CowgirlJane

I know people are having fun with this, but let me tell you why I would never consider naming the sleeve. It is still my stomach, it is still me, it is just a smaller stomach. I am working to de-emphasize food and eating in my life, to make it just be a normal way to get sustainance. I just feel like naming it gives it too much focus, too much of a centerstage and potentially, too much power (in my own mind).

I understand what you are saying, but I don't think it is completely accurate. You CAN fail with the sleeve. My doctor (not surgeon) has several band to sleeve revision patients and so I asked her about this before my surgeryy. She said that 3 of them have done AWESOME but the fourth one has not lost well at all. She thinks it is because she Snacks too often but for whatever reason the sleeve tool isn't working for her.
I was warned by the surgeon that revision patients might lose less, might lose slower. There is apparently data to support that, but I haven't seen it. The theory I heard is because you have gotten used to that "full feeling" and so are desensitized to it.
To the OP - My losses have been good, progressing like a virgin sleever not a revision. I personally find living with the sleeve so much better then the band, I feel like I don't have as many adjustment problems as some new sleevers have.
i suspect nearly 100% of revision patients ask the question of "why is it different this time". I don't know about you, but i was told I failed with the band as I wasn't compliant. You will hear that you must follow the rules to be successful with the sleeve too - absolutely true. My own personal experience is that the sleeve is a much much better tool so you have a better chance of remaining compliant. It is easier to be compliant when you aren't hungry and when you aren't vomiting healthy food, There is no comparison, you don't have a pouch, you just have a tiny tummy.
Someone who used to post here alot always said "the sleeve is what the band promised, but never delivered"

I sure hope this works out okay. I find it.... annoying.. that you have this kind of requirement. I had to do a 2 week liver shrinking diet - for my own safety. I had no weight loss requirement, although i did lose 8#. I found it very very difficult but I was very motivated to get that liver shrunk. It makes me kind of mad that some programs want you to prove that you are surgery worthy by losing certain amounts of weight. I don't think there is ANY evidence to show that it improves your long term success. Most of us are professional dieters, so what the heck does losing 10 pounds prove?
Rant over.
Good luck on your surgery - looking forward to welcoming you as a new sleever!

I sure hope this works out okay. I find it.... annoying.. that you have this kind of requirement. I had to do a 2 week liver shrinking diet - for my own safety. I had no weight loss requirement, although i did lose 8#. I found it very very difficult but I was very motivated to get that liver shrunk. It makes me kind of mad that some programs want you to prove that you are surgery worthy by losing certain amounts of weight. I don't think there is ANY evidence to show that it improves your long term success. Most of us are professional dieters, so what the heck does losing 10 pounds prove?
Rant over.
Good luck on your surgery - looking forward to welcoming you as a new sleever!

I had my band removed 11 months ago. Was sleeved Dec 12th 2011, just over 8 months ago. I started at 308, and this morning I weighed in at 200.2 pounds! I am so close to leaving the 200s behind me forever!!! It is just so exciting!!! I am still overweight, but i now longer look or move like the huge person I used to be. This photo is from yesterday - life is good!

