DebInAZ

folks, you heard it here first from our VSG Board set your VCR
Dr. Phil
Friday
9/7/12
3:00 pm eastern
women looses 220 lbs via Gastric Bypass Surgery
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Ricki Lake
Monday
9/10/12
11:00 eastern
shelly from eggface
man oh man, what more could you ask for
BTW
Barack Obama has not approved the above message

This sounds yummy can we have your recipe?

I got hooked on 7Eleven's sugar free slurpees, particulary the cherry limeade!!! Then I start adding ice too it. Maybe hooked isn't accurate, ADDICTED is the truth! Lord help me, lol!!! But, give me some ice cold water and my sleeve and I are content:)

You look maaaaarvelous darling !!! keep up the good work!!!

Totally normal and everyone goes through it. One thing I found that helped me through it was listing all the things I hated about being overweight (a very long list!) and all the reasons I wanted to get to a healthier weight and the things that would be great about being a healthy weight, like being able to shop for regular sizes, keeping up with my kids, being ALIVE to see my kids graduate highschool, college, get married, have grandchildren, etc. You get the idea. Whenever I would have second thoughts or get really nervous I would review my list. The list was also really helpful post-op during the first week when I was struggling a bit and wondering why I did this to myself.
I also spent a lot of time looking at before and after photos of people who had the surgery. Not only was it inspiring, it helped to get me excited about it.
The surgery is surprisingly easy for most. If you are worried about how your life will change afterward, I can honestly say that I do not miss eating what I want nearly as much as I LOVE the transformation of my body, my confidence, my energy and more.... and that is only two months in!

Well I can say this. I was a band to sleeve revision myself. The band gave me nothing but problems from day 1. I never got close to my goal weight and my band slipped partially out of place after 5 years and was useless to me as well. I was in a similar situation as you are right now. If you look at my before pic in the pink shirt I had the Lap Band in that picture. That picture was taken 2 weeks before I had the revision to the sleeve. Look at my picture today. With the sleeve I have lost 85 lbs since surgery and still losing. I have had none of the issues with the sleeve that I experienced with the band. It's very easy for people to say that if all you have is 40 lbs to lose then don't go the surgery route but we all know that once you have that band removed you will gain the weight back unless you live a very strict lifestyle with food and exercise. This is one of the reasons we all had surgery to begin with, because we failed at that for so many years. If you think you can lose the 40 lbs yourself and keep it off that is great. I know me and my habits and I wasn't going to struggle for the rest of my life. I am super glad that I did this at a young age and not when I was 60. Having the revision to the sleeve was the absolute best decision I have ever made. I am sure you will make a decision based off of what you think is the best thing for you and your body. Just make sure if you decide to have a revision that you pick a surgeon that is VERY experienced in band to sleeve revisions. The band leaves behind a lot of scar tissue and you want to make sure you have an experienced surgeon. Also, my recommendation is to do it all in one surgery. Who wants to go have the band removed and then 6 months later go back in for another surgery. Especially if you are a cash paying patient like I was. If you have insurance and it covers it then maybe but regardless best of luck to you!

My experience has been that the doctor greatly restricts your carbs in the beginning to do a bit of a "cleanse" for your liver, pancreas, and other organs -- it will allow for a greater amount of weight loss in a short amount of time. Also, Protein is best for you while you're recovering from surgery and resetting your relationship with food: To learn how to get fuller on denser, nutritious foods and not carbs. But in the long run, this would be hard for most to sustain, though not impossible. For instance, I had a very unhealthy relationship with carbs prior to surgery sometimes having them make up a majority of my meals.
As Rootman explained so well about how carbs are burned and stored, this was bad for my weight. Now, I have a very healthy relationship with carbs. I still keep them to a minimum compared to my intake of protein, and I choose healthier carbs in fruits and vegetables and still limit the refined carbs. But I allow myself the occasional taste of Pasta noodles, so long as I have my protein and veggies as priority. And it's nowhere near the amount I used to eat. Now, it's a treat rather than a meal. We only go out for sushi every 2-3 weeks or so, but I'll allow myself 1-2 pieces of a roll, perhaps taking off some of the excess rice before. Again, I used to be able to put down 8+ pieces, plus tempura, etc. so this is much better for me.
Yes, the months 0-4 you are really focused on low carbs. But the further out you are, the more it's about eating normally, in moderation and with balance in mind. Also, the more active I've become in physical training and other sports, the more you do need some of the healthy carbs in your diet. But this does not mean I "carbo load" prior to an event, I still monitor, measure and weigh to know that I'm keeping to a certain limit.

