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I agree, make sure your surgeon has experience with revisions. When they are in there and start to remove the band they have to cut through the scar tissue to remove it and then they need to free up the part of your stomach to perform the sleeve. If they nick the stomach at all and expose gastric contents they will postpone the sleeve part at least for a couple of weeks to prevent an infection. It is a risk and it does depend on your scar tissue. Usually people do fine. It is a little tougher for the surgeon technique wise and well worth it! Good luck to you!

Welcome to VST! There are members here who have had both and I'm sure will chime in with the differences, but obviously they've revised to the sleeve, from the band, so for them I'd venture to guess there are more positives with the sleeve. I started my wls process looking and planning to get the band as well. I started reading the complication's forum on lapbandtalk.com and decided the band wasn't the best thing for my life. I won't talk about the negatives with the band or other wls (you can read the complication's forums on both lapbandtalk and obesityhelp.com) because I've never had it, but I will share with you how I thought the sleeve would be a good fit for me. -I still have a completely functioning stomach and can take pills; I'm only 30 and didn't want to restrict myself in case I needed specific medications later in life. -It's permanent; I do not ever want to gain the weight back (I realize that this is only a tool and I do have to make some permanent lifestyle changes). -I do not have to worry about extra supplementation due to malabsorption. -I do not have to worry about continuous follow-up care (fills and unfills). -At 7 months out, I now live a very normal, active life! Not saying that other procedures aren't as good. This procedure just matched my life best, and it has been one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

I'm right at 16 months out. 1) How fast are you able to eat now, in comparison to being newly sleeved (solid foods)? I can eat a full meal, meat, veggie, starch, a little bread in 20-30 minutes. I've figured out if I stretch my meal out over any longer period of time, I can fit more in. I've noticed this especially to be true in social settings, like lunch with my girlfriends, you know those "lunches" that turn into 2 hour gab fests. I can technically eat my meal, then wait 20ish minutes, drink a little something then let the grazing commence. Yeppers, I admit it, I don't follow the rules as closely anymore. 2) How much can you eat now, in comparison to being newly sleeved (solid foods)? I can eat double the amounts I could at 2-3 months out when it comes to solid foods. I was stuck at 1-2 ounces of meat at 2-3 months out. I can now eat 3-5 ounces of meat depending on the texture, how the meat is cooked, and how much food lube I use when eating. I developed a really bad habit of using condiments with my band. I haven't been able to kick that habit completely, but I do not "NEED" condiments for meat to go down, I just flippin' love A1 thick and hearty sauce LOL. 3) Just for reference, please tell me what size sleeve you have. 32Fr, and I lost additional tissue at the top of the stomach because of the band. 4) How dense of food are you able to eat? (ie, steak, chicken breast, etc) Chicken breast, sirloin steak are the dense foods that I can eat only about 3oz, but give me ribs, filet mignon or sea scallops, crab meat, I can get in 4-5oz easily. Scallops are my new love affair because I can fit 3-4 scallops in my sleeve if I eat nothing else. 5) Are you able to handle bread of any kind? Yeppers, and I eat bread, tortillas, bagel thins, crackers, pretzels, chips, big fluffy yeast rolls at steak houses work really well, I can eat about 1/2 of those big rolls, 1 crescent rolls with jelly, biscuits don't work that well, pizza crust (thin and crispy), olive garden breadsticks are "okay" a little too dense for my liking, 6) Is there anything at all that still gives you trouble to eat this far out? Stupid scrambled eggs, and pork chops both sit heavy in my sleeve. I'm not a fan of either of them so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. 7) How is your energy level now? It truly does vary. If I eat carbs, I feel kind of blah, but bounce back quickly. If I Protein load, then I feel like a 4 year old on a 12 pack of Mountain Dew LOL. 8) How do your scars look now this far out (for those who were Lap)? I have a lot of scars(16 between the band, revision, leak repair, gallbladder surgery all in a matter of 16 months, plus the 2 different occasions of having multiple drains placed during my recovery), and I'm pastey white so my scars are still visible, but they are just pretty little pink polka dots now. 9) What is the one thing you enjoy most now since surgery? (Can be anything, not necessarily food related) Just living a normal life, food is literally an afterthought, I love going, going, going. I love shopping for new clothes, I enjoy getting attention for how I look now instead of how huge I was. 10) What is the one thing you regret most being this far out? (Again, anything goes) I literally have zero regrets. I'm asked privately quite often how I do not have buyer's remorse, or why I never really got depressed during my recovery. At the end of the day, every single struggle or hurdle I endured taught me something, I grew stronger, and simply saw every day as a new challenge. Some days brought huge victories, and some days brought huge challenges, but at 16 months, there is NO doubt in my mind, heart or spirit that I made the "right" decision. I reflect a lot over last summer's events, and wonder how the heck I made it, I don't know what my driving force was really other than a pure faith that if God had brought me to it, He'd bring me through it. I struggled for a solid 3.5 months post-op, it was not easy, but it was totally worth it. I can honestly say that I would do it all over again, complications and all, to be living the life I live today. Hope that helps chickee! ! !

