My Band To Sleeve Journey

[grammylew 1]

I'm new here but my first WLS surgery was 10/07. I got the Gastric Band put in by Dr. Ortiz in Tiajuana, Mexico. Over the next three months I had three fills & got to my 'sweet spot'. Two years later, I had lost 125 pounds. Then I had my gallbladder removed & Drs. found cancer. I had a liver resection, an infection, an unfill, chemo, radiation, many fills & unfills & a leak in my tubing. I went back to TJ. Had my band removed & got the sleeve. I hate it! I went back to have it "tightened". I still hate it! I can still eat anything. I have regained 60 lbs.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

I'm new here but my first WLS surgery was 10/07. I got the Gastric Band put in by Dr. Ortiz in Tiajuana, Mexico. Over the next three months I had three fills & got to my 'sweet spot'. Two years later, I had lost 125 pounds. Then I had my gallbladder removed & Drs. found cancer. I had a liver resection, an infection, an unfill, chemo, radiation, many fills & unfills & a leak in my tubing. I went back to TJ. Had my band removed & got the sleeve. I hate it! I went back to have it "tightened". I still hate it! I can still eat anything. I have regained 60 lbs.

Hi Grammy, welcome to VST

I'm so very sorry to hear about your worries and troubles. I really hope that we are all able to offer you some sense of direction. If not, then some healing prayers. Stay strong! It seems you have been through a lot and it makes sense you wouldn't feel up to praise for your sleeve.

Please keep us updated on how you're doing!

Xoxo

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

I had my revision on September 10th. The beauty of the sleeve is that you will probably be able to eat anything but in very very small portions. You still have to make the right food choices, not graze all day and drink your Water. Best wishes.

[grammylew 1]

Well, in a perfect world that would be the case. With a well adjusted band I could only eat very small portions. And there were many foods I could not eat (bread, rice, fruit with skin).

I know that with the sleeve I SHOULD be able to eat anything, but in small portions. I have had the sleeve for a year. I can eat an entire bacon mushroom melt burger, bun and all. I also know that I need to make wise choices. However, if will power worked for me I wouldn't have needed WLS. I do drink Water, and/or iced tea all day. I crochet a lot and it is hard to graze when I do that. But when I eat a meal I eat way more than I should of stuff I shouldn't.

I'm not really looking for answers. I just wanted to share that just like other WLS surgeries, the sleeve doesn't always work.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

Sorry to hear of this, but glad you shared your story - people need to hear the good and bad.

My nutritionlist has pounded into my head the ways to keep that restriction feeling. Bottom line, early on, she gave me quantity guidelines to help me find the right place to be.... when my brain and stomach sensations were still working it all out and could not yet be trusted. Then, my hunger went away and it was practically a chore to eat. Then, when my hunger started returning she emphasized small quantities as the top priority. So far it is working for me even though I have a "bigger", at least in theory, pouch since surgeon used 38 bougie. I might be able to eat a whole cheeseburger, but the sleeve has given me the reduction in hunger so I don't feel the overwhelming "drive" to eat. I do eat 4-6 mini meals a day as avoiding getting overly hungry helps me from overdoing it.

the only time I have a real problem with this is stuff like business trips where I find myself having alot of restaurant meals and due to work committments going too long between meals.

I had the lapband for 10 years and I guess we are all different because I hated the food restrictions (ie in general I had trouble with dense Proteins and veggies but also rice), felt it drove me to eating slider foods. Also, i couldn't handle having any fill at all or else I would get horrid reflux. The worst part is that I guess I had a lot of self control problems because I often vomited in the early months especially because it just seemed like I went from really hungry to salivating and vomiting in a blink of an eye. I am thinking if I had better support and education I might have done better, don't know.

I am nearly 11 months into the sleeve - so time will tell but so far I find it much easier to live with then the band, I don't vomit and at least so far am managing my portions well and have lost way better then I did with the lapband. It does scare me for the long term though.... this is why people regain, starting to eat too big of portions and/or resort to grazing all day.

I hope they are able to find a good solution for you - it is so discouraging to do surgery and not get the results you expected. It was heartbreaking for me actually, so you definately have my empathy.