metawnny

I agree with Hockeyfan7 that I can eat foods with my sleeve that I could NEVER eat with my band. chicken being one of them. I wouldn't call the feeling with the sleeve restriction. You just feel full and no longer want to eat. Not like the band where I would feel tightness, pain, and urge to vomit. I do not miss my band at all.

Also, it is just a guess but I doubt you would be able to put on 90 pounds in the three months that you would be without the band. Even if you do put some weight back on you should be able to lose it again with the sleeve. I just can't tell you how much better I feel without the band and it's complications, hassle of fills and unfills, and constant sliming/vomiting episodes.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

Hi Tazwella,

I have not done much research on revision patients and I had never heard that band revisions could be larger. In my case (and again, it has only been a month with the sleeve) I really don't think I can eat more then I should. The main reason I think that is because my husband got the sleeve the same day as I did. He had no previous WLS and I know that I eat either same or usually less then him at each meal. Prior to getting my sleeve, I hate to admit it because it isn't very lady like but prior to getting the sleeve I could keep up with his large appetite without any problems.

I am not sure if the wait between unbanding and sleeve surgery helped or not but it makes sense to me that it could. I know my doctor still called it a revision because he said he would have to clear out the scar tissue left over from the band before doing the sleeve procedure. In any case, so far I love my sleeve.

I was also a band patient that fought with my band for 7 years. I had severe acid reflux, could never get to the sweet spot with my fills, and ultimately had the band slip. I had it removed in March 2014 and was converted to sleeve on June 1, 2015. I did gain all my weight back after band removal but GERD was instantly gone! Since, I was a self pay, I had to wait for a year to save up and have the sleeve performed. I ended up going to OCC in Tijuana and it was the best medical care I have ever received.

Since getting the sleeve a month ago, I have not had any sliming/vomiting episodes or acid reflux. The pressure is way different. With the band, I always felt like I was choking when I would eat. I have thrown up in so my public restrooms, I could not even begin to count. Now with the sleeve, I just full. Much better then choking.

I am a band patient that now has the sleeve. I was banded in March of 2007 and unbanded in March of 2014. My band did get my weight down but it was a struggle from the beginning. I had a lot of side effects. Getting the adjustments and finding the sweet spot for fills was really a pain. I would get too tight, then too loose, and you have to wait a few weeks between the visits so it is a time consuming process for sure. I never did get the "chewing my food into pulp" thing down, so I had tons of sliming/vomiting episodes. I had massive issues with GERD and could not lay flat to sleep for over 4 years. Ultimately, I ended up getting food poisoning and the pressure from needing to vomit and the band being in the way caused my band to slip. For me it was an easy decision to remove the band at that point.

Sadly, my weight began to creep back up and I made the decision to get the sleeve on June 1, 2015. I know it has only been a month but the experience so far is entirely different. With the band, every time I ate I would get a choking feeling because the food sits above the band and gives pressure. Now when I eat, I just feel full. It is easy to feel satisfied with a minimal amount of food. So far I have not had any issues with acid reflux but I do realize it is still early.

Overall my vote would be for the sleeve. It requires so much less hassle and doesn't make you feel like you are choking when you eat. In any case, I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision you make.

Man...I am still really struggling to get on track. Everyday I wake up with a determination not to "blow it" today and everyday I mess up. Then I read all the new post here at night and get determined to do it right tomorrow. But of course the cycle starts again the next day. Aggghhhh.. I am so frustrated.

I know the main problem is that I have no restriction at all. I can't get in until the 24th. Second to that I have really been struggling with my anxiety/depression these last few weeks so maybe I need to get my meds readjusted.

Send me warm thoughts that tomorrow I am strong enough to even have a mediocre day. Thanks for listening. :rain:

I am glad I am not alone with my weakness although I hate to hear that so many of us are struggling. The good news is that when my band is restricted properly I can't drink diet soda at all and I don't crave the sugar, the bad news is that my band is not restricted right now and I can't get in until the 24th. So, until then I have to grit my teeth and fight hard to keep from blowing all my progress. At this point I would be happy to just NOT gain weight by the 24th. Wish me luck.

I am having such a hard time getting back on track since the holidays. It is brutal. I am craving sugar big time. It hasn't helped that I have no restriction right now and I have been drinking diet soda again. Aghhhh.

What are you guys doing to get remotivated?

I was just talking to my hubby last night and asked him if he thought we could write off the surgery costs. He suggested I come online and look and sure enough the answer was right there. Thanks for the help. Shawna

I'll need all the support I can get to make this happen, but I am determined to try.

name ...... starting# ....... current#.........goal#.......togo#

Rainer...........264................264..............248.........16

wombat712....154.8.............154.8............140.........14.8

LessnLess......172................172..............164.........8

metawnny......252................252..............240.........12

Of course he doesnt have any openings again until the 24th of this month which means I have to be extra careful not to lose the momentum I had going for weight loss. I think I will call today though and make a second appt for the following week and maybe even a third appoint for the week after that. I'll get the appointments all lined up in case he botches it again.

