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I was told in the kaiser seminar that if you have sleep Apnea and its not being treated that getting you off the breathing machine used during surgery can be complicated. The instructor said that your lungs are so tired they clamp town on the tube and wont release and you have to be in ICU until they can get it out. Additionally it is a condition that can be caused by obesity so its something up there with Blood Pressure, Diabetes etc that can be treated by losing weight.

As I was getting close to my surgery date, many other dr.'s had people on an all liquid diet for 2 weeks. geeesh! All I had to do was eat low carb, have no red meat 48 hours before surgery and fast 12 hours before surgery. I tried my own self imposed version of the liquid diet and failed miserably. I did manage to have only liquids 24 hours prior even though it wasn't a requirement. I ended up losing 12 pounds in 3 weeks. I was pretty happy with that. Supposedly, nothing in the stomach and bowel tract greatly decreases your discomfort after surgery. I adopted that theory and had minimul complications and minimul gas.

Day 20 now. I'm doing well. I've ate some solid foods ahead of my plan, but I chewed them up VERY well before swallowing and I seem to be okay. But I am still going to do my best to stick to the plan in spite of these few lapses. My weight has started moving down again, very slowly. My exercise has been fantastic. Ran my 1.3 miles this morning at my fastest pace ever and even forgot for a while that I had had surgery. Did my dumbbell, sit-up and push-up workout after running. Felt great all day. I do feel restriction now with those solid foods. Don't feel a need to finish a plate full of food. But could snack on pudding and applesauce all day, if I wanted. Still trying to fight the sense of hunger, but winning the battle mostly. My clothes are all loose now. I will need to buy new clothes soon. Clothes I had saved because they were too small for me are now too big. Today the president of our org commented on my weight loss for the first time. He congratulated me. He, like everyone else, doesn't know I had surgery. However, I don't feel bad or dishonest like I thought I might. That is because I still feel I am earning all of this weight loss myself with my continued diet and exercise. The surgery just helps my body to cooperate. I definitely feel additional confidence coming on to a level I didn't have before. I'm not embarrassed by my body as much as I was. I feel like I look good, even though I realize I'm still fat. I never wanted my wife to take or post pictures of me online and now I am posting selfies quite often. Just happy with the results so far. I am blessed because I feel like I am doing well with the sleeve, no complications and good results. I'm down to only one Metformin pill per day and expect to come off that soon. My blood glucose numbers have been perfect. I find out my A1c numbers tomorrow. Off blood pressure meds and blood pressure is perfect. Plantar Faciitus is gone. I feel like my sleep apnea has gone away and don't need my CPAP machine like I did before. (But I will wait a few more months before doing another sleep study.) I don't know how long it will be until I no longer have fatty liver disease, but I pray that this day comes soon, after which I think I could declare: Clean Bill of Health! Sleeved on 10/18/2017 Male, 46, 5' 8" HW: 270, SW: 232, CW: 217, GW: 170.

What are the program requirements? Are there specific goals you have to meet to get approved? How many surgeries has he or she done? What is the practice's complication rate? What is their pain management protocol? What is their nausea management protocol? I know my doctor put everyone on anti-nausea medication- a dose was given IV pre-operatively and then around the clock IV post-operatively until discharge. This was great for me. I too have experience nausea after surgery, however, with this protocol in place, I had none! What a relief!

Hey girl, we are in the same boat. My surgery date is Dec 12. We are almost the same age. I was planning on the gastric sleeve but because of complications from my acid reflux I am now having gastric bypass. Text me 570-262-2942. We can be surgery buddies CONGRATS to you and good luck.

Well I'm a pro at short term disability. I've used it 4 times for the birth of my kids. Many companies have a waiting period before your short term disability kicks in. Some have no waiting time but typically it ranges from 3 to 10 days. For the 3 to 10 days you have to use sick or vacation time. Once that kicks in, you should have your other paperwork already completed by your surgeon and it starts automatically. The problem I think you are going to have is that the time off has to be doctor approved. Unless you have complications from the lapband (which I hope you don't), the doctor will probably only give you a 1 to 2 week recovery period. This is something you really need to talk over with your doctor. I'm not sure how much time you are wanting to take off. So you might not be granted STD based off of the doctors release. The key thing to remember is that you need to file for FMLA (family medical leave act) this is DIFFERENT from STD but should be in the same packet of info that you get. The FMLA ensures that you have a job to come back to if you are going to use STD or if you don't have sick/vacation days to use. Hope this helps!!

