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This was also my first Thanksgiving with the band. I think that I got caught up in the "pile your plate" syndrom the others had. Even though I only took small bits of what was there, and still only had half a full plate, I ate less than half of what was on my plate. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Then again, being less than 48hrs post op (for a port revision) and on pain meds might have made a difference.,. )

Hi, I've been through a band to sleeve conversion after an initial band and then a revision. My band removal and sleeve surgery were done 8 weeks apart. I had my sleeve surgery 6 weeks ago. The surgery went really well even though I had to have an unexpected second hiatal hernia repair. Apparently the surgery took longer than expected. I didn't have much in the way of gas pains. My pain meds worked well and I went home day 2. The recovery was more painful than I'd anticipated so I stayed on narcotics over 2 weeks. I'd heard sleeve surgery is easier than a gallbladder removal. I'd say it was the same as my gallbladder removal. More painful than band surgery, but I'm 18 years older now so that may have something to do with it. It was really hard to bend over for a while and then voila about 2 1/2 weeks in it got a lot better. sleeping was tough bc I'm a side sleeper and I had to sleep on my back for a while. I took four weeks off from work and I'm so glad I did because I needed the time to get my energy back. Now I'm feeling great and am SO happy to have made this change. It's such a different experience physically and emotionally. Good luck to you! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my sleeve ( actually a revision from a band) three days ago. I feel fine but am scared that I may have made a huge mistake. I have battled obesity my entire life. I had fair results with the band, but if I wasn't getting stuck, it wasn;t working. I don't know if I am scared that this will work or scared that it won't.

I have had unusually bad problems with GERD post-surgery. Please note that I'm still happy that I did the sleeve, however. I was always a GERD patient, but 2x Prilosec a day would take care of it for me. However post-sleeve the acid become intolerable, and I was vomiting stomach acid repeatedly 3-4 days after coming home. I can't say this has totally resolved for me, but it's calmed down to a level that for now is manageable, particularly when I got past the liquid phase of the diet and could get some food in my stomach to absorb the acid. Since getting sleeved my GP has informed me that stomach acid is the single most common reason for people getting the sleeve revised. Things that helped: * When I got to full liquids, I added low-sodium V8 to my liquids list. For some reason this helped to quiet down my stomach a bit, which led to my belief that I might have been suffering from low acid instead of high. I'm still puzzled about this; if you do some Google searching you will find that they have quite similar symptoms. Part of me thinks the increased acidity of the V8 just helped activate the Prilosec. * An old household remedy - a shot of apple cider vinegar right before bed, followed by a teaspoon of honey to soothe the flavor a bit. Please note there is, so far as I know, absolutely no scientific evidence that this does anything at all. But I started doing it the day I started feeling better, and superstition or not, I feel not desire to wake up choking again, so I keep doing it. * Once I got to mushies, eat every 2 hours. This means my calorie intake is higher than most peoples' around here (I get about 1500 calories a day), but given my weight this actually still allows for great weight loss - in 4 weeks I have lost 41 lbs. Eating small amounts regularly - which is not what's recommended by many nutritionists - has helped keep my stomach calm. My doctor promises that, as the inflammation goes down and time passes, my stomach will reduce its production of acid and this will get better. I remain hopeful. But as I said at the outset, even with the acid, I'm glad I did this. Don't disregard it as a factor though - it's a real issue that impacts many sleevers and could cause you to need a revision, so it's something you should discuss with your doctors.

Hello! I am currently choosing between the band and the sleeve. My main concern with the band is with the long-term effects of having an implant. I have heard that about 50% of people have their bands either removed or revised after the 5 year mark. Is there anyone who knows any more about this or who has had their band for a long time? I will be asking the surgeon about this of course, but in the meantime I would love to hear from you Thanks!

I had my first fill 3 days ago (after a port revision surgery) and only have 3cc in a 10cc band. I am having a really hard time putting anything down (even water!). I am super thirsty and hungry but feel a tight pain in my chest like something is always getting stuck. is this normal, will it eventually give in? is it that maybe im still recovering? please advise.. should i go and get a cc taket out? i want to eat!

