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An expression you sometimes hear is that VSG is just a diet with a smaller stomach, which means you may have to be more disciplined with what you eat long term than RNY or DS. It is very easy to eat around any bariatric surgery so to be successful you will need to work on your head issues and not expect your new pouch/sleeve to do all the work. If you’re a food or sugar addict pre-op, you will probably still have challenges post-op. However, the difference will be positive changes to your metabolism and a real opportunity to maintain weight loss long term, assuming you eat healthy and appropriate portion sizes. A risk of VSG is development of or worsening of GERD, which can lead to a need to revise to RNY. This could be a challenge financially if your insurance company will only pay for 1 bariatric surgery per lifetime. But for RNY and DS, you must be committed to taking your vitamins and getting labwork done at least once a year to monitor development of any deficiencies. If you can’tcommIt to this for the rest of your life then a malabsorptive surgery may not be a wise choice. Deciding which type of surgery to have is a big deal so please conduct your own thorough and accurate research on the pros & cons of each and select the one that will work best for YOU. Good luck.

Two people I know had the revision, one had gall stones and damage to esophagus because of acid reflux so her Doc advised her to do the revision they both said it was easier second time around but am sure there are draw backs with the revision but do not know what exactly. Both say they are happier now. Sent from my LG-LS777 using BariatricPal mobile app

Ms.Antiband...I'm assuming by your name you had the band??? Did Dr. Ponce do your revision?

Dr Charles Callery in Poway, CA does lap band revisions or switches you to sleeve. Don't lose hope Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Revised my thoughts from yesterday.

I am a VBG to bypass revision. Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

Thanks for sharing, I agree about the weight maintenance. I have always been able to lose weight, it is keeping it off that is the challenge. I am a band to sleeve revision. I did good w the Lap Band for the first year, then I started having problems with it. I just got revised to the sleeve, and I feel that I made the right choice. I think I will have much better results this time around. Your story gives me hope!!

Have you researched the sleeve, or is that not an option for you? With the sleeve, there is no malabsorption, you won't be taking several pills a day, and you have effective weight loss. Also, it's more difficult to stretch out the sleeved part of the stomach. I'm just telling you in case you haven't given that option a look. It's the option that I will go with if I ever need a revision.

Sorry to hear about your problem. Go to VerticalSleeveTalk.com - lots of Band to Sleeve revisions over there. Good Luck! Linda

Had a hiccup last night which underlined an old problem I’m yet to properly solve. Fell out with my teen over exam revision. Her cycle of panicked ‘I can’t do this! But I have to do this! No you can’t help!’ pushed me over the edge to some totally inappropriate teen-like door slamming. I came back and apologised (I had made her cry, partly because the shock broke the tension, though it was totally the wrong thing to do), but not before I found and ate a packet of crisps (chips to the US crew). Stewed about my abject lack of will power, felt the ‘I may as well give up’ vibe creeping in, but told hubby and logged it and was still under 800 for the day. Made a point of looking at the nutrition break down and yep, 7.5g fat and 13.4g carbs in that 25g bag. But, in the grand scheme, I can balance that out in a day and I’ve also proven that I can come back from a couple of diversions on holiday to being totally in track, so this doesn’t have to be a slippery slope. My imagination is both my biggest asset and my biggest enemy because I can imagine small problems into insurmountable long-term barriers. Instead, thanks to the mindfulness about hunger and nutrition this injected, I am breaking down problems into manageable steps for today and tomorrow. Less failures and punishments. More blips and corrections. The emotional triggers need a whole heck of a lot more work though!

How long ago was your band removed? I found it very hard to stop gaining weight after removal. I would go for it to help you maintain. You won't lose too much. It's a revision that is why it was approved.

So I went back to the doctor Friday to find out that the leak is actually in my band.. something that my doctor has never had happen to any of his patients and has rarely ever heard about from other doctors. Luckily, the company of the Realize Band are willing to replace the band for free, but I still have to pay for the hospital fees and anesthesia.. another $2300 after the useless port revision surgery I had 2 weeks ago. I think that I am really just annoyed at the fact that I had no idea that these types of surgeries (ones that you have no power over) would cost a lot more money on top of what you already paid to have the initial surgery. Not only that, but when your doctor is wrong about a surgery I think he should reimburse you for it.. but I guess that's not going to happen. I pray that none of you guys have to go through what I have gone through because it's taking a toll on me.. I guess I just have to wait to see if I get approved for another loan to have this surgery as soon as possible and I will go from there.. Good luck to all! -Allie

