My Dr keeps saying no to the sleeve?! help!!

Hello to all you lovely people,

I cant tell u all how happy i am i found this support group.

Went to see another surgeon last week, not feeling too good on the grand scale with my position.

Work said i can only have 2 weeks leave, and im still shopping for a surgeon that will do my surgery, prefferably in the one go (removal of band, hernia repair and sleeve).

would love to have both surgeries at once due to time restraints with work but will see how i end up.

Drs round this time of the year are pretty much booked out till march for an appointment so i will see how i go fitting into an appointment time...

Keepin' on keeping on (till someone gives me a bloody sleeve!!!)

Marlena

Hi Tuddy

Actually my surgeon doesn't do a swallow test so I'm am spared that "pleasure"!! LOL

I'm expecting the recovery to be similar to when I had my lapband in except for the longer stay in hospital (and with the aid of the morphine drip).

Cheers
Gail

Thanks Gailo and Belly. And Gailo, all the best to you on the 6th. Just remember, after the second day, you will feel SO much better. Once you get past that swallow-test, you can do anything! And by the third day, you will really start to feel alive again. Happy for you.

.....and now for a stupid attack....

Hayley also has one here in the Diary section, its a sticky at the top of the page!

Here's a link to it as well...

http://www.gastricsleevesupport.com/the-diary-f8/weight-calculators-t326.htm

Hi Difi

My moblie phone has a great little conversion feaure in it, some calculators do too. And here is a link to a conversion site i sometimes use.

http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/weight

Hi Difi

The conversion rate is: 1kg = 2.2lbs.

Well done on your journey so far. I'm due for my op on 6 Feb and can't wait.

Cheers
Gail

By the way, can someone please tell me the pound-equivalent of KGs? In other words, if someone weighs 150 kg, how many pounds is that? We don't use the metric system in New York and I'm trying to see if I was the heaviest person here to have had the sleeve surgery. Thanks.

Hi Marlene,

Hope I'm doing this correctly -- not computer saavy. My personal opinion is that you should go to another surgeon. I never had the band, but I had my sleeve in July and it has helped to save my life. (I started on this website as "Tuddyluv", but couldn't remember my password, so I had to re-apply under "difi"). I started at 469 lbs. and I'm down 112 lbs. as of the end of November. I'll be seeing my surgeon again in two weeks and will know the new total. My Yale surgeon and his partner really know their stuff. I have full confidence in my surgeon and he has earned it. agAnd I don't know where your surgeon is MANY people have had pregnancies and breastfed their babies after gastric bypass- which results in considerably more nutritional deficits than the sleeve, by virtue of the "bypass" aspect of the surgery. Pregnancy requires good nutrition, but there's no reason why you can't get excellent nutrition after the sleeve. Most days I eat a very nutritious diet. I start off with a fat-free sugar-free yogurt for breakfast -- an excellent source of both protein and calcium, a half of a pear or other fruit as a mid-morning snack, 3 oz. of tuna, chicken or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for lunch, a string cheese for an afternoon snack, a few oz. of broiled fish or meat with some cooked carrots -- eating the protein first, of course, since you can save the carrots for later when they may fit better. And, if I still want something later, I'll a couple of tablespoons of low-fat peanut butter or a protein bar or a fat-free Activia. That's a nice healthy nutritious day -- plus drink your water and take your prenatal vitamins and you and your baby and your milk supply should be fine. It's a lot more difficult to overeat with the sleeve than with the band, so if you don't want to throw-up after eating your solid food, stop eating as soon as you feel the "full" pressure in your stomach. All the best to you.

Hi Marlena
I see you're situated in Sydney. Have you tried Dr Talbot at Kogarah? I believe that he would help you, and I found him very good at answering all my questions, too. I came down from the Central Coast to see him, and it was worth it.
Good luck.
Chris

Hi Marlina

what state are you in hon?
my surgeon dr france is very experienced with band removal and sleeve ops he worked it the USA for a while and have now brought his skills to aust

if you can possiably get to adelaide make an appointment to see him he works from the ashford hospital even if you cant have surgery in adelaide he may be able to refer you to a surgeon in your state? as for reflux yes i had it for a few months after surgery but its gone now... donr waste your time with the lap band it doesnt seem to work for you ive gome from a size 16 to size 8 over the last 12 months from having the sleeve done.....talk to dr france he is very kind and understanding you will love him

good luck in whatever you decide to do

sophie :)))

