Anyone that is more than 5 years out

Hi,  I was just wondering if you have had any long term complications and if so what they were.  I am in the process of getting approved for the surgery and trying to get as much info as I can.  I am considering the RNY or lapbad.  Also if you have had children after surgery if you had any problems during your pregnancy and if you child is healthy.  Thanks

I am at 5 years out. NO PROBLEMS ,but remember to lose all you can that first year and exercise ,exercise ,exericse along the way. Drink your water or Crystal lite too ...Alot of people will start to do a regain about the 2 year mark if they arent careful .. I am still a 10 , (THANK GOD) but i work out 5 days a week a min of 30 minutes and I eat 6 small meals a day , protein first .. I lost to an 8 ,had my 10 % regain and settled in at a 10.  To be honest, an 8 was to small as I looked sickly . I LOVE MY RNY and would do it again in a min . The first 3 months were HORRIBLE but I woke one day after the first 3 and it was over and it has been all good since. You can do this and will be so so happy in the end I think ... I AM anyway  Skinny Wishes to you :) Shirley

First off WELCOME to oh. Next you might also want to post on the OHIO BOARD and the LIGHT WEIGHT BOARD.  NOW to answer your question. I'm over 4 years out. OPEN RNY 11/17/2003. I have had NO complications other than getting LAZY and not following the rules and have regained a little to much weight back.  I'm still a success in my PCP and WLS doc since I have lost and keep off 80% of my weight over 4 years.  As far as pregnancy after WLS I don't have any direct experence but know several who have. You just have to tell you OBGYN that you have had WLS and then watch your vitiman levels. Everyone that I know have had healthy babies and have lost most if not all of the baby weight.  Just keep REASEACHING and find the RIGHT WLS for you and your eating habits.  Good Luck,  Robin

Jaime ~ I had my surgery in Nov. 1999. I had a daughter last May and she is a healthy little girl. I had the most uneventful pregnancy ever!   I highly recommend RnY over lapband.

I've had no complications with the RNY at any time.  I've never hurled or "dumped" and can eat anything without a problem. My labs are fine, but I have to keep up with all the vitamins, especially calcium (in citrate form), Vitamin D, B-12, and iron (in prescription form).   If I don't keep up with them, the values start to drop out of the normal range so I do have to remain vigilant.  I'm battling regain right now (primarily from chocolate abuse, an indulgence that no type of WLS will let you get away with at the level I was doing it).  I'm down 12 pounds from my regain high, with 28 more pounds to re-lose.  Altogether, lost 140 pounds with the RNY (100 percent of my excess weight), 110 pounds of which is still gone after almost six years. I'm not at child-bearing age anymore (I'll be 50 this summer), so I can't answer your pregnancy question. Good luck.  Research carefully, there are several types of WLS out there, & the RNY and band are just two of them.  FWIW, if had to do it over again, I'd still do the RNY.

I'd say try the Lap Band first (and I've not had an ideal ride but it is the best thing I could have ever done and will always be my first choice even if I knew my journey was going to be the way it is, I'd still choose the same way).  The new AP bands  and Realize Bands seem better, they are lower pressure which is good on the esophogas.  Not having malabsorbancy is best when you are considering having children (thought RNYers and DSers do great too).  Most important, you are not a high BMI.  Would you be incredibly unhappy if you were one of those people like me that just lost 60lbs with the band?  Could you live with that - have healthy pregnancies with that?  At your BMI, I think you could. I wish you well with whatever choice you make.  Research, research, research! Best, Leila

I am 5 yrs post RNY and have reactive hypoglycemia. It is where my blood sugar drops an hour or so after I eat (usually a high carb meal). I have re-gained 40 lbs of a 90 lb loss. I had a healthy baby 3 yrs post. If your insurance would cover it consider the VSG (sleeve) or the DS also.

I'm 13.5 yrs from distal RNY (part of it like a DS). My kids are 35 & 38, so I'm thinking I'll not be having more. LOL

The only long term effect would be the osteoporosis. They didn't have us on enough OR the right kind of calcium in the early days. And while we took more extra vit D than I see anywhere else, it was 1600 IU and today I take 50,000 IU daily.

Lots of new studies out NOW, just weren't there in the 90's.

I've had the reactive hypoglycemia, but I now can clearly point it to white carbs, specifically bread or potato. And it only took me 13 yrs to figure it out! LOL

I have my surgery 9/17/03  which make it almost 5 years....the current thing that I think I wish I would have stayed on top of early out is calcium suppliments. I recently had a dexibone scan and I have some bone loss, nothing worry some, yet, but because I was young I didnt put importance to my calcium suppliments like I did everything else and I am worried I might someday be sorry.... Only other thing I feel I should add is this...Please dont think this is an end all be all....I diet every single day of my life to keep this weight off probably more than i did before surgery...The positive thing is that THIS TIME it is staying off :-) Good luck Diana RNY 9/17/03 360/196/ forever aiming at 180