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I felt like a real failure after I gained back all lost weight (120#) after a stomach stapling in 1982. I refused to even think about any type of revision because I felt had my chance and failed to keep it off. But several loving friends were brave enough to tell me that they were concerned about my health because of my morbid obesity and wondered if I considered a revision. After I dealt with my very hurt feelings, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and now I'm researching a revision. I don't care what people think because the ones I care about will be my biggest cheerleaders. Please take that awful word failure out of your vocabulary.

Trying to decide if I pay 19k to have band revision surgery in Toronto or make the trip to Mexico but travelling alone makes me nervous and I don't know if I have anyone I can take with me as my hubby needs to stay home and look after kids. I had had my band surgery I Toronto 8 years ago and that was just as long of a flight. Is anyone from BC travelling to Mexico for sleeve surgery? I'm looking for someone to travel with or to talk to someone who has travelled alone.

Thanks so much, everyone!! I'm just keeping my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that I can get to the end of all this, get my revision, and go about living my life again. Every time I come out of a surgery, the surgeon tells me he found more stuff to remove. Last time I told him "No more looking around in there. Just get in, remove what's there, and get out" He laughed. I was serious. As expected, my weight loss has kind of stopped due to the weird dietary issues and not being able to do the kind of work outs my body is used to. But I'm not gaining, so I'm ok with it. I know in my heart that I'll lose the rest of my weight after my revision. Can't wait to finally feel better and get back to normal. And still, even with all this, I don't regret my sleeve. I hate that I had complications, but I know I never would have gotten to where I am now weight and health wise if I hadn't had the surgery.

Today is the first day that I am going to start documenting what is going on until I find out if I can secure funding for the lap band revision to VSG. I want the results, but feel some pull not to put myself physically and financially at risk.:sad0: Not that I am not risk now, I get that.:biggrin0: I want to read what others are saying, and I want to know if I am somehow going into this as if it were magic and I will after a period of time become someone that I have never been, even at the ripe old age of 50. If not now, when?

My dr is both a lapband and sleeve surgeon and we discussed the pros and cons of each. The reasons that I'm sticking with the band are: It worked amazingly well for me until the leak. I lost 130% of my excess weight and maintained without issue for 3 years. I had no real adverse affects with the band The sleeve and it's side effects on me personally are unknown Revision to a sleeve would entail two operations - one to remove the band, and then a future second operation to revise to a sleeve My insurance will completely cover the band replacement but I would have to pay out of pocket for a sleeve revision So after weighing all that up, I've decided to get a full band replacement. I love the lapband, and it's been very good to me for a very long time. So I'm sticking with it.

Does anyone know why VSG patients have acid reflux problems after the surgery? I have never had any issues with acid in my past history... my revision surgery is scheduled for September... is this something that happens to a lot of people?

When they diagnosed"stretched sleeve" did they indicate how that happened? A recent thread about someone with a "retained fundus" has put this in a new light for me. Essentially a surgical error. I was band to sleeve revision and so went to the most experienced of the surgeons at my practice. Due to the scar tissue they sometimes can't do a proper sleeve on revisions. I remember my surgeon teling me he thought I had a good "tight and correctly shaped" sleeve. I was coming out of anesthesia at the time so didnt inquire about what he meant, but now I think I get it. He was pretty sure he'd been able to remove the fundus and leave a banana shaped sleeve.

