TexasT

I was having vague pains and went to see my band surgeon to just check to make sure it was still OK. Turns out I had a hiatal hernia and gall stones. But during the office visit, the doc told me that most patients have complications with their bands 3-5 yrs out (I had mine 3.5 yrs) and needed some type of surgery to replace it or fix something. He then told me about the sleeve, which wasn't available 4 yrs ago when I first started all of this. Since I HATED living with the band at that point (food getting stuck, not being able to eat so many foods that are actually good for you, etc.), I was anxious to learn more about the sleeve. My doc had sewn my band and port in me to stay, so taking them out was probably not a pretty sight. In fact, I ended up getting a hematoma in the area where my port was. The incision above it opened up, blood gushed everywhere, the wound had to heal from the inside out for weeks - and all because I had this huge bunch of plastic in my body for years. Yes, I lost some weight with the band, but that was only in the first few months after getting it. It was NOT worth the problems I experienced afterwards. Life with the sleeve is MUCH better in my experience.

I know there are some people on here that had something similiar happen. Luckily I was able to have my procedures all done at the same time (band removal, hiatal hernia repair, sleeve, gall bladder removal, adhesion removal). I had my fill removed a week before surgery, so I didn't have long to struggle with food issues. I wish you the best.

I had one operation with the following "laundry list" done: Band Removed (was unfilled the week before surgery) Sleeve done (I was self-pay for this part) Hiatal Hernia repaired (didn't know about this until he was in there) Gall Bladder Removed (this was planned - insurance pd for) Adhesions from previous surgeries removed I didn't have any problems except for a hematoma where my port had been. Blood pooled there, the incision opened up, doc drained and cleaned it, then it healed from the inside out. This had nothing to do with having all the procedures at once though. It's just something that happens sometimes from the port being in your body for so long (had it 4 yrs).

As a former "bandster" myself, you've given me even more confirmation that removing that evil piece of plastic from my body was the best decision ever. Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I'm sure your wife will welcome you to "our team" too!

I took both an Advance Directive and a Medical Power of Attorney with me to the hospital - just in case!

Your doc is the expert, not any of us. So if you're doing well without one and he says it's OK, then don't take one. The fewer meds the better in my opinion. But if you start feeling like you're hungry when you don't think you should be, that may mean you should be on something. That's one of the first warning signals of excess stomach acid with the sleeve. I take the generic Prilosec - which is OTC at any drug or grocery store.

I had no hunger the first few weeks or so after surgery, but now I'm hungry all the time. I was really hoping I would be in the group with no hunger, but alas I'm not that fortunate. And yes, I take my acid reducer religiously, drink fluids, etc. I can even eat a 30gram Protein bar and be hungry a couple of hours later. I try to keep one close by and just nibble on it all day in between meals. I work at home and it's too tempting to head to the kitchen and graze.

My favorite mushie was black Beans pureed with salsa and topped with queso blanco, then warmed in the microwave. Next was stone-cut oatmeal. It's firm texture made me feel like I was eating a "real meal". Mashed sweet potatoes were good, but my real guilty pleasure was a spoonful or two of "deviled ham" (so salty, but so good). Of course, real ham in the food processor is much healthier - but at that point in the journey I was just trying to eat as much Protein as possible with the most flavor as possible. The ricotta bake recipe was great too - even my husband ate it!

Unfortunately, I'm one of those that still feels hunger also. I was told that the majority of ghrelin pumps (you know what I mean) would be in the part of the stomach that was cut out. But I guess I still have other areas that excrete it, and despite taking an acid reducer daily, I still feel hungry. Of course it's less than before surgery, but it can still be there for some people.

Hi there. Just wanted to pipe in because I'm also a patient of Dr. Idhe, but just for the gastro stuff. I know he's a very good doctor, but I think he's fairly new to the bariatric surgery scene. You need to ask him plenty of questions during your consult, especially about how many sleeves he's performed, if he's had any leaks, and what his complication rate is. I used Dr. Wade Barker for my revision from band to sleeve (he also put in my band in 2006). He was a general laproscopic surgeon for years before starting his bariatric practice and has done thousands of WLS since. I highly recommend him. There are lots of bariatric surgeons in the DFW area that are very experienced - I'm sure you see their commercials and billboards everywhere. With such great choices so close, I just urge you to get all the info you can and make an informed decision. Nothing against Dr. Idhe - I think he's a great guy - I just wanted to offer my thoughts and wish you the best in the future.

Dr. Barker is super-hot in person. His ads don't do him justice. Of course, that's just a perk. He's an excellent surgeon first of all. He did 5 procedures during my surgery in January, plus my original lapband in 2006. I trust him completely when it comes to scalpel skills!

My tummy and thighs went down pretty fast, but my butt is FLAT now (which is not that great of a thing!). My double-chin went pretty quickly and the boobs have shrunk some too. My calves are still pretty big, but they've always been muscular from years of dance training when I was young.

I was told to only take Tylenol post-op with VSG. But you can discuss that with your doc at the consult.

A group of us met for lunch a couple of months ago at North Park Mall in Dallas on a Saturday and that worked out well. It was pretty convenient to the people on the south end of town and those of us on the north too. Plano, Irving, Grapevine would also work for me. I'm open to suggestions...

I had a band for 3-1/2 yrs. Only lost weight within the first 6 months, then nothing after. Was miserable with food getting stuck, etc. Ended up with a hiatal hernia near the band site. Revised to the VSG in January and loving life now! In my opinion, the band is evil:sneaky2:... I wouldn't recommomend it to anyone except Osama bin Laden.

