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What your doctor has told you is totally different than any of the information I have read, and I have read a LOT. I have seen that doctors actually steer clear of the band if you have reflux or GERD because it can make things worse. And as a previous poster said, doctors in my area are also phasing out the band. In fact in my seminar (for the practice) they said they did 45 revision/removals of bands in the past year but only placed 5! So I truly believe the band is soon to be a thing of the past. I would seriously consider getting a second opinion. I am not sure how far into the process you are and it may be a big pain in the butt to switch doctors now. But having the wrong surgery will be an even BIGGER pain to resolve!!!

I didn't realize she went from the RNY to the Lap Band. How could they do that? I thought it was a way risky surgery to revise from the RNY. My hubby had his Lap-Band for 13 years and himself among other has had nothing but trouble with them. Does she think the band will be more successful?

I'm finally scheduled for surgery in 3wks...I'm just looking for the basics on what to expect the first few days after surgery. Besides tired anyways. Soreness and so on. I am actually having a revision from lap-band to the sleeve...anyone who has had it done this way with any tips, I would greatly appreciate it!

I have no tips on handling the revision, but wanted to wish you all luck. Sept 12th is my birthday, so you guys are getting sleeved at a great time! I'm a week shy of one year out and I am loving life! Good luck!!

How the heck do I know what sleevers end up looking like? I never met one. Lol. Actually, I meant to add that the bypass patients that are over 2 years out look good and normal, so that sickly look does seem to go away over time. Temporary, like the hair loss. Weight loss, although nice, is not my biggest concern. It's health. The bypass surgery will help the sickest of people to become healthier, but the same way that it is more powerful for them, it may be too powerful for a less-sick group. I appreciate the feedback about how my post came across.. I'm not trying to scare tactic anyone, I just like for people to weigh all their options. A good friend got the band because she thought her only other choice was the bypass, and that was more surgery than she wanted. She might have been a good candidate for the sleeve. There are two major problems with the sleeve that isn't as much with bypasses. GERD and leaks. Both tend to show up within the first few months. Many that get severe gerd go on to revise to bypass. Leaks can be a real nightmare, fortunately they are relatively rare. The bypass tends to have similar numbers of complications near the surgery, but more that show up later down the line. As I said, more severe procedure for the sicker people. The other thing to keep in mind is bypasses have been around a while. The sleeve is relatively new, so we don't know what will happen in 20 years... for all we know, they may be an unsustainable fad like the lap band. You want scare tactics? Ask me about DSs! Lol!

Since having the revision i crave extremely spicy food! But, and its a big BUT i soon developed GERD once i was onto normal foods and i cannot touch spicy stuff in any way .. Im a little sad about it but i can live with it as it is *shrug*

Hi Barb - I'm self-pay, so getting rebanded even six months down the road (earliest I could have it re-done) is probably not going to work into my finances. Plus, most of the info I have read states that the likelihood of re-eroding is much higher than the first time around. At this time I'm planning on relying on Meridia if the hunger gets to an unmanageable level. I'm sure as time goes by, other options will present themselves. If I did get rebanded, I think I would try the mid-band because it does seem to have a lower erosion rate. But, like I said, I'm still paying off the $17,000 the initial banding, port-revision, and unbanding has cost. No more self-pay for a while!!!

I don't have BCBS, but most insurance companies usually require at least a 40 BMI and at least one co-morbidity confirmed, like diabetes, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure. Maybe some might do a 35 BMI? But I do know that a family history isn't enough. I'm actually looking at getting a revision so I have the joy of going through it again.

Today I started the 5 day pouch test.. I will be a year out from revision from band to bypass on May 21. I have found myself snacking on almond m&m's and have developed an addiction to them. I am at my goal weight but I don't want to fall in to this bad habit so this morning I set my mind to do liquids for the next 2 days and then mushy etc. I'm really hoping this helps me get back on the healthy eating track. Sugar does nothing to me unfortunately. I wish it did. I can't eat fatty or fried foods which has been great. I'll check back in with if it helps. Has anyone else found they couldn't stay away from something bad for you after bypass food wise? Did you find anything that helped?

