Search the Community

I'm 65 and I am trying to have it done. I went to a Gastric Bypass & Banding support group meeting at CMMC in Jackson, MS on 12-11-2007. I'm waiting on the Medicare "Seal of Excelents" for CMMC. They said it should be any day now. Other than that, nothing new. Don

I'm in my 20s (28 next week) and I'm having Gastric Bypass on 04/06. My doctor doesn't perform the VSG. She's not convinced by the current data, and in her professional opinion doesn't feel that there is enough long term data to measure. Her words, not mine. Personally, I wasn't interested in having the sleeve because I wasn't keen on having parts of my stomach removed. A lot of people on this forum have the sleeve and seem to really love it. Every body is different. I was considering lapband, but when I read about the potential complications (they all have complications) and lower success rate than the other surgeries, given the amount of weight I needed to lose and the fact that I want children in the next 5 years, my doctor and I decided gastric bypass would be best for me. I'm not sure what age would have to do with which surgery you choose...but I'm also not a doctor

Several people who have had gastric bypass surgery develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This is independent of whether they had diabetes before surgery or were not diabetic. Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar) levels, usually less than 70 mg/dl. The signs of hypoglycemia are: Shakiness Nervousness or anxiety Sweating, chills and clamminess Irritability or impatience Confusion, including delirium Rapid/fast heartbeat Lightheadedness or dizziness Hunger and nausea Sleepiness Blurred/impaired vision Tingling or numbness in the lips or tongue Headaches Weakness or fatigue Anger, stubbornness, or sadness Lack of coordination Nightmares or crying out during sleep Seizures Unconsciousness After surgery, some patients experience this condition by fainting. Once they understand what happened to them, it doesn't seem to be a problem. Because they recognize the symptoms of the onset of another bout and take appropriate action. To halt the episode one needs to take around 15 grams of simple carbohydrates. This can include: glucose tablets or gel tube 2 tablespoons of raisins 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of juice 1 tablespoon honey 8 ounces of nonfat or 1% milk hard candies, jellybeans, or gumdrops.

Revised from the Lap Band (ugh) to the Sleeve on 4/22/13... total loss since surgery 29lbs... Dr says I'm doing great, I thought I was going slow... I finally came to the realization, that I didn't put on all this weight in one day & I can't expect for it to come off over night... Even if it takes me a year, I know I will do it

I just banded a week ago. I had gastric bypass 14 yrs ago but drank some of it back on. Surgery is a tool. Helps with the capacity, not the compulsion. Now I have to stay away from alcohol and it's hard. Good luck. Guess if my self- esteem was better I would feel better. Still am a smart ass fat chick at heart. Kiss of death for relationships . :-(

I chose sleeve because: 1) the idea of rearranging my plumbing turned me off 2) i wanted to continue using NSAIDS with no issue (but surprise, surprise, i ended up no longer needing them) 3) i was afraid of dumping (again, surprise, surprise, i dump with the sleeve anyway) For what its worth, my surgeon said either surgery (sleeve or bypass) would, under normal circumstances, more or less produce the same results with the same person. And that unless there is pre-existing condition that would dictate a specific surgey (i.e., GERD, which i did not have) then it just boils down to personal choice. He was equally comfortable doing either surgery and advised me to choose the one *I* felt more comfortable with. There is alot of literature out there about average weight losses for the different types of WLS’s. But averages are just that: averages. They are NOT pre-determined stats that YOUR body will adhere to. Basically, results are significantly more tied to the person (and their actions/habits/physiology) than the specific surgery. Doc said that statistically, based on my starting weight, I could expect to lose 60 lbs in a year. Eff that, I lost 120 in 7 months. I’ve read of others on here who lost 50 in a year, still others who lost 200 over 2 years, and even one who lost 150+ in less than six months (all self-identified sleevers). So yeah…their results are quite spread out. In any case, whichever surgery you choose (pre-existing conditions excluded), your results will depend on YOU. Good Luck!

I have had no support. Got banded Jan of 22. Since then I have only met with my dietitian once and that was upon request. I’m so confused as to what to eat. I just had revision surgery last week. I had a port leak. And now I’m trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. That’s why I just got this app. Any advice?

