CowgirlJane

They confirmed the damage with an upper GI endoscopy. I chose to do it two step but they would have done it one step. I made that decision for 2 reasons: 1. possible reduction in risk of leaks and other complications although frankly that is not 100% clear and 2. I knew the band had to come out but I wasn't committed to the sleeve. It was the 2.5 months of raging hunger after that band was removed that I knew I needed to be sleeved. IT was much easier to be comfortable with the risks and any "tough times" once all doubt was removed from my mind. I have had success beyond my wildest dreams.

I am over a year out and still losing, but your BMI is in the normal range, perhaps you are just at a good healthy weight? That would be a good reason to stop.

Please, none of you take this wrong, but you are fixating on the wrong topic. I do think there are tradeoffs and it is a good question to ask your surgeon why they do what they do... and either you trust their approach or you don't. I personally picked a surgical practice that has a good reputation and outstanding results and let them figure out how to do the surgery. I did ask why they use a 38 and not the 32 that so many of the Mexican docs do. I liked their answer, and for me the proof is in the pudding as the saying goes. I have had wonderful success and no complications and thank god, no reflux (that is one of the risks with a smaller stomache). So, what do I think you should be fixating on? Learning to live life without food as your crutch, best friend, enabler, emotion numbing device or whatever it is you use it for. I am telling you that over the long run the emotional / mental part is much harder then the physical. Be thinking about how you are going to get the support and education you need - hope you have a NUT who is as brilliant as mine was. It is AFTER the surgery that all the work is really done. Now, over a year out i am feeling pretty good and comfortable with my new life, but it hasn't always been easy. Strap on your seatbelt and be ready for the rollercoaster ride!

I had the band for 10 years. I had bad scar tissue, slippage and pouch dialation. I revised to the sleeve and have lost nearly 150# since Dec 1 2011 (start of preop diet). No complications, love my sleeve - hated the band!!! Don't be scared, get the facts, choose a surgeon who has done alot of revisions.

I got so I just couldnt tolerate a single swallow of a Protein drink! But at the stage you are at, food is hard... so it is tempting to want to go back to what is "easier". My main advice is to stay away from the high carb drinks and bars. Since eliminating my beloved Quest bars and switching back to using Premier Protein drinks as two "meals" a day my weight loss fired back up and I am nearing goal. My surgery was Dec 2011 and I am approaching having lost 150# since Dec 1 (start of preop diet). Truth is that dense Proteins fill you better - I am FULL after a few slices of sandwhich meat, a slice of cheese all wrapped in a piece of lettuce. I would not feel satisfied after eating a heavy carb meal, triggers hunger in me again too soon. I eat a fair amount of deli meat, cheese, low carb yogurt, cottage cheese, lean chicken or other meat grilled with low carb veggies like salad stuff etc. I eat other things too, but what i listed makes up the core of my diet along with the Protein Drinks.

Your post made me smile. I think I know exactly how you feel.... so much to say and yet not exactly finding the right words. Last night I had dinner with an aquaintance who is becoming more of a friend. She told me that when she knew me before I was nice, but guarded and reserved... hard to get to know. She tells me that now I am like a light to the moths... I have so much energy, excitement, and openness that people are just drawn to me. It was interesting because in her mind it had very little to do with looks and alot to do with just being open and loving to people. I think she described it better then I could. I DO FEEL different. I do feel more loving, generous in my heart toward others somehow. I feel more honest and open and self secure and confident. I feel like it is okay to share bits of my heart, I am strong enough to risk the occasional stomping if that is the price I have to pay. I have gone through those days when I still feel hugely fat in my size 8s...lol... but then I catch a glimpse in a storefront window and realize "no, i am not huge, I am normal". I think that the size acceptance though is less important then the self love that allows me to be more loving to others. Is that incredible, or what? Who knew that shedding the fatsuit would bring out so much more then a few collar bones and facial features that was previously buried in fat. It also brought my heart and soul a little closer to the surface and it shows.

Just choose someone who has done alot of them. I went to puget sound surgical center in edmonds and had a great experience. Dr Billing removed my band, 2.5 months later, Dr Landerholm did the sleeve (scheduling reasons that i switched surgeons). I have had success beyond my wildest dreams. Their whole program was exactly what I needed.

I think that you just don't know until you get there. I am heavier then I expected to be at the size I am now fitting. My friends all tell me that my weight is right. Part of it is that i am 48 and getting thinner isn't necessarily better looking. I have curves, but i have a defined waist too. Lets be honest here - I have two prioriities - good health and good looks. Doctors say that from a health perspective being 26 BMI is fine.. I won't see a big improvement getting down to 24 or 25. From a looks perspective, I already have a bony looking chest and my face doesn't need to be any thinner. I am settling in to weigh around 158 - my goal - even though I am only 5'5". I wear a size 8 in fitted non stretch pants. my tops are all mediums, no stretching or pulling to fit that either. That is comfortable for me as I have a solid build. I work out alot and carry a fair amount of muscle. I have extra skin and I guess decades of being obese has given me thick strong and heavy bones too.

