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I started at 174 at my revision so I lost much slower. I lost 15 lbs at my 8 weeks post op appt. I know some lose much, much faster but when ur bmi is lower, u WILL lose slower. Good luck!

Not sure it's healthy to compare. Everyone is different. There are too many factors that come into play when we're talking about weight loss. Personally, I'm OK with the slow weight loss. Would I like it to be faster? Certainly, but I accept the consequences of the fact that I'm probably more relaxed with my diet plan than most. I feel great, my clothes fit better, I have more energy and ambition. I'm just all around in a better place, and isn't THAT what it's all about? Health and happiness? If you must compare: I had gastric sleeve revision surgery about a month after you. I've lost 40 lbs since surgery. Not to harp on the not comparing theme, but our experiences may be different. I didn't have a direct revision. I had my lap band out in 2009 and tried to go it alone. I was doing well maintaining until I had some major life events that had a devastating effect on my waistline. I also noticed that my starting weight was much higher than yours.

Hey everyone, I had gastric sleeve revision surgery over 6 months ago and I have lost almost 40 pounds. I still have 20 to lose to get to goal, although I am happy to finally being able to squeeze into most of my skinny clothes. As you know, revision surgery patients lose at a slower pace, but I wanted to see how I was doing compared to other revisioners! Please tell me your stats!!

Glad to hear!! I had lap band because my insurance at the time covered it or RNY. I didn't need or want malabsorption, so my choice seemed easy at the time. Trouble started a little more than a year out and went downhill from there. I was under the care of my bariatric surgeon until the office neglected to notice I had 0% function of my esophagus. My gastroenterologist referred me to a leading esophageal specialist who had my band out in a week. It had been placed on my esophagus above the gastoesophageal junction...I was one of the 3%. I also have a cardiac arrythmia from vagus nerve damage and now take meds for that, in addition to all the meds I was taking pre band and I cannot revise.

You took a BIG step with stopping smoking. KUDOS to you..Take it one day at a time..this is s great site for motivation. If you need an accountability partner, I'm here..I head Lapland surgery in 2010. List the first year and started with complications....gained all of my weight back in 1 year..this time last year I had a hiatal hernia repair and band repositioned..I got down to 185 pounds. I started this journey at 248. I am currently 246.4...by God's grace I am scheduled for revision surgery to bypass on jan. 16th...it's been a long road but I'm not giving up...if you need to talk, vent, our need someone to be accountable to, let me know....Good luck!!! You will do great!!!

Sorry Noo, I haven't been through the process, but I was looking the other day at the online centrelink form for early release of super and I couldn't see a field for adding savings or assets, nor does the documentation required specify copies of bank or investment statements. May it is something they follow up with? There is a company that helps with applying for early release of super, their fees seemed a bit exxy, but if they help achieve a good outcome it could be worth it. Feedback on facebook was a bit mixed but overall 4.2/5. Company name was My SuperCare. Perhaps Noo you may not be so out of pocket with a revision, as you may not be required to do all the aftercare for up to one or two years? Note that unless preservation age has been reached early release of super in most instances will be taxed at about 22%, so if $10,000 is released, tax will be $2,200 and funds received will be $7,800. So at the end of the day, we won't receive the full cost of the surgery, hospital and doctor fees etc. I am not sure if tax is paid directly by the super fund or if it is captured by the annual tax return process. I am considering early release of super for the surgery I am proposing (ESG, if deemed a suitable candidate) which is not covered by medicare (thus also not covered by private health insurance). For anyone in Australia considering early release of super for weight loss surgery, note that there is a government review underway at the moment, if early release of super for these circumstances continue I suspect that the criteria for early release will become a whole lot tougher than it is now. If all goes well with my consult etc I want to have the ESG in Sept or Oct, but what to go through the application for super release as soon as possible. If I am not successful, my chosen clinic is a member of MiFund and they have interest free plans (application fee and low cost montly fee only) so I will apply for that. To be honest this is possibly better than early release of super, as application fee and monthly fees would be less than the tax payable on release of super, with the added bonus that super remains intact. My fall back position if not sucessful for early release of super or MiFund is a surgery that is covered by medicare and private health insurance, but I really do want the minimally invasive ESG. Apologies for the waffle!

