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I'm having band out on dec 18th and bypass revision on the same day. Very happy but afraid of the pain afterward. Some people say it's tolerable and others say it's so unbearably painful! I'm 52 please share your stats Thanks

I had my revision from VBG to bypass on May 6th. I went in at 287, I gained during surgery 296 (I get it was fluid) but still stuck at 277. And the scale really has not moved in over 2 weeks. Anyone else having this issue? I am over a month and thought it would be coming off faster than that. I do my water and protein. Can not walk a lot due to knee issues.

I’m sure u both won’t need it. But good luck. Let us know how u get in. I’m having revision surgery in the new year x

I think you would definitely need two weeks off of work. I had my sleeve on 12/22 and go back to work next week, 1/4. There is no way I could have gone back this week. I'm a HS counselor so I just used the holiday break as part of my recovery. Which didn't make for the best Christmas, but I HATE to miss work! I am a band revision as well and know that all I learned to do with the band will pay off with the sleeve. The eating guidelines are so much the same. I lost 70 lbs with the band but gained 40 back. Good luck!

You all should go check out the forums at bariatricfacts dot org. Just remember that docs are in sales just like a car salesman and most won't sell you something they don't do so be careful and do your own research thoroughly. I'm a Molina band revision to sleeve revision to DS this Thursday and I'll be resleeved to reshape the tummy also. Sent from my PhabulousPhablet!

with the mini gastric do you eat 5 small meals a day? do you get stuck like you do with the band? I'm looking into a revision from the band to not sure trying to get a lot of info on all the surgeries before I decide

Hi, I am new and have not yet had surgery. I have also experienced what seems to be resistance to Lap Band here in Columbus. Riverside/Myers wants to do bypass as does Mt. Carmel group. Does anyone know if some of these "revised" lap bands have made a difference in the physician attitude toward lap band? Do you kow why they prefer bypass?

Absolutely! The first ones were actually done in 2006-2007. A very good band doctor in Ohio did his first one in 2007. Here is a link to show you an x-ray of what a band over bypass looks like, it's pretty cool: Trace W. Curry, M.D. - View topic - Band-over-bypass Xray My surgeon has placed over 3000 lap bands, and recently, many gastric bypass patients have been seeking this revision. Feel free to ask anymore questions. As you can tell, I'm a research-a-holic

Okay, the surgeon I picked is very experienced. He used to do mostly lapbands, with some gastric bypass. Now there are almost all sleeves - with the occasional bypass and lapband thrown in. He has done hundreds of Gastric Sleeves and keeps records and stats on his patients. They have good data for 3 years and have results that exceed the "published" success rates. I guess I didn't ask the question of how many actual revisions they have done. It is less then 50. That is a drop in the hat compared to what some of the Mexican surgeons have done. I like my surgeon and their office, have no other reasons of concern, am blessed to have insurance coverage so I am inclined to stay with the path I am on.... but I have always heard that "100" of a given procedure is what makes a surgeon an expert. I am not sure if I should be worried. Given the relative "newness" of the gastric sleeve as such a popular procedure I am curious what others find in their surgeon's level of experience with revisions from the band to the sleeve.

Sorry this is happening to you. I am having a revision surgery because my tubing is broken off. I had my surgery in Mexico and since I now have bariatric coverage, I can fix it at home. I am still debating between the band and the sleeve. My doctor says the sleeve is the way to go. He said once you have one complication, there is an 85% chance anther problem will occur. It's no fun having a broken band! I am just thankful I found a surgeon to fix my problem.

He did tell me that the main concern on a revision is increase risk of leaks those first few weeks. There isn't alot of published data on leaks for revisions, but he said based on his very limited data, it is probably twice the risk of a "virgin" stomach based on his own practice. We are still talking single digit percent risk. He also told me that revision to bypass has much higher rate of complication - various complications had different risks, but they tended toward the double digit percentages. They told me that they had not lost any sleeve patients (ie no deaths) - revisions included in that ZERO number, so that counts for alot with me.

