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You take all of those suppliments everyday? I thought one of the advantages of being sleeved over a tradional bypass was that you wouldn't need as many supliments because they don't reroute the intestines. Thank you for your expertise!

Protein drinks are a way to get a lot of protein in with very low carbs and moderate calories. Back when I was banded, I was not informed of the benefits of a high protein/moderate carb diet and did not use Protein Drinks. There are still surgeons who don't want you to drink your calories. I dunno, I am maintaining a pretty massive weight loss (half my starting body weight) and I still have 1/2 or 1 premier Protein Drink daily... usually in my coffee plus a few sips and I call it Breakfast. I am 4 years band to sleeve revision. I am not wild about ANY of them. The ones I could tolerate where premier chocolate or strawberry. The vanilla is vile but works as a base for a smoothie or a fake latte. For ones that start as a powder, I found the nectar Syntrax the only ones i could BEAR to drink. My my main complaint is they weren't very "satiating" as a person with a mature sleeve. They have lots of crazy flavors - the best ones in my opinion was the vanilla bean and I think the chocolate was okay. I don't use it anymore but I did during the weight loss phase. The best way to try the syntrax product is get their sample pack. It used to be you could get it for the price of shipping which was a great way to try before you buy. I recommend calling the company and asking. I bought my big jug powder of the vanilla bean from Amazon as that was cheapest at the time.

Although I have often read on the forum where any number of doctors have stated the 30g Protein serving limit, I have never been able to find any high confidence research that either supports that or disputes it. I suspect that coming up with a good rule of thumb on protein is a daunting task because there are so many variables not only in the type of protein, but in the digestion/absorption rates and a whole host of other things. M.A. Cruz, I found the article you linked to be interesting and quite well written. The author's description of the digestive process of protein was particularly interesting. But we have to remember that the author's intended audience was not RnY patients. The pre-digestion process in the stomach and digestion times in his article must be considered suspect. We have limited pre-digestion taking place since the stomach is out of the picture. food passes much more quickly from the pouch into the intestine than it does from the stomach (with the pylorus) into the intestine. We also have to remember that some portion of the duodenum is bypassed - how much will vary by patient and by surgeon so that can be a difficult factor to estimate. Then when you attempt to factor in differences in digestion/absorption rates for different protein types, it gets even more difficult. Filtering creates higher amounts of protein for a given volume - think whey concentrate vs. whey isolate. But denaturing protein, using heat or acid or both, changes the protein on the molecular level. Denaturing effectively reduces the size of protein molecules which results in protein being absorbed into the bloodstream substantially more quickly and therefor presumably in higher amounts. Hydrolyzed protein is absorbed even faster still. And it goes on and on. One word of caution, there is evidence that too much protein in your diet can result in some potentially serious problems. The research is not yet conclusive but the Institute of Medicine's Dietary Reference Intakes suggests that doubling the amount of protein can result in a 50% increase in the loss of Calcium through the urine. And may increase the risk of kidney stones by 250%. From what I've read, you may want to carefully weigh any potential benefit of that second scoop of Protein Powder against the potential risks that may be associated. Science does yet seem to have a definitive answer to both sides of the question. It might be wise to err on the conservative side of things until more is known. Here's a link to one article in WebMD that discusses some of these things in more detail - http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/wheres-the-beef-wheres-the-health-benefit.

