Hi Everyone - I had RNY in Nov. 2009 and I am just now getting really hungry about every 2 hours and also find myself eating more at each meal. My losing has slowed down a lot and I seem to be struggling, does everyone go through this?

My 2001 LBL experience with Coralville, IA plastic surgeons went badly.

Yes I think it could have been okay if they had been more observant.  Maybe they didn't have time. Doctors have such busy schedules. Maybe they have more time now and can be more observant and thoughtful  with technical /surgical manuvers and how it could affect people after they leave the surgical suite  and hit the road.

I would say that they are superlative doctors and they may do the procedure itself "correctly." and� other procedures correctly within�a certain scope.� This LBL stuff s extremely complicated. � I would say they lack the great amount of finesse it takes to do the person's body correctly. I ought to know.� My delicate inner�leg /�groin skin pulled up so tight� to just under hip� bone that it would get embedded into tiny pelvic bony crevices and skin would scrape and pull when changing from sitting to standing to walking positions.� After almost 9 years of great amount of stretching, yawing pitching every day� to grow more skin I am getting a bit more comfortable just lately.

fi�nesse (fÉ™ nes′)

noun

1. adroitness and delicacy of performance
2. the ability to handle delicate and difficult situations skillfully and diplomatically
3. cunning; skill; artfulness; craft
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Doctors  have a procedure and people have a pelvis.  Pelvis and  how it joins and moves with hip ,femur and probably solar plexus all highly dependent on arrangement of connective tissue that pelvis is enveloped or cradled in. PS just yank this here and that there and say okay you have less skin now . But  it must be a constantly evolving real crap shoot to get everything hooked up properly.  Especially if the body lift receipient can't posture themselves in certain ways so it can be determined  what should go where(?) so body can( after certain amount of healing time )reagain proper and comfortable alignment and full functionality.  Then there is the problem of skin contraction months after the lift which can just change everything.
The pelvis can tilt and rotate at full throttle or not  and it's not at full throttle during the surgery -(that's for sure) and if this isn't fully understood well and how could it be really  ...pity the fool.  But if all your after is less skin then it'll do that.
Someone wrote in recently that that the things I'm writing about are being taken into consideration nore recently by some doctors.  And surgical table used has a  kind of water bed type of base so everything can be arranged less crudely and haphazardly.  This sounds somewhat promising I suppose.

My 2001 LBL experience with Coralville, IA plastic surgeons went badly. You must fit their procedure not the other way around. I pity the fool.

Wellmark covers the DS if your BMI is 50+, so you should be covered.

Here is a LINK to the WLS policy.

Does anyone know if Wellmark requires a 6 month Dr. supervised diet?

The policy doens't specifically say that, but one of the surgeons I consulted said they do.

I am looking at getting the VSG, but they still consider it investigational.  I am going to appeal if they deny.

I am so glad to read that you have done the necessary research to make an informed choice as to which surgery seems to work best for you.  But the next step is to hear from a surgeon his/her informed opinion as well.  There may be information they can provide you. 

I don't know where you are in your studies, but I would suggest you try to find a surgeon where you can fully participate in the supporting program.  If you select a surgeon outside your area, will you be able to fully benefit from their program?  The surgery is just one piece of the puzzle.  The best programs also have nutritional, behavioral, and physical support elements.  Participation in support groups is also very helpful for long term maintenance and success.

I didn't do much research on DS but have read many posts about its high success.  I had the RNY and lost 240 lbs. 

Good luck with your research and finding the right surgeon/program.

I also have the same insurance. I went through Mercy Center for Weight Reduction in Des Moines. My doctor was Steve Cahalan. He and Mercy were GREAT! I got my lap band last May. I lose about 1 pound a week. Its a slow process but healthy. I feel great! I like the band because I know its for life! I have seen so many people get the gastric bybass and 5 years later they start to gain it back. And some it works great for them. I still watch what I eat and I have changed my entire eating habits and how I work out. But surgery is not a cure all as it is a tool.
A lot of luck to you! What ever you decide to do; you will not regret it. Its the best gift you could  give your self and your family. The gift of a healthy  prolonged life.

