vickie6866

I had a lap band that was removed in the USA in 2010, then I had a sleeve done Jan 2011 with Dr. Almanza in Mexico. During the first six months I lost a total of 40lbs but during the last six months I have gained back 20pounds. So now I am a year post-op from my sleeve with only a 20 pound weight lose to show. I can eat quiet a bit and I am hungry often. I have been in contact recently with the doctor and all that was offered was a resleeve or a resleeve &DS. I know I have to have something else done if I want to move forward with my weight lose but I am so frustrated and mad at times. Now I am having to pay about the same amount again to have a second sleeve when I thought the first one should have worked. The corrdinator said that this has happened in the past with a couple dozen of his patients. I feel so cheated but I must continue forward and try to fix whatever is wrong. Is there anyone who has had a similiar experience who would like to share with me.

I know from my past experience that under no terms would I ever have a lapband again, because there were way too many problems with mine. I was offered the Ds but when I got there they didn't want to do it at all or I'd prob have it today. I think the main reason that they didn't want to do it was because Dr. Almanza needed a second doctor to do it but he wasn't available to assist, the reason being that the drivers left me at airport for hours on end with no pickup so by time I arrived the doctor was prob gone home for the day. I am happy with the re-sleeve so far I have lost 25pounds, and really only need to lose bout 15more and then maintain. I talked with previous pts that had the DS and had done well but I think it all has to do with the second doctor being ready to assist in surgery. Someone like you would be a complicated surgery to switch to DS, why can't your pouch be made smaller. I wish you luck, and pray that a solution comes for you soon.

Misty, thanks so much for your prayers that is best thing that anyone has ever done for me. I am doing great. When I got there doc didn't want to do the DS so I just got the resleeve. He said before surgery that the area of stomach where previous lapband was could be too big, but I am not sure about that cause my band was removed six months before first sleeve in states. I have lost 20pounds at six weeks post-op and my sleeve is now working like everyone elses does. I have more restriction and don't feel hungry all the time, I just pray that these postive things cont. Thanks again for caring enough to checkup on me. Vickie

I am going back to Dr. Almanza on Feb 27th for a resleeve and poss. duodenal switch. My coordinator told me that when Dr. Almanza did the gastric bypass and duodenal switch he was always assisted by Dr. Ponce de Leon. I saw his name a couple of times on here last year when I was first researching the gastric sleeve, but I didn't pay much attention because he wasn't the doctor that I had chosen to do my surgery. Any information that any of his previous patients could give me would be great because my surgery date is coming up soon and I want to know how is going to be helping with my surgery if I chose that route.

the title of your post screams you are indeed blaming the surgeon. No reasonable person would conclude otherwise. Sorry if others thought I was trying to be "unreasonable" or was trying to "scream" anything with my title. I was only trying to draw attention to the fact that I had a failed sleeve. I named the doctor because I was hoping to talk to any of his previous patients that had went through a similiar experience. I was wanting to talk to these patients because from the way I have been told that the resleeve will be done it is a different technique from other doctors and would be one that only his previous patients would be familiar with. I am not trying to assign blame but just seeking all the information that I can get before I go in for another serious surgery. So far I have only talked with one of the previous patients who went through the same think as me, and that was a great help so I was hoping to built on that knowledge. This board has been and continues to be a great source of information for me as I make lots of hard decisions about my healthcare. I want to thank all those who have been a great help with these issues, wish me luck and keep me in your prayers, I"ll update after I get back from Mexico.

I never said I was blaming the surgeon because I am going back to him on Feb 27th to have this fixed with either a resleeve or a resleeve with a DS. I have always been able to eat more than I felt I should and have been hungry often, and this was something that I shared with the doctor and his staff early on. I am sure that after having had a lapband removed that I had scar tissue and I am thinking maybe some of that has something to do with the out come of my sleeved stomach shape. Yes I do know what to eat and how to exercise because I had the band for year before and was sucessful with it, it was removed due to numerous port flips that lead to and errosion and then band infection. I didn't come on here for a lecture, if you read my post again you will see that I was just venting and hoping to find someone who may have wen tthrough a similiar situation. Thanks to everyone for the words of incouragement and care and for answer the questions that others have had.

I was told that more staples would be put at the top part of the stomach if needed.

If you don't like this doctor you might also want to look at Dr. Sonnanstine at Georgetown. He is great, he treated my complications with my lapband when the bluegrass doctors refused me because I had the band placed somewhere else. Later he removed my lapband and would have done my sleeve but insurance would not pay for it so I was a selfpay in Mexico back in Jananuary. I love the sleeve. Good luck in your journey, and if you have any questions e-mail me.

