A. Stoot

@@A. Stoot Question, My tummy area where the port from the LB was removed is really sore. Did that area on the inside take longer to heal?

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

I'm scheduled for the revision on Dec 9. Can't wait to enjoy the sleeve happy to hear that you're doing so great!!

Hi Alfie,
I'm a retired Verizon employee in MD with Anthem BC/BS. I was banded 11/19/06 and a few weeks ago my band of 6 years has to be removed due to many problems, one being a dilated esphogas. Before my band I was on so many meds, now have kept off 62 lbs and BMI is 34.5.
After speaking to my Anthem case worker Tuesday, I'm really afraid Anthem is going to deny my band to sleeve surgery due to my lower BMI and controlling my diabetes by diet and exercise. I am very concerned.....any thoughts or words of wisdom?

Glad to here and congrats. I'm pending approval for lap band to sleeve revision and I glad that I won't have to deal with being stuck again.

So let me get this straight, even though your loosing "Pounds" your actually looking thinner because your loosing "Inches" as well which doesn't reflect on the scare....did I get that right?

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

That's fabulous

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

So far so good , I am loving the sleeve, it's nothing like the band, when I am full, I am full, no food getting stuck, no puking up when I eat or drink (yaaa) no hunger feeling, I absolutely love it!! I am 7 weeks out and have lost 29 lbs. I am very happy with the results so far, I am doing zumba again, and have joined a gym. the inches are melting off so glad I made the decision to have the revision. Just wanted to update!!!!

To answer the original poster's question - I have no regrets at this point for the sleeve.
The band wasn't working for me for years, was unfilled and I had gained back all that I'd lost.
I do wish in hindsight that I'd done the sleeve first, but based on the info available at the time the band looked like the best choice - safer than the sleeve and pretty effective. Since then the rate of complications have come to light.
For those who had a tight band for years and learned to avoid healthier options like chicken and veggies, some can have a hard time learning to be successful with the sleeve. People really have to choose the things that they learned to avoid with the band in order to keep full and satisfied with the sleeve. It hasn't been a problem for me because my band was unfilled for so long - I love that I can eat dense foods without any problem.
My surgeon told me that she used a larger bougie to make my sleeve - so it's slightly larger than a virgin sleeve, so that may be part of the reason why I haven't had any issues with any foods and can eat anything, and have never thrown up since being sleeved or felt a painful fullness or anything. I sometimes worry that in a year I'll be able to eat too much, but I will just focus on eating the right foods - including veggies - and that should allow me to have continued success.
I wish all of the band-to-sleevers success! It's harder the 2nd time around and I do think we need to work a little harder to be successful, but it's worth the rewards!

Lovely mama - for what reasons did your surgeon say you won't lose much weight? Is it because your sleeve is larger due to scarring from the band? Or is it because he thinks you're eating slider foods, a habit that started with the band? Or something else? I hope it's the slider foods reason since that's something you can work on.
Are you counting your calories? If so - are your calories too high to lose? And if so - are you eating more calories due to hunger - or perhaps due to making the wrong choices? I would hope that if you focus on Protein and veggies that should fill you up and allow you to keep your calories low to lose weight. And of course avoid drinking with meals and snacking.
I hope you can find a way to make the most of your sleeve and find success despite your surgeon's low expectations!

Awesome, congratulations. ...I am wondering why 2 years?
I was band in 2005 and my paperwork for the revision was submitted to BCBSIL today and I am nervous about the outcome, really praying for an approval.

Gasx strips work wonders.

Thanks @@nessa259 congrats on your new journey????

Congrats!! I just had my revision and go to the doc on Friday. I'm not weighing myself until then but hoping to have similar results!!

Had my one week post op visit today, and 10 lost...I am like wow....I don't know about other bandsters, but for this previous lab bandster, it took me 2 weeks to lose 10 on the liquid diet. I had a lot of scar tissue, so my Dr is extending the liquids for one more week, but I will be on thick liquids and not the Clear Liquids.< /p>

I'll just copy/paste the copy/paste I did less than a week ago:
I'll just copy/paste the answer I gave to someone else less than a week ago who asked the same thing:
A search will show you dozens ... and dozens ... of threads about the stall that happens around week 2-3 post-op. Your body just had major surgery. Give it a break and relax and get well. Put the scale away and don't bring it out again for a couple of weeks. Be good to yourself, let yourself heal. Stalls happen all the time, this isn't a sprint it's a marathon.

Don't mind at all, I've been on liquids for 2 weeks and about to start soft foods, I've lost 14 lbs so far.

Are you mixing up you protein, or are you drinking the same thing? I am working on being sure to get my vitimans in. I have been struggling with it. So you aren't alone in the struggle.

In the beginning I had a few incidents of uncontrollably stuffing something in my mouth and chewing it up. Most of the time I would end up spitting it all out because I was scared of hurting my sleeve incision.
It does get easier. It feels like your brain is calling out to eat junk...I actually think it's because our brains do indeed become physically addicted to certain foods (usually high carb crap like chips). But it does get easier. The longer you go without the crap food, the less it appeals to you. Before long you will find that you can throw food away instead of eating it, and that you can handle and cook foods which you don't even want to eat. It's pretty powerful to scrap uneaten food into the garbage can. Before VSG I treated my stomach like the garbage can!! I could never throw food away, I would quickly inhale it first.
Don't beat yourself up. CowgirlJane was right...you don't want to or deserve to get stuck in a guilt/shame cycle over ten stupid chips. Just throw those suckers out, don't buy anymore, and move forward.
Good Luck!!