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Shannon hey you rock star, looking good!!!! 113 lbs gone, gone, gone , forever - down the toilet, FLUSH!!!! its great that you have had so much success since WLS - no problems, recovery et al, vomitting - all is good!!! so great, hope you are rightly proud of yourself!!!! but.......... so sorry about your mom that much be difficult seeing her go through these problems maybe you feel "guilty" since you didn't have any problems?? if thats the case - DON'T feel that way - i'm sure mom is happy you have had a smooth time just be their for mom, like i see you are i see MANY people here have hernia surgery at the same time as WLS I "think" most of those people don't have problems (i never had that surgery, so obviously i'm not an expert) as with anything, OP do have problems with surgeries, always possiblity of complications, doesn't help you any that i am saying this to you I hope she can hold down liquids sooner than later, and she starts to feel better enough where they can release her to continue her re-cuperation at home being at home is always better hopefully - when this "situation" clears up - she'll be on the right road to recovery and success with her sleeve take care to both of you good luck!!!! again shannon, congrats on ALL your success - you deserve it!!!!

Because your Mother is a RN she should also know the consequences that comes along with being over 300 pounds. If you have tried and tried and you yo-yo most of your life, then something has to give. As a Mother she should be very concerned about her daughter and should be supportive in your decision. Surgeries, no matter how big or small can come with complications. Please, you can have your tonsils taken out and get a staph infection, its not just weight loss surgery. I got a total hip replaced years ago, I had my entire femur bone cut out, had my blood transfused back into me. I didn't choose to have this, it had to be done if I wanted to ever walk again. To answer your question, my family was very very supportive with my decison (especially my mother). why, because they thought my weight was killing me and was scared for my life... Best of luck to you in whatever decision you make,

Need some major support as nobody in my life will understand. I was banded in 2006 and everything went smooth -- lost 120 lbs and went down to 140. Life was AMAZING, I had an amazing social life and I even worked as a promotional model for Heineken for several years (OH, the irony...) Around 2009ish, I started getting TERRIBLE acid reflux which progressed into frequent vomiting and eventually severe chest/abdominal pain. This progressed into bad complications - at some points, I couldn't even keep my own saliva down and I was vomiting several times per day. I visited my doctor and discovered that my lap band was essentially strangling my stomach and had my band unfilled. Even after the unfill, I still had terrible attacks of pain -- I would get a warning pain in my right jaw, then almost immediately afterwards would have a pain so bad in my chest that it would cause me to double over. After this experience I was TERRIFIED of the band -- I regretted ever getting it, I wanted it OUT of my body, and I became seriously depressed and had bad anxiety, mainly because I was (still am) uninsured and no doctor would do the full level of tests I needed to pinpoint the problem. Because I had gone from full-on starvation mode (barely being able to keep down liquids), I gained weight IMMEDIATELY. One thing led to another, my depression got worse from the weight gain, and I'm now back up to 230lbs. I'm frustrated with myself and I want my old life back -- I'm 28 years old and while I have a great job, I rarely go out anymore and I'm hesitant to date because of my weight gain. I really just want to feel "normal" again.... I'm terrified that I'm wasting what should be the best years of my life. That being said, I'm ready to tackle the lap band again -- I plan on calling my doctor tomorrow to get filled again --- and I'm TERRIFIED of going through the pain and complications again. Has anybody ever been through this?? I think I really just needed to vent this out to people who would understand... thank you for any support or encouragement you can share :-)

Why would I not be of sound mind? As with many people on here I wanted to share my joyous moment. I am still happy with my decision to have this surgery even though I have had some complications. I don't live a life of regrets. So I would be just as thankful for losing 20lbs as I would be for 50. I don't have a negative mentality. Sent from my SM-J700T1 using the BariatricPal App

I have never heard of someone paying $45,000. I am going to a center of excellence and EVERYTHING which includes surgeon fees, hospital stay, anesthesia, and BLIS coverage (basically insurance for complications) is running me $16,000. I am being sleeved on March 14. My husband said he was behind me 100% as long as I had it done in the US at a center of excellence with the complication insurance. Good luck to you. Jennifer

