From band to sleeve- Share Your Journey?

Hey congrats Chicka! Come across to the Feb sleevers group in the sleevers monthly! We would love to hear all about you!

Hi all,



well i got the date for me sleeve wooohoo i have the band out on the 14th december and i will be sleeved on the 8th feb i just cant wait sooo excited - now to keep the weight off between now and then !!!!!!!!!!!!

Wannabehealthy wrote:

Hi, I'm new to these Forums. I had a band put in in 2006, haven't lost much weight with it, it's always either been way too tight, or too loose and I could eat too much.
After considerable research, I decided on a sleeve, had band out 2 weeks ago, surgeon was going to do the sleeve at the same time. Surgeon discovered that i had a puch above the band and there was inflammation and with him being quite careful and conservative he decided to wait three months then do the sleeve. I believe that a lot of surgeons are waiting three months......?
Anyway, I told work colleagues that I was having my Gall Bladder removed, even though i don't like lying, I didn't really want to share my story with them. The problem is, what am I going to say when I have to have surgery AGAIN in a few months time. I need to come up with a plausible reason that is not going to create too much concern and drama. They really are a caring lot that I work with and two surgeries within a few months of each other is certainly going to raise questions about my health......

Tell them you have kidney stones? Or maybe you are having a liver biopsy as you are producing too much bile? Or maybe spleen removal? There are a lot of operations in that area that can be explained away! Look them up online!

Hi all,

My name is bec i live on the sunshine coast Qld - i had a band inserted oct 2009 and like alot of others had great sucess in the first 12 months i was a smidge under 130kg at band date and got down to 89kg the last 12 months i have gone between 89kg and 95kg - basically wheneva i have a fill i loose the weight and then slowly regain it over the next month or so as the band loosens a bit and i can eat again - this roller coaster has been going on for 12 months - i have no idea of when or what is a good time to eat - differnet days i can eat different things at differnet times - my partner finds it very upsettingto see me leaving the table constantly to go and vomit up what i have eaten - and its vey embaressing to me - some times i can eat well - but find most the time i live on crisps and dips and chcolate - and i do not like this - its becasue i know i can get it down i am having my band removed on the 14th december and then will wait 2 or so months and have the sleeve done i am terrifed about the operation and things going wrong - but i also know that i wont be able to loose the rest of the weight i need to alone and will end up ganing it all back - so i look fwd to chatting with you all and hope that my journey is safe and worth the money and pain !!!

Hi Wannabehealthy,

I have the same problem, I've told work that I have a hiatus hernia from having the band and adhesions that need operating on, no questions asked. Which will hopefully work when I need to do the opti stage for pre op and again the same post op with soft foods etc. to aid healing with the stomach, hope that helps

Hi, I'm new to these Forums. I had a band put in in 2006, haven't lost much weight with it, it's always either been way too tight, or too loose and I could eat too much.
After considerable research, I decided on a sleeve, had band out 2 weeks ago, surgeon was going to do the sleeve at the same time. Surgeon discovered that i had a puch above the band and there was inflammation and with him being quite careful and conservative he decided to wait three months then do the sleeve. I believe that a lot of surgeons are waiting three months......?
Anyway, I told work colleagues that I was having my Gall Bladder removed, even though i don't like lying, I didn't really want to share my story with them. The problem is, what am I going to say when I have to have surgery AGAIN in a few months time. I need to come up with a plausible reason that is not going to create too much concern and drama. They really are a caring lot that I work with and two surgeries within a few months of each other is certainly going to raise questions about my health......

Hi All,

This is my first post and I wanted to start by saying that you are an inspiration to me.
I was banded 4 years ago (by Dr Steve Watson) and have spent most of that time throwing up, feeling crap and getting tested and it never crossed my mind that there were other's going through similar experiences.
8 women at my work got it done in that year and I was the one who had problems. Worst luck.

I'm having my band removed on 4 Nov 2011 by Dr Chris Couch then in 3-6mths getting the sleeve fitted.
As Chris didn't put the band in, there is an out of pocket expense of $1000, for his assistant and anaethetist. To have the sleeve fitted is $3k. I'm with HBF for PHI.

Having read the posts so far the one thing I'd like to hear about is the emotional rollercoaster and how you ladies managed to keep going along the way.

My feelings of shame and guilt are the worst when other's look at you like 'how could it not work, you must be scoffing yourself' which of course then turns to emotional eating of the things I can get down, ice cream is a personal fav after throwing up my dinner.

That's all for now, I'm going to have a go at that ticker thingy.