The only thing I'd be concerned about is that 50 lbs is not much to lose. I'd ask the surgeon to give you at least a 40f so you will have a better shot at being able to stop the weightloss after you hit50-60 lbs lost. If he gives you a 32, it might be a lot harder to stop the weightloss when you want to. That's just my opinion, and some people say bougie size has very little to do with it, but mine's a 40 and I've lost a lot of weight, never thrown up, never had problems with any food, etc. I love that I'm able to eat anything, just a lot less of it. I'm almost 5 months out and losing steadily. A good example of what I can eat is what I ate yesterday. 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 7 cashews and 10 frozen blueberries 2 string cheese 1/3 of a mango 2 ozs of rice/vermicelli/scrambled eggs/chicken breast 1/4 cup of greek yogurt 1/2 cup of endive/mashedpotatoes/bacon/nutmeg/vinegar mush with 1 cheese souffle (Admittedly this meal took me about an hour to eat but I knew I needed to try to get dinner in because I have a kidney infection so I had been sipping white beer and cranberry juice all day. Man it's hard to drink beer after VSG.) Then before bed I had 5 saltines with light gouda cheese. I thought after all that I'd show a gain on the scale (the beer and cranberry juice alone was 700 calories) but I actually lost another 2 lbs. I dunno, maybe bougie size doesn't matter that much, but I know I can eat enough healthy food with a 40f whereas some people I've read that have a 32 can't get in much more than 1/4-1/2 cup of food at a time. If I only had 50 lbs to lose, I'd be scared it wouldn't stop. I have a few friends that are 20-30 lbs below goal and try very hard to gain weight. We're all different, so it's hard to say, but I do know that a 40 allows me to get in proper nutrition (my 4/5 month bloodwork was excellent!) and still lose weight. Additionally, if for some reason a 40 is too big and you have trouble maintaining, you can have additional surgery to convert to a bypass or switch, but if you get a 32 and can't stop losing, what can you do? Nothing except get used to weighing 110 lbs. Just my opinion. I do think the sleeve is an AMAZING tool, but for someone who has only 50 lbs to lose, it's a risk that your body might get down way below goal before it matures/heals enough to allow you to stop.

I spent about 3 days immersed in reading info online, emailing coordinators and clinics for info, and reading about experiences on this website. At first, I was sure I was going to do the lapband, primarily because it was reversible. I think that would have been a huge mistake based on what I have read about complications and revisions. I happened to meet a gal thru work who had surgery in Mexico a year ago so was able to talk to her face to face. As you research, you will find that many clinics have several coordinators working for them. Think of it as a salesperson representing the service. As I found out while in Mexico for surgery, these coordinators are not all equal and I was very fortunate to have hired a good one. I don't think I am allowed to post her info but can send you a personal message. She is usually present for her clients' surgery and recovery. Others are not. I am usually very frugal but I told myself this wasn't the time to pick the cheapest option out there. I based my decision on the coordinator who communicated with me the quickest with the least amount of pressure. I also based my choice on airfare. It seemed a couple of clinics were receiving equally positive reviews and were similiarly priced, so I calculated airfare in as well. For me it was less expensive to fly to San Diego and go to Tijuana, and I have been to Tijuana so was familiar with the area. I was also able to book a Southwest flight which is a huge advantage. They are one of the few airlines who allow you to change or cancel your flights without penalty. The unused funds are available for another flight within one year or you can rebook immediately at the going rate but without a penalty. My concern was if I wanted or needed to extend my return flight home. I did change my flight, but flew home earlier in the day! I was very happy with my surgery experience in Tijuana and would go back for other procedures if necessary or elective.

there was no blood draw at all, he told me to start again at 4 weeks, but that I would over saturate my body with vitamins and cause it to stop absorbing....he said that with this surgery it is not as necessary to take vitamins as with the bypass or switch. he's not a big advocate of vitamins and says that they are marketing of doctors trying to sell vitamins....doh!

I will be having gastric bypass on July 3. I started my program in Feb 2019, but have battled weight issues my whole life. I am excited and anxious about my upcoming date. I cannot imagine weighing less than I do now. At 42 years old, I've been morbidly obese my entire adult life and obese my entire life. So many thoughts run through my head about this surgery, but I tell myself to take it one baby step at a time. My program only requires 2 days liquid diet, so I don't even start that til July 1. Would love to keep in contact with you and our other July siblings [emoji16] Good luck to all of us! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Did they do any special tests to diagnose you with GERD? Or did they diagnose you only by your reported symptoms? I have gerd and I am wonder what i need to do to get approval for revision . Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

