Elisabethsew

WOW. You certainly went through hell but I'm glad that you, your baby, and the family are all well and happy. You should be commended for being able to keep any weight off given the nightmare you went through. Congratulations on getting a date for the sleeve. You'll find it's nothing like the band and in your case, that's life saving.

Congratulations! You are truly a success story and people like you keep me motivated. I know you're loving your new life.

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad and hope that all goes well for you there.

I love the idea of making of list of "thing I want to do" and gardening is something I love. I'll be having two total knee replacements in a few months and really feel I'll have my life back once the rehab is over. I also think making long and short term goals with rewards is important. We're working to be healthy and rewarding milestones is a good thing. When I get out of the 200's, I am definitely going to take a weekend trip.

I got a little protein (5 g) from drinking the Kelloggs Lemon Protein Water. Like you, I could not stand the taste of any of the Protein drinks. I called and was allowed to use a soy drink (Soy Slender - health isle of grocery store) that tasted good... no awful taste. It had 8 g of protein, a few carbs and Fiber. Call and ask if you can use it. I started it on day 5 post-op.

MUP means the nexium dissolves in water. Yes, you can take Protonix and yes, you can crush it. The only pills that can't be crushed are ones that say LA (long acting), ER (extended release), and pills that are enteric coated (like some aspirins) because they dissolve in the small intestine, NOT the stomach. If you do get the Nexium in Mexico, ask for the 40 mg mups and break them in half. Dr. Aceves prescribes 20 mg a day for 3 months. Buying the larger dose is cheaper and you get double the amount for a few dollars more. If your Protonix is covered, don't bother with the Nexium.

You make a good point. One of the things I am loving about the sleeve is that no food is a bad food unless I decide it is. With the band, people had a laundry list of what they could not tolerate eating anymore. The sleeve allows me to make healthy choices because no food is not tolerated. Now that fruits and veggies are "in season" I am enjoying them in small portions.

I agree! The Gas X did nothing and I packed too much. Walking and trying to bend down as close to the floor as you can get helped the most.

Congratulations on your decision to have surgery. Dr. Aceves is wonderful and so is the staff. When I arrived at the hospital, "Lucy" was literally waiting at the door for me and pre-op testing began that minute... no waiting at all. My poorest eating habit was portion control. My eyes weren't bigger than my belly and my belly was never full. With the sleeve, you DO feel full and if you try to push that full feeling, you get a wave of nausea. As for drinking with eating, I just don't put a glass or a beverage next to my plate. One time, I did have a bottle of Water near me and unconsciously took a drink. It didn't do any harm but it was at the end of the meal and caused me to feel overly full. I'm a nurse so I know what you mean about eating on the run. You'll still be able to eat your lunch in 30 min but the quantity of what you eat will be a lot less.

I am feeling great. I went back to work in a week and have actually slept on one pillow flat on my back since coming home from Mexico. Prior to the revision, I stopped eating and drinking 6-8 hours before I went to bed in the hopes I would not wake up gagging on stomach acid. I finally took to sleeping in a chair.

You ladies are just days away from your new life! I know you're excited and you better keep us posted. :-)

Welcome home! I'm glad to hear that all went well. Traveling is exhausting and you will be tired for a good week. Make sure you get lots of rest and keep us posted on your recovery.

Hi Natalie, Thank you so much for sharing your story. Too many of us can relate to the horrors we experienced with the band even though we followed the rules. I'm very glad that the bad times are behind you. Thank you for being the "first" to share your story.

Thank you to everyone for their support. I took a 6 hour flight to CA on 3/31 and arrived in San Diego at 11:30 "their time". The driver, Ernesto, was waiting for me at the baggage area and put my luggage in the van and drove me, and another passenger, to Mexacali. This drive was about 2 hours long. I was taken directly to the hospital where they were waiting for me and had blood work, urinalysis, EKG, chest x-ray, and then an esophagram to evaluate and completely unfil my band. The last stop was meeting with the coordinator to get pre and post-op instructions and to pay the balance for the surgery. I was told I could have anything I wanted to eat (was on a 30 gram/day carb diet for the week prior to surgery) and driven to the Lucerna Resort which is beautiful. As I worked the night before, I elected to have the sandwich and protein bar I brought with me, showered, and fell asleep. I took the antibiotic they gave me before I went to sleep but did not take the ativan. At 7 AM on 4/1, I was picked up and taken to my room in the hospital. I was seen by a medical internist who reviewed my tests (all good), an assistant surgeon (who was sleeved the day after me), an anesthesiologist, and finally, by the surgeon, Dr. Aceves. All questions were answered and I was the second sleeve of the day. I got dramamine and versed to take 30 minutes prior to the OR and that knocked me out. LOL. My IV was inserted in the OR and I had spinal and general anesthesia. The spinal dramatically decreases the amount of general needed. Since I don't do well with general (severe nausea), I elected for the spinal too and had NO problems in the recovery room. All I remember about the recovery room was being asked if I had pain... nope, and being told I was going back to my room. I got some IV pain medication at @ 4 AM and then had sublingual (under the tongue) toradol @ 1 PM. For me, this surgery was a lot less painful than the band. At noon, I had to drink small sips of water. An hour after that I drank apple juice with a blue dye in it. This is the second test (first done in OR) for leaks. I have a drain near where the port was and the hope is that no blue color comes through to the bag. I passed. After that, I was brought hot tea, tang OJ, and apple juice. My IV was taken out this evening. Tomorrow morning, I go for the last leak test and will have to drink a radiograffin substance. If I pass that test (and I have no doubt I will), the drain gets removed at noon. I will leave the hospital at 5:45 AM on Saturday to make my flight in San Diego for home. I have nothing but positive things to say about this experience. As a registered nurse I was very watchful and am impressed with the care, cleanliness, and professionalism I observed.

