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WOW - me too! A couple bites and that is all I can eat and I get hungry. I can drink OK. I was banded Dec. 13. Actually, it was a revision (i think that is right). First time thru the tube wasn't connected or came undone, so he removed that band and gave me another one. If all I am eating is a few bites, shouldn't the weight be just falling off?? I have lost 23 lbs and I do eat healthy. I can only eat so much. 2 or 3 bites of cottage cheese, yogurt, whatever. I thought this was how it was supposed to be.

I had poor weight loss with the band as well as many side effects so on 11/21/11 I had a revision done by one of the top surgeons in Mexico. I weighed in at 298 before the preop diet. At surgery I was 293. After the 3 week liquid diet post op I got to 282 and was overjoyed. I started darting food again and went to 285. I emailed the nutritionist who gave me a diet to follow. I was unable to eat all that she expected me to eat and got to 290!!!!! She emailed me back and said it must be metabolic as there was no logical reason based upon my weight. Surgery and diet this should happen. I made an appt with my family doc to get a referral to an endo. I had already explained that my thyroid tests were normal. Part of me thinks I should see the endo, but I must admit that I don't know what else can be done if my thyroid is normal. I know I am fine on the diet . One other thing is that I have bipolar disorder and take several meds that have weight gain as side effects. I can't cut back on them because I will end up living on the street without them. Anyone else having a similar problem?

Nikki- I was given the choice, too, and I think I'm going to go with the Realise one. I've not been given the 'secret code' to get onto the larger part of the website, but so far, it looks promising. If you do a search for it here (as well as "Swedish Band") you'll find lots of threads about it. Denise- First, the biggest thing is that my surgeon seemed to be happy about was Johnson and Johnson's reputation about standing behind their products (they're the ones distributing Realise). The band is entirely 'low pressure' versus the Inamed that becomes high pressure after 4cc (?? -- I think that was the number he gave me). Meaning, if you go in to do a fill at a certain point with the Inamed, the pressure load of the saline will be high enough that it would push back the plunger on the syringe ... or shoot out if there was a leak. With the Realise one, it's low pressure throughout. And I was told that would be beneficial in terms of keeping food from getting stuck. Because the band is wider (and somewhat softer by extension), it can kind of mold to a larger chunk of food to help it move through the stoma rather than having it lodged there for however long it would take to either get displaced or digested. My surgeon also told me that the interior of the band gets inflated all the way around (as opposed to the sections that Nikki described, leaving less of a chance of erosion/rubbing in one spot. Also, all Realise bands come with a low profile port (Inameds don't - or didn't until recently come with that option). There's also that whole online support thing that comes with the band where you can track exercise, food, calories, etc. You can also have it set up so your doctor can link in to your personal page and follow your progress. There was, however, a pretty big issue with it only being offered to US patients (Patients in Canada and those who had the surgery done in Mexico apparently weren't eligible for the web program. Dunno if they revised that or not). That's all I'm remembering off the top of my head for now. I'm sure there's probably more. I have the little book the doctor gave me floating around here somewhere...If I think of anymore, I'll come back and edit. -m

My insurance paid for my band 5 years ago but then I lost my job. I had to pay for fills/unfills myself (which in my experience can run from $250 to $1500 depending on your doctor and what part of the country you're in). And when my band slipped I had no insurance, I didn't realize my symptoms were from a slipped band and I suffered for almost 2 years before I could afford to be seen by a surgeon. Then last year, my new job's insurance had an exclusion. It's the same employer more or less and the same insurance company as had paid for the initial placement but I was still paying for my own fills/unfills. But now, same employer/insurance company but a new plan, it's covered and I'm going to get a revision to RNY. The main driver for that rather than getting my band fixed or replaced is the continued follow up. Even if my band doesn't slip again or some other complication happens I'd still potentially be out of pocket for all of the inevitable fills/unfills. I just thought I'd share my story if that helps you with your own decision making. I do love my band and lost 100lbs with it before it slipped but I'm looking forward to my bypass too.

Hi, I'm new on this forum. I was banded back in April 08. I first lost 13 lbs then I gained it back and then some. I did what I was supposed to do at first. However, I was still very hungry. I ended up eating more and I suppose I streched the pouch. Had 4 fills and 1 unfill. I know there is nothing wrong with the band, it just does not work for me. Had an upper GI and the doc said it is in place and looks normal. I'm going to get the sleeve done anyway. I need something a little better to help me. I know that I will have to stick to the portions and exercise on a daily basis. I just want to see if there is anyone out there that had this done. What is your progress? I'm 47 years old, 5'1", 204 lbs. Thanks. Please respond.

