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I feel the same way I am scheduled for July 10th! I am afraid of failing also....and the pain and the complications.....

My surgeon says my surgery went well with no complications. Once I woke up i was in a lot of pain in my abdomen. It feels like you are being stabbed over and over and in waves of pain. I do have gas but it's subsiding as I walk and pass gas. When I got back to my room the pain would not subside. My 1st nurse was rude and told me that I'm only allowed a certain amount of pain medication at a certain time as it was prescibed. I put up with pain until I got mad cause I felt like I was being tortured. She came at 430pm and gave me morphine. It did nothing I called for her 4 times after and she was ignoring me. I was in so much pain. My bf had left to walk our dog and I was alone so I text my sister because I couldn't even talk from the pain. I told her what was happening let's just say that lady rushed in my room and gave me propofol and I passed out with no pain finally. After that my nurse switched shifts and I have a great nurse who is giving me my nauseous and pain meds that work. Point of story: You should not be in pain at the hospital!!! Day 2 which is today took my drink test and I passed. I'm feeling so much better today. Only taking ice chips. Tried to sip a bit of soup yesterday and my tummy got tight. So for now only ice chips. Sent from my SM-G920T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes, I took 3 weeks off in May 2007. I was paid for 2 weeks through STD. If your Doctor completes the paperwork, you should be fine. I took the time to get my eating and drinking regulated. if not, I would have surely had complications.

I guess my ultimate question is.....Were you not given any post-op diet instructions? Any literature at all regarding your after care and what is permissible to have during each of the post-op phases? If not call your surgeons office and ask for some, if so follow what they have given you. The dietary restrictions are not meant to be a punishment, they are there to protect you from hurting or damaging yourself or your band and to let it heal properly so that you can make the most of your new tool. By not following the rules you do put yourself at risk for complications.

The longer you participate on this forum, the more differences you will read with instructions given by surgeons to their patients...each doctor has their preferred protocol. My surgeon required a 2 week pre and post op diet, so I was on liquids for 4 weeks. And post op, I could not even have the fresh veggies! The low carb liquid diet is prescribed to shrink your liver, to allow the surgeon to have better access to place your band. Obese people tend to have more fat in their livers. So, I hope you are using the sugar free jello. You really should find a Protein drink that you like, because likely periodically post op you will return to drinking Protein Shakes after fills. I have to return to a liquid diet for 2 days after getting a fill, then 1 additional day on soft foods. I would continue to search and try several more brands until you find at least 1 that you do like...and be certain to read the nutritional values/ingredients label. You should look for shakes which have a minimum of 20gr protein per serving, and the best protein for bariatric patients is whey isolate protein. There has been some heated discussion on the forum about whey protein, but it is still considered to be the gold standard for bariatric nutritional needs. I use the Wheybolic Extreme (1.5 scoops) from GNC (chocolate and cookies 'n cream flavors). When mixed using 1% milk, I get 37 gr of protein per shake. You should also have been given a number of protein grams to have every day...try to meet that goal. BTW, the day before my surgery, when I could only have Clear Liquids, I had to host a luncheon (I had agreed to do that 6 months prior to having a surgery date) for my woman's club. While everyone was enjoying their chicken salad or quiche, I enjoyed sipping my iced water...you do what you have to do. My band surgery had been delayed for over a year due to unplanned medical complications, so when I finally received medical clearance, I ran with it before anything else could happen to delay it again! Best wishes as you continue on your journey...