H. Pylori is a bactria strand that lives in your stomach. Like 60 percent of people have it and most never know it. symptoms include, black stool, burping, stomach pains. it can cause ulsers in some people and like 1-2 percent cancer. stress and spicy foods make it worse. they scope for it prior to the sleeve and bypass bc they dont want the bactria all over your body. it is curable/treatable after surgery but they dont usually do surgery with it... im starting my second round of the antibotic pak bc mine didnt go away the first time. im already 2 months postponed on my revision surgery and idk what this latest round is going to put me behind on. it totally sucks..... i have no symptoms.

super upset here. I'm a revision patient. got my approval denied. going through appeal now. BMI is 39.8 and they're denying it based on a BMI below 40 and that it hasn't been 2 years since surgery. (15 months isn't enough I guess). super upset!

So excited - I just had my initial seminar at the surgeon's office, and it just seems like a fantastic facility! The doctor was nice, the support staff was amazing. The patient coordinator had bypass herself and lost 250 pounds! So inspiring to be able to talk to her, and she was so open about the whole thing. Calling Monday to make the appointment with the surgeon! Thank you MassageMini - I appreciate the encouragement, and I'm excited for you too!! Hey Brittney! It's so funny you said that about which surgery is right for you. I've been leaning heavily toward sleeve this whole time, but after listening to the doctor today, I'm thinking bypass might be the way to go. He mentioned people with bad reflux (which I have) but without hiatal hernia should opt for bypass over sleeve. I'm eager for my one-on-one with him to get more answers. Stephanie, I totally agree with you on it being a commitment, and it's one I'm willing to make. I'm sick of being "too big" for things I want to do. I have a 7-month-old nephew in California who I have yet to meet because I don't want the shame of having to pay for two seats on an airplane. This is the only child any of my siblings has had, and I won't get to meet him until he's 15 months old and they bring him home for Christmas. I love the beach, but don't go because I can't stand the thought of being in public in swimwear. I flat-out don't like going in public because people stare at me. I'm sick of it, and I want to change my life. Heck, I want to HAVE a life! I don't do anything now. Just sit in the house, go to work, come home. Eat my feelings. I'm with you on wanting to not have the option to eat too much. I don't think you're harsh, I think you're being real. Mi-chaMae, thanks for the advice - I'm trying to be careful about the support team, because I know how important it is. My husband is being amazing about this. He came with me to the seminar today, and is totally supportive of whatever I need to do. And he also said he's willing to eat however he needs to to accomodate my diet after the surgery. I haven't told anyone else yet, because I wanted more info beforehand. But I'm going to make it clear that this is my decision, and I don't want to be "talked out" of it, or told horror stories about so-and-so who they know who had it. We all need positivity! Thank you all so much for talking to me! It's making this whole thing so much easier. I can't wait to get the process going - hopefully it won't take too long!

The DS has even more of an absorption issue than the bypass from what I understand. I had researched both since my comorbidity is diabetes but DS is used for more extreme now. I am a month post bypass and it did get rid of the diabetes. I was a band to bypass revision to be specific and very happy with my bypass.

I have Medicare thru United health care and Medicaid. I'm trying to get a revision from lap band to Ru N Y.... I have a BMI of 35 and comorbidities, also have a complication with my hernia slipping into my band. My insurance girl says due to the complication I don't have to do the diet, I called my insurance before I started my journey and they said they would cover it if medically necessary, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will approve due to my complication. I'm quiteow income and live on food stamps so I'm wondering if any of my local grocers carry whey Protein that says nutrition instead of supplement so it's covered by food stamps. I hope everyone who is attempting to be approved will do so. Thanks for listening and sharing your stories. Sent from my SM-G550T1 using the BariatricPal App

