Just letting everyone know that i am 7 days post-op and feel great, I do not feel hungary and i am just on liquids for 3 weeks its awesome not to feel hungary. oh and I have lost 20 lbs since surgury freaking amazing. If anyone has any questions hit me up and i will answer them.

I think its great that you chose the sleeve. If i knew of the sleeve i would have done the same thing. I had the lap-band 10 months ago and very little weight loss (18lbs). I an having problems with the band not holding restriction for no more than a few days after a fill ( i have had 10 fills in 10 months) i have another appt. On aug5 to discuss the band. I wonder if insurance will cover the sleeve if i would need to have surgery again to replace the band???????

I am very sorry you are having problems with the band. Has the doctor said if the port is leaking? I do not know whether or not your insurance will cover the sleeve, Most insurances do no cover it becuase its still considered experiemental surgury. I do know several people that has gotten the sleeve and insurance has paid for it, The only thing I can say is try!!. But on the other hand if your insurance paid for the initial band and it is failing or a defective band than the insurance will likely pay to have it fixed or replaced. I am sorry that you have lost only 18 lbs but hopefully the doctors and everyone will fix your issue so you can start loosing the weight again. I wish you the best of luck with all of it! If you have any questions please feel free to ask!.

Thank you very much for your support, I am new to all this posting stuff so I didnt know what to think about that, But i appreciate all of the support from you all, if anyone has any questions i will be more than happy to answer any and all of them :thumbup:... the sleeve so far is awesome!

This sleeve is something new. Can you explain what surgery that is. Sounds like a good one. I had the lap-band surgery on Monday July 21st and this really sounds like something many people could read up on.

The sleeve has been around for about 5 years, The sleeve is where they remove 80% of your stomach and the remaining stomach looks like a banana or tube, It also removes the grehllin which makes you feel hungary and slows down your metabolism... the end result is your stomach is only 2-3 oz's sometimes less. Its a restrictive surgury just like the band but no foreign obeject and you dont have to worry about fills or anything. Yes the pouch can expand but it takes YEARS to do that by that time your at goal weight and would be able to eat better with easier excercise.. Example of weight loss that can happen is like 80 lbs in 2 months thats pretty good with no hungar pangs or anything. Feel free to ask me anything about it and ill tell you i had my surgury on May 21st of this year..

I've never heard of this surgery until today. Kind of wish I would of before I was banded. Sounds pretty easy compared to the band, although no surgery is easy. How did you feel after this surgery? Painful for awhile? My cousin had the verical band, and she loves it. I'm still getting used to my lap-band

I feel AWESOME!... I didnt take any pain pills 3 days after the surgury, yea the wounds were sore but nothing that needed pain pills for.. Vertical gastrectomy is the gastric sleeve I beleive I may be wrong??? but there are several terms used for it.. I love my sleeve and no after care is the best part of it! Im sure you will do great with the band lots do..and some dont I couldnt take a chance of me being one of the ones it didnt work on. cost way 2 much money to chance things like that, I needed a fail proof system.

wow. Thats great. I'm very happy for you! wish I would of known about this before my banding. Guess I have to deal with this now. My banding is removable, but better stick with it for awhile. Cost me a mint! Maybe this will be of help to people who are thinking of surgery! Helps to know whats out there first! Much luck to you!

I wish the best of luck to you and your weight loss in the future!! Have a great Week!

Most people are scared to get the band becuase its a foriegn device well...... The sleeve isnt.... You can say whatever you wish to me or anyone else here but im here for SUPPORT not for your put downs! So either post positive or dont post at all thats sorta like the saying in the good book!... I am not here to change peoples minds, But look who all is curious about the sleeve and how many questions their asking. What happens when you band fails you? what is your next option? wouldnt you want to know that? what if you didnt know about the sleeve and ur next step is a ROUN-Y? yea great decisions! stop barking up the wrong tree im only doing what i said I can do and most people here are agreeing and saying keep posting here!

Yes the band is a foreign device....an adjustable, and removable foreign device. What happens if my band fails me? First off you must determine whether the BAND failed or whether the BANDSTER failed. If it is a band malfunction, they are most often repairable. If the problem is the bandster not being willing to work with the band, then they have to make the decision on whether a healthy weight loss is worth the effort.

I would like to reverse the question to you---what happens if the Gastric Sleeve fails you? Your remaining stomach stretches sooner than expected, or stitch/staple lines fail, or your remaining stomach ulcerates? What are YOUR options?

