Newbie but current lapbander changing to sleeve soon

[aussiemalcolm 0]

G'Day All

Well as the title says I'm a bandster had my first band put in back in 1999 and it worked a dream and I losts over 350 pounds with it but it started failing a few years ago and I was slowly gaining weight, well April 2010 had the band replaced due to several medical problems the major was a hiatal hernia which had damaged my bands placement which caused me many medical issues from that well after multiple adjustments that are not cheap on this new band I have decided to get the sleeve done.

Pre band I was 567 pounds in 1999 my lowest weight with the band was in November 2003 before wedding I stood on the Dr's scales at 197 pounds but now back at 410 and so upset with myself for letting it get this far out of control.

Have only just started the ball rolling to get the sleeve but know that I will get it done and my wife is also thinking about it now also.

I have read many postings about it and how it has changed so many peoples lives, of which 95% are women well I'm a Male and would love some feed back on the success of males out there also, I used to be the poster guy for the Lap-band and was a guest speaker in 2004 due to my success I just hope that I can make this work as well.

Cheers Mal

[TexasT 99]

Welcome Malcom - I'm not a guy but I am a former lapbander also. I've had the sleeve for over a year and am absolutely thankful that there was this alternative. When my band was removed it was discovered that I also had a hernia, which the doc repaired during surgery. I was not as successful with the band as you were, but I also had less to lose at the time. I think you'll find similar success with the sleeve, and I have full faith that the weight will stay off this time.

Living with the sleeve is pretty much effortless once you get past the first few weeks of special diets while your tummy heals. Best of luck with your decision and hopefully your wife's too!

[StacyS 20]

Welcome to our site Malcolm...there are many people on her that have had revision surgery from Band to Sleeve, there's even a thread just for Band to Sleeve revisions. Take a look at the posts there...Very informative!

I came on here looking for answers since I was going to actually have the Band done, but after reading all the post and understanding the complications of the Band, I have decided to have the Sleeve surgery. I'm still in the process of getting approval and all my paperwork together so I cant really answer your questions, but I have a question for you, if you dont mind..... If you do, it's understandable!

If you were so successful on the band, how/why did you gain so much weight back?

Stacy

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Hello Malcolm!! Welcome to VST!!

If you're anything like me, I love my sleeve far greater than I did my band. However, I didn't have close to the success you did with yours either. Big congrats for you did exceptionally well with it!

Take a look around here, you will find so many of us who have revised. The sleeve by far is everything it's said to be.

PS, we also have a Man's section here, since you asked about it.

[aussiemalcolm 0]

G'Day Stacy

I gained back due to meds and also a very bad hiatus hernia which had the better part of my stomach and band above the diaprham ? and putting stress on all my organs due to the stomach being where it shouldn't be my band had also slipped slightly due to this.

And as I had no insurance at the time and no way to have it repaired I just lived with it, Last year I had 7 operations which also stressed out me and my body more so weight gain was also caused from the stress.

Welcome to our site Malcolm...there are many people on her that have had revision surgery from Band to Sleeve, there's even a thread just for Band to Sleeve revisions. Take a look at the posts there...Very informative!

I came on here looking for answers since I was going to actually have the Band done, but after reading all the post and understanding the complications of the Band, I have decided to have the Sleeve surgery. I'm still in the process of getting approval and all my paperwork together so I cant really answer your questions, but I have a question for you, if you dont mind..... If you do, it's understandable!

If you were so successful on the band, how/why did you gain so much weight back?

Stacy

[StacyS 20]

Wow Malcolm, that's a lot for one person to go through!! No wonder weight came back on. I'm sorry you had to experience all of that. That obviously took a huge toll on you, not only physically but mentally too. Welcome to the forum. You will get a lot of support here and probably a lot of your questions answered too. I'm glad you are taking action to get the revision!!!

[Angela Sims 0]

G'Day All

Well as the title says I'm a bandster had my first band put in back in 1999 and it worked a dream and I losts over 350 pounds with it but it started failing a few years ago and I was slowly gaining weight, well April 2010 had the band replaced due to several medical problems the major was a hiatal hernia which had damaged my bands placement which caused me many medical issues from that well after multiple adjustments that are not cheap on this new band I have decided to get the sleeve done.

Pre band I was 567 pounds in 1999 my lowest weight with the band was in November 2003 before wedding I stood on the Dr's scales at 197 pounds but now back at 410 and so upset with myself for letting it get this far out of control.

Have only just started the ball rolling to get the sleeve but know that I will get it done and my wife is also thinking about it now also.

I have read many postings about it and how it has changed so many peoples lives, of which 95% are women well I'm a Male and would love some feed back on the success of males out there also, I used to be the poster guy for the Lap-band and was a guest speaker in 2004 due to my success I just hope that I can make this work as well.

Cheers Mal

Hi, I can total relate... I was banded in 2006 at 282 lbs and did pretty good..Lost down to 132 but most of that was due to me being so sick and my band had slipped up and I had no pouch left so everything I ate or drank came up.. I let it go so long that I was totally shutting down.. I finally went and had to have an emergency removal was told I wouldn't have lasted a couple more days... all that said here I sit with an appointment to have the sleeve in April at 298... So I can relate to the major back slide and how you feel...

Hang in there and keep your head up...