I made the decsion As I had serious health issues and I am wheelchair dependant. Being morbidly obese with a BMI of over 60, my independance was at imminent risk, for me that was a bigger issue than early death. may seem strange, but I think that I got desensitized to the message that fat would kill me, sure something will kill me! so for me, forced dependancy was far worse. Quality of life stuff. I knew that WLS was my only real option and dd not like the thought of the more invasve procedure like RNY gastric bypass. I knew someone who had gastric bypass- she lsot the weight and kept most off but has had to deal with severe nutritional imbalances and anaemia since then and probably for the rest of her lfe. She s happy wth the decision but I guess I liked the idea that as the band is adjustable it could be fine tuned over my life- even removed if needed and the underlying anatomy basically is back to square one. None of us know what the future hold so I did not want to burn any bridges with permanent anatomy changes if I could achieve what I needed with less invasve surgery. my surgeon is one of the australian pioneers, he has been doing band surgery since the early 90's and has been doing wls in generla for longer. He is Professor of bariatric surgey. He has not done anything but the band for over 6 yrs as he said the long term stats show better success rates for the band and far less complications, the rsk of death from the procedure is as high as 1 in 200 for the other surgeries and less than 1 in 2000 for the band. One of the biggest units doing this surgery in Australia for the longest time has said that they have not had a single death from the band that was attributed directly to the band surgery. thevery small number of deaths that have occured have been related to the co morbs or completely unrelated stuff. same long term results with far less rsk was the final piece of the puzzle

