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Here we go - again.... The short story is that in 2008 I had LapBand surgery, lost 75 pounds, started gaining it back, couldn't get my LapBand adjusted because the port came unattached and couldn't get it fixed because I no longer had health insurance. Then in 2014 I had health insurance again and finally got my LapBand port re-attached only for it to come unattached again within a couple of months. Grr! So, after much prayer, soul searching, talking with the surgeon and others at the gastric surgery center I have decided to do a revision and am scheduled to have gastric sleeve surgery on March 26. Woo hoo! Yesterday I started my 10 day out liquid diet and it's been a challenge so far -- I'm hungry! This afternoon I was in Target and smelled all their wonderful food and thought to myself, "why am I doing this? I'm choosing to give up delicious food and torture myself." And then I remembered I've got to keep my eye on the long-term prize -- a long and healthy life! More energy to live my life, being able to ride the amusement park rides with my son, wearing clothes that look good instead of just fitting on my body, and on and on. Looking forward to my hunger pains subsiding.

How are all of you doing? I am scheduled April 7th for my revision from band to bypass. I am extremely nervous this time. any insight would be helpful!

You have lost 20 pounds already, that's a very decent loss for someone coming off a band revision. Especially considering you only had 50 to lose. That's already nearly half your extra weight. I would focus on following my program and getting my exercise etc and give it some time before thinking about another surgery. It seems a bit premature for all this drama and feeling betrayed. Just my opinion. Good luck either way.

Its confirmed- my tastebuds have not changed!! It must be more common with people that only have the sleeve, not revision

I'm on month number 15 from my sleeve surgery (revised from failed lap-band) and I've done well. I have lost 103 lbs. I've gone from my all time high of 249 down to 146 and i'm 5'1" but... I'm bored with food! I really tend to eat the same things day after day. I have literally eaten this same menu for over a year. The only time i sway is occasionally going out to eat and by that I mean like once a month, and I still only eat about seven bites of whatever it is. I need some new ideas. Here is a list of things I almost always eat. So tell me, what do you eat?? Breakfast (any one of the following) Yoplait light yogurt Quest vanilla Protein bar coffee Egg Beaters 2 pieces of bacon ....Or about every three weeks I will have a Starbucks sugar free, hazlenut, breve, latte. mmmmmm lunch (any one of the following) Lean Cuisine Garlic chicken egg rolls (200 cals) Tyson Chicken Breast salad on 5 crackers (250 cals) Mini Lunchable Tuna Snacks (or could be a meal) 24 Almonds Pictsweet Edamame (my favorite snack of all time! and only 110 calories) Sugar Free Jello Black Olives with Laughing Cow cheese wedge Pickles and cheese stick 100 Cal Smart Pop corn Supper Consists of about five bites of these meats... (always grilled) Chicken Steak Pork Salmon ...and about four bites of veggies. All of the following veggies made with onion and cut up bacon... Green Beans Yellow Squash Okra Asparagus Mixed Veggies Broccoli Cauliflower Armadillo eggs

It also depends on what other health issues you have. If you suffer from reflux or Gerd the best solution is RNY as it cures that problem. If you don't, then the sleeve may be a better option. I cannot speak for the lapband other that I see a lot of lapband patients who end up getting revised to RNY or sleeve down the road for various reasons. You should definately spend some time doing research and understanding how your health issues may steer you toward one solution over another. If your clinic has a seminar you can take I would take it. They will go over how each surgery is performed and the pros and cons of each. For me personally I had my heart set on the sleeve only to find out my Gerd/ are flux qcould become worse with both the sleeve and lapband. I went for 2 more opinions before deciding what to do. Once I made that decision I knew it was the right one, felt comfortable and never looked back. I had RNY. All my co morbitiies (diabetes type 2, high blood pressure, reflux/Gerd, high cholesterol, and most recently stage 3 kidney disease) have been resolved. Also I can eat what I want with no dumping syndrome. I choose to eat very healthy because that is the food that actually tastes best to me now. I wish you the best of luck. Please make sure you take the time to understand what might work best for you given your current health issues

