Search the Community

I just had my band revised to a sleeve. I am day 3 post op and soooooo nauseous 🤢 I can barely eat and my belly is so upset. I threw up yesterday, that was awful. Today I managed a few sips of the protein drink and a few sips of water. I feel like I am never going to feel better. Please tell me it gets better Ughhhhh

I was sleeved July 2015 but within a few month acid reflux so bad but took till 2020 to get surgeon to run lots of test. Well I had a hernia at the top of my stomach so even swallowing saliva the acid would shoot up into my mouth. Well still thanks to covid had to fight to get surgery done plus fight insurance saying it was 2 nd wls and they refused. Now this was January 2020 but by time insurance would pay half it was covid and hospital wouldn’t allow surgery as was cosmetic. Well my fillings in teeth feel out than I lost 7 teeth and dentist wrote letter to insurance saying it was from stomach acid. So finally got mini bypass on Dec 23,2021. Been a nightmare since because I lost so many more teeth that I have dentures and I had great teeth before surgery pearly white straight from braces years ago to none on top and 4 missing on bottom. Plus 4 more hernias all in intestine and a 1” tear in my intestine landing me in hospital for 6 weeks. I can’t eat much and also afraid what I eat as those 6 weeks in hospital scared the garbage out of me. I was in a medical coma and had 2 surgery’s to fix tear. I’m afraid to do the scope to check since tear happened 3 days after the scope to see if any more hernias.

Im right there with you my friend....having my revison on the 19th. The way I look at it the band failed, no way id do the bypass so this is my only option. I guess I look at it this way, do nothing stay fat, do the revision and at least I have a better chance of losing the weight...have to at least give myself a chance. Whatever you do, good luck

hi i have been banded for 10 months now with only 18lbs loss. i have a 4cc band filled to 4cc with no restriction.i went for 10 fills over the 10 month period. sometimes when the dr. pulled back on the syringe the proper amount would be there and sometimes it wouldn't. i had an ugi in may which showed no restriction as per the radiologist. the nurse practioner said that everything look ok i need more fill. i am an x-ray tech and would often taken pictures of the band and also fluoro films too just to see if i have any restriction and nothing. i do have an appt. with the dr. on aug.5 to see what is going on with the band. i do want to maybe discuss bypass. any thoughts???????:confused2:

you can actually kill yourself. i read about a woman in the UK who has bypass and she continued to binge eat and the food began backing up into her esophagus. eventually she stretched the esophagus to the point where the excess food in there suffocated her. obviously, a very rare occurrence, but i cant imagine what that must have felt like... the inquest said it was over a period of months that she did this to herself.

I had the band removal (I was banded 2009), hiatal hernia repair and got sleeved the same day. So far so good! Easy recovery and on my 14th day. Its not the bypass but it was more than one issue taken care of. Hope this helps!

Yes!! Are you the guy sitting next to me that likes venison? I was so glad we had other bandsters there last night. Ususally it's just me. I find the group very helpful. Sometimes it is hard to watch the bypass people shrink so rapidly. My brother just had surgery 4 months ago and has dropped all his weight. I just refuse to go there...I have to use the tools I have. Keep comming back! Victoria

I had surgery in 2005, lost about 30lbs after surgery, and now am 30+ pounds at my highest weight before surgery. Last fill 2006. Never went back because I am ashamed and don't think this is working for me. I am considering converting to full gastric bypass. What should I do call and go in for a fill? Make a consult appt with my surgeon? ( I really don't want to do this) I don't care for my surgeon. I am so discussed with myself. I think I need a heads up. Please advise. Thanks. Michelle

I don't like pain. Surgery is painful, and gastric bypasses are major surgery. If I were in your shoes, I would try to find another surgeon in my area who would be willing to take on another surgeon's patient. If I couldn't find one, I'd go back to my original doctor. You might get a disapproving look. You might not. Explain that you were discouraged and afraid, but now you're ready to do what you can to make the band work for you (but this part applies only if you are really ready). I'm newly banded, but I've done a lot of reading and have learned that fills are fickle things. The first one doesn't usually give restriction to people. I was told to expect four to six fills (or more!) before mine would be where I need it to be. Maybe one fill wasn't enough for you. Don't forget that nutrition is important, too! If your surgeon didn't give you instructions on how to eat after you were banded, do research or call your surgeon's office! There's a wealth of information available in this and other forums. Find a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric surgery. Exercise!! If I did all of this and the band still wasn't helping me, I would consider other surgeries, but not before. Mainly because of the anesthesia, cutting, and recovery time :confused: Really, this is how *I* would approach it. You have to weigh your options and consider what is best for you. Lap-bands don't work for everyone; neither do bypasses. Sometimes it's because, for whatever reason, the particular method was incompatible with the patient's body. Sometimes it's because the patient cheated the system, which is possible with ANY weight loss procedure. You HAVE to follow the rules or you're not going to be successful. You HAVE to go to follow up appointments to make sure you're doing well and things are working as they should. *hugs* I understand feeling out of control and spiraling into a bad place. That's how I got to be 300 pounds. There came a time when I realized that what I was doing wasn't helping me at all. I had to pull myself up by my bootstraps (that was hard), admit to my mistakes (even harder), and decide what to do about the situation. It sucked! But I did it. And you can too. (Sorry for babbling and/or incoherency. I'm tired!)

