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No with the sleeve food does not get stuck. You can eat anything you want, just not very much of it. You do get full pretty fast. I am kind of a grazer though. I get full pretty fast, but then maybe a couple hours later, I might have a healthy snack. There are some days I just don't feel like messing with food or cooking or dishes and I will have 3 Protein shakes per day and be perfectly satisfied. I didn't start having band problems until after I had the band for a couple of years. I could just see more problems coming, so I revised to the sleeve before that started happening. I am really glad I did.

Personality and friendliness aside, where can I details on surgeons such as how many lapbands they have done, percent revisions, etc?

I had the band to sleeve revision in February. I wasn't that successful with the band but have noticed that the sleeve stops me from eating too much because I'll actually get a little nauseous vs. that stuck feeling. As far as the surgery, for me it was easy. No issues and the recovery was very quick but you should go to the Band to Sleeve Revision section and read the experiences that others have had.

I am 23 days post op from having revision surgery. My band had a slow leak so I had no restriction. So far it has been smooth sailing for me. I have not had and nausea or vomiting. The only reflux I have had is if I lay down right after eating or drinking. I started sleeping with more pillows for an incline. So besides the surprise bill I received yesterday for 60,000 I am very happy with my decicsion. The first 2 wks was the hardest. I paid for mine upfront.

Welcome to LBT! Take a while, look around. There is a forum that has just the questions you are looking for, here's the link, but you can find it on the main page under Lapband FAQ's and References. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/lap-band-faqs-f73.html Here's a list I took with me: Questions to ask during consultation: 2) Research the doctor. What kind of follow up care is provided? (ie: fills, unfills, endoscopies, fluroscopies, port revisions, removal, etc). Ask to speak to about 5 or 6 of his patients before you make a decision. Ask those people if they have any complaints or issues with their care before, during and after the procedure. How many of the procedures has he done? What types of complications can occur from this procedure and how frequently do they happen? (ie: perforations, etc) What types of complications has he personally ran into doing this procedure? What is his policy when a complication occurs during a procedure? (ie: does he discuss options with family or immediately convert to bypass or other WLS). Is he Inamed approved for the procedure? If not then who qualified him to perform the procedure and can you have literature to verify this? 3) Research the procedure. How is the procedure performed? Will you use the Pars Flaccida approach? What type of sutures do you use? Can I request glue and not staples? Will I have a catheter placed? If I am on my menses, can I wear a tampon? What will I need to have prepared when I get home in way of food items? What are the short term issues? What are the long term issues? How will I be able to take my pills? Will you write today for liquid pain meds? Do you want me to take antibiotics post-op? If so, will you write for Diflucan? 4) Follow up care. What is the schedule for fills? When can I get my first fill? How is the fill procedure performed? (ie: with or without fluroscopy) What is the cost for fills? (under fluro and not) How often will I need to be seen? Will I have access to a Nutritionist? How do you handle unfills? Is there a direct line in case of Emergencies? Does your doctor have email address? Should I continue to take Metformin? What Vitamins should I be taking? Will I need to crush my pills? If so then for how long? Are there any pills that cannot be crushed? If so then how will I be able to take them?

