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AdeptDreamer, As others have said, I would encourage you to conduct as much research as possible to make the right decision for you. There is an entire band to sleevers forum that you might want to check out. I have a band and am revising to a sleeve. I can hardly wait for my surgery on July 9. There certainly are people who have experienced success with the band. I lost about 60 pounds in the first year that I had it, but it was a challenge. I never got even close to goal. I hated the way the band would tighten for no reason and you wouldn't be able to get things down. I hated that even though food would stop in my chest and my pouch would be full, I would still be hungry. I hated the constant fills and unfills trying to get go my sweet spot, which I never did, and I hated the expense of all of that. I hated the sliming when least expected. If you feel the band is right for you, get as much information as you can. But I regret that I put this foreign body inside me and pray each day that when the doctor goes in to revise it, there won't be any damage.

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!!!

Hi, I'm waiting on my insurance to approve my band to RNY revision. They have approved my port revision (three months ago - which I had to wait on pre-existing condition clause) until now to have. I was banded April 11, 2008 by Dr. John Bagnato, Albany GA. Assessment day I was at 271, with a pre-op diet I went into Surgery at 259 pounds. By my first fill I was down about twenty pounds - or perhaps I should say attempt at a first fill - my port had flipped. So I had to schedule revision surgery, which I had in July. I think lost an average of 15 pounds a month. I found out right after my revision surgery my husband was having an affair - emotionally I was a wreck but I think it gave me a push. By November I was down to 214 (my lowest weight). I worked out, followed all the rules - strictly and even ran in a 5k. My marriage continued to deteriorate and by December I asked for a divorce. We separated in February. I ended up moving to my hometown in Florida (four hours away) in March. It never dawned on me the impact of moving to another state would have on my health due to my band. I ended up getting sick and had to get an unfill a few months after moving to Florida. I went back to Georgia for one fill which I had to have removed due to esophagous spasms. When my divorce was final in October 2009 I lost my benefits. I quit my job when I left and it took me four months to find a job (and it didn't offer benefits). But with two small children to feed I didn't feel I had much choice. So no doctor, no follow-up. I tried to find a doctor in Florida to see me, closer than four hours away. No one would take me. I tried everything. I finally found a doctor in Pensacola that would see me. He was able to put in 1cc (I have a 10cc band) in November 2010. I went back in March for my second fill and he couldn't access my port. By the way my port is in my chest, stitched to my left breast muscle). He said it has to be moved. We filed the insurance and they denied me due to pre-existing condition (June 2010 is when my insurance took effect, so I had to wait until June 2011 for anything related to my band). In May I started having port pains and reflux issued - I had an upper GI done. I have mobility issues in my esophogus and some erosion...so I'm told that the band has to come out. I had an appointment Wednesday of this week with him. He confirmed it and we discussed alternatives. I had been reseraching the RNY for a few weeks (once he told me bye bye band)...so now I'm waiting on insurance approval. I'm curious how many of us are out there? and if it is specific to the doctor or type of band? Is there a specific timeline when the failures/complications begins. For the longest time I blamed myself - thought I'd done something wrong. It appears after getting back on LBT (after a two year departure), I'm not the only one. I really hope this RNY site takes off...looking forward to talking to everyone...

i ha the bands, was revised to the sleeve and now the bypass. with the sleeve, i had severe reflux and vomited many times a day. that is all gone ive had some other issues with intermittent abdominal pain that they are working on now. but it is still better than what i experienced with the sleeve

I am going through the steps now for the revision. I to have reflux real bad. I had it before the sleeve and now it is unbearable. One thing I didn't know about before having it in 2012. The surgeon is doing a barium swallow on Thursday to see how much damage is done. I always thought I was alone. Good to know it's not in my head. Lol

I was a revision so I had a bit of a different mindset. I spent a long time debating both, whether I deserved another chance at WLS, and also if I could even be successful after failing once before. But I do think that going back and forth is fairly common. Even when we know we need to do something to save our lives, I would question the sanity of the person that didn't at least give a 2nd thought to removing 85% of a major organ! Now, I would never look back and couldn't be happier, but I certainly spent plenty of time questioning my decision too, just in different ways!

