What's your advice to sleeve newbies?

I was just writing an email to someone and it dawned on me that this might be the start of a good thread.

My advice is to take FULL advantage of the first six months. That is the easiest time to lose weight. Your stomach is the size of a cigar, finger, it's small and round. It won't stretch out to a banana size/shape for a few months and this time frame it is easy to lose weight. Since it is easy to lose weight a lot of people just sit around watching pounds melt. If you put forth effort during this time frame you lose faster and get to goal sooner.

If you are a band to sleeve and your port site hurts the first two weeks... yeah, I got nothing. It hurts. Consider it initiation to the revision club? HA! :thumbup:

Anyone else?

Hi, I am scheduled for lapband surgery 4/1 and still have the opportunity to decide on the sleeve. As I am reading these posts, most sound like the sleeve procedure involves a 2nd surgery whether it be lapband or sleeve first. Would you please explain why this is?

Speaking of a bikini, I was at the grocery store dressed in my bike outfit -- i.e., lycra, tight short -- and feeling like "ooh I'm pretty hot for a 51 year old mom of two". Then I see Valerie Bertinelli, only 3 years younger than me, also with two kids, on the cover of some magazine in a bikini.

I hate her. :thumbup:

Just wait until she goes off of Jenny Craig and gains her weight back. Why do you think they keep changing spokes people? Have you seen Kirstie Alley lately? She's almost twice the size she was.....We've all been there.

Just wait until she goes off of Jenny Craig and gains her weight back. Why do you think they keep changing spokes people? Have you seen Kirstie Alley lately? She's almost twice the size she was.....We've all been there.

Isn't their latest spokes person that lady from ... AAHHH, I can't remember the name of the show. Bill Cosby, the Huxtables. She was Clair.

She HAD to have made a lot of money doing that series, why in the world would she be doing Jenny Craig advertisements as the fat lady wanting to lose weight?

Hi, I am scheduled for lapband surgery 4/1 and still have the opportunity to decide on the sleeve. As I am reading these posts, most sound like the sleeve procedure involves a 2nd surgery whether it be lapband or sleeve first. Would you please explain why this is?

Many of the people you see posting here got a band and were not happy with it and revised to a sleeve. The band has a significant failure rate and lots of potential complications.

There is only one surgery with a sleeve.

Isn't their latest spokes person that lady from ... AAHHH, I can't remember the name of the show. Bill Cosby, the Huxtables. She was Clair.

She HAD to have made a lot of money doing that series, why in the world would she be doing Jenny Craig advertisements as the fat lady wanting to lose weight?

Maybe she invested with Bernie Madoff!

Hi, I am scheduled for lapband surgery 4/1 and still have the opportunity to decide on the sleeve. As I am reading these posts, most sound like the sleeve procedure involves a 2nd surgery whether it be lapband or sleeve first. Would you please explain why this is?

If you have never had any weight loss surgery, you can have the band, or the sleeve (VSG), or the bypass, etc. I am having surgery on 4/1 also. However, mine is called a revison surgery. They are taking this band out of me (thank God) and then doing the sleeve procedure.

From a personal perspective, I would advise you to have the sleeve. Weight loss is superior to the band and you don't have to deal with all the problems associated with the band. Please keep us posted on how you do.

Isn't their latest spokes person that lady from ... AAHHH, I can't remember the name of the show. Bill Cosby, the Huxtables. She was Clair.

She HAD to have made a lot of money doing that series, why in the world would she be doing Jenny Craig advertisements as the fat lady wanting to lose weight?

I think her name is Felicia Rashad.

Take comfort in knowing her photos are airbrushed. ;o)

Mini-Mac said: But does she do triathlons?

Luckily she doesn't. But Jennifer Lopez has done one! Good for her.

For me, it's a few things. First, I have muscle separation from having kids and it's really bad. That flap of skin is not going away as I lose weight and will only go away with PS. Then we have the panus. That's mostly from having c-sections. So neither is totally from being overweight and neither is going away by themselves. Add in a killer surgery scar from open cholecystectomy and no bikinis for me!

