I just posted this in the Success Stories topic but want to be sure that anyone thinking of a Lapband revision sees it also.

Hopefully this works. I just posted an album of me with before photos and progress along the way.

I doubt I could ever fully describe how incredible this past year has been. My surgiversary will be on

March 7th. I started my pre-op diet 2 weeks before at 286.2 lbs; as of this morning I now weigh 142.8 lbs.

I really can't believe it myself. I am a Lapband revision and was told that I should expect to lose slower

because of that. My hope was that at 1 year I would have lost 120 lbs or 10 lbs a month.

VST has been a vital contributor to my success - both in reading the forums before surgery, after and

hoping to contribute along the way (though I admit I have not been on near as much as in those early days).

Many thanks to all of the wonderful members who have posted and shared your journeys, tips, recipes and challenges.

To those of you considering VSG I encourage you to read through the many forums here, as I did. In one sentence I

can tell you that this is the best thing I ever did for myself!

To those of you in the first month after VSG - hang in there, the first month was the hardest - it gets better and better.

Susie

Congrats! And thank you for posting this. I am worried constantly about my weight loss being slower since I'm a revision (I also have PCOS with Insulin resistance) and I find myself frequently comparing my weight loss to others as well as to when I was loosing weight with the band. Especially since I also find myself able to eat more than others seem to be able to. I guess I need to back off my own back.

Iam from the Middle East I've done my surgery in the Middle East 16 months ago it was a revesion from gastric band to VSG my doctor have seen me twice after my surgery he said" my job is to do your surgery and your job is to loose the weight" we here do not have any nutritionist that deal with WLS surgery I have no information on how to eat or what to do my doctor told me I can eat what ever I want he asked me only not to eat and drink at the same time I'm 5 feet tall my starting weight was 193 I lost 23 pounds I'm a single mom and I work a full time job. About bad food choices I didn't know that all my food were bad choices we here eat a lot of bread and rice our main food are carbs I just found this site a few days ago the amount of information I got was a lot I don't know where to start I feel like a loser compared to everyone here.

I am so encouraged hearing this but I feel so far from ever having any sort of achievement. This lap band feels like it has gone toxic and I am still unsure where to turn. I have had this thing for a decade and thoughts would never need surgery again (I was told) but now I feel weak, tired, sick and I hope to get where you are someday but I am so scared of what they will find when they open me up....I am usually very optimistic but I feel worn down and alone right now.

Trust me...you are not alone! There are many of us here who feel/felt the same way! Welcome...

Thank you so much. I think I found a surgeon, my insurance covers the revision. But for some reason, I can't get over my fears of surgery. It helps to have encouragement. I am feeling so low right now, so sick and so tired. I put my little boy to bed tonight next to me and have not stopped crying since. I am so fearful of dying on the table or having a leak and being in the hospital for a long time. My job is stressful and all I want is a life back, without these worries. Sorry to unload all the time on here. I am really a happy go lucky kind of person, I just hate having to face this and thinking about the worst. My baby is only 3 and I am 45. I don't want to screw things up.

This topic and discussion are exactly why I joined this site. Everyone is so encouraging and ready to help. I loved reading your story and your information is wonderful to hear 8 weeks out from my revision surgery.

Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations!!!!!

This topic and discussion are exactly why I joined this site. Everyone is so encouraging and ready to help. I loved reading your story and your information is wonderful to hear 8 weeks out from my revision surgery.

Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations!!!!!

Kristina, I am wondering, did your 2nd band also slip and or erode?

Kristina' date=' I am wondering, did your 2nd band also slip and or erode?[/quote']

Melissa, my second band has dilated and slipped, but not as badly as my first and does not need to be surgically corrected. Removing all the Fluid and healing for 2-3 months will put me right back to how it was post band surgery and pre-fills, assuming there are no erosions. That is the process I went through in the middle of last year. After healing, I began getting fills again, as my doctor said it was worth a try, though likely to repeat the slippage and dilation. And it did. So I am now back to slipped and dilated until Tuesday when I will have the fluid removed.

I do not know yet if there are any erosions since it is still in. I am removing all fluid from my band this week (8 weeks before surgery) in an attempt to minimize any ill effect from my band on the revision . Because we are planning a single surgery revision (I am self pay), my surgeon will be doing an endoscopy the day before surgery to check for erosions and band placement, but even then, there is no guarantee that my revision can be completed in a single surgery. Sometimes the only way to know, is to remove the band and look.

I am crossing my fingers that there is no erosion, since I'm self pay and it's a whole lot nicer to pay for one surgery than two! lol But I am committed to doing whatever I need to do to get healthy again!