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or should I just depart from the lapband community and go with one of the gastrix bypass community and if so does anyone know of a forum were to get good support for the gastrix bypass :smile:

Hello! I am new to this forum. I have decided that I can’t win this weight battle on my own. I need help as I am convinced that I am doing great harm to my health. A few months ago, I knew nothing about banding. I’d heard about gastric bypass but I never really thought of myself as “that overweight” (by the way, I am) and focused on being a failed dieter. I gave up dieting. I only gained the weight back after killing myself to lose it. No more WW, Nutrisystem, Atkins, South Beach, and so on. I’d lose weight with a great deal of effort and gain it back the minute I felt a modicum of success. I learned that I was pre-diabetic about three years ago. Blood fasting sugars about 120 each day. Pre-diabetic – well heck..that’s not so bad. I mean, I am not truly diabetic I told myself. Of course today, that number has jumped to 182 some days. But still under 200! I am not REALLY diabetic! Right? Wrong! I was seeing the gastro doc because I have developed “fatty liver disease”. Isn’t that a pretty name for a disease? Hey folks, I have fatty liver disease (but remember, I am not diabetic, only pre-diabetic!). So now let’s count my co-morbidities – pre-diabetes (just had my Metformin dose increased to 4 tabs), high cholesterol, high blood pressure (just doubled that dose) and fatty liver (my daily martini has changed to an occasional glass of wine but I haven’t stopped eating like a Viking. (no offense to any Vikings out there). What a mess I’ve become. And every visit to the doctors – PCP or specialist, ends with “if you could just lose 10 lbs…” Incidentally, my BMI is 41 and I am 5’7. I wear a 20 to 22 and 1X to 2X. I am a big girl and have been for most of my 58 years though never as big as I am right now. My husband loves me no matter what size I happen to be thank goodness but I know that he wants me to live a long time and that he is worried I will not. My gastro doc mentioned that if by the next time I saw him, I did not lose some weight, I should consider surgery. I think that was the dose of reality I have been waiting for since hearing I was “pre-diabetic” a couple of years ago. This time the words were not as softened as the word “pre” softened diabetes. It was just out there. You are obese and are unable to lose weight and you will die if you don’t change things. After feeling totally shocked that he recognized that I could not fight this battle without help, I began to research my options and found myself here on this website lurking every evening and reading all of your thoughts, prayers, concerns, and successes. When I read between the lines of what you all write however, I see HOPE. You all share hope that things will be better and can be better with a little help. I’d reached the point that there was no hope anymore but now, thanks to you and my gastro doctor, I can see that even at my age, there can be a future without obesity. So, I have taken control of my health and have decided to be banded. I attended the Weight Loss Information Session at Brigham’s and Women’s in early Dec. I scheduled my consultation with Dr Ali Tavakkolizadeh for Jan 21 along with the Nutritionist that day. I have an appt with Dr. Cynthia Worth end of Jan for my weight management behavioral evaluation. I have called Aetna and learned that I am covered for 80% and that there is a 3 month and a 6 month program. I am not sure yet what the difference is between the two programs but most certainly would prefer the 3 month one. I saw my PCP last week and asked for my medical records. All of these appointments were scheduled within one day with little effort. I take it as a sign that success is in my future. Thanks for reading my story. If anyone has experience with Dr Tav, Dr Worth or Faulkner Hospital which is where Dr Tav does this surgery, please write. My thoughts are with all of you fighting this fight.

Hello Everyone. My name is Miranda and I am going into my consultation on June 12th. I have insurance with Kaiser in so cal. My doctor recommended me and I guess I will have to see how things go. I Hope I qualify. I'm not looking for the surgery and a way to improve my looks..and for me its not really about being skinny.. I would be happy at 250. (which was about how much I weighted at 15) I already feel confidant.For me it is mainly about health and being able to be more active. I love to dance and go out to clubs ect.. I want to be able to last longer without getting to tired. Im also not doing it to get in someones good graces.. Ive been with my boyfriend for 5 years (on june 17th) and when he met me I was around 325. He doesn't want me to have the surgery..he thinks that with my bad luck something will happen to me complication wise and he will loose me. Ive had a few friends that did the gastric bypass, but all I can say is that If im not approved for the surgery with the band I absolutely wont have It. My biggest worry with the surgery is with loose skin.. Its a problem I don't have now. and most of my weight is in my thighs or butt.. I have the stomach of someone who is like 200 lbs.. and I don't want a saggy butt. Other then that I have the stupid thoughts of...well If I get the surgery I cant go to all you can eat sushi with the bf... The things that are in my head lol. I am 5'9 about 380 right now..and as I said most of my weight is in my lower half. here are a few recent pics of me.. the guy is said BF and yes the hair is fake.

