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Hello, all! I originally signed up on this website a couple of years ago prior to my Lap-Band surgery, but I'll be darned if I can remember any of my login info! That's alright, I don't think I was super active anyway, so I figured I'd just start fresh. Like I said, a couple of years ago I had the Lap Band put in. Initially I was fairly successful - lost slowly, but eventually was able to lose about 40 lbs over the course of a year. Then for some reason, I stalled. It was as if I needed another fill in my band, but so much food was getting "stuck" on my band that another fill didn't seem the best course, either. I started to throw up a lot of my food, to the point where I never knew what I would be able to eat. Of course, I could eat the slippery and soft foods that we're not really supposed to eat, but the Proteins like moist chicken, fish and scrambled eggs I was having problems with. I never felt that much restriction with the Band...it just wasn't what I expected it to be. Slowly some of the weight - but only about 10 lbs - started to creep back on, so I said enough was enough and went back to see my surgeon. In a nutshell, everything on film looked OK with my band, but it seems that the band just wasn't working for me. We took all of the fill out in January, and now my revision to sleeve is scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. I'm really excited, and hopeful that the sleeve will give me the restriction I was seeking with the Band. But a part of me is also worried that I'll be the exception - the person that doesn't lose all the weight with the sleeve for some reason. Still, I know I can do it, as I've been able to keep the weight off after my un-fill thanks to my diligent work at the gym (I go 5-7 days per week). Looking forward to being a little more engaged on this board moving forward!

In December 2009 I received my lap band..it was the best thing i ever did! I lost 170 lbs within a few years time and managed to maintain it up until a year and a half ago...my lap band slipped and i started to gain my weight back. ...Unfortunately I waited over a year to get my lap band revision Which i received late February 2015....since then i have had 4 fills and I have absolutely no restriction..im getting frustrated. .my doctor says be patient. .that he doesn't want to fill it to fast and cause complications. .but with my last lapband i had restriction immediately with no fill at all! Im thinking possible leak but idk!

Wow, lots of you getting sleeved in May. Not sure if I count, but, I'm getting lapband to sleeve revision May 4. Hopefully all goes well. Surgeon tells me that once he's in he'll make the determination if he will be able to do both band removal and sleeve in one surgery, otherwise, I have to schedule sleeve for a later time. He's pretty confident that he will be able to do both on Monday. Wish me luck. jake

I am revising on May 11th! I am so excited and so nervous at the same time. I am sure you all felt the same way...But I really hate that I am going through this again and wish it would have all worked out with the Lap Band. Nine years ago when I got my band, I never thought I would be in the same spot I was before getting the band. Now here I am...weighing 245 pounds and eating like a complete pig AGAIN. I am so ready for this. All of your success stories give me lots of hope. :-)

@@tonname, it is great that you are starting out by doing research. It is very important for you and your doctor to discuss what approach you will need based on your personal health issues. All 3 weight loss surgeries have different pros and cons and the best one needs to be chosen to help you so you don't have to revise down the road. I would only want to do this one time. I chose bypass in the end because I had reflux/Gerd. Some surgeries can make this situation much worse, bypass is supposed to cure it. Thank goodness it did for me. I should warn you about that sugar thing, some people do not have adverse reactions to sugar even after bypass. I am one of them. I can eat anything I want without getting sick with the exception of eggs. That means that the habits you build and stick to are critical. At first you won't want sugar at all but you will likely try it down the road. You have to be strong enough to refrain from too much of it. For me, if I eat too many carbs in a day, my weight loss stalls so there is incentive to stay away. I have learned the more I exercise, the more weight I lose in this surgery. Good luck on your journey! It is very exciting to go through this because you feel so much better after. I have psoriatic arthritis, my spine and knees hurt me so bad. Today I was actually jogging on my treadmill! No pain anymore in my knees at all!

I recently also just had my revision done I'm two weeks post Op.... Although I'm still healing the worse part has been the lower abdominal incisions... As You said itching and pants can be challenging... Ill stick to yoga pants for now... lol so far in very happy with what I've done no regrets.... Soft food recipes?!??... Yes please!!! Good luck w/ your journey

Well months ago I told everyone about my horror WLS Story of 1983 and my trying to find someone with enough experience of this revision. Waiting list was 3-5 years min up here in Toronto as only one doctor does it. David Lopez of Baratric Pal stuck with me through my search. Having a local group of coordinators was a benefit I could not stress the need enough for. Well after a 4 hour surgery in Mexico thru Bariatric Pal deals I am 2days on the losers bench. I went with dr. Ponce de leon and his team. Excellent. Except for times. He does only 3 or 4 surgeries a day. I was his last and they operated until 12:35am the next day. They thought they would have to close me up due to all the internal damage. Stubborn,Blessed Hands The Baratric pal coordinator stayed the entire time. 12 hours. I highly recommend them. They even looked after my son's needs and continue to look after us now that. I am discharged to recovery. I can't say enough good things. 32 year walk to get on the losers bench. But HEY I AM A FAT ASS WALKING. drinking my broth.

