Well I have been home since October 6th. I am on TPN and have a stent that will not come out for about 6 more months. I still have a drain, but the hole in my stomach is getting smaller and I am hoping that in another month or two it will be completely closed and then I at least get the drain out and can slowly start eating. I have not had a bite of food since before surgery in August!! I just got off of my atibiotics on Sunday and I am finally feeling like myself. I hate being hooked up to this drain and my central line, but I am home with my kids and starting to feel better! I appreciate everyone's thoughts and concerns. I have such a negative attitude about doing this, I regret this everyday of my life, I wish that I would of just taken the band out and called it a day. The GI doctor said my stomach was too weak to perform a sleeve surgery and it should not have been done, but apparently my surgeon felt okay with it and now here I am!! I am finally coming out of my depression mode, but I will always regret doing this!

glad you are home! and here me sending hugs and postive vibes your way(((hug)))!

nikki

the best is yet to come.

That is such a good way to put it. The sleeve is so much easier to live with than the band.The best is yet to come!

Please keep posting and checking in so we know how you are doing. We ALL want to support you!

Janette, It is so good to hear from you. I'm happy that you are able to be home with your family. Please keep us updated on your progress. We are here to support you and really care about you. Hugs

I am so happy that you let us know how you are doing. I appreciater your honesty. I also hope your journey improves day by day and your depression eases up. I have you in my prayers for a much more speedy recovery. I hope you heal up and are able to eat soon. Maybe when things are getting better, you can say you feel different about the decision your surgeon made to do the sleeve. I noticed that your starting weight was 297 and now you are at 180, I hope I am right. You look so pretty in your profile picture, I have not seen any other pictures of you, so I don't know what you looked like before your surgery in 2006. It must be really difficult to be going through what you have explained, and I hope that you will never have to go through it again. Maybe now that you are healing up you will be on your way to a new beginning and you will love the new you. I have not went through what you have went through and I have had several surgeries, which last year I had a total knee replacement and I always hope and pray that everything will turn out ok. I have had my difficult moments, but nothing to the extent that you have. I can only imagine what you are going through.

The thing that was the most difficult for me to go through in my life, was the loss of my daughter in 1997, she was 25 years old with two children and she died from injuries she suffered in a car accident. I have raised one of her sons, he is 12 now and he has an autism spectrum disorder, but he does well with academics. It took me at least 3 years to get to the point where I could go on with life. I felt like life had ended for me when she died. Now her son is doing better and I have made alot of changes in my life, especially my decision to have the sleeve to help me lose weight. At times I look back and get real depressed, but I try to stay positive and not give up on life. I am just now enjoying my life and my family after all these years. I wish it had not taken so long to get to the point where I am now, but I feel that there is a reason why everything happens at a certain time in our lives.

I wish you all the best. May God bless you!!!!

Glad to hear you're at home at least. I've been in and out of hospital myself with a stent and picc lines and pigtail drains and all that but on a much lesser scale than you're suffering. It's rough - the stent made me so nauseated, I can't imagine the prospect of having it in for 6 months. There were times too when I felt so stupid for doing the whole thing in the first place and even more stupid that I couldn't just lose weight on my own. When people find out what you have had too, they ask you if you've lost any weight and when you're sitting there in hospital like that you think to yourself "Who cares?" I'd rather be fat and outta here and normal again. But you can come out the other side. That's what I'm still aiming for - normality. We'll get there eventually. It's a kick in the guts but try to remember it's not gonna go on forever.

Barefoot: I felt the same way in the hospital about the weight loss, as I still do, I have lost 25 lbs and can care less. The stent still makes me nauseated, I am so sick of it!

I was 297, and right now I am 219, my goal is 180. I do not want to do it this way, I WANT to eat healthy and exercise finally in my life. This experience has really affected me in several ways.

I want to thank you all for your thoughts. For all that had drains and TPN, how long were you on them? Were you on them for the same reason, a hole or leak? Thanks, Janette

I want to thank you all for your thoughts. For all that had drains and TPN, how long were you on them? Were you on them for the same reason, a hole or leak? Thanks, Janette

I was on TPN for 3.5 weeks, and had drains for a month. My leak was repaired by several layers of sutures so I didn't have to deal with the stent issue.

My heart breaks for your situation because I know how devastating all of the complications can be. The complications drain you emotionally, mentally and physically.

I need to research the stent leak repair because I'm not familiar with it all so I don't know what it all involves.

Tiffykins, thank you for your reply! This is emotionally draining for me, I find it hard to do just normal daily functions! My husband and I have both lost our jobs, me about 6months ago and him 2 months agos, so he takes care of me, he does everything. I TRY to get up and d things and be active in my kids life, but it is all from my "spot" on the couch. It sucks, and my 6 year old always says "I know you are sick mama", I hate that. My mother was never around, she was always in her room, my whole life, so I feel guilty, but I do not have the energy to do much. I get out of the house maybe twice a week and that is a process and I am miserable and by the time we get home I am so nauseated and tired I am useless. Anyway, thank you all for letting me vent!

janette, I hope you are better soon. I know this is really hard for you. It will be so great when all of this is behind you.

