Hi, I am a newbie on the boards, and I had lapband surgery in 4/08, and I am having issues with the band. I lost about 70 pounds on the band, but the choking at night and acid reflux has caused me to want to take it out. I can not lose weight right because either it is too tight or too lose. I am tired fo this, I need rest. I will have the band removed, but was thinking of getting the gastric sleeve done while they are in there. On the band I could bearly eat salad, hardly any real veggies, and no fruit. Also, I could bearly eat eggs on the band. Can you eat "real healthy" foods with the gastric sleeves, like broccoli, cabbage, real food? I love healthy foods, just could not eat many of them on the band. A 1/4 of a cup is fine for me, I just want to eat some squash, and okra.

Slimes usually happen if you eat something too quick or too much of something. Your body reacts by oversalivating or making your mouth "slimey" with so much foamy saliva it basically pours out your mouth. It is not vomitting, just extreme salivating.

Eeeeew. Not looking forward to that.

You just have to know your limits, which you will. In my situation, I had just had another procedure and was on pain meds, so those kinda masked the restriction feeling. I went back to my old habit of taking too large of bites and not chewing enough. The good news is, it only took once to snap me back to reality. It is definately something I don't want to experience again.

Yea, I know what purged means in general, but I wasn't sure if there was any added details that may differ when you have the sleeve.............

5 weeks post op and have not had that and I will make sure that I don't.

I am pretty sure the person who called it purging meant vomiting ?

Slime was very well described. I think all sleeve patients will have it happen at some point.

It comes from taking too big of bites, eating too fast, eating one bite too much, or not chewing enough. Any of these things can cause sliming.

I've had something not sit well in my stomach and come back up, but that's pretty rare.

I am going into my 3rd year out now and can eat EVERYTHING except lettuce. For some strange reason, lettuce really hurts me. . . and when i say hurt, I mean "call me an ambulance type of pain" So I stay far away from it! But every other kind of veggie, fruit, etc is great!

That's strange! For me, lettuce chews down to nothing and I can eat a huge bowl of it-any kind of lettuce!

Had my first salad this past Wednesday night. I chose an iceburg salad mix. Added in some red onions and fetta cheese. Basalmic dressing-------chopped nicely during my preparation and chewed as I should have. It was awesome!!!!!!! I love me some salad. I love it so much that my eyes were bigger than my stomach. The 1 helping was enough to satisfy me----BUT I had to go back for 2nd's ---and my sleeve won--she wanted it out! Lesson learned----listen to your body when it tells you that you're full. I won't give details---but let's just say I'll know to stop with one helping the next time. Blessings2u--BJ

I am only 8 weeks out, and have been eating salads, veggies (except raw celery) and fruits (apples with peels, all types of citrus).

Maybe my stomach is more ironclad than most-but I haven't had any problems.

My doctor is one who puts you on a normal diet at 4 weeks, while I know some don't for 3 to 4 months. But personally, I haven't had any problems with "healthier" foods. When I do eat bread (which is rare) I eat 100% whole wheat. I also eat an egg almost every morning without problems.

Good luck on your decision.

Hi, thanks for all the replies, I am going to get the sleeve, just hoping I can get it down at the same time, and don't have to do two surgeries. Appreciate all the comments, and they were very encouraging.

I am almost 6 weeks out and cleared to start introducing salads. I had the most wonderful brocoli slaw salad - very small portion - and it was heavenly. i have so much missed salads and the crunch of raw veggies. I loved it and no problems except I wasn't hungry for my Protein. Ooops. Well, I was just excited to eat a salad so I did it out of order.

I had the lapband for 10 years and the sleeve for 5 weeks. So far, they are nothing alike and everybody was telling me the truth that the slleve is ALOT better. I guess I should give it a little longer before declaring a final verdict, but so far... the sleeve is good and the band was not good.

I suffered through that reflux versus no restriction thing with the band. Looking back, I don't know how I dealt with it. The sleeve is alot better, at least for me, no reflux, and just a consistently smaller capacity rather then the capricious lapband. I also just love that the stupid port is GONE.

No doubt about it. The band just sucks and I can't even believe there are doctors still putting them in.

I'm so craving for the veggies!!!!!! Only almost 4 weeks out! tomorrow will be my 4 weeks Surgiversary and I will see my surgeon for the 1st rendez-vous post-op.

I'm hoping that he will clear me for soft veggies at least!!

(fingers crossed).

Exactly what happened with my band. So many disappointments and complications. GERD started gradually but five years later I ingested into the lungs and nearly died. My diet was a disaster too. I couldn't tolerate any raw or most cooked veggies, cottage cheese, eggs no matter how cooked, and most meat came right back up too. Pretty much anything nutrient dense was impossible to keep down. Even unhealthy slider foods had a 50/50 chance of coming back up. Despite that, I lost 35 pounds total and never budged another ounce. Once the decision was made to revise band to sleeve, the Fluid came out and I ate veggies like a woman possessed. I ate salad compulsively for lunch and dinner for 2 solid months. Loaded up on fruit too. I actually snacked on steamed broccoli and roasted cauliflower every other day. It was like my body knew it needed serious nutrition.

I'm one week post sleeve revision and very much still on liquid diet so I can't speak to that but I'm very encouraged by others' experiences with veggies. It makes me feel that this will be a healthier long-term option and I'm looking forward to the future.

Ha another zombie thread arisen from the dead! Well 2.5 years later and 160# lighter (i now weigh 140) I love my sleeve! As a tool it has worked well for me and enabled success beyond my wildest dreams.