Hi, I have been lurking & reading for a few days thought i would say hello. I am just now starting my journey into hopefully having a band to sleeve conversion. I have my appointment Fri afternoon. I am anxious, nervous & scared of being rejected by Dr & insurance. I never realized that the daily constant vomiting wasn't supposed to happen. The fact I couldn't eat until well after 2pm daily was just now that a fact of life. & many more stories that have already been shared. It's refreshing to know it wasn't necessarily me that failed with the Band, but the band that failed to hold up its end of the bargain. Long story short I have since Dec had bad ulcers, have had iron levels drop & now B12 levels drop & was so irritated trying to take iron supplements I couldn't keep water down & had to have my band drained completely. I've had 2 fills since then & am only 1/2 cc away from my pre empty spot I do not want to live like I was, that wasn't living.

So thank you to all who have shared their stories, you have given me the courage to talk with my Dr about a conversion. (Something he suggested about a month ago & I was too terrified to even consider it). I have already called our patient advocate & asked about what will be required, as long as the Dr will state a necessity it shouldn't be an issue! Fingers crossed I'm ready to evict this annoying room mate I've allowed to control my life since 2007! :-) thanks for taking the time to read

Welcome, and know you are among friends, MANY of whom have had the band to sleeve conversion.

I am so sorry you have suffered for so long. God bless you. Good luck on your journey. I am 6 months out and no complications. My first blood draw I was low on iron. I am using cast iron skillet when I cook and hopefully it will be better next time. I also just noticed that Product 19 Protein cereal has a lot of iron added. I have been eating a serving for breakfast. Maybe that will help also.

Thank you both! I am so comfortable here already it has been refreshing! Thanks for the iron info I will def look into it!

Welcome. So happy you've decided to go with the sleeve. I think you will be pleased. I'm not a real active member but like you I like to lurk. I have a good friend who is afraid to have the sleeve so opted for the band. Wish I could have persuaded her. Her fear was being put to sleep. Hello!

Haven't regretted having the sleeve for one second. Best of luck to you and looking forward to hearing about your progress.

Good luck to you on your journey! I wish you all the best

Welcome to the new band.....brothers and sisters of the sleeve.

Our numbers are growing but our belts are shrinking.

Hello, haven't been on here long myself.

I have my revision surgery on June 11.

The band was a disappointment for me.

Hi, I have been lurking & reading for a few days thought i would say hello. I am just now starting my journey into hopefully having a band to sleeve conversion. I have my appointment Fri afternoon. I am anxious, nervous & scared of being rejected by Dr & insurance. I never realized that the daily constant vomiting wasn't supposed to happen. The fact I couldn't eat until well after 2pm daily was just now that a fact of life. & many more stories that have already been shared. It's refreshing to know it wasn't necessarily me that failed with the Band, but the band that failed to hold up its end of the bargain. Long story short I have since Dec had bad ulcers, have had Iron levels drop & now B12 levels drop & was so irritated trying to take iron supplements I couldn't keep Water down & had to have my band drained completely. I've had 2 fills since then & am only 1/2 cc away from my pre empty spot I do not want to live like I was, that wasn't living.

So thank you to all who have shared their stories, you have given me the courage to talk with my Dr about a conversion. (Something he suggested about a month ago & I was too terrified to even consider it). I have already called our patient advocate & asked about what will be required, as long as the Dr will state a necessity it shouldn't be an issue! Fingers crossed I'm ready to evict this annoying room mate I've allowed to control my life since 2007! :-) thanks for taking the time to read

WELCOME!! BEST WISHES...WILL PRAY THAT IT ALL WORKS OUT FOR YOU. GLAD THAT YOU'VE POSTED TO SHARE YOUR STORY. WE ALL WISH YOU WELL.

Hello, haven't been on here long myself.

I have my revision surgery on June 11.

The band was a disappointment for me.

WELCOME TO YOU TOO!

