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Ok I have a totally strange and personal question, I completely understand if anyone prefers not to answer, but it's really a major concern that I have. I am just starting the process to get the Lap Band and a good friend of mine had gastric bypass 2 years ago and besides a lot of excess skin, her breasts have completely deflated. I'm really concerned that this may happen to me if I have the Lap Band, she told me that with the Lap Band you don't lose weight as quickly so it may not be as much of an issue. Also even when I was younger (teenager) I was about a size 7 with a C to D cup so I've personally never been small anyways. I know that I'm going to lose weight there, but I was just wondering how this had effected more women, and especially those who have always been big busted girls are you experiencing the same thing? Thanks for your help! Emily

is a great video to illustrate this which has been posted on here many times, but is worth reviewing. This is related to bypass, but it is true for any WLS or non-WLS person.

I had the sleeve done at the end of November, 2013. It was a band to sleeve revision. I was what I would have called a "slow loser" but found out some things I was doing wrong. So, I changed some of what I was doing - went to 1000 calories/day, added fruits and vegetables to my diet instead of just Protein and began walking and working out some. Now, I know you're going to say, "If you're working out you're adding muscle which weighs more than fat." Ok, I'm not working out THAT hard. A couple of weeks ago I had an NSV by getting into size 20 clothes from a size 26/28. I hit the 40 pound loss mark in 4 months. I was feeling really good. But things have changed. I'm still in a 20, which I'm happy about. But I'm losing my hair. The one thing that I have ALWAYS prided myself on. Even when I was over 300 pounds, my hair always looked good. It was healthy, bouncy and in really good shape. Then, pieces of it started coming out when I showered. I'd go to soap myself up and have to remove strands of hair from the bar of soap. I thought, "Well, that's the price of bariatric surgery I suppose." I started taking Biotin after reading some messages on here. I also made sure I got at least 60 grams or more of protein a day and have been averaging over 60 grams a day for over a month now. I thought it probably wasn't as bad as I was making it out to be. Then, I went to my hair dresser for a cut yesterday. She started washing my hair and said, "Oh my, you're really getting thin." My daughter is getting married in 2 months and my hairdresser said we may have to get a hair piece to help cover up some of thinness if it doesn't get any better. What?!?!?!?!?!? Are you frickin' kidding me? Oh, and it gets worse. I stepped on the scale this morning and was 3 pounds heavier!! WHAT?!?!?!!?!?!?!? I've been following my diet strictly and haven't gone over 1000 calories. I've looked at the snack cakes in my daughter's snack drawer and walked away. ARE YOU FRICKIN' KIDDING ME?!?!?!? 3 POUNDS?!?!?!!?!?!? And this is after a 2 week plateau. I'm ready to give up. I know this weight didn't come on over night but I really expected more than 40 pounds in 4 months. And, I know that we all have weight fluctuations but mine have only been a pound here and there. 3 pounds? Higher??? That's crazy. If I was cheating, sure, I can see that. But I'm not. I'm a bit fed up. I don't want to hear about losing inches vs. pounds and changing things up. I've done that. I guess I just want to bitch and complain. Has anyone else gone through this mental torture and how did you get your HEAD back in the game? I'm beating myself and my sleeve up right now. I need a mental kick in the ass. Any advice?

Hello and welcome I too had the band lost some weight had issues eating anything healthy. 3 years ago I had the sleeve lost more weight but am having troubles keeping it off. I am now going to revise to the gastric bypass; I guess I should have had this surgery in the first place!! You are doing the right thing in tackling your weight issues and revise to another one. I think the band was a bad idea for most and you will read here that many revise. Best wishes to you

:sad:HELLO ALL, I AM SORRY IF THERE IS A THREAD ON THIS ALREADY, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ONE. SO HERE'S MY STORY. I AM 2 MONTHS POST-OP, HAVE HAD TWO FILLS. LAST FILL WAS ON THURSDAY THE 9TH OF APRIL, WAS TOLD MY PORT SEEMS TO HAVE FLIPPED ON IT'S SIDE. SHE THEN SAYS I MIGHT NEED A REVISION. I AM DREADING ANOTHER SURGERY. CAN ANYONE SHARE THEIR STORY ON THIS WITH ME? THANKS A BUNCH!

I havent been losing much at this point nor do I want to. I lost 25lb more after the revision and have been maintaining it now for a good 6 to 8 months. I have noticed that if I dont eat a normal 3 times or more a day my weight will drop. I had a crown done a week ago and havent been able to eat on that side and dropped 7 lbs in a week!!! CRAZY

Yeah the surgeon offered the sleeve but I stood firm on my choice and he didn't say NO.. they usually do work with you unless they are not confident on the bypass? My surgeon is one of the best in the country he even goes overseas to teach other surgeons

I had the sleeve in March 2018 with hernia repair. The hernia failed and my stomach is in chest . I have acid reflux really bad, has anybody been through this and what revision surgery would be best. Thanks