I remember right after having my band in and port revision...I wanted ice chips...it has been so long I dont remember what I said...when I woke up from my conversion I asked for chicken broth...always thinking of "food" lol...even after wls...

Goodness why would your surgeon use a 50 French bougie, did you ask him why when you went to your follow up checkup.... Tannak had stomach scar tissue and her surgeon only used a 40 French bougie... Did he tell you why when you confronted him about it ??? because I would be pissed off too... Did he think maybe having a larger sleeve would make it easier to revise to RNY afterwards since he was pushing you towards RNY like my surgeon did until the last minute ??

The 80% figure is based on a Swiss study in 2010, published in Lancet. I dont have the link anymore but you could probably google something like "gastric band failure rate"?If you go onto the forum section on Bariatricpal there is a section for "gastric band to bypass" you can read numerous threads from patients who have had the band and revising to bypass. I didnt want to believe it but sadly it is not a good procedure...most patients end up with hernias due to the pressure in the new small pouch...its just physics. The website of Dr Rutledge (USA surgeon) has a lot of info about band failures. He has researched it extensively and does 100's of revisions. Sent from my GT-I9505 using the BariatricPal App

Nope, not with my band installation back in 2011. But I did have to give myself lovenox injections 2x a day for 7 days after my band to bypass revision. I don't see why you'd need them for the band installation as there should have been zero internal cutting.

Anyone else on this day?

