Want2surf

I packed a little bag which my parents brought later. I packed my phone, IPad, toiletries (each room had a bathroom with shower), underwear and slip on tennis shoes. I had lap band removal, gastric sleeve and hernia repair. I was at the hospital 2 1/2 days and I was out of it much of the time. The hospital gave us a little bag with Chapstick and mouthwash which I did use. I never did watch TV, read or go online...mostly slept . I did put on the underwear and did use the slip on shoes to walk around to prevent clots and help with gas.

I just had surgery 5/4. I had low BMI and an existing lap band that I needed to have removed and revised to a sleeve . They still required me to go through the program. So...12 weeks of classes with a 2 week delay because of the holidays. Then labs, evaluation by Bariatrics doctor and evaluation by family therapist and finally pre op evaluation with the surgeon. Things moved quickly after classes ended. I had surgery 2 months after classes ended and others in my class got done a few weeks sooner than I did. I got delayed because my PMD wouldn't sign off without seeing me in person and it took awhile to get an appointment with her. We were told we could be denied if we gained weight. Most people in my class lost weight because they were motivated and really trying hard. Delays can result because of things like low iron.

Had band to sleeve revision on May 4. I'm 14 days out. First day off liquids and on puréed foods. Doing great!

I add 2 tablespoons of PB2 to mine. It's only 45 calories and has protein. I figure 45 calories is a small price to pay to make the shakes palatable.

I'm 14 days post op and wishing the best for all of you!

That's great!

I know this is an old thread but I don't want to clutter things up by starting a new one. I'm new and not sure whether a new post bumps up a thread? I had terrible reflux after I lost all my weight with a lap band. Literally, as soon as I got really thin I became miserable with constant burning and night cough. I used everything available OTC. I ate so many Tums that I showed up with elevated Calcium in labs done for a work physical. My band was done in Mexico and I didn't have aftercare. I finally saw my PMD 2 years ago and was prescribed something that didn't work at all. I went back and was prescribed omeprazole which worked like a charm. No more burning. I am day 11 post op after lap band to sleeve conversion, including hernia repair. I've been given liquid Ranitidine to take for 1 month and told not to take my omeprazole. All my old symptoms came back yesterday. Burning chest, constantly clearing throat. I see my surgeon for post op appointment today and I'm hoping for a medication change. I haven' done anything I can thing of to cause this. I've had only premade Protein drinks, Water, V-8 and chicken broth. The v-8 was 4 days ago. I did get a virus/infection at the hospital and ended up with sore throat and ear aches. PMD gave me nasal spray but I've research here and found several people that take it without any problem.

I had the revision done 5/4. My wounds are healing really well. Bruising around wounds has diminished to almost zero. Today i get the drain removed from my abdomen. The drain is a bit of a pain because you have to try to hide if you want to go anyplace but it doesn't hurt and it's actually kind of interesting seeing and tracking what comes out through it. I had my first touch of reflux yesterday and today (days 11 and 12). I'm staying at my folks' house because I was told not to drive and I hadn't expected that. So...I don't have all the foods here that I had gotten ahead of time. While here I've been doing 2 costco Protein shakes a day, 1 small can of V-8 (just because it tastes good and feels like real food), 1/2 cup of chicken broth (some days) and Water (sometimes Isopure Protein Water). I haven't felt hungry. I have felt extremely thirsty but my surgeon requires you to pour all intake into a one ounce medical cup and drink it over 15 minutes. I think I have the reflux because I got impatient yesterday and drank too much Soup too quickly. Sorry to be so wordy! I've been cooped up in my parents' house for 11 days and trying not to drive them crazy. As I related in an earlier post, I have a nasty virus or infection giving me earaches, sore throat, sore jaw, sore teeth. Something I got at the hospital and it isn't getting better so it skews my perception of this healing process a bit. There is definitely no comparison between band recovery and band to sleeve revision recovery. By this time after banding I was back at work and I was a firefighter. My surgeon this time around doesn't allow weight lifting until 4-6 weeks out, driving and stuff like vacuuming the floor until 2 weeks out.

