PaulStephens1975

Out of the 100 or so friends I know that were banded I would say between 50-80% had complications, gained weight back, etc. I can think of VERY few that are still happy with their bands after 6+ years.

I get RLS really bad from the trazodone I take to help me sleep. My doctor prescribed mirapex to help and it makes a huge difference.

I was told they would determine whether I would have it in one or two surgeries by the amount of scar tissue I had from my band. The scar tissue wasn't bad so they did it in one surgery.

Band
2/13/09 - 325lbs.
11/13/09 - 198lbs.
Sleeve
6/7/16 - 300lbs.
8/4/16 - 267lbs.

I too hit a stall about a month after surgery. I wasn't able to exercise because I had serous Fluid and kept 'leaking.' Now that I am healing more I have started exercising more consistently and I am seeing the benefits. While the scale isn't moving as fast as I'd like, my clothes are fitting better and people keep asking me if I've lost more weight, so I know it's working.

After 9 long months of jumping through hoops to get approved by insurance, I finally got through surgery! For my lap band I just went home after surgery. With my sleeve I stayed in the hospital for two nights. While having its share of annoyances, I thought staying in the hospital had several advantages such as always having someone there to take care of you and being able to catch any medical problems that might arise.

When I had my lap band I wasn't able to pee for days and when I finally called my doc's office they instructed me that I should go to the ER to get a catheter put in. I had not idea how dangerous it was not to urinate after surgery. However, when this same thing happened to me in the hospital they caught it early and worked with my right away to take care of the problem.

Some other general thoughts on both surgeries: While both surgeries left my abdomen very sore, the revision to sleeve left me with less internal pain from swallowing, burping etc. When I had my band I felt like I needed to burp for days and it was super uncomfortable.

Also, with the band, I could tell when I needed to slow down drinking because I would immediately be in pain or feel like it was coming back up and I don't have that so far with the sleeve. I take a sip and let it go down and I don't really have any signal that lets me know my stomach is ready for the next sip. This may mean that I could drink faster than I am but I'm not willing to test that theory out at the moment.

That's about it for now. So far I'm doing well and I'm looking forward to getting the weight back off!

Always put your utensil down between each bite and never get your next bite ready while you are chewing.

Good job on the weight loss. I will be having the revision on 7/26/16 because my band slipped but did loose 88lbs in 1 year. I will post my new journey with my sleeve. And I do agree lost weight is lost weight. Stay on track and you will get to your goal. Focus good luck.

I am also a revision from band to sleeve!

I was told they would determine whether I would have it in one or two surgeries by the amount of scar tissue I had from my band. The scar tissue wasn't bad so they did it in one surgery.

I lost 100lbs in the first six months with my band. The next 3 months I lost another 27lbs for a total of 127lbs in 9 months.

Definitely experiencing the diarrhea problem
As for Protein shakes they cause my stomach to have a fit. I think it might be the whey Protein. I try to get all of my protein in from food.

Always put your utensil down between each bite and never get your next bite ready while you are chewing.

You're right. If I hadn't had surgery I'd still be 300lbs and gaining with no end in sight. With my band I lost so quickly the first time that I guess I'm a little worried that I won't be able to have the same loss that I did before. While I'm glad to not be 300lbs, I'd rather keep losing and not stay at 270lbs or thereabouts.

Is your husband a bariatric surgeon or registered dietitian with a specialty in bariatric practice? No? Then he can stfu.

I was told they would determine whether I would have it in one or two surgeries by the amount of scar tissue I had from my band. The scar tissue wasn't bad so they did it in one surgery.

Feeling great, 6 days post op. going from Clear liquids to full liquids on Tuesday!
2006 - 2016
Lap Band, lost 112 lbs gained back 50
June 27 2016
Lap Band removed, converted to Sleeve

Got my sleeve and the first thing the dietician asked me when she came in my room was if I wanted any ginger ale! I said, I'm not supposed to have that. Then she started arguing with me!!! She said, it's a clear liquid so you'll be fine. I asked her to verify that with the surgery staff. She promptly came back and apologized. Can you imagine how much pain I would have been in from ginger ale right after surgery? OMG.

I'm only a few weeks post op from my band to sleeve revision but I can already feel the difference. I love being able to eat only a small portion and feel full without all of the stupid green zone crap.

My favorite thing was to take ricotta, garlic powder, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese and microwave it. Yum!

Always put your utensil down between each bite and never get your next bite ready while you are chewing.

My incision sites hurt for several weeks so me and my gf had to enjoy low impact closeness at first. I'm a month out now and I'm finally feeling back to normal. I had a little longer recovery though since I had my lap band removed before I had the sleeve.

I don't recall a specific time guideline.
Try taking a very small bite, putting your utensil down, then chewing 20-30 times before picking up your utensil again.

I had a lap band for over 7 years. I was one of those people that followed all of the rules with my band. I chose a great doctor and had great success with the band. I made tons of friends, well over a hundred, that also had the band. I sit here today honestly amazed that they still perform this surgery in the United States. For every one person I know that I can say is happy they still have their lap band I can think of 20 that regret the decision. I was enamored with my band and it took me a long time to realize how much of a flawed surgery it really is and how it's such a temporary solution that's nearly guaranteed to fail in the long run.
I still believe in weight loss surgery. In fact, I just had a revision over to the sleeve. The heartburn and acid reflux along with always trying to find the elusive 'green zone' became too much and I was unwilling to let my band do any more damage to my body.
I don't write this post to discourage, but to encourage people to really dig into the posts on this site. Understand that I have been on this site and others like it for almost 10 years and I can absolutely say without a doubt in my mind that the lap band is not a good surgery. If you don't believe me then just look through the posts on this site that have been here for years where people are in pain and have lost not just one, but sometimes multiple bands.
Obviously, we are all adults and if you still choose to get a lap band or if you are someone that has gotten and band and has been successful then that is fine and I have no ill words for you. Just realize that those that get banded and keep their band for over 5 years successfully are extremely rare and they should count their lucky stars.
I leave this here as a testament to my lap band journey. I started it at 325lbs, lost 127lbs, then regained 102lbs back after having to have my Fluid removed. I tried to love my band, I really did. It's just really damn hard to succeed at something you are set up to fail at from the very beginning.
**EDIT** Please forgive the title and any spelling/grammar mistakes as I blame them on my current pain medication!

My incision sites hurt for several weeks so me and my gf had to enjoy low impact closeness at first. I'm a month out now and I'm finally feeling back to normal. I had a little longer recovery though since I had my lap band removed before I had the sleeve.