The sleeve procedure scared me more than having RNY. For one I have horrible GERD, which is amplified when having sleeve surgery. The second reason was, RNY can be reversed if absolutely medically necessary, sleeve cannot. The third reason was, many, many ladies in my program were having revisions from sleeve to RNY. Their reasons were all the same; never got to goal weight, had too many issues with heartburn and many of their comorbidities were still present. I don't think there is a general pros. vs cons. for either surgery, it all comes down to personal goals and current health situations. I am three months post-op. Down 65 pounds, three pant sizes, 4 dress/blouse sizes, off all my heartburn, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes medicine. I am so very, very, very happy with my decision to have RNY.

I had a band put in in 2008 and had it until 2013 - lost 120 pounds and did well until the scar tissue built up around my band and pretty much kept me on a liquid diet- couldn't eat anything solid without it coming back up! I had it removed and decided I could keep the weight off. I did for a while but eventually have gained weight back. I went through the revision paperwork and was denied 2 times and finally wrote an appeal letter on the last day of my 180 days to appeal and got approval. I have surgery Friday. I told people when I had the band and this time I'm trying to keep it to myself. I have a co worker taking me and was hoping uber can take me home from the hospital- I'm struggling with not telling my Parents and that big what if something happens during surgery... slim chance I know... but still the stress of figuring out how to make this happen is crazy- I wish there were services where you could pay a trust worthy stranger to pick you up, stay, and get you home.

Hopefully in July. The final hurdle is getting approval on the hospital stay from my insurance as this will be done out-of-state (by a revision WLS expert).

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

Since my surgery, I cannot eat dried pastas or white, brown, red or black (forbidden) rice. But I CAN eat fresh pasta and wild rice and all wheat grains and many other grains. My understanding is that the ones I can't eat continue to expand after eating, and that's painful with a tiny stomach pouch. So, did some research. Rice and dried pastas can expand up to six times their dry volume either during cooking or after eating. Fresh pastas still are about halfway to the expanded volume before cooking and double when cooked, so are DONE EXPANDING when eaten, so won't cause pain or nausea when consumed. Rice pudding and risotto have also fully expanded BEFORE you eat them, so can also be eaten with no negative consequences. However, most rice dishes and pasta from dried have tripled in size before eating but will DOUBLE that INSIDE you. That's going to be bad. My research has found NOTHING about the discomfort being due to high carb content. If you are prone to short term dumping, high carbs can be a problem, but although I can't eat a whole hard candy, I can eat a plate of fresh pasta with cheese sauce ( my version of Mac and cheese, homemade) and it doesn't cause dumping. I only get dumping from fresh pasta if I don't consume enough protein with it. The problem with pasta is one of volume, not carbs. Wheat grains (wheat berries, spelt, kamut, einkorn, farro, emmer, cracked wheat, bulgur, and others) expand to only 3 times dry volume when cooked, so the expansion is done during cooking, and no more occurs after eating. The same is true of barley, quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet, kaniwa, buckwheat, and a bunch of other grains. So, they all can be substituted in recipes that call for rice. Wild rice isn't in the rice family, it's closer related to wheat and barley, do it also is done expanding during cooking so can be eaten without trouble. I use spelt when I make pork fried rice. I use wild rice instead of noodles in chicken soup. I use kamut or wheat berries instead of couscous. I do have to adjust cooking times, or liquid amounts to reflect what actually is being cooked, but the recipes come out tasty and healthy. My question for you all is, have you found any prepared pasta dishes you can eat? If not, try with fresh pasta. Btw, egg rolls wrappers are essentially identical to fresh pasta and can be used to make lasagna without needing prior cooking, and without over expansion inside you. Hopefully you can try some of these ideas and find out you have more food choices than you thought you did. I am 8 years out from Roux-En-Y surgery, with several revision surgeries as well, and gall bladder removal, and I am still at my target weight, 100 lbs. down from pre-surgery weight. It has NOT been easy.

