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No regrets but I had my bypass done on the 25 th of June my birthday is on the 2th of July.!! And the 4th is here to I know I can make it it's hard I cooked for my family yesterday I did ok Because I know it's going to get better.and I'm doing this for my health and I have to stay strong it will have a good out come. I will have a birthday next year and i can go to the beach then and I will Look good and my health will be good ...

Since the band is a much slower process of losing weight, I would say that the percentage of people who need their gallbladder out after bariatric surgery is HEAVILY weighted toward the bypass patients. Since their weight loss is SO fast and since the mal-absorptive process would say to me that the liver and gall bladder have to work extra hard. I would talk to your doctor again. Unless he can show you where tests reveal your gallbladder is having problems, I would have HUGE issues with them taking it out "just in case". It is your RIGHT to push back on your doctors to make sure you get the very best care. Your doctor should go in VERY conservative on this.

Well, someone suggested it and it sounds like a great idea, so here it is. The check-in site for older bandsters. I'll get this started. I'm 63 and in the process of getting a loan to pay for my surgery if needed (can't cound on Medicare). I've had the Thallium scan. I had 5-way-bypass in 2001 and am doing fine in that department, but the weight has to go. I devoted myself literally to eating when they took my cigarettes away...but then that is what ended me up in surgery to start with. Now, the culprit is almost as bad. The weight has to go to help my heart and my arthritis. I have taken the sleep study and have sleep apnea. I'll be in the hospital for a night next week to see what amount of C-pap I need. I have taken a thallium stress test to make sure the arteries are still open. I'm scheduled for an echocardiogram on Monday (just because my cardiologist is overly careful and hears a slight murmur he thinks is mitral valve prolapse), which is liveable, but he wants to make sure there are no leaks from the bypass surgery. I am going to have all my blood work done on the 17th of Nov. and then I have the psych appt. and the appt. with the surgeon, at which point all the testing will be done, and I'll only have to wait for the surgery and to make sure I have money in hand. OK, now the rest of you older bandsters (who are banded or waiting) please check in and lets give each other lots of encouragement and talk about our experiences. To date I don't have much to share, but am looking forward to hearing from all of you that have been banded and the weight loss you have achieved. Check-in site officially open.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, this sounds interesting. It is a newly introduced form of surgery they are performing now in study trials. The band WITH RNY bypass. Geez, could you imagine the list of things that can go wrong? Side effects of the band AND RNY? How would I know if I was going to PB or dump? Or maybe both? Oh the confusion!! Just give me one or the other please. BANDED GASTRIC BYPASS This procedure is a combination of the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the once common Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. In this operation, the implantation of a plastic band around the stomach pouch (resulting in significant restriction of food intake) in addition to the changes of absorption seen from the gastric bypass, may have been associated with 20% more excess weight loss than one would expect from gastric bypass alone. Therefore, expected weight loss is 60-90% of a patient's excess weight. Banded Gastric Bypass is being offered as a prospective randomized and double blind trial to patients who are suffering from malignant obesity. Malignant obesity, defined as a body mass index of 50 or greater (approximately 200 pounds or more over ideal body weight) is associated with decreased quality of life, many illnesses and an increased risk of dying that has been estimated at 5-10 times greater than normal weight patients. This research study involves the implantation of a plastic band around the stomach pouch during a standard gastric bypass procedure. The band is made of polypropylene mesh, commonly used for hernia repair as well as in Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. Patients are assigned at random (like the flip of a coin) to have the standard gastric bypass operation or the experimental procedure with a band around the stomach pouch. Patients are not told which operative group they belong to until two years after surgery. The Nurse Practitioner conducting follow-up evaluations will also be uninformed as to which group patients belong. At this time, Banded Gastric Bypass is only being offered at our center as part of this study. If results from this study show a benefit, this may be offered outside the study in the future http://www.columbiasurgery.org/divisions/obesity/surgical_banded.html

Yer cool Janet! So I was wrong about the cutting...60% of the stomach is removed laporoscopically. It's a pre-cursor to the switch (DS) or gastric bypass, but can be done alone. I dunno. I imagined a mesh-type sleeve around the stomach but, I guess not.

