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Oh man Well if the stitches on your port gave way, I don't think you'd feel a difference up in your chest where your band is placed. The results from the x-ray were normal? How much of a fill do you have? By you saying you can eat less and less, I'm thinking you need an un-fill, but I'd assume your surgeon would have done this automatically when you told him that you were so uncomfortable. I'm sorry you're so miserable If I were you I'd also be looking into a revision. What good is weight loss if you're constantly in pain and miserable?

Yes, it is... and it was a surprise to me too! My goal was to get to size 10, but somehow I skipped the tens and went right to an 8 from 12 (mostly because I am always a little chicken to try on a new size until the old size gets baggy!) I started at size 20 and today reached my original goal weight of 155. For me at 5'8", that is a size 8 My revised goal weight is 145 and I am now also working on toning things up with yoga and walking! Good luck! You can do it! RoseAnne

RAAinNH, did you already get approved for revision? We are going down that path with my daughter now and I am curious how easy it will be to get approved.

As a band to bypass revision I think you are definitely making the right choice. I could tell you so much about the years of misery with my band and damage done by it. Feel free to message me if you want details.

I went through something very similar. I lost about 100-120# (or thereabouts) but still had more to get to goal. My losses were grinding to a halt and I had to ask myself some tough questions. 1. Do I actually WANT to be slimmer? I had lost enough that I was much healthier, was able to move and do stuff comfortably but I had a nice matronly look about me. the remnants of the "fatsuit" made me feel safe and comfortable. The decision to really push and get to goal was a little like deciding to strip in public - it was very very unsettling to me. 2. I had let certian "healthy foods" become my new junk food. Quest bars are fine once a day, but when you start nibbling them like the new snickers bar... your losses will stall. I had to really decide to not use food that way anymore. Really. Not even healthy food. 3. I had to change up my workouts to give me a bit of extra "burn". I went to high intensity interval training and loved it. I decided to go for it and hit my goal of losing 150# 14 months from my revision. I found out that for me, the loss of the fatsuit gave me a great deal of angst. My biggest learning from all this was the deep understanding of how that "anxiety" has always contributed to regains in the past. My surgery was Dec 2011. I hit goal in Feb 2013. It is now almost first of july 2015 and i am still maintaining... and I am very aware of all this now. The angst over how I look (that being exposed thing) is pretty much gone now but it was harder then you might think...

I had revision at age 73, 30 years after my RNY. I was on the bariatric clinic’s program for eight months prior to the revision surgery. I lost 70 pounds pre-surgery by cutting out all sugar, flour, white potatoes, rice, and processed foods. I’ve lost a total of 106 pounds to date. There were complications from the revision surgery so it did not result in any consumption restrictions. The additional weight loss is due to sticking with the plan above. I encourage you to do some reading about sugar and food addiction. I recommend the following books. Food junkies: recovery from food addiction, by Vera Tarman Why Diets Fail (because you’re addicted to sugar), by Nicole Avena & John Talbot Weight loss surgery does not treat food addiction, by Connie Stapleton