God Bless
Amanda

I've already signed up and got the 50% off deal.  I'm looking forward to it!

If you are interested in attending the Cincinnati OH Event, please PM me as I have a promo code that will get your ticket for only 25.00 instead of the sixty that is on the events page.  What a great savings.  I look forward to meeting you all.

Hi!

I had the most awesome experience at UIHC and with Dr. Jamal and the bariatric team there.  The hospital was the best...........the nurses and aides (or whatever they are called now) were so nice and helpful.  I never had to wait for help when I called them and each one of them was happy to help no matter what I needed.  Dr. Jamal was so nice and very patient with me, taking all the time he needed to answer my questions.  The whole team there is awesome!!  I cannot say enough positive about Debi, Amy and Lynn, and all the nurses at the clinic.  They have been nothing but helpful!

I just hit my one year post op date (2-11-09 was my surgery) and had my appointment on Friday with great success.  I am so pleased with them and can't say enough about them.  I did research other places...................Davenport and Cedar Falls, attending seminars at both places, talked to the surgeons at both places and the bariatric team at the other two places, but UIHC just felt the best to me and my gut told me that was the right choice for me.  I know that there are others who may feel differently than I do, but I just felt comfortable going to the place where bariatric surgery began in Iowa and to the place that is known for it's stellar care in many other areas besides bariatric surgery.  

I think you'll be happy with the care you recieve there and know you are in the best possible hands for your surgery.  Dr. Jamal is awesome and so are the others.

Keep posting on how things go because I'd love to know!  Hopefully I'll see you at support group some time.

Carol

Okay, i had my third dilation yesterday. Again the Dr. found the hole too small to allow most foods. He again opened it up. I had a rough time of it this time. I threw up blood and was real nausea after that. I ended up having a chest xray which came back ok. Since I continued to be so nausea the DR was worried about not getting enough fluids so he admitted me to the hospital. I felt better by the next day and was able to drink so I was sent home. Now I'm back on a full liquid diet for a week or so. My Dr. is confused of why this is happening so much and so I'm I. I had all my three dilation 2 weeks apart. I was wondering if anyone else is having this problem. Could it be that when I throw up it causes the the hole to swell shut more and gets irritated? I'm getting sick of the full liquid diet so can someone help!

That sounds like no fun at all! Sorry your going through such a rough time! I would suggest calling your surgeon back and letting them know, it cant be good for you to be throwing up that often!  As far as the low weight loss, your body probably isnt getting the protein it needs because of the lack of food or food being thrown up when you do eat.  Make sure you are getting all your liquids, vitamins ect in, but call your dr asap and get that taken care of!

Take care of you, and let us know how your doing!!

I have just gotten my therapist to give my surgeon the go ahead so now i am really researching stuff and I have a question. Well I have several I will just ask this one for now.

Does everyone have to have a tummy tuck afterward? Do most peple have a tummy tuck after the weight loss?

I don't think I could ever afford that procedure. I am 5'7 and weigh 375 in a size 28. I carry all of my wiehgt centrally.

I would appreciate any help you guys can give. 

What is the best way to get protein in after surgery?

I know I have had lots of questions but I have forgotten them for now.....I'm sure I will post more later....

First off, I strongly suggest you do some research if only to get confused enough to ask your surgeon good questions. 

In my humble opinion--part of the choice should be determined by your age, your weight (how much you need to lose), how long you've been obese, and your level of comfort with the degree of surgery involved.  I was middle aged, super morbidly obese, had been overweight/obese since childhood, and never been in the hospital before--not even for a broken bone.

I had been philosophically agains wls for a long time.  It seemed like "surgical willpower" to me.  I kept thinking, "I should be able to do this," and did the whole moral failure thing.  So when I reached the point of knowing I had to do something, I did my research.  My first attraction to RNY over band was the success rate--typically one loses more and faster than with the band.  I knew I needed that.   Also, in researching the RNY, I read about how the digestive hormones change allowing people to feel satisfied (very different from feeling full).  I was one of those who had to literally stuff herself to the point of being sick as a substitution for being satisfied.  The more I read about the hormone/digestive changes, the more I understood the RNY was a medical treatment for a medical condition and not just "surgical willpower."  That may not be an issue for you, but it was for me.