I will keep you in your prayers!

Keep telling yourself that this will pass, because it will. In the meanwhile be grateful that your husband is there for you. My heart truly goes out to you and I will continue to pray for your swift and complete recovery. Have faith and try hard to keep things in the moment.

Hi Janette,

Keeping you in my prayers and hoping each day gets better for you.

Hugs,

JoAnne

I am so sorry Netty. My heart aches that you have had such a rough time. Hugs.

Barefoot: I felt the same way in the hospital about the weight loss, as I still do, I have lost 25 lbs and can care less. The stent still makes me nauseated, I am so sick of it!

I was 297, and right now I am 219, my goal is 180. I do not want to do it this way, I WANT to eat healthy and exercise finally in my life. This experience has really affected me in several ways.

I want to thank you all for your thoughts. For all that had drains and TPN, how long were you on them? Were you on them for the same reason, a hole or leak? Thanks, Janette

Janette, I have not had any experience with drains/TPN after getting home, so I can't be much help on that. But I certainly will keep you in my prayers that you will be comforted by your own inner courage which I'm sure is in there somewhere even when you don't feel it.

And it sounds like your son and husband sure are comforting. I don't know what I would do in your shoes, having no children or significant other...guess I'd be in a nursing home unless I was strong enough to take care of myself. Tiffany had sort of a similar course post op as you, and her husband was deployed at the time. She has a son too...am sure she can relate to your situation.

Know that many are behind you in support...

Barefoot: I felt the same way in the hospital about the weight loss, as I still do, I have lost 25 lbs and can care less. The stent still makes me nauseated, I am so sick of it!

I was 297, and right now I am 219, my goal is 180. I do not want to do it this way, I WANT to eat healthy and exercise finally in my life. This experience has really affected me in several ways.

I want to thank you all for your thoughts. For all that had drains and TPN, how long were you on them? Were you on them for the same reason, a hole or leak? Thanks, Janette

Hello HeftyNefty,

How much did you say you weighed right before you had the band taken out and the sleeve done? I have started reading your previous postings, and I found this earlier posting and I was wondering if the Band and the other problems you had led up to all of these complications or did the sleeve cause you the problems that you are experiencing now? This is what I read:

07-01-2009, 12:36 AM

heftynetty

Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009

Posts: 23

Gender: Female

City: Dayton

State: Nevada

Member's Picture Albums

Re: Another newbie with many, many questions!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am new here, I have a band currently, awaiting to see if I am approved through insurance for the sleeve. I had surgery January 2006 and lost weight, was doing ok, (mind you that was my second band, due to complications with scar tissue the first time) anyway, I got pregnant December 2006 and after delivering her I have had nothing but problems. I can not lose a freakin' pound (aside from the baby weight), I have been the same weight since getting pregnant. After 2 upper GI's they have found that my stomach is all twisted up over my band, they are assuming it is from being pregnant. I am scared of the sleeve due to the leaks going from band to sleeve, but I am also ready for a new start. I am hoping I am approved so I can move on to the weight loss path again! Good luck to you!

LapBandTalk

Click to visit the largest Lap-Band community online!

Did the Doctor explain to you what would be the results if the band was removed and nothing else done.? I sure hope you never have to go through any of this again. We all really feel concerned about your situation. I sure hope and pray that you get through all this with the outcome being that you will eventually reach your goal weight of 180 or less if you desire to modify your goal weight to less. Also I hope you will have a speedy recovery from here on out and keep coming back on here to let us know how your Sleeve Journey is going. I pray that you can move on to the weight loss path again as you had hoped in your posting above. I will check in later to see if you post a reply to this. Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your story.

Mountain Lover: I had the band in 2006 and I was 297, I lost 70 lbs. I then got pregnant and gained 35 lbs, which I lost when I had her. I then got to about 240 and was stuck there for a year. I started going to the doctor because I thought it was odd that at 2.6cc I was losing great and then after the pregnancy I was at 3.6 and could not lose a pound and could eat anything I wanted. I had some Upper GI and they found that the stomach was over the band and the only way to fix it was doing surgery. My doctor suggested the VSG, because I have had other problems with the band, in 2006 that was my second band. Anyway, I had the VSG surgery and 3 days later they found there was a leak, I had another surgery to repair it but the tissue was too weak so I now have a hole in my stomach. A GI doctor put a stent in mmy stomach to cover the hole to try and get it to close which it is slowly. He said I should of not had my stomach messed with because of all the scar tissue from all the other surgeries. So it was due to the VSG surgery but only because my body was not okay to be messed with. Anyway I was 245 when I went in for the VSG surgery and I am now 219. They do not want me losing weught though, it does not help with the healing process. So that is the story in a nutshell. If you have anymore questions let me know!