Is it true that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet? And if it is, why have surgery at all? From time to time, a bandster will comment (sometimes in the context of a complaint, sometimes just in surprise or confusion) that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet. They’re disappointed by this. They expected WLS to make weight loss easier than it is with dieting, and while that's true, it's only part of weight loss success. They may hold the mistaken belief that the band itself is what causes weight loss, but that’s not true either. The band is just a piece of plastic. Although it’s inside the patient’s body, it does not directly affect the way nutrients from food are ingested or metabolized. It releases no weight loss instructions into the patient’s bloodstream, nervous system, or endocrine system. It doesn’t directly affect the patient’s eating behavior or exercise habits. It doesn’t compel the patient to make good food choices, limit portion sizes, eat slowly, or resist the urge to graze or binge because of boredom, stress, cravings, etc. After reading that long list of what the band doesn’t do, you may be thinking that it’s a mighty expensive and not very helpful weight loss tool. Why go through the risk, trouble and expense of WLS when you could achieve the same results with plain old dieting? HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? Here’s some news that may shock you: I lost 100% of my excess weight by dieting after my band surgery. My dietitian gave me a food plan to follow, and I followed it. It never occurred to me to do otherwise or to complain about that because my bariatric team had made it clear that I, not my band, was going to have to make some significant lifestyle changes in order to succeed. It wasn’t until after the excess weight was gone, after a big unfill to treat an irritated esophagus and stoma (after swallowing a large, corrosive antibiotic capsule), that I realized how much my band had been helping me by reducing my appetite and giving me early (if not always prolonged) satiety. I had been taking my band for granted – out of sight, out of mind. I suppose it’s possible that I had been experiencing a placebo effect; that my band worked for me simply because I believed it would. If so, it was a remarkable and long-lived placebo effect. It wasn’t until my band was being refilled after a complete unfill (to treat a band slip) when I was 3 years post-op that I experienced a stunning, “Oh, so this is what it’s all about!” aha moment. My experience of restriction then was quite different than it had been the first time around, because I understood more about my band’s effects and how to optimize those effects, and because my body had changed so drastically since my surgery. Whether your 8-ounce water glass is half empty or half full, it still contains 4 ounces. Getting the most out of those 4 ounces is largely a matter of attitude adjustment. You can accept that you have 4 ounces, then make the best of it, or you can give up all together and spend your life in wistful regret. You can find another way to fill your WLS glass – complain to your surgeon, or the band manufacturer, revise to a different WLS procedure – or give up altogether and spend your life in angry regret. Taking the “half full” viewpoint may be easier for me than for others because I’m an opportunist who actually enjoys making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Webster defines “opportunist” as one who uses the art, policy, or practice of taking advantage of opportunities or circumstances, often with little regard for principles or consequences. Since I do have immense regard for principles and consequences, perhaps I’m not a classic opportunist. But I see nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities and circumstances when my own careful plans aren’t working or have led me into unknown territory. Resourcefulness has been a handy life skill for me. BUT I WANT IT TO BE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME I do know what it’s like to be disappointed with a purchase, though, be it a band, a blouse, or a bicycle. I want the item I purchase to be suitable, if not perfect, for its intended use. During a shift at my retail “day job” the other day, I helped a customer whose garment size wasn’t in stock. She didn’t want to order that garment – she wanted it now, so much so that she considered buying the wrong size and having it altered to fit her. Before I could volunteer an opinion, this woman uttered the very words I was thinking: “I hate to pay good money for something new and have to alter it. I just want to buy it and wear it.” If I were a better (or pushier) salesperson, she might have bought that garment, but I’m not and she didn’t. If your adjustable gastric band hasn’t (yet) lived up to your expectations, you do have my sympathy. It’s not easy – if even possible – to return a disappointing medical implant, and it’s maddening to have to “alter” it (by dieting, for example) to make it work for you. I could tell you (unhelpfully) that your expectations were not realistic, but it’s also possible that your surgeon educated you well, you’re a “compliant” patient, and yet your band just isn’t up to snuff. According to Doctors Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband, authors of Your Medical Mind, “Medicine is an uncertain science.” No one, not even your doctor, can say with certainty what impact a condition “will have on an individual’s life or how someone will experience the side effects from a particular treatment. Each of us is unique in the interplay of genetic makeup and environment. The path to maintaining or regaining health is not the same for everyone.” Doctors Groopman and Hartzband go on to describe what they call the ‘focusing illusion’. “In trying to forecast the future, all of us tend to focus on a particular aspect of our lives that would be negatively affected by a proposed treatment. This then becomes the overriding element in decision making. The focusing illusion neglects our extraordinary capacity to adapt, to enjoy life with less than ‘perfect’ health. Imagining life with a colostomy, after a mastectomy, or following prostate surgery can all be skewed by the focusing illusion. We cannot see how the remaining parts of our lives expand to fill the gaps created by the illness and its treatment.” Despite carefully-devised formulas and scoring systems (intended to direct resources and money to those most likely to survive) for calculating a patient’s chances of surviving a treatment or illness, doctors are lousy at predicting outcomes. A study in England found that one out of 20 ICU patients who doctors predicted would die actually lived, and most of those who survived had a good quality of life. I don’t think that’s a sign of medical incompetence. I think it’s a sign of the unquenchable human spirit and its enduring will to survive and even thrive against all odds. One of my life goals is to survive and thrive, no matter what. That’s an ambition you can’t get from a medical device or bottle of medicine. It comes from within you, and if you think you don’t have it, or not enough of it, I suggest that you look again. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Of course the people who are posting in a "Gastric band to bypass revision" are people who had problems with the gastric band. That doesn't tell us anything about percentage of the total GB population who are/are not having problems. People who have no problems with their band are not going to see Dr. Rutledge complaining about their band, and probably are not posting in forums on revisions. The plural of "anecdote' is not "data".

I'm now 6 days post op and every day I wake I feel better and soooooo happy I did this! Definitely needed my tool back. Minimal pain, I'm off all pain meds. I take Carafate acid reducer and reflux meds and nausea meds on occasion. I haven't gone # 2 and have taken colace so today gonna bring out the big guns (dulcolax) and hopefully poop. ((Sorry tmi))) ???????? backed up my belly is still beyond swollen, but can feel I'm losing weight. I'm sipping water and protein shake by day. At night I sit with the family and have my broth and a 1/4c tea before bed. So complaints here and so happy this is behind me!!! Happy Sleeve day to others and my revision sisters!!! ????????????????????

