kekerene

I am definitely a real patient of Dr. Aceves. I think all of us have had the same exact emotions you are having in regards to going out of the country to have a surgery. I can tell you that I had an amazing experience. The doctors and staff and the care I received was far better than anything that I ever received in the U.S. The facility there was top notch and the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. There are some surgeons in Mexico that are much more reputable than others and some facilities that are far better than others, so please do your research. If you have concerns about the people being real or not then ask for phone numbers to call and talk to these people, ask them to forward before and after pics. Anything that will ease your mind about making the decision. I would be more than happy to provide these things to anyone in doubt. It is a life changing decision so you want to make sure that you are comfortable with the decision you make. Best of luck to you!

I am 5'4 and I started at 232 lbs with the Lap Band and the lowest I got was 170 lbs (62 lb loss). I was hoping to get to my goal of around 135-140 lbs but never got there with the band. I gained about 10 lbs with the band after about 3 years and I was at about 180, then I got pregnant. My doc deflated my band so I could keep food down while pregnant and I gained a whopping 80 lbs for my pregnancy. Got up to 260 lbs. After having the baby I lost 20 lbs which put me at 240. We tried to inflate my band again to help me lose but I could not lose a pound to save my life. I was stuck at 240. After several months of fills to my band with no success and no weight loss, my doc took an upper GI x-ray and found that my band had slipped. This was in May 2011. I knew at that moment that I wanted the band out. I was tired of throwing up food, gaining weight, and all the other problems the band gave me. In June 2011 I flew to Mexico and had the band removed and had the revision to the sleeve. I went to Mexico because my doc here in the states had no experience in band to sleeve revisions and I was cash pay. It has been 6 months since my VSG surgery and I am down 60 lbs. I am finally back down to 180 and still losing. I don't throw up food anymore and I feel alive and healthier than I ever felt with the band. I have really believe that with the sleeve I will be able to reach the goal that I was never able to reach with the band.

The below link might be helpful to you in understanding how long Gastrectomy surgeries have been performed. They were just performed for different purposes, not WLS as UXgrrl stated. I had the band too, and all the complications it caused, and then it slipped on me as well. I could not get that thing out of my body fast enough, lol. I now have the sleeve and I am soooooo much happier. Best decision I ever made. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrectomy

I would not worry about that. You can have another surgery. My doctor has only had like 3 or 4 people that he could not do all in 1 surgery, and he has done a lot of band to sleeve revisions. For the one's he could not do all in one, he just removed the band, gave the stomach like 6 months to heal, and then they were able to come back and get the sleeve done after the 6 months. You can even go for the bypass but if the sleeve is what you really want then go for it. Either way you can have another surgery so don't freak yourself out about that. Best of luck to ya!

Dr. Aceves in Mexicali did mine all in one surgery too. Cannot say enough great things about my experience Good luck!!!

I am so glad to hear a surgeon say that he removes more Lap Bands than he puts in. I certainly wish that everyone considering the band would read this thread and save themselves the troubles that they are going to face down the road with the band. Myself being one of those people. So so so glad that thing is out of my body. Good riddence!!! I love my sleeve!!!!

Vitamin levels for sure. I just asked my PCP to do a full blood panel of everything just to make sure nothing was missed. And I think a barium swallow would be wise too!

When I had the band I constantly had food stuck in my throat and just about EVERYTHING I put in my mouth came right back up. I was so disappointed because I was seriously under the impression going into it that I would take a couple small bites, the food would go down and I would feel super full. Uhhh nope, that wasn't the case for me with the band. Now I have the sleeve and I can honestly say that the sleeve does do exactly what I thought the band was going to do. My food has only done this to me twice with the sleeve and only because I failed to chew properly and I was eating meat both times. I can seriously take a few bites, I don't feel like it stays in my throat at all, and I feel very full after a few bites. And the best part about it is that I feel satisfied and my food stays down. I was very scared about this going into this surgery and that was one of the first questions I asked people before having the revision because I knew the sleeve was permanent and there was no turning back. I was so scared that it would be like the band and I would be vomiting for the rest of my life. I am so happy that I was able to get some good advice here and that I had the band removed and the sleeve done. I have no regrets. And I can finally eat a bite of food in my car without it coming right back up and I can finally eat at a restaurant with my family and not have to run to the bathroom to vomit. It's a great feeling. I do know a few people that had a couple vomiting episodes after sleeve surgery but I think these were people that were just a few weeks post op and it happened only like once or twice because whatever they ate did not agree with them. My sleeve buddy had this happen to her initially but now we are 5 months out and she can eat whatever she wants and it has not happened again. She only had like 2 or 3 episodes with vomiting and it was right after surgery while she was still healing.

I did not experience erosion with my band but my band did slip after 4 years. I had the band removed and the revision to the sleeve done all in 1 surgery. I too was self pay for the band and again for the revision surgery. I cannot even tell you how pleased I am with the sleeve versus the band. I really lived a poor quality of life with the band. I never got close to goal weight, I lost and then gained weight, I could not keep any solid foods down, it was just plain horrible. My life has changed with the sleeve and I am sure your will as well. Best of luck to you!

All the nervous feelings are very normal. Dr. Aceves and his team are great and you are in wonderful hands. Best of luck to you. See you on the slim side!

I had the band to sleeve revision done all in 1 surgery but I think it would depend on the surgeon and how much erosion has taken place from the band. I went to Dr. Aceves and luckily my band had not done enough damage to prevent it from all being done in 1 surgery. The bad did leave behind a bunch of scar tissue which Dr. Aceves was able to remove during surgery. I think if you find a skilled surgeon they would definitely do what they think is best once they are inside and can actually see the damage that the band left behind. Good luck!

