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Hi everyone! Looks like I'm the first one here. So let me be the first to welcome you all and invite any questions or comments you may have. Here is my story, in all it's revolting detail: I was banded (Realize) in June 2008 and received my first fill in July. (3cc's). I followed my post-op diet to the letter, but began vomiting shortly after my fill. *I thought it was my fault for overeating/under-chewing, etc. I tried to change my eating habits & put up with the vomiting. I was always hungry, and never had that "early and prolonged feeling of satiety" that I was promised. When I tried to eat anything it didn't matter how slowly and carefully I chewed, I went from being hungry to being in agonizing pain with no warning whatsoever. The vomiting would follow anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours later. *When this didn't get better, I got the band completely deflated, but that only helped for a couple of weeks. *By September, my stomach had herniated up through the center of the band and I was fully obstructed. This required an emergency 2nd surgery to reposition & re-secure the band. *I decided to give the band another try because my surgeon told me he had never heard of anyone slipping twice, and I felt that I had come through too much to give up yet. * I had my first fill (3 cc's again) in November '08 and began vomiting again in early February '09. I ran to my surgeon to get deflated, got re x-rayed and he informed me that my band had slipped AGAIN. Time for surgery #3. * For the majority of the time that I had my band, I walked around with some degree of obstruction, and my diet was limited to liquids & puddings. *I had to go out of town one weekend & tried to eat a small sandwich & ended up vomiting so hard that there was blood in it. *I was deeply concerned about the damage that I was doing to my stomach, esophagus, and teeth. *I lived in constant fear of choking on my own stomach acid as I refluxed in my sleep. (There are documented cases of band patients actually dying from this!) *I had to buy a wedge-shaped pillow to elevate my torso, but it didn't work all the time. In the last 6 months that I had my band, I did not lose a single pound despite all the vomiting. *This is because I couldn't eat anything but Protein shakes, some kinds of soft cheeses, and pudding. *The port never stopped hurting, for the entire time I had it. I couldn't wear jeans or shorts with a firm waistband, because it felt like I was being jabbed in the guts with a broom handle. Whenever I tried to exercise, I could feel it ripping into my muscles and I would be sore in that spot for days after. I felt like I had a knife sticking out of my gut for 10 months. For a weight-loss procedure to actually REDUCE your ability to exercise is unacceptable.* For a band to slip TWICE in only 7 months is unacceptable.* I don't think I could ever recommend the band to anyone.* I regret my decision immensely, not just because it was a miserable experience, but also because it ended up costing me nearly $50,000 for 3 surgeries, all of which came out of pocket since I am self-pay. I had to beg & scrape for the $13,500 for the first band surgery, and this ordeal has pushed me to the brink of bankruptcy. In March '09, I finally got my band removed and converted to a sleeve. What an amazing difference! I can now eat real, healthy food again. I am hardly ever hungry. I eat 3 or 4 bites of something and I am full for hours. I am no longer in pain from the port digging & ripping into my abdominal wall. I am not vomiting anymore. I can sleep lying down like a normal person. I no longer need to have a bucket in my car or on my nightstand. I can exercise as hard as I want and wear anything that I want. I have lost 17 lbs in the 2 months since I was sleeved, because I can finally eat healthy & nutritious food instead of Protein Shakes all the time. I am a veterinarian, not an MD. *But I have enough medical knowledge to draw the following conclusions about the band. *This is only my personal opinion. 1: There is no real way for the surgeon to secure a band to prevent it from slipping. *It cannot be sutured to your stomach. *Really it's just friction, gravity, and/or prayer that holds it in place. 2: The band sits so high up on your stomach that it is practically wrapped around your lower esophagus. *This essentially forces any solid food you eat to back up into your esophagus, causing pain, vomiting, and reflux. *Enough exposure to your stomach acid will cause ulcers in your esophagus. *This can lead to scar tissue formation, which will cause PERMANENT narrowing and/or obstruction of your esophagus. *In the medical community, this is what we call "a bad thing".