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:eek:Everyone I know that has has the lap band.. Has been dis-satisfied with it ! In most cases.. it does what it is supposed to, BUT.. the side effects are the HUGE negative. When I was contemplating My choice of surgery, I very quickly Ruled out the lap band First off, The next "OFF my list" was The D.S. !! I then thought i needed the Mini-Bypass, ( I chose Dr.Alberto Aceves, BTW ) And he voiced his concerns, With my BMI ...saying,.. At my weight at the time..He didn't feel it was safe to perform the Mini ByPass, and Then Suggested I consider the gastric Sleeve, .. SO.. I did some more research.. and agreed the sleeve was for me.. It was less Invasive,.. NO FILLS or adjustments, Less risk, Faster recovery, And what I liked the best.. None of the mal-Absorption issues or Dumping syndrome. It has Now been 6 month since my Gastric Sleeve, And I have lost over 115 lbs !! I am eating healthier, and am OFF all The Meds I was On !! and I don't need that #$%ing C-PAP machine.. which i could Never use anyway ! I have 2 close friends.. That are getting a revision.. ( removing their bands and getting the sleeve Like me ! :biggrin:THANK YOU DR. ACEVES !!!!!:tongue2:

I had gastric bypass surgery in October of 2008. I lost 150 lbs. In 2010 my oldest son shot himself and for years after that my weight has spiraled out of control. I have gained about 70 lbs. I haven't been happy, especially with myself, since my son's death. I am ready to turn my life back around and lose the weight again. I am needing to have a revision done. Thinking of having the stitches done.

See http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/9758-my-great-gps-experience-with-dr-watkins/page__pid__102803#entry102803 and also search for Dr. Watkins he so talented and has great followup. Also has done a lot of revision surgeries for people with previous problem surgeries.

Alcohol ended up becoming a major obstacle to my loss. My social life involved regular beer drinking. After getting sleeved I knew I was not supposed to drink carbonated beverages, however my desire to hang out with my friends caused me to learn how to overcome that obstacle and drink beer. I think this is the major reason I never hit my weight loss goal and then gained some back. What worked for me recently was to use a time restricted feeding program along with a Keto based diet. I ate mostly Keto and only had two meals, lunch at Noon and dinner around 5-6pm. This came from, the insulin control diet programs recommended by Dr. Jason Fung. Given that my sleeve kept me from feeling really hungry it worked well and I dropped the 20 pounds I gained during the pandemic restrictions. Now I have major issues with hiatal hernia and GERD, so a revision to RNY is scheduled for tomorrow. I've decided since I have been given a second chance I am going to make the most of it. I have determined that alcohol no longer has a place in my life, and neither do snacks and slider foods.

