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After 4 months of rest from Lap-Band removal I am finally staring bypass in the face! April 8, 2015, is my surgery date. I start the preop diet in just 2 days. I am almost afraid to breathe. What if something goes wrong again? I did not manage to keep my weight at exactly what it was before Lap-Band removal. I have gained 8 more pounds, now weighint 284 pounds, my highest weight ever. My job ends forever in 7 days. My department was outsourced. These past few months have been nothing but stress, but that too is coiming to an end, just in time for surgery! I will have 8 days to clean my house from top to bottom and read anything and everything I can get my hands on about head hunger. I will also start walking during that time so I am primed and ready to go post op. This surgery has to work this time. I am terrified it will be the Lap-Band dabaucle all over again and I just cannot let that happen. I need to make major changes in my life and they need to be forever. Considering I am 13+ years clean from a major meth addiction, this should be a piece of cake, right? Funny thing about that piece of cake. It is NOT the same thing. I am not confronted with my drug of choice day in and day out like I am with food. I know this is where I get hung up and I need to find out why and conquer it. I am grateful to have the support I have through this. I am going to need every bit of it.

My honest opinion... Tell your friends and family to go to hell. They are not living your life, you are. It's none of their business. Repositioned/replaced bands have a 70% chance of slipping again. I don't know why any good surgeon would reposition or replace a band anyway given the stats. More surgeries? Get the sleeve. Go to a GOOD surgeon, someone who has low leak stats and happy patients. I am a band to sleeve revision and the band sucks. Sleeves rock.

My surgery is Tuesday so I can't add my own two cents but I was wondering, Myturn12, since you are self-pay (as am I), did you have to pay for the revision surgery and will you have to pay again for the next lapband surgery? I hope you don't mind me asking, I'm just curious about selfpayer's experiences. Thanks, and I hope everything works out for you!

The reactions of the veterans around here show that "rejection" of a band at 2 weeks is VERY uncommon. So much so that we've never heard of it before. We've all seen bands removed for one reason or another after some time has gone by. We've also seen some of those people get re-banded. The ones that have been re-banded had their bands removed mostly due to a bad slip that could not be corrected through conservative treatments. If it were me, self-pay or not, if my surgeon said I'd rejected the band, but we can try again in a few months--I'd want MUCH more information on just what he meant by 'rejected' and why he thinks it occurred. After what the OP went through, I'd want to be pretty sure that my body would not reject again. I do realize that there are no guarantees, but that is a lot of surgery to be put through. Thinking it over, if I had even possibly rejected one band (I realize it isn't certain what happened) I'd look at bypass or sleeve which don't require insertion of a medical device. Also, keep the possible rejection in mind for future surgeries, such as knee/hip replacements or heart valves and the like. I hope you are feeling better!!

June 22 for me! I was supposed to have a band put in May 26, but they couldn't because of a huge hiatal hernia. So sleeve it will be, and after doing research, I'm pretty happy with with my alternative. People on the board who have had revisions of the band to the sleeve sound very happy with the sleeve, as do the people who have only had the sleeve. I'm grateful the sleeve is covered by my insurance!