I suppose if you were obese enough to get a band, the band failed, and you hadn't completed the weight loss portion of the band program, you should qualify for a continuation of your journery as a prevention to relapse of obesity. As for bypass...I was gonna do it before I found the band. I'm glad I found the band, because I was scared s#itless about having my intestines cut, BUT I'd still consider it if my band failed me, and I found myself gaining weight. I hated obese me, I was disgusted by my fatself, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep me from ever getting there again. That certainly includes bypass. Could Dr Pleatman be talking about the switch that Geezer Sue is having? (I think it was the Duodenal switch).

the nurse called me and left a voicemail 10 minutes ago!! and said that she got my message about the sleeve but she needs to confirm with my Surgeon first (WHICH MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS) not sure why if their in the same office. anyways! if they checked the notes from our last followup they would see that my Surgeon said either bypass or sleeve. lapband would be a waste of time. i have my followup with him on the 17th and that is when i get my surgery date. in a perfect world i want to be approved by Monday. my surgeons office has no doubts so they are ok with giving me a surgery date. <333 staying positive!!!!!

You should keep track of what you're eating. It is possible that you're experiencing a mild form of dumping syndrome like people with the bypass tend to experience. Track it for a few days maybe something will tip you off. (my trigger is cream if its too heavy sometimes.) good luck and feel better!

5.5 months for me. I lost only 17lbs and really don't feel much restriction (didn't after one month). I'm now kicking the exercise into high gear and am hoping that'll help. I'm pondering band over plication too, I know that band has a lot off drawbacks, but I don't really know what else is available for revision -supposedly everything I know - but I'm not prepared to be the first GPS to VSG person!!

Stand your ground and get the surgery you want. With RNY you won't be able to take NSAIDs if you ever need them and who knows what lies 10 or 20 years down the line. Also I view the dumping that 40% of RNYers experience as a bad thing as it really messes with your blood sugar levels and can make you crave stuff (although dumping if often promoted as a positive thing). See here for some reasons why you don't want RNY http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4321339/Lurkers-Learn-Here-About-Your-Pyloric-Valve-informative/action,replies/topic_id,4321339/page,1/ If you need a revision from RNY that's a very complex surgery, whereas if you were to need one with VSG then you have a comparatively straight forward revision option. Good luck!

Hello, Im new to this website. I thought, maybe I had joined in too soon, since I wont't have my surgery until around February 2012 as well. I'am glad I'm not the only one. I am having the wls by kaiser permanente, or actually the Dr. they refer me to. Next Monday I am starting the first of 12 weekly classes which are suppose to educate me about the wls. I will not get to see the surgeon until I am done with these classes at the end of December, so Im hoping the surgeon approves the VSG over the gastric bypass. I simply wont do the bypass, i think its too risky for me, for I'm concern about the Vitamin malabsorbtion, since I already tend to have vitamin deficiencies. I am really exited about this journey, I have read amazing stories of success which keep me motivated and focused on my ultimate goal. I can't wait to have my sleeve and to share my success with everyone here. I too wish every one the best of luck and a successful journey.

I am in Molino, north of Pensacola. My band date is Dec 18th by Dr. Lord at Sacred Heart. I have several friends who have had gastric bypass, but only one who has been banded. I would love to have a "Band Group" meeting. Do any of you attend the Support Group Meetings held each month at SHH? I have not been to one yet. What do you think about meeting there in January?

I was also self-pay in Florida. My cost was $16,500.00. That price includes anything and everything that has to do with my band for one year; meaning fills, monthly visits, nutritionist visits, support group and any complications that arise. My port flipped and I had to have revision surgery last month to correct it and I did not pay a dime for the additional surgery. We refinanced our house to pay for the surgery. I believe inamed also has a finance program on their website.

