 years old, and I don't ever want to be at this weight again. Height of 5'2 Weight 312 BMI 54-55 Please offer any advice you have! Surgery date is scheduled for February 25th! Thanks!

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery. I lost weight quickly. Those who have sleeve surgery generally lose weight at a slower pace and encounter many stalls along the way. [Someone on the board even created a slogan for it called "Embrace the Stall"]. My weight loss came to an end around 7 months and I transitioned into a maintenance phase. Sleeve patients can achieve the same degree of weight loss but it is over a longer time period. Many are still losing weight after 2 years. It took me around 6 months before all the problems that I encountered after surgery seemed to melt away and I entered a Happy State. So do not expect the problems to disappear overnight. It will take time.

Tomorrow I leave for San Francisco to get my band removed and revised to a VG (Vertical Gastrectomy). I will let you all know how it goes in a week or so when I get back.

Globe and Mail - Tues March 13th, 2007 There's a downside to obesity surgery SHERYL UBELACKER Canadian Press TORONTO — When people with obesity have surgery to help them lose weight, they can also lose something else — the ability to properly absorb certain nutrients, in particular Vitamin B1. And that deficiency can potentially lead to permanent brain damage if left untreated, researchers say. In a review of the medical literature, researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found 32 cases of bariatric surgery patients who developed symptoms of Wernicke encephalopathy, a condition marked by memory loss and confusion, an inability to co-ordinate movements and rapid eye movement. Wernicke's is caused by a deficiency in vitamin B1, also called thiamine, and these classic symptoms are usually seen in alcoholics, said lead author Dr. Sonal Singh, an internal medicine specialist at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. “But interesting to our study, we found that these people also had other symptoms, like hearing loss, convulsions and tingling and numbness of the arms and legs — symptoms that have not been previously described with Wernicke's,” Dr. Singh said in an interview. That made the researchers wonder if these bariatric surgery patients were suffering from more than just a B1 deficiency and may have been experiencing a deficit of other critical nutrients or had developed immunological problems. Strangely, almost half of the patients with the neurological symptoms showed no brain lesions when given an MRI scan, said Dr. Singh, whose study is published Tuesday in the journal Neurology. Of the 32 patients — who had one of four weight-loss surgeries, including gastric bypass and gastric banding — 13 made a full recovery. Eighteen others were left with various levels of dysfunction and one patient, a 33-year-old woman, died. Most had experienced vomiting prior to onset of the neurological symptoms, said Dr. Singh, noting that patients ranged in age from 23 to 55, and 27 of the 32 were women. (In the United States, 75 per cent of bariatric surgery patients are women, he said.) The vomiting could have been caused by any of several factors, including the anatomical changes created by the surgery; blockages caused by swelling around the surgical area; and ulcerations or other erosions of the stomach developed following the operation. “When people who have had weight-loss surgery start experiencing any of these symptoms, they need to see a doctor right away,” stressed Dr. Singh. “Doctors should consider vitamin B1 deficiency and Wernicke encephalopathy when they see patients with these types of neurological complications after weight-loss surgery. If treated promptly, the outlook is usually good.” The average point at which patients began exhibiting Wernicke's symptoms was four to 12 weeks after surgery, although one patient developed problems two weeks after the operation and another 18 months later. Dr. Singh said his study could not determine how common Wernicke's encephalopathy is among people who have surgery to help them lose weight, and he said studies that follow patients are needed to establish how often it occurs. While some doctors prescribe thiamine supplementation after bariatric surgery as a matter of course, Dr. Singh believes national standards should be set for physicians to follow. “This is an emerging risk which is going to become more important in the future as more people get surgery,” he said.

Mine did not heal correctly. I had an infection and was told after the infection was treated to let it heal on its own- it was an open wound. Totally gross ... After it looked like it healed, I found out my port flipped. I wasn't crazy about having another surgery and they were able to manipulate it to still give me a fill so no big deal. Then my incision got really red and they thought my band was eroding. Did an EGD and they found nothing... It was all fine. Then I slipped on ice and fell really hard. The tubing broke through and tried to come out of that port incision. I had no choice but to have revision surgery. They moved my port to the other side and re-opened the original incision. They found dead tissue where the port incision did not heal correctly. Removed the dead tissue and left the old port incision open. I now have to pack it with gauze everyday to make sure it heals right this time. You should not ignore this. Get another opinion and get that thing healed or it can lead to major compilations.