So, I should start by saying, I am so happy having lost all this excess weight. I feel good, I look good (in clothes anyway!) and the most important thing is I can do so many things. I am fit, I work out and I am healthy. I feel blessed. Even so, it is hard somedays. I look down at my arms when working out and see the crinkly skin. My inner thighs are a horror - crepey. My tummy isn't as bad as many photos I have seen, but I have a nice "waist" the look being marred - even in clothes - by extra skin. My perky breasts are still fairly perky (shocking) but in some positions, I can't help but notice that they are becoming unfilled little sacks. The extra skin under my arms is probably filling my bra, keeping me from noticing it even worse. Beyond all that, my face looks weird. Like, not ugly, but like "who the heck is that?" So, I went for a plastics consult. Good news: I am fit, healthy, already have a waist, I am gonna have rocking results if I get a tummy tuck. My horrible thighs can be made alot better with the medial thigh lift (less extensive surgery) although they will not be a 25 year olds tight thighs even though I am very well toned under that skin. My arms can be made alot better by doing the more minor arm thing (ie not the whole underarm, but the scar is in the armpit. Again, I have good muscle definition on the top, it is the batwings that need to go. I am not seeking to have big breasts, but in the range of normal. Surgeon felt that if I went with a good size implant (say I wind up a D) then it will take up alot of excess skin under my arms and I will feel better about it. Most importantly, a very simply procedure can put some fill in my cheeks and make me look like myself again. i didn't understand why i look so freaking weird and the surgeon brought it up - even though I didn't go in there for my face. I don't need a lift, just a little cheek fat...lol So, in summary, I am a good candidate for all this. I saw before and after pics and felt very encouraged - and surgeon said I have realistic expectations. Bad news: I am terrified of 8 hours of surgery. It can be broken into multiple surgeries, that scares me just as much. So, here is the headtrip part. I weight 168 pounds. I am 5'5" tall which puts me in a 27-28 BMI range. I will lose about 4-5# of skin as a result of the TT. He said I don't have more weight to lose because of several signs (ie my ribs are already visible, what looks to me like extra fat is mostly skin and some fat cells and cellulite). He wasn't trying to tell me to stop losing weight directly, but more hinting that the thinner I get the less happy i am going to be with my looks. He basically told me to stop right here becuase I look proportioned, healthy and once I get my boobs back - hot...lol. Somehow, I have massive weight inside me. That is sorta freaking me out. I wear a size 10 and think I should be an 8 given that I do have a pretty large body frame. He thought plastics would get me into that 8. I have never been a "by the scale" sleever. I have an open mind, but I somehow am struggling with my body image. To me, i look fat still - not obese, but i look like i am carrying 20 extra in my mind. She measured me, I have been wearing 38 bra and really, I am a 36. I recently found out I am still buying too big of shoes. I have friends and family telling me I shouldn't lose more - but in my mind I weigh what a guy should weigh and I want to weigh what a woman should weigh! My PCP is a tiny little older woman. she told me that everyone will say I look skinny because they are used to seeing fat people and not be swayed. To get under 25 BMI is still the right target. She is probably more like a 18-19 BMI - she is stick thin and frankly not very attractive although I am guessing quite healthy. Somehow, my brain is unclear on how to handle all this and I am not sure what I believe. I don't trust my own eyes. So, I am not as messed up as this makes it sound, but my consult yesterday was both a pleasant surprise (that I am a candidate for really good results) but somehow the negative head trip is what I woke up with this morning. I am guessing a few veterans can relate to this.

I sometimes make mistakes but my general habit is to STOP before full. Shoot for not hungry. My NUT helped me so much with this from early on. Remind yourself you can eat later ... dont need it all in one sitting.

Update, I weigh 164# now. I am a solid size 10 or medium I am sure in stretch jeans I could go a size smaller. i could also wear some 8s with shapewear.... which I seldom wear.

Well, I guess it is a rough guideline, but the height weight charts arent much better...

I don't know how heavy you are. I started out doing milder exercise and have worked up to hard/intense workouts over a period of year. But, I started out over 300# and have knee issues. My strategy has paid off - so far no injuries and I am fairly fit. My lumps and bumps remaining are mostly awaiting plastics to go away....

Reflux is the main long term complication of the sleeve. A significant minority of people have a problem with it. I don't experience it now, but some studies show it can increase after a few years out. I continue to emphasize small portions and the only times I have felt even a little acidy (after the first few months post op) was from too much coffee or too big of portions.... I had it horrible with the band - never had it preband. i don't have it now and I have been sleeved since Dec 2011. I made the decision that I would rather take a ppi for the rest of my life then have the gastric bypass - you are wise to be thinking about all this right now though, pre-op!

I was cleared for all foods by 7 weeks, so if you are, I think the wrap and skipping the wrap is an excellent plan. I agree that fast food is not ideal, but life is real and sometimes that is what is available. Heck, I have even had the plain meat patty from McD once or twice - beats the heck out of alot of other choices. I have so far successfully navigated this journey by making the healthiest choice possible at the time and throwing in a few splurges here and there (but I NEVER go big on quantity) and that has worked really well for me. I also choose salads, but just be sure there is enough meat on it. If you aren't already eating salads at home, I personally wouldn't experiment on a field trip....

