Recent Posts
Topic: RE: Regretting Rny
Hi i'm glad someone finally felt the same way i do. The reason i want a reversal is because i feel nauseated most of the time and usually after i eat. I also will get pain and cramps and that can be from drinking a couple of sips of water. I just don't like the way i feel now. Before the sugery i felt good and i could eat with out pain. I could drink what ever i wanted. I want that back if i knew what i know now i defintely would have not had the surgery. To me being skinny i could careless. My husband loves me regardless. Jackie
Topic: RE: Any Regrets??
I am having surgery in July. I came to this forum so I could get to know the problems that people may have and how they deal with them. I know that almost everyone loves their surgery and feels blessed to have the opportunity. However, as a nurse I know NOTHING is all sunshine and light. I appreciate Lady A's honesty. She is having some problems, HER problems and I am saddened that we, as a community, can't rally around her, or at least leave her alone.
There are pros and cons to every surgery. All surgery is dangerous. I am gratful for all of your sharing. Debra
Topic: RE: Regretting Rny
Hey there Jackie, I fell the same way as you. I dont think that I would do the reversal but I kinda sorta regrete everything too! I love food and I crave it so bad. I love the way Im looking though. I just had the surgery about 2 weeks ago and I'm haveing a hard time with the protein stuff. I wish that the pain and cramps that I get would be over and I'm sure it will, but right now I'm not to happy with things. I want to eat sooo bad and when I drink water I'm already full. I too get bored because I can****ch T.V\movies with the family because they are all eating popcorn and I cant. I cook good meals for them and I hear them say" wow this is good" and yet I cant taste it. I just sit with my SF pops. And wish that I could It. I went from eating3,000 cal. a day to water.lol I mean I think God for the surgery, but I really did'nt think that it would be this HARD. Its really HARD. I do wish you the best girl, I know what your going thru. But Is there another reason you wanting the reversal? are you feeling sick or what?
God Bless
Rosie
Topic: RE: Strongly Regret Lap-Band
My 16 yo daughter was considering lap band and the surgeon recommended against it for her based on:
1. she has history of GERD (heartburn and her esophagus is fragile)
2. less long term weight loss
3. Higher reoperation rate
4. Few long term studies for teenagers.
So we decided against it.
Topic: RE: Feel too bad to update profile
Sorry you are not feeling well. I wish you much health and strength to endur this trial.
Remember - Joshua 1.5 I will never leave you or forsake you.
Genesis 28:15 I am with you and will watch over you whever you go.
Isaiah 49:16 I have engraved you on the palms of my hand
You may walk through the valley of death but he will comfort you.
I hope this helps....
Topic: RE: LAP-BAND regrets???
Hi Elizabeth..(my first name is Elizabeth)
I had lap-band almost nine months ago, I'm down 62 pounds and am in the best shape/health of my adult life. I will tell you that it most definately IS NOT the easy way out though. I have had to work for every pound I've lost. I monitor how much I eat, what I eat and I work out ALOT. I've had to nurse injuries due to my workouts and at only 2.2 cc's of saline in a 4 cc band.....the .2 seems to be a little too much. It's wonderful having the band.....but also very important to understand that it takes work, paying attention to how you feel, exercising, and even perhaps having slight unfills if necessary.....which may be what I have to do. You must be willing to see your surgeon when you need to while at the same time making sure he's on YOUR schedule and not you on his/hers. By that I mean....YOU decide when you need a fill and how much of one according to how you feel. Some surgeons are extremely controlling and can cause the patient to let them dictate what will and will not be tolerated. With the band.....that won't work. A band patient must be in touch with how they feel internally and be able to communicate that to the surgeon.
I love my band, glad I did it and would do it again. Just wish my insurance company felt the same way!
Best Wishes
Kay
AKA: Miss Losin' Lot's
Topic: RE: Strongly Regret Lap-Band
Leslie,
Before you make an informed decision on which surgery to have, PLEASE make sure to investigate all procedures to include ALL of the complications that can occur for ALL surgeries. That being said, I'de like to answer some of your questions regarding the Lap-Band. I do believe you should hear from those who have had unfortunate experiences but also from those who are successful with the band as well. Also, upon doing your research make sure you visit the memory board and take note of how many of those are a result of RNY vs. other surgeries. If a patient is going to hear the good and the bad....they need to hear/read it all.
First let me say that with any weight-loss surgery there are guidelines that have to be followed. I truly do believe upon hearing Vanessa's unfortunate story...while she has done nothing wrong, he surgeon most definately has. He apparently gave her fills, OBVIOUS even to other band patients that she was NOT ready for. HE scheduled her fills verses her calling to request appt's when she felt the need for one. That is a no, no. ONLY the patient knows when a fill is needed and we are ALL different as to when that time comes and how much of a fill is needed depending on how much we can consume and how it feels when it's going down to the stoma.
The first fill usually isn't needed until AT LEAST six weeks out. When it's given, it needs to be a small one. (some surgeons are fill happy and have a desire to give a larger fill, and this is when it's VITAL that the patient let it be KNOWN that THEY are in charge of what they need.) While it is true that it often times takes anywhere from 3 to 6 fills for a patient to arrive at proper restriction....CONSTANT fills are not needed. Once a patient reaches the right restriction level for their personal satisfaction while being able to consume normal portions...only occasional visits to see the dr. are needed (every 3 to 6 months)
Second stage foods are creamy soups such as tomato soup with milk, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom. Mushy stage consist of foods like cottage cheese, refried beans, ricotta cheese with sauce. These stages allow for post-op swelling to subside while you heal from surgery. Mushy stage foods should be mastered BEFORE a patient gets a fill and no sooner than six weeks post-op.