Some people like the idea of not having the radical surgical change that the RNY does, while for others it "ups the stakes" and is a motivator.  A lady at my support groups talks about how she did the RNY because she was going to go all the way--and just once.  She was a self-pay and had to morgage her house for the funds.  She was very serious about it (and has lost 130 lbs. and kept if off for five years). 

The best surgery is the surgery that meets your needs.  You can find all sorts of information online to get you started.  But part of it also comes down to your thinking and relationship with food.  After all, it is your brain that drives so much of the overeating.  What are you prepared to do for the rest of your life? 

Keep asking questions.  And good luck.

1) Where are you located? West Central IA,

2) Which WLS did you have OR do you plan to have? I had the RNY Feb. 9, 2004 by Dr. Dwain Rogers. Mercy Hospital in CB, Ia.

3) What was/is your biggest motivation for having WLS? I was near death I thought and wanted to see my children grow up. This was my last resort after trying diet after diet since high school.

4) What was/is your biggest reservation about WLS? I was worried that I would have many complications. Ended up having none.

5) Do you have a 'life motto' that keeps you going? No, not really. Just still trying to get my weight down.

Congratulations Carol!

The weeks between getting my date and having surgery went by quickly for me and I hope that they do for you too!

Something that I did ahead of time that was helpful to me was trying different kinds of protein shakes so that I found one that I could handle drinking and had on hand when I got home.  Also, I sorted the pills into one of those daily pill boxes so that I was ready for at least the first week at home.

I wish you all of the best and look forward to updates on your many successes!!! 

OMG!!!  I finally have the surgery date set!!!!!!!!!!! It is March 2!  I'm sure it will be here before I know it.  Any wise words of wisdom for the month of preparation until then.  I wasn't nervous before the date got set, but now that it has, it's like I can't even think straight!!!  Oh boy, am I ever excited!  It took 15 months, but I have finally made it!!

Carol B
NE Iowa

Sally,
I went to Dr Rizk for my results from my Upper GI I had doen last week. He said my pouch is still small and looks good. Did not see any sign of ulcers. He said that the pain may be an internal hernia which I will just have to keep a record of pain and what I have done prior to and how long the pain lasts. I go back March 16th. He talked to me about a tummy tuck again. He said we would talk about it in March and that I could have it and healed by July. WOW! Only thing is that I would need to lose 20 lbs. I have tried and just can't seem to stay on track. You would think wanting the tummy tuck so bad I would be able to get focused and stay focused.  That is not much time to lose the weight. I have such a busy time coming. My son is moving to Iowa and is also getting married in June or July not set date yet due to military schedule which he will have when getting home from drill Sunday. Wow so much has happened lately. He wanted to get married before deploying in August so, I guess we will have a WV wedding soon. I love my soon to be daughter in law. I will be traveling back and forth to WV a lot from now til deployment. The good thing is that I can still work when I do go to WV. I just have to drive 1.5 hrs to the office in VA but can still see my family and help out. My dad was put in the hospital last week with acute heart failure, blood pressure extremely high and today found out has kidney failure and after being admitted lost strength in his left side which he has not gained back yet. He is 100 lbs over weight as well so, I am here worried and  wanting to be there but it is just not that easy to go. So, with all of that as much as I would love to do the weight loss program at Dr Rizk's office I believe at this time it would be too expensive and hard to do being in and out of town. Dr Rizk did suggest that I do the program. Due to weather and being sick I had to cancel my appoinment with Megan the dietician but did leave my number for to call me for appointment.
So, if you do not mind me asking Dr Rizk discussed the tummy tuck showing me what he would do and I had no idea that insurance would pay for it all lower and upper abdomen. He said yes but then mentioned that the belly button is removed and that this doesn't bother people that it is only cosmetic. I am not sure how I feel about not having a belly button but he said for $400 to $500 he could give me one. So, with your tummy tuck did you have your belly button put back or removed? Was it very expensive to haveyour arms done? Thanks for listening!! Jenn

Good luck!!  From what I read on the VSG message board, more and more insurance companies are covering it.  That's a good sign...hopefully your insurance realizes that there are fewer complications and it's a cheaper procedure than RNY, so it makes sense to approve it in the way that insurance companies understand...the $$$$!!!!