Hi,,, Wow... I would say totally not normal... I will get a stomach pain once in a while and each time I know its from eating tooo fast and not chewing enough, but I have never actually vomitted or became so ill from eating that I thought I would be sick, never had that at all. To me it does sound like a complication that you should pursue with your doctor and hopefully it can be fixed.. Wishing you the best, and hoping the doc can figure it out, possibly something very minor!! Take are & good luck

Hi Jenn, It sounds like you are feeling pretty overwhelmed with the responsibilities of taking care of children and having a busy lifestyle. It's almost always hard to find the time to take good care of yourself when you are busy taking care of everyone else in the family--and it becomes even more complicated when your partner is sabotaging your success by bringing unhealthy foods into the home. My children are older, but I babysit for my grandchildren (2 & 4), and it seems like the things that I need to do for myself always get put aside on the days that I have them...Maybe I don't have time to take a shower until bedtime...or there's no time to exercise...or I forget to drink my fluids because I'm so busy chasing them and cleaning up messes...I definitely can't take the time to record my food... My experience is that everything that you can do to simplify your life will help. You can't change your husband...but sometimes talking to a counselor can help when our spouse are unsupportive. It might not change your circumstances, but it might help you get to the root causes of feeling unhappy, and begin to make changes that you would feel good about! Hope you start feeling better soon!

Well all I am 1 year and almost 1 month post op. I am 3 lbs from loosing one hundred pounds, and I am feeling wonderful. However not so wonderful when I eat just about anything really. I can eat and within minutes to an hour I feel so sick that I gag and vomit on most occasions. I had complications in the begining and I am concerned that they are going to be long term if permanent complications. I am still only able to eat very little which is great, but that very little makes me feel like I have been hit by a Mack Truck and it sits and hurts until it comes back up. I hate that I am still going through so much, but you know what I look at the plus side of it. I am reaching my goal and I am loving the new me!!! Did you or are you having these problems??

You're going to do great! I had the same fears. It's complicated because you are doing this to be a healthy and active mother, but you are also taking a risk with the surgery. I won't say that being sleeved has made me a "better" mother, but it has made a MASSIVE difference in my life as a mother. I can really keep up with my kids now. I don't have to worry about embrassing them because I'm so overweight (there will be other reasons that I embarass them once the teen years hit!). I'm healthier and happier, and my kids can sense that too. It is really the best thing I ever did for myself, AND for them. Good luck! They'll have a healthier and slimmer mommy to wraps their arms around very soon!

I came to the site to research also and at first I was upset by all the possible side effects, complications, etc etc. Then I noticed that not once (until I saw a reply on this thread) did I ever hear anyone say they were sorry they did it. Also, other than the period of time you're going through the process and banding, I find that I come here to see if anyone else has my post-surgical or post fill symptoms. By voicing that we feel this or that and hearing back, we find out all is well, and that everyone has some kind of "blip" along the way. You probably could find the same in sites about other issues, diseases, etc. I still have some kinks to work out but I have a new system to learn and so far, even not back 100% yet (I was banded end of April), I've lost 37 pounds that I won't see again. When I left 300ville, I cried because I've dieted down a few times but went back up. Now it is unlikely I will. The band does a lot, but you have to be ready to work as well. There's time adjusting, time healing, time healing mentally as well. You are the only who will know if you can make the committment. I don't know your weight but I know that my life was slowly being held hostage by weight. And my health would soon have followed. It isn't as easy as eating and an alarm goes off to say stop, at least not yet for me. But maybe it will be, or maybe there will always be foods I can't have. But not, I have a chance. Take yours!

