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Hello I had my RNY Gastric Bypass Revision June 13. I'm trying to get this weight down in an attempt to become a mother. Please send prayers that Im able to get this weight down and hopefully a year later be able to conceive. Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App

Hello everyone! I am having a lapband to sleeve revision this upcoming Monday 1/25. I have two children ages 2.5 and 1 years old. The one year old does not currently walk. My mom will have them at her house for a week after the surgery. (7 days) After that she is unavailable to help. My question is for people specifically with little kids/babies. How long after sugery could you start to do things? I am very nervous and anxious as to what will happen. Thanks

Revising to a tighter sleeve is not recommended, honestly if I stick to the rules of Protein first, even at 19 months out, I have little to zero room for junk food. You'll do great ! ! !

I'm in the process of revising my band to sleeve. I have no insurance so the surgeon quoted me $12,500 for everything. I have managed to come up with $6,400 so far!!! I'm halfway there and getting anxious lol!

No, Mark. But there are some VBG (the older non-adjustable gastric band) conversion patients, but I don't know if they converted to the Swedish band. (And there is a Cousin band in Belgium, right?) All the different international band names can be a bit confusing. Hopefully some one will come here with better information. Meanwhile I would also check the ObesityHelp*com forum called "Revision" - I've seen quite a few former VBG patients there. Good Luck. ("Bumping Up" this thread so others will see it.)

I am in the process of having the band to Sleeve revision surgery. It was discovered during my EGD the end of May that my band had slipped, and it is now medically necessary to remove it. My surgeon's rule is that if it is deemed medically necessary to remove the band, he only requires you to lose 6 pounds from your initial weight at your first visit with him. Well between my first visit with him, and my EGD, I gained 11 pounds from taking an anti inflammatory medication for my back. So that put me up to having to lose 17 pounds. Grr!!! So I immediately topped taking the medication that was causing me to gain weight, and started the low carb diet that my doctor put me on. From the end of May until July 7th, I lost a grand total of 4 pounds. So frustrating!!! Since then, I have restricted my carbs even more, watched my caloric intake, sodium intake, fat intake, and have been switching out one meal a day for a protein shake. Today I go for another weigh in, and to see the nutritionist, and I just know that I'm only going to have about a 3 pound loss, and I just don't understand why. I have been to my regular doctor and have had my thyroid checked, and all blood work done to see if there are any underlying issues, and there aren't any. I also spoke with my insurance company this morning, and my surgery has been approved! Yay!!! But.... there's a time limit on this approval, and it runs out October 17th. So I am hoping and PRAYING that my surgeon will bend his rule, and let me slide on the remaining 10 pounds..... 🙁🙁 Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

I have had Vertical Banding done 20+ yrs. ago and dealt with issues for a long time, and just found something can be done. I am considering having DS done as a revision, but wondered if anyone else has done so with VBG from so long ago. THX

Hello my name is Maria, and I am pretty new to this website. I just wanted to give a review of Dr. Fernando Garcia with tijuanabariatrics.com. If you ever decide to go with him please do your research. I am not going to say anything on his skills if you are a first time patient. But for revision surgery please consider someone else more experienced. I went to see dr. Garcia for a revision from lap band to sleeve. I payed good amount of money to be promised a sleeve and ended up with God knows what. As soon as I could drink I drank the whole bottle of water and other drinks no problem. They said it was a perfect sleeve and that they used small bougie. I got home I was hungry all the time and drinking all the liquids I could! No restriction whatever. I started to panic and called and emailed Doctor Velazco his helping Doctor. She said don't worry you won't be feeling full on liquids. When you start your purée and solid diet you will feel it. So 2 month out of what was called sleeve surgery I am 35 pounds heavier than before. Of course I started to panic and do my research why I didn't succeed in this. I found dr. Rodriguez through Belight company. And after reviewing my medical history he agreed on doing a bypass on me. When I met him I asked him why do you think I gained so much weight. If I had sleeve I should had stayed at same weight and not gaining no more. He said he won't be able to tell till he is inside of me. What he told me was horrible. Dr Garcia didn't do no sleeve on me. He just folded my stomach in half and saw it and than stitching got undone so half of my stomach was stitched and other was half wasn't. It wasn't even a plication. With plication stomach folded in several folds but what he did to me is not even a surgery. He just put my life in jeopardy because a lot of scar tissue left in there. He didn't clean anything up. Instead of 1 and 1/2 hours my sergeant was working on me for 4 hours!!! I am so hopeful that this was it and I don't have to go through another surgery again!

