Search the Community

Most of my weight is in my tummy. I can't wait to get rid of it! I've had 4 kids (including a set of twins whose combined weight was almost 14 lbs). I'm setting my goals in my head but I'm not sure how much weight will come off with a tummy tuck. Can anyone give me an idea? Thanks! Band to sleeve revision surgery 1/16/17 HW: 283 CW: 199 GW: 160

Count me in! I also had issues post op too. I felt miserable, nauseous, vomitting, severe fatigue... all that! Here I am two months post now though, and I couldn't be happier. I'm down nearly 30 Lbs since surgery and 40 since my Pre-Op diet. I'm also a revision from the Lap Band... so... for ME, this was clearly the better choice. The trade offs of the first few weeks post op to today? WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!

When I went in for the first time Dec 2011 the lapband was the newest best thing. I was a lightweight at 206 but had diabetes and a bunch of other stuff. I wish the Dr. would have went over my options more with me because if I knew then what I know now post revision May 6th to the sleeve my journey would have been a lot easier. Best of luck!

Im getting my revision in dallas, texas.. has anyone used dr. David kim and if so any feedback

I know alot of people have had success with the band but I am not one of them. Some long term studies now are showing a failure rate as high as 75%. I don't have any thing nice to say about it myself. Initially, I did great but the last almost 2 years now has been a struggle. Lots of reflux and dilatation. Currently awaiting revision to rny which I should have had in the first place. I feel I will have a greater success with this and actually reach goal which I couldn't with the band. I know my surgeon is doing more revisions now and said he prolly won't be doing bands in a few years. My employment is requiring me to switch programs and the new surgeon doesn't even do the band at all. It's a tough decision. Just make sure you are fully informed.

Definately ask what your Dr's patients average weight loss is and follow up support with a dietician. I have similar Dr follow up to you buts it's the rest of his team that you will deal with more frequently after the procedure. Also, don't be shy in discussing all your fears about the procedure, such as revision rates and post op care. The only way to move forward is to feel very reassured that you will get where you need to be. Even if his bedside manner isn't fantastic, it's so important to know that as a clinician - his work is impeccable. There are no silly questions and nothing you should be concerned about asking. You have fantastic insight and have done your homework so the time will come to make your decision and then it's time to research less and get your head in the "this is happening" game. I also double read every study I could get my hands on but then knew I had to stop and trust my team and my decision. Otherwise I would have found some information that made me question my decision and escalated my anxiety about having the procedure. You've got this [emoji846]

I couldn't bear the pain rolling on my side. i decided to sleep in the recliner my first night at home. I wonder if I am more sore because i was a revision and they had to do alot of adhesion cleanup. It never even occured to me to try one of those belts,I wonder if that is okay even though I have drains.

yeah, that would be nice, although i already had the 5 hole procedure, and then a revision of my band after that, he did cut over the old incisions, but now they are thicker and redder. I guess its a lilltle late for a belly button procedure for me..LOL