I underwent a Lap-Band to VSG revision surgery on 3/16/15 with Dr. Alvarez of Endobariatric (www.endobariatric.com). And the bottom line is, I couldn't be happier with process from start to finish. The long version, including some details you may find helpful is as follows: I learned of Dr. Alvarez from a Band to Sleeve revision support group on facebook. One of the members had her revision done with him and highly recommended him. Of course there are a lot of options when it comes to going to Mexico for surgery and I knew I wanted to explore Mexico because I was going to be completely self-pay/no insurance coverage for this revision. My insurance had covered my band placement in 2010 and followup care for a few years until I had to switch jobs and my new insurance would not cover anything relating to obesity. Due to the state I live in, I also could not get coverage on the healthcare exchange that would include obesity. I was very successful with my Lap-band and lost 95 lbs in about 9 months and maintained that loss for another year +. Then I started having complications such as a dilated esophagus and achalasi. It was not safe to have Fluid in the band so I got a complete unfill. Of course, I started gaining weight back immediately and despite my best diet attempts, I gained back 50 of the 95 lbs I had lost. I couldn't afford the constant maintenance of the band without insurance coverage and worse, I knew if I ran into trouble again, I'd have no coverage even in case of an emergency band removal. That's when I decided revising was my only option. I researched surgeons in my area but the closest ones to me that had good reputations were still 3+ hours drive and $25,000 of more for self-payers. I also would have had to jump through most of the normal hoops like pre-op classes, counseling, etc. It would have meant a lot of time off work before even being approved for surgery. When I found Dr. Alvarez, it was like a dream come true. I could complete everything I needed to online, travel once, and get my revision done for $9,000. Of course, I was warned it may not be possible to perform the band removal and revision all at once, due to the unknown amount of damage in my stomach. But even if I required 2 surgeries, the price would be $12,000 - still half of my US price. The entire process of working with Endobariatric from start to finish was incredible smooth. The patient coordinator, Susan, is one of the most responsive customer service professionals I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Rarely did more than a couple of hours go by without an answer to my questions via email. And I have no doubt she is interfacing with dozens of patients daily, not just me. When I finally did make it to San Antonio, TX to be picked up and taken to the surgery location just over the border in Piedras Negras, again everything could not have been more smooth or well done. There are few big differences between this hospital and all other US hospitals I have been in. I found these differences to be positive for the most part, but I was not expecting them. So for the sake of an honest review of the experience, you might like to know about them. 1. This is specific to Dr. Alvarez, not a "Mexican hospital standard" I'm sure. But there is a very high ratio of nurses to patients here. It feels like one on one and you never have to wait for your needs to be addressed. When I got my Lap-Band at a busy Baltimore, MD hospital in 2010, I had to wait 5 hours after surgery for my first doses of anti-nausea and pain meds. I had to wait for a doctor to write orders for things, I was miserable, and no one cared. I had to wait a couple of hours to get up to pee even though I'd been pushing the call button nonstop. You will find the exact opposite at Endobariatric. I have barely been in pain for a moment since coming out of surgery. they are on top of the med schedule and the times I've been particularly nauseous they will give me more medicine right away and not insist I wait 2 more hours till my next scheduled dose. 2. The hospital that Dr. Alvarez operates out of is not shiny and new on the insude but it is cleaner and more comfortable than any US hospital I've been in. It is QUIET above all. There are not constant announcements on loud speakers. No constant beeping machines. No yelling or crying in the background. I think I am on a private wing only for Dr. Alvarez's patients, but even so, the whole place just has a different feel than US hospitals. 3. I was surprised at the lack of glove use that is so prevalent in US hospitals. Nurses are touch specimen cups and patients without gloves. This doesn't bother me too much but if you are very concerned I would ask in advance about requesting nurses to wear gloves around you at all times. 4. You can actually rest and recover in this hospital! What an idea, right? Instead of being hooked up to machines that beep and disturb you, you'll have an IV for fluids and meds but they will only come by once in a while to check blood pressure and temperature. And you get compression socks and instructions to walk and move but are not hooked up to auto-inflating leg pillows that squeeze and beep you all night. I was able to sleep as much as I wanted, undisturbed. 5. There will be a slight language barrier but it is not bad at all. Dr. Alvarez has nurses that are bilingual and make it very easy but they do leave at night. I was told they are accessible by phone if there's a problem requiring translation but since everything has gone very well for me, I haven't had a problem. I know some basic Spanish and I've used google translate to ask for specific things. 6. The wifi is not as great as I was hoping. Whereas in the US, hospitals seem to be built with wifi access throughout, this is an older hospital with heavy walls, and it doesn't reach the patient rooms. This is not an issue for me because I've enjoyed coming out of my room and sitting in the hallway or near the nurse's station to get a good signal. But if I had any "complaints" at all, it would be for wifi in my room so I can watch netflix in bed. That is all I can think to mention right now. Again, bottom line, Dr. Alvarez is a skilled surgeon with a great personality and his staff exceeded all expectations. I am a HARD person to please and it is rare that I can write a glowing review. But these folks deserve it.

