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Anyway, the point is, it's surgery day and I'm trying not to get sick at the last minute and HERE WE ARE with the temperature at a high of 46 when we've been in the low to mid 80s the last 4 days!!!!! Colorado sucks. Went to the ER Wednesday night for insane abdominal pain and vomiting. 5 hours, lots of blood work, and a CT scan later, and there's no appendicitis, no intestinal blockage, no bowel blocks, and no sleeve leaks or rupture. What I DO have is a very large uterine fibroid that the doctor thinks might be causing the pain. Incidentally, I also saw from my blood work is my liver is enlarged and my kidneys and pancreas don't look to be functioning completely normally. Yay. This afternoon I have the surgery to remove the nodules from my duodenum. Wish me luck!!! Hopefully it's the last one and then I can be cleared for my revision from sleeve to bypass and then get back to living my life. In the meantime, guess I'll be looking into what can be done about the rest of this crap. So tired of there always being SOMETHING going on with my body.

Your weight loss depends on a lot of factors including your pre-op weight. The less you have to lose the slower the weight will come off. Also, you had a revision and revisions tend to lose slower. That doesn't mean it's not going to come off, it'll just likely come off a lot slower than you would like. Also, you may still have some fluid from your surgery. From my own experience it took about 10 days to get rid of that fluid so give yourself a few more days and I'm sure you'll drop a few more pounds. Congrats on your new surgery and I wish you the best!

I just had my revision on the 10th and it too is the best decision I have made. For you, I guess it matters why you had so many issues with the band: did you eat too much, too many wrong foods, grazing all day. Many factors can contribute to the failure of the band. If you did everything you were supposed to 100% I say go for it. Remember that the sleeve is also just a tool and it is a really big life changing committment to make it work. Good luck in your decision.

I am almost 3 weeks out now and' trust me, it will become a distant memory and you will be so thankful you were able to have a revision, I know I am

Sorry think I was writing while still stressing so cams out jumbled. I changed doctors when I kept being told that I wasn't losing because I apparently don't know how to count calories & was told to join weight watchers, which I did for support & still wasn't losing. By the time I stopped using that doc I was gaining still even on no breads/pastas, lean Proteins and veggies. When I saw the new doctor they found that the band was so restricted liquids couldnt pass and he advised that I was at the weight I should be at for Lapband surgery, that based on y start weight and my weight at the time I was at the % that most patients lose to. That had I wanted more of a weight loss I should have had gastric. They adjusted my band so it wasn't so tight and at that point being told that I spent $13,000 for thus surgery & those were the results I would only be able to obtain using the band I started seeing the nutritionist for more support and taking phentramine and was able to get my weight down 20lbs. Since July started having health issues we chalked up to stress until November when the GI problems really got bad nearly landing my in the hospital but testing had to wait for my insurance with the new company to kick in in Jan. at that time they started checking my gallbladder and intestines to see what was making me do sick. Plus blood panels for thyroid again (waiting on those results done last week) Those issues started neausa and vomiting which caused my band to slip and the irritation cause swelling and I wasn't able to swallow Water at that point so last week when they found that they unfilled my band and stated that the doctor who initially did my surgey has a history of not implanting the ban a the correct angle and they end up doing a lot of his revisions. I go back in Thursday for a barium swallow to see of the band corrected its self. Luckly the new insurance will cover if I need a revision due to medical needs which I qualify for so if needed they can remove his work and inplant a new band, remove this one all together and no band or gastric is another option. Because I've had such rotten luck with having complications since the surgery I was debating having it removed all together, but then all my hard work and money is gone and I may start gaining back even more weight, go for gastric or attempt the band again and see if I take to it better this time. It's not so much a matter of junk foods, pastas breads. I've always tried to avoid those as much as possible because we have weight issues in my family. It's not being able to eat almost any vegetable or I bp, have to drink them, most meats can't eat. So I end up sick from throwing up or not getting enough nutrients ect. We laugh at tw irony of a woman who can't keep down almost anything half the time stays the same weight or gains ha! Wasn't so bad till I tore a ligament in my toe at Christmas so working out has been more of a challenge but am able to more around better now.

