Search the Community

I am scheduled to have revision to RNY on April 10th! I started the liquid diet yesterday and have been good so far but I am so tired! Does anyone else have surgery coming up? I'd love to have someone to chat with

Mine wasn’t a revision but yes, covered in full SIPS procedure 12/11/17 SW 307 CW 214 GW 160

I had the lapband in 2009 and it was removed in 2017. I had RNY in Dec. I also had difficulty with feeling full and I had discussed this with other lapband revision patients and they have experienced this as well. I just made sure I measured everthing so I would heal properly. I still measure everything, because I do not get a full feeling. I used to cry when my family ate, because I wanted their food and I could not eat it. I spent a lot of time in my room when they ate to help me cope. When I started eating food, I started to feel better and I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I ended up being lactose intolerant, so I was not able to consume any diary. This could be the issue behind some of your GI issues. I felt so much better once all dairy was out of my diet. I used Nectar Fuzzy Navel and Genepro to help with my protein needs when I was on liquids. By the way, I also tasted food and then spit it out. We have food issues and it takes time after surgery (maybe a lifetime) to work through our food issues. We need to be kind and love ourselves even when we make a bad choice. I hope this helps you to feel better.[emoji4] Sent from my SM-T818T using BariatricPal mobile app

My success story is having it removed. I had so much scar tissue built up that the removal took over 3 and a half hours!!! My revision, which should have only taken 3-4 hours total, took over 6. I had no symptoms other than having issues with certain foods, my endoscope was good, no erosion, no slippage, nothing on the swallow test or other imaging, yet my band was encased in scar tissue so badly it took the doctor 3 times longer than normal to remove. Even when everything seems fine with the band, there would be major issues at play. I also was banded in 2011. Just had revision surgery to RYN on the 21st of March. So glad I did! Everyone is going to be different, but with the number of issues constantly rising, the fact that major suppliers and manufacturers of the band are stopping production... it sort of tells its own story.

Yes, this will be a revision. The lap band didn’t work well for me but it’s still in there.

This is such a minor surgery compared to lap band, nobody is rerouting any plumbing, just making your stomach smaller so you get full faster. Just curious when you say you had lap band surgery in 2007 does that mean this is a revision surgery or did you previously have the band removed?

Hi guys, I was banded as a self pay patient in 2007 and need a revision. My bmi is 41. I originally wanted DS but though this is an approved surgery, there are no in network providers who cover it. So from my insurance book I can see that I could definitely get approved for a sleeve but SIPS is not listed under covered procedure OR under excluded procedures. I was wondering if anyone had insurance that did approve a sips? I have UHC but any input is appreciated

I am looking to have band revision as well. I wanted traditional DS but there are no in network providers. Now looking at SIPS but I am not sure if insurance will cover it. Did insurance cover revision to SIPS for you? If not, how much did it cost?

Any reccomendations for surgeons in the New Orleans metro area and across the lake for revision surgery from sleeve to bypass?

@Alex Brecher how are you and recovery coming along?? inquiry minds want to know kathy

Today marks Day 4 post Band to Bypass revision. Isopure Zero Carb RTDs are going down so easy, I'm getting over 40 grams of protein a day already and upwards of 60 oz of water. I'm down just over 22 lbs since the 2nd of March already. Stomach bloating/swelling is still in full effect, but other areas are clearly thinning out. The 2x daily injections still weird me out. Overall doing quite well. Each day things get just a little bit better.

Went pretty well. I'm on full liquids now and can eat about 1/4 cup of soup at each meal. I know a lot of people say revision wasn't as successful as original procedure but I feel like I can't eat much less than I could with the original.

