Anxiously Awaiting!

Hi guys (and dolls),

I am a 64 yr old gal (nearly 65) who has always struggled with an extra 40-50 lbs and could always pull off hiding an extra 20 pretty well.....in 2006 I decided I was tired of fighting it and after much research decided a lap band was for me. Of course my insurance didn't think so, therefore, $15k and 13 years later, here I am deciding now the band has got to go! It's a little intimidating because I have no idea what kind of shape the device is in nor how much tissue may have grown around it, etc. My faith is in Dr. Almanzo who I've heard nothing but good things about from 3 family members he has worked on. 2 of those (sister & niece) have had a revision band to sleeve. They did not have their bands in as long as I have though.

On a lighter note, (pun intended), I look forward to getting back to my chunky high school weight (or so I thought) of 140 lbs. I'm at 184 this morning and only just started the 27 day mandatory pre-op diet. I've not heard of anyone else having to diet for this amount of time pre-op. 21 days will be high protein, low carb which is pretty much how I've lost 10 lbs since April. Has anyone here had to diet this long prior to the revision band to sleeve surgery? Waiting to hear whether or not coffee is an option because I've got a terrible caffeine headache!

Look forward to being clued in by you awesome soldiers who've gone before me!

Sincerely,
Smarttexan

Hi there, welcome here.
I think 27 days is the longest I've heard so far, but every surgeon has her own rules.
Just follow those rules and you will be fine.
I've heard a lot of lap band to sleeve conversions and they all seem to do nicely.
I was sleeved at 63, over two years ago and I love my sleeved life!
I should have done that years ago...
Good luck on your upcoming surgery!

Best of luck to you Smarttexan. I think you'll do great. 3 weeks is longer than what I was required to do, but it may just be because of the lap band. I am not familiar with that procedure at all. I did 2 weeks preop and I'm so glad I did and hung in there. Honestly, it wasn't easy or fun, but I did it because I wanted to do everything possible for the best result.

I did give up coffee during preop, I'm now a little over a month out and I still cannot drink it. I don't really know why except that maybe I finally went through the caffeine detox and it just doesn't appeal to me like before. I have found that true of so many things. It's crazy how my food cravings and tastes have changed so dramatically.

Wishing you much success on your sleeve journey!

I had the lap-band to sleeve surgery on Mar 27. I got my band in 2009 and I only had to do 10 days of pre-op. I did very well post-op, with no complications. It’s definitely easier this time around. I don’t miss the nausea/vomiting I had with the band. Mine slipped so I stopped having restriction and that’s what prompted me to switch.

Welcome!

Five years ago I was 68 when I had VSG surgery. I lost 100 pounds and have kept it off. It changed my life in every possible positive way!

You can read my first three "surgiversary" posts linked in my signature block below. :)

@Ann2: speaking of surgiversary posts... one seems to be missing... ;)

Welcome!

My pre-op was 3 weeks total with the last week of liquid only...no coffee. I used the high protein 2 week start up to begin coffee withdrawal. The headache lasted a few days.

I was 63 years young when I was sleeved. Following directions has had a tremendous impact...100+ pounds gone since 9 months out.

This is one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

Best of luck as you embark on this amazing journey! ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dutchie

@Ann2: speaking of surgiversary posts... one seems to be missing... ;)

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I didn't write a Fourth Surgiversary post -- a LOT was going on last year, and I just didn't have time / energy / focus to do one.

I'll definitely do a Fifth Surgiversary post this August. :)

Thanks Ann!
I'll look forward to that.
Your surgiversary posts are always very inspirational!

This is the hardest website to figure out! Thank all of you for the welcomes that I can see, but I'm also getting email notifications of welcomes from people whose comments are not showing in this thread....hopefully, I'll get better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smart Texan

This is the hardest website to figure out! Thank all of you for the welcomes that I can see, but I'm also getting email notifications of welcomes from people whose comments are not showing in this thread....hopefully, I'll get better.

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Sometimes members “welcome “ without comments...they only hit the welcome button. You’ll find it on the bottom left when a new or returning member introduces themselves.

I hope this helps ;-)