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No I don't think they are doing it with most lap bands at all - it seems to be exception based right now but i'm guessing. I know that she personally had not done a lot at all (I can count on my hands basically and she does that many surgeries probably in 1-2 days). A little bit of blind faith here - and not how i operate but I do trust her (the decision to do the surgery was made jointly with a lot of input from me and her presenting the options and me deciding; but once the decision was made she worked out the details - she knew exactly what she wanted to do LOL I do trust her - she is one of the best in a big city full of top doctors. Maybe they do it on revisions or evaluate whether they should do this -probably case by case. But as they learn more w/ their patients they may be doing it more (or less!). I think in my case it was warranted. I could not be without unfills (could gain 3 lbs a week w/ a loose band); i needed to be tight to lose; and now that i think on it should i be prone to these hiatal hernias or get thrown off my horse again (again we don't know if that was it and i don't anticipate ever having another bad fall like that); and need to live w/ my band loosened this could be the answer. I mean the good thing is my surgeon has been seeing a lot of me since i've been banded so has been close to the situation where she could have made a good judgement call.

Hi June friends. I was revised VSG to RnY (related to GERD) on 6/4. I spent two nights in the hospital, due to poor intake and output. I’ve been home just over a day now and I’m doing well. Focusing on water, I am not tolerating protein shakes, I did find a couple things that I am tolerating today so finally had some intake. Pain has been minimal, I am Just exhausted. Excited for this next journey. I had about a 75# loss with VSG, and kept it off over 5 years, but was still 50# from original goal.

@Luv2cruz Unless i read over it, No one has asked a few very important questions. What is your height? What was your beginning weight? Are you logging your food? Are you exercising? What does your diet look like on a daily bases? The reason, if you have less to lose, you will tend to lose a little slower. A person who had 300lbs to lose will lose it faster that say a person that has 100lbs to lose. My story is a little different than some.... but anywho.... After being here for over 10 years i have seen and read many different stories. I have also experienced it with some very close friends. I've had friends like myself who had the band (lost 2017 gained 30lbs). Lost there band and have gained it back or revised to a different WLS. Some with success and some without. I have a few that had only the sleeve and either never lost or gained it all back. I've even had a few that had GB and either gained some or all of the weight back. I do have a few friends that had the band and have kept their weight off for over 10 years. The point is.... ALL WLS have their goods and bads. Ups and downs. It's how you as a person handles YOUR journey. (ok just read your last post, so i'm taking out this part) I would start at the begging, look within yourself. Maybe seek a counselor (it's helping me). Otherwise, i would start tracking your food (if you aren't already). Get yourself a good exercise program (even if it's just walking more and faster). I wish i had journaled.... I write myself inspiring quotes on my bathroom mirror. I know you didn't want to hear it, but its true and hard not to do... But, try to not compare yourself to others. I compared myself to others all the time, then someone years ago told me that..... So now i have on my mirror..... Envy is the thief of happiness. I wish you only good thoughts on your journey.

Wow, that’s rough. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone being outright denied surgery because of the psychological evaluation (not that it’s never happened; I just haven’t heard about it). I have heard of people being required to get psychological treatment before getting approval for surgery. Did the psychologist say anything about that? Maybe you can wait until he sends the full report and see what it says, because it seems very strange that he would just say you’re a lost cause and will never be able to get the surgery. A lot of us have a bad relationship with food and issues with emotional eating and still get the surgery. Is it possible to get a second opinion From another psychologist? That said, you probably shouldn’t get the surgery until you’re mentally and emotionally ready for it. It’s a big commitment and a hard journey, and you pretty much only have one shot (ok, you can get a revision, but even that doesn’t usually work as well as the original surgery) and you don’t want to waste it. So it might be worth getting some treatment for your emotional eating before you get surgery.

WLS is hard. I knew this going into my band back in 2011. I knew this going to my revision to bypass this past March. I expected it to be hard. I'm getting very frustrated with the struggle. Granted this is coming from a place where I'm working 10+ hour days, we just had to put a dog down, and I'm stalling hard every few days. My body fat has been slowly reducing but not the weight. And again, I get that it's a process. Just venting I guess. I'm in the gym almost every day, only missed 2 days total in over a month. One was because a friend needed help with his car, so I spent several hours in the junk yard getting a door off for him, so I might have missed the gym, but I certainly didn't miss the workout that day! And the other day was this past Tuesday, because my pup got put down while I was at work. She was old, and I knew it was coming, but that doesn't change the waves of depression and emotional break downs the loss is causing. Just need a win this week and everything is coming up crap. Our dryer stopped working and 4 parts later, too much money and too much effort and it's still not working. Just feels like this whole week has it out for me.

