Bornagainbabe

Hi, I, too, am one of those who rarely visits the site or posts after more than three years post-surgery but, tonight, out of curiousity felt compelled to see how others are getting on (I recognise a few old faces who were with me on my sleeve journey 4 years ago this summer). I have gained nearly 42lbs in 2.5 years. 12 months out I weighed about 187lbs and this was the lowest I got to. Gradually, the weight has crept back on and I have been dieting and exercising on and off in a desperate attempt to gain some control. I don't think I ever fully will though. I struggled from day 1 and never ever had the feelings of fullness that others reported. I did really well for about 8 months post-op and then it just got harder and harder. I went back to my old 'ways' of drinking and bingeing and it is only now that I really have come to recognise that I have a serious psychological issue with eating. I binge, even with my sleeve, and make myself sick with it. I do it more when I am on my own and when my husband cannot make comment. It's something I feel I can do when no one is around. It's stupid. And to think that I have been through 2 bariatric surgeries and 2 hernia surgeries makes it all the more stupid. I'm trying to gain control again and have started back at the gym. I'm logging my foods once more in a serious attempt to lose the weight again. I think I also need to look at some kind of CBT as well in order to try and recognise and address the psychological issues I have.

Thank you so much for that. I've been struggling for a long time now and have regained over 28lbs. I did start the 5 day pouch but was had problems with acid as I need something solid in my stomach even with my ppi. I will try your plan now as it looks more appropriate to me. Helen

It's a tool and not a magic wand. I'm nearly 3 years post-op and never got to goal and have gained over 28lbs in the last 18 months through binging and being sick. Why? I don't know...well, I do, because I'm an idiot. I think the answer is not to become complacent. I will never give up though and am trying to address the issues I have regarding food.

I really hope you get it all sorted out. My csf leak was bad enough with having to endure ct cisternograms etc. so I can only imagine that you are going through ten times worse than that. Losing weight is another issue that you could do without and I hope you get some answers soon. I paid for my band but was lucky to get the revision on the NHS. Wouldn't happen now! Good luck and let us know how you get on

I would be seriously inclined to consider revision surgery if the band is not working for you, but I'm not a doctor and you need to discuss it thoroughly with yours first and see if it is a viable option. I wouldn't let the 'irreversible' issue be an issue. You need to lose weight for your health's sake and quite urgently by the sounds of it. I think all the pros outweigh the cons in your case so do some research, talk to your surgeon and give it some consideration. Do you take medication for your csf problem? Is it because you produce too much csf? I'm just curious as I had a csf leak earlier this year and was prescribed azetasolamide. I'm not surprised you are having awful headaches. I would seriously consider your revision options if losing your excess weight will resolve this. Good luck.

Mine grumbles quite loudly before and after food - usually when I am in a quiet waiting room or sat talking to someone etc. My friend can hear it rumbling over the phone when I'm drinking my coffee and talking to her! I can also get very loud and sudden hiccuping type noises which I can't control, even in public! But I'm used to it now and not particularly bothered what people think!

I had it recently at my in-laws' Golden Wedding and I hadn't particularly eaten a lot but I had been nibbling on buffet food and cheese. I was fine and then I had a piece of cake with a cup of tea and it hit me after that. We had already left and were in the car when I started to retch and my husband had to turn back so I could rush back upstairs to be sick! It's not the same as the sickness you get from overeating as it's just liquid that usually comes out. I don't get it at all when I totally avoid fats and sugars but it can catch me out even when I think I have only had a tiny bit. Sometimes I can go out and have coffee and cake no problem, other times I am rough after a couple of chocolates.

I get it and have had it since I was sleeved July 2009. I was banded before that and had never experienced it before. It usually happens when I have overindulged in high fat or sugar - not every time, sometimes I am ok, but at other times it takes me by surprise and I can be very ill just by having a couple of chocolates. I feel rotten. I get palpitations, get hot, shake and end up being sick. It happened the other night after I had a couple of chocolates. I am convinced it is Dumping Syndrome as I have never experienced this before. When I was first sleeved I got it a lot. Now it just hits me every now and then. Caffeine can also have a similar effect if it is very strong.

Does anyone here know why that I, as a 'revisionist', regularly feel hungry, regularly have cravings and can now eat a quite a lot in comparison to a lot of other sleevers who say they never feel hungry and can only eat tiny amounts - I dont' eat anywhere near what I did pre-op, but I can quite easily graze all day long if I don't exercise some willpower. I've not had chance to discuss it with my doc yet but I will do. I still eat far less than I did before but I do crave chocolate, crisps and stuff that I wouldn't have bothered with when I had my band. I genuinely didn't feel hungry then and wouldn't really think about food. Now I do all the time and I don't get any warnings of being full usually until it is too late. It's not fair :001_smile: wah wah wah I'm wondering if it is because I had revision surgery and maybe more of my stomach was left with the grehlin-inducing part due to scar tissue or other reasons. For whatever reasons I seem to have to be working a lot harder than some people I speak to and in a way that's a good thing because it makes me think more about what I eat plus it gets me out to the gym. No way do I ever want to eat myself back to 300lbs plus!

You look absolutely fantastic! Well done!

Make sure you keep up with your painkillers, keep moving around and when you're resting try a hot water bottle on your back. As far as sleeping on your front is concerned, as soon as it's comfortable I guess. It took me about a week I think of gradually wriggling onto my front from my side. I sometimes had problems getting up from that position though! Just take your time.

