Hi Everyone,

My surgery is scheduled for November 29th. I'm looking forward to changing my life even though I'm a little scared about the "permanent" part of the surgery. My story is so much like everyone else. It's been about 10 years of being obese and having low self esteem. My marriage is in the tubes, my husband hates me being so fat and I think it has ruined things between us for good but this is something I have to do for myself.

I currently have a band which has been leaking and not working for me for quite a while. I have some questions about the conversion surgery and eating habits afterward. One thing I hated about the band was that I had to cut my food into pieces about the size of an eraser, the size of your pinky nail. I couldn't taste any food with that little morsel plus even though I chewed that small amount to death, sometimes my food still got stuck. I prayed I would make the bathroom in time when I was eating out. I was very unhappy with the band and I was wondering if it's the same eating situation with the sleeve? Do things get stuck, do you have to cut your food that small forever, and how was the conversion surgery? Pain, recovery time and is there a lot of vomiting from different eating situations? Also, are there things you can't eat any longer.

Thanks so much for any comments. Good luck to all of you

Elaine

I can't answer a whole lot as I'm only 14 days out from band to sleeve revision but hopefully I can help a little bit. I had the worst pain from my band surgery that I've ever had in my life. Sleeve the only pain was from that dumb drain they had in me for 2 days at the hospital and the muscles around my belly button. The drain hurt me a lot when I was trying to take deep breaths or move to my sides. In terms of drinking and eating my band hated me with a passion. I would get stuck on anything, including Water. So far I haven't gotten stuck on anything. Granted I'm only on pureeds and a couple softer solids but I've been stuck on mashed potatoes plenty of times with the band and I ate mashed potatoes with no problem. I've eaten string cheese with no problem which is something I had a lot of problems with before. I'm eating hard boiled eggs which were a BIG problem before. Sometimes I feel like there's a little bit of a stuck feeling but it goes away pretty much immediately. I also had a paraesophageal hernia repaired and that hernia had narrowed my esophagus so I'm thinking I may be feeling that.

All in all I'm feeling good except for a lot of nausea which my surgeon assured me was normal and would pass. From what I've read from other revisioners it doesn't seem like any of the band problems exist with sleeve. Good luck to you!

Hello Well to start I did not have the band, but I can tell you that at 5 weeks out I am starting to eat slightly larger bites now. At first, they were tiny. But that was because my sleeve was swollen and still healing. I still take small bites and I try to use a dessert fork instead of a normal one because it makes it easier to remember. But the size of my pink nail? Definitely NOT that little. At this point nothing gets stuck, but before if I had too big of a bite it would be really uncomfortable, but again that was because I was still swollen and learning how to eat again.

At first your food is limited, but my surgeon told me there really isn't anything I can't eat (not like with the by-pass) but I have heard that some people are told they can't eat popcorn and to avoid soda's. My surgeon told me that soda is fine, but it is individual. Some people just can't tolerate it afterwards but others have no problems

Good luck and I wish you the best!

Thank you so much for your responses. I realize everyone is different but it helps to talk to others with the same situation or close to it. I take in what everyone says and just hope for the best. I think these forums are so great. I look forward to keeping you posted with my success and hearing from you again.

Good luck to you too,

Initially, you'll have to eat small bites, and chew to mush, but not because of the pouch/stoma combination like what you have with the band. It's simply because of the swelling and trauma your stomach endures after being sleeved. But, it doesn't last forever. I eat normal sized bites and chew like a normal person and have since being about 7-8 months out. I never did the pencil eraser sized bite thing, but I did chew to mush. Digestion begins in the mouth, it prepares the stomach to accept food so it's important to chew well.

As for pain post-op, it was minimal, except for the incision where they removed my port. I had a flipped port that had migrated so my port area was full of scar tissue and adhesions. I still have sensitivity in that area even at nearly 29 months post-revision. The gas pains are the same, the sipping post-op is the most often reported side-effect of sleeve surgery regardless if a patient is a revision patient or a virgin sleeve.

Food can get stuck if you eat too fast, or don't chew well enough. I've never had a true stuck episode like I did with the band. Personally, I think the band helps us beat the eating curve with the sleeve.

The key to sleeve eating is 1) measure your portions by volume 2) chew well 3) do not eat and drink simultaneously 4) and stop looking for this elusive full feeling, undereating your sleeve will give you 2 things a) keep you from overeating keep you within your dietary guideline for calorie/protein/carb intake

I do not eat until full or stuffed because it leads to that "one last bite" syndrome and inevitably that one last bite is going to come up. I puked enough with the band so I have zero desire to do it with the sleeve. I did it a couple of times early out. I didn't get a full signal for months, and even then it was and still is a single hiccup. I don't rely on a full signal to tell me to stop eating. Finding satiety is the key for me to stay successful. As time progresses, the sleeve matures to maximum capacity, and your capacity will change so learning to measure food, not eat until full or stuffed has served me very well in maintenance by keeping me from overeating even though I can eat double the amounts I could today from what I could eat at 2-3 months out. There are no foods that I can not eat. Scrambled eggs still sit extremely heavy in my stomach, but poached, deviled, egg salad, hard-boiled eggs all work fine. Pork chops for whatever reason are heavy as well. We quit eating pork products 2 years ago after my husband's last deployment so I don't miss them at all.

Best wishes with your revision. Getting rid of the band was the best thing I ever did for myself and my life. I've had an amazing 2 years post-op, and look forward to my future.

Hello-

Congrats on your decision to revise. For me, it was totally worth it.