Hello everyone, My name is Kirstyn and I am finally introducing myself after lurking here for a little while. I am just starting the process of having a revision from the lap-band to the sleeve through Kaiser Fontana. I self-paid to be banded back on Nov. 6, 2002, 9.5 years ago, and did very well with it for about 7 years. I lost 112 pounds, got pregnant, gained 30 pounds, lost 18 of those pounds within a month and a half of having my baby and then maintained for about a year. Then everything went haywire and I have now gained back 82 of the 112 pounds that I lost. I have requested that Kaiser do the revision and am scheduled to have any Upper GI on Thursday, May 31 and also to start my Options classes that night. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone out there that had had a revision through Kaiser Fontana. I have had contact with others who had revisions through different Kaisers in SoCal but never Fontana. I am also interested in learning more about living with a sleeve and look forward to getting to know some of you here! Have a great weekend everyone!

If you haven't seen it, there's an entire forum here dedicated to band -> sleeve revisions. Lots and lots of us have been down that path. My best answers below in blue.

I had the sleeve on 9/22/14 and am never hungry. I have to remind myself to eat otherwise I could go all day just drinking liquids. I chose the sleeve because I didn't want a blind stomach, the change in anatomy (besides part of my stomach being removed), and I'm a volume eater. You can still dump with the sleeve! I haven't had a major episode, but really fatty foods like Peanut Butter and sugary things like jelly bother me. I spent the first month drinking tea and Water and now I'm drinking Isopure black tea mixed with regular tea. It tastes like crystal light or Lipton packets and I get my Protein. I still can't eat much, I know they say that both the sleeve and bypass can stretch, but I'm never going to eat more than I should and have given up soda! How I miss it! But I took a tiny sip and let it sit on my tongue and it tastes so sweet and fake! No more diet coke for me! I also have no comorbidities, which is why some choose bypass over the sleeve. You can always go from sleeve to bypass if it doesn't work, but after bypass the only thing you can do is revision or band over pouch like Carnie Wilson did. I also didn't want to ever be scoped by a doctor or paramedic and having my bypass pouch perforated. Most bypass patients wear medical bracelets after surgery.

