tohealth

Hi, Thank you in advance for any help on here. I know that every person has his/her own journey but would really appreciate any insight. I am seven years into a failed lapband, weighing a mere 10 lbs. less now than I did when I had surgery. I take almost full accountability for the failure, as I really did not understand that I would be unable to drink while eating, and I also thought that hunger would disappear. (I do believe I might have been under-educated by my dr., as the lapband was all the rage at the time, but it was my responsibility, ultimately.) After I got the band, months of tightening resulted in little to no change in my ability to eat, so I gave up and learned to eat with and around the band on the occasion that it seemed restrictive. Obviously, no success was had. Anyway, I am now 40 with a BMI of 39, and I am miserable. My dr. tightened me last month, after I finally returned to him, and now I can barely eat at all, especially in the morning or after even one drink the previous day. Every meal presents me with a challenge. However, I am still hungry, so I am eating around the band. Again, no success is really being had. I continue to feel like a failure, and I am starting to worry about having this thing inside me forever. My dr. thinks the sleeve is the right option for me, but I am terrified of making another mistake. I have read that after the honeymoon period, all the hunger returns. I have read that people who did not lose with the band should really do the duodenal switch, but that seems a little risky for me (I have a family history of all sorts of cancers of the digestive system, and I do not think I want to mess with so much of it now, in case I ever need surgery for cancer). My dr. recommends a band removal followed by 3-4 months of recovery before anything else. I will probably get approval for the removal but will then have to wait for approval for the next procedure, and I will actually need to probably gain a few pounds, oh irony of ironies. Ugh. Any info or opinions would be appreciated. Thank you!

Just wondering what size "bougie" (sp?) surgeons used. Mine used a 38f and said that is the most popularly used one. However, I have seen people refer to smaller and am just wondering. I'm three days out and having no problem drinking. It was a little painful on days one and two, but it feels better already. Is that normal? Do I still need to take tiny sips, or can I take more regular mouthfuls of liquids?

Hi. I had a lap band for five years and had it removed in May. My sleeve is scheduled for August 24, and I'm very excited. Unfortunately the timing is not ideal as I need to return to work soon after surgery. I'm a teacher. I have two in-service days the following week with no students, and then almost another week of rest. All said and done I will have to work for two days within the 14 after my surgery. My question is how people would compare or contrast the lap band surgeries to the sleeve surgery ? My own experiences with those surgeries were quite good. I did not feel a tremendous amount of pain and was up and moving relatively quickly. My biggest problem was gas, which I alleviated by walking and walking and walking. I'm starting to get very nervous about not having enough recovery time and need some reassurance if possible. Thank you.

Hi, I'm pretty sure some super helpful genius posted a list of what to bring to the hospital for the overnight, but I can't find it. If anyone could direct me to that thread, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

Hi, I'm pretty sure some super helpful genius posted a list of what to bring to the hospital for the overnight, but I can't find it. If anyone could direct me to that thread, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank u for the support. I hope today, ur first day back, goes well!

I'm sure I missed it somewhere, but what is the Facebook page? And is it private? I'm not sharing much info w people.

I just got prelim approval for Aug 24th. I'm nervous but excited and would really enjoy the support. I had a lap band removed and am ready for the next phase. Right now, I'm researching vitamins and minerals in liquid form. I have heard some insurances might cover vitamins? Good luck to us!

Hi, I'm a revision patient, having had the band removed in May. At this point, I'm 5 months into my supervised diet and will request insurance approval next month. As I look toward planning the sleeve surgery, I have two questions: - is a liquid diet required for a particular amount of time before surgery? - how long should I expect to be out of work? I'm a high school school teacher and I'm trying to work around holidays in October or November. Thanks in advance for any and all information.

Sorry for late response. The CT came back all clear, and I really have felt rather well. On the last day that I had awful pain, I massaged an area right under my rib, and I feel like I must have manipulated the muscle back into place. I am taking it easy and feeling better. Thank you very much for ur concern and help.

Hi all, I had my band removed four weeks ago and had very little pain after surgery. I felt great, so, I overdid it and paid the price. One week later, I got a rash and then an incisional infection - the port site actually opened and drained some serosanguinous Fluid for a few days. I have been on strong antibiotics ever since, and the infection seems to have cleared - no fever, wound looks good, etc. I have been to two follow ups. At the last one, I shared with my surgeon that I experience terrible pain in the port site after riding my bike (around the neighborhood, not seriously), sitting for long periods, standing for long periods, etc. He pointed out that any abdominal surgery affecting the muscle will result in pain for a few months, possibly. I mentioned a small solid mass under the incision, and he seems to think this is the muscle still healing. I asked about a hernia, wondering if when I overdid it and opened the wound i might have done so all the way down into that tissue, but he thinks that is not the case but will investigate further at next month's follow up if I still feel the tough spot. However, starting recently, it seems that the pain at my port site is terrible at times. Yesterday and today, I have gone out for meals with family and had to come home and immediately lay down. Trying to figure out: is eating causing my stomach to expand and then hurt the healing muscle, or is sitting for a long period of time causing the muscle to get sore/tight? Putting a heating pad on the site seems to decrease the pain quite rapidly; ice does nothing - it was so ineffective yesterday that I had to take a percocet, which I most certainly do not want to make a habit! To clarify, when my port site does not hurt, which is 90% of the time, i feel great. But when it hurts, it makes me sweat and almost hurl. Has this happened to anyone else? How long did this last? How did you avoid it? Thank you in advance for any ideas, help, suggestions. If you think I should repost on another forum, please lmk.

@@summerset, my dr. sent me for a CT with contrast yesterday morning, so I am waiting for results. Strangely, I have felt well all day today...Let's hope this is the sign of a turnaround. I am not sure I have correctly responded here, and if not, I apologize. I really appreciate all the responses I received.

Hi all, i just had my band removed after 6 years of difficulty with it. I am hoping to get the sleeve in October but have concerns about my insurance. 1. I currently have a BMI under 40 (38) but suspect that will climb now that I am unbanded. I have been going to my dr monthly since February. He says I need at least 6 months of visits and should have at least 3 of those demonstrate a BMI over 40. He believes that my history of BMI and failure with the band will work in my favor when we apply for approval. Does anyone have any feedback on this? Do you agree or disagree? 2. Do you know if NYSHIP requires anything else other than a psych eval? I have seen references to nutrition visits and other tests. Do I even need the psych for a revision surgery? 3. Any other information would be greatly appreciated. I simply know I can not keep weight off without help and want to make this approval happen sooner than later. I have a family history of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and degenerative disc disease, but my dr. thinks this will not matter at all. Thank you in advance!