slikchik10

I am sure you will do great with either! I did great with the band until it broke and had to have removed. My tubing was also punctured even under fleuroscopy! I would never bash the band but if I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen the sleeve at the start! Good luck! Both are a blessing!

I'm 7 mos. out from my revision surgery and it has been great! I had a very easy time with recovery. The procedure was probably a couple of hours and included a hernia repair as well as the removal/revision. Stick to the diet plan and you'll do well. Good luck!

I'm down 53 lbs. since May, but does it really matter the speed of weight loss as long as it is coming off? I've been slow and steady. The holidays were a tough one, but I didn't gain. Now, I refocus and plow on. Just food for thought. Good luck!
My Stats:
HW:248
SW:218
CW:165

"I ate like a pig!! I ate up until the moment I walked into the hospital! And look at me today I'm fine!!"
I'm sure you can find someone or even several people that will tell you these things.. But what does it mean?
Does it make it a done deal because others made it through?
When people "cheat" who are the cheating? The doctor? The system? They are cheating no one but themselves. The fact of the matter is this will take some willpower and some personal responsibility.. These are things we need to come to terms with before the surgery because we need them most definitely after surgery.

Best compliment ever!
On Christmas, at my mother-in-law's, after dinner and dishes were done, we were all relaxing and teaming up in chairs. Pretty much every chair is a two-butt chair unless you bring in one from the kitchen, which I always had to do.
This year my sister-in-law asks me to come to her and she pulls me into a reclined recliner with her. I about died! She then tells my niece, who is a marathon runner, that I'm her new chair partner because I'm way lighter than her. I nearly cried, then busted out laughing with everyone else when my niece called her a b**ch.
We laid there talking about my surgery and the diet restrictions, my struggles, all sorts of stuff...and then she tells me how proud she is of me.
I'm going to cherish that night for the rest of my life.

Domik03, I'm not sure about Kaiser (CO) but I'm Kaiser (CA) and since I was having a problem with the band, they covered the removal. But to cover the revision I had to attend the 12 wks. of education classes as if I were a new WLS patient. Did I care...nope! It got me the revision needed. Good luck.

Pounds no more "fall off" than a baby "pops out". That's my two cents.

In my line of work, I often meet potential clients at Starbucks for the first time. Because we've never seen each other, it's always been my habit to describe myself as "short and round with big curly brown hair" and no one has ever missed me. I can always tell if the person I am meeting is a chubster, too, because they giggle at my comment.

Today, I was the only female in the place when a heavier lady walked in who was obviously looking for me. I waved her over to the table and she looked at me and said, "I thought you said you were round. Were you trying to be funny? Making fun of fat people isn't a joke.'

EHRMAHGHERRRRRRRD!!!

I never even thought about it. I'm still short, I still have big, curly hair, but I'm no longer round. Last year at this time, I was a snug 20/XXL and now I'm a comfy size 10 in skinny pants/medium top. It took me a minute to even figure out what the heck she was referring to when she made the comment.

I was so stunned at what happened, I stuttered over my explanation. I tried to explain that I've lost a bunch of weight, yada, yada, yada, but from the look on her face and her response back, I'm pretty sure I offended her and I won't be hearing from her again.


Whooooops! There's a habit I'll have to break.

what i do is get a snickers or a butterfinger and dip it in my Protein shake.....lol just kidding...quest is the best try banana nut bread yummy!!!!

Ok, gonna be ugly for a moment.....but we're you expecting magic results?!? Your just 3 weeks out. This means you're in the middle of healing and recovering. Give yourself a break! Keep in mind this is a LONG TERM thing, not a "poof it's gone" process. If you can't be happy with ANY loss, then this process will be hard. Cut yourself a break for pity's sake. I'm 7 mos. out, 53 lbs. down and at a weight & size I've not seen in 30 years!! This has not come in big chunks, it's been a pound here and a pound there...from the beginning! My first month was NOT my biggest loss...just slow and steady. Find something each day to be grateful for each day/week. It can be a NSV or not. OH, and don't compare your journey to others you read about on here!!!! There might be some similarities but it's still YOUR journey and there will be differences that are unique to you.
Sorry to be a bit harsh, but in the words of Cher in Moonstruck "Snap out of it!!" This is not a "sprint" to goal but a "marathon." Hugs and good luck. :-)

I may not be losing pound-wise but my clothes are baggy so something is happening! Yaaaaay! Hang in there!