* 3: The stretch receptors in your stomach that tell you you're full are located in the bottom part of the stomach. (called the Pylorus). *Because of the band, these receptors never get stretched. *Therefore you have to rely on other signals to tell you to stop eating. *Like the searing pain in your esophagus. *In my case, the first twinge of discomfort that I felt while eating meant that it was already too late and I could expect to be vomiting within the hour. 4: The purpose of any weight loss surgery is to help you lose weight. *This depends on you eating a healthful diet. *In my experience, the band actually FORCED me to eat high-calorie "slider" foods. *I could not eat rice, Pasta, bread, vegetables, meat, fruits with skin, or anything with Fiber. *One does not lose much weight on a diet of protein shakes and ice cream, but that is pretty much all I could swallow without puking. In hindsight, I really wish I had gone with the VSG to begin with. *I didn't because I was afraid of actually cutting my stomach, and the adjustability of the band appealed to me. *I thought it was the least risky of the options. *Sadly, it has turned out to be the least effective. *The more I research, the more I find droves of banded people with similar stories as mine. *Prior to receiving my band, I was told that the rate of band slippage was something around 5%. *Since then, numerous studies have been published documenting that it is more like 25-35%. *That means 1/4 to 1/3 of banded people will experience a complication requiring a 2nd surgery at some point. *A device with such a high rate of failure/complication has no business being on the market. Had I known this, I never would have chosen the band. In considering my options for revision surgery, I chose the VSG for the following reasons: 1: there is no re-routing of the intestines and hence no malabsorption. (translation = no nutritional deficiencies). *Since my family has a history of osteoporosis, the last thing I want to do is limit my ability to absorb Calcium. *Also, menstruating women will frequently develop life-threatening Iron deficiencies with malabsorptive procedures. *Also not appealing. With a bypass or the duodenal switch, you MUST take your Vitamins religiously or YOU CAN DIE. 2: With the sleeve there is little to no risk of obstruction because your pyloric sphincter remains intact 3: the stretch receptors that tell you you're full are located in the pyloric area of your stomach, and they are stimulated quickly with a long/narrow stomach pouch 4: the part of the stomach that is removed is the part that secretes the hormone "ghrelin", which is the hormone that makes you hungry. *So there is better appetite suppression than with the band even though the stomach capacity is similar. 5: there is no foreign device implanted in your body to slip, erode, or cause pain. 6: this procedure carries the least risk of bleeding & leakage compared to the bypass or duodenal switch. There is no way I could maintain the weight I lost if I*just had the band removed, either. *As soon as I was deflated, my appetite came back with a vengeance. *Even so, I could still feel that my stomach was being pinched off and I was constantly at risk for progressing to a complete obstruction, or heaven-forbid a band erosion. * If there is anyone out there who's had a gastric band for 5+ years, and isn't having problems, I'd love to hear from you. I do NOT feel like I failed the band. The band failed me. It did not do what it was supposed to, which is make me feel full and stop eating sooner. All it did was slice up my stomach, shred my esophagus, burn the enamel off my teeth, and give me a constant sharp pain in my abs. And since all I could keep down was protein shakes, I didn't even lose that much weight. And if you are one who thinks it won't happen to you because you are a model patient who follows all the rules, then think of me. I am a doctor. I researched the crap out of the band & thought I could make it work. I followed all the instructions to the letter, and my band slipped anyway. TWICE. So my advice to you is, don't be afraid of cutting your stomach. Think of it as getting a new & improved stomach that actually works the way it's supposed to, like a normal person's. I wish you the best of luck. This is a decision that only you can make. I'm sure there are some people out there who have gotten banded and are enjoying good success. I am not one of them, and I am not alone. Educate yourself and learn all you can. *If there is anything else I can do for you, I'm happy to try. Be well, Natalie

