Malsr

I think the blame is being misplaced here. I think the majority of the blame is with the doctors not properly informing their patients and patients (us) not taking the time to educate ourselves. I have an excellent doctor that I trust. He did both my band and sleeve surgeries. He was named one of the top 15 bariatric surgeons in the country by Newsweek and he told me in 2009 when I had my surgery that he could not tell me how long it would work for me. He said that the band was fairly new in terms of the fact that no one has had the opportunity to even determine if it could be a lifetime tool since it had not been on the market long enough. He said that there was nothing to say at 50 years old I would have to get it replaced. I had tons of trouble with my band and made many trips to the ER because of it. Do I regret getting it? Nope. I made the choice based on the information I researched and what was given to me by my doctor. I knew my eating habits would change drastically, I knew there was a chance of it slipping, I knew it may not be forever, and I knew it may not work. I took the chance and lost close to 100 lbs. It saved my life. Did it eventually fail? Yes. Would I be where I am now without it? Nope. I think as a country we are a little too sue happy. I took the risk of attaching a foreign object to my body, a body that is unique from everyone else's in this world. I knew that my band might not work like the person's next to me. I knew that it might not work the way I wanted it to at all. I was altering my digestive system with a plastic ring. I dunno. Call me crazy, but I have no regrets. I would do it all over again if it meant getting me to the place I am now.

To my knowledge there is no removal of the "hunger hormone". The hormone you are referring to is called Ghrelin. It is my understanding that the amount that is produced in the stomach is reduced due to the reduction of the size of the stomach. Hunger is an important function of survival and it should not be removed completely. I was banded in 2009 and converted to the sleeve in April 2014. I have found that with the sleeve I am able to eat small meals that leave me satiated for hours. Eating meals high in Protein and good carbs (ex. whole grains) suppresses the Ghrelin production, therefore reducing hunger. You may also still have head hunger--the desire to eat due to emotions or other mental factors. I have found that even when I struggle with bouts of head hunger I am able to stave off eating because I still feel physically satisfied. I say all of this because I do not want you to go in to this thinking you will not feel hungry again. You will. You will just have a better tool to manage the hunger. Good luck!

Ok, well I shouldn't say no scale, but it's rare that I step on it. I used to live and die by my scale. I remember starting to have to think about my weight in the 4th grade and seeing nutritionists as a preteen. I started Weight Watchers at 14. I used to weigh myself daily and sometimes multiple times a day. I have discovered that that's not for me. I weigh myself every 2-3 weeks (1 time being because my trainer makes me). I feel so much less stress and pressure. I'm losing steadily since recovering from my 4/9 surgery and almost back down to my lowest weight from Lap Band. I just go by clothing and my emotional fortitude. I feel amazing. Is there anyone else out there like me that doesn't focus on the scale?

I'm glad I could give you hope. It's definitely be broken. For me it was reframing what weight loss was about for me. It's not about the number. It's about feeling better and being healthier. For some the scale is a helpful tool and motivator, but for me it's just an occasional validation for the success I already feel. You can do it!

I am in agreement with CowgirlJane. I was just sleeved on 4/9/14, but I already feel exactly how she feels. With the band I could be sliming and bent over the toilet, but still thinking about the food left on my plate and how once the food got unstuck I would try to eat it. With the sleeve I feel satiated. I eat slow and steady and once I feel satisfied I can stop without the uncontrollable urge to keep eating. I feel more in control. This is the best decision I've ever made. So happy. Good luck on your July surgery!

I'm with msfitn2014. I was banded in 2009 and never lost any hair and was sleeved in April and still have a full head of very thick hair. I have the natural shedding that comes with this time of year, but that's about it. Good luck!

It's my 30th birthday today and I can finally eat real food! I had my band removed and converted to the sleeve on 4/9/14. My recovering was rough and I wasn't able to drink more than 2 tablespoons of Water at a time or "eat" without getting nauseous. A week and half after surgery (the night before Easter) I was back in the hospital with pancreatitis and also discovered my gallbladder was full of "sludge". I have one of the best surgeons in the country and he said he has never seen anyone have a perfectly clean and healthy gallbladder a month before surgery (I had an ultrasound) end up with one that looked like mine in such a short time. Needless to say, I had my gallbladder removed last week and was discharged from the hospital after 4 days. On Tuesday I was given the go ahead to finally move on to mushy/pureed foods! I am excited because I was on liquids for a month (including the pre-op diet). I am not a fan of sweets and artificial sweeteners give me migraines, so the liquid diet was difficult with all of the Protein shakes, popsicles and Jello. I know I still need to incorporate Protein Shakes into my diet, but it is so great to be able to have fish, veggies, and ground turkey. Oh, and I don't have to worry about acid reflux or food getting stuck. I feel "normal". Best birthday present yet! I'm so happy!

