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Ok hi ladies. I was banded in March of 2005. The good news is that I had, at one time, lost from 285lbs down to 150lbs. However, I got to that 150lbs because I was starving. In early 2006 after I got be around 170lbs, my band slipped and I could not eat for two weeks. I could'nt even keep water down so I had revision surgery and they fixed the slip. Since then I was so scared to get a fill so I went without one for almost a year. By this time I had gained back up to 180lbs. Gradually I started getting fills until I now, and I have 3.1 in a 4cc band. I have not had any restriction whatsoever since my last surgery. Each fill feals the same. My doctor seems to think that I am just not following the band rules and by the way I feel like a failure because I am now up to 225lbs! Omg back over 200lbs! I know this isnt as high as before and I know I can lose it but I just need my band to help me out. I know I have to work hard and I am ready to do that. I admit I have made many mistakes but I do need that little bit of help from the band to let me know I am full. My doctor won't put anymore in my band until I take a nutrition class and have an upper GI to see if it slipped again due to my history. It doesnt feel like a slip because the first time It slipped I couldnt even eat and now I can eat anything I want....I mean ANYTHING! I know just because I can, doesnt mean I should but why the hell did I get this band if it isn't going to give me some help? Ya know? Anyway, I lost 135lbs once before so I know I can lose 60lbs, I just hope it hasn't slipped again. Could it be that my pouch has stretched over time and I just need to shrink it? I was thinking maybe if I went on a liquid diet for a week or so that it might help shrink it if indeed that is the case. Anyone have any suggestions? My upper GI should be scheduled soon and I am just waiting on the DR to call me. I am on my second day of liquids and I just figured that at least this might jumpstart my weightloss....if anything.

Carnie Wilson had bypass. She was just on the Oprah show about transfer addictions, she became an alcoholic after her bypass surgery apparently.

There is one gastric bypass aka RNY There is one sleeve aka VSG There is one lap band ( however different suppliers of the band)

I'm working on getting sleeved. If the surgeon decides because of reflux they recommend bypass I will refuse because I'm 28.

What is your GI history? Just curious...i want the sleeve but with a recent barrett discovery, the doc is recommending bypass.

Does your surgeon know your indecision? I would think that the operative set-up would need to be switched out. I changed from bypass to sleeve, but did so a month before my surgery. l needed to be home the same day. The sleeve surgery allowed me to do that.

August 13th revision lapband to bypass

After RNY gastric bypass surgery, when was real oatmeal ok? Nothing against cream of wheat or watery oatmeal but I’m not doing very good with anything else. I’m having major food aversions. Day 29 post op. Week 5. Any

It sounds like something is still wrong. I've heard some gastric bypass patients experience sweating as part of dumping syndrome, but our stomachs are intact from the esophagus to the pylorus, just smaller. I had sugery 4/6 with no problems, and have never broken into a sweat from eating. Time for a second opinion, carefully documenting your previous care and moving forward dilegently monitoring your health. You deserved better care, now is the time to fight for yourself.

