Bornagainbabe

Every time I have gone on any diet in my life, the family decide that they just love whatever item I have bought for myself and put in the fridge for later! Inevitably it ends up getting eaten by someone and I end up getting very annoyed. Recently I bought some smoked salmon and cream cheese parcels (easy for me to get down but too expensive to buy all the time and feed the whole family on) and what happens? You guessed it! Eating out is not the joy it used to be either as no one wants to share with me or part with their own meal so I end up choosing the cheapest thing, usually the Soup, and then end up only eating half of it - "was it ok madam?" "Did you not like it?" etc etc. Drives me mad so I usually end up with just a coffee these days and watch the others stuffing their faces - "no I'm not hungry anyway" "I don't mind sitting watching you at all"....grrrrrrrrrr!!!

Hi xbander, I am doing fine so far but I am only 6 weeks out. There are quite a few people here who are band to sleeve revisionists who have been at it for much longer with brilliant results and who are very encouraging. Some people do encounter complications and it is important to consider those, but on the whole the results are good and most people are fine. My surgeon, who is experienced in revision surgery, talked to me about the operation, explained the risks and did tell me that if there was a lot of scar tissue he wouldn't do it if he considered it to be too risky. I was nervous and did have have a few pre-op doubts, but after losing so much weight already, I knew I had to do it for myself and my future health. There is no way I can control my weight by way of willpower as I suffer from severe stress and depression which at times is so debilitating that I don't care about what I eat and don't care about what I am doing to myself. In other words I would have eaten myself to death regardless of other voices in my head telling me it was silly, I should eat healthily etc.... I think we know ourselves too well and it is easy for other people to say we should exercise will power blah blah blah but for most of us we have been there, done that and worn the t-shirt and after how many years (at least 30 or more) we still have issues surrounding eating. I know what is healthy and what isn't and could run my own club but can I implement it myself? No! And a lot of the reasons behind that is that at times I just don't care and then when I do care I just sit crying because I am fat and ugly. Anyway, so far the sleeve is similar to the band in that you can be sick if you eat too much and so far I am not finding the warning signs easy to detect but other more experienced 'sleevesters' can advise on that. What I don't have is constant pain in my back and chest, very little indigestion (I do take a PPI though), NO reflux, which was a major problem for me with the band plus I am optimistic that I will eventually be able to eat lots of healthy salads etc with little problem. The problem for me at the moment is since progressing from the liquids to solid stage I am craving a lot of sweet foods (I have even gone from 2 splendas in my tea to 3!!!) and that I have to be careful of as they go down fine (especially chocolate and cake) but they are adding to my calorie intake. I am hoping that once I am eating a more regular and varied diet that these cravings will diminish. What else? As far as i can see from most peoples' experiences (not all) recovery is fairly quick after the op. Mine was slow but that was because I had 2 major surgeries in one as I had open surgery and had all my stomach muscles stitched up and restitched (another story) so that was very painful and took a while to recover from, but as far as the VSG bit was concerned I recovered quickly from that with no problems or complications. Yes, I have a family and that was a bit of an issue as my son is autistic and stresses a lot, but extended family helped out with him and he hasn't been too bad during the holidays. My husband has been very supportive and never told me not to have the op as he, like me, knew that I would only eat myself to death if I didn't have it. My 20 year old daughter was initially against it but that was only because of what she had read in the media etc. and didn't want her mum having more surgery. Now that I have lost more weight she is telling all her friends how fab her mum looks!!! I don't know what else to tell you. As I said there are a lot of people here who have more experience than me of revising from band to sleeve but so far I have no regrets and am confident that despite having some cravings now and then, long gone are the days of binging on wine, crisps, cheese and anything else I can lay my hands on and going to bed feeling utterly stuffed and miserable! Good luck, Helenxxx

I have had it and neither my surgeon or my GP know what it is! Mine started at about 2 weeks following my surgery and initially it was my palms and soles and then it was all over. I googled it like mad and found someone on the Thinner Times site who had it after a bypass and was told it could be vit deficiency....So, I got in loads of Vit B12, B6 and B1 and started taking them...then I wondered if it was fungal so I was slapping on a ton of antifungal cream all over my hands and feet 3x a day. Also I was getting strange little red spots on my hands and feet just under the skin which would appear and then disappear....so then I wondered if it was an allergic reaction...but to what as I haven't changed anything? Anyway, I did see my GP who had no idea what it was as I had no signs to show him of anything (he suggested I photograph the spots when they appeared). He also confirmed that my liver function was fine so that wasn't an issue. Then I asked my surgeon and he had never come across it either. My GP did prescribe me with a very strong anti-histamine but it is a sedative as well so I have only taken it a couple of times at night, but my itching has subsided a lot and my rash seems to be appearing less frequently as well. Have no idea what it is at all! Let me know how you get on as it is very interesting. Helenxxx

