Beginnings

LOL You'll defo need to get a pic of that! LMAO

So the muscle aches have gone - thank goodness, but there's still tenderness and bloating in the midriff (understandably). The face is still puffed up like a pumpkin, but nevertheless, I decided that it was time to get out of the house. In order to make myself feel better, I did my hair, put on a little tanning lotion and make up. Unfortunately, the tanning lotion turned me a bit orange - pretty appropriate for a pumpkin.

I'm thinking of putting a candle in my mouth and going out scaring children. It's nearly halloween, isn't it?

Dooben - perhaps a change of doctor is in order.

There are a whole range of reasons why bands don't always work well. When I had the gastroscopy, it was clear to the doc that I had no restriction. I knew that anyway - I could quite easily manage a three course meal, even though I occasionally got a blockage. I asked the doc who took the band out what was going on with it, but he was a bit cagey. He said that he couldn't see the pouch area, but I wonder if he was just evading in order not to be critical of the original surgeon who had placed it. He told me that the particular band used is an unusual one - I think I may have been a bit of a guinea pig.

Either way, if it's not working for you, and you're not happy, you should be able to have it removed. It could well be acid reflux, but it could also be the area going into spasm if it's moved a bit. If you're uncomfortable, you need to have the problem fixed.

Good luck!

Thanks Trishah!

pain in the belly that is releived with eating then returns is usually acid...try some pink gaviscon and some zantac... if it releives it go to Doc and whinge and get some nexium it will add another nail in the band coffin for you.

I still have to convince my doc to take my band out! I went and saw him and he said think about some more and come in six weeks and we'll talk....grrrrrr....i'm just too impatient. lol I just hope i can convince him that the sleeve will be a better fit for me. I keep getting this upper abdo pain that only seems to be relieved when i'm eating something...so you can imagine, i'm eating too much....the pain stops then after eating it comes back so i have to eat something again to feel relief. Will have to tell him this though i have no idea what it could be...doesn't feel like a band slip (or what people say that feels like anyway.) Who knows!

debs

Just think what's on the other side. A week of yuk. Then no more band. Happy days :) feel better soon Freddo. When do u go in dooben??

Hope you feel better soon Freddo. I've heard getting the band out is the worst bit. In a few days it should be a distant memory and then its onward and upwards. I've yet to have my band out and i'm a bit worried about it also...we wouldn't be human if we weren't i guess.

Fell better soon.

deb

Hey Freddo. Having the band out is probably the worst of the three ops. After the pain I suffered having that thing out I was dreading the sleeve op. I found the sleeve op a walk in the park compared to what ur going through now. Lots of resting and sleeping. It's out now, enjoy having it out I know I did ;)

Don't know what happened there - just wrote a post saying how crappy I feel today, but it didn't seems to make it onto to site. I wonder if I said something wrong.

Anyway, i feel like I've been beaten up today. The anaesthetist warned that this might happen, but I didn't give it much thought. Right now, however, every muscle in my body aches, my face is puffed up like a pumpkin and I think that they must have stuffed a wad of cotton wool into my brain. Nothing seems to be working particularly well. I intend to stay on the couch all day and wallow.

On the up side, the incisions are giving my no trouble at all. Well done surgeon!

I stupidly thought that this would all be a bit of a doodle - into hospital, whip the band out and home feeling fine. Not so. Oh dear! I'm not used to feeling unwell and I don't like it one bit. I Dr Googled the aching muscles after an anaesthetic and found that it usually lasts about 3 days. Blah!

However, I shall soldier on - no doubt it will all be worth it in the end!

Congratulations Freddo, glad all went well. A three month wait is pretty standard, gives tummy time to heal. My surgeon explained that the risk of a leak is higher for those who have been banded, so the time between removal and sleeving is to assist in reducing those risks.

Enjoy your non-banded period.

Congratulations Freddo

So glad all went well for you. That is one hurdle now behind you. You are lucky that you only have to wait 3 months to be sleeved, I've had to wait a very long 5 months but only have 3 weeks to go.

You will probably find that your tum is swollen for a few weeks so therefore your portions should still be small. I lasted about 3 weeks then started feeling hunger which was a strange feeling to have as I'd had the band for 7 years.

I hope this has been the first step for you on your new journey.

Back from hospital, minus one band. I didn't see the surgeon after the surgery yesterday, but he told my husband that there were more adhesions than he had expected and that it had taken him a great deal longer than he had thought. This didn't sound too good to me in terms of the possibility of the sleeve. There was also talk of keeping me in hospital and extra night. Saw him this morning, however, and he told me all was fine and that there shouldn't be any problems, and in light of the fact that I felt well, he was happy for me to go home.

So now I need to decide! I have a month before I see him again, and I will be watching this site to help me make up my mind. He doesn't seem to be well known as a sleever (he does a lot more bands), but he tells me he does about 30 sleeves a year. He seems thorough and is very highly qualified - even if he does look like a child (but then again, everyone seems to be looking like a child to me nowadays!)

He wants me to heal thoroughly, so he's saying that he won't do it for another 12 weeks - which suits me. If I have it done, February next year would suit me well.

