new_beginnings_

It's unbelievable to me that I have felt so much better since my sleeve surgery... It's only been a week and a half but I guess when everyday you are used to dealing with getting 'stuck' on any kind of regular food and most of the time spitting it back up, even the post surgery pain and gas is better than that. Even though I can't eat alot right now and sometimes I get those weird cramps when I eat certain things, I have not, for one minute, regretted going through with the revision. I can tell this is the start of a beautiful relationship!

Thank you and your not alone in this; it was a very hard decision for me too seeing as I already 'failed' with the band so I wanted to make sure that I was not setting myself up to fail again. It's true that people loose alot of weight quickly with the bypass, but I would much rather loose it a bit slower and keep it off. I don't really see a reason why your doctor would tell you that the RNY is your only choice. If he does, I would definately get a second opinion if you make up your mind to go with the sleeve. Keep us updated and good luck!

Hi Wendy, I just went through the same argument myself and also posted a topic about it. I had a band that did not work as I thought it would so I was faced with either gain my weight back and have nothing to show for that stupid band or have a revision surgery. I fought with myself for a few days because I was also told that the sleeve might not be a good choice for me since I was unsuccessful with the band but I just could not imagine having the RNY knowing that I want to have children in the near future (even though they say it would be fine). Also I personally know several people that had the bypass and some were successful and some were not. I decided that the RNY would be my last resort since the sleeve can easily be changed to the RNY. Once you have the bypass, that's it. Most doctors won't even atempt to reverse it so I wanted to have the sleeve so that I can try to have a somewhat normal life after the weight loss and not have to worry about dumping syndrome or Vitamin deficiencies (as bad). After scouring these pages and lots of advice from people on here, friends, and family, I made my decision to go with the sleeve. I was sleeved on 4/6 after only a short wait because my current insurance did not require me to do anything. So far I am really happy with my decision. The first few days after surgery were hell but it gets better everyday. Only you can decide what decision is best so research and make an educated choice. Good luck and best wishes! Monica

I am also in school right now and my surgery was last week. I missed last weeks classes but was able to go back this week. I know everyone is different but the worst of my recovery was until about 4 days after surgery. After that I started feeling much better and was able to do more. I still get tired after some exertion but it's getting better everyday. If you are in clinicals or something of that nature, I will definately say that it will be harder for you to do that because for the first week, it took all my energy just to shower and dry my hair. If you are in regular class (lecture) then you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck and best wishes!

I would also love to know if the compression garmets work before I shell out the $50 - $100 for one. Thanks for this topic!

AWESOME!!! Keep up the good work! I hope to be celebrating the same way soon!

I currently have the Implanon, had it now for almost the 3 years. I can say that I thought it was perfect for a long time untill I started noticing that the little bit of stray facial hair that I did have started getting to be more and more. The next year when I went to my OB/GYN, I asked her about it because I thought it was suspicious that it happened after I got the implanon. She told me that it has nothing to do with that and I took her work for it because I thought that she wouldnt lie. Recently, I started researching it because I was having really irregular periods (none for 6 months- a year, then having one for over a month) and I saw alot about the irregular periods (of course) but I also saw that alot of people had difficulty losing weight or weight gain, FACIAL HAIR GROWTH, and also a sensitivity to viruses. I can tell you after reading that, I could really see that stuff being true after reviewing my life for the past 3 years. You don't really put two and two together because it seems like such an insignificant thing but I kind believe it has been a source of problems for me. Back when I had it put in I did read on the pamplet that it had not been tested on people over a certain weight so I don't know how much that had to do with my problems. I would definately do as much research as you can online and talk to your doctor before deciding. Hope this helps! Best wishes! Monica

Barb, I can tell you that for my band surgery, I wanted everybody's support and I though that the more people that knew about it, the more support I would have. The second time around with my sleeve revision, I only told a few close family members and friends. I guess because I realized that I don't want to depend on other people for support. It should come from with in, especially after what we have been through with the band. I understand that your daughter might not agree with your decision, my dad didn't either, but she will come around and I would not change my decision based on one persons opinions. It might take a while but she can learn to be supportive without agreeing with your decision, just like my dad was for me. Good luck and best wishes!

Lets see, had my surgery on the 6th, wensday, thursday I was able to go home after trying some full liquids at the hospital. I would say that the gas pain has been the worst for me but my surgery was a little more indepth since I had my Realize Band removed at the same time. I have been fighting to get in liquids, much less protein but I guess that is to be expected. Other than some slight depression, I feel good considering all that my body has been through. Stopped pain meds on Thursday and haven't been doing anything but laying around (which is probably the reason im getting depressed). I guess i'm so ready to get a somewhat 'normal' life back it's really hard for me to lay around and do nothing. Also my stomach is so temperamental and it makes me not want to eat or drink which is depressing because I know I am only doing myself harm. I hope this will pass soon... Good luck to everyone that just had surgery, may we all have speedy recoveries...

I feel your pain speedy, although I didn't have the complications you had, I can totally relate. I too felt like I was bulimic because of my band. I'm sorry that you are not able to get your sleeve yet but hopefully with time, your body will heal some of the damage your band has done. I was lucky that I changed insurance and was able to have a revision to the sleeve, otherwise I would have been stuck with it. I just had my surgery on the 6th so currently I am fighting the gas pain and also trying to drink but hopefully it will be worth it in the end. Good luck and best wishes! Monica

So, I'm gearing up for my sleeve surgery... 11 more days! I am so excited! Everything is happening so fast... I started my pre op diet on Thursday and it hasn't been that bad but can I just say that I will NOT miss my band and all the problems I have with it. Tried to eat some egg beaters this morning and got stuck epically... foamed and pb-ed for hours... wasnt able to get in my pre op diet requirements... now have horrible heartburn. I swear, the band has been one of the worst decisions I have ever made... I just pray that things will be better with the sleeve

wow, for those of us that choose the band and have switched or are switching to the sleeve, this should come as no surprise... It's amazing to me how we are brain-washed into thinking that this is the best WLS choice... I just hate that I spent two and a half miserable years TRYING to lose weight with this piece of crap.

