Lap-band to Sleeve, Any Advice?

[lalaj 108]

Hello All,

It has been quite a while since I've been on here. I'm currently not too happy with the way my band makes me feel which is why I'm seeking a revision. I''m going to speak with my surgeon about the issues I'm having and was wondering if you all have any advice for me as far as going from the band to sleeve? What has been your experience and are you happy with your decision? What made you choose to revise? Any feedback both positive and negative is ok. Thank you all in advance and good luck to those who have surgeries coming up.

Lala

[fccm04 39]

I switched because I couldn't eat. I mean I would chew up my food very fine, small bites and all that and yet I spent most of my time vomiting. It was very hard. I stayed sick a lot. I wasn't losing weight, it was tough. I switched to a sleeve, all in one surgery and I feel great! I've already lost 22lbs.

[lalaj 108]

I switched because I couldn't eat. I mean I would chew up my food very fine, small bites and all that and yet I spent most of my time vomiting. It was very hard. I stayed sick a lot. I wasn't losing weight, it was tough. I switched to a sleeve, all in one surgery and I feel great! I've already lost 22lbs.

Thank you for replying. I totally understand what you mean about not being able to eat. It has become frustrating for me. Im so happy for you and your outcome so far. Keep up the good work. You're doing great!

[knitlil09 91]

Thank you for replying. I totally understand what you mean about not being able to eat. It has become frustrating for me. Im so happy for you and your outcome so far. Keep up the good work. You're doing great!

I had the same proble, the sleeve feels completely different thankfully. I haven't thrown up once and the restriction you feel is completely different. You actually feel full and satisfied. It had gotten to the point for me with the band where I was constantly seeking out slider foods because if I could manage to get something to stay down I was going to damn sure eat a lot of it because I didn't know when I would be able to keep anything down again.

With the sleeve, I eat small amounts but am actually satisfied and don't reach for things I shouldn't be eating. It really is a liberating feeling. I feel like I've been freed from the food issues in the past.

[MichelleInCA 22]

I got the revision on April 30, and I'm very happy so far. Not only was my weight loss slow and small, the band gave me terrible acid reflux. I was up to 2 Prilosec a day and still having symptoms. The band kept me from eating perfectly healthy food like melon, while it let me eat as much as I wanted of things that weren't healthy, like ice cream. It didn't reinforce good behaviors. My surgeon unfilled my band last summer, which gave immediate relief but of course removed most of the restriction. I gained wait slowly in spite of working out, etc.

My surgeon stopped doing bands in 2011 due to the high rate of complication and disappointing weight loss. She said many patients would develop a tissue 'capsule' around their stomach under the band, that she would I guess cut through during revision surgery. She'd watch the stomach inflate like a sail with the capsule gone. And, she said that happened in my surgery too.

I will say I also had to go into the VSG surgery with a much better sense of how much my success would ride on my making the right choices and not 'cheating', for lack of a better word. With the band I expected it to keep me from eating too much of anything. On this second chance, I went in knowing it's about 50% behavioral, 50% help from the sleeve.

I have thrown up a couple of times but that was from eating raw veggies too fast. I'm learning how to handle the sleeve now. You do get full quickly and you feel more satisfied than with the band. It feels more natural.

[stacielynntate 88]

I started having issues after having my son in 2011. Couldn't keep food or liquid down and had 24/7 acid reflux. My dr emptied my band and it helped but the weight came back on. This year after having a slight tear in my MCL and it took 6 months to heal (all dr that took care of me said my weight slowed down the recovery) I knew I needed a change. So on 6/18 I got the sleeve done and big 27 lbs down and feeling good. I can eat, drink and no acid reflux issues. Just kicking myself I took so long to do it when my dr suggested it last year.

[boccob81 244]

I switch cause I got tired of vomiting all the time no matter what I are or drink smoothies it would come up . It was slipping again . So it came out and love it