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/Hi! I had gastric bypass on 9/11, it was a revision from a sleeve, combined with a myotomy for an esophageal issue, and a hiatal hernia repair. I was discharged from the hospital with a drain, which I've been emptying regularly. The output from the drain has been fairly steady, about 10-30 ccs every few hours. More output with more activitiy. I was only told to monitor for changes in color and odor, told that it should get lighter as time goes on. As of today, the color has remained the same, there is no odor. It doesn't seem to be getting lighter in color as they said it would, and the output has been steady (not slowing down, not increasing). I may be overthinking or over-worrying (I tend to do this), but do you think I should be concerned that it's not slowing down? I don't have my post op til Thursday (21st) because my surgery was originally scheduled 9/13 and was bumped up at the last minute. I asked, but they said I didn't need to reschedule my post op visit for sooner since it was just a couple of days. Anyway, does this warrant a call to my doc? I have no other issues, pain is controlled and mild, I'm moving around fine, and I'm getting my fluids and protein in. If you have any info about surgical drains, please help! I'm guessing that I have continual output because I had so much done at once, but I've never had a drain before so I don't have much experience...

So I had my consult yesterday! I know most of the nurse practitioners in the office so it was really nice seeing them and catching up as it's been a few years since I've been there for my band. I weighed in at 202lbs (I wore the heaviest clothes I own) and that only puts my BMI at 33.66 so right now the concern is that I don't weigh enough. They are confident that insurance will pay to have the lap-band removed but not confident that they'll pay for sleeve revision. So.......when I see the surgeon on 10/3 I somehow need to be 11lbs heavier. I'm going to have to figure that one out. If my BMI is 35 I need a comorbitity. The only one I used to have is sleep apnea. When I went through all these pre-op things with the band I had a sleep study and found out I had it. So, I'm going to be having an at home sleep study and hopefully I still have it. That feels so weird to hope I have it. Insurance is so twisted. Anyway so next Friday 9/22 I have to go for a barium swallow and lab work. Then, on 10/3 I'm going to meet with the surgeon. I'm waiting for the sleep lab to call me but I am hoping I can get the sleep study done before I meet with the surgeon. If all goes well and the surgeon thinks I could be a candidate for sleeve I'll have to have an upper endoscopy too to check for erosion and scar tissue. It's possible that I may only be a candidate for bypass due to erosion so we will see. That isn't really what I want but I'll cross that bridge if I come to it. There will be other with nurse practitioners and nutritionist if all goes well but for right now I need to have the barium swallow and meet with the surgeon and go from there! Oh, and I also had them remove some fluid from my band and my heartburn has subsided. Hallelujah!

So I had my consult yesterday! I know most of the nurse practitioners in the office so it was really nice seeing them and catching up as it's been a few years since I've been there for my band. I weighed in at 202lbs (I wore the heaviest clothes I own) and that only puts my BMI at 33.66 so right now the concern is that I don't weigh enough. They are confident that insurance will pay to have the lap-band removed but not confident that they'll pay for sleeve revision. So.......when I see the surgeon on 10/3 I somehow need to be 11lbs heavier. I'm going to have to figure that one out. If my BMI is 35 I need a comorbitity. The only one I used to have is sleep apnea. When I went through all these pre-op things with the band I had a sleep study and found out I had it. So, I'm going to be having an at home sleep study and hopefully I still have it. That feels so weird to hope I have it. Insurance is so twisted. Anyway so next Friday 9/22 I have to go for a barium swallow and lab work. Then, on 10/3 I'm going to meet with the surgeon. I'm waiting for the sleep lab to call me but I am hoping I can get the sleep study done before I meet with the surgeon. If all goes well and the surgeon thinks I could be a candidate for sleeve I'll have to have an upper endoscopy too to check for erosion and scar tissue. It's possible that I may only be a candidate for bypass due to erosion so we will see. That isn't really what I want but I'll cross that bridge if I come to it. There will be other with nurse practitioners and nutritionist if all goes well but for right now I need to have the barium swallow and meet with the surgeon and go from there! Oh, and I also had them remove some fluid from my band and my heartburn has subsided. Hallelujah!

