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Has there ever been an issue to where people have chronic back pain issues after the sleeve? I had a gastric lap band to sleeve revision about 10 years out. I've had back spasms in my back. It is in my back and in my upper leg and thigh area. Can you get the gastric sleeve be revised to other procedures? Can you get it revised to a gastric bypass? Can you get it revised back to its old way or to a duodenal stitch? Anyone heard of anything like this? Any ideas? Do you think a revision would stop the pain?

I was given some meds to help me with the milk supply gain 25lbs after having my baby she's now 8 months old I stopped taking the meds in may and stopped breastfeeding in the middle of aug. I started working out and I been able to loose 12lbs out of those 25lbs. I had the sleeve back in 2012 and I've never been on my weight goal. I just saw my surgeon on Thursday and he suggested to keep doing what I'm doing he said as longest I get full and eating how I'm supposed I don't need no revision, he just said just don't gain weight so I'm hoping I lose more lbs. I had friends that got their surgery in Mexico and they've lost tons of weight. TBH I don't want another surgery

Hi there @@kmt1973 -- there is a group of very successful banders who post on a thread called Banders #7. With so many different surgeries represented here on Bariatric Pal, Banders are somewhat of a minority so I always look there first. And I try to avoid the negative band talk from those who have had revisions. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that and hope that you're on track now -- sounds like the unfill and now refill process is going well. I think some doctors are annoyed at all the followup that a band requires. Most surgeons would rather be in the OR than discussing the finer points of appetite. There are a couple of links in my signature below which really helped me a lot -- the O'Brien Eight Golden Rules of Lapband on videos and the Dr. Simpson link. Best wishes to you!

Banded 3/19/2012 this summer had to get all fluid taken out. Lost total of 40 lbs, gained back 30 recently. Dr wanted to do revision, bc of stomach coming up over band. Insurance wouldn't pay for new wls so, I said to keep my band. I'm all good now, it went back down with unfill and liquid diet. I go next week for another fill(3rd since unfilled), right now I still have no restriction. With my Dr hating the band now, and not doing them anymore, I feel so isolated. Started local support group this week, but no one has had the band. I feel like I'm on my own. Could anyone give me an encouraging lapband story?

Me too! I lost a 100lbs and had a TT and all bat gained it back again. I was hoping not to have a revision as it was a difficult surgery although I recovered quite well not I've never been balanced on both sides completely as my surgeon also did Lipo on my flanks and they are not completely symmetrical but it's not noticeable under all my extra weight.

Was this her initial gastric bypass or a revision type surgery, I'm a bit confused.

Revised from the Lap Band (ugh) to the Sleeve on 4/22/13... total loss since surgery 29lbs... Dr says I'm doing great, I thought I was going slow... I finally came to the realization, that I didn't put on all this weight in one day & I can't expect for it to come off over night... Even if it takes me a year, I know I will do it

That's a great video! For us Band to Sleeve Revisions, here is one that is also narrated and describes the procedure as it goes along!

Im going in for my revision next month for these exact reasons !!!! Im glad you are ok now. Still praying for our OP Sent from my Z981 using the BariatricPal App

I was banded may 2013. My first year went like textbook. i lost a total of 81 lbs and felt great. But than problems started and july of 2014 my band was emptied and stayed empty for a year. My surgeon didn't want to put any fill in do to the complications i had. We discussed revision and on july 31,2015 i was revised to a gastric bypass. Surgery was difficult due to adhesions and scar tissue. When the band was placed i had gone to surgery to have a bypass but that surgeon couldn't do it do to the scarring. When i was in the recovery room the first words out of my mouth were ,what type of surgery? if he couldnt do the bypass i signed papers for a sleeve. but he was successful. I was so happy. post surgery i have had no complications. Have lost 27 lbs in 26 days. and am doing well with my new way of eating.

Did u go through this? How do u feel. Are you able to eat? I'm so scared of hairloss too... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App No, I haven't but I have seen and talked to a lot of people who has gone through it. When I went to my check up at my bariatric center, I spoke to one girl who said she cried every day since her revision, poor thing . Yeah, I'm worried about hairloss too. I didn't go through it with my band because the weightloss wasn't as drastic, a normal 2-3 lbs a week or slower... So I'm a little worried this time around because our calories are sooo much lower.

Congrats on your revision, please let me know how it goes. I hope all goes well for you.