Thanks again, I'm so please to have found this site...what would we do without google lol

Very kind Regards, Lisa

Apparently it's currently sitting near my oesophagus so it can stay there awhile without causing damage (according to my surgeon here) worries me though, because after i eat i get the WORST chest pain!!

Yay for keyhole! but how would you know who the best surgeon is? Everyone opinion is so different. I've been referred to Doctor Jeffrey Hamdorf in perth.

Yeah, it's keyhole. I was in hospital for 3 nights.

A slipped band is awful! Get it out ASAP. It can do some serious damage if left alone.

as long as you pick the right surgeon, you will be fine......
yes it is keyhole surgery.....

Aww that sounds horrible!

I've been in hospital the last 4 days because i couldn't keep anything even my saliva down. they found that my band had infact slipped and due to him tightening it, it had caused even more of a problem as it was sitting pretty close to my oesophagus i think it was. It had been slipping since febuary apparently. He took some fluid out, but has said that i need to seriously consider getting the sleeve and i need to go and see a surgeon in the city (5hrs ago) to either replace my band or get the sleeve. That kind of confuses me as he should replace the band here but he doesn't want to :S

I think sleeving is my only option. So i currently have a slipped band inside of me and have to wait until the other surgeon recieves the referal and schedules me an appointment to meet with him. I'm so scared i don't want my stomach cut, but the lifestyle seems so incredibly better with the sleeve.

Do they do it through keyhole aswell???

There was an increased risk of leaks, with already having the band.

I had a chronic slip with my band so my stomach was a frigging MESS. The scaring was shocking.
It took him 3 hours to sew me up because the scarring was so bad he couldn't staple me.
I was in pain for weeks. I honestly took about a month to recover. Normal sleeves take about a week! lol

Each week it got a little better but it was lengthy.

I bet you were!! How exactly was your recovery? Do you know of potential problems??

Yeah, it's scary! That's for sure.

But after the torture of the band and putting all the weight back on again... I was terrified of being obese for life.

250grams sounds quite good! I read that it was a "generous entre"

After my fill today i am constantly bringing up my own spit. Drinking is unbearable! = (

But having my stomach cut scares the living hell out of me...

I also don't wanna risk the same complications all over again with something that isn't reversible :(

I probably eat about 250 grams at a time.

Umm, an entree size. Half a sandwich. 1 piece of pizza at a time.

The band made me super sick as well. Just a horrible experience. Some days I couldn't even swallow my own saliva :(

Thankyou for your Honesty MrsSea. What would you describe as horrendous?

How small do you class your meal?

I've already lost oer 1/2 my hair between band and stress. So would hope i couldn't lose anymore heh!

Congratulations on how far you've come!!

I'm finally 30kgs down but has been the hardest time of my life.. not sure how worth it has been :(

misled, I found the recovery from the revisional sleeve to be rather horrendous. That being said, 6 months out, I love it.

I can actually eat anything, just in small doses.

The bad? My hair fell out. I was tired in the beginning because I wasn't eating enough. And I suffered a bit of nausea.

The good? Well, 35 kilos down. I'm no longer fat. I'm fit. I'm healthy. I could go on and on.

Bands are evil!

Hey everyone!

I had my band done March 2010 in Western Australia in a small town. Ever since the beginning i had problems. It took me nearly a month to get over my initial surgery, and then from that day i had restriction problems. I never had restriction and my surgeon kept telling me it was my fault and i was stretching my stomach and then did a scan which revealed it had slipped.. which i later had tested by another surgeon to reveal my stomach was a great size and infact not stretched or slipped. He also found that i didn't have 9mils which was full capacity there was only 8. So he gave me a fill that took me to just over 9mils. The next day was fine i could finally eat a kids meal, the next day i couldn't even keep my saliva down. Needless to say i had to have some out, then later went back and had a small portion put back in, and then was struggling to find restriction. i then went in to get my last 1/4 mil put in and found out what they thought was only 5mils instead of 9 so he added another 0.75 mil and then I went back to my original surgeon who then found there was infact nine mils now in it and then put another 1/2 in. I am now at 9.5 mils in a 9 mil band and can't even keep my saliva down.. It has been the longest and most PAINFUL 16months and i've had enough i just don't know what to do. i know that i can't keep going, i'm physically and emotionally exhausted. I can't keep not eating or drinking as atm it's hurting to even sip water. I know i will probably end up going back tomorrow to hae that 1/2 mil removed leaving me at my non overly restricted state. I don't know what i want besides this band to work or go away and fix itself.
Im looking at sleeving because i've heard there is alot less "mechanical problems" and stuck issues, and even able to eat all things but smaller. What worries me is the actual REMOVAL of some of the stomach and the problems that may cause (not sure yet what they are) and wondering how much restriction it will leave me with. Is anyone prepared to tell me all the good and band about their transition, or even about their sleeve in general non bias? i really need to know, i can't keep going like this. The whole idea of the operation scares the bejeezuz out of me, but after the surgeon continuously saying there is nothing wrong with the band, i can't find a sweet spot and its a choice of being able to eat too much and possibly gaining weight again, or not being able to eat or drink comfortably. << that is not a life :(

