shaundra

i am struggling with choosing between happiness within myself and financial problems. heres my story...ths short version i have had the lapband for a little over 4 years, i painfully got to my goal weight before my band slipped. i gained back 50 lbs and had my band repositioned. well its been 2 months and i havent lost a single pound. i know in my heart i made the wrong choice by having my band fixed instead of getting the sleeve. so now i have chosen a doctor and have started saving money and will have the rest of it in 2 months. heres the problem, im a full time student and money is tight. if i choose to do the surgery i will be broke when i come home. i know most people will say i should wait but i havent been this depressed in years. i need to have this surgery and get back to my goal weight, i never leave the house anymore and i have completly stopped talking to everyone in my life. i am always tired and have NO energy to even play with my daughter. honestly, i have no interest in anything anymore except being in bed. my question is, would you go through with having the surgery even if it was a bad financial decision? thanks for listening, shaundra

im looking for anyone who has had a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Ramos Kelly in Tijuana, Mexico. please share your experience with me! i originally had my band done in Tijuana 4 years ago but it was not with Dr. Kelly. Im not scared of going to Mexico, or even scared of traveling alone but i have a fear of dying from complications. i know, i know probably just me being paranoid, but its a real concern. i have a 5 year old daughter that i want to watch grow up please....any info is appreciated. thank you, shaundra

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sadie_mo, im from oklahoma city. i have checked prices on flying out from dallas because sometimes its a lot cheaper but as of now its about the same. maybe when i actually book my flight it will change. please look me up next time you are on facebook. (shaundra barnett) i have 2 pages because i lost the login info for the original one, so just send a friend request to both of them, but i think its the first one on the list. where do you gamble? i have been to a few of the casinos but dont go very often due to finances.

yay!!!! sadie_mo i have been trying to decide on feb 14th or the 21st. if you and your husband will adopt me i know my prayers have been answered! i have been so scared to go alone and just knowing someone else there will be great. where are you traveling from? have you paid your deposit yet? im from oklahoma. i wil be paying my deposit next friday. im crossing my fingers that i can get on the schedule for the 21st.

it is none of their business!!! gah that makes me angry too. im not telling anyone besides my mother about my surgery for this reason. whats your surgery day? and who is doing your surgery? im going to dr kelly sometime in feb. im asking because im going alone and im hoping to meet someone who will be there same time as me. good luck!!!

hi everyone! im trying to find a doctor in mexico where i can have a band to sleeve revision. i had my band placed in mexico originally due to price. price is a huge factor for me and i can not afford to do it here in the states. i am wanting to hear everyones story who had a band to sleeve revision or even just a sleeve done in mexico. can you please tell me who did your surgery, how much it cost and what your experience was like? thank you in advance!! shaundra

hi vickie, i did speak to dr kellys coordinator and i am sold. she was so nice and helpful, i havent booked a date yet due to finances but it will be in the next few months. dr kellys training was impressive and i feel completly safe going to him. have you set a date yet? or decided on your doctor? keep me posted please.

i had my band slip fixed by him in october. he is great! although i hate my band he did a great job and is a very caring doctor. his staff is so nice and will go out of their way to help you.dont worry about a thing. dr jay is wonderful!

i also have a band that i got in mexico 4 years ago. i did great for 3 1/2 years until my band slipped. i was even at my goal weight. the thing is though i had to have my band really tight to lose the weight, and honestly i got sick multiple times a day. if i would have known about the sleeve back then i would not have chose the band. even though i lost 120 pounds with the band i was miserable. its amazing how fast i gained weight back after it slipped. i have gained back 45 pounds in 6 months. i did have my slip fixed and regret it every minute of every day. i am now in the process of having my band removed and converting to the sleeve. money is what is holding me back because i just paid $5000 2 months ago to have this darn band fixed. i am going to have my revision done by dr ramos kelly in tijuana. he charges $5300 for the sleeve and everything is included except your plane ticket. my price will be $6300 though because mine is a revision. i will probably be traveling alone in late january or early february so if you do decide on mexico let me know which doctor you are going to. maybe we can be surgery buddies? best of luck to you in your search.

i had lapband revision surgery with dr jaysaleen in dallas 6 weeks ago. he is very nice and his staff is amazing. although i am now wanting the sleeve (long story) i would reccommend dr jay for sure. his price for a sleeve is roughly $11,000. have you considered Mexico? i just got off the phone with sandy from dr kellys office and i am going to book my surgery as soon as i have the deposit. his fee for a sleeve is $5300 and he is talked about very highly on this site. good luck to you!

becca, who is doing your surgery? are you getting band to sleeve revision?

jessi, thank you so much for the info! i am going to call them asap. how long ago did you have your surgery and how much have you lost?

are you having surgery in february?

i am going to be totally honest and hope to get some positive feedback. i had my band done 4 years ago in Mexico and had to have it repositioned a few weeks ago due to slippage. i absolutely hate my band now. i dont know if the surgeon in mexico had a different technique, but prior to my repositioing (and im being brutally honest here so please be nice) i would eat my food until a sharp pain in my chest told me it was time to throw up. then i would excuse myself, do the deed, and then i was fine...no sharp pain, no big deal. i lost over 120 pounds living this way and i was fine with it. a few months ago i noticed i was feeling hungry a lot more and needing to throw up a lot less (less sharp pain in the chest) so i made an appointment with a dr in dallas to get a fill. he said i had a slip and needed it fixed. i was told this before about a year out and ignored it because i was happy with the way things were and i was losing weight. but at this point i was starting to gain weight and decided it was time to have it fixed. well, this is completly different than before. i no longer get the sharp pain in my chest, and i can no longer vomit. and yes i know it sounds terrible, but i have tried to vomit and nothing comes out!!! only spit. now i get the most severe stabbing pain on my left side in the middle of my rib cage that make me want to die! i had a lot of plastic surgery to fix saggy skin after i got to my goal weight of 120 pounds and i was on top of the world, now i have gained about 40 pounds back and im so depressed. all i want is to have my band work like it did before. i guess the reason i am posting this is because i need to talk about it with someone who gets it. i feel so alone and i hope maybe it will get better when i get my first fill, but im scared it will just increase the amount and intensity of this terrible pain i get in my side from eating. please if you are just going to lecture me about vomiting with the band then dont even reply. i already know its bad and it can cause slippage and all that other stuff. i need a shoulder to lean on right now. if anyone else has had anything like this happen please tell me about your experince. thanks for listening, shaundra