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Yes I do but I can't go back in time but hopefully will be able to revise to a different surgery that will work for me.

I revised diagnoses from my doctor two months ago and the first thing I did is research on hypothyroidism metabolic syndrome the second thing I did was research was VSG. Yup the VSG won! I've lost 100 plus lbs twice in my life and it's ALWAYS been a daily battle and now my thyroid. I'm so done! Glad to here weight loss is very possible.

Thank you! The time will go by super fast, before you know it you’ll be at 3 months. I feel like I’m a rather slow loser which is usually the case as a revision vs a first time wls patient. But as long as it’s still coming off it then it’s all good. Good luck to you, I’m sure you’ll hit 180-190 in no time [emoji4]

I was feeling the same way you were. Being on this board made me sad cause there's so many people who have little to no pain and I'm still on paid meds. My surgery was on July 8th and I am 5 days out. I am not a medicine taker but it's getting to the point if I have to leave the house I make sure to bring pain meds!!!! My doctor was so certain I wouldn't need them after day 2!!! So not true! I had a lot of pain in my right side. I am also a band to sleeve revise so I was wondering if that played a role as well. Good luck to you. Today is day 5 and I haven't taken any pain meds yet today so maybe day 5 is the breakthrough day! I was also able to sleep on my side last night!!! Hope all gets better for you. :-)

I am sorry that you are going through this what is your surgeon saying, is there nothing that they can do to correct this issue besides a revision, can they recheck to see id perhaps something is preventing you to hold down food, or perhaps your pouch needs to be open? I do hope that you get relief soon. Best of luck.

Hi, Mimi! Welcome. Here's my take, for what it's worth. (And I think it's worth a lot cuz I mostly copied it from coffee Wench and she knows everything.) With either surgery you will have to learn new ways to eat and deal with life. With the bypass, you WILL lose the weight, but you will gain it back if you don't do the learning. With the band, you have to make the changes to lose any substantial amount of weight. So, let's look at the "failures." Two years out, the unsuccessful bypass people lost and then regained and the unsuccessful band people never lost. And the unsuccessful bypass patients (it used to be 20%) have had massive, organ-rearranging surgery, and need a lifetime of supplements and have an increased risk of other health problems, while the unsuccessful band patients have a band that can stay, can get deflated or can get removed (sometimes with lap surgery, sometimes with open). There are, of course successful people with either surgery. But a far higher percentage of bypass patients have complications which require re-operating ("revisions") and/or OR visits. There are many people who have BMI's similar to yours and who are doing (or have done) well with the LapBand...including those who were much heavier than you. By the way, most surgeons who have done well with the bypass tend to prefer it. They think it is more successful because, after the surgery, they see only the patients with complications. Band patients take more follow-up care, and most US trained surgeons are not so into the day-to-day, patient support that's needed with the band. I think they tend to measure "successes" in terms of what percentage of patients they never have to deal with again...and with the band, that's "zero percent." Sue

No with the sleeve food does not get stuck. You can eat anything you want, just not very much of it. You do get full pretty fast. I am kind of a grazer though. I get full pretty fast, but then maybe a couple hours later, I might have a healthy snack. There are some days I just don't feel like messing with food or cooking or dishes and I will have 3 Protein shakes per day and be perfectly satisfied. I didn't start having band problems until after I had the band for a couple of years. I could just see more problems coming, so I revised to the sleeve before that started happening. I am really glad I did.

The sleeve does take away all the hunger. I am never hungry. I eat by the clock. I eat when I get up, I eat at 12 noon and I eat at 5pm or later if I am going to dinner with friends. I am really glad I got a revision to a sleeve. I always felt guilty with the band that I was doing something wrong. I could not tell if I needed a fill, or if I was supposed to be able to work with the fill I had. When that decision was taken away from me by my dr. because of vomiting in my sleep, I am glad the sleeve was available because it's been the very best I have felt in years. It's so easy to maintain without effort.

hi....my bmi the day of surgery was 31. yesterday i was one month out. i have lost 18 lbs since surgery. my bmi is now in the 28 range. you will do good. who is doing your revision? kelly

I am having a band to sleeve revision on 8/9/11. The band has never really worked for me. I could never get to the "sweet spot" that everyone talks about. I have been banded since 2007 and have lost maybe 10 lbs. I still vomit if when I eat some healthy foods, but boy, I can down a bag of cookies or chips. I felt like I had two stomachs. One on top that hurt and where things got stuck and then one on the bottom that was starving all of the time. I felt so guilty because I've known other people who were banded and have had moderate to good success. My PCP told me one time that I was "eating around the band". Maybe I was, but I feel like I gave it my best shot. I still worry about the sleeve because I know it is another restrictive procedure. I just hope that I don't feel that horrible pain that I did with the band.

