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I am 33. So sorry to hear about the problems you are having to ensure. I pray that the revision is a real success for you.

Thank you so very much. . . I was 263 the day of my revision. I started at 270 with the band 8 months before my revision, standing 5'2" tall. Today, I'm hoovering at 145. I will have a TT after we're done making babies. Boob job for my 40th Bday, and I am very interested in Botox and/or a mini-facelift. I'm a pretty vain person. I have zero issue admitting it, and will use technology, surgery, and other avenues to fix my flaws. I plan on growing old gracefully with assistance that I can afford. I'm actually not worried about the bat wings. I hate wearing tank tops. I have this weird mental hang-up about exposed underarms/armpits. I think it's just gross, so I won't ever wear tank tops without a shirt over it.

The sleeve section is going pretty strong. I am pretty sure that it will all be moved over to the new sleeve board. He's doing an RNY board too,as well as a revision board.

So since I started this thread, I was diagnosed with a slip, had revision surgery, was unfilled for several months, an bounced back to 200 lbs. Right now I'm at 182 lbs, so time to restart the clock. I'm not sure I even can get to my original goal weight due to the muscle weight, but we will see. All I really know is that I have a pool party with my fellow gym rats on August 16 -- Time to PUSH 17

I completely agree with what Georgia girl said. When I joined LBT, I'd already been to OH and didn't like the vibe, the bashing, etc. I definitely don't want to see that kind of thing here. Froggi isn't the only person who has questioned the addition of the forums for other surgeries. I can see a need for a revision forum, but not forums for each WLS on what is supposed to be a lap band specific board.

I really wanted to be the first patient in the morning with my doctor .....but I ended up being the third patient because he had to do two complicated lap band revisions in front of me .....and when he came in the room to see me before I went into the operating room he said to me "oh good now my easy patient" - I do think the more complex patients are handled first. Shelby

I have come to believe that no matter which WLS one chooses, most of the change has be done in the mind. If the patient is ready, willing and able to make changes, they will succeed. If the patient thinks that the band, sleeve or bypass is going to do the work and they will passively watch the weight melt away; they will fail. If I ever have to lose my band, I will revise to a sleeve, if I can.

Would love a local group for support. Had band to sleeve revision on May 23rd with Dr Lopez in TJ and it's been rough not having follow up here at home. Questions and concerns go unanswered and I take things day by day.

Yes I do but I can't go back in time but hopefully will be able to revise to a different surgery that will work for me.

I used to love my band until I started choking on vomit in my sleep. I am revising to a sleeve soon. The band was great at first, until that started happening. I am not having trouble now, but I have no restriction. I ate a plate of spaghetti and 2 pieces of garlic bread tonight. okay, call me an over eater, but that is what I got the band for. If I were to get a fill, I would go back to choking on vomit in my sleep. It's a very fine line between being too tight and being too loose. I am tired of worrying about fills and unfills so I am getting the sleeve surgery. Sorry, but I have to be truthful here.

I was almost embarrassed to read some of the responses to the original post. Megan, no matter what people say, your story and experiences DO matter-- thanks for sharing. It's insulting to think "newbies" will run away because they read about your negative experiences; after all, we should all "bat for both teams" when doing our research. I don't think you sounded "preachy" like someone implied, I think you are genuinely concerned, and just want you story told. On the other hand, there are people who may (or may not) have a "wealth" of information but EVERY TIME they comment on a post, they come off as too-into-themselves-know-it-alls (at least to me)... And like someone said: if the shoe fits....! Thank you to those that also made their feelings be known, but at the same time showed compassion, understanding, and most of all respect for the original poster. And, Megan, I wish you all the BEST with your revision!! XOXOXO

