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What is a revision?

Has your Gerd/Reflux cleared up? I had revision surgery in May and still have Gerd and am still on my PPI !!!

I'm hoping this will be more the case for me, versus the 4+ hour ones I've heard of here. Looks like you're down quite a bit in the short time since your revision. Nice!

So you did the revision in two procedures?

I gained 11lbs from IVs during my revision from VSG to RNY. All of it was lost during the week following. Don't stress about it.

Ok cause I'm seeing a new doctor ..I have diffrent insurance n I havnt been to a doctor in like 2 yea rs (lack of insurance) but now I have insurance but iv had issues for years.. throw up Dailey get stuck all day my port Jams in my rib cage ..hard to make healthy choices cause I always get stuck ..stopped losing weight and always hungry.. so we I see this new doctor I wonna ask him about the revision to sleeve just wasn't sure if it was a battle or doctors are getting on board because the band is failing alot of people

If you’ve been married as long as I have (we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary), you’ll probably know what I mean when I say that at times, my relationship with my husband is a love-hate thing. The hate is provoked by stupid little things, like: why must an adult male in good health and in possession of all his faculties spit toothpaste on the bathroom mirror every single day of his life? Ten minutes after wanting to throttle him for that, I catch a glimpse of him cuddling a tiny kitten and my heart melts. He has truly been there for me through thick and thin (more thick than thin) and I can’t imagine life without him, but the next time I walk into the bathroom and see the Colgate version of a Jackson Pollock painting on the mirror, my husband’s life will hang by a thread, at least for a few moments. I also have a love-hate relationship with my band at times. I resent it because it prevents me from eating mindlessly. I love it for the very same reason, but when I’m tired or hurried or distracted, the effort to eat carefully seems enormous. Why can’t my band just do its job and leave me the heck alone? I’m by no means a lazy person but there are days when living with an adjustable gastric band is a lot of work. It’s certainly not a spectator sport – to win this game, you have to jump right in and get busy, and it’s not over when the cheers fade away…it starts all over again the next day, and the next day, for the rest of your life. Like me and the stupid bathroom mirror. Happily Ever After? I think that many people have bariatric surgery believing or hoping that it will solve everything, that they’ll never have to struggle with their food or eating again. Most of the time, that’s not the happy ending to their story. Their story has a different ending that could be happier if they adjust their thinking to it. Is the burden of good eating choices too heavy? If surgery helps you lose all the excess weight, shouldn’t it help you maintain that weight loss without another thought for the rest of your life? Dream on. I’ve seen a lot of bandsters (including the short blonde one in that bathroom mirror) crash into the Forever Wall, kind of like hitting the “seven-year itch” in a marriage. We prepare for band surgery with all the hope and care of a bride and groom planning a wedding – what we’ll wear, what we’ll eat, what music we’ll dance to. We enjoy a romantic honeymoon with the band, things go great for a while, and then things get harder and harder. At that point, you can fall in love with another bariatric procedure, believing that a revision to gastric bypass or whatever will hand you the key to happily-ever-after. Or you can stick with the partner you’ve already got, survive some tough times, and come out of it all the stronger. My friend Tami send me these wise comments: “Your comparison of WLS to marriage made me chuckle. One time my daughter asked me whether I’d ever divorce her dad (sometimes he can be such an ass!). I said, “Absolutely not. He’s family. You sometimes can’t stand your brother, but you can’t divorce him.” Now, if there was a serious “complication” in my marriage, like abuse, I’d have to reconsider my options. And that’s exactly how I feel about my band. It’s part of me, and as long as it doesn’t abuse me with serious complications, we’ll stick together. And just like my husband, I have to respect my band, take care of it, and learn from mistakes.” To Have & To Hold – til it’s no fun any more? I’ve survived some complications with my band that I suppose you could classify as on the low side of serious: a band slip, and a flipped port. Since the actions my surgeon and I took in response to these complications were swift (in the case of the slip) and sensible (in the case of the port flip), neither one of them ever endangered me – not in terms of my health, and not in terms of my quality of life. In fact, they seemed quite minor to me compared to other problems that my fellow humans face every day – a terminal cancer diagnosis; a fatal automobile accident; a crippling disease; the loss of a partner; parent or child – that except for the occasional moment of frustration or angry, “Why me, God?”, I just kept trudging onward. Perhaps another person with a different world-view and/or different expectations would consider a band slip grounds for divorce. I can’t criticize people who choose divorce, whether it involves their spouse or their band. Only I can decide what’s acceptable and tolerable for me, and others must decide that for themselves. But if you walk down the church aisle three minutes before your wedding begins thinking, “If I don’t like marriage, I can always get a divorce,” perhaps you don’t belong in the church in that fancy get-up in front of all your family and friends after all. At this (fairly advanced) stage of my life, I’m convinced that God or the universe throws nails on the road before me as a way to get my attention, make me stop and get my bearings, make me enjoy the scenery and make me appreciate how far I’ve traveled so far. So I do my best to learn what I can from each challenging situation with the gastric band that’s complaining or my husband who’s vigorously brushing his teeth or the dog who’s chewing on a chair leg. For all I know, my greatest goal in life is to be a champion cleaner of bathroom mirrors!