I know this is not really going to get answers but maybe someone might have some insight. I have lifelong chronic illness and disability. A challenge is being sensitive to medications and side effects and having allergic reactions (my list of antibiotics I am allergic to is growing) It started with Umbilical area pain that radiated upward to the right shoulder blade area like spasms. Admittedly I am also dealing with diverticulitis issues, bleeding and pain I'm not sure the source as well as Interstitial cystitis. My gastric bypass surgery inadvertently revealed a form of neurological dysphagia I have difficulty drinking thin liquids. landing in hospital with aspiration pneumonia a day after I got home, I found out that was why. started before surgery but I didnt know why I was having difficulty drinking water. normally i could chug it no issues. For a while I had trouble with eating which turned out to be stricture. I had history of ulcers prior to my gastric bypass surgery. and they found it afterward as well. I had dilations. and eating got a bit easier I just had to be careful what types of foods I ate. But then some weeks back it got really bad I found myself feeling sick just taking nibbles of my lunch. I always meal plan daily and prepare portion control sizes so I know how much calories and protein I am getting and what my portion is so its never too much for my pouch. But Id get partway through nibbling slowly and at times depending what Im eating Id just have to stop. and then feel the need to throw up but cant at times heaving but only a thick mucus comes up. I saw my general practitioner and had a CT scan and bloodwork. I also made some appointments. She told me to see my Bariatric surgeon. I had to wait until just recently to have a Endoscopy. I am just frustrated. because the CT scan showed Hepatic Steatosis. My one liver level is high it was not high when I was losing weight. Only when it was stable already. I did not have fatty liver prior to surgery. But they want to assume I did and that no one told me. But that's something they check for because its a co-morbidity! Also my gallbladder was checked at the time it had to be removed due to chronic inflammation. People have gastric bypass to get rid of fatty liver ... I have only read of maybe a rare case of liver disease post surgery. Anyway. back in June I had a enteroscopy to check the remnant portion of stomach and dilation. no mention of ulcer then. I have trouble with proton pump inhibitors not working and they just seem to deplete my vitamin levels too much. plus trigger my migraines. Ive had ulcers go away without the PPI and gotten ulcers while on them so they just dont seem effective. Then there is carafate. one side effect is constipation and with diverticulitis I cant afford that especially since the CT also showed inflammation and narrowing of my colon ... and I am trying to get iron and even the supposed non constipating kind in my whole foods based multivitamin is throwing my system off. so I had the Endoscopy this month and it showed Jejunal ulcer so the doctor just prescribes proton pump inhibitor and carafate (my insurance decided to not pay for carafate) but what other options are there besides these? and what could be causing the ulcers if Im not taking motrin or similar meds even though I do need them. Ulcer at the junction between the pouch and small intestine can happen in the first months post op and common treatment is PPI and carafate but not nearly two years out. Hard to believe April will be two years ... my gut keeps telling me its issue with my remnant stomach. perhaps even with the staples used. but I dont know how to get answers. I have seen when these things dont work doctors do a surgical revision of some kind. my surgeon is great but yet he seems to address it as it too simply and its not that simple anymore. Also I cant figure out the fatty liver aka hepatic statosis and the high ALT (liver enzymes) they assumed it was high before but no not really. Also I had blood transfusions in June and the levels went down due to the transfusion but then went back up again. so one would assume if it had to do with the weight loss the levels would have stayed down. I cant sort out what move to take next. I kind of sat on this post a while and didnt post it. I still hesitate. I know its probably not something anyone can answer. I am just getting frustrated. I am also retaining fluid in my abdomen along with a lot of pain.

First, congratulations on surviving breast cancer! Secondly, I was sleeved December 4th, no dumping for me however I do have terrible GERD. There's no malabsortion srestriction but I do keep up on my Vitamins, vitamins are important!! Its a "tool" I still make the daily decisions however best choise I ever made. Im on ppi for gerd, I think if that doesn't correct itself I'll probably have to have the revision to bypass. I don't know the waiting period, does anyone else know? Good luck!!! Thank you in advance :-)

Thanks, new_beginnings! I've been dragging my heels with more than a little apprehension about putting my faith in another WLS. I found a new, more experienced surgeon and have been filling out paperwork before having to even go into the office. Once I get off my butt and send in this novel(!), they will send into the insurance company for approval. It's nice to see others like you, Susan, Irene, Tiffy, et al having a such better experience with the VSG!! That's exactly what the nurse at my new surgeon's office said. She said that there are different surgeries because they don't all work for all. Even if I weren't going to revise, it'll be SO nice to get the crap band <stolen> out!

I had Dr. Nick do my revision on 9/10/13. He was so sweet and it was very quick from the first appointment to surgery (self-pay so didn't have to wait for insurance approval). I was very pleased with Dr. Nick, his staff, and Forest Park Medical - so far it's been a great experience. I just hope I have better luck with the sleeve than I had with the band.