I am getting sleeved on October 2nd and having a revision from Lapband, which I had in 11/2008. My band took off 80 lbs in a year, but still left me overweight by 75 lbs. I still have 40 lbs off. Looking forward to reading the forums! Nance

I understand your fear but trust me when i say do not be afraid of gastric bypass. There is a reason why gastric bypass is the gold standard out of all bariatric procedures.. i also like you have had all 3 procedures. Lapband placed in 2007. (284 down to 190)... Revision to Sleeve on 2015 ( 240 down to 177)... and just one month ago had a revision from sleeve to gastric bypass. (211 pounds at day of surgery and currently i am down to 186).. I also am on the same boat as you regarding weight reduction. I did gain about 30 pounds but i had a combination of gerd plus hiatal hernia and also that my sleeve pouch stretched. I can say that a month after having bypass surgery it feels good. Like i feel that i dont even have anything done on me internally. I am currently finally on the solids stage and all is going well and no reflux at all which i am relieved. Soo just go for it and get the relief you desperately need for your GERD.

Hi ladies! I'm feeling pretty good. I did come home with a surgical drain, which my surgeon said is because it was a revision. They also ended up needing to repair a hiatal hernia we didn't know about prior to surgery, and I had a myotomy, so because of the multiple surgeries, the drain was necessary. When I had my sleeve, I didn't need one. In the hospital, I was pretty out of it the following day. It was a combo of needing to rest and heal and the strong pain meds they were giving me. My surgery wasn't until 1pm and took about 3 hours, so I didn't do much that evening after surgery but get settled in to sleep. Slept most of the next day, but in the evening I was up and walking and trying to get fluids in. I did end up staying two nights just because I didn't get close to my fluid intake goals the day after surgery because I slept so much. So, here I am, 4 days PO. I am wearing an abdominal binder, partially to keep the drain from swinging around, but also it helps not pull on the incisions when I move. I only have one real painful incision, on my left side. They said it was the biggest, the one the camera went in, and it's the only one that has a stitch in it, which pulls a bit when I stand up or sit down. It's not terrible pain, but I have zero pain from the other incisions, so it's noticeable. I'm having to remind myself to drink my protein drinks because I'm not hungry at all, as expected. But when I do remind myself to get it in, I'm not having any issues with digesting it, or nausea, etc. I didn't experience that after my sleeve, either, so I might just be lucky with that, I know it can be bad for some people. (I also never had morning sickness, apparently my stomach can handle anything, lol) I'm moving around well, I really just have trouble bending over. I can crouch to pick something up quickly, but I can't bend for a long time to like, wipe up the floor, or something like that. I have been fortunate enough to have help with my 2 year old so I can rest during the day. Normally I'm a stay at home mom, so it's been weird to be without my son all day, but I know I couldn't keep up with him all day alone. He is very much a mamas boy who wants to crawl on me and snuggle and I am just paranoid he's going to unintentionally hurt me. I haven't had any nausea or vomiting or lightheadedness. It's really been a smooth recovery so far, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the scale move down. I've decided to weigh myself no more than once a week, I weighed myself before I went home and was up 5lbs from swelling and water retention from the IV fluids. I knew the scale would go up, but I was curious how much it had. I'm happy to share anything else if you have specific questions, but just know, the worst of it is the day of and day after surgery, but you will be medicated to handle it. Don't hesitate to ask for help from nurses for anything and focus on being rested just as much as you focus on fluids and walking around. You have to have a balance and you will only recover when you rest! It gets better every day, and it's all worth it in the end. I had my sleeve and lost 150lbs in a little over a year. (I was high starting weight, so even with that loss, I still have about 100lbs to go) I'm really curious to see how much more I can lose and if it will come off as quickly since it's a revision.

I was banded in 2007 and revised to a sleeve. I agree that the community has changed a lot since then but i think there are still good supportive people here. Ignore the idiots and negativity and take whst you actually need. Best advice i have. Good luck! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Ok that's where I did my original with Dr smith he's now deceased. I'll call to see if he can do my revision. Thank you.

I originally thought I wanted to get to 150, but I revised my goal to 160 when I realized my size 8 jeans were already feeling a little loose at 168. I think a size 6 looks good on my frame and any lower would be a little small. In the end I guess my body will decide.