We had a great support group meeting today and the topic was "Understanding the Desire to Eat" presented by Katie Mckenna, a specialist in both nutrition and psychology - her visits are always incredibly enlightening. http://www.mckennaco...om/default.html Our nutritionist also shared a new resource that looks interesting that I will most likely check out - the paste is from the bariatric section of thier website. I am of the belief that one can never have too many resources to help us long the way on this journey. http://www.amihungry...c-Surgery.shtml Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery The Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery helps resolve the mindless habits and emotional eating issues that lead to problems after bariatric surgery. It includes TWO books (both paperback)*: Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery Companion Workbook and Journal * Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle The award-winning book Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat is the foundation of this program; the Bariatric Surgery Companion Workbook and Awareness Journal shows you how to apply this life-changing approach after you've had bariatric surgery. (This program is appropriate for people who have had or are considering gastric bypass, the band, or the sleeve.) Each of the eight workshops in the Bariatric Surgery Companion Workbook and Awareness Journal helps you apply what you’ve read in Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat to your daily life and explore issues that are unique to people who have had bariatric surgery. Each of the eight workshops also has a special section called "Adjust" to guide you through the necessary skills to adjust to your "new normal." (See Dr. May's article below: It's STILL Not About the Food.) Download the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery Companion Workbook and Journal table of contents and an excerpt from Workshop 8 listing the key concepts here. *Available only as a set because the Bariatric Surgery Workbook and Awareness Journal is a companion to Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle. It is not intended to be used alone. If you have already purchased Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat from us, you may email Orders@AmIHungry.com with your name so we can look it up (or you can email us a copy of your receipt). We are sorry for the inconvenience but it is very important that you use both books together! Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery (set of two books) $39.90 Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Workshops for Bariatric Surgery - Webinar Participate in this workshop from the convenience and privacy of your own home! Facilitator: Jeff Butts (Read Jeff's personal story here) Dates: Wednesdays, March 6, 2013 - April 24, 2013 Time: 5:00 - 6:30 pm PST/6:00 - 7:30pm MST/7:00 - 8:30pm CST/8:00 - 9:30pm EST Investment: $199 Click Here to Register Email training@AmIHungry.com to receive advanced notification of future webinar dates. Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Workshops for Bariatric Surgery - Facilitator Training Do you work with bariatric surgery patients? Now available: Facilitator Training to offer Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Workshops for Bariatric Surgery in your bariatric center, office, or community! Please download the Facilitator Training information packet and contact us at 480 704-7811 or Training@AmIHungry.com to learn more. About the Author Michelle May, M.D. Michelle May, M.D. is a recovered yoyo dieter and the founder of the Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Workshops and Facilitator Training Program (www.AmIHungry.com). She is the award-winning author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle that guides readers to eat fearlessly and mindfully. Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat received seven publishing awards including best book in the categories of health, best self-help, best nutrition, and mind-body-spirit and was named one of the Top 10 Diet Books in 2010 by Time.com (though Michelle insists that it is a how-not-to-diet book!). She is also the author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes. Margaret Furtado, M.S., R.D. served as a consultant on this project: Margaret Furtado, M.S., R.D. has specialized in bariatric surgery at bariatric surgery centers of excellence for over a decade, including Tufts Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and The Johns Hopkins Center for Bariatric Surgery. She is currently a Bariatric Nutrition Specialist at The University of Maryland Medical Center, in Baltimore, Maryland. Margaret has co-authored 3 patient-centered books on bariatric surgery and nutrition, including her newly-revised Recipes for Life After Weight Loss Surgery and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery. She was one of the authors of the 2008 bariatric nutrition guidelines published by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Margaret speaks internationally on bariatric surgery and nutrition. Bariatric Surgery: It's STILL Not About the Food! Michelle May, M.D. writes about why mindful eating is so helpful for bariatric surgery patients: Bariatric Surgery is Only a Tool While bariatric surgery may be controversial, even bariatric surgeons agree that bariatric surgery is a tool, not a quick fix. This is a critical point because a tool can do nothing on its own; it requires skillful management by a knowledgeable user to work effectively. Therefore results following bariatric surgery depend on learning to use that tool optimally to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Adjusting to a New Normal When people ask my opinion about bariatric surgery, I have to admit that it's a tough question because many people who decide to try surgery believe that they've tried everything else. Most have never even heard of intuitive or mindful eating. Some believe or hope that having bariatric surgery will solve all of their problems—but nothing could be further from the truth. For example, if you’re an “emotional eater,” the situations and emotions that triggered eating in the past are unlikely to disappear simply because you’ve chosen to have bariatric surgery. As one patient said, “They didn’t operate on my brain!” Some discover that they “miss” their friend—food—leaving them with a feeling of loss. As one person told me, "I've cut out my coping skill!" Others believe that after surgery they won’t need to think about their eating anymore. In fact, it is just the opposite. You need to become very thoughtful about eating in order to use this tool optimally. If you’re not mindful about your eating, this “tool” can cause you to experience uncomfortable, even serious consequences—and you’ll be far less likely to get the results you hoped for. Bottom line: It breaks my heart to see people invest so much yet continue to struggle in their relationship with food. Bariatric Surgery and Mindful Eating Since 1999, tens of thousands of people have used the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program and/or read Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, to resolve their difficult eating issues. There are often people in our workshops who have had also bariatric surgery. They explain that surgery did not fix their real problem and/or that they need additional skills to cope with their "new normal." Mindfulness is beneficial because it teaches us to focus our attention and awareness on what is happening right now, which in turn, helps us disengage from habitual, unsatisfying, and unskillful habits and behaviors. Specifically, mindful eating skills help resolve the mindless habits and emotional eating issues that lead to problems after bariatric surgery: Eating too quickly Taking large bites Not chewing thoroughly Eating while distracted leading to overconsumption Not savoring food and therefore having difficulty feeling satisfied with small volumes of food Eating too much, leading to vomiting and/or distention of the pouch Grazing throughout the day Eating "slider" foods and high-calorie soft foods and liquids, often in response to emotional triggers Not consuming enough protein or nutrient-rich foods Feeling deprived or left-out in social situations Struggling to establish consistent physical activity Transfer addictions And many other issues... Further, most people who make the difficult decision to have bariatric surgery want to improve their health and energy so they can live the vibrant life they crave. Yet without the additional tool of mindful eating, bariatric surgery can feel like a permanent diet that continues to consume your life. One of the most meaningful changes that happens when you learn to eat mindfully (whether you've had surgery or not!) is that it allows you to think about eating when you need to and free up your energy and attention to focus on living in between. Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery For all these reasons we felt that it was time to create a mindful eating program especially for people who have had (or who are considering) bariatric surgery. We have a brand new Bariatric Surgery Workbook and Awareness Journal and will also begin offering additional workshop training for Am I Hungry? Facilitators who work with bariatric surgery patients. Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery (set of two books) $39.90 (For a sneak peek, download a pdf of the key concepts covered in this Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating program for Bariatric Surgery.) I am personally very excited about bringing the life-changing concepts of intuitive and mindful eating to the many people who, despite having surgery, still find themselves stuck in an eat-repent-repeat cycle. After all, even after bariatric surgery, it still isn't really about the food. Eat Mindfully, Live Vibrantly! Michelle May, M.D.

