Search the Community

I get the hiccups when i had my original surgery in 2002 I told myself the Dr installed an alarm! Here i am 5 days post op revision and my alarm still kicks in when I'm full .

If you DO NOT WANT to have the surgery, then it would be a HUGE MISTAKE to proceed at this time. You do not mention any reason that indicates it is medically necessary for you to have the surgery immediately, so back off. Give yourself a grace period of 60 days. Get some help to sort this out. It sounds like you are having difficulties in your marriage as well; that should ideally be sorted outbefore you proceed and add any more stress to your life. You can always reschedule in a couple of months if you decide to go ahead. But if you go ahead with the surgery before your are emotionally prepared, there is no practical way to undo the surgery. This is a body-altering, permanent, lifelong commitment and you are likely to have serious emotional, and perhaps physical, problems coping with the surgery and the new lifestyle habits it entails if you are angry, depressed and resentful. PLEASE call your doctor on Monday and let them know you have SERIOUS reservations so you can get professional psychological counseling before you proceed. The fact that you are "sleeping, sleeping, sleeping" indicates that you are seriously depressed. You may benefit from anti-depressant medication as well as therapy. Neither of these are magic bullets that will suddenly make things okay overnight, but than can help you in fairly short order. The bypass is a great tool, but ONLY if you are willing to welcome it into your life and make all the eating and other changes that are part of the program. The surgery is important, but the "head work" and commitment are at least 80% of your long term success. If you are fighting the bypass you will only be adding more problems to the ones you are already struggling with. We all get the jitters before surgery and usually that just means we need some more support and information before we go ahead. But if your worries are more than simple anxiety, please take a step back and get some professional help before you make any decisions. Take good care of yourself!

I live in san diego ca now, sydney was wonderfull, made it to canberra, asdelaide, ayres rock and fiji while i was down that way. ....... loved it all! Are you married? I am, for 13 happy years and im a mom of a 10 yr old at 50! So im excited that weight loss will help me run with him!! You should send me your email and we can buddy up for our 3 months ehile we wait for our bypasses!!!!!

Finally starting to get hungry, just had Protein shake, broth and a decaf coffee. Pain is now easily managed by paracetamol. Last night was rough and not much sleep due to side effects from anaesthetic and endone. But feeling much much better today and have been able to do light tasks in between naps. More motivated than ever to eat right and prepare well for the bypass early next year.

Well, I can't believe I found this forum! I didn't know that such a group existed and I am so thankful to have found you all. I am getting my band removed next week after having it since April 2006. I actually don't have a choice, the band itself has a "leak" so out it comes! I have had problems the past year with throwing up everytime I eat, pain, being able to only eat crap food and after losing 40 pounds I have gained back about 30. I guess I am fortunate that insurance basically has to cover it but I'm depressed and uncertain about replacing it. I don't really want to and was kind of relieved when the surgeon said that she wants to take it out, let my stomach rest, and then if I want it back in she would do a separate surgery. I absolutely do not want a gastric bypass or anything, it is the band or nothing however I'm scared about going it alone. I can tell myself that I've hit rock bottom, this is it, I will have to get on track, etc. but I feel like I'm just fooling myself since I've been overweight for 23 years and tried everything. Anyway, I have to run but I'm looking forward to reading more and getting advice from you all.

Thanks I will ask my insurance company if the band fails if they would then cover the bypass. if it fails after I hit a normal weight I do not think they would then because I would not qualify. I will check with them though. Thanks for your input.

I was just getting ready to post the same question so I'll do my little intro here. I'm 5'7" tall, age 27 and have no co morbidities. My BMI is 48 and I wear a size 20 pants. I have the same issue with sweets, its like being a fein for me. I never in a million years considered WLS. I am getting so desperate I have contemplated it since October. I have been overweight my entire life. I was successful on Atkins, lost 40 pounds from 300-260. It was too restrictive so I did South Beach, and phases 2 and 3 took me to 270. I eventually got back to 300 and I have been going to a nutritionist, trying to incorporate exercise, and since June I have not lost a single pound. I tried Master Cleanse out of desperation trying to lose Water weight and got to 299. I went to 317 in September, now I am back down to 308. I have not been to a seminar yet because the nurse said that she already knew my efforts would not be enough for MVP Health insurance so no point in me attending until I went through their 6 month WLS program..... isn't that what I am going to the nutritionist my PCP referred me to for Morbid Obesity, who is in network? Don't get me wrong the nurse was really nice but telling me this as a warning about the carrier. Luckily its open enrollment time at work. I called Excellus BCBS and the medical policy I was given was more simple so I will have a new carrier in January. I don't see 308 when I look in the mirror so I didn't think I needed bypass, maybe because I am REALLY busty. So the band sounds appealing BUT, I am scared I will be one of those people who gets banded and loses no weight or too less than what I need to. The BCBS medical policy says the band offers less rapid weight loss, less early problems but more complications in the future at 5-25% of patients. People I know that had RNY look ridiculously small to me compared to lap band, its like there is no control over how much weight is lost, some have bad bowel and gas problems...I don't want any of that....please help me decide. I am 95% band and 5% RNY at this point. Also I cannot imagine not being able to eat chicken.

