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I was over 300 lb. and I've been overweight since I'm 9...so I did NO research. The only research I did was I went to the seminar and I found out that it was safer then the gastric bypass which I already knew. My cousin had the gastric bypass and he lost 150 lbs in a year, which can't be good for you. All I know is that I'm very happy with my band and I've already lost 25 lb. No hard feelings but don't assume that everyone is like you, everyone is different. :biggrin1:

Got my band in 2009. It never really worked kept getting unfilled because of issues finally it was discovered the band had dilated my esophagus so I was revised to the sleeve. The sleeve was great in the beginning then in month 3 bad reflux throwing up at night on three different meds for it. Got dilated four times had the bravo test and other so now I have to do bypass. I didn't choose bypass in the beginning because of the rearranging I am nervous and scared but I can't live like this with the reflux I also don't want to lose too much more weight. I went from a size 18 to a 10. I lost nearly 60 pounds and I work out so I've lost more inches. Anyone else in my boat any stories. To share. My surgery is in two weeks it's being done as medically necessary. I have blue cross federal basic

Okay, So Ive been approved with Kaiser. I have been to all their meetings, psych drs, I have an appointment with the Surgeon next week to get my pre-op goal weight (which I should be close, since Ive lost 20lbs so far on my own)....What Im wondering is how strict, or intrusive is Kaiser before and after surgery. They tell me that they test for nicotine, alcohol and caffine....they ACTUALLY drug test? I have a pre-op diet (very VERY strict) which Im not really following. I excersise six days a week, which is why the weight is coming off. Im trying to do the things they say are important, like chewing my food thouroughly, eating slower, making better choices (for the most part), not snacking...etc... but there are some "rules" that Kaiser has, that Ive never heard anywhere else. I heard from someone that Kaiser has a basic plan that works for lap band and Gastic bypass, and thats why it has to be so restictive. They tell me I can never have a glass (or 1/2 glass) of wine...ever again. They tell me that I can never eat Cereal, bread, Pasta, or Peanut Butter...EVER AGAIN. Im 25 years old, and yes, I want/need/long to lose weight, but at what price? Im slowly realizing that I need to find a balance between Kaiser's obvious restictive plan, and what will work for me, for the rest of my life. Anyone with Kaiser who has an experience (positive or negative)? They seem to be so hard nosed about the whole process, its very cold and indifferent so far. I am going to the Kaiser Richmond facility...anyone have experience there? How many of you can eat peanut butter (in small quantities)? It might sound weird and petty, but I LOVE peanut butter. I dont have to eat it by the spoonfull or anything, but the thought of a world without it, is not a world I want to live in... Before someone jumps me for "not being ready for the surgery", I make no claims to being ready for this surgery, Im weighing my pros and cons on a daily basis...Im extremely conflicted regarding this...and any insight is always appreciated.. A

I'm choosing the LB because you can always have it removed, but you can't put your cutout stomach back. I do know if you're diabetic bypass cures it instantly, so that's why some people go that route.

I was at a meeting with a woman who lost 100 lbs with the bypass then gained it all back. she was looking into getting banded.

Gaining the weight back with bypass? Is that possible? Can you get the lap band if you get the bypass? Her insurance must be paying out the A$$! Lol Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

My husband got the sleeve 5 months ago, after having the band for the last 5 years ( i got the band 6 months ago). He did not utilize his band in the correct way, he would throw up almost every time he ate, because he would still have bad eating habits. His band surgeon would push the bypass on him over and over, so my husband decided to seek another opinion, and we found an awesome surgeon here in NJ, Dr. Strom. After unfilling the band completely for a few months in hopes to start over, he decided on the sleeve.. Dr. Strom took the band out and performed the sleeve at the same time. Took about an hour, and went well. My husband has already lost in 5 months what he couldnt lose in 5 years with the band. So i think the band is better for some (me) and the sleeve is better for some (my husband). Both are great ways to lose and maintain the weight loss, just depends on what kind of journey you want to take.

