Hello everyone,
I've been on this website it seems like all day long. It's so refreshing how kind and supportive you are to each other. I go for my consult in the morning and I'm really hoping to have a game plan in place. I started my original journey six years ago. I decided to have the Realize Band. Oh how I wish I could talk to 25-year-old me and scream at her don't do it! I had nothing but problems after surgery. The doctor had always had an issue accessing my port. About a year or so post op he decided something was wrong and took me back to surgery. Well my tubing had become detached from the port, and the port was flipped over. So after that I had realized my band had never really worked. The new one seem to restrict more, but I was having to relearn everything. I did well for a while and I think the most I got down was 50 pounds. Then I gained a little back and got embarrassed and didn't go back in for another fill. Fast forward a year or so at a new job that didn't have insurance coverage I decided to try to get back on track. I made an appointment with my surgeon, decided to pay cash and go get a fill. Well at that appointment, I got the amazing news (insert sarcasm) that something was not right with this band. He took me over to fluoroscopy was able to access my port filled it all the way and it showed I had no restriction. I was extremely emotional and upset, and certainly didn't want to go through another band surgery. When my surgeons office called back a day or two later she wanted me to check into the hospital through the ER so that they could replace my band. I told her in no uncertain terms that there would not be another band touching this body. I believe I may have mentioned the word lawsuit. Well I never heard back from the surgeons office, went to a bit of depression about it and gave up. I did try to consult a couple of lawyers just to hopefully get enough to pay for a new surgery. It didn't seem to have the dollar signs most lawyers want so I didn't pursue it too hard.
I switched jobs again a few months later and we do not have bariatric coverage with our insurance. I had to have a tonsillectomy a couple years ago so again this went on the back burner. It is always been there in the forefront of my mind because I made this decision so many years ago to make healthy changes in my life. I've been fat my entire life, the typical yo-yo dieting, low self-esteem the whole 9 yards. I finally decided to make an appointment with the surgeon ( a new one since mine was fired...not that he would touch me again) over the past year so I've had a terrible time keeping food down. I would say I throw up on average 20 to 30 times a week. I actually counted a couple weeks ago and I threw up 80 times . This is certainly not good for my body or my health. It's so frustrating because I gained all that weight back plus some, I'm hungry yet throw up all the time. It's all just very defeating and I feel like a failure. I understand that any of the surgeries are just a tool. I know that I am also responsible for my weight gain and not just the failed band.
I'm really hoping that the sleeve is the right decision for me. I can't wait to find out what the next steps are to my new future.
Any advice or positive reinforcement you could give me would be much appreciated
Bookmarks