I saw this thread title and I thought - Hmmmm, definitely a PreOp poster. Not just this thread, but the rather-naive posted response on the other "what size do you want to be" page that you quote in your own thread. And I was right. I don't mean that in a harsh way, but this is one of the things that absolutely consumed me before I had surgery, and now it doesn't really vex quite as much. I'd love to do it, but I have more bottom-line concerns now - like getting to the right fill level, not PB'ing, making good food choices - the basics of being Banded that we all deal with daily. Just an observation. Once you get "into the thick of it" after surgery, you sometimes find yourself concentrating more on the day-to-day process of losing weight and sometimes focusing a bit less on what the ultimate "fairytale ending" goal will be. Great - Count me in. Make me a Size 8. (Not after being sick, or just temporarily, but for the next say, 10 years of my adult life.) What do you want? Money? OK, sure, I'll get it somehow. Just tell me where to mail it. I don't know what I'd have to do to get it, but if you could guarantee me I'd be a size 8 - I promise you I would get it to you someway, somewhere, some how. Trust me! I'm willing to work, willing to work hard, willing to pay - and it hasn't happened yet. I am so willing, that I'd have a revision to a bypass tomorrow if I thought it'd get me there. Of course the insurance company won't pay (a BMI of 30 is acceptable to them, those dirty pennypinchers) as they don't think I'm obese enough, and my own original LapBand surgeon has resigned himself that I'll never get any thinner. Pfffft, I don't lack motivation but as someone who's been banded 5 years, trust me when I say not every single person will come out of this process in "bikini condition" no matter how hard they work, or how dedicated they are. It's a fact. After a lifetime of obesity if there is a Size 8 inside me, she is WELCOME to emancipate herself and take center stage. She has my permission, I promise. I care. I don't want to be chubby, a little bit chubby, and certainly not fat anymore. I don't know what normal standards are, and I reject normalcy as a desirable option. I would love to be at any weight/size that would allow me to wear upscale fashion brands, overpriced designer jeans and of course, adorable little swimsuits. Me too. But 1 and a half LapBand surgeries, and an Abdominoplasty later, I don't see me getting into anyone's bikini in public, unless there is some sort of cool prize being offered in return for sure public humiliation. No but seriously, no one wants to see me in a bikini - I'm just not there yet. At this weight, I could wear a one-piece swimsuit without the authorities being called or without raising eyebrows. But nobody wants to see a size 14/16 shoehorn into a bikini. Now, Check me out later on - after I get some real band restriction and some weight loss, a Boob Lift and some Lipo later - and we'll see. But right now, it ain't gonna happen. Do you guys ever go back and forth on this too? I'm never back and forth. I seriously want to be a Junior Size 9/10 or a Misses Size 8 or 10. If you know another way to go about it other than diet, exercise, surgery, prayer, and more - let me know. I was hoping I wouldn't have to trade my mortal soul for a single digit size but after some dark days I've had after surgery, even that thought hasn't been such an appalling thought. :eek: But take it from a post op Bandster: Don't think people who aim for larger goal sizes aren't lacking in dedication or hard work. And they aren't necessarily selling themselves short - some of us just don't know how to do it, and have begun to think it might not be possible. Thanks and Happy Band Journeys To All ...

Sleeves don't stretch though, they aren't really that elastic, I know because I can still eat/drink too fast and feel the pain. So many doctors will tell you that. Sleeves are really not that flexible, I know I live with one. I don't even know how to drill it home more than that. It won't stretch if it is done right, that is basically the cornerstone of the surgery. A stretched sleeve is a complication or a failure. It defeats the purpose. The sleeve has 2 major parts that help with weight loss, removing the stretchy part of the stomach reducing portions and creating restriction and also removing the stretchy part of the stomach removes ghrelin the hunger hormone. The part we are left with is more muscular than pouchy or stretchy. The last link you posted is about a full regular stomach (did you even read it, or look at the picture? It is written by an English major for a BroScience website). A full regular stomach will stretch because the whole stomach is stretchy. The stretch part of the stomach is removed with the sleeve. It is not with RNY or the Band. Most WLS information lumps all these surgeries together. It really does not seem like you understand how the sleeve works or what the surgery involves. It looks like you are still pre-op, if you are going to have the sleeve, you should do more research so you can understand how it works. If you have a sleeve you won't stretch it, you risk other complication like ruining your esophagus creating a pouch at the top of it that food is getting stuck in. This happens because a sleeve doesn't stretch. Like @BigViffer said, you can damage the valve at the bottom of your stomach and make it open fast but a sleeve does not stretch. Many sleevers confuse healing with stretching. The restriction you have at the beginning is not the restriction you will have forever. That is because it is not true restriction it is swelling. It takes a long time for internal swelling to go down and to be fully healed, 6 months at least, and this even applies to other things like a lot of plastic surgery. My restriction at 21 months is the same as 12 months. If I don't eat for a day or two my sleeve can get tight as a drum, or it can just randomly be tight. Most people complaining about stretched sleeves are eating sliders not dense protein. If they ever listen to advice and eat dense protein, of they discover they have restriction again. Finally the sleeve wasn't covered by insurance just a few years ago in the US and a lot of people with complications now went out of the country to have their surgery done. They have complications from bad sleeves and are having revisions in the US now because WLS is covered by insurance more than it used to be and also everyone is currently is required to have insurance in the US. A correctly formed sleeve will not stretch. A RNY pouch will stretch, the pouch created by the band will stretch and bands can slip. A properly made sleeve will not stretch. Healing is not stretching. Eating sliders is not stretching.