Im in Utah and looking to have the DS as my revision to my original bypass 16 years ago, who and where did you go if you do not mind me asking

I just had the sleeve and lost 172 pounds post op, with just the sleeve and good eating habits, not really working out. I picked the sleeve because I knew I could revise to DS if I didn't lose enough with the sleeve or if as I get older I have serious regain issues. If i was going to pick I would pick DS just because you get to eat more and you don't have to be quite as diligent. So if someone is a serious food addict with emotional issues, DS is the better option to keep the weight off long term. The only other reason to not go with DS would just be the skill of the surgeon and the support of the program. I have noticed some programs treat DS like other surgeries and do not provide good nutrition and follow up care. DS is unique and needs unique follow up.

Berry, the data I looked at was the stuff my surgeon gave me from www.duke.edu, and I found a very good article from Abraham et. al, 2016. Interesting views on GERD, and revision. My GERD is absolutely terrible. doctor put me on Contrave to see if losing some of my regain would help. I'm having some side effects from the med, not too many, but it IS killing my appetite. For some reason the past 3 days I've eaten much more but today I start the increased dose of it so we'll see what happens. It seems like eating starchy foods really helps with the GERD, and i need to stop eating that crap, so I'm going to attempt to do another round of a pre-op type diet until I see him again in a couple weeks. I hope it will help both with my weight numbers AND let me get some sleep at night. I also have another EGD and upper GI scheduled (GI doc did the initial EGD, and now surgeon wants to do his own)... Hopefully I'll have some news, although i'm not too confident at this point that the news will be good.

In the beginning, the health psychologist at my bariatric clinic asked me what my goal was, and I said I'd be elated to weigh 200 lbs again. He told me that was a pretty realistic goal. Once I got to about 220, I told the dietitian I was going to shoot for 170-180, and she said that seemed reasonable. Once I got down there, I told the dietitian I was now going to try for 150. She told me people have done it, but it wasn't very realistic - that most people who start out SMO end up "overweight" or "class I obese". That's all the incentive I needed - I was determined to make it to normal BMI - and I have. SOOOO - to answer your question, my goal was revised a few times as I lost weight. I'd start with something pretty realistic and go from there.

Most people on this site list their surgery under their picture when they post. I would look there first for their information. I too had the DS and have no regrets. I revised from a lap-band and didn't want the risk of regain.

You are so welcome. Let the tears be happy tears! You have made a decision to be a better person, and as long as you keep doing what you're doing, you will see the progress, I promise! My surgery was a revision from band to sleeve. I lost just over 100 lb with my band, and I remember going through exactly what you are experiencing. Now I am doing it again after some medical issues with the band. Huge bummer, but now we can do it together!

I had a band place June 2011, lost 100 lbs., and then began having complications all to gain the weight back. Not only did I gain the weight back, I gained two different sites of horrible pain, both the band and port. The port site was almost too much to bear. I had my band revised to a sleeve due to complications last Thursday and so far, I feel such a sense of relief having that contraption out of me! I have had an excellent recovery and jokingly asked the doctor if he actually did the sleeve.. Hoping to make the best of my second chance! I'm having a hard time not overdoing it after surgery!

Hi all, I am 3 weeks out from band to sleeve revision surgery. I was wondering if anyone uses shakeology for protein. I currently do and love it but I think with the sleeve my protein needs will be greater with the sleeve then the band. If anyone uses shakeology does it work for your protein needs?

