Search the Community

I was an emotional eater as well. And a stress eater. And a bored/tired/anxious eater. Use the pre-op and immediate post-op time to work on changing your relationship with food, it's not easy, but with the right amount of effort it's totally possible to overcome. As far as the boyfriend. I think you 2 need a serious sit down. The lack of respect and support is a major red flag. Not that he's a bad guy necessarily, it's possible he's afraid of losing you, either to surgery or to someone else once you drop your weight. Maybe he's insecure about his own weight and your process is shining a light on that. Either way, I think it would do you both good to sit down, drop all pretenses and lay all the cards out on the table. He's either going to step up and be honest with you... or he won't. But either way, you need his help and support and you should demand his respect. I'm not going to tell you what you *should* do, but, personally, if my significant other was that rude and subversive, I'd be looking for the door. My wife was on-board for the lap band. She wasn't fully sold on the revision to bypass, but she knew it's what I wanted, trusted that I chose what was best for all of us and she accepted that fact even against her own thoughts on the matter. Now, she's looking and feeling better herself as well because of my surgery. My whole family eats better, gets more exercise and overall, everyone is happier, all because of the changes I made for myself. Hopefully everything works out for you, one way or another. Stay Strong, this process if for yourself and yourself alone. You got this!

I have had a very interesting journey and it continues. I had s lap band done in 2008 in Tijuana Mx by Dr Corvala. That experience was better than the ones I’ve had in the states. I am a nurse, so when I say it was very impressive, it was one where I would consider having other procedure in the future. Over 7 years I had fills and un-fills because I could not tolerate a lot of fills and it got to where I had no fill for a couple of years... needless to say, I could no longer tolerate the fills anymore and went through my next surgery in 2014, through my insurance where I had my lap band removed and a VGS done. I only lost 50lbs in 6 months, despite my working out (I found a love for spinning) and eating small meals and drinking my Premier Protein shakes. My weigh got down to 195lbs from my surgery weight of 252 lbs... today I am 4 years post VSG. I weigh 252lbs gaining my weight back. I went to my insurance and asked to be evaluated for surgery to add the malabsorption to my VSG, I asked to see my surgeon that did my VSG because in my initial consultation we discussed doing a lap band removal and a gastric bypass. He talked me in to the VSG say that if needs to add the malabsorption to my VSG by converting to a Gastric bypass or DS. Long story short, I had a UGI series recently showed her I have not stretched my sleeve and he recommends me going back to square diet wise to loose the weight. So I have gained weight because, I had to stop working out due to chronic plantar fasciitis and a new diagnosis of fibromyalgia... I still eat mostly Proteins because it makes my stomach feel so much better. I need to go back to drinking more Water, but I feel like a failure despite my efforts. I do 5k walk runs when I can(I have very active friends and I enjoy doing these with them) but now these days, it’s very difficult.. now my planter fascitiis is better, I am having problems with my knees and having to get shots in them... So I believe if I had that malabsorption component to my surgery, as a tool: it would help me loose weight and keep it off so I can work out.. I am feeling like I do not want to deal with the bureaucratic issues with my insurance , so I’m thinking about going back to Mexico. I am researching currently a surgeon who can do the 2nd stage Duodenal Switch. I see people talking about Dr Illano but I don’t get the impression that he does a lot of these. There is a Dr Ungson in Mexicali who did them more often than most bariatric surgeon, but no longer works for the bariatric center, due to him taking on a job with the government. I heard Dr. Esquerra in Mexicali learned under Dr Ungson does them just as often. Has anyone had a duodenal switch or VSG revision with any of these physicians I just mentioned?

You need to find out if your insurance will agree to pay for 2 bariatric surgeries (i.e.one to remove the band and the second to do gastric bypass). If not, you need to work with a surgeon that will do both procedures in 1 surgery. I had MGB surgery in April 2017, which resolved my acid reflux and allowed me to get below goal weight, BUT now I’m dealing with bile reflux so will be revising to an RNY in the very near future. YMMV

let me share the facts about a lap band...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20496124 this study indicates that more than 50% require reoperations with a band and that at the study end only 53% still had the original band. Most doctors won't do them any more because of the atrocious complication rates. mine permanently damaged my esophagus. the other bariatric surgeries don't have anywhere near those complications and revision rates. buyer beware. You want anecdotal stories there are more than 3,000 people in the failed lap band facebook group who all tell very similar stories about their experiences with the band. I dropped weight on the band, then it turned on me and caused reflux/vomiting/choking multiple respiratory infections, illness after illness etc. many people go through a honeymoon period with it and then it turns into the experience I had or the others on this thread...some sooner others later. I was a huge band advocate in the first few years. now I would not wish one on my worst enemy.

