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H. Pylori is a bactria strand that lives in your stomach. Like 60 percent of people have it and most never know it. symptoms include, black stool, burping, stomach pains. it can cause ulsers in some people and like 1-2 percent cancer. stress and spicy foods make it worse. they scope for it prior to the sleeve and bypass bc they dont want the bactria all over your body. it is curable/treatable after surgery but they dont usually do surgery with it... im starting my second round of the antibotic pak bc mine didnt go away the first time. im already 2 months postponed on my revision surgery and idk what this latest round is going to put me behind on. it totally sucks..... i have no symptoms.

I did not know that! My dr, basically tells us that we can eat what we want , just eat all a serving of Protein first, which as most know, doesnt leave much room for else! I do eat my Proteins before anything else that i usually dont have any room left. But the few local gals i know that have had the procedure done said they have not done a special diet. I was hard core atkins before i had my surgery and it worked pretty well, I had a lap band in at the time, for 10 years actually and I lost more when i would atkins than with the band itself. The band wouldnt let me eat meat so eventually, I decided to have the revision done and get the sleeve. I really did not realize that i would be on low carb the rest of my life. Its a little sad but too late now ESPECIALLY if i want to see some results. Makes me feel like i should have done more research and just gotten my LB taken out instead of the full on sleeve procedure.

I just gat back from Mexicali yesterday and I paid 10,500 for lap band to sleeve revision. Dr Aceves is amazing. I can't say enough good things about those people.

Sara, I am not sure about the band revision cost of surgery. The website for Dr. Aceves is www.mexicalibariatric.com and they should have everything listed for price. You could also call or email them. Nina, who schedules all the surgeries, is wonderful and quick to get you any answers that you need. Information that I kept says: Lap Gastric Sleeve after lap band ( includes band removal) $12,500 Hope this helps.

Hi. I am new to the site and was wondering if anyone has had the Lap Band over Bypass revision surgery. If so, how as it been? I am scheduled to have this procedure done in 2 weeks.

Please keep in mind .You want to make the best decision....no one who has had only the sleeve can tell you what bypass is like.The most informative posts in my opinion is the people who have had revisions.They can tell you what the deal is from both perspectives and personal experience not just tell you cookie cutter remarks. I have a friend who had the sleeve in August.Their were some complications and she vomits and have been to the ER.Also developed GERD.Hervdaughter had the same sleeve surgery and she is doing fantastic no problems whatsoever. I have lived in misery for far too long with the lapband .I am revising to bypass.I originally was going with the sleeve until I did more research.I have damage from the band to my esophagus and stomach.Soncutting 85% of my stomach out is not going to happen.I am a breast cancer survivor and I am not worried about malabsorption.What I am worried about is seeking a revision down the road to bypass because I made the wrong decision yet again.If you down the road find that you need a second surgery to bypass it is tough to get insurance to pay for a second procedure. Think about it long and hard and make sure you have a very experienced physician.I had a surgeon who was only able to perform lapbands and sleeve so you know what that meant....I changed to a more experienced Doctor in the same practice who can really advise me from all perspectives. I am revising to the bypass once and for all because I cannot go through a 3rd surgery.I am making the correct decision finally.The gold standard .I got too much weight to lose to play games.

This was a good thread till I saw this. For heaven's sake, stop bashing surgeries that did not work for you. I understand you had issues with the band, but lots of others including myself have done well with it and are happy. Your initial post about why you are revising is fine. It's your story and you have every right to speak to it. But this post is unnecessary. Honey you are new to the game.I just had a 5 hour revision surgery because My esophagus band stomach ....major organs are messed up from years of having that lapband!I am speaking from experience!I am not new to the rodeo of WLS!I have had the band since 2004.I will say what I please.

As jayeedee said, you need to check with your insurance to know for sure. My insurance revised its policy for lap band last fall: BMI > 30 with one comorbidity. Prior to the revision, it was BMI > 35 with one comorbidity. There are other requirements as well.

I'm having the bypass revision surgery on the 4th of February

What kind of BCBS coverage do you have? When I had my initial sleeve surgery (and my revision an year later to bypass due to complications) I had BCBS (the highest Diamond plan) and they approved my initial surgery in 48 hours once it was submitted and 72 hours for my revision once it was submitted. I know some plans don't offer a lot of coverage, or require a thousand hoops to get an approval.

