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Hi Cassy - Check out the new Vertical Sleeve Talk website Alex set up and just released TODAY ... Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) Surgery Forum Also check out the VSG forum on LBT - you can read all about the sleeve and those who have had revisions from band to sleeve and the reasons why. I haven't had the sleeve yet; however, after all of the research I have done, I am 100% certain the band is not for me. The sleeve does involve cutting away and removing part of your stomach; however, it leaves the pilori portion so you get the full feeling and you don't have any malabsorption issues; plus you don't have any foreign objects in your body. All I can say is RESEARCH RESEARCH and then RESEARCH SOME MORE before you make the decision that you believe is right for you.

Had my VSG revision (from LapBand) scheduled for tomorrow (8/15/17) in Mexico. Got down to do the pre-op testing. All was going well, vitals were all good, I lost the prescribed weight, but then... Apparently either I missed the question or it wasn't recorded properly in the pre-screen that I have had Hepatitis B in the past. Mind you, my HepB was 30 years ago and was acute (meaning no ongoing symptoms). Also, I had LapBand 8 years ago and there were absolutely no liver issues then and I have numerous liver panels through the years with no ongoing liver function issues. However, out of an abundance of caution - they want to run a fresh liver function blood test and the results take 10 days to process. Assuming it's good, they will reschedule. This means my surgery is postponed a minimum of two weeks and possibly longer depending on their availability. The real kick in the teeth is I have to stay on the pre-op diet the whole time.

Yours was revision so maybe requirements are different than initial surgery. I would hate to end up with $10k bill if I have to pay if not preapproved. So I still need Medicare required screening (3-month medically supervised diet with FAILURE to lose weight, psych eval, nutrition visits, etc.

Hey! I’m hoping to find someone that’s going on a similar journey. in 2016 I had a sleeve. Lost 100 lbs, got pregnant in 2017 but Kept most of. Then in 2019 we started fertility treatments for number 2 and I gained all 100 back. I’m having bypass revision on Jan 6. I’m panicking. I’m 30, I have two girls, 4 and 1. Live in Illinois. I have an extremely sarcastic personality. Not a good marriage, not much support. I don’t really have friends. Anyone? Lol I sound like a blast

Not sure from the title of your post whether or not you have GERD? If you do, the sleeve is likely not the best procedure for you. Check with your surgeon on this. The sleeve can make GERD worse resulting in a revision to bypass. It is the reason i had bypass, I had my heart set on the sleeve and then was told it was not the best solution for my health issues. I had my RNY over two years ago. I am 53. I had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe gerd and worst of all stage 3 kidney disease. I also have psoriatic arthrits, Osteo arthritis and hypothyroid. Within 3 months my diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and severe gerd were completely GONE. My kidney disease was in remission and liver function went back to normal. Within 12 months my sleep apnea was gone. I was off all medications for those issues with the exception of my thyroid replacement and biologics for my Psoriatic arthritis. I of course now take calcium citrate, a multi Vitamin, Vitamin D, vitamin b1 and vitamin b12. It is alot less expensive for me, I lost all of my excess weight and other than my lousy back, I feel fantastic. Years younger......prior to losing my weight i felt like I was dying every day. Try not to worry, just educate yourself. Get on line, go to support groups, talk to those on forums like this. It will help you know everything you need to know to get healthy and stay healthy. Best of luck to you!

Instead of cutting out the stretchy portion of the stomach, they measure ( with the same bougie), and fold the stomach into itself, double stitch it in a way that has the same restriction as a sleeve but does not cut off blood flow to the stomach. The sleeve boasts a dramatic reduction in the grenahlin horomon, however a perk to the plication is not actually loosing any of your stomach incase it's needed lol... Hopefully one would never need a revision but the options there. They say its reversible then, but why would I want it reversed lol...

