Why I chose the Sleeve--better late than never!

[LAN2k 18]

Hi, Lan2K

I'm glad you found this forum and I'm especially glad if I had some small part in helping you decide AGAINST the Band! You will not regret the sleeve! Not only is it low-maintenance and extremely effective, in the long run you will actually lose more weight with the sleeve than you would have with the band (according to statistical averages). I am so glad that you are taking the time & trouble to educate yourself beyond just the literature provided by the various band companies! Good luck to you on your WLS journey!

Natalie

Thanks Natalie...it's true once I read of the band complications, the stats meant nothing! The thought of having that thing implanted alone just doesn't jive with me. As for my up coming sleeve surgery, even though my insurance is covering for me--I'd feel sooooooooo much better if I were able to self pay and be in Dr. Aceves care. Thank God for Mexico and their excellent surgeons and facilities. I just hope there will be no glitches in my surgery. Terrific post Natalie. My heart goes out to you and other's here who have had to endure but through it all have gained strength and found resolution. If these band complications are not able to remedy, perhaps the time will come where the band will be banned. I know I made the right decision I just hope that my sleeve surgery will go well. I got the jitters. :biggrin0: God bless each and every one of you.

[3636millie 3]

O.K. Well to make it short as I could go on and on about what happened to me.............Ditto to what Natalie said. I did well after receiving the band until about Feb of this year (had lost 85 lbs). I had always had pain in the abdomen around where the port site was every time I did anything requiring use of the abdominal muscles. I had always had pressure type pain in the esophageal area, even after having had nothing to eat or drink for several hours. In short, I was never able to forget that I had a foreign object in my body making me miserable every day. The feeling of something not being quite right has been with me basically 24/7 since the original surgery. I was willing to accept this as I felt that I was loosing weight and getting "healthier".

In Febuary of this year, I developed severe chest pain one night and it was all down hill from there. Just prior to having this, I was having so much acid reflux for a couple of weeks that the skin around my lips felt like it was on fire 24/7. My teeth were rotting out due to the acid breaking down the enamel (I can't imagine what it was doing to my esophagus). Anyway, went to my original surgeon who took me to surgery for lysis of adhesions around the band. Since then, I have been unable to get a fill to reach restriction. I do not even have the amount of fill in my band that I did before the second surgery (only 4.5 ml in a 10 ml band). Every time I try to get a fill to get the magical "sweet spot" that I heard everyone talking about, I develop severe pain with the first swallow of any thing, including Water. I have this problem even when there is no Fluid in the band. Have had multiple different x ray exams, etc. Had a slight slip which corrected after an unfill. Have been diagnosed as having esophageal spasms after all the x rays. The spasms happen as soon as the first swallow of Water or what ever I try to swallow rounds the bend from my mouth into my throat. These spasms feel like someone is shoving a knife down my throat. Then it feels like someone slugs me in the epigastric area with their fist. This happens simultaneously as the food rounds the bend. The original surgeons had placed me on Prevacid in the AM and Pepcid in the PM, with Maalox/Mylanta between times for the reflux. I would take the Maalox/Mylanta 4-5 times a day.

Much to my dismay, several months after the second surgery, I developed nausea with vomiting and diarrhea pretty much after attempting to eat anything. Went to my original surgeons office and their response was "you should be happy that you have lost 85 lbs" while demanding that I put my purse down and get up on the table so they could do an unfill. The nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea went on for about 5 weeks. The only way I could make it through the day was getting I.V. fluids pretty much every couple of days (I am a nurse at a surgery center so every couple of days when I was looking like I was about to die one of the surgeons would write me a prescription for IV Fluid therapy and my co workers would hang an IV on me). Believe me, I did everything by the book to make this thing work. I would chew any food I was able to get down into liquid form, obeyed the no drinking rules, no eating for 3 hours before bed rules, etc, etc, etc, etc blah, blah, blah........... (That is why i got so pissed when I read on another post in the lap band talk that a "nurse" said that most people have problems with the band because they are not doing what they were supposed to do-bull shit..........).

I had posted several times on the lapband site and Wasa came to my rescue. She literally saved my life. I will be forever grateful to her and so very much miss her contributions to the site. Anyway, through her I met Dr. Aceves. She also told me about band intolerance. I went to Dr. Aceves. He took me off all the antacids. Stated that I had basically probably wiped out all the normal acid in the stomach and that the food was basically rotting in my stomach before being digested as the acid was not there to help in the digesting of it. This pretty much cured the vomiting and diarrhea issue. I am at least able to eat now but still have the severe pain with any thing as soon as it "rounds the bend". I still am unable to go out to eat with anyone and need to set close to a bathroom as I never know when with the first swallow I will spew (yes, this is even after I have chew, chew, chewed-I swear to god if I hear this one more time-I do chew, chew, chew. Do people think I enjoy the severe pain with swallowing every day? How can I chew water? Jesus).

