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Bionic- This is truly one of the best posts I've read in a long time. I really appreciated the insight and I'm not even a revision patient. Amanda

Hi there! I am scheduled for Revision from lap band to gastric bypass on Dec. 12th. I am sooo nervous! I'm self paying so I'm going to Mexico, alone, for the surgery. Can anyone give me some information on how you are doing after your revision, like the recovery period and how much you have lost. I'm really nervous because I was a complete failure with the lap band and I don't want another failed surgery.

It sounds like someone in the surgeons office coded things wrong, and they are evaluating it as a weight loss revision rather than as complication revision

I'm 4 years post VSG and also looking at a RNY revision. I had significant GERD all my life. With my surgery I lost about 90 lbs, regained 40. have lost the majority of that using Keto but still, the GERD remains. Surgeon says RNY revision will cure the GERD. I want off of meds, which I've been on for 15 years. I understand the decision to consider a revision. There are many vets who have revisions for various reasons.

To be quite honest, you can cycle through all the prescription ppis until you hopefully find something that works, but at the end of the day if nothing works and you continue to reflux the only option is to revise to Gastric Bypass. It's mess to be honest and my acid reflux is slowly going out of control si in a couple of years if none of the meds work I will need a third wls. For now if you're not on prescription meds for acid reflux get your hands on some asap.

I also have Cigna my paperwork was submitted and one week later denied. This was last month. The denial letter stated I had not met their requirement for three month supervised program which was true. I thought n was told by surgeons office they would accept weight watchers. Well they do put if supervised by dietician or doctor. Also they stated I hadn't submitted letter from another doctor recommending surgery, Ian's giving clearance. I did have letter from PCP but apparently it was not good enough. I contacted my PCP n she I hope will call cigna to see what is needed. I had originally started a three month supervised program because I thought I had too so this was actually a good thing I will finish that on 18jan. Have to see behavioral, get revised ltr and hopefully will get approved!! I hope so I'm starting g to eat everything in site n at the rate I'm going ill be 20 pounds by end of January !!!

I agree, I had my band in Mexico 4/11 and when I decided to have a revision I had no problem deciding to come back to Mexico, my experience was far better for these 2 surgeries then any of my others in the us. The concern and care the nurses and dr have in Mexico by far out shine those who cared for me in the US.

Wow, I'm not hapf as interesting as you guys!! 1. Personal goal this month is first to learn what i can/cant do post surgery, also figure out how I'm going to go New Orleans for my birthday without indulging! 2. Surgery type - 1 week post surgery - Gastric bypass Revision to Partial Duodenal Switch (no shrinkage of stomach), 3. Weight and BMI - i have my 1 week post op appointment tomorrow so will know my weight then 4. Fun fact - Well apart from me turning 50 on 8/31, so looking forward to it! I guess, I'm a Candy crush fanatic and am currently at level 5405... I was also a gifted student when i was younger, not sure what happened 😁 but in 1988, i won the Y.T.S (Young Training Scheme) award for all of London and was given an award by the Lord Mayor of London and had to make a speech. At the time The Bank of Nova Scotia was a Sponsor, they asked me to come work for them, i started the following Monday and spent the next 18 years working for them, the best years of my life 😊😊

Thanks! I am cautiously optimistic that this revision will work for me. I am a bit scared about dumping syndrome. I need to research to find out what is going on to make you feel that way? It sounds awful although I know if may be weird but I hope the minute I try to cheat and eat crap food I get it bad! LOL

Protein drinks are a way to get a lot of protein in with very low carbs and moderate calories. Back when I was banded, I was not informed of the benefits of a high protein/moderate carb diet and did not use Protein Drinks. There are still surgeons who don't want you to drink your calories. I dunno, I am maintaining a pretty massive weight loss (half my starting body weight) and I still have 1/2 or 1 premier Protein Drink daily... usually in my coffee plus a few sips and I call it Breakfast. I am 4 years band to sleeve revision. I am not wild about ANY of them. The ones I could tolerate where premier chocolate or strawberry. The vanilla is vile but works as a base for a smoothie or a fake latte. For ones that start as a powder, I found the nectar Syntrax the only ones i could BEAR to drink. My my main complaint is they weren't very "satiating" as a person with a mature sleeve. They have lots of crazy flavors - the best ones in my opinion was the vanilla bean and I think the chocolate was okay. I don't use it anymore but I did during the weight loss phase. The best way to try the syntrax product is get their sample pack. It used to be you could get it for the price of shipping which was a great way to try before you buy. I recommend calling the company and asking. I bought my big jug powder of the vanilla bean from Amazon as that was cheapest at the time.

I'm in Alabama. Banded in November 2008. Was approved yesterday by insurance for revision to Sleeve due to complications with the band. Dr. Miles did my band and will also be doing the revision.

Had my lapband in Oct 2009. After a 100 loss and 2 1/2 yrs later, I started having severe nightime reflux. Was scared my dr would take out some of my fill so I just suffered. Finally after 4 mths my hubby talked me into going in. My band had slipped. They took out about 50% of my 10cc fill (14cc band) and no more reflux. So they started filling me 1cc at a time. At 2cc, the reflux began again. So they took out the previous 1cc they gave me and told me it was now up to me. My band was done with it's work. About 6 mths later, I was in the ER with extreme upper abdominal pain. I was taking 40 mg of Rx Prilosec 2x a day, OTC Zantac x 4 and Tums like candy. After my CT, the determined my band had herniated, about the worst "slip" u can have. Had an emergency total unfill and arranged for my sleeve revision 9 mths ago. U need to have the reflux checked out. I'm assuming that they've ruled out a slip? My primary care told me if left untreated, reflux can lead to esophageal cancer. It needs to be fixed, whatever u decide to do. So, so, so happy I had my revision. While I'll most likely be on PPI's forever (most sleeve patients are), I no longer vomit on a regular basis. Good luck to u!

3 things. 1) the sensations of having to defecate and gas are not the same as before the surgery. its harder to tell them apart. 2) the first night at home when you are in so much pain that you are about to go to the emergency room, go take a #2. 3) If you are having a revision from the band to the Switch, be prepared for them to only remove the band and do the switch and not do the sleeve portion. My second sergery for the sleeve portion is December 2nd.

Some people are very successful with the band, but knowing what I know now... the rate of failure, the rate of complications, slippage, rejection, etc and the difficulty most of my banded friends have with meat and other foods we're SUPPOSED to be favoring, I'd not have one. I also know a few folks who've had complications after the sleeve procedure, stricture, gallbladder, blood clots. The difference is, I don't know any sleeved person who's been damaged beyond repair after being sleeved. They've all recovered from their complications and would do it over again if given the choice. Unfortunately, I know a few folks who weren't so lucky with the band, having so much internal damage they needed revision to bypass or worse, or having continued problems after it was removed. It's true, the sleeve is an "irreversible" surgery. That is scary, but for me, lap band complications... much scarier and more frequent.

Congrats on keeping your band. ????And keeping weight off. It is not easy. There are some long term banders around these sites. Many have gone on to revision . I am closing in on 9 years and hope to have many more. It is a challenge to have the right restriction... Mine can change over time with no additional fills. I try to keep my fills low. But fight the weight game Hope you are well. I am much older, but same issues I would guess. Let me know

I guess i've never heard of a bypass being revised to a sleeve.

GO FOR THE SLEEVE!!! I made the mistake of not listening to my surgeon. Now, three years later after dealing with TOO many complications, he will be revising me to a sleeve. If I had known what I did three years ago, the Lap Band would have been the scarier route for me to go and I would have chosen the sleeve.

Do you happen to have a support group in your area you can attend? It's how I made the decision to go on ahead and get my band revised. (Hopefully the group you find, if you're able to, is as wonderful and supportive as the one I attend.) The people that are there have had EVERY version of WLS performed on them. I was leaning more toward going for the Roux-en-Y procedure, but after talking to others in the support group, along with my surgeon, I decided that the sleeve would be best in the long run. I wish you the best of luck!!!

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That's awesome. Keep me posted. I swear this is such an emotional roller coaster. One moment I'm excited the next scared out my mind of all the worst possibilities. Never imagined I would need a revision.

I thought that might be the case. Try going back to focusing on protein and cut out sliders. Go and see your surgeon and discuss with him/her how to proceed. You may need a fill or infill. I had the same issues and was told by my surgeon that he didn’t think I would be able to get my band to “ work” again. Apparently they have discovered that they have a limited lifespan and after a while they cause serious issues like oesophageal failure. I was suffering bad reflux with a limited amount of fill but was still hungry and putting on weight. I revised to RNY in Jan and am very happy. I have lost all my excess weight and my diet is now far healthier than with the band.

Gosh we’re so much alike. I read your other post about the fear. I’m going in this morning for my revision VSG to bypass. I was fearless for my sleeve but wide awake worrying right now. I too am worried that I’ll only lose 10-20 pounds.

