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Yes - Dr.Holland - I've been to two of their seminars. He seems to be very, very personable and has a great team of women working with his clinic. I believe he only does gastric bypass - not any lap banding. If I were to have gastric bypass - I'd definitely go with him. I've decided on the band - I'm going with Dr. Boorse out of Lehigh Valley Hospital. I'm currently in the long-drawn out 6-month program - information is great, but why does it have to take 6 months??? Wish you luck...

Dr spivey did my band as well....Dr Yu will be doing my revision in June

Hope the Port revision surgery wasn't too bad!! Great job on the weight loss!!! keep up the fantastic job!!

Just had gastric bypass on Wednesday so I'm 4 days out, and off all diabetes medication. I'm only on clear liquids and protein shakes, and they have very low sugar. How do I get my blood glucose up to at least 70?? If I eat too much sugar I'll have dumping syndrome. Any ideas? Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Has anyone had to have the 24 hour PH test??? Did it help with approval for revision?

For my health,I totally hear you.Where I work alot of people have done bypass and I'm the ONLY one who has done lapband and I constantly feel like I'm compared & have to explain why my weightloss is less.It is SOOOO frustrating!!:tongue_smilie:!! And why does sucess have to be measured in lbs & sizes anyway?? what about feeling so much better,being able to walk w/o getting out of breath,not constantly sweating,being off blood pressure meds & my cpap machine.tThat is how I'm measuring sucess when people make me feel bad!! Hang in there...it's not a race!!

I feel the exact same way. I was banded Jan 16th, 2009 and have only lost 29lbs. To be completely honest, I really did think that I was going to loose at least 50lbs in the first 6 months. There are so many great stories on this forum from people who have lost that amount. Not the case for me. I hadn't lost anything since my first fill, until I lost 5 lbs between fill #3 and fill #4. I have not lost anything in the 4 weeks since my last fill so I scheduled my next fill for Tues. I am truly hoping that this next fill will do the trick. I am exercising, and eating protein and healthy foods, the weight just is not coming off. 29lbs in 6 months def does NOT live up to my expectations. Some days I wish I pushed for bypass. There is nothing I can do now except keep on trying.

First of congratulations on your weight loss. Your gyno is an idiot. If I were you, I would get a new one. Preferably one who knows a little bit more about that band than her. (I know that will be hard to find) She obviously is confusing the band to gastric bypass. My doctor told me the same thing that the band wouldn't affect any of the pills I was taking, just to take them one at a time about 5 mins apart and with warm liquid. Good luck to you.

All I can say is "What next?" One thing I have to say for my life, it's not really dull. Granted I could use a lot less drama with family accidents, DADDY you scared the heck out of me! What happened? Let me give a little background. My dad will be 80 on September 19th. Which also happens to be my youngest sons birthday too... He will be 30. Yes he was born on my dad's 50th birthday. Daddy has always been a proud man. I've seen him work men half his age into the ground. Strong and stubborn. Daddy has already survived a quadruple bypass and a stroke. But on Tuesday of last week he almost left this world. He was trying to pull an attachment off of the tractor when what he hitched to wasn't the best choice. That thing, Ancient Drill Press is what he hooked to. It is somewhere around 500-800 pounds. Now granted he should have known better. But Thank God that he did survive. Nobody was home when the accident happened and he laid pinned under that thing for more than 3 hours! Broken jaw, hole punched in neck, broken ribs, collapsed lung, broken pelvis, cracked backbones, and pneumonia! He's one tough old man, that's for sure. So now you know where I've been for the last week. Hang in there daddy! Now for the good stuff that is ABOUT to happen. How many people here watch on the Outdoor channel on Mondays Fishers ATV World? Anybody? Maybe your husband does if you don't. Anyhow..... they are going to be here next Sunday to film for a future segment on their show at the ATV/OFF Road park that is near here. AND there is going to be only 2 people serving as guides... Our club president and ME! :lol: One thing about it... this should be a first for Mr. Fisher. Bet he's never had an overweight middle aged lady serve as guide! :thumbup: Now as far as my being on TV. Honestly I'd rather not. I mean I'm not pretty and as you know already I'm not small! So I can't see where having a lady looking (and sounding) like me would help his show. Yes, I'm a hillbilly and I sure sound like one. Think Dolly Parton with a deeper voice and larger body!! I'm honored to get to go with them. I mean hey... how many other times has someone like me, woman to boot, had this pleasure? Not many I would think. I'll have lots of photos and some video to share come the first of the week. Should be a blast!

