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I had a band to sleeve revision that went flawlessly. I thank God that I did not have any band complications, such as excessive scaring. My surgery was June 2nd. HW 375 Post-band weight 338 SW 332 CW 305 I see a lot of people talk about stalling out, but please realize this is normal. It's how our bodies "catch up" to what is going on. Stall's are healthy for our bodies, they suck, don't get me wrong. Try going to a monthly support group and the people there will be very open about this stuff. I am currently in one (a support group and a stall Also, I know it is all psychological. Seeing that scale go up sucks, especially after all this...BUT, let your body do what it needs. Sit back, relax, and don't rush this. If you gain weight, it is not actual fat. It is simply Water weight your body is retaining. I know whenever my body retains water and I go up 3-4 pounds, I am about to drop weight. It's just how my body works, before I go down in the scale I retain water for a few days. Then it drops off. Take a deep breath and just ride this out.

Hi and welcome. I chose the band because there is no major cutting of the insides and it can be removed if need be. You lose weight slower at a real nice pace and you can control everything. I know of about 6-10 people who had the bypass and they gained back and then some. The band and every other WLS is a tool and you have to learn to control the tool and want it to work for you. I had the band in July at almost 62 and it is the best thing I ever did for me. The weight comes off slower but I am happy with that. I gained the weight over many years so I can wait. I would recommend the band to any one who wants to try WLS for their health and longer life. Good luck with your choice.

I had second thoughts five years ago when i first sought out surgery. I Was unhappy with my weight, but didn't feel strong enough that I needed such a drastic, permanent change. In reality... I just wasn't ready and I'm glad I backed out then. Other factors (wasn't a fan of the surgeon at the time) helped, but after now having done surgery, I knew I wouldn't have be ready for these changes then. I had bypass in April. Regarding down the road complications...i took a long hard look at family history, knock on wood-- we're a fairly healthy bunch. No one in my family relies in nsaids, sure it may change for me but at least I know it's unlikely. Re nutritional deficiencies due to malabsorption... If I do my part and take my supplements and follow up with blood work as prescribed it shoulnt be an issue. And so far I don't dump, it could change but the'fear' of the unpleasant side effects keeps me on track. Just think of all the complications remaining overweight/obese can add in your life. (Diabetes runs rampant in my family...i wanted to avoid it at all costs) Your situation is a bit different since you have to wrap your head around a whole new surgery. Second thoughts are normal though... Only do what you are ready for. Maybe just follow the supervised diet for a few months and make a decision at the end of it?? Good luck! Ugh sorry, didn't realize this was the men only board.

I have had the band for 9 years and am scheduled to have revision to bypass in 2 weeks (omg!) I cannot weight to get it removed and I would also not recommend anyone getting it. Yes some people were successful with it and love it but it seems most are not, I was never a fan of having foreign item in my body but I was too scared to go with bypass the first time around, I wish I did though. The decision is yours but I would not go with band.

First off...WOW how utterly scary to have gone through that. Glad it all worked out. Based on the reviews of those that have had it, seems all have had to do revision. My friends all have done sleeve and one bypass. She says skip the band and sleeve and do bypass. I'm just afraid that I'm not big enough for bypass. I'm 5'3 and I'm a little over 100 pounds from what is normal. So I'm thinking sleeve will be perfect. Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App

AGREED. I had revision to bypass on 9.04. You have to get the protein into your body. Shakes, scoops in water....whatever it takes. When you do that you will feel better.....

Can you take Benadryl on day 3 after bypass!!!!

Im june 23. Band to bypass revision. Sooo excited but cant wait to get rid of this band so i can get a good nights sleep again. Reflux sucks

I agree that bypass being more invasive is a myth. In bypass, your entire stomach is still there. If you have problems down the road that are insurmountable, it *can* be reversed entirely. With the sleeve, a huge part of your stomach is gone forever. That leaves a much smaller area, and while NSAIDS may not be a problem for some people, concentrating those drugs in a smaller area could lead to ulcers just as much as for bypass folks. Re-routing the small intestine is what makes it seem so much more dramatic, but again, that can be reversed if for some reason it becomes necessary. My GERD has been relatively mild the last few years, but there is no way I want to have a surgery that could potentially worsen it. Not only is it painful, but it can lead to cancer if severe enough. All that said, there is nothing wrong with taking more time to decide and be comfortable with it. And if you decide to have surgery (of any type) you are not taking the easy way out, any more than a diabetic who takes insulin is doing so, rather than changing their diet. It's a tool and it's lifesaving for many people, and it takes hard work whether you have surgery or not. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

Do any of you know if anything can be done after gastric bypass? I had gastric 10yrs ago and within the last year have put the weight back on after my grandma died.