I just had a revision to the sleeve in mid-August. I had my Lapband removed due to issues and knew I couldn't remove it without gaining weight again. It was much more involved than my out-patient Lapband surgery. I had my surgery around 12:00 noon, and I don't think I really woke up enough to even get up to go to the bathroom until 9:30 that night. I did not have a catheter or a drain. I had 5 incisions. My mouth was so dry I couldn't talk well. I did stay overnight. I had an IV and I did remember to ask for an abdominal binder to help when I tried to get up out of the bed. I used it for a while even when I got home. I actually tightened it too much and ended up with dots on my stomach for a bit, I guess from the elastic. It was quite an experience, but I am glad I did it. I haven't had reflux since then. I have been slow to lose weight, but I had already lost 100+pounds with my Lapband. I started with an app, logging everything I ate to help me keep track of protein and I think it actually helped me eat too much. I have scrapped it as of yesterday. We will see what happens. Good luck! I just had to keep telling myself the surgery part/liquid diet stuff was temporary.

Most times the erosion itself isn't painful but the fix is. :tongue_smilie:( Surgery to remove it and repair the stomach is an ouchy. Erosion can have painful symptoms but it usually does not. There was a person that went to Huacuz (gahhh) and she had nothing but one problem after another with fills. She could not get restriction. Everyone thought it was a faulty band with a leak in the diaphragm of the band. She wanted to revise to a sleeve and couldn't get her insurance to help. She finally went to Aceves for a revision and turns out it was an erosion. The reason fills were not working was that stomach acid ate through the plastic part of the band and there was a huge hole there. She said that Aceves said it was the worst erosion he's ever seen. Only the buckle of the band was not in her stomach. She had a rough recovery due to the damage and repairs to her stomach. She had no pain, just reflux and no restriction. She said that he told her it would take a good six months before her stomach was healed enough to revise to a sleeve.

Oh I haven't had the bypass yet, that's what I'm in the process of doing. Revising from lap band (it's removed) and now hopefully I will have the bypass in the next couple of months. We're hoping that it cures the acid issues. I'm hopeful! And thank you, catwoman!

I also am planning revision of Lapland to sleeve. How have you been and feeling since surgery

Since I started this journey I always wanted RNY. For some reason I started second guessing myself & wanting the sleeve. As soon as I got my upper endoscopy & found out I had mild reflux I stuck with RNY because I don't want to mess with GERD & have to revise later.

I’m so sorry ur experiencing this with the LB n it’s unfortunately cuz u’ll continue with all those symptoms until u make the right choice in removing it n instead settling for a revision. I can fully relate to ur experience/symptoms cuz I too had the LB for 11 yrs n all my symptoms started a few months after getting it. So, I just put up with all the symptoms n tolerated the band cuz it was a nice little tool that DID the JOB in helping me loose weight by not OVER EAT or able to eat anything at all. I was 210 lbs when I got it. I went down to 135/40 lbs n loving/liking the way I LOOKED even though the symptoms SUCKED. I became ANEMIC n at one time got an AWFUL BACTERIAL infection that I DON’T wish on anyone. Believe me it was a SACRIFICE having the band. But unfortunately n cuz I had no other choice; in 2018 I had the band removed due to LOTS of problems with the port after getting a tummy tuck n too was tired of all the TERRIBLE/AWFUL symptoms that came with it. If I would’ve FULLY RESEARCHED n known of all the LB symptoms; I would’ve instead OPTED for a bypass. Unfortunately I did gain ALL my weight back but that was only due to lots of medical issues once I entered MENOPAUSE n being put on medication. So now, due to all my weight gain I REFUSE to let myself go n NOT EXHAUST all options for OVERALL BETTER HEALTH. Therefore, I’m currently being monitored by a nutritionist n dietician along with my bariatric doctor for a possible GASTRIC BYPASS that was recommended by my doctor. Hope my sharing helped n u make the right choice for ur OVERALL HEALTH. May God illuminate/bless you in DOING THE RIGHT THING.🙏🏽

Other than my very small port placement scar, I have next to nothing as far as scarring after my lap band, how does this differ with revision to sleeve?

I was approved today for my revision. I had a sleeve done in 2017. HW 255, LW 160, CW 210 😒. Anyway, I’ve had this horrible GERD and put off my revision all through COVID, I have Barrett’s esophagus, I’ll vomit from the reflux, bad teeth, and sores in my throat. So I’m getting this done, pretty nervous!! So my questions are- (wish I asked my dr, I was so nervous at my appointment my mind was blank) what is the diet like compared to the sleeve? Same? What does the restriction feel like compared to having a sleeve? I still have some restriction but can eat way more than I could the first year out from my sleeve. I’m hoping for weight loss along with getting this GERD resolved. So this is a fresh start I’m grateful for!

