Search the Community

Doctor Scarborough was recommended to me by several coworkers and my doctor. I'm having a band to sleeve revision. Was approved by insurance and now waiting to schedule my surgery. Good luck!

I'm almost three weeks out from revision to sleeve from the LapBand. I've started feeling better the last few days but I get tired out pretty quick. I'm 53, which may be part of it. I had a ton on scarring, plus an undiagnosed band slip and prolapse. I also needed a hiatal hernia repair (even though it was fixed when the band was placed). I didn't have too much trouble with swallowing right from the start. I moved to puréed on Monday of this week and so far, so good. I can eat one egg scrambled with some cheese melted in, about 1/4 c. of refried Beans. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

In all fairness there reaches a point where one requires discipline in order for bypass to work. It's not a cure all/fix all. When they don't have the discipline required for bypass they get revision to banding.

Congrats on getting a date! Also, that is great that your daughter has done so well with her band. There are several great doctors in Mexico that are excellent at revisions. I also watched a show (Nightline I think) where doctors in the US are perfoming the sleeve at affordable prices. Good luck to both of you. (I am a December sleever, too). Hugs!

I too had the lap and in 2008. The first two years were wonderful and I got as low has 185. I too am 5'2" and a petite female, in other words I was far never big boned. In 2012 I finally admitted to having some serious issues with my band; reflux, heartburn, not eating until 4 in the afternoon because my band had to warm up. It was two years of hell for me. I finally went in and had an egd and found out I had intestinal metaplasia, caused from the reflux and heartburn caused from the band. I decided then and there to have it taken out. My surgeon advised me that revisions are more complicated but I was an excellent candidate. I was revised to RNY on June 12, 2013. I weighed 218 on the day of surgery. I hit my goal weight in the summer of 2014 and had a circumferential lower body lift at the beginning of November. I feel fantastic, am holding steady at 110 to 112 and now have the figure I felt I always should have had. I eat sensibly, exercise and take my Vitamins daily. I bought jeans last week at lucky brand and got size double zero. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be that tiny. I look normal and healthy and when I look at pictures of myself at my highest weight of 270 size 24 I can't believe it's me. Anyone starting this journey know it isn't easy but it can be done. I wasn't a fast loser but I worked the process every single day. Good luck!

I too had the lap and in 2008. The first two years were wonderful and I got as low has 185. I too am 5'2" and a petite female, in other words I was far never big boned. In 2012 I finally admitted to having some serious issues with my band; reflux, heartburn, not eating until 4 in the afternoon because my band had to warm up. It was two years of hell for me. I finally went in and had an egd and found out I had intestinal metaplasia, caused from the reflux and heartburn caused from the band. I decided then and there to have it taken out. My surgeon advised me that revisions are more complicated but I was an excellent candidate. I was revised to RNY on June 12, 2013. I weighed 218 on the day of surgery. I hit my goal weight in the summer of 2014 and had a circumferential lower body lift at the beginning of November. I feel fantastic, am holding steady at 110 to 112 and now have the figure I felt I always should have had. I eat sensibly, exercise and take my vitamins daily. I bought jeans last week at lucky brand and got size double zero. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be that tiny. I look normal and healthy and when I look at pictures of myself at my highest weight of 270 size 24 I can't believe it's me. Anyone starting this journey know it isn't easy but it can be done. I wasn't a fast loser but I worked the process every single day. Good luck!

i know people who've had revisions if they've lost too much. If you don't lose enough some have had their sleeves re-trimmed.