I am writing this post in the hopes that I help others really understand what life with the band is like. I was part of the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band clinical trial in October, 2003. I thought I was doing a great service for the medical community, as well as hoping that I might help others that have battled with their weight find an effective treatment. From the get-go, the band was a major pain in the arse. My fills had to be done by the surgeon under floroscopy because of the study, so I got to see lots of images of my stomach. My port was very hard to find as it had flipped and tilted upwards. I had my port moved once, and after that, we decided we would just have to live with it that way. I got to my "sweet-spot" once. I lost 70 pounds. I threw up almost several times a week, even though I followed doctors orders and all of the rules. While I was at my sweet spot, I wasn't hungry or thought about food at all. This was about six months of heaven. Then, I developed GERD and could not sleep in a bed because I would throw up food in my sleep. I was sick to my stomach all the time. I missed work, social outings, etc. because I was constantly in pain. My surgeon unfilled my band and let it rest. And then I got fills, unfills, fills, unfills, etc. I never found the sweet spot again. In fact, I never fully recovered from GERD and had constant heartburn for a few years. After about 8 years, I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore. I had gained back 50 pounds, and was miserable. My surgeon unfilled me for the last time. Not, I've spent a year working with an eating disorder clinic to help me find peace with food. Now, I am ready for phase two of my WLS surgery journey. I have been fighting insurance for almost a year for a revision surgery from band to sleeve. I finally won my appeal and will have surgery on Sept. 17th...almost 10 years since my band was placed. I weigh the same today as I did the day I got my band. If anyone has questions about long-term band issues, I'd be glad to answer them. In advance, I will ignore those that attack me for coming here and talking about complications. But like I said, I would be happy to talk to you about the band and any insurance issues you might have to revise to another surgery.

I have BCBS FL but there are lots of different plans. My employer chose a plan that doesn't cover it. I understand, there are only 30 employees and we have no monthly premium. Anywho, I had Dr. Alejandro Lopez do my surgery. It cost $4,500. I did not have any other issues like hernia and I wasn't a revision surgery so there weren't any extra costs. While I was happy with the outcome, I believe it is very very important to do your own research and find a surgeon you feel most comfortable with. There are lots of excellent surgeons in Mexico, you just have to find one you are comfortable with. Hospital is also important. There's a brand new gorgeous hospital there, I can't remember what it's called but it is supposed to be a state of the art facility.

My personal experience has been that bingeing pre-op is an extremely bad idea. People will make up the excuse that "I'll never be able to have that again, so I better have it now!". THIS IS NOT TRUE. You absolutely can have anything you want to eat post op. The only differences will be that you can't eat as much AND you are just tacking on more pounds you will eventually have to fight for after surgery. You're only hurting yourself by doing this. I have had two WLS's. I did have the food binge before my lap band. Then a few months later I realized that it was all for naught because I can and did still eat those foods. In fact, I could eat more of that stuff than the good healthy food. They're called "sliders" for a reason. You won't get full on them. Then with my revision to the VSG I absolutely did NOT indulge pre-op. I already knew I had to go in with the right ideas about food. For anyone reading this, change that attitude. This surgery will save your life, but only if you get your mind right.

Hi guys! As I am preparing for my band to bypass revision, my doctor made it crystal clear I have to stop smoking. I have been smoking for about 5 years, which is terrible for me to even say, and I know I have to. if it came down to it I know I could just torture myself and do it cold turkey, but I am asking for advice or things that people have done that has helped them. I am considering the nicorette gum but again just asking for advice! Thank you!

If you have it this soon out I don’t think you will have as many issues getting revision. It’s when people all of a sudden claim to have it years out after they have regained weight that it seems to be more questionable as to whether they really have gerd or just want another surgery to lose the weight. (No I’m not saying that all those people are being dishonest it’s just that some have been and that ruins things for the rest). If you are still losing, though, why would you lie to get another surgery. Ya know? That’s just how I would look at it as a person who reviews claims. I would definitely make sure to call or see the dr and let them know everything though so there is documentation that it started early if I were you. Plus, the prescription meds were cheaper than over the counter for me and they are stronger.

Hi, what test did you have to prove it? I just got a denial for revision because they want me to do a pH 24hr monitoring test to probe my GERD. I appealed because my GERD has been documented, and I have an EGD done showing that I have a large symptomatic Hiatal hernia, but I guess they want this test to prove it...I’m very frustrated.

@@kewadiak That's great news! I am getting all my clearances now and just learned that I have gallstones.. So now I am hoping they can do revision and gallbladder removal at the same time.. Will find out what my pre op with surgeon in 9th. Really hope I will wake up and not have to be disappointed that they couldn't do it in one.. I feel like so much to get done, but all I have left is upper GI and chest X-ray, then just blood work and EKG 2 weeks before surgery. Liquid diet starts on 28th... That's next week! Crazyness. I get so much more nervous as it gets closer to the date.

I'd love to be honest about it. The weight loss is nice...but I still have to be VERY DISCICPLINED in what I eat or I REGAIN weight. Also, I woke up from surgery with horrid GERD that has not gone away and HUNGRY. I still get hungry (famished) just like before the surgery. Long term GERD and PPI use have significant health issues associated with them. I have moderate anemia now (10 years post op), and can't seem to absorb enough through food. I may have to have Iron infusions. I have to have an endoscopy to check on things next month. I may have to have a revision to bypass. I hope it's not more serious than needing a revision (Please God, no Barrett's esophagus, or {gulp} cancer). Most times, I am OK and have come to acceptance for the most part...but other times I seriously regret having 85% of my stomach removed (I really didn't have any co-morbidities) and I get a little freaked out about what I have done to myself and what might happen as a result of this serious surgery (no going back). I was so desperate I was to lose weight. I gotta tell you... the biggest problem was a selfish, unloving, critical, abusive husband and my own lack of self-esteem. I was glad to get rid of all 180 pounds of HIM! Now that was the best and healthiest weight loss of all. I wish I had gotten rid of him first, because after he was gone, I started working out, lifting weights and got in shape. That was a game changer. I would encourage everyone to do their own research. Look up the rate of weight regain after the sleeve. Look up the risk of GERD associated with the sleeve. Look up the rate of hunger after surgery. Weigh the pros and cons. This is not a benign surgery. At least that is how I feel about it today

I also had the DS on 6/9/17 and was revised from the band. The doctor did it in a few hours. I had three times the amount of pain when I had my band surgery because the port would pull when I bent over until it was healed and the doctor didn't give me any painkillers post-op. He handed my husband a few pills and sent me on my way. With the band, it was impossible to bend over for weeks. Let's put it this way, no one left the house until Mom's shoes were tied. I couldn't do it on my own. With the DS, I was able to bend over and pick things off the floor the first day home from the hospital and I only spent one night in the hospital. I was tired after the DS for the first two weeks, but by the third week, my life got back to normal. The pain was very minimal, at least for me. Now if you want to talk painful surgeries, a total knee replacement takes the prize in my book. I haven't had any experience with just the gastric sleeve part, only the full DS. Since the sleeve is part of the DS, I'm not sure why you've been told the DS would be an easier recovery. The DS is more complicated than the sleeve. Anyway, the recovery wasn't bad at all.

@@k95 You are justified in feeling the way you do about your experience with surgery. I wonder is the sleeve was the correct procedure for you. This is an option to think about. You could try to get a second opinion on a possible revision. During my first lecture from my surgeons office. He explained the sleeve surgery first was designed for the super morbidly obese. The sleeve was the first stage until their weight was low enough for a malabsorption procedure. (Duodenal switch or roux en Y Bypass.) I can never walk in your shoes to know exactly what you are going through with this. I wish you the best. Jenn

so 10 weeks post op and I'm still wearing the same bras I did before my lift, they just fit better. However, I am going to need a revision of the lift, so with a second lift I would imagine that it is probable I will lose another size.

The MOST effective WLS is the Duodenal Switch. I've seen stats on excessive weight lost (EWL) with the VSG as being 70% and with the DS as 80%. You do have to be more diligent with taking enough vitamins and protein with the DS and that surgery does carry more risk than the VSG. The good thing about VSG is that you could subsequently revise to the DS if necessary (although you're likely to be a slower loser if you choose the 2 stage route).

