Search the Community

Have you tried marinating the chicken in something like fat free Italian dressing or cooking it in some chicken broth? With hamburgers I have to have mine medium instead of well done to be able to eat it. I like pork with fat free honey mustard dressing. We have a Nu Wave oven like you see on TV and it's well worth the money. You can cook your meat from frozen and it stays really juicy. My husband hates turkey but he will eat turkey cooked in the Nu Wave because it's not all dried out. My surgery was June 1st. I'm down 29 lbs since surgery. I haven't had any problems with any foods but I'm a band to sleeve revision and my sleeve is a little larger - he only took out 75%. I have marinated the chicken in multiple marinades, no luck. I have now switched to chicken thighs. I can do loose ground beef, but hamburger patties for some reason hurt. I can only eat 1-1.5 oz of meat anyways. I usually just make my husband dinner and take my meat from his plate lol.

OK so I am just about 1 month out from revision. tummy looks great, I am happy with it finally. Breasts well I wish I wouldn't have done the lift this time as I'm not liking the way the nipples feel, kinda like a button I guess on a couch sewed on... PS says it will get better and back to normal, I sure hope so.... This time around I have awful swelling, the first time, I didn't swell much at all, but this time, swell hell!!!!!! OK well I am off to go buy some bikini panties at Victorias!! WOHOOOOOOOOOOO

Hi debH. Please keep my informed of your weight loss. My story is exactly yours! I am having a revision in a month but so scared it won't work, like the band

Get ready to be motivated and inspired. Join us at the 1st SouthEast VSG 2 day Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 12th & 13th at the Wyndham Galleria Hotel. You will Celebrate your pre or post-operative weight loss surgery. No matter what point you are at on this journey come and get the tools needed to continue to get the weight off or maintain it for a lifetime. We have an awesome lineup of presenters and fun activities that are prepared to help you along the way and make the journey easier. We’ll discuss topics on behavioral changes, revisions, importance of exercise & nutrition and beauty tips. We’ll also talk about rebuilding self- esteem, have a live cooking demonstration, body contouring and a Zumba session. Fun activities include Meet & Greet, Fashion Show made up by attendees, mini concert, vendors as well as fabulous door prizes. We will end the conference with a themed dinner/dance with a live DJ (Hollywood Glam is the theme) on Saturday night. You’ll also get to meet your fellow SouthEast Face Book members and make new friends. All this for only $100.00 for the entire weekend and access to all speakers, sessions and 4 meals. The keynote speaker is Dr. Guillermo Alvarez of www.Endobariatrics.com and you can also meet CEO Alex Brecher of Bariatricpal.com up close and personal. Pay and register at www.southeastvsg.webs.com until May 15th after that prices go up to $120.00 and you can purchase a one day ticket for $60.00 but space is limited. See the website for a list of other awesome presenters and hotel information. The goal is to give you knowledge, motivation and inspiration to help make the rest of your life, the best of your life.

