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I also need my gallbladder out and want the revision at the same time.I hope it can be done.Has anyone had all this surgery done in one surgery?If so how was the recovery for you?

This is from my doctor's ESG FAQ https://bmiclinic.com.au/endoscopic-sleeve-gastroplasty-faq/ Can I have an ESG following a gastric balloon, gastric sleeve or gastric bypass? ESG following gastric balloon: Recent research has revealed that people who’ve had a gastric balloon do less well following ESG in terms of weight loss. For this reason, we do not recommend ESG to anyone who’s has previously had a gastric balloon. ESG following gastric sleeve: Endoscopic revision of a gastric sleeve is possible, however the weight loss that results is only approximately 10% of the baseline weight. There are likely more effective options which you can talk through with your Bariatric Specialist. ESG following gastric bypass: Endoscopic suturing is possible via a procedure called TORe, Transoral Outlet Revision.

Damn.. you are HOT!! Congrats and yes...we all worry about that...esp when you see so many gastric bypass folks years later who have gained all of their weight back. But honestly I've never seen any sleevers who have gained their weight back. Relax and quit worrying. You've beeb hit by the "Damn I didn't know this hot dude was inside this whole time" bug and that's motivation enough to not go back.

My Dr says a minimum of 4 week for any of his wls. With gastric bypass, my Dr has a g tube in for a minimum of 4 weeks so I'm planning on taking that and a lil more if I can.

Good day to all of you! I saw my surgeon for the first time FINALLY on July 3rd after having all of my pre-surgery tests in early May. Looks like my surgery will be last week in July first week in August...so I am just "weighting" (play on words, HAH!). I weigh about 224, 5'4", and am 53 years old. Two questions: Anyone about the same who wants to "buddy" through this process?:thumbup: Anyone wish you had chosen the gastric bypass instead of the band? My physician has suggested that maybe I want the bypass because it is so much more successful for people my age.:tt2: Thanks, in advance, for any feedback, especially from the fabulous fifities people.

I have had both and would take the Laparoscopic surgery over a one scar surgery. For one, the scar is about a foot and a half long. It is also more painful. I just had my bypass surgery and some of my scars are almost gone.

Well, Aetna's requirements to have WLS is that you have to have had a BMI over 35 for at least 2 yrs. My BMI in 2007 was 36, but I lost a little weight within the 2 yrs bringing my BMI to 34 off and on.. Now they are saying my BMI was not >35 consecutively for the 2 yrs, but what upsets me is you have to prove you tried to lose weight!!!! Well, I did, but gained it back every time!!!! So anyway, I have been denied twice and sent my last appeal last week. On July 1, our insurance changes to Anthem BC Calif. and I will have to start dealing with them. They do not have all of the requirements Aetna has, and should get approved a little easier, but then they don't cover VSG! They cover lapband and gastric bypass, which I really don't want. So, I am in the middle!! Thanks! I appreciate any advice!

I was banded by Dr. Ortiz in '06. Wonderful experience but it is a surgery center not a hospital. A very upscale surgery center with marble floors and spotless, not a hole in the wall in a strip mall. I only stayed there one night then the Marriott hotel for 2 nights. They have since been named a Center of Excellance. I actually scheduled a revision with Dr. Ortiz on Jan. 9 but I fly standby and got to Atlanta and got stuck. I took that as a sign and chickened out instead of rebooking. I would not hesitate using Dr. Ortiz for the band, I think he is a true expert on banding. I am scared of a revision so I am taking it slow and researching many drs. for the most experienced.

Not sure where you got that it is the same price. I was quoted $8400 with Dr. Ortiz for a revision and with Dr. Aceves it was $10,950. Dr. Aceves is actually the highest quote I've received.

I was quoted the same prices as Joyce less than a week ago. I chose Dr. Aceves because he seems to be the expert on revisions. I was banded by Ortiz in 2009 and he is fantastic but for a revision I wNt to go to the best.

