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Hi, I was banded in MX July 27th of this year. I have only lost around 25 pounds and I do get a bit discouraged from time to time. I have only had two fills. The second one was almost too much. I was filled almost 4 weeks ago and am just now getting to where I can eat two tiny meals a day. If I were eating lots I could understand such slow loss, but I am not eating much of anything. I am not doing the major exercise, but I have increased my activity level. The majority of my loss of the 25 pounds was the first month. I guess I lost about 13-14 that first month............since then, I do good to lose a pound evey week or two. I live in Houston 4 days a week and work in the Humble area those days. My apartment is close to the 610 and 59 S. area, but my home is in another city. It is very complicated portion of my life...... I pray you all have a very GREAT Thanksgiving and do not over stuff yourself. After all, you are not the turkeys.......... God bless Wild

I think I've started to think that the band is the way to go. I just am curious because it is such a new procedure, how many of you had it and what kind of complications you may have encountered. Also, it is reversible, correct?

The adjustable gastric band (Lap-Band or Realize Band) is not all that new any more. The Lap-Band has been approved for use in the USA since 2001, the Realize Band since 2007, and other brands of bands have been used in the rest of the world since the 1980's. I had a band slip (resolved with a complete unfill) and a port flip (corrected with surgery), but I loved my band. You're correct that band surgery is reversible, though I wouldn't recommend doing that unless it was to treat a complication. Just because it's reversible doesn't mean that the band is easy to remove. RNY (gastric bypass) is also reversible, though not easily. VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) is not reversible, and only the "switch" part of DS (duodenal switch) is reversible. Good luck with your decision. It's good that you're doing research. I suggest thatyou carefully weigh what other bariatric patients and a bariatric surgeon tell you, and pick the procedure that feels right for you, to meet your weight loss needs and your post-op lifestyle. Jean

I was afraid to do the bypass but my surgeon refused to do the sleeve. I am 8 weeks post op and i am happy. I have had complications bc of all the scarring but would be worse if i had the sleeve. Good luck!

There are so many more options with the lap band procedure rather than the bypass. Then look at the variety of complications and the morbidity potential. It's your decision of course, but if you're asking for input, mine is simple: GO with the band!

It also sounds like you could be setting yourself up for transfer addiction of the worst kind. Restless and Kartman are both right in every aspect of what they say. It is just hard on you period and if you are not honest with your surgeon, it could lead to serious complications that you are not anticipating. It isn't about getting caught. It is about staying alive.

Yes, I will go on the liver shrinking diet for two weeks prior to surgery and my doctor says that will get rid of the excess fat on the liver so surgery will be more successful and less complications will occur.... it's similar to a diet I did 5 years ago and was highly successful with... it won't be so hard and I am excited to get on with it.... he doesn't want me to do it longer than 2 weeks though... but I am trying to adapt with other habits that I will need to have for life so it is not such a shock to the body or psyche. Kammi in Everett, WA

I'd be a bit concerned that you cheated on a pre-op diet that was only required 3-5 days pre-op. That's a very short period of time and I wonder if you'll be able to adhere to the post-op diet or give into cheating. The pre-op diet serves to limit carbs for the purpose of shrinking your liver. This makes doing the surgical procedure easier for the surgeon and the recovery easier for you. If you're going to have the sleeve, the post-op diet MUST be adhered to or you risk causing a leak to the suture line. This can be a serious complication. Depending on your current weight and fat distribution, you might want to contact the coordinator and let her know what you ate. You should also discuss any concerns you might have about sticking to a pre-op diet.

I had to wait 14 weeks for my first fill due to medical complications, and had only 3 cc's put in as I've had some restriction since having my band placed. After 2 fills, I'm only at 3.5cc's. My surgeon did not want to increase the restriction at all as I am scheduled for surgery this week. At this rate, I believe 4cc's will be the most restriction I want to have. Since my second fill, my level of restriction has increased significantly.

