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Hi @texasbutrphly ! How did things turn out for your regarding your revision? I am going through the revision process with Aetna myself for sleeve to rny.

I also has the sleeve done 3/2015, lost 155 and gained back 40. I went back to my Dr because of gerd and no restrictions when eating since 3 months post op. I have cigna, they approved and I am now waiting on the dr office to schedule the surgery. I would love to find out what the average weight loss is for sleeve to bypass revision....

I had the gastric sleeve in December 2012. I lost 100 lbs but have since gained back 55 Lbs. I have extreme GERD, have been hospitalized for Ulcers. i went and met with the doctor and he recommended doing the bypass to alleviate my GERD and other issues. i am now waiting on my ins approval. Has anyone else had this procedure done? did it relieve your GERD and how much additional weight did you lose?

Yes, I had band to sleeve, but that didn’t do anything but give me Gurd, really bad, so on 9/25 had bypass, so far so good, not acid reflux....the reason I had the surgery to begin with.. by the way, never lost any weight with the sleeve! Have already lost 11 pounds as of 10/1....

I am 68 years old and had RNY gastric bypass surgery 4 years ago. My age did not seem to impede my healing. Some people say they are more energetic after surgery. I wouldn't say I was more energetic but rather my stamina improved dramatically. Stamina is the ability to perform physical labor. I felt like my stamina was similar to when I was 30 year old. On one of my projects around the house, on the 2nd year post op, I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel by hand along with around 60,000 pounds of concrete blocks and the next year I moved about the same amount of material.

Congrats on getting clean! And your new family! Life has handed you a lot, and I'm proud of you for trying to get things straightened out. Usually a bypass is a one-and-done type procedure. A skilled surgeon can evaluate you to see if there is any "tweaking" that can be done, but it's better for you to focus on non-surgical options. Your stomach is still small, and your bypass is still in place. Those will continue being helpful (probably why you didn't gain ALL the weight back and more!). But at this point, it's time to get back to basics. Protein, vitamins, water, nonstarchy veggies, limited fruit and starchy veggies. No sugar or white flour. Weight loss won't be as easy as it was the first year after surgery, but it IS possible! Good luck!

I had my surgery in April 2017, and have had to take omeprazole ever since. I can stop taking it for like a week, but then the acid in stomach comes up into my throat. It's awful. My dr says its normal but sometimes people choose to go back and get the full bypass done to get rid of the acid.

Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact of Obesity Surgery in Patients With Type-2 Diabetes in Three European Countries JournalObesity Surgery PublisherSpringer New York ISSN0960-8923 (Print) 1708-0428 (Online) IssueVolume 16, Number 11 / November, 2006 DOI10.1381/096089206778870067 Pages1488-1503 Subject CollectionMedicine SpringerLink DateTuesday, June 26, 2007 Add to marked items Add to shopping cart Add to saved items Permissions & Reprints Recommend this article Roger Ackroyd1, Jean Mouiel2, Jean-Marc Chevallier3 and Frederic Daoud4 (1) Royal Hallamshire Hospital, General Surgery, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom (2) University of Nice, Obesity Center, Nice, France (3) Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, General Digestive Surgery, Paris, France (4) Medalliance, Paris, France Published online: 01 November 2006 Background: We aimed to establish a payer-perspective cost-effectiveness and budget impact (BI) model of adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and gastric bypass (GBP) vs conventional treatment (CT) in patients with BMI ≥35 kg/m2 and type-2 diabetes T2DM, in Germany, UK and France. Methods: Clinical evidence was obtained from literature and patient-reported EQ-5D scores given BMI and T2DM status from HODaR. Resource utilization data in AGB, GBP and CT were obtained from quoted publications so as to reflect practice in 2005. CT in each country was based on descriptions in HTA reports or based on co-authors' experience of current practice. Unit costs were obtained from published sources when available, or from co-authors' institutions. A deterministic algorithm with cost and utility discounting, enabled selection of inputs independently throughout the time scope for each of the 3 treatments, and included mean BMI, amounts of resources and unit costs. Results: The base case time-scope was 5 years, and the annual discount rate for utilities and costs was 3.5%. Compared to CT, GBP yielded +80.8 kg/m2.years, +2.6 T2DM-free-years and +1.34 QALYs. AGB yielded +57.8 kg/m2.years, +2.5 T2DM-free-years and +1.03 QALYs. In Germany and France, both GBP and AGB yielded a cost decrease, and were thus dominant in terms of ICER compared to CT. In the UK, GBP and AGB yielded a cost increase, but were cost-effective. Conclusion: In patients with T2DM and BMI ≥35 kg/m2, AGB and GBP are effective at 5-year follow-up in cost-saving in Germany and France, and are cost-effective in the UK with a moderate BI vs CT.