These are only a very few issues that I have had with the band. If I listed every one of them it would take all day. These are just the "highlights" so to speak.

I am so looking forward to the day when I get my sleeve. I can not live the rest of my life like this. I want to lead a normal life again. I am not afraid of the sleeve like some people are as I know that they have been doing partial gastrectomies for years. Believe me, I am not just counting the days but also the hours.

I want to thank everyone who posts here daily (VegasAngel, Oregon Daisey, Mac, Ruthi, etc). Just reading your posts and tips gives me hope.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

It is too damn bad that so many people are getting sucked into the banding.

isn't that the truth? People are still getting banded and they are so happy and excited. they have no clue what they are getting themselves into.

[*susan* 1,709]

Millie, you poor thing. I feel horrible that you have gone through such an experience. And, it basically sounds like your band doctor just blew you off. I would have been furious with him. I had a great first year with my band, but the the last two were a living hell. When I went to my band doctor and told him I had the opportunity to get sleeved with Dr. Aceves, he was very supportive of my doing so. He said some people just do not tolerate the band well and I was obviously one of them. Like you, I did everything exactly as I was supposed to, my body just didn't like having that thing in me.

There are many, many, many people that have had wonderful success with the band. I am so pleased for the ones who have. But, I am also very happy that the sleeve is now moving to the forefront and giving people what I consider to be a much better choice.

[DownInSocal 12]

Millie thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope others read it and take your problems into consideration when deciding to get the band. What a terrible time you have had.

Do you have a surgery date yet for the sleeve?

[ChroniclesofaFATGIRL 0]

OMG, Amazing Story!!!<3

[3636millie 3]

Millie thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope others read it and take your problems into consideration when deciding to get the band. What a terrible time you have had.

Do you have a surgery date yet for the sleeve?

DownInSoCal,

I just got my date yesterday. It will be 12/18/09. I can't wait but I'm really nervous. I can't wait to get rid of this band before it kills me but on the other hand, I am a big chicken!!!!

[Tiffykins 673]

Millie, part of your story sounded so close to mine. I am so elated for you getting your date, and agree that you will be so pleased with the sleeve.

[3636millie 3]

Thanks Tiffykins. By the way, I loved your "welcome home outfit"! Give him a hug and a thanks from me. I treasure all of our service men and women.

[Tiffykins 673]

Thanks Tiffykins. By the way, I loved your "welcome home outfit"! Give him a hug and a thanks from me. I treasure all of our service men and women.

Thank you so much. I will definitely give him a huge hug. Thank you for your support.

[Ky.hen 5]

Good Luck Millie and please keep us posted on your progress. Thank you for posting your story. I almost got the band till I came to this forum and read stories like yours. My insurance would pay for the band or by-pass. So I decided to self pay. I'm sorry about your pain and hope you get relief soon.

[3636millie 3]

Thanks Ky.hen. I am so glad you will get the sleeve to begin with. Have you been to see Dr. Aceves yet or will you meet him when you get there for your surgery day? If you haven't, rest assured, you will be impressed. He has helped me survive the last few months after my original surgeon in Phoenix basically blew me off. I have taken many of my nurse friends with me to Mexicalli and they are so impressed. The hospital is immaculate. Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos (they both see me when I go) are so kind and gentle. Their sterile technique is impeccable (puts the ones I went to in Phoenix to shame).

Anyway, just know that I will keep you in my thoughts on the 1st.

[SuzKelly 0]

SO glad I discovered the Sleeve. I was all "band gung ho"....and my first impression of the sleeve was ICK! but then I started to dig more and read more and then the seminar I attended just sealed the deal for me. I hope one day in the near future I'll be here posting my Sleeve story!!!

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I wish they would just stop doing band surgeries. People get so excited thinking they are doing something good for themselves and they have no clue how badly the band can damage their stomachs. The bands should be outlawed!

[SuzKelly 0]

I am rather astonished at all the horror stories I have been reading lately about it.........

I wonder how long before it does go bye bye. It's got to happen and the sleeve is going to be THE Surgery! don't you think?

Pretty good article about the sleeve here:

Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve Overview - Is it the future of Weight Loss Surgery? | Medical Tourism