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Hey im 22 as well...i wasn banded on 3/24...ive lost just over 20 lbs....i am so happy about my band....and im excited to see where its going to take me...lol...i hope you get your approval!!!...mine took forever...they denied me at first then i had to prove "medical need" for the band....i started the process back in oct 07...and at the time my bmi was so high i almost had to get the bypass, so i lost 40 lbs before my sergery....best of luck!!

With revision, at least in my case, it would meaning giving me a new pouch, from my old stomach. I have heard of people having this done before, but I never really read up on it, because I guess I never thought it could happen to me.

Hello, everyone. My name is Nicole and I just found this forum website from a Google search. This is my first post, my introduction. I am 32 years old, I am a mom of three (12, 9, 7) and I am engaged to an amazing man. We live in Greensboro, NC. I had my RNY on July 30, 2007 and just this past week was the first I'd experienced any type of problems. I will get into that more here in a little bit. I had my RNY, as I stated above, in 2007, and I went into the surgery room weighing 257 lbs. My highest recorded weight was 315 lbs, and my lowest was 128 lbs. Right now I am hovering around 160 lbs. Since my RNY I have gone through a 12 year relationship/10 year marriage that was rather abusive, as well as a separation from that marriage, a new (and amazing) relationship, two moves (from PA to VA and then VA to NC), three knee surgeries, an emergency gall bladder removal surgery and just this past week an emergency perforated stomach ulcer surgery. Like I said above, this last week's incident was the first problem since having my surgery (aside from the occasional "dumping", vomiting, dehydration, etc.) and it was VERY scary. I was admitted to the local hospital, with what I thought was a heart attack because of the symptoms I was displaying, only to find that a ruptured ulcer produced a perforated stomach. I spent 7 days in the hospital, having gotten out just yesterday. My "pouch" was repaired, however I am back on the DYS 1 diet of pureed and soft foods, and I am being set up with a bariatric surgeon and his team (one that works with the surgeons who worked on my stomach last week) in the next 2 weeks because there is a good chance that I will have to have a revision done. I am on some medications right now, to continue the healing process, but the surgeons think that there is going to be no option other than the revision. Um, let's see ..... I truly have strayed from the "RNY way of life" with all of the craziness and stress that has gone on in my life, but after this past week I know that I have to get back in line. As I said above, in 2010 I had gotten down to 128 lbs (around a size 4) and while I really enjoyed it I just crept back up after the first knee surgery. It's going to be a while before I can get back into the gym, but that's my last worry right now. I just want to get better. I hope to meet a lot of nice people here, to offer advice and to get advice. Just because I'm 5 years post-op it doesn't mean I know it all, and I never claim to. I am posting two pictures along with this post - the first is my highest and lowest weights (2006 and then 2010) and then myself and my children, back in August, at my current size. I hope that everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving week and weekend. Nicole

I don't know that much about it but I think the oral B12 doesn't work for everyone - not just people with malabsorbtion (sp?) procedures. I think most RNY people go right to the injections. My B12 was low and my doctor suggested taking the sublingual for awhile to see if it raised my levels. If it didn't, we'd do the monthly shots. Luckily, after a few months, my levels went back to normal so I never needed to do the injections. I buy mine at Walmart and it's not that expensive. I just read this when I did a google search: Sublingual delivery lets your body absorb B Vitamins directly into the bloodstream through the numerous blood vessels underneath your tongue. This delivery completely bypasses your digestive system where it can lose much of its effectiveness. Bypassing your digestive system means maximum absorption.

Ugh, I'm going to have to jump through hoops to get this revision done! Surgeon says I'm going to need to get a letter of medical necessity from a PCP, problem is that I haven't had a PCP in years. Can anyone recommend a good one that is easy to work with? Prefer Dade/Broward area, but will drive if necessary.

