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Me too Talkalot1981! I have had the same problem. I am not sure what to do, either. And my surgeon has said he wants me to gain control of my weight on my own. He knows that I eat sliders, and wants me to stop. I LOVE peanut butter.! I have finally found a dry peanut butter to add to my yogurt to increase my protein and get myself off the regular peanut butter. For some reason, unknown to myself, after a slip and unfill, in my case, a revision, the fills do not affect you the way they originally did. I can't tolerate much more than 5cc, and I am at that now! I know that I am not any help in your problem, but just wanted to sympathize and say, me too! Best wishes, Karen

That's a good question lol I know the Bypass is the best option esp with the long term results, but the whole malabsorption really scares me I'm going to attend another support group tonight with a friend of mines who did the lap-band 9 years ago. She is thinking of revising to the Bypass herself. Her surgeon said the lap-band is just like the sleeve and it's a waste of time. We go to the same medical group just see different surgeons. So I guess you guys are right each surgeon is different.

Have you tried gas-x strips? And getting up and walking often? I know it probably hurts to get up and walk but trust me it will help with the gas pains tremendously! I have had 2 c-sections, lapband surgery, and then this past tuesday my band was removed and revised to the sleeve. I did have a few periods of really bad gas pains in my chest and shoulder but the simethecone (Gas-x), pain meds, and walking helped so much. Now im not really having any gas pains- its more pain from the incision sites.

I was a sleeve revision from a band on May 30. The day of surgery went pretty well as I was able to get up and walk around. The day after was heck. They kept changing my time for the barium swallow leak test and my tongue felt like shoe leather. They finally got me in there at 1 pm and then had me drink water every 15 minutes for two hours. Then I got to go home. Today has been much better but all I have had is my gummy vitamin and 3 bottles of water. Every time I take a sip, I can feel it going down and I am tight. My surgeon told my husband my sleeve was the sie of a pencil. I'll try protein tomorrow, I'm just so scared of getting a leak from over doing it too quickly.

My date is Dec. 14th. I'm having a revision from lap band to bypass.

Today was my 2 week check up from my revision. I am so happy that I am down 12 lbs!! I am very excited about this. I also get to start back on my Zumba class and lifting weights to music class next week. It is strange I am feeling the need to do more of that type of exercise than I am of walking.

Well, I had the procedure on Tuesday. Woke up in the ICU so they could monitor bleeding issues. Pain was pretty intense when I woke up. They had me stay an extra night in the hospital, but eventually moved me to a regular room once i pooped and had a positive upper GI xray. I'm back on a clear liquid diet for the next couple weeks, then it's into full liquids. Christmas is gonna be a pain in the ass. Since I wasn't resleeved, and can't find many people who have had SIPS as a revision to VSG, so I'll try to post my experience here. Day 2 post op... 6 incisions, painful shoulder gas, hurts to stand, get a little nauseous and tired when walking... but I'm doing it . 6'2" 354lbs going into surgery. 356 today, but I think that's normal. The drop should start in a day or two. I'm currently coughing and hicupping a lot, which hurts like hell. Also, I wasn't given pain meds (for reasons listed above). I'll post more as it happens.

Hi!! Im in Kansas. My gall bladder comes out March 18th and then he will plan my revision. I would love to be your buddy!!

I had been obsessively looking into being resleeved as well as mine is very large and misshapen as evident in my x-rays, I've now decided to revise to the MGB, I've done a ton of research and while I NEVER imagined even considering a malabsorption procedure, it really sounds very promising. There is a small group on here if you would like more information. However, if you are dead set of resleeving, IMHO, Dr. Wilhelmy in Mexico was by far the best I found for the job. Best of luck to you!