Good evening, Hi everybody, I'm newbie here, currently waiting for revision approval. I'm a Lap Band failure case - Had it in for 11 years (actually loved it - it was a great tool), and got to goal weight after 18 months. I kept it off without much issue, until it eroded into my stomach, and pretty much almost killed me. This was the third issue that I had with the band. Two port infections, lead to port revisions, and one MRSA infection. It was finally removed in 2015, and sadly, now I'm back up to where I was before my banding. I'm currently in my 5th month of 6 monitoring/counseling, for pre-op revision approval for bypass. Unfortunately, I've also since gained 6lbs. since I started that monitoring [during the holidays]. I know that I'm being a bit, "It's my last _______, and I want to enjoy it" . I've followed every class, every appointment, and every health test, but still have not heard back about my "March" surgery date for bypass. I have one more nutrition appointment as required by BCBS, and one more evening 'STRIVE' support counseling meeting that must be done for revision surgeries as per my doctor's office. I'm just panicked that I've been going through all of this, but have not heard anything regarding a yes or no at this point. I'm currently at a BMI of 39.4 with sleep apnea (on CPAP), severe heartburn, failed back fusion surgery, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and am in LOTS of pain - 100% disabled since 1995, so Medicare is my primary with BCBS of GA secondary. Has anybody gone through the six month pre surgery hoops only to get turned down? I'm just so worried that it's going to be a no go decision. I really appreciate that this page/group is here, and look forward to hearing from y'all! Thanks 🙂

Day I finally went to the emergency and they discovered that Lap Band I had put in my stomach on October 2010 has severely slipped. and I was way dehydrated since I couldn't drink more than a half a glass of Water a day before and couldn't get out the bed because of the weakness. It was also the day I reached my goal weight of 150lbs.... Now, completely unfilled waiting for my lap band to gastric sleeve revision. food... My roommate though something was not right when I came home with groceries one day. 6 IVs a day keep the dehydration away... It would be interesting to see nurses faces when they will be stapling 90% of my stomach off - I am so tiny now... but I love it. Now... The question part - should I just have it taken out or should I do revision to sleeve surgery at the same time since they can do it for free for me since it was a slip. Even though I am at my goal weight - they offered it. Well, I just feel like I am greedy. Surgery cost 27,000 and now even though it slipped, I finally reached my goal. But you know you never know - I am just afraid that some day I will be fat again and I will regret that I did not do sleeve when I had the chance. What would you recommend?

I was set up to have the DS on AUG 13th, but I may go for the RNY do to my doctor just had spinal surgery and he is saying that he will not be physically capable of performing the DS by my surgery date. I can push the date out and have the DS done, but all of my support from family flying in and papers have been set for my current date and they are very hard to change. My Surgery is Aug 13th. And I was excited til today. My Surgeon is basically putting it in my hands to choose. He says that the DS would be better for me. But because there may be complications do to the band not easy to remove that he may not be able to put the sleeve part of the DS and he would probably have to do the RNY anyway. I was mentally prepared for the DS, but now I’m conflicted. I really don’t want to push out my date again.

I'm so sorry! I have a similar story. I was unfilled for 3 years due to not being able to keep anything down. Most of that time I had crappy insurance and they would not revise me. I got up to 315 and then had bulging discs in my back so I had to lose weight or it was going to kill me. I managed to lose quite a bit on my own then got approved for the sleeve. I am down to 250! I am so happy and my quality of life is so much better. I have not thrown up at all post sleeve. If I never lose another pound the surgery would be worth getting that darn thing out. Of course though I am losing slow, I plan on losing a lot more and now I have an EFFECTIVE tool that helps me feel full on very little without vomiting everything I put in my mouth. Good luck and know that you are definitely not alone!