Some good news: I got a surgery date! I'm having my band-to-bypass revision on August 24th! They only gave me about 3 weeks notice, so I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to get all my clearances done. I got my labwork, chest xray, and cardiology clearance done this past Thursday, I have my pulmonology clearance scheduled for Tuesday, and my education class on Wednesday! I'm so excited! I've been trying to get everything in order for surgery, since my mom is flying down to stay with me. I've ordered all of my pre-op Vitamins (even though I don't have to start them for 6 weeks), a zip-front soft bra for leaving the hospital, and I'm going to go buy some more Premier Protein shakes at costco this week (they're on sale!), and I'm trying to get my apartment as clean and organized as possible.

Hello, I'm sorry to hear about the complications you've had following your bypass surgery. Now my curiosity is up concerning the hot flashes after surgery. I am getting hot flashes like crazy, but mostly at night when I'm sleeping. They are so annoying and uncomfortable. I am hot, so I kick the covers off, then I get cold... and it can just continue like that for hours, which is really tough because I'm losing sleep. Makes me feel like poop the next day. Anyway, I had my bypass revision around May 1st of this year. I guess the hot flashes started about 2 months ago. I am starting to wonder if I am perimenopausal, although I don't have any of the usual "symptoms" other than the hot flashes. I am 47 and had a hysterectomy 8 years ago, but my surgeon left my ovaries. Not much help to ya, but wanted to jump in on this topic since I'm experiencing something similar. I might dig around and find some of the posts/conversation on this topic. Wish you the best, get well soon and congratulations on your bypass surgery.

