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The standard for my doctor's office is after your 2-3 week follow up appointment. Although they were willing to write it for 6 weeks. I think I could have gone back after I was off of pain meds (4-5 days) but I would have been exhausted. It also depends on how well you recover. I am only 36, I had zero complications, a starting BMI of 42 and was otherwise very healthy - all of which made my recovery very easy. Now if I was still at my old job, which I hated, I would have taken the full 6 weeks.

My surgery is today...feel exactly the same way. I think I am finally at peace with this decision...praying for a great outcome with no complications! Will pray the same for everyone else going through this process. Good luck to you all and keep us posted! My surgery is at 11 today.

I actually researched for a year before deciding. I researched outcomes and complication rates for both and talked to people I know that have had either VSG or bypass. I decided on sleeve since it doesn't have the malabsorption issues and there are less associated complications and side effects. On my initial visit, the nurse practitioner that works for the program suggested I revisit bypass because I have PCOS and she said my weight loss would be better with bypass because of the malabsorption. (PCOS makes it harder to lose weight). However, I was set against bypass after all my research and when I met with the surgeon, he said I made the right decision especially considering some of the meds I take for asthma and with the fact that I sometimes have to take steroids for my asthma. He says with the malabsorption, my meds would not be as effective. So ultimately, I would say to do some research, decide what you can live with and then discuss it with your surgeon. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

so yes i have been debating on posting this topic but i need answers i am an weed smoker prolly about 2-3 times a day i am geting the gastric bypass on sept 21 im not sure if i should quit smoking bc of the possibility of complications during surgery from smoking..i have looked it up online and nothing says weed can cause issues during surgery but nothing definite was wondering if there was anyone else who has quit prior to surgery for that reason

