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I had the band 5 1/2 years ago, lost 85 lbs, my band slipped and I had it redone 18 mths out 2nd band was not a succes. I really didnt loose too much more. I had fills then unfills, then fills. I stopped loosing weight and really had to rely on ME now, which I did. I walked 2 miles at least 3 times a week, ate semi- right. I pushed the envelope sometimes but not most of the time. I went back for a fill because no weight loss, even a few gained. So I thought maybe I need a fill, Guess what the band had slipped again. I am not telling you this do sway you from the band...The band is GREAT - remember I lost 85 lbs, However I think it just was not enough for me. 5 1/2 years ago..it was the ONLY choice for me, RYN was a dirty word.....I would have never considered something that invasive. Now since my band has slipped that is exactly what My Dr will be doing - a revision to either the RYN or the Sleeve. Would I have the band again, you betcha!! For me at the time it was the best choice. Do your homework, research and read about all of the WLS options. Read how each one is performed, what the risks are, what the % of weight loss is, then YOU decide, it is your body and you know it best. Best of luck to you!

Robin thanks for the reply. Good luck to you with getting civilian approval for the sleeve. I understand about appointments and kids; I have an 11, nearly 3, and 1.5 yr, old believe me nobody wants to see me at an appt with them in tow. That's another reason I want to go to the base, it's 30 minutes closer than the Dr. I'll be 40 too really soon and was hoping for the revision around my birthday. I don't plan on telling anybody about the surgery and was hoping to just let them all jump to their own conclusion about me having a mid-life crisis or something. I really hope things go well for you...I'll be looking for updates.

There's a new ruling as of today for surgery for the morbidly obese. It states that if it is nationally accepted and medically necessary, it will be covered by tricare. Here's the link to the Federal Register Document on the Department of Defense Final Ruling. I think this could mean the sleeve will be covered as of march, but read it and see. There's a contact person and phone number in the document, so that might help with insurance issues. Here's the Link. DOD Ruling DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary 32 CFR Part 199 [DOD–2008–HA–0057] RIN 0720–AB24 TRICARE Program; Surgery for Morbid Obesity AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DoD. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule adds a definition of Bariatric Surgery, amends the definition of Morbid Obesity, and revises the language relating to the treatment of morbid obesity to allow benefit consideration for newer bariatric surgical procedures that are considered appropriate medical care. The final rule removes language that specifically limits the types of surgical procedures to treat co-morbid conditions associated with morbid obesity and retains the TRICARE Program exclusion of nonsurgical interventions related to morbid obesity, obesity and/or weight reduction. This final rule is necessary to allow coverage for other surgical procedures that reduce or resolve comorbid conditions associated with morbid obesity and the use of the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is the more accurate measure for excess weight to estimate relative risk of disease. As new technologies or procedures evolve from investigational into generally accepted norms for medical practice, the statutes and regulations governing the TRICARE Program allow the Department to offer beneficiaries these new benefits. These changes are required in order to allow the Department to provide these newer technologies and procedures for the treatment of morbid obesity as they evolve. DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective March 16, 2011. ADDRESSES: TRICARE Management Activity, Medical Benefits and Reimbursement Branch, 16401 East Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011– 9066. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail L. Jones, Medical Benefits and Reimbursement Branch, TRICARE Management Activity, telephone (303) 676–3401. VerDate Mar<15>2010 14:08 Feb 11, 2011 Jkt 223001 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\14FER1.SGM 14FER1 WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with RULES Federal Register /Vol. 76, No. 30 /Monday, February 14, 2011 /Rules and Regulations 8295 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background On December 27, 1982, the Department of Defense (DoD) published a final rule in the Federal Register (47 FR 57491–57493) that restricted surgical intervention for morbid obesity to gastric bypass, gastric stapling, or gastroplasty method (excluding all other types) when the primary purpose of surgery is to treat a severe related medical illness or medical condition. The severe medical conditions or illness associated with morbid obesity included diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cholecystitis, narcolepsy, Pickwickian Syndrome (and other severe respiratory disease), hypothalamic disorders, and severe arthritis of the weight-bearing joints. The DoD also limited program payments to two categories of patients: (1) Those who weighed 100 pounds over their ideal weight with a specific severe medical condition; and (2) those who were 200 percent or more over their ideal weight with no medical complications required. Program payment was made available as well in cases in which a patient, who originally met the criteria, received an intestinal bypass, or other surgery for obesity and, because of complications, required a second surgery. Payment was allowed even though the patient’s condition may not have technically met the definition of morbid obesity because of the weight that was already lost following the initial surgery. All other surgeries including non-surgical treatment related to morbid obesity, obesity, and/or weight reduction were excluded. The DoD used the definition of morbid obesity, which was based on the Metropolitan Life Table and used then by other major health care plans, as well as reflected the 1982 general opinion regarding which cases justify surgical intervention. The DoD decided, at the time, that it was necessary to be very specific in benefit parameters due to fiscal responsibility and to ensure that Program beneficiaries were not being exposed to less than fully developed medical technology or procedures. At the time the current regulation was written in 1982, gastric bypass, gastric stapling, and gastroplasty methods were the recognized surgeries for morbid obesity. However, in recent years, other bariatric surgical procedures have evolved and some have a substantial body of literature to support their safety and efficacy. Unlike the original rule that listed the specific surgical procedures and the clinical conditions for which coverage may be extended; this final rule authorizes benefit consideration for those bariatric surgical procedures that have moved from the unproven status to the position of nationally accepted medical practice, as determined by the Program standard of reliable evidence. Also in 1982 during development of the current regulation for morbid obesity, overweight and obesity were typically measured with height-weight tables (such as the Metropolitan Life Table). The 1982 regulation restricted eligibility for bariatric surgery to individuals who exceed their ideal weight for height by 100 pounds with an associated severe medical condition, or 200 percent or more over their ideal body weight with no associated medical condition required. This final rule changes the Program definition of morbid obesity to reflect the current nationally accepted medical use of the BMI, rather than the typical assessed height-weight table (i.e., the Metropolitan Life Table), to determine an individual’s eligibility for bariatric surgical treatment. The BMI is the more accurate measure for excess weight to estimate relative risk of disease. Since there now are more than 30 major diseases associated with obesity, the final rule requires the Director, TMA, to issue specific criteria for co-morbid conditions exacerbated or caused by (morbid) obesity, as determined by the Program standard of reliable evidence. This final rule does not expand the TRICARE benefit for morbid obesity surgery. However, it does make the specific procedures that are covered, as well as the clinical conditions for which coverage may be extended, a matter of policy. In other words, new bariatric surgery procedures may be added to the TRICARE benefit structure as such procedures are proven safe and effective and are established as nationally accepted medical practice as determined by the Program standard of reliable evidence.