The Latest on Nutrition and hair Loss in the Bariatric Patient by Jacqueline Jacques, ND Nutrition and Hair Loss A common fear and complaint of bariatric surgery patients is postoperative hair loss. While for most of us as people, our hair is important as part of our self-image and body image, it is not very important to our bodies. For this reason, nutrition can have a great impact on hair health because when forced to make a choice, the body will shift nutritional stores to vital organs like the brain and heart and away from hair. Hair loss has many causes. The most common type of hair loss after weight loss surgery is a diffuse loss known medically as telogen effluvium, which can have both nutritional and non-nutritional causes. Whether you are aware of it or not, for most of your life you are always in the process of both growing and losing hair. Human hair follicles have two states: anagen, a growth phase, and telogen, a dormant or resting stage. All hairs begin their life in the anagen phase, grow for some period of time, and then shift into the telogen phase,which lasts for approximately 100 to 120 days. Following this, the hair will fall out. Typically, about 90 percent of hairs are anagen and 10 percent are telogen at any give time—meaning that we are usually losing a lot less hair than we are growing, so the hair loss is not noticeable. But sometimes this can change. Specific types of stress can result in a shift of a much greater percentage of hairs into the telogen phase. The stressors known to result in this shift, or telogen effluvium, include the following: high fever, severe infection, major surgery, acute physical trauma, chronic debilitating illness (such as cancer or end-stage liver disease), hormonal disruption (such as pregnancy, childbirth, or discontinuation of estrogen therapy), acute weight loss, crash dieting, anorexia, low Protein intake, Iron or zinc deficiency, heavy metal toxicity, and some medications (such as beta-blockers, anticoagulants, retinoids, and immunizations). Nutritional issues aside, bariatric surgery patients already have two major risks of major surgery and rapid weight loss. These alone are likely to account for much of the hair loss seen after surgery. In the absence of a nutritional issue, hair loss will continue until all hairs that have shifted into telogen phase have fallen out. There is no way of switching them back to the anagen phase. Hair loss will rarely last for more than six months in the absence of a dietary cause. Because hair follicles are not damaged in telogen effluvium, hair should then regrow. For this reason, most doctors can assure their weight loss surgery patients that with time and patience, and keeping up good nutritional intake, their hair will grow back. Discrete nutritional deficiencies are known to cause and contribute to telogen effluvium. One should be more suspicious of a nutritional contribution to post-bariatric surgery hair loss if any of the following occurred: 1. Hair loss continued more than one year after surgery 2. Hair loss started more than six months after surgery 3. Patient has had difficulty eating and/or has not complied with supplementation 4. Patient has demonstrated low values of ferritin, zinc, or protein 5. Patient has had more rapid than expected weight loss 6. Other symptoms of deficiency are present. Iron Iron is the single nutrient most highly correlated with hair loss. The correlation between non-anemic iron deficiency and hair loss was first described in the early 1960s, although little to no follow-up research was conducted until this decade. While new research is conflicted as to the significance of ferritin as a diagnostic tool in hair loss, it has still been found that a significant number of people with telogen effluvium respond to iron therapy. Optimal iron levels for hair health have not been established, although there is some good evidence that a ferritin level below 40mg/L is highly associated with hair loss in women.1 It is worth noting that this is well above the level that is considered to be anemic, so doctors would not be expected to see this as a deficiency. Zinc Zinc deficiency has been tied to hair loss in both animal studies and human cases. There is data linking zinc deficiency in humans to both telogen effluvium and immune-mediated hair loss. Zinc deficiency is a well-recognized problem after biliopancreatic diversion/duodenal switch, and there is some indication that it may occur with other procedures such as gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding. In 1996, a group of researchers chose to study high-dose zinc supplementation as a therapeutic agent for related hair loss2 in patients who had undergone vertical banded gastroplasty. The study administered 200mg of zinc sulfate (45mg elemental zinc) three times daily to postoperative patients with hair loss. This was in addition to the Multivitamin and iron supplements that patients were already taking. No labs for zinc or other nutrients were conducted. Researchers found that in patients taking the zinc, 100 percent had cessation of hair loss after six months. They