Sorry to make you go through these questions, I'm just trying to make sure I fully understand what is going on. So, you had the Lap Band done and that is when you first started feeling this pain? And 8 weeks ago you had the revision, and the pain is still present? I would have suggested that it was trapped CO2 gas in your diaphragm. But since it's been 8 weeks, it is highly unlikely that the CO2 gas is still there. Do you still have your gallbladder? The reason I'm asking is because sometimes, when the body loses weight rapidly, the gallbladder can start to fail, and that can cause a gallstone. When there's a gallstone, you can have pain in your back. Have you ever had a HIDA Scan? If not, you may want to consider getting one. Also, you may want to have your spleen checked. In rare cases, the spleen can have a lack of oxygen getting to it, which can cause back pain. I don't mean to alarm you. I'm just thinking of possible reasons. I hate when doctors try to say that nothing is wrong, when someone clearly doesn't feel well. All of this could just be inflammation of the stomach because it is trying to heal, and the pain could be mimicking back pain. Are you getting up and doing a lot? You may need more rest. The ER might be a good choice, because then you'll have a second opinion. Keep us updated.

I had the lap band to sleeve revision surgery. Ever since I had the first surgery I've been experiencing a compression and cramping pain in the middle of my abdominal. If I sit on a chair it will get worse within the hour. The thing is I contacted my lap band doctor and he told me that there was nothing wrong. They did an upper GI and apparently there was nothing wrong with it. I have a feeling it has something to do with my abdominal muscle because I can feel it in my back sometimes also. I dunno what to do now because he didn't find anything and I may go get this checked out. I really don't think it is just my imagination because this doesn't feel normal.

That does sound great!!!...traveling always made my band mad): which was no bueno because I travel a lot for work! I have an overseas work trip/then vacation in a month which will have me about 7 weeks out from bypass. Hopefully will go as well for me!

If you had bypass 20 years ago you would not be able to revise to a sleeve. You have a few options, a band after (band after bypass), ERNY, DS <--not suggested), or there are a new set of procedures such as Rose, Restore, and stomaphyx but the results so far from what I have read are about as close to 100% failure as one can get. Those procedures are designed to tighten up your stoma and decrease the size of your pouch but every person I have read has lost about 20# on the post op diet then they regain again. There is another procedure that literally burns your stoma and causes scarring thus, a smaller stoma. Some docs like it, some don't. You usually have to have several treatments. I don't have an opinion of it one way or another because I've never done extensive research on it. There is a doc in MX that specializes in bypass revisions, I can't think of his name. I don't remember where in MX he is, Ensenada?? I forget. But that is all he does is bypass revisions and open bypass for very high BMIs. There are two surgeons that are experts in band after bypass, one is my doc and the other is Rumbaut in Monterrey. A band after bypass is tricky to do and you really need to go to someone verrry experienced or it won't work and you'll lose the band or have many problems down the road. It's not an easy procedure to do. You can verify licensing, certification, credentials, and education quite easily. Go to someone that is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. The American College of Surgeons has already done an exhaustive background check and those docs have to have to meet the same standards as US docs. There are not many non-FACS docs I would go to outside of the US. Otherwise you are left to believe whatever the patient coordinator tells you and they will absolutely tell you anything you want to hear to get your business.

I was banded in Monterrey, Mexico by Dr. Rumbaut - he is fabulous, and it cost 10,600. But there are credit companies that they use so you can call and see if you can get approved, that way you will just have a monthly bill. I love it. I go to Dr. Brinkley in Frederick, MD for fills, and no, they are not painful. The numbing needle is a little stick, but it passes quickly, and then you can't feel anything. I don't know about the gastric bypass question, my dad had that but he's never regained any weight. I'll find the website for Dr. Rumbaut and post it, or you can google him and find out a lot of information there. Good luck with your information gathering!

I paid for mine, not sure each insurance is different. I do know if you have a hernia which is common in bypass, the tt can be done at same time for very minimal costs. do dont know about insurance. Thank you, it has almost been 2 years, I forget to update that ticker I now am at a loss of 111. My initial goal was a size 12-14 and to be healthy, never got into this for skinny, my mom is a stroke patient and I wanted to get healthy as I was on the same path per my dr. But now I am a size 10-12 and am still very swollen from the tt so hope to be 8 when all is said and done which I never imaged possible. my life has changed so much I cant explain. I have a 10cc band, and have had 6 fills and 1 unfill for a total of 2.7cc in my band today. I was very adament with fills for the first 6 months going slow with .5-1cc fills max each time my doc was great. Very patient and understanding. 11-22-05 was my last fill at 1cc which took me to 2 that is when I lost the majority of my weight. then 5-06 I had a fill by Dr. Rohrer of 1cc which was too much I was very sick I lost 10 lbs in 7 days I was in Minnisota and couldnt get the unfill until I fly home. he took .3 out which made such a difference. any small amount out makes such a difference. I am not sure if i will get another fill or not, I am good for now and my weight has maintained even with recovery I have changed my eating habits and feel this is a good wight for me to maintain. If i get too think, I know my body wont maintain and I want to live not diet! good luck, are you getting more snow? it has snowed since yesterday here in Lewistown.

