CowgirlJane

We have a sofa with the recliners on the ends. It is getting old and the seat sags a bit - combined with my weight and i can have a hard time getting the leg rest part of the recliner down and getting my butt out of the seat! I am thinking post op this is going to be very uncomfortable! I don't have much extra cash but was thinking of buying a recliner off craigslist even if I resell it after losing some weight. Any suggestions on what was comfortable for you post op? i had my band removed in Sept and was quite surprised how sore I was the first couple of weeks - especially the port area. They removed alot of adhesions and scar tissue too. I was a bit uncomfortable gettint out of my current sofa/recliner When they do the sleeve, there is a hernia repair involved too, so I am expecting to be even more sore this time.

Melissa, i am sorry you have had such a difficult time! Do you mind sharing more about your complication - what went wrong? I have not yet been sleeved, but had my band out in late Sept and plan to be sleeved before the end of the year. I read alot of people who are very happy with the sleeve, even when they had a rough start like you.

When I first started exploring revision from my band I was looking into the gastric bypass. Well, someone i knew who had lost alot of weight after her bypass died in her sleep about 5 years post surgery - she was only 40. It really frightened me! What I came to find out though was that she had very serious emotional problems and had become a serious alcoholic - lost her job, family and many friends. She was also a diabetic - it was all just too much for her body. I felt very sad for her but I had to realize that she had these issues before her weight loss and sadly she just didnt get the help she needed. I think we all need to accept that there are risks, but my goodness, compared to the very real risks of remaining obese, i think it is worth the gamble.

I wonder if people are used to seeing you bigger, so it is shocking. I wonder if it will subside over the next year or more... once your new normal is established. I know a few naturally skinny people, and they really are skinny, but are healthy. I think that sudden weight loss can initially appear unhealthy to others (although we know how much health improves by losing so much weight!). Personally, I am ready to have this problem instead of feeling so big next to everyone else Lydia - we are practically neighbors! Did you have your surgery locally?

I was watching an episode of Hoarders:Buried Alive and heard the therapist say something that I have never heard before.... "I want you to be okay with feeling that anxiety - you don't have to make it go away (in their case by keeping junk) and in time it will decrease". I have been trying to apply that, just sort of accepting the anxiety that sometimes rises, I don't need to feed it a cookie to make it shut up! Now, I realize that doesn't work for extreme anxiety, but for someone who uses food to numb some of the uncomfortable feelings, it is a real novel idea to think about just accepting the feelings rather then always trying to bury them. I think it is working.

I had my band out Sept 28 (not sleeved yet) and I must say it was a bit more painful then I expected. I too was sore where the port was - be sure to follow the instructions about not lifting!

So, your big day is tomorrow! Best of luck for a fast recovery.

I would often feel hungry with the band.

This is a tough spot, it is so disappointing when that band fails. What I wanted to mention is that my company is changing from BC/BS PPO to BC/BS of MA and they specficially exclude the sleeve. You can go on the webpage to find out of BC/BS of AL covers the sleeve

Thanks everyone - great responses and discussion. For me personally, I probably SHOULD be worried about the forced change of relationship with food, but I am actually looking forward to that part. I know it will be rough at first, but I want to eat like a normal woman, small quanties and and based on what I need to fuel my body and no more. I probably should be more concerned about the fact that being obese is slowing killing me (I have sleep apnea, early onset arthritis and borderline blood pressure. I have insulin resistance, and will likely become diabetic if I don't get the weight off and keep it off), but there is something about surgery that focuses your worries on a specific event...lol My conscious fears are really surgery and recovery related. I know that MOST people have no major problems, but I guess the thoughts that keep creeping in is what if I am one of the unlucky few that get a leak, a stricture or has a problem during surgery. I realize that my odds of dying on the table are very low,but it is still in the back of my mind. As a revision from the band, I probably have a higher risk of leaks and I know that can be a real recovery nightmare. You are right, I feel great about my surgeon's skills and support, but I know that even so, bad things can happen. I am trying to keep my mine focused on all the benefits of losing weight and becoming healthier. All the sleevers I have met are just so happy with their new life - I keep trying to focus my "eye on the prize" but I do sometimes get a little overwhelmed with the fears. I keep trying to visualize myself 6 months post surgery - alot of weight gone, feeling healthier etc and with NO long term complications.

Don't feel shameful... I bet MOST people will admire you for keeping on trying. I believe that society is really starting to understand just how difficult obesity is to cure. There may be a few naysayers, which is fine, but don't ever let anyone make you feel ashamed for being overweight, for having not had success with the band or for doing this surgery. I always think of Oprah - that woman can do about anything she sets her mind to, right... well, except keep weight off. We are in good company, trying to go from obese to trim is such a difficult journey and the science is really now starting to understand why. No shame, be proud of yourself for keeping up the fight of this battle.

I can so relate! I was banded in '01, all fill removed in '04 due to complications. I have had an empty band all these years, and yet when they removed it in Sept... omg... I have been SO HUNGRY. It really tells me that my desire to eat isn't just an emotional issue. I feel like even an empty band was some sort of check on my hunger and now that it is gone, I feel like I could eat nonstop. I am doing a low carb diet right now, not losing weight but I am at least staying away from the junk.