Ok, gonna be ugly for a moment.....but we're you expecting magic results?!? Your just 3 weeks out. This means you're in the middle of healing and recovering. Give yourself a break! Keep in mind this is a LONG TERM thing, not a "poof it's gone" process. If you can't be happy with ANY loss, then this process will be hard. Cut yourself a break for pity's sake. I'm 7 mos. out, 53 lbs. down and at a weight & size I've not seen in 30 years!! This has not come in big chunks, it's been a pound here and a pound there...from the beginning! My first month was NOT my biggest loss...just slow and steady. Find something each day to be grateful for each day/week. It can be a NSV or not. OH, and don't compare your journey to others you read about on here!!!! There might be some similarities but it's still YOUR journey and there will be differences that are unique to you.
Sorry to be a bit harsh, but in the words of Cher in Moonstruck "Snap out of it!!" This is not a "sprint" to goal but a "marathon." Hugs and good luck. :-)

Ok, gonna be ugly for a moment.....but we're you expecting magic results?!? Your just 3 weeks out. This means you're in the middle of healing and recovering. Give yourself a break! Keep in mind this is a LONG TERM thing, not a "poof it's gone" process. If you can't be happy with ANY loss, then this process will be hard. Cut yourself a break for pity's sake. I'm 7 mos. out, 53 lbs. down and at a weight & size I've not seen in 30 years!! This has not come in big chunks, it's been a pound here and a pound there...from the beginning! My first month was NOT my biggest loss...just slow and steady. Find something each day to be grateful for each day/week. It can be a NSV or not. OH, and don't compare your journey to others you read about on here!!!! There might be some similarities but it's still YOUR journey and there will be differences that are unique to you.
Sorry to be a bit harsh, but in the words of Cher in Moonstruck "Snap out of it!!" This is not a "sprint" to goal but a "marathon." Hugs and good luck. :-)

HI guys! I am visiting from the VST side of things. (sleeve talk) I think there are some "haters" for sure, but you have to keep in mind that the only banders that visit the sleeve section, are those with horror stories, that are looking into revising to the sleeve, or have already done so. I doubt most really "hate" those that get the band, but fear for the results that we mostly hear about, or the idea of having a foreign body inside, and continuing visits to the doc. Like you said, not all surgeries fit all people! Being hateful is never good form. For heavens sakes! I had 85 percent of my stomach removed! Who am I to blast anyone trying to get healthy! I am very happy at 3 years out, just got to goal... went through a regain at one point (of 22 pounds) but thats back off and all is well. I think if you have seen the stats, and can live with the possible complications and rules, then more power to you whatever choice you make!

Caity,
I know exactly what you mean! I forget that I even had surgery (12/16). I haven't been depressed (yet!) - opposite - very happy to have revision surgery over with and have the feeling of fullness back and not being hungry all the time. However, I'm starting to get scared. I had heard that for some reason, weight loss can be slower for former bandsters - not for sure why. What scares me is that the sleeve (for me) is so much easier in that I can already tell that I can eat foods that were hard for me to eat with the band (I was pretty restricted) and that if I overdo it - I have a very uncomfortable fullness feeling - but not having to throw up - which was a huge deterrent for me with the band. So I'm scared that I will overeat and eventually stretch my sleeve which I'm only 3 weeks out but I don't want another WLS failure! Also when I get discouraged I want to eat. I am not hungry and glad (now) that I did the 2-week liquid pre-op diet because it reminded me what true hunger is - not the head hunger or boredom I may get now. Also - a co-worker had gastric bypass this week and I know that the weight is going to literally fall off of her the 1st 6 months and people can't help but compare us even though I have tried to explain that sleeve does not have malabsorption - folks just hear "gastric" and its all the same to them. So I hope I won't get discouraged with my initial slower weight loss. Also - PCOS sucks! I also have it and depression is not only one of the common symptoms but the other "wonderful" symptoms we get cause us to get depressed. Yes, we are insulin-resistant so we are not going to lose as fast as others but we can still lose the same amount it will just take us longer and the key will still be (even with WLS) that we watch our carbs and sugar and exercise is a must to keep that metabolism going. You already have an exercise routine and a work-out buddy (your BF) so you are ahead of the game. Also, I think we are not as excited because we know the reality of WLS and that it is just a tool and not a cure and with the band when our tool "broke" we felt like a failure even though it wasn't even our fault (my band leaked twice) - at least we don't have a "mechanical device" to worry about. I cringe when I hear new WLS patients state "100 pounds lost FOREVER!" ... because we all know that is not always the case. But I am so thankful and feel blessed to have this WLS tool that was not available to me in 2005 when I had the band. Tomorrow is a NEW year and a new beginning for the both of us so smile and that about that hot black mini dress you'll be wearing next New Year's Eve! :-)