Everyone has a different opinion, the sleeve in my opinion is just as invasive as the bypass so I personally wouldn't get it. But if you think it's the better option for you then good luck =)

Hi, I agree with what others said above. Re my own decision. Like you I was initially interested in bypass surgery. I knew I had a lot of weight to lose (although my PCP's scales went to 350, the past two years, I weighed more than 350 so I didn't know exactly how much I needed to lose). When I went to the orientation session, I learned about the sleeve and that it had fewer complications than the bypass, which interested me because I knew my weight and age (62) put me at greater risk for complications. When I had my surgeon consultation a few weeks later in May, I learned I weighed 385.5, which shocked me. I told the surgeon I was conflicted about the bypass vs. sleeve. On the one hand concerned about complications, on the other concerned about less weight loss. He told me recent research showed success rates about the same after two years and that he didn't really see any advantage for me with the bypass. If I had diabetes, he said he would have recommended the bypass because he thought it worked better for diabetes (but several people on this board have diabetes and they have done really well!!). He said if I were a member of his family, he'd recommend the sleeve. So I chose the sleeve because of fear of complications and a belief that the outcome would be about the same as the bypass. Results so far: Starting weight 385.5; goal weight: 150. Preop diet began 6/14 - lost 19 pounds; surgery 6/29. By December 29 I had lost 105 pounds total. Won't weigh again until January 29. My mini-goal was to lose half of my excess weight (117.75 pounds) by end of December but that didn't happen. As you can see I got really close though. I have severe arthritis so I can't execise as vigorously as some others on this board, but I do execise. My doctor's goal for me is to lose 70% of my excess weight or down to about 200 pounds. However, I firmly believe I can make MY goal of 100% loss of excess weight or down to 150. I figure it will take 18-20 months total, but I am sure I can do it with the sleeve. My doctor says if we use our weapons, we can lose weight indefinitely -- no stopping point until we want to stop. WEPNs = Water, execise, Protein, nutrients. Btw, our guest speaker this week at surgeon's support group was a woman who had lost well over 200 pounds through bypass (she was in such bad shape she was in assisted living and was in her early 50s I think) and had kept it fof for a number of years. She was talking briefly to me before the meeting began and when I said I had the sleeve, she said that she would have had it had it been available at the time she had surgery. The sleeve was the right decision for me. Best wishes in deciding which is best for you! Hang around on the board and you'll learn a lot more. People here are so inspiring to me.

YEAH we just saved you from the bypass. I just talked with an 80 year old woman who basically has had a sleeve for 30 years. She had bleeding ulcers and it kept being a problem so the doctor cut out a lot of her stomach for that reason. She has lived a long and healthy life - I've known her for years, I just never knew that she had stomach surgery. She and I ate the same lunch, and she could eat more than me and drink more than me. Probably double. But still, basically same surgery. She remembers being on liquids and having trouble getting much food down. This surgery has been done a long time for other reasons. I know someone else that had it to cut out cancer, and she is thin and healthy 15 years later. She never had a weight problem since I've known her. For her age she is just perfect.

I have sleeve surgery coming up, and that is because my insurance started covering it. When I attended a seminar on WLS I knew it was the ideal one. Plus, two friends of mine had gastric bypass ONLY because they couldn't have the sleeve at that time. Insurance changed and I lucked out. I would not hesitate to listen to your doctor and keep reading this website. It's helped me so much with so many questions! I also recall my doctor's telling me, "My sleeve patients are my happiest patients." Good luck to you!

