Carnie is on the NBC Today show. A great story on her journey in the last 13 yeras and about her decision to go back for a 2nd weight loss surgery (lap-band).

Yes it was really good to see her reasons for going thru with WLS and a reminder that it is a tool.

Attached is link for those that would like to view it

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/46937124#46937124

I applaude her for all of her trials and going public but the lapband. Come on......that thing sucks and she will end up having that taken out. I do not know anyone who has been happy with their band. It was the happeist moment in my life when mine was removed. Do not miss the vomiting at all. How about any of you other former band patients.

Thanks for shaing that clip and it is a reminder that this is just a tool. I (can't speak for everyone else), know that there are issues that make me eat and if I dont change those things in coordination with exercise, and watching what I put into my body I may be right back where I am today. Overweight, diabetic, with sleep apnea, and a family history of heart disease so if I don't change I will not be around much longer. So I am glad Carnie is a positive force for all of us who have our demons and hopefully it will make us stronger.

We all have to be positive and things will get better stay with the program. I know it is hard I am starting my 2nd week of pre -op dieting and am down 12 lbs and have 2 more weeks to go drinking protien shakes but I look at myself and say you have to do it. For no one else but myself.

Yes it was really good to see her reasons for going thru with WLS and a reminder that it is a tool.

Attached is link for those that would like to view it

http://today.msnbc.m...937124#46937124

Thanks for posting the clip!

I'm just a little confused. How can she have a lap band if she already had the gastric by-pass? Are they going to reverse the whole by-pass procedure and then put a band on her stomach? Seems dangerous to me. I actually talked to my surgeon who said he absolutely would not reverse the gastric by-pass. Too risky. I do hope the best for her though. I'm just praying my sleeve works and I never have to have the gastric by-pass.

I believe they just place the band around the "pouch". Which is strange to me. What if it slips?

That is strange! Seems the band would be almost as large as the pouch. I'm sure it has gotten bigger, but still..

Carnie is both a success story and warning story. I applaud her for going public with her weight struggles and being honest about both surgeries. Some people don't have weight problems and don't know the difficulty of weight problems, mental struggles, and surgeries, so I do appreciate her sharing. It makes me sad though that she has to have a second surgery. I have lost and gained weight so many times. I know my sleeve is just a tool and I have to do the rest, but one of my reasons for doing this was to get to my goal weight and not regain. This is all up to me though.

Lisa's Hope-I think her surgeon does not undo her bypass. Her bypass pouch probably stretched so there is now enough room to make a new pouch with the lap band.

I really hope this works for her.

Why though, of all the surgeries, would she go with the one with the lowest rate of success and highest rate of complication (lap)? Did she have the original "classic" gastric bypass?

The only option left to her is the lap band or the new thing I saw where they stitch up the pouch to restrict it. I don't think you can "sleeve" a pouch :-(

I guess I just don't understand, now that she has had her babies, why wasn't she able to just lose the weight, by "working her pouch"?

You know, I just ate my lunch. A Michaeleno's 5 Cheese Ziti which has 200 calories. The restriction of the VSG allowed me to eat approximately 1/2 (maybe a bite more) of it. SOOOO, thankful that when we reach "full", you don't EVEN WANT to eat that last bite!. I'm so glad I chose VSG over Gastric Bypass. I realize that my "sliders" can be a downfall but if you go by restriction and STOP when you reach that limit, well, it's all good!!!!! Happy Day to all!

I've been seeing Carnie all over the place on tv and am kind of sad that she went with the band.

I just had my band out, and it was covered in scar tissue, and my port had scar tissue around it too, and I was throwing up at every meal and in so much discomfort. I wish that she could have had a sleeve instead or plication. (Here's an article about the plication: http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/The-New-Gastric-Bypass-Surgery-Beyond-Stomach-Stapling)

The only reason that I opted for the sleeve instead of the gastric plication was that, with the sleeve, the grehlin is removed.

Carnie just stretched out her pouch, which is easy to do if you overeat. I commend her for seeking another alternative, but I think, in a few years, we will be hearing about her band removal.

Actually, Carnie has several options or did anyways before she went with the band. She could have and maybe should have opted for the DS. It is also possible for her to have the Sleeve, albeit only a handful of surgeons in N. America are skilled at doing that conversion and doing it well. She could have had the Rose procedure, which if memory serves me that is simply going in and tightening up her pouch from the original surgery. There may be something else as I don't proclaim to be an expert. Like most here, I am just hoping she can be successful long term with the band despite its poor stats for other patients. who have been banded. Only time will tell.

The only option left to her is the lap band or the new thing I saw where they stitch up the pouch to restrict it. I don't think you can "sleeve" a pouch :-(

Can sleevers get re-sleeved/tightened? I still have 40 lbs to lose and sometimes feel like I never even had surgery.