Prep time....which was more challenging....Band or Sleeve?

[Eyezsmile33 4]

Well I am a soon to be revisioner myself. As the same story seems to be, I had the band in 2009, lost about 70 lbs total but it seemed to get tight for no reason and then loss, fills didn't have any lasting affect....slider foods became my Go To and of course, the weight came back. I finally got fed up with the band and phantom gut pains, getting stuck, scared of food but desperately hungry, etc; I had the band removed in May 2014. My doctor requires a 3 month time period between the band removal and sleeve due to the stomach needing some time to heal and it apparently assists in a more 'virgin' type vsg once done. My sleeve is scheduled for Aug 26, 2014.

My first time around I was excited, the pre-op diet was hard, but I was so pumped for this new journey that it was a challenge of focus. This time around I feel scared. Am I going to fail again, researching more and more, trying to prepare by getting my head back in the game, but it's easily distracted by doubt.

My question is what did you do differently the second time around to prepare mentally, emotionally, physically, etc to ensure you were successful. I am ready for the challenge again...already preparing for my pre-op diet in 3 weeks, great support in my life, making better choices already....but that lingering doubt is still there. Questions I keep asking myself such as what could I have done differently, what do I regret and what do I think I did right. So revisioners, how did you prepare for the second round?? What was more difficult to prepare for....the unknown first time....or the here we go again second time??

[girliegirl 49]

Im curious to see the responses you get on this as well because your story sounds just like mine. I havent made an apptmnt for a sleeve yet, I am stopped by my fears. I am so afraid of something going wrong with the sleeve that it stops me from scheduling it, even though i want it so bad. I keep saying and trying on my own but im not getting anywhere.....

[stacielynntate 88]

This time around I'm weighing my food, drinking my Protein shakes, logging my food (still a hard one for me but doing it). Plus working out. I also have a great group of co-workers/friends who keep me on track and take turns meeting me at the gym to worm out with me. I have stuck to hr pre-op diet, still on soft foods for another weeks and a half. I had the band in 2008 and lost 121 lbs. then got pregnant in 2011 and the last 3 years have been tough can't get food or liquid down, 24/7 acid reflux. Had,y band emptied and put back close to 100lbs in the 3 years. We found my band was sitting higher then it should so that was my issue. I got sleeved on 6/18/14 and the last 5 weeks have been awesome. I can keep foods down and no reflux issues at all. I'm down 27 lbs and feel great. I still have the mind games but I tell myself it will all be worth it in the end so I take it a day at a time. Set my goals small so I don't get frustrated when I don't make a big goal. I also try not to look back, I know I didn't fail as I did lose, it was my body rejecting the band in the end and it needed to come out. But of course those thoughts pop up and I just tell myself keep moving forward with your new life.

It was hard to prepare the second time around because the risk if complications go up with revision. I waited from Oct 2013 till May of 2014 to say yes to doing the surgery. I was so glad to hear there was not a lot of scar tissue and my dr was able to remove it all so my risk for a leak dropped a little. The worst was getting my port out as it was embedded ( I told my dr's for years I always had pain there now we know why). I must say the surgery was pretty easy took my dr an hour to do it all I. One surgery I stayed in the hospital 2 days and went back to work a week later.

Edited July 25, 2014 by stacielynntate

[Eyezsmile33 4]

Im curious to see the responses you get on this as well because your story sounds just like mine. I havent made an apptmnt for a sleeve yet, I am stopped by my fears. I am so afraid of something going wrong with the sleeve that it stops me from scheduling it, even though i want it so bad. I keep saying and trying on my own but im not getting anywhere.....

Hi girliegirl that is what stopped me also. Actually my fears prevented me from getting the band removed more than anything because I knew it was admitting I had failed. Even though the band wasn't working all that great, I knew I could have done better myself. I am excited by the sleeve, and motivated by not wanting to be humiliated by failure....but all that being said, as it seems we both know so well, nothing is a sure thing. I so badly want this to succeed!!

[Eyezsmile33 4]

This time around I'm weighing my food, drinking my Protein shakes, logging my food (still a hard one for me but doing it). Plus working out. I also have a great group of co-workers/friends who keep me on track and take turns meeting me at the gym to worm out with me. I have stuck to hr pre-op diet, still on soft foods for another weeks and a half. I had the band in 2008 and lost 121 lbs. then got pregnant in 2011 and the last 3 years have been tough can't get food or liquid down, 24/7 acid reflux. Had,y band emptied and put back close to 100lbs in the 3 years. We found my band was sitting higher then it should so that was my issue. I got sleeved on 6/18/14 and the last 5 weeks have been awesome. I can keep foods down and no reflux issues at all. I'm down 27 lbs and feel great. I still have the mind games but I tell myself it will all be worth it in the end so I take it a day at a time. Set my goals small so I don't get frustrated when I don't make a big goal. I also try not to look back, I know I didn't fail as I did lose, it was my body rejecting the band in the end and it needed to come out. But of course those thoughts pop up and I just tell myself keep moving forward with your new life.

