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Welcom to the board and congratulations on your success! I am another lap-band to sleeve conversion. I am only 3 weeks out from my revision and all is going well so far. I wanted to mention that the article you posted earlier was written in 2007. I am not sure what the stats were for sleeve in 2007, but I can assure you that the stats are very favorable for the sleeve now. You have already read through Tiffy's stuff. She is a wealth of information. You will find that those of us who used to have the lap-band and now have the sleeve are a bit fanatical about how bad the band was for us. Most important things (like everyone else has said): do your research, find an EXCELLENT surgeon that has experience with the revision. Not just sleeve experience, but experience taking the band out and then creating the sleeve. The stomach you are left with is so small - there would be no point in keeping the band there. I did not have any major band complications, but I had the shoulder pain, I could not bend over with pants on (because of the port), and I had 10 fills/unfills in a period of 3 years. I also couldn't eat chicken (always stuck). The band literaly prevented me from eating healthy food and encouraged me to eat bad foods to prevent pain. The day I had my revision, they stuck that needle in my port (OUCH!) for the last time and I was so excited that it would never happen again. This is a very personal journey and you will find what is best for you. Very best of luck to you-- Lara

I'm 3 1/2 mths out and I eat less than 1,000. Rarely go over that. And I no longer do Protein shakes so all of thats just food I eat on the higher side of everyone on here. I only have 22 lbs to goal (was a band revision) and I'm in no hurry, so I'd rather eat more and have less losses...

I was a revision which means weight loss is slower, but I am 5'4" and started my journey at 286 lbs and today I am 246.3. I am 1-month post-op. I'm using the 3 patches that the bypass patients use plus one multivitamin.

RNY revision to duodenal switch. I'm a little nervous. I've started this journey in March so I'm ready. I hope to post updates as time goes on. I know God is with me and i feel very positive that this time i will make it to goal weight and keep it off. When i had my original bypass almost 15 yrs. ago, i didn't have as much guidance or knowledge that i do now. Much has changed over the years and I'm so ready. Is anyone else having your revision tomorrow or very soon. I'm here for anyone who wants to chat or vent or contemplating getting a revision done. My best to all of you. God Bless!

I just posted a thread this afternoon about having to have the bypass revision from the sleeve for GERD reasons...I have bypass surgery scheduled for tomorrow. I eat the right foods and avoid the wrong ones, even have been on liquids for 3 days and still have terrible reflux.

My lapband was removed in April and I am getting the gastric bypass on 12/21. I ended up with reflux and a small hernia from the band. I feel better since the removal, but I do not want to risk more issues by getting the sleeve. My bmi is around 39 now, but it was above 40 when I started the process. I am happy with my choice to get revision surgery. I'm getting closer to the date and I have a few nerves like everyone else. I think I would regret backing out at this point in the future, so I'm going to go forward to improve my overall health. Good luck with making your final choice.

This is a great thread you two. And just an FYI for you, Lauren: At the ASBS convention this past June (when they released the AP band) there was a presentation about the post-op diet and guidelines for revision to allow softs to solids much earlier than before. I notice that Allergan hasn't changed their reccs on their website yet, but I found it interesting that someone would present to a group of bariatric surgeons that it is okay to eat earlier. Perhaps your doc had read the latest from the convention and that is what made her put less emphasis on the post-op diet. I have to wonder though if part of the reason for the change in diet comes from patients complaining and griping about being hungry so much. And/or if the change was intended for AP band patients only. But thinking logically about the stomach and it's action to digest, I can't imagine that speeding up the post-op diet would be fine and dandy. But I'm not a surgeon and I'm not a bariatric researcher. Of course, one can always go slower on their post-op stages themselves.

My surgery was ten days ago and I'm still on the mend. I'm probably older than the average sleever and had a one-step band revision with lots of scar tissue removed, so I think my recovery will be a bit longer. I see progress everyday and my activities are increasing but I'm not pushing it. The pain decreases every day and my strength is improving. I'd say weakness is my biggest obstacle at this point. he I read the posts of the all the ladies who were able to get out and about right after surgery and still feel good and I thought......... ahhhh to be young again.

I'm not a revision patient, but just wanted to say that as long as you keep on top of taking your vitamins, deficiencies are pretty rare. There are some people whose bodies don't absorb oral iron well who have to get occasional iron infusions, but most of us absorb it just fine. Otherwise, I really don't hear about deficiencies except for people who don't keep on top of their vitamins. I don't think that lack-of-restriction thing is universal. It probably depends on the person.

@summerset how are you doing with your revision ? You are almost 3 months out and had the by pass if I remember correctly ? How is your strength at this point ? Are you able to eat solids well and how much are you eating at one time ? Do you feel like you have restriction if you are eating Beef, chicken, seafood, pork ect ?