Today is not my official weigh in day, but I did get to 199.4 today! I am so incredibly excited. I haven't see the 1XX on the scale since sometime in the 1980s.
Red, So, we are all individuals, and I am not saying my path is the right one for everyone. There are lots of reasons that people's weight loss varies and I agree that you have done amazing - have you tried lifting 70+ pounds lately? It amazes me that I used to lug around more weight then I can lift! Since you ask, I will share some background and approaches I have taken - some of it may apply to you some may not.
I assume that we started with smiliar BMI or excess weight to lose based on your comments. Obviously, even if we started at the same weight - the situation is really different if you are 5'0" or 6'0". I am 5'5", and my "target" according to the charts is 144 (not sure, heard different things). The nutritionalist used that target to compute that I should lose 164 to get to a perfect weight.. My surgeon's practice uses 80% excess weight loss as the "goal" so in my case they would target me for weighing 177. Bottom line, no matter how you look at it, I had a crapload of weight to lose. The reality of it is, when you have been mordibly obese for decades, it is pretty hard to get down to the low 20s BMI. I picked 158 as my target because it is a nice round lose 150# goal. In the 1980s, I looked awesome at 140-145# range so I felt that 160 is an agressive goal, but great weight for me.
So, they gave me guidelines of the "range" of excess weight that their patients typically lose - so basically at 3 months, 6 months etc you can tell if you are "on track" for making that 80% weight loss. I don't get hung up on what I read on the boards, I keep my eye on my own "plan" that I worked out with the nutritionalist and it has been great. I was advised that as a revision from the band, it is very common to not do as well as "virgin sleevers" but I have been at the upper end of their "expected results" so far.
I share all this background so you know that I have had pretty a pretty detailed plan around what I want to accomplish. I was banded in 2001 - lost 30# in a month and then lost another 40# over the next 11 months. Then, I just stopped losing - I never got under 200#. I regained plus more after I had to have the Fluid removed from my band in 2004. I did not want to repeat my poor results so have that extra "lesson learned" - that first 1-2 years is really the time to get the weight off.
So, another thing I did is that I read this and another sleeve forum quite awhile before I was sleeved. I paid attention to people who had results I wanted to emulate, and who were close to me in excess weight, female etc. I listened to their advice as I figured they were "on to something". At first, I had the idea that a tiny bougie size is what made people most successful weight loss, but over time I realized that isn't true at all - it is the behavior post op that was the most important factor. My surgeon uses 38 bougie size - one of the bigger ones.
Another thing I do is that I follow a plan for awhile and then when results aren't what I want, I change it up. This is something the nutritonalist helped me figure out. I started out tracking everything on myfitnesspal.com and it really helped me build my confidence. I watched Protein, carbs and calories very carefully. Over time, the nutritionalist told me to take the leap of faith and start listening to my body instead of "eating by the numbers". That was hard for me to do because I didn't trust my body's signals or my ability to use them wisely.
So, I stopped tracking several months post op and my weight loss accelerated! She was right, it was time to do something different.
I have also incorporated pretty heavy duty activity and exercise. I "move" everyday and make sure I do something intense 4 days a week - it might be a tough workout at the gym or now in the summer, working hard on my mini farm. Exercise makes me feel better and it is a time when I can't snack!
As far as food, these days all I keep track of (in my head only, not written down) is:
-daily Water consumption - 8-12 glasses;
-protein consumption 60-100g,
-Vitamin consumption (as per recommendations). I don't worry about calories
-portion size which I am keeping small to keep that tight feeling as long as possible
I use small dishes - a 4 oz cup for a "bowl" and a tiny plate for my dinner. If by chance I am using a normal size plate, I create a mental ring around the outside where no food should sit and food should not "touch" each other. This is how I keep portions in line, even without measuring.
I also have other rules - like I eat Protein first, veggies second and everything else is way down the list. I also eat if I am really hungry, I don't worry about the clock so much. I don't go through drive throughs. If for some crazy reason I have "fast food" we go inside and eat - it is a rare event because it isn't very good! I don't get high calorie drinks, but do treat myself to a skinny latte or mocha once a week. I cannot seem to break my habit of snacking in the evening. If I am dying for something sweet, I eat a chocolate flavored Protein Bar. I give myself permission, that if I am still hungry after that, I can have a real dessert, but I never am. I do allow myself fruit now because I am no longer restricting carbs. I do limit bread, crackers, rice, noodles etc - but that is because I won't make the protein goals if I don't.
Another rule I have is that I weigh myself frequently. Some people are driven nuts by the ups and downs, I am not. I know myself, and avoiding the scale is one of the ways that I "deny" that I am overeating or off program. The scale is like a mirror, it tells me if my behavior is what I had planned.
So, what do I eat? Alot of protein. I often have an egg for Breakfast with perhaps a bit of cheese and a small slice of ham. Sometimes I make a veggie, ham (or sausage) and egg omelette, eating half at Breakfast and the other half for a snack or for lunch. Also, cottage cheese with pineapple is a current favorite and sometimes what i have for lunch. Another lunch choice might be a bit of salad with tuna or chicken breast strips. dinner might be a hunk of protein (chicken, fish, beef) plus veggies. For Snacks I have Protein Bars, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, beef Jerky that sort of thing.
Now, I am not perfect and I do sometimes eat junky food that the family brings home - a few chips or eating a side of potato salad or something like that. I just work to keep the portions small.
I guess a final comment, and maybe this one is of use to people - if your portion sizes have gotten too big or you are eating the wrong things - do a back to basics kind of thing for a few days. Some people use the 5 day pouch test, I haven't tried that yet. What has worked is to refocus on Water, protein and avoiding snacky food - and then my desire for food automatically drops and I feel good restriction. It is amazing to me that just a few days of being "back on track" helps me get back that good sleeve feeling of not desiring food so much.
I attached a "before" photo.

