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I have had my band for 10 years and it has been horrible!! All I have done is gain weight, have never been able to be filled. I am looking into getting a revision to the sleeve in Juarez Mexico by Dr. Jose Rodriguez in June. He is the one who put my band in so I figured he would be the best to take it out, he is also a very experienced surgeon. My question is, do you still get stuck with the sleeve like the band? I am so sick of having to run to the bathroom to throw up. Its also random, one day I can eat something and the next time I eat it, its SO painful!! Any information would be great. I wish I could do it tomorrow!!!

I got my lap band 10 years ago and it has been a nightmare. I have never been able to have a fill and have gained a ton of weight since I got it! I am going to get a revision with Dr. Jose Rodriguez in Juarez because he did my lap band and I figured that he would be the best person to get it out of there, and he is very experienced also. I dont have a date yet, but I am looking at June. I wish it could be tomorrow!!! My questions is, do you still get stuck with the sleeve? I am so tired of having to run to the bathroom when I get stuck. Plus its so random! Any info would be great!

My surgery is Mar. 18th, too! I am excited one minute, and kind of nervous the next. I am doing OK on the pre-op diet. My mom is going up to Phoenix with me. We live about three hours away. my husband will stay home. He has cancer, so the trip might be too much for him. i am having an open revision from an old stomach stapling to gastric bypass. I've had other abdominal surgeries, so I have an idea of what to expect. I don't know if that makes me more, or less nervous! @@marissa75 @@cnjashton @@timeforme2015 I hope you will update us on your progress!

I'm having a lap band to sleeve revision tomorrow as well. Best wishes to you as your journey moves forward! I'm soooo ready too, been on full liquids and now clear liquids today. Eager to be on the other side of this surgery! Let do this! Congrats to you!

I'm having a lap band to sleeve revision tomorrow as well. Best wishes to you as your journey moves forward! I'm soooo ready too, been on full liquids and now clear liquids today. Eager to be on the other side of this surgery!

I wish I had done sleeve to begin with. I had Lapband thinking it would a lifetime tool. I had 5 great years banded, lost to goal and maintained. Then the next 4 were a misery of fill/unfill, sliming, vomiting, and just feeling horrible. I finally had it removed and the damage and scar tissue required an almost 3 hour surgery to remove it and clean out some of the scar tissue and adhesions for a future sleeve surgery. I was sleeved last week. I feel like I wasted 10 years and 2 surgeries on the Lapband.... I am surprised they still do them do to the damage, complications, and revision rate.

I'm having an open revision on Wed. Mar 18. I am both excited and nervous. I had my stomach stapled way before they were doing Lap bands. My surgeon performed stomach stapling surgeries back then, so he has a good idea of what we are dealing with. I am nervous about having an open surgery again. I have two big , long incisions down my abdomen from the original weight loss surgery, and having my gallbladder and appendix out, so I have an idea of what to expect. If you've had an open revision, did you wear a binder afterward? if so, for how long/ Where did you get it? How long were you in the hospital/ How long was your incision? Do you have any advice for me? Thanks, Kristy

I'm on my second band, so my advice would be to go with either the sleeve or the bypass. I was actually successful with my first band, too, lost 90 pounds and achieved a normal BMI (around 23). The problem was that in order to do it, I had to have quite a bit of restriction, which meant that although I was unable to eat the things that got me fat (carb addict), I also couldn't eat a lot of foods that were actually good for me. Fresh fruits, fresh veggies, lean meats? Nope, stuck 75%+ of the time, sliming and regurgitation. I lived with it until the good didn't outweigh the issues anymore. I was having to literally sleep sitting upright because of the acid reflux, and even then I was still waking up choking because I'd inhale acid. My chest and throat hurt constantly. I finally had to go in for an emergency unfill, which of course then lead to weight gain because I'd never learned how to eat a properly balanced meal, just the stuff that would go down. Several months after being unfilled, I moved across country, and wasn't able to find a new surgeon for a while. When I did, the first thing he did was do a fluoroscopy, which revealed that I'd had a massive slip. Even mostly unfilled, there was only a space about the size of a pencil eraser for food to pass through. I had to have my band replaced. I wanted to revise at that point, but even though I'd gained quite a bit of weight, I no longer fit the requirements for conversion to another surgery. Ironically, if I'd NOT been successful with the first band, I would have been able to convert, but since I was initially successful, I didn't have two straight years of 35+ BMI anymore. With the new band, I've never been able to reach "the sweet spot." It's either too loose or too tight, and usually both in the same day (too tight in the morning to eat anything, but am an empty pit later in the day). I'm now hopefully able to be approved for a conversion, but I'm having to jump through hoops to do so. Yes, there are some oldies out there that still have their original bands, but they are getting fewer and farther between. I honestly don't understand why people would willingly subject themselves to the band anymore, when there's more than enough evidence at this point to show that it's not the best option anymore. There's a really high complication rate, you're almost guaranteed to need surgery again down the road (removal, repositioning, etc.), and the excess weight loss statistics aren't nearly as good as the sleeve or the bypass. You have to constantly worry about getting sick, food poisoning, etc., because vomiting can lead to a slip. To be honest, even though I'm looking into both the sleeve and the bypass, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the bypass. The band taught me that I shouldn't just blindly trust what the future outcomes are projected to be. When I was originally banded, it was being said that the band would have better long-term outcomes than the bypass, fewer severe complications, etc. Most of us know how that turned out. I don't trust projections anymore. And to be honest, after living with the severe acid reflux for so long with my first band, I'm really scared of the possibility of reflux with the sleeve.

