Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums

2,213 topics in this forum

I was banded on March 22, 2011 and much to my dismay, found out my port had flipped during my first fill appointment. The nurse attempted to access the port, continuously scraping the needle against it making a horrible sound. The surgeon was called in to give it a try, fished around for about 5 minutes, during which I turned white and nearly passed out from the pain. He decided to put me under his live x-ray machine and attempt one more time even though it was quite clear from the picture that the port had flipped 180 degrees. I left with a black and blue stomach, 3 bleeding puncture holes, and in complete tears from pain and disappointment. I couldn't find many posts by…

I -love- my sleeve, but the doc who did my revision is very very pricey. My girlfriend also needs a revision, but the $25K out of pocket just isn't going to happen. Any recommendations on someone a bit cheaper, but safe?

I am scheduled for 6/17 to have my band removed and revision to VSG. I am only about 15 lbs from my goal and I'm wondering, did any of you who only had a little to lose when being revised, have issues with hair loss? I lost so much hair from about months 4 through 8 with my band and that was pretty much during the time I lost most of my weight. I am praying that I dont have to go through that again! Thanks in advance!

I found out a few days the surgeon I was supposed to be having surgery with next week has been less than honest on submitting for my pre-certification. They didn't even submit for the revision itself, just the sleeve. It's a really long story and still unraveling actually. Aetna has gotten involved and I believe that surgeon's office is now being investigated for violating their contract. Anyways, I could really use some help with anyone who has access to CPT codes. I am changing surgeons obviously, but now that I am a bit wiser on what to watch on the pre-certification process, I was hoping someone could look up what the code is for a bariatric revision. I don't k…

I had my band placed 09/2008 and had initial weight loss, but then wammo!! had a slip, an unfill, regained all I had lost +10 more, started having re-fills and have never lost any more weight or ever found the "sweet spot"! I currently do have Fluid in my band and now am too tight! This was my "last ditch" effort attempt with this band, i.e. trying yet another fill. I can't seem to eat solid foods! Maybe every 2-3 days, I can tolerate a few bits of chicken breast...maybe, if my band can keep it down that is! Anyway, I'm done! I have had a miserable 3 yrs with this band! I think the only thing it has caused me, other than severe aggravation, is a very poor diet! Only crap…

Hi All, I've been watching this site for awhile now and have decided to look into getting the sleeve done. Both my wife and I were banded two years ago and she has done amazingly well, but I on the other hand have not. I am looking to possibly do a revision to sleeve, but wanted to know if anyone had a good local surgeon recommendation they could give me. We live in Olympia, but I would be willing to drive anywhere in the state. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time, Clive

The better half wants a sleeve revision, and my doc is just to expensive in full self-pay mode. Any recommendations? We don't want to head to Mexico Thanks

I had the Lap Band from July 08-Feb 11. Got sleeved a bit more than a week ago. I was 350pre band and was down to 235 at one point. I got sleeved at 260. I went down to 250 fast but stalled out 5 days ago. Been in a stall. Havnt had more than 800 calories a day. Been walking a bit here and there, I guess its just a stall. My real question is can I expect to lose a lot more? Like the initial big weight loss others get with WLS? The stall has me wondering. My plan is to be able to eat better than I could with the band yet still have restirction and get under 200 pounds. I know its a tool and I need to work it. Anyone already 50-100lbs down and still have an initial big loss…

I am planning on having band to sleeve revision. I'm hoping to be able to have the surgery at the same time that the band is removed. Has anyone had any complications or had to wait for your stomach heal after having the band removed?

I have had my band on for eight years and have lost and kept 100lbs off. In two weeks I am having surgery once again because my band has slipped:( The surgeon will be removing the old one and putting in a new one. I thought about removing it completely but I have realized its a tool I can't live without. I am scheduled for April 28th. I am a little nervous but I have faith that all will go well. Ayme:)

I am like many of you on here, struggling with my lapband. I had my first surgery in 2006. I was a low BMI bandster, and lost all of my excess weight within 9 months. After about 6 months, though, the problems started - getting stuck, not being able to eat any "healthy" foods at all, etc. I had so many bad "stuck" experiences, even with a totally empty band, that I ended up getting a revision to the AP band in 2008. I had no slip, but did have a large hiatal hernia that was repaired at that tim. I have had pretty much the same issues with this band, but unfortunately have gained back most of what i had lost, too. I can barely eat, can never find a sweet spot with f…

