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LisaA, That wouldn't happen to be Dr. Curry (He is banded as well as Erin the dietian) would it? I know he has an office in Cincinnatti,OH and KY. If so, he's GREAT!! I've been going to him for some time now and his entire staff is wonderful!! I also had my surgery in TJ by dr. verboonen (he got a lapband, too). I'm now trying to find a dr. that will do a revision on my port as it sits at a 90 degree angle and is bothersome plus extremely difficult to get a fill (though Dr. C and the other staff don't have much of a problem). Mostly it's bothersome and aggervaiting and when I can't get up to see Dr. C (Ice storm in GA) no one and I mean no one would touch me the way the port sits. Thank God I haven't had a true emergency!! I know what you mean about judgement. I was self pay for the initial surgery and I'll be self pay for the revision, too. Can't seem to get a break when you don't follow the flow like others. Just thought I'd add my $.02. Glad you found someone! Tacy

Hi, I am originally from Detroit. I am working in Texas for the Department of Defense. Maybe Sunday as I am preparing to go I will get nervous. I have a lap band now and I am going in for a revision to sa sleeve. I found out Monday that I would be having my surgery on the 24th. He did not even give me the two weeks for my pre op diet. I just hope everything goes ok because I did not do the pre op diet for 2 weeks. Also, he told me that he will not know if he will be able to give me the sleeve untill after he look at my stomach, because of scar tissue from the lap band. I have to think positive that everything will be ok because I really do not want to go under the knife twice to have one procedure. You will be ok. How long will you b in the hospital?

Hi everyone! First of all, thanks everyone for the words of support. I needed it! I promise not to stay away again. Sadly, today was a complete and utter trainwreck. He poked me so many times I lost track, so we finally headed down to fluroscopy. After poking me many, many more times he came to the conclusion that my port is flipped. So..... time for port revision surgery!! Really, if it didn't involve needles and pain it would almost be funny. I'm scheduled for July 17th. It's just a local so it shouldn't be too big of a deal. He said he'd give me a fill while he's in there, so that's a small plus. After the initial surprise I'm feeling positive. My sister is here to stay with me for a few days and we're going to work out and watch our food. I'm not going to allow myself to gain one more pound dammit! I'll catch up on the posts and do personals later. Love you guys!

I'm not a revision patient, but just wanted to say that as long as you keep on top of taking your vitamins, deficiencies are pretty rare. There are some people whose bodies don't absorb oral iron well who have to get occasional iron infusions, but most of us absorb it just fine. Otherwise, I really don't hear about deficiencies except for people who don't keep on top of their vitamins. I don't think that lack-of-restriction thing is universal. It probably depends on the person.

I'm at 39 miles to my (revised) goal of 54 miles. Did 3 miles on the treadmill this afternoon and burned more calories than ever before by increasing the intensity. Had a stressful Christmas Eve morning...my 14 year old son has had the flu and he fainted and collapsed in my arms this morning. We got him to the ER and everything checked out OK. Just need to keep pushing fluids and rest. I thought about what I would have done pre-op after a morning like that...I would have bagged out of the gym, I'm sure. I would have drank many coffees (light with sugar or honey) to get thru the day and eaten lots of food and Christmas goodies. Instead, when we got home, I made some scrambled eggs and turkey sausage, then headed to the gym. Came home and now I'm enjoying a strawberry protein shake and ready to wrap some presents. What a difference 6 weeks makes, huh? Merry Christmas everyone!

How much Protein did your doctor tell you to get in a day? I was a cash pay revision from a band to the sleeve, I missed a lot of the education about the sleeve. My initial education was for a RnY, but I was change to a band a week before surgery due to a change in health. I know each WLS has is own requirements.