I have gained and lost weight for the past 25 years. I tried it all: Diet pills, HCG, weight watchers, Nutrisystem, you name it I tried it. Last year I decided I wanted to check into the lapband after a friend had success with it. Went to a seminar in June 2012 and made my decision 2 weeks later. My insurance did not cover the surgery so I went through True Results. They had me checked for a hiatal hernia which was covered by insurance and I paid just for the lapband. I started my preop diet for 2 weeks and lost 6 lbs. I was banded with plication on August 13, 2012 weighing 199 lbs. At my 2 week preop visit I had only lost 7 lbs. I had my my first fill in October and a second fill in November before Thanksgiving. Not really any restriction from those two fills. Around the first of January 2013 I started having really bad stomach pains. I would throw up every time I ate dense Protein. Anytime I hate the pain was horrible. I called my surgeons office and the response I got was "if it hurts that bad go to the ER." Well that really pissed me off. I finally got in to see the surgeon who checked me through fluoroscope X-ray. Everything in place. Mind you I didn't get to talk to him in an exam room. There was about 8 people on the other side of the door who heard everything we were saying. He said my body was most likely rejecting the band. He said we could remove it and do the sleeve. And it could be done in one surgery. Then he asked if I was using insurance. When I stated I was going to try since I was having complications, he then states we needed to do it in 2 surgeries. That raised a HUGE red flag with me. When I went to check out his insurance coordinator whispered to me to get a second opinion! That was really worrisome. And the fact that I had only lost a total of 22lbs bothered me greatly. So I went to see my PCP and she recommended a surgeon who she had worked with for a long time. I called their office and explained my problem. They told me there was $900 assumption fee the surgeon charges. I was willing to pay it. At that time we did not set up any appointments. Imagine my surprise when I got a call early the next morning from their office. The surgeon wanted to see me and he was waiving the fee! I went in the following week on February 19th and was so glad I did. I absolutely loved the staff, nurses and surgeon. I had a long talk with him and explained all my problems. He was very sympathetic and made me feel at ease. After my talk with him I met with his nurse/scheduler and we scheduled my nutrition&education class, pre-op visits, surgery and post op visit. The nutrition&education class was 5 hours long and was very informative. Never had that with my lapband surgery. We got a binder full of information and samples of Vitamins, Protein drinks. I did a one week preop diet and had my revision on March 7th. The hospital and nurses were wonderful. The rooms looked more like hotel rooms with a hospital bed. Everything went well. I was up walking the halls that evening. I had my barium swallow the next morning and had no leaks. Got down my 8 oz of Fluid and was out of the hospital by 12:15. So here I am 12 days post op and wish I would have gotten the sleeve to begin with and asked my PCP's advice on surgeons. I have my 2 week follow up tomorrow. If anyone has any reservations about the sleeve, don't. I can't tell you how great it feels not to have stomach pains, not to throw up not to mention having a wonderful surgeon who cares about his patients. If you have reservations about your current surgeon and don't feel you are getting the care you need, seek out another one. Had I went with the first surgeon again I think I would have been very unhappy. He is in it for the money and nothing else. Something else my current surgeon said was that he doesn't do lapbands anymore unless that was all the patients insurance would pay for. And that he has seen so many removals due to complications in the past year. So if I would have saw him first I would have never had the lapband, would have had only 1 sugery and I would be at goal now. I am a self pay for the revision to sleeve and believe me it was worth every dollar.

I've had the DS. I'm about a month post op and my highest weight was 320. At your starting weight I'd really consider the DS for its better weight loss and lack of regain, or go bypass if you have a lot of GERD issues. I have some GERD issues but it is controlled by medication pretty well and I needed the DS because I'm diabetic with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. I had a hysterectomy for cancer. All in all so far it is worth it! I'm down 30+ lbs from my highest weight, off all diabetes medications, off blood pressure medications, my blood sugar is normal, my BP is normal, and I have more energy! I'm really glad I went with the DS. Its a riskier surgery but only by a bit, and the things you gain from it like disease remission made it very much worth it for me. I'd encourage you to read about ALL the various surgeries and then discuss it with your surgeon. They'll be able to tell you what will be most effective for your individual case based on their experiences. If you can, go to someone who can perform any of the surgeries, only certain surgeons can do the DS or Bypass.

Rica: I was a Bone Marrow Transplant Nurse for 8 years. I was one at Vanderbilt for 4 and helped establish the BMT Unit at the Nashville VA hospital and worked there for an additional 4 years. I have seen many success stories with Leukemias, Lymphomas, Hodkins Disease treated with Bone Marrow Transplants. I won't lie to you either. I have seen just as many failures as well. At the most, you put the treatment in the hands of the doctors and nurses and place faith in Heaven to do what HE wills. Since I stopped being a cancer nurse there has been great leaps and hurdles jumped in the treatment of All forms of cancer. They are not only revising the Bone Marrow Transplant process for Allogeneic patients (people that get marrow from unrelated donors) but for Autologous patients (people that get their own marrow). THey are now doing Stem Cell Transplants. The type of treatments depends on the stage of Leukemia and the particular type of leukemia. There are several kinds. Here are just a few. ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia) AML (Acute Myelogonous Leukemia) CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia CML or CGL (Chronic Myelogonous or Granulocytic Leukemia) Hodgkins Disease Non-Hodgkins Disease Aplastic Anemia There are more but they elude me for now. Happy to try to answer any questions but the one that you should be asking is his doctor. My prayers and thoughts and support are going out to you and your family. {{{{{{{{{{RICA & FAMILY}}}}}}}}}}}

Get the gastric bypass "now"?!! I just had my second fill and that's the only time I really felt ANY restriction, aside from right after surgery. How much are you currently eating?

