BayougirlMrsS

Hey @Skip111178 Not many of us from "lapbandtalk" still around... (all others, that's what this site was called back then) ..... as a fellow bandmember and now "sleever". I can only answer from my POV; My questions are: - Has anyone had a similar experiences and what did you decide to do and was it the right decision? ****I never had the reflux, i of course had the bouts with vomiting like most LB patients. I did at one point back years ago gained 15-20ish pounds. I was glad i realized what i was doing. I told myself, you didn't do what you did, go through what you went through, given up what you did to go back to the "old" person you were. Grab my small plate and went back to what i knew worked, portions, chewing, better choices, exercising... Lost and got back to my steady 143lbs and size 6. Revising to the sleeve was good for me. I knew where i was headed without the aid of WLS. My band was ER removed 2017 at 143lbs. 16 months ago i revised to the sleeve at 173lbs (30lb gain over the 2.5 years of no WLS). 5'2" and now at 120lbs. - It worries me if I have the sleeve or a bypass, will I be in the same situation in 10 years time?**** I worry about that also, but in 10 years i'll be 62 and i'll cross that bridge when i get too it. Personally, had i had more options, i would have done the MGB (mini). But i would have had to go to Mexico for that and i felt better doing the sleeve 10 minutes from my home. The LB removal was pretty easy, removed on Thurs, back at work on Monday. Hunger really came back at about 2 weeks. The sleeve was the easiest SX i ever had. Done on Wednesday and back at work on Monday. I told my co workers i was having Hernia SX. Which i did end up having a Hiatal hernia repaired. Not telling was a great choice for me. - Would anyone recommend a particular company or surgeon?***** I do not, i live in the US - Has anyone had the band deflated and maybe had the balloon? I don't know if this is even possible? I thought this would mean surgery wouldn't be needed?****** STAY AWAY FROM THE BALLOON!!!! With the sleeve i don't get food "stuck" anymore. I do get the full feeling after about 3-4 bites, but i do feel like i'm hungrier faster than with the band. The band i was never hungry. I have only had 3 vomiting episodes since sleeve and it was my own fault. I learned to listen to my body and depend on portion control more now. With the band, it would get stuck and i would throw up. I find it's more important than ever to wait to drink after eating. I find that within minutes of drinking, i'm hungry again. I do worry about regain.. EVERYDAY..... i have had a lot of friends that did the sleeve and GB that regained. I'm hopeful that if i keep diligent with what i'm doing i can maintain the 53lbs loss

@2021NewMe First congrats on making yourself a priority. Know that your thoughts, feelings, and fears have been shared with what i would say is 99% of the people on here. Start by saying i'm now 52, 5'2" and 120lbs. I started this process back November 2009 (right before Thanksgiving) at 232lbs 44bmi with the lapband 14cc. I LOVE MY BAND... she and i had a wonderful relationship. She was the best thing I had done for myself. Like others, I had dieted for years only to lose and then gain it all back plus some. The sense of failure was some days overwhelming. That carried over to the WLS. The thought of failure. With any WLS you have to be 100% committed to the entire process, not just pick and chose what you want to do. It's hard and I still fall short and have weak moments. Like the other night, I ate chips and two cookies... The guilt is real. There are so many inspiring people on this site. I've been here since 2009, on and off. But if you search you will find a lot of people have the same issues as yourself and just having those people is, somedays, everything. BP is my secret place. I don't tell anyone i come here. Makes me feel free to ask questions without feeling embarrassed or judged (although some people can be). I, personally prefer the don't tell anyone route. When i had my band i told nearly everyone and always felt like i was being watched and judged. Like they were waiting for me to fail yet again. In 2017, I had one of my worse days.... i had to have my beloved band removed due to a slip... she was my BF, the absolute one thing in my life i could count on. I did my best to continue eating the way i had for years, but Tina (band) wasn't there to help. Over the next 2.5 years i put back 30lbs and got back up to 173lbs. I had always known i need WLS help, but 1) couldn't find a dr that would do it because of my low bmi... 2) couldn't afford it. But as fate would have it.... My divorce (26 years) property settlement was final and i finally found a dr that would do the revision..... So Sept. 28, 2019 at 173lbs and 14k in hand... I revised to the sleeve. Only my husband knows. I didn't tell anyone, not my kids, family, friends, co workers.... and this is sooooo much better. My org size was a 18-20.... down to a 6, then up to a 10-12..... Now I'm a size 0-2

