WASaBubbleButt

Lactose intolerance? OregonDaisy has the same issue, she can eat yogurt but not milk or ice cream.

Sure it can be done, it's surgeon skill and not a matter of IF it can be done with being sleeved. Not sure why it couldn't be done at the same time as banding. I don't know that I recall seeing anyone post either way. Regardless, yes.. it can be done at the same time as a sleeve.

Welcome to the forum! I have had a band and a sleeve and you couldn't pay me to have another band. It's a great way to lose half your excess weight short term. It's hard being banded. You know, WLS is hard anyway but the band just makes it 100x harder. The puking, sliming, foaming, getting stuck, not being able to eat fibrous veggies, etc. Banding just makes something that is already hard, harder. I think you'll find quite a few band to sleeve folks here. Don't rush into anything, get the right surgery type for you to begin with. I agree with you about malabsorption. I view it like I do chemo, it's a necessary evil for some. Nobody wants it, many need it. ( Enjoy the forum!

I used to go to Vegas every 3-4 months for a long weekend but I just haven't had the time in the last year or so. Next time I'm there we'll have to meet! I'd love to meet you in real time!

I wonder if you and I shouldn't revise the "Researching Mexical Lap Band Surgeons" (link in my sig) to include warnings of how to spot a band mill. That thread is good for searching US or MX surgeons. What do you think? Any suggestions on what to add? People have no way of knowing what little details to look for until after the surgery. Once you have been through it you know what to look for. I want something so people know what to ask before surgery and not after. I think the #1 warning is someone who only does one surgery type. If they only do bands they aren't going to educate patients on all their options, or they will down surgery types they do not do. Bands are easy money, other surgeries are more difficult to do, they take more experience, more skill, and more time. Bands require aftercare for life, is that a pain for the doctor or easy money? Sometimes I'm not sure which. If they only do bands instead of sleeves, for example, then they have assured themselves that patient will likely be with them for life. Sleeves require no aftercare so maybe they don't like that, once they are done with surgery... they are done. I think we should revise the link in my thread, suggestions?

Alex, the owner of this forum started a sister forum: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) Surgery Forum If you have lost your band or think you might it is a good idea to start looking at your options. Sometimes a revision can be done at the time your band is removed, sometimes it can't. But it's always a wise idea to at least educate yourself and know your options. The only other effective procedure that is restrictive only and not malabsorptive is a Gastric Sleeve. Join us on LBT's sister forum and join in. You don't have to be sleeved to post, we want you to feel comfortable researching or maybe you'll just like us and want to stick around for the heck of it! ;o) Everyone is welcome.

When I had my band removed I had a revision done at the same time. For me, in my case... I know me and I would have regained. So I revised to a sleeve in the same surgery.

Don't you think a lot of problems from from band mills? Places where the surgeon does one band after another and then never sees the patient again. I hate band mills! Hate WLS mills of any kind.

Some have no symptoms with a slip, they don't even know it until they get a fill under fluoro. Sometimes it's reflux, sometimes it's an inability to get food or water down. Several things can cause a slip, being too tight, vomiting, etc.

There have been a few deaths but usually due to various complications. There is risk with any surgery but there is a whole lot MORE risk being obese.

But earlier in this thread you wrote: And your sig: If you are not promoting your doctor why do you have your work email and phone number in your sig? I think it does have to do with money. I'm not sure you realize how bad you are making your doctor look when you admit/deny/admit/deny recruiting for him. Your previous IDs were so obvious it wasn't even funny, people were complaining about you. Instead of following the rules you just came up with more IDs. This is not helping your doctor.

That's the thing about leaks. Sometimes it isn't anyone's fault. It just happens. Glad that you are doing well now!

I have learned that there are certainly soft stops and hard stops with sleeves just like bands!

Without asking anything personal... something I have wondered about. How to therapists tackle eating issues? Do they give you coping skills? Get to the bottom of the food issues? If so, how? Again, I am not asking you to reveal personal information but more a general idea of how the therapist tackles this issues. Thx!

Yea colin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is typically a 50# plateau, I found the science behind it in an article I read then I lost the link. I'll look for it today and see what I can find. I know this sounds crazy but when I would get stuck and the scale wouldn't move I'd carb load for one day. Then the scale would start moving. Problem is, when I start on carbs (certain kinds) I can't quit and I'd have to do the 5DPT to get off them. But, it did work.

I agree with Elisabeth, it isn't normal. I will add one more thing, when we have this surgery we are so shocked at the small quantities of food we can eat that we do tend to over eat. I have experienced something when I over eat, I can feel the food in my esophagus, it is as though I am using my esophagus as an extended stomach and this is something we most certainly can do! You can actually dilate your esophagus this way. Until you can get some diagnostics done I would suggest just eating 2 teaspoons of food every hour or so. Or every 30 minutes. Are you getting Protein supplements in? How much protein are you getting? Are you measuring? You should shoot for at least 60gms for the time being.

Jacqui... It's good to see you over here. I always follow your exercise routine posts. You are the one that got me motivated to start running! And you were right, it works! I hate it, I hate it with a passion but it works and it's worth it. I'm still waiting for the moment when it's fun and the endorphins kick in and I get that euphoric feeling. So far I catch myself chanting, "I HATE THIS I HATE THIS!" ;o) I'm trying to change my thinking to "I love this I love this." It's not working but I'm trying.

Naww, Alex is about as honest as they come. It's for real. ;o) I'm like you, I never win anything either. Well, I take that back... I do pretty well in Vegas on the slot machines (HA!) but contests and such, never.

Sadly, it doesn't work for bypass either. It's turned out to be a huge failure. They use clips and essentially tack the folds of the pouch to tighten it up. They have Stomaphyx, Rose, and Revise. None of them work. It appears the tacks break as soon as the person starts on solid food. People usually lose about 20# on the post op diet and as soon as they start on solids they regain their 20#. Very sad considering most people are self pay and the procedure is anywhere from $5K - $10K. Honestly, I do not understand why doctors are doing a procedure they know is not going to work.

I *am* one of Alex' moderators so I know the rules quite well. I moderate his sleeve board, a sister board to this one. The poster in question has violated the forum policies. Now, perhaps YOU are okay with cheating the system, stealing from others, breaking rules, and being overall snarky, but not everyone is okay with that. Have you read the other posts this "coordinator" has written? She digs up 1 year old posts about Kelly to push him. Kelly isn't even all that great. Shouldn't newbies be given the information on how to research a doctor? How to verify the line of crap they are given? I guess that is asking too much, eh? Damn straight I am pro sleeve. So what? Got a problem with that? I'll bet I know band stats better than you do.

Yes. Some are honest and sit in an office and reply to people when they want info on a specific doctor. Then you have people like HER that don't tell they are a coordinator. She called me a bad name, I didn't call her names. ;o)

She called me a coordinator. That's WORSE than stealing!

I especially liked the part of her post where she wants me to keep the "negativity" between us and not disrupt the board. HA! She sure doesn't know me well! I'll post it on every board if need be! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Looks like she might have had one of her accounts deleted since I posted the link. Her ID was something like ... Kelly's patient Leah or some such stupid name. She was pushing VERY hard to get people to go to him and she was banned for two weeks for the behavior. Then she just created another ID to continue pimping for R. Kelly, a MX surgeon. This is exactly the type of person I warn noobs against. They often times have no clue how doctors go about "advertising" and they think it's just a patient who likes their doc. They have no idea it's all about the almighty dollar. If a doc can't afford advertising the legit way.....