new to this board
Hello all! In 2005, I joined as a member of the Band group. I was banded 10 years ago this month and did very well up until about a year ago when I started having lots of problems with my hiatal hernia....OUCH. Anyhow, I am having my band removed on March 22 and am scheduled for a revision to a sleeve on June 6. I'm excited and anxious at the same time.
Can any of you share the positives (other than the obvious....) and the negatives you've experienced? I guess I really just want to be prepared for whatever the future holds.
Thanks so much! I look forward to being part of this community and meeting new friends.
Hello there Anita. Positives for me: I am never hungry (but keep in mind I am only 9 weeks out as of tomorrow), I've worked through a lot of my food issues with being sleeved and therapy. I feel a lot more in control then I ever did because I compulsively over ate before and hated myself for it and you definitely cannot over eat with the sleeve because you will feel so awful. The surgery doesn't fix your head, but I will say losing this amount of weight it's more than I have ever lost alone with diet and exercise alone and I feel much prettier/confident/less bad about my body. I also feel good about my relationship with food now. I love planning meals and trying different combinations to get the most protein I can while keeping carbs, fat and calories low, it's like kind of a puzzle/challenge every day that I enjoy. Negatives for me: I can't eat eggs they make me feel sick (though this may change down the line) it has made my lactose intolerance slightly worse but I can deal with it, I'm much more picky because since I can only get in 2-3 oz in of most foods I don't waste my time with a lot of foods I would have eaten before, therefore I don't like a lot of leftovers so I cook smaller portions of a lot of things to keep leftovers to a minimum because I feel bad wasting food, food smells bothered me a lot for a few weeks (I would gag if it was an unappealing food smell) but that has since passed. Hope that helps and good luck.
If the hiatal hernia has resulted in GERD you may want to rethink converting to a sleeve. People with GERD sometimes only find relief by having he sleeve converted to RNY. Just discuss your options and be aware of risks before getting the sleeve surgery.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
Hi. Thanks for the feedback! I'm lucky (if pain can be considered lucky) - I don't have acid reflux, but lots of pain that radiates throughout my upper back. Testing showed the hernia, so I know it's there. Have discussed this at length with my surgeon and will repair it at the time of surgery and he feels that it will not be a problem afterward.
I am 16 months out now and can say that the only negative that I have now (had more of the typical negatives in the beginning like lactose intolerance and could not eat eggs but all better now) is occasional constipation. Sorry for the TMI, but this is literally the only issue other than some that are self induced, like eating too much and feeling nauseous. I love love love my sleeve and have not been at this weight since I was a teenager (I am now 41). If you can get through the pre-op diet and first month after surgery, it will hopefully be smooth sailing from there. Good luck to you on your pending surgery.
