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I was banded almost 5 years ago. I lost 55lbs over a very long period of time and from what I honestly think was just hard work and not much help from the band. I hate my band. It hurts. I feel like it's violent when I get stuck (often) and I can feel my port all the time for FIVE years. Sigh. Eating is stressful and to top it off I've gained every ounce back. I sometimes eat 2 bites can't eat another bite longingly look at my healthy or even healthy-ish food and an hour later eat Cookies because I am starving. I feel like my eating habits have become worse because of the band and at this point I'm totally out of control. I'm excited about revising and petrified too. I would like the sleeve but I'm so afraid I will eat thru it like I did with the band. I hear "it's so different" but I wonder if that applies to people like me that ate around the band. Waited for food to pass then slid junk down. I suppose I could fail at the bypass as well. I'm wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience with the band and been successful with the sleeve or failed to lose with the sleeve as well. Any and all advise would be so appreciated!!!

In one week, I'm having surgery. I have a sleeve, currently, and need to treat a rare condition called achalasia. So, to reduce complications from a myotomy, I am revising my sleeve to a modified gastric bypass. I'm getting a second chance at losing all the weight that I needed to lose from my sleeve. I was originally over 460 lbs (not by much, but that's as high as my doctors scale went at the time). I had my sleeve, lost about 150lbs and then got pregnant. I gained back, in total, about 70lbs in a year and a half of being pregnant and post partum. Then I got back on track. I was heading in the right direction until this achalasia started about a year ago. The condition has made it very difficult for me to eat, so in the past year since being sick, I've lost another 40ish lbs... so little because about the only thing I CAN consume comfortably are carbs. (Which I really don't appreciate at all post op WLS!) Currently, I'm about 320. I'm really trying to be optimistic about losing weight and fixing my issues with eating due to the medical condition - but being a previous WLS patient and knowing the realities of post op life, I'm having a hard time NOT focusing on how loose my skin will be, what I'll look like, how I'll afford clothes - something that didn't consume me so much before because I was single and childless and made decent money... but now I'm a mom, I have an SO (and he assures me that he loves me no matter what my body looks like), money is tight... it's all just so stressful. I have body issues to work on and don't know how to change my mindset of being so critical of myself. That's definitely part of it. But there is a part of me that was okay with not "being skinny". I lost enough weight to feel better about myself, look better, but still look like ME. I need to appreciate the change, I suppose. I just feel like I can't talk about all these things to anyone in my real life. They just don't understand. They can't relate! Can anyone here relate? How do you deal with your unshare-able thoughts?

Tomorrow makes 2 months since my band to sleeve revision and I am down 35 lbs. I have also been going to the gym 5 days a week and I am eating very healthy. I do think that I still would lose if I were not doing the working out and eating healthy, maybe I would not have lost quite as much. The sleeve won't allow you to eat a ton of food but if you drink a milkshake then that might keep you from losing. I find the sleeve is 1,000 better than the band. I have never thrown up my food with the sleeve where as I threw up every meal with the band. It has been soooooo much easier to make the lifestyle change with the sleeve versus the band. You can also go read up on LilMissDiva on this site. She has lost 100 lbs since her band to sleeve revision which I believe was almost a year ago, and I think she is in a size 4. I also think that she works out quite a bit and eats very healthy. I suppose you can fail with the sleeve but I would think that would be very hard to do and that person might just not be ready to make the changes necessary. My doctor told me that the surgery is only 50% and that I have to put in the other 50%, and I believe that statement to be very true. Good luck to you, you are going to love your sleeve way better than the band

