girliegirl

hi, I'm looking for doctor recommendation on Long Island if any? Thanks

Im looking at your stats and your weight doesnt seem soooo bad. i mean you said that you need this surgery? are you faced with medical problems now because of your weight? or r u just having band issues? im guessing your band is still in?

Im curious to see the responses you get on this as well because your story sounds just like mine. I havent made an apptmnt for a sleeve yet, I am stopped by my fears. I am so afraid of something going wrong with the sleeve that it stops me from scheduling it, even though i want it so bad. I keep saying and trying on my own but im not getting anywhere.....

i had my band removed because of complications 5 years ago and i didnt opt to have another surgery at the time. it was just removed!

Reading your comment I know exactly where you are coming from, because we had made this entire decision years ago and the procedure we had chosen failed us miserable and not only that it has damaged our inner organs. Exactly did that to me which I wanted to avoid by choosing the band and not the bypass. And here we are again, in front of the same overwhelming decision, what to do. My doctor wants me to do it in 2 separate surgeries but since I suffer from systemic Lupus, every additional surgery can trigger a Lupus flare up with I am more afraid of then any surgery. So I am not only in the dilemma to find out if I should do the sleeve but also how and when. Even my surgeon sees the point of doing it in one shot might be the better solution for me in my situation. But before making any final decision I need to have all the information I can gather about my special condition combined with my physical health conditions. Also I might not have the 5 years you have and I just want to get to the body and life (at least as closely as I can get) before saying goodbye to this world. I am not young and I have waisted 10 years of my precious life on this horrible lapand with all the pain and suffering attached to it. I am getting tired to fight this battle over and over again. I just want it done and leave the past 10 years behind. Does that make any sense to you ? when i got my band out i didnt plan on waiting 5 years for the sleeve. i hoped and prayed at that time that i would be able to maintain my 75 lb weightloss, as i was pretty close to where i was happy, although i wished to lose another 20lbs. well over the years i had gained all the weight back so thats where i stand now. i often wonder if i truly try hard enough to lose this on my own. i ask myself if im so afraid of surgery than why not do it myself? really really try, even if i lose 50lbs id be very satisfied. i am not super young either, im 43 with 2 kids that depend on me and i should be able to get some sort of grip on my weight myself. im going to wait it out throughout the summer and see how things are going for me after that.

i used to have a band too. i had mine out now for 5 years and on deciding if i want the sleeve still. im very unsure. i mean sure i want the weightloss that comes with the sleeve but im just very afraid of complications like i had with the band. my doctor did tell me i was more at risk for leaks but didnt seem to concerned. i asked him if its better that my band has been out for as long as it has and he told me yes! maybe you are better off having your band out for a while before getting sleeved to let everything heal up. these again will be questions for the surgeon.

i havent had your issue but did your doctor say this would resolve or improve once your band is removed? maybe have your band removed for a while and see how things go before deciding to get sleeved.

Thanks girliegirl. I will definitely keep praying. You do the same. Good luck. When are you scheduled for surgery? im no scheduled yet. i am still struggling with the idea of having it done or not. i did a few tests so far.

sounds like me. im so afraid also because i had a lap band then a lapband revision and then i had my band removed. im sure i have a lot of scar tissue from all these surgeries and that makes things so much more risky. i can totally relate to you. just keep praying!!! good luck

OMG karen, im so excited because i see we are using the same doctor. did you get a surgery date yet?

sounds like me with the band too. mine slipped about a year after i had it, i then had another surgery to revise it but the doctor warned me that once a band slips it usually always will slip again. well about a year after that band slipped as well. since i was pretty much as goal too, i had the band removed . here i am 5 1/2 years later and my weight is all back. im considering the sleeve for the past 2 years. im just very nervous especially since i had problems and i was also told i would have a lot of scar tissue which mean im at a higher risk for leaks!!!!! im scared!! any advice or words from anyone???

i thought the sleeve didnt cause reflux , only in people who already had it to begin with. which is true?

what exactly is stomach lining seperating?