Hi Melanieleigh, congratulations search, you've come to the right place. This is a long, overdue story and I will also post it in “My Positive Experience w/Dr. Watkins Thread." This forum is awesome and I've been researching WLS HEAVILY since about June. I've read a lot on WLS. I struggled with the idea of partial stomach removal w/VSG, but knew that having a foreign object in my body would make me worried: slipping, rubbing, etc. - so I wasn't excited about lap band, but some have had great success with it. When I read about GPS on this forum, I KNEW it felt right. WHAT MAKES THE RIGHT DOCTOR? Initially, in my mind, I was all set to go to someone locally, so that if I needed support or had issues they would be there for me. I have never had surgery of any kind so this was all new to me. I also thought that I would ONLY choose a doctor who has had some sort of WLS and would be understanding in the weight loss/surgery/food struggle. I attended a seminar from a Dr. who I think had done only 3 VSGs (yes, I know, they have to start somewhere and make a living, but in this case, I didn’t want it to be me) and I found out later that certain things he talked about were incorrect, (like shoulder pain cause being unknown and that could be permanent) is actually referred pain from the diaphragm -per Dr. Watkins. RESEARCHING… THANK GOODNESS I RESEARCHED MORE! According to one of the WLS books I read, complications go WAY DOWN (like 80%) when you use an EXPERIENCED surgeon. Of course, this GPS surgery is NEW, but it would stand to reason that it is still better to choose a doctor who had done a lot of surgeries, especially weight loss surgeries. Naturally, I researched Dr. Corvala in Mexico because I think has had done over 100 GPSs by now plus thousands of other weight loss surgeries. However, the book I read also cautioned that while some hospitals/Dr. were terrific in Mexico (just like US-there are good and bad hospitals/Drs.) it may be more challenging to find aftercare in the US. However, there are many people happy with their choice to leave the country and I probably would have been very happy with that route, but I am a worrier. As I constantly read the forum and asked MANY, MANY questions of the patients and to a few doctors. Dr. Watkins was the most responsive doctor. I would ask him about the surgery details, what other patients experienced, emotional eating, what hunger felt like, hormones, genetic makeup, etc. my symptoms, how big the size of the sleeve, aftercare, etc. For awhile I thought I would try dieting and exercise one more time, and he directed me to the free YOU TUBE about weigh loss which again, shows that although he does run a business, he is really trying to help people. I came obvious conclusion that Dr. Watkins is EXTREMELY KNOWLEGABLE, DEDICATED and in always in COMMUNICATION when you need him, is ALWAYS helping on the forum (even if someone is not his patient) and isn’t pushy. I had a friend that wasn't sure about her GPS surgery, and he left it up to her - didn't pressure her. She had it and is doing fine. I researched him EVERYWHERE and found happy patients and a great track record. Like others have said, it is important that you have the hiatal hernia fixed when they are doing WLS surgery, and that was important to me that Dr. Watkins did that. Yes, I love Cincy Weight Loss-NO I don't get any financial gain or have anything to gain, no discount for my writing all of this. I do not work in any way with Cincy/Dr. Watkins; I am just a happy patient. WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO..TOP NOTCH CARE- DR.WATKINS/CINCY WEIGHT LOSS & HOSPTIAL This Dr. does the right thing.. he even denied me surgery because it was the right thing to do.. Here is my story: After asking A TON of questions and doing lots of research, I was scheduled for Plication surgery in the fall w/Dr. Watkins a couple months ago. Everything went great up to surgery, did well on the pre-op. Visited Cincy Weight Loss, it was a VERY NICE, NEW upscale area, the OFFICE was GREAT. EVERYONE there IS REALLY & TRULY INTERESTED their patients! They had a great book with lots of before & after pictures of real people and it was so exciting to see the success. My husband and I chatted with Diane for almost 3 hours about the great things and weight loss challenges. We met the nurses and his lovely wife Pamela and they were ALL great! We made new friends and had a GREAT TIME. We met Dr. Watkins in person, and sat in his office. He truly is a NICE, SINCERE, DEDICATED & KNOWLEDGABLE PERSON. He is very humble, but it still made me feel good to see all of his certificates/accolades on the wall to know that I was getting a quality and knowledgeable doctor. Since they rarely talk about it, I’ve taken pictures so everyone can see HOW NICE & NEW, MODERN the hospital and his office are. Never once did we feel “rushed” or pressured, or cut off in conversation, they listened answered our questions thoroughly-my husband and I were REALLY impressed. I was VERY scared, because I hadn’t ever had surgery or been put under other than my wisdom teeth. However, being put under and waking up was a breeze. HOSPTIAL was MODERN, NEW and I felt VERY confident with my surroundings. They even offered me a hospital gown with state of the art technology where warm air was blown in. I walked with the Dr. and staff into the OR, and laid down on the table. Everything was state of the art, clean new and I was out like light, felt NO pain (except for the initial IV). It felt odd when I woke up, like it had only been a couple of minutes. Unfortunately for me, the surgery didn’t happen because I had surprise stomach polyps for no good reason. I was VERY disappointed and asked Dr. Watkins about 5 times if we could do surgery later on that week, but it was important to have some other tests & due diligence done. Even though he faced disappointing me, he did the right thing. Some surgeons don’t even do an endoscope, which can reveal polyps, ulcers, hiatal hernias, etc. My family was also grateful for the level of care and professionalism from this Dr. Later on that day and few times over the weekend, he called us to see how I was doing with anesthesia recovery, and I didn’t even have the surgery! But he is that caring. After many tests, (gallbladder, H Pylori, blood test, gastric level tests, gastric emptying test and colonoscopy) it looks like I am fine. I have one more I am going to have done on Friday but I am SO happy that I SHOULD be having GPS surgery with Dr. Watkins in about a week! I am praying that there will be nothing from stopping the surgery and the new life.. Here are a final few words on what I’ve learned..1) It is NOT normal to have stomach pain/throat burning. I lived with this probably my whole adult life. The pain/burning I experienced feels the same as STARVING HUNGER-GOT-TO EAT-NOW was actually acid and was GREATLY reduced on the pre-op diet with the PPI/Prevacaid. Dr. Watkins and his staff have kindly and patiently helped me through this lengthily process of research and tests. Hopefully, no one will have any surprises like I did, but it only made me feel better about my decision. 2) Keep researching until feel comfortable w/your doctor. If you research their website you’ll see they SUPPORTIVE & HAVE GREAT FOLLOWUP: http://www.cincyweightloss.com/ Here are my pictures.. Info from Cincy Weight Loss Site Cincinnati Weight Loss Center is owned by Dr. Watkins, not a large corporation. This allows us to provide you with the kind of customer experience that family owned businesses like ours can provide. Most of our competitors focus on surgery. We focus on weight loss. There is a huge difference between the two philosophies. Other practices try to compete with us by lowering their price. We focus on maximizing your weight loss success. We don't strive to be the "cheapest in town". That is not a good weight loss model. We strive to provide the best weight loss success in every patient. We offer value - the lowest cost per pound lost. We get a lot of transfer patients who had gastric band surgery elsewhere and are disappointed with their post-op program so they transfer to our practice where we help them achieve their weight loss goals. Many practices don't monitor their weight loss success. We do, and have published five scientific articles on gastric band weight loss. We started doing band surgery shortly after it was FDA approved in the United States (June 2001). Since then we've completed nearly 5,000 gastric band procedures and have experience with band adjustments that number in the tens of thousands. That extensive experience has taught us many import things on how to perform gastric band surgery and how to take care of patients afterward to minimize their frustration and maximize their weight loss success. We repair/revise a lot of band operations done improperly by other practices. Patients who choose our practice want it done right the first time and want to maximize their weight loss success. People who only care about getting the cheapest surgery and don't care if they lose weight afterward go to our competitors. Dr. Brad Watkins Dr. Brad Watkins is one of the few surgeons in the United States who: · Has completed well over 1,000 gastric band procedures · Has experience with nearly 5,000 procedures in his gastric band clinics · FDA proctoring surgeon for both band companies (Allergan, Ethicon) · Published five academic papers on gastric banding in the surgical literature · Performs band-over-bypass procedure · Performs the new incisionless ROSE procedure · Teaches other surgeons on primary gastric banding · Teaches other surgeons on band-over-bypass · Teaches gastric band courses · Teaches ROSE courses · Consultant for Allergan Company, LAP-BAND® · Consultant for Ethicon Company, REALIZE ™ · Consultant for USGI Company, ROSE procedure · Completed many advanced bariatric courses and bariatric CME programs · Involved in multiple clinical trials for adult and adolescent obesity · Nationally recognized on the "Today Show" · Member American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery · Member Council for Advances in Bariatrics

