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Bionic, can you explain your insurance coverage? The would cover a revision but not a virgin sleeve?

Well, you are probably surprised because you list advantages that are really marketing gimmicks and not really advantages. So it is understandable why you are surprised. 1. MUCH less invasive Yea, it is less invasive of a SURGERY, but in reality is more invasive in daily life, and it is only slightly less invasive then getting a sleeve. Some would argue it is actually more invasive then the sleeve, since it creates a restriction point "stoma" to get food stuck on instead of just making the stomach smaller. 2. Reversible if needed. Well, when exactly is it needed to reverse the band surgery? Well frankly, when it fails due to complications......Slips, Erosions, Infections, Port Flips, Acid Reflux. 3. Fewer complications. That may be true for the surgery, but as for actual long term complications, it simply isn't true. In fact many would argue that long term complications are more with the band. I think that is pretty obviously true, but bury your head in the sand and pretend like it won't happen to you, if you want. 4. No malabsorption are vitamin deficiency. Well some people need malabsorption to be successful, and why do I have to take Vitamins everyday on the band, if it is not an issue? 5. No dumping syndrome. Well, true, but if you eat those things that cause dumping with a bypass and you have a band, you are pretty much guaranteed to not lose weight with the band. So what really is the point? What your really saying is that the band will let you cheat and eat sugary stuff without a consequence other then no weight loss. 6. Corrects overeating behaviour. NO it does not correct the behaviour. It prevents it to some extent, but so do the other surgeries, so how is that an advantage over the others. It doesn't truely correct the behaviour, because the people who don't have restriction because the band isn't adjusted correctly simply aren't going to lose weight. If you remove it, you behaviour isn't corrected, you gain the weight back. 7. LIFELONG? Yea right, thats why there are so many banders who have had the band for so long. Please everyone with any research will tell you that for a majority of people 10 years is about the most you can expect to get out of the band before it has to come out, or has to be unfilled because of complications. Man, every one of your reasons are BS. Quit reading the marketing BS of these companies and think about the realities of the band.

That sucks .. my port is sideways so the surgeon has to do my fills directly. My 1st fill is on September 15th so I am hoping everything goes ok. Let us know how your revision goes.

Thank you so much! I'm so frustrated and it's been so hard trying to find information on why my port flipped. I did read that it happens in 2% of patients which makes me feel wonderfulllll haha Were you swollen with your port revision?

I was banded on March 22, 2011 and just had my port revision sx done yesterday. They also did my first fill of 6cc. I had to get a live x-ray done before leaving since the Water they gave me to drink wouldn't go down. He ended up taking out 1.5cc. (He stuck the needle right through my bandage but was actually able to access the port this time. That hurt...) Anyway, i felt a rush of cold hit the bottom of my stomach and watched the barium run through the port. So now I have 4.5cc in my band. But I will have to agree with you. I am in sooo much more pain now than I was after the original sx. They gave me liquid pain meds but they don't seem to be helping. I can barely get up from sitting or lying down, and forget about going to the bathroom by myself. Thank goodness for great husbands! I am getting very little sleep as I can't lie on my usual side. I'm wondering how I will survive work tomorrow as I am a pharmacy tech standing and running around for 9 hours. Good luck to you, don't worry, you aren't alone. I'm only 21 so I thought I would have it easy and heal faster/see better results. But I too am one of the lucky 2% that needed a little extra help. I've already lost 34 lbs before my first fill, believe me, we CAN do this!!

I spoke to the doc's insurance person last Tuesday - so assuming she sent in my information by Wednesday - I was approved on Friday -- and she called me this morning! 3 days = surreal. 1st available surgery date is Aug 31st -- however I am scheduled to go to a conference (in Vegas) the week of 9/13-15 -- is that doable??? (not worried about not being able to eat, as I can back my Protein drinks and instant Soup.) OR should I ask for a date after the conference? WOW Donna Metro DC area Banded 7/07 and soon to be Sleeved !!