Hi Angi; There is an entire thread on this web site for former lap banders to VSG. (click on link below) Recommend you repost in that forum as you will get more replies from people who have been in your shoes. From what I have read, VSG may be your answer. Best wishes in your journey. http://www.verticals...eeve-revisions/

Thank you! This is revision surgery. I had bypass done in 2001, but about 5 yrs ago started weight regain and a host of other symptoms with my blood pressure, heart, and bone loss. I also suffer lowback pain that has also aggravated my life. I am sure my doctor wants optimum results from me due to the bypass revision, so I started a little plan of my own but will definitely follow his and the dietician's instructions for preop eating/drinking tomorrow. My target date is either May 27 or May 31. Sooo excited to get this part done and recovery in full gear!! ] Good luck with your diet. I know the liver can be a tricky little booger when it wants to. I found out the hard way when I took the hcg drops. My doctor had a fit and then showed me the results of my liver lab. Thank the Lord it did not do permanent damage. Doesn't it feel good to know we have this great opportunity before us? By the way I am not a guy, I have to change my little head guy. Mac

Hello everyone. My name is Trent. I was banded on 6/1/2010, by Dr. Rowitz in upstate SC. He and his staff are wonderful. I have had success losing weight and have lost about 45lbs. I have had some problems though. My port incision would not heal and kept draining fluid. i had one fill of 2cc, but he had a hard time getting into the port. My next appt to get a fill my incision still was draining but looked better. We agreed to keep watching it and continued with the fill. He tried to find the port again (5 sticks and 2 needles later) I told him to keep trying) we came to the conclusion that I wasnt healing and he couldnt get in the port because it had come loose and flipped. This was on 8/5/2010 and I had revision surgery and the port moved to a new location (a few inches higher) on 8/9/2010. The surgery went well. but I am still hurting at my incisions and the bottom is draining bunches of the clear fluid. hopefully all that will quit soon.

I can certainly offer you my experience on this type of issue. I also had my approval with a surgeon, and their office was beyond incompetent- but because I am a unique revision patient I felt like I didn't have many surgeon options and tried to bear with it. Their office staff took THREE MONTHS to get my approval processed. Then, 2 wks before surgery was to happen, I find out they were trying to pull a fast one that involved insurance fraud. Needless to say, I didn't have to think very long about changing surgeons. Fortunately I found another one quickly and was able to get the re-approval (formality mostly) through Aetna PPO, and had surgery within a month's time. The surgeon I ended up going with also has a pretty MESSED UP office staff, but didn't realize how much until after I had the surgery. I guess because I didn't have to deal with them to get the original approval, I wasn't seeing it as much. No insurance fraud stuff, but half the time they never answer their phone (DURING BUSINESS HRS), they WAY overbook their office visits making you wait an hr beyond your appt time because they are behind, most of the time you can never get an answer on anything important because the person you need to talk to isn't there.... the list goes on. Thank goodness the surgeon seems to be good at cutting anyways, and although that ranks higher on my list, I do expect competency from the office staff. They can actually screw A LOT of things up making your life miserable with missing paperwork, wrong information, etc.... Their office messed up my paperwork for disability from work and had I not caught it, it would have caused problems at work- or at the very least a great deal of frustration getting fixed after the fact. My surgery was out of state I will NOT be going back to them for follow ups. My local PCP cares more about my post-op than they do- and seeing him doesn't require going out of town. So, just some things to consider. Getting the re-approval is not that big of a deal. If you have concerns about the staff, I would SERIOUSLY consider finding another surgeon.

