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Back last summery insurance denied my Lap revision because there was an exclusion on Bariatric surgery. So friggin nice of them since my band was making me throw up unfilled. Totally frustrated my doc's insurance gal told me a great suggestion. Opt out if my employer's insurance plan and buy an individual plan on my own like Blue Cross who covers weight loss surgeries. I did it and with the new non pre existing clause they couldn't say no due to my prior Lap Band. Jan 1 my new insurance plan was effective and on Jan 14th my revision was approved. Feb 10th is my big day!!! I would have never thought about totally thinking outside of the box with playing this insurance trick without my doc's creative insurance gal. I thought my dreams of a revision was gone until she told me what to do. I owe it all to her! ????????????????

Well, I want to start out by saying that you will get lots of different opinions. I will share how I made my decision. I considered both types of surgery - started out with a BMI of 54, so I could have been approved for either type procedure. Things I heard was that sweet eaters and compulsive eaters may do better w/ gastric bypass, since you have the side effect of "dumping syndrome" if you overeat sweets. Dumping syndrome is unpleasant in that after over eating sweets you can get nausea, sweating, and so ill that some people actually end up in an ED. It's kind of like 'antabuse' for overeaters. I did like sweets, but I also overate other foods too. In gastric bypass, your anatomy is actually changed around (there have been different types over the years). The stomach and intestine are cut, and this increases the risks of the procedure - infection, leaks. There's also this newer procedure, gastric sleeve, that sounded interesting too. Gastric bypass patients can have problems with nutrient intake - they can eat more, but the body can't absorb enough nutrients. That also didn't seem healthy to me. They can also have problems with diarrhea - not fun. I plan to live another 20+ years, so I don't know that I want those kinds of issues when I'm old! I also didn't want to be dependent of Vitamin replacement forever. And yes, they do loose more weight and faster, but when you look at the studies and statistics, it didn't really seem that that HUGE of a difference! The last statistics I saw was only a few percentage points of difference in excess weight loss. On the other hand, the lap bad does have it complications too...but at least for my surgeon, it is REALLY low! It is by far safer than bypass type procedures. I need to be here for my family! And yes, I've already had a port revision due to a minor complication (kinked tube) but that was local/sedation and an few hour outpatient stay. Not a major surgery. If I would be so unfortunate to be battling a chronic disease in the future such as cancer, my band can be unfilled to allow me to get in the nutrition I may need at that point. Bypass is permanent. My doctor does both, has a long history in bariatric surgery. For me, the risks of bypass were too high, and the risks of banding tolerable, and I went with the band. I am VERY happy with my band (only 2 months) - have lost weight what I consider pretty fast. Yes, I do have to work at it. But it's much easier than without the band - I never would have gotten this far without it! Read up on both procedures, and when you finally have your consult with the surgeon, discuss both options. Decide what's best for you. I certainly would think that banding would be better if you desire to have a baby! You can have a bypass after the lap band, but not the other way around (although many insurances will only pay for one procedure/ lifetime. IN the end, low risk of dying and infection, knowing that I could control my sweet intake by doing a 3 month supervised diet, and seeing that the results are pretty similar, It was easy choice to go with the band! Good luck!

Anyone have vsg after lap band removal? I had my band removed 9 months ago and am slowly gaining. BMI 27. Considering Dr. Pompa in Mexico. Any advice welcome!

I am a bandster getting a revision sometime around June/July (depending on how long it takes me to save the $, I am self pay). My doc's stats are: We are happy to inform you that the latest follow up study shows that Dr. Aceves’ sleeve patients lose on average 96% of their excess body weight in under 12 months. Not all sleeve techniques are the same, some patients experience poor weight loss because of the surgeon’s technique. I trust my doc so much - he did great with my band surgery. I have no complications due to the band, just am not able to receive proper fill/aftercare here in the states like I had planned. I've only had 2 fills since my surgery Feb 4, 2011 and have lost right under 40 lbs. Can't wait for my sleeve bc I won't have to worry about follow up care other than labs, which ANY doc can do and my insurance will cover labs, but will not cover any sort of gastric adjustment. I really think that if I could see my doc 2-3 times a month I would of already been down 100 lbs or so by my year out - but that's just not how the cards fell for me. I am a fighter and I am not going to give up! I could of never afforded the Sleeve a year ago, but am going to be able to manage it now. Where there's a will there's a way. I need to find my happiness and sparkle again!! :ciappa:

I started therapy before I had my surgery, on my surgeon's recommendation...I am a revision person, meaning that I've had WLS before and VSG was my second surgery, and he recommended that I go through therapy for extra support....and it has helped....I use my therapy time to really self-examine how I managed to lose and regain 120 pounds in the past....and I'm still a work in progress

Did you have a sleeve revision at the same time?

