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I had GERD pretty bad for years and sick multiple times a week due to past vertical banding. My revision to RNY went well, and the GERD is gone and I can now eat healthy foods and have no more issues---It feels so good. Hope it works as well for you.

My DH can not feel it.... Although I can and as I lose more weight I can now even feel the little spongey tip.. (but I was really playing with it last night) GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER! DO NOT FREAK OUT.... if you get to the point that you think small children will run away in terror... simply have a port revision and get the LOW PROFILE PORT............ Jaque has AWESOME genetics and she is a RUNNER so she has literally RAN HER ASS OFF to look like she does! ME... well.... I plan a tummy tuck in a couple years and if I need a port replacement I will have it done at that time. (I think) Who knows what will happen!

Unfortunately, no amount of revisions will work if your head isn't in the game. You'll just end up in the same place. Have you thought about the reasons WHY you sabotage yourself to not become successful? Would counseling help? I wouldn't consider a revision to bypass until you feel you're emotionally ready to change your lifestyle to ensure that this surgery is successful. Otherwise, I think a revision to bypass would be a good option for you. The sleeve isn't for everyone, and some people need the additional help the malabsorbtion offers with the bypass. Also, take anyone's advice who chimes in that hasn't had regain with a grain of salt. They don't understand the struggle of being several years out and trying to get back on track and go back to basics. They all think the weight loss comes as easy as it did during the honeymoon period, and I'm here to say it absolutely doesn't. It's a whole different animal several years out. Our metabolisms, appetites, and capacity changes, making going back much harder. It can be done, but you're talking pre surgery effort at that point.

Help! Haha I'm leaving for a 10 day vacation and I'm 4 months out from surgery. Down 73ish lbs from preop and feeling great! I'm so worried about how I'm going to stay on track in Europe. I don't know what the food will be like and how I will get in all my protein. Thinking about packing 10 protein drinks but that's silly right? Not sure. Thought about 100 calorie nuts packets and protein bars. Any suggestions for what I can bring with me or any suggestions from anyone that has been to Paris/Loire Valley or Barcelona while on track and seen or know of any good ideas or options so I don't come back 10 lbs heavier. My weight loss journey has been a battle and I fight the demons every day. I haven't had an easy, not hungry time of it and I really don't want to lose now! Thanks in advance for your help! Band to sleeve revision surgery 1/16/17 HW: 283 CW: 210 GW: 160

I also had a revision from Band to DS. I'm 8 week PostOp & I went to my followup appt & only lost 30#. I'm all excited cause I don't know when I've ever lost 30# in a year- let alone 8 weeks! My Dr said that it was good cause it's giving my body to react to the weight loss. I am loosing inches. Just keep up the water & protein!! Let your body heal & do it's thing! [emoji7]

Revision patients may lose weight a at a slightly slower rate than those who have virgin first-time sleeves. However, bariatric surgeons don't always inform prospective patients of this potential reality to avoid discouraging them. Slower weight loss often happens to revision patients because they've already experienced the metabolic shock of a previous bariatric surgical procedure. Per the Texas Bariatric Specialists website: http://texasbariatricspecialists.com/failed-weight-loss-surgery-revisions/

Revisions are notorious for not giving the same "bang" as the original surgery. It sounds like you are doing everything right, so use the tape measure every couple weeks and don't weigh as often, and just stay the course. As you get more energy, the gym will be your friend.

I had my band to sleeve revision on June 22nd. I lost 23 pounds as of July19th, but for 4 weeks now I have lost and gained the same 4 pounds. I walk more than I did before and I am down 45 pounds since June 1 when I started the preppy diet. I upped my calories to about 900-1100 per day from 500 or so a few weeks ago hoping it would help. I eat 65ish grams of protein 30-50 carbs and drink lots of water. I know it just under 3 months I am still down 45 pounds, but a month with no weight lost is concerning me. I feel like I didn't pay nearly $20,000 to lose 45 pounds, especially when I paid $13,000 for my band 5 years ago. My insurance won't cover anything, labs, nutritionalist or anything considered related to my surgery, so I have only been twice to the nutritionalist. But I feel like I am following the guidelines. Anyone else have an experience like This? How can o start losing again?

Outpatient here. Had a revision from lapband to SIPS DS in one surgery. [emoji1360][emoji173]️

I was sleeved in 2012, and am currently working on getting revision to gastric bypass [emoji17] I was initially very successful and hit goal after 2 years. However... I had a baby in July 2015 and not only gained back my weight but went into such a deep depression I gained almost 100+pounds. Not typical of most sleevers but just sharing my personal story. I had my tubes tied and this time around I will be doing things BY THE BOOK! Good luck to you!

