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Thats cool Margo My one friend who had GBP about 5+ years ago told me she wished she had the option at that time to have the band. She IS doing wonderful with the bypass btw.

Hi, nice to meet you. You and I have a lot in common, I was diagnosed Hypothyroid 15 years ago. In 4 months I gained 60 pounds. I was put on medication and started working out and I was able to get it off. Prior to that I was at a good weight. I always wanted to get 10-15 pounds off, but I was a healthy weight. I got pregnant with my 3rd child, never gained more than 28 pounds with all three pregnancies. Well when you are pregnant and on thyroid they have to increase the dose. After the baby is born they are supposed to test you and lower you back down to pre-pregnancy. I learned this after the fact, my Doctor didn't do that. I was so sick! I felt like I was dying and they couldn't figure out why. TWO years of this!!! I changed insurance, got a new team of doctors and the Endocrinologist said I was taking more than double the meds. i was supposed to be. I blew out my thyroid completely! It put me into Hashimotoes Disease, It's when your antibodies are constantly attacking your thyroid. This has gone on for 10 years now!!! I have gained 80 pounds in 10 years. They can't regulate my meds so I have gained 3-6 pounds every 3 months off and on over the 10 years. So, I know how you feel!! It's been such a battle!! 10 months getting ready going through all the proper requirements to have the surgery. Finally!!! Sleeve is November 28th. I'm so ready!! Best of luck to you. Sorry so long but I know how hard it is...

Hello all ) I just wanted to ask some questions to ease my mind a bit. I was banded Sept 2010. My weight loss has not been that great but that is mostly my fault. I had my last fill at the end of November and decided not to get another due to surgery that I had in January. When I first had my fill everything was good..but about 3-4 weeks after I started having some discomfort when I eat at times. Sometimes its just with the first couple of bites...and sometimes I just give up due to getting stuck. Sometimes everything is fine...its so frustrating ! I have been sliming and PBing quite a bit but have only actually thrown up a few times. Im scared to death this is going to hurt my band. I have no other problems with acid reflux or liquids or anything like that. Recently my weight loss had picked up a bit and im quite happy with that...just dont want to mess anything up with the getting stuck part. Does it sound like I'm too tight or is this just something I will have to deal with on a normal basis? Other than this ..I love my band ! I am hardly ever hungry but try to get my protien in. I think the reason my weightloss actually slowed down was because I was not getting enough calories and protien in. Thanks !

Hi all, I was originally told by my surgeon's office that the insurance "approved" the band-to-bypass revision, but unfortunately there were some miscommunications on their end and the insurance company actually denied (they are saying that it's not sufficient enough to approve this surgery because the band is still technically in place and hasn't "failed" even though medically it has failed in terms of WL success and more than occasional vomiting). Talk about a roller-coaster - - excitement and hope followed by sadness and dispare... but I want this badly (and NEED it), so I'm about to draft an appeal letter. Do any of you have advice on what I should state in the appeal letter? Any other suggestions? Thanks, ~Micheal

Picked up a copy of Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies at borders books for $19.95. It's great and answers a lot of questions in plain language that most of us have and some we hadn't thought about. It covers LapBand and Bypass issues and clearly keeps issues with each seperate. There are Nook and Kindle versions too at about $10.00. I think its worth having on the bookshelf. Here's a cheat sheet link to whats covered in the book in more detail: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/weight-loss-surgery-cookbook-for-dummies-cheat-she.html

I am getting the Gastric Bypass on January 29, 2015.Kinda nervous and excited all at one time. Lets see what the future holds!

