Band to Sleeve Question...new here :)

[wannabhealthy45 0]

Hi Everyone :thumbup:

I'm new to this site and so far it is soooo helpful. I currently have the band and I too have a lot of questions.

Just want to clarify...when you say you get full really fast and once you are full that is it..done. So do you mean (sorry if this sounds really dumb) you can NOT eat another bite? If you do, do you get sick?? or do you just not want to or?? I find with the band that I over eat a lot. I don't plan on it, but I get full, then it seems to settle and I can eat more. Some days I can't eat much but other days you would never know there is a band in there....

I also thought I would be able to NOT drink when I eat...ummm yeah...not so much. Why is this one so hard for me..not sure. Can you drink when you eat with the sleeve?

My biggest issue is this....if I could control my portions..I would never have reached my highest weight of 420. I thought I had done so much research before getting my band a year ago, but now I don't think I did enough. What I'm trying to find is a surgery that once I'm full I can't really eat anymore. I'm so afraid I have streached my stoma, pouch whatever it's called because I just seem to be able to eat too much...and sadly I can't seem to find the control I obviously need. At the same time I wonder...am I just being lazy? Have I not given this enough of a chance? Should I just keep getting fills and hope hope hope I find the sweet spot I keep hearing about? I mean I've been fat my whole life...obviously control is an issue with me..lol. I too am self pay and am thinking of a revision. I currently have had 5 fills I think in a year and I'm ready to make an appointment to try another. I now have 8cc's in a 10cc band. I've lost 70 lbs but have not lost an ounce since Christmas. I was actually down 78 but have gained 8 lbs since Christmas even after having more fills. I know I'm at fault because of my portions and I often make poor food choices because I'm sick of getting stuck. I have told very few people about my WLS and when I'm invited out to dinner and get stuck..I'm so sick of having to excuse myself, dash to the washroom to get sick . At the same time...is this my fault? Am I just doing this all wrong?

Sighhhhh...I'm frustrated and don't want to make another mistake with the wrong revision...

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Hi Everyone :thumbup:

I'm new to this site and so far it is soooo helpful. I currently have the band and I too have a lot of questions.

Just want to clarify...when you say you get full really fast and once you are full that is it..done. So do you mean (sorry if this sounds really dumb) you can NOT eat another bite? If you do, do you get sick?? or do you just not want to or??

When it comes to overeating I think it is the same as with a band. If I overate with a band I'd hurl. If I overeat with a sleeve I hurl. Full is full and if you push the limits it is not pretty.

I find with the band that I over eat a lot. I don't plan on it, but I get full, then it seems to settle and I can eat more.

This is one of the head issues we all have to work on after surgery. We like food, we like to eat, we like the taste, the texture, we even like a big huge mouthful of food. This is one area that no surgery type fixes. That is a head issue we all have to work on.

One suggestion, if food is sitting in front of you, you are going to pick at it and continue eating. Take a very small portion and put the rest up. Put it in the frig, out of sight/out of mind.

Some days I can't eat much but other days you would never know there is a band in there....

Welcome to the world of banding. ( That is one of many things I hated about the band. It is so .. fickle. The only thing I have noticed about my sleeve is that if I drink ice cold Water before I eat I can eat about half of what I would otherwise. Otherwise my restriction is the same all the time.

I also thought I would be able to NOT drink when I eat...ummm yeah...not so much. Why is this one so hard for me..not sure. Can you drink when you eat with the sleeve?

You *can* drink fluids with meals it is a matter of you shouldn't. It's kinda like you *can* jump off a cliff but it doesn't mean you *should* jump off a cliff. ;o))))))) The banded pouch is not all that forgiving when it comes to stretching. That is not a wise thing to do. No, it is not wise to eat and drink at the same time with a sleeve.

My biggest issue is this....if I could control my portions..I would never have reached my highest weight of 420. I thought I had done so much research before getting my band a year ago, but now I don't think I did enough.

It's funny how much more information that is quite negative has come out just in the last year.

What I'm trying to find is a surgery that once I'm full I can't really eat anymore.

Well, keep in mind that you can eat around any surgery type. Restriction alone isn't for everyone, some people need the malabsorption factor. If you think you can change your eating habits then a sleeve is great but I would stop and ask yourself if you have been able to do it with the band? I'm referring to when you do have good restriction. Do you keep pushing it and eating more? Or are you able to say, "I am full, it's time to stop"? If you can't control eating with restriction alone you might do well with malabsorption. For quantity eaters I would never suggest bypass. Once you stretch your pouch and stoma you are done, there is no fix for that. That is why bypass has such a high failure rate. DS is a better option IMHO.