then stopped the zinc. In five patients, hair loss resumed after zinc was stopped, and was arrested again with renewed supplementation. It is important to note that in telogen effluvium of non-nutritional origin, hair loss would be expected to stop normally within six months. Since the researchers conducted no laboratory studies and there was no control group, the only patients of interest here are those who began to lose hair again after stopping zinc. Thus, we cannot definitively say that zinc would prevent hair loss after weight loss surgery, and further study would definitely be needed to make this connection. A further note: The tolerable upper intake level (UL) for zinc is set at 40mg in adults. This study utilized a daily dose of more than three times that level. Not only can these levels cause gastrointestinal distress, but chronic toxicity (mostly associated with copper depletion) can start at levels of 60mg/day. Information related to this study has made its way to many a support group and chat room—even to doctor’s offices—with the message that “high-dose zinc will prevent hair loss after weight loss surgery.” Patients should be advised that high-dose zinc therapy is unproven and should only be done under supervision due to the associated risks of toxicity. A lab test to check for zinc deficiency would be best before giving a high dose such as this. Protein Low protein intake is associated with hair loss. Protein malnutrition has been reported with duodenal switch, and in gastric bypass to a much lesser degree. Little is known about incidence, as only around eight percent of surgeons track labs such as total protein, albumen, or prealbumen.3 Limited studies suggest that patients with the most rapid or greatest amounts of weight loss are at greatest risk.4 With surgical reduction of the stomach, hydrochloric acid,5 pepsinogen, and normal churning are all significantly reduced or eliminated. Furthermore, pancreatic enzymes that would also aid in protein digestion are redirected to a lower part of the small intestine. It is thus likely that maldigestion rather than malabsorption is responsible for many cases. Some studies have also implicated low protein intake.6 Research also indicates that low levels of the amino acid l-lysine can contribute to hair loss and that repletion of lysine stores may both improve iron status and hair regrowth. In a study of anemic patients with hair loss who were supplemented with 1.5 to 2g of l-lysine in addition to their iron therapy, ferritin levels increased more substantially over iron therapy alone.1 Biotin Many individuals believe that supplementing with, or topically applying, the nutrient biotin will either help to prevent hair loss or will improve hair regrowth. To date, there is no science that would support either of these presumptions. While biotin deficiency can cause dermatitis, hair loss is only known to occur in experimentally induced states in animal models or in extreme cases of prolonged diets composed exclusively of egg whites.7 Other Other nutrients associated with hair health include Vitamin A, inositol, folate, B6, and essential fatty acids. Hair loss can also be caused by systemic diseases, including thyroid disease and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and is influenced by genetics. Conclusions Hair loss can be distressing to bariatric surgery patients, and many will try nutrition themselves to see if they can prevent it. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that early hair loss is preventable because it is most likely caused by surgery and rapid weight loss. Later hair loss, however, can be indicative of a nutritional problem, especially iron deficiency, and may be a clinically useful sign. Educating patients about the potential for hair loss and possible underlying causes can help them to make informed choices and avoid wasting money on gimmicks that may have little real value. References 1. Rushton DH. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2002;27(5):396–404. 2. Neve H, Bhatti W, Soulsby C, et al. Reversal of hair loss following vertical gastroplasty when treated with zinc sulphate. Obes Surg. 199;6(1):63–65. 3. Updegraff TA, Neufeld NJ. Protein, iron, and folate status of patients prior to and following surgery for morbid obesity. J Am Diet Assoc. 1981;78(2):135–140. 4. Segal A, Kinoshita Kussunoki D, Larino MA. Postsurgical refusal to eat: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or a new eating disorder? A case series. Obes Surg. 2004;14(3):353–360. 5. Behrns KE, Smith CD, Sarr MG. Prospective evaluation of gastric acid secretion and cobalamin absorption following gastric bypass for clinically severe obesity.Dig Dis Sci. 1994;39(2):315–20. 6. Moize V, Geliebter A, Gluck ME, et al. Obese patients have inadequate protein intake related to protein intolerance up to 1 year following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Obes Surg. 2003;13(1):23–28. 7. Mock DM. Biotin. In: Shils M, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross AC, eds. Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1999:459–466.

