Daddyof4

Hi all. I am almost a year out from band to bypass revision. I set my goal weight before getting banded in 2012 at 185 because I wanted to say I’d lost 100 lb from my surgery weight. I hit that goal but am not satisfied at how I look so I have a new goal of 175. I think the numbers mcipanda quoted at the beginning are unrealistic numbers in the first place. Better to be flexible about the goal and when it feels right then you’re there, imo. Congrats to all of you on ryes chat to have made the decision to improve your health!

Hi Dan, congratulations! I had lapband to bypass revision and similar lack of pain and complications; I wish the same for you!

I have BCBS Federal and they covered my band to bypass revision in March 22. I had to go through the whole process again but it was worth it!

Hi Ljthatguy, Sorry you're having incision issues, I hope that clears up soon. I had my lapband removed in March 2022 with hiatal hernia repair as well. The gastric bypass feels totally different from the lapband, I have never felt any restriction in the same way. I never get stuck anymore it's more that my new tiny stomach gets full very quickly. That limits the amount I can eat. When I got to solids I was told to eat 2 oz (one large egg size) and, while that sounds like a very little amount it was enough. I was barely hungry the first month or so. I'm now eating more than my allotted 4 oz and my weight loss has stopped for that reason so it's not easy to stay on course and I need to get to the mindset of trying to eat as little as possible instead of seeing how much I can eat. Hang in there, I know you can do this!

Hi Bypass, I have been absent, sorry. I had my revision March 21, I can’t believe it’s been 6 months! I now know how eating with bypass is different from with the band. It feels more natural to me too. I started out following the guidelines to the letter but have since slacked off a bit. I meet with the nutritionist tomorrow and the physician assistant Wednesday; they will help me get back on track. My recovery was pretty easy, I was lucky. The surgery pain only lasted a week (except for sneezing!). have been able to eat any food I’ve tried and have only vomited when I failed to stop eating after getting my signal - hiccups. I’m down about 73 lb but still want to lose a little more. I’m trying to hit the gym 3 x a week but most weeks it’s only 2. I have a ton more energy and my blood pressure is under control. I hope you’ve had similar successes, thanks to my surgeon. Let me know how you are doing now. Take care.

Hi Willy, congrats on your decision to do a revision. On March 21 I had my band removed, my hiatal hernia repaired and revision to bypass. I had been having bad reflux too and had my band unfilled and promptly packed on 40 lb. I went with bypass because my surgeon said that reflux is common with the sleeve but less common with bypass. I’m down 58 lb since starting the liquid diet March 7 and feel great, no reflux at all. Not trying to talk you into anything but you might want to think about why you’re choosing sleeve instead of bypass. I wish you great success either way.

On Monday I had my lap band removed, my hiatal hernia repaired and gastric bypass done. One night in the hospital and back home at 7:45 the next evening. Not a ton of pain but managing with gabapentin and Tylenol with oxycodone available. Right after, I felt I had eaten 3 Thanksgiving dinners, that is slowly going away. I’ve stuck to water and decaf iced tea with one Muscle Milk shake. I’ll do more shakes but preferably not those horrid BA meal replacement shakes. Staff at Fair Oaks Hospital were the most awesome group of people I’ve been with and I’m very grateful for them and my doctors. Now I need to learn how to properly feed my new postage-stamp-sized stomach. Thanks for reading!

Update on the cost of my surgery, maybe TMI but I think details might be helpful. I have Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield. Hospital - insurance paid $28,326, my copay is $350 Anesthesiologist - insurance paid $2,435, my copay is $365 Surgeon - insurance paid $3,055, my copay is $458 Assistant surgeon - insurance paid $610, my copay is $91 Total out of pocket - $1,264 This doesn't reflect doctor visits to get approval, post surgery vitamins and other relevant items I may have forgotten.

Yaayy!!! Congratulations Juniper. I had the same surgery March 21 but not $0 out of pocket. Hospital bill paid by insurance except for $350 copay, another $350 or so for the anesthesiologist and another about $300 for doctor. Still, not too bad. I'm down 50 lb since starting the liquid diet on March 7. I hope yours goes even better than mine did!

I had my band removed and revision to bypass in the same surgery. I did have to do the whole program, get cardiac clearance, etc. and did the liquid diet for two weeks to shrink my liver. One night in the hospital and then home with pain meds. I don’t get why your doctors won’t do both at once but I guess everyone is different including doctors.

Hi Reese, I was in about the same situation but I revised from lapband to bypass. I got my band in 2012 and started having significant reflux last summer. I had my band unfilled which helped the reflux but I packed on 40 pounds. I went to my bariatric surgeon and talked about revision to bypass; they said I had to go through the whole program again, which I did. I had the band removed and the bypass done March 21. Reflux is one of the signatures of the band as well as the sleeve, I'm told. I wish I had known that in 2012 - I would have done the bypass then instead. Luckily, the worst part so far has been the pre-op liquid diet. That's just something you have to get through; after the surgery you're on clear liquids but it's easier because your new stomach is so small. My advice is to keep your eye on the goal and work through the tough parts. Good luck, I'm sure it will go well!