I am having my band out/revision to sleeve on the 17...day after you. I hope you feel better way before than! Why did your doc choose to do 2 separate operations? How long was your band in? Mine is only 15 months old so maybe its a scar tissue thing if yours was in longer? In any event, you are 1/2 way home! Go you!

Happy here! My ticker says it all. My friend that had a gastric bypass has had trouble but I've totally fine since about 48 hours post-op. You'll never believe how easy it is to eat very little until you feel it!

Hi-- I have not seen anyone on this board talk about a revision beyond the initial sleeve. But, I think we would all like to hear your experience and what your doctor says about your sleeve. Also, if you can include details on how big your pouch is and any reason your doctor thinks the surgery didn't work for you. Good luck on your surgery--

As I have previously mentioned I have had one fill on August 15th & I don't what happened but I don't feel as full & have been at the same weight plateau since and done nothing different and not loss an ounce ! My family has said for me to go get The Gastric Bypass now & I was just banded 6-4-2013 !!! Any answers or help ? I just want to continue losing!

Thank you EVERYONE for weighing in on this today. I felt like I was going to bang my head against the wall soon. I have GREAT news, I really lucked out today. When we were waiting to check hubby out of the hospital, Kim came in - she is the head of the whole bariatric program at the hospital and works closely with my surgeon. She said that the sleeve program here is pretty underdeveloped because they've done so few... and they group us in with the bypass patients as far as the nutrition guidelines and classes... and that 1 ounce is far too little. She said I can eat UP TO 4oz in one sitting, every 2-3 hours. I don't know if it will take 4oz to fill me up or not but I will play around with it and see. She also said I could go ahead and advance to the next phase of eating - full soft food diet!! I said what do I do since the nutrition class for it is not until next week - she sat down and wrote out a list for me of what I could eat! She also said there was a cookbook written by one of my surgeon's patients that included recipes for all the eating phases, and I could go get it in his office which I did. I am home now (and hubby is too - resting comfortably) and I am going to go have some cottage cheese b/c it's time to eat but then I'm going to look through the cookbook and probably make up some stuff that I can try to eat later. I will let you all know how it goes. I think a lot of the problem here comes from the fact that a bypass patient starts with a 1 ounce stomach and mine is 3-4oz, and they just group us all together. I am so glad Kim came around and shared all this info with me. Also - she said even though generally they don't worry bout you drinking after meals until 6 weeks/solid food, that I should start now since I am having problems with hunger (which I was doing already after the suggestion this morning) so I am going to continue with that. If none of this works I will try the Prilosec too. Just don't want another pill to take if i don't have to :sad0: But I think that is a great suggestion Tiffy and thank you for the info. Also Kim said I could start solid food at 4 weeks if I want to, instead of 6 weeks... but, I will wait and see how this phase goes and if I am not dealing with the hunger as badly I will still wait until 6 weeks. Thank you everyone!

I'm scheduled for a bypass on July 22. This has been a 7 month journey since making the decision to have wls. I'm a 39 year old single mom of 3 and school counselor. I've only told a couple of friends, my parents, and my boss. My ex and others will just have to wonder, I guess! I'm making the decision bc I want to be the best mom I can - active, fun, and healthy. After a heart issue, rheumatoid arthritis, an orbital tumor, stomach ulcers, a huge hernia, and sleep apnea I'm ready to shed this fat suit and take control of my life and health. I'd also like to feel confident enough with my body to travel more, date, and be strong and healthy. I'm nervous about the pre-surgery diet that starts in 3 days and about the length of recovery. I don't want to spoil the last few weeks of my kid's summer vacation with feeling crappy and being stuck at home. I'm praying for a week of yuck, a week of better, then feeling ready for anything (within reason). I have really enjoyed this group/app and have been seeking information and reassurance here for months. I didn't actually 'join' until yesterday, though! Any advise about gastric bypass recovery, things to expect, and success stories will be appreciated!