Hello. This is my first post over here on RNY Talk- I've been a member on Vertical Sleeve Talk for a few months. I had the sleeve on August 6th and it is has been quite a terrible journey! My surgeon could not figure out why I was vomiting daily and having trouble staying hydrated. I have a new surgeon now and he believes that he will need to do a revision surgery to the RNY. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this type of revision an what it was like? I hear your pouch is super small... Just looking for any pointers....

I was in post op first but was too out of it to really notice. I didn't think the pain was that bad and I had revision surgery. I refused the pain meds after surgery because they made me SO nausea is the last time and I was fine. I only walked to go to the bathroom. Because I had revision surgery they told me to plan on 2 nights in the hospital but I went home the next day because I felt fine.

So I had a consult with the surgeon that did my upper GI. He is recommending I revise to the Sleeve. His estimate is I will lose the same amount of weight with the Sleeve or with Bypass, but Bypass has greater risk of complication. I have a couple friends who have the sleeve and didn't loose the weight they wanted to, hit a plateau and have gained back some weight. I'm worried about that. A complication of my band has been GERD, so I am also worried about that continuing if I have the sleeve. The surgeon really seemed to be pushing the sleeve, same with his office staff. But it was the same 10 years ago when I had the lap band, and now that has fallen out of favor...will the same happen with the sleeve? Should I just go with my gut and do the bypass???

Hi Everyone, I have had the lapland for several years. I recently changed insurance companies and had to find a new dr. I had not had a fill in several years and felt I needed to see the Dr. Well.... after poking over 10 times without any numbing medicine he decided to to an x ray. My port has flipped, it is facing straight up toward my face. He tried several more attempts at getting to the band and FINALLY got it. He was able to get all of the fluid out, but when he tried to put it back in the needle had a leak. After several more attempts at poking me he called it quits. Now my band has no liquid in it and he wants to do a port revision. Has anybody else had this type of issue. I am so depressed and crying. I do not want to gain all the weight I lost back. He also said my esophagus was stretched and wanted to give it some time to heal. HELP!

Well, let's not let the topic go down a rabbit hole, I am not the originator of this thread, it is she who is claiming the sleeve has failed and is seeking a revision. My input was purely theoretical, and I gave my reasons. Clearly, just wanting to feel like a newb post-op again isn't grounds for having a revision done.

This is my story... I have been overweight since age five. I don't recall this specifically, I have just seen the pictures. I never really felt any of the negativity that others associate with being 'fat'. I had friends and did everything I wanted to do. When I hit teen years, I had friends and I suppose I could blame a lack of boyfriends on my weight; but truly, I was shy. I did try every diet imaginable from age 20-36... but nothing really stuck. I liked food and it would always win. Over the years, I became successful in my career in banking and never felt passed over for promotions because of my weight. Life was moving along. But, I began to feel tired... really tired. I was a single mom of a two year old managing a full-time career and a mortgage. I told myself that it was normal. Eventually, I decided to see my doctor. After many tests, I was diagnosed with many things: hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, etc. All these things were manageable with meds... but the root seem to lie in my weight. I got medically approved for LapBand. I had surgery in Dec 2009. At my heaviest I was 262 lbs. I did lose a lot of weight and got my energy back. I stopped all my meds (not with my dr support). I landed at 199-210 range and stayed there for years. The band had been amazing for my health, but I did throw up occasionally and have "stuck" moments. Eventually... it was a regular occurrence. So, in May 2015, I decided to have my band removed and revise to gastric sleeve. My friend and I went to Mexico together and had the surgery. I weighed 211 before surgery. The surgery went great and I am happy to be free of the band and looking forward to getting to a healthy BMI.

I currently have a Lap Band and I just can’t take it anymore. I have stuck episodes to the point I pass out. I have gained 25 lbs in less than 6 months. It just isn’t working for me anymore. I have been approved for a revision to a sleeve. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on Dr. Mario Almanza. Thanks in advance.

