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I am beyond miserable! The band was the worst thing I ever did to myself!

Hey mountaingirl! I am a RNY patient looking for a revision due to weight regain. I have decided on SADI. I think that is the same thing as the SIPS. It is the option that my doctor recommends and I have read some research that it is a better option for RNY patients because it has proven to give better initial weightloss. Bypass does give you restriction but you can eat your way out of it. I think in your situation any of these options would be a good call accept I believe the DS requires more vigilant attention to vitamins and supplements. I found it hard to find revision patients on forums who could give me much information. I suggest you do some research on the web and maybe at a college library on the revision surgeries. Good Luck!

Hello Group! Today is my first day here onsite. I started my lifestyle change on 3/9/2009 when I had my WLS-Lapband. I went through some immediate results but 6 years later I developed an erosion in the mouth of the stomach that caused my tool to be removed. I experienced a rapid weight gain! On April 19 2016, my surgeon revisited my case and I was approved for a revision. We agreed on the Gastric Bypass. The surgery went well. I take my vitamins, eat right etc. On august 16, 2019 I underwent the Panniculectomy surgery which went very well. The recovery process was about a month. I am very happy with the results. Now, what I am currently experiencing is the UPs and Downs of weight loss and weight gain due to the unprecedented times we are experiencing and the challenges we faces each day. In March 2020, I was required to work from home which was great but the exercising has been limited. OMG how I miss the gym... I visited my nutritionist and she recommended I join this website for some guidance, support or even a fruitful tip that can keep me motivated. I do not wish to go backwards, I want to continue losing and I just seem to have lost sight. HELP

I have had 2 fills with no problems and went on Friday for my third fill. They had trouble with the port and must have stuck me at least 8 times. The first 2 fills I got they hit it on the first try each time. They called the Doctor down and he said that the port has flipped 180 degrees and they will have to go in and fix it. I asked if this was caused by something I have done and he said no, that sometimes with weight loss the port has to be repositioned. Then because it was after closing hours by the time we were finished he said to call on Monday and schedule a Pouch Revision. Have any of you had this done? I have only lost like 40 pounds and I don't see how that could have affected the port, but most of the weight loss has been in my stomach area.

I would guess he meant port revision. Every time they go in there to do something or to fix something related to the band they call it revision surgery. If your port is flipped then it is call port revision. They do pouch revision on bypass patients. Maybe the doc was tired and it was a slip of the tongue. Or you were nervous and heard wrong. I do that all the time. I have not had port revision but have heard here that it is not too bad. Start a thread and ask if anyone has had one. I have read a few post from people that have. Good luck. You will do fine. And dont worry. It is common.

I was a band to sleeve revision and they had me wait either 6 or 8 weeks - don't recall.

I had a revision october 24th due to the band port leaking. I was banded december of 2004 and never reached my goal with it, wasn't able to get adjusted just right and then within the last couple months found that the port was leaking. My surgeon decided that because of the problems I had, instead of putting in another band, he would convert me to the sleeve. I am one week out and feel great. Hope you can get turned around.

Susan, I had the lap band in 2006. I did very well with it for 2 years. I went from 200 lbs down to 130 lbs. At that point I was not able to eat much without constant pain. So, in 2009 I revised to the sleeve. I loved the sleeve!!! But, in 2012 I started having severe bile reflux and vomiting up blood. The doc said the only thing I could do was revise to the bypass. So, after fighting the revision for over a year, I had the sleeve to bypass done 7 weeks ago (Jan 8th). It has been a very difficult recovery. I finally am feeling good. Actually, I am now feeling great!! I dropped a little more weight even though I was fine at the weight I was. I am now 123 lbs. I had my surgery done in Mexicali, Mexico with the same doctor who did my sleeve. Hope all goes well with you.

Hi All, I had the sleeve four years ago. I never had any problem with acid reflux until I got the sleeve. Up until about a year ago, I was able to control it by taking one Prilosec every morning. If I missed that Prilosec, I was absolutely miserable. Now, one Prilosec a day doesn't work anymore. I am taking two a day, sucking down rolaids and carry saltine crackers with me everywhere. I have heard from many people that revising to bypass helps this issue. Between that, and the fact that I have finally accepted that I really need the benefits of malabsorption, etc., I really want to revise. However, this is 100% going to depend on whether or not I can get insurance approval. So, basically I am interested in hearing if any of you are revisions from sleeve, did it help you with your reflux and have you found you have had more success with the bypass.