Hello, SunnyRachel! I just posted before regarding chewing. It's so important, I see. I'm really trying! As far as the breads go... I decided to give them up now, the conventional loaf breads anyway. I've been doing wraps. I would like to give that up eventually as well and just roll my sandwiches in lettuce leaves. My downfall is RICE. I'm Asian and grew up on it. I can eat it with ANY meal, any time of the day or night. It was a staple in our house rather than a side dish. I've almost given up the white rice :cursing:. I'll still have it every once in a while. I eat brown rice and though it just okay, it really doesn't replace the white stuff. I really appreciate your honesty. I want to know the plain truth about everything! It looks as if you are doing well. Not one of my friends know what I'm doing. As a matter of fact, the only one I'm talking to about this is a coworker whom I've only known for about 6 months. She has weight issues as well. She is not overweight by any means, but she can have the potential. She works out constantly and always watches what she eats. Her hubby went thru gastric bypass surgery 2 years ago so she is able to give me a fresh point of view... being the spouse of someone who has had bariatric surgery. She's been a wonderful supporter and I vent to her when I am stressing. I will be sure to look for you now when I need to discuss or vent! Good luck to you as well and keep up the great work!

Thanks so much Marcy! That's just the type of info I was looking for!! Seems like I should check into the food restrictions. I do love soda (all kinds) but I'd be willing to give it up if nec. I think I'd be ok with the occasional "pb" (I read about that on this board) -- but the "dumping syndrome" with a bypass sounds scary... heart palpitations etc. Also, I am registering for the info seminar at the hospital here that has a special program for bariatric surgery - Central Dupage Hospital (Winfield, IL) -- some other posters have had good experiences there. Can't hurt to go over the types of surgeries again. Thanks again!! mbumblebee

Hi all. So I've spoken with 3 people I know that have had gastric bypass and they said that they did not exercise at all and still lost weight. One of them lost 80 pounds in 10 months. Why do sleevers have to exercise to lose? What is the difference between the two? Not making excuses, just want to know why?

I told family and close friends, and that is it. Once I had the surgery I told almost everyone. If I had it to do over, I probably wouldn't tell many people. With the band the weight loss isn't as quick as it is with gastric bypass. The band doesn't even really start working until you have it filled. But most people are familiar only with gastric bypass and expect you to start losing crazy amounts of weight right away. I can see people checking me out when I walk into a room, trying to determine if I have gotten thinnner. Two weeks after surgery I really didn't look much different! And before my first fill I could eat almost as much as I could before surgery so it was awkward at restaurants - I could tell people were watching and wondering why I bothered having surgery when I could still eat large portions! It may sound paranoid, but it's true! Keep it to yourself and only tell those who you need support from.

I have one thing to add... I know 2 people that have had gastric by pass. They have done very well... They are at the beginning of their journey. Both have lost around 140 lbs in 5 - 6 months. Their skin is awful saggy. But thats ok, they are feeling better etc. I have to admit to being jealous.. Now for the reason I am typing this. I know of 2 more ladies that had gastric bypass. BOTH of have regained all of their weight and more. One got down to a normal size and is now over 400 lbs. Also, the statistics when I had the band were, 1 in 200 die of gastric bypass, 1 in 10,000 of lapband. They were not even sure of the 10,000, because there are so few deaths. Most are contributed to being too overweight, or other medical problems. Not the band. Gastric people also have problems with what they can eat, especially sugar. We can usually eat anything. Just my 2 cents.

My doc said that bc ca wouldn't cover lapband for bmi over 50 - my bmi is 43 and he said no problem being banded -he didn't try and talk me into bypass (he does both) he was also very impressed that i had done my research...