Would you do it again knowing all you know and what you have experienced? Yes , just I wish I did this back in October when my dr first suggested it. I am am a lapband to sleeve revision. I know first few weeks liquids and protien shakes but can you eat real food again? I'm only 2 weeks out and eat normal soft foods. I can't wait to get back to other normal foods. What are biggest highs and what are worse things? Worst for me is Protein shakes. I'm having such a hard time as they all seem to sweet for me. Crazy to think since I have a big sweet tooth. Also trying to get in the 1000 calories my Dr wants me to when I'm not hungry so I have to force my self to eat something at times. And the biggest high is hearing everyone at work say they can see changes already so it makes it worth it. (Down 22 lbs since surgery on 6/18). Can you drink alcohol again once recovered and havre been on this new journey for awhile? I hope so even though I'm not a big drinker but do enjoy one here and there especially holiday time.

With this surgery, chances are if you had reflux pre surgery you will likely have it after. I'm not a Doctor though so I'm only guessing, but it just makes sense to me. Anyway, I do take Omeprazole every morning. I was only told by my surgeon to take it for the first 6 month post op, however I have no real intention of ever stopping taking it. The studies show too much evidence that reflux is a big issue with the sleeve. I'd rather keep my acid under control rather than "chance it" and end up damaging my esophagus so much I have to revise to RNY or DS. I honestly do not think my body can handle either of those surgeries and need to practice some preventative medicine here. To combat the Calcium deficiency, I take 1500 mg of calcium citrate a day making sure not to take it with Iron, and taking Vitamin D and Magnesium for super potency and absorption. All of this to me is a small price to pay for my health and fitness. If I didn't do all this I'd end up with a stroke, Type 2 diabetes or heart disease, even cancer. All of these run in my family, and I was already diagnosed with hypertension at 31 years old. I was headed no where and fast. I was placed on 4 maximum dosage pills per day to bring my BP down. Today I'm down to only ONE!!! It's the minimum dose and to date my BP has been excellent. It's only a matter of time before my PCP takes me off of that too. You really have to consider your choices when you do this. Think about your future, look at your relatives when making this decision too. If they have something, chances are you will too if you continue with very bad habits. Hang in there, don't sweat the small stuff.

First of all, this should be you decision to make. Your surgeon can give you his opinion, but it I'd your body and your life. I think a little history is nessasary in order to understand why many doctors feel that the bypass is better than the lapband. The bypass was being performed in the USA for many years before the lapband was. The reason for this was that the FDA only approved the use of the lapband in the early nineties. That is why the bypass was considered the "gold standard" in bariatric surgery while the band was the newcomer. In other countries like Australia and Europe the lapband had been used for much longer. In fact in Australia now they almost exclusively do the band, the bypass is almost unheard of. I believe it is for this reason that many bariatric surgeons still have the misconceived notion that the bypass is somehow better than the band. The is no scientific proof of this. Although bypass patients do lose more weight rapidly in the initial period after the surgery, the data shows that a few years out the weight loss is the same. Add to that the significantly lower mortality rate and lack of complications that come with the band and it really should be a no brainer. Yes there are some people who the band does not work for and end up needing a revision. But for the vast majority of obese people who are ready to make a significant change to their life the band is more than adequate.

I came on here after getting scheduled for revision surgery from my lapband to RNY. I agree! Kimaly, I am glad your surgery went well but let me tell you. Mine has been a total nightmare also. You have no right to act all high and mighty. My realize band is FULL. See that FULL. I have 100% no feeling of fullness,restriction nothing. The band has not slipped, the band has not moved, the surgery was perfect. My esophagus is perfect, everything is PERFECT. Yet I have no weight loss whatsoever, none. In fact even with the liquid diet, I lost 10 pounds. That came right back when I went to soft foods. My surgeon said in some people the band just does not work, same as with anything. I happened to be one of those lucky people. I feel horrible for the person posting this, it is an awful thing to have happen and you feel like a total failure. Its embarassing because you get it and people know and yet there you are still as big, if not bigger than you were before WLS. It does a lot to you mentally because you do blame yourself and it hurts. You put all this time, money and hope into this surgery thinking that you are going to lose the weight and get your life back. Then you get it and not only is that not the case, you have this thing in your body that is a hassle. I really recommend going to the psych and talking about it with a neutral party. You need to weigh your options, talk to your surgeon, your PCP and a nutritionist. RNY and other surgeries are a complete different ballgame. I really feel for you and your situation. Don't let other people get to you. If it makes you feel better, all of the surgeons looked at my tests and scratched their heads. Also you may want to check out the 7 stages of grief, it really doesnt just deal with death. Your emotions are normal and if you feel out of control in that respect there are people that care that will help you.