My family is almost wholly nonsupporting. My little brother and his wife are great, my cousins are fabulous, and some of my uncles are great. Short of that, my immediate family are uncaring, afraid, and generally ignore what I am doing and the results from it. To acknowledge it is to acknowledge that I am removing myself from the club of which they are a part. They don't like people to do that, to remind them that they are unhealthy, obese, and justifying their way into depths from which they will not recover. My dad would have been supportive. I know that. But he died of complications from type II diabetes at only 64 years of age. Still, he would have been there for me with complete understanding and support. He would have been the only one in my Vegas who did. Since I don't have him, I have friends, I have my little brother, and I have ME.

I am sorry about your complications. I think you really are doing great with your weight loss. Everyone hits that 3 0r 4 week stall. Then you will start losing again. Just be patient. The weight will come off!

I agree wait for a little while and let the stomach heal and then go with a larger band. I know several poeple with the RNY and know they wish they would have gone with the band. I have also know one person lost their life due to complications with it. Please be careful your SIL will be in my thoughts.

Accidentally posted this under the wrong forum earlier...woops, i'll try it again. I remember many years ago going through these forums reading about the success of everyone post op. I'm sure if anyone will understand my post its people here. I liked reading stories that i could relate to, it gave me hope. Here is my story pre-op to present and what ive encountered as good and bad effects of the process: I grew up a big kid, the biggest in my class of course, bigger than grown men by the time i was in 7th grade. i was 6 foot tall and I tipped the scales at over 300 at the age of 12, and graduated high school around 318. After high school i ballooned up to 330, yoyo dieted for a few years, losing some weight then gaining it back plus some extra every single time, finally hitting my all time max of 388 by the time i was 27. I don't think i need to go into description of what that feels like but its a horrible life living that way. I was blessed enough to get a job that had insurance that covered the procedure and in late May of 2010 at the age 29 of i started my path to weight loss. The weight loss came slow as i would drop pounds here and there, never gaining but hitting many many plateaus along the way. By 2011 I was steady at 330, which while a huge improvement, was not exactly where i wanted to be. I read on here about how people dropped massive amounts of weight over 6 months and i wished i could do the same but i guess i just wasn't built that way. Working out was still hard because of my size and eating right was like pulling teeth but like all of you i pressed on. By the time 2012 hit i was back at my high school size of 315 and while i noticed the difference people started to judge me. See to your friends and some family they think this is a miracle procedure that will take you from morbidly obese to Brad Pitt over the span of a year max....wrong.....its a daily struggle and only your true loved ones and real friends will be there for you throughout this, some of us learn this the hard way. See once you start doubting yourself and think everyone is silently judging you it gets twice as hard and because I elected to let everyone know i was getting the lapband i couldn't make excuses - i had nothing to hide. To me it actually gave me motivation to keep with it to feel better that i would accomplish this and to make the doubters in my life see anything was possible. 2012 was probably the hardest year in my life, i had many outside complications in my personal life that changed me and my family. It was the most devastating 12 months I hope I ever have to go through. That being said it drastically slowed down my weight loss progress, I never gained a pound but stayed steady at 315 all the way until November/December where i finally hit a milestone of 298. I was under 300 for the first time since my preteen years. In February of 2013 I went in for a adjustment, this was probably my 5th or 6th once since surgery and i had around 6.5cc in my band (large "vega" band). When I went to lapband meetings and read older posts people always talked about the "green zone" which is like your magic spot where it all starts to fall in place, well, I had FINALLY reached mine. Finally under 300 i started doing kettle bell workouts and choosing more active assignments at work. I started eating healthy, salads, high Protein meals, no cokes, no more sweets. I still indulged but in moderation. I lost 45 pounds by anniversary date in May and now sat at 249. I felt great, my clothes didn't fit, and finally...FINALLY...people asked if i had lost weight. I thought that was the strangest part so far. I had lost 88 pounds t get to 300..and it was like no one noticed, hell I barely noticed, most of my clothes still fit at that point and i was so discouraged....i mean really 88 pounds and i barely notice a difference, then i lose 50 and its like I'm a new person. You see yourself everyday so you'll never notice the changes, small or big. Take pictures, it will help to show your progress, that's a big regret i have. I was so disappointed with the amount of time it was taking I lost interest in a diary/journal, i wish i would have kept with it. I kept losing weight throughout 2013 until i hit my goal weight of 235 and continued a past it down to 225 by September 2013. Here i have stayed bouncing from 220 (my low was 213, didnt feel right at all) to 230. I did it and i've kept it strong for 16 months straight. It can be done, and you can live happily. I know this was long winded for a first post but i'm working graveyards and i wanted to give a snippet of what its been like for me. I willing to answer any questions you have, there is of course more to parts of this story than i feel like writing so feel free to contact me if you'd like. I tried to attach a picture of different times in my life from pre op and post op but i'm new to this site so i hope i did it right. The Good: buying clothes you never could get before playing with my daughter without having to sit every 5 minutes no more knee pain not sweating ALL THE TIME Better sleep Feeling more active and not wanting to be locked in my house 24/7 from embarrassment The Bad: My wife's reaction once I hit my goal weight. She wasn't used to me looking like i did, and she was concerned with me leaving. Her thought was if i finally feel good and have lost weight i was going to sew some wild oats from my youth. This still causes problems today. This one will sound arrogant, and i don't mean it to be, just simple truth that I'm sure a lot of us have noticed after successful surgery. People look at you different, you will garner some unwanted attention at times. This causes jealousy in your home life with you significant other. It happens a surprising amount, and while its a ego boost it can really hurt a relationship, even if its out of your hands. Learning your body, and when to say enough is enough can and will cause you to became sick at the most inopportune time (out to eat with family or friends). I have had at least 5 incidents where i had to quickly excuse myself to go to the restroom because i still struggle with eating slow and proportions. I'll probably always have to deal with it and it can be very aggravating. Take the good with the bad though. Not having anyone to go through the struggle with. If you can find a weight loss buddy do it. I was basically alone my entire time, its not easy.