Wow, Lisa......I'm so sorry about your heart issues. And that you had an attack during childbirth! You are already coming into this with some serious potential issues, so you do need to make sure that you're not jumping from the pot into the fire. Though there are no guarantees either way, there is something reactive going on in your body, so you need to be SUPER careful. And I agree, no, I do not think that ALL issues are weight related. Weight does put a strain on so many things and causes other health issues, but it's not EVERYthing. I've done so much research on this; pre-surgery and now looking at a revision. With the bypass, the biggest (common) food issue is sugar. If you have a sweet tooth and eat a lot of it, you might get very sick (dumping). My next door neighbor had a bypass many years ago, and though she tolerates just about everything, certain things are hard for her to eat.......like popcorn. I guess everyone has to find their own balance once the surgery is done and we're back on regular food. As for the sleeve, if reflux is or has even been an issue, the sleeve isn't a good option. Reflux gets worse, and even those who never had it, get it. For me, there isn't enough long term data on that procedure, and I'm always afraid of the possible leakage from the staples. Though it doesn't happen often, if it does, you can be in the hospital for several weeks/months. I'm self employed, so that would pretty much put me right out of business. Since the bypass has been the gold standard for many years, I guess I'm just more comfortable with it. I've also heard that revisions don't lose weight as quickly/easily as "surgical virgins". I've heard this with both the bypass and sleeve. People lose, but it's a different experience over first timers. I think for you, given what you've said about your history, it might be a good idea for you to see your cardiologist to discuss. The heart issue is concerning and I'd want his/her take on putting your body through another bariatric surgery. This is serious stuff! But with that aside, you have to ask yourself the questions we always have to ask..... Will your weight continue to climb if you don't have surgical intervention? Though weight isn't the beginning and end all, I can tell you......as you get older, the health issues increase. From my 30 pound weight gain, I'm back on blood pressure meds. I had knee surgery in March and my knees are still painful. Ultimately, I will have knee replacement, but that is something I won't do unless my weight is down. The artificial joints have about a 15 year life, but with extra weight, even less. If I keep gaining weight, I'll probably end up with pre-diabetes/diabetes. When I was younger, all I cared about was how I looked. Now, it's all about the way I feel and staying healthy. No, I'm not thrilled seeing the extra weight come back on, but feel worse physically and have other health issues that are exacerbated by the extra stress on my body. You question about possible rejection to the sleeve is a good question. Honestly, because once the stomach is gone, what then? The bypass can be reversed, though I don't think it's as simple as removing a band. My doctor said he does about 4 reversals a year. He also said that band revisions are now about 20% of his practice. He rarely places them anymore; it's old technology. He seems to prefer the bypass over anything else. I will think of other questions, too. My doctor told me that I worry too much about things I don't need to worry about. Easy for him to say! Surgeons.....nothing is a big deal to them. But it is to me/us

Hi All!! Back on the boards these days doing some revision research....cause I am still very undecided about what to do. I had the band removed on August 9th and recovery has been a road let me tell ya! It actually was a bit more painful due to the muscle dissection to remove the port. The incisions healed nicely no infections just muscle soreness for a few weeks. Of course though with my father in law in rehab, hubby got super sick with bronchitis and brought that home along with a wicked stomach flu virus and you know I caught that in a heart beat and we have been sick since! Horrible bug really. I am back to work now after having to take another week off for that illness and honestly feeling better now. For some reason my body did not like having the band inside, it just kept rebelling against it with inflammation all over the place. It was making me so sick, and the reflux and prolapse of the band was just the final straw in a two year battle to get things to calm down. So...here I am post band removal...and wondering if doing another surgery is something to consider given all the issues I had with this one. Who knows if my body will accept being altered and rewired it didn't accept the hardware

Hi all, I have had my band since 2003 and on October 3 I will be getting the revision to sleeve. I have heard weight loss is slower in revision patients than someone that was getting weight-loss surgery for the first time. Does anyone have experience with this and has it been accurate for you? I'm very short and I have about 50 pounds to lose. I maintained over 100 pound weight loss for all of those years. But I have been having band complications for many years now as well . Now the pounds are creeping back on.

I had the band in Mexico when I was 20 in 2003. I lost all the weight Dow to 130lbs on average and maintained that healthy weight for all these years . I also had 4 kids in that time. Until this last year my little band issues became severe band issues. Especially acid reflux and back pain . I hadn't had water in 4 years. Only soda could go down. I had my band I filled 3 months ago and have gained big time. I'm now 167lbs . In 3 months:( my revision band to sleeve surgery is October 3. My endo is this Monday then liquid diet for 2 weeks. I totally get how you are feeling. All the what ifs and fear and tired of band complications.:(