Thanks for all your feedback. Saw my Dr. yesterday and revision is scheduled for May 1st. Nervous and excited at the same time.

Ditto to what Elcee said - having the sleeve now wouldnt worry me, I've lost half my colon and am doing fine without it, so meh, what's a bit of my stomach I'm not particularly using? You dont get malabsorption with the sleeve, that's bypass. You just have a smaller stomach. Also, it can be attractive to think of having restriction straight away with the sleeve, not finding it so elusive, and not having trouble with random foods. But make no mistake, all bariatric surgeries work best at first, and then you do learn to eat around them, the adjustability of the band is fantastic in that regard. If your sleeve loses its effectiveness, there's no tightening it up! Then again, I had to unfill my band totally for a surgery, have just got retriction back 12 months later and am now looking at an investigative gastroscopy (have bad Iron depletion, and am post menopausal which means a high likelihood of a GI bleed at some point in my guts and my colonoscopy this week was normal) so that means ANOTHER unfill. Groan. I've also endured my colorectal surgeon banging on all year about how skinny I am (I'm really not, I dont think). I'd love to have a sleeve that nobody could make me unfill! I'd love not to have to go back for fills. My band is almost full (only 0.2cc to go) and I dont have anythign like the restriction I had before I unfilled it. A sleeve, once it is done, is DONE. But the band is totally adjustable, totally reversible and it probably makes sense to try it first before you go changing your body irrevocably. In all likelihood, it'll work and be enough for you.

I just asked my surgeon this question yesturday!!! His answer was "it's worse with the bypass patients, so be glad it's not that bad" So my assumption from that statement is yes, it's here to stay. I can tell you that it get's a little better as you go along, mine isn't nearly as loud now. Liquids do it to me worse than solids, but it sounds like a drain gurgling to me lol

I was banded in January of '06. Lost almost 100 lbs in 9 mos which was awesome, but then something happened? Not sure what, but things just changed. Food started getting stuck all the time, I was having trouble even eating minced, moist chicken. I was PBing a lot and getting constant esophageal spasms....OUCHIE!!! All this and it started out of nowhere. I didn't have any sort of adjustment. After about another six months of struggling with it and having fill removed/added, my pshyche was just done....I guess I sort of gave up. (I know...shame on me!) Now it's 2010, I still have this useless band that's unfilled and I'm still having esophageal spasms and getting food stuck. I told my surgeon and they didn't do anything. I'm worried I may have adhesions or the band has slipped. I've gained soooo much weight. I weigh 75lbs more now than I did before my banding and I am just crying. I'm fairly young and I have been wanting to get revised to an RNY, but I am terrified of the mal-absorption and vitamin deficiencies that come with it. The restriction of the band, when it was working like it was supposed to, was great and very helpful....but then it just went all ape-sh*t on me. I learned about VSG recently and have been doing a lot of reading about it. I've read many people's comments and suggestions and been to many sites and I have not heard anybody say the regret getting revised to the Sleeve. I know after reading everything that I want the Sleeve instead of RNY. Although the thought of another surgery scares me, the fact that there isn't any bypassing of intestines is a relief for me. I just started with a new employer. I'm a Nurse and the Surgeons at the hospital I work for down in San Diego, CA do the VSG. My insurance kicks in in two months and I am HOPING that they will cover VSG. Some insurances will only cover banding and RNY. I am crossing my fingers and toes. Any suggestions, tips, or comments are welcome. By the way....a question for those of you who have or do have the band still. Do any of you experience a numbness and/or pinching sensation where your port is? Sometimes when I am sitting down, I get this pinching sensation beneath the port site and then the whole area goes numb? Just wondering.