I used to cringe when I saw photos of Fat Jean, but now I want to hug that unhappy girl and tell her that life is good. When I look in the mirror now, I see a "normal" sized woman who strangers would never guess had once been morbidly obese. I think we all need to remember where we came from, and to forgive ourselves for our pre-op weight loss failures. But halfway through the first sentence of this article, I thought of an equally important aspect of Memorial Day that turned this article's theme upside down. The meaning of "lest we forget" is more complicated than you might think. It represents more than three sappy words and planting a flag and a geranium on your grandfather's grave. It expresses an important message for a bariatric patient like me and you. The phrase "lest we forget" forms the refrain of "Recessional," a poem by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). It warns about the perils of hubris and the inevitable decline of British imperial power. After World War l, "lest we forget" passed into common usage as a plea not to forget past sacrifices and was often used on war memorials and as an epitaph on tombstones. So it’s an appropriate title for a Memorial Day article. Hubris is the extreme haughtiness, pride and arrogance that makes us think we're as invincible and all-powerful as Great Britain thought it was back in the days when it was taking charge of big countries (India) and small (Singapore) all over the world. One of my jobs in life is to resist the urge to be conceited about my weight loss success and to remember that I’m not invincible. I don’t ever want to lose sight of the fat girl deep inside me who's just waiting to get out again. Losing 100 pounds is such an enormous accomplishment that at times it seems like the most magnificent and significant achievement of my entire life. I'm justifiably proud of that achievement, but having weight loss surgery is not a guarantee of continued weight loss and weight maintenance success. As a boss once told me on the occasion of my promotion to management, "Remember, you're only as good as your last act." In other words, my great performance won me a place on the stage, but I'm going to have to repeat that performance over and over again in order to stay on the stage. WLS is a wonderful tool that will improve my ability to manage my weight for another 30 or 40 years, but it doesn't make me bullet-proof. Weight loss is no longer the centerpiece of my life, and I think that's a healthy thing. Some days I even ask myself why I'm still writing about eating, obesity and weight management. Why can't I let go of it? What will happen to me if I run out of things to say about it? But while I'd like to know the future, or at least know it will be a happy one, a long, straight road with the same scenery for mile after mile sounds boring to me. I'll stay on this road, with its twists and turns and steep hills, and trust God to keep me from getting too far off course. Writing about obesity is one of the things that keeps me going in the right direction. When other bariatric patients ask me questions about how to live and succeed with the adjustable gastric band, it forces me to think, and being forced to think is much healthier, and more interesting, than switching on the cruise control for the rest of my life. Along the road to your weight goal, I hope that you, too, will be able to acquire new interests and activities that you can take with you into your new life as a "normal" weight person, but don't forget to look backward every now and then. Don't throw out all the fat photos and fat clothes. They're memorials to your past obesity.

Cigna contracted by Miami Dade school board will not pay at all not even the hospital stay. We have no other insurance choice. I will be paying $15 k for this surgery. Plus I needed an endoscopy which cost $750. Plus they are going (Cigna) to charge me another 30% adding $850. So $1600 added to the 15 k. I pray I have no complications because the insurance is being so tough. My internist/cardiologist wanted to make it medically necessary but Cigna told me they won't pay out. Only good side is I don't have to wait 6 months for approvals. Saw the psychiatrist, nutritionist, XRAY, blood work and I am in my drs office as I text waiting for approval and some heart tests. Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App

Sleeved today! Went well no complications but sore like hell.

Morning Erikka! We have the same name, only spelled different! Congrats on getting your surgery date. . . yes, I agree with the previous posts, some of us are actually blessed to not have complications, we carry on about the silliest of things, but you stay upbeat. . . your a blessing to all of us. . .I'll keep you in my prayers and good luck on your post op diet! I go for my seminar tomorrow, then inital doctor appt on Oct 2 and after that we'll see what happens! Are you self pay or insurance?

Ok, so I am hopefully going to be sleeved in September and yesterday I went for my endoscopy. Everything went well, but the Anesthesiaologist asked me a bunch of questions about my and my family's surgical history. I never had any type of surgery before, but I remember 15 years ago, my mom who was very sick with stage 4 cancer went in for a hip replacement. It was a very long surgery and towards the end of it, her temp spiked which is a complication of anesthesia. They call it malignant hyperthermia. My anesthesiaologist did not look pleased and informed I needed to call the hospital where I will be having surgery and tell them. My surgery isn't even scheduled yet, but I see my surgeon next Friday at which point I will let him know what the anesthesiologist told me. Now I am starting to worry that I won't be allowed to have this surgery. I guess even though I am having co-morbidities it's still considered an elective. What if I get denied? What if my surgeon doesn't want to operate on me because of the risks? I did some research today on it, and I have a 50% chance of also having MH because it is hereditary. Also, the only way to check is to have a muscle biopsy done, but I don't know if it's covered under insurance and I can't afford it out of pocket. I mean, I did read that there are other type of anesthesia that you can have, but there is this one muscle relaxer/blocker that it looks like the only one around, which is imperative to abdominal surgery, but is a major set off for MH. I really want to have this surgery done, but of course am concerened that they will say for abdominal surgery, they have to use this one drug and without we can't do it. Does anyone have any insight on MH? ARe there any nurses on here that know anything about MH and if you can still have surgery?? Thanks so much for any help!