I just had my lap band removed three weeks ago. Doctor said everything looked good and there was no erosion. My question is, does the pouch where the band was at go back to pre band shape or is it now going to remain smaller. I am still having some left over symptoms of when I had the band; such as not being able to eat past a certain amount without getting upset stomach and/or pain.

I had the sleeve with Dr. Almanza on 01/10/2011 and I am doing great. Don't know anyone who's had the plication with him, there was a patient who was scheduled for one the day after my surgery but after meeting with the doctor he changed over to the sleeve and did great afterward too. The clinic you will be in the first 24 hours after surgery is very small and in a strip mall setting, and I would think you daughter would have too hangout in the upstairs lobby where there are couches if she stays becasue there did look to be any extra space other than patient beds. I was in a room with another patient and we had a small walking path between the beds and a recliner at foot of bed so she could crash there. If the recovery house isn't full she would be very comfortable there if you are okay without her for that one night. She coud stay unitl you wakeup from surgery and then the driver would take her to the house and you would join her the following morning. The recovery house is a small condo/house in a gated community that has a total of ten beds in four bed rooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, dining area, and small sitting area, outside there is a small uphill street with a small patio off side of house. The beds are for patients first and if there is room the family members get one, if it were a busy week she might not even have a bed but a place on a couch, there are two small ones in the sitting area and another in the four bed suite. Everyone was like a big happy family when I was there, and the housekeeper/cook fixes big meals and will fix anything you like if you send out to buy things you like by one of the employees. The only time I was out in the car was when I went to have my leak test xrays done, we were scheduled to go out later that evening to shop but plans fell through, the drivers are very busy shuffling patients to and from san diego and to and from the clinic and test. I only tipped the driver who returned me to the airport for an early departure, he picked me up at 4:30am. Either location of the hampton inn is great because they offer the most hours of free shuttle service to and from the airport at around $90 night. Everyone associated with Dr. Almanza was great, very friendly with huge smiles, and everyone works very hard for the job they each have. Hope this helps, if you have more questions feel free to send me a private message. Good Luck.

Don't worry I am sure you will look smoking hot. I have been fat and then skinny many times and I must say the skinny me is super hot and the fat me is barely passable. You are doing a wonderful thing for yourself so move forward with all the excitment you can find, and never look back. Just think of all the great clothing you can wear when you reach your goal weight. I know for me I'll have to sell a kidney to afford that new wardrobe I'm going to need.

I am in the process of making my final plans to have my gastric sleeve done in Mexico on 01/10/11, by Dr. Kelly or Almanza depending on the final cost. If I develop a leak while I am in Mexico after the initial sleeve surgery will I be out additional expenses or is that covered because it happended immediately after surgery. After I get home if I were to develop a leak in the first few weeks and/or months after surgery what would the cost of the leak repair be if I return to the doctor in Mexico.

I work as a nurse and my typical patient is usually elderly, a new post op patient, a recent moderate to severe stroke victim, a bariatric patient who had a bad outcome, an accident victim, and/or a person who has been debilitated for a long period of time. The typical patient is a one person hard tranfer or a two person mild transfer. They weight anywhere from 100lbs to 500lbs, with the average being around 200lbs. They need to be tranferred into and out of the bed/wheelchair/bathroom and lifted and repositioned often while in bed, I work three-12 hour night shifts in a row so lots of this. I am hoping to have my sleeve done during a two week planned vacation, and return back to work about 10 days post op. I will be able to avoid a lot of the lifting by saying that I have had stomach surgery, but there is always times when it is hard to do. For anyone out there that is in a job like mine with this type of lifting, what is the amount of time you took off. I want to let my body heal properly, but at the same time I hate to make my co-workers work a lot of extra days to cover my days if I am off, so I would like to be back as soon as possible. Worse case I can tell my boss that I had the surgery and will only work if there are always two other people there with me, sometime there is only me and another worker. I hate to take this road because there are to many things that can go wrong and it is a major hassle to always make sure everyone hasn't forgotten that I need these needs met. Plus I hate feeling like I am whining or not pulling my weigh, I went through a year and a half of many complications with my lap band so everyone knows I have had these type needs in the past, so I really hate to go down that road once again. Any advice would be welcomed.

I thought the title was eye catching and fitting for my questions. I am hoping to be sleeved in the first couple weeks in the new year, and have a few questions for those who have done more research than me in these areas. I have an active sex life and wanted to know what is the amount of time that I need to abstain to allow my new stomach to heal properly. I have bought my chewable Vitamins and I can see that they don't offer the different amounts that my usual vitamins do, when will I be able to resume taking my regular vitamins. Lastly the rock & roll part; I have a very active professional and social life and like to do lots of different things that may not be too good for a new sleeve patient. When is it safe, if ever, to have a drink or two, and when is it safe to get into a moderate paced workout, dancing routine. Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

Thanks for all the good information. I am getting sleeved on 01/10/2011 with Dr. Kelly, and I am getting super excited right now.

