Disappointment Again

Its been about a week since my 15 month follow up appointment and its taken me about that long to process the information I have been given . At my one year visit I had gained a few pounds. I have had no real significant weight loss since the 10 or so pounds I lost post first revision surgery . So on this visit when I had gained more weight and he asked me more questions about my eating habits how I am feeling I lost it and told him " I am back to square one , no hunger control, always hungry and gaining weight " His response " I saw this coming your last visit and would hope you could have maintained but you have not " I asked him " is this something I AM DOING  ?  am I doing this to myself ?" His response " no this is not your doing " I then asked him " are you seeing other revision patients have the same issues' His response " No , however its still early with revisions so its hard to say ?" In other words this revision surgery has failed as well .
So my doctor has been talking to another associate of his who is doing a procedure , or has done a procedure where they go in and make your pouch smaller from the inside through an endoscope. I am not 100% sure what all this involves however he asked my permission to speak to the doc more at length about me to see if its something I can do or be a candidate for . So we shall see what happens in the next few weeks or so . Is this something I would do ? Yes . I as well as the doc are concerned with long term weight regain for myself . I'll do as I always do and keep you informed .

Its been a while ....

Its now been over a year since my last revision ( from sleeve to bypass ) I would like to say I am at goal and happy with how things are going , but par for my course I am not .
At my last doc apt ( my year apt ) I found out im severely anemic and have to get Iron IV infusions.
I have had 2 infusions so far. The first one went great, only took about an hour and a half. They gave me a "test" dose to make sure I did not have a reaction to it , which I did not and things went well.
The second treatment should have only taken about an hour . I was hooked up to the IV and with in about 5-10 min began to have severe shortness of breathe, became flushed and had a very heavy chest. After a few attempts to get the nurses attention ,( They were busy talking to each other ) a patients husband yelled at them to help me and when the nurse got over to my I passed out !
They stopped the infusion and gave me an antihistamine and medrol ( a steroid ) and restarted it slowly and I was fine after that . Needless to say a scary situation ! So now my infusions instead of taking an hour will take 2-3 .

As for my weight loss etc, due to the anemia i have not been able to work out , walk or do anything, due to not having ANY energy at all . So the weight has been creeping back on slow or not so slowly!
I am also feeling like I can eat larger amounts than I should be able to again .
I am very fearful of my stomach stretched out again through no fault of my own  . I am going to be talking to my surgeon about this next time i see him . While I doubt I Could or would do anything about this , my husband would freak if i had another surgery , I have come to the conclusion that any help from WLS for me is not going to happen, The band did too much damage to me . So the very hard work on my part is about to start once i am cleared to work out . While I have always tried to be more active than before, working out has never been something I enjoyed. But its something I have come to the conclusion I will HAVE TO DO IT and continue to do it in order to not gain weight . After having 2 other failed WLS I feel as if this one has failed also . Which is hard to accept. I am not sure what is going on , but I feel as though the band caused so much damage that its just screwed up everything permanently, which is very hard to take  !

While I am not happy where i am now I do need to remember where i came from .

Before Lap band Surgery (250 Pds ) 

Dec 2014 After both revisions (190 ish pds)

Lets be Honest

The biggest loser I am not . June 10th I will have my offical yearly post op visit with my doc.
I will be the first to admit I am not where I wanted to be at a year out. I wanted to be at my goal weight or damn near close. I am not . I still have 30-40 lbs IDEALLY to lose.
I know my doc will not say anything about my weight, he rarely does. He always asks me how I FEEL. Physically I probably feel fine, feel well , feel healthier , But I am not happy where i am by any means. I have not gained weight in the last year , Lost little but at least I am not gaining .
Its the little things i guess I reach for .

Now lets be honest. I have not worked at my weight loss since around Christmas time. My son became ill and well I Just fell off the wagon . For those new to reading my blog or to weight loss surgery , 3 weight loss surgeries does not make for easy weight loss ! At ALL, EVER , PERIOD !
Money was tight for us for a very very very long time . While you do no need money to work out , it helps and it helps in order to eat healthy .
So now that things are better for us financially I am recommitting to ME . I have signed up for a food delivery service called Fixed Foods , Its Paleo and gluten free, Its very easy on my IBS stomach as well. I will be joining a bootcamp type class that is also kind of personal training and I have a gym my apartment I can use now also . Its time to get serious. I am in a position now where i COULD have a much needed tummy tuck soon , but I WONT Do it until i get the weight off !

I WILL GET TO MY GOAL !! I WILL !
I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO WHERE I USE TO BE !