Here's the page Phylicia:

http://www.jennycraig.com/successstories/blog/phylicia/

But Valerie is still on there too:

The Official Weight Loss Blog for Valerie Bertinelli

I think they take new ones on because they always want someone who is losing. Valerie has been in maintenance mode for a year now. So she's old news. :thumbup:

most sound like the sleeve procedure involves a 2nd surgery

I've only had one and only plan to have one -- the sleeve.

Don't forget, this is a lapband board so a lot of people here getting sleeves had a lapband first and then are revising to a sleeve because of problems with their band.

It's always better to get the right surgery the first time, of course, but the sleeve wasn't as well known when these guys were getting their bands and insurance often still doesn't pay for it.

Plus we are learning more about the long-term complication rates of the band. When I started looking into WLS a year ago, a lot of the studies on long-term complications weren't available. They started coming out right about the time I started thinking the band wasn't going to work for me.

For me, it worked out to a series of issues:

-the band only works if you find your sweet spot. Not everyone can, no matter how well they follow the rules. I did not want to have surgery and then have to white-knuckle diet after all. I could white-knuckle diet without surgery.

-long-term complication rate of the band was MUCH higher than I was comfortable with. The sleeve has a higher short-term compliation rate, but once you get passed the 1-3 month mark, that's it.

-the band cost almost as much as the sleeve in the short-term and, once you factor in fills, it could easily cost as much

-the sleeve removes the part of the stomach that make ghrelin, the hormone that gives you your appetite. Since my appetite was my big problem, the sleeve addresses it directly. The band only addresses it indirectly.

-at first, the fact the band has the worst average excess weight loss stats of all the surgeries didn't bother me. I knew I could lose my weight with any surgery. But eventually it started to bug me and give me less confidence in my choice. For one thing, in some studies, it was as little as 40%.

This is my very first posting, so I am still catching on. I hope this is the right area to post a hello!!

I will be getting the sleeve on 4-29!! I am so excited and this site has been a great place to read about the pre and post stuff!! I start my 2 week liquid diet on 4-15 and looking forward to getting a jump on my weight loss.

I love reading everyones stories and I am so thankful there is a group on here.

This is my very first posting, so I am still catching on. I hope this is the right area to post a hello!!

I will be getting the sleeve on 4-29!! I am so excited and this site has been a great place to read about the pre and post stuff!! I start my 2 week liquid diet on 4-15 and looking forward to getting a jump on my weight loss.

I love reading everyones stories and I am so thankful there is a group on here.

Welcome! And congrats on the sleeve! Best thing you'll ever do for yourself.

Hey I have a question that might sound like a dumb question.

I have looked at pictures of sleeve stomachs but the part I don't get is the end of the stomach. I guess I need to keep looking at pictures. The stomach ends and the intestines begin. What is between the two?

Can someone direct me to a good picture. The one I saw showed the staple line with the part of the stomach that is removed, but I don't quite get what is at the end of that or the bottom. thanks in advance.

I am considering the sleeve and want people to let me know the negatives to this procedure, if any, as well as the positives when compared to the lap band? Sarah

You all give me such hope! I am scheduled for my sleeve surgery on July 10th and it seems soooo far away. I had to buy new fat jeans today...I wore a hole in my old ones...I hope to NEVER buy fat jeans again!!

OMG I hear you about not wanting to have to buy another pair of fat pants!!! I am getting my sleeve on 4-29 and this morning my biggest dressy work pants were tight!! I can't wait to get up in the am and put pants on and have them loose and fall off!!!!!!!!! That is going to feel so good. Can't wait!!!

I'm considering getting a lap band, my appt with the Doctor is 4/09. I'm at 57 bmi and only have heard of the sleeve on this board. I checked it out on the web and I've found that for my bmi level the sleeve is only a first step and I'd probably have to do a 2nd step to finish my weightloss. (for lower bmi it is good for an only step) Have you heard anything about this? I'd appreciate any info.

Thanks

I got this from www.obesityhelp.com