Hey there- I'm so sorry to hear you don't feel good right now. I had a revision from a brand to a sleeve (had sleeve for 6 years) and am doing great almost 6 weeks out. Other than the restriction and the small scars I never would have known I had surgery. I can promise you this does get much better!!! Remember you just had major surgery so go easy right now. The gas pains are the worst but the sooner you can get up and move around the better. Read some of the veteran posts here for inspiration and to see what you have to look forward to. This part is the worst but every day you will heal and every day you will feel a bit better. In a few weeks you will shake your head when you think of saying you regret this- because you won't. Follow your teams directions, take care and keep us posted. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Thank you for the inspiring post. Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

I had mine removed at 8 months post-sleeve. My surgeon only has about 1/4 of his patients have gb issues so he prefers to not remove them unless there are existing issues or a history of gb attacks. I had zero issues with mine pre-op, but my father, and most of the members of my family on his side have had theirs removed. I do have issues with certain foods now post gb removal. I have to watch my fat content now, not that I ate a lot of fat before, but I have to steer clear of full fat salad dressing, some nuts, and I couldn't eat avocados for a couple of months. My other issue now post gb removal is I can not tolerate any type of red marinara, spaghetti sauce. Too much ketchup, or salsa gives me major grief. I can eat a small amount, but if I go over by just a little, I will regret it. During my losing stage, I would have been screwed trying to adhere to my carb counts because low fat and fat free stuff is all loaded with sodium and sugar which increases the carb counts on most foods. So, I'm grateful that I didn't have it removed during my revision. I hate fat free stuff because of the sugar counts, and additional sodium that is added to help make the FF stuff taste better. I also refused the medication to prevent gallstones. Our livers work double time during rapid weight loss, and I was not willing to take another pill that my liver would have to filter due to my own personal medical history. I had gb symptoms for 2 months that I didn't recognize as gb issues. When it became so inflamed and full of stones, I could not eat or drink without pain in my abdomen. It was by far the most painful thing I've experienced post-sleeve. I hated it, and had instant relief when I woke up in recovery.

So tell me your story, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! I am trying to gauge how the revisionistas are doing long term after the actual change over. My revision is scheduled on September 17th, which is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. (A little Bandster history: Banded in 2007; Lost 127 Banded; Gained Back 107; issues started with hiatal hernia, etc., been struggling with fills ever since...always too tight or too loose.) I have never met or spoken with anyone who has the sleeve, so feel free to lend any advice and/or insight. Looking forward to hearing from you!

I smoked a pack a day for 20 years. I stopped when I went 911 in 2009. Before that I went to the ER every month due to lung problems, severe and ongoing bronchitis...etc. I switched to vaping shortly after my 911 episode. I've been a hardcore vaper now for over 6 years. In the 6 years I've vaped, I got the flu like only 4 times, never again to have bronchitis. For my band to sleeve revision surgery this year, I went through a serious of intensive testing. I passed with flying colors all my heart and lung tests, nuclear stress tests... etc. I was told that my chest x-ray was clear as if I never smoked, absolutely no scarring, no evidence of ever smoking. My blood and urine tests are all perfect. So congrats and glad you switched over. Vaping saves lives.

Hi All, I have the Sleeve about 16 months ago and had an overall good result, lost about 55% of my excess weight. I was pretty surprised though that I really never had much feeling of restriction after the surgery, never got sick, never felt overly stuffed, and my hunger only decreased moderately. I kinda felt like most of my weight loss was really attributable to the lifestyle changes I made associated with the surgery, although it definitely helped some. I recently was diagnosed with an inflammatory spine disease for which the only real treatment is aggressive weight loss and moderation of inflammation. I'm considering having a revision of the sleeve or conversion to a bypass and would really like to find someone great in the Los Angeles area. My previous surgeon was fine operatively but didn't really listen to me and I'd be hesitant to discuss my current situation in that setting as this feels like a really big decision given my recent diagnoses. I'm considering Dr. Feiz and Dr. Dorwaiswamy. Any other great people I should consider who are great surgeons but also willing to spend a minute listening to concerns?

