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You can check out Dr. Gagner on Obesityhelp.com He was in Florida for a short time, and then went overseas to teach the sleeve and other bariatric and lap procedures to surgeons in Europe. I believe the last I saw on the Florida forum, he is now practicing in NY. He's one of the best, and has a phenomenal reputation. I have zero personal experience with him. But, his name came up during my research for my revision. Unfortunately, he was already in Europe when I was able to get my insurance stuff figured out for revisions. I liked his stats, his patient testimonials, and the sheer fact that he is a well rounded surgeon, not just for bariatrics. I did independent research as well on him as I did with many US and Mexico surgeons. And of course, there is the Weill Cornell Medical Hospital in NY, New York. Again, no personal experience, but their guidelines, stats, and reputation for bariatric procedures are well respected and documented. Best wishes in your research. I know one member here (bushidomaster) is having his surgery in NY, but I don't remember his surgeons name. You could find him through the member list at the top of the forum, and possibly shoot him a message.

I'm having revision from Sleeve to MGB July 2 cannot wait

Hey guys! I am looking for a surgery buddy! I am being revised to RYN on July 9th due to Gerd

what is a MGB? and why are you being revised? GERD?

no complications just sore I just had the revision done June 13 so far 11 pounds gone more than likely water weight buy I'll take it. I went back under in hopes of becoming a mother next year

I'm going through the process of having a revision surgery. I lost 20 pounds with the lapband but I had complications. My surgeon told me that he can not perform the revision if my BMI was lower than 35. Long story short, I had to gained all my weight back and start from 0 in order to qualify for a revision surgery. I'm at 35.5 BMI right now and I have several health problems. My insurance and surgeon require documented lap-band complications and compliance with follow-up Lapband appointments (for the Lapband removal part), at least 35 BMI and 1 comorbidity, 6 months diet, pschy evaluation, documented active methods of weight loss (gym memberships, etc), 1 surgeon visit and 1 NUT visit. I'm submitting to insurance this week. I'm going to a center of excellence so their requirements are super strict. Every surgeon is different and I hope you can find one that help you through this process, good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you so much for responding! I feel better already. If you don't mind me asking, were your complications similar to mine, throwing up all the time? What was it that finally changed their mind? Although I'm not doing this purely for the purpose of losing weight (symptom alleviation is first for me), did you find it was easy to lose weight once you had it revised? Are the side effects of the RNY better to deal with? It sounds like the VBG was a disaster for lots of people, and I'll bet many of them just suffer in silence. I'm glad to find someone who can relate. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Good luck to you Patti Sue. Please keep us posted. I go to Dr. Aceves on June 23rd for a band to sleeve revision. It helps to get feedback so I can know what to expect. Best wishes to you.

Under the right care, with the right education and with an ethical doctor I could see this being beneficial. But some quack could open a clinic in LA and advertise this device to hungry women with a little pudge promising a thin, taut body while being able to eat as much cake and ice cream as they'd like. I guess you could argue the same thing for bariatric surgery, but there's just something that seems off about this type of procedure. To me, it's the moral wrongness of consuming more food than you need to purge it later. Certainly, I'm guilty myself of eating more food than I need which is why I got fat in the first place. But I had the sense to feel terrible about it later just because I felt like I was feeding my hedonistic pleasure centers rather than nourishing my body (partially why I sought a restrictive procedure in the first place). I still don't understand how this would effect long-term change as well. If I had to take my lap band out I'd do a revision at the same time because I know if I don't have my band I will go back to my old ways. This seems similar to the balloon in that sense (though the balloon doesn't cause food waste). I'm not sold on it but I could see its applications being beneficial in certain cases. I just worry about abuse because even though there are safeguards in place, I'm sure someone out there could tamper with it and turn it into an efficient bulimia device, market it to people who shouldn't have it, and make a bunch of money.

Hey, if you're with Kaiser I had my revision done last May and it's been great. Best of luck on things.

