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I am 5 day post op from revision from band to sleeve. Yesterday I bought an Adwalla mango protein drink and only after a few sips Bam off to the toilet. Today I made a packet of Tom Yum broth and it has sugar and I had the same results. Is this dumping and will it be this way forever? Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

The RN at my Bariatric Center stated that many times people seek revision after the sleeve due to GERD. This isn’t an issue for me. When both options (sleeve and bypass) were presented to me, and I was told that I could develop GERD even without a history of it if I had the sleeve, I was convinced that I wanted nothing to do with the sleeve. Taking vitamins is no hardship, but having to contend with something like GERD was a dealbreaker. And sleeve people have to take vitamins, too, so why not go with he bypass.

The RN at my Bariatric Center stated that many times people seek revision after the sleeve due to GERD. This isn’t an issue for me.

I have had my band for 10 years and I’ll be revising to a sleeve next year. I had to have all fluid removed. My story is not the horror show some have. I don’t have a slip or a port flip that I know of (confirmed via swallow test) and my pouch isn’t stretched that I have been told but for whatever reason, it simply becomes too tight (even now with no fluid ) on occasion and I’m unable to eat solid foods. So I turn to “sliders” because I’m hungry. But sometimes even those come back. The Dr recommended revision and frankly, I’m tired of the “stuck” thing on a regular basis. If I am asked if I recommend it I have to say maybe but leaning to no. There is a lot of upkeep and so many drs are leaving this technology behind that I simply don’t feel it will continue to be properly supported. But I would also never discourage someone who wanted it - with one caveat. I think the best thing to do is GET A HANDLE ON YOUR EMOTIONAL EATING because the band *will not* help you with it. In many ways, it’s worse because the “bad foods” like cookies, ice cream, mashed potatoes, sugar cereals etc all slide right in thru the band. So basically all the crap you turn to when you eat emotionally, yep, that’s going to really go thru. And the stuff you should be eating is what you get stuck on. So if you are really honest with yourself and are a big time emotional eater, you need to deal with that first. That’s actually homework for ANY surgery. I’ll Also tell you what I told a friend. Start eating the “post op diet” now. Your portions may be larger but see what that post op diet is and eat that way now. You need to know if you can live with it before you have surgery. Lap band means NO carbonated drinks so get sodas, beer and fizzy drinks out of your diet now. All surgeries want you eating protein first, veggies and then any carbs last. Do it now. Can you be happy eating this way? If you’re a Diet Coke addict you may as well work that out of your life now and not in recovery when you’re dealing with everything else. Can you have the occasional champagne toast or piece of cake? Of course. But notice the word “occasional” meaning a wedding or birthday is an “occasion”. Tuesday or “I had a bad day” is not. If you eat that post op diet and feel like “oh, this is nice. I feel good” it will help bolster your decision. Maybe you will like eating your protein and then a veggie and feel like “nah, I don’t need mashed potatoes”. I know I did and it felt great!! But if the thought of not having soft drinks, or bread or drinking anything with your meal (lapband guidelines state don’t drink with your meal or for 30 min afterwards) makes you want to cry, then this isn’t the surgery for you. Can you be successful with the band? Sure! I did well for quite a while although I only lost 40 lbs. But the success cases I’ve seen have been from folks who really did their homework and got their heads right remember, they band your stomach, not your mouth. If you eat a whole bag of m&ms because you’re upset, the band can’t stop that.

