Count down until Sleeve surgery... Nervous and need advice

For me the night and the next day after were the worse painful but bearable.....and hurt only really when i moved......was sleeved on a wed arvo by friday was feeling good and only on panadol from the thursday............went home sat morning......i felt sore but pretty good and the fact that i wasn't hungry and food wasn't consuming my thoughts 24/7 was great[even tho i was only on soups].....I certainly couldn't eat much and most meals still don't have a lot......when going out i too eat off my hubby's plate,or order the smallest size i can if i want something different...... i have wasted food since i have had this done but small price to pay......as lizziec says,it's not about food anymore but enjoying the social side of things more........You will still have food moments and your brain will want to sabotage you but if you really want what this sleeve can do for you,you will listen to your body when it tells you you are full...[most days anyway]......just take every day as it comes ,and think about the end result.....believe me if food is your enemy this is the answer......I was sleeved sept 2012,have lost 25 kilos and gone from size 26 to size 20.......i feel fabulous and more happy than i have in years....good luck x

Hi Kell,
I did have the band and got down to 73kg from 96kg (I am very short). I got pregnant, vomited, band slipped, doctor didn't believe me, was in agony through pregnancy and for first year of my 5th child's life. Vomiting, reflux, cramps. It was hell, and I don't say that lightly.

The sleeve surgery was more painful than the band initially, although I was unusual. They gave me great drugs (liquid morphine, forget the right name) to take home. That worked well.
By 3 weeks on, I knew the sleeve was going to work well for me. The band was like a like/hate relationship, liked losing weight (although never as easy as the sleeve) and hated being in pain, sliming and vomiting in public places.

The sleeve has been more of a good friend. Rapid weightloss followed by gradual weightloss, and I am very happy.

Good luck. It will be worth it!!!

Hi Kell I have not had a band but I was sleeved in August last year. To date I have dropped 28.1 kgs and I am feeling terrific.

I was in hospital for 2 days and had Endone and Panadol for pain relief for the first couple of days. It was painful to get up and down for the first week but it gradually eased off as time went by. When I came home from hospital I had Endone for the first 2 days but then stopped them and only took a Panadol if I needed it after that. Getting up and down out of a chair and up and down from bed was painful and I think this was because the small cuts I had in the stomach area were cut through muscle. I found after the first week this had eased off and I was able to move around quite well. We have to remember it is major surgery and we need to give our body time to recover.

I was on fluids for the first 2 weeks, then puree foods for the next 2 weeks before moving on to mushy foods for another 2 weeks and then onto soft foods. We need to follow exactly what we are told to do as the healing process needs to be given time to ensure there are no issues.

When I go out to restaurants etc I am now finding that hubby and I usually order 1 main meal and I take what I think I can eat and he has the rest or alternatively I will order an entree size meal. I am lucky that I am able to eat anything but just in small serves. I do not eat and drink at the same time as I find that I get full too quickly. When I go out with friends etc I am now looking at it as a social event and not an eating event which I used to think in the past. I used to think 'what I am going to eat' whenever I went out whereas now I look forward to spending time with my hubby and/or friends.

Best of luck with your journey and I hope you find this helpful.

Liz

Hello everyone :)

Its getting closer and closer to my day or surgery and although i had lap band surgery, this surgery is making me a lot more anxious.

With the lap band i lost about 1/2 of what i need to loose and now ive decided to go under the knife i second time.

I worry if gastric sleeve will work better then the lap band?

How long i will be bed ridden for and pain level?

and Can you still enjoy food, restaurants etc?

Please can people here who have had both the lap band and sleeve please let me know there opinions.

I need to talk with intelligent people who know what im going through. Rather then every Tom, Dick and Harry at work putting there 2 cents worth in, which not only makes me angry but also brings fear into it.

Thanks in advance. Kell :)