Oh Amie I am so excited for you! What an exciting year!!! And if that baby can hold on one day longer it could share my birthday!! I know one of my biggest motivating factors in revising my complete flop of a band to a sleeve (aside from its many complications) is my desire to be a more active and parent! Congratulations on your sleeve, your marriage (shameful that we have to put significance on it being legal, but so exciting all the same) and even more so, the beginning of your family! Such an exciting time! Look forward to watching your progress!!!

I'm 58 years of age, male, 340 lbs, 5'11.5" and semi-retired from teaching. I made the decision to have gastric bypass of some kind in 2014. During the fall of 2014 I made an appointment with my physician, actually I think it was my annual checkup! When discussing my health issues, i.e. pre-diabetic, sleep apnea, morbid obesity, osteoarthritis, and borderline high blood pressure I brought up the possibility of having gastric bypass. I was VERY nervous to ask about this as I figured he would treat me as a failure for not wanting to lose the weight the old fashioned way (which I had done 3 or 4 times since I was married 34 years ago). Shockingly, he was very positive about it! This started the process, he said there were surgeons in the metro area, I live in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro, but on the Iowa side of the Missouri River. The bariatric surgeons were located in Omaha. So off I went, first I contacted a surgeon in Omaha who said I needed to do 6 months of nutrition counseling. I could do that through my general practitioner's office. During August and September 2014 I met with the nutritionist and was off on my journey, so I thought. Late September, my wife and I were stunned to find out she had advanced ovarian cancer, it was truly heartbreaking and awful for us, our daughters and other family and friends. She became quite ill very fast and we were so worried that she wasn't going to make it two months. My surgery plans, of course were put on HOLD. Anyway, through lots of prayers, great physicians and my wife's determination she licked the cancer and by January 2015 she had been through 3 rounds of chemo and surgery to remove the tumors. The pathology report came back with such good news about being in complete remission the surgeon called my wife personally to tell her, he was VERY excited that it went that well. My wife still had 3 more chemos in front of her, but finally on February 27, 2015 I restarted my process. Initially, I had begun the process through an Omaha bariatric unit, we quickly had found out in the fall at the same time my wife became ill that our insurance would not cover physicians in Nebraska. We were limited to Iowa. Because of the severity of the wife's illness she was able to get a waiver to get a specialist in Nebraska. My "illness" as such was not life threatening and they would not approve the surgeon in Omaha. I made my second shot at appointments with the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA. This is a 3.5 hour drive from home but it was a major medical university and the original home of the "father of bariatric surgery". So I felt that this would work, even with the long drives on occasion. The first appointment went well, they sent me home with nutritional counseling, paperwork completed and a pre-surgical diet to follow. They told me to lose 35 lbs by May 22, 2015. I went home, two days later I had a eschemic colitis attack. Four days in the hospital, one partial colonoscopy, lots of bleeding etc. etc. etc. I had never had a problem with my colon before, let alone an attack. The diagnosis came back that the attack tends to be one and done. But could possibly happen again, more than likely it would not. Thank god. My biggest fear was that gastric bypass wouldn't be an option because of the colitis. Gratefully, the doctor's had no problem with me continuing. After a rocky start, I was back on track by the middle of March and the weight loss plan that the U of Iowa put me on was basically the soft diet that I would look forward to following surgery. I found their diet was very helpful and keep me from being very hungry. I think working on the 64 ounces of Water a day and the 3 cups of skim milk for Snacks was probably the key to my success during the pre-op period. I did start an exercise plan at that time which for me was 10,000 steps a day AND/OR 30 minutes on the treadmill. It took a few weeks to work up to 30 minutes as I started at 20 but within 3-4 weeks I was there. By late June, I had lost nearly 45 lbs! On or about June 27th I went in for my pre-op checkup and they were very pleased with my progress. All systems go! Surgery was now officially on July 1, 2015. Stopped at a BBQ place in Des Moines on the way home. I suppose this was a last supper sort of thing lol. My wife and I hit the road for Iowa City. Arriving the night before, as I didn't really want to get up at 4 a.m. to make it there for surgery at 7:30 a.m. Remarkably, surgery was very uneventful, took about 2.5 hours was in recovery for another couple of hours because my room was ready and then started walking around the hospital floor that evening. Pain was minimal, I have had some other abdominal surgeries so kind of knew what to expect after gallbladder surgery, hernia surgery, etc. This was my first laproscopic though. It looks like you have been shot with a machine gun as you have 5 holes in a circular pattern of sorts around your stomach. I had two drains. These stayed in for a week! I went home the next day, and the drive back was also very smooth. Kudos to my wife who is an excellent driver too :-). Way better than me....lol. I stayed home the rest of that week and the next Monday as that is when my post-op appointment was and another return trip for a 20 minute doctor appointment. (7 hours for 20 minutes, uggh). But I did get my drains removed, those are a pain in a couple of ways. First they dangle from your body, second you have to drain and measure the amount of Fluid that you are dispelling from your body for the doctor's information. Of course, my menu was full liquid at this point and for the most part that went pretty well. I couldn't get 64 ounces of water down very well, but usually 50 or so. Lots of blended, hmmm crap.