Abstract Vertical sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive surgical technique that involves resection of a significant portion of the stomach by means of stapling the greater curvature. This procedure is rapidly gaining popularity and acceptance as a primary bariatric procedure with good results on weight loss. The other restrictive bariatric procedure is the adjustable gastric band. As the results on the vertical sleeve gastrectomy and the adjustable gastric band vary, there is still a gap that can be fulfilled by another procedure. The authors present an alternative procedure that is under investigation that can be as restrictive as sleeve gastrectomy with no staple line or prostheses. This procedure is called laparoscopic greater curvature plication, which is similar to vertical gastric banding, but without the need for gastric resection. The stomach is reduced by dissecting the greater omentum and short gastric vessels, as in vertical sleeve gastrectomy, then the greater curvature is invaginated using multiple rows of nonabsorbable suture over bougie to ensure a patent lumen. This article includes the background, method, initial results, and a brief discussion on this new procedure. Introduction Traditionally, the primary mechanisms through which bariatric surgery achieves its outcomes are believed to be the mechanical restriction of food intake, reduction in the absorption of ingested foods, or a combination of both.[1,2] Adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) are restrictive approaches commonly used in bariatric practice.[5,6] Although these procedures have proven to be good therapeutic options for some patients, they are not without significant complications, such as erosion or slippage of the gastric band or gastric leaks in VSG.[3,4,7,13,14] Leaks in VSG pose a particularly difficult challenge when they occur near the angle of His, potentially generating severe clinical conditions that require reoperation and may even cause death.[4] Since 2006, the authors have been evaluating the safety and initial results of the laparoscopic greater curvature plication (LGCP™), a restrictive bariatric surgical technique that has the potential to eliminate the complications associated with AGB and VSG by creating restriction without the use of an implant and without gastric resection and staple. Methods Using the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) inclusion criteria for bariatric surgery (patients with a body mass imdex >40kg/m[2] or BMI over 35kg/m[2] with at least one comorbidity), all patients underwent a multidisciplinary evaluation (endocrinologist, cardiologist, psychologist, and nutritionist), blood tests, abdominal ultrasonography, and upper endoscopy to establish baseline. The study design was a prospective, noncomparative case series that received approval from the local ethics committee with patients signing informed consent. From January 2007 to March 2010, 62 patients (44 female) were submitted to LGCP. Mean age was 33.5 years (ranging from 23 to 48 years) and mean BMI was 41kg/m2 (ranging from 35 to 46kg/m[2]). Technique Patients were placed under general anesthesia in supine positions. A Five-trocar port technique, similar to Nissen fundoplication, was used. Trocar placement was one 10mm trocar above and slightly to the right of the umbilicus for the 30-degree laparoscope; one 10mm trocar in the upper right quadrant (URQ); one 5mm trocar also in the URQ below the 10mm trocar at the axilary line; one 5mm trocar below the xiphoid appendices; and one 5mm trocar in the upper left quadrant (ULQ). The procedure began with angle of His dissection and removal of the fat pad, followed by careful dissection of the gastric greater curvature using the Harmonic™ scalpel (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio), opening the greater omentum at the transition between the gastric antrum and gastric body. Once access to the posterior wall was achieved, the greater curvature vessels were dissected distally up to the pylorus and proximally up to the angle of His. Posterior gastric adhesions were also dissected to allow optimal freedom for creating a greater curvature flap. Gastric plication created by imbrication of the greater curvature over a 32-Fr bougie applying a first row of extramucosal interrupted stitches of 2-0 Ethibond™ (Ethicon, Inc. Somerville, New Jersey) sutures. This row guided two subsequent rows created with extramucosal running suture lines of 2-0 Prolene™ (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, New Jersey). In the final aspect, the stomach was shaped like a sleeve gastrectomy but slightly larger. Leak tests were performed with methylene blue in all cases. No drains were left. Patients were discharged as soon as they accepted a liquid diet without vomiting. They also received a prescription of daily proton-pump inhibitor (PPI; single dose) for 60 days. Ondasentron and hyoscine (anti-spasmodic) were prescribed for seven days. The postoperative diet was a customized liquid diet for two weeks, with progressive return to solid foods in a stepwise fashion. Dietary restrictions were removed after 4 to 6 weeks, depending on patient adherence. Follow-up visits for the assessment of safety and weight loss were scheduled for 1 week and 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months in the postoperative