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It does get better. To this day I still can't eat Campbell's tomato soup though. I am going to copy some soups that I made during my last "too tight" episode. I know you don't want soups, but that is really all you can have right now besides smoothies. For smoothies I would take Low Fat yogurt (I can't do milk since after surgery) so sugar free Hershey's Choc syrup, Peanut Butter, unflavored Protein powder (though can be omitted) and ice and blended it to a thin smoothie. You can do the same thing with fruit and yogurt (or use milk if you tolerate it). As for soups I ate pretty much tomato soup and cheddar cheese soup. Okay for the soup recipies: Soup recipes Roasted Tomato with Roasted Garlic This recipe yielded about 1 cup. Ingredients: ½ container of grape tomatoes 4-6 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu 2 TBSP of fresh basil (2-3 tsp of dried basil) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Peal the garlic and wrap in a small piece of aluminum foil. 2. Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and spray with PAM, sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Put the tomatoes and garlic in a 350 degree oven until done. a. Tomatoes will burst and shrivel a bit b. Garlic will be soft and mash easily with a fork c. Tomatoes will probably finish before the garlic 4. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor (or blender) 5. Add the tofu and blend until almost smooth. 6. Heat through and add the finely chopped basil at the end. 7. Simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. 8. If necessary thin out with FF evaporated milk. Grilled Asparagus Soup Ingredients: ¼ pound or more of asparagus 2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu ¼ small onion (more or less depending on taste) ¼ -1/3 cup of LF shredded cheese. Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Either boil grill on BBQ (much better!) the asparagus until just undercooked. a. To grill on BBQ spray with PAM and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in aluminum foil if you do not have a flat grill on BBQ. 2. Sautee garlic, onions and cooked asparagus 3. Place veggies in a food processor (or blender) 4. Add the tofu and blend until smooth. 5. Add FF evaporated milk until correct texture. 6. Heat to desired temperature Sautéed Mushroom and Tuna Soup (This was my way of eating tuna noodle casserole…soup style!) Ingredients: ½ pound or more of mushrooms (any kind will work) 2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on size and strength of garlic desired) 4 oz of silken tofu or white Beans ¼ small onion (more or less depending on taste) 1 can of tuna fish Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Sautee mushrooms, garlic and onions until desired texture. 2. Add to food processor or blender. 3. Add 4oz of silken tofu or ½ can of white beans (depending on your taste!) 4. Add drained tuna fish (or any other canned fish) 5. Puree to desired texture. 6. Heat and add FF evaporated milk to thin if needed So as you can see, the base for these soups is pretty much the same. If you don’t like tofu I would assume that white canned beans would work just as well. Experiment with different spices, add a little parmesan cheese, or different veggies. Right now you shouldn’t be worrying as much about calories, but rather about healing. If you would like add meat to any of these it would work just fine. Ground chicken, hamburger, and ground turkey all pulverize very well. You will most likely just have to thin it out with the FF evaporated milk. That one ingredient has changed my way of cooking. Once you graduate to real foods you can have chicken Alfredo for VERY few calories by using this one ingredient. Another soup that has good flavor is to just take some refried beans and beef stock. It has a lot of flavor and a lot of protein to keep you fuller longer. Also take some spaghetti sauce and add some pulverized veggies to it and it makes it better. Adding some pureed white beans also helps it feel like more food. How much longer do you have on liquids? I am really good at revising recipes so if you send me something via a private message I could probably figure out how to make it into a liquid. This is how I survived! Hope this helped a little!

Welcome.. I am scheduled to have the sleeve on Oct 19. Can't wait..You will find a lot of support here. Many have had the revision from the Band to the sleeve with great success..Good luck to you.. Connie

Facebook can be the Devil sometimes. It is for that reason I have created an alter ego Facebook page. The truth is unless you're in the WLS community they simply won' understand. Then sometimes your WLS friends won't either! Anyway, I at least get far fewer asinine statements from individuals who have no clue what its like to be "me". Just keep doing you, and have your revision. You WON'T regret it. I know, I'm a revision from band to sleeve too!

Just got the okay from Kaiser to have WLS. They want to do the RNY bypass instead of the sleeve because of the success rate with keeping the weight off long term. They also said that because my weakness is sugar, it would be better at keeping me on track... I'm guessing because of the dumping that people experience after eating sugary foods. I was hoping not to mess with my intestines and keep my plumbing intact, but I also don't want to have the sleeve and end up having to get that revised into the RNY because it isn't working for me long term. Has anyone else here had their DR. tell them something like this?? Kaiser said they only do sleeves on a few select patients.