Thank you all for your kind words! I will be in the Dr office in less than 15 hours! :-)

I am new myself. I had the lap band done in 2007 and removed in 2008. Had complications for the entire year I had it even though I lost 100+ pounds. Had to get it removed due to it slipping out of place and causing internal bleeding. 3 months later I got pregnant and gained all of my weight back. Now my son is almost 4 and I have been ready to get another weight loss surgery. Had my first appointment with my surgeon on May 21st. I will have my EGD scope on June 3rd and my surgery on June 10th. Can't wait for the journey and to get my healthy small self back.

Well to update my Dr is all for eviction & he is going for the reflux/GERD as the necessity part first. I have an EGD next week then we battle with the insurance company. My biggest fear is that I am not going to show symptoms of ulcers because my band was emptied at the end of Jan & I'm not yet to my point of constant daily vomiting. Short of it, if insurance denies the medical necessity for removal we will go with an intolerance route. The next battle will be to get the conversion approved. My BMI is around 35 so I'm no longer in the morbid obesity category. And thankfully I have no other issues. I'll pray for the best outcome & if I have to go self pay ill cross that bridge when I get to it. I do not want to get back to my pre-band weight just to get approval :-(

Good luck to all of you on your journey! We all have to stay as positive as we can....we will make it through!

Well to update my Dr is all for eviction & he is going for the reflux/GERD as the necessity part first. I have an EGD next week then we battle with the insurance company. My biggest fear is that I am not going to show symptoms of ulcers because my band was emptied at the end of Jan & I'm not yet to my point of constant daily vomiting. Short of it' date=' if insurance denies the medical necessity for removal we will go with an intolerance route. The next battle will be to get the conversion approved. My BMI is around 35 so I'm no longer in the morbid obesity category. And thankfully I have no other issues. I'll pray for the best outcome & if I have to go self pay ill cross that bridge when I get to it. I do not want to get back to my pre-band weight just to get approval :-(

Good luck to all of you on your journey! We all have to stay as positive as we can....we will make it through![/quote']

September 2005 I had lapband surgery performed by Richard Carter in Arlington Tx. Great job, painless journey to approval and actual surgery was about 6 months. No complications. Height 5' 3", 265 lbs starting stats.

April 2013 experiencing issues with the ability to swallow and reflux. Current weight is 197 lbs. my current physician is Sina Matin, Baylor Grapevine. First visit was on 5/14, with an upper GI done on 5/20 (with contrast and a tablet). The results show that the tablet got stuck and that the contrast remained in the esophagus. 5/24, doctor Matin communicated results of the MRI indicating that I have esophagus damage caused by the lapband. He asked me to come to the office on 5/29, for a complete emptying of my band. He has requested certification from insurance to remove the band due to complications and damage to my esophagus. Scared to say goodbye to my band.

Praying for you! I too had my band in 2007 and have had complications since 7 months post op. I was originally denied by Cigna in 2010 to have the band removed. So I have been fighting for 2 and a half years to get approved for the removal. Finally I changed jobs and got BCBS and they approved me in a week! I am scheduled to evict the evil band on 6/25. I never lost hope or stopped trying because I am the one going through all of the pain and throwing up not the insurance personnel. I am approved for the gastric sleeve also but they are changing our insurance plan 7/1 so I am running into complications with getting the 2nd surgery done but again I am going to stay positive. Sorry for the long post but I am happy you are taking the steps to get a revision and I am sending prayers your way. Good luck!

Lap2band I am scared too, but after reading so many stories of people suffering the same that I have I'm ready to evict my band. I admit the theory of it was fabulous, & of course there weren't the 6-7 years post op to have the stats. I am very scared that I will balloon back to my highest of 278 (& probably higher) because the band will be gone. For me to lose at this point I have to not eat at all & I can drop below 200. I prefer to not do this, for obvious reasons.

Thank you for the continued support & prayers they are much appreciated!