Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums

2,213 topics in this forum

Has anyone had to get a port revision through Tricare? If so, please contact me. I'm having some trouble with approval and I've got a leak in my port!:biggrin:

Hello- 2 years post op and I cannot believe I did not visit sooner! Summary of my story...I hit 268 pounds and told myself that something has got to change - made the appointment - went through the approval process - and was approved for surgery- I now weight 227, my lowest was 212- the results have been slow but I have been unfilled due to GERD for about 1 year - and that has caused me to gain some weight back (as well as other hormonal changes, surgical menopause and thyroid disease) but I am still very positive and I am going to be having my band removed and replaced due to slip/prolapse in the next month or so and I am hopeful that will resolve my gaining problems n…

Has anyone had a tummy tuck revision? My PS wants to do one in the Winter. He said he would lippo and remove more skin, moe the port, etc. I am not going to use him though since he did a poor job in April. Any advise? I am going to lose another 20 lbs before the procedure.

Ok so those who have gone through this is it that bad? The doc says he might need to move mine cause it floats around to much. I went in for my third fill and yet again he couldn't get the needle in the port. He found it and was hitting it but because when i lay down it floats up under my ribs he is having problems getting in it. Anyway just some help would be nice thanks alot.

:scared2:Anyone out there had a revision and care to share. I had an unfill due to pouch dilation and/or possible slippage as seen on upper gi....waited 6 weeks and pouch has gone down but my doc says it is still a little large and he is recommending surgery to correct it. He says sometimes revisions can't be done and he has to take out the band and/or convert to gastric sleeve or rny. I don't want either of those and just want my band to be back to normal. I loved it when it was working right. I guess I went too long with too tight a fill but my fills were never done under fluro so no one knew about my pouch dilation which was happening a little at the time I think. I ha…

Hi - it has been a while since I have been to this site - I have encountered a serious problem. My band slipped - the brief of this is - I was banded January 2007 - lost 100 lbs by January 2008. March 2008 - I ate something that got stuck and was sick for a few days. Then could not keep liquids down. Went to the doc - he loosened the band and was on liquid diet for a couple of weeks. The upper GI revealed has a slight slip. Everything was going well - was tightened back up. This past Thursday had a very bad stomach virus - and afterward could not keep anything down. Just thought was the after effects of the virus - by Monday I knew it was my band. Called the doc again and…

Well, they finally called yesterday with my surgery date. So on the 25th at noon they'll go in and fix my port or tubing. Please send healing thoughts my way. Thanks.

I had my tummy tuck on 4/21. He couldn't get all the abdominal fat so I will need to go back in for additional lippo. He did a really good job on the pannus but I'm not exactly pleased on the upper stomach. I still want to lose 15 lbs. I should be able to go back in sometime in the Fall. Any advise?

OK -- I've been slipped for close to two years now and due to several things I've been trying to get my band to self-correct but have finally stepped out of my state of denial (ain't just a river in Egypt). So, I've spoken with my revision surgeon and he's agreed to remove my band and revise me to RNY. I'll have to jump through all of the hoops a first-time patient would have to do; I've decided to start my food journal tomorrow LOL I'm scheduled for mid-July but still need to get approved by insurance. I'm only slightly concerned it may not be approved. My mom had her RNY 7 years ago and is in a size 12. I'd kill to be in a size 12. I only made it down to 16 bef…

Dont get me wrong. I love my band. I was banded a little over 2 years ago. I lost most of the weight in the first year. I have lost about 130 Lbs total but i still have 20-30 left ot go. I am OK at this weight but i would like to reach the end. More importantly though I live a longg distance from and fill doctors or after care. I have had ot return to Mexico for all fills and adjustments. My duaghter, also banded, had a problem with slippage that resulted in the need for additional surgery. Even theough she had the best surgeon in the world, Dr Aceves :thumbup: its still something to think about. Seems like the Sleeve is gaining in populatiry and doesnt require the same …

Can anyone who has had experiance with VSG tell me about how they are doing and if they feel this is the best choice after the band? I am looking into it but I'd really love to hear direct comments from those with experiance.