That is a big fear. Actually even local scares me. It reminds me of death. I have had 3 c secs (2 with local 3rd was local but swithched to general due to complications) and my gall bladder taking out. Always scary. Which reminds me....Oh I'll start a new thread about that.

Two weeks post op and started on normal food. Doing great! No complications other than the fact that I can't eat eggs in any form anymore. I get a terrible stomachache immediately afterwards. Anyone else have this problem since banding?

This brings up a good point, the cost for 4 weeks in the hospital was $10,500 yet that complication fund pays him (according to his own stats) $50K per each complication. That's a big profit. Is he a doctor or an insurance company? I agree completely, I never blamed him for the leaks or liver laceration. I made it really clear that all doctors are going to have leaks and complications eventually. It's not the leak, it's the costs involved. That wasn't my issue. My issue is when she originally wrote THIS: Since when is bypass safer than a sleeve? Since when is a bypass leak safer than a sleeve leak? That's just untrue information. This is where we will have to agree to disagree. It is as I wrote earlier, what matters to me is different from what matters to you. That's how life works, we all HAVE to find a doctor that meets our individual requirements. We did that and that is all that matters.

Hi, Just to put you at ease, my husband had the lap band put in and he weighed in the mid 400 range. Our doctor feels strongly that the lap band is effective for those who have high BMIs (over 60). My husband who is so motivated has already lost over 60 lbs in 2 1/2 months. Much more than me and I have been banded 5 months. Although I'm told that weight loss is faster for men, we both recomend the band. We feel that it is safer and there are less complications and the band will help us maintain our weight loss forever. By the way, my husband's internist has removed 4 diabetic type pills, a water pill and will be reducing his blood pressure medicine after one more check-up. Good Luck to you.

Wow, those prices are crazy. My guy is the #1 sleeve guy in the US (done over 1200 of them, really low complication rates) and he's charging much less. But the interesting thing is that they charge a program fee to people with insurance. The insurance companies just don't reimburse enough for the surgeons and hospitals to really cover their costs. So someone with insurance can be paying them as much as $8000 over and above their deductible/copay. Some people think THAT is outrageous. I used to until I saw how reasonable their self-pay prices are. Obviously, they aren't trying to gouge us or they'd charge the self-pays that much more. Because clearly, they can and people do it pay it. Health care in this country is so messed up!

No, this is not a board to push one doctor over another. It does happen to be that many here were operated on by Dr. Aceves but he has nothing to do with this website. I know I never suggested you go to Aceves. I never suggested ANY doctor to you. I just told you a bit of what I know about Joya, that's all. So unless you can show me where I pushed him on you I'm not really sure how you can suggest that this board pushes any given doctor. I have never ever claimed that Aceves was the only good surgeon. I have always pushed research, LOTS of research. Rumbaut is excellent as well. There used to be another one but his location is so bad and dangerous that I do not suggest him and he's been having a lot of problems lately. People coming home and having to have emergency surgery to fix something that went wrong. The person that had the liver issue with Dr. Joya posts here. She's been posting this morning. It's in her OH profile, or it used to be. She does not blame Dr. Joya for the liver issue... it happens. It's a risk with this surgery. Her issue was that nobody told her she would have to pay the additional $1200 until the day of her discharge and they were not open to her leaving the hospital until it was paid. They were very limited in forms of payment they would take. Had she known this up front when the complication first happened she would have had more time to prepare and take care of the additional bill. He had no complication fund before that. And speaking of the "complication fund," most of the good surgeons in Mexico cover complications themselves. Consider this, he claims complications happen in less than 1% of his cases. $500 x 100 is $50,000. The liver complication was $1200. That would mean he's making a pretty good profit on his complication fund. Complications are very unlikely to cost $50K in Mexico. Again, in my mind it goes back to ethics. You are okay with this and that's fine. I am not, I see it as an issue of ethics. It is not a matter of my doctor is better than your doctor, it is a matter of I require different things from my surgeon than you do and again, that's okay. That's why there is no surgeon that is a one size fits all kinda person. We all require different things from our surgeons. Leaks... they happen. So be it, all surgeons have them eventually. Nobody is downing Joya for having a leak. That wasn't the issue. It was his telling someone that leaks are basically easier and safer with bypass than sleeves. That person also posts here. She had her consult the day before surgery with Dr. Joya and he encouraged her to get a bypass instead of a sleeve. She was in a mad dash the night before surgery to research bypass. She ended up with a sleeve. She is also the one that explained about the person that had a leak and was still battling it 4 months later. The person was there while she was. I have to say, I stand behind my original post. I've been reading WLS boards for a long time and after time you can see trends with doctors. Some doctors have more issues than others. Some are flat out liars. Over time you see trends on various doctors. Dr. Aceves is probably the one in Mexico that does the most sleeves so you are going to see a lot of his patients posting. It's the way it is, it will be the same on any board where a lot of Mexican sleeved patients post. That doesn't mean he has anything to do with this board, he simply does more sleeves than other doctors so I'm not sure it is fair to jump to the assumption that he has something to do with this board. Really, it's kind of unfair to the man IMHO.

