Search the Community
Showing results for 'revision bypass'.
Found 17,501 results
-
Hi, I am a 41 year old female, and I am trying to decide on having this surgery. My mother had gastric bypass surgery. I seen the recovery time involved, which I do not have that amount of time available. I work full time, my girls are very active, so down time is a big factor. I am 5'4 and weigh 232 lbs., I know that I have to do something, dieting has never worked, walking has not helped so now I am talking to my doctor about other options. I would really like some input from others that have been through the lap-band surgery. I am leaning that direction verses the gastric bypass, but am concerned about never eating certain foods again. The thought of throwing up often, is not pleasing either. Also I am one that likes a glass of wine, now and then, can you ever drink again? I know that isn't as important, but it is a total life changing experience, would like more information, from ones that have been through this. Thank you.
-
Who are you going to or have you told about the LB?
kbinaz replied to TangerineDreams's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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. -
So I got the results of my EGD and apparently I have a non-erosive form of acid reflux. Also, biopsy showed questionable Barrett's esophagus which means I might have to have the bypass over the sleeve. I'm trying to come to terms with that possibility but my surgeon put me on protonix to help reduce the acid production of my stomach. I've been on a steady diet of ibuprofen due to some uterine issues and my love of spicy foods may not have worked in my favor for that. Hopefully, he can do the sleeve still, I'm still weirded out by the whole rearranging of organs.
-
Concerns about Lap Band - Is this true???
sascijo replied to kimster's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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. -
I was already at a crossroads when I learned of the band (only a few months ago). I had been on every diet you could think of and each had failed and I was looking down the road to a certain early death. The thought of bypass was tickling my mind, but somehow I just knew it was wrong for me. Then I heard about lapband and did some research and knew it was the right decision to make. Extreme, yes. Worth it, you bet (I can confidently say that and I haven't even been banded yet). The cost, it's only money, how does one compare it to one's health? Luckily, my insurance will pay, but I was certainly prepared to self pay in Mexico. I will be banded come hell or high water!!!
-
I need some of your input, My visit didnt go as planned Thanks!
IndioGirl55 replied to OhioChick1982's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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 need some of your input, My visit didnt go as planned Thanks!
sunshine6855 replied to OhioChick1982's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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?
-
Sleeve vs. Bypass
OutsideMatchInside replied to brandeett's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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.
-
A Fib and Gastric Bypass
MarisAthena replied to MountainClover's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
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! 😀 -
waiting for date in NY on fence about lapband or bypass help
juliegeraci replied to ladyvase's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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. -
waiting for date in NY on fence about lapband or bypass help
lisah25 replied to ladyvase's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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. -
waiting for date in NY on fence about lapband or bypass help
Wheetsin replied to ladyvase's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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.
-
Ready to begin the rest of my life..
Set4Change replied to Thin4Anisha's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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 everyone and thanks - 31 July surgery countdown
melaniematters posted a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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 -
I read Khaliah Ali's story Fighting Weight and it was like looking into a mirror. Several years ago I considered Gastric Bypass and my therapist wouldn't give approval, my employer stopped paying for bariatric surgery and so I didn't give it much more consideration after that. The gastric surgery always scared me, a friend had the surgery over 5 years ago and she has regained weight. I've been working with my therapist and we agreed gastric bypass was too radical. But after reading Fighting Weight, I thing banding is the answer, and it helped me see that being severely obese is a medical condition along with my co-morbidities - hbp, syndrome x, pcos, depression and anxiety. I think I'm better equipped for banding than I was when I was considering gastric bypass. I haven't been able to figure out why I can't get myself to exercise everyday but in the book it was the factor of failing, failing again, not being able to face doing the work and failing, we set ourselves up to fail believing the People magazine yearly article "Losing 100 pounds without Surgery doing it with Exercise and Diet" - what chances do I have losing more than 100 pounds with just diet and exercise. Banding is a tool and I'm ready to use it
-
Hi. Not sure if I should be here...YET
ladybugnessa posted a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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? -
Am I too small/young to consider Lap-Band?