Thank you for this forum. I was one that was very active and left the boards due to the amount of negativity at certain times and unrealistic expectations of some. I came back because I am considering revision surgery due to gerd, hernia, and lack of weightloss post pregnancy. I am looking for others that have had revision surgery. I had my VSG done in Bogota, CB by an amazing team and had great follow up care. We are now back in the US and I will most likely have surgery with Dr. Halmi.

My gerd is awful im revising to bypass i was a band to a sleeve but the reflux is so bad vomiting everyday hard to Excercise down to 187 im scared but the acid is awful

After bugging my Drs. Office for 2weeks (finally finished all my requirements) I got my surgery date of Jan. 14th. Don't know why but kind of threw me for a loop. I'm having a revision from a 27 yr old gastric stapling (they don't do it any more) so my surgery is an open incision and is more risky so I'm optomistic but wake up in the middle of the night concerned and excited. Is any one else having an open incision surgery?

I am sitting here, a scant two years after finding LBT, looking back at my somewhat amazing journey with my life. I must admit, this is not where I ever thought I would end up, but once we start on a journey, do we ever really end up at the indented destination? I think we sort of tack in the direction of the wind, we see our sails fill, but we have no real control over those winds. I was absolutely convinced that by this time I would be a beautiful size 12, out concouring the world. I thought I would have a stunning wardrobe, and boundless enery, and a stunning collection of shoes... I thought I would be making a difference through my chosen profession, and off having many interesting adventures. I thought I would have learned so many new things that I be able to change how I saw the world. Hmmm, I guess all that I have achieved are some intersting adventures, but I suppose that is all we can hope for, right. Well, the things I have learned, well, those have been things I never ever thought I would learn. I have learned so much about my body, that I now joke that I believe I'm entitled to an honorary medical degree. But I've also learned so much about the real reasons I have done things, and for that I'm ever so thankful. I have gained an understanding of eating disorders, and an apprication of what people who truely have eating disorders have to deal with. I'm just thankful that my obsession with food, while tiresome for others to read about, was relitively shortlived, lasting only months, as opposed to the years that other poeple must deal with that ordeal. I used to think that the reasons I was fat had to do with my lifestyle, or to some extent trying to protect myself from hurts from my childhood, but I have learned that I neve had a chance to be thin. Not with Cushing's. I wanted to thank Mr. Alex for the wonderful forum, and I want to thank all of you who've been so supportive of me through my current jouney. Some of you I will never meet in meat-space, some I have, but I count you all friends. I have learned so much from all of you, some times from questions that never occured to me to ask, some from questions that were repeatedly asked. I've been absent LBT for some time, but I have been very active on my Cushing's board. I come and lurk here, but lately I haven't felt very well physically. It's easier to just check in, knowing that all y'all are still here, still working your programs, still waking your journeys. I started this banded journey wanting more to gain my health. My asthma was so out of control just before I was banded, I didn't know if I was going to survive. I think that is the best thing about being banded, my asthma, still with the Cushing's, is all but gone. I cannot explain this, but why should that one thing be expalined? Just one more wacky thing about me, I guess. My wanting to regain my health was the impetis for getting banded, not so much losing weight, although I desperately want to lose weight. And here I sit, I know that by many standards I'm a band failure. I know that sitting here, within 5 pound of my pre-band weight, that consititues a failure. But it should come as no surpise that I refuse to be labled a failure. Not now, and not by any external force. Heck, I have learned to not even let my mother define