I have to be at the hospital in 3 hours. I am nervous and excited. I am scared of complications the most. Pain I can tolerate but if something happens like having to be repeatedly stretched is my biggest fear. I just don't want any post op complication, dehydration, needing to be stretched, diarrhea. I hope I am sble to be home for Christmas. Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

Hi there Zoeiyla. I too have a 10 cc band and have or had 7.1 cc. I had those 7.1 ccs since July 2012. I wasn't tight, had my restriction but some time late last year and early this year, I began to have late night coughing, spitting up Water from both my mouth and nose. Those are not normal. I could also feel that I was tighter than before. I don't know what or how it happened but I was really tight. I had a feeling that my stoma was dilated and sure enough, I finally went to the doctor last month and I was totally tight and dilated(in the red zone.) My PA took out 2 ccs so I am at 5.1. I immediately felt better. However, that restriction I once had is now gone. I am eating a little more than usual. I am trying with everything to not eat too much or eat too much of the wrong foods, but because I am more open, I have to admit I have eaten some burger and fries and other foods I hadn't been eating because I was too tight and just didn't really want to eat those things. Now that eating junk is out of my system, I'm back eating as I should and will be going back next week to get a fill. Lord knows I need it. So to answer your question, while being tight does help you to lose, it's not the right way to live because it will cause other problems down the line. You want to be in a comfortable state where you can eat and digest your food properly, sleep well without complications. You have to constantly tell yourself to slow down and chew, chew, chew. After 4 1/2 years of being banded, I still have to tell myself this everyday because I sometimes do forget. That's why I was dilated because I was taking too big of bites of food sometimes and was eating too quickly (work only had a 30 minute lunch). But those conditions have changed and I am taking my time again to eat my food. Sure I'm back to cold food before I'm done but it's a lifestyle that well, I'm used to now and will continue to be as long as my band will allow. Hope this helps. Best wishes to you.