I lost 70# with the band in about a year. I felt like a failure, that is for sure. I got down to about 200# through dieting and alot of exercise.
I lost about 100# with the sleeve in 6 months. I started out heavier this time, so still, am around 200#, but still losing.
They are completely different experiences - night and day. The band was a nightmare, living with the sleeve feels pretty normal, pretty good.
I don't think being sleeved is a guarantee of success, and I read on forums about people who seem to have poor results. I am not there with them, I don't know why, but I am guessing that they either didn't get good instructions or don't follow the "rules." I met some ladies in a face to face support group who had lost about 50# in 6 months, still had a lot to lose and I guess i felt that was not great results, but they talked about all the crap they eat... and well.... WLS is no guarantee of excellent results. You still have to work it! You could say the same thing of the band I guess, but, it is much easier to "comply" when you are NOT starving and in pain - which was pretty much my experiences with the band anyway.

I lost 70# with the band in about a year. I felt like a failure, that is for sure. I got down to about 200# through dieting and alot of exercise.
I lost about 100# with the sleeve in 6 months. I started out heavier this time, so still, am around 200#, but still losing.
They are completely different experiences - night and day. The band was a nightmare, living with the sleeve feels pretty normal, pretty good.
I don't think being sleeved is a guarantee of success, and I read on forums about people who seem to have poor results. I am not there with them, I don't know why, but I am guessing that they either didn't get good instructions or don't follow the "rules." I met some ladies in a face to face support group who had lost about 50# in 6 months, still had a lot to lose and I guess i felt that was not great results, but they talked about all the crap they eat... and well.... WLS is no guarantee of excellent results. You still have to work it! You could say the same thing of the band I guess, but, it is much easier to "comply" when you are NOT starving and in pain - which was pretty much my experiences with the band anyway.

I had my band removed 11 months ago. Was sleeved Dec 12th 2011, just over 8 months ago. I started at 308, and this morning I weighed in at 200.2 pounds! I am so close to leaving the 200s behind me forever!!! It is just so exciting!!! I am still overweight, but i now longer look or move like the huge person I used to be. This photo is from yesterday - life is good!

I had my band removed 11 months ago. Was sleeved Dec 12th 2011, just over 8 months ago. I started at 308, and this morning I weighed in at 200.2 pounds! I am so close to leaving the 200s behind me forever!!! It is just so exciting!!! I am still overweight, but i now longer look or move like the huge person I used to be. This photo is from yesterday - life is good!

I had my band removed 11 months ago. Was sleeved Dec 12th 2011, just over 8 months ago. I started at 308, and this morning I weighed in at 200.2 pounds! I am so close to leaving the 200s behind me forever!!! It is just so exciting!!! I am still overweight, but i now longer look or move like the huge person I used to be. This photo is from yesterday - life is good!

I am a big advocate of the sleeve - it has been wonderful for me.
However, I think that a person should really think alot about it before having WLS. You DO need to change your lifestyle I know everybody says it, but do we all really know what that means? That isn't just a blah blah boilerplate, it is really true. Depending on where you are "at" with things, that might be really hard. You may find the first few months post op to be kinda bleck.... low energy, no appetite, really not feeling wonderful. I started out with so much to lose, that no one even noticed until I had lost about 50# - that can feel discouraging.
I had a lapband 11 years ago - had that cursed thing for 10 years, but I learned alot in that process including everything that I did wrong ultimately contributing to it's failure. When I read about people "sliming" and vomiting etc post sleeve I feel that they may not have really learned to eat alot less, to eat slower. To stop before you are "full", I sometimes wonder if people even realize to change the mindset. The goal is NOT "full" it is more like "not hungry."
Anyway, I suggest you don't rush into this. I think you DO need to tell your live in boyfriend as he will need to be a support person in those early weeks.
Even though i had a lapband, I anguished over the decision to try again with a revision to the sleeve for a very long time. As difficult as it was going through that back and forth - "should i or shouldn't I?" it really was a time when I worked alot of stuff out in my head. I think it made it easier for me to comply with the best practices post sleeve.
Good luck whatever you decide!

