juanfa

Hi Folks, I posted about 10 days ago saying that I had surgery on October 10th after having a lap band removed on June 1 of this year. My issue was that I was not having ANY problems with consuming liquids and was actually consuming so much that I had gained weight after the surgery. Many people advised that I would feel restriction as soon as I started consuming solids and to not push my stomach. I have had a deep seated fear that the doctor did not take enough of my stomach due to the fact that I was close to my goal weight. Even though I know it wasn't wise, I decided to eat some small amounts of solids in the hope of having some physical reaction. After a few days of taking small bites of solid food and having no response three nights ago I ate a pie sized piece of quiche, no crust, with potatoes and onions in it and about 8 ounces of soup, yes, you read that right. 14 days after surgery I ate that and had NO physical response at all. No nausea, no restriction, no fullness, nothing! It is as if I never had the surgery! Last night I ate about 3 ounces of baked chicken, about 3 ounces of tofu and some deli meat rolled up with cheese...no reaction. Today I ate 1/4 cup of cashews...no reaction, nothing, nada. I feel physically great but emotionally devastated that I have gone through all this and paid $14,000.00 out of my pocket for nothing. I simply can't believe this has happened to me. Talking to my Doctor will do no good. I am sure that he is not going to offer to redo the surgery and even if he did, should I trust him after this and do I want to go through this again? Has anybody ever heard of this happening?

Proudgrammy, I lost the 70 pounds using the lap band but it severely damaged my stomach. So much so that the Dr. said it was contracted into the shape of a ball due to the scarring. I was 140 at surgery having gained 20 pounds since the lap band was removed. I would have thought there would have been a discussion also if less was going to be removed. Msemma, I appreciate the intent of your suggestion but if I or any of us on this board could have used self-control/will power then none of us would be having this surgery!

I originally posted that I was so concerned that I was eating so much because I have been SO hungry since the surgery. My hunger also leads me to believe that it was not done properly. My doctor did say that the 42 bougie was less prone to cause leaks and that is why he used it. However I have read in the forums that there is little difference in size, that they are all so small that intake is seriously restricted. I just googled some info on bougie size and the first study that popped up states : LSG results in significant weight loss in the short term. When stratifying outcomes by bougie size, our results suggested that a bougie size of 40F compared with 60F does not result in significantly greater weight loss in the short term. However, longer follow-up of the primary LSG group is required to determine whether a difference becomes evident over time. There is really only a very slight difference in bougie sizes for example a 32 is 4/10 of an inch in diameter and a 42 is 5/10 of an inch in diameter, so you can see 1/10 of an inch increase in a stomach that is the size of a marker is not going to allow for more than an ounce of additional food. I also ended up befriending my roomie who got the 42 bougie size and is very restricted in what she can consume so it doesn't make sense that bougie size would be my issue. What MIGHT be the issue is that he didn't use a bougie which is a possibility because he said my stomach was so scarred from the band that it was in the shape of a ball.

Thanks Splatter3, I appreciate your brainstorming possibilities to what seems a really unbelieveable story. I had the band taken out on June 1 at a different hospital/different doctor but your idea actually seems more plausible that the reality of it! Kyllfalcon, I am hoping that you are right, that is why I am posting in the hopes that someone can tell me that they had the same experience and that it all turned out well in the end. I am holding on to a small sliver of hope even though I just sat down and had a good cry.

Not taken the wrong way. I plan on meeting with him at the follow up. One of the issues is that he is German, his English is OK but not perfect so sometimes communication is difficult. Before the surgery, I asked him what size bougie he used and he told me 42. Regardless of his answer, the bottom line is that he did not follow protocol obviously because the surgery did not work unless there is a history of this happening with some patients even when the surgery is done correctly. At this point I am hoping for some feedback from the experienced people on this forum who may advise me that this does or does not happens sometimes when protocol is followed. Regardless of his answer, I am left 14,000.00 poorer and with the prospect of having to pay again and go through the surgery again. That idea devastates me. Thank you for your feedback.

Hi Folks, I am now two weeks post op and still hungry and consuming a lot! I have not lost any weight in the past week because even though I am on liquids, I can consume a lot of them. Three plain greek yogurts a day, a couple of protein drinks and probably about 20 oz of cream soup. I am also drinking about 2-3 liters of water a day. I feel absolutely no restriction at all, no response to my intake. No nausea, no problems whatsoever. I am starting to get concerned that the Dr did not take a big enough part of my stomach out. He said it was severely damaged due to the lap band that was removed 5 months prior. Tonight I made homemade vegetable soup and pureed it in the food processor. It is a pretty thick soup (about the consistency of spaghetti sauce) and I ate about 8 ounces and in a short period of time as well, about 10 mins. No restriction although it did seem to dull my hunger a bit. I have not seen anything like this on the boards, has anyone else experienced this? I am starting to think a little irrationally, that maybe the Dr. only removed a small bit, I couldn't imagine having gone through all of this to have him not remove the proper amount of my stomach. He told me that he uses a 42 bougie but from what I understand, there is not much difference in bougie size when it comes to stomach capacity/restriction. I have also posted about my hunger and some people said that it took 10-14 days to dissipate but I am still as hungry as ever. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.

