WOLVESFAN1

My revision was on 12/17/19. I am doing awesome! I'm in the pureed stage, but I have not thrown up since the day before surgery. I had Gerd and throwing up so bad that I was aspirating food. I was malnourished and my voice stayed hoarse all the time. I'm definitely keeping what I eat down and my voice is even improving. I've been very pleased thus far. Hoping to start soft foods next week. The revision was the best thing that has happened to me in a long time!

I had revision from sleeve to RNY on 12/17/19. I flew back home on the 23rd. I was either in the air or waiting in the airport for over 7 hours. I had no problems what so ever. I was exhausted by the time we actually got home. It was a long day.

My biggest day of pain was the actual day of surgery. I had the surgery around 9AM and was up and walking later that afternoon. I was lucky in that I really had no gas pains and only took pain meds the first day. I was inpatient for 2 days and then discharged to a nearby hotel until we flew back home. I'm not a big fan of pain meds and I told my surgeon no need to write a prescription. I only took Tylenol as I needed it. I haven't taken anything since Christmas day. I'm not in any pain, but just feel uncomfortable in the tummy area.

Good news is no more Reflux. I'm allowed pureed food now and everything has been great with the exception of sugar free Popsicle and refried Beans. The fat free refried beans were the pits. They basically got stuck in my chest and hours after eating, I still feel uncomfortable. The doctor said that I would experience things like that and when I do I need to back away from that food and attempt to try it at a later date.

Good luck on your procedure. I'm sure you are going to do well!

I had my revision on 12/17/19. I too had complications of GERD from my sleeve that I had almost 13 years ago. Since surgery no GERD. I've been on a liquid diet until yesterday and I was able to start Protein Shakes with no problem. Prior to the surgery everything including Water at times would come up.

I lost over one hundred pounds with the sleeve and I did keep it off. I'm currently a bit underweight, but soon I will be able to eat healthier and hopefully live a better life.

I must admit the conversion was a bit more painful, but I'm also a lot older too and my body has been traumatized a lot for the last two years.

I had my surgery at the # 1 hospital in the country. I won't give the name because I don't want to put something they told me without their permission. Prior to the sleeve I had no problems with GERD. The surgeon told me they no longer do the sleeve there because they have had so many patients come to them for revisions after the sleeve due to GERD.

I hope your surgery went as well as mine and you are on the road to recovery.

You are giving me hope! My revision is scheduled for 12/17 and it can't get here fast enough. I'm so glad that you are doing well.

GERD is horrible. I'm actually aspirating food into my lungs at times. pills I take will come back whole an hour later. I'm scheduled for revision on 12/17. I had my sleeve over 12 years ago and have kept my weight off. I've lost over a 100 pounds and I currently wear 4/6. I'm actually losing more because nothing is staying down.

You look beautiful and very confident in yourself! Thanks for showing your food choices. It appears that you are eating pretty normal and the foods look very appealing. Keep up the good work!

Thank you! I didn't proof what I wrote. You are about the same size as me I'm 5"3 and currently weight around 137. It goes up or down a pound or two. I've actually shrank an inch since getting older. When I first started my journey I was 5'4" and weighed around 243.

You don't know how much better it makes me feel to hear that you're healing and doing well. I ihope that things continue that way.

So, do you take liquid vitamins? My surgeon has told me that I will need to get any of my prescriptions that are large pills converted to liquid or be able to crush. Did you have to do that? How long were you on clear liquids?

Also, you and I are about the same size. Are you seeing the scales still moving down? If so, does your surgeon think that's just a temporary thing.

How long did it take before you went from clear liquids to actually eating foods? It's been 12 years for me and I can't remember. My dietician is meeting with me the day before the revision.

Praying my nerves will calm down over the next 9 weeks! I really did like my sleeve and hate that 12 years after the fact I started having problems. Praying the RNY will solve my problems. I'm ready to live life again!

I see that since I was last on you have lost more weight. I, like you am having the revision strictly to take care of a problem. I've lost and maintained my weight for over 12 years. I'm scheduled to having the RNY revision the middle of December. I have concerns of gaining and or losing too much weight. I believe I remember correctly you gained a few pounds at first due to the IV fluids, am I correct?

It's been so many years since I had the original surgery that I'm meeting with the nutrition the day before the surgery to ensure I do everything the right way. I know for the first week or so I'm on Clear Liquids, then gradually increase the consistency of my foods per doctor's instructions. How long did it take you to get back to regular food? Also, with the sleeve I wasn't required to take an abundance of Vitamins, but I understand I will need to with the RNY. How did you take those during the first stage of clear liquids only. Currently, due to being malnourished I am taking multi-vitamins, Vitamin D, Calcium, probotics multiple times a day. All with the exception of the Vitamin D are chew able.