Hi Bandpal, Thank you for replying so quickly!! WOW :-) I'm glad to hear that you are feeling well and losing weight 4 months into the banding process. I also underwent revision surgery at Assuta Hospital in TA a couple of days ago. Dr. Subhi Abu Abeid banded me and treated my hiatal hernia. Am still a bit sore but am not taking anything because it is bearable. I live in Kiryat Bialik, north of Haifa. I also visited and joined the tapuz forum but find this site more informative and feel more comfy in my mother tongue, English. In any case, do keep in touch. Will be glad to trade recipes, share experiences and to support of course. Best, Nava

So here I am, 4 days after full band replacement surgery. Feeling weird because I've done this before so I don't really relate to those who have just gotten their bands for the first time, but at the same time, knowing that what I'm going through isn't much different. S why did I get a band replacement? Well my band has been leaking for 15 months now, maybe longer. I was first banded in 2008 and had great success with the band, losing all my excess weight and more. In fact the band was so successful for me that I eventually had to make a conscious decision not to lose anymore. I finally settled on a 'happy' weight of 128lbs and maintained for 3 years before one day feeling almost like something 'popped' in my belly. I was able to eat more for a while before hand but after that day, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat. I felt no restriction. So I took myself off to see my surgeon. March 2012, I got port replacement surgery. The tubing had an obvious leak in it. All done. Leak sorted. Right? Wrong. I still couldn't keep any restriction and soon they realised that, yes, I was still losing fluid from my band. This time, in Aug 2012, when I went in for a port replacement though, they didn't find any leak, so they didn't change anything, just sewed me back up. Fast forward to early 2013. I have given up on my band working. I've gained 37lbs and with diet and exercise, I lose 15lbs of that, but it's annoying me, niggling me, that the band isn't working, so I make an appt to see my dr again. I've lost fluid from my band. Again. So after all that, 4 days ago, I finally got a full band replacement. I tossed up the idea of revising to a sleeve but decided to stick with the band because when it works, it works a charm for me. Right now I'm really sore and sorry for myself. I remember feeling better far more quickly after my initial band op. They also moved my port from my right hand side to the my left hand side so I'm sore in both places now. I've got some localised swelling but I'm hoping that it's subsiding. In the meantime, I'm having liquids, and have lost 2lbs already in 4 days, though I know enough not to really count those lbs in the long run! I have a fill in 3 weeks so I'm hoping that I've now rejoined the band life for real.

My surgeon said that my reflux should go away once the revision to rny is done. I don't understand why it is virtually eliminated with rny since there is still a pouch and restriction involved? Do you still get stuck with the rny pouch?

I had my revision surgery at Star Medica with Dr. Rodriguez in april. I was quite a bit aprehensive about going to Juarez. From where I live now, Juarez is only about a 4 hour drive away. TJ would have been 14 hours or more in the car or a plane trip. I didn't think I would be up for that on the return trip. I believe that Dr Rod does surgery in TJ only once a month so there was more availability in Juarez. I felt very safe with our driver (Sergio) and in the hospital. Sergio picked us up at the El Paso airport. My friend and I stayed in the hospital the entire time. I arrived on Thursday and was scheduled to stay until Sunday. We ended up leaving a day early which was Saturday evening. We were both ready to be home. Star Medica Hospital was great. Clean and Modern. Aside from the spoken language, it was almost like any hospital I have been in here in the US. Gilly

LisaA, That wouldn't happen to be Dr. Curry (He is banded as well as Erin the dietian) would it? I know he has an office in Cincinnatti,OH and KY. If so, he's GREAT!! I've been going to him for some time now and his entire staff is wonderful!! I also had my surgery in TJ by dr. verboonen (he got a lapband, too). I'm now trying to find a dr. that will do a revision on my port as it sits at a 90 degree angle and is bothersome plus extremely difficult to get a fill (though Dr. C and the other staff don't have much of a problem). Mostly it's bothersome and aggervaiting and when I can't get up to see Dr. C (Ice storm in GA) no one and I mean no one would touch me the way the port sits. Thank God I haven't had a true emergency!! I know what you mean about judgement. I was self pay for the initial surgery and I'll be self pay for the revision, too. Can't seem to get a break when you don't follow the flow like others. Just thought I'd add my $.02. Glad you found someone! Tacy

Have you spoken with your doctor about revising to another procedure? Your body may be better suited for bypass or sleeve. Learn all you can about them before making any decisions. It can often be done during one operation, keeping costs down.

I couldn't bear the pain rolling on my side. i decided to sleep in the recliner my first night at home. I wonder if I am more sore because i was a revision and they had to do alot of adhesion cleanup. It never even occured to me to try one of those belts,I wonder if that is okay even though I have drains.