I had a port revision last week ... actually it was more of a tubing popping out issue, but it was resolved. Now my post incision is just oozing with puss and hurts a lot. I first noticed some redness around where the larger bandaid was on top of the steri strips and removed the larger bandaid, and then today (6 six days following surgery) I took off the steri strips, b/c they were soaked in fluids and placed two huge bandaids on the port incision. I am scheduled to see the doctor on Wed morning but called today to see if he could see me earlier, as I am just about ready to take a brillo pad and scratch the hell out of the area. I told the nurse that I had removed the…

After several months of upper GI's endoscopies, and reflux, I had my band unfilled. I've been feeling fine since the unfill, yet I gained 15 lbs. I decided to get a revision from band to the sleeve. On surgery day, the Dr. removed my band system, but was unable to do the sleeve. My band had eroded my stomach tissue, so the tissue was too thin to staple. I never would have known about the erosion, since there were no symptoms. I am very thankful that I have such an experienced and caring physician to take care of me. I will be able to get the sleeve in 4-6 months, after I heal. Just thought I'd share my experiences. Anita

Hi Everyone! I'm not new to Lapbandtalk but I am a lurker. I am posting to find out who else have had their port repositioned. My port flipped after a bad fall down the stairs (I think)! LOL:crying: Thanks

Hi there, Does anyone know if any insurance companies cover revisions.. such as a Lap Band to an RNY?? Any info would be helpful.. Thanks. M

I went for a fill on yesterday and my Dr was unable to do it because my port has "flipped" so much that he said he would have to go through my ribs to get to the front of the port. This is my 3rd visit. I got the first fill about 2-3 months ago and at that time he had difficulty with th port and said it had slipped. I went back to get an unfill because I was too tight and he stated the same thing. This time he couldnt even get to it. Has anyone else had this problem? I have to have a "minor" surgery to have the port revised. Thanks in advance for your answers.

Hi all, I just wanted to give you an update. Yesterday I had my revision surgery to flip my port back over and stitch it back to the muscle. Everything went ok and thankfully the pain is not nearly as bad as it was the first time around. Don't get me wrong...it's still there, but not as bad. The dr filled me up to 6 cc's and I can really feel it. Just take 1 tbls of my liquid painkiller is giving me problems and trying to come back up. I wonder if I am too tight.

Hi, I'm considering the lap band and am favoring it over the gastric bypass. Hopefully I won't have a problem but I've been wondering about this scenario: I lose a bunch of weight and then there's a problem with the band (erodes into stomach or whatever) and I need a revision to say the gastric bypass. Would the insurance pay even though I now have lost most of the weight? Would they require me to regain it first? I hope this doesn't happen but just trying to prepare...I have BCBS federal employees plan (FEP).

I've had two c-sections and a hysterectomy. Has anyone been able to use this procedure as a kind of TT and had it covered by insurance? What was the surgery like? How long in hospital? How long out of work? How did it come out? Any other information would be helpful.:help: Thank you. Cheryl

I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that I've contacted a few surgeons regarding a revision, and some of them either refuse to remove your Band (although they'll do another surgery).. or leave the port in place, because it's too much of a pain for them to remove. This is really troublesome to me as my Band gives me problems even with no fill. I told this to the surgeon's coordinator and she said it was his policy to leave the Band in place and he was very firm on it. (Obviously, he will not be my surgeon!) Just wanted to give you all a heads-up on this. Whoever thought we might be stuck with the darn thing or at least the port.

That's the bill I got from the hospital and surgeons for moving my band back into place after a slip. I had been too tight for months and threw up WAY too often. My insurance will not pay a dime. I'm going to have to fight like hell and hope that I can at least negotiate with the hospital and doctors. Please, learn from my very expensive, dangerous mistake. Wow, I just realized my second bandiversary was Monday. Yeah!! One other word to those considering this, in my opinion, even if it cost $60,000, I'd do it again a thousand times. It's still worth it. Much success, Laura D. 243/145/140 DOB 10/1/05 Dr. Kuri

Hello everyone. Haven't been around for a while--real busy w/work, etc. But I'll try to stay more connected. The revision went fine, did I tell you that they were able to use the same holes that were used for my band? The recovery was longer than after banding, 2 weeks home; 3 would have been better. I'm doing well. So far I've lost 35 lbs, which my doctors insists is good, but I feel like a slow loser. I know it's because I "only" weighed 210 lbs. at time of revision. Still, I'm pleased with my ability to eat, believe it or not, more normally than I did w/the band & I think if I stick to my food plan, which is basically the same as when banded, I can get…

I am having a new port put in on Friday! Due to all these costs tallying up (Hospital, Port, Anesthesia), I'm up to around $2,596. I am self-pay. I am insisting on free fills for a long time from my doctor, and they obliged.. and I wrote Allergan/Inamed a long product complaint (they told my doctors they won't pay to replace it). I can't wait till this thing starts workin right!

