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A card most drs give their bariatric patients. It informs the server that you've had bariatric surgery and can't eat very much. Asking for permission to order an either childs plate or seniors menu (kids menu isn't usually very healthy). I've only used it twice - in 4 yrs (I'm a band revision) and Hometown Buffet won't even honor it ASk ur nurse

I was just talking to my co worker about this yesterday. I can't sleep at night, thinking about the surgery..I have read stories of revision patients coming out with just the band removed, having to wait months for the bypass..I'm doing revision, so I am very nervous that this may happen....omg!!!

Gerd never had it before sleeve in 03/18 now I have gerd and hiatal hernia i really don’t want rny but with all of the new info coming out about ppi not being safe long term, a revision is what it will be.

ElieMayClem and lisabenband Sorry that you went through band removal just an FYI the studies show that Rebanding has a High secondary failure rate. Probably the reason people that can get a revision to another form of WLS do, instead of getting re-banded. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17593435

I'm at the start over part of this revision process. My first appointment with a new doctor will be on Monday. I was told that it will last 2 hours. The clinic also told me to be "open." I know what is needed for my health. I have one of the top doctors (that is what I am told). I feel happy and scared. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

Gee first world problems^ Some ppl go through years to get bypass or to get knocked back so be thankful you can even get a revision please..

Best of LUCK EllieMae!!!! You will do Great, I belong to a band Group on FB and they say that having the band removed is sometimes easier than having it placed. They explain it as minor discomfort, anywhere from 3days to a week or less . Some Dr's Don't use the CO2 gas, so no shoulder discomfort, and minimal pain meds, and pre-removal post removal diet is limited. They also have good groups for WLS Or regain/revision even if your not considering it, still good information/support to avoid regain

I’d never heard about up them (they’re not available here so no wonder). I did notice they say to avoid if you have IBS or other gut conditions as they can upset your small intestine bacteria. Can cause bloating, diarrhoea, etc. too. May be see what your dietician & surgeon say especially with your revision.

I see Dr. Aceves on June 23rd. Band to sleeve revision.

Ohhh you will ALL love your sleeves!! I had my revision on Sept 15 2010 and so far I'm down 80 Lbs since then. Nearly 90 from my pre op diet and working on 140 Lbs total. Best thing I've ever done for myself!!! For ME the sleeve has been a far better surgery. I'm rarely hungry (VERY RARELY), the weight comes off much faster, the restriction is superb and no more of the monthly surgeon visits... can't beat that at all. All the best to all of you getting sleeved or revised! Keep us updated.

Hi Everyone, I was here years ago, after I had lap band surgery which was a total waste of time. Had that redone a year after on the advice of my surgeon. Still didn't lose any weight and gave up for years. Recently had a revision to sleeve done with a different surgeon, they took out the band, waited 3 months and then did the sleeve 9/9. What interested me in the sleeve was the reduction of ghrelin. Not being hungry. Well I've been hungry since it was done. I'm following all the protocols but am really worried. Doctor said I can do the purees early, started that today. Can sense a tiny difference because I ate something warm - a little better than broth but not enough. I can drink as much as I want, and am able to eat a protein shake with 2 full scoops of protein with soy milk. Has anyone had a delayed start when noticing they were no longer hungry? I know the goal is real food and am looking forward to that but I don't understand why I am so hungry, and freezing - I'm so cold all the time! If anyone is going to write anything about head hunger please save it. I know the difference. I'm down 7 lbs, including what I lost before surgery, doesn't seem a lot given the liquid diet. I want this to work very badly, enough to have done 4 laparoscopic surgeries to be here. Thyroid and general health are good. I would be sincerely grateful for helpful advice, Thanks

I am on the same journey. I lost 56 pounds with my lap band but gained it back, plus more. I now have Barrett's Esophagus from gerd and a hiatal hernia, probably from getting food stuck and throwing up daily. My revision to bypass is scheduled for 12/14/17. I hope you don't have to wait too long. Good luck[emoji255]

Hi Astrid I am uk based aswell. I am 3 months post sleeve op but due to get revision to bypass in about September due to acid reflux making it soooooo difficult to eat and drink. I only told about 3 people about op and they have been very supportive. I dont tell anyone as people are very judgemental. If they think its the easy way to lose weight they are seriously wrong lol. Good luck with surgery and I know you will be successful in your weight loss journey

Hi All - I am a 58 year old female... wife, mother of 2 grown boys and grandmother of 2 as well. I am having RNY revision from LapBand on 10/3 at Roger Williams Hospital with Dr. Pohl. I live in Taunton, MA but chose a doctor in RI due to my company's bariatric policy requiring a UHC certified Hospital of Excellence. I have heard AWESOME things about Dr. Pohl so am very happy he is my surgeon. I had the lapband installed in 2008... lost 58 lbs in 6 months... and over the last few years have gained back every pound of my loss. I get stuck all the time and end up having to vomit to stop the pain. Sometimes it lasts for hours. I am excited to be a part of this fledgling group and hope to offer as much support as I am sure to receive from all of you.

