Search the Community

Hi all, I joined this website when I got my lap band many moons ago, and just over a week ago I got my band to sleeve revision. Thank gosh that blasted band is gone! I hated it and it never worked for me, slipped right after surgery and since I had it done in Mexico, my PCP wouldn't touch it. Anyhow, I am just so thankful I was able to get sleeved without having to wait between surgeries. I have been on liquids and just started on creamy Soups, Tomato and cheese. Trying to get in my Protein through Protein shakes, but I think I am coming up a little short. Doing fairly well with Water intake. I guess the only complaint I have is I have had diarrhea since the surgery. I am thinking it is the antibiotic I am on, so only two more days and I'm done with them. Had my surgery with Dr. Almanza in TJ. Energy level is a little low and sometimes at work if things get stressful I actually get pretty shaky, so I have taken to having two small squares of dark chocolate just to give me a little energy boost to get me through those shaky times. Other than that I am sticking to the diet fairly well. Hope anyone considering dumping the band does it...those bands are bad news, and who wants a foreign object in their bodies!

How did your qualify for revision surgey? I am trying to get the bypass, but they keep talking about my BMI. I currently have lap band so i qualified to get that Wright? So my biggest question is how do i get my insurance to pay?

I have had a lot of small things wrong with my band over the years. Needless to say I keep getting reflux with every little fill. Undergoing revision on March 3rd. insurance would not pay so I'm going to do one surgery cash pay. Dr said shouldn't take more than 2 hrs.

Hi Suzy and welcome. I had the band, and have since revised to the sleeve. If I had to do it all over again, I would have definitely gotten the sleeve first. Keep us posted on how things are going. We look forward to taking this journey with you.

Thank you I'm a little concerned about the revision because I have MS meds that are extended release that my surgeon said will need to be changed out. But my neurologist said I'm stable on them and the only med I can take is a stronger injectable, but he's not inclined to put me on a stronger med that I don't need. So this is kind of a problem right now. The pills are capsules and can't be broken or crushed, but that's not really the issue. It's the malabsorption that's the issue because I guess extended release meds are a no no with the bypass, which is why I didn't want the bypass to begin with.

Bryn, I had those same doubts before my forst WLS. Here was my defining thought: The next 12 months is going to pass regardless of what I do. Time doesn't care, and isn't going to stop. So 12 months from now, I can be exactly the way I was, or I can be better. After those 12 months, if I'm the exact same, will I regret it? Haven't I regretted it those same exact 12 months, 10 times over? The time's passing... only I can control what happens during that time. I had fears. I still do, and considering I need a revision - many of them came true. But that's ok. It's not "the worst thing ever," it's just my reality... it's something else I need to deal with. I'm analytica to a fault. I always overthink things, but I'm glad I do. If I didn't overthink, I wouldn't be "ready." I don't think decisions can be as easy as a pro/con list, and you one-for-one your way down it because things can very in severity or consequential weight. But try looking at it that way for starters... Like 'what if it doesn't work': I have researched this a lot and have not found any instances of it not working, as in someone cannot lose weight. I have found people who have regained their weight. I suspect those people did not make the more holistic changes necessary for any sustained weightloss. Just make sure that mentally, you're ready to work and are not expecting a freebie. You may very well get a freebie, but don't prepare for it. 'what if I'm miserable for the rest of my life': WLS is extreme. I have to think that anyone seriously considering it is already miserable, and already expects they will be miserable for the rest of their lives unless they do something differently. Misery has many forms, so what kind of misery are you afraid of as a result of surgery? and 'what if I'm always nauseated': Does this happen very often? I don't have that particular concern, but if I did I would probably be trying to see how often it happens, what medication solutions to long-term nausea were available, and asking myself if I would rather live miserable because I'm nauseous, or miserable because I'm fat (and everything that comes along with being fat). Remember my comments above that some things carry more significance than others, and that misery comes in different forms? Here you go. What's worth more? Which is more significant? Which would you better tolerate? and 'what if I can't eat solid food' and what if, what if, what if...: Then you will adjust to mushy foods, liquids, soupy foods, etc. I've had my band about 5.5 years. There are times when I cannot eat solid foods. I may go through spells of 4 - 6 days where I can't eat solids. I go through spells of a day where I can't comfortably drink liquids. Pre-op, these things were unthinkable... I couldn't imagine what I would do if I couldn't eat solids anymore. But once I was in that position, it doesn't bother me. I'm still feeling a swallow of orange juice I took about about 3 hours ago. I will probably stay away from solids today & tomorrow. It doesn't bother me, it's just how it is. In regards to that last idea, I'm not sure I can explain this very well, but perhaps others -- especially those who have had their VSG a while, or those who have had other procedures first -- can chime in. When you're "living the reality" none of the silly (as you come to see them) things that scared you really matter anymore. You become very resistant. I would have been terrified at the thought of not eating for 4 days. I couldn't possibly conceive of not feeling hungry. Getting full after 3 bites was so abstract, you may as well have been asking me to conceptualize the boundaries of the universe. Possibly having to give up foods I liked seemed like such an ultimate sacrifice. But when the time comes and you (if you) have to face any of those concerns, you just do it. And it's easy to do it because you're getting something out if it. I'm gladly going to skip food today, because it beats the hell out of feeling anything I eat just sitting there. I'm perfectly happy to not feel hungry, because I don't have to stop what I'm doing to eat. Not eating solids for a week or so is ok, because the liquids and mushy stuff is just fine, and wellw orth the avoided discomfort. Hope that makes sense. I know it's hard to "pretend" what things are going to be like, and some of these things probably seem impossible... but when you're there, they are simply your reality and you cope. and 'what if I'm miserable for the rest of my life' and 'what if I'm always nauseated' and 'what if I can't eat solid food' and what if, what if, what if...