So I had my revision on April 29, 4 1/2 hour surgery, my stomach had prolapsed and was adhered to my liver. Passed out in the hospital, couldn't get a BP for about 20 min, and ended up staying 3 nights. No pain since drain was removed ( the drain somehow slipped into my pelvic area causing A LOT of pain). Anyhow, I am just weak weak weak! Walk up the stairs sit for 20 min, have to sit to make jello. I can drink anything at least 4 oz at a time. Getting about 60 gm of protein. Prob 48 oz water/liquids. Still on full liquids. My BP is still low this morning it was 92/56. BS was 124. No fever, very little pain, largest incision does look a little angry. Down 14 lbs including pre-op. Do I sound normal? I'm just soooo weak! Thanks Laurie

Yarah, As someone who recently replaced her band with RNY I am quite familiar with the "Revision" section over at www.obesityhelp.com I've read there that people have gotten the lap band after their RNY stopped being effective as well as other procedures. You might want to check it out and good luck with what you decide to do, Nancy.:juggle:

Ok guys, I'm pretty much a newbie to the website, only joined a few weeks ago. I got my surgery date last week. It's September 6th, three weeks from today. I gotta admit, I'm getting nervous. I had Lap Band surgery four years ago (it failed, miserably) so this is a revision. It's the fact that they'll be cutting out 90% of my stomach that's freaking me out. Yeah, I know that's what I signed up for, it's just the procedure itself that's making me nervous. I had a client who had bypass surgery a few years back and when they went to make the connections her stomach/intestinal tissue was so fragile they could barely reconnect. She had tons of problems with leaks and almost died. So while my logical mind tells me that was a very freak event, my emotions are playing hell with me. I could really use some encouraging words from some of you guys who have been through this. Thanks!

I'm looking for a revision buddy I'm sleeve to Rny but lost like a band so that's why I'm doing Rny I'm 37 5'6 mother of 3 I go up and down from 206/210. My date is first week of June So anyone want to be buddy's

everyone is different but typically 2 days if your having a revision. i was suppose to have the band to sleev revision and approved for two days with my insurance but i only had the removal of band done and i left the same day in the evening. got my letter for the sleeve in may approved for 1 day more if needed if medically necessary.

I have not had a leak from a sleeve but I had a very serious lapband erosion (nearly killed me). Since then I am trying to get sleeved and have been keeping track of folks who have had complications in case I need their help in the future. Below is the list. You might want to contact them directly if you have any questions. Started May 1, 2011 1. Sandyd – infection from surgery (Reno) (VS Talk) 2. MeMeMEEE – leak (twice) (VS Talk) 3. Driver63 – leak 4. Tiffykins – leak (band revision) 5. Hansi – stomach ruptured 6. Dishdiva – leaks (Mexico) 7. YellowRose – infected incision (Mexico) & drain tube infection 8/5/11 8. Mommyinneed – seroma turned abscess (Mexico) 9. Sexypeaches33 – pancreatitis (Mexico) then gastritis 10. DivaDee84 – Infected incision (Mexico) leak (still @ seven months) 11. Honeyrubybee – splenic infarction 12. TKDBlackbelt15 (fiancee) – leak 13. Rblessed – leak 14. Jen Jen – leak (Mexico) 15. Ladiesassie – nicked liver (didn’t follow pre-op diet) 16. Moore37042 – leak 17. Jagator88 – leak & esophagus was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from muscle (Mexico) 18. Jsfound – leak (VS Talk) 19. Leisa815 – leak (VS Talk) 20. Jasleeve – leak 21. Joseph – leak Kuwait (VS Talk) 22. Peachqueen – leak (VS Talk) 23. Jcarelle – leak (VS Talk) 24. Jerseygirl74 – leak & spleen infarction (VS Talk) 25. Happylife – stricture (had a stent like a leak) (VS Talk) 26. Kookia – leak (VS Talk) 27. Nanaof5 – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 28. Jencomenz – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 29. Honeybunnyslp – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 30. Neese – spleen infarction (VS Talk) 31. Bedhead – erosion (ulcer) caused by an infection (VS Talk) 32. Donniej – leak (band revision) (VS Talk) 33. DogBone (wife’s cousin) – leak, tracheostomy, induces coma (Brazil) DIED 34. 4ALongerLife – leak 35. Minaleigh – twisted stomach, needed a stent 36. Mews – infected incision and blood clot 37. Laura74 – (husband, OH) stomach started to close up so had a stent (stricture?) 38. Victoria28 – leak (ThinnerTimes) 39. Happylife – twisted stricture (VS Talk) 40. P77tmy – blood clots (VS Talk) 41. CrazyCatLady – blood clot (VS Talk) 42. Karlij – leak (Obesity Help) 43. 1maryreigel – swollen 44. Gigglee – open wound? Vst 45. Twistedkitten25 – internal bleeding and abscess 46. Shane5958 – blood abscess 47. Cookies – blood clot 48. Wendyr – spleen infarction, leak, pneumonia (punctured lung when placing drain for leak) 49. Stephwb – leak 50. Irishgirlparisi – UTI (foley catheter) & MRSA from JP tube (Thinner Times) 51. Heidi P – leak (Obesity Help) 52. Moxy – leak (Obesity Help) 53. Cthompson580 – leak (Obesity Help) 54. Jsd2 – very sick also had blood clots, heart palpitations (VS Talk) 55. Abbybeep – stricture w/in first five days (VS Talk) 56. Lulugirl – bacterial infection & possible stricture (VS Talk) 57. Ready2Bthin – acid refluc & wasn’t able to get protein/vitamins in, developed problem w/balance & walking (VS Talk) 58. RawrrAshleex3 – leak (VS Talk) 59. Candice1222 – leak (VS Talk) 60. Cat_woman – leak (Obesity Help)

