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Great to see such positive responses; thank you all! After 2 LB friends have successfully revised to a sleeve, I am more and more interested in revising! Hate my band! Do sleevers PB like banders do? Man that's horrible!

There are so many people who have had gastric bypass and gained their weight back. The gastric bypass stomach stretches out and the malabsorption of calories does not last forever. I know a lot of people who have gastric bypass who wish they could get the sleeve now. There are plenty of people who have gotten down to goal weight with the sleeve as a stand alone procedure but you could always revise to a DS like the above poster suggested.

Had my band to sleeve revision almost 9 weeks ago, was at a party last night and passed out. I had one small drink, turns out I was severely dehydrated. I swear I thought I was drinking enough during the day, I guess not. My urine was brown. Fluids are so important even further out u go. I gotta be more careful. Just want to remind people, if you aren't eating, you need to be drinking!

Hi Jeffrey, welcome to the BEST support website for the Vertical Sleeve... I just wrote about my recent experiences with Band Vs Sleeve. I was revised on 9/15/10 and to date it is the best thing I've ever done. In going further, we do have a LOT of well established sleevers here who like to continue chiming in. They are all a great help, and none I've seen ever stop Loving their sleeves. Good luck to you!! Here is the link to my last 2 progress posts: 5 Months Post Op and My Revision is the Best Thing

Hello all! I have had my lapband for 4.5 years. The usual story here. Had success, lost 70 lbs in the first year. Then the band just changed. To much restriction, couldn't eat chicken, steak or eggs. Started rely on slidder foods. Had all the fluid removed b/c i was tired of having food stuck l the time. Have slowly gained 40 lbs back over the last 2.5 years. Was considering the sleeve back August but decided to give me band one more try. Since i have already paid for it and did have success. Have had several fills since September but here I am with minimal fluid i think somewhere between 2 and 3 cc's and having to much restriction agian while losing no weight. I have actually gained 4 lbs. I am exhausted from dieting and working out. My joints are killing me from all this weight pouding it out in the gym. I just do not understand why my body refuses to drop any weight. I am seeing my laband doc this coming Wednesday to discuss a revision. I have emailed him and told him i wanted to talk about this so he is aware. He said that he usually does them in two surgeries, waiting 3 months in between. I am very nervous about such an invasive surgery which is why i didn't opt for gastric bypass years ago. But i just do know what else to do. I feel like i have two choices: be fat or have this surgery. My hubby is behind me, which i was a little surprised. he was not a fan of me having the lapband but has always been supportortive. He hates the labpand and said he can no longer watch me choke on my food. When i brought up the sleeve he said that he loved the way that i am but realizes that i am getting nowhere on my own. He said that he sees all the work that i put in and that he is sad that i have to rely on surgery. I guess this post was more of a vent/telling my story and hoping for any info and stories that anyone has. Love this forum and have learned a lot.

I attribute a lot of my success with VSG to loss of physical hunger. Plus, I really did follow the rules to a "T" to lose quickly, hit goal and worry about maintenance when I got there. I worked the crap out of my band. I fought to make it work, and I wanted to succeed. But, it failed me in the end, and destroyed my stomach. So, I was pretty hellbent on making the most of out my sleeve opportunity. I really did not make horrible food choices pre-op (pre-band), and even with a BMI of nearly 50, I had zero co-morbidities. Both of my surgeons were amazed for a 30something year old woman, with my BMI, and the fact that I smoked for 12+ years that I didn't have issues. My bloodwork looked pretty great pre-op, I really had zero indicators of being obese if you were to just look at lab results. I just ate a huge amount of food. The band did strip me of good food choices, but not on a regular basis. I only had my band for 8 months so I didn't struggle with it for an extensive period of time. Also, with my complications, my husband being gone, I was pretty hellbent on recovering fully, losing weight, and being an active participant in our life instead of just a spectator. The band did help me beat the learning curve of eating with the sleeve. I knew different tricks to help me through those rough spots because of the band experience. I also knew what to expect during the first 2-6 weeks post-op. I also think that to some degree, I felt like a failure again with the band. I did lose 23lbs the first 2.5-3 months with the band, but gained back 16 of those while trying to get my revision. I kind of felt like VSG was my last shot, and I had to make it work.