Let's see... here are some things to consider. Here's my story. I had a band for 3 years. I was successful until my band slipped and I had serious enough complications that my quality of life wasn't too good and I started regaining weight. Once that I happened I also had to admit to myself that the band was farily unpleasant even when I was losing weight. I hated the feeling of food sitting at the top of my stomach and I had frequent sliming and stuck food issues. But I had just kind of been in denial about all my issues because my weight loss was good. I fought for insurance coverage for revision for over a year so I had lots of time to do research. My insurance would cover a new band but not a revision to anything else. It was a long, soul-destroying process - no point in detailing here . For a revision, I was willing to go anywhere in the country or Mexico and I spent a lot of time reading boards and researching stats. I also found out about the sleeve and spent lots of time researching it and bypass. I also went to an OH conference, met with several surgeons, did phone consults, you name it. I even watched video of all of the surgeons I was considering doing the procedure. I admit it, I'm a compulsive researcher. Surgeons - in Washington I felt the best choice was Dr. Billing at Puget Sound Surgical. He's done more sleeves than other surgeons in the area. He's pioneered a technique he refers to as a "lap-sleeve". He's always interested in learning and sharpening his skills - I found him to be both confident and caring without the arrogance that afflicts so many surgeons. Dr. Billing removed my lap band in October of 2009. Because of the insurance issues we didn't convert at the same time. He would have but his preference was to wait because he was concerned about damage to my stomach and giving it time to flatten back out and heal before doing the sleeve. The only two other surgeons I was willing to go to were Dr. Cirangle in SF and Dr. Aceves in Mexico. In June I did end up going to Dr. Aceves. I had a scheduling issue and had to have my surgery during a specific week. I also lost my legal case and had to self-pay. Dr. Aceves and his staff were fantastic and I appreciated have 3 full days of care in the hospital. Late this summer I developed a serious hernia. My abdominal wall was separated from my sternum to below my belly button. My primary care doc actually sent me to Dr. Billing who did the repair surgery three weeks ago. Other surgeons could have been kinda pissy in this situation - after I, he didn't do my sleeve. But he understood why I had to go to Dr. Aceves and was more than happy to help me. Once again, he was great, I trusted the surgical decisions he made, and I'm doing well. (He also told me my sleeve looked great and took a picture of it for me while he was in there - nice since he wasn't the surgeon who did it). Bypass or sleeve for revision: I did a huge compilation of research on revisions as part of my legal case. You can read my summary. The bottom line is that a sleeve is an appopriate revision for a failed lap band patient. Dr. Billing believes that sleeve will overtake bypass and may completely replace lap band surgery in the next 5-10 years just because the outcomes are so good. He said something really interesting to me a week ago when I had a follow-up. He told me that his sleeve patients, even his revisions, are far and away his happiest patients. They feel great, they have little to no complications and they seem to have little or no difficultiy maintaining their weight loss. http://vsgappeal.blogspot.com/2010/07/summary-appeal-letter-studies-and.html In my case I had regained my lap band weight loss and was back at 236 when I had my surgery in June. I'm already down to 174. I really didn't expect to lose that quickly. What really amazes me about my old band vs. the sleeve is that it's not just about limiting my volume. I don't know whether it's the grehlin being gone or just how quickly the satiety switch gets set off in a smaller stomach but I just don't really crave food or want to eat to fullness. When I first started eating solids I ate too much a few times and it was really uncomfortable. I backed off a bit so I wouldn't get to that point but it's really more than that. I just feel find and completely uninterested in food after a few bites so it's very easy to stop before my little sleeve is packed full. Somehow the sleeve changed how I feel about food - what I want to eat and when I feel like pushing the plate away. I haven't heard anyone I know say that about their gastric bypass. I also was uncomfortable with the other health issues of bypass like dumping and malnutrition. Another suggestion about surgeons: I've met most of the surgeons in the Seattle area who do weight loss surgeries. I think most are good doctors and are well intentioned. But every surgeon's opinion is colored by their own experience. They have what they do well, they have their comfort zones, and some are more willing than others to push beyond them. Sleeve is new and some surgeons are just now starting to look it it. Others, like Cirangle and Billing, have been doing them awhile and feel confident in the technique and in the successes their seeing with their patients. Dr. Lauter has done some sleeves but not a huge amount. He seemed like a great guy to me but it's worth considering that if he's most comfortable with bypass then that's what he's most likely to suggest to his patients. And it stands to reason that he would. All in all I'd say my research shows the sleeve to be as good and in some ways a better revision option than bypass. I prefer Dr. Billing to other local surgeons and would suggest meeting with him if you have the time to come up north. Even if you don't go with him it's good to have another medical opinion. Take care. I'm sure whatever you decide will be right for you. Happy to answer any questions you might have. At just about 6 months in to my revision I'm no expert but I can certainly share my own experiences so far.