Hi Kathy, I am in the Fayetteville area and have been checking into a site at Duke currently. I am in the very beginning stages of this right now...researching. I have many friends who have had bypass which I just feel is not for me at all. I am very interested as to how you traveled to Mexico and did all this. How long were you there etc. We have two doctor's here who may beging banding but I prefer not to be their trials. I have read alot on the boards here last night and see what a battle it is to get insurers to pay for this. Seems to me they would save a ton of money in the long run. Currently I have no medical problems but feel sure they are on the way. anyhow, thanks for replying and congrats on your new found life. Any side effects from the band? Lisa

I have an an appointment next month with my surgeon to discuss what we are going to do. Hopefully they will do bypass since it sounds like they won't do the sleeve with Barrett's Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

I am a Band to Bypass revision. My Surgeon advised against Band to Sleeve due to the increased potential for staple line issues due to the scaring caused by the band. There were others surgeons in her office that would do it, but she won't do them. I trusted her inputs and went with the bypass. And yes, logically you will lose weight at a slower pace, simply because you are already used to the restriction. Now, that's not to say it's not going to be amazing or "slow" by any means. But you have the potential to not lose as quickly. Going from no restriction and no malabsorption to both is clearly going to be more of an impact than going from some restriction and just adding malabsorption. But, either way, it's still worth it. My band was not causing issues, but it took them WAY longer to get it out than it should have because it was totally encapsulated in scar tissue. Now, revision to sleeve, you are not going to get any of the malabsorption, just a different type of restriction. From what I read when I was researching Band to Sleeve, it can be rather slow. Whatever you chose, Good Luck!

Good evening! I had band to bypass revision on May 3 and I LOVE IT!! I am so happy with my "decision". Mine wasn't so much of a decisions as it was...if you ever want to eat again you need to get the stupid band out of you. I was very successful with my band and lost 110 pounds in 9.5 months but then right around my 3 year anniversary I started having major problems. I was completely unfilled but I kept throwing up quite regularly. Any time anyone would question it, I just made one excuse after another without realizing it: The food was too tought, I ate to fast, I didn't chew enough, etc. Finally I had resorted to eating three things: Hershey's with almonds, cheese puffs, and Pasta with alfredo sauce because those were the only things that would go down with out being rejected by my band...which we soon nick-named the "anti-gravity band"...cuz what went down was inevitably coming up!!! (TMI...but any of us revisioners have been there and done that!) After craziness with my insurance company I finally had my revision done by Dr. Stowers in Decatur, TX. The recovery was very easy for me. I was back to work as a high school science teacher 6 days after surgery. The first two weeks were pretty easy because it was just liquids. Weeks 3-6ish were a little more difficult as I transitioned to soft foods and then to real foods. I was getting nauseated all the time. Every time I ate I felt like I was getting car sick. However, that has seemed to fade unless I eat too much fat. I have avoided sugar at almost all cost except for the piece of cheesecake on my birthday which sent me over the edge. Dumping for me is a lot less about running to the bathroom (though I was in there for a while) and more about my the heart pounding in my chest. From what I have read everyone's experience is a little different but for me I know when I have too much fat or sugar because my DH can put his hand just barely touching my shirt and feel my heart beating. I can feel it in my ears and it is awful. This might sound bad but I am done counting calories, grams of Protein, and everything else so I don't. I eat things that are healthy (though I am having a really hard time even wanting meat...it disgusts me right now!) and I eat small amounts but I don't fret like I did with my band. I have lost 27 pounds in just under three months. However, I was fairly close to goal and only have 13 pounds to go to get to goal so my BMI was not very high. Both my doctor and I agreed that I would take the weight off slowly because my rapid weightloss with the band caused me some medical issues. I will tell you that your tastes buds are going to change. I thought they were crazy when they said you wouldn't crave sweets, but I haven't wanted a candy bar, doughnut, or ice cream since surgery. Salt on the other hand...that is my new "transfer addiction". I can't get enough! Please let me know if you have any questions. I still feel like a newbie myself but I will do my best to answer any questions you might have. Good luck!

Thinking about a revision from Band to Sleeve at OCC. I was very happy with OCC for my band and although it did well 8 years ago, 2 kids later it isn't working it may have slipped, I am not entirely sure). Anyhoo, does anyone have experience with this? Wondering what the costs might be and how long I will have to be out of work. I have a semi-physical job (massage therapist) so I need to factor that into my decision. Thanks!

My doctor doesn't let his patients start on the pureed stage until Weeks 3 - 4. The amount of calories he expects us to max out at due to our restriction (mine was a bypass) roughly works out to around the same amount the Mom_of_Chaos mentioned. If your doctor gave you a post op diet to follow, I'd check to see if the calories were supposed to be limited. If it is not clear, but sure to call your doctor's office and ask. I know the first 3 to 5 weeks after surgery is a time of healing and adapting so I'd ask sooner rather than later about the number of calories you can consume, but that is just my own thought. At least you would have peace of mind based on checking. Best of luck!