I don't know what else to call it but as us Brits measure our weight in stones and pounds, I am very proud to announce that I am now under 15 stone - which is 210lbs - for the first time in 12 years!!! It was a truly momentous occasion for me to weigh myself this morning and discover I am now 14 stone 12lbs (208lbs)! Just another 8lbs and I hit onederland - yippee!!!:confused1:

Hi, I had the band for two years and then revised to a sleeve 6 weeks ago for reasons very similar to yours. I had already lost 7.5 stone with the band but after it slipped for the second time knew that it had to come out. The NHS in the UK agreed to fund my revision as I had other health issues and was already gaining weight again. It wasn't a very difficult decision for me to make as I had to be honest with myself. I knew that I would gain all my lost weight and after researching the options decided that the VSG was my best option. So far all is good but I am only 6 weeks out. I have lost another 2 stone (including the pre-op diet) in about 8 weeks and am down to my lowest weight in 12 years. I think my BMI was about 36 when I was operated on and now it is 31. I am still in the obese category but for reasons similar to yours had the operation more as a preventative measure as well as, obviously, to lose some more weight. I am very optimistic for the future now and aim to steadily lose my remaining excess weight. I think it may be a bit slower than for those who have had the VSG as their initial surgery but that is ok! (sorry I am getting really distracted now by my son but I hope this helps and feel free to ask me anything you want) Good luck, Helenxxx

Another interesting thing is how other people react to you as well. Now I get men looking at me appreciatively instead of in disgust, but as well as that people just treat you completely differently on the whole. It's absolutely wrong and I abhor the way people are judged on looks alone, BUT it is nice to be treated as an intelligent human being instead of being regarded as thick just because I have an issue with food.

Great weight loss so far Ash! You are doing really well and there will be periods when it seems to get stuck and others when it suddenly seems to drop. As far as coffee is concerned, I was never told not to have it or to avoid caffeine and have been fine!

Thanks for enlightening me Carol. I need a dictionary for some of these abbreviations! It's a fantastic feeling to put an item of clothing on (particularly one that you would never have dared tried before) and find that it fits and you look and feel gorgeous in it! And regardless of what the scales say! And a message to all the newbies starting out - even though it feels at times that the scales aren't moving or you are stresing as the weight loss seems slow at times, IT WILL HAPPEN. Just hang in there, respect your stomach and your diet and look forward to meeting the new you!

It feels great doesn't it? A few years ago I could only shop at one store in the UK, 'Evans', and then I was never very enthusiastic as I knew I was fat, ugly and it didn't really matter what I wore (in my mind anyway). Now I can avoid Evans and shop wherever I want (except for the tiny size zero stores obviously - bit old for those anyway now!) and choose what I like rather than black, black or black. Well done Susan and enjoy the shopping! *whispers* what is a NSV?

I feel 'hungry' or rather I am craving food a lot of the time. I am finding that I will go back for more and then I feel really uncomfortable. Tonight I was sick for the first time as I just hadn't received any sign to stop eating. Other times I am just not bothered about eating. I am having two main meals per day (only skip breakfast as I have been getting up late during the holidays and don't feel like anything until later) but once I start thinking about what I am going to have that is it and I start craving! I am finding it all very hard to get used to though and am hoping that once I am onto a more normal diet I will be able to control my portions a bit better. I am a bit confused though and really do not want an appetite or to keep craving the wrong things.:confused1:

My band failed twice. Like you I had it fitted in July 2007, repositioned a year later after it slipped and within 3 months, through no fault of my own, it had slipped again. There was no way that I was going to mess about with it again after that and only considered VSG or RNY as options for me as I was gaining weight. Had I not been able to have any further surgery at all I still would have had the band removed as I couldn't stand it any longer. Also, I was told by a piercing artist that titanium is the purest 'metal' you can put inside your body so I wouldn't even worry about that, especially after having that band and port inside your body. Hope that helps and good luck in your decision making xxx

I can't work out that ticker thingy either lol! You're probably best in getting your 10 year old to sort it out for you! Glad you're back home and now on the losing side. Get plenty of rest xxx

Good luck!