Oni, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. I had the horrible lap band for about 1 1/2 years. It nearly killed me. I had some problems similar to yours. My body did not tolerate the band. Adhesions formed wherever the band/components touched. Even had adhesions under the band that nearly closed my stomach off completely. My original surgeon wouldn't listen to me. Even told me that I should be happy with the 85 lb weight loss. Didn't seem to care that I needed I.V. infusions nearly every other day. The original surgeon always did the band fills without fluoroscopy so he never even noticed the issues. Many times, with the first swallow of anything, even warm Water, I would have projectile puking episodes. Of course, the original surgeon tried to blame me for taking too big of bites (how could I take too big of bites of water?!!!). Well, to make a long story short, I found another surgeon. Firstly, the band isn't always reversable. Mine did irreversable damage. Secondly, they have been doing partial gastrectomies for many, many years. I felt extremely comfortable with the decision to be "sleeved". I am so glad I revised. I now have my life back. I went to one of the best revision surgeons in another country (even though my insurance would have paid to have the sleeve done in the U.S.). He LISTENED to me and made the diagnosis pretty much immediately. Took him almost 3 times longer than normal to do my revision due to all the damage the band had done to me internally. Basically, just find an excellent revsion surgeon and get rid of that killer lap and. It will be the best thing you will ever do for yourself. I absolutely have no problems now. The sleeve rocks. I feel like a normal person now. Can eat small amounts of anything I want. Never have to worry about puking (I remember the nightmare days of carrying plastic Walmart bags around to puke in at a moments notice, travelling with plastic cups in my car and puking while driving down the road, etc). Good luck in what ever you decide. Millie

I understand. I initially had my consultation for the Lapband surgery. After reading up on it, I realized that they don't last forever. The thought of having addtional surgeries and possible not conquering my weight problem is frightening....Thus the reason I have changed my mind and decided on the sleeve. I don't like the idea of malabsorbtion. I pride myself on being 44 years old and looking 34 years old or less. I have seen people look aged with gastric bypass. I have also see people have a hard time keeping weight off. What I thought was unfortunate has been my fortune . My insurance company require 6 months of a doctor supervised diet. The mixed bag is that I am perfectly health......great bp, great blood sugar, great cholesterol. I have lost 32 lbs since starting with my doctor 4 months ago by eating all food groups and exercising. The bad part, I have had to wait for a long period of time which causes much reflection. My husband is encouraged. Most of the time, I am discouraged. Starting at 310, I thought the weight would fall off! Unfortunately, it did not. If you are considering Lap band surgery, look into the revisions and why people are getting revisions. I didn't want that band to erode inside of me. Also, I didn't want to go through months of adjustments trying to get a sweet spot to lose the maximum weight

Dave, Tricare won't cover VSG outside a MTF. Honestly, I was faced with the same dilemma, and as luck would have it, the MTF near us had 2 surgeons that had performed enough VSGs for my standards, and one of them had removed bands, and converted to RNY so I jumped through the hoops to have my revision at the MTF even though I see a civilian for everything else, and my band surgeon was a civilian with Tricare Prime. Tricare will not cover the sleeve outside a MTF until Medicare starts fully covering the sleeve. They did the same thing with bands. They will not overturn a denial, they will not do anything to cover the sleeve outside a MTF. I've been through it myself, and I've walked 4 friends through the process from Florida, DC, and Cali. I was hellbent on getting the sleeve, and I would have self-paid with Dr. Aceves in Mexicali or Dr. Nicholson in Dallas if Tricare would have not approved my revision. If I would not have been able to have VSG and self pay was an absolute no go, I would have had my band removed and stayed fat. I wouldn't get RNY if you paid me, and I refused to have another band placed even though both of those options were immediately approved without hesitation by Tricare. I'm sorry to be the bearer of more bad news. BUT, it's been "hinted" that Medicare "might" start covering VSG around 1/1/2011, we "heard" the same thing in 2009, but I have hope that Medicare will get on the ball, and Tricare will follow suit. If there is an MTF near you, check them out. I'll help you in any possible way I can with the Tricare situation. I'm an insurance agent as well, and umm pretty much know how to work the system. Keep all your paperwork from your current appointments, keep getting your PCP to weigh you, keep doing everything you have been doing. Do not settle for a surgery you are not 100% about.

