Michele12

I had my band removed February of 2017 and Gastric Bypass revision April 25, 2017. Best thing I ever did. The two surgeries are not even comparable. Most days I do not even feel like I have even had surgery. I feel so much better after the bypass it is night and day.

Hi, I was banded 12 years ago and due to similar circumstances I had my band removed February 16th and had RNY April 25th. I never realized how bad I truly felt until my band was out. These two surgeries are night and day. I have lost 60 pounds and have not vomited once! I can eat meat, veggies and nuts and no PBing! You are not a failure just fell victim to an unsuccessful band. My surgeon will not do the sleeve on any previous band patients due to the scar tissue the risk for a leak is very high. If I had known how much better I could have felt I would have done this years ago! Good Luck!

Totally get it! I was so excited to hear I would be the first patient of the day. I wouldn't be able to control my anxiety until 1pm lol. Thank for I have to be there at 5:30

My doctor told me he wanted my A1C below 8. I am having my labs done in two weeks keep your fingers crossed!

Looking for surgery buddies.

My doctor's nurse had a pharmacy she calls and tells them your meds and then they give you a printout on how to take them. Such as crushing or cutting in half and even ones that come in liquid form. Maybe you could talk to your doctor's office or even your pharmacy before your surgery so you are good to go!

Mine is April 25th, getting close and getting real. Like everyone getting excited and nervous.

I am having surgery the 25th of April and feel the same way.

Thanks SarahSleeve, I am pretty confident that they know what they are doing LOL It is just strange to me. When I had my band put in almost 12 years ago I did the two week liquid thing and had already had my mindset to repeat it. Thank you for your reply and good luck to you

So I went in today for my 6 month diet weigh in. I was told that I am now starting the no carb and high Protein diet. I can only eat high lean protein and no carb veggies until my surgery which will be in April. I was like...wait.....what???? no 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I was told that it would not be necessary if I followed this diet very strictly, however if I really felt it was necessary I could follow the liquid diet instead. I had my lap band removed 9 days ago and was just NPO after 12 am. Has anyone else not had to do the liquid diet phase? I would much rather do the no carb diet but would hate to screw anything up!!

So long story short....I was banded in 2005 and due to recent complications I am having it removed in February and then gastric bypass in March or April. My endocrinologist is suggesting an insulin pump right now for my diabetes. I am taking 5-6 shots a day and three pills and it is still not under control. It sounds absolutely wonderful to be free of the multiple daily injections. I will have to pay a $1000 deductible and then 30% of the pump which will be about $2400. I spoke with my surgeon and he as well thought it was a good idea. I was hoping after I had the bypass I would not have to take insulin after I had a significant weight loss. I do not want to invest that much money on an insulin pump and only need it for about a year. So I was wondering if any of you have had a similar situation, or if you had to take multiple injections daily and was able to get off of insulin completely and how long it took you?

No insult taken bayougirlmrsc but I did not wait five years, I have been very compliant and have followed up with my surgeon every 6 months or more if there were any issues for the last 11 years. I have had constant issues with my band for the last 5 years. I have had so many fills and unfills that I can not even count. I presently have no Fluid in my band and have not for the last year and I am sill having issue with reflux which is damaging my esophagus and stomach. I do not think that the LB is horrible, however it is causing harm to my body at this point even with my compliance. My actually question was that the surgeon who placed my band left the area and it is the new surgeon that is suggesting the removal and revision. I was not sure if others have had their surgeons suggest the removal or if they asked the surgeon to remove it? I went in to see him for review of my recent blood test and he threw this at me and it actually shocked me. I am also nervous about jumping from one WLS to another.

I still see the nutritionist, attend meetings, get regular blood work and mostly follow the LB diet. I do eat a lot of Soup because that seems to stay down, it is a probably a combination of it being warm and a liquid. But truthfully I am tired of vomiting all the time and having pain. I can drink a Protein shake and vomit or have 3 oz of grilled chicken and it will be fine. It is like my band has a mind of its own and there is no rhyme or reason to it

We did talk about the sleeve however he does not recommend it due to the fact the band will leave scar tissue where he will need to cut for the sleeve and there is a high possibility that it will not close completely and cause a leak which is never good!

Rachel I am so happy for you and glad that it went smoothly for you. Can I ask you how long you waited between your surgeries?

