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I used dr fitzer and was very pleased. He was very upfront about everything and had wonderful post complication ratings! I'm current 4 weeks post op and doing well!

Cleared at 4 weeks. Had no complications

Unraveling the myth of willpower I’ve always despised the term "willpower" because it’s one of those words that seems to say something, but says nothing. Applied to weight loss or keeping weight off, willpower is always cited as something you must have to be successful. When patients struggle to lose weight, they tell me it’s because they have no willpower. Willpower is spoken of as if it is the secret weapon in the battle of the bulge but nobody seems to be able to define what willpower is or how to acquire it. What truly bothers me is that willpower is often explained as something intrinsic…that you either have it or you don’t. This is utter nonsense. Anyone who has ever lost weight can recall at least one time when they thought "This is it! This is the time I’m really going to keep it off!" You felt as if you were in a groove. You turned away from cake and potato chips. You said no to second helpings. You were invincible! You even bought the smaller jeans to punctuate your accomplishment! But then there was a wedding, or a cruise or just a little, harmless piece of chocolate that you let yourself enjoy. Suddenly, your "willpower" seemed to be gone and you didn’t know how to get it back. Well that ends today. I have news for you. Successful weight losers do not have more willpower than you do. Unsuccessful dieters do not have less willpower than you do. The popular conception of willpower is nonsense. There is nothing magical about willpower. It is not something that you have one day and lose the next. I’m going to teach you how to make your own willpower. First, let’s expose the myth of willpower. Willpower found! When you lost all that weight way back when, it began with a conscious decision and a few key factors lined up in your favor. While it may seem that you suddenly had the willpower to start the diet and successfully begin to lose weight, what actually occurred was that emotion (motivation) and an awareness of the positive and negative consequences of weight loss were both in focus. Often by chance, the emotional energy to persevere is so strong that we tolerate hunger, frustration, cravings, etc. You might think that you were not feeling hunger, cravings, or frustration when you were losing the weight but in fact you were. They were simply dwarfed by the high level of emotion and motivation you had to tolerate them. Willpower lost! Unfortunately, this initial emotional thrust eventually wears off if there’s nothing else to give it more fuel. When willpower seems to suddenly disappear what has happened is that the equation has shifted. Reasons to eat the chocolate and the desire to eat it are suddenly greater than the initial emotional thrust to tolerate this discomfort. At this point, you begin giving yourself permission to go off track. You find yourself in an environment where temptations seem greater than before. You tell yourself things that enable a setback. Willpower didn’t go anywhere. And as you well know, from that point on, it was only a matter of time until the weight returned. You probably remember that awful feeling of powerlessness that you couldn’t grab hold of the reigns and turn things around. Of course, there are also times where an overwhelming emotional event may occur that throws your motivation out the window. 9/11 was such an unfortunate example for many of my patients. Making your own willpower Whether it is losing weight, quitting smoking, or accomplishing any other endeavor, there are a few specific actions that successful people take that make them successful: 1) Create measurable goals and write them down. If you’re not willing to write them down then you’re not really serious about success. Keep reading your goals every day or they won’t stay in the front of your mind. If they’re not in the front of your mind, they’re in the back of your mind. If they’re in the back of your mind, they’re useless. 2) Motivate yourself to accomplish each goal. Ask yourself "What’s in it for me (WIIFM) to accomplish this goal?" Then ask yourself "What is the consequence of failing to accomplish this goal?" Identify short and long-term goals as well as short and long-term consequences. Don’t dance around this issue…be honest. There are real negative short-term consequences of dieting and keeping weight off. Hunger, feelings of deprivation and temporary emotional distress are a few. Fear of being without food as a comfort is another. Having a clear list of benefits that you will gain in the future in exchange for tolerating these negative consequences in the short-term can help you through these tough times. Ask yourself "What do I stand to gain, both now (within a few days) and in the future if I stick to my goal of losing weight." This is the real definition of willpower: being able to tolerate frustration or discomfort in the present in exchange for a desirable outcome in the future. Perhaps a better phrase for willpower is discomfort tolerance or frustration tolerance. Take your time with this step. Remember, in order to have the ability to tolerate frustration and discomfort when they strike, you need to be acutely aware of "what’s in it for me?" 3) Make clear action steps that you plan to take to accomplish the goal. The goal itself is not as important as understanding the behavioral steps you plan to enact in order to accomplish them. Ask yourself "what am I going to do to accomplish my goal. Also ask, "What do I need to stop doing or do differently if I am to accomplish this goal. For example, don’t ask yourself "How am I going to find the time to exercise?" Ask yourself "How am I going to make the time to exercise." Then take out your blackberry or schedule book and figure out exactly what you are going to shift around to create the time to exercise. 4) Practice your strategies. Ever notice that the best athletes practice almost EVERY DAY?! Batting practice, free throw practice, the driving range, and on and on. Practice is what makes people successful. It’s not willpower. In case you’re telling yourself that it’s the money, you’re mistaken. There are plenty of highly paid athletes that are bums. Our favorite athletes are generally the ones that practice the most. They try harder and give a little more than the "prima donnas." We tend to like the players who are shorter, slower, injured, or who are older but simply refuse to give up. Its constant effort, and a refusal to quit, not talent that makes the difference. 5) Think like a winner. When a winner has a setback, they don’t pack it in. They start over. Don’t "catastrophize." Don’t categorize everything into good or bad, pass or fail. Stop being critical and demeaning of your shortcomings and missteps. If you have a bad day at the Chinese buffet, it’s just one high-calorie meal. It doesn’t mean a thing…unless you tell yourself it does. If you tell yourself it’s a bad day, it becomes a bad day. Tell yourself that your Chinese meal ruined the weekend and you’ve ruined the weekend. Suddenly you’re telling yourself that Friday is a wash and that you might as well give yourself the weekend to have some fun promising that you’ll get back on track on Monday, only Monday never comes. How you think is everything. There you have it…the mystery of willpower unraveled. The power to make real change and MAINTAIN real change is well within your grasp. You don’t suddenly get it and just as suddenly lose it. Make a commitment to your goals, write them down, document what’s in it for you, read your goals daily, diligently engage in behaviors that support each goal, think like a winner and you will be successful. I know that some of you are reading this and sighing, saying that it’s not so simple. It doesn’t have to be so complicated either. Take a bold step. Start writing some goals down right now and follow the steps I’ve outlined above before you log off. You have the power to change right at this very moment. No willpower required!