Hello, after reading your comments I felt that I wanted to add one for you. I too have BC/BS Federal (Texas). I was told by my Dr. that the Insurance provider covers the gastric Sleeve and the Roux-n-y bypass. I thought I would let you know. Also I need a revision from the Band to the Bypass due to band problems. My Dr. told me I could ahve either surgical procedure for it is up to me. However he did tell me the pro and cons of both types of surgerys and what he discussed with me was true facts because as always I do my own research. I am just trying to find out if I have to go through all the same thing as to testing, etc or not. If anyone knows or had a revision please let me know for i would appreciate it. I was always told that the federal Health Plan approves more than anyother plan did or does. Sharon

Well my advice is to keep fighting and go for the appeal. The BCBS plan statement actually has to be administered uniformly across the country but some local companies doing the administration (like Regence here in Washington) are disregarding the benefit guidelines and denying it. I had a slipped lapband and was told that VSG and band removal are both covered. VSG is supposed to have been allowed as a gastric restrictive procedure by Fed BCBS as of January 1st 2008. (My lap band was originally covered by my insurance because I met the >35BMI + 2 comorbidity requirements.) Even after both the doctor and I were told the revision would be covered, the local Regence office sent a denial letter. They appear to know nothing about weightloss surgery or the lap band, much less the VSG -- they were so far in the weeds they actually denied removing the band and claimed they couldn't remove it because my BMI wasn't high enough any more (huh?). And they denied the VSG revision under the investigational claim. They even denied letting me have it unfilled so we could get the pain and vomiting under control. They said fills are only covered when your BMI is over 35 too. That's going to be news to lap band patients everywhere - don't bother contuing to use your band once you lose some of your weight. That was such a stupid thing for them to do all I could do was laugh about it. They backed off that pretty quick, after hassling me about it they suddently stopped mentioning it and just paid the claim. I ended up appealing. For the first round of my appeal I wrote my own letter and won the band removal portion only but they denied the VSG again. They dropped the investigational reason and their denial to being because I don't qualify for weightloss surgery with a <35 BMI. Since I did qualify for the original lap band surgery that's kind of dumb. The standard of care with revisions is not to treat the revision as if you're starting over pre-WLS so it makes no sense. You don't give someone a knee replacement and then when it breaks and the doctor needs to replace it with a different type of artificial knee that the patient is out of luck - you only get one shot a knee replacement. My BMI is back up to 33 so they won't have to wait long until I qualify again . Although the surgeon and I wanted to do the removal and revison in a single procedure, I went ahead and just had the lap band out in October. The insurance company gave me four weeks to have it out from the date of their appeal decision so I just needed to get it done. And I was miserable. I can't believe anyone would force me to keep a slipped lap band in for over 7 months - that's crazy. It's great not to be in so much pain. But it's scary to no longer have any kind of restriction. I went ahead and hired Walter and Kelley Lindstrom to handle the appeal from here. Well worth the money just to have someone fighting for me after going it alone for so many months. We'll see what happens, I should know what the Office of Personnel Managment in D.C. wants to do next in a couple of weeks. I'm going to take it all the way to the end to make sure this gets their attention - that some state administrators are making up their own rules that go against the benefit statement. I posted the letter and addendum I used for my first appeal in case it's useful to anyone else. All I know is that it did seem to get them off the investigational part of the denial. Best of luck! Britt vsgappeal: Appeal Letter

I am going to have an RnY September 5th. I am currently on Dexilant 60 mg for GERD, gastritis and keep Hector, my teeny tiny gastric ulcer sound asleep. However I am not an revision but a virgin Bypass. Still want to be friends?

Had the sleeve 2yrs ago, I lost 65lbs which of course wasn't enough. Went for a revision to bypass Nov 8, 2012... 4 days later was rushed in ambulance for another emergency surgery due to an obstruction, so my Dr redid whole surgery again on Nov 13th.... then a week later I got pneumonia ... so yea its been a traumatic experience but all things happen for a reason. It definitely showed me how i really took my health for granted ... im still learning my body, how I have to eat & drink slow. What foods I can eat. Ill be 5 wks out tomorrow from my second surgery ... any tips on just how to live and eat during this time?? Im still real sore, mainly by left incision .... also, how do i put a pic up?