Thanks Becca, I agree with you totally. All I can say is this is a new start for me and I am trying really hard to keep all the negative thoughts out of my mind. It's really hard when you have felt like a faliure for so long ... you wonder is this going to be just another failure... I'm doing really well on my pre op diet though, haven't cheated at all, which is surprising for me cause I have always been the "one bite won't hurt" person.

I'm glad you did too Lily, I wish more people would talk about problems with their bands because I think we are led into thinking that these problems don't happen to everybody that has a band. I also think that maybe these doctors are getting kickbacks from the companies that sell Lap or Realize Bands, I mean, why would they be pushing the band so hard when there is such mixed results? And think about it, when you get the RNY or the sleeve, there is no device or whatever, so basically no outside company is making money off the surgery. Sorry for the mini rant but I get kinda pissed when I think about how much time and money I have put into my band and I am no where near where I want to be (weight wise). I am very fortunate that I now have insurance that will cover a revision to the sleeve, otherwise I would just be stuck with it.

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site and I'm looking for some advice... I had my Realize band placed in Sept 2008, over the first year and a half, I lost aprox. 85 pounds but over the last year I have gained back at least 30 pounds. To make a long story short, my problems started when I began getting my fills and I had a really hard time trying to find my sweet spot. I would think I was there but then it would be end up being too tight or too loose. Over the course of 2 years I had to go in for a couple of emergency unfills, had several barium swallows, and had an endoscopy. My doctor was horrible and acted like everything was my fault. He would always say that everything looked ok from the tests and tell me I was eating too much or whatever. So many times I would feel like I was becoming bulimic because my band would be so tight that I keep very little down, but if i went in for a slight unfill, I would be able to eat pretty much what I wanted. It was a vicious cycle that would last for about 3-6 months before I would have to get unfilled. After my last unfill, I pretty much just gave up on my band and have been miserable for the past 6 months. I switched my insurance and just recently found out that they will pay for the sleeve. I went to get a consultation on a revision with a different doctor and the doctor told me that we could try the sleeve and later revise to bypass if im not losing like i want to because i expressed to him my concerns about the bypass. But he recommended the bypass for me because of the amount of weight I have to lose and the problems that i have had with the band. I'm now at a crossroad because I want to lose this weight that I have struggled with my whole life but the reason I went with the band was because I didn't want the drastic change of the bypass. But now I have the option of getting the sleeve, which seems like the way to go but I'm also considering the bypass now. I just am really unsure because I'm young and I still want to be able to have kids soon without any problems. I'm just so confused because I still have at least 150 pounds to lose and I don't think I can make it through another disappointment like the band. Any advice would be appreciated because I plan on having my revision soon and my time is running out... Thanks for listening.... Monica

Yup sounds just like my life since the band.... I did get my surgery date and it is April 6... I couldn't believe how fast the process is compared to my band surgery. (It took me about 11 months to jump through all the hoops that Blue Cross made for bariatric surgery). I am so excited and can't wait to get this band out! I started a pre op diet on Thurs, which isnt so bad. Im thinking of it as my divorce from food. I am not going to let food take over and control my life any longer!

I wanted to update with what my doctors office told me... they said that it would be a good idea to put plastic jewelry in and cover them with bandaids. If it was a bellybutton piercing, I would def have to take it out. Thanks for all the input! Seems like my piercings are safe for now!

Yeah I think I am going to get some plastic retainers. I am going to ask when I go in next week and make sure there wont be a problem with the retainers.

When I had my band surgery, I was honest with EVERYONE! I was so excited and wanted to share. It was ok at first except all the " so how much have you lost?" questions. But once I started having problems with my band, I totally regreted telling anybody. They have this expectation that you are going to be barbie when you walk in the door one day. When I have my sleeve revision, I'm only telling CLOSE family and friends.

omg i would die if my parents found out ( I think they would die as well) lmao I thought they would make me take them out but wasn't sure, using the plastic barbells is a good idea, im just scared to change them cause i have a friend that changed hers too soon and she ended up with an infection in her breast scary stuff... I had them pierced about 3 months ago so they might be ok...

oh believe me I know, I had a VCH but ended up taking it out not long ago because I kept having problems with it so I guess it wont be so bad considering now I only have 2 piercings, instead of 3 lol

I'm going to ask when I go in next week (*awkward conversation*) lol

I think after reading on this site and some others, that I am def going to go with the sleeve. I just can't get past the massive trauma that you body goes through with the bypass, it just doesn't seem safe. I read a statistic that 1 in 350 die from the bypass whereas 1 in 1000 die from the sleeve. That seems like proof enough to me that I will try all other avenues before going to that extreme. Thanks everyone for responding, God knows i'm going to need all the support I can get. I will never forget when I was getting ready to have my band surgery and I got on lap band talk, it seemed like most people were in their own little cliques and they didn't want to talk to anybody but their clique. It really made me feel like an outsider, and the same thing happened at my support group too. It seemed like everybody had their own little group. Everyone on here seems to be really helpful and not negative... So do you guys have any advice for me as I start this process? I'm going next Tuesday to do a mental evaluation and to meet with the nutritionist. Hopefully I will be able to have my surgery within the next month.