Thank you all for the well wishes and same back to you

So I have had my band for about 11 years now. I have had a lot of issues with vomiting and reflux. I initially lost about 125 pounds and did very well until about 5 years ago and the weight started to come back even with not being able to keep a lot of things down. I will admit that I did eat slider foods at times because that is all I could keep down. My surgeon left and I started seeing his replacement which I really like. He suggested that I have my band removed due to damage it has done to my esophagus such as Barrett's esophagus which can lead to esophageal cancer. He in fact told me that he has not placed a band in over 5 years and recommend that they be removed. So long story short he submitted the removal to my insurance company and they approved it. I will say that I will be glad on a medical stand point to get ride of it however he also feels that I am a good candidate for gastric bypass. I told him that I kind of feel like a failure with the lap band so why would I want to jump right into another WLS. He told me that I was comparing apples to oranges and that 11 years ago they did not have long term studies on what the lap band did internally to a persons body and they were not meant to be left in place for extended periods of time. He states that he will remove the band and then wait until I heal to do the bypass due to there is a possibility of unforeseen damage. So basically have any of you had any issues like this and actually had the band removed and then later had the bypass? I truly feel that my surgeon is looking out for my best interest and not just wanting to another surgery. Thanks for reading and sorry so long

I was banded in 2005 and had great result with a 130 pound weight loss within a year. Over the last 5-6 years I have slowly gained weight back on. I will have my band filled and then vomit and then have Fluid taken out then gain weight over and over ugh!!! I had to have Fluid taken out again last week due to not being able to keep anything down. Mind you I have not had a fill since 2014. My surgeon actually told me that he feels I should have my band removed and have a revision to gastric bypass. He feels that due to all the vomiting I am doing more harm than good, he also told me that he stopped even putting bands in over a year ago and would not recommend them. He said that it actually was never ment to be a permanent and they all will eventually need to be removed and mine is sooner than later right now. I was told even if I don't want to have the bypass I will need to have my band removed due to the excessive amount of GERD I have and it has caused Baretts Esophagus. One part of my brain says "Go for it they will already be in there to take the band out" then the other part says "You already failed one weight loss surgery". My surgeon also told me he will only do the bypass revision and due to the scaring of the band to stomach is where he needs to cut for the sleeve and he does not want to risk a leak. I go back to see him in three weeks and to tell him my choice. My best friend had the band to bypass revision and said hands down best choice she made. Sorry about the long post but was wondering if any band to bypass folks had any advise before I made my decision

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I joined this site in 2009. I was banded in 2005. I am so thankful that this site is here for people before, during and after their procedures. When I was banded I knew nothing about the procedure. I had applied for gastric bypass and was denied however was approved for the lap band. I was the second patient that my surgeon had actually done the procedure on. Almost everything I did I read out of 5 page manual I was given. I am thankful for Alex for starting this site and giving people a place to go and share their journeys good or bad. I am truly thankful for everyone that has ever posted on this site.

Hey, I too am looking for a buddy. I was banded in 2005. I had been diagnosed with Addison's disease and was put on two different steroids and have gained weight back. People keep telling me that it was not my fault that I was gaining weight because it was the steroids. I started to become upset because of the weight gain and then started to make horrible food choices and stopped exercising. I told myself that it was because I am sick. I have gained around 50 pounds in the last three years. I have decided I need to go back to the basics with my lap band. My habits are up and down and so is my weight. I still have restriction so I know it works I too am very discouraged and determined to get back on track. I use my fitness pal to log all foods, Water and exercise. My name on my fitness pal is DaisyRN look me up and friend me, it is an awesome site. Good luck and message me whenever you need support. Good Luck!!!

I truly believe that you have motivation in you. Why you ask??? I noticed that you posted this at 6:49 a.m. You could have just as easily have rolled back over and went to sleep. Instead you acted on your emotions and asked for help from people that have been there. This is why I love this site. Even though 99% of us on this site have never met and probably never will, we all have walked in each other's shoes. We all have a weight loss journey to tell. We all have good days and bad days. We all have failure and success. There are days I feel so strong and healthy that I can pick others up and help them. Then I also have days when I need to reach out and ask for there strength. Riskygirl21 you ask were you can find motivation??? You answer is...... Right Here We friend each other and over time become family. We Celebrate with each success and motivate to become successful. If you need a friend to talk or text just message me and I can give you my contact info. BTW I am from Indiana too and we both have the same weight goal

I agree too You need to keep a food, Water and exercise log to keep yourself accountable. All of these can be tracked on my fitness pal AND it is free. Over time you will realize that your band is a tool and not magic. Everyday I wake up and I have no idea what my band may bring. It could be so tight I can barely keep liquids down or so loose I feel I could just eat the house down. Just remember the band restricts food going into your stomach and not the thoughts that go into your brain. I have had my band for 9 years and it took about 2 years for me to recognize that the food was not at fault.... I was. It was the choices, quality and quantity of these foods I put into my body. Do not get frustrated with yourself or the band. Every banded person has there own journey so do not compare yours to anyone else. A twenty pound loss is exactly that a twenty pound loss.... congratulations Keep everything in your life as positive as you can, look forward and not backward and you will be amazed at how strong, powerful and awesome you truly are. You got this!!!

