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 .

Coming to terms ...Fresh start while hitting a brick wall

The last week I have had a rough time mentally with my weight loss. I have lost 40 lbs since surgery and 30 of that was with in the first 30 days post op . I have gone from a size 22/24 to a 14 and those are beginning to get loose. I work out 4 times a week most weeks but minimum of 3 . I eat pretty good some days better than others and the weight is still not coming off. While realistically i KNOW i am loosing inches, It makes no since to me how i can loose that many inches and not loose the weight ?
I do not SEE the weight loss in myself at all , nor do i believe anyone who says they can see it . I am thinking about going to counseling to help me deal with this head stuff ! I think the band has done so much damage to my body its freaking out and not wanting to come off the weight for some reason !


While I KNOW I am 100% healthier than I EVER was with the band its still hard to deal with .
I am trying to come to terms with all of this, While I KNOW I should still be able to loose more weight its still frustrating and tough to deal with . All I can do is keep doing what I am doing to try to get it off.

Lap Band Vs the Sleeve , the differnces

I have had a lot of people ask me what the differences are between the sleeve and the  band since i had had both surgeries. So I will go through the "rules" of the lap band and explain what if anything is different .

The Band
1. Eat 3 smaller meals a day
2. Focus on nutritious foods
3. Eat Slow and stop when you are satisfied
4. Avoid high calorie liquids
5. Eat High Protein meals.
6. No drinking while eating
7. Avoid throwing up

The band reality
1. eat 3 small meals a day if you dont throw them up
2. the band eventally makes it difficult to eat nutritious foods. Pain after eating and throwing up from being "stuck " prevents this from happening
3. Eating slow is all you can do , if you eat fast you will get stuck , throw up and be in pain . That one bite maybe too much for you to handle and it puts you over the top as far as "full "goes so you throw it up , sometimes uncontrollable !
4. This is funny to me. Avoiding high calorie liquids. Eventually that is all you can eat . Once your to the point of only being on liquids what choice do you have than to drink high calorie foods ?
5. Again , Laughable to me . Protein eventually wont go down . Its too dense , too hard to digest , it gets stuck and you are in pain for hours or puke it up .
6. This is one of the rules that was not hard for me , If I drank and ate i was in SEVERE pain !
7. Did i mention puking is the WORST thing you can do with the band, it will cause you to slip .

The Sleeve
1. I can eat 3 or 5 meals a day depending on what I am doing
2. I am able to eat just about anything with the sleeve, I do not eat bread , rice or pasta, it still causes me pain from when i had the lap band.
3. eating slow and stopping when your satisfied is easier with the sleeve, it allows for more wiggle room than just that " one bite too much "
4. I have not much desire to drink high calorie liquids after living on them for 6 months.
5. Protien is my focus now . Its easy to eat protein  , I can eat about 3-4 oz of protein per meal if its dense.
A cup or 1.5 of food total .
6. I still do not eat and drink
7. no puking, I was in the hospital for a week post op due to swelling and have not thrown up since then.

Bottom line the sleeve works the way the band was suppose to , but never did .

7 months post op Visit. Eat More weight less !

1 week post op (November 2012) 

7 months post op . 40 lbs down
Taken today 

I saw my surgeon today for my 6 month follow up appt . ( 7 really ) I was concerned he might not like that i have only lost 7 pounds in the last 3 months. He was happy with the way things were going . 

Turns out he wants me to eat MORE ! I was trying to get in 800-900 calories a day , He said that is NOT NEAR enough for how active i am now . He wants me to be between 1200-1500 a day . Closer to 1500 on days I am at the gym . While that seems great its going to be a little hard to get in that many calories, but I will try !! 

I also spoke to him about my vitamins .. i can't seem to find any that don't give me migraines. Since my lab work looks great he said not to worry about it , try to get in some when i can if I can . Once i start eating more my levels will probably get better.  

He said I look good , healthy and happy , he can tell I have lost lots of inches so he's happy with my progress. I go back in September and that will be my last of my every 3 month visits, I'll then go every 6 months ! 

