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I had my Lapband January, 2011 - it was nothing but problems the entire time. I had too much restriction the entire time and the weight gain. The last three, or so, years of that torture device, I was unable to eat and in doubled over pain most of the time. I also developed severe GERD. My gastro referred me to a different Bariatric doctor. Long story short - the Lapband caused multiple problems and I had to have an emergency revision to gastric bypass. Dr. Did not recommend the sleeve for me because a high percentage of patients that already have GERD, it makes it worse. Please see another doctor before your situation gets worse like mine did. I don’t think you will be sorry with a revision to sleeve or bypass. It was a wonderful decision for me - not constantly sick anymore!

Surgeon gave me choice and I picked separate surgeries. It was a good decision for me because it removed all doubt...I needed the sleeve! He said my band slipped but I think he was being kind to me. Surgeon who did the sleeve said it was more like I had massively dialated the pouch. Anyway, I saw photos of the stomach shape and scar tissue. They cut a bunch of scarring away with the band removal. Let me tell you my images looked nothing like the lapband brochure. Who knew. I have had life changing success since revision....but I was and remain uber committed.

I was banded Oct 1, 2008. The complications started the day of surgery when a nurse held my ankles and made me reach above my head, grab the bedrails and pull my butt into the hospital bed. I had a shredding pain spread across my abdomen. No big deal they said, hit the pain pump. The next morning I woke up to an enormous bruise that was about 7" wide by 10" long across my abdomen under my port site sutures. I was scared. . .But was reassured that nothing was wrong with me. Fast forward 10 days, suture removal, the bruising has now spread to my side and down even further my abdomen. The port site suture could not be removed because of swelling. The nurse dug around in one of my lap sites to remove sutures, and she couldn't get them out. YAY. 2 weeks later, I had cottage cheese consistency, old blood spewing from the lap site, it's now the size of a lima bean, and I see all the way to the pink layers of my abdomen, right through the fat. The infection is now tunnelling through my tummy. YAY YAY. They didn't seem too concerned, just keep it clean. Okay, off I go, 6 weeks later, the little hole is now getting smaller, it closes one day, but to my surprise there was something growing behind it. LOVELY. Prescription of Levaquin should resolve that. . . I quit having restriction around Thanksgiving with a total of 2.5cc in my "band", in the tubing really. Was told to just stick to the diet, and to remember I am ahead of the game with 25lbs gone. December rolls around, not restriction, can eat more than I should, trying to be good. Called office about not having restriction, am told that it may take 25+ fills to get restriction and I need to accept it. REALLY? I'll throw out this and it maybe TMI for some. But, our sex life suffered substantially because the port area was so sensitive, sex was sometimes impossible. . . Even though my husband is the most understanding, loving, and supportive husband in the universe, I hated feeling that we could not be intimate because I hurt so badly. Okay, now fast forward end of Jan. Lost 1 pound in 2 months, YAY. I have a lot pain in my port area especially about my monthly cycle. Told surgeon, he looks dumbfounded. Manipulates the port for 15-20 minutes, I get 1cc finally. Thought I had restriction, yeah, not really. February, port pain is becoming more and more noticeable. And when I say pain, I mean pain level 6-8 on a daily basis. I go in for a fill even though they don't want to give me one, and he can't get to the port after 20 minutes of gouging around in my abdomen. It's swelling, bruising... I ask about the bleeding, and they finally agree to test me for R5 factor, reaction to Heparin. I am NEGATIVE. I received 5cc of heparin over a 30 hour hospital stay. Okay, March 3rd, went in for a fill under fluoro, yep port is flipped, he digs on me for another 20 minutes, 5 different sticks, and can't get it under fluoro. I'm devastated. . . I ask him "why do I hurt everyday?" his reply " I honestly don't know ". . . Hmmmm this is not good. 6 days later, I show up for another attempt under fluoro even though they tell me it is to be done the next week. He agrees to try again, I get to radiology, and he says " have I accessed the port since repositioning it?" Ummm I was just here 6 days ago, and NO you haven't repositioned my port. He chuckled and said "oh dear, I've forgotten your chart." The fluoro table is at a 25degree angle, he manipulates the port and is able to give me 1cc, and tells me "see ya in 60 days". . . And off he went. I left feeling like I was just ridden hard and put up wet. It was horrific. . . I called a week later and spoke with his nurse who proceeded to tell me " you haven't been happy since the beginning" I argued and said " No I haven't been happy since I have been ignored, and brushed off, and having complications that are trivialized by you and your husband." I told her I wanted my chart, and it took me driving down there and waiting an hour and a half to get my measley chart. She proceeded to tell me " you should of had gastric bypass like I told you". LOVELY. I am not sure if I would of been successful with the band, but I know that I am so glad that I am getting the revision. The PB, sliming,getting stuck on crystal light was just too much for me to tolerate. I followed the rules, I worked my butt off for that 1lb loss between Thanksgiving and January 22nd. I truly feel like I was set up for failure by my surgeon, and I am so grateful to have the approval that I need to have the band removed and revision to the sleeve in June. I was one of those ecstatic band patients until I had problems. Couple that with lack of concern and aftercare from my surgeon, I don't regret my choice for the band initially, I am sad it took me this long to get the hell away from my original surgeon.