Most surgeons take out the band and do the revision to the sleeve at the same time. I have heard of a few doing it in two different surgeries but it's not the norm.

Bionic- This is truly one of the best posts I've read in a long time. I really appreciated the insight and I'm not even a revision patient. Amanda

I can't can't can't believe that I am only 5 days pre-op. Unreal that the big day is almost here. So incredibly grateful for finding this board and all of the wonderful and helpful people on here. This board is a gem. I hope Monday-Wednesday goes by quickly at work. I want to get on that plane and head to San Diego NOW!!!

I had the Roux en Y (RNY)gastric bypass in 2004. I had great success w that one. Lost a ton of weight. I weighed 315 date of surgery. My lowest weight was about 170. I gained 60 within this past year I just had the revision done Aug 13 and so far I have lost 15 :/

15 since august 15th seems pretty good to me. I was revised from band to bypass on june 12th and have lost 26 since. I would expect slower results with a revision at least that's what I was told. Good luck with everything!

Any one experience pain in esophagus after band to sleeve revision? I thought it was acid reflux, but now I'm not sure. (11 days post op) Also having pain chest in left side at times? Any suggestions?

I am having a revision, lap band to RNY in June. How long did your surgery take. I am guessing 2 hours plus?????

Hello everyone! Haven't ever posted on here so I might be a little shy or nervous! Lol Just getting back on YouTube (where I first documented my journey) and saw all the rough stuff everyone has been through.. I had a slip and they were able to fix it by just removing saline. A couple of months went by and the same thing happened. I ended up having revision Surgery on Dec 2nd. The doctor wanted to do it in 2 steps but my insurance company wouldn't go for it. After he got it approved for me to get a sleeve he ended up doing 3 surgeries in one. I had my band removed, a sleeve, and a huge hiatal hernia fixed/removed. It was the most painful thing I have ever felt in my life!! Today I am 5 days post op and dying for some food that I could chew!! I snuck two saltines and chewed, chewed, chewed... Anyone ever had a problem with this? I'm gonna try to keep posting regularly! Thanks for reading!! Stay strong and healthy!! Cris

I asked my surgeon this very same question today. He says banders already know the tricks to get food in and old habits haven't been broken. This is another reason why he makes revision patients wait three months - they have to reestablish good eating habits. It's energy in versus energy out - same as the band. However seeing most of us couldn't eat with a band and weight loss is extreme due to malnourishment, it makes sense that being able to actually eat food to lose weight will take longer than a starvation method. I was mystified about this too!

Congratulations! I had my revision from band to rny this month. The surgery recovery was way easier in my experience. So glad I did it!!

I, too, used to have the band. I had about 2 years between the time I had all of my fluid removed (due to a band slippage) and the day I had my RNY conversion. It has seriously been the best thing ever. I was so worried it would be this huge life change and it simply has not been. I guess I was comparing it to the awful experience I had with the band and NEVER being able to eat anything normal and certainly not even drinking before 2 pm. It simply has been a very much welcomed change into normal eating. I don't feel like I've been a slower loser due to the revision. It has been 6 months since my surgery and i am down 82 lbs with about 20 more pounds to go until I'm at my goal weight. Best decision ever for me. Good luck to you!