Hi I haven't posted in awhile but I need you guys help please. I was banded in Nov. 2007, I've lost almost 60lbs, I'm pretty much at goal. Over the last several weeks I'd noticed the band becoming tighter and tighter. I had major surgery 4 weeks ago, so I put the band on the backburner. Today I went in for an unfill and they said the band had slipped!! My doctor wanted to revision surgery tomorrow. I was and am in hysterics. First and foremost, I was self pay and in no way can afford to pay for additional surgery. Now they did say that my insurance "should" cover this emergency surgery. I am still not healed from my surgery on Aug. 1st and it was horrible. My surgeon did call me back and say it was ok t ohave the band repaired. This is my dilemma. Should I just have the band removed? I know I will gain every pound back but I'm afraid of this happening again and if my insurance decides not to pay we are sunk financially. How hard will this revision surgery be. Having the band placed was ruff, I don't want to go through that again. My doctor stated he just needed to go in and reposition it and stitch it back down "most likely" or he may have to replace it. Anyone with insight on this please post. I am crying as I write this, I'm trying to calm down. Ironically, today I told my husband, was the first day that I've woken up pain-free since my surgery on Aug. 1st. Now this:cry_smile:

Me too Talkalot1981! I have had the same problem. I am not sure what to do, either. And my surgeon has said he wants me to gain control of my weight on my own. He knows that I eat sliders, and wants me to stop. I LOVE peanut butter.! I have finally found a dry peanut butter to add to my yogurt to increase my protein and get myself off the regular peanut butter. For some reason, unknown to myself, after a slip and unfill, in my case, a revision, the fills do not affect you the way they originally did. I can't tolerate much more than 5cc, and I am at that now! I know that I am not any help in your problem, but just wanted to sympathize and say, me too! Best wishes, Karen

That's a good question lol I know the Bypass is the best option esp with the long term results, but the whole malabsorption really scares me I'm going to attend another support group tonight with a friend of mines who did the lap-band 9 years ago. She is thinking of revising to the Bypass herself. Her surgeon said the lap-band is just like the sleeve and it's a waste of time. We go to the same medical group just see different surgeons. So I guess you guys are right each surgeon is different.

Have you tried gas-x strips? And getting up and walking often? I know it probably hurts to get up and walk but trust me it will help with the gas pains tremendously! I have had 2 c-sections, lapband surgery, and then this past tuesday my band was removed and revised to the sleeve. I did have a few periods of really bad gas pains in my chest and shoulder but the simethecone (Gas-x), pain meds, and walking helped so much. Now im not really having any gas pains- its more pain from the incision sites.

I was a sleeve revision from a band on May 30. The day of surgery went pretty well as I was able to get up and walk around. The day after was heck. They kept changing my time for the barium swallow leak test and my tongue felt like shoe leather. They finally got me in there at 1 pm and then had me drink water every 15 minutes for two hours. Then I got to go home. Today has been much better but all I have had is my gummy vitamin and 3 bottles of water. Every time I take a sip, I can feel it going down and I am tight. My surgeon told my husband my sleeve was the sie of a pencil. I'll try protein tomorrow, I'm just so scared of getting a leak from over doing it too quickly.

My date is Dec. 14th. I'm having a revision from lap band to bypass.

Today was my 2 week check up from my revision. I am so happy that I am down 12 lbs!! I am very excited about this. I also get to start back on my Zumba class and lifting weights to music class next week. It is strange I am feeling the need to do more of that type of exercise than I am of walking.

Well, I had the procedure on Tuesday. Woke up in the ICU so they could monitor bleeding issues. Pain was pretty intense when I woke up. They had me stay an extra night in the hospital, but eventually moved me to a regular room once i pooped and had a positive upper GI xray. I'm back on a clear liquid diet for the next couple weeks, then it's into full liquids. Christmas is gonna be a pain in the ass. Since I wasn't resleeved, and can't find many people who have had SIPS as a revision to VSG, so I'll try to post my experience here. Day 2 post op... 6 incisions, painful shoulder gas, hurts to stand, get a little nauseous and tired when walking... but I'm doing it . 6'2" 354lbs going into surgery. 356 today, but I think that's normal. The drop should start in a day or two. I'm currently coughing and hicupping a lot, which hurts like hell. Also, I wasn't given pain meds (for reasons listed above). I'll post more as it happens.