Yes, I have never heard of that either. I do know that when that happens, they put some sort of band around the area to make the stomach smaller. I think, I'm not sure because how can they reattach something that's already there, when you think about it. Do you think that your stomach has stretched to allow you to eat more, if I may ask? Or do you think that it is just poor choices. My boss had gastric bypass about 6 years ago and is heavier now than when he had it. He certainly needs a revision! LOL. He eats 2 slices of pizza at a time, a bagel with sausage, egg and cheese as well as wraps, etc.. Don't know how he gets it all down. Maybe I'm missing something. LOL.

Hi everyone, I haven't spoken to my doctor about this yet because I want to have as much information as possible before bringing it up with him. HISTORY: I had a standard lapband implanted in March 2011. At the start of the band process I was 315 lbs and on surgery day I was 276 lbs. I am 6'0" and currently weigh 255 lbs (BMI=34). My lowest weight was 236 lbs a little over a year ago before adopting a baby and buying a business. I got back up to 265 lbs because of the stress of those events (now back into a regular routine of eating the right foods and exercising regularly) plus my doctor removed a lot of the saline from my band because he said I have esophageal dysmotility and an inflamed esophagus due to reflux but I never feel acid indigestion. I just feel inflammation of the esophagus and often feel a lump in my throat. I have been taking nexium or omeprazole 20mg twice a day and the inflammation is a little bit better and the lump gone. My port site is frequently sore like I pulled a muscle and protrudes so much it is visible if I wear a tight shirt and you know what to look for. I recently had an endoscopy and was told that the lapband is fine. There is no slippage, erosion, ulcer or other problem with the band. The doctor took biopsies of the esophagus because of the inflammation. I see the GI doctor on Friday for the biopsy results which I predict will only be caused by acid reflux. The lapband doctor recently (after the endoscopy) added .5 cc to the band (now at 3.5 cc total) because I was able to eat WAY too much without getting full. I can now regularly eat a 12oz prime rib, veggies, salad, some bread and dessert (which is less than before the fill). I also have many days (now and before the fill) when I can't eat 2-3 bites of moist meat without throwing up. A lot of times I throw up (sometimes with the right foods, other times with fiberous foods, bread, Peanut Butter etc) but am still hungry. My doctor is very reluctant to add more Fluid to the band because he thinks it will further aggravate the esophageal dysmotility and inflammation. Although I hate the problems of not being able to eat certain foods that clog the band and make me vomit, I could live with it if I can get more restriction. If I can't get more restriction, I will not lose any more weight and fear I will regain even more weight. I am doing the initial research to determine if the gastric sleeve would be a good choice for me. QUESTIONS: Can I get a sleeve with the esophageal dysmotility and inflammation? Can I qualify for the sleeve (self-pay) with a BMI under 35? My insurance will cover medically necessary band removal, but not weight loss surgery. Any suggestions for getting at least some insurance coverage? Is the feeling of fullness with a sleeve really different than the feeling of the band pouch being full? Can I go back to eating some of the foods (in small quantities) that I can't eat all now without clogging the band? Any suggestions for surgeons in Raleigh, NC in case I decide to switch surgeons? Anything else I need to know? Any other thoughts? ​Thank you all very much. Tom

Hi my name is Elizabeth and I have been on this site for a while now and have just found the UK forum. Thank goodness as the forum I had been looking at was very interesting with very interesting people but was based in America so was slightly different pre op & post op diets etc. I had the gastric band privately done in October 2008 and it was the worst £7000 spent in my whole life. I had problems from the beginning when I had my first fill and the only weight lost was due to my own perseverance. I continually told them there was something wrong but to cut a long story short my new surgeon discovered it had only been stitched at one side giving me an extra pouch that hung over my new stomach causing me to continually be sick etc. I am now waiting to hear next week when my band will revised to a sleeve and I am sooooo excited after reading all the positive views on this site. It would be good to hear from others in a similar position.