So I've never really been a huge eater. Honestly. I do admit to a sweet tooth, but my personal hell is being forced to sit down to chicken wings with ranch dressing and a coke. Genetics is also not on my side an both my brother and I are quite large people. I've got pictures of my great Aunt Fanny in the midst of the depression and if she's not a solid 350lbs... Anyway, with 30 years of fibromyalgia, I had myself banded in 2009 at 311lbs at my doctor's suggestion to see if I could get some of my weight off, and to try to prevent more weight from accumulating. My body did not take to the band well. Either I had zero restriction or I had total restriction and I could barely even drink water. Two solid years of tomato soup and beef broth as I was pushed to suck it up and "quit lying about what I could eat" by my band doctor. (no protein shakes for me as I'm allergic to them) Total weight loss in two years: 5lbs. Finally as half my hair was falling out and I was sick as a dog, I had no choice but to force them to empty out my band completely. 2011 I revised to an RNY by a doctor funded by the province (FYI the province isn't putting in bands anymore because of their dismal failure rate) and his words were "you can't fail to lose weight with an RNY". Well I did lose weight on the stupid pre-op diet. Now, I'm still allergic to the opti-fast so I did this insane version of an all-food diet that induces ketosis. I lost so much hair, I started walking into walls, and I may or may not have promised to foster a pink hippo, but it did the job for the surgery. After surgery though, no real weight loss ensued. Yes I followed the post-op diet, the nutrition plan, etc. I don't get as much exercise as I should, but when you're thinking of shopping for canes and collapsing on the floor when you get out of bed in the morning, it's a touch hard to meet that goal, but I'm doing my best. Again, the surgeon said I must not be telling the truth and I must be chowing down on high calorie foods or something because it's hard to eat around an RNY. They deemed me an RNY failure and I've been put in the provincial database as such (since the government paid for it, the government keeps stats on everybody). A few weeks ago they decided to play with my fibromyalgia medications. They took me off a drug I've been on for the last 15 years. I lost 30lbs in 3 weeks. Yup, it's been the drugs all along. I lost my entire malabsorption window post-op, had to sit through years of disapproving lectures from doctors about my lying and cheating on my eating, and got the stink eye from my other WLS friends because they all agreed with the doctors that I could't get with the program and stick with the rules. Worst thing is that now I really do need canes and it's getting so hard to walk as my joints might as well be welded metal, and while I could have exercised away the weight in 2011, I'm not sure I can now. That makes me cry. The vindication makes me laugh. Sadly it's not continuing to come off that fast, but at least after 4 years, the stall is broken.

Hey Everyone!! Well, it's been over three months since I revised from band to sleeve. I just thought it is time for a new set of pictures. I think it's a really good idea to keep record of how things are going and I prefer to do it about every month. I would say 10 Lbs, but ya know - with the sleeve that could be every 10 days! LOL So, the Brown sweater is me at my heaviest 330 The Pink Shirt is me at about 300 The Blue Dress is me gained all my weight back after being banded at 280 And The black shirts is me today at 235... Yippeeee!!! I feel AWESOME!! I'm rolling right along and I can't say that I've ever had more fun losing weight. This surgery was plain and simply a miracle for me in which I'm thankful DAILY that it was created. Also, thank you to everyone here for providing such an awesome place to share the good times and the not so good times. You all have been amazing to me, and watching you all melt away keeps me fighting to do the same. Hugs!!!!

LOL yup. Tore revision came up. Interesting. Never heard of that before.

Sorry this all happened to you. A few things I do not understand, how could you go so long without ANY fluids and not die? You are quite lucky. Also, they sent you home septic? How did you survive that? There are several that have had severe infections. Might want to look up TJWood, he just had surgery last week for the 2nd time to remove pockets of pus from his abdomin. Steve is correct, there was another person here that said her doc told her she was rejecting the band because she was infected. That isn't rejection, that is infection. I feel for you, I lost my band too but for very different reasons. I self paid for the band and then self paid for a revision to a sleeve. That might be a better option for you once you are fully healed and back to the life of the living.