Hope you are doing well! Your post have been very encouraging. I too, do not want to discourage anyone. I had a lot of fluke things that have happened to cause my issues. I've had a lot of stress in the last 5 years that have probably not helped issues. I truly believe the sleeve has saved my life. I had a stroke 5 years ago. If I had weighed as much as I did before the sleeve I was told I would probably have had major problems. Luckily, I had no long lasting issues. I'm only required to take blood thinners for the rest of my life. So, I do not regret the sleeve one bit.

Again, thanks for your updates!

Yes, I have seen the nutritionist. I do chew and eat slowly. I can soft scramble an egg and eat at 8AM and late after noon some of the egg still comes up. I also have problems with liquids at time. I try not to drink a lot before eating and wait a while after eating. I've stopped drinking the Protein Shakes because they apparently sit in the little pocket and sour. I know that when I have the surgery I will go through different stages of food and I know they want me to have the Protein shakes. That's why I stopped trying to get them down. I'm afraid I'm going to turn myself against them and won't be able to stomach them when I need them to heal from the surgery.

I live in a very small city. My GI doctor said there wasn't a surgeon in our area that he would feel comfortable sending me to because I am a high risk patient. I have other medical issues. He referred me to a larger hospital that's a teaching hospital and they agreed I needed to be converted, but none were willing to do the surgery. The larger hospital is over an hour away. They referred me to mayo Clinic and they are over 1000 miles away.

I have had multiple EGD's, manometry test, Barrium Swallows, Acid test, etc. Mayo repaired my hernia and diaphragm a few months back and we were hoping that would do the trick, but I continued to throw up. Mayo did the same test again and when I did the Barrium Swallows it shows the liquid spontaneously coming back up. The EGD shows the pocket that's formed in my sleeve. Basically, some food trickles down, but a lot of it backs up in the pocket and then it has no where to go, but to come back up. TMI, but I've actually had food coming back up through my nose and throat. I can't remember when I've eaten something and it not come right back up or several hours later.

We have spent thousands of dollars out of our pocket to pay for the trips to the different hospitals and for test that weren't covered by my insurance. The airline tickets and motels are several thousand dollars each time we go to the Mayo Clinic. I'm 63, but will be eligible for Medicare on 12/1/19. My current insurance will not cover the revision because I was self pay 12 years ago. I didn't have their insurance at that time, but they said that doesn't matter. They even said that if I was eligible for the revision I would still have to follow the 7 month protocol for the WLS. I can't afford to lose anymore weight and my doctor nor I can not understand why they would even say that. I could probably fight them in court, but to be honest with you I feel like I'm running out of time. My state does not offer Medicare supplements for people under 65. Therefore, I will be paying my Medicare deductibles and the 20% out of my pocket.

So, I have nerves about all of our retirement going out the window and then I'm scared to death to have the surgery, but scared not to have it.

I'm sure I've repeated a lot of what I've already written. I hope all goes well with you and you can resolve your problem without surgery. I wish I could.

I like the Premier shakes. I've bought them at costco, Sams and just recently saw them at Walmart. Costco usually has the best price on them. They put them on sale and I stock up. I've tried chocolate, peach, carmel,, strawberry and vanilla. I haven't tried the Cookies and cream. I wasn't a huge fan of the strawberry or the vanilla. If you are able to drink thicker liquids try putting them in the freezer for about 15/20 minutes. They get slushy and it feels like a real milk shake.

Thanks Kathy! My sleeve did well for 10 years.

I've had a time with BCBS not even wanting to cover my Hiatal Hernia. I think the Hernia is what caused all my problems it was pushing 1/3 of my stomach into my chest cavity. My esophagus was damaged as well as my diaphragm. I actually had to have internal plastic surgery done on the diaphragm. My surgeon was hoping that once my esophagus settled down because it was extremely inflamed that I would get better, but it hasn't. He said it should be fine now and since I'm still having problems I had to go through all the test again and now my sleeve has developed a little pocket that my food gets stopped up in. When it gets too full I have spontaneous reflux.

I know my commercial insurance will definitely not pay, but when my Medicare goes in effect I'm going ahead with the procedure. I don't have a choice. My surgeon said I need it to sustain life. If it doesn't cover it, I will probably hire an attorney and fight them on it. Right now I don't have the energy to do anything. Hopefully, all will go well.

Thanks!

I did fine converting from the band to the sleeve for 12 years. I've lost over 100 lbs and I've kept it off. However, now I'm going to have my sleeve converted to an RNY. I don't know why you are converting, but the reason I am is to sustain life due to reflux. My sleeve has formed a little pocket and I have spontaneous reflux. My surgeon at mayo said I should have never converted to the sleeve because I had reflux with it also. He said that if you have reflux with the band the studies shows you will more than likely have reflux with the sleeve. My sleeve worked well for 12 years and I'm actually a little underweight right now because I'm not holding food down too well.