Also I am taking my hubby with me on my next appt. Somehow men seem to listen to other men better then women sometimes. Well see how that goes. I'll keep you posted and thanks for all the support.

Thank you Mindy and Gwen for your replies. Just to clarify my situation, my doc is being excessive with the poking. The last time he did the unfill I counted 11 needle marks on my tummy, not to mention the rooting around each time the needle was inserted. When I brought this up to him and asked if my port, tubing, or any organs were in danger he said not to worry because there was no way he could hurt anything. I know my port is not flipped because the doc ended up having to send me to the hospital and do the unfill with the help of an ultrasound machine the last time. My port is also very close to the surface so I am not sure why it is suddenly an issue for him to find (he used to find it in one or two sticks).

All that being said, I could deal with that if I could just get him to follow the plan. I sat down with him the last time and we both were clear on the plan before he started sticking me, but somehow when we were all done I only ended up with 2.5 cc's in my band. I was laying on my back with a pillow under my spine so that I could not see the needle in my skin, otherwise I would have asked him how much he took out before he completely pulled the needle out.

I don't know how to get through to him. It seems like we are both on the same page and then wham-o, he changes it midstream. I have an appointment for next week and I think this time I will write in magic marker on my stomach the amount of fill that I need : )

Maybe that will work. If not I will have to recycle cans, have a garage sale, and raid the kids piggy banks for extra cash to switch doctors (providing I can find one of course).

Ok Rosi, I am not making this up. My grandma swears that if you put a bar of soap between the mattress and the sheet near your feet or legs that it will get rid of leg cramps. She read it in Dear Abby or something and has done it ever since. She even takes her bar of soap on vacation. I figure it couldn't hurt to try it, right?

Let me know if you try it and if it works. Good luck.

I have been having trouble getting my doctor to listen to me. Or it least it seems that way to me. Here is the situation I have been dealing with: My first issue was that my doc would not tell me the amount of Fluid he was putting into my band (he said he didn't want me to fixate on the number). I didn't like that answer but I dealt with it until I had a fill in Oct and I was too tight. I ended up having to go to my doctors second office but there was a fire in the area that day and they had no power (therefore they could not get the records from my normal office) so my doc is asking me how much fluid is in my band. After that I insisted on knowing the facts.

So I found out that my band was at 3 cc's when it was too tight. Doc took out .4 cc's (down to 2.6 cc's) and it was so loose I could eat anything I wanted. So I go back to see him in the beginning of Dec. and get a fill. We discuss the fact that I was too tight at 3 cc's and too loose at 2.6 cc's, we agree to try for somewhere in the middle. Well it turns out he has trouble hitting my port that day and after poking and prodding around for about 20 min he finally gets the fluid in. As I am leaving I ask him how much fluid he put in and he says I am at 3.2 cc's now. I couldn't believe it. What the heck happened to the conversation we had. Unfortunately I could not stay and get an unfill at that moment because I had kids waiting for me and I was already close to an hour late, plus I was swollen from all the prodding the first time.

It turns out that not getting the immediate unfill was a bad idea because I ended up getting so tight that I couldn't even get my own spit down. I was badly dehydrated by the time I got back to his office. So, again we have a conversation about where the fluid level needs to be and again we agree on around the 2.8cc mark. Again he has trouble finding my port and has to poke and prod forever, then he takes out too much. I'm back to being able to eat everything.

That leads me to the present situation I am in. Should I go back to this quack for another fill? I prepaid for a year of fill and unfills already but this guy doesn't seem to be getting it right. How do I get him to listen to me???

Hi Barb,

I'm with you...I want to change my lifestyle to a healthier version, not just make a one second resolution.

Good luck to everyone in the new year and I hope we all meet (or get darn close) to our goals this year.

Keep up the good work all,

:clap2:

Sorry to hear that you are so tight Lisa. I really feel for you. I had gotten so badly dehydrated that I was shaking, shivering, and my blood pressure had fallen to 75 over 54. I will never again wait even a few hours before getting unfilled if I am that tight. It is really scary stuff.

Well let us know what you end up doing and DONT risk it, better safe than sorry.

Hello All,

I am just wondering how many of you have already found your ideal lap band adjustment? How long did it take to get there and how many fills did you need?