I went through something very similar. I lost about 100-120# (or thereabouts) but still had more to get to goal. My losses were grinding to a halt and I had to ask myself some tough questions. 1. Do I actually WANT to be slimmer? I had lost enough that I was much healthier, was able to move and do stuff comfortably but I had a nice matronly look about me. the remnants of the "fatsuit" made me feel safe and comfortable. The decision to really push and get to goal was a little like deciding to strip in public - it was very very unsettling to me. 2. I had let certian "healthy foods" become my new junk food. Quest bars are fine once a day, but when you start nibbling them like the new snickers bar... your losses will stall. I had to really decide to not use food that way anymore. Really. Not even healthy food. 3. I had to change up my workouts to give me a bit of extra "burn". I went to high intensity interval training and loved it. I decided to go for it and hit my goal of losing 150# 14 months from my revision. I found out that for me, the loss of the fatsuit gave me a great deal of angst. My biggest learning from all this was the deep understanding of how that "anxiety" has always contributed to regains in the past. My surgery was Dec 2011. I hit goal in Feb 2013. It is now almost first of july 2015 and i am still maintaining... and I am very aware of all this now. The angst over how I look (that being exposed thing) is pretty much gone now but it was harder then you might think...

I do think the sleeve is a much much better choice than the Lap-Band some people have great success with it but unfortunately it was not one of them, I'm looking forward to having the revision done so you'll have to let me know how you are doing! Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

Hi everyone, I'm scheduled a week from Monday. My sleeve is a revision after an unsuccessful gastric band. From one minute to the next, I'm hopeful and nervous and excited and terrified. I respect and trust my surgeon so it's not that. It's just that the band didn't work for me and I want to have confidence that this will. I'm looking forward to sharing support with the group.

I didn't have a revision, but as far as hunger post sleeve goes, it truly is amazing. I was the worst snack-monster you could ever find. After eating a huge stir-fry plate, an hour later, I was eating 20 crackers and cheese and then a peanut butter sandwich and then ... Now, after dinner (a medium tuna salad), I may have something of a snack, but that is mainly to try to get enough calories in. It is not my mind or body telling me, "FEED ME!!". It may be 3 crackers and cheese, or 1/4 of an apple. I still get hungry, but it is a different hunger ... a good hunger. As my surgeon explained to me, the body will learn the new signals in absence of the gherlin, but it will take some time to learn them.

To answer your questions... 1. I am a lap band to r n y on the 26th. Not doing well on pre diet need to know drastic measure to shrink liver by Thursday. You really need to get back to the pre-op diet your surgeon/bariatric center put you on and stick to it. It's the best you can do. The whole idea of the pre-op diet is to help shrink your liver for the safety of you during the surgery and it makes it easier for your surgeon. The easier the better...the smaller your liver the better and easier it is for your surgeon to hold it aside while working on your stomach. They have to push and hold the liver out of the way so as not to nick it and to have the best possibly access. Buckle down and stick to your pre-op diet...it's the best thing you can do for yourself. There are no drastic measures you can take....liquid diets are tough period. The liver is the first to gain fat weight and fortunately the first to lose it according to my surgeon. Stick STRICTLY to the pre-op diet. 2. Any successful converters? I had the lapband. It was removed in Jan/Feb of 2010 but, my surgeon said it was still a revision because the stomach still has the flap in it that held the lapband in place. She did say that they remove that flap and that will sometimes cause them to have to make the RNY pouch a bit bigger than they would for someone who hasn't had the lapband because of scarring. In my case she did make it slightly bigger but, I feel great and I'm losing weight. Also all well if u take Vitamins? Vitamins are ABSOLUTELY necessary because of the malabsorption our bodies go through after RNY. We have to take a higher dose of vitamins in order to get the right amount in our bodies because of this. Definitely buy those vitamins and try them prior to your surgery. Your surgery is close so hopefully you've gotten them already or have tried some. If not I highly recommend picking some up. My surgeon didn't require me to take them for 2-3 weeks after my surgery because she said our bodies have them stored and they can sometimes upset the pouch early after surgery for some folks. I had no issues taking mine at the 3-4 week mark and I take them daily. The hardest one to remember though is the Calcium because I can't take them in the morning with everything else. The Iron and calcium fight for absorption so you have to take one or the other two or more hours. With Calcium your body won't absorb more than 600 mg at a time so having to take 1500 mg once again...I have to wait in between. So it's a bit harder to get all that in but, I get some calcium from milk and cheese too. Also 1.5 weeks off of work? Need to be clear headed for work. Ok expectation My surgeon recommended 3 weeks out with a revision surgery because of the added work done to accomplish it. I ended up being out 6 weeks because I had an infection in the main incision site. Going back was still difficult because you're body is getting used to less calories and if your job is stressful...well...that doesn't help. Mine is stressful so it took a while for me to get back into the swing of things but, all set now. Everyone is different so all times back are different. Take the cues from your body and listen to them though. This is the time to take care of YOU...work will be there! 3. Worried about long term complications. Thoughts? Most people fine? There are complications for some folks just as there are for any surgery. I looked at it as...I was having more complications with being overweight at the moment and they weren't going to get any better..if anything it would get worse and a shorter life. For me the surgery was worth it. Most folks are fine. There are some postings within this board from DLCoggin that are great to read. The postings are from studies he's read about and tell of the percentage of issues etc. Worth a peek. (Sorry I can't point you to the exact postings at the moment...DL if you see this can you post the link to the thread.) 4. Really no beer ever - Go with what your surgeon/Bariatric center recommends. Mine says no carbonation. That means soda, beer anything with carbination bubbles. They say after a year out from surgeon an occassional, stressing occassional, glass of wine is ok but again that's after a year. Alcohol can and has become an issue for many RNY patients because they've replaced the comfort food with alcohol. It's really important to work on the issues of why the choice of comfort foods in the first place. Just like any habit.....they are tough to break and takes lot of mind work to accomplish conquering....but always remain a work in progress. I do know a few folks who do drink a beer here and there and have no issues. Fortunately for me, I only occassionally had a drink maybe 4 a year so I'm just choosing to not bother. Everyone is different and reacts differently to alcohol though so be careful if you choose to have it. Good luck with your surgery!