I am a band to sleeve revision. I was happy with my band for a long time and lost a good amount of weight. Then it malfunctioned after my pregnancy and never worked again. I can tell you that in my experience so far (6 years banded and now 11 weeks post sleeve) that it is much easier to eat around the band than the sleeve, and my weight loss is faster (so far at least) even though I have always been a "slow loser". I think personally that the sleeve is a better surgery. The band is safer if you are worried about major complications like leaks. But long term people seem to have more problems with the band and the most recent research I have heard indicates that more than 50% have the band removed by 5 years post op, mostly either due to slip, erosion, or inadequate weight loss. Of course, these are my opinions based on my experience and what I have heard from other band folks. The band is an attractive idea but doesn't seem to work as well in practice. Good luck to you.

I think it is dangerous to expect others to change their habits in order to help me cope with my food issues. That means that when I "fall off the wagon" I get to blame them because they ate in front of me. I was sleeved 8 weeks ago and I never expected anyone - spouse, kids, siblings, co-workers to change anything. I eat out in restaurants daily and those with me order whatever they want with no regard for me. I either take my own food or find something to order off the menu. We even stopped at a Friday's on the way home from the hospital and I prepared unjury after requesting a small glass of water! I went out for drinks with co-workers about 4 weeks post op. As per habit, they order several appetizers including a huge plate of nachos. Someone was thoughtful enough to ask if it bothered me and I truthfully said "no., I am just relieved I don't need to eat it." It was so much food it turned my stomach! I did order an ice tea that evening and nursed it for two hours. I think I only drank about 1/2 cup of it. I have been to McDonalds multiple times (take my own food), Big Boy (1 egg scrambled), Fridays (chicken tortilla Soup, French onion soup), Red Robin (hamb without bun), Wendy's (chili), Red Lobster (shrimp cocktail), Logans (chopped steak), Perkins (cheese omelete) and others. I went to a fancy luncheon at work earlier this week because my boss was getting a big award. They served hot chicken salad in a puff pastry, baby carrots, red skin potatoes, spring mix salad, and lemon cake. I ate about 1/4 cup of the hot chicken mix (yick, but I ate it), 1 bite of lettace, and 1 bite of the lemon cake (its my absolute favorite!). On the way home (it was a long ride), the car stopped at Mc Donalds for Diet Cokes and Fries. I passed and drank my bottled Water. My thinking is that there will ALWAYS be people eating and drinking things that I need to pass up. I need to be strong enough to resist the temptation even when it is right in front of me. Because seriously, it will always be right in front of me. Now, let me say that my family, friend and co-workers have all been tremendously supportive. Only one of my friends mentioned to me a month after surgery that she was really scared for me because another friend of hers had had serious complications after a gastric bypass. She discussed with a 3rd mutual friend that she wanted to try to talk me out of it and the 3rd friend told her not to since I had done my research and my mind was made up. I am glad she didn't say anything before surgery. I have to leave home know to go to a Breakfast meeting that will have a huge spread of food including donuts, Cookies, sweet breads, etc. I am taking my greek yogurt (pineapple) and my own decaf coffee since they only have regular. Stay strong!

That is the ONLY drawback to going to Mexico. This forum is a huge blessing to those of us who have had our surgery abroad. That and having a PCP who knew ahead of time and approved of the surgery and was willing to take on the aftercare. That should really be something that you clear up ahead of time. I have had absolutely no complications at all. 6 weeks out yesterday and really have never felt better in my life. I was totally freaked by the idea of Mexico but was the only way I could have the surgery due to a lower BMI. Ended up being the best decision of my life. Good Luck to you but as everyone else will tell you, hundreds if not thousands of people do this and very successfully!

To the initial post: your concerns are valid. Having tests done the day before surgery is fine if there's nothing wrong with you--but if there is you need to know in time enough to solve the problem before surgery. It's important if you have co-morbidities. You need to locate a bariatric surgeon local to where you live and see if he will do followup with you. Research complication symptoms on the web so you will know if a trip to the ER is needed once you're home. Have your regular doc do bloodwork before you go so you can correct any deficiencies beforehand, and after you get home, same thing. If your doc can find an excuse for you to have a ECG before you go, do it, just to make sure it's normal. If you have stomach problems, get your doc to do an upper GI test to rule out ulcers or hiatial hernia. There are reasons for the tests done in the US a month in advance--it's so the surgeon knows what he's dealing with, and has time to correct anything that's a problem. For nutrition, you can Google for well known programs' guidelines. These include Cornell University and the Mayo Clinic, among others. If you can do this, you'll have the best of both worlds--US caution and Mexican prices.

