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Hello everyone :-) this is my first post so hope u all can see it. I had lap band surgery 9/2009, and will be having a revision to RNY Sept 30, 2014. I am at my all time highest weight now of 386, and pray this surgery will give me the tools to be a healthier person. I had testing in July of this year that showed my band had slipped up, causing a stricture at the base of my esophagus, who knows how long it's been that way. I will be having my surgery at St. Vincent Carmel with Dr. Christopher Evanson, who is planning to remove the band and complete the RNY. I enjoy reading everyone's posts.. Love & Prayers of success to everyone

Good morning everyone, My name is Candice, I am 38 married to a wonderful man of 18 years and mother of 4 wonderful daughters. Okay, here is my weight loss story. I had a gastric bypass back in Sept 2003 and lost a total of 150lbs..But started having a lot of heath issues that weren't related to my surgery and was placed on 15 different medicines and 11 were steroids. So after dealing with my weight and trying to loss the weight without much success, I decided to find a doctor to help me out. After many test and all, my doctor found out that my stomach had went from a size of a pecan to the size of a lemon....So we decided that a revision of my first gastric bypass would be the best. I starting weight was my most high of 340( my weight went up and down over the past year), on surgery date I was sitting at 331. Now I am 3 weeks post op I am weighting in at 306...I am so proud of myself and know that this is my second chance and having a healthy life. I am truly bless to be at this point in my life and knowing that I have a wonderful support group at home makes it worthwhile.

i had lapband done in 09, had my son in 2011, lost a total of 120 pds. I had a breast Aug. done, as I went from a ddd to a b cup. I also had my tummy done last summer. I can say that it was the best thing I did. My insurance covered the tummy part. I found out last month that my lapband caused my Hiatal hernia and I was able to get the revision to bypass. I can say that I should have done this before hand. I feel that the only thing that I will have to have done is my arms. I gained back 50 pds and I have lost about 25 of it before my surgery on the 30th.

Thanks I see its fairly common to stall around this time. I am waiting for it to kick back in ! I see you were a revision too ! thanks

At the mall get together, I was asked to share with the group what I have on my MedicID bracelet that I wear now. It says: Adj.Gastric Lap Band w/ Abdominal Port No NG w/o Scope I got my bracelet from Laurens Hope - and they sell lots of different styles, something as simple as a leather braided in black/brown for men or pretty sparkly ones with different decorative trims, beads. One warning --I measured and ordered a bracelet too large for my wrist and sent it back to get adjusted and had to pay the postage and a $6 revision fee so measure carefully. I ended up getting a little tighter than I thought I needed and its fine. The decorative part is on the top of my wrist/arm and the MedicID tag is under my wrist where most people have no idea I'm wearing one. I was told that emergency personnel know to check for ID bracelets and necklaces for medical tags so I don't think it would be overlooked if an emergency came up even though its decorative. There are lots of websites out there that sell even nicer and more expensive 14K gold, etc. but this one is my style. http://www.laurenshope.com/category.aspx?id=1

Hi everyone. Well, insurance finally got in gear! I got a call from Kaplan's office yesterday and insurance gave them the approval! Susan (Kaplan's nurse) is great. She was on top of this and called me as soon as she got the approval. So, for those of you also waiting on insurance approval, I'm sure she'll do the same for you! My port revision is scheduled for next Friday (26th) at 11:30am. Woo Hoo!!!

Katydid, when I was researching the band one thing came up about this WLS in Europe. The Europeans were going back to gastric bypass because of issues with long term bands. My fill doctor even said that it's a foreign object in your body and sometimes your body just wants it out of there. There is a lot to the band with the port and tubing and all that so it is definitely something to think about. I believe there are doctors that will do band to sleeve revisions, but from what I've read from you, you still have a lot of healing to do before that can happen. You don't have your band anymore do you?

HI, I used Dr. Alexandro Cardenas in Monterrey. You can get in contact with him through Ready4Achange.com. I had a full face and neck lift with tweaks on my lips and ears. I had brachioplasty also. I paid around 7000 or so for all of it, it was a bit more but I can't remember exactly how much. I do know that his office staff will negotiate prices with you and he told me himself that the ears can be done as a part of the facelift without extra charge but the office staff charged me extra. We had a discussion about that and he ended up giving me a price break on the fat in my lips and face. So make sure you negotiate what ever before you go down there then if their are additional proceedures you want you will be sitting on your lowest price for the main work and negotiate the add ons. They take very good care of you. They have a driver that will get you back and forth to apts. but i think that he charges extra when he can. The nursing staff there is very welll trained. I met one who spoke perfect english as does the office manager. Dr Cardenas speaks excellent english and Dr Lozano who is the anesthesiologist went to high school in Houston and speaks perfect english with a southern accent to boot. The required stay for face lift is 10 days post. I stayed in the clinic one night and the hotel the rest. I hired a sitter through them named Angela who will act as your driver if you hire her. She is also a great nurse and tour guide. She charges $100 for 24 hours and $50 for a 12 hour shift. She does not speak much english but understands it quiet well. She is working on speaking it. She does not have a degree in nursing but gives excellent care for plastic surgery. I cannot say enough good things about Angela, she is skilled, smart and funny. So we had a lot in common. I have included her pics and the staffs pics in my plastic surgery album. You will want her services for the first couple of days unless you have someone who is a nurse accompany you. Just caring family is not sufficient support for a couple of days after plastic surgery. If you know anyone who needs banding the have a wonderful bariatric surgeon in Monterrey, Dr. Miguel Zapata. He did my rebanding. That was why I was in Mexico and had plastics there rather than in states. Although plastics are cheaper there, the cost of transportation, room and board and meals have to be factored in. I guess it just depends entirely on how it all stacks up in comparison to what you would pay in the states. I am not 100% satisfied with the work on my forehead. He was a bit conservative there and I am not crazy about the results, but he explained why he did it and we are talking about the possibility of him doing some revision next summer, but it is too early to say for sure that I will need it. Overall I love the outcome. I don't know that I would have liked the results if he had done a more drastic proceedure on my forhead. The difference in where I was and where I am now overall is amazing! I would defianately go back if I had it to do over again. Feel free to pm me if you want more specific information. If you contact ready for a change , tell Judy I reffered you. Good luck, Corliss