@Barbwired Having reflux after the sleeve is a bit of a coin toss. Some get it. Some don't. Before being sleeved, I had a discussion with my doctor about reflux potential and they always gave me a non-commital answer with a cautionary warning. Ultimately, my doctor and I felt that my reflux was largely related to dietary practices, a general state of obesity, and a small hiatal hernia that I had. A friend of mine had really bad reflux with the lap band to the point she had Barrett's esophagus. Her surgeon actually recommended the sleeve and she's had NO ISSUES with reflux after it. Me, I started getting heartburn within a month of having the sleeve. I immediately started taking Nexium, which took care of the heartburn. Flash forward to about a year. I was waking up with a sore throat that I knew was reflux. It kept getting worse and while I have never woken up choking, I knew the reflux was a problem. I tried every home remedy and every reflux supplement I could find. I modified my eating and behavior to reduce reflux. I sleep on a wedge. When the reflux is at its worst, my wedge can be at about 45°. It's not sleeping "sitting up", but pretty darn close. I saw a gastroenterologist and told him that I wasn't interested in revision to bypass. He offered me a choice between Stretta and Linx. I was in the process of scheduling Stretta when COVID hit. Today, my reflux isn't really that bad. I'm not 100% sure why it's been better, but I'm not looking that gift horse in the mouth. I sleep on my lower wedge and am comfortable with that. I do not eat after 7pm. If I do, I will generally go to bed later than usual or make sure I've had a whole glass of water before bed (flush out the sleeve). I take my Nexium religiously every morning and I take digestive enzymes with my evening meal (THAT seems to have made a BIG difference in my reflux). I have prescription Carafate, but haven't needed it for about 2 months. Best of luck.

Gastric band - been there, done that. Stopped working and I never felt full. So last year after my weight went back up I decided to have the revision and get the sleeve bit due to the build up of scar tissue (surgery was May 2010), surgeon ran out of time to do the VSG safely. So had to wait until 11/30/20 and finally all was completed. I was told he might have to do the bypass and I prayed so hard that didn't happen. I'm 65 and glad I did it. Sent from my SM-J337V using BariatricPal mobile app

I had a sleeve with GERD too, and my surgeon in the first appointment had LINX as an option. Having read about the trouble lapbanders have, with esophageal erosion and slippage and other nasty complications I was not enthusiastic about a foreign body being placed around my esophagus. It turned out I was not a LINX candidate due to other conditions so I revised to bypass.

I am miserable with this band....I want a revision to bypass.I have Horizon NJ Health.What is the process for approval..I have gained all the weight back,acid reflux,hiatal hernia,PCOS,post breast cancer,pre diabetes,high cholesterol...lithe list continues....I have Horizon NJ Health mercy. Sorry I meant band to RNY!!!!!

Just got scheduled for my band to revision surgery with Dr. Ortiz in Mexico at the end of the month. My problem is that I am unable to have my band unfilled prior to the surgery like they recommend. I talked to the Dr. there and he said as long as I do full liquid diet for at least 2 weeks prior to surgery, I should be fine. I guess I am just nervous about that and was wondering if anyone else had the same issue? My problem is that getting someone locally (NC) to perform the un-fill is going to cost at least $750 locally (nothing covered by insurance) and that just gets out of the budget. Am I overreacting?

I had the revision on Thursday and will be back in the office at a desk job on Tuesday. Will have to do some work from home tomorrow thou. Ideally would take more time but had to take vacation for the surgery...

Has anyone had to have a revision from the sleeve to the bypass and if so did you suffer any complications??? I would love to hear your experiences I'm scheduled for March 16th and would really love to get some advice from anyone who has experience with this subject. Sent from my LG-H634 using the BariatricPal App

I am considering a revision from lapband to rny. Just wondering If anyone has any regrets about WLS???

You know I had revision surgery 10 mos ago And when I went to the sergeant he said for my height and weight that I with the revision surgery Would only lose 50 pounds So I still went with the surgery And you know what he was right the more you weight and the heavier you are the faster you will lose If I wanted to eat Protein everyday I would have Just stayed on a Akins diet Now my weight loss has came to a hold I try to get protein in I only get around 40-50 grms a day And it's hard getting Water in Does anyone have any ideals how I can get my body losing again I'm about 45 pounds away from where I want yo be in my whole Weightloss Journey Give me some ideal please on what to eat a And drink Would like to lose these 45 pounds before my anniversary date Any help would be appreciated Thanks

If your surgeon says he has complication rates anywhere near 20% RUN to a different surgeon.... Im a band to sleeve revision myself and my surgeon preferred to weight about a month between procedures so tissue could heal and would be healther when cutting/ stapling the sleeve

I had the lapband removed in Sept. I am going to get the sleeve. I have talked with 2 surgeons . One uses a 36 bougie and the other uses a 32 bougie and over sews. I am concerned about the differences. Does anyone have an opinion on this? As far as weightloss, will it be harder with a 36 bougie. I have about 50 pounds to lose. Not sure what to do.