As @catwoman7 said some of those changes you mentioned are just temporary. Like hair loss usually persists for about 3 months & your hormones settle once you’ve lost most of your weight (oestrogen is stored in fat so as you lose all the excess oestrogen is released into blood stream). Large weight regain can occur because of complacency & people slipping back into old eating habits. It can occur because how they were eating wasn’t sustainable &/or was too restrictive. It didn’t allow them to live their life as they wanted & hindered them doing what they enjoyed. Or they didn’t do the head work to understand & learn to manage their old eating behaviours & what drove them to eat. All things the surgery doesn’t do anything about. But it does give you the time to explore these factors. Also remember the average weight loss at about the three year mark is 60% of the weight that had to be lost. This can include the bounce back ‘resettling’ weight gain, complacency & adjusting to a more flexible eating plan. Or it could just be the weight your body is happier at. Sure there is always a chance to develop an issue that has to be monitored but it’s rare. Comparatively, there are very few complications from weight loss surgery. Some of the issues may not have anything to do with the surgery. I have a protein malabsorption issue. Not from my 3 yr old sleeve but from my gall being removed last year. (Malabsorption issues are very rare with sleeve.) I have low BP. I had a genetic predisposition before surgery now it’s all the time because of my lower weight not the surgery. Gerd is probably the highest risk after sleeve - about 15-20% I believe. But it can be managed or treated by a revision to bypass. Some issues may be revealed because you likely are being monitored medically more closely now then before or your weight & associated comorbidities may have been masking what were pre existing conditions. You’ll likely read & hear about people with problems because they they post to seek help & support. They don’t often post about what the cause was or the remedy. In comparison, people tend not to post or talk about their successes. I know many people who’ve had the surgery. No one has experienced long term or developed new issues because of the surgery. A couple regained most of their weight because they went back to their old eating habits. Certainly the benefits far outweigh any temporary side effects or the very rare problem.

Well, I am coming off my summer hiatus and am returning feeling successful after 11months with lap band and plication. My time away this summer has given me time to reflect and revise my plan as to where I want to finally be as far as my WLS journey goes. I just returned from a trip to Hershey Park with my 4 & 7 year old and am measuring my success in all new ways now. This is the first real get away vacation since I had my surgery last September. I went on rides and was much less fearful of the ride restraints not fitting….they ALL did! I was happy not to be that "fat mom" that I saw get off the roller coaster before the attendant came over to check that the restraint was locked….she could not get the restraint to lock and left her son to ride alone. I silently cried for that mom because that was me a year ago in Disney….but unlike her I was not brave enough then to even try that for fear of being embarrassed or embarrassing my kids. I am not judging her at all but I am glad that I am no longer in that situation, for myself and my kids. I often find myself looking at people (especially ladies and moms) and thanking the stars that I am no longer at "that point". I see myself in others now (the old me)…and although I am not judging anyone because I lived as obese for so so so many years but I find myself thinking…that was you….that is what you looked like…that is how you moved…that is how others saw you….it makes me feel sad at times. But as I look to the successes I've had Im happy to have lost 93 pounds in the past 11months. I look now at reaching that goal number I picked out of the air…off "those" charts that say what i "should" weigh given my age and height and I wonder if 140 is realistic for me. Although I haven't been online on this site I have been lurking around and reading all of these posts about stalls and not reaching your goal and its made me think….I've held the same weight for the past 3 months. I haven't been the poster child for lap band surgery….especially this summer….Im off for the summer and with that comes off schedule. I've enjoyed my summer SO much. I've eaten (sometimes too much and have felt it), good choices (although not always), I've even gained a pound….at first i cried and beat myself up over that pound than I got a grip….in the past…that would have been 10 pounds….i've basically maintained my weight for 3 months while eating and enjoying….what a success that is. People tell me I've lost enough and I look great. What they don't know is Im still about 190 lbs (almost 50 lbs from THAT goal number) and when I tell them that they all say "WOW--you look more like 160. I even had the plastic surgeon tell me how narrow I was…that was nice to hear. I watch people here torture themselves about getting to THAT number…and then they go below it and that is all and fine…but I realized that I am still successful w/o reaching THAT number. I want to eat like a real person and not worry that every morsel of food is going to put 5 lbs back on me. I want to live with food and enjoy it and not be in a constant state of panic….in my opinion there is WAY MORE to being successful than just reaching that number we assign ourselves. My successes lie here….. 93 pounds off my 5'4" frame Biking 12 miles Walking w/o knee or back pain anymore Going on amusement rides (even kiddie ones) with my kids and not feeling panic. Able to walk around museums/zoos etc for 6-7 hours w/o having to sit down every 10 mins. Looking in the mirror and LIKING who and what I see Fitting into size 12 pants and size 16 shirts Feeling ok w/myself to go consult w/ the plastic surgeon to remove the excess belly and skin Eating….good and bad at times Normal BP Not obsessing with the scale everyday Liking to shop for clothes Believe me…I could go on and on. Its been an up and down journey at times. And I don't beat myself up as much over my choices but its all still a learning process for me….and Im guessing it will be for quite some time. But it was nice to go off and live this summer…just to be me, and appreciate me, and cut me some slack….Im not perfect and I never will be…. BUT I AM A SUCCESS!! And it does not matter that i haven't met that ridiculous number that some chart tells me I SHOULD be. SUCCESS LIES HERE:

Hi everyone! I need to schedule a revision surgery from the Lap Band to Gastric Sleeve. Unfortunately, surgery wont be covered by insurance so i need to find a surgeon in south florida (miami/ ft lauderdale). Has anyone had the sleeve done is south florida? Who would you recommend and how much did you pay out of pocket? So far i heard about DR. MICHAEL CHOI with Strax Rejuvenation...Anyone have surgery done by him? What are his prices like? BTW- I live out of town but will be doing surgery in s. florida because my family is down there to help me with recovery.