Hello, everyone. I am a long time stalker, first time poster of this forum. I got the lap band in 2012 at 302 pounds (my heaviest ever, at the time.) After getting banded, I lost 35 pounds but I had to fight for every ounce to come off. I never felt like I was in the ‘green zone’ that the clinic continually talked about. I went in religiously for fills but never felt like I could eat small portions only three times a day and be satisfied. I even questioned my sanity and if head hunger really had that much control over me. After a year and only 35 pounds lost, when I needed to lose at least 150 pounds, the NP told me that I could not get any more fills. I was experiencing some stuck episodes but the NP said that my band was already at 8cc’s in my 10cc band and it wouldn’t hold any more fluid. So I left bawling. Here I was – a year out from surgery, having paid out of pocket for this device that didn’t do bunk to help with the hunger like it claimed to. So, I quit. I stopped eating healthy, I stopped trying, I stopped caring. I did that for a year and kinda maintained my 35lb loss but that was it. I eventually went to my primary care doctor who wanted me to start Metformin ER, but they are massive horse pills and because I needed the extended release, I couldn’t crush them. So I went back to my clinic and had all the fluid removed to take the Metformin. Well, long story short, I’m now sitting at 325 pounds. So I’ve gained back the 35 I lost in 2012 and have since packed on an additional 25 pounds. Last month, I had family in town and many people taking pictures - full length, unflattering angles, kinds of pictures - and posting them online. I had a coming to Jesus moment when I literally didn’t recognize myself. I’ve never seen myself as big as I am. Last year, I had two friends get the vertical sleeve and both get phenomenal results. I’m finally ready to take care of myself and finish what I thought I started in 2012. I’ve contacted the clinic that both of my friends went through and have a consult set up for next Monday. Does anyone have any advice or a similar story? I am almost frozen in fear when I start thinking that because the band failed for me, the sleeve will too. I cannot pay out of pocket for a second bariatric surgery and not get results. I don’t think I can mentally survive that.

@alli.wakefield my story is almost the exact same as yours. I got my bad in the same year and everything. I had the revision to the sleeve done on December 27,2016. I feel like it was the best decision I could have made. I had severe reflux with the band, but not with the sleeve. I can eat healthier foods, that got stuck with the band. My weight at surgery was 332 and I am at 297 as of today. I have lost 35lbs in a little under 2 months. I truly couldn't be happier with my decision. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Surgeon did say specifically 10 lbs., not 10%. That's the average they see with revisions. But Kaise only does revisions for complications such as GERD and ulcers, not for unsatifactory weight loss. However, some people getting revisions have had unsatisfactory weight loss, in addition to the complication that led to the revision surgery. I don't think they do band to sleeve revisions. It's more sleeve to RNY to treat GERD or revision of an existing sleeve or RNY to treat ulcers. Lynda

Hello everyone, I realize there are several threads comparing the band to the sleeve, but I am still trying to find more information from people who were unsuccessful with the band and have had the revision done for a significant amount of time. I have been morbidly obese since childhood and was banded in 2008. I lost a significant amount of weight in the first 2 years but have gained half back in 4 years since then. I am so tired of the constant obsession and shame I experience regarding my weight and food. I just wish there was some way that I would be able to better control this struggle and live a more healthy and productive life. With the band, even when it was filled to 7-8 cc, the dieting has always been much harder than I have been able to live with long-term. If I am really putting full effort into religiously controlling my intake, the band seems to lessen my hunger to a moderate degree. However, I was surprised at how subtle the feeling of restriction is with the band, and I am still able to eat large portions in one sitting without any difficulty. Right now I just need to do something drastic about my weight, either suffer through more strict dieting with the band or possibly revise to the sleeve. What I am wondering is how much of an advantage does the sleeve give you compared to the band in controlling the urge to overeat? I know that the process of surgery, with liquid diets and the novelty of a different procedure, would cause me to lose a lot of weight initially. What I want to seriously consider is whether the long-term weight management efficacy of sleeve compared to band makes this revision surgery worthwhile. Does the sleeve give you much better restriction than the band? Does the reduction of ghrelin make the constant desire to eat much more controllable? Does lowering the weight "set-point", which a surgeon I spoke with claims occurs with sleeve and bypass but not band, really help you? I would greatly appreciate hearing all thoughts and experiences.

