RDABGA

It will take a few weeks and you will start to get your strength/stamina back. I take liquid B-12 twice a week (they sell it at wal-mart), a multi Vitamin ( I prefer the gummies for adults), D-3 for bone health, selenium for hair, vitimin C, Calcium citrate, a Fiber supplement, and a non-prescription acid reducer. I should be taking a flax seed pill but they are giant and I just cant. I use alot of flax seed in my food and hope its enough to help with the possible hair loss. I havent lost very much since my surgery but I am trying not to beat myself up over it and concentrate on eating healthy and getting healthy again. My nutrition was so bad with the band because of the throwing up and all the other complications I think my body is just trying to catch up right now. I also believe that my body is holding onto all the calories I am taking in to replinish everything that it wasnt getting for so long. I have been struggling back and forth with 5lbs for the past month. I think its hard not to expect big weight loss becasue we just had weight loss surgery dang it :thumbup1: but its not like the first time when we had the band put in. I lost big numbers in those first few months. this time I think its going to be slow and steady (at least I hope so) Im not sure I helped you with your frustration but just know you arent alone out there. :thumbup1:

Your story sounds soooo familiar. I too thought I was the only one who didnt have instant success with the band as it was a constant struggle for 5 years. I recently had to have my band removed and made the decision to be sleeved at the same time. It was absolutly the best decision. If I would of known it was going to be such and easy, positive and healthy choice I would of made it sooner. I have several friends who have the band and since my sleeve surgery they have lots of questions. After I tell them my experience with it (I have only been sleeved since May) They have all said that if the sleeve would of been available when we were all banded they would of been sleeved. Actually one of my friend has made an appointment to see her Dr. about possibly having her band removed and getting the sleeve. She has hand nothing but problems with her band and the whole process. The band does work and will take the weight off but you pay the price (throwing up and so on). I wish you luck and I hope that the sleeve is an option for you. I didnt realize how unhealthy I looked towards the end with my band. I get comments from friends that I look so much better now, that my color is better and my mood is better because I feel so much better. So I guess I will answer your question :thumbup1: I am happy with the sleeve and happy not to be banded any longer.

Here's my story... I was banded Oct 6,2005 in Mexico. Over the next 4 1/2 years I lost about 100 lbs. This was not without its struggles and complications. The last year or so I started to have major complications. I was throwing up all the time and having massive reflux problems. I was finally able to get into the local band doctor for my after care Previous to that I was having to travel 4 hours for my fills and if I happened to need and unfill it was a major pain with all the travel and trying to make the band work for me. After the first few visits with the local band Dr. it ws discovered that my band had slipped into a position at the base of my espogus(sp) We took the wait and see approach because eventhough I have double coverage insurance (neither cover anything bariatric) I am completely self pay on this journey. So the Dr. did a complete unfill to let my stomach heal and possible swelling go down. In the 6 weeks that I was unfilled I put on 32 lbs. My body held onto every single calorie that I put into it. Granted not everything I ate in that 6 weeks were good choices but my body was in starvation mode and wasnt letting anything go. This proved once again that I was not in control and the option of just taking the band out and calling it a day was not an option for me. After the 6 weeks I went in for a very small fill .75. I immeadiately began to have complications (throwing up, acid reflux and so on). I went in and they did an xray and the band had flipped. This was not good news. I dont know about most of you but often in this journey with throwing up and not being able to keep anything down I often took the approach of "toughing it out" for a few days. This often worked but not this time. Something was very different this time. I became super dehydrated and my body wasnt having it. I pretty much hadn't kept anything down for about a week and my body was freaking out. After trying to hydrate me with IV it was determined like it or not they had to do surgery, period. It wasnt up for discussion any longer. My body was freaking out (my heart rate was all over the place and they were having a hard time trying to regulate it), blood pressure not so good, and I needed to be on oxygen. At this point it was determined they were doing surgery today and now. I had a few brief conversations with the PA that does the fills at my Dr. office about the sleeve. When I made the decision to have my band I researched for months before deciding to do it. Now I was having to make a decision. Have my band removed and try to move forward without anything ( I had recently proved that having nothing allowed me to put on 35 lbs in 6 weeks) I knew I couldnt do that to myself. The idea of putting on the 100 lbs that I had lost and all the struggles it took to get those pounds to go away would of been all for nothing. I opted to have a gastric sleeve done when they were removing my band. I didnt feel re- postioning the band at this point was an option for me. Off to emergency surgery I go. Well, they removed the band, did a gastric sleeve, discoverd and repaired a hernia and discovered that my espogus was streached and damaged from all the throwing up. Even with all that when I woke up from surgery I felt so much better. I was on the road to recovery.... The following day they did the swallow/leak test only to discover that because of the espogus being so streached that when they repaired the hernia(in the normal way) they had stiched my espogus shut. I was back to not being able to swallow or keep anything down (again). So off to emergency surgery I went to repair this. 4 surgeries in two days and 4 days in the hospital. I was finally released to go home. Oh, this was just in time for me to break out in hives all over my body from an allergic reation to one of the many medications I had been given. At that point I think that the rash reaction was worse than the surgeries. What a wreak I was. I did the 4 full weeks of Protein shakes and liquids only, like a trooper. I am now on week 2 of mushies. I am looking forward to adding real food back into my life. Since I did no research about the sleeve previous to having it done I have lots of questions. I have done some research since then and am having a hard time wrapping my head around some of the information. Since I am starting this weight loss journey in a different place than a first time baratric patient what should my weight loss expectations be? I am currently at 175-180, Im 5'09". My BMI is still 26.6 so still considered overweight but I am darn close to being normal. The high end of my goal weight would be about 160 to a low of 125. At one point with the band I was down to 165. I want to find a weight that my body is comfortable with so my initail goal is about 160 or so. Remember that I have approached the world of food and eating as a BANDSTER for the past almost 5 years. I was never able to tolerate bread in any form with my band. The idea that I may be able to eat (toasted) bread at some point. I cant hardly get my head around the thought of that. I understand portion control with the best of them but the idea/reality that I will be able to consume 3 ounce protein and 1 ounce vegie per meal and it be highly likely I wont throw it up seems like a dream. I became real good at just trying to find something that would stay down with my band so Its been a long time since I really ate a balanced diet. With the band and my eating difficulties I grazed all day. A few bites here and there. From what I am reading grazing is not something that is recommended with the sleeve. How do you place your meals and Snacks during the day? Are you able to eat whatever within the 3 ounce protein and 1 ounce vegie guidelines. Are there specific foods that you just cant eat? Are you able to eat salads. I wasnt able to tolerate lettuce at all with my band, among a long list of other foods. I just need a general idea of what my expectations should /could be from this procedure. Thanks for listening to me ramble and any input you may have to help me take the first steps on my brand new GASTRIC SLEEVE journey will be appreciated. RDABGA Banded 10-6-2005 Band removed and sleeved 5-5-2010 :thumbup:

Thanks to all for your replies. I told my Dr. I had to just convience the fat girl that lives in my head about this new way of eating. He told me that the fat girl doesn't live there anymore. Which is especially funny to hear him say because he isnt known to have much of a beside manner about him. I think lots of things can be cured with a sense of humor so I was glad (and surprised) to find he has one. This may help me out during future Dr. visits Thanks again