Hi Julie, yes I believe the Overstitch is fairly new, although not to sure how new it is. It was new to me and my surgeon is quite experienced and up to date with new developments and I think he'd done about 5 previously and only in recent weeks. They go in endoscopically and put some permanent sutures in the stoma, then if needed also in the pouch to reduce the size of that as well. I don't think they could do it to a patient with a band in because you don't have a pouch or stoma. And it wouldn't be a stand alone procedure as it's designed to be a remedy for gastric bypass patients experiencing weight gain due to enlarged stomas / pouches. Although I believe they can do something similar to a gastric sleeve endoscopically which I think is gastric plication. (If I am not 100% correct anyone please feel free to correct me) :-) Now as for the cost, my surgeon didn't charge me for this Overstich or the Gastric bypass. I've been quite lucky. I paid the full price for the band 13 years ago, which I had done in the South off France. Then 10 years later after I had moved to Australia from England, I had the band removed and the sleeve done in the same operation. My private health care insurance covered most of it, I think I had to pay $3000 extra towards it. Then as my sleeve failed, the same surgeon did the bypass for 'free' just charging my healthcare fund with no co-payment, and the same for my Overestich. No co-payment. He accepted just the payment from my health care fund here in Australia. All I had to pay for was a payment towards the anaesthetist fees which in total were $800 and Medicare paid $300 so all I paid all up was $500 which I was very pleased about. :-) Now to answer your last question about pain, I experienced next to no pain at all. I had a slight scrape on my lips from the scope, like I've had bigger pimples really. And a very mild sore throat when I woke up. The kind of sore throat you had after slight cough for a few days. Gone all together within 24 hours. Hardly worth mentioning. I was prescribed antiemetics and some strong pain relief, however, didn't fill the script as my nausea and pain were zero, seriously nothing at all painwise post op. I should add though that I was the same after gastric sleeve and bypass. No pain, no wind, no pain relief needed, I was up doing laps of the ward same day as both operations and declined all pain relief. I've either been very lucky or have a high pain threshold or a mixture of the two! Never even had reflux or anything. Oh and time in theatre was 1hr 20mins, think that it normally takes around 45 minutes, but I had sutures to both the stoma and pouch, and there was an Overstitch rep or something in the theatre watching the procedure and asking questions / having things explained I think, so that may have added time, not that it bothered me, I wouldn't have known if the operation took 10 minutes or 10 hours, i just closed my eyes and then woke up, felt like milliseconds haha, I went home after about 2 hours with a recommendation to follow a liquid diet for 1 week then soft / puréed for the second week, then a normal diet after that with lots of chewing and not to push the amount of food eaten. Now I am at the stage of puréed food and cottage cheese, I am eating around 100mls and feel as full as an egg. Have lost over 10kg and am only 4kg away from my target and about 1kg away from being in the healthy weight / BMI range, but I did start the Saxenda injections one week before the Overstitch and they are definitely helping, I felt the appetite suppressing effects of the Saxenda even just on the initial starting dose of 0.6ml, am now up to 2.4ml and will be on the maximum dose of 3ml starting this Friday. Apparently a fair few people stop taking the Saxenda because of the most common side effects which are abdominal pain, headaches and nausea, which I haven't experienced any of at all, must be my high pain threshold again! :-) The thing with the Overstitch is that I guess it can stretch again over time if it's not looked after. I'd imagine it wouldn't be able to stretch as much as without the stitches as they'd continue to provide some resistance, although I'm not sure if there have been any long term studies on this yet, again happy to be corrected if anyone knows anymore about this. Not sure what could be done after stretching the Overstitch, maybe another Overstitch or change to a Duodenal Switch. In wouldn't be too keen on the DS as I'm already severely anaemic, even though I'm not feeling any ill effects. My doctor said my iron levels and ferritin are in the low single digits and I shouldn't be feeling at the very least tired and exhausted but I'm not for some reason. Anyway, I'm hoping I won't need any more revisions. I have enough already!! So here goes, fingers crossed for me. Anymore questions, just ask, more than happy to share my journey / experiences. John :-)

Hi! You guys have some experience here! So please let me pick your brains! I was banded in 2013 lost about 60 pounds, and have gained some back due to many complications from the band and other health issues. Here I am now with a total band slip and prolapse miserable can't keep much down without feeling sick 23 out of 24 hours. Dr. has me scheduled for band removal on August 9th. I'm wondering what the recovery will be like...will I be able to get that nutrition in again because right now I am feeling just weak and tired from not being able to eat more than ice cream or shakes! I am taking my vitamins. We have also talked about having a sleeve revision in a couple of months after I go through the insurance gambit of medical testing etc. all over again. I'm not looking forward to yet another surgery...and I'm wondering if the sleeve is the way to go, or if I am going to go through all this medical testing again for approval I should just push for the bypass and get the weight off without "guessing" if the sleeve is going to work out for me or not. I'm always the one that falls in the failure percentage rates...I been using this analogy alot lately...you know if birth control pills are 98% effective to prevent pregnancy well yep I am the 2% who got pregnant while on them taking them without fail every day even after I was pregnant and Dr.'s couldn't believe it, his name is Christopher and he's now a healthy 22 year old! What is your advise? Also how painful is recovery from the band removal? I am hearing the port site muscle is sectioned and that causes some major discomfort and pain for a while....