I'm getting a revision surgery done on April 30th. Who else has had this done & what tips can you give me.

I had severe port pain when I had the Lap Band. When I would complain, the surgeon would always tell me that the Lap Band was on the other side and that the port shouldn't hurt. As soon as I revised to sleeve, the pain immediately subsided. I'm just glad that I had the revision!! Good luck on getting approved. Don't give up!!

I got the band 3 years ago and researched it for 9 months before I actually went for the surgery. Back then, great things were promised with the band. Since that time, studies are showing that the least amount of weight is lost with the band and that people are increeasing reporting weight gain not to mention complications. I did not wake up one morning and decide to go for revision surgery. I had to look at all the weight loss surgeries available and then determine which one was right for me. After making the decision to have a sleeve, I then had to research surgeons to find the best one skilled in that procedure. I will not be flying into Mexico. I'm flying into CA and then being driven to the hospital which is not in the part of Mexico "in the news." I don't need more time to think about this because I took the time and am at peace with the revision surgery, the surgeon, and the hospital. I am very sorry that your surgeon would not do the surgery you wanted. I would not allow a surgeon to tell me what he would or would not do. I'm paying the surgeon. If I don't get what I am paying for, I look for someone else. Eleven pounds in 5 weeks is very good and I hope you continue to have success.

I can so relate to you. The first thing I would do is see a gastroenterologist (GI doctor) and have an EGD. You're just NPO (no food/drink) after midnight and then get intravenous (IV) sedation to put you to sleep. The MD will pass a flexible tube (scope) down your throat to look at the first part of the digestive tract (you need a barium swallow to see the mid-portion and a colonoscopy to see the last portion) and determine if you have damage to your esophagus. Depending on your insurance, you may not need a referral. Call your insurance company and find out the "next step" once you have the results of the EGD. A year will little to no weight loss with the band is considered weight loss surgery failure by many insurance companies and some pay for revisions. When you call the insurance company, ask for a case worker and get his/her name. If you can afford it, you could always do the self-pay and that puts you in control. The surgeon who banded me does not do the sleeve. I could no longer live the way I am and decided to look into Mexican surgeons. I want THIS surgery to be the LAST surgery so it was very important that I find the BEST surgeon. There are a few to choose from and I will be placing my trust in Dr. Aceves. I did not want to jump through insurance hoops and wait up to a year to build a "paper trail" for the insurance company. The acid regurgitation and daily vomiting is dangerous and damaging. Please take measures to prevent complications (I'm a nurse) and do whatever you need to. Keep us posted on your progress.

Hi, I'm on my phone so I can't go into great detail but I also have a band and I will be revising to a sleeve plication. My esophagus is dilated and if I have even the tiniest fill I have horrible acid reflux. I researched plication thru YouTube as there are several helpful videos. You can also visit Dr. Ariel Ortiz or Dr. Lopez-Corvala's websites for more helpful information. Dr Cottam and Watkins are in the US and I believe charge around 8-10K for the procedure. Tijuana is about 10K with plication and band removal. If you have insurance they may pay for band removal and then you just pay for the plication. Hope that helps! Good luck to you!!!

Hello! I had a revision from lapband to sleeve in August. Now that I'm on solids. I can't keep some food's down. I run back to my Protein shakes and pureed foods. LadieT

I agree with both posters but wanted to add that I chose the sleeve because it maintains normal anatomy. In fact I backed out of getting a lap band several years ago because I was worried about a foreign object because of a preexisting autoimmunity problem and seeing how many people are having them revised I am glad I waited. I am not sure the vertical sleeve was an option, I was offered an RNY . Maybe I had other more pressing medical problems.

Remember, your nerve endings have been affected during the surgery so they may not be as sensitive & able to register you’re full yet. Also did they remove anymore of your tummy during this surgery? If your tummy is about the same size it was before the revision, I would expect you would still be able to consume a similar portion size as you did before. The main purpose of the post surgery diet is to not damage or strain your healing digestive system. Hope you continue to recover well.