Hello! First of all, I know nothing about the band, but there's a whole section about it here http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/13-band-to-sleeve-revisions/ , I read that many people did it, I am sure you can find answers there! Second... I am so NOT killing myself in the gym. I go to the gym a couple of times a week, sometimes more IF I feel like it. I hate sport, I know it's good for me and that's the only reason why I do it. I am not going to become an athlete! And I am still losing. I had my surgery done in Greece but I live in Italy, so I had no follow up. Luckily I had no problems. My GP made me have some blood tests after surgery and she's keeping an eye on me, so I guess it's good if you talk to yours as well. I had no psychiatric evaluation, obviously, before the sleeve, but since I got back I am seeing a psychologist on a regular base because I want help dealing with sleeve, the changes etc without breaking down, but this is my choice. This is my experience and I hope it can help a little...

Thanks for the input! I have wondered myself about the complications that may come from already having had surgery; but when I asked them at the Jerusalem Center, other than telling me that they recommend the band over the sleeve for former bypass patients, there didn't seem to be an issue. It is definitely an area that I need to look into more closely. Thanks! Also, one more question for Tiffykins. How pregnant are you? Or have you already had the baby and are on the way back down the scale? I am interested in how easy it is to begin re-losing once you have begun putting weight back on, as that is one of the things that I was thinking about as well. I mean, at one time, my stomach was just large enough to eat 2 oz., so maybe there is something that I could do to re-shrink my stomach without the need for additional surgery. But I haven't found anything yet.

Does your surgeon know your indecision? I would think that the operative set-up would need to be switched out. I changed from bypass to sleeve, but did so a month before my surgery. l needed to be home the same day. The sleeve surgery allowed me to do that.

Since this is a procedure that cannot be undone, if you are feeling unsure why not go with the less invasive procedure? If you find that overtime the sleeve does not work for you, the bypass is always there. As a general rule of thumb, I tend to go with the less invasive, less extreme medical procedure if I find myself with the condition that needs to be treated by Western medicine. I have the sleeve. And I love it!

Hi I'm 52 and had gastric bypass 4 1/2 months ago. I can't even believe where I am now....buying size 7/8 jeans!!! Feeling like a million bucks. I'm 5' 5" Highest weight 224 Weight at surgery 207 Current weight 151 Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

I'm 18.5 weeks pregnant. I won't have any issues losing the pregnancy weight. I'll just low carb it again until I get the weight off. I gained a few pounds over the holidays and dropped those pounds in a little over a week just by cutting alcohol and carb consumption. As for the breakdown of weight gain with a pregnancy, this is what they've outlined for my weight gain: Maternal Fat- 7lbs Baby- 6-8lbs (average is 7.5lbs) Increases Fluid (blood volume)-2-4 ( a mother's blood volume typically doubles during pregnancy) Amniotic Fluid- 1-1.5lbs Placenta- 2lbs Breast tissue/mammary system weight increase - 1-2lbs Watch out for the ROSE procedure, it has an 85% failure rate. This is also discussed heavily on the obesityhelp.com Revision forum. ERNY (extended RNY, where they remove more intestine to start malabsorption again since intestinal adaptation has taken over at this point for you) is also an option. They will shorten your common channel by another 50-100cm. You definitely want to know before you agree to a revision if you have a pouch or stoma dilation because if you have actual mechanical failure with your RNY even a band over the pouch isn't going to do much because once the food passes through the band pouch into your RNY pouch, you will still be able to more food, and your malabsorption is gone. As for Jerusalem clinic, honestly, out of over 3 years on weight loss forums, I have never read of one patient having a RNY take down and revision to the VSG being performed there and honestly that is possibly why they are recommending the band over the bypass pouch to give you restriction again. Seriously, I can name 4 surgeons worldwide that are experienced with these surgeries, and with self-pay patients the cost just for the surgeon run upwards of 20-30k because it is such a complicated and exhausting surgery to take down an old RNY. I promise I researched revisions for months once I knew my band had to come out. The risks for complications especially leaks from scar tissue and adhesions literally quadruples with revisions vs. a virgin, unaltered stomach/intestinal tract. I had a leak with a band revision to VSG after only having the band for 8 months, and actually lost more stomach tissue because of the damage the band had done. My surgeon was experienced with revisions, and I happen to be a statistic of his that I'd like to take back. I was his first and only VSG leak so it can happen even with really experienced surgeons. I'm not slamming Jerusalem Clinic, but revisions are super tricky, complicated, and I would hate to see you fork out the money, get a surgery that is as high maintenance as the BOB procedure and then continue to struggle with your weight and be looking at or for another surgery. There have been RNY to VSG revisions performed due to reactive hypoglycemia symptoms and diagnosis after RNY, but again, it's a very complicated surgery with high risks. Just choose carefully, and continue to research your options.

