CowgirlJane

This is a tough spot, it is so disappointing when that band fails. What I wanted to mention is that my company is changing from BC/BS PPO to BC/BS of MA and they specficially exclude the sleeve. You can go on the webpage to find out of BC/BS of AL covers the sleeve

Thanks everyone - great responses and discussion. For me personally, I probably SHOULD be worried about the forced change of relationship with food, but I am actually looking forward to that part. I know it will be rough at first, but I want to eat like a normal woman, small quanties and and based on what I need to fuel my body and no more. I probably should be more concerned about the fact that being obese is slowing killing me (I have sleep apnea, early onset arthritis and borderline blood pressure. I have insulin resistance, and will likely become diabetic if I don't get the weight off and keep it off), but there is something about surgery that focuses your worries on a specific event...lol My conscious fears are really surgery and recovery related. I know that MOST people have no major problems, but I guess the thoughts that keep creeping in is what if I am one of the unlucky few that get a leak, a stricture or has a problem during surgery. I realize that my odds of dying on the table are very low,but it is still in the back of my mind. As a revision from the band, I probably have a higher risk of leaks and I know that can be a real recovery nightmare. You are right, I feel great about my surgeon's skills and support, but I know that even so, bad things can happen. I am trying to keep my mine focused on all the benefits of losing weight and becoming healthier. All the sleevers I have met are just so happy with their new life - I keep trying to focus my "eye on the prize" but I do sometimes get a little overwhelmed with the fears. I keep trying to visualize myself 6 months post surgery - alot of weight gone, feeling healthier etc and with NO long term complications.

Don't feel shameful... I bet MOST people will admire you for keeping on trying. I believe that society is really starting to understand just how difficult obesity is to cure. There may be a few naysayers, which is fine, but don't ever let anyone make you feel ashamed for being overweight, for having not had success with the band or for doing this surgery. I always think of Oprah - that woman can do about anything she sets her mind to, right... well, except keep weight off. We are in good company, trying to go from obese to trim is such a difficult journey and the science is really now starting to understand why. No shame, be proud of yourself for keeping up the fight of this battle.

I can so relate! I was banded in '01, all fill removed in '04 due to complications. I have had an empty band all these years, and yet when they removed it in Sept... omg... I have been SO HUNGRY. It really tells me that my desire to eat isn't just an emotional issue. I feel like even an empty band was some sort of check on my hunger and now that it is gone, I feel like I could eat nonstop. I am doing a low carb diet right now, not losing weight but I am at least staying away from the junk.

My surgeon gave me the option of doing it all at once or separate surgeries. I chose to do separate surgeries because I had the band for 10 years and figured there would be alot of scarring and adhesions and to be honest I was still coming to terms with whether I wanted 85% of my stomach removed. When they removed the band in late September, they spent alot of time removing the adhesions and I will be sleeved and hernia repair in December. I don't think it is a skill level question; I think it is a question of what do you think is the least risk. I suspect that there isn't very good data on which approach gives best results statistically speaking (ie fewer complications) so surgeons are working off their own experiences. for me, this has been good. I have been so hungry and gaining weight, in spite of trying to diet since the band came out. It has really removed any dellusional thoughts of "I can do this myself". It may sound crazy, but i needed that last dose of reality, that my obesity is out of control and I can't get a grip without bariatric surgery.

Are you allowed to have broth? Sometimes the headaches are really the result of the sodium reduction and maybe some broth would get you through the feeling bad. Also, drink lots of water!

Thank you both for your support. I know that many bariatric patients have sleep apnea - it was my sleep apnea doc that was the one that really encouraged me to explore the sleeve option a year ago. I actually credit him with helping me be open to this surgery - he really recommends it and sees it as life saving/life extending for people like me. He has seen many of his apnea patients be "cured" by the weight loss and would be happy to see the same thing happen for me. My emotional reaction to knowing the increased risk was really disproportionate, and i guess is probably my overall anxiety finding something to latch onto. amanda, seeing someone who has lost over 100 pounds so quickly - well - that inspires me to not give up just because I have anxiety over it. My dear friend is a nurse and she is VERY supportive of me doing this. She tells me I have researched it too much, am too aware of the things that CAN go wrong. she thinks I should just do this since I really have made an informed decision....and not let my freak outs get in the way. Her point being is that I am not obsessing about the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc that are very real risks of keeping this extra weight - and she is right! I didn't cancel the date and so the date of Dec 12 just gets closer and closer.... I am hoping I can regain that feeling of peace, but even if I can't, I still think this is the right decision.... I can do this

Thanks for sharing your story! I too have horses and dogs, I am curious when you think you can return to normal chores.