Hi everyone, been searching the net for a while to find a forum so am pleased to have found you. am feeling very alone right now and would love to hear from anyone! I privately payed for my lap band , and am 6 weeks post surgery .... i payed £7,600 at BUPA - which is a well known uk private hospital .. a big ouch to my wallet . The op went well, the hospital was great. I managed the liquid diet for 1.5 weeks (i was asked to complete 4 weeks). I came off it having an egg sandwich which went down nicely (much to the horror of my surgeon). But was starving on watery Soup. I have felt no restriction what so ever and had my first band fill 2 days ago. I asked the doctor how much liquid he put in , he said 5 mls, and the band can take 10mls , but they dont fill it right up ever (bit of alien language for me really). So the moment i have been waiting for, for many years has been a huge let down!!! I dont feel at all restricted on what i can eat. I can eat the same amount as pre-op. Although i am forcing myself not to. I can drink as much Fluid as i like, downing a pint of Water is no problem. I feel so let down by everything. My hospital told me i would only be able to manage a cup full of food,and i would full up at the top of my body... i dont feel any of these things. only difference is a little more wind. If it wasnt for the fact that i saw the band on the xray machine at the 'fill' appointment and if i couldnt feel the port in my side when i bend over, i would never believe i have had surgery. I feel very alone and that my expensive surgery has been a failure and a waste of my life savings. Just want to give up and eat lots of food (which is sadly my life long way of dealing with stuff) I have just started self funding Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help with that side of stuff, but my body just isn't feeling full as i was lead to believe it would. And will take a while i guess to sort out my head with my overeating. I have a BMI of 37 kilos - so not heavy enough for gastric bypass op, hence i chose the band. I am 5ft 7 and weigh 104 kgs, pre op i was 109 kgs. my weight loss has been due to the restrictive pre - op and post op diet .. nothing to do with the band at all. right now i feel like it has been an expensive waste of time. And i dont know anyone else who has had the procedure so cant ask their advice. i would be so grateful to hear if anyone has had a similiar experience, is there any light at the end of the tunnel ? should i demand more support, when and if will the hospital decide to do another band fill. I only get one more fill in with my package price of £7,800 so will have to pay for others. many thanks to you all.

I really feel for you, Ovahkummer... hope it goes well the next time. I came close to not having the operation because my clinic didn't send all my blood work with me up to the hospital - they had to fax it straight to the anesthesiologist. I say you're still a member of the club in our hearts - once you get the incision, there is no revision! Please keep us posted!

I had my open RNY in 2001. Lost 140lbs , then gained 80 lbs back. I am interested in revision surgery. What options do I have? Who was your doctor ? I would appreciate sharing your information with me. I was told by my original surgeon that there is nothing he can do!

I also want to clarify something. The "gamble" everyone talks about isn't about weight loss (not really). The gamble is whether you experience complications from the surgery. From your history, I'll agree that you are in an excellent position to lose 60-70% of your excess weight with moderate effort. With hard work, you'll likely get to a normal BMI. Your doctor is full of "you know what", saying that because you are starting heavy, that you won't lose as much. I do suspect what she MEANT was, that if you had started at a lower weight, that you would be more likely to get to 165lbs, but because you started heavier, that your end point will be...say... 235lbs .. so "more loss" really just means "a lower scale #" to her. (Hope that makes sense). From what I've seen on the boards, because you are male, you will lose very quickly (likely 15-20lbs per month for the first 4-6 months) women lose slower.. usually closer to 10lbs a month. Everyone slows down after the first 6 months, but how slow depends on you. In a year, I expect you'll have lost 150lbs with moderate work. (All these #s are assuming you get the sleeve). But the weight loss with the sleeve can continue for an additional 6 months or so... so you don't have to be too close to goal in a year (like you would after a bypass). The concept of "calories in vs. calories out" is pretty much hogwash during the losing phase. The scale in no way reflects what you are or aren't eating. This is a huge part of the challenge of post op weight loss. Many times we aren't losing weight, because we aren't eating enough. True story! So take the concepts of BMR, exercising for weight loss, etc.. and tuck them away, because it isn't so cut and dried right after surgery. They may apply during maintenance.