Hope all goes well for you this time around. You will find that the wait will be worth it once it's done. I couldn't be happier with the sleeve. I had lapband 5 years ago and just got revised to sleeve. What a difference! Good luck to you. jake

Well, i have lurked here off and on and it's time to tell my bit. I get so much help from just reading posts, i feel it's time to give back. I'll try to be concise, but that's not exactly my nature! Bear with me please LOL. Many moons ago, in August of 2001 to be exact, i got all excited about the upcoming FDA approval of the lapband in the US (where i live - California). I had never, ever considered a surgical weight loss option, even though i was over 300 lbs for much of my post baby life. I was one of those "healthy fat" people...i walked a lot, hiked some, got around pretty easy and my body was preportionate. I had a zest for life and enjoyed it. No high bp, no issues that i could tell were weight related. I had been a chunky teen, at 5'7" i had been about 170 to 190 lbs, and after i had my two children, i just ballooned up...gained 100lbs during the first pregnancy that i never fully took off, then more with the second. Being a housewife, my activity level dropped and i really had no education or thought i was the type of person that could even follow a diet, so i had almost never been on one. I had found my biological mother and family back in 1997. Out of a huge family, she was the only one that was big like me. We connected really well (it was a fairy tale, but that's another story!) and of course had the commonality of excess weight. For some reason, both of us at the same time started investigating surgical options, even though we had never before considered them! I think we ended up on the phone and realized we were excited about the same possibility...dealing with our weight with surgery. We read up on the bypass and were soon deflated. While knowing many do well, the thought of bypassing anything was scary and well, some people did have pretty negative effects and in some cases, didn't make it. We just weren't ready for that type of surgery yet. But lo and behold, the band!! Not FDA approved yet, but was done a lot in other countries. We scoured the internet, joined message boards, found that many were having their surgery's outside the US by self paying (and it was much cheaper too!) and we found a doctor in France that had lots of experience. We made a snap decision and booked our surgeries and flew to France with Grandma and my bio sister there for support. We toodled around France and Italy and Switzerland for a few weeks before surgery and while in Provence, 9/11 struck! We were scared and devestated. We were lucky enough to be in a bed and Breakfast with two fabulous English girls that ran back to "take care of the Americans" and translated for us and helped us reach our families. We had to decide whether to get home or to move forward with surgery 4 days later. We couldn't get flights out and decided we would move forward. Dr. Frering was excellent and we were successfully banded, i believe on about the 14th of September. We figured when we came back to the US, we'd be able to get after care once the band was approved and in the meantime we could manage with "underground fills" and/or going to Mexico. Well, as others have said, hindsight was 20/20. When we got back, we expected this tool to work for us, not with us. My mom had horrible pain issues with each fill and while she lost some weight, she unfilled and remained that way. I ran back and forth to Mexico, seeing Dr. Kuri there, who tried his best to deal with me, but my port was hard to access (they didn't secure down back then) and he even had to take me in and cut into the port area to find it. Evenutally my band was full and i was losing weight hand over fist by eating and vomiting for about 10 months. I dropped 170 lbs and was thrilled, but honestly was dying a little. I was so dehydrated that touching my skin left an indent! I couldn't swallow my own saliva and we rushed to a nurse who was also a bandster and doing fills on the side (secretly) and had her remove Fluid so i could swallow again. I maintained my weight for a little bit, maybe 6 months or a year, and one day was attending a Dodger game and took a bite of a hot dog and could swallow it....instead of thinking "uh oh", I thought "abondanza!!" and gained about 10 lbs a month for the next year and a half, eating my brains out now that i was not restricted. I gained all my weight back and even a bit more. I couldn't afford going to Mexico and getting fills anymore, and frankly, was just done with it and decided i had learned nothing (my own fault for not having good aftercare and not learning about nutrition or proper eating!) and needed to lose weight on my own. I tried Jenny Craig and some other things, lost little bits of weight but always gaining back. At band surgery, i weighed in at 341#. Evenutally, i hit 394#. My blood pressure was high, my back and knees were so bad i was barely walking, i started having chest pain and major anxiety issues...i was a mess for about 4 years. I knew i had to get healthy but really didn't know how. I knew the diet programs weren't for me, although with Jenny Craig i finally saw the connection between tracking food calories and losing weight when staying under a certain limit. I ended up joining My Fitness Pal and actually took off about 50lbs. Kept it off for a year, then regained it. My mom started my fitness pal and slowly lost her weight. It worked! Tracking calories and eating healthy really does work! But i still struggled and kept