period. Endoscopic evaluations were scheduled for 1, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Results All procedures were performed laparoscopically without conversions. Mean operative time was 55 minutes (40–110 minutes). Mean hospital stay was 36 hours (24 to 96 hours). On average, patients returned to normal activities seven days (4–13 days) following surgery. Mean percentage of excess weight loss (EWL) was calculated to be 20 percent at one month, 32 percent at three months, 48 percent at six months, 60 percent at 12 months, 62 percent at 18 months, and 61 percent at 24 months. No intraoperative complications were documented. All patients had lost at least 10 percent of total body weight. In the first postoperative week, however, nausea, vomiting, and sialorrhea in occurred in 22, 14, and 33 percent of patients, respectively. In all cases, these symptoms were resolved within two weeks. There has been no record of weight regain in any patient to date. Postoperative upper endoscopy and radiologic evaluation were performed on 12 patients at one and six months and in seven patients at up to 12 months. Qualitatively, the upper endoscopies suggest that the initial greater curvature fold is smaller at six months when compared with the initial fold size at one month, but appears unchanged at 12 months. Mild esophagitis (Grade A of Los Angeles classification) occurred in four patients at one month postoperatively; these patients were symptomatic (nausea, vomiting, and sialorrhea) and were kept on PPI, following the standard protocol. The six-month endoscopic evaluation identified no lesions or symptoms. Lumen size appeared stable (e.g., no dilation) based on upper gastrointestinal (GI) radiologic series performed on these patients at one and six months Discussion Reducing stomach capacity to promote mechanical restriction to food intake is one of the traditionally accepted mechanisms used in bariatric procedures to promote weight loss. There are at least two surgical procedures that appear to rely on this principle in current clinical practice, AGB and VSG. AGB achieves around 50 percent EWL, but unsatisfactory weight loss occurs in more than 20 percent of patients with failure rate requiring surgical revision in up to 25 percent of patients.[7] VSG as a primary bariatric procedure shows medium-term results to be adequate (>60% EWL), with improvements in comorbidities.[4,14] These promising results are associated with some complications, however, such as esophagites, stenosis, fistulas, and gastric leaks near the angle of His. These leaks and fistulas are reported in nearly one percent of cases and can be very difficult to treat.[4,14] LGCP is notably similar to a VSG in that it generates a gastric tube and eliminates the greater curvature, but does so without gastric resection. Initial clinical reports by Talebpour and Amoli[10] and Sales[11] demonstrate satisfactory weight loss up to three years. Brethauer et al12 reported increased weight loss in patients receiving LGCP when compared to plication of the anterior surface. The present series, compared to findings reported in some series involving AGB, has the lowest early complication rates among all bariatric procedures. Even with no major complications to report in the present series, Talebpour and Amoli[10] report one case of a gastric leak associated with a more aggressive version of LGCP, which they attributed to excessive vomiting in the early postoperative period. Adverse events described by patients were minor, lasting up to two weeks. These events may be related to the restriction induced by the invagination of the greater curvature and/or edema caused by venous stasis. Qualitative endoscopic findings suggest that the greater curvature fold gets smaller. This may be related with the resolution of the initial edema, although the radiological findings did not reveal significant dilation of the LGCP at six months. The percent EWL achieved a satisfactory 61 percent at 24 months in eight patients, with all patients achieving at least a 10-percent loss of initial weight. This can be favorably compared with results from VSG. This series is limited by the low number of patients, the simple study design, lack of a control group, the noninclusion of patients with BMI >50kg/m[2], and the incomplete follow-up period. This limits the broader acceptance of these results. These limitations limit the broader acceptance of these results. In order to better study this procedure, an international multicentric trial with centers in the United States, Chez Repuplic, and Brazil was designed (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01077193). LGCP seems to be feasible, safe, and effective in the short term as a promising bariatric procedure on this initial series Acknowledgment Experimental evaluation was provided by Fusco et al8,9 that had published two articles about gastric plication on anterior wall and greater curvature of wistar rats achieving good results in weight loss analogy and significant better results of the greater curvature group. Recent clinical experience with variations of this technique has been described by few surgical groups. The authors’ initial experience was sent to the journal Obesity Surgery and was accepted for publication. More actualized data are described in this present paper. Original source can be fund here.