I am sure you will be fine and that your surgeon will do right by you. Mine was exactly the same - he was confident and I had confidence in him that he would do what was right for me and as far as I am concerned he did! Good luck xxx

My husband's grandma had a partial gastrectomy for other health reasons when she was young and died when she was nearly 90 from liver cancer and MRSA! All surgery carries its risks whatever it is. Yesterday the BBC reported a woman who had died after a having a gastric band and predictably her family were warning people not to have bariatric surgery blah blah blah. It's very sad but unfortunately every death relating to WLS is reported by the media. I know that I would probably have died sooner from an obesity related illness.

I am on Cipramil which is branded as Citalopram over here and that is a good one for anxiety and stress as well as depression. I have been on it for about 6 years now after switching from Prozac and am on a high dosage of 60mg/day. I still get really bad periods now and then but find I can now identify them sooner and gradually climb out of the hole. When I had my sleeve they gave me it in liquid form but I haven't had much trouble with taking tablets. It was forgotten some days but I was ok. I try not to forget to take them but occasionally forgetting doesn't seem to affect me adversely. At least I don't think so!!!

I had my band removed and was sleeved after suffering severe slippage twice. Both times the slippage occurred after bouts of vomiting caused by terrible reflux. It was a nightmare and the band had slipped down a third of the way down my stomach when it was removed. I am now just over a month out and have no regrets whatsoever. I am glad it's out! Good luck with your future surgery. Helen xxx

I have lost 12lbs since the 13th but am finding that it's not moving much now that I am on crispy/mushy diet despite the fact my portions are miniscule. I had a band for two years and found that there were times when I lost very little and then it would suddenly fall off. I am sure you are already doing it so don't think I'm being patronising but if you're having a lot of protein shakes check the calories in those plus the milk if you're mixing them with that. And moving about is another good point as I have been very inactive for the last month as I had abdominal surgery at the same time and have taken a long time to recover. You may find that once you are running around more that it will affect your loss as well. Try not to get too worried about it all as I am sure that you will get going eventually xxx

Chin up! I'm not a scientist so I don't know why your weight loss is slow at the moment other than guessing that maybe your body is still in 'shock' and hanging on to everything you put into it. My loss is slow despite the fact that I am also eating very little, in fact it's up and down 3lbs or so day to day, but I'm trying not to worry about it. I am sure that there will be more knowledgeable people on here later who can put your mind at ease and I am sure that your weight will come off so try not to get too stressed about it. Love Helenxxx

I don't know about surgeons being gentler than others but the skill of the anaesthetist is a huge factor where immediate post op pain is concerned. I have had the same surgeon for several ops and different anaesthetists each time and the level of pain has differed, although that could also be that the surgery conducted was different as well and the surgeon may have been a bit rougher....

Jane's right, it does get better. Only a couple of weeks ago I was wondering when I was going to feel normal again but now at 4 weeks out I have practically forgotten that I had an op! Mine was a bit more complicated as it was open surgery and all my abdominal muscles were stitched up as well. You will be running around in no time!

Mac, did you get into all this fitness after you lost weight or had you been active when you were younger and then gained weight? I'm just curious about your 'story' and how long you were overweight for and your battles with it etc. I was quite fit before and just after I got married 22 years ago and used to go running and playing squash several times a week with my husband. It was only after the children were born that everything went downhill, although there was always the potential for me to gain weight as I had had food issues from a very early age. After my son was born things got much worse as I began drinking a lot to cope with the stress and then that led to a general lack of control........ Daisy -hope your sickness is getting better. I get nausea sometimes when I am very stressed or when I'm sleep deprivated so that could be contributing to your problems.

Good luck for tomorrow and see you on the losing side very soon. Love Helenxxx

Hi, I have been worrying myself all day today over leakage, not that I have any symptoms, but it's something that concerns me all the time as I am a compulsive worrier. From what I have read, a lot of leakages seem to emerge 2 weeks post-op. I have an idea of the symptoms but is there anything you can do to prevent it occurring other than following the diet to the letter? I worry that I may eat too much and may staples my burst as a result. Can leakage occur further down the line - say at 6 months etc and are there foods that are more likely to cause this damage. I have been fine since surgery last week but have just started with indigestion, which I guess is pretty normal considering what my stomach has been through, but after years of suffering from it, and acid reflux really badly to the point where I had to vomit I am not impressed and hope that it subsides. I have taken some Lansoprazole again today which has helped. I have also been really sore and uncomfortable today inside (I had full open surgery with my stomach muscles being restitched up as well) but am confident again that this is just part of the healing process as I did have two ops in one and it's bound to take a while for me to fully recover. I was so happy and confident that all was going well the other day but now I am just worrying myself sick and I know it's probably unfounded. Thanks for humouring me whilst I have a mini panic attack! Love Helenxxx

Oh and 11 lbs in 18 days. It was 14 on monday but I think those chocolates sabotaged it!!!