I figured I would create this blog so as not to hog up space posting in various topic areas. I also wanted a place that I could just write and record my feelings about my WLS journey. Since being sleeved on 12/26, this has been one of the most difficult medical related situations that I have ever encountered. You read all the information, you follow posts on the site, your doctor is constantly talking to you - along with his entire team, you talk to others who have had the surgery, you go to all the required meetings scheduled by the nutritionist and medical practice; or as required by the insurance company and STILL, nothing really prepares you for what your journey will be like post surgery. Pre-surgery I stayed on my doctor's office and insurance company to approve this surgery. I wanted the weight off, I needed the weight off, I was miserable with the weight. I was also very disappointed because I had had a prior weight loss surgery e.g. lapband and it was dismal failure. At most I think I lost 30lbs. When I saw my DIL and how well the sleeve surgery "looked" on her, I knew I had made a mistake with the band, but at the time I thought "oh well" I'm stuck with what I have. Over time I began looking into the options regarding revision. My first physician who placed the band in wasn't budging in considering a revision - so I got another doctor. At first the new doc was a bit resistant, but after 6-7 months of no progress, he finally approved the procedure; and so did my insurance company. Of course I was ready to self-pay if they didn't. A loan, anything, I was desperate. Surgery was scheduled on 12/26 and off I went to my new me... Post-op things seemed to be progressing well during my initial hospital stay, overnight - except for my experience with the overnight nurse assigned to monitor me throughout the night. He just was not helpful and would not give me pain medication in timely manner. I made such a fuss and actually threatened to leave the hospital if someone didn't help me. Finally, some pain meds and off to sleep I went. Needless to say that I was so interested in getting out of there that the minute my doctor asked me the following morning if I was ready to leave the hospital, I said absolutely. I had gotten up early that morning and was actually feeling pretty good, probably all that fluid they were pumping in me via the IV. I was able to wash up on my own and get dressed, so I thought...ok this is good. I couldn't drink water at that point or anything else, but I was even ok with that. I wasn't feeling hunger at this point, I just wanted to go home. Home - this is where the journey really gets interesting... After about two days, I still couldn't tolerate liquids - especially anything cold, so I mainly subsisted on hot tea and popicles. Periodically I would try to drink one of the many varieties of protein drinks I had purchased in advance of surgery, but they were all horrible and I couldn't get them down anyway. I think for the first 2 weeks, I was literally starving myself to death. Finally it got to a point where I couldn't keep anything down. By the time I got to my 1st follow-up appointment with the doc, I felt weak and confused e.g. what the heck is going on confused. What happened, why am I feeling this way confused. I asked my doc and he said... the good news you have lost 17lbs isn't that great! Uh yeah, but I'm starving and puking anything I try to take in and I'm not taking anything in. I wanted to lose weight in the worst way, but I didn't want to starve myself to death. He said, it will get better - and if I was still vomiting after a week or so, call him - an endoscopy procedure may be in order. He sends in the Nutritionist who reviews my meal plan with me. What meal plan?!, but ok - I go over what I'm supposed to eat, what I'm not and some food options to consider. As I was leaving the office, one of the Physician's Assistants who had been helping me push to get the surgery approved, said quietly on the side - don't wait to call the office back if I was still vomiting, no need to suffer he said. Boy was I suffering. In fact the following day, I called the doctor's office and said I can't take it anymore, they have to do something. I could barely get out of bed. The following day I was scheduled for the endoscopic procedure. The doc who performed the procedure said that he saw some blockage from scar tissue, so he inserted a balloon that would help stretch the opening of the stomach so I could get something in. What a relief I thought... Following the procedure I was able to get fluid in, not much but at least broth, soup, more popicles, hot tea. In fact one day I actually ate some shrimp and started buying different foods that I could try e.g. mushy's. I guess that wasn't the best idea, the shrimp stayed down - but some of my other selections e.g. shellfish did not cooperate at all; even though I would chew this stuff until it was water. Finally, I got tired of trying to eat and just stuck with broth, creamy soup, popsicles and hot tea until even the thought of these foods turns my stomach. Don't want to forget all the pill popping e.g. vitamins, calcium, antacid, gas x, additional Vit D... Anyway the next round has been gas and diaherra (which is still the case). A couple of days, I couldn't make up my mind whether to go to the bathroom, vomit or both - sometimes it is both. Oh yes, i forgot this whole time I've been so weak, that I could not work, I live alone with minimal support or encouragement - so depression began to creep in; until it was so full blown that I asked my PCP to put me back on depression meds, that I had been off for the last year. So now, 4 weeks and 3 days into this journey, I'm sitting here wondering exactly how am I feeling. I have been able to add a couple of more foods to my list of what I can tolerate. Yesterday I was finally able to drink water and drank a whole bottle. I am also slowly beginning to tolerate drinking juice from the fridge; although slowly and very cautiously. My sleeve seems to be "teaching" me what it will accept and what it won't - it is very, very particular and any misstep on my part will be dealt with immediately and painfully. In fact, if I get ahead of myself, I'll be right back to clear liquids if not the same day, the following day. I still haven't developed a taste for protein drinks, but there is one that I can tolerate more than others. I'm sure my doc would say it has too much sugar in it, but it's either that one or none. After 2-3 weeks of practically starving, I'm just glad I'm able to tolerate anything close to protein. I definitely don't overdo anything - too scared and too tired of being sick and too weak to move beyond the bed, bathroom and kitchen (just to look around, cause eating is limited). So is it getting better? Well I have my good days and bad days, today seems to be going ok - yesterday too. Today I had a boiled egg. Wow - who would have ever thought that eating a boiled egg would be a major thing in someone's daily life. To be continued.

I'm having surgery June 1 with the Realize band. I feel somewhat of a guinea pig with my surgeon. The hospital that my insurance requires me to go to, they're not real big on banding. They do mostly bypass. They're switching over to the Realize band. My surgeon who has not, by FDA requirements, attend the training seminar that he is required to attend before he can do it by himself. He's done the other band. So the chief surgeon who has done the training session will be assisting. So I'm getting two surgeons. My surgeon has only done 20 bands, chief surgeon over a hundred. My daughter has had the other band with no problems. So I'm excited about having surgery, but somewhat nervous about doctor, although Geisinger Hospital in Danville, PA is an excellent hospital and my surgeon was very patient and didn't get his feelings bruised when I asked a gazillion questions about his not having done many of these procedures. he's done hundreds of the by-pass. But reading the posts on here has helped explain the differences between the brands. Thanks so much. Trisha

Trisha...my banding was almost one year ago! I have been extremely happy with Realize band! I think 2 surgeons is great and it is really the port that is "installed" differently/ Instead of being sewn on the muscle fascia...it has a tool (think of it like a "bedazzler" which stamps the claws onto the fascia!) I have had 2 friends need lap band port revisions because they flipped...never heard of a realize port flipping....not to say they can't but hmmm... I will be thinking of you! Good luck and be happy!