I was approved through Anthem BCBS. My coverage required a 6 month supervised diet, but since I was a revision the requirement was waived (as would my BMI have been, but unfortunately I was unbanded long enough that my BMI went back up.) Psych approval was also required. If you're anxious, just get a copy of the rider from your employer. They will have contract changes (riders) on file, surely. You can also compare it to your SPD. ETA: I also had to do the nutritional class, which for my surgeon is a combo of pre-op education, nutrition, and physical therapy - with a test at the end. So given that I was a revision, psy approval and education class were my only real requirements. Oh, and my surgery had to be done at a full blown hospital (vs. a surgery clinic), and required an overnight stay (which my surgeon does anyway).

A final update for this thread: I had my gastric bypass on Feb 21! Check in went smoothly. I changed into my hospital gown, got my IV inserted, and was given a number of medications to take before being moved to a waiting area where I got onto a gurney. The various members of the surgery team came by to introduce themselves and check on various things. Finally, the anesthesiologist came by and gave me "something to relax" via my IV port. A minute later, I was being wheeled into the hallway, and that's the last thing I remember until waking up in my hospital room. I never saw the inside of the OR, and I have no memory of the recovery area afterward, either. The surgery itself took much longer than anticipated, about 6 hours. I was fine and safe the whole time, but the surgeon ran into some issues with my small intestine and a small abdominal mass (sent to pathology and was benign) that required additional steps. Because of this, I was surprised to wake up in my hospital room and discover it was already 9pm when my surgery began at 1pm! My poor mom had been so worried because we thought it would take maybe 3 hours max. The nurses checked on me several times that night. I was able to get up to use the toilet on my own, and the only real challenge was the IV pole having to be dragged along. I was very fortunate that I ended up with no roommate. It wasn't technically a private room, but no one else was assigned to it while I was there. In the morning, my surgeon came by and explained what had happened during surgery. He was concerned because some of the stitches ended up under more pressure than he considered optimal, so he wanted me to do a swallow test before I could have anything by mouth, including water. They got me in for that and it turned out okay, so about an hour after returning to my room, I was brought a bottle of water and a cup of red sugar free jello. I have to say, it was nice to have water because my throat was dry, but I really didn't care about eating. I did because they told me to, and I know at this point I hadn't had a single thing in my belly for over 40 hours, but I just didn't care. I felt zero hunger. But I at the jello, and later they brought me a popsicle, another jello, and a chicken broth. I ate it all over the course of about an hour. It was fine, but again, I just ate it because they told me to. Because I got such a late start on fluids after surgery, they kept me an additional night, just to be sure. But on Friday morning around 9am, I was discharged. I had a protein shake when I got home and worked all day on fluids. I was tired and a little sore, but my pain had been minimal enough that I was only on Tylenol. It worked well enough that I only had a few moments of real pain, mostly when shifting position that required the use of abdominal muscles. I was fortunate to have someone staying with me for the first few nights home, and my parents kept my kids (ages 12 and 15) with them for the first week so I wouldn't have to worry about all their activities and food. It took a few days to discover what worked best for me, which ended up being hot tea (decaf and herbal) instead of flavored waters as I'd been having pre-op. For the first week, I've met my 64oz fluid and 60g protein goals most days, but as time has gone on, I've become completely turned off anything with artificial sweetener and every protein shake except Syntrax Nectar Natural, which I can still manage. I definitely wasted a lot of money on shakes I won't be drinking, but I'm glad I had them for the 2 week pre-op diet and to take the pressure off finding things to try when I got home. Yesterday, I was allowed to start soft protein foods. So far, I've had tuna salad (2 Tbsp), refried beans with a sprinkle of melted cheese (1/4 cup), and 1 poached egg. No issues with anything so far. Tonight I will be cooking some haddock with pesto for dinner. I go in for my 2 week post-op appointment with my surgeon next Tuesday and hope by then my weight will be a little lower. I lost 15 lbs on the 2 week pre-op diet, but my weight was higher by about 5lbs when I got home from the hospital thanks to the fluids and swelling, and I'm only just back to where I was the day I went to the hospital. Still, 15lbs in three weeks isn't bad. As for other incidentals, I have been taking Benefiber daily in my morning tea and it really has helped. I had the first BM (very loose and not a lot) before leaving the hospital on day 2, and have managed to go at least every other day since, and daily the last couple of days, so I'm very grateful for that. My energy levels have been decent, but it's only today that I feel like I don't need a noon nap. Going without caffeine has been a struggle, but I'm getting used to it. After all the wait, I'm so glad to have this behind me and be able to focus on a healthy future!