losing and gaining the same few pounds. My resistance to fun and happy hours and eating was minimal...i just couldn't say no. Eventually i lost about 65 lbs with MFP and felt good overall, that i had the secret to weight loss and maybe, over the next few years would be successful. In my mind though, i still wasn't sure i could ever keep it off. My primary care provider was convinced my chest pain was anxiety, but i was not. I pushed and pushed for all kinds of tests (found i had a premature heartbeat, a thyroid node, etc. etc.) and eventually asked for a referral to a surgeon who could check my gallbladder and also my band. I knew i had gallstones before band surgery, but they were big and unlikely to cause a problem, but i was at my wits end. I had done some research and chose a surgeon with a good reputation. Dr. David Martin in Pasadena. He was not a doc in my medical group referral system, but i convinced my primary that i needed to see someone close to home due to work time off and we took a chance on the approval and got approved to visit him. On my first visit we decided it was probably not my gallbladder causing pain (it was on the wrong side) but that it was my band. He agreed to take me on as a patient and I was elated! Over the previous 10 years, i either couldn't find a doctor who would touch me because my surgery was out of the country and my band was a MIDband, not the bands approved here in the US, or my insurance was not covering anything. I felt blessed that my insurance covered band fills now, and i was able to see this surgeon! We worked on filling the band, but at one point my port flipped over. Dr. Martin suggested we go in surgically and flip it and mesh it down so i wouldn't have that issue anymore. I agreed and asked to have my gallbladder removed at the same time as i was having pain issues that i were thinking might be referred gallbladder pain. He agreed and away we went. Had surgery in June of 2011 and everything went swimmingly. We went back to filling the band. But I was in the office every month adjusting, seemed my body just wasn't reacting very well to the band and although some pain did disappear with the gallbladder removal, overall, i was still suffering off and on with shoulder and other pains around the band location. Eventually i decided to talk to him about the sleeve. We decided to put in a request to the healthcare group/insurance to see if we could get an approval since i was already his patient and he knew me well at this point. Lo and behold I got a call a few days later. His office staff asked if i was sitting down, and then let me know i had been approved for the band removal and the sleeve! I really felt so blessed at this point, while i had struggled for so many years with no care, or no insurance approval, here this last year it seemed like i never got denied!! Of course my surgeon did not guarantee he would do both surgeries. My band was an unknown and he really cares about his patients and their safety. If my body was not in good condition, he would remove that band, but we would have to wait for healing before doing the sleeve. I was okay with that. Of course i wanted life more than a sleeve! And his reputation is so good, and he is such a caring doctor, that i trusted his opinions about my health. Problem was, the though of getting the sleeve was a bit of a whim, i hadn't really thought i'd even get approved...so my brain went a little wonky on that one! Then my company sold and my insurance was going to move over from Anthem Blue Cross to Cigna. I didn't want to take the chance on losing approval, so decided to just go with it...the stars had aligned after all...and picked a surgery date just 2 weeks later. I knew i wanted the band out, and knew i wasn't wanting a bypass and the problems that can come with that. I also knew that while i had lost weight calorie counting, my health still wasn't the greatest and i really worried about losing it all and keeping it off. It seemed to me that out of all the options out there, the sleeve was the most simple, requiring little after care throughout life and very successful. I was going for it. I was sleeved just 9 days ago, on October 17. The surgery was a little tough...we found a big hernia, and my esophogus was dilated from the band. I had a lot of scar tissue as my band was wider than the bands approved here, so more work for that. I was in the hospital for two days, mostly just because i was so nauseous and had a bit of a fever! But overall i'm doing great. I feel totally blessed to have found my surgeon and get all my approvals so easily. I don't know why i've gotten this lucky, but i have! I have to say that being on liquids is a little hard. Food does smell good, and overall i'm a little headachy and nauseous off and on. My mind is blown that i decided to forever cut off a portion of my stomach LOL, but in the end, i'm thrilled! I truly believe i have my life back, and knowing that my stomach capacity is reduced to approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups of food when i'm all healed and eating regularly, helps me know that i have more than just my "feeling" of fullness to rely on, i can be sure that i'm not "overeating" by keeping an eye on quantity. Anyhoo, that's my story! I'm looking forward to support on this site and continuing with MFP once i share my story there. I think that the band works for some, and i definately feel that good support from a care provider is essential, but for me, i believe the sleeve is the right choice and i'm so happy to have had a revision. Feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

