Hi everyone! I had a lapband in 2012, and have gained everything back plus...... So I have some questions and need some info- would a revision to a gastric sleeve be successful (of course I have to do my part). My insurance does not cover anything, unfortunately, so it will be pricy if I decide to do it.....please just give me some pros and cons and things to consider......thank you so much!

Any WLS will work if you learn to use it properly. Obviously, the lap-band had some inherent issues, so I'm NOT AT ALL blaming you for the regain there. But as far as surgical WLS options go, they are guaranteed to create a calorie deficit to induce weight loss. BUT - and its a big but - you have to be ready and willing to commit to the life long changes necessary to be truly successful. I am almost 5 months post-op and have lost nearly 70lbs. I'm VERY happy with my progress so far, but its not easy. Every single day I have to hit my protein, drink my fluids, take my vitamins, move my body and make a million other decisions to prioritize my health and stay on track. That being said, I would do it again in a heartbeat. My only regret is not having done it sooner. I also went the self-pay route via Mexico and was 100% satisfied with the experience. Ultimately, only YOU can decide what's right for YOU. Do your homework, really dig in to learn what it would entail for you, and then decide.

My insurance wont cover anything either so i am self pay. I am going for the sleeve. Just waiting on preop crap. as long as you stick to it and do your part, You will be successful with a sleeve. What made me go with the sleeve was all the videos i watched on youtube on all the different weight loss surgeries. as someone already mentioned, Mexico is a option if you want it done cheap... If i was gonna go that route i would want to get it done at Endobariatrics. They only do sleeves. But there are others. last i saw they were around the 10 grand mark. My Sleeve i am paying for here in Florida is costing around $18-19K

I agree with @Sleeve_Me_Alone. It's a tool, but you have to "wield" it properly. It's very easy to eat junk even with the sleeve. I might be extremely full from protein at dinner, but if I decide to eat some cake, cookies, pretzels, etc, it doesn't matter how full I am; those foods just slide right on down.

It's still a constant struggle to eat the "right" foods. I am for 80% good foods.

The lap band was maybe not a great surgery, and there were lots of complications for many people, but I've also heard that with each successive WLS you have, the success rate (getting to a good weight and keeping it off) goes down. So, lap band to sleeve, then sleeve to bypass, each time you're likely to lose less weigh. Of course... those are just averages.

But... it's all a head game, so make sure your head is in the game before you do the surgery.

I agree with others. The sleeve is just a tool. If you eat bad you will gain it back. I just lost my grandma and within three weeks of eating slightly bad I gained FOUR pounds that I have to lose again. That’s how easy it would be to gain it over a pound a week and I wasn’t even eating As much as my always been skinny family members. Not trying to be negative just saying that the sleeve doesn’t do all the work for you. It is very easy to choose to eat around it. That being said, it is much easier to make the healthy choice while the hunger hormone is gone (that is fine for MOST people but not all immediately post op for several months). So me for example in the past would’ve thrown up my hands and kept on gaining until I gained it all back but this time I have nipped it in the bud at four pounds and I am working on losing them again plus the 9 more pounds I have to lose to reach goal.