I'm 5 weeks post op from getting port revised. I get massive iching and spasms at port and incisions, but, is getting better day at a time. I notice that when I exercise I tend to get the spasms. Ice helps. I also notice that the itching gets really bad with gas in the belly. GaxX or mylanta helps with this. It gets extremely frustrating. Hang in there. Jake

If I could have had the choice between the band or the sleeve, I probably would have the sleeve personally. Kaiser here doesn't offer it. Just bypass or band here. This is a choice you have to make - just research them both the most you possibly can before you make your decision. Good luck to you! By the way, I'm not unhappy with my band at all!

I had an idiot install my band, Dr. Theodore Khalili at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. He installed it incorrectly. After having it in me a few months, the port Popped OUT OF MY STOMACH while I was on business trip. It was a long and ugly story, but one of the tubes that was left in after the port popped out worked it's way down and buried itself inside my colon. It was real nasty. Dr. Zane discovered all this, and did the surgery to remove evrything and fix me up real nicely. I had a Gastric Bypass, and, one year later, am healthy, happy, and at my Perfect weight for my height/build. Yes, DO see Dr. Zane. The guy really knows what he's doing! HH

Ditto all of this! It is certainly part of the journey to be unsure at some point as to which surgery is right for you. And, I ultimately came to the same conclusion as the above poster. One thing that made a difference in my decision, too, was that I learned that dumping (sugar aversion) only stays with you for the first year or two w/bypass. So, eventually, even w/bypass, you will have to deal w/your sugar issues. The reason why some bypass patients gain back is because they are counting on the bypass to prevent them from eating sugar. And, it really does for awhile, and very well. But, eventually, you will have that looming that you will need to control it on your own after you no longer have the dumping. Also, w/the bypass, my surgeon says you should really NEVER drink ANY alcohol again. I know there are many bypass patients who still drink, but they are taking some significant chances w/their liver. The stomach is the first line of defense against toxins in the body. And, the body does recognize alcohol as a toxin and the stomach does significant work to metabolize that before it actually ever goes to your liver. When you drink alcohol after bypass, it is like injecting alcohol straight into your system. The stomach has no chance to detoxify it at all. For me, this is scary cause I really do like my wine. I am cutting it out for the first 6 months or longer just because it is empty calories, but when I imagine a 'normal' life after reaching goal, part of that means that I can have a glass or two of wine occasionally as long as I am exercising enough and eating healthy enough to maintain a healthy weight. But, bypass is a lot better if you have Type 2 diabetes. The bypass will cure that immediately. Personally, I think the sleeve may be the very best choice of all, but my insurance doesn't cover it right now.

Hi trailorparkbeautyqueen, I am also going through Kaiser in southern california (Montebello/Baldwin Park) you might want to check the BMI guidlines again, as I was told by the options program that for someone to qualify to for the lap band/gastric bypass/sleeve your BMI needs to be 50 ..YES 50. I was shocked. I was approved for the program because my BMI is 48 and I have had gestational diabetes twice and have needed insulin along with pregnancy induced hypertension. I dont want to be a downer ... but before you go and waste all that money on co pays you should call and check first ... the number to the options program in Baldwin Park is 626-851-5263. The girl that I talk to there's name is Martha and she is very very nice. She might be able to give the correct # or a contact name. Good luck and I hope you are accepted.

Awesome journey @@familyguy very inspiring! I had my gastric bypass surgery Oct 17th 2016 so I'm a newbie. But, you answered alot of my questions with your testimony! Keep up the good work! Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

Last year (lapband slipped, was totally unfilled) before my revision, I ate numerous bags of these little beauties. Don't think I ever ate a whole bag in 1 sitting but a handful every nite only takes a few days to empty a bag. Add to that Starburst Jelly Beans and u have a recipe for disaster. Thank God now that I've been sleeved for 6 mths I can have maybe 6 of em and be satisfied. I can eat 1 cookie at a time also. Hubby gets angry when I bring this stuff into the house cuz he can't stop at one. He has to eat the whole bag. Ur choc/pb cookies sound amazing. Maybe I'll try it out. Usually about 8 pm I'm hungry and I'll have 1/2 an apple with almond butter on it and thats usually good enuf to help my sweet tooth.