I don't know about 50% infection rate, i don't believe that is accurate. Erosion is actually quite uncommon, but is one of the more serious band complications.
Truth of the matter is that most people eventually have to have it removed - reflux, slippage, just didn' work - those seem like the most common ones.

What I will comment about hunger is that there is still also a relationship to how you manage your food and exercise. If I eat a high Protein, small portion diet, my hunger remains very low to practically zero. If I eat junky snacky food, my desire to eat increases. I don't know if it is fair to call it hunger, but it is some sort of physical response to crappy food. Thirst and acidy stomach can also "mimic" hunger, especially those first few months post sleeve.
I have been told that if you exercise long durations you can trigger hunger. I don't know about that, when I go out and do horse stuff I am out for 4-6 hours and I feel that my hunger is reduced when I am physically busy. I have to remind myself to eat something especially if I am exerting alot.
I am still most likely to eat "wrong" late in the evening watching TV - old habits can be hard to break. I try to have a Protein Bar or a bit of fruit with cottage cheese for dessert - so at least some sort of nutritional value
So, my advice - focus on small quantities of foods like lean meats, cottage cheese, greek yogurt etc etc with veggies to balance it out. Go light on the fruit, high carbs like pastas or bread, alcohol or any of that. You just feel more satisfied on the high Protein with veggies diet and your blood sugar stays more even if you eat moderate to low glycemic indicator foods. I do NOT eat super low carb because it makes me feel bad physically and I am still losing weight okay. When I have a slice of bread, it is a wholesome whole grain, I try to avoid a lot of crackers and cookie type carbs. Ice cream literally makes me ill and I get diarrea so that source of fat and carbs is pretty much gone too.
When I was first banded - say the first few months - my hunger was seriously reduced, but my drive to eat really wasn't. After the first few months, I was constantly hungry and wanted to eat. It was not good. Then, when the band was removed I realized it was helping some because I went from being hungry alot to being just RAVENOUS practically all the time. It was terrible but convinced me that I really needed the sleeve because something just isn't right - my stomach sends too much hunger signals to the brain. What a miserable way to live - always focused on food.
I tried behavioral therapy, but I am convinced that MOST of the issue for me is physical hunger (not to say that old habits and head hunger aren't a factor too, but it is smaller then the drive to eat due to hunger in my case anyway).

Sorry if this sounds harsh - but your kids are old enough to pick up after themselves, cook food, do laundry etc etc. In fact, you are doing them a disservice to continue to provide complete maid and chef services - how else will they learn if not under your wing?
I can't help but wonder if they aren't all (kids and hubby) really saying that : "I have a good deal going here and I don't want you going in and messing it up by changing!" Really, it isn't about the short time of surgical recovery, it is about the whole rest of your life. Heck, if you start feeling better about yourself you might no longer be the willing servant to the family. Many many kids at age 16 and 19 have jobs and are fairly independent. Even 13 year olds often babysit and take on other responsibilities.
It is really really hard for others to accept this kind of change, but I guess the question is - what is your health worth? What is your happiness worth? What is your ability to go out and do fun stuff without dragging around a bunch of extra weight worth?
Yes, it is great to have support, but I will tell you that the most important "support" comes from deep inside you. It is your own willingness, eagerness to change your life that will make you successful no matter what resistance you meet from others.
My final thought is this. My boys are 20 and 23. It is a bit sad and lonely when they fly the nest and start living their own lives - even though I raised them with the expectation to find their way int he world, it is still painful as the mom to be left behind. My youngest son went off to college and I had to hide my tears everytime he headed back to school after a long weekend or holiday home. It was heartbreaking as we have always been so close, but dang it, he deserves his own life - he doesn't owe it to me to stay around and keep me company! How are you going to feel over the next 5 years or so as they each take flight and leave you home - still fat, still not living the life you want, but you don't have their companionship.
I am so busy having fun these days I hardly have time to miss the kids. I am not even at goal yet, but let me tell you, losing that 100+ pounds was like a HUGE weight coming off my shoulders and now I am the one flying!

