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Hi Everybody, My name is Dottie and I live in the Cayman Islands. I had LapBand surgery with Dr. Ortiz in August 2007. Had my first fill in Oct 4, 2007. Went back to work in the Caymans and did okay for about 8 months losing weight. Band was really tight in the AM and somewhat tight for lunch and fine for dinner. And then all of a sudden, Band was too tight...had a hard time with liquids... no matter what time of the day. So, I was on a liquid diet for about 2 months until I could get back to the States for an unfill. Had an unfill in August of 2008. Lost some more weight... total loss from pre-op diet to lowest was 77 pounds... from 307 to 230 in about one year. Stopped losing weight... but, afraid to get fill that might restrict too much again... since I could not get an unfill easily (i.e. - get time off work, plane ticket to the States. etc). Overall, just not happy with band... my fault since I can't get fills and unfills readily. So, I have gained most of my weight back and and am miserable. I realize that the Band was not maybe the best choice for me considering my location. So... new chapter! I am looking to get the Band removed and the Gastric Sleeve revision done with Dr. Ortiz. I think that the Sleeve will be a much better fit for me. So, now... I am planning my new adventure/lifestyle change. I am booked! Doing the Revision surgery (lapband to sleeve) on October 8, 2012. I have to lose 32 pounds before my surgery... I am worried, but excited at the same time. My Mom went with me when I had my Lapband done and it was great having her support. I don't know that I want to ask her to go with me for the Revision... alot more days in Tijuana (approx. one week). For those of you that have done the Revision surgery... what did you do all day? I know that we go back to OCC to get the drain checked once a day... were you comfortably walking around Tijuana? Anything to go see or must do's? (That are do-able after the surgery) I have a very good friend that has volunteered to go with me... she had a gastric by-pass several years ago and has lost over 250 pounds...so, I know she would be good support. Any thoughts or feelings on doing it alone or with someone? And since I do live on a tiny little island in the middle of nowhere... I need to do alot of preparing ahead of time. I am starting to collect Protein shakes... and I have ordered a Cuisinart Puree/Blender. Any feedback on best online prices and variety? Anything else that I should start think about stock-piling? Thanks to everyone for listening to me! And sorry for rambling.... Cheers, Dottie

This is an excellent topic!! Earlier this year I had weight loss revision-gstuc bypass reviison and only lost like 10 pounds !!!! What ??????? My first surgery in 2010 I lost like 120lbs. I was 333 the day of surgery. A year later I was 243. Ii am now on Qsymia and after 30 days on it I have lost 15 pounds and went from 233 to 218. I hope and pray that I can keep this up until I am at least 150lbs,then I will be satisfied. Maybe I can shrink my pouch and better control my weight because of the weight loss surgery tool. I will try and keep everyone posted. I wished that others would also share their experiences with this aas well. I wished that I had found doctors who would have allowed me to immediately get on the weight loss pills post op and this weight would have been off a long time ago. But anyway, I am doing what I can right now so...if nothing else, I will go and have another surgery......