I just logged in to search SPECIFICALLY for this topic! I just finished Women, food, and God (by Geneen Roth) yesterday...and the emotions and fear coming up is not something I expected! But this is one of those books that I think, I HOPE, can truly open our hearts and help us find healing if we will let it.... The problem is, (and I'm sure many of you can relate) that my fear that without having food to numb the pain or provide an escape-life would be unbearable...that I wouldn't be able to cope...And this (illogical, ridiculous, destructive) fear sometimes overrides my deepest and most sincere desires to be healthy and maintain and a lean weight. I got lapband in 07, and was very successful, losing over 100 pounds... (238 down to 132, currently 156) But I know I believed the "lie" or the illusion that once I was skinny, life would be easier to manage or deal with. (Cause skinny people don't have problems, right? Haha!) For a while, I even convinced myself that this was true.... I loved being a size 2-4. I loved the attention. I loved fitting into ANYTHING I tried on and looking great. BUT..... being thin didn't change how my parents saw me... it didn't make my father realize I'm a talented, successful woman and a great mother.... It didn't stop my husband from spiraling in his own terrible addiction which nearly killed him and almost destroyed our family. And it sure as hell didn't stop me from eating my weight in ice cream to numb the pain. IT WAS NOT A MAGIC PILL, it did not CURE the wounds and brokenness and did not make life easier to cope with. My band is no longer working now. I had a dilation in November, and I think it has just continued to worsen, and I've gained 25 pounds! This has been terrifying, and incredibly frustrating. I've done HCG, atkins, paleo, and liquid diets, and have joined a crossfit gym, working out harder than I EVER have in my life! But then I sabotage it and eat crap over a weekend or for birthdays, etc, so now, slowly, the weight has continued to pile onto my butt. And dieting in between my fits of emotional eating has just started me back on the hellish rollercoaster I had been on for 1/2 my life before getting the band. Some of this I weight I probably needed to gain, but 10-15 lbs of it is just stubborn fat from my impulsive choices... I feel like the fat is my punishment for being stupid, and my body retaliating from the years of not eating, rollercoastering, abusing it, and neglecting it. Now that I can eat more- it doesn't seem to matter WHAT I eat, I gain. (I joke with my husband that I could gain weight eating a carrot.) I desperately want to get the sleeve- I wanted it MONTHS ago, but I know I also subconsciously believe that the sleeve will be the cure to my current situation... and it's irreversible.... so if I fail at the sleeve, like I am now failing with the band...then what? Am I going to have WLS revisions every five years for the rest of my life? Ah, I don't think so!!! I'VE GOT TO GET TO THE UNDERLYING ISSUES, otherwise they are just going to continue to fester and undermine anything I do. I've got to become whole with my relationship to food before a revision is an option.... I don't want to spend the rest of my life loving and fearing or hating and resenting every damn thing I put in my mouth. I want to be able to live like a "normal" person. Ugh... why couldn't I just "switch" my food addiction to an exercise addiction, or a compulsive cleaning addiction....(sigh) Haha! So those of you who feel you have conquered your food addictions, or needs to medicate/escape/numb with food.... how did you do it? What, specifically, did you do? Thanks ladies! Have a great day!

I am one of the lucky bandsters where everything that could go wrong, went wrong! I got the band when I was 20 yrs old. Surgeon was horrible, had to have a port revision surgery when I was 21. Had the go around with fills... didn't have any for months when they thought they had, to overfilling me and taking everything out of my band. I had my band-sleeve conversion two weeks ago and I had so much scar tissue on my stomach and liver from the placement of the band that they couldn't do the sleeve because of the swelling. After 3 surgeries with the lapband I am finally going to have the sleeve on August 26! I am so happy and excited! I am 25 now and know this is just going to make my life so much better in the long run! My surgeon said the pain from my removal surgery is going to be pretty equivalent to the sleeve, but I'm not sure I buy it lol. How was everyone's pain level? Any advice for after surgery?

Hello All, This has been quite a journey for me. I had a lapband done in June of 2009 and due to a flipped port I decided to go ahead and have a revision surgery. I had lost 70 pounds with the lapband but had gained it all back. I suffer from depression and bipolar 1 and I didn't have the coping skills necessary to FOCUS on a health lifestyle. Well, I have been given a new lease on life. I am loving my vertical sleeve. I make better food choices and have not had a single problem in the past five weeks. I also have a therapist and am taking the proper medications. What a great opportunity I have been given to be able to regain sound physical and mental health. Loving life and wishing the best to all of my fellow sleevers.

Just like it says. My stomach is very sensitive and I have a hard time gauging what I can do. Even when it has been well enough time for me to be able to eat again or take a sip of something, it isn't. I have been sick all evening and I guess this happens 2-3 times a week. It is a very painful process for me. I go in for my third endoscopy this Thursday. I just had one almost three weeks ago, I guess it was and another four weeks before that. I have a stricture that keeps coming back. I am not sure how many times the surgeon is going to dilate it before he decides to go ahead and do a revision. I am feeling much better than I did in the first couple of months after my surgery but I am nowhere close to feeling normal by any means. I love the fact that I have lost weight and have more energy and can get around with more ease. My RA and OA have really improved, but feeling like I do right now is the pits.

