I have been lurking in this thread for a while now, and you guys have really answered a lot of questions I had. However, I still have some reservations about if the sleeve is right for me.

My biggest problem with the band, besides the vomiting, chronic heartburn,never finding the phantom sweet spot, and getting stuck, was never feeling satisfied or full; I just felt STUCK, and once unstuck, still hungry.

Can anyone describe how the full feeling with the sleeve differs from that? Do you actually feel full and satisfied?

I was self pay with the band and feel like I just threw that money away, so I want to be very sure before I try again.

I'm so confused!! Help me please-

Thanks!!

I cant relate to what a 'stuck' feeling is like as I have never had a lapband. But I do know what a full feeling is like after VSG. The food literally refuses to go down after that point for me. A couple of extra bites, and I have a HUGE burp and that is a sure indication not just for me but also for others near me LOL. Then I feel this urge to get up and just walk around a bit in the hall.

After the surgery you'll really have your own 'tell' about the full feeling. Dont worry and all the best!!

Oh and I dont get hungry for a good 2-3 hrs after eating.

I WAS SLEEVED ON 12/20/11, AT FIRST I DID FEEL A STUCK FEELING WHEN I ATE, BUT NOW WHEN I EAT I FEEL FULL AND SATISFIED FOR A WHILE AT LEAST 3HRS

I know well the feeling you are describing. When I had a band, I would feel stuck and hungry at the same time. It was so strange! Now 4 months out with the sleeve, I never get the stuck feeling. My only complaint would be that although I feel satisfied and stop eating, I am hungry again around two hours after I eat. I am working on paying attention to my body to make sure that I'm eating enough and also drinking more water.

I can say that in the beginning re-training my brain from thinking things would get stuck was quite dificult. Once I was able to get over that fear eating was much better- It is COMPLETELY different- There is a) no getting stuck you KNOW when you are full and you WONT want 1 more bite c) you are not hungry until at least 3-4 hours later- the fullness lasts-

It is ruff in the beginning especially if you have had your band for a while- I personally had the band removed and the sleeve at the same time- in retrospect due to delayed healing I probably would have done it seperately if I had the chance to go back- But that was me and everyone is different.

Regardless it is/was totally worth it- and of course like everyone else I wish I would have done it MUCH sooner.. good luck!

I am exactly where you are. I paid for my lap band myself and really regret it. I've lost very little weight and just got used to vommiting into the trash or clearing the stuck food at every meal. I too was still hungry and usually cleared and ate and cleared and ate until something stayed down. My husband thought it was very bad, but I felt like I had paid $15k for this surgery, and so I better make it work.

My feeling is this: because I've done so much yo-yo dieting in my life (lost 70 pounds on phentermine only to gain it back), the natural survival instinct in my body wants to protect me from the next starvation period. Either ghrelin or my brain or both gives me a strong desire to eat and craves high-fat food. I need to silence them, and I think that, because the ghrelin is removed during the sleeve surgery, that will greatly assist me in making the healthy choices that I want to make. When I was on Phentermine, I had no hunger and no food cravings, and I think that was because the Serotonin in my brain took that away or masked it. I think taking away the ghrelin along with shrinking the size of the stomach will in essence do the same thing. That's my take on it anyway.

Best of luck to you. I think you will be successful as so many others have been who once had the band. You may want to watch some You Tube videos if you haven't already. There are some really good ones. Chantell once had a lap band too: http://www.youtube.com/user/scneaux

My experience is there is no comparison. i too experienced the "stuck but still feel hungry" sensation with the band. So far, I feel the sleeve is totally different.

What I am describing is my personal experience, after the initial healing period...

With the sleeve, I feel like my stomach is pretty normal. I get hungry when it is has been awhile since eating. I am satiated after eating small amounts. I NEVER have that "full pouch, but still hungry" sensation that I associate with the band. I think it is because the sleeve isnt a pouch, just a much smaller stomach.

I have had a few episodes of "head hunger" or bad habits or whatever rearing its ugly head. I notice that in general, food doesn't taste as good anymore. So, I give in to temptation and then it is like "uh, that isn't so great." It is like that sensation of eating something delicious just doesn't thrill me like it used to. Weird, huh?

I have read that over time, some of the benefif of the sleeve decreases, but for now, it is about 1,000 better then the band ever was for me.

Thank you all for your descriptions! I feel much better now-

I'm excited to get this show on the road!