HeatherA

Hi everyone, I'm going to share with you a post I just posted on the Vertical Sleeve forum in case it helps anyone else. I'm a lapbander that is considering revision to VGS. I've been banded since 12/07 and have a possible (probable) slip. I had a CT scan July 1 and go for the results on the 14th. My doctor and I have discussed (briefly) revision to the VGS as opposed to repositioning my band. This was all done prior to my CT scan so I don't know how bad my slip is. He is 100% sure I've slipped and since I spent the entire month of June barely eating anything solid, and most days not even being able to tolerate liquids, I'd tend to agree with him. Since he removed 5cc on the 29th I've been able to eat normally for the first time in nearly 2 years and have gained 10 pounds! I am down about 72 pounds since being banded. I've been less, but have been re-gaining over the last year even as I fight to keep my weight in check. I'm happiest under 200 but have not been there in the last 12 months. I'm hoping if I revise to the sleeve I will be able to finally get to my goal weight (160ish) and not have to keep fighting myself all the time. The band was the only reason I have not re-gained to my highest weight, it's been just enough to slow my gain but I'm tired of not eating until 3pm, not being able to drink much earlier in the day, throwing up, having complications like a month of not knowing if I can eat from day to day etc... BUT I'm scared of the revision. It's such a major surgery. The fear is the main reason I shied away from RNY before getting my band. Now I have those same fears with the added concerns of what happens to my body after the band and port are removed. I'd love to hear from anyone else that has made the jump from Lapband to VGS or even a re-placement of your band.

Hi everyone! I'm Heather and I'm a lapbander that is considering revision to VGS. I've been banded since 12/07 and have a possible (probable) slip. I had a CT scan July 1 and go for the results on the 14th. My doctor and I have discussed (briefly) revision to the VGS as opposed to repositioning my band. This was all done prior to my CT scan so I don't know how bad my slip is. He is 100% sure I've slipped and since I spent the entire month of June barely eating anything solid, and most days not even being able to tolerate liquids, I'd tend to agree with him. Since he removed 5cc on the 29th I've been able to eat normally for the first time in nearly 2 years and have gained 10 pounds! I am down about 72 pounds since being banded. I've been less, but have been re-gaining over the last year even as I fight to keep my weight in check. I'm happiest under 200 but have not been there in the last 12 months. I'm hoping if I revise to the sleeve I will be able to finally get to my goal weight (160ish) and not have to keep fighting myself all the time. The band was the only reason I have no re-gained to my highest weight, it's been just enough to slow my gain but I'm tired of not eating until 3pm, not being able to drink much earlier in the day, throwing up, having complications like a month of not knowing if I can eat from day to day etc... BUT I'm scared of the revision. It's such a major surgery. The fear is the main reason I shied away from RNY before getting my band. Now I have those same fears with the added concerns of what happens to my body after the band and port are removed. I look forward to reading more of your posts, and hope you'll share anything you want with me to help me make this decision as informed as I can be.

No, thankfully I only have reflux at the times that I'm too tight and constantly regurgitating anything that tries to go down. When that happens I try to take those tums powders and settle it down... doesn't ever work.

SOB... I just got home... the good news... I'm not slipped. The bad news... I'm not getting a sleeve. The CT scan showed my band is in place, my pouch is fine and my esophagus is fine. My doc's only answer was to put 4cc back in my band. He took 5 out 3 weeks ago and he said I also had 2ccs of air he removed today. I go back in a month. So weird that I would have such symptoms without a fill in over 18 months and everything is just hunky dory... I still have a feeling something is just not right and I'm not sure where to go or what to do.

Thanks Charlene! Less than 2 hours and I'll have some answers!

OH geeze Wheetsin. Sorry to hear what you're going through. I've not had the pleasure of such a test yet and hopefully will get by without one, but who knows what's coming for me.

Tomorrow is the day I finally get my CT results and find out what's going on inside of me and whether I can move toward a revision to the sleeve. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I need them!

I've been doing well since my unfill at the end of June. Could probably live like this for quite some time... except that I can eat pretty much anything and everything and that scares the hell out of me. This time around it does seem like I can tell a difference with my unfill, weird deep burps etc... but that could be in my mind since I've got it set on the slip. It's kinda weird not knowing what's going on inside of me.

