It is absolutely worth the time and effort.  I had a bypass and did not form the stoma required to have a pouch that worked.  I had a repair, and further injections that did not work.  I lost weight by eating fruits and vegetgables.  When I got a hernia, I asked about the lapband and it is an incredible tool.  It gives you signals that make you aware of behavior.  When you eat too much, you know.  It also is a tool, as it will make you aware of why you are eating.  You have to wonder, if you puked as many times as I did the first few months.  Why am I doing this was my first clue. 
For me, the bottom line was that I was more afraid of staying the same, than I was of making a change. 

The head has to change.  follow up care is a big part of this.  Support groups are wonderful.  If you have children, be there and be part of their lives, as well as your own. 

Hi, I've been following your post and appreciate you and your husband's time and effort.  I'm almost at three years post-op and have had problems with hypoglycemia for about the last year.  I lost 215 lbs. which was considered by my doc to be too much too fast.  I gained 40 back and felt somewhat better.  I have had difficulty keeping food down for a majority of the time and have not been able to keep hardly anything down since June 9th.  My blood sugar only drops post-grandially (after eating) (please forgive spelling).  Since I haven't been able to eat, my blood sugar has remained stable.  I also have an ulcer at my anastomosis site that won't heal so when I do eat it usually comes back up from irritating the ulcer.  I have worked with so many docs trying to figure this out it gets frustrating. Currently I'm working with a doc at UCLA and he is trying everything to figure it  out.  I've had MRI's, PET SCANS, Nuclear Scans, Endoscopic Ultrasounds, glucose tolerance tests, all coming back normal.  We tried Acarbose but it made me sick.  All of the docs are now saying that it looks like a reversal of the bypass will be only option.  However, I'm going to UCLA on Thursday and we will try one more thing.  I will have to give myself injections of a med 3x per day.  Just in case I have made an appointment with my bypass doc to see about the reversal.  Being that I'm also a psych patient has complicated matters further.  It's turned into a vicious cycle, I can't eat because I get sick, I get dehyrated and malnourished, my psychosis takes off when I get scared, I eat, my blood sugar drops, I panic, psychosis gets worse, I don't eat, etc.. At this point I think I just want the reversal and I'll take my chances.  Again thanks for the post, I will take it to my doc at UCLA. Lorrie

I so sry Sherry you've had to go through all this trouble!!!! Wi**** would've been smooth sailing but I guess we don't always get what we wish for.....I hope you get better real soon hun.......Good luck to you and your wonderful family.........((HUGZZ))

I'm not in any real pain.  Sometimes when I over do it (running around or cleaning the house) I feel pain around my belly button, but if I rest a bit it goes away.  I am very careful not to lift over 10 lbs. because I so don't want a hernia.

The main thing that I am struggling with is lack of energy.  I can't seem to stand for an extended period of time or be active without resting.  Forget about any exercise, I don't even have enough energy to take care of my family.  I am praying that my energy and strength returns before I have to return to work in three weeks (first grade teacher).

Good luck!

Thanks for responding. Are you still having any pain? or do you feel like you have heartburn of if your GERD has returned? If that was an issue for you...