I’m supposed to be having my sleeve revised to a bypass in November due to GERD. I have a hiatial hernia for the 3rd time and the surgeon as well as the 2nd opinion surgeon says not to repair the hernia, just revise to bypass. Evidently my cough is acid aspirating into my lungs, and most of my allergy symptoms are from the acid. This is on top of the regular nasty acid symptoms. I had originally asked for the bypass because I already had GERD and I knew that VSG could make GERD worse or cause it if you don’t have it. The surgeon said that if I had another 100# to lose he’d recommend the bypass but he said I probably have a hernia. He’d fix it, therefore fixing the GERD. So, 3 hernias later, I’m revising to a bypass, and I’m terrified. I’ve been very pleased with my sleeve except for the GERD getting worse. So... 3.5 years later I’m finally getting what I originally asked for, but now I have to go through a 3rd surgery (VSG/hernia; hernia again; now bypass) to do it. I should have just pushed for the bypass at the beginning and I’d be done with it.

I had my bypass on the 7th and I've been so sick. I can't keep most things down. I have terrible pain anytime I do eat. I'm so miserable I've been to the emergency room twice. Meeting with ny surgeon on monday. Wishing ud never done this. Was anyone else this sick the first few weeks if so did it get better

I'm still about a month away from my Gastric Bypass Surgery and am looking at options for vitamins, I'm already on a handful of medications a couple times a day and am not all that excited about throwing a handful of vitamins into the mix. Is anyone using vitamin patches? Are they effective? Seems like an easier option but want to get some input before I buy any.

What a coincidences I was watching a video about that yesterday, those vitamins patch.. but the lady that was using it still was doing the chewable one as well, cuz she ask and was told that your body doesn’t adsorb as much .. so what she does is .. when she misses a day or something she stick the patch . Or does both cuz she know with “bypass”... what she has ...she doesn’t absorb much either way. I’m getting the chewable ones. Also I found centrum liquid .. which is great too. “There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.” —Michael Phelps

I would agree. I'd revise to a DS. You probably need that surgery. I don't think you will be happy with the RNY and think you will likely not get to your goal weight with it. I can say this because I have RNY (virgin surgery) and have a larger capacity. So I do not feel a whole lot of restriction. And food goes through my stoma very easily. So I have to be extremely careful of what goes in my mouth, calorie, volume count and limit food in the face of hunger. And I got to my goal. But it took iron balls to do it. And not everyone can put that kind of limit on themselves. If you haven't already, you need to have your sleeve evaluated to see if they left too much of the fundus in tact, or if it can be revised to make the sleeve smaller in a re-surgery. If it's surgeon error, they should have to fix it. If it's your error through overeating or eating around restriction, then a new surgery won't necessary fix your head and you will need to consider counseling along with a new anatomy if you want to avoid having this same discussion in the future.

Or if you are a "revision" patient.

:thumbup:I have been checking into lapband surg I need to lose 130 pounds and am so ashamed that I have lost weight over the last 20 years only to gain it back each and everytime. I have gotten my referal letter from my Dr and went to and information meeting and am going to a class March 3rd and 16th. I already have the appt with the psycologist and diatition but I really need to get advice from some people who have already had this done. Is it worth it does it really help that much. Wont I be hungry all the time eating a 1/4 cup of food only. How do you deal when your bored I have usually eaten when bored. I hear about stuff getting stuck in bands, bands slipping and eroding and about the liquid diets and just want confirmation that it is all worth it. how fast do you lose weight. A nurse told me you lose weight quicker with gastric bypass and that It takes up to 3 years to lose all your weight with the band. How can that be that it is so slow when you are eating soooo much less then you used to? My sister died shortly after gastric bypass so I dont want that surg done. I know this is a rest of my life thing and want to be sure. People at work Ive mentioned it to dont understand why I cant just eat less and exersise more and think Im silly to get banded but I feel I have an addiction to food and I take meds that make me hungry and tired all the time so its hard to exersise as much as I should. I did join a gym and am trying to walk 30 min a day to get my body in better shape for surg. Please anyone who has the time I would appreciate any and all advice. My email address is deannkuske@comcast.net if anyone wants to email me. Im new to this site and not real good at the computer so dont know if ill find this site easily to get the responses but Im going to try. Thank you so so much Deann

Had lapband to rny on May 21,2014. Lost 20 and then bam I have been stalled!!! I go up and down 2 pounds for the past week. It's so frustrating, makes me think I am doing something wrong. I know it's a stall but I worry I won't lose anymore.. It's messing with my head major! I really expected to continue losing like I was. I know it's not reality though. When I was banded in 2008 I was 300 pounds lost 120 in 9 months. Had to gain some to get the revision to rny so day of surgery I was 245. Now I am 225 and stuck. I wish I had the power to not weigh daily but I am so OCD I need to know lol. Any veteran revisioners to through this at the beginning??