I was banded in 2007; it worked lovely for me, I lost almost everything I wanted in 1 year -- then I got pregnant & it broke, gained it all back, had a baby, revised band -- lost it all again, got pregnant again & it broke again -- gained it all back again, had a baby, revised band. Worked again, but slower... broke again.. gained it back... this has continued on and on.. I have had a total of 2 replacements & 6 revisions. The last revision didn't take, I don't feel the same as I use to, and that revision was early 2015. This is between 2 surgeons. Back to my original 2007 pre-op weight, my band has been bothering me... Found out it is slipped & has to go. They had to move my port from belly, chest, belly... port has flipped 4 times... port disconnected once... tubing broke once... and now slipped. Keep in mind, since day 1 I am self-pay, so I could have bought a house by now with all I have paid. Doctor said we either revise the band again, remove it, or convert it. I refuse to revise the band again, I hate the booger at this point. It will be $9k to remove it -- $22k to revise it to a sleeve. I am too afraid of GP, even after all this time as a bariatric patient. In 2012 I wanted to convert to the sleeve, but the price difference was too much to justify everytime I had to go under the knife (if I only knew how many more surgeries I'd be paying for since then because of the band!!). This time, I decided -- remove it, and be done. When I can eat 'normal' again for the first time in years, I'll work on eating things like fruit, veggies & salads -- which I can't eat now. I thought a little more & talked with family, and we've all decided I should just take out a 2nd mortgage and bite the bullet, because I'm not healthy anymore and would very much like to be, and if I decided later on I want the sleeve, it's going to be another 20k+ the 9k I pay now. So, I have it all scheduled now. Surgery first week of January 2017 (for tax purposes, I asked to wait until the new year). I've been absent from the forum for years, feeling that I have nothing to contribute as a lap-band failure, and the great friendships I made through this forum, I talk to all the time. But I am back, now that I am going to be a 'newbie' in the sleeve world. I am very excited now that I've gotten over the initial shock of how much money I'm going to be shelling out..... again. Here's to my new success, and good riddance to the band!!!!

If you eat properly, you won't gain after the band is remove. Remind yourself that you're an adult who can make the choice. Your panic is just another obstacle you're erecting. Apart from that, a lapband does not cause anyone to gain weight. It's the individual's choices and the ways in which the individual deals with difficult times and events in life that add on pounds. The same holds for VGS (not VSG) surgery. From your own account, your periods of regain were your own doing, not the fault of the band. The vomiting may be a sign that the band just isn't right for you, but it may be the result of simply being too tight. Even with a too-tight band it is possible to gain weight, depending on what one chooses to eat. I'm unqualified to make any recommendation about attempting to adjust the band and work better with it or having it removed or revising to VGS, but I will suggest that, before you undergo VGS, you be sure of what you want and how much you're willing and eager to make the changes necessary to succeed for the long term. Weight-loss surgery, like any elective surgery, requires serious consideration. There is no magic. Anyone can gain weight despite surgery if he makes poor, careless and unmindful choices. Think clearly and write down your goals and what you're willing to do and want to do. Also consider that there is help if you're stuck. One good possibility is a therapist in the area of CBT and experience with eating issues.

Hello all, I had my lap band surgery done on June 16, 2008 and a port revision done November 19,2008. I started at 226 lbs and now weigh 195. The majority of the weight came off before the surgery during my two week liquid diet. I would like to hit 135 as a high goal weight, but at this point I am focusing on breaking through 190. I have refocused and started tracking my foods more carefully and really trying to be more accountable. I have my 4th fill this month on the 22nd - hopefully that will get me just right. Anyways, just wanted to share and introduce myself

My hubby had a BMI of 64 and wanted the RNY but they couldn't do it due to some prior surgeries etc. But he had the Sleeve in June 2016 and has only lost 70#'s. Now I know there are people that have had GREAT results with the Sleeve. He doesn't seem to have enough restriction. Most Dr.'s will suggest the RNY for the weight that you have. But you are young and seem to be in good health. He had a Lap Band for 13 years but it malfunctioned so he went in for a revision to an RNY which they couldn't do. His Band had eroded into his Liver. His starting weight when he had the Sleeve was 420#'s. Most Dr.'s would suggest the RNY at your weight but you seem to be fairly healthy so who knows. Now I had the RNY 3 years ago and I have had GREAT results. Granted my weight wasn't as high but I started out with a weight of 249#'s this time I was 285 but managed to lose down to 249. I got below my goal weight in 6 months and have maintained my 124# loss for 2 and 12 years. You are the only one that can make that decision which surgery you will have. Talk to your Surgeon to help you with that decision. Good Luck and I look forward to seeing your journey.

