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Just my 2 cents, but personally, I would pick the bypass over the sleeve. I had the band, that worked a bit then issues, revised to the bypass because of the band scaring. But the sleeve is also just a restrictive procedure and doesn't have the same nutritional reduction that the bypass has, so, you can totally eat around the sleeve, just like the band. You can work against the bypass, but you can't "eat around it" (eating sliders and all the bad for you foods that just pass through the reduced stomach size). Again, my opinion on the subject, there have been plenty of people that have the sleeve and love it. There are a decent number that had it and need to be revised to the bypass now. Either way though, if you work with your WLS tool, you'll hopefully get the outcome you are looking for. I wish I never had the band, wish I went with the bypass back in 2011.

I guess I'm confused. You thought you were going for the Bypass, but then you state you can't get the Bypass at your hospital, if the bypass wouldn't give you the benefits of the free surgery, why did you want to put in for it in the first place? There are a decent number of folks that have gotten the sleeve and then had to revise to the bypass or to band over sleeve. If you've got GERD or other acid issues, the sleeve isn't going to be the option you want.

I was revised from Band to Bypass. Something to think about, if you've got GERD or other acid issues... the Sleeve is *NOT* going to be the option you want to go with.

Anyone have vsg after lap band removal? I had my band removed 9 months ago and am slowly gaining. BMI 27. Considering Dr. Pompa in Mexico. Any advice welcome!

I was 25 for my sleeeve & 32 for my revision to bypass. Wish I had the revision earlier but was embarrassed and lost.

Congrats on your approval!!! You’re almost on the loser’s bench. I was already sleeved, but my revision will be Oct 19th.

I’m sooooo excited for you!!!! Good luck! Wishing you a safe speedy recovery as well. You’ll be totally fine and you literally won’t need anything except a phone charger and chapstick. You will probably just sleep and walk off gas pressure for most of it. I’m having my revision next month and im sooooo excited, i can’t wait.

Has anyone had a revision at Oschners by any chance....if so, which doctor did you use...any recommendations for a really good doctor that you know has fixed problems?

Hi I have had a revision from mini to roux-en-y bypass last week for acid reflux perposes not because I haven't't lost enough weight, However I was wondering will I lose more weight now or will it just fix the acid?

As I've stated. When all the medical professionals are telling me that they are working and my levels are good because of what I'm using, that's what I'm going to go with. Your personal feelings about the subject aside... my test results are showing they are working, not sure why you feel me telling folks the truth of what I'm personally dealing with is "misleading". I've never said they work when they aren't, I never misrepresented any of what I'm posting. Everything I'm posting is exactly what I'm doing, dealing with and what's being reported to me by several medical professionals. If I had any reason to believe otherwise, you can bet that I'd be skeptical. And I was skeptical going into the patches... but 6 months post op, 7 months from starting the patches, and not having any additional vitamin supplementation happening before my revision... not sure why you refuse to believe the truth of my situation.

I'm a huge fan of Dr. Ryder and the rest of the Lifespan Baratric team over at the Collyer and Dudley street offices. Been going to her for almost 10 years now, they did my band in 2011, my revision to bypass this past March. Just a great group of folks! Glad to see so many great doctors in such a small area!