Hi there, I had the lap band put in in 2001 and removed in 2010 due to 2 port disconnects. I am not looking into getting the sleeve. Did your insurance cover the sleeve? What it difficult to meet the qualifications? Thank you. I was very lucky that my Kaiser insurance covered the conversion from band to sleeve. I didn't think they would. I had a very old band done in Mexico. I've had Kaiser for 40 years but I did the band in Mexico because Kaiser didn't do them back them. I did have to go through their 8 weeks of informational classes, around of medical test and psyche testing even though I was within 15 pounds of goal weight. The classes were helpful. I made friends and they helped prep me mentally for the sleeve process. I didn't think I needed that but I really did. Having had the band in for 8 years, I'd developed a very limited scope of what I could eat and not throw up. I'd forgotten how to eat like a normal person. It wasn't difficult to ask for the band removal. I just told them I throw up constantly and basically had been living on popcorn and tea for years. The conversion part took more convincing but not that much because I'm pretty shy and passive and yet here I am, 12 days about from my revision surgery.

Got the band at age 47. Came out of anesthesia with mild problems (I was freezing and had to be treated with space heaters and warm blankets) but recovery was super quick. I literally had surgery at 9 pm, was released at 11 am and was out shopping that same afternoon. I never used any of the pain medication. A week ago, I had the band to sleeve conversion, including a repaired hernia. It's been a lot harder. I'm now aged 54. I was hospitalized for 2.5 days. I have a stomach drain for 15 days. I spent the first 3 days using maximum pain med dosage and struggling to get Protein and fluids down. Stopped the pain meds on day 5 and got more active. Day 7 woke up with severe sore throat and bilateral ear aches. Spent all day Sunday trying internet remedies to help ear pain. Took surgery pain meds so I could sleep. Today emailed surgeon and was told to see PMD. Got a late appointment and was given Flonase. Ear pain still worse than surgery pain was so I've just taken pain meds again so I can sleep after sitting up all night with warm compresses on ears. I think I picked up an infection from the hospital but they don't like to give antibiotics so I'm using the Flonase and hoping for relief. This is day 8. I have no abdominal pain. I have good mobility. Other than ear aches my biggest difficulty is staying on top of Fluid and protein consumption. My surgeon requires 1 ounce spread over 15 minutes. This takes all day and all night. I keep falling asleep and losing time. I thought it would be easier. I premade cute food logs. I got my phone alarm app ready to go. I haven't met my intake or exercise goals at all. I think I got this virus or infection at the hospital and it has me feeling tired and out of it. Ear aches are the worst. No wonder little kids cry so much when they have them. I think if I didn't have this side issue going on I would be out walking and doing better with fluid intake, so I'm guessing for a low BMI conversion you can be fairly recovered in a week's time. Wash hands often while hospitalized and don't allow a nurse to reinsert a nasal cannula that was dragged across the floor as I did!

I just had a band to sleeve conversion done on 5/4. I had zero nausea but the pain at incision sites (6 plus drain) and my left shoulder have been severe every day. I'm using maximum dose of pain killer at four days out. Let me add that it is worth it. It feels so good not to have the pressure at the band site and no more throwing up. It hurts right now but overall it's a good thing and I'm feeling optimistic. Let me add: I'm at day 12. I stopped pain meds at day 5. All gas pain was gone. No gas pain since and only slight tugging pain at incisions when I blow my nose or laugh too hard. When I read the beginning of m post from a few days I sound like such a baby! It's funny, I was at the hospital for 2.5 days because I had the conversion and a hernia repair done all at once. I was walking around that place like a maniac on day 2 but when I came home I wasn't as active and my shoulder started to hurt.. What people say here about walking is definitely true. Keep it up when you get home too, even if it's just little circles around the living room.

Every body is different and you will have to wait to see how things turn out with yours. My cousin started out a lot heavier than I was. He's 5 years younger. He had virtually no draping skin after he lost weight. I had surgery at age 47. I started at 230 and dropped below 120 at times and my abdomen and thighs are saggy BUT i've gained and lost a lot of weight twice and I think that contributed. I agree with everybody else that having saggy skin is far better than being obese and unhealthy. Sure, I don't wear bikinis but I get cute tankini's from Title Nine and I don't think anybody is horrified to look at me. I used to go to work and the supermarket and that was it. Now I'm out doing all sorts of things.