Over all I am pretty happy with how things are going. 

It gets better

Its been about 7 months since my revision surgery . I go for my post op appt tomorrow.
I have seen some newbies on different message boards etc talking about how awful the first few weeks are and wish they had not had the sleeve or the revision .
I want to just let them know , IT GETS BETTER. It really does.
I think after revision surgery especially its harder. I went from the lap band to the sleeve. One of the most difficult things to get use to post op was how much MORE i could eat and realize it was ok.
I had become use to eating so little , throwing up and not being able to eat hardly anything with the band a cup or two of food seemed like MASSIVE amounts and it freaked me out .

Just like any life altering event , it takes time. My doc calls it buyers remorse. People freak out after their surgery , they think they will never be able to eat again , they won't be able to drink again . Just hang in there and remember it gets better.
Ask questions, take it slow and remember that you just had major surgery relax and take it one day at a time !!

Arrogant or just Naive ? The Lap Band

Lately I have come across a few people who have contacted me or i have run across on message boards wanting to get the Lap Band. They have all done their research , they have all chosen to think their research is better , or think its sufficient that the lap band is safe.

Let me address a few things. There is a VERY Small percentage of people who get the band who actually do not do any research and just go out and do the surgery . 99% of all of us who get the band do our research . We ALL thought it was safe, we all thought " its reversible " , "It can be taken out " and we all though it was the safest because it is being sold as " reversible" .
First off the band is REMOVABLE . The damage that is done is NOT in most cases reversible . Do not be naive in thinking that YOUR band can just come out . In 2006 when i got the lap band we were told the band was " permanent " weight loss solution that COULD come out if needed. NOW its come out that the band will have to be replaced after about 10 yrs. IF It lasts that long .
I have yet to decide if the " Its reversible " it have done MY research is arrogance on those peoples part , being naive or just plain stupid  ? I don't know which yet ?

NOW , let me be blunt , do NOT be so arrogant or naive and think YOUR research was done better than mine, you know more than I did 7 yrs ago .. WAIT YOU DO .. You know the band is CRAP NOW .... Do NOT think that your doc is better than mine, theirs or anyone else's, do not think your docs technique is better than others and do not think your doc will take better care of you than others .
Its insulting to me and anyone else who the band has affected in a  negative way . Do NOT THINK that YOU won't have issues because " you will follow the rules " your a fool if you think you can avoid any issue with the band by " following the rules" if the damage is going to happen it will happen you just can't prevent it . Wait you can if you NEVER EVER EVER Throw up again in your life. Well good luck with that with the band .


Contrary what people think , those of us who have suffered at the hand of the band DO want others to avoid our complications  . We DO NOT want anyone else to go through what we went through .
We are not being "mean" or "bullies' . IF you choose to get the band I can only wish you the best and hope that you have no complications ... But do not say you were not warned !

So You want the lap band ? Please read this !

It saddens me to still see people contemplating or getting lap bands. Up until about 2 yrs ago I even still recommended them and for that I feel very guilty for . Here is my full story from band to relief if you would like to read it ..
I would like to point out a few facts, not my opinion about the band  ( I will get to my opinions in a bit )

1. The lap band currently has a 40-50% FAILURE rate .. Meaning You will either not loose weight or loose your band with in 4 or 5 yrs.

2. Just today the US has subpenaed the makers of the lap band for investigation .
  http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-07/allergan-receives-u-s-subpoena-over-weight-loss-device.html

3. many doctors are not even installing lap bands anymore.

4. People do not warn others of the band to be mean .. they do it to help .

5. Do you realize you will have to go back to the doc on average every 6 weeks for fills. That's not even counting UNFILLS. I had more unfills than fills.

6. The makers of the lap band system no longer say the band is " permanent" like they did when i had mine , the average time frame for a band is 5-10 yrs eventually it WILL have to come out.