Went back to work 6 days after the surgery. I thought that was best for me because it forced me to be up and about and moving. It also took my mind off of the extreme hunger I have been feeling!

It will get better! Just be patient and look at each day as another step towards feeling better. What you are going thru now is perfectly normal.

Yes, I slept a total of about 5 hours for the 4 nights I was in the hospital, part of the problem probably being the kidney infection that I had, ouch! Since being home about 9 days it has been erratic but getting better. I was waking up about 5-6 times during the night, now I am down to 2 times. It will get better. I have Ambien but have found that it is best to just be patient and reset on my own. Ambien does not seem to work well for keeping me asleep. Glad to hear that you are home and feeling better.

I shop for probably 90% of my clothes at our local thrift store (frees up my income to travel which is my passion). I am lucky because it is a good one. Rarely does a day go by without someone complimenting me on my clothes, often a total stranger. The key is to go often, at least once a week and to acessorize with costume jewelry and scarves, hats, tights etc. I have so much fun dressing myself now because I spent years hiding in the equivalent of burlap sacks!

Hi, So your posts have given me much to think about. I am taking a PPI and getting plenty to drink so I know it is not acid or dehydration. I think what is going on is that I am "searching" for the feeling of fullness (which I got when I overate with no WLS) or the restriction that I felt with the lap band. I think I am overeating in an effort to feel one or the other. In addition, the idea that I am not reponding by feeling restricted is giving me a lot of anxiety which I then try to calm through eating. Let's face it, if it was as easy as just measuring out my food or stopping after 20 mins., then none of us would need WLS. We do it because we need some type of "stop" mechanism which is the restriction that makes us all stop. I am not having that so I am basically back to square one, where I was without the WLS as I am not actually experiencing any of the symptoms of WLS that prevent us from overeating. With that being said, I have recognized that I am overeating in response to searching for fullness/restricition/anxiety and will be patient in waiting to test my new stomach. Thank you for the feedback, it has been most helpful in my self-reflection.

Hi Folks, I took Allie, an over the counter version of Xenical before the surgery ( I am 2 weeks post-op) and was wondering if I can continue to take it (after opening up the capsule and disolving the small pellets in water.) Has anyone done this? I take it mostly because it helps me tremendously with bowel movements as I am very prone to constipation especially with this pre-op liquid diet. Thank you.

I was sleeved on the 10th and have been so hungry that I literally could not sleep. Last night, I seem to have broken a barrier and slept through the night and woke up about 25% less hungry than I have been which seems to be the difference between ravenous and STARVING! So, I think it will get better for you. Be patient, each day brings improvement. I too seem to be able to drink water, protein shakes and yogurt and soups all day long without any restriction and it doesn't seem to fill me up either.

Had my band removed as an emergency procedure in June in the states. I contacted Dr Weiner who agreed to sleeve me. When he went in he found my stomach so damaged from the band that he said it was in the shape of a ball from all the scarring. He has sleeved me, I am five days post op and feel great! I commend him on his experience, skill and courage but am now seriously thinking the band should be off the market.

Both my hospital roomie and I can not sleep from the hunger. This is not head hunger. It is stomach growling loudly hunger. I thought this procedure was supposed to help with hunger. What is up?

Hi Folks, I have been reading the forums and learning that many people rapidly gain weight between the period of time that the band is removed and having VS surgery. It will be four months between my procedures and I asked my general practitioner to prescribe me phentermine to help control my weight gain because my appetite returned with a vengance. I am wondering why this is not a general practice with revision patients to help them maintain their weight loss until the sleeve surgery. If anyone knows, I would appreciate being enlightened. Thank you.

Hi Folks, A brief synopsis of my situation. I was banded in 2007 at 210 pounds (self pay) The band was always problematic for me and I lost a great deal of weight because of the huge amount of discomfort I suffered. My goal weight was 120 pounds and I reached it and actually dipped below that to 115 because my band was too tight. Fills were difficult and expensive to schedule so I suffered. In June of this year (2012) I went to the hospital for a fill because the previous fills seemed to have no effect. It was discovered that the band was cracked at the juncture point and had partially opened and slipped down over the bottom portion of my stomach. Emergency surgery was performed and it was removed June 1, 2012. I cried and cried because even though the band was extremely uncomfortable for me for most of the 4.5 years that it was in, it was still my best friend and had allowed me a quality of life never before enjoyed due to my weight loss. My doctor told me that I needed some time to recover due to extensive scarring before they could perform a revision. I told my doctor that I did not want to regain the weight again before I could have the surgery. He assured me that this would not be the case. The records say that a revsion would be considered after a 4 kilo weight gain. Needless to say since I started back on a regular diet of solid foods I have gained 6 kilos (about a pound a week.) I am daily fighting the impulse to eat everything in sight and feel that with help and hope on the horizon that I can stave off weight gain but am also terrified that they will penalize me and say that they will not perform the surgery because I have my weight "under control." Has anybody had any issues with revision because they have not gained weight rapidly since having the band removed. I know all this sounds crazy but my emotions are all over the place and I am terrified of returning to my previous level of obesity. The only reason that I am holding on and able to exercise control is because I know that it is for a limited time only (October 9th) but if I am refused based on the fact that I "appear" to have it under control, I know that the hopelessness will crush me and I will return to the comfort of overeating. I would appreciate any and all feedback on this matter.