It has been a ruff few months. Back at the end of June my youngest (29) son admitted himself into rehab. He got out early-mid Sept. and has been living with us till his apartment is ready. My mom (72) is back on pain meds (she was addicted most of my childhood) and i'm always the person everyone in my family seems to think can "fix" everything.... I CAN'T. So i went to counseling a couple of time (she and i didn't connect) but stopped going. Until about a month ago my weight loss has been uncontrollable... i just kept losing and size 0 is on the edge of being too thin. So, i'm here "confessing my sins" to y'all..... Some of the only people that understand. I confess I feel lost and scared. Tim has been a great support, but i know that having J living with us is a strain on both of us.... and confess to really wanting him out and on his own. I confess that i have been snacking lately instead of eating "correct" food. Yesterday i ate a hand full of chips and last night i ate two cookies. I confess i have not been drinking enough. I confess to not exercising. Don't know how, but woke this am a lb lighter........ BUTTTT......Today is Monday and it's a new day and I have to stay strong and do what i know to do and take my own advice. Has anyone ever done a "life coach"? If so, tell me about it...

you guys are so awsome.... through out the years and all my ups and downs.... you guys have been here. This site has always been my secret comfort place. Yesterday was better.... until someone brought the devil in the office, cotton candy.... Hell's bells. But I did good not great, but good. Weight is still down that pound i lost over the weekend..... I call it my floating pound. @JAKE H the book is on the way along with the Ego one.... I have a kindle, but i love feeling a book in my hands and smelling the pages.... Thanks for the suggestion @Arabesque still looking for a therapist, counselor or "life coach"... except for the times i had evals for WLS i only had one session with a marriage counselor during my divorce. So i'm really not sure what to expect. Tim said i needed to give it time and that it won't happen in two visits.... I just hated the long silent pauses followed by.... And how does that make you feel?..... gezzz is that the only question you know..... Never mind the fact that she had a brand new bottle of Mt. Dew sitting on her desk and you all know i gave up the dew a year and a half ago.... Throughout the years... i could never give it up... it was my one vice.... and there it was... taunting me, on her desk, water beads rolling down the bottle...... like a crake pipe to a crackhead. Keep the thought coming... you all are my saving grace.

i do love to read. going look for that book now. Thanks

@Barbwired & @toytoy Our stories are so similar..... I to was banded 11/10/2009. Did great till 2017 when i was going through a divorce (25-26 years) and then i got a stomach virus and couldn't stop throwing up..... slipped band and ER removal 3/23/2017... Worse day EVER. I lost my beloved band Tina. At the time i lost her i had not gained any weight and was at my steady 143lbs. Because it was ER i was not giving the option to wait or revise. Looking back on it i wish i had been given the choice.... But because i didn't gain, my dr said i didn't weigh enough anyway. And that's what i heard from every dr after that. Fast forward a little... i started with a few lbs here and there and no matter what i did i could not get the scale to go back the other way. I was starting to get depressed and then the beginning of 2019 i started menopause (50). When May-June came around i was up to 173lbs. (30lbs). Planning a wedding for Sept and i was steady gaining..... so i upped my search and found a dr. here that agreed to do the revision. I really wanted the MGB, but he doesn't do that.... so the sleeve it was. It went quickly as i told the dr i wanted to go as fast a possible, all other appointments went... bam bam.. Done. He noted in my chart that i was a "revision" (2.5 years later) and what my BMI was back in 2009 was 44, how well i did and that in 2.5 years i had only gained 30lbs. Handed over 14k and was sleeved 8/28/19..... Married 9/26/19 20lbs lighter. As of today i'm at 120lbs and have been since Juneishhhh.... (-53lbs) Barb.. i'm the same way, i like the gym but i have to go straight from work, do not stop anywhere, do not pass GO... hehe.... if i do, i'll go home and that's where i stay. I have not exercised a day since Covid started. I did for the months of Aug-Jan...(crossfit). But nothing since. Honestly, the sleeve sx was one of the easiest i ever had.... sx on Wednesday and back to work on Monday he even fixed a HH. @toytoy Is there a reason they can't do the removal and revision at the same time? The weight loss has for me been pretty easy and no complications. No vomiting, no getting stuck, no fills... I went see the dr every 3 months and now i'm on maintenance and only have to go once a year (unless i have issues). Personally, i think us Band-members that did well with the band do well with the sleeve. I know the band taught me how to eat better and it has made a huge difference. People that didn't do well with the sleeve i see them having more of their same issues.

I do love the dress... Amazon... hehe you can fit another person in that seat with you..... awesome job. I love sitting crossed legged

so good.... the hardest part is the browning of the onions. Growing up cajun we learned at an early age.... it's all about the onions

Dude you are a beast..... you look amazing...

Down in the south, we call it "sticky" chicken .... I'm attaching a video for you.... it the one that comes closest to how i do it. Depending on the size of your family, you can cut the recipe in half. I don't use skin on or bone in.... i just don't like it.... but you can if you want

I really think i had an advantage when it comes to this having been a previous LB patient. Its a whole lot different when you CAN'T eat it vs SHOULDN'T. As the band got tighter, bread, rice, grits, some potatoes, drier meats like port, white chicken, veggies like asparagus, fruit like apples.... just would not go down. If i even tried it would get stuck and have to "uneat" it. So i just stopped. I really thought it would be harder, but after a few times of throwing up... you learn to stay away. Now with the sleeve, it's super easy as i have just gone back to that way pretty much. a few weeks ago i found myself dipping my toe in the deep part of the pool..... realized that it was/is a dangerous place to be. So back to the kiddy pool so to speak. Last night i cooked one of my favorite meals..... smothered chicken (boneless thighs) green beans and rice.... I sooooo badly wanted the rice.... but i stayed away. I found the wanting of these things never go away, but the acting on them can.

