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I had a lower body lift, arm lift and breast revision on January 25, 2023. My Surgeon implants a pain pump (a medical device he invented) in the abdominal area that lasts about 3 days after surgery so I really had much less pain than anticipated. I feel pretty good so I constantly have to remind myself not to do too much and jeopardize my recovery. My main area of soreness are my arms. The itching is the most difficult issue I'm having. My Plastic Surgeon, Dr. John LoMonaco in Houston, TX, co-wrote a book on plastic surgery specifically for bariatric patients. "Bariatric Plastic Surgery: A Guide to Cosmetic Surgery after Weight Loss". I found it on Amazon/Thrift Books and it's a great resource! If you're researching Surgeons, I highly suggest you check him out. He is a truly gifted Surgeon who specializes in Bariatric Patients, and in addition is an excellent human being! Best of Luck!

My advice is go with the flow and enjoy the benefits. Living with minor gerd or none at all upped my quality of life 100-fold. For me, the recovery was easier, maybe because I knew what to expect this time around. Or maybe because my body reacted more strongly to having a large part of an organ removed versus the rny. Before you know it, it'll be over. My revision took less than a hour. Afterwards, I was surprised at how I didn't feel any different physically than when I had the sleeve. But I definitely had a new learning curve on how to tell when I am at roughly 80% full, that is when I stop eating (lifetime rule for me). There are different cues for sure as well as well as different side effects if you go one bite too many, or don't chew enough, eat something that your stomach does not agree with... Etc. Hope it goes well for you too.

It does get better. It's normal to have regrets at your current stage. I am one of the very rare bariatric surgery patients to have serious complications. However, after a challenging year, I've lost a total of 115 lbs and my life is totally normal. I eat regular food and have resumed all of my prior activities. A year ago I was in hospital due to peritonitis and sepsis arising out of bariatric revision surgery. I rued my decision to have RNY>RNY revision surgery. I spent 7 weeks in hospital with 3 endoscopy procedures and two open surgeries, followed by 3 weeks in a rehab facility before returning home. I had an open surgical wound for another 3 months, requiring daily dressing changes. I'm lucky to have survived at all, with organs and limbs intact. Because of the endoscopy procedures my pouch and anastomosis were stretched so I now have minimal physical restriction and will have to watch my diet and record my intake for the rest of my life. I accept that and hope to lose more, but will be content if I don't continue to lose. If you read the many stories on this site you will see that regrets pass and the vast majority of us are ultimately happy with our decisions to have surgery. Life does return to normal. You will be able to eat normal food. If you follow an appropriate food plan and learn how to eat differently during this period of restriction you will lose weight and keep it off. Since you have had such meager support, it's up to you to read and learn more about how to make a successful return to normal life minus the excess poundage. There are many excellent books available. You may be able to get some on Amazon.de or have them sent to you by someone in the US (or on Kindle in English). Here are a few of the books I recommend. There are many other excellent books and cookbooks to support you. You may ultimately still need breast reduction surgery, but you will be in better shape before you proceed with it. In the meantime, make the most of the tool you have been provided. Hang in there. Day by day, it will get better.