As part of the pre-requisite for surgery, I completed my endoscopy and was shocked at the findings. The gastro dr. said that he would not recommend me for Lap-Band at this time due to previosuly undiagnosed relux. I had no idea I had any issues! I apparently have gastritis and an ulcer in my stomach. He said the band can create additional issues and that Lap-Band may not be the best option for me. I am now on prescription meds and have another Upper GI in 1 month. Needless to say, I was devastated. I had a follow up with my bariatric surgeon and he said that is not necessarily true. He said with the Lap Band the band is placed high enough that irritating meds and foods should not have an impact in my stomach. In addition, they can still monitor my ulcer and any issues because they aren't bypassing my stomach as they would with the gastric bypass and can therefore still conduct an upper GI in the future. We agreed to a follow up meeting and a decision once I have my second Upper GI. Has anyone else had a similiar issue?

Hi Zoelifechick, I have Dr. Halmi too. I went into Potomac on July 19th and was discharged on the 21st. First two days were Pure D MISERY but today is a new day and I'm feeling a little more normal every day. Today I went out for a nice long walk. I did make one HUGE MISTAKE. They send you home with what I call a narcotic ball. You have a bag with a plastic ball filled with pain medicine with the tubes running from the bag thru the tubes and steadily into your belly. Well the directions were to wait untill the ball deflates then slowly pull out the tubes which should be in a couple of days. I didn't realize there's two layers to the ball so when the outer layer was completely deflated I pulled out the tubes (don't worry that part doesn't hurt). My curious 16 year old inspected the ball , stabbed it with a knife and a large amount of pain medication was in the center of the ball. There had to be at least 2-3 more days of pain meds in that ball. You can't put the tubes back in once you've pulled them out. Needless to say after about 10 hours the pain monster kicked my butt. Fortunately they send you home with a precription for liquid hydrocodone so the pain monster subsided and all is well. Lesson: DON'T PULL OUT THE STOMACH TUBES UNTIL THE WHOLE BAG IS COMPLETELY DEFLATED!!!!!! On a good note Dr. Halmi was fantastic, I also recieved visits from Dr. Nain, The P.A. Amia, and the other P.A. Renaldo. The repaired my hiatal hernia, removed the lapband and revised it with the Gastric Sleeve. From the 19th to today I'm 14 pounds down. I'm not getting too happy because most of that was from the liquids completely emptying my colon. Now all the pounds from this day forward will be fat . Good Luck Zoelifechick, you have a great Bariatric team. Keep me posted.

In my gastric bypass eating program plan after surgery, it wasn't until 8 weeks post-op before I was allowed solids, like chicken and steak. Transitioning to solids is a very difficult transition. I found that softer foods such as chili and soups went down much easier than solid foods such as steak and chicken. I included some recipes at the bottom of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf Generally during surgery in the hospital you are automatically given antibiotics because there are a lot of dangerous germs in a hospital and surgery opens up a pathway for infection. Antibiotics kill not only the bad germs but also the good gut bacteria. It is important to reestablish your colonies of good bacteria after you come off the antibiotics. This is done by taking probiotics for awhile. This will help you gut process foods better and will minimize your frequent trips to the restroom.