Hi! The reason why I am having my lapband removed is because it does not work for me....you are so not alone....I was banded in 2005 and have lost a grand total of....10pounds!! and I have over 100 pounds to lose! I understand your inital feeling of being a failure, I still do not tell anyone that I have a lapband. Everyone knows I am having gastric sleeve surgery...but only a few people know I have a lapband and I am actually having revision surgery....

Hi JoAnne and welcome to the forum. I honestly think this is more than a program. It's a complete lifestyle and mindset change. For me, the sleeve forces me to make better decisions. I have yet to feel "real hunger", and I'm 3 months out from my revision. I had a lot of faith in the band in the beginning because it did work until I lost restriction. When I started researching my revision (due to complications with the band), I knew the sleeve would work because it's immediate restriction. I struggled with my weight for years, and I decided that being fat came with much higher risks than having surgery again. I absolutely love the restriction I have when I eat. I have had several ups and downs with my revision post-op, but I have no regrets. The sleeve works. I won't deny that every day brings either a struggle or success. I have my bad days, but they are fewer as every week passes. Some days it's easy to make bad choices in what I put in my mouth, but the next day I make a better decision. I have to make the effort for the sleeve to work. I could eat ice cream, mashed potatoes, and junk food every day, but I would not be using the sleeve as it was intended. I hope ramble of mine helps some.

Just heard from United Healthcare that my appeal has been denied for a revision to VSG. They already approved the Lapband removal but not the revision. I don't have the paperwork yet but the coordinator said their response was several pages long but amounted to that they felt I didn't have success with the Lapband so would not have success with another restrictive procedure. I feel there is no comparison to having VSG vs. Lapband and I explained that in my appeal letter (which was 42 pages in total since it included years more of medical records). I'm told my next step is to submit for a Level 2 appeal which will be reviewed by my employer (a major corporation). I've posted this on the band revision forum too but am just hoping for some encouragement and advice from others who may have been through the same thing. Thanks. Susie

Im getting my revision in dallas, texas.. has anyone used dr. David kim and if so any feedback

hi....my bmi the day of surgery was 31. yesterday i was one month out. i have lost 18 lbs since surgery. my bmi is now in the 28 range. you will do good. who is doing your revision? kelly

Do you mind me asking why you have to wait 2 weeks? I had my band to sleeve revision back on May 3 and it was done in one surgery. I, also, had a huge lipoma removed while I was asleep! Just wondering. All doctors are different! Good luck with your surgery. You are going to love the sleeve! Barb quote name='anonynurse' timestamp='1306334808' post='155093'] Hi all. I am getting my band out on the 31st and then will be sleeved on June 16th. I just have a question: How hard is the time between the removal and then the revision in terms of appetite, nausea, weakness, pain, recovery and ability to work? I'll be on the pre-op diet during that interim. Thanks!

Hi White06...I most definately think either you have a problem with the band, or you are overfilled. A healthy, properly filled band is a tool that enables us to eat hard Protein, not liquid meals. Trust me, I've been there. Please get an unfill ASAP before you damage your esophagus or band, if it isn't already. What does your doctor say about all this? I'm not trying to be judgemental; I went through hell with my band before finally having it revised to RNY, and I hate to see you suffer like this. Take care,

