Search the Community

Oh Melinda...I'm so sorry that you've had complications. I'm 16 months post banded and have had much success. Posts like yours worry me that things can just as easily go wrong for me as well. I see that you mention that you had no warning or other complcations. Did you get regular follow up with the surgeon's office? I don't know what I'll do if my band goes south. It saved me and I can't imagine not having it. Please keep us posted on how you are doing and if you revise to another WLS.

Rapid weight gain/loss will affect your flow, I've gained 30lbs in 5months due to lap band complications causing me to miss a period. I freaked because I'm being sleeved the 10th and was afraid I was pregnant and would be able to get the revision. It's the same with weightloss plus keep in mind how dehydrated you are compared to before the surgery.

I also has the sleeve done 3/2015, lost 155 and gained back 40. I went back to my Dr because of gerd and no restrictions when eating since 3 months post op. I have cigna, they approved and I am now waiting on the dr office to schedule the surgery. I would love to find out what the average weight loss is for sleeve to bypass revision....

I had the gastric sleeve in December 2012. I lost 100 lbs but have since gained back 55 Lbs. I have extreme GERD, have been hospitalized for Ulcers. i went and met with the doctor and he recommended doing the bypass to alleviate my GERD and other issues. i am now waiting on my ins approval. Has anyone else had this procedure done? did it relieve your GERD and how much additional weight did you lose?

I've been unfilled three times, once for my body lift and twice for port revision surgery, and each time, the restriction level to get to my 'sweet spot' changed. I have needed increasingly higher levels of fill to achieve the same restriction. Mind you, even people who have never been unfilled but who have had the band for a few years start to find that they move out of the 'green zone' and then have difficulty finding it again. But don't be alarmed that you're up to 5cc. I currently have 9cc in my 10cc band, and have had 10cc in it before. You have some room yet to find the right level of restriction again.

I had lapband to sleeve revision and sorry to rain on your parade, but I am complication free. I have had NO problems and only wish I had done this last year. getting sleeved was one of the best things I could have ever done. EVER.

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. How long have you had your band? How many times did it slip? What will you revise to? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm genuinely interested. We never know when going into this, what may happen down the road.

Dr thinks I shouldn't have any problems with approval It's a revision not putting in a band I just lost so much weight cause I waited too long to call dr

Got really dehydrated...food not staying down fluids either Had 3 bags of fluids yesterday. I'm 5"5' down to 113 lbs about passed out at Drs office I'm feeling much better but get worn out easy. Waiting for ins to approve revision I am hoping I get approval by Nov 13 they have me on the Roster.... Anyone been in my place? How long did u take off after? I feel really stupid!

I am bipolar and was approved for my sleeve surgery in 2014 and then again for my bypass revision this year. I think they mainly care that you are stable and medication compliant, and that you aren't in crisis or neglecting treatment for mental health issues that would derail your success with WLS. I was able to use my own psychiatrist to do my insurance approval, and I believe he just wrote a letter explaining that I am in treatment and that he didn't have any concerns with me having the surgery. It's up to the insurance company what kind of clearance they will accept, so maybe call them directly to get the requirements. I also discussed potential malabsorption issues with my psychiatrist and came up with a plan for liquid medication immediately following surgery. My biggest obstacle was having a hard time with the liquid lithium that I was prescribed. It made me queasy and sometimes vomit, and so for a few weeks I wasn't getting enough medication. Luckily, it didn't seem to adversely affect my mood but I would recommend talking to your doctor about these sorts of things and having a plan for getting your medications to work.