Dr. Rex Luttrell did my surgery & does my fills in Little Rock. Very nice man & easy on the eyes. He numbs you up before doing the fill. Don't know if he would fill you this early on though. I think he made me wait 4-6 weeks. I know he has done a port revision on a Mexico patient. I don't see him having a problem with it. Give him a call (501)552-4870. Good luck. They have also been advertising a Lap-Band clinic somewhere here in Arkansas. I have been seeing the commercials on TV the last couple of weeks. If I see it again I will post the name for you.............Jess

Hi Jennifer! Another New Jerseyan here. We have a lot in common, you and I: two small daughters (mine are 7 and 5), over 300 lbs to start, and a lifetime of obesity behind us. I can completely relate to your fears. Banding was the best thing I've ever done for myself. Bypass was out of the question from the start, because with two small kids I just wasn't able to accept the risk. Being out of commission for even a few days wasn't something I wanted to do, and most of the bypassers I've met -- even the highly successful ones -- seem to have been hospitalized more than once. I heard too many stories about complications to consider it even for a moment. Banding is WAY safer, and effective enough to make me healthier, which was all that I was after. Even at 340 lbs I wasn't sick, just fat, and I didn't need to lose weight overnight. I wanted to lose it safely, sanely, and get permanent control over it so it wouldn't come back. The band is delivering in spades. One of the greatest things about banding vs. bypass, to my mind, is that banding doesn't require us to make complete lifestyle and diet changes literally overnight the way bypass does. We have time to ride the learning curve of increasing restriction, time to get used to the idea that 1/3 of our usual intake really is enough to sustain and even satisfy us. It's a concept that takes some getting used to, and the band gives us time to do that. Who is your doctor? Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or PM if you want to talk about anything specific. Welcome to LBT!!!

I wish I had the magical words for you to inspire you to greatness here. I can tell you my story, which I think is different from where you are. But I think it's good for you to know where we all come from and that we DO understand your struggles. I never considered bypass. I just refused to have my insides re-routed. So when I found the lap band I KNEW it was for me and spent nearly a year researching it to make sure that I was willing to make the necessary changes to help this wonderful little tool help me. I was scared to death to fail, yet again but this time would be surgical intervention. Once I got approved and knew that I was heading for surgery, I went into overdrive. Something I called training mode. I actually started eating the diet that I thought bandsters were supposed to eat post op so that I could prove to myself I could do it. I actually lost 19 lbs doing that and was so inspired that even the liquid pre-op diet didn't phase me other than I felt like I was starving. I was determined. As the others have said, the pre-op diet is recommended for a reason. I would recommend to you that you follow it to the best of your abilities. Get your mind in the right place and know that you're doing this for you and for your children so that they have a mom that will be there for them. A mom that can keep up with them. Post operatively the band does help, but I've also seen bandsters on this very board complaining that they feel like they're starving very shortly post op and before their first fill. This CAN lead to eating things they shouldn't. So, once again you must be determined and get yourself on the right path. As far as exercise, my doctor recommended exercise from the get go BUT that was one area that I failed miserably. Other than sporadically riding my bicycle I didn't exercise regularly until I had lost over 70 lbs. I think I would have lost more, faster if I had but that's in the past and I can only look to the future. You absolutely need to start off slow (even if it's just walking the perimeter of your yard) and find an exercise that YOU can enjoy and are willing to do on a regular basis.

I never got dumping either and gerd is non-existent . A great tip is to put protein shake into your coffee as a creamer ! Ie caramel or vanilla - kills two birds Good luck! HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 CW 180 5’6”

I had my sleeve April 17, 2014 and for the past year my reflux has grown increasingly worse. I have tried numerous medications which helped some but not near enough.do not eat for hours before bed and I also sleep with the head of the bed raised. This has not helped either. The middle of the night seems to be the absolute worse for me. I wake out of sleep coughing and chocking and ultimately vomiting. This happens nearly every night now. I went for my 1 year follow-up on Wednesday, 7/15/2015 and my surgeon has agreed that it is time to move forward with the Bypass. I am so excited and scared all at the same time. I am not very patient and I just really want to know if the insurance is going to approve it. Knowing that relief is in sight is wonderful but I am going to be so upset if it does not get approved. I have tried not to think about it but it is hard not to.

I can understand you concern with the Barrett's Esophagus. I was worried that I would have damage as well. I hope you can come to a quick solution. I am currently working on meeting all the insurance requirements. My best guess is that I will have surgery in late Sept, early October. I actually lived abroad for my first surgery. My surgery team was great. Follow-up care great. For me, I think bypass would have been the best option initially. Are you nervous about having the bypass? There are several posts about people revising due to GERD and/or Barrett's. What insurance due u have?