You're not dumb...I asked myself and my surgeon that after mine flipped. When he got in there to correct it he said one of the stitches had come undone, the other was still attached (he puts two stitches in?!)...anyway, he told me he put 4-5 in on my revision. I don't know if he just didn't stitch it right or what went wrong - he couldn't tell me. I'm just glad it is fixed!

Well in hind sight (and it has taken me 6 years and a lot of problems and tons of weight regain to come to this conclusion) I wish I had had the option (which I didn't) to have RNY as I think it would have been better for me. Don't get me wrong, the band during the most part has been great, but it hasn't done what it said on the label for mke and believe me I have worked darned hard with it. I have almost died twice with associated problems (kinked tube and erosion) so I guess enough is enough. I wish all my fellow bandsters all the luck and success in the world....it does work....I lost 168lbs initially but have put over 70 back on and very quickly. I will hopefully be revised to a gastric bypass in the next couple of weeks or months so will begin my journey again all being well.

I just got approved from BC for a revision from sleeve to Rny

I'm looking forward to joining you on the loosing side too! I am 53, also have hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's and had a full hysterectomy in December of 2014. I'm revising from LapBand to VSG-just waiting on insurance approval/surgery date. I'm hoping that VSG will finally give me the opportunity to get to a healthy weight. I was down to 200 and stayed there for almost three years with the LapBand, but since I started experiencing swallowing issues, my weight has increased back to 235. I'm okay with losing slower, I just want to lose. I have an entire wardrobe of smaller sizes that I can't wear anymore and I really liked the way I felt and could move, etc. You know, they say 50 is the new 30:)

I have had this since my revision surgery. Never happened before. Drives me crazy. I certainly am not stuck as I am on mushies and very limited amounts of food. I wonder that that is about...

Hi all, I wanted to say "HI" and tell a little about me. I have to admit I'm a little nervous so please bear with me I had the lap band placed August 2002 by Dr. Phillip Schauer at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (he has since moved on but I still follow with the practice). It did very well for me up until about 2-3 years ago ( I went from pre-op wt 263/ surg wt 240/ lowest wt 173. I felt the best ever at that weight. I started to learn how to eat around the band and slowly began putting the weight back on. Then about a year ago I got pretty sick (vomiting) which required hospitalization. I was afraid that my band had slipped. But the medical team didn't seem too concerned. I had a CT done at that time but somehow it got "lost" and I was lost to follow up. Well, I went back for a fill in Feb 2011 and they did an upper GI (Yuk!). This showed that my band slipped and was no longer functioning properly. I could have told them that when I gained all of the weight back! Anyway, My new surgeon, Dr. George Eid from the same practice, said that I would need to choose which of three surgeries I would need done. Either band revision, bypass, or something relatively new they have been doing called Sleeve gastrectomy. He said that I would be a good candidate for sleeve but that they haven't had much luck with insurance approval with my type of insurance (cash is not an option at this time), but that they would submit and push for the sleeve. So, I went home to think and do much research. I didn't want a lap revision since I've about had it with fills, etc. Bypass seemed too extreme for me. The more I researched, I found I really wanted the sleeve. I wasn't sure what I would choose once I got the call from the Dr wanting my decision fully expecting the sleeve to be denied. To my surprise, THE SLEEVE WAS APPROVED!! So they will do a lap removal to sleeve revision. Wow! I wasn't expecting that and had mixed feelings. I want to have weight loss surgery very much (i'm tired of being fat) but am TERRIFIED of anesthesia. I keep telling myself that I did it once, I can do it again. Also, I don't have much of a support system since I am divorced since my band. I have a wonderful >18 yr old son who is very supportive but hate the thought of him having to care for me even for just a week. The docs called me end of March with the good news stating they could do the surgery April 14th! Everything seemed to be happening so fast. I wasn't ready so soon. My son would not be done with college until first week of May, so I had to schedule for when he was home to take care of me and to make arrangements with work for 4 weeks off. My surgery date is May 12th. I have mixed feelings and don't know why. I am excited to start my life over again with my new weight loss journey but at the same time have a healthy respect for what's to come. I feel I have very experienced surgeon who is ranked among the highest in the nation. So my fears don't rest in that department. I still have to have my pre-op testing (labs, EKG, endoscopy, PCP, xray, Gyne). I hope all goes well so I don't have to postpone. I'm sure I'm not alone with my feelings but would sure appreciate any encouragment and/or advice. Thanks for being patient with me

I actually requested the low profile and initially my dr said they use then for revisions w/tummy tucks. After we discussed it further, we decided the low profile was a good option. My nurse actually said it was a great idea because I was so small-HA! small! It does seem like they prefer the regular port cuz it is quicker for them to access. They will actually have to feel around for mine. If I can possibly-I want to avoid a tummy tuck.

