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I'm in the same boat. Seven years post sleeve. Lost a total of 80 lbs and then hit a plateau for about 5 mos. no matter what I did. I was losing my will power at that point after 5 months of not losing a thing! I started to give in to temptation and gained almost 50 lbs back! I really don't want to have revision surgery if I can help it. I just don't know if it's too late for me at this point. Did I overstretch my pouch? Should I visit my surgeon? I'm afraid he might just say 'let just do a revision' just because that's the business he's in. How do I know if my tool still works? Anyone else going through this?

Oh wow, I'm sorry the sleeve gave you so many problems. I guess I was blessed that I never had any complications what so ever from my surgery. Other than after hitting my plateau, I starting feeling sorry for myself and slowly started grazing on things I shouldn't have. I need to retrain my 'tool' and mindset. I wish I never gave into those temptations because once I did the floodgates opened! Good luck with your revision!

I had same issue but I had full hysterectomy 3 months after witch sent my hormones every where . I really had to work out 5 days a week to keep weight off . Once we shut down from covid I gained 38 pounds .Had an EGD done and they said sleeve was causing my stomach to twist . They either had to go in and staple it down or do the full byspass surgery . I chose the byspass 2 months in from revision oh forgot to say sleeve gave hernia acid reflux and gerd.

I'll be 7 years post gastric sleeve in December. I never reached goal, but lost 80 lbs. I managed to keep most of it off for about 4 years and slowly the carbs crept back into my life and the weight gain began. I gained 35 lbs back and I'm so disgusted with myself. It took me so long to get the courage to finally have WLS. I was so nervous and afraid that I swore if I put myself through surgery I would never gain all my weight back. I've tried Keto, and did really well for about a year and a half until I was no longer losing and just couldn't commit to the lifestyle. It seems I've lost any will power I may once had and I really don't want to get a revision if I can help it. How do I restart my weight loss? I know I've probably stretched my pouch. Do I go back to drinking shakes? Has anyone had any success in losing their significant weight gain without having to have a revision, or is a revision in my future?

I am weighing in at 163 and a few days from my 6 month revision. I went in for my checkup and am going to be having an EGD done to check for ulcers. This whole time that I have still been having the burning thinking I still have Gerd may be ulcers !!! Anything you can tell me about ulcers would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry not trying to scare anyone if they need to do it for medical purposes. I had it done for medical. Just because I dont have restriction anymore doesnt mean you wont. I didnt want to revise in the first place so that has just made me more agitated about the whole thing. I also have to go in for an EGD again because I still have the burning which gave me the esophagitis and now they thinking I may have ulcers !!!

Hey @Skip111178 Not many of us from "lapbandtalk" still around... (all others, that's what this site was called back then) ..... as a fellow bandmember and now "sleever". I can only answer from my POV; My questions are: - Has anyone had a similar experiences and what did you decide to do and was it the right decision? ****I never had the reflux, i of course had the bouts with vomiting like most LB patients. I did at one point back years ago gained 15-20ish pounds. I was glad i realized what i was doing. I told myself, you didn't do what you did, go through what you went through, given up what you did to go back to the "old" person you were. Grab my small plate and went back to what i knew worked, portions, chewing, better choices, exercising... Lost and got back to my steady 143lbs and size 6. Revising to the sleeve was good for me. I knew where i was headed without the aid of WLS. My band was ER removed 2017 at 143lbs. 16 months ago i revised to the sleeve at 173lbs (30lb gain over the 2.5 years of no WLS). 5'2" and now at 120lbs. - It worries me if I have the sleeve or a bypass, will I be in the same situation in 10 years time?**** I worry about that also, but in 10 years i'll be 62 and i'll cross that bridge when i get too it. Personally, had i had more options, i would have done the MGB (mini). But i would have had to go to Mexico for that and i felt better doing the sleeve 10 minutes from my home. The LB removal was pretty easy, removed on Thurs, back at work on Monday. Hunger really came back at about 2 weeks. The sleeve was the easiest SX i ever had. Done on Wednesday and back at work on Monday. I told my co workers i was having Hernia SX. Which i did end up having a Hiatal hernia repaired. Not telling was a great choice for me. - Would anyone recommend a particular company or surgeon?***** I do not, i live in the US - Has anyone had the band deflated and maybe had the balloon? I don't know if this is even possible? I thought this would mean surgery wouldn't be needed?****** STAY AWAY FROM THE BALLOON!!!! With the sleeve i don't get food "stuck" anymore. I do get the full feeling after about 3-4 bites, but i do feel like i'm hungrier faster than with the band. The band i was never hungry. I have only had 3 vomiting episodes since sleeve and it was my own fault. I learned to listen to my body and depend on portion control more now. With the band, it would get stuck and i would throw up. I find it's more important than ever to wait to drink after eating. I find that within minutes of drinking, i'm hungry again. I do worry about regain.. EVERYDAY..... i have had a lot of friends that did the sleeve and GB that regained. I'm hopeful that if i keep diligent with what i'm doing i can maintain the 53lbs loss

@2021NewMe First congrats on making yourself a priority. Know that your thoughts, feelings, and fears have been shared with what i would say is 99% of the people on here. Start by saying i'm now 52, 5'2" and 120lbs. I started this process back November 2009 (right before Thanksgiving) at 232lbs 44bmi with the lapband 14cc. I LOVE MY BAND... she and i had a wonderful relationship. She was the best thing I had done for myself. Like others, I had dieted for years only to lose and then gain it all back plus some. The sense of failure was some days overwhelming. That carried over to the WLS. The thought of failure. With any WLS you have to be 100% committed to the entire process, not just pick and chose what you want to do. It's hard and I still fall short and have weak moments. Like the other night, I ate chips and two cookies... The guilt is real. There are so many inspiring people on this site. I've been here since 2009, on and off. But if you search you will find a lot of people have the same issues as yourself and just having those people is, somedays, everything. BP is my secret place. I don't tell anyone i come here. Makes me feel free to ask questions without feeling embarrassed or judged (although some people can be). I, personally prefer the don't tell anyone route. When i had my band i told nearly everyone and always felt like i was being watched and judged. Like they were waiting for me to fail yet again. In 2017, I had one of my worse days.... i had to have my beloved band removed due to a slip... she was my BF, the absolute one thing in my life i could count on. I did my best to continue eating the way i had for years, but Tina (band) wasn't there to help. Over the next 2.5 years i put back 30lbs and got back up to 173lbs. I had always known i need WLS help, but 1) couldn't find a dr that would do it because of my low bmi... 2) couldn't afford it. But as fate would have it.... My divorce (26 years) property settlement was final and i finally found a dr that would do the revision..... So Sept. 28, 2019 at 173lbs and 14k in hand... I revised to the sleeve. Only my husband knows. I didn't tell anyone, not my kids, family, friends, co workers.... and this is sooooo much better. My org size was a 18-20.... down to a 6, then up to a 10-12..... Now I'm a size 0-2

I had gastric band in December 12 years ago, and a revision surgery one year later. I just had my bypass last week just in time for holidays. Will I miss turkey this year? Probably.but I will be with my family for the first time in a year. Also ironically I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but since my surgery, I can barely tolerate sweet tasting anything. Even if it is sugar free. You’ll do well. my way of expressing myself was to do a sketchbook for the Brooklyn art library sketchbook project. That’s been a great outlet for me. best of luck and positive thoughts to you! 🥰

It's tough, isn't it? It's a lifetime struggle for many of us. I can highly recommend the Sleeve Surgery as I had it just under two years ago and lost 60 lbs or so. That being said, this year with COVID, I gained 10-12 of it back, but I just got back on track again two weeks ago and have already lost 4 lbs on KETO. What's different about dieting post-op to pre-op is that your stomach is smaller so you can't eat as much. It's your best friend and aid in dieting. As long as you're choosing the right foods with the focus on protein, the portion sizes take care of themselves and that's a huge impact on your success. I can't speak from experience as to a revision because I never had the lapband.

Hey guys I really need some help from "real people with real experiences", my weight is increasing despite having a lap band in and I need to do something to stop it in its tracks. I have been dieting forever but this year I have done about 7 different diets, from Keto, SW, Calorie Counting etc and I am now heavier than I was on January 1st and what worries me is what my weight will rise up to if I don't do something. My history: - Starting Weight before Lap band: approx. 17 stone (size 20) - Lowest Weight after Lap band: approx. 10 stone (not for very long, comfortable weight was about 11 stone) (size 10/12) - Current Weight: 13 stone (steadily increasing weekly) (size 14) - I had a gastric band in April 2010, everything was fine overall, but the last few years haven't been so good, I developed a pouch in oesophagus so I only have 6.25ml in my band, this isn't really providing me with much restriction at all, I do have a little reflux however. I have also suffered with constipation for about 20 years! As I said above, I really need some help from "real people with real experiences", I am considering what my options are, revision surgery from the band to: Sleeve, Bypass, Mini Bypass or anything else? I have spoken to a few surgeons this week and they have all given different advice, so it is even more confusing. My questions are: - Has anyone had a similar experiences and what did you decide to do and was it the right decision? - It worries me if I have the sleeve or a bypass, will I be in the same situation in 10 years time? - Would anyone recommend a particular company or surgeon? - Has anyone had the band deflated and maybe had the balloon? I don't know if this is even possible? I thought this would mean surgery wouldn't be needed? Any advice would be welcomed, thank you all for your time 🙂

If you haven't run into this in your research, I found this to be an interesting point/counterpoint discussion of the LINX (the "Yes" vote is linked at the bottom). http://agaperspectives.gastro.org/is-linx-the-way-to-go-for-gerd-surgery-no/#.X7K6SWhKiUk I also found another source that indicated that LINX was not appropriate for bariatric patients, but didn't explain why (possibly simply because that group didn't have much experience with bariatric patients?) The "No" vote above did lift out the prospect of erosion from the foreign body, and given the history of the lapband, that is probably a good point of caution. I would suggest getting a second (and possibly third) opinion on this. I am a fan of second opinions, particularly when it comes to revisions and complications, as both the causes and solutions are often more varied than the original surgery, and hence the opinions as to the best way to go often vary more widely - what one doc is comfortable doing to solve the problem may not be the ideal for you, while another doc may have different experiences that allows him to offer something better for your need. Or maybe not - but as patients it is hard for us to evaluate, but one solution may make more sense to us than another. I have found that with the sleeve, being a relatively new procedure to most of the bariatric world, the solutions to problems that may crop up are often limited - some docs are limited to simply revising to a bypass as they don't have much experience with anything else. Most bariatric surgeons here in the States are fairly well experienced with the sleeve by now (as opposed to 6-10 years ago) but may not yet have that much experience in correcting problems with them, which is why it can pay to seek out alternate opinions. Sometimes there are shape issues with the sleeve, stemming from either the original surgery or from subsequent evolutions, and surgeons can vary widely on their ability to address these. Some can do fundoplications to address the hiatal hernia, while others can't (there isn't that much fundus to plicate after our VSG.) I would suggest a second opinion from Dr. Ara Keshishian, who does a lot of complex revisions (people come from across the country to see him, particularly as he is one of the few who can do the RNY/DS revision) and if anyone can get things working better without a major revision or devices, it is him. If one can avoid an RNY or an implanted device, that would be ideal. Conveniently, he is right around the corner from you in the Glendale/Pasadena area. I do have a hiatal hernia, though a fundoplication is inappropriate for my case, and as GERD is mild and well controlled with moderate OTC meds, and EGD shows nothing exciting happening, it is a wait and see thing for me at this point. Hope yours comes out well, whatever path you take,

@Barbwired & @toytoy Our stories are so similar..... I to was banded 11/10/2009. Did great till 2017 when i was going through a divorce (25-26 years) and then i got a stomach virus and couldn't stop throwing up..... slipped band and ER removal 3/23/2017... Worse day EVER. I lost my beloved band Tina. At the time i lost her i had not gained any weight and was at my steady 143lbs. Because it was ER i was not giving the option to wait or revise. Looking back on it i wish i had been given the choice.... But because i didn't gain, my dr said i didn't weigh enough anyway. And that's what i heard from every dr after that. Fast forward a little... i started with a few lbs here and there and no matter what i did i could not get the scale to go back the other way. I was starting to get depressed and then the beginning of 2019 i started menopause (50). When May-June came around i was up to 173lbs. (30lbs). Planning a wedding for Sept and i was steady gaining..... so i upped my search and found a dr. here that agreed to do the revision. I really wanted the MGB, but he doesn't do that.... so the sleeve it was. It went quickly as i told the dr i wanted to go as fast a possible, all other appointments went... bam bam.. Done. He noted in my chart that i was a "revision" (2.5 years later) and what my BMI was back in 2009 was 44, how well i did and that in 2.5 years i had only gained 30lbs. Handed over 14k and was sleeved 8/28/19..... Married 9/26/19 20lbs lighter. As of today i'm at 120lbs and have been since Juneishhhh.... (-53lbs) Barb.. i'm the same way, i like the gym but i have to go straight from work, do not stop anywhere, do not pass GO... hehe.... if i do, i'll go home and that's where i stay. I have not exercised a day since Covid started. I did for the months of Aug-Jan...(crossfit). But nothing since. Honestly, the sleeve sx was one of the easiest i ever had.... sx on Wednesday and back to work on Monday he even fixed a HH. @toytoy Is there a reason they can't do the removal and revision at the same time? The weight loss has for me been pretty easy and no complications. No vomiting, no getting stuck, no fills... I went see the dr every 3 months and now i'm on maintenance and only have to go once a year (unless i have issues). Personally, i think us Band-members that did well with the band do well with the sleeve. I know the band taught me how to eat better and it has made a huge difference. People that didn't do well with the sleeve i see them having more of their same issues.

Hello, I just had a conversion from band to sleeve September 21st. I was banded in 2010 and loved it and did really well until a few years ago when the GERD became unbearable. They removed the fluid from my band first and I had to wait about 6 months to get the surgery and I gained 40 pounds, the result of no restriction and not being able to work out because my gym closed due to Covid. Yes, I know I could have worked out on my own but I'm not good at that at all LOL. I've been doing fitness boot camp for years and it's the only thing that works for me. I need a coach to crack the whip, otherwise I tend to just stay on the couch. The surgery was much easier than I thought it would be and GERD has not been a problem, but I am still on Omeprazole. It's too bad you can't have the revision all at once rather than having two surgeries, but it sounds like you're doing the right thing. I think this is pretty common now and most people do really well. My weight loss has been slow, partly because of my age (60) and because I still haven't been back to the gym, it's open again but I still don't think it's safe to go. Unfortunately for me if I don't work out every day I just don't lose weight. It's always been that way for me. I am glad I had the revision though and I'm trying to figure out a way to get my workouts in on my own. I'll get there! I wish you luck on your journey, I'm sure you'll do well and I'm sure you're making the right decision!

Hi Everyone I was banded in 2009 I started having serious stomach problems, Severe GERD and gaining weight back. My doctor removed all fluid out of my band. I’m looking to get a revision to the sleeve. I start my nutrition appointments tomorrow and have a pyshch evaluation next Monday. They plan to remove the band in January hoping to move through the six months and become sleeved. Excited to begin this journey.

I am so sorry to hear about your ongoing discomfort and discontent. You have been referred to another Surgeon? That is a priority so you can now address & reconcile the acid reflux and move on with your revision. Typically, a revision is not as complicated as the original surgery. It should alleviate your acid reflux and improve weightloss. Sometimes the stomach can expand...I realize you know all this. Your trepidation is reasonable & understandable, especially when the Dr. you developed a trusting relationship has moved. Have you met the new Surgeon? Do not allow fear to create anxiety. Evidentially, you are incredibly strong, in every way....emotionally & mentally your are formidable. Has your Dr recommended any medication for the reflux? I do not know anything about your history, I joined today. But I am here, happy to help & always listen...

That’s scary af! I need revision because of acid reflux but crap, not sure about that now

I had my sleeve done September 2016. I lost 145lbs. I now weigh 165lbs & my acid reflux has not gotten any better. I know I need a revision but I’m scared & my doctor moved away😭

I had my surgery on 11/9. It was supposed to be a bypass but a lower hernia and scar tissue in my abdomen caused it to become a sleeve. Which is fine, but it wasn’t what I expected. I also had another hernia, hiatal, that he repaired. My doctor is hoping with that repair my horrible indigestion will be long gone and the sleeve will be a good fit, but if not he has already said he would revise it If I got the other hernia repaired first. My doctor is great, I’m not upset with him, but somehow having the plan changed makes me feel like I’m behind. I lost 20 pounds over 2 weeks on the pre-op diet, but when I finally weighed myself today, well I’m at the same weight I was when I went I for surgery on Monday. I’m sure things will get moving along, I’m following the diet, Protein, and Fluid recommendations religiously, but I just feel a little deflated and defeated this evening. I know those feelings will pass, but I just needed to put into words that I’m just not feeling on point yet.

Each surgeon is different as is each patient. With my sleeve I was in patient overnight and got a dose of heparin before surgery and another the next day. I didn’t go home on blood thinners. Walking really helps with preventing blood clots so make sure you move but don’t overdo it either. If you have any questions you can always call your surgeon. Make sure you have a ride home though; they won’t let you drive yourself post-op. That said, sleeve surgery only takes about 90 minutes to complete so most of your stay will be waiting pre-op and in post-op recovery. Your fears about Covid aren’t without merit. Surgery does affect the immune system for a short while after. If you can avoid crowds and any excessive trips outside your home, I’d do that. Recovering during a pandemic is scary! I’ve been there. I had revision surgery due to GERD in August and I stayed home as much as possible. It made me feel safer and I was less nervous about catching Covid that way.

Hello! I was sleeved in 2012 and lost 105! My acid reflux started getting worse. Especially at night too woke up w sore throat from the acid and tried diff medications. I got the bypass for acid reflux AND weight loss. More the acid I just want it gone. I’m 1.5 weeks post op. Had my bypass 11/2. I’ve lost 10 pounds so far in the week I’ve been home lol I’m feeling great. I will say the pain for this revision was horrible. My friend had bypass and didn’t have this much pain. Today I’m able to get around a lot and even house clean. I’m on protonix for 3 months but I was thinking I would not need it hmmm not sure but I do feel acid if I have Gatorade zero. Hopefullly it’s just because it’s so soon after surgery. But you will lose. Well I think so, I am. SW230, 2 week 1,000 cal diet low carb=216, after surgery 216. 10 days later I’m at 206. Goal 170. good luck!

I had the sleeve in 2013. I lost a lot of weight. I have regained more then I would like but I’m still happy with the sleeve and no where near the size I was. I have had issues with GETD, vomiting and horrible heartburn at night. Finally got a doctor to listen to me and referral me to a surgeon who immediately knew I needed surgery to fix the problem. So know I’m scheduled for the bypass 11/23. My pain goal is relief from the GERD, vomiting and heartburn. However, I’m wondering how much weight will I lose, how fast will it come off? What are some tips for the second time around. i

I was revised almost 6 months ago. I had great restriction with the sleeve even at almost 3 years but now NOTHING. Its hard to wrap your head around it in the beginning. I hope you all have some kind of full feeling but I DONT. I feel like I never had WLS which scares the hell out of me. I can see how people regain with the by pass for sure and until you go from sleeve to bypass you dont have a clue !

Sounds like you’ve had a rough journey. Wishing you a smooth run moving forward. Thank you! Hoping the revision does assist with the GERD (my surgeon said it will). Feeling more ‘real’ now. Today I did my pre-op blood test and dietician appt. starting my 2 week pre-op diet on the 20th of this month! 😮

I just read some of your past posts and it seems we have GERD in common as well as the revision . Wishing you success!!