I know this is an old thread, but I also had my band removed by Wade Barker on 1/08/10. He put it in March 2006. I 've been having pain and after tests found out I had gall stones and a hiatal hernia. Dr. Barker charged me $5000 to revise my band to the sleeve. My insurance paid for the gall bladder removal and hernia repair. I am SO GLAD to have the band out and think it contributed to my hernia.

Missyt.....I feel like some of these people are being a little hard on you. If you have had your band for 4 years as you say, then it is likely it has become less effective over time, studies show this. So those of you who are being a little insensitive toward Missyt, I sure hope you never experience what she is going through. Also, it is true that the band works differently for everyone, or perhaps not at all for some. As for myself, I have been banded for almost 6 years. My first year banded I lost 140lbs, and the next year I my band slipped and I had to have revision surgery to have it repaired. I was lucky that the slip was not terrible and did not lose my band. However, the second part of my story is not so successful. After having my band slip and seriously starving for two weeks without being able to keep down even one bite of food, and then having to have surgery again....I was scared to utilize my band properly for several more years. I didn't even get another fill until three years later because I was terrified this would happen to me again. Long story short, I gained all but 20lbs back of the weight I had lost. Those of you who say the band is a "tool", maybe that is true for you, but not for everyone. Looking back I feel like I could have lost the weight without the band. At the time, I gave the band a lot of credit, but hindsight is 20/20. I see now that I was working out at least 6 days a week, and I was eating low carb, low calorie, and so on. There were very few times I felt that "full" feeling that everyone describes with the band. The only time my band became that "tool" for me was when it slipped and I was unable to keep food down, but at this point it was too late, and not healthy. Now I have recently gotten a fill, and under flouro, my doctor says I have very good restriction, however when I eat the recommended amount of food, I still do not feel full. I feel no different than I did when I had the band. I do not drink liquids for a period of time before and after eating, yet I still do not stay full for very long. My fills are almost maxed out at this point. I will be able to have one more, and my band will be completely full. I am not saying the band does not work, but for some people it's not the "tool" that they were expecting. I think some people(such as myself) get carried away with the fact that they had SURGERY, and therefor, they MUST not fail....I paid for my surgery out of pocket, so failure was not an option...which is what somewhat motivated me(among other things) So for those of you who the band works perfectly, congrats...I am so happy for you ....But please please be sensitive to those whose bands aren't working quite as well for them. Of course there are people who totally sabotage their own weight loss efforts by not following "band rules", but in our own arrogance, let's try not to accuse everyone of this.....Thanks

Oh my goodness, what a journey! I'm so sorry you had to go through all this! Was your GP revision in MX or here in the states? The positive of all this is that you are done with the tough part and from here on out, every day will get easier!

What did they have to do for your revision?

I'm in the hospital overnight as we speak after my revision. I had to stay overnight for my 1st surgery as well. Good luck with your revision.