Maygoddess, I know exactly how you feel!!! I have a Lap-band that has slipped twice (one required surgical re-positioning and the other a complete un-fill) and it now has a LEAK!! It was a great tool that worked well for approximately 11 years, but the last 2 years have been a struggle. My appetite returned vengeance and I regained the 135 pounds and a bit more within that time period. I have tried countless times to get fills in hopes that somehow it will fix itself, but of course that was wishful thinking. Depression, disgust, embarrassment, and frustration set in and I felt so lost. I continued asking myself how could I let this happen , but I honestly couldn't control my hunger. To not have an appetite for over 9 years and then wake up feeling as if I could eat ANYTHING scared the crap out of me. I even went to the weight management doctor in hopes to be prescribed an appetite control suppressant, but my blood pressure was too high so the answer to that was "NO." I was so angry at that point and I knew I needed help, but didn't know what to do. Did I mention that bariatric surgery is an exclusion in my medical insurance benefits? The money that I've spent going back and forth to doctors for fills, un-fills, upper GI testing, follow-up appointments, anesthesia, etc.. was getting ridiculous. I couldn't afford it anymore. It was taking a toll on me financially and mentally. There was no one for me to talk to because no one knew what I was going through. When I would see family members that I haven't seen in a while, I would hear things like "what happened?" "you're bigger than me," "I didn't even recognize you," "you got soooo big," and the hurtful comments went on and on. Although I knew the comments weren't a deliberate attempt to hurt me, EVERY word felt like a dagger poking at me. In February, out of despair and desperation, I contacted a friend that had VSG surgery in Mexico with excellent results and explained my nightmare to her. She told me about her great experience and I was sold. Long story short, I'm scheduled for revision surgery (Lap-band to VSG) on April 4th in Mexico. I'll be travelling alone and I'm nervous, but I have to do this for me because I'm miserable. Some say that revision from Lap-band to Gastric Sleeve doesn't always have the best success rates , but I refuse to believe that. I CAN NOT AND I WILL NOT FAIL! Maygoddess, I'm so sorry that you've had this experience, but I'm glad to know that you have options. You are not alone in this struggle. Now I can't tell you whether or not to stay California for surgery or travel to Mexico, but I advise you to follow your heart because it won't lead you wrong . Sorry for the long post. Best of luck to you. Please keep us posted.

Hope your revision went well Nickie!

Thank you for sharing your story..let's definitely follow each other's journey..you are at the same place I am at..we started close to same weight (mine was 286). My lowest was 150 until my band was unfilled and eventually gained 50 and have been sitting at 200 now for last year + or 1 a lb or two. What I worry about is this being effective at all to get the sleeve. I asked the doctor this yesterday. Since are already banded and lost alot of weight and maintained until we had issues..do we go back to starting line like we were when first banded...you have this new restriction you never had before..you increased it and lost weight fairly quickly. I was l slow too...small fills..resistant to want to ALWAYS eat healthy..etc..it was fine for me..but NOW..we start at a place where we had already been restricted for years..and now we are just getting a different restriction..so will we have t he same momentum as a newbie or have to work harder to get the weight we gained off? I guess I have to look at this sleeve as a way to keep the weight off for most part. Totally unbanded with no replacement means we are back to being mere mortals again with yo yo dieting all our lives..no thank you!! I have been trying to find band>revision long term results here. The surgeon I saw yesterday seems to think I should be able to get his 50lbs I regained off with the sleeve and then maintain it..who knows. With this infection looming inside me..the timeline is being pushed. I don't really want to have two surgeries here in states because insurance requires me jump through the pre-surgery hoops I wouldn't have to do back in Mexico with the surgeon I know and trust with my life..free vs pay...uggh....have to decide quickly..if infection doesn't get better..it may happen this week if I can get the money scrambled together.. Keep me posted on your journey...would love to here how you progress post band with sleeve!! Best wishes on speedy recovery! Patty

In my case this being a BPD-DS I had my last endoscopy and he was really surprised at how bad my esophagus was. He said I had acid reflux all the way to my neck. I am now on 80mg of Omeprazol and 1g of Sucralfate at bedtime. He said I had ulcers in my esophagus. Trying to get them healed. For me a revision involves changing where the digestive juices come into my small intestine I have a 75cm common channel I think it is called it can be changed to have more like a 150cm common channel. so there would be more intestine to absorb nutrition.

I’m a revision as well - April 27! Did you get your revision/sleeve in one sitting? That is what my doc plans to do (which I’m happy about because I don’t want to have TWO surgeries!). I HATE my band! So how is the sleeve? A gazillion times better? About the same but without sliming? I seriously can’t wait to get this thing out of my body!

I still have to take PPI. However, the volume reflux is gone since revision (band to MGB) and I have to take a much lower dose of PPI.

Hello there! I’m having a revision aswell, I’m nervous and scared yet excited, how was your recovery? How long did you stay in the hospital?

It's interesting that you gained 30 lbs eating only 500 calories a day. The band does not change your metabolism, so I'm confused about that. But yes, for me the discomfort and constant feeling of having a heart attack is simply not worth it. I was absolutely miserable. It's only been 2 weeks since I've had no restriction but I haven't gained anything at all. There were times with the band where I gained 10 lbs in a week because I fell off the wagon with my diet. My eating habits are so much healthier now, so I'm looking forward to keeping a good attitude towards food without the band. I was also doing cardio and strength training 4-5 days a week, which I will get back to when I'm healed up from the removal. I was very encouraged by a post on this site by AZbandster. She had a very similar experience to mine and has done well maintaining without the band. I just found that the band did not actually stop weight gain for me. Like I mentioned, I could eat horrible and gain 10 lbs easily even with the band full. I had to make permanent changes to the way I thought about food. I actually began a pescatarian diet 6 months ago which helped me lose the most recent 10 lbs I lost. Now I'm looking forward to trying a more vegan based diet with seafood proteins a few times a week. The pescatarian diet is helping with my digestion, sleep, and so many other improvements, like my hair and skin so I'm hoping to continue to see benefits. With regard to the payment, my insurance covered the removal with no hoops but not a revision. Wish you the best as well. I'll be sure to check back in on you to see how you're doing.

I’m planning to pay for a revision. I’m looking for a doc in the Huntsville or Birmingham area that offers this protection. My insurance will not cover for any complications during my stay only after discharge.

Thank you for sharing your story. If your advice worked, none of us would be having weight loss surgery! Sorry..a bit simplistic.."just watch your eating habits" LOL!! Food is one addiction that we cannot live without..and it is hard to just "eat right". The band was not meant to stop you from eating chips and shakes..it also doesn't make you want to eat kale and fish either. It limits food good or bad. I got the surgery mostly to keep it off rather than just to lose weight. I was sick of the 5% chance of keeping weight off you lose..those are bad odds. Unfortunately, when I was unfilled when they found the esophagus issue, I gained 30lbs in a month..I ate barely anything..I watched EVERY bit and sip I took..counted calories..was eating like 500 calories a day and worked out and gained 5lbs a day..it was a nonstop freight train. I am afraid when the band goes, I will gain more. I originally lost 130lbs with the band..gained 50 so far after the unfill..but have now stabilized. I have a fill but no port or tube..so the band is still doing what it supposed to do..keeping weight off..BUT still not helping with losing these 50lbs no matter what I do to "eat right". I do hope that works for you..sounds like you have resolved to just try and wing it like the rest of the mere mortals. I cannot risk gaining that weight with no way to lose it and most importantly keep it off long term. I went back to the surgical office locally today to ask the surgeon more questions. Looks like insurance requires ANYONE getting a new surgery..even if a revision..to jump through all the hoops...psych evals, dieting, etc etc..all the BS that is important for a brand NEW patient, but rediculous for someone banded for 16 years. So I am looking at possibly just paying out of pocket and going back to my surgeon in Mexico. He has more experience, he can do the removal/revision at same time..no hoops to jump through..a lot to consider..but just winging it again and just "watching my eating habits" never worked and won't at my age to stop the gain that will most likely happen nor get off what I gained. Good luck with your journey!

I am 3 years post sleeve. I am in the process of revision, maybe May?.While I have nasty reflux the reason is 1 only lost 30 pounds in about 8 months, and then over the next 2.5 years I put on 40. My original clinic called me the 1%. At that time I posted on a different forum and was treated nasty. I stopped reading and watching anything bariatric. I now know that I was the 1st of 15 patients surgeon did a sleeve on. That surgeon is no longer practicing medicine. We dont yet know if his method is responsible for my lack of success. Probably never will. Now I try to find the emotional box for what is my own responsibility and what is somebody's elses fault. And keep moving forward

Can we stop calling Isopure zero carb "protein water" nowhere on the bottle does it say "protein water". I just find using the term very misleading. I have been using isopure since 2010/11 when I was banded, lovely product overall. Very helpful now that I've revised to RNY. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks! I’m going to get my lap band to a mini gastric bypass revision and I’m nervous that they might not be able to do it at once, I have no problem with my band other than not losing weight