CowgirlJane

Hi Pete, thanks for sharing your story. Mine isn't EXACTLY the same, but pretty dang similiar. I had that lapband for 10 years and it was awful. I think I realize now that it is gone just how awful it really was. It was so embarrassing to be morbidly obese AND have this device that made my eating weird. Anyway, I had all the fill taken out about 3-4 years into the nightmare and it got better after that but it was still an albatrosse and reminder of my failure. I only lost 70 pounds after being banded, regained it plus a TON and then lost 85 on weight watchers later... kept much of it off for years but then was on t e regain train big time by the time I ws sleeved. So, I had all the fill removed like you did but the docs hardly believed it and kept trying to take more out - like just in case some had been missed. I thik the band that they used back then was too small because I had symptoms like that even with no fill. I had all of your skepticisms and fears. I am 10 months into the sleeve, loving it, it is so much better then the lapband, however, I still have fears about failing again. Here is what i would say about the sleeve and eating right. This is my personal experience, and I think shared by many but perhaps not all who revise. These comments refer to months after surgery - so when you are completely on solid foods and healed up. I can eat dense Proteins with no pain. I can eat salad and veggies no problems. I even had a couple of bites of rice, just because i could! (10 years, i could never keep down even a forkful of rice even with no fill). Is the temptation to eat slider foods still there? Yes. It wasn't in the early months, but my hunger has definately returned and there is something about those carb laden foods that gives us comfort and it does continue to call my name. HOWEVER, the sleeve gives me a tool that actually works. I have a fighting chance to overcome those old demons with the sleeve and last night was a good example. I went to an event (I was actually hosting) that started at 6:15. I wasn't hungry enough to have dinner before, but about an hour into it I was hungry. There were Cookies and donuts and even a cake! I didn't have a single one even though I felt hungry and it was because I knew that it would not make me feel good and not really satisfy me so it was easy to say "no" to myself and have some decaf coffee and just be fine until I got home. I could have NEVER done that presleeve. Bottom line, you sound like a very committed and disciplined person, and have learned alot from the band so I think you have a good chance at doing really well with the sleeve. When I was banded, I had almost no education. Now I totally "get it" and the ONLY way you will have long term success with the sleeve is tiny portions, Protein first (preferably dense protein) followed by greens and healthy veggies and perhaps some fruit. Really, need to minimize carbs (I do eat some whole grain bread) and eliminate junky carbs like crackers and chips etc. The long term stats on the sleeve are still a bit unknown, so that is a gamble. I personally could just never get comfortable with the gastric bypass - there was a heebie geebie factor that I can't totally explain. I had that with the sleeve at first too, but then I started thinking of it like "my stomach is too big and I am just having it reduced" which I was able to make peace with. You should know that a significant minority of people (probably 30%) experience ongoing issues with acid. I don't experience it as reflux like I did with the band, but do get an acididy tummy. Would probably help if I quit coffee, but what I do is go on a round of proselec when it acts up. This may be problem forever.... and just because you don't have it at first doesn't mean it won't show up later so be forewarned. I think fear of failure is probably the biggest issue for me, even now after having all this success. I remind myself what a doctor I saw said "You will be successful because you never give up no matter what". It sounds to me like the same could be said of you,.

It doesnt sound surgery related to me either. After the birth of my son 20 some years ago I developed these boils, mostly under my armpit but I did get one or two on the thigh also. It was a problem that lasted for a long time, but thank goodness hasn't bothered me for many years. I was diagnosed with HIDE by a dermatologist, although luckily a moderate case. I never had more then 1-2 boils at a time and like I said, they have not reappeared in ages. It is just awful to consider what people with advanced/severe HIDE go through. I don't know wht triggered it and it might be immune degredation but i always blamed it on my hospital stay...lol. Luckily baby never got it and he is 20 now so I think is out of the woods. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/6436895/ns/today-today_health/t/dealing-horrible-hidden-skin-disease/#.UIl1oYaVzqI

I told alot of people, but pretty much AFTER the sleeve was done and I explicitly told people that I welcome their support, but since the decision was done, any doubts/disagreements please keep to yourself. I did that in a letter/email to my family. Vast majority wrote me supportive replies or called and then there was a noticable silence from some family members - oh well, they are entitled to their opinions just like I am entitled to not have to hear them. People gossip no matter what you do and i am sure people yapped about how fat i was too..