I truly hope that your insurance has to pay. I also had to wait between band removal and Sleeve, my surgeon said that once he was in there my stomach was in no shape to do the revision at the same time. Those months past super fast though and the Sleeve surgery and recovery went smoothly. I will be crossing my fingers for you also.

Hi all, I joined this website when I got my lap band many moons ago, and just over a week ago I got my band to sleeve revision. Thank gosh that blasted band is gone! I hated it and it never worked for me, slipped right after surgery and since I had it done in Mexico, my PCP wouldn't touch it. Anyhow, I am just so thankful I was able to get sleeved without having to wait between surgeries. I have been on liquids and just started on creamy Soups, Tomato and cheese. Trying to get in my Protein through Protein shakes, but I think I am coming up a little short. Doing fairly well with Water intake. I guess the only complaint I have is I have had diarrhea since the surgery. I am thinking it is the antibiotic I am on, so only two more days and I'm done with them. Had my surgery with Dr. Almanza in TJ. Energy level is a little low and sometimes at work if things get stressful I actually get pretty shaky, so I have taken to having two small squares of dark chocolate just to give me a little energy boost to get me through those shaky times. Other than that I am sticking to the diet fairly well. Hope anyone considering dumping the band does it...those bands are bad news, and who wants a foreign object in their bodies!

I Amman one week post op band to sleeve revision. I'm so glad I found this forum. I know that I failed the band and it failed me. But I am determined to reach goal this time. I was worried about having everything done at once but I'm glad I did. I actually feel pretty good, just tired.

Mine was a revision surgery. I only lost 19.5 pounds at 8 weeks post op. I have barely exercised because of a bone spur in my foot has made it very painful to walk. I'm hoping to get it treated in a couple of weeks so I can start my walking again. I still think my weight loss will be slow even with the exercise but my goal is to try to lose 8-10 pounds a month.

They have solu-tabs, but my insurance gave me grief (they paid for the whole revision surgery but gave me grief about the ant-acid). ....So I asked the pharmacist what would be similar and comes in a tiny pill and he found something for me. It's been a life saver.

I had my band to sleeve revision on Tuesday, and I've got to say it was a lot more pain this time around.It was also my 1st experience with a catheter and a drainage tube. Not fun taking those out. The 1st 36 hours were rough but I'm feeling a lot better today. I've had a shake & a couple of Popsicles. My Dr. says it will get better as time goes on, I've got an appointment with him next week.

I had the band for 6 years and food would get stuck and I would throw up. I was revised to the band and I have that same stuck feeling in my chest and I still vomit. Nothing has changed as far as that goes.

