Revision from lapband to VSG...anyone...help
Hi to all, Surgeon recommended VGS today, here is my story. I will try and make it as short as I can. I had lapband in January 2007. I went back and forth for fills and unfills so many times I can't even tell you how many times. My surgeon could never get me to a perfect fill level. I was either too tight or too loose now matter how little he put in...took out...you get the point. Then I started having so much pain throughout my body and in my joints. I was referred to a Rheumatologist. I found out I have RA and fibromylagia. The pain got so bad I could hardly walk. I was thinking I was going to end up in a wheel chair. Here I was having this surgery to lose weight, feel healthier, and live a more active life. NO, that didn't happen. I did lose 25 lbs before my body started attacking itself and then down hill it all went. My depression set in BIG time and I felt like no matter how hard I tried I was never going to be healthy and happy. My RA doc tried every med she could...step med therapy. Trying the 1st med and working up the scale. Now I am giving myself Enbrel shots for the RA and I am on Fentanyl Patches( very potient pain meds) and Hydrocodone, also a narcotic pain med just so I can walk and do house chores. I am seeing a pain specialist next week. I am hoping she can help me. I am sure physical therapy and massage's are in my future. I am scared of the PT but I know it is supposed to help. I went and seen my surgeon today and he suggested I go on a 6 month supervised diet with his nutritionist and we beg my insurance company to pay for gastric sleeve. He said he is sure they will not pay for a second surgery without a 6 month supervised diet. The NUT is not in now, she is on vacation until a week and half from now. So, I will call her to get things rolling when she returns. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect with the VGS? The good, the bad, and the ugly. I asked my surgeon what makes him think I will lose weight with the VGS if the lapband didn't work. He said he is positive I will lose weight with the VGS, but I will have to work my butt of to lose it and keep it off just like with any surgery. He said the lapband made the inflammation worse and that is why I would end up too tight, but with the VGS I won't have a object making me swell so bad. He didn't give me much more info. That is why I am coming here to all of you to help me understand what to expect...pre-op diet, post-op diet. I can already see (by reading other posts) I will be starving for at least 3 months until the Ghrelin(sp?) is out of my system....YAY...looking forward to that...Not...lol. I am starting a liquid diet tomorrow. Surgeon said for me to do liquid/full body liquid diet every other 2 weeks, so 2 weeks liquid...2 weeks off...2 weeks liquid and so on to help me jump start my weight loss. I hope I can do it. I bought protein shakes, and have my house filled with juice, water, flavored packets to add to water, and milk. These are what was on his list I could have...oh and sf jello and sf fudgecycles. I look forward to getting to know everyone.
I am lapband revision to sleeve and this is my experience so far over the last 3 1/2 months.
Other than the first month, I rarely get hungry with the sleeve. Even when I do, a couple of ounces of something healthy fills me up for 3-4 hours til I get hungry again. I was hungry the first month until the body recognized that there was little ghrelin production, but my experience was not the same as others. Some people are not hungry at all from day one and others say they still get hungry, but not as frequent, whereas others never feel hungry. The sleeve is a piece of cake requiring very little post op maintenance once you get past the first few weeks. I take a daily Centrum multivitamin, one calcium tablet and once a week I take liquid B-12 under my tongue. I get all the rest of my nutrients from healthy food. This has been an easy experience overall and I love my sleeve!!!
Babs
I was lapanded in April of 06, I just found out I have RA and fibromyalgia. I am in so much pain, I am thinking of haveing the band taken out and doing something else. You can email me at [email protected] I would like to talk to anyone else with RA or fibromyagiana and the lap band,
Thank you
Brenda