The removal of the band is definitely the harder part of the surgery. Where they remove the port and the scar tissue around it is where you will feel some pain afterword. I have had the band, a band revision, band removal and sleeve and the removal was the most difficult. But just rest and know it will get better. Good luck!

Hey everyone, I've been reading everything on this forum for at least a year but now I'm ready to officially get in the game. I'm 34 live in queens/Long Island area. I have been struggling with my weight for at least 20 years. I had lap band surgery in January of 2011. My highest weight before that was 370. I lost about 90lb on my own cuz I never reached any restriction with to band then I had to stop seeing the dr cuz off financial issues. I went all the way down to 259 and that's where I started to go right back up. Last December I saw a new doctor and decided to revise and get RNY. However I didn't get the band removed until yesterday. ( dr won't do in one surgery) I wanted to take the time to get my head in the new lifestyle. I went back up to 350 but started to practice a clean eating Lifestyle. I try to be as gluten free as possible ( found out thru allergist I am intolerant meaning gluten caused inflammatory response and palpitations in my body. Within a week of cutting back on gluten my back pain and palpitations just about went away!!! ) I'm down to 323 and want to be as close to 300 or under b4 RNY surgery. I have to wait 6 weeks between surgery. I have done most of the pre op requirements I have sleep study on thurs and I have to see psychiatrist. I hoping for first week in dec I have last pcp visit in nov. So excited/scared/ready. So hello again! ????

I had to go through a psych eval for my band, and my revision surgeon required me to have another one before he would schedule my revision. The additional counseling will help. I didn't have any major head hunger, or really any issues in letting any of the old habits go early on. I was too focused on my recovery, and losing weight. Best wishes for with the orientation, and just be positive. The counseling sessions will help you find new coping skills to deal with the emotional ties we have with food. Keep us posted on your progress.

are you getting a revision or first time sleeve the prices are remarkable are you going by yourself ... i am ...

HELLO! I do have a band, and the tubing is cracked and broken off. I haven't had restriction in over a year, which has allowed me to gain back about 25 pounds of the 70 I had lost. My doctor could have fixed my band, but he said that it just isn't worth it and wants me to have the sleeve. I will be relieved to not worry about fills anymore. At first, I was pretty scared of having it done, but now I am excited. I just want to do all I can to avoid any complications. I am a little worried of problems since we are at higher risk with a revision. I will go back to my surgeon on Octboer 27 and I will find out my date then. I am having preop testing and meeting with the nutritionist now. Keep us posted on how you are doing and I wish you the best on your surgery date!

I have the band, am looking into revision to DS. I have one more appt before they submit to insurance. I started at 239 down to 185 and back up to 242 in the past 6 years. My surgeon and I decided to go the DS route since revisions have a slower rate of loss and DS has better statistics in the regain category. My band was great the first year til my gallbladder decided it wanted out. After that it was a straight uphill climb. I can't wait to get this thing out!

Scar tissue blocked the tubing to my band. No fills in or out! I decided to revise to the Duodenal Switch. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck. If you decide to go with a bypass you should check out the DS, it is head and shoulders over the RNY.

I went in for another fill yesterday, and the techs discovered that my band has slipped again. I met with the surgeon who agreed to accept me as a patient (since my original doctor doesn't take BC/BS and doesn't accept any responsbility for the slippage) and we discussed some options. Nothing caused this re-slip. He says that sometimes scar tissue builds up in such a way that creats a track that the band can slide up and and down, and that even if it slips back into place, it will probably slip again once I start getting fills. There's no way around surgery. So, they can take the whole thing out -- and may have to, depending on the scar tissue. If they take it out, they can put in a VG band, which is what I needed in the first place, or it's possible I could have a revision to bypass. I'm contacting another surgeon this afternoon to discuss that possiblity. If they leave it in, they can try to fix it, clean up scar tissue, etc. He didn't seem overly hopeful about that possibility. I just wanted to update you all. I'll keep posting and let you know how things unfold. Jonathan

Hi everyone. I just wanted to know if anyone has had revision from sleeve to bypass in the UK on the nhs and if so- what has been your experience xx Sent from my SM-G973F using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there, I haven't had the revision yet, but I am in the process of getting it done, I see my surgeon Fri 28th of July. I am so excited, the band and I have been in a love hate sort of relationship and it is time for me to move on. When is your surgery? I dont have a date yet, I'm hoping to get one when I see the doctor. Let me know how you go

I think you are just right for the sleeve based upon my research. Also, if you wanted to get a revision in the future, if you don't lose enough weight, they can do that too from what I understand. Congrats!

I am SO happy for you!!! I couldn't get anything covered after they removed my band. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!!! I made the mistake of self paying to re-band since I had success up until the slip and erosion, but bands being the evil little things they are, I'm having a revision done too now after a lot of complications! Lol What a huge relief!!! So happy for you!!!! let us know when you get a surgery date!!! The next few months will go faster than you think!!

Christy & Andrea, did your wound ever close? How long did it take? I'm so upset. Try to make this short. Had Lap Band in Aug/10. Port site never closed. After 4 weeks, doc took me back to OR for port revision. Ended up removing entire band. Said that my body was "rejecting" it. Anyhow, of course I was so upset. I'm a self pay. They wouldn't give me all of my money back. Said they were working with another surgeon that is more experienced and if I was willing, I can go back to OR for new Lap Band. So it's a month after band removed and I'm going back for another one. I'm now 17 days post-op, all healed, so happy and going for my first fill in a few days, and the incision above the port OPENED! It's about a 4 inch incision, and about 3 inches are open. Draining blood tinged, doesn't look infected, not hurting, and I feel fine. I'm an RN, so I cleaned it, packed it, and covered it. I'll call my doc in the am. I figured it's Sunday and I don't want to spend the day in the ER for this. My question is: Is this thing going to heal over the port? If anyone has had the port exposed, did the wound heal? I'm completely traumatized by this. Please help Jami

It will grow back. Trust me. Dont do anything to it. If youre insecure, about hair loss, do what I done, cut it off and wear wigs. Mine look so real, and tbh theyre not so expensive. And believe it or not since I havent touched my hair, and keep it regularly groomed and clean, its thicker than it was before. Yes its strange, but it just happened that way. Ill keep it short until I get both my surgeries done. My revision from the band to gastric. Thats 3 hours under, and I can imagine Im going to be losing lots more. Thank God for the invention of wigs. :thumbup:

I am getting a band to sleeve revision done at Tripler tomorrow. The revision route is a lot faster. I went through the program for the band about 3 years ago. I started in Feb and it was done in Nov. That was about average for that time with one surgeon who got deployed. Now there are 3 surgeons doing the procedures so I'm sure it's faster. Their pre-op program is pretty comprehensive. Although I lost about 40# with the band, it has not worked well for me. I can only eat soft (usually higher cal) foods or I puke. I needed better nutrition so I decided on a revision to sleeve. Yvette, the bariatrics nurse, is really in your corner, so use her! Anjelika... go to a PCP and have him do a referral. When I went initially, it wasn't even MY PCP... any one can see whether you would be a candidate and put in a referral. It's not up to the PCP to decide, the bariatrics team has the requirements. The PCP just puts in the referral and gets the ball rolling.

Yes, I had mine done on 2/27/12 at Moncreif Army Hospital at Fort Jackson. I was a lap-band revision, so I did not have to go through too many ropes. I had to see the NUT, had an upper GI and EGD, echocardiogram. I saw the surgeon on January 31, 2012, and was scheduled for surgery on 2/27/12. Very easy process for me, we are tricare retired, but I did not have to go through tricare at all. I called the surgery center and they took care of the everything. I will pay 34.05 out of pocket for the hospital stay. I am two weeks post op, and feel great, some acid. You will love your experience, they treat you real nice. For the lap band it was about three months before surgery. This was a civilian doc in Atalnta. I had to see a pscyh, Nut, Lung specialist, sleep study, and I had already worked out for months to lose. My PCM knew this and passed on the information. This was tricare approved, because we were still active duty in 2008. My doctor at Fort Jackson told me that since I had the lapband already, it would be a shorter wait time. If you are new to WLS, it will be probably about a 2-3 month wait. Tripler may have a longer wait time, because of more patients and not as manysurgeons. My mother-in-law and father-in-law live in Guam and my father-inl-aw has been to Tripler for surgery a couple of times. I don' think your wait time will be that long.

Welcome. I don't know much about the sleeve. I was revised from lap band to RNY last week. So far so good. I hope you get some answers to your questions from those in your situation. Again Welcome

I pretty much just teared up a little on this post. I'm so flippin' elated for you, and your revision being approved. Just elated ! ! ! Please keep me posted, and of course, if you need anything, I'm here for ya ! ! !

My insurance paid for my band 5 years ago but then I lost my job. I had to pay for fills/unfills myself (which in my experience can run from $250 to $1500 depending on your doctor and what part of the country you're in). And when my band slipped I had no insurance, I didn't realize my symptoms were from a slipped band and I suffered for almost 2 years before I could afford to be seen by a surgeon. Then last year, my new job's insurance had an exclusion. It's the same employer more or less and the same insurance company as had paid for the initial placement but I was still paying for my own fills/unfills. But now, same employer/insurance company but a new plan, it's covered and I'm going to get a revision to RNY. The main driver for that rather than getting my band fixed or replaced is the continued follow up. Even if my band doesn't slip again or some other complication happens I'd still potentially be out of pocket for all of the inevitable fills/unfills. I just thought I'd share my story if that helps you with your own decision making. I do love my band and lost 100lbs with it before it slipped but I'm looking forward to my bypass too.

Alas.... I had the VBG almost exactly 13 years ago. I was 305# at the start before that surgery and got down to 167. I didn't reach my goal weight, but I was feeling so much better about myself, was wearing size 9 jeans, receiving lots of compliments from friends, getting attention from men (something I was not used to), was able to enjoy all the outdoor activities I so love to do. I would have even been happy if I hadn't lost anymore but the problem was it didn't stay off. In the early years, I did pretty well sticking to low fat, low sugar for the most part. Then, I had some low points personally and I got off track- but while I gained some, I would bounce up and down doing the yo-yo thing. This past year has been the worst in terms of my gain, am up to 251# and HATE it. It affects how people view me at work, my personal life, family, the list goes on.... Not to mention how limiting this weight is for all the activities I love to do! There wasn't NEAR the amount of information out there about WLS then, like there is now. There was no such thing as the 5 day pouch test, no liquid diets before surgery, very little post-op support once you got off liquids. I don't think surgeons can be blamed, there just wasn't enough information to know what or how to educate their patients. I actually maintained for several years, had learned to "deal" with the dumping issues when eating dense food (regardless of how well it was chewed). To be honest, I never thought there would ever be a "second chance" because I remember vividly to this day when I had my original consult that he said this was a "ONE SHOT DEAL". It was only because I happen to accidentally run across an article last November of someone who had had a revision WLS that it made me sit up and pay attention. I immediately made a request to get a copy of my medical records from that surgery. It turned out I was lucky to get them because in that state they are only required to keep them for 10 years. I became obsessed with researching all the changes in the realm of WL surgeries, the pros, the cons. Then, learning surgeons have come up with these stupid program fees which seems to me like that at the very least unethical because if they had contracted with various ins. companies, they were agreeing to the amount they would be paid and this was their way to circumvent the process. Given that the sleeve has no maintenance like the lap band and the surgeons were still demanding it for out of state patients that likely would never set foot in their office seemed like quite the racket. So, then it was onto why some people chose one surgery over another, complications. And, then all the DRAMA around the various Dr.'s and all these accusations of fake posters to bolster reputations or attack/ report on those bad mouthing other Dr.'s was just unreal to me. This quickly turned into what felt like a cloak and dagger mission to figure out where the truth was in all this information. I found myself staying up into the wee hours of the night wanting more and more information. Then, realizing given my original surgery that having a revision surgery would be a bit more complicated than I originally thought. Very few surgeons even have any experience with VBG's, and as a result if they would do a revision on me they tried to steer me to the RNY. After all, it would be easier to do a revision to that, than take on something that required greater technical finesse and expertise. I never thought I would have to leave my local area living in a large metropolitan area- but I did. I went to a few seminars and personally they are a joke. For the person who doesn't do their homework beforehand it can appear to be informational- but as someone who already had studied all the pros and cons of all the procedures out there (more than just the mainstream), it was comical in some regards because you can tell based on how they talk about the different procedures where their surgical skills are at based on which procedure they push the hardest, ESPECIALLY if they couldn't really answer the hard questions on the other procedures or gave you non-answers. What really annoys me though is these Dr.'s are claiming success when their patients loose 50% or more of the excess body weight. So, if someone starts at 450# and assume her excess body weight would be 250#- so as long as she looses 200#, that procedure would be a success? Give me a break! Have they changed it so that if they get at least 50% of their tests right to get their medical license that they would be a success? Sorry, that just doesn't fly with me. So, back to the journey.... I remember calling Aetna to see if my policy would cover WLS, what types, revisions, etc. Even though I had coverage, I became concerned whether I would meet their criteria for having a revision because the policy bulletin was a bit generic and their customer service could offer no specific advice except to refer me to their policy bulletin. So, I went ahead and did the psych eval, the nutritionist visit, PCP records, and I also had an endoscopy done which was good because I learned I have a Grade C esophogitus (sp?) which the only worse level is D. That explains the increasing issues I have had with dense foods of almost any consistency causing them to get lodged and make my body want to repel it back out like a rocket. Talk about embarrassing in public situations. So, the slider foods became the path of least resistance. I didn't put two and two together until I started reading about others who experienced these same problems and realized what was happening. Sorry for the long story here, but I don't see too many post who have had revisions- much less from a VBG and wanted to share. I will be calling to start figuring out a surgery date, and making preparations to be out of state. I am single and w/out family or friends that can travel with me- so that does add some anxiety to this. Getting care lined up for the horses, a handicapped dog, and a few others will be a challenge- but I'll get it figured out. Then, letting my boss know I will be out for a few weeks. He will only be told I am having surgery to correct a surgery from years back and requires a specialist out of state. I'm sure he will want me to share more, but he will not prod if I don't offer. I could probably go back to work sooner, but it will be easier to go back sooner than to extend it. So, that's my story. I expect I will have my surgery the first part of May. Now I will get to go and get my post-op supplies in order. I am so thankful the insurance approval went so easy!

I only had to get a cardia clearance pre-op with my revision.

Good luck and best wishes to you this week! I was revised from LapBand on the 18th. It hasn't been all smooth sailing because of the hernia, removal and other repair work done but it's getting better each day. Glad the band is gone forever Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello everyone, I posted a long thread, which I won't repeat on this thread under Band to Sleeve Revisision Thread introducing myself. I'm researching the Sleeve and trying to determine which direction I'll be heading in three weeks. I have to have my port revised, the doctor wants to remove my band and I'm leaning towards getting the Sleeve done (insurance approval pending). I've strugged the past two years with my band to the point I've regained all my weight lost post banding, plus 20 pounds. I do have a wonderful support structure at home (which I didn't have with my band) and want to make an educated choice. I know my doctor wants my band removed...so do I go bandless and stay morbidly obese or move forward with Sleeve revision. I've tried it on my own for twenty years (on and off diet rollercoasters). The band didn't work for me. Will the Sleeve? (I know it is up to me - but I have those nagging doubts). I need the help and advice of those that have been in my situation. Also those who haven't had the band and that have had the Sleeve surgery done. My ears are open :-) Anyone have any regrets? Negatives and Positives? I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.... Leslie

Thank you for the information...I've made the decision to revise to sleeve...MissDiva and i were banded about the same time so it was nice to see an old friend and familar face...im now waiting to hear from my doctors office (not so patiently might i add lol)