Oh I am so happy you posted Oregon !!! Glad your surgery went well - I had bad shoulder pain on day after surgery... How long will you be in hospital?? Did Wasa go with you?? Also - don't stop posting here just cuz of your revision ok - you are still in the 50 age bracket - and you are the only one from the original posters when I joined 5/07 - omg 2 yrs since I have been on lbt - 5/14 to be exact :0)

Apples, I want to go to the lake with you. I love the water. I am most relaxed when I am near the water. Oregondaisy...If I ever need to have a revision it would definatly be to the sleeve. I love my band, but kinda wish I would have gotten the sleeve. That way I wouldn't have to deal with getting fills. Or being loose or tight. Or anything else band related. But without the band I wouldn't have met such great people as I have found here on LBT. I thought the sleeve was another name for gastric-by-pass. So I didn't even look into it.

hello!! Congrats on you weight loss u look great how long u had surgery? I had my surgery dec 4th 2014. The first surgery I had was rny and I had complications (extreme pain) because my intestines weren't put right. My surgeon had to revise to a sleeve on March 16th 2015. So I had two surgeries and had to go through all the stages 2x. I am 8 pounds from goal in six months due to this. It's been tough but totally worth it in every way!!

Here is the side by side of 3 days post revision vs 2wks post revision. Tomorrow I'm going to track down that black tank top so I can wear the same shirt in every progress picture. Both shirts are an XL and the jeans on the right are a size smaller than what I've been wearing.

So long to your GB. Hope recovery is quick.. let us know how things went. I had full TT done. totally around, as well as thighs. slow moving still, 3 weeks post-op, but going back to work Mmonday, for half days. Wil have revision on my thighs in about 6 weeks.

Thanks! Still need that brachioplasty + abdomen scar revision to pull the dress off without a shawl. Re-scheduled surgery for November due to client/project needs early Fall. Need my arms and hands fully operational right now to draft up floor plans, elevations, architectural details etc. effectively. It will be wonderful someday to wear a short sleeve dress or blouse without the need to cover the bat wings! Pretty scary, right? Skin is so heavy on my small frame now. Each arm probably weighs one pound in loose skin. Oh boy. Until then - wiggle jiggle at the drafting board we go... Haha. ;]

Last yr I bought a shirt from Target. It was an XL in women's. All women know how much it can suck to buy womens clothing. 9 times out of 10 a XL in one brand can be a M in another. This is why I generally just buy men's t-shirts. Though I know I wear an XL in Old Navy's women's shirts. That being said, I bought this shirt and when I got home it was about 3 sizes too small. I sadly shoved it in a drawer and forgot about it. I'm almost a mth out from my revision. My GERD is completely gone and the weightloss is a huge bonus. I found the shirt today and put it on. And it fit!

No - We don't know why it flipped. I called and spoke to my doctor about 30 minutes ago about cost, my fill and what may have happened. He said he has been thinking about it all day as well. He hasn't had a port flip in 3 years - they changed ports and he stitches it down solid. I think it happened the week after my surgery. I was still in "recovery" mode, sleeping on my back. In my sleep I rolled over onto my side - I woke up and said many colorful cursewords and cried in agony. I woke up my husband and he remembers the incident as well. It felt like my muscle was ripping - which now looking back, I think were my stitches being ripped out. I was told by other people banded by him that you would really be sore in that area and to be careful rolling over. I didn't think anything of it at the time - thought it was routine. I brought it up in my followup appointment after surgery. He mentioned to me today that he remembered that converation. He'd checked me at the time and found nothing unusual. He assured me I was getting a fill when he does the revision. I better - I'm starving right now...NO RESTRICTION whatsover.