My slip symptoms were: back pain, not being able to eat solids, having trouble getting liquids down and bad heartburn. The only sure way to tell if your band has slipped is to have your doctor check it under fluoro. I had to pay $3500 for the revision surgery in Mexico, plus $250 for the endoscopy. Good luck Myra! I'm thinking positive thoughts that your band has gone back into place.

Sounds like it is one day at a time So glad you seem to be doing well! I hope that journey continues and the pain gets less frequent every day for you. Thanks for the information though. I woke up this morning thinking i was crazy for doing this surgery... why would i do this again... i had a Vertical banding put on about 4 years ago and it slipped early on and i have not had good results, so i am "revising" it now.. finally with approval and switching to the sleeve... anyway i just had lots of doubts today, not sure why.. but then i went shopping at kohls to get some new PJ's for when i get home after hospital next week.. and the mirror said it all.. that is the answer... i need to get healthier and this surgery will give the restriction and discipline needed to get there!! i will sip my water and take my pain pills and hope for the best results possible. Keep me posted on how you are doing if you care too keep up the good work!

Correction....I always weigh in the morning and I posted this last night. I'm actually 211.4! AND....my goal should have been 199.9 because I am just trying to get under 200 by the 4th. So here are the revised stats. SN................Starting Wt..........Current..........Goal...........Lbs to Goal Lanette.........225.5.....................211.4.............199.9............11.5

How badly do you want to lose weight and keep it off forever??? I am going to schedule a revision from band to sleeve and that is scary!! What if there are complications with the removal? What will happen? I can't think of that because I will have to get it out eventually. I know that I want to be slimmer for good!! If you have the support of your husband and you really want this for yourself JUST DO IT!! You have nothing to lose but weight!! Come with me to Mexico I am going to Dr Garcia........

I had a band revised to the sleeve in June 2009. I take Prilosec 20mg once daily to prevent any acid issues, and have taken it since about 6 weeks post-op. I have had zero issue with acid reflux. Take some time to research gastrectomies one for stomach cancer, or ulcerative conditions. I did a lot of research before I decided VSG was the way to go because I felt the same way about being fat and happy instead of skinny and miserable. BUT, let me tell ya, I am now skinny and elated. I have zero regrets with my decision. The band and sleeve are like night and day. For me, I wanted something permanent. I wanted the deck to be stacked in my favor. I figured I really didn't need that huge, stretchy part of my stomach that allowed me to eat huge portions of food. I can honestly tell you I don't miss that old habit one bit. My cliff note version of my band to sleeve goes like this kind of: Band in October 2008 Lost 23-25lbs the first couple of months Complications started from the flipped port Couldn't get a fill even under fluoro, Band doctor sucked, left his practice March 2009 Started researching revision options. Chose VSG instead of a port revision VSG revision June 3, 2009 Had a leak found on June 5th (now don't get scared, remember my port was not accessible under fluoro or ultrasound, so I could not have the Fluid (3-4cc in a 10cc band) removed. Plus, the port actually migrated around in my abdomen, and was causing the tubing to tug on my stomach tissue.) Longer recovery Stuck with the dietary guidelines for 4 months 600-800 calories per day some days I barely hit 600 never anymore than 30grams of carbs 60+grams of Protein Dropped 80lbs, surgeon and I discuss that my loss is extremely rapid so we revamp my eating. Increased carbs a little increased a little. Goal of 150lbs reached around 6.5 months post-op. I started at 263 the day of my revision. 270 was my pre-op band weight. I am currently trying to maintain at this point. I've fallen below goal, but I'm only 5'2" and am still in a healthy weight range at 127lbs. I feel fabulous, my energy level is through the roof. My overall mindset has changed drastically. I sometimes forget I had surgery because I literally just enjoy life. I eat whatever I want, just in smaller portions. I don't overindulge often, but I refuse to deprive myself. If you have any specifics questions, or need a shoulder to lean on, please feel free to contact me. I had a hellacious recovery, but like I've said many times, I would do it all again to live the life I am living right now. Stay positive, and have faith in yourself and your surgeon. Keep us updated with your progress. Also, there are other band to sleeve revision patients that you may like to contact. *susan* (she's a moderator here) 3636Millie OregonDaisy Shontel Annak4 There's actually a lot of band to sleeve revision patients here that can share their stories with you. You can find those members profiles and contact information by clicking on the "MEMBERS" tab at the top of the forum, then you can message them. Everyone here is really great, and we'll be your biggest cheerleaders from a distance.

So I've never really been a huge eater. Honestly. I do admit to a sweet tooth, but my personal hell is being forced to sit down to chicken wings with ranch dressing and a coke. Genetics is also not on my side an both my brother and I are quite large people. I've got pictures of my great Aunt Fanny in the midst of the depression and if she's not a solid 350lbs... Anyway, with 30 years of fibromyalgia, I had myself banded in 2009 at 311lbs at my doctor's suggestion to see if I could get some of my weight off, and to try to prevent more weight from accumulating. My body did not take to the band well. Either I had zero restriction or I had total restriction and I could barely even drink water. Two solid years of tomato soup and beef broth as I was pushed to suck it up and "quit lying about what I could eat" by my band doctor. (no protein shakes for me as I'm allergic to them) Total weight loss in two years: 5lbs. Finally as half my hair was falling out and I was sick as a dog, I had no choice but to force them to empty out my band completely. 2011 I revised to an RNY by a doctor funded by the province (FYI the province isn't putting in bands anymore because of their dismal failure rate) and his words were "you can't fail to lose weight with an RNY". Well I did lose weight on the stupid pre-op diet. Now, I'm still allergic to the opti-fast so I did this insane version of an all-food diet that induces ketosis. I lost so much hair, I started walking into walls, and I may or may not have promised to foster a pink hippo, but it did the job for the surgery. After surgery though, no real weight loss ensued. Yes I followed the post-op diet, the nutrition plan, etc. I don't get as much exercise as I should, but when you're thinking of shopping for canes and collapsing on the floor when you get out of bed in the morning, it's a touch hard to meet that goal, but I'm doing my best. Again, the surgeon said I must not be telling the truth and I must be chowing down on high calorie foods or something because it's hard to eat around an RNY. They deemed me an RNY failure and I've been put in the provincial database as such (since the government paid for it, the government keeps stats on everybody). A few weeks ago they decided to play with my fibromyalgia medications. They took me off a drug I've been on for the last 15 years. I lost 30lbs in 3 weeks. Yup, it's been the drugs all along. I lost my entire malabsorption window post-op, had to sit through years of disapproving lectures from doctors about my lying and cheating on my eating, and got the stink eye from my other WLS friends because they all agreed with the doctors that I could't get with the program and stick with the rules. Worst thing is that now I really do need canes and it's getting so hard to walk as my joints might as well be welded metal, and while I could have exercised away the weight in 2011, I'm not sure I can now. That makes me cry. The vindication makes me laugh. Sadly it's not continuing to come off that fast, but at least after 4 years, the stall is broken.

The reflux and needing revision is why I just went with the bypass. One time is enough for me.

it's awful to hear that someone else is going through it. Did you find you gained weight while the band was leaking? The only times I was too tight in the last 12 months was when he tried filling me right up to try to 'test' the band. Both times I had to have an unfill the next day because I wasn't even able to hold down my own saliva. It proved, I guess, that I could get over-tight if he pushed it too far too fast. But aside from those two days, I've not really had restriction that's lasted more than a week after a fill before I could eat anything I wanted again. I am pretty sure I'm going to be asking for a band replacement instead of a revision to a sleeve, so am going a different route from you. I hope both of us manage to get some peace from what we're choosing. Good luck.

Hi, I share your pain. I too have had missing cc's over the past year. All kinds of tests and my Dr. says I am a mystery. I go from no restriction to tight to no again. Now I have constant heartburn, hicupping and reflux. My Dr. put in for band to sleeve revision and my insurance approved it but I am very scared to go through all this again. I am down from 207 to about 160 however I have had nothing but failure and discomfort from the band. I really have to weigh my options. Good luck to you, I really hope it all works out.

I personally think it's ruder for someone to pretend that it'll be ok when you may be causing yourself real harm by going against your dr's orders. And you know what? It's not like I haven't done it myself (more than once) so I think I'm in the right place to tell someone who is cheating to stop doing it, for their own good. You're hungry? Hell, so were we ALL at that stage. It's not called bandster hell for nothing. Eating solids when you're not healed is like picking on a wound that's still raw. I'm NOT going to tell you it's ok. But if you still want to do it, who am I to tell you not to despite the advice you've been given. You own your own decisions, good or bad. I personally would rather someone was blunt and told me to stop doing something that may cause damage than tell me it's ok only to find out later that it made me need a revision. To me, support isn't all heart and flowers and lies to make you feel better. It's about telling you the truth so you know not to do it in case you cause yourself harm.

