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I started looking into the lapband a few years ago. I went to seminars and started reading. Last year I started reading the boards where lapbanders were talking about the problems they were having. I saw where many were going to get revisions to the sleeve. So I started researching it. I went to a support group that had people who had different kinds of wls. I read medical journal articles and studies, read all the boards for all the WLS and even joined a militant anti-weight loss surgery group on Yahoo to see if they could talk me out of it. Even after all that I decided the sleeve was the best choice for me. I love that it is permanent. There is no constant adjusting. There is no food I can't eat - only in limited quantities. After the initial healing period there is very little risk of a leak. I don't have to dread the day in a few years when the band will have to removed due to slipping, eroding or leaking. The band doesn't last forever. You will have to make a decision at some point in the future to have it removed (and risk regaining all the weight), having it replaced (with all the same risks) or going over to another kind of WLS. And removing it can cause damage. Just ask some of the people here that have experienced that. I had lost a lot of weight before but gained it all back and more. I know I needed something permanent. The bypass wasn't my choice because of malabsorption. I HATE taking Vitamins and barely manage what I have to take now, so I feel I would be in trouble with deficiencies if I went that way. Plus I've known some people that had bypasses and gained a lot of weight back. Good luck and good for you in trying to be well-informed.

I am so glad to have the revision surgery 6 weeks ago.I do not miss the sliming when i went to bed.I lost 80 Lbs at first with the sleeve but when i had the fluid taken out i gained 40 lbs.I felt like somebody was chocking me all the time.Due to the inflamation I wouldnt work out for the year around january I felt so bad I thought I was having heart failure.My diabetes got worse again.I havnt got sick with the sleeve.It is so much better than the band.There is some discomfort when I eat but not near as bad with the band.It feels good to be able to eat and not worry about excusing yourself to throw up.I was told the discomfort will go away in 2 more months.I was able to go back to work in 8 days only because i was alittle weak from the liquid diet.My job requires alot of concentration and i have been fine.I feel so much better.I whent in for my physical and my doctor was impressed he shared wih me when I saw him in january he didnt know if i would make it by the end of the year because my heart condition,Also with my condition I was able to go home the next day from surgery and heardly any discomfort.If anybody has any questions follow up with me.

Good morning from Anchorage Alaska! Congratulations on your surgery! You are on a life long journey for a healthier you. Bypass is a tool that I believe God has given us to use. What a blessing! I had Gastric Bypass 16 months ago on the 16th of this month. I have lost more weight than my surgeon told that I would and have had to revise my weight loss goal! He told me I would loose 75 pounds, I have lost 100 pounds and feel great! Well, with following orders and exercising, Protein and Water I have exceeded his prediction. When I went for my last doctor visit my blood work showed that my body was absorbing nutrients very well, so well that my doctor asked what kind of Vitamins I was taking and I told him the bariatric vitamins and some of my own that I had previously taken. He asked me not to take vitamins everyday for the next 6 months but only once per week. I was 61 when I had my bypass and am now 62 and glad that I did it. My family was afraid for me at first. But I did my research before the surgery and was able to put their mind at ease. I exercise and get in at least 60 grams of protein each day with sips of water every 10 to 15 minutes. I have had no physical or medical complications from the surgery. I now realize how much time and energy I have spent in the past relating to food. I no longer do that! That's freedom! I have cravings sometimes but I look at where I was and compare it to where I am and decide if I am really hungry or if I'm experiencing head hunger. Usually real hunger is for natural foods not carbs or sugary foods. When you follow the protocols for this surgery it works and you develop new habits that can carry you through the rest of your life. Scripture and Prayer has helped me. Scriptures like Galatians 5:1 and Philippians 4:13. I plan to live this way for the rest of my life. How about you? Again Congratulations to you. Love to hear from you! Vickiebc

Some insurance companies will not cover revision without medical necessity. The insurance companies believe if you've blown one surgery, you will not succeed with another. Some employers do not have weight loss surgery covered under their policies.

