Can You Eat Salad, Vegetables And Fruits With The Gastric Sleeve?

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Ha another zombie thread arisen from the dead! Well 2.5 years later and 160# lighter (i now weigh 140) I love my sleeve! As a tool it has worked well for me and enabled success beyond my wildest dreams.

[teshadb 203]

I am a band to sleeve revision and I had a hard time as well eating those foods you listed. The sleeve is amazing and I have to mentally remind myself that the band isn't there because I am just waiting for food to get stuck and it never happens. You feel normal again with what you can it just much smaller portions :-)

[FairySleeve 297]

I'm a bit more than 1 month out and I ate my first salad!! Yay!!

[7 Bites_Jen 479]

I am 2 years out and enjoy salads, fruit, raw veggies and all of that good stuff with my sleeve It's slow going in the first 6 months or so, but you will be able to eat them!

[aloudwhisper 176]

Here's a question I've been tossing around...In all my various dieting days, i used to make "green smoothies" to be sure to get lots of Vitamins and Calcium and such...I would put dark leafy greens and maybe a little carrot or other veg in the blender with a bit of fresh juice and some apple or pear to sweeten it a bit. It's a very quick way to eat a lot of fresh vegetable if you have trouble getting in enough vegetables. (I'm talking a pre-surgery stomach).

So, here's my question- after surgery, when the time comes to introduce fibrous veggies, do you think this would be a good way to break them in? Start out with them mostly liquified, then blend it less and less and see how it's received?

I am with you. I have to have my green smoothies. That has been the only way I could consistently get my fruits and veggies in. I hope I can incorporate then sooner than later. Cause me and Constipation don't do well.

[KattattaK 45]

Your situation is similar to mine. I hated that The band stopped me from eating all the healthy foods I craved, and I hated that I was either too tight to to get anything down or too loose and got so much down that I could not lose weight. So frustrating. I Hope you get that sleeve, and hope it works out great for you

[KattattaK 45]

Hi all! For those of you who are revision-ers who have gone from the band to the sleeve, could you please give those of us who have not yet been sleeved (or are on the fence about being sleeved) some information about your journey. I've had the band since 2005 (no fill since 2009) and have had probably with it. My current wls wants me to be revised to a sleeve, but due to my experience with the band, I am now absolutely afraid of getting any other type of wls.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I had the band 10 years.. misery. Sleeved since 2011 and maintaining a.massive weight loss. Look at my profile and signature for detail.

Hi all! For those of you who are revision-ers who have gone from the band to the sleeve, could you please give those of us who have not yet been sleeved (or are on the fence about being sleeved) some information about your journey. I've had the band since 2005 (no fill since 2009) and have had probably with it. My current wls wants me to be revised to a sleeve, but due to my experience with the band, I am now absolutely afraid of getting any other type of wls.

[KattattaK 45]

CowgirlJane, thanks for responding. I went to your profile, but I only see your username and birthday. Very possible that my phone is to blame for that. I will continue to try to read your profile

[aloudwhisper 176]

I wasn't able to see the profile either. I know it may be a pain to keep repeating, but please just tell us your starting weight when you were sleeved and current? Thanks so much

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

You have to view from a laptop or Kindle (maybe other devices). From my phone I can't read profiles either.

[KattattaK 45]

Ohhhhh ok. Thank you!!! I had no idea!

[aloudwhisper 176]

Well I don't know when I will have the time to get on a laptop, but anyone that is open to discussing their experience I would greatly appreciate it. I know a lot of people have been on this site a long time. But anyone in the group that enjoys telling their story please share and continue sharing because you are blessing so many people with you experience.

[KattattaK 45]

I do not own a computer either. Got rid of it over a year ago but I think I may purchase another one so I will be able to read the profiles on here. Anyhoo, I will definitely post my experience with the lap band on here for you and any others who may be interested. So, here's my story (I apologize in advance for the length)...

