I am having a small fit then will get over it. I had my consult with my surgeon today and thought I would be all set to get a surgery date only to be told he wants to see me lose 50,60 or 70 pounds in the next 3 months. He also wants to see me get stronger cardiovasularly. He wants me on liquid preop diet for 2 weeks then off for 2 weeks and this is for the next 3 months. I know he is right in that he does not want to lose a patient on the table but I just need to have a littel fit about it. I was so hoping to be banded in august. Also he wants me to get the sleeve not the band. I am pretty fit to be tied.COuld use some words of wisdom.

Relax do what surgery you think is best for you. Know all the pros and cons to both and then make your choice. I don't know how much you weigh but it is probably best to lose some weight first you want to give yourself the best chance to come out ok. And yes the liquid diet is going to suck but it will be worth it.

Well---I am not sure of your weight/stats---but I am sure if he wants you to lose that much weight it is for your own safety and to minimize risks. As far as recommending the sleeve---I would just recommend ressearching that procedure and deciding if YOU think it is right for YOU---if you are adament that you want the lap band---then see a second surgeon for another opinion...

DO a search on the sleeve on this forum---there is some info on here

Hey karry

You and I were banded the same day! Great job! You are doing so well!

I agree with what has been said . . . if your doctor thinks you need to lose weight before surgery for your safety, then do it for your safety.

But doing the sleeve? That sounds more like a confidence issue -- like maybe he thinks you can't stick to the lapband rules? I don't know much about the sleeve, but I know that if a doctor recommended it to me, I would have gone straight to another doctor. I wanted the band and that was it. Only you can really answer that question and only you can know if the doctor is right about your abilities to follow the lapband rules.

My family doctor told me that unless I lost a significant amount of weight he didn't know how much he could do to keep me healthy.

I did some research on various bariatric surgeries and then went to a lapband seminar. My husband was strongly in favor of the band because of the lower risks. I was initially more open to the RNY because of the fast initial weight loss but then learned more about the band and liked the lower risk profile and the fact that it's adjustable and doesn't reroute any internal organs. I met the band surgeon and liked him and made the decision and was ready to go.

I went back to my family physician (required by the band surgeon) and he told me he favored the RNY bypass and that he would not recommend the band. I talked to the surgeon who gave me some additional information about the band and he said that a lot of doctors are simply not educated about the band.

Anyway, there's more but the point is that I had to do the research and talk to my husband and decide what we were most comfortable with. Doctors know a lot but they don't know everything about every procedure. I finally went back to my family physician and told him that I was going with the band and I needed a letter from him stating that he would do my follow-up care and that I could go somewhere else if he couldn't do that. He said, "Well, it's not my body so you do whatever you want." He did agree to write the letter. I got the letter, sent it to my surgeon and then started shopping for a new family doctor who knew more about the band and would be more supportive of my decision.

As for the pre-op diet, it's awful but it can be done. Personally, I stuck to liquid Protein shakes and exercised a lot because I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. The first several months of the band journey are pretty tough for everyone. We feel your pain - we really do. I think you'll hear from almost everyone on here that it's all worth it in the end. Good luck!

I agree with the previous posters. It is definitely all worth it in the end and your health is very important. If it is a lot safer to lose a bit first then you will be better off. You will also find adjusting to band life is easier if you have gone through liquid dieting phases and worked on weight loss before being banded.

Surgeons are different and I bet you I can find three different qualified surgeons in my town that have vastly different ideas about what they prefer. Preliminary weight loss may improve your chances for a healthier outcome so most surgeons will probably suggest this. However, with this kind of surgery perhaps it would be best to check with another surgeon as well for an initial consultation.

Can I ask what your BMI is? I was curious if the recommended loss is more due to a high BMI or a personal preference for your surgeon.

You may want to get a second opinion. I was at my surgeon's office a week or so ago and there was a woman there that was banded. She looked close to 400 lbs. No preop diet. My doctor doesn't do them.

My PCP didn't want me to get a band either. He told me that he had not seen much success with them. He wanted me to go bypass. I didn't. He was very surprised and happy when I went to see him a month ago. He was truly surprised I had lost 100 pounds. I think they tell you what they know. If they have not seen much success with something, they probably won't recommend it to patients. Do what you want to do, its your body and your life.