I am having my band to sleeve revision tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes. Cathy

Had my band to sleeve revision last month with Dr Aceves. So far so good. Who would have thought I could put 1/4 cup of chili in a bowl, sit down and eat a teaspoon and actually feel full. So far this is what I thought the band was going to do. Good Luck

I started 8 months ago at 259 lbs. One lap-band and whole lotta good exercise and careful eating later, and I am finally below 200 lbs for the first time in 15 years. ​I love my band. I am so, so happy with it! I have had no troubles at all - just fantastic results. ​Right before my surgery last December, I started reading a lot of the scary posts on this forum. I cried a couple of times as well, thinking to myself, "What the heck have I signed up for?!" Do yourself a favour, go to Youtube and search "Lapband success" and spend a couple of hours in heaven. it helped me tremendously:-) There are bandsters on this forum that have been successfully banded for over a decade and lost all their excess weight. Alex, who started this forum, just celebrated his 12th "surgi-verssary" - the man is our collective hero! There are people on this forum who have had the lapband fail for them. BUT there are also people on this forum for whom other forms of WLS have failed as well (bypass, gastric balloon, gastric sleeve)... so. There are failures and revisions in all methods, I think. If you have a good, credible, experienced surgeon, speak to her/him about your concerns, about the band's failure rate, about any medical issues you may have that may complicate your band experience. I can only speak for myself - I am halfway through my weight loss after only 8 months, and I have never felt more alive, more grateful, more wonderful (and, hello, more skinny!)