I have been fortunate not to experience any real stalls but I hear it is common at 3 weeks out and other times. I have had a couple no loss, 0.2 loss, and 0.4 gain weeks but body usually makes up for those once I make sure to reduce sugar intake and make sure Protein at least 65-70g I am still losing but it is about 6 pounds a month and it usually goes very slow for 3-4 weeks then drops. At your stage, it is normal to slow down as you start to add in food again. Just be patient and stick to protein first, avoid sugar, and drink water/tea. It will come off - trust me! I was not a fast loser as others in the first few months but it has been consistent. And remember it is not a race. This is time well spent in relearning how to eat.

Thanks for the responses. My depression comes and goes, mostly in the form of fatigue and lack of motivation, but I also have to remind myself that I'm freshly operated on and must relax/rest. It is quite mild though. With the band I got it really bad.
I'm so grateful for having this surgery, but I am a little disappointed that this doesn't feel like a new, exciting experience.
Best of wishes to you all, and thanks again for helping me understand why I feel so good, and that it's okay if I don't feel good about feeling good, if that makes sense, lol.
@ Sunsett and Bella - you will do great. The first night is real rough but only because I couldn't burp up the gas they inflate your stomach with. That was so painful but super short lived.
@Annette - isn't it wonderful when they took the band out and you could guzzle Water first in the morning, after years of vomiting? LOL. You are right about the differences. You're so lucky you can eat real food now! I'm only a couple of days into mushy.
@nursebeccarn - I am sticking to the routine but have cut back on my Protein shakes because I can't handle strong flavors and for some reason even my Isopure shake is way too sweet. If you want to talk, let me know. I hope you pull through those blues soon! (both of us actually!)

Caity, congrats on your revision. My revision was back in May after 6 yrs w/the band. (4 of those yrs. dealing with the probs of my band). I completely agree w/Laura V. 1) I've found the adjustment to having a sleeve a bit easier because of some things I learned having a band. However, there will still be things that are different. For example, the feeling of full is different now than before and there are no such things as PBs. 2) Feeling bleh is part of the transition through the food stages. I was so ready for July when I could actually eat REAL food, no Soup or mush. Granted it was tee tiny amounts, but...it was real! :-) Take this time of ease to really focus on embracing the change. Build up YOU. Best of luck!
Annette

I'd do him.

Hi guys. I asked my husband to write something for my blog. Like a "WLS from a spouse's point of view" sort of thing. I will preface this by saying, my husband is my rock and I love him to pieces (sure, some days I want to push him off a cliff, but...).
This is what he sent me - I wanted to share with this audience because we all have loved ones that drive us crazy at times. I think sometimes we open up in a different way when we put pen to paper as opposed to speaking to one another. What would your spouse or significant other write if you asked them to? I was surprised by what I read here...
The wife recently asked me to write a little something for her blog. Not much on writing more than witty quips in response to my friends Facebook posts, my first response was a “oh sure” and then to politely ignore the request. It’s a tactic that works I’d say 75% of the time. I was hoping that she would be so excited (or distraught) about weight loss/lack of weight loss/not pooping/pooping/someone else pooping or not pooping, she’d forget that she asked. So a week passed and then I get a, “So I’d really like you to write a post for my blog. You know, from the spouses point of view.” I thought I was home free with her focus on the stall. Guess not.

My wife's weight has never really been an issue for me. We met over the phone and had a 3000-mile long distance relationship before the Internet and unlimited phone service. We worked in the same industry and developed a relationship over months of hours-long, bank-account-crushing phone calls. We have always said that if we had come across each other in a bar or other typical meeting place, we wouldn’t have been each other’s type, physically. Since we fell in love before we ever met, we got what we got. Which by the way, I was pretty happy with upon our first meeting. So when she informed me of her thoughts on surgery I tried hard to keep the slack jawed WTF look off my face as much as I could. I initially thought, “Your going to cut out most of your stomach just to lose a few pounds. What?” What I didn’t realize is that it wasn’t a few pounds. Much like your surprise when someone comments on how much your child has grown because they only see him once a year, I hadn’t noticed she had gained a hundred pounds since we first met. She had always just been my wife, my best friend, the person I would spend a long wonderful life with. My attachment to her has always been so much more than physical, and when I look at her I still see that 25-year-old girl I fell in love with. So when she told me how much she weighed I thought, “Holy shit, when did that happen.”