I had the Lapland in 2005 with Dr. Sunil Bhoyrul. He's one of the top bariatric surgeons in Southern California and I truly felt fortunate to have him. Unfortunately, about 2 years after my surgery, he left my clinic and his new practice was not covered under my insurance plan. Because I did not desire to have anyone else working with me, I made the decision to pay out of pocket to stay with Dr. Bhoyrul. My weight loss was substantial, and although I experienced some problems with the Lap band (minor reflux, sliming, waking up out of my sleep choking on food/saliva, tightness, etc.), I was so happy to finally be successful at losing weight that I honestly never complained or questioned it. I thought this was normal and simply part of what I had to go through with the lap band to be successful in my weight loss .

About close to 3 years after my surgery, I started to notice that after each adjustment, my satiety level would last less time (started lasting for a few days then got as low as lasting an hour) and I was no longer losing weight. I had not reached goal and was concerned that something was wrong with my band. I explained these concerns to my surgeon and he asked if I had been "eating around the band". I assured him that I was doing everything by the book. Rather than having my band checked, I was repeatedly offered an increase on my fill. I would leave his office unable to even swallow my saliva (no exaggeration). Then that feeling would miraculously be gone the next afternoon and eventually In a matter of hours. He refused to fill me anymore for fear of band erosion, which I totally understood. My frustration was that he was convinced that I was eating icecream and shakes and chips, which were foods I avoided at all costs. I would be in tears during my appointments because I was gaining weight and was afraid of it getting too out of control.

My surgeon finally had my band checked and we were told Fluid was going through at a decent rate and everything looked good. My surgeon expressed his belief that I was eating slider foods and needed to see a nutritionist to learn about healthy eating. I'm not even going to give details as to how utterly offended and frustrated this made me. So, I was so desperate to not regain all the weight I had suffered to lose and began taking diet pills. I also could no longer afford to pay out of pocket to continue seeing my surgeon (not to mention I strongly felt the need to get a second opinion about my band), so I left my surgeon and tried to find one covered by my insurance. I'm not sure if things have changed, but at that time, once a surgeon had performed your surgery, no other surgeon would dare touch you, ESPECIALLY if there were complications or problems! I had to keep getting referrals to see different bariatric surgeons, because once I explained my issue along with who had performed my surgery, each surgeon would immediately refuse to treat me. It took well over a year before a surgeon finally offered me an adjustment.

By this time, the diet pills had long lost their magic and I had no restriction. I had gained a substantial amount of weight. I decided to try a fill since so much time had passed. I prayed a miracle had somehow taken place and my band would hopefully hold a fill. However, no such miracle had occurred. Since the surgeons refused to listen to me when I told them something was wrong with my band, I started doing research on my own. Although I came across others with similar issues with the band in communities such as this one, i was unable to find any information regarding band recalls.

Finally in 2010, I found some info online and contacted the company. Turned out there had been a recall on my band/the needles used for adjustments. Apparently, the needles used had caused leaks to develop in the bands so rather than describe the bands as faulty (because that would be more costly), the needles were blamed for causing slow leaks that were not detectable under fluoroscopy. I literally cried tears of relief upon discovering this information! I contacted the company and spoke with someone regarding my case. The woman I spoke with did some research and called me back to explain that my surgeon had been informed about the recall and had been told to contact all patients who had that particular band and who'd had the procedure during the time I'd had my surgery. The company had also issued him a letter to give to us. Mind you, this had all transpired during the time I was going to him in tears complaining about my fills not lasting and adamantly trying to explain that something was wrong with my band. I felt so let down. I had paid him out of pocket for so long and had shared my concerns with him, yet he had never shared this vital information with me. I was devastated and contacted him via email regarding this. I received no response and re-sent the exact same email about a month later to which he responded that the lap band had not been successful for me and I would need to contact a surgeon for a different type of wls. Again, I was utterly devastated!! This man had seemed so supportive and kind prior to my band issues. I had been told that weight loss surgeons supported you as long as you were a success story, but the moment you were no longer, they wanted nothing to do with you. I refused to believe it prior to my wls issues, but after my experience, I changed my mind. The woman I spoke to sent me a copy of the letter to take to my current surgeon. I was just so happy to have proof that something was wrong. Although I had continued to follow the eating plan with my band, I had gained weight and felt like such a failure, as if I had failed the band, but now I had proof that the band had actually failed me due to a malfunction. Unfortunately, I was told that I would need to have it replaced, and while it would be covered by the company, I would have to pay upfront for the surgery and then receive a refund afterward. As you can imagine, my world came crashing down because there was NO way I could afford to pay for that surgery! I spoke to my current weight loss surgery about replacing my band, but he refused and explained that he did not find the band to be a good choice of wls for patients.

