Band to Sleeve Surgery tomorrow 11-9-09

[AKBarnes1 0]

I'm on the eve of my surgery and very concerned if I'm doing the right thing. My family does not want me to get the sleeve, they just want me to get the band out. I'll have one last discussion with my surgeon in the morning and make my final decision. The band will come out at a minimum. Our plan is to do the band to sleeve in one surgery, however if there are any problems, then we'll do the sleeve in a later surgery. I've lost 9 pounds on the pre-op diet and went from 245 to 236 lbs. I'm happy about that, but I know if I don't get the sleeve and start eating normal foods and overeating again, the weight will come back on quickly.

I have a beautiful 4 month old son that I have to think about and am still breast feeding. Surgery scares the heck out of me right now since I have a baby. I haven't had any breastmilk supply issues this past week on the liquid diet, so I'm hoping I won't have any problems after the surgery. My surgeon said he can make the sleeve on the larger size so I can get in more fluids.

I guess I'm just scared and the fact my parents and husband are all telling me that I shouldn't be having the sleeve done isn't helping. My biggest issue with weight loss is falling off the wagon due to overeating from physical hunger. I'll get really hungry (physical), then just binge. I know when I'm head hungry and can control that. But overeating after physical hunger is a different story. I've been so hungry this past week and if it weren't for having surgery, I would have eaten regular foods due to the hunger.

The lap band has been such a disappointment as I'm always hungry with it and have not had any real restriction. I have never felt "full" when I had the fills. The only sensation I had with it was difficulty swallowing. It was a total waste. Well, we'll see what happens in the morning. I have to go pack my hospital bag! Any support you can provide will be much appreciated!

[Tiffykins 673]

I'll definitely keep you in my thoughts for tomorrow. I can only imagine how conflicted you are feeling right now. My concern with having 2 surgeries instead of revising directly to the sleeve is that I would of gained more weight back in between the surgeries, and that would of been more to lose.

I would be hesitant getting a bigger sleeve, at least big as some patients have like a 48fr boughie. I've read horror stories that their weight loss completely stopped after 4-5 months and hunger returned much quicker.

I wish you the very best tomorrow. Please keep us posted, and know we're all here for you.

[mountain_lover 3]

I'm on the eve of my surgery and very concerned if I'm doing the right thing. My family does not want me to get the sleeve, they just want me to get the band out. I'll have one last discussion with my surgeon in the morning and make my final decision. The band will come out at a minimum. Our plan is to do the band to sleeve in one surgery, however if there are any problems, then we'll do the sleeve in a later surgery. I've lost 9 pounds on the pre-op diet and went from 245 to 236 lbs. I'm happy about that, but I know if I don't get the sleeve and start eating normal foods and overeating again, the weight will come back on quickly.

I have a beautiful 4 month old son that I have to think about and am still breast feeding. Surgery scares the heck out of me right now since I have a baby. I haven't had any breastmilk supply issues this past week on the liquid diet, so I'm hoping I won't have any problems after the surgery. My surgeon said he can make the sleeve on the larger size so I can get in more fluids.

I guess I'm just scared and the fact my parents and husband are all telling me that I shouldn't be having the sleeve done isn't helping. My biggest issue with weight loss is falling off the wagon due to overeating from physical hunger. I'll get really hungry (physical), then just binge. I know when I'm head hungry and can control that. But overeating after physical hunger is a different story. I've been so hungry this past week and if it weren't for having surgery, I would have eaten regular foods due to the hunger.

The lap band has been such a disappointment as I'm always hungry with it and have not had any real restriction. I have never felt "full" when I had the fills. The only sensation I had with it was difficulty swallowing. It was a total waste. Well, we'll see what happens in the morning. I have to go pack my hospital bag! Any support you can provide will be much appreciated!

I hope all goes well with you. I am hoping to have the sleeve done very soon. I have a wonderful doctor. and he has explained all the different procedures and he thinks the sleeve would be the best for me. I have read so much trying to find out if this is the best way to go. In the beginning I was only for the Band, NOTHING ELSE, I did not want to have major surgery. I have since learned alot about the vertical sleeve and now I am satisfied with this decision. I have read so many positive things about the sleeve.

I hope you only have to have one surgery and pray that all goes well with you getting the sleeve.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

Having my band removed and getting the sleeve was the best decision of my life.

If I were you, I would not want to have 2 surgeries. I did not have any problems getting all the Protein and liquids in right after surgery.

I also feel the same as Tiffy in regards to getting a bigger sleeve. You can always have small meals more often if you need to, so you can keep breast feeding.

We will all be here to support you!

[mayflo 0]

Good luck tomorrow with these tough decisions. I know it is even more difficult to do these things without the support that we need from those close to us. My best friend friend wrote me along letter the other day asking me to put off surgery. My sister is not thrilled, hubby so-so. Luckily we have the support of this board! I have a four year old and although she isn't breast feeding (lol) I do worry about being there for her after surgery (one of the reasons I'm wide awake at 2 am). Its great that you have been able to breast feed for 4 months, thats a good start. Also thank you for sharing you band story and congratulations on your beautiful son.

