lml32937

I have my appt with his dietician on the 25th- when are his support groups and where are they located? @ Sebastian hospital too?

I love Sushi and I miss Sushi because with my band I cannot eat rice and I have tried MULTIPLE times to ask them to cut into thinner rolls, eliminate the seaweed etc and I still want to throw it up because it gets stuck- Has anyone had any issues with eating Sushi with the sleeve?

Part of me feels that I have a partial advantage already having the band and dealing with restriction, less food etc... so I feel your pain But the more I read I should have WAAAAAAAAAAAAY more better results and restrictions with the sleeve- Plus I plan on ELIMINATING carbs (breads) from my diet all together- I slowly introduced them with my band and think I am paying for it now- but 1 thing I miss that I havent gotten back is SUSHI- I love sushi but I CANNOT eat rice!!! ARGH!! so i'm hoping with the sleeve I could eat a peice or 2...

I have not been sleeved yet BUT with my lapband- I can eat the crapola out of veggies for DAYS and NEVER feel full EVEN with broccolli that pre-band after 3 peices either gave me gas or filled me way up. I love salad and found this was 1 way to "cheat" my band by eating a huge salad~justifying of course lettuce is NOTHING, veggies- NOTHING the worst thing I did was the dressing and I learned to LOVE Vinegar and Oil- So is it good? probably not but it is better than a cheeseburger or something like that in my mind. Now with the sleeve- I would think that veggies are a "filler" for fiber purposes only- not too much for caloric or protein intake at all- In every other "diet" veggies are normally unlimited so I am going to ask my nutritionist in 2 weeks when I see her. I am all about justification- If I can get down 4 oz of veggies and be hungry again in an hour in my mind that is better than a small burger and not being hungry for 4.. does this make any sense??

I don't know if you still have these available; if you do- i'd be interested in buying them.. let me know-im preparing now for my pre- op time...

Althought I have not been sleeved yet. I was VERY creative with my band post op diet- I had a hard time too getting in Protein and Liquid and for a while was on the "wrong" liquid to fill up- I switched up my protein powder- and got a variety of different ones to add to either ensure or boost- Some days yogurt was ok others it made me gag- I used it often in smoothies- adds calories (good ones and good protein too) and the consistency is masked. I don't know if it helps or not but good luck- Also are you working out or anything to do aerobically?? I know when I switched from walking to zumba and then did walking and zumba it really helped just changing up things for a few days.. sort of tricking your body/mind....Good luck!

I have.had the Lapband in 4/2009 and am having it removed for non-band related issues. When I was banded- VSG was not only new but there were not a lot of statistics like now. Because I didn't have problems "with the band" per say- I don't honestly feel it is fair for me to "dis" the band- For me it served it's purpose- I knew there was a chance it wouldnt work, I knew I had to use it as a tool and not totally rely on 100% restriction, I knew with my auto immune problems there could be complications etc.. Yet I decided on it instead of the alternatives. Again- It served it's purpose- NOW however that I am getting it removed and changed over to a sleeve for health issues (still un related to the actual band) if someone were to ask me about the band I would have to be honest about my experience and include my new philosophy and thoughts and they are as follows: If you have over 100lbs to loose do NOT get the band- The new research shows that the band is only effective for 1-4 years and the weight comes off very slowly. I would advise them about all the other issues people have had re slippage, vomiting, etc AND I would encourage them to be as throrough as possible to research all possibilities including VSG, RNY etc. Not everything is cookie cutter for everyone- and Not everyone has the luxury of insurance covering certain procedures. HOWEVER DO NOT LET COST make up your mind (ex- I got lap band because it was cheaper etc) in the long run Lap Band is VERY expensive when you calculate the fills, potential problems, fluroscopies to find the port hole etc... These boards and forums are amazing tools for information and can pursuade anyone either way- As excited as I am about my VSG_ I have seen just as many problems from people on here that had leakeage, pain etc that are miserable- So there really is no global happy median- we are all different. And then to boot- when you HAVE lost the weight and you are at your goal 1-2 years out you have to configure into the equation plastic surgery for the skin issues and THAT my friends is a WHOLE NOTHER BALL OF WAX :huh:

Great topic! With my band when I am full I get a "croupy like cough" and if I take an extra bite (if it goes down) I just want to vomit- I am hoping that the sleeve has more subtle notifications to close the pie hole...

Ok dumb question.. those of you that had lap band removed and vsg done- after you healed did you ever feel like you still had the band in you or that you could still feel your port?? We are so attached to it that I find it in my mind hard to think of not having it...

For those of you that got band removed and had VSG all at the same time... a) did you get your band completely emptied?? If you didnt did this effect your healing and if you did what benefit does it have?? c) if you had it emptied- did you obsess about gaining too much weight back- I see benefits to both....

Thank you all soooooooooooooo much it means so much to know that a) i'm not alone and im not crazy either .... I trust my gut (prolly cuz it's so large.. tee hee hee) and will just continue to do so...Continued success to you all

Thanks and puleez keep me posted on your success!!