Helen, first off, be so proud of what you've accomplished. 85 lbs is amazing! As for eating too much lately...have you been eating more because you've been feeling hungry, or for other reasons. If you've been hungry, you might want to consider if a fill adjustment could help. You might need a small fill to get you back to good restriction. If it's not hunger, well, that's more complicated. I've seen people suggest that going back to basics can help, like going back to a liquid diet for a couple of days, but if you're eating for emotional or psychological reasons, that might not help. What might do more good is finding a local support group. Sharing stories and getting advice from other people always makes me feel stronger. Also, getting you mind off food by filling in time with other activities you love can also help make it through a rough time. Good luck!

I'm 10 months out and in some ways the journey has been much easier than I expected, but in other ways it has been much more difficult. The pain after surgery was very minimal.and I did not experience any complications. For the most part, food cravings are few and far between. This has been a major blessing. I have lost 135 pounds since my surgery. Until a week or two ago ,my glucose readings were somewhat elevated, but lo and behold, last week I finally got a reading of 96 and this week 84. On the other side of the coin, I have had 10 months of nausea. Although I follow the rules, eating tends to make me feel very queasy. This food addict now finds most foods truly repugnant.My tastes have changed. Formerly favorite foods just make me gag now. It's really weird.

Thanks!! Well I'm a 44 years old Hispanic female. Have three sons. Been married for 18 yrs. As a tradition Hispanic Puerto Rican we eat very unhealthy. I have done so many yo- yo diets as many of you with temporary success. It has been hard Keeping the weight down. My maternal family all have diabetes which many have died with diabetes complications. When I became diabetic it scared me to death. My doctor helped me in every thing she could with my weight loss. Many letters were sent to my insurance for approval. Finally this September it was approved. My big day was 2/1/12 its been almost 1 1/2 months. I was 226 and currently @ 206. My first fill will be 3/13. very new to the lap band. It will be nice to be able to speak to someone on a one on one for support. Thanks

Hi I am new to this. I have no idea if I'm even doing this correctly. I just posted something but I think I was in the wrong place. Not very computer savvy. Anyway, I have not been banded yet. I'm waiting for Insurance approval from Health Net. My surgery is scheduled for July 25th. I'm very nervous. The surgeon who will be peforming the surgery is Dr. Roslin, NY. Came highly recommended. I really need to hear all the positives and negatives. I'm worried about complications. Help!

