What Do I Do Now?

[reshiapooh96 31]

Well guys, I wrote before that I had a Dr.'s appointment today and I think I may give this band one more try. I feel that maybe It was all my fault for not completely following all the rules. I think I ate more than I should have. but I never felt full and always hungry no matter how tight my band was. Always filled and unfilled for 3 yrs. I have been unfilled for the past 2 months now. The good news is that I only gained 1pound. The bad news is that he told me that the band has done all its going to do for me and that I have a dilated pouch. I had 80 lbs to lose and in all have only lost 45. I still have diabetes and still on meds for high B/P and cholesterol. I thought that being banded would get me in control of these things but its not going to happen. He did mention that my option now is to go without a band,be sleeved, or have pypass. I would think that by-pass may be too much since I only have 30-40 more pounds to lose. Please give me some feed back. Were any of you in this situation?

[O.T.R. sleever 3,386]

This is really a hard one, with 30-40lbs to lose, I can't quite bring myself to say "Go for it" but onthe other hand diabetes & heart issues definitely do seem to be improved or cured by the sleeve.

Two questions

1~ are you type 1 or type 2 ?

2~ what do you think would happen if you removed the band? Could you maintain without it?

[reshiapooh96 31]

Hi, I am type 2. and this is pretty strong in my family. After reading several posts, I am almost sure that I will regain the weight that was lost and that scares me more than anything. I see where you're going. but on the other hand If I go W/O the band and regain, It would make my decision a little easier perhaps. I'm just too afraid to regain. I have come off of 2 of my meds and would hate to go back on them. too risky.

[prettysleeved1 173]

If it's any consolation, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. The band has limitations that people didn't know about the first few years it was out there. I read a few weeks ago where doctors are being urged to not even install the band into patients anymore because the long-term issues (weight re-gain, failure to loose, scarring, etc...) just are not worth it.

The feds have sent subpoenas to Allergan about the lap band and expect them to testify about the low weight loss results and the complications. It was in the news back in May.

If you are convinced that you'll regain, I think it's better for you to act proactively, especially with your co-morbid conditions. Why climb back up when you don't have to?

[Mz_Elle 23]

As happy as I am with my sleeve and I think it is the absolute better bet when matched up against it's competition: Lap Band and bypass, I would not put myself through such a major surgery for 40 lbs, if I didn't have to.

I have over 150LBS to lose and I have Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Since surgery my HTN has gone away. I no longer take the meds. My sugar is normal (I check my levels, daily, but I'm no longer on the metformin). I can say my sleeve is doing well.

And back to my original statement....I still wouldn't have the surgery for only 40 lbs. That's just my personal opinion...others may see it differently as they have every right to their own.

[girliegirl 49]

im not sure if i had just 40 lbs to lose if i would undergo a bypass or the sleeve. thats just me. i feel thats maybe something you might be able to lose on your own or at least get close.

[peacequeen 434]

Maybe after having the band removed you could give it some time to see if you could get the remaining 40 pounds off and keep it off before making such a drastic move. I'm not sure I would go through everything I've been through for 40 pounds but if I struggled to keep it off and yo-yo'd alot I might change my mind. I wouldn't jump into anything right away.

[kekerene 35]

Well I can say this. I was a band to sleeve revision myself. The band gave me nothing but problems from day 1. I never got close to my goal weight and my band slipped partially out of place after 5 years and was useless to me as well. I was in a similar situation as you are right now. If you look at my before pic in the pink shirt I had the Lap Band in that picture. That picture was taken 2 weeks before I had the revision to the sleeve. Look at my picture today. With the sleeve I have lost 85 lbs since surgery and still losing. I have had none of the issues with the sleeve that I experienced with the band. It's very easy for people to say that if all you have is 40 lbs to lose then don't go the surgery route but we all know that once you have that band removed you will gain the weight back unless you live a very strict lifestyle with food and exercise. This is one of the reasons we all had surgery to begin with, because we failed at that for so many years. If you think you can lose the 40 lbs yourself and keep it off that is great. I know me and my habits and I wasn't going to struggle for the rest of my life. I am super glad that I did this at a young age and not when I was 60. Having the revision to the sleeve was the absolute best decision I have ever made. I am sure you will make a decision based off of what you think is the best thing for you and your body. Just make sure if you decide to have a revision that you pick a surgeon that is VERY experienced in band to sleeve revisions. The band leaves behind a lot of scar tissue and you want to make sure you have an experienced surgeon. Also, my recommendation is to do it all in one surgery. Who wants to go have the band removed and then 6 months later go back in for another surgery. Especially if you are a cash paying patient like I was. If you have insurance and it covers it then maybe but regardless best of luck to you!

[reshiapooh96 31]

Much thanks to you all. Right now what I'm really thinking is that knowing myself I could never lose weight on my own. I've tried every diet out there more than once or twice. Having this band is of no use to me now and therefore there's no need to have it in my body. If the band goes, I will try hard to adhere to a strict diet plan and increase my exercise. After-all, that's what I have to do anyway at this point (all on my own) since the band is no more good to me. If I gain the weight back, then the choice for me would be the sleeve if possible. Thanks Guys!