triplezero

Hi, I'm 32, never married, no kids. I'm still finding this dating process to be daunting, and I think I'd be much more comfortable and compatible with another WLS patient. Please contact me if you feel the same way.

Hi, Browsing through the site I stumbled upon your thread about being inexperienced with dating. I can really relate to what you have written and was wondering if we could chat sometime. I'm also 30 (I guess you're 31 now), had the lap-band done in 2008, have maintained a reasonable weight for a while now (~150 - 160), but still have some interpersonal anxieties related to being obese throughout my childhood and adolescence. It would be great to talk with you about your experiences. I have a pretty nonexistent history of dating, and would like to find a relationship, but it's just so hard to know where to begin at this point (it seems like most people paired up around college, so it's hard to not feel insanely far behind and left out). Being private about my weight loss history contributes to social isolation and makes it difficult to open up to anyone. Anyway, I was just hoping to make a friend and have someone to talk with about all this. I live in CA, but it would be great to chat online or via phone. Maybe we could give each other dating advice, or who knows if we might even hit it off (probably a long shot but you never know). I don't have a support group, and I think you said you don't have one either, so let me know if you're interested. I could PM my phone number. Hope to talk with you soon.

Hello Everyone, Is there anyone who lives near here who would like to meet up? Or does anyone know of any established groups I could join? It would be great to have some support! Thanks, Annie

I just did a google search for local therapists in my area. None took my insurance so i had to pay out of pocket but they have a sliding scale so its not awful. I go every other week and I can't for sure if its working because its still new but I'm going to give it a shot before i consider taking any medication. That's smart you're giving it a try. I hope it works well for you!

I don't really have any advice for you but was just wondering what type of therapy you're doing and how you went about finding a therapist. Being obese or formerly obese messes with our emotional wellbeing so much, and I definitely have struggled with anxiety as well. I have never even felt confident enough to start dating, although I have lost the majority of my weight. It would be great if you wanted to talk more about this sometime and maybe help support each other. Message me anytime!

This problem is embarrassing, but I wanted to see if anyone has any recommendations. I had a tummy tuck and no longer have the apron around my front, but I still have these inner thigh fat/skin rolls that can be seen through most pants. Compression garments advertised for thigh compression that are underwear with longer legs don't seem to work. I need some sort of sleeve to go around my thighs. I was looking at some on amazon that are designed for hamstrings injuries, but I'm not sure if they will work. Any advice? It's getting depressing to have so few options for pants, especially with the thin fabrics this time of year.

Thanks for the response! Sorry I didn't see it for a while (I don't log on here very often). A workout buddy would be great! I'm not sure where you're located, but if you live close to Redlands it would be great.

Thank you to everyone for posting! I appreciate the info and will check out Loma Linda.

I have had the band for over 5 years and am thinking about switching to the sleeve at some point. My weight is improved from where it was before I got the band, but I haven't been as successful as I had hoped. I would like to get back on track with my weight, and it would be very helpful to have a support group. That's great that you have your surgery coming up! Are you participating in a support group through your bariatric program?

Hello Everyone, Sorry to hear that the group has been discontinued. I never attended but was hoping to start. Are there any plans to get the group re-started? It would be great to have some support. Annie

I needed an emergency adjustment while in SoCal and had a good experience with Dr. Awad in Palm Springs. It might be too far East for you but if you can't find anyone closer, I would recommend him. He was very nice and helpful. It's hard to find good places that accept patients for fills without charring ridiculously high program fees. Dr. Awad at Desert Regional Medical Center charges $250 for fills without a program fee. He was very understanding and gave me the exact fill I needed in one visit.

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Hello everyone, I realize there are several threads comparing the band to the sleeve, but I am still trying to find more information from people who were unsuccessful with the band and have had the revision done for a significant amount of time. I have been morbidly obese since childhood and was banded in 2008. I lost a significant amount of weight in the first 2 years but have gained half back in 4 years since then. I am so tired of the constant obsession and shame I experience regarding my weight and food. I just wish there was some way that I would be able to better control this struggle and live a more healthy and productive life. With the band, even when it was filled to 7-8 cc, the dieting has always been much harder than I have been able to live with long-term. If I am really putting full effort into religiously controlling my intake, the band seems to lessen my hunger to a moderate degree. However, I was surprised at how subtle the feeling of restriction is with the band, and I am still able to eat large portions in one sitting without any difficulty. Right now I just need to do something drastic about my weight, either suffer through more strict dieting with the band or possibly revise to the sleeve. What I am wondering is how much of an advantage does the sleeve give you compared to the band in controlling the urge to overeat? I know that the process of surgery, with liquid diets and the novelty of a different procedure, would cause me to lose a lot of weight initially. What I want to seriously consider is whether the long-term weight management efficacy of sleeve compared to band makes this revision surgery worthwhile. Does the sleeve give you much better restriction than the band? Does the reduction of ghrelin make the constant desire to eat much more controllable? Does lowering the weight "set-point", which a surgeon I spoke with claims occurs with sleeve and bypass but not band, really help you? I would greatly appreciate hearing all thoughts and experiences.

Thanks for the replies, guys. It's really helpful to hear as many viewpoints as possible. I still have the band for now, and am giving it another try. I have just started a new job that is great but very stressful, and it's probably not in my best interest to have another surgery for the next 4 years or so. At that point, I am already thinking that the sleeve might be my best long-term option, or possibly even the bypass. It was a pain to get that finicky band adjusted properly, as 7.5 gave me all kinds of too-tight symptoms and now 7 cc seems possibly too loose. It seems to be helping for now, though, and my goal for now is to work with the band, even if it takes a year or two to lose 50 pounds. I suspect that the sleeve might be the best way to maintain weight loss long-term, and I would really like to follow your journeys over time.

Thank you for the response. I'm trying to figure out if getting my band revised to a sleeve is worth it. I know the stomach functions more physiologically with the sleeve, so you don't get all the esophagus problems and potential for pouch dilation or slips. My band anatomy is normal and I don't have to have it removed due to complications. I'm wondering if not needing to eat/getting full/staying full is superior with the sleeve. I feel like the band is somewhat helpful but not nearly enough to drastically control my weight long-term. I suspect that the sleeve would produce superior results and be a more permanent operation with less risk for long-term complications. In my situation would you get the revision if your band did not have to come out?

Overeating is easier with the sleeve? I was under the impression that the sleeve would physically stop you from overeating more than the band does. Would you still be able to eat large portions with the sleeve if you ignored the feeling of "satisfied"?