I'm not having a revision, I'm actually having my first surgery. I'm going to have the sleeve done. But my surgery date is March 31st. Maybe we could be sleeve buddies. Haha

Thanks Keith. I finally finished it off (and reposted the final version) today. It's now on it's way to the local BCBS. I actually expect that they will offer to remove the lap band but deny the revsion because I'm not >35BMI. Seriously, I think a lot of the insurance issues are related to weight discrimination. Pretty much any other diagnosis and and if the first treatment failed you'd have no problem getting a different treatment. Heck, if I had the symptoms I had without a lap band they would have been all over getting me in and covering whatever it takes to fix it. For the Fed BCBS stuff I posted on a few boards asking for others who were covered and got several public and private responses. I also did lots of googling on the variants of VSG and Fed Blue to find people who had been covered and the name of their doc. Then googled or looked up on Obesity Help a lot of the docs that were mentioned. Then called around to see what the various doctor and BCBS offices said. There were three states where the local BCBS administering for Fed Blue plan seems to have issues including Washington and California. In my state there are two BCBS offices that share administration of the plan and they disagree. The phone people are in the BCBS company that says it's covered but the pre-auth people are in the other company and say that it isn't. What's really frustrating is that there seems to be no Federal oversight of the plans that I could write or call to get this sorted out. I didn't include the doctor's names in the post because I didn't want to cause them any trouble in case they were using one of the old CPT codes for VSG (before it had an official code). And generally didn't want issues to come up in the states where VSG has no problem. If money wasn't a concern I'd probably already have gone to Dr. Aceves. But my hangup is what happens if I have a leak and need very costly emergency care. Who would pay for that. So if I can get some sort of coverage then I'll go with Dr. Cirangle in CA. There are a few local doctors here who do VSG but they just don't have the experience with revisions that Aceves, Cirangle and Hargroder have. I didn't really know as much about VSG and revisions when the pre-auth was submitted by the local doctor. It would be great if he could do it but they've only done about 100 VSGs and they want to do it in two surgeries six weeks apart. I just don't want that if it can all be done at once. And, heck, it's less than a used car if it comes down to self-pay for me. Well worth it. I loved my lap band while it worked. I think you should continue to fight on appeal. How good were your surgeon's notes? Will their office write a letter saying they had no choice? Much of the VSG info I used I got from Teresa who has a blog where she put her letter. I just added to it and wrote my own version. Also macmadame had posted a great list of studies and details that I referred to. Congratulations on your weight loss and improved health! It's amazing to feel like you're in control isn't it? I wish things could have stayed that way for me. I want to kick myself for not trying to get control before I regained so much weight. Britt

Same boat here but with a twist - I'm going solo to Mexico for my surgery. I was going to stay here and use the doctor who did my band years ago, but switched (and it actually wasn't all about the $). Anyway . . . . this doctor keeps his revision patients for an additional 4 nights locally with daily visits which is a bit of a relief as there's actually more care given! But, once I get home I'm totally solo. My house looks like I'm a hoarder with all the Protein drinks, Vitamin waters, etc. I've only got really one friend locally who will pop in if I need her. One of my friends out of state was with me for my band surgery and stayed with me for several days after (that was outpatient). I actually could have done that one solo as well, except for driving myself home of course. We almost could use our own forum --- Solo Surgeries or some other cutsie sounding group name.

