Search the Community

Dr Joyce(main surgeon) /Dr Lahman, just completed my sleeve to bypass revision due to extreme GERD.

I hope all goes well in getting your revision to sleeve and that you are on your way to feeling your best soon.

@SeattleLady I agree that health insurance is terrible - we pay a lot of money for what? "kind of" like car insurance?? - pay a lot, one accident you are cancelled!! i've enjoyed reading your "tale of 2 cities" / tummies😂 your determination - getting approved - woo hoo excitement is a great emotion felt by most OP - i can only your imagine not knowing what and when things are happening - makes you upset/mad and a little crazy all at the same time - frustration about the "whats and when" of your revision. hopefully you will find out the "plan" soon, and things will go forward good luck kathy God Grant Me Patience, Just Hurry Up About It!!

I was banded on 2/27/12 I was 250 pounds at the time. The band was great for a while. My lowest weight was 186. Then I started vomiting for no reason. So I went to a gastroenterologist he had me do two hida scans on my gallbladder and said one came out bad and one good. So he kept pumping me with reflux medication. I was so worried because I’ve learned one thing is you can not vomit. Then after this long year of vomiting i went to my PC and he said it’s your gallbladder it needs to be taken out . I was like what! The other doctor wouldn’t. Well my surgeon who did my realize band took it out and behold it was a giant thing. During the whole year of vomiting I got to 186 pounds. However the band was damaged. So while taking out the gallbladder the band had to be revised and the port stitched to my muscle. Well that lead to other issues. Now I am back at 230.l and not happy. Now I am getting a revision to the sleeve. My PC had been on me for years to take the band out due to so many issues. My surgeon that did the band doesn’t even do it anymore so i had to find a new surgeon that will remove the band and do the sleeve. Hopefully I will be having surgery in a couple of weeks. I am nervous all over again!

I had it all done in one procedure removal and revision. The more incisional sites you have the more chance of a incisional Hernia. I Loved Loved Loved my band and then it slipped and all I did was throw-up. I have to say this has been great my stomach is still the size of an Egg and so much easier than the band. No more frothing or vomiting and the food does not get stuck. Not to mention appts for the fills. I had 1cc in a 4cc band, so not even full. I would not think twice about the conversion. I will say a lot longer healing process, the progression of food is slow. Its like the first week Lap band post-op when drinking was a full-time job. You honestly after a few sips were so full. Im 3.5 months out and at present I can handle about 40gms of Protein with food and drinks, and about 54oz of fluid. So it does go slower regarding recovery time. On the most positive I have only vomited once and it was my fault I took a big sip of protein drink and gulped it so it came back up. That was nothing compared to vomiting everyday with the band regardless of how much I chewed.

I had a sleeve and then, 8 months later, had to revise to RnY due to GERD. Believe me, you're better off doing the surgery just once.

Is best to go with bypass as there are so many ppl being revised to it from sleeve anyways for numerous reasons. One post I seen this lady had to be revised only weeks after sleeve. Yes the bypass is a little more complex but It is better for long term success !

That is very odd for a medically necessary revision due to GERD. Did the insurance company even read your history? Maybe surgeon can fight the six month wait?

Well, that was a horrendous experience. BUT, all is well now. My gastric sleeve was performed on August 12th 2019. All the pre-op stuff was fine and I was excited and looking forward to a quick exit on day 2. I notice that most of you are in the USA, which I am not so there are a few things we do differently. My blood's were all good and the day before my op I just had to ring the private hospital I was going to, to check on what time my admission was on the Monday. I was first on the list for the day so was taken to theatre at 0830am. I hopped onto the operating table myself, which was a bit weird, but I know some places do it this way. I was just trying not to stress and go with the flow! Cannulas were inserted into both hands and then off to the land of fairies I went. I am oblivious to how much later I woke, but I was in absolute agony and the Dr's struggled to get my pain under control. Eventually, after lots of vague voices/mumbling/crying, I must have zonked out again before being taken back to my room. Now the next 8 days are a bit jumbled and blurred. My family have clarified some things for me so I 'kind of' have a correct recollection of events. I was in constant and severe abdominal pain. I could not stop vomiting. I could not keep in 2.5ml of water per 5 mins. By Day 8 post-op, my Surgeon decided to do a Dilation via Endoscope because he had decided that I had a constriction. By this stage, I was on regular morphine, IV potassium (it had dropped due to the vomiting) and constant fluid balance. As you can imagine I was desperate and delirious by this point. I woke from the endoscopy....in the same pain, still unable to hold anything in. I'm not sure how soon after this I was transferred via emergency ambulance to the big local hospital and had a revision done, so have ended up with a '1 anastomosis bypass'. Finally being able to drink and keep it down was amazing and such a huge relief. Lots of other bits went on during all this as I had to have a midline catheter put in rather than the normal cannulae that you would have in your hands/arms etc, lots of medication tweaking, iv fluids, blood tests etc So you can see my abdomen day 1, then a few days later and then starting to fade well today All in the wrong order lol the middle pic is today. I also had a fall in the bathroom on the 20th and landed on the toilet, I only vaguely remember the fall and thought I had broken my ribs (obvs hadn't), then had no recollection of the fall for a few days lol! ANYWAY! Now the horror is over and I am finally home, I am tolerating protein fluids well, got my high protein milk made up and add it to my breakfast smoothie and tomato/chicken soup. Not so keen on the slight texture the protein powder leaves in my mouth but hey ho. I am super weak and wobbly and showering myself and getting my 'drinks' are my limit, but just trying to do a little more each time I stand up AND I must remember I had not 1 but 2 major ops plus all the stress and strain in between I am absolutely dying to taste REAL food and not thick claggy high protein things with so much sweetness. Even tinned soup is too sweet sigh I have my 2 weeks follow up with my surgeon and Dietician next week. Weight is falling off I have lost 15kg/33lbs to date