Hey Wheetsin, I remember you from the LBT forums don't I? Your name seems very familiar to me! I'm waiting with you... it's the worst. I just want to know what's wrong and get it done. I'm not a very patient person. Thank goodness for these boards. I'm trying to get myself well versed on what's coming down the road. I don't think I'd get re-banded even if the option presented itself. I'm ready to get this thing out of me and do something that is more permanent even though that scares me a bit.

Dang this board, I just had a long post ready to go and the board lost it! In a nutshell, very gastronomically sick today and was unable to go to my Surgeon's office to go over the CT scans. He won't be back until next Wednesday so now I wait until Thursday for my re-scheduled appt. From that day I have exactly an 8 week window in which to get surgery and recover before I won't have anyone to cover for me at work. :-( I'm not sure if the revision will be doable, and now I also have to wait another week to find out how bad things look on my insides. Why I had to get sick today of all days? I'm very depressed and the next week will seem sooooooo long!

Thanks for your replies everyone. I know a few people from my surgeon's office that had the sleeve as their first surgery and loved it. My biggest fears are the surgery itself, recovery and the possibilities of leaks. I'm sure you all get that. What I've been reading about the surgeries that have no complications just sounds heavenly. I never thought I'd want my band gone, but I'm there now. I'm terrified of living without something to help with restriction, but the bad has started to outweigh the good. I'm really nervous about what the CT scan shows is happening in my gut. I go in Thursday to discuss the results and plan my next step... which if my INS will cover it will most likely include the sleeve.

I'd like to hear more about the pros and cons of doing the revision surgery at the same time as band removal. I do NOT want to have two surgeries if I can avoid it.

Bob, you are not alone!!! Hang in there. I go tomorrow for my first fill in a year. I am struggling too. Congrats on finding a job that's a good fit for you. That can help make things easier mentally to get back on track!

These threads are so quiet these days! How are you all doing? I'm hanging in there at about 84 pounds at just nearly 3 years out (not sure what my sig says as I haven't been on these boards in quite some time.) and I'm going in for my first fill in a year tomorrow. I was doing great on my own without much restriction (it comes and goes) and was exercising and eating right until about June. Then I hit a wall and I've put back on about 14 of the 23 pounds I lost until that point. I figure I have this tool, I'd better use it! I'm really scared though to go back to being filled and will have to re-learn a lot of my band habits that have slowly slipped away. All I know is that I do NOT want to gain any more weight back and since I can't seem to get myself going on my own I need help somewhere. Recognizing this really feels like a step in the right direction for me. In the past I'd wait til I was way out of hand and then be so far gone it'd be a real job to get back on track. Anyone else dealing with this this far out? EDIT: Updated my tracker and I've gained just over 12 pounds in exactly 6 months so I'm averaging a 2 pound gain a month! EEEK!

OMG I wanted to die! It was so horrible. Not only was it painful but it was so embarrassing. Warning... this is graphic and might contain too much information. Stop reading if you don't want the gory details. I was at the mall with my daughter and it was free Auntie Ann's pretzel day so of course we got one and went to sit down. I took a small bite of mine and then had a bit of her cinnamon one that I must not have chewed well, or eaten it too fast. I wasn't paying much attention and I should have been. I felt the pain in my chest but figured it was just a normal slightly stuck feeling and it seemed to subside. So I gave up on the pretzel... it was my first doughy bread bite since banding... and got some chick-fil-a nuggets and sauce for lunch. I ate half of one and chewed well, but I don't think the pretzel must have gone all the way down so the chicken just seemed to sit on it and that was all it took. I was for sure stuck. It hurt like hell in my chest and my back. I just sat there with my daughter waiting for it to pass as the pain usually does fairly quickly. This time it did not. I spent an hour and 15 minutes in the food court in misery. I couldn't talk, couldn't move and I started sliming like crazy. I have never experienced anything like it. I went through about 30 napkins as I just held them over my mouth and slimed into them. I just wanted to die of embarrassment. The pain was awful and the slime was disgusting. I kept trying to burp it up but it wasn't moving. I did eventually get hiccups but that didn't help either. I just wanted to die... have I said that already? Finally when my lower stomach started cramping I made my way across the food court to the bathroom and by the time I got there I was ready to vomit. I heaved twice and the first one was a gallon of slime, the second was well chewed chicken nugget. I felt better after that, but my stomach is very sore and I've put myself on liquids until tomorrow. I'm not sure if it was worse because I was so embarrassed, but I can imagine that I will definitely be much more careful when eating anywhere other than home. I never want to go through that again. That's my story.