Hi everyone, my name is deb I'm 43 married with 2 kids and 2 granddaughters I live in Cheshire I'm 6 weeks post op, I had wls 10 years ago and lost 10 stones, havin putting my weight back I went back to my gp they agreed to do a revision from a vertical banded gastroplasty to a gastric bypass, there were a few complications but I think I'm finally on the better side, still in abit of pain but its alot better then it was, I've lost 20kgs but 8 of them were on my pre op diet, I've not lost any for 2 weeks and feel really disheartened I've not lost more, feels like I'm still in pain got nothing :-(

@@kerryberry16 Hi there! I just want to say that it is perfectly normal to have these doubts once you are set to have surgery. After all, it is a big one that will require a lot from you. I am 53, I was 310lbs at 5'10" when I had RNY. I had type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, severe gerd, sleep apnea, anemia, stage 3 kidney disease. It was the kidney disease that came from years of obesity that was the straw for me. A lot of these illnesses came on fast and when one came the other was right around the corner. My nephrologist (kidney specialist) is the one who suggested I consider WLS. He made sure that i understood that window was very small given my declining kidney function. If I got to a point where I was too sick, they would not operate. It took 9 months to get through the 6 month process from start to finish and by the time I got there I was so ready to have this done that if anything delayed it I became emotional. I just knew that having bypass was going to help me get control of my weight which in turn would Help me become healthier. That was what it was all about for me. Well I had my surgery nearly 2 years ago. Within 3 months ALL of my comorbitities were in remission including my kidney function. I was able to stop taking 8 prescriptions for things I simply did not suffer from. This surgery literally gave me back my life. That being said, it is NOT easy in any way, shape or form. Most bypass patients DO NOT get dumping syndrome. I believe the number is only about 30% and it usually stops after the first year or so. Some suffer with it longer. I tell you this mostly so that you know, you will likely not have it. Those that do get it really wish they didn't. The surgery really helps you control quantity of food at any one given time. You have to make the changes to your diet to put the right things in there the right amount of times per day. Now is the time to begin to make lots of changes. Many of us had food funerals, it is only natural to want to try the things that you think you will never have again. The reality is, you will be able to enjoy most foods just in smaller quantities. Don't let that fear change where you are headed. I am one of those people that waited way too long to have this surgery and nearly killed myself in the process. It caused me to develop severe osteoarthritis of the spine, shoulders and knees. Over the last 14 years I have had 6 back surgeries with 2 of them being after bypass. I also had to have my left shoulder rebuilt because of bone on bone arthritis. I am literally disabled because I allowed myself to continue down a deadly path with obesity. RNY is the best thing that ever happened to me and if I had to do it over again, I would do it 10 to 15 years sooner before all the damage to my body. Even with such severe osteoarthritis, I feel fantastic!!! Every single day is like a new birthday for me because I am not sick. I LOVE food. Its just a different food that I now crave. I was a sugarholic! After RNY your tastes really do change and you learn to love good quality Protein, good carbs like fruits and veggies. Yes, I do eat sweets now and then but I have learned to control myself. My nut taught me to believe everything in moderation and to eat a balance meal. After losing the first 50lbs, my activity level increased. My feet no longer hurt, my ankles and knees both improved dramatically. I was able to get up and down stairs without keeling over from lack of oxygen. LOL. Don't let your fears stop you from doing what you need to do to get healthy. You started this process for a reason, stay focused on that reason. Less than 5% of people are successful losing this kind of weight on their own and keeping it off long term. That is the key, keeping it off. Maintenance is hard work and you always worry about regain. The good news is, once you have RNY the tool is always there for you. You just need to build good eating habits. 90% of your weight loss will come from diet. I wish you the best of luck with this and I hope that you are able to get to a place where you are content with your decision.

I am new here and hoping I am doing this right! I am on the fourth of six months pre-op. At my last appointment, the surgeon said he was shooting for the end of April for my surgery date! I am still undecided on which surgery to go for, by gastric bypass is in the lead so far. If anyone can share their thoughts, it would be great. My reason for WLS Is my back. I will most likely need surgery in the very near future per my back specialist and need to lose a significant amount of weight first. I was 340 when I started this journey and am now at 304. Any thoughts?

August 17th will be one year post-bypass for me. If I can help you at all, let me know. My inbox is always open. I'm also more than happy to friend anyone on facebook from this site if it's easier for you to talk there.

Great to hear! I got my band out Feb 8, after having it for 6 years. My surgeon wants to wait 3 months to allow healing time before doing the bypass. My next meeting with him is May 5. Hoping to get surgery scheduled end of May!