I was sleeved on 12/12 too! I think you are having good success - a couple of different things to think about....
Looks like you lost quite a bit pre-op. well, the body just can't keep up the crazy fast pace of weight loss forever, so it always slows down, no matter how little you eat.
If you look at it from a perspective of how much of your "excess" you are nearly half way to goal! I think that is just awesome! I think we are having pretty similiar results, except I only lost 8 pounds in my two week pre surgery diet - so it just seems like I am losing weight faster. The way I see it, we are both coming up on losing half of what we want to lose! How exciting is that not even 4 months out from surgery!?!
I meet with a nutritionalist and she tells me that when my weight loss slows down, there are a few tricks to try. I haven't hit this yet, but ideas like:
-confirming that you are keeping your calories at the level think you are (by tracking carefully)
-maybe you need to eat a little more to jump start the weight loss, so consider that
-if you can tolerate low carb, that should help. I have decided life is to short to feel like crap and that is how low carb eating makes me feel so I don't do it.
What was interesting is the last time we met she felt I was doing things too much by the book, weighing and measuring everything, recording everything rather then listening to my body. I decided to experiment and STOPPED recording all my food and crazy thing is my weight loss sped up! I don't know if it is because i am eating less or more, but i am trying to listen to my body, while following the "rules" and am pleased as can be that so far it works. I notice that now I eat 4X a day instead of what they recommended of 5X a day.
As far as activity - I am doing a couple of things. I do Water aerobics 1-2X a week plus eliptical another 2-3X a week and strength training 2Xa week. Some days I combine the strength and eliptical in one day. On top of that, I am trying to increase my OVERALL activity - so no sitting around after work... I just try to keep moving. I also have horses so do barn work, do yard work, walk the dogs etc. My theory is that it may only make small difference in terms of calories burned, but I am trying to rev up my metabolism by just overall moving more and sitting less.
Don't be discouraged, you really are doing well!

Do a search for regrets, and you will find people who feel that way the first month or two especially. We are all different, but I was so READY for this surgery that I never had feelings of regret. I knew what to expect and things were not as bad as I had mentally prepared for. Don't get me wrong, I went through about a 2 month period of feeling tired and a little blue.... but I had read enough to know that was very common. And like everyone said, it did get better.
And look at me now, getting fitter, looking better, outstanding bloodwork, no more high blood pressure... etc etc.
I am positively thrilled with my results. You know what, I think I am starting to believe this is going to work - I have given away my bigger clothes! It is real this time.

Do a search for regrets, and you will find people who feel that way the first month or two especially. We are all different, but I was so READY for this surgery that I never had feelings of regret. I knew what to expect and things were not as bad as I had mentally prepared for. Don't get me wrong, I went through about a 2 month period of feeling tired and a little blue.... but I had read enough to know that was very common. And like everyone said, it did get better.
And look at me now, getting fitter, looking better, outstanding bloodwork, no more high blood pressure... etc etc.
I am positively thrilled with my results. You know what, I think I am starting to believe this is going to work - I have given away my bigger clothes! It is real this time.