Unbeknownst to me (since I hadn't had a fill or any eating or other band problems for over a year), my old 4cc band was too tight. That put so much pressure on my esophagus that it dilated and lost its ability to transport food into my stomach. Now I'm afraid that even a bigger, newer band could create the same problem, so I'm revising to the sleeve. Not thrilled about it, but making the best of the circumstances. I'm extremely lucky that I have another surgical option for weight management and even more that my insurance is willing to pay for it. I'll always be a bandster at heart, though!

Hello all - anyone else having surgery in August ? I'm a revision from the Lap-Band. Well my surgery has been moved to August 1st...have pre-op tomorrow :-)

So, I am going back and forth on getting the surgery and not getting the surgery. I don't know what I am going to do. I have my last appointment Monday for my final insurance requirements for approval. I am about 135 lbs. overweight, so I have a good bit I need to lose, which is why have been thinking of and researching the bypass. I started out with a little doubt and then I decided no, not for me. A few months later I was back at thinking of it again, and decided without a doubt I was going for it. That is when I started seeing the surgeon and required doctor's/specialist's visits. I was on that train of thought for a few weeks and now I don't know if I am getting impatient or truly scared or feel as though I might actually be able to do this on my own through diet and exercise. I feel so lost. I feel like I have read all of the information. I have joined numerous groups to see others results and experiences. Is this normal? To go back and forth? Am I just too much in my own head about this?

I have the band and I'm getting ready to have a revision to the sleeve due to issues with the band. My insurance won't cover anything bariatric related so I'm looking at going to Mexico. Anyone recommend a good surgeon or have good advice for me? Thanks.

Thank you for your replies. I was always so against bypass for me. But I'm actually leaning towards it as of now. Crazy. I'm excited regardless. A new journey :-) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

I was originally set on revising to the VSG, but I'm fairly certain that I'm going to do the RNY instead. The VSG just has so many "what-ifs." I've already had the lap-band twice (first one had to be replaced due to complications, and now I'm having issues with the second one), so this will be WLS surgery #3 for me. I don't want to possibly need to go for #4 if the VSG doesn't work as well for me. The RNY has long-term result statistics available, whereas the VSG only has truly long-term stats when it was used in conjunction with the DS. My metabolism is horrible for several reasons, so I'm worried that a solely restrictive procedure just won't be enough. It probably would have been if it were my first procedure (I did very well with my first band, until I started having issues), but my metabolism is so much lower now. I'm just so tired of struggling with my weight, and now that my back is going bad (degenerative disk disease with a herniated, extruding disk), I just don't have the energy to fight both. It's like a never-ending cycle. My back won't get better unless I lose weight, but I can't lose weight because my metabolism is so low, and I can't increase my metabolism by exercising the way I need to because my back is bad. I feel like the malabsorbtion from the RNY (even though it is temporary) will help me lose enough weight initially that I'll be able to get back in the gym without killing my back.

I'm kinda in the same boat. My surgery is in 4 days. They are taking my gallbladder with my bypass. I'm also allergic to fruits and veggies. So figuring out what I can and can't eat after this surgery is going to be interesting. Pretty much leaves me with protein. I think I'm ok with that