Hi Becca and welcome to Bariatric Pal, Congratulations on your surgery. Here is the url for the December sleever forum. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/679-december-2013-sleevers/ and two threads http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/266150-december-sleevers/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/289778-december-2013-sleevers-this-is-our-month-are-yall-ready/page-17#entry3289359 I am not sure how many people in this group are revision patients. I am a band to sleeve revision in one procedure. I had my surgery on 10/25/13.

Hi earthless, Welcome! I'm also new here, and hoping to gain lots of help, ideas and tips on this site. But, what do u mean got stalled at week 3? Don't u find it super hard to only be on such limited food/liquid?? I had revision surgery band-sleeve on 12-23-13. Which makes me 7 days post op...almost. I am starved!!! What is wrong with me??

Hi, I just recently joined and was hoping to find some other people who also had Band to Sleeve revision around the same time I did. I had my lap band in 2010 and had all the usual complications. On December 20th 2013 I had the band removed and the sleeve done all in the same procedure. I was hoping to find some others to keep in touch and provide each other support throughout the stages! I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!

I was banded May 19, 2010. Revision in one procedure December 9, 2013. Surgery Weight: 306 Current Weight: 273.4

Band to sleeve revisions are very common, as the bands are so problematic and the sleeve does what the bands promise to do, but don't. RNY to sleeve is less common (I can't think of any specific cases, but there probably are some out there,) as that revision is a lot more complex, and the sleeve and RNY overall have very similar weight loss performance, so there is usually little to gain from such a change; RNY to DS is a more common revision as the DS generally performs better than the RNY, but that is a very complex revision for which few surgeons are genuinely qualified. The sleeve is becoming the preferred procedure as (noted above,) it does what the bands promise but fail to deliver, and it offers similar performance to the RNY at a lower cost in lifestyle and medical treatment limitations (fewer dietary restrictions, lower supplementation needs, no major drug restrictions - can't use NSAID pain relievers with the RNY.) If the sleeve is not a powerful enough tool for a patient's weight loss needs, the RNY is unlikely to provide any better result, and the DS should be considered.

What exactly is a gastric bypass revision, and how did u get ur surgeon to do it? I feel like the rny didnt work for me at all and would like to have it redone.

I've had the band since 2010, going to Mexico tomorrow for revision. dr. Ponce de leon and Trish as coordinator. I'll keep you posted.

Had the band done 6 years ago. Lost 160 lbs but had nothing but issues with vomiting.nausea. and unable to eat. My insurance now pays for sleeve and its all approved I am excited for the surgery and hopefully no more vomiting. the vomiting with band was from anything even liquid I think my body bated the band. I tell people the band like any weightloss surgery is a tool follow the rules and be strong

Anyone lap band revision to sleeve? How much was ur starting weight before lap band and sleeve? How much did u loose with each? How long has it been sence surgery? Are I maintaining? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I'm to be sleeved in 7 days, lost over 100 pounds with the lap band till it slipped and has a hole in it.

"Anyone lap band revision to sleeve?" Yes. Had my band almost 4 yrs before my revision 5 mths ago. "How much was ur starting weight before lap band and sleeve?" Before band was 248 and before sleeve was 174. "How much did u loose with each?" I lost 104 lbs with the band BEFORE it slipped and I gained back 30. So far I've lost 22 lbs with the sleeve. I'm now 152. Slowly, but I knew it would be slower since I started out at a lower weight. Plus, I'm focused on maintaining right now and will then focus on my last 22 after the holidays. "How long has it been sence surgery?" 5 mths "Are I maintaining?" I haven't lost/gained a lb in 2 mths. And I'm maintaining fairly easily. I weigh everyday (yep, I one of those people) and everyday I'm surprised that my last nites snacking didn't cause any gain. So, so happy about that! "Any advise would be greatly appreciated. " Be patient. The lower u weigh the slower it will come off. And ur probly not gunna see the huge losses that "virgin sleever" (those who haven't had a revision, that r straight sleeves) see in the first 6-9 mths. And don't drink while ur eating! I got used to that rule while my band was in cuz I COULDN'T drink while eating otherwise it would come right up. Now when I eat, it feels similar to eating with my band (feel it high in my chest) so I'm actually scared of drinking, fearing it'll come back up. Even tho I KNOW there's no structure in the way anymore, I guess that fear is good! "I'm to be sleeved in 7 days, lost over 100 pounds with the lap band till it slipped and has a hole in it. " Good luck to u. Ull do great, I'm sure.

Did you revise from the band or the sleeve?