ElfiePoo

Thank you all for responding. I got the band because it was less invasive. Bypass was not...and still is not...an option for me. Rearranging my insides just doesn't appeal and there are worse things than being fat (at least for me). The sleeve is a bit scary because it's still major compared to the band and I worry that it won't work either. My surgeon had to take the rest of my fill out yesterday because the phrenic nerve pain in my arm had gotten so bad I couldn't lie down without serious pain. I have at least 6 weeks most likely before I know whether my insurance will pay for the revision and am gathering as much info as I can. One of the things I read in one of the articles posted here was that the appetite was dimmed for about 18 months (?) after sleeve surgery because the stomach wasn't manufacturing ghelin, but that eventually the body figures out a way around this and will once more start pumping it out. I'm a bit concerned that the hunger will come back...kind of why I wish there were people on here who were a couple years out. .

I had a Realize band put in over a year ago. Despite 'working' this band, I have not taken any weight off with it. I lost weight pre-surgery (was not required to be on a special diet...just happened), but nothing after. All I've done this past year is 'maintain' that loss and only through sheer willpower. Now my surgeon has suggested a vertical sleeve...but after reading some of the posts here, I wonder if I'm not trading in one problem for another. Are there any here who've had the sleeve for several years? If so, I'd love to get some feedback... According to some articles, despite the lack of the stomach, the body will once again start producing ghelin after something like 18 months. Does this mean I will once again have to deal with the hunger? What kind of hunger are we talking about? I can deal with normal hunger...even the stomach growling hunger that comes from waiting way too long to eat. Will this curb the hunger that makes me eat enough food at one meal for 3 lumberjacks? I know the size of the new stomach will stop me (just as the band did)...but will I be left with this hunger or will it stop? I'm not suggesting that I want to be able to pig out again, but let's face it...a cup of food is nothing. Will I never be able to eat like a normal person...small salad, 3-4 ounces of Protein, a vegie, maybe some rice? A bite or two of dessert? I've heard that people with the VGS end up on reflux medications as a normal rule. Wondering if this is true and, if so, why? It strikes me as less of a possibility than those having a band, but haven't heard too many with bands needing reflux meds. None of this is necessarily a deal break, but I want to be absolutely sure of what I'm getting into. For me, there are worse things than being fat. .

After a year with the band, I am considering a sleeve revision. My surgeon is planning on removing the band and doing the revision at the same time. .