HI Marlena, I have gone from band to sleeve but only recently.I to had problems with the band however it was my surgeon that suggested the sleeve. I sought a second opinion at the adivice of my GP. The second surgeon is apposed to the sleeve however I cross examined him fairly thoroughly and his main reason was that there is not enough long term data on the sleeve. That was really his own concern. He said if I was his patient he would recomend removong and replacing the band, the if that failed and I was adamant that the sleeve was what I wanted he would do it however has only done two previously so would prefer he practice on someone else. He had done more bypass which he prefers over the band as it has a known history.
Have you seen a psychologist? I did and they questioned if I was concerned I was going to fail again I wasn't ready to go ahead and recommended further session prior to having any surgey. Probably a very good idea however I went ahead anyway.
I am 53, have already had my children. You may want to read up on the stories in the pregnancy areas in the forum and talk to a few people around your own age. I wouldn't even listen re the sleeve 4 years ago, was too drastic, "I didn't need anything like that etc) however after the failing with the band I researched and researched. Good luck with whatever you decide.

to be honest I would thank my lucky stars this surgeon has said no to you. He sounds like he has NO idea at all about sleeves and you do NOT want a surgeon who is not an expert at sleeves operating on you. Time to find a new surgeon. Honestly I know right now it might seem tramatic but you saved your bacon BIG time by him refusing to do it.

applesauce

hi marlena,
Its very hard the weight loss thing. I havent had the band but i understand were your coming from. Both of the surgeries are tools for weight loss and you can get around them....but i do believe that it is a bit easier with the sleeve as i have seen some people with the band comsume quite a bit of food then followed by a big ice coffee with cream, which is something that i couldnt possibly do. But you still need to watch what you eat to a certain extent....the first 4 month approx i was very good and my weight just fell off...but now im nearly 6 months out i am able to eat evrything but only in moderation....
I agree with the other girls.....its great that you like your surgeon but lets face it most surgeons dont have a very good bed side manner but they are fantastic at what they do.....so maybe you need to make that choice and put up with the 2nd surgeon to get what you want.
I hope this helps

Nicole

u know i walked out of the surgeons office feeling so sore with myself, i allowed myself to get here with the band. I have been guilty of over eating, of eating and then throwing things up to relieve the pressure - u name it i did it. So i just felt like a little kid walking to detention knowing full well i am at fault. i have wasted so long with the band - 4 yrs actually and my old surgeon said to me the reason i failed the band can be reasons the sleeve will not work, hence him refusing to do the surgery for me. i need to really grow up and face this with the right frame of mind (which i dont think i ever have done in the past, i was after the magic cure).

Basically im scared i will go through with the sleeve to find my way round it like i did the band.

Hi Marlena,
I have been banded twice now for five years and have done nothing but throw up and put on weight! My Dr also refused to do the sleeve even though he knows how much I have suffered with the band, so I did some research and found a Dr who has done many sleeves, mainly revisions from bands and I will be getting sleeved mid next year. Still having reflux after sleeve doesnt bother me to much as I am taking Nexium now anyway, I just dont want to throw up every time I eat solid food anymore.. So make some more appointments ( see surgeons thread ) to see Drs who have done band to sleeve revisions and I am sure you will find one you are comfortable with , after all your old surgeon hasnt really helped you much! I think some Drs have invested alot of money into promoting the band and now refuse to see any other options.
Good luck with your search,
Lisab

Hi
Although the 2nd Dr was not to your liking he was proberly feeling frustrated with your case. He did find something wrong and did say there was something he could do. Gee at least he saw what was in the test results!
As for sleeve fixing reflux Uh ARR not in this life time lol, sorry, mine has quadruplied the reflux that is. My Dr didn't know it would make it worse , or so he says.
I don't know what your solution will be but good luck in finding one.
Oh did you have reflux before getting the band? If not the band may be causing the reflux or making it worse. Maybe Hayley might know. she ahd probs with her band ., just a thought

Hi Marlena,

I too was banded with the old band 6 years ago and am still going through severe reflux which is why I am looking at the sleeve.