You know, while I am in a completely different circumstance than you are, I kinda ended up just like you -- My husband is a diplomat and in June we move to Paraguay in South America. I thought to myself, this would be a great time to get my weight loss surgery done. I had initially wanted the lap band. So we scheduled an appointment with the surgeon who's done the most weight loss surgeries and he said, "I don't do bands, but you can choose the sleeve or the bypass." Well, I knew I didn't want the bypass for the dumping and other stuff, but I had never really considered the sleeve. I read up on it and decided, ok, I'll get the sleeve. We went back to the doctor, and he said, ok how about in 2 weeks. Yep!! I literally had to start my pre-op diet THAT day. It was crazy. And then I went in and all is history. So, you CAN do this!! From what I've read on the boards, Aetna seems to be easier to deal with -- so go for it

My port flipped 6 months out, June of 2006. I had it revised 6/26/06, under general anesthesia and through my original port incision. I didn't miss any work and felt pretty good. I don't have any kids, so don't know how that will be for you. I've heard of some Doctors doing it under local anesthesia, but my Doctor opted for general. Unfortunately don't know why it happened, but he made sure to suture in very good this time in case it was his fault. I had to pay out of pocket for the surgery, $2,125 (ouch!). Luckily I had my income tax money in savings to take care of this. Good Luck!

Schlesinger??? Oh Lord... I had no idea. I wish I would have seen this sooner. Schlesinger has more paid posters than any other AZ doc, not here but on OH. It's sickening to see them in action. Check out the revision boards on Obesity Help - Weight Loss Surgery, Obesity Support Groups, Obesity Forums, Surgical Procedures and you'll see what I mean. If anyone writes anything the least bit negative about the doc on the patient testimonials the paid posters dog pile them. OP... you seriously need to have an upper endoscopy to rule out erosion. When you have a port infection the bacteria can often times travel up the tubing to the band and cause erosion. This is a big deal. Are you in AZ? If there is anything I can do to help please let me know. Stay on top of this, don't let any doctor pooh pooh this, this is a big deal. You can lose your band over something like this. As for Simpson... he's okay. I don't like that he doesn't follow his patients after surgery, the rest of his staff do. There are several very good surgeons in Phoenix and surrounding areas. Burger and Aldridge in Flag are good, St. Lukes docs are good. OP, if there is anything I can do to help please let me know.

PAID POSTERS!!? Too bad the AZ OH boards aren't reading about what he's doing to this poor woman. They should know about this. This person should report him to the medical board. I am wondering why didn't he didn't give her antibiotics in the first place for that size of an infection? Ignoring internal infection is very serious - people can die from infection! In fact, TJWOOD hasn't posted lately and the last message said she had 103+ fever!! Interesting that his office told TJ that the doctor wouldn't be in the office until Tuesday. I just looked at the AZ OH board for fun and someone whose profile name is "Lizzie" just posted on her profile today that he performed revision surgery on her LAST Friday, Nov. 21st! So, apparently, he WAS in town! But, I guess he was only available for new patients! $$$$ TJ, please give us an update! I'm concerned! Even more so because your doctor's office lied to you! This is awful beyond words!

The dr told us at orientation that 30% of patients fail in the first year, and the statistics go up after that. He said its very hard for people to keep it off up to 5 yrs, and that is WITH the band. He said that its a lifestyle change either way we go. And the only surgery that is the most guaranteed is bypass, but that he doesnt recommend it because of the risks.. It is just so confusing, i am not stoping my lap band journey, because the apts are still scheduled im just going to see what i can do i guess.. You can stretch your belly back out, and they say a huge percent have to ahve the band removed after 7yrs.....

I just posted a similar question in the insurance forum. I was a self pay banster, but was told insurance WOULD pay for complications. It hasn't covered an unfills due to dehydration though. There is no way I could pay for removal/revision right now, but can't live like this either.