Angela

[Becca 108]

I totally understand how you feel....I lived with a failed lapband for 3 1/2 years. I had so much pain from the band. While I

was waiting for my insurance approval for a revision, I couldn't sleep for months because the tubing broke and was poking me everywhere. Now I have the sleeve and I LOVE it! The sleeve works.

[aussiemalcolm 0]

G'Day all

I have a site with my lapband story on it , I haven't updated it in years but here is a link to my story and how I did back then , and you will see some pic's of my journey along the way also.

I have been involved in some research also and in doing so found out that the band starts to have problems between 6 and 8 years I did well to get mine to last 11 years all be it that it failed a few years earlier but stuck it out as long as I could with no Insurance till my wife got a great firm to employee her, we have Empire Blue / bluecross-blueshield

I didn't know how bad my band was till late 2009 when I was being treated for a knee and lower back problem and was at physical therapy doing exercise for it and pulled my right knee up into my chest and got a sharp pain, ended up in the Er with my gallbladder being removed 2 hernia op's followed a couple of weeks later then lower back surgery for a cystic growth, and then my hiatus hernia-lapband revision all in one, yep I had a very busy 7 1/2 months with 7 op's and also angiogram for a chest pain, and endoscopy & colonoscopy in there to.

Yep my wife for a while was seeing me less than the hospital nurses she said.

LOL,

I'll make this work every bit as well as my lapband did.

Cheers mal

www.lapbandtransformation.com

[meggiep 57]

G'Day all

I have a site with my lapband story on it , I haven't updated it in years but here is a link to my story and how I did back then , and you will see some pic's of my journey along the way also.

I have been involved in some research also and in doing so found out that the band starts to have problems between 6 and 8 years I did well to get mine to last 11 years all be it that it failed a few years earlier but stuck it out as long as I could with no Insurance till my wife got a great firm to employee her, we have Empire Blue / bluecross-blueshield

I didn't know how bad my band was till late 2009 when I was being treated for a knee and lower back problem and was at physical therapy doing exercise for it and pulled my right knee up into my chest and got a sharp pain, ended up in the Er with my gallbladder being removed 2 hernia op's followed a couple of weeks later then lower back surgery for a cystic growth, and then my hiatus hernia-lapband revision all in one, yep I had a very busy 7 1/2 months with 7 op's and also angiogram for a chest pain, and endoscopy & colonoscopy in there to.

Yep my wife for a while was seeing me less than the hospital nurses she said.

LOL,

I'll make this work every bit as well as my lapband did.

Cheers mal

www.lapbandtransformation.com

I am not a man but I want to give you a big hug for everything you have been through.

Honestly from what I have seen at the two seminars I have attended given by my doctor (two require- check!) and my first appointment with him, I feel the band will eventually lose favor. Not only does it not give the best results in terms of percentage of excess weight lost, but the problems with slippage, hernias,ease with which you can increase your intake, ...well, I just don't see it as optimal.

I think you will find the sleeve a whole different matter- and the aid it gives you will last a long time. YOu wont have to worry about erosion or slippage or anything like that.

I am happy to join your support team and root you on!

BTW I took my husband to the seminar tonight and he really came out of it with great respect for anyone who does this.

[aussiemalcolm 0]

G'Day Stacy

It's a long story I'll shorten a little many things came into it, I kept my weight off for almost 3 1/2 years but had not had an adjustment for almost 3 years when I lost my job and had no insurance and at the same time my wife was out of work also, so several things I think caused the gain the biggest being stress not knowing where we would come up with money for the bills let alone the $500 fee for an adjustment my dr charged also the fee for the flouroscopy to find my port and also check on the restriction, so I gained back about 60 pounds while I was out of work then, I got a job andI stopped gaining weight for a while then after 1 1/2 years there the economy crashed and I lost my job again this time I had insurance through my wife and went to see about a knee injury and ened up doing physio therapy to strengthen it and my back up, when one day I was rushed to the ER in extreme pain well they did tests lots of them all showing multiple problems but the urgent one was a very large gall bladder filled with 3 large stones which was the cause of the major pain they thought, well that was fixed and 6 more operations in the following 7 months I had the other issues fixed including the hiatus hernia and lapband replaced. I gained weight lots of it being unable to walk or exercise for almost 14 mths and meds caused Fluid retention also so I was starting to look like my old self back in 1999, www.lapbandtransformation.com . since then and seeing the Dr about the sleeve we have found out the new band is not in the right place or position so it doesn't let food out of the pouch completely. o enough of this I decided that theSleeve is what I want ASAP.

I want my life back again and hoping that once I am small again I will get hired by some firm.

So that is the shortest I could write about what went wrong.

The Band didn't fail truly I failed the band by not maintaining the Dr's visits and adjustments I know it would still be working had I done that basic thing.

regards Aussie Malcolm

Welcome to our site Malcolm...there are many people on her that have had revision surgery from Band to Sleeve, there's even a thread just for Band to Sleeve revisions. Take a look at the posts there...Very informative!

I came on here looking for answers since I was going to actually have the Band done, but after reading all the post and understanding the complications of the Band, I have decided to have the Sleeve surgery. I'm still in the process of getting approval and all my paperwork together so I cant really answer your questions, but I have a question for you, if you dont mind..... If you do, it's understandable!

If you were so successful on the band, how/why did you gain so much weight back?

Stacy