I am excited and nervous I complete my last part Of my insurance necessity's Today and then I just have to wait for a surgery date. I had my band placed back in October 2008 and have been having complications with it and weight gain since The end of 2011. I now have my two insurance to help cover all costs! Can someone please let me know if they had lots of nausea with the band and if you have more or less with the sleeve???? Tell me your stories about what the biggest differences please I crave information!!!!

I don't have a date yet but I'm hoping for February if finances work out. I will be heading to Mexico as my insurance doesn't cover anything related to weight loss. I will be a band to sleeve revision. Eek! So many issues with my band it's time for a change. Looking forward to seeing everyone's progress! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The latest, my GERD is getting better by my change in eating habits. Most days, I feel like a perpetual science experiment! I am afraid to eat. I don't want to have acid. My first visit to the nutritionalist is this week. I will have a clear plan at that point. If I am revised? It will occur in late March. Time will surely tell! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

@clsumrall I noticed you were confused on my earlier response. Assuming your confused from my stats on my prior VSG? I'm having a revision of my sleeve next Wednessay.

A boxy shape can happen sometimes after a TT. Plastic surgeons have many "tricks" to minimize this - including liposuction of the waistline during a TT. Sometimes it is unavoidable in certain body types. A midline vertical incision (fluer-de-lis) with a TT can be a very powerful way to narrow the waist and get a much better shape. This adds a major scar, but can improve the shape so much that many don't mind. Here is a picture of fleur-de-lis With this said, it has only been about 6 weeks since your surgery - this is very short, and you have a lot of healing to do. You are still very swollen, and it takes months and months (6-9) for the swelling to resolve. This means that your shape will get better and better over time. If this does not improve, the TT can be revised (with or without the midline incision) - but this is usually unnecessary. Regarding the wound healing problems, this may indicate that you are a "poor healer". The most common reasons are smoking and poor nutrition (low Protein, low iron). This is why proper nutrition, and ongoing relationship with experienced nutritionist is so important. More likely, the problems were the result of this particular surgery - since you have had smaller surgeries in the past without problems, probably means that you heal fine - "poor healers" usually have delayed healing from even very small procedures.

Hi Dr. Schulman, I am planning to have an inner thigh lift sometime next month -- though I have not scheduled as of yet because I still have some concerns. My Dr. assures me that all will be well and he has done an excellent job so far, so I'm good with that. However, as I read postings on the web from people who have this procedure done, it seems to me that there are more people out there who are unhappy with their results than with any other body contouring procedure. I have also read about several instances in which a revision surgery was required. I was wondering what your thoughts were about this procedure. Also are your patients generally happy that they did it and feel that the pain, expense and scar is an acceptable trade-off for the improvement they gained? Thanks for any feedback you might have.

K, I'll bite. I believe what they are saying is that almost 35% (of the group who were virgin sleevers) and 50% of the band-revised-to sleeve group were still with a higher BMI after 5 years. Basically that they never reached a goal weight that would put them out of the range of "risk" factors associated with having a higher BMI. They were still considered medically obese.

To the OP--Achieve Goals--why are you considering a sleeve revision? Just curious. Thanks.

So far I have had good luck in revision due to weight gain. starting weight for sleeve 254 3 months out 204.5 weight loss of 50.5 ——————————— starting weight for bypass 245.5 3 months out I weigh 199 today (wooo!) weight loss 46.5 So the weight loss has been about the same but it has felt easier. I’m very glad I did the second surgery.

Hello beautiful people! My surgery is booked on 24th June! For a revision to mini bypass and lap band removal! All in one surgery.. im so scared, and looking for some support and success stories! I dont know why im so scared this time, my mind is just going to the weirdest places! How was recovery for anyone who went through the same? i just need some support right now 🙂 This pre-op diet is also so hard when im so anxious like this! 😟 Thank you 🙏

I understand how you feel...helpless and frustrated. When I had gastric sleeve surgery on 2/13/2014, it was in Tijuana (cost was less that $5,000 at the time)! This was because of insurance denying my initial attempt (I wasn't going to appeal since my health was in jeopardy. Now I need a revision to gastric bypass, I kinda expect the same response. Of course, now with COVID, Tijuana is high risk, if I was allowed to go and it was safe. But do not give up, nothing will change if you stop trying. Pain stopped me from working in October 2018, and due to lots of meds, I have gained almost all the weight that I lost, and kept off over five years. I share your frustration-let's keep going until we get what we need!