Great I just sent request to you My surgery was a revision 1-22-2013 8 weeks out How about you?

I had a pretty similar situation. First slip in Jan of this year after 2 years of being banded. Complete unfill, waited nearly four months to start filling, went slow and cautious, and then had another slip within two months. Band was removed a week ago, and like christiemr, I am having to wait about 4 months to revise to the sleeve due to the damage caused by the band. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but according to my surgeon (and this is just one opinion), slips very rarely truly fix themselves by unfilling, and once you have a slip, it's likely to occur again. Again, this is just one opinion, but it was true in my case and the case of many others I know. I hope your outcome is much better!

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832964 Medscape Family Medicine Which Diets Work? A Side Order of Perspective Michael J. Joyner, MD Disclosures October 13, 2014 Reevaluating the Healthy DietWhat constitutes a healthy diet? Until about a month ago, the conventional wisdom told us that a healthy diet was low in fat and salt, and involved eating Breakfast. Since that time, the news has reminded us (or perhaps re-reminded us) that it is not that simple. A recent, widely reported study showed that low-carbohydrate (carb) diets might be better.[1] Before that, we heard that either too much or too little salt in the diet can be bad,[2] and before that we heard that skipping breakfast may not be so bad after all.[3] All Diets Can Work; Most Don'tBefore anyone switches to a low-carb diet, it is important to remember that all diets can work in the short run. However, most diets fail in the long run,[4] and sticking with a diet is far more important than whether the diet is low-carb or low-fat. If you look at people who lose a lot of weight and keep it off over many years, a consistent pattern emerges.[5] When more than 10,000 real-life "biggest losers" (people who have lost at least 30 lb and kept it off) were surveyed, most succeeded by doing a few simple things: • 78% eat breakfast; • 75% weigh themselves regularly; • 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week; • 90% exercise about 1 hour per day; and • Most eat a low-calorie, low-fat diet. Among the weight regainers in this study,[6] reductions in leisure-time physical activity, dietary restraint, and frequency of self-weighing and increases in percentage of energy intake from fat and disinhibition (less self-control) were associated with greater weight regain. The advocates of low-carb diets will come back and say, "But the new study is a randomized clinical trial!"—and thus it should trump the observational data. A bigger randomized clinical trial[7] that followed weight loss in about 5000 patients with type 2 diabetes for 8 years showed that those who lost 10% of body weight and kept it off for 8 years did pretty much the same thing: [P]articipants who at year 8 maintained the ≥10% loss versus [those who[ gained above baseline weight revealed that maintainers reported higher activity-related energy expenditure (about 1500 vs 800 calories per week) and a greater number of weeks in the prior year reducing their calorie and fat intake. Weight [loss] maintainers also were more likely than full regainers to weigh themselves daily or more often.... What About Salt? The news about salt is hardly surprising. It has been known for years that blood pressure is salt-sensitive, but only in some people. The risks associated with excessively low-salt diets have also been known for years. However, determining exactly who is salt-sensitive can be difficult, and the biggest problem from a population health perspective is too much salt leading to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. Public health guidelines are sometimes blunt instruments, and given the overwhelming link between too much salt and bad outcomes,[8] it is probably acceptable that the guidelines are straightforward and even oversimplified. Before You Skip BreakfastBefore you start skipping breakfast, keep the data from the real-life biggest losers in mind. They tend to eat breakfast. Also, the classic epidemiologic studies by Lester Breslow, who lived to age 97 in good shape, suggest that eating breakfast helps people live long and healthy lives. The Conventional Wisdom Lives OnMedical guidelines and evidence come and go and are subject to regular revision.[9] However, sometimes the newest findings lead people to jump on bandwagons related to the latest and greatest studies, when a longer view might be helpful. In the case of diet, this is amplified by public anxiety, along with pitchmen and others promoting diets with magical properties that melt the pounds away and make them better than any alternative. However, before you adopt a high-fat diet, stop worrying about salt, and start skipping breakfast, keep the long-term outcome data in mind. So far, they have stood the test of time. Of greater importance, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, recognize that you are going to have reengineer your life by eating less, exercising more, weighing yourself regularly, and turning the TV off. Unfortunately, there are no magic bullets.

