Now what..... (very long sorry)

[RDABGA 0]

Here's my story...

I was banded Oct 6,2005 in Mexico. Over the next 4 1/2 years I lost about 100 lbs. This was not without its struggles and complications. The last year or so I started to have major complications. I was throwing up all the time and having massive reflux problems. I was finally able to get into the local band doctor for my after care Previous to that I was having to travel 4 hours for my fills and if I happened to need and unfill it was a major pain with all the travel and trying to make the band work for me.

After the first few visits with the local band Dr. it ws discovered that my band had slipped into a position at the base of my espogus(sp) We took the wait and see approach because eventhough I have double coverage insurance (neither cover anything bariatric) I am completely self pay on this journey. So the Dr. did a complete unfill to let my stomach heal and possible swelling go down. In the 6 weeks that I was unfilled I put on 32 lbs. My body held onto every single calorie that I put into it. Granted not everything I ate in that 6 weeks were good choices but my body was in starvation mode and wasnt letting anything go. This proved once again that I was not in control and the option of just taking the band out and calling it a day was not an option for me.

After the 6 weeks I went in for a very small fill .75. I immeadiately began to have complications (throwing up, acid reflux and so on). I went in and they did an xray and the band had flipped. This was not good news. I dont know about most of you but often in this journey with throwing up and not being able to keep anything down I often took the approach of "toughing it out" for a few days. This often worked but not this time. Something was very different this time. I became super dehydrated and my body wasnt having it. I pretty much hadn't kept anything down for about a week and my body was freaking out.

After trying to hydrate me with IV it was determined like it or not they had to do surgery, period. It wasnt up for discussion any longer. My body was freaking out (my heart rate was all over the place and they were having a hard time trying to regulate it), blood pressure not so good, and I needed to be on oxygen. At this point it was determined they were doing surgery today and now.

I had a few brief conversations with the PA that does the fills at my Dr. office about the sleeve. When I made the decision to have my band I researched for months before deciding to do it. Now I was having to make a decision. Have my band removed and try to move forward without anything ( I had recently proved that having nothing allowed me to put on 35 lbs in 6 weeks) I knew I couldnt do that to myself. The idea of putting on the 100 lbs that I had lost and all the struggles it took to get those pounds to go away would of been all for nothing. I opted to have a gastric sleeve done when they were removing my band. I didnt feel re- postioning the band at this point was an option for me.

Off to emergency surgery I go.

Well, they removed the band, did a gastric sleeve, discoverd and repaired a hernia and discovered that my espogus was streached and damaged from all the throwing up. Even with all that when I woke up from surgery I felt so much better. I was on the road to recovery....

The following day they did the swallow/leak test only to discover that because of the espogus being so streached that when they repaired the hernia(in the normal way) they had stiched my espogus shut. I was back to not being able to swallow or keep anything down (again). So off to emergency surgery I went to repair this.

4 surgeries in two days and 4 days in the hospital. I was finally released to go home. Oh, this was just in time for me to break out in hives all over my body from an allergic reation to one of the many medications I had been given. At that point I think that the rash reaction was worse than the surgeries. What a wreak I was.

I did the 4 full weeks of Protein shakes and liquids only, like a trooper. I am now on week 2 of mushies. I am looking forward to adding real food back into my life.

Since I did no research about the sleeve previous to having it done I have lots of questions. I have done some research since then and am having a hard time wrapping my head around some of the information.

Since I am starting this weight loss journey in a different place than a first time baratric patient what should my weight loss expectations be? I am currently at 175-180, Im 5'09". My BMI is still 26.6 so still considered overweight but I am darn close to being normal. The high end of my goal weight would be about 160 to a low of 125. At one point with the band I was down to 165. I want to find a weight that my body is comfortable with so my initail goal is about 160 or so.

Remember that I have approached the world of food and eating as a BANDSTER for the past almost 5 years. I was never able to tolerate bread in any form with my band. The idea that I may be able to eat (toasted) bread at some point. I cant hardly get my head around the thought of that. I understand Portion Control with the best of them but the idea/reality that I will be able to consume 3 ounce Protein and 1 ounce vegie per meal and it be highly likely I wont throw it up seems like a dream. I became real good at just trying to find something that would stay down with my band so Its been a long time since I really ate a balanced diet. With the band and my eating difficulties I grazed all day. A few bites here and there. From what I am reading grazing is not something that is recommended with the sleeve. How do you place your meals and Snacks during the day?

