MysteryJess

I was banded in 2009 also and was at my goal weight for about 9 years. Then I started having issues where I couldn't keep any food down and I lost down to 129 pounds and I am 5'8. My surgeon removed all of the fluid from the band and I gained 40 pounds in 4 months. My insurance paid for the band to sleeve revision and my BMI was 26 and I have no co-morbidity factors like high blood pressure or diabetes. I guess it is all on how your dr. writes it up. If you are having "issues" with the band, which slippage is a major issue, then you should be able to get it paid for by your insurance.

I definitely know the pain. I was banded in 2009 and was at my goal weight for over 9 years and feeling great. My band slipped and the Dr. removed all of the fill. I had gained over 40 pounds in about 4 months...just like you. Same thing, I could NOT get the weight off. I ended up getting approved for a lap band to gastric sleeve revision. I had that done last week. Have you spoken to your surgeon/insurance about getting the sleeve or something else? Its so horrible to not have to worry about your weight for almost a decade and then feel like, in a matter of months, you're getting back to the person you thought was gone forever. I sure hope you can find some answers. Please keep me posted.

I had my band to sleeve revision on 12/5....a week ago today. Did you have yours done?

Hello, I have a normal BMI (23.4) and just had the band taken out and a sleeve done four days ago. I was at my target weight and maintained that for over 9 years but started having trouble with my band ( lots of vomiting) so then the Dr. took out all the fluid in my band and I gained weight but stayed within a normal BMI. Since you haven't had any issues with the band, I am not sure if someone would do the surgery but I do think that you should have a consult with a bariatric surgeon and just explain everything. They can write it up in such a way that it would/could be approved by your health insurance. Hope you can get it all figured out.

YALL!!!! OK, I am hoping someone can give me some advice. I was banded in 2009, lost 100 pounds, was at my goal weight for about 9 years. Then around Christmas of last year, I started having trouble keeping ANYTHING down. My surgeon said the band was properly placed and had not slipped. He removed all of the Fluid from my band and I gained 40 pounds in a matter of months. My insurance finally approved a revision and I had that done 4 days ago. I had no real pain, just some gas pain in my shoulder and neck. They laid out these tiny little cups and told me to "sip sip sip every 15 minutes". It didn't take long before I had both small bottles of Water drank. I was released the next day and was able to drink 2 cups of beef broth, I ate an entire cup of sugar free jello---last night I ate an entire can of thinned down cream of chicken Soup in the amount of time it would take someone who had not had bariatric surgery. I have not had my post-op follow up yet but my mom had the VSG about 18 months ago and she can only eat about a cup of food. She told me it took her an entire day to drink 1/2 of a Protein Shake. My goal weight is 145 and I am currently 169. (I am within a normal BMI and have no co-morbidity factors but the revision was approved because of all of the issues I was having with the band.) My fear is that surgeon might have been super conservative and made my sleeve/pouch larger than it should be because I don't have a ton of weight to lose. I am just hoping that someone reading this had a similar experience but felt restricted once solid foods were reintroduced. I feel like this surgery might have been a waste of time. Is there anyone out there that was successful after not having drinking limitations immediately following surgery?

Hello there. So I had a LapBand to VSG revision on Thursday, December 5. I had no problems except some gas pain in my shoulder and I was very sore. My concern is that I have had NO issues drinking. Like none. When I woke up, I was dying of thirst and they had the little cups lined up and two of the small bottles of water on the table. On the marker board, it said "sip sip sip every 15 minutes". I sipped slowly; no issue. Then again, no issue. Within a couple of hours, I had both bottles of water gone. I was discharged around lunch time the next day. I drank 2 cups of beef broth in about an hour, but that's because I was just sipping on it like coffee as I watched tv. I have also drank multiple 12 ounce protein shakes, pudding cups, jello cups etc. My mom had VSG about 18 months ago and said that it would take her an entire day to drink one protein shake. I was thinking that maybe they took the LapBand out but something happened and they didn't do the sleeve. I called the Dr. office this morning and the nurse verified that I DID have the band removed and the sleeve procedure. I told her that I have NO restrictions when it comes to drinking. Oh, I also ate an entire can of cream of chicken soup, thinned down with milk, in about the amount of time it would take someone who had not had bariatric surgery. I feel like something isn't right. Anyways, the nurse said "well, it is probably because you had the band for so long (10 years) and you have been restricted for so long that you don't know how your actual anatomy is supposed to behave." That seemed like a super weird response to me. I know I am rambling on BUT my concern is that maybe my surgeon didn't make the sleeve as small as they are typically made. I am afraid that maybe he was too conservative with the sleeve and that I won't get the benefits of the revision. I am just wanting SOMEONE to tell me that they had a similar experience but that they have lost weight and that once they started eating solid food, they could feel the restriction. Like I said, my mom had it done about a year and a half ago and she can only eat a cup of food in one sitting. I am so afraid this surgery was a waste of time.