I am awaiting revision from band to sleeve so I can’t speak to your sleeve issues but some things I learned from the band may help you. First, one thing the band folks say is “they banded your stomach, not your mouth”. So no matter what surgery you choose, unless they develop one that actually zips your lips closed when you try to eat something, all the work is going to have to come from your brain and your choices. The way the tool works is that you shouldn’t feel actual stomach-based “I’m hungry” feeling after eating if a small amount if food. But you will always be able to outeat your tool. The key is to eat your planned meal, then quit and go find something else to do. You don’t “eat until you feel like stopping” because if you’re eating for reasons other than hunger (like stress, emotional upset - all totally understandable, just behaviors we are trying to change) then you can always out eat the tool. FYI, while the other surgeries *may* prohibit you from eating the “bad” foods, as you’ve learned yourself, that isn’t always the case. I’ve read of people who would melt a quart of ice cream and drink it that had RNY or if they truly can’t eat, they trade food for alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex or another addiction. So treating the underlying problem is really the best thing you can do. If you find yourself with lots of appetite, you might be able to look to your food choices to help you. I wouldn’t have believed it had I not experienced it but the carbs, sugars and even sugar substitutes really do influence that “I’m eating and can’t stop” feeling. Last spring I tried a diet program from Dr David Ludwig called “Always Hungry”. It’s a modified slow carb program which has you eating mostly unprocessed foods, with the eliminated items being sugar, potatoes and your “whites” - rice, wheat etc. Yiu can eat whole grains in the 2nd phase as tolerated. The first 2 weeks is something of a detox from the bad carbs. There is a book by the same name that explains it all. Anyway, I was astonished at how well this worked for me. I used to take my coffee with A LOT of sugar and did so the majority of my life. Now I take it with a little splash of maple syrup (about a half tsp). Had you told me I could do that 3 years ago I’d have cried laughing. This is the nutrition plan I plan to follow once I’m all recovered from surgery. I’ve already learned that oatmeal ramps up my appetite so for me I just don’t eat it. I already kicked my sugar obsession and will probably end up making my own protein shakes after surgery because the premade ones are too sweet. I had a pretty expansive palette beforehand but now I enjoy foods like brown basmati rice and beans of all kinds. Snacks these days are hummus and cucumber instead of chips and I feel so much better. Whole fat milk and cheese cane back into my life and it’s so much more satisfying. My new love is quinoa and I’ve made it 4 different ways in 2 weeks. My whole family enjoys that. This has gotten quite long so I’ll shut up now :) but I hope you consider changing your thinking about your tool. Weigh out your meal, savor it then go find something else to do. Think about changing up your macros and eliminating those high GI foods that trigger the munchies. The number one rule of Always Hungry is “be kind to yourself”, try adopting that in the spirit in which it is made. Let go of what you did. You can’t change that. But every new bite you take is an opportunity to choose better for yourself. Good luck.

I was originally going for the Sleeve however today my doctor changed me to the Bypass due to on and off acid reflux issues he said it would be better to get the bypass to avoid revision later. My date is September 7th, and I'm super excited to get going with this new life style and new me.

So today was my final appt. before my surgery September 7th, doctor went over labs with me and advised me my Hemoglobin is low and advised me to take 325mg's of Iron daily but all else is ok with lab, so we're ready to go on that note, but he also advised me about my past GERD's issue and stated he think I would benefit from having the Gastric Bypass instead of the sleeve since I have been having on and off issue with Acid Reflux and he said that if I currently have an issue with it and get sleeved it could get worse so he'd would be willing to do the Gastric Bypass on me that way I can avoid having to get a revision later, but mostly likely that would be the outcome if I'm sleeved, I really appreciate him telling me this because I don't want to have to repay for a revision I'd rather bypass all that if its going to be better for me in the long run. But nonetheless, I'm super excited and ready to get to Losing this weight and gain a healthy life style as I'm aware its just a tool but, I'm ready and I don't mind doing the work because I'm so sick of being sick and tired of being overweight. I've been thinking and going over in my head how this is a once in a lifetime thing and I tell myself GIRL you better get it right, and myself agree's LOL!

I had gastric bypass surgery in October of 2008. I lost 150 lbs. In 2010 my oldest son shot himself and for years after that my weight has spiraled out of control. I have gained about 70 lbs. I haven't been happy, especially with myself, since my son's death. I am ready to turn my life back around and lose the weight again. I am needing to have a revision done. Thinking of having the stitches done.

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me , and accept my prayers for all going through this process as well. Thank you so much to my pillar of support @Frustr8 for letting me know about this wonderful thread! Blessings and love

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me

I have EmblemHealth GHI and they had a six month requirement of medically supervised nutritional monitoring and counseling, but no weight loss benchmark. I was 4 months in when, in June 2018, they revised the criteria to eliminate the requirement. The major bariatric organizations and institute (See, e.g., American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery's Updated Position Paper on Preoperative Supervised Weight Loss Requirements (March 2016) have all come out with position papers saying that these types of requirements serve no medical benefit, are not supported by any scientific evidence and only delay necessary treatment--which can harm patients (particularly those with co-morbidities like Type 2 diabetes). If you (or anyone else) is denied coverage because you have failed to meet this arbitrary and ridiculous requirement, you have a very good basis for challenging the denial. This requirement only serves as a barrier to necessary treatment for patients who stand to benefit from it. The new position advocated by most major institutes and associations is that surgery should be determined based on the BMI you present with at your initial consultation with the bariatric surgeon. EmblemHealth is hardly a trailblazer when it comes to loosening their approval standards and criteria, so if they did away with this requirement you can best most other companies will be revising their policies in the near future. I would definitely fight hard if any body's carrier denied coverage based on your purported failure to meet this arbitrary and pointless requirement. Although this may be slightly off topic, many insurance companies have other similar absurdities in their requirements. For example, many require that you do not have an active eating disorder. With few exceptions, every person who has a BMI over 35 (and definitely if you're over 40) likely has an active eating disorder (binge eating, carb addiction etc.) likely has an eating disorder (binge eating). This should not be a basis for denial of coverage. Putting these two condition for approval together and you have nothing but a hardened barrier to treatment that is not imposed on any other medical condition. If a person has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, most insurance companies provide in-patient coverage for detoxification and rehabilitation. Could you imagine if insurance made that coverage contingent on the addicts ability to prove they stayed off their drug of choice for 6 or more months before they would cover the cost of rehab??? In the case of obesity, diet and exercise alone does not work for the morbidly obese, so why impose a requirement that they lose 5-15% of their body weight as a condition for surgery. Worse yet, some carriers require patients to show they they failed a to lose 5% of their body weight after 6-24 months of supervised medical dieting. This creates a perverse incentive for a morbidly obese patient to go through counseling, but ignore the advice and not lose weight (all the while allowing their health to deteriorate). These types of requirements need to go. Do what you need to do to qualify for the surgery you need--but fight your ass off with the carrier if your denied coverage based on these arbitrary (but strictly enforced) requirements.

I will spare you on the details but man what a night I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy! I am 4 weeks PO today from VSG revision. From about 11:30pm until about 4:30am, I was up every 5 to 10 minutes....I KID YOU NOT pissing out of my @ss. I am waiting for word from my surgeon's office in the mean time but I feel like I got hit by a truck. I suspect it's gastroenteritis because my husband is home sick passed out on the couch right now with similar symtoms. He had it all day yesterday. I know I need my nutrients to get back everything I lost but I can't even try to look at the blandest of the bland broth right now (baiatric pal protein chicken broth and beef broth). I have tolerated my vitamins and water but that's the limit. So I sit and and wait but I have a unrelated dr. appt in 45 mins I have to be at. Just gonna sip as much water as I can in the meantime! Perhaps pedialyte juice? Any suggestions?

I had the lapband switched to the gastric bypass in March of 2012. My heaviest was 280. Now I am 113. My surgeon gave me a feeding tube which did nothing and hurt like hell. I have zero appetite. No food looks or tastes good to me anymore. I am always nauseous. I have zero energy, and some days cannot even get out of bed. Everything I eat makes me sick. My hubby and I try to find a pattern to what causes my dumping syndrome. But we are at a loss. The worst part is, I have a son who is going to be 5 next week. I am lucky to have lots of help w him from my mom and my hubby. But he sees how weak I am. I can’t keep up w him and take him to a park even. I cannot find much at all online about loosing too much weight. I only find about regaining. My bariatric surgeon’s answer to every complication I’ve had is to cut me open, again, and again and again. He’s done 6 surgeries on me (not including initial lapbad, and revision to bypass). I moved overseas to Israel last September and have been getting iron infusions twice a week. I haven’t felt a difference. Nothing helps. It’s a total mind f**k to go from 280 to 113. Als to go from so big to so small. Also to be told by all those around me to eat eat. How can I swallow food when I’m constantly nauseous? I’ve always struggled to keep all of the vitamins down. I throw them all up. Ive asked if I can do a vitamin drip, any alternative to oral vitamins. It’s hard. My Dr even prescribed me marinol, to stimulate my appetite and help with nausea. It’s generally given to chemo patients, didn’t help me at all. I feel No one understands. I Don’t even understand, It’s so very confusing. Any one else experience this? I feel if things don’t change I’ll be dead within 10 years. I’m 42 in a 65 year olds body. What upsets me most is how this affects my sweet little boy. He is old enough now to know and see and hear, that mommy is not well. I will never know all of the negative ways in which this probably already has and will continue to affect him. I have an appt with a bariatric nutritionist but, by now, I generally know more than they do. Any words of wisdom or advice would be greatly appreciated. Here are pics from size 28 to 00

1. What made you choose the Sleeve over the Lap Band? My surgeons office no longer does this type of surgery. Google band revisions. I had the sleeve because it was less invasive. My intestines are not altered. 2. Have you had Hair loss with the Sleeve? Yes, its typical and temporary. It will grow back. 3. What can you absolutely NOT eat now with the Sleeve? I can tolerate anything. Sweet, salty, Spicy. To be successful it's healthy eating and behaviors. I choose and enjoy eatting healthy. 4. At what point did you know you made the right decision with the Sleeve surgery? The moment I chose it was the right decision. It's been successful long term. 5. What as been the best tool you've used in keeping your weight loss progressing?. Keeping my weight loss progressing/maintaining has been staying on my Dr's food and exercise plan. Best thing that has assisted me was a food tracking app. It was eye opening to see how you fuel your body.

The best explanation of the difference between the two that I have seen is on poster's surgeon's advice was that if you call me up in five year's time complaining of nausea and vomiting and you have a band, I would tell you to go the the ER ASAP; if you had a VSG, I would tell you that you just ate some bad fish. While the bands are simple to install and have a low initial complication rate, that complication rate increases over time, and while it is a removable device and the procedure can be reversed, often times the damage that it does to your stomach can't be reversed, so you wind up getting revised to a sleeve, bypass or DS.

I'm not going to tell you to not do it... but, I would NEVER do it again. 1. The sleeve wasn't an option for me, it wasn't approved yet when I had the band installed, it was band or bypass, and I wish I went bypass back in 2011. 2. I had no hair loss with the band. I had no hair loss with the bypass either. 3. The stuff I should have been eating, I had issues with. There wasn't anything I "couldn't" eat, but things like grilled chicken, lettuce, leafy greens, all hurt to eat or would get stuck and I'd have to regurgitate it. 4. The first few months were great... then things just started to get problematic, I never had a psychical issue with the band, no erosion, no slippage, nothing of that nature, the band just stopped being effective, and there are PLENTY of reports like this. 5. Best tool was getting the band out and revising to the bypass. Honestly best thing WLS related that I've ever done was to dump the band and go with the bypass. Also, 2 of the major manufacturers of the band have either stopped production or sold off their lines, those companies no longer make parts for the bands. Something to think about. Why any honest surgeon would still be pushing these horrible little devices is so far beyond me it's not funny.

@ellie123 I'm a revision as well, Luckily I didn't get sucked into the band to sleeve revision that I actually was originally looking to do. So glad my surgeon refused to do any band to sleeve revisions due to added complications and issues in doing so. Had the band to bypass revision in March and I couldn't be happier overall, I really do wish I went with the bypass way back in 2011. Could have saved SO MUCH TIME!

