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Thank you for the sympathy, in fact I have Aetana and they did not cover it, I was a self pay. they said it was the plan my employer chose. What really kills me is they would rather pay for the side effects of high blood pressure, diabetes and all the other complications steming from obesity than at least help pay for lap band. Im just saying makes no sense to me,. but what do I know im in the transportation business..lol

hello! I got my band in 2008 and got pregnant in 2011 my daughter is 2 now and I had no complications due to the band. My doctor did however remove the liquid from the band to allow me to eat more for the baby. I later found out that it isn't really necessary to do that which I would have preferred since I gained 65 lbs with my pregnancy and am just now starting to lose it again. If your doctor suggest to take the liquid out I would consider not doing it since there are facts that state it won't harm the baby it's more for liability reasons. I did feel my port more as my belly grew, at times I had a little pain around it as pressure increased but nothing too bad. It never popes out! That really was the only difference in the pregnancy ( I had my son before I got the band so I have two different experiences). Beat of luck to you enjoy your pregnancy and if you have any questions I'm here for ya! Bren

Congrats. I had my surgery in 2008, and had two children since. One in 2010 and another in 2013. I had major complications with both which were not caused by the band, but aggravated by the band. Now my band is not functional. But everyone is different. Just make sure you keep on top of the morning sickness and get zofran. I hope it works out for you.

I haven't been to a Pampered Chef show but based on your description, for me, that would have been about four weeks out and I had no complications and a pretty easy recovery.

I just cringed when I read this! Why would you trust the same surgeon? Also, you do realize your risk for complications was increased significantlyas this is your third wls and second revision. Furthermore with a tighter sleeve your far more prone to gerd, strictures and gastric torsion. Is it really worth it? Anyway, hope your okay post op

RNY-to-sleeve revisions happen, but it's apparently mostly because of severe reactive hypoglycemia and other really weirdly specific complications. Sleeve-to-RNY is more common in part because the sleeve was eventually conceived as a safer surgery to give people with much higher BMIs, with the intention of converting them to RNY once they lost enough weight that that was a safe option for them. They started doing it as a standalone procedure when many of those patients opted not to come in for the second surgery, being successful with just the sleeve. But sleeve-to-RNY absolutely does happen, still, especially for people who have uncontrolled GERD or who can't lose enough weight with the sleeve alone. In my pre-op testing they found some small lesions in my esophagus, which might have been esophagitis or might have been a small amount of GERD. I went with the sleeve despite that, because I also have arthritis and might need to take ibuprofen and other NSAIDs again, ever, in my life. (Also, I had been taking large amounts of NSAIDs over a long period of time, and they may have been responsible for some of the damage they found.) I can't tell you how that turned out for me, since I'm only a week post-op, but I will say my doctor didn't try to sway me toward RNY at all, and given that I also had a hernia repaired, I'm pretty hopeful that it'll all turn out OK.

I would take 2 bites of food or sometimes liquid & I would vomit. Really got bad I couldn't eat anything. Dr. said really not a complication 5% of patients would develop. I had it before surgery several years ago due to GERD.

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.

I'm with Stacy on the statistical information especially when we factor in band and RNY patients. For me, the sleeve has given me the necessary tool with little long term complications (no slippage, no pouch dilating, no obstructions, or other complications we read about), and I have already "tested" out the sleeve in regards to "cheating". Just for me personally, the 2 weeks leading up to Halloween was pure hell, candy, parties, junk food galore. Yep, I gained a whole whopping 5 pounds to put me up to 131, oh yeah and throw in 2-3 sodas a day, and miscellaneous several glasses of wine and mojitos, I wasn't freaking out over the slight gain because I knew exactly why and how I gained the weight. Once all the parties were over, and life returned to my normal sleeve eating which is anything and everything I want, just protein first, more clear, sugar free fluids, I dropped 7lbs. Just for me, and how my mind works, I know exactly what will lead to a regain. I knew the scale would reveal an increase, but I was also mentally prepared for it. I've learned that the sleeve only does so much, and it really likes those wasted calorie and slider foods. I know what causes the scale to go up, but I also know what it takes to maintain. For my little mental state, I know there are consequences, but I also know how easy it is for me to get back on track and drop the weight.

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 ♡

This is the first week of my new banded lifestyle. All liquids, it was tough getting 40 grams of protiens and a total of 64 oz of liquids but I did it! I am determined to get this weight off my body. I have a family history of diabetes and strokes. I had 2 cousins die of stroke related complications one just 3 week younger than me. With 2 fused discs and 2 rods and screws in my back losing weight is even more of a necessity. My weight toped out an 294lbs prior to my pre surgery diet and after one week of being banded I now weight 269lbs (170lbs is my goal). I have a long way to go but I am encouraged with my own progress and from the threads I read on this site, you all are very encouraging. I no the Best is Yet to Come. Thanks Dadymon

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.