I am three weeks out from surgery. And yes I can eat regular food without any problems and eat 1000 calories a day easily. A meal is 5 oz of Protein and a salad no problem. I do have a nutritionist but she's on vacation. I'm thinking I got a bigger stomach after the surgery. I have had zero problems with eating anything and I can chug a glass of Water easily too with no problems. I see my surgeon next week. I'm not eating crap food - I'm eating lean protein and veggies but I can still eat more than I should be able to at this point.I think MANY conversion folks feel that way. I know I did. This "I can only sip 2oz of water and I feel like I am drowning " never happened to me. There are as many after surgery diets as there are doctors. Everyone thinks their doc is the most right. But if none of them agree then my thought is there is no scientific answer and they are all GUESSING. SO, just be aware of that when people start judging you and what your doc has you doing. MOST people on here mean well, and they may come off as being harsh but they are providing helpful information along the way and they do care. Others are just food shaming and do nothing other than that...not actually offering any usefulness in their post. Ignore those ones and try not to let it get to you. Most docs do not have people on solids at 3 weeks but I have read the post diets from 3 different hospitals who do. So I am not totally suprised. That being said. It still hurts for me to eat meat. But that is me. If you are 3 weeks out and able to eat 1000 calories of solid food then you might benefit from a 5 day pouch test. You can look it up online but pretty much go back to liquids for a couple days, then mushies, softs, then regular food again. Some people say that helps them get some better restriction. Eating solids...and too much solid too soon and put stress on your staple line. I have also read that it can cause you to stretch out a but more...making it hard to fill up. I don't know how much of that is "bro science " and how much of that is proven science but it can't hurt to do a reset and see how you feel. Also, when you are eating normal food. Make sure you are not drinking with or too soon after. Conversion surgery people already seem to have their food make its way into the lower gi a little faster so don't speed that process up. Eat slow, BUT don't eat so slow that it takes you more than 20 min. I wad doing this very thing!!! I wad taking about 45 min to eat...and could eat a lot. But I sped up just a little bit and started stopping after 20 min and I am filling up on less calories. 1000 calories can add up fast. And really...in the long run....it is what we should eventually be eating. The idea that we live on 500 calories a day for ever is absurd. The point of this honeymoon phase is to help you lose weight WHILE retraining your system to eat healthy. NO ONE GETS FAT ON 1000 CALORIES A DAY OF VEGETABLES AND chicken....unless you are 2. So.... Hang in there. ..listen to your body....and just keep making good choices. Much love!!! Thanks! I saw my surgeon 2 days ago for my post-op follow up and he said he took off about 70% instead of the usual 80% because of the band. He didn't want leaks. He also said that 1,000 calories a day is fine and not to worry about what the NUT says. He said they are more used to dealing with straight sleevers and not revisions. He said revisions can sometimes eat more and I'm doing fine. He told me to just stick to Proteins and hit the goal and then fill in with the non-starchy veggies and not to worry about it. My surgeon's normal plan is for people to start solids between day 10 and day 14 depending on how they feel. Lean proteins and non-starchy veggies. He keeps reminding me every time I see him not to eat mashed potatoes. I hate, loathe and despise mashed potatoes. I told him I'd rather eat canned cat food - at least it has protein.

I think complications with the band is higher. I've even read that some bariatric doctors are no longer doing the band, but have went with going with the sleeve and bypass only. Read the complications in the band forum. In two days my sister converts from band to sleeve. Slippage, scar tissue and erosion are just a few band complications. Also trying to find that "sweet spot" where your fill is perfect can take years. It did for her. You have to research and then research some more. Then at the end of the day, go with what you feel is right for you.

did you have bypass or sleeve? If bypass, there's a chance it could be a stricture - but in either case, I'd contact your clinic and just let them know what's going on.

Hi Everybody! New to the game. Had my revision surgery(Hence, "band to bypass" title)Monday August 6th, 2018. Doing well overall. Thought I was Super woman for a few days and over did it on the walking and consuming of liquids. Foolishly thought more was good(I mean aren't we suppose to get moving and increase dietary intake?). Paid for my aggressive start with VERY uncomfortable bloating and soreness.:( Had to regroup and scale back my regime and diet. Oh well, you live, you learn...hopefully.;) So i'm looking forward to a much healthier lifestyle with one of my first short term goals being able to decrease(or eliminate altogether) my need for insulin. Off to a great start already, no short term units needed and no high readings since leaving the hospital Wednesday! Yay me! So I wish all of us much success in our personal journeys and I hope to make some kindred friends along the way! Til we chat again, Take care of u!

ok so i went in for my consultation ...mind u i am self pay so i paid 250.00for the stupid thing and the whole time i was there all they talked about was how the lapband fails ... i was told that i would only lose about 30 pds if was lucky !!!!! and that they have patients that have only like lost 10 in 2 yrs ... very negative feeling after leaving there ,,,then they kept pushing the bypass and sleeve ..... well when i told the nurse pract that i wanted lapband she's like fine but u know there r so many problems and then i just want u to succeed ... i mentioned that i knew 2 ppl mind u that have lost more than 100 pds on the band she said ohhh they must be 1 in a milliom and bla bla bla ..... so now it's like where do i start again .. i researched this surgeon for like the longest time and heard only good things about him but it must have been about the bypass instead .... can anyone tell me what surgeon u've used or heard of or anything in florida aside from dr jawad and dr kim cuz dr kim is like 16500 for self pay which is like 4500 more than dr jawad and i'm trying to find someone no more than a couple hours drive i'm in orlando ...... i'm afraid if i don't find anyone i'll be forced to just go back and have it done by dr jawad i mean does it really matter with where they place the band and what ur outcome is ? or is it all the same and then u just go home and lose to whatever amount of work u put into it? thanks for reading. I had already recieved a surgery date of 7/7 from dr jawad now i'm back to square one :w00t:

I have had unusually bad problems with GERD post-surgery. Please note that I'm still happy that I did the sleeve, however. I was always a GERD patient, but 2x Prilosec a day would take care of it for me. However post-sleeve the acid become intolerable, and I was vomiting stomach acid repeatedly 3-4 days after coming home. I can't say this has totally resolved for me, but it's calmed down to a level that for now is manageable, particularly when I got past the liquid phase of the diet and could get some food in my stomach to absorb the acid. Since getting sleeved my GP has informed me that stomach acid is the single most common reason for people getting the sleeve revised. Things that helped: * When I got to full liquids, I added low-sodium V8 to my liquids list. For some reason this helped to quiet down my stomach a bit, which led to my belief that I might have been suffering from low acid instead of high. I'm still puzzled about this; if you do some Google searching you will find that they have quite similar symptoms. Part of me thinks the increased acidity of the V8 just helped activate the Prilosec. * An old household remedy - a shot of apple cider vinegar right before bed, followed by a teaspoon of honey to soothe the flavor a bit. Please note there is, so far as I know, absolutely no scientific evidence that this does anything at all. But I started doing it the day I started feeling better, and superstition or not, I feel not desire to wake up choking again, so I keep doing it. * Once I got to mushies, eat every 2 hours. This means my calorie intake is higher than most peoples' around here (I get about 1500 calories a day), but given my weight this actually still allows for great weight loss - in 4 weeks I have lost 41 lbs. Eating small amounts regularly - which is not what's recommended by many nutritionists - has helped keep my stomach calm. My doctor promises that, as the inflammation goes down and time passes, my stomach will reduce its production of acid and this will get better. I remain hopeful. But as I said at the outset, even with the acid, I'm glad I did this. Don't disregard it as a factor though - it's a real issue that impacts many sleevers and could cause you to need a revision, so it's something you should discuss with your doctors.

I went into the orientation with the lap band as my choice. The gastric bypass scared me for all of the same reasons posted above: I knew someone who had severe complications; I did not want my innards reworked; and I was just plain scared of it. My surgeon was also geared more to the GB rather than the lap band, but the staff at the WL program were certainly well informed on all the options, and supportive in our decisions. I will admit that the sleeve really interested me. Unfortunatelly, my insurance does not cover that procedure. If it did, I would have opted for that surgery. With that option off the table, I focused on lap band and really love it. I went into the WL program with a determination to change my lifestyle. I have been heavy since my school days. In fact, I am approaching the Onederland milestone, a weight I have not seen since my Junior year of high school (which was over 30 years ago). This surgery is such a personal journey. I know during the 7 months in the WL program prior to my surgery, one question I would always ask was "Do you have any regrets from having the surgery?" Always, the answer was "NO!" If did not matter which surgery they chose, any difficulties they had, or the speed of their weight loss, every person I spoke to would do it again. That is what really helped me through my decision. Good luck in your journey!

Hi, I am Angela I am scheduled with Dr. Kelly on 7/13.. I will be flying in San Diego on the 12th and then picked up the next morning for surgery.. I also booked with Sandy so yes my deposit went to Bravo Development..I am having a revision from band... My band was removed in 2008 but the still consider it a revision..I am coming from SC.. I am sure we will cross paths during this... Angela

Yes I'm a real person and yes I am/was a patient of Dr. Aceves. The reason I felt it was a good choice and safe was that a few of my long time lap band friends had gone to Dr. Aceves to have the revision done. I trusted their stories and recommendations. It did take me awhile to finally take that step (as it is a scary one) and do it. Now I'm 9 months out down 90 Lbs and feeling amazing. Only about 25 to goal and working my way into size 6 - when I started a size 24W. I even used to wear a *tight* size 28W at my highest weight ever. Life's Good!!!

I am also a "real" person and have never been paid anything or been asked to post comments about Dr Aceves. After LOTS of research I chose Dr Aceves to do my band to sleeve revision due to the large amount of revisions he has done. Also was scared to go to Mexico so it was a requirement to stay in a hospital in case there was some problem. Was pleasantly surprised at how little pain I had after surgery. Had no gas pains which was great since they were really bad after my lap band. Self paid for both surgeries but I had the lap band done in Florida. Good Luck.