I've been on every diet known to man. Thats why I was banded, so I wouldn't have to diet again. I lost 104 lbs eating whatever I wanted, just much less of it. That being said: Last year my band slipped (what happens when u eat too fast and vomit almost every meal). After many unfills/fills/tweaks, it herniated. I had a sleeve revision 4 mths ago. I kept my philosphy about dieting. I eat everything (bread, potatoes, Pasta, Cookies, etc) but a very small amt. Now, THAT being said: I'm now stuck at 153. The scale hasn't budged in 2 mths. Haven't gained (thank God). I've been reevaluating my diet, trying to figure out how to get to the elusive "GOAL". Guess I'm gunna have to start counting something (be calories, carbs, whatever) and eat my words of wisdom "Eat everything, just a few bites of it" cuz it's not working anymore. My goal is to maintain until after the holidays. The, I will start counting calories and watching the crap I put into my mouth. Sample of my food intake (yesterday) 8:30 am: 1/4 pumpkin bagel with whipped cream cheese and coffee with sf creamer 12:00: Handful of chocolate covered almonds 1:00: About 10 pineapple chunks (guestimate since I didn't measure it) 3:00: 1/3 of an In and Out cheeseburger (without onions, that might save 4 calories!), maybe 12 fries 6:30: About 5 bites of shake and Bake chicken breast, about 8 bites of mashed potatoes and maybe 5 bites of cooked carrots 9:00: About 10 bites of reheated mashed potatoes from dinner (with chicken gravy) 10:00: A handful of Cheese Its and a small handful of Cinnamon Life Cereal Did I mention the glass of red wine I have everynite also? Far from healthy. But it's also probly under 1200 calories (I occasionally will count on my fitnesspal and I rarely go over 1200). Ok, where was I going with this? Oh yeah. My philosophy: It WAS eat everything, just small amounts. Now that it's ceasing to work, I guess I'm gunna have to step up my game and actually count everything that goes into my mouth if I want to reach goal.

Im getting most in without issue the soup helps to mix up No heartburn obe weekout second revision

I am in the same process. My sleeve dilated during pregnancy (I was not overheating) it was a difficult pregnancy. The weight I gained I have not lost and my gerd is horrible. So I went in for a the upper gi and barium swallow a few weeks ago and he determined that I have severe gerd and a dialated sleeve, which he says he has seen in several post pregnancy sleeves. I am scheduled for an endoscopy the end of May. In the meantime, they are contacting my insurance regarding revision. I have BCBS Federal, I am not sure if I will have to go through all the requirements again. So just waiting. Good luck to u.

Has anyone had revision to a surgical Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy with a non-surgical Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty? If so, what was your experience like? Where did you have it done? Who was your doctor? Cost? Thanks!

can i ask why you’re getting a revision? I felt no restriction with the sleeve, only lost about 20 pounds and then gained it back. I also developed GERD

April 17 revision from sleeve to bypass due to GERD

I'm currently waiting for a phone call to schedule my surgery date. I'll be getting a revision from sleeve to bypass for severe GERD at Kaiser Richmond. Look me up on Instagram if you all want to keep in touch there. I have a personal and a WLS account, here's both: bubbz333 (personal) & vsgbubbz (WLS). I'm much more nervous about the surgery this time around so it would help to have some people to talk to that are going through the same thing.

