Did you have a sleeve and regain your weight?

Hi all,
I am in the process of trying to decide between a sleeve and Duodenal switch. I'm just wondering what your experience has been with the sleeve and if you are happy with your sleeve or if you wish you would have gotten a different surgery. I would also be interested in hearing where the struggles came in and what life was like on the sleeve. I am 150lbs overweight and am not a grazer but more of a binger. I tend to eat 1-2 meals a day but they tend to be larger. Just wondering what your eating habits were like pre-sleeve and if that impacted the effectiveness of the surgery

I had a sleeve that was very big and have gained 15 lbs back after only 9 months and I only lost 50 lbs to begin with. My doctor is looking at re-sleeving me to a much smaller sleeve or gastric bypass. I was a grazer, had a major sweet tooth and 130 lbs overweight. If I had it to do all over again, I would  have done the bypass the first time and am leaning towards that now.

 

Thanks so much for responding. I'm sorry to hear about your regain and the size of the sleeve being too large. I have run into other sleeve folks who have started to regain and are pursuing a duodenal switch because the sleeve is the first part of the duodenal switch, not the RNY.  They have pursued looking for vetted sugeons in their area. If you don't mind my asking, what size sleeve did you have and where are you from? I'm from NC and I'm probably going to see someone from Duke for sugery.

 

I had a sleeve in may 2011 after a failed lap band (it had adhered to my stomach and then my stomach had adhered to my liver). So I eventually had a sleeve after recovering from the band removal. I lost weight very slowly after having the sleeve. 3 months after surgery (having lost only 25 lbs) I felt something "switch" inside of me. I can't even find words to describe the feeling, but I suddenly knew my body was going to hold onto weight again. I suddenly knew i was done losing weight. I remember it clearly because I was walking my dog at the time.  I doubted myself, thinking, "no, there's no way you are done losing weight. That doesn't make any sense.You have over 100 lbs yet to lose. You will be losing a lot of weight for over a year to come yet. You're imagining this whole weird feeling." and so I ignored the feeling.  And I didn't lose anymore weight. and then i started gaining weight. And I weigh more now than I did when I went in for the surgery.

It is devastating. beyond devastating. I feel like a total failure. My friends and family don't know what to say or judge me for failing. I'm not finding support through this. It's just humiliating. I don't wish this on anybody.

Hi Lori,

 

It must be so painful to be going through what your going through. You are not alone. I have read posts by other folks with the sleeve who have felt the same way. I sometimes think that folks feel they have failed their weight loss surgeries when in fact I believe, and this is just my own opinion, that it is the surgery that fails the patient. Perhaps if you look at the revision section you might be able to get support there. Some folks don't lose weight with restrictive procedures because of metabolic issues and that is where malabsorption can be effective. It may be beneficial to check out the Duodenal Switch-since you already have the first portion of it (the sleeve). I know this must be a very upsetting time for you but don't give up hope. .

I am so so sorry for all the pain and humiliation you're experiencing. I really can't imagine it. It's a horrible feeling to have your hopes dashed yet again... I know the feeling. Maybe the sleeve wasn't for you? (I won't even mention the LB cuz I have one and they DO. NOT. WORK.) So have you asked yourself the hard questions and answered them honestly? Are you, or were you, absolutely sticking to your eating plan in every single way? Were you exercising as much as you were able to? Are you drinking your water and getting enough sleep? How's your stress level? ALL of these things affect weight loss.
Re the feeling of something "switching" inside - I believe you. I think if we listen our bodies tell us a LOT. Now if only they told us WHY... wouldn't that be great?
The only other suggestion I have is to see a therapist... get a hold on the potential depression and just hang on. You may just have to ride this out for awhile until things calm down. I also feel that our MINDS have the ability to tell our body what to do sometimes. So maybe your mind was signalling your body because there was a psychological reason for not losing any more weight. I know that as soon as I start to get into the "skinny" (ha!) zone, I kinda start freaking out and sabotaging myself because I don't know HOW to fit into a thin world. Maybe you are unsure of that as well and so your way of coping is to shut down. DO NOT LOSE HOPE. See your doctor, get therapy, walk a lot, drink your water, get support from those who will, and stay away from those who won't. But above all, don't quit! You started this journey with a dream - and it CAN be made a reality. Remember what Master Yoda said to Luke Skywalker after Luke expressed his disbelief about something: Luke: "I don't believe it!", Yoda: "And that is why you fail". BELIEVE.

Hi there,

I got the sleeve after living with the band for four years.  I was 234 morning of sleeve surgery and I have since lost 78 pounds in a year and have kept it off.  While it is harder to lose now, I am still losing but I have to be mindful.  I need to be mindful of what I put in my mouth and mindful of working out and getting all my water and protein in.  It is a struggle and you will never be able to just let the sleeve do all the work.  It takes serious mental work to be determined to lose the weight and keep it off.

Having lived with a failed WLS before, I am NOT saying that it is a person's fault if their sleeve (or any other surgery) fails.  Sometimes it's just not the right surgery for the person.  I am very happy with my sleeve today but like I said, I constantly work at it but you have to do that with ANY surgery type.  If you want restrictive (meaning portion control) AND malabsorptive (meaning you will get sick if you eat the wrong types of food) then DS is a good option. 

I was a grazer before both surgeries and during my lapband phase.  I still tend to graze a bit now with my sleeve but that works better for me as long as what I'm grazing on is healthy, high protein, and low in fat.  Everything I put in my mouth should be nutritionally sound and have value.  Not saying that I always do that but that's my goal.  I wish you luck and research!

I have had the sleeve for 3 years in January. I love it. It is not the only part of my weight loss success. It helps me eat less at one sitting, this is the biggest part of what it does, especially after the first 8 or so months. I almost got to goal in a year and a half (90lbs), then, with an injury that kept me from the gym for months, long term company that introduced "happy hour" back into my home( :) ) and my inability to really stay in touch with everything I needed to do, I gained 22 pounds back. I finally got it back together, got back to the gym, used a fitbit, started using myfitnesspall religiously again, protein first etc... I also started using a 5:2 type of restricted calorie plan two days a week, I lost the 22+ and got to goal. This took me 3 years to get to goal from WLS, so sticking to it was part of the skill needed for the sleeve to work. Its not a miracle cure, does not work on its own, but yes, it can be part of a bigger plan that makes it possible to get to goal and stay there. Getting to goal is not the end of the journey, the journey never ends. 

I'm sorry about  your injury but I am happy that you have been able to get back on track and get to goal!  Congrats!

I have heard many folks say you have to watch your calories and change your lifestyle to keep the weight off and to lose. I'm trying to understand how one would be able to do that if they were not able to do that prior to the sleeve. Does the fullness you feel with the sleeve help you get back on track easier?  How does it assist you on getting back on track easier? Whenever I hear folks say you have to change your life, it confuses me because if I could have changed my eating behaviors I wouldn't have needed surgery to begin with so I'm trying to figure out what it is that enables someone to get back on track and live a healthier lifestyle after surgery , when they couldn't do so prior.