kekerene

My band was awful too. I love my sleeve. Would do it all over again. You will not regret it!

When I had the band I did it on a Friday and went back on Tuesday. For the sleeve I took 5 days off and went back to work on day 6. I think I could have gone back sooner if I really needed. I have a desk job so I sit all day. I didn't find much of a difference between the band surgery and this one as far as pain and recovery time. I did have the band removed and the sleeve done all in 1 surgery. Everyone is different though so it all depends on the person. Good luck!!!

Getting water in almost seems impossible for the first several months after surgery. I am over a year out now and I can definitely consume water much easier now. I am on about glass #7 for today and it's only 2:45 PM. Got about 3-4 more glasses to go, LOL

You are going to LOVE your sleeve in comparison to the band!!!

Well I had a partial slip. My doc said that if it were to slip completely that would require emergency surgery. Being that mine slipped partially it did not cause pain when I ate. I just threw up everything I ate. But, even before the band slipped I still threw up everything I ate so I had no clue that it had slipped. The only difference was, I was gaining weight instead of losing it and we could not understand why. That is when my doc did an upper GI x-ray to check the band and noticed that it had slipped. Within a month I had booked a flight to Mexico and had it removed and had the revision to the sleeve. I was lucky. If it had slipped completely I am sure I would have experienced much worse symptoms and pain. Just glad to have that piece of junk out of my body.

I am 15 months out and lost 85-88 lbs and had 15 more to lose to reach my 100 loss. Just like you I don't eat much bread, no fried foods, and no sodas. I have managed to stick to a healthy diet without much cheating. In the first 8-9 months post op I did exercise a lot but I must admit now that I lost the bulk of the weight I have been slacking on the exercise lately. I typically only go to the gym 1-2 days a week now versus 5-6 days as I was doing in the beginning. I had been stuck at a stand still for about 2 months now and had not really lost anything. I was getting very frustrated so I decided to start the Medifast diet. I started it Saturday and woke up and weighed in Sunday and lost 3 lbs in the first day. I was shocked being that my scale had not moved in almost 2 months. I weighed in again today and lost another 1/2 pound. You get to eat 6 times a day on this diet and it's high Protein which is good for us sleeve patients. I posted the link below if you want to check out the foods they have. Also, if you have any questions at all feel free to ask. I'll send you my email address. Best of luck to ya! http://www.medifast1...CFQQGnQodrT8ASw

I had the band for 5 miserable years. My advise is to talk with people that have had the band for at least 3-4 years. Not the people in the "honeymoon phase". I lived off of milkshakes for 4 years with the band because it was too tight. When the doc would loosen the band then I would gain weight. I lived a very poor quality of life with the band. I was always tired and sluggish due to the fact that all I could keep down was shakes. Then after 5 years the band slipped on me. I have now had a revision to the sleeve and wish I had done it a lot sooner. I can finally eat and have lost way more weight with the sleeve than the band. If you look at my before pics, I actually had the band in those pics. The after pics are the success I have had since I had the band removed and the sleeve performed

I was banded in 2006 and had all the same issues you are having. Lost 60 lbs, threw up all my food, heartburn, tired and sluggish all the time. Then I gained it all back plus some when the band slipped out of place on me. The worst 5 years of my life to say the least. I was also cash pay. I paid $17,000 for the band. After it slipped I had a revision to the sleeve on 06/23/11. Best decision ever. I am down 87 pounds and still losing. I do not throw up my food anymore and I feel so healthy and vibrant. I was self pay again for the sleeve and the revision cost me $11,500 in Mexico with Dr. Aceves. It was worth every single penny. I could not be happier

Good choice. You are going to have a wonderful experience

I had to pay a $500 deposit

Dr. Aceves is fantastic. He was just featured in Newsweek Magazine as one of the nations leaders in bariatric surgery and he was chosen by Johnston & Johnston to be a proctor teaching the VSG surgery. He is a little more expensive and I was a cash paying patient so I know the importance of saving as much as possible but I also wanted to make sure I was in good hands and chose the doctor who I felt had the most experience. He has performed over 5,000 procedures. I hope you ladies can both have your surgeries soon and best of luck to you both. It's life changing and well worth every penny

I had a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Aceves on 6/23/11. Everything from the doctors, staff, facility could not have been better. Just make sure that if you have surgery in Mexico that you do your research on the doctor you select. I chose Dr. Aceves because he is the best, not because of the price. They do have other doctors in Mexico that are cheaper, don't let that be your deciding factor. You also want to make sure that you are recovering in a hospital and not a hotel or recovery house like some Mexico doctors do. I guess some people are fine with that but I was not. I wanted to make sure I was in a fully equipped hospital with a full staff in the event that an emergency takes place. I also think that Mexicali where Dr. Aceves is located is a little safer than some of the other locations in Mexico. The hospital is about 1 mile across the border. Just make sure you do your research on the doctor first is my only recommendation. Best of luck to you!

Well I can say this. I was a band to sleeve revision myself. The band gave me nothing but problems from day 1. I never got close to my goal weight and my band slipped partially out of place after 5 years and was useless to me as well. I was in a similar situation as you are right now. If you look at my before pic in the pink shirt I had the Lap Band in that picture. That picture was taken 2 weeks before I had the revision to the sleeve. Look at my picture today. With the sleeve I have lost 85 lbs since surgery and still losing. I have had none of the issues with the sleeve that I experienced with the band. It's very easy for people to say that if all you have is 40 lbs to lose then don't go the surgery route but we all know that once you have that band removed you will gain the weight back unless you live a very strict lifestyle with food and exercise. This is one of the reasons we all had surgery to begin with, because we failed at that for so many years. If you think you can lose the 40 lbs yourself and keep it off that is great. I know me and my habits and I wasn't going to struggle for the rest of my life. I am super glad that I did this at a young age and not when I was 60. Having the revision to the sleeve was the absolute best decision I have ever made. I am sure you will make a decision based off of what you think is the best thing for you and your body. Just make sure if you decide to have a revision that you pick a surgeon that is VERY experienced in band to sleeve revisions. The band leaves behind a lot of scar tissue and you want to make sure you have an experienced surgeon. Also, my recommendation is to do it all in one surgery. Who wants to go have the band removed and then 6 months later go back in for another surgery. Especially if you are a cash paying patient like I was. If you have insurance and it covers it then maybe but regardless best of luck to you!