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Thinking of converting from band to bypass ... DO IT!



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I had lapband surgery in August of 2008. I only ever lost 35 lbs. About two years in, half of my band collapsed and wouldn’t hold Fluid at all. In 2015 I went to the doc for a revision to sleeve. My doc would not convert from band to sleeve due to increased leak risk. He recommended bypass and my insurance quickly approved. I didn’t want bypass and didn’t go through with it. I tried Keto and lost 50 lbs. I didn’t keep it off and was back up to 285 which was my initial band weight the first of this year. I decided to have bypass this year and had to fight insurance for 5 months which was crazy because I was in the same position I was in in 2015. On July 2nd I had my band removed, bypass and my gallbladder removed. I stayed one night in the hospital and went back to work part time a week later and full time a week after that. I’m due to start any diet I want this weekend. This surgery has been a walk in the park for me. No problems at all and finally no stuck food in my throat! I’ve lost 18 lbs and am excited for what’s to come. Why did I wait so long?! If you are on the fence do it ... your life will be so much better. =)

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Your words convinced me. SOLD!:):)

Wait. I've never had a lap band or a sleeve or any other weight-loss surgery that might benefit from a conversion to bypass. It's just that your succinct comment convinced me that if I HAD to take action of some sort, I'd definitely listen to you.

I had my bypass on June 13, 2018. Apparently, I got it right the first time. Lucky me. Lucky for others like me.

I'm happy for you. I'm proud of you for fighting the good fight with your insurance company (talk about a soulless corporation with the horse sense of used toilet paper). It sounds like you've tried to make good decisions since the beginning... but your journey abruptly headed South.

But... finally, FINALLY!!! ... you're on a superhighway that will get you where you've wanted to go all along... again, I'm so very happy for you. Keep us posted. Your journey is one I'd like to follow.

Edited by Missouri-Lee's Summit

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8 hours ago, Carlad48 said:

I had lapband surgery in August of 2008. I only ever lost 35 lbs. About two years in, half of my band collapsed and wouldn’t hold Fluid at all. In 2015 I went to the doc for a revision to sleeve. My doc would not convert from band to sleeve due to increased leak risk. He recommended bypass and my insurance quickly approved. I didn’t want bypass and didn’t go through with it. I tried Keto and lost 50 lbs. I didn’t keep it off and was back up to 285 which was my initial band weight the first of this year. I decided to have bypass this year and had to fight insurance for 5 months which was crazy because I was in the same position I was in in 2015. On July 2nd I had my band removed, bypass and my gallbladder removed. I stayed one night in the hospital and went back to work part time a week later and full time a week after that. I’m due to start any diet I want this weekend. This surgery has been a walk in the park for me. No problems at all and finally no stuck food in my throat! I’ve lost 18 lbs and am excited for what’s to come. Why did I wait so long?! If you are on the fence do it ... your life will be so much better. =)

This mirrors my experience with the band pretty closely. Had the band installed in 2011, I did lose 70lbs or so, but that was it, the gain/loss fight started. I didn't have any major issues with the band, but I did get stuck far too often, and things that shouldn't hurt, like leafy greens, did. Revised to the Bypass this past march and I couldn't be happier.

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    • Doughgurl

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      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
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      1. Selina333

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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