Hi and first off welcome. As a band to sleeve revision, let me just say this, that while I loved food before my revision, guess what I still love food, and above the food, I love that I'm in control of my food intake. Eating with the sleeve is truly effortless. I know it's a difficult concept to grasp, I didn't believe it pre-revision, but seriously, it's pretty awesome. Sleeve vs. the band is night vs. day, everything is different. To answer you questions: 1) No one single regret. To answer the 2nd part, not no but HELL NO. 2) I'm having a bit of difficulty maintaining, but it's a learning experience. You add healthy fat, carbs, and calories to your diet since you aren't in the losing stage anymore. I have stopped my cardio, and am back to just my lifting routine since I don't need to burn, burn my calories, I need to build more muscle mass to burn the fat, but build muscle and maintain my current weight. I am still well within a normal body weight for my height, and my labs have been perfect post-op so I am not unhealthy, malnourished, or sick because I'm 20lbs below goal. 3) Only 30% of RNY patients experience dumping so it's not a guarantee. Anyways, I eat sweets a few times a week now that I am not really watching my carb count as carefully as I did during my losing phase. 4 & 5) It's pretty much normal puking. Obviously, you need to protect yourself immediately after surgery, Lysol, hand sanitizer, etc etc, as your immune system can be suppressed immediately post-op, you don't want to be puking during the 6 weeks of staple line healing. But, it's pretty much just normal puking. Now, early out when you're learning to eat with the sleeve, you may have to puke up something, but for me it's kind of like a creeper feeling coming up my esophagus. It's not the normal "upchucking, wretching" puking you do with the band. 6) Can't help ya there, but I eat anything and everything I want, just smaller portions. If your trips are further out than the post-op diet, then you should be fine in other countries. 7) The first few days post-op you'll be exhausted so outside of sipping as much as you can, resting when your body tells you it needs rest, and walking to help rid your body of the gas, you won't be able to do much. I recommend cooking up plenty of quick/easy casseroles, and food for your family as you recover. Food smells absolutely made me want to hurl so I ordered food from Schwann's for my kiddo and the husband was deployed during my revision and recovery. Seeing your from Texas, we're planning a Dallas meet-up April 3rd, lunch and shopping and socializing. The final details haven't been nailed down. But, thought I'd put the bug in your ear if you'd like to join us. I'll post a big thread when we get closer to the 3rd. Who is performing your revision? Best wishes, and keep us posted on your progress.

If you follow the rules and don't have your band too tight the chances of slippage are actually quite low. What if you went for a sleeve and had a leak, or a bypass and died from malnutrition ? or even worse did nothing and died young from obesity related illness? It's all relative, everything in life has a risk, you have to weigh it up and see if the risks out weigh the benefits or viceversa. We should try not to base all our decisions on fear. One of the most dangerous things people do every day is either cross the road or get in a car but they carry on doing these things. If you do get banded and at some stage in the future you have complications such as a slip then generally you may need the band to be unfilled for a while, you may need further surgery to correct the slip, you may need the band replaced or you may decide to revise to another surgery. Generally these situations are not particularly dangerous or life threatening. The only thing is you will need money to pay for whatever correction is deemed necessary. It is normal to be scared before surgery, you would be the exception if you weren't. But soon you will be on the other side and wondering why you were scared and wishing that you had done this sooner. All the best.

I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and ask if you've considered or researched other WLS' ? I ask because your insurance is going to cover your surgery while allot of insurances are now denying ANY type of WLS in there coverage. And while all of the different WLS' have complications the LB seems to have a high rate of revisions. (yes, I have one and don't look forward to that possibility) Sorry.. now that I've read your entire post I see you indeed are going to a seminar on all the WLS' WHICH IS GREAT!! They will probably make a decision on which WLS' is best for your BMI, sleep apnea, past history of weight loss etc... GOOD LUCK on whatever you decide and we'll all be here for HELP and support no matter what you decide

Oh MzMeka... I am definitely not stuck with you and I think we will form our own little sleeving family while we are there! You are going to love Gracie and she is going to help all of us understand what the heck is being said in Spanish! My pre-op diet starts tomorrow... I am having my last meal tonight... alone... and doing way too much thinking and worrying! I went and purchased things for the trip today and some Protein liquid for the 15 day clear post-op diet... SF Jello... etc. I also broke down and got a Ninja blender thang since the revision is going to have me on liquids and mushies for quite awhile. So... here I sit... drinking a glass of red wine after eating Pasta and trying to distract myself from thinking too much about the big changes ahead of me. Having this surgery is cutting off every single thing I have used for comfort for years and dang... I am scared! How are you doing? Are you starting pre-op diet tomorrow too? How's the anxiety part going for you? If you ever want to chat... let me know...I'm happy to share my number. P.S. If I am not barfing... I will be the one bugging everyone to get up and walk... just letting you know ahead of time so you can lock your door...lol.

My mom and I both went to the Nicholson Clinic. I had Dr. Nick do a band on me five years ago and he did my band to sleeve revision a month ago. Both times were great and everyone at their offices are extremely helpful. My mom had a sleeve done earlier this year and she had one of his associates Dr. Roshek for her surgery. She loved him as well. They have a third surgeon, but I can't vouch for him because I don't know anyone who has used him personally. Also, they're a center of excellence if that's a requirement for your insurance. I hope you find the right place for you so that you can reach your goals. Good luck!