Issue isn't the insurance carrier it's what is in the specific contract. I have BcBS of KS I'm a state employee office said not have issues with BcBS plans told the they would mine as our group doesn't like to approve anything. It took them 3 tries over a 9 month period before I was approved even with a BMI over 50. Thank god I work in medical industry so I knew what to expect and how to head them off. Some insurance companies will try to get out of paying for anything but they sure want your premium. I had sleeve June 2015 have lost 180 lbs as of beginning of this month but need revision to bypass as stomach has pulled up into esophagus causing pain and nausea even when drinking plain Water. We have started the fight with BcBS as they are saying not medically necessary since I have lost over 50% of needed weight loss within 2 year period per contract. Need surgery to fix medical issue not for weight loss. Daaaa. Fight is on Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm 3.5 years post op. Super glad I did it:) Wish I'd done it years ago. I wish I'd known the true statistics of what percentage of people have outcomes they are happy with. I'm extremely happy, but I know several people who are struggling and revising and in my opinion have not gotten the help they need to address the core issues....the disordered eating that drives obesity. This surgery will fix your guts temporarity so it's difficult to overeat. It doesn't fix your head. Eventually, you will be able to eat pretty freely again and can easily self sabotage if you don't fix your eating issues. I do think I'll be able to stay at a healthy weight for the long term. Last year, my yearly exam was a phone exam due to Covid. This year I went in and was weighed for the first time in two years...and was within one pound of what I weighed two years ago. I'm stupid proud of that. If I gain five pounds, I see the bariatric therapist ASAP. I talk about all the events leading up to the gain and try to figure out what triggered it and how to avoid the behaviors, and replace them with different coping mechanisms. I always feel better, and in short order, am back down 5 pounds. See the therapist. It works and can be just as important as the surgery. If you qualify for the surgery, I would absolutely recommend it. Best wishes!

I love my band and feel successful although I would still like to lose another twenty or so pounds. Exercise, for me, is imparative because of arthritis, etc. I eat two to three healthy meals a day, avoid sliders, chew very well and experience the food rather than wolfing it down as I did before. My surgeon was of the small frequent fills to get me to the correct restriction (wrong word to use but you know what I mean). I have twice gone in for tiny unfills when I felt the first signs of being too tight. For now it's just right. I drink a lot of liquids and can do that without any discomfort (glugging my water). I don't count calories and I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. It's the first one that can be the most difficult as I was a very restrictive professional dieter going into this process. Now I feel hunger and eat until I feel full. My signal is a sigh. I notice, take inventory and I'm done. Sometimes I count off on my fingers 4-5 hours and note the time at which I might feel hungry again. Alcohol certainly hinders weight loss but I indulge for pain relief and enjoyment. Reading through this thread it seems like things got off on the wrong foot. Best wishes with your research. My surgeon is great but he does not discuss the banded life and I suspect has no real idea of how to guide patients in the post-op realm. I got that here when it was Lapband Talk. I found the successful banders and followed them. Now the site is mostly other surgeries and that's a bit discouraging sometimes as the revision folks post so much about their negative band experiences. I love my band.

Right after I had my band put in (1/31/2005) I was very sick for 2 weeks. I threw up constantly, most likely due to extra restriction caused by the swelling that resulted from surgery, and a band that was probably too small for me. The constant throwing up (I wasn't able to even keep down my own saliva) probably led to a slip. However, because my doctor didn't do fills under flouroscopy, the slip wasn't caught until Thanksgiving of last year, when I went for my first fill under flouroscopy. After the slip was discovered, they removed all saline from the band and put me on a liquid diet for a week. In that time, the band *did* slip back. However, shortly after receiving my first fill, the band slipped again. Because the band slipped twice, there was no hope that it would remain in place, even if it did slip back on its own. The sliding up and down the track that the band was on created scar tissue that enabled slipping. I had the option to have my surgeon try to repair this band, but in cases like this, they usually want you to have the band removed and wait six months and try again. I was also given the option to revise from lapband to another WLS (the one offered to me was RNY, and I didn't pursue the route to see if other bypass surgeries, like DS, would be covered). I'm done with the band. My experience wasn't as bad as some have had, but it was bad enough that I'm not interested in ever having it again. I ddn't lose much weight with it, I was miserable after surgery, miserable many times during the course of the year I had it, and it was a serious hindrance to losing weight once it slipped. For me, once it slipped, I had no restriction when it came to any food I could eat, but it prevented me from eating some foods -- like salad (lettuce, specifically), brocolli, many other vegatables and fruits. So, that's my story, more or less. In a few days, I'm going to post a rather long post detailing what I've learned in the past year, in hopes that it will help those who are currently banded, those who are considering banding, and those who have lost their bands. I feel like I've learned a lot, and want to be able to share it with whoever is interested. Hope this answers some questions for people. Peace, Jonathan

I had revision from band to rny on 11/13. Good Lord I feel terrible. I'm very sore, and nauseous. I have been able to get at least 60 oz of fluid down so that's good. My surgeon does not believe in sending patients home with any pain meds, and are giving me a hard time about refilling the Zofran. They sent me home with five Zofran, that's it. I guess because I know how my previous surgery went, that I was sent home with pain meds to last a few days I'm a little irritated. I know that having bypass is so different then band, I feel very strange. How long until I feel better? Sent from my SM-G920T using BariatricPal mobile app

My port stuck out so far from all the weight that I lost, it bumped into everything and was pretty painful so last year I had a port revision surgery and my doctor put a smaller port in under my stomach muscle and it is so much better. It no longer hurts during workouts and it doesn't get banged around anymore.

