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I can't say enough about Dr. Kelly and his staff! I am NurseMichele's sleeve sister! lol Everything she said about the staff, well I say it too. Dr. Kelly surprised us with operating on us the day we got there instead of the next day. We thought that was great so we didn't need to stress another day. Being a lapband revision I had a little tougher time than the other two (I was first also). It took 1.5 hours for me including the endoscopy I had to have before they started because of the lapband. They had a little problem with my stomach because of the lapband but they took care of it fine. I had a rough time coming out of the anastasia also and started to go into to shock but they brought me out quickly. My sister was there at that point and said she got worried because I was pastie white and shivering bad. She did a good job helping out when needed and I'm glad she was there right then. I had to have a drain tube for 2.5 days but that didn't bother me, I thought it would if I had to but it didn't. By day three I think I was caught up in heeling with the other two. Cece (Dr. Kelly's wife) and Omar, the coordinator, took us to Lucerna Hotel. Beautiful! And then they took us to lunch for a nice bowl of broth and then to the board walk on Tijuana beach and we all stuck our feet in the ocean. It wasn't that warm of a day though. A bad day on the beach is better than any good day at work though. Then they took us shopping and back to the hotel. We did a LOT of walking and all of us did good. The next day they gave us pedicures compliments of the Dr.! Cece gave us each a massage and plucked our eyebrows! lol My niece and I also chose to buy the manicure. Each day we felt a little better. I'm not hungry much at all and just been drinking broth, juice and water as told. I have a little pain in the area where my tube was but it might be a gas pain from being operated on. Scale of 1 to 10 it's only a 2-3 and it is very seldom....good! Tender where the incissions were is about all. We got home Friday night. The flight was 2.5 hours and then we drove 4 hours, a little tiring though but glad to be home. Today my niece and I went garage sale-ing and then to a Vintage Fair and walked around for 3 hours and then I visited my uncle for 1.5 hours and home to rest as I have to visit my aunt in another hour. I might go to bed a little earlier than my normal time. I do feel good though. I would truly recommend Dr. Kelly and his staff. The other doctors were very nice too and obviously competent since we are all doing good. Michele was so much fun to have around with my sister, niece and myself; we had a lot of fun together; she's a hoot! Nice to have a Sleeve Sister that you care about and want to keep in contact with. Good luck to you! We will all do good I'm sure. That's my update with no sugar coating on it. I will post my progress also. Good luck to all that have this done, I'm feeling it was a good choice for me.

I think you should show him this forum and have him read the sucess stories in the band to sleeve revision section. There are so many people who shared your struggles with the band who had outstanding success with VSG. I think if he understands the differences, he will be much more on board. You will still have your crazy, stressful schedule and will have to find ways to eat right within that. That will take some additional planning and organization on your part. But, not being hungry will allow you to make better choices because you will not feel the need to just grab something at the fast food drive thru. Good luck!

I was revised from the lapband to the duodenal switch a year ago. I think driving three days after surgery is a little too soon. I would wait at least a week. You might still be on painkillers and still feel rather sore.

I had GERD and went with the bypass because of it. It really doesn't have many more side effects than the sleeve does, and malnutrition isn't an issue as long as you keep on top of your supplements (you have to take some supplements with the sleeve as well). I would not recommend getting the sleeve if you already have GERD. I've seen too many people have to revise to bypass because of it. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones, but I'm not sure I'd want to risk it.

Just out of curiosity why does bypass scare the crap out of you? I was going to have the sleeve and then because of reflux we decided the better surgery for me was bypass. I was scared to death to because all of the horror stories. I spent some time with both my bariatric team, my gastroenterologist as well as many bypass patients. I was most afraid of the malabsorption component. I then learned very quickly that it actually helps you to lose weight and honestly both bypass and sleeve patients have to have blood work and take Vitamins for life. The biggest thing they warned me about was not going in for yearly nutritional panels and skipping vitamins. As long as you do that which you also have to do with the sleeve as well, you should be good. I am two years post op, have lost all my weight and comorbitities, am very healthy and thank god every day that i went bypass as i have not even had a simple case of heartburn since the day i woke up from surgery. Spend some time and really research so you make the best choice for your health. I have seen way too many sleeve patients then have to revise to bypass anyway. I decided i was only going through this one time in my life. Both surgeries are equally as aggressive. The sleeve removes 90% of your stomach, the bypass reroutes. Just my two cents....take it for what it is worth but don't be afraid, be educated about your choices.

The sleeve will mean risking worse reflux that can turn into a more serious condition, then you will have to revise to a bypass anyway. SKIP THE EXTRA STEPS. I suggest you speak with your team again but stick with the original plan

Hi I apologize in advance if this topic has been discussed. I have my consultation at UIC in chicago tomorrow. Has anyone had a revision from a band to a sleeve with Dr. Masrur at UIC? If so what was your experience?

Wait a minute, I know who your surgeon is! Orris/Debarros? I'm sorry you are dealing with this. I have heard nothing but complaints about that practice lately. Berger in Flag is great! Don't be quick to jump to erosion, you'll need an upper endo to find out for sure. But you do have symptoms of band intolerance as well. Hopefully it isn't erosion so if you choose you can revise to something else at the time of band removal if it comes down to that.

First of all, do what your surgeon said. With that disclaimer out of the way, listen to your body next. No driving for a few days after being put under--standard safety. Second, no driving under narcotics, right? If you are feeling super great by day four, and the strongest meds you are taking is Tylenol, then take a short drive if it pleases you. I had my sleeve done last February and I wasn't really ready to take a drive for a week. Not because I was popping pain meds, but because I felt like a melted poop pile and that was enough to make me feel like NO driving was safer for everyone. I had a revision to a bypass the Friday before Thanksgiving due to complications from my sleeve. Went in on Friday, came home on Sunday and I was ready to go out driving on Monday! Listen to your surgeon first, then your body next. Melted poop=no driving 💩! HUGS! Feel better fast! Congrats!

One individual in our Bariatric Support Group Meeting had a band to RNY gastric bypass surgery revision because his band was wearing away into his stomach and the condition became life threatening.

Good luck hope it goes well but there are many ppl now having to revise from sleeve to bypass

Hi all, After 2 years of having my lap band and having lost nearly 80kgs I had a horrid slip. I had revision surgery on 07.05.18 and they repositioned by lap band and replaced my port. I suffered a terrible bowel infection post surgery so I couldn't eat anything for 2 weeks postop anyway. On Tuesday (29.05.18) I had my first postop fill, my surgeon put 4ml in. Pre-slip I sat with 4.7ml and this was my green zone. Now, even with 4ml in off the bat I have restriction at all. I wanted to know if anyone else has had a slip revision and this has changed the amount of a fill they require to get adequate restriction? My surgeon said the word 'leak' during my fill because there was so much air in my band. I have had the worst 6 months with the health of my whole body and cannot handle having to go in for surgery again. Please share if you have gone through this!! Thanks, Jenna :-)

I think it depends on how much you have to loose. I weighed in at 206 12/21/11 when I got my band so I had a low BMI. I lost 45 pounds and than had my revision o n May 6th and have lost 20 since. I think I felt the difference at about 30 pounds because I needed to buy new cloths!

Hello gang, I had WLS in 2004. I was one of the early lap band recipients in Australia under Prof. Paul O'Brien. I did great and lost 46kg (101lbs), but then life set in and I had two kids and a suicidal husband so I let the weight creep back up. I had a revision in 2013 due to a hiatus hernia so large I was having esophageal spasms. So now, I'm at the heaviest I've ever been, and I've got a ventral hernia that goes from my navel to my sternum. My surgeon said he won't even try to fix it if my BMI is over 30 because it will just come right back. He then talked to me about how the lap band has fallen out of favor because it was not as effective as the original studies promised. He suggested a revision to a VSG, and set me up in my insurance's approval program for WLS. The first step is the removal of the band and port and recovery from that. Surgery is scheduled for July 7th. After that I'll progress through the "hoop-jumping" to qualify for the VSG, which providing everything goes smoothly, I'll qualify for in October. So far no one has stated any pre-surgery weight loss requirements, but I have been studying the various plans and doctor's programs I've found online, as well as reading personal stories from support forums like this one, so I can get an aggregate view of the entire procedure both pre and post-op. I must admit that the pendulum swings widely across what I've seen, both in program execution and in individual responses. Of course, I realize that there are outliers on every scale, and I'm averaging what I see. I got this little binder from the program introduction meeting (Dignity Health), and I've been adding my own research to it, things like print out of appropriate bariatric (or equivalent) vitamins based on their recommendations, worksheets for tracking eating and drinking, pre and post-op protein shakes, mixes, and recipes, motivational type posters, and text documents on things like how digestion works, how protein is used by the body, etc. Note, all the research is stuff from actual university or journal studies, I'm not taking answers from Reddit or Quora as facts! I've decided the biggest issue I've seen is the grief process that hits people after the surgery when they suddenly realize they can't eat what they want. I've read a lot of threads (not just here) of people rebelling and hating themselves and hurting themselves because of this. I do not want to deal with this. I'm already working on changing my eating habits, albeit slowly. I want to be more in control of this transition than I've seen, So, if you've read this far, my questions to you are: Did you make any effort pre-op to really change your eating habits? Did you experience grief or regret post-op if you didn't? Did you regret your surgery for any reason OTHER than the food restriction/complications? Thanks for discussing!

I don't mind at all. At about 4 years post-op, I began having reflux that didn't respond to any meds or other measures. An upper GI study showed that my esophagus was dilated, so my surgeon removed all the Fluid from my band and told me my band would have to go. Esophageal dilation can be caused by poor eating behaviors (overeating, frequent PB's, etc.) and/or by esophageal dysfunction - that is, the esophagus isn't doing its job of moving food down into the stomach. The dysfunction is often caused by untreated reflux. After my band was removed and I had had a lot of tests, the various doctors I'd seen concurred that my esophagus had been damaged by decades of "silent" reflux whose only symptom was a chronic dry cough. When I consulted an ear-nose-throat specialist in the mid 1980's, he told me my problem was reflux and I didn't believe him (since of course I know far more than any graduate of any medical school), so my reflux was never treated. Apparently the pressure created by my band was aggravating this. My choice of the sleeve for my revision was pretty foolish (a choice made in panic and haste) because reflux is very common in sleeve patients, even in those who never had reflux pre-op. Fortunately, omeprazole is managing that for me now.

I only have to do liquids for two weeks and this week which is my second week I can do whole liquid like yogurt and stuff. So I don't think you starting softs after two weeks is bad, since that's what I will be doing as per my Dr. I no that when I weigh myself I get really depresses so I try to do it only once a week which is killer. I had my revision on May 6th and actually gained 8 pounds of fluid I guess. I was so depressed because I am not eating and still gained weight. Today I finally went back to my post op weight minus 2 pounds. It will come off just stop stressing, with the band some weeks I lost a lot, some weeks I lost a little, and some weeks nothing.

Thanks for posting this, maestrita. Your thread has provoked an interesting discussion, and I'm glad no one has resorted to mud-slinging (yet). Since I revised (not very happily) to the sleeve, I've often been asked if I regret my initial choice of the band. I admit that my affection for my band colors my response to a question like that. No, I don't regret my band surgery. It's harder for me to answer 3 other common questions. One: Would I recommend the band to pre-ops as eagerly today as I did 6-7 years ago? I'm not sure. The answer depends as much on the person who's asking as it does on me, and there's no such thing as a perfect or one-size-fits-all WLS procedure. Two: Would I choose to revise again (if needed) today? No. Since most of my stomach is gone forever, there's only one other WLS option available to me now: duodenal switch. I'm having enough trouble with micro and macro-nutrient malabsorption with my sleeve. I can't imagine how I'd manage with the DS. Three: Would I recommend bariatric surgery (as a whole, not related to a particular procedure) to an obese person today? I'm just not sure. I guess I would if the person's co-morbidities were so severe that some kind of WLS could be life-saving.

Has anybody reading this thread delved into the reasons (if any) given by that study's author for the higher re-operation rate in band patients? It would be interesting to look at that information. Based on my personal experience and the experience of some band patients I've known for a long time and know IRL (in real life), there are a number of reasons for re-operation, not all of them due to complications. Some revise to other procedures because of disappointing weight loss (and the disappointment can be related to concurrent medical issues that affect weight as well as unrealistic weight loss expectations). Some revise because of side effects. Some revise because of complications. Some revise because a band that worked very well for the 1st few years didn't respond to fills after pregnancy and birth of a child.

Welcome, Helen! I am a revision from band to sleeve and I can't tell you how much better the sleeve is. I was prepared for "hard" when everyone kept telling me how hard the band is. I thought they meant hard work and dealing with head issues. I had no idea the kind of hard it would be. I did not realizze the constant band problems was the hard part. Puking, getting stuck, restriction issues, reflux, foaming, sliming... I had no idea. After banding I was a little gun shy about another WLS, I was scared to death what I was experiencing with the band was what WLS is all about. It became a way of life. I was afraid that the sleeve would make my problems permanent. That scared the heck out of me. I finally decided that I did not want to be fat more than I was afraid of complications and such. Turns out, it's the best thing I have ever done. I just wish I would have done the sleeve the first time around, it would have saved me a ton of money. ;o) Don't let a risk of a leak scare you away from sleeves. It's possible, but the risk of being fat is greater than the risk of a leak. They are rare. Since this will be a revision for you I would suggest you make sure you go to a true revision surgeon. Not just any surgeon but a revision surgeon. I will tell you that a risk for leaks, perforation, and bleeding are three fold for revisions vs. working on a virgin stomach. But if you go to someone who has done a ton of revisions you stand the best odds for a safe surgery. Welcome to the forum!

How long did you have your band for? I am really lucky as the NHS has agreed to fund my sleeve surgery which neither me or my surgeon was expecting. I originally paid for my band privately, lost enough weight to have the hernia surgery and now because of the slippage they have agreed to pay for the revision surgery! They must have considered lots of issues with me as patients now have to have a BMI of 50+ before they are even considered for surgery on the NHS in the UK. I am very lucky. I am not surprised that a lot of people are going for this revision surgery though as it seems to be a common story hearing peple complain of slippage, reflux, erosion etc. Will be glad to have my band out once and for all...

I have my revision from band to sleeve scheduled on June 23rd (Next Thursday). I have had the band for 5 years and during that 5 years I threw up almost every meal. If I ate to much I would get a horrible pain in my side or in port area. I went a few weeks back for an Upper GI X-Ray to check on the band and found out that it has partially slipped. It can slip completely at any given moment and then I would have to have an emergency surgery. I cannot wait until next week to have this band out and be DONE with it. I have lived 5 years of misery, not be able to eat healthy, throwing up meals, and just feeling like crap. I so wish that the sleeve would have been an option at the time that I got my band so I could have saved myself another surgery down the road. Ask your doctor to do an upper GI on you to check the placement of your band. I really do wish you all the best and I am sure you will make the best decision for yourself. Feel free to message me after next Thursday if you'd like and I'd be more than happy to share my experience with you. I am bringing a laptop to the hospital with me to pass time. Good luck

The band causes nothing but problems. That's why there are so many band to sleeve revisions and it has it own section! you are not alone. Do whatever you have to and get that band out before it damages your esophagus and stomach.

Not a nurse, just a regular "Joe" here, lol. I originally had the band, and had it done in the US. My insurance didn't cover it, but I had received a small inheritance that just covered the cost of the surgery. When my band started giving me problems, I knew I had to have it out and revise to the sleeve. I had spent a great deal of time on the forums, doing research and felt very comfortable in my decision to go to Mexico. Price wise, it just made sense. And, when doing my research, I actually found most of the surgeons were just as well trained and experienced, if not more so, than many of the US ones. As far as the risks, everyone has to be realistic about this, it doesn't matter what type of surgery you are having, there are going to be risks. This isn't minor surgery we are talking about. What is important is that you do your research, talk to actual patients of the surgeons you are considering and weigh the risks against the benefits. For me, I knew there were risks for complications, but, statistically speaking, they are rare. I was borderline diabetic, my weight was causing additional stress to my back problems to where just walking was becoming difficult, and there was a strong history of heart disease in my family. My chances of death to complications from obesity far outweighed the risks of surgery. To me, it was a no-brainer, I needed the surgery. In terms of when a doctor loses a patient, well, here are my thoughts. It saddens me when that happens, it is awful for the family, and everyone involved. However, I think if you honestly look at it realistically, there aren't many surgeons who have been in the business for any period of time that haven't lost a patient. And, no, I am not just referring to weight loss surgeons, I mean surgeons in general. It is a fact of life, complications happen, deaths happen. We don't like to talk about it, but they do. When a surgeon loses a patient during heart surgery, gall bladder removal, cancer surgery or any other type of surgery, people don't freak out about it like they do with weight loss surgery. They don't all converge on a forum and discuss it, etc. They don't demand to know all the details, etc. To me, it is like they are oblivious to the fact that the same complications and risk that can occur with general surgery also exist with weight loss surgery, and are shocked when they discover they do. I am not saying we should ignore it when a weight loss surgeon loses a patient, or turn our heads the other way. I am just saying we need to go into this with our eyes wide open and understand the real risks involved. Do your research. Don't accept everything you read on a forum as fact, because let's face it, we all know one piece of misinformation can be put out there, then everyone else runs with it in a panic and the next thing you know, things are blown way out of proportion and nobody really knows the truth or who to believe. Call the surgeon directly. Speak with his patients who have already had surgery with him/her. Ask for their complication rates. Google them. Then, make your choice based on your own research, knowing you have learned everything you can, you have weighed the risks against the benefits and are confident you have made the best choice for you.

Revision

Good luck! I hope everything goes through your insurance without a glitch. I just had my revision on 4/17 from lap band to RNY luckily without any real glitches. Your on your way now... Yay!