Hi there! I am waiting to hear from Aetna on my sleeve to bypass revision. I called today and they said it's in review as of the 26th. Said it could take 7-10 days. Just curious...were you approved? How long did it take to hear back for a final decision? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

Hello, I had my revision from sleeve to bypass on 10/27/21, only 3 weeks ago. I also had hiatal hernia repair, and gallbladder removal all at once. I am feeling good, no vomiting. Still on liquid stage, proceeding to soft solids soon. However, I am feeling GERD again! and worried the revision will not successfully resolve this frustrating issue. The nurse said to give it time. Did anyone have GERD weeks after their revision surgery? If so, did it resolve with time? Please I need some feedback! Thanks!

Last week I went to my three year surgery follow up at Kaiser Fremont. It was a group appointment that took a couple of hours and included talks by our Bariatric Medical Doctor, Bariatric Psychologist, Bariatric Nutritionist, and Bariatric Surgeon. If you needed one on one appt, they scheduled those after. Kaiser does a great job with education. There were a lot of good handouts and good information shared. Some highlights: From the Surgeon: When people get a revision, weight loss is only around 10 lbs., which the surgeon credited to the liquid diet followed before and after surgery. He said they don’t know why there is not substantial weight loss with the revision surgery, but he theorized that whatever was reset during the first operation was a one time thing. He also showed an image of stomach and how blood flow to the stomach is decreased with each operation. I hadn’t realized how many veins and arteries were connected to the part of our stomach that is removed. A lot! The stomach can only stretch so much. It does not continue stretching once it gets to maximum capacity. People may think they are eating more at one time because the brain adapts. Ulcer is leading cause of death in long term complications. Ulcers are caused by too much alcohol, smoking, and some drugs, including SSRIs, immunosuppressors and the usual suspects. Not spicy or acidic foods. From the medical doctor: Kaiser Vitamin recommendations have changed. For the latest, along with the latest Kaiser Bariatric Surgery Guidebook, see: Iron in Ferrous Sulfate form can cause stomach upset, that’s why they recommend Ferrous Fulmanate or Ferrous Gluconate. Take with stool softener if needed. Watch for birth control pill malabsorption. For those that don’t like pills, she offered the following schedule:Morning: Wellese liquid Calcium or calcium citrate chews, multi with iron Evening: Wellese liquid calcium or calcium citrate chews, multi with iron Weekly: 5000 mg B12, 250 mg B1, Iron with Vitamin C Once per month: 50,000 iuVitamin D From the Psychologist: Tip for eating less: Do not put serving plates on table. People eat more then. Serve from kitchen so people don’t see extra food and have to get up to have a second helping. Cross addiction is more common in year two than year one post op. She had a whole list of books for us, but strongly recommended Mindess Eating by Brian Wansin. She had a handout from AmiHungry.com for Mindful Eating After Bariatric Surgery. Download it here: Water, etc. From the Nutritionist: Eat 20-25 grams of Protein per meal (70 grams per day). 3-5 planned meals per day, 1200-1500 calories per day, limit carbs to 30 per meal (15 carbs average in 1 starch, dairy or fruit). Eat protein first, then up to ½ cup veggies, then carb such as whole grain, fruit or dairy. Eat protein with any foods with higher sugar content. For example, have some cheese with grapes.

I am 23 days post op from having revision surgery. My band had a slow leak so I had no restriction. So far it has been smooth sailing for me. I have not had and nausea or vomiting. The only reflux I have had is if I lay down right after eating or drinking. I started sleeping with more pillows for an incline. So besides the surprise bill I received yesterday for 60,000 I am very happy with my decicsion. The first 2 wks was the hardest. I paid for mine upfront.

I healed a lot faster from my revision to sleeve than I did with the band. With the sleeve you don't have the same problems you have with the band. You just can't eat as much. It get's to be the new normal. The grehlin did return for me after a while but it's like normal hunger. I lost 118 lbs after my revision surgery and wear a size 6 now. The freedom is so much better. The only down side is I still struggle to get in all of my Protein and that can hinder weight loss. I've had some muscle wasting and I hit a long plateau because I wasn't getting my protein in and lost muscle so my metabolism went down. I am also hypothyroid and was vit d deficient. It's a balancing act sometime but I revised 2 years ago and I'm still chugging along. I only have a little bit more to use. Wish I had done the sleeve first.

