4meonly

I am scheduled for sleeve to bypass surgery January 8th. I am very nervous. I have bile reflux which causes me to vomit many times a day. I, also, have a hiatal hernia. Has anyone heard of anything else that can be done to correct this problem? It seems soooo extreme. Other than this problem, I love my sleeve. I am 5 years out and weigh 135 lbs (5'4").

Eroper, what kind of preop diet will you be on the day before surgery?

I am having mine with Dr. Aceves. I see that you had planned to go with him as well. What changed your mind?

Mine is January 8th, as well.

My sleeve to bypass is scheduled for Jan. 8th.

I am having sleeve to bypass on Jan. 8th.

I, too, will be having the sleeve to bypass surgery. Mine will be done on the 18th of this month (6 days). I have gastric reflux (bile reflux), a hiatal hernia, and have been vomiting several times a day, sometimes with blood. I am curious about the surgery itself. Was there a lot of pain? How quick was your recovery? Are you losing more weight? Did they make your pouch smaller? I had my sleeve done 5 years ago. I weigh 135 lbs. I am not looking to lose anymore weight. Any info would be helpful!! I am a bit worried about the surgery.

WOW!!! Are all the complications attributed to the revision surgery? My lap and to sleeve was done in Mexicali, Mexico. I will contact the doctor there to see what he thinks. I haven't talked with him about my vomiting problem. Thank you for sharing your story.

I am so glad to see these posts. I will give a short history. I had lap band surgery in 2006. In 2008, I had sleeve revision surgery (Mexico-self pay). Starting about 4 years ago, I have had constant heartburn. For the past few years, I have started vomiting after meals, several times a day, at least 3-4 days per week. My weight started at 200 lbs. I am now at 136 ( my lowest was 115 lbs 4 years ago). I have had 3 endoscopes done. All 3 have shown moderate gastritis and a hiatal hernia. For the past 6 months I have started having severe burning in my stomach, different then the heartburn. I am on weekly vitamin B-12 injections and vitamin D supplements. I am wondering if I may need a bypass in order to get past the heartburn, burning and most of all, the vomiting. Any thoughts?

It's funny, I read this thread this morning and just got a call from the doctor saying the results of my blood test show me to be low in Vitamin D. He has prescribed a 50,000 IU tablet/capsule every week for 12 weeks. Then he will retest. Does this dose sound right? I do crave chocolate and eat it daily. I never cared much about chocolate before. Could this be because of the low D? History: Had a revision from band to sleeve in October 2008. My weight is 110, height 5' 4".

It's been a week since my surgery. I had a band to sleeve revision. I have (and have had since surgery) a large lump where my port was. I think it's the same incision they took the band, port, and stomache out of. There is no heat or redness. The incision is healing fine, just a bump. Also, were your BM's green? Is this from the dye used for the leak test? Thank you for any help. Cheryl

I had my revision from band to sleeve almost 3 months ago. I had it done in Mexico by Dr. Aceves. It was a wonderful experience. I had the sleeve done because I was having problems getting the fill level right. I would either be too loose or too tight. After 2 1/2 years of that, I decided to go for the sleeve. I was a self pay, also. The sleeve is great!!!

Angel Nurse, Thank you for your reply. The mass is still there and even if I shouldn't worry about it, I do. It is at the site where my port used to be. It is where the drain was and I'm sure where they removed the band, port and stomach. I don't know that it has gotten any bigger, but it is large. It was there when I left the hospital. My husband and I joked about it being the head of a baby. Anyway, there is no heat or redness. I don't have a fever. The incision seems to be healing well (no redness or swelling of the actual incision line). My pants that were too big before surgery are tight in the waist, even though I am down 10 lbs since surgery. My surgery was done in Mexicali so I would have to go to a doctor that may not know anything about this surgery. He may not know what is normal. Also, I'm sure I would have to pay for any treatment, so...don't want to act too quickly. Now, here is a theory. I have lost all of my excess weight, plus some. I had a tummy tuck last March. Could it be that it's just that I have no excess skin for the mass to 'hide' in? I wonder if I would have even noticed it if I had all the skin I used to have on my stomach. What do you think?

YouKnowIt, I had a revision from band to sleeve on Oct. 20th. I had Dr. Aceves do the revision. He is in Mexicali, Mexico. Great doctors, great staff, great hospital, and great care. The revision is a tougher surgery than a straight sleeve because they are removing the band and port as well as doing the sleeve. You spend 3 nights in the hospital. You spend 1 night (before the surgery) in a beautiful hotel (included in the cost). Let me know if you have any questions. Cheryl

Thanks for your reply WASa, The swelling really doesn't hurt. It's the large swollen mass that's got me. It feels like when I was pregnant and the baby's head (about that size, only softer) was pushing out on my stomach (does that make any sense?). That said, I have to say that it WAS there when I was in the hospital. I commented to my husband and had him feel it. He's the one that made the comment about a baby's head. The doctor never mentioned it. So, it must be normal, in some sense anyway. It's only gotten a bit bigger since I left the hospital. If it were an infection one would think that I'd have a fever, it would be red and draining and painful. I don't have any of that. I haven't missed my band since they unfilled it 3 weeks before surgery. It's nice to talk with someone who has had the same surgery with the same doctor. I get to start on thicker liquids on Thursday. That will be nice. Although, it hasn't been bad. It's hard to get all the liquids down with just clear fluids. I've enjoyed the popcicles!! Can you eat just about anything now? Did you get my email telling you that Dr. Aceves no longer does a 34 bougie? He now does 36. I couldn't talk him into doing the smaller one on me. I went into the hospital at about 128 and am now 120. I have a feeling I will lose more than I want in the next 3 weeks. Thank you. Cheryl