So, I have promised to share my story with anyone who is interested. I’m not simply a bariatric surgery patient. Feel free to ask questions about what I have gone through. I am not shy about talking about my travails and have lots of experience with surgery in general. The photos I am sharing may be disturbing to some people. I am scarred and have an ileostomy. If you are squeamish, you may want to skip the photos. Here we go… Get your popcorn, this is a very long post. My name is Andy. I turned 52 in early July. I am single and live alone with my dog. I’ve been heavy most of my life. But, my journey is about my chronic illness and the effects it has had on me and my body. I have Crohn’s Disease. I started having symptoms when I was 15. It got really bad when I was in the Navy, but it was in 1990 that I was first hospitalized because of it. I was, at first, diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and started on medication. This seemed to help for a while, but it kept getting worse. In 1995, when my doctor said I had to start taking Prednisone again, I opted to have a radical surgery to “cure” me by removing the organ of choice for this autoimmune disease. On April 20, 1995, I had the first of three major abdominal surgeries at Northwestern University Hospital, in Illinois. I had my entire large intestine removed and an internal pouch was made out of my small intestine to take the place of my large intestine. The surgery took almost 12 hours to complete. It was done open incision; laparoscopic surgery of this type was not perfected until the early 2000s. (My youngest brother had this exact surgery performed in 2012 laparoscopically. Crohn’s disease runs in my family.) This pouch was connected to the exit and I had a loop ileostomy for three months while the internal pouch healed. Yes, I pooped into a bag hanging from my stomach for three months back then. Then, after the three months, I went back in for another surgery where they closed the ileostomy and dropped my intestine back inside. Things went well for a couple of years, then I got sick again. I moved to California and started a new job in 2002. When I found a new gastroenterologist in southern California, he did some tests and said I did not have ulcerative colitis, but Crohn’s Disease. (The difference between these two irritable bowel diseases is ulcerative colitis only attacks the large intestine, but Crohn’s disease can attack any part of the digestive system.) This doctor started me on an infusion medication called Remicade. This was the first medication that ever really worked. I took it for about 14 years until I developed antibodies to it. I kept taking it even though it was not working because the doctor never had me tested for antibodies. In 2014, I moved to Idaho. I found my current gastroenterologist, who is the best doctor I have ever had. He put me on Humira. This is a self-injectable medication that also worked for a while, this time about two years. When he saw that the Humira was no longer working, he ordered a blood test that would see if I had antibodies to it. This is when I found out that I had antibodies to both Humira and my previous medication, Remicade. I was then switched to Cimzia, which never worked. I just keep getting sicker and sicker. (The worst part of having Crohn’s disease is there are no outward signs that you are sick. I looked fine but felt like crap all the time. No one at work believed I was sick) One of the side effects of my surgery in 1995 was scar tissue in my small intestines where the ileostomy was. Because of this, I periodically have small bowel obstructions that usually require hospitalization. To date, I have had 17 small bowel obstructions. These usually clear themselves while I am in the hospital, by not eating anything (NPO) and having an NG (Naso-gastral) tube inserted up my nose and down into my stomach, to remove any contents using suction. Let’s jump ahead to last year – May 2017. I had yet another small bowel obstruction. I was hospitalized as usual, but this time it did not clear. I had been in the hospital for two weeks and then they decided I needed surgery to clear the blockage. When I was talking to the surgeon before the surgery, he said I had a 90% chance that I would come out of surgery with a permanent ileostomy. This was not the case. In this second major open abdominal surgery, the surgeon was able to remove scar tissue strictures from the outside of my small intestine and they immediately inflated and the blockage passed. I got lucky. The surgeon told me that if I had another small bowel obstruction, he would be forced to remove my internal pouch and give me a permanent ileostomy. In August of 2017, this is exactly what happened. A bit after 4 am on August 21, 2017 (yes, the day of the total solar eclipse – I’ll say more about this in a minute), I went to the emergency room and was admitted about 8:30 am for yet another small bowel obstruction. I had been up all night throwing up and getting sicker, so I was exhausted by the time I got to my room. About 10 am, the nurse came in and asked if I wanted to go out to the parking lot and watch the eclipse. I was so sick and exhausted that I said no and slept through the entire event. (I live in one of the areas where people came to view the event (eastern Idaho) and I missed the entire thing because of this damn disease…) When the surgeon came in later that day, he said that he had scheduled me for surgery on Wednesday, August 23, 2017,, for the removal of my badly diseased internal pouch and give me a permanent end ileostomy. So, again, I poop into a bag. So, on August 23, 2017, I had the third major open abdominal surgery. One thing to note here is this was the third time I had been opened up in the same place – from just above my belly button, vertically down into my groin. My wound had barely healed from the surgery in May and the surgeon was cutting me open again. This ended up being a long recovery. There were two issues with this surgery: the first was the placement of the ileostomy. The surgeon placed it in the scar tissue from my ileostomy that I had back in 1995. This has caused issues with the seal on my bag. The second issue was the surgical wound. While I got much better since the badly diseased part of my small intestine was surgically removed, the wound did not want to heal. I was in the hospital for over three weeks and eventually sent home on with a wound vac. This device keeps constant suction on the wound and removes any blood and body fluids from the wound, preventing infection and speeding healing. The problem with my wound this time is it was not closed properly and it took over four months for it to close enough for me to stop using the wound vac. I was able to finally return to work in January of 2018. Back to my gastroenterologist. I went to see him in Februar 2018 for a checkup and an intestinal scope, called a sigmoidoscopy. This is basically the same as a colonoscopy, but they use a much smaller device. It is about the same size as an endoscope. When this procedure was over, he said to me that I needed to lose weight. (He basically says this every time I see him, about every three months) This time, I was sick of hearing about it so I asked him for a referral to see a dietician to help me with my weight and my eating. About a month later, I get an unexpected call from a bariatric surgeon’s office near where I live and was invited to a seminar. I went and after the presentation, I went to ask the surgeon a couple of questions about whether or not I was a candidate based on my surgeries. She said that it was not out of the question, but she would need me to make an appointment to be sure. I was seen in late March 2018. When I met with the surgeon, she asked me to lift my shirt and show her my abdomen. She took one look at my scars and said she could do nothing for me. She referred me to a bariatric surgeon at the University of Utah, who I met with on June 29, 2018. Because I had already started the journey, according to my insurance, back in March, the doctor placed me on the fast-track to get everything done. Since June 29th, I have had 14 appointments in Salt Lake City, about 210 miles south of where I live. During this first appointment, I also talked to the bariatric surgeon about my other issues and he referred me to a colo-rectal surgeon, also at U of U. I met with him on July 20, 2018. We discussed revision surgery on the placement of my ileostomy and the removal of internal scar tissue around my small intestines on the left side of my abdomen. He said that these things need to be done and that he would coordinate with the bariatric surgeon. The bariatric surgeon was more hesitant and needed much convincing. I finally was able to talk him into performing both sets of procedures during the same operating room visit. I was finally approved for everything and am scheduled for surgery on September 6, 2018. In early August of this year, I was finally approved for yet another Crohn’s medication – Stelara. This, by the way, is the second most expensive medication in the United States, behind only Harvoni (which is used for hepatitis C). Stelara costs about $20,000 per dose and I have to inject one dose every two months. So far, it is working. So, to recap – on September 6, 2018, I will be having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, performed laparoscopically (prepped for open, but he is going to attempt laparoscopically first) by Dr. Volckmann as the first procedure performed. While I am still under and after Dr. Volckmann finishes, Dr. Pickron will come in and perform a revision on the location of my permanent end ileostomy and attempt to remove as much scar tissue from my small intestines as he can. This will be performed open, through the same incision location and scar tissue that has been used now three previous times. I am also posting photos of what I look like without clothing, with privates blocked out. Since my surgery on August 23, 2018, only my doctors have seen me this way. And the last photo is of my "surgery" haircut. I hate to deal with my hair in the hospital so I just cut it all off before I go in. If you have made it to this point, thank you for reading my story. I have never written it all down before and as such, have never shared everything with anyone.

I had a bad experience removing the band as well and have livid abdominal scars to prove it. The most weight lost for me was 64 lbs down from 280. The surgeon refused an instant revision because of the mess I was in with adhesions and embedded band. He then offered me a clip sleeve only. Another surgeon offered me the sleeve or bypass BUT said ALL bariatric surgery is only effective on most people for two years so I refused further treatment. I was fully self- funding throughout. Since the removal of the lapband I have gained 25 lbs max but on a new diabetic drug have shed 9 recently. High weight gain after removal of the band is normal. For one thing I found a vastly increased appetite. For me the band was a dream that totally failed to deliver.

Hi I’m having a revision from the lapband to RNY on September 18. Started preop Diet September 3. I’m really nervous!

Howdy all! I’m Jenn and I’m getting the gastric sleeve on Sept 11. This is a revision as I had a completely unsuccessful lap band 9 years ago. I paid out of pocket for the lap band but the government is paying this time. I’ve been on a waiting list for over 2 years. I’m trying to keep my excitement to a minimum as my surgery was scheduled for August but was canceled due to “technical difficulties” in the OR. They called with my surgery time and the cancellation of that surgery within 2 hours. This was a huge letdown and I fell into a dark depression while waiting for a new surgery date. I’m 42 and have been struggling with my weight since I was 12. That’s 30 years of tormenting myself!! I’m ready for this to work. I’m also ready to work to get it. Good luck to my fellow September 2018 Sleevers!