@@kath17 There is a specific forum for "Band to sleeve conversion" in case that's useful background info for you. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/394-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/

Hello everyone! Haven't ever posted on here so I might be a little shy or nervous! Lol Just getting back on YouTube (where I first documented my journey) and saw all the rough stuff everyone has been through.. I had a slip and they were able to fix it by just removing saline. A couple of months went by and the same thing happened. I ended up having revision Surgery on Dec 2nd. The doctor wanted to do it in 2 steps but my insurance company wouldn't go for it. After he got it approved for me to get a sleeve he ended up doing 3 surgeries in one. I had my band removed, a sleeve, and a huge hiatal hernia fixed/removed. It was the most painful thing I have ever felt in my life!! Today I am 5 days post op and dying for some food that I could chew!! I snuck two saltines and chewed, chewed, chewed... Anyone ever had a problem with this? I'm gonna try to keep posting regularly! Thanks for reading!! Stay strong and healthy!! Cris

oops, now I see that you haven't had surgery yet. So let me revise that to say if you find a new PCP, let them know you are in the process of getting approved for surgery. If you have other medical issues, or are on meds, it's a good idea to have your PCP involved, I think, but if you don't you may as well go to a new one the next time you need an annual and let them know then.

OK, so I started my pre-op on 12/14/12, my LB surgery was 12/28/12. I've lost a total of 45 lbs so far since 12/14/12. Well, I saw my PCP on Monday 5/6. I had not seen him since February 6th. The first words out of his mouth were, you only lost. 8 lbs. since I last saw you, that's not very much. I wanted to cry, here I am thinking wow, I've lost 45 lbs in 5 months, that's pretty good or so I thought. Mind you, my band is not working because my port flipped and I'm going for revision surgery, Fri., May 10th. Anyway, I was kind of feeling down because of my primary care physician's remarks. I have no feeling of restriction or the sweet spot since my port flipped. My surgeon said he will give me a fill on Friday after he corrects the port. Just curious, am I over reacting by my PCP's comments

@@kath17 There is a specific forum for "Band to sleeve revision" in case that's useful background info for you. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/394-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/

First of all, I am so sorry I don't have much else to add here except I doubt the Biggest Loser metabolic crash would happen to you because WLS isn't as severe as the BL diet/exercise regime. What they do to those poor people on the show is stress their bodies so much and to such extremes that the damage is irreparable. Makes the lap band look like a gentle treatment relative to that. I'm sorry you cannot get a revision. I would try to petition with your insurance company (if your first surgery was covered through insurance). Just try to do your best not to gain any more weight. Do you use a fitness/calorie tracker? Find out what your basal metabolic rate is and do your best to stick within the calories you need to stay as you are. That would be the strategy I'd take.

Wow it seems everyone is doing awesome I forsure have hit a stall had a band to sleeve revision on 2/12/13 I was 248 at my consultation started my pre op diet surgery day 227 and now I'm 213 I feel like I am a slow loser been bored so I've been hitting the elliptical with no incline for 30 min hard to get ally protein in just don't feel hungry and don't want to force it I hope the stall ends soon I'm so proud of everyone though !!! You all are amazing !!

In Northern Kentucky Getting sleeved 12/28/15 by Dr. Trace Curry!! So nervous, it's a band to sleeve revision and I know it can have additional complications

As someone who was banded and then had a band slip, then opted for revision with plication... I just wshh I had done banded plicaiton from the outset!!! If band with plication isn't an option, please look at gastric sleeve. I didn't research the sleeve because I didn't want something that wasn't reversable... after having the band alone, I am a firm believer that weight loss surgery is great... and I hope to never have to struggle with weight loss without one tool or another!

That makes 2 of us, if is something that will help and is available then why not do it. The clinic should've mentioned it instead of waiting for a slip revision and offering it then...thats if its even available here in AZ :/

Hi Just to add what my doc said regarding GERD/heartburn and WLS- I asked specifically as I've been treated for GERD for many years- he said that while there is a chance that reflux may appear or worsen with the sleeve, in his patients, he's only had 3 that needed revision to RnY because of that. I feel confident in going ahead with the sleeve, as weight loss itself may improve my reflux dramatically. Good luck with your decision- as long as it's a fully informed one, it's the right decision for you.

