Nevergoback

Best Wishes...hope everything goes as planned.

I totally agree with this. I feel like at this point with 20 pounds left to lose, it is totally up to me. I can eat almost anything and sometimes can 'fit' up to 8oz at a time. With the band, I would just 'pb' it..I could do that almost at will and that was how I got down to 150 lbs... not very healthy. Now I fight my evening 'head hunger' with a cup of tea and it works. Sometimes I treat myself with a caramel or two, but can stop at a reasonable amount, whereas before....well you know how that used to go. Also, I have stopped all the daytime 'snacking' which was a major contributor to my weight gain after the band was removed. When I get hungry I look for protein first. Again YMMV.

I alway had some restriction after every fill, but always seemed to be able to eat a lot. About my 4 or 5th fill, the doctor had bought his own flouroscope and did fills with an immediate barium swallow to see restriction. Well at this point the surgeon no longer did the fills himself. The person filling me added fill, did barium swallow, didn't see good restriction then hit me again then did it all again. That night I threw up water which was a first for me. My previous experience was that I would loosen up by the next day. I didn't go back immediately for them to unfill me, because I wanted to lose more weight faster. Sometimes I could eat things, but could barely drink water, how is that possible? Got to where I was eating ice cream every night for dinner. Then I started getting reflux and doing the regurgitate stomach acid in the middle of the night waking up just in time to make it to the bathroom. A staph infection forced my band removal, but I was relieved to have it taken out even though I knew I would start gaining the weight back. That is when I met my fabulous surgeon who removed my band and eventually did my VSG procedure. So that's it.

I bet you are so glad to be home and have all this behind you. Keep a stiff upperlip as you go through your liquid phase, it goes faster than you think. Good Luck to you!

Hi Elisabeth, sorry to hear about your band experience. I had my band removed exactly three years after having it installed, almost to the day. Pretty happy with how the sleeve is working for me and hope you have success with it too.

Good luck on your revision. I have to note that you are having your band removed on the three year anniversary that you had it installed, same as me (installed 6/2005, deinstalled 6/2008.) Maybe there's something to the 3 year mark.

I have one extra scar, there was the one from my port that he couldn't cut over.

I had to wait six months after my band was removed because it was removed due to a staph infection in my abdomen. During that time I gained back 43 pounds. I had great success with the band, the initial weight loss was not that much but I lost about 1 to 2 lbs per week until I would plateau, then have another fill for a total loss of 65 pounds. With the sleeve, I lost 10 pounds the first two weeks, now I am losing 1 - 2 pounds per week. I haven't weighed today but I've gone down from 192 to 179 the last time I weighed. So that is 13 pounds. I expect now that I am off pureed food, that rate will increase as it did with the band. You can get in a lot of calories during the pureed phase. When I am at work I keep a variety of things in the fridge, cottage cheese, yogurt and sugar free pudding, and keep Protein powder and a blender there. I am only 29 pounds from my goal, so I don't expect to have a high rate of loss. I am walking 1 to 2 miles per day outside (weather permitting) and have dusted off the treadmill. At least I am wearing pants now that have not fit me since last year. Yesterday I had to tell myself stop being impatient, after all it has only been 4 weeks, I want to see the entire 43 pounds gone in one month...how silly of me. In answer to the other question, I went back to work after 8 days.

My doctor put me on Full liquids after day two, this included yogurt, sugar free pudding, cottage cheese, cream of wheat cereal, milk, thick soups. The yogurt and pudding really helped at those times I was really hungry. Listen to your body, you will know when to stop eating. Now at two weeks I can progress to pureed foods. He told me to go slow when I start transitioning to 'real' food and to be careful with meat. When I saw him yesterday and he said I was doing great. I only have 30 more pounds to lose. My next visit is in six weeks.

Sorry, I have not been able to get on the forum for some reason. I am doing great. And yes, I was on full liquids after day 2 and it makes it much more tolerable. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, just make sure the consistency of what you have is liquid enough to sip through a straw (without the straw, they are not allowed.) Tomorrow marks two weeks and I believe I have lost 10 pounds. I didn't weigh on my home scale before I went in, so I could be a pound or two off. I don't care, I tried on a pair of pants today that are a half size smaller and they fit. I've been wearing 18 - 1/2W and almost breaking out of them, but the 18 misses now fits (remember I was a revision and had not gained all my weight back from the band.) I kept all my small clothes in anticipation of this surgery. I have not had a problem with nauseau, but certain smells will set me off. I had to tell my coworker her perfume was making me ill. She does apply too heavily, I will have to teach her how to properly apply perfume. Today, I tried to eat a half cup of cottage cheese which I finished in about 30 minutes. I should have taken it a little slower, because I felt like I could toss it. Luckily, we have a jogging path around a lake at work, so I got up and did two laps which helped. I'm glad you are over your nausea, there is nothing worse. Friday is two weeks and I can start pureed foods, also it is my followup day with the doctor. So far, so good. I am very happy in the way my new stomach lets me know when I have had enough. With the band, you get a terrible pain in the middle of your chest, I have not experienced that with the sleeve (although I am not on solids, so we will see.)

Wow! what an ordeal, good luck on your new journey

My first morning home (Friday)I tried some coffee, but we didn't have decaf and I really didn't want to finish it, so I only had a couple of sips. But now I have my cup of decaf for the morning drive to the office with no problems. Let us know how you are doing.

I forgot to remind you of the three things I wish someone had told me to do: Bring something with you to moisturize your sinuses, eye dropper or sprayer. You are going to be dry after surgery. I suffer from seasonal allergies and my head was like a ball of cotton. When they get you ready to take the dye test (nyquil-like) ask them about being able to wash your mouth out immediately after. If that means carrying a cup of Water with you, then ask for that and just spit back into the same cup. The stuff is not that bad, like I said it is like nyquil, and being able to rinse your mouth will be a godsend. When they bring your first tray of liquids, sip the water first...go slow. The medical assistant brought me medicine cups to sip from, so I wouldn't unconsciously take too much. That was very thoughtful of her. Ok, that's it. Anyone else?