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i currently have a slipped lapband and i'm not 100% sure the sleeve is the surgery for me. luckily i'm not in any pain and i'm able to eat so i have 3 to 6 months before i absolutely have to have my band removed. i'm self pay which is why i'd be heading to Mexico and i'd be traveling alone on a 6.5 hour flight and i'm scared. i need a surgeon who has done a lot of revision surgeries because i'm not sure what shape my stomach is going to be in when the band is removed (scarring). just so much to think about!

Check your insurance policy. It will say whether weight loss/bariatric surgery is covered or not, and if it is what it will cost you out of pocket. For example, in my policy is it listed under Surgical Procedures in Section 5b. You can also call customer service at the number on the back of your card and ask them what your policy says about weight loss surgery. Schedule an appointment with your Primary Care Physician (PCP). Ask them to please refer you to Nutrition Services to be considered for for weight loss surgery. They will probably mail you some forms to fill out and return. Then they will send you a letter. If you qualify you will be on the program waitlist. Unless they pick up the pace you will wait 6+ months to get into the pre-surgery program. You will have 8 weeks of classes plus blood work, program specialist and psych visits, etc. If you pass the classes you will be scheduled to meet for final checkoffs with psych, pre-op bloodwork/physical, and finally to meet with your surgeon of choice. You'll also have to do either a 3-day or 14-day pre-surgery diet. I'd recommend the 3-day, so lose some weight before and/or during the 8-week program, that way you're more likely, but not guaranteed, to get the 3-day diet vs. the 14-day diet. You will get to choose from one of two surgeons: Dr. Husain or Dr. Chae. I chose Dr. Chae, but I have heard good things about both surgeons. The differences: one is female, the other male. One is younger, the other a little older and probably has more bariatric surgeries under his belt. One doesn't use a post-surgery drain tube (from what I've heard), the other does (from what I experienced). Ask for details so you can make an informed decision that you are comfortable with. Maybe you feel comfortable with a surgeon of the same gender as you. The choice is yours. My surgery was at Saint Joseph Hosptial in Denver. Yours probably will be as well. NOTE: When they discharge you, make sure they send you home with prescriptions for pain (probably liquid Lortab), nausea, acid reduction (acid reducer/PPI), and blood thinners (if you need them after you are discharged, I didn't. This seems to vary based on your condition, medical history, etc.). Have your family or friend fill them before you are discharged so you don't have to stop on the way home. You might not need the pain meds to mask unbearable pain, but they are great for a couple/few days after discharge if for nothing else than to ween off the morphine drip and to help you get some sleep. If all goes well, you'll get your surgery. My plan covers sleeve. Apparently some don't, but most people I was in groups with had the option. Depends on what your policy covers, I guess. The bottom line is, the wait and process is long but well worth it. It took me almost a year to get through the entire waitlist and pre-surgery stuff. Be patient, but if four or five months passes on the waitlist and you don't get a call, be proactive and call Nutrition Services to ask where you are on the waitlist. If you need to contact Nutrition Services directly: Kaiser Permanente offers gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and adjustable gastric banding (also know as the Lap Band) procedures. Not all benefit plans cover weight loss surgery. Please call 303-788-1154 for more information. http://www.kphealthy...for-adults.aspx

Hi Misty and Pik, I had my gastric bypass yesterday and it went great. I have none of the nausea, cramps, or excess gas that was expected. I took GasX thin strips and I believe that helped a lot. I got up today and made 10 laps around the surgery corridor and didn't feel much pain at all. My stomach is sore now but just feels like I have done a lot of sit ups. I'm so glad it's over and I'm on my way. I lost almost 10 lbs on my pre-surgery diet. So I will be counting down from 221. My beginning weight was 247. Good luck to you and hope your surgery goes as easily as mine. Once I got to the hospital I was completely calm. My hubby was a nervous wreck though until it was over. Fran

I had gastric bypass 9/2

You are here looking for help, that's a good start. Its not impossible to re-lose what you lost. You might consider therapy first then a possible revision 2nd... just my opinion. Its not hard to regain the weight, I am almost 2 years out and if I didn't keep track of myself I could go back easily. Do you still have some restriction?

I’m having bypass May 7...I was nervous/excited...then I too went through the phase where I wanted to eat...I had to lose 10% of my weight to get approved, I did that fine...now I have my pre op with my primary dr on Thursday and my weight is up a little and I’m nervous...my weight is not supposed to be up at all during this time...I’m thinking of opting out of getting weighed...the only weight that matters will be next week at my surgical pre op...