It's finally happened. I went in today for a much-needed Fill under flouro and had 2 huge disappointments. Today was a great day. I am scheduled to go a birthday celebration later (so in case I was too late to come back home and change) so I was dressed up, fluffed up and was given compliments all day. Disappointment #1 At this office, after you check in, you're given your patient chart to carry into the examination room once it's your turn. So of course I spent my wait time, reading my chart information. (Do you blame me? Besides it's my information, LOL.) Well, turns out that I miscalculated my start weight from my LapBand surgery, in fact I thought I'd lost more weight than I have from that point. Not including the weight I lost previously, that means I only lost 32# in the 10 1/2 months since my 2005 surgery. And granted, I'm packing some recent post-op swelling & Fluid retention weight since my recent December Tummy Tuck/Abdominoplasty but this was a crushing blow. :cry OMG, I knew I was a slow loser but come on.... that's ridiculous! Disappointment #2 Once I was called in the exam area, the nurse located my port, stuck the mini needle in and I proceeded to the X-Ray/Flouroscopy area. There my surgeon and the radiologist watched carefully as I drank the barium swallow. Well, I drank and we all watched the screen. As the fluid progressed my surgeon began shaking his head. He asked me if I felt any restriction. I told him yes, but it was no where near the level of restriction I had a few months ago. He shook his head again and told me that I was as full as he wanted my band to be full. I must've looked at him blankly because he reiterated that he was not going to fill my band. He explained that I was at 2.7- nearly 2.8 and he thought that any more than that could possibly be dangerous. Then I finally realized what he was saying and I was asking "but what am I supposed to do?" He said it probably all up to me now because he didn't think the band should be filled any more. Gee, and everyone's always telling me that I am one of his all-time favourite patients but apparently not - because he thinks I'm at the end of the road. I was in total shock. He asked how much weight I'd lost so far (it's been a long Weight Loss road but trust me I'll spare everyone the dreary details of my journey) and I was so rattled I told him the wrong weight. So it seemed like I'd lost more than I actually had (by then, he'd already handed the chart back so he didn't have it in his hand) to which he responded that I'd lost what is projected with the band, half of my excess weight. (Actually I haven't lost as much as I need to, but I set VERY realistic goals based on his original clear, honest projections of what the band could do and not do.) He kept telling me that I looked good and that I've come a long way with the band. It was so bad, I think he actually uttered the phrase "We're through. We're done here." So I'm trying to keep my head and see the humour in this but the ugly reality remains: My surgeon thinks I'm at the "End of my Band Road." Not only am I nowhere near my goal, but I still can't even get my BMI under 30. I think as of today, my BMI is like 30.1 or 30.2 and I hardly call that the end of the road. So with less restriction than I've had and with fighting the urge to eat more, I'm stuck. Before leaving, I even asked him outright that if I get the cash money or financing to pay outright - if he'd consider revising me to a Gastric Bypass. (It was always my understanding from him that if the Band didn't work out that we could always consider the RnY if things just didn't work out.) He actually said no, and that he thinks I look great. Um, yeah thanks but HEY.... I'm still a work in progress - I am absolutely convinced that I can do better. But I need the help of the band for restriction. I'm no sloth but I realise that I have a weight problem and to work on it I need the help of my tool. I just don't know what to do... right now I'm still in shock but I think my surgeon just told me he doesn't want to be my surgeon anymore even if I get the $22K cash (which I don't have, mind you) to pay for a bypass. So, I'm in a pickle. I really do like my surgeon (I thought he liked me too but I'll find out if I've been 'dumped' as a patient or if he just doesn't think I need a fill. I assume it's the latter, but a girl can't be too sure of anything these days.) I don't have as much restriction as I should and I'm actually pretty band-compliant. No I don't want to be PB-ing or Vomiting with every meal but I do need a bit more restriction to allow me to keep my calories restricted enough to lose the extra weight I need. I don't know... I didn't think I was just a fiasco as a patient. I do refer to myself as a Remedial Bandster due to my slow loss but I guess I didn't realize that he has no faith that I have any potential as a patient. Here's the irony, when I was in the waiting room, the other patients also told me how good I looked. Later, one of them said "Oh my god, you look great. I can't even believe you're not at goal. I bet the doctor is going to ask you to be in his brochure or whatever. You're like an advertisement." (In reality, I don't think I'm an ad for anything. With that 30 BMI even when he's asked if I will speak I won't even speak up when I attend my doc's seminars with my friends - I just think that would be ridiculous at my weight. Standing up at a seminar? Like I think I'm successful or something? Not even close. ) No, apparently not. Not even close to being in his brochure - I'm not sure if he wants to see me again. I don't know what my next step is... and I appreciate you guys listening to me. This journey is going to be even harder than I thought - and that's saying something! Any good wishes, expressions of sympathy or kind thoughts are appreciated. Happy band journeys to all, "New" (and apparently not going to get to be Brand New) Sho