There are indeed some people that get a leak weeks after surgery, and sometimes there is no easy way to tell why this happens. People who have band to sleeve revisions seem to have issues - perhaps because of tissue erosion from the band that changes the density of the stomach tissue and it has to heal properly. Others no doubt overwhelm the sleeve by eating too much or having carbonated beverages that expand the stomach before it's properly healed. The stages of eating are there for a reason...it makes sense to go err on the side of caution and go easy.

Hi All, surgery went great, had some issues about 4 days out with rapid heart beat, sweating, feeling faint for several days. After a visit to the ER today and lot of tests, I was told that I was dehydrated. Even though I drink 64 oz a day I can't seem to drink enough. But that aside I am happy. One week out and I have lost 7.7 pounds. Nice!

Hello, I had the lap band in 2008 and lost 63 pounds. I began to have problems (I.e. vomiting, erosion of the band) and had it removed. Gained back all that I lost and more. In 2020 I had the sleeve and 7.5 months later I have lost 80 pounds and still going. When having a revision my Dr explained that you will lose slower. Let me know if you have any other questions.

@CammyC: I had my revision 26th February and I am convinced I am eating way more calories than you. I still don't feel that good, walks and grocery shopping are exhausting and I'm honestly not really expecting being able to jump around. We all should keep in mind that we had abdominal surgery and general anesthesia. It takes time, at least for most people. Tbh, I can't relate at all to the patients talking about "brimming with energy" shortly after surgery.

Who was a band to sleeve revision patient? I am having this done in 11 days and would appreciate it if you would share your experiences.

@ccjll: First of all, I'm so happy you were seen quickly and before damage had been done. And I'm thrilled to learn action was taken immediately to get you out of pain and back to normal. Your post is important and I agree should be read by all. I'm not sure what forum this is under but you might be doing everybody a favor by reposting it in Fills and Adjustments? Just a thought... I totally agree that fast weight drop is too high a price to pay for those who love to keep their bands tight. I just shake my head at the lapband blogs I read when the blogger describes loving being too tight to do anything but Protein shakes, or PBing with each meal but "hey, that's ok", or the daily vomiting. This all leads to (at the least) band failure/revision surgery or worse, damage to one's body. Glad you are babying your band and out of pain. What a relief, right?

Hi everyone I was finally able to figure out how to post on here. Well I will be having a lap band to gastric bypass revision on 12-12-12. Im really excited but nervous because this time I will be having a drainage bulb/tube left in and a catheter left in after surgery.. im not nervous about the actual procedure im very luck to have Dr. Higa from Fresno doing the revision and hes the best there is at what he does. Cant wait for my new life to start.

