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I just wanted to give a belated up date.  Life is very busy with major issues.

I have done better with the sleeve than I every hopped or dreamed.  My goal of doing as well with the sleeve as I had done with the band was my original.  I just wanted to be under 200.  I was so happy to be just underweight when I hit it.  I was pleased and ready to just maintain.  With my therapist's encouragement I kept pushing on and reached a "normal bmi" and than another 15 pounds.

I am loving this WLS.  I now have to struggle and watch what I am doing to keep below my "red line"  But is so much easier.

Well I made it through with the 2nd PS and had my inner thigh lift done.  The surgeons did an awesome job.  He wanted me to stay overnight to make sure all went well.  The next am I was ready to leave but, the hematologist said my hemoglobin was low.  Rather than get me going on iron they did more labs to see if it was low enough to infuse me.  Half a day letter they said it was one number off from infusion so I got a pill after waiting another half day.  Than they waited another day to redraw and see if it worked.  Than another half day to get results back.  So I ended up in the hospital four days.

During this time they wouldn't let me have my stool softeners.  I found out after it was because the surgeon didn't want me to potty in the hospital and get stool on the incision.  What the heck if I went home same day they wouldn't have withheld my stool softeners, which I have needed since sleeve, just one a day.  So I get home blocked up and nothing works.  Six days later I had the DH give me a Ducolax suppository which always works.  This time I was so impacted it just got things going and I couldn't pass it.  It was like getting the babies head coming out and being told to stop.  I finally got things out but, in doing so I must have torn something loose.

So by keeping me in the hospital "overnight" I ended up with a hematoma in my right thigh.  The PS drama continues.  Two weeks out I started discharging from the incision...

Well I made it thru my first PS.  I chose to have a neck lift as I was left with a very wrinkled turkey waddle.  The surgery went well and I had the drains pulled the next day.  Than the following day I had a bleed.  I had trouble getting thru to the staff that things were going bad.  I had lain down and heard a tearing sound in my head.  Than I started swelling and my one eye swelled shut, than the other started and my throat got tight. I finally got my husbands attention outside as I couldn't yell by banging pans together.

He came in and called the office, they had told me to wait until the next am.  They told him the doc was in surgery and when he got back he would call and talk to us.  After two more calls he got thru to them I was having trouble breathing.  They had me go to the office, not sure why they didn't want me to met him at the hospital.  

When we got to the office I couldn't see at all because my eyes were swelled shut.  I could hardly talk and he sent me to ER.  When I got there I could hardly breath.  The surgeon had called ahead for a ER OR.  When I pulled in Security, I think put me in a chair and took me to the desk. They thought I was having an reaction.  They asked if I had trouble breathing and whisked me right in.  My surgeon was scrubbed by the time they had taken my info and found OR people to work the surgery.

I was intubated while awake as the throat had closed up almost totally.  If that hadn't worked they were looking at a trach.  I got it swallowed and woke up with it still in for 24 hours to keep the airway open.  Four days later I got to go home.

Two weeks after surgery he took out the stitches, some are usually done the next day and the rest at one week.  I got the ones he missed out today, four weeks after surgery.  I had some waddle come back a week ago.  He said it may get a little better and was due to the bleed stretching it back out.  Not the results I had hoped for but, so much better than before.

I talked to the surgeon today about inner thighs.

My insurance went to a once in a lifetime WLS policy while I was trying to get approval for my Revision.  I got approval for the band to be removed only.  After the band was removed, I started the process to get insurance approval for a sleeve (VSG).  It was a long haul, I had to start over as though I never had a WLS.  Had to get second Psych Eval.  I had to submit a new medical data collection proving need and I was now under 40bmi.  (There for a little while I was under 35bmi.)  I had to show bmi of 35 with two co-morbs.  This took a little doing but, the doctor find a couple in her back notes.  I had to do another 6 month supervised diet.  It was a good thing I had started logging my data on CalorieCount.com after a doctors appointment in January so my doctor submitted my inch thick stack of print out with the January appointment and they excepted it. Than I had to get a referal for a 2nd surgeon consultation.  Every step of the way the people that submit the referral request from the PCP to the insurance would deny it and the PCP insurance rep and I would have to fight to get the referral OK'd.