I have gained and lost weight for the past 25 years. I tried it all: Diet pills, HCG, weight watchers, Nutrisystem, you name it I tried it. Last year I decided I wanted to check into the lapband after a friend had success with it. Went to a seminar in June 2012 and made my decision 2 weeks later. My insurance did not cover the surgery so I went through True Results. They had me checked for a hiatal hernia which was covered by insurance and I paid just for the lapband. I started my preop diet for 2 weeks and lost 6 lbs. I was banded with plication on August 13, 2012 weighing 199 lbs. At my 2 week preop visit I had only lost 7 lbs. I had my my first fill in October and a second fill in November before Thanksgiving. Not really any restriction from those two fills. Around the first of January 2013 I started having really bad stomach pains. I would throw up every time I ate dense Protein. Anytime I hate the pain was horrible. I called my surgeons office and the response I got was "if it hurts that bad go to the ER." Well that really pissed me off. I finally got in to see the surgeon who checked me through fluoroscope X-ray. Everything in place. Mind you I didn't get to talk to him in an exam room. There was about 8 people on the other side of the door who heard everything we were saying. He said my body was most likely rejecting the band. He said we could remove it and do the sleeve. And it could be done in one surgery. Then he asked if I was using insurance. When I stated I was going to try since I was having complications, he then states we needed to do it in 2 surgeries. That raised a HUGE red flag with me. When I went to check out his insurance coordinator whispered to me to get a second opinion! That was really worrisome. And the fact that I had only lost a total of 22lbs bothered me greatly. So I went to see my PCP and she recommended a surgeon who she had worked with for a long time. I called their office and explained my problem. They told me there was $900 assumption fee the surgeon charges. I was willing to pay it. At that time we did not set up any appointments. Imagine my surprise when I got a call early the next morning from their office. The surgeon wanted to see me and he was waiving the fee! I went in the following week on February 19th and was so glad I did. I absolutely loved the staff, nurses and surgeon. I had a long talk with him and explained all my problems. He was very sympathetic and made me feel at ease. After my talk with him I met with his nurse/scheduler and we scheduled my nutrition&education class, pre-op visits, surgery and post op visit. The nutrition&education class was 5 hours long and was very informative. Never had that with my lapband surgery. We got a binder full of information and samples of Vitamins, Protein drinks. I did a one week preop diet and had my revision on March 7th. The hospital and nurses were wonderful. The rooms looked more like hotel rooms with a hospital bed. Everything went well. I was up walking the halls that evening. I had my barium swallow the next morning and had no leaks. Got down my 8 oz of Fluid and was out of the hospital by 12:15. So here I am 12 days post op and wish I would have gotten the sleeve to begin with and asked my PCP's advice on surgeons. I have my 2 week follow up tomorrow. If anyone has any reservations about the sleeve, don't. I can't tell you how great it feels not to have stomach pains, not to throw up not to mention having a wonderful surgeon who cares about his patients. If you have reservations about your current surgeon and don't feel you are getting the care you need, seek out another one. Had I went with the first surgeon again I think I would have been very unhappy. He is in it for the money and nothing else. Something else my current surgeon said was that he doesn't do lapbands anymore unless that was all the patients insurance would pay for. And that he has seen so many removals due to complications in the past year. So if I would have saw him first I would have never had the lapband, would have had only 1 sugery and I would be at goal now. I am a self pay for the revision to sleeve and believe me it was worth every dollar.

lapnicky, Congratulations. I can't speak to the lap to sleeve revision but my experience has been positive with my sleeve. I will tell you the gas pain after surgery was probably the most difficult thing for me to deal with. I listened to the advice posted here. Sip, walk, sip, walk, sip, walk........................Before I could sip liquids, in my case, it was get up, pee, walk, pee, rest, get up, pee, walk, pee, rest...........................Then when I had my leak test and could sip it was sip, sip, sip, get up, pee, walk, pee, set back down or lay down, sip, sip, sip, rest, sip, sip, sip, get up, pee, walk, pee, set back down or lay down, sip, sip, sip, rest, get up, pee, walk, pee.................. Glad I did all that sipping, peeing and walking because once the gas pain was gone, with the pain meds I had-it wasn't that bad. I was very fortunate in that the surgeon I had allowed for a patient controlled pain system. I'd push the button and I was good to go ; ) My surgeon also gave me drugs to prevent nausea and I didn't have any. I think I was one of the lucky ones who didn't react to the anesthesia, drugs or strong pain meds they gave me. Everyone is different in their reactions to the trauma of the surgery, anesthesia, drugs, and pain meds. I hope you are one of the lucky ones too and have a smooth surgery and an easy recovery. Blessings, Kathleen

Hubby and I were sleeved Nov/Dec. 2013. Very minor pain (1 dose pain med at home after sleeving, no acid reflux, no heartburn, no spasms, no hunger pangs. Within a few days hardly felt as if we had surgery. We take Omeprazole only I think to prevent an ulcer. Biggest problem? Little burps that tell you when to stop eating LOL! Best wishes. We bypassed all WLS for 10 years til we could have the sleeve. The band stories really scare me. I know there are thousands of success stories, but even so many revisions..... Just so happy with the sleeve. Our only regret is that we did not have it before our health worsened.