I don't play softball, but I do horse stuff and was told to wait about 8 weeks before engaging in any activity that could result in heavy lifting (flinging the saddle up), sudden jerking impacting abs (uh, horses can do that sort of thing without warning) or has risk of falling from a taller height (I think they made that one up just for me). I too was told to not lift more then about 8-10 pounds until at least 6 weeks out. Normally, 6 weeks seems to be the magical date when they say everything is healed, but as a band to sleeve revision they always added a bit more "caution time" for me so it was more like 8 weeks before I was all cleared for everything.

I think there are a couple of catagories of true complications. The very serious/potentially life threatening - leaks, excessive bleeding and other surgical related things like embollisms etc. Then, there are others that are also very serious, but we don't talk about so much, strictures, the stomach twisting, and the one where the stomach muscles forget to start up again after surgery etc. I think those are major complications too because if they are not addressed they definately impact health/life threatening. Other complications like uncontrollable acid reflux or perhaps digestive issues maybe are NOT "major complications" in the way people ususally mean, but they one of the reasons that people revise to another surgery so in my mind that makes them a qualify as important, although maybe not life threatening. Then, there is normal recovery stuff that feels pretty awful when going through it, but not a complication.

So, do keep in touch with your surgeon as your symptoms progress - particularly with the weekend coming up. I was told that a slipped band can go from no/few symptoms to completely cutting off your ability to even drink Water quite quickly. If that happens, you have emergency surgery. I would also ask their advice on consuming food - does it make sense to switch to Protein drinks to minimize risk of vomiting or anything else that might cause more slippage? Again, I have no idea, but these are the questions I would get answered during business hours.... well, just in case things get worse. Hang in there and hopefully you get approval soon!

I had to switch to the nasal pillows. That doesn't work for everyone, but i found it much more comfortable then the mask. I do think you get used to it, but it takes months.

Isn't it so liberating??? I had the experience of running up the hill (my driveway) carrying something that weighed less then 40 pounds. I had lost way more then that and as I was huffing for air I realized no wonder I used to feel so awful lugging an extra hundred or so! I take it for granted that I can hussle up the hill now, but this was a reminder that the extra weight is a drag....

I had some clothes that I had "outgrown" so I went to those first. I shop sales and at Ross Dress for Less. I have a basic belief about clothes shopping - I only buy what works RIGHT NOW. I find that the smaller I get, what looks good/fits right really depends on the cut and fit of the clothes. I deserve to look my best so i am not settling for something just because it covers me. Right now I am solidly in the size 14s and that is all I buy even though it is tempting to get something cute in the next size down, but what I realize is that there will be something else even cuter and I need to buy what flatters me the best. I also try on everything before buying as some things are just more flattering. Another tip is to wear a good bra and if you wear shapewear, be sure to wear it when trying on clothes. Makes a big difference as to how things look. I started out bursting out of 26W and my experience is that the plus sizes are alot more "forgiving". When I moved to misses sizes, I had the experience of buying something back in June that I thought i could wear for months, but I think I only wore it twice before it just didn't look flattering anymore as it was just a bit big and a fitted top that is big just looks ugly. Even hubby noticed it and he notices NOTHING. So my other lesson is don't buy too much at once, you really only need a few well fitting things and mix and match. My weight loss has slowed down now, but my shape is continually readjusting so I think this is a bit of a long term journey building up a new wardrobe. It is fun and I keep it cheap by bargain hunting.

This question has been raised many times, if you do a search you should find other threads and hear LOTS of peoples opinions and experiences to add to your info. I stayed one night, which seemed too short in advance, but when it actually happened, I was glad to be home. I had no complications though, so of course this could be different for someone who has something come up. I took 3 weeks off from work. I have a desk job and could have returned sooner, but my main symptom was exhaustion and actually even returning after 3 weeks was hard. I read stories of people who take less then a week and I guess do fine - so we are all different. If it were me, I would plan on at least 2 weeks off and if you have any issues might need to be longer.