Photonut: You can only call it advertising if my goal is to get you to come to me for the revision. There are a number of LBT members who have emailed me privately and I have always tried to steer them to someone close to them. I will admit that the more bariatric surgery I do, the more I prefer gastric bypass. There, I've said it. I have an opinion. I still do Lapbands and try to help patients who've had them placed by others. That doesn't mean I think all bands should be removed... only the ones that aren't doing what they are supposed to do. Think of your operation as an investment like a stock. If you buy a stock and it goes down, you don't ride it to the bottom. You aren't married to it. You decide it isn't working for you and sell. That's all I'm trying to say here. If the tool isn't working for you, by all means do whatever you can to make it work, but if it continues to fail, you aren't married to it. Move on to something else. As far as adding a Lapband to a failed bypass is concerned, that's a completely different issue. There still isn't a whole lot of data out there on it. The rationale is to restore restriction in the face of a dilated anastomosis between the pouch and small bowel. "rebypass" isn't an option (though you can redo the procedure depending on what has gone wrong). That's a completely different issue from rebanding a previously banded patient. Rebanding is certainly an option, but so is bypass, and we know it works. Mark Pleatman MD

Hello, I had the lap band 05/07/07 and I'm at my goal wieght, my port really sticks out and gets in the way even. I just got authorization from my ins. for the revision and were gonna due it in Jan/09 . My question is how long will I need off work, I dont want to really take any time cause I dont have the sick time!! And do they fill me again right away or do I wait??? I can take 4 days off work thats about it.

When I made my consultation with my surgeon, I was convinced that I wanted the band. However, after doing some research and really thinking about it, I decided against the band and went for the sleeve instead. Here's why: I don't feel comfortable having a foreign object in my body, it kind of freaks me out. I also don't want to have to get a saline injection through a port every time I need an adjustment, that means extra doctor's visits, more commuting to his office (which isn't terribly close to me to begin with, plus I don't drive). I'm also not a fan of the complications of the band (slipping, erosion, etc). Like you, I've also seen the revision from band to sleeve stories too, and that also played a factor in my decision process. The sleeve has it's complications too, but given my personal weight loss story and overall journey, I feel I would personally benefit more from the sleeve, you see, I'm always hungry lol. And with the part of the stomach that is being removed (where the hunger hormone is), my constant hunger (physical hunger, not the retched head hunger) shouldn't be a problem. Also, given my history with what I eat, my doctors office recommended the sleeve. Although they would of done the band had I chosen too. I've never had surgery and never been put to sleep for any procedure, and I am a bit scared but I feel good about my decision to sleeve and not band. I've thought about it for months and have done my research and feel like I understand the pro's and con's of both procedures. The sleeve just seemed like a better choice for ME. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with the band though! I think that you just really need to read up on both procedures some more, read success stories and some not so successful ones, read about the pro's and con's to both, and be realistic about how each one can personally benefit you and what you are comfortable with. At the end of the day, it'll be your choice, and I'm sure you'll make the best choice for YOU! Hope this helped

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. Recently I read a post of a poor woman who had to have multiple surgeries because her Realize band came apart at the port. She tried to contact the manufacturer to ask them to pay for the surgical revision as the problem stemmed from their defective, and already recalled product. The manufacturer declined. In her post she said she sought the help of lawyers. One of the first replies from posters was a comment on the fact that people are sue happy. She never said she was going to sue. She was simply seeking help to get the manufacturer to pay for the surgery as her doctor would certainly charge her. Several people made comments about lawyers and lawsuits. I could tell this poor woman was misunderstood. She was simply seeking help and advice from lawyers and frankly I think she actually does deserve some compensation for lost wages and suffering but she just wants her band to work. The point is, people flamed her for no reason which is the premise for this original post of this thread. Support, answers, sharing no matter what the situation....not negativity and flaming.

Hi SwiftKate, I might be able to add something to the discussion. Four years ago I had the lap band inserted. After 2 years it slipped up towards the esophogus and big problems resulted. So all the fluid was removed. (lots more to say about the whole experience but that's for another post). So now I had the stupid band with minimal constriction. It took me another two years to work up the courage for more surgery (and a relatively unproductive one at that). I didn't go for revision for 2 reasons: 1) was going through the public system and they only do removal and implanting of lapbands, no sleeves. 2) I have a sneaky feeling that scar tissue from banding boosts the chance of complications far beyond what I am comfortable with. A few weeks after the band was removed, I spoke to the surgeon about getting a sleeve. He showed me the pictures of my scarred stomach, and strongly advised me to put off any weight-loss surgery for at least a year, maybe longer. Too dangerous, not necessary, only rich people are getting the sleeve because they need to look good, etc. etc. now that I think about it, the conversation was a bit strange. I went away not happy, but also kind of confused about why he was telling me these things. Basically he said if I was healthy in every other way then I would be crazy to have more weightloss surgery at this point. Something tells me he was thinking of our dear Lila S in Attention Aussie Sleevers forum. He would have definitely been one of the surgeons consulting on her case. And then he summed it up by saying if I put on weight over Christmas then by all means come back and talk about the sleeve. Which he thinks I will need. Eventually. Hmmm.