I understand that Medicare can pay for Gastric Bypass? Does anyone have knowledge of whether it will pay for lapbanding?

I was sleeved on 11/9 after nearly 3 years of being banded (my band came out in August). I woke up from surgery and have been starving since. I know it's not head hunger - after nearly 3 years with the band, I know what head hunger is, and I know what it's like to not be hungry. It's not acid. It's not thirst - I'm drinking 100 ounces of Water daily. I'm on mushies/purees and it's still not helping. Today, I had my follow-up with my surgeon. He is not overly shocked I am hungry, but he was a bit surprised. He sent me for a upper GI to check my esophagus. He suspects dilation due to the damage from the band. If it is, it should just take a few more weeks to go back to normal. He said he can't promise, but he's 99.9% sure that within the next three weeks, I will feel satiation as my body adjusts to the band being gone, my hernia being fixed, and the rest of the scar tissue from the band finally removed. The doc that did the test, though, said there was no dilation, however, they also said my band wasn't slipped when it was, so they are not bariatric specialists (I'm not complaining or upset, just stating.) He did say my surgery was picture perfect (sans scar tissue and hernia), that I had a normal size stomach, that he went a bit tighter than normal, and he sees no reason it won't work long term. I also talked to a friend of mine who is a revision, and she said she literally cried the first three weeks she had her sleeve because she was so hungry. Then it got better, and now she loves it! She had it about 6 months ago, so I am hopeful I will be the same. Oh, and he cleared me to eat turkey tomorrow! He also suggested I drink some warm tea after I have a few bites of Protein to help add volume to my food to give me that sensation of fullness. So, I am not 100% convinced, but I feel 90% better about this whole thing. My other non-medical theory is my poor bowels are empty, as I still have diarrhea, and how could I feel full when they are empty?! LOL, I know it's a stupid theory, but I am adding it to my pile. And if I start losing weight again, I'd be even happier! Again, he reassured me this is normal, and according to his scale, I'm down an even 30 lbs. So, after all that, anyone hungry at first? Or still? Has it gone away? Gotten better? Thanks!

It's rough, there are two docs that I know of that are absolute horrors. Their infection rates, placing bands wrong, patients losing their bands... it's horrible. But any of their patients (and coordinators) will slam dunk anyone that points out the facts. I'm not much on believing individual stories (not referring to you, but a couple of newbie posters slamming doctors recently instead) but I do look at the whole picture. The stats that come directly from the doc's office. If they say their stats are X% and that is a high percentage, that is a concern. If a whole bunch of people are saying the same thing about the same doc, then I pay attention. We've had a couple of people come lately, newbie posters, one post each, absolutely trashing two different docs. Why should anyone believe it? You get some doc with a gazillion bands under his belt, fantastic stats, excellent history, what are we to do? As patients believe the one out of 4000 or the other 3999? I also look at the overall picture when it comes to aftercare, how much time does the surgeon stay in OR during surgery vs. having the asst. do the bulk of surgery, all kinds of issues have to be taken into consideration. My own doc had a patient who had bypass and less than 24 hours after surgery his wife decided to sneak in Mickey D's for him to eat. Well, he ripped out staples, got a leak, and an infection. The doc took him back to OR and fixed it. Didn't even charge the patient for the additional surgery or hospital days. Five days AFTER the leak his wife requested he do revision surgery on her. Failed bypass to band. She was running around posting on message boards what a horrible doc my doc is because her husband got an infection. Well, she didn't tell the rest of the story. She didn't tell anyone about Mickey D's, she didn't tell anyone that he reoperated and didn't charge the idiot a dime, she didn't tell anyone that she asked him to do her own revision AFTER her husband was reoperated on. So to hear her tell the story it sounds bad. I was in Mexicali that day and my friend and I met these people. Her husband told me the whole story and his wife was being so obnoxious that he was even apologizing for her behaviors and they hadn't even left the hospital. When these patients go telling their bits and pieces of the story the doc cannot possibly come and defend himself telling the rest of the story. So that's why I think it is important to look at the whole picture and not the individual stories people come up with. Some folks are amazingly good at not taking responsibility for their own actions. When people post these single posts trashing doctors and others go around copying and pasting them to other threads, it's obvious the intent of the people reposting this trash. Anyway... I got off on a tangent. My point is that you are right, you get some idiot doc and if you dare to tell the truth about them you are slam dunked. It's not stopping me though. I'll tell what I know about docs and if people don't like it, I don't care. They can continue creating fake IDs and chasing me around like little yappings dogs attached to my ankle. I'm doing what is right. Period.