im just curious who's band has lasted longer then 5 years with zero complications? mine only lasted 2 years... so just wanna see long term how long everyone else's last. I thought id have mine forever but that didnt happen no band now for 2 months sleeve soon july 1st.

it will be worth the wait to get the sleeve and not live in misery with a band. Most ins. companies want you to have a bmi 40 or above to get the sleeve. I wouldn't worry too much about failing with the sleeve. I don't know anyone who has failed with the sleeve. I know a lot of people who don't lose weight with the band. It's a pretty common fact that you will only lose half your excess weight with the band, and complications usually set in by the second year.

I am new to this so I am really not sure what to say?? I guess I will start with I am 38yrs. old with 3 children and have battled obesity most of my life. I had the Lap-band surgery in June '08 and without much complications. My biggest obstacle is getting enough protein in so that is why I turned to here for some recommendations. Any suggestions are welcomed!!!

I was revised to sleeve May10th 2012. Since surgery to date I lost 28 lb which does not seem alot but I am a slow loser and thats how much total weight that I previously lost with the band in 1st 6 months n then gained it all back cuz I could eat around my band. just like u no major complications but only acid reflux , food getting stuck n vomitting etc whenever I would get a fill to give me some restriction. I had the band put in in 2007 and no weight loss after April, 2008, only gaining untill i gained it all back. I was so nervous about the sleeve cuz I was afraid of failing it too, but I knew that I m not comfortable with bypass surgery so that leave me only one option and after thinking about it for 1 year, i finally did it and I am liking it cuz u m not that crazy hungary n when i eat i get full so soon. i can decide responsibly about my food choices . i also noticed that if i munch on slider food all day i dont lose but if i m sticking to rules I do loose weight, slowly but i do loose weight.

Ok I'm a newbie and I just got my date on Thursday. Its july 20th. I have been researching this since January and I'm positive this is the solution 4 me! I have some questions that maybe y'all can help me with. Ok if I want to know more about my surgeon, like how many sleeves he's done and how many leaks or major complications he's had, can I just call his office and ask these questions? I really want to know these things. Will they be truthful? Also how long does this surgery take? I'm using Dr Wade Barker in dallas texas if anybody know of him. Would reeeally appreciate some input.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. :-) My Story: After being sleeved on 8/12/13, I had complications with nonstop vomiting. No matter what I ate or drank, it would get stuck and come right back up. A balloon dilation, 2 surgeries, and after being hospitalized for 2 weeks, I was finally revised to RNY last Sunday morning. Even though this wasn't my initial plan, I'm still upbeat and looking forward to dropping these pounds!!! *Whoop* Good luck to you all!!! HW: 317 Pre-Op: 298 First Surgery Date: 289 CW: 283 Goal: 170