Hey folks, She probably won't be here for a few days, but Rachele is having a LapBand-to-DS Revison today. She did great with the band at first, but then had complications. She tried to make it all work, but decided that enough was enough and that it was time to move on. For those who are not aware, the DS is the most extensive of the usually performed weight loss surgeries, but has much greater success rates than the others. (Yin and Yang and all that.) The surgery itself requires a much more experienced surgeon and there are not really many DS surgeons in the country. When she is finished with the surgery, there is a long recovery period, with rapid initial weight loss...about 30% of excess weight is gone in the first couple of months, and by six months post-op, it's closer to 50% of excess weight loss. There are lifelong malabsorption issues and routine labs must be done and Vitamins and supplements MUST be taken religiously. The payoff is about a 75-80% excess weight loss, maintained over five to ten years post-op (maybe longer) and a 99% cure rate for type II diabetes. More info is available here: http://duodenalswitch.com/ Anyway, you can see Rachele's before and after LapBand photos in her profile and, if you are so inclined, I think you can send a PM or something through there as well. Sue

Well guys, I am 1 day out of my revision surgery. My doctor found that the tubing from my port was rubbing against my diaphragm and that was causing my shoulder pain. My dr told me that when he was a generalist, when a person had a car wreck, and they were hit in the side, to determine if they had a spleen injury, because the spleen is directly associated with the diaphragm, they would ask if you had left shoulder pain. So, maybe you guys can get relief. I show hope I do. Good luck!

Same! I was over filled which cause me to get stuck so often that my band slipped. Chronic acid reflux is a sure sign of a slipped band. I had an X-ray, an upper GI and still my Dr said it was what I was eating. I finally begged him to look at it again and sure enough, a slipped band. He did a revision surgery 2 months ago and instant relief. Now I have to start all over but what a relief. There is nothing worse than constant stuck feeling, not being able to eat and still have acid reflux.

hi all i had a gastric band fitted in nov 2012 and have had numerous problems , fills and defills and even a period of 18months with nothing in my band , i decided to start again in april this year and have fills but having got to 5mls have had to have two defills putting me now at 4mls . i never know from one day to the next how my eating will be , one day i can be pretty ok and the next i may struggle with a yoghurt . i have after some time enquired about revision surgery from my band to the gastric bypass and have plucked up the courage to book a consultation to discuss it properly , i am also seeing my gp this coming tuesday with a view of mentioning it to her amongst other things . i have struggled with my weight pretty much all my life and not a day goes by when it is not in the forefront of my mind , i also suffer with depression , weight being a large part of that since being subjected to bullying re my weight at senior school . So sad am i my favourites tv programmes are about weight loss , especially dr now ! can anyone tell me of their experience with revision in this way , what type of things do you manage to eat ? do you struggle with salads and fruit like me ? is it a case of you plate is a side plate size or smaller but no food groups are a major issue like with me , sorry if this all sounds silly things to ask but i struggle with the heathiest of things which is just miserable and mad , any tips , experiences and advice would be most grateful . thankyou x

i get my revision from sleeve to bypass on tues if you want to keep in touch i'll tell u all about it.

@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 ?

@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'm going to be really honest here. I had a band and many problems with it and due to those problems I revised to a sleeve. Even with band problems we still have to watch food choices. If you lost 20# in all that time maybe restriction alone isn't going to cut it for you. A sleeve is just another restrictive procedure. Sounds like you might want to consider bypass for a few reasons. If your reflux is due to the band then removing the band will help. If your reflux is not due to the band than a sleeve could make it worse. Bypass will fix the weight issue as well as reflux.

Momof2boys, I'm a bit confused did you have your lap band removed? Did you revise to any other surgery? Let me know, Nancy.

i am in the process of having the revision to RNY.how was the recovery/

From the little bit of research I've done on revision surgery from band to sleeve, you can still fail with a sleeve if you don't make proper choices in food. Go to the bottom of this page and click on VerticleSleeveTalk.com. There is a subsection just on band to sleeve revision. Just like band, sleeve surgery is not an obesity cure, it is still up to the individual to make the proper choices to make the band and/or sleeve work.

I had the band for over 6 years, didn't have any major issues, I got stuck a lot, leafy greens hurt to eat, stalled out with the weight loss really hard. It just wasn't working. The Barium swallow and fluoroscope didn't show any issues, but when my surgeon went to take the band out, it was 100% completely encapsulated in scar tissue. It took them 3+ hours to get it out when it normally takes less than an hour. I'm glad I was revised to the bypass, who knows what would have happened if I left that band in there.