mishakal posted a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
When I went to the doctor last for a case of bronchitis, I had a huge shock when I stepped on the scale -- 204!!! I'm 4'11. That gives me a BMI of 41.2. I've been maintaining at 170-180 for about the last 3-4 years. My highest weight ever was 244 when I was 19 and on birth control pills. When I wasn't in a relationship I decided to just throw them away -- they were costing me money and it wasn't like I was in danger of getting pregnant... my allegedly underactive thyroid got into the normal range within a month of coming off of them. I got down to 145 over a year, then have crept back up. The thing that changed me from the 170-180 up to this was dislocating my kneecap nearly two years ago. I've had reduced activity -- it still hurts to walk through Wal-Mart. When I saw the scale go up over 200, I wanted to cry, and not just for physical pain. I know to some I don't have a huge weight problem. People say I "carry it well". They don't want to offend me, I'm sure. And I even admit it's not as bad as it used to be. But I'm terrified. My mother had gastric bypass at 265 lbs, she now weighs 120 but has had major complications -- says she doesn't regret it a bit tho. Four of her cousins had it. My paternal grandmother should have had it, but at the time Medicaid didn't cover it. She died in a nursing home at 62, weighing 600 lbs needing double knee replacements but too heavy for them to do them. I don't want to live that life. I don't know if I have severe comorbidities because I've not checked. I haven't had a cholesterol test, sleep study, EKG, anything else like that -- almost too afraid to. I do have asthma and my knee, but I have Aetna insurance and I know those don't qualify. But am I crazy to be thinking about the Lap-Band when I'm only 29 and only a 41.2 BMI? (If the pre-surgical diet takes me down much, and it doesn't take much at 4'11, I might not meet Aetna's qualifications for the surgery from what I can see....) -
I got approved today from Cigna :-)
Becca replied to mrspetendanbury's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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! -
Deciding on the Sleeve or the Gastric Bypass
Minajee posted a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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.
-
Wish I could just make a decision on this
grumpys wife posted a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
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. -
Is the sleeve the right thing after the Lapband?
Rev Me Up! replied to jkend50035's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Hi there- I am a revision patient. I had a band for almost 4 years - lost 40 pounds, gained back 20. Totally not worth it. That said, only you can decide if the sleeve is the right thing to do after the band. I wanted an "insurance policy" after I had my band taken out. I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't baloon up again after the band was gone. It has been 6 weeks since my revision and I am ECSTATIC with the results. The recovery was hard, but the positives outweigh the negatives. I am at a point where I can eat almost anything (but very small quantities) and it feels really good. Make sure you read through this board extensively - there is so much infromation here! Also, there is a band to sleeve revision topic on the main page (scroll down until you see it). A lot of us revision folks post info there. As far as your questions: 1. Is all this true? Averag weight loss is just that - an average. Since I have less to lose, I am not sure how close I will get to my goal or how soon. People lose well over 100 pounds with the surgery. 2. Are there more than 1 type of sleeve operations? There is one variation that I know of - sleeve plication. You might want to do a search on this board for "plication" and send messages to some of the folks who have had it done. It is not nearly as common. 3. Is it difficult to transition from the lapband to the sleeve? Surgically, it can be challenging if you have had complications or excessive scarring. The doc won't really know until they get in there and see what is going on. My revision was not terribly complicated - Dr removed scar tissue and adhesions from my liver and my total surgery time was less than 90 minutes. Emotionally, the transition has its ups and downs. You will feel restriction like you never had with the band. This is good, but the first few weeks on all liquids and very strict diet can be tough on you emotionally. The good thing is that it doesn't allow you to cheat. After 4-6 weeks you are eating normally (but a lot less) and it gets much easier. 4. Does Insurance cover it? (I have Blue Cross) For some people it does - you will have to explore that option. 5. Are there other important questions that I am not asking? Read through the boards extensively and you will most likely come up with a list of questions for your doctor. Also, feel free to ask all of us questions about our experiences. The knowledge and support here is invaluable. Good luck to you in your decision! Lara