8 months update

Its been about 8 months since my second revision surgery ( Sleeve to RNY) . Over all i feel pretty good. At my 6 month post op visit my doc was happy with my weight loss and weight at this point , although I am not so much . He was more concerned about how I felt over all and my general well being than my weight loss. Since my band surgery nearly 10 yrs ago I have not felt this good in a long long time ( since before my band complications ) Doc would like me to loose another 20 pds in the next year I would like to loose 40 but he said with the surgeries i have had and now my body is "use" to loosing weight I would have to WORK HARD to loose the 40 . 20 would make me pretty happy at this point .
The one issue I have been fighting since surgery is MAJOR gastro issues. I do not think alot of people talk about this but what the hell i will ! Since the last surgery I have to have BM's with in 30 minutes of eating a meal, they come frequent, loose and often ! Along with that I have sever bloating, cramping and diarrhea . So i took it upon myself to see a Gastro doc . He about a month ago put me on the low FODmap diet as well as diagnosed me with IBS. Since starting the FODmap diet my symptoms are 75% better . Less frequent and urgent BM's less cramping, bloating and pain . I am also on a pro biotic ( Culterelle ) and was given a RX for Hyocsyamine a med to help with cramping and bloating after a meal . So over all, all of these things are helping a ton .

I have slacked MAJORLY on my working out and exercise since the holidays. My son had a minor health issue over the holidays and the stress got to me . I KNEW better and KNEW i should have kept working out but did not ! So Im trying to get back into it again but starting over what i did before, starting off walking and will work my way back to the Y Next month !

Over all i feel good . Weight loss wise im a bit disappointed in but I am not gaining which is good !
Its still a work in progress !

Lessons Learned : 10 years & 3 Weight Loss Surgeries

WARNING: This is meant to be a post about what I have learned over the years. I would like ALL NEWBIES Esp to just LISTEN to it , Read it , do not take offense to it . Especially if you are a revision patient. PLEASE Just listen ! 

If you have not kept up on my story are are new to my story please take a moment and read my back story . You can read about my journey here. Over the past 10 years I have been on many a weight loss support groups. Most have been online. I have learned a few things over the years . Having to have had 2 revision surgeries of not fault of mine I have learned a few lessons and I would like to share them .

Lesson 1:
Its a TOOL: No matter what weight loss surgery you choose , its a tool. Its a tool that needs to be used, used well and used right . There is NO easy way you .
I will be the first to admit my lap band ( before it tried to kill me ) was easy. 125 pounds in 10 months from a size 24 to a 4 in 10 months was easy . I did not work at it one bit .
The sleeve was harder , due to weight regain from my band it was a harder tool to use for myself.
RNY , Again A tool, not easy but its work . Im working at it daily .

Lesson 2:
MOVE YOUR ASS ! This is probably the biggest thing i want people to listen to . Recently on message boards I have heard various people saying things like " Please like im gonna work out " " I wont become addicted to working out " . " 5 years out and I never lift a finger "
Let me say this about working out , moving , being active . This is KEY with ANY weight loss surgery. I work out 3-4 times a week now , if i do not work out at the Y I walk 2 miles a night. No I am not perfect and the last 2 weeks I have not worked out due to some stressful issues in my life but I will be back at it on Monday . Do not be so aarrogant to think that working out , becoming more active is " Just not your thing and you are fine" I thought that myself. However , you may be fine now , i was fine after loosing 125 lbs .. BUT If your tool stops working and YES that does happen it happened to me TWICE You have to have something to fall back on , to help you along the way .
You do not have to go to the gym find something you like, walking , running, yoga, Pilates, dancing FIND SOMETHING and DO IT ! If your tool stops working you will THANK ME and if it does not GREAT You just created a healthy life style. Had i worked out after my lap band I may not have regained so much weight. Maybe I would have but maybe I would not have.

Lesson 3:
A more active lifestyle is not enough : I fooled myself into thinking after my lap band that I was more active, i ran errands , i was at football games school activities etc . I was more active than before my surgery so "that was enough" . Its not . Being more active is a great thing, its one of the amazing benefits of WLS. HOWEVER , its is not in my opinion enough to sustain you long term when it comes to weight loss .

Lesson 4:
It wont happen to me : Newbies espically seem to be very smug when it comes to "weight regain". Its almost funny to hear people say " I am doing just fine Im 3 months out " that's amazing but listen to your elders ! Listen to those who have gone before you and tell you things like " eating a hamburger at 5 weeks out is NOT OK "
I am a model patient, I was a model patient with my band . IF I can regain weight anyone can .
If my band and sleeve failed anyone's can .

Lesson 5:
Its work : ALL weight loss surgeries are work . You have to work . You have to be diligent in  your plan in order for it to work . I am not saying you have to be perfect all the time, lord knows I am not but this is a lifestyle change you HAVE TO Change your life style !

I hope this all makes sense. I was prompted to do this post after seeing so many people be so smug to newbies about their journies. I get everyone's journey is different, but in my opinion people have to be honest with them selves and others for them to know what they will get them selves into .