I would also be interested in this information. I'm considering Dr. Ramos-Kelly through Successfully Slimmer (Christi) instead of Dr. Zapata through Ready4Achange who coordinated my band surgery in 2005 with Dr. Sanchez. I had a phenomenal experience back then, but have no history with Dr. Zapata and am not familiar with the new hospital they're using so I'm not sold on going through r4ac again. Anyways, I would love to hear any information about Dr. Ramos-Kelly both with first time surgeries and revisions. It sounds like Sandy and Christi are coordinators with different LLCs, but Trish is actually an assistant to the doctor. Is this true? Thanks everyone!

I thought you all may want to see the infor below.. Insurance Company to Cover Newer Method of Bariatric Surgery by Kerri Seidler on April 21, 2010 ? Comments | Weight Loss Surgery Aetna, one of the nations largest health insurers, revised its policy on obesity surgery this month to include open and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy among its covered bariatric procedures. The sleeve gastrectomy procedure, often referred to as the gastric sleeve, is a newer method of bariatric surgery that is gaining in popularity as a treatment for morbid obesity. The gastric sleeve promotes weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach to help patients eat less and feel full faster. It appeals to many patients as it does not require a medical implant or need adjustments like laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and does not require cutting and rerouting the small intestine like the gastric bypass procedures. Prior to the policy change, Aetna considered the sleeve gastrectomy ?investigational? and did not cover the surgery. As of 4/9/2010, Aetna revised its Clinical Policy Bulletin for Obesity Surgery and stated that the ?sleeve gastrectomy is considered medically necessary when criteria are met.? The policy now reads: Aetna considers open or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), open or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, open or laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) with or without duodenal switch (DS), or laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) medically necessary when the selection criteria listed below are met. Although the sleeve gastrectomy is included under bariatric procedures, coverage for obesity surgery is still dependent on benefit plan details and approval by Aetna. Aetna?s decision follows in the footsteps of United Healthcare, another healthcare giant, which began covering the procedure in October 2009. In response to the Aetna and United Healthcare change in policy, The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) issued a press release announcing its support. In the statement, John W. Baker, MD, FACS, President of ASMBS, said ?We are pleased that Aetna and United Healthcare now includes sleeve gastrectomy among its covered bariatric procedures?Sleeve gastrectomy has now reached that threshold where the data and our experience with the procedure supports its safe and effective use in people affected by the chronic disease of morbid obesity.? The ASMBS, which is the largest organization for bariatric surgeons in the world, is a non-profit group committed to educating medical professionals, patients, and the general public to the various effects, risks, and benefits of bariatric surgery. The decision of Aetna and United Healthcare to cover gastric sleeve will benefits patients who are morbidly obese and considering weight loss surgery. While weight loss surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity, it should not be considered a ?one size fits all? approach. As the best surgical intervention for obesity can vary from patient to patient, insurers who cover a wider range of options will better allow surgeons to treat patients on a more personal basis.