I haven't had the revision you are contemplating, but I hope you find someone who has to chat with, and I wish you well with it.

I am so incredibly happy for you. I had Gastric Bypass in 2001. Most weight lost AFTER bypass (279) SW (before surgery) - 345 CW - 315. After enduring stage 4 breast cancer in 2010, I gained most of my weight back. I decided to return to my original doctor and request testing to find out if something went wrong with my original surgery. I was told everything was still in tact and I just need to start from SCRATCH! But I explained that I was able to eat a heck of a lot more. And that I would like options as to what can be done to tighten and/or revise my surgery. I believe my doctor was so eager to NOT have any "revisions" needed that he just sent me away - RUDELY! So I decided to ask around and seek a second opinion (of course - years later- because I believed there was something wrong with me). I followed his advise - but still believed something was wrong. Fast forward. I met a woman in my SAME situation and she referred me to her doctor for help. NOW, I am just waiting for an appointment. I will be researching the duodenal switch. I was never given this as an option. I am so excited for you.

I made the decision for me it wasn't worth it... But as for the running/training it's at least 6 weeks post op before you can run again, often 8 depending on your surgeon. I would wait till after the half marathon!!! In fact I scheduled all my plastics around my running schedule. Had them 10 days after my first marathon so I could take time to recover from both! I still haven't had a small scar (dog ear) revision done because I haven't found a break long enough in my running schedule!

BCBS has approved removal of may band due to medical problems! Yeh, I am halfway there. But...they denied the revision to a sleeve stating insurance covers on one weight loss procedure in a lifetime. I am in the process of composing a request asking review of predetermination to pay for the sleeve. I have composed a two page letter covering all the medical issues and leaking band, etc. and have closed with the following three paragraphs. I welcome your suggestions for improvement. I plan to mail Saturday. ________________________________ The band is leaking and defective. Would a product failure through no fault of my own not be reason enough to replace the band with another restrictive method? BCBSAL states that revision of adjustable gastric restrictive devices meets BCBSAL’s medical criteria for coverage provided there is either a band erosion or slippage, or infection around the port site. Would it not also be appropriate to revise due to a device failure? The lack of proper fill levels has impacted my weight loss. Unfortunately, with the band failure, my weight is creeping up and I have gained 25 pounds from my low weight over the last 18 months. I am compliant in knowing what things I can and cannot eat and drink and I do Zumba several times a week and I walk. But without restriction, weight will inevitable continue to reappear. If I gain much more weight, Sleep Apnea will likely return and I will be put back on a CPAP. Thank you for understanding and approving the band removal to alleviate my medical issues, but please reconsider my request that my defective band be revised to a sleeve without further delay. All I want is to repair the damage done by the failed band and to restore the gastric restriction that I was originally approved for. Please help me bring this predetermination to a quick and satisfactory conclusion.

If she will provide the recommendation for the sleeve then let her do her thing. If she tries pushing the Lapland you can easily point out the huge failure rate of the band along with the success rate of sleeving. Not to mention, how many band to sleeve revisions are being done, I for one dont want to set myself up for a second surgery. And on top of this I wouldn't want the foreign object in my body, nor would I want to deal with the ongoing hassle & cost of maintaining the band.

Awesome, congrats! Welcome to the revision crew

I'm not sure about the liquids for some reason Iv never been a big drinker of anything so the band just increased what was already a struggle with the whole don't drink and eat thing and wait 30 mins. I didn't revise only because of reflux, It was managed with Prilosec well enough but more so because of just sick of the whole lifestyle that came with the band. Yes I could have loosened or unfilled but only with weight gain. Iv not had even a slight bit of reflux since removing the band but I also had a hiatal hernia repair during the revision. I had many barium swallows over the years since I worked in the surgeons office, a few dilated pouches that I would refill for about a month to correct but they never fully corrected. My esophagus is still dilated even in my recent X-rays.