i keep a blog of interesting articles about wls, interesting posts, etc. it is on obesityhelp.com search angelarias you may "friend" me here and on obesityhelp.com Hi All: I was banded in July 2004 and will be banded 5 years. I check the board monthly and am so glad there is so much more information available today than there was when I was researching weight loss surgery. I chose to be banded because it was a reversible procedure and I thought in 10 or 20 years, with medical technology as quickly as it is progressing, banding would no longer be done, RNY, DS and VSG would be long gone as viable surgical options and instead replaced with true, safe, non-invasive procedures. My band is just fine (Thank God) but I have never believed that it is a lifetime implant. For example, my dad's pacemaker has already been replaced and my mom's hip replacement from 10 years ago needs to be revised. These are lifetime implants. Hopefully, our bands will last 10-15 years-let us pray! For newbies out there, no matter how good insurance you have, never asssume emergency surgery for you is going to be free or lowcost. For those of us thast have insurance (with a wls exclusion), an emergency medical fund is essential. I have been thrilled when I read about one you being able to save enough for plastics but I have never read anyone mention that they have money set aside just for a wls emergency. IT IS essential. I travel extensively for work and wherever I go, I have the name of the local band surgeon and where to go for a fill. Here are my stats. I am 35 yrs. old, 5'5" and started at 260. I lost 10 pounds on the pre-op liquid diet which took me to 250. I lost another 30 pounds on the 6 week liquid diet which took me to 220. In the next 2 years I lost an additional 40 pounds which took me to 180 in 2006. I am now 200 so i have lost and maintained a 50% weight loss. Was weight loss surgery a good investment? I think so. I like to do a cost per pound analysis. I have currently spent $3500 for fills and $8500 for the surgery. $12000 for 60 pounds or $200 a pound. For those of you bandsters that paid out of pocket divide your pounds lost by your surgery and maintenance visit costs and you'll get a cost per pound. I would love to see posts on this forum from patients 5-10 years out of surgery--what ever surgery type you had. Share with us what the "weight loss real world" is like. More importantly, the questions I'd like to pose to everybody out there. What weight loss surgeries will we be discussing on this forum 10 years from now? Will our bands be still in place? Will the DSers have a modified new DS? Will the RNY still be the gold standard in the U.S. I'm not looking to start a debate about weight loss surgery methods or inspire negativity or drama. Just posing a straight up question to look 10 years into the future. As you can imange 10 years ago, we were discussing phen-fen and had no idea what a RNY or a DS or a VSG or a gastric band was! So 10 years from now guys, what do ya think? Will peple have gastric stimulators, a revised TOGA procedure via endoscopy, biodegradable bands (yes, gastric bands that do their job and break down in the body with no surgery), brain electrodes to lose weight (like recently featured on Oprah), a weight loss pill. I am not a medical person but I love to discuss technology. So chime in everyone. What new wl technolgy will we be discussing 10 years from now on the OH boards? By the way, I am filled to 6cc in a 4cc band and I have little restriction. I do like my band and am not thinking about a revision. I'm happy with my 60 pond weight loss and will try to lose 60 pounds in a year's time. ALL the best, Angel Banded July 2004 Drs. Ortiz/Martinez Tijuana,Mexico band filled 6cc in 4cc (band still in good position but little restriction) cannot get any more fills--band full 260 starting weight 250 surgery weight 200 plus or minus 5 pounds current weight 50 percent weight loss goal weight 135-140 :wub:

If you don’t mind me asking, what is the reason for the revision? I am a rny patient. 6 yrs out. I had lost 170 pounds and now have regain 50. This puts me 100 from my goal weight. I am hoping a revision would jumpstart my weight loss again and help me reach my goal weight.

I've not had a revised sleeve, but I revised from lap band to sleeve. Full disclosure, I went several years in between surgeries. BUT, I can say with experience that the weight loss was (and continues to be) slower to come off the 2nd time around. Another case in point: a friend of mine who also converted from lap band to sleeve lost a total of 6 pounds in her first 2 months! Be patient. Stay the course and it will happen.

Tracy, You will sure be in my prayers for a successful revision. What resiliance! You are such a strong person, I know you will reach your goals.

DS is much more invasive and you have more malabsorption issues compared to the sleeve. Essentially it's like combining the sleeve with the bypass. I revised with a bmi of 45, lost 130 with the sleeve and regained 60 before choosing to go to the DS

I am having my DS surgery on Monday February 29th, 2016 ( my birthday). I decided to go with the DS because I do not want to regain the weight. Usually when other weight loss surgeries fail, the surgery is revised to a DS. I just can't imagine myself going through the process again if I regain the weight or don't lose enough weight. Thus the DS made the most sense to me. I am on day 4 of my pre-op liquid diet. It does get easier as the days pass but I really would love to eat food right now. I have so many thoughts running through my head as the day gets closer to my surgery. I look at the hundreds and hundreds of dollars in clothes that I purchased over the years that are hanging in my closet knowing that all of those clothes and shoes I won't be able to wear in the next few months. All while thinking to myself after I lose about 50 pounds I won't have anything to wear. Will I look in the mirror skinny and not recognize myself because I have been fat so long. However I look in the mirror now and wonder where I went and I don't recognize the person I became. I wonder if my relationships with friends and family will change. Every time I would go on a diet in the past and lose 30 pounds people would start telling me that I am losing to much weight. REALLY??? I am obese, how can I be losing to much weight? I feel like I will be angry inside when people start to pay attention to me because they really never pay attention to me now. It's stupid things like this that I think about.

The pre and post op liquid diet and the variations prescribed by different surgeons are the most challenging of times. You are engaged in an immense amount of change, both with the how and why you eat, and confronting the "new normal " of understanding that the habit of just going to have something to eat whenever you want to has to change if you want to be successful with weight loss. I structured my shakes and the one cup of fresh salad veggies so that there were at equal intervals during the day and evening. I had a bottle of Water with me at all times, and sipped from it frequently. And I kept very occupied with errands and those projects around the house that I never seemed to have the time or motivation. We never had such clean and organized closets and drawers in our house. But it worked to keep me on the straight path of not cheating on my diet. Weight loss success requires "getting your head in the game", and understanding that there is much psychology involved with retooling out eating patterns. Many times what we interpret to be authentic hunger is really "head hunger". We need to be aware of the difference between the two. We also need to be aware when our thoughts create a "need" to eat if/when we are bored. We need to revise our thoughts to be "mindful" when we are eating. That encompasses small bites, timed meals, chewing, chewing, pausing between bites. That also includes being aware of everything you put in your mouth. Best wishes for a successful journey...

I had my revision on April 10, I've lost 20 lbs but since then I haven't lost anything. i am stating to get down. I got on the scale to day and it looks like I'm gain 2 lbs . I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong.

Welcome! I'm sorry you have to have a revision but I wish you a great outcome. At least you've been through this before, so you know the drill (although it's a different procedure, I know).

I had the revision done 12-28-13 starting weight 246 and I'm now 206. I feel like my weight loss has been slow. Keep your head up and continue to move forward and we will get there.

Yep sounds like me too. I had my revision on 1/13/14 and only lost about 15lbs but I'm down about 12in of my body. The scale started moving and I've lost about 7.5 in April. That's because I'm trying to keep my calories to about 1200 and exercising about 3-4 times a week when my schedule allows it. I also started Dietbetters.com. You bet money on losing weight and if you meet your goal you win a share of the pot! Nice incentive! I have about 50lbs go to to meet my goal. Hopefully by this time next year I will have made it!

I'm getting a revision from the band to the sleeve next Thursday. I was successful with the band while I had it for almost 1 1/2 years, before it slipped a few times. At the point where it's going to keep slipping so we're opting to remove it & get the sleeve instead. Having definite pain & taking liquid vicodin for it once a day, at night, to help soothe it. With the band, when I was full, I would burp, like a sailor. And I do mean, like a sailor. Not very lady-like at all. I'm praying the sleeve will continue working for me & keep me satisfied. I think I'll be able to sense when I'm full, but hopefully without burping & throwing up like I used to. It was not pleasant at all. I'd love to hear from other fellow banders to sleevers....

There is a whole forum for band to sleeve revisions here. I am sure you will find a lot of helpful feedback there.

Nikki- I was given the choice, too, and I think I'm going to go with the Realise one. I've not been given the 'secret code' to get onto the larger part of the website, but so far, it looks promising. If you do a search for it here (as well as "Swedish Band") you'll find lots of threads about it. Denise- First, the biggest thing is that my surgeon seemed to be happy about was Johnson and Johnson's reputation about standing behind their products (they're the ones distributing Realise). The band is entirely 'low pressure' versus the Inamed that becomes high pressure after 4cc (?? -- I think that was the number he gave me). Meaning, if you go in to do a fill at a certain point with the Inamed, the pressure load of the saline will be high enough that it would push back the plunger on the syringe ... or shoot out if there was a leak. With the Realise one, it's low pressure throughout. And I was told that would be beneficial in terms of keeping food from getting stuck. Because the band is wider (and somewhat softer by extension), it can kind of mold to a larger chunk of food to help it move through the stoma rather than having it lodged there for however long it would take to either get displaced or digested. My surgeon also told me that the interior of the band gets inflated all the way around (as opposed to the sections that Nikki described, leaving less of a chance of erosion/rubbing in one spot. Also, all Realise bands come with a low profile port (Inameds don't - or didn't until recently come with that option). There's also that whole online support thing that comes with the band where you can track exercise, food, calories, etc. You can also have it set up so your doctor can link in to your personal page and follow your progress. There was, however, a pretty big issue with it only being offered to US patients (Patients in Canada and those who had the surgery done in Mexico apparently weren't eligible for the web program. Dunno if they revised that or not). That's all I'm remembering off the top of my head for now. I'm sure there's probably more. I have the little book the doctor gave me floating around here somewhere...If I think of anymore, I'll come back and edit. -m

I had a similar problem. This was about 7-8 yrs. after a revision. Ended up having surgery for a hiatal hernia. Showed most of my anatomy (gastric pouch) was above the diaphrahm. Anyway, it solved the problem.