WOW! Same exact experience here! And my revision to sleeve is on March 16th. I would love to keep in touch and see how you progress. I was banded 3/17/2010 and now 5 years to the day (almost) later, I'm revising. I had a lot of luck with my band - 95 lbs lost and kept off for 2 years - until the problems started and the fills/unfills, and regain.

I'm March 16. Band to sleeve revision. I can't wait.

Hi I had surgery on March 10 and i am getting in 64 ounces of liquid, and 3 Protein drinks i can do broth, kool-aid with ice, popcicles sf jellow. i don;t seem to be having any issues it bothers me that i am able to get all of this in when everyone else has problems. but i am sick of Protein shakes, jellow and broth. i go back to doctor on Tuesday. i'm full but with liquids. I had lap band removed Jan 6, 2015 and had sleeve revisions march 1. i was hoping to have restriction since my sleeve never worked

Yes absolutely !! I had great success with the band and I have struggled everyday since having it removed. Today I actually weigh 10lbs more than when I revised. I feel like I don't even have a "sleeve."

You have way more fortitude than I do! I'm still waiting for my area of dehiscence to heal completely (I'm down to scabs), and I will have to get a revision at some point since the seroma stretched me out. I had planned to get a breast lift in the near future, but now I don't even want to deal with any more surgery for a long while. My surgeon asked me how I was feeling emotionally when I was about a month out, and acknowledged that lots of patients feel depressed initially after this surgery. I appreciated that he brought it up, since most surgeons I know wouldn't ever want to bring such a thing up. I hope we are both up and about very soon!

I was a revision from band to RNY and I have 7.

Anything can have its downsides...I originally considered the band, but after researching possible slippage, corrosion of the stomach where the band was placed that could end up being a revision to sleeve afterward which would mean two surgeries, two recoveries, etc...also the constant needles and having to mess with fills as well as dealing with the entire lifestyle change that comes along with any weight loss surgery just wasn't what I wanted....the foreign body was the deal breaker though over all. The sleeve may be irreversible, but that seems to be the only downside aside from possible complications that are relatively low...I want something that is for life, something I can count on..something I can't just remove if I'm having a hard time or if I just want to give up....that's my two sense anyway...everything has its good and bad, it's ur body, uve done the research, now just weigh the pros and cons and make a decision....you will do great either way! What works for one won't work the same for another good luck! Also I hope no one with or who has had the band takes any offense to what I've said ❤️

Mine is the 16th also. I am having a lap band to sleeve revision. I'm so ready!

Hi everyone!! I haven't checked in, in forever! I have been following everyones posts and am glad to see how well everything is going. I had my surgery on January 29th and it went really well. I was a revision from lap band to sleeve and the surgeon found some issues with the lap band, but was able to clean everything up and perform the sleeve. I have never felt in such control of my food choices in my life. No cravings, no binges...just normal eating (well, if 1 oz is normal). I can go out to dinner with friends and not be concerned about how much of my favorite food I will eat. It is such a freeing feeling. I started this journey at 350 pounds, 325 on the day of surgery. I am now sitting at 295 and am losing consistently...so 55 pounds gone so far. I will never see 300 again and am only 95 pounds from my goal (which is anything under 199). I am glad to be back here and watching the success everyone is having! Jennifer

I am six weeks out of revision surgery (January 29th) and down 55 pounds at this point (way more weight than I ever lost with lap band). I saw my surgeon for a one month follow up last week and am amazed at the amount of damage that was done to my stomach by the band. He told me that the band had adhered to my stomach and was eroding through. He said there were small holes throughout my stomach where the band had attached itself. He was able to fix everything in one surgery (thank god...no way I could have done two surgeries) and I have been on the mend for a month and a half. What is amazing is that I had no symptoms of anything that could be wrong. No fever, reflux, etc. The only time I suspected anything is when I would go for fills and the band would be unfilled and I could actually feel it pulling my stomach (worst feeling ever).

I'm having a revision from RNY to SIPS or SADI-S I think it's called. I'm having complications with hernias and ulcers with the RNY. Surgery is schedule for Monday 3/16/15. It's quite difficult to find others whom have also had the surgery.

Dr Enochs is also my doctor I am having SIPS or SADI-S Monday 3/16/2015 I had RNY 7/11/2014 So this will be a revision for me. I am currently down almost 97lbs so far with the RNY, but I am having complications with ulcers and hernias. How are you doing Mojo56?

I met with my surgeon about a revision from band to sleeve and she said the band is meant to be permanent.

I had DS revision to the Gastric Sleeve after 4 years and regain. I would not even CONSIDER any other first time surgery than DS, if my BMI and medical clearance qualified me. The record of the DS is clearly superior to any other surgery, and the maintenance is the key to not having to have revision and regain....

I went for a revision in October 2014. My doctor was planning on revising at the same time as band removal, but once he got in there he just did band removal. Scar tissue and adhesions were very bad, I had the old 4cc band put in in 2005. Surgeon said he "trenched out a trough" of scar tissue from my stomach in preparation for the Sleeve. I let my stomach and esophagus heal and was just Sleeved on Monday March 9. I would have preferred to have it done in one surgery, but I trust that my doctor knows best. Sleeved for 4 days, lol, So far so good.

My doc is a friend of the family. He told my son, who also had the sleeve, and I to progress at our own speed. I had a folder full of recommendations but started eating chicken and other solids at around 3 weeks. My son started at 5 days. He's 3 years out now and has lost 110 lbs and is maintaining. My doc told me yesterday that I'm above average for a revision patient's weight loss and doing great! I not saying that what we did is for everyone, but it was for us. Good luck to you!

Just wondering if anyone liked the band better or wish u had not revised?