Yup. Got to the point where I ate only Soup, salad and oatmeal because that's all that would go down. I was banded in October 2009 and I got mine out at the end of August when I revised to RNY. I don't miss it one bit. I didn't have any specific problem with it such as slippage or port flipping; my body just hated my band all around. If you can't eat properly and you're pregnant, that can be a serious health issue. If you are done with your band and are getting it out anyway, it may be in your best interests to get the doctor to stick your tubing to get the Fluid out. Not an easy task, but your baby's health is important.

Becca, Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it so much. And thank you for the well wishes Yes, they are both excellent doctors. Yes I did research the revision and with the Cleveland Clinic being so huge they have done more there. Dr Schauer with the Cleveland Clinic has done bariatric surgeries for about 15 years (If I remember correctly) and Dr. Curry has been doing bariatric surgeries for about 9yrs (again, if I remember correctly) They are both excellent and centers of excellence. Continued success to you!

Hi all of my supportive buddies! I am doing so well weight loss-wise, IMHO but have to deal with a setback. Before I had my VSG in 2014 I had both of my hip joints replaced. Obesity blew them out. In the last year I joined a gym and have been trying to get in shape and was definitely succeeding! But in January (just starting to feel more fit and strong) i had an accident of my own fault. Thinking I was more fit I forgot "the rules" for protecting a hip joint replacement and I damaged it by too much bending flexion. So now I have to have surgery for a hip joint revision and wil be unable to exercise like I am now for a couple of months, minimum. So disappointed! But it is what it is I suppose. Obviously it's a necessary situation, but I feel so sad that I have to be "off the grid" with activity when it was going so well for the first time in my life. It's scaring me that I might have trouble restarting. Anyone ever go through something similar?

Thanks for sharing this! It must have been awful to start experiencing these symptoms a year or so out of surgery. Whenever Im having a rough day, it helps me to think it only get better from here so I know that must have been mentally hard to handle. One of the things I hadn't thought too much about before my surgery is how it would affect my relationship. It definitely has. So thanks for sharing that. My fiance and I do a lot of things over food and so it hard when Im not eating as much. I think for him, it was hardest having to now make decisions about meals himself. He always asks what I want to eat when we order food for example and I really dont have a preference because I'm probably not going to eat anything. But on the bright side, he has learned to make his own meals to save the money and Im a much cheaper date! LOL. My friend who has been having a much rougher recovery than I have, has also been struggling in her relationship. Her S.O was very supportive in the beginning but she has been sick in one way or the other for a year now. She has had to have revision surgery and is constantly in the ER. Her S.O is just over it. Im glad you guys were able to make it through and now she can support you on your journey!

So I am scheduled for revision to sleeve on the 20th of October. I have no Fluid in my band and haven't since July. Last night dinner was baked chicken breast (was not dry at all) and steamed Veggies. I got so stuck at dinner last night that I was sliming and vomiting for an hour. I can't seem to eat what I should and it just doesn't want to work with me. Unfortunately I over the past 4 years have resorted to sliders to tame the hunger monster. I back up a little with my story, I was banded on June 9, 2010. On the day of surgery, I weighed 188 (I am 5'2). I was losing pretty good with the band with the occasional blockage which I attributed to user error on my part. On my 6th month Bandiversary 12-9-10, my only brother (age 30) was found dead in his bed. He just didn't wake up. It was determined (oh they were so great and made us wait a month to tell us the outcome of the autopsy) that it was sleep apnea. He didn't know he had it. Anyway, back to me. My band closed up that day. It took everything I had to eat anything, but I don't remember caring. Actually, I don't remember much for the next 6 months, it all is a blur. At the one year point, I weighed 130. Great that is awesome, except I was subsisting on Cheetos. That was seriously the only thing that would go down and I was starving. I was finally coming out of the grief fog and wanted to be able to eat something healthy. I longed for chicken. I went for a unfill of a couple of cc and started to gain instantly. For the last 3 years, I have played the fill/unfill game to no avail. I have been filled to the point of barely swallowing Water. It all sucks. I am currently back to 180, almost where I started before. I know I must have more muscle this time because I am smaller in. Clothing size (18 vs 12) than I was when I started the band journey. What I would like to know from newbies and most importantly veterans is how this surgery is different to you. My brothers death could have been prevented by some weight loss so I am determined to not meet the same fate. I just know I can't keep this devil device in me any longer! Heather

Hello everyone! how are you? I had my endoscopic over stich RNY Revision on 10/15/2019. I weighed 290lbs on the day of procedure and I now weigh 277lbs. I'm on 6 weeks of liquids (shakes) and then afterwards I can progress onto soft foods, etc. has anyone else had this procedure done as well? If so how's it going for you? any updates?