I am glad to get the reassurance that it is totally different then the band. I wasn't hungry at first with the band, but after a few months, I was hungry alot of the time. Of course, some of that is just the desire to eat, but I also know it was physical hunger.

Whatever you decide, remember that telling one person may wind up with a lot more people knowing. I told exactly 4 people when I was banded - DH, my 2 kids and my sister. About 2 years later I overheard her telling a CROWD of people about my gastric band in a very negative way. It was very hurtful, but it was a lesson - once the cat is out of the bag, well, you no longer control that info. With the sleeve, I am choosing to tell more people.

What a beautiful girl! I am so glad to hear things have gone so well.

I have some flexibility in taking time off from work, but if I want to do the sleeve this year (I have insurance approval in hand for 2011!) the only time I can take 2-3 weeks off in a row is December. Pre-op diet would start right after Thanksgiving and so I would be either doing pre-op diet or freshly sleeved through the holidays. I could take more time off in the spring, but need to double check that my insurance doesn't change with the new plan year and risk my coverage. I guess I consider taking the step to getting the weight off as a good gift to myself, but I also want to be careful to be setup for success. Would any of you who have already been sleeved be concerned about scheduling surgery over the holidays??? What would you advise your friend/sister based on your own experiences? It does have a certain appeal to know that by the first day of summer, I could very well be 80-100# lighter!

My primary care doc (now, former primary care doc) had never heard of the sleeve, so no matter how I tried to describe it to her, she thought it was the gastric bypass surgery. the note she sent to the bariatric doctor was not supportive as she says too many people have complications and regain weight too. She is basing that on her gastric bypass patients! Not every doctor or nurse is really educated on bariatric issues - so - it could be your SIL is not informed about this specific procedure.