@Tracyringo Eating seems to be a bit more problematic atm. The MGB seems to be "more forgiving", so to say. But then again maybe I can't remember some issues I had during the first months after MGB. When I eat too fast or too much or too heavy foods I get a stomach ache. Can be from mild to wanting-to-crawling-up-the-walls. I never had that with MGB. However, my stomach is quite a primadonna since years so please take this answer with a grain of salt. The worst are dense high-protein/fat combinations. It's almost a guarantee for at least mild issues and a brick like feeling in the stomach. These things are very individual though. It makes me remember what one of the dietitians said to a fellow patient: "I can't tell you what to eat or not to eat. You have to find out what foods you tolerate or not. I can recommend eating dairy and chicken but when dairy makes you feel queasy and chicken makes you vomit the advice is worth nothing in the end." Regarding restriction: for me it's stronger than with the MGB right now but I guess in some months it will be about equal. Mind you, the revision was less than 3 months ago. Hunger signals are the same, they're very mild. I was supposed to start on solids three weeks after surgery in stead of four weeks. I was quite glad I could progress to solids a week earlier but have to say progression was less easy this time. While I struggled through the liquid/puree phase this time I also don't think it would have been possible to start solids earlier than this. I had awful cravings this time for "normal" foods like tofu with rice, cucumbers, whatever... Some people suggested this was because I was already at a normal weight when I got revision so maybe you're going to experience something similar, no idea. How much I can eat varies from meal to meal and that feels kind of frustrating. What's too much and causing issues one meal might be the right amount or even not enough the next time. In general foods with a high water content (e. g. fruit, raw vegetables) I tolerate best and usually don't cause issues so cherry tomatoes berries and grapes are favorite snack foods right now. I don't eat meat so I can't answer only part of your question. Strength and the like I'm hesitant to reply because I had not only the revision but also another little surgery regarding trocar hernia. The upper abdominal wall still feels strange when I exercise but in the end it was the fifth laparoscopy plus trocar hernia surgery, so I guess I simply have to be patient. I also feel quite stressed and exhausted these days because of work, lots of rather sh*tty 24 h shifts and on-call duties. I'm glad I'm going on vacation on Saturday for two weeks. After that I'm going to re-evaluate what might be surgery related and what might be stress related.

In my opinion the sleeve should be the default surgery for everyone unless they are dealing with: 1. Type 2 diabetes (especially if they are on insulin, or have trouble controlling their blood glucose levels) 2. GERD 3. Food addiction (we all like to eat, but the true food addict would benefit from possible dumping and the malabsorption component) 4. Particularly high BMI.. in which case a DS might be a better option than RNY 5. Physiological factors (for example: lap bands can damage the stomach, making RNY a better option) 6. The patient doesn't want to risk "another surgery". RNY is "one-and-done" (usually). Sleeves sometimes need revision.

With my band surgery (trying to revise to sleeve). I only took the narcotics for two, technically 3 days. Third day was really only because I had bad cramps from TOM. But a year later I threw out a more than 3/4 bottle of the stuff. I think I did take Tylenol a few times after though Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

There is a group for lightweights on facebook. I think the surgery you choose depends on you. I agree with what postop said. I had the sleeve, now I'm going through the process of revision. I need the malabsorption. Some people do great with all surgeries, it's about the regain, or the info years out of how much people keep it off after a certain period of time. Also know the surgeon can tailor your common channel limb to match your age, and weight needed to lose with the DS. I have seen people as light and even lighter than you get the DS. It boils down to what you are willing to do. If you can commit to the Vitamins I think it's a great option. If you don't think you need malabsorption then go for the sleeve. You can't always go with how much other people lose because with all surgeries you can be the high average of losing well, and the lower average of losing, and I was at the bottom. GL, research research research.

Trying really hard to ignore the f*&^ing scale and just stay on track! Just got back from the gym and walked faster and varied the incline more than previous workouts. If you were at the gym, I was the fat angry girl on one of the middle treadmills. I'm not seeing the scale go down and I'm constipated - yeah, stay out of my way. Anywho, I'm at 33 miles to my (revised) goal of 54 miles. Gave a great day everyone!