Welcome, I am glad your doctor suggested the sleeve. We have a lot of band to sleeve revision folk here. They will be able to give you a lot of support and I think you will be amazed by their success. I actually was just reading the lap band talk forum, a few friends post over there and I was reading thread after thread of poor results from the lap band along with the many ongoing complications that can pop up at anytime from the band. I have to say I am very glad I did the sleeve instead. Keep us updated!

@ I was 302 pounds the first day I met with my program director. I am 5'2 and that is 160 pounds of extra (unnecessary) weight I was carrying around, all day, everyday. Two weeks into the program I was moved into "group" meetings and there I met women from different points in the same journey. Until that first meeting, I was going towards Sleeve surgery as it seemed less invasive (it isn't), less restrictive (it is but that isn't necessarily a "good" thing) and didn't seem as drastic (umm, you completely lose part of your stomach, that's pretty drastic). During that meeting I met six ladies who had all had sleeve done and were getting revisions to Bypass. When I asked "why?", they all had a similar story. They never reached goal weight, they were still battling comorbidities and they had horrible acid reflux (worse than prior to surgery). Two of them had actually been LapBand patients prior to getting Sleeved and were now faced with a third WLS. In total, there were out of the thirty people on the program (at the same time I was) 12 of them were Sleeve to Bypass revisions. Those revision stories and the fact that I already had horrible GERD, my surgeon and I decided Bypass was best for me. He also felt that due to my obesity, my obesity related issues and my age, (30's) Bypass was a better fit. I have lost seventy pounds since having surgery on September 9th 2015 and have absolutely no regrets. None. Not a single one and everyday I feel better and better. I am off all my diabetes medicine, my blood pressure medicine and my labs are spot on with taking my Vitamins daily. Which is something I (and many others) should be doing regardless of surgery. Many obese individuals were not getting the right nutrition from the foods they were eating, anyway. I am in no way trying to persuade you in one direction or the other. I am not a medical professional and all I am offering is my story. And the reason I decided to have Bypass over Sleeve. Good luck on your journey!

I was also in the city this past Saturday, doing only a bit of walking. I drank a good 24 oz. of Water before I left my home (on Long Island), took a train to the city, walked 10 blocks to the theater, sat through the entire play, including intermission, walked back to Penn Station and took the train home -- and only then finally went to the bathroom. Actually, no -- right after I walked in, I took the dog out first, changed the cat's litter...and then went. I'm the type of person who can't make it through the night without a trip (or two) to the bathroom, so yes, definitely, water loss through perspiration can really throw one for a loop! By the way, lexy, you really should consider revising your name to SexyLexy -- you are GORGEOUS!

Can I chime in late? I initially wanted a bypass in 2006. My dr told me about the band and suggested it as being safer as I was young and a single mom. I had the band placed July 3 2006 and I lost 124 lbs in 15 months. I was a model bandster even appearing in commercials for my surgeons office and being selected to audition for an Allergan (makers of lap band) commercial. After 3 years, I started to get horrible heartburn, then acid reflux with aspiration. At that time, I had no insurance and couldn't afford to see my surgeon. Quickly I realized what foods would go down easier and I gained 75 lbs back. Finally may of this year, I was diagnosed with a prolapse and slip. I started researching those issues and found that sooooo many people were having issues with their bands after 5 years. I started going back to support groups and participating in online forums and the people that were 5+ years out were almost all having similar issues. I was shocked! I totally thought I was the exception and not the rule. A great deal of my banded buddies were looking into revisions or just having their bands removed. There are still a lot of people out tgere that believe in the band and are successful but I would say most of those people are 1-3 years out and still in their "honeymoon" phase. My advice to anyone who is considering the band would be to consider the sleeve first. But if that's not an option for you, make sure that you will have enough money or good insurance to cover fills and very likely complications down the road. It could be something small like a port flip but nonetheless, the band requires a lifetime of maintaining it. And if you do get the band, don't ignore the signs of a slip. Get in immediately and do a barium swallow. It won't change the outcome but it could decrease the other complications. I loved my band when it worked but in hindsight, I wish I would've chosen another surgery. I am a month out from having my band removed and 2 weeks away from being sleeved. I can't wait to start my life over again.

I was originally banded 11-24-09 and everything was fine at first the weight was coming off as long as I got the fills. then I noticed tht I started throwing up so much bc thts what other people were doing tht I thought tht it was normal n I didnt get alarmed...anyways so because of all the throwing up my band slipped 3 times n the pain was soooooo severe tht I had to go into the er. so each time my band slipped they took all the fluid out of my band and sd tht it will correct itself in aout 3 weeks so now I had an empty band with out any limits...I though tht I was in food heaven bc I was now able to eat any and everything.....so here comes the weigh eventually I havd to have surgery to habe my band revised 06-09-11. I have about 13lbs to lose in order to get bk to my 150lb and it is kind of hard to do. its like starting the process all over again and I just need some encouragement....hopefully no one had to go through wht I did if so Im here to let u know tht We can do this and be sucessful Again!!!!!!!