Think about the RNY. I had very mild GERD before the surgery--just when I ate something too rich and spicy. A few tums a month, nothing major. And when they did the scope pre-op they found a hiatal hernia, so the surgeon concluded that once he fixed it, I would not have any heartburn at all. Sleeve it was. Now I am on two nexium a day plus tums before and after I eat. I am uncomfortable all the time and if this doesn't resolve itself or lessen to a more manageable state I am looking at a revision. I didn't want a RNY, never have, didn't want to have malabsorption issues. But here I am facing another surgery, more pre-op crap, more time off from work, more disrupting my family, another cycle of hair loss. So seriously think about the RNY. I too saw more disasters up close with RNY, but I have seen way more successes on this forum alone. Do you really want to go through this twice?

Generally if you have severe acid reflux (GERD) then RNYGP is the best approach because the sleeve will only make that condition worse. Many individuals with GERD who opted for sleeve surgery had to have a revision to RNYGP afterwards because it made that condition unbearable.

Had GERD before the sleeve and it had gotten worse after the sleeve. So bad to the point I would throw up until yellow bile came up. This is one of many reasons why I'm getting a revision [Duodenal Switch] done in a few weeks.

I had Lap Band to Sleeve revision surgery in Tijuana Mexico in July. Everything went pretty well and I am losing weight, which i am happy about. The only thing I AM having trouble with is finding a Bariatric Surgeon or any kind of doctor (my family doctor told me flat out - he is NOT a post-op doctor), who will treat me. One liberal doctor/surgeon I found said if I were in crisis he would treat me, but said he doesn't have the 'bandwidth' to take on other surgeons' patients. He said part of the reason surgery costs locally are so high is for the post-surgical follow up and support they provide. Uggh! If I were you guys, do some looking around NOW and see if you can find a local doctor who will see you following your surgery. It is MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. Fortunately, this doctor looked at the incisions (some still a tiny bit of scabs/healing) and said they looked normal, and I'm OK to go back to the gym. But on my own advice, I don't plan on doing any abdominal exercise at least until Oct or Nov - I'm afraid of popping a stitch internally. Good luck. You guys will look great when it is all over!!

The choice is yours it appears but: Are you willing to have multiple scopes, swallow tests, dialiations and metabolic surgeries? Or fight insurance companies to get the revision approved? Or pay for it out of pocket if not approved but necessary say if your insurance and policy changes? Or regaining because your GERD derails your efforts by making it impossible to tolerate anything but Carby foods (this is what I see alot of regain/GERD revisers claim, not sure if it's true)? Or the risks of having RNY at a lower weight if you lose the weight necessary but develop issues? You may have smooth sailing but perhaps not. I strongly suggest weighing the risks and positive outcomes of both procedures and go with the safest for you.

Sounds like a bad idea to me. Many on here have needed revisions due to reflux. If you already have GERD I would strongly reconsider just starting with the RNY. Why go through two surgeries? What are your reservations?

I have my last appointment with my doctor on Friday. I'll have to make my final decision on which surgery. I've been pretty firm on wanting the sleeve (and not wanting the RNY). He said he'd be willing to do the sleeve, but that there is a chance my GERD would get worse and I'd have to have it revised into a RNY. Anyone have GERD before surgery and have a good result? Thanks!

Hi everyone and thanks for reading. I was wondering if anyone has had major knee surgery so soon after weight loss surgery. I had a TKR two years ago and I am in the process of getting a revision. I will need one of two possible revision surgeries. Hopefully I will only need a minor revision of replacing the plastic inserts with larger ones, but my surgeon is worried that the bottom half of my TKR has loosened from the bone. I wont know the revision that I need until I have a bone scan in 2 weeks, but I know it will be one of the two (both options mean opening the original scar, so they are not arthroscopic). I remember when I had my TKR, they wanted patients on a 2000 calorie diet for a short time after surgery to help with healing. I obviously can't do this anymore, so I was wondering if reduced calories can really cause an issue. Has anyone had major surgery a few months after WLS? Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi!! Wondering if Molina did approve your revision surgery!! I’m waiting back and I’m scared they won’t approve it! Did you have to do the 6 month program and the 12 visits of physical and nutritional visits!?

I'm sorry this is happening to you! My Dr told me he made my pouch bigger because he did not want me to waste away. I had to have bypass because there was so much scar tissue from my lap band that my sleeve conversion failed within a few days. Maybe they can fix your pouch to make it bigger? He told me 5oz vs 3 is best for smaller people. Worth it to see if anything can be done to revise. I would definitely see some one who specializes in high risk revisions. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using BariatricPal mobile app