Hi dawnae, Welcome to LBT and congratulations on your decision to become healthier. Recovery time does vary from person to person. I know some ladies on here who have got up and gone shopping the very next day. I've been banded twice (it slipped once after 18 months so I had a revision). After the first surgery, I was pretty useless for about 5 days. I tried to go shopping about 4 days out, but it was with my mom who's a marathon shopper and about an hour into it I felt dizzy and nauseous. This time however, I've felt pretty great. I was banded on Friday and could have gone back to work on Monday, had my husband let me lol. My surgeon recommended that I not lift anything heavier than a yellowpages phone book. We live in a large city, so our yellowpages are quite heavy ... but probably not as heavy as a 6 month old. You'll probably want to have an extra pair of hands around for a week or two and definitely talk to your surgeon about it. Good luck with your surgery. All will go well I'm sure and you'll be able to keep up with those two rugrats in no time at all

I've had both and yes the VSG does remove hunger. I never felt hunger for the first few years. I did get it back around year 3, but it's gone again since I have revised.

So I saw my surgeon today ... in process of all the crap I gotta do to revise to sleeve. Thank you all Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App

Hi, I had the bypass. I was insulin resistant and took 100units of insulin 2 times a day plus 500mg of Metformin 2 times a day. I lost 132#'s in 6 months, some In contribute to having strictures (like scar tissue in the opening of my pouch) I got down to 117#'s which was way to low I looked horrible. I did gain 8#'s back but I have maintained my 125#'s for 3 years. I used to take 12 different medications, now I take 4 most for my blood pressure, I just don't know how to let the stress go. LOL I stress over everything. Any how when I was making my decision I'm 57 years old and this will be my only chance to at last lose the weight, which I have lost plenty of times but always gained it back plus more. I had great results BTW I am off all Diabetes meds and have been within my first month after surgery. I think this was a great decision on my part. Now you did say you have Reflux I have heard that it does make it worse with the Sleeve. And many need to have a revision to the Bypass. For myself it was "GO BIG OR GO HOME" one of the very best things I have ever done for myself. It rates up there with me getting married and giving birth to 2 children which are grown and has given me 8 beautiful grandkids. Good luck in your choice of surgeries.

Also bypass for all of the reasons above. Mine was a revision from a lap band.