I am having a small fit then will get over it. I had my consult with my surgeon today and thought I would be all set to get a surgery date only to be told he wants to see me lose 50,60 or 70 pounds in the next 3 months. He also wants to see me get stronger cardiovasularly. He wants me on liquid preop diet for 2 weeks then off for 2 weeks and this is for the next 3 months. I know he is right in that he does not want to lose a patient on the table but I just need to have a littel fit about it. I was so hoping to be banded in august. Also he wants me to get the sleeve not the band. I am pretty fit to be tied.COuld use some words of wisdom.

Doctors usually recommend the gastric sleeve when patients have a BMI of 50 or higher. It is just because they run a higher risk of complications by getting either gastric bypass or lap band. It is sort of similar to the gastric bypass, except they reduce the size of your stomach by cutting it. They don't re-route things or mess with anything like they do with the bypass, so your stomach maintains normal function, just at a smaller size. If your BMI is below 50, I would do what everyone else on here is saying and get a 2nd opinion. It might not hurt to do it regardless. I am sorry that you were so let down today, I will keep you in my thoughts. :biggrin2:

Hey karry

You and I were banded the same day! Great job! You are doing so well!

Thanks!! So are you!!

thanks so much to everyone on here who responded I had my little fit then promtply took myself to a water aerobics class. It was just what I needed. I will start with my liquids tomorow. I do have a high BMI and after a lot of thought I am actually greatful that I am seeing surgeoun that does not just jump in. He said today he would rather lose a patient than lose one on the table. To me that says I am with the right surgeoun. So onward i will go and start gettign some of this weight off. thanks again for the support and encouragemant.

There is a thread somewhere I was reading last night about a poster who they had to slice open up and down. She was upset with her doctor for not him not requiring her to do more of a pre opt diet and giving her a warning if her liver was too fatty, they couldnt pull it out of the way. Scary post. If you are more overweight you need the pre opt to make your liver shrink enough they can pull it out of the way, you dont want to be sliced from top to bottom like a few have been.

I had the band for three years and after a pregnancy had complications and had to have it removed. If I would have known what I know now, I would have most definitley chosen the sleeve. I my self am waiting to get the sleeve. I know it is hard waiting, but I once read on this forum 3 years ago a comment that stuck with me, The lady said "could it be this good, it is if the euphoria never ends!" She was so right, when you finally lose the weight your life will never be the same! You Can Make It!

I mentioned my surgeon earlier but not my pcp. My pcp was against wls for me in general. My BMI hovered around 40 and he said it would be a better option if I just changed my diet and did more exercise.

I was already regularly exercising vigorously and had been doing so for years. My diet was relatively healthy, low in fat, lower calories with relatively few carbs. So what was the problem??? Constant, incessant, unrelenting hunger and I ate way too many calories for my small frame, even if they were from primarily healthy sources.

Anyway, my pcp reluctantly came around at my insistence but I know he never felt it was truly the right decision for me. I have not been back to see him for over a year (part of the reason is that it takes over an hour to get to his office after moving). Really this makes me quite sad because I really liked my doctor a lot. I had been taken my family there for about 15 years, he was always there for me, supported alternate treatments and herbal remedies (which is atypical but was right up my alley), he had red hair like mine and an easy-going personality with great bed-side manner.

It just again goes to show that even good doctors can have very different opinions regarding the wls topic.

I agree with what has been said . . . if your doctor thinks you need to lose weight before surgery for your safety, then do it for your safety.

But doing the sleeve? That sounds more like a confidence issue -- like maybe he thinks you can't stick to the lapband rules? I don't know much about the sleeve, but I know that if a doctor recommended it to me, I would have gone straight to another doctor. I wanted the band and that was it. Only you can really answer that question and only you can know if the doctor is right about your abilities to follow the lapband rules.

If you go to a doctor you are asking for his advice. If he gives you his opinion...the thing you are paying for, why would you go to a different doctor?

In this case the OP didn't know much about the sleeve. It's a GOOD thing that he is telling her about her options. We need to know about all our options.

With a band you will average 1-2 pounds weekly. With the sleeve you will average 2-3 pounds weekly. With a band you will average 50-70% of your excess weight. With the sleeve you will average 70-80% of your excess weight.

If someone has a higher BMI they have more to lose, right? So for round numbers lets say that someone weighs 300# and they want to lose 150#. With a band they are going to (on the average) lose about 90#. With the sleeve they are going to average about a 113# weight loss. For a higher BMI a sleeve does indeed make more sense. It will get the person closer to a healthy BMI and by the way, a sleeve has fewer long term risks and complications than a band does.

So why in the world shouldn't her MD tell her about the sleeve? I'd be angry if I got one procedure and after it was all done and over THEN the doc told me about the rest of my options.