You will be in my thoughts,

Mayflo

Sleeve scheduled with Dr. Pompa, 11-12-09

[AKBarnes1 0]

Thank you guys for your support. It is so nice to have this site as I'm sure many of us don't get the real support we need from our loved ones. I wish they supported me on this and I hope I will prove them wrong when I'm able to lose the weight and keep it off. I know a lot of my health issues will go away once I lose the weight and if we decide to have another child at a later date, the pregnancy will be much easier. This pregnancy was very difficult with gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. Well, I'm going to go pump for the last time before surgery. I'll have to pump & dump for the next 24 hours according to the dr, but I may just dump for both days I'm in the hospital just to be on the safe side. I'll post once I'm out and let ya'll know how I'm doing. Thanks!

Angela

[Gingin33 2]

Good luck! I know what you mean about family not being supportive. They raise my anxiety level and make me question whether I'm doing the right thing. Coming here is so nice. To hear from people that have been down this road and have first hand experience.

[Bornagainbabe 4]

Good luck in making your decision tomorrow. I had band to sleeve revision in July and I had my doubts right up until the last minute as well. I didn't have your issues though as my family were wholly supportive and I wasn't breastfeeding either but I did know deep down that I would regain all the weight I had already lost and would never be fit and healthy unless I took the opportunity given to me. I am still losing weight, albeit very slowly now, and I have absolutely no regrets. Let us know how you get on.

Helenxxx

[mayflo 0]

Hey AK how are you doing? Wanted to check in with you. Hope all is well. I just realized may be in the hospital without email access but I am leaving in the am to have my VSG and just wanted to wish you well. Mayflo

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

Yes, I am wondering how you are doing too. I hope you will keep us posted!

[AKBarnes1 0]

Hello All!

I’m back from the hospital today and feeling much better. I have to admit that on Monday after the surgery, I thought I made a huge mistake as I felt horrible. The surgery itself went really well and only took an hour to remove the band and do the sleeve. However, I was in the recovery room several hours longer than expected because my blood pressure was really high. When I finally got to my room, I felt really sick and had awful dry heaves. If you are going to have this surgery, know that the first day will be hell and the burning in your stomach is a horrible feeling. I couldn’t have anything to drink that first day, but just rinsing my mouth out with Water and spitting it out helped a great deal with the dryness. My surgeon said my liver was small and everything looked good. I did follow the preop diet pretty well and managed to lose 9 lbs in a week and was able to get in 80 grams of Protein each day. The preop diet is very important in making the surgery as safe as possible.

Tuesday, I felt better, but still had a lot of pain. I had the 2nd leak test which made me throw up. It was pretty gross, however, NO LEAKS! Yeah! J They said everything looked great which made me feel better. I was then cleared to drink Clear liquids. I was really scared there could be a leak and have to go back into surgery. Luckily everything was great. As long as I had my pain meds and nausea meds, I felt ok. I slept a lot Tuesday, but did get up and walked a few times during the day. I certainly had no appetite, but did want some Water. Learning to sip small amounts is a challenge, but I think once I’m healed up, it won’t be a problem.

Today, I felt pretty good. I did a lot of walking/pacing in the room. I had a really long IV and a terrible pole that didn’t move well, so I just walked back and forth in the room. I managed to sip down a few servings of the liquid Protein which has 15 grams of Protein in 1 oz. It tastes gross , but is supposed to promote healing and gets a lot of protein in a little amount. I also ate some chicken bouillon which has 15 grams of protein in it as well. It still hurts to swallow, but they say that is normal and will get better and my stomach heals.

I’ve been pumping and dumping all my breastmilk as I don’t want to pass along any of the drugs to my son. Maybe by tomorrow, he’ll be able to breastfeed again. I don’t think the quality will be very good until I’m eating more and getting in my Vitamins. Luckily, I had plenty of breastmilk frozen and haven’t had to use any formula. I have to say that I have had no appetite and am really having to make myself eat. This is really great as I think I will finally get the weight off this time and be able to keep it off. I was ALWAYS physically hungry with the band. The band was such a disappointment as I never lost any weight with it and had lots of port pain.

My family has accepted my decision even though they weren’t thrilled with it. I think they will know I made the right decision once I’m all healed up and my health is much better. It is so nice to have this site with other people who support you. It is important to be able to talk to others who have been through the same thing. Thanks to everyone…..I really appreciate all the support!

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

You're right about that! You're going to lose lot's of weight!

I hope you don't have any trouble getting lots of liquids in these first few weeks. It's necessary to get in a lot of liquids in order to make breast milk.

I am sure you will not regret your decision, in the long run!

[mountain_lover 3]

I am glad that you posted to let us know how you are doing. It is nice to hear all aspects of post-op experiences. This way we know more what to expect or be more prepared beforehand. I just found out today that I am approved for the sleeve and I now have a surgery date. (Dec.2) I wish you all the best and thank you for giving such detail about your surgery and post-op experience. I will be glad to see some of your photos after you lose some weight. Please have a fast recovery. God bless!!

[Malaika 50]

Congratulations AK - glad to hear all went well and that you're on the path to recovery and continued weight loss! Keep us posted on your progress!

[OMG123 0]

Congratulations and GOD bless!