Whatever you decide, PLEASE make sure your insurance company does NOT have a 1 weight loss surgery procedure per LIFETIME, or policy period exclusion. With the recent study out in 2010 showing 1 in 3 band patients need another surgery and it's typically a revision, you'll be stuck with a band. I have appeal letters, and there are SOOOOOOOOOOO many people on obesityhelp.com that had the same rule with their insurance, they appealed it and WON for the sleeve. I had the band because VSG was not available when I had to choose. So, believe me, I do understand in choosing the band, BUT VSG was NOT even offered in my area, along with government ran insurance through the military, I had to tackle 2 hurdles to get VSG. I say do NOT give up, do not settle for the complications that come with the band lifestyle.

What exactly is revision surgery ? Thanks for your help.

OK so I'm 9 weeks out from my revision and I've been hovering between 28 to 32 pounds lost for the past 3 weeks! Grrrr!!! Wth?! Sorry, just had to vent.

Honestly, at this point, I'm beginning to wonder why I did this. I mean, I'm thrilled with the weight loss so far...80lbs in 11 months. But, with all of the problems I've been having and the thought of possible erosion being in the back of my mind at all times, I'm just not sure. I never really thought up front about what I'd do financially if the band had to be removed and now that's a very real possibility. I am still paying off the original surgery because my insurance only paid half. There's no way I can afford to have this thing taken out, much less have revision surgery too. My insurance changed 3 months after I was banded and the new insurance considers everything band-related to be pre-existing so refuse to pay anything. So I'm seriously stuck. I've been having these pains in my stomach around the band area for a while now and have no idea what it could be and I couldn't get an appointment to see my doctor until September. Once I see him and have tests done (no telling how much those will cost me!) I'll know what I'm facing. Meanwhile, all I can do is try not to think the worst and that's pretty much impossible. :cursing:

I had 2 C sections and my revision surgery was almost like not even having surgery. I was up walking immediately. The next day, I was walking all over the hospital,nd outside. Trying to get up after a C section was A LOT more painful.

Mine was unfilled for the umpthteen time due to complications 4month prior to surgery, was nice to have most the pain gone but I did gain back another 30lbs. But my revision was Dec 10th & I feel so much better!

Good luck!! My revision surgery to DS is august 8th 🤞🏼[emoji4]

Hi all who were sleeved or revised from Dr. Aceves. Quick question: When you decided to go with Aceves, how long were you scheduled for? 4 weeks? 2 Months? Longer? I'm mostly curious of those who liked to get in as soon as possible, and rather not if you purposely scheduled months in advance. Thanks in advance!! You all have been a blessing.

Yay!!! Super excited, and very nervous of course. It's gonna happen though.. Sept. 14th with Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. Revision here we come! I really can't wait, I've been wanting to start over again for a very long time. So, out with the old and in with the new. Instead of a Bandiversary, I'll now have a Sleeversary. I hope I will celebrate this day now instead of cursing it. :scared0: YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi there, I am going through the process of band to sleve revision. I am excited but very nervous about surgery this time. I am a adoptive mom of two beautiful boys and I just feel nervous. I have been banded since 12/09 and have only lost about 45 lbs. my sister had a very bad time with her band and finally had to have it removed. I haven't had any major concerns with my band like she had. I have never had heartburn or my band break like her. We just can't find a sweet spot for me and my band. I am worried that I may have a lot of heartburn with the sleeve even though I haven't really had any to speak of with the bad. I just want better results. What are some of the possible side effects from band to sleeve revision, and have any of you experienced them?

I just got the call from the new bariatric surgeon's nurse! My sleeve IS too big and will require a revision if I wish to do so! So I'm meeting with the dietician to stay on point and from there we will have a follow up appt to discuss next steps! Again thank you all for your kind words and support. I'm working on getting the surgical medical records for this DR to see now and I'll keep you all updated.

My current weight is 180, my BMI is 30.9, my highest weight ever was 260, I know after living with a very restrictive band for so long that my body got used to less calories, I'm willing to do my part, I still go to Crossfit 3x a week and try hard to eat right, but I know I need a tool and right now I don't have one. Iv had a continuous slow gain since I revised to sleeve, it's just a matter of time until I put it all back on if I don't do this.

