Sleeve Surgery????

Hi Landie,

Just wanted to share my experience with the band. I had a band in for 5 years and in hindsight, it was the worst decision of my life and I NEVER regret anything! I likened it to medically induced bulimia. I would get a fill and be fine for a day or 2 then the next day I wouldn't be able to keep water down for 5 days (no blockage) and then I'd be able to eat a large dinner the next day with no feeling of restriction.

It was always a case of "Will I be able to eat today". I no longer enjoyed going out for meals with my partner, family or friends as I was always having to excuse myself to go vomit in the bathroom. Also, as your limited on the type of foods you can eat; no bread, dry meat, fibres foods or starchy foods, I found there were times where I'd go out for a meal and there was nothing on the menu that I could eat. Keep in mind this meant things like steak, chicken breast, salad, most fruits and some vegetables were a no go for a band patient. This impacted my personal life where I began to not want to go out and whilst I did loose 35 kgs of weight from all the vomiting, I began to eat slider foods which I knew I could eat and not vomit it back up. This made me regain the 35kg and and extra 10 kgs. Also I knew something had to change where I began carrying a zip lock bag in my handbag in case I need to vomit when I'm out and if there was no toilet... and thinking this was normal!

I've been sleeved now for 4 weeks and I have lost 16kgs with no vomiting, only nausea which is fixed with a tablet and this is getting less with everyday. The biggest difference for me is that with the sleeve I can healthy foods and also junk foods. It's ME in control on what i can eat not a foreign object inside my tummy. Yes there is restriction on meal sizes, like the band but when eating you get more of a natural fullness not a feeling of 'I'm about to be sick" to tell you to stop eating like the band.

I'm not trying to sway you to the sleeve but I just want you to really think about how your life will be impacted with the band. No-one told me that I'd be having to constantly take time off work for fills and how that will impact my job nor the regular vomiting at ANY time. I cried when my band was taken out as the nightmare was over, as I'm new to sleeved life I can't comment on long term with the sleeve but I have had a dream run recovery. Please take your time to make your decision as I never try to tell people what to do in their own lives I just want to warn you on what I was like for me.

Good luck in making your decision and I'm sure whatever you decide it will be the perfect option for you!!!

Landie - there are a lot of reasons things don't work out on the band. I'm also an ex bandit - had mine removed about 5 weeks ago. Unlike many others, I didn't have huge ongoing problems - apart from a failure to lose much weight. 2 bands and basically no restriction (could eat a 3 course meal), ongoing hunger and just the occasional inexplicable blockage. Basically, it was a waste of time and money, despite the fact that my surgeon was well known and well regarded.

So it's gone, and now I'm thinking sleeve. My current surgeon has given me the go ahead (with a couple of further tests still to come to ensure that reflux is not going to be a problem). My research tells me that nothing is a given. Having had a couple of bands means that my risk of complication is higher than those of you who haven't been banded, but I think it's probably worth it. If you think about it, the risks associated with obesity are far greater than the risks associated with surgery. And then there's quality of life, too, to think about.

So I've booked in for Feb 8. Can't wait!

Thanx for your reply Trishah

Landie there will be many people who suffer from side effect of all surgery... the band... the sleeve... getting your tonsils out... there are horror stories for all operations.

I can only argue my story of my band and sleeve and it will be very one sided.

I hate the band it is a horrendous vile contraption that makes you hate life and yourself.

You will be constantly in discomfort and will never enjoy healthy food again and will after a while learn to live off bad foods to survive. Your weight will regain after a while and you will be absolutely jaded and miserable and be forced to make the decision to have yet another surgery.

I have heard of many complications during surgery and after with the band, in fact it is very rare to get through your band life with out some form of complication....however once the healing period of the sleeve is over I rarely hear of people complain unless its reflux that is fixed with medications.

The odd one who have had big comps have had bad surgeons ( like Glenmaree) who stuffed the surgery at the outset so they needed to move on to larger ops to combat side effects

Choose your surgeon well...research and then talk to his patients on here or in real life.