Laura -- maybe we just need to fly to Houston and have Terry take us to Dr. Spivak!! I called Fill Centers USA and they will only use saline. A lady from Ethicon Endo-Surgery called back this afternoon and she said that she would check to see if any of the engineers were aware of Omnipaque. I told her I'd sign up for a trial!! I'm so upset and I'm only looking at a second surgery. I cannot imagine being in your place knowing that you have already had a revision once before!! :confused:

I had my band placed on in April, 2006. The first year was a breeze and I lost a ton of weight. In month 13 of my journey, I was overfilled and slipped my band. Since then, I seemed to have developed an intolerance for my band. I have slipped it twice, constantly choke on my food, and have been miserable. On April 2nd, I will be revising from the lapband to the gastric sleeve. Dr. Aceves will be doing the revision in Mexico. I have decided to chronicle my experience here, so others that have band issues and decide to convert can have an idea of what to expect. I spoke with Nina, the patient coordinator yesterday and we now have everything scheduled. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I will leave here on April 1st, have my surgery on the 2nd and return home on the 5th. My mother will be accompanying me on the trip. Nina advised me that Dr. Aceves is concerned about swelling due to the problems I have had with my band. Therefore, I am going this week for a complete unfill. Then, seven days before my surgery, I have to go on a complete liquid diet. This should alleviate any swelling issues and the chances of having to have the band removed and then go back at a later date for the sleeve. It is very important to me that I get this all done at the same time. I am looking forward to this, and feel like I have been given a new opportunity at life. To those who have helped me to be able to get the sleeve, thank you. Because of you, I now am looking forward to enjoying life again, instead of living in misery. I will update as I go through this journey.

I recommend vitalady.com for ordering samples. You may still like what you like now, but sometimes the surgery changes our tastes at first. I don't know if it's the same for a revision. Maybe WASa can weigh in since she's been there. I just liked having samples around so All "unflavored" does have a taste but some of them are pretty mild and the food you put them in does hide it for the most part. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the same of my favorite so now I can't find it again! I am going through everything I ordered and ordering another sample so I can figure it out.

Hi Patty Sue, You will be leaving the day I get there, my revision is scheduled on the 18th. Good luck.

I can certainly relate to your pain! I am a month post op and am eating soft foods. I have messed up a couple of times, but I haven't "cheated" big because of fear; I am so scared I'm going to mess up my band that it keeps me honest (mostly!) I really hated the liquids phase because, not only was I mentally "hungry", I was physically STARVING. Those liquids just did not stick around long enough. But I managed, purely because I didn't want any complications; I was self pay and couldn't afford revision. I still worry that I'm eating too much; the hunger and satisfied signals are more subtle now, but I'm doing my best. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! sara

i think i found one vlog about a leak! she had to be revised to bypass after 2 or 3 failed attempts with the stent. she looked like she was standing on her last leg before kicking the bucket! she scared the daylights out of me!!! but of course when i told my mom or ppl that know about surgery, they all called me negative & told me it wont happen to me & i need to stop searching! yeah well, so much they knew because look at me now!!! i asked my nurse practioner & her answer was "u dont have to worry about a leak but if there were one, we would place a stent to cover the leak up until it heals & then everything will keep looking up". never ever ever ever ever did they go into detail about how its done, the pain, nothing! matter fact, i thought the stent was a pain free procedure UNTIL waking up in recovery from the procedure! then my gi dr didnt wanna give me pain meds!! he told me to give it a few hrs until i adjust! he didnt give me pain meds until i began crying hysterically!!! mind u, i was throwing up excessively! smh horrible horrible horrible!!!!!!!!!!! horrible!!!! just nightmare! smh! i think they need to go thru all the complications as if they were trying to sway ppl from surgery! in detail. thisway ppl grasp it! they emphasize all the good but no bad.

Hi Marisol, I hope the port revision works for you - maybe after you heal from the surgery you can get another fill and get to a comfortable level of restriction. Now comes the hard part - being patient with yourself while you are healing from the operation. Just do the best you can with the bandster rules regarding food and incorporate some exercise into your daily routine (if you aren't doing that already). Sometimes exercise can help curb your appetite. I wish you all the best in your healing process - and check in to let us Notorious Novembers know how you're doing! :frown:

HEY LADIES!!!! I'm still here. Personally things have been rough, but somehow I make we make it through...one day at a time. My band has probably been my saving grace (weight wise) I am quite sure with out, emotionally eating would have taken control and I would be in a heap of a mess. but as it stands I am doing ok. Still looking for the sweet spot since my revision surgery, the good thing is that since the revision and with all the family drama my weight has only varied 2-4pounds depending on the day and the TOM. I am still working out and trying to do the best I can. I am trying to get these lat 30lbs off by the end of July (i like to set my goal realistic and attainable) so wish me luck. I am going to take it 10 pounds at a time and get this done!!!!! Big Kisses to everyone for all the love and support. It is much appreciated. BTW I posted some pics on my profile. the befores are scarry but the afters...well I like them. TTFN!

Happpy New Year Everyone! Still here and still loking for the every so elusive sweet spot (for the 2nd time) My surgeon who has always been really conservative is taking it slow since my revision surgery. I didnt gain any weight over the holidays, but I didnt loses any either. I am still hitting the gym but my intake is tohigh, you remember how it is when you dont have proper restriction...At anyrate my next fill is at the end of the month and I'm hoping for to get closer to the "sweet spot" so I can finish up my weight lost. TTFN!