Hi everyone, I'm two weeks out from my band to bypass revision and tomorrow I start the optislim liquid diet. I had my band placed in 2006 and had it removed three months ago after the second slip. For most of the 10 years I was under weight, having lost over 100pounds (50 plus kilos) mainly due to not being able to tolerate much of anything. I lived knowing that if I ate, it would become uncomfortable and I'd need it out. I lived with sliming, coffee (the milk) congealing in my stomach, reflux day and night, waking at night with it coming out my nose, finding out where the restroom was as soon as I'd go to a restaurant or someone's house, an annual Iron infusion for anemia - it was no way to live but still a better alternative to being fat again. I got to the point though, that I was so dehydrated that I couldn't cope any longer. Out it came. Since then I have gained 12 kilos (about 25 pounds) which I'm desperately unhappy about as I followed a very strict food plan, combined with intense exercise (I became very fit since losing weight) and was so hopeful that my natural metabolic state may have reset itself - but no. Even though my insurance resistance and under active thyroid returned to a normal state my genetics remained the same. All those long forgotten feelings of shame, disappointment in myself, failure, frustration and desperation returned, just like I'd lived with for the 34 years before the band went in. So, now for the next new beginning! I just want to be able to eat small amounts of nutritious food, enough to give me the energy to live my life actively and happily and to not become malnourished. I'd be really interested to know how those that used to suffer food intolerances with the band, are now coping with eating food after the bypass. I've also heard that those who have a bypass after a band don't do as well. My surgeon says it's because we keep bad habits with us (ie we know what passes through restriction most easily) however if you've had success please share it and why you think you have. Thanks so much and I really appreciate you sharing your stories:) DR

Well really doing keto is not super high fat. You set your protein goals based on your lean mass. Then you set your other goals around that. When I was trying to lose harder, my calories and fat grams and calories were lower. These are my current macro goals, It is still a deficit daily but not as high. This is what my macros used to be around 6 months post op, then I increased my protein based on my DEXA scans... Honestly I rarely hit my goal for fat, I always hit my goal for protein and I always keep my carbs under 25. This is how I have eaten pretty much the whole time. The way you eat doesn't matter. What does matter is finding a way to eat that you can stick to easily while remaining on a calories deficit. I thought you were getting a revision. You keep making the same posts over and over about regain but none of the advice anyone gives you seems to be sticking.

Hi Natalie, I had a hell of a hard surgery....The surgeon said there was so much scar tissue around the band....Not only did it flip it was pulling my stomach up so I have a new 2" scar about an 1 1/2" from the original...so much for them removing it with a keyhole..,.throuugh the original site...I was cut.My stomach has about 10 stitch/scar points.My stomach is still swollen...distended and so sore! I was released the next day...they wanted me to stay an extra night but I convinced them I could do it.I went home.It is not easy A lot of pain...I feel as though I was in a bad car accident.The first 3 days were hard....I used the Toridol pain killer pills they prescribed as well as the anti nausea medication.They want you to walk,walk,walk....please ...it is very hard...pain and sleepiness....very tired. Today is my first day off of Clear liquids onto full liquids...I am cautious....had tomato Soup diluted with chicken broth and now the unjury unflavored Protein I added.I also had some coconut Water and finally a small Greek plain yogurt.I am still deficient in my Vitamin and water... As I write I have just had a heating pad on my left side (back).Is that a kidney issue? I have gotta sit here a sip more water.....I went to the grocery store and got some progreso pea Soups and tomato soups .Its hard walking in the grocery store in pain ,looking like a zombie....but that is a way to walk.... I need to drink more clear fluids.... No regrets.... I can't take weeks off from work that is why the holiday saved me ....Tomorrow (Monday) will be a full week since I had surgery .I can't make it tomorrow...no way so I just have to call in.I don't have the finances or seniority to take many days off so I definitely will have to brave it on Tuesday or Wednesday. I am so angry with myself for allowing the failed lapband to just go on and on....I had it in 2004 and from the beginning It failed me....I only lost 35 pounds initially.I struggled for years trying to make it work...It has ruined my insides.I am an involuntary bulimic because.I was constantly thinking about food....what could I eat without throwing up???Hunger like hell and my weight was creeping unsteadily.The worse acid reflux you could imagine....Ugh there were days that I would be so hungry ,ravenous....full of air trying to figure out what I could eat and not slime or puke....chocolate,bread,Pasta,muffins and bagels always went down easy...chicken.vegetables,fruits or anything could set off a puke session...I was soooo hungry 24/7.......my eophagus I was diagnosed as torturous...because endoscopy indicated the root problem.. I am so glad to get this revision to bypass...all though some discomfort..,each day gets better..... You gotta get a revision!They make you jump through hoops but do it!!!! Sandy