But please, please dont think the band is a better safer, more weightloss happy option because that would be a huge mistake.

Thanx Chap25!

Landie. A lot of people on here are ex bandits. And have horrific stories from having lap band. Going through all three ops I can tell u. The band in and band out were the worst experience. That band coming out gave me hell! Having a band also is six weeks of a liquid diet. Unsure about nowadays but six years ago it was cause they don't want it to move. The process of the band is a lot longer and continuous. Also if the lady below ate food durin the liquid stage of the band process it would of been disaster. People go through a lot having any surgery and a weight one when u have food issues is a massive hurdle. Everyone is different but I can tell u my decision to get rid of my band was the BEST one Ive made for myself. I hope they lady below gets additional help for her head too cause she seems to be struggling massively :(
Just wanted to share from personal experience my thoughts. If u have any further questions ask away :)

Andrea,

Thank you! This is making me feel better!

Landie,

I will let you know my experience and also raise a few questions I have about what was posted.

I had the option of band versus sleeve. My surgeon is still a big band advocat and said I would have success with both. I chose the sleeve (noting I had done months of research that I also discussed with him). I decided shorter term risks with the sleeve surgery outweighed the longer term risks with the band.

My surgeon required the pre-op optifast. I wasn't able to do the normal 2 weeks because my surgery was brought up so I did 5 days opti (strict, just shakes and drinking water) plus one day clear fluids the day before surgery. My hospital stay was 2 days. The day of the surgery and for much of the next day, I was nil by mouth. Couldn't have anything until after the leak test came back clear. I felt like death after the leak test due to the barium I had to swallow but after some convulsions and a burp/scream combo I was allright. Following that and having received the all clear, I sipped apple juice (took 5 hours to finish the 100 ml). That plus ice cubes and a couple attempts to sip water was all I had that evening. No hunger, no more nausea. The next day I had a bit more water and some broth. After being released mid-day, I stuck with water for the remainder of that day.

The next two weeks was water (some with cordial because it goes down easier) and optifast. I still had a supply left over since I had stocked up for the longer pre-op. There was a time I was sick to death of opti, but knew if I gave in to the temptation to eat anything I could injure myself. That was difficult but it was my head talking, not my sleeve.

During purees, I had a bout of thinking I was ravished. I could suddenly eat a serve (even two) of soup and it didn't feel like anything. Just a few days earlier, I couldn't get in even a 1/4 of a serve. I suspect now that the sleeve swelling had gone down but the puree/liquid wasn't necessarily registering since my stomach was still reeling from the major surgery. I had the concern that my sleeve wasn't successful and had many days of just feeling down and blah.

Moving on to actual food, it hit. Restriction and no desire to eat. I have had moments in the day where I realise I had forgotten to eat breakfast and/or lunch or have come home from work and at bedtime realised I forgot to have dinner. I can't even finish a one egg omlette. I am a very cheap date and cheaper drinking partner since I won't have alcohol just yet. My head hasn't been so keen on that but I have to deal with my head's expectation about food and how it doesn't match the sleeve's reality. That is the biggest challenge.

All in all, the choice is yours. Discuss it with your dr/surgeon and make sure you are happy with what you decide.

Now for the questions about what you posted. The nausea may not have been from hunger. Many people after surgery have reflux issues and these can present immediately. This appears to be hunger but can be treated with reflux inhibitors. My surgeon always asks if I am getting any acid reflux every time I see him.

Also, blood clotting is a risk that is discussed in all materials for the surgery. I understood that it is a risk for any surgery. In the hospital, you wear the stockings and have cuffs that massage your legs. You also get injections in your stomach to help prevent clots. Some are required to continue the injections after the hospital, some are given medication to take. My question is whether the blood clot was specific to sleeve surgery or a risk from surgery in general.

Just a few questions that you might want to refer to your dr/surgeon. It may help put your mind at ease.