Yes had the band placed in 2006. It was always either too loose and I could eat anything or too tight and everything I ate came back up. I needed to lose 100 lbs but only lost 50. I lived off of soup and milkshakes for 4 years since that was the only thing that stayed down. I got pregnant, gained all my weight back plus some. Tried to fill the band after the baby and was right back to throwing uo my food but this time I was not losing a pound. Found out the band had slipped, yay. I am glad it did because now I have the sleeve and life is a million times better than it ever was with the band. No more throwing up meals, I eat a few bites and I am super full. I feel so alive and healthy now that I can eat healthy foods instead of milkshakes. Best decision I ever made by FAR.

I know that when I had my surgery they had a couple patients experience quite a bit of nausea in the days following surgery. In your case you are a week and a half out of surgery which is strange. I would consult your doctor just to make sure this is normal. Typically the first month is the hardest so I am sure you will be up and at em in no time. I am sure this is temporary. Please keep us posted and best of luck to you!

I went to Dr. Aceves and the deposit was $500. Amazing experience!

I too could have went to a doctor here in my hometown, unfortunately none of the doctor's here were experienced in band to sleeve revisions and this was the procedure I needed to have. I went to Dr. Aceves because of his experience, not because of the cost. I was very happy with the care I received. The whole experience was amazing from beginning to end. I feel great and was very happy with my choice of surgeon.

I threw up just about everything I ate with the band, it was horrible. It was either too loose or too tight. I never got close to goal weight with the band and managed to gain back some of what I did lose. Then 4 years after having the band it slipped on me. I had it removed and had a revision to the sleeve on 06/23/11. HANDS DOWN, the best thing I ever did. It's been a little over 4 months since surgery and I have never thrown up a meal. I can eat a small portion and I feel like I ate a brick I am so full. I feel as though the sleeve does exactly what they said it would do where as with the band it did not. Everyone is different though. You are going to love your sleeve in comparison to the band. Good Luck!!!

Well like you, I only lost 60 lbs with the band and I also threw up everything that I put in my mouth, it was horrible. I managed to keep off the 60 lbs. for 4 years then I got pregnant and gained 80 lbs. Even after the baby I only lost 20 lbs which put me right back to where I was when I got the band. After several months of no weight loss and several fills with no weight loss, my doc took an upper GI and realized that my band had partially slipped. Anyhow, this is what led me to the sleeve. I am sooooo happy to have that band out of me. I can finally eat a couple bites of food and feel full and not have to worry about my food coming back up, and I feel great. To me, the sleeve is all the things that the band was promised to be. I hope you go for it, you will be glad you did. Take Care!

I too am a revision from band to sleeve and found this site VERY helpful before my revision. People here are very helpful and will answer any of your questions.

So here I am, today makes 3 months exactly post op and I am down 42 lbs. I am finally in Onederland. I am so amazed at how easy this journey has been in comparison to the Lap Band that I had placed in 2006. I am so happy that I went through the revision surgery 3 months ago. The sleeve is everything that the band was promised to be and more. Thank God I have not had one complication and I feel fantastic. As of now I have no regrets and I feel healthier than I have felt in years. I want to send out a special thanks to my surgeon Dr. Aceves for changing my life.

I am also a revision done by Dr. Aceves and was on 15 days clear liquids, 15 days full liquids, and then 15 days mushies before progressing to solids. I also followed this exactly as instructed. After al the complications with the band I wasn't taking any chances this go around of messing anything up. Like everyone else said, every doctor is different. Good luck to you!

That is awesome. And you look awesome as well!

That is fantastic. I had the band as well in 2006 and went through the regurgitation, malnurisment, weight loss then gained it all back plus more, and then it slipped on me. I converted to the sleeve almost 3 months ago and life is amazing now. My doctor did have to remove a ton of bad scar tissue that the band left behind before he performed the sleeve procedure. Ask your doc if he will do this as well. All I can say is that this surgery is waaaaaaaay different than the band. I have never thrown up my food with the sleeve like I did with the band. I actually feel healthy now. I am sure you will be successful with the sleeve. Just remember that the band failed you, you did not fail. Trust me, the sleeve won't let you down. Best of luck to you!

I did not have erosion but I did have a slipped band and a ton of bad scar tissue left behind from the band. I had the revision 2 1/2 months ago and the doctor had to remove all of the bad scar tissue. I did fine with the surgery with not a one complication. I was back to work in 6 days and I feel great. The sleeve is all the things that the band was promised to be without all the complications that the band brings. It's nice to be able to eat a very small meal and feel full and actually not throw up my food. If you go with the sleeve you will be very pleased with the results. IT'S NOTHING LIKE THE BAND......and that is a good thing. Good luck to you!

I am about 10 weeks out and have experienced MANY stalls so far. I lost a total of 35 lbs but 20 of those lbs were lost in the first 2 weeks. After that I have been hitting many stalls. I have even lost a few lbs then gained those few lbs back. A friend of mine (my sleeve sister) send this article to me. It makes sense. Hope this helps to explain it a little better. No need to worry though, you will lose as long as you are following all the rules. Some people take a little longer than others. This came from a Duodenal Switch website called DSfacts.com "The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

I went to Mexico to Dr. Aceves. Unfortunately my insurance did not cover any type of weight loss related procedures. Also, my surgeon here had little to no experience with the band to sleeve revision. This is why I chose Dr. Aceves. I am sorry that you are having to jump through hoops with this, all the while having to live with a slipped band. Mine slipped too. I am sort of glad it did because I lived 5 miserable years with that thing. My life and health have changed so much in just the past 2 1/2 months since I had my revision. The sleeve is everything that the band was promised to be without all the issues/complications that the band brings. I really hope you can get your revision and this can get resolved for you quickly, good luck!