Gendy

Sleevedmanda - I will keep you posted. Let me know how you are doing as well. Excited yet nervous.

ABSOLUTELY!!! Sounds great and I would love a surgery buddy!! I'm finding myself going a little food crazy...I believe this time of year doesn't help either!!! Your lucky, my deductible is 3000! How is your diet before? Mines only a week and not just fasting

Peacheeie - My sleeve is scheduled for 1/7/15. We can be surgery buddies since our surgeries are so close together. Like you, my deductible was met this year and I'll have to pay a new one next year, but my deductible went down $500 next year, so I still won't have to pay as much. Good luck to you.

I asked my doctor about band to sleeve patients losing less and he had a very good reply. Most people when they get the band, were larger then when they get to sleeve. The bigger you are, the faster you will initially lose the weight. Also, most people who start a totally new diet are initially really good at it and stick with it. Once you've been on it for awhile you have a tendency to be more lax, meaning when you initially get the band, you were more strict with yourself then when you get sleeve you may not be as strict.
I hope I'm explaining as good as it was explained to me, because it really made sense. I'm still going ahead with the sleeve and will try very hard to be as strict with it as I was initially with the band.

I got all my caffeine from coffee. I was told to stop. Reason, the acid can cause ulcers. Also it can cause dehydration. That being said, a poster on here from across the pond stated doctors over there don't restrict caffeine and she was given regular coffee BEFORE leaving the hospital after the sleeve surgery. Go figure. I drink decaffeinated now, but it taste like......well, it does nothing for me, but I enjoy the comfort ofa hot cup of fake coffee in my hand.

I asked my doctor about band to sleeve patients losing less and he had a very good reply. Most people when they get the band, were larger then when they get to sleeve. The bigger you are, the faster you will initially lose the weight. Also, most people who start a totally new diet are initially really good at it and stick with it. Once you've been on it for awhile you have a tendency to be more lax, meaning when you initially get the band, you were more strict with yourself then when you get sleeve you may not be as strict.
I hope I'm explaining as good as it was explained to me, because it really made sense. I'm still going ahead with the sleeve and will try very hard to be as strict with it as I was initially with the band.

Hello every one!
It all stated back in 2005 with my wife getting her band placed. Seeing the results it was good on the beginning. So then I had mine placed a year later. Lost close to 30 lbs.
the body fat has slowly dropped to 33% diabetes and hypertension and high cholesteral never ever went a way. Constant nausea vomiting getting stuck and not being able to eat some day.
My wife had here revision done in April 2013 losing 95 pounds so proud of her. Now it's my turn.
Im 5'6" 206 pounds 33.9% bf . Diabetes, severe sleep apnea, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
I was approved the first attempt. I was taken off guard. It has became real.
My biggest fear is passing away on the table. Scared.
Good luck to every one on their Journey.

I was sleeved on Tuesday, just got out of the hospital today. I feel like a nausea truck ran me over. My husband had a sleeve last week and he has already lost 18 lbs...I think I hurt so much worse because of the band removal. Glad it is out but I had the band for so long I feel like I have to learn all over again. Hope everyone is doing well. I know this will be worth it, just hard to heal for me. My band was in good shape my Dr. Said. Not much scar tissue and no sign of erosion. I lost 70 lbs with the band, hopefully I will loose that much again.

It will be one of the best decisions you've made. I had my band since 2004, had the same issues all those years, finally had it removed last year. Like you, I had lots of trauma and scar tissue from it. Going in, my doc said it would be a 50/50 chance that we could do the sleeve during the same surgery, but it was so bad, we had to wait.
I waited 3 months, had the sleeve done last January, and have not regretted it. I have lost about 37 pounds. It doesn't sound like much but I only need to lose another 20 more. Your weight loss may be slower than the regular sleeve patient who never had the band. We have a pounch above the area caused by the band that allows us to eat a little more than the normal sleeve patient. Even so, I get full fast.
Hope all goes well from here on out for you !

Good Luck, I have a friend who had the band and she gets nauseas like she is going to throw up but never does its strange.

Congratulations! Good luck with everything...hope this procedure suits you better.

Congrats I bet you feel better! Good luck with your sleeve!

I get my band out on the 26th. I can't wait! I don't have a date yet for the sleeve. Good luck to you on the 25th.

Congratulations you must be so excited!!!

Yeah! My paperwork is finally at the Insurance Company. Now it's time to wait. Hopefully it goes quick and I get approved.

I got approved! Just waiting to hear from the surgeon to get surgery dates. I have to have my band removed in one surgery and 6 weeks later get the sleeve.

I got approved! Just waiting to hear from the surgeon to get surgery dates. I have to have my band removed in one surgery and 6 weeks later get the sleeve.

Oh that's too bad. My doc told me that I had to empty the band and the insurance would want to have some indication that I would not be able to maintain weight loss without restriction, so when I gained 15lbs with an empty band I was approved without issue. I sure hope it works out for you!

I finally made it to onederland today!!!
Starting weight - 317
Current Weight - 199.2
Feels sooooo good! Amazing journey!
Before

After

I'm going to see what happens on Thursday when I go to another doctor in the Clinic. If he can't get me in for at least one surgery by the end of the year, then I will switch to another local clinic. I would prefer one surgery, but the clinic said that they have studies that say two surgeries has better results and less leakage. I'll see what happens Thursday.

I'm having surgery on on 10/22. I had to do two weeks of liquids beforehand. ALL liquids. While I have not been perfect, I have been pretty close. Tonight I had to go grocery shopping for the family. (Yes, that's so fun to do when you can't eat any of it!) Anyway, I was starving while in the store. So, I decided I could make a small salad at the salad bar and that wouldn't be too awful. I grabbed the container and filled it fill of healthy choices. No croutons, no crackers, no ranch dressing. I put it in my cart and continued shopping. I started thinking about that salad and being 3 days from surgery, and if it was really worth it. I decided it was not worth it and I didn't take the salad! I felt bad for wasting that food, but I would have felt worse if I had eaten it. I must say, I'm rather proud of myself.

I've finally reached 6 months today (10/15/14) and am down 61 pounds! I thought I'd be farther along, but I'm happy and it's only been 6 months.
Hw: 274
Today: 213
Onederland, I'm coming for you!

Bariatric Buddies, the support group for my Surgeons office, created this cookbook of recipies for each phase of eating post surgery. This has probably been posted before. I hear if you send it to FedEx Kinkos it costs about $3 to print and bind. It has all the permissions to print and use. Dr. Ludwig is a wonderful surgeon and has a comprehensive aftercare program including Bariatric Buddies. Cheers to the lovely ladies who put this together.
http://www.chicoweightloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BariatricCookbookJuly2014.pdf

I hope to have my surgery in October as well. I have to see the dietician one more time at the end of September and then the paperwork can be submitted to the insurance company. Hopefully that won't take too long. Looking forward to my journey.

Well everything went beautifully!! I have been up and walking. The pain is way less than after the band pain. I am so pleased, so happy and so excited. At least for now. Ask me again when the morphine wears off. Lol ????