me as a failure any more, so hurray for me! I knw that there are many new bandsters here that do no know my story, so here's a quick recap. The Band lead me through an amazing journey. I initally had some success, but then it all stopped. No matter what I did, I could not lose weight. Not at any restriction level. No sweet spot for me. No matter how much time I spent at the gym, no matter how many hours I spent dancing, or walking or horseback-riding, I could not get the weight to budge. I spent a terrible month too restricted, where my food intake was limited to one ore two tablespoons of food at the most. As still, no weight loss. I spent a month as sub-700 calories, and managed to lose 1.5 pound in a month. So I started demanding answers. On another board I was subjected to ridicule, called a lier and worse. I pushed and pushed and pushed. And I certianly never thought that pushing for answers would have landed me back within pounds of where I started. But right now, those pounds are irrelivent. Throught my pushing and demanding answers, I disovered that I have a rare disease caused by a brain tumor--I have Cushing's syndrom. As it turns out, looking at my medical history, I've had Cushing's my entire adult life, and most likely, I had it as a child as well. So, I never had a chance to be thin, or "normal" sized. I have discovered a new supportive communty in my Cushing's board, and I am so thankful to have them, thankful that I found them, because they saved my life. For whatever reason, I am not able to do things in a small way. I'm sort of a full-boar sort of woman. (or is that full-bore?) And my health is no exception. I learned this year that doctors have no clue when it comes to rare diseases. I've learned to fire them when it is clear that they have no idea, and I've also learned that I'm smarter than many, if for no other reason, because I refuse to give up. I knew something was wrong, and I pushed and pushed and pushed. I know tat we have many turtles, and I know that many of my tribe have drifted away, discouraged and diheartened. I wish I could gather all my tribe up, and help them fight. I wish I could give them the energy that they need to find the cause for their slow loss. I am so thankful that I had the Band, and "failed" with it, rather than having one of the by-pass procedures. I know that many people have had great success with revisions, but with my disease, I still would have failed even with the the malabsorptive techniques. I want to tell you all how proud of you I am for your journey, and to thank you for letting me be some small part of your jouney. It has been wonderful, if not more than a little frustrating, to watch every Rabbit sprint to victory. It's been great to watch my Turtles who needed longer to reach that same mark, never giving up, even as they wanted to. I just wanted to thank you all, and to let you know that I'm still here, if anyone cares. I also wanted to let you know that I will have my Cushing's cure this year. It isn't an easy cure, but that dammed brain tumor will no longer hold me hostage. Once more, I start a new journey. Only this time, I'm not exactly sure where my footsteps will take me. This time, my expectations are more open to the possibility of the universe.

I too second guess my decision to get the revision. My GERD is gone however I have such a hard time eating. My pouch is super small and everything I eat upsets it. I was finally at a place with my sleeve where I could comfortably eat and now I'm back to the beginning only this time I can't keep anything down. I feel like I'm slowly starving because my nutrition is so bad right now. My energy levels have crashed. I go in next week for my blood work and then see the doctor. On the brighter side I'm almost at goal which is very good. Now if I can only get everything else to line up.

I just had my surgery with dr Ortiz on Thursday . My weight is 185 and BMI of 31. I had a lap and since 2005 that did me no good. So I just completed the revision. I'm drinking apple juice and water this am. Last night ate chicken broth and Popsicle . I have no hunger. I'm feeling a little gassy but that's it. I'm crushing my pills.. Levaquin( antibiotic ) nexium, zofran (nausea) and I take sublingual pain med..my drain is still in and prolly will stay for a few more days .. I will leave here wed morning after the leak test...