Will I have 7 incisions one about 3 inches long Had a drain tube I had the lapband for one year And had problems with it So Jan 22,2013 had revision surgery so my new Me started that day!!! Doing well tired weak but getting better each day Still trying to get my liquids in ( harder with this Surgery) than with lapband but this revision surgery was more complicated So being 50 yrs old this April I guess that's another reason I'm slow But next week I think going to try aqua aerobics And go back to my tanning (it makes you feel better) Hope everyone is well!' God Bless

I had my surgery.....Lap Band removal, revision to Sleeve.....almost 2 weeks ago, June 26, 2017. I am quite swelled on my upper left side incision area, and have been since surgery. Has anyone else had this swelling, or does everyone have it? I'm wondering if it was due to removal of my port, as it was a good size. I've kept ice packs on this area but can't really tell it's going down much. My doc office says as long as it's not hurting, it's ok. Maybe I'm worrying too much!! Thanks.

I am a band to sleeve revision and to me that does seem extreme. You will feel hungry, not starving like before, but hunger still happens. You don't want to restrict yourself to shakes (they get old trust me) and then binge on the wrong foods. I would make a plan for lean Proteins, and some veggies. Protein shakes are not going to provide you with complete nutrition, and it worries me that a NUT would be ok with that plan. I would run it past your surgeon and see what they have to say.

Thanks for the info faith. They did explain at the seminar in May that they were now doing three bands every Monday and RNY bypass on Wednesdays, so they could concievably do a dozen bands a month. Maybe the secretary miscommunicated the information to you about the dozen lapbands. Dr. Birkmeyer was at the seminar and I asked some very pointed questions about the band and if revisions could be done to RNY should there be complications from the band. He explained that he and Dr. Finks were both present for every band operation and that they were the ones doing the procedures - together. I also heard from my PCP that Dr. Finks was very... meticulous and to the point. I assumed from that description (knowing my PCP) that althought the man was a very talented surgeon, but had little to no patient skills. Thus, I'm interpreting that I can expect to find the man abrasive, but my procedure done with the highest level of skill. A small price to pay for a job well done, as I do not expect to talk much to the surgeon anyway, and really only care that the job is done correctly the first time. As I am a UM patient for several other specialities, my PCP suggested I might find that the coordination of care would be far easier to implement as I am in their system and have been for more than a decade. Should any of my other physicians require information or need to see me in the hospital after my procedure for any reason, I would be in the best place possible, as all records are kept electronically. As I am diabetic, and other things, I do feel if there was an emergency, I would rather my own endocrinologist be available for that situation than another doctor. In effect, I would be more comfortable with UM as a hospital, even if it meant that I had to work with a practice that had less 'practice'. As far as them quoting the 130 lapbands, I did believe Dr. Birkmeyer when he gave that information. He realized that it was a small number, but immediately gave the statistics of their complication rate (which was a blood clot in one patient with a history of clotting), and the fact that they were relatively new to the procedure, but that they supported lapband as it was a good choice for so many patients. If you take into consideration the fact that they could do a minimum of 12 procedures a month, they can easily rack up the 130 he quoted. It is clear, however, that they are far more skilled at RNY due to the fact they have done so many of those surgeries over the last few years. I actually watched the lapband surgery online, and found it is really not very complicated. After hearing from my PCP the intense, lifesaving procedure that Dr. Finks completed on one of his family members, this procedure should be easy for them. I do wish I could find someone that had the lapband from them so they could confirm the costs, and any 'surprises' that they experienced along the way, as it is expensive anyway you look at it. I find it slightly irritating that each program requires you to attend their seminar, even if you have sat through several. It's the same info over and over, and boring if you have heard it more than once. I really do not find it necessary to sit through another, and Hurley is requiring the same as the others. It was illuminating, however, during one I was at last spring, they were actually trying to convince people that they would need to purchase their supplements directly from their program ONLY, and should they not follow their specific program using THEIR supplements, you would be asked to find another doctor. That was unacceptable!

