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Hi guys, I was just curious if anyone has had any complications from any of their pre-op tests? I had my sleep study, endoscopy, saw my pulmonary dr. some lab work done but now I have to have a stress test done and an echo done, because of my weight, I get out of breath easy and I'm worried about not doing good on the stress test, I guess my mind is playing tricks on me, did anyone have any issues with their stress test or echo, I just don't want anything to get in the way of my surgery after coming this far. Thanks everyone.

My surgeon told me unless a patient is adamant on getting the band he doesn't recommend them anymore and tries to educate patients to go with bypass or sleeve. He said in another few years it won't be a procedure that will be offered any more due to the high risk of complications that are associated with it.

Hi you all. I had my surgery last week Tuesday 3/25. I had a large hiatle (not sure of spelling) hernia. My doc said half my stomach was in my chest. I went for leak test and dye got stuck. It did go down next day.I also had Fluid in my lungs. I was in hospital for 4 days. My doc wanted 5 but I begged him to let me go home. I am better today but had to have more fluid put in me yesterday through Iv at doc office. To be honest I regretted the surgery for the first few days. I cant wait to get to next stage in diet because am so sick of shakes now. I am sorry if I sound ungrateful or negative. I am sure I will be OK and my funk will change.

With my new complication with the sleeve. And repeating several tests and having work done to fix the newest complications. I have become a topic of conversation in my area of the medical profession. I have been asked out of the blue by at least by 6 people who work at the hospitals and clinics how much weight I have lost...Stunned that that is the first question out of their mouths and instead of me keeping it close to my chest I tell them 200 lbs. It is only after that that they ask questions regarding the surgery. The next most asked question is would you recommend it? And then, would you do it again? Most that have found out how much I have lost, scream you must be proud. You should be on a poster in the hospital telling everyone there is hope. You must feel so good about yourself...I have thought about it a lot and I don't think proud is the word I feel...I feel a great sense of relief and a huge weight lifted off me literally. I feel that this is a life long journey for all of us and that pride has nothing to do with it. I did not win a contest or a marathon or the lottery or save millions of lives. I am working to save mine and it won't be done until I breath my last breath. A work in progress. Not to allow myself to get complacent over this new adventure and turn back to my old life... I am thrilled that I finally had the opportunity to get this gift of the sleeve. But there is no inner pride. There is satisfaction that I have gotten this far. But pride no. I still have so much work to do!!!

I'm just interested to know what amount of follow up others are getting. I'm not sure what the norm is in the UK. I'm very happy with the service so far, very quick and efficient and I've had no post op complications - touch wood. However I don't see anyone at all for six weeks post op. I can phone if I have a problem, but reading other posts people seem to be having more follow up than this. I feel fine but I'm just intrigued. Guess I want my monies worth!

It is very normal to have second thoughts....This surgery is not for the faint of heart...trust me....but! You must have done a lot of research about it and made a choice to improve your health and make your life better...This is one of the reasons we do it..All other options have been tried. Personally I was chomping at the bit to get the surgery done and I ended up with a lot of complications....You are feeling normal..This is major surgery! Your going to be scared but very happy when it is done and you are on your journey to a healthier and better you!

Thank you, he is saying that he has never seen any post op complications so severe, and we're now just waiting to take the next step. I'll look into the RNY. Thank you for your concern, I hope it turns around soon too.

I wrote letters to my kids and husband. It's perfectly normal. I am six weeks post now and so happy. It helped new to think that even with complications people almost never ever die and the risk is similar to gallbladder removal and other surgeries.

Hi Nikki Sorry I didn't see this until today. I had the band for almost 10 years and after about 7 years, I started having lots of complications. I always had difficulty with fills and unfills because my port flipped almost immediately after surgery. I did fairly well with the band and lost about 100 pounds. However, I regained almost all of that weight after 2 children, 5 months of bed rest and an injury from running. I started looking into revision mid-2010 and was given the choice of RNY (which I found out I couldn't have due to my severe anemia) or sleeve. I wasn't happy with either of those choices so after about 6 months of research I found out about the plication. I was going to go to Mexico but ended up finding a doctor here in Southern California who had just started doing plication. I was his very first banded plication patient, which was scary but somebody's gotta be first!! Anyway - I've lost a bit over 42 pounds in 15 weeks. I'd like to lose about another 50-60 pounds. I started at 283 and am now at 240.5. I am actually surprised that I've lost as much weight as I have considering I'm a revision patient. I track my food but not religiously. I ensure that I eat 50-70 grams of Protein and drink about 60-80 oz. of Water. I do exercise almost everyday and walk/jog about 2-3 miles per workout. I completed my first 5K a few weeks ago and am planning on wogging (walk/jogging) a 10K July 23. I have averaged about 10 pounds per month and have lost 42% of my EWL (excess weight loss). I've gone from a 22/24 (26 top) to loose 20s and almost fitting into 18s! My goal is to be around 170-180ish which for me is a size 12/14. I don't want to be much smaller than that as I prefer that size on me and so does my husband! PS-I have not had any fills in my band and I plan on leaving it completely empty.