I wanted to sleeve to begin with but my insurance didn't cover it at the time. And I was impatient and didn't want to wait for the time that my insurance would cover it. So I went with the band. The first Year I did pretty well with it, I lost about 35 pounds and kept it off for about 5 years but I didn't put in as much effort as I should have to lose more. But as time went on food started to get stuck more and more frequently and it got to the point that I was vomiting every day....so soft foods were my go to. And soft foods are not the healthiest thing in the world...so the weight came back on and the vomiting continued. I finally had enough and went to my doc and he recommended the revision which I wanted anyway. I have had more trouble with it than what she it's been worth. There are some people that have been very successful and happy with it, but I'm not one. My surgeon even said he doesn't do lapbands anymore from the high rate of complications he's seen. He told me the sleeve has been the most successful with the lowest rate of long term complications that he has seen in his practice. I hope this helps. No matter what you decide just remember WLS is a tool and it still takes a lot of work on your part. Good luck to you.

My question is why bypass? Have you seen the regain stats for the super morbidly obese? Are you willing to trade in a lifetime of nutrient and Vitamin deficiencies for maximum of 2 years of calories malabsorption? What will happen after you start absorbing calories again? Those were all my concerns when I was researching. At least with the sleeve if you do not get to your goal, you can go DS for malabsorption without the regain stats of RNY. Each surgery has it's pros and cons, but honestly the long term complications with RNY are downright scary. There are a few members on OH that have lost all their weight with BMIs over 65. I'm talking 200-250lbs withing 16-20 months post-op, and they didn't have to have a second procedure. I know you are frustrated, but really research the good, bad and ugly of the surgeries. I recommend checking out the struggling, failed and revision forums on obesityhelp.com so you can see for yourself just how many out there struggle with RNY. Best wishes, and hang in there.

How can I say this? When we know better, we do better...this is especially true in medicine.. My aunt was heavy, too heavy. Really high BMI. I don't know what she weighed, but very short and very heavy. Eventually couldn't hardly walk at all. The surgery they offered then was state of the art for that time. It was some kind of lap band that she got that got all wrapped around her insides to the point that it had be removed b/c she couldn't get food down at all. But that time has passed, it was the first lap band or stomach stapling and that was gosh, 30 years ago. She died 13 years ago or so, from being overweight. She was in her late 50's, and otherwise she had been healthy - just heart problems from being overweight for so long, loss of muscle tissue, etc. She prayed for that magic pill to lose weight. In time the magic weight loss pill came along and it damaged people's heart valves, not hers I guess bc she was already gone, but it did damage my dad's valve. Then there was the more modern lap band, then the bypass/RNY/DS, etc. and now the sleeve. And actually now the sleeve plication. You gotta realize your doctor is working with the most up to date information. We get used to hearing about things like lap band and it was great for some, or gastric bypass, which some people did well. But now the sleeve is better than those. Maybe you really do need to look at data. Kinda sounds like you really wanted gastric bypass, but what if this is better? I weighed 220 and I was paying cash bc my insurance did not cover ANY WLS or complications from WLS. I asked my doctor which surgery would be best for me long term, most effective, safest, etc. I didn't ask which was cheapest, because I didn't care. He immediately said sleeve. I went to a nutrition meeting with like 6 other people getting WLS. Some lap band and some gastric bypass. All of them were on insurance. They were all getting the lap band or gastric bypass, but all wished they were getting the sleeve. Their insurance did not cover it bc it was too new, That was a year ago so since then a lot are covering it. At a certain point you gotta pick a doctor and trust him. I do have one question though. The sleeve plication is even less risky than the sleeve, from the little I've read here, so if you were not able to lose weight to have the surgery (the 100 lbs) then could you get the plication at least temporarily to keep you from being able to overeat? I just wondered if you had spoken with your doctor about that. The plication is where the stomach is not cut but it is rolled up and stiched so that only a small portion of the stomach is available to put food into. I was wondering though. 100 lbs seems like a lot to lose before surgery, but I know he is trying to help you. I wish you the best.

Hi everyone. I'm Scheduled for lap-band removal Feb 5th. I should be having a revision to the sleeve around 3 months after that (pending insurance approval). I am just curious about the recovery time from lap-band removal. I'd also like to know what you're post op diet from lap-band removal was. Thanks!

