TexasT

This is almost the same thing that happened to me last summer. I was out walking in my neighborhood after work and my husband drove by me in his car - without stopping - and went to our house. I soon caught up to him and asked why he didn't stop to say "hi". He said he didn't recognize me from the back when he drove by me, that he thought it was some skinny lady with long hair (I just recently grew my hair out - it had been short for YEARS). He said "I don't recognize you in those clothes either. I'm just not used to seeing you look like that." I've been with this guy for 31 yrs now - since we were teenagers. So he should know what I look like. Or maybe he's just getting old and his eyes are going bad...ha! So I guess even our closest relatives have a hard time wrapping their brains around our new bodies - we must REALLY blow the minds of people we don't see as often.

Sounds like your doc has the right idea. I'd increase protein, cut carbs down to nothing, and work out like crazy. Your body resists losing weight because it thinks you're starving it - it will hold on to that fat with all it's might as a form of self-preservation. But we are not cavemen and women anymore, food is not scarce, so you just have to re-teach your body that it's OK to lose that fat.

You are absolutely making the right decision. Ban the Band is what I say!! You will be so happy once you get that horrible thing out of your body. Life with the sleeve is wonderful and you won't regret it for a minute. Good luck!!

Tell me about it! If Dr. Barker would do some TV ads like Dr. Kim is doing, then everyone could see how gorgeous he is and the ladies would be going to him in droves - not that he doesn't have enough patients already - ha! Those ads he has now don't show off those beautiful eyes of his. Yummy!

Thanks!!! That made my day. I guess it's better to be old and thin instead of old and fat, huh? I'm just a stubborn Aries though and am having a hard time coming to terms with all this. All this aside, I know in 10 yrs I'll be thinking "What did she have to bitch about at 50?" So I'm counting my blessings instead of wrinkles and I know I've got it good. Happy Birthday to you next week!

Welcome to the site Melinda. Hope your breathing problems are much better soon. I know that pneumonia can take quite awhile to recover from. I think you'll be very happy with the sleeve and will reach your goal weight before you know it. I am also off meds for high triglycerides and cholesterol, depression, and no longer have sleep apnea. The sleeve has been a lifesaver for me! Best wishes!!

I'll tell you what is really nice now, and a COMPLETE change from life before the sleeve: I receive both Health and Glamour magazines. Every time I see a story about losing weight or a new diet, I don't even read it. I don't need to! I just think to myself - "you're at a healthy weight now - don't worry about it anymore". It has taken my brain awhile longer to catch up with my body - and I've been maintaining for over 6 months. It's amazing to me that I don't have to spend any more of my precious time or energy thinking about all those weight loss programs and diets. You will be so happy to be "on the other side" and focus on LIFE - no more worrying, stressing, or beating yourself up over what you eat. Best of luck with your surgery!!

I also wanted to add my welcome to the board! Just one thing I wanted to mention regarding your question about energy. My doctor suggested I take sublingual Vitamin B12 tablets, which I take each morning. The ones I buy are very inexpensive and taste great. In the US you can easily find them in the grocery store or pharmacy, so you may be able to do so in Egypt also. You might find that losing the extra weight will also help your energy level. Or course this is your decision, but my opinion about keeping the band after the sleeve surgery is that you won't need it as others above have said, and it may also cause you to have a hiatal hernia - if it hasn't already. I was found to have one when my surgeon did my revision. Best of luck to you!

Sounds exactly like my story too. Having all that plastic out of my body feels so freeing. The band is equal to a medieval torture device in my opinion!!! Insurance companies are always behind the times. In a couple of years they won't pay for the band and they'll go to the sleeve. I was self-pay for both surgeries, but it was worth it to get that horrible band removed. I DO NOT miss that feeling of food getting stuck. Life is so good now!!!

Welcome to the site! You'll find tons of info on here, so just read read read. I'll turn 50 this month, and wish this surgery had been available when I was your age. You're very lucky to be able to start on a healthier life at such a young age. I have no doubt you'll be able to run and do anything else you've been dreaming about. The sleeve is amazing! Good luck!