I'm going for my revision May 5th Lapband to sleeve! I'm scared but excited!!! Wish you the best! Hopefully we will be ok and love our sleeve, the band worked phenomenal for me until December 2014 I started developing GERD, so let's sleeve up!

Hi, I am getting a band to sleeve revision on May 19th in Austin, Tx with Dr. Fass. When I was banded (2001), I didn't have a support group, surgery buddy, etc. Is anyone having a revision interested in being surgery buddies? I am not sharing this surgery with many people, so it would be nice to have someone to talk with about all the ups and downs.

I had my sleeve revised to a mini bypass on Thursday. Physically I'm doing fine but it's been hard on me emotionally. Do a lot of research !! Think long and hard and decide what is best for you ! im really scared and have really been soaking it up over the last few days. I'm doing all the appointments I need to do but really, I have about 25 lbs to loose all together so do I do this with 25 to loose or do I do it myself?? But then again, if I could lose 25 lbs on my own I would never be looking into surgery...so confused

@@Bluesea71 I'll see if I can get my husband to take some photos of my TT scar tonight. It's funny to me NOW that people are so concerned about the scars, but I remember back when I was researching plastic surgery, how worried I was about the scars as well. Now I am so used to them and feel they are so worth the trade-off, that it seems silly to me that people who haven't gone through PS worry about them so much. My scar is a VERY small price to pay for my flat, tight stomach! As for implants, it's the same way. Like you, I was all freaked out about having a foreign object inside of me, but now they are truly a part of me and I was miss them DESPERATELY if I had to have them taken out. In fact, I need a revision due to the malpositioning of my left implant after my weight re-gain and re-loss. One of the surgeons I got a consultation from wanted to remove my implants entirely and wait at least 6 weeks before replacing them. The idea of just going 6 weeks without my implants had me in a complete panic!

my surgeon is going to do it in one procedure, but when I was there like a week and a half ago to talk to him about revision, he removed all Fluid from my band due to vomiting and I've already gained 4lbs . It's awful! I'm thinking of due Protein drinks for a few days before going back because I'm afraid what my doc will say if he's seen I've gained a lot.

I can't believe this is really happening. I'm only a week and a half away. Somehow I have gotten lucky and only have to do a 2 day pre op diet (I was expected at least a week). Between now and then i know I'm probably going to eat an insane amount of food. But I'm ready to say goodbye to the foods that I was constantly going overboard on. I'm at peace knowing I'll never be able to eat the way I am now ever again. This is what I wanted in 2006 when I got the lap band. But somehow I've ended up almost right back where I started. My pre lap band weight was 285. I'm now at 250. 50 of those pounds, I gained in the last 6 months. Let's get this show on the road.

@@Smye Thank you for your recipes. At my house we eat whole food, no artificial sugar and our diet varies from meat to vegetarian... After surgery, I was shocked at how my bariatric center's nutrition guidance included so many low quality and artificial foods. My other awakening was that they only had three follow-up nutrition appointments in 9 months (1 month, 2 months, and then 9 months which I haven't reached yet)...but I digress. Since my surgery, we've used and perfected cauliflower pizza crust, coconut flour biscuits (which would go oh so good with your BBQ), and our own coconut chicken tenders recipes in addition to revising other non-healthy recipes to not only fit my new eating style but my family's needs. However, due to my lifestyle I am always searching for recipes made by others that do not include artificial sweeteners or processed foods for nights when I want to just make a recipe and be done without conversions and thinking about end results of the product. I want to thank you for posting your recipes, as it has made my life a lot easier. Also, If you create a blog, I'd be willing to send you some of my recipes as a guest blogger. I just don't have time to create one on my own (and have wanted to!), but I can really see that there is a strong need for those of us who have had the surgery to have access to appropriate and healthy whole food recipes, and I'd support you any way I could. THANK YOU!!!!! CleoSays

I was speaking to a girl yesterday to had a band to Rny revision 6 weeks ago, her weights coming off aggressively now and she looks amazing and is finding the bypass great! No problems. Hope everything works out for you to get yours!