Hi, all.. I've had several inquiries and got lazy about answering them, so I hope you don't mind my making a lengthy Sue-Post. (Okay, not lazy, loaded, Vicodin...just let me say that you NEVER want to hear the phrases "urethral stenosis" and "urethral dilation" coming out of your urologist's mouth.) For the innocent...My band surgery was October 15th, 2002, in Monterrey, Mexico, with Roberto Rumbaut Diaz, a band pioneer surgeon and a band patient and a really nice, down-to-earth guy. Prior to banding, I went from my all time high of a BMI 52+ to about a BMI of 48 on the day of surgery. For the first several months, I did okay. I recall that for my mom's 80th birthday, I finally hit a BMI of under 40...I was not morbidly obese! But shortly thereafter, I started dealing with reflux. I had to sleep sitting up. I took various drugs, but they merely lessened the problem. One day, I was having Breakfast with my cousin (an RN) and her husband (an MD) and was able to eat only about two tablespoons of oatmeal at 10:30 a.m. and realized that THEY were looking at someone with a bizarre eating program...maybe an eating disorder. I hopped on a train (I just happened to get to the station seven minutes before departure) and went to Tijuana and had Dr. Kuri unfill me. My reflux immediately resolved. And my weight loss began to resolve. So I eventually went in for mini-adjustments. I had unfills for my panniculectomy surgery and for my breast reduction surgery. In between, I had small re-fills. In two or so years, I had a dozen adjustments. But then I started to feel like my food was bouncing around in my esophagus. It would happen once in a while, and then more often. Not every time, and not just after I had eaten too much. Sometimes, I'd be having a cup of coffee before dinner and the coffee would bounce around. Other times, it would be Water. One day, I could eat a considerable amount of foods. The next day, one stupid bite of oven baked fish, and that was all I could eat. Well...after you do that for a while, you tend to get a little nuts. Especially when well-meaning people start telling you you just have to "work your tool." And when a doctor who doesn't have a band wants you to go to a support group meeting so that you can hear other successful banded people telling you they ALL go through that, with every meal. (Yeah, right.) I finally got to the point that most of what I was eating was Soup and ice cream. Because it would usually go down. I decided that, since I was within ten pounds of my pre-op weight, I wanted to consider the DS. I had an upper GI done. My esophagus is widened. In doctor talk, it's "esophageal dilatation." I went to Dr. Ara Keshshian in Delano, California and told him my story. He said, "Are you expecting me to look surprised? This is NOT the first time I've heard this story." He told me that I needed to have my band emptied...but that he didn't have the needles because he didn't DO bands. So I went to Tijuana and saw dr. verboonen, as he was available right away. He, his partner, the lab tech and my husband watched as I drank the barium and it just sat there in my esophagus. Didn't move. When stuff that isn't blocked just sits, the additional diagnosis is "esophageal dysmotility," in other words, the esophagus is NOT moving the food toward the stomach. (Ignore doctors who tell you that EVERYONE does this.) So, I'm scheduled for an endoscopy, to make sure that I'm not dealing with erosion as well. If that checks out, I'll be having the band removed and DS surgery within the next month or two. So...wisdom? I learned when checking with European surgeons that band removal is a booming business there. One surgeon said that 20% of his practice is revising bands to Rny or DS. (Remember, bands have been there longer, so more people have had more time to encounter problems.) That doesn't mean I think they are a bad thing. I just think that the band is good for whomever it's good for...but that certainly is not everyone. In fact, my insurance began covering the band after I self-paid, but is no longer covering it for people with BMI's in excess of 49...because they lose the same percentage of excess weight which leaves them still MO. And older people have more problems. I was 55. Esophageal dysmotility or "dysperistalsis" is more frequent in older people. Adding the band may just make the problem appear sooner and with more vigor. Not here, but at another site where it is mostly newer people, the band-enthusiasm is not tempered by experience or reason. Here, there are old timers who have been through problems. For many, the band is the answer. For many others, it is not. I am one of the latter. Thanks for your time, Sue

Hi Stuck You sound just like so many other bandster, we all start out loving the band and then it fails us. I had my revision just 6 days ago but already I like it so much more. I can actually drink, not sip! I have tried a little bit of food, went right down. To me they are not even in the same boat, the band is always a job! There are many great Dr's throughout Mexico, just do your research. I have been to my Dr twice now and he does a great job. Why would you have the band taken out in the states if you don't mind me asking? As long as you don't have too much damage they will do it all at the same time. I would not want to do the surgeries separate, if you are going to be in there anyway , just get it done!! Good luck on your decision. Bernadette

Mine was a 32. I was a revision from the band.

It is super frustrating. When I was waiting on my revision, I gained 16lbs pounds over 3 months. Totally frustrating, I still had my band, but no restriction, so I just ate more protein than carbs until I had my food funeral then I eat anything and everything I wanted for about a week.