What is the surgeons stance on pregnancy following the Gastric Sleeve? If one cannot take in more than 2-3 ounces of food, and metabolism is slowed....is that healthy for pregnancy?

What is the stance on vomiting with the sleeve? Everyone eventually ends up with gastroenteritis at some point. These are both serious questions---not combative ones, just simple questions.

I do not want to debate the types of weight loss surgery, but I fully believe the entire thread to be started and continuing in a fashion to highlight the "problems" with the band in an effort to promote the sleeve. Many Dr.'s---my own band surgeon in fact does offer a "finders fee" so to speak for patient referral.....one I have never, EVER used, although I have sent many patients locally his way! I have to wonder if the 'PM me for details' could be something along that line. If not, then I apologize in advance for stating how this thread makes me feel.

There ARE problems associated with the band---BUT they can and are addressable. Nothing is removed from my body! I can increase nutritional intake if needed! And perhaps most important of them all---because I DO have to participate to attain weight loss, I have learned! I have learned healthy eating habits! I do not eat 2-3 ounces of whatever junk is in front of me and lose weight. I make smart choices, and have learned healthy eating habits. Ones that have allowed me to be unfilled for the last 2 months (for my Tummy Tuck) and not regain any weight at all. Learning healthy eating habits has been some of the hardest, but I think the most essential of lessons! Learning portion control, and hunger recognition--they do take time--but the lesson is learned, I am in control of it now. Even without restriction, I know how my body reacts to different foods! I know that being able to eat and enjoy my favorite foods in a positive manner is conducive to the healthy lifestyle I strive to have.

The band IS worth the work. Having my body in tact to me IS worth the work.

This is without question a free country and on the internet anyone can pretty much say what they please. And for the most part we DO welcome the information. What we can do without, is the comparisons that cast peoples decisions in a negative light. You made your choice, and that is fine, please do not minimalize my choice in order to bolster your own.

Kat

Aceduce,

How long were you off work after the surgery? I appreciate your sharing your experience and sharing information. I'm hopefully going to have the sleeve surgery but going through a six month physician approved diet before the insurance company will agree to any surgery. I know lots of people decide to keep the surgery to themselves, did you let people at work or friends know about your surgery?

Thank you Kat. That was very well said. I also wonder if the doctor in question also does bands and that is the reason that the paper work said to post on this site. THAT would make sense because most surgeons use one sheet instead of a sheet for each individual surgery. If not, it can ONLY be for the purpose of trying to convince people to do the surgery his office does.

As for how much time someone is off with the sleeve, my co-worker (who is an extremely work driven person) took two weeks off.

What is the sleeve I never heard of it before ?

hunter, I do not have a sleeve, but will give you my understanding of it---if I am wrong I am sure we will hear!! LOL

The sleeve is a relatively new WLS. They reduce the size of the stomach, but they keep the very center of the stomach as opposed to gastric bypass where they keep the upper section. With the sleeve they actually cut, then staple and remove all but a long tube like sleeve looking section of the stomach that previously had been the center of the stomach. The upper portion connected to the esophagus remains attached same as it is now, as does the lower section where it moves into the intestines. This allows the food you eat to process through normally and pull Vitamins and nutrients from the food you eat. The reasoning behind using the center of the stomach is that it is the strongest part of the muscle---so it is less likely to stretch. Plus nothing has to be re routed. The biggest concern is the removal of the majority of your stomach from what I understand.

Like I say, this is something I have just heard about, I am not looking in to it, I just read about it out of curiosity----whatever is right for someone--------I just like knowing what options are available with WLS.

Kat

Actually, it's not the center. It's the left side. :thumbup:

A sleeve is basically a partial gastrectomy like they used to do for ulcer patients and still do for stomach cancer patients. The main thing is that they take off a very specific portion, including the portion that produced ghrelin, the hunger hormone. They started doing this for really high BMI patients who were too big for a lap RnY. They'd do the sleeve and then they'd wait until the patient had lost enough weight to be safe and they'd do the second half -- usually a DS, but sometimes a traditional RnY. What they found is that patients often lost so much weight with the sleeve that they didn't need the second part and so some docs started doing it as a standalone surgery.

I knew about the hormone issue, just forgot to mention it----but I didn't know any of the rest--thanks for setting me straight and enlightening me as well!!! Like I say, I really like being informed about options in WLS----so many people ask me about it now!

Thanks again!

Kat