Please help :(

feel free to email me missdillon@live.com.au

Kind regards,

Sammy

Hi, I just found this website and I will be happy to share my experience. I had the Lapband in July 2007. At first I lost about 50lbs within the first six months. Then I did get off about 30 more lbs. I was 330lb prior to surgery and about a yr after I weight about 270. The I found that the band did not always restrict me and eventually I gained back up to 308lbs. ( even with the fills that would cost a lot!)
On May 5, 2011 ( two weeks tomorrow ) my surgeon took my band off and did the sleeve in one surgery. I was in surgery for about 1 1/2 hours, stayed overnight 2 night because of some extra swelling from the scar tissue from the band. I see my doc tomorrow, I am still on liquids until he moves me to the pureed foods. I have not had much pain, only some soreness. I am having some trouble with mild nausea and my taste buds have changed where everything is too sweet and nothing taste good. I am sure that will get better.
I hope I have helped someone with this info.
I do need some help from you all though...
I am going on a trip in a few weeks, in my "pureed" stage. I will be at a casino hotel...anybody have any idea what I can eat? There is a refrig in the room but nothing else. Please help! thanks and nice to join you all. cathy

Hi Teendabeen,
Welcome and congratulations on your decision to get a sleeve. You certainly aren't the only band 'failure' thats for sure...I know they work for some, but everyone I know personally has eventually had theirs removed.

Also, don't be too disappointed if you are asked to wait the normal 3 months between having your band removed and having the sleeve op. It's an excruciating period of time to wait, I know!

Wishing you every success with the sleeve, I have had mine for 3 months and its like a miracle to me. I have never had the same satisfaction from food I have now, I can eat anything just smaller amounts. There are no blockages, pb'ing, fills/unfills it just feels like I have a normal tummy...just a tiny one :)

Keep in touch and do lots of reading on here.

Hugs,

Jiggly xx

OMG I Cant believe I have found you all,

I am sat here with tears in My eyes after reading your stories.

I was Banded in 2004 and lost all my excess weight, over the years I have been very Up and Down Fill Un-fill Fill and so on, I have been feeling such a falier!!! as I got to the point were I could only eat Rubbish . Then in Oct last year 2010 my Mother-in-law passed away and we had to fly to the uk, On the flight I had dosed off and woke up coughing a spluttering I'm sure if you have ever been overfilled you know the feeling, well the whole flight I couldnt sleep as i would cough and choke just as you go off to sleep, well a few days after we arrived I had to get Medical help I had to have x-rays and they said i had a shadow on my Lung, I had asperatinol Pneumonia, I wasn't over filled i only had 4mls in my Band but I knew i needed to get it out to start feeling better and the hospital i was in had no idea of the band , I did find a hospital that did, and was unfilled within an hour of arriving at the door,Thank you to the NHS Musgrove Taunton, so I have been without any fill since , I have been researching the sleeve and have decided to go down this rout,I have had my first consultation, and am due to go for a gastroscop on Monday 14 Feb 2011 , I am Hoping they will be able to remove my band and do the sleeve straight away when I get to that point But at the moment I just want it done like Yesterday!!!!

I'm so Glad I have found you and there I was thinking I was the only one in the world to have failed with a Band!!!! I look forward to getting to know you a little better .

Hi all,
Well I've just found this site & think this could've been very helpful for me over the last 3 years.

I was banded January 2007 with a starting weight before Optifast 171.8kg, I lost 10kg before surgery & thought this is awesome, my new life was about to start & I was hoping for similar results to what my friend had accomplished 2 years prior, she'd managed to loose around 4-5 dress sizes so I was excited. I paid for the surgery myself so I had alot invested in it working well. I adjusted to the new diet & way of eating very easily. Besides our main goal was to help us to concieve after 5 years of waiting/trying.

My 1st 12 months I lost 60kg's all due to the band & after the 1st 20kg or so I went back to the gym & became more active with sports as I've always loved sports & even though I'm a big girl I've always managed to play a good game of indoor netball or basketball.