So let me start by saying this , I got the lap band to improve my quality of life. Because I have PCOS ( Poly Cystic ovarian syndrome ) and migraines I am at greater risk of things like stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure as it is. Being over weight adds to that. So I wanted the band to reduce that risk BEFORE anything bad happened to me. I am a mother of 2 boys who need me . After I first got the band things were great, I could eat what i wanted, just smaller portions and occasionally threw up after eating too much , or so I thought .. I even changed the way I ate, what i ate , i felt better so I ate better. I was , as you can ask my doctor , the model patient, i did everything I was suppose to (with the expectation of working out and that lesson has been learned trust me ) Eventually what I ate seemed to come back up more often , But after losing 125 pounds I thought I was doing ok. At a year out a slipped my band , that is where my stomach comes up through the band and can potentially be very serious. After it corrected it self I gained some weight ... It slipped again , more weight gain . I was then told my band had scar tissue build up around it and I could no longer get the fills I needed to lose the weight the opening to my stomach would be closed off it was filled again . That was around 2-3 yrs ago . As time has gone on I have slowly gotten worse. You see because of where the scar tissue is I still have " restriction" Meaning , I am still limited on what i eat , so things like steak, pork, chicken , solid Proteins wont go down . The food literally sits on top of my band until it gets either pushed through , which is very painful , or it comes back up . If I throw up too much, my stomach swells and eating any form of solid food is impossible for several days. So i have to go to liquids, milk shakes, Protein shakes , mash potatoes things like that. Those type of things are high in calorie and cause me to gain weight , but what other choices do i have ? broth, Water ? Yeah those fill you up ?? NOT ! So my day goes like this ... Breakfast: Protein shake cause eating in the morning is nearly impossible. That's if I can get it to go down if I cant and anything comes back up then its liquids for me the entire rest of the day Lunch: I try to eat something semi solid but I usually end up eating Soup Dinner: Some times a salad works but most evenings I throw up my dinner several times over and end up in pain from the swelling . By that time liquids hurt to go down ... NOW that leads me to my "other issues" Joint pain Fatigue body aches head aches My teeth are deteriorating because of how much I throw up Cold feet cold hands numb feet cysts on my feet numb hands You see they are finding out now that people who have had bands for several years are developing auto immune disorders like Fibromyalgia .. Problem ? Docs done believe it yet .. So no doc will help me out . With out insurance I cant get proper diagnoses . You can read more about that stuff here . I am now 20 or so pounds away from my original start weight before surgery . That's right I have gained nearly ALL My weight back . And at the rate I am going by next month or so I will exceed the 250 pounds i was before my surgery . I had my revision surgery on 11-14-2012 after surgery they told me the band removal went fine and they were able to repair a hiatal hernia , that was a surprise to them ( and me ) and sleeve me in one procedure. I was SO relieved to have had it done in once procedure. The day after surgery I started throwing up water and unable to keep it down . After a couple more tried they ordered an EGD for me . They told me if the scope went through easily then and showed no obstructions I should be fine and not need another surgery , but if it did not I could have excess scar tissue from the band and I could need another surgery . WHAT !! Yikes . So they did it and it showed no obstruction some swelling around the band area ( where the band was ) they told me to take liquids slow . For several days I was still throwing up just water, in fact it freaked me out because it looked like I was throwing up some blood as well. Finally around day 3 or so the water was staying down . So finally I was able to go home today . NOT an easy process that's for sure , but I am glad its over. The doc told me to progress my liquids slowly , as long as I was keeping liquids down I was fine , the minute i started if i did throwing up liquids I needed to come back . But to just take it slow . I have been home for about a week now and its still a back and forth issue with food. I encourage ANYONE reading this to NOT get the lap band, do not ever tell anyone abou the band and Hope some day it falls off the face of the earth !

Wow great job!!!! That is amazing!!! Stories like yours give me hope! I have had my band for 9 years and I have been dealing with horrible acid reflux for the past two and a half years, and now I have found I have a small slip and it may need a revision. I'm so terrified of surgery, I'm so afraid I won't wake up or I'll have a horror story ( I read the complication forum first ????) like a leak or I won't be able to stop losing weight etc. I am glad I read your post! It has eased my mind a little in case I do have to have my band revised to the sleeve

There are so many people who have had gastric bypass and gained their weight back. The gastric bypass stomach stretches out and the malabsorption of calories does not last forever. I know a lot of people who have gastric bypass who wish they could get the sleeve now. There are plenty of people who have gotten down to goal weight with the sleeve as a stand alone procedure but you could always revise to a DS like the above poster suggested.

Anyone have advice/experience with changing from band to sleeve after band complications and no longer working? Wondering if insurance covers band removal and sleeve procedure if the band slipped and no longer works after revision surgery to repair.