Hi everyone ! I am due to have my band out on 7th July and then a sleeve revision in oct/nov. I am so nervous and have an overwhelming fear of dying. I'm 27 year old and although I want this more than anything I'm terrified !! Was anyone else like this? X

Oh, Beth! Don't apologize! The funny part about all of this is that we all pretty much agree. In fact, I had a quite a long response written out to your post agreeing with most everything you said, and pointing out those areas. In another thread recently, WasaBubbleButt pointed out that sometimes what I say gets a bit lost in the way I say it, and I quite agree with that. In this case, I was merely incensed at the idea that what MIGHT be good advice should be ignored. That's pretty much it. People think I have a "Bypass Bias", because I HAVE a Bypass. That is so untrue. My ONLY bias is that people get it right the FIRST time,....because I didn't, and i really suffered for it. As far as my story, i'll PM you on that. It's quite interesting what happened, but people like to try and pick it apart...I saw that happening in THIS thread, which is why i decided to post a response other than the one I had written to you. "I got a fuller understanding of why a certain procedure might be recommended, how each one has its differences that may work for or against the patient" Yes, the procedures are very different, and my hope is always that people will choose the right one for them the first time out. A revision can be an ugly thing. People often think that the Lap Band is the "easier, less invasive" way , but it's not always the RIGHT way. Restriction and Malabsorbtion are two entirely different things, meant for different eating dysfunctions. I would characterize it this way. Say I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. But I say that instead of obtaining the best treatment for Pancreatic Cancer, I’m going to have the Treatment for Skin Cancer instead….because it’s less invasive, and more “comfortable” and “convenient”. Now, I’ll still get SOME benefit from the radiation and other protocols for the Skin cancer…..but it’s not the best treatment, and won’t ultimately give me the best results, because Skin Cancer is NOT what I have. It's the same with Band/Sleeve vs Bypass/DS. People who NEED the Malabsorbtion MAY benefit somewhat from the restriction of the band/Sleeve, BUT it's not the best solution, not at ALL. And it ultimately ends in Revision, or no weight loss. Elisabeth, by the way, put it very well, as did Restless, Unforgettable, Nanook, and others. I am NOT saying that one procedure is better than another, not at all. My "message" is simply that people need to choose what is CORRECT for their situation. That Might be the Band. That MIGHT be the Bypass. Or, it MIGHT just be less Ice Cream.:ohmy: HH

Hi, I was banded August of 2009 and got pregnant 4 months after my band. However I have been pretty successful in my weight loss total of 65lbs of the 110lbs I want to lose. However in January I started to notice I could eat much more and really started to have a lot of reflux esp at night. After fills and unfills to try and adjust my band we did the swallow test and my band slipped down. My doctor took out all my fill and now I have to wait a few weeks and see if my band reposition itself properly. If it does not I have to decide whether or not to just remove my band or have it revised. Both require surgery again. I was just wondering if anyone out there has gone through the same thing and what was the outcome of the removal or revision. Thanks for any input.

first thing remember you are human hunny......I always had a little something here or there for my cravings, would buy fat free ice cream or yoghurt...etc. I call it head hunger. It is not that your body is craving food, your brain is wanting comfort is something that is supposedly naughty...Take the naughtiness out and the guilt hunny by saying I can find something that is low fat, low sugar that will ease my cravings....For me this was a life change and a total change of what I eat, but I have taken the guilt out of my eating as it was sending me insane.....I have a little of things that I enjoy. With my first banding before the revision, I had gone from 209kg (459 pounds) to 149kg(327 pounds) in just over 13 months. I predominantly ate well and looked after Lola, but there were times that I had a little chocolate, a little ice cream or indulged in something I really wanted.....go gently hunny, think of what you would say to your best friend in the same position.....and then think that of yourself!! xoxo good luck

Hey DL I have been post op for 8 yrs & sometimes I refrain from sharing my experiences because for some, the bad and ugly is not acceptable. I have had a great run but for the past 2 yrs have struggled, some due to lack of discipline & some due to a dialated anastamosis. I will be having a revision on August 20th & have joined this group to hopefully learn new things from great people like you that always have good, sound and positive advice!

@Tracyringo Eating seems to be a bit more problematic atm. The MGB seems to be "more forgiving", so to say. But then again maybe I can't remember some issues I had during the first months after MGB. When I eat too fast or too much or too heavy foods I get a stomach ache. Can be from mild to wanting-to-crawling-up-the-walls. I never had that with MGB. However, my stomach is quite a primadonna since years so please take this answer with a grain of salt. The worst are dense high-protein/fat combinations. It's almost a guarantee for at least mild issues and a brick like feeling in the stomach. These things are very individual though. It makes me remember what one of the dietitians said to a fellow patient: "I can't tell you what to eat or not to eat. You have to find out what foods you tolerate or not. I can recommend eating dairy and chicken but when dairy makes you feel queasy and chicken makes you vomit the advice is worth nothing in the end." Regarding restriction: for me it's stronger than with the MGB right now but I guess in some months it will be about equal. Mind you, the revision was less than 3 months ago. Hunger signals are the same, they're very mild. I was supposed to start on solids three weeks after surgery in stead of four weeks. I was quite glad I could progress to solids a week earlier but have to say progression was less easy this time. While I struggled through the liquid/puree phase this time I also don't think it would have been possible to start solids earlier than this. I had awful cravings this time for "normal" foods like tofu with rice, cucumbers, whatever... Some people suggested this was because I was already at a normal weight when I got revision so maybe you're going to experience something similar, no idea. How much I can eat varies from meal to meal and that feels kind of frustrating. What's too much and causing issues one meal might be the right amount or even not enough the next time. In general foods with a high water content (e. g. fruit, raw vegetables) I tolerate best and usually don't cause issues so cherry tomatoes berries and grapes are favorite snack foods right now. I don't eat meat so I can't answer only part of your question. Strength and the like I'm hesitant to reply because I had not only the revision but also another little surgery regarding trocar hernia. The upper abdominal wall still feels strange when I exercise but in the end it was the fifth laparoscopy plus trocar hernia surgery, so I guess I simply have to be patient. I also feel quite stressed and exhausted these days because of work, lots of rather sh*tty 24 h shifts and on-call duties. I'm glad I'm going on vacation on Saturday for two weeks. After that I'm going to re-evaluate what might be surgery related and what might be stress related.