Update

I am not even sure when my last update was. Not much has changed with me. Depending on the day that either upsets me or I am ok with it . Weight wise I still have 42 pounds to loose. The weight is coming off SLOW SLOW SLOW. BUT its not coming ON and I am maintaining. I am still working out , when I feel like it . I get chronic migraines and my botox ( treatment for migraines ) has worn of so the last month I have been in not the best shape mentally or physically . BUT I get the botox Wednesday so that's good.
I can say this , after 3 weight loss surgeries i have NEVER worked THIS hard to keep it off as I do now. On my good weeks I am at the YMCA doing Yoga, body pump, cardio funk and zumba 6 days a week . On a bad week I walk around my block 3 times a week .  BUT I also feel way better than i Have in a long long long time . Its a process. I have a feeling my vitamin and mineral levels are probably messed up ( blood work next week ) which may have something to do with my weight loss being so slow . So we shall see . I have to remind myself its not even been 6 months since my surgery .

Ya Gotta WORK !

Its been about 4 months since my sleeve to bypass surgery . While it seems like a long long time ago it really has not been that long. I have learned a few things along the way , from this surgery and my others.
First the #1 question I get asked is " Since you have had the lap band, sleeve and now RNY which surgery is best and which is best for me " . While surgery and which surgery to get is a totally personal choice I can say this to people .. First off NEVER GET THE LAP BAND ( I dont like to tell people what NOT to do but this is one i will stand by . DO NOT GET THE BAND ! ) Second off its hard for me to answer this question as to what I like the best. The lap band was "easy" the weight came off with no effort on my part. We all know now the damage it caused so "easy " is not a word I would contiune to use with it . The sleeve .. did i like it ? That is hard to answer also . I will say this , IF I had the sleeve FIRST I think I would have liked it . Its hard for me to tell you if the sleeve is "good or worked" because it never really worked the way it should have for me due to damage from my band. Now how do I like Bypass ? I like it . Its probably as "Normal" as I have felt in a long long time , there is no pain when eating, no joint aches or muscles aches , no vomitting , no getting stuck no throwing up . That being said, it is hard for me to say if bypass would have worked the same for me if i had it the second time or even the first time around. Of the 3 surgeries I am happiest at this point with the bypass.

NOW my progress... Weight loss wise its been slow. REAL Slow.  Its been about 35-40 pounds total so far since my sleeve to bypass. I am currently 183 and my docs office states I was 190 when I had surgery but that's not right I had gained some weight between my surgery and the pre op visit.  Now I have lost WAY more inches than pounds. I was in size 18/20 when i had surgery and am currently in a 12-14 depending on the brand. I just started taking my measurments. Another big change is ..

I am working out !! That's right , Mrs I hate to work out , dont like it never did it . I joined the Y last month and go 3-4 times a week , I actually half way ENJOY it ! Did you faint ?

 

I have been going to body pump , body combat and cardio funk classes ! I will even go and walk on the treadmill BEFORE a class ! ( did you faint again ? LOL) 

Even with the working out I am not loosing as much as I would like. I have a goal to have 25 pounds lost before Christmas. I would like to have ALL of the 40 or so pounds that i have left off before my one year anniversary .  If I get there I get there, but I know I am doing EVERYTHING I can to help myself. I feel better than I have in years now . I eat better and am enjoying myself for the first time in a long time ! So the moral of the story ? Who ever says weight loss surgery is the "Easy " way out has not seen my big ass at the gym working out ! Its ROUGH and HARD . I would have LOVED to have taken the "easy way out " instead of this way !! 

Here is a current picture of me. I had to take it to "See" the changes, while they are small I see them . 

Update

Its been about 12 weeks since my revision and things are going pretty good. I have finally got my energy back for the most part it took quite a while for it to come back . I have made some more changes other than just surgery . While i was out on disability for my surgery I decided to look for a new job. When I was dreading having to go back , not to work but to the place I worked I decided to take the time to apply for a few other jobs. As it turns out I got one ! I am now working at an allergy clinic and Love it . The hospital was part of what was draining me so physically and I just could not see going back to that .

Because of my new hours at work I have the time and energy to walk now. I walk almost every night. Something I have never been good at sticking to . But I have been doing well for about 3 weeks now . I walk at least 6 days a week . Which is good for me and its been REALLY hot lately .
I have had some people ask me how this surgery compares to the other surgeries.

As far as how I feel and how i eat now, I have more restriction now after my RNY than almost any other surgery . I have only thrown up a few times and mostly from eating bad food ( really dry usually) which is a huge change from the lap band and the sleeve I could eat nearly anything in any amount .

