Search the Community

I wish there was a way to know what is best for each individual. My choice on the sleeve was because of iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency and heavy cycles. I was worried the bypass would make these things much worse and cause other problems for me. I would have loved to do the bypass because it comes with more weight lost. My surgeon and I both agreed on the sleeve. However I’m not sure 🤔 it was the right choice. I started out at 280 lost 37 before surgery and would like to be 170. I’m currently 8 days out and worried because I havent lost a pound. Spoke with my doctor yesterday who says I may not be getting in enough liquids and calories to lose anything. So I am praying that I made right decision. I don’t want to be one of those people that needs a revision.

I don't think it is self sabotage for most people. I think it is fear. It is a scary thing. I am pre-op. During the seminar the surgeon gave us the info and stats for the various surgeries. He seemed to not think much of the band and suggested the switch for those with a BMI of 50+. During my consult he asked which surgery I was interested in, and I said I was leaning toward the sleeve but still undecided. He talked about the upside of dumping as a tool, but also told me about malabsorption and post op pain. I told him that I liked the idea of the sleeve being shorter surgery time, and he said that really isn't a big factor because a bypass doesn't take that much longer. He said based on my history I would be a good candidate for the sleeve but that a bypass would be ok for me too. He left it up to me and didn't really push me in either direction.

Hi - I'm wondering if the use of essential oils is okay after bypass surgery? I love lemon oil in my water and hope that I can continue using it and others. Anyone have experience with this and whether or not your docs have been okay with it? I use them a lot, for sore throats, upset stomach, etc. Mostly topically but I safely use some of them internally. (I use DoTerra). Any thoughts, ideas, articles, etc would be appreciated. Thanks!

Glad to hear some of you thought it wasn't that bad lol, my mom had gastric bypass a couple years ago and said she threw up after. she said it tasted like gasoline. I'll just pretend its a margarita I'm using dr. morris washington in south carolina. It's $8000 all inclusive. I got financing for $7000 of it and i have to pay for travel. its a 12 day stay but god knows i need the vacation lol!!! check my other posts for more info.

I had my lap band put in in Nov of 08, two weeks later i had my tonsils removed and was in ALOT of pain. Needless to say i lost some weight approx 15lbs, once I was able to eat I noticed I had NO restrictions I advised my dr of this and he said just wait and it will happen. Fast forward to Feb 09 I have my first fill and I have NO restriction and that was with a 6cc fill(the capacity on this sucker is 9:crying:) I lost all faith in the lap band and had just decided it did not work for me. I became depressed and gained approx 40 lbs:mad:, Just this past November I decided to just suck it up and try something else. I set the timer on my cell phone and at small meals every three hours and hit the gym 4 days a week 30 mins hard cardio and 20 mins weights. I see results now I have lost just over 20lbs:thumbup: but i am hungry and I'm not ashamed to admit a little cranky. I just went to the Dr again to day and I am scheduled to have the remaining 2.5 cc fill hoping that it will help, I asked what my options are if this does not work. My Dr advised I can stay on the same path with the gym work and the lower calorie meals or do the bypass procedure. I am sooooo leaning towards the bypass because I am sooooo tired of being hungry, fat, and cranky. It is a drastic move and I am concerned with the permanent factor but right now hungry fat and cranky seems kinda permanent also as i have been two of the three for a while now. Any thoughts?:thumbup:

I would wait and see if restriction happens with the fill. If that doesn't work. I personally won't go as far as to have the bypass. I don't know how I would feel about it though if I was larger. If I was having alot of health issues I would consider it. Right now I have PCOS and am getting close to diabetes. There is so much to consider. How are your knees feeling? your back? If all these things are bothering you and you are hungry it is no wonder you are cranky. Sounds like your doing the best you can without the restriction. Could you just imagine how great it would be with the restriction? I hope you get it it this time so you don't have to worry about the bypass.

All of my surgeries from knee, lapband, revision, c-section required removal of all of my piercings regardless of location.

Did you have your surgery on 3/27?? I'm scheduled for 6/20... I'm having a revision from the sleeve to the DS... how did things go for you?

Andrea, I understand you may have to travel, but I'd consider finding another surgeon. If your surgeon needs proctor, it MIGHT be that he hasn't placed the new AP band and he needs a proctor to go over placement with him (it's a little different), but it most likely is because he isn't certified by Allergan/Inamed yet, period. And that's okay, he's not necessarily incompetent, he's may just be brand new to banding. He may have done tons of various laparascopic procedures and maybe has done hundreds of bypasses, but he likely hasn't done many bands. But that's a consideration. Given the history of his pushing and pushing you to have bypass done, I'm leaning toward him not having done many bands. Do you want to be someone's first or second band ever? I *might* if I was comfortable and confident with the surgeon when I interviewed him. Based on what you've told us of your conversations with him, I would NOT be comfortable with his confidence in his own abilities or his own willingness to learn and try the latest advancements. Seriously, GO FIND ANOTHER SURGEON. I know you have kids, many of us do. I understand you may work, many of us do, I know it must be hard to arrange, but Andrea, this is your body and your new life you are dealing with here. Find a day or two that you can set aside to travel to an appt. Really think about this, please. From what I understand being Allergan/Inamed (Allergan is the newer name) certified to place the band is not state by state. It's one time. You can call Allergan and ask them if your surgeon is certified. The website is lapband.com and you should be able to find a link to look him up. What is his name, BTW? You can look him up on obesityhelp.com and on tha American Society of Bariatric Surgeons (asbs.org) to see if he's a member. Please do these things, or PM me the name or post it here and we'll see what we can find out about him to see how much experience he has.