After 12 months I went back to my surgeon to see if I needed a fill & to check if I could start trying for a family, no fill was needed (I'd only had x2 throughout the year) & I pleasantly found out a week later I was already 9 weeks pregnant I continued to loose weight during the pregnancy & I was pretty healthy & active, I tried to keep more meat down etc but I had always struggled with some salads & meat/chicken unless they we're lathered in mayo or gravy. I put on slowly & for the last months around 12kg & ended up to 135kg @ 9 months pregnant. Didn't bother me.

After the baby was born healthy etc, I started to drop the weight instantly about 10kg's in the 1st week, I did nothing to my band, I made more effort to eat protein & veges/salad.

After 2 months I ended up being really sick & admitted to hospital, I was treated with pheumonia & continued Nov - Jan being pretty sick & hard to look after my new baby, I lost 30kgs from giving birth. I ended up in Hospital again twice in Feb, I had legionere's desease & after 3 weeks in hospital they finally found out what was wrong & treated me correctly, during this time they did investigative surgery to my band because they suspected this was why I couldn't keep anything down, I left the hospital 99kgs. They said the band had not slipped & took all the fluids out of the band, I was able to eat & drink & sent home.

For 18 months I went back & forward to see what was going on with my band, sometimes being able to eat yummy healthy food, but most times struggling & refering to the easy options, cookies, cakes, icecream.... knowing I was putting the weight back on but I was having weeks where I couldn't keep even soup down, my hair fell out, my nails crumbled away, I could barely hold my baby.

Feb 2010, more investigative surgery & told my stomach had changed shape & the band had a defect, well it took me 9 more months of struggling with food/diet & gaining weight & dealing with the stress before my doctors agreed to replace the band or if safe enough to remove the band & have the sleeve which is what I was hopeful for!

I'm now 7 days post-op & the removal of the band & the sleeve resection we're done in the same operation. Optifast weight 2 weeks prior 136.7kg, weight before op 131.1kg; I will be weighed tomorrow as I have a small infection from my lure that needs to be dealt with.

I have no regrets from having my band, I did achieve everything I'd hoped for, lost 72kg's (not in a healthy way but I did it), I became pregnant within 12 months (yay), I learnt more about my body, myself & my relationship with food & how my stomach works. I would still suggest the band is a great option & would've happily accepted another band, but because I can't be 100% sure why the band became less effective I am grateful that the sleeve is an available option & look forward to extended our family in 2011

So far I have no real complaints, I have the usual pain in my left shoulder, I'm tender in my adomen & I have the burn when I have water. But I'm managing about 200mls of smoothies, homemade soup or juice pretty easily... I've been a little nausea but nothing too bad. I would like advice on the ibruprohen & panadol - I really don't like the syrups they're too sweet, has anyone managed the small tablets okay? or any alternatives? I'll check with my GP tomorrow too but any ideas will be great.

Thanks for listening & I'm here if anyone has questions, I know my story is pretty unique but I thought that I'd share my experience as I have read alot of stories on here & I find it hard to believe the number of bands that hadn't been as successful as mine, more importantly I know the success of my sleeve will be even greater because I'm determined to make the very most of my second oportunity.

Thanks.

When you got your Lap band?
I had the Lapband in 2004. From day 1 the restriction was enormous (kept bringing up pouchfuls of saliva) ....day 3 had a dialation of the stoma and on day 5 could sip water and so was sent home. I never had a fill in three and half years.

How YOU found your time with your Lap band?
I vomited every time I ate...joked that I had surgically induced Bulimia. Couldn't eat healthy food yet junk kept me going....but became severely anaemic (fainted in a public toilet) developed chronic and severe gstric reflux (medicated and had to sleep in a recliner chair as I couldn't lie down) and a huge hiatus hernia from all the vomiting. Had band removed after losing 25kg, three and a half years and my health.

Why you then chose the sleeve?
Gained the 25kg and a lot more. Was considering Bypass when I found info on the sleeve. Was daunted by the forever aspect but realised that a 28 years struggle with weight had felt like forever so my permanent problem needed a permanent solution! Found this forum and read, read, read and asked lots of questions. Was nervous but confident that I'd made the right decision.

How has the whole journey been for you?
A long one.....after six years I feel like I've found the right tool for me. I had no complications and feel healthy and happy with my progress.

Any last words to someone considering going from Lap Band to Sleeve?
All I can offer is if you have had a similar experience to me is to 'do it!'. I haven't regretted it.