Well, I got my schedule for my revision surgery....July 9th. So I will have a month on my own with no fill. I will say for the first few days I've eaten anything and everything but now I've gotten that out of my system and I'm back down to controlled portions and HAVE TO EXERCISE this next month. When they go in the will check everything out to make sure my band is all intact, which is good. Kind of like a tune-up :thumbup: If there's anything they can see wrong with the band at that time, they will replace it. The port is fine as far as they can tell. But I did have the conversation with the surgeon that in the future if what I can eat changes radically from day…

I just had a revision to my lap band. the first surgery was done November of 2010 and to date I lost 80 pounds. Everything was going great...then I started suffering from acid reflux, an x-ray showed my band had slipped slightly. The doctor wanted a plan B in case the band could not be replaced. I refused the sleeve or gastric bypass. I had surgery this past Thursday. All went well...he said it was challenging due to alot of scar tissue. I am nervous...I almost feel as though I should of had it removed altogether. Has anyone out there had a revision and all is going well? Please respond!

march 31th i had port revision surgery, my port completely flipped over and now i am home healing but i am nervous that the port will flip again when i work out has any one else felt the same way from their port revision surgery

Hello! I am a newbie to vertical sleeve talk. I was banded in August 2009. I lost 76 pounds and have been having problems with my band. I can't eat healty food, can never get fills right, food is always stuck and I very bad heart burn daily and at night it is worst. I and waiting now for insurance approval for me to have the sleeve. I have been researching the sleeve and have heard nothing but great things. I feel that I can get the rest of my weight off with the sleeve and enjoy life with it. I really need feedback on how the revision was. Thanks,

Hi, I'm getting nowhere with my plication. I'm 3 months out and I don't feel much different to before (ie I get as hungry and can eat nearly as much). I'm considering VSG (if that's a possibility - I know it is in theory, but don't know if it's been done). I'm hoping I'm more like a bandster (without the slippage/erosion or things getting stuck). My question is how is the sleeve helping compared to before? I saw someone say that at 22 months out they couldn't get down a whole chicken breast. I'm 3 months out and can do that no probs (no nausea, nothing). BTW I got a 32 bougie. I'm just trying to find out as much as I can as I don't want to fail again!! Any input…

Hi, I've had my Lap-Band for about 3 years and have done very well. The last few months I started having problems eating anything solid, with lots of pain and vomiting. Unfortunately I am one of the 5% that have suffered a slip. Anyone else out there dealing with the same? I had to have surgery to reposition the band, but am soooo afraid that it could happen again. I asked the doctor what I could do to prevent it from happening again. He said they are not sure why it happens, could be from excessive vomiting.........Just hoping someone else out there has been through the same!

Hi all!! Just a quick one! I was banded in Dec 2008 and lost almost 60lb in the first year. Since then I can not get great restriction and have sadly gained about 20lb. I am now wanting a RNY and was wondering if there was anyone in the UK who knows of a good centre that offers revisions and if anyone has had this done on the NHS or with any other financial help. Thanks alot x

Hello, I was banded on 2/22/10. I ate very little and felt fine. Things were great until my 2nd fill on May 13th. I thought eating practically nothing was normal with the band. I barely ate and even the slightest bit of overeating would cause vomiting and extreme pain. I let this go on until August when I had an appointment to see the doc. I was losing tons of weight so I didn’t want to stop that part but I suffered in the end. He took some Fluid out in August and said that my pouch was dilated and we needed to keep an eye on it. I went back in October, same issue. He took more fluid out and wanted to see me in November. I stopped losing at this point and gained 5l…

I'm considering going to Mexico and having my band removed and revised to sleeve all in one procedure at the end of next month, but need to know what type of restrictions there are after surgery. I have a 7 year old son s well as an 8 month old daughter who weighs about 16 pounds and I'm a stay at home mother so it will be impossible for me not to lift her. We also have a 2 story home so I will need to be able to be somewhat mobile. I know with the band surgery that muscle soreness was the worst of my discomfort but my son was 2 at the time and didn't require me to lift him so I didn't have any problems. I don't want to risk causing a leak, rupture, hernia, etc by ove…

Anyone have info on how well he does with band to sleeve revisions? And according to other posts about him, there is a difference of service between Sandy and Trish. What the heck is that about, anyone know?