I had lap band revision (reposition of the band) with hernia repair, and the recovery was a little tougher than the original lap band surgery because of the scar tissue on my stomach. Basically weaker than last time, but felt better both times by day 8. good luck!

We need more information. Which type of bypass did you get? Distal? How much intestine was bypassed? Or did they just do the stomach stapling? DS is more extreme than bypass. Sometimes RNY can be revised to DS but not always. Each person is different. The OP is describing the old stomach stapling procedure but calling it bypass. I think a lot of folks with the 70s/80s version of the stomach stapling were told it was bypass, I've seen that written too many times for them to not be told they were bypassed. If it was the old stomach stapling revision options are better. If it was bypass revision options are limited.

Hi all, im new to this site but open to suggestions , So my story is , i had a gastric bypass in April 2017, weight loss great, all my medical conditions settled , but i had pain in the insides of the left rib area from quite early on, i couldn't get to the pain by touch, i had the camera and CT scans , i was later informed i had ulcers in the new pouch, i was relieved to find out i did have something wrong and this pain would go away , so in 2018 i had a bypass revision to have the ulcers removed , my new pouch had lengthened (stretched due to acide reflux) , so i had further surgery to shorten this and the ulcers were taken out. Further complications arose, as they removed the ulcers they caught my bowel , more surgery was needed and i lost 5 pints of blood, recovering from the surgery , 5 months later I'm still in excruciating pain on the left side, pain killers don't help at all, and my GP said it was my 'Back' i knew this wasn't what was wrong with me and i felt i had no support or getting anywhere with my condition. The hospital were also at a loss what was happening with me, and tried to diagnose me as depressed, the only depression i had was pain and not been believed. i took it upon myself to do my own research and i have came up with Bile reflux, not acid, the GP listened to me and agreed to try me on some medication, as i wa passed myslef by this time, after 5 days of been on the medication , at last i'm getting some relief ,i cant explain the pain i have been in, i thought i was going insane at one point as all the tests were negative, scans all clear , pain that i couldn't get too, yet it had me drinking bottles of strong pain relief to literally put me in bed . My question is ? has anyone else had this complaint of BILE REFLUX and if so what was the outcome as i understand the medication can only be take short term?

I am so sorry. I totally understand because I had my lapband in Mexico. When I started having complications, everyone treated me horribly. Luckily, my insurance took off the WLS exclusion. I had about ten doctors practically hang up on me before I finally found one who would revise my band to the sleeve. Just the mention of Mexico and they would end the conversation. I hope you can find a doctor in your area. I pray things get better for you. You should not have had to deal with any of that. I am so glad you stood up for yourself. You are a superwoman!!!

I did go from sleeve to RNY. It did eliminate the gerd but I still take the protonix once a day when I wake up until I talk to the surgeon at my next appointment in July. I’m 9 months out from my revision to RNY have lost about 60lbs and I’ve been maintaining at 150-155 for almost 4 months now.

My first go round (dec 2019) I went from 279 to 264 (15lbs). When I had my revision for gerd (aug 2020) I went from 220 to 212 (8lbs). Both were 2 weeks long. Edited to add- my plan was 3-4 protein shakes a day, all the celery and cucumbers I wanted and 1-2 cups of broth.

Hi I'm new to these forums and I just got my sleeve this past Tuesday. I was a band-to-sleeve revision and my doctor did it in one surgery. The first night was painful but so far everything is going well with recovery. I've been drinking my liquids and had no appetite--yeah! I was surprised that I hadn't lost any weight so far b/c I've been basically eating nothing for the past 4 days but maybe its due to all the bags of fluids they gave me? Anyways, I look forward to being on the boards and not being alone on my journey!