There are tons of revisions from band people here as a matter of fact they even have a sub-forum here. Good luck to you http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/13-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/

hi all, I am very new to these kind of forums . I had failed my lap band that i did in 2007, initially i lost about 50 lbs with it but then i developed acid reflux n my doc has to unfill it to the point that i started to gain weight and in the past 5 years with no liquid in band and a pregnancy, i gained all my weight back. I wanna to convert to by pass my surgeon said that sleeve is better option for me so i got my revision to sleeve done on this thursday may10th, 2012. The day of surgery i was weighing 265 lbs ,mmy surgey went, upper GI xray look good the second day. I m home now n trying to keep my self hydrated. I m not really sure how much i should be drinking or eating, i m just sipping isopure zero carb all day n water all day. Anyway i m gonna weigh my self 2 weeks post op and then will post updates, meanwhile if u guys can suggest how much/ when/ what to eat. By the way i m on full liquids now for next 2 weeks. I m excited nd hopping that this surgery will solve my weight related problems.

I too have a very addictive personality. But lately feeling so poorly and having such a hard time with asthma and diabetes I have lost interest in most everything. I am hoping post op I will feel better and pick up some old interests that were addictive like decorative painting and reading. Right now my addiction is this board and my obsession is waiting for the call that I am approved for surgery a revision from lap band to rny. . Also hope exercise will become one. But really hoping bad ones do not, It is something we all need to be aware of.

Meliwriter, That is the best post I've seen in a while. I am fed up with my band. I got banded at 202 lbs (5'2") in October of 2008. At first I starved myself and lost 30 lbs effortlessly. But, my hair was falling out, I was exhausted, and my anxiety was through the roof. Psychologically, I was a mess. Then, I gained and gained and got up to 206. At 206, I said, this has got to stop! I got back down to 174 by again starving myself. I was so hungry and I just would starve and be miserable and hungry all the time. This time I had more energy and my hair stayed. I was doing a strict vegan diet and that took the weight off, but put my triglycerides and cholesterol through the roof, caused me to have blood sugar crashes, and caused high blood pressure. I would have stayed starving myself, but I hurt my back pretty badly and moved back in with my parents. Food is plentiful here. I have gone back up to 206 again! I spent three months doing the Paleo diet. I corrected my triglycerides and blood pressure, although my LDL is still a tiny bit high. I did not lose any weight eating Paleo. But, my blood sugar didn't crash out the whole time and I was feeling better than I ever had. My sleep was good, my body felt good. Slowly, I fell off the wagon with Paleo and that is how I ended up gaining back up to 206. Now, at this weight, I have quit menstruating (I'm only 32) and my sleep apnea is at a record high. I am not convinced that my band has helped me at all. What seems to have worked is not eating to the point of being hungry all the time. Being poor and not being able to afford food was the most effective diet I've ever been on! I do believe my band is adjusted correctly. I have some restriction and do throw up a few times a week, but am not too tight that I can't eat solid food. I have made some significant life changes since I injured my back and moved back in with my parents last spring. I have changed career paths, am doing much better with my depression/anxiety which can get severe, and my back is completely rehabilitated. I feel like I am in a good place in life to address my weight problem. Right now I just want to have the band removed and have gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. I hate this band! All it makes me do is throw up! I do want an easier way. But, I haven't been doing right by my band. I have been eating whatever I want, lots of sugar and carbs. I have only been walking for 45 minutes about 3 times a week. I haven't been doing yoga, lifting weights, or jogging lately. I get intense sugar cravings in the middle of the night. I wake up and eat sweets and then go back to sleep again. Sometimes this will happen twice in a night. I am not wearing my CPAP (which I also hate). I drink liquids with meals. I drink carbonated diet soda. I drink through straws. I do only eat about 1 cup of food at a meal, but at times have more, up to 1.5 cups at dinner if I am really enjoying the veggie or meat I've cooked. I think I will give my band one last shot before I contact a surgeon about revision surgery. Tomorrow I'm starting the 5 Day Pouch Test, and after that I am going to immediately do The Whole 30. I'm going to continue walking and also go to yoga twice a week (Christmas present from my mom). After those 35 days I will see where my weight is. If I have lost nothing or have continued to gain, I will be seeing the surgeon. Any thoughts or words of advice would be much appreciated! Best, Hilary