Well the above certainly has some truth to it it's not the complete picture. There is SOME difference between carb calories and Protein calories but for the most part calories are calories.
I did not totally eliminate carbs from my diet and have lost 170 pounds in 10 months and kept it off. I eat very few carbs but still some.
The protein first is touted because it is the most densely packed calories you can get it. The protein adsorbs slower and lasts longer than carbs and benefits you longer than carbs. So while the "protein first" mantra is good to follow it does not totally eliminate carbs.
Carbs are like highly flammable fuel, it burns fast, drives your blood sugar up and gets used fast, what's not used gets stored in the fat stores, they're cheap too. Protein is expensive, burns slower, leaves the sugar more stabilized and makes you feel fuller longer - everything that we want in the post-op diet. We need some carbs for immediate energy and protein to build and keep muscle mass.
All things in moderation, a few carbs don't hurt. Start munching down exclusively on bread, Pasta and other high carb stuff and YES you will have trouble losing and may actually gain.

Protein works to turn down the appetite! High protein and low carb (around 30) and a lifestyle of regular exercise, decrease blood fats and maintain lean tissues while burning fat for fuel .
Carbs/Sugar is converted into glycogen by the liver, when your liver can't hold any more it is then released and stored in the body as fat.
ie: The more protein we eat the leaner we get / the more carbs we eat the fatter we become... Hope this helps

Deb...how are you feeling since surgery? When you had your band were you still feeling restriction, and what is the reason you decided to do a revision to sleeve, were there obvious complications you were aware of or did you find out only after your intended revision surgery?
Hope you recover quickly and move forward with your new healthy lifestyle changes. I am very happy that Kaiser required a 12 week program and we were expected to lose 10% of our body weight before surgery would be approved. We had classes once a week (a group of about 25) one week with the behavioral therapist and a week with the nutritionist, back and forth. We had tons of educational material and were put on calorie restriction and required food logs. This helped set the tone for WLS and to get in the mode of monitoring what we took in. For 4 weeks I was on 1400-1600 calories, then 4 weeks on 1200-1400, and 1200 afterward. I delayed surgery for personal reasons, so stayed on 1200 calories for 3 additional months after our classes finished up. It wasn't that hard...I found that if I ate plenty of salad with my regular meals and a huge navel orange at lunch, I felt really full without all the calories. I can hardly believe how little I can eat now with the sleeve, but I am eating quality food - lots of fish and veggies, dairy and Protein shakes and Protein Bars like Atkins because they are low carb and delicious.
Have you had time to think about what strategy you will use during this time before your revision?

Welcome aboard Deb! My thoughts and prayers are with you on your journey! I'm glad you found this forum!

Deb....glad to hear you're in the healing mode. So glad I didn't get the band, never heard of the sleeve procedure until I was referred to the bariatric program with Kaiser. Kaiser doesn't even do lapband anymore. I know deep in my heart the sleeve is right for me and that I can reach a healthy weight with this tool.

Deb...welcome to the 50's group. So sorry to hear this happened, but it seems like the doctor did the right thing and did not put you at risk of severe complications by trying to proceed. I assume they were able to REMOVE your band and port so the healing can begin right? I would go ahead and use this time to eat healthy and limit your calories and be sure to excercise while you are waiting for your sleeve. I started my WLS program last September, and had surgery this April, so that was an 8 month wait, but it went by very quickly and I was able to lose 30 pounds in the process, making my sleeve surgery even safer.
We'll be here to support you through this!

