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What did your stricture feel like? Is that something that is a 'natural' complication, or is it something we can somehow prevent? Thanks

I am extremely nervous about the surgery tomorrow. I just want everything to go smoothly with out any complications.

Or go back to the medicine. You know the chances of complications, the issues associated with anethesia, the post op complications and the risk vs reward of this procedure. I don't know if your like me but if you are, just ask to be informed. know your lab values, ask what your d-dimer is etc. Knowing the medicine can be a blessing in that you really do know if everything is going ok. course the flip side is, if its not, you will know too. Knowing the complications you also know how to prevent most of them right? Walk, Insp. spirometer etc. You know what to do to decrease the chances of complications. If you need someone to talk to PM me. I work 24's so whenever. =) You will do great though!! I can feel it!

I am doing well with no complications. I hardly know the band is there except I have been living on soup for 4 weeks and I'm not hungry. Just this week I progressed to scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes! I've lost 20 lbs and had to buy new pants to wear to work! first fill date is the 25th

I was banded on 3/17 08 at NYU by Dr. Ren. If there were only one thing I could say about the whole experience it would be WOW!. I am so happy. I had NO complications after the surgery, and have continued to lose weight every month since. The comprehensive program at NYU has made everything go smoothly. First there are several opportunities to go to meetings to listen to what others who have faced the same issues have to say. I wholly recommend this. Maybe everyone is not on the same page as you, but in the long run you always learn something new that can help. Second, the after care is outstanding. I have heard so many stories from friends who have had the surgery, and from other patients in the waiting room, and even from the young woman who was in the hospital with me after surgery (for gall bladder ) about the "special"care they have received. Finally, what doesn't get said often enough: the Dr.'s are wonderful. I,personally, can only speak for Dr. Ren. She is an expert. And she is extraordinarily kind and caring. My recovery and subsequent fills have convinced me that I chose the best possible place to have this life-altering surgery. Yes, what many people on this forum have said, the office staff leaves much to be desired in terms of communication and efficiency sometimes, but the professional medical staff is truly outstanding. I know you will be thrilled with your decision.

Ask him about it. A good surgeon will welcome this kind of dialogue if not asked in a matter that seems to attack. You might simply say, "I always check my doctor's histories, and see that you have had 2 malpractice claims in the past 9 years. That doesn't seem excessive, given the patient population you work with--but I wonder: can you please tell me the kinds of problems these patients encountered, and what the outcome was?" It's also perfectly acceptable to ask about patient morbidity and mortality--the percentage of their patients that experience surgery-related complications and/or die within a period of time postop. All this said, it's REALLY rare for any surgeon, in this day and age, to have a record free of malpractice claims. Often, they are more related to a disparity between patient expectations and outcome. In the world of WLS, the potential for disappointment is high---we're all told about the potential for erosion, slippage, failure to lose weight, etc. We all sign the papers acknowledging we know this when we give our informed consent. But when you go to your post-surgical support group meetings, it will become painfully evident how many patients really DID go into the OR with very little understanding of what was going to happen, the risks, and what would be expected of them posto Surgery performed on morbidly obese patients carries fairly substantial risks. These surgeons willingly place themselves in the position of encountering complications and poor outcomes in order to help their MO patients. It's reasonable to expect that, during the course of a career, that one or two families will lose a loved one and file suit. Just ask your doctor. S/he'll tell you, in very general terms (can't be too specific due to HIPAA considerations) the source of the claims, as well as the disposition. The reports only give part of the story; give the doctor a chance to supply the other. THEN you can make a fully-informed decision.

My husband supported me but never believed I needed the surgery. He felt I was beautiful and he didn't want to see me struggle if it turned out like the dozens and dozens of failed diets I'd put us both through over the years. He was also worried about complications during surgery, because he didn't want me to risk my life because I felt I had to lose weight. He stood behind me on this because he knew it was important to me. And truthfully, he would rather I had stopped losing weight about thirty pounds before I actually stopped. He genuinely likes larger women. He calls me skinny all the time. That said, he's still very attracted to me and loves how much more comfortable I am in my skin and how much happier I am. Loose skin was never an issue. And honestly, I'd love to tell you otherwise but it's a rare case when a woman gets skinnier than she'd like to get post op! Usually it's a struggle to drop those last fifteen to twenty pounds and hit goal. Now that I'm no longer diabetic and can keep up with him physically (he's more athletic than I am) and he sees that I have more energy for our kids and my own interests, he's glad I lost the weight. But he never stops reminding me that he has loved me and been attracted to me every day he's been with me, because I think deep down, he wants to reassure me that he loves ME not the body I'm wearing. Anyway, you have to approach it with education and honesty. You have to understand they do not understand what it feels like to be so unhappy about our appearance. If he's overweight himself and food is a big part of your time together, expect an adjustment period where he also mourns the loss of that ritual and socialization. But most of all, reassure him that you're doing this for you, and for him as well, because you want to live a long and healthy life as his wife. Too many men have heard of or know someone whose wife lost a lot of weight and the marriage fell apart. Every case is different, but usually if there are problems and trust issues prior to surgery, they might be exacerbated as you go through physical and emotional changes post op. If the marriage is on solid ground beforehand, it's usually stronger afterward. Good luck with your surgery, ~Cheri

But the bypass also runs the risk of malnutrition. I'm not certain that the there is an increased percentage of complications of the DS vs the bypass. I think they're pretty comparable. DS has a better long term outcome when it comes to regain. The SIPS is a modified DS having a single anastomoses vs the two anastomoses of the traditional. The SIPS also has a longer common channel that also helps reduce the risk of malnutrition and eases the whole gas/diarrhea issue. SIPS is also known as SADI or LOOP. Again this being a personal decision, you have to go with your gut [emoji173]️ good luck with your decision [emoji4]

The extra risk of malnutrition, the longer procedure, and the increased percentage of complications during and after surgery. What is the difference between sips ds and regular? I've never heard of that.

What I was reading was the bypass is a lot safer and a lot if people are having to cross over from lap band to RNY. I'm sure you won't have AS MANY complications tho.. if none at all. I would think having a foreign object in your body would cause issues alone. ~Leticia **HW: 259**PreOp: 216**SURG: 3/21/13 **Discharged @: 221**34 days post op. CW: 191.0 lbs. ---ONE-DERLAND ---

The care at St. Mary's is awesome. There is a couch in the room that your husband can sleep on. Sophie's house is across the road from the hospital where you can rent a room. My surgery was with the Divinci robot. No complications. I'm 9 weeks post op, I can eat anything without a problem, just not very much.

I agree with getting a second opinion - but keep in mind that your surgeon is the one with medical expertise and the vast majority of surgeons really do just want the best results for their patients, they don't have ulterior motives. Maybe see if you can attend some support groups and talk to people who have had the gastric bypass. It wasn't my choice for wls surgery and I love my sleeve, but lots of people do well with the bypass. My niece had one and is doing fabulous, has kept off all of her weight, leads a normal life with no complications - it can be a good option. But I would definitely get a second opinion!

Hi SleeveGirl88. Having GERD isnt' the same thing as having reflux every once in a while because you ate some food that disagrees with you. When they are discussing GERD as a contraindication for VSG, they are talking about people that have it regularly at least one or two episodes a week that don't necessarily have anything eating greasy food. You also don't seem to have any co-morbidities and a relatively low BMI of 40 (the average bariatric patient has a BMI of 42.5). If you're goal is weight loss, I would probably go with the VSG. While RNY may have slightly better total weight loss numbers and slightly lower regain rates over 5 years, the differences aren't really statistically significant--particularly for someone with your BMI. You'll do great with either the sleeve or the RNY and you're not going to get much of a weight loss advantage going with an RNY. There have been a lot of comparative studies that have been published over the past two years that support this conclusion. In terms of weight regain, some people start to see it earlier in the process with the sleeve but in the limited number of long term studies that track people beyond 5 years--there really isn't a long term statistical difference. What does seem to make a difference your starting BMI. Whether you're a sleeve or an RNY, if you start the journey with a BMI of 40 or less, the chances of you having BMI below 30 after one year is 95% and the chance of you maintaining a BMI under 30 after 5 years is over 75% with either procedure. The numbers for both procedures drop considerable the higher your BMI is at the time of surgery. The other thing to think about, particularly if your young (under 50), is that you're going have to live with this surgery for a long time. While RNY may have slightly better 5 year outcomes on the whole, the differences aren't really statistically significant. For someone like you, it might only mean a 5-8 pound difference (maybe)--but ultimately, it's probably not much of a difference at all. Ten or 15 years post op, you could be at a point where you have had significant regain with either procedure (hopefully not) and then you have think about revision (since obesity is a chronic condition). With this in mind, you should consider which procedure gives you the most and best options for revision. With RNY, you're revision possibilities are currently limited. In some cases, the pouch can be made smaller. Surgeons can also increase the length of the biliopancreatic limb to increase malabsorbtion or convert you to a distal bypass. The weight loss benefits of these procedures are disappointing for the most part, but these procedures can help treat co-morbidities. A more aggressive or radical approach would be to reverse the RNY and switch to a totally different procedure, but this is a very complicated and risky procedure that most bariatric surgeons aren't comfortable performing (at least not in 2018). In truth, your options of revision from and RNY are limited and may not be very effective for weight loss/regain. Options for revision from a sleeve if there is significant weight regain or re-occurrence of co-morbidities are numerous and more effective. Resleeves are common, easily performed and can help get you back on track. Since holds more volume to begin with and the pyloric valve is preserved with a VSG, resleeves seem to be more effective than revisions to a RNY pouch for treating weight regain. A sleeve also can be easily converted to an RNY down the road, but this is usually done to treat severe GERD--not so much for weight loss (although it can be used for this too). The most exiting option with a sleeve is that it can easily be converted to a BPD-DS or modified duodenal switch (also called a loop DS, SIPS, SADI-S), which is still considered an investigational procedure in the United States, but is probably the future of bariatric surgery. This is essentially a VSG with a single long limb bypass that attaches midway down your small intestines (roughly speaking) and has only one anastomosis (one connection point). It gives you most of the benefits of a BPD-DS (which is by far the most power bariatric surgery, but also the most risky), with approximately the same risk factors as an RNY. More studies are needed for the modified DS before it will be widely adopted in the US, but it's being adopted by many surgical centers and long-term RCTs are being done as we write (with excellent short and mid-range results). As a revision from a VSG, the SIPS procedure will be an easy upgrade that will only take about 30-60 minutes and will mostly likely be performed on an outpatient basis in the future (The SIPS bypass is much less complicated and less invasive that the VSG part of the procedure). In the end, both the RNY and VSG are excellent options that are very effective for weight loss. You can't go wrong, with either one. However, if you like and trust your surgeon and if he or she has been gently nudging your towards the sleeve, you should probably take his or her advice.

It sounds like you have a lot of trust and respect for your Dr and that is a good thing to have! Although you respect her, does she respect you? I am firmly against scare mongering, which seems to be her objective to sway you from weight loss surgery. Yes there are complications and yes some people gain their weight back, but she isn't giving you the global facts. Where is her unbiased information? What about all the success stories? The successes far outweigh the failures. I think to go through this, or any medical procedure for that matter, a person needs to have an unbiased support team. Up front and center should be their Doctor. If you've voiced your questions, desires, your own fact finding details with her and she is still spewing the negatives, you may want to consider seeing another Dr. A doctor shouldn't control your life, or attempt to control you with horror stories. They should guide and support you where your health is concerned. Do your own research. Become knowledgable on what it takes to stay committed, how it works, the struggles, and all the complications so you can make an informed decision. The decision is YOURS, and no one elses. Good luck ♡

Gardengirl I am pleased with how everything has gone so far. Very thankful that I have not had any complications(so far). I am struggling with the post op liquids but its tolerable and I will not do anything to sabatoge this. (I am adding a splash of coffee to my protein drinks which makes a world of difference!) I was told no caffeine but I am being naughty on this, 1/4 cup is all I am intaking

Had the port removed due to infection and incision not healing on April 26th the 29th I went to urgent care with 102.6 temp and dry heaves severe pain in left side under rib area. My surgeon told me to tell them I needed stronger antibiotics so they gave me a pain and antibiotic injection and sent me home with a script for more antibiotics, and said if it gets worse I need a CT scan. well a week goes by and I constantly telling my surgeon that I can’t eat severe pain still in my side temp running from 99.6- 102.9, and he says that it will take time for the antibiotics to start working so May 4th I’m up all night same issues as previous week so I called the surgeon to let him know I was going to the ER. The ER DR. sent me for CT scan and come to find out that I have fluid built up in abdominal cavity (left side under ribs)and a bad infection where the port was and at the incision. He tells me I need to be admitted to the hospital but needs to call my surgeon to see which hospital and he tell the ER DR to prescribe me antibiotics two types this time of course and wanted me to call his office Mon. morning. The surgeon called me Sun night after my long stay in the ER and told me he wanted me to come in this morn, and he would draw out the fluid. OK I took in the CD from the CT scan he looked at it then came in and asked me where the fluid was built up at of course I told him I’m not the DR but I can tell him where the pain is. He drew out almost two syringes of fluid and asked me if I felt any relief of course I tell him no. He says call me Wed. and he will let me know what’s next. I asked him if he has ever seen this before and he said no that this is a challenge. I don’t know what to do next it’s been 8 mths and still issues .Any advice is appreciated.

Hey, thanks for the support. I watched the video today...the good part was I could fast forward through the endless speeches! :-) It's all good. I'm hoping I've had my 'complication' now so everything from here will go great! Best wishes to you all.

I, personally, think you should have decided on the band before you booked the procedure -- kind of scary to second guess this when your surgery is just over a week away. BUT... There is another website I frequent where someone just asked this question....you might like their responses. However, most people on that board that didn't have the band are pretty ill-informed about it. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/messageboard/postdetail/1262177.html?vc=0 http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/postdetail/171393.html?vc=0 http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/postdetail/170826.html?vc=0 My cravings are pretty much gone. Sure, every once in a while, I crave something specific: mexican food or itialian or something, but I don't crave food in general. I don't have the feeling that I need to eat, eat, eat. That comes with good restriction as I don't feel hungry. Here are the reasons that I went with lapband: (note: this is posted from my blogspot where I journal these things) There are a few different types of weight loss surgery. They each work a bit differently and the results are different. One of the most popular ones is called RNY, where they cut your stomach to make a much smaller pouch that feeds into your intestines. They also shorten your intestines to prevent food from absorbing into your body as quickly. Depending on the person, they can either do the surgery laproscopically or open. I believe the surgery takes a couple of hours. From what I understand, most of the weight lost after this surgery is in what they call the "window of opportunity"-18-24 months after surgery. People can expect to lose 50-70% of their excess weight. A newer surgery is called Lap Band. Most of these are performed laproscopically. They place a band around the top portion of your stomach to make it smaller (called a pouch). It makes your stomach like an upside down funnel. You have the full sized stomach, but the opening is alot smaller, so you feel full faster because you have to wait for the food to go through the funnel into the larger part of your stomach. The FDA approved this method in 2001 for the US, but it has been performed before that in Europe. Weight loss with this approach is slower, but there is no "window of opportunity". After surgery, people can get "fills". The band around the stomach is filled with saline and can be filled up to be tighter or emptied to be looser, giving the person some freedom. Here are my reasons for having the lap-band: 1. My stomach/intestines will not be cut/staped/rearranged. If I ever had to have it reversed, it is much easier to remove the band than to re-cut the stomach. 2. I do not have to worry about malabsorption of my food and nutrients. All my nutrients will be absorbed the same as they are pre-surgically. People with RNY really have to watch their Vitamins since their stomach and intestines don't absorb nearly as much. People with a lap-band have to watch their vitamins too because they can't eat as much, but what they do take in vitamin-wise will all be absorbed. 3. Weightloss is slower. This helps with skin not to be as saggy after the weight loss. It also helps me establish lifestyle changes instead of using the "window of opportunity". People who lose weight very quickly often get gallstones and then need their gall bladder removed. I'd like to avoid that. 4. The band can be adjusted if needed. If the weight isn't coming off well, the fill can be increased. If the weight is coming off too quickly, the fill can be decreased. If I ever get pregnant :-) and need to eat more, I can get an unfill. This is true even 10 years down the road. 5. Lower mortality rate by far. 6. Less complications post-surgical, since there are less changes in your body and no cuts. 7. Shorter hospital stay. Most Lap Band patients are in and out in a day, if they have a fairly early surgery time and no complications with anesthesia. Here is information on Lap-Band: http://wlssearch.com/surgicalweightloss.htm http://www.nevdgp.org.au/geninf/std_misc/OBESITY_SURGERY.htm http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/about.html http://www.lap-band.com/about.html http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/mda/docs/p000008.html

So Good Friday was my 1 yr anniversary - how fitting. 91 lbs lost! So let's review a couple points: If I could go back in time would I choose to not have the surgery? - Not on your life!!!!!!!! best decision I might have ever made (only thing that comes close was following my parents advise to buy my house when I was 23) Have I had any Complications? - No - I wouldn't say any complications. I had to have 1/2 an un-fill a week after I got a fill a couple months ago b/c I was too tight - No big deal. - I have had a problem with recurrent fungal infections under my stomach - not pretty, smells worse - but not totally unexpected and just part of the process. Do I have ANY regrets? - Not in regards to having the surgery - but I do wish I had started exercising earlier on and still did it with more regularity. I also wish I had not gotten a fill every month (it's what the Dr's office said was ok - and I'm sure it's fine in practice) I just think if I had gotten a fill less regularly I might have had to force myself to work more on self control/discipline. What happened that I wasn't expecting? - I don't think I have ever spent so much money on clothes in 1 years time between work and play - it's crazy (and this was with having had some clothes in some of those smaller sizes from a previous wt. loss attempt a couple years ago) My next drop in size will put me into a size I have never been in adulthood - have never bought it (SO EXCITING but OMG! I'm broke!!!!) What do I need to work on here on out? - EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE!!!!!! - I still need to watch what I eat - I'm good about getting protein in and keeping my meals small - I just know that I snack way too much and on very unhealthy food at times - ok to do I'm just doing it too often! (for example there is way too much easter candy in my kitchen! - Find a clothes delivery truck stocked w/ 14/16 clothes and turn on the charm! :w00t:

Kat, thank you so much for posting. I'm a huge advocate of letting people know how bad things can get since I think it's only fair that people see the whole picture before jumping into this. I asked before my surgery of all the possible complications, and nobody ever mentioned anything like this. Then again, they never mentally prepared me for a port infection, either. I've had two ports removed and appreciate this post. I hope you're doing well. Thanks again. P.S. I'm in Vegas and hope to meet you some day. Keep me in the loop on Reno events. My best friend lives there and I owe her a visit. I would love to meet your surgeon, too. I'm glad he found the problem. If you were banded in Mexico.... YIKES, let's not go there.

If you go to a forum where people have had problems with the band, that's what you will find. If you go to a forum titled Dodgerhaters.com you'll find a lot of people who hate the Dodgers. Of course some people have not found success with the band. Some of them have complications due to no fault of their own and many have problems because they couldn't control their appetites and continued to eat too much food. The band goes around your stomach, not your head. The number of complications pale in comparison to the folks who have had success with the band. The number of forum members on this site is in the multi thousands and the amount of complications are in the low hundreds. You have a small chance the band won't work for you. tmf

Hi Jeanette, Researching the good the bad and the ugly of any decisions is always a smart move. While yes these things can happen, they are complications that most of the time can be avoided by proper band practice! (pardon the pun) Following the rules that your surgeon gives you and practicing good eating mechanics and food choices will all help to prevent things like esophageal dilation, or pouch dilation. As you search for your "green zone" for optimal weight loss and satiety as you begin to have fills, making sure that you are never too tight, where you are having issues swallowing liquids or having reflux will also help to ensure that you do not experience band erosion. There is a down side to everything, but with proper usage, open honest communication between you and your surgeon, and adherence to guidelines provided to you the odds of you experiencing any of these complications is minimized. One step at a time. Keep a good outlook and don't let fear dictate your actions for you. Read, research, and then decide what is best for you. If you are having serious doubts, my advice is to schedule a session with your surgeon and compile a good list of questions and have them answered before your surgery date. Best of luck to you!

I just had my surgery this Tuesday and despite doing the research on everything for the surgery prior to making a decision, I still had a major anxiety attack the day before my surgery and started reading more of the complications and really letting it get to me. I did get an actual anxiety prescription the day before just so I could be well rested and relaxed going in which really helped. What I can say is that I'm doing good, although I've picked up a cold and a bacteria infection unrelated to surgery so immune system is clearly lower the week of the surgery. Probably pushed too hard as I went back to work Thursday after a Tuesday surgery which was a mistake. My dad had the surgery 10yrs ago and has lost 150lbs and is likely only with us into his late 60s as a result of this surgery which prompted me as well. I don't feel very hungry, so unlike diets it's nicer. The stomach pain and nausea will be nice to recover from in a week or so, but I am feeling up beat and have dropped 10lbs just prepping for the surgery and since so there is early results. Good luck and stay calm!

Yesterday was my day! I'm in Mexico and was sleeved by Dr. Rodriguez at the Star Medica facility. I booked through belightweight, Ishi and Joanne were my coordinators. The entire experience and staff has been exceptional, better than I could have ever imagined. Think, southwest airlines vs delta in terms of service. all smiles, always have English speakers on staff and my Spanish is even getting better. Almost no gas pain, or any pain for that matter. From what they told me, there Wes no complications and all went as expected. Met with Dr. Rod yesterday, and the other two doctors assisting a few hours before. Perfect English so there was no concern of miscommunications. I have felt extremely comfortable. Leak test is later today. Fingers crossed. Internet access has been spotty, up and down but surprisingly, my At&t service works most of the time so phone calls and email are working without an international plan. I'm soooooo pumped up for this opportunity.

Dayne, If you will check out the "Lapband Complications" thread I'm sure you will find plenty of people who feel your pain and can relate to your experience. They might even be able to offer some very valuable advice.