yes i was gong to clarify that for her as well. im glad you did. the sleeve is permanent and the stomach is removed!

okay so what does cancer have to do with it? was he concerned because if you ever had stomach cancer that they couldnt make you a new stomach because it as reduced?

i have been on these boards for way to long. i say to myself as im sure many people might say to me "either shit or get off the pot!" lol. i just go back and forth with the decision to have this done. so many different emotions and fears, i guess. im afraid it wont work. im afraid something will go wrong down the road, like maybe ill need my stomach back for some reason when im older. i dont know...crazy right? maybe my sleeve will twist or leak etc etc. im emotionally drained. i have prayed and tortured myself with this. i stay on these sites to see how everyone is doing, to say to myself, "see that could me you if you werent so damn afraid and such a worrier". how will i ever get past this. ughhhhh

yes how can we follow each other? id like that. i started going through some of the required testing but now Im telling myself to give it one more try on my own, give myself through the summer. i know im crazy, but i have been doing so much research and i often read of some people having surgery after surgery after surgery and I dont want that for myself. i need to really try my hardest to see if i can get any long term results or some kind of weightloss going. ughhhhhh...im torn over this

i had my band removed 5 years ago because it slipped. i have been on and off again with getting the sleeve. I want it but I just seem to alway back away because of fear.

wow...im not sure what I would do either. I am back and forth myself with the choice to have the sleeve or not and I keep changing my mind for the exact reason you posted. i wonder to myself when is enough going to be enough for me? i too had a lapband surgery then a revision surgery then a removal surgery 5 yrs ago and now I regained everything i lost. I ask myself when am I going to hold myself accountable for losing some weight myself rather than expecting the weight to come off with a surgery? im not sure what I will do? i want the surgery but im very afraid and I will pray for clarity for myself and maybe ill pray for the strength to be able to do for myself a bit. even if i lost 50lbs on my own Id be satisfied. its so hard.....believe me i know. good luck with whatever you decide!!!

oh i know what you mean. im sure nobody plans to regain their weight back after the band is removed, I know i didnt, but unfortunetly it happened.

well maybe once the band is removed you will gain the weight back, then you can switch to the sleeve during that time if need be.

good luck to you. you story with the band sounds like mine. i was banded in 2006, revised in 2007 and had it removed in 2009. im debating on getting the sleeve. I go back and forth with it.....

okay thats great news to hear. Im pre op and i often wonder so many things, thanks for telling me like it is... It is ABSOLUTELY worth it. I am 45. I'm profoundly sad that I didn't do it sooner. It IS a game changer. There are times I'm frustrated but I was on the road to an early grave last year. I would NOT have this kind of success without it. When you are preop, there is a tendency to think/hope that this is the end-all, perfect fix. What surgery doesn't change is; the stress in your life, time management (for exercise), cravings (although so much more manageable after surgery), and hard work (planning meals, avoiding soft carbs). It's still hard work but it's WORKING! My high weight was 325 (maybe more). I was so very sick last year. Just miserable mentally, spiritually, physically. I'm not that person today. I'm 7 weeks post op, down 56 pounds (including pre op). Life is so much more manageable and enjoyable. PMS is still tough. I was hungry before my last period, badly. But it's temporary and on normal days (whatever those are) I get hungry but my brain is beginning to understand "it's no big deal, you'll eat a little and be satisfied". Not sure if others feel/felt this way but preop, hunger could induce feelings of panic. That is going away and it's a relief. It IS frustrating to get soooo full so quickly and wish you could eat more. But that is my brain being retrained. So no, I don't regret it.

but if you could undo it would you? is it worth it to you?

hi, I am wondering what is the best way to research and choose your dr? i have been torn between 2 doctors and Im even interested in a possible 3rd that I have read great things about. If i go on their websites they all claim to say that they are the #1 dr in the world, they performed the most surgeries in the world, they work out of the finest hospital in the world, etc etc, you get my drift. any tips? or is it just go with your gut and who you feel the best connection with?