As most of you know, I have had a terrible 15 months with my band. Went to get a 2nd opinion and that Dr recommends removing the band and doing RNY. I would like to know if you revise can you keep the band? Or, if you just want to quit all this mess, can you leave the band in with no fill or will there be complications?

My doctor charges an 1100.00 "revision fee" and then charges my regular 20% of my 80/20 split. Do you know if insurance will put that toward my out of pocket max? Or, can someone somewhere tell me what I am looking at total? I have a $2000.00 out of pocket max, deductibles of $500.00 each for inpatient and outpatient, and copays of $100.00 a day for each thing. I am thinking it will cost me: $2000.00 out of pocket $1000.00 for all of the deductables $1100.00 for revision fee Sound right?

I went to see my Dietician yesterday. While walking out of the office I noticed a post card reading “Still staring your weight loss goals in the face?...Now a non-surgical option for revisional surgery is available.” Apparently there is a new weight loss product out called “Stomaphyx”. Here is there main website. http://www.endogastricsolutions.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=StomaphyX&category=Products&submenu=StomaphyX <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> Unfortunately it reads like a sales pitch and doesn’t give much information unless you call them or ask for information vi…

I've been getting flooded with questions on revisions. So, here's a short article I wrote for OAC, hope it helps. The weight loss surgery field has experienced exponential growth over the past four years. As a result, I find myself being asked more and more questions regarding post operative surgery. Be it plastic surgery, or a revision, the sheer numbers of post op patients is increasing the demand for these two types of post op procedures. In this article, we’ll talk solely about revisions. And that word, revision, gives rise to a number of included terms such as failed surgery, non compliance and revision to a new procedure. Revision, defined, is to change or…

Hi I am new here. Banded back in July 2002! Had great success until my band slipped! Had revision surgery and have been gaining since...I am so scared. I am up to 149 that is w/dieting and exercising! The end of Jan I was 125 because I could hardly keep anything down. Had a huge unfill to see if my band would self correct. Never happened! I went from 125 to 139 the day of surgery (17 Mar) and since then I have gained 10 lbs. Had a small fill but I can't tell. I am looking for folks who have had experience with slippage surgery and where they able to get the weight off a second time around? Dody 220-July 02 125-Jan 06 ( sick and unhealthy) 139 Mar 06 slippage surge…

Hi all. Today's my birthday, and I've been on Clear liquids all day.:cry Tomorrow I'm scheduled for band removal and revision to RNY. I'll post when I'm on the other side, again. Karen

I am having problems with my band. Not to mention my weight loss overall has been minimal. I lost a lot at first then my weight has creeped up because the only things I seem to be able to eat are high calorie foods such as ice cream. I am having serious acid reflux issues and am Vitamin deficient. I have been looking on the web for follow up doctors but I think I am leaning toward having the band removed and having an MGB which is a Mini Gastric Bypass surgery. I am trying to find someone who will both remove the lap-band and do the MGB at the same time. The MGB is a laproscopic surgery as well with minimal complications. I f any one has information on this plea…

anyone had this done? cheers mark uk

On January 16th I had revision surgery. I had my first lap band surgery back in Nov 2004. My band slipped about 6 months ago. I was originally banded in Mexico by Dr. Lopez. I feel like I am in a very small club of those who have had lap band surgery twice. I learned a lot with each surgery. Here is what I know to be true for me…. 1. Surgery in the states rules!!! What I thought was adequate care in Mexico turns out to pale in comparison to the care I received here in the good old USA. I felt such a sense of relief knowing that if something went wrong, I was totally taken care of. Waking from surgery and looking out to see my surf spot was priceless. My dad dri…