Hi Juniper, I was in about the same situation. I got my band in 2012 and started having significant reflux last summer. I had my band unfilled which helped the reflux but I packed on 40 pounds. I went to Inova Bariatrics and talked about revision to bypass; they said I had to go through the whole program again, which I did. I did not have the supervised diet part and I continued to gain weight until I went on the 2-week liquid diet just before surgery. I had the band removed and the bypass done March 21. I have Federal Blue Cross and they approved as soon as I met the requirements, including cardiac clearance, primary care physician clearance, etc. I don't quite get where your diet supervisor is coming from; I had comorbidities in addition to the high BMI - reflux was one of them (high bp was the other). I think your doctor is right that the reflux should be enough because reflux is one of the signatures of the band. I wish I had known that in 2012 - I would have done the bypass then instead. If you stay with that practice you might be stuck (pardon the lapband pun) doing as the diet supervisor commands. Different practices have different rules. I like my practice very much but they're in Fair Oaks and Woodbridge, likely a huge trip for you. Remember, even though the pre-op diet is very difficult the reward will be worth it. You can do this!

Falls Church, VA (DC area)

Just wanted to post an update. I am healing well, most of the glue is off but still have some scabs but those won't last much longer. Any bloating seems to be gone so that tummy is now all me. No lifting more than 10 lb for a few weeks yet but I'm anxious to get back to the gym - I feel my muscles are in a really weak state. I started the mushies today and am having a scrambled egg for breakfast. Two ounces is less than a whole egg! I assume it will fill me up though. So far so good. Down 32 pounds since March 7.

Hi Holly, Unfortunaely, I have no idea what the cost was because I have not seen a bill yet, nor any statement from my insurance company (Blue Cross Federal Employee Plan). I have no doubt that one longer surgery would cost less than two separate ones. In my case they discovered that there were adhesions between the band and liver and there was some scarring of the esophagus. If they weren't doing the bypass right after I'd have had to live with reflux, pain, etc. due to that not being fixed. I suggest you find a better doctor who will take care of everything at one go (NOT medical advice!!). I can post the costs once I know them.

Have you gotten stuck like what happens with the lap band?

Juniper, I’m in the exact same place. I had severe reflux and had all the fluid taken out of my band. I quickly gained 20 lb over the 40 I had gained back over the last 2 years or so. I am approved for revision to bypass and am hoping to have it near the end of Feb. I had the exact same question . I would get stuck with the band and could either tough it out or eject the stuck item. I often chose eject and am wondering if you can do the same after bypass.

I got my lapband in 2012 and got down to 206 from a high of 293. When I complained about my horrendous reflux the doctor took the fluid out of the band. The reflux eased up but I put on 50 pounds very quickly. I am in the process of qualifying for revision surgery. Federal BCBS requires the whole program again to qualify for the revision to bypass. In my case the revision is totally considered bariatric surgery.

I got my lapband in 2012 and got down to 206 from a high of 293. When I complained about my horrendous reflux the doctor took the fluid out of the band. The reflux eased up but I put on 50 pounds very quickly. I am in the process of qualifying for revision surgery. Federal BCBS requires the whole program again to qualify for the revision to bypass. In my case the revision is totally considered bariatric surgery.

Hi everyone, I had my lap band installed on May 21, 2012. Starting weight was 293, was 285 the day of surgery, got down to around 240, stayed there a while, then started phentermine which helped me lose more. For a single day in August of 2019 I crossed from obese to overweight and am now back up to 235. Recently, whatever I ate got stuck and had to be “ejected” after which I could resume eating. Along with this came an increase in reflux, to the point of having stomach acid in my mouth a few times. Saw the NP, she suggested unfilling the band, getting an upper GI and seeing where to go after that. I am reluctant to refill the band because I fear the reflux will return. I want to get a revision to sleeve or bypass; thinking bypass would have less chance of reflux returning. I wish I’d gotten bypass in the first place but thought the band was safer. I’d be grateful for any advice anyone cares to offer. Thanks!

Hi Julie and you others, I got my band in May 2012. It worked fine, got down from 285 the day of surgery to 240, then stalled. A few years later tried phentermine, which helped me lose more, for one day in August 2019 I crossed from obese to overweight! Currently back up to 235, having lots of reflux. Just had a total unfill and orders to get an upper GI. I want revision to bypass but we’ll see. I miss the “old gang”, B52, gowalking, jfc193, jim1967, carolinagirl, and 2muchfun.

Congratulations!! Phenomenal accomplishment.

Rwax1027@gmail.com

Time flies! I intended to do regular updates but of course didn’t. I am now at 207, down from 240 in February. Still on the Phentermine and trying to do low carb but not too great on that front. I still seem to be losing and am within shouting distance of a BMI under 30 - my magic level of being classed as overweight instead of obese. Swimming every morning now that the pool is open and am determined to find some other exercise that I can do when the pool is closed. I’ll try to post again soon.

Hi everyone, I see that a lot of the “old-timers” are no longer here and I’ve been MIA for a while. I am coming up on 7 years (surgery date May 21, 2012). I lost around 50 lb once we found the right fill and have kept most of it off but have crept up a few pounds. As of Feb 27 I am on Phentermine and low carb and have lost 14 lb so far. Still 40 lb from my goal of 185 but that’s less than 54! I’ve seen lots of posts from folks whose bands have failed or given them problems; mine has not given me grief at all. like to hear how you other vets are you doing and if you’ve heard from others?