Okay, I hope you don't mind my hijacking this to get help with my own recent symptoms. Okay, I have never been a person who is prone to constipation, it has happened, but pretty rare. I think i only had one bout of it since being sleeved. I have always been prone to "softer" BMs and just figured that is normal for me. I drink alot of Water and do try to eat some veggies and fruit after the Protein to get some fiber in. Well, I have noticed a few things recently. One, is my BMs are getting more and more diarrea like. I am still only going once a day and it is semi solid so not sure if it can be called diarrea. For about the last week, I have noticed that it is kinda grayish colored - not occassionally, but all the time now. I have also noticed a big increase in gas. I thought maybe I was eating out of the ordinary so I did a couple of days of tracking on MFP and I feel like I am eating the same type foods as always. I have also had a little bit of tummy upset, nothing severe but due to these other symptoms I guess I have been paying attention and looking for symptoms. I don't have pain like gallbladder attack, but when I read online about the grayish stool it indicated that is caused by not getting enough bile and is a sign of some kind of issue. So I am scheduled for an ultrasound 2 weeks out, I am not in pain to it isn't a huge priority, but I am curious those of you going through treatment for these kind of issues - are my symptoms at all similiar to what you experienced? Gallbladder disease doesn't make sense to me without the pain, but I really don't know much about it.

NUT told me that if you are losing hair after a year out, it is probably due to a Protein deficiency. My hair loss started at probably 3-4 months out and started slowing down sometime in the 7-8 months out or so range. I started out with massively thick crazy curly long hair and it kinda looked good a little thinner so I wasn't complaining too much., I am now having an even worse problem which is regrowth. I have a little "crown" of very fine, very short, very curly hair giving me a fuzzy halo. This is bad and no amount of oils and potions seems to tame it.

I do not remove blackheads as that can leave scars and soreness. They don't seem to get infected or anthing, just dark dots I had thought that the facial cleanser would help with that, but I think that only works if you use it 2x a day and I am only doing it when I shower, so not sure i am making much progress. I am thinking the same thing with the home remedies, but I will give it a whirl. So, I will post back results in a few months - and any of you that find a solution to this - please do the same and lets see if anything actually works! Here is what is weird, I don't have this anwhere else so I guess I don't have that bad of rubbing other places.

I can't help you with your question because I had tht lovely band for 10 years! I too regained weight when I had to have the band emptied about 2-3 years after it was implanted. Well, that was after removing more and more fill trying to get the horrid reflux to stop. I started out the sleeve journey with a BMI of 52. What I have observed is that lower BMI people seem much more likely to get to goal. My personal experience is that my hunger really returned at about month 7-8 and while I am still losing, it has slowed down alot. I am mentioning this because I want you to know what you might encounter when you have alot to lose. I am happy with my choice of the sleeve though, I feel that I have been wildly successful and without the misery that a filled band brings. I do hope to lose another 35# or so, but I am pretty happy with where I am at now too.

According to board rules, I don't think they "delete" accounts. If you are getting emails and stuff from the site you can change your settings to stop that, but I think your account just "sits here". Once the emails are stopped, and you can remove the bookmark to this site, you never have to see any of it again. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules In reading your posts, it was a little hard to understand why you are so upset, but as I thought more about it, I realized it didn't matter actually. Obese people have often gone through a lot of emotional pain in their lives. Maybe that is one of the reasons they got fat or maybe it is a result of the emotional beating they gave themselves over being fat. Maybe both, but often lots of hurt feelings inside there. Losing weight, although very joyous, also brings with it a bit of a head trip too. To give honest feedback, your original post did not say things in a way that I could really understand and as others pointed out, it came across as more of an attack, but I think it was really meant to be an expression of hurt feelings. Maybe it was a bit of a cry for attention, and that is okay every once in awhile. You got some pretty sharply worded responses, because people called it as "drama" or ":attention seeking" and maybe that is a fair criticism. I think that is okay, sometimes we all have a little meltdown or drama over this journey and it isn't really a reason to jump all over you. I do think you had an overreaction when you shared success you didn't get alot of "atta girls" and other similar posts seem to get dozens of replies. That is just how it works, I know you know that, but for some reason it felt hurtful or negative and you took it personally this particular time. Side note: my spouse NEVER compliments me or otherwise indicates that he notices I have lost weight at all, so I kinda know the feeling of my accomplishments not being acknowledged by others. Anyway, online forums should be supportive and not be a detriment to you. If this isn't supporting you - walk away, i totally agree. It is a bunch of us that don't know you or your life and the truth of the matter is that pretty much any of us could stop posting tomorrow and be hardly noticed on this forum, that is how they work. Much success for your ongoing weight loss and don't worry too much about all this. I have no idea why some posts become "hot" topics and others are virtually ignored, it just goes that way and if you take it personally, then online forums are never going to feel supportive. Have you considered an in person support group?