Hi Lil Red Raider - from one Barker's Babe to another! Everytime I see his commercials on TV I think - "Dang - they need to do a close-up of him so everyone can see how cute he is. He'd get even MORE business!" Ha! And his billboards - he's so tiny on them. He needs to put that million-dollar face out there for everyone to see. Our own personal Dr. McDreamy...

I paid $5000 for my revision with Dr. Barker. I also needed to have my gall bladder removed too, so he did it all at once. When he got in there he found I had a hiatal hernia, which he also repaired. I know they filed insurance for those things, but I'm not really sure how much my insurance paid. I DO know that Dr. Barker didn't charge me a penny over the $5000 though no matter what insurance paid. The hospital (Forest Park Medical Center) was great and I had fantastic care there too.

I returned from my 25th anniversary "dream trip" to Italy a few weeks ago. Since food is such a big part of Italian culture, I was worried that I would feel like I was missing out on not being able to eat a whole lot while I was there. I was almost regretting going on the trip just thinking about it. Luckily, Italians take forever (compared with the way Americans eat) with their meals and are never in a hurry. I was able to eat plenty at a nice slow pace, enjoyed wine, and enjoyed my husband's company. We had several 2-3 hr dinners, and one even lasted 4 hrs. This gave me time to digest one course before the next was served. Now at home, I find that I still like to eat even more slowly than I did before. If you do that, you will find that you finish your meal at about the same time the people that can eat a lot of food do. And since you'll be full, you won't miss all that extra food you won't eat. As Tiffy said, the farther you are out, the more you'll be able to eat. But it takes time, so be patient and enjoy the ride to Skinnyville - ha!

That sounds like what happened to me. I was going on a trip to Italy for my 25th anniversary in May and bought some capris in a size 12 around the first of April (I used to wear a 22, so I was thrilled). Before the trip my husband asked if I was wearing old pants and I said "no, these are my new ones". He said they were pretty baggy in the butt (that's the first place he looks :thumbup:), and I realized they were kind of loose in the waist too. So I measured and I had lost 2" in my waist from the first of April until mid-May. Needless to say, I also had to run out to the store and after taking size 12's and 10's to the dressing room, finally ended up buying 8's! I think I wore 8's when I was a teenager (I'm 49 now). This is still blowing my mind! I look in the mirror and think - "Who are you, woman???"

Are you using the Isopure ready-made (which are clear liquids)? It took me trying several flavors to find a couple that I could tolerate. I liked the grape frost, and have even mixed some grape kool-aid to "beef-up" the flavor. I bought several brands of Protein powders, and would drink them when I forced myself, but really preferred the ready-made. One think I found I could drink in the beginning was cold coffee mixed with a chocolate powder and shaken with crushed ice. My doc considered that a clear liquid. The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC have lots of Protein drinks in the cooler that you can buy just one of to try. That's what I did with the Isopure to find a flavor I liked. Good luck in your quest!

I was also able to eat salads as soon as I got on regular foods with no problems. It was such a relief since I couldn't get them down when I had a lap band. No problem with mayo either, though I use the one made with olive oil. I've made tuna salad, chicken salad, and egg salad with no issues.

I don't know about the stall, and I know all docs require different post-op diets, but it seems really early to me for you to be able to "eat what others eat, just small portions." I was on a liquid diet for 3 wks post-op, soft diet for 2 wks, then regular diet starting on week 6. Going this route, I lost quite a bit at the beginning. Are you limiting carbs and calories (from fats, high calorie liquids, sweet tea, ice cream or junk food)? I also had a band, and got very good at "eating around it" by consuming high-calorie things that slid right through it (cheese dip, milk shakes, etc). Even with a small tummy, it's possible to eat things that help the fat hold on for dear life. Once I started on mushies, I kept to pretty much Protein only for the first couple of weeks (refried black Beans, meat from corned beef hash, tuna pureed and moist). Even when I could eat a regular diet, I started out slowly with adding a few things here and there along with my mushies and Protein drinks. It sounds like you're doing great with exercise, so keep it up. If you follow the food rules to a T, the weight will eventually start coming off again. Our bodies are genetically engineered to hold onto fat when we cut calories, so it might be taking yours just a little while longer than usual to get with the program and shed the lbs. I know it's frustrating to have gone through all of this and not see better results. But I have faith that you'll be successful and will see the scale moving in the right direction before you know it.

Congrats to you both on having your surgery today. Be good girls and follow your post-op diets, get all your walking in, and keep sipping those fluids. I know you'll do great!!

I've had no issues at all with sliming, etc. with the sleeve. I got nauseated twice from eating too much, but once I learned how much to eat at one time I've been fine. food doesn't get stuck, it just goes right on down. I eat out whenever I want, and eat whatever I want, just in smaller quantities. My husband and I might share an entree, or I'll order an appetizer for my meal, or just get a regular meal and take home the leftovers (I can usually get another two meals from one). I've had several business dinners, and if someone asked if there was a problem with my food or why I didn't finish my meal, I just said I had a big lunch and wasn't very hungry. Sweet and simple. You will be thrilled with the sleeve. Getting my band removed was the best thing ever! It felt so good to start losing weight again and not have to deal with that horrible plastic mess inside my body. Good luck!

Now that I'm pretty much at goal weight, here are a few things that still amaze me and that I can't believe are real: *Seeing bones again and that I had forgotten were there (cheekbones, collarbone, hip bones) *Losing 8" in my waist in 4 months *Feeling and looking younger than I did 15 yrs ago! *Walking past the Lane Bryant store on my way to Victoria's Secret (ha!) *At the age of 49, wearing the same size I wore when I was 17