Hi Everyone, My revision surgery was on Monday and I came home yesterday. All went very well. My surgeon (Shawn Garber) was able to do my revision staying within my 1 belly button cut from last time. Apparently, this was the first time he did a revision this way and it went very well. I am starting from scratch here and have to un-do my bad band habits. #1 is eating too quickly. By forcing myself to slow down, I realize I was VERY lax in my chew, chew, chewing and the speed at which I was eating. #2 is that I need more solid Proteins. I was relying on mushies too much, thus hindering my full feeling. I also was snacking waaaay too much under the guise of "but i…

Hello all, I had my surgery on November 3rd 2010. I had my third fill last wednesday 2 March 2011, they had a hard time getting to my port on that day, but managed to get it done. Then Monday I noticed as long as I ate Cream of Wheat or Yogurt I was fine, but if I tried to eat anything like Chicken, Salmon, anything that wasn't SOFT, I would get stuck. So, went in yesterday (3/10/11) to have .6 cc removed and she couldn't get to the port. Called the Doctor, he couldn't get to the port. Off to X-ray we go, and after about 30 min of pushing on my port, Doctor decided that it is fliped on it's side and so I have to go in for a Port Revision to fix it. I would have ha…

So it has been 2 years and10 pounds from my goal weight when my band slipped. I had to have my band replaced and had a henia also. It has been a little over a week and am having a hard time getting going again. Has anyone gone though this and if so how long to recuperate and how long beore you should do any lifting?

Hi Everyone, Def wanted to post a link to my blog on this forum, because I just finished a post dedicated to my complications. I think it'll be helpful/insightful or atleast reassuring to anyone else experiencing complications. http://thebandit1.blogspot.com/ Cortney P.S. If you have a twitter follow me @ Thebandit12 or your own blog messg me & I will add you to my blogroll Commentary & post suggestions are always welcomed

Hello, I have noticed that I do have major soreness where my port used to be. How long did it take your pain to go away if you had any at the port site? Just wondered how long it would last. Thanks!!!

any body have there band replaced verses port revision

A question, how many of you that have had revision surgeries smoke? If so, how much? I got an interesting letter today from a surgeon's office and wanted others input on this subject. I'll share more after I see what people's responses are. Thanks.

Hey everyone so I got the lap band on Feb 10th 2010 and I only had 1 successful fill. So far I went from 261 pounds to 208. I been feeling really frustrated because I was told about 6 months ago that my port had flipped over and I'm finally going to have a revision. I really didn't think this would happen to me and I don't want to go under the knife again. My surgeon said that I have to go under all the way is that true??

Ok, just trying to get recommendations for WLS surgeons who have extensive experience with revisions. I can't seem to get any response from the office of one well known surgeon in the KC area. Another surgeon has little experience with Sleeves or Revisions. The other surgeon I know of in the KC area I'm not sure I trust due to his NON-STOP t.v. advertisements and infomercials that run every night in the middle of the night with the same people praising high glory to this surgeon's practice. That is a huge turn off for me because since I can't seem to find a way to verify the number of procedures they have done from an objective party, I don't know that I would trust w…

I see various threads a times where people give the advice to "find a surgeon who is an expert with revisions". So, there is a surgeon in my area that I have found many speak very highly of, however, I can't get his office to give me any specifics on the number of each of the procedures he has done, including revisions and what type of revisions he has done. I sent another email Friday asking what the status was of getting me this information. In the meantime, I have contacted Medical Records for the hospital he works for (considered a COE), they said it was confidential information. I also called the COE affiliation and they said that the only thing they could tell …

I had my band surgery in 2007 and now after a long history of problems, lack of weighloss and not being able to be filled without problems. I am heading for the revision part. I am Ok with the procedure but I was told to study both the Gastric Sleeve and the RYGBP options and I have. I have read many different articles on both procedures and all the complications what the long range goals are everything from soup to nuts as it goes. I don't know ehich road I want to take. Both procedures are execellent choices. But the sleeve might not be what i need after all and then it would be followed up with the RYGBP. The sleeve is reccommended for lap band patients and well so is …

I am just curious how many people had to wait to have their VSG revision done during a second operation. I am worried that once the surgeon gets "in there" it will be an "ut oh" situation where I will have to have revision done at a later time. I am self pay... so that would really not bode well.