Now my opinions...
If you still want the lap band re think it still. You may have spoken to people who have had the band, however it takes people and their docs a long time to figure out " this is not working " . People like me are not going to tell you " dont do it " because we think one surgery is better than the other ( although there are some people who will do that ) We do it because we want to save you the pain and suffering we all went through .
When i had my surgery there was no one telling me this is bad, it wont work . The issues had no come up yet. They have now .

Most people have ONE SHOT at this , One shot to have a new life. Unless you want your "new " life to eventually end up worse than what you currently have it . PLEASE RE THINK THIS .

For those who have the bands, or have it and are doing "ok " on it , Im glad, I hope you never have the issues I had and many , HUNDREDS of lap band friends have. I ask IF you are please speak up , talk to people who are wanting to get the band, ask your doc to stop worrying about money and stop installing them in people !

Please re think the lap band !!!

Allergan Receives U.S. Subpoena Over Weight Loss Device

The US subpena's Allergen the makers of the lap band. Lets hope something gets done about these things soon .

Allergan Inc. (AGN), the maker of the wrinkle treatment Botox, received a U.S. government subpoena over its gastric banding device for obesity.
Allergan received the subpoena from the Department of Health and Human Services’s Inspector General this month, the company reported today in a filing. Bonnie Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Irvine, California-based Allergan, acknowledged the subpoena but declined to comment further.
Allergan generated $203.1 million of its $5.42 billion revenue last year from devices for obesity. The company acquired the product, called Lap-Band, in 2006 with its purchase of Inamed Corp. The adjustable silicon band helps people lose weight by reducing the amount of food their stomachs can hold.
In January, House Democratic lawmakers called for hearings on medical devices including Lap-Band, following a study in the medical journal Archives of Surgery, that found almost half of patients with a gastric band had no weight loss or needed the device removed after six years. More than 40 percent had long- term complications.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the device in 2001 for patients who were at least 100 pounds (45 kilograms) overweight, had a body mass index of at least 40, or an index of 35 with obesity-related conditions such as heart problems. Allergan gained clearance in February 2011 to expand marketing of the device to people with lower body mass indexes and at least one obesity-related condition.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Flinn in San Francisco at rflinn@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net
 
Let me say a couple things. Do I think ALL lap bands are bad ? I do not know .. Do I think the smaller older bands like I had are bad ? YES !! I think they are evil and need to be removed, we as patients who have gone through hell need to be reimbursed and compensated for all the money we spent on these things !
Do I think the "Newer" larger bands are bad ? I dont know yet . I cant speak of that. I think lots of people who have lap bands do not even realize they are having issues. Their docs mislead them into thinking its just got to be adjusted again , your not tolerating fills well etc. I think docs tend to take lap band issues personally and wont tell patients its the band until its too late.

I think something needs to be done about the bands , the people who got the bands around the time I did for sure ! 40% failure rate !


 

The Lap band Failed YOU . YOU did not fail !

Lately I have ran across a few people who are struggling to get their band removed like I did . There are a few things I would like to suggest that might help ... First off im not an expert , just someone who had been through hell and back with the lap band. So here are some things that might help.

1. Remember the band failed YOU , YOU did not fail the band. The band in my opinion is an evil contraption that should be removed ASAP ESPECIALLY if its a smaller, older band like i had.

2. Throwing up with the band means ANYTHING that comes up out of your mouth after you ate it .
The word " PB" gets thrown around in the WLS community , it means productive burping, or the last bite you ate just comes back up . THAT Is throwing up PERIOD. It WILL slip your band, I never "Threw up " I DID PB weekly and THAT slipped my band . Do not fool yourself into thinking your not throwing up .

3. This is just my opinion but I would NOT go back to the doc that put your band in to have it removed or even speak to him about having it removed. Why ? Its been my experience that the surgeon who put in your band takes it personally , takes the failure of the band personally . They will not ( Most I am sure there are some out there that will be honest ) be honest with you soon enough and tell you that you band needs to come out . At the very least go get a second opinion .

4. If YOU feel like your having issues w/ the band you probably ARE .. Do not give up on answers until you get them , this is where its important to seek a second or third opinion out side of your original surgeon .