I have just had a thought pop into my head about Nexium and my rapid weight gain since I have been on it. Are you on Nexium and do you agree with me about the weight gain? No matter what I try to do to help myself with my weight, I can't seem to budge it. My husband who was never overweight has also been put onto Nexium and his weight has ballooned. He also is always hungry. If this is the case, what a vicious circle.

If you first surgeon doesn't want to do the sleeve and you want the sleeve, you need to move on as much as you prefer him, I think it's time to move on. Just because you like him, doesn't mean he's good and personally, I wouldn't want anyone to operate on me who was anti sleeve.

The second dude, okay, you may not have liked him, but you've got some answers.

You may need to do a bit of reasearch od doctors in your area and see who does sleeves on a regular basis and go and see them. Don't just discuss it with your GP, see if you can find out.

Search the forum for people who live in your state and see what they say.

I would also recommend once you find a surgeon, you discuss the hernia problem with him and not get your old surgeon to fix it if you really want to go towards the sleeve, cut the relationsip now and get all this sorted by one doctor who will fix your hernia, remove band and sleeve you. That is a much safer option.

hi spockles,

I actually went to see an alternate surgeon and took the result of my barium swallow and it turns out i have a massive hernia where the band has slipped through and is sitting above the diaphram...the new surgeon is so arrogant though and i walked out of there not too comfortable with him - i still prefer my old surgeon! But this takes it to 2 surgeons who would rather try another band then the sleeve, the second surgeon said he would do whatever i liked though so it was left up to me.

I have an appointment with my old guy on monday so will hopefully get him to review my barium swallow result before the endoscopy this week.

The more i think about getting a replacement band vs the sleeve, the more i favour the sleeve, so will see what he says after mon...

Thanks for your reply

Marlena

Hi Marlena
So sorry to hear your troubles. I would suggest getting a second and if not third opinion from other Dr's. Your Dr may be right that he does not want to to the sleeve for you, although before ruling anything out, I would see another specialist or two. An expensive exercise, although by the sounds of if the band is not working well for you at all. It is such a personal decision and as the sleeve is not reversible, you will really need to ensure that this is the way to go for you.
You will see a forum for Dr's on the site if you have not already looked for other specialists in your area.
All the best, and hope you find what will be your answer.
Love
Spockles

Hello all,

My name is marlena, I'm 24yrs old and I was banded in 2004 with an Inamed (smaller/older) LAP-BAND. My gastric surgeon (who has been supportive every step of the way and has seen me through more over/under fills and ulcers then anyone) has drawn the line at the sleeve.

He says we should do a barium swallow followed by a gastroscopy once again (have been through this twice before to no avail) to judge why I am having such little success and so many problems.

I have so far (in 4 years) lost 20kgs from my start weight and I’m sitting at 115kgs. My all time low was 100kgs on my 5'10 frame achieved by being so overfilled I would eat and throw up just like a bulimic after every meal as nothing would go down.

My surgeon keeps saying that the sleeve is irreversible and while I come to him now to be "unfilled" when my reflux keeps me awake at night - the sleeve is no better for reflux then the band. He thinks the sleeve is actually worse for it and potentially will mean my gastric juices will do nothing but come straight up every time.

His argument about pregnancy with the sleeve has also made me think; he says I increase the risk of being undernourished during pregnancy and breast feeding with the sleeve as I won’t be able to eat as much as I should.

I have taken 2 appointments specifically to discuss having a sleeve done and he keeps pointing at me saying it is too new and once done he cannot undo it. In his words he doesn’t want me to "come crying to him asking him to undo the sleeve" when I hit a rocky road, and I have been guilty of this with him in the past with the band out of sheer frustration!!! I actually cried during our appointment today

I have never known restriction with my band, all I get is from being unrestricted to totally over restricted - no in-between ever!! also I have had several episodes per night even with 1ml in my band where I wake up to throw up this brown clotted looking material and sleep with 4 pillows so I'm in a sitting position in bed....surely this isn’t how the band is meant to work?!

Help me please?!?!?!

Absolutely any advice would be so greatly appreciated...

Thanks for your time if you’re still with me

Marlena