As I'm trying to research and learn as much about the Sleeve as possible, bouge sizes, pre and post op challenges, etc, it seems that at least from this site that there are a lot of people on here who have had the lap band and going for the sleeve or have already gone the route of the sleeve. I guess where I'm going with this is that I understand the WLS is only a tool, etc... And, so I'm curious for those that had previous WL surgeries (lap band or whatever), what was it that made you feel the surgery didn't work. Yeah, probably weight gain- but how much of maybe could it have been not following a a better lifestyle (food choices and exercise). I realize some may…

Hi all. Y'all are so motivational. I have a lap band from July 2007 and have had such problems with food sticking and vomiting. My esophagus is inflamed and has ulcerations. I lost and have kept off 30 lbs which is NOT what my goal was. But 30 lbs is 30 lbs and I am glad they are gone. I went to see my doc because I have to have my gallbladder removed and told him I hate my band and wanted it out. I asked about the sleeve and he recommended it since I have a mental block with the gastric bypass. He said weight loss is almost as good as with the bypass. So he is starting the approval process and I go back Jan. 29 to get a date. It should be early or mid-February. Now that …

hi everyone! im trying to find a doctor in mexico where i can have a band to sleeve revision. i had my band placed in mexico originally due to price. price is a huge factor for me and i can not afford to do it here in the states. i am wanting to hear everyones story who had a band to sleeve revision or even just a sleeve done in mexico. can you please tell me who did your surgery, how much it cost and what your experience was like? thank you in advance!! shaundra

Hello, I was banded on November 9, 2010 and about 10 days later noticed a small bulge right above my port incision and became painful. The surgeon thought that my port had totally become unstitched and scheduled me for surgery on the 3rd week post op. My surgeon found that the port was fine and actually about 1 inch below the port incision, but the cord to the port had buckeld. He said it was also in a 'capsule', whatever that means. Now I am 5 days post op from the second surgery, still in pain and have a small bulge above the port incision. *sigh* I hope that this is not another problem Anyone has a similar experience?

I had my lap band removed a little over six months ago due to numerous port problems, and it just not working for me. Due to having no erosion or slippage the doctor said my stomach looked great, and that I could have a sleeve done with no problems. What is the price with the doctors in Mexico for someone like me, would I be charged as a revision or not since I have little to no damage that will need repaired.

I have had my lapband for almost 3 years and have lost over 100 pounds. In the last 5 months I have had 2 slips and have decided to revise to a sleeve. My surgeon said he has seen too many deaths from leaks due to scar tissue from the band. He wants to do a sleeve but instead of cutting the whole stomach, he will cut away 85% and then do a Gastric Plication on the top 15% of the stomach...he feels this will eliminate the chance of a leak. I've never heard of this and he has never done this. He is a pioneer in Lapband surgery and at a Center of Excellence hospital. I have the utmost trust in him but I'm not thrilled being a guinea pig with surgery. Have you heard of…

I had a Realize band put in over a year ago. Despite 'working' this band, I have not taken any weight off with it. I lost weight pre-surgery (was not required to be on a special diet...just happened), but nothing after. All I've done this past year is 'maintain' that loss and only through sheer willpower. Now my surgeon has suggested a vertical sleeve...but after reading some of the posts here, I wonder if I'm not trading in one problem for another. Are there any here who've had the sleeve for several years? If so, I'd love to get some feedback... According to some articles, despite the lack of the stomach, the body will once again start producing ghelin after som…

New to the board and find the information very helpful. I had my VG lapband removed (after 2 years) on October 19, 2010. Had major slippage with 40% of stomach going through-band. The band had only a small fill may have had something to do with it? No erosion or complications during removal. (Glad it is out - knew it was not the long term answer). I did well with the band losing most all desired weight but feel as though I need to move forward with VSG too not allow any weight gain. I want to get VSG but have been told to wait 6 weeks - 3 months. What have you been told or what is most common in this scenario? In advance thank you for the input. I am also consideri…