Are you able to eat whatever within the 3 ounce protein and 1 ounce vegie guidelines. Are there specific foods that you just cant eat? Are you able to eat salads. I wasnt able to tolerate lettuce at all with my band, among a long list of other foods. I just need a general idea of what my expectations should /could be from this procedure.

Thanks for listening to me ramble and any input you may have to help me take the first steps on my brand new GASTRIC SLEEVE journey will be appreciated.

RDABGA

Banded 10-6-2005

Band removed and sleeved 5-5-2010 :thumbup:

[melinekesh 0]

You have been through it all!!!!!!!!!

I just got the sleeve 4 days ago. In my understanding with my nutrtionist, by the time you are 10 weeks out, you can eat whatever you want. This meaning, crunchy, mushy, etc. So salad better be on the list. It is something I have always eaten even in between all the bad stuff. Call your doctor's office and get a nutrtionist to talk to you. Good luck and may you never be in pain again.

Here's my story...

I was banded Oct 6,2005 in Mexico. Over the next 4 1/2 years I lost about 100 lbs. This was not without its struggles and complications. The last year or so I started to have major complications. I was throwing up all the time and having massive reflux problems. I was finally able to get into the local band doctor for my after care Previous to that I was having to travel 4 hours for my fills and if I happened to need and unfill it was a major pain with all the travel and trying to make the band work for me.

After the first few visits with the local band Dr. it ws discovered that my band had slipped into a position at the base of my espogus(sp) We took the wait and see approach because eventhough I have double coverage insurance (neither cover anything bariatric) I am completely self pay on this journey. So the Dr. did a complete unfill to let my stomach heal and possible swelling go down. In the 6 weeks that I was unfilled I put on 32 lbs. My body held onto every single calorie that I put into it. Granted not everything I ate in that 6 weeks were good choices but my body was in starvation mode and wasnt letting anything go. This proved once again that I was not in control and the option of just taking the band out and calling it a day was not an option for me.

After the 6 weeks I went in for a very small fill .75. I immeadiately began to have complications (throwing up, acid reflux and so on). I went in and they did an xray and the band had flipped. This was not good news. I dont know about most of you but often in this journey with throwing up and not being able to keep anything down I often took the approach of "toughing it out" for a few days. This often worked but not this time. Something was very different this time. I became super dehydrated and my body wasnt having it. I pretty much hadn't kept anything down for about a week and my body was freaking out.

After trying to hydrate me with IV it was determined like it or not they had to do surgery, period. It wasnt up for discussion any longer. My body was freaking out (my heart rate was all over the place and they were having a hard time trying to regulate it), blood pressure not so good, and I needed to be on oxygen. At this point it was determined they were doing surgery today and now.

I had a few brief conversations with the PA that does the fills at my Dr. office about the sleeve. When I made the decision to have my band I researched for months before deciding to do it. Now I was having to make a decision. Have my band removed and try to move forward without anything ( I had recently proved that having nothing allowed me to put on 35 lbs in 6 weeks) I knew I couldnt do that to myself. The idea of putting on the 100 lbs that I had lost and all the struggles it took to get those pounds to go away would of been all for nothing. I opted to have a gastric sleeve done when they were removing my band. I didnt feel re- postioning the band at this point was an option for me.

Off to emergency surgery I go.

Well, they removed the band, did a gastric sleeve, discoverd and repaired a hernia and discovered that my espogus was streached and damaged from all the throwing up. Even with all that when I woke up from surgery I felt so much better. I was on the road to recovery....

The following day they did the swallow/leak test only to discover that because of the espogus being so streached that when they repaired the hernia(in the normal way) they had stiched my espogus shut. I was back to not being able to swallow or keep anything down (again). So off to emergency surgery I went to repair this.