Hi again Debbie....not sure if you know this, but there is a group on this forum for people going from band to sleeves. You might want to check it out too: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/13-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/

Sorry about the disappointment, but glad that you have that horrible band out and you can now start healing. All hope isn't lost, you'll be right back there in 6 months getting your sleeve. Stay positive!

Hi. I know that you are disappointed that you didn't get your sleeve done, however it may be a blessing in disquise. This will allow your tummy time to heal itself from the band. You will have less chances of leaks. I am a revision, and I will admit that waking up without and band AND without a sleeve was my biggest fear. There are several doctors that won't do the surgeries together. The have the patients wait at least 6 months to a year before attempting the sleeve. I wish you the best! I hope that your tummy heals quickly, and that you are able to get your sleeve in 6 months with no problems!

Aloha Debbie.....I think this is definitely the forum for comfort, encouragement and information. I just want to say how sorry I am that this has been such a long road for you. My road has been easy and short, but because we are the same age, about the height and I also started at about 203 lbs, I at least want to say, DON'T GIVE UP!!! Once you can overcome the fact that you have to wait again, and if the doctors feel it's safe for you, then there is an entire new world out there. I didn't have the lap band (was talked out of it because of complications and am very happy for that) but I have written about my experience each Sunday for the last 8 months.....because we are similar in other ways, and because someone else's blog gave me the confidence and courage to do this, you may want to take a look at it. The link is below.
Good luck, keep your chin up and keep in touch.
Queen of Crop

WOW!, I hope you are well and you will heal and hopefully get you sleeve if you desire at that time.

I hope you heel well and rapidly...that six months will go by fast.

I can understand the disappointment of not completing the procedure when you planned; however, as they say good things come to those that wait. Do what is best for your health. Look always at the positives, he did not say it absolutely couldn't be done and the damage will heal itself in time. Good luck on your journey! In due time what you desire will be yours.

Debbie!!!! It's Toni!!!! We were in Juarez together!! So happy to find you on here! My husband and daughter came with me?! lol just making sure you know who I am!! Anyway, so happy to find you =) I know you will be fine, are you still wanting to do the surgery in December?

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know you must be so disappointed. Hang in there, six months isn't as long as you think. xoxo.

Deb- I am also looking right before Christmas. My surgeon is Dr. Aceves. Who is yours? I can't wait for the surgery but want to do everything possible to minimize the risks of a leak...so I wait too. Many people who had a leak on this forum report they would still do the surgery even with a leak...so I put the risk of a leak in context. When I woke up afte surgery and got the bad news, I was pretty heartbroken though but am glad for the extra time to at least be lap band free. The band was pretty horrible and I am actually able to eat more healthy fibrous foods...for a change. My only fear is ballooning up while waiting for the surgery but so far (a month out) I've actually lost another two pounds. :-)

Debbie...heart goes out to you. I had the same thing happen. Dr. Aceves, my surgeon, says the likelihood of a leak is as high s 30% but that I could minimize it with a bypass instead. I have no interest ina bypass so trying to prepare for a worst case leak scenario.

For those Band to VSG patients out there what did your surgeon's say about the increased risk of a leak due to scar tissue? Did they recommend RNY over VSG?
I met with the surgeon at MUSC yesterday that removed my band and he recommended that I have the RNY over the VSG because of the thickness of scar tissue in the area he would need to cut. With the RNY he can cut around the scar tissue but with the VSG he has to cut right through it posing a higher risk of a leak. He has done 3,500+ WLS's so I trust that he has the expertise. But I think he also doesn't want to see me gain any more weight while waiting around for Tricare to start covering the procedure.
Right now I'm looking into having VSG surgery at Fort Gordon which is 150 miles away. Leaks really scare me as I won't have health coverage right around the corner. I will have to travel to a Military Treatment Facility for any VSG care. With RNY my surgeon is just down the road!!!