Hello, I was banded in 2003 and had a revision last week to the sleeve. I am 9 days post op now and starting to feel a little better. I did not have any band troubles BUT was unable to keep the 60 lbs I lost off and it all came back. My regret is that I waited 8 years with the band and because I did that there was extra scar tissue and it made my surgery more difficult.

Nowornever14 - I am having my revision done in IL. It's with the same doctor that originally did my band. I really like him and know he'll do a good job. I just hope I can get the band removed and the sleeve done in the same operation. I have real bad heartburn and hope that goes away with the sleeve. I've heard good things about that. Good luck to you on your journey.

Oh my goodness!!! Same probs with my band. Had it done in 2005. Lost a substantial amount of weight. It stopped working a few years later. Turned out it had a slow leak. I haven't had a fill in several years. My current doc suggested revision to band over a year ago, but I've been so afraid of what the outcome will be. Hoping to be encouraged to make my mind up concerning revision, and hoping to be brave enough to have surgery for band removal sooner rather than later.

Hi all. Looks like I'm one of the very few with complications. I stopped losing weight at 6 months and even the first 6 months added up to LESS than what I lost during prior prep! . I was up 4 days a week at the gym at 5am, eating healthy and still, nothing happened. My surgeon and nut were stumped and we did an intensive 6 week study. I saw him weekly, as well as my nut and we tried everything...raising calorie amt, lowering them, etc. nothing. Finally we did a ct scan and discovered a stricture. Top of my stomach healed too tightly and my stomach created a type of side pouch it seems so basically I could get down much more than I should. And that's the main reason I had the surgery!! I couldn't get full and now even with the surgery, same thing was happening. We did an endoscopy this week and not only saw the stricture up close but also discovered after filling up my sleeve with air, that my stomach is extremely thick and elastic and it was heavily dilated. So, I'm facing a revision to gastric bypass on the 16th. 11 months to the day that I had the sleeve surgery. I'm devastated.

So, I was helping out this lady who told me she recently lost 100 pounds and was looking for a new motorcycle jacket. I told her I recently lost 40 pounds myself and we started to talk a little more. I'm open to how I've been losing weight and it reallly doesn't bother me one way or another how people feel about it. So I told her I had Vertical Sleeve. She then confessed to me that she has the band. So We started to compare notes and look at each others bellies (sounds weird 'eh?) I have to say...I'M SO HAPPPPPPY I DID VSG! She let me feel the port thing that they do the fills in and I think I'd freak out if I had that in me. It felt like a big piece of scar tissue. Plus I HATE needles and would not be happy with "fills" She was totally rad and actually was interested in revision herself. Said it was the best thing I ever did. I'm not knocking the band, but I'm glad I didn't go that route.

Well I went to my Dr after my band locked up on me. They had me talk to the surgeon on his team, but he did nothing. Then I was referred to another doctor who was "all about getting people right with the band." I was so done. I felt like I was just being used for them to get my copay. 6 months later I began looking for another doctor, but I ended up relocating. My new Dr was more than willing to give me the revision, but the problem was my still then (out of state) insurance said I had to be over 300 pounds. I was not willing to gain 20 pounds just for the surgery. Because I felt that if I did they would still have something to say. So 2 years later, finally got insurance to cover the surgery. Friday is my day. This is all a move of God. They told me the middle of last month, and I was able to pick my day. I knew that was God. I still have other things that I am worried about. Like this clear liquids day tomorrow, but I know all will be okay in the end. Just gotta get threw tomorrow.

Well it is hard to say but I switched doctor too and really my sleeve surgeon used to do a lot of bands and now does more revisions than bands.

I had revision lapband to bypass 12/17. I had horrible gerd before my bypass, but since the surgery I have not had one single episode. The bypass completely solved the problem!!

My surgeon would not do the sleeve for me because he said my GERD would get much worse. I had the gastric bypass revision from Lapband last July and the GERD is completely gone!

I did the revision of band to bypass on 1/18/19 & so far I’m down 30lbs.

From time to time, a bandster will comment (sometimes in the context of a complaint, sometimes just in surprise or confusion) that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet. They’re disappointed by this. They expected WLS to make weight loss easier than it is with dieting, and while that's true, it's only part of weight loss success. They may hold the mistaken belief that the band itself is what causes weight loss, but that’s not true either. The band is just a piece of plastic. Although it’s inside the patient’s body, it does not directly affect the way nutrients from food are ingested or metabolized. It releases no weight loss instructions into the patient’s bloodstream, nervous system, or endocrine system. It doesn’t directly affect the patient’s eating behavior or exercise habits. It doesn’t compel the patient to make good food choices, limit portion sizes, eat slowly, or resist the urge to graze or binge because of boredom, stress, cravings, etc. After reading that long list of what the band doesn’t do, you may be thinking that it’s a mighty expensive and not very helpful weight loss tool. Why go through the risk, trouble and expense of WLS when you could achieve the same results with plain old dieting? HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? Here’s some news that may shock you: I lost 100% of my excess weight by dieting after my band surgery. My dietitian gave me a food plan to follow, and I followed it. It never occurred to me to do otherwise or to complain about that because my bariatric team had made it clear that I, not my band, was going to have to make some significant lifestyle changes in order to succeed. It wasn’t until after the excess weight was gone, after a big unfill to treat an irritated esophagus and stoma (after swallowing a large, corrosive antibiotic capsule), that I realized how much my band had been helping me by reducing my appetite and giving me early (if not always prolonged) satiety. I had been taking my band for granted – out of sight, out of mind. I suppose it’s possible that I had been experiencing a placebo effect; that my band worked for me simply because I believed it would. If so, it was a remarkable and long-lived placebo effect. It wasn’t until my band was being refilled after a complete unfill (to treat a band slip) when I was 3 years post-op that I experienced a stunning, “Oh, so this is what it’s all about!” aha moment. My experience of restriction then was quite different than it had been the first time around, because I understood more about my band’s effects and how to optimize those effects, and because my body had changed so drastically since my surgery. Whether your 8-ounce water glass is half empty or half full, it still contains 4 ounces. Getting the most out of those 4 ounces is largely a matter of attitude adjustment. You can accept that you have 4 ounces, then make the best of it, or you can give up all together and spend your life in wistful regret. You can find another way to fill your WLS glass – complain to your surgeon, or the band manufacturer, revise to a different WLS procedure – or give up altogether and spend your life in angry regret. Taking the “half full” viewpoint may be easier for me than for others because I’m an opportunist who actually enjoys making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Webster defines “opportunist” as one who uses the art, policy, or practice of taking advantage of opportunities or circumstances, often with little regard for principles or consequences. Since I do have immense regard for principles and consequences, perhaps I’m not a classic opportunist. But I see nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities and circumstances when my own careful plans aren’t working or have led me into unknown territory. Resourcefulness has been a handy life skill for me. BUT I WANT IT TO BE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME I do know what it’s like to be disappointed with a purchase, though, be it a band, a blouse, or a bicycle. I want the item I purchase to be suitable, if not perfect, for its intended use. During a shift at my retail “day job” the other day, I helped a customer whose garment size wasn’t in stock. She didn’t want to order that garment – she wanted it now, so much so that she considered buying the wrong size and having it altered to fit her. Before I could volunteer an opinion, this woman uttered the very words I was thinking: “I hate to pay good money for something new and have to alter it. I just want to buy it and wear it.” If I were a better (or pushier) salesperson, she might have bought that garment, but I’m not and she didn’t. If your adjustable gastric band hasn’t (yet) lived up to your expectations, you do have my sympathy. It’s not easy – if even possible – to return a disappointing medical implant, and it’s maddening to have to “alter” it (by dieting, for example) to make it work for you. I could tell you (unhelpfully) that your expectations were not realistic, but it’s also possible that your surgeon educated you well, you’re a “compliant” patient, and yet your band just isn’t up to snuff. According to Doctors Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband, authors of Your Medical Mind, “Medicine is an uncertain science.” No one, not even your doctor, can say with certainty what impact a condition “will have on an individual’s life or how someone will experience the side effects from a particular treatment. Each of us is unique in the interplay of genetic makeup and environment. The path to maintaining or regaining health is not the same for everyone.” Doctors Groopman and Hartzband go on to describe what they call the ‘focusing illusion’. “In trying to forecast the future, all of us tend to focus on a particular aspect of our lives that would be negatively affected by a proposed treatment. This then becomes the overriding element in decision making. The focusing illusion neglects our extraordinary capacity to adapt, to enjoy life with less than ‘perfect’ health. Imagining life with a colostomy, after a mastectomy, or following prostate surgery can all be skewed by the focusing illusion. We cannot see how the remaining parts of our lives expand to fill the gaps created by the illness and its treatment.” Despite carefully-devised formulas and scoring systems (intended to direct resources and money to those most likely to survive) for calculating a patient’s chances of surviving a treatment or illness, doctors are lousy at predicting outcomes. A study in England found that one out of 20 ICU patients who doctors predicted would die actually lived, and most of those who survived had a good quality of life. I don’t think that’s a sign of medical incompetence. I think it’s a sign of the unquenchable human spirit and its enduring will to survive and even thrive against all odds. One of my life goals is to survive and thrive, no matter what. That’s an ambition you can’t get from a medical device or bottle of medicine. It comes from within you, and if you think you don’t have it, or not enough of it, I suggest that you look again. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Yes. Had my revision 10 mths ago, after having my band for 3 1/2 yrs (slipped for a yr). What do u want to know?

I am having my band to sleeve revision on Monday! Positive thoughts and well wishes of quick healing to you!!!!!

I just got back from my Dr visit and my paperwork to my insurance is being submitted.I am really getting scared.Does anyone have and regrets having this revision done ?

I'm extremely happy with my band to sleeve revision. I had my sleeve done on 11-9-09 and have already lost 23 lbs. I never lost anything with the band.....the sleeve is the way to go. Just be prepared for the 1st day out of surgery....I felt terrible, but you feel better and better with each passing day. Good luck.

How are you doing? I had a stricture at 7 weeks out. It was 97% closed and I couldnt eat anything but yogurt and cottage cheese without pain. They did the balloon stretching but perforated the stricture. I had open emergency surgery so they could revise the opening. It definitely wasnt fun at all.

The bariatric pre-certification nurse said if they "remove the lapband and convert to RNY in one fell swoop" it is considered a revision and I do not have to meet the initial criteria. If i have two separate procedures, though, I DO have to meet the initial requirements again whether the band is out 2 days or 2 years. Now, I see why your insurance required the 6 months. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using the BariatricPal App

Band to bypass is a safe option for conversion as long as there is no history of intestinal surgery or reason to have extensive intestinal adhesions. I recommend seeing a surgeon who regularly performs band to bypass conversions and routinely does band revisions/conversions. The bypass has more long term data compared to sleeve. The bypass is also considered the gold standard weight loss operation. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App