Hi Breanna, I hope you won't mind me sharing some answers even though I'm much earlier in the process than you (pre-op research phase). 1. what is your biggest fear with the surgery and why? Besides surgical complications (i.e., stricture, adhesions, internal scarring, having to redo the surgery for some reason), my biggest fear is not correctly handling my vitamin/nutrient needs at any time post-surgery. I've watched YouTube videos of people many years out from surgery who either lapsed in taking their Vitamins and suffered ill effects or one who "overdosed" on B6 (found in Protein, B complex vitamins, energy drinks) and got sick as B6 is not a routine lab test even for bariatric patients. Of course I plan to be complicit with the Vitamin recommendations of my NUT, but in the past I've put my medical needs second or third to work and mental health issues, so I'm weighing the possibility of that happening again if I get WLS and thinking of how to make sure I prioritize my physical health. 2. Who has been your biggest supporter for your surgery so far? And how has that impacted your decision? My mom, whether she realizes it or not. She's not 100% in favor of the surgery, but she knows I'm an adult, has my best interests at heart, and listens to me. 3. What is your goal weight and why? I'll probably take my doctor's lead on this one, as a major motivating factor for my surgery is comorbidities. I think the remission of my sleep apnea will be the deciding factor. Honestly, I've never been in 100s as an adult (I'm 5'5") so I don't have a weight I'm able to envision. It'd be nice to be in straight sizes for clothes, but I make do at my current size and am sure I'd do fine as a 16, 14, or 12, as well. 4. What was the one thing that made you be for sure about the surgery? Being diagnosed/experiencing four to five major comorbidities (including diabetes type 2 and most recently sleep apnea) has made me realize I am scared to go on the way I am. I'm not 100% for sure on the WLS yet, but am seriously considering it. 5. What is one thing you are giving up that you will truly miss having? As I understand it, unless something causes severe dumping there's no need to avoid it totally (with the exception of carbonated beverages, alcohol, depending on your body). I guess the hardest thing will be cutting back on sedentary activities I enjoy (computer, reading) in order to move more. 6. If you have had the surgery or are getting ready for it... what is one piece of advice you have for those that are just starting their journey? Listen to a VARIETY of voices from people who have been there. YouTube is a great place to hear from others, both positive and negative. People here and on YouTube recommended The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery, 2nd Ed. by Cynthia Alexander which I'm halfway through and feel good about recommending to others, too. Hope this helps, Breanna. Best wishes as you continue to move forward.

New here. Been reading these boards for the last few weeks, my first time posting. I am scheduled for surgery at 8:30 am tomorrow morning, 12/27. Getting nervous! Excited for what this means for my life, mostly nervous about having actual surgery and complications. But it’s taken me two years to get to this point and there is no turning back now. Sit have to have faith that everything is going to be fine.

Try to be relaxed is my advice. Remember you are the consumer since you are self pay. Then ask all the questions you can think of. How long is your hospital stay? How many surgeries has your surgeon done? What is the most common adverse outcome (complication)? How often does your surgeon see that outcome? Who else is on your "team"? What does post-surgery care look like? If you're going out of country, who will see you post-op in the US? Who can you call with questions or concerns throughout your process? Scour the threads here to see what people are most concerned about and have questions with, this forum is a great resource for you. Wishing you the best!

some plans or policies cover excess skin removal if you are having complications from the skin, normallly a rash. Have you checked about if you have complications from the excess skin?

I had my surgery on spring break and though I was tired and not back 100%, I was able to make it and sit through all 5 of my classes. I also have to walk between classes which total about 3 miles. I didn't have any complications, but i think if all goes well, it's doable! Good luck! By the way, if you really feel awful they have to accommodate you, I'm sure your surgeon will give you a note. Good luck.

I had my bypass on 7-7-17 & had a complication that led to a revision on 7-19-17. I have been doing well on my post op program outside of another complication(collapsed lungs).Lately, I been talking more about food that I had in the past(good food&bad food). When I saw a pizza hut commercial I saw the cheese&tomato sauce and it kind of perked me up to where I started discussing with my father how I loved cheese pizza with extra tomato sauce. Then later my dad asked me about oatmeal and honey and I was like oh I love oatmeal&honey and that conversation continued on with me telling him that adding butter to oatmeal & even steel oats are the best. Then I sat back in my recliner and just thought about how great oatmeal is. Then peanut butter & jam came up later in the day and I was like oh yes I love it. This has been the theme in the past 2 days. Im not tempted to have them but it is refreshing to talk about them. Is that weird? Has anyone else liked to talk about food they ate in the past? Im sure its just a phase iamready4this