Hey Lori, So sorry to hear that this has happened. I realize how devastating it can feel when you find your band has slipped. I was diagnosed with slippage back in September. It had probably been that way for several months. The doctor did a barium swallow to confirm slippage after I kept having to go back and have fill removed, as reflux kept coming back and I was just staying too tight. They removed all the fill for two weeks, but when they added a little bit back, the symptoms came back as well. I spoke with my surgeon and he said it would be best just to replace the band. I went in this past Friday morning for the revision surgery. As the port was fine, he didn't have to touch that. He just took the old band out and put in a new one. Surgery went fine, except her accidentally made a small puncture in my stomach. That's sewn up now and I'll be on antibiotics for a month to ward off infection. After the revision, you go back to life as it was just after you were banded the first time around. I'm on liquids for the next 3 weeks, then introduce mushie foods. The good thing is there's not nearly as much pain this time around, because the port didn't have to be messed with. Sewing that into the muscle caused a good deal of discomfort last time. I did manage to put back on quite a few kilos between the slippage and the revision, but the surgeon sounded confident that that will come back off. Keep your chin up - while it may feel like its the end of the world, its definitely not. Make sure to talk to your doctor about the different options available. All the best!

I had the band for 3 years before and did ok, towards the end, it stopped working, no fluid would go in or out...I had a removal and revision at the same time in November. For me it was rough in the first few days....the site of band removal had swollen shut causing me to dry heave for 3 days. This doesn't happen to everyone I should say. The sleeve is SO MUCH BETTER!! And you have a special insight, because you have the basics down: chew thoroughly and eat slow! Good Luck!

I actually would like to get my stomach smaller or more restricted too! I wonder what are the rules / limitations around this? I'm going to ask my doctor about this as well. I honestly thought I would lose so much I would be 130 pounds. I stalled out at 182. I think you are so lucky your doctor is going to revise you Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

I definitely think the band is the safer surgery and you do lose the weight much more slowly and healthily. However, I don't think the band is the "life long" surgery it was told it was to me. And is definitely a lot more work personally. So many people need corrections, revisions and work that it requires more surgeries. One of my main issues is that I only wanted to have ONE surgery. And I am possibly looking at more now if I were to erode, slip, port replacement, etc... I didn't really get told that was a large possibility. Even Inamed says that it is not a lifetime surgery and the chances are high for additional surgeries needed with the band. Had I known that, I don't know if I would have gotten the band. If I had to do it all over again, I would just take the plunge into RNY rather than the band. But I have my band now, so I am trying to not worry about "what if's" and just deal with it while I have it. But I do feel that it isn't a case of IF I lose the band, but WHEN. Both my sister and mother have RNY bypass. They do look great and have lost A LOT of weight and are maintaining (sister for about 6 years, mom for about 3). They don't struggle too much with their diet as they are now in a routine. The dumping or vomiting is very minimal. And it is usually when they eat something that they didn't know what was in it or it was a funky type of food that just didn't agree with them. Neither of them have any other issues that make life unbearable. I ask my mom if she would do it again or would she try my lap band first, and she would go the RNY route. She likes that it is forever and that it is permanant. She said that I can eat "around" my band and "pack" my pouch and she would have done that, therefore not being successful at the surgery. Good luck with your choices!

It has been 4yrs since my (initial) WLS. Within that time I made great new friends, found love, had a revision, lost a parent, witnessed a pandemic from one of it’s epicenters, had plastics, had new additions to my extended family, relocated, had one child graduate from high school and more. Almost none of these things were weight related but somehow everything else in my life seemed easier to focus on without worrying about weight. My weight has been stable since I hit goal a few years ago with only minor fluctuations. I’m proud to say I will always identify as a WLS patient. I thought I wouldn’t feel like one years out but I find I am consciously honoring this lifestyle in the majority of my choices. I’m grateful we have this forum and I’m especially grateful to everyone in the WLS community that make it a positive and supportive environment to thrive in.

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY!!! I have heard, read more and more as of late that more surgeons are refusing to do the bands, WHY? maybe because of the increased rate of complications? Maybe because ethically they feel doing a band and then having to revise a patient to a sleeve, bypass, or RNY isn't something they want to deal with? MAY BE they know more than they are telling US the general population. Your guess is as good as mine, maybe ask your surgeon WHY? he's pushing the sleeve. I do know I'd ask him how many Bands, Sleeves he's performed, it's a good indication of his experience with either operation.

I have Medicare and I to had to do a 6 month liquid diet.. im having surgery Dec4th.. been in this process almost 14 months.. and im on a 6 week liquid diet.. Dr. Ganser @ WB is my surgeon and this is a revision. i have teh Lap Band and it has popped over three years ago so i have chosen the sleeve this time around.