The bad outcomes from bariatric surgery were mostly from one doctor in the area, who has now moved to another state, and a few from the local doctors who are through the hospital I work at. A few were lap bands that had problems that turned into other problems, but most were from gastric bypass or DS surgeries. The bypass/DS patients were ones that were usually over 400pounds, got put on a vent after surgery and then took a while to come off. Once they did get discharged from ICU they have to come to rehab because now they are weak from post op diet intake, being bedridden, and as a result stay where I am at for weeks. They usually go home with family and home health care, some even go to a nursing home. Being fat and the road to being skinny is a scary thing, but I can't not walk it because I see what happens when you don't. I had an obese 35 year old co-worker who had one large and two smaller strokes last week that were a direct result of bad lifestyle and being obese.

The waiting is the hardest part. I am going to Dr. Kelly to be sleeved on 01/10/2011. I can't wait to be skinny again.

I am hoping to have my sleeve with Dr. Kelly sometime around January 10th, depending on if I can round up the $6300 during this crunch time of year. If I can not get it saved up then I will have to go sometime in February. Nice to know there are others who understand, are going through the same things, and will be there if I need someone to talk to.

Had my lap band done in Mexico and that was a piece of cake compared to the removal here in the states. I felt like a bus had ran over me with the removal. When I had it put in I flew cross country on second day post op and drove my self two hour trip home from airport.

Dr. Kelly does the band to sleeve revision at a very good price, you might want to e-mail him to get a price quote. I understand about the price too, I was self pay for my lap band, self pay for all lap band complications, and now that my band is gone I'll be self pay for my sleeve, so price is always on my mind.

I had my lap band removed a little over six months ago due to numerous port problems, and it just not working for me. Due to having no erosion or slippage the doctor said my stomach looked great, and that I could have a sleeve done with no problems. What is the price with the doctors in Mexico for someone like me, would I be charged as a revision or not since I have little to no damage that will need repaired.

I had a lap band that was removed after a lot of problems in 08/2010, and I am now looking to have the gastric sleeve. I am a self pay so money is a huge issue, and will help in part determine the choice of doctor that I use in Mexico. I had my lap band placed in Mexico and have been back there several times, so I am not afraid to have surgery there but I feel I need to make an informed choice. What I would like is for anyone that will to please tell me your doctors name, what the cost of your sleeve was, what kind of staples and or suturing were used during surgery, and what kind of leak tests were performed. The price is the second deciding factor with the suturing/staples and leak tests being first on my list of requirements. Thanks in advance for anyone that posts information, it is the people like you that pave the way for people like me, and without your valuable input we would be at a lose when we make our decisions. Also when I do go to Mexico for my sleeve I will be paying cash and as such will be there with very little extra money or access to extra money if needed. With that in mind what happens if I were to have complications from surgery, how does the cost of paying for that work? Here in US if you have complications that are an emergency they are fixed and the cost is billed to you later, but I don't have any ideal how that works in Mexico. I saw one site that gave the package price but then stated that it didn't cover any complications.

I understand about keeping the secret about your sleeve because I am hoping to go to Mexico in the next couple of weeks and have mine and I will be telling no one. I had a lap band for three years, that my husband begged me not to get, and my husband was only person who knew I had it. After it didn't work for me and I went through a lot of problems with the complications and the removal, I wouldn't dare tell him I was getting the sleeve. He is just scared for me, like I'm sure your husband is, but in the end it is my body and my choice. Even though I will have to beg/borrow/steal for the money I will make a way, because I am so unhappy without the help that I need to get my health and life back. Do what is right for you and keep him informed and in the end he will be by your side and support you when you need it.

I am hoping to be sleeved in Jan. My choice of doc is still up in the air. If my insurance comes throught here at home then I will be using Dr. Sonnanstine in georgetown Ky. If I have to be a self pay I am going to go to Dr. Kelly in Mexico. He sounds like the best choice for me at a very good price. Either way I know I can't wait much longer. I had my lap band removed in August and have gained about 10 pounds already in addition to the extra weight I gained during the last year when I was having problems with my band. Overall I am about 30pounds from my lowest weight and going into this holiday season I am so depressed and can't wait for my sleeve.

I had my lap band placed in Mexico. The first two years were fine but I could never get the proper fill level, and after the first two years I had a year of hell that started with a flipped port, and ended with an infected internal band from the orginal flipped port that finally ended in band removal. If the sleeve had been available when I got the band I would never have considered the band if I had it to do over again. Good luck with your choice.