I was banded in Mexico in 2007 and I'm having a revision done by Kaiser So Cal on 5/4. I had old X-rays and info about my band but my doctor didn't need any of that. They did a scan so he could see the condition of the band and port sites. He said he takes out bands from other doctors, including those in Mexico all the time. I think it's becoming very common for some of us with the older bands to finally become fed up with the throwing up and problems.

I have revision surgery on 5/4. I'm a little scared because of the damage the band caused.

We live in a parallel universe! I haven't been in a restaurant in over a year because I hate that sudden need to run for the bathroom. I'm getting a revision on 5/4 and I'm excited to live life without throwing up. I'm scared too but I think we will be fine.

I'm having a revision done on 5/4. I started at 230 lbs and got banded in Mexico in 2007. I dropped as low as 119 pounds because I threw up so much. I couldn't even get Water to go through much of the time. I had the band unfilled in 2010 and my weight bounced up and down between 120 and 170 depending on whether I let myself starve because I couldn't get healthy foods through the band or I gave up and ate crackers and cheetos and popcorn (which for some reason would go through the band). My insurance (Kaiser) approved the revision to a sleeve because of the problems with the band. An upper GI showed it hadn't slipped but was too tight, even unfilled. I was afraid they would say no because I weighed 145 when I first started this revision process but they approved it. I actually gained 10 pounds during the Pre Op classes because I had to travel so far to get to the classes that my exercise program fell apart. I'm glad to know I'm not alone here. I've been living with the band and the throwing up and the problems for so long. I looking forward to drinking water, even if it's just little sips. Document your problems and see a doctor. If you're having problems they might say yes to the revision.

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I'm using Perfect Fit from the ToneItUp Workout site's shop. It's vegan and organic. The chocolate tastes pretty good, the Vanilla not so great. They also have unflavored and Cinnamon Roll, which I haven't tried. The problem is that each serving only has 15 grams of Protein. The calories are low (70) so you can double up but I think this makes it more expensive than other brands. That's why I'm here today trying to find out what others here are using. My band to sleeve conversion is in a few weeks and I need to get my supplies together for post surgery.

I know this is an old thread but thought maybe people are still interested. I was interested enough to click on it. I'm at 8 years, 2 months. I lost 15 pounds below goal weight in 14 months and maintained for several years. I eventually gained back 50 pounds. Then I lost 45 pounds and now I've gained back 20. I'm in process to get the band removed and a revision to gastric sleeve. My band is too tight even when unfilled. Most foods won't go through even after sitting in the pouch for hours. I was able to gain weight because I found certain, unhealthy foods (cheetos, cookies) would pass through. Thus the revision. My diet has been horrible since banding because even Water won't go through a lot of the time. The sleeve will let me eat a variety of healthy foods.

That's a great question! I only told family and a few coworkers when i I got banded. They were all very supportive and happy for me. I got "outed" to friends and acquaintences by my ex boyfriend at a party. It's been 8 years but I still get this when I run into neighbors and old friends: "hey you look really good...still got that thing on your stomach keeping you skinny?"