I have also had some hiccups on the road to my goal..... They had thought my port had flipped over, had to go for a special xray exam to have an xray guided fill... turned out the port was fine. That was a few months ago. Now, i have just recovered from have a port revision (old port taken out and new port put in) due to a large infection. As much as this can be discouraging, you have to think of it as just a hiccup, and you will be back to new in no time! I'm 2 weeks post op, back to eating normal again, and back to work tomorrow!! I feel the same as you... now that i'm feeling better, i can make better decisions and have a better outlook! Good luck to you and I hope there are no other 'hiccups' along your road!!

Welcome and good luck on your revision approval.

Revision in TX, thanks for the advise..as far as the food it's only 5 things nothing crazy- cottage cheese, yogurt, sugar free pudding, scrambled egg and pureed bean soup. All of course in specific amounts as instructed. Then the following week they introduce a few more. Today I'm attempting a coffee with lactose free milk and slpenda. They said I can have one. I feel somewhat better today. Still resting and relaxing but also getting up here and there to walk around. Following everything the Dr. Told me to a T. I work for Drs. So I know the importance of following instructions because I see it everyday. It sounds like you did great with yours and it's kinda how I feel I will be too for some reason. Here's to hoping.

I cannot for the life of me have a shake since this last surgery. Back story - 5/27 revised sleeve to RNY opened back up 6/8 said twisting 6/17 opened again and re routed the RNY to mid intestines. Shakes I loved last week just can’t do it. I have to desire to eat anything nor drink. Suggestions!? I’m going to try and get down a premiere Protein Drink now. Not even close to getting my oz. of liquids either.

Why haven't you lost weight? You sound like you would be a PERFECT candidate for a bypass revision. I think you really need to look into that.

I revised from RNY to SIPS (loop ds/sadi) 3/16/2015

I been having lots of reflex I'm also on carafate and Prilosec. What type of revision are you going to have?

It can be hard to eat (and drink) after surgery. This should get better as your body heals. Remember to chew, chew, chew when you get into the solid stage. I found that softer foods (Soups and chili) went down smother than harder food such as steaks. One of the men in our bariatric surgery support group meetings had a lapland revision to a RNY gastric bypass because his band was eating into his stomach and had to be removed. Because of the scar tissue that had built up, his new pouch was a little smaller than most RNY patients. Therefore it was a little difficult for him at the beginning with the volume of food per meal. But he turned out well.

Hi All. I am 4 wks. post op. Just got the ok to advance to soft foods. I am still having trouble drinking let alone eating. Not sure what I am doing wrong but it feels like I always have something stuck and hurts for a few minutes. Should I be waiting so many seconds or minutes between sip and bites of food? I am a revised lap band patient so i am used to being able to drinking swigs of liquid. i am trying to take small sips, but it feels like it's just sitting down there and needs to come back up. I follow up with my surgeon Thursday, but could use some advice today.

Anyone had a revision from vertical sleeve to gastric bypass? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was doing better...medication for IBSc is working, I was able to eat without issue and Friday night without warning I found myself having a hard time. My daughter made lasagna, I took a small piece, didn't eat the noodles, so probably had a half cup of sauce, cheese and lean chicken Italian sausage. I stopped eating because I realized I was uncomfortable. Not full, not stuck, just slightly uncomfortable and a bit nauseous. After about a half hour, up it all came. By then I was in real pain...a burning feeling and I started having pain at my port area. Since then, I've had continuous discomfort and I'm on a soft/liquid diet. I emailed my band doctor and requested an appointment to discuss my options for removal/revision. I feel defeated...I really thought I was going to get to keep my band.

I am new to this forum and I have a question for those of you having a revision. My doctor wants to do a revision on my from my lap band to a possible sleeve, although we haven't decided which procedure we will do. I have had the band in since 3-2010 and the best weight loss I had is 30 lbs. I am almost the same weight I was when I had to band put on, and I throw up at almost every meal. they have taken liquid out of my band but I still vomit or food gets stuck. I have tricare prime triwest, and I was wondering if anyone else has tricare. for the band they approved it within 24 hrs. I still have type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol,take meds for all those as well as anxiety and to sleep. any suggestions on how to get tricare to approve the revision since it hasn't been at least 2 years since the band placement? Oh and we are suppose to move at the 2 year mark making this even more difficult. I also do not see military doctors. any suggestions or guidance is appreciated Lisa.