Mine is on my right side. I was banded 12/22/11, and when I went in for my first fill at the beginning of Feb, my port had flipped. So the doctor had to go back in and revise it. Now it is much closer to the surface and I can easily feel it, whereas before, I could not feel it at all.

Congrats all! I had my revision on May 7th and I like y'all had the feelings. I am 37 lbs down and 19 away from goal. I did have to have my intestine dilated because it was to small and I was having hard tine getting food thru with solids. After having the scope done to fix, I have had no problems. If i didn't sound bad saying it, I would tell all the pre bandsters not to do the band.

Hi, I had to do a milk and yogurt diet for 10 days prior to my band op and again for my revision. I found that the best way for me to cope with it was to have a complete blow-out the night before of my favourite takeaway and then I was sorted and my head was in the right place to get on with the pre-op! I had milk for Breakfast, milk for lunch and milk for tea. I didn't have much yogurt as I can't stand the taste or consistency but I did have the odd oxo cube to satisfy my cravings for savoury. I heated the milk up, whisked it like mad and had it with coffee as a Cappuccino, I drank whenever I felt hungry or had a craving, I let my family prepare their own meals and went upstairs whilst they ate and did everything I could to keep occupied and not thinking about food. I was also mindful of the fact that my liver needed to shrink for the op and that my surgeon would know if I hadn't stuck to the diet and would possibly cancel as a result. I kept this in mind all the time that by doing this it would make the op easier and safer to perform. It's not easy but just keep thinking about why you want this op and that you are going to succeed. You can have a moan on here anytime you want and we will all support you! Good luck!

You know, I'm a band to sleeve revision. I think that the time I spent coping with the band prepared me for the sleeve. Who knew that the awful band experience I had would actually be a benefit! But I do think it has made a difference for me adapting to the sleeve. Btw, if I am eating with others who are eating fast, I too fall into the old habits. It seems like the less I eat, the more my husband eats and the faster he eats. Odd, huh? :confused:

I have been denied coverage from BCBS insurance company for requesting lapband to bypass revision. Because they can find nothing wrong with my band, they won’t do the surgery. Even though the band is okay, I’m not. It has caused esophageal dilation and dysmotility. I lost weight with the band but I was vomiting a lot at night. Id wake up from a dead sleep vomiting out of my nose and mouth at least three nights a week. Very scary due to possibly getting that into my lungs. Has anyone else filed an appeal that was accepted by insurance?

I had 2 C sections and my revision surgery was almost like not even having surgery. I was up walking immediately. The next day, I was walking all over the hospital,nd outside. Trying to get up after a C section was A LOT more painful.

I was banded October 1, 2008, flipped port happened soon after. I was ignored for months by my first surgeon about the flipped port and abdominal pain. After 6 months, I started looking at getting a revision to the sleeve. I found a surgeon who agreed it needed to come out, and was able to have the revision covered by insurance due to the tubing of the band actually tugging on my stomach and causing increasing pain. Plus, I had 2 fill attempts under fluoro that were unsuccessful due to the flipped port. I had my revision on June 3rd. On June 5th, a leak was found during my last leak test with gastrographin and the cat scan. The top portion of my stomach was damaged by the band, and had weakened the tissue. I was immediately sent to the OR for the leak repair. After the leak repair, my lungs would not recover. I landed in critical condition on a ventilator for 3 days, and spent about 4 days in ICU. Finally moved to a regular surgery floor, and was released on June 12th with a pic line (kind of like a central line catheter) in my left arm, and went home on TPN for the next 10 days. The TPN was discontinued, and the line was pulled on the 24th of June. I started Clear liquids. I left with 2 JP drains in my abdomen, and while at home I had a home healthcare nurse come in every few days to change my pic line dressing. I had a follow up on July 9th where a UTI was detected. Levaquin antibiotics, and I went home. I had family over during that week. They left on Saturday July 11th. On the 13th, I was taken to the hospital again because of severe abdominal pain, cramps, and I knew I was dehydrated. They did a leak test again, and there were 3 Fluid pockets/abscesses found, no leak. 2 in my abdominal cavity, 1 in my pelvic cavity. Unfortunately, I was admitted for treatment. I had to go to a interventional radiologist so they could place a different type of drain in my abdomen. Unfortunately, they could not reach the one in my pelvic cavity. In hopes the antibiotics would resolve them, I was hospitalized for 1 week then released. I went home on 2 antibiotics, 2 anti-nausea meds, and pain meds. I had follow up appointments a couple of weeks later with more ct scans, and the drains were eventually removed. I have been off all anti-nausea meds for about a month, and have had no further set backs in my recovery. The most challenging aspect for me has been eating and getting in my Protein. But, every day has gotten a bit easier. I am now able to eat 3 small meals a day, and protein is still my arch nemesis, but it's getting better. Even with everything that I endured with this surgery, I have zero regrets. I know that the band would of continued to damage my stomach. Every day brings a new challenge, but I know that I made the very best decision to have the band removed.

It's just if/when the meds fail (which I think they are starting to) the next step is having brain surgery. The brain surgery is way worse than stomach surgery. There's lots of revisions and needing lots of more surgeries... I could potentially have wls and still need brain surgery... But time will tell.

I was working out 6 days a week but I also was 2+ yr out of Lapband surgery and have lost 100 lbs. I had my revision to the sleeve on 5/23 after my band slipped. I know that's why I am so eager to get back to my routine because I feel better when I'm working out and sweating, also I have a feeling my pain levels were next to nothing because I'm numb from my belly button to my very upper thighs from my skin removal/abdominoplasty. You'll feel like working out when your body is ready - it helped me a ton with the loose skin!

I didn't get your email. I'll check my spam folder. I'd live to know how you are doing. Bacca? I used a surgeon out of Dallas for my band and revision. He did an excellent job on both.

I had the the band in 2007, had tons of complications and had it removed and got Sleeved in Dec of 2010. I did great, lost all my excess weight (110 pounds) then got pregnant, did great in the pregnancy but since having the baby 18 months ago I have gained back 50 pounds. Can't seem to get it off no matter what. Can't seem to stick to my diet. It's like before I was sleeved..no restriction whatsoever, plus bad acid reflux. So I saw my surgeon today to ask about getting resleeved and he let me know that resleeving is high risk for leakage and he recommends gastric bypass I am freaked out by that. I have to have a swallow upper GI xray coming up to look at my sleeve. Am I reading these posts right? Am I seeing that you DON"T lose weight as well with RNY after sleeve as with the original sleeve? I had always thought RNY was the most drastic WLS and the one you lost the fastest with. I am scared to do RNY, scared to have my intestines jumbled around...lol....and scared of the after effects. I lost hair terribly with the sleeve and with all my pregnancies and I am just now getting a normal amount of hair back. I am worried I will go bald with RNY, for real! Scared of the malabsorbtion, which is why I wanted Sleeve to begin with.... Any advice? Not sure I want to do this again...but I am feeling its the only way.

Huge difference between the sleeve and the band is that they cut out the part of the stomach that generates the homone ghrelin which stimulates hunger. Between the restriction of having only 15% of your stomach and not having that hormone, you will probably not feel much hunger. With the band, you still have your full stomach and full production of ghrelin, so it's no wonder that you were never really satisfied with food. I think it is a lot easier to make good choices for food when you are not hungry. You also will not be able to eat around your sleeve, unless you intentionally are choosing sliders like milkshakes etc. Again, when you are not feeling hungry, it's a lot easier to resist stuff like that. If you look at the success rates and percent of body fat loss between the band and the sleeve, you will see that you are much more likely to reach goal and in a much shorter period of time. My surgeon told me the band is more like hiring a personal trainer and was honest that he has seen a much higher success rate among his sleeve and bypass patients than his lap band patients. In my opinion, you should not judge the potential of your future success with the sleeve based on your past experience with the band since you are comparing apples to oranges with long and short term success rates. Good luck with your decision. I hope you get some answers from people who have been there. I think I saw a thread where someone posted a link of band to sleeve revision stories. I will see if I can find it and post it here.