It feels like forever since I've been on here to give an update! Last time I posted, I had just gotten my date for the port revision surgery and was about to be heading off for vacation. First of all let me just say vacation was AWESOME. Leaving Massachusetts and heading to Florida for a week was a much needed break! Little things throughout that week helped me to realize that my body is changing for the better, and at 70lbs lost so far the difference is noticeable, even though I don't always perceive it to be. For instance, the last time I was on an airplane was in Feb. 2006, and I remember it being so cramped and uncomfortable and barely being able to get the seatbelt buckled if I managed to buckle it at all. This time, I didn't feel like I was invading the seat next to me, and not only does the seatbelt buckle, but there's a good five or six inches of extra belt leftover after I tighten it. Such a good feeling!:blushing: Later that week came the amusement park rides...I haven't been to an amusement park in probably at least 4 years for fear of not being able to fit on the rides and having to be asked to get off. I've never actually been asked to get off a ride, but the anxiety of thinking that it was a possibility was more than enough to keep me away for all those years! I guess I figured stop going before that happens, because I cannot even fathom how humiliated I would feel if that happened to me in front of everyone waiting in line. So, even though I knew that this time I shouldn't worry I still kind of did...but happily discovered that my fear no longer seemed to be warranted! Needless to say I had a fantastic time and went on just about every ride in the park.:biggrin2: Came home from vacation on May 11th, and then had my follow up surgery to correct my flipped port a few days later, on the 14th. I met with my surgeon the day before and discussed the procedure and I asked the questions I had. I finally remembered to ask what size band I have, and it's a 10cc band. I asked about what the chances were that my port would flip again later down the road, and he said not likely but not impossible. He did say that of the patients he has had to do the revision surgery on, none have had any further complications...hope I continue that tradition! The day of surgery went very well, and was definitely much easier than the initial surgery. I got to the hospital around 1:30pm, and the procedure was scheduled for 3:30pm, although I think they actually got started a little closer to 3:00. I was out of the hospital around 5pm, stopped at the pharmacy to get my Rx filled on the way home, and asleep on the couch due to the Percocet by 6pm. The procedure itself was much easier, and I only had to have local anesthesia with sedation instead of general. Which I was thrilled about because I hated the horrendous sore throat I had before with general. I was sore afterwards, but not nearly as bad as last time since there was just the one incision and it was just below the surface. I'm barely a week postop now, and feel 99% back to normal...just a little soreness if I try to do too much with my ab muscles, and my incision is nearly healed. My surgeon did my first fill while doing the surgery, and I think he put in about 1cc. I notice a little bit of difference as far as restriction, but not much, definitely not as much as I was hoping for. Perhaps next week at my follow up appointment he will do a second fill. We'll see! How is everyone else doing?

Tuff Enogh i was quoting UK statistics the USA is much bigger than the UK we are a mere spot compared to your country. In the UK we dont have insurance like you we have a NHS National Health Service free health care for everyone. We do have a private sector but its expencive. Sometimes if we go private say for the opp the after care can be moved to the NHS but it does not always work like that. The NHS is megga busy because the surgions who work in the private sector may only work for the NHS a few days a week so waiting lists are long can be years long. It just disgusts me that simply to promote a n out service such as the band they falsyfy the statistics. its about £8000 to have a band fitted here with fills costing between £150 and £270 that depends if there done blind or by x ray then u have the cost of consultation on top and travel so to get a amercan doller convert roughly double the uk currency £270 is about a weeks wages here its just such a lot of money if u go private and then like u say to cover costs of complications it can be desaterus.

This morning here in the UK there was a lady on TV raving about her Band there was also a consultant surgeon on there. This lady has done fantastically well lost over 10 stone with her band and has had a lot of reconstructive surgery to fix saggy skin problems in total its about £20.000:eek: I am not sure of the exchange rate but I think that’s about $40.000 a lot of money. The consultant is quoted to have said that the Band has no complications what so ever:mad: . I have some issues with this let me out line my issues. While I endorse a procedure that does work I feel that if doing non direct advertising on the TV the truth should be told. Here in the UK we have the NHS WLS is available on the NHS it can take a while to get the procedure but it is available. This surgeon was representing a Private hospital were the band cost £8000 this can buy you a very nice car brand new. If I was in a position to be able to self fund a surgery such as WLS I would be so angry if I paid my £8000 having been told I was 100% guaranteed I would lose weight and had a 100% guarantee there would be no complications. The band does have the highest failure rate with UK statistics being a 20% chance of failure. And a 1 in 5 chance of further surgery being needed due to slippage or erosion. So if I have re-mortgaged my home and gone into a fancy private clinic and paid this £8000 believing the consultant. Were do I stand if I get a port infection or my band slips. Who will pay for this to be fixed will I have to pay or will I receive treatment on the NHS? If I can’t pay and the NHS won’t pay were the hell do I stand we don’t have insurance over here like the USA what position am I left in because I made a decision on the basis of what I was told. And I am under the impression that ANY surgery carried out has a potential danger more so if you suffer obesity? There are so many other issues I have with this type of private surgery I like the facilities but when you pay so much money and put your hope and dreams into a cure I feel consultants have a obligation to tell the truth. If I went for IVF I would be told there is a failure rate my hope would not be raised while I know it’s a business I believe we should be told the truth and it is as simple as that. I had my band on the NHS I have had nothing but problems and I am lucky my PCT (health Authority) have agreed to fund any medical need I may have. But my sympathies go out to those who have self funded and there left in a state because they are experiencing problems they were not told about. On the flip side of the coin many people tend to go ahead with WLS believing it won’t happen to them like a smoker does every time they light up. But had they have been warned they would have been able to make an informed decisions. Does a consultant hold any responsibility or is it the patents responsibility to do the research?? Do you think I am nuts and on my high horse do you agree? Have you suffered complications due to the band according to the surgeon this morning there are no band complications can you prove him wrong if you had to. I think the band is a great tool for WLS some master it some don’t but it’s a complex argument I just feel information is key. any way sorry to have bored you all i will jump off my soap box :faint:

yes they can come back - I've had two. But they tend to be an early complication - after the first 3 or 4 months, you'll probably be in the clear.

I just got my date: December 1. I'm 61, and very excited about this new "tool" I will have in my life-long weight struggle. But I'm also fearful of the surgery, complications, and my reliance on food for comfort. I think I'll struggle with the "head hunger" part of it. But i am excited!

Thanks for all the replies. Your words are helpful and kind. I know that if getting the lapband, its not a quick fix. And that's something I want. I don't wanna do something drastic and quick and it ends up hurting me in the long run. I can give up foods....its like I've not tried it already lol.... I guess my biggest fear is going in and getting the band in place. Never did well with anesthesia and it seems like with the last 4 surgeries I've had, there has always been complications and my stays would be longer in the hospital. Maybe I should just shake the feeling off. That's my biggest fear.... The only fear I have right now after I get banded and if I get banded is my body not accepting the new change and rejecting the band.

I have been treated for depression for several years now and there are times when you really feel dreadful. After the surgery we put up the meds for a few weeks. The surgeon said its quite common after surgery to have a spike in depression due to hormones and body trauma. I am 3 months out now and I have had a few bad days due to some complications more than anything. I'm OK now seeing a psychologist as part of my plan and reduced meds back now. Even though you probably feel like crap it will pass and is treatable. As the weight comes off there will be more positives to celebrate! Take care x Sent from my CPH1607 using BariatricPal mobile app

Stalls happens to nearly everyone. Personally I suspect that the people who do not hit stalls also find valuable antiques at garage sales, win free cruises and never get traffic tickets. I stalled from week 3-7 (but did not know because I did not weigh myself except at the doctor), then I suspect I stalled multiple times after that too. I still made it to where I needed to be. Bariatric teams usually stress the importance of hydration over food at this point post surgery. There is usually more concern from the complications of dehydration vs low calorie intake - we are trying to use the excess stored fat after all. Ask your team if it is okay to only eat the amount you are comfortable with and at the frequency that works for you. The extended eating time frame is usually for when we start solids. Most of the time If we hold up our end of the bargain (mentally), our bodies will do the same. It will all come together eventually and life after WLS will not always feel like a chore. Good Luck!

Home tomorrow morning they say. A couple minor complications, otherwise in good shape with a hiatal hernia fix up, to. If this is the worst I feel, I,m doing great. Missing my Dad.