Hi There, For some reason I just started getting notifications from Bariatric Pal again. But I am happy to connect with some of you fabulous ladies. My journey has been a long and painful one. I had Gastric Bypass in early 2001 with a staple line disruption 6 weeks later. They did a revision 6 months later. I had very little weight loss. I was getting married that following year so I worked really hard at it and lost 55 lbs. The day after my wedding I started creeping up again. I gained back every pound. I had a baby in 2006 and slowly crept back again. In June of 2013 I was at my witts end again. I decided to have the band over bypass surgery done. My doctor was not sure it would take.. But desperate and wanting to live my life and be active with my husband and son I did it. I lost only about 25lbs in 7 months. I felt defeated. Depressed and felt like this is clearly the way I am supposed to be. I ran into an old friend and she introduced me to a nutritional cleansing program. I get up every morning feeling energized, ready to conquer the world after a fabulous nights sleep. ( I have suffered from insomnia for many years). I have lost a total of 70lbs from my start before the lapband. Most importantly I am out of PLUS SIZE clothes and fit into an XL. I still have about 50 lbs to go but fir the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I know I will reach a healthy weight. Unfortunatley we can't get the nutrients from basic food anymore. It has been nutritionally altered with pesticides, herbicides and many other cides!! I write this to you to let you know that this is a great program for lap/band and gastric patients. If you would like more information please email me and I would be happy to share this with you. doreenturenne@comcast.net I wish you the best of luck... Stay strong. Doreen

I had the band and loved it...well.. I loved that I lost weight ! lol I converted to sleeve because everyone said how great/wonderful/amazing it was BUT that was not the case for me! My "sleeve" was made large due to scar tissue and removing the band opened the flood gates so to speak. I could eat anything and everything and larger portions so I gained 40 lbs. Also, my body was already used to a restriction only procedure so it was less likely to work for me the second time not that I knew that then. Thursday I revised AGAIN to a mini bypass. I'm doing pretty good, but it's been emotionally very hard for me this time unlike the last two. I've had a little bit of freaking out wtf did I just do to my body kind of thoughts I'm trying to deal with. I have a crazy fear of dumping and getting sick !! Recovery is good though and I'm even back to work today but I do have almost constant headaches I can't kick yet..surgery wise though I feel fine. Best of luck to you!

I am a lap-band revision to sleeve. I had a lot of problems with the band (slips and lots of constant pain) but never vomiting. The band just wasn't the best solution for me. I am much happier with the sleeve. No pain and for me it's easier to eat right foods and just a little bit. BUT I do vomit and have acid reflux with the sleeve. I probably vomit 1-2 times a week. Either from eating too fast or too much. Too much is just a few little bites too much. To fast, well I got too hungry and eat too fast. Also, I had a lot of trouble early on with the sleeve and vomiting. Even vomited brushing my teeth early on. Even with this I love my sleeve. It is so much easier for me. The band was always a problem. With the sleeve I eat like a little bird. 3-4 small meals a day and a few Protein drinks. I am losing weight at a good pace, I haven't cheated and just a little protein like 2 ounces of chicken or 1 egg and I'm full for hours. I NEVER had that with the band. Best wishes on your journey.

@@k8tee sorry to hear this. I am 3 years out and I too experience hunger and have to watch what I eat. Dammit! You might need to revise to a bypass or that new modified DS which I think is a very exciting development in bariatric surgery. Before doing that, I would suggest a few things to try. Do you log your food diligently? If not, do that at least for awhile. Most of us eat more than we think and the only way to really know is weigh, measure and log I also find that I best control hunger by eating low carb. I personally don't count calories (this is what works for me) but rather focus on Protein and carbs. If I keep my carbs low, my weight is low. If I keep my carbs high (which I have been doing lately!) I pay the price in increased hunger and increased numbers on the scale. Also, literally eating protein first helps. I used to have salads with meat in them. My nutritionalist pointed out I should eat the meat first, then the salad and darn if she wasn't right - I eat less that way! I know you drink alot of Water, but read up on water loading as a technique to extend time between eating. Basically about 2 hours after a meal if you start to feel hunger, slam quite a bit of water. It will help keep the hunger at bay for a little while. Then, serously, don't drink with meals or for about an hour after the meal. It does make a difference. I do best on 4-5 mini meals a day. They are very similiar - protein and veggies. When I start including wine, bread, too much dairy etc I gain. Good luck - I know how hard this is!

You will see A LOT of debate on this and not even all doctors agree. Personally, I 100 % believe you can stretch a pouch, but probably because I saw mine stretch out from my sleeve and thats why I revised to mini bypass. Also, I worked for years with bypass patients who gained their weight back after stretching their pouches and came in for band over bypass procedures. That being said, it's also important to remember the first year is the honeymoon period and the further out you get the harder it will be to lose. This doesn't always mean stretched pouch, it can also mean your body is just used to things now so its up to you to be diligent about eating and exercise if you want to get to and stay at goal. Year two is where the real work begins.