August 22, 2006..I remember that day like it was yesterday. I arrived at the hospital so happy so excited so full of joy and ready to prove my doctor WRONG. You see my pre-op weight was 416lbs and the surgeon wanted me to undergo a gastric bypass or a duodenal switch (which I don't think they do anymore) because my BMI was so high. But at that time I was only 20 years old no serious medical issues and my mother didn't want me to have either of those surgeries so lapband it was. Moreover, my bariatric doctor made it very clear that I wasn't going to lose any weight and in two years I'd be back for a gastric bypass. Fast forward a few years and I was making tremendous progress. I'll never forget when I walked into Dr. Prachand's office in August 2008 for my two year post-op appt and I was down 138 lbs. And he looked at me with a smile and said "well Liqui you proved me wrong" that was the best feeling I ever felt. I was on a mission..I had a point to prove. Needless to say a few years went by and the weight slowly stop coming off...I was getting discouraged...I was losing my motivation and I had to switch doctors (I started a job and my health insurance changed). In 2011, I started seeing a new bariatric doctor (who I'm stilling seeing today) and it was like starting all over again at the time I had gained some weight back and I was about 310. At my first appointment with Dr. Mihil he told me to tell him my journey to this point...although he had my huge file in front of him. I told him my story anyway and he said "so let's start campaign prove Dr. Prachand wrong again." I laughed through my tears of disappointment and agreed. He proceed to say "I don't know Prachand personally but I want you to succeed because he wrote everywhere in your file. Placed band despite better judgement." When I tell you that doctor was AGAINST the band he was AGAINST the band and if I'm not mistaken he doesn't place them anymore at all. Moreover, my motivation started to come back I was checking in regular with the new doctor, losing weight, then BAM in 2013 I found out I was pregnant with TWINS. I was sooooo happy and excited yet sad because I knew I was going to gain weight. Well needless to say I gained more weight than I and the doctor expected. During my pregnancy I gained 73lbs I was mortified. I delivered my twins 4weeks early so I can't imagine how much more weight I would've gained if I carried them full term lol. My babies were born completely healthy but I was left with almost 60lbs of weight to loss. I avoided the bariatric doctor for two years...I kept saying "I wanna loss the weight before I go see him." I hadn't seen him since I was 4 months pregnant and he removed all my Fluid from my band. Then one day a few months ago I realized that I wasn't going to lose the weight on my own (which is why I needed weight loss surgery in the first place). And I finally made in appointment to go see him. I felt like a dead man walking.. I weighed in at 359. Which I was okay with considering I was 374lbs post babies. So I had lost weight but I still wasn't where I started. I was sitting in the room so nervous I thought the doctor was going to chew me out for waiting two years to see him and gaining so much weigh. He came in the room, gave me a hug and asked to see the babies. I just started to cry. I felt like I let him down. But he reminded me that "you're doing this for YOU and now those babies not me." That visit was such a breath of fresh air until he tried to give me a fill and to our surprise my port has flipped around. We played around with it for a while but no luck he couldn't get the fluid in. Another doctor came in and tried to give me a fill as well... No luck So I left that day with no fill but gained my sense of hope back. I have an appointment in the 26th of this month. And we're going to try it again or discuss possibly going in for a revision surgery which I really don't want. But I know something has to be done because right now I have no fluid in my band and feel no restrictions. I know everyone feels differently about the band and although weight wise I'm not were I want to be I'm still pretty happy with it because I haven't had as many complications like I hear about from the other WLS. And when I have fluid in my band it works of course with exercise and eating right. Moreover, I just really hope at my next appointment they can find the top of my port and give me a fill. Has anyone had a lap band revision surgery? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was in a similar situation as you before my sleeve OP. However - I KNEW that previously when I had lost a lot of weight my reflux had all but disappeared. I really didn't want a bypass so I decided to take the risk of 2 procedures and have the sleeve. It worked out as I had hoped - I lost a lot of weight and that cured my reflux. However, I totally accepted that it might have gone the other way. My surgeon didn't offer me any certainty or promise me anything - it was me who decided in the end. I hope this helps a bit and best of luck to you.

I am not scheduled until May 11th, but so far I am so confident in my choice with Dr. Garcia that even I can't believe it!! I am paying $5500, but that is with consideration for my revision, so I have heard that others are paying even less!! I will definitely keep in touch and let you know how it goes in May, but I have heard the most amazing things from so many people who have used him and I researched quite a few different doctors before settling on him! I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you guys can get a house this year too. My husband and I were able to get a house again after he had to foreclose on his old home due to his divorce. My family had to help us, but the feeling of having a place of our own for our kids to grow up in has been such a wonderful feeling!! I really hope you can add that to your whirlwind blessing windfall!!

From what I know and hear your reflux with be gone forever. I'm 1 month out and down 43 lbs . I had the band for 7 years and said enough is enough and got the bypass. You'll do great , we're all here to help you !!