Hi dream, best of luck. i chose band for same reason. I liked that is was reversible in case of complications. I didnt like the idea of cutting away anything. You will do great. And if you have any questions or concerns we are here for you.

My sleep cycle was all jacked up for the first week once I was back at home. I had a prolonged stay at the hospital due to some complications so the continual wake-up calls every 2-3 hours for 6 days wrecked me. For the first few days at home I would wake up at 2 a.m. and then just be up from then on. I didn't do anything special to get back on track. Just took my body some time to get back to normal, but it did after a few days. It can be frustrating but it'll get better!

Hello to all of you, There are always posts on here about complications, problems and regrets but they are few compared to the posts of success,excitement and happiness over the results of WLS. Right now you are more sensitive to those negative posts and that is okay. You have to be realistic and know that anybody could have complications, its just a possibility that comes with surgery. Statistically, chances are in your favor that everything will be okay but every once in awhile something happens. Be honest and open with your surgeons about any issues you have that might complicate the surgery so preparations can be taken before hand. If you have done your homework and you have prepared correctly you will have no problems with your surgery. Keep focused on the possibilities of better health, significant weight loss, more energy and a more active life style. Are the risks worth that? Only you can answer that question for yourself. Whatever you choose, I wish you luck. As for me, I will be 4 weeks out on Monday the 10th and I could not be happier. This is much easier than I thought it would be and I have no results. Best of luck and happiness to all of you.

Unfortunaly there are tons of us out there that had the band and had to have a revision surgery down the road due to complications from the band. I am so sorry to hear about this woman, this breaks my heart. I am so grateful that I had that horrible thing removed from my body.

While you do lose faster with bypass because of the malabsorption, the amount of weight that you lose in the long run is going to be about the same with both surgeries. Both surgeries have their own set of possible complications, as with any surgery, so it is ultimately up to you which you feel more comfortable having. I personally don't like the idea of re-routing my insides and the malabsorption, which is why I am choosing the sleeve. I have 150 to lose as well. There are a lot of threads on here that weigh the pros and cons of each surgery . Good luck

Hi Charlotte, Congrats on your great success. Since you are new here, you might want to check out the lapband complications thread. There is lots of discussion about fluro and people talking about possible leaks or slips. Good luck and I hope you find your answers.

My concerns are about the complications I keep hearing about. Also, I hear the band is easy to cheat so that worries me. I've been on plenty of diets and eventually I would cheat or quit the diet because it becomes hard and I feel like I am always denying myself.

I have struggled with my weight for over 20 years, yoyoing away. I heard about this surgery in April of 2011 at a seminar. I found out my insurance didnt cover it so I tried to put it out of my mind and keep trying on my own. Then, in July, my husband got a new job with new insurance. I started looking to see if they covered it. They did and I scheduled to attend a seminar with a different surgeon the next day (a saturday). They talked about all the different wls options and I knew then and there the sleeve was definately for me. I found out there that Humana, my new insurance, doesnt cover the sleeve unless your bmi is over 50. I was devastated until a nice guy who was there starting talking to my hubby. He said listen, forget the insurance, just self pay. they have financing with no interest for 18 months. Thats what I did. We talked about it and decided we could do it. I scheduled an appointment with the surgeon there for Monday, two days later. I went to see him and we talked for an hour. He said I was a perfect candidate and he thought I was ready. I had to have a psych eval but everything else was a go. I already see a therapist and she wrote a letter for me that week. My surgery was scheduled for the following MOnday!!! I had seven days until my date and so my preop liquid diet started that day. There was no time to think about it. From Seminar to surgery was 9 days. I had my EKG and bloodwork done during that 7 days and I reported for surgery at 6am Monday, aug 8, 2011. That was seven months and 73 pounds ago. I had 100 pounds to lose. I was 234 and I am 5'4". I was wearing a size 18-20, mostly 20's and 1x tops. I am now wearing mostly 10's some 12's and medium tops. I dont regret it at all. I am glad it went fast so I didnt have time to dwell on it. I had no complications with the surgery, recovery went smooth. I did have a kidney stone a few weeks later but it wasnt related to the sleeve. I have a long family history of them and I was a little dehydrated after the surgery so it happened. I am just telling you that I think I am the fastest person to ever get sleeved from seminar to surgery. Its the best decision I ever made. I was emotional the night before with the usual anxiety but I knew I needed to do this for me. I knew I would love being able to eat my favorite things and this time be able to control how much of those things I ate. Now, I just eat a few bites and I am so full and satisfied. You will love your sleeve and you will be happy you didnt have to wait forever to get it. Embrace your good luck! You will do great!