I,too, have issues with meat. I don't think it is uncommon. Just like some others I find soup or sauces work better. Sometimes my body just doesn't want meat I guess. Shrimp too irritates my band. Long simmered meats. Stews. Soups pot roasts. We are all learning and I am revising even 7 years in. Good luck

Each person has their own "negatives". I personally had an extensive, exhausting and mentally/physically draining recovery because I was a revision patient with major complications. The negatives for me were: 1) Trying to sip enough early out seemed impossible 2) Taste buds changing 3) Developing a whey protein intolerance and mild lactose intolerance post-op 4) Lack of energy early out, but it was temporary Of course, the positives far outweigh the negatives especially since everything I experienced was over within a few weeks to couple of months, and I have a very normal, active, fun social life. There are plenty of us out here that "get WLS" there's others that don't. Unfortunately, the sleeve only does so much. I still have to be mindful of what I put in my mouth. I can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake if I wanted to so the point is making a permanent, and lifelong commitment to better food choices, and to honestly change your relationship with food. The sleeve makes this process much easier. Every WLS has failures even the heavily touted Platinum standard Duodenal Switch. I've read several stories of regain, or DS'ers not getting to goal, and their surgery is far more drastic than even RNY. I take 4 vitamins a day. That's it, nothing major, 2 multis, 2 calcium citrate. Make it a habit, it's really not that big of a deal. To address some of your concerns: 1. Death - huge I know. Ask your surgeon their mortality stats. If it's more than 1% get a new surgeon, and find out the details. 2. A Leak - also very risky. Same as above 3. My head hunger issues will be brought out huge. Start working on it now, get a new coping mechanism in place before surgery, therapy is a great tool especially if you can find someone that works with bariatric patients, along with support group meetings and using online support groups, find a buddy that has surgery around the same time to share ups and downs, get a mentor that you trust, and can talk you off the ledge when you're wanting to take a dive in the pool of caramely goodness of Girl Scout Samoa cookies. 4. My "food to cope" tool will be gone! Same as above 5. possible acid reflux... what's worse being fat or popping a Prilosec or Nexium to prevent reflux? 6. Gaining the weight back Establishing better habits, measuring portions, staying within your caloric intake guidelines is the best options to avoid gain. It's easy to gain weight, I won't lie, but for me, it's still super easy to lose it by following the rules. 7. not really losing anything that's pretty rare, I've read plenty of slow losers, but you have control of how you lose weight. Some do it differently than I did and that's okay, some do not want to give up carbs, I did because I knew I'd lose fast and hard. That's the path I chose, and I couldn't be happier with how I did it. Some have metabolic issues that slow weight loss down, and that has to be taken into consideration as well as activity level, and each individuals needs. One thing you have to remember is that the VSG is not some miracle that is going to cure it all. They operate on our stomachs, not our brains. So, getting ahead of the curve by establishing some good habits NOW will go a long way post-op. Eating slower, chewing your food more, sit your utensil down in between bites, do not drink with your meal, eat protein first, stretch your meal out to at least 20 minutes. Don't sit in front of the TV to eat, focus on what you are putting in your mouth/body and see how your body responds. Best wishes! ! !

I had a VBG in 98 .....I'm 2 weeks out of my revision to RNY ....... Yeah, that is a combo of not chewing and the food choices. It is 100% too soon for solids like that. You r still swollen inside. I did that "foaming and / vomiting" for 10 years! It was so bad I would opt not to eat for a week at a time. So, let your tummy heal. Be mindful of bites and I believe always take a test bite and wait, see how you feel, you'll usually know. Once this happens, I recommend a soft or liquid diet for a day minimum so it heals and your pouch is not inflamed. My two cents.

Congrats on keeping your band. ????And keeping weight off. It is not easy. There are some long term banders around these sites. Many have gone on to revision . I am closing in on 9 years and hope to have many more. It is a challenge to have the right restriction... Mine can change over time with no additional fills. I try to keep my fills low. But fight the weight game Hope you are well. I am much older, but same issues I would guess. Let me know

I found out today that tricare denied the revision request they say it would qualify for revision but the Dr that took the lap band out did not show medical necessity for removal. I have ask his office to review his notes and see if they can correct or add to my reason for removal because it was a necessity... bummed I still have hope a little