Hi Landie,

Well I can tell you from my husbands point of view who was banded for 4 yrs before I was sleeved. He watched the weight fall off me easily with the sleeve. He said that with the band he had to work really hard at it. Different foods would get caught and that because the band divided the stomach into two he said the bottom of the stomach always felt empty and the top full. Along with this there was the endless surgeons visits to have the band pumped up. So 3 months ago my husband had the band removed and last week was sleeved. He was glad to see the back of the band, however it was a time of uncertainty because of scar tissue and damage that it could cause and prevent the sleeve Op from going a head. Which surgery is right for you is a big decision, I just wanted to give you my husbands perspective. We are a family now of three sleevers.

Kind regards

Andrea

Now I am confused:

A while ago I was convinced to go for the Lapband, but after i read a post I thought I rather go for the sleeve. But now, I don't know anymore. I a little scared now. I copied the post and all the other posts after her sleeve surgery. I know she says that it happens to 1 out of 200 but I'm still scared. This is a big decision to make.

missr, on 13 March 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:


Hi there,

I have strong feelings about this debate, so if I should seem defensive, I apologise.

I think likening the sleeve to older operations is a mistake, and frankly an insult to those who practice surgery. Surgery, surgeons and medicine in general has moved on from those days. The sleeve is just the newest of the surgeries, the band is getting on..it's been around for 15 years, and judging from the amount of people who struggle and FAIL with the band, perhaps it's no suprize that something else was discovered. Would you buy a second hand car that had 1000's of miles on it, just because you trusted it over trying something new?

People fail with the band because it allows them to eat chocolate ( turns into nothing in the heat of the throat), icecream etc etc. I have witnessed my Mother in law eating crunchies everyday with her band. These people are not all undisiplined losers- they just had trouble with 'bad' foods.

My question is: If I was able to NOT eat those things, and be as fliiping mindful as people suggest would I be overweight in the first place? I don't think so. So what use is a piece of plastic inside me if the battle still rages? I'm tired of that battle, I have better things to do.

The percentages my surgeon gave me run like this. People who get the band lose somewhere between 40-50% of their excess weight. People who get the sleeve lose 60-70%. The percentage of people who get some sort of 'complications' from the band ranges from 10-30%. The percentage of people who suffer complications with the sleeve is 1%.
That was what decided me in favour of the sleeve. If I'm to take the drastic step of surgery for this problem, I DO NOT want to have to go back in a couple of year's and say it didn't work. I can't afford it financially, and I can't afford the loss of pride.

Many thanks and sorry for the outburst.

Miss R

22 October 2012 - 12:03 PM

As someone newly sleeved last Monday, I'm going to really confuse you and say STICK WITH THE BAND.
The biggest myth is that sleevers don't get hungry - I was vomiting in hospital from hunger. It's a week out and I am still ravenous, and in the perilous position of not being able to have anything except fluids. Last weekend I was so hungry I ate solid food which can increase the chances of a leak which in turn can be very dangerous.
before the surgery I was quite gung-ho that the sleeve was the better option - boy do I feel like an idiot now.
The recovery was awful. I haven't had a band, so I can't compare but from where I sit, sipping on clear chicken broth breakfast,luch and dinner until Nov 2 - go the band. Anything less invasive is better.
The only plus is that I've gone from 106.4-101.8 in 7 days and that's waaaaaay toooo fast.
Miss R


Yesterday, 10:59am



Have been hospitalized for the last 6 days with a rare complication of sleeve surgery. I now have a permanent blood clot in a vein leading to my bowel which will need medication for the rest of my life. It's a risk of sleeve surgery that nobody tells you about because the rate of it is 0.5%, or 1 in 200. I will no longer be on this site, because I now believe that we should work on accepting ourselves and demanding diversity in the world, rather than having risky surgery. I cannot support...

Miss R




I just thought everybody should know, before they make there decision.



I propably will still go for the sleeve, but just something to keep in mind. I just hope, Im not the 1 out of the 200.



Good luck everyone!

Landie