My port is completely flipped! I went in for my first fill on 6/7/11 and my doctor could not do the fill so he sent me to do my fill under flouro, and thats when it was discovered that my port had flipped! I was so upset. He said that he would do the port revision and that it was a 15 minute procedure, so I'm hoping it will be quick and painless. Im scheduled for 7/7/11

My original surgeon was with kaiser, and he wouldn't give me a revision surgery. I changed to PPO and found a surgeon who said he would give me the surgery but didn't think it would help. I eventually found the bariatric institute in Utah, and Dr. Medlin gave me my yes. Getting approved was a BREEZEEEEEE. I guess it depends on your insurance.

In 2012 I had the gastric sleeve procedure, it was very successful until several events in my life caused me to slip back into old habits. Adding to that, my surgeon closed his practice and I had no one to follow up with locally. The old habits and lack of Followup care led to the weight slowly creeping back on. Since my sleeve procedure I’ve been diagnosed with RA which I have under control for about the past year or more. Earlier this year I began experiencing severe acid reflux and my PCP suggested I see the new BS who had just come to town. The BS advised me (after scoping me) that I have a hiatal hernia that needs to be repaired. He also recommended that I have a revision to the bypass. Fast forward three months and several pre-op tests later and I receive a call from the doctors nurse telling me that the doctor has decided it’s best not to do the conversion to bypass because I have arthritis and take methotrexate. She goes in to explain, the doctor thinks the risk of ulcers from medication and the possibility of slow healing outweigh the possible benefits. I am a 38 year old otherwise healthy female with her RA well controlled. Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this before? Has anyone had the conversion to bypass who was diagnosed with RA before their conversion? I’m incredibly frustrated and not sure what do to from this point. Any advice you can share would be much appreciated.

Your story is almost duplicated to mine. So I chose to go to the Mayo Clinic… this started the beginning of my journey to a revision from the sleeve. Its scary but Ive come to accept it is the only choice for me. Im not currently taking any meds as my RA is in remission

I was a band to sleeve revision in one surgery and had no problems. I did not have success with the band at all, but am finding it with the sleeve. I agree with OTR in getting a revision. I think most of us have been able to lose weight, it's the keeping it off that has been the true challenge. Good luck with your decision.

Had my revision April 27th. My band was done around 10 years ago. Lost around 80lbs but all of a sudden couldn't eat at all. Got terrible reflux , couldn't get it adjusted right . Had it replaced but it was never right. Threw up everyday day for the next ten years. Had to loosen it and started to slowly gain weight, eventually gaining it all back while continuing to throw up. After a couple of really bad days of throwing up and chocking to the point I couldn't breathe I went to the surgeon and he recommended bypass. I was terrified, I also read the horror stories. The night of the surgery I was able to start walking and next day drinking liquids. When I first started to eat, I was waiting to feel the food going down and the tightness from the band but it never happened. It's been around 6 weeks and I am truly grateful to my surgeon for recommending this. I can go out with my friends and family without the embarrassment and pain of the band . I eat slowly and small portions. You get very full from small amounts of food which is what you want. If you eat a little too much you feel "very full" and a little uncomfortable but I haven't experienced dumping or pain...I also haven't eaten anything with sugar, no Desserts or white breads or Pasta. Non of the torture of the band. I've lost almost 40 lbs and have around 30 or 40 to go but I have hope. Good luck with your journey! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had a complication from anesthesia, not from the bypass itself. Anesthesia caused my heart rate to shoot up and not come back down. Slowly over the past few weeks it is lowering on it's own. It is likely nothing to worry about, but it's being checked out anyway. I was a revision, so my risk of complications is higher and I still had a very successful surgery. My pain was minimal, my food tolerance has been incredible, and I feel more normal than I ever have!

First, let me start by saying I now have to have a revision due to sleeve complications (insane gerd causing high doses of PPI which have cased a ton of polyps all through my stomach, which make the gerd worse, which caused gastritis and esophagitis). I love my sleeve and am really sad to need a revision. I have to have half the polyps removed on the 17th, then the other half on March 10th. We're looking at a revision to bypass probably in May, which is ironic because that's my 1 year surgiversary for my sleeve lol My ring size is now a 7 1/2 and my clothing size is an 18/20. My surgeon told me to expect to lose maybe another 60-65 pounds with the bypass (it'll be slower and not as much weight lost since it's a revision) but I'm ok with that. If I can lose another 15 pounds by surgery day, then the bypass will get me to goal within another year. I'm ok with it taking 2 years to hit goal, given all these stupid complications. My main thing right now is to feel better. I have to really watch how much I work out and what kinds I do because that can set things off. I watch my diet like a hawk. I still end up in pain sometimes, or sick to my stomach, or any number of things. But the revision will take care of that and then I can just get on with the business of living again. The main things I experience is nausea after I eat anything, sharp stabbing pains in my abdomen that cause me to lose my breath and not be able to do anything but lay on the bed and cry, burning and churning in my stomach and up my esophagus, burning in my throat that sometimes makes my throat scratchy and my voice hoarse, spasming in my esophagus causing my throat to close and food to get stuck. I cannot WAIT to get better. Honestly. I love my sleeve, but this is too much. I just want to feel better.

I had the band for 6 years and food would get stuck and I would throw up. I was revised to the band and I have that same stuck feeling in my chest and I still vomit. Nothing has changed as far as that goes.

Hey do ya'll think we should start a thread under the monthly support section. That way our May 06'rs won't have to search through pages of threads trying to find us. Anyway ya'll probably know I am currently dealing with slip #2 and I am considering a revision to RNY. I am seeing my PCP tomorrow for my annual pap smear (there is a joy to behold). I think I will talk to him about it then. I don't know what my insurance will do. But I know I have been told that once you slip you are always prone to it again. I feel depressed.:think M

Hi i am scheduled for a revision of my RNY done in 2002 using the Overstitch procedure. It’s concerning that many people seem to lose their feeling of restriction fairly quickly, but I am willing to try. I have seen a few people who are happy with it.

Hope your revision went well Nickie!

There is a lot going on with your post so I am only going to try to touch on a few points. First, I am only an expert in ME and I realize that my comments do not apply to everyone so take it with a grain of salt. My background: Second, I was overweight (but not obese) as a teen, got to about 220 by my late 20s (I remember because I was pregnant and strictly ordered to gain NO weight during pregnancy. Back in those days 220 was considered HUGE for a 5'5" woman, times have changed a bit on that). My weight stayed in the mid 200s for most of the decade of my 30s. I had a lapband when I was 37 - I weighed 272 - my lifetime high at that point. I lost some weight, but didn't do well overall. I got to my lifetime high weight of about 350 with a lapband and no fill Band was removed in 2011; revised to sleeve in December of 2011 at 308 pounds I got to my goal of 158 by Feb 2013 and maintaining... During my overweight, obese and morbidly obese years I tried every diet under the sun, went to YEARS of counseling as the thinking at that time that overweight was essentially a mental or character flaw. Counseling helped with some stuff, but I clearly just got heavier and heavier...I was diagnosed with a zillion medical conditions: fibermyalgia, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, fatty liver and according to my family, a less happy personality. Oh, PCOS was thrown out there too, but i was never formerly diagnosed. Fears: I was terrified of gastric bypass in 2001 which is why i picked the band. I can admit now, but didn't then that I had huge denial. Somehow in my mind, the band wasn't really bariatric surgery.. it was just this little thing I did to try to lose weight. I was deeply committed, but did not have the support and frankly picked the wrong procedure for me based on that fear and denial. I really didn't understand the SHIFT required from me for long term success. I was a basket case over my decision to revise to the sleeve. I think my list looked alot like yours... but I think i can summarize the fear like this: "what if i go through hell and I fail AGAIN and am still obese? i don't know if I can go through that again..." by the time I was sleeved, i was so "over" food as entertainment because my over indulgence was literally KILLING me. When I was banded, i was in complete denial on that point. I highly recommend that you face your worries over not enjoying food in your presurgery timeframe as this is a very tough topic - even for those of us that were relatively speaking "over it" Truth of the matter is that years out, you can eat pretty normally... but the first year or so, you really do eat tiny portions and a sensitive person won't like that in social settings. And in the years out, just because you "can" eat normally doesn't mean you "should" in order to maintain your losses. Education on obesity: This is a huge topic but obesity is a disease state and i think it is really important to understand the grip it has on you physically. There is a good reason that for people who have gotten quite heavy, the chances of maintaining a significant weight loss without surgery is about 2%. That isn't because we are all neurotic messes - it is because your body changes! I saw a "weight loss" expert counselor who was convinced I had deep dark secrets I was repressing - I had a crappy childhood and there were no secrets there! After years and years of counseling there were no secrets left but she thought I was lying. It was this forum here that made me realize there was something else - like I was FREAKING HUNGRY 24/7 - this is related to understanding the disease process of obesity. Other health stuff: At some point presleeve i decided that alot of my diagnosis were irrelevant (especially the ones that couldn't be treated like fibermyalgia). I decided to focus on the primary problem which was my weight. It was a good call because most (not all) my health problems disappeared when i lost weight and became very active. sometimes i think all those medical diagnosis can be ... paralyzing. It is almost like focusing on the leaf on a tree instead of the bigger forest fire heading my way... Age: On the one hand, your youth is a real advantage in the weight loss world. I could lose weight pretty easily in my 20s/30s, just could keep it off. By my late 40s, I couldn't even lose weight anymore on all sorts of crazy diets and programs.... in the end, that is what forced my hand to getting the sleeve actually. On the downside, one advantage i had in my late 40s was to be more selfish/focused on myself. My kids were older, they could buy their own Snacks and keep them hidden from me etc. When kids were little and wanted to do normal things like go to restaurants, have treats and stuff - it was killer for me as that junk food stuff is like a sirens call... BTW, I never put my one "heavier" (not obese) kid on a diet. He did slim down over the last several years. i feel a great deal of shame realizing that it was ME providing the diet and lifestyle that was making him chunky. I thank the stars everyday that i was able to model these changes for him while it was still time for him to learn from it. I should also share that he confided that he never "feels full" which is exactly how I was pre sleeve so I do wonder if there is some sort of imbalance genetically in some of us! I think you should go for it, but i highly recommend a strong support system (both professional help like nutritionalist and in your personal life), get really educated on life post surgery, seek counseling and support for your fears. You can do this and I hope you get a chance to enjoy your 30s, 40s and many decades to follow without carrying around essentially the weight of a grown man around on your body! It is hard for me to imagine how I even functioned at 300-350# when I look back. It takes a lot of strength both physically and emotionally to do that. i should also share that i am 51 and looking at hip replacement probably 20-30 years before is typical. Cause? Most likely the DECADES of being morbidly obese. I want you to avoid those kind of problems that can show up even after you lose the weight.