Hey b-52, I haven't found the "perfect" balance since having a revision 2 years ago after a slip. Hope that you are good now!

Hello, I was banded in 2010 and only lost about 50 lbs. I began my journey 200 lbs overweight, which means that I still have over 100 lbs to lose. I wish my surgeon back then had told me that the band was not the right type of WLS for me, but I had my operation at NYU and the lapband is their gold cow (they make lots and lots of money just on band operations). I'm now looking to have a revision at Columbia University Medical Center (where I work) and I initially asked for a sleeve revision. MY surgeon told me that she would not recommend the sleeve for me and explained that although my band is still positioned correctly, my esophagus is enlarged (or en-longed?) and there is likely scar tissue; she mentioned that my risks of leaking are about 20% with the sleeve, as opposed to 2% to 5% for people who go for the sleeve without revision. She then explained to me that the gastric bypass is the best option and that she can leave the band in and work around it. She says that they will take all the liquids out and it will be like I don't have a band, but I won't suffer the consequences and potential risks that people who remove the band and do revisions suffer. She also mentioned that if in a few years my pouch becomes enlarged and I'm gaining weight, I can start using my band again. I'm really conflicted because I do want this damn (excuse my language) thing out!!! It has morphed the shape of my esophagus and the longer I keep it, the more scar tissues I'm creating (I'm assuming). Before coming to this forum, and based on my conversation with my surgeon, I figured it was the safest option, and standard practice, to have revision and leave the band in place. But now that I'm reading the topics here and can't find a single person here who had a revision without removing the band, I'm questioning what's going. I know my surgeon is one of the best in the city... so she knows what she is talking about, but I'm scared that at some point this lap band will have to come out of my body and I'm losing my chance to get it out with the revision. Anyone out here who kept the band and proceeded to do a revision to gastric bypass? Thank you.

Hi all, Wanted to drop an update on here. I've run in to some more complications post-op than I'd like. I'm that low percentage of patients who apparently have issues. When I actually had my operation, my stomach pouch leaked, so they did a revision on the spot, which basically just means they stapled more off. This resulted in an even smaller pouch than the standard RnY patient. It also meant some very deep stitches to keep everything from moving around. So, post-op, the stitches (which were sealed in place on the surface with staples) were the source of tremendous amounts of pain. I have a high pain tolerance, and hydrocodone wasn't even touching my pain. I ended up going back in, they ran some labs, gave me IV fluids, took the staples out, and told me to continue to lie low, it should heal on its own. After a few more days of my pain being at a 12 on a 10 scale, it did finally get better. Then, earlier this week, I started having an issue with the pureed food I was eating just sitting in my stomach. The only way I could move it was to throw it up. This was happening with food and liquid/water. So I went back in again, and after an upper GI, they determined my stomach was very, very slow to empty. Now I'm waiting for 2 weeks to have them go in with a scope and balloon open my connection from my pouch to my intestine. In the meantime, I'm back on a liquid diet. So, I guess my update isn't really that positive, but there it is. My weight continues to fall off. I'm down 36 pounds from surgery just over 4 weeks ago, and soooo close to being below 300 for the first time in I don't know how long. Those are positive. But I'd really like to be semi-normal now...

Best of luck! I am scheduled for May 1st for my revision. Let me know how it goes.

@@mattuti86 God bless!! I'm praying for your returned health. I hope they can revise you to the bypass rather than anything more drastic. I'm revising to the bypass from having the sleeve almost 4 years ago as well. Complications do occur that's true, but we have to stay strong so we can tell our stories of victory. Take care of yourself.