It sounds like your surgeon was comfortable doing everything at once, though, so that's good! It really is rough at first, though. I had a JP drain in for 2 weeks, too, and that thing drove me crazy!! I had to laugh at myself, though. With the scars from the band and the partially-healed scars from band removal, plus the 7 new scars from revision AND the bruises everywhere from the heparin injections I looked like I had been jumped in a dark alley, lol!

Auckland too. Surgery April 25. Excited but starting to get a little nervous. It's revision surgery (had a band - didn't work out) who is your surgeon? I have dr Lopez. X

Hello, UserName (I LOVE your handle!!!), my name is Sheri and I have also had revision surgery and I had a hard course. I got my band in 2007 as well, and I got mine in Mexico, basically shutting me out of aftercare everywhere. The closest band doctor to me was 50 miles away and he had a real problem seeing patients who had their surgery elsewhere, so he charged us $350 a visit, even if there was no fill performed, and that was after a $950 initial visit fee. My insurance didn't cover a single thing related to bariatrics, so that was not an option for me for years. I found a fill nurse who charged $75 a fill but they were just done in any ol' location that would allow them and they traveled, so if I got a fill that was too tight I had to wait until they were back in the vicinity to get an unfill. Nothing was ever done under fluoro. Needless to say, things did not go well for me post-op. The only reason I lost weight during the first year was because I couldn't keep anything down. Everything hurt when I ate except for tortilla chips with salsa and sour cream (no idea why!) and cream of chicken soup. After the first year I learned what soft carbs I could eat to make the hunger pangs stop but I dealt with my issues for 7 years before I finally got some insurance that would cover a revision surgery. By that time my radiographs were showing a tortuous esophagus and a slipped band. What my surgeon actually found, however, was that not only was my band out of place, it was actually slammed right up against my diaphragm and all of my dilated pouch was in my throat, not below my diaphragm. Things were so bunched up I apparently had nothing more than a pinhole for my "food" to go through, which is why everything hurt to eat. I had to have my surgery done in 2 phases; band removal last December and bypass in April. Although my course was rough, I do not regret it for a single second. I am not ravenously hungry any more, ever. I do get hungry if I don't eat, but it is not that out-of-control hunger I was having with the band. I was told that my weight loss would be slower due to being a revision patient, but so far I have lost 87 pounds since I started the pre-op diet 13 months ago and I feel amazing. I so wish I had just done bypass in 2007. If I had had any idea what a nightmare my life would become with the band I definitely would have gone that route, but no one knew back then just how high the failure rate would become. If you do decide to go through with revision surgery, you will be amazed at just how different bypass is. For me it has been as different as night and day from the band, and I really do feel like I can live this new lifestyle for the rest of my life! Good luck to you in your journey. This community is the best resource I have found for information and support!

The surgery is supposed to be a tool. When I got my sleeve 3 or the 5 other bariatric patients were having lap band revisions so maybe it wasn't the best tool... but I would think seriously about having a third surgery maybe this isn't the best choice for you in the long run.

