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I had my band put in Sept. 2012 and I have lost I think so far 94 lbs , I will lose 150, when I get to my goal and I love my band.

I just thought I would ask , why does your surgery say it is gastric sleeve , are you getting sleeved or the lap band , their are different weight loss surgeries , that's why I am asking ,and there are some different issues with the different types , well I was just curious, good luck on wich ever you are doing.

>I selected the VSG (vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) because of it's "finality" and less complications than the band. The downside is that it is more dangerous than the band during the initial surgery and, if complications post surgery do happen, age comes into play regarding successful recovery. Weight loss is quicker with the Sleeve. Personally, I think the Band would be a safer way to go for older patients that have no co-morbidities and less weight to loose. The band can be reversed relatively easy. The Sleeve cannot be reversed - and, as previously mentioned that is one reason it appeals to me. I don't need anything that I know I can undo and/ or cheat with. Do your own investigation, talk to people who have had the surgeries, discuss it with a Bariatic surgeon, attend a seminar, make sure you have your spouses' and family support and then make your OWN decision. Thanks for the good words. Of course, I added that last bit of "wisdom" at no additional charge assuming you have not had the surgery yet?

The only reason I asked is because there are different sites on here and you posted on the band site , and didn't know if you might have been meaning to post on vsg weight loss surgery site, well like I said good luck in what you choose to.do.

I just thought I would ask , why does your surgery say it is gastric sleeve , are you getting sleeved or the lap band , their are different weight loss surgeries , that's why I am asking ,and there are some different issues with the different types , well I was just curious, good luck on wich ever you are doing.



I selected the VSG (vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) because of it's "finality" and less complications than the band. The downside is that it is more dangerous than the band during the initial surgery and, if complications post surgery do happen, age comes into play regarding successful recovery. Weight loss is quicker with the Sleeve. Personally, I think the Band would be a safer way to go for older patients that have no co-morbidities and less weight to loose. The band can be reversed relatively easy. The Sleeve cannot be reversed - and, as previously mentioned that is one reason it appeals to me. I don't need anything that I know I can undo and/ or cheat with. Do your own investigation, talk to people who have had the surgeries, discuss it with a Bariatic surgeon, attend a seminar, make sure you have your spouses' and family support and then make your OWN decision. Thanks for the good words. Of course, I added that last bit of "wisdom" at no additional charge assuming you have not had the surgery yet?!? :-)

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Debby3Sons .... I realized I was on the Lap Band Forum shortly after I made my post. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse anyone.

Joanne M Holl is still my hero, however .... :-)

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That's fine I was just a litt confused , and was not sure if you meant to post on the vsg site , some times we get confused and post on the other sites when things are new, and Yes Joanne is a GREAT person and helpful.

Debby3Sons .... I realized I was on the Lap Band Forum shortly after I made my post. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse anyone.

Joanne M Holl is still my hero, however .... :-)

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I'm almost 76 and banded in 2009, then rebanded in 2013. I'm down 100 pounds. I'm having some GERD problems but I don't think they have anything to do with the band.

I rediscovered the book Bandwagon Cookery. Because I was banded so long ago and am basically lazy, I've been neglecting some of the basics, but McMillan is doing a good job of re-teaching me the basic stuff.

We may be old, but we can still improve our lives.

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Cheers to ALL on this First Day of the New Year....are we all ready for another Action Packed Adventure???

Edited by Jack

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Hi,

I am Joanne Holl's eldest granddaughter. I inherited her computer (and cat) and decided I need to clean the desktop, so I don't get so sad everytime I log on with my Gram's icons on the screen. Anyways, my grandma had a link to this site on her desktop and the first thing I clicked on brought me to her picture along with her post. Especially because I think my grandma was one of the oldest patients to have the Lap-Band surgery and because I just feel my grandma would want me to leave an update to inform you of her passing...

Joanne M. Holl, 84, passed away at her home as a result of metastatic breast cancer on Saturday, March 21, 2015.

My grandma was truly an inspiring woman and one of the best grandmothothers a girl could wish for. Thank you for listening and I wish you all success.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

Edited by celestialsciences

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Ohh. I'm so sorry to hear of Joanne's passing. I just started posting again today and read her post from 2014. I was going to answer her post after I finished reading the subsequent posts, then I read yours. She did seem like a very sweet and inspiring person. I know you are going to miss her. Thank you for your post. Take care.

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so sorry Stephanie for your loss.

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I'm sorry for your loss

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@@celestialsciences

Your grandmother was such a nice lady. I never got to meet her in person, but spoke with her several times on here. May she rest in peace.

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@@celestialsciences --

Stephanie,

I extend my condolences to you and your family. It was a few minutes ago that I stumbled upon this topic that your grandmother began. It took seeing your note to make me realize that the topic goes back a while. I was acquainted with Joanne at SparkPeople.com. She was always warm and supportive to the members of its lapband group.

Thank you for letting us know. The subject matter here makes for an intimacy among the members despite our being strangers in day-to-day life.

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@celestialsciences Stephanie, thank you so much for letting us know. I was just thinking of her today and just this morning typed her name on a list of all the people who helped me so much when I was starting out with my lapband. Sending best wishes and condolences to you and your family.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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