Sorry if this is a little bit long, but for me it was all part of the process..... I had never considered weight loss surgery. Even though my BMI qualified me, I never thought I was "fat enough" and I also thought I had to do it by myself. Then around New Year's I started having hip pain, and after going through a lot of exams, tests, cortisone shot, etc., it was finally discovered I had an injury to my hip, on top of arthritis, and that I needed arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury. When I finally got in to see the surgeon, he was quite blunt. He told me I was too fat for arthroscopic surgery. That the tools he had to use wouldn't reach through all the fat on my thighs to get to the injury. He also said my hip was in worse shape than originally thought and I was probably looking at needing a total hip replacement, but that he would not perform that surgery on me at my current weight. He explained that I'm young for a hip replacement and chances are it would need to be replaced again in my lifetime - and the heavier I am, the faster I would wear it out. Also the riskier the surgery would be and the more difficult my recovery. He said "I strongly suggest you look into weight loss surgery". I cannot tell you how shocked and stunned I was. And humiliated. At first, I thought "I'm not going to tell anyone". Then I realized... they all know I'm fat. In the end I told all of my co-workers, my boss, my HR person -- they were all SO excited and happy for me and so supportive, I am truly fortunate. My family is equally as supportive. My insurance specifically excludes coverage for weight loss surgery so I started the arrangements for a loan against my 401K. I also started the sleep study process in motion because I knew that would take awhile and I knew a weight loss doctor would require it (the hip surgeon was going to require it too). I started my surgery research. I went to a support group meeting at a local hospital, then a seminar put on by the surgeon I eventually ended up choosing. I was all over the internet reading diaries and blogs of weight loss patients, and watching You Tube video diaries, and I watched the surgery being performed on You Tube. I went back and forth for awhile between bypass and lap band, but being self-pay, I decided bypass was more than I could afford to spend, and I couldn't afford the higher risk of post-surgery complications. It was mid-March when my hip surgeon recommended I look into weight loss surgery. I had just missed the March support group meeting and seminar, so I had to wait until April for them. In the meantime I got the sleep study done. My appointments with the surgeon, nutritionist and psychiatrist were May 1st and 2nd. My surgery was May 15th. I still have the hip surgery ahead of me, and in the meantime I live with constant pain, but it has gotten a little more bearable since I've lost 30 pounds and I'm really hopeful that the more weight I lose, the more the pain will diminish and maybe I can postpone the hip replacement, or possibly even get by just with the arthroscopic surgery for now.

Hello! I'm about 2.5 months out from band to sleeve revision. I'm down 13 pounds since surgery. I'm very pleased!! I'm exercising daily - mainly walking/hiking outside with my dog or on the elliptical at the gym. I'm starting a "personal fitness quest" at the gym tomorrow (once a week butt kicking by a PT basically lol). Most days I have to remind myself to eat. I just went from liquids to puréed a couple weeks ago. I still drink at least one Protein shake per day most days - some days I just can't choke one down. This week I feel like I'm starving all day long. I just started my cycle. Wondering if that has something to do with my feeling so hungry. Nothing else is new or different really. Is my exercising catching up to me? I generally get up to 800 calories when I'm using my skim milk and fruit in my shakes and sometimes close to 900. Since I started puréed foods I've made puréed tuna (with spicy mustard) and chicken (buffalo chicken) and eat maybe half a cup of food in a meal. I like cream of whet but not really much protein there...if I have it I have it with the fairlife skim milk which has 13g of protein per cup. But sometimes diary makes me feel nauseous. So any advice? I think I'm eating the right amount of food. I'm eating my protein first. I'm constantly sipping Water. I just find it so strange to be feeling this hungry! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My Story I am 42 years old, 5’5” and weigh 243 lbs. I wear size 20/22 pants and 2X tops. I never really thought about my weight one way or another until I wanted to join the military (18 years old). When I went to check out all the branches I actually choose the Navy because I had to lose the least amount of weight – 30 lbs (I was 180 at the time). I put myself on a crazy crash diet and exercise program to lose the weight as fast as possible. I could only get to 25 lbs down and the day before I had to weigh in I took a bunch of laxatives (NEVER AGAIN!). I was over my weigh in by 2 lbs but they gave me a waiver and I joined the Navy for 5 years. The good thing about the military is that they give you a PT test and weigh in every six months so I kept myself within my weight range (not easily but I did it for five years). The moment I left the military and restrictions of weighing in and exercising came off I started a progression of gaining weight. Getting married, moving, new job, college, graduate school, and an uncertain future helped add more weight on. I work very hard to not let my weight interfere with my life. We live in a coastal region so summer clothes and swimsuits are a staple. My husband (not overweight) loves the water and I love my husband so I am good about not letting my weight become an issue in our marriage (which means even if I feel uncomfortable in my 22 size bathing suit I fake my enthusiasm for spending the day on the water). I never thought about WLS until my sister had lapband surgery a few years in Mexico. She actually had a bad situation with her band slipping and had to go into emergency surgery and now she is battling the insurance company to cover the emergency surgery. Up until then I hadn’t know about medical tourism or about the many WLS options. This past fall I started to research different WLS surgeries. I have to lose 100 lbs and that is beyond overwhelming to me. The most I lost was 30 lbs on WW but gained that back and more. I liked the sleeve option better then gastic bypass. My insurance does not cover it so I knew I was going to be self pay. My husband isn’t very chatty and I he said if that is something I wanted to do then fine but he is fine either way (I married an easy going guy). He won’t be going with me….no sense in both of us going if he’ll be bored. I am not telling anyone about the surgery. I don’t want to be talked out of it (it is enough to keep myself from talking myself out of it!). I think I am a good candidate for surgery. My health is very good (minus the 100 excess pounds). My weight related ailments include – lack of energy, knees that bother me, and snoring. Our only son is married and serving in the military (so no small children). I am on temporary assignment outside of the classroom this year so I don’t have the crazy and stressful teacher schedule (which will make recovery easier for me). I am mentally preparing for a rough few months after surgery (I am not a complainer and can tough out a lot). I am worried about the normal things – complications, insurance not covering complications, dying, long term ramifications, dealing with my eat out friends. However I am looking forward to buying clothes in normal sizes, fitting into airplane seats, crossing my legs, having more energy, enjoying being outdoors. My surgery is on March 28th.

