Search the Community

Lost 100 pounds through my band seven years ago and maintained but regained 50 due to two pregnancies and a major slip. Just revised to mini bypass last Friday. Very happy to have had my band but very happy to revise also!

So today was my post-op visit (2 weekish) with my surgeon and I woke up excited just to check in with him. I made a list of my questions and synced my fat secret food log to my iPad so he could see I have been logging my food, and weighed just before going as I am always wondrring how my scale compares to his huge walk on platform scale with handles. INterestingly I am always a pound LIGHTER in his office- isn't that odd? I remember at other times in my life always being heavier at the doctors. He was so wonderful today- came in saying "Hello beautiful" and was so excited that I am so happy having had the sleeve. He was really open to hearing some things about my experience that I thought he could perhaps learn from - especially my feeling he could let newly sleeved people know it is perfectly normal to not be able to swallow liquids and that it will turn around- just give it time and don't kick yourself over it. My questions and his answers 1. When can I go in the pool? Answer- NOW! As long as I do not exercise my core- he wants me to wait until four weeks for that. THis means no class but Water walking is ok YAY! 2. Can I put scar cream on my scars? Answer -Yes- the surface skin fell off and they are safe now. 3. When am I basically free from fear of blood clots? This was because my GP told me to elevate my legs on a pillow at ight and that has been hard. Answer- if I am walking every day I can relax about it. 4. I have been having diarrhea every day- is that something to worry about? Answer- some patients have that as their thumbys (my word not his) adjust to things- and it sometimes helps to dilute the Protein shakes too. (Not my fave answer as I tend to put my Protein powder in the least liquid I can handle in order to get it down faster ;-P ) 5. CAN I START COTTAGE cheese AND NON THINNED YOGURT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE AT MY STAGE? Of course this was my most important question- and I got a bad news good news answer- he wants me to stay on thinned liquids and Protein drinks until Monday, my three week mark. But then it is full on mushies, not just adding cottage cheese. That is only five days away and I am not worried- I know I want to heal well and that is more important than what food I get. The most exciting thing was that he said I am so articulate and knowledgeable he would like me to come to some orientation seminars to talk to prospective patients. I was honored and thrilled about that, that will help me pay it forward as I do want to do, and try to with my You Tubes. One other interesting thing- I told him I think the sleeve will be THE surgery before long and he said he totally agrees- he has thought that for nine years but just was waiting for the world (i.e. insurance companies) to catch up! He feels his sleeve patients in the long term do better than his bypass patients and I found that very interesting. SO I see him in a month and will be on mushies until then. I can deal.

http://gastricbypasstruth.com/145/how-gastric-bypass-surgery-patients-can-lose-35-more-weight

There are two of us under the thread "October Surgery date." Mine is October 28 and the other is Oct 20th. She is also a revision from lapband to bypass. We should follow each other

How awful!!! I can't even imagine. When I worked in a GI clinic I saw a few cases like this. That is why I decided to never consider bypass surgery. I will keep Jessica and her family in my prayers.

Do you currently have issues with heartburn? Do you take NSAIDs (ibuprophen, aleve, diclofenac etc)? If you suffer from any kind of heart burn now, there's a greater chance that sleeve will make it worse. I you take NSAIDs on a regular basis, the sleeve is for you because you are not dealing with such a small pouch as you do with bypass and is safer with sleeve.

It depends on how much u have to lose. If under 100 pounds I'd do the sleeve if over I'd go with bypass. I had bypass and it's been very helpful in reaching my goals. If you're child bearing age and plan to have a child I'd do a sleeve. I find sleeve you lose quickly but it's much easier to gain back as it doesn't appear to change your blood sugar levels like RNY gastric bypass. If you're diabetic do the RNY. There are many variables. Best to discuss with your surgeon. I initially wanted the sleeve but my surgeon said you're very big so better to do the bypass. I've reached a healthy bmi and feel amazing but I take my vitamins and have my protein daily.