Hi everyone, I was a low BMI bandster. I had good weight loss success with my band, but it has been a journey. Fills, unfills, episodes of being so tight I had to have an immediate unfill, etc. About 6 months ago I started having symptoms associated with a slip and the upper GI tests I've had done definitely show a slip. My choices are: remove lap band (which is not what I want to do), reposition lap band, or revise to a sleeve or bypass. I work for one of the largest health care providers in the St. Louis area and my insurance will cover a revision, but only with a provider in their network. Guess how many bariatric providers there are in the network? 2! One is the surgeon who did my lap band and he only does lap band. The other surgeon is currently not doing revisions and won't be for potentially another year. I could go to another surgeon and do self-pay, but that seems crazy to go through that again. I was self pay for my lap band surgery because my BMI was not high enough and I just recently paid all those bills off. I am also leery of the sleeve surgery because it is so permanent. Lap bands can always come out. I feel like the decision is being made for me. I prayed for assistance making this decision and all arrows are pointing me this way. Has anyone had success after a lap band slip, then reposition? I am worried about it happening again in another three years.

I'm in beginning stage of band over bypass surgery and was wondering how long after can I fly

I am new to joining but have been keeping tabs everyday on here for the last 3 months, so I went to my Dr. and explained to her taht I was interested in getting the lap band surgery. I have a friend who just got the lap band about 4 months ago and he loves it. So I told her the Dr. I was interested in using, she told me since I have HMO I will have to see one of the Dr.'s in Straubs network first then can be referred out since the dr. I am interested in is in a different network. So I go and see a nutritionist and it comes to be that this whole appt. is about seeing a surgeon for the gastric bypass surgery what i specifically said I did not want. So I had to pary the $85 for her and a $15 co pay to see the s,urgeon who does'nt even perform the surgery nor does any dr in my network...Im so frustrated, then I recieved a letter from Straub saying that the reason for the denial os because "SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE STRAUB HEALTH CENTER NETWORK" but in the letter it also says Service: Pending Authorization. So I am so lost..Please help:help:

Dr. Jaime Ponce de Leon, in Tijuana, Mexico! His Patient Coordinator is Trish. She and he are the super team :-). Dr. Ponce is renowned in Mexico, and taught a lot of the other doctors mentioned. Trish was the main factor to build the trust. You won't regret this choice. Dr. Ponce is $5500. ($500 more for very high BMI or Lapland revision.) I'm Day 4 Post OP, feel great! I posted more detail at www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/57620-looking-to-do-the-sleeve-in-Mexico/page__gopid__550636#entry550636 Trish's info: www.WLS4betterLife.com

I had gastric band in December 12 years ago, and a revision surgery one year later. I just had my bypass last week just in time for holidays. Will I miss turkey this year? Probably.but I will be with my family for the first time in a year. Also ironically I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but since my surgery, I can barely tolerate sweet tasting anything. Even if it is sugar free. You’ll do well. my way of expressing myself was to do a sketchbook for the Brooklyn art library sketchbook project. That’s been a great outlet for me. best of luck and positive thoughts to you! 🥰

So, is it info on the surgeon or info on the procedure? I have never heard of this doc, but I would try googling him. Go to healthgrades.com and look him up. Do searches for his name in this forum but also at obesity help and the gastricsleeve forum (google them for the link). Is he one of the Mexican surgeons or is he in the USA? There is a whole forum dedicated to surgery in Mexico - poke around there to see what you can find out. this is just me, but I would surely pick Dr Aceves if I went to Mexico - that guy has done alot of sleeves, alot of revisions and seems to have a great reputation. Not to say there aren't others that are good too! Good luck!

My coordinator has scheduled my dtr's revision from band to sleeve with a Dr Juan Arellano. We are having issues trying to find/get info on this surgeon. We would feel much better if we had info that would allow us to make a more informed decision.We would greatly appreciate anything any of you could tell us. This is too serious not to go into the surgery informed. Thank you so much. A concerned/nervous mom & dtr.

I just came across an article that said that restrictions after bypass was walking only for 30 days. Then maybe add swimming but no weight lifting/strength training for 4 months and no high impact for a year. That seemed conservative so I wanted to see what others were told. I have not had the final meeting with my surgeon so I don't have his specific recommendations.

Hi all! I was banded back in 2003, and it took me 2 years to reach my goal weight. Then came the great lap band slippage of 2005. I went for the corrective procedure and was told all was well, since then I have had nothing but trouble - I've regained 60lbs and can't seem to loose any of it. It's as though EVERYTHING I eat causes me to gain weight - even though my diet consists mostly of veggie Soup (cause its about all I can keep down) and I wake every night choking on reflux, not to mention the constant pain at the port site. So today i went back to my surgeon and as suspected, the band has slipped again. I've discussed my options with Dr.D and have decided the best plan for me is to remove the band and have the revision to a sleeve. Dr.D tells me that I have to remove the band, wait 3 months for my stomach to relax then have the sleeve done. I've tried to argue with him re; the 3 month rest period but considering he is the surgeon, and I have no idea about surgical matters, I didn't get very far in my attempts to get him to do the removal and sleeve in one surgery. Has anyone had the same experience - Band out, few months wait then sleeved? I'm so worried about the weight gain in those 3 months - can anyone share their story? Did you gain weight? How rapidly? Or how did you maintain your weight loss over that time? I'm not going to lie, this is terrifying me - so I thought I'd reach out to fellow banders for support!