Pain is not really an issue with the sleeve surgery. The drain is the worst of it. I had a residual ache from where the drain was after they took it out. It lasted a couple of weeks, but really only othered me first thing in the morning. I found the recovery with the sleeve much harder. You are very limited in what you can eat / drink because of the trauma to your stomach. Once the first 8 weeks passed, I was much happier. Some people take longer to heal than others.

The first several weeks you will eat the smallest little thing and you will have to chew it up to nothing. Also, you will eat 2 bites and be shocked that you can't eat any more. Also, when you eat, it will be a loud, gurgly production. I also found that eating just made me feelweird - as if my body was sending all the blood to my stomach to eat and the rest of me just felt strange. This only lasts a few weeks, but can be a bit discouraging.

After the initial shock wears off your body, you start to feel normal again. Personally, this is everything the band promised to be, but was not. It's not always an easy journey because of the emtional issues around food, but it does work. I was so happy to have my band out - the first thing I did after surgery was reach for my port site and smile when there wasn't a chunk of metal under my skin. Also, right before surgery, they unfilled my band. I stood there thinking that this is the LAST TIME someone will stick a giant needle in my stomach - YYAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!

Good luck--

I'm absolutely with you all the way on the band issue. I can't wait to have it removed. I went through such an emotional roller coaster when it wasn't working for me month after month paying hundreds of dollars of co pays for nothing as it turns out. It had a leak that was not able to be detected for 3 years. Finally, they believed me and found it. As we speak I have a dull ache in the band area. I hope it's nothing but just knowing I have this thing in me doing nothing kind of freaks me out. Going to the doctor tomorrow for my pre-op appointment so I'm excited to get the ball rolling. I'm scared but still can't wait!

Thanks for your information. I'm a detail person so the more information I get the better. I like know the pros and cons of it all.

Thanks again!

Hello-

Congrats on your decision to revise. For me, it was totally worth it.

Pain is not really an issue with the sleeve surgery. The drain is the worst of it. I had a residual ache from where the drain was after they took it out. It lasted a couple of weeks, but really only othered me first thing in the morning. I found the recovery with the sleeve much harder. You are very limited in what you can eat / drink because of the trauma to your stomach. Once the first 8 weeks passed, I was much happier. Some people take longer to heal than others.

The first several weeks you will eat the smallest little thing and you will have to chew it up to nothing. Also, you will eat 2 bites and be shocked that you can't eat any more. Also, when you eat, it will be a loud, gurgly production. I also found that eating just made me feelweird - as if my body was sending all the blood to my stomach to eat and the rest of me just felt strange. This only lasts a few weeks, but can be a bit discouraging.

After the initial shock wears off your body, you start to feel normal again. Personally, this is everything the band promised to be, but was not. It's not always an easy journey because of the emtional issues around food, but it does work. I was so happy to have my band out - the first thing I did after surgery was reach for my port site and smile when there wasn't a chunk of metal under my skin. Also, right before surgery, they unfilled my band. I stood there thinking that this is the LAST TIME someone will stick a giant needle in my stomach - YYAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!

Good luck--

Like I said before, I LOVE to know the pros and cons! Thank you so much for all that great information. I have a much better idea of what to expect now thanks to these posts.

Initially, you'll have to eat small bites, and chew to mush, but not because of the pouch/stoma combination like what you have with the band. It's simply because of the swelling and trauma your stomach endures after being sleeved. But, it doesn't last forever. I eat normal sized bites and chew like a normal person and have since being about 7-8 months out. I never did the pencil eraser sized bite thing, but I did chew to mush. Digestion begins in the mouth, it prepares the stomach to accept food so it's important to chew well.

As for pain post-op, it was minimal, except for the incision where they removed my port. I had a flipped port that had migrated so my port area was full of scar tissue and adhesions. I still have sensitivity in that area even at nearly 29 months post-revision. The gas pains are the same, the sipping post-op is the most often reported side-effect of sleeve surgery regardless if a patient is a revision patient or a virgin sleeve.

Food can get stuck if you eat too fast, or don't chew well enough. I've never had a true stuck episode like I did with the band. Personally, I think the band helps us beat the eating curve with the sleeve.

The key to sleeve eating is 1) measure your portions by volume 2) chew well 3) do not eat and drink simultaneously 4) and stop looking for this elusive full feeling, undereating your sleeve will give you 2 things a) keep you from overeating keep you within your dietary guideline for calorie/protein/carb intake

I do not eat until full or stuffed because it leads to that "one last bite" syndrome and inevitably that one last bite is going to come up. I puked enough with the band so I have zero desire to do it with the sleeve. I did it a couple of times early out. I didn't get a full signal for months, and even then it was and still is a single hiccup. I don't rely on a full signal to tell me to stop eating. Finding satiety is the key for me to stay successful. As time progresses, the sleeve matures to maximum capacity, and your capacity will change so learning to measure food, not eat until full or stuffed has served me very well in maintenance by keeping me from overeating even though I can eat double the amounts I could today from what I could eat at 2-3 months out. There are no foods that I can not eat. Scrambled eggs still sit extremely heavy in my stomach, but poached, deviled, egg salad, hard-boiled eggs all work fine. Pork chops for whatever reason are heavy as well. We quit eating pork products 2 years ago after my husband's last deployment so I don't miss them at all.

Best wishes with your revision. Getting rid of the band was the best thing I ever did for myself and my life. I've had an amazing 2 years post-op, and look forward to my future.

Sweeww!! I feel soo much better now that I have read these posts. Thanks for all this information. Now I'm not going "crazy"...Lol. I'm currently banded at around 5 1/2 years now. All that I've read is Exactly how I feel physically, emotionally and logically.

Thank you for helping me through all your posts...

6 days post-op and I'm already drinking water easier than I ever did with my Band. No buyer's remorse here!