I'll be celebrating the 3rd anniversary of being banded by getting ready to kiss it good-bye two days after that milestone. Like many of the others who can no longer tolerate living with the band, I am having a revision to the vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) on 4/1/09. Unlike many people seeking weight loss surgery, I have never been a normal weight. I managed to eat myself up to 440+ pounds, diet down to 195 pounds, and then regain to over 350 pounds. I was drawn to the band because it promised restriction. I already taught myself to eat healthy and was not a junk food eater. I could look at cake, cookies, chips, ice-cream, etc, and not desire any of it. Put a loaf of hot, crusty bread and butter in front of me and I was in heaven. THAT I could not pass up and I could easily eat the entire loaf. The band was going to prevent me from being able to do that. I was a model patient, did the pre-op diet, and went into surgery confident this was going to be the tool that would get me to a healthy weight. I suffer from arthritis and need two total knee replacements so this surgery would allow me to lose weight, walk without so much knee pain, and get me in shape for the eventual knee replacement surgery. At 6 weeks post-op I was told I could get my first fill. I was hungry those first 6 weeks but I stuck to the post-op diet and was sure the fill would "do the trick" and allow me to feel the same restriction others were posting about. I felt that way after the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th... fills. What I did get was heart burn and acid regurgitation. I was placed on Nexium and told everything was fine and to increase my exercise. Fast forward to today and I am miserable. The heart burn and acid reflux have now become an everyday event and it's now becoming constant. I eat dinner, stop eating and drinking after dinner, and wait until after midnight to go to bed. Right next to my bed is a huge wedge pillow that basically elevates me to a relaxed sitting position. Sometimes I can get to sleep lying down like I used to but it doesn't last long. I am awakened choking on the acid reflux or feel the awful burning in my upper chest and quickly get myself into an upright position. I did not fail the band. The band failed me. Because I "only" have heart burn and reflux, the two surgeons I consulted wanted to either place a new band, manipulate the present band, or convert me to a gastric bypass. I would have to start a lengthy paperwork of MD visits to "prove" to the insurance company that this is necessary. If I don't want to wait, the self pay price is $25,000. Unless I win the lottery tomorrow, that is not an option for me. I had researched the various weight loss surgery options available and decided a VSG would be the right one for me. I never ever felt any restriction lasting more than 2-3 days so the 70 pounds I lost, and kept off, came from me dieting. I eat healthy but I eat too much and that means a restrictive surgery is what should work best for me. Iron deficiency anemia rules out me getting a gastric bypass. My knees are now considered "terminal" and total knee replacement surgery WILL need to be done soon. I finally reached the point where I said, "enough is enough" and can no longer with the quality of life the band has afforded me. It's got to go. So, after doing extensive research, I'll be making my first trip to Mexico but it will be as a patient and not a vacationing tourist. LOL. Dr. Alberto Aceves was the standout front runner when it came to selecting a surgeon and he agreed to perform my surgery. I borrowed some money from my sister, saved some, and emptied my savings and will travel to Mexico on 3/31 for all the pre-op requirements. Surgery will take place on 4/1... April Fool's Day. However, the joke will be on the band and the winner will be me because THAT day will mark the beginning of a new and improved life for me. Please keep me in your thoughts. I am traveling alone and nervous... a good nervous. I'm at peace with my decision and April 1 can't come quick enough.

I would not advise another band but if you want to get another one (or another weight loss surgery) they can do it all in one procedure so talk to your surgeon. I'm sorry you are having problems and hope your pain subsides.

I don't know of any but it's always a possibility. Whenever there is an emergency, a surgeon will convert to an open procedure.

I emailed Alex and he said he'll announce it very soon... a day or so.

I think they were objecting to you insinuating they were dumb for choosing the band. I know you did not use those words in your post.

I'm glad you got good news and I'm sure you'll be good to go for the revision.

I am hoping it's up and running in a week or so... less would be better. Alex said he would announce it here.

I had the band for 3 years and, if I didn't have such a horrible time with it, would still have it today. If you read more threads, you'll see where the current complication rates were posted for people with bands. Maybe that's what the poster was referring to. At any rate, we're all in search of a healthy weight and chose the most appropriate weight loss option for ourselves. Some of us HAD to revise from a band to another option in order to preserve our health.

I was confused too!

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll be very happy.

Give it a few days and the new message board will be up and running. Alex is calling it verticalsleevetalk.com.