Finally home My surgery was comlicated... lots of adhesions and the stomach wall was very thin where my lapband was placed. It was a fragile area and there did end up being a tear in the gastric mucosa. I honestly don't think any other surgeon would have been able to remove my band and sleeve me in one surgery other than Dr. Aceves. He was wonderful... sweet...kind and caring. I went pretty Cray Cray when I came back from recovery... apparently Morphine and anesthesia don't agree with me. I don't remember much of it... but apparently I was a little hard to handle and tried to bite Daniel the nurse. Sorry Daniel. I do recall reaching out to grab things that weren't there... and a foggy recolection of Dr. Campos giving me a lecture. ANyhoo... glad that didn't last long! I was supposed to stay two extra days but United airlines would not work with me on moving the day of departure without literally charging me an arm and a leg to do so... so had to leave against medical advice. They also made our trip home a bit of a nightmare. Still... I am home... Yay! Not having very much pain but will be glad to get my drain pulled in a couple of days. Amanda... I passed on your greetings and yes... Dr. Campos is a cutie and I think is is pretty aware of that...lol. He nicknamed me Darcy Pistolita... I am pretty stubborn and sassy... so I guess it fits! He checked on me often and the nurses were all sweet and attentive. I would send anyone... especially someone having a revision to Dr. Aceves... a person should recover in a hospital setting... not a hotel... and ... Hospital Almater was very nice, clean and up to date with technology. I met some really nice folks and felt well cared for... and I am terribly glad to be home!

This happened to me at my second fill apt in August. I was so upset. They told me that my port flipped and scheduled me for port revision. Fluroscopy even showed it upside down. When the dr. opened me up, my port was fine, it was never upside down. The fill nurse was not accessing the right spot. So I was opened up for nothing. My surgeon was very upset and apologetic, but I got a 3ml fill while I was opened up, for a total of 5. He said from now on all fills will be done under fluro by him. It isn't the worst thing. They can fix it. Good luck. Angie

Hi Kelsie, this is such a personal decision, and really research and a little soul searching are the main options. I can tell you why I chose the sleeve vs. the RNY when I revised from the band. 1) regain stats for the RNY are scary in my opinion. I know several people who have regained a significant amount of their weight back within 5 years of surgery. A lot of RNY patients seek a revision, stomaphyx, shortening the common channel causing even more malabsorption, or going with a DS (which the sleeve is the first part of the DS procedure) 2) Rerouting my intestines, and changing the natural digestive process was not something that interested me at all. 3) The nutrient deficiencies with RNY due to the malabsorption really bothered me. 4) I wanted the freedom of being able to eat whatever I wanted. With the RNY, you'll deal with dumping if you eat something with fat/sugar. If I want to have A cookie, I want a cookie. 1 cookie isn't going to kill me. 4) I was a volume eater. I was not a junk food/sweets eater. So, I knew a restrictive procedure would work for me and my lifestyle. I wish you the very best in your decision, and if you have questions, please feel free to ask. If we don't know the answer, we'll do our very best to find it for you.

I'll just say a few things, because I know other folks will chime in. 1. Yep, the preop diet is tough. No lies. But you can do it, because almost everyone here that had a surgery did it, too. Turn here for support if you need it. 2. Post op the diet is NOT hard. It wasn't for me, anyway. I got to the point where I was tired of drinking my meals, but I did it with zero hunger and zero cravings. You'll be sore, a little weak and a little tired. Trust me, a cup of warm Soup (with some Protein added!) is going to be all you can handle. Unlike the band, once you're healed you can eat and expect to be able to eat, with restriction, every day. 3. Don't let any news about the band healing faster make you believe it's a better idea. It's not. It may heal faster, but 25% of those people that get one will need a follow up surgery. I recommend you do a search on this board for revisions, because there are a number of people here that had a hell-on-earth experience with their band before revising (some of them at their own expense) to a sleeve. You're making the right choice to get the sleeve. My insurance didn't cover the sleeve. They cover bands and RNY. I did my research and I'm very glad I didn't buckle and get the band just because it was covered. I paid for my own sleeve, but I'm going to lose this weight without the complications and aggravation of a band. I'm just over a month out, but I can tell you the surgery was worth every single penny. Take care. Do your research until you feel more comfortable and prepared. ~Cheri

This is a good question. In all my prep for my surgery (band to sleeve revision) I missed the part about no caffeine...I had the worst caffeine withdrawal headache post op. I would have weaned myself off if I knew I wouldn't be able to have any. I am actually drinking a little coffee today, just enough to make the headache go away (a couple ounces). I was not a big Starbucks drinker, didn't do lots of mochas or lattes, I just like a cup of coffee in the morning.