I'm still pre op for bypass so I have no nuggets of wisdom to offer. Just wanted to welcome you and say how sorry I am that you've had such a difficult experience. I hope the revision gives you the results and healthier life you are seeking. Good luck and hang in there. You're young and have a lot of good living in front of you!

I’m in Woodbury. I finished all of my appts today. They will submit for insurance approval now. I’m going for a band revision to bypass. I’m going to Meadowbrook. Anyone have experience there? They have been very nice so far. Plan to have the surgery in June due to work and travel until then. Can’t wait!

Hey all! Minnesota here as well! Saint Paul (Dayton's Bluff). I am having my revision surgery on Aug 7, 2018 (also my 30th birthday!) and am so excited. I had a lap band placed in 2011 and lost 115 pounds, only to have gained it back after complications made me take saline out. I am getting a RNY at St. Josephs in Saint Paul- Dr. Geoffry Fasan So nice to see other MN peeps! I'm excited and nervous and it's been the main thing on my mind for months, but its coming!

Had mine done outpatient. Insurance covered it as part of WLS revision. Pain was minimal but my stomach felt heavy when walking for about 3 weeks.

Congrats on your revision. Don't forget you're body is still healing and you probably still have some fluid left from the operation/IV they gave you. You'll be losing soon! How are you feeling?

I have had quite a journey with my Lapland and now hoping to get revision in June or July. I was banded May 2009 and lost 77 pounds in a year. In May 2011 my port got infected and then two weeks later the band eroded. I have been approved by my insurance to have revision . Just completed all test just two more things b4 my meeting w the dr next Friday! I'm very nervous! Need all the buddies I can get

I've done all my requirements for the bypass revision, due to hiatal hernia and problems with reflux my dr. says I need to get revised from the sleeve to bypass. Anyone else having trouble with insurance company getting this approved.? I'm really suffering over here and they just tell me my appeal is pending. Anyone know how I can push this forward? Help! Sent from my SM-J337P using BariatricPal mobile app

I actually have bc/bs hshs through the hospital where I work. And they better not pull that crap!!! I've already had to change programs because of the contract with my hospital. I'm hoping my situation is different since I'm revising from band to gastric. However, if I have learned nothing else, it is a money game!

I had lapband in 2008 was 305 went down to 170 in 9 months. Kept it off for 6 years then my band eroded in oct of 2013. I was revised to bypass in May 2014 but had to gain weight to meet the criteria to have the bypass. Day of surgery I was 245 on May 21, 2014. I am at 189 now still have 19 left to get back to my optimal weight but it's coming off ????

Hi! I don't have MS but I have RA. I know it's like comparing apples and oranges, but they're still fruit. They're both still autoimmune diseases. I've had umm about six surgeries since my diagnosis and I've never experienced a flare from surgery. I do experience flares still occasionally, so it's not that I do not flare, but surgery never brings them on. My rheumy attributes my lack of flares to be that my RA is pretty much in remission. My rheumy is my biggest cheerleader for getting revision to RNY. She says getting to a more normal bmi will decrease inflammation and make my disease even milder. She says if I do flare after surgery, no problem, she'll just administer a steroid injection. So your neuro cleared you for surgery, they must feel that the benefits of the surgery will outweigh the risks. If you have any doubt, schedule another appointment with your neuro and discuss it with them. Has your wls surgeon okay'ed you for continuing the celebrex after sleeve surgery? I stopped mine after committing to revision to RNY. I had to know I could survive without it forever. I wish you all the best!

RNY-to-sleeve revisions happen, but it's apparently mostly because of severe reactive hypoglycemia and other really weirdly specific complications. Sleeve-to-RNY is more common in part because the sleeve was eventually conceived as a safer surgery to give people with much higher BMIs, with the intention of converting them to RNY once they lost enough weight that that was a safe option for them. They started doing it as a standalone procedure when many of those patients opted not to come in for the second surgery, being successful with just the sleeve. But sleeve-to-RNY absolutely does happen, still, especially for people who have uncontrolled GERD or who can't lose enough weight with the sleeve alone. In my pre-op testing they found some small lesions in my esophagus, which might have been esophagitis or might have been a small amount of GERD. I went with the sleeve despite that, because I also have arthritis and might need to take ibuprofen and other NSAIDs again, ever, in my life. (Also, I had been taking large amounts of NSAIDs over a long period of time, and they may have been responsible for some of the damage they found.) I can't tell you how that turned out for me, since I'm only a week post-op, but I will say my doctor didn't try to sway me toward RNY at all, and given that I also had a hernia repaired, I'm pretty hopeful that it'll all turn out OK.

