It's Time...

[donali 57]

Hello Old Friends (and soon to be new friends!) -

It has been a long time since I posted. I was one of the original members when LBT first started - WOW!! It has grown, and has SO much more than before. Alex - fantastic job!

Anyway, for those who don't know/remember me, I was banded 1/23/03, had a wonderful/uneventful band journey until June-ish '03 when I tore my port sutures and had to have a port revision, followed by more wonderful/uneventful band journey with a loss of 103 pounds in 18 months, at which point it all came to an unglorious end 07/04 when my band was removed due to 40% erosion.

I can't believe it has been FIVE years since then! Of course my lost weight all came back once the hunger kicked in again, plus an extra 30 pounds or so. I am back at critical mass, and now have an appointment for 8/20 to get sleeved. Whoo hooo!! I feel so hopeful again, and can hardly wait.

Any advice from sleevers, fire away!

Donali

[Ruthi 60]

I didnt lose as much weight as you since I only had my band for 6 months but I am like you in that I know I will gain back the 40 lbs I lost if I dont do something now. I have to wait 3 month with only 5 weeks left to wait to have another surgery but I totally understand why you want the sleeve. Best of luck, we are all with you

Ruthi

[Tiffykins 672]

I popped my lower port sutures the day of surgery when a bariatric wing nurse had my put my arms behind my head, grab the bed rails and pull myself up in bed about 8 hours post op. . . LOVELY.

I dealt with the partially inverted port for 4 months, and now 7 months post-op, I am revising to the sleeve because of the port pain and adhesions to the tubing from the port to the band.

I lost about 30lbs the first 2.5 months, and have regained 14-15lbs since the end of January.

I don't have any advice as I am just starting the revision journey myself, but I wanted to let you know I'll keep you in my thoughts.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I popped my lower port sutures the day of surgery when a bariatric wing nurse had my put my arms behind my head, grab the bed rails and pull myself up in bed about 8 hours post op. . . LOVELY.

I dealt with the partially inverted port for 4 months, and now 7 months post-op, I am revising to the sleeve because of the port pain and adhesions to the tubing from the port to the band.

I lost about 30lbs the first 2.5 months, and have regained 14-15lbs since the end of January.

I don't have any advice as I am just starting the revision journey myself, but I wanted to let you know I'll keep you in my thoughts.

Honestly, I can't say enough about the sleeve. Each time I run across a person that has mega band issues I feel so sorry for them and I KNOW that there isn't anything I can say that will change their minds. They are going to have doubts that this is just more problems but on a bigger scale. It's sooo not true. Sleeves are like bands that actually work without all the hassle. I was always aware of my band, or my port. Something was always acting up. If I was having a good stoma day then my port was hurting. It was always something. Today I am not really aware of my sleeve. I just get full faster. That's all. No drama, no frustrations, no anything. I just get full fast.

[Elisabethsew 50]

The band never worked for me. I never felt restriction and I suffered from horrible heart burn and acid reflux. I'm loving the sleeve. I felt restriction the day after surgery when I took my first sip of fluids and can now eat anything I want but in waaaaaaaay smaller portions.

I highly recommend it. Who is dling your surgery?

[MacMadame 81]

Hey, when I first got here, I read a lot of old posts of yours. (I read everything... then I got a sleeve. Heh.)

So I feel like I already know you. :thumbup:

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

Glad to have another sleeve member coming on board to our little neck of the woods so to speak.

I see from your signature you have to wait until August.

I hope the time flys for you. Dr. Pleatman has been on this board answering questions from time to time, and I think that's nice of him to take the time to do that.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Hello Old Friends (and soon to be new friends!) -

It has been a long time since I posted. I was one of the original members when LBT first started - WOW!! It has grown, and has SO much more than before. Alex - fantastic job!

Anyway, for those who don't know/remember me, I was banded 1/23/03, had a wonderful/uneventful band journey until June-ish '03 when I tore my port sutures and had to have a port revision, followed by more wonderful/uneventful band journey with a loss of 103 pounds in 18 months, at which point it all came to an unglorious end 07/04 when my band was removed due to 40% erosion.

I can't believe it has been FIVE years since then! Of course my lost weight all came back once the hunger kicked in again, plus an extra 30 pounds or so. I am back at critical mass, and now have an appointment for 8/20 to get sleeved. Whoo hooo!! I feel so hopeful again, and can hardly wait.

Any advice from sleevers, fire away!

Donali

Have you looked into other surgeons? WASA can fill you in on Pleatman. Mac had a great surgeon and she's in your neck of the woods.

[donali 57]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

MacMadame, you made me smile. I used to be one of the top posters here many years ago, but once I lost my band it was just too hard to keep coming back, particularly when the weight started piling back on in spite of all of my good intentions and knowledge.

Elisabethsew, I'll PM WasA. I did some research on other surgeons, but am self-pay, and wasn't sure I wanted to do another surgery in Mexico. Pleatman had the best self-pay prices I found for the states, plus he includes all the pre-op testing in the price, and has hundreds of VSGs and RnYs under his belt. He has also always answered my emails to him personally and promptly (I contacted him several years ago when I started thinking about the sleeve). But more info is always welcome.

Tiffykins, that sideways port is torture. I could not get mine respositioned myself, and boy-oh-boy did it smart! I can't imagine doing it on my day out of surgery! Yikes! Thanks for the well wishes, and I send them back to you for your own revision.

Oregondaisy, nice to meet you! Dr. Pleatman has taken his share of knocks on the board, but I always thought it was nice that he tried to answer some questions. The board has evolved quite a bit since he first joined - we didn't used to have ads back then, so docs posting on the board initially weren't exactly welcomed with open arms.

Ruthi, are you being rebanded or revising to something else?

Thanks again for all of the support!

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

Do you have a particular reason that you don't want to go to Mexico? I absolutely love Dr. Aceves. He is a fabulous surgeon and they treat people like royalty in that hospital. The only cost to you besides surgery is the cost of plane fare to San Diego. Everything else is included in the price.

[*susan* 1,709]

Hi and welcome back. You will find most of us here completely sympathize with you. I think the best decision I ever made was removing my band and revising to the sleeve.

[leatha_g 4]

Donali!

Hugs girlie! Just wanted to sneak in and say it's good to see a friendly old timer's face! Bless your heart, I know you went through alot! I too wound up removing not one, but two bands and went the way of RNY December, 2007. Long journey this has been for alot of us!

Hope all has been well for you otherwise. I miss our get togethers!

Today, I weigh 100-105 lbs and am actually TRYING to gain weight. Never thought I'd see the day when this board was started!

Can't wait to hear how you do with your sleeve. It would have been my first (second?) choice, alas, insurance wouldn't cover and RNY approved, no questions.

Either way, we're all still in this battle!

Good luck and please say hello to anyone I know that you may still correspond with!

[donali 57]

LEATHA!!! OMG! How the heck ARE you?!?! Okay, you already answered that, but it's so good to see you!

Congrats on your reaching goal and then some - I hope you are able to put back on the weight you need. If you need any tips on gaining weight I'd probably be a good person to ask... lol

Now that I look back, I think, "What was I thinking when I chose the band???" Did I honestly think that I would have that device in me for the next 40 years? I guess I did.

Hopefully I won't think the same about my sleeve once it's done... lol

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Hopefully I won't think the same about my sleeve once it's done... lol

The concept of no more stoma spewing is a nice one, no band/no stoma spewing. ;o)

Just think of how much these band makers made off of us. We actually paid them to puke.

Edited May 13, 2009 by WASaBubbleButt

[Ruthi 60]

Donali, I had my band removed and a partial gastrectomy, I am getting the full sleeve

Wassa I think of that part all the time, in fact, I am still paying them for making me puke and dont even have the blasted thing anymore

Ruthi

Edited May 13, 2009 by ruthgrosvenorcox