my2bys9799

I discovered this site when I was doing some research, trying to find other people like me, who are converting from the lap band to the sleeve. I was amazed to learn just how many of "us" there are!

For so long I felt like a failure, and that I just didn't work hard enough, or that I just never learned how to use my tool. I got my lap band November 1st, 2010, and lost 17 pounds during the 2-week pre-op stage, and then another 5-10 pounds the first week post-op. But from there, I really had to work hard to lose anymore weight. I was going to the gym at least 3x per week, I was careful to follow all the rules about not eating/drinking, chewing slowly, but didn't have any restriction and was always hungry. My surgeon was only filling my band with .5 cc's of fluid at a time. Before I knew it, it was 3 years later and I'd only lost a total of 40 pounds (but that includes the 25 I dropped at the very beginning during add-on and the immediate weeks that followed), and I had about 8 cc's of fluid in my band that only holds 9 cc's! I couldn't eat hardly anything and was constantly getting food stuck. I was absolutely miserable, and too embarassed and frustrated to go back to the surgeon so I just dealt with it. Then, my employer added weight loss surgery to our covered benefits as of January, 2014 and I decided to look into whether it was possible to get the band removed and convert to the sleeve.

My first appointment with the new surgeon /bariatric office was at the end of February, and within a month I had my insurance approval, and my surgery scheduled for May 23rd. I am both nervous and excited, and my biggest fear is that this procedure will also fail...but the more I come here to this site, and read all of your success stories, the more confident I get.

My Husband is also having the sleeve surgery, and has already started his 2-week pre-op diet as of yesterday. His surgery is April 28th, and this time, because we are doing it together - I know we will both be successful!