Hi, You've decided to take a giant step in your life and all the information and support you can gather around you will be helpful. I am in an HMO organization and have had to go through almost a whole year of prep before being presented for LapBand surgery. In small groups we met 4 times with a nutritionist and have been given a whole binder of info about the effects of the surgery, the necessary diet, the necessary supplements, and more. I was irked at first that I would have to wait over a year for the surgery, but now I am so glad that I have learned all this stuff, I think it will be much more successful than if not. It was also necessary for us to see the psychologist, physical therapist, nutritionist, and physician regularly throughout this prep period. Remember the surgery is not a magic cure, it will take some hard work and adjustments on your part to make it successful... please educate yourself well about the procedure and the necessary diet adjustments you will have to go through. Also look at the differences between lapband and regular gastric bypass so you are sure you are getting what will work best for you. Best of luck to you. Linda P.

The band is less invasive than the sleeve...but to be honest, that's about all the good I can say for it at this point after my experience. With the sleeve, you start losing right away and drop a considerable amount of weight your first year because it does restrict how much you eat right from the start. With the band, it takes time to get to the right spot where it actually gets rid of the hunger and, for many of us, it never restricts how *much* we can eat. Also, the band seems to tighten and loosen on a daily basis making it a rollercoaster of joy (not) in knowing what foods are going to be a problem. Today I might be able to eat an egg...tomorrow, maybe not. I had the band put in 15 months ago. I'm getting ready to go back into surgery to get it taken out because since the day of surgery I've had persistent phrenic nerve pain (shoulder pain) from the band rubbing on my diaphragm. I plan on living without the band for a bit but if the hunger comes back and I can't control it, I'll go in for the sleeve revision.

I'm in the same situation, BUT my surgeon's office is a Bariatric Center of Excellence and he has done thousands of bypass surgeries. Although the sleeve has a longer staple line, the bypass is a more complex surgery. My family doctor also gives him high marks and I really respect her opinions. Finally, I've checked the web rating sites and he gets remarkably consistent high reviews. Finally, he's never had a fatality, and I don't plan to be the first. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but many offices just started doing the sleeve because insurance just started covering it. Good luck! Virginia

OK...I got the results from the endoscopy...band is OK in normal position and no problem. I wish there would have been. It might have helped expedite the switch to Vertical Sleeve. So the doctor told me I don't qualify for the sleeve as I don't weigh enough. I would have to gain weight to get my BMI to 40. At least 20 pounds! Who wants to do that. And then I would have to lose weight before the VS procedure. It's like I am back to square one. I also would have to have the psych eval again and other pre surgery exams and tests. AND to see if I qualify to even proceed I need to get an upper GI (had one 1 year post op) and a sleep apnea test. This would be to see if I have any issues that would qualify me w/o the 40 BMI. I think my insurance company will cover me if I meet the qualifications. I thought having a revision would be a lot easier. Anyone else go thru this? The doctor seems pretty positive that I will qualify one way or another. I am SO bummed. I almost feel like having the band removed and call it quits and go back to regular weight loss means.

I have a over 150 lbs to lose, and I have read that with Lap Band you dont lose as high of a percentage of your excess weight as you would with bypass, but I am dead set against something so evasive...so I have chosen lap-band. My doc wants the weight off quick because its causing lots of probs with my back and knees..but I am confident that once i get the first 40-50 lbs off, I can keep myself working out and eating the right portions and food choices to get the rest off. Maybe not as quickly but still quicker than If i didnt get the kickstart with the surgery. Reading what most ppl have lost in the first month or two, is very exciting and makes me that much more certain that the LB will work for me! Thanks Becky

It sounds like someone in the surgeons office coded things wrong, and they are evaluating it as a weight loss revision rather than as complication revision

Although I do not live in South Carolina, my husbands employer goes through them for insurance for his employees. I can't find anywhere that says bcbs of sc covers gastric sleeve. I know they will cover the band and gastric bypass because those two procedures are listed on their website when I log in. Now I'm worried sick. I don't want the lap band or gastric bypass. Does anyone here have bcbs of sc that can tell me whether or not they will cover the gastric sleeve?

Dieting and weight loss slow metabolism, that is why diet and exercise for long term weight loss only works for 5% of people. Your metabolism probably has taken a hit over the years as you have tried dieting. For detailed info Google "Biggest Loser Study". The study was published in 2016 and the results have been repeated in other studies. Subsequent studies found that while diet and exercise PERMANENTLY lowers your metabolism, gastric bypass does NOT. One year after gastric bypass the body's metabolism is back to normal. Sleeve works too, but the biggest research trials have been with bypass patients. You may find that surgery will reset your metabolism completely.