I recently looked into this and am at the stage of deciding which surgery I want: Re-Sleeve or Bypass. I'll preface the following by stating you can research many articles on "pubmed.com" to read published papers by physicians. There is a re-sleeve procedure and it's either done by plication or utilizing Overstitch; key difference is that part of your stomach is NOT cut and removed, as is done in the initial sleeve. The stomach is made smaller by suturing to make it smaller. In my case, revision, even if it is to a re-sleeve, would be covered by my insurance. Re-sleeves can be done endoscopically (through the throat, no incisions on the abdomen); this is the approach I am being offered. Bypass would require abdominal incisions as it is performed laparoscopically. Bypass would yield a greater overall weight loss, initially. There's a study that indicated the long term weight loss between those re-sleeved vs. conversion to bypass levels out and is similar. Articles: Re-sleeve Gastrectomy - An Efficient Revisional Bariatric Procedure - 3 Years Results Re-Sleeve Gastrectomy for Failed Primary Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Short-term outcomes of revisional surgery after sleeve gastrectomy: a comparative analysis of re-sleeve, Roux en-Y gastric bypass, duodenal switch (Roux en-Y and single-anastomosis) Laparoscopic re-sleeve gastrectomy as a treatment of weight regain after sleeve gastrectomy Weight Regain After Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Look at the Benefits of Re-sleeve Reverse: Laparoscopic revision of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass to sleeve gastrectomy: A ray of hope for failed Roux-en-Y gastric bypass As to which procedure has higher risk, in general, risk increases with every subsequent surgery. In this case, it would depend on the approach your physician would take to re-sleeve; endoscopic or laparoscopic. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty versus laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a case-matched study If both options would be performed laparoscopically, then it would be a matter of you deciding which procedure you feel the most comfortable with to achieve the long-term results you are looking for. Endoscopic surgery is performed using a scope, a flexible tube with a camera and light at the tip, allowing the surgeon to see inside and perform procedures without making major incisions, allowing for easier recovery time and less pain and discomfort. Laparoscopic is performed by making several small incisions in the abdomen, which increases risk when compared to the SAME PROCEDURE performed endoscopically (no incisions). The approach with the highest risk is open. Bigger incision. Bigger incision, bigger risk. One type of surgery that has taken off in the last few years is minimally invasive spine surgery. Many spine surgeries can be done laparoscopically versus open -- even fusions. The difference? Patients that have it done laparoscopically can have it done in an ASC (ambulatory surgical center), meaning they leave the same day, no hospital stay or large incisions in the back. And...always remember, whichever surgery you have, it's a TOOL, not a magic pill (those don't exist either). Hope this helps!

I've still got some good quality jeans, sweaters, etc., from when I successfully lost 90 pounds with the lap-band, but I have to admit that I intentionally bought some smaller shirts yesterday, even though I can't fit into them yet (my revision to RNY is on August 24th). My justification is that I live in Miami, and it's always short-sleeve weather, but the stores don't realize that. They're going to start bringing in longer-sleeve shirts soon, so I needed to go ahead and get some shirts that I'll be able to wear later without dying of heat stroke. So, since they were on sale, I went ahead and picked up a few. Not many, since I still have some old stuff to pick through, but a few in each of the next couple of sizes down.

This is a very touchy subject for many, and has been hashed over many times. It really boils down to several things. How your home life or social life is, and how sensitive you can be. I never considered myself to be the sensitive type of girl. I've always been tough, matter of fact kind of person... and have been able to withstand being bullied and ridiculed by certain adults as a child. This still holds true today - and it always will. I'm more of the type that if you try to P*** on my parade, I'll just smile and wish you a fine day. But, when I had the Lap-Band installed it was just a horse of a different color all together. I lost quickly in the beginning, and I told EVERYONE I had WLS. Well about 6-7 months in after losing nearly 60 Lbs post op, I started to gain all the weight back. I lost that 60 Lbs on willpower alone. Finally after trying so hard with no help whatsoever from my band I think I just gave up. I would try and try again to start losing again, but I think once I got to the point where I was already mentally jacked and upset, it just never happened. I'd gain 10, lose 8 then gain 15 back. This went on for several years!!! Then I could see all the eyes on me, questions... like "are you still trying to lose weight"??? Ha!!! This became a huge problem for me. It made me feel worse! It had nothing to do with the other person, it was all me. My confidence was pretty much non-existent. Gone!! So, when I finally decided to revise to a sleeve I pretty much just told everyone I'm having my band removed and left it at that. I tell everyone I'm on the Atkins diet - which is very true. I've always been active, and go for my daily walks during lunch. No one is thinking the wiser. If they suspect anything more than that, I haven't noticed. Everyone just tells me they notice my weight loss big time, I look great and to keep it up. They are genuinely happy for me. I simply don't think for one second I'll start gaining my weight back. My sleeve is doing EVERYTHING for me that my band was SUPPOSED to do. I'm doing great, and my confidence is sky high. I'm absolutely NOT doing this all on my own like I did with my band. I'm getting tremendous help from my tool. So that is NOT the reason I've decided not to tell most folks this time. I just want to do this for ME this time. I want to do this without feeling like I'm on display. I felt more judged with everyone knowing about my WLS than this time around without it (per the person who doesn't know I have a sleeve). I have told only my very closest friends or co-workers whom I know won't divulge my personal information - and of course most of my family. I will eventually tell all of them. I have a great family and all are always supportive and loving. However, whether or not I'll tell any joe schmoe who doesn't know me from Adam? I'll ponder that as time goes on. Frankly, it's none of their business.