10 yrs post rny; 5 yrs post revision. Past 8 months or so, get pain after eating. Relieved only by vomitting thick, copious amounts of clear mucous. It's NOT the foamies. It's the consistency of karo syrup. Dr. ordered UGI, CT and even an endoscopy and no answers. Anybody have something similar. I wouldn't mind if I could lose some weight from it, but I don't! Sometimes I'm fine; sometimes I get pain and vomit. No pattern. Very frustrated.

Look at revision surgery from lapband.There maybe a forum for it. Good luck Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I chose the bypass for a couple of reasons. 1. The Surgeon advised it would be the best for me as my weight was 363 at 5"9 and I was a bordem eater not over eater . 2. So many stories of people that get the sleeve and later have a revision for the bypass because they gained back weight.

I chose the bypass for two primary reasons. 1. - I had read about waaaaay too many people have a sleeve to bypass revision and only wanted to do this once. 2. - It was my understanding that with the sleeve you were still able to tolerate sweets and with the bypass they were a lot less tolerated. I know myself when it comes to sweets and I am never satisfied with one of anything! Therefore, I did not want to put myself in a position where I was "allowed" to have sweets because I knew I would not be in control of the situation. Since my surgery in June, I have attempted sweets/sugar twice and dumped both times!

Banded in Ft Worth in 2012- I just met with a new surgeon yesterday after having a swallow study. My esophagus is expanding causing reflux, etc. He unfilled the band and set me up for a follow up swallow study and follow up with him on Aug 15th. We talked about options. Do I want the sleeve or bypass? With revision do they make you wait months and months? Thanks...

My port flipped and I had to have surgery to correct it. Sometimes they can just tilt and they might be able to still access it. However, in a case of a full flip, the problem is that you can't get fills, which stalls your progress. I found out 8 weeks after my surgery that my port flipped when they couldn't access my port. I went in for revision surgery and it was a much easier recovery than the 1st surgery.

In 2010 I had the band and lost about 100 pounds....but it caused me horrible reflux and pain all the time. I developed esophagitis multiple times and sometimes went weeks unable to eat d/t the swelling. Finally in 2011 the band slipped...I almost died, was 22 weeks pregnant and has to have it removed. I ended up having to regain all my weight and finally got the sleeve this past January 14th (2 weeks ago). In retrospect I too believed the band would be safer being that it was reversible, but it was a mistake. I wish I had gotten the sleeve from jump street. During my revision I bled out the doctor told me from all the scar tissue and mess the band left behind. in my honest opinion I would go with your gut instinct. Best of luck with whatever u choose and please message me with any questions u may have. :-) Vicki Sent from my iPhone using VST

How long did you have to stay in the hospital? My self pay price allows for 3 days. Also if you have to walk and walk are you able to walk how soon after surgery

My surgeon advised that the best option was RNY. Less risk of reflux. Less risk of more damage/ issues to the oesophagus. I also know a lot of people that have revised to a sleeve or had a sleeve as an initial surgery who have not lost or have had massive regains. I decided to go with my surgeons recommendation and had my revision in Jan. I am very happy. My diet is much healthier than with the band, I don’t spend hours in restaurant toilets throwing up and I have reload the weight I gained and am sitting at goal.

Good luck! I really hope the process goes well for you. It has been the best decision I ever made. Im 2 weeks post op from my revision. Had several issues during surgery because of scar tissue buildup around my port which ended up leading to a post-op infection but now that is healing and life is getting back to normal!

Revise from ? To ? I revised from band to sleeve in 2011. Maintaining a massive weightoss pretty well now.

I only had 3 days pre-AP diet. Full liquid diet. Premier shakes are you best friend. I had surgery on the 10th. I too am a lapband revision. Post op so far is similar to the band. But with a lot of nausea. Nothing I couldnt handle. Also, I found cold drinks like ice chips and cold water made nausea worse. I drank warm water and broth the whole time in the hospital. Good luck! You can do this!! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Typically, unless there are extenuating circumstances, if they say 1 surgery they mean 1 surgery and rarely make exceptions. That said, my insurance had the same clause, I'm a band to RNY revision. My band slipped after I'd had it for 2 1/2 years, I had successfully kept off a significant amount of weight. My insurance paid for the revision because I had a failed band....if I had gone to my doc and said 'I hate this damn thing, take it out and do RNY' (which I actually had contemplated doing cuz I did hate that damn thing!!!) they would not have paid. As miserable as the slip and emergency surgery were, they were actually a blessing in disguise . So it DOES happen!!!! good luck! Fingers crossed! HW 312, pre-op (lap-band) 294, pre-op (RNY) 255, surgery date 2/11/13, goal weight 154, current weight 219

wishing you well for your planned revision, there are many who have gone through this recently. My friend Ellie 123 from Texas comes to mind but there are many more, if you only look.