Hi! Good luck to you! I DO live in WA and had my surgery in Federal Way by Dr. Srikanth. I had a complication post surgery, but everything ended up ok. I am 12 days post op and feel fantastic! 31 pounds gone forever! Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi Lynn, Hang in there! Don't fall into those negative feelings or frustration. We have all been through that and you need to know that this will change. My advise would be that you start immediately doing research on the procedures and the doctors. You'll be busy spending time doing that and trust me, it will feel great knowing that you are taking the first step to remedy your situation. I have the LapBand and I love it. Surgery went well with no complications and per my research, that's mostly the case. My surgery actually took 46 minutes (!!!). My doctor (Dr. David Davtyan) was/is incredible but he is in Los Angeles. He is also a LapBand patient himself so I felt relieved to get the procedure done with a true 'expert'. I've only had 1 adjustment and it is going well. I had my surgery in early 2010 and I have lost almost 100lbs. And, best of all.....I know I won't gain it back - it really feels amazing. I eat whatever I want and I feel full faster (because you have to eat slower than before and of course due to the band). The surgery is the safest compared to other procedures and it's minimally invassive. It's done laparoscopically. Get started with the process, don't delay. Make it your # 1 2011 resolution and I bet you that by next New Year's you'll be celebrating your success!!! Good luck! Sincerely. Regatas.

Well, a fill would be required if you are hungry all the time.. other wise maybe you don't need it. Before the fill it was just healing mostly, and you were on mushies and liquids thats why you lost more weight. Yea just make little tweeks and see if that helps. I'm more liberal on my diet than a lot of people. I want it to be realistic. I eat a good 1200 calories a day. I'm not one of those people that eats like 1 egg for Breakfast, and 1/4 cup of tuna for lunch.. and I'm losing 1-3lbs a week. It's all complicated! One week I go balls to the wall 5 days a week, INTENSE exercise and I lose a pound. Which I HATE, and makes it feel so useless when you don't lose much, and spend 6 hours in the gym. The next week, I do some walking, or an exercise video for maybe 4 days, not nearly as intense and I lose a pound or two. I'm trying to figure out the right balance. The body is just fickle I guess.

I would always tell people never go with the RNY bypass I have had nothing but complication after complication and have spent more time in the hospital then not Sent from my LGLS992 using the BariatricPal App

That's the same reason for me and barrett's/ulser . Did you have complications of any kind? Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Pat, my port is a sternal port also. My doctor told me that research has shown there are less complications with the port placed there. I do sometimes feel it when I am laying (or is it lying, I can never remember) on my stomach, but not to the point that it is really uncomfortable. At least not yet. I totally understand about the butterflies. I think we all had them. Don't worry about blood clots. You should be up and walking at least a little very soon after surgery. Keep doing that and the blood clots won't form (unless you have a known clotting problem, in which case they will give you medicine to prevent the clots from forming. I'm pretty sure you will be successful, too. After all, we all were failures at dieting or we wouldn't have gotten the band. But look how many successes there are on this board! They're not really any more disciplined than you are. The band is helping them! As for the changes you will need to make, well, yes, there is some work and some uncomfortable change involved. But you already know that. We all get through it. I wish you a very safe surgery and a speedy recovery. Nancy