Hello! I am a 40 yr old female from Cape Cod Mass. I have been overweight forever, but in the past few years I reached my highest peak @ 255lbs. In January of this year I looked into bariatric weight loss thru BI in Boston. They have a comprehensive and long program, which I completed in about 3-4 months and was told I would be a good candiate for surgery. I waited a few more months, as I was trying to decide what was best for me. Once I decided to go forward, I had to pick GBP or Lap Band. Since I was not a diebetic and on medications for health problems and the gbp seemed so severe, I opted for Lap Band surgery. My date was set for Monday 8/30/10. The week prior I did a partial liquid diet using mostly the unjury protein drinks. They taste good and filled me up. It was easier than I thought and I lost 10 lbs prior to surgery, just as my doctor wanted. I was super exicted and nervous but my surgeon is renowned in thie field and I was confident. Unfortunatley for me things did not go as planned. As I woke up in recovery, a nurse who did not seem to know about bariatrics, handed me 2 containers of liquid percocet and some water, telling me to drink it all down. I did as I was told, only to be hit with such pain in my chest, I thought I was dying. I could not breathe, I vomited, I was sweating and very upset. Nothing s/b given orally so soon after surgery and I will never know if that caused what happened next or not, but it was a long road for me. As a mom with a 6 yr old who was due to start first grade, I was happy to have my surgery scheduled before her school started, knowing I would be in the hospital for just one night. Well, for me it turned into a long 6 days! On day 3 my Dr stuck a needle in the band and took out all the water (15 cc) trying to loosen things up. 4 days after surgery I still could not keep 15 cc of water down and he decided to go back in and pop 2 stiches to loosen me up. This is called a revision and he said he had only see this happen in 2 patients prior to me...and he has done this since the surgery came about. I had to go backunder general anthesia and into the OR again. By the next day I was drinking some water and by Sunday afternoon I was finally released. I am 2 weeks out from my 2nd surgery and down a total of 30 lbs. I had my 2 week follow up with my doc and he says I am doing better than most. I am back to walking 3 miles a day (which I had started the month prior to surgery). My main issues now are with constipation and all that fun stuff.. Some days I don't want to get out of bed. I am cranky as I miss food. I loved to eat and it is harder than I expected to go without. On Saturday I tried on some jeans than are a size 20 (I was in 24/26) and they were a bit loose. This was exciting but only temporarily lifted my spirits. I still feel a bit off...not sure why exactly but trying to move ahead and getting stronger. I am on stage 4 diet...some solids, and so far, so good. This is my first time on a blog, and I am anxious to read other people's stories as well as chronicle my own. Thanks for reading:))

LAP-BAND,laparoscopic banding,bariatric surgery,obesity Tracy's FAQ LAP-BAND: Surgery Technique Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared You could also join his egroup and talk to lots of other patients. It's really a great group. Dr. Aceves is the VP of the Mexican Bariatric Assoc., and the Secretary of the International Bariatric Assoc. Both those positions are voted on by members so he is even respected by US docs. Things that you want to look for are issues such as... does your doc do surgery in a clinic or hospital? Mexico is not the same as the US, if you were to have a complication in a clinic and needed to be transported to a hospital it is not as easy as calling 911 and they are there in minutes. It's a whole different ballgame. I preferred to be in a fully equipped hospital with an ER, ICU, CCU, PICU, OR, etc. What kinds of procedures does the doc do? Does he ONLY do banding? Banding is the easiest of all procedures. I chose Aceves because he can do the tricky stuff, the bypass to band revisions, sleeve, etc. Many docs won't touch the hard stuff. How close do you want to be to the border? Some have a preference, some do not. I wanted to be close to the border. Just my personal opinion but I think the best two docs in Mexico from my research are Rumbaut and Aceves. They are who others refer to for the more complicated procedures. They both work out of a hospital, they don't do assembly line surgery, they both open the patient, place the band, and close the patient unlike other docs who have the asst. surgeon do most of the work. They are both well respected in the Mexican medical community, they both train US docs in banding, they are both safe surgeons. When people talk about how many bands someone has done, keep in mind that many times the docs strive to do 10 procedures a day. They have the Asst. Surgeon do most of the work, they spend about 15 minutes in OR with the patient, the asst. does everything else. Personally, I wouldn't want to be the 10th OR patient in the day. Rumbaut and Aceves limit their surgeries to 4-5 daily because they are doing the entire procedure. Lots of things to think about and consider when going to Mexico. It can be a very safe experience, but research is essential.