I am excited and nervous I complete my last part Of my insurance necessity's Today and then I just have to wait for a surgery date. I had my band placed back in October 2008 and have been having complications with it and weight gain since The end of 2011. I now have my two insurance to help cover all costs! Can someone please let me know if they had lots of nausea with the band and if you have more or less with the sleeve???? Tell me your stories about what the biggest differences please I crave information!!!!

If my dr was doing gastric sleeve at the time I had my initial wls I would have went that route. I had lap band 3/2006 and revision in 1 surgery 4/2014. I did not have reflux prior to revision but I do now. Gastric Sleeve is still way better choice in my opinion. I have been happy with my procedure. Weight loss has been slower. I just keep telling myself I will get to my goal. It may take time but I will do it.

I was banded in 2008 and got 24/7 acid reflux in 2011 after having my son. Only time no issue was when my band was empty. So got revision on 6/18 and a month out and no issues thank god. It's so nice to not have to deal with it.

Hi everyone, I've been a frequent lurker, but I have not interacted on the boards. I now find myself in a position that I'm unsure about and could use some feedback. I was banded in 2008. I haven't had any problems until semi recently. Two weeks ago all of the fluid was taken out of my band because I started having bad heartburn while I was sick with a summer cold. Oddly enough, this was just a little over a week after seeing my Lap Band doc and being advised to consider revision to either sleeve or gastric bypass due to not really seeing much in results. My surgery weight was 258. My lowest weight was 221. Current weight is 247. Anyway, since having all of the fluid removed, my body is all kinds of messed up. I can actually eat LESS than I could with the band. I eat, I get heartburn. I get too hungry, I get heartburn. I eat solid foods too close to bedtime, I get heartburn. I'm also experiencing lots of gas and some bloating almost every time I eat something, Yesterday, it happened with water. Now, I'm on Prilosec per my doctor. I have an EGD scheduled for Thursday of next week as well as a barium swallow the day after. They've already done an x-ray and they say that my band is in the correct position. So, I'll have some answers soon, but I want to know if anyone has any kind of experiences that might give some clue as to what's happening. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Like wannaBthinsoon, I have been totally open and honest about my surgery. And while I haven't actually sat down and suggested WLS to anyone or even talked anyone into it, I do know of 3 people that had WLS because of my success. They approached me and I answered any questions they had. One had VSG with my surgeon, one went to a different Mexico surgeon, and one went through their insurance and had bypass in the U.S. I currently have 2 clients asking lots of questions and are considering VSG for themselves. They were thrilled TO hear about a WLS Option that wasn't bypass or lapband. Another friend is looking to revise her band to VSG. My PCP and OB/Gyn have also given my surgeon's info to some of their patients who don't have insurance that covers for WLS. Not sure how many, if any, have gone through with it.

I went into my initial consultation thinking that I wanted the sleeve because it seemed like a less extreme, less risky surgery, but the surgeon recommended gastric bypass because my BMI was over 60 and gastric bypass results in more weight loss on average (as NovaLuna said above, some lose more and some lose less than average, but gastric bypass gives you slightly better odds). I did more research in the months before my surgery and by surgery day, I was confident that gastric bypass was the right surgery for me. I've never had GERD, but I've seen a lot of people who get the sleeve talk about developing it (or existing GERD worsening), and I've seen a lot of people who get revisions from sleeve to bypass, either because of GERD or because they didn't lose enough weight with the sleeve. I don't want to get another surgery, so it seemed like bypass was the way to go to minimize my chances of needing it. I think I also had some misconceptions about the risks of gastric bypass. Nowadays, bypass and sleeve have very similar rates of complications, so neither is significantly safer than the other. The sleeve has a higher risk of GERD, and bypass has a higher risk of ulcers. Some doctors allow sleeve patients to take NSAIDs (although I believe it is still not recommended), while NSAIDs are not allowed for gastric bypass patients. You need to take supplements for both, but sleeve patients have a better chance of being able to stop taking them eventually. There is a higher chance of dumping syndrome with gastric bypass, but some people consider that a benefit because it stops them from eating things they shouldn't. Remember that the decision is ultimately yours, and you have the right to go to another surgeon for a second opinion. It's a big decision, so do your research and make sure you can live with the decision you make. Keep in mind, though, that the surgeons are experts who have seen lots of patients and have a pretty good idea of what surgery would give you the best outcome.