While I weighed 250 in 2009 when I was banded, I weighed 174 9 mths ago when I had my sleeve revision. My BMI was 28. But my insurance covered it cuz I had a band complication. I had a 24 hr pre op diet so I'm of no help there So yes, there's a few of us around that started at less than 200. Good luck to u!

I hear the weight loss is slower, but I have not had a revision. There are tons of posts on here asking about revision. Have a look around and you'll probably find your answers. Good luck. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep, I was right. She's a paid spokesperson for bypass: ABC News: Carnie Wilson Keeps the Weight Off by Cooking

I agree with everything said by @@BeagleLover I am 9 weeks PostOp and am not hungry. I eat because I know I should to get my Protein and nutrients in. I was also sleeved, which I chose because military bases no longer perform the band because of complications, and I was concerned about the malabsorbtive issues of bypass. I also like to cook and try new things. My sleeve doesn't prevent me from this, it just prevents me from eating more than a few bites

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I had RNY surgery. “Not obese enough”??? If you medically qualified for the lapband then I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have medically qualified for the sleeve as well. They go by BMI and I believe it is the same for sleeve and band. (40 or, if you have comorbidities then it can be 35) It sounds like you likely used a general surgeon instead of a bariatric surgeon. Both are qualified to do the procedure but a bariatric surgeon is far more educated on the actual Bariatrics aspect. They are much more informed and actually take a couple of years to specialize in WLS. As opposed to a general surgeon who only learns the procedure and then does it. He doesn’t take that extra time to learn the ins and outs of it all. Even being on the smaller side of overweight, I still don’t understand why a surgeon would perform a procedure that has SO MANY complications and such an incredibly small rate of success. Why would he perform this operation at all? It is such common knowledge within the bariatric community that the band is a hugely bad idea. If you said you had it done several years ago then I might understand more, but you had this in 2017. The surgeon should be ashamed. Did he tell you the complication rate is far higher with the band than with any other procedure? Did he tell you people lose far less weight with the band and the rate of regain over a 5 year period is almost double that of the sleeve and RNY? My surgeon told me it won’t be long before we are seeing commercials saying “if you’ve had the lapband and had complications, call the law office of...” I’m very sorry this happened to you. I am super angry for you, to be honest. Your surgeon did you a huge disservice. I actually had a lapband for a long time and the loss was incredibly slow. After several years, I developed complications and nearly died. I had to have the band removed. I chose to also have a revision to RNY and it is a completely different experience. It’s so much better. If you continue experiencing pain or the other issues you mentioned, I would strongly suggest finding a new surgeon and having a consultation. Try your best to find someone who specializes in Bariatrics rather than just a general surgeon. I had a general surgeon with my band too because I really didn’t know the difference, to be honest. It was a huge mistake. I wasted a lot of years of my life with that awful band. Again, I’m very sorry. I’m seriously angry right now. I can’t believe these surgeons are still doing this procedure. Please don’t give up. I know this is hard. It’s so hard. But just remember why you did this. You wanted a healthier, better quality life. You can still have that. It may just happen a little differently than planned, that’s all. As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

Hi! I’m 6 weeks post bypass and have lost 19lb since surgery. I’m getting 1.5/2l fluid a day. Hitting my protein targets and getting some exercise in. Why is my weight so slow? If I’d known that it was going to be like this, then I never would have put my body through a major op.

You need to call your doctor and get them to check you out. I was banded in April (4/10) - I had a lot of port site pain myself. Not knowing what to expect I let it go believing it was normal recovery pain. I went for my first fill at the end of May and found out my port had flipped. My pain was from the stitches being ripped and the port moving around. I wish I would have called when I suspected something was wrong - which was week one. I was late on my fills because of revision surgery. It delayed my progress - but everything has been corrected. You'd rather be safe than sorry.

How far out from surgery are you? The pain went away fairly quickly. It was b/c I was trying to catch my DD and I'm sure I pulled some stitches. My port actually moves now. Dr can manipulate it with his fingers. Really strange! If I bend over wrong it feels like it's trying to flip but when I stand up, it pops back in to place. Dr can still access it for fills so we're not worried about it. Once he can't access it, then we'll have to do a revision. I'm hoping that never happens! :Banane01: Anyway, if you're not healing from surgery and it's been awhile, I'd call my doc. You need to let him know what's going on and find out if it's anything to worry about. If you ARE healing from surgery and it seems to be pretty often that you're feeling this, I'd still call him. At the very least, everything is fine and it will relieve you mind but if there is a problem, it gets resolved quickly. Best wishes and let me know what you find out! Take care!

hey heartfire I have the same pinch and pain in my port area too. I was just wondering if those pinches ever went away on their own for you or do you still deal with the pain? Did you require revision surgery to correct the issue? Everytime I move in a certain way I can feel a sharp pinch and I was just wondering what this could be. :eek:

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mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> Well I'm getting sleeved on the 24th of May and the local Law enforcements agencies are having the first annual Battle of the badges on June 12th which is three weeks after my surgery. I really want to play. Everyone who knows me knows that I've always had a thing for playing sports and even at 6'4 477 pounds I still manage to get around the field. I even had it all figured out, I thought that if I hit homeruns I would not have too even run at all. My wife says she thinks that will be entirely too early. I have never had any surgeries and this will be my first. I'm usually good with healing and can tolerate pain really good. I Know I will also see what my Doctor say's and go from there. But if she says no then i guess I will just play anyway but from the bleachers sitting down cheering them one.

I was just wondering if I will go through a 2nd round of hair loss with the revision surgery? I had some hair loss after the band- it wasnt that bad actually. It was like post-partum hair loss for me. But was just curious if revision-ers have to go through a 2nd round of hair loss?

I was not a revision but had a BMI at 45 and am currently at 25.3. I have lost 133lbs so far and have 11 to go. I am very very strict about getting my Protein, Water and Vitamins in every day. I have been restricted from exercise since June due to 2 spine surgeries and that is not going to end anytime soon. My weight loss slowed way down but I am still losing around 8lbs per month. I track every single thing I put in my mouth and have had many many stalls the longest lasting 28 days. I have had several people tell me I was likely done losing and I tell them they are full of crap. I may lose more slowly but it is up to me to follow the plan, if I do I will continue to lose. I get between 900 and 1200 calories a day with 70 grams of protein. I try to keep my carb intake under 90grams and I get a minimum of 48 oz, of straight water and usually more like 60oz. It can be done but you must push yourself hard and really look at your activity. Even though I cannot exercise in a gym, I keep my arms moving even when I am sitting and I try to walk as much as I can.