4 surgeries in two days and 4 days in the hospital. I was finally released to go home. Oh, this was just in time for me to break out in hives all over my body from an allergic reation to one of the many medications I had been given. At that point I think that the rash reaction was worse than the surgeries. What a wreak I was.

I did the 4 full weeks of Protein shakes and liquids only, like a trooper. I am now on week 2 of mushies. I am looking forward to adding real food back into my life.

Since I did no research about the sleeve previous to having it done I have lots of questions. I have done some research since then and am having a hard time wrapping my head around some of the information.

Since I am starting this weight loss journey in a different place than a first time baratric patient what should my weight loss expectations be? I am currently at 175-180, Im 5'09". My BMI is still 26.6 so still considered overweight but I am darn close to being normal. The high end of my goal weight would be about 160 to a low of 125. At one point with the band I was down to 165. I want to find a weight that my body is comfortable with so my initail goal is about 160 or so.

Remember that I have approached the world of food and eating as a BANDSTER for the past almost 5 years. I was never able to tolerate bread in any form with my band. The idea that I may be able to eat (toasted) bread at some point. I cant hardly get my head around the thought of that. I understand Portion Control with the best of them but the idea/reality that I will be able to consume 3 ounce Protein and 1 ounce vegie per meal and it be highly likely I wont throw it up seems like a dream. I became real good at just trying to find something that would stay down with my band so Its been a long time since I really ate a balanced diet. With the band and my eating difficulties I grazed all day. A few bites here and there. From what I am reading grazing is not something that is recommended with the sleeve. How do you place your meals and Snacks during the day?

Are you able to eat whatever within the 3 ounce protein and 1 ounce vegie guidelines. Are there specific foods that you just cant eat? Are you able to eat salads. I wasnt able to tolerate lettuce at all with my band, among a long list of other foods. I just need a general idea of what my expectations should /could be from this procedure.

Thanks for listening to me ramble and any input you may have to help me take the first steps on my brand new GASTRIC SLEEVE journey will be appreciated.

RDABGA

Banded 10-6-2005

Band removed and sleeved 5-5-2010 :thumbup:

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Most doctors want people to wait about 3 months before introducing fresh veggies, to make sure the staple line is completely healed.

You'll find out that the sleeve will help you keep your portions small. You'll eventually be able to eat anything you want, in small portions. You'll have to pick and choose what to eat because if you fill up on bread, you won't be able to eat anything else!

Don't worry! We will all help you along the way!

[CraftyChristie 62]

Aaaargh, I wrote you a long message and it got deleted Here we go again.

I'm so sorry you have been through such a long and frustrating ordeal!! I am glad you have found your way here though as it's a very supportive environment and there are always plenty of people ready to jump in and answer your questions.

I want to try to answer some of your food questions. I'll share with you what my guidelines are that I've been given if you are interested. This is how our nutrition goals have been explained to me. Protein needs to be the #1 focus because we can eat so little that if we don't focus on it, we don't get enough. Protein is super important to everyone but especially to us because it builds muscle (which burns fat and cals), and it helps trick the body out of starvation mode when we are eating so low calorie, so that our body doesn't hang onto everything. Getting 65-75g of protein a day is the goal. Also getting your min 64 oz of Water a day is important.

On my plan, the first 6 weeks before full solid food, each meal is to be 90% protein and 10% complex carbs from fruits and veggies. At 6 weeks when getting onto solid food, it can be more like 75% protein and 25% complex carbs. Simple carbs from breads, pastas, etc are not recommended especially during the losing phase - but most people do eat them once they are maintaining their weight... or once they can't take it anymore hehe. With the sleeve nothing is off limits, but you are just supposed to try to keep your focus on the right protein rich foods and let other things be occasional.

Salads - they put that on our list of things to stay away from. Not because there's anything wrong with it, but because it doesn't provide too much nutrition for us, lettuce is mostly Water and also hard for the system to digest. They told us when we want salad, stick to spinach leaves, but focus more on the stuff goin ON the salad, and make a protein like chicken, shrimp, or beef a main part of the salad. Again everything in moderation :thumbup:

As for what to expect out of your weight loss - it's anyone's guess. Our bodies are so different. There is a whole sub-forum on here for band to sleeve revisions, so maybe in there some people with similar experiences could give you a better idea... but my educated guess would be that you will lost at least that extra 20 lbs, but it may be slow because your body has been through such an ordeal and may really need time to adjust and to "believe" and let go of the fat that is stored. Be patient and dilligent in your food choices right now until you get to a place where you are comfortable.

