Barbwired

I don't know how you do it, you're a stronger person than I am! If I can't eat it, I can't cook it LOL!

I guess I'm lucky, I use artificial sweeteners all the time with no issues at all. Didn't realize how lucky I was I guess. :-)

I guess I'm lucky, I use artificial sweeteners all the time with no issues at all. Didn't realize how lucky I was I guess. :-)

I love these Wasa Crispbreads. Only 20 calories each and they're really yummy with a little melted cheese on top. Great way to have a snack and satisfy my crunchy salty cravings. Also makes for a nice lunch with some tuna or chicken salad on top. They also come in other flavors like rye, flax seed, sourdough etc. but this one is my favorite.

@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.

Hello,
I just had a conversion from band to sleeve September 21st. I was banded in 2010 and loved it and did really well until a few years ago when the GERD became unbearable. They removed the Fluid from my band first and I had to wait about 6 months to get the surgery and I gained 40 pounds, the result of no restriction and not being able to work out because my gym closed due to Covid. Yes, I know I could have worked out on my own but I'm not good at that at all LOL. I've been doing fitness boot camp for years and it's the only thing that works for me. I need a coach to crack the whip, otherwise I tend to just stay on the couch.
The surgery was much easier than I thought it would be and GERD has not been a problem, but I am still on Omeprazole. It's too bad you can't have the revision all at once rather than having two surgeries, but it sounds like you're doing the right thing. I think this is pretty common now and most people do really well. My weight loss has been slow, partly because of my age (60) and because I still haven't been back to the gym, it's open again but I still don't think it's safe to go. Unfortunately for me if I don't work out every day I just don't lose weight. It's always been that way for me. I am glad I had the revision though and I'm trying to figure out a way to get my workouts in on my own. I'll get there!
I wish you luck on your journey, I'm sure you'll do well and I'm sure you're making the right decision!

I love these Wasa Crispbreads. Only 20 calories each and they're really yummy with a little melted cheese on top. Great way to have a snack and satisfy my crunchy salty cravings. Also makes for a nice lunch with some tuna or chicken salad on top. They also come in other flavors like rye, flax seed, sourdough etc. but this one is my favorite.

It's a story as old as time...
First you look, just a quick look which turns into a long, langorous gaze, taking in every curve...
Then, you just must touch. Just a little touch. Before you know it, you're holding it, caressing the peperoni...
Next thing you know, you are waking up in a gutter with pizza stains on your cuff, wondering where your weekend went.
Nine months later, a pizza delivery guy shows up at your door with a package...
Tek

Thanks for sharing your story and I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I'm crossing my fingers for you that things get better. Sending positive vibes your way!

Thank you Barbara. Great job with your weight loss!

I really need your help. I got a lapband in 2010. It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, I lost 100 pounds and life was good. Then the acid reflux started. It was hell on earth. I woke up chocking in the middle of the night and spent several months sleeping in a chair. They finally had to take all of the Fluid out of my band and the reflux is better but not totally gone. I don't have to sleep in a chair now at least, but without the fluid in my band and my gym closing (I was going 5-6 days a week) I've put on 40 pounds and I'm miserable. I had been on track to convert to a sleeve, but now I'm on here reading about people with the sleeve still having reflux problems. I can't go through that again so might consider a bypass instead but it terrifies me. I'm so afraid of the whole dumping syndrome thing and I like a glass of wine occasionally and I'm afraid I'll never be able to do that again. I would love to hear from all and any of you who have had a bypass and if you're happy about it or not. I'm beside myself trying make this decision and I would really appreciate any advice any of you can give me. Thank you so much in advance.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

This is incredibly thoughtful, generous, and helpful. Thank you so much!