I was banded in 2011, and I wish I wasn't. Sure there are lots of folks with success stories, but there are many more stories of how the band just didn't live up to the hype, in fact 2 of the major manufactures, aren't making parts any more and LOTS of surgeons aren't performing installations because of the high failure rates, low success rates and lack of manufacturer support. A about 6 years dealing with trying to get the band to work for me, all the depression and issues because it didn't. Getting stuck on foods I shouldn't, etc etc etc. I did lose about 70 lbs, but that was it. Nothing else I did would make that number move any farther. I started to rebound as well a few times. When I finally had the band removed and revised to the bypass, my band was 100% completely encapsulated in scar tissue and took my surgeon over 3 times longer to remove than it should have, I had no "issues" though... no slippage, no erosion, yet, the band was screwed up, no idea what would have happened if I just left it and continued to deal with all the problems. Congrats on deciding to take the first step on your WLS journey, I would however strongly caution away from the band.

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but I'm going to tell you my experience with the band. I had the lap band for 2 years and never felt any restriction. After blaming myself and feeling frustrated, I finally revised to the duodenal switch and have lost nearly 80 pounds this past year. For me, the lap band was a total waste of money and energy. Most doctors have quit offering the lap band as a viable weight loss surgery option due to the high number of patients who revise to the gastric sleeve or another weight loss surgery. Only a small percentage of patients are successful with the band. That doesn't mean you won't be successful. You could be one of those patients who drops 100 pounds on the band. I'm just letting you know that most people have limited success or complications (band eroding into their stomach) and would suggest you consider a weight loss surgery that has a higher long term success rate than the band.

I believe you mean Dr. Aaron B. Bloomenthal. I went to Dr. Beth Ryder for both my band in 2011 and my revision to bypass this past March. Dr. Bloomenthal's reviews look good.

Had mine removed March 21st and revised to Bypass... wish I had just gone with the bypass back in 2011 and not deal with the crappy band for so long... I didn't have any major complications exactly, I got stuck on foods I shouldn't, couldn't ever get to the "sweet spot", leafy greens hurt to eat, lots of bs overall. But no erosion, slippage, etc. However, when my surgeon went to remove my band, it was 100% completely encapsulated in scar tissue and took them over 3 times longer to remove than it should have. I have no idea what would have happened if I hadn't had it removed!

Does Dr. Illan do the VSG revision duodenal switch surgery?

I wonder why Mary Poppins? Did he give a good why? I have heard of people getting a revision from sleeve to bypass but it,never could happen the other way!😪

Saddy, it's Frustr8 here, also getting a bypass about your time, although I'm an original not a revision. Are you sure you have hunger and not just gastritis and excess acid and possible ulcer.? A little about me, I have been fighting the GERD war for awhile, went from PPI to next. About 6 months ago, give or take, my symptoms amped up. Now my gall bladder has been gone for 34 34 years but that was the general area I was having pain. I am a dabbler on the edges of medicine and I also have a fervent imagination So what do you I rationalize about right subcostal pain ? Errant gall bladder tissue they didn't remove, maybe I have gallstones blocking pancreatic ducts, a Ghrelinoma, mind you I don't even know if there is such a thing?. gastric carcinoma, or as my late MIL threatened , my fat strangling my intestines? At that moment I was peeved at my PCP, the great steroid prescribed,he thinks medrol will cure the world of all its ills, I just think it makes me FATTER. So I hiked myself off to the gastroenterologist, why go to,the hmmm level? Lets fire the big guns. After changing PpL once again, now I'm on Dexilant, the Ferrari of Ppl and I go through an EGD which shows I have active gastritis and gives me a little birth announcement, I am the unwilling stepmother to Hector my teeny tiny stiil-sleeping gastric ulcer. The good news, Hector is not caused by H pylori, he is from excessive amount of ibuprofen, which had chewed through the protective mucous lining and into business area, the stomach wall. Nd we,must,keep Vector peacefully slumbering so b he does not perforate and dausevall kinds of trouble. Hence the,pain Goodbye coffee, spices peppermint, skipping meals and of course NSAIDS. There is my story and hi hope it helps a little.