Today is my 4 yr bandiversary and I am depressed. I started at 225 and got down to about 180 but now am back at 190. I haven't had a fill in three years but have recently been having more and more reflux. I am thinking about having a revision to the duodenal switch because I seem to have no metabolism. I work out at Curves three or four times a week and also do a two hour Tai Chi class once a week. I still struggle with strong sweet food cravings in the pm. I went crazy over the holidays and gained six lbs....Back to the guilt and still holding on to those six lbs. How are you other March 2009 bandsters doing?

I am scheduled for a March 20tj bypass - it’s getting real and the questions are hitting me fast and furious. Appreciate any advice and insight: 1. Dying my hair/roots - any issues. Should I do it now or closer to the surgery date so it lasts longer. Same question for a new cut. Time for people to get use to it? Should I start taking collagen, non-sulphur shampoo - anything to manage the hair loss a little Walking post surgery - should I get walking sticks? I know there is no weight lifting post surgery - what about other non-weight bearing exercised- exercise bike, yoga classes etc. COVID, flu, tetanus, - anything else I should get ahead of Any kitchen things I should get- can you purée with a hand blender?

I chose sleeve because my BMI was 35 and I didn't think I needed the more drastic procedure. Plus, with the sleeve, you have fewer malabsorbtion issues, and if I ever needed another procedure, I can always have the bypass or mini bypass, but once you cross those bridges, you're done...nowhere to go after that. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

I'm now three years out from my roux en y gastric bypass surgery. For the first two years I used a treadmill for exercise; I started just walking and finally got to the point of running -- never thought I would do that again. This past year I started cycling and am loving it. I have a turbo trainer for my bike during the winter and am using Trainer Road software and also Zwift. Cycling has given me the extra motivation to want to lose more weight and to get healthier.

Hey Jenny, I'm only 3 1/2 months out, but I'll let you know about my journey so far and hopefully that'll help some lol. I have always been a short and chubby guy, but made the decision in February that I wanted to change it. After talking to my coworkers who have had the surgery (one bypass and one sleeve), I decided to look into it and get a consult. My doctor suggested/approved me for the sleeve surgery. My date was set for July 2 and I all the other stuff (psych eval, bloodwork, etc.) were all done rather quickly and were no problem. I didn't have to do any pre-op diet or anything, but started to practice what they expect for afterwards (smaller meals, smaller bites, chewing 30 times, no drinking 30 min before or after, etc). I had my surgery early July 2 and it went well. I had the earliest appointment and my best friend drove me in and stayed with me. Basic pre-op stuff and then went in the room and woke up like 2 hours later in recovery (4 small incisions). They had me up and walking pretty much right after I had a room and they had me walk every hour or so and sip water. After a day, I was home and starting my journey. After surgery, you're just having fluids like water and a small amount of clear soups (you're honestly not all that hungry for a little bit). Then you're on the fuller liquids for a little while (make sure you get your protein shakes in you cuz it helps you heal better). Next, you can eat a little bit of food, but its mostly unbearable stuff lol. I got by this by having small low-sodium V8 cans as sort of a tomato soup...really enjoyed that. After that, you can finally incorporate normal food in which was nice. Eating is def different now, it needs to be slowed down and sometimes it sucks not being able to drink water with your dry chicken lol. I get by by having a good amount of 4 oz Veggie burgers with protein that my mom found on QVC. Haven't really had any stomach probs since either, which is really good considering life before surgery lol. 33 down now and people say they can see the difference.

Pain on the left? I just had my revision Monday from the Lapland to sleeve. For me with my original wls the intense pain on the left for me was always me being backed up needing to make a BM, that's the area where to colon turns down. See if you can poop, it may make you feel much Better

Sleeve or bypass? I still can't make my mind up.

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease. People often suffer heartburn or have acid indigestion as a result. RNY gastric bypass removes most of your stomach and re-arranges your intestines and you'll be on vitamins for the rest of your life because your body will not be able to absorb the nutrients it needs due to the changes to your digestive tract. Gastric sleeve only cuts out 85% of your stomach, but otherwise leaves your digestive tract alone. You'll probably be on vitamins for at least the first six months since you'll be limited by your small stomach, but eventually you'll be able to get what you need from food with little to no supplementation. People lose faster on bypass, but after one year out, the weight loss is about the same for both procedures. There is no "better choice" - there's only what's the best choice for you. If you are over 50 BMI, have GERD, and/or have an addiction to sugar, bypass is often recommended. If you don't have any of those issues, usually sleeve is recommended.