Hi all. Had an awful experience with the band. Am revising to RNY later this year. For those of you who have had this done, are you happy with your decision? What can I expect? I'm terrified. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

@@tonname, it is great that you are starting out by doing research. It is very important for you and your doctor to discuss what approach you will need based on your personal health issues. All 3 weight loss surgeries have different pros and cons and the best one needs to be chosen to help you so you don't have to revise down the road. I would only want to do this one time. I chose bypass in the end because I had reflux/Gerd. Some surgeries can make this situation much worse, bypass is supposed to cure it. Thank goodness it did for me. I should warn you about that sugar thing, some people do not have adverse reactions to sugar even after bypass. I am one of them. I can eat anything I want without getting sick with the exception of eggs. That means that the habits you build and stick to are critical. At first you won't want sugar at all but you will likely try it down the road. You have to be strong enough to refrain from too much of it. For me, if I eat too many carbs in a day, my weight loss stalls so there is incentive to stay away. I have learned the more I exercise, the more weight I lose in this surgery. Good luck on your journey! It is very exciting to go through this because you feel so much better after. I have psoriatic arthritis, my spine and knees hurt me so bad. Today I was actually jogging on my treadmill! No pain anymore in my knees at all!

Hi! I got my LB in 2007 n just got it removed 3 days ago due to complications arising from a tummy tuck in May 2017. The LB is a good weight loss resource tool but it won’t work alone if it doesn’t first click in the mind. I ended up developing GERD n ANEMIA from it but nothing serious. For now I’m going to give my body a break from all these surgeries b4 I consider any more revision to my body. Good luck to a u new with Bariatric surgery

Hi @@reachbree! Crossing fingers for you! I also have Blue Shield of CA and I'm so nervous! I'm barely 35 BMI, with PCOS, high cholesterol and insulin resistance and I'm trying to get a revision from lap-band to sleeve. I'm having so many problems with the Lapband but I'm super fearful they are going to denied the approval because my borderline BMI Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

just do the six months i was denied. i had the band put in in 2006 it was a breeze my bmi was lower than 40 i had no comorbities ( ithink he used my lower back problems) so moving forward to now 10 years later i need to get a revision to sleeve. i pretty much argued with my coordinator when she said i have to do six months nutrition visits. i would not accept my insurance requirements had changed so they submitted it with out that and i was denied this was in february. i had a tentative date for surgery March 1 soooo today was my clearance i got my psyche eval done chest xray ekg blood work and Yes i have six nutrition visits. they used three that i had before i even came in to discuss a revision (i was still getting fills and unfills fills unfills) and three since january when i actually did go in to discuss revision. so my date is now April 5 they should be sending it to insurance again hopefully by tomorrow or wednesday as i made my PC that did my clearance /ekg fax it to them before i left the office... So try using the visits that you already had along with what you have to date and see if that works. you wanted to hear good or bad and this was bad im even thinking about going to Mexico if i dont get approval. i also put a call in to LINDSTROM OBESITY ADVOCATES and got a free consult when Kelley Called me back. Basically they are a lawfirm experienced in getting a denial reversed. the phone number 1-619-656-5251. Check out their website out too.. i too have bcbs empire UNH good luck keep us posted..

Hi, I think I was there the same time as you. I was sleeved by Aceves on the 10th. Great experience, although I don't remember too much of it because of the meds. They put us at the Crowne Plaza the night before surgery though. I wonder why you were in a different hotel? Best wishes on your journey! If you are who I remember you didn't look like you had much to lose. I thought you might have been a lapband revision to sleeve. I am down 10 lbs so far one week out!