Had you dilated your pouch? Congrats on the revision..

I have never had signficant GERD issues or I might have considered the bypass. But one can develop GERD (with the sleeve) even without a history of it. I don't think there's any way to predict who will develop GERD and who won't. I didn't want to take that chance.

Hi, I have just stumbled across this forum and thank god I did as I am hoping to get some help. I has a the Sleeve surgery in 2009 and then had a SADI or SIPS Bypass ( I think that is the technical term for it) in June 2017. I am in Australia and they were just starting to use the SADI option so didn't have a huge amount of feedback available. After having the sleeve surgery done I was diagnosed with an auto immune condition Lupus (obviously not from the surgery). So after years of pred/steroids to treat my condition I had started putting weight back on so had the bypass done. When I had the surgery, everything went ok with that part, however from them moving my Pancreas I ended up with acute Pancreatitis and was stuck in hospital for almost a month. Anyhow fast forward to 2018 when I would consider myself completely healed from the surgery, I started having a lot of gastric symptoms like bloating, excessive gas, sometimes diarrhea sometimes constipation that would come and go. I put it down to everything just getting used to the surgery. However, the past 18 months or more the symptoms have become progressively worse and after having all types of scans, faecal samples done, this test and that test and trying different treatments and diets I have finally had it with all the doctors as the cant give me an answer and now just put it down to my Lupus! The last "diagnosis" from different GI's was Chronic Pancreatitis (which my Lupus specialist says its not) and SIBO. But after changing to different diets and trying courses of antibiotics etc there is still no pattern and still no answers! I AM MISERABLE! I live each day in chronic pain but to add this to my health problems has been devastating to my mental health. I have basically become a recluse (I just turned 40) because if my Lupus isn't playing up I still cant leave the house because of these ongoing Gastro issues and I am so over it. Bellow are all the symptoms i have, some at different time depending on how bad it is and there is no pattern as to when it comes and goes or how long it lasts. I was wondering if anyone that has had SADI surgery experienced anything like this and if so were you able to fix it? Diarrhoea Constipation Excessive foul smelling Flatulence Severe Bloating (I can wake up with a flattish tummy and by late afternoon it looks like I am 8 months pregnant and my tummy is rock hard) Abdominal discomfort Pale coloured stools Steatorrhea Foul smelling stools Nausea weight fluctuation Malabsorption So that is most of what I can think of right now, but I am really hoping I can find some answers as I am just existing not living Thanks....desperate poster

Most good surgeons will suggest the more aggressive surgery (better outcomes,less revision/failure rates factors into their records) lazy ones will do what's comfortable for them. You have to ask for a lower level. I just wonder why if someone knows they have maladaptive eating practices (binging, purging, etc) , tendency to graze, very high start weight/very low goal weight why get a half measure? Why not go DS, where you have the highest rate of loss, highest level of malabsorption to combat all of the behavior? DS not available, cool RNY second best for your situation ( and of course this is all situational and hypothetical) But why with a history of binging not well controlled through meds/therapy, very high starting weight, lack of support, stressful job, would anyone go for VSG let alone band or balloon?

Lucky if it’s every 3 days [emoji849][emoji17][emoji30] HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 175 CW 184 5’6”

15 since august 15th seems pretty good to me. I was revised from band to bypass on june 12th and have lost 26 since. I would expect slower results with a revision at least that's what I was told. Good luck with everything!

Aw, sorry that happened to you. (( hugs )) Think of it this way - this procedure allows you to go at your own pace. If you had gotten Gastric Bypass and your pouch was too small or too tight - well, you'd basically be stuck until you could slowly increase the size or have to have another surgery. But a slight unfill seems to already have you feeling better, and doing better. So, it's good to see you back on the road with your band...

Help!! I am wondering if anyone has any experience with Highmark after having a revision. I am looking to have a band to sleeve revision but I am concerned that it may possibly not be covered due to my current BMI which is 35. According to my plan coverage it states it will be covered at 35 with at least 1 co morbidity if there was failure to lose weight or complications which I fit. My concern is the co morbidities. I have had sleep apnea when I was diagnosed prior to banding 5 years ago but unsure if I do currently .. although my husband and kids say I am snoring really loud now again.. but I haven’t had and new sleep studies. I really need to get this surgery done and I don’t want to disqualify myself for insurance payment. I really don’t want to gain weight ..any suggestions or input on what I should do!!!!! HELPPPPPP!!!!!!!