I also struggled with sleeve vs bypass. The best thing you can do for yourself is research the reasons you doctor discussed with you. Then research any other pros and cons from a strictly medical perspective. I suggest you ignore opinions and preferences of other patients until after you've evaluated the objective medical facts. Patients may have strong feelings about certain procedures. I've seen "surgery wars" on many message boards. The surgeon I selected because of his sleeve experience recommended I have a bypass be it roux-en-y or duodenal switch. Like you, I believed the sleeve would be less complicated over time. However, after research I could not deny the reasoning behind this recommendation was sound. With my underlying medical conditions the sleeve would most likely have required a revision within ten years. I only wanted to do this once. Two days before surgery I agreed to a roux-en-y gastric bypass. I should have agreed to the more drastic duodenal switch. Despite knowing the surgeon was on point, I could not bring myself to go there. NO Regrets! I'm glad I studied all angles even though I went middle of the road instead of with what MAY have been best. My decision suits my comfort level. That was in 2009. Today I still struggle with ups and downs but overall I'm maintaining. Back then Gap & Old Navy had nothing for me. Now I float between the vanity sized 0/2/4 made for us amplely proprtioned American women . No revision needed but I will always struggle. Best wishes for every you decide. [emoji106] MSW

Hello All! I currently have a band and am considering a revision to a sleeve. I have had the band for 4 years. I am still yo-yo'ing depending on my fill levels. I just want something that works without the constant adjustments on a monthly basis. I am not sure if my insurance will pay for the revision although I do have WLS coverage. My BMI is 41 today....I am just worried that the sleeve may not work for me either.

I was banded 12/3 and was rockin my band until they realized my band wasn't working properly due to a kink in the line. I had surgery again to revise the port 2/8. The problem is the incision where the port is happens to be much larger now and slower healing. It's really difficult to wear a bra due to it rubbing right on it. I work at a hospital and we have try a few things to make it more comfortable but it continues to pull the glue off the incision. Any suggestions on something else to use. Thanks in advance!

Well crap. Went in for my fill and he couldn't access my port. He stuck me about 12 times and still couldn't get it. He said I'm going to be really sore later! Not fun since I didn't even get the fill to make the pain worth it. They are checking with my insurance company to see if they will cover a fill under x-ray (I was self-pay for the surgery) and possibly a port revision. He thinks my port might have flipped, in which case he will give me a local and some light sedation then make a small incision and move the port closer to the skin. He's had some patients with a short area between the rib cage and waist, like me, who've had problems with port access. I'm hoping my insurance will cover it all. We'll do the x-ray fill first to see if it has indeed flipped. Dang it! I just want some freakin' restriction. I feel like I paid all this money for nothing right now.

To say that one should choose different operations for different BMI ranges is an often propagated myth by surgeons. The truth is that all weight loss operations are tools for weight loss and regardless of the operation, patients that take full advantage of the tool do great but some patients don't lose that much weight with any operation. Interestingly, if you look at band vs bypass, the bypass looks better the first year, but 5-10 years later the band looks better because bypass weight loss is somewhat "false" in the beginning because it is a disease weight loss with muscle wasting (NOT the way to lose weight in a healthy manner even though it makes the scale look better, temporarily). The problem with bypass is that patients regain weight later requiring revisions. We do a lot of band-over-bypass surgery to create an adjustable bypass so patients can lose weight again. The plication success rate should be no different from other weight loss operations. I anticipate most patients will do very well with the tool but some patients will lose very little weight just like we see with other weight loss operations. I've got a couple of GPS patients (Gastric Plication Surgery is what we call it) who have already lost over 40 pounds in a couple of months - amazing. Obviously, it is early in the game but it is so simple I do not anticipate any massive surprises with the operation. In Europe, plication patients' average weight loss looks better than the band. A common theme of patients not losing weight as fast is eating too much ice cream and/or too many "concentrated sweets" (cake, Cookies, etc). The good news is that when the appetite is turned down after surgery, patients find it much easier to avoid these foods because they are not hungry. I've had a lot of patients -before surgery- tell me, "Well, Doctor, if I could make good food choices I wouldn't need surgery," but then they are pleasantly surprised after surgery at how much easier it is with the appetite turned down and getting full on small meals. Also, sometimes complex emotional eating issues are thrown in there which sometimes requires experts in that area if it is interfering with weight loss but it is rare that patients need that level of help after surgery in my experience. At any rate, we have done band surgery on patients through all BMI ranges and they all lose weight very well when they use the tool effectively. I feel no different about the GPS (plication). I like the plication because there is no malabsorption, no cutting, no rearranging, no foreign body, no port, etc. Plication has a lot going for it. Brad Watkins MD