Did your insurance have an option to appeal?!?? I would appeal right away! I feel like a Hiatal Hernia is a reason for a revision. Praying everything goes smooth and this storm will pass! You got this!!

I am 12 days postop. Feel great. I am a band revision. Have been able to drink normal since day one. When will I feel restriction and how and where do you feel it?

Naomi, I know you mean well, but I think you've missed a few important pieces of data here. 1. The chief finding of the study you mentioned was that successful bandsters in Australia do drink (but not guzzle) while eating. Those findings did not explain why that's so. The "why" part is conjecture on the part of the study's authors. Also, I question their claim that "There is no pouch or small stomach above the band. There should never be food sitting there waiting." I agree with the last part of that ("There should never be food sitting there waiting") but I disagree with the first part and have no idea where they came up with the idea that there's no pouch or small stomach above the band. Yes, the band has been used in Australia a lot longer in the USA, but that statement completely contradicts everything I've read in Allergan and J&J literature and surgeon resource sites. And I have watched my own upper GI tract during several upper GI studies, and there was indeed a small stomach pouch above my band every single time, no matter what else was going on in there (or not) at the same time. The radiologist pointed it out to me on every occasion, so I wasn't misreading the images. And by the way, that pouch was a normal finding, not an anomaly. 2. According to American bariatric surgeons I've talked to or whose seminars I've attended or whose articles I've read, NO bariatric surgery patient should drink while eating. In fact, at a bariatric conference 2 years ago, I heard that stated by 3 different surgeons who were giving 3 speeches. All of them stated that failure to separate consumption of solids and liquids is the most common cause of WLS "failure" (that is, no or disappointing weight loss, or weight regain). Since many LBT/Bariatric Pal members live in the USA and have surgeons in the USA, I think it behooves us to follow the instructions of our American doctors. Or, go to Australia for surgery and every fill and unfill and all aftercare. Hey, if I had the money to do that, it might even be fun to travel there, but it would sure disrupt the rest of my life. But hey, a mere $8,000 per trip (not counting hotels, meals, taxis, surgeon's fees, etc.) would be nothing for us rich Americans, right? 3. Every bariatric surgeon I've encountered (in person, on the telephone, online) has stated that the band does not and should not control the movement of food and liquids from the esophagus into the stomach. If the band is far enough up to do that, it has slipped or the surgeon who placed it was incompetent. What controls the movement of food and liquid from the esophagus into the upper stomach (the fundus) is a sphincter at the base of the esophagus where it joins to the stomach. Continually eating in a way that causes food to be stored in the esophagus is asking for trouble. It can cause serious and permanent damage to the esophagus and the esophageal sphincter. 3. No bandster should ever, ever eat in a way, with or without liquids, that allows food to sit in the esophagus for more than maybe 30 seconds. The esophagus is not meant to store food for any period of time. It's designed to move food up or down (preferably down) only. If food is sitting in the esophagus, any liquid consumed after that is probably going to come back up rather than flushing through the stoma, because at that point the upper stomach pouch and the stoma created by the band are probably already jammed up with food. PB's (or regurgitation of food) usually come from the esophagus, not from the upper stomach pouch, for the very reason I mentioned above. The stomach is designed to stretch to accommodate food, while the esophagus will resist stretching until the food has to come back up or (over time) the esophagus becomes dilated - something we all want to avoid, because even if the band is unfilled and the upper GI tract given a good long rest, there's no guarantee that the esophagus will ever go back to its normal state. And no one should have to live the rest of their life with a malfunctioning esophagus or sphincter. Esophageal dysmotility problems caused by careless eating can become a serious health issue, with the patient eventually having to live on liquids, live with a a feeding tube, and/or hope that an attempt at surgical repair will help. Surgery in that part of the upper GI tract is not something to take lightly, because the scar tissue that develops after surgery can also interfere with esophageal function. I speak from personal experience here. I had an esophageal stricture (from reflux damage). I lived on liquids for months, was unable to revise to the sleeve at the first try because my surgeon couldn't get the small (about the size and shape of a Sharpie marker) bougie calibration instrument through the stricture, and eventually had to have the stricture dilated enough to make eating possible, but not enough to make the stricture disappear forever (it was still there when I had an EGD 6 months later). I think esophageal dysmotility has also been a problem for an LBT member known as MsMaui, and last I heard, even an unfill, months of upper GI rest, and band removal have not resolved her problem. 4. So in my opinion, the best way to avoid these unhappy events and their consequences is not to drink while you eat but to avoid keeping too much fill in the band; to practice good band eating skills: take tiny bites, chew very well, eat slowly, don't drink while you eat, avoid problem foods, learn and heed your unique satiety or "stop eating" signals, and give your body the respect it deserves. But what do I know? Jean