I am having revision on March 27 2015

Just had my revision from band to sleeve yesterday and I'm feeling great. So much less pain than when I had the band put in 5 years ago. Wishing a quick and easy recovery to all of you 3/16 folks!!

I went to Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric - www.endobariatric.com. He is in Piedras Negras, one mile over the Texas Border. I could not recommend him more highly and I believe his price for virgin sleeves is $8,000 including everything after you land in San Antonio, TX. MY price was $9,000 because I was revising from a lap band to sleeve. Yes, there are less expensive surgeons in Mexico, I've heard as low as $5,000 including everything but your airfare. And I know people who rave about those surgeons too. But from my experience here, I would not have done it any other way even for half the price.

How did it go? I got revised from band to sleeve this morning and feeling great (all things considered lol). Not about to run any races quite yet That's great thundergrrl!!!!! And haha same here! I was expecting a lot of pain just preparing myself for what some were saying here and I guess I was a lucky one...just have some soreness but the hydromorphone (morphine?) is taking care of that ...I have a high tolerance for pain though too so that could be it. My mouth is dry still and sleep is always difficult in a hospital, but I'm also an extremely light sleeper. They just came in and took bloodwork, I'm guessing the doctor will be seeing me around 8am Hope everyone is doing good! Check in here if u can, I'd like to know yall made through fine

I just finished my last Protein drink for a while. My surgery is Wednesday, and I am supposed to be on Clear liquids all day tomorrow. Today I got very nervous. I was trying to do what I can before the surgery, but my chronic pain issues force me to stop and sit frequently. I've been mostly excited until today. Today, I remember the pain after abdominal surgeries of the past. I am having an open revision. Any suggestions for things I should take to the hospital, or what I should have at home for afterward.

I was banded 2012 and immediately stopped having reflux. I was revised to sleeve 4 days ago and have had worse acid reflux than I have ever had in my entire life! Is this normal? Common? Will this go away? The prescription Pepcid isn't doing a thing to help it. What do you do about your reflux? I'm on full liquid diet for 2 weeks and I can't imagine what food will be like if liquids (water, juice, broth) is this bad.

Hi all!! Ok, Short, sweet and to the point, I had a band for 7 years, no problems until port needed to be revised. Band removed (much to my surprise)! After band was removed, I gained 50 lbs!! sleeve surgery in January....I have felt HARDLY ANY restriction and kept remembering right before I went in for the sleeve, I looked at the surgeon and said "a banana sized stomach"? he looked at me and said "yes, and if you need another band in the future we can do that"....this is when I was being wheeled into surgery! This comment has been on my mind for 3 months and the fact that I really feel no restriction has really had me wondering so I went to another surgeon with my reports, tests, etc. told me in his opinion, my stomach is larger than normal and that's most likely why I have not felt restriction. I have to go for an endoscopy to look at the scar tissue...depending on the results, he may be able to make my sleeve smaller OR if there is too much scar tissue, he may have to do a bypass. I'm really freaked out by this news and I truly do not want to go through this again plus, insurance will not likely pay for another surgery. I honestly am just researching bypass now since it could be an option for me. The surgeon today did not in any way bash or put down my doctor that did the sleeve, in fact, he said it looked good! And, he said that the scar tissue could have been why my stomach was left larger. I forgot to mention that since January 9th, I have lost about 20 lbs...that's it! I'm exercising, drinking my water, doing my protein and just started eating normal food...if that's what you call it! I'm just looking for some advice, words of wisdom from anyone who has been in my shoes. Thanks so much Dee