(Headless, because I'm waiting for my stalker dude to DIE before I put my photos anywhere he can see them. He's even older than I am. This may not take forever. LOL) Also, remember that revision patients usually have a slower rate of loss and even a lesser total loss than first-time patients...so I'm still "a ways" from where I want to be. Photo on the left is three years AFTER banding and the day before my band removal and revision to the DS. Photo on the right is one year AFTER the DS. Let's see if I can do this:

I have been banded since 8/25/2004 with a loss of 75lbs. Over the last few months I have started having issues with my weight fluctating, slippage and now dialation of the pouch. I am scheduled for a new band and a low-profile port to be done on 12/29/06, (talking about getting it done before the new deductible kicks in)..LOL.. My question is for those that have experienced a revision with a whole new band whats it been like for you.. Your recovery time the same as the initial placement of the band? Did you finally start back loosing consistently? My surgeon says there is no reason why I cant get my last 50lbs off once they get everything taken care of!! Thank you for you…

Hi, after being in severe pain for 4 months, I had to have a port revision. My port was on it's side Pressing or digging into the muscle. The pain got so bad, I could barely make it out of the bed to the bathroom. Don't think I just waited 4 months, I went to Doc after Doc and several ERs and the tests showed nothing. I was even accused of being a drug seeker! I've had problems with the port since day 1, which was 2 1/2 years ago. It would move around allot, but my surgeons told me to ignore it! They were the only ones who took my insurance. Than I found an angel of a Doctor, who did the surgery Pro Bono. I lover her! She even made my big hideous scare from the first surg…

Ten days early, I had my 12-month check-up. My weight is down a little over 90 pounds. It would be more if my diet in any way reflected that I'd like to lose weight. My labs are--two doctors have said so--great. So far, the DS ( Soup or the salad and nothing else and to tell them not to bring the bread. And then eat the soup or salad. And then, if I was still hungry, to order a shrimp cocktail or chicken wings or something else high in Protein, and wait for THAT to arrive. By the time it gets there--he says--I MAY notice that I'm not as hungry as I was when I ordered it and I'll probably eat less. And, while I should limit the candy, the gym is working off th…

.......because what fun is it to have a nasty slit on your stomach....if ya can't gross people out with it!!??? Man the people at work are getting tired of me!:guess

Ok so the doctors painless quick 10 min surgery.....not so quick...about an hour...not so painless about a 5 (on a 1 to 10 scale) Not in horrific pain, but certianly not painless. I guess some tissue had already grown around the port so he had a hard time getting it out and he actually burned ...yes I said burned, some of my flesh with a laser to get it out...then, when he was stitching me up..it flipped AGAIN! Can you believe it...he had to cut his stitches and flip it back and stitch me back up again.:tired I love my doctor I think he's very competent but geezzzzzz...... needless to say i'm pretty sore. back to the couch for me.

Hi all, Sorry I didn't get online yesterday. I was admitted at 7am, but didn't actually go in for surgery until around 2:30pm. I was lucky enough to get to lay around and watch cooking shows, dreaming of food I won't be able to eat for weeks LOL. Yesterday evening is pretty much a blur. The hubby and daughter dropped by briefly, but apart from that, I just slept alot. The surgeon dropped by this morning. He said that the revision was a bit more difficult than they'd hoped and that he accidently pricked my stomach while removing the old band. He sewed that up, but wants me to stay an extra day or two to be on iv antibiotics. Other than that though, I feel prett…

What is involved if I need to go in and get a smaller port put in. It has really been bothering me lately and feel as if the time is getting closer and closer. Do they put you under and use anestesia? How much does it typically range from? How long is the recovery time? What is involved in recovery time. Pretty much looking for any and all info. Thanks!

My port has flipped and I am going in on Tuesday for port revision surgery. I was just wondering if anyone has had this done and can tell me what to expect and if they felt ok afterwards and were able to go back to work the next day. Thanks.