I'm having revision from sleeve to by-bass on Monday the 21st, I have an obstruction (twist) and gurd, I'm not looking forward to it, but I know it must be done. I will keep you posted or if you have any question, jst ask

I wasn't aware that a revision would help with that.

I am nine months out after my VSG and my reflux issues are very bad despite max doses of PPIs , Ranitidine and regular Antiacids. I now have Barretts Esophagus and Chronic Gastritis. My surgeon and GI doc and GP are all saying Revision is not going to be an answer, but the evidence I've read seems to indicate it is a viable option. The recent concerns of a possible link between use of PPIs and Dementia really worries me and I am going to try and push forward with the Revision. I've also been reading about and interesting surgical option, the Linx Ring. I'd like to hear from anyone who has had the Revision for Reflux and also from anyone who has or had Chronic Gastritis after VSG. Did it resolve itself eventually? Thanks, Pam VSG May 27th,2015. 90 lbs lost

I am 5 months post op revision. I started having reflux (and had prior) to vsg. Took meds for it, however only lost 30lbs with it. My doctor and her practice closed when I was 3 months post op. When I did follow up was about 2 years later because my reflux had became so extreme. My md did an egd and saw an obstruction. The Endo capsule also revealed reflux 4x what was considered severe. I elected to revise to bypass per his decision. However once inside he saw no usable portion of my stomach so he took out whole stomach and made pouch out of esophageal lining (also re routed everything like a bypass). Since surgery I have had absolutely no reflux or nausea!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yeah unfortunately I didn't lose much weight with the vsg. I've lost 70lbs so far since my revision. However I would've done it anyway because my reflux and nausea was so bad prior to. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had the Sleeve done in 2013 I lost 90 pounds now I’ve almost gained it all back. I’m thinking of doing a revision but not sure what would be best for me. Has anyone gone through this and if so any success in your end result? I remember telling myself I will never let myself gain this weight back, because it wasn’t that easy to lose. I told myself all I have to do is exercise and eat small portions. But gradually it became easier and easier to get the food and the wine down and the exercise became non existent . I basically could eat anything. I totally blame myself because the food took over my life once again and it beat me. It’s a horrible feeling and I kick myself everyday!! Feeling defeated makes you turn to food even more. I have to get my head right . I’ve started exercising and dieting again. I will be going back to the surgeon to see what my options are.

1) Because a revision to another method might indeed be helpful. 2) Because sometimes people need a second chance to get things right.

I had gastric bypass may 10, 2010 and lost 154 lbs-best decision I ever made for myself...but I've gained 30 of it back. I know a little weight gain is normal, but I've gone back to old bad habits!! Any post ops go through this?? And if so, HELP!

I'm interested in finding out about how people actually pay for their surgery. Anyone willing, would you please indicate the following: 1. Surgery type (RNY, Lap-Band, Revision, Sleeve, etc.) 2. Self-pay, "government" program (ie, Medicare, Medicaid) or private insurance 3. Amount billed (grand total, not itemized!) 4. Amount YOU personally paid 5. Geographic location (either region or state) 6. If you had insurance, did it cover bariatric services? I'm curious what percent self-pay versus those who have insurance & those with insurance, but no bariatric coverage. Thanks in advance for anyone willing to participate...I'll be happy to post the results, so everyone can see any "trends" found!!

https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/425456-gastric-sleeve-revision/?tab=comments#comment-4777993 Repost?

Misty, were/are you following your bypass guidelines? I sitil don't drink for a half hour before or after my meals etc. I did stop journaling my food but stated again after gaining some stress eating pounds ands it's working. I already lost a couple of the 10 I had put back on.I continually tell myself I don't want to waste all I gained and all the money I spent. You can do it! Get a nutritionist to help you if you need to keep you on track. Tell yourself that you will not let this food take over your life! You CAN do it!

My experience has been like that of Sleeveless in seattle's. I am 9 weeks out and have just lost 25ish pounds since surgery. It has been very SLOOOOW (to me, anyway) but steady. My surgeon and nutritionist say 2-3 lbs a week is great. The average for a sleeve patient is 1-2 and 2-3 for gastric bypass. Just keep doing what you're supposed to and you'll do great. I find that I do better if I make sure to get my exercise in.

I agree but I had a revision to Gastric Bypass because of horrible complications from a VBG in 2004. I was 228. I am now 170. Moderation