I made it thru all the 2nds and got dates from the Bariatric Center while I was out of the country.  1/2/13 I had the pre-admission testing done.  1/3/13 I had the final Nut Class pre surgery and on 1/7/13 I will start the pre-op diet.  Come 1/22/13 I should have my new sleeve.  So excited now I can't sit still.

 

I went into surgery at 9:15 on 9/4/12.  I was headed home at 1:30pm without the band.

I have a date to have the band removed on September 4th.  After 2.5 years of problems the band is coming out!

Well, today is 2 years out and I'm almost back to where I started.  I have had nothing but, trouble since they did the unfill last year for my one year bandaversary.  They where never able to fill me back to where I needed to be.  I have an apointment Monday to see what the next step will be.

My insurance wont pay for the sleeve which is what I had wanted in the first place.  I don't know if they will pay for any revision.  They haven't yet!

I was told by the surgeon in September that I needed another .5cc fill.  I went thinking I had to much but he didn't based on the berium swallow.  I put it off until Feb. 16th.   I went in a got .25cc as I'm fill sensitive.  The PA was concerned with my burping and discomfort.  I told her I always burping and my DH backed it up.  She is concerned I have an ulcer.  I went home and after 24 hours I still couldn't get down more than a sip of water and than burp like crazy.  So, she had me come in on the 18th and her and the surgeon decided I needed to be scoped and they took 5cc'c of fluid out.  Now I can eat anything and I have been.  I have been having everything that I haven't been able to eat for the last 6 months.  The weight is piling back on even though I still can't eat the amount I did before.  I have just learned to graze and now with eating "real" foods it is just to much.

I just wanted to post my fill history here before I forget it all

OK I have a 10cc AP standard Lap Band.  They put 3cc in it at banding.
I got my first fill on 4/08/09 of 1cc for a total of 4cc-not restriction!
I got my second fill on 5/6/09 of 1cc for a total of 5cc-I had a little restriction for a little while.
I had the third fill on 6/16/09 they put in 1cc but it felt funny.  I sat for awhile and it started feeling tighter and tighter.  I started foaming.  I was waiting for the PA thank goodness.  By this time I was almost strangling from the foaming.  I went out into the hall and the PA was coming.  She saw I was in distress and took out .5cc.  So I had a total of 5.5cc and I had some restriction for a couple week.
On 7/17/09 I had my forth fill.  She only put in .5cc and I was able to drink OK.  I was burpy after though.  This was on a Wednesday.  I did liquid for the rest of the day and the next.  Friday night I got stuck on mashed potatoes.  But Saturday am I couldn't even eat yogurt.  I called the PA at the Hospital and the PA, Denise, told me to come in for a UN-fill.  My DH took me to the Hospital.  I went to admitting as she told me too, not thru ER.  I found the PA and she did the UN-fill of .25cc and what a relief it was.

Now only two days later I was able to eat way to much stuffed fish and salad.  I also was able to eat 1/2 baked potato and a bite of bread.  So what is up with this.  From totally closed to wide open in 48 hours????

Losing track of my total.  The PA had mentioned she had found an extra .5cc along the way.  Now it seems to be even more and the total today, 9/9/9 was 6.75 with the .25cc she added today.  I should only have 6cc but now have .75 more than "put-in"

Yesterday was my 5 month bandaversary!  I am down 35 pounds since surgery and 55 pounds since last May when I started my journey.  I have had my ups and downs.  Between the 2nd and 3rd fill I lost and gained 5 pounds.  I went from stuck all the time, learning what PBing and slimming were to being wide open. 

I had days I wounder if this was going to work.  Days I thought I made a mistake.  I don't think I would have made it with out OH.  I love the support groups but, they are once a month.  The band support group only meets every other month.  I get info here I need that I just didn't get else where.

I now have 5.5cc in my AP standard 10cc Band!  I had 3cc at time of banding than 1cc added at fill 1 & 2.  Fill number 3 I got 1cc.  I felt really funny.  I started foaming and when the PA came in she tool out .5cc and I felt great!!!!  If it wasn't for the great OH familey, I would have walked out of there and gotten into TROUBLE!