Over all I feel REALLY Good. There is one thing that is really annoying and while I hate to put it out there for everyone to read .. its something I think surgery patients or people considering revisions should know goes on. Due to the malabsorbtion issues I have with the surgery I have chronic loose BM's . Its embarrassing and some times too much for me to deal with . I spoke to my doc about it a little bit and he said it was not "normal" but consequential of how I eat now . I will contact my NUT next week to talk to him more about it . I have started taking a probiotic to see if that helps .

So over all I feel good . I am down 31 pounds at this point and down from a 18/20 pant size to a 14 and they are getting a little loose. Also down from a XXL shirt to a Large Shirt .
Sometimes I do not see the difference and its hard for me to believe people when they say I look good or that they can tell I have lost weight .. I think because everyone know's i had surgery they are just saying it to be nice ! That's just me .

What do I still need to work on ? I want to start doing some yoga to tone up . Also eating better. I do not eat bad , however we have started a bad habit of eating out . While i eat healthy when I eat out I don't know what i am putting in my body . My B1 levels were low as were my B12 So I need to be able to get in the vitamins and calories I need and know what I am eating ! So that's the goal this month to eat at home more and try some yoga !!

A Milestone of Sorts

Its been a little over a month since my surgery . The weight has been coming off fairly easily at this point and restriction when eating is good . While everything is going well I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Something to go wrong, the weight to stall , something. I mean really do you blame me after all the crap I have been through . 

Today however I hit a milestone of sorts. I am officially lighter than I was with my sleeve.
With my sleeve I could NEVER get  under 189-190 pounds . I would see saw between those 2 weights for months , months turned into a year . I lost 40 lbs with my sleeve but only 10 pounds came off after the first 30 days . So I am gun shy still about the weight loss.

But today at 6 weeks post op I hit 188 pounds . Which means I am lighter than I was ever with my sleeve , granted I was 10 pounds lighter to begin with but still its something ! 

Once I get below 180 I think i will feel like this is really working ! 

One Month Post op

Its been a little over a month since my surgery . I am down 25 lbs so far. The pain from surgery is gone and the only side affect I have lingering is fatigue. I am still very very tired , and get very tired easily .  I go back to work to a new job next week . I decided to leave the hospital job I was working at . It was very stressful and not to mention very physical . I cant imagine having to do that job 12 hours a day in the near future with the energy level I currently have. So I am excited to start my new job . 

The supplements I have to take are difficult for me to get down . Because i have issues with taking anything with artificial sweeteners in them ( I get horrible migraines ) I found some supplements that are all vegan , all natural blah blah , but i have to break them open to take them and oh my do they not set well . I am going to try one more kind to see if i can try them , but if that does not work i may need to get IV infusions of my supplements. With Gastric Bypass supplements are really really important. You can crash and get really sick really fast if your levels drop quickly. 

So its something i need to stay on top of . 

Over all things are going well. I am really happy with the amount of restriction i have post op this time around. After my sleeve surgery I never felt like I had any restriction , or stopping point after eating, even early on post op . But I can not eat much at this point and I am very full. So I am very happy with that ! 

16 days Post op and 21 Pounds Down

Just wanted to give a little update on how things are going . I am steadily loosing a pound or 2 a day. Which is fine with me, I know that will slow down once I start to eat regular food.
Energy level is slowly getting back up to normal but I still end up having to take a nap almost everyday . I have also had some issues with sleeping since surgery . Hoping that gets better.

This go around has been a little harder as far as the full liquid stage . I wont lie.  Because of my migraines and issues with artificial sweeteners I have only found one protein drink that does not give me a migraine and I cant even have that one more than once a day .
Because of the artificial sweeteners bothering me I have to usually dilute full sugar items. For instance I drink 20 oz of water with 1 tablespoon of juice . That much does not bother me.
Sugar free jello and sugar free pudding are out , so I can only have a small amount of each at at a time Too much and i get sick to my stomach and feel nauseated . ( Dumping Syndrome) The dumping is a BIG issue for bypass and something I knew I would have because i dumped with my sleeve.
So I feel like i stay nauseated most of the day , I know that will get better when i can have more foods. I see the doc on Tuesday so he should move me up .
The GOOD thing about this surgery is I really am not hungry . I Just in the last day or so started to feel hunger and it will usually go away after drinking some more water.

I have to take my antibiotics with applesauce, ( Technically a mushy food ) and 2 or 3 bites and i can FEEL It going down or myself getting full . So I feel hopeful that is a good sign of the restriction to come.

So over all things are going well . Just anxious to move on to pureed foods so i can have some butternut squash or re fried beans !

My story: Lapband, To sleeve To Bypass Revsions

 PLEASE NOTE : I am still working on this post ,, Excuse the choppiness of it ! Still working on adding details ! 

