Success with sleeve after band failure?

[bhopeful 33]

I was reading up on success stories but also read a number of stories where people had sleeve surgery but had gained back the wait. So I decided to post my questions or concerns here since I had a band and I'm not considering the sleeve.

I am considering having the sleeve after a failed gastric band and I am so scared. I have tried so, so, so hard with healthy eating, low-calorie eating, dieting!!!!! I even did the hCG diet which consisted of 500 cal per day for a period of six weeks. And I did eight rounds of that over a period of about three years. That is a total of 48 weeks (not back to back) of 500 cal per day. Of course I lost weight while doing that but then it all came back on again while eating "normally" which is really just about 1200 cal to around 1500 cal per day for me.

So, bottom line is, I am worried about having another weight-loss surgery and not being sure if it is going to work. I have never had an unhealthy diet, and I do not consider myself an overeater with being at an average of under 1500 cal per day. But, with my completely messed up metabolism and horrible thyroid / adrenal issues, maybe I need to just be at 800 to 1000 cal per day and I think the only way I could do that is by having the sleeve because otherwise I will just be hungry and having to fight myself constantly.

Sorry if I am rambling but I am really trying to decide if this surgery is worthwhile for me. I turned 50 years old a couple of months ago and I have about 100 pounds to lose. I have tried losing that weight my whole adult life with seemingly a lifetime of dieting. I am currently on a Paleo diet and I work out a lot, walking, bike riding, racquetball... And not losing! But it does seem that overwhelmingly people do lose weight with the sleeve. However, after having the gastric band and then having to have it removed because it didn't help and caused many problems, I'm so worried about additional weight loss surgery.

I guess my bottom line question is for those of you who have had the surgery, and have struggles with maintaining weight loss, would you have still had the surgery even though you are struggling to keep the weight off. Other any stories of people who regret having the surgery or are those far fewer in number than success stories?

[lexiemia 78]

I had band to sleeve revision May 28. I love my sleeve. It is so different than the band. I wish I had done this years ago. My band slipped MAy 2014 they removed all the saline and I gained back 87 lbs of the 100 that I had lost with the band. I am 4 weeks post op today with the sleeve and I have lost 19 lbs. I think it's going to be a slow steady losing pace but I am also learning good eating habits along the way. I also am 50.

Edited June 26, 2015 by lexiemia

[Megdelyn 85]

I had my sleeve May 26 and even though the recovery hasn't been as smooth as I would have liked, I have no regrets. I AM NOT HUNGRY! At all. Ever. I can eat three or four bites of something and I have to stop and wait a few minutes. This morning, there were pastries in the break room at work and I didn't even want one because a: I still feel full from breakfast; and b: I know I could take one or two bites and it probably wouldn't feel good.

I can't speak long term about the sleeve. I had the band 5 years ago and it sprung a leak after I lost 60#. Gained most of that back.

The sleeve feels different. I've heard that the constantly full feeling eases up with time, but I expect this to work for the long term.

[hockeyfan7 249]

In 3 years with the band I lost a total of 80 pounds. And then it stopped and I started having major problems eating and vomiting all the time.

In not quite 4 weeks with the sleeve I've lost 21 pounds. I'm rarely hungry to where my stomach is growling and I want to eat. I keep around 1,000 calories a day with the lean Proteins and non-starchy veggies and if I really want to eat something, my NUT says to just get some more veggies. I know I didn't get fat eating salad.

[lisaluvsgreys 48]

Thank you for this post BHopeful! I just posted the exact same thing! My surgery is Wednesday!

I'll be looking forward to reading more success stories!!! ::keeping my fingers crossed!::

[bhopeful 33]

Awesome lisaluvsgreys. All the best. Let us know how it goes.

[bhopeful 33]

@@lisaluvsgreys .... been thinking about you ... how are you doing post surgery????

Awesome lisaluvsgreys. All the best. Let us know how it goes.

[Fatty McFatster 888]

I also had a band failure and will be having my sleeve revision surgery shortly.

In the meantime, I hope to see more "success with sleeve after band failure" stories.

[ctgafford 4]

I had band to sleeve on August 24th. Down 11 pounds so far. For me, not much different at this point than the band. Soreness. Weakness. Head hunger. All expected. I have been assured from other family members that have done this that it gets better so for now I just focus on recovery.