I thought I was over hot flashes, but the LBS threw me back into them, but not as bad as they were. Sorry for all the problems you two have had. Just last Wednesday I had to have my port revised (flipped) but nothing major like you two. Good luck!

Hi Scott, I too have the band and have had some problems, I just went in for an EDG now I'm waiting for my Dr. To call, I lost really well at first, but after two years started having problems, I was down to 135 lbs, gained back about 25 lbs, I was at 189 starting weight, but I want to keep my band and have them do a revision and plication done know, yes it is hard but I did it and now what some thing that I can lose this weight and keep it off, with the plication, I was reading your story and whated to wish you and your family good luck!

Hey guys, so my mom is looking to have her lap band removed and get the sleeve like I did on the 10th. Problem is her insurance excludes the revision. We had the most horrible dr originally for our lap band 5yrs ago and were self pay, Felix Speigel. I don't want my mom going to another chop shop like him and my doctor would be wicked expensive. I've read a lot of posts referring to a Dr Aceves in Mexico. If you've used him or know someone who has would you mind telling me your story, good/bad/ugly and if you would or would not recommend going to Mexico for the revision. Any help/information would be greatly appreciated. I am afraid of losing my mom and my son to miss out of time with his Grammy.

I was banded on 2/20/13. This is my second surgery. My band slipped and my dr. put in an new band. I was on stage 1 liquids for the first week. Now I am on stage 2 pureed. Is that considered mushy/soft foods Does anyone know how long I am on stage 2? And what is the next stage? I am not sure if I follow the same stage pattern as the first time I was banded. Please help!

I meant that I have a hunch it won't work well for me. Which is why I'm trying to find out about how it has worked for other people that are similar to me. It seems to me that the lap band works best for those people that put their whole selves into losing weight and who are able to and do stick to the eating plan. The sort of people that can stick to something, but just needed that extra push to keep them going and to make the diet work better. Unfortunately, I am not that way. (I'm not making excuses and doubting myself before I even start. I am being honest with myself and with my failings.) I am not a sticker. I stick to a diet for about 2 weeks, then fall off, whether or not I've lost weight. I can lose 10 pounds in those 2 weeks, and I still can't stick. I have no willpower when it comes to food. I'm not really an emotional eater, or a binge eater, or anything else like that. I just like the taste of good food, and I get bored with chicken and salad and veggies. And I have a major sweet tooth. I crave chocolate, and I have a hard time ignoring my sweet tooth. So, I guess I want to know if the lap band is going to be right for me, considering I don't have a lot of will to resist temptation. My little stomach would be able to eat a lindt chocolate as easily as a piece of chicken. So will I still lose significant weight if I'm a cheater, or would I be better off going with the bypass that will keep me from cheating? I just want to make the best choice for me, because I don't want to have one surgery with the option to revise it to another. I just want to get it done.

AMAZING! That is the EXACT reason why I first has WLS to have a better life with my kids. And having my revision to the sleeve is making that a reality! Your post made me cry tis morning! I can picture me going on all the rides with my mini me's in VA in July, my Keira wants to go on all the big roller coasters, and for some reason I think she will finally be tall enough, and I am skinny enough! YAY i love roller coasters! We are going to have so much fun with our mini me's in the years to come! Thanks to our sleeves!!! Patti

I chose the bypass for a couple of reasons. 1. The Surgeon advised it would be the best for me as my weight was 363 at 5"9 and I was a bordem eater not over eater . 2. So many stories of people that get the sleeve and later have a revision for the bypass because they gained back weight.

I chose the bypass for two primary reasons. 1. - I had read about waaaaay too many people have a sleeve to bypass revision and only wanted to do this once. 2. - It was my understanding that with the sleeve you were still able to tolerate sweets and with the bypass they were a lot less tolerated. I know myself when it comes to sweets and I am never satisfied with one of anything! Therefore, I did not want to put myself in a position where I was "allowed" to have sweets because I knew I would not be in control of the situation. Since my surgery in June, I have attempted sweets/sugar twice and dumped both times!