Looking good Tiffy

Your surgeon sounds very similar to mine. He too is an upper GI specialist plus he operated on my abdominal hernia a couple of times as well. I had every confidence in him as you have in yours. Let's face it, they're doing enough of these ops now to have the experience! You sound very well prepared and I am sure you will be absolutely fine when you get home. You will be able to log onto here and ask everybody for advice - I did that and it was a huge support. I sort of knew what to expect in some ways as I had had a band before this but if you've never had an op before you may be a bit nervous prior to your op and need some questions answering afterwards, but don't worry, you won't regret it, your life will change and you will feel great! xxx

I will be totally honest in telling you that I DO miss going out for nice meals and that eating out isn't the same for me now. I'm absolutely fine most of the time at home but restaurant eating is miserable as I really fancy lots of things and am unable to have them. I don't want to pick at a starter or a kid's meal whilst everyone else is tucking into what they really want. It's too expensive to order a full meal and only eat a quarter of it and then you get the waiter probing if it's ok etc. I hate family gatherings where they are all stuffing their faces with the buffet, cakes, Desserts etc. and I will try and keep myself occupied with something other than eating. Eating out is not what I call fun anymore and dinner parties etc. are a big NO for me now. BUT, after saying all that, I have absolutely no regrets and nothing tastes as good as being slim feels. Yeah, I get a bit moody and miserable at times over it but I soon get over it when someone compliments me on how great I'm looking!

I had abdominal surgery as well VSG revision and my drain was only in for 2 days. It's no big deal really as Stacy said. It's not pleasant when they take it out but it doesn't really hurt. Don't worry about it.

Hi Angela, I had my VSG done in Sheffield just over 15 months ago and I had to do a milk and yoghurt diet for 10 days prior to the op. It was horrible but you do get used to it. I hate yoghurt so I didn't have many but I did have the odd oxo drink every now and then. The easiest way for me to cope with it was to let the family cook their own meals where possible and go into a different room whilst they were eating. I didn't have any problems with my op. It was a revision from a band though so was slightly different but all went well and I was out after 4 days. Where are you having your op? Helenx

As far as I am concerned the negative aspects of being obese far outweigh those of taking a PPI. I am one of those ex-banders to whom Tiffy was indirectly referring and my problems started AFTER I had the band and I still suffer now although I no longer have reflux. I take a PPI every morning and before I go to bed. Sometimes if I forget I am ok but generally I start suffering from indigestion if I don't which makes me feel very sick. As far as I am concerned this is the legacy the band left me with but on a positive note I now weigh 126lbs less than I did. Taking a daily PPI is only a minor issue to me.

I never seemed to get to that 'sweet spot' banders go on about and I think I was overfilled which led to chronic reflux and indigestion, which in turn led to daily retching and vomiting and by the time the band was adjusted it was too late and the damage was done. I lost a lot of weight but the pain was horrendous and in the end it had to come out. My friend who had her band a week after mine has just had hers out for the same reason - severe slippage - as it couldn't be repositioned due to the scar tissue. Revision wasn't an option for her as the NHS wouldn't cover it so she is in a bit of a mess now

It only happens on the odd occasion I overeat. It's like being very very full and usually eases on lying down. I usually end up being sick with the sliming and foaming for a while but as I said that is usually when I have done something stupid.

15 months out and I can eat anything now. Pasta took a while longer as did bread. Rice is still tolerated in small amounts and dry non-slider foods obviously fill me up more quickly. I tend to leave the crusts off sandwiches but that may be more down to habit, but yes I eat anything and everything now - just in much smaller quantities!

I try to share with my husband as much as I can too but sometimes it's difficult if he fancies something different to me, which is quite often the case. As I can never tell when I am full I tend to undereat so as to avoid being sick but that often leads me to want to snack again later. Last Sunday we went out for a meal with some friends who were paying and my husband wanted burger and fries all to himself so I order the roast dinner thinking that I would easily be able to control how much I ate. As we were being treated to the meal I felt under immense pressure to eat as much as I could and I did end up eating too much despite the plate looking hardly touched! There was an incredible amount of food on the plate, in my eyes, although my friends didn't really seem to think it was out of the ordinary. Anyway, I ended up bringing up some of the meal in the restaurant toilets and then retching violently and bringing up foamy saliva for up to about an hour after the meal. This was into a plastic bag in the car on the way home and all down my jeans as well! It was horrible and quite painful. Next time I will just go with the starter instead of having eyes bigger than my belly. I did have about half a pint of orange juice beforehand as well and I don't think that had had time to go down either so that contributed to it all. Even at over a year out I still don't always get it right!!!

I had the itching too, in particular red blotches on the soles of my feet and palms and my doc had no idea what it was. I took some antihistamine which helped a bit and it went after a few weeks. Like the other poster said it could be a reaction to the anaesthetic, the iodine and stuff they slap all over your body, morphine etc. I don't think it's anything to worry about though

You can take a laxative if necessary but it may give you some stomach/abdominal cramps. I used Benefiber religiously when I was first sleeved and it did the trick. You won't 'go' as much as before which is normal as you are obviously eating a lot less. Keep your fluids up and you will be ok.

Yes, I had to dig out my 'original' wedding ring from 23 years ago as well. My shoe size has gone down as well. It's great!