I was always hopeful that it would pass. Only in the last month before I had the band removed was reflux an issue for me. Mostly it was just constant inflammation going on inside as my body kept trying to reject the band. I would have gone right for the bypass or the sleeve at the same time if it was an option for me, but like you I am also fearful to a degree of what to expect after. My body does not seem to take well to outside interference, didn't like the band being in there, and it even started pushing out the internal sutures that were used in the surgery to remove the band! So I wonder how it will adapt to rerouting and changing the internal process....I just want to be healthy and happy. I'm not so focused on the "weight" of the issue...though so many doctors blame weight as the reason for everything that ales you that it becomes the focus. I have been having issues with my heart since I was 17 years old and I was at a normal weight and post pregnancy is when the issues started after a heart attack during child birth. So today at 46 I have an arrhythmia that causes tachycardia in my pulse rate all the time with a normal sinus rhythm which is a good thing it means I'm not actually having a heart attack at the moment, but having a heart racing all day as if I were doing sprints makes one quite tired. Mostly they happen at night and keep or wake me up so that's not fun either. Of course the Dr.'s all say well if you lose weight this will get better...but will it? It hasn't in all these years...and I am getting older not younger...so forgive me if I don't think weight is all to blame for my health. I'm thinking of putting some questions together for the Dr. and see what kind of feed back they can provide. One question is: 1. Why would you recommend the sleeve over the bypass for me? 2. I have heard that those revising from band to sleeve do not lose as effectively as those who have never had a bariatric procedure because they are not able to make the sleeve small enough due to scar tissue. Do you find this to be a valid insight? What has your experience with patient revisions been? 3. Have you seen patients who have rejected being sleeved after the surgery? What type of rejection symptoms have been displayed? Food intolerance? (to be expected?) Inflammation of stomach/other organs? (what could be done to prevent and/or remedy this?) What other questions do you think....? It might help us both with our decision

I had the lapband in Mexico in 2003. I was very young. I'm now 35 and 3 weeks out to getting a revision to sleeve. When I originally got the band I told co workers and family and friends. My ex husbands family. That was a mistake. Even well intentioned family and friends treat you differently. Always watching what you are eating and making comments good or bad. Then comments when you lose the weight that it's not deserved because it was surgery not hard work. Well it is still hard work. I lost a little over 100 lbs and kept it off since then including having 4 children during that time. In the last year my band has caused me a lot of problems and that is why I am doing the revision to the sleeve. Im now remarried and have been for 8 years. Only my husband knows. His family and none of the new friends I have gained since being part of his life know. I learned my lesson. There have been a few people in our friend group that have gotten the surgery but they are both men and I find people to be less judgmental of men that get surgery. At times I wanted to talk to them about it but decided not to because I remember being treated poorly and once you say it you can't get it back. I think it's a good idea to keep it to yourself and your very close trusted circle. Just because you go through enough having to deal with all the things you have to deal with being a surgery patient in the first place. Not to mention your life before surgery struggling with the weight. Why add to it and let others affect your confidence. When you're trying so hard to build confidence. It's nice to see a group like this where we are all in the same boat :-)

I'm in the same boat..... I had my band placed in March 2013, and now going to have it removed with a revision to a gastric bypass (most likely). My main band issue is horrible reflux. My throat and voice box are so inflamed from acid, my voice is hoarse all the time and I wake up coughing and try to swallow (what feels like) a glob of something in my throat. But there isn't anything to swallow; it's swelling from acid. Over the past year I've slowing had all of the fluid removed from my band, with the hope that the issue would resolve. It has not. I saw my surgeon yesterday to discuss all of my options. With reflux as the main issue, the sleeve isn't an option because reflux typically worsens. I was never interested in the sleeve, so I'm okay with that. I was originally scheduled for a bypass, but chickened out at the last minute and went for the band with plication. I did well initially; lost 70 pounds, but gained back about 30 over the past 3 years. My only regret is that I didn't go through with my original plan; to have a gastric bypass. My options are, to have the band removed and see what happens over the next few months. Or, to have one surgery; band removal, plication taken down and have the bypass done at the same time. I am really scared about having a bypass, but I'm also fearful that I will continue to gain back all of my weight; maybe more over time. I'm 5'1" and currently 185 pounds. It's just too much weight for my frame. And I'm 62, so there are other issues at this point in life. I'm all over the map on the pros & cons; dealing with my fears on both sides of the fence. Ugh..... I cannot believe that I'm still dealing with this issue! Lisa, I remember you from the Lap-band forums a few years ago. We were both banded in 2013. I'm so sorry to hear that you're having issues and the band never really worked out for you. Being sick all the time is NOT fun and I completely understand your fears about going to another surgery. It's a lot to think about