My original RNY was done in December 2000, and it was very successful, I lost 12 stone and life was good! I started to regain around 10 years post op nothing too drastic, but I had awful GERD and I was still vomiting sometimes which I thought was odd. Anyway fast forward to 2022 and I went to see about a revision, turns out after a gastroscopy I had a rare complication called candy cane syndrome and a fistula from the pouch to the old stomach! I went in for what should have been keyhole to end up having a full open operation as the surgeon could not find where one of the limbs from my previous surgery was connected to and my intestines were twisted (apparently called an intestinal hernias). Great it was not! I am now almost 5 weeks tomorrow post operation and getting back on my feet. I have been surprised at the weight loss 24lbs currently, which I guess will slow down as I only have 70lbs to loose now. I am also really shocked at the level of aftercare you get now! I'm at the soft food stage, and yesterday I found out I cannot eat fish pie yet! Two hours of pain then eventually throwing it all up. I had truly forgotten how horrible that is, my chest hurt and my throat was still sore this morning. Hoping it is not too soon after the surgery to be ill after eating, but pleased it's done and I can move on with it now.

Nazzy, The revision from band to sleeve is going to cost me $12,500. That's the cost in Calexico. This doctor has been used by many of the regulars on LBT. I've heard nothing but good things about Dr. Aceves and his staff. Cheryl __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

I went to dinner with MissMonaAZ tonight, just got home. It took her an hour to get a bowl of Soup down. She's decided to get a revision in Feb to a sleeve. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

I took 2 for months off for vsg ..and revision and hernia surgery 3 months but due to some complications I needed more time just getting back to myself. Go back to work july 9th. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

@mmy I'm so SO sorry you have had this experience, how traumatic. I think that it was borderline negligent of your surgeon to discuss changing procedures with you on the day of surgery rather than allow you the time to think it over. Having said that, I too have read that the sleeve can be less effective in some circumstances, but I think the level of complication for both procedures is similar - just different. I think what is important for you now is to focus on the future. I KNOW how hard that is. I am 2 weeks post op gastric bypass (revision from failed band taken out 3 months ago). I didn't vomit blood but I did have a very tough first week (see other posts of mine) and on day 3/4/5 had MASSIVE buyers remorse (as a lot of people do). I can tell you though, that even though it was (and still is some days) a struggle for various reasons (getting enough Protein in, nausea, fatigue, etc), I am now glad I had the courage to do this. I am a similar BMI to you and super happy to be down 20 pounds already. I have a 3 year old and I want him to grow up knowing me as a fit an healthy mother. I know its hard but hang in there. I suspect you would have been going through "buyers remorse" no matter what procedure you had - sleeve or bypass. But, you have the bypass now so get excited and start visualizing the new YOU. TRUST ME.... you WILL feel better, and quickly.... both emotionally and physically. Big hugs to you.

The reason I would like to revise to a sleeve is because I don't like the idea of a band around my stomach. It sounds dangerous to me. When I think of a tight rubber band around my finger for a day, and what the end of my finger looks like at the end of the day, then I think about the band being there. Ultimately, I think it's dangerous. I would like to get the sleeve before I have problems from the band. I already have occasionally acid reflux, and I am afraid this is the beginning of problems to come. Plus I like the idea of never having to worry about another fill. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com