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Stuff is no joke. Been up for past two hours with stomach cramps. Ugh Every so often with caution .... you can say that again! HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 175 5’6”

hi there. i have been on hypothyroid meds for like at least 7 years. i too have struggled with weight and my primary recommended i look into vsg. i know some people develop GERD but as sleeve is the less invasive, that is the best option for many people, myself included. you can always revise if you have to, but many people seem to thrive after vsg though each case is unique in its own way. i've been back and forth but i think this is the best option for me and im sticking to my july 20 vsg date. good luck to you!

No thyroid issues but the bypass has totally changed my metabolism and the way my body processes food after 8.5 months I'm in maintenance after losing 156lbs total

Congrats r due especially as u have the courage to blaze ahead! i want it, iwant it,iwant it but am waiting for inswurance approval.amswiting on medicare and medicaid.does it take a long time? how long? has anyone done this lapbadning as a rivsion surgery and had to have a fully open belly cut? if so, didu stay in the hospital for any length of time?? am post gastirc bypass patient,lost 200 then gained back 100! am ashamed of myself but amgettingover it. oh for a second chance after all i know now what not do! i had no support in 1998,medicare paid for the surgery but not the counsellinga nd support!go figure!

I got home last night from revision surgery and have been sipping away. My goal is 64oz including my Protein that I mix with Water. I have the 8oz deer park individuals so I can easily tell how much I have drank. I am writing it all down so I can see my process. Also I write down if I liked the protein or not. I drink plain water and water with mio. I write down all my feelings too. If I drank to fast or if it feel sick. Which I have not gotten sick yet. It is a learning process for us all. You may want to try the fruity Protein drinks Matrix makes them I had the fuzzy navel today and it wasn't bad. It may help quench your thirst.

Hi i just had grastic bypass surgery on Tuesday is it normal not to go to the bathroom since Monday night I've been peeing perfectly fine but that's it and my stomach feels bloated and my other question is can someone please give me idea's on puree foods what to eat because i feel like stuff is turning my stomach idk if it's because i haven't been to the bathroom in so long Please Help Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey all! My father in law was just told he has pre cancerous cells in his esophagus from when he for gastric bypass. The doctors say its because the cutting of the stomach and something about acid?!? I have my date and now I am freaking out! Anyone else hear anything about this?!?!?

Good luck to you. Why not try the gastric bypass and a more permanent solution especially if you are through with kids. No Dr here just wondering if bands are so 'temporary'. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had a BMI of 32 with no comorbidities. I had to self pay. First spot was in September and I had surgery in November. This was 2017. I advise addressing any food addiction or other mental health concerns adequately prior to surgery. Or you may end up like me 3 years later and qualifying for surgery yet again and pursuing revision. Dealt with my trauma with food and I had to do therapy before I felt ready to seek revision now.

Try not to worry what other people tell you; if you and doctor agreed that WLS is the way to go, then that's what you should do. I think some people tend to think in order to have WLS you need to be 400+ pounds. WLS helps a lot of people with their weight, but also healing joints, getting rid of diseases that can be caused by excess weight, etc. I had the sleeve and am currently getting a revision to bypass, and am at 35 BMI. Some would say i don't need the surgery, while me and my surgeon have decided that's what's best. Do what you feel is best.

I was banded in 2005 and had great result with a 130 pound weight loss within a year. Over the last 5-6 years I have slowly gained weight back on. I will have my band filled and then vomit and then have Fluid taken out then gain weight over and over ugh!!! I had to have fluid taken out again last week due to not being able to keep anything down. Mind you I have not had a fill since 2014. My surgeon actually told me that he feels I should have my band removed and have a revision to gastric bypass. He feels that due to all the vomiting I am doing more harm than good, he also told me that he stopped even putting bands in over a year ago and would not recommend them. He said that it actually was never ment to be a permanent and they all will eventually need to be removed and mine is sooner than later right now. I was told even if I don't want to have the bypass I will need to have my band removed due to the excessive amount of GERD I have and it has caused Baretts Esophagus. One part of my brain says "Go for it they will already be in there to take the band out" then the other part says "You already failed one weight loss surgery". My surgeon also told me he will only do the bypass revision and due to the scaring of the band to stomach is where he needs to cut for the sleeve and he does not want to risk a leak. I go back to see him in three weeks and to tell him my choice. My best friend had the band to bypass revision and said hands down best choice she made. Sorry about the long post but was wondering if any band to bypass folks had any advise before I made my decision Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

As a 16 year old having bypass surgery I was approached by many people who were either supportive or toxic. I say toxic because making the decision to undergo WLS is not something easily decided and many people try to persuade you out of it. It required a huge team of thinkers (including me) coming together to create a plan that would help me live my best life! A lot of people can't see what were trying to do because they lack empathy and they are scared for us, and fear manifests itself in many different ways (anger, anxiety, negativity), and yes it's true we could die on the table but we can also get hit by a bus, That's just life. 6 years out and looking back now I can say it was the best decision I ever made. I came to realize that there are three types of people in the world. People who: 1. Make things happen (Oprah, you and me) 2. Watch things happen (the spectators, the one's that root for us to fail) 3. Look at their life and say "what just happened" (the victims) You should feel soo proud of yourself for making a step in the right direction for yourself and the lives of the people around you. However you or any of you choose to move forward know that you're not alone and we're all hear to support you

Everyone is different. Not all foods that bother one will bother another. I had the revision 7 months ago and I am able to tolerate every food I have tried under the sun. Dairy bothers me sometimes but only straight milk. The revision for me was fine, no complications. I lost weight at a faster rate but now I have stalled for quite some weeks. But I am also working out more and weight lifting.

Sleeve folks typically don't dump. The closest i've come...is eating WAY too much sugar around the holidays...and getting a little nauseated. Had to have a big glass of water, and felt better in 15 minutes. Bypass people dump. It looks incredibly painful. They sweat and look like they feel horrible. Sometimes I sorta wish I had a worse reaction to sugar. I love it...and it's a really bad choice. Easy old habit to fall into. But yeah...no dumping with sleeves for the most part.

The guilt is really a problem for me as well. Even preop I already feel embarrassment that I "had to have" WLS to lose weight. Just today on facebook I saw a video making the rounds about a man on YouTube (I forget his username) who lost hundreds of pounds and then had skin removal surgery. The title was, "What's your excuse?" Against my better judgment I read the comments and it was filled with "I bet he had gastric bypass." "It's easy when you have surgery to stop you from eating." "I could do that if I could afford surgery, too." and so on. It's like all the work he did, even though they could literally see video of him sweating and working his ass off, was invalidated because he (may have) had surgery. Very frustrating. So, I'm going to keep this in my back pocket for those days when I get that in-the-spotlight feeling of guilt. You're very welcome by the way and thanks so much for responding.

I had gallstones 7 months after my bypass. At my surgery (which was open) my surgeon palpitated my gallbladder checking for grit - but I was all clear, so he didn’t remove it. I had given him pre-surgery go-ahead to do so. I had reached my goal weight - but rapid weight loss is correlated with gallstones, so it is a known possibility. I have also never heard of an increased oancreatitis risk...

im not even shocked to be honest im more of an even keeled type of individual but inside im hurting its almost as if i knew i was going to be rejected somehow nothing ever seems to be easy for me /end rant anyway what kind of documentation do you think i should provide i was thinking about doing a scare tactic hiring a lawyer for an hour or two to draft me up something that i can send and my doctor is also sending something on my behalf stating that they will be responsible for making the medical decision. i just have to wait 2 weeks b4 i hear back from the doctor on that letter. they said that i cant be over bmi 50 or id die on the surgery table heres the funny thing they approve gastric bypass which is more fatal than this surgery.

its hard if your family doesnt understand, i can relate. my family are all trying to talk me out of the lap band or the bypass. they harp on my weight but tell me that i need to exercise more and make better choices. ive been there and done that. i go through stages where i exercise all of the time but i never lose the weight. part of it is because i snack throughout the day mostly when i have the day off. i am trying to work on that though. back to getting support. i am choosing not to tell my family that i may be having this surgery, i know that they will try to talk me out of it and i dont want to hear it, you have to really think this through and try to get support in other ways, for example support groups, this website, try to talk to other banders. at first my husband didnt support me but now he's coming around, he has his moments that he thinks that i cant do it but other days that he says if this is what i want than its up to me. it is hard when you dont have support!!!!!!

Had yet another followup with the Doc today. He's declared me fit and 'normal'. Personally I'm still disappointed. I look so good right after surgery, and then, without gaining a pound, things get saggy and bloated looking again. Doc and his assistant warned me about unrealistic expectations, and that "people who have cosmetic surgery are the type to be the toughest on themselves." I've never thought of myself as a perfectionist, but maybe in this aspect I am becoming one. I must think on that. There is one slight issue. The Doc didn't want to do much lipo around the port itself, because he was rightfully afraid of damaging it or the tubing. That's left me with an imbalance right to left, where the left side is slightly blobby and convex vs the right which is not. For other reasons, I am going to have to get the band revised yet again. I am going to ask the band doc to put in a low profile port when he goes back in, and place it on the right hand side. That will clear up the space to allow for just a touch of liposuction. Getting there...anyone know anything about pectoral implants? :mad2:

I am doing a conversion from Sleeve to Gastric Bypass and my surgery will be outpatient as well. Starting to get nervous about it after reading all these comments but i know some people have also been outpatient and have been fine.

After 2 surgeries with Dr. Cobean I agree that your impression of him is correct. His surgical skills are excellent, but I found him arrogant, pompous, and difficult to communicate with. Which is unfortunate given the very personal nature of this type of procedure. Patients will do well, however, if they bypass him and go directly to the nursing staff at the bariatric center. They are an amazing team!

So... I'm in college. I took one class this semester and it was HEALTH... Wtf was I thinkin... So I told the Prof/Dr I was going to be out for surgery and she was cool..... So I get back in class and she shows us a film called Forks over knives which pretty much is a documentary on how meat and dairy will kill you and how we can get all the protein we need from veggies. They of course had people doing this plant based diet and the all pretty much look like what we went under the knife for...diabetes... High blood pressure whipped out.... By the end of the movie I felt like a total ass.... So I ask her at that point about the protein I'm drinking and she says why are you drinking that. And I tell her about my bypass... And her face just dropped.... She then said for me to ask my dr about switching to a plant based diet.. But I'm telling you the look she gave me was as is I told her I had stage 4 cancer.......... I know it's too late now but I wish I had seen that flick beforehand..... I hope I haven't done something that will eventually kill me... I was trying to prolong my life.... I'm very afraid....

Aaaargh, I wrote you a long message and it got deleted Here we go again. I'm so sorry you have been through such a long and frustrating ordeal!! I am glad you have found your way here though as it's a very supportive environment and there are always plenty of people ready to jump in and answer your questions. I want to try to answer some of your food questions. I'll share with you what my guidelines are that I've been given if you are interested. This is how our nutrition goals have been explained to me. Protein needs to be the #1 focus because we can eat so little that if we don't focus on it, we don't get enough. Protein is super important to everyone but especially to us because it builds muscle (which burns fat and cals), and it helps trick the body out of starvation mode when we are eating so low calorie, so that our body doesn't hang onto everything. Getting 65-75g of protein a day is the goal. Also getting your min 64 oz of Water a day is important. On my plan, the first 6 weeks before full solid food, each meal is to be 90% protein and 10% complex carbs from fruits and veggies. At 6 weeks when getting onto solid food, it can be more like 75% protein and 25% complex carbs. Simple carbs from breads, pastas, etc are not recommended especially during the losing phase - but most people do eat them once they are maintaining their weight... or once they can't take it anymore hehe. With the sleeve nothing is off limits, but you are just supposed to try to keep your focus on the right protein rich foods and let other things be occasional. Salads - they put that on our list of things to stay away from. Not because there's anything wrong with it, but because it doesn't provide too much nutrition for us, lettuce is mostly water and also hard for the system to digest. They told us when we want salad, stick to spinach leaves, but focus more on the stuff goin ON the salad, and make a protein like chicken, shrimp, or beef a main part of the salad. Again everything in moderation :thumbup: As for what to expect out of your weight loss - it's anyone's guess. Our bodies are so different. There is a whole sub-forum on here for band to sleeve revisions, so maybe in there some people with similar experiences could give you a better idea... but my educated guess would be that you will lost at least that extra 20 lbs, but it may be slow because your body has been through such an ordeal and may really need time to adjust and to "believe" and let go of the fat that is stored. Be patient and dilligent in your food choices right now until you get to a place where you are comfortable. Hope this helps!!

If my doc wasn't givin me fills when I asked for em, I'd go to another doc. Luckily, he lets me decide how I think I'm doing. I had a fill from the port-revision, was too tight, unfilled in November, decided maybe I wasn't too tight, just not use to how restriction fills.. got filled back up in Dec. Now I am pretty tight, it's hard to eat a lot of solid foods, but liquids go down fine. I eat about 1/4-1/2c of food depending on time of day. Mornings are a lost cause, I will always spit up solid breakfasts, so I stick to a coffee, frappuccino, v-8, or milk. Lunch I am still pretty tight, so I have soup, or a few really small bites of something solid that take a while to eat. Dinner I am still restricted, but not nearly like I am for the rest of the day. Depending on what I'm eating.. I have never had a rice problem, but pasta doesn't go down well. And bread is out. I still try to eat bread even though it makes me sick!! A typical dinner is about 1/2c of food, spread out over whatever I feel like eating. I make dinner most the time, DH eats most of what I make and I take 1/2c and pick at it.

If your insurance paid for the band to begin with, they will almost surely pay for problems you run into like erosion, slippage, infection, etc. Assuming your policy doesn't change between the time you have the surgery and when you run into the problem. If your insurance didn't pay for the band and you are going self-pay, it's highly unlikely that your insurance will cover any problems you run into. Good to have a plan or idea of how you'd pay for a port revision or band removal / replacement if you do go the self-pay route.