5. If you get as many unfills as you do fills there is an issue .. Your not able to tolerate fills , Get it out !

Do I think EVERY PERSON who has a band should have it removed ? No , However If there is any DOUBT your having an issue , it needs to be addressed. Its been my finding that its just a down hills slide from there !!

Be cautious with the smaller, older bands, My band was a 4 CC band placed in 2006 .. In my opinion these are some of the more dangerous bands !

When in doubt get it out !!!

Enough of Hospitals already !!!

The past couple weeks have been some I hope I never have to go through again . My surgery was a month on the 14th . I am down 22 pounds, I seem to have hit a stall at this point, which is common and I also feel like im eating a whole lot. I have looked into it and read up on it and it seems to be common for this stage in the game. I will feel better when i start loosing again . I also have a rash on one of my incision area's ( waiting for docs office to call me back ) its red , raised and itches ! That being said I am finally starting to eat some solid foods .

The bad part .. on December 10th my son who is 4 hours away in college called me and said his stomach had been hurting him . I asked him what it felt like and he said a sharp pain ... He said he was going to study for finals and go to the clinic in the am when it opened at school. A few hours later he said it really hurt , I asked him to push on it and see if it hurt worse, he said yes . I told him to go to the ER right away it sounded like his appendix . So he did .. he got there around 9pm at night ... he called back a few hours later and said his appendix needed to come out and he would go to surgery in the am . So we headed down there a few hours later. Honestly thinking he would be in surgery already or out . WRONG . We got there nearly 12 hours after he was in the ER and he was STILL In the ER alone ! No one checked on him for over an hour after we got there, They nearly OD'd him on Pain meds , I could go on and on . They finally took him in surgery around 11am the next day ! Why ? Because the doctor decided to finally get his ass there !
They removed his appendix and said he would be there a day ... The next day after he was told he had to stay another day due to bacteria in his blood cultures his friends came up to see him . They told him his friend was down in the ER with HIS APPENDIX , it ruptured ! 2 weeks before their other friend was in the ER with his appendix, got some antibiotics and send him  home. CRAZY HUH ?? The hospital staff was not great , esp after we had to yell at them and the doc for taking so long to get him into surgery .
Finally after 3 days in the hospital he was sent home, where he is now !

I do not wish to see the inside of a hospital for a long time !!!

ER Trip

On Tuesday night I had to be taken to the ER by my husband. What started out as a good day , I was finally able to eat some food , no liquids ! About 9pm i started having MASSIVE stomach pains, cramps that radiated around to my back . They were coming and going, like labor pains !
Finally after not being able to stand up straight around 1AM hubs took me to the ER . The ER where i had my surgery is about 30 mintues away , I told him I dont think i can make it there . He took me to a closer ER  one that I HATE because the people are idiots and lazy .
I knew I was in trouble when the nurse said " WELL WHY ON EARTH would you EVER have your lap band removed GEESH ?" I looked at hubs and mouthed OH EFF ! She then proceed to try to start an IV and was talking to her self " Is this a vein or a tendon , vein or tendon ?" While she's poking around on my arm, I told her "you got ONE SHOT to stick me lady ! "

The doc comes in and as I am telling him my history he is looking at me like im speaking french . He has NO IDEA about any kind of WLS .. and tells me " yeah you should have gone to the other ER " WTF !!
I was baffled that a doc had no idea essentially what i was talking about as far as revisions etc . I understand not seeing many patients but to not know ANYTHING ? WTF Is that.

Anyway , they decided to do a CAT scan on me and the nurse ( new one by now ) comes in with 3 glasses of contrast for me to drink and says " you have to drink this in about 10 minutes " I looked at her and LOL and said " YOUR KIDDING right ? " she said " no why ", I told her " It takes me 3 hours to drink 8 oz of fluid I cant drink that " So she tells me to do the best i can .
After labs and more stupid questions the CAT Scan showed nothing, no leak etc.

So they tell me " You ate too much too soon most likely " THANKS YOU IDIOTS !!

