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Sleeved Twice - My Story
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Now I am feeling better about my situation I wanted to tell my story in the hope that it will help other people. Like most others I have a long history of struggling with my weight and when I found out about the sleeve I thought I had found the solution.
I went through a company called Weight Loss Forever in Canada and had my sleeve in Tijuana with Dr Pompa. I was impressed with the doctors and the facility and was well taken care of. I had hardly any pain and was able to drink without many of the problems I read about on this forum.
When I got home I followed the plan strictly and was losing weight. However I was so hungry all the time and I didn't feel I had any restriction at all. It got worse after a few weeks of recovery. When I questioned this with the support from Weight Loss Forever I was told I had to learn to work my sleeve. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I did lose weight by eating the 800 calories I was told to eat by support. But it was so hard, I felt I was starving and still no restriction with any kind of food. This went on for months and I felt such a failure and that it was all my fault. I just couldn't relate to anything I read on line. I remember being asked what my favourite foods were by somebody at WLF. I mentioned pizza and was told that that was the great thing about the sleeve - no foods are off limit and I would be satisfied and unable to eat more than the toppings off one slice. Five months out I could eat several slices! No restriction at all, I could eat the same as my friends if I let myself.
Then a friend was sleeved by a different surgeon. I couldn't believe the difference. As she recovered we continued to compare and she lost weight easily, due to the food restriction she had from her sleeve. We started off at a similar weight but she passed me, continued to lose weight and is now 70lbs lighter than me and close to her goal weight. I have been able to lose some weight in the past but could not keep it off and that's what I was doing. I asked advice at Weight Loss Forever several times and was brushed off and ignored.
Then my friend persuaded me I should do something about this. I contacted another group in Canada, (Thanks Adele!) and they asked me to have an Upper GI series of XRays, which I did. The doctor said everything looked healthy. The images and report were sent to Dr Aceves in Mexicali and a day later I was told I had a huge stomach. I asked if I had stretched my stomach because I knew I had been overeating. I was told no, it was a surgical failure. The doctor had only removed a small part of my stomach and simply left too much. I asked a couple of times if it was my fault and was told absolutely not. I cried. I knew I had done what was asked of me initially but for somebody at last not to blame me was awesome.
I was told that I could be sleeved, no problem, because there was so much stomach left, it would be like an operation on somebody that hadn't had surgery. My friend wanted me to show the results to Weight Loss Forever and Dr Pompa but I wouldn't want to be operated there again, so I paid again.
I was sleeved by Dr Aceves on 19th March, just 8 days ago. It was a good experience, very little pain and I was lucky enough not to be nauseous either. I have photos of my actual surgery and Dr Aceves actually took photos to show me how much he removed.
I was lucky enough to meet some very cool people in the hospital, including AmandaRaeLeo. I am home and there is a huge difference in how I feel. I am able to get in the liquids required, but I really do need to sip, sip, sip. A sip to many and I feel like I have a brick in my chest! I am not hungry, not finding liquids difficult to stick with (apart from finding Protein I like) and 11 lbs downs already! My friend keeps saying I told you so!
There is always going to be a negative comment or two about a surgeon and I am not writing to push my surgeon. There are lots of good ones out there. I just wish I had googled a bit more, not only before my surgery, but when I was made to feel such a failure. I am finding that the hardest to forgive. When somebody told me to google Dr Pompa too large sleeve, there were lots of hits for people with similar problems. Then I started to think and realised that of the few people I met through Weight Loss Forever, I knew two that had been back - one was at the hospital when I was sleeved the first time and the second is actually a WLF member of staff.
I admit to being quite bitter, I think anybody would in my situation, but I tell my story to encourage people to do lots of reasearch before choosing a surgeon. But also if you go through a company as many Canadians do, to make sure that you have one that will go to bat for you if you have a problem, rather than blaming the patient. It's easy to appear to be supportive when everything is going well, but a sign of a good company that takes your side when there are problems.
Sorry for the long post, but it's been a long road! I feel better for writing it and hope it helps a few others.