I read this forum for months before ever posting. I too found it hostile feeling especially when I was preop. There are negative people, but that is true everywhere. The biggest change is me, the truth of the matter is I was overly sensitive. If info and experiences shared here are valuable, stay, if not, go. I am sorry that this is negative, but honestly, you will run into some of that everywhere. I am sick of answering questions about stalls etc too... I have over 1000 posts and i bet 100 of them are answering questions about stalls...lol. I just don't answer anymore and there are plenty of others who aren't yet sick of it, that is fine! There are things that someone like me (had band for a long time, poor results, revised to sleeve with great results, started with high BMI etc) can offer in terms of experiences and advice that maybe others cannot. I try to focus more on those type questions myself. I credit the support and info on here being one of the things that have helped me lose 145 pounds since Dec 1 2011 so i wouldn't write it off too quickly...

I was sleeved 12/12/11 and still losing. Honeymoons are what you make them to be...wanna keep the magic you have to keep following the rules (well most of the time)

As a 10 year band veteran I feel I have some street cred on this topic. The band sucks (lets see, still hungry, unpredicatble vomiting, can't tolerate most healthy foods, and - gross out - food coming back up; reflux all night long so you have to put your bed on blocks) The sleeve is like... a tool that actually works without vomiting, with normal human being hunger (ie when nutritiion is needed), few food intolerance. I have come to accept comfortably the portion limitation. Pre lap band I always considered myself a "too much food" kind of eater - portion control problems and I hoped the band would help me. Yeah, it made me puke up when i ate too much. The punisher I came to think of it because I still wanted that extra food. The sleeve, well, I worked and continue to work hard to follow the rules, eat low to moderate carb,and follow all the sleeve rules, but now 13 months out, I am comfortable with, happy with, thank God for being happy with small portions. I know not everyone has this same success with the sleeve, but for the first time in my whole life, I am happy with small portions. food matters so much less to me now. If for some reason I do fail with the sleeve, I will revise to the DS. I don't believe that will happen to me, i have a determination that exceeds the drive I felt to go put myself through college or raise my boys as a single mom - I am determined. I am NEVER going back to 300#.

Stefanie, - maybe you didn't catch the details, but I plan to start plastics in Nov 2013, which would put me 23 months post op. It is my docs who say no reason to wait. So, I am feeling better. Know what I did today - freaking trapeze!!!!!!! I went to a party where we actually climbed a tall ladder and swung on a trapeze. I somehow managed to get my knees up there so I could hang from our knees and did a a back flip as a dismount. Then, I did some crazy stuff on those silks... climbing these silk curtains which required a huge amount of upper body strength. Then, I did some work on this huge ring. That was a little painful but I felt so amazing....like, I can do this! After that, i wore my crazy pippy long stocking circus tights and a silly skirt to the barn and rode my horse. I don't normally ride my horse looking like a circus performer, but oh how fun! Pink cowboy hat too! A guy came in to check out taking lessons there, and he was really interested in me...hahaha... life is so good! I can't describe the self esteem boost to be able to participate in something like this. sometimes we zero in on things like the excess skin but in reality, life is amazing being normal sized!!!!! I want to have my plastics, I want to get rid of the hanging skin, but even if I never do that , the world is just a better place weighing like 140 some pounds less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I got spooked about my photo and staying anon so I switched to an avatar. Dumb because I have posted progress pix....

Actually they were very modest...partially naked and no photos. I am doing another consult in a few weeks; time to recover from the trauma.

I too try to help others as I am grateful for those who helped me. but veterans need a place to talk and share info. I akways try to be kind but honestly why do newbies people come to this forum when there are a dozen others? If vets dont have a safe pkace to talk about our own unique challenges we get little out of VST....and eventually fade away. And then people wonder why so few vets post...

Cheri thst is a great post. Truth of the matter is I think only the formerly obese would let experts influence their weight goals so much. At this point I am planning plastics for Nov which would be 23 months post op. However, both sleeve snd plastics surgeon told me no need to wait as any changes wont impact reults. Another year and the Tummy and thighs will still have extra skin. I am 48 and I have been morbidly obese most of my life ranging 240-330 for the past 20 years (except for a short drop to 200 when I had tthe lapband). Lots of yoyo too..time wont fix that. On the very plus side my surgeon and the cosmetic surgeon both declare me a success and at a very good weight. Several of my girlfriends have taken to calling me hottie in an effort to get me see things differently. Even a few of the guys I know that are part of the barn social circle go out of their way to say sonething. Honestly I feel so blessed with my successes, with my amazing friends and with the support of my surgeon too. The consult itself just triggered emotions and yet I will subject myself to a couple of them before picking a surgeon....

I had some very obese relatives talk to me about the weight loss. The number one advice I gave them (in their 20s very very very high BMI) is to just stop gaining weight. Make that a priority - I can think of all the weights I was at that if I had just STOPPED right there, i would never have needed surgery.I It is such an individual journey, there frankly isn't much we can do for others until they are ready to make fundamental changes.