Hey everyone! Going from the sleeve, to bypass Monday 2/6. I'm scared and excited. Due to GERD which is super common with the sleeve I am getting the revision. Also I am getting hernia repair as well. Tomorrow starts the liquids only. Nervous since I have has no luck finding vitamins in store and have to order them all. Anyone with advice with a revision from sleeve to bypass? Sleeve in 2/28/19 Bypass on 2/6/23 Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had serious doubts about getting the gastric sleeve a few days before my surgery. I expressed them to my husband but he thought I was just nervous and wanted to support me, so he urged me to go through with it. I hate it though. I hate my life now and I'm not sure if I will ever not hate it. I have a couple close friends and they did not feel this way 4 weeks post-op like I do. I cry all the time. I'm worried something is wrong and terrified of having to go through any kind of revision surgery. I'm an American living in Germany and it is so difficult to contact my surgeons office and get anyone who speaks enough english to help me. I started my WL journey about 4 years ago when we were stationed in Italy. I was denied a medically necessary breast reduction because my BMI was too high. So I was referred for weight loss guidance.First, I was sent to the base nutritionist (a perfectly in shape airman) who told me I needed to work out more and eat more whole vegetables. I had to work with him for 1+ years before being able to try any WL medications. Unfortunately that was in early 2019, and we all know how the next few years went. We PCS'd to a new base in Germany in 2020 and when I asked about the WL medications I was told that was not an option here. They recommended I carry on with my (now virtual) nutritionist. I wasn't losing any weight and working out would send my back into spasms from my H cups breasts. I was taking a combination of Flexural, Motrin, and Valium for my back spasms, only using the Valium when they were at a level 8 or above pain level (so less than 1 valium a month). Turns out not only could I not get WL meds here, I also could not get a refill on my Valium. I had used too much (less than 1 pill a month for a year). So any weight training was immediately phased out of my working out, which now consisted of only walking. This past summer I went back and told them I really need a breast reduction and if I had to go the WLS route then I was open to that. The provider (who has had WLS themself) was very on board with WLS. I told them that I had already done the nutrition part at my previous base, so he put in the surgical consult referral right away. After I met with the surgeon, who surprise, surprise wanted to operate (surgeons always gonna surgeon), my provider put in the referral for my surgery and stated that all prerequisites had been completed at prior base. Then boom... endoscopy and surgery scheduled. Now all I had said was that I went to nutrition at my previous base and continued it virtually. So I had no idea what other preqs there could be. I had a few meeting with the nutritionist here about the gastric pre/post op diet. That's it. I learned about the full liquid to clear liquid pre-op and clear liquid to full liquid to purees to soft foods diet post op. I was completely unprepared mentally and emotionally for this surgery. Not to mention I had done all my pre-op nutrition with the American on base nutritionist and post-op was with the German hospital nutritionist. They had completely different guidelines (like the Germans wanted me to start soft solids on DAY 5 post op and stop protein shakes immediately). I was in the hospital for 4 days with nurses who spoke very little English, so they would give me shots and pills but never tell me what they were giving me. I know a small amount of German, enough to get by with running errands and what not, so I understood one nurse when after I told her my German was minimal and asked if she could speak English, she got annoyed with me and told me I was never going to be allowed to go home. The patient liaison from base sorted it out and the issue was the hospital nutritionist would not do my consult without an in person translator that I needed to provide and I could not be discharged without that consultation. I felt like I was drowning; I still feel like I'm barely able to tread water now at 4 weeks post-op. My end goal wasn't WL to be skinny. I just wanted a breast reduction. Before surgery I didn't have high blood pressure, diabetes, GERD, sleep apnea, high cholesterol...zero comorbidities. For all intents and purposes I was a healthy fat lady with giant boobs. So post surgery I was/am overwhelmed with regret. There's all these things I feel like I didn't know and wasn't prepared for. Like I knew I was going to be eating smaller portions, but didn't know about the tiny bites and chewing things until its mush in your mouth for the rest of your life. I didn't know that my stomach would be almost too swollen to drink water after surgery and that the german hospital only provided water and broth, no popsicles or jello. So I spent my days in the hospital feeling nauseous all the time because drinking water made me taste blood in my mouth and that made me gag, all while my nurse tisked me and told me I was never going home. No one asked if I had a history of eating disorders (which I do) and how this surgery and diet are going to bring up old thoughts and feelings of self harm and negative self talking. No one weighed out if the possible negative side effects of the surgery were stronger than the positives. Pre surgery I took ZERO daily meds other than a daily vitamin. Now I need an antacid and stool softener to be able to ingest anything other than water and not tear myself in half in the bathroom. I also need daily tylenol because eating anything gives me a massive headache. I don't even want to eat anymore. I spend 30 minutes forcing myself to take tiny bites of some high protein food and then I spend the next hour actively trying not to barf it back up. Without tylenol I am running at 99F, but when I eat it goes up to 100-101. The doctor said its not an emergency unless its 101.5, which is hasn't gotten to yet. And even if it did, what would I do?! The hospital was horrible. My hand still hurts from where the nurse wouldn't flush my IV, so the port go blocked and all he fluid and medicine soaked into the flesh of my hand, making it swell up like Wreck It Ralph. I had an allergic reaction that made me sneeze for days after surgery. No one would offer any help or advice about my sneezing. They told me to eat less, but I wasn't eating anything at all. I just hate this. I hate food. I hate eating. I hate the thought of chewing until something is a mushy paste. I hate life. I just wanted a breast reduction and now I feel like I've had a life reduction.

My insurance also needed a health complication like diabetes, high blood pressure etc to be approved along with 6 months of weight loss. Due to needing the surgery as a revision to correct major complications from the previous surgery a disingenuous hack did to me, my insurance can wave the 6months requirements with medical proof of those complications. My new surgeon's office informed me that the insurance can backtrack my doctors visits for those 6months. My PCP and Gi are willing to send the necessary paperwork to my insurance telling them that the revision surgery is medically necessary due to the continued deterioration of my health. What helped me a lot was a case worker from my insurance. Request one to assist you. They will collect all the necessary medical information that your appeal needs, a long with being an advocate for your well being.

I had vsg in 2020 but I’m getting a revision to RNY. I had no troubles my first surgery actuall surgery went great. but TikTok has me panicking and getting scared that something bad will happen to me.

Hi everyone! I am on my way to the hospital this morning February 2, 2023 to have a revision done. My doctor will remove my band and revise it to a sleeve. I am really excited about this journey and cannot wait to move forward in my weight loss journey!

I’m 21 days post op and have lost 16-18 lbs (depends on the day) but I’ve been kinda hanging at that weight for about 5 days. My doc said they was normal but I’m wondering as this is a revision if I’ll keep losing or is that it? I’m down 36-38 lbs from before I started the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet. Never intended this for more weight loss just to stop the GERD but now that I’ve had some I want more. I’m at about 750 calories a day now on the purée phase. Just short walks around the neighborhood. I get pretty tired during the day and nap at least once a day. Water and protein are on target. Thanks for any insight?

Hi Lindsey, I have lupus and fibromyalgia. I just did a revision from Lapband to gastric bypass a few weeks ago. I actually am doing a lot better with my pain control. I take 50mg of amitriptyline at bedtime for it. I actually get more sleep now since I did the revision and it helps my symptoms.

Bypass was once the gold standard of weight loss surgeries up until a few years ago, when sleeve took over. It's easier for surgeons to perform, it's cheaper, and a lot of people are afraid of the bypass. Thus, sleeve is currently the most popular weight loss surgery. I went with bypass because I had GERD prior to surgery. Bypass usually improves if not outright cures GERD, whereas sleeve can make it worse (doesn't happen to everyone - and some people say their GERD even improved after getting sleeved, but the risk of having it get worse was too high for my comfort, so I chose bypass). bypass is the stronger of the two surgeries, but sleeve is close. And yes, you have more options for revision after sleeve, but then, very few people who have bypass get theirs revised. honestly, they both have their pros and cons. There are some health conditions (like GERD) that would make one surgery more appropriate for you than the other, but barring that, it really comes down to personal preference. They're both good surgeries and you'll find many examples on here of people who've been very successful with both. I love my bypass and would choose it again if I had to make the choice today.

My doctor also said that if you go with Sleeve, if you need a revision, you have more options.

Thank you, everyone! My doctor's take was I could go either way, but Bypass is the ultimate when it comes to many patients that have sleeves and need a revision due to heartburn. In my mind, If I could do one surgery and not a possible two, I thought that was the wise decision for me. She and the NP there also mention so many people really do have bypass but realize that social channels its is full of sleeve advocates, which does isolate a whole large group. So I stuck with bypass, but I have to say mentally I struggle with "why" still. Am I missing info? I am not sure!?! I am not questioning the want and need for surgery just that I am choosing the right one I do have a hiatal hernia so back to leaning to the bypass more for that reason as well..

My daughter & I both had bypass. We both have GERD & that is the only way to go if you have GERD. She started at 305 & lost 150 lbs & has kept it off for 4 years. I started at 200 & have lost 70lbs & have kept it off for almost 6 years. A lot of people have the sleeve revised to a bypass because of GERD. What does your doctor recommend for you?

Sleeve is an easier surgery for doctors to perform and it's an easier recovery usually. I was back home the day of surgery and back to normal within a week or so. My surgeon recommended it over the bypass because if it wasn't successful there was still the bypass to do later, which is what ended up happening. I got severe GERD from the sleeve and ended up gaining some weight back. I just had the revision to bypass last month and wish I had just went straight to bypass a few years ago instead of doing the sleeve first. Sleeve recovery was simple and I lost 78 lbs in a year, then my gallbladder had to be removed, acid reflux/GERD got worse, and the weight gain started right after that. I didn't have acid/GERD issues before the sleeve. Recovery after bypass was harder for me, took me about a month to get my energy levels back up, but totally worth it so far. I took 3 weeks off work, but should have taken 4 weeks, but I work from home so I got through it. Congrats on getting your surgery date!

Thank you for posting this. I am interested in revising vsg to esg as well. I had the sleeve in 2012, lost 65 lbs (that was my goal) I regained 30 and struggling because it’s slowly creeping up. I eat really healthy just too much from stretched sleeve. My maintenance calories was 1500 at my goal weight and to lose I had to eat 900 to 1200 calories. I’m wondering are you eating even less calories with esg?

Do you still have the support of your surgical team? Dietician? Maybe start there, get with your team and see if they can help before jumping to a revision. Best of luck!

I recently found out that I have to have a revision from sleeve to bypass because of gastritis and GERD. I'm no longer on my blood pressure med or all 3 of my diabetes meds, but I do take meds for my MS. They are extended release, I take them twice per day, they cannot be crushed or broken, and they are not interchangeable with any other MS meds (specific meds are for specific stages of MS and there aren't things to swap them out with). I specifically didn't choose the bypass when I was given the option for sleeve or bypass because of the MS meds, and now I'm told I don't have the choice. It's freaking me out because my MS meds are non-negotiable, but the GERD and gastritis are causing different types of polyps to form all over the inside of my stomach, making things even worse. I was told by my GI specialist that a revision is now non-negotiable. So...I'm worried.

Hi all newbie here. I had the sleeve surgery back in 2015. I did super well until 2020 when I was placed on a depression/anxiety monthly injection that caused some serious side effects. Unknown to the doctors, therapists and myself one of the non-listed side effects were to lose weight. At this point I was already at goal of 160# but the injection made me loose down to 121# within 2 months. I had become super weak, with almost no mobility. It was so bad that I could no longer take care of my personal needs without assistance. I could no longer walk but shuffle no more than about 6 feet before giving out and having to rest. My family doctor told me I absolutely had to gain weight of a G tube might be in order. My phyc doctor change my meds and unfortunately, I went from 121# to now 225# within about 6 months. Here I sit literally only 42# away from my WLS starting weight Now every time I try to do a reset or just simply get strict with eating and watching all my intake, I do good for about 3 days then I goof up again. For all those years I was able to keep my diabetes at bay, but it showed it weary head last year and has been acting up ever since. My mom died in 2004 from complications of diabetes so I have to get back on track. My dad passed away in August this past year (I am a daddy's girl 100%) and he begged me to have the revision and get my life back on track so this is what I shall do. Any tips or info you wished you would have known prior to the revision from sleeve to bypass? I greatly appreciate any info and prayers. (NOTE: I am in the midst of getting my medical records to locate the name of the injection I was on as I do not recall the name of it)

I'm close to 5 weeks post-revision from sleeve to bypass, and I noticed the same thing. The doctor told me it's normal. Here's my explanation for what's going on: The place where a normal stomach meets the intestine is called the pyloric valve. The stomach churns to further break down food, the valve opens to let food pass into the intestine. We (meaning sleevers) had a small stomach, and because the valve was still present and behaving normally with a sleeve, we felt restriction, meaning the valve didn't open more frequently just because the stomach was smaller. With bypass, the valve is removed (technically it's bypassed since they leave it in along with the first 30cm or so of the intestine). The connection between the pouch and intestine is called a stoma, and liquids and purees will move right through it because it's not a valve/it's open all the time. In my experience, it's possible to drink/eat purees too fast so that they don't drain through the stoma quickly enough, but you're right, it takes some special effort to do that. Restriction is a bigger factor when you get to solids, which I did this week. If you eat too much too fast, it just sits in the pouch. Think about a sink that drains slowly because there's junk in the pipes; that's the same principle - too much stuff trying to move through a too-small pipe. The pouch doesn't churn food up like a stomach to make its passage easier. If the solid you too big/too much/too dry/too fast, it sits and feels very heavy, your body starts producing mucus to lubricate the passage of the food through the stoma (this is what people call "the foamies"), and if that doesn't do the trick, that food is coming back up. I had that lovely experience with ground turkey and thus learned that while I was told to chew thoroughly with my sleeve, I could ignore that advice. Not so with a pouch; when they say chew until it's a paste, you have to. So restriction does become a greater factor when you proceed to solids. It really does force you to slow down, eat small bites, chew VERY thoroughly. Like with sleeve, I imagine it's still possible to overeat if you graze, so it also still takes some discipline to make smart food choices, pay attention to when you're satisfied, and be deliberate with how long a meal is. Also bear in mind that bypass is not just a restrictive procedure. It's malabsorptive as well. Good luck!

I had the revision from Lapband to gastric bypass and I have lupus and a few other autoimmune diseases. I can still take my plaquenil. Methotrexate can be switched to injections. It’s better to not swallow anti inflammatory meds because they don’t want it sitting in the digestive system which can cause ulcers. In injection form it’s put into the body and not the stomach.

I just had a revision from Lapband to RYN on January 10th. My surgeon told me I wouldn’t get restriction from the revision. I have to really focus on weighing and measuring my food intake so I don’t gain weight. He said people who had restrictions from their previous surgery do not feel the restriction. I measure my food and I can only tell when the food hits my intestines and I feel full there in my lower belly.

The restrictions will come when your onto more substantial foods. I had the same thing after my revision happen.

Of course!! The concerning thing was that I had no polyps at all before or right after surgery. Something happened in 8 1/2 months to cause this. And the gastritis and GERD became off the charts in the last 6 months, so I was told once all the polyps are gone (I have a few different kinds of polyps) then I'll go in for my revision.

I have gastritis and GERD, plus I had to have several biopsies because my stomach is full of different kinds of polyps. I have to have 3 more endoscopies to remove them all. I was told I have to have a revision to bypass because the polyps are coming from the gerd and gastritis. So once all the polyps are removed, then we go in and do the bypass.