Yikes--I would tell Mom and Grandma to stay home and spare myself all the angst. (Seriously, you won't need help for more than a day or so--can your husband just stay home for that period?) Believe me, I empathize. I agonized about this when I had my last baby---I lived faraway from "home," and my mother traveled to stay and "help." It would have been a million times easier for me (and I had a c-section with complications AND another small child!) if she'd stayed home. And banding is NOWHERE near as uncomfortable or debilitating as a c-section. I'm a ruthless thrower-awayer, and getting more ruthless in my old age. Mail? Half of it finds its way to the recycling bin before I even walk into the house. The rest is dealt with right away. Piles drive me insane. (Don't look in my closets, though--I am in the midst of purging, and they're all a mess. 5 bags were gathered for donation just today---it's been a while since I was brave enough to go into my kids' closets...)

I never tire of the stories, they keep me motivated. The negative stories are just as important as the positive ones. I think it's important to hear from people who have had complications and how they were dealt with, as it could happen to any one of us. Bad experiences brought on by poor choices are just as educational, too. All these things can help a person decide if weight loss surgery is right for them, and if it is, they know what to expect when things don't go as expected. In all my research I had the hardest time finding veteran stories from people five or more years out. I wanted to know if they had continued success, health issues, unforseen problems, how they handled the life-style changes long-term, etc. Whether on not they'd do it again. Please include some of these stories in your book. For my part, I would like to see a book made up ENTIRELY of personal stories, good and bad, inspiring and informative. Reading about other peoples experiences helped me to make an informative decision.

Yes, you may not feel any bad effects from eating but causing your stomach to churn and digest and break up food will mean that it doesnt get the chance for form scar tissue around the band and the stitches, which is ultimately what holds your band in place. If you're eating solid food, the churning will break up that scar tissue as it forms. You may feel fine, but suffer a slipped band further on down the track. The more thoroughy its healed into place, the more likely you wont have any complications.

Thank you!! I thought it was odd myself since the bypass is a more complicated & more expensive surgery.

I went to regular food faster than I should have. It happens and complications are the risk. Listen to whatever the doc says. In my novice opinion, going to normal food 2 weeks out is not nearly the risk that doing it within the first week would be.

i DID NOT HAVE DIABETES TILL NOW BUT NOW i AM SUSPECTING IT.TOO THRISTY ALL THE TIME..AND GOING TO THE LOO SO OFTEN.... MY DOCTOR HAS ALSO TOLD ME TO GO FOR A BLOOD TEST. i NOTICED i WAS PUTTING ON WEIGHT FOR NO REASON....MAYBE THIS IS THE REASON.. LIFE IS SO COMPLICATED....i WISH WE HAD ALL EXERCISED AND BEEN FIT WHEN WE WERE YOUNG!!!!

