kekerene

I was banded in 2006 and had all the same issues you are having. Lost 60 lbs, threw up all my food, heartburn, tired and sluggish all the time. Then I gained it all back plus some when the band slipped out of place on me. The worst 5 years of my life to say the least. I was also cash pay. I paid $17,000 for the band. After it slipped I had a revision to the sleeve on 06/23/11. Best decision ever. I am down 87 pounds and still losing. I do not throw up my food anymore and I feel so healthy and vibrant. I was self pay again for the sleeve and the revision cost me $11,500 in Mexico with Dr. Aceves. It was worth every single penny. I could not be happier

Good choice. You are going to have a wonderful experience

I had to pay a $500 deposit

I had a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Aceves on 6/23/11. Everything from the doctors, staff, facility could not have been better. Just make sure that if you have surgery in Mexico that you do your research on the doctor you select. I chose Dr. Aceves because he is the best, not because of the price. They do have other doctors in Mexico that are cheaper, don't let that be your deciding factor. You also want to make sure that you are recovering in a hospital and not a hotel or recovery house like some Mexico doctors do. I guess some people are fine with that but I was not. I wanted to make sure I was in a fully equipped hospital with a full staff in the event that an emergency takes place. I also think that Mexicali where Dr. Aceves is located is a little safer than some of the other locations in Mexico. The hospital is about 1 mile across the border. Just make sure you do your research on the doctor first is my only recommendation. Best of luck to you!

Well I can say this. I was a band to sleeve revision myself. The band gave me nothing but problems from day 1. I never got close to my goal weight and my band slipped partially out of place after 5 years and was useless to me as well. I was in a similar situation as you are right now. If you look at my before pic in the pink shirt I had the Lap Band in that picture. That picture was taken 2 weeks before I had the revision to the sleeve. Look at my picture today. With the sleeve I have lost 85 lbs since surgery and still losing. I have had none of the issues with the sleeve that I experienced with the band. It's very easy for people to say that if all you have is 40 lbs to lose then don't go the surgery route but we all know that once you have that band removed you will gain the weight back unless you live a very strict lifestyle with food and exercise. This is one of the reasons we all had surgery to begin with, because we failed at that for so many years. If you think you can lose the 40 lbs yourself and keep it off that is great. I know me and my habits and I wasn't going to struggle for the rest of my life. I am super glad that I did this at a young age and not when I was 60. Having the revision to the sleeve was the absolute best decision I have ever made. I am sure you will make a decision based off of what you think is the best thing for you and your body. Just make sure if you decide to have a revision that you pick a surgeon that is VERY experienced in band to sleeve revisions. The band leaves behind a lot of scar tissue and you want to make sure you have an experienced surgeon. Also, my recommendation is to do it all in one surgery. Who wants to go have the band removed and then 6 months later go back in for another surgery. Especially if you are a cash paying patient like I was. If you have insurance and it covers it then maybe but regardless best of luck to you!

29 lbs is fantastic. I am 13 months out and I hit many many stalls along the way. Trust me they are very discouraging and no fun. I hit my first one at the 3-4 weeks post op mark and it probably lasted about 2 weeks. This is very normal so don't get worried. I have hit stalls that lasted 2 months already where I swore that I wasn't going to lose another pound. Trust me when I say you have to keep doing what your doctor told you to do and it will come off. I have even had times where I gained a couple pounds. Then the next week I would lose the couple pounds I gained plus lose a couple more. Our bodies are all different but majority of us all hit stalls and they are completely normal and and frustrating as well. Hang in there you are off to a great start!

Well for one tomorrow the 20th is my birthday so it is going to be a great day, lol. For 2, I had a band to sleeve revision almost 13 months ago and I can tell you that you will not regret this. This has been the best decision I have ever made and life with the sleeve is 100000 times better than life with the band. Best of luck to you!!!!!

Unfortunately stalls happen and cannot be avoided. I hit stalls many many times along the way. I even had times where a gained a couple pounds. The important thing to remember is to be patient because it will come off and you will get over the stall. Just keep doing what you are doing. Best of luck to you.

I also was self pay. I had my Lap Band here in the states in 2006 and paid $17,000. I had the revision to the VSG in June 2011 in Mexico with Dr. Aceves for $11,200.

I had a band to sleeve revision and I am sooo happy with the results. You all will love your sleeves i comparison to the band. Good luck!

You just had surgery in April and you have lost 40 lbs. That is great. I only lost 22 lbs in my first month. Be patient, it will come off. Best of luck to you!

Congrats. I am a band to sleever and life with the sleeve is a breeze in comparison to the band. You will love your sleeve!!!

It isn't allowed but some people still drink it. I am a year out and have not had any carbinated beverages since surgery.

Sherri, Was it the VSG surgery that you had or the Lap Band?

I had a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Aceves in June 2011. I do not regret my decision one bit. Weeks before surgery I had an upper GI done here in the states in which I emailed all this to Dr. Aceves prior to surgery. The day before surgery Dr. Aceves did another one to check out my band and they made sure my bad was completely deflated. I was warned in advance that in most cases they can do the revision in 1 surgery but if Dr. Aceves feels that the band has done to much damage he will not move forward and do the sleeve. I know someone personally that this happened to. Leaks can happen with any doctor. Leaks are more common in revision patients too since the scar tissue is not strong in the area where the band was removed. The band leaves a mess behind since this device has pretty much become a part of your stomach. These are the risks that you take going into surgery, and there are risks involoved with any surgery. I could have gone to a doc here in the states. I chose Dr. A because of his experience and very low complication rate. I knew that with the band I was more at risk for leaks so I wanted to make sure that I chose the most skilled surgeon there was. In the event that you would get a leaks weeks after surgery, why don't you ask Nina at Dr. Aceves office if there are any doctors in your area that Dr. Aceves would recommend that would agree to care for you post op. Otherwise if you don't feel comfortable with that, then I would suggest just going with the doc in your hometown. Either way, you really have to go with your gut feeling and do what you believe is the best option for you. Best of luck to you either way!

I would definitely say exercising and the old eating habits. After surgery I did great and followed everything to the T. Once you are about 6 months post op it is easy to fall back into old habits. Staying on track is very important to get the results we all want.

You look awesome and you can really see a big difference, especially in your face. Keep it up!

How did you get your arms so muscular. I am doing weights but I still have some hanging skin there and I HATE it, lol

Please don't get discouraged with the stalls. I have gone over a month without losing a pound. It is frustrating but it will come off. Give it some time

Good luck to you. You are going to LOVE your sleeve in comparison to the band. I experienced complications with the band and I have had none of that with the sleeve. I feel amazing

Everyone is different with their weight loss. Typically people that have more weight to lose will lose a considerable amount more in the first 6-12 months post op. I find that I am a slow loser and I do exercise 4-5 times a week. I lost about 25 lbs in the first month post op and then the weight loss slowed down and I started losing 3-5 lbs a month. I sometimes got upset seeing everyone else that was losing 60 lbs in 3 months and wasn't exercising and it took me about 7 months to lose 60 lbs and I was working my tail off in the gym. I have learned that I cannot compare myself to anyone else. What is most important is that I feel amazing and healthier than I ever have. I used to weigh in every single day where as now I may weight in once a week. It doesn't matter what the scale says as long as I feel good. If I keep up with my workout routine as I have been, I know I will hit goal. Even if it takes me 2 years to get there :-)

Unfortunaly there are tons of us out there that had the band and had to have a revision surgery down the road due to complications from the band. I am so sorry to hear about this woman, this breaks my heart. I am so grateful that I had that horrible thing removed from my body.