I am having revision surgery on the 31st, as far as my understanding goes once it flips (completely around) the stitches have broken and it needs to be repaired otherwise it isn't really tethered to anything. I would ask if it is completely flipped or only turned. hope it helps good luck

I had my revision surgery last week and I'm doing much better.The first couple of days were really painful but the more you move the better it feels. I went to the doctor yesterday and I've lost 4 lbs since he took out about 1/2 of my little 1cc fill during surgery. So funny-I quit losing weight when I couldn't keep anything down. Now I can eat again-yea-and the scale is moving down again. I still have some restriction and have to keep the portions small but everything is much better. Good luck to ya'll.

My story is almost the exact same - same fears and concerns. I had my revision on the 8th so I'm too early to comment on the differences but after a long process of thinking and debating I decided that I was not going to conquer this life long battle by myself without help. What made me really decide to move forward was the metabolic change that comes with the sleeve. It's so different than what we had with the band. Good luck with your decision process!

I'm scheduled for gastric bypass surgery on January 28th and I'm so excited!! I keep getting impatient about waiting but I know it will fly by! Any advice for a newbie?

@ hi Kate, welcome! I've actually been on this site since 2007 but only active since December 2014. I really enjoy it, have gotten a lot of great ideas and counsel, some laughs and I feel a lot of affect tion for a goodly number of the folks who participate. The exchanges bring home to me how human we all are, with our struggles and joys,our sames and differents. I rarely go a day without checking in. I'm 50, married forever with a 28 yo and a 16 yo. From the Midwest cornfields but live near wash DC now. Had a band, revised to sleeve in January and LOVE it. I love to camp and travel. Have been to 16 countries and 48 states (missing Mississippi and new Hampshire oddly). That's about the size of it. :-D

I just started taking the first steps in this journey to a new me. I have some roadblocks already. 1) The surgeon at the hospital that I work at is leaving in September. The surgeon who is replacing him has been working alongside the current surgeon doing bariatric surgeries. He has experience as a surgeon but the wls are a bit newer to him. He hasn't been performing on his own yet. If I go to the hospital I work with (and my ins approved me for wls) then I have better ins coverage. Or...I can go to the surgeon at a neighboring hospital and still be covered but not as much. More experienced there too....what should I do??! 2) my ins requires a 2 year history of documented weights/BMI. I've never been one to go to a pcp...I don't even have one. I do have a long standing history with my obgyn...(i've had 5 kids.) My last appt was in March to have my iud removed due to my concerns with the wgt gain and mood swings I had from it....prior to that was almost 2 years ago when I gave birth to baby #5. That's it. That would be all I have for medical history. How do I know of my ins will accept this? Or are they just going to say I have "baby wgt" and need to eat better and exercise? In so stressed about this. I have an appt with the hospital down the road who will cost more and ins doesn't cover as well with them...but I also am registered for the seminar at my hospital that provides my ins at the end of June... Any advice or knowledge about the 2 year recorded weights? Or about choosing the right hospital? I did make an appt to start seeing a pcp. They got me in for June 1st. I want this surgery so bad. I'm 31 and I feel like I'm 60. My feet hurt like someone is crushing them all the time. I'm tired. Its depressing. I want to be able to run around with my kids and not have to tell them "later" all the time. My mom had bypass surgery 13 years ago. Obesity is very prevalent in my family as is DM2 and heart disease. I'm not on a good track right now...I need this tool to help me get where I want to be.

Hi, I developed 3 keloid scars and and one of them kept getting irritated because it rubbed my bra. I had surgery 1 Dec 2015 and about 6 months later during my doctor follow up I asked him if he could remove them. I scheduled and outpatient minor surgery (scar revision) and everything went well. I was given a cream to put on the wounds for 5 days, I think it was some type of steroid to prevent another scar from forming. Two weeks later it was completely healed. I do have a bit of discoloration in that area but with time you can barely tell. By the way, I lost 100 lb 9 months after my surgery I used to weight 282 lb. In total I lost 127 lb and as of today I weight 156 lb.