Fellow band to sleevers: was your post op food progression slow?

[kshallow 9]

I'm 2 weeks out post revision. I ended up spending extra days in the hospital due to extra swelling where the band had been and trouble getting liquids down due to this swelling. Things felt tight and liquid was pooling where the upper band pouch had previously been. So my progression from liquids to full liquids to purees etc. has been slow and not without pain. I've been reassured things are ok and the slow progression is a result of the slipped band damage. I haven't seen other posts discussing this. Wondering if others have dealt with tbis?

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

That's why they made me wait. Because of the probability of sleeve complications most surgeon won't do a revision if there has been past band complications or band damage. I had to wait 18 months before a surgeon would ok me.

[Kari7879 1]

I had extra swelling because of the band as well. I am 5 weeks out and I am still on baby food/applesauce consistency. Even in the hospital, I had to stay extra days because when I did the barium test, the liquid did not go down as fast as they liked b/c of the edema. I hope things get better - I am hopeful.

[Vicki0618 123]

I ended up waiting over 2 years between the band and sleeve...not by choice. But it sounds like it was a good thing because I haven't had any problems!! Good Luck! It might be a slow progression but in the long run I'm sure you will be glad you did it!

[contrygurl 3]

I had the band removed and the sleeve done at the same time on 3/27. Experienced the same issue with swelling and had to go back to surgery 2 days later. I'm 3 weeks tomorrow (count the 2nd surgery date, not the first) and still on soft/mushy but that's my dr's plan for all of his patients. Down 20 lbs.

[kshallow 9]

Thanks for the responses everyone...Contrygurl, what did they do during your second surgery? and Kari...how are things going now? I also had the same issue with my next day UGI, the barium was not draining at an acceptable rate. And as you've gone from liquids to soft foods at a slow rate, was the issue that they were not going down or was there too much pain? Glad to know I'm not the only one going through this. My UGI was positive in that the anatomy looked good, no leaks, the suture line looked clean and solid, the issue seems to be my body's reaction to the surgery is just extra swollen tissue.

[Kari7879 1]

So far so good. I have to take my time and not push amounts. The food would go down but then I would have some pain. Not the same pain as with the lap band but real bad discomfort and then nausea. I make sure to chew everything slowly and to put my spoon down. I try new foods every couple of days. I can tolerate egg salad, tuna salad, refried Beans, yogurt. No milk! 2 to 3 oz max. I stop eating after half an hour whether I'm done or not so that I don't start the habit of grazing. I see my surgeon on April 26 so this is all stuff I plan to ask her about. I have my days that even Water can be difficult to get down. Hope this helps.

[sleeveconvert 55]

I had Exactly that.... It gets better!! Takes a few weeks...hang in there.

[kshallow 9]

Kari...thanks so much for sharing your experience...hoping everything continues to progress and eating actually becomes just a normal part of life again. I think so many of us that have been through crappy band experiences and then revised to the sleeve are just wanting to feel like normal human beings again who eat normally as just part of a normal day!! We have been through so much! Sleeveconvert...thanks for posting! I'm so glad to know I'm not in this boat alone and I need to be patient with introducing foods slowly and to step back if I'm not exactly there yet. Please keep me posted everybody!

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

I had my revision on September 10, 2012 and had no issues at all. When progressing through the food stages, as I listened to my body, I did extend some phases by a couple of days and it was well worth it. I have had no vomiting, no sliming, but I also do not overeat. I learned many lessons with the band so the sleeve has been quite easy for me. I reached my goal weight in 6 months less a day and currently am still losing. WOOHOO sleeve!!!