I have had more then a seed of doubt... a whole garden. I am frankly not worried about getting too thin. I have met enough people who have had this procedure, they range from trim to normal range, slightly overweight - not a one is too skinny. I figure excess skin is no worse then all this extra fat so I view that as damage I have already done by getting so fat, losing the weight doesn't cause the ugly skin, getting obese caused it. I am not saying that saggy skin is great, I am just saying it is already there, just disguised by all that unhealthy fat puffing it out. What I have thought about is that feeling like I should able to do this without having part of my stomache removed! I mean, for Pete's sake, that is drastic. I have thought about some of the complications that are possible. What I if i have to miss a whole bunch of work due to a leak or something like that? I have also thought about, what if I only lose "some" of the extra weight and I am still fat? Or maybe worse yet, what if I get to a healthy weight and then can't control myself and regain it??? Those things worried me, but I am moving past it. First, I got rid of the counselor I saw who was anti Weight Loss Surgery. She has never been an ounce overweight her whole life and i have been battling this crap since I was like 4 years old. I am 47!!! I think 40+ years of trying diets and stuff is enough to prove that I can't make that work permanently, don't you? Second, I started to really understand obesity as a medical condition, as a metabolic disorder. I am not saying there isn't an emotional, and behaviour component - there is - but at this point, it is a metabolic disorder!!! I had to hear this from 2 different doctors before I started to accept that maybe I need help here, not just a new cookbook. My primary care doc suggest a cookbook, because clearly, if I knew how to use a crockpot I would lose 140 pounds. yeah, right Guess what, I switched primary care doctors too! Third, I started sharing my struggles, my decision process with people in my life who care about me. These are not obese people, they are thin active people. (I am a horse lover, so i have horse loving friends who tend to be trim and athletic). Their support has been amazing. They WANT me to be healthy, live a long life, be active, and to be happy. I think it is obvious to the people that care about me, diets haven't worked for me and aren't likely to work next time either. I am blessed to have people in my life who are excited for my future after WLS, it is almost like they have more faith then I do, which can bolster me! Finally, I had my failed gastric band removed. You think you feel skeptical and worried before your first weight loss surgery? Try going through the heartbreak of a failure. I felt like such a failure, just like all those diets. Reality is that the crapband failed me. That is the story for another day, but letting go of that both physically and mentally has made this so clear to me. I have been starving and wanting to eat 24/7 now that the band is out - which is further proof that there is a PHYSICAL component to this struggle. Don't get me wrong, I accept responsibility for putting the food in my own mouth, but I am now understanding that this is such a complicated situation. Once you are morbidly obese it is so very hard to keep weight off without surgery. Seriously, the stats prove that. The doc I see for my sleep apnea is my hero - the guy that started me on this journey more then a year ago. I had never heard of the sleeve and he was the one that told me it would extend my life. His frankness, done in a very caring way, really was a wake up call. I am on the road to early death, early disability - and that is just about guanteed unless I get the weight off. Yes, the surgery has risks, yes, it is drastic, but weigh the two paths and ask yourself what is the most likely outcome 5. 10, 15+ years from now. Without the surgery, disable and early death is a high probability. With the surgery, I have a shot of being an active senior, enjoying life, enjoying my horses, really living. I think your doubts are normal and healthy. Educate yourself, go to a surgery support group and meet some people to find out the real story. Talk to people. If you don't quite trust your surgeon, how about consulting with another? I tell people, I am in this for a lifetime, so I am okay that the process has been slow for me to finally get to a firm decision set in my own mind. I am scheduled for a December surgery. Yes, i am a little nervous still, but mostly, I want it DONE so I can start down the path to the rest of my life as a healthier, thinner person who can keep doing fun stuff for many more years.

I agree that people seem quite civil. I guess what I was really talking about was the "hearing alot of good news, are we hearing all the bad news too?" question. I am admittedly very very skeptical after my 10 year experience with the lapband. In all honesty, I think the biggest long term thing with the sleeve is we still dont really know what the regain rate is 5+ years out. That won't stop me though because I need to do SOMETHING and I don't want a gastric bypass. I am scared about a few stories of people needing to convert to gastric bypass due to untreatable reflux, unfixable leak or other issues....but that seems quite rare. My surgeon's office does around 30 sleeves a month, and has been doing them for 3 years. They have converted just a few to bypass - and they were all due to inadquate weight loss, not a medical emergency.

First, when I saw the photos of the surgery - I was very confused why I couldn't "see" the band in the before photos. You know, how in the drawings there is this nice white plastic device around the picture of the stomach? couldn't see it. It turns out that your body totally encases that band. I did not have band erosion, but there is still a "encrusted shell", for lack of a better term, around it. ewww. No wonder he band removal is a surgery that took some recovering from, they did a lot of digging around in there, it wasn't just like unbuckling the stomach belt... Second surprise is that now that I am 2 weeks out from the band removal... I am so hungry I feel like I am going to die. My eating volume has gone up too, even though I am trying to resist. The slipped band didn't provide any restriction, but apparently it did provide at least some appetite control. Oh my, it is still two weeks out before I meet with a doctor who is going to help me with an eating plan and appetite suppressants as a temporary stopgap until I can have the sleeve procedure. I had been doing medifast, but the soy content of that food did not agree with me so I am off it now. I am feeling really worried since I am just super hungry. I remember now why I thought I would be successful with the band, I really am hungry alot! alot.