My surgeon gave me the option of doing it all at once or separate surgeries. I chose to do separate surgeries because I had the band for 10 years and figured there would be alot of scarring and adhesions and to be honest I was still coming to terms with whether I wanted 85% of my stomach removed. When they removed the band in late September, they spent alot of time removing the adhesions and I will be sleeved and hernia repair in December. I don't think it is a skill level question; I think it is a question of what do you think is the least risk. I suspect that there isn't very good data on which approach gives best results statistically speaking (ie fewer complications) so surgeons are working off their own experiences. for me, this has been good. I have been so hungry and gaining weight, in spite of trying to diet since the band came out. It has really removed any dellusional thoughts of "I can do this myself". It may sound crazy, but i needed that last dose of reality, that my obesity is out of control and I can't get a grip without bariatric surgery.

Are you allowed to have broth? Sometimes the headaches are really the result of the sodium reduction and maybe some broth would get you through the feeling bad. Also, drink lots of water!

Thank you both for your support. I know that many bariatric patients have sleep apnea - it was my sleep apnea doc that was the one that really encouraged me to explore the sleeve option a year ago. I actually credit him with helping me be open to this surgery - he really recommends it and sees it as life saving/life extending for people like me. He has seen many of his apnea patients be "cured" by the weight loss and would be happy to see the same thing happen for me. My emotional reaction to knowing the increased risk was really disproportionate, and i guess is probably my overall anxiety finding something to latch onto. amanda, seeing someone who has lost over 100 pounds so quickly - well - that inspires me to not give up just because I have anxiety over it. My dear friend is a nurse and she is VERY supportive of me doing this. She tells me I have researched it too much, am too aware of the things that CAN go wrong. she thinks I should just do this since I really have made an informed decision....and not let my freak outs get in the way. Her point being is that I am not obsessing about the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc that are very real risks of keeping this extra weight - and she is right! I didn't cancel the date and so the date of Dec 12 just gets closer and closer.... I am hoping I can regain that feeling of peace, but even if I can't, I still think this is the right decision.... I can do this

I have taken a very long time to decide to do this. I had a failed band removed and my appetite has gone through the roof - I have gained 10# since it was removed. I had alot of conerns, like most of us do. I have done alot of research, talking to people, getting screening tests etc and I finally came to peace with this decision. I want the benefits that a healthier body will bring me, and I have tried so hard, so many times over the years to lose and keep weight off... and I just can't make anything work. Anyway, I made peace with my decision, scheduled my surgery and while still a little nervous, I was actually looking forward to it. Then, this week I had a major meltdown. It was triggered by being required to do another sleep study since I have gained weight since I was originally fitted with a cpap last year. At the same time, I found out that my insurance changes starting jan 1 and the sleeve is no longer covered! (the new insurance provider considers it investigational) For some reason, that feeling of pressure, like I have to keep my Dec date just caused a big emotional reaction. I am preapproved for this year - so really - if i want insurance coverage I need to do this in Dec! My sleep study went okay, no adjustment to the cpap needed. I do now have something new to worry about - people with sleep apnea have a higher anesthesia risk during the first 24 hours after surgery (when you no longer have a breathing tube). I didn't really know too much about this before. I am feeling a little better today, but I feel very confused why I would be so strong and confident about the decision to be sleeved, and to be thrown into an emotional tizzy due to the sleep apnea info plus the pending insurance issues.

Thanks for sharing your story! I too have horses and dogs, I am curious when you think you can return to normal chores.

I was approved for surgery under a different BC/BS plan, but for 2012 my company is making us switch to BC/BS of MA. Due to my work schedule, I am not sure I can have the surgery done this year. BC/BS of MA covers bariatric surgery, but it looks like the sleeve is considered investigational and is excluded. Just curious if anybody has practical experience with this provider. thanks!

I am glad to get the reassurance that it is totally different then the band. I wasn't hungry at first with the band, but after a few months, I was hungry alot of the time. Of course, some of that is just the desire to eat, but I also know it was physical hunger.

Whatever you decide, remember that telling one person may wind up with a lot more people knowing. I told exactly 4 people when I was banded - DH, my 2 kids and my sister. About 2 years later I overheard her telling a CROWD of people about my gastric band in a very negative way. It was very hurtful, but it was a lesson - once the cat is out of the bag, well, you no longer control that info. With the sleeve, I am choosing to tell more people.

What a beautiful girl! I am so glad to hear things have gone so well.

My primary care doc (now, former primary care doc) had never heard of the sleeve, so no matter how I tried to describe it to her, she thought it was the gastric bypass surgery. the note she sent to the bariatric doctor was not supportive as she says too many people have complications and regain weight too. She is basing that on her gastric bypass patients! Not every doctor or nurse is really educated on bariatric issues - so - it could be your SIL is not informed about this specific procedure.