Sooo any tips for breaking the infamous 3 week stall?i have researched but still don't know what to do I've tried upping my cals.. Gained. Lowering, my cals nothing!! Licked my hubby's breadstick last night- and I'm up two pounds today!!! Ahhhh. Logically I know it's Water (ring was loose now it's tight). Day of surgery I was 229 got down to 213, today was 217! I'm still on soft foods, 5 1/2 weeks out eating 800-1100 cals about 80 oz Fluid. 60-80gm Protein. Just got released for some exercise. Lap band revision, so I get the stair steps but I'm starting to worry I'm going to fail. Help!!!

I'm on pre-op too, revision from band to sleeve booked for the 10th January. Yesterday I made an asian-inspired omelette- loads of shredded cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, brocolli and my allotted 2 eggs. Seasoned with chilli, fresh ginger and soy sauce. It was heaven! Today we're having a party at our house so I'm having my main meal at lunch and will have a shake for dinner. I'm serving lots of salads, sausages (which i will avoid) & bbq chicken. As long as I don't have bread, carbs etc I'm ok. I will really miss my social wine or two, but I know its only short term pain for a long term gain! I'm also planning on cooking a shak shakur one night to poach my allotted eggs in... the good thing is you can pack the sauce full of veg and it is very flavoursome! Finally I'll be cooking a burrito-free Mexican style dish of strips of steak, onions, mushrooms and lots of Mexican spices to be served with a big salad. My husband can have the burrito wraps.

I have Aetna POS in Texas as well. They will cover my band but will not cover the sleeve as my first WLS only as a revision. They tell me they consider the sleeve experimental. Who did you contact at Aetna? I am scheduled for Mexico on 12/29 and will lose my deposit and 1000.00 worth of plane tickets if I don't go there. I know that as soon as I get it done, Aetna will cover it. That is just going to be my luck. Bill

Hi blossom, welcome to the forum - and most of all, welcome to the rest of your life! You know, it actually took me over a year to finally come to the realization that my band failed me miserably and I needed something more permanent and not so friendly. I knew about the surgery for years now, but not before being banded. Oh how I wish I had!! Oh well it was not in the cards. Well, finally I made that decision all the while gaining all my weight back and watching so many being successful with the sleeve. Dr. Aceves did my revision, and you will absolutely LOVE HIM and HIS STAFF!!! Only call if you are 110% sure though, and only then. It's no walk in the park, but worth every scrape you get from it. NIna, who is such a blessing, will help you every step of the way. She's totally great! Hugs to you!!!

I can totally understand your view here, which is completely legitimate based on your experience with the band. Believe me, I have had life-altering complications with mine. But! For anyone reading this thread who is considering a band, I think it would be prudent to say the following: --My fills do not hurt at all. They are completely painless. My fill-guy uses a numbing agent prior to sticking me. So if you can ask for this and they have it, it is useful for patients who can't tolerate the stick of a needle. --It is essential to integrate that any WLS will cost one time and money if one is to be successful with it. For bandsters, there may be more of a time-investment, in that we have lifetime followup, but really...it isn't any more time than we use to spend planning and executing our overeating moments, right? Again, I'm not trying to contradict what you are feeling....your experience has been a bad one (as has mine), but it would be a disservice to any readers out there to leave them with the impression that fills are intolerable and that the band followup is not worth the time and money spent. Good luck with your revision.

I have united heathcare insurance after my deductable i paid about 1251.00 out of pocket. There was no requirement but to pay deductable i went from the band to the sleeve revision

Band-RNY revision age 49 5'4" Starting weight: 260 Surgery weight: 244, Current weight 140.2 Pre-op-16lbs (size 18/20) M1-16lbs (size 18) M2-15.6lbs (size 16/18) M3-10lbs (size 16) M4-11.4lbs (size 14) M5-10.8lbs (size 12) M6-8.4 (size 8/10) M7-6.4 (size 8...165.4 lbs) M8-11.6 (size 6...153.8) M9-5.6 (size 4/6...148.2) M10-5.8 (size 4....142.4)

It is very important to stop drinking diet soda. Your new nutrition plan should be centered around real food and a commitment to restructure the foods and beverages you take in. Avoid highly processed foods. Carbonated beverages are bad for sleevers. Artificially sweetened drinks are bad too. Your going to go without solid food along with all the beverages you are used to for 4 to 6 weeks (before and after surgery). Your body can take this opportunity to reestablish foods you like and crave. It is a big physical and phycological reset. Replace those old favorites with better new ones. I've learned cravings have short term memory and are relative. If you introduce a variety of healthy foods after your surgery, you'll settle on favorite foods amongst those foods you started eating after the big change. I agree you have to go cold turkey now on sodas so the liquid diet is manageable. I quit sodas and fried foods 5 months before my revision surgery. I practiced the post-op diet over 3 months pre-op. I suggest only having protein shakes during the liquid diet phase. Get your protein from natural sources before and after.

What is that procedure? Were you originally going in for a band to sleeve revision?