I have had several people over the last week ask me what my "whole story was " for all my surgeries , why i needed one after having another etc. So I'll try to keep it short and put it in all one page so here goes :

The beginning :
As a young adult i was 130-150 pds .
My weight issues started about 15 yrs ago when I got married , became a stay at home mom and got pregnant the same YEAR !! Not a real good combo for someone's weight.
When i got married in 2000 i was about 140-150 pds. More than I had ever weight in my life.
In 2001 i became pregnant w/ my second son and my weight just came on and on and on ( I GOT HUGE ) . After I had him , the weight did not come off. Would not come off.
I'll be honest though I did not and have not tried every diet under the sun.
I tried Atkins , I tried weight watchers , working out a curves and eating better over the last 7 or so yrs. So did i try EVERYTHING ? Probably not .
I also have something called PCOS ( Poly Cycstic Ovarian Syndrome)
Here is the definition from Wikepedia
Polycystic ovary syndrome abbreviated PCOS or PCO (also known clinically as Stein-Leventhal syndrome, Sclerocystic ovary syndrome, Hyperthecosis, ovarian, Polycystic ovarian disease PCOD ) is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately 10% of all women .^[1] It occurs amongst all races and nationalities, is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and is a leading cause of infertility.^[2][3] The principal features are weight problems, lack of regular ovulation and/or menstruation, and excessive amounts or effects of androgenic (masculinizing) hormones. The symptoms and severity of the syndrome vary greatly between women. While the causes are unknown, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity are all strongly correlated with PCOS.

It became very obvious to me that my weight was not going to come off. Over about 7 yrs I lost 25 pds and that was IT !! So I gave up . I wont lie I did !

The Band ( Starting Weight 250 if not more Goal weight of 125 lbs hit in 10 months  )
In 2004 I started researching WLS with the encouragement of my long time OBGYN. At the time the Lap Band was " THE" Surgery to have , it was being sold as least invasive , blah blah . So i deiced I would check into it . At this time the longest anyone had the band I think was maybe 5 yrs ? So in talking to people who had the band for a while 1-2 yrs out it looked great ! People kept the weight off, no one really had anything bad to say about it , including my doc .
In 2006 I decied to take the blunge and get banded and was banded in July of 2007
Here is a link to my one year mark with my band ( oh if i had only known what was to come ) .


The day I hit my goal weight with my lap band I slipped my band for the first time .
That is where the end of the band began. Nothing really ever was right after that . I slipped my band again in July of 2009 !
As this stuff was going on I started to have some other funky things going on with my health . Those are all located here under Auto Immune if you would like to read up on them .
For the record I beleieve these issues I had were mostly if not all band related !
Now the kind of short story at this point is, my band was unfilled for nearly 2 yrs. My band got to the point where it could not be filled with out strangling my esophagus , I got to where i could not eat anything but mushy foods . You can read more about that here .

So my over view of the band now , looking back , Its an evil contraption that needs to be taken off the market ! They have a 50-60% Failure rate and have no business being in peoples bodies ! PERIOD







The Struggle to Remove the Band
At the time my band failed me and I knew I had to get it out we were self employed and in no way able to afford the removal of my band and revision to sleeve out of pocket . My only option after checking into it was to get pre existing insurance coverage through the government. I still had to pay over $500 a month ( I think it was ) for JUST ME being covered plus 20% . Long story short I ended up having a fund raiser and raised most of the money .

The Sleeve( SW 225 Lightest weight 190 )

I had a HORRIBLE experience with my first revision surgeron , he was ok but his office staff literally gave me panic attacks by just talking to them on the phone !
This guy was suppose to be " the best revision doc around " which by the way was 4 hours from my house . (Horrible doc experience )
I have been in the medical field for many years. After asking some of my nurse friends who had a good rep in the OR , who had good technique and who THEY would trust to do their surgery I found my awesome doc Dr Fass !!
The surgery it self was good but I had a few issues . Over all the recovery from band to sleeve revision was decent, harder than the band but doable . My story of my 5 days in the hospital post revision can be read here !

ANOTHER Revision ? You are kidding right ? (SW 215 Current Weight 205 )
At about my one year anniversary I started to feel like I was able to eat a ton of food . My doc thought I was being a little over paranoid so he suggested I get an upper GI . Turned out my sleeve was too larger and I needed or could have it revised .
That story is here !

My Last Revision and the roughest !

With a second hiatial hernia repair and the bypass my surgery , this last one was probably the toughest , I am still recovering from it .

5 Days Post op 

So that is the basic of all my issues, I will fill in when I feel like it , but feel free to ask me any questions !

