apricotsmommy

I had to share...I hit 100 pounds today from my pre-band weight. I'm down 78 from my sleeve on 12/17/13. For those of you whose doctors say revisions don't do as well as "virgin" sleevers...I say, heck NO! I still have a ways to go, but I'm still losing it!

Hi all, I just had to share a funny NSV this morning. I'm sitting in my desk chair at work and realize my feet are dangling like a little kid and I'm not siting all the way back in my chair....I had to go find the lever to change the depth of the seat since I didn't need all that extra room for my butt anymore !!!! That was a fun one! Take care, Kristin (Down 92 pounds from pre lap band weight in 2006 and 69 pounds from sleeve revision. In December.)

For what it's worth I did ablation years ago but it wasn't crazy painful. It was more like annoying itchy than major pain after the first night. An itch somewhere u can't scratch. There are also liquid pain meds, etc. and I could take most of my pills within a week or so. My Wellbutrin is tiny and I could take that on about day 3. But I have another thought. Have you researched the Mirena at all? I was thinking hysterectomy because I was nearly bedridden with my periods, and the pain would wake me up, etc. since I got my Mirena nearly all of that cleared up. I only bleed every few months and barely need a pad for how light it is. My doctor told me about a lot of benefits too. My uterine lining went from 12 mm to 3 as well. Be sure both doctors know what's going on as well so they can help coordinate your treatment. Also significant weight loss will affect your periods in frequency, heaviness, duration, etc. For what it's worth, I'm almost 40, no kids and no and for kids, so that made it an easier decision than it might be for many.

Oh and was it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. And I did have some complications (MRSA infection at port site). I would still do it all over again. I have had friends and family comment over and over again that they are happy to see me eat normal food. Even when I was still on puréed food I felt and ate better than I had with the band in years. I was 284 when I got my band, lowest band weight was 217. On my revision date I was 261 and three months later I'm back to 218. This time around I am way more confident I did the right thing. I don't regret my band....six years ago I was scared of cutting and reversibility.

I never had a band slip or erosion but had a combination of reflux and food intolerances that were very disruptive to life. One advice I would give is make sure whoever does your revision has done many procedures and find a population of revision patients (virtual or real life) for feedback and support. Lots of folks say that we revisions still lose well but not as much as virgin sleevers. When I compare weight lost to others sleeved around the same time though, I'm pretty close to average. Just short of 45 lbs. in 3 months. I don't have a soft stop like I did with the band. Mine was a sniffle. But I can tell what almost full feels like pretty easily now. The first few weeks of solid foods I had to measure because I couldn't feel it. Eating too much is uncomfortable but I wouldn't call it painful. Way too much I'm guessing would hurt but I haven't tried. I can eat nearly anything at this point. No more obsession with texture or days where not even tea or Water went down. I haven't tried milk, sugary or fatty foods yet except a bite/taste. There's no "catch point" like I had with the band. This means when you take too big a bite or first start taking pills again you might find out what too big means. For me it was sliming and foaming a bit. That part was the same as the band and is basically gone for me. I was afraid to drink for several weeks after surgery because of all of the band issues. For me it turned out to be all in my head and not reality at all. I don't really feel much hunger at all, not like the band where my stomach was growling and I couldn't do anything about it. But I do find it harder to stay on top of eating and fluids more than with the band. But I also had the band for six years so I just might not be remembering. Also I think the postop diet was easier to bear the second time around. I think because I knew it was temporary. Feel free to PM me if I missed a question.

I had nausea around weeks 6-8. It was almost like vertigo, mostly with movement. I also had a post op infection then though, so its unclear what caused the queasiness. I wore a scopolamine patch until it went away. It the grand scheme of things, it was an inconvenience more than a big issue. The last poster was right too, sometimes when I try a new food or texture, I feel funky too. Frankly it's the heartburn I complain about most. I'll be at three months on Sunday and haven't had any nausea lately.

Hang in there! We are all rooting for you! I did gain a little but just try not to go too nuts. I hope your revision is the best for you! I am so happy I did it. I can eat nearly anything but in very tiny portions. A huge change for the better for me. I wish the same for you!

We lessened but did not unfill my band. I think I went to 2.6 cc from 4.1. I was having trouble with vomiting and was at that level for about three months before we did my revision. It was all in one procedure. He would have done it without the unfill, but the unfill was what made me decide on the revision. I did have a complication with an infection in the incision where the port was, but to be honest I would still do the all in one procedure again, even with the surgery to fix the infection and abscess. My opinion is that was an unlucky and rare thing, not a deterrent to doing both in one shot.

You asked about yogurt and pudding....those are okay when the doc says full liquids. With my doc that was a week. He also said to wait a couple of days on gulls to try them. Don't want to make you sad but many folks mention fairy intolerance for some period of time after surgery. Other have no issues at all. Also, just a thought but maybe try half a scoop of the unjury. A half scoop in grape Gatorade didn't suck too bad for me. I won't say best drink ever either though.....

I can't wait to buy a cute purse and know the straps aren't too short. I can't wait to sit in the rocking chair my great grandmother rocked my grandfather, my grandfather rocked my mother in, and my mother rocked me in....without worrying I'm going to splinter a million family memories.

I was a band to sleeve revision, minimal scarring. From wheeled away to my mom getting told I was doing fine was 90 min. I was in my room about three hours later. Almost zero pain for me....must have had a great anesthesiologist because the nurses kept telling me to push the PCA button and I didn't need it. I went home the next day after I could drink on my own. I had some other issues (infection where my port was) so while I originally went back to work after a week, three weeks later I had a second surgery and other issues that made me miss a month.

Sleeved 12/17, and was a lap band revision. Down from 261.5 to 220. Bought a pair of size 18 pants today! First new clothes, but my best friend threatened to rip my baggy butt pants off me in public. Was a nice fight to have! Does anyone else get shaky after their first calories of the day? It's like my heart is pounding really hard. No gas or diarrhea, just the shakes. Doesn't seem to matter what I eat first (tuna, protein shake, cream of wheat, etc.). Any advice?

Okay, deep secret time. I ate a whole box in a day around week four. guess my head hunger needed to go on a binge. For what it's worth, doc said no limit and laughed at me when I asked if it was okay.

I got dizzy too for about two weeks. I also had some nausea with it. For me it was around week 10 and 30 lbs down. The doc thought it was vertigo and said sometimes people loose the fat pad in their inner ear with rapid weight loss. I wore a scopolamine (sp?) patch for about 10 days and it helped. (I even went to Disneyland.) warning this did make my vision blurry and I had to make the font really big on my computer for a while. Another poster mentioned hypoglycemia. My doc suspected that and had me test 30 min after eating. Apparently there's a phenomenon card reactive hypoglycemia where you overproduce insulin.) Hang in there!

Hang in there. I promise it does get better. I have done this twice now, once for my lap band and once for my sleeve. When you are on clears it's hard but do your best to stay hydrated. I kept a medicine cup on the table next to me. I also found sippy cups helped me not chug. At 4 days you aren't at much risk of dehydration. You had a lot of fluids during and after surgery. Just sip sip sip and it will get better. I promise. Some things you might not realize are clear: Skim milk (I did lactaid because I Heard so many others say they had dairy issues) sugar free Popsicles- at least gave the illusion of chewing unjury Protein powder-chicken Soup, strawberry and unflavored are all clear (saved my energy once I found this) Crystal light Diet snapple Boullion Strained broth out of soup. Low sugar or diluted juice (no pulp) Decaf tea (I love peppermint) My biggest advice is find a protein that is clear. I didn't have that the first time around and it changed everything this last time. And finally a big hug from both me and my Tigger pillow pet. Poor little guy got squeezed smushed and cried on so much these last few months.

I had this going on for a while and ended up changing toothpaste. I was using the Crest Pro and two days after switching to Sensodyne it cleared up. But I would also ask the doc to chime in because what you are describing g kind of sounds like thrush too. Have you had major antibiotics lately?

Hi, I got my band in 2006 and switched to sleeve December 16. I had it done all in one surgery. I was in the hospital one night and home late the day after. I chose to have my band removed because of food intolerances. Some days I couldn't even drink. I never had a slip or any erosion. I did have some scar tissue around my port. I had almost no pain after the revision (or the lap band) , but I did have one complication which I consider fairly minor. I ended up with a hematoma (capsule tube of blood about 3 cm long) where my port used to be and we tried to drain and pack it, but it hasn't healed. So I will have a minor surgery on Tuesday to clean and stitch the wound. The worst of this has been some itching from the tape pulling at bandage changes and some extra laundry from the leaking before I figured out what was going on. Overall, I'm still pleased with my choice. By day 3 I was already swallowing more smoothly than I had for at least a year. I still have some anxiety around it though. I've also had some relearning to do. I just moved to soft foods and the sensations of enough food aren't the same And I find time and measuring are time only things that work. The postop diet for me is easier this time around....probably because I already sip instead of chug drinks and actually chew my food now. I know this is a small novel, but feel free to PM me if you want to hear more. I know revision was a frustrating call for me to make. Best wishes as you figure out the right thing for you, Kristin

Mine's Dr. McKeen. He did my lap band in 2006, so we are old friends by now. what's your date? I will be rooting for you! Also, I see you're coming from out of town. PM me if you need any area info. I've lived here so long I was born at Good Sam. ~Kristin

Hi! I'm also getting sleeved (and lap band removed) at Good Sam. 12/19. Good luck!