Hi everyone Was great to stumble across this forum and find out that Aussies visit too! I was banded on the 3rd of April (so 13 days today) at Bethesta Hospital (by Mr Kierath) in Perth. Im 6.5kg's down as I type, but have started to notice that my weight is starting to fluctuate (Im a scale junkie unfortunately!) and the last few days have seen me go from 99.9kg - 98.5kg then right back up again. Is this normal whilst you are still on liquids? I have my first appt with my surgeon since the "borg" was put in on the 24th of April - and boy I am filled with questions! My port is definitely noticable (which Im not happy about) and even my DH can see it sticking up through my tummy, just under my ribs. I am having nightmares that it has flipped or turned on an angle, and can see myself having some type of revision surgery. Has anybody had their port turn/flip - and if so whats the general action taken? Revision surgery? Sometimes I feel as though mine is floating around - or maybe Im just freaking myself out here! Lucylee - I had that tightness in the chest area that you talked about, and ended up ringing the hospital (because I was concerned) and they told me it was all perfectly normal. They reminded me that even though I had keyhole surgery, (and yes, it is less invasive) its still major surgery and that my internal organs were basically not settled and that the discomfort was caused by swelling of the organs and the gas that they use to pump you up to see what they are doing. Mine has only recently let up the last few days, so give yourself a good couple of weeks to let everything settle. However, if it doesnt feel right to you, the best advice I can give would be to ring your surgeon! Anyhow, enough of my blather.. I appreciate finding Aussies on the board, and look forward in getting to know you all better

How do I contact Wasabubblebutt - I need info on the sleeve and band revision hptransport@yahoo.com

I agree 100%. I'd contact them right now - today! With all the unbandings due to erosions/slips, Id be scared to do this all over again. :tired (rebanding for any reason) Have thought any about a revision to another WLS? Im gonna be praying for you. Remember, we're all on this road together.

I am sorry you are having problems. And sorry abut the possiblity of removal. Have you spoken to the doc or considered having a revision done to a sleeve if you have to have it removed ? That could be a possibility ? GOod luck ! Mindy

Just a little thought... I like my surgeon a lot... he'll be repairing my hiatal hernia and possible revision. I agree that there are great surgeons and not so great worldwide... so this isn't about MX vs. US. But even my beloved doc loves to talk about his vast experience and we generally like the thought of having a very experienced doc. But just my quirky sense of humor here... Wasn't the most experienced surgeon in the world once a less experienced surgeon? I don't hear the mega-experienced surgeons telling us about their terrible statistics when they were less experienced. Were they really dangerous in their early days? A co-worker had her lapband surgery with a doc who was fairly new to the procedure in a facility that had just opened their bariatric surgery department (in the US). And her insurance covered, so she could have gone to a more experienced facilty for the same cost to her. I couldn't believe it... after I had preached research, experience, etc... she said, "hey, I'm an experienced mid-wife, and everyone has their first catch." She felt confortable that he was properly trained and might be more cautious than a surgeon who was too routine. Interesting. I AM NOT there, but have to admit it's an interesting thought. She did just fine, BTW. I went to the same surgeon to have my gallbladder removed (he was much more experienced in that procedure LOL). He was in-network and at the time Dr. Curry was not. I wanted someone who would at least know what the band was. Bottom-line though, experience is important, some people are simply more skilled than others regardless of the amount of experience. Don't you guys watch Grey's Anatomy? LOL Yes this is humorous musing, not medical advice.

My surgeon that banded me has a center of excellence which is unheard of for the tiny practice that he has. He has never done a sleeve. That was good enough for me to go to Dr. Aceves. I love my band doctor. If he had done the sleeve surgery for the same price as doctor Aceves, you bet I would have gone to him. I wanted somebody experienced with revision surgery and the best choice and best doctor for that is Dr. Alberto Aceves.