I've had the band since 27 Feb 2003. I've done alright with it - went from 133 kg to about 47 kg and then back up to current 70 kg. Throughout this time, I've had 3 or 4 hospital admissions due to total blockage of the band, even with relatively small amounts of saline in the band. The last admission was in Sept 05. Then they realised that there was slight slippage. I've not had a fill since then and have steadily put on a fair bit of weight. Barium Study done in May 2005 shown grouse dilation of the proximal pouch as well as further slippage of the band. Am scheduled for revision surgery at the end of the month. Anybody had that? Can tell me more? By the way, I'm…

In Sept 03 I was banded I weighed 262 within 9 mos I was down 70lbs with no fill, my doctor was thrilled I wanted more I started running and took on a very strenous job, then I wanted a fill. There truly was no need for it I may have hit a plateua but who knows. I started vomiting 3 times a day then found out I was pregnant so no upper gi could be done. I vomited for 18 mos 3 to 4 times a day. Life was hell I hated my husband for enjoying the food I cooked knowing that I would be in pain from just taking a bite. Finally after moving to a new state and not being able to find a bariactric to see me my old dr found me Dr Needleman at OSU. I cried in his office the …

I went in for a fill last week and after too many needle pokes to count we went down to fluroscopy and it was determined that my port has completely flipped over. I'm having port revision surgery in the middle of July. If any of you have had a port revision, can you tell me what to expect? He said it would be done with a local but other than that I don't know the specifics. How long did it take you to recover? Another surgery. :phanvan I was their only band patient to experience slippage, and now I'm their first flipped port. :faint:

Hi everyone! I was banded January 05, revised do to slippage July 05, scheduled for another revision June 2nd. I have a new doc and he's all about saving my band. My first slip was due to vomiting from to much restriction. But this slip has me dumbfounded. I didnt have any vomiting, all of the sudden I got severe pain after eating. First I had my gal bladder checked out, because the symptoms were consistant with a gal bladder attack. Then I had a Flouro and sure enough my worst nightmare, another slip. I love my band and dont want to loose it. However I'm on the fence about having it taken out. My doc is doing an endoscope to see if he can find any other reasons for this …

I just got back from Monterrey last Thursday where I had surgery to repair my port. My tubing had come off of the port all together and my port had to be relocated. I think I'm probably a very unusual case. For the most part, Lapband surgery is a one time event, then you get fills and that's about it. In extreme cases, erosion develops and the band has to be removed. In a few cases the band slips but I think it's pretty rare that one develops a leaky tube, then the tube falls completely off the port. Even with everything I've gone through I don't regret getting the lapband one bit. It has changed my life. My biggest fear is losing the band, but if that day hap…

I am considering the band and I am started to realize that it may not be a no muss no fuss tool. There is a large possibility that I will another surgery. I was wondering how much does it cost to have a band removed, to have a port changed or to do any other surgical corrections. How much is it in the US? How much in Mexico? And if you are having a bad problem does you insurance company ever pay if you did self pay to get the band. IE removel or endo if you have to got to the emergency room.

Hey folks, She probably won't be here for a few days, but Rachele is having a LapBand-to-DS Revison today. She did great with the band at first, but then had complications. She tried to make it all work, but decided that enough was enough and that it was time to move on. For those who are not aware, the DS is the most extensive of the usually performed weight loss surgeries, but has much greater success rates than the others. (Yin and Yang and all that.) The surgery itself requires a much more experienced surgeon and there are not really many DS surgeons in the country. When she is finished with the surgery, there is a long recovery period, with rapid initial w…

I got the nicest message from Delarla today...at first I thought she was a bill collector (what, me?) and then I started crying because she was so sweet and so Lisa at the same time. Her message made me realize that I hadn't checked in to LBT in a long time...I think I've been avoiding you all because I don't think I'm able to make it to the bash and it makes me so sad I just couldn't face it. But today I realized that I may have one more option...I'm not promising anything but I'm going to try my darndest to get there. I need support, and I need to give support....and drink. Can't forget to cocktail. I had my port revision surgery last Friday. That just means th…

Well I FINALLY figured out why my appetite was so incredibly out of control following the band revision surgery I just had. Since there was no fill in the band I wasn't ever feeling satisfied from ANYTHING and my head hunger was the worse I can ever remember having! I was actually worred I might GAIN weight because I was constantly drinking SlimFast, Boost, having Soup, a fudge bar or this or that. Nothing made me feel satisfied even a little bit. So anywho - I finally figure it out! Slimfast & Boost both have a lot of sugar in them and the Soups I was drinking had high fructose corn syrup. Well, I cut out all the sugar & corn syrup in my diet and I am doin…