How did it go? I got revised from band to sleeve this morning and feeling great (all things considered lol). Not about to run any races quite yet

My date is June 12th!!! I am SO excited and scared !!! Cannot wait! I will be going to Juarez with Dr. Jose Rodriguez he is doing my revision and he originally did my band. I live is South Bend, IN. Where is everyone else from?

I agree with much of what you said and with what others have said. I am still making up my mind about band to sleeve revision but at this point I am leaning toward not getting it done. The band was a total failure. I hate it. However, when I lost 75 lbs (60 on my own) NONE of my medical conditions improved. You know how the medical community likes to say "even if you lose just 10% of your weight (or pick any percentage) your health will improve". Well, mine didn't and I lost 30%. I didn't have high BP or wasn't diabetic, but have been on statins and nexium for GERD. But most of all - all those know it all neurosurgeon who said losing weight would improve my back conditions - well guess what? It got worse after the band. It is my back, not my weight that limits me. So, in my opinion the only reason to have WLS is to improve one's health. Looking better is a perk. I am 64 years old - I have maybe 20 years give or take on this earth and I'm not sure I want to spent them with worsening GERD, drinking my meals, eating mostly meat and maybe ending up hungry again after a year. I have read all the extremes by those who have had this surgery - from those who were in pain from one crouton to those who said they eat normal foods during the week and all bets are off on the weekend with pizza and chocolate (in moderation). And everything in between. As I said before - WLS is a crap shoot - you don't know if yours will be a success or failure until after the fact. I think you are smart for making a decision that is right for you and I wish you the best of luck with it. There is lots of help out there for those who wish to change their eating habits and lose weight. I hope you find it.

I would recommend walking about 20 minutes per day. This will help your recovery process dramatically. Give up all carbonated beverages and caffeine now. I was up to a 6 diet coke a day habit before surgery. I went cold turkey 6 months before surgery. I had severe withdrawal syndrome (head and body aches). This lasted about a week. It is better to do this now because you don't want to compound the withdrawal syndrome with the effects of surgery. Oh and I lost 20 pounds solely on giving up my diet cokes. Attend a regular bariatric support group meeting. They are free and will be more than willing to give you any help. I had a RNY and from interaction with others in my support group, I would be wary of lap band surgery because it can lead to a number of problems that require revisions.

Does anyone know the process? Do I need to jump through all the hoops? I was very successful and lost 100% of weight I needed with band before it failed after 2 kids. I regained most of it. Anyone have similar situation?

Backstory: I was first banded in 2007, then had to have it replaced in 2011 with a different surgeon because of a massive slip. I didn't qualify for conversion to another type of surgery at that point, but since I've gained more weight since then, I'm trying to convert to RNY now. I've moved across the country, though, so I can't use the surgeon I used for the replacement band. The first surgeon I checked out down here, I liked personally, but didn't like the "surgery mill" feel that his office had, and that he wanted me to do all the work of referring myself to other specialists and making appointments (radiologist for an upper GI series, nutritionist, etc.). The second surgeon, I really liked the nurse practitioner I was dealing with, but wasn't happy with the rest of the office staff. The office was better about referring me to other specialists, but was bad about communication. Took six weeks to even get a call from the coordinator. The last straw has been the past few days. On Friday, the coordinator called me and wanted me to call her back about figuring out my options and the course of action to get the revision approved. I call back a couple hours after the message, and she's left the office already. The guy I talked to (didn't bother to introduce himself), told me to come in on Monday (today) for a nutritional assessment at 9:30. I write down the date and time, and everything. He said that he needed to see a patient, but he'd call me back afterwards to set up some more appointments. Of course, that never happened, which should have warned me about what was to come. So, today I show up for my 9:30 appointment, and no one at the office knows what the heck I'm talking about, and the nutritionist isn't even there. The guy basically denies making an appointment for me, and says the next available appointment is May 6th. It was pointless to argue with him since the nutritionist wasn't even there, so I went ahead and made the appointment and left. On the way home, though, I was so angry I was about to cry. They jerked me around for 6 weeks, and now they expected me to wait another two months to even get started with the nutrition appointments. They leave me with no fill, no communication, no one bothers to tell me what the next step is, nothing. I should have known then to find another surgeon. So, as soon as I got home, I started looking for surgeon #3. I've got an appointment next Monday at another surgeon's office, so hopefully that one goes better. Third time's the charm, right? Both in surgeons and surgeries!

