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Best to revise to Gastric Bypass (MGB or RNY) instead of Sleeve to minimize acid reflux, which is common with VSG.

I had a revision from lap band to the sleeve done on June 27th. When I went in for my surgery I weighed 227. Here is the real kicker, I am now on day 4 post op & I have not had anything solid in 7 days now, I have not even drank much of anything besides water or isopure the past 3 days and nothing at all for 2 days before that and I now weigh MORE than I did when I went in for my surgery!! It's incredibly frustrating! Especially when I am in so much pain from the surgery, to not see the scale move downward is like a slap in the face! So incredibly discouraging! I hope things change REAL soon!! At this point I wouldn't suggest a revision for anyone. The pain has been a hundred times worst than it was with my lap band surgery & to not see any results while you have all this pain is quite simply depressing! I'm at 229 right now.... I got up to 234 right after surgery! Everything I've read or watched on you tube about people having a revision from the band to a sleeve they have all been very positive and said it was the best thing they have ever done. I'm hoping that in the next week or so I can change my story to say I feel that way also.

Had revision surgery 6/24.. And my MD said I will never feel hungry again.. I didn't believe him bc it doesn't sound logical and I was correct. I'm always hungry.. Not STARVING but certainly hungry .. I'm on regular foods and eating protein I know I'm not getting a full 70grams.. I'm hoping as I gradually increase protein the empty hungry feeling will subside, thoughts?

I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy in August of 2015 and have lost 90 pounds, going from squeezing into a size 14 / XL to wearing a size 2/4 and S or XS. I surpassed my goal weight, and have had very minimal negative side effects. My endocrinologist had recommended the VSG to me because other women my age and size with PCOS have benefitted from it, and said that some had gone to Mexico because the costs were so high in Los Angeles (I was quoted $29,000 to $35K, vs $4200 for the same surgery a couple of hours drive away in Mexico). My BMI was under 35 so insurance would not pay for anything. I started researching surgeons in Tijuana and reading reviews from patients, and felt confident with Dr. Garcia. I wrote to several of his patients who'd posted about their experiences for more insight. I'm very pleased. Wow congrats! I'm researching at this point to get a revision. And I live in the inland empire.

Steph, I am not sure if I'm happy with my tt nor not. I do still have some upper abdomenal fat. I know you said you have the same. My pannus is completely gone however. If I were to take my hands and pinch the fat on my abdomen I can gather probably 1 1/4 inch still. How much do you have? I am thinking about a lippo revision in 6 months. It will cost me $3k.

Cigna revised their bariatric policy today and only requires a 3 month supervised diet now! Yippee!

Is it pointless to fight an insurance company when they have denied a revision from lapband to gastric sleeve. My band has not slipped but it also doesn't work. With the exception of stuck food and throwing up every once in awhile, you'd never know I had one. My insurance company said it was a once in a lifetime procedure and more or less hung up on me. Any suggestions?

Well, I am lucky that my bariatric team educated me very well. I also read the boards. Well and I was a band revision, so not my first rodeo as the saying goes. I was quite well educated and realistic by the time I was sleeved. My"surprises" - I never dreamed I would turn out looking so good..I was truly transformed which never happened with the band. Also, I didn't struggle as much with the emotional issues around restricted eating during weight loss phase...however..the emotional adjustment post goal has been epic. I was warned but did not really understand how fundamentally my life would shift...many dimensions to this topic. Shifts needed to successfully maintain, getting used to people noticing me, finding my sense of style, figuring out how I fit in socially etc etc. Anyway I am nearly 3 years post op been at goal for awhile and feel I am finally on solid ground again.

I had a revision from vsg to bypass due to gerd over 2 years ago. I don't regret it. I'm sorry I waited so long. I don't know the future but up till now, it's been a very smooth transition.

I am so glad they recommended you for revision!! It is sad that a lot of insurance companies have a "one bariatric surgery per lifetime" clause, or will cover revisions but make it near impossible to qualify for them. The sleeve surgery is the first stage in a classic DS surgery, it should always be up for revision to a DS/SADI if the results from it aren't lasting! I had a modified traditional DS done on November 1st. I'm so happy I did it. My diabetes and high blood pressure went into immediate remission. My weight loss has been slower than I'd like, but that isn't unusual for a DS because we lose for a lot longer than other surgeries (if we are lucky!). Your sidebar says you are pre-op, you should adjust it so it shows you post-op! How are you feeling?? I've heard the recovery from revision from sleeve to SIPS is not too bad since they don't normally touch your sleeve again unless it was improperly done the first time. Do they still have you on a strict post-op diet progression? I look forward to seeing how your weight loss goes, revision patients to this surgery usually do well! It just goes a little slower than before. ❤️

Hey everyone i have a question. Has anyone been required to have a feeding tube after sleeve to bypass revision? Was it temporary, did it help? Any information anyone has would be super super helpful. Thank you!