Kfree I am so sorry for your loss and it is a good reminder... Ok, it's well known I had multiple procedures at once. I don't take that lightly however. I wasn't sure how to reply because I want to be supportive,I had multiple procedures,but there is something uncomfortable for me in your description. I have no idea if my comments are on target but it is what I would mention to a friend to encourage her to seek more information. Let me start by saying none of the USA surgeons I consulted would do a 10hour surgery due to the risk of general anesthesia. My surgery was 9hours and was done with a twilight sedation combined with an epidural. The surgeon and his anesthesiologist specializes in this situation and had done hundreds of similar jumbo procedures before me. I was healthier and fitter than many. He has never lost anyone, never had someone go into ICU, but I still recognised it was a big deal to do so much at once. I had no lipo and I am concerned with how much you describe. I have talked to several people who had lots of lipo and it is very painful and does not always deliver results. Have you seen before and afters of patients who are similar to you that had all that lipo? I know very little about lipo but I thought the garments are key to lipo results so it worried me that he is doing so much but you expect to wear the garments only 2-4 weeks. I was required to wear garments for 6 weeks and then voluntarily wore stage 2 ones another 6-8 weeks on my tummy for my own comfort. Do you have realistic expectations of results-that comes from looking at similar people. Why not wait until you are at goal? You were sleeved less than a year ago. I am unclear if you plan to try to get to goal between now and Aug 20th but now is the time to be building up strength, having lots of Protein, preventing anemia etc. It really isn't the time to try to crash diet lose weight. Now I did lose a few pre op because I was a bundle of nerves....but I was getting lots of protein, wholesome foods and exercise. How many consults did you have? I had several and was shocked by the range of opinions and recommendations....very educational. Does your surgeon have great reviews on real self.com? I had a breast lift and augmentation. I was lucky that he was able to do it without the T scar...just the lollipop. 8 months out and breast scar is invisible. For me I wanted to see tons of breast pix for fear of looking artificial. I am pleased with my results. On the pain topic...I experienced very little. I had strong meds the first 3 days while I was in the clinic and after that Tylenol. However,ladies who had lipo hurt more. The recovery was long slow and difficult because of the severe restrictions on activity. I found that harder than expected. So I apologize if I offended and it could be that my concerns are way off base. All I know is what I learned going through my journey and the year I spent researching, doing consults and most insightful was the time on social media with fellow patients of my surgeon Dr Sauceda. I followed stories of perfect outcomes and a few complications. It's why I was hardcore about following Dr orders.....I wanted to do way more activity but that is strongly correlated with certain complications so I went stir crazy instead.

I met with my surgeon yesterday to discuss band removal/revision. He recommended a sleeve because there are fewer complications and it is a simpler surgery. He also said that if it is done correctly, the weight loss is close to the bypass. Because I have worked hard the last 3 years to lose 80 lbs and get down to 230, he said I can reasonably expect to get to 175, more if I exercise and work hard. Next I have to go for an EGD test to assess the condition of my stomach and esophagus. I'll be swallowing a tiny camera! Luckily, there will be some sedation. They don't submit paperwork to insurance until after the test. My band can be unfilled at that point. I really like this surgeon. He removed my daughter's gall bladder 2 years ago and I researched him thoroughly. I'm starting to get excited, even though he expects surgery to be 6 weeks away. This week I need to ask my GP and therapist for letters saying I'm a good candidate for surgery and can be expected to follow my post-op diet and be successful. I'll keep you all posted! Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

I, too, have had no complications and have no complaints about the band. My surgery was 11 months ago and I've lost 65 pounds so far. I can eat almost everything I could eat pre-band. I've only spit up about a half-dozen times, and each time, I knew EXACTLY why it happened (usually from eating too fast)! Yes, some people have complications, or don't see the progress they want, but for some of us, it is the perfect tool to lose weight and keep it off. It's great that you're keeping yourself informed about the what-could-go-wrong, but try to think positive! It works!

It wasn't as bad as I had thought. I had the same fears everyone else has, I kept my eye on what I want in life & pushed through my self doubt. There are people who have complications, But you get that in any surgery. Well in anything in life. There is no guarantee. I personally have tried so many diets & group garbage & pills. The time was right, I know people who have had success with all that, I also know a couple ladies that had major things happen from taking diet drugs, 3 to be exact. 3, 1 had a heart attack & in doing great now the other 2 had strokes & have life long effects. that was when I decided that was it, I started looking into this surgery & did tons of hours of research, & went to all my pre-op appointments & listened & took note. This is only a 1/3 of the tool to get the weight off. I have just started & hoping to be able to keep going forward. Good luck to you as well.