Dr. D is my doctor to- I am having my band out and sleeve done in Nov. He did not do my band another local physician did. Being in the medical field myself I KNOW he is an excellent physician and I am glad there are others on here before me- Do any of you do or attend a support group?? I have my appt with the dietician in 2 weeks. Very excited to get to know all of you and continued blessings for the best of luck on your own individual journies!

When I was banded- I only told a FEW close friends and associates. I am not close with much family and didnt want any scrutiny or swaying out of my decision. When I succeeded with the band and everyone saw my weight loss (because it was gradual) I basically told them when asked that I dieted and exercised. No one suspected anything. I don't feel like I lied to them I just don't think it is everyone's business. Now that I need to have the band removed and am getting the sleeve- and will be in the hospital 2-3 days AND off work for at least 10 days... I can't keep that too much on the down-low- I have already shared my issues and such with the people that already knew and of course they are supportive but I worry about the what-if's... what if something happens during surgery- would they be madder I didnt say anything and they found out the hard way or would they be more mad I took this journey without their support/criticism (as i see it)... Did anyone else struggle with to tell or not to tell?? On the Lap Band forum there were mixed reviews and I'm curious other's opinions on this subject. PS. I have a extremely supportive inner circle (hubby, inlaws, friends etc.) didnt want anyone to think I'm at this alone because that i COULD not do...

2 weeks ago my surgeon, pcp and I decided to remove my band and get the sleeve in November. NEVER having any complications from the band rather because my auto immune disease is getting worse. Since that time, I have had COMPLETE restriction, some sliming, vomited once and cannot eat more than about 6 oz without feeling full. Of course 3 hours later I am hungry again and I still have the late night/middle of the night fill up etc... I have NOT had any problems with my band NEVER- but it is almost as if my body is saying no- wait- give me another chance..... I know this sounds stupid but I cannot think of any other reason.... I HAVE to proceed- leaving it in is not an option.. Just curious if anyone else experienced anything like this before the sleeve was done and the band was still in.

I love my bullet and use it faithfully every day for something- correct on not being able to do chicken salad and things like the commercial shows but it is phenomenal for shakes and ice crushing shakes. I could not live without it..

tried them- hated all the ones i tried- made me drink 3 x more than i normally would- the artificial sweetener is not good for you. According to my dietician neither is crystal light- when I need something other than water i sprinkle a little crystal light and if I already have a pitcher made I dilute it 1/2 and 1/2 water.... helps to kill the "flavor" craving and fills you up better.

Thank you all for your responses, encouragement and for sharing... the main thing is to know you/we are not alone and that in and of itself is priceless. Thanks again!

Very encouraging.. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work

Has anyone had to loose over 150-200 lbs with the sleeve?? I had the band and knew the loss would be slow and it was but I don't egret it. I am reading a lot on here about people who are 250lbs or less and are having results of loosing 50-80 lbs right away etc... I would give ANYTHING to be 200lbs right now!!! When I was on the LB forums a lot of people were like 150-200lbs wanting to loose just 25-50 lbs with the band and I was like what>>??? I don't want to be or sound rude but has anyone here been over 300lbs and lost 100+lbs or more?? Just curious as to those statistics and how long they are able to keep it off. Also since I have lost a lot of weight with the band I already have saggy skin which I know will get worse... What do you do to help with this?? Spanx? surgery right away?? Duct tape (just kidding) lol...

After having my Thyroid out (due to cancer) I started to loose my hair then after the band it was 10x worse. I have been on BIotin 1000mg EVERY DAY since and THANK GOD I am now only cleaning the drain every 2 weeks instead of every day- It was like going through Chemo therapy- it would come out in clumps. I knew the anesthesia did a lot (not looking forward to that again) but I plan on continuing with the Biotin for life... I also have thick curly hair so I was lucky no one on the outside really noticed but I did. I used to do a scrunchie 2 x around to make a pony tail- Now I can do 4....

Thanks- I don't have Celiac- it was done to help reduce inflammation in my body due to RA.

In following multiple posts.. I see people talking about different sizes of sleeves. I didnt know there were different "sizes" to be had?? I thought that a % of your stomach was removed- I know with the band there were multiple sizes but I would think all surgeons remove the same amount. My doctor said he would remove 80-85% of my stomach so what "size" would that sleeve be?

I love the Nectar protein as well 23g and Whey Gourmet 21 g of protein- You can mix them with water, milk, juice or an ensure/boost and are tasty, non grainy and fill you up. I have done this for 3 years with my lap band and am not sick of them yet

I have been gluten free since January and plan to continue after my band is removed and sleeve done in November. I see a lot of people avoid breads, rice, pasta's etc but didnt know if this included gluten free as well. Currently I eat brown rice or tapioca rice bread and am not able to eat rice at all due to it getting stuck. But I love love love potatoes....That is my main source of carbs besides oatmeal. Also I currently use whey Gourmet Protein powder and Syntax nectar protein- Has anyone had any problems with these?? I love them because they are 23 g per serving and I can make it into a smoothie either with an ensure (for calories) or just plain Water if I wanted too..