Also, the swollen spot is where the drain came out of and was left open to close on its on. Cheryl

WASaBubbleButt, Hi. I'm one week out from my band to sleeve surgery. I have a bit of pain where the port was, otherwise, I'm doing well. My question, I have a pretty big lump (and have had it since the surgery) where the port was. There is no redness or heat around the incision. The incision has closed very nicely. Did you have this swelling? I wasn't worried in the beginning, but am wondering how long this will be here. I think I remember someone mentioning this happening (I don't know if it was the doctor or online). Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Hi, I've been reading the sleeve threads for awhile now. I've enjoyed reading about the experiences of all of you. I have a date for my revision. I will get my sleeve on October 20th. I will be going to Mexico and having it done by Dr. Aceves. I have been very pleased with the personal attention given me by Nina the Patient Coordinator. I got the band in March of 2006. I have had great success! I went down from 200 lbs to 125 lbs (low of 115 lbs). My problem is similar to WASaBubblebutt. I am currently on 3 weeks of liquids in order for the doctor to do everything at the same time. He wants to make sure I don't have a slip or any swelling at the time of surgery. I would love to hear from others who have used Dr. Aceves. I'd especially like to hear from those who have been revised from band to sleeve. (But, would love to hear the experiences of anyone who has gotten a sleeve.) What was the surgery like? Pain? Drains? Time in surgery? What you ate after surgery? Did you fear a leak? Nina says that they have never had a patient with a leak. That's reassuring. I have so many questions!! We will be driving from the Seattle area to Mexico. We will stop every hour on the return so I can walk around. What do you think of this? Will it be too uncomfortable? Soon to be a sleeved sister, :cool2: Cheryl

I arrived in Mexicali, Mexico this afternoon. I will be having my Lap Band to Sleeve surgery on Monday morning. Dr. Aceves will be doing the surgery for me. I had all the pretests done today. My husband and I will enjoy the pool and walk the city tomorrow. I'm excited to be having this done!!

Mac, Thank you for your encouragement. WASA, I can't believe I'm here. So far, everyone has been great. We parked in the AA parking lot and we were picked up and taken to the hospital. I met Yolanda who seems very nice. I also met the nurse who will be taking care of me. Her name is Karen. I had all the tests done and was taken to the hotel. We will be picked up at 7:00 tomorrow morning. I was told somewhere that the revision patients are taken last because he wants to have as much time as he needs. Did you find this to be true? If so, what did you do all day waiting to be taken in for surgery? How much weight did you lose the 1st month? Did you take the sleeping pill the night before surgery? I feel very confident, so am thinking I may not. I asked about the spinal, as you suggested. As long as they can do the spinal when I'm in 'twilight sleep', I'll do that. That's what I had when I had my TT. Thanks for the suggestion. They said I could eat whatever I want today. I had a great tasting shrimp dish at the hotel restruant last night. Their soup was great. I wanted a caesar salad but my husband was afraid for me to eat the lettuce. Did you have salad while here? They asked how I heard about them and I told them that I heard from a previous patient. I told them your name, but didn't know your last name. Just in case there is some 'special' thing you get for referring a patient. Honestly, without your help and encouraging posts, I would not be here right now! You have been so good and patient about answering questions. I really appreciate it. Thank you. I will try and post on Tuesday. Cheryl

Thank you for all the well wishes. I am anxious to get this done. I have been totally unfilled for almost 3 weeks now. I have been able to eat just about anything for the past 2 weeks. I haven't gained but a pound or so. I'm happy for that. We will be leaving for Mexicali tomorrow. We plan on meeting a driver on the US side of the border at 1:00, Saturday afternoon. They are letting me have all of the tests done on Saturday. That way, we have all day Sunday to do some sightseeing. That should be fun. I have surgery on Monday, and should be out on Thursday morning. I am a little concerned about the long drive home (Seattle area). We plan on going slow and stopping every hour or two. Denise, the revision from lapband to sleeve is costing me $12,500. My insurance won't cover it. Since I've already had the TT done, this should be it for me. Cheryl

skhopp, I did very well with the band until about 1 year ago (about 1 1/2 years out). At that time I was down to 115 lbs. I couldn't keep anything down. I would get an unfill and gain weight, a fill and I'd bring everything up. This was a fill or unfill of only .1 cc. The doctor has done 3 endoscopes and 1 upper GI in the last year. They all come back normal. He says he can't figure it out. So, after seeing WASaBubbleButt's thread, I decided to do some research on the sleeve. I like what I see, so will be having it done one week from today. I'm actually very excited. I would like to lose 5-10 lbs and then just maintain. That would put me at 118-123 lbs. Thats a good weight for my 5'4" frame. Cheryl

Nazzy, The revision from band to sleeve is going to cost me $12,500. That's the cost in Calexico. This doctor has been used by many of the regulars on LBT. I've heard nothing but good things about Dr. Aceves and his staff. Cheryl

Oops, I meant to say, It was nice to have normal food and not throw it up. Sorry.