Hello, i just needed to talk to anyone who may have had my experience. I was banded on 7-10-03. Everything went well. However I had no restriction. I went in for my first fill and after a few pokes, he decided to give me an Xray and it revealed I had a tilted port. I had a small revision due to a flipped port on 8-14-03. Surgery went well and for my one week follow-up appt, I saw my dr's assistant due to my doc being on vacation. I received a fill. However I felt no restriction and my next appt with my reg doc, he noticed that I had no Fluid in my band and called for xray which revealed I had a leak. So on Tuesday, 9-9-03, I went in for a second revision to my port, at that time I was given a fill and today I have a little bit more restriction, unfortunately I will need another fill. I feel so awful and it's hard not to think that this is not going to work for me. At my first consultation I weighed 222, (gained up to 229 before surgery, left hospital at 227. Today the scale said 212. I'm grateful but there's not much to notice different about me and even though I didn't tell a lot of people, I sometimes think that they are looking at me like I'm a failure, too.:cry

I'm a revision from a sleeve to a bypass and haven't been able to eat solid food in over two years without throwing up so I definitely know what you are feeling. First off, it will get better..what's going on with me is a freak accident and it's perfectly normal to have some difficulty tolerating things in the beginning. Second, you need to get on some better meds. Zofran isn't meant to last for more than 4-6 hours so I'm not exactly sure why they aren't letting you have it more often. I swore by Zofran until I took Phenergen and now I won't use anything else. I'd call your surgeon or if you did surgery in Mexico, I'd call your primary care physician and tell them what's going on and stress to them that you need something that will control your nausea more effectively. If you want to keep taking Zofran, I'd get the ones that dissolve under your tongue because they work a little quicker and you are less likely to throw them up. I take suppository Phenergen and while it's odd, it's so much more effective for me because I can't throw it up before it starts working! You just need to find something that controls your nausea for now and in no time you will feel better! I'd also ask your surgeon about the possibility of a stricture because that can cause some of these symptoms and is relatively easy to fix. Hang in there and make the doctors help you..that's their job!!

If your plan "excludes" it then your employer elected to not have coverage for that service. It is not the insurance- it is the particular plan you have. Normally though if you have a doctor willing to fight and there is enough medical justification you may be able to fight that. otherwise for "excluded" benefits you are SOL... sorry... Now as to why they didn't tell you earlier- perhaps someone called to verify your benefits and was told that records would need to be received before they made a decision because perhaps Lap Band or RNY is (a lot of plans cover these) and your doctor thinking of what is normally pre-requisites so to speak went ahead and did all of them and when all is said and done once they saw revision it was not covered. Will they pay for the band to be removed?? Have you had problems with your band??

Probably, but sometimes Surgeon's need to tweak things a little. I have 5 cc. I have had 5 cc for about 2 years, but had a slip and needed to have everything removed and then a surgical revision. He had to remove everything, but when he put fill back in, I am still at 5 cc. Does that make sense? I sometimes ramble in teh early mornings. Best wishes, Karen

Are you on the small side? That may be why the doc chose the small. Most docs choose the regular size because most of us have a thick fat pad over the belly/ribs and they want to make sure they can access the port center. I have lost most of my wt and will have a port revision to the smaller port so it doesn't stick out the way the bigger one does. Best wishes. Mimi