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Ok, among a few other things i'm scared about one of the main ones is after surgery. I've read articles where patients who undergo gastric bypass don't report feeling as full as they think they should. With a smaller stomach you should feel full with 4 ounces of drink/food, correct? I'm scared i won't feel that feeling of being full and overeat again, not lose the weight and be back in the same boat. Anyone that can help me shed some light on this?

Chinamom, I live in the fredericksburg area of Virginia, and was banded on 9/26/2006. I have lost a little over 50 pounds. To be honest if I didn't have help after surgery I truly think I would have been fine on my own. You will need for someone to pick you up from the hospital. I only took one pain pill the day after surgery. Bending over is the hardest part.(to feed the cats). Struck my husband with that chore for as long as I could get away with it. My only advice is to be helpful with the Richmond area hospitals, I know of 3 or 4 people how had gastric bypass surgery in richmond and ended up with really bad infections. I truly think the band was the best decision I made. Any of us can do anything we set our minds to. Catfish (Lisa) :biggrin1:

Well its been three weeks and I have lost 20 lbs. but nothing in the last three days. So needless to say I am discouraged! I am wondering if some of my medications are hindering my weight loss. My medications is the reason I had the sleeve and not the bypass. I know I need support and I have some support to offer. If you take a lot of medication I have found that putting it in applesauce either crushed or whole helps get them down. But you have to plan your meals around it because sometimes fluids and that much applesauce will fill you up/

Curious how long some of you had to be off work post surgery? My surgeon says he likes me to be off 30 days but if I'm doing good I can come back sooner. But then my PvP says she was only off for 2 weeks. Sent from my VS880PP using the BariatricPal App

I've had a Band for six years. Weight wise, I'm pregnant with my third Bandster baby and unfilled. The biggest issues I've had is in trying to refill the Band following pregnancies. It just hasn't worked the same. However, up until this pregnancy, I'd maintained 65 out of a 95 pound weight loss with no fills. So... not too shabby. I haven't experienced any reflux, errosion, etc. The biggest issues I've had are cost-related. It sucks to still have to pay for fills and unfills six years down the line. As a stay-at-home Mom now, it's a much bigger impact on me financially then when I was working in corporate America. The Band was the right surgery for me at the time. I don't regret it at all... even though , at the time, it wasn't even FDA approved and I traveled to Mexico for surgery. I would not have been comfortable going through three pregnancies with any other WLS. Having said that, if I were to look at surgery today (not wanting any more kids), I'd probably go for a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. The fill-factor gets old... fast. It took me five or six fills to get good restriction the first time. I've had numerous fills and unfills... and each has cost me on average $350. I'm going to try refilling again after this pregnancy (due any day now)... and see how it goes. If I still can't manage any restriction, I will probably have a revision.

No we lost no weight with it, ended up with IBS and other gastric problems, hence the reason for the RNY revision. Not to mention my upper GI showed most of the sutures had come undone.

Hello! I am just getting started!! Tomorrow I actually will be going to a seminar discussing the Lap-Band. I am excited, as well as very nervous. My wt as of today is 270# and I have had it i feel tired and just plain painful, I have now developed diabetes:( I hpe to loose 100lbs. I have never had surgery before and the thought does scare me a little, a co-worker from another dept that I work with had the band placed a year ago and has lost over 150lbs., and says its the best thing she has done. that does encourage me a lot. I do feel this is the safest route, my mom and aunt have had the gastric bypass, (my mom in 78' my aunt in 04') both successful with wt loss but suffer with weakness, ill, anemia.

Kickiegirl--I am a medical provider and my advice is research, research, research!! The bypass is VERY serious and lots of longterm complications/effects on your body. 1 in 200 die from bypass, you need Vit B12 injections the rest of your life, etc....they do lose the weight quicker much of the time. The Lapband has < 1% complication rate....you need to read and read some more. The Lapband does have some negatives but FAR LESS than the risk of morbid obesity!!!! I was banded 3/20/06 and very pleased so far. Walking almost 2mi a day and feeling SO MUCH more energetic in less than a month since surgery! THe recovery time is much quicker in banding. I could go on and on but don't want to bore you!! You check things out and ask as many questions as you can and you will know which one is for you. God Bless, Melody Banded 3/20/06 -29lbs

I'm not sure how long I'll stay a member of this site. But, thank you for at least reading this! I'm 28 and living in Arlington, TX. I've tried dieting and sometimes lose weight, but then I lose motivation (interest)...then I'm right back where I started. I'd love to have the surgery to help me achieve my dreams. Unfortunately, I can not financially afford a another monthly bill right now and my company opted out of gastric bypass surgery. So, here I sit very frustrated...very tired....and very depressed. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to hear from anyone. Thanks! :help:

Hi blossom, welcome to the forum - and most of all, welcome to the rest of your life! You know, it actually took me over a year to finally come to the realization that my band failed me miserably and I needed something more permanent and not so friendly. I knew about the surgery for years now, but not before being banded. Oh how I wish I had!! Oh well it was not in the cards. Well, finally I made that decision all the while gaining all my weight back and watching so many being successful with the sleeve. Dr. Aceves did my revision, and you will absolutely LOVE HIM and HIS STAFF!!! Only call if you are 110% sure though, and only then. It's no walk in the park, but worth every scrape you get from it. NIna, who is such a blessing, will help you every step of the way. She's totally great! Hugs to you!!!

Good afternoon All, I am looking into banding and want to know if anyone has a recommendation for a doctor in the South Florida area. I, unfortunately, had to switch back to Humana HMO after being on the PPO for years due to school board issues in the county I work for. Therefore, I'm not sure if anyone can help with locating a good doctor, since I would have to go with whoever Humana says. How do I find out about the doctor, once I know who it is? Is there a place I can research that doctor's record and surgeries? Also, I'm really curious about the lap band and have many questions. The first is, how is it that the rest of my stomach doesn't growl when it's empty? What is it like getting the band adjusted? How much do the adjustments cost, in case my insurance doesn't cover them, for some reason? I saw someone ask about having an epidural. Does anyone know anyone who has had it done that way? Did anyone have it decided ahead of time about having hanging skin fixed or breast reduction? Did the insurance cover it? Did it need to be stated before that it would be done? Does anyone have a problem with hanging skin or do you lose it slower than with gastric bypass? I'm sure I have many more questions that I will ask later. I like that the responses I've seen are very understanding and patient. That is one of the reasons I decided to get involved with this forum. Thanks, Laura

Has anyone used Dr. Ian Soriano for weight loss surgery other than the band? I had my band done by Dr. Patel in 2009 and lost about 100 pounds. I felt amazing and was living the healthy life I wanted. Then we were blessed with another child! Around the same time Dr. Patel left the practice so I switched to Dr. Soriano. (I like him much better). Anyway, post baby #2 my band is just not working right. We've made adjustments several times and even when it is at my old "sweet spot" number I am not losing. It is now 9 months post baby and my ass is still the size of Texas. I am considering bypass or the sleeve but don't know if I qualify. I currently weigh 205 and am 5'6" tall. It sounds crazy but now that I know how much more full my life is at a healthier weight I can't imagine continuing in the unhealthy body I currently have. SO sad and looking for guidance.

Thx Mildge, Sorry to hear about your difficulties:sad: Hope your surgery goes well, maybe they can do a revision or something?? Thankfully, the pain resolved itself in about two days, we were doing alot of yardwork, building a patio, a lot of heavy lifting, so I think I just strained the muscles that my port is attached to. No pain since. Sending good thoughts your way, hope it all works out for you:blush:

I am in the same boat. I was denied mid-liver shrink diet a week before my revision surgery date this past Tuesday. I hired Lindstrom Obesity Advocacy group after doing lots of research on them. They have a great track record of getting denials overturned. They started working today on my case and have been updating me throughout the day. So I am hopeful. Maybe they could help you too.

Also, Barker does bypass the regular way and the laproscopic way. And the surgery was in all honesty not that bad. I mean, it's surgery and it has side effects but it was totally managable.

Hi guys - I’m having a lapband on 24th July! My surgeon wanted me to have the bypass but I felt the same as you - really permanent!!! It scared me a little! Also I can go Home the day after the lapband! How is everyone feeling?