Little bit about me... Had the lap band in spring 2007 after hitting a high of 450... dropped down in to the 320s... stalled, had some different life issues cause some emotional issue... needless to say I bounced back up nearer to the 380s at one point. Settled in around 360 and decided to go get a revision to DS... which was Friday. Weight at surgery was right about 360. Stepped on my home scale this morning... 338.4. It's a lot in a short time. I feel like a million bucks, though. I've taken minimal painkillers other than tylenol in the last couple days. Woke up with some pain in the center of my back and couldn't really get comfortable after that... so I took one of my happy pills this morning at 8. I've done a good job staying hydrated, slightly under protein target but working on it. I've been able to move around the house (up and down stairs as well) without much issue. All the internal plumbing is working. Follow-up is tomorrow morning with the surgeon. Should I be waiting for the other shoe to drop? Am I doing *too* well to expect this will continue? Is reality going to kick my butt in the next few days?

Marla, I am sorry to hear that. I'm at 135 which I guess is a better weight for me or at least my boyfriends says so. But I'm going to try to lose 5 and remain around 130 give or take a few. That is my goal anyways. It's not easy maintain. Really have to watch myself. Although I think my biggest downfall that is hurting me is I quit tracking my intake. So I really need to start tracking again. Again Marla, I am so sorry to hear that about your revision. Does your surgeon have an answer as to why it "failed"

@@Brian66 - Thanks for updating us on your progress. You revised from band to sleeve in 7/2010? How long did it take to lose the 100plus pounds? Your stats have lap-band - just curious.

Hello All- Any NC patients have surgery with Dr. Ellen Carraro with Novant Bariatric in CLT? I am trying to get in to see her for a surgical opinion about my 2011 VSG. I have horrible GERD and major malabsorption issues even though the sleeve isn't supposed to come with that. I am thinking a RNY revision may be necessary to get rid of the GERD. Looking for both the positives and negatives about your experience with Dr. Carraro. Everything I have read has been super positive so I hope she can help me. Thanks in advance! Teachkdz0507

If you're looking at revision options, my surgeon is discussing a non-surgical option with me of an ESG (Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty) which is where they go in via your esophagus and stitch the pouch to be smaller again from the inside. There are no incisions and it's done quite quickly. I have a consultation with my surgeon next week to get more information but it looks like a good option with some success. Edited for spelling

I'm 8 years out and started gaining after the loss of my oldest son and being in a car accident a year ago. There is revision surgery for us that had the rny. I'm been studying it. Before I do it though I want to see if I can lose on my own. So I have gone back to the basics where I was at week 2 post op. I've lost 3 lbs in a week. Having a hard time getting water in but I'm trying. Also I'm walking 30 minutes a day. I'm tracking everything. Need to go buy a new scale though. I don't know where I misplaced the one I had. Sent from my SM-N970U using BariatricPal mobile app

My BMI is 33. I will be sleeved on the 20th of October. I will have 60lbs to lose. Excited for this new journey. I am a revision from Lap Band.

Sorry Jane13. My profile had a few errors - never paid too much attention to it. I was not a lap band revision. My first and only surgery was the sleeve. I think it took me about six months to lose 120 lbs.