My surgery is 4/14 too and I am So nervous it makes me sick to the stomach. I am Not sure if I am Doing the right thing or how I would feel afterwards. I have a band revising to sleeve. This liquid diet today is killing me specially the citrate drink

From what a few people on OH put out there, the hospital bill was between 40-100K depending on nights in hospital and leak tests done (radiology charges, equipment etc). Grant it, they won't pay that because that's not the agreed contracted amount. The averages were about 20-40K that an insurance company actually pays. My band surgery was billed at around 67K, insurance company paid out about 40K. My band doctor billed them $250.00 per fill, he got paid $109.00. I hope that is what you were asking. For my revision, it was a huge bill.

Hey I currently have the band but hate hate hate it n want to get rid of it always having problems.. can someone tell me what they require that would make me a candidate for revision from band to sleeve?

Wow 28 in just 4 weeks! I am sure I won't reach that Johnsydney are you a band to sleeve revision?

Steph, I'm so sorry to hear this. I am almost 4 weeks out from a band to sleeve revision. One of the surgeon said my band was encapsulated in the stomach, but I don't believe it was eroded through the stomach. He also said they had to do a lot of heavy stitching. Honestly I didn't want to know anymore at the time. I spent the first two/three weeks post-op terrified of a leak. I have a 6 week follow up with my surgeon and I may ask more detailed question then. Hopefully you will find some good info about erosion healing. It must be so hard to wrap your head around this new development. But for now just focus on healing your stomach. I'm glad they got the band out now, it would have only done more damage. Take care

Oh, I know. I'm thankful that I'm here for my kids and husband. It could be a lot worse. I could have ignored my symptoms and not went in for a revision. I can't imagine how much damage would have been done 4 months down the road. Two years ago when I got the band, I researched and never saw any of the horror stories I see today. Does it make you wonder about the Sleeve though? Do you think that there will be horror stories years from now about the damage cutting 85% of your stomach out will do? I hope not, since my sister elected to have the sleeve a year ago and has been very sucesful so far. I'm am grateful the band is out, but also a little depressed. For now, I will concentrate on healing and maybe down the road I will be a canidate for the sleeve?

It's a very personal question. I was at first leaning toward the band, then gastric plication, and I ended up doing the sleeve. I found a lot of people have complications with the band, and there are so many other costs involved (fills, follow up appointments, getting the band removed etc), I decided against plication because it doesn't remove grehlin and I couldn't imagine having a tiny stomach capacity but still being hungry all the time. I felt the sleeve was best for me because it doesn't re route other organs, it has a short 'down' time, and also because it can be used as a stepping stone surgery, so in the future it is still possible to get revised fairly easily to the DS or bypass if VSG is not 100% successful. I felt that I wanted to do something that was not overly invasive or complicated, and that I wanted a surgery that I could recovery quickly from. I felt all around for me, VSG fit the bill. Here are some charts that helped me early on to compare the different weight loss surgeries available. Maybe they will help you too. Good luck on whatever you decide! http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/types-of-bariatric-surgery.html#Comparison

Tricare paided for my tummy tuck. I had my band and in 2011 I had my tummy tuck in 2013 and was covered. Im' now having a revision from band to bypass on the 30th that tricare is covering also

How are you doing? I had my revision 9/12. I agree with some others, it us do nice not the feel that constant lump in my throat.

Good luck! I'm almost 8 weeks post my revision surgery. Although the recovery (for me) was brutal, I'm so, so, so happy with the sleeve! It's so much better! Best decision ever--you'll love it!

I had my band to sleeve revision on 9/9. Am doing well. Still on full liquids. Looking forward to pureed food next week.