Not a nurse, just a regular "Joe" here, lol. I originally had the band, and had it done in the US. My insurance didn't cover it, but I had received a small inheritance that just covered the cost of the surgery. When my band started giving me problems, I knew I had to have it out and revise to the sleeve. I had spent a great deal of time on the forums, doing research and felt very comfortable in my decision to go to Mexico. Price wise, it just made sense. And, when doing my research, I actually found most of the surgeons were just as well trained and experienced, if not more so, than many of the US ones. As far as the risks, everyone has to be realistic about this, it doesn't matter what type of surgery you are having, there are going to be risks. This isn't minor surgery we are talking about. What is important is that you do your research, talk to actual patients of the surgeons you are considering and weigh the risks against the benefits. For me, I knew there were risks for complications, but, statistically speaking, they are rare. I was borderline diabetic, my weight was causing additional stress to my back problems to where just walking was becoming difficult, and there was a strong history of heart disease in my family. My chances of death to complications from obesity far outweighed the risks of surgery. To me, it was a no-brainer, I needed the surgery. In terms of when a doctor loses a patient, well, here are my thoughts. It saddens me when that happens, it is awful for the family, and everyone involved. However, I think if you honestly look at it realistically, there aren't many surgeons who have been in the business for any period of time that haven't lost a patient. And, no, I am not just referring to weight loss surgeons, I mean surgeons in general. It is a fact of life, complications happen, deaths happen. We don't like to talk about it, but they do. When a surgeon loses a patient during heart surgery, gall bladder removal, cancer surgery or any other type of surgery, people don't freak out about it like they do with weight loss surgery. They don't all converge on a forum and discuss it, etc. They don't demand to know all the details, etc. To me, it is like they are oblivious to the fact that the same complications and risk that can occur with general surgery also exist with weight loss surgery, and are shocked when they discover they do. I am not saying we should ignore it when a weight loss surgeon loses a patient, or turn our heads the other way. I am just saying we need to go into this with our eyes wide open and understand the real risks involved. Do your research. Don't accept everything you read on a forum as fact, because let's face it, we all know one piece of misinformation can be put out there, then everyone else runs with it in a panic and the next thing you know, things are blown way out of proportion and nobody really knows the truth or who to believe. Call the surgeon directly. Speak with his patients who have already had surgery with him/her. Ask for their complication rates. Google them. Then, make your choice based on your own research, knowing you have learned everything you can, you have weighed the risks against the benefits and are confident you have made the best choice for you.

I was wondering if any who has the lap band has pain at the port site? I'm the process of having a revision with the gastric bypass because I plateaued about 7years ago and there a lot of issues with it like acid reflux, getting food stuck and then vomiting and having port pain too. I had the band since 2009 . Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app

Actually as a native Texan and one who grew up on the border I can tell you the cure to hot salsa is salt! No kidding. Of course, not so good if you retain Water and are supposed to watch your salt, but it works. My surgeon used to say no drinking during or 1 hour after but has since revised that to 15 minutes before, all during, and 15 minutes after. Meals are to take no longer than 30 minutes. I've tried eating without drinking and it isn't really bad. I agree with the poster who said you taste your food more!

I'm desperately looking for some advice...I really don't need negative feedback, please. A little about me--I was banded in May 2007. I lost 10-12 pounds on the PRE-op diet and NOT 1 POUND since then. I admit, I have not followed all the rules. I have made poor food and drink choices and I've not exercised. However, I can honestly say that the band has done its part in controlling my portions, which brings me to wonder why I haven't lost ANY weight. I am not perfect, and I don't ever plan to be; however, I have made enough changes that I should have seen SOME loss by now. I am very depressed and frustrated about this. I have recently made some changes - I am now making healthier choices (not perfect ones) and I am exercising 3-4 x per week. According to the scale and my clothes - I am GAINING weight! WTH? I'm at a loss here. I am seriously considering checking into either the sleeve or a mini bypass - neither of which I know a lot about. I know quite a bit about the gastric bypass - how does the mini bypass differ, if at all? Or is it just a terminology thing? I know very little about the sleeve, as well. I don't know what the likelihood is of insurance covering a "revision" WLS. I'd have to check into that too. But, for now, I'd just like to get information - and I really like getting firsthand info from those that have actually "been there and done that". Again, save your negative comments. I KNOW that the band is only a tool, and does not work alone. I KNOW that I haven't always "done my part". But, I also KNOW that the band isn't for everyone - and I think I may be one of those statistics.:biggrin: Thank you in advance for any help, advice, comments you can offer. Have a Safe, Happy, and Healthy New Year!:tongue: