Anyone relates?

From what I've seen posted here, there are a lot of people *****vise from the band to the sleeve with great success.  Everyone I've seen post here is able to eat healthy foods like meat, vegetables, etc....such as myself, in small amounts of course.  Most of us from what I've seen are doing a high protein, low carb diet which works very well. There is an adjustment period of course, first full liquids, followed by puree stage then working back to regular foods.

Thanks so much

That is exactly what happened to me! I was not in the super morbidly obese range when I got the band, but in spite of at least a dozen adjustments (one under fluoroscope), I just could not eat healthy food. One bite and it got stuck and after a very uncomfortable half hour, it came back up. And I had chewed the food almost to oblivion. So I was literally forced to eat less healthy food just to be able to eat anything at all. Now I AM in the super morbidly obese range (Thank you, lap-band), and am having a band-to-sleeve revision in three days.

A former bariatric nurse from Johns Hopkins recently told me that the band does not work for 60% of the people who get it, no matter how obese they are. Although the band has worked wonders for some people, I would never recommend it.

psychotic parrot

I want you to know that I really appreciate your advice. It was comforting to know that I'm not alone.

When I first asked my pcp about WLS, I wanted the band.  She was great - didn't say no, but asked me to keep an open mind about RNY when I went to the info meeting after she made the referral.  She said that many of her patients who'd had the band were not happy with it, and ended up revising to RNY.  We didn't discuss the sleeve, as it was relatively rare and not approved by most insurances in 2/11.  I really didn't want RNY, so I was thrilled with the sleeve.  Having said all that, I know the band works for some - a woman in my support group could not have other surgeries (don't remember why), so had the band and has had great success.  She's lost over 90 lbs. and maintained that loss for quite some time now.

Thank you for what you said, you were right

my surgeon took one look at me and said the band is not for you

 he said his prefered surgery for heavy weights is the vsg because of the safety of the surgery , it is an easier surgery than the vsg or the ds 

he said he would do the rny but there was no real advantage in it over the safer vsg , you just lose a little faster

most surgeons are doing very few crap bands these days the problems outweigh the results

the vsg works for most people and if it does not do the job it can be revised to the ds

Thank you. You have shared some very powerful and insightful words.