I chose a sleeve because I am still in my 30s and malabsorption seemed like a really bad idea to me. Thought I would just be upping my chance for a barrage of health issues down the road. Add the fact that I have lost large amounts of weight in the past all on my own and a husband who only reluctantly supported the sleeve and was down right opposed to a bypass, and sleeve it was. Also, I don't want to be "skinny." I don't have the face for it--the thought of looking bony (for myself--not others) repulses me. Now I am one of the lucky ones that is dealing with GERD from their sleeve. Medications do very little for me and are not a long term solution. I may be forced to get a revision and it still terrifies me. I do not want my intestines messed with. but it is what it is. Should I have gone with the bypass to begin with? Maybe. I might have not had GERD but my mother has numerous GERD related issues--so I could have seen it coming. Not to mention I am only 3.5 months out and back to my creamer in my coffee ways. Plus, I did purge in my 20s. And the 100s of pounds I have lost on my own--I've gained them back, Time will tell--but to answer your question. FEAR. I was educated on the outcomes but I am afraid of a bypass.

This was not the old "RNY is superior to VSG" debate. To clarify I have a VSG is a fine tool  This was a question about the need/desire for revisions based on failed expectation on weight loss alone (not post WLS medical issues or malfunctions) I see a ton of post (sadly mostly VSG based) where people are very freshly out of surgery wondering when they can cheat, or 2 years out of surgery wondering why they never made it to goal , or going for revisions to RNY to finally make to goal after regain My questions was are people going for VSG to avoid dumping to cheat (vs malabsorption for medical valid reasons) OR were they not advised that the best surgeries for their particular cases would have been the more aggressive surgery OR did they have no honest clue about the statistical weightloss/ regain rates ? I see a lot of good complex answers, thank you. I also see that a lot of Doctors are promoting VSG as their first choice surgery. Now I know. There are complex reasons why revisions are seemingly on the rise. Thanks everyone!!!!

From what I have seen, (just from others, never had the band myself,) if you were able to successfully maintain a good weight with the band, but the band failed mechanically, then you should be able to do similarly with the sleeve. Those who have trouble with this revision are those who were never able to make the band work in the first place - they figured out how to "eat around" their WLS, and if one is intent on eating around one WLS, they will likely work out how to eat around another WLS.

Your surgeon knows your medical history. They have read through your psych eval and blood work. The chioce is ultimately up to you. Since you asked about the sleeve I will give you my two cents. Each of us are more than the statistics. I lost 120 pounds in 6 months with the sleeve. My goal was 140. I am five years out and maintaining in the 130s. Nothing magic about the bariatric process. Follow your plan and behavior changes. Weight gain can happen to any type of surgery: Small or large amounts of weight. After a year you may see a ten to twenty pound bounce. It can be lost again. Maintaining is if you have a gain you go back to your bariatric plan and get the weight off. If you can't change your relationship with food and exercise you will not have long term success with any type of surgery. People with bariatrics have revisions due to different issues. (medical, not following their plan, mobility and eating disorders etc) Sleeve realities: Things to know. (1) less chance dumping syndrome if you eat sugar. (some will experience it) If sugar is an issue for you, you might want a different type of surgery. Lots of debate about stomach stretching. (yes it happens but it's rare) I am going to pass on reading any following angry posts about stomach stretching. (2a) Your restriction will be less as time passes. This is normal with the sleeve. Your stomach has not grown back or stretched. It's a new feeling of stomach capacity. It's rare to see revision due to stretching. Think of how much food you would have to binge and force down in one sitting to cause stretching to the point of revision. 2b) Many people confuse grazing with stomach stretching. Grazing is eating several meals throughout the day healthy or unhealthy foods. Your calories will seriously increase. It is as if you didn't have surgery at all. (google it) I also see some surgeons take advantage of gain due to grazing. It's a money maker to do another surgery. This is life long change with any type of surgery. It is still work after you get to gaol.