Welcome. I had RNY gastric bypass over 3 years ago. The following article describes my experience. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf Walking is the best way to deal with gas.

Hello, Before your doctor does the surgery they can request a fluoroscopy study. When they do this they will insert contrast into your band while you are under x-ray and then they will be able to see where exactly the leak is. It can be common to have a leak in the port or the tubing connection. The leak/whole I had actually was on the band itself. I have seen three surgeons and none of the three have seen a leak in this spot. Depending on where the leak is at will depend on the type or surgery needed. If the leak is in the tubing/port then it can be pretty simple, if it is beyond the connection point in the tubing or on the band then the entire band, tubing and port need to be replaced. I hope that this makes sense. Of course depending on where the leak is at will impact the cost. By doing the fluoroscopy you will know where exactly the leak is and be able to plan better. Also, if the entire device needs to be replaced you may decide to convert to a VSG, etc. I had looked at revising to a VSG, but in the end decided no VSG and I didn't get a new band in either. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Through a total lifestyle change, and the band, I was able to lose from 297lbs down to 114. It can be done, and in the same sort of time frame as someone who has had a gastric bypass (there are a few different types, RNY and DS I think) From what I understand you can have children after a gastric bypass, just like the band. There are pluses and minuses to both surgeries, and really it just comes down to what is the best fit for you, and your lifestyle (or the lifestyle you think you can live with) Obesity Help (ObesityHelp - Gastric Bypass, LAP-BAND® System, DS and Other Surgical and Non-Surgical Weight Loss Options.) is a great place to search out the other surgery types. I live in Oz, so I am of no help at all on the supervised diet thing, sorry! Good luck.

Hey folks, She probably won't be here for a few days, but Rachele is having a LapBand-to-DS Revison today. She did great with the band at first, but then had complications. She tried to make it all work, but decided that enough was enough and that it was time to move on. For those who are not aware, the DS is the most extensive of the usually performed weight loss surgeries, but has much greater success rates than the others. (Yin and Yang and all that.) The surgery itself requires a much more experienced surgeon and there are not really many DS surgeons in the country. When she is finished with the surgery, there is a long recovery period, with rapid initial weight loss...about 30% of excess weight is gone in the first couple of months, and by six months post-op, it's closer to 50% of excess weight loss. There are lifelong malabsorption issues and routine labs must be done and Vitamins and supplements MUST be taken religiously. The payoff is about a 75-80% excess weight loss, maintained over five to ten years post-op (maybe longer) and a 99% cure rate for type II diabetes. More info is available here: http://duodenalswitch.com/ Anyway, you can see Rachele's before and after LapBand photos in her profile and, if you are so inclined, I think you can send a PM or something through there as well. Sue

Hi All, I am so new to this. I am scheduled for surgery on the 5th of June :clap2: (Lap Band). I have been reading this site and came across allot of slang, I would like to know what some of this stuff means, i.e., PB.... Whats that? I am sooooo looking forward to this surgery and getting healthy. I have hypertension, diabetes high cholesterol and GERD. I feel like crap all the time. If someone could help me out that would be great. I love this site!!!! It has been sooooo informative and helpful in my choice as far as bypass or banding. My sister had the bypass and has gained 40lbs so far and on her way to more. I am 5'11" and weigh 285lbs. I'm 45 years old and live in Tampa Florida. I have a grand baby on the way and want to be around for his or her life. I know if I don't do something now I will miss that opportunity and that is something I don't want to miss. I'm a little scared of all the changes that life has in store for me. I know this will not be an easy adjustment but its something I have to do to survive. I'm just so glad to have this opportunity. Well, enough of my babbling. Got to run for now, hope to hear from someone out there..... Thanks for your time.... Steve <!-- / message --><!-- edit note -->

If it is the same one I saw before it was some ladies who had a bypass and then replaced their eating addictions with other addictions, I belive one was alcohol and another one was sex.