I have only said that I have certain requirements, and made the same comments regarding the sleeve being an outpatient procedure here in the US. You don't see any of the members that had their surgeries on an outpatient basis here in the US, or any other facility coming out and saying that I'm rude, brash based on my opinion that I would not choose to have this surgery done on an outpatient basis. The operative words here are "I", "my standards". I've said my opinion or choice of surgeon was because of my specific needs as a revision patient. I don't think any surgical clinics should be shut down. I've never once mentioned that even about Dr. Almanza. All I've ever stated is that their specific facility didn't meet my needs, and I would not choose them to perform my revision. I can't recall one single time of discarding anyone's great experience with Almanza. As for my gallbladder, obviously a lot of bariatric patients need their gb removed at some point. But, I also know that not every patient has to have it removed. I have more issues eating post GB removal than I did with having VSG. So, while you would like to insult my surgeon's choice to leave my gb, I'll stick with the fact that my surgeon based his decision on years of experience, and training. I didn't ask about my surgeon's ancestral background because it wasn't a concern of mine. I've never once insulted, bashed, or claimed that Almanza is not good, qualified, highly trained surgeon. I've never questioned his licensing, his years of experience, how many surgeries he's performed. I don't know Dr. Almanza so it's not a fact of not liking the man or even questioning his surgical skill. All I've stated, once again, for the upteenth time, that I would not choose him because of the the clinic he operates out of. I choose to stay around because the friends I've made here were my lifeline during my recovery. It's the internet. I'm not going to lose any sleep over your or any other member's attempt to insult my age, my posts, or my opinion. Perception is 9/10th of the law, and if you choose to perceive my opinions as rude, tactless and/or brash, that's your cross to bear not mine. Not everyone is going to get along. Not everyone is going to agree. Not every single member here has to get along. It doesn't happen in real life, and it sure isn't going to happen on an internet message board. Support site or not, everyone has the right to post as they choose.

I am 61 and had my revision surgery on 12/9/2016. At this point, I am down 33 pounds, with weight loss the first 3-4 weeks very slow, but then picked up momentum. Like Travelher, I have found my pouch is bigger than those who have not had a revision, so I measure and watch what I eat. There has been some emotional adjustments I was not aware of until I joined this forum (I love this forum) but it absolutely has ben worth it! At my age, excess skin is already a "situation" but my health is so much better. I recommend you do it as I would do it again. since we are the same age, I would be happy to be your "buddy"! Gail

I chose to revise from band to bypass because 1) I had reflux from the band and that is also a more common complication of the sleeve 2) because I chose the latest/greatest with the band and didn't want to make that mistake again and 3) I liked the added malabsorption component of the bypass. If you are diligent about taking vitamins, you shouldn't have any issues with malnutrition. When I first went to see my dr., it was his nurse who was talking sleeve, sleeve, sleeve. My dr. probably does more sleeves than bypass now too, but I am thrilled to have done the bypass instead.

I am still in the process of fulfilling requirements for insurance submittal for revision to RNY. I have considered a sleeve, but after much research I have decided on RNY. I wish I had done it from the get go. I feel sleep and band are similar... I feel I have better chance at weight loss with RNY, as scared as I am to go through it... But I am soooo done with band!

Mine was - 9 years ago when my dad died in 2007 of a massive heart attack at the age of 53 because he had diabetes/severly overweight (close to 400lbs) and he was a heavy smoker... I decided that I didn't want to die at 53 as I was already close to being the same weight as him and I was 23 years younger. I wanted to live to be able to play with my nephew and teach him everything my dad taught me and wouldn't be able to now... So, I decied on the lap band because the sleeve wasn't available to me back then. I had decent success, I lost weight - which was my goal - wasn't a complete success as I didn't lose 50% of my weight but I still lost some. Now, I want to do the revision to the sleeve and continue my weight loss and continue to become healthier, so that I can continue tplay with ALL my nieces and nephews now - three of which my dad never got the chance to meet and I don't want them to miss out on knowing him through me as my sisters had a different type of childhood with him then I did. I was the first and his subsititue boy - so I learned everything - they were the girls