Research both carefully. Some surgeons don't even do the Lapband anymore though, because of the high rate of complications. I had lapband and was happy with it for years until it slipped on me. By the time I had it removed I had massive scar tissue and adhesions that had to be removed before my surgeon could do the revision to Sleeve. Everyone that was in my original Lapband group has had it removed now due to erosion, slippage, or just scar tissue build up. I personally wish I had just done the Sleeve to begin with.

I felt the same way over there. My own mom thinks the LapBand is the most awesome thing in the world. She's had hers for almost 2 years, and she throws up, pb's, slimes, can't eat some days, but she just thinks that is "normal". When she found out I was switching to the sleeve, she was livid. I hope through your research you find the best surgeon, and surgical option that is best for you. My hunger level is completely void, and I'm 3 months out. I had a flipped port that went untreated by my original surgeon and I revised to the sleeve due to pain and my quality of life was deplorable with a different surgeon. The port actually moved, and caused tugging on the band that was attached to my stomach. It was horrific. The sleeve has been great for me. I had complications post-op, and have my own unique struggles every day. But, my successes outweigh the struggles, and every day gets a little better.

Is port revision the same as going in and moving the port? Let me know if that's what your dr decides to do and how it goes. IM LORI - I don't know if you were asking me, but my port is on the left side, right under my ribs and off to the side a little bit. And mine can't be my gallbladder, since I don't have one anymore. I believe it is the port rubbing on my rib...ouch!

I researched it pretty heavy. I went into the the process pretty convinced that I was going to do the lap band because I wanted minimally invasive. I never seriously considered the bypass for the same reason. After research and talking to people I found out that the maintenance on the lap band is much more time consuming with all the "fills" then I found out that the lap band is slower than a sleeve. Then I began to hear horror stories about lap band failures that required a revision to a sleeve. I am now post op 3 weeks. I started at 502 two weeks before surgery. I am down 73#s already with no real pain or strain (except the clear liquid diet which got easier after 3 or 4 days).

The 10 year Swiss study also supports the Dutch results. It hasnt been a success long term. And erosion of the stomach is a real concern.My experience long term confirms this and after 7 years I'm revising to bp. Sent from my GT-I9505 using the BariatricPal App

Dr-Patient, Band2Sleever; Thank you for the help. I will certainly use your ideas/guidelines as I write and revise my letter.

Two weeks for me! I had my lapband removed and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. I have more of a desk job so it isn't too bad! Katy W- Louisburg, NC Lapband revision to VSG with DS HW- 297 Weight at Surgery-279 CW- will update at two week appt

I couldn’t help but reply. A friend of mine had lap band done at 15, and just recently had revision surgery for vsg at 23. The surgery was initially successful but she slowly gained all her weight back. I live in New York and almost all of the surgeons on the team at Mt. Sinai (uptown) don’t perform the lapband due to low success rates

Here's the biggest key; you titled this thread "diet cheating". I'm not dieting. A diet is temporary. I'm in this for the life style change. I want to learn to properly manage my eating and portion control. I didn't go through months of preop testing and surgery for nothing. I want it to be the start of a new leaf on life. I'd be more concerned that it appear that except for the Peanut Butter you are eating junk food. You want mashed potatoes? Boil your own. You then control the sodium and other artificial ingredients in it. You have an opportunity to make it healthy. I have no idea what canned meats are, but you probably could eat that if it's cooked soft enough and you're taking your time to chew it slowly. My advice would be to talk to your nutritionist about your cravings and come up with a plan to address those cravings safely. It is possible to out grow your sleeve. I was in a support group with a woman who did and she was trying to convince the insurance co to do a revision to a bypass. I don't think you want to do that.

I had the lapband in jan 09. I'm a revision surgery patients going to the RNY.

I'm a little over 2 months post-op (VSG to RNY revision) and am averaging 676 calories a day. I am on the fence whether to up it or ride the honeymoon wave. I asked my surgeon on my first post-op appointment, and he said to stay around this calorie range to lose more weight, that's about all the information I got.