It's prob easier if you do a quick search and then scan the images of full bypass VS mini but mostly it's less surgery time, less invasive (only one new connection to make) easier recovery and less risk of complication with just as good and most believe even better weight loss. The stomach pouch is longer (like the sleeve) but they do bypass a little more of the intestines (around 7').

HATED my band. Caused me so many issues. I am 1 month out from my revision to sleeve and I love it. It does everything for me that the band didn't. 3-5bites and Im done. I never had that with the band. It just made me throw up all the time.

we do have a lot in common! I have a 2.5 yr old! so at 50 I will kind of be in the same position as you and its exactly the reason I am doing the bypass in April..... Yes will try send you my email now! :-)

So far.....I do not think that I would have or ever would have the bypass. I think that I would just try to maintain whatever weight that was possible for me. I do not think that my life with the bypass would be a very happy and healthy one. I have worked with a couple of people that have had the bypass and yes they have lost a ton of weight but I am not sure that they are truly happy with their own decisions.

So I'm just over a year from my surgery day. And just under 2 years from when I made the decision to make a life change. In October of 2014 I attended my first class about bariatric surgery. This class is the initial class that helps you decide if it is for you or not.(or to at least go on to the next step) That first day my weight was 422, and I decided to go forward with the bypass. I had to then wait to be assigned to a class, a class that lasts 12 weeks. It tought me everything about the surgery and new life I would be expecting. This class began in January of 2015. Well after completion in March I had lost about 10lbs to 412. Then came the long waiting period. One that they made clear. "Don't call us we will call you!" So I waited, and waited and waited some more. Then got the call the 2nd week of August, 2015. And the wheels got going and fast! Less then two weeks later I was at the hospital on August 24th having surgery. On the day of my surgery I weighed in at 409lbs. The surgery went great. Afterwards I had little to no pain and was up walking immediately. The year has been a great journey. Today I weigh in at 208lbs and feel great. It has been a fantastic journey. I have no regrets and qould do it again without a doubt. I have been around temptation plenty. Several trips to Vegas including a stay for 9 days. I've been to winery's. All the time not touching alcohol and steering cleer of the food that ruined my life.I'm thankful for the tool I was given and plan on using it to the fullest. Best of luck to anyone thinking of having the surgery, and continued success to those who have had this life changing experience. As for me last year I changed my health, this year I change my job. Think positive???? Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

I will be the first to admit that with getting back into the swing of life and work and a new love, it is easy to let those old bad habits creep back into our lives. We all fall victim to this in some sort or fashion and it is the one thing as weight loss patients that we fear. This is probably the one thing we fear the most that we will start up our old bad habits that got us to being overweight in the first place. I am about 16 months out and I am the first admit that I have allowed bad habits to sneak back into my life, not as bad as before surgery but regardless they did creep back in. My bad habits include soda, and occasional fast food. We call this the comfortable phase, you are now comfortable with how you have to live and eat post surgery and then life in general just happens and we can tend to slip back into those old habits. Alot of people suffer from this problem they lose all the weight then think “hey I can reward myself with a cookie, or stopping for fast food, or a soda” But I remember seeing a saying a long time ago that said we are not dogs, we do not need to reward ourselves with food and this is so true. Why do we always use food as a reward, or something to make us feel better. The truth is food is something we need to survive, it should not be used as reward. If you are thinking of having weight loss surgery, you need to understand that the surgery is not a cure all. Your mind is a powerful tool and is something we need to work on or it will sabotage our weight loss journey. The one thing I noticed is my bad habits creeping back in and I refuse to let them ruin my weight loss or rule my life. The most important thing to remember is that we will have trips and falls along the way, the difference is are you going to let this slips and falls define your new life or are you going to get up dust yourself off and start over. For me I am going back to putting protein first in my diet, being good about making sure I get my vitamins in and staying honest by providing a weekly food journal to give you all an idea on how much I eat and what I eat throughout the week. For More Great Recipes and Articles please visit my blog Bypass Princess today and follow me on my journey to getting healthy and happy!

I wasn't allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for 6 weeks. If people notice your eating habits have changed, just tell them you are just watching what you eat. My husband was definately against a bypass for me, but was very supportive of the band. Get your husband educated. Best of luck.

ladies- this has been a helpful conversation i found. i was told consider gastric bypass surgery (not the lap band) after 6 months diet, etc. So i thought i might look into a self pay since i have no interest in bypass. but after reading this thread (if i'm reading it right)- i'm lead to believe that they do the lap band at walter reed? do any of you have any info that might help me? I'm very close to WR, but i did not think they did it. thanks! Pattie