That's disturbing indeed! The rate of complications is readily available, and any good surgeon should talk through the possibilities with you. If one is unlucky enough to suffer from very bad complications I can understand feeling negative overall toward the surgery, but the facts are the facts - the vast majority of people don't have major issues and instead experience a range of benefits from the surgery. I'm sad for that person and what they are going through (whatever it is really; I'm not clear) but it's not cool for them to suggest to you that it's overall a bad surgery, because that's just not the truth. For me - I'm only one week out, but already feeling so very happy with it!

I had to shrink my liver as well. I went off of all meds during that stage as I kept getting really low numbers. But I'm type 2 bordering on type 1 due to pancreatic complications. I was able to go through the process well. I have been on so many different medications through this process. I was able to get off of insulin but now that I'm getting close to my goal weight my numbers are increasing again and I'll probably be back on insulin in a few months, sadly. But I'm doing so well otherwise I can't complain. I mean I can, I sometimes do, but I try not too. lol!!!!

The bypass you will loose weight faster but if you look long term the weight loss is the same. With less complications. It all depends on your co morbid irises and how n why you are doing this. Do u need results fast to help or are you looking to prevent n eventually get off meds.. Always consult your doctor

I am 1 week out. I started at 196. I am waiting to weight myself until my doctor's appointment at my 2 week check up. I am craving food. Ugh! I remind myself I am on the path to the new me and a healthier life. Even though the lapband failed and complications from that I am looking that this surgery wll be the tool that I need!

Hi Donna. Several of the other board members here have had their plications longer than I at this point, so they may have more experience to share. I only had my plicatino done June 6, so I'm just 15 days out from surgery. The only complications have been nausea for the first couple of days after surgery and having to adjust my sleeping position because I can't lie on my side/stomach now. I definitely feel restriction when I eat and need to eat slowly. I have to be careful and eat slowly. I've had a time or two where my brain was not caught up with my stomach in realizing that I was full. I'd eat an extra bite or two and feel like I might lose my lunch, but that's something I'm trying to get used to. I'm finding that I get hungry every couple of hours which is different from before, but eat in small quantities when I am. I lost about 12 pounds prior to surgery on the liquid diet and have lost about 8 pounds in the two weeks since surgery. I started at 290.5 and was at 269.6 yesterday on the scale. I've been walking most days at least 20 minutes. I was really worried about giving up soda (was a diet Coke addict), but it's been over two weeks and really haven't missed them. I do struggle to get in enough Water each day. I was actually better about drinking water before! So far, I don't regret having it done, but it's early on for me.

I probably didn't walk as much as others that got in there protein from the beginning. But, I could not tolerate any of the Protein drinks, mixes, even the ready to drink made me sick, or the taste was horrific. When I first came home, I was pumped full of nutrients and calories through a pic line, and that gave me what I needed initially. I only went about 3 weeks without getting in my protein. Obviously, I didn't jump into 60 grams per day when I first hit mushies because restriction is extremely obvious on mushies. I had to work my way up. I took my Vitamins and supplements religiously, and wasn't willing to miss those. Overall, I had a super slow recovery due to my complications, but I don't necessarily think going without the full 60grams of protein per day set me back anymore than I already was. Hope that makes sense.

My surgery was last Monday, November 9. I have had no complications, but I feel so weak. I'm in the mushy stage and I just don't want to eat too much. But I can't be getting in more than 400 calories a day. This is making me edgy and uncomfortable. What I would give for a slice of pizza! Is this normal (the no energy part, not the pizza part)? Soft solids seem like an eternity away!

I have just scheduled my surgery for March 10th. I am very excited but also VERY nervous. I had a lapband for 5 years and lost to goal, but always had issues with things getting stuck, throwing up, and then finally a stomach infection that led to removal. This has been about 6 months ago, and I have gained back almost all of my weight. Until my appointment last week, when I went with the intention of getting another band, I had never even heard of the sleeve, but my Dr. said he thought in the long run I would like it much better, and would have less complications. Just a couple of questions... With the staples, how long are you at risk of leaks? Will the stomach tissue reconnect, or will the staples always be what is holding it together? Has anyone else been from band to sleeve??? How many days on average hospital stay?? I am 1 1/2 hours from my Dr..thought about staying in a nearby hotel the day after release...JUST in case any problems. Any advice would be wonderful.