I wish that I knew of the sleeve and my ins covered it at the time I was banded. My only option was band or RNY. I can't have malabsorptive surgery, so band it was. Read my blog or my post "my Lapband story, long but worth reading". So many of the people I've known over the last 5 years have had their band removed, revised, mostly to VSG, and have long lasting damage from their bands. I have a GI motility disorder now, requiring new medications and it is having a huge negative effect on my quality of life. Banding requires a lot of follow up care and even if you do everything "right" things can go wrong, leaving you with the prospect of additional surgeries. PM me for more info. Ask your doctor why VSG is better than band.

I had surgery on 7/27. I had the lap band since 2002, so I was revised to the sleeve. My journey has been pretty smooth! I think having experience with the band help me with handling the sleeve. It is so important to eat slow and chew a lot. I find that if I have no distractions it is easier to concentrate and to make sure I'm not mindless eating. I have been weighing myself every morning, which I don't recommend :-) it drives you insane :-). Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to help if I can!

North Fort Worth/Haslet/Alliance Corridor area here! Band to Sleeve revision on 5/17/18. Just had my 3 month surgeon visit today.

I guess it depends on your BMI. I had to do the liver shrink diet for two weeks prior to my band removal. I know that my surgeon did an EGD and an UGI with 15 degree head tilt. It was to prove that I had reflux/esophagus issues related to the band, and it would support my case for revision to RNY. So I'm wondering what the process would be to get your revision covered if the surgeon didn't do the tests to prove you were having issues. Maybe it's something to ask the surgical coordinator. It may not be necessary for every insurance company.

I can't make this better for you, just know that you have every right in the world to be mad and feel like your body has betrayed you. While my story isn't nearly as traumatic as yours I am also a failed band. Mine prolapsed and I had to have emergency removal, once inside he found I had started to erode as well. I was supposed to revise to RNY but once he was in and saw how much damage I had he felt it unwise to do the revision at that time (I did get a revision 6 months later). For weeks I was an emotional wreck. I was mad at my body, felt totally betrayed by it. Talk it out, cry it out, scream it out....what you're feeling is completely normal.

Melissa: I too had weeping incisions for almost 4 weeks after my Mexican doctor placed the band. Luckily mine healed. I have had some port issues. My port tilted and the tubing was almost protruding through my skin. If the Port had been placed deeper in the abdomen and the excess tubing either trimmed or pushed back up into the abdominal cavity (which is what the American docs do) the port revision surgery I had by my American doctor would not have had to take place. I am skeptical with the fatty tissue explanation. My Mexican doc told me that the protruding area would go away with more weight loss. My American doc said that is not possible and it would eventually poke through the skin and that would mean to take the port out till the area heals. Please take all the precautions and I would even get a second opinion. The liquid needs to be cultured before any surgery takes place. If they don't then you could end up in the situation Lisa found herself in.

@@SunflowerGal I'm the same way! I lost about 90 lbs and yep... I got a lift and implants them gained that back PLUS! They still look awesome. I'm only 2 weeks post op from a revision but I'm worried! THAT was NOT a fun surgery. It's been about ten years for me as well soooo I know some type of plastics will be in my future. So glad I'm not the only who did this! ????

I totally understand! That is exactly how I felt. I came very close to backing out of the revision and taking my chances with the ppis. plus at the time of my initial surgery I almost switched to rny right up until surgery. My thoughts were that I did not want to have the surgery twice. Don’t fear the bypass though. Just be sure to take vitamins every single day. Keep up with having your bloodwork done and you should do just fine.

I was a grade C but yesterday it was a D !! They are calling me to schedule the revision tomorrow. Glad that you are doing well. Have you had an EGD done since revision to know if it is helping your esophagus. Do you still have reflux?

I have 5 small scars 4 you really cant see at all anymore only one visable is from my port its maybe 4 inches long. I believe it would probably be lighter by now to but ive had a couple port revisions so its been reopened and had to reheal

Keller Area, Sleeve to Bypass revision on 8/22. So nervous, 5 more days! Looking for a buddy

I am getting an endoscopy done next month to see what is wrong with my sleeve which will most likely need a revision. My current health insurance has no bariatric coverage. Is there any insurance that I could self pay for my revision? My other option is cash pay for this surgery. Thank you.