babybowl92912

My surgeon said everything went really well and that I had minimal scarring so it looks like I can get sleeved in 3 months, which is the minimum wait time for his office. I am anxious to start this new adventure. I am a bit sore at my incision sites, especially where they removed my port, but I am really not enjoying the pain from the gas trying to escape my body. My shoulders are KILLING me. It is all worth it though, right.

I haven't shared my exact weight with him, but he does know I weigh more than him. He struggles with his weight as well and has recently lost 30 pounds in just under 3 months. He would like to drop another 20 pounds and plans to follow my pre-op surgery diet with me. One of my biggest goals is to weigh less than him, significantly less.

My surgeon's office will not do removal and the revision in the same surgery. He has a minimum wait time of 3 months up to 6 months. He prefers that stomach have time to return to a normal shape and that way he gets a cleaner surgical line minimizing the possibility of leaks. It isn't fun to have two surgeries, but I am kind of glad to have a moment to breathe before being sleeved. I have some serious food issues that I need to work out due to several food intolerances with the band.

I had my band removed yesterday and I have to wait 3 months as well. I hope to get sleeved the end of May. I am actually looking forward to having a moment between my band and my revision. I had my band for nearly 5 years and due to all of the issues I had with it (food intolerances, vomiting, etc.,) I have developed new bad food habits that I need to undo before being sleeved. I need the time to get my "head" right because I think that is where the majority of my problems come from. I am a bit worried about weight gain during this healing period though.

I do not hate the band, but I do hate MY band. I got banded in April 2009 and was successful in losing 60+ pounds and getting down to my lowest adult weight, but I really felt as if it came at a great cost to my health. Prior to the band I lost 85 pounds over 2+ years through diet and exercise and over about 4 months 20 came creeping back on. A couple of my friends had recently gone for consults regarding WLS and I decided to get more information. The surgeons in my area were only doing RnY and bands at the time. Bypass surgery seemed much more drastic than what I needed. I didn't like the idea of what nutrition I took in "food wise" not being absorbed by my body. I also knew that weight loss was much more drastic with bypass and the band seemed more like a "good tool" to keep me focused on my current weight loss path. The idea being that it would just help me reduce the amount I took in. In the beginning all went well. But about 4 months in I fell and hurt myself and was unable to workout (walking only and no long distances.) While recuperating I was keeping up with my fills and at about 6 month in I was filled up to 6 ccs in my 10 cc band. The minute I hit 6 ccs I starting having problems with my ability to get many foods down regardless of how much I chewed. This included most vegetables and meats. In order to get vegetables in I had to cook them within an inch of their life. Most of my Protein I had to get through Protein shakes and low-fat dairy options. I was not happy. I existed this way for several months. Finally, I went to the surgeon who removed 1/4 cc and it was slightly better, but it was never the same. My surgeon and I went back and forth filling and taking Fluid out of my band to find that "sweet spot," but we could never find it. Through this process I developed new disturbing eating habits that I am still working through. Once I was cleared by the doctor I went back to the gym, but my energy level was ridiculous. I actually almost passed out several times. I was completely discouraged. I lost a ton of muscle mass and felt more "out of shape" than I had pre-surgery although I was 60lbs lighter. Today, I still have my band. I am still at 5.75 ccs in my band, and as of two days ago I am almost 20lbs over my pre-surgery weight. One of my other friends who received her band shortly before I did had similar issues with and has had her band removed. My other friend, is still banded and while she has had some struggles has successfully lost about 100 pounds and kept it off. She is very satisfied with her band. I am so happy for her. She has worked very hard to get to this point and I am glad she found success with her band. I am working hard at trying not to see my experience with MY band as a failure. It is a tool, but it wasn't the one for me. As of two days ago I have started the process to get a revision of my band to a sleeve. I came on this forum through my research into this process. I have read all of the research and medical information but I wanted to get thoughts from actual WLS patients about their successes and struggles. I haven't really spent much time looking at the Lap-Band forums as I am trying to move forward, but there is still a part of me that wants to figure out if there was more I could have done and if others continue to struggle as I have. I hope that nobody is offended by this post. It was not my intention to cause drama. I am still trying to figure out where I belong on this website. This was the first thread that hit home for me. Thank you for allowing me to contribute.