I had my band removed and revised to a sleeve done at the same time. I went home the same day at 4 pm. I had an easy recovery. Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

Revised 5/9. Lost 12 lbs pre-op and since 5/9 have lost 6 lbs (all in one week, a week ago) and have gone back up 1.5 weeks. I'm at 183.4 now and my goal is 155. I'm so freakin frustrated I want to cry and scream simultaneously. I've been told it's because I'm so close to goal but I've seen others close to goal lose 20-30 lbs already. What is wrong with me?!?!?!?!?! Am I being perfect, no. But certainly not bad enough to warrant this. I'm glad that I'm rid of the band - I think going over a month without throwing up is quite an accomplisment after 3 years with the band - but I did hope to lose weight that I wasn't able to lose with the band. I just can't fathom failing at something that really should be failproof. My stomach is smaller for goodness sake! I had a Cobb salad for lunch at work yesterday and this is a salad I would have finished in 15 minutes even with the band but it was my lunch, dinner, snack inbetween and I still threw 1/4 of it away. I hate to say this, but the brownies are looking pretty good right now, now losing anyway right? UGH. So disgusted with myself.

I’ve had 3 surgeries since August 2020 which was my VSG to RNY revision. For that one I was told to quarantine and only leave the house for work…. I work in a hospital 😂🤷‍♀️. For the other 2 they were emergency surgery I was already in the hospital as a patient when I had what’s called a “rapid Covid” done so no quarantine needed.

Trying to better understand the risks and complications associated with band/sleeve conversions. I understand from one doctor I spoke to that there's a greater risk with revisions. If you've had any complications, no matter how minor - or no complications, I'm looking to learn: how long did you have your band? did you have a lot of complications with your band previously - e.g. that's what would have led to lots of scaring, etc If you didn't have any excessive band complications, did your sleeve surgeon say you had a lot of scaring from the band? I think I"m just trying to get to whether or not there's a great chance of scaring if you've had your band longer (I've had mine for just over 5 years.

My revision was 12/29/12. I was banded in march 2007, lost 70 lbs. had a baby in late 2010, and the band never worked after delivery. Imaging was "normal". I tried to get it working again but when it became obvious that it just wasn't, I pursued revision. After surgery, my surgeon told my the band had somehow become unclasped and was just loose. I believe this happened when I was in labor. I asked him about scarring, and he said all band revisions have scarring, some more than others. Mine wasn't terrible because the original surgeon didn't sew my stomach over my band. Anyway, my sleeve is working, and other than post op nausea I have had no troubles so far. Very minimal post op pain, never even filled my rx for oxycodone. I spent 1 night in the hospital. My revision was all in one surgery. Hope this helps, good luck!

It's a good thing that I moved ahead with the revision. It turned out that my band had slipped and I had some stomach prolapse. Also, I needed an additional hiatal hernia repair. Keep in touch and I'll let you know how recovery goes. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Had my consult with the bariatric surgeon. He said that sleeve or bypass are both possible after esg. Sleeve would depend on the anatomy of the stomach and could only be done if the stomach had dilated or stretched a lot since esg. He did also add that if the esg did not work for me then a sleeve may also not be as effective. The only way to see what would be best is to do a gastroscope and decide after this. He did say that as this is considered revision surgery, a leak from a sleeve or bypass would be higher risk and that his preference is most likely a bypass but would wait until after a scope to further discuss this with me and decide. As for now, I have lost 15kg in 2019. Hoping not to need surgery but glad to have a plan to move forward if I do. Mel xx

I have posted in another thread in the ESG subforum a link to an article for regarding successful ESG revision to sleeve, but there seems to be some talk about surgeons not wanting to do sleeves due to the suture anchors and they seem to prefer doing bypass revisions for ESG. On an ESG facebook group I belong to, there is a surgeon who posts occasionally and it was something he mentioned when someone asked the question. I will see if I can find it.

I have not had my RNY revision surgery yet but if I were you I'd see if you can get someone as a standby in case you need anything. I have seen ppl on here that did great and a few that needed backup. Just to be safe keep a phone nearby and ppl in case you need them. Keep phone number s handy. Good luck with your surgery and keep updating your progress. Allie