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Tina5978- I'm using Dr. Garber on Monday 8/5 for a revision from band to sleeve. Where do you live? -Elisa

Yeah. I got my revision to bypass last week. So far, this has been easier than the sleeve, and I’m just exhausted, but nothing hurts. I had horrible GERD, so they corrected a large hernia and cut my prior sleeve even more, to make it look good (it was enlarged). After all, the surgeon said everything looked great, and I felt ok. I’m hungry, but I think this is more mental than anything. I need to lose around 50 pounds to meet my goal. I was around 20 pounds short with the sleeve, but I could not do it.

Hi all! I had surgery on 6/13 sleeve to bypass revision. I was struggling with the liquid diet and I had some fish (cod & salmon) in small portions but only 10/11 days post op. I feel an aching pain in my left side all of a sudden but am passing stool so I dont think a blockage. I didnt lose any weight on my 2 week marker, I remained the same. Did I damage something? Also having a hard time knowing when I am full. Good luck to everyone out there

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I had RNY surgery. “Not obese enough”??? If you medically qualified for the lapband then I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have medically qualified for the sleeve as well. They go by BMI and I believe it is the same for sleeve and band. (40 or, if you have comorbidities then it can be 35) It sounds like you likely used a general surgeon instead of a bariatric surgeon. Both are qualified to do the procedure but a bariatric surgeon is far more educated on the actual Bariatrics aspect. They are much more informed and actually take a couple of years to specialize in WLS. As opposed to a general surgeon who only learns the procedure and then does it. He doesn’t take that extra time to learn the ins and outs of it all. Even being on the smaller side of overweight, I still don’t understand why a surgeon would perform a procedure that has SO MANY complications and such an incredibly small rate of success. Why would he perform this operation at all? It is such common knowledge within the bariatric community that the band is a hugely bad idea. If you said you had it done several years ago then I might understand more, but you had this in 2017. The surgeon should be ashamed. Did he tell you the complication rate is far higher with the band than with any other procedure? Did he tell you people lose far less weight with the band and the rate of regain over a 5 year period is almost double that of the sleeve and RNY? My surgeon told me it won’t be long before we are seeing commercials saying “if you’ve had the lapband and had complications, call the law office of...” I’m very sorry this happened to you. I am super angry for you, to be honest. Your surgeon did you a huge disservice. I actually had a lapband for a long time and the loss was incredibly slow. After several years, I developed complications and nearly died. I had to have the band removed. I chose to also have a revision to RNY and it is a completely different experience. It’s so much better. If you continue experiencing pain or the other issues you mentioned, I would strongly suggest finding a new surgeon and having a consultation. Try your best to find someone who specializes in Bariatrics rather than just a general surgeon. I had a general surgeon with my band too because I really didn’t know the difference, to be honest. It was a huge mistake. I wasted a lot of years of my life with that awful band. Again, I’m very sorry. I’m seriously angry right now. I can’t believe these surgeons are still doing this procedure. Please don’t give up. I know this is hard. It’s so hard. But just remember why you did this. You wanted a healthier, better quality life. You can still have that. It may just happen a little differently than planned, that’s all. As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

Nurse Nattie - We are surgery twins! I had revision from sleeve to bypass 9/10 also, and i am also a nurse! How is your progress going?

March 11! Revision from sleeve to RNY. So scared of not succeeding.

Pre weight loss surgery I drank the International Delight creamers, and went through a phase of using half and half. Then when I began my weight loss surgery journey 9 years ago, I swapped out those types of creamers for cashew milk and always sugar free sweeteners like Stevia. To me it was creamier than almond milk. Now that I'm 7 weeks post op revision, I've switched yet again. Now I make 4 oz of strong coffee with a full reusable Keurig pod and add it to a Fairlife protein shake. I make them both hot and iced. Then I add complimenting sugar free coffee syrups to that if I want. I can't recommend these syrups enough! https://www.skinnymixes.com/ (I also add these to Greek yogurt, SF tea, SF lemonade, and I've read that some people add them to oatmeal, but I've not tried that, I don't eat oats very often) I'm sure you could switch to half caffeine and half decaf for a while if you want to slowly eliminate the caffeine from your diet. If you truly enjoy the benefits from a warm beverage, maybe eventually you can go straight decaf and use a protein shake so that a warm cup of coffee is beneficial to your diet and you ensure you reach your daily protein goals. That's what I do. I have two cups a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so that's 60 grams of easy protein a day for me. Best wishes!

Hey Crishell! My 2 year anniversary is Jan 11th. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I am about 8 lbs from my initial goal of 180 and am in my initial goal size of a 12 after my high of 330 lbs and a size 28. I had a tummy tuck in October and am feeling pretty good, although I definately got off track over the holidays! I've revised my goal for the new year and am now trying to get to 165 and a size 10 by July when I hope to have a thigh lift and finish my lower body lift. I'm 5'11, so at that point I will be on maintenance. I can't say enough good things about my band, and hope all my Jan'07 friends feel the same! ~Lori

So, anyways, as much as I hate to admit it, I was just dying over waiting on my insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, who I have through my husband's workplace. Well, all that is over now. Hurrah! I could hardly sleep over the fact that I spent 6 months going to Mayo out here, had a physcologist, worked out like crazy, etc. and it all would have been for not except for Blue Cross. Oh, I love them. And it wasn't that hard once I jumped through all the hoops at Mayo ( the craziness is, is that I did this for the bypass, and last month my surgeon said, "get the lap band" much less trama for your young body." ) And all these people said Blue Cross would never cover it, but they did! I guess they revised once in 2004, and then back again shorty after. Mayo wrote my letter, (and probably included the book's worth of info on me they collected in 6 months). After the secretary for my surgeon said they sent it to pre-authorization, I called them 2 days later and the gal there said,"I was very lucky to have Blue Cross/Shield, they are very good for approval and fast", they had it mailed, and exactly 12 days later ( including 4th of July) I and Mayo got the approval by mail. So anyways, for anyone out there like me, who was literally freakin' out, it was easy and painless with the insurance, the approval said "deemed medically necessary" . And also, Mayo in MN just started doing lap bands. Dr. Flo Que, she's great, and gets you in fast! Anyways, I didn't want to post this to gloat, just to let other worry-warts like me get some positive stuff, because I always loved the positive posts for insurance. Surgery 8-8-06

Hello All, I had the lap band put in five years ago, and it hasn't been the best journey. I've had two revisions due to the band being punctured at fills, one in which it snapped and was poking me all over inside. We've never been able to find the sweet spot...it's either no restriction or so tight I can't get good Protein down. So in the past 5 months or so I have had unexplained swelling in my feet, ankles and calves. My regular physcian says it's due to sitting at work. Long story short, I had my band released a little bit (like .5 cc) and it was so loose that I had no restriction. She put more in, no restriction filled it back to where it was too tight at one point and still no restriction. I am now scheduled for an endoscopy to see if I have band erosion. Honestly, I feel like my body is rejecting the band. I'm holding Fluid everywhere...my belly feels like I have a bowling ball in it, my shoulders ache and my chiropractor today confirmed that he can tell my body has changed..he said my body is much tighter indicating to him I am full of fluids. My body hurts, my feet, ankles and knees are the worst...I can hardly stand to walk. I can't get comfortable when I try to sleep So I am wondering, have any of you been through this, and if you have, what did you do to help yourself? I cut out as much sodium in my diet to see if that was an issue, but it hasn't made a difference. TIA!

I am a band-to-bypass revision patient, too! I have been using rogaine for a couple of years due to thin, fine hair and I was really worried about hair loss after surgery. I actually had a 2-part surgery because my band was removed a year ago last December and my bypass wasn't until April 2015. I had expected hair loss right around the time of my revision because it was 16 weeks post-op, which is when I lose my hair, but I didn't have much. After revision, however, at exactly 16 weeks I lost a lot of hair. I had been taking Biotin and using rogaine up to that point, and I do believe that it helped my hair come back much faster than it has in the past. Not only that, but it's now wavy! That was an unexpected perk! Honestly, that short period where I had "bad hair" was completely worth it, though. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Congratulations on taking back control of your health. You won't be disappointed.

I have a date of June 17 for a Lap Band Revision to a Sleeve with Dr Alvarez at EndoBariatics. 3 weeks from today!