I don't have a sleeve but I did have a band which was removed due to complications. I would suggest you chew 2 TUMS and drink hot water or tea until you feel better. I would definetly not eat. Walking around might help, too. Joan

It's a surprising, but common error for folks to read on message boards of one or two persons' WLS experiences and then extrapolate from that to "all WLS patients' experiences." As in ... "everybody who has WLS has complications / regains all their weight / becomes anorexic / loses their teeth / becomes an alcoholic / gets divorced / can't eat real food / whatever." FTR, at 15 months post-op (sleeve) I've never thrown up once. I average 90-100 grams of Protein a day. I still have a protein drink about 5 times a week. It's just food. Like milk. Like chicken, burgers, eggs and Beans. BTW, my sister who has never had WLS also has a protein drink for Breakfast during the week. She finds it convenient.

I had some complications with surgery so I was not cleared for exercise until week 5. The last three weeks I have been working on cardio. Today I did 40 minutes. Besides the help with weight loss there are general health benefits as well. Strengthening and toning helps burn calories and if you ever are concerned about excess skin, start exercising now.

It's natural to be scared, I was crying on my husbands shoulder minutes before they took me in for the surgery.. all out of fear and the unknown. I had my surgery in November and I think it's the best decision I could have made for myself. I tried all the diets, I lost the weight, regained the weight plus more so many times I lost count. In the end, for me, I realized that all my reasons for wanting the surgery (not all that dissimilar from yours) far outweighed all the reasons that made me doubt getting the surgery. You have to decide what is more important to you... drinking 7 or 8 beers with your friends and eating huge portions of steak with wine, or being here for your children and family, not dying young and not getting the diseases you mentioned that plagued your family. If you stay as heavy as you are, you know the answers to all those questions.. you know what could happen... Is all that worth the 7 or 8 beers or huge portions? Only you can decide that. Yes, there is a risk with surgery and anyone going through this has to be aware of that and complications do happen, it's true... but which is more riskier? Again, only you can decide that with your family and doctor and determine what is best for you. You will still be able to go out and instead of 8 beers, maybe you have 1 beer, but I wouldn't recommend that, it makes you gain weight.. instead of a huge steak, you will eat some and get to save some for later or another day... just think you will get 2 or 3 meals out of one! All things in moderation and you will learn how to still enjoy all the same things, just on a smaller scale. Bigger does not always mean better. I've been lucky, my surgery went well and I felt good. I had no real issues other than a muscle soreness. I haven't had any issues eating smaller portions and I actually do not feel hungry at all. I have to remind myself to eat sometime and as you start out slowly, eventually those cravings will go away and by the time you are eating regular foods again (about 3 weeks out) you will not be thinking about those huge portions.. they may actually disgust you. I found that things I enjoyed before, just totally repluse me now I wouldn't want to eat that if I could! Hang in there, I bet you are doing the right thing for your health. You will have a whole new life. Again, only you can make the right decision for what's best for you and your family! Good luck!

Im a realist and don't belief in telling people alot of fluff so I will give it to you straight. 1) Scared about missing food - You are what you eat - period. I will not lie to you - The sleeve gives you the tool lose the weight - but its up to you to not eat crap and gain all the weight back. On ocassion I will eat things like pizza and other junk, but its only on occasion. Its a slippery slope though, especially with the carbs. If you eat crappy quality carbs you wake up the carb cravings and can get yourself in trouble. Do I miss junk food - not as much as I thought I would - and if I absolutely HAVE to have something I eat it - just not a whole box. 2) drinking beers - Im not a drinker but I can tell you this - Beer is carbs and makes you fat. You also will get drunk quicker with less beer. If getting plastered with your friends is a must for you I do not reccomend you endulge in that behavior too often. I know alot of bariatric patients who gain LOTS back due to alcohol. Its empty useless fat promoting calories. The sleeve will not stop you from drinking 8 beers - remember liquid slides right on through. 3) Can you lose the weight on your own - I'll say this much. The odds are against you. For me it was IMPOSSIBLE. I was a quantity eater and I like to be full. Now that I have a tiny stomach I can be full with so much less food and now that my hunger hormones are reduced I get much less hungry. But if I eat crappy carbs my hunger does return with a vengence so refined carbs are the enemy. Without the surgery I would still be an obese 377 pound 36 year old with who know what kind of health issues. 4) its irreversible - so what. Do you want your big bowling ball size stomach back that takes forever to get full and releases all kinds of hunger hormones. I don't miss mine. I still have a fully functioning stomach - just smaller. Your not getting a gastric bypass. Your body will work just the way it always has worked - just better. 5)Your going to die - I can say this - If you do nothing you will die. Also death from the sleeve is really really really low. Bariatric surgery has really come a long way and is very safe now. Worry about how unhealthy you will be without taking control of your obesity. That is the real fear. Your absolutely normal to be fearful of the unknown. I can tell you that I have zero regrets! I have had no complications and have never even thrown up once. I just had a tummy tuck and feel for the first time in my life - happy in my own body. No more looking in the mirror and wanting to PUKE. ALL my health issues went away - no more cpap - no more high blood pressure - etc etc. Its a miracle surgery. Good luck with your journey - Shayne

Try very hard not to be too nervous, your blood pressure will be through the roof. Do you have insurance of any kind? If so, they usually pay for emergent complications following surgery, even if they don't pay for the surgery itself. These may very well just be some road bumps on your journey. You won't know for sure until you see him. I know it's somewhat silly for me to sit here and say "calm down" but that's what I'm doing. Do your best to calm down and relax, you have to drive safely and make it to the appointment. We'll be here when you get home and we'll be looking forward to hearing what he had to say.

I'm on day 4 of my 3 week pre-op diet. Day 3 was the hardest so far. Length of pre-ops seem to differ between dr's. I'm def following it to ensure my body is in the best condition it can be which in turn should lessen complications... Well that's my thinking anyway! Secondly 3 weeks is a tiny part of the rest of my life! Don't put yourself in situations if you think you will be tempted! Stay strong!

I know a few people who were banded by Benavides and they all say he was great and has the most experience which lessens the rate of complications. The only downside is that he doesn't do after care. So, after your surgery, all you care is from AIGB for fills and support. My dr is partners with Benavides and has the same after care, which is fine for me.

Take a deep breath and RELAX! We all find things to stress about prior to surgery, even when we're incredibly excited and ready to make the changes necessary to succeed. If your procrastination is going to cause your surgery to be cancelled, then perhaps you aren't quite mentally there yet. It takes a while to make such a big decision. This surgery will change your life, and while most of the changes are wonderful, postive ones, there are some negative sides, too. It's work. Eating right, working on your emotional triggers, dealing with the changes in your life - these things are work, and can be a little scary. In my opinion you really need to sit down and think. Are you ready for this? Are you stalling because of natural fears of surgery, and of change? Is there a bigger issue at play here? There's absolutely nothing wrong with pushing your date back until you have your head in the right place. If you're not ready, the recovery will be harder for you. Every ache, every pain, every hassle of post op life will seem like a huge problem to you, instead of the minor nuisance it really is. Complications can happen. Be sure you trust your surgeon. If you've done your research and feel comfortable, then you're just having natural worries before surgery. If you don't know much about your surgeon or you don't entirely trust him/her, then perhaps you need to find someone else to work on you. I know that I definitely worried about complications. I was very scared, even with a fantastic doctor like Dr. Aceves (who has a great track record). It's normal to worry. I don't know the ins and outs of your particular insurance policy. The fact is, once you choose to have the surgery if you do have complications they can choose not to pay whether or not the bills for your preop were submitted to them. They're going to know you had the surgery at some point. I doubt they're going to raise your rates over this, though. If anything, your rates might drop if you don't have as many health risks after you lose some weight. I had a smooth recovery. There is nothing I regret about this surgery. Well...I do miss the hunger sometimes. I wish I wanted to eat. And I'm a slow loser - "only" 45 pounds in three months. But I've never lost more than 30 pounds on any diet before - even the ones that dragged on for four or five months. I've never been able to control my diabetes with diet and exercise before. There are a lot of huge benefits. I was only uncomfortable post op for about five days. I'd gladly trade five days of pain pills and discomfort for 45 pounds - and 45 pounds is just the start of my journey. People that have endured leaks and horrible complications still come out a few months later LOVING their sleeves. This surgery is well worth it. It was worth every penny that I self-paid, and every second of discomfort. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Get your head in the right place. If it's the right time for you, move forward and get this surgery done and over with. Trust me, you'll love it once you're on the loser's bench. ~Cheri

That's great news!!! I have to agree with you...I was doubting my doctor because my weight wasn't coming down. He kept telling me it was due to the complications after surgery but I didn't believe him....thought I was the only person that surgery didn't work for. Now, all of a sudden I am dropping weight like crazy!! Guess they know more than me!