As for pb'ing. That comes from either rushing for fills and getting too much at a time, not chewing your food well enough, taking too large of a bite OR eating quickly. If these things are avoided.....pb's will most likely not be part of a band patients life. (I'm nine months out, never pb'd and I've lost 62 pounds as of today while maintaining proper nutrition, because with a band the patient does NOT have malabsorbtion problems)
ANY weight loss surgery can be cheated. RNY patients largest complaint assuming their surgery has no complications (leakages which can kill the patient, dehydration, malabsorbtion to a point of malnourishment) is that once they reach 18 months post op, the weight loss often times ceases and they begin to gain back their weight. The stomach may be cut to the size of a thumb but, it most definately can be stretched back out to the same size pre-op. I attended a local weight loss support group just last week where 95% of the patients were RNY and out of those, almost all of them have begun to have weight gain issues. While with the band, you CAN gain weight if your not properly restricted, with proper restriction along with EXERCISE, the weightloss is ALWAYS maintainable. With either surgery however it is also VITAL that the patient understand and take very seriously the fact that these surgeries are offered as TOOLS to aide us in getting our eating disorders under control. What they ARE NOT, is a fix-all. We have to do the actual work, meaning watching what we eat, exercising, and getting our emotional eating under control even if that means seeking therapy for the REAL, underlying issues. This is the one important factor that most weight loss patients refuse to acknowlege and accept.
The band doesn't fail us......we fail the band by not acknowleging that there are certain things that MUST be addressed....to include a pushy surgeon or the need for therapy and following the band guidelines. And the same goes for RNY.......
In closing I want to say, whatever surgery we chose, it must be a personal choice. But please understand that what works for one may not for another and no matter what you read, no matter how much you research.....there is NEGATIVE and POSITIVE regarding all of the surgeries
Best wishes.
Kay
AKA: Miss Losin Lot's
62 pounds... gone forever.
Topic: RE: Strongly Regret Lap-Band
Hi Vanessa,
First, please let me say you have a beautiful smile. Secondly, I'm sorry this hasn't been the experience you we're hoping for, but thirdly and most importantly...It is very possible to begin again with the lap-band and have it go your way. I hope you will believe that, despite the frustration you've been through.
I question your sugeon. Please dont' take that as an insult towards you however. If your surgeon knew you had not yet made it past mushy foods and he gave you a fill at all....he was very wrong to do that. He compounded your troubles....actually he set you up for a bad band experience when he filled you twice more after that. As an experienced Lap-Band surgeon he KNOWS better.
IF I we're you....this is what I would do.
First, find another surgeon in your area that will take on your case. Make an apt. and explain your situation and firmly request they give you a swallow test so that they can see the band to ensure it's where it should be being you've vomited so much. If all is well with that, begin all over from the start. Go on the liquids to give your whole stomach a chance to just rest, then creamy soup and then mushy foods. Do not go on to anything solid until you've MASTERED the mushy foods with no pb'ing or sliming at all. Don't go for any type fill for at least six weeks from the mushy food stage and when you do go for a fill....make it a very tiny fill of no more than .3 of a cc. That's less than half a cc.
I'm a very firm believer in slow, small fills. Unless your band has slipped, I truly do believe that all of this can be fixed for you and that you'll go forward and see it wasn't all for nothing.
Please take care and feel free to write to me anytime you want.
Best wishes
Kay
AKA: Miss Losin Lot's
Topic: Feel too bad to update profile
will be updating profile soon just havent felt well enuf to do so...i will explain what i mean about nitemare give me a few days ...its hard to sit at PC...
Topic: RE: I Regret Having RNY
Jackie, it does not suprise me to hear this from you only being right at 30 days out. You SERIOUSLY need to reconsider. It normally takes a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to even recover from the surgery. You are amidst ALOT of emotions right now coming down from the anesthesia, the emotional loss of food and obviously a lack of information going into surgery because you would have known, for the most part, what to expect. These feelings you are having are more normal than you will EVER know. Do you think we were all hunky dory at a month out? Not! I was nauseas for the first 6 to 8 weeks and many are, then one day you wake up and it's gone. Anyway, I don't go around telling folks they should have or need surgery but I DO tell them to wait before they think about a reversal. (early postops) We all contemplate this girl! The complication rate is 10 fold with a revision and the possibility of a death is even more prevalant during or after a reversal.
You WILL eat normally Jackie if you will just give it time. I eat whatever I want for the most part and could probably eat anything if I let myself, unfortunately. My volume intake is that of a normal thin person and not very miniscule as you are dealing with right now or you may even still be on soft foods. You haven't even given the surgery a chance. How can you say this wasn't for you if you haven't put forth your best effort to work with it? I say this in a very caring way. Were you willing to work as hard with the surgery as you were to have the surgery? This is something you need to ask yourself. We all gave up on diets before WLS because it "just wasn't for me". Is this what you are doing again?
Sending prayers your way for an informed decision and health. I think ultimately you would regret not putting your all into it and, ultimately giving up which is what you are doing. I am not trying to change your mind girl.....you just need to think about it and pray about it.
Hugs...
Erika