BIG NEWS IN THE BAND WORLD On October 30, 2012, a Reuters article revealed that Allergan is considering selling the Lap-Band® to another medical device company due to declining sales of the band. Not surprisingly, this news has caused some excitement in the bariatric surgery community. When I first read the article, my immediate thought was that I don't have enough information to make it the subject of an article of my own. I'm still missing a lot of information, but have plenty of opinions about it (which can come as no surprise to you), so I've decided to give you my opinions with you in this article from today’s special edition of the Bandwagon® on the Road e-newsletter. ALLERGAN PEDDLES THE BAND I have a hard time drawing any conclusions (pro or con) about the band itself based on the Reuters report. The decline in Lap-Band® sales could be the result of management or other business problems rather than due to a problem with the band itself. It's highly unlikely that Allergan will ever reveal the whole story to anyone but their team of attorneys and board of directors. So, what could this hot news story mean? As you read on, please remember: these are only personal opinions from an ex-bandster who’s fairly well-informed but not a medical professional and in no way associated with Allergan or any other medical device or other company in the world of bariatric surgery. For what it’s worth, here’s my take on the story. The US economy is in tough shape, the popularity of bariatric surgery in general is leveling off, and insurance coverage for bariatric surgery is still a challenge. Allergan is not alone in this - Johnson & Johnson must face the same challenge in marketing the Realize™ Band. The story of what's really behind all this is clouded by the reactions of the media and of band-bashers who sing the "I told you so" song because they assume (without any credible basis at this point) that Allergan's decision is related to the safety and/or efficacy of the band. SO, WHAT’S THE REAL STORY? All the other bariatric surgery procedures now performed in the USA can have serious complications and failure rates, but it's easier to point the finger of blame at a single manufacturer of a medical device than it is to blame the thousands of surgeons who are doing bariatric procedures that don't happen to use a medical device. The FDA isn't looking over the shoulders of all those surgeons the way it scrutinizes Allergan or Johnson & Johnson. When Dr. John Doe stops doing bariatric surgery and goes back to yanking out gall bladders, no one leads a parade down Main Street waving banners about the dangers of the procedures Dr. Doe was doing. Except in rare cases (such as the sad story of my original surgeon), nobody's even discussing Dr. Doe's surgical expertise or behavior. It's an example of what I call the David & Goliath Syndrome. A big company like Allergan is an easy target thanks to its size and visibility. The general public may step on Dr. Doe's fingers but otherwise will kick him to the curb in eagerness to throw rocks at Allergan. One of the hurdles facing any manufacturer of an adjustable gastric band is that it is (in my opinion) the bariatric procedure that requires the most patient education, aftercare, and support. In the 5 years since I was banded, I have encountered plenty of evidence of bariatric clinics doing a great job of that, but I've also encountered clinics that are failing at it, to the detriment of their patients. Not because they're doing something wrong, per se, but because they're directed by a surgeon (or team of surgeons) who was trained to think of surgery of any nature as an in-and-out deal. They're used to seeing the patient 3 times: a pre-op visit; in the operating room (with an unconscious patient); one post-op visit; and never again unless the patient experiences a complication that requires more surgery. That's fine when the surgery involves removing a gall bladder or a mole or a wisdom tooth, but it's a set-up for failure with band patients. The bariatric surgeon who vetted Bandwagon told me several years ago that the band manufacturers make few demands on the surgeons or clinics that buy their products because they don't want to marginalize the customers who don't follow the manufacturer's advice but have acceptable patient outcomes. Avoiding marginalization of customers is a smart business decision but a poor medical decision, and I think it's a mistake for us to view surgeons only as super-wealthy, super-powered medical demi-gods anointed by a Supreme Being and the ASMBS. They're also customers, and just like you and me when we're shopping for a new car, they're looking for a product that has reliable quality and performance at a price they can live with. They are business people who want to make money (to pay their staff, their malpractice insurance premiums, their colossal student loans, and their kids' college funds). Sure they want to practice the art (and science) of medicine, but they can't do that very well if they can't pay their bills. Finally, keep in mind that someone, somewhere is going to end up with the Lap-Band in some form. It is highly unlikely that Lap-Band® research & development, its technology and FDA approval, to say nothing of the existing customer base, will drop to the bottom of the bariatric pond and never be seen again. Both Allergan and the new owner will legally and ethically have to stand behind their product, with the details of that worked out to the last detail by teams of expensive attorneys and insurance companies. Even surgeons who stop doing band surgery to concentrate on other procedures will still have the basic skill and knowledge to provide fills and other aftercare to their band patients. Although I lost my beloved band in April 2012, I do not regret having Lap-Band® surgery and if I were starting my WLS journey today, I would ask my surgeon's opinion about the Allergan decision and also ask how (or if) it will affect his/her practice. The answers to those questions would be towards the top of a long list of questions I'd be asking before deciding to have surgery. And if I still had my band, I'd be asking my surgeon the same questions so that I could go forward with some degree of comfort (if not 100% satisfaction) that I'd have someone to turn to should I need band help in the future. I most certainly would not be rushing off to make an appointment with the Speedy Weight Loss Surgery Revision Center, or at least not until I'd done plenty of homework on the procedures offered by the quacks at Speedy. Trading in a car just because it's 2 years old has never made sense to me, and if it isn’t broke, why fix it? Although my journey from Lap-Band® to vertical sleeve gastrectomy ended up taking 6 months, I'm still nagged about it by a little doubting voice, especially when my sleeve is giving me trouble. Should I have chosen the sleeve, or not? Should I have risked the return to morbid obesity, or gamble on more surgery? There are no easy answers to questions like that. If there were a cure for obesity, I'd be first in line for it, but until that cure is invented, I'm making the best of what I've got.