I called my surgeon to let him know I was in the ER and if he had any intelligent response and he told me ( after looking at the reports from the ER )  my body probably was in a little bit of shock from not eating food for so long and the re fried beans I had probably built up some gas that could not come out and caused the pain . GAS pains ?? Yep gas pains. Well that makes sense !


On a good note after a couple day stall I lost another 2 lbs and im down 20 pounds now !!!

FOOD !!

Today is 20 days post op ! My husband and I went to get some breakfast this morning . I ordered scrambled eggs and re fried beans . For the first time in over a year I was able to eat semi solid foods and not be in pain and not have to vomit after eating it . I couldn't believe it. After spending 5 days in the hospital with complications and throwing up a few times after i got home I was starting to wonder IF this surgery even "fixed" my problems . A lot of times after surgery people start to have " Buyers " remorse as my doc calls it . Meaning they start to wonder if they did the right thing. And after nearly a month of no food I was starting to wonder that my self !

After today though I have new hope that this is going to work .  Eating with out pain or throwing up !!!
AMAZING ! I forgot what it felt like to not have to run to the bathroom as soon as you were done eating !
Awesome !

Update 12 Days Post op

12 days post op and the road is still a little curvy and bumpy . I have lost 14 pounds in 12 days which is crazy ! Before people say anything about that , like " that's not healthy" its normal at this stage in the game. Im going to try to take supplements today for the first time .. Normally people are on supplements and vitamins by this point so its not as unhealthy . But the weight I have lost is par for the course when it comes to Sleeve patients post op .

Im still taking a step forward and maybe a step and a half back . Yesterday I had some refried beans but had to take some nasea meds right after to make sure i did not throw it up . So i just tried that once. I just ate some again today and so far I feel ok. Eating or I should say drinking at night after about 7 is still not a good idea for some reason . It does not set well with me .

Today I am very tired, overly tired .. Again I hear this is " normal" for this stage in the game but I am very ready to feel better again .

I  go to the doc for a post op visit on Thursday and im  hoping he can give me some more insight on helping me progress my diet along ..

Improvments since surgery ?

Before my surgery I wrote a post about how the lap band was affecting my health , you can find it here.
 This morning I woke up feeling pretty good from my revision surgery and noticed a couple things. Even with some soreness still lingering I do not have some of the symptoms I had before surgery . Also I have not had one bought of Acid Reflux since surgery ! Before i had it daily .
Here is a list of symptoms from pre op ..


Joint pain (Gone for the most part )
Fatigue
body aches ( Gone)
head aches
My teeth are deteriorating because of how much I throw up 
Cold feet (still there )
cold hands  (Not as bad )
numb feet
cysts on my feet 
numb hands ( Not as bad )

I realized  I was not walking hunched over in the morning from body aches . I realized my whole body did not ache , my ankles were not so sore that I could barely walk on them when i got up !

I am curious if this will last ? If so then I can tell you Im certain this stuff came from the crap band in my body. We will see how long it lasts !! But so far so good !

Hunger, its a Jedi Mind trick !!

9 days post op and I am not yet " hungry " by that I mean I am not yet wanting food to eat because my body tells me to . I have decided hunger is a Jedi Mind Trick !! Im "eat" ( drink i should say ) things when I think I should be hungry . When I have not "ate" something for a long time or I realize its lunch or dinner time I THINK i have to eat because I should be eating. In all  honesty Im not " hungry hungry " my body telling me its time to eat because my stomach needs it.

There is the good part about the sleeve, they cut out the good portion of your stomach that produces a hunger hormone. Some people do not get hungry for months, years some never get the " hunger" feeling back. Going on weeks now with no food I SURE AM glad its gone right now . At this point in my lap band surgery I wanted to kill someone for some food . I was also ALWAYS hungry when i had my band, I mean ALWAYS ! I guess its better to want food and not be hungry than to be hungry all the time and NEVER satisfied ??

See JEDI MIND TRICK !!

Hope everyone enjoys their food today !