Hello, I need some help. I am looking into getting a band to sleeve revision. I really wanted to go to Mexico and get this done but unfortunately my dad, who is going to help me finance this adventure, will help me if I go to Mexico. I pleaded and pleaded my case that is was just as safe but he wouldn't listen, Over protective dads, even when the kids are all grown up..lol. Well anyways, I am looking for an affordable self pay revision surgeon. I am not meaning a cheap surgeon just someone who is reasonably affordable. I live in Utah and it is super expensive here. The lowest I can find is $18,000 and the highest is 22,000. I know that there has to be a slightly lower option out there. If any of you awesome people out there know of anyone please let me know. I don't mind to travel, a small vacation would be nice! Thanks everyone

I have also been obese since childhood. I remember being on and off diets since the age of ten or eleven. I do get hungry but not in the same way as before surgery. I am not constantly thinking about what things I am going to eat and my cravings for most foods are gone. I do still occasionally crave things but the compulsion to give in and buy them is much less and easy to resist at this point. I felt bypass was right for me as I have been obese my whole life that I can remember.

Thank you! You're the only person that I've heard from that gets it! I have 3 friends that have had gastric bypass and don't understand how I could possibly not have a bit of restriction. Have you been losing the weight this time around without the restriction? I'm losing, but only because I haven't had a carb in 7 weeks! I'm worried about long term...

I WAS WONDERING IF THIS SOUNDS RIGHT---- I HAVE BEEN LOSING FLUID OUT OF MY BAND VERY SLOWLY SINCE DECEMBER ..MY DOCTOR SAID HE THINKS THAT MY PORT IS LEAKING A VERY SLOW LEAK THAT WOULD NOT SHOW UP UNDER FLUORO ( I AM AN X-RAY TECH) WHICH IS RIGHT. I NOW NEED PORT REPLACEMENT SURGERY ON 8/28. MY DOC SAID THAT HE WILL INJECT METHALINE BLUE INTO MY PORT TO CHECK WHERE THE LEAK IS IF HE DOES NOT SEE IT HE WILL STILL REPLACE THE PORT. WAIT A MONTH GIVE ME A FILL WAIT ANOTHER MONTH TO SEE IF IT IS STILL LEAKING IF SO THEN IT IS THE BAND ITSELF AND ANOTHER SURGERY IS REQUIRED. HE SAID THAT HE NEEDS TO DO IT THIS WAY BECAUSE OF INSURANCE REASONS. ALSO IF I DO HAVE TO GO IN FOR BAND REPLACEMENT THEN I CAN DECIDE IF I WANT BYPASS SURGERY INSTEAD. ANY OPINIONS......:confused2:

I don't know any current U.S. pricing, but as of last spring, my bariatric surgeon in Mexico was advertising revision surgery starting at $7200. Hopefully that gives you some kind of idea.

I had surgery last Tuesday (gastric bypass) and the liquid colace, Zantac and roxicet taste so bad I want to puke! I've watered them down and everything...but am at my wits end! I have to take the colace and Zantac twice a day and the pain med every 4 hours when needed....but I swear I'm thinking of never taking them again.,..but of course I do because I have to. Any tips?

Even if you can eat a lot, you should not. Just stick with whatever your program dictates and focus on protein. I had a band revision to bypass and understand your fears, but I think if we stick with the plan as it was laid out we will be fine. I lost 30lbs my first month. I measure my food, time it out, and don't eat a bite more than the 3-4 oz I was allotted. Good luck! I feel so much better this time around!

Hi !! So sorry you are going through this and I know EXACTLY how you feel !!! I had so much anxiety and fear for months after this revision wondering how I was going to not gain without my restriction. I was pretty flipped out but here I am 9 months later and the smallest I have ever been. Its crazy not to feel anything and very stressful but there is this thing called dumping that will keep you in line and believe me you dont want to mess with it ! Also the malabsorption of calories is a real thing ! I lost 12lbs the first month and I was at my original goal weight of 180 day of revision. I only lost 14lbs after my original surgery and I weighed 296 that day !! I could and can eat more with this surgery then my VSG but if I over eat I get violently ill ! It really sucked after having the revision but I must say it is better then the sleeve and if someone told me 9 months ago or 6 months ago I would be saying this I would have said NEVER and NO WAY !! Here I sit with no problem staying under 160 where I struggled just to stay at 170s with VSG. Love to hear what you think later down the road. Good luck

What is recommended definitely depends on your surgeon but mine said he usually suggests sleeve for patients with BMI under 40 and a bypass for those over. I’m over, so he thought the bypass would be the best option for me and I agreed. Scheduled for May

Oprah did a show years ago when gastric bypass was becoming popular. Many individuals failed to work the mental health part and transfered their food addiction to alcohol. It in no way says that it is definitive that WLS causes alcoholism.