I investigated the gastric bypass several years ago, going as far as consulting with the MD. I decided is was not for me. When I met with my present surgeon he recommended the bypass and I just informed him that was not an option. the band is less invasive and does not re-route on cut on my digestive system. He was fine with that. In fact, he was impressed I had researched the other procedure and ruled it out. He like informed patients. This is a personal decision that should not be strongly influenced by the doctor. I agree with others. I would get 2nd or 3rd opinions and, if your really want the band and this doctor to do it, tell him. It is your body and your decision. If he doesn't agree, go to a different doctor. I am a nurse and see all the time patients just doing what the doctor wants. Medicine has changed and you, the patient, are the most important member of the healthcare team. The final decision in any healthcare situation is yours. Good luck as you research and try to decide. We are always here to support you, whatever you decision. sunny

Thanks for the encouragement, I may need you guys to get me thru this week. I am trying not to let my family know how nervous I am. They all think that I am crazy as it is. Not for the surgery, cause my sister and daughter have had gastric bypass, but for going to Mexico to have it done and going by myself. I think now I am focused on learning about fills. Any good info?

Lots of sleevers lose weight and do not exercise. Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. You don't have to exercise but.. Most people are following their doctors plans though, and all doctors tell you to exercise. My doctor did tell me they try to do gastric bypass only on older less active people, and the sleeve is a better option for younger people that can be physically active. If you are losing weight for health purposes, you should be active and work out. I have an associate that had the bypass, they are young, and they worked out heavily in the beginning. Easily dropping weight, getting up to running 5 miles a day. Later, almost 2 years down the line when this person was able to eat more and ravenously hungry, the fact they could and did workout daily prevented them from regaining. Working out is your insurance plan against regaining and also to maintain/improve your health. The sleeve and bypass, are not going to be as magical after the first year, you have to build habits that will help you maintain your weight loss.

Studies show that weight loss is more rapid with bypass in the first year, however, by year two, weight loss from the sleeve is the same as bypass. As OutsideMatchInside said, weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Once you've reached your weight loss goal, those numbers flip when you go into maintenance mode. Here's something I've heard from weight loss veterans...If you think losing the weight is hard, get ready. Maintenance is 10X harder.

I know that I am late to this topic, but as a person that was newly diagnosed with AFib and has the surgery scheduled for 6/5/23, I think I understand the subject well. There is solid research coming from Australia that shows that AFib reverses or at least improves after drastic weight loss. This is what my Mayo Clinic cardiologist told me. I hesitated for years to get a gastric bypass but after learning this aspect, I scheduled my gastric bypass surgery. I talked to my gastric surgeon, he knows I have Afib and that I take medication for it and there are no issues whatsoever. I am sure he is consulting with my cardiologist. I wish you the best, this gastric bypass surgery might save us from Afib at least for some years. Let’s hope that the Aussies are 100% correct! 😀

I'm glad I went for the lapband but I have to be honest with you. The weight loss is a lot slower. I've only lost 37 lbs in 8 months. I could have done that on a conventional diet instead. The lapband is a great tool. Just remember you will not lose as fast as you would with bypass.

I hung out on lapband and bypass forums, reading what kinds of problems and victories people were having. And I choose the band. There were too many serious stories of bypass problems, including deaths. Too many things I just didn't want to risk living with. And too many bypass patients re-gaining their weight and not knowing what to do. Yes, there can be complications with the band. And for many, the weightloss is slower at first, but studies are showing that 5 years out, it's about equal. And I think the banders are much healthier.

I'm happy, but my weightloss has rivaled that which bypass patients have. Or at least it did, for a while. That made it easier, for sure. But I like knowing there's an expanded window. And I find a LOT of comfort in knowing that this is reversible, and that my insides remain as they should be. I have several friends with RNY, most at least 2 years out, and none are happy. Several have put their weight back on. Those that haven't make comments to me like, "I'm really beginning to see the long term effects of living with this thing... wish I'd thought more seriously about lap-band, but I just wanted it off fast."

You probably can go through with your bypass, but that is a call for your medical team - the surgeon and cardiologist. Typically, they want you stable and under control when you go in for surgery - they don't want surprises on the operating table - that's what these various specialist clearances are for. If we were all in perfect health with no pre existing conditions, no one would ever get WLS. I hear you on the Eliquis - it's the new kid on the block which makes it expensive, but the older meds are a lot more inconvenient to use (when my father was still alive, he was always needing blood draws to adjust the doses of his coumadin/warfarin blood thinner, which isn't necessary with Eliquis.) The drug companies often have discount programs for these expensive drugs to drop the copays for the patient (they don't mind sticking it to the insurance companies, but they want it cheap enough for the patient to use the med rather than a cheaper generic alternative,) so check into that. It's not the end of the journey, but it is a detour. At the beginning of this year, my PCP found that I was in Afib when I was getting a clearance for cataract surgery, which put that off for a while until it got treated, but it did happen, though a few months later than expected.