I have a feeding tube currently. I had surgery 6/13/24 for revision to RNY. I had 2 emergency surgeries 3 days later. I had a leak and had 7liters of toxic fluids cleaned out of me then ICU 6 days and hospital until the end of July. It has been 10 months + with wound vac, Gtube, and now a stricture that I've had 3 balloon procedures and still not halfway there. Total of 6 hospital stays, 4 ER visits, 7 surgeries since June 2023. I'm getting better. Feeding tube helps but also causes alot of pain and granulated tissue which has to be burned off. I have found 4 people who have talked about the same issues. A leak like this and a stricture is very uncommon. Most people with leaks end up dying. It's why you don't hear about them. I'm not sure why anyone would require a feeding tube other than a major stricture or leak. Maybe due to already having so much scar tissue. They think that is why I had a leak but nobody knows. For reference. I had lapband 2008. Lapband Removal 2019 due to Gerd. RNY 2023. I was 238lbs 5'6 at the time. I'm 170 now.

I agree with @swimbikerun. Don't go off of us exceptions. It's actually not common to lose a lot with a revision. Go into it expecting about 50% less weight loss than what you had with your initial surgery. Then if you lose more, it's a pleasant surprise. But if you don't, you're already prepared for that.

My BMI has been 40 for 1 year and my insurance (cigna) requires that it be 40 for 24 months or 35-39 and other complications. I have (documented) "high" blood pressure. I put it in quotes as it was actually in normal range (Diastolic of 90) but then the cut off was revised several years ago and 90 is now high. It has been on and off 90-100. Do you think this counts? I will be working with Fielding and Ren in NYC so I would imagine they are pretty good at working with insurance. TIA!

Thank you Pickles and Mimi. I think my surgeon is a bit ornery too. He's good though at what he does so I'm willing to overlook the lack of bedside manner for the most part. Fortunately, his support staff is superb. Will report back once this swelling and water retention ceases and I have a better idea of what impact the revision has had.

I had a port revision last week. They put in a low profile port, you may need to ask about that type. My first port was on my side. I didn't want it on my abdominal muscles because of the pain doing sit-ups. However, once I had lost weight it stuck out like some tumor. It was awful, embarrassing and just downright gross. In the meantime the tubing came disconnected from the port and they decided to do a port revision. I now have a low profile port in the same spot on my right side. I hope your request will go through. I've heard of some women having theirs put above their breast toward their armpit to avoid the ugly tumor once they've lost their weight.

I was banded on 4/15 and had problems immediately related to my port. It sticks way out, rubs on a rib and causes a great deal of discomfort when I exercise or even bend over. It actually throbs when I exercise. Very weird. Anyway, I've been complaining since about 4 days post-op and just had what must have been my 5th or 6th follow-up appointment in the past 12 weeks. Up to now my surgeon kept asking me to be patient and wait it out suggesting that once I lost enough weight it would move/settle and the pain would dissipate. He said that all that was available was another surgery and he didn't want to go that route. Today I informed my surgeon that I wanted to do something since it bothers me so much. Also told him that in all likelihood I will not have insurance that covers anything that is WLS-related after the first of next year. He agreed - for the most part. He said that he'd have his office staff pursue getting pre-approval from my insurance for port revision surgery, but is confident that by the time it comes around to do the surgery I won't feel the need any longer. I get the feeling that he just doesn't want to admit to placing it in a bad spot. Anyway, I feel a huge sense of relief knowing that correcting this problem is finally in the works. Who has had port revision surgery? I'm told that recovery is much quicker than for WLS. Any experience out there? TIA.

Dr C. Not sure if you can answer my question or not. But you seem to be very helpful to others so I'll try. I had my band placed 4/26/05. I have had many fills approximately have had 14.5cc placed in my VG band. I have never been restricted. I can eat anything I want. I had ugi this week and it looks as though my band has slipped. I don't know that I have ever had any symptoms of a problem. I know I have a pretty high tolerance to pain maybe I have ignored problems. I was getting frustrated because I have really been working on it. Exercising and eating good. Not to say that I have never made a bad food choice. Did I miss something I should have noticed. Will it hurt me if my insurance will not cover for a revision to just leave the band wherever it is? I am just confused and frustrated. I would appreciate any info you can give me.

April 29th pending insurance..... Lapband revision to sleeve. laurie

Hi, I’m having revision from sleeve to Bypass schedule for March 20th. @NewMe3 when they filed the insurance claim did it ready gastric bypass?