I know this is not really going to get answers but maybe someone might have some insight. I have lifelong chronic illness and disability. A challenge is being sensitive to medications and side effects and having allergic reactions (my list of antibiotics I am allergic to is growing) It started with Umbilical area pain that radiated upward to the right shoulder blade area like spasms. Admittedly I am also dealing with diverticulitis issues, bleeding and pain I'm not sure the source as well as Interstitial cystitis. My gastric bypass surgery inadvertently revealed a form of neurological dysphagia I have difficulty drinking thin liquids. landing in hospital with aspiration pneumonia a day after I got home, I found out that was why. started before surgery but I didnt know why I was having difficulty drinking water. normally i could chug it no issues. For a while I had trouble with eating which turned out to be stricture. I had history of ulcers prior to my gastric bypass surgery. and they found it afterward as well. I had dilations. and eating got a bit easier I just had to be careful what types of foods I ate. But then some weeks back it got really bad I found myself feeling sick just taking nibbles of my lunch. I always meal plan daily and prepare portion control sizes so I know how much calories and protein I am getting and what my portion is so its never too much for my pouch. But Id get partway through nibbling slowly and at times depending what Im eating Id just have to stop. and then feel the need to throw up but cant at times heaving but only a thick mucus comes up. I saw my general practitioner and had a CT scan and bloodwork. I also made some appointments. She told me to see my Bariatric surgeon. I had to wait until just recently to have a Endoscopy. I am just frustrated. because the CT scan showed Hepatic Steatosis. My one liver level is high it was not high when I was losing weight. Only when it was stable already. I did not have fatty liver prior to surgery. But they want to assume I did and that no one told me. But that's something they check for because its a co-morbidity! Also my gallbladder was checked at the time it had to be removed due to chronic inflammation. People have gastric bypass to get rid of fatty liver ... I have only read of maybe a rare case of liver disease post surgery. Anyway. back in June I had a enteroscopy to check the remnant portion of stomach and dilation. no mention of ulcer then. I have trouble with proton pump inhibitors not working and they just seem to deplete my vitamin levels too much. plus trigger my migraines. Ive had ulcers go away without the PPI and gotten ulcers while on them so they just dont seem effective. Then there is carafate. one side effect is constipation and with diverticulitis I cant afford that especially since the CT also showed inflammation and narrowing of my colon ... and I am trying to get iron and even the supposed non constipating kind in my whole foods based multivitamin is throwing my system off. so I had the Endoscopy this month and it showed Jejunal ulcer so the doctor just prescribes proton pump inhibitor and carafate (my insurance decided to not pay for carafate) but what other options are there besides these? and what could be causing the ulcers if Im not taking motrin or similar meds even though I do need them. Ulcer at the junction between the pouch and small intestine can happen in the first months post op and common treatment is PPI and carafate but not nearly two years out. Hard to believe April will be two years ... my gut keeps telling me its issue with my remnant stomach. perhaps even with the staples used. but I dont know how to get answers. I have seen when these things dont work doctors do a surgical revision of some kind. my surgeon is great but yet he seems to address it as it too simply and its not that simple anymore. Also I cant figure out the fatty liver aka hepatic statosis and the high ALT (liver enzymes) they assumed it was high before but no not really. Also I had blood transfusions in June and the levels went down due to the transfusion but then went back up again. so one would assume if it had to do with the weight loss the levels would have stayed down. I cant sort out what move to take next. I kind of sat on this post a while and didnt post it. I still hesitate. I know its probably not something anyone can answer. I am just getting frustrated. I am also retaining fluid in my abdomen along with a lot of pain.

So I have had my band in since 2011, about 6 years. Nothing is wrong with it, I had an upper GI and all was fine. I have gained all but about 20 lbs of the weight back, and I never lost as much as I wanted to from the beginning. My doctor won't give me a fill as food gets stuck all the time and he says my band is at the correct restriction. He wants to do a revision to a sleeve, but I am worried about the long term complications of having over half of my stomach cut out. I haven't heard of anyone with the sleeve for 20-30-40 years or even longer. I am 37 so I would have to live with this for a long time. I made the wrong decision before and I don't want to make it again and end up on the operating table again in 5 years. Anyone out there who has had the sleeve for a long time, or anyone who had a band to sleeve revision longer than just a few months ago?

I had no problems getting approval for the band removal and revision to sleeve or bypass. I have Blue Cross. Good luck, hopefully it will come through for you shortly!