I too had a revision from sleee to bypass (due to GERD & not losing weight). i truly don’t feel hungry now but I am almost 6 weeks post op. When I see something delicious or what I use to eat before, I crave it for that moment but when it’s out of sight, my craving goes away. I am still on soft Foods so I can’t speak much about eating. Some of those with bypass have dumping syndrome when they eat an abundance of sugar which is positive for some because they no longer want to feel that pain/discomfort again so they stay away from sugar; same for greasy/Fatty/fries Foods I believe

I had liquid Tylenol with codeine. I also received one shot of Demerol in my IV. I had very little surgical pain. I did however have severe back pain due to surgical positioning (and an old injury I never thought to mention)! I’m allergic to morphine. It was never an option. I got a script for one bottle of the Tylenol with codeine upon release the next day. (I used half the bottle to manage back pain the first few days I was home.). Revision from Band to sleeve.

Hi! The gastric bypass has been around as strictly a reflux surgery for many, many years before they realized that it aided in weightloss also. It started out as a reflux surgery. And while u must be heavier than 150 lbs to receive it for weightloss reasons, they will do it for reflux for a lesser weight. I voiced concern that I may lose too much and my dr told me that our bodies are smart and they tended to lose until they're at a healthy weight, then level out. I may get to a little less than my goal, fairly quickly, but my body would level out and stay healthy. It's super rare to become anorexic. Even knowing that its rare, of course I'm still concerned. And when I dont have reflux for 4 or 5 nites, I rethink my surgery decision. Then BAM - its back and I'm up for 3 hrs coughing and vomiting up stomach acid, feeling like Im having aheart attack, and will lose my voice the next day. And I sleep sitting up in an adjustable bed. I've tried everything conservative over an almost 5 yrs time period and it just gets worse. If I dont have the surgery (and while there is a reflux surgery, called the Fundoplication, I don't have enuf stomach left for it to be done), more damage will be done to my esophagus and I risk cancer and acid eating holes. My dr has gone over all the risks involved and the risks of doing nothing surpass the risks of the revision. I can figure something out to do with my back pain while I'm unable to take pills post op. I guess I can mix the Kratom powder with some protein shake, or switch to CBD oil during this time. I'm curious at how differently my body absorbs medication differently also with the bypass. Whether I will need less pain meds or what. Anyway, just wanted to let u know that its a safe surgery when weighing 150 lbs (I now weigh 154). The bypass started as a reflux surgery many, many years ago and they discovered that people were losing huge amounts of weight with it so it was tweaked and became the weightloss surgery we know now. And Im hoping Im not 1 of the rare people that cant stop losing.... Marci

The revision would be because of the reflux. He's just afraid that it could cause erosion or ulcerations in the esophogus and make it even worse than it is now. He might be giving the meds a bit longer to see if they can help. He did tell me to put cinder blocks under the head of my bed. I asked "Instead of my wedge?" He said no, keep the wedge, too! Maybe I will call up on Monday and see if they will refer me to a gastroenterologist. I was just caught completely off-guard and didn't come up with any good questions. I'm great with numbers, not so much with words

Oh man, what terrible news. Sorry, been off the site for a few days and just saw your post. It does though explain the problems you've been having. I would get in to see a Gastroenterologist ASAP. I wouldn't at all be happy with the "see you in September" response that your surgeon gave you. Honestly, he should have refereed you to an GI specialist! Your surgeon may never have seen your issue, but a Gastroenterologist will have! You need to get your esophagus issue sorted first, and your surgeon is already thinking a revision!?! Now this might be the biggest tragedy of all, lol!

Did you by chance have a gastric balloon before the ESG? I am hoping to have the ESG and the doctor told me he no longer does them for anyone who has had a gastric balloon as the failure rate has been high due to the stitches not holding/loosening. The research as yet to determine why but he thinks may be due to the balloon stretching the stomach tissues. I am sorry you have gone through this, hopefully there is an option for you for a successful revision. On a FB group I belong to, some who haven't felt sufficient restriction have revisioned to a VSG or bypass. I would think in Australia as the ESG was introduced less than two years ago, there wouldn't be too many revisions as yet.

July 26, revision from band to RNY.

In our case, the fundus is the stretchy part that makes up most of the greater, or outer, curvature of the stomach, and is what is removed when a sleeve gastrectomy is done, or is folded up and tied back in a sleeve plication. It looks like with the endoscopic procedure, they suture it up internally to make the fundus inaccessible, leaving the reduced "sleeve" like path open for restricted food flow. Being a fairly new procedure, one is fighting the learning curve - both for the individual surgeon and for the industry as a whole. The guys that did the first heart transplant were the best in the business, but the patient still only survived a short time; it takes time, practice and experience - both individual and collective - for a procedure to mature into a routine, everyday therapy, so your doc may well be exceptional, but they are all still working out the kinks in a new procedure. Where to go from here? A bypass was suggested, and this is very common, as most bariatric surgeons were raised on them, so to speak, know them well and tend to be very comfortable with them when things get complicated as they can with some revisions. You note that a SADI has been suggested - was this by the same surgeon, or someone else? If the SADI is a possible, then a regular sleeve gastrectomy should also be workable, as the SADI normally uses the sleeve as its basis, and presumably that would be most attractive to you as that is what is most similar to your originally chosen endo sleeve. Whether you need the malabsorptive component of the bypass or SADI is an individual decision. When things get complicated like this, it is usually best if one can get a second (or even third) opinion on the problem and possible solutions. There are often several different alternatives available, but individual doctors will prefer, or have more experience, with one over another, while another doc may have different experiences and preferences as to how to approach this problem. Good luck in working this out...

I had gastric bypass 12 yrs ago and SERIOUSLY looking into self- pay for a revision. I'm looking for someone that can give me any advice/info on surgery in Mexico. Sent from my XT1650 using BariatricPal mobile app

@Red Robin I was a band to bypass revision as well. My surgeon refused to do the band to sleeve because of increased risk of staple line issues across the scar tissue caused by the band. I'm glad I decided to go bypass over sleeve, because when my surgeon went to remove my band, it was totally encapsulated in scar tissue, they wouldn't have been able to proceed with the sleeve if I was going that way anyway. Now, my surgeon did refuse, but she said there were others in her group that would do it and she offered to send me to them if I wanted to proceed with the band to sleeve revision. I trusted her judgement and it paid off. Either way, congrats on deciding to continue your journey! Good luck and Stay Strong!

Had my procedures done Monday and the kind doctor did a revision of my fleur de lis scar and a bit of lipo to my mons. Sooo happy with my results. Was barely a 32b before I think I’ll be a 32c now She used 310 cc implants

WLS is hard. I knew this going into my band back in 2011. I knew this going to my revision to bypass this past March. I expected it to be hard. I'm getting very frustrated with the struggle. Granted this is coming from a place where I'm working 10+ hour days, we just had to put a dog down, and I'm stalling hard every few days. My body fat has been slowly reducing but not the weight. And again, I get that it's a process. Just venting I guess. I'm in the gym almost every day, only missed 2 days total in over a month. One was because a friend needed help with his car, so I spent several hours in the junk yard getting a door off for him, so I might have missed the gym, but I certainly didn't miss the workout that day! And the other day was this past Tuesday, because my pup got put down while I was at work. She was old, and I knew it was coming, but that doesn't change the waves of depression and emotional break downs the loss is causing. Just need a win this week and everything is coming up crap. Our dryer stopped working and 4 parts later, too much money and too much effort and it's still not working. Just feels like this whole week has it out for me.

I remember being denied at first, because I needed a 6 month supervised diet even though I had the lap band installed in 2011. But those 6 months flew by. Hard to believe I'm almost 3 months post revision now! It'll happen, it just seems like it'll be a long time, then it goes quickly. It's weird. But you'll get there soon enough!

I'm currently waiting on my insurance to approve my hernia repair with a band revision to bypass. I have been very nervous about the change but I need relief from the abdominal pains and vomiting. Has anyone had this done and if so, what was your recovery like.