BTW, I had very little pain with the conversion. I had the procedure on a Thursday and was back at work on Monday morning. It was a desk job and I will admit I was tired, but I never had a great deal of pain. Just make sure you walk a lot to get the gas out of your tummy. I think that's what causes a lot of people pain. Also, follow your doctor's diet plan. The first few weeks are rough, but you will get through it and on top of that you will lose weight.

When I convert to the RNY I have to do the same diet as you will follow for the first few weeks. IMO, that was the hardest part about the sleeve surgery. I ate a lot of won ton Soup without the won tons.

Good luck on your revision!

I had the surgery on a Friday and went back to my office job the following Monday. No problem, but my weight came back quickly. The same thing with the sleeve. I had it on a Thursday, flew back on Sunday and went to work on Monday. I must admit that was a killer long week. I should have taken more time of for the sleeve. I'm converting from the Sleeve to an RNY in December. When we fly there we're usually 12 hours with flights and layovers coming and going. I'm hoping I will hold up okay with that. I did when I had my hernia repair a few months ago.

I was banded in 2005 and I had constant slime/gerd. Totally disgusting! I had the band removed later in 2005. I went to Mexico to one of the well known surgeons there and had the gastric sleeve. I lost over 100 lbs and I've kept it off. However, 2-3 years ago the gerd started and it has gotten gradually worst. Doctors in my local area refuse to treat me because I had the sleeve done in Mexico. I was able to get the mayo Clinic to treatment. I had a large paroesoIphgeal hernia that was pushing a 1/3 of my stomach into my chest cavity. The hernia damaged my diaphragm, stomach and my esophagus. The surgeon corrected that earlier this year. He said my sleeve was larger than normal, but it was the size they did them in 2005. He also said it had angular shape to it. He thought everything should be fine. Well I get home and as I increase the different foods the gerd comes back bad. Another trip to Mayo and I now have spontaneous reflux. Anything I swallow most of it comes back up. The sleeve has developed some sort of pocket and basically the food is going into the pocket and once it gets full it has no where to go, but up. My surgeon wants me to convert to an RNY. My insurance is not going to cover it because I was a self pay and even though I didn't have the current company when I had my surgery they said I should have followed the protocol of the prior insurance carrier. Since I didn't do that they won't cover it. They even have one of my claims from a procedure that the Mayo clinic did earlier pended for medical records. I plan to pay that out of pocket because I don't want them to take back other monies they have paid out. Bottom line is I become eligible for Medicare in December and hope to have my RNY early December. Strictly for the gerd. I really can't afford to lose any more weight.

I will be having my gastric sleeve converted to the RNY hopefully, in December. I was told by my provider that they never had to get the authorization up front with Medicare. She said they submitted the letter of medical necessity with the claim when they filed and they never had any problems.

I believe that Medicare has guidelines you must follow in order for them to cover my procedure. The problem is I'm not overweight, but I'm being revised due to spontaneous reflux. Everything I eat the majority of it comes back up. I definitely have the medical necessity. In my doctor's notes he states that I am malnourished and not receiving the nutrients I need to sustain life. So, basically if I don't have the procedure I'm not going to live a lot longer.

My BC/BS of AL will not cover it because I had the original procedure out of the country and didn't follow insurance guidelines that are typical for WLS. I had other insurance at the time I had the surgery. The surgery was done probably 10 years before I became effective with BC/BS of AL. I've contacted Medicare to see if they would cover and was told yes if medically necessary. Since the self pay is a lot, I want to feel warm and cozy on the idea of the surgery being covered by Medicare. Has anyone had the revision due to complications only and Medicare cover?

Thanks!

Do you all go from Sleeve to an RNY. I will be doing that in December due to reflux. It is so good to know you all have had success. Is the eating a lot different than the Sleeve. I had my sleeve 12 years ago and lost 100 lbs. I've kept it off, but the reflux started 2 years ago and has gotten progressively worst.

Congrats to all of you!

Congratulations on your successful revision!

I'm in the situation that you were in I had the Lap Band in 2005 and due to throwing up, it was removed several months later. In 2006 I went to Mexico and had the Gastric Sleeve. I have lost over 100 pounds and I've kept it off. My problem started almost 2 years ago. I started throwing up undigested food.

I went to a US surgeon and was told I had a large hernia and it was causing a large portion of my stomach to push into my chest cavity. Long story short, the hernia was repaired and the doctor thought that would correct the reflux. Well it hasn't. After having more test ran he has determined that I now have spontaneous reflux. I'm actually dropping more weight due to the spontaneous reflux.

My doctor said that usually if you have problems throwing up with the lap band, you will with the sleeve. He said my sleeve has some angulation. He has recommended the conversion to an RNY in order to sustain life.

Unfortunately, my insurance is not wanting to cover. I will be eligible for Medicare in December and will limp along until then. Medicare will cover the revision.

Thanks for your updates on your revision. I'm extremely nervous about having the RNY, but have no choice.

BTW, you look awesome in your pictures. Keep up the great work!