I decided against a sleeve revision as the sleeve wasn't addressing the actual problem. After a few years of trial and error I worked it out and solved my life long problem. I will be shortly launching My Simple Steps to Health as I have managed to lose 65 kgs by myself eating loads of food and feeling happy, calm and it's changed my life. Should be launching in April and I am more than happy to help everyone who signs up from Bariatric Pal for a heavily discounted amount. Thanks and look forward to helping you. Emma

I have united heathcare insurance after my deductable i paid about 1251.00 out of pocket. There was no requirement but to pay deductable i went from the band to the sleeve revision

Or at least an upper gi. Michelle Post op revision band to bypass 9-28-17 Sw 276 Day of surgery 252 Cw 248 Goal Healthy BMI 154.

Hey there folks. My name is Will. I'm 35 years old and In 2015 I had the gastric bypass sleeve. I have not lost the weight with that that I wanted to or hoped to. I have contacted a surgeon in my TN area and am going to the pre surgery seminar tomorrow night. Then I have my appt with the head nurse and surgeon on Friday. I'm hoping that he will say I can qualify for the bypass. I'm not happy with my current situation. I'm having stomache pain and discomfort and a lot of diarrhea. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated Thanks Will

I also had the band back in 2007. It was the most popular option at the time and gastric bypass still had some hiccups. As a registered nurse I do alot of research before making a decision and that included the decision to transition into gastric bypass. I am going to be 67 years old and have struggled with dieting and weight issue as long as I can remember. The band worked well until I had to have the fluid released in 2016 when I had my breast reduction surgery. I love the outcome from a double G to a D and able to go braless relived much pain in my neck and shoulders. When the fluid had to be put back in it wasn't so easy. It took 4 months before I was at the same point as before the surgery but had problems with it. in the four months, I gained 22 lbs. I never found that sweet spot and had a lot of reflux. Finally deciding to go back to my surgeon this past March and had some testing done. I was found to have esophageal dysmotility. It is an irregular movement of the esophagus when eating related to the band and to age. I had the band removed April 24th. It was decided I was a good candidate for gastric roux y bypass but my surgeon waits 4-5 months before converting. So I spent the summer thinking I had my last meal and gained close to 40 lbs. My own doing and only has added to the weight I already had to lose and regret thinking in the way. I had to go through the requirements all over again, Psychiatry, nutritionist, cardiology, upper gi series, endoscopy. But those months also gave me the time to really soul search about this surgery as a good choice. I did a lot of research online and listened to over 100 youtube videos from people who had the surgery. The good, the bad the ugly. Not having a lot of years left to my life I would like to not be overweight for the rest of it. I've made this choice because it virtually eliminates reflux, gives me the best chance to get this weight off. I have 100 lbs to lose. Hopefully then to not be borderline diabetic, get rid of my cholesterol medication and high blood pressure medication. Living a healthy life for the rest of my life. Thank you for reading my story. I'm sure I am not unique to many other strugglers out there and how our society treats us so differently when we are overweight. I experience every single day. Is affected my business and my personal life profounding. I'm just done with it. I'm fed up of swollen feet at the end of the day and struggling to complete the stairs in our home.

I had band to bypass revision surgery in March 2016. I had my band removed in December 2015. My insurance required a 90 day timeframe. It was as the previous person said - had to go through all the same testing as the first time around. But it was well worth it! Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all I'm new to the forum. Had gastric sleeve done in 2012 was 370lbs lost little over 100lbs. October 3, 2017 had revision to bypass due to acid reflux. Think I'm losing slow. Surgery weight 270lbs today 245lbs just about 8 weeks out. Anyone else have revision or surgery around October 3rd. Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app