I had a lapband from 2001 to 2011. I honestly had problems from practically the very beginning, but when I moved back to the USA in 2002 and couldn't find a good doctor to take me on, I went into shame mode. My #1 advice for someone who has "failed" at weight loss surgery is to seek help like you are doing. You do feel ashamed, failed and all that stuff - but that is wrong thinking. Right thinking is that you have a life threatening condition (obesity) and the treatment path you started down is not working right now. What can be done? It removes alot of the guilt, blame and other useless thoughts around this. If I had not been so ashamed, I would have looked for someone to help me figure out what to do many many many years earlier. Who knows what would have happened, but I promised myself when I revised to the sleeve that I would not accept this self blame again. If I have problems with my sleeve... I run, not walk, back to my bariatric center. That only happened once in the last 3 years and it wasn't really sleeve related but it was good to know they were so supportive of me.

I think you may have misunderstood. No reputable surgeon is going to take out a functioning band and replace it with a sleeve for no reason. As an example, there is a lady in my support group whose surgeon suggested she get a sleeve because of how much weight she has to lose. She opted for the band instead, but now is sorry. But she's losing just fine -- has lost over 200 lb! -- and her surgeon has said she needs to keep plugging away with the band until it stops working for her. There are a few people on this forum who have had band to sleeve revisions. None of them got them "because they were on maintenance" though a few of them were at goal when it happened. In every case, they had problems with the band. In some cases it slipped or eroded. In others they had esophaegal spasms and couldn't keep down solid food. IOW, they had medical reasons for doing a revision. The rest got the sleeve because they weren't losing weight with the band. One of the reasons I went with the sleeve is because I was self-pay. I think the sleeve makes the most sense for a self-pay. My surgeon will tell self-pays who want bypass to go for the sleeve instead because it's cheaper but just as effective.

I'll try to make this simple: Nov 2009 - banded Dec 2011 - slip Jan 2012 - complete unfill April 2012 - started refilling, discovered a leak a few weeks later, so band unfilled itself June 2012 - another slip diagnosed August 2012 - band out 9 months after first diagnosed slip with only about 3 weeks of any fill after the slip Nov 2012 - revision to sleeve I am battling some serious damage done by the band. Dilated esophagus causing lots of hunger post-sleeve. I had major scarring on my stomach that my surgeon scraped during both surgeries. I also had a very severe umbilical hernia fixed during my sleeve revision. Ironically, I went for the band initially because it wasn't permanent. However, the damage it causes can be permanent, sadly enough.

May be stupid questions but I forgot to ask my doc... He has me scheduled or band to sleeve revision oct 25... But I have to do two weeks liquid diet before surgery and 5-6 weeks after (God help me LOL) Is smoothie King ok? I usually get strawberry kiwi by itself but I'm told they can add Protein to their drinks .... Would this be ok to drink?

Welcome to LBT! Please remember that a lot of people come here to do research and post problems they are having and then leave. Most of the "Long Timers" are out living happy lives. Band Slippage, Erosion, and Port revision are the biggest problems and those happen very rarely... the complication threads can be scarey but you have to know the possible problems going in. There are MANY, MANY people who have no problems at all. The band helps your hunger but it doesn't change your head. Emotional eating, and for me it was a process of "BREAKING UP WITH MY BEST FRIEND" food.......... no longer can I gorge myself on a pizza because I'm happy, sad, mad, or stressed.... If you eat to fast.. food will get stuck and that causes a Productive Burp or a Slime........ You really have to get to know your body. The "filled" band creates a small pouch or stoma, the pouch fills up quickly which ceases your hunger. If you choose to fill your pouch with solid Protein and DO NOT drink with your meal the protein will slowly disolve and empty out of th pouch very SLOWLY which means that you stay full longer and eat less. If you fill you pouch with crunchy/crumbly food it AND OR drink with meals it will flush the pouch much faster and you will be hungry more frequently. If you eat white doughy bread or other things with a high gluten content it will get gummy and act as a cork getting stuck, and either it has to come UP or you wait til it disolves. Personally it took me 2 years to decide to get the band. I had been sucessful with Atkins. I have lost over 80 lbs 3 times in my adult live and 20-30 lbs more times than I can count. My problem is MAINTAINING the loss.. which is were the band comes in. It is a TOOL that I use in conjuction with LC choices to once again lose this weight, but even better the ability to get fills and unfills will allow me to maintain my loss. I've even taken up exercise........... so for those looking for a quick fix or a magic surgery.. this is NOT it.... I STILL have to make the right choices and as much as I wish I didn't I have to EXERCISE....... but the band DOES MAKE IT EASIER TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES! Don't get caught up in all the negatives posted here... everyone is different.. you have to look at the ENTIRE picture... the good the bad the exercise. If you follow the bandster rules you can expect to average 1-3 pounds a week......... Look up JulieNYC, BOO, KAT, Princess in the Pep, Neal, TELLY, heck go check out the progress pic thread......... the pages are filled with HOPE, Motivation, Inspiration and people just like you and me........ then make your decision.