It's rough, there are two docs that I know of that are absolute horrors. Their infection rates, placing bands wrong, patients losing their bands... it's horrible. But any of their patients (and coordinators) will slam dunk anyone that points out the facts. I'm not much on believing individual stories (not referring to you, but a couple of newbie posters slamming doctors recently instead) but I do look at the whole picture. The stats that come directly from the doc's office. If they say their stats are X% and that is a high percentage, that is a concern. If a whole bunch of people are saying the same thing about the same doc, then I pay attention. We've had a couple of people come lately, newbie posters, one post each, absolutely trashing two different docs. Why should anyone believe it? You get some doc with a gazillion bands under his belt, fantastic stats, excellent history, what are we to do? As patients believe the one out of 4000 or the other 3999? I also look at the overall picture when it comes to aftercare, how much time does the surgeon stay in OR during surgery vs. having the asst. do the bulk of surgery, all kinds of issues have to be taken into consideration. My own doc had a patient who had bypass and less than 24 hours after surgery his wife decided to sneak in Mickey D's for him to eat. Well, he ripped out staples, got a leak, and an infection. The doc took him back to OR and fixed it. Didn't even charge the patient for the additional surgery or hospital days. Five days AFTER the leak his wife requested he do revision surgery on her. Failed bypass to band. She was running around posting on message boards what a horrible doc my doc is because her husband got an infection. Well, she didn't tell the rest of the story. She didn't tell anyone about Mickey D's, she didn't tell anyone that he reoperated and didn't charge the idiot a dime, she didn't tell anyone that she asked him to do her own revision AFTER her husband was reoperated on. So to hear her tell the story it sounds bad. I was in Mexicali that day and my friend and I met these people. Her husband told me the whole story and his wife was being so obnoxious that he was even apologizing for her behaviors and they hadn't even left the hospital. When these patients go telling their bits and pieces of the story the doc cannot possibly come and defend himself telling the rest of the story. So that's why I think it is important to look at the whole picture and not the individual stories people come up with. Some folks are amazingly good at not taking responsibility for their own actions. When people post these single posts trashing doctors and others go around copying and pasting them to other threads, it's obvious the intent of the people reposting this trash. Anyway... I got off on a tangent. My point is that you are right, you get some idiot doc and if you dare to tell the truth about them you are slam dunked. It's not stopping me though. I'll tell what I know about docs and if people don't like it, I don't care. They can continue creating fake IDs and chasing me around like little yappings dogs attached to my ankle. I'm doing what is right. Period.

I am a Lap Band to RNY revision. I never did great with my band (lost about 45 lbs or so) but then about 8 months out my band was ruptured during a fill. I was bounced around from doc to doc until I was finally told that because of my Diabetes and PCOS that the band would not even be an option for me anymore. So I'm having the broken device removed and the RNY done! I cant wait!! I wanted the RNY 4 years ago but went with Band bc my husband and mom was terrified and talked me out of it. I wish I had stuck to my guns. Research as much as possible, take into account any other metabolic or physical issues you have, then make the choice thats best for you and STICK TO IT! Don't let anyone talk you out of it! Best of luck!

Hi tonifrdabronx I had my surgery 2/17/12, we are close in dates ! I was diagnosed with a slip 6/11/14 and my doctor removed some of the Fluid as well. He mentioned that I may need to have a revision surgery (which cost $3000) if it doesn't correct itself. My doctor knew I was terrified then he said its not that bad and there's nothing to worry. I beg the differ, especially being that I was an out of pocket payer.I am praying that it reposition itself and I will not need another surgery. I don't want anymore fill, I'm willing to work on my own so I do not have to go through this again. For the last year I have receive a fill just to turn around and receive an unfill. I think I have had four fill throughout the two and half years and had probably had 5-7 unfills. I'm wishing everyone a Happy Friday and much success throughout your journey!

I'm paying $5500 for my revision with Dr. Garcia