Happy Thanksgiving everyone . Today is 8 days since my surgery . While I was hoping to be able to at least eat mashed potatoes today due to a couple incidences of throwing up since I have been home, I am still on clear liquids ! Drats. I sometimes feel like this is never going to end. Never going to be able to eat solid foods again , while I know I will its hard to think maybe this did not work ? Maybe the surgery didnt fix my problems. I see the doc next Thursday and I will talk to him about it. Anyway , moral of the story , dont take eating for granted today !! Have a great day !

5 days in the hospital and Im Finally home !

I had my revision surgery on 11-14-2012 after surgery they told me the band removal went fine and they were able to repair a hiatal hernia , that was a surprise to them ( and me ) and sleeve me in one procedure. I was SO relieved to have had it done in once procedure.  The day after surgery I started throwing up water and unable to keep it down . After a couple more tried they ordered an EGD for me . They told me if the scope went through easily then and showed no obstructions I should be fine and not need another surgery , but if it did not I could have excess scar tissue from the band and I could need another surgery . WHAT !! Yikes . So they did it and it showed no obstruction some swelling around the band area ( where the band was ) they told me to take liquids slow . For several days I was still throwing up just water, in fact it freaked me out because it looked like I was throwing up some blood as well. Finally around day 3 or so the water was staying down . So finally I was able to go home today . NOT an easy process that's for sure , but I am glad its over. The doc told me to progress my liquids slowly , as long as I was keeping liquids down I was fine , the minute i started if i did throwing up liquids I needed to come back . But to just take it slow .  So here goes ! Cross your fingers everything stays down now .

Its Here !! The Day is Here !

My surgery day is finally here , well tomorrow ! I cant believe this day has finally come !! I am so anxious I cant hardly stand myself today ! After 3 long years of feeling like crap , 3 long years of searching for a solution , 3 long years of feeling like this was a hopeless case and I would never get better , its here !!

My only fear, worry , is not being able to get sleeved the same day my band is removed . I worry about that very much . If that happens I dont know if I can get sleeved .. I dont know that we could afford it . As is is I am using the money donated by so many sweet people for this deductible .  So If i have to go through another surgery next year, it will be another $2000 deductible ! GRRRR I hope that is not the case.

I am ready though ! Thank you everyone who has been so kind to me and stood by me through this ! I love ya lots! I'll update when I am able !

14 business days and counting.

Still no word on surgery from the insurance company . Today has been 14 business days and counting.
I spoke to the surgeons office last week and they said that legally the insurance company has 30 days to answer . I am assuming that means 30 business days , so i guess I am half way there .
I am ok with the waiting, as long as they do not come back with , " we made you wait but OH yeah you need to have an upper GI now " . That would just take longer and waste more time.

Eating still involves shakes and liquids. I am currently trying to find a powder that I can tolerate due to migraines and taste really ! BLAH !!

Due to HORRIBLE acid reflux I had to buy one of these lovely things today . I feel like I live in a nursing home, or at least sleep in one ! I nearly choke on my acid reflux , so hopefully that helps !

A little update .

Lets see where do I start ? The last couple have weeks have not been good actually . My stomach for some reason is getting worse, I dont know if its the weather or just my situation in general getting worse ? I am not sure what is what . But about a week or 2 ago I slowly started to not be able to eat solids . I am now not able to eat solids really at all. When I mean solids i mean the closest I can get is MAYBE ground up hamburger meat smothered in sauce and that's a huge maybe. My meds no longer go down , which means my anxiety is VERY high , luckily its the cooler months so my migraines have not acted up since my other med I take prevents migraines.
I am currently on the search for a GOOD 100% organic protein shake ( Please dont tell me some Vi Shake or something like that ) I need 100% organic NOTHING artificial in them at ALL in order for me to tolerate them . I have tried a couple from whole foods and while they do not give me migraines they taste like saw dust !
My doctor has submitted my paper work to insurance. That was about 6 days ago .. I emailed them for an update I should hear something tomorrow, even if its " no word from insurance yet " .. So cross your fingers.