Good to hear, thanks for letting me know. I have BCBS Wellmark and it's still considered investigational. There are people who have managed to get approved still so I'm going to give it a shot.

I chose the band over bypass, for many of the same reasons as the previous responder mentioned.  I was just afraid of all the potential complications, and thought that the band would be the best option long-term for losing and keeping the weight off.  (Studies show that the 5 year results of bandsters vs. bypass are much the same.)  I have several friends who have had the bypass and 3 out of 5 of them have gained back at least 1/2, if not more, of the weight they initially lost.  That was mainly what I considered with my choice...surgery issues, recovery time, and long-term benefits.  Plus, like you I didn't have any health issues that needed immediate fixing with weight loss like diabetes, etc.  Plus, it's reversible if anything would ever happen that would warrant that. 

One thing they don't tell you up front is that it takes a while for the band to kick in.  I'm 8 months out and just finally got some good restriction with my fill this week.  (I'm glad they didnt' tell me though, or it might have changed my mind and I don't know if that would have been the right thing for me.)  You absolutely DO have to make sure you keep up on your fills and eat right, and it's not nearly as fast of weight loss as bypass.  And you're NOT pretty much guaranteed to lose weight like you are with bypass because of the malabsorption of calories that provides.  The band is a tool that will help you, but it does take some effort.  Bypass does too, but there's more instant gratification there with weight loss.  I can't say I don't sometimes wish I would have had the bypass, because I have 150 lbs to lose and have only lost 50 so far.  However, now that I'm at good restriction I'm doing great and LOVE my band!  And, I know that even though it will take longer I'll get there, and I feel very confident that the band will help me keep it off.  I am 100% sure I made the right choice (even considering the several months of frustration I felt when I didn't have good restriction!). 

With either surgery, what a lot of us fight is the 'head' hunger.  Neither surgery will get rid of that, but you can learn to control it.  Mine has also gotten much better now that I've had time to listen to my body and eat when I'm 'really' hungry.  (Not that I always can stick to that and never 'cheat', but nobody's perfect!)    Good luck with your decision, whatever it may be!  This is a personal choice, and it's different for everyone.

I have been away from this site for awhile and came back to check in the other day. I'm wanting to have the sleeve but the closest I could find before was in Omaha. Now I see they are performing this surgery in DesMoines. I'm VERY excited about this because that's only about an hour and a half to two hour drive for me as opposed to a much, much longer drive.

I'm sure the doctors in Omaha have a lot more experience with the VSG but for me with having small children and frankly not much money to spend traveling DesMoines is just looking really really good to me!

Does anyone have any idea how long they've been doing the VSG there and which doctors actually performe the surgery? I believe I had seen Teresa LeMasters (sp?) does it but I'm not positive.

Hello to everyone else out there in Iowa and hope you are staying as warm as possible!!!

Hi Carol! (sounds like I'm talking to myself!)

Congratulations!!  I know how happy you must feel as I've been where you are.............that "hoop jumping" can be brutal!!

March 1st is so close that before you know it, you will be sitting at home post op!  Believe me when I say it will go quickly.  Each day that passes until you get to that point will be planning days for the wonderful life you have to look forward to.

Keep us posted on things and know that we are here celebrating this big step with you!!

Carol

Hi Carol,
I am so happy for you!!!! The time will fly by so quickly for you.  Just think before you know it you will be starting your 2 week liquid diet.  It is not as bad as I thought it would be.  I am doing fine, finally got my treadmill I ordered yesterday and tried it out.  It has ifit on it so I bought the Jillian Michaels level 1-3 and started with level one and about died.  She took me on a 20 min workout and peaked with a 7% incline and 5 mph speed.  Ended up being a 19 min mile.  For  me a person who hasn't pushed myself like that in years it felt like level 3.  I am just thankful I could hang on the 20 minutes, because prior to surgery there would have been no way I could have.  Keep us posted on your journey and let us know when they set the date....