Hi Mike! Congratulations on getting your date. I am 16 months post-op from Gastric Bypass, and so happy I made the decision to do the surgery. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Best of luck to you!

@@Ruth1ess What you are asking is if you can bio-hack your way to more weight loss. No one can give you an answer to that. The 60-70% is an average, It is a completely arbitrary number. Doctors use it because that is the average and its is a good number. Losing that amount of weight is life changing for obese people and can end a lot of medical problems. If you use a calculator like this http://www.obesitycoverage.com/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-bypass/how-much-can-i-expect-to-lose This is what the calculator estimates I can lose at my starting weight This is what the calculator estimates I can lose from the weight I am at right now. I have lost 101 lbs in 6.5 months with the sleeve. The weight lost estimated from my start is 222. The weight lost estimate from where I am right now is 182. The start weights are 101 pounds apart but the end result is only a 40 pound difference. Is it worth it to wait and have to lose weight taking the chances on being hungry, to possible lose an little extra? It might be to you. The amount of weight you will be able to lose on your own before surgery is unlikely to be that much so the differences will be minor. I would have never lost 100lbs on my own. I would never lose more than 30-50 on my own and I always gained it back. I am only 6.5 months out and I have lost 101 lbs basically effortlessly. I haven't been hungry, and after the first 6 weeks I have had plenty of energy. I am more active, but I don't run. I walk, I do yoga, and I lift weights. I do things that don't stress my body and I am still losing at a fast pace. The way I am dropping weight right now 10-14lbs a month and it isn't slowing, as I lose more weight and am more active, it is coming off faster. I expect that I will blow right past that first lost estimate from my start of 365 to 222, I will probably be past 222 long before my one year anniversary. I expect to keep losing long after my 1 year anniversary just because I would have to be really dedicated to eating, basically eat all day to get above my resting metabolic rate. So try that calculator and see if you think the difference is worth waiting for. Just remember it is just an estimate and it is arbitrary.

For those who had bypass, how much time did you spend in the hospital?

My revision date is tentatively set for 12/5

Hello and welcome! Also -- congratulations!! How exciting it must be to be at that stage of seeing the weight peel off, and past the point of initial recovery, and past the point of choosing which surgery to get. I noticed that you chose to go with the sleeve as opposed to the Roux-y surgery. I think that's where I'm likely to begin, myself. I have bounced around, investigating what they call a SADI-s / Loop / SIPS surgery which has an extra component with the intestine beneath the sleeve, often done as a revision of the sleeve for those who regain weight or aren't satisfied with their results. It SEEMS to have fewer side effects than the Roux-y (full gastric) but I just don't know. I've also been given a fair amount of advice suggesting I try to find an expert to do the duodenal switch (DS) due to my BMI being in the high 50s/low 60s. I'm certainly willing to try to go that route but as someone else said -- there is usually a LOT of back and forth before committing to surgery and I'm almost 7 months into the program I'm at with my current surgeon. How long would it take me, realistically, to get this far again? WLS is such a difficult and scary commitment, and then getting on here BEFORE having a surgery has filled my brain with so many more complicated options. Its kind of hard for me to commit to big decisions and sometimes I wonder if learning more and more is making matters harder for me. I love to feel in control of what's happening with my body and try to inspect EVERY detail such as to avoid any regrets -- but sometimes staring at the water for too long makes one less likely to jump in, doesn't it? But you've DONE it! I think the sleeve is a great option and respect your choice, and am so happy that it has gone smoothly thus far. It could just be my perception, but most of the men I've seen post about their surgeries seem to indeed have a bit more gentle recovery, with fewer complications. I've seen a lot of folks caution me (this forum and others) about whether I'd be satisfied with the degree of weight loss if I were to go with a base sleeve, Roux-y, or SADI-s. This makes me really appreciate where you talked about that dark spiral and maxing out at 407. I say this as someone who feels like I understand pretty dang well what you're talking about because my max weight was 435! Being 'down' to 366 feels a heck of a lot better by comparison, and I got this far by myself, so maybe I don't need to be as concerned about satisfaction with the numbers as I do making sure I'm comfortable with the process of surgery to help me continue my weight loss journey. Please keep us in the loop as you continue on to your goal! Also - congratulations to the rest of you posting here who are inches from your goal weight or have already made it there!! No matter what surgery (or surgeries) helped you get there, you DID IT! Definitely an inspirational group of people here!

I was sleeved in 2019 and developed Gastroparesis. I went from 240 to 125 but the vomiting is relentless. Now I am scheduled for a complete bypass 4/24 in hopes that it will relieve the symptoms. Would love to hear if revision had helped anyone else with Gastroparesis. My upcoming surgery is not for weight loss and strictly to relieve the vomiting and reflux but a tiny part of me is scared that I’ll gain weight once I heal.