I have a brochure from BioEnterics, from 2001 when I was banded, that clearly states that the band is a temporary device and will most likely need to be removed. I have no idea why i didn't remember that from when I was deciding on the surgery... but it is obvious to me that this has been known for a very long time. The vast majority of people will eventually have to have it removed, whether due to slip, lack of weight loss, esophagus problems etc etc. Back when i frequented the old Yahoo Bandster group, anybody who spoke out about the issues with the band was also not welcome. although, at that time the term always used was "non compliant" like every side effect was the patient's fault. I sometimes fear the sleevers have nearly that same rabid enthusiasm...and that the issues that do come up tend to be minimized. I hope that the long term stats continue to support that, and that sleevers are right - that this is a relatively low risk procedure with good results and low percentage. of serious complications.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/study-offers-clues-to-emotional-eating-2516096/

I was told that the liver shrinks signifincantly in just 2 weeks of doing a low carb/low cal diet. Besides making it easier for the surgeon, I am told it decreases the risk to your liver - a little less jostling around. It seems standard with most, but not all surgeons. I don't know why I wasn't asked to do this when I was banded, or had the band removed.

I just had band removal surgery which was about an hour surgery plus recovery. They cut away a bunch of scar tissue etc. I am 3 weeks out now from that and doing great, but I have to admit that I didn't feel great the first 7-10 days - combination of headaches, queasy stomache, and other after effect of the anesthesia. I had some tenderness, but the biggest problem weren't my wounds, but more how I felt overall. When they do the sleeve surgery, there will be a hiatal hernia repair too. I already know that anthestesia effect on me, but I am trying to "guess" how the sleeve surgery will feel compared to the band removal. I have read alot of people say they feel really awful the first day or two after surgery and I am wondering more about that. I am thinking that one big reason is that you can't drink until after the leak test. I am thinking another reason is that the stomach is really swollen, so even when you can drink, it isn't very much at once. I would think the queasiness might be bad too. Anyway, I know we are all different, I am just trying to mentally prepare myself, without getting too freaked out.

I think I shared this in another post, but I wound up finding that the soy in all the medifast products didn't agree with me. Alot of gurgling gassy feeling and the doctor told me that means I am probabaly not digesting it very well, not absorbing the Protein very well. I think the drinks taste okay, but i don't think they taste better then whey protein drinks. The whey drinks you can buy at GNC are cheaper then medifast too - so post surgery I am definately not doing medifast.

I used to get them (and I was not as heavy then!) and a dermatologist diagosed them by the nickname HIDE. You can go online and see more information. I feel very lucky that my case seemed to be mild and I haven't had a re-emergence in over 10 years (knock on wood). My first one showed up within a few weeks after having a baby. I have always suspected that i picked it up at the hospital, but the baby (now 19) never got it.

I have the same surgery date, and the same questions!

A couple of tricks that I have used in the past (I have not been sleeved yet, but they may still be applicable): -Devise a plan, get a hold of good eating guidelines and know your targets (what you should be eating, portion size, frequency etc) -Use a smaller plate/cup. Even now, I often server meals off a side dish plate rather then a big dinner plate -Plan and pre-portion food - measure it, weigh it or whatever, but since you are still learning trust the food scale and not your eyes -Stop eating when you are done with your pre-portioned amount, or you feel satisfied, whichever comes first. You may still be learning when you are really satisfied, so leaning on your plan /guidelines can be very helpful -I personally do best eating small amounts every 2-3 hours so I don't get hungry, but the small amounts need to be Protein first and follow the healthy guidellines (ie chips don't cut it). If I get over hungry, I overeat - plain and simple

My band has been out for 3 weeks. I am so glad that I did this in seperate surgeries as this experience has erased ALL doubts from my mind about proceeding with the sleeve. My band has been unfilled for years, and who knows when it slipped. I didn't have a bunch of problems, but could eat alot - really didn;t feel the restriction. Well, since about 10 days out from the band removal, I have been STARVING. I feel like I can eat pretty much 24/7. I have been shocked by this. It confirms that while i may have bad habits, I may have emotional eating issues... the real problem is that I am physically hungry all. the. time. The drive for food has actually been a bit embarrasing, a bit horrible feeling. I feel like I could eat dinner, right after I just ate dinner! It isn't like a binge in the sense of it is just a constant all day feeling of being hungry and not satiated. Sometimes, first thing in the morning, I am not hungry, but otherwise, pretty much constant. I have been trying so hard to keep my eating in check, but I know that if I don't do the sleeve, i am going to just keep gaining weight and my quality of life will be severely impacted.