It was hard to prepare the second time around because the risk if complications go up with revision. I waited from Oct 2013 till May of 2014 to say yes to doing the surgery. I was so glad to hear there was not a lot of scar tissue and my dr was able to remove it all so my risk for a leak dropped a little. The worst was getting my port out as it was embedded ( I told my dr's for years I always had pain there now we know why). I must say the surgery was pretty easy took my dr an hour to do it all I. One surgery I stayed in the hospital 2 days and went back to work a week later.

Hi stacielynntate sounds like the basics are really the key, that's great advice! I know it's easy to get anxious, but I think if I do like you are also, just take it very slow, baby steps, that's the way to go. I think sometimes I feel like a know it all...we figure out the game and secrets pretty soon so like you said also just have to get through the mind games....we are definitely our own worst enemy. Thank you for sharing, glad to hear you are feeling so great already, I can't believe I have a month left!

[stacielynntate 88]

Hi stacielynntate sounds like the basics are really the key, that's great advice! I know it's easy to get anxious, but I think if I do like you are also, just take it very slow, baby steps, that's the way to go. I think sometimes I feel like a know it all...we figure out the game and secrets pretty soon so like you said also just have to get through the mind games....we are definitely our own worst enemy. Thank you for sharing, glad to hear you are feeling so great already, I can't believe I have a month left!

I'm currently in a stall and I tell myself don't worry it will pass. No going to lie it is hard but I know there will be more. I need to adjust my calorie intake and up Protein a little. I am to get 500-1000 calories a day but my week has been nuts this week and my Protein won't be here till tomorrow so I know it's causing the stall. I have one stubborn incision that is not fully healed so it's keeping me out of the pool and gym. My dr won't let me till it's fully healed so just walking for now.

I lived so long on slider foods when I could get things down with the band so I won't even let them in the house so I don't fall for them. I know we want to succeed so bad we are will to do everything step by step. I have seen people eating things a few days out or a couple of weeks and I'm like man I'm not budging on mine. There is a reason we are given guidelines to follow for so many weeks and I'm not about to set myself up.

This next month will pass quick. I can't believe it's been 5 weeks since I had mine feels just like yesterday. My NUT has been a big help, when I don't feel like I'm doing right I just email her and she gives me suggestions or says nope you are on track. If you can use your NUT to help thru the soft food stage so you can meet your calorie intake goals etc.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Main thing I did different was find a surgeon with a structured follow up program and really leveraged it. I was a professional dieter but still learned so much from my NUT surgeon and whole team post sleeve. When i had the band in 2001 it was like... "eat less, good luck!"... I clearly needed more.

[Dreamer88 2]

Love these questions! I have also had all these problems with the band and also had mine removed in may. Unfortunately, I have to go through all the insurance junk again because the nurses at my clinic never documented my complications and they were afraid my revision wouldn't be paid for if i didn't. I was ok'd for surgery after my psych eval yesterday and have an appt with my surgeon Aug 14th! Hoping to schedule in sept and so excited but as you said- very scared.

[Embrace 11]

Your experiences are so much like mine. My band was done in 2009. I never experienced significant weight loss, which was bad enough but then complications started in 2012: vomiting nearly every meal, GERD (never had before), and finally some stomach acid got into my lungs (I nearly died) and the band had to come out. My doc and I chose to do the revision at the same time, which was driven by insurance. Frankly, I wish I'd had the healing period between band removal and sleeve.

Surgery was a week ago. It took an hour longer than it should have and the doc said my stomach wouldn't lie flat. We'll see if that has any long-term implications. Honestly, it's so discouraging when insurance makes it harder on the patient. Even with the rocky start, I feel like this is best decision I could have made. I feel different already. I haven't been hungry at all. I'm following instructions to the letter. My abs burn where the port was attached but I'm walking as much as I can tolerate. I have all the same fears about whether the sleeve will be successful. Ultimately, I decided that I gave myself the very best chance to prevent diabetes and reduce risk of stroke. Still, you better believe that I'll be at support groups, classes and use anything else the surgeon offers. I'm going use positive thoughts about long-term health, tools, and structure to beat back any fears of weight loss success in my new sleeved life.