Hi all~ I was banded in Dec, 2001. My band either has to come out or be repositioned. I have had probably 40+ fills/unfills over the 9 years since being banded. Since I had 2 complete unfills while pregnant, I haven't been able to get adjusted properly. I've been having reflux and esophagus issues since about January. My doctors here in Los Angeles think the band either needs to come out or I need to have a new one placed. In all honesty, I am pretty much done with the band and fills/unfills, etc. I am unable to have a bypass although I probably wouldn't get one if that was my only option. I was considering the sleeve but my band dr. and another dr. I consulted …

I was banded in January of '06. Lost almost 100 lbs in 9 mos which was awesome, but then something happened? Not sure what, but things just changed. Food started getting stuck all the time, I was having trouble even eating minced, moist chicken. I was PBing a lot and getting constant esophageal spasms....OUCHIE!!! All this and it started out of nowhere. I didn't have any sort of adjustment. After about another six months of struggling with it and having fill removed/added, my pshyche was just done....I guess I sort of gave up. (I know...shame on me!) Now it's 2010, I still have this useless band that's unfilled and I'm still having esophageal spasms and getting food s…

Hi all, I was so excited about getting my date yesterday, that I forgot to ask my doctor if I will have to do a liquid diet before surgery. If you have had a revision will you please let me know what you had to do? I see my doctor again in three weeks for all the official pre-op stuff. I would just like to have an idea of what to expect. Thanks!!!

Does anyone here know why that I, as a 'revisionist', regularly feel hungry, regularly have cravings and can now eat a quite a lot in comparison to a lot of other sleevers who say they never feel hungry and can only eat tiny amounts - I dont' eat anywhere near what I did pre-op, but I can quite easily graze all day long if I don't exercise some willpower. I've not had chance to discuss it with my doc yet but I will do. I still eat far less than I did before but I do crave chocolate, crisps and stuff that I wouldn't have bothered with when I had my band. I genuinely didn't feel hungry then and wouldn't really think about food. Now I do all the time and I don't get any warn…

I had my endoscopy today and next week I will meet with my doctor to get a date! While waiting for my endoscopy (which took forever due to some delays), I met a few people who had also had complications with their bands. It made me feel so at peace with my decision to go with the sleeve. What was I thinking getting this foreign object in my body??? Just wanted to share how excited I am! Thanks to all those who have shared their revision journeys. I will share mine as well when the time comes.

I went to a seminar the other night given by a local surgeon. He said that when he does a revision from band to VSG or bypass that he does it in two different surgeries. He takes the band out and then a week after he does the VSG surgery. He said that he does it so he will know if you have trouble after the band is taken out he will know quickly what the issue is and if you have trouble after the sleeve he will know what the issue is. Is this normal? When he said that I was a little surprised because that means two trips to the hospital which of course comes with two different fees, being put under twice, two different recoveries, and even more time off work. Is…

Hey does anyone have experience with insurance covering revision surgeries? I don't have any plans in the near future to have a revision but if my band slips I'd probably want to revise instead of having the band replaced (if it required a surgery....if they could just take out Fluid and the band would go back, then I'd do that). In another scenario, at some point after I get to goal, I may want to revise, as I don't want to have a plastic device in me for the rest of my life (it just makes me nervous). Do insurances usually cover that or is it almost always out of pocket? Thanks!

Hello All, I was banded in early July. I've had four fills with fluoro. Each time I go in my band is 'wide open' and after the fill it appears that I have appropriate restriction. I have 2 days of liquids and 2 days of soft food and then it's as though I've never had a fill. The last 2 fills we have checked the band volume and found it significantly less than it should have been. Tomorrow I'm going in for a port revision to try to get this band working. It's very frustrating that I've wasted 4 of my fills on a leaking band, but I'm ready, really ready, to get some restriction and get this thing working for me. Anyone else have this experience?:blushing:

Hello, My lapband is three years old and since I was banded in Mexico, I haven't had access to "proper" aftercare. I haven't had restriction in about two years. The fill doctor said I had a leak and so I just gave up. She knew this because once they filled me, it would all be gone in about a week. I started having strange pains in my stomach two weeks ago and after an ER trip, was told that I have a broken lap band tube. Thankfully I now have bariatric coverage (with a HIGH co-pay) but at least it is coverage. My new doctor prefers to do the sleeve but he will fix the band if that's what I want. Any one else have their band revised after a broken tube or have opin…