Hi all. I am researching this procedure to see if it is right for me. I have read alot of your posts and everyone seems to be very glad that they had this done. Does anyone out there regret it? Maybe had a bad post-op experience? I am interested to know. I almost did the RNY years ago until two of my chat buddies passed away from complications due to their procedures. It scared the heck put of me and, of course, I did not have it done.:cry Here I am, 6 years later, looking once again for a solution. I had a baby 10 months ago. I was diagnosed with postpartum cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart) and was told that my heart was only functioning 10-15%. I also have high blood pressure and am a diabetic. I am at 261 lbs (last time I checked), possibly more. I need to do something before it is too late. I want to live long enough to see my baby grow up. Also, if anyone here is in the Miami area and has had or is in the process of having the lapband procedure done, I would like to hear from them. I would like to know what doctors they are seeing and what troubles, if any, they have had with insurance. I have United Healthcare but I do not know if they cover WLS. Anyways, I am sorry to have rambled on. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Okay, it sounds cute, but it’s a serious question. If you want to lose weight or keep it off and get healthy, you need a plan. The old saying, “Fail to plan, and you plan to fail” could have been intended specifically for weight loss surgery patients. Fail to plan after Weight Loss Surgery (WLS), and you’re planning for plateaus or regains and possible complications. What should you be planning? You don’t want to become fixated on planning, but there are a few key areas to be aware of. These are some of the questions you might ask yourself to make sure you’re planning enough. Each question is followed by the pitfall you might fall into if you don’t think ahead. Where are you shopping, and what are you buying? Possible pitfall: Finding an empty fridge and opting for McDonald’s or pizza delivery, or going to the supermarket without a list and buying whatever looks good – which usually doesn’t include lettuce and chicken breast. A solid answer identifies when you’ll shop, and it includes a list of proteins and other essentials, such as vegetables, fruit, healthy starches, and healthy fats. Check the list to make sure it has enough healthy foods for the meals and snacks that will get you through to the next shopping trip. What are you having for breakfast tomorrow? Possible pitfall: Being so rushed you grab a pair of Pop-Tarts on your way out, get a bagel at the coffee place, or get to work so hungry you sneak in a doughnut from the reception area. A solid answer is realistic, so if you know you’ll be in a rush, it doesn’t involve a lot of preparation. You may want to get your breakfast ready the night before, even if it’s as simple as putting some cottage cheese and a few slices of turkey in a portable container with a tight-fitting lid. What are you ordering for lunch? Possible pitfall: Going out with the gang and ordering what they do…anything from a burger and fries to pasta primavera. A solid answer considers where you’re likely to find yourself at lunch and what’s on the menu. Identify your source of protein and a vegetable beforehand and stick to your pre-made decision when you order. If you end up going out unexpectedly, look for salads, grilled chicken and fish, and sides of vegetables and fruit. What are you making for dinner? Possible pitfall: Ordering in or getting take-out, or falling back on a high-calorie, low-nutrition quick fix such as macaroni and cheese or taco kits. A solid answer identifies your source of protein and vegetables so you can figure out what you need to buy and how much preparation is necessary. When, where, and what is today’s workout? Possible pitfall: Running out of time if you haven’t scheduled it into your day, or chickening out of the workout if you haven’t quite made the commitment to a specific exercise. A solid answer says when you’ll work out, whether you’ll do it at home, at the gym, or somewhere else, and what clothes, shoes, and other equipment you need to bring with you, if any. Your answer should also include what you’ll be doing, whether it’s 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill plus 15 minutes of lifting weights, going to a Zumba class, or pulling weeds and sweeping the driveway. What will you snack on at the party? Possible pitfall: Eating whatever happens to look good, and ending up with not enough protein, too many calories, too much fat and sugar, and possibly nausea or dumping syndrome. A solid answer doesn’t depend on what the host may serve. Your plan may be to bring some hard-boiled eggs or beef jerky for yourself, plus a large green salad, vegetable skewers, or fruit salad for you and the rest of the guests to enjoy. How will you answer your mother when she offers you a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie (your favorite) or the entire batch? Possible pitfall: Feeling guilty for refusing or being caught off guard, and accepting the cookie or batch. A solid answer includes a polite refusal, possibly with an explanation, such as, “No, thank you. My doctor has advised me not to eat cookies.” If you can’t avoid taking the batch home as a “gift,” don’t be afraid to throw it out. Nobody likes to throw away food, but if you’re going to, better to throw it away in the trash can than in your body. How are you going to feel at the end of the day? Possible pitfall: Let doubt creep in, and you may be setting yourself up for bad decisions with eating and exercise. A solid answer is positive and confident with no room for self-doubt. At the end of a day of good eating and a bit of exercise, you may be tired, but satisfied, proud, and a little lower in weight. Staying positive and optimistic sets you up for good decision making without even thinking about it. You always hear about the importance of planning for weight loss surgery success, but that advice may seem confusing if you’re not a natural planner, or even if you’re just not used to thinking so much about your WLS-related habits. Know the answers to these questions, and your planning skills can help you lose more weight and stay healthy.

yes i have seen him twice because I had complications. I had a feeding tube for a week and have had fainting spells. Also lots of abdominal pain but he just looks at me funny and says he doesnt think its surgery related. So I go to ER and told them surgeon doesnt think its surgery related and get told that noone will touch me because I just had this surgery. So I am sooo screwed. This was the worst mistake of my life.