5towner, be sure to join the December sleevers group. There's also a group for band to sleeve revisions. Best of luck to you tomorrow! let us know how it goes.

Well done!!! That's so inspirational for me. I had my Omega loop (revision from band then sleeve) just over 2 weeks ago and have lost 6kgs. So happy for you, thanks for updating us! Any tips on eating/habits/learnings?

I had my port moved into a better place..sliding up under my ribs wasn't a good place for it at all. To me, it feels like it was back in the place where it originally was in Nov 2007. Just hope it stays in place. Truthfully, this surgery hurts almost as bad (almost) as getting banded. Doc gave me a fill too. I hope this fill works. It has been six months since I have lost any weight. Well, it's been 24 hrs since I came home from the hospital and so far, I feel sore. Very sore. I'll get through this. Tommorrow's another day....:eek:

I was banded on August 17, 2013. A little over a year later, I've lost 95 pounds! I know, right. That's A LOT of weight! I'm 5 '3 and now weigh about 150 pounds. Aside from the BS I'm currently dealing with, it's been a pretty good ride. I've consistently lost weight with some stand still during these last 25 - 30 pounds here & there. Needless to say, I feel genuinely thankful & blessed for getting many, many compliments from co-workers & neighbors. No, I didn't tell any of them! I had a very bad episode this past Friday, not sure as a result of what, where I vomited 12 times in a 4 - 5 hour time frame. WTH! It was God awful. I can't even pin point what started the whole thing. Had a stomach ache that got progressively worse hour by hour until I kept getting sick. Obviously, not a lot coming out because, as lap band patients, we don't eat much. Well, I considered going to the ER but since we recently converted insurance companies from Aetna to Kaiser, I had concerns about being properly treated (medically speaking, of course). My throat burned from vomitting, my neck was sore & my esophogus felt sore too. And yet, I still didn't go to the ER. I just prayed it would stop. It was a tough night, but... I tried to drink hot tea, which tends to soothe our tummies, but instead out it went too. I called what will be my new bariatric office on Monday. Since I was feeling better by Monday (just achy around the band area) along with lower back pain which to date, I don't know if it's stress or related some how. They had me call to schedule an upper GI, but the earliest they could fit me in, as non urgent, was this morning. The technician "unofficially" told me that I had a partially slipped band. He said he had seen worse & that it didn't look 'bad.' He thought that maybe I would only need an unfill, but since he doesn't deal with patients after-the-fact, he wasn't sure. I waited ALL day for my Dr's office to get the results. Finally, they called about an hour ago & confirmed I had a partially slipped band, facing down slope (which was allowing me to eat). I haven't eaten much the last few days & have stuck to liquids today & now through Friday morning, which is when my first available Dr apt is. All the office lady would say is that they would do an unfill (which beats surgery, right), but she wouldn't / couldn't say how much they would take out or for how long. She did say that I would need to talk with the Dr about "options" since obviously I wouldn't be eating the same way. What does that mean? I'm a little anxious & nervous as I don't know if this means I may have to have a revision down the road? No more fills? My mind wonders... I'm also a little hungry... Not sure what liquids I will take with me to keep me full at work tomorrow. I'll provide an update on Friday. Wish me luck!

I agree. I'm sick of this band. Congrats on your date! My revision is May31st... 45 more days!

Oh I was hoping for the same. It really depends on what your insurance requirements are and what your surgeon or clinic requires. My insurance only required six visits with my clinic and I've been a patient there for 4 years, so technically I had already met the insurance requirements... BUT the clinic required a pre op info session, psych eval, and various lab tests. Time passed quickly tho. I think it took me about five months from first appointment for revision until surgery day. Best wishes!

Well, I’m pretty disheartened. My surgery was pushed from 8/8 to 8/29 to give my doctor’s office time to resubmit paperwork for an authorization for a hiatal hernia repair. My insurance didn’t approve the bypass revision so I may have to pay that portion of the surgery myself. I had already started my pre-op liquid diet so now that’s on hold for a few more weeks. I was so ready to have my surgery next Monday and now I just feel disappointed and frustrated. If I could afford to pay for the entire surgery, I would just to avoid the hoops I’m having to jump through to get this approved. I could use some words of encouragement right about now. 😢