You may be healthy now but being overweight will catch up to you. I was overweight and healthy until I hit my 30's and then I started having problems. I went with the VSG because I needed to lose 130-140 pounds total. I was able to get 40 pounds off prior to my surgery date on 1/27/17. That 40 pounds took me 6 months to get off with Weight Watchers and often I could lose 40 pounds but it would always find me later on. I know that after two years of failed fertility treatments that my weight was playing a huge role in this and the only way to combat my PCOS was to have this surgery. I have lost 38 pounds since surgery and my BMI has dropped from 42 to 32 since July. I feel younger and so much healthier than in the past. It would be better to get the weight off prior to any complications occur from being overweight.

I'm in puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Hopefully, and if everything goes well, in less that 12 hours I will have the VSG. I'm very nervous. It is a huge change. I'm afraid of dying, not for me, but for those I love. I would never want to make my mom or sister suffer, but I have deprived them of a life with me because I'm always depress in my house, or of feeling ashamed of my weight. I know recovery will be painful, but I hope and pray to God this goes well and I can handle everything with strength and peace. I know once I'm awake from surgery, it won't mean everything is perfect. I already had a few surgeries in the past and complications happened about 2 weeks after. So whomever is reading this and believe in the power of prayer, please send some this way. I will forever thank you. I'm having this surgery because I'm tired of seeing the best years of my life go by, and I don't do nothing about it. I'm tired of all the struggles, I'm afraid of my diabetics getting worse, I'm tired of being tired, feeling hopeless in a room isolating myself. I've suffer several emotional disorders due to my obesity and my fear of being seen like this. But is time to change my life and embrace this new opportunity. I've decided to do this journal to keep track of all the changes. I want this to be about me. I'm doing this for me but also for my family because I want to give them the best of me, and I never want to forget that they were my most important motivation. This is one of the hardes decisions I have made in my life, there is nothing easy about this surgery. I will have to find the strength to say goodbye forever to many foods that were nothing but addictive and unhealthy. I have to to this the right time this time.

yeah, because u need a special liscence to use radiation. im a healthcare worker... i used to work with radiation, that's why i was so curious. i was also wondering what the complications are with finding the port..... are they sometimes too deep? mobile? something else? congrats on the quitting smoking!

I agree with everything thats been said. Also, throwing up regularly can cause other complications (like slippage). So its really important that you go have a talk with your doctor. He may just need to take out .1 cc and it could be perfect restriction. But being too tight and throwing up all of the time is just as bad, if not worse, than not being tight enough. Go get checked out!! good luck!

In terms of diet... there are people who eat a lot of carbs, even refined ones, and don't gain weight. I think, on some level, it really is calories in vs. calories out and the type of calories only matter if (a) you have something metabolic going on like insulin resistance or (:svengo: certain types of food make you lose control or lead you down a slippery slope. Now, this is on maintenance. When losing, it's very important to get Protein because otherwise we lose lean muscle tissue instead of fat. But on maintenance, everyone has to work out for themselves what will and won't work and the answer will be different for everyone. The scary part of maintenance, for me, has been figuring this all out. When on a diet, I just followed my program's plan the best I could. But maintenance was wide open. There were times in the beginning, and even a bit now, where I felt out of control with my eating even though I might not be gaining weight or gaining much. I have to learn what causes that and how to prevent it. It's complicated by the fact that I am an endurance athlete and a certain amount of carbs are necessary for peak performance. So figuring out my carb ceiling has been interesting. Another complication is acid reflux. It makes me think I'm hungry when I'm not. So I've had to balance wanting to be off the PPI vs. dealing with this fake hunger. I tried stopping the prilosec and only taking Pepcid AC when I had acid. I didn't want to be taking a pill every day if I didn't have acid every day. But I found the Pepcid didn't control things very well and I was taking it 5-7 days a week anyway. So I'm back on the prilosec and I've decided that I will stay on it, maybe for life, if that's what it takes.

Thank you for responding. I have done a ton a research but am still nervous. My insurance company will not cover any expenses related to this so if I have complications it is all me. I am too miserable and unhealthy to stay the way I am and dieting just has not worked. The one thing I am really concerned about is I have a phobia of throwing up....and from what I am reading......well it should be expected at points. So I am trying to come to terms with this little tid bit but otherwise I am very excited to move on with my new life and start shopping for new clothes!!!:rolleyes2: