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I have kaiser and I had my lap band removed in 2014 at the end of 2014 I attempted to go through the process of getting a revision but wasnt ready personally for myself and fell off on trying to lose weight and keep up with appointments. In June 2017 I decided I was finally ready to try this again, but this time I had gained all my weight back prior to having lap band and plus some.. I had even gained the weight back that I was asked to lose the first go around so I was concerned about what they would tell me. They do make you go through the whole process like your having WLS for the first time and the surgeon I saw wanted me to lose a good amount of weight before they would consider doing it, I was asked to lose 30 lbs by one surgeon and 35 lbs by another.. well I worked my butt off and managed to get 42 lbs off before my surgery that I had this last Monday oct 23rd I did a revision to Gastric Bypass, it took me a little over 3 months to lose that weight just by following their diet plan and exercising, If you stay dedicated you can accomplish it pretty fast! I found that doing more then one class in a day helped with getting the required classes done a lot easier as well as scheduling to see the doctors or whatever else appointments you have required to do so you don’t have to keep going back and forth.. Good Luck sweetie!

The lap band was over hyped and even some of the larger manufacturers are no longer making parts for them. My doctor won't even suggest it any more. As far as the balloon, it's currently under FDA review for a bunch of deaths, google "gastric balloon death". Personally, I'd stay away from either. The Gastric Sleeve might be the best bet for you at this point. I've been banded for 6 years, lost 70 lbs, but then just stopped, and I have a very hard time losing any more. I'm currently in the process of getting my band revised to the bypass. Good luck!

Good luck! I'm also having a revision from band to bypass! Surgery for me is 11/6.

I have a lap band and was not successful with it. I'm having a revision to bypass in 10 days. At your weight I wouldn't recommended either. I'm pretty sure a surgeon will feel the same and recommend the sleeve or bypass. By the way the lap band is not temporary. From what my surgeon says they can be hard to take out.

I just had a revision from lap band to gastric bypass on Monday I had my lap band removed in 2014 and had issues with it as well.. my band did slip and caused scaring in the area and always had food stuck in my throat and vomiting all the time even with water. So far I am not hungry at all and tried some pudding today and can’t really tel if I’m getting full or not, but since I’m not hungry I’m just eating what they want me to get in.. I did jump on the scale when I got home and am still the same weigh as when I went in.. I know some of that has to be fluids.. but just curious what your loss is at this point?

Im an admin on a wls support group on facebook (Recipe For A New Life). We've been doing weightloss challenges for about 5 months now and I'm the one who always buys the prizes (a nice candle). Ive never won. This challenge is different. My husband is now part of it as well as 2 cousins. Now I'm motivated to FINALLY get to goal after 8 yrs of wls (lapband in 2009 and sleeve revision in 2013). I bounced between 160 and 170 for 4 yrs. Yesterday I weighed in at 149! Frist time I've been under 150 since I got married 6 yr ago (weighed 144. Lowest I ever got). My original goal was 140. Now that Im closer, I'm thinking 130-135? I', 5'5" and I've surpassed my Drs goal (155). I'm in first place! My husband is in 2nd! We go by %'s so it's fair for people of all weights. I've been working really hard this past 3 weeks (challenges are 4 weeks). Did u know that black pepper has .007 carbs per serving? My husband is the carb Nazi and tells me the amount of everything I put in my mouth. And no, I don't listen to him when I put pepper on my eggs! I'm FINALLY doing it! Yippee!!

Same here, RubioGirl - revision last month and lots of headaches.

I had the SIPS/LOOPS/SA-DI DS on 8/8. I can't give you specifics on success or not just yet. I am however down to 192 from my HW of 242 (SW of 226). This was a revision surgery for me from the lapband so I'm predisposed to being a slower loser. Good luck to you though

@MINI-Me I hate, hate, hate the powdered shakes. i don't like the taste, smell. being an honest person - i am very lazy, and don't want to use a blender, then have to clean it!!! Too much work!!! can we say LAZY again? i love GNC/ Total Lean Shake - 25 gr protein - pre-mixed bottle. um um good! Try it, you might like it. i hope you do. - congrats on your revision. good luck kathy

I am in the same boat you guys! I had my band removed 7/16 and sleeve at the same time. Things have been not so great since and I’m having painful GERD since my sleeving. I had Cigna and all was approved for revision, but my husband got a new job and we now have BCBSLA and bariatric surgery is not covered under his new employer 😔. I’m working with my Dr to file an appeal and pray it is accepted!

Hi there! I was wondering if any of you had a successful appeal with BCBS for a revision? Specifically, approved for a sleeve to bypass revision? If so, how was the process and what what were your requirements? thank you!!

I just had my revision surgery on September 1st. GERD is Acid Reflux, and I got it pretty badly after the sleeve. It was my only complication, but in the end it was worth it to me to get the bypass. I had a very easy recovery and am very happy with my choice. Once I was far enough out from my sleeve surgery I was able to drink wine, low-calorie mixers with hard alcohol, and occasionally beer. I think you have to figure out what works for you, and stay diligent not to let it contribute to regain or become a habit. Even though we can live pretty normal food and drink lives, we have to be more diligent than others not to slip into old habits (for some of us, habits we have had our whole lives). It can feel like an uphill battle, but I can't tell you how good it feels to not feel panicked about your weight every day. Whatever you decide, good luck!

I am 2 weeks out from a revision from VSG to DS. I have never liked protein drinks, but found a few that were tolerable. I have heard of taste changing after surgery, but did not have that with my VSG. NOTHING, I mean nothing taste “right”. My only saving grace is Crystal Light Peach Tea. My real worry is that I am gagging on my shakes. I take a drink and it just sits in my mouth. It’s like my body is refusing to swallow. If I push and I do swallow, I have a horrible gag reflex. is this normal? Has anyone else had this? Suggestions?

Really depends on what's going on inside. I had it done in one procedure and had a TON of scar tissue and it took him like 4.5 hours. Most of it was removing the adhesions. I had my band in for 9.5 years. Good luck! Band to Vsg revision: 5/23/17 HW: 315+ Starting weight: 294 Surgery Day: 281 Current: 226 Goal 170

Go slow! I hit it hard and wound up with blisters galore and super exhausted. 20 minutes of varied cardio and a bit of weights is a good start. Good luck!! Band to Vsg revision: 5/23/17 HW: 315+ Starting weight: 294 Surgery Day: 281 Current: 226 Goal 170

I’ve been having a continuous headache since I’ve been one from surgery, which was on the 23rd and Tylenol is not doing anything neither is the liquid norco. I’ve tried to get as much fluids in but I’m sure I am a little dehydrated, but I am peeing ok.. I really hope this stops soon it’s going to drive me crazy!! I had a revision from lap band to gastric bypass and I just got to say this wasn’t what I was expecting at all it’s way more intense then when I got my lap band put in and removed yikes.. I usually tolerate pain pretty well but this sucks haha.. good luck everyone with your head aches hopefully we can figure something out

What's the cost? I had the lapband 6 years ago, but have gained a lot of the weight back & want a revision to the sleeve. Of course, my insurance no longer covers any WLS, so I will need to pay out of pocket.

So you did the revision in two procedures?

If your insurance doesn't have any restrictions on the number of WLS per lifetime (some limit to one WLS per lifetime) then the usual insurance rules generally apply - BMI of 40 and above, or 35 with comorbidities. So, that's the good news - if you were covered before and have regained to that point, then you should be covered again. The bad news that you probably don't want to hear is that it won't likely do you much good in the long term, unless there was something seriously defective with your first procedure that needs to be corrected. Changing to a bypass may get you back on track again for a while, but ultimately you will be in the same position as the two procedures are very similar in overall strength or outcome. Think of your WLS as more of a "do-over" than a metabolic reset - it gives you the chance to get things in order to live sustainably and maintain your weight, but it doesn't do it for you. While I don't agree with everything this doc says, he is one of the few that acknowledges that our meal capacity will increase over time (to around half of our pre-op capacity), and has a viable prescription for living with that fact. His numbers are consistent with my experience over the years. Also, that sleeve/pouch size has little to do with long term capacity or success - my wife has a huge sleeve on VSG terms (from her DS, which typically uses a sleeve of about twice the size of a stand alone VSG sleeve,) and our meal sizes are pretty much the same several years out. It is very much a matter of food choices and habits rather than absolute restriction minimizing how much we eat. A good part of the game here is matching the right procedure with the patient - think in terms of the WLS procedures having somewhat different personalities, and you have to find the right "fit", just as you do with friends and associates. The RNY isn't any mover powerful overall than the VSG, but may be a better fit for you. Or it may not - research and talk to as many people with the bypass as you can to see if it is right for you, as one of its' drawbacks is that it is very difficult to revise to something else if it doesn't fit. With either procedure, it would not be uncommon for women of average and below height to maintain in the 1000-1200 calorie range long term. If you are having problems at 12-1500 calories now, a bypass or resleeve isn't going to help much if you can't find a way to maintain at whatever level your metabolism dictates. The DS does offer a better metabolic kick long term and may be your best option if you can't make the long term diet/lifestyle adjustments to make the VSG work; its' caloric malabsorption is long term vs the bypass which sees its caloric malabsorption dissipate after a year or two.. But it requires more serious commitment to supplementing and follow up lab work for life (that's part of its' "personality" that you have to live with. But I have seen many be successful over 10-20 years with it, often eating a less than "ideal" diet.