had gastric bypass DS loop and my gallbladder removed on March 11th 2019. Since then I have gone from 297.7 down to 242. Total of 55.7 lbs. in 3 months and 13 days. But I’m the last 39 days I have only lost 10 lbs. is this a plateau? Is this still good since I have not gained any weight back? I’m feeling better in the last 2 weeks FINALLY.... I had surgery complications and medication changes and problems that caused extra pain and some minor depression, so recovery took longer than “usual” patients. I think? I don’t know how long other people take to get out and about, start regularly exercising (just walking and some 2 pound weights) But the slow down in weight loss worries me. Also, I have a HUGE fear of stretching my stomach back out. Every time I eat I get scared my stomach is stretching at the staples. I would love some feedback of your experiences, ideas, your suggestions, possibly re-assurance that I’m doing ok?? Also, I love to eat fruit, and I try to limit myself to 2 a day, but I worry about sugars... what do you all do? Thanks! Claire

Post op complication. Pretty bad infection set in, and the doctor had to re-open the full wound to drain. The wound is 5.5 CM's deep 1.75 CM's wide and 4 CM's long. Daily wound care. I am still on clear liquids 8 days post op - not feeling hungry, and not so worried about that right now, just want to heal and get back with my life.

I had no pre-op diet, my surgeon only asks folks who are 300+ to do a pre-op diet. I was skeptical too bc it seemed like everyone else was doing a pre-op diet but me. My surgery was without complication and i've had zero issues post op...

I got my first fill 4 weeks after surgery and then every two weeks until I hit my sweet spot. That's just the way my doctor is...I did start with an empty band due to complications and when I went for my fill I asked for an "aggressive" one because my band was empty. He did give it to me....That may be where you read "aggressive". But keep in mind, I was empty. If you are hungry and it's been 4 weeks I would at least call and see if he will start the fill process. Best wishes!

My name is Amanda and I am 34 years old, located in Delaware! I began my journey in November 2013 when I made the decision to have surgery. I was 219 pounds at 5 feet 1 inch. I had heart trouble, high blood pressure, pain in my joints, a substantial inoperable back injury with nerve damage, border line diabetes, and a whole list of other ailments. In the beginning, I had very little support from my family. My surgeon required an info seminar followed by every physician's clearance known to man, nutrition classes, and life skills classes. I attended my 3 nutrition classes and when I entered my first life skills class, I wanted to back out!! A friend of mine, who also had surgery (bypass) was going through the classes as well. She encouraged me to continue this journey, that I needed to look at my quality of life, and that it was either now or never. I decided to push forward. I can still remember pulling into the hospital parking garage the day of surgery. I was a nervous wreck! Good thing I wasn't driving, otherwise, I may have just turned back around and returned home!! This was the first day of the rest of my life! I was pretty fortunate that I didn't have any complications, and faired well. After three months, I was completely off of all of my meds, other than my gastric meds for surgery! I had more energy, and just felt better in general. It was/is not an easy trip. However, I would not change it for the world! I am now 8 1/2 months post op, and down 83 pounds with approximately 10 more to go! I have little pain in my back, and finally feel as though I am free of the shackles that I was in due to being so overweight. I had to have another major surgery, a hysterectomy, in September, and since then I feel like I have hit my plateau. I also have started to slide into some old bad habits with refined sugars, and wraps. I need a little help from my bariatric friends to support me and to get through the last ten pounds. Thanks for welcoming me! Amanda

Be SUPER honest about your health issues if you have any then ask: How much weight will you need to lose prior which surgeries they believe would help you the most What is the rate of complication with each surgery what the waiting period will be with your insurance if you are using insurance What the rate of failure and revision is for the practice What types of supports are available before , during and after surgery How long is the hospital stay Will they use surgical tape, glue or stitches Will you have a drain How many incisions will you receive and their locations CONGRATS