It does help. Its a valid point. But you're also terrifying me. God forbid I end up getting a bypass and I have to deal with malabsorption the rest of my life for nothing. Don't you think if I can lose weight rapidly say for a few months when restricting my diet that this is a good indicator that I'll probably continue to do so when I've undergone surgery? This topic seems to be a many headed hydra. You answer one question and introduce more. I appreciate your input. I'll have to take these things and unpack them and see what other people think about them.

Well, I agree, and thats why I wish medicine had demographics for us to look at. I think clearly its the case that a person with a higher BMI would be MORE likely to lose more weight than a person with a lower BMI. Mostly because of Basal Metabolic Rate. A person who weighs more has a higher metabolic rate than a person with a lower weight (all other things equal). Thats why I was dubious when she said "People with high bmi's don't lose as much weight as people with low bmi's" that contradicts what I know about BMR. Given that I lose a lot of weight anytime I diet, which has been too numerous times to count, I think its safe to assume I'll also lose weight rapidly with any surgery. Thats what I think too! I think that if I can get through say 80 lbs or so by next summer (surgery wouldn't be til fall). Not only would I have a significant gain in energy but also the introduction of summer and wanting to be more active and simply having more opportunities to be active socially it will only continue to spurn on quality weight loss. I've given it some thought and I've settled on two factors. A. If there is some genetic ailment or physical condition that limits my weight loss like one of the responders was discussing then it seems logical to have the Sleeve. If I don't lose weight I don't lose weight but I don't have a lifetime of malabsorption problems and thousands more in medical costs for potential problems. B. If I lose in the upper percentages like many of you have (go you!) than I'll just be that more happy that I chose sleeve than bypass. Thanks for everyones input. I'm leaning more towards the Sleeve again.

Had sleeve surgery June 2010. Like you, I lost down to exactly 132. My husband and daughters were alarmed because I could STOP losing. My goal was 150. I started adding higher caloric foods and gained to 145, I like that 5 lb pad. I maintained at or below goal for eight years. I have arthritis in my hips and after we left the Dallas area, I don't have the big malls to go to. I used to go and walk, no power walking, just window shopping, but I did it quite a bit. We also had a 2-story house and I'd purposely go up and down the stairs more than I needed to. Here I am, severe reflux and a hiatial hernia. I have regained a little over 40 lbs. Revision surgery is this Friday. I hope surgery will fix the medical problems and hopefully I'll drop 25 lbs!! Good luck!!

Praying for you that all will go smoothly for your surgery, and your weight loss journey - giving God all the honor, glory, and praise! I'm one month out from my surgery (Lapband revision with Gastric bypass).

Hi All... Not sure if there is already a thread for March surgery yet, but if not, here’s one and ready to support one another! My Gastric Bypass is scheduled 3/11/2020...working to get my head right for 2 week pre-op😳!

yes. experiencing this now band in 2011 sleeved in 2015 and now bypass most likely next month scared to death

Hello, I had the VSG about 9 years ago. Bad reflux for the last 2 years. Doctors recommend to go full bypass surgery to stop reflux. Anyone heard or know of anyone who experienced this? thank you.

I had my band removed 6 weeks ago. There was a lot of scar tissue around the esophagus and upper stomach. I had symptoms of end stage achalasia, verified by manometry. The achalasia symptoms have resolved after removal. I was on a soft diet for 4 weeks post op because of the tissue being so damaged. I'm fine now, but because of the damage I cannot revise.