Well I hope everyone is surviving with this virus issue? Here in Australia things are going ok just the issue of supermarkets being raided and hard to get toilet paper before everyone buys it all... But no quarantine or anything yet... Umm I don't go online as much because I'm happy and doing things my way... Fired my useless dietitian months ago... I started this diet journey 7 months ago pretty much to the day and I've hit 150LBS lost I cannot even fathom it. I never ever thought I would even get this far or this low but this bypass just seems to keep working for me. I started my journey at high weight of 322lbs and today I weighed in at 172lbs first thing this morning 😁 Some might say I've lost more than enough but I feel I'm going well just taking each day at a time.. Still experimenting with different foods I can tolerate but taking it slowly and doing it my own way. Some days I'll still feel like a shake or two. Some days I'll be real hungry other days no hunger at all... I've been doing it my way not worrying about specific stages or phases really. So yeah 150lbs gone and I feel amazing. I feel like a new man and I'm like where did all the fat go? It feels great people calling me skinny and I weigh less than most of my mates now hahahaha I know I'll eventually need to start weights and stuff but I'm in no hurry yet. Love Mikey xo

What kind of problems? People generally don't get long-term complications from sleeves. It's not like RnY where people get reactive hypoglycemia and have to have part of their pancreas removed to fix it or get ulcers from the surgery that have to be treated. It's even very unlikely that the sleeve would stretch enough to require a fix. If you mean, what if I don't lose all the weight, it would depend on how little I had lost. If I was 10-20 lb more than I wanted to be, I'd lump it. If it was a significant amount, I would get some kind of intestinal bypass, either RnY or DS. I don't know which one because I haven't looked into the nitty gritty details of either. I'd probably go for a DS but I'm not sure I could eat enough fat to make it work. (I don't like greasy food.) I doubt I would put a band over it because the odds are just too high that I'd have to have yet another surgery to remove it some day and be right back where I started. Plus, the only thing a band would fix is if the sleeve had somehow stretched and was too big and you can fix that by having it tightened instead. Not to mention it rarely happens -- you really have to abuse the thing to get it to stretch. I don't know where you heard that people are putting bands over VSG. I don't know anyone who has done that -- it really hasn't been around long enough to know a lot of people who had revisions. Most VSGers will get a DS if they have inadequate weight loss because they figure they need the malabsorption after all. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

Hi! I'm working with Dr. Kim's office in hopes of doing a revision to sleeve. I've had my initial visit, my EGD, a follow up, and am now waiting on insurance approval. I'm wondering if anyone out there who sees Dr. Kim or his associate has had trouble getting things done? I was seen initially in November. I called the sleep study place the first week of December because they had not called me like Dr. Kim's office stated they would. The sleep study place told me they would have to pre-cert my insurance and they would get back to me. Okay, that's reasonable. I waited patiently through the holidays as I know how that can slow things up. I finally called them the first week of January and they told me they had no record of me. Ugh! So when I followed up with Dr. Kim's office for my EGD results they faxed everything back over. I still have not heard from them. I was told that everyone who comes to Dr. Kim must have a sleep study. I had my EGD on 1/4/13. No issues were evident, so that's positive. While at the hospital, everyone kept asking me if I was coming back next week for my sleeve. It seems everyone who was getting an EGD was already approved and scheduled. And from what I overheard (those curtains hold nothing back), they all still had the band, same as me. Hmmm... So, my questions for you who have been to this practice are these.... Did you have to have a sleep study? Did you have issues with the clinic where the studies take place? Did you have the EGD right before before surgery or was your surgery date dependent upon the EGD? Did you have to have a cardio workup? I'm really not trying to be ugly or anything. I'm just wondering what other's experiences have been like. I'm a nurse so I get that things have to be done according to policy, etc etc. It just seems that it's not going so smoothly for me. When I was banded I had everything done, boom boom boom. (I have the same insurance and I feel confident they will approve the revision. My insurance is pretty good.) However, this experience is much more chaotic. If you have story, please share as I'm just curious. Thanks!

I chose the lapband because it was less invasive. Also studies have shown that three years down the road both band and bypass paients are at the same weightloss. even though you lose faster with the bypass, after about three years most people tend to gain weight back, because the somach stretches. Lapband patients also get the satisfaction of having this be adjusted forever something a bypass patient doesn get. I hope that helped.:cursing:

Evie, why did you pick the lap band and not the bypass?:cursing:

Sounds like you guys had lazy doctors. My doctor and his partner say they ALWAYS LOOK for and FiX any hiatal hernia during the surgery- band or sleeve or bypass. No it does not fix itself. It's true that many people (especially obese people) have it and sometimes it doesn't cause symptoms. If you are one of those people- great. Maybe it will continue to not bother you. In my case I had constant heartburn from it. In order to get it fixed, it takes another lap surgery unless your doctor was nice enough just to fix the problem while he/she was already in there.