My blessing of the surgery wasn’t without hesitation. I know what obesity does to a body over time and have witnessed it first hand in my father and mother-in-law. The breaking down of joints, the insulin injections, heart issues and on and on…I know, preaching to the choir. But what if something happens during surgery and I lose the love of my life? What if our boy loses his mother? The mere thoughts made my heart hurt. How would I ever cope if something tragic actually happened? But you can’t live life on the basis that something bad MIGHT happen. Its what kept my mother from fully experiencing life and I always hated that. I wanted to have the healthiest wife possible as we get older. I wanted her to be comfortable in her skin. I wanted her to wear clothes she likes, not just the ones that hide the most. I wanted her to not feel awkward around others. I’ve never really struggled with weight. Sure I could lose more than a few pounds, but it falls off with little effort. I don’t fully understand the angst that the weight causes my wife but I know she isn’t as happy as she could be because of it. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. You gotta make the most of it. So I agreed, reluctantly.

After coming to grips with the minimal risk involved and nervously waiting for good news from the operating room, it’s been a pretty easy journey for me. I’ve had to do very little except listen. Listen about the surgery, shakes, stalls, pooping, not pooping and then pooping again. My wife is hard-core about obtaining information off the internet. So much so, she once gave her GP a tutorial on thyroid testing and the latest acceptable ranges for each test, which came as news to her doctor. Still not sure why we had to pay for that office visit. So nothing came as a surprise. It made my life easier knowing that if anything came up post op that might freak me out, she had the stats on how many patients experienced the same thing, why it happened, how long it will likely last, and what the next day, week, month has in store. Easy for me, but I know it hasn’t been easy for her and that each day brings a new challenge. I am so grateful for what she is willing to put herself through for a healthier future with our son and me. Recently she’s been in the dreaded stall, but it’s subsided, and she has a little pep in her step. I love the gleam in her eye when the scale tells her what she wants to hear. I love how she gleefully shows off how crappy her clothes fit. Mostly I love that each day she seems to feel more comfortable in her skin and happier with herself. What more can you really ask for?

I've had two surgeries. Lap band and now sleeve. It is HARD work!! U go girl!!

As a fellow meanie, I want to add that it's not about dashing peoples hopes or raining on their parades....it's about reality. The reality is 90% of the folks on this forum are either pre-op or still in the honeymoon stage. It's startling how things change once that honeymoon phase is over. No words can prepare you. One day it's so easy and the next day it's like you were never sleeved almost. And at that point it all falls on you. And you realize that the real tool is not the sleeve, it's the new behaviors you learned during the early months. The new lifestyle. The new healthy approach to life. If you don't embrace those things, it's gonna get tough down the line for you.

One thing I never say is "88 pounds gone forever"
Lol I don't want to jinx myself
But I'm also aware that it's not an guarantee that it will stay gone..
As for common sense and listening to our bodies? Yep tried that.. Now I surrender myself to the process, and my surgeons guidelines.
Well expect for coffee.. But I waited 4 months
I think a bit of hard scary reality is vital to being successful on this journey.
We need to work on our heads! And our relationship to food!!
Priority number one! Our heads, not the surgery
I know some here think that certain people here are meanies (like me sometimes) when they rain on their food parades. And well sorry but I'm only trying to help people be armed with facts so that they have every chance there is to be successful
I,like you read what those crusty old vets had to say when I was a newbie.
It scared me yes, but my eyes were wide open going into this. And for that I am thankful.

This was so cute and funny! Cracked us up.
My good compliment lately is also from my husband. He says that when we go to the stores together now, he has to remember what color shirt I am wearing because otherwise he doesn't immediately recognize me. How cool is that?

New best comment (from goofy husband as I came home from Christmas errands): "My wife is going to be home soon, so whoever you are, get your skinny butt out before she catches you."
**Context, we both travel a lot for work and our running "inside joke" is that we have to clean out the evidence of the guy/girl we've had over. My teens think we're just goofy but it's our way of letting the other know that we don't take each other for granted.
Anyway, I've gone from a 26 to a 12 (jeans) so far and my husband pretending he didn't recognize me was sort of cool.