PJ, I think one of the powers of posting to these forums is the "Self discovery" as you write. I had no idea how complex my feelings about the band were until I was .... overwhelmed with fear and doubt about the decision to revise.
I spent about a year in complete turmoil. AT some point, I started posting here and another sleeve forum and began to understand those feelings. There were a couple of regular posters here who very much inspired me (Tiffikins among others) to realize that I didn't just fail with the band, the band failed me.
I lost 70# in the first year with the band. I exercised, I dieted, I suffered reflux that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I suffered embarrasment of needing to throw up in the middle of a business lunch. I was hungry but couldn't eat. I felt horrible about myself even as I was losing weight. And you know what, I blamed myself for all that. Then, when I thought I would die from the reflux and had all the Fluid removed, that huge rebound in weight was further evidence that "I failed".
But, my new perspective is this - I did better losing weight on weight watchers with zero fill in the band then I EVER did following the "band" protocol. Fills were uncomfortable and miserable. It was stupid to have a device that I would hurl after one bite of salad so slider foods where the only thing that felt comfortable. I had horrid aftercare, nobody told me how to properly manage the reflux etc etc. I no longer feel embarrassed about my failure. If anything I am more pissed off about what i went through.
This experience really did influence me in choosing a surgeon and choosing how I am approaching the sleeve though. After care means the world to me because I didn't have it before and I need it (not saying everybody does, but i do) so I stayed in the USA and went to a local surgeon. I set aside any pride and go to a nutritionalist, even though i am already fairly self educated. She turned out to be an amazing cheerleader and resource for me - but I needed to be open to that. I can go on and on about what i am doing different this time, but bottom line, the sleeve is a better tool by a long shot and your ODDS of success are just much better with a heck of a lot less suffering. I hope i have learned from my mistakes too and just bring a different point of view to the table now.

You will get biased information here. Everyone of us had significant issues or we would still be banded.
My view - the band is absolutely terrible. It causes damage, scar tissue, reflux. Most/many people eventually have problems of some sort that requires Fluid to be removed or band removal. In my case, I often felt a strong desire to eat even though the pouch was full. I vomited more then I care to recall and it was often triggered by healthier foods like veggies and salads. Junk food, no problem.
It is said that only about 30% of the people are successful with it over the long term (ie more then 5 years out). I personally would be surprised to here it is that good. I was banded for 10 years and knew quite a few fellow bandsters from a decade ago. Only 2 are still banded and have remained trim. Like I said, the vast majority will need to have it unfilled (permanently) and like removed eventually.
It was a reasonable choice 10 years ago, since it was either it or the gastric bypass, but I have no idea why people are still getting it (unless there is a specific reason they cannot be sleeved). Many docs are shifting away from the band due to poor long term results.
Tell your friend to ask lots of questions about the 5-10 year + results.
The counter argument is that the sleeve doesn't have such a long track record - so taking a gamble. True, but with the band you KNOW the track record is very poor over the long run so in my mind it isn't so much a gamble as it is betting that your results will beat the known averages - seems to me an unwise bet.

You will get biased information here. Everyone of us had significant issues or we would still be banded.
My view - the band is absolutely terrible. It causes damage, scar tissue, reflux. Most/many people eventually have problems of some sort that requires Fluid to be removed or band removal. In my case, I often felt a strong desire to eat even though the pouch was full. I vomited more then I care to recall and it was often triggered by healthier foods like veggies and salads. Junk food, no problem.
It is said that only about 30% of the people are successful with it over the long term (ie more then 5 years out). I personally would be surprised to here it is that good. I was banded for 10 years and knew quite a few fellow bandsters from a decade ago. Only 2 are still banded and have remained trim. Like I said, the vast majority will need to have it unfilled (permanently) and like removed eventually.
It was a reasonable choice 10 years ago, since it was either it or the gastric bypass, but I have no idea why people are still getting it (unless there is a specific reason they cannot be sleeved). Many docs are shifting away from the band due to poor long term results.
Tell your friend to ask lots of questions about the 5-10 year + results.
The counter argument is that the sleeve doesn't have such a long track record - so taking a gamble. True, but with the band you KNOW the track record is very poor over the long run so in my mind it isn't so much a gamble as it is betting that your results will beat the known averages - seems to me an unwise bet.

