I'm sorry if this is a bit all over the place. I am feeling pretty overwhelmed.

I had a sleeve done in 2015 along with a hiatal hernia repair. I initially lost over 100lbs (from 340 down to 211) but I was never able to lose beyond that. Over time, I've gained a lot of the weight back and am currently around 290.

The bigger issue is GERD. It has become more severe over the past 7 years- so bad, that I've developed an ulcer in my esophagus. It affects my daily life constantly.

My surgeon's office is recommending a revision surgery to help address the GERD, repair the hiatal hernia that is now back because of weight gain, and hopefully help me lose weight again to improve my overall health.

I'm really struggling with this decision.

Part of me feels like a failure for regaining weight after surgery, especially since I didn't have much support from family to begin with. I'm also scared of having another surgery. I don't want to die and leave my kids. At the same time, I know staying in my current condition isn't healthy either. The GERD alone is miserable and impacting my quality of life every day.

I also feel frustrated because I don't remember being fully aware of how much a sleeve could worsen GERD. I did have mild heartbrun before surgery, but I chose the sleeve because it seemed less invasive and better long-term (I was hoping to avoid completely altering my internal organs and wanted to avoid needing to take supplements for the rest of my life). Ironically, I've struggled with low iron anemia and vitamin deficincies and have needed infusions, so now I'm on supplements anyway.

I have about six weeks to decide what to do, and honestly, all I seem to find online are horror stories, which I know if often because people post more when things go wrong.

Another complication is that the surgeon who did my original surgery is no longer at my clinic. I had been working with a new surgeon there who I really liked, but my insurance won't cover him yet for revisions. I met with a different surgeon from their office, and while I am sure he is skilled, I just don't feel the same level of comfort or connection with him. I know that shouldn't matter as much as skill, but it does affect how I feel going into something this big. (For what it's worth the surgeon I do like, is also recommending a revision for my problems.)

I was also given the option to just repair the hernia, but was told that without weight loss, it will likely come back, whether that's in a year or 15.

I have tried looking on places like Reddit, but most people seem to only be posting who JUST had surgery and/or are still in the honeymoon period. I am now 10+ years out from mine.

I know no one can make this decision for me. I'm just hoping to hear from others who have been in a similar situation:
• If you had a revision for severe GERD what were your outcomes (good or bad)
• Did the revision help your GERD?
• If you had regained weight before revision, how did your weight loss go after?
• Is it true that weight loss is typically less after a revision, and does that depend on whether you had regained weight?

Any advice, experiences, or things you wish you had done differently would really mean a lot.

I have a close friend who started with sleeve and developed horrible gerd. She had a revision to bypass and did wonderful. She says it cured all her problems and helped her lose more weight. More often people will post about their bad experience then a great one.

Hello. It sounds like I wrote this post. I had the gastric sleeve surgery in 2011 and lost from 311 - 188, and I couldn't lose more. I now weigh 277 and my mild acid reflux has become severe. I had always been against the gastric bypass because it seemed so invasive. However, after meeting with my new surgeon and discussing a possible conversion to the gastric bypass + repairing the medium hiatal hernia that I have, I have decided that I'm going to go for it. I saw the surgeon initially this past October and I only agreed to have an upper GI at that point. It wasn't until January that I finally decided to go through with the conversion. I needed time to do more research and try to lose weight on my own and attempt to naturally heal my hiatal hernia. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful with both, so I saw my surgeon again and told him I wanted to go through with it. I'm on day 2 of the pre-op diet (it's a lot easier this time because I can eat solid food and not just liquids) and my surgery is April 15th. I will let you know how things go, if you want. Did your doctor recommend a conversion?

Hi, I just posted this on another weight loss forum, but it seems like it might help you.

This is my story. I hope it helps someone else who may be facing the original surgery or a revision. I'm a 54 year old female, 5 foot 1.5 inches tall and weigh 230 pounds. I had my RNY gastric bypass in August of 2004 in Los Angeles. In approximately 18 months, I lost 113 pounds. I had also moved back to my hometown in Florida to be with my fiance at the time. 4 months later, he packed up everything and moved to another state with another woman, leaving me stranded and homeless. Thanks to friends I was able to move to Memphis to live with family. By that time, I had regained nearly 50 pounds. I had also been put on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, which didn't help with my weight. Fast forward to now, 2026, and I still live in Memphis, am in a very stable, 10-year relationship and I'm ready for a revision. I'm having issues with food getting stuck, my blood pressure is up, and I'm prediabetic. (Diabetes 2 runs rampant in my family. My father and my uncle had it, my grandfather had it, and my great-grandmother died from complications due to it.) I believe a distalization will cause me to relose the weight I've gained and just a bit more, My goal weight is 125 pounds. This time I firmly believe will be successful because my living situation, my relationship status, and my mental health are all stable and have been for many years. There is a gym down the street that I'm planning to join with a friend of mine to maintain my weight loss and increase my overall strength/health. I've researched the advancements that have been made in revision surgery over the last 20+ years and I'm very much looking forward to my first visit with the bariatric surgeon here in Memphis. I've already begun some of the necessary pre-testing. I have an endoscopy & colonoscopy scheduled for next month. This is where I am currently. I would love to have someone to talk to who is going or has been through the bypass or revision surgery. Feel free to message me here.

I would love to chat with you. It sounds like we've had similar experiences. Not identical, but similar.