As you know with any WLS, being able to support your body, and the developing baby is essential with a nutrient dense, balanced diet. Since you BMI is lower, you don't have to go super low calorie/low carb to lose your excess weight. BUT, there is no way I would have been able to consume enough calories that early out without having to rely on Meal Replacement drinks. My capacity was super limited the first 6 months post-VSG, and by limited means no more than 2-4oz of food per meal. If the food was extremely mushy/liquidy consistency (like chili, or yogurt I could get in about 6oz). I still have to stretch my meals further out, and eat some sliders with my Protein to ensure I eat enough per meal. I maxed out at about 3oz of dense protein, and relied on a lot of mushy food just to hit protein goals early out. The caloric recommendation for me currently in pregnancy is 1700-1800 calories a day. At 22 months, I don't have any issues getting in those calories, but I do have to drink 100% juice to get in extra fluids/calories and some good ole beta carotene. The baby will take from your body what it needs to thrive and grow. Our body is what suffer through pregnancy, along with vitamin/nutrient deficiencies that can affect the developing fetus. Don't blame yourself for the band complications. My band only lasted 8 months, and I worked the hell out of the band. I did have major complications during my revision (including a leak) because of the damage the band had done to my stomach. But, I survived, and here I am 22 months out and 10.5 weeks pregnant. Just make sure you go to an experienced revision surgeon, be diligent with your intake, and Vitamins. I was released at 8 months post-VSG to TTC for several reasons. I was below goal, my labs had been stellar, and my husband's deployment ops tempo is high, and we were fearing a deployment. It took over 12 months to get pregnant with charting, temping, ovulation monitor etc etc. It was an emotionally, mental, and physically draining process that took a heavy toll on me. Now in pregnancy, I'm dealing with fear of regain, body shape changes, and just the normal "pregnancy stuff". No amount of people telling me "oh it's just baby weight" "oh it's for the baby" "oh, you'll lose the weight" will take away the mind games that are going on right now. After going from a size 22/24W to a size 2, I don't care what anyone says, not being able to fit into my jeans that I've comfortably worn for a year, and watch my body changing dramatically through the pregnancy is very difficult mentally. I thought I was prepared for it, and I am overjoyed to be pregnant. I have zero regrets, and I do know that being pregnant is a fabulous, joyous occasion, but I refuse to deny the way I feel right now. Maybe it'll change in the near future. I'm embracing the changes, staying focused on my health, and making sure I am providing the very best little environment for the baby. I just thought I would share my thoughts, and experience thus far. Best wishes with your consult, and future revision. Getting rid of the band was the best thing I ever did for myself, and my future health.

Hello My husband had the band put in mon 6/6/11, he passed the swallow test prior to being discharged from the hospital. I had to bring him to the ER that evening bc he wasn't keeping anything down. Then the next 3 days he had continuous vomiting, it was all foam and mucous. Then on friday the dr did a revision and it looked promising he was gonna be discharged the following day. Well he never made it home he is still in the hospital 1 week post band not able to even keep in saliva. He wants the band out ASAP. Anybody else experience this? and if so, how long did it last and what caused it.

Hi! I had my revision from band to sleeve June 6th, and yes, I had to good through the whole process again. I have BS of Califirnia. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Heather, You are not alone! I was terrified to go through with RNY, same as you I chose the band because it was less evasive and not "permanent" I underwent revision on May 21st after 7.5 years with the band. Absolutely best decision I have ever made. My band experience was great for the first year or so, I lost more than 100lbs and felt great. Slowly, I started having all of the problems others report and it escalated from there. After the birth of my first (and only atm) daughter, I had a band revision because it slipped while I was pregnant. I had a little relief but as soon as I got a fill, I had issues. By this time, I was over it. My new surgeon believed I was a great candidate for RNY but with a bmi of 33, it was unsure if it would be approved. Well, it was and within days. I have BCBS of Michigan and the approval was easy. So easy that I was sure it was a mistake. It was not and insurance has paid. My recovery wasn't awesome but I'm a big baby and ended up with an infection in my port site. I'm sure it was my fault as I don't know well enough to relax and follow the rules. All is well now and 5 weeks later I have lost 33lbs. Good luck in your journey, it will be worth it!

