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Hi, I had a lot of heartburn yesterday, I am okay today. I drunk my Protein this morning. Will drink another 23 grams today. I want to lose weight, that is why i had the surgery, but my weight is coming off fast. I had the lap band before, and revised to the sleeve. My goodness, I am 5'9", and I weighed 220 before surgery, lost 10 pre-op (230), I am nearing 200 pounds. I have not been heavy all my life, I know how I will look at 160, and 170m, I had the surgery done to maintain my weight. I have HBP, High Cholestorol, and a knee injury that hurts if I gain over 200lbs. Sure, befoere I could gain 80 and lose 80, and gain most of it back in no time, once the knee goes out from running on it. My goal is 170, I look great at that weight and not mal-nutrition, 160 is pushing it, I look frail. I am in a size 10 at 170, and that is great for me. I am figuring that once i reach goal. I will up my calories. My question is will my capacity increase at 6months, so I can increase my caloric intake? I am a gym rat, always have been, just mainting weight was an issue. 165 would be my max loss.

I did not find a lot on Dr. Wilhlemy on this forum, so I wanted to share my experience for anyone researching him and the hospital in Mexicali. I flew in from Canada to have a revision from LB to VSG done. I learned about Mexicali Bariatric Center by 3 coworkers that had been there to have surgery with Dr. Aceves and they spoke very highly of the hospital, the staff and had marvelous results! I must admit that I looked at a couple lower priced places but immediately knew that I wanted a certified doctor a certified hospital, a place where I knew patients were having very good long term weight loss results and my chances of a complication were low. I found all of these in Dr Wilhelmy and the magnificent team at Mexicali Bariatric Center. I also found a lot of caring people, professionalism and made friends for life! The experience started out a bit bumpy because my flight was delayed for 5 hours. I had to be in San Diego Ca before 11 am and this delay would make me miss the shuttle to Mexicali. I called Nina at the office at 5 am ( sorry about the time honey) practically in tears not sure what to do. She calmed me and assured me they would not leave me in Sd and we would make it work. She kept her word and they had a driver to pick me up and take me to Mexicali that same day. It was too late to have all my tests done that evening so I just had EKG and x rays and spoke the nutritionist and bariatric doctor, Dr. Campos. Dr. Campos did a barium swallow and checked my band. Everything looked good. Yolanda and Carla met me and helped me through this stage. I spent the night at Lucerna Hotel and thanks to the sleeping pills I had a good night sleep. Ernesto, the driver, was bright and early at the hotel to pick me up and took me to the hospital. I had blood work done that early morning and was admitted into the hospital. We waited for my test results and in the meantime I was put on the IV, I was given blood thinners and did the final paperwork. Time flew by, my tests we done, I saw all doctors that morning, internal medicine doctor, anestheologist, Dr. Wilhelmy and nurses Sergio and Esmerald. By 9am I was in surgery! My band was removed and my sleeve done that morning. Surgery took 1.5 hours and was told I had a lot of adhesions but nothing they had not seen before. Phew! The next 3 days passed so quickly. I was in the hospital for 3 days in total, I had 3 leak tests and recovered without any problems. The attentiveness of the nurses was impressive. They have a caring spirit helping patients get as comfortable as possible and always with a smile on their face. The cleaning ladies are there all day, they clean over the clean, I swear I wanted to take one of them home! I saw the doctors 2-3 times a day and was reassured daily about my recovery and my questions were answered. My husband talked beer and sports with the doctors, he is a big fan of both so needless to say he is now a big fan of MBC's doctors too. I had NEVER gotten this care anyplace else. I was not a number, I was a patient, someone they cared about and that along with their surgical experience make them an exceptional medical team. It was a very big difference from my band experience at home.

I had band to sleeve revision May 28. I love my sleeve. It is so different than the band. I wish I had done this years ago. My band slipped MAy 2014 they removed all the saline and I gained back 87 lbs of the 100 that I had lost with the band. I am 4 weeks post op today with the sleeve and I have lost 19 lbs. I think it's going to be a slow steady losing pace but I am also learning good eating habits along the way. I also am 50.

If you're located near Dallas. Have you tried Kim's Bariatric? They did all the paperwork for me, an on appeal, my revision was approved. I didn't have any health issues except high blood pressure. My insurance is BCBS of Texas too.

I was also self-pay in Florida. My cost was $16,500.00. That price includes anything and everything that has to do with my band for one year; meaning fills, monthly visits, nutritionist visits, support group and any complications that arise. My port flipped and I had to have revision surgery last month to correct it and I did not pay a dime for the additional surgery. We refinanced our house to pay for the surgery. I believe inamed also has a finance program on their website.

I used to have a 4cc band , but my pouch dilated and I had to have a revision. My doc put in a 10 cc band. Now I have 10.4cc's in my band and can still eat more than when I was at my sweet spot with my previous band. I'm getting worried. How much can they overfill this thing? I gained 22 lbs from when I had my surgery till now. I've got to get to the sweet spot and start losing again. I'm getting desperate.