Hey Karen! I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling a bit, but it sounds like you're starting to figure out what works. I know I get nauseous rather quickly if I drink too fast. I have to sip and take breaks, but I get liquids down. Not as much as I should yet, but I'm getting there. Where and what time is the support group. The only one I know of is at Scripps La Jolla one Thursday a month. I'd love to meet you as well, so let me know and I'll see if I can make it.

Thank you so much ladies. Yes, my post was definitely written with a smile. It feels good to feel good.

It is interesting to hear about the issues some of you have had with scar tissue. I just had my sleeve and my doctor removed my scar tissue from my band prior to doing the sleeve. It made my surgery about an hour longer, but he did not mention that I would have any issues with restriction. I guess it depends on the doctor and how they operate. I was sleeved on 4/9/14 and I have plenty of restriction. It takes me about an hour to drink 8 oz of water and I can't even get through half a serving of yogurt before getting full. Already down 23 lbs (includes weight loss from week long pre-op diet). It goes to show that it's different surgeon to surgeon and patient to patient.

You're not going to fail! Remember the power of positive thinking. Only think about the sleeve working and focus on making it work. We've got this! We're going to have our low moments, but we have to keep our eyes on the prize. The hunger is never supposed to go away. We are just supposed to feel fuller faster due to our smaller stomachs. Don't forget there is also head hunger. You may be mentally hungry at times and not physically. Pay attention to the cues. You got this! Like you said, you're only 9 days out. As for refried beans...YES! I'm a bean lover, so I can't wait either.

I'm with you. I can't wait for eggs! I'm hoping I'll get the thumbs up for puréed/mashed by Wednesday. I am struggling to eat anything. I drink about 40 oz of Water today and get down whatever else I can. Protein drinks make me nauseous. I am so sick of sweet tasting foods! I eat Greek yogurt, pudding, Jello, Popsicles, broth, etc. and everything is sugar free. I hate artificial sweeteners, but if I must eat them for now, then I must. To make a long story short, I'm not eating much. I'm not hungry either. All of the foods I can eat are off-putting. I know I need to eat, so I continue to try to get something in me. Going to heat up some Soup now. By the way, I can only eat about 1/3 cup soup and it takes a bit.

It's finally done! I had my band out and sleeve done on Wednesday, April 9th. I'm still in the hospital now, but feeling good. My insurance pays for 2 days so my doc is taking advantage of that time. He wants to make sure I'm feeling good and can get fluids down. I should be leaving here soon. I'm just happy to be on my way towards my weight loss goal again. I'm ready to feel healthier mentally and physically. Go me!

My doc never have me the impression that weight loss would be slower for me because I had the band. Since starting my pre-op diet 2 weeks ago and being sleeved last week, I've already lost 20 lbs.

Personally I chose the sleeve (surgery was 4/9/14) because I still wanted a restrictive surgery. RNY is not considered restrictive. It's a malabsorption procedure. That scared me more. Plus, it's more invasive. It's actually not true that the sleeve is fairly new. The sleeve has been used for many years for patients that were too heavy to undergo RNY. They were sleeved until they reached a weight where they could stand the RNY surgery. The thing that really encouraged me was my doc telling me that it's better than having a foreign object in my body. I was willing to have something wrapped and sewn around my stomach for years, so why not this? My therapist also explained that we don't need all of the stomach the we have. She went into the evolution of he human body and the availability of food now versus when we were hunters and gatherers. It made so much sense. My family and friends also eased me in by reminding me that people live healthy lives without whole organs. People are on here nonchalantly talking about having their gallbladder removed. Why? Because odds are it will not affect there quality of life negatively. I'm rambling now, but those are a few things that helped me make my decision. I want to live a long healthy life and plenty of people have done it with having part of their stomach removed (for whatever reason). The band failed, but the sleeve is already working its magic. Do more research. Talk to other medical professionals. Just make the best decision for you. Good luck!

I've had restriction since the day after surgery. It may be a combo of gas and swelling, but it's there. My doc and nut never gave me the impression that there would be any lag time for feeling restriction.

I'm only 5 days out and my port scar is definitely the worst of the pain. I apparently had a lot of scar tissue that had to be removed, so that could be the problem. I can see it being the last thing to heal for me. It is pretty firm as if my port is still there, and is sore to the touch unlike my other incisions. My port incision was the last to heal from my band surgery too, so it might just be the nature of the beast.

