Heather_in_Alabama

Hi everyone. I had the lapband placed on August 26, 2008. When my journey started I was 363 pounds. I had to do the 6 month diet and I got down to 300 pounds the day of surgery. I lost a grand total of 208 pounds getting down to 155 pounds(my goal was 140 pounds). I went from a size 28 to a size 8. In March 2012 I discovered I was pregnant and did as advised and had my band unfilled. I gained 85 pounds and was horrified. I went at 4 weeks postpartum and had my band filled back up and have lost 45 pounds but can NOT get the last 40 back off. My weight fluctuates between 193-198 pounds. I am seriously considering having my band removed and getting the sleeve. Initially I wanted the sleeve but my insurance would not pay for it so I settled and got the band. And just an fyi I have the realize band and I am somewhat of a medical marvel to my weightloss dr and nurse. I currently have 8.25 cc in my band which they tell me is unheard of for a female. They also told me they only have a few males with the realize band that have that much saline in their bands. The realize band is designed to only hold 10cc of Fluid so I don't see it really being an option for me to get more fluid in my band. I mean I know technically I can but it seems almost pointless. So my question is for those of you that did have the band and had it removed and the sleeve procedure performed how has it worked out for you? How much weight did you want to lose when you had the revision and how much have you actually lost? I've attached some pics of me before and after. The after pics are me at my smallest-size 8, 155 pounds.

Thanks for the reply Bearhugs1975!! Did you have pain after your revision? I had no pain after my lapband surgery. But in all fairness at that point I had had 4 c-sections so in comparison the lapband was a cakewalk lol. Lately I have food getting stuck more often than not and I am just tired of it. I won't be able to have a revision until March because I am self pay. I am just ready to have something close to normal again. I don't even go out to eat anymore because the incidents of stuck food cause me to spend the majority of the time in the bathroom