The pain is from a hole being left where the port was. Your body fills it up with fluid trying to heal it and this causes swelling and pressure. Mine even looked like the end of a football sticking out (tiny volcano lol). Thirteen days since my revision surgery and I finally got out of bed without feeling sore this morning.

I was a band to sleeve revision done in 2 surgeries. I didn't completely follow your questions... Where is the pain? Mine was the hole left by the port removal, it was sore, left an empty spot that reminded me of my failure. When you say the pain is deep, do you mean it is intense or? Some women are triggered to start a period by surgery. I wouldn't overly stress on that. I have no idea what you mean about the Water going through...through what? I set baby water goals those early days....little sips at a time. This is the hardest thing at first, but it gets better.

Hi everyone! I used to be much more active on this board about 5-6 years ago when I had my sleeve. I am returning in hopes for the same support, insight and information I got back then relating to my current circumstances. I have a sleeve, it was done in May 2013. At that time, my high weight was 460, I lost about 150, getting to my "low" of 310 in about a year. Things were going well, and then I unexpectedly got pregnant in September in 2014. During my pregnancy and post partum time, I gained back about 60 lbs. I did a reset diet and started losing weight - from August of last year to January, I lost about 40 of the 60 lbs I gained. I felt like I was in control again, after feeling so out of control since I was pregnant! Then, the unexpected happened. In January, I went to the ER with severe chest pains. It was intense and I had a hard time breathing - the pain was on my right side, otherwise I would have thought I was having a heart attack. I was admitted, and after lots of testing, I was determined to have pneumonia, and another infection in the lining of my right lung. I had a bedside aspiration that took 2 LITERS of fluid from my lungs. It was not enough. I was prepped for surgery, a thoracotomy (which, if you don't know, is one of the most painful surgeries you can have!). During the surgery, I aspirated, surgery had to abruptly end before treating me. I was on a ventilator, in ICU, for several days. A second surgery was needed, I had a chest tube, two tubes coming out of my right ribs. I went into septic shock. My kidneys shut down and I had dialysis. I had terrible dreams while being sedated, that I was dying and would never see my son again... it was the worst time in my life. I'm grateful to have survived it. The underlying cause of this episode is achalasia. My esophagus is not swallowing correctly, the sphincter at the bottom of my esophagus into my stomach is closed tight and doesn't open correctly to empty food into my stomach. I likely aspirated food and/or fluid into my lungs, which lead to the nearly fatal infection I suffered in January. This condition is rare, and the causes are not known. There is a thought that there is an underlying autoimmune issue that causes it. The treatment is to open that sphincter with a Heller myotomy. Normally, people have this myotomy (or a similar procedure with a pneumatic balloon) and are fine. However, my sleeve puts me at great risk for terrible reflux since the sleeve creates high pressure and this myotomy will essentially keep my sphincter open all the time. Therefore, it is recommended that I convert my sleeve to a bypass. Bypass creates a low pressure GI tract and will greatly reduce the possibility of reflux. The added benefit is that I will lose more weight, hopefully getting closer to my original goal. I'm currently 330, and I'm so curious how much I will lose after my bypass. My questions for a knowledgable bypass patient are: What is your post op life like at a year post op? What are you able to eat? Vitamins: Do you have to space your vitamin intake out throughout the day? What do you take and when? Dumping syndrome: is it only caused by sugar, or are there other triggers? What do I need to know about malabsorption as it applies to taking medications? How is an oral antidepressant affected by having a bypass? And if there are any people who started around the 330 mark, how much did you lose in 6 months? or a year? Did you make your goal? How long did it take?

I just want to say that I'm so thrilled with my decision to go with a revision and I wonder why I even bothered with the lap band in the first place.. Because I didn't want to be internally altered... Like many of you, I suffered more from the band (and what it was doing to me - cutting into my liver) then from the alterations that have been made to my body by switching to bypass. I can now actually eat good foods - salad and Protein - and not throw up or be in pain. Surgery on 10/5/15 and 3 months later down 46 pounds. Awesome!

Tricare covered my lapband surgery. Then June 14 2016 I had a revision to the sleeve. I paid nothing after either one. You need to try again. I Did not have any health problems. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using the BariatricPal App

there are virtually no dumping with the sleeve and its extremly rare, no malabsorb with the sleeve, no puking, no limit of size food to a point that one eats, or great restriction. Yer band is in there just as long as somone who started at 400 pounds. If you had to have it remove, and didnt want weight gain again you would still have to do a revision surgery. You still have the same odds of typical LB problems popping up as any of the others with more weight to lose. JMO, but I think you have subjected yourself to the same issues you didnt want t have, down the road. JMO, no offense intended. Sandy

Our Christmas isn't over so I may need to revise this. My mom gave each of us siblings a 4-in-1 panini press (can be used as a grill, griddle, etc). Since I don't have a stove/oven in my apartment it's going to get lots of use. I gave all my nieces a Madame Chic book and each of my nephews a hiking guide for their state.

I am new to this site and im not sure where to post this so please excuse any double postings. I had my sleeve done in Mexico in Nov 2012. I had a BMI of 40 and weighed 215 pounds. The surgery went good I think. I had nothing eventful that happened. The surgeon was ok, but nothing to brag about. The process was strange but I suppose the norm for mexico. I did not have any complications like others I have read about. In fact I was able to eat fairly fast after surgery and I only did a week of liquids and soft foods. I never felt very restricted from the very beginning. I think I could have done much better had I researched what steps to take after the surgery. But my reality is I never felt like it was a success because I could eat quite a bit from the beginning. When I first started eating soft foods I was able to eat 2-3 measuring cups before getting full, and a couple months out from surgery and I was eating a whole steak like 10 ounces. I did lose some weight but I think thats because I only ate Protein and took Vitamins and drank Water. I was always able to lose weight on all protein diets before but they are hard to maintain. I only lost 35 pounds total after the surgery. Fast Forward 4 years later and Im right back at the exact weight I was on surgery day 215. So it took 4 years to gain back 35 pounds but I exercise a lot and I am a major water drinker. I have also done this pouch reset thing several times and I used HCG and Atkins and B12 shots and other methods to try to get back some control and lose weight. I never lost anymore but all that effort slowed down the gaining. In the beginning I tried hard to stick with what I learned on my own like protein first and not drinking while eating. Thats a hard one because I had no restriction. I now drink sodas and beers and anything I want while eating. I graze all day and I have major major hunger pains. Not acid but hunger pains just like before especially after eating empty carbs. I wake up starving and I feel like I could eat all day long. I have pretty much given up and back to my old habits. I can eat a whole Big Mac Meal if I want to. I may not be able to eat 100% as much as I used to but damn near 85%. Like I said from day one when I didn't feel the restriction or anything that I read about and researched, I already considered my sleeve a failure from the get go. Once I stopped losing weight after the 3 months it really started to sink in maybe I didn't get a small enough pouch, maybe the Dr messed up, maybe I messed up.. either way I lost all motivation. anyway.. I now have a new job starting next month and they offer some pretty good insurance plans. I want to try this thing again the right way, with doctors to help me, and I want to do it in the U.S. According to the Kaiser info I meet the BMI and comorbidity requirements. I have not chosen my insurance plan yet but when I do I will make sure that Bariatric Surgery is on the list. I guess my concern is getting someone to do a revision if the original surgery was in Mexico. My other issue is I now have some left side pain that comes and goes and it hurts right over the main incision scar. It definitely feels like its my stomach area. I need a doctor to check me out and see if something is wrong. I have not once been seen by a Dr. or had any follow up care what so ever. Does anyone have advice or experience in getting a check up at a bariatric center and a revision to a smaller pouch if the original surgery was in Mexico. I live in southern California and I would like a place near by in the OC or LA area. Is my first step going to a general doctor and having a referral to a bariatric place? Does anyone have any advice on a specific Dr that I should try to see? Will I get turned down since I had a previous surgery in Mexico? I have zero documents or paperwork provided to me by the Mexico Dr. No matter how many times I emailed and called I got no where on that subject. I even sent money for a so called video of my surgery and never received anything. The only proof is my surgery scars. What are the steps should take to work towards a revision in the U.S. I would even take advice on which plan to choose. Any help at all.. Thanks in advance.

Can I ask why you had to have the revision? I have heard alot of people going through this. I can't imagine having two surgeries. But it would be so frustrating if the lapband didn't work. Good luck! You will do great. I had gastric bypass Dec. 18th and I feel great. It wasn't near as hard as I thought.

I had a revision from band to gastric bypass on 11/6 and my insurance covered it, I did have to go through the 6months of weigh ins, nutritionist, and an evaluation but it was allll worth it!! I'm only down 25lbs and I get frustrated with that BUT had I not done it I would not have lost that weight so, teaching myself to be thankful instead of being so hard on myself I didn't have any issues with the band other than I wasn't losing the weight and there was a smallllllllll slip but my dr says he's had a lot of revisions after 4-5yrs! Good luck to u!!! Don't give up!