Hardly anyone knows that i had weight-loss surgery...AGAIN! and even few people know that I went to Mexico to have my band to sleeve revision. I'm 5 days post-op. (June 8 2017). I'm not sure if I'm ready to recommend it to all of my friends yet...however...I followed their pre-op without a single cheat. I lost 23 pounds in the pre-op diet but even more importantly I have been pain free. No gas pains. No about pains. Flying home only 3 days post-op was excruciating but only because it was so exhausting. So I may be getting closer to recommending it. My insurance is great as long as you don't mention weight-loss surgery. So my lapband surgeon actually recommended Mexico and the hospital. My revision was going to be about $28k in the US. Mexico was $4900. That's a big incentive. If you're going to Mexico here are some things I learned. I'm writing them down here so I don't forget too... Bring... Your own towel or two Your own pillow (I brought mine and it helped having it in the hospital and on the plane) Baby wipes for the bathroom. It gets messy. Water shoes (a lot of women wore slippers but I've never been real good at them. Plus I could keep these on while sleeping. And you need them for the shower anyway) Giant sanitary pads (Mother Nature is a b***h and I got my period the day after surgery. Tampons were not happening. Plus it helps with the surprise "juice fart") Extension cord for plugging in phone chargers and cpap machines Your own bandages and tape. For after you leave the hospital. I also brought juice and protein shakes in my checked baggage. I wasn't sure what they had for a liquid diet and if I was going to like it. They had jello and broth and they were delicious. My US surgeon also gave me a prescription for nausea and pain for the flight home. I ended up not needing either but I was so glad it was there just in case. Lysol/Clorox Wipes...I'm a bit of a germ freak Clothes. They have gowns of course but you will be up walking around so much you need something else. I wore loose Capri pull-on pants and giant tshirts. Several sets. Not fancy. Loose comfy old panties Compression socks. Several pairs. They have their own and they are stickers about keeping them on until you get home! I understand the importance. But so glad I had brought a couple of pairs. A very supportive person to go with you. My husband is a super hero without a cape. Unlike my roommates friend she brought. Gave her a sip of her beer she snuck into the hospital! No joke!!! A drink of beer about 24 hours out of surgery! Which brings me to this...whatever you can get private room!! They have them. I saw them. My roommate was so annoying! A phone and a tablet going all day and night with loud games and videos...even at 3am!!! I probably should have brought her some headphones! Bring yourself some too. At least some ear plugs. One of the best things I did was set up a private Facebook Group with only 9 of my closest friends and family that knew what was going on. I could keep everyone updated (in the terribly spotty WiFi service. Don't believe the free WiFi pitch. It's there. sometimes. If you're lucky.) Anyway, my husband kept everyone updated there too after surgery until I was coherent enough. It was great. I loved seeing that everyone was praying for me. It was fun. Like home. Again, I'm not ready to fully recommend it. Maybe soon. I hear a lot of people wake up from surgery with "what did I just do?" Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry things have been so awful for you! But I agree with @@mentalistfan that you should definitely get a second opinion before you go under the knife again. Travel if you have to. Converting to bypass is a major undertaking, and you should see if you have other options first. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Dear Forum Friends, Today I met with my surgeon and decided to switch from the vertical sleeve gastrectomy to the gastric bypass. It is a complex decision. I still think that the sleeve is a fantastic procedure. But I've decided to switch to the gastric bypass (even though I am self-pay and it is costing me several thousands of dollars more) because, in his opinion, it will help me deal with my love of sweets/surgary foods. I have found this forum to be a source of inspiration. I will be switching to the forum for the bypass. I'm staying on the same pre-op liquid diet. I wish every person great success in his or her weight loss journey. I appreciate all of the insights and inspiration from the posts in this forum.

Hello Everyone, I'm on day 5 of the horrid pre-op diet. My removal of my lap band-turned to gastric bypass is on 9/28 at NYU with Dr. Bradley Schwack. I'd love any support I can get. I guess my biggest fear is that I won't lose the weight, though my close friend lost 190 pounds in 18 months! He is my inspiration. I'm looking for a good resource to tell me how to eat and what to eat to keep losing weight, once I'm done with the 20 days post op diets. Kind regards.

Hi, I am thinking about having the lap band done but am really unsure as to finding a doctor. I know people who have had the bypass but not the band. What is the best way to go about trying to find a doctor? This is something that I have struggled with for a long time because this stomach surgery stuff really scares me but being 5'8 and 370 pounds has become even worse and I want my life back !! Amy

Hi my name is Crista I live in California and I am seriously considering the lapband..Looking for anyone in California that can give me a referal, ever try the laprascopic docs from san Francisco? I am really interested in side effects, danger, and outcome. What do I have to do to get started with the process? Both of my sisters and my mother had gastric bypass. I am not that obese, I have 60-70 pounds to lose~Do you feel the band inside of you? Any replies would be great! Thank You, Crista from California

Wow! The sister thing is awesome! Welcome! I have been banded since January & I still meet opposition when people talk to me about being banded. You're right, there is a great misconception about the band being the same as the bypass. Hang in there! Only you know what is right for you! This was the best & the easiest thing I have ever done! Keep us posted! Best wishes! .....Jess

Hello everyone is anyone here from the uk

So excited and nervous for my upcoming surgery. I wanted this so badly and now my bypass surgery is around the corner and I'm second guessing myself. I'm such a nervous wreck. Lol