I would do liquids for a day or 2 then mushies for a couple more. Sounds like you have swelling causing the stuck episodes. I have revision surgery scheduled for next week. My band was emptied out several months ago and I was having stuck episodes frequently shortly after I was deflated. I had to go on liquids, mushies stage and all is well now.

I'm 3 weeks out after having revision surgery from lapband to gastric bypass. I'm finally feeling better, but still quite fatigued. Surgery lasted over 5 hours -not due to complications, but just getting lapband out after 6 years. Definitely alot more intense than I anticipated - I thought 2 weeks off of work would be more than enough - now I'm wondering if 4 will be enough. I too had alot of pain on my left side - finally feel that is healing and no pain when reaching or bending. My biggest issue is just being tired - getting a shower and running one errand is enough to bring me home for a 2 hour nap! It is getting better everyday -just slower than I had hoped. I was in hospital for 4 days - glad they kept me that long, as I had such a hard time getting out of bed. I'm in pureed food world and its going ok - eating cream of wheat, yogurt, creamed soups, scrambled eggs, canned carrots - trying to add one new thing each day. So far I'm down 28 pounds! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have and share my experience thus far!

I just revised from sleeve to mini bypass on Thursday 4/23. I didn't have GERD but my sleeve was stretched and I was regaining quickly. I never expected to feel emotionally the way I am with this surgery. Physically I'm great but emotionally I'm freaking out like "what did i just do to myself" I'm on Clear liquids and they are going down fine, I'm hoping it gets better soon. I'm just scared to death I'll never be able to eat anything again without getting sick or dumping !

Hi there, I wanted to post a review of my experiences though I know a lot of you have been following me in some other posts I wanted a new topic so that others who are researching could easily find it. Here is my story. I left my house 5 am (Eastern time) on Thursday and after a very long day of travel and one delayed flight I made it to Star Medica around 2pm (4pm Eastern time) No trouble at all crossing the boarder, in fact we didn't even have to stop the van. Also, I had some worries (okay A LOT of worries) about Juarez but once there I actually felt silly! Everything appeared completely safe and I never gave it another thought. In fact had I not been scheduled for surgery same day, I would have went across the street for dinner and not thought anything of it. Which brings be to my first bit of advice...for me personally, flying in the same day as surgery was just way too much ! I did not get to surgery until 7pm (9pm to my body) and I was EXHAUSTED, GROUCHY, and STARVING to death. Be aware, if you are someone who feels they need to know every little detail and what the plan is at all times, you may have some trouble. Things really kind of just happen when they happen and you're just along for the ride. Surgery itself went great and I was in recovery by 10pm. Mine took longer because I had a revision from sleeve to MGB. I felt pretty good and slept on and off through the night. They do not hover over you so don't expect that like in the US where they come in every five mins. However, they did come immediately if I called for someone. I stayed one step ahead and asked for a spirometer before they offered and I was up walking as soon as I was able. I had pretty bad gas pain in my left shoulder and I had a drain (some do some don't) and it was very uncomfortable for me. I walked as much as I could and took gas x strips but it still was very uncomfortable, I won't say I was in pain though, just very uncomfortable. They brought me ice chips that mid morning and around 1pm some broth (delicious) and Jello (yuck) and hot tea and apple juice. It was wonderful to have anything really by that point. Dr. Rod and the other two came in to check on me twice that day, all were very nice but they are busy and they come and go quick so have your questions ready! By 5 that evening I had my drain out and my leak test then more broth. They gave me a sleeping pill to rest well to prepare for travel the next day. My hubby went with me, he ate in the cafeteria for $5 a meal including drink and we thought that was great! It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping for him but he managed. My only other complaint would be that the shower was cold but others I talked too said they had plenty of hot Water so not sure what was up with that. Also, as you've read I'm sure not all the nurses speak English especially overnight but we managed. I'm happy with the experience and would have no problem recommending Dr. Rod and his team. I'm happy to answer any specific questions anyone has.

I also have bcbs fep. I need to get my 10 year old band out because of slippage and dilated esophagus. Doc thinks they will approve revision at the same time. My bmi is 30 which is low for surgery but with my band I have gained back 30 pounds over the last year or so. I guess the way the doctor describes it to insurance they realize the cost effectiveness of revision. I have a 3 month wait. The doc said they haven't gotten denied yet for a case like mine so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Its only been 2 weeks so I have lots of praying to do