Hello All, I have been a long-time lurker of those boards but am posting for the first time in need of some advice and support. I have been banded for about 5.5 years now. I have originally lost about 90 pounds from an all-time high of 270 lb and had gone down to 180 lb by the end of the second year before slowly settling for 190 lb for a couple more years after that. The issue started last year. I hadn’t gotten a fill in over a year and a half at that time and that last fill (only 0.05 cc) helped stabilize my weight at 190 lb and prevent further weight gain. I was starting though in the last few months to feel really tight, pbing on a regular basis because I was eating in a hurry, not chewing enough, etc…, had mild heartburn occasionally, etc… As I was feeling uncomfortable with the constant PBing and the “tight” feeling in my chest and stomach, I had a tiny unfill of 0.05 cc for fear of doing permanent damage to the band and losing it. This settled all my band and stomach problems right away. 14 months later, I no longer struggle with PBing, heartburn or the uncomfortable tight chest feeling, feel great and all around healthier (I am able to eat more and better). On the negative side, I found myself gaining another 15 pounds over those 14 months, 6 of which I was able to lose through good eating and exercise, putting me at around +- 199 lb. I am posting because I have been thinking for a couple of months about getting that small fill (0.05 cc) back. This is a big decision for me, not only because of my past issues with that last fill, but also because I live 2,000 km away from where I had my surgery so getting a fill/ unfill costs me a good +$500 to fly back and forth. I have tried for many years to have a WL centre here do my fills/ unfills but they won’t see me because I had my surgery done elsewhere. I am also not sure I want someone other than my regular doctor do my fills/ unfills. So my question to you all: is should I go for this tiny fill back or not? I know that at my current fill level, I will not have any issues with my band for many years to come as I am on the loser side of things (though still have good restriction but can eat around the band more that I was able to with the tiny fill in). I am struggling with weight gain though and need to be very careful with every bite I eat to prevent any further weight gain. On the other hand, with that tiny fill back, I am confident I can get back to 190 lb and stay there effortlessly, but will have to suffer more eating wise. I also worry that in the longer term, I would do permanent damage to the band and thus either have to have a much larger unfill for things to settle down or revision surgery like I see happen to many long-term bansters. And this is a risk I cannot tolerate at this point as I live far away from my surgeon and have no money for any revision surgery (I was self-pay). Any words of advice/ support would be most appreciated. Thanks, Seldom

Hello all, I had my lap band placed back in march of 2007 when it was all the rage and no proven long term research. I went to surgery at 283, and managed to drop to an all time low of 220 within 10 months. I spent the next 9 years battling with this lapband and all the CRAP that came with it. I remember feeling like I had hit rock bottom when I couldnt even swallow my own saliva, but was slowly seeing the scale creep up. Today I am right back to 274, which is NOT my highest post surgery weight. (I would have never guessed that 9 years ago) Any how about a year ago, June 2015, I decided something had to give and started seeing a new Dr. about my options. I honestly hadnt see one in years. I had just learned to live with the GERD, upset stomach, inability to eat healthy foods, sleeping sitting up, etc.. I have seen this Dr and his team monthly since June of last year. I have been doing all of the things required by my insurance to meet the criteria for a revision. When I went to see my surgeon 3 weeks ago, he said we need to go ahead and get the band out asap, since it has been causing me problems. I said GREAT to that and we scheduled my removal date for 7/29/16. woo hoo!! So then I ask him what about the bypass surgery. He says that will be treated as a completely separate case, and that I was technically on visit #5 of my bcbs required 6 month diet. (the office didn't start to count the visits as diet visits till Jan 2016) not sure why, but okay. His attitude seems to be "Lets get the band out first, and fight with the insurance company later about the revision to rny" Has anyone else had this type of experience? Im wondering if hes hoping to find something during the surgery, that would lean in favor of the insurance company approving me for a revision. It just seems a little round about... Thanks everyone for your input