Hello my name is Lorrie and have just found out about the gastric sleeve Fri. by my Dr. so reading all I can about it before going to 1st meeting. My sister had a gastric bypass many years ago and after watching what she went through I never wanted any thing to do with weight loss surgery. I now am at a point in my life that I want be healthier to enjoy life!

Yes that's exactly what I have! I was hoping my doctor wouldn't say that I needed the bypass instead of the sleeve because of my hiatal hernia. In the seminar she said that she recommends the bypass depending on the type of hernia. I want the sleeve and not the bypass. I have my initial consultation on Thursday. We shall see what she says.

This brings up a good point, the cost for 4 weeks in the hospital was $10,500 yet that complication fund pays him (according to his own stats) $50K per each complication. That's a big profit. Is he a doctor or an insurance company? I agree completely, I never blamed him for the leaks or liver laceration. I made it really clear that all doctors are going to have leaks and complications eventually. It's not the leak, it's the costs involved. That wasn't my issue. My issue is when she originally wrote THIS: Since when is bypass safer than a sleeve? Since when is a bypass leak safer than a sleeve leak? That's just untrue information. This is where we will have to agree to disagree. It is as I wrote earlier, what matters to me is different from what matters to you. That's how life works, we all HAVE to find a doctor that meets our individual requirements. We did that and that is all that matters.

Also there is a Gastric Bypass Meal Plan App for your phone

No, this is not a board to push one doctor over another. It does happen to be that many here were operated on by Dr. Aceves but he has nothing to do with this website. I know I never suggested you go to Aceves. I never suggested ANY doctor to you. I just told you a bit of what I know about Joya, that's all. So unless you can show me where I pushed him on you I'm not really sure how you can suggest that this board pushes any given doctor. I have never ever claimed that Aceves was the only good surgeon. I have always pushed research, LOTS of research. Rumbaut is excellent as well. There used to be another one but his location is so bad and dangerous that I do not suggest him and he's been having a lot of problems lately. People coming home and having to have emergency surgery to fix something that went wrong. The person that had the liver issue with Dr. Joya posts here. She's been posting this morning. It's in her OH profile, or it used to be. She does not blame Dr. Joya for the liver issue... it happens. It's a risk with this surgery. Her issue was that nobody told her she would have to pay the additional $1200 until the day of her discharge and they were not open to her leaving the hospital until it was paid. They were very limited in forms of payment they would take. Had she known this up front when the complication first happened she would have had more time to prepare and take care of the additional bill. He had no complication fund before that. And speaking of the "complication fund," most of the good surgeons in Mexico cover complications themselves. Consider this, he claims complications happen in less than 1% of his cases. $500 x 100 is $50,000. The liver complication was $1200. That would mean he's making a pretty good profit on his complication fund. Complications are very unlikely to cost $50K in Mexico. Again, in my mind it goes back to ethics. You are okay with this and that's fine. I am not, I see it as an issue of ethics. It is not a matter of my doctor is better than your doctor, it is a matter of I require different things from my surgeon than you do and again, that's okay. That's why there is no surgeon that is a one size fits all kinda person. We all require different things from our surgeons. Leaks... they happen. So be it, all surgeons have them eventually. Nobody is downing Joya for having a leak. That wasn't the issue. It was his telling someone that leaks are basically easier and safer with bypass than sleeves. That person also posts here. She had her consult the day before surgery with Dr. Joya and he encouraged her to get a bypass instead of a sleeve. She was in a mad dash the night before surgery to research bypass. She ended up with a sleeve. She is also the one that explained about the person that had a leak and was still battling it 4 months later. The person was there while she was. I have to say, I stand behind my original post. I've been reading WLS boards for a long time and after time you can see trends with doctors. Some doctors have more issues than others. Some are flat out liars. Over time you see trends on various doctors. Dr. Aceves is probably the one in Mexico that does the most sleeves so you are going to see a lot of his patients posting. It's the way it is, it will be the same on any board where a lot of Mexican sleeved patients post. That doesn't mean he has anything to do with this board, he simply does more sleeves than other doctors so I'm not sure it is fair to jump to the assumption that he has something to do with this board. Really, it's kind of unfair to the man IMHO.