Hi everyone! I had lap band November 2011. This worked well for a while. I lost about 80 pounds, until I had complication Nov 2014. I had problems with vomiting everything I would eat, so my previous surgeon ordered an upper GI and esophageal manometry. Both of those tests confirmed I had a prolapse. Long story short, my insurance company made me switch to a different surgeon. I had my band and port removed 8/10/15. My new surgeon said that my band had also slipped and was sitting sideways which was causing me to have the vomiting. He also did an intra-op EGD to look at my esophagus to see if there was any damage from 9 months of vomiting. He said it didn't look too bad,but I needed to continue my Zantac and Prilosec. He said he had to remove the adhesions(scar tissue) from the band. I am not going to lie, the port removal and scar tissue removal is painful! It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure and go home same day, but I ended up staying the night in the hospital due to pain control and I am really glad I did. IV Dilaudid was the only thing that was helping my pain. They eventually switched me to percocets and that seemed to help with the pain. I am attaching a picture of the port site. I am now 4 days post-op band and port removal and I am still taking percocets for pain, but it is improving. I will be revising to Gastric bypass in late October, early November based on my surgeon's recommendations and my history of GERD. My insurance company wouldn't allow me to have the revision done in 1 surgery, so it has to be done this way. I am interested in hearing from those who have had band to bypass and what their experiences were. There were 3 total incisions. 2 small ones which don't bother me at all, and one large painful incision where port was. This larger incision is the mean monster.

Hello. I'm new to the site. I'm 21years old and I'm from California. I've struggled with my weight all my life. I've been researching about gastric bypass for the last few years. I need to get healthy or my life is just going to keep going down hill. I'm still young & I know that there's still a chance for me to turn my life around. I really want to get the surgery but I'm scared that I won't be able to. I don't have any insurance & my family is dirt poor. Do I have any options that could help me? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you

I am grateful that my psych had the bypass surgery 7 years ago, so she knows what she was talking about. She kept asking me if I was sure I wanted the sleeve and why. I told her I wanted something that could not be reversed; did not want the malabsorption and the nausea.

Good luck! my insurance will not cover anything either, but after much research I decided to go to Mexico with dr. Ponce de leon, the whole thing will be less than ~$6,000 and he is a great surgeon, has more experience than most of the ones here in the USA. There are many other Mexican doctors (and from other parts of the world) who have much more experience because both the bypass and sleeve were very slow in being approved in the USA. My doctor actually did a free surgery for someone in canada, this show it and part of the surgery. http://www.globalnews.ca/video/weight+times/video.html?v=2191228745#video

Another Cigna revision, they no longer require 6 months supervised diet. Now its only 3!!! My third appointment is early June. Finish all my testing mid June, my guess is we will be submitting to Cigna in about 5 weeks. Yikes!!! Im super excited! Just hope it all works out.

We are all different. I was instructed when I have a food that I added and it did that to me, I was supposed to go back 1-2 stages for a day or two until the inflammation resided. Then try to progress again with ONPLAN foods. Carrots (raw) are NOT part of the puree stage. Well-steamed carrots? Would be ok to puree, BUT when you cook carrots to that point, they have a crap ton of available sugar in them and may spike your blood sugar and since you are a bypass pt. you might have an episode of dumping with sufficient quantity. So a better choice would be butternut squash, canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), or even a bit of well-cooked sweet potato. Or even better, roasted smashed cauliflower. Glad you feel better today.

Hi there! I had my stupid band removed on 08/11 and revised to RNY so today is post op day 10! I was also nervous about the RNY and had considered the sleeve but I wanted one surgery and that was it. The sleeve has been great for some people but for me...I was only doing this one more time. I should have done the RNY in the first place! Anyway....I don't regret it! Good luck to you! No matter what, you're going to feel better with that thing out!????

@@nandy have you looked in to anywhere else? I've seen people have success with the sleeve and the gastric bypass!

@@Kaylamh at kaiser they only offer the gastric bypass , gastric sleeve and the lap band. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Great to hear! I initially was seeking revision to sleeve, but with my history of GERD problems and with the scarring from my band, my new surgeon told me that I would most likely would have the same problems with the sleeve. He also said the surgery with the bypass would be easier versus the sleeve. Looking forward to bypass and I have a great support system. Looks like you have done well with your bypass, Congrats!!! What are your challenges or struggles?

MGB is short for Mini-Gastric Bypass. Revision weight loss surgery is a surgical procedure that is performed on patients who have already undergone a form of bariatric surgery, and have either had complications from such surgery or have not successfully achieved significant weight loss results from the initial surgery.

I had to have a revision due to a slip. The surgeon thought maybe removal and new band, but was able to reposition the current band. This was the 2nd slip I had and it was bad. So, if you or anyone else gets aslip, try and unfill 1st. Gerd and night reflux are certain signs of slips. Karen