My name is Jamie and I started my weight loss journey many years ago but my surgery journey started in February 2010. I was 330 pounds at 27 years old. I was always a healthy person but after 4 knee surgeries I gained over 100 pounds and tried EVERYTHING to try to loose the weight. When I hit 330 I knew it would end up being life or death. I attended a bariatric surgery meeting at my mothers suggestion. After meeting with my surgeon and discussing all options with my husband we decided on the lap band. (Man was that a mistake) I had the lap band surgery in May 2010 and it only took me 3 weeks to recover!! I thought I had done enough research to prepare my self but I was very wrong. Eating was hard and I was seeing the Dr almost every 4 to 6 weeks for 3 years trying to figure out where the perfect fill was. After 3 frustrating years of throwing up and learning how to cheat with the band we decided it was time to revise the band. I decided to do the a sleeve, it seemed like a safer and less invasive surgery. I was very excited to start this new journey after seeing co workers have great success with it. I had my revision to the sleeve May 2013. The recovery was much harder then the recovery from the band and I think it was due to doing the band removal and the sleeve revision at the same time. After 6 weeks I was as good as new and dropping weight at a nice pace. I was very excited to eat right and exercise because I was actually loosing weight!!! After the first 3 months I began to get really painful chest pains. Being a person that never had to deal with acid reflux, GERD or heartburn I didn't know what the pain was from. I went back to my Dr and he began seeing me every 2 - 4 weeks and we tried every acid reflux, hernia, heartburn and GERD medication we could. By the time I was 10 months out I was in such bad pain and no medication would help my Dr decided we needed to revise my sleeve to the full bypass to eliminate the acid from being created in my stomach. I am very unhappy with this decision so I went to 3 other doctors that specialize in acid reflux and weight loss surgery and sadly they all agreed with my surgeons prognosis. We began the insurance approval process and it was a little harder to get the bypass surgery approved this time since I am 178 pounds and they didn't see a reason for the surgery. Last Tuesday the pain got so bad I ended up in the ER for 6 hours as they tried to figure out how to make the pain stop. The prognosis was esophagus spasms so I had to be put on a liquid diet since eating hurt. Finally my insurance approved the surgery and my doctor is rushing the surgery date due to the severity of this issue. My revision to bypass is scheduled for May 13 2014 and I am completely freaking out!!!! This is not a surgery I want and I am concerned that I am going to have all the bypass side effects I really never wanted to have! I know the surgery is inevitable and the only way to get rid of this intolerable pain for good! I am coming top grips with it and feel more assured that this will work since I did seek other opinions from multiple specialists. I am telling my story because I really need help from others out there that may gave went thru the same issues I am and what did you do to resolve it? What should I expect to be different from the sleeve to the bypass? Please help! I am really scared and really don't want to have to go thru this again!!

I also have the band as on May 7th I will be having a revision to the bypass. I don't weigh much more than you. I found out I have Barrett's esophagus and I cannot do the sleeve. I was told in most cases the bypass cures acid reflux. Anyhow, I've wrapped my head around it. Side note, this is my 3rd wls surgery. I had an a Molina band that didn't adjust ( first band used) It tightened up on me and I couldn't keep food down. I went from 310 to 119, size 2. I had it revised to the adjustable band on 2007. I had foot surgery and gained about 30ish lbs. this year. I had no real issues with band but I went to talk to wls surgeon anyways and found out my esophagus was turning into a stomach and that contributed to the weight gain and then found out with scope biopsy I have Barrett's, precancerous cells. The band has to come out I know I need a tool so if bypass is what I have to do so be it. I would love to keep on touch with both of y'all. I don't understand this site fully, but if u know how add me. . Wednesday at 7, go time

I hit my one year next month and I am planning to do a sleeve to bypass revision because the sleeve did not work as well for my weightloss. I also had a significant loss and gain back before that the surgeon thinks has hindered my relose and that the sleeve didn't help me enough. What makes it so frustrating is I've been doing everything by the book and really exercising and have a physical job. :/

Sorry to hear about your weight gain after pregnancy! That is something I fear when my husband and I discuss starting a family. As for the bypass after the sleeve... I was still loosing weight with the sleeve when I had to be revised to the bypass. I am still losing weight but since I'm 200 pounds down and 8 pounds to go to hit my goal it not coming off as fast as it did when I had more to loose. I lost over 40 pounds in the last 5 months since my bypass surgery so I shouldn't be complaining but I really want to hit my goal!!! I was very scared of getting the bypass and having my intense moved around. Very against it and tried everything I could to avoid it but honestly it's not as scary as I thought and really helped with my acid reflux. It dosnt feel much different then having the sleeve except for the dumping syndrome. Haha sounds worse then it is but when I tried drinking orange juice I had horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea for about 15 to 20 minutes. But I'm thankful because now I know oj has a lot of sugar and to stay away!!! It's really just a friendly reminder to stay away from all sugar. Not as scary as it sounds and is the best weight loss option out there. Wish I would have just went for the bypass to begin with!! Let me know what happens and if you do have the bypass! Sending prayers your way!!

You did great, take care and you will stay the course. I went through having my lapband unfilled and then revision. I know what you are going through. Good luck, Karen