I can't comment on the Mexico portion of your questions, but I can vouch for the part about how you'll feel about food. You WILL still be able to eat pretty much anything you want to eat after your stomach heals (more so once you reach goal), so there's no reason to feel deprived or that you're missing out. I went to Italy last year, and ate Pasta, drank wine, and scarfed down gelato to my heart's content. My hubby and I go out each week for date night, and I always have a cocktail and whatever I want to eat. The good thing is that I can only eat 1/3 to 1/4 of an entree, so I bring it home and get to enjoy it for several more days. I think that's pretty cool myself. I still get plenty of joy out of food. One thing I have noticed though is that I'm much pickier about what I eat. It's more about the quality now, instead of the quantity like before VSG. If you feel that you'll have a problem living like this, then you might want to check into seeing a therapist. A lot of people do - just to talk things through beforehand. But from my perspective, it hasn't been an issue.

My surgeon's office has a clothing swap every so often. You might check with yours to see if they do that, and if not, if someone there can start one.

I also had my gall bladder removed and a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time I had my revision done. It was a piece of cake - sorry - I mean it went as smooth as a cup of low-fat yogurt - ha! It was really no worse at all than when I had my band done. I'm sure you'll do great. Congrats on your surgery date!

...your hubby's business collegue you met a few years ago sees your pic on hubby's Iphone and asks who his hot new girlfriend is. The poor guy thought we had gotten divorced! My hubby was proud to tell him it was me and left it at that.

I've been with the same wonderful guy for 30 yrs now, and our sex life is even better than when we started out. Being at my goal weight makes me have a much better attitude about my body, which of course is the most important aspect of a healthy sexual relationship. I'll be 50 in a few weeks, the last child is now out of the nest - so I'm looking forward to the next years my hubby and will have together having fun (sexual and otherwise!) and being healthy enough to travel, walk, etc. Glad to hear you're in the same boat!

I was a revision from band. We didn't do an endoscopy pre-op, but found that I also had a hernia while the doc was doing the VSG. He fixed it during the surgery with no problem. This is pretty common and not normally an issue. Best of luck!

I started losing hair about 4-5 months post-op and did so for about 4 months. Now all my new growth is gray - but at least I've got a bunch of short wiry gray hair growing in! I work from home so I could get away with washing less often. That seemed to be all I could do though - took biotin, bought a fancy growth serum/shampoo combo, ate all my protein but could see no difference. Nothing but time will really help...

Welcome Malcom - I'm not a guy but I am a former lapbander also. I've had the sleeve for over a year and am absolutely thankful that there was this alternative. When my band was removed it was discovered that I also had a hernia, which the doc repaired during surgery. I was not as successful with the band as you were, but I also had less to lose at the time. I think you'll find similar success with the sleeve, and I have full faith that the weight will stay off this time. Living with the sleeve is pretty much effortless once you get past the first few weeks of special diets while your tummy heals. Best of luck with your decision and hopefully your wife's too!

I only had to get a cardia clearance pre-op with my revision.

It's funny how we see ourselves and sometimes don't realize exactly how big we've gotten. Full length mirrors can be brutal - especially in a terribly lit dressing room! OUCH!! Now that I'm in maintenance, I look at my old photos and can't believe that I used to look so bad - I thought I looked fine! Looks aside, the best part of this is feeling and being so healthy. It really is a blessing and a life changer. Best of luck to you! PS - Bands are kin to medieval torture devices - good decision to forgo it.

It doesn't take much food now, does it? Sounds like you're doing great - keep it up!

I remember that moment after my surgery too. Being able to feel my collar bone was just amazing to me - I kept telling my husband "feel this, can you believe it???" I hope you can keep some of your booty, because mine is non-existent now and my butt can certainly get SORE when I sit on something hard! Being "boney" is a mixed blessing!

I've never had anything come back up with the sleeve, but constantly had problems when I had the band. Life is good now!

As much as I HATED my band, I also almost cancelled my VSG surgery at the last minute. I am SOOO glad I didn't though. It's been over a year now, and it's the best thing I've done. Sometimes I'll put my hand where the port was and remember how I could feel it, how it would bump against my ribs and get in the way. It's so wonderful to have all that plastic OUT of my body. VSG surgery is scary - that's for sure. But it is so worth it - I know you won't regret it. Good luck!!

Dr. Wade Barker did both my surgeries. He's a fantastic surgeon and has a very nice staff. My revision was $5000, but I also had my gall bladder removed, so insurance helped pay some of the fees for the hospital, OR, etc. I got down to my goal weight very quickly after my VSG, this after having lost NO weight with the band for 3 yrs (I only lost with it the first 6 months post-op).