Yolie, I am having lap band revision surgery in Dallas on the same day as you September 29!!! Let's keep in touch I'm so nervous!!

Hey hey family. I had a really good day today. My 3 month check up with my surgeon and nutritionist was today. Eavann my nut asked me do i remember what i said during my first consultation on what weight I'd like to achieve with my surgery. At the time I was 156kg 345lb (ish) and said 100kg or about 220lbs. I then proceeded to completely and utterly forget about this. Fast forward to today and i had my weigh in and I was 101kg. She said that congrats were in order as i had essentially achieved my target weight. I was floored.... For two reasons. Firstly the obvious one. I had attained a target! like whoah! Then I had a rush of sympathy for the old me. At one point I genuinely felt that getting to this weight was a stratospheric target.... high high in the sky and possibly unattainable. I thought that 220lb was a realistic expectation for me. Even when asked a lofty pie in the sky question I was unable to even imagine that I plus surgery could achieve normal healthy BMI. My response was a genuine and true..... "but, but, I feel like I've only just started??" She then said that they get that a lot. My revised (official) target is now 76kg or 167lbs and in line with what I've had here on bariatric pal since September/October. She said that I'm 2/3 of the way now, so still a little bit to go. My response to that was a jovial yet deadly serious "Sure, no bother to me". On a more serious note I am so delighted with the changes in my head. Much more so than the body changes. The body is great don't get me wrong, but it's upstairs where the real change lives. My identity crisis is throwing up the most lovely of artefacts. The old me would not in a month of sundays let alone in an instant like that be so sure of himself and while I had genuine sympathy for the Des who sat in that far off consultant's office and murmured that he wanted to be 100kg, I couldn't help but smile at how distant I felt from him than at that point. It was literally like Eavann was describing the actions of another person. In other news Oliver my surgeon is delighted with my every progress. He's asked me to get a Vitamin B12 test done but the rest of my blood panel has caused him to wax lyrical about me! Bad cholesterol down, good cholesterol up etc. etc. the list goes on.... Blood pressure is good and still very much in control. All told things are pretty much in fine working order under my proverbial bonnet. So that was my day. Walking on sunshine right now to be honest. Chat to ye again soon. Des x Man on the veritable cusp of non obeseness.

Count me in too, Nanook! Had a HORRIBLE experience with the band (it almost killed me....it really did!), it was removed a year ago, and at the same time I had a RNY. I have since lost 100 pounds exactly, and I am at my very perfect weight. I have had a few complications; stricture and ulcer, but they are coming under control. As time goes on, I think there will be many more who have "revised"......either to RNY or perhaps the sleeve..... HH

MPW09, I too had a sweet tooth and also had type 2 diabetes and on the lap band was able to keep eating sweets as the healthier foods never would go down for me and I would PB. My diabetes worsened with the lap band because of that. I didnt know all the junk food would still go through the band I only thought something like ice cream or sugar drinks would be an issue. I'm much older than you and was at the point where I couldn't even lose weight anymore, forget the keep it off part and due to my health I had the lap band removed and eight months later revised to RNY. I'm fairly new at it and know the effect sugar will have on me now and it's not pleasant. I also don't crave it like I used to (knock on wood)when I was banded and before and am off my diabetic meds completely. I know it's not a "popular" view here at LBT but thought you might as well hear the other side of it from someone also. Good luck to you which ever surgery you choose. Nancy.

PS Apparently Blis covers first time surgery but not revisions. I could understand if I hadn't been successful with the band but I did well with the weight loss. They site the chances of stricture as high with the sleeve, but that would be for any sleeve right not just revisions from banding? Does anyone have figures on complication rates?

Ginny C I am 63 and had a band(that had gone bad) to sleeve revision 3 weeks ago. It was hard on me for the first few days. I stayed overnight at the hospital and my husband drove me 150 miles home. I had a migrane for the first few days at home. I was wishing I had never had it done. But after a few days I felt fine and was very happy I had it done! I have lost 23 lbs in the 3 wks since my surgery. The best thing that happened to me is I found this forum. I am on a pureed diet til next week when i go on a soft diet for 2 weeks. I cant wait. I walk a mile on my treadmill every morning. I still get weak at times, but they are getting less and less. good luck with your surgery! Jeri

Hello all. I'm from Dover Delaware and I am pre-op at this point. I'm glad I found African American Sleevers. I am in the process of pre-op clearances which will be completed on January 22nd. I have a lap band still implanted from 2007. I'll be glad to have it out, but I must say I'm nervous about the revision to VSG. I'll be checking out the veterans everyday for advise and encouragement along with questions that are swimming around in my head. Thank you Samantha.