Any updates from anyone on revision from plication to sleeve? Though I do not want to do that at the min the subject is of interest.

I'm in the 6 month pre-op program as well. I have been overweight for the last 16 years, since my last child was born. At various times throughout the last 16 years I thought about gastric bypass and lap band surgery, but the possible side effects and after effects scared me too much. Earlier this year I was transferred to a new position within my department (law enforcement). This position is exciting and definitely a career advancement, but does require standing for hours on end at scenes. I came to the realization that I could not physically do that, and that basically snapped me out of my denial. I am obese. I am not a big girl, or big boned, or heavy. I am obese. I investigated and researched gastric bypass and lap band and decided that lap band was the right choice for me. In fact, once I had decided, I was so excited that I wanted to cry when I found out that I'd have to go through a 6 month supervised program first! It's a good thing though, I think it helps prepare you and get you in the mindset that you need to be in to make the band work. Mostly, I want to stop feeling crappy: all the aches and pains because of my weight. (Throw in a ballistic vest and duty belt and it just makes it worse.) The fatigue at the end of my work week because of lugging all this weight around. I want to do it while I'm still relatively young enough to enjoy it. While overweight I have always felt "less than" around anyone smaller than me. My accomplishments or talents didn't matter, I automatically felt inferior because I was fat. I am not "less than"! On this journey of a thousand miles, I have taken the first steps to regain the "me" that feels trapped in this body.

OMG...I would have been mortified as well!!!! I've learned that the whole "going out to dinner" thing is just not ever going to be the same and I did have a few "mishaps" after dining out early on (nothing like yours though!). Luckily, my partner had bypass about 6 months after I had my surgery so I don't have to worry about that anymore....we NEVER go out to eat!!!

Hi I am new just joined up. My name is Roxxie and well my Lap Band is almost 4 years old now and due to some problems I am now seeking a revision from the band to Gastric Bypass. I will be turning 60 in a few months and it is harder for people my age to lose weight or to keep it off. I lost over 100 pounds and re gained 16 back in a year, not good but who knows why for I sure don't

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone who has Kaiser Permanente insurance got them to cover revision surgery from lap band to a gastric sleeve. I qualified for the lap band surgery through Kaiser, but I opted to self-pay because they wanted me to do the Options program before the surgery, which would have meant driving into Los Angeles once a week for six months, and I couldn't do that. I wanted to have my surgery performed by a surgeon in Ventura, which is much closer to where I live. Anyway, I paid to have the lap band surgery and got the lap band in April, 2008, and I had a small amount of weight loss at first, which eventually came back. My band was tightened nearly to the max, and I would throw up at nearly every meal. They told me that my metabolism is very low, which would make it hard to lose weight, and I have found that to be true and try to exercise when I can. Lately, I have a never-ending stomach ache and am trying to see if Kaiser will remove the lap band and approve the vertical sleeve instead. The endoscope apparently showed that there is no erosion, slippage, or ulcers, but it is possible that I have scar tissue around my band or that I may have a hiatal hernia. I am trying to get a upper G.I. to be able to learn more about my stomach pain, but I have to wait about a month before I can get an appointment with my PCP. Has anyone here with Kaiser Insurance had revision surgery approved? Can you tell me what your experience was? Did Kaiser make you wait a long time until your revision surgery? Thanks very much for any advice or assistance.

Hi Bionicbroad, I was just referred to the Harbor City Kaiser Facility. The bariatric nurse said that I would probably see Dr. Zane or Dr. Belzberg. My stomach still hurts so I am hoping that I can have the lap band to sleeve revision surgery fast like you did. I had the band unfilled so I am not throwing up anymore, but I still feel pain. My primary care physican said that the Upper G.I. report showed that I had a slight slip also. Can you tell me which facility or hospital you had surgery at? Woodland Hills is closest to me, but I'm sure they have one hospital they use there at Harbor City, or maybe Harbor City is a hospital? Thanks. At this point, I really don't care where I go or what surgeon I use. I just want to get this lap band out of me.

This doctor has been brought up many many times before. Search him name and you'll find lots of posts. In short, he has an agenda to disparage the lapband so that patients will get the mini gastric bypass from him. It should be noted that this is a procedure that is not well-regarded amongst bariatric surgeons. In fact, I think you'll even find a post from a surgeon somewhere around here that talks about that fact. Anyone that advertises on youtube and has such an incredibly awful website should give you a pretty good indication of what he's all about. Oh, BTW, the 'studies' that he references are not at all comprehensive and are extremely limited in their scope.