Approved!!! Let me introduce myself.

My name is Donna. I have been a member here since 2006 when I got my lap band. I got a call on Thursday that my revision from the band to the sleeve has been approved. I have been trying since 2012 to get the sleeve. It took changing insurance companies but I am finally going to have the surgery. I never thought I would be having the surgery and wow what a relief!!

So, any insights you want to share with me? Anything about the sleeve, your surgery, your insurance company, little tips to use. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Donna,  I read your blog page and must say...you've been through it!  I'm glad you are finally getting the sleeve.  I have heard a lot of bad things about the band.  I had my sleeve surgery on 8/29.  I'm going into week 4.  I have the same careful type surgeon and I'm still on mostly liquids.  I actually just was able to add potatoes today and omg it was like heaven lol.  As far as surgery goes, I've had quite a few.  This one I must say was the best ever.  I was operated on on Monday and wasn't leaving the hospital until Thursday.  I pretty much insisted on dilauded morphine every 5 hours.  I did this for the first few days.  The day before I left they brought in the lesser pain killers and then I went home on tylenol.  I had local soreness on my skin where the staples were but other than that the pain was slight to none.  I was amazed how great I felt.  The things I was happy to have at the hospital were my pillow, my own toothpaste (hospital toothpaste is disgusting!) and some burt's bees chapstick.  It was a great stay and I was up and walking on the first day.  The only yucky part is they have a drain in that empties fluid from you for a few days.  It's just a tube but when they pull it out you feel it snaking through you.  It didn't hurt...was just really weird.  I hope your surgery goes well.  Based on your last blog post you have the eating part down.  I never thought I could do 4 weeks of liquids...I'm hanging in.  I'm being tough on myself and when I have my moments my husband has been great about stepping in and telling me to hang in and not waver from the plan.  (sometimes I listen without wanting to kill him...sometimes I want to choke him...but I listen) :D

Wishing you luck!

Tracy

Thank you Tracy.

Hi Donna. I've been visiting this forum since July of last year. I've noticed a trend among the newly sleeved that might be well to mention. Some people seem to glide through the surgery and recovery period with little pain or discomfort and are back to work in a week or two. I think pre-surgery newbies read these posts and think, "Oh, it's not such a big deal." Then they get the surgery and are shocked to find they have a lot of pain, nausea, exhaustion, and sometimes complications. IMO, these symptoms are much more common after such major surgery than for the fortunate few who breeze through it. 

I had the (useless) lap band too and got the band-to-sleeve revision in Feb. of this year. The difference between lap-band surgery and sleeve surgery was huge, for me. Lap-band surgery is no fun, to be sure, but does not compare with the more intense feelings of debilitation and discomfort that come with sleeve surgery. It took me weeks longer to recover from it, along with a few nasty complications that sent me back to the ER twice. 

I don't know your history, so maybe you're well prepared mentally for this surgery. If you wake up in pain, nauseated, and weak, know that that's normal. If you feel awful for the next few weeks, that's normal too. During recovery, if you're certain you made a huge mistake having this surgery, that's normal too. The good news is that no matter how awful you may feel post-op, you will recover and come to love your sleeve. At two weeks post-op, I would have bet a million dollars that I would never, ever be able to say that. Yet here I am, feeling better than I have in decades. It will happen for you, too.

psychoticparrot

Hello Donna .  I'm one that had no complications.  My procedure was out patient , in at 7 and home by 430.  First 4 days a little pain and gas but no nausea.  My sleeve is a blessing.  Good luck to you.  

Hi Donna...I had my surgery 14 months ago and am down 100 pounds...I couldn't have done it without the sleeve...I spent 1 night in the hospital and the next day actually walked out of the hospital on my own...I refused to wait for a wheel chair...so it was a pretty easy surgery... Wishing you the best!

Hi Donna...I had my surgery 14 months ago and am down 100 pounds...I couldn't have done it without the sleeve...I spent 1 night in the hospital and the next day actually walked out of the hospital on my own...I refused to wait for a wheel chair...so it was a pretty easy surgery... Wishing you the best!

Thank you all for your replies! You all give me hope.