Hi SleeveGirl88. Having GERD isnt' the same thing as having reflux every once in a while because you ate some food that disagrees with you. When they are discussing GERD as a contraindication for VSG, they are talking about people that have it regularly at least one or two episodes a week that don't necessarily have anything eating greasy food. You also don't seem to have any co-morbidities and a relatively low BMI of 40 (the average bariatric patient has a BMI of 42.5). If you're goal is weight loss, I would probably go with the VSG. While RNY may have slightly better total weight loss numbers and slightly lower regain rates over 5 years, the differences aren't really statistically significant--particularly for someone with your BMI. You'll do great with either the sleeve or the RNY and you're not going to get much of a weight loss advantage going with an RNY. There have been a lot of comparative studies that have been published over the past two years that support this conclusion. In terms of weight regain, some people start to see it earlier in the process with the sleeve but in the limited number of long term studies that track people beyond 5 years--there really isn't a long term statistical difference. What does seem to make a difference your starting BMI. Whether you're a sleeve or an RNY, if you start the journey with a BMI of 40 or less, the chances of you having BMI below 30 after one year is 95% and the chance of you maintaining a BMI under 30 after 5 years is over 75% with either procedure. The numbers for both procedures drop considerable the higher your BMI is at the time of surgery. The other thing to think about, particularly if your young (under 50), is that you're going have to live with this surgery for a long time. While RNY may have slightly better 5 year outcomes on the whole, the differences aren't really statistically significant. For someone like you, it might only mean a 5-8 pound difference (maybe)--but ultimately, it's probably not much of a difference at all. Ten or 15 years post op, you could be at a point where you have had significant regain with either procedure (hopefully not) and then you have think about revision (since obesity is a chronic condition). With this in mind, you should consider which procedure gives you the most and best options for revision. With RNY, you're revision possibilities are currently limited. In some cases, the pouch can be made smaller. Surgeons can also increase the length of the biliopancreatic limb to increase malabsorbtion or convert you to a distal bypass. The weight loss benefits of these procedures are disappointing for the most part, but these procedures can help treat co-morbidities. A more aggressive or radical approach would be to reverse the RNY and switch to a totally different procedure, but this is a very complicated and risky procedure that most bariatric surgeons aren't comfortable performing (at least not in 2018). In truth, your options of revision from and RNY are limited and may not be very effective for weight loss/regain. Options for revision from a sleeve if there is significant weight regain or re-occurrence of co-morbidities are numerous and more effective. Resleeves are common, easily performed and can help get you back on track. Since holds more volume to begin with and the pyloric valve is preserved with a VSG, resleeves seem to be more effective than revisions to a RNY pouch for treating weight regain. A sleeve also can be easily converted to an RNY down the road, but this is usually done to treat severe GERD--not so much for weight loss (although it can be used for this too). The most exiting option with a sleeve is that it can easily be converted to a BPD-DS or modified duodenal switch (also called a loop DS, SIPS, SADI-S), which is still considered an investigational procedure in the United States, but is probably the future of bariatric surgery. This is essentially a VSG with a single long limb bypass that attaches midway down your small intestines (roughly speaking) and has only one anastomosis (one connection point). It gives you most of the benefits of a BPD-DS (which is by far the most power bariatric surgery, but also the most risky), with approximately the same risk factors as an RNY. More studies are needed for the modified DS before it will be widely adopted in the US, but it's being adopted by many surgical centers and long-term RCTs are being done as we write (with excellent short and mid-range results). As a revision from a VSG, the SIPS procedure will be an easy upgrade that will only take about 30-60 minutes and will mostly likely be performed on an outpatient basis in the future (The SIPS bypass is much less complicated and less invasive that the VSG part of the procedure). In the end, both the RNY and VSG are excellent options that are very effective for weight loss. You can't go wrong, with either one. However, if you like and trust your surgeon and if he or she has been gently nudging your towards the sleeve, you should probably take his or her advice.

My sister-in-law had RNY over 10 years ago and she is still doing really well. Of the two surgeries, RNY is the gold standard and has the best results long term. You never hear of someone going in for a revision from RNY to sleeve, just saying.