I'm reading these replies and other multiple threads with similar themes and I'm experiencing such mixed emotions. I was banded in Sept of '10. Had back and left shoulder gas pains from day one with them coming & going commonly over the past 3+ years. After my second fill I started having more and more problems. After every attempt of a fill I would swell within couple hours and not be able to get liquids down, and end up right back in the office for a deflate. This repeated for a year. During this time I was never able to eat fruit, fresh or cooked vegetables, chicken breasts, or any healthy lean meat without all of those things instantly getting stuck. The only way I could eat those things is if they were covered in a sauce of some type. And yes, I shared this with my doctor. I was told that “in rare cases….some peoples bodies are just more sensitive to having the band and it can be tricky”. After a year of this, I started randomly swelling which would result in no liquids going down and me vomiting the saliva my body would produce because that couldn't get down either. This was happening for no reason and would end up in Dr's office for deflate for no reason. After two years of that, I asked for a revision. My doctor told me no, I was still a success story with a total loss of 75 lbs post op (still considered severely obese) and told I must not be compliant with the plan. Define being compliant? I couldn't eat most the time...how was that ok? When I was able to eat, I ate what I could without fear of it causing problems and getting stuck. Don’t tell me I’m not compliant when I’ve expressed the challenges I’ve had from day one and constantly being told there was nothing wrong. At this point I was averaging 1200 calories a day and hadn't lost a lb in over 3 months. I was again told “in rare cases we see more challenges than others trying to figure out what causes the swelling or problems, but it’s a process”. After gaining 25 lbs from sustaining on liquids and slider foods, I again asked for a revisions and was told I was still a success story and having the risk of putting me under again was greater than the potential benfit of having the revision. I ended up asking for a complete deflate and let the doctor talk me into leaving 2ccs in the band as "something". Another year later, I go to see a new doctor because I relocated. I find out I still have 4ccs in my band and that the dr had only taken out 2cc. No big surprise to me at this point that the other Dr did what they wanted to do. By the time I saw the doctor I had gained another 40 lbs. My own fault, I am not blaming the band or anyone else. I have had a lot big life changes that had me putting exercise and healthy eating on the back burner...and again, it isn't like I was able to eat fresh vegetables and grilled chicken breasts. And frankly, fattening food could go down with no pain. To this day if I want to eat, its chicken with lots of sauce, or foods that easily slide. With that said, the 3 years leading up that didn’t exactly help me develop healthy eating habits and if I didn’t have disordered eating before, it is 100% present now. So here I am today, the last month having random acid reflux that ends up with my esophagus and band super tight and again unable to get anything down for a day or two. Now the past couple of days I have had the esophagus spasms where I can technically drink liquids and eat soft foods but with extreme pain as it goes down and constant back & left shoulder pain/burning. Just sitting here if I burp the pain instantly hits. I have a very high pain tolerance & pain threshold so it isn't that part that is bothering me. What is bothering me is that if all these people on these boards have similar issues over the course of years, and I have shown increasing symptoms for years of the band being a problem for me, why do the doctors immediately assume I'm non compliant? Why don't they move more aggressively? Why am I treated like an annoyance or problem or immediately assumed that I must have caused the tightening or swelling? Now I will go into the office, feeling like a complete failure because I haven't lost any weight since meeting this new doctor (I haven't gained either). In fact, I don’t even want to call to make the appointment because my emotional state just doesn't know if it can take once more being told some how I must have done something to cause it. I want it out. I have asked two different "highly respected" doctors who have talked me into believing it must be me somehow. Now, almost 4 years later, I am 10 lbs lighter from weight on the day of surgery, in a lot of pain, and even more emotionally beaten down than I was 4 years ago. I don't usually post or vent like this, but I am truly at a loss for what to do next. Society says I'm unacceptable because of my weight. Heck, even some posters here treat those of us with these challenges like we are a problem child. Anyone who knows me knows that I believe in taking accountability for my actions. This is one time in my life where I feel that has been used against me and now has negatively impacted my health more than it ever helped. Family tells me to just make the appointment and ask for it out. I can do that. I know I need to do that. Yet after almost 4 years of being told it’s me, I’m the problem, it isn’t as easy as it seems.

Hey, I looked right into it when I got my TT and I could not find one person that could say they were/are happy with the results. My friend went ahead and got it done with her TT and she is not happy at all either. The scars tend to migrate down, there is a high rate for revisions afterwards, its a lot of pain and healing and the cuts like to pull open because they are in such an awkward spot. In my opinion, from what I have seen and who I have spoken with...it just isnt worth it. My thighs are horrid, I mean reallyyyyy bad but I wont risk going through it.