I don't have any personal experience, but my mother was not impressed with her two previous lap band doctors - mcguid and hawasli. I forget which one was her surgeon and which one she just did follow ups with... Nothing horrible, but they really didn't know nearly as much about the lapband as they did the gastric bypass, and it showed whenever my mother had a question. She was having issues with swallowing food.. it hurt her to swallow even well chewed foods,, but she was still hungry all the time... their suggestions were always to try getting another adjustment... it really made my mom feel like it was all her fault and she had "failed"... When I decided to get banded,, I went to Dr. Deol's seminar with my mother, and my mother was immediately impressed with her and switched to her... Dr. Deol figured out the problem was an esophageol pouch (i''m fuzzy on the details) - and assured my mom that she wasn't a failure! And has been working with my mom to make sure everything is okay... Anyway, if it hadn't been for dr. deol she would have just thought she "failed' or the lap band was another failure.. the other two doctors just didn't understand the issue.. Anyway, that was my mother's experience, it might be entirely unique, but I thought i'd post it in case anyone was interested. I could ask my mom for more details about either doctors if anyone is interested. I'd have her post here but she is computer illiterate! -mary

My RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery My name is Carla! I live in NJ I'm a 35 year old married mother of two. My weight loss journey started in March 2008. My son was one year old and I decided I no longer wanted to live my 300lb unhealthy lifestyle! I wanted to live to be able to see my Son grow and I wanted to be able to play with him and not watch from the side lines. I had my gastric bypass surgery Sept 15 2008. After the usual Two days in the hospital I was feeling good and diacharged. Only to return to the hospital at 4am in severe pain. I had a leak. Had to do another surgery and recovery was very painful I stayed in the hospital for three weeks. With that being said I would do it all over again. I reached my goal weight of 160lbs within the year. I maintained this weight for 5 years I was a stay at home Mom back then and I worked out full time. 6 or 7 days a week 1 1/2 -2 hours a day! I was determined to make all of my pain purpose full. But as life happened I creeped up to 180lbs and plateau there for months until I got pregnant with my daughter. My weight went up to 230lbs on my date of delivery. With some light exercise, ppd, and anxiety my weight toggled between. 215and 230 until one morning I woke up and the scale said 240! I almost died. I did not come So far to just become morbidly obese again. So on June 1 2016 I began hitting the gym hard again! It's not easy working full time. Caring for my 8year old and 2 year old. And still finding the energy to work out like I used to. But I am motivated to get my old self back. So I have been drinking 2 meals and eating one meal daily for the past week. I have my restriction back! And I'm ready to reach my goals! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi, know you posted this awhile ago but wanted to comment. I am still about 25/lbs from my goal but have been working out for about 18 months with a trainer etc. Still have issues with the scale and Christmas new years were not good! Lots of mindless eating! Started back on my food plan and had my body % done. Although I gained over the holidays from November untill the other day I gained 9 / lbs of muscle mass. So althought the scale is up about 2/lbs since the last time my fat % were done my fat is 9 lbs less. So yes working out will help. I eat about 1500 calories a day and 150 grams of protien. To do so you have to use protien powder thier is no way I could eat that much and keep my calories within reason. Hope this helps. Ross

From a man's point of view why did you choose the Lap Band over Gastric Bypass surgery? I am in the first stages and will attend seminar at Barix Clinic in Langhorne Pa. 04/23/08. I am leaning towards the Lap Band as I can't seem to wrap my head around the process of BYpass surgery. Are there other reasons for choosing Lap Band?

Jack hit the nail on the head. I wouldn't have even considered gastric bypass.

LOL, It does not invalidate the study though. People have to understand that many times, studies show associations and not causations. Causation is much harder to prove. So while it says that more people are likely to develop GERD after Sleeve gastrectomy, it doesn't mean that the Sleeve caused the gerd. Remember that the study subjects are already obese. Obesity is already a predisposing factor to GERD. Several theories are responsible for this. Sometime have said it is because of hiatal hernias (that may arise from belly fat forcing the stomach up the diaphragm. Another theory is that GERD arises a result of increases oestrogen activity in obese individuals (fat contains aromatase, which basically converts testosterone to oestrogen). Oestrogen activity was associated with GERD (in some studies). Anyway, point is that Obese people, especially if Female and White (another association) are already staring at GERD. The Bypass eliminates the possibility of GERD because the whole stomach is gone. But that is a permanent cure for a disease that ranges widely. GERD may be GERD, but not all individuals suffer it with the same severity/duration. Some sleeve patients will even reflux because they are overeating. They won't admit to their doctors that they are overindulging. With that bit of information hidden, the doctor will pass off the symptoms as GERD.

There is a woman in my support group who had the bypass,she tells us that to maintainher current weight,which by the way she looks awesome,she strictly adheres to 1200 calories without fail.any less she would lose more which she doesnt want to do,.

Met with the surgeon today I will be having surgery November 22 so excited Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am having my band removed and revision to bypass on the July 29th .. One week away so looking forward to hearing your new journeys !! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Good Morning, guys ... I have insomnia from all the excitement. I have to be at the hospital at 0600 so wish me luck. Best of luck to all the other Novembers :-)

I think it's normal. I set my surgery date today (scheduled for November) and I was so elated. But I'm sure as I move closer to the date, I may have a few doubts, maybe even a bit afraid, but deep down I know I've made the right decision. It's going to get real when I begin the two week partial liquid diet. I'm ready though, as I'm sure you will be too!

you're down to your original surgery weight because, like most of us, you probably "gained" weight while in the hospital because of all the IV fluids. It can take up to a week for them to work their way out of your system. I've heard of people "gaining" as much as 10 lbs while in the hospital! fluids go through our stomachs really fast since our pyloric valves were bypassed, so I'd be very surprised if you could stretch your stomach from fluids. Maybe you could if you REALLY slammed them, but 40-50 oz over the course of the day isn't "really slamming" them. I've never heard of anyone doing that from drinking fluids, and we were never warned we could stretch our stomachs from that. So...I'm not sure what to say...

Hi my name is Jason. My journey has been a long one. I have struggled with my weight most of my life. I am tall, 6'5", so the weight seemed to slowly distribute itself all over. I have had high blood pressure since I was 15 and in the past 2 years was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. I guess I was also a bit depressed at times, that I had let my life get this far out of control. Difficulty finding clothes, breaking chairs. Before I knew it, I had hit an all time high (or low, depending on how you look at it). My weight reached 412 lbs this past February. That was when I had decided I had had enough. Things needed to change. My father had passed a year before of heart attack and with the all of the problems I was developing, I needed to. Not just for myself, but for my family (beautiful wife and two adorable daughters). I have a couple of relatives who did the gastric bypass surgery and had good results so I looked into it. Going in to the decision, I was going to try to do the lap-band. The RNY seemed too drastic and to me didn't look like the thing for me to do. Not saying that it doesn't work for some people, just needed to find out more. I connected with the Memorial Weight Loss and Wellness Center in Springfield, IL. They are a multi-level support group based program. They have many different physicians, dietitians, psychiatrists, and physical therapists working together to ensure that you are well educated and are able to be successful in your journey. They showed me the different surgeries available to me, and got me pointed toward the gastric sleeve bypass. After about 4 months of preparing my mind for the lifestyle changes and my body for the eating changes, I was ready for surgery. On July 21, I was reborn. Surgery was a success. Recovery room experience was rough, but only because I had a bad pain med pump. Once they got that worked out, everything smoothed out. I was up and walking the same day as my surgery and checked out of the hospital in 3 days. It has now been 4 months since my surgery. It has been quite the journey. My sleeve is holding out. It is taking food and drink well. Not usually very well together. I am down to 307 lbs.. I am off of my blood pressure medicines and my cpap machine. I have more energy than I know what to do with. I feel great and I am beginning to look at myself in a more positive way. My body is starting to look more like a healthy persons. Anyway, that is my journey so far.

Gallbladder has no stones, so it stays... I hope that does not convert into another surgery anytime soon after my bypass surgery