Aha really that does sound similar! How soon did you have the revision surgery after the initial one? And what is GERD [emoji15] just tried to Google it but couldn't see anything lol Congrats on weighloss and maintaining! Sent from my F5121 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was in a very similar boat to you! I was just over a 40 BMI, 25 years old, with PCOS and asthma. I had the sleeve surgery in 2014 and lost over 100 pounds and have been maintaining for the past few years. Unfortunately I ended up needing revision surgery because of bad GERD (to bypass), but I am still very happy with my decision and live a pretty normal life. I am able to go out to eat and drink with friends. Feel free to ask questions!

I always felt like food was stuck in my throat after the lap band. It was very difficult to shallow pills. I no longer have problems swallowing pills at all which is great! it has been a month since my surgery and I have had no problems. I went back to work one week after the surgery and actually attended my son's football game the day after my surgery. Most of the pain I had was gas pains after the surgery. The more I walked the less pain I felt. I was walking several laps every hour around the hospital halls. My weight loss has seemed to stall but I have to confess I have not done a lot of cardio like I should be doing. I plan to start back with a personal trainer next week so maybe I will get more dedicated with that. The first 2 weeks I was never hungry and would rather have just not eat as to drink another shakes but I managed to get through them. I was never hungry, the protein probably helped me with that. Now I do get hungry and want to eat. I don't really feel the full sensation I thought I would feel but if I eat one bite to many I will get a sudden pain in my chest. So I have to really measure what I eat. I would rather have it this way then the constant feeling of something stuck in my throat. I would get sick a lot with the lap band but with bypass I have only had a couple instances where I felt sick. I mostly eat fish and chicken right now. Trying to get as much protein in as I can without having to drink a shake. So far my experience with bypass has been great! No reflux, no constant feeling of something stuck in my throat, and no constant vomiting. I am glad I decided to do the revision from lap band to bypass!

I am so glad to have came across you post!! I am in the same boat. Had sleeve done in 11/2013. Started at 290 and I am 5’5. I got down to 208.. then started going up. Almost 4 years later I am at 27 and 246lbs now. I met with a surgeon about 2 months ago, she mentioned possibly doing a revision to bypass but that’s not what I wanted... I had an upper GI done, and she pulled he OP report from my previous surgeon and it showed that they didn’t take enough out. She said she is optimistic that she can revise the current sleeve and take what should have been taken from day 1. So I was sent for approval yesterday 10/24. I have Aetna POS II. They do not require a 3 or 6 month diet like the first time. So everything was sent... I will say that my surgeon told me she has never done a revision before. She said that if I won’t let her do the bypass then she will go in there, she if/what she can take out of my stomach, and if she can’t she will close me up and tell me I’m SOL. Kind of frustrating but I feel like she wouldn’t have sent me into surgery unless she WAS going to take more of my stomach. Sigh... lol I guess I will keep you posted!

I just had revision from lap band to gastric bypass, only about 48 hrs out right now and one thing that really surprised me was how much more intense this surgery was then the lap band I’ve been in a good amount of pain.. think I got sent home a little to soon.. but I am having no desire to eat anything right now, basically having to force myself to get liquids down right now haven’t felt the pouch become “full” yet probably will when I switch to stage two foods, but I had the same feeling of being full in my throat with lap band too so be interesting to see how this feels. Good luck with everything!

I had surgery on Monday at 1:00 pm and they sent me home the following day at noon, not sure if I was ready to leave the hospital I feel awful, we had a long drive home that almost killed me, at the hospital i was having to get pain medication every hour and nausea medication . Since I only have one nausea medication and one pain medication I have to space it out like every 6 hours and it’s no good because I’m still in a good amount of pain, I feel the same as you I usually feel like I’m able to handle pain pretty well and like to be able to take care of myself but feel like a huge baby right now , I know things should get better your only six days and that’s why they say give yourself at least two weeks or more, but I feel you my surgery was a revision from a lap band that I had removed in 2014 and I don’t remember it being this intense when I had it put in or removed.. I was taken off guard by the pain I’m experiencing