Thanks for sharing that story, Donali. What a drag! But it could have been a lot worse--once again showing that most of even dramatic lap-band complications really aren't all that dramatic. I'm so glad they were able to repair it easily, but sorry it cost you so much moola. Please let us know if your dent evens out and when feeling returns (which I'm absolutely sure it will). Now: Watch yourself! Don't be doing any calisthenics until this is well and truly healed in place. No more port revisions!! :D

Hi All - For those of you who are new or don't remember, I tore one of my port sutures at the end of July. I was stretching for something that was just out of reach, and kind-of did a lunge. I immediately felt a sharp sting, and as the next couple of days went by I was in severe pain. Of course, I was on vacation... lol Far, far from my band doc, so I toughed it out with liquid Tylenol. Did you know that stuff was made by saints? lol Anyway, after two weeks the pain was bearable, but I was uncomfortable and I had a big bulge where my port was. When I went in for my last fill, the doc manually turned the port back upside right, and I was able to get a successful fill, but unfortunately the corrected position did not last. Saturday I finally went in to have it battened back down. I was put under full anesthesia (it had been my understanding that this would be a quick/simple fix done with a local, but whatever). Dr. Lopez used the same port incision from before. Apparently of the four possible places on the port to use to suture, it is his practice to only do two sutures. So I had indeed torn one free, but the port was still attached on the other suture. He removed that suture as well, and reattached the port with two new sutures. He assures me it is now in the "perfect" position. So far I feel like I am able to breathe deeply without any pulling, which was not the case prior to my tearing the suture, so I am happy. A little sore, but happy. I have a big dent under where the port incision is (that was there before the repair), which looks kind of weird. I don't know if that will eventually level out or not. I am still numb in the area, so don't know if the feeling will return - I don't recall being numb anywhere after my first surgery. I am much more comfortable now than I was when my port was turned. My shoulders, neck and jaw are extremely stiff and sore, but that seems to be working out and lessening each day. So the fix was a bigger deal than I expected (all together I spent about 6 hours there for the 25 minute surgery), but pain-wise not terrible. The worst part was the expense - $1821. OUCH! But worth it to once again be pain-free. Moral of the story: Don't tear your port sutures! lol

First of all, I would meet with a bariatric surgeon, not a general surgeon. You want a bariatric surgeon because they see these issues regularly, and are at the top of their game with weight loss surgeries. Secondly, if you live in an area that has a university with medical school, find out which hospital they teach at and find a professor of bariatric surgery that is practicing and teaching. They are on the forefront of bariatric surgery. My bariatric surgeon is a professor and she told me that she does revisions that other bariatric surgeons won't touch. Don't take the general surgeons word for it. Seek second opinions with bariatric surgeons. Best wishes!

I'm 2.5 years out and I can tell you that although I had some restriction after surgery (mostly, I think due to the swelling of the wound and the time it takes to heal), by 6 months out I could eat what others could only do at 2+ years out (full chicken breast, some veggies, etc.). I never felt a restriction the same way that others have mentioned - I could move ahead much faster in trying new foods post-op than what was recommended (I didn't, but could have). Now I'm looking at getting a revision to bypass because clearly the restriction of the sleeve did not work for me. I know it's not just the sleeve, part of it was the mental side of things. For me, I've come to realise that there is no going back to normal eating patterns. The new food/portion control is for LIFE. Fail at that, the sleeve can fail (at least, it did in my case). I remember the day after my surgery crying to one of my doctors that I didn't believe that they did the surgery (despite the scars and tubes and everything else) because I wasn't in any real pain, had no nausea, and was full of energy, the complete opposite to every other patient in the hospital when I was there. She told me I was one of the lucky ones that come out of surgery feeling good and that I should be thankful for it. She then showed me a picture of my stomach that was cut out (to prove it) and said that it was longer than usual. I sometimes wonder if, because of that, I didn't have the same restriction as others. Anyway, long story short, everyone has a different reaction post-op to surgery. You may be someone who feels restriction years out so it will help you keep portions small. You may be someone who feels less restriction as time goes on, which means you have to have the mental strength and determination to stick to what is right, and not be distracted or influenced by others in what you eat. Either way, the best way to keep your sleeve small and unstretched to be vigilant in portion control and drinking protocols. Maybe forever.

@ I assume you're talking to me because it was my revision that just failed. The doc said I can try again in about three months but now I have to hope I heal, hope the insurance approves another go, and come up with all the money for out of pocket and travel expenses