I had my revision September 2012 and it was absolutely the best thing I could have done. Make your own decisions and don't base it on negative comments you read here. It was a very positive life changing surgery for me and I would do it 1000% times over.

I completely agree with slikchick10! I'm 5.5 weeks out from a revision and it's so much better. You truly feel full and I've only had the "slimes" twice because I didn't chew well enough. It is so weird to eat foods that used to get stuck like eggs. Your think it's gonna come back up but it doesn't LOL. I think it is worth it. Good luck with your decision.

Your right Sleeve master......there are a few negative comments which doesnt help when you are trying your best to do the right thing. Its not like you can undo it if you make the wrong choice. I was hoping to compare the 2 with people who have had the band before or know of people who have had the band before to see what it will be like with the sleeve. I trust my surgeon and he says it is the best thing for me so I do believe that. I have struggled with the band and its problems for 4 years and also never feeling satisfied with what I was eating (or very rarely was i satisfied) I was told that by removing the hormone that creates the hunger sensation it will make it a lot easier for me which I am looking forward to. If anyone thinks that I think that I am taking the easy way out then they dont know what I have been through....in and out of hospital for constant revisions not to mention the discomfort with the band. I know I can't live with the band but I know I can't live without some form of restriction......that was proven when they let my band out for 6 months and I gained a stack of weight as my hunger was out of control. The more I research the more I know that I have to get the sleeve.....I just want to know what to expect when I have it done. I didn't know about all the things getting stuck etc before I got the band (something I wish I had have known before hand) and also how hard it would be to eat a good variety of foods and healthy foods. I hope the sleeve is different, I just don't know anyone with the sleeve that I can ask about it. Junior Guru that is what I hope will happen with me Garliegirl my surgeon told me that they will keep me is hospital for 5 days and if a leak was to happen it would happen in the first few days and they would be monitoring me closely to fix the problem IF it happened......he also said if it doesn't leak at the start it will NEVER leak. That put my mind at rest. He also said that they trialed doing band to sleeve revision surgery in one operation for 6 months and they have decided that it is more successful and less complications letting the stomach heal in between taking the band out and then doing the sleeve. I have also heard from people that it can be more successful but every surgeon has different ideas so its best to check with yours. I have been very happy with the group that I go through even with all of my problems with my body rejecting the foreign body of the band The other thing that i loved the sound of is that there is no dumping syndrome as there is with bypass......I love the sound of the sleeve and not to have this stupid port in me anymore. Its under my bra line (as they were running out of new places to put each new port) and so uncomfortable!!!!

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 32 months ago and it was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

Got my surgery date!! September 17th!!

I cheated with egg drop soup.. the broth and eggs and a little cottage cheese... my mom had gastric bypass 10 years ago and she had the egg drop soup...