Trisha, Wow I can't believe that. I believe that we were banded around the same time. I'll be heading into surgery for a revision from a slip on Nov. 18th. You bet I'll be questioning the spleen before I go in. I'm about 20pounds from my goal and told my husband that I'll have the revision this time but if it slips again, I'll just have it removed. I think we've made enough changes in our lifestyle so the weight wont come back on. (I hope) Im praying that the revision works! Let us know how the second opinion goes. Pam

I recently went in for a band revision. In my mind that's what was happening. Worst that could happen was that they would have to replace the band. Wake up from anesthesia and hear the nurses talking about the band being removed. Well, needless to say, I was devastated. Seems I had developed significant adhesions to my spleen. Nowhere in the literature or even on here have I seen that as among the more common risks. But while he was in there, he didn't see anythng wrong with the band that would be causing all my slippage problems, he just went ahead and removed it. This from a surgeon who is not a great believver in the band to begin with. While I was still dopey from drugs he's talking to me that this isn't necessarily the end of the world. They could always do a bypass later or if he could get insurance to approve it, a sleeve. I was still in tears emotionally from the roller coaster and drugs. He absolutely is adamant that the stomach adhesing to the spleen could not have possibly cause the band to not function properly. But something clearly was causing the slips. I go for a second opinion in a few weeks and maybe can get more questions answered. After seeing what they do with the sleeve, I'm not willing to take the risk. If a band surgery will cause enough adhesions to have to have 100 mini staples in my stomach, what are the risks of them removing half your stomach and a gazillion more staples. Financially I will be paying for this for the next two years. I wasn't at goal yet...I'm abuot 25 lbs out but maintenance was always my issue. I had hoped that this would be the answer to maintain. So for 10k+ I've got a whole lot of staples and a pretty messed up looking abdomen. Would love to know if anyone else has ever had their spleen adhese to the stomach. Trisha

I have posted that I have to have a revision surgery to fix my dilation (Revision Surgery for dilated esophagus). I had my second child almost two years ago, and ever since then I have been able to eat anything. I started getting fills very aggressively and we finally realized that something was wrong. Had the Upper GI and found that I was stretched. They took all of my fill out of 4 cc band, on liquids for a week, unfilled for 4 weeks was the plan. Had another upper GI, was still a little stretched so no fill again, had to wait another 3 weeks. Went to get my fill, so excited, and NO fill. The nurse said the DR said my pouch was stretched up over my band. So now I have to go talk to the surgeon on Tuesday to see what my options are, but regardless I have to have surgery for this to ever work again! I hope being on liquids really helps you and gets your pouch back down, because I do not wish this on anyone!

Mine took 2 hours. I had to take a really ridiculous psych test on a computer. It was multiple choice. It asked questions like " I would like to be a ___________" A) Florist :smile1: Writer for Vogue C) Interior Designer D) Architect Other questions were like " I feel anxious when" with multiple answers. " I really do not like social experiences/outings" True or False. They are looking for anxiety, depression, addictive personality traits to see if you will have any extenuating issues post-op. That is at least what was explained to me. After the testing, I had to meet with the psych and discuss all the changes that might occur, my concerns, and any questions. That was all for my band surgery. For my revision, I just had to meet with a different psych to ensure that I could handle doing a revision while my husband was deployed, and that I was not going to break down since he was gone.

Hi all, I was so excited about getting my date yesterday, that I forgot to ask my doctor if I will have to do a liquid diet before surgery. If you have had a revision will you please let me know what you had to do? I see my doctor again in three weeks for all the official pre-op stuff. I would just like to have an idea of what to expect. Thanks!!!

WoW, Thanks for sharing your story, I had lap band 4 years ago and have had nothing but complications. Therefore, I am having a revision and removing the band and having the sleeve done I am much more nervous almost scared yet excited for the surgery and the adventure I think I amostly afraid of failing and the biggest my addiction with food!!!Fighting "Head Hunger" LOVE...1 is too many 1000x . Also, reading the horror stories on the complications thread lol. Of course there is always risk, I'm still moving forward. I to want the best out of life for me and my future with my other half and family, life is way to short to be miserable and my first surgery was cash pay, but "You know money comes and goes no regrets just do it" a friend said as I though I would have to cash pay again lol...Great story look forward to following more post! Congratulations!!!!! Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

I have had 2 friends that have had babies post Gastric bypass. They both struggled getting back down to a comfortable weight. One had a revision and is doing better and the other did not. From what I've seen it can be done but you have to be ultra on top of your game once the baby is born. No cheating and probably starting back at post op phase 1

I'm a week out and still feeling tired but moving around a lot more. I hate with the revision you have 2 drains. I got one out. The other one is for the old stomach and must stay 3 weeks. Ugghhh. Things have changed a little since I had my first surgery but for the better. I'm 11yrs older so I know recovery is different too. The one thing I've had no issues with thus far is eating or drinking which is good. I feel the restriction which I didn't have before so this is a good sign. I'll keep you posted. Good luck with your appointment.