Day one of the liquid diet is over and it wasn't too bad. I think the hardest part is finding sugar free stuff. Most Soups that I found have some sugar in them even if it's minimal. Hopefully I will get some help tomorrow during my pre-op class. I hate to say it, but I could barely choke down the atkins shake! Soooo, the only Protein I got today was from half of that shake and some specialK protein Water. I went to 3 stores and couldn't find any unflavored Protein powder. Anyway, I went to the required support group meeting tonight and learned a lot. There weren't too many sleevers, but there were some! Most were there for bypass or band. I am very nervous about recovery time. Other than that, I'm excited!

Dr. Aceves is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. (FACS.org) This means that the American College of Surgeons has done an extensive background check on the doctor. He has to exceed the same standards as a US surgeon. His background is completely verified, his licensing, credentials, certifications, absolutely everything. If he does not maintain his reputation and current standards he cannot maintain his affiliation with the FACS. FACS is a really impressive issue in the world of medicine. Not all US doctors can maintain the background and honesty necessary to be a Fellow of the ACS. But Dr. Aceves can. There is a doctor in MX that claims to have almost 600 VSG procedures completed. He claims to have been doing this procedure for 3.5 years. Yet according to his CV he was just trained in the procedure 2.5 years ago. We know full well he has not done as many VSG procedures as he claims but unless you know what to look for you won't know that his statistics are impossible. This is why going to an FACS surgeon is critical whether you are going to a US or MX surgeon. Surgeons from all over the world (including the US) inflate their stats so they appear more experienced than they are. If they told the truth about their inexperience they wouldn't get any business. So, they are less than honest. Dr. Aceves is the Vice President of the Mexican version of the American Bariatric Assn. This is a position that is voted, so the doctors of MX voted him into this position. They recently voted again and he will be President this year. There is another organization called the International Federation of Surgical Obesity. (IFSO.com) This is an organization where weight loss surgeons all over the world belong. A few years ago Dr. Aceves holds the position of Secretary for this organization so this means that even the US doctors voted him into this office. Dr. Aceves is a proctor surgeon meaning he trains other doctors in various bariatric procedures. He typically travels to one country a month and either attends lectures to further his own knowledge on the new advances in medicine or he trains other doctors in various surgical procedures. He recently returned from Chile and Argentina training their doctors in the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. He trains US surgeons in the various procedures as well. Mexico has been doing the sleeve longer than US doctors and there are simply very few doctors willing to train other US doctors because then they would have competition. Dr. Aceves believes competition in this procedure is good as patients have more surgeons to choose from. Dr. Aceves has done over 2200 Lap Bands, over 1000 Gastric Sleeves, and over 1000 Gastric Bypass procedures. This means he has over 900 staple lines, a technique that is critical in a safe surgery for a VSG procedure. When researching surgeons you want someone that has done at least 250 VSG and at least 250 Gastric Bypass procedures. The reason is that the Gastric Bypass procedure has a very difficult staple line. It is an interrupted staple line and quite difficult to do. If a surgeon can do the more difficult Gastric Bypass staple line, he can do the easier VSG staple line. (This was sent to me over 3 years ago, so I am sure he has done way more sleeves by now) Leaks are a potential problem with this procedure but he has a technique where he over sews the staple line and we believe this one of the many reasons he has never had a leak with a VSG. I think one big issue here to remember is that just because someone is practicing in the US, that does not make them a good or skilled surgeon. Just because someone is in MX does not mean they are not a skilled surgeon or a person without ethics. I had a choice to go to any surgeon I wanted for my own sleeve and the only doctor I wanted to go to was Dr. Aceves. He is the surgeon with the most skill, the best stats, the best reputation, and the safest location. I include US doctors in that assessment as well when it comes to the sleeve procedure. I am a nurse, I've been in his OR many times during surgery and after watching him operate I was quite certain he is the only surgeon I wanted operating on me. Another upside to going to Dr. Aceves. In the US if you have the VSG you will likely spend one night in the hospital. Dr. Aceves does not agree with this. He keeps you in a fully equipped hospital for three nights following surgery. He believes you need to be medically supervised, have a total of three leak tests to be 100% certain you have no leak upon returning home, and he wants someone monitoring your vital signs, drain tube, and he wants someone available to manage your pain should you have any. He does not believe in sending you home before three nights/four days. Keep in mind, we completely and totally depend on reputation for business. We have no insurance companies referring patients, we have to do it by reputation. Dr. Aceves has been operating on US citizens for many years. He wouldn't have the reputation he does if he didn't do the best possible job for each patient. He has a great rep because we all do the job the right way. He has another belief, he only hires educated people around him. I am his patient coordinator and I am an RN. Most in this position (US or MX) are merely patients that have had surgery, they do not necessarily have any medical training. His Office Manager (my boss) is an engineer by trade. Her Office Assistant is a Law student. His OR techs (OR techs are used in the US and typically have 9 months of training) are actually 4 year RNs. His hospital coordinator is a retired teacher that previously taught English in the MX school system. His Aftercare Specialist is a PhD. She is a licensed psychologist in MX and available to all Dr. Aceves patients by phone or email. This was sent to me by Dr. Aceves' office when I had my surgery. I don't think they are telling lies about his experience and certifications.

I was nervous with my PCP but I went in armed with all the information I could find. She took it home and read it - she hadn't heard of the sleeve before. She called me that night to say she was thrilled for me. She asked if I needed anything from her and offered to help out any way she could. It was a really positive experience. I used to go to a PCP that kept suggesting WLS and anything to get me to lose weight. I once went in with a sprained arm after falling and he went off on how my balance was affected by my weight. I felt like if I showed up with an chainsaw hanging off my leg, he would still say something like, "Well, if you weren't so obese, it could have cut right through you!" I was so frustrated because I wasn't ready for WLS yet and just wanted him to help me be the healthiest I could be at that weight. I switched to this PCP and at the first appointment, I basically told her that I knew I was obese and I was trying to eat healthy but if I wanted or needed her help, I'd ask. After that, she never brought it up. I think she was shocked when I went in to see her about it since I'd been so adamant that I wasn't doing the bypass/band.

The first thing to do is find a surgeon and talk to him/her. I was sleeed 9 April 2012. I am so very happy with the result. I have lost 33 pounds. True, you can't eat a lot at a time, but if you follow the rules-protein and water first- then you will be fine. I have to remember to eat. I drink water all the time. I am not eating everything yet-see my surgeon next week and then will step up a notch. But I am presently very content with soft foods. I eat a lot of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. A lot of things didn't taste right, but this is normal. I loved chicken before surgery and when they said I could have it again, I didn't like it.But now I like the taste. I don't crave anything. I am determined to make this work. The sleeve is safer than gastric bypass and you have been through the lap band. I was back to work after 5 weeks. I did 1/2 days the 6th week, but now I am full speed ahead.I have had to cut my blood pressure meds in half and don't need my CPAP any more. It is amazing. The sleeve is self-restricting. You eat small amounts and you are full. At least for me. Four-six ounces of yogurt is all I can eat at a time. But I try to eat a little every couple hours.. The way I look now makes me smile and I follow the rules as it make me happy. My clothes don't hurt! I didn't tell many people. More know now, but I have kept it pretty quiet. Some people tell everyone. It is a very personal thing. Get to a surgeon and talk this out. You will find your way. Good luck!

I just had gallbladder removed and gastric bypass on July 7th. I'm so sick I can barely drink water. I haven't eating since July 6th. The Smell Of Food makes me want to Vomit! !

Hi everyone! I have my LapBand revision to sleeve next Tuesday. I'm starting my pre-surgery diet tomorrow. I'm starting to get more excited and nervous. Dr. Aceves will be my surgeon. For those of you who had him, can you tell me about cellular service at the hospital? I understand the hospital is very close to the border. Do you think I'll be roaming or charged for international usage if I use my cell phone there? Only one person knows I'm going to have the surgery, and I'm going alone. I don't want people getting worried if I don't answer my phone for an entire week. (I live alone, too, so my family checks on me every so often to make sure I'm okay.) Any thoughts? Closely related, I think the nurses will call someone when surgery is over to let my family know I'm okay. Is that correct? If so, I'll have them call my sister. She's the one person who knows I'm having the surgery. She's a nurse, too, and she's had the surgery, so she's been helping me about what to expect. Most of my questions now are specific to having surgery in Mexico and by Dr. Aceves. I'd greatly appreciate any other tips/suggestions you want to send my way. Thanks in advance!!

Hi Everybody, I am having my LapBand removed and Revision Vertical Sleeve surgery in September with Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. The surgical center mentions that revision patients may be required to have additional testing preformed prior to surgery including a barium swallow and endosocopy. There is an additional fee for this. I was wondering of you all out there that have had the Revision surgery, did you have to do a barium swallow prior to surgery? Just trying to plan my finances and wondering what the chances are for this? Thanks for being there! Cheers, Dottie

my insurance denied me because they say the sleeve is investigational, my surgeon wanted to do the rny but i was totally opposed to doing that, he refused to help me appeal so i did it myself, i got a letter from someone else who appealed and won and i won. i got my sleeve about 6 weeks ago, you are talking about the rest of your life, don't let a couple of weeks compromise you. If you really think you can live with the bypass then i wish you the best, but if you're like me i say fight it, good luck

I'm sorry to hear that your surgeon would not help you. I know many people that end up with RNY because they do not or can not fight for the sleeve. Best wishes with your RNY, and during your surgery and recovery. I'm sure you are disappointed. Like I said, you could always strap some weights on your ankles, and other stuff to tip the scale in your favor. Sorry, I know it's not "right" or the moral thing to do, but I can 100% tell you that if VSG would have not been an option, I would of had my band removed, and stayed fat. The long term complications with RNY are just not worth it. I'm not trying to scare you, but if you haven't, check out the revision forum on obesityhelp.com and see just how many people are revising from RNY to either ERNY or DS. I know you need permanent, I know you need surgery. I understand all of that, but why not possibly find another surgeon that will work with you, and why is he trying to force RNY on you? Does he not sleeves? Does not have many sleeves under his belt? I mean, RNY is a more expensive surgery by several, several thousand so that is a big reason why some surgeons push it instead of the sleeve. I'm not saying that's the case for your surgeon, but it's happened, and I know people that have been in that position.

Tommorow is my four month sleeve-iversary and I have lost 75 pounds. I am still fairly new at everything, but it has been great so far. I am consistently losing and have found food choices easy now that the hunger is gone. I am currently losing some hair but I am told it is temporary and for me a small price to pay for finally having control over food. I love that there are no malabsorption issues with the sleeve, that was one thing that kept me away from the gastric bypass. I would do it again in a heartbeat. My life has changed completely for the positive.

What exactly didn't work? And what is going on that he thinks it wont work again? If she's eating around her band (which we all do at some point or another, I'm sure), I don't think the bypass is a good answer anyway, because you can out eat that too, and it's not adjustable. Was she too tight and having that soft food syndrome thing? If so, the unfill should help alot, because the solid protein will keep her full longer. I'm a slow loser, I know that it's 2 things, number 1 I've always been a slow loser on any diet, and number 2, I struggle to be 'good'. When I'm not good I don't gain weight, which is all thanks to my band, and when I am good, I lose slowly, which is frustrating, but it's the right direction and that's how my band works for me. I think she just needs to figure out how her band works for her.

Hi everyone, My surgery is scheduled for Sept. 24th with Dr. Kirschenbaum. I am really excited about it but I am starting to scare myself with worries. I realize there are risks with any surgery but I can't stop thinking "what if I die?". I have read there is a 1 in 50 chance of dying during gastric bypass. Is there a death percentage for lap band procedures? Is it rude to ask your doctor if anyone has died while he was operating on them? Did any of you have this worry? Thanks, Michelle