Reality: 5 Days Post op

I am 5 days post op from my sleeve to bypass revision . ( If your keeping track this is my second revision ) 

I am having one of those , what have i done to myself moments/days . All day I have been uncomfortable , severe back pain , one minute my feet are cold , the next my arms are cold but feet are hot, the next I am freezing all over , EVERYTHING requires so much effort .  This surgery has by far been the most rough . The bypass itself on top of a hiatial hernia repair is ROUGH . It requires 2 pillows behind me ( one being a body pillow ) one under my legs, one on each side of me to just sit or sleep ! I go in to sleep and am almost asleep and hubs  starts snoring ! UGH. He's done so much for me i dont have the heart to kick him or elbow him in  the ribs like i normally do . So one by one I bring all my pillows out to the couch ( that's all I can carry ) and situate myself out here , and cry ! 

This is one of those surgeries that after your third like mine I feel like people probably do not have 

alot of sympathy for me , probably for good reason , frankly I dont care, it does not take the pain 

and soreness away from me !

What is the point of this ? Well for one I need to get this out because crying hurts like HELL right now . The second point is after leaving several  " revision support groups today " I want to say this.
I am on my third weight loss surgery , not by choice but my necessity, to live a longer, healthier life.
That being said With the help of my docs EACH time EACH Surgery I made what we thought was the best choice for me . I do not think NO ONE SURGERY is THE answer for EVERYONE.
If I hear " why didnt you do this surgery , why didnt you do this is the "GOLD STANDARD" Its THE Surgery , you wont have to have another. First let me tell you SHUT THE HELL UP ! ( To me espicially ) The "Gold Standard" 15 yrs ago was bypass, the "gold standard" 10 yrs ago was the band your GOLD Standard is what you think is the best surgery for YOU .. So dont give me or anyone else any SHIT about questioning what surgery I had or why I did not pick YOUR Gold Standard.
That being said I firmly believe everyone should be educated about ALL surgeries , they should choose with THEIR Doc what is best for them ! Do NOT QUESTION ANYONE ABOUT THEIR choice , honestly its like asking someone " OMG why did you name your kid THAT name " its THAT PERSONAL ! Leave your opinions to your self, if you want to know info , gain insight anything like that FEEL FREE , contact me ! Im over the  " Why didnt you choose this surgery " .

People need to know reality , People need to know not EVERYONE Is able to go back to work in 3 days ( which BTW people who say that I think are full of shit ) . People need to know THIS HURTS
just as much as they need to know the good parts . I'll write to you about the good parts when I get to them , im still at the I hate my life dont screw with me stage !! LOL

Lap band to sleeve , sleeve to RNY Surgery

I am just able to get to a computer and functional enough to type more than a few sentences ! So here is what happened, I had the surgery done on Thursday ( Sleeve to RNY) The doc came in post op and asked me if i have ever been diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder ? I said no why ? He said my hiatial hernia has stretched its away back out , as did my esophagus and my sleeve. He said I would have known by now if i had any connective tissue disorder, However he seemed sure since I did not that the RNY pouch would not stretch its way back out, he also said IF It did there was a very small pouch and it should be ok ? So I dunno ! So the first day I was super happy to have the PCA ( Patient controlled anesthesia ) HOWEVER let me tell you if you have migraines SO NOT GET A PCA ! The pca meds ( dilated ) caused me to get a migraine , Its one of the side affects. Once a RN realized this was causing my migraine she switched the pain meds for me , HOWEVER it was one of the WORST Migraines i have ever had , and the migraine cause me to get nauseated
and then dry heave . It was NOT FUN , by far the worst day My doc comes in ( The one who did my sleeve ) See's my hunched over and says " You look like your in pain your not going anywhere today ( I should have gone home ) So the next day he came in and saw I was doing better, asked If i felt I could go home and I said yes, So he let me go home, I only had to stay one extra day which is great. The comparisons between this surgery and the band and sleeve, this one was by far the most painful ! But I am feeling alot better today, I am trying to see if i can go longer than 4 hours for my pain meds today to wean myself off of them . So far today feeling pretty good !

Update ! SURGERY DATE !!

I saw my new surgeon this week ( He actually assited in my sleeve revision ) and my revision to RNY ( Gastric Bypass ) will be May 29 !!! I am so excited. My surgeon who did my sleeve will assist on my RNY surgery ! I know between the 2 of them they will do a great job !! I see the nutritionist
Wednesday to just go over the pre op diet and the differences in diet between the surgeries and everything else is done !