I got my band in 2005 and initally lost 40 pounds....ans stayed at 40 pounds lost for a year....then gained it back....I've been staying at the same weight every since. I went on weight watchers (per my doctor's nurse suggestion) and lost 15 pounds and couldn't lose any more...so I looking into revision....now I am scheduled for revision in 9 days!! SO excited...alittle nervous, but mostly excited

his name is dr.peter lalor, he used to work at the cleveland clinic i do need to find out more he did say that he did lapbands for two years there. i am a little nervous being his first one here. i may see if i can get the other surgeon who works here. i heard that she is mostly for the bypass also but i do know that shes done over 45 bands here in maine. some of my friends think that dr.lalor is a good doctor because he emails me and has called me but so many on this website have told me to find another doctor. andrea

I think you should try a third opinion as well. If she "prefers" the bypass, then it's possible that she's just more familiar with it. Doesn't necessarily mean it's the right one for you. Talk to as many people as you can.....read read read this web site. I encouraged you to inform yourself about BOTH surgeries. Then YOU can make an educated decision! Good luck to you!

Here is both sides of the coin. I had a lapband in 2007, I could never get the right restriction, too tight or too loose. I couldn't eat healthy foods, chicken, most vegetables, most fruit. If I tried I would vomit, I resorted to eating slider foods. Fast forward to 2012 had my revision to sleeve, FANTASTIC!! I never would have thought I would reach my goal weight UNDER 200 pounds! It has been amazing for me. Yes you have to work your WLS that you chose BUT the lapband besides being difficult to eat properly can cause many medical issues; erosion, gerd, vomiting, slipped bands and leaking ports. Don't waste your time with the band. For me I now have a $16000.00 band souvenir!!

I hung a really cute tank top on my bedroom door when I was banded 4 1/2 yrs ago, looking at it everyday. By the time I tried it on, it was too big! What a problem to have! Last summer, I looked terrible in tanks. I had gained 30 lbs when my band slipped but I've since lost almost all of that since my revision 9 mths ago. I've bought a few tanks recently and they look almost decent. Still have some rolls (boob fattage) that pop out occasionally, but they look better than they ever have. I think it's a great idea! Have something u can look at everyday and aspire to fit into. Good luck!

hi so my name is jessica and i am new to the bypass forums but not new to the site. ive kind of been lurking since wendsday of this week and wanted to tell my story. i am 24 with a high weight of 290 pounds right now i am in month four going on month 5/7 of my required visits for insurance and have lost 8 pounds not a lot but ill take it. i have a awesome husband who is my rock and is supporting me through all of this and is keeping me accountable when my head hunger kicks in and i want mcdonalds really bad lol so thats me ill update more as i go along i should be having surgery in march or april of 2016 so anyone having it around that time message me and we can keep up

Hi Jane! There is a section on here band to sleeve revision I changed my mind half way through as well because of the fills etc. Also a friend has it and u really can't tell she has gained a lot back. I wish u best if luck in ur decision but I feel the sleeve is better than bypass if u were. Considering that. The band scares me LOL I think if u visit the topic and read people's experienced u will feel more confident in ur decision. Sent from my Samsung Admire using VST

I read that after the bypass you intestines produce a chemical that helps control sugar I think been a few days since I read up on it. But trying to find links that have info on what effects diabetics have after a gastric bypass is difficult. I have a app on Tuesday and a list of questions to ask him so I'll keep looking it up.