I realize that most people will probably gloss over this topic...because for most 1 surgery works and is enough and if you fall into this category, please know how fortunate you are. This is not my story I am 5'8. In 2007 I was 273lb's and miserable! I got a Band. Following 13 fills and unfills the best I lost was 60lb's, I never achieved restriction, and unfilled to have 2 kids. All weight returned. In an unrelated accident my port flipped, and in 2015 at 265lb's I was revised to a Gastric Sleeve (Also had my gallbladder taken out, a Haital hernia repaired and the band removed). I lost 60lb's in the first 4 months and then...stopped loosing. At 205lb's I would have been happy with my results, but then, I felt no restriction and started to regain! Fast forward almost 3 years to today...I have developed GERD pretty bad and I've regained most of what I lost back! My stomach feels hungry every hour or two, I could always eat WAY more than my sleeved friends, and once I got myself full, it would not take long for the deep primal hunger to return. I have no relief from hunger. Especially at night, I'm ravenous! I became a grazer! I felt that the Ghrelin was back with an Army to fight me! A 80% international traveling job plus unlimited access to food in the best restaurants around the globe did not help. I have felt dejected, humiliated, like a failure, angry, frustrated and the list goes on for miles, if you are still reading, you probably know how I feel. And indeed, It's not just about how I look...it's about how I feel. Horrible!! My weight is pressing, intrusive and pervasive. There is no time that I am not aware of it. I have sleep Apnea, I can't keep up with my 6 and 7 year old's and the simple things in life are hard again. Completely demoralizing... After almost 3 years, I finally said "Enough" and went back to a new Surgeon. An Endoscopy revealed it has not all been my fault. My Sleeve was cut too big to begin with! My new surgeon reveled he knows the work of the previous surgeon who apparently was not very skilled at the time and making sleeves too big to be successful. A Bougie 42 was was too big to begin with but in my case, even that was very loosely cut. To top it off, my Sleeve was mis-shapen to begin with as well, setting me up for failure and I have a Stricture in the middle, causing me to have an Hourglass shape. Top fills up, stretches, bottom is hungry, then food goes to the bottom and is still there, top is hungry, in short...a hot mess! Miraculously given the Haital Hernia, GERD, Stricture and botched initial surgery, my insurance (that does not cover Bariatrics) has approved a revision to Bypass on Aug 22nd. I've been combing the internet for Sleeve to RNY revision but such information is not as readily available as 1st timers. I am so nervous...so frightened to go through with this. Scared of Anesthesia, scared how I would do, scared of the 3 week post op liquid only phase. Scared that I will fail again, that this will not work. Some Surgeons (like the Pound of Cure guy say you can only expect to loose 10 - 25lbs on a Sleeve to RNY revision, woa?? ) But I have to try...I want to live a full and vibrant life and not just exist like an Amoeba! This is truly Project last chance. My husband is supportive, but my friends, judgmental and not supportive. and if ever I needed some advice, encouragement, support etc...it's now... Nervous but cautiously hopeful, and very much in need of your support... Ellie

Thanks so much. I had my revision performed at an MTF over 2 years ago so I'm all set, it's all the other spouse's out there getting denied and then settling for a surgical option they really do not want just because they are desperate to have some sort of WLS. So, if anyone can give details on how they got it covered, the surgeon, location, either Tricare Prime, Standard, Prime Remote, Tricare for Life, ICD-9 codes, process and procedures that had to be completed before VSG was approved, all of that information can be used as ammo for other spouses. It's illegal for them to approve it for some dependents and deny others. I've been fighting with Tricare and trying to help my friends with appeals and congressional complaints to get it covered with Tricare Prime or Standard with civilian surgeons.

Hello All! I wasn't able to find a thread that had this in it - or maybe I wasn't looking for the right things. I wanted to know what post op patients have been told is a good ration on foods when it comes to the Total Fat for the amount of Protein. For example; Calories - 160 / Total Fat - 13g / Protein - 11g I'm a 6-month post op DS patient (previously had Lapband - but this was tech not a revision). Only 15 lbs away from goal so now i'm looking for ways to maintain.

My one year surgiversary for my sleeve is 9/13. I am thrilled with it! My surgery was uneventful as well as my recovery. I was self pay and chose to go to Dr Hargroder in Baton Rouge, LA. The cost then was 11,900 and that included everything. I considered Mexico but my husband was more comfortable with my staying in the states and Dr H was a 6 hr drive from home. If it had just been me, I probably would have gone to Mexico to either Dr A or Dr H, they both have lots of happy patients over on obesityhelp. As for why I chose the vsg, I didn't like the rerouting aspect of the DS or the RNY. I didn't like the foreign body aspect of the band. I heard too many people having to have revisions due to slippage, erosions, etc. I also didn't want the maintenance of fills and unfills. With my vsg it was one surgery and no maintenance, that's my kind of surgery. With any surgery there are risks of complications so you have to take that into condiseration as well. There was also a recent study about all wls and it said that the bigger, higher rated hospitals have smaller complication rates. If you want specifics, I posted about it a week or so ago on my blog and there's a link to the article included. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com