For me it was life changing in every sense.
The surgery was quite simple, minor pain at the incision areas, but aside from that really no serious pain. Thankfully, I didn't have some of the 'gas pains' that others have. No nausea, vomiting or extreme discomfort. Not really very hungry for the first few weeks either.
I'm not sure if it's common practice, but right before my surgery and at my 6-month check up I had a "Myers Cocktail" which is basically a bunch of Vitamins given through IV. Really helped with recovery and energy levels during a time where you really can't get much energy from food.
YMMV, but for me recovery was super fast. I was eating pureed food by day 2 and solid foods by I think the end of week 2. Don't worry too much about calories in the beginning. Regardless of what you eat, you won't be able to eat much. Refried Beans were a lifesaver for me the first few days on pureed foods, and the Ricotta bake that you see mentioned so much here was also a staple.
Couple pieces of advice (again, everyone's different but some of what I see on here leads me to believe that the issue is more frequent than some others):
Pay attention to your Water. Sounds silly, but right after surgery I had no interest in drinking anything. I had to remind myself to drink water. So I started carrying around my water everywhere. That helped. Kept me sipping throughout the day. One of my biggest issues pre-op was that I ate fast, and when I say fast I mean really really fast. I honestly believe that was a huge part of my weight gain as it led to difficulty digesting, overeating, etc. Use the time in the beginning to re-train yourself on eating slowly and chew chew chew chew chew! Even your liquids. Even your pureed food. Even your smoothies. Chew it all. Sounds weird, but helped me monumentally. Don't try to jump into exercise too early, but don't put it off too long either. We all do this to bring about changes beyond food. We all want to be more active, make healthier choices. It's easy to want to jump right in, but I would wait until you get clearance from your doc (ask) to start, because any injury can cause complications with the surgery or set you back in your recovery or both. Also, you don't want to wait too long because it's WAY TOO EASY to fall back into old habits. Ask your doc at every checkup if you're cleared to exercise and when you are, get moving. Have a plan ready to go. Start with walks and move into beginner plans if you have to and then progressively take on more as you can, but start. Don't get discouraged with stalls. They happen. For some they happen sooner than others, but I think most of us experience them. Just stick to your plan. There are some good articles on here about how to work through stalls. Stalls will hit your ego a lot harder than your overall progress, I promise. Keep with your plan, and you'll push through. Use this time to change what you eat. Just because you can't eat as much of something does not mean that it's a good thing to eat. In the very beginning (first 1-2 weeks), you just need to get something in. Once you start back on solid foods, make sure you're choosing healthy foods. That doesn't mean you have to count calories, macros or any of that. Of course you can if that's what helps you, but I would use this time to find what works best for you. Since you can't eat a lot of different foods, chances are when you start back on solids you'll likely be eating only 1-2 different foods at a time. There won't be 3-4 sides, etc. It's a good time to see how different foods make you feel. Some people do great on a high-protein, low-carb diet. That didn't do it for me. I stuck with the physician's plan for the first 30 days (high protein), but I wanted something more balanced and more sustainable (for me) long-term. I made the change to go to a whole-foods based diet, and it's what I still do today, almost 5 years post-op. I stay away from anything processed as much as I possibly can. This doesn't limit me as much as other diets and it worked really for me. Try foods and see how they make you feel. Weed out the ones that leave you feeling bad, bloated, tired, etc. Enjoy what you couldn't enjoy pre-op. When you get out there and start enjoying the things that you may not have been able to do before your surgery, it's automatic motivation to stay on plan. If you have activities or certain things you have had to sit out because of your weight, having the opportunity to do them is like being a kid again and doing these activities for the first time. Remember those experiences. They will get you through any challenges you might face. Remember that times do get challenging, but that's why you're here. There's a lot of support here. I'm sure you have family and friends to help in that arena as well, but there's something about talking with people who've experienced everything you're going through. Don't forget that we're here. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I hope this gives you some encouragement as you start your journey. Best of luck to you and please keep us in the loop with how everything is going!

Thanks for sharing your story and I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I'm crossing my fingers for you that things get better. Sending positive vibes your way!

I also had the lap band 10 years ago and loved it. I lost over 100 pounds and life was good until the gastric reflux started. It got so bad I was aspirating stomach acid into my lungs and I had to sleep in a chair. They removed all of the Fluid from the band and the reflux went away and then I started on the track to get a revision to a sleeve. It seemed to me that I shouldn't have had to gone through the whole program for approval again but I did. I'm now waiting to get my surgery date finally after 6 months, which was probably a little longer because of Covid. Unfortunately having the band deflated and my gym closing (I was working out like crazy and now I've just stopped) I've gained a ton back. I'm so frustrated. Hoping to get the sleeve in 4-6 weeks, fingers crossed.

Thank you all so much!