I hope you realize that you are already a success story too. I just had my surgery last week, 4/9, and it is encouraging to hear about the loss you've had having been sleeved just a couple months before me. Congrats on your success thus far! I'm sure you're still eating right and exercising, so the scale will start showing your hard work again soon. Keep it up and thanks for the positive thread.

I haven't had much nausea, just dizziness from dehydration. My doc has me on a sugar-free diet, so I have not experimented with that. His whole thing is no sugar ever (which I stuck to my first year with the band with the exception of special occasions), so I don't plan on tasting sugar any time soon. Plus, with all of the sweet protein shakes, sugar-free Popsicles and Jell-O, all I want is something savory. I am not a scrambled eggs fan, but I could go for 4 oz of some right now. Ha!

Hi Karen. I'm Mallory. I am doing ok. Not sure if I already mentioned it, but my surgery was at Scripps Memorial (La Jolla). Recovery is a little longer and more painful than I expected and I think it's because my doctor discovered a lot of scar tissue from the band that he had to remove. Today is the first day that I can really sit and stand on my own. I feel better, but not close to 100%. So, you're right. I'm not ready to get out to the support group just yet, but I plan to attend the one on the last Thursday of the month (if I'm not mistaken). I would love to meet you! I hope tonight goes well. I'd love to hear about your experience tonight and how recovery is going for you.

I am doing great, but in a lot of unexpected pain. I had Lap Band surgery in 2009 and was farther along in my recovering than this. I even went back to work the next week. Since I had my Lap Band removed and the sleeve done at the same time it was a bit more invasive. My doc also said he was surprised by the amount of scar tissue that I had and removed that as well. I think that's the real culprit behind my pain. Sitting and standing on my own haven't even happened with ease yet. I have family helping me. I can only sleep 1 or 2 ways without pain. I still think I am doing great because I am working to get I my 64 oz a day, following the rules of my diet, and I feel myself getting better day by day. I'll take this discomfort now for the weight loss I know is to come. ????

I think there is a misconception with a lot of people that this surgery eliminates hunger. We will still get hungry. We will just get fuller faster. It's unfortunate that we get hungry at this stage since we're fresh out if surgery and can't eat solid food yet. Some of it's head hunger and some if it's legit. Like the previous poster said, make sure you're getting in enough Water. If you're anything like me I wouldn't even worry about the scale. I still have swelling from surgery and don't expect a true number until the swelling goes down. You are doing fabulous. Keep fighting the hunger. Stick to your prescribed diet. You will lose weight and you will be successful. In due time. ????

I am in Oceanside and just had my surgery 4/9 in La Jolla. I hope your surgery goes/went well!

I had my surgery on 4/9 and stayed in the hospital for 2 days. I only had slight nausea on day 1. I have been dealing with gas and abdominal pain since then. I had a Lap Band removed along with a lot of scar tissue, so I think I have some extra pain in my port incision. I am on a clear liquid diet for the first week after surgery and then full liquids for another week after that. I see my doc and nut 2 weeks out and that's when I'll get to move to the next phase. Right now I have plenty restriction and can't even finish a sugar free Popsicle. I drink Water by the 2 Tbsp cup per nurses orders from the hospital. It works. 1 every 15 minutes will get me 64 oz. in a day. It's a great way for me to measure and make sure I stay hydrated without taking too much in at once. I feel good and I'm excited. I have zero desire to eat anything I shouldn't. My eye is on the prize. I look forward to sharing in everyone's journey. This should be a rewarding ride. ????

Yes, it is so nice to be headed in the right direction with my new, smaller stomach. I luckily have not had too much nausea. I stayed I stayed in the hospital for 2 days and the nausea I did have was medicated away. I am home now and haven't experienced any. My surgery was also longer than planned. I had a lot of scar tissue from the band that had to be removed. My doc even said that it probably played a role in my difficulty with the band. So instead of taking and hour and a half, my surgery took about two and a half. With all of that manipulation I still didn't have much nausea. I do have lots of abdominal pain. My port incision is the worst, but the gas is the biggest culprit (similar to with the band). I have to walk a lot and move it out of my body. I am trying to keep a positive attitude because I know it helps with recovery. This is a great choice I have made and I am excited for you and your 5/23 surgery. It'll be here before you know it. Good luck and stay focused on the why you're having the surgery and the good it will bring you. The band has obviously got to go for some reason, so let it go. Keep us posted.