Hello Everyone, I was banded 2/27/2012. The band has been nothing but problems for me. My primary doctor has been wanting me to get this removed but I was scared. The doctor that did my lapband isn’t doing it anymore so I had to find another surgeon. I finally had my appointment with him and couldn’t be happier. I did loose some weight but back at 230. My lowest was only 186 in 2014. I am having a revision to the sleeve. Can’t wait for my surgery date but I am excited.

I had my revision on August 21st, so as of right now I’m one week post-op. I’m still having a lot of pain where they “did all of the work”. It’s almost like a burning/sharp pain every time I move or walk. Did anyone else experience this a few days after surgery? I know there’s going to be some pain during the healing process, but this doesn’t feel normal.

My surgeon said that an RnY on a "virgin" stomach is more restrictive than on a revision. However, adding the malabsorption is what would improve weight loss. This was why I chose the sleeve initially. I really didn't want to deal with malabsorption issues, but you gotta take it as it comes. Still no nsaids, though. Good luck with your surgeon appointment. Let us know how it goes.

I was sleeved in Feb. 2018, revised to RnY Oct. 2018 for reflux. I was taking the max dose of prescription omeprazole twice a day plus Tums, as needed. Still woke up sometimes with acid in my nose. I had not had reflux prior to the sleeve surgery. The RnY did completely resolve the GERD issue, but I miss the restriction I had with my sleeve. It was really tight, which I considered a good thing. I do have restriction with the RnY, but nowhere near as much. Regardless, I am happy I had the revision before I destroyed my esophagus and teeth.

Hello Sleevers, has anyone revised their sleeve to a bypass surgery? Can you explain how it went and how was the journey? I am seriously considering this due to a major increase in reflux after my sleeve. I went from taking a prilosec once in a while or when needed (before sleeve) to 2 doses everyday (post surgery) to stay reflux free. I feel I would had been a good bypass candidate due to my Gerd history something my surgeon did not inform me of nor did I know until further investigating. The bypass surgery disables gastric juices from flowing back up instantly relieving the need for PPI. I am overall satisfied with the sleeve however I am not too thrilled about the amount of PPI medication I now have to take due to its longterm side effects.

Hello August sleevers, my anniversary is on the 29th and I have lost 75lbs exactly in a year. I was 275 on surgery date and now I weigh 200. I feel very good for the most part except for my increase of acid reflux symptoms after surgery. Are any of us on any type of PPIs like Prilosec or Nexium due to reflux??? Since surgery I have been on 40 mgs a day to stay reflux free, I have started to take it to once a day. I suffered from gerd before this surgery but now with the sleeve acid reflux is more active even though I am thin now. I personally think I should had went with a bypass instead of the sleeve due to my Gerd history. I would like revise my surgery to a bypass to complete eliminate having to take any PPIs. Something these doctors are not telling us is the dangers of longterm use of PPIs.

Sooo, I did two consults last week. I went with the two first that didn't charge consultation fees. Even regardless of the fees, they were my top 2 choices from pics and reviews online. The good news is they both had nearly identical recommendations. They were both kind and professional, and I felt like they really listened to what I want. In speaking to the surgeons, here is my revised wants list Lower Body Lift - this would include tummy tuck, lipo, outer and front of thigh lift, monsplasty, and fat transfer for butt lift. Inner Thigh Lift - could be combined with LBL & would be a good compromise to have a concealed scar vs the more extensive scar of a medial thigh lift. Breast Lift & Augmentation - both surgeons said this would have to be a separate procedure, unable to combine with the LBL due to time under anesthesia & surgeon fatigue. Both did not recommend the teardrop gummy bear. They said it works better in theory than IRL, and I can get more natural results with traditional round silicone implant. Both said recovery time would only be 2 weeks of no traveling. So that makes it possible to just slip this surgery in sometime next year. But I will probably look for a plastic surgeon that specialized in BA/BL vs one who specializes in massive weight loss. BL/BA's are so common & i don't think my breasts are significantly different than a women's who had children & breastfed, I could find a more convenient and potentially less expensive option. The bad news is, surgeon #1's quote was INSANELY high. Like I could buy a small house in Kansas for that kind of money. Surgeon #2's quote was significantly less crazy, but still a big chunk of change. The more I look at surgeon's #2 pics, and after the consult, I'm leaning away from going with him. He only does weight loss patients. Therefore he does a lot of My 600 lb Life type stuff. He seems more focused on removing skin and fat, then true body contouring, if that makes sense? I just don't know if I would be aesthetically happy with my body afterwards. Contrast that with surgeon #1's extreme focus on aesthetics. I am confident I'd get the best results with surgeon #1, but the cost seems unreasonable. So I'm broadening my search to other surgeons in the country that specialize in massive weight loss. The LBL & thigh lift are not very common outside of post bariatrics, so I want a specialist for those. I contacted my #1 out of state choice for a consultation, and learned he is retiring and not scheduling any new surgeries The pressure is on to book a procedure. Understandably my December time frame is very popular, and I absolutely need to have my procedure done in a pretty small window due to wok commitments. I'm a little disheartened by the process right now

@Sheribear68 Dang girl! You are hitting it!! I'm glad to see a Feast Day in there. I think we all need a feast day at least 1 day per week--maybe more depending on what it takes to keep us either in maintenance or in WLM -- whichever reality is ours at the moment!!! IF sure seems to be your WL friend! Thank you everyone for chiming in and helping me work through the head work on calling GOAL! I decided yesterday that y'alls sage advice held merit. So I'm calling goal and revised it in my signature to 135lbs. Now whatever happens will happen. I will work to maintain and not regain. My 5lb window will be set between 130-135lbs. I know that sounds like it's only a "reframe" of goal 130lbs. But it's baby steps. I may later decide to make my 5 lb window be 135-140. I just know I feel better under 135. (Yes, I can feel those extra 3 lbs lol.) I actually made Goal #3 (135lbs) in July! I went back and looked when I first hit 135lbs. So I'm claiming GOAL! And I'm going to allow myself to celebrate the accomplishment!!!! TYTYTYTY for the encouragement and love!

What type of revision did you have?

I am wondering about these same questions. I too am revising on 9/12 due to gerd. One of the things that I do worry about is that section of stomach that can no longer be accessed. Anything happens in there and it would likely be awhile before it was found. I am so sorry that you are going through this but so glad that the cancer was found early. I too am dreading the darn liquid diet all over again. We have to remember that it is temporary though. I am going to follow your journey and wish you well.

Thanks Alex! I'll be having open revision surgery soon, due to a major obstruction and some ulcers + sliding hiatal hernia repair and adding a feeding tube. So, thank you for sharing your photos of your open surgery... eases my mind knowing that someone I know has already gone through it — you are a warrior!

Try an app called "1 Second Everyday: Video Diary" — You can do photos too. It does exactly what you want. Sends you reminders. You'll find some samples on YouTube for inspiration — haven't found any that are weight loss related though. I am planning to do the same as well. Scheduled for revision on 9/9/19. Can't wait to see yours and share mine!

Ok. Seems I misinterpreted how that was written and your revision process is different than what my Dr. is recommending for me. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I clearly said "revision of the sleeve & SA-DS" so, yes, the surgeon "touched" the sleeve. Considering I suffered with chronic constipation for 60+ years, "the bathroom" as not returned to "normal," whatever that is. The diarrhea is not occasional, it's several times a week &, usually, I cannot pinpoint a trigger. It's something I deal with & wish I didn't have to. I have not had any vitamin deficiencies. I do take 2 multivitamins, 4 calcium citrate & 50 mg zinc a day as well as additional vitamin A & D every other day. And I am certainly not actively posting.

Thank you for responding! Have you had to deal with any vitamin deficiency during this time? Curious also at this point aside from the occasional diarrhea has the bathroom returned to normal? Any foods that you must stay away from? Also did the Dr. do the revision without touching the sleeve? That’s what my Dr. is talking about doing. Finally differences between your self care/ tips for post Revision life for SIPs versus our original sleeve surgery? Thank you again for responding- I’ve only found one other actively posting person on this board with a VSG to sips revision that did not have the sleeve touched. :)

I have my revision in the morning. I been drink the treatment and I only have 2/3 down. Havent pooped much or even had urge. The juice is making me gag and fight the urge to vomit. Feels like constipation. What should I do? Only have about an hour before I stop drinking anything. Sent from my LGMP260 using BariatricPal mobile app