crystal525

My nurse practitioner said we absolutely CAN get dumping. I get it. Mine is associated with too much fat. For the first several months whenever I ate dinner outside of my house I immediately had to lay down...chills, rapid heartbeat, bathroom visits frequently. It's subsided a little now, but I'm a lot more careful of what/how much I eat while away from home. Some docs say this does not happen outside of the bypass, but there's no other name for this.

I had my band out in April 2012 and was sleeved in January 2103. My surgeon would not do it all in one surgery because of the increased risk of a leak (the risk was NOT 20%...I don't think I would have ever done it if I had a 20% chance of getting a leak...). I have had no complications and am very happy with my decision. Do your homework. Good luck.

It's definitely life-changing! I can eat fine now, but I got used to alot of things having had the band first. But...I still struggle with head hunger. Some things you won't learn by anyone else telling you. Research and then research some more. I'm very happy most days, but I won't lie some days you just want to eat... But at 5 months out I can eat most things just in very limited portions. I am down 40 pounds and happy with it so far because I put very little effort into it. When I go to the gym, the weight comes off faster. I need to start doing squats to lift up the rear, but I'm happy with how my body is bouncing back for the most part (after all I am 40!).

Mine started about 6 weeks ago. I was sleeved on January 14. I just finally had to get it cut off. The hair balls in my brush daily were depressing me. Now that it's short, it's nowhere near shedding like it was...my profile pic is before...here is me now...

I was scared too. Had a horrible time and basically only lost because of my throwing up with the band. Eventually my pouch dilated and I gained nearly every pound (80+) back. I haven't lost as quickly as I would have like too (but then again I only lost 30 pounds the first year with my band and I'm already down 36 pounds after 3.5 months), but my experience has been so much more satisfying with the sleeve. I get hungry every few hours, but I am satiated after a few bites of whatever I am eating. I do appear to get dumping-like symptoms after high fat meals, but usually only when I eat out. You can find my story under my posts. I had the band for 3.5 years. I used to say I would still get it because of the weight loss...but after the removal and regain I have changed my mind. So far (knock wood) this has been a great decision for me. Best of luck!

Mine was 5 hours! But I was a previous band patient with lots of scar tissue to be cleaned up and had a hernia to repair! Surgery at 730am. Out a little after noon. In recovery until about 5pm (don't remember exactly...). Home after 2 nights in hospital. Could have went home after 1 night but aside from being so far from the hospital (nearly 70 miles) I hadn't had a bowel movement....lol. Was thankful for the extra day of rest because that one extra night was a huge difference in a reduction in the amount of pain I had right after surgery.

I just want to update my story. I'm almost 7 weeks out and am doing well. I've not had any buyer's remorse (which I'm shocked at...could be that I was prepared by having had a band for 4 years???). I've not really had any problems getting liquids/foods down. Now getting my Protein in is a challenge. I just bought more shakes a few days ago and until then have avoided all Protein Shakes since my 3 week liquid diet. Just the smell of them were making me sick! But they are going down very easy now. I have been in basically a stall (except for may 4-5 pounds) for the last 3 weeks, but I do know that it is my fault for not getting the protein/calories that I need. Beginning with this past Monday I've been trying to eat every two hours even if it's just a few bites of greek yogurt, a stick of cheese or a slice of deli meat. I have been out to eat several times and nearly EVERY time I have symptoms of what I can only describe as dumping...now I thought being a sleever we wouldn't have dumping syndrome but I can attest that each time after eating out I feel sweaty, nauseous and nearly ready to pass out. Sometimes it passes after a few moments, other times I have to keep it together until I can get out of there. I just told my hubby last night we're going to have to stop going out. And all I'm doing is eating a few bites off of an appetizer and a few bites of whatever he has. Now after researching here, it seems like more people are in fact getting these same symptoms. Mine seems to be related to fat as opposed to sugars though. But the good news is that I'm down nearly 30 pounds in 6.5 weeks--most were lost during the first 3 weeks though (I will know an exact amount at my follow-up appointment on Monday). I feel good and I'm hoping to fit into my summer clothes for my Las Vegas trip in a couple weeks....I had outgrown EVERYTHING summer that I had. I've started running/walking a few times a week and hope that as the weather gets nicer I can add in another walk during my lunch hour at work rather than sitting and eating at my desk everyday. I work in Washington, DC so I have no problem finding new routes everyday. I'll try to post here at least once a month to keep others updated and especially for other band to sleevers looking to read about other's progress. My full band to sleeve story: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/34812-band-to-sleeve/ Here is a comparison pic of before and after...the before pic is really bad so....

I'm very proud of you. Sometimes we all have to realize that WLS is not brain surgery and there isn't a switch that turns the emotional side off in us. My weight was stalled but I knew my problem was that I hadn't had a protein shake since my first 3 weeks and I hadn't been eating enough. Sometimes we know what to do but it just takes time for our head to catch up. We'll all get there eventually...kudos to you for having the courage to tell us all what you ate, for being accountable...ALOT more people do but never admit to it, and especially not here. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey! Crystal

Just added you! I'm crystal52573.

Yes...lots of things make me nauseous now. It sometimes passes quickly, other times I have to go lay down. I always make sure to eat very light when I'm not at home. For me, I think I've narrowed it down to eating too much fat...which brings me to the fact that we are not supposed to get dumping syndrome... It is not pleasant at all.

I was 229 at my 3 week checkup (down 21 pounds) and I'm still not out of the 220s at 6 weeks out. I'm a band to sleeve revisions and I know I'm not getting enough Protein so I'm pretty sure that's my problem. I've started making better effort at my protein intake and started running so maybe that'll kick start my loss... I go for my next appointment next week and I'm hoping to be officially down 35 pounds (5 pounds per week)...that'll put me at 215. I guess I'll have to see! I know I need to force feed myself at least one Protein shake a day, but can't seem to at the moment since my liquid phase ended... I think you are doing great, especially at such a low start weight. Good luck with your goals! Crystal

Yep. It's completely normal. Besides the meds and no solid foods, the disrupting of the bowel area and stomach causes it too. I had the same issue...still do, just not so often, from all the protein.

I threw up daily with my band. I have only felt like I got stuck twice since I've been sleeved and it passed. I even bent over the toilet like I used to (it used to just come right on out). Not now! I do get nauseated alot though with smells and if I eat certain foods. I think my sleeve is getting used to new foods after being on liquids for 3 weeks. My blockage NEVER cleared itself with the band. I always had to bring it up.