DebH

I went from band to sleeve as well as a hiatal hernia repair in one procedure. I was in hospital over night and back to work on day 14. So to answer your question, as for me I don't think my post op was any different. Even the post op diet was familiar because I had already done it with the band. I am back to a pretty vigorous work out schedule and after I got back into my work routine some if the lethargy I initially felt subsided greatly!

I had my VSG 3/20/13, so today is day 8. My Dr. Told me there would be some nausea but I was totally unprepared for the extent and intensity of the nausea that I experienced. On top of that I had a hospital roommate who had no food restriction and tons of company who kept bringing in food. The smell of the food and even coffee that they brought her put me over the edge. I spent most of my time in the bathroom hugging the bowl with dry heaves even to the point of rupturing blood vessels in my eyes. The Dr. Did not want to release me because I was not able to take any nourishment but he finally relented. Once home I took the anti- nausea meds and was able to relax more which helped the pain, which for me was secondary. I woke the next morning still with a little nausea but so much better. By day 4 it was gone. I still have some sharp gas pains at times but so much more bearable without the nausea. Hang in there it will get better.

I was previously banded but had the sleeve on 3/20/13. My doctor also kept talking about by-pass by I have mild kidney disease and did not want to risk kidney stones or worse. After surgery, which was planned for 2hours but took over 3 hours, my dr told me there was a great deal of scarring from the band and a hiatal hernia that he had to repair before he could even do the sleeve. Do your research and go with what you feel will be most helpful and healthy for you. Good luck!

I am approaching my 2 year anniversary with the lap band and have only lost 30 lbs which occurred in the first 3-4 months. Needless to say I am yet again feeling like a complete weight loss failure despite eating next to nothing, exercising regularly, and following up closely with surgeon, nutritionist and endocrinologist. Now my surgeon tells me it is not me that failed, but the band, and he is suggesting that I convert to the sleeve. I am not yet convinced that this will be any better for me. I was never an overeater prior to the lap band and was guaranteed that the band would work which it didn't. Now I am being told that I will have success with the sleeve, but I just can't understand how it would be any different since I hardly eat anything at this point anyway. I do not know if I am physically and emotionally up for the issues that would occur if I went through with this surgery and failed yet again. I would appreciate any feedback from others that may have had similar experiences and how you came to decide on the conversion.

I wanted to thank you all for the very good information you have shared with me over the past several months. I did finally decide to have the band removed and converted to the sleeve, just this past Wed. 3/20. Ihad a rough couple of days but feel like I am coming out on the other side of the surgery part. While I hate the liquid diet weeks I know that I will get through them and am trying to stay guardedly optimistic that I will have more success with the sleeve than I did with the band.

Your story sounds so familiar. I was banded 10/2010. I had no problems the first 14 months, but only lost about 45 pounds. Then I began having increased reflux and I would also go from being able to eat nothing and throwing up if I did, to eating an enormous portion of something that I wouldn't have expected to be able to eat. I then gained back about 20 of the pounds that I lost. OUCH! My doctor began to talk to me about a revision to the sleeve. I knew that the band was hurting me, physically and emotionally but to be honest I was scared of another procedure where I would experience failure. It took me over 6 months to decide to have the revision. When the doctor went in I had severe gastritis and esophagitis and pre-ulcerated lesions, as well as the band having come up too high and the presence of a hiatal hernia. I just had surgery this past Wed. 3/20 and what was supposed to be less than two hours was close to 4 hours of surgery for him to clean out all the scar tissue, repair the hernia and do the sleeve. I was in pain and nauseous for the first two days but yesterday and today I am feeling much better. I don't know if this will be the answer for me, but I knew that I had to get that band out even if my insurance didn't approve the band, but fortuantely they did. I feel skeptical but guardedly optimistic that this will be a better procedure for me and I hope that it works well for you too!

While I at the same stage as you are I am not sure of the answer. In reading many of the posts on this site it does seem that a lot of doctors will take out the band and do the sleeve procedure at the same time as long as there is not any erosion of the stomach at that time. I am scheduled with the gastro Dr next week to arrange for an endoscopy to determine the state of my stomach. I think that will determine if both procedures can be done at the same time.

I appreciate the feedback that I have received. I am still not 100% decided but at this point I am proceeding with the pre-surgery doctor's visits in possible prepapration for the conversion surgery. I am convinced that I can't keep the band on with the increasing discomfort it is causing me and I am indeed sure that without it I would probably eat significantly more so in some ways I do not feel that I have a choice. Even if I don't lose anymore I, at least should not gain if I keep my same routine. I also think that with the sleeve I would be able to eat more healthy foods like salad and vegetables which have been a roadblock for me these past two years. LOL I never thought I would miss salad!

