Appointment Made For Consultation.

[AZPete 20]

So if I could offer a little background first. I was banded in march of 2007. I quickly in six months time lost 120 lbs. I ran 20 miles a week and ate a very regimented diet. About a year later I stopped losing weight. Never reaching goal. I began struggling with food and eating. chicken fish and beef became impossible. I turned to soft foods that caused me less discomfort. Weight began to slowly return. But I just increased my running to compensate. April of 2009 I had a fill to help control my appetite. It caused my stomach to be closed. No spit even went down. The tubing had been kinked and I had to have emergency surgery and spent 5 days in icu. I wished then that I would have had the damned thing removed. I came out with a renewed attitude towards the band. I was eager to lose weight. It didn't happen. I slowly climbed back up the weight chart. I got another fill. Finally some restriction. But short lived. My pouch dilated badly and I suffered from extreme GERD for a few months. Had a partially slipped band and all fill removed. I turned to sliders. We all know them. Anything that didn't hurt. December 2011. 285 lbs. miserable. I join weight watchers. I follow it to the T. Lose 50lbs. Tell my wife screw this band. Two weeks ago start training again. Try to eat Proteins. Chicken stays in my pouch for an entire day. Vomit all the time. Go right back to the sliders. Anything that doesn't hurt. Realize that how WW worked for me was that I ate Soups, chillies, and microwave crap dinners. I cannot eat healthy foods. I'm pissed off and tired of this god forsaken band. I am scared to have nothing, but also scared to have the sleeve. I'm hoping that my surgeon isn't just selling the latest and greatest. As was the band 6 years ago. I am also scared that I will fail. What if I turn to this style of eating again. I want to eat grilled chicken, steak fish etc. but it causes so much pain. I no longer follow the rules. I drink before, during and after I eat if I can. But only when I'm eating crap. Which is always. I want to be successful again. I run like a marathoner. But get nowhere because of diet. I'm tired and frustrated. Sorry for venting. I'm hoping my consultation will bring good news. November 9th. And I do have full insurance.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Hi Pete, thanks for sharing your story. Mine isn't EXACTLY the same, but pretty dang similiar. I had that lapband for 10 years and it was awful. I think I realize now that it is gone just how awful it really was. It was so embarrassing to be morbidly obese AND have this device that made my eating weird. Anyway, I had all the fill taken out about 3-4 years into the nightmare and it got better after that but it was still an albatrosse and reminder of my failure. I only lost 70 pounds after being banded, regained it plus a TON and then lost 85 on weight watchers later... kept much of it off for years but then was on t e regain train big time by the time I ws sleeved.

So, I had all the fill removed like you did but the docs hardly believed it and kept trying to take more out - like just in case some had been missed. I thik the band that they used back then was too small because I had symptoms like that even with no fill.

I had all of your skepticisms and fears. I am 10 months into the sleeve, loving it, it is so much better then the lapband, however, I still have fears about failing again.

Here is what i would say about the sleeve and eating right. This is my personal experience, and I think shared by many but perhaps not all who revise. These comments refer to months after surgery - so when you are completely on solid foods and healed up. I can eat dense Proteins with no pain. I can eat salad and veggies no problems. I even had a couple of bites of rice, just because i could! (10 years, i could never keep down even a forkful of rice even with no fill). Is the temptation to eat slider foods still there? Yes. It wasn't in the early months, but my hunger has definately returned and there is something about those carb laden foods that gives us comfort and it does continue to call my name.

HOWEVER, the sleeve gives me a tool that actually works. I have a fighting chance to overcome those old demons with the sleeve and last night was a good example.

I went to an event (I was actually hosting) that started at 6:15. I wasn't hungry enough to have dinner before, but about an hour into it I was hungry. There were Cookies and donuts and even a cake! I didn't have a single one even though I felt hungry and it was because I knew that it would not make me feel good and not really satisfy me so it was easy to say "no" to myself and have some Decaf coffee and just be fine until I got home. I could have NEVER done that presleeve.

Bottom line, you sound like a very committed and disciplined person, and have learned alot from the band so I think you have a good chance at doing really well with the sleeve. When I was banded, I had almost no education. Now I totally "get it" and the ONLY way you will have long term success with the sleeve is tiny portions, Protein first (preferably dense protein) followed by greens and healthy veggies and perhaps some fruit. Really, need to minimize carbs (I do eat some whole grain bread) and eliminate junky carbs like crackers and chips etc.

The long term stats on the sleeve are still a bit unknown, so that is a gamble. I personally could just never get comfortable with the gastric bypass - there was a heebie geebie factor that I can't totally explain. I had that with the sleeve at first too, but then I started thinking of it like "my stomach is too big and I am just having it reduced" which I was able to make peace with.

You should know that a significant minority of people (probably 30%) experience ongoing issues with acid. I don't experience it as reflux like I did with the band, but do get an acididy tummy. Would probably help if I quit coffee, but what I do is go on a round of proselec when it acts up. This may be problem forever.... and just because you don't have it at first doesn't mean it won't show up later so be forewarned.

I think fear of failure is probably the biggest issue for me, even now after having all this success. I remind myself what a doctor I saw said "You will be successful because you never give up no matter what". It sounds to me like the same could be said of you,.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

In all that blathering I forgot to mention a very important point. I knew my band HAD to come out due to risk of complete closing off, but I was too scared to be sleeved. Doctor also thought having the surgeries a few months apart would reduce risk of leaks. I was so glad I did it that way because about 2 days after the band came out I was hungry beyond reason. I mean, 24/7 drive to eat was out of control. I went to a bariatric doc (not a surgeon) who really "gets it" and gave me an eating plan that let me eat alot without gaining alot. That 2.5 months of living without the band, before being sleeved made me realize that needed to be sleeved or I would weigh like 600# someday. It was so strange, it was like being banded changed something in me because once it was gone I had the drive to eat like I never had in my life. It was scary, but it also solidified my committment to the sleeve and making it work.

this is probably why I love the sleeve so much - even though my hunger has returned now, it is just normal hunger not this all consuming drive to eat. I am praying that it remains so.