Along with all the surgeons I had seen over the years, he was shocked that Dr. Bhoyrul had recommended the lap band surgery for me after reviewing my medical history and seeing that I had been diagnosed with insulin resistance syndrome AND PCOS. Of course I had no idea that this should have determined which wls was best for me. I honestly thought wls is wls and wanted the least dangerous/invasive one. I trusted my surgeon when he told me the lap band would be the best option for me. Looking back, the sleeve wasn't popular at that time and I didn't qualify for the rny due to my weight, so that may have had something to do with his choice??

I was diagnosed with thyroid disorder in the summer of 2009, and this only made things worse. Treatment caused me to quickly gain a whopping 50 pounds!! Despite all this and the anxiety, depression and hopelessness that gradually crept back in (and worsens each day), for the most part, I continue to eat healthy the majority of the time, and try to exercise but it is difficult and frustrating because I am right back where I was 10 years ago.

My current surgeon wants to remove my band and perform vsg surgery. About a year ago, insurance approved band removal with a vsg for a later date, but I get severe anxiety just thinking about having that surgery or any type of wls again. I remember all the suffering I experienced with the band, and I don't think I could go through that again. The restriction and not being able to get even a Tbsp of Water down let alone a bite of a soft scrambled egg! Not being able to eat with others for fear off getting "stuck" and the list goes in and on and on... It just all freaks me out. Majorly!

Recently, I met someone who had vsg surgery and was at work 1 week out, drinking her Protein shake and I got anxiety just watching her. However, the more I watched her, the more I began to think "Wow! She is SO brave! I could never go through that again!" I recently told her how brave I thought she was and about my doctor recommending that exact surgery for me. She told me about 2 other co workers who had the surgery around the same time she had hers and offered me her number so I could call and talk about the surgery if I wanted or needed to. That was about the time I decided to join this site. Some things I read give me hope, while other comments freak me out. I don't know what will come of this, but I feel like simply joining this community may just be a step towards a new and better beginning.

Thanks for reading.

[bikrchk 1,313]

Pre-op, one of my co-morbidities had been chronic "asthma" which presented mainly at night as chronic cough. They were concerned enough about it to send me to a pulmonologist before they'd perform the sleeve on me. Turned out that's not what was at all. The pulmonologist said my lungs were "fine" and when they did my EGD found a hiatal hernia and evidence of GERD which they called "silent" reflux as it was rare that I ever had heartburn. So I can sympathize with your dilemma.

I have banded friends who have the same issues as you even with an empty band. All I can say is I don't have issues anymore. They put me on twice daily omeprazole and fixed the hernia with my sleeve. Symptoms were worse for the first month the the point I had to put lifts under the head of my bed, then subsided completely. Probably a combination of the PPI, hernia repair and weight loss. That said, sleeve surgery CAN make reflux worse as it creates a high pressure system in the gut. My doc originally told me if it was REALLY bad, I was a better candidate for R\Y, but the PPI began to work immediately and he thought he could correct with hernia repair. In my case, he was right!

I can and do eat whatever I like, (bread, rice, fruit skins, corn, whatever) in small quantities focusing on Protein first. If I want salad, I have salad, but I tend to eat a lot less fruits and veggies than I did pre-op as they don't contain the Protein prescribed by my team. I just have a hard time fitting them in now. But tolerate them? Yes! I do with no issues! I'm at goal with no other meds besides the PPI which I'll probably take 2x day for life. This has been the best gift ever!