Hello everyone. Today I am 9 days post of from lap roux n y. However 18 months ago I had gastric sleeve. I struggled with weight loss after about 40 pounds. After trying everything to loose weight, one year out the dr and I decided that it was time to discuss doing the surgery again. I tried for 4 month to get insurance to pay for a resleeve and they denied it Everytime. So as june approached I told the doc to try to get bypass approved. It was. I had my bypass on June 28. I am still really sore, tired, and in WAY more pain than I was with the sleeve. I never joined a forum or read on one after sleeve. I also never really had a support group. This time I'm doing it different. This time I will succeed and hit my goal weight. :-)

My mom is super against surgeries in general. So I'm in Mexico by myself. I don't mind. This is for me. I chose Mexico for a lot of reasons. Quality of doctor and care is above par than what is by my house. No hoops to jump. More hospital care. The sleeve is an art if done right. I didn't want to need a revision in years to come. I wanted a record of above excellent results. Tomorrow I am being sleeved and today the surgeon spent an hour with me and the other two getting sleeved discussing what was going to happen, how the new stomach works, signs your stomach is saying it's full and how to make sure you use your tool right long term. I've never had a US doc spend an hour with me answering questions, not rushing through, etc. Amazed so far! My 3 nights in the hospital start tomorrow. It comes down to what you want. You can't make people sorry you when they a are scared. The unknown is scary for people. This isn't a surgery that's required, it's elective and some people have a hard time accepting that. Be brave, change your life, your the only one that can!

My surgery is considered a revision because I had the Lap Band a few years ago. I am going to Juarez, Mx with Dr. Rodriguez and it is costing me 8500.00, I am paying down 4000.00. It is pricey for Mexico but I will be in the hospital 3 nights. Payments are only 200.00/month. I checked at Dr. Ariel Ortiz and I believe you could get sleeved for 4800.00, but it was in a surgery center, then out to a hotel.

I wanted to point one thing out, as I leave in the am. I'm actually a bit glad I came by myself! I think when someone is with you, you feel like you need to keep them entertained, not bored and happy. Without someone here, I don't have to worry about anyone but ME. Its been nice, if I want to shower, nap, sleep, not talk - I don't have to do any of that, no one pushing me to walk more or get more fluids down other than nurses. I actually don't think I would have liked it any other way. Look into Dr Aceves. He is a bit more, but you are in the hospital 3 days so there is 24 hour care. He does a very good sleeve (he does a LOT of revisions on BAD sleeves, so don't risk going to a cheaper surgeon, get the best the first time.)

Dr. Schulman, Thank you for the reply. Since my hernia is excessive in size, in my opinion, would it be more likely to be able to be corrected in a way that could be similar to a tummy tuck? Is there any phrasing that could be used to encourage "tightening up" during the hernia repair, and therefore getting the surgery covered by insurance? The hernia is the result of three abdominal surgeries with mid-line incisions. The incision begins approximately 2 inches above my navel, takes a turn to the left to bypass the navel, and then continues down for approximately 8 inches. The scar above the navel is relatively normal (for a scar), but then the navel is canted upward, in a comma-shape. Under the navel, the hernia bulges out, and is about three inches wide. The scar in this area has stretched out due to the hernia. When I lie on my back, and the intestines settle back into their semi-proper place, there is a gully on my abdomen that can get about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. I have to place my hand against my lower abdomen when I sneeze or cough, or I will hurt. I don't know if I would have enough excess skin for a panniculectomy, since most of the excess apppears to be just the bulging area of the hernia. Thank you for any further thoughts.

I had the band and plication on Jan 23, 2012, and it was my first procedure... not a revision or new LWS. So far, though, I've been really disappointed.