Quote I had a consult with a surgeon and he's trying to talk me into the band. Given my bmi is only 36, He thinks I will loose a great amount of weight and become malnourished. I believe there are other reason for his push on the band. Like follow ups and the fills, means more . I over heard him through the wall, to the room next to mine, trying to push the band on another patient. Should I give the band a try first then have revision later if it fails?? So stressed over this! I have had the band for five years and for about the first 2 1/2 it worked great. I am finishing my final process to have a revision to the sleeve. Because my complications with the band are becoming so unbearable! I am actually on an all starch diet due to gastritis which I have NEVER had in my life. Now with these last few weeks constant diarrhea and dry heaves are horrible and make u feel dizzy! Honestly I would choose the sleeve first if I knew what I know now. Aftercare is set up for any and everything required. You don't even come in till you feel you need it. Why put yourself through two surgeries the sleeve was the newest option When I got my band five years ago Chat With me privately if you want to keep talking about it

I had a consult with a surgeon and he's trying to talk me into the band. Given my bmi is only 36, He thinks I will loose a great amount of weight and become malnourished. I believe there are other reason for his push on the band. Like follow ups and the fills, means more $$. I over heard him through the wall, to the room next to mine, trying to push the band on another patient. Should I give the band a try first then have revision later if it fails?? So stressed over this!

I'm a band revision to bypass on 10/5/16. I have three weeks of pre-op diet (4 shakes a day with raw veggies to snack). I'm on day 4 of no real food (I'm not a big veggie fan) and it's rough. I almost had a major breakdown last night as I wanted a piece of meat so bad. I had to settle for some cabbage, mushrooms and peppers. Wishing you guys the best over the next couple of weeks! It will be tough, but we have to stay focused on the prize. Tammy

I am 57 and had sleeve last year. Revision to bypass this year. Plenty of people here your age and much older that have done well. Good luck!

I am 65. I got a lap band at 55 but it recently slipped and caused me to develop a hiatal hernia. So I got it removed, the hernia fixed and a revision to a gastric bypass all in one surgery. Recovery was a bit harder than the lap band but I don't think it was that I'm 10 years older as much was how much more involved a bypass is than a lap band. You are never too told to try to improve your health, and the benefits far outweigh the risks, so go for it! And we are all here to help you get through it.

I'm SO GLAD someone asked that. I just had my port revision/replacement last week. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as the original surgery. I just hope the scars heal! I HAVE A STRANGE QUESTION, after my lap band I couldn't pee very well. It's been 5 days since the revision and I can go per but it takes forever! Did this happen to u?

I had my revision surgery on 11-14-2012 after surgery they told me the band removal went fine and they were able to repair a hiatal hernia , that was a surprise to them ( and me ) and sleeve me in one procedure. I was SO relieved to have had it done in once procedure. The day after surgery I started throwing up Water and unable to keep it down . After a couple more tried they ordered an EGD for me . They told me if the scope went through easily then and showed no obstructions I should be fine and not need another surgery , but if it did not I could have excess scar tissue from the band and I could need another surgery . WHAT !! Yikes . So they did it and it showed no obstruction some swelling around the band area ( where the band was ) they told me to take liquids slow . For several days I was still throwing up just water, in fact it freaked me out because it looked like I was throwing up some blood as well. Finally around day 3 or so the water was staying down . So finally I was able to go home today . NOT an easy process that's for sure , but I am glad its over. The doc told me to progress my liquids slowly , as long as I was keeping liquids down I was fine , the minute i started if i did throwing up liquids I needed to come back . But to just take it slow . Now 10 days out and I hae had a few instances of throwing up since i got home. But I just back track and go on Clear Liquids again and It gets better. Since I was unable to eat prior to surgery due to my band i sometimes wonder if I will ever be able to eat solids again , but this HAS to be better than the band and the pain and issues i had with them .