Have you been going in for appointments? It's probably worth it to make sure something isn't wrong with your sleeve, because it sounds like you may not have the same restriction you had early on. Stretching may occur, and eventually re-sleeving could be a possibility, if not an RNY revision, as you seem to have trouble with carbs. Are you getting all the recommended Protein? Doing this is probably the simplest and most effective way to stave off carb cravings. Also, stop and make sure you aren't consuming slider foods as part of regular intake. Don't lose your confidence!

I am from Houston! I am ten months post op and would love to start a group. My doc was Dr. Nowzaradan, a revision specialist, since I used to have the band.

My surgery was February 3rd and I've been stalled the last 2 weeks. I was a revision so I was expecting a slow loss but I was not expecting to be stalled for 2 weeks when I'm only eating about 800-850 calories a day. My carbs are low, fat is low and protein is where it should be. It's frustrating but I do measure and I have lost inches those 2 weeks. I think we just gotta hang in there and the scale will start moving again.

Hey everyone I had sleeve to bypass revision on June 13 I am down 34 pounds since then put I have hit a few stalls i weigh myself every day is that a good thing to do? I eat right, drink a lot of water. It's kind of depressing but reading your posts helps a lot. I guess my question is how often should I weight myself.

Havn't you seen all the Atkins Labled products flooding the market with carbs?!?! Where have you been? Atkins revised his diet several years ago and added carbs. Mostly fresh fruit and vegetables but also Whole Wheat carb products like bread, ceral, almost anything you can think of. They(Atkins) simply advise that you concentrate mostly on protein. Get the new books or watch the video. I known theres been a lot of confusion so I hope this helps. I also known that when he died they found that he did have high cholesterol but remember sometimes it's inherited and theres not much your diet will do for that. I used a protein/carb diet years ago which was a little twist. It was 4oz protein and fruit for breakfast. 4oz protein with a salad for lunch. 4oz pro and 1/2c higher sugar veggies and a salad for dinner. You only used dressings that the sugar was 5 or lower on the ingredients list. Same with your mayonaise etc. Once past the 1st month I going to try this again with small veggie portions. It's the 1st month that scares me. By the way lots of good receipes on the threads. I've just taken the tortillas out and made them into more of a casserole. Here's to success!

I most definitely felt this way. I had a complete pity party for myself. I needed it. Why can’t I do it on my own? Why is XXX so skinny and eats whatever they want when I eat one slice of cake and gain 5lbs? The negative talk resonated in my brain. I can’t do this, it’s too hard, I love food too much, I’m a side baker I can’t taste my baking. But guess what? YOU CAN F****** DO THIS!!!!! As for complications, I’ll just throw this out there. Vomiting - had some the first few days of post op however, I knew that I get like that with anesthesia, so my doctor and I did what we could to minimize it. I’ve since had my gallbladder removed one year later, and am having a revision as I have a hiatal hernia and severe GERD. So…would I consider those to be complications? Sure. But I would do it over again 100x!!! I have gained so much throughout this journey. And continue to. My current surgeon feels my initial surgeon should have chosen a bypass for me originally, which I asked for but they recommended sleeve so that’s what we went with. Current surgeon feels that with my co-morbities at that time, and other issues, I shouldn’t have been a candidate for a sleeve. Okay so all that to say, again I wouldn’t change it!!!! I tolerate literally any food with my sleeve. Now things sit “heavier” than others so if I’m eating that I may be miserable (like feeling stuffed not sick). After some tragedy in my family, I stopped eating well and started eating just snack food. I gained 18lbs. But then I crawled out of the hole and said okay, this has to stop, you’ve worked wayyyyy to hard to go backwards, get it together! Here I am, back on track, still have some of the gain to lose, but grateful that I have this tool aka my sleeve to help mitigate that for me. I used to love following people on IG/social media but I had to stop. Before my sleeve I looked at thin people and felt pangs of jealousy and constant comparison. Then after surgery and losing weight (not even to goal weight haven’t made it) I looked at the VSG “influencers”, the same way. Constant “oh her surgery was two weeks before mine and she’s already lost 100 lbs and I’ve ONLY lost 70”. It was perpetuating the SAME cycle I was in. So I just had to stop. Every now and again I search out the hashtag but for the most part I don’t because this journey is unique to YOU. Sorry for the novel, and if you made it through it, that’s great! Lol