I went to the library and did some research. Here is the abstract from a study done in the U.S from 2000-2008: The effectiveness of adjustable gastric banding: a retrospective 6-year U.S. follow-up study source: Surgical Endoscopy Feb. 2011, vol 25 issue 2, p397-403 abstract: Background: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) during a 6-year follow-up period. Methods: A retrospective database analysis of patients who underwent LAGB at New York University Medical Center between 1 January 2000 and 29 February 2008 was conducted. Patients were included for the efficacy analysis if they were 18 years old or older at the surgery date and had one or more visits with a recorded weight after surgery. Efficacy was assessed using percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) at 1-year intervals after surgery. Missing weight values were interpolated using a cubic spline function. Linear regression models were used to assess the characteristics that affected the last available %EWL. All patients had implantation of the LAP-BAND system. Results: The inclusion criteria for the efficacy analysis were met by 2,909 patients. The majority of the patients were white (83.3%) and female (68.4%). The mean patient age was 44.6 years, and the mean baseline body mass index (BMI) was 45.3 kg/m. The %EWL 3 years after surgery was 52.9%, which was sustained thereafter. In multivariate models, increased number of office visits, younger age, female gender, and Caucasian race were significantly associated with a higher maximum %EWL. Conclusions: The LAP-BAND patients achieved a substantial and sustainable weight loss of approximately 50% at 6 years after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] I don't really understand how they can say that there was a weight loss of 50% at 6 years after surgery when some of the patients included in the surgery have only had their band for 3 years. But they lump them all together nevertheless. I also read an article that quoted a study saying the Swedish adjustable gastric band had more incidence of erosion than the LAP BAND. I don't know if they even use the Swedish one here anymore. Here's another one from Switzerland: A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity: high long-term complication and failure rates. Suter M, Calmes JM, Paroz A, Giusti V. Department of Surgery, Hôpital du Chablais, Aigle-Monthey, Switzerland. Abstract BACKGROUND: Since its introduction about 10 years ago, and because of its encouraging early results regarding weight loss and morbidity, laparoscopic gastric banding (LGB) has been considered by many as the treatment of choice for morbid obesity. Few long-term studies have been published. We present our results after up to 8 years (mean 74 months) of follow-up. METHODS: Prospective data of patients who had LGB have been collected since 1995, with exclusion of the first 30 patients (learning curve). Major late complications are defined as those requiring band removal (major reoperation), with or without conversion to another procedure. Failure is defined as an excess weight loss (EWL) of <25%, or major reoperation. RESULTS: Between June 1997 and June 2003, LGB was performed in 317 patients, 43 men and 274 women. Mean age was 38 years (19-69), mean weight was 119 kg (79-179), and mean BMI was 43.5 kg/m(2) (34-78). 97.8% of the patients were available for follow-up after 3 years, 88.2% after 5 years, and 81.5% after 7 years. Overall, 105 (33.1%) of the patients developed late complications, including band erosion in 9.5%, pouch dilatation/slippage in 6.3%, and catheter- or port-related problems in 7.6%. Major reoperation was required in 21.7% of the patients. The mean EWL at 5 years was 58.5% in patients with the band still in place. The failure rate increased from 13.2% after 18 months to 23.8% at 3, 31.5% at 5, and 36.9% at 7 years. CONCLUSIONS: LGB appeared promising during the first few years after its introduction, but results worsen over time, despite improvements in the operative technique and material. Only about 60% of the patients without major complication maintain an acceptable EWL in the long term. Each year adds 3-4% to the major complication rate, which contributes to the total failure rate. With a nearly 40% 5-year failure rate, and a 43% 7-year success rate (EWL >50%), LGB should no longer be considered as the procedure of choice for obesity. Until reliable selection criteria for patients at low risk for long-term complications are developed, other longer lasting procedures should be used. This one has a pessimistic view of Lap Band overall but to me 60% with acceptable EWL is pretty darn good. I'm wondering if the authors of this study are investing in the sleeve or some other technique. There are more. For anyone who is also interested go to the library and ask for help accessing EBSCO Host or another periodical database and search for "long-term" and "LAGB". I really don't have the time or energy to sift through all the articles but just from what I skimmed the worst conclusion had something like a 33% success rate after 5 years. By success they can mean anything from 40% and up of excess weight loss. Here's what I'm thinking so far: Without the band I have probably more than a 33% chance of NOT losing the weight. I also have more than a 33% change of developing more weight-related health problems. If I lose 40% of my excess weight in the next 5 years I will be better off than if I did nothing. The mortality rate from having the band is no more than for any abdominal surgery. The complication rate may be somewhat high (but a lot lower than for bypass) but the band is reversible and removable. So I am going ahead with my plans for the band. If anyone can talk me out of it please try. I want to be sure I'm making a good decision.

Who cares about skin??? You'll be HEALTHY and feel AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! That's the IMPORTANT factor, not the skin!! Deal with the skin, after you lose the weight, in whichever way you want to deal with it, for now, go for it, get healthy, change your life around and feel awsome! My ONLY regret is not having this done sooner. I've had no complications, no set backs and feel like I haven't felts in over 30 years!!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck!

Good luck! Mine was very quick and easy, I had no complications. I slept pretty much the whole day. SIP the water.

I'm planning on getting banded in Sept 2008. Between now and sept I'd like to focus my diet and exercise towards reducing my risk of complications rather than worry about my weight. I feel my time would be well spent if I focused on reducing the amount of poor circulation and Water retention in my legs( to reduce the risk of blood clots) Are there specific things that I could do? or should I just do a lot of generic diet and exercise stuff? thanks Tyler