Where to begin. Well much like most of you we are all chasing that dream. I was always the fat girl in my crew cute for a fat girl and never really felt like I was confident or cute enough to hang with my mom and skinny sisters. In 2009 I decided at 327 pounds that enough was enough. I researched the band and at the time it was relatively new. I save up and went down to Mexico so very I'll prepared but no one could talk me out of it. So there I was on a plane like no turning back now. So I had the surgery returned home and actually from 2009 to 2013 I never had a fill... bad I know my band helped me lose 127 ponds but I was miserable couldn't eat lived off of snacks that was my life for years but it became a health issue. I went to a US doctor we will call him dr asshole, because we were to do a band to Sleeve revision. At that time I had alot of a car tissue so he removed my band and I woke up totally unprepared to go payout life without a tool in place to help me, since I never really learned discipline with the band. As soon as I could eat again I went in and gained 60-70 pounds in a year or less. I was super depressed as all my cute clothes I could no longer fit almost like I was being teased. So I started to research the sleeve and almost went back to Mexico but I have insurance so I decided to take the 4 month route after Tons of appointments I finally was sleeved on 03/17/2015. Since my pre op I was 267 and as of today my one week follow up I've lost 21 pounds. What an emotional ride. I can't lie I had a breakdown like shoot will i regret this but it's to late so I have to now work it to the best of my abilities. At my follow up my doctors told me that normal to feel this way and to continue to push forward and I will see progress. So here is to the new me and us and any encouragements questions comments are greatly appreciated.

Congrats on the new you in the making!

@@Elode thank you!!

You're welcome!

Looks like we started out at the same weight!

I always wondered what people who got banded in Mexico did for fills. I guess, in your case, the answer is "nothing!" One of many reasons I chose NOT to get lap-band was because I was self-pay and going to Mexico and I had no idea how that could possibly work. With sleeve it was easy to do the op in Mexico and then come home and have my PCP handle my follow-up labs and whatnot. For my nutrition and follow-up advice, I still communicate closely with my surgeon's office in Mexico via phone and email.

I hope your experience with your sleeve will be much more positive than with your band and that you will be completely successful!

Edited March 24, 201511 yr by JamieLogical

@@Jamie there are fill centers here in the us that will fill band patients not much money either. But I just never had a need for one. It was if my band slipped down but not totally so I never had fluid though I had the rrstrictions. The sleeve is definately diffrenct and still scary to me.

And you look awesome now Elode!! Atlas I know I'm on my way back to the smaller healthier and confident me

You sound similar to me. I had my band used the heck out of that tool but abused it too - ten years of infertility and the weight loss gave me three babies though. Third pregnancy I had a really bad slip, made the dr wait until after the baby to remove band and now I have nothing that fits. I'm in yoga pants I hate myself, it's been so hard, I was a size 14 at my oldest boys wedding (we adopted teens) and I was 5 months pregnant. Now I can't even fit in a size 22. I was so happy the day I made it out of a lane Bryant size range and now I'm mortified to go back!

Hoping to be sleeved by year end.

Yes I know the feeling all too well I haven't been successful in pregnancy which was my main reason for wanting the band because every doctor said it's because your overweight and I kept leaving appointments crying. But over the last year without my band my god it was like the stomach gods opened up my belly. I ate everything!! And with the sleeve I'm still so early and I can't wait to fit back in my clothes this last year was a nightmare. I hope you consider the sleeve even if you have to get it out of country. My sister had hers done in Mexico and it's a forever tool.