HI Secret, I was banded in Feb, 2008 and I am now a revision to RNY as of 10/5/2016. It took me 2.5 years to lose 80 pounds with the band, and now, at 9 months out from RNY, I am down to 142 (69 pounds down and almost to goal). I will say good luck to you, you will need it - and using your word - BUUUUUTTT - my surgeon says that it is not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when" that it comes out. It is a foreign object and might cause problems for you in the future. My mother had her's out 3 years after getting banded. She ended up with an erosion. And as of 2 weeks ago also had a revision to RNY. It would be cool if it does work for you long term. I can eat better now. SALADS, chicken, beef. Happy days! Good luck to you :-)

After thinking about this, I feel I need to say that I understand that not every one can have a revision, or even WANT a revision. I met a woman at my work today and she still has her band (she was banded a couple of months before I was) and right now she is unhappy with it but her BMI is not high enough, and she's not sure if it will be covered. I myself was denied for a revision in 2014 with a BMI of 37 because I technically had no issues with the band at that time. What helped was that my barium swallow showed in 2015 that the band had moved, and even though it wasn't officially a slip it was enough for the dr to convince the insurance company. So Secret, I DO hope you make it work!!

Well, that was a horrendous experience. BUT, all is well now. My gastric sleeve was performed on August 12th 2019. All the pre-op stuff was fine and I was excited and looking forward to a quick exit on day 2. I notice that most of you are in the USA, which I am not so there are a few things we do differently. My blood's were all good and the day before my op I just had to ring the private hospital I was going to, to check on what time my admission was on the Monday. I was first on the list for the day so was taken to theatre at 0830am. I hopped onto the operating table myself, which was a bit weird, but I know some places do it this way. I was just trying not to stress and go with the flow! Cannulas were inserted into both hands and then off to the land of fairies I went. I am oblivious to how much later I woke, but I was in absolute agony and the Dr's struggled to get my pain under control. Eventually, after lots of vague voices/mumbling/crying, I must have zonked out again before being taken back to my room. Now the next 8 days are a bit jumbled and blurred. My family have clarified some things for me so I 'kind of' have a correct recollection of events. I was in constant and severe abdominal pain. I could not stop vomiting. I could not keep in 2.5ml of water per 5 mins. By Day 8 post-op, my Surgeon decided to do a Dilation via Endoscope because he had decided that I had a constriction. By this stage, I was on regular morphine, IV potassium (it had dropped due to the vomiting) and constant fluid balance. As you can imagine I was desperate and delirious by this point. I woke from the endoscopy....in the same pain, still unable to hold anything in. I'm not sure how soon after this I was transferred via emergency ambulance to the big local hospital and had a revision done, so have ended up with a '1 anastomosis bypass'. Finally being able to drink and keep it down was amazing and such a huge relief. Lots of other bits went on during all this as I had to have a midline catheter put in rather than the normal cannulae that you would have in your hands/arms etc, lots of medication tweaking, iv fluids, blood tests etc So you can see my abdomen day 1, then a few days later and then starting to fade well today All in the wrong order lol the middle pic is today. I also had a fall in the bathroom on the 20th and landed on the toilet, I only vaguely remember the fall and thought I had broken my ribs (obvs hadn't), then had no recollection of the fall for a few days lol! ANYWAY! Now the horror is over and I am finally home, I am tolerating protein fluids well, got my high protein milk made up and add it to my breakfast smoothie and tomato/chicken soup. Not so keen on the slight texture the protein powder leaves in my mouth but hey ho. I am super weak and wobbly and showering myself and getting my 'drinks' are my limit, but just trying to do a little more each time I stand up AND I must remember I had not 1 but 2 major ops plus all the stress and strain in between I am absolutely dying to taste REAL food and not thick claggy high protein things with so much sweetness. Even tinned soup is too sweet sigh I have my 2 weeks follow up with my surgeon and Dietician next week. Weight is falling off I have lost 15kg/33lbs to date

There is a lady in the support group that I go to that had RNY surgery, then gained some of her weight back. She then had revision surgery and got the lap band and is back on the road to losing again. Good luck to you.

Thanks for the advice. I do have a question though, did you feel like you had to get a revision because, with 50 pounds to go, you had just stopped losing?

Rush, while I am new to the sleeve, I'm not new to counting protein as I had to do so with the band prior to my revision. Some helpful ideas if you can't get the texture tolerable might be to use a blender and make your own shakes. One of my favorites has been vanilla powder with skim milk and add a banana and some peanut butter, but you can mix and match, add ice, use some water instead of just milk, use Greek yogurt, or try all kinds of different conglomerations to suit your preferences.