Lap Band, Sleeve, Bypass .... Repeat Revision

A quick update on what is going on with me. (read about the last update here )After getting an upper GI we learned that my sleeved stomach is too larger, larger than it should be. After talking to my doctor and my husband for what the best next step was for me , it was decided I would try to get approval for gastric bypass. Bypass was chosen for a few reasons. I have PCOS which puts me at danger for diabetes, PCOS is also one of the main reasons I am over weight. Long term I feel like this is the best choice for me. Bypass will help me get to my goal and stay there. Now people may understandably think i am NUTS for even considering a third weight loss surgery . However, this was given great thought. Long term for my health its what needs to be done . I have never been a fan of bypass. Seems most people I know who have had bypass gain thier weight back . I will have the best of both worlds when it comes to surgeries. Because my stomach is already sleeved , the stretchy part of the stomach is done. So the risk of eating threw the bypass or stretching the stomach is not there. I also believe I need the mal absorption of bypass to help me with weight gain .

When my surgery was sent to insurance i thought this was a HUGE long shot to get approved.
However I was surprised to learn this week , the surgery was APPROVED ! I go see the doctor next week , the surgeon who did my sleeve does not do bypass so his associate will be doing the surgery.

I have been told I am crazy for doing this .. however I believe that I had to go through all this with surgery after surgery to get to where I am now. Bypass , a virgin bypass I do not think would have worked for me , however A sleeved stomach bypass I believe will work for me. I guess things work out the way they are suppose to .

I will find out hopefully next week when surgery is. I am hoping to have it towards the end of May.
I will keep you updated ! !!!
Thanks !

Revision on my Revsion ?

I took this pictures at my docs office last time i was there,
You can see how the sleeve is done  

Gastric bypass. You can see in this how it would be "easy to bypass" after the sleeve.

Today I saw my surgeon about the results of my Upper GI i had done a few weeks ago .
We were trying to see if my stomach was too big , larger than it should be after my revision surgery.
I am able to eat WAY too much . It was hard to determine for myself if I was eating too much on my own of my stomach was just too big .

So my stomach is indeed too larger, larger than what it should be  . It was not surprising to him when I told him I was able to eat an entire hamburger based on the size of my stomach ( I forgot to ask him just HOW big it was )

My options :
1. Do nothing. Not really an option for me ... The fact that I have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) puts me at risk for diabetes and stroke as well as the fact that I am regaining weight
already .

2. Re Sleeve my sleeve, meaning make my stomach smaller than it is, the size it should be .

3. Have Gastric Bypass surgery

So in other words my options are surgery . My docs office is checking to see what if anything my insurance will pay for . My doc was not too worried, he seemed to think that it would not be an issue, the insurance coordinator at the office however, was not as sure .

Another issue I have is that my surgeon cant do bypass .. however his colleges can . He assured me however he would help in the OR to be sure I was safe, which means a TON to me .
Hubs and I are going to talk about it this week , But at this point I am leaning towards bypass.
I am not a fan of gastric bypass ... Virgin bypass patients have a tendency to gain weight back . However I will have a sleeved stomach on top of bypass. This is appealing to me, the portion of my stomach that is left is the portion that does not stretch ... so bypass to me seems like the best of both worlds !

I am frustrated about the fact that I may need a third weight loss surgery . I feel in some ways like a failure . In other ways I am relieved that there is a "reason " behind my issues . This seems like a never ending process for me . But maybe I had to go through all this to get to the end result ? I am not sure how I feel about this all yet.

Now .. A big question I am sure .. WHY is your stomach larger than it should be  ? Well we are not sure . I have my own theories about this .

My Theory
 When I had my revision surgery my stomach was damaged , inflamed from the band, the damage the band caused. When the band was removed and I was revised the stomach then relaxed and relaxed more than it should have !
Now there is much debate about weather revision surgery is best done in one or two surgeries.
The reasoning behind 2 surgeries is that it allows the stomach to heal before sleeving it .
Well, I use to think it did not matter. However, I am now starting to think surgery in 2 procedures is a better option .

Advice  

To anyone who was revised from band to sleeve and feel like its not working , you can eat too much , you never felt like you got any restriction have your stomach size checked ! This maybe an issue for you too !

Anyway ...I am not sure what I will be doing yet. A lot depends on what insurance will pay for if anything.

Updates and honesty !

It has been a while since I have updated the blog. So i thought I would go over a few things.
First as you know I have had chronic migraines since i was 11 yrs old. I get 15-18 migraines a month.
A few months ago they were really out of hand, due to not having insurance for 7 yrs the only thing I could do was treat them when I got them . Now that we have insurance I was able to go see a new Neurologist , who is amazing by the way . The end of December I got my first round of botox treatment for migriaines , to prevent them . I got around 30 injections on my forehead, behind my ears, the back of my neck and down my shoulders. I was "Warned" the botox may take a treatment or 2 to really work . Well to my amazment it worked the first treatment and I have only had 5 migraines in the last 60 days. ( I Had 3 this week I think the botox is wearing off now ) So I will go back in March for another round ! But I am VERY Happy with the results !!!