So for now, I'm nursing a slightly sore stomach, possibly the first step on the stairway to good health.

Hi Freddo, good luck with your removal? When is it happening? Would love to hear how it has gone and whether your surgeon is prepared to go on with the sleeve?

Thanks for the heads up, Trishah. I will ask my surgeon about the size of the sleeve.

Freddo

freddo I was terribly scared of the possibility of reflux being a pemenancy with the sleeve as it plagued me with the band and made my life miserable.

I am now 6 months into my sleeve and even though I have been off my nexium now for nearly 3 weeks I have not had even a hint of reflux..indigestion or heartburn.

Pretty happy bout that. My doc did mention though that it is why he does a size 34 sleeve as against the 32 as the 32 has more incidence of reflux and vomiting.

Luckily I have had zero ill side effects, so take heart.

Freddo, i think this is what we all worry about...if this will actually work. I still have my band but want it gone and despite reading so many good stories about it working something in my psyche has that 'it sounds too good to be true' thing...or 'others make it work but will I be able to make it work.' I guess all we can do is take a chance.

deb

Thanks everyone for your replies and good wishes - it's good to get as much info as possible. I actually feel that I won't have any problems with the band coming out and that I should be fine for the sleeve. I also talked to the doc about the possibility of the bypass, but like you, Nutbags, I'm not convinced that I'm ready for anything quite this drastic. As to having the band out and being scared of bingeing - I don't think that will be a problem, as I haven't had any restriction for about 7 years. Considering this, I am quite proud of the fact that I managed to keep about 15 kilos down from the original horror weight I was when I was first banded.

I was OK, really with the fact that the doctor laid out all the possible complications for me. If he had approached it with a big grin guaranteeing me that all would be wonderful, I would have turned around and walked straight out of his office! I've done my research and I know that there are risks. I'm very amused, Trishah, with the image of some one coming into his office wielding a knife and shotgun - my guy is very taciturn (most surgeons seem to have had a personality bypass, I think) and I don't think even a situation like that would raise a strong emotion! One good thing, however - he had a look at my stomach and told me that I wasn't carrying that much fat there - which I gather is good. The fact that my thighs and bum are bigger than a freighter seemed to elude him.

I guess, if I really think about it, what I'm really terrified of, is the fact that I might end up with a leak, or that I might end up with bad reflux (I used to get this in the early band days when I had too much fill). Finally, I guess I'm also (as I suppose a lot of you are) afraid that this is just going to be another thing that doesn't work.

Either way, the band comes out next week, and all being well, he tells me I could be sleeved in about February.

Good luck Nicky and Nutbags - I'll be following your progress with lots of interest.

Freddo

there are a couple of people on here who have had 2 bands ( in fact I think one of them had 3) and all went on to have successful sleeves.

Sometimes doctors may appear negative but I think they have to set you straight on the possible outcome of dissapointment so you dont come back at them weilding knives and shot guns.

My doc lays everything bare and is definitely not your flag waving cowboy of bariatric surgery and it can be a little flattening at the time when your getting the lecture about how this may or may not work....buuuuut I would rather that than having pie crust promises made then being all snot and tears when it didnt work out.

Keep strong ladies I am 100% sure this will work out for you.

If you want to meet some ex bandits who have had more than one band put the post in the long term sleevers section and the general thread... you will get more bites that way.

Hi Freddo

I also had two bands. I had the second band removed in August and am due to sleeved in November. My surgeon basically gave me the same spiel. He would not guarantee that he would do the sleeve until he had gone in to take out the band and could assess the state of my stomach. this was a bit nerve wracking because the band needed to come out and I was potentially going to be left with nothing!! He did suggest that if the sleeve was not suitable then perhaps bypass would be an option. But am not yet convinced about bypass surgery, so wasn't sure that this was an option that I would want to take if I could not have the sleeve - but it may be an option that you could talk to your surgeon about if sleeving does not become an option.

I also got provided with similar stats from my surgeon about the increased risks.

Hope all goes well for you.

Hi Freddo

I had my band removed after 7 years in June and will be sleeved in 4 weeks.

My surgeon said that my band almost fell out which was surprising considering the amount of time it was in there.

I've had to wait 5 months to allow time for my stomach to heal and try to be in the best condition for the surgery.

Good luck with your surgeon, hopefully he has some good news for you too.

Nicky

Thanks Freddo, would like to know how you go with it.

debs

Thanks, Dooben. I agree that a lot of ex bandits seem to be doing better on the sleeve. Will keep you posted on what my surgeon says. Good luck with your progress.

Freddo

Thanks for the feedback, Chap. It's good to hear that all went well despite scarring. Also relieved to hear that it's a much better solution for you. I'm hoping that it will be for me too.

Freddo

I still have my band but am hoping to convince my doc to remove it and get the sleeve. I hate the band. I have been on this site for a couple of weeks and there are lots and lots of ex bandits on here and they all seem to be doing so much better on the sleeve. There are a lot of them in The Diary' section so i'm sure you'll find lots of info...plus going back through this thread there would be lots of info too.

I hope it works out for you.