Kissing the Band Bye-Bye! Yes!!!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Elisabeth, you may be traveling there alone, but remember, I will be there the day after you, sleeve sister!!

There is a lot of camaraderie between sleeve sisters and brothers when you meet at the hospital. I still keep in touch with my sleeve sister. She's in AZ too. My sleeve brother... well, he was kinda weird. Kept picking imaginary things out of the fingers of staff and patients. He was cleaning our auras.

I'm telling you, the dude was weird.

But my sleeve sister, she's great. We are pretty close today.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I wish I was going the same time as you two. I can't even believe I will be so close in Phoenix and I can't come down cause it's my dad's 90th birthday. If it weren't for that, I would have gone then too.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Elisabeth, you may be traveling there alone, but remember, I will be there the day after you, sleeve sister!!

Thank you! I am running around like crazy trying to get everything done at my full time job, getting my student's work all corrected (part time job) and shopping for all the post-op foods/liquids.

I am going to work at 6:30 PM on 3/30, leaving work early on 3/31 to get to the airport by 8:15 AM, flying 3K miles to CA, and then it's about another 90 minutes or so to the hospital. Between no sleep, a time zone 3 hours different than mine, and the excitement of getting this band out, I bet I sleep well when I finally get to the hotel room. LOL.

I hope you and your mom have a safe flight in and I look forward to meeting you.

[plain 12]

I eat dinner, stop eating and drinking after dinner, and wait until after midnight to go to bed. Right next to my bed is a huge wedge pillow that basically elevates me to a relaxed sitting position. Sometimes I can get to sleep lying down like I used to but it doesn't last long. I am awakened choking on the acid reflux or feel the awful burning in my upper chest and quickly get myself into an upright position.

Hey Elizabeth, please keep me informed on your reflux symptoms and if the sleeve resolves them. Being a sleep therapist, it sounds like those symptoms could potentially be part of a sleep disorder (I'm very biased in that area, though, lol). So, I'll be following your case with some clinical interest. Good luck with the sleeve. I hope all the bad stuff is resolved when you swith over.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Hey Elizabeth, please keep me informed on your reflux symptoms and if the sleeve resolves them. Being a sleep therapist, it sounds like those symptoms could potentially be part of a sleep disorder (I'm very biased in that area, though, lol). So, I'll be following your case with some clinical interest. Good luck with the sleeve. I hope all the bad stuff is resolved when you swith over.

Sadly, this is a big reason why a lot of people have their bands removed and switch to sleeves/RNY/DS. As soon as the band is removed the extreme reflux is gone.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Hey Elizabeth, please keep me informed on your reflux symptoms and if the sleeve resolves them. Being a sleep therapist, it sounds like those symptoms could potentially be part of a sleep disorder (I'm very biased in that area, though, lol). So, I'll be following your case with some clinical interest. Good luck with the sleeve. I hope all the bad stuff is resolved when you swith over.

Thankfully, sleep apnea, etc., are not a problem. In fact, when I am in the hospital, they have even woken me up because I don't snore and am a closed mouth breather. LOL. I do have to admit that my sleeping (when the reflux is not acting up) is much better once I got on the right dose of synthroid for the hypothyroidism.

I'll keep you up to date. I started the pre-op diet a day early (today!) and was dying that everything in the store was filled with carbs. LOL. I can only have 30 for the day.

[sexylips 1]

hi elizabeth

good luck with your new sleeve,i am also having problems with the Band.....if you dont mind me asking about how much is a sleeve with dr.aceves?

[Elisabethsew 50]

hi elizabeth

good luck with your new sleeve,i am also having problems with the Band.....if you dont mind me asking about how much is a sleeve with dr.aceves?

The cost is $12,500. You send a $500 deposit 10 days before the surgery and can either bring a certified check, cash, credit card, or use financing for the rest (in their information guide).

The money pays for a car to take you to and from the airport in San Diego, a stay in the hotel the night you arrive, medical clearance, pre-op EKG, chest x-ray, lab work, etc., the actual surgery, and 3 nights in the hospital. There is no extra money to put out for the anesthesiologist, medications, etc. I have the patient information booklet and can email that to you if you like.

I am sorry you're having problems with the band. It seems we're hearing more and more that the band is not working for many people even though they are working for the band.

[Nanook 2]

Elizabethsew,

Good luck with your revision to VSG. I don't even know any surgeons in my area that do them. I'm upstate NY. Since I was the one who never did well from the beginning on the band I'm hoping the RNY will help me this time. Anyway good luck a revisioner is a revisioner is the way I look at it, we'll all be exbanders! Nancy:smile:

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

hi elizabeth

good luck with your new sleeve,i am also having problems with the Band.....if you dont mind me asking about how much is a sleeve with dr.aceves?

As Elisabeth wrote, it's $12,500 for a revision. For a straight sleeve (not removing a band) it's $9,000 or $9500.

I wish I would have done the sleeve to begin with.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Elizabethsew,

Good luck with your revision to VSG. I don't even know any surgeons in my area that do them. I'm upstate NY. Since I was the one who never did well from the beginning on the band I'm hoping the RNY will help me this time. Anyway good luck a revisioner is a revisioner is the way I look at it, we'll all be exbanders! Nancy:smile:

I've got relatives not too far from Walton... a lot of them. LOL. I looked into the RNY but don't feel it's good for me. I have Iron deficiency anemia and can't swallow pills (LOL)... no joke. I eat healthy but the portions are too big and my down fall is hot bread. Unfortunately, I can eat toasted bread and everything else with the band. Best of luck to you.

[sexylips 1]

thanks ladys,yes me too i wish i had done something else than the band..but whats done its done....time to fix the problem...lol

[Nanook 2]

I've got relatives not too far from Walton... a lot of them. LOL. I looked into the RNY but don't feel it's good for me. I have Iron deficiency anemia and can't swallow pills (LOL)... no joke. I eat healthy but the portions are too big and my down fall is hot bread. Unfortunately, I can eat toasted bread and everything else with the band. Best of luck to you.

That's still south of me I'm much closer to the base of the Adirondacks. I take a handful of pills every day but my daughter did struggle after getting her RNY to take her pills so I know the importance of that. I am insulin resistant, if that's the correct term and dieting is way too difficult so I'm hoping RNY and it's malabsorption aspect will help me. Good luck, Nancy.:huh2:

[Elisabethsew 50]

That's still south of me I'm much closer to the base of the Adirondacks. I take a handful of pills every day but my daughter did struggle after getting her RNY to take her pills so I know the importance of that. I am insulin resistant, if that's the correct term and dieting is way too difficult so I'm hoping RNY and it's malabsorption aspect will help me. Good luck, Nancy.:tt1:

Thank you, Nancy. It looks like you have explored the various weight loss surgery options available to you and made an informed decision based on what is best for you and your needs. Talk to your surgeon about the malabsorption aspect. The more he bypasses the greater the degree of malabsorption.

[dlollie 0]

Hello, I relate to wanting to take the band out, the acid reflux etc. I was a year banded 1/16/08. I am at 12 or more cc's and I vomit daily. My acid reflux is back I have lost about fifty lbs. but that was within the first 4 months. I began to gain when I had Fluid removed. So Now, I have lost 15 lbs in the 2 months since my last fill but sometimes I cant keep Water down. I want the gastric sleeve but my dr doesnt do it, he only does the gastric bypass and I dont want that. I went to a new dr. before my year was up and he told me it was too soon and that he just didnt want to do the sleeve, flat out so I dont know what to do because if fluid is removed, then I gain but the vomitting and acid reflux is kicking my butt!