So when I had my revision, it was for complications. I was told to expect no more than 45-60 additional pounds of weight loss, because you only lose about 50% of your excess weight with a revision. Well, if you look at my signature, you can see I've lost more than that lol It wasn't easy, and the weight comes off slower and can be a bit harder to lose, but it's possible if you do the work.

My sleeve is scheduled for Thursday, the 4th. Very excited about that. I do have a question for those who have undergone the procedure. Is anyone on here a long term sleever? Meaning, if you've been sleeved for more than a few years. I'd love to hear how life has been treating you, and also give an insightful eye to those of use coming through the procedure. Some stuff I'd love to hear about are: health issues since having surgery (short or long term complications) diet and lifestyle revision surgeries (if needed) fitness routines impact on behavior/mood Anything would be really appreciated. Even if something isn't listed but you would like to provide some information, I really hope anyone here wouldn't mind sharing. Thanks again and very happy to be joining the sleeve club!

Yes I would like a refund for my lapband now that it is no longer working, the money would be useful to help pay for my revision

My insurance will not cover revisions. I don't consider this a revision, I have been 7 months since my band was removed. I have had my PCP refer me..now we shall see. Hopeful at best

I will be having surgery here bc insurance will cover most of it. I will be going to MX for skin removal as it won't be covered. MX can be great option! My surgeon spoke about doing revisions bc the previous surgeon didn't remove enough so I would definately ask that question to whoever you go to. Good luck with your journey!

Why not just revise in 1 surgery? There are **PLENTY** of folks that have Band to Sleeve or Band to Bypass revision done in the same day, curious why your doc wants to do it in 2 steps rather than 1 like most cases. Something to be aware of, the sleeve has the potential side effect (actually effects most people) where acid reflux is increased. My doctor refuses to do Band to Sleeve revisions because the sleeve staple line runs right through the scar tissue the band has created, and this causes a potential weak spot on a high pressure incision. There are plenty of folks that have gone from Band to Sleeve, I agreed with my surgeons logic and reasoning and went for the Bypass. Best decision I ever made getting that band out... I didn't have any major issues, but my band was 100% encapsulated in scar tissue and took my surgical team more than 3 times longer to remove than it should have. No idea what would have happened if I didn't have it removed! But, even though it was a very tedious removal, I was revised to the bypass in the same exact surgery.

I have posted in another thread in the ESG subforum a link to an article for regarding successful ESG revision to sleeve, but there seems to be some talk about surgeons not wanting to do sleeves due to the suture anchors and they seem to prefer doing bypass revisions for ESG. On an ESG facebook group I belong to, there is a surgeon who posts occasionally and it was something he mentioned when someone asked the question. I will see if I can find it.

Had my consult with the bariatric surgeon. He said that sleeve or bypass are both possible after esg. Sleeve would depend on the anatomy of the stomach and could only be done if the stomach had dilated or stretched a lot since esg. He did also add that if the esg did not work for me then a sleeve may also not be as effective. The only way to see what would be best is to do a gastroscope and decide after this. He did say that as this is considered revision surgery, a leak from a sleeve or bypass would be higher risk and that his preference is most likely a bypass but would wait until after a scope to further discuss this with me and decide. As for now, I have lost 15kg in 2019. Hoping not to need surgery but glad to have a plan to move forward if I do. Mel xx

I can't. Tell since my port revision surgery yet. When my port flipped it was sticking out sideways and looked like a hernia. So I had to have a revision and I think it's above my belly button. Not sure though.

It sure sounds like your body is trying to get rid of your port, and if it also goes to work on your band, your complications will get even worse. Like Carolinagirl, my life is more important than my weight loss surgery, and I'd go to the emergency room and call my bariatric surgeon immediately. Please don't think that your only choices are to live skinny with open abdominal wounds or live fat without your port and/or band. Once the port complications are dealt with, you may be able to revise to a different bariatric surgery procedure that doesn't involve implants. Good luck! Jean

Since having the revision i crave extremely spicy food! But, and its a big BUT i soon developed GERD once i was onto normal foods and i cannot touch spicy stuff in any way .. Im a little sad about it but i can live with it as it is *shrug*