"Among all patients, the rates of 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year<SUP> </SUP>mortality were 2.0%, 2.8%, and 4.6%, respectively. Advancing<SUP> </SUP>age and male sex were associated with early death after bariatric<SUP> </SUP>surgery (Table 2), with the highest rates of early mortality<SUP> </SUP>identified among older men. Overall, men were much more likely<SUP> </SUP>to die after bariatric surgery than women (3.7% vs 1.5%, 4.8%<SUP> </SUP>vs 2.1%, and 7.5% vs 3.7% for men and women at 30 days, 90 days,<SUP> </SUP>and 1 year, respectively; P<.001 for all time points). Mortality<SUP> </SUP>rates were greater for those aged 65 years or older (n = 1517)<SUP> </SUP>compared with younger patients (4.8% vs 1.7%, 6.9% vs 2.3%,<SUP> </SUP>and 11.1% vs 3.9% at 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively;<SUP> </SUP>P<.001 for all time points). We found no differences in early<SUP> </SUP>mortality rates between patients who had primary vs revision<SUP> </SUP>surgery (2.0% vs 1.5%, 2.8% vs 2.2%, and 4.6% vs 4.3% at 30<SUP> </SUP>days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively; all P>.10" "Patients undergoing procedures by surgeons with lower volume<SUP> </SUP>of bariatric procedures (less than the median of surgical volume<SUP> </SUP>among Medicare beneficiaries between 1997-2003) had a higher<SUP> </SUP>rate of mortality than those with at least median experience<SUP> </SUP>(3.3% vs 2.0%; P<.001). Patients aged 65 years or older had<SUP> </SUP>much higher rates of early death when undergoing surgery by<SUP> </SUP>surgeons within the lowest quartile of volume (Table 4) compared<SUP> </SUP>with those in the highest quartile (9% vs 1.1% at 30 days and<SUP> </SUP>13.8% vs 1.1% at 90 days; P<.001). Surgeons in the highest<SUP> </SUP>quartile of bariatric procedure volume had similar rates of<SUP> </SUP>early mortality in both younger and older patients (1.8% 90-day<SUP> </SUP>mortality in patients <65 years and 1.1% mortality in patients<SUP> </SUP>65 years; P = .40). The higher overall rates of death<SUP> </SUP>among older patients were attributable in part to a higher proportion<SUP> </SUP>(36%) of older patients undergoing surgery by surgeons within<SUP> </SUP>the lowest quartile of bariatric surgery volume compared with<SUP> </SUP>younger patients. The odds of a 90-day death were 1.6 times<SUP> </SUP>higher for patients of surgeons with lower volume (less than<SUP> </SUP>the median) after adjusting for age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity<SUP> </SUP>Index score (95% CI, 1.3-2.0).<SUP> "</SUP> <SUP></SUP> <SUP>"</SUP>The hazard ratio for death (Figure) at any time after the procedure<SUP> </SUP>was 2.3 times greater for patients aged 65 years or older compared<SUP> </SUP>with younger patients (95% CI, 2.0-2.7), with 9.5% 5-year mortality<SUP> </SUP>in younger patients compared with 21.6% mortality in the older<SUP> </SUP>cohort (P<.001). The odds of 90-day death did not change<SUP> </SUP>significantly based on the year the procedure was performed,<SUP> </SUP>even after controlling for patient age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity<SUP> </SUP>Index score (odds ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.9-1.0).<SUP> "</SUP>

Sleeves don't stretch though, they aren't really that elastic, I know because I can still eat/drink too fast and feel the pain. So many doctors will tell you that. Sleeves are really not that flexible, I know I live with one. I don't even know how to drill it home more than that. It won't stretch if it is done right, that is basically the cornerstone of the surgery. A stretched sleeve is a complication or a failure. It defeats the purpose. The sleeve has 2 major parts that help with weight loss, removing the stretchy part of the stomach reducing portions and creating restriction and also removing the stretchy part of the stomach removes ghrelin the hunger hormone. The part we are left with is more muscular than pouchy or stretchy. The last link you posted is about a full regular stomach (did you even read it, or look at the picture? It is written by an English major for a BroScience website). A full regular stomach will stretch because the whole stomach is stretchy. The stretch part of the stomach is removed with the sleeve. It is not with RNY or the Band. Most WLS information lumps all these surgeries together. It really does not seem like you understand how the sleeve works or what the surgery involves. It looks like you are still pre-op, if you are going to have the sleeve, you should do more research so you can understand how it works. If you have a sleeve you won't stretch it, you risk other complication like ruining your esophagus creating a pouch at the top of it that food is getting stuck in. This happens because a sleeve doesn't stretch. Like @BigViffer said, you can damage the valve at the bottom of your stomach and make it open fast but a sleeve does not stretch. Many sleevers confuse healing with stretching. The restriction you have at the beginning is not the restriction you will have forever. That is because it is not true restriction it is swelling. It takes a long time for internal swelling to go down and to be fully healed, 6 months at least, and this even applies to other things like a lot of plastic surgery. My restriction at 21 months is the same as 12 months. If I don't eat for a day or two my sleeve can get tight as a drum, or it can just randomly be tight. Most people complaining about stretched sleeves are eating sliders not dense protein. If they ever listen to advice and eat dense protein, of they discover they have restriction again. Finally the sleeve wasn't covered by insurance just a few years ago in the US and a lot of people with complications now went out of the country to have their surgery done. They have complications from bad sleeves and are having revisions in the US now because WLS is covered by insurance more than it used to be and also everyone is currently is required to have insurance in the US. A correctly formed sleeve will not stretch. A RNY pouch will stretch, the pouch created by the band will stretch and bands can slip. A properly made sleeve will not stretch. Healing is not stretching. Eating sliders is not stretching.