Good Luck to you!! Stay positive and know that your are not alone:)

Thank you Michele! I have been working out, it's my eating that I definitely need to change. I have no discipline.

Hey Jerseydiva I totally feel your pain. I was down 140 pounds after I had my band in 2005. The last two years I have gained about 45-50 pounds. I was diagnosed with Addison's disease and I am on two different steroids and OMG did they make me gain weight the sad part is you do not get to indulge to gain the weight it just adds on by itself I too have kept to my diet and exercise program and I am stuck. Three months ago I had to have Fluid removed from my band and totally over ate because I am starving all of the time. Today I went back to my doctor and now have all of my Fluid back in. My doctor told me to focus more on exercise and burning off the amount of calories I am eating and make sure to get ALL of my Protein and Water in daily. I recently started juicing some of my meals with mostly green veggies (because I have always focused on Protein so I never eat them) I could tell a huge difference in my energy level. Good Luck to you and just keep fighting!

_{This is weird I have not been on this site for month and this was the first topic I saw. I had Fluid removed from my band and my brain and stomach thought it was a free for all. I am having my Fluid put back in on Monday. I actually came on to find someone or something to help motivate me. I am already on Facebook and my fitness pal. Message me and I can give you my information. Good Luck and stay positive.}

Susan don't give up!!! There are good times and bad times with the band. Whenever I am too tight I go to the old liquid diet. The one thing that I have done that usually helps is to drink warm liquids. Usually when I am too tight it is due to the irritation and swelling around the band. This will pass. However a non-supportive doctor will not!!! Sounds like you are doing everything right and trying to address your problems. I personally do not think you need to get your band out, you just need a new doctor! I would contact your insurance company and see if there are other bariatric physicians on your plan and contact one of them. I would bet that you are not the first patient of his that he has treated this way so do not take personal. Good Luck

I have had my band since 2005 and I can not even imagine how much money I have lost on Protein Drinks that were so awful that I threw them away or could barely even drink them. I work with a girl and she told me that her dad sells these Protein drinks that are awesome called Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP) and she would bring me a sample to try. I had extreme low expectation of this product because I have never found one that I could stick with. Let me tell you AWESOME!! I had Cookies and cream and added frozen strawberries to make a fruit smoothie. It can be ordered on line and it is reasonably priced and has all the nutritional value we need for us banders. I thought I would share this with you because I have never found one that actually tastes this good and that I can drink on a daily bases (without plugging my nose to drink) LOL : )

I had some blood work done and my Protein came back pretty low, I truly despise the taste of all whey and soy protein powders. Pretty sure it stems back to forcing myself to drink them for so many years. My doctor told me to drink two Protein Drinks a day in addition to my normal meals. I am looking for something that I can add to my meals I prepare everyday. I saw a product on line it was called Any Whey by optimum nutrition. This is suppose to be totally tasteless and can be added to anything however was like 40 some dollars for the container which I do not mind paying if I would use it. I have tried everyway there is to prepare a protein drink/shake and they make me so nauseated that I sometimes will actually vomit them back up. I have had my band for 8 years and really have not had a protein problem up until now. I cannot even begin to tell you how much money I have wasted on different brands of protein drinks that I have thrown away. I am totally open to any suggestions or help that my fellow banders can give me.

I was recently diagnosed with Addison's disease. I truly had not changed my diet or exercise routine in 6 years and I just started to gain weight. I was banded in 2005 and thought the weight gain was because I was getting older. I was being treated for hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia for a long time. After several different tests and hospital admissions they found that I had Addison's. I saw my LB surgeon because I was not sure how to adjust my diet. My bariatric doctor tells me to follow my endocrinologist's suggestions for my diet and then the endocrinologist's tells me to follow my bariatric doctor's suggestions. UGH!!! I was wondering if anyone else has a LB and Addison's that maybe able to help me out. I do know that it is a low carb, low sugar (higher than LB suggestions) , high Protein, high sodium and low potassium diet. I also had to have all of my Fluid taken out about two weeks so I feel like I do not even have a band right now. I have been trying to incorporate the two diets together however I feel like it is not working out so well. The really bad thing is that my endocrinologist told me that working out causes stress on my adrenal glands which causes a chain reaction to other endocrine issues and that it maybe causing me to gain weight. I just feel frustrated and not sure what to do. Any help would be appreciated.