Hello good afternoon. I'm 7 years post op with a gastric bypass with silastic ring i would like to read your stories has it been good for you? personally ive had it rough with it. im 24 years old, i almost never meet my protein goals and I'm having low blood sugar problems. Considering removing it. I moved to the US and i used to live in south america where i got my surgery, havent been able to get in control with a surgeon over here, money, insurance and everything :( How is it been for those of you who have this kind of ring on your bypass? thanks

He did my revisions surgery back in 2012. So sad to hear this. May his soul rest in the Lord, he was an amazing man.

Hey there! I had gastric sleeve surgery on 1/31/2020 and here's my story. I attended the free 12 week orientation classes June 2019 thru Sept 2019 at Kaiser. My insurance paid for everything and I had no issues getting approved. My only out of pocket expense was a $100 co-pay for the hospital stay. Wonderful insurance, I know. Luckily, I had no medical issues making me very low risk for the surgery. My surgeon recommended that I get the Bypass and I changed my mind on procedure the day of surgery and switched to the Sleeve. My reasoning is simple...I didn't want to reroute my intestines and I didn't want to chance vitamin deficiencies or dumping syndrome. I fasted on clear liquids the day prior to surgery and it was hell. I had an interview on fasting day and wanted so badly to stuff my face, being an emotional eater (i did get the job!). I went to bed super early the night before surgery because I had a massive headache and mood swings from fasting. My surgery was at 1pm and because of the fasting... I wish I scheduled a morning surgery. The nurse that prepped me for surgery was an idiot. Why on earth would I be able to pee for a pregnancy test after having no fluids since the day before?! I could barely pee and what I did pee didn't make it in the cup lol I got 2 tiny drops of pee in the cup and guess what? It was enough for the pregnancy test. The nurse stuck me 7 times looking for a vein. 7 times. Not just a poke either, like she was really digging. She tried my forearm, the top of my arm, and both hands before calling for help. I woke up in recovery in extreme pain, nausea and was thirsty. I said "I'm thirsty and my stomach hurts really bad" and the nurse said yeah you just had stomach surgery. I wanted to sock her in the face. They made me wait 6 hours for pain medication and water. The night nurses sucked and the day nurses were great. I used the call button every 1-2 hours for more pain meds which they could only give me every two hours. I called after 45 mins and said "did you give me a full or half dose?" lmao but I was serious. The built up gas hurt and my throat was sore. I tried really hard to push the gas out and ended up sharting in my bed. I walked often because I badly wanted to go home. Coming home was nice and I wasn't hungry but still thought about food a lot. I followed the rules and sipped my water and protein shakes and jello. I only took a week off from work because I wanted my routine back. The doctor told me it was too soon because of brain function is usually low this early on. He said "do you want to go back because you're bored or because it's a money thing" and I said "I'm bored as hell" and he said "then no, you can't go back yet." I didn't listen and have no regrets. I started taking the pill form of multivitamin early on because the the ones you eat made me gag. I slowly introduce foods as instructed and my staples are yogurt, protein shakes, salmon, cottage cheese, and veggies. I keep my meals simple. I had my 3 month check up today and I'm on track. I've lost 50 lbs total since surgery. I'm aware that weight loss with the sleeve is slower but I'm okay with it. Each week I can physically feel and see my body changing for the better. I exercise daily by walking 1-2 miles, I feel great, and I have more energy. This is the one and only time that I've had surgery. It was rough at times but overall a good experience. I am happy that I did it and have a long road ahead

I'm scheduled for 10/13. Just had all my pre op testing done on 9/21. I'm a revision from lap band to RNY. Also need scar tissue repair, hernia repair and my gall bladder removed. Have not received insurance approval yet. I'm getting nervous, but the doctors office told me that revision surgery approval takes longer.

I am scheduled for 1030. I am a Lapband revision. I had my Lapband for 4 years and lost 191lbs. Granted, I was sick for most of that time, but I was down to 144. I loved life. And then, BOOM! I had horrible pains. Doubled over for 2 months. Removed my lapband, didn't find a problem and 10 months later I am up 120lbs. I am miserable, I am beside myself and I am hating myself. Gastric bypass is 10/30 and seems a world away.

There is a group of three of us getting bypass on the 23rd. We've been emailing each other for support. Let me know if you want in on our group

Hi everyone! I am in the process of having DS surgery. I still have a few months to go before the big day but I have some major concerns about my medication. I take Paxil and I have been taking it for years. I had agoraphobia really bad for like 10 years. I saw a new doctor and he raised my Paxil and since then I have been 100 times better. Now I heard that having DS or the gastric bypass can effect your medications because of how your body absorbs it.Have any of you had a problem with you meds??? Thanks!

Are we meant to guess why your thinking of changing or.. Is that to follow in another post? I have had a sleeve , feel free to ask specific questions, other than that I am not sure what you are asking sleeve suits some people , bypass suit some people. etc.