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.

I had my lapband removed, hernia repaired, and the sleeve done all at once. I think what you need to do is really question your doctor. An experienced revision specialist should be able to do it all at once. I had a pretty bad lapband with every complication there could be and they still were able to do it at one time. Good luck! I wish the best for you. I feel 100% better after getting my band out!

Banded Beauty, yes, my insurance is coving the cost of the revision. I have BCBS of TX.

Thanks for sharing your story. I have my band to sleeve revision next Friday and have been worried about that. You helped ease some of my anxiety, so thank you!

I wanted to see if anyone has had a problem with insurance approving revision surgery. I feel like an absolute failure. I had a band placed in 2010 and had to have it removed because of complications and converted to a sleeve in 2015. For some reason my body just didn’t let me lose the weight as easily as I did with the band. I’ve put back all the weight since then. Im going to see my surgeon on Monday. When I called to make the appointment the lady told me that I may have a hard time with approval since I hadn’t continued to follow up with the office. I went to all my scheduled appointments and was never told I needed to continue checking in. Im just trying to mentally prepare for my appointment. Im afraid they will tell me there is nothing they can do to help me get healthier. I just feel defeated.

Revised 5/9. Lost 12 lbs pre-op and since 5/9 have lost 6 lbs (all in one week, a week ago) and have gone back up 1.5 weeks. I'm at 183.4 now and my goal is 155. I'm so freakin frustrated I want to cry and scream simultaneously. I've been told it's because I'm so close to goal but I've seen others close to goal lose 20-30 lbs already. What is wrong with me?!?!?!?!?! Am I being perfect, no. But certainly not bad enough to warrant this. I'm glad that I'm rid of the band - I think going over a month without throwing up is quite an accomplisment after 3 years with the band - but I did hope to lose weight that I wasn't able to lose with the band. I just can't fathom failing at something that really should be failproof. My stomach is smaller for goodness sake! I had a Cobb salad for lunch at work yesterday and this is a salad I would have finished in 15 minutes even with the band but it was my lunch, dinner, snack inbetween and I still threw 1/4 of it away. I hate to say this, but the brownies are looking pretty good right now, now losing anyway right? UGH. So disgusted with myself.

@@tcon I originally was thinking the sleeve but based on my BMI was over 50, extremely high triglyceride levels, high cholesterol and sleep apena the SADI would provide me the quickest route to lowering my triglycerides. The practice I used no longer performs LapBand because of the long term failures leading to revision, they still perform RNY (in some cases) but VSG and SADI (they don't do the full DS) are the most common procedures. I liked the idea of less time under anesthesia and a better recovery. I was under for about 3 hours, it was performed laproscopiclly using the DiVinci Robot. I have no acid reflux, but I was never prone to it or GERD prior to the surgery. I've really only had the the same problems that just about everyone experiences. Mild depression, trouble getting in Protein and Water at first. I did discover pork roast does not sit well (TMI about 2 hours later I had severe gas cramps). Other than that I've been able to handle all the other foods I've tried so far (seafood, chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, deli meat/cheese, yogurt). About 2 weeks ago I did start to get an aversion to my premier Protein drinks and most others. I think it is more a head issue now. It turned my stomach the first time so I think every time I've had them since my brain is remembering feeling nauseated and causing me to feel nauseous. I have never thrown up since my surgery, although I have had episodes of nausea. The first day I was allowed soft foods I was craving crab legs. They were delicious and evidently I didn't know when to stop and ate past my full point...yep it didn't feel good for about an hour or more. More TMI: I haven't experienced any of the yucky stuff (diarrhea or excessive gas). Yes, I've had gas but not anymore than normal, I have very regular BMs usually once in the morning and sometimes one in the evening. My doctor said gas and diarrhea mainly come from consuming too much carbs and fats. He recommends sticking to no more than 40 grams/day of each and to make sure to get the 80-100 grams of protein/day. Recovery: I took three weeks off of work, but could have been back in two. I really had no pain,I was well covered in the hospital and I took my tylenol with codine the first couple of days I was home just to help me sleep. I alternated sleeping in bed propped up on a wedge pillow and on the recliner. I'm a side/stomach sleeper and it wasn't until around 3.5 weeks that I was comfortable on my side. Tiredness: I was tired especially during the first three weeks. Sleep is very important for the healing process so I did take naps and went to bed "early" for me. I'm normally a bed around midnight up at six person, but I would go to bed around 9 for a few weeks. Once I got back to work the daytime tiredness seemed to fade away. I think staying busy made all the difference. I was tired by the end of the week when I got home and did an early bed time. I just started my 3rd week back at work and all has been great. I also walked around EPCOT with my husband at 2 weeks post surgery (that kinda pushed it and took it out of me, but the change of scenery was nice). Last week (5 weeks post op) I spent the entire day with my family (including my 2 year old son) at the Kennedy Space Center walking around. I did fine and felt great.