Jane, That is exactly my dilemma and I thank you for your honest and candid response. My doctor recognizes how little I eat but repeatedly cites that the sleeve will reduce appetite and cravings, but that is not my problem. He also states that recent research shows that metabolism slows with the band and metabolism will rise a bit with the sleeve. However, I already have an autoimmune thyroid disease and minimal metabolism as it is, so I can't bank on the sleeve increasing my metabolism all that much. I am having more and more discomfort with the band and feel that eventually I will have to have it removed either way, just not sure if I should go for the conversion. I feel very comfortable with my doctor, but I have to admit a part of me thinks he is just looking as the profit he will make from an addition procedure.

I appreciate your response, but I have been following a very disciplined diet. I am eating 800-1000 calories a day with 60-90 gms of protein a day. People have told me that I should eat more calories, but my doctors and nutritionist do not feel that is the issue because I am getting most of those calories through protein. I journal everything I eat/drink and my exercise on a program on my IPad. However with the band I have trouble eating most all vegetables and fruits so I basically live off of Protein drinks, greek yogurt and chicken, fish or meat in very limited quantities. I eat very little carbs and when I do, I remain gluten free because I feel that I also have a sensitivity to that as well. I have no trouble drinking and drink anywhere from 64-86 ozs of fluids a day. As for exercise I do P90X, Insanity, elipticle machine, supreme body, yoga and bicycling. I get one of those in 4-5 times a week. I am definitely not a couch potato as I am able to get this exercise in while also working full time and having other outside of work commmitments. I am not looking for magic and have no problem with willpower and accountability. That is why I am having such difficulty with the decision to convert because I don't want to go through another surgery only to not see results again. No matter how much I look to everything I have done correctly since my band surgery I can't help but feel like a failure.

I was banded Oct. 2010 and my loss has b een extremely slow. But about your pain. There is a possibility that it could be gas. I have had episodes of very bad pain on my left side, so bad that if it was my right side I would have thought I had appendicitis. After having this happen several times I finally tried taking Gas-X when it occurred and it went away so I guess it was a huge gas pocket. Now as soon as I get a twinge I take the Gas X and feel better much faster. Just an idea. I do also get a pain in the middle of my upper back if I eat too fast.

I am 4 months out and had no problems until my last fill. I am up to 8 ccs and I have had two experiences of what I prefer to call spitting up since this last fill. I say spitting up because there is no nausea or quezzy feeling, just a stuck like pain and in a couple of very productive burps I was able to bring up whatever it was causing me the problem. Both times this occurred when I was very hungry (which is not usual for me), and began eating way too fast, so this past week I have been starting my meals very slowly and chewing more carefully. No problems since. I also agree with the previous posts that have agreed that it is NOT normal to vomit. It may occur like in my case as you learn to listen to you body, but I believe we can all avoid this unpleasantness with a little effort!!!!

Sweets have always been my biggest downfall! I do know that one sweet for me often leads to more and I am better if I resist them altogether. I also keep mints handy and for some reason cinnamon hard candies are helpful in satisfying my craving. Another trick I have is to keep a jar of Polaner all fruit preserves in the fridge and I will take a spoonful after dinner which is often when I feel I need something sweet. Over the holidays I baked and did allow myself to have a cookie or piece of candy here and there and it was not good for me. I gained 3-4 pounds (which thankfully I lost pretty quickly) and I was so mad at myself. There have been a couple occasions where I was satisfied with just a bite of something, but I also know for me that one bite can lead to another and another, etc. I think it depends on one's level of sweet addiction!

In a week from today I will be 3 months post op and I have only lost about 26 lbs (6 lbs pre-surgery). I do not regret having the band, and even just the improvements in the way I feel are satisfying, but I honestly did not think that it would be so slow going. I am doing 30-40 minutes on the elliptical machine a minimum of 5-6 days a weeks (usually walking the other day or two) and I am journaling everything I eat and most days average about 800-900 calories and 60-90 grams of Protein. I feel terrific; I have energy, I am sleeping well, my color is good, BUT why am I not losing more? I did not lose anything the entire month of December but I felt that was a victory since my history was to gain over the holidays. Since 1/1/1, I have only lost 3 pounds and I am finding this very frustrating. I have had 3 fills and with the last one I did start to feel some restriction. My surgeon told me that at this point I should not have to write everything down, I should be able to rely on my "full" feeling, but I know that I can eat more than 4 ozs at a sitting so I am being very deligent about weighing and measuring right now. I also took measurements at the beginning of my journey and while I have lost about 15 inches overall, I have not lost any more inches since the beginning of December either. Has anyone else experienced this? I am hoping that if I just stick with what I am doing the pounds will have to start dropping off, right?

It is interesting that you say that you never feel full, because I was thinking that I may be one of those people. Prior to the band I very seldom felt hungry either. I don't allow myself to feel "stuffed", but I am satisfied and like you I don't get hungry for 4-5 hours, and sometimes I think I could go all day without eating, which I know is not good at all. I do not count carbs but when I review what I am eating I don't think I am getting too many of them. I did learn over the holidays that I have to stay far away from sugar. LOL I think I will try to mix up my calorie counts and see if that jangles my system. I would like to add more and varied activities to my workout routine, but with working full time, the weather keeping me in more, and no opportunity right now to join a gym, I am limited. I can't wait until the warmer weather. I do not intent to give up, but at my support group I hear so many people losing quicker, and I read on here that so many are doing so much better. It is good to hear that I am not alone.

I often hear that calories are calories and if you stay under a certain level you will lose, but for me it seems that sugar just does not metabolize in my body at all. Has anyone else found this or is this just another way that my body is working against me? I went into this Christmas season thinking that it would be the first holiday season that I lost weight and did not gain. Well another failure there, as it looks like I gained 4 pounds this week alone. Until this past weekI did okay maintaining, despite several parties. A week of stress due to a big snow storm in our area and not being able to get out and do as much as I wanted and I went right back to the old comfort for me, "sugar". I journaled everything I ate (the right stuff) and kept my calories well below 1,000 but I did not account for the cookie here and the piece of chocolate there. Only one or two a day, but I am still so mad at myself that I did this. I so wanted to either lose or maintain over this past month and in one week I feel like I have set myself back a month instead. I have exercised everyday to the point that my joints and legs are aching, but that does not seem to be beneficial to me at all when I have empty sugar calories. I am so upset and even though I have no one to blame but myself I am feeling very sorry for me right now.

For her to acknowledge your success would be her having to face her difficulties and shortcomings. I have a similar situation with my sister and didn't even tell her about my surgery until 3 weeks post-op. There are many people that feel that they lose a little bit of themselves when they praise someone else, when really it makes you feel better about yourself when you lift up another person. You just keep doing what you are doing and take pride and satisfaction in the success that you have achieving. Don't let her lack of positive reinforcement discourage you, in fact she may also be fearful that you will lose weight and not want her as a friend anymore. Just be the example of good food choices and health that she needs. Keep up the good work...I only wish I was losing as well as you!!!!

I am officially joining this thread! If it were not for the special people on this site I would have never been able to get through the past couple of months. Not that I have had any physical issues, but the emotional ones have been lulus! The support is incredible and the information extremely valuable, as long as I keep in mind that everyone is different. I too am happy that these holidays are over and although I am not happy with how I handled it I have to admit that in previous years the damages had been much greater. It is all about perspective sometimes. Here's to a bright and successful weight loss 2011!

The blood sugar imbalance makes sense to me. In the past I also have been accused of cheating on Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem, but I never did so it must have had something to do with the carbs that I was ingesting. I have just been counting calories and Proteins nad have not paid as much attention to carbs, however when I focus on getting in more Protein rich foods I find that I can't fit in any carbs. Thanks for sharing your experience, I am going to pay more attention to my wheat intake because I know that I can't take the sugar! Earlier today I was thinking of cancelling my Tuesday Dr's appt. but I have decided to go, face the music if I have gained on his scale, and share with him what I have learned this past month.

Thank you for your replies. I don't have a problem with carbs generally. I have no problem resisting potatoes, bread, pasta, chips, etc. but I do know that sugar is my personal addiction. I really thought I was so over the obsessiveness, but I guess not. Yesterday and today I have been on my normal program and I do feel better physically, but am just so angry about those gained pounds and the fact that even after being good yesterday I still did not lose even an ounce. UUUGGHHH.

I had a similar fear before surgery. Everyone is different but on a previous surgery several years ago I woke up vomiting and did not want a repeat perofrmance. I told the anesthesiologist that I had vomitted coming out of surgery on a previous occasion so they gave me a patch to put behind my ear just prior to surgery. I never felt any nausea post surgery or in the couple months since surgery. Good luck in this new year!

I would be devastated if my doctor talked to me like that. I feel so bad for you. The only advice I have is to find a more compassionate doctor.

I haven't ordered from a kid's menu because nothing has yet to appeal to me from that selection. However, several times my husband and I have ordered one dinner and asked for an extra plate to share. The sharing has worked out well because most restaurants serve portions much larger than anyone needs so it is healthier for him as well. Every place we have gone has been very accomodating to our request. One place had a $6.00 sharing charge but it was because it was known for it's very large portions.