band vs sleeve: that full feeling, vomitting and other issues

I also have never been banded.

I have been sleeved for 18 months.

1. I have had no nausea or vomiting what-so-ever.

2. I can eat eat and drink anything, but in smaller potions.

3. I do suffer from reflux, but it is well controlled on meds.

Thanks everyone, it helps to get a sense of what I might be in for ... I am very much leaning towards getting the sleeve. It looks like people on here are having good weight loss without all of the complications of the band. I am so over the daily vomitting. Just kicking myself that I let my insurance lapse and now I have to wait 12 monhths before I can move forward.

Gail - sounds like your band experience is very similar to mine, surgically induced bulimia is a good term for it. I rarely go a day without vomitting, I hate to think what it is doing to my teeth and stomach

thanks again everyone!

Hi,
I haven't been banded, but can tell you about complications with my sleeve... I am 11 weeks out.

I have never had reflux, pre or post sleeve.

I can, and do, eat all types of food. Had a eye fillet stir fry with pumpkin and bok choy for tea tonight for example. I can only about 1/2 a cup of the stir fry and then I am full.

I have never vomitted. I make sure I stop when I feel full. (I know a lot of sleevers do experience a little vomitting whilst adjusting to their new level of eating. It might happen to me one day, but I am careful to stop when I feel satisfied.

Hope this has helped.

Good luck on your journey.

Hi

As a former bandit myself, my experience with the sleeve has been a 100% improvement. All in all there have been no daily complications with my sleeve. Unlike my band which I found to be like having surgically induced bulimia most days. Even slowing down my eating habits, chewing and chewing till it was mush and watching what I was eating, I still had problems with food getting stuck and having to run to the loo in an awful hurry. No such issues with my sleeve, except like D'Girlz if I eat too quickly and try to put too much in (old habits die hard scenario) but fortunately its only a rare event these days.

Problem foods for the band (eg steak, chicken breast, bread, lettuce etc) are no longer an issue. Can and do eat anything I want just in small quantities. Take today, I had a third of a piece of grilled fish and about 1/2 cup of salad for lunch and I was full. In fact still don't feel like dinner at the moment. That'sthe biggest thing for, the lack of driving hunger to the point where I sometimes have to remind myself to eat if I'm out and about.

I did suffer from reflux initially and my surgeon prescribed Nexium to help with this, but things settled down within 6 months. Occasionally still get it but its usually from eating a spicy curry or something.

Good luck for your discussions with your surgeon.

Cheers
Gail

I have never vomited (and never intend to!). I can handle any foods. I have found the sleeve to be very manageable in my daily life. All the best!

MiddleWoman

I will try to answer your sleeve questions - but I have never been banded so I hope it still helps.

All the following is what I personally have found with the sleeve.
1. No, vomitting is not a daily occurance. I do vomit if I over eat (push way too far too fast!) But if I eat at a reasonable pace and stop when satisfied, then no probs.
2. I can eat anything including bread and steak. I have been lucky to not have had any issues with recovery or food and drink post op.
3. I dont get reflux so can help here. I do believe if you have it pre op it can exist or even be worse post op. Need to discuss this with your surgeon.

Hope this helps.

Hi

I have a date with my surgeon in early July to discuss the sleeve, have updated my insurance (now just have to wait wait wait for the 12 months) but before I go off on my merry little way paying higher insurance premiums was wondering if people who have previously had a successful band and now have a sleeve can help me out.

I was banded in 2004 and it was really successful for about 3.5 years. I had really good weight loss (lost 70 kgs) and no complications, until the band slipped. After that I had nothing but problems and had it replaced in 2008 with a second band.

When I had my first band I was absolutely thrilled about the instant restriction that I had in my eating capacity. I had the usual, occassionally food got stuck and the only way to deal with it was to vomit. With my second band, vomitting has become a daily event, it is disgusting and I always have to be careful where I am eating and that there is a toilet close by. I also get really bad reflux and some nights have to sit in an upright position to sleep because the reflux is so bad.

With all the reading that I have been doing, I really haven't got a sense of what the daily complications are with the sleeve - is vomitting a problem? how much can you eat? are there foods that people generally have to avoid? do many people have problems with reflux?

thanks