Hi Bigjohn58. Here we have both surgeries done. I had my RNY on July2, 2013. I lost 132#'s in 6 months. I did have an 8# gain so now I weigh 125#'s. I have maintained my weight loss for 2 and 1/2 years. I did have some problems with Strictures ( kind of like scar tissue) I needed 5 endoscopes with 4 dilations. But if you ask me if I would do it again I would have to say with everything in me IN A HEARTBEAT. Personally, I wouldn't go into a weight loss surgery thinking I could get a revision later. It is really hard to get your insurance to pay for it sometimes. Plus how many peeps want to go thru surgery 2 times. Now, my hubby, had his Sleeve done June 2, 2015, we went to Mexico and paid cash. Due to the fact that he is diabetic and the OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY wanted him to lose 25#'s and get his A1C to a 8. Well if you know anything about diabetes....when he lost weight his blood sugars were up and when his blood sugars were down his weight was up. That is one reason we went to Mexico. Now I need to fill in the process of the last 16 years!! His first WKLS was the Lap Band he had it for 13 years, they had messed up his port trying to do a fill so back into surgery he went. Now fast forward to 2013 it malfunctioned so he was scheduled for a revision to an RNY. Well, when they got in there the band had eroded into his liver. They couldn't finish the surgery due to bleeding and the scar tissue so they backed out and told him that in 3 months they would do the RNY. He got abscesses and was so deathly sick for 9 months 3 of those he doesn't even remember!! It was so traumatic. But he needed to have WLS because he has Cancer on his Kidney and he weighs too much for them to do anything. ( BTW he did lose 100#'s with his band) He is a large man and weighed in at 420#'s when we went to Mexico!! Ok, now his weight loss has been so very slow with his Sleeve!! He has lost 60#s since June. Better than nothing I guess. In Mexico we still had hopes of him getting the RNY but due to scar tissue being solid on his right side he had to have the Sleeve. I'm not trying to push either surgery on you but...if you had the choice of doing one surgery and losing the weight you need to. Instead of going into something with the hopes of having another surgery if needed. I understand that you really don't want to have your tummy rerouted but....just do lots of research and if you need to get the second opinion then, by all means, do this!! All surgeries are just a tool the real work comes from YOU!! It is to help us reach the goals we have never been able to. BTW I'm 60 so I was 57 when I had my RNY. My hubby is 66 years old. Plus, remember any of the weight loss surgeries do not FIX our brain!! It is still there to tempt us every single day, but there is nothing that says you can't overcome them!! There are unlimited resources online so go into them and check out which surgery is the best for you because only you and your DR can make that decision. Good Luck Sorry for the book. lol

I don't know that I would agree w/your Dr. I'm 5 wks out from band/revision and I've had NO issue with the reflux I had prior to surgery. In fact, he found a hiatal hernia & fixed it. He said that the reflux prob shouldn't be an issue any longer.

Rny 1999 Bowel resection 2001 While 3 months pregnant 2008 plastics 2016 regain 10/25/18 revision Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with catchup!

Hey there, and welcome to VST. I'm a band to sleeve revision as well, and I can honestly tell you that I think you'll love the sleeve. I never saw myself skinny either. But, here I am at 130lbs, and really loving it. Yeah, I got the excess skin, and flabbiness, but I wouldn't trade them in for the fat rolls and misery that came with my obesity. Cheers to you on having your date, and keep us posted on your progress.

Hi there- I am a revision patient. I had a band for almost 4 years - lost 40 pounds, gained back 20. Totally not worth it. That said, only you can decide if the sleeve is the right thing to do after the band. I wanted an "insurance policy" after I had my band taken out. I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't baloon up again after the band was gone. It has been 6 weeks since my revision and I am ECSTATIC with the results. The recovery was hard, but the positives outweigh the negatives. I am at a point where I can eat almost anything (but very small quantities) and it feels really good. Make sure you read through this board extensively - there is so much infromation here! Also, there is a band to sleeve revision topic on the main page (scroll down until you see it). A lot of us revision folks post info there. As far as your questions: 1. Is all this true? Averag weight loss is just that - an average. Since I have less to lose, I am not sure how close I will get to my goal or how soon. People lose well over 100 pounds with the surgery. 2. Are there more than 1 type of sleeve operations? There is one variation that I know of - sleeve plication. You might want to do a search on this board for "plication" and send messages to some of the folks who have had it done. It is not nearly as common. 3. Is it difficult to transition from the lapband to the sleeve? Surgically, it can be challenging if you have had complications or excessive scarring. The doc won't really know until they get in there and see what is going on. My revision was not terribly complicated - Dr removed scar tissue and adhesions from my liver and my total surgery time was less than 90 minutes. Emotionally, the transition has its ups and downs. You will feel restriction like you never had with the band. This is good, but the first few weeks on all liquids and very strict diet can be tough on you emotionally. The good thing is that it doesn't allow you to cheat. After 4-6 weeks you are eating normally (but a lot less) and it gets much easier. 4. Does Insurance cover it? (I have Blue Cross) For some people it does - you will have to explore that option. 5. Are there other important questions that I am not asking? Read through the boards extensively and you will most likely come up with a list of questions for your doctor. Also, feel free to ask all of us questions about our experiences. The knowledge and support here is invaluable. Good luck to you in your decision! Lara