You are an inspiration to me. I had the Lapband for 3 years and had nothing but trouble from the start. I had it removed this past May and im having the gastric bypass next month. I also suffer from pcos. I hope this surgery is different . I don't want to feel like a failure. People do not say good things when they hear you are having a second surgery. So I'm glad to hat there are others our here like me. And I'm super happy to see your success. You look amazing! Sent from my 0PM92 using the BariatricPal App

I have my first initial intake appointment 12/17/15. I have read that if you are on aspirin therapy (I have 2 small holes in heart) that you can't have bypass. Then if you have reflux, the sleeve could make it worse. I know I have to talk to doctor and see what he says, but am I doomed in not being able to have surgery due to these issues? Anyone have bypass and on aspirin therapy? Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated!

It wasn't bad at all. They spray something on your throat before you sleep. They found an ulcer. Sucks bc now my surgery got pushed back Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Due to my acid reflex, they will be doing the gastric bypass and not sleeve Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am scheduled for a sleeve revision from the band December 16th. Yay! My question is, will it be easier for me to start an exercise plan before my surgery or will it not matter because I cant exercise for a while after anyways.....yes I know all exercise is healthy, but what can you still even do post op....and when? Sent from my SM-J700P using the BariatricPal App

I think the thing to remember too is that small losses of weight can make big changes to health. We all want to lose all our excess weight but remember that as far as your problem with your spine goes, you wont have to lose ALL of your excess weight to improve your health. So there's no need to jump into a bypass if it worries you simply for that reason. there's every likelihood that even if you were one who didnt lose all your excess weight, you can still improve your health and quality of life with the 50% loss and not jeoapardise nutrition in the process. But you CAN lose it all. It just takes reasonable - not ridiculous - work and commitment.

I would ideally like to lose about 150 pounds (though 100 would be just fine, too). My doctor is just fine with me getting the lap band, but wanted me to understand that it's going to take more time to lose the weight initially. However, five years out lap band and bypass patients look about the same. You should make your decision for YOU. Weigh the pros and cons of both and then decide. If you work at it, the weight is going to come off with either option.

Hi Chentel, Im new here too so I dont have a ton of experience.But I had a similar experience except I went in thinking of the bypass and my surgeon talked me into lap band! I have very severe IBS and he felt the Bypass would make it worse.He told me that I could expect to lose about 75 lbs and I think he was aiming low so if I lose more I'll be ecstatic! My girlfriend who was going thru the same process,same surgeon asked about lap band and he recommended bypass as she has about 120lbs to lose & really no health conditions.........so I guess it depends & I think it's a personel choice.Do what you feel comfortable doing. A co-worker who is a RN & also had bypass told me they are both a tool & it all depends how you use it....one is not necessarily better than the other......I also know of others who have lost 100lbs or more on lapband.....I think it may just be a little more work?? Good Luck......hope it helps!!:smile2:

all your feelings are normal they get better everyday... im having revision on 4/6 dr. ewing in NJ

Hi and congrats! I had my bypass on 03/11 and I am still figuring it out slowly. They cut the nerves when they do this to us so, it takes a long time to really feel anything again. Once you start eating actual food, just go slow and see how your pouch feels. Mine is weird because, five minutes after a bite goes down and I think I can do another, I'm all of a sudden SURE I cant do one more bite! It's a learning process for sure. Also, they say this will even change because the scar tissue will loosen over time and it won't be so tight like it is now forever so, we just gotta roll wit it! Good luck and keep up the good work!