Hi Thin4Anisha, I just read your post, and even though I am much older than you and at a different stage in my life, I can identify with much that you said. First, at almost 56 I am seriously considering lapband surgery. My concerns now are primarily for my health, not just for my looks. (But it is not true that you won't care about your looks by the time you are "that old":smile:) My daughter had a gastric bypass when she was 22; she is now 26. She was still on my insurance at the time because she was finishing school. She always maintains that she would go through it all again in a heartbeat. She is about 5'8" and weighed about 275 at the time of her surgery. That is a difficult way for a young person to live; health problems will occur if they haven't already. She weighs 160 now and looks fabulous. She is athletic, though, and works out as much as she can. She says following the diet and exercising are key. One of my main concerns is the need for plastic surgery; she probably doesn't have to have it. For about a year or so, she was sure she would have to do that and paying for it was an issue. Now, due to her age and fitness level, it is not so important anymore; her skin, like yours, has elasticity. That is the good news. Good luck with whatever decision you make. And there is justice in this world; my guess is there will come a day when boyfriend can no longer eat a half pan of lasagna without "seeing" the effects on his body. Thin people often think everything is a matter of will power. Not so! Set4Change

Hi to all who contribute to this site - I am in Australia's Hunter Valley and have a surgery date in Sydney with Dr Michael Crawford on July 31. I'm nervous and excited; dreading the Optifast stage (quite panicked about this actually) and hoping that this decision is going to work for me. Thanks to EVERYONE who contibutes to this site - I've learnt so much in the lead up to this decision and so much of it is from this site. I've started a blog journal - it seems important to document one of the most significant decisions of my life. I knew that one day it would come to WLS - I nursed some of the early gastric bypass patients in the late 70s and early 80s as a student nurse (not a nurse anymore) and it was such risky surgery back then. Lapbanding is such a great leap forward - I hope it's right for me. Cheers and I too hope to make a great contribution to this site. All the best to everyone here. Melanie

HI I'm Nessa. I'm 48 (almost 49) Married to Brian who will be 38 next week While brian is interested in Gastric Bypass I am interested in Lap Band. We live in Baltimore Maryland. I have an appointment for an info seminar on March 2 at Sinai Hospital and on March 11 at Johns Hopkins. I think my problem is that I'm always eating now. I"m always hungry. I never shut my mouth. I've been doing South Beach Diet for a few years and I had lost 80 pounds but it was slow and i was getting frustrated and since October I have gained 40 pounds back. I've already talked to our insurance people and I know that WLS is covered at 85% at the places we are interested in. what else should I tell you?

Congrats! I had Cigna too but it was a little harder for me to get approved since I had a revision. You will love the sleeve! I am so happy for you!

I have gained over 130 pounds over the past 6 years due to ankle surgery and injuries. I am debating with route to take with having the Sleeve or Bypass surgery. I am 40 years old and almost 280 pounds and have bad ankles for life. Any suggestions from anyone?

Port revision surgery is a breeze. Mine flipped a couple of months ago and I had to have revision surgery. I was in and out in under 30 minutes and got a fill during that time as well. I went home within an hour after the surgery, felt great and went back to work the next day. The recovery is minimal and there is very little pain involved. I didn't even take tylenol. As for why they flip, no one knows. It just happens sometimes, thats all.

I am a 49 year old female with a BMI of 35, high blood pressure. For years I have been wanting a lapband but neither my insurance nor my husbands would cover it. Since the kids are now out of school my husband said if you really want this then do it. I talked with a surgeon in my city and then went to Houston to see one that my friend had used. I was all ready to get it scheduled and then when he heard that I wanted to lose 50-60 pounds he said, no I'm not going to do it because you will not lose that much weight and you will be wanting a revision in less than 5 years. He wanted me to do the sleeve and I said no and he still wouldn't do the lapband. Now I am a self pay and this is a real good surgeon. So after crying all the way home I started thinking why would he say this to me if its not true. I believe that you can search these forums and find the responses that you want to find, I always mostly read to good about lapband. I have to say that I can't find too much negative about the sleeve. My only problem is that I am so scared of complications since I am a selfpay. I don't want my family to have financial problems because of me. My husband says whatever I want to do he is behind me but added that he really doesn't think I am big enough to have the surgery, just exercise and follow my diet. Oh of course, I hadn't even thought about that. Anyway, I read these forums daily and just can't decide what to do, its not the money, its not having to deal with eating small portions, its just being scared of a leak. I just want to cry every morning when I get dressed cause I look so fat.