I have a lap band and had lost past my goal weight. I started having problems with the band. I found out it was too tight and always had been. I couldn't get most foods down despite following all the rules and having had the band completely unfilled. Despite a band that never functioned properly, I had lost all my weight and kept it off for 6 years. I had exercised much of that time. Eventually, I had gotten too thin and I felt tired all the time. I started eating popcorn, cheetos and other Snacks because that is what I could reliably get down. My weight stopped dropping and started to climb a bit. I retired from a very physically active job and stopped exercising due to some depression because I missed work. That is when I really started to gain some weight back. I gained back to my original goal weight and then another 40 pounds. I had past success at weight loss but I felt I needed a jump start. I needed to get out of the house and into a new routine. I researched weight loss resorts and found the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu. There was a sale going on so I pulled out some retirement funds and scheduled a month at the resort at $1900 per week. I lost 14 pounds during the month I was there. I think they had us on a 1600 calorie per day diet. I couldn't eat even half the food because of my band. We literally exercised all day. There was a morning hike of 5-7 miles. You dashed from one workout class to the next. They had really good classes on nutrition too. The program was great. I loved it and really benefited from it. I came home and lost an additional 30 pounds on my own. You have to keep in mind though that I went in at 172 pounds, which isn't that big, so I was able to really work hard and burn a lot of calories there. I noticed that people that were much larger had a hard time keeping up during the workouts and they had a greater tendency to skip out on classes and hide in their rooms. I think the resort was great (the Malibu location closed down in January but there is a non-BLR affiliated resort in the same spot that just opened), if you could afford it, BUT it involves extremely rigorous exercise that isn't sustainable after leaving there. I'm single and retired and I didn't manage to keep it up. I've gained back 20 pounds. I did love it though and would go back there in a heartbeat (to the new place that opened). None of the staff where I went ever criticized or even mentioned WLS. I don't remember whether I had to tell them in the medical history. I didn't tell my fellow guests. In my opinion, somebody with a lot of weight to lose that has a job and a family to take care of just might need a more permanent solution or a combination of solutions. I can definitely see having WLS and once you find you have good mobility and can do hikes (they have varying levels of difficult including a level hike for those with injured knees) and exercise...go to a fitness resort for motivation, exercise training and fellowship. I made some good friends during my stay. It's a good option if you need a jump start, like I did. Also to add...I'm an introvert and have avoided support groups. The fact that I paid a small fortune to go to the resort made me come out of my shell and talk to the other guests and the trainers.

I had a band put in 2/07. I lost 95 pounds over 18 months with the band, which wasn't too bad considering I had it done in Mexico and had zero aftercare. I learned how to take care of myself and eat via the bander sites. I never knew there was anything weird about my band during the first few years because I was losing weight and assumed I was throwing up a lot because I was eating the wrong things. As time went on I kept losing and eventually dropped 15 pounds below my goal. That wasn't good because I worked in a very physical job and I had gotten too small to do my job effectively. I tried eating so many different foods, eating slowly, eating standing up, eating and walking, exercising then eating, drinking hot tea before eating and various relaxation techniques. I never had more than 1cc put into the band and when I reached my goal I had 1/2 cc taken out. Kaiser started providing care for banders, although they didn't have true bariatric care in my area at that time. I saw a GP, she sent me for an upper GI and they said my stomach was completely occluded at the band site. No Fluid passed through. They unfilled the band and said I had been banded with a band that was too tight. It won't make sense if you haven't had a band but eating and drinking, for me, is so hit and miss. Even with the band unfilled I throw up A LOT. Sometimes I can't get Water to go through and I can never get Protein shakes to go through. Monday I can eat 1/2 a tuna sandwich but Tuesday if I try to eat the same thing it will sit in my pouch for hours without passing through. I learned that popcorn goes through always. It seems to be a texture thing. So do certain chips and crackers. So I started eating things I knew would go through. This seemed to relax the band and I would immediately chase these snack foods with water because I'm perpetually dehydrated because I can't drink. Sometimes I can eat a small salad or a little bit of chicken but not often. The result is I gained back over 40 pounds because I was eating Snacks. I retired and didn't replace all the work activity with exercise at home. I'm not getting proper nutrition so I don't feel like doing anything. After retiring I went to the Biggest Loser Resort a year and a half ago and lost the 40 pounds but after falling off the exercise wagon I'm up 20 pounds again. It's crazy I can't eat but I'm gaining weight. I bought a Vitamix and I'm constantly experimenting with healthy stuff, vegan stuff, you name it. It's all wasted money because it rarely passes through and I'm back to popcorn and cheetos. If you're wondering what I mean by "won't go through"...the food sits in the pouch for hours. You can feel a constant discomfort from it. If you go to sleep the food sometimes comes up and you wake up aspirating. After years of experience I can tell what is going through immediately, what might go through with time and what isn't going through and probably won't. Kaiser now has a bariatric center in my area. I saw a surgeon, had another upper GI and some X-rays. The surgeon confirmed that the band is and always has been too tight, even when unfilled. They're going to do a band to sleeve conversion. I'm so relieved. My eating has been so abnormal for 8 years! I thought about just getting the band out but I'm worried about gaining all the weight back. I finished my Options Classes and now have to do the psyche evaluation and an MD appointment and I'm ready to go! I did lose weight with the band but it wasn't through healthy eating...it was via near starvation. My new surgeon said my experience is quite common.