Well I have PEIA, which is one of the worst insurances to have for this surgery. They agreed to pay to take out my band, but would not pay for the revision. So I was self pay. But Dr. Quinlin did talk to them to try and get them to approve it. Honestly that meant a lot to me because no other doctor has tried to help like he did. I am still feeling a bit sore, but overall I feel good. The recovery with my band was easy compared to this. But I would never recommend the band to anyone because of all the problems I had with it.

I am from Clarksburg and Dr. Quinlin did my surgery on Monday (Aug. 26). He removed my band and revised me to gastric. I really like him as a surgeon/doctor. He was really the first doctor to try to help me with all the trouble I was having with my band. My original surgeon left WVU a year after I had my surgery, which left me on my own to find a new one. I then went to see one in Charleston and he didn’t seem very interested to help. Like I said, I really think he is a good doctor. And it makes me feel better that he trained under the doctor that did my parent’s surgeries in the late 90’s.

Well, it's official...I was denied!! Apparently, I have not gained enough weight for CIGNA to approve my revision surgery:( I'm disappointed but knew they were going to do this. Apparently, my surgeon is going to have a "peer to peer" with the medical director this week. I remember having to fight so hard with my insurance at the time for the initial lapband surgery but I did it and I have faith I will do it again!!

I had the sleeve in Sept 2014....I was a lower BMI'er when I started but I have lost hardly no weight, even gained 5 pounds....I'm hungry all the time and I have zero restriction(I know I need to have some willpower, but I don't have willpower and that was the main reason I wanted this tool to help me).....I take in plenty of Protein and I'm exercising.....Met with my Dr. two weeks ago....she said we'll give it six months and then talk about revision.......I have diabetes and that was my main reason for having the surgery in the first place.....I was scared to have the bypass.....I guess I should have sucked it up and went for it!

I had mine done by Dr. Ortiz. It cost me $5,200.00. The sleeve was $4,400.00 and the revision was $800.00. I'm down 25 pounds so far and feel fine.

I didn't have a revision. Just the sleeve. I was sleeved Sept 27, 2013 in Mexico by Dr. Alvarez. Best care ever. I'm down 121 pounds.

Sarah- I am so sorry that you required a revision. You are most definately in my thoughts and prayers. Please take it easy, get the rest that your body needs and keep us updated. xo

Wow, its been a long time since I've logged into this site. I had Lap Band surgery in June of 2009, Lost close to 100lbs and was 15 pounds from goal. The band slipped so I had a revision done, and after that the band was never the same. I couldn't sleep at night the gerd was so painfull. My band was removed in 2011 and I instantly felt better. I've since gained almost all the weight back over the past 4 years and am now completely miserable! I signed up yesterday for an informational meeting at a new center closer to my home and hope that the process doesn't take too long as know that I've finally made up my mind that I want the bypass surgery I want it done as soon as possible! I so wish that I had gone with the bypass surgery to begin with!!

Yep. I just got mine removed 5 days ago and so glad I did. I had so many problems with GERD and initially wanted to revise to sleeve, but based on my history of GERD, my surgeon says that the sleeve would cause me to continue to have the same reflux and heartburn due to the high pressure of the sleeve so He recommended bypass and after thorough research, and I am an RN with several friends who have had both sleeve and bypass..... and numerous conversations with my surgeon, I will be revising to gastric bypass in November. The removal of the port has been the most painful. I stayed the night in the hospital due to pain control because he also removed the scar tissue around the band as well. Adhesion removal can be painful. I was on IV Dilaudid every 4 hours, IV Toradol and Norco in the hospital. They switched me to percocets and I have been fine on those. Take a pillow with you to hold against your tummy to splint the incision so you can cough. Also get a start on taking some over the counter miralax to help with constipation because pain med can cause things to slow way down, on top of the anesthesia. I have asthma so I needed breathing treatments and I used my incentive spirometer every hour while awake to exercise my lungs which helped me greatly! They leave the incisions open to air and seal them with Dermabond, a type of glue. I am healing quite fast. Here is a pic of my incisions. He did a total of 3. The biggest was where the port was. Make sure your decision is yours and also listen to your surgeon and what will be best for you. The next few months will be the hardest, however I still feel restriction post op.