Almost the exact same ..... Banded 2009 at 44bmi 223lbs, stayed at 143lbs till it slipped in 2017. I loved my band tina.... she was awesome. Fast Forward 2.5 years and a 30lb weight gain. Sleeve SX 8/28/2019 at 173lbs. My weight loss was and still is pretty great. I'm down to 120lbs.... and a 21bmi. 14 months ago

Firstly.... you look beautiful. Secondly.... OMG.... you did an amazing job.... You have an amazing gift and so deserve 1st place.

My Psych dr. did the same thing to me. Firstly he made me do this longgggg process that took hours to fill in this questionnaire. After calling and leaving message after message i had to get the dr office to call.... Then he "failed" me and said i was a binge eater.... I have been a lot of things, but never a binge eater. Had to make another appointment with a different one and he said.... why did he make you do that? I said I don't know.... anyway he passed me and i was scheduled two weeks later. Just keep on them....

a while... this schedule was more so for Preop diet.... but it can be used for after. I would say, change the 8oz to 4oz till your intake is more. I still sip, gulps sit in my stomach and make me feel bloated.

If you want to start losing weight again.... It's pretty simple. 1) stary under a 1000 cals a day (i don't know where someone said 3500, that's ridiculous). 2) Plan your meals 3) Portion your meals before it hit the plate. 4) ONLY eat what is on the plate, never go back for more. 5) log your food (like many have said). 6) Only eat at the table, if you eat in front of the tv or in a car you will over eat. 7) NEVER eat and drink. 😎 Move Move Move......

You look great @Sophie7713 and plenty of room to spare... Hope you had a safe trip and a wonderfully Spokieeee Holloween

love when my husband surprises me with gift.... Sweater dress (Amazon)

This is a one day at at time and like @ms.sss said, it's never to late to turn it around. Being prepared is one of the best things you can do... Pre and post. I found that when if failed to prepare, i failed..... Just like the old saying..... When you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I knew everyday what i was going to have. I made myself a checklist of what and the time and stuck to it. You will have to adjust it for what your dr. says. I printed one for each day and stuck to it. I ate a lot of Wonton soup broth. Water was sometimes another protein drink. I'm a visual person and if i see it, i will/can do it.

once you are approved you are good. I was a 44bmi with no co's..... my doc said to not lose a pound till i did. Then after i was approved i could lose if i wanted to. On the 2 week liq diet i lost more than 10lbs. When i got then sleeve my bmi was 31(8/28/19) with no co's, but even though it was done 2.5 years after band removal it still was considered a revision. He noted my chart with my first bmi of 44 (2009), what i had gotten too 26 (2017) with the band. Of course, my insurance didn't cover the removal or the sleeve.... 14k out of pocket for the sleeve. I am so grateful...... my bmi is now a 21. 5'2" 120lbs

i really don't believe that the sleeve is the most restrictive.... personally i think the band is. sleeve i can eat whatever i want... just 3-4 bits and i full..... with the band i just could not eat certain things at all, bread, rice, some pasta, grits, some potatoes, some salad mixes.... not even one bite without it getting stuck and throwing up. So i never ate them till i had the band removed.... I will agree with the fact that i lost a whole lot faster with the sleeve and i have only thrown up 3 x in over a year so that's a win.

surround yourself with positive people

sure hope you are feeling better...

remember to watch your sodium intake with broth.

So sorry for your loss. I hate when people say these things..... They don't realize how much words affect you. My x was my biggest NON-supporter.... but he is gone now (yayyyyy). There are some things you can do: Start logging your food in a food app... I like Myfitnesspal and Baritastic. Do this for a week and really see where your fats, cals, and carbs are coming from. Start to remove them from your diet. Go back to portion control. Start over, do your two-week preop diet. Food prepping is a great way to get back on track. Moving more.... Surgically i think you can do the band over bp, or the DS.... but i'm not 100% Have you been back to you dr? If not... goooooo. Don't be embarrassed about your weight gain. Tell him/her the truth about what's going on in your life and get him/her on board. The dr is there to help you succeed. You are not the first person to regain and you won't be the last..... But, you are the only person that can make the changes happen. YOU CAN DO THIS..... when the nonsupportive people start telling you crap.... walk away, just walk away. Surround yourself with positive people... If you can make an appointment with your NUT and psychiatrist.... they can help you with food choices.... and help you with the emotional part of why. Wishing you all the best....