PJ, I think one of the powers of posting to these forums is the "Self discovery" as you write. I had no idea how complex my feelings about the band were until I was .... overwhelmed with fear and doubt about the decision to revise.
I spent about a year in complete turmoil. AT some point, I started posting here and another sleeve forum and began to understand those feelings. There were a couple of regular posters here who very much inspired me (Tiffikins among others) to realize that I didn't just fail with the band, the band failed me.
I lost 70# in the first year with the band. I exercised, I dieted, I suffered reflux that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I suffered embarrasment of needing to throw up in the middle of a business lunch. I was hungry but couldn't eat. I felt horrible about myself even as I was losing weight. And you know what, I blamed myself for all that. Then, when I thought I would die from the reflux and had all the Fluid removed, that huge rebound in weight was further evidence that "I failed".
But, my new perspective is this - I did better losing weight on weight watchers with zero fill in the band then I EVER did following the "band" protocol. Fills were uncomfortable and miserable. It was stupid to have a device that I would hurl after one bite of salad so slider foods where the only thing that felt comfortable. I had horrid aftercare, nobody told me how to properly manage the reflux etc etc. I no longer feel embarrassed about my failure. If anything I am more pissed off about what i went through.
This experience really did influence me in choosing a surgeon and choosing how I am approaching the sleeve though. After care means the world to me because I didn't have it before and I need it (not saying everybody does, but i do) so I stayed in the USA and went to a local surgeon. I set aside any pride and go to a nutritionalist, even though i am already fairly self educated. She turned out to be an amazing cheerleader and resource for me - but I needed to be open to that. I can go on and on about what i am doing different this time, but bottom line, the sleeve is a better tool by a long shot and your ODDS of success are just much better with a heck of a lot less suffering. I hope i have learned from my mistakes too and just bring a different point of view to the table now.

You will get biased information here. Everyone of us had significant issues or we would still be banded.
My view - the band is absolutely terrible. It causes damage, scar tissue, reflux. Most/many people eventually have problems of some sort that requires Fluid to be removed or band removal. In my case, I often felt a strong desire to eat even though the pouch was full. I vomited more then I care to recall and it was often triggered by healthier foods like veggies and salads. Junk food, no problem.
It is said that only about 30% of the people are successful with it over the long term (ie more then 5 years out). I personally would be surprised to here it is that good. I was banded for 10 years and knew quite a few fellow bandsters from a decade ago. Only 2 are still banded and have remained trim. Like I said, the vast majority will need to have it unfilled (permanently) and like removed eventually.
It was a reasonable choice 10 years ago, since it was either it or the gastric bypass, but I have no idea why people are still getting it (unless there is a specific reason they cannot be sleeved). Many docs are shifting away from the band due to poor long term results.
Tell your friend to ask lots of questions about the 5-10 year + results.
The counter argument is that the sleeve doesn't have such a long track record - so taking a gamble. True, but with the band you KNOW the track record is very poor over the long run so in my mind it isn't so much a gamble as it is betting that your results will beat the known averages - seems to me an unwise bet.

I am prone to nasuea from the anesthesia. When I woke up, I felt horrid even though they had given me the anti-nasuea cocktail. As bad as it felt, I never threw up.
I went home the next morning, only stayed one night.
The pain wasn't that bad, it felt like I had done about a million situps. I did sleep in a recliner because I found getting in and out of bed uncomfortable - the ab muscles were very sore.
I didn't have a big problem with the gas pain either.
Actually, I felt worse after my band removal surgery maybe because I was so blue about the band failing or maybe because that port area was so sore.
My main issue was feeling really tired. I got better over time- but I wasn't "normal" until about 6-8 weeks post op.

You will get biased information here. Everyone of us had significant issues or we would still be banded.
My view - the band is absolutely terrible. It causes damage, scar tissue, reflux. Most/many people eventually have problems of some sort that requires Fluid to be removed or band removal. In my case, I often felt a strong desire to eat even though the pouch was full. I vomited more then I care to recall and it was often triggered by healthier foods like veggies and salads. Junk food, no problem.
It is said that only about 30% of the people are successful with it over the long term (ie more then 5 years out). I personally would be surprised to here it is that good. I was banded for 10 years and knew quite a few fellow bandsters from a decade ago. Only 2 are still banded and have remained trim. Like I said, the vast majority will need to have it unfilled (permanently) and like removed eventually.
It was a reasonable choice 10 years ago, since it was either it or the gastric bypass, but I have no idea why people are still getting it (unless there is a specific reason they cannot be sleeved). Many docs are shifting away from the band due to poor long term results.
Tell your friend to ask lots of questions about the 5-10 year + results.
The counter argument is that the sleeve doesn't have such a long track record - so taking a gamble. True, but with the band you KNOW the track record is very poor over the long run so in my mind it isn't so much a gamble as it is betting that your results will beat the known averages - seems to me an unwise bet.