In my case, I consulted with 3 surgeons and my final decision was based on how comfortable I felt. Of course, critical criteria which I asked directly were as follows: - How many years have you been practicing? - How many procedures for each type of surgery? - How many patients have had complications and why? - Patient reviews etc.... In my case, the surgeon that sold me the most was the one that not only talked about the different types of procedures in depth but also took the time to explain the fundamental relationship between our brain and food. That was key to me as he spent quite a considerable amount reinforcing how this was a tool and that the majority of work would be on me to change my lifestyle. I found his focus on the nutrition part golden cause that is what ultimately makes us gain the weight. Hope this helps and good luck with your final decision!

If you go to www.surgery.com, it will tell you the following (I got this from typing "deaths from sleeve gastrectomy" into my search engine) The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery lists the complication rate in vertical sleeve gastrectomy to be relatively low, even among patients considered to be at high risk. Cumulatively the overall mortality (death) from vertical sleeve gastrectomy is 0.39 percent—lower than with traditional bariatric surgeries. (last updated 11/24/2009) From an article on www.gastricbypassfacts.com, here is a extract from "How Does the Sleeve Gastrectomy Work?" The risks and complications of the sleeve gastrectomy:As with all forms of weight loss surgery, the vertical gastrectomy does carry risk and these will clearly vary from one patient to the next and must be discussed with your physician. Complications might include: Gastric leakage and fistula 1.0% Deep vein thrombosis 0.5% Non-fatal pulmonary embolus 0.5% Post-operative bleeding 0.5% Splenectomy 0.5% Acute respiratory distress 0.25% Pneumonia 0.2% Death 0.25% http://healthengine.com.au/article/sleeve-gastrectomy.html This article quotes " The mortality rate in gastric sleeve is 1:500 and it lies between the gastric band, which is the safest, and the laparoscopic gastric bypass, which carries the highest risk." So the first source says 3.9 patients out of 1000, the second source says 2.5 patients out of 1000 and the third says 2 out of 1000. So I would feel comfortable (based on these 3 sources) saying the death rate is somewhere between 2 and 4 per 1000. If you are considering a surgeon, ask how many procedures he/she has performed in a year, and how many he/she has performed in total. Then ask the same two questions about how many of his patients died, and how many had PE's. This will give you an idea where your surgeon is versus the norms. You can't go through life avoiding all risks. For me - the risk of dying of heart problems from NOT DOING this surgery and staying obese was much higher than the risks from the surgery. It was the right decision for me. I wish you good luck on making your decision.