I am close to my spot but not quite there yet. My band holds between 5 and 6 cc's and at 3.1 cc's I was wayyyyy to tight, but at 2.6 I could eat anything I wanted. So I am guessing I need to be somewhere around 2.8 or 2.9. I will be going back in two weeks for that adjustment.

So share your story and how much you are now losing on weekly or monthly basis.

Hello All,

I am also a Marchie, but new to this support group. I also have high hopes for the new year. Hubby and I are going on a cruise to Alaska in July so I have a wonderful goal to work toward.

The first thing I need to accomplish is getting my band at the coveted sweet spot. My doc can't seem to get it dialed in. First I am way to loose then need and emergency unfill. I am on the second cycle of that roller coaster but I have faith that my next fill will do the trick.

Well I wish everyone the best in 2008, good luck all.

I just wanted to say thank you for the support and well wishes. I ended up finding a doctor in Las Vegas who could help me. It was a rough unfill since the doctor could not find the port initially, but once he brought in the ultrasound machine the mission was accomplished.

I have heard of a CD given to some patients that explains to ER docs how to do an unfill. Does anyone know where I could get a copy of this? I don't think I will attempt any more traveling with out a back up because dehydration is a serious matter. I couldn't believe how quickly my body started to shut down.

I'm all better now though and thanks again to everyone. I wish you all a Happy and Safe New Year!

I am in pain...I know I am too tight from my fill last week. Now I am on vacation with my family out of state. I thought that the band may relax after a week of liquids but it has gotten worse. At this point I am having trouble just getting liquid down. Anything thicker than Water is definately a no go.

I am also getting a feeling like acid in my throat. Is that heartburn? I know I am not getting any calories down right now but I am not really hungry. I am probably dehydrated because it takes me about 4 hours to get down a glass of water.

So my question is what do I do to keep from getting sick? I wont have access to my doctor until next Thurs. Is there a Vitamin water or something that will get me through?

I need all the help I can get. Thanks,

Actually YES, I have had the hiccups quite frequently since my banding. I usually don't have hiccups so I had been wondering if this was due to my surgery. Your right, it is painful. Although it is short lived. Good luck with your procedure and let us know if you have that experience also.

Dr. Douglas Krahn

Riverside, CA

Banded 3/26

291/275/160

I agree, you guys need to move past your disagreement so that we can all use this thread as a positive place for Christians to come and talk to one another. Have a great day!

To tell you the truth, when dealing with my food addiction I was often sneaky with food and always felt guilt. I don't think God was very happy with me. Now I am getting help and no longer have to sneak or hide or feel ashamed. I think God is giving me strengh to go through this process and get the help I needed. It may just be justification, but I feel relief over my decision to lap band. :mad:

Dr. Douglas Krahn

Riverside, CA

291/276/160

Banded 3/26/2007

I could use some help/advice as to doctors in Tennessee. I will be moving to Murfreesboro which is near Nashville area and am looking for a good fill doctor. Also, am interested in prices. Thanks in advance. Shawna

Dr. Douglas Krahn

Riverside, CA

3/26/2007

291/276/160

It's working!!!

Just thought I would share my experience here in the Inland Empire. I had surgery with Dr. Krahn on 3/26/07. Both him and his staff worked very hard at getting all the mumbo jumbo handled before surgery, and for that I am very grateful. Actually because I was a case patient I was able to get the whole process done in about one month. That is from the first info meeting until the surgery date. I thought Dr. Krahn, his staff and the hospital were great. My only complaint is that Dr. Krahn seems to be cronically late for his appointments. Everytime I have been to his office for an appoinment he seems to be running about 1 1/2 hours behind schedule. While it is true that he is a busy man, that still seems excessive. Other than that though, my experience has been quite positive. So far I have lost 16 pounds.

I wish good luck to any others out there looking into this surgery.

I can definately see both sides and would have to agree that you have to do what's right for you however, I have personal experience with both paths and can tell you neither way is perfect.

My mom had gastric bypass 5 years ago and told just us kids and our dad about the surgery. She swore us all to secrecy. As time passed and she lost weight of course people asked about the weight loss and her reply was just that she was eating better. Now that she has lost all the weight I think she would like to help other family members by telling them of her experience but she feels that it is too late into the game to spill the secret without being thought of as a liar.

On the other hand I had the lapband done last month and I told everybody I knew and even a couple strangers. I didn't want the "secret" life that my mom had. However, I do notice that inlaws and friends seem to watch what I eat a little more than I care for. In fact at Easter I got my butt chewed by my mother in law for eating mashed potatos because they have no nutritional value. This is something she would never have discussed with me before but I think because I was open about having my surgery she felt comfortable telling me what she thought. All in all, I don't like secrets and I can deal with critics in my own way, so for me "telling" was the best option. Good luck with your decision and I hope it works for you.