So let me start by saying this , I got the lap band to improve my quality of life. Because I have PCOS ( Poly Cystic ovarian syndrome ) and migraines I am at greater risk of things like stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure as it is. Being over weight adds to that. So I wanted the band to reduce that risk BEFORE anything bad happened to me. I am a mother of 2 boys who need me . After I first got the band things were great, I could eat what i wanted, just smaller portions and occasionally threw up after eating too much , or so I thought .. I even changed the way I ate, what i ate , i felt better so I ate better. I was , as you can ask my doctor , the model patient, i did everything I was suppose to (with the expectation of working out and that lesson has been learned trust me ) Eventually what I ate seemed to come back up more often , But after losing 125 pounds I thought I was doing ok. At a year out a slipped my band , that is where my stomach comes up through the band and can potentially be very serious. After it corrected it self I gained some weight ... It slipped again , more weight gain . I was then told my band had scar tissue build up around it and I could no longer get the fills I needed to lose the weight the opening to my stomach would be closed off it was filled again . That was around 2-3 yrs ago . As time has gone on I have slowly gotten worse. You see because of where the scar tissue is I still have " restriction" Meaning , I am still limited on what i eat , so things like steak, pork, chicken , solid Proteins wont go down . The food literally sits on top of my band until it gets either pushed through , which is very painful , or it comes back up . If I throw up too much, my stomach swells and eating any form of solid food is impossible for several days. So i have to go to liquids, milk shakes, Protein shakes , mash potatoes things like that. Those type of things are high in calorie and cause me to gain weight , but what other choices do i have ? broth, Water ? Yeah those fill you up ?? NOT ! So my day goes like this ... Breakfast: Protein shake cause eating in the morning is nearly impossible. That's if I can get it to go down if I cant and anything comes back up then its liquids for me the entire rest of the day Lunch: I try to eat something semi solid but I usually end up eating Soup Dinner: Some times a salad works but most evenings I throw up my dinner several times over and end up in pain from the swelling . By that time liquids hurt to go down ... NOW that leads me to my "other issues" Joint pain Fatigue body aches head aches My teeth are deteriorating because of how much I throw up Cold feet cold hands numb feet cysts on my feet numb hands You see they are finding out now that people who have had bands for several years are developing auto immune disorders like Fibromyalgia .. Problem ? Docs done believe it yet .. So no doc will help me out . With out insurance I cant get proper diagnoses . You can read more about that stuff here . I am now 20 or so pounds away from my original start weight before surgery . That's right I have gained nearly ALL My weight back . And at the rate I am going by next month or so I will exceed the 250 pounds i was before my surgery . I had my revision surgery on 11-14-2012 after surgery they told me the band removal went fine and they were able to repair a hiatal hernia , that was a surprise to them ( and me ) and sleeve me in one procedure. I was SO relieved to have had it done in once procedure. The day after surgery I started throwing up water and unable to keep it down . After a couple more tried they ordered an EGD for me . They told me if the scope went through easily then and showed no obstructions I should be fine and not need another surgery , but if it did not I could have excess scar tissue from the band and I could need another surgery . WHAT !! Yikes . So they did it and it showed no obstruction some swelling around the band area ( where the band was ) they told me to take liquids slow . For several days I was still throwing up just water, in fact it freaked me out because it looked like I was throwing up some blood as well. Finally around day 3 or so the water was staying down . So finally I was able to go home today . NOT an easy process that's for sure , but I am glad its over. The doc told me to progress my liquids slowly , as long as I was keeping liquids down I was fine , the minute i started if i did throwing up liquids I needed to come back . But to just take it slow . I have been home for about a week now and its still a back and forth issue with food. I encourage ANYONE reading this to NOT get the lap band, do not ever tell anyone abou the band and Hope some day it falls off the face of the earth !