I have had more then a seed of doubt... a whole garden. I am frankly not worried about getting too thin. I have met enough people who have had this procedure, they range from trim to normal range, slightly overweight - not a one is too skinny. I figure excess skin is no worse then all this extra fat so I view that as damage I have already done by getting so fat, losing the weight doesn't cause the ugly skin, getting obese caused it. I am not saying that saggy skin is great, I am just saying it is already there, just disguised by all that unhealthy fat puffing it out. What I have thought about is that feeling like I should able to do this without having part of my stomache removed! I mean, for Pete's sake, that is drastic. I have thought about some of the complications that are possible. What I if i have to miss a whole bunch of work due to a leak or something like that? I have also thought about, what if I only lose "some" of the extra weight and I am still fat? Or maybe worse yet, what if I get to a healthy weight and then can't control myself and regain it??? Those things worried me, but I am moving past it. First, I got rid of the counselor I saw who was anti Weight Loss Surgery. She has never been an ounce overweight her whole life and i have been battling this crap since I was like 4 years old. I am 47!!! I think 40+ years of trying diets and stuff is enough to prove that I can't make that work permanently, don't you? Second, I started to really understand obesity as a medical condition, as a metabolic disorder. I am not saying there isn't an emotional, and behaviour component - there is - but at this point, it is a metabolic disorder!!! I had to hear this from 2 different doctors before I started to accept that maybe I need help here, not just a new cookbook. My primary care doc suggest a cookbook, because clearly, if I knew how to use a crockpot I would lose 140 pounds. yeah, right Guess what, I switched primary care doctors too! Third, I started sharing my struggles, my decision process with people in my life who care about me. These are not obese people, they are thin active people. (I am a horse lover, so i have horse loving friends who tend to be trim and athletic). Their support has been amazing. They WANT me to be healthy, live a long life, be active, and to be happy. I think it is obvious to the people that care about me, diets haven't worked for me and aren't likely to work next time either. I am blessed to have people in my life who are excited for my future after WLS, it is almost like they have more faith then I do, which can bolster me! Finally, I had my failed gastric band removed. You think you feel skeptical and worried before your first weight loss surgery? Try going through the heartbreak of a failure. I felt like such a failure, just like all those diets. Reality is that the crapband failed me. That is the story for another day, but letting go of that both physically and mentally has made this so clear to me. I have been starving and wanting to eat 24/7 now that the band is out - which is further proof that there is a PHYSICAL component to this struggle. Don't get me wrong, I accept responsibility for putting the food in my own mouth, but I am now understanding that this is such a complicated situation. Once you are morbidly obese it is so very hard to keep weight off without surgery. Seriously, the stats prove that. The doc I see for my sleep apnea is my hero - the guy that started me on this journey more then a year ago. I had never heard of the sleeve and he was the one that told me it would extend my life. His frankness, done in a very caring way, really was a wake up call. I am on the road to early death, early disability - and that is just about guanteed unless I get the weight off. Yes, the surgery has risks, yes, it is drastic, but weigh the two paths and ask yourself what is the most likely outcome 5. 10, 15+ years from now. Without the surgery, disable and early death is a high probability. With the surgery, I have a shot of being an active senior, enjoying life, enjoying my horses, really living. I think your doubts are normal and healthy. Educate yourself, go to a surgery support group and meet some people to find out the real story. Talk to people. If you don't quite trust your surgeon, how about consulting with another? I tell people, I am in this for a lifetime, so I am okay that the process has been slow for me to finally get to a firm decision set in my own mind. I am scheduled for a December surgery. Yes, i am a little nervous still, but mostly, I want it DONE so I can start down the path to the rest of my life as a healthier, thinner person who can keep doing fun stuff for many more years.

I agree that people seem quite civil. I guess what I was really talking about was the "hearing alot of good news, are we hearing all the bad news too?" question. I am admittedly very very skeptical after my 10 year experience with the lapband. In all honesty, I think the biggest long term thing with the sleeve is we still dont really know what the regain rate is 5+ years out. That won't stop me though because I need to do SOMETHING and I don't want a gastric bypass. I am scared about a few stories of people needing to convert to gastric bypass due to untreatable reflux, unfixable leak or other issues....but that seems quite rare. My surgeon's office does around 30 sleeves a month, and has been doing them for 3 years. They have converted just a few to bypass - and they were all due to inadquate weight loss, not a medical emergency.

tiffikins mentioned that a key to success is to not think about feeling full, but learn to stop eating before that sensation. That makes a ton of sense to me, but it worries me. I have lived with no Fluid in my band for years, really could eat pretty much anything, but since having it removed - my hunger, ravenous hunger, has returned with a vengence. I am so hungry it is driving me absolutely crazy. In my current state of mind (and physical hunger) I am worried about myself being able to learn to stop before feeling a sense of being full. One thing this experience has confirmed for me is that "overeating" isn't just because I am a stress eater etc - about 7-10 days after the band was out I felt like someone had turned on the "I am starving" switch. Seriously, I feel like I could eat a second dinner about 1 hour after dinner. I am trying really hard to keep it in check, but I am hungry 24/7. There REALLY is a physical component to this, in spite of what many people believe. It has made it very clear to me why I need a weight loss surgery, I just hope that i can learn to be comfortable with life with less food. I guess I should be - others have done it - but right now, it is kind of hard to imagine