I have just scheduled revision from band to sleeve with dr Ponce. now this. I'm rethinking the entire thing.

Thank you so much! Good luck to you on the revision!

Yes insurance covered my revision

Thanks everyone - great responses and discussion. For me personally, I probably SHOULD be worried about the forced change of relationship with food, but I am actually looking forward to that part. I know it will be rough at first, but I want to eat like a normal woman, small quanties and and based on what I need to fuel my body and no more. I probably should be more concerned about the fact that being obese is slowing killing me (I have sleep apnea, early onset arthritis and borderline blood pressure. I have insulin resistance, and will likely become diabetic if I don't get the weight off and keep it off), but there is something about surgery that focuses your worries on a specific event...lol My conscious fears are really surgery and recovery related. I know that MOST people have no major problems, but I guess the thoughts that keep creeping in is what if I am one of the unlucky few that get a leak, a stricture or has a problem during surgery. I realize that my odds of dying on the table are very low,but it is still in the back of my mind. As a revision from the band, I probably have a higher risk of leaks and I know that can be a real recovery nightmare. You are right, I feel great about my surgeon's skills and support, but I know that even so, bad things can happen. I am trying to keep my mine focused on all the benefits of losing weight and becoming healthier. All the sleevers I have met are just so happy with their new life - I keep trying to focus my "eye on the prize" but I do sometimes get a little overwhelmed with the fears. I keep trying to visualize myself 6 months post surgery - alot of weight gone, feeling healthier etc and with NO long term complications.

Hello, I am in your same boat x2 I originally had band place in 2005. Then revised in 2014, however it failed me again. Converted to sleeve on 02/18/2019. Hope it goes well for both of us post lap banders.

I had a gastric sleeve in September 2014, four days later was taken to the ER and life flighted to Seattle 5 hours away. I had a leak in my stomach where when he removed part of my stomach and put it back together an area didn't staple all the way creating a leak in my stomach or a hole. I was very sick for over a year. It would not heal. After a year a surgeon said it's not healing on it's own so we can do open surgery where i remove most of your stomach to cut out the leak. It ended up being a by-pass surgery. Then after 6 months I fell sick again with fever, pain, etc and went to the ED. They found another leak in a different part of my intestines where I was sewn back together at some junction. It was a 10 percent chance of happening with a revision surgery. So, since then I have had many endoscopy's where they have attempted to go down stitch, cauterize, glue the hole to no avail. I have a chronic hole that leaks into the sterile part of my abdomen, I have been wearing a drain tube to collect the fluid the hole puts out of my abdomen for almost 3 years. Without being able to drain out the fluid I would become sick and possible septic again. It's been over three years of misery. I have been being treated at a large hospital in Seattle all this time. They cannot fix me. There has to be other people that have had these issues and has somehow been able to get it fixed. I am looking for specialists, ideas, anything. Thank you so much!!

@Simply_Divine sorry you are going through acid reflux bummer, painful!! my dr told me prior to surgery that the reflux is a common side effect from the VSG he told me if i was prone to it before, the sleeve might make it worse. Or you could just start having the reflux for the 1st time in your life, Luckily it never bothered me over these past 5+ years. I've read that many Peeps that suffer like you do, might have a revision surgery to gastric bypass. That should get rid of the problem ! hope you can take care of this problem sooner than later good luck kathy

Did any of you have any type of reflux issues preop? This worries me a bit. Only because I do not want RNY and would be upset if I were forced to revise to it after the sleeve

I have I had my sleeve done on April 8th it was a lapband to sleeve revision plus a hiatal hernia repair I woke with an NG tube it was awful but you won't have that. The hospital is nice very clean not as high tech as American hospitals I felt save and can tell you he does a lot of surgeries about 12 a day. It's goes pretty fast and before you know it, it's over and your new life begins. Just make sure you follow the preop diet or you'll be sick

Is it a private group? If so I would be interested. Had revision from band to sleeve on July 1st.