Hello all! I'm researching getting the VSG surgery but I don't have my gallbladder. I had it removed about 4 years ago. While watching some YouTube videos I noticed a few people that were having complications simply because they no longer had their gallbladders. If I remember correctly, it was something about bile getting into their sleeves I think. It was giving them complications and some were told their only option was to have a revision to Gastric Bypass. Just wondering if those were just isolated events or rare events even. Has anyone who has had the VSG surgery after having their gallbladders removed either have/had complications as a result of that or haven't had any complications at all due to that? Thanks so much! mallymaven

I am in. Starting a little late but I know I am going to need some support over the next few weeks. I am getting a port revision on Friday and I am hoping to actually have some restriction along with that. He is going to put 6ccs in. We'll see. That is what I am "supposed" to be filled to now but I am not sure that it always worked. After the first fill they had a terrible time getting into my port. Anyway, I set a small goal but I want to ROCK it! I would love to be under 250 come Christmas!!:wink2: ~A

I agree with you that it should not be a winner/loser type of thing. However, I've seen that happen and I think people need to understand what mindset their doctors come from. Its going to be getting you in for surgery. You haven't been far enough out yet. Its only 7 months for you. Wait until you hit the 2 year mark. Or even the 1 year. Its not a secret that there is not a lot of support for many in terms of that support like what you are talking about. Go to long term support groups and that's what you hear about. To be successful, the ones I know aren't in any specific program, they're more attached to the long term type of groups that are more online and the like. Either that or they get revisions. I'm also saying what I said because the surgeon, he stated that my anatomy is normal and there is nothing special about it. I can be treated just like any other patient. If that is true, that would be true for all sleeves. He goes against the ASMBS in that sense. One of the reasons why I say investigate your doctor. Had I known his outlook was this way, I would have thought differently. Its that far end, long term, look that you are looking at, that many people don't ask about. Its the surgery, its the big event. Its not what happens after when I've gotten regain. How many patients and what protocols do you do then. You don't see that advertised. You are right from terms of the persons' point of view, but the surgeon is not graded by the ASMBS for COE's in terms of how many people and how long people stay in a program. They are graded on # of surgeries done. As for satisfaction, again do you see any intro sessions that talk long term satisfaction? How they deal with complications 2 years out or more? No. Its the surgery. Medical ethics. If you allege a HIPAA violation and get your care dropped, and there are laws against retaliation, would you wonder about medical ethics? I sure would want to know if that situation came up. What about you all?

Hi Polly, I hope all goes well with your appointment and you and your PA can decide your best option. I am currently waiting on approval for lapband to RNY revision surgery. My Surgeon suggested RNY for me due to all my GERD issues. I went in wanting the sleeve, but he said with all the reflux and aspirating I was having, RNY would be better for me. My insurance advocate had put in for a surgery date of October 14th, to allow time for insurance company to review my info and give an answer, but I am hoping to get it changed to an earlier date. I was told by my insurance company that if a later date is placed on the paperwork, they would review it at a later time because it isn't a priority, but if it is put in for like a couple of weeks before a projected date, they would get to it faster. I am so ready to get rid of this band and get back on track with my weight loss. I hate that I have gained about 40lbs back since the start of my problems two years ago, but I am not giving up on that healthy life I sought after. Good luck to you!!!!!! And everyone else

Hello everyone :-) this is my first post so hope u all can see it. I had lap band surgery 9/2009, and will be having a revision to RNY Sept 30, 2014. I am at my all time highest weight now of 386, and pray this surgery will give me the tools to be a healthier person. I had testing in July of this year that showed my band had slipped up, causing a stricture at the base of my esophagus, who knows how long it's been that way. I will be having my surgery at St. Vincent Carmel with Dr. Christopher Evanson, who is planning to remove the band and complete the RNY. I enjoy reading everyone's posts.. Love & Prayers of success to everyone

I agree that 350 dollars is A LOT of money for your medical records! Unless you had 50 years worth the medical records copied out, it shouldn't have been more than at least 30 dollars (given that you had x-rays etc. included in the records, if not then it shouldn't have been more than about 5 dollars!) I'm not calling you a liar either. If they charged you 350 dollars you were MAJORLY ripped off! Medical Records Copying Charges Louisiana Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1299.96 For records, a reasonable charge not to exceed: $1.00 per page for first 25 pages $0.50 per page for pages 26-500 $0.25 per page thereafter Plus handling charge of $25.00 Plus actual postage For x-rays, microfilm, electronic, and imaging media: Reasonable reproduction costs Plus handling charge of $20.00 for hospitals, $10.00 for other health care providers