It's nervous to have second thoughts with any type of weight loss surgery, it's a life changing event and comes with it so much responsibility. And the lap band has MANY responsibilities in order for you to accomplish your weight loss goals and minimize any complication risk. Here are some things to ponder: 1. Have you thoroughly researched your surgeon? Being self pay you REALLY need to make sure you are in good hands, have you asked about his complication rate, how many revisions has he/she has done from Band to Bypass or Sleeve? If his rate is very low, you are OK, if he/she revises a lot of his lap band patients to Sleeves or Bypass BEWARE. 2. Have you asked about his aftercare? Does he fill the band and follow your progress? Does he perform dynamic fills this is a good method where you drink liquids while the fill adjustment is being perform and it helps you detect the sweet spot more quickly. Can you get fills when YOU need them, or when they be on some sort of schedule. Or will he outsource this to another fill giver, or does he have a qualified PA that assists in surgery to do fills, VERY IMPORTANT, you don't want any unskilled nurse or fill giver performing your fills. Aftercare also includes checking or identifying any lap band problems, Upper Gi's and ordering EGD, when and if necessary to check the health of your band if you have issues. 3. How many lap bands has he/she has done? If over 500 you are ok, if not I would seek another lap band surgeon (especially if you are self pay). 4. If you are financing the lap band will you have money for future upkeep? You have to be realistic here, if your insurance will not pay for the band, fills can get really expensive depending on where you live, they range from $10 with co-pay up to over $1,500 per fill, so you need to ask your surgeon UPFRONT what the fills will cost for you as a self pay at least for a year. Some surgeons will include free fills for 6 months to a year in their package for self pay patients, because it can take up to 3-5 fills or more before you get to the green zone and be prepared if it takes A good YEAR before you get to a restriction level where you don't need any more fills. But many people reach a good fill level fairly quickly. 5. Just because you are self pay NOW, does not mean if you have a complication your insurance will not pay for it, usually MOST insurances that don't cover bariatric surgery WILL cover a complication if it is deemed medically necessary, but again, you should check your insurance policy, and if does not, you need to be prepared for any unforeseen complications, whether if you need a Upper Gi, or EGD or have to have a port replaced, or tubing or worse band replaced, these are things you need to think about because they CAN and DO happen with the band. I will give you an example, I got my band replaced last year, my first band was paid for 100 percent, 7 years later I had a new insurance plan, and it did not cover any bariatric surgery, BUT -- it paid 100 percent to fix a hiatal hernia which was required to remove the old band and place a new one, because I had a complication, it as deemed medically necessary because of the hernia to remove my old band and replace a new AP band because it was medically necessary. Honestly whether you get the Band, Bypass, or Sleeve you can run into unforeseen medical costs from unexpected complications, but again, many people do not have any issues, and sail along fine, but again you need to be prepared especially if you are going to be self pay. The risk is worth it for many people because you end up with a healthier life and better self esteem. Good luck

I had my band removed and sleeve revision done ten days ago. My wife and I are going on a 7 night Carnival cruise from New Orleans to the western Caribbean in October. After I had the sleeve surgery, I freaked out realizing I may not be able to eat and drink and enjoy a cruise anymore. My doctor told me at 4 months out I'm going to be healed sufficiently to eat normal foods and even have a drink here and there, just don't overdo it. That made me feel a lot better. I plan to have a few sips of wine after I get to phase3 and do a trial run from home in case it hits me pretty hard. Dont want to beta test my new alcohol tolerance in public. Lol

I had surgery here in the states about 2yrs ago by a plastic surgeon in BH california.I had a tummy tuck At the time I was only 145lbs. But anyway I was going to have it done in in tj but with all the neg in put everyone was giving me I deciede to do it in the states. It what was so funny everything that people were saying that would happen in tj happen right here. i got an infection an all most died. So what im saying is no matter were you go this can happen. So this time im going to take my chances in mex. and did tell you that the tummy tuck also needs to be revised.