I ended up having lapband to sleeve revision on March 3rd. Best decision I ever made. It took 3 hrs and doc said I had a ton of scar tissue but he pushed through. I'm so glad he did it all in 1 surGery. I really feel like if anybody else had done my surgery they would have done the removal only. 20lbs down so far !!

I am 3 years out. I have had one "classic" dumping episode and it was Christmas day 2011. My surgery was December 11th 2011 and since I was a band revision, surgeon had me on a much slower food progression than typical. I was still on liquids so whilst my family enjoyed a Christmas feast, I had a warm chocolate Protein drink... but this was back when my thinking was still a bit "off". It was Christmas - I needed a treat, right? So I blended some Peanut Butter in. Perhaps too much peanut butter. I felt horrible - cramps, digestional upset, overall misery etc. It was bad enough that I didn't even taste peanut butter for a very long time after that. Since then, I will say that I have had a few meals that made me feel bad, although I don't think they were classic dumping. My take away is that you need to be "in training" to eat junky crappy food. If you eat pretty clean and then decide you will share a deep fried fish and chip dinner with a friend (hey, i was at goal, what's a little treat?) you may decide it ISN'T WORTH IT! I had a horrible tummy ache, I felt like I had been dipped in grease and had to digest it all. It wasn't the same as my Christmas day event, but it wasn't good either. So, where that leaves me is I can have a bit of something deep fried every once in a while.. but just a bit... and I feel okay. I made homemade potato chips for my boys and their friends, munched on a few with no ill effects... but just a few with a very healthy meal. I don't really want to eat that crap anyways so it is fine. I can't even fathom eating say a McDonalds meal, I suspect I would hurl it just based on the grease alone. Well, who knows, but I decided I don't want to find out.

Hi Janex43, i had my revision from band to sleeve done last Oct. i know exactly what you mean with regards to the band. My life pre sleeve was non existent as i was just simply too embarrassed to go out to eat and try and eat something when i knew that id be disrupting everyone by rushing off to the bathroom. There wasn't a day that went by without me hurling up some food. Post sleeve it has been a learning curve, don't get me wrong, i have had to rush to the bathroom, but that is because i was trying to work out what my sleeve would accept and its not anywhere near as bad as the band! I Love, Love, Love my sleeve!! I cannot eat meat or dairy, i cannot eat corn in any form and i now have GERD, but put all these small things aside, i can go out and have dinner with friends and family - i just now select foods that are vegetarian or seafood! I just finally feel normal! I wish you all the best with your weight loss journey xox

I'm 2 days out of surgery and still in hospital w fever and low blood count. I had 2 units in a blood transfusion and I hope to go home tomorrow. Overall I had more gas pain which was absolutely horrible, but less incision pain Bc no port. I can get about 1tablespoon of fluid down. I am not hungry and I have no appetite whatsoever. I'm bloated w iv fluid and ready to go home. All in all seems like a normal sleeve revision experience except for the blood loss and fever.

There is a forum for lap band revisions that might be more informative for you. I have known a couple of people who had the band, who eventually revised to bypass. One friend had problems with the band, but the other refused to modify his eating, he ate too fast (for one thing). Even with an alternate surgery, he'll still have problems. IMHO. In my case, I have not vomited but if I eat too much or too fast I feel "uncomfortable", a little nauseous and a feeling of pressure.