I'm adding my story years after the fact in case somebody is googling Dr. Huacuz, like I just did. I don't know whether Dr. Huacuz is still doing lap bands. I was banded by him in 2007. I decided to go to Tijuana because I was desperate. Surgery was much more expensive in the US back then. My BMI was high enough that I was afraid I would lose my job (firefighter) but not high enough to qualify for surgery in the US and with no comorbidities I had no hope of insurance coverage even if my BMI had been high enough. My experience was scary. I was not honest about my experience on the bariatric board I followed back then or in my reviews on the Huacuz Clinic website. This was because I had no aftercare plans and I wanted to stay in the good graces of Dr. Huacuz and staff in case I ran into problems. The clinic had a muddy, dirt parking lot. The nurse was nice but spoke no English so I couldn't ask questions. She was the only person there most of the day. An American psychologist talked to us briefly in the afternoon. There was only one other patient in the clinic that day and we both brought our Moms with us. The showers had only cold water which made me wonder about the sinks where the doctors scrubbed. We were left to wait all day and into the evening without knowing what was happening. The surgeons apparently work elsewhere during the day and came in at night. My surgery was at 9 pm. In the middle of the night (post surgery) the building alarm went off. The nurse (again the only person there) was frightened and told us in broken English there was a break in. My Mom looked out the window and saw people in handcuffs being led out the front door and put into the back of a pickup by men with assault weapons. Included with the surgery was a night in a hotel that was across the street but we were so shaken up by the conditions that I asked to have the IV removed so I could get the fluoroscopy done and leave as soon as possible. They allowed me to do that. I came back to Huacuz a month later and had a 1cc fill. My band was always so tight. I never had another fill. I lost all weight to goal which was about 105 pounds including pre surgery diet period. I never had any post surgery care. I learned what I needed to get by from the bariatric boards. I vomited a lot. My hair fell out. I found very few foods I could keep down. I drank hot tea. I drank cold tea. I tried to meditate. I stretched, walked around and hopped up and down. Sometimes I couldn't even get protein drinks or water to go through the band. I had the band unfilled. It still felt tight. To do this day I feel constant pressure at the band site and have problems eating. I dropped too much weight and, ironically, became too small to do my job properly. My goal weight was 130 pounds and at one point I was nearing 115 pounds (at 5'4"). People said I looked unhealthy. My BP was always low and I constantly felt thirsty. I had read on the band sites that people were able to get crunchy things to go through so after years of trying to eat a proper and varied diet I discovered popcorn, cheetos and wheat thins would go though the band. I also found that immediately after eating these junk foods I was able to drink liquids (especially diet soda) without throwing up. Once I started eating this "bad" stuff, I didn't stop and I gained weight up to 172 lbs. I continued to try to eat healthy foods with constant throwing up and feelings of pressure and bloating. Finally..Kaiser SoCal got on the bandwagon and started providing bariatric education and aftercare. I was nervous about going to the doctor because I thought my band experience was unusual and all the problems were my failure to do things correctly. I finally just had an upper GI and chest X-rays done and was told by the bariatric surgeon at Kaiser that my band is and always has been too tight He didn't see how I got any food in at all when it was filled to 1cc. He said it is too tight even though unfilled! I asked him why Huacuz would have put a band on me that was too small. He said he didn't know but Kaiser isn't a fan of bands and won't do them anymore. Last Summer I retired. I went to the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu for a month and lost some of the weight I put on with the cheetos and popcorn. I'm at 140 pounds now. I'm in Kaiser's bariatric education program and working toward getting the band removed and converted to a gastric sleeve. Even though I am within 10 pounds of goal again, I don't trust that I won't regain all the weight I lost after getting the band.