Hope this helps!!

[Jane_J 117]

Hi darling, you have been through the wars. The good news is that it should become so much easier and you will be able to eat anything in small amounts. I can send you more info if you want to PM me.

All the very best, Jane

[RDABGA 0]

Thanks to all for your replies. I told my Dr. I had to just convience the fat girl that lives in my head about this new way of eating. He told me that the fat girl doesn't live there anymore. Which is especially funny to hear him say because he isnt known to have much of a beside manner about him. I think lots of things can be cured with a sense of humor so I was glad (and surprised) to find he has one. This may help me out during future Dr. visits Thanks again

[SParkle 4]

Sounds like you have been thru it all and then some! Congrats on being sleeved tho - I'm only at the start of this journey but there are plenty of experienced sleevers on here who I am sure will help out with loads of info.

Good luck

Kathy

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I think he has a great bedside manor. He is shy and people take that for unfriendly. He and I have had some great conversations. He sometimes comes to support group too.

[citygal 0]

First...welcome to this site....you have really been through the war. Like you I am a band to sleeve revision and I can honestly way I am grateful every day I removed my band. I had too many issues with throwing up and my acid reflux got so bad my vocal chords were damaged. I lost my voice for 6 weeks. Having to run to the bathroom at a resturant became a regular issue for me.

I lost a about 80 pounds with my band and gained 30 back when I was unfilled. Even unfilled I had foods that got stuck. I was back to 301 pounds when I decided I was one of the people the band wasn't going to work for....I have subsequently heard of a number of people who like you....had issues...like you.

There are a ton of people on here who have better long term food advice than me...but I for one believe going slow is a good idea. THere are something I still haven't tried but I can do bread and some veggies as well...I still have 90'sh pounds to lose and you are very close to your goal.....sending you all good things for healing and good health!

[Tiffykins 673]

Whew, what a journey. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of eating "normal" foods since the band was so finicky and I had to keep certain things out of my mouth or pay the price.

I'm a year out with the sleeve now, and I eat regular bread, it doesn't even have to be toasted. I eat flour tortillas, it's a tiny bite here and there, but finally tortillas don't get stuck or give me issues. I can eat salads and raw veggies, and with the band it was pretty much impossible to eat a balanced, healthy diet.

Over time, food is just easier, and there is no more obsessing over "holy crap, is this food going to go down and stay down?"

As far as how you will lose, it'll be sketchy at first. At least that's my experience, I hit goal at 6.5 months out. I continued to lose to 28lbs below goal, but in a healthy weight for my height. I'm finally maintaining at this point, and it seems my body is comfortable around 121-125lbs. I have purposely tried to gain by eating more carbs and calories, but my body just doesn't gaining. I was happy at 150, today at 122lbs, apparently my body is happy and really doesn't care that I want to be 135ish.

My best friend for about 4 months was my nutritionist. I called her frequently because I just couldn't get the maintenance thing figured out. Use those resources if they are available to you. I found my nut to be a lifeline for me, and I know I'd be lost without some of the other vets that have already been through this part of the journey.

Best wishes, and if you need anything feel free to post away. We'll be here for you.

[mommaof4yoopers 3]

Ah, what a trip you've had! Good luck and ask away with the questions... we all learn from each other!

[pcindy 8]

Dear RDABGA: I'm getting my VSG in 2 weeks. I've never had any other weightloss surgery (although as a nurse, I've worked with a lot of post-op gastric bypass patients). I wouldn't have been open to a gastric bypass in a million years, and was turned off to the band for exactly the reasons you've described. I made the decision to have a VSG because for me, it feels like the last stagecoach out of Dodge for me- the last chance to be healthy and normal while still relatively young, last chance to get pregnant and have a family, etc... I really just wanted to say how brave I think you are, and to thank you for sharing your story here. I wish you all the best with your outcome; you really deserve it. Please keep us all posted.