This is something only you can determine. Does restriction alone prevent you from overeating or is that something that isn't working for you?

A sleeve is like a band that actually works. Restriction is pretty much the same all the time. No major fluctuations all the time. It's much easier than banding. But it is still merely a restrictive only procedure.

I'm so afraid I have streached my stoma, pouch whatever it's called because I just seem to be able to eat too much...and sadly I can't seem to find the control I obviously need.

Maybe you are one that needs to have restriction and malabsorption? I consider myself MORE than lucky and I do mean "lucky" that I can do it with restriction alone. It's not by effort on my part, it is that I am lucky! ;o) Not everyone is as lucky as I am and they need just a bit more than restriction.

At the same time I wonder...am I just being lazy? Have I not given this enough of a chance? Should I just keep getting fills and hope hope hope I find the sweet spot I keep hearing about?

I know Elisabeth is on line right now and I'm hoping she's reading and responding to this as I type! ;o)

I mean I've been fat my whole life...obviously control is an issue with me..lol. I too am self pay and am thinking of a revision. I currently have had 5 fills I think in a year and I'm ready to make an appointment to try another. I now have 8cc's in a 10cc band. I've lost 70 lbs but have not lost an ounce since Christmas. I was actually down 78 but have gained 8 lbs since Christmas even after having more fills. I know I'm at fault because of my portions and I often make poor food choices because I'm sick of getting stuck. I have told very few people about my WLS and when I'm invited out to dinner and get stuck..I'm so sick of having to excuse myself, dash to the washroom to get sick . At the same time...is this my fault? Am I just doing this all wrong?

I doubt it. Bands don't have great success rates. They are pretty lousy to be honest.

Sighhhhh...I'm frustrated and don't want to make another mistake with the wrong revision...

This is something only you can decide. Can you do it with restriction alone? If so a sleeve is uber fantastic! If restriction is not enough DS is uber fantastic. The sleeved DS stomach is far more forgiving than the bypassed pouch. Think long and hard, study EVERY WLS type, know it all, understand everything, make a very informed choice.

Good luck to you!

[Elisabethsew 50]

I agree with WasA and would ask you to look at my signature. You'll see that I once weighed 20 pounds more than your top weight and that I had a band and never felt restriction. What I did develop was awful acid reflux that made sleeping in bed a rare treat. I did everything I could to make the band work for me and the band failed me.

Exactly 3 months ago today, I revised to the VSG and don't regret a thing. I am down 29.6 pounds and FINALLY know what restriction is. I simply can't eat a lot. Here's an example from last night when I went out to eat with friends to Celebrate a retirement. Prior to the VSG and WITH the band, I ate several pieces of bread/rolls with butter, an appetizer, the main course with all the potato and sides, and dessert. Last night, I had a 4" x 1" crust of bread with 1/2 tsp butter, no appetizer, no dessert, and could only eat 3/4 of the sea bass filet. I wanted to eat more but I began to feel uncomfortable and knew "one more bite" and I would regret it.

WasA answered all your questions. I have not vomited since before surgery but I DO feel nauseaus if I eat past the "I'm full" stage. I consider the sleeve to be a band that works. With the sleeve, it's like having a straw (instead of a wide tube) that leads down to your pouch or reduced stomach. That straw fills up quickly so you feel full with a small amount of food.

Do all the research you can but I advise everyone I know to go for the sleeve as opposed to the band or RNY. Every single person I know who had RNY gained the wieght back after a year and the surgeons where I work (I'm an RN) call it the golden year before the fat piles back on.

Welcome and feel free to keep asking whatever you want to.

[wannabhealthy45 0]

Thank you both so much for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I guess I have a lot of reading to do :001_tongue:. I'm sure I'll have a million more questions.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Thank you both so much for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I guess I have a lot of reading to do :001_tongue:. I'm sure I'll have a million more questions.

Please, keep asking questions. Learn everything, know every surgery type inside and out. It is the only way you can decide what surgery type is best for you.

[Bornagainbabe 4]

Hi, I'm sticking my nose in again, but thanks as well. I have done loads of research and am just getting a bit jittery as it's close to my op date now, but you have confirmed to me what I already know and that I AM making the right decision for me. Thank you

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I can tell you that if you eat too much with the sleeve, you are very uncomfortable. It's actually painful. It feels like your stomach is going to burst open. It is not fun and not something I ever want to experience again

just to have one more bite.