That's a very clear-cut list. I'm encouraged by Karen's approval for what amounts to a revision, even though her BMI is under 40, but still there's no sure thing. My doctor's office told me yesterday that they are filing an expedited appeal and expect a medical review to take place today. I asked what the experience was with this, and the answer was that she's never filed an appeal to have a band replaced. In this practice when bands have been removed it's always been for people who had been unsuccessful losing weight and therefore still qualified for replacement or revision. She didn't know if my lower BMI would completely prevent approval or not. :confused:

Since it's similar to the ROSE procedure for failed RNY patients, you might want to post on the obesityhelp.com Revision forum.

I'm at Kaiser South Sacramento. I have an appt w Grinberg on Tuesday but I'm open to anyone else at Kaiser South Sac. For those who replied: first of all thank you! Second of all did they ask you weight at surgery or require records to show you qualified in bmi when you had originally? Also what was your bmi at revision? I actually work at Kaiser so all I would have is a $100 copay. Really hoping this happens! Any info on your story would be helpful!!

I had the band placed in 4/09 outside of Kaiser. I now have Kaiser and Last year I had the band removed and was scheduled for the bypass at the same time but changed my mind last minute on having the gastric bypass done. Fast forward a year later and I am scheduled next week on 6/5 to have the gastric sleeve. So yes, They will do revisions. Good luck to you!

Welcome...I'm a revision like 2bthinagn and hopefully soon Losing :-) Hope to hear from you all soon...

I was banded in 2011 and lost 80 pounds never quite got to my goal weight before I started having problems. Throwing up multiple times daily, bad acid reflux to the point I was needing 8 pillows to prop me up to sleep, frustrated. I was too tight at one point from the swelling from vomiting so much, that I had to get all fluid removed emergently so I could swallow my own saliva. I ended up getting all fluid removed and esophageal manometry done. I have a separate post about that experience. The manometry showed I had a slip. That was the documentation I needed in order to get a revision for mybinsurance to cover my revision. There needs to be documentation to support another surgery need. Unless you are cash pay. I initially wanted sleeve because I thought it was the best option....however after speaking with my surgeon, he told me that I would more than likely have problems with severe reflux due to the pressure from the sleeve and since I was already miserable from the severe reflux I had, I wasn't about to have to deal with any more. I also have several friends who had sleeve done and have significant regain with reflux issues. He said revising to RNY would resolve reflux and I wouldn't ever have to deal with that issue. I decided that was the best choice for me. I was revised to RNY back in 2015 and SO Happy! No reflux which is awesome! I can eat spicier foods again. I have lost a total of 125 pounds and at my goal weight of 175. I am also a Zumba Instructor and teach Zumba 4 days per week. I keep my protein first, then veggies and fruit. I take my vitamins daily and actually have not been sick as much either since revision. I have not had any issues. Love my RNY ❤ I only wished I had done RNY to start with. Do your homework, ask questions and decide what is right for you. Best of luck to you!