Hi Jacksbanster, I was banded back in 2004 and weight loss was great. I went from 322 pounds to 140 pounds. In 2010 my band seem to stop working and i started to gain weight (plus I stopped following the bandster rules) but that is because again I didn't feel I had the control the band gave me originally. Anyway, after gaining 60 pounds I was fed up and decided to investigate if others where experiencing the same thing with the band and if there were other options out there for me to look into. So I did a lot of reading and research and found out about the plication surgery. So I met with my Lap Band doctor and he told me more about this new investigational surgery called Plication. Fast forward, I had the surgery Dec 8th 2011. The surgery was a success, recovery was a breeze, the liquid diet was hard, but I got through it. My first post op visit I had lost 8 pounds. Then I got walking pneumonia and had to go on prednisone - this made me ravenously hungry and of course I regained all the weight I had lost back. I was so disappointed and frustrated that I wanted to die. But my doctor told me that prednisone is know for weight gain and I'll get back on track soon. So fast forward, my next appointment with him I had only lost 4 pounds which did not make me happy because before I had lost 8 and now I was starting all over and at a slower pace. It is now Feb 16th 2012 and I've not gotten on the scale because I don't feel like I've lost any weight. All my clothing fits the same and I just don't see any change and I've not weighed myself since my last fill. I've had two fills since my plication surgery and I'm still hungry (more than) I thought I would be with the band and the plication. This is a different experience than when I had the lap band surgery, the lap band surgery had the weight come off very quickly. I didn't even have to think about dieting I just wasn't hungry. With this surgery (albeit it is a revision of the previous band, new band with more capacity, and the plication) I'm not as pleased as I had expected. With all that said I think my expectations need to be adjusted. I wonder if people who have had the band and have had some type of complication with it (slippage, erosion, etc) it the pouch that is above the stomach is premanently stretched out of shape. I don't have the answer I just know that the experience is not the same. I'm having to really monitor what I eat and exercise everyday. So I eat around 900 to 1000 calories a day, and I exercise on the stairmaster for an hour/ or I go for a jog. I know that I need to incorporate some weight training but I'll just have to get to it when I can. As for your questions above: How was your recovery? Recovery was great. The first couple of days there was a little pain but after that it was a breeze. How soon did you go back to work? Surgery was on a Thursday I went back to work on the following Wednesday. Do you follow a low carb diet? I followed the liquid diet they put me on for about 4 weeks. Since then I've tried everything - right now I'm basically eatting lean cuisines or smart ones. But I think I'm going to try a one week Medi fast - we will see. Right now I'm so hungry between meals I doubt if I can pull that one off. Have you had to have any fills in your band? Yes I've had 2 fills since my surgery and they don't seem to have made that much of a difference. The doctors, are being cautious because they don't want me to get too tight and have another band slippage.. I understand that but in the meantime I wish I had more restriction. How is your hunger level? Higher than I thought it would be. But if I try to stay on an eat every 4 to 5 hour schedule I do okay. How much can you eat before you feel "full" If I allowed myself I could eat a lot. The think is I count every calorie that goes into my mouth. I use www.fatsecret.com they have an incredible food database - almost everything you can put into your mouth in in their database, So that helps. I hope that my story has helped you and I will keep you informed on my progress - I hope that you will do the same. Regards, Willowsdoweep

Yes, I've had laparoscopic surgery before my gastric bypass (gallbladder about 15 yrs ago) and they use the belly button for one of the incisions. I think that's where they insert the camera to see inside your abd. The other incisions are where they put the instruments to do their work. I only had 4 for gallbladder but 6 for bypass. The only site they used for both surgerys was the belly button one so I have a bunch of tiny abd scars. The gallbladder ones are pretty light now but I can still tell where they are.

I think those are excellent questions to ask. I'm currently preparing for a conversion from sleeve to bypass . . . not because of weight loss issues, I'm maintaining a 120 lb loss 2 years post surgery, but because of GERD uncontrolled by medication. At one of my appointments, I asked my surgeon to draw out the procedure to explain how it will eliminate my GERD and reverse the damage to my esophagus. He did, and it was amazingly helpful. ( I have that drawing hanging up in my office . . . my bit of modern art.) Anyway, I think it's beneficial to everyone to ask pointed, precise questions so they understand what is being done to their anatomy.

Hey I had the sleeve 2016,now awaiting approval for full bypass surgery. Wondering if anyone has gone through both surgeries. Allie Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I just had revision surgery from band to sleeve last week. I had the band 3 1/2 yrs and it slipped 2 years ago. I never knew if I was going to be able to eat or not from day to day. It got much worse about 2 months ago. I couldn't take it any longer. I'm at work today - still weak but functioning. I only took 4 days and the weekend. Good luck to you.