Well, the truth is that I've some problems since I've had the lap band and it doesn't seem to be working for me and I might need the extra help you get from gastric bypass with the malaobsorption (sp) part etc... I was scheduled to get the bypass but chickened out at the last minute and got the lap band instead. Does that make sense? I'm happy it's working for you but it just really hasn't for me and I'm sure there are some of us out there that it just doesn't work out for. Thanks, brandyII.

Congrats !! I am scheduled for my bypass in September 20 !! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I was happy to read that you are working with a therapist to address your continuing issues with food. Though your weight loss has progressed impressively, your relationship and beliefs about food do not seem to have made the same rate of progress. Revising your thinking about food, and the requirements for your diet with your band has to happen before you can truly be in a different place emotionally. I have never felt that having to chew many times, taking small bites, and restricting the type of foods I can have were an imposition, or that I was "missing out" with the changes I chose to make with eating. These action items were part of what I still consider to be the opportunity to have better health. I had to wait an extra year for my surgery for a variety of reasons, none of which were planned or avoidable, so when I was finally cleared medically, I had no reservations to proceed. I believe that most bandsters have some pre-op questions to themselves about if they are making the right choice. There is no easy answer, but I believe that the answer is tied to one's priorities. At the Southern Woman's Show 2 summers ago, I had the good fortune to encounter someone who had been banded the previous fall. She helped me place my concerns in the proper perspective: which is more important to you? Being able to eat anything you want to for your meals covering several minutes a day during meals, or having some rules for those meals which require attention and mindful eating? It was a no brainer after that for me. We should eat to live, not the other way around. The longer you hold onto your flawed thinking, the more of a negative attitude towards diet compliance you will have. The things you mentioned that you disliked are the same things which got most all of us to the point where we had bariatric surgery. You cannot expect a sustained weight loss without increasing resentment towards compliance unless you redefine for yourself what your relationship with food needs to be. You have done so well with your weight loss...I hope you modify your beliefs about food. and let go of the ones which got you to your band surgery. Food is not your friend...and in many ways one can be addicted to food in the same way as one can be to drugs or co-dependent relationships. Wishing you continued success with your weight loss journey.

I would always tell people never go with the RNY bypass I have had nothing but complication after complication and have spent more time in the hospital then not Sent from my LGLS992 using the BariatricPal App

You have lost a massive amount of weight. Congrats. Given that you are 6ft you may need to be eating more to sustain such a weight loss and have good energy levels. Are you currently under the care of a bariatric dietician? If not please check in with one so that your tiredness can be investigated. Have you been having regular blood tests done to see where everything is? Having a bypass may result in malabsorsion of nutrients and lead to deficiencies that can show up in blood tests. Being back in the gym will also require more fuel for energy. You may want to throw yourself back into the thick of it but dont. Slowly increase the rate and weights that you exercise with. Dont pop another hernia by rushing things. Does the gym have an exercise physiologist that can give you guidance? Please seek one out. Walking is a great place to start. Your wife IS right. You just had major surgery and that by itself will take time. Dont try to run before you can walk.

Hello Heyyou! I will be having lapband on April 13, but my mom had gastric bypass- she doesn't have any problems with the wafers but she does get ill feeling after having the juice. She has a hard time with sugars and her chruch must use a sweetened juice. With the lapband you wont have those kinds of issues.

I had band revision because my band slipped. I really never vomited much, so my surgeon thinks it may just be because I lost 100 pounds in a little over a year, that maybe the fat layer between my stomach and the band became thinner and caused a slip. But also in January I did come down with a stomach virus for 2 days so I am sure that had something to do with it as well. Anyway, back on track, just hoping things are normal now. tlhamilton - how long does the gurgling take? like if you take a drink how many seconds before you hear it? mine is like 3-4 and i'm not sure if that's too long

I'm 6 months out and can eat just about anything if I really want to. Thing is, I chose to try and eat as healthy as possible. Now, really fatty things and heavily sugary things will cause me to have pain in my stomach and diarrhea (sorry, telling it like it is), but that's just me. Everyone will react differently to different things. However, I would not change my decision to have surgery in a million years. I am so glad that I had the bypass. It's been a real blessing in my life.