Now for my weight loss. I was hoping to get my migraines under control so i could then start to work out . However the weather here in Texas has been NUTS . So I have not gotten out much lately .
That being said , I will be 100% honest with those of you reading this ... Because I think its important if your considering revision to know ALL of the facts. I have lost 40 lbs in over a year.. Not to bad BUT Weight loss surgery wise its not good . 30 of those pounds came off the first 30 days.
I dont want to go into too much detail right now .. we are waiting to find out more . However the doc is concerened something is not right . My stomach maybe too large or something, Its not "Normal" to have not lost much weight . SO I will have an upper GI next week to find out if anything is going on . Its not anything bad he does not think but he wants to find out why i am able to eat as much as I can .
There is where the honesty comes in . IF I am trying to be good and eat what i should in the amount I should I can EASILY eat 4 oz of food , protein and an hour later be hungry again !
IF I am being bad , like I was the other day I at nearly an ENTIRE Wendys Hamburger and some fries ! NOT normal for someone who had the stomach the size of a highlighter, Or suppose to have a stomach that larger !
 I feel like I am a bottomless  pit when it comes to what i can eat . Similar to what I felt like before surgery . I agree with my surgeon when he says lets not set around and wait for you to gain more weight back before we do something, OH Yeah i forgot to mention I have gained 9 lbs in 3 months !

So I will update more when I find out more . To be honest I was not going to make this public, the upper GI ect , but I feel its important to be honest with everyone who reads my blog, those who
are thinking of surgery , have had it etc . To be honest is what people need ! Including being honest with myself !

Thanks for reading !

One Year Ago

One Year ago tomorrow I had my revision from lap band to sleeve surgery . Its been a long , rough, good year. Lots of things have changed in that year.
 A year ago I was in constant pain . My body ached daily , my joints ached daily, chronic fatigue  and I was unable to eat solid foods for close to a year . Throwing up was part of my daily life and I was 100 pounds over weight . Mentally I was probably as miserable as I have ever been in my life .
My doctor took a chance on me and agreed to do my revision surgery . After spending  a week in the hospital due to swelling I was out and on my own . What has changed ?

I now have a full time job, working 12 hour shifts in a hospital . On my feet walking 12-15 miles a SHIFT . My body does not ache near as bad as it did a year ago and my joints have normal " old age" aches and pains ! I am in school to hopefully get a nursing degree some time in the near future.

Now to the surgery / change itself. I will be the first to admit I am a bit disappointed in how my weight loss has gone since my revision . I am 40 lbs down in a year. I am down from a size 24 to a 14-16. The weight loss has just not come off like I had wanted. Its a known issue with revision patients that we can loose slower than others. The reason is not well known , but some suspect its due to the lap band screwing up our metabolisms so badly . I still have some health issues I am dealing with that can affect my weight. The major one is my chronic migraines, I get 15-18 migraines a month . I am currently waiting for botox approval to try to get them under control . I am hoping once that happens I will be able to work out more. Until then I am working out when I feel like it , which ends up being about twice a week  . I also may have a thyroid issue, which I cant get that checked out until January .

Over all physcally I feel 100% better than I did this time last year. I felt better the day after surgery than i did the day before surgery , pain from surgery and all !
Was it all worth it , to have the revision ? YES ! I would do it again .

Weight issues may always be a struggle for me . At some point I want to loose another 40 lbs, IF i lost another 20 i would be happy. I will get there some way some how . I am not gaining though !
Its all a work in progress. I believe if i can get my migraines under control enough for me to work out on a regular basis which I really want to do I could be down to where i want to be in less than 6 months . So we shall see!


Its been a good year over all !

Pre Lap band Weight 250

Pre Revision a year ago 225

One year 40 lbs gone (not much progress but some)

FINALLY ! Loosing again

For months and by months I mean 6 months I have not lost any weight. The last time i went to my doc for a check up was 3 months ago and I had only lost a pound since my last visit ! After talking to him and he suggesting that we think about bypass over my sleeve I freaked out a little bit .
I had already started to implement a Paleo (ish) diet . By Ish I mean I do eat a little cheese. The paleo diet is ideal for someone who had weight loss surgery . You eat your meat first then veggies then if you have room fruit . I originally started the diet to get rid of artificial things in my diet to see if it helps my migraines .

On top of eating Paleo I drink a master cleanse drink nearly ever time I drink water. The master cleanse is simply lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a dash of maple syrup . It tastes just like lemonade . I have reduced the amount of sweet tea to one a day , with my am meds.

So this combo as well as getting in some walking when i have time has worked ! ( So far ) I have never been able to get below 188 and stay there ... I bounce between 190-188 and always go back up . I have been steadily loosing weight and keeping it off  since starting this routine !

I am not hungry , I do not crave sweets anymore . The trick was getting all refined sugars out of my system ! I needed it ! I feel much better !
Lets hope this stays !! But so far so good !