:thumbup:My team says I am doing great. Starting weight shortly before surgery was 293 and I am now at 277.... 16 lbs so far. My incisions have all healed, I have had no gas pains, nausea or any of the other uncomfortable complications I have read about here. Stayed on full liquids day 2-10 and still incorporate a lot of full liquids such as yogurt, cream of wheat and protein water into my daily diet. In fact you could say I am on full liquids all day, eating whatever else will go down comfortably for dinner, keeping an eye on my own personal nutritional goals. I was doing this for awhile before surgery anyways, and has now bwcome habit. I worry about progressing too fast with the diet. I asked my doctor if I ate something wrong, would it cause any problems with the band, such as slipping? He assured me that might have been true in the “old days” but that he now ties the lapband in securely by bringing up some of the lower stomach and stitching it around the band. The band will not slip by eating something wrong. He did say if I had a prolonged bout of throwing there was a slight chance of slippage, but unlikely. He also said that before the first banding the stomach pouch will not stretch as there is little restriction, any excess food just slips through to the lower stomach. His said I would be limited in what I eat by what felt comfortable “slipping through” and could gage how much swelling is remaining from the surgery by what size goes down OK. I would learn from trial and error what I could eat and what would be not be nice to me. So I have tried out various other foods to see how they feel, being sure to chew very well. This is very much feedback trial and error, as if I forget and do not chew well it does not feel good going down. I have the best luck on foods that are on the soft slippery type, like fish(scallops, red snapper), noodles, eggs and various oatmeals, even soggy morning cereal. All with no problems. No gas, bloating nausea or any other complications that I can feel. All went down just fine. Rice, flour tortillas and anything fibrous that can’t be chewed into pieces get “stuck” and I have to wait for it to clear before eating more. Not painful, just annoying. My nutritionist did say to avoid coffee as that has tannic acid which could cause ulcers on the band. I wonder if that applies to tomato products, such as spaghetti sauce, as tomatoes have tannic acid, as does wine, I think. I will need to verify that with her. I am thinking it may be the daily prolonged use of coffee that could cause an ulcer, but for now I just say no. The temptation is to keep pushing the limit, such as gobbling down a Burger King Steakburger ( I did not even though I probably could if chewed well), but I had better have enough self discipline to not do that or I have wasted my life, time and money on a procedure I do not respect. I log everything on FITDAY.com (have done this for years) and keep a careful eye on my calories, cards, proteins, etc. When I was on full liquids I was taking in about 800 calories and usually met the 60 protein goal. I am looking now at keeping my calories around 1200, so that I will continue to lose weight. My doctor has taken me off the high blood pressure med as I now test in the normal range. I have reduced my glyburide by 50%, and am slowly reducing my 24 hour insulin. I am experiencing fasting glucose of 120, which is about 100 points lower than pre lapband. So far I am very happy with my lapband.

VGS surgery is a major trauma to the body, and it takes a while to heal completely. This could just be a set back in the healing process, so focus on the easier and more common causes than spending a lot of time worrying about the less common complications. Feeling emotionally down is common to. Most of us are food addicts and this surgery takes away our ability to use food to cope with emotions. It is a rough time while you figure out how to handle food related cravings and other issues. Some of what she is experiencing is normal post surgery. I'm hopeful that the new medication will make a difference and that the pain was just doing solid foods too soon!

Hi Lisa, I am so sorry to hear you are having some complications... I am guessing that it is something like adhessions too... Keep us posted, we care :blushing:

I'm 2 and 1\2 weeks out as well. I had complication during my surgery that forced the doc to decrease the size of my stomach more than normal. I'm just now on 1\2 liquid and 1\2 soft. But everything I eat and drink feels like that rock mentioned above. You don't have any problem s getting your fluids in? I'm getting IV liquids 2x a week so far.🤔 Any tips for that? Sent from my QTASUN1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Failure isnt black or white either. To what "failure" was he referring? Many many people do not lose ALL their excess weight. Is that failure? Or is a realistic outcome for a set of people suffering from an illness that is as much mental as it is physical? How can a band around your stomach fix all the issues with obesity? It cant. But is losing enough weight to save your life, improve the quality of your life and get you independent and back into the world again a success, or is failing to end up looking like a supermodel failure? The stats for people who dont lose any weight, lose and then regain or who have complications that end up with band removal are significant, but 50%? No way. And for a good proportion of those who "fail" its all factors within your own control anyway. Stats say you lose about 60% of your excess weight with a band. Yep, that's what happens if you have the surgery and just kinda go along with it. Its not a bad outcome. But if you eat consistenly right, do the right kind of exercise and approach it with the determination that you are going to do all the work needed, you'll lose more than that. I know that with a band and an hour long run every day, I would have to deliberately drip feed myself liquid mars bars by IV all day every day to gain weight. My weight never budges, I've kept it off for 2 years now and I never even have the slightest qualm that I cant continue to do so.

I also had surgery the same day as you guys I had some issues the first few days but woke up today actually feeling alright! Which makes me verrrrry happy! I had a slight fever yesterday but it passed and I cannot complain. So sorry that you guys had complications, I guess I'm not "out of the woods" yet but hoping for things to go as smoothly as possible and ready to eat something more than chicken broth haha

Hi, I actually was one of the lucky ones that hit their ideal weight. But after that, the weight continued to come off. I was happy as a clam at 112 but when I dropped to 107 and falling fast... I went to a fill doctor and he said I was complicated restricted. The funny thing is that I didn't feel completed restricted. Anyway, I decided to get a complete unfill thinking that I could maintain. That was a joke... As soon as my band was unfilled...I was an eating machine. Needless to say I am back at almost square one...started at 240 so I don't feel quite as bad. I got on the scale this morning and saw 149...sheesh....a long way to go to get back to the closet full of clothes I have. I slept through the discomfort last night. Today I am still really restricted. Had a pb episode over Water when I tried to gulp....was just so darn thirsty. I have managed to hold down about 8 ounces of water drinking at a turtle rate. Since it seems to be getting better...I am reluctant to go back for more unfill. Do you think this swelling could be lasting this long?? Lee

I am getting sleeved on the 27th feb also sarahgirrl....I am going for my pre op visit with the surgeon on thursday this week so I will ask him what he does....I am so nervous about surgery. I had a failed lap band and have decided to have the sleeve but am so scared of complications

Tiffykin---I've decided I want to be just like you when I grow up! lol...you and the sleeve have very few complications!

I had my 6 month follow up with my surgeon yesterday. He said I was firing on all 4 cylinder.... finally!! I had gastric bypass April 8, 2014. Unfortunately, I'm one who had complications. I wound up back in surgery no even 12 hours after the bypass. I had adhesions which caused a bowel leak. Thank God my doctor was a great, conscientious surgeon & discovered the problem & repaired the hole. But I became septic. The antibiotics weren't working & my temp kept climbing. For 3 weeks I was on a ventilator & medically comatose. I remember nothing until mid May. I later found out that it was touch & go for a while. I figure God kept me here for a reason. I pent a total of 2 1/2 months in Yvette hospital & another 2 weeks in rehab learning to walk again & building my strength up. But here I am! No longer diabetic, no high blood pressure. & feeling better than I ever have. I'm walking! Everywhere! At my heaviest. I was 350lbs & only 5'3". I'm now 210lbs 140lbs gone in 6 months. I Thank God everyday for letting me live to change my life & experience this new body. I'm not finished yet, but I WILL get there. Yes it was a tough situation to go through, but looking back,so worth it.

Hi all, Well I guess I should introduce myself. This is mylynn and I am 35, 5ft 2in and I weigh a whopping 330 lbs. My doctor, who is the loveliest person, looked at me and said "What do you want to do?, you're not getting any younger and you're staring down the barrel at a whole host of complications pretty soon. So I said, "What about lap band?" and here I am. I remember after having my oldest son, I weighed around 266 and only gained 7 lbs during pregnancy. I had a very healthy 8 lbs baby and due to his colic, I lost a bunch of weight after he was born. I felt good and if I had only known then what was coming I would have worked a lot harder to get more weight off. Before my son's 1st birthday I learned I was pregnant again with my 2nd son. That combined with some emotional problems saw me gain 50 lbs during the pregnancy. I had gallbladder surgery the next year. All these surgeries (2 c-sections and the gallbladder surgery), post partum depression, quitting smoking, and a birth control implant that messed up my system..I gained a lot. Then they found out that my thyroid wasn't working and it's been a struggle since to get it under control. My new doctor that I love, she has been in the trenches with me willing to try anything to get my system level. We finally succeded but now I'm faced with all this excess weight and I can't get it off. I have tried diets, fad diets, going to the gym, not eating. Nothing is working. It is so frustrating to me that just 5 short years ago I could have tweaked my diet a bit and dropped pounds like crazy and now nothing I do works at all. So I am on this journey now. I am getting married in October to a wonderful man who has known me since I wasn't overweight, some 20 years ago. And while I don't have a specific goal yet as far as weight loss for the wedding, I would just like to feel better and get my me back. That girl that never lacked confidence and was fearless, yeah I haven't seen her for a while. I think she's hiding under all this weight! Oh and I have my consultation on Thurday the 24th of May...I'm so excited!

Sorry to hear about your complications. I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason". I hope that you are able to lose weight without and find that you always had it in you I think it is important newbies like me to hear stories from people that had the band removed. Please keep us updated and cheers to no more complications.

I'm 11 days post op, up until today I haven't had any major complications. I'm still on the liquid diet until Tues. Today I had a small caramel frappe from McD's. Shortly after, I started feeling uncomfortable, like I was sore where my port is. Then my lower stomach started hurting. Then I started having pain just above that area (prob where my lapband is). I had to lay down, but I'm still having a little pain. Anyone else had this? Maybe I had too much?

Pain in conjunction with fever cold indicate a serious complication. Please call your doctor immediately. I'm so surprised by just how soon people progress with food. I personally think people are rushing things with trying to eat foods when they aren't properly healed yet.

I've been wrestling with a similar dilemma. There was no medical reason compelling one surgery over another since I don't have diabetes or binge eat sweets. The doctor recommended sleeve because there are fewer potential complications. Also, he feels I have a higher than average risk for ulcers due to a previous ulcer. Earlier this week I was panicking because I felt like my diet was deteriorating and maybe I needed dumping syndrome as a tool. I called and spoke to the dietician. She had me read my food diaries to her and told me she thought I was actually making reasonable decisions, and that I would do well with the sleeve. I feel relieved. I think anxiety just increases as surgery approaches. Also, it's hard to make a decision because I don't have any experience of not feeling too much hunger for my body. So I don't know what life will be like if I don't feel that degree of hunger. I can really empathize with your agonizing over which one, especially if two different docs are telling you two different things. My doc's reasoning was: bypass is better for diabetics, people with severe sweet cravings leading to binging, and people with serious GERD. Sleeve is the better option without those indicators, and for people with a history of ulcers. I really trust him a lot.

I chose the sleeve over the band for all of the reasons listed above, and then some. My late mother-in-law had stomach cancer and had a stomach gastrectomy for that. She was left with even less capacity than I have, yet she still managed to eat and to take medications with it. I also have a sister in law who has had THREE Gastric Bypass surgeries, and we had a very frank, involved discussion of her complications and revisions. Not for me. Lastly, a former co-worker had the early stomach stapling surgery. Watching her eating habits and problems convinced me I'd rather be fat than have those issues. When I finally went for the seminar, I was initially going for the LB, but the doctor said one thing that convinced me completely. He said that those with the sleeve can only eat so much, period. Even for someone whose main problem was sweet addiction (like me), the sleeve is a better choice because it restricts how much of any food one can eat. I was sold, right then and there. 5 months and 81 pounds later, I'm very happy with my sleeve! Good luck with your decision.

You know when you have a vacation booked and u can't wait for the time to arrive but it's also bitter sweet because as soon as it comes is as soon as it ends? Well I like to compare this to the vacation that won't come to an end... And the count down to march 7th seems like foreverrrrr away Since I have entered my 26th year (and heaviest) of my life I have experienced constant anxiety especially hypochondria, sleep apnea, and the most unhealthy relationship with food thus far. I have complete faith that this is all going to subside as soon as I am healthy mind, body, and soul. I have since gotten over the anesthesia fear and the complication fear.. I've moved into the POSTIVE thoughts phase of this crazy rollercoaster ride that we all have in common. But really .. March 7th....... Hurry the F up

Sami, it's normal to be worried. The percentage of complications is so small. The percentage of complications due to obesity are great. I for one actually freak out in the pre-op suite, right before they wheel me in. My heart races i become nauseous ans sweaty. I have learned to ask for a valium from the anesthesiologist to keep from running away.