Band Out for 4 years / Considering Sleeve / Scared

[zimazoom 3]

Lap Band from 2008 to 2010. Starting weight 261 Weight at removal 176. I had many issues with the band. food would get stuck, I devoloped Gerd, towards the end I was only able to take in liquids even with the band being empty. I feel that there were too many fills and unfills causing my stomach to react and never was normal. Since the removal of my band I have slowly gained weight back and I am at 210 today. I have recently been getting down about my weight again. I am perfectly healthy otherwise. Bloodwork is perfect. Thyroid is healthy. I called my insurance today and they do cover Bariatric Surgery. Considering the Sleeve this time around but petrified to pursue due to my experience with the Band. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks Lisa

[samuelsmom 670]

Sorry to hear you had so many problems with the band. I recently got the sleeve and except for the first night which was hell, have not had any problems. However, with your current excellent health and relatively low weight (210) perhaps a less draconian measure would help. I would encourage you to find a group that offers a holistic program and maybe do a medically supervised weight loss program first. The sleeve is a great tool but it is major surgery and not reversible. With a history of obesity since childhood and a BMI of 50, it was the right choice for me.

Best of luck in your weight loss journey!

[Miss Mac 6,261]

A pickle is not an apple and a band is not a sleeve. Many insurance companies require a 3-6 month medically supervised diet before they will approve any kind of bariatric surgery. This might be just the plan for you. There are many of us here on the forum who have lost 20-30 pounds or more, just on the pre-op diet.

You might be one of those people who could go the distance just with a supervised program and may be able to skip the bothersome details of surgery altogether. If nothing else, you could get a headstart on surgery by doing a pre-op diet first.

In the meantime, eat lots of Protein, some veggies, a little fruit, cut starchy carbs, and drink Water until your eyeballs float.........don't become part of the sofa.

[AmyElizabeth01 6]

I just switched from a band to a sleeve and in just a week I can tell life will be night and day different! My band was at restriction and had no erosion or slippage but I still struggled to eat healthy or swallow pills. Life seems like it will be so much better! I swallowed a giant pill today and it didn't cause me to throw up! Amazing!!!!

[DrewM 2]

Do it. Life is just so different.

[lapbandcandy 0]

I'm in the same boat. I had lap band surgery done in 2012. Everything was fine but in 2013, the last fill was just too much. I was having a hard time getting even liquid down. Eventually, I found out that I had slippage as I couldn't even drink Water. I had sleepless nights from regurgitating Water and coughing. My husband thought I was going to die.

I've gained most of the weight back, and I've already tried a medically supervised diet but am at a plateau of 225. I also have PCOS and one of the main reasons for me having the surgery was to be able to have kids.

So now I'm contemplating gastric sleeve surgery, but like you, I'm so scared. As I'm writing this post, I'm crying because I have to be sure that I'll actually be able to live life with the sleeve. The lapband was such an awful failure. After the last fill, I couldn't even eat in a public setting and I was constantly going to the bathroom to vomit.

I'm hoping someone has been through this and can tell me how it feels to eat with the sleeve. After my last lap band fill, i had trouble getting mushy stuff down and it gradually became worse. The whole idea of the frothing scares me. Also, since we are all different, how do you figure out what are the right portions for you?

Also, i've seen that a lot of people talk about hair loss. Why does that happen? Can I take any Vitamins to stop it?

Thanks so much for any comments/advice.

[trose82 0]

I'm in the same boat. I had lap band surgery done in 2012. Everything was fine but in 2013, the last fill was just too much. I was having a hard time getting even liquid down. Eventually, I found out that I had slippage as I couldn't even drink Water. I had sleepless nights from regurgitating Water and coughing. My husband thought I was going to die.

I've gained most of the weight back, and I've already tried a medically supervised diet but am at a plateau of 225. I also have PCOS and one of the main reasons for me having the surgery was to be able to have kids.

So now I'm contemplating gastric sleeve surgery, but like you, I'm so scared. As I'm writing this post, I'm crying because I have to be sure that I'll actually be able to live life with the sleeve. The lapband was such an awful failure. After the last fill, I couldn't even eat in a public setting and I was constantly going to the bathroom to vomit.

I'm hoping someone has been through this and can tell me how it feels to eat with the sleeve. After my last lap band fill, i had trouble getting mushy stuff down and it gradually became worse. The whole idea of the frothing scares me. Also, since we are all different, how do you figure out what are the right portions for you?

Also, i've seen that a lot of people talk about hair loss. Why does that happen? Can I take any Vitamins to stop it?

Thanks so much for any comments/advice.

I have the same concerns and have gone through same exact things as you. I have the band currently and it is slipped. I am in process of seeing if insurance will approve band to sleeve just waiting. With all the questions that I have had I was advised to turn to a forum on Facebook that helped me out a ton. You ask one question and you will get tons of responses. From what I have seen, it is different and you dont feel the same feeling when you eat/drink. Search on Facebook for the group Lap Band revised to Sleeve and just request to be added. I cant even tell you how much advise and questions I had have been answered from there. Hope this helps!

[Wtloss 75]

@@lapbandcandy

I also had the band in 2012. I lost some weight then I stopped losing and eventually the band slipped. I was always looking for a bathroom. I hated the feeling. I had the sleeve in Nov. A huge difference I can eat and I don't feel that awful frothy feeling at all.

I am a slow loser but slow and steady I hope. I feeling great the surgery wasn't bad. I feel so much better.

[tealites 0]

Wow...I am new but can tell you only from my experience that it was the best decision ever. I too was having GERD issues and band slippage/ hernia issues. Eating is not as scary as you might think. I am finding no problems. If you follow the sleeve diet, don't cheat, the weight will melt off. You don't get the "stuck" feeling when you eat, the no drinking and eating is more crucial to stick to with this surgery as it is the shape of a banana, the food will literally flush right through you. Dumping takes on a whole new meaning especially when it comes to sweets and carbs. Be careful. I feel the same as I did before any of the surgeries, I just eat slower and in the correct proportions now. I go out to eat regularly, no problems ordering as I usually just order a warm plate and eat from my companion's plate or order a side dish or appetizer. Insurance approved band to sleeve within 2 weeks due to hernia repair. All my preop stuff was done 2 weeks after that, so I was on the table exactly one month from the time my Dr. and I met to discuss options.

[zimazoom 3]

Sorry to hear you had so many problems with the band. I recently got the sleeve and except for the first night which was hell, have not had any problems. However, with your current excellent health and relatively low weight (210) perhaps a less draconian measure would help. I would encourage you to find a group that offers a holistic program and maybe do a medically supervised weight loss program first. The sleeve is a great tool but it is major surgery and not reversible. With a history of obesity since childhood and a BMI of 50, it was the right choice for me.

Best of luck in your weight loss journey!

Thanks so much for your insight..greatly appreciated.