Thank you for sharing this story. I can imagine how awful all of that was, just so glad they were able to save you and leave you with some stomach. I had a lapband for 10 years and I think the main misinformation out there is that it is 100% reversible. That implies, you can return back to normal if the whole band thing doesn't work out. While it is removable, it leaves scar tissue and does damage. Your story is the absolute extreme - I have never heard of anything that severe, and I think people need to know about this! The band isn't some harmless "lightweight" weight loss surgery. It has significant risks too, just like the other WLS options.

HaHa - that is great! The terror of loose skin is interesting. I have NEVER heard someone comment about someone walking down the street about how loose their skin is (I don't live in a nudist colony either and clothes do a wonderful job of covering it) but I surely have heard people comment about how FAT someone is. Wonder why we worry so much about this given the obvious fact that many of us were more then 100# overweight which is not too attractive either. Interesting how our minds work. I too hope that loose skin is my biggest problem when all is said and done. could be worse.

oh, I forgot to say - - give yourself credit for what you have accomplished. I am hanging out about 191 and while I defintely could lose more pounds, what a wonderful thing to be under 200! Never forget where you came from and focus on the positive. I speaketh as a person who has regained weight too many times in the past...."protecting" the success that you have already had should be a top priority

I am not a year out, but I do have a suggestion about family meals. You can eat the same thing as everyone else, just in very small portions and perhaps skipping any carb loaded side dish. For example, last night I made a marinated chicken breast and served it with rice and oven roasted brussel sprouts. I had part of a chicken breast and some brussel sprouts. Hungry son ate rest of my chicken, his serving, plus most of the rice and maybe 2 brussel sprouts. Hubby got whatever was left. This doesn't have to be time consuming, I buy individually frozen chicken breasts and have about 15 different ways of preparing it. I use frozen veggies (but the brussel sprouts were fresh). I can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, and while stuff is cooking, I am loading/unloading dishwasher etc. I also sometimes cook double quantity and serve it two days later, just zap some frozen veggies to go along with it to complete the leftover meal. You can do that same theme with everything -roast beef/potatoes/green beens - you have small portions and maybe skip the potato -pork chops/apple sauce and brocolli and my guys would like macn'cheese with that - you skip the mac cheese etc. -stirfry of veggies and meat - you go light on the rice -Protein heavy beef stew and you have a smaller portion and maybe skip the bread or whatever you would normally serve with it. -oven broiled fish with peas and a side salad. maybe rest of family also has rice or something I don't know anything about you or your tastes, but if your family only eats hotdogs and macn'cheese I don't have any good suggestions except that eating the way I described would probably be good for them too.

You know what is interesting - no one close to me has asked at all about how much weight I have lost or want to lose or really anything. I told family and friends and my brother saw how slim I am getting and he wanted to know how I did it. I had to remind him I had WLS....hmmm The only person who grilled me is more of a casual aquaintance and I basically just ignored her persistant snooping as she is a skinny minnie and really has no idea.

Just wanted to let you know I read your story and am wishing you the best for continued recovery. I am really sorry you have to go through all this but am glad to hear that things are improving.

During my recovery weeks, I wrote in a little journal and thought a lot about goals and what I wanted to achieve. I looked back through those yesterday and it gave me such boost to remember the hopes and dreams from a 300# woman and to see that MOST of them have been accomplished even though I do have more to lose. for those of you early on, I recommend you keep list of those goals and dreams so you can visually see as you check them off. It really puts things in perspective when you feel kinda bad because your midsection is still a little lumpy... know what I mean ? IT keeps you grounded in the big stuff.

I went through some blah and down days too. After effect of surgery, hormones being released from your fat as you loose weight and maybe even some grieving over the loss of food and heck even having to do surgery to lose weight might all be reasons we feel this way! As long as you don't get really depressed, I think it is a normal phase. I started feeling more like myself around 2-3 months out.

I started out with liquid multi vitamin because my NUT said the chewable ones are not good enough vitamins. So, that was all fine, but I decided to save money and switch to pill form MV about 2 months out. I hated it. One day I realized that life is too short to spend it dreading taking that dang pill everyday. It was huge, it made me feel icky and I swear i could "taste" it for a long time. I have switched back to the liquid vitamin and no longer dread that horrible MV.

Hunger headaches are something I have NOT experienced since being sleeved. For those of you hooked on caffeine, wean off well in advance of surgery! I think that if you don't do that you might have caffeine withdrawl headaches in the first week or two post op. I was warned on this one and so didn't have this problem. "Head hunger" is a whole different thing. That is where people feel like they want to eat but it isn't caused by true hunger from an empty stomach. Head hunger is triggered by habits, visual or scent cues or perhaps emotions.