Hi- i had by band in '04.... At 244 never lost more 40 pounds. Always chokes always puked. Got to point that i felt like i was drowning each night...i was too scared to sleep sometimes. Finally went to talk to my band surgeon to ask what options i had. He just said " what do u want from me.. I gave u what you wanted, to eatless why are complaining!" .... Ahhhh . I went straight away to the internet to look for my options. I was lucky to find that a top surgeon from Houston had returned home to Israel. It took me 4 months to get all the paper work sorted out. I had (at 282 pounds) the revision op plus gallbladder removal in the same op. i found the recovery good, not too hard . Now i feel , seven months out, great. 105 pounds down, fitter than i have ever been. The band was like a mediEVIL torture device!! It should be banned!! I feel like going back to the band surgeons waiting room and telling them of their options!!

It is really overwhelming. I've had the band and now the sleeve. Just from my experience, the sleeve is fabulous. I would say to research the good, bad and ugly of the band. I thought I would be one of the lucky ones and beat the statistics with the band. Unfortunately, I only had my band 8 months, and then revised to the sleeve. I do not regret my band decision because it taught me a lot about myself, and my eating habits. But, it damaged my stomach tissue, it was a horrific experience. My quality of life was in the toilet. Here is some interesting information from the band manufacturers. 1 in 4 band patients will have to have another surgery to repair a band issue, or remove it entirely. It now has the lowest and slowest weight loss results. Also, I have never found one band patient that has had their band for at least 10 years without a slip, or other major complication at some point. I did find one patient on OH that has had her band for 9 years, but she is now seeking a revision because of the chronic issues she's struggled with over those years. She had her band replaced once around the 5 or 6 year mark because the band leaked and she lost restriction.

You said at first that you were leaning towards the Sleeve, but your Dr recommended the DS. Then you said if it didn't work out you could go back for another WLS. I would strongly think hard on that. It isn't easy to get revisions approved and sometimes they can even do the surgery. Now I will try to explain why I feel this way. It might be a long but here goes....My hubby had the Lap Band for 13 years, they punctured the port and he had to go back to surgery. Then like I said 13 years out it malfunctioned. BTW he did lose 100#'s but he is a heavy big guy. Sept of 2013 he went in for a revision from the band to a RNY. When they got in there the band had eroded into his liver. There was too much bleeding and scar tissue so they backed out. No WLS for him. They removed the band and his gallbladder then told us in 3 months they would redo his WLS. NOT!! He developed abscesses and was deathly sick for 9 months 3 of them he doesn't remember. After he healed up we went back to the Surgeon but was turned away and called a problem child!! But he did get a reference to OREGON HEALTH AND UNIVERSITY in Portland, Oregon. Again, he was told to lose 25#'s and get his A1C down to a 7 or 8. (3 month blood sugars) he couldn't do both because if his A1C was down his weight was up, the other way around weight down BS up. So we went into debt and went to Juarez, Mexico. When they got in there his whole right side was solid scar tissue then again no RNY, they did the Sleeve. Now he has lost 60#'s but you know how we all say this Surgery saved our lives? Well, he has Cancer on his Kidney and was told that he couldn't have anything done until he loses 150#'s. He now still has 90#'s to go. The Sleeve just doesn't seem to have enough restriction. I know others have great results but it isn't happening for him. All of this and he might still lose his life!!! This is why I say it doesn't always happen to have more WLS. I would really think hard on what surgery I had and go for the one that will give you all of the results that you want and need!! Just my thoughts. Good Luck

Hi I am new to the board and so grateful to find this thread. I was banded in February 2006 and am now going through the process of a Gastric Bypass. I had minor problems with the band and never used it because I was too scared. I weigh over 400 pounds now and I am wanting to do something permeant that will get a lot of weight off. My first appointment with the surgeon was two weeks ago and all he mentioned was that there was a bigger risk with the revision. So glad to hear other's stories!