Hi there MomInCanada! Welcome to the ESG forum or I should say family because we consider each other family in many ways in terms of the support, guidance you'll receive from the best people. To answer your first concern, I honestly believe that the surgeon who does the ESG procedure does matter a lot. I had mine in NJ and one of the reasons I choose my surgeon (Dr. Sadek) was because of his experience with this procedure and the number of ESGs he had performed. I can tell you that Dr. Marvin has had excellent reviews from many on this forum as well as the Facebook group that I am on which you should check out. Once you're in the Facebook group (Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty USA) type in his name in the search and many results will come up. I know that he has performed many and was trained by Dr. Sharairah herself who pioneered this procedure. I read a study about how a surgeon who performs ESG will get better and perfect his technique the more he has performed. My surgeon explained to me that his first few ESGs were done a certain way in terms of stitching and when he figured out a better way to improve the stitching pattern he got better results. He also told me that of the approximately 50-60 ESGs he's performed he has only had to revise two which were two of his first ESGs. Your second concern, privacy about the procedure, I have only told my husband as well. I have 4 boys who range from 19-11 years old and they did not even bat an eye or suspect I had any procedure done at all. This is why: Your recovery is very minimal, of course each person is different but a smooth and painless recovery is usually the norm. Just make sure to take all the meds the doctor prescribes for you and by the third day post op you will feel almost 100%. I often tell this story on this forum and to the facebook group--- After I came home from the procedure, same day of course, (went in at 7AM and was done and awake and ready to go home by 11AM) I did a load of laundry!!! If you are concerned about others wondering why you are eating so little, I'll tell you this--- most people don't pay attention as much as you think. Those that may venture to ask you, the answer should be simple-- I'm watching what I eat because I'm trying to get healthy. If you were anything like I was pre op then most of your close friends and family would be used to you on another diet. Good luck and please keep us posted!!!!

I am getting a revision from lap band to sleeve. I got my lap band in 2010. Everything worked fine until I had minor complications almost a year later and after I had my daughter. So it really isnt working for me anymore. I have almost gained all my weight back. I look forward to my journey with my sleeve. However, my doctor's office submitted my paperwork to Aetna on Oct 24 and still havent heard anything. Ive checked with the coordinator and Aetna and they just tell me its pending. Today is the 10th business day from when it was submitted. Aetna said additional information was submitted on 11/2 and told me to check on Monday. Anyone else playing the waiting game? Im ready to get this party started lol

I would love to know as well... can’t seem to find a revision forum here...

I haven't had any vomiting events in the 20+ months that I have had my sleeve, but some do if they eat too fast or over eat. But, as I understand it from those who have revised from a band, it isn't like the band (or an RNY pouch) in that our sleeve uses our natural pyloric valve to control the flow of food through the stomach rather than a pouch with a small orifice at the bottom - the pyloris is a lot smarter than a hole in the bottom of a pouch, but you do have to learn how yours works as you heal to avoid any problems.

Hi all, i was banded in 2010 and in aug 2014 it was removed as the band failed.. In oct 2014 i was revised to sleeve and its the best decision I've made in my life. I have GERD since being sleeved however, i haven't had a bout of reflux for about a month now. So i believe its well and truly under control ????. I started off at 383lbs, I'm currently at 235 lbs and still losing. I can eat almost anything i want just really small amounts . I do have a problem with eating anything with corn and any leafy greens.. Thats about it! Wishing you every success with your Journey.

I wish I was so lucky, this is my post above and after 3 days of the slip I had to have emergency surgery and have my band revised, 3 hr surgery, lots of scar tissue around the band, I could not eat or drink anything lost 15 lbs in a week. I am 4 weeks post op, just got a 2 cc fill and gained the 15 lbs back:scared2:..anyway they used the same band and just hiked it up and sewed it back in place, he called it an acute prolapse and said it was due to the weight loss and the band got loose and slipped, he said it was a pretty severe prolapse. good luck, sounds like u will be fine.....:thumbup:

Excited but nervous! I will be having a revision from the sleeve to the Loop/SIPS. My surgeon will be removing my gall bladder, fixing my hernia and then doing the Loop DS. Has anyone had all 3 of these done together? It just seems like so much! Thanks! 😊

My hair thinned about 3-4 months after I had the lapband. It finally grew back and I just revised to bypass. I'm dreading the day when I start losing more hair in the shower

Yes, that is exactly how I feel. I had the VSG in December 2014. A month or so after I had horrible GERD and my “full sensor” was way off within about 6 months. I only lost about 45 pounds total in the last 4 years and decided to get the revision. I got the bypass a few weeks ago and immediately there was no sign of Gerd. I’m praying my weight loss is much better.

Oh dear, please, do NOT go with the band!!! :-/ I have had two of them now! Please take a minute and read my story on my profile. The band gave me some up front success but then nothing but problems and multiple surgeries on top of all the maintenance!! It's taken 10 years, but I am finally getting this thing out of me! There are so many people with stories just like mine. I wish I had never messed with the lap band, and wish even more that after I did and had it taken out, that someone had told me about the sleeve before I tried it again (though it wasn't near as well known in 2006). There's a board here called "Lap Band to Sleeve Revision" ... Go read up there and also on lapbandtalk.com under the complications section. There are definitely risks with either, but the long term (2+ years) complications of the band far outweigh that of the sleeve! Good luck with your decision though. I know there's nothing easy about it. And I certainly understand the appeal of the band... but it's a trick