I am scheduled for a revision to bypass Dec. 16. I had a lap band for about 4 1/2 years and lost all the weight I wanted to--maybe even more than I wanted. But those 4 1/2 years were not much fun as I was vomiting a lot and was quite malnourished at times, I believe. In fact I ended up having emergency lung surgery for a massive lung infection, probably due to aspirating something when I vomited and my body having no strength to fight it. The lap band was removed 13 months ago due to an out-pouching in the esophagus and I have regained all of the weight I lost after surgery and a little more. My only alternative now is bypass. I can't say I'm 100% committed to having this surgery and feel I need a lot more information before making that decision. I actually live in Mexico but will have the surgery in Portland, OR, for insurance purposes. That is also where I had my lap band inserted and removed. But because of the distance I cannot be there for support group or appointments with the surgeon and others to ask more questions. So I hope I can get lots of answers and support on this group. I've already bought my plane ticket to fly to Portland about a week before surgery but I would gladly lose that money or just go visit friends and family rather than make a mistake in going ahead with this surgery. So, here goes my first question: I have heard from the dietician about the liquid diet and then the "mushy" diet following the surgery, but what I don't have a grip on is what will I be able to eat long term. I'd like to hear what you eat, especially things you enjoy. I also want to know what you can't eat, especially things you have tried that resulted in problems for you. I appreciate any input you can give me on these questions. I know I'll have many more in the next several months.

Well the 2nd fill has broken my plateau. Am I to my "sweet" spot? Don't think so, but feeling less hunger than ever. Tonight I ate about 5ozs of good healthy food and felt satisfied. It's now 11pm and my belly is rumbling a bit, but seems that i always have a problem this time of night. Guess I should hurry and get this blog done so i can go sleep off the hunger? I go July 1st for my next fill. So, in two weeks i think i will be where i want to be! Today is June 13, 2010 and I weighed in this morning at 178! Yippppeee!!!:mad2: My first goal was to get to 179, so I just set my new short term goal today at 169. Then, I have a family reunion coming up on July 22. So, that is five weeks for me to lose all I can. My original goal for family reunion week was 170. I think I am going to revise that to 165, this is just to push myself more at the gym. I am currently kickin' my own butt... I come home feeling good, but sore! I know I will be converting some of this blubber to muscle so I may even have issue with the scale moving the way i want it. But, oh well...it gives me something to work towards. All in all today was long, but pretty good. No complaints... I had a great day at the gym. 10 minutes on the rowing maching, 15 minutes on the stairmaster (my new love!) and then 30 minutes on the Elyptical on the cross training mode with intensity of 9 kept heart rate up in the cardo range the entire time. Everyday it gets easier!:frown: Bad news, I am SO hungry! Think I'll have a little chuck of cheese:blush: then off to bed.

Yep, I chose lap-band because it could be undone, if necessary!! I hope it's not necessary, but I just couldn't imagine something as drastic as gastric bypass with all the malabsorption issues and dumping, not to mention, it can't be undone!

I'm 6.5 months post op and can eat most things obviously if I try sugar it will make me feel bad but in general I can tolerate most things with little issues and the bypass has been amazing I've lost over 150lbs

Hey y'all im going for my psych clearance march 17. Very nervous. I am revising from lapband. I am afraid shell say no. I have made a 360. I quit smoking, I just finished a course at BOCES, I am exercising every day, eating small portions. Except I struggled with the lapband. And I have emotional issues to boot. She saw me at the worst at my lapband. What uf she thinks I cant do it? How can I convey to her that I have made changes, im stable, and not tell me to use my band(cause I dont think its working) thanks in advance for responses greatly appreciated