I don't think the weather will be a factor at all. We're not supposed to get any more snow until Sunday/Monday or later. Forcast is for very cold but sunny! I'm ready for a snow break! See you Saturday!!!

I was banded right before I turned 38 and I lost 85 pounds in my first year. I have two friends that have lost well over 100 in their first year, and several others that are right around where I am... all local. So I'd say if you work it, it will work. Hope your surgery went well and I wish you luck on your journey!

Actually it's on sale for $179 and the sale ends today 1/31/10

Kath, I am still using The Daily Plate and then transfering the calorie counts to the BB site because their journal sucks IMO. What I did was set up a generic food called Calorie (x10) and made it worth 10 calories. Then I use 12 servings of that to journal 120 calories worth of food etc... by keeping it at 10 calories I didn't have to fill out the fat/sodium or other fields on the form. It's worked great. TDP tracks my nutrients and I can journal from my phone, and I can still see my numbers as far as deficit and burn on the BB site. BTW... 3 days in and I'm down 4.4 pounds! Whoo! Oh and I was wondering if you'd be willing to let me try your wrist display for a week or so (if you can bear to part with it) at some point so I can decide if I want to spend the $80 to buy it. I keep getting mixed reviews from all of my reading as to whether it's worth it. Also, I did add you on a private email on FB for my friends with the BB... not sure if you got any of the messages or not. ============================ Melissa... do you have the Go Wear Fit?

I'll be there! I am on day three of wearing my new BodyBugg so hopefully I'll have some good thoughts and info to share!

The invitation is open to all! Whether you are pre-band, newly banded or an old band pro. Friends and family members are also welcome to join us for these meetings. The more the merrier! Everyone is welcome! Where: Polaris Mall food Court When: Saturday January 09, 2010 Time: 2 p.m. Look for us near the entrance to the Great Indoors store in the back corner seating area next to Chik-Fil-A. If we're not there look for a large group of folks sitting at several tables pushed together in the areas on either side of the Great Indoors... that's usually us :-) Hope to see you there!

Kathy, we actually had a nice little get together last weekend, though we missed you and it was a small group. We're still on track for the meeting on January 9th so I hope to see you there! I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I've been pretty steady at my weight for over a year now and still hoping the last 35-40 pounds will come off some time in the future. Haha. I've just stopped fighting it and am trying to enjoy the fact that I'm 85-90 pounds less than I was 2 years ago at this time. (Today is my 2 year bandiversary) I think you have the right idea when it comes to getting counseling. I think that could help you come to grips with issues that manifest in food, but don't really stem from food. I'm always available via phone and email. Don't be a stranger... {{{HUGS}}}

The invitation is open to all! Whether you are pre-band, newly banded or an old band pro. Everyone is welcome! Where: Polaris Mall food Court When: Saturday August 8, 2009 Time: 2 p.m. Look for us near the entrance to the Great Indoors store in the back corner seating area next to Chik-Fil-A. If we're not there look for a large group of folks sitting at several tables pushed together in the areas on either side of the Great Indoors... that's usually us :-) Hope to see you there!

The invitation is open to all! Whether you are pre-band, newly banded or an old band pro. Everyone is welcome! Where: Polaris Mall food Court When: Saturday March 14, 2009 Time: 2 p.m. Look for us near the entrance to the Great Indoors store in the back corner seating area next to Chik-Fil-A. If we're not there look for a large group of folks sitting at several tables pushed together in the areas on either side of the Great Indoors... that's usually us :-) Hope to see you there!

Thanks Kath! I totally dropped the ball on this month's invite!