Thank you all for your replies. I have decided against getting the fill back as I do not want the same issues to reoccur at some point and run the risk of either having a bigger unfill or losing the band all together. I cannot afford the cost of a revision surgery (I was a self-pay). The band is at a much healthier place today than a year ago with it on the loser side. I feel healthier, eat healthier. If this means I have to accept myself at 199lb instead of 190 or even my lowest weight ever of 180 lb, so be it. I was 270 lb six years ago. I would have been tipping the scale at +320 lb today if it wasn't for the band. I have to keep reminding myself that the enemy of good is better.

I went bypass as well, mine was revision from a band. I had bad reflux with the band, but my doctor prefered bypass as the tried and true surgery. so happy with my decision.

I haven't been able to get on this website for about 3 weeks due to computer issues, and then family illness. Thankfully, that's all taken care of now! It's hard to believe that 2 months ago I had a life-changing, mind-blowing experience with the realization of getting my sleeve. After years of major struggles with the lap-band, and 2 years spent searching for a Doctor who would even consider seeing me, God opened the door for me at Dr. Kaler's office. Dr. Kaler had no hesitation in telling me, "Yes, I can do your revision". I remember sitting in his exam room with tears in my eyes, thinking "Finally, someone who can help me". The sense of relief that this ordeal was finally over was surreal. After years of struggling with the band, the sliming, the sticking, the not being able to eat out in front of anyone other than my DH, my mother's comments of "Oh honey, I just wish there was something that could be done for you", my revision was done in one surgery. The changes that have occurred in my life since have been amazing. No more sticking, no more sliming, eating out with friends, feeling like I'm 15 years younger, the energy, the ability to get out and move, the improved numbers from my bloodwork, actually enjoy life has been such a blessing. As of this morning, I am down 42lbs, and 3 dress sizes. I still struggle with my eyes being WAAAAYY bigger than my sleeve. I suspect this will be a challenge for quite a long time. But it's always surprising to me how much is left on my plate. My DH has enjoyed my leftovers many times and isn't complaining. To have the ability to eat without the expectation that it's going to be a painful experience, has made me realize that I have taken eating for granted. I no longer do that. I know truly enjoy my food, more as a true pleasure, and I'm focusing on making sure that those meals are well worth the effort. I'm learning new recipes, experiencing new foods, and focus on eating whole, healthy, fresh foods. And it's such a great time of the year to do this. With the Farmer's Markets that are open now, my vegetable garden, learning to can and freeze fresh fruits and vegetables, purchasing grass fed beef, free-range chicken, and the most recent addition to our little farm - a Devon pig, who will be filling our freezer this fall, our food quality has increased by leaps and bounds. No more pre-processed food, no more white carbs, a significant reduction in gluten in our lives has made a tremendous difference in not just my, but my DH's life. I never would have made these changes in our life had it not been for the sleeve. I'm eating pretty much anything I want, just in drastically smaller quantities, and the only thing I haven't tried yet is a salad. For some reason, that's the one thing that looms in my mind as the "The Big One". I'm sure it's just in